Magnus Carlsen will face Alireza Firouzja in the Grand Final of the Esports World Cup chess tournament, after defeating Hikaru Nakamura in Chess’s El Clásico. The two could not be separated after a tense six games, but Carlsen toppled Hikaru in Armageddon to progress.
The series was overall a tight affair, swinging back and forth as each player took advantage of the other’s minuscule mistakes. Carlsen seemed to be on his way to a 3.5-2.5 victory in Game 6, but a decisive moment came with Magnus opting not to move his Knight F8, with disastrous consequences.
Carlsen recovered in Armageddon to dispatch Hikaru, who trapped his own Rook to give Magnus the line that eventually led him to victory in Riyadh.
“I was so nervous in the last game. I kind of knew what moves to play to some extent, but I was still shaking. This was really tough,” said the Dane after the victory
Magnus “pissed off” at crowd
Chess at the Esports World Cup has adapted in many ways to be more like a traditional esport, with PCs on LAN over the traditional boards, no time increment to up the excitement, and even heart rate monitors. However, it wasn’t until the semi-final between Nakamura and Carlsen that the crowd really became an element.
Team Falcons fans and organisational members spurred on Nakamura, cheering as Magnus’ queen was trapped in Game 3, resulting in a Nakamura game victory.
A Nakamura series win would have meant a full Team Falcons final, guaranteeing victory for the esports org and the Club Points for first and second place. Instead, Magnus silenced the crowd, who afterwards were very respectful and congratulatory to the Dane as he moved on to the Grand Final
Magnus stated, “It pissed me off when they cheered when Hikaru was winning. I know they were cheering for me at the end as well. But you know, I’ve got my bow and arrow ready. I’ve shot one Falcon, I wanna shoot one more tomorrow.
Hikaru noted the crowd when asked about it, giving a partisan answer and backing his Team Falcons teammate: “Obviously, I was the underdog; that goes without saying, but certainly having the fans cheering for me was very nice. It was a nice touch, unfortunately, I couldn’t get the job done, but hopefully tomorrow, Alireza can kick Magnus’s ass.”
EWC Chess day four schedule
Carlsen moves on to the final against a very in-form Alireza Firouzja. The French GM has yet to lose a single game at the Esports World Cup. Carlsen himself only dropped games to Hikaru; there is little doubt that these two are the top performers of the tournament, with Carlsen remaining favourite on esports betting sites.
Nakamura and Arjun Erigaisi will play each other in the third-place decider. The winner will get a grand total of 0 extra dollars for third, with both guaranteed $125,000. The only difference between the winner and loser is 200 Club Points for the event, which the Falcons will hugely value in their quest for their home title.
Third-place decider:
14:00 (BST): Arjun Erigaisi vs Hikaru Nakamura
Grand Final:
approx 17:00: Magnus Carlsen vs Alireza Firouzja
The Grand Final will feature Best of 3 sets; Four, four, then two games if necessary to separate the superstars.
UPDATE: Arjun Erigaisi 2.5-3.5 Hikaru Nakamura
Nakamura claims third place with a 3.5-2.5 victory over Arjun Erigaisi, claiming 500 Club Points for Team Falcons, with Erigaisi claiming 300 for Gen.G. Nakamura was also presented a bronze key, despite Magnus crushing his original key after the semi-finals.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.
