Nakamura, Caruana, Liren join Carlsen in semifinals

In the sixth and penultimate round, Hikaru Nakamura broke the sequence of draws against Ding Liren by winning the Armageddon game for a 3-2 win.

File photo of Hikaru Nakamura during the Tata Steel Rapid & Blitz chess tournament in Kolkata.

As expected, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Ding Liren joined Magnus Carlsen in the semifinals of the $250,000 Magnus Carlsen Invitational online chess tournament on Wednesday.

In the sixth and penultimate round, speed king Nakamura broke the sequence of draws against Ding Liren by winning the Armageddon game for a 3-2 win.

 

Caruana took an unsurpassable 2.5-0.5 lead over Maxime Vachier Lagrave by being victorious in the first and third games before the Frenchman posted a consolation win.

These results have ensured that the final round outcomes will not have any bearing on the fate of the semifinalists.

Sixth-round results: Hikaru Nakamura (USA) bt Ding Liren (Chn) 3-2; Fabiano Caruana (USA) bt Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) 2.5-1.5.

Standings (after six rounds): 1-3. Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 13 points), Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 13), Fabiano Caruana (USA, 13), 4. Ding Liren (Chn, 12), 5-6. Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus, 6), Alireza Firouzja (FIDE, 6), 7. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5), 8. Anish Giri (Ned, 4).