An exceptional second day of Champions Chess Tour Airthings Masters 2023 noticed the stage set for a blockbuster — a conflict between five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen and GM Hikaru Nakamura. The GMs two will face off on Wednesday within the Division I Winners Bracket Final after defeating GMs Arjun Erigaisi and Wesley So respectively.
This will probably be their first match since Nakamura received their final encounter within the SCC ultimate in December final 12 months.
If this Champions Chess Tour opener has proven us something, is that Indian GMs Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh are set for an unimaginable season.
Exceeding all expectations, Erigaisi had destroyed World No. 4 Alireza Firouzja 3-0 to enter the semifinal, which he then misplaced to Carlsen, who by his personal admission, “played a very good game”.
In the semifinal, an armageddon recreation determined the match. Carlsen received the bid for the black items by providing 10 minutes and one second towards Erigaisi’s 11 minutes and 59 seconds.
Needing solely a draw, Carlsen defended solidly. And a determined Erigaisi, who difficult the sport as a lot as he may, was by no means unable to show the tide. The recreation resulted in a draw, a match win for the world champion.
Gukesh, who misplaced to Nakamura within the quarterfinal, performed excellently within the Division I Losers Bracket to knock out GM Rauf Mamedov.
Do Gukesh and Erigaisi have an opportunity?
As per the format, the 4 gamers who misplaced their matches on the day gone by moved to the Losers Bracket. The 4 others remained within the Winners.
With the double-elimination format, each participant who stays has an opportunity to win the complete occasion—the winner of the Losers Bracket, nevertheless, should defeat the victor of the Winners Bracket two occasions within the Grand Finals. That implies that Gukesh and Erigaisi, regardless of shedding their matches, have an opportunity at profitable the complete event.
GM Alexey Sarana eradicated GM Alireza Firouzja from the Division I Losers Bracket and can play So on Wednesday within the Losers Quarterfinals. In the opposite match, Erigaisi will face GM Gukesh D.
In Division II, the most important upset is GM Nodirbek Yakubboev’s win over GM Dmitry Andreikin. He will face GM Fabiano Caruana within the Winners Semifinals, whereas the opposite match will characteristic GM Alexander Predke (who received by forfeit after GM Ian Nepomniachtchi didn’t present) vs. GM Yu Yangyi.
In Division III, GM R Praggnanandhaa defeated GM Aleksandr Lenderman within the Winners Bracket Semifinals. He will face GM Sam Sevian, who defeated GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, within the Winners Bracket Final.
