GM Magnus Carlsen received the primary match vs. GM Arjun Erigaisi within the remaining of the Julius Baer Generation Cup on Saturday. Winning two video games and ending off with a draw, the world champion wants solely a tie in Sunday’s match to win the match.

The commentators had been extra impressed together with his play than Carlsen himself. GM David Howell mentioned: “I have to say, on this match to this point he’s probably the most effective I’ve seen since 2019, since he was simply destroying everybody.”

Carlsen, afterward: “The rating was clearly excellent. I’m removed from glad with my play, I feel there have been some fairly unhealthy moments right now however general I am unable to complain.”

His opening within the first recreation was fairly modest (6.c3 within the Exchange Grunfeld, as a substitute of going for c2-c4 earlier) however Carlsen then outplayed Erigaisi slowly, though there was one second the place the sport may have taken a unique course.

Erigaisi: “I feel I may play …g5 sooner or later and I noticed the transfer however I did not go for it. That’s what hurts me probably the most.”

After that, Carlsen was in full management and 35.Bxg6! was a crushing sacrifice. 

The second recreation began as a quiet Italian, however issues turned fascinating when Carlsen went for queenside castling. The key second was transfer 27, when the world champion sacrificed an change with out noticing all the small print.

“Frankly, I used to be a bit fortunate there,” he admitted afterward. “I hadn’t significantly thought-about the truth that he would take my rook as I assumed it could simply lose. Then I missed this concept of 29.Nc6+. So at that time, I shortly realized that each different transfer loses so I needed to play 28…N4d5. The proven fact that he has no protection after that was a little bit bit fortunate however contemplating the place it isn’t too shocking. Fortunately I had some minutes there to calculate so I may simply remove all the opposite options.”

In a recreation the place he wanted a draw, Carlsen went for the Alapin Sicilian and gave the impression to be searching for simplification early on, however this fashion he really obtained right into a barely worse endgame. Erigaisi did not take his probabilities:

“I’m a bit disillusioned with my play and with the outcome however it is going to assist me for certain so I take it as a optimistic factor,” mentioned Erigaisi. “I’ve been telling myself to not assume an excessive amount of about the truth that I’m taking part in towards Magnus and simply attempt to play as if it is every other opponent. I do not know if that helped or not.”

The 2022 Champions Chess Tour’s seventh occasion, the Julius Baer Generation Cup, takes place September 18-25, 2022 on chess24. The preliminary part was a 16-player fast (15|10) round-robin. The prime eight gamers have superior to the knockout part which consists of two days of four-game fast matches, which advance to blitz (5|3) and armageddon (White has 5 minutes, Black 4 with no increment) tiebreaks provided that a knockout match is tied after the second day. The prize fund is $150,000.