It is only the opening day of the AI Cup, the latest stop of the Champions Chess Tour, but world number one Magnus Carlsen has already made a statement—on the board and in front of the mic.
After convincingly defeating Hikaru Nakamura in speed chess, Carlsen did so again in rapid games three days after their last titanic encounter, making clear he doesn’t see the American, or anyone else, as his equal.
Two wins, a draw and a mic drop; this time, it wasn’t even close. Just three days ago, Carlsen also defeated Nakamura in the grand finals of the 2023 Speed Chess Championship, albeit by just a single-point margin, 13.5-12.5. Even then, he made an ominous remark in the post-match interview, saying he wasn’t “at all satisfied” with his performance after his victory, setting a goal to “establish the pecking order when it comes to speed chess.”
On Sept. 25, in the highly anticipated opening round of the AI Cup, he faced Nakamura again in a four-game rapid match.
First, it was another example of Carlsen’s endgame prowess, grinding out a minor piece endgame to take advantage of a blunder deep into mutual time trouble to seal the win.
Game two saw an odd gambit line in the Jobava London opening, an innovative and sacrificial approach by Nakamura to try and equalize the match with the White pieces.
It was an impressive and exciting effort, leading to a chaotic back-and-forth game and a huge advantage for Hikaru, one he wasn’t able to convert with just 30 seconds on the clock. This allowed Carlsen to execute an impressible series of sacrifices, giving up his queen and his rook to create a fortress and secure half a point.
Then, the clincher: Nakamura went for his pet King’s Indian Defense, going for another double-edged position, with a typical big kingside attack in the structure, one Carlsen could calmly defend against before hopping in his knights to win some material and then turn the tables on the black king in convincing fashion.
It was an impressive showing from the sterling Norwegian, and he went on to underline in the post-match interview how he sees the pecking order in the world of chess.
“The first tier is, like, no rivals, then a little bit after that, Hikaru,” was his succinct summary, and based on his recent form, it would be tough to argue with his assessment this time.
