Opera Euro rapid chess: Carlsen enters final after fighting win

Magnus Carlsen’s inconsistency returned to haunt him before he managed to beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the deciding Armageddon game and moved into the final.

Published : Feb 13, 2021 16:50 IST , New Delhi

Magnus Carlsen’s inconsistency returned to haunt him before he managed to beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the deciding Armageddon game and moved into the final of the $100,000 Opera Euro rapid online chess tournament on Friday.

After two drawn rapid games in the second set, Vachier delivered back-to-back blows to Carlsen to win 3-1 and force the tie-breaker. In the blitz games, both players won from the white side. In Armageddon, Carlsen played white and won in 40 moves.

Read:

 

In the final, Carlsen will take on Wesley So, the man who beat him to clinch the Skilling Open, the first title of the season.

Having won the first set, So needed only two points from the best-of-four second set to advance. After two drawn games, he won the third to end the contest.

Semifinals: Set Two (Rapid): Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 3-1; (Blitz): Carlsen drew with Vachier 1-1; Armageddon: Carlsen wins and advances to the final; Wesley So (USA) bt Teimour Radjabov (Aze) 2-1.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment