Magnus Carlsen won his first four duels during the Champions Chess Tour qualifiers. Once again he had to go to Armageddon.
There he found the path to victory with white pieces, and that was also absolutely necessary. A draw would have given victory to Hikaru Nakamura in Toronto.
Both regular rapid chess games ended in a tie. So it was necessary to choose a winner at Armageddon. Carlsen was also successful in this format, beating teenager Nodirbek Abdusattorov on Saturday.
Carlsen won the duel against Fabio Caruana after shooting with white pieces and winning with black pieces.
The top eight points selectors from this year’s six Champions Chess Tour tournaments are physically gathered in Canada. Carlsen has won three and comes superbly at the top of the points standings.
Everyone will compete in rapid chess, and after seven rounds it will be clear who will have the chance to play for the final victory of this year’s round. The top two advance directly to the semi-finals, while the next four will compete for the last two places.
Carlsen is well on his way with a full pot after four rounds. Wesley So has also won all of his duels so far.
The final title fight was added Friday and Saturday. Carlsen also won the CCT play-offs last year.
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