Meltwater Champions Tour

When Magnus Carlsen renounced his world championship title earlier this year, one of his stated goals was to focus on other events, without bearing the burden of preparation for a regular title match. The Meltwater Champions Tour is an important battleground for the Norwegian, and he showed devastating form at the Tour Finals in San Francisco earlier this month. Initiated by Carlsen during the pandemic, the elite series of rapid tournaments is mostly played online, although four out of eight players travelled to San Francisco for the finals.

This was the only decisive game from Carlsen’s first-round mini-match against the runner-up. The position in the first diagram is roughly balanced, and Wesley So was no doubt hoping to castle queenside to secure his king, so Carlsen dissuades him with a timely pawn sacrifice, 17 b2-b4!

Magnus Carlsen–Wesley So

Meltwater Champions Tour Finals, Nov 2022

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 d3 Bc5 5 Bxc6 dxc6 6 O-O Nd7 7 c3 a5 8 Bg5 f6 9 Bh4 Bd6 10 d4 Qe7 11 Nbd2 g5 12 Bg3 h5 13 h4 g4 14 dxe5 fxe5 15 Ng5 Nb6 16 a4 Bd7 (see diagram) 17 b4 c5 17…axb4 18 a5! is the idea: 18…Nc8 19 Nc4 bxc3 20 Qb3.