Nepomniachtchi Beats Firouzja With 2 Games To Spare, Carlsen Eliminates Vachier-Lagrave

GMs Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi have advanced to the title match of the 2024 Champions Chess Tour Finals. Carlsen defeated GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 3.5-1.5, even after missing a checkmate-in-two he could have played in the final game. Nepomniachtchi, on the other hand, dominated his match against GM Alireza Firouzja 3.5-0.5.

The Final takes place on Saturday, December 21, starting at 12 p.m. ET / 18:00 CET / 10:30 p.m. IST.

CCT Finals Bracket

• Carlsen 3.5-1.5 Vachier-Lagrave 
• Nepomniachtchi 3.5-0.5 Firouzja

With half the field eliminated, the remaining four players contested six-game matches to advance to the last stage of the event. The difference between being eliminated in the Semifinals (finishing third) and being eliminated tomorrow in the Final (second) is $50,000. The first prize, to the last player standing, is a whopping $200,000. 

We're down to the final two. Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi eliminated their opponents in the six-game matches of the Semifinals; neither match required the full six games.

Carlsen 3.5-1.5 Vachier-Lagrave 

Carlsen earned the right to choose his opponent, either Vachier-Lagrave or Nepomniachtchi, after winning the round-robin. At the end of the day, he told the commentators that both players are strong adversaries, and he didn't put that much thought into it. He just rolled the dice with Vachier-Lagrave, and it paid off.

Carlsen dropped just one loss as he won the match with three wins and a draw, but he said even this wasn't close to his full potential...

"Well, it wasn't my best. I don't think this was anything close to my best," says 🐐 @MagnusCarlsen.#CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/k9axdKRUQq

— chess24 (@chess24com) December 20, 2024

... and, in the same interview, perhaps warning his co-finalist, he added: "Hopefully, I can bring my best tomorrow and then, if I do, it will be tough for him, I think."

Hopefully, I can bring my best tomorrow and then, if I do, it will be tough for him, I think.

—Magnus Carlsen

Carlsen remarked that he won game one in Vachier-Lagrave's own style, even after he was outplayed for most of the game: "It was kind of a more typical game of Maxime, to be honest, where you just play good moves, and all of the sudden you win tactically. So, it was nice to beat him that way."

Carlsen's 30.Rd5!? was a confusing move, and it wasn't clear what his idea was if Black just doesn't take the poisoned rook. After 31...Ne5 32.Rxc5, however, his idea came to fruition, and Black's a6-rook hung at the end of the line—an incredible trick that worked against one of the world's greatest tacticians.

MVL won game two to equalize the score. Carlsen, with just seconds on the clock against over a minute, still found several chances to save the game down a piece. Vachier-Lagrave explained, "I somehow missed this ...Bf2-Bc5, and I had to win all over again," but in the end, he did manage to put it away with a brilliant tactic:

Vachier-Lagrave's 22...Nf4? was nearly a brilliant move in game three, since every line wins for Black except the one Carlsen played. The former world champion found the forcing sequence, and importantly the in-between move 25.Re6!, to win the exchange.  

In the opening, by the way, Carlsen borrowed World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju's 7.Re1!?, played not long ago in this year's FIDE World Championship match. The former champ said the move is "not great for White, but it leads to fun positions."

After a draw in game four, the last game was the most dramatic as both players missed a relatively simple tactic that would have won on the spot, thanks to a mate-in-two threat. In the following position, Vachier-Lagrave said both players were just fixated on the move 28.Rd8, so neither player considered the queen sacrifice 28.Qxf8!! that would have ended the game instantly.

That single move could have been worth $50,000.

😱 Maxime allows a mate in two, and Magnus misses it!

"That move was worth $50,000," says Tania, as this move could have eliminated MVL then and there.https://t.co/H57RJg99Gr#CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/YvS9JNVCco

— chess24 (@chess24com) December 20, 2024

But, instead, Carlsen went on to win the endgame, ending Vachier-Lagrave's tournament. The French number-two ends the tournament with $50,000 plus another $2,000 for two match wins in the round-robin, while Carlsen advances to play for his fifth CCT title.

Accounting for the fast time control, Vachier-Lagrave estimated that Carlsen was playing at close to his best level. We'll see if he can raise the bar even further on Saturday!

"In general, Magnus played really well, and it's hard to beat him when he's close to his best... although there were some mishaps from him, but in general, for 10+2 games, this was pretty impressive."#CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/Q0k6c6AqSZ

— chess24 (@chess24com) December 20, 2024

Feel free to check out GM Hikaru Nakamura's recap video as well:

Nepomniachtchi 3.5-0.5 Firouzja

Nepomniachtchi won a shockingly one-sided match against Firouzja, wrapping it up with two games to spare. It came down to how Nepomniachtchi capitalized on just about every chance he got, while Firouzja missed the few that did arise.

"It was a bit of a surprise to me that it ended up being so one-sided," said Carlsen about this match. But he mentioned that when you lose with White in the first game, as Firouzja did, "It's hard to regain your composure."

In game one, Nepomniachtchi grabbed a potentially poisoned pawn in the middlegame and lived to tell the tale, winning with that extra pawn in the endgame. Game two is our Game of the Day, where the players traded queens early, and Nepomniachtchi put on a masterclass in the endgame.

It's a great illustration of how White can use the coveted d5-square in the Sicilian Defense. GM Rafael Leitao analyzes the full game from start to finish below.

Firouzja did have chances, but constantly in time trouble, he couldn't find them when they appeared. He was a piece up and winning in game three, but he floundered with 10 seconds against a minute and a half. 

Ian Nepomniachtchi survives the piece-down endgame and is a point away from winning the match!https://t.co/Bb30iDWsuk#CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/9nAC83L8VD

— chess24 (@chess24com) December 20, 2024

After the game, Nepomniachtchi told FM Mike Klein: "Of course, it's winning [for Firouzja], but maybe it's practically not so obvious [how to win]."

Firouzja could have again won the last game after he found the brilliant sequence 24...h4! 25.c3? h3! 26.cxd4?! Qd2 (the move Nepomniachtchi missed), but he had to find the only winning move 29...Qe3!. Firouzja missed it and went on to lose an equal endgame, when he had about five seconds against almost four minutes.

Firouzja leaves the tournament with $50,000 plus another $5,000 for his five match wins in the Round-robin.

It all comes down to the Final, a match that certainly carries some baggage for these two players.

Ian vs Magnus finals? sounds familiar #CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/oG2ngBQzAh

— Chess.com (@chesscom) December 20, 2024

Will Carlsen win it again, or will Nepomniachtchi be the first other player to win the Champions Chess Tour? Share your predictions in the comments below, and tune in on Saturday to find out!

Previous coverage:

• Day 3: Vachier-Lagrave To Play Carlsen In Semifinals, Firouzja Faces Nepomniachtchi
• Day 2: Firouzja Ends Carlsen's Streak, Still Trails By 1 With Lazavik, Nepomniachtchi
• Day 1: Lazavik, Carlsen On Perfect 3/3 After Surviving Rollercoaster 3rd Round
• Champions Chess Tour $500,000 Finals Kicks Off On December 17 In Oslo, Norway