Magnus Carlsen loses two games in a row at the SuperUnited Rapid 2023
Author: Maria Fragaki
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi finished Day 2 of the SuperUnited Rapid 2023 undefeated to join GMs Viswanathan Anand and Fabiano Caruana at the top of the standings board. On the other hand, Magnus Carlsen lost two games in a row against Caruana and Alireza, but beat the tournament’s leader and 15th World Champion Vishy Anand.
It was an eventful day at the SuperUnited Rapid 2023 in Zagreb, Croatia, with Magnus Carlsen leaving the playing hall blatantly disappointed after two losses in a row.
In Game 4, the former World Champion faced his old rival Fabiano Caruana with whom he holds a 37-15 rapid score with 16 draws. With an analysis he originally prepared for their 2018 World Championship Match, Caruana surprised Carlsen who didn’t manage to find the accurate moves and eventually lost the game.
“I didn’t check it today, but I checked it a few weeks ago. It’s very straightforward this whole Na5 line. It gets a bit crazy, but it’s very forcing… It’s very safe for Black. White has to navigate the way to equality. I didn’t remember the details, but I was very happy when Magnus started to think because, of course, White can’t go into this if you don’t know it.”
In Game 5, Firouzja dealt Carlsen another consecutive defeat when the Norwegian grandmaster mistakenly placed his king on the incorrect square during the queen ending. This error enabled Firouzja to generate a strong and threatening passed pawn.
Carlsen’s reaction was one to watch as he stood on the board for a long couple of seconds, probably thinking what went wrong.
In Game 6, Carlsen impressively bounced back with yet another intense battle. Carlsen once again demonstrated his prowess in shaping the tournament’s outcome by bouncing back and triumphing over the current leader, Anand. Carlsen’s sharp tactical awareness allowed him to spot a concealed chance to capture a pawn. Although this additional pawn ended up being duplicated and isolated in the ensuing rook ending, Carlsen effortlessly converted it into a victory.
