GM Magnus Carlsen will face GM Wesley So in the Title Match to decide the winner of Chess.com's premier event, the 2023 Champions Chess Tour Finals, and who takes home the $200,000 first prize.
Carlsen knocked out his 2018 world championship nemesis GM Fabiano Caruana in Armageddon after just two sets. Meanwhile, So vs. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov went down to the wire, going into overtime in their third set.
The Title Match begins on Friday, December 15, starting at 12 p.m. ET / 18:00 CET / 10:30 p.m. IST.
Similar to tennis, three sets in the Semifinals decide a winner. Every set is four games and a possible armageddon tiebreak; if the players have an even score after two sets, as happened in So vs. Abdusattorov, the third will break the tie. For the full format information, read more here.
With one victory in his pocket from the day before, Carlsen had the chance to close out the Semifinals with another set win while Caruana started the day fighting for survival.
In the first game, Caruana had no trouble holding off Carlsen's attempts at an edge in the players' mutually beloved Ruy Lopez. Afterward, Carlsen remarked: "I wasn't thrilled with the way I handled it. I think the way I played it was a little bit too soft."
With his own chance at the white pieces, Caruana built up a dangerous king attack by sinking his pieces into Carlsen's weak light squares. Yet, at the critical moment, Caruana missed the winning line.
Given the chance, Carlsen created his usual magic, escaping to the endgame and, in the end, making Caruana fight for the draw. After his miracle reversal in game two, Carlsen started the next with a fresh fire in his play, pressing from the opening and winning with a classic Carlsen grind in the ending.
Caruana now found himself in a must-win position, not just for the set―but for his chance to continue in the entire event. Would Caruana's CCT run end here or could he win on demand against the highest-rated player in history? The world number-two rose to the challenge evening the score by orchestrating an attack on Carlsen's wide-open king.
As the players reached Armageddon, everything seemed to be going Caruana's way. First, he won out on the bidding war: gaining draw odds with Black by under-bidding Carlsen by two seconds with 9:58 against 10:00.
Next, Carlsen surprisingly went into the Open Variation in the Ruy Lopez, a line Caruana knows very well, allowing him to equalize while playing quickly. Then, Carlsen offered a queen trade―a seemingly counter-intuitive choice when you're fighting for the win.
Yet, once again, Carlsen showed that he can create winning chances from any position. Within a few moves of trading queens, Carlsen's pieces were diving into the enemy position, targeting the opposing pawns and supporting his newly-created passed e-pawn.
At the close of this hard-fought matchup, Carlsen reflected: "Caruana's really strong. It didn't feel like I was ever outplaying him much. I was mainly holding on. To be fair, he could have easily won this match. There’s no doubt about that with the chances he had... He’s extremely strong, not an easy guy to kick."
Caruana takes home $50,000 for making it to the Semifinals, plus $6,000 for his match wins in the previous stages.
In the other semi, So struck back emphatically. After Abdusattorov's comeback and set win yesterday, So needed a victorious run to keep the match going. Perhaps inspired by Carlsen’s first goal for the CCT, So chose 1.b3!? to open the first game, avoiding mainline theory and evoking what Carlsen calls “anti-young-player chess.”
So’s opening choice seemed to unsettle Abdusattorov, who sunk much of his time on figuring out his opening setup. The American grandmaster soon gained a dream position with his dark-squared, fianchettoed bishop staring down the open board toward the enemy king. Then, he began to launch his h-pawn up the board as a wrecking ball headed for the black kingside.
When So’s queen joined the bishop on the long diagonal, deadly mating threats began to emerge. As commentator GM David Howell described: "The beast has woken."
In game two, So stole two pawns to call Abdusattorov's tactical bluff. In the process, So gave up his queen but came out ahead and with two unstoppable connected passers.
So's 2-0 streak put Abdusattorov in a must-win position. Yet, reaching a situation in need of a comeback has become par for the course for the 19-year-old grandmaster. As So fought to make it to set three while Abdusattorov fought for survival in this one, the players produced an explosive duel featuring one unbelievable move after another.
Abdusattorov took over the position with Black by sacrificing a pawn with check. With his back against the wall, So responded with a series of remarkable defensive moves. Abdusattorov broke open the center to hunt after his opponent's uncastled king and even gained the opposing queen. Yet, So counter-struck and created an untouchable passed pawn.
In the end, Abdusattorov surmounted the odds and came through in the time scramble finish. But in the last game of the set, So gained vast space on the kingside and turned it into a vicious attack. With Abdusattorov's position on the verge of collapse, So offered a draw to guarantee set three.
Game one was a battle of opening preparation and endgame technique where the players' efforts were equally matched. Abdusattorov had an opening novelty ready on move 21, yet So still gained an edge he could press into the ending.
The second game was the most balanced of all, sending the match into armageddon. A single game now stood between both players and the Title Match... or elimination.
Both players bid boldly for the black pieces. Abdusattorov chose 9:19 while So chose 9:27 and included a drawing of a cat as his good luck charm and secret weapon.
Now in the must-win seat, So steered the game to the dynamic waters of an IQP middlegame. Abdusattorov gained activity but mishandled his play in the center, burning much of his time in the process. So kept his cool and seized every opportunity, picking off his opponent's weak pawns and eliminating all attempts at counterplay.
Abdusattorov took the defeat in his stride: "I’m disappointed. I played very badly today. Shout out to Wesley, he played very well. Sometimes it happens. I had every chance to win this match. Today was not my day. I just have to come back stronger."
The Uzbek grandmaster has earned $50,000 for his Semifinals qualification and another $6,000 for his previous match wins.
So cited his social media prowess as an essential ingredient to his victory: "I realized today that I didn't tweet yesterday before my match, and it ended really badly. So, I thought, you know what, let me throw Anish again, see if it works."
Fittingly, the top two finishers of the round-robin, So and Carlsen, will meet in the Title Match. So shared his hope for the games: "Magnus, if you’re listening, take it easy on me tomorrow."
The final starts on Friday, December 15, starting at 12 p.m. ET / 18:00 CEST / 22:30 p.m. IST.
You can watch the Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023 on Chess.com/TV, our Twitch channel and catch all our live broadcasts on YouTube.com/Chess. The games can also be followed from our Events Page.
Adapted from NM Vanessa West's report for Chess.com. Read the full report with game analysis here.
The Champions Chess Tour 2023 (CCT) is the biggest online tournament of the year. It is composed of six events that span the entire year and culminate in live in-person finals. With the best players in the world and a prize fund of $2,000,000, the CCT is Chess.com's most important event.
