Carlsen in cruise mode; Caruana stops Firouzja

Magnus Carlsen beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the fourth round of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational online chess tournament on Friday.

File Photo: Magnus Carlsen retained his lead with 11 points from 3 games.

Magnus Carlsen missed wins in two games but still managed to beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2.5-1.5 in the fourth round of $250,000 Magnus Carlsen Invitational online chess tournament on Friday. In another match, Fabiano Caruana stopped an aggressive Alireza Firouzja 3-1 after all four games proved decisive. Carlsen, whose victory in the third game separated him from Vachier, retained his lead with 11 points. Caruana, victorious in the first, second and fourth games, temporarily held the second spot with 8 points. Vachier (5) and Firouzja (0) were placed fifth and eighth. Fourth round results: Magnus Carlsen (Nor) bt Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) 2.5-1.5; Fabiano Caruana (USA) bt Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) 3-1.