Firouzja To Play Carlsen In Grand Final

GM Alireza Firouzja will face GM Magnus Carlsen in the Grand Final of the 2024 Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters. On Monday, the French number-one defeated GM Ian Nepomniachtchi by drawing the armageddon and then GM Denis Lazavik 1.5-0.5 to win the Losers Bracket.

In Division II, GM Vincent Keymer defeated GM Levon Aronian 2.5-0.5, but with his second life the 41-year-old grandmaster beat GM Benjamin Bok to win the Losers Final. Keymer and Aronian will have a rematch in the Grand Final.

Likewise, in Division III, GM Alexey Sarana swept GM Alexander Grischuk 3-0, but the latter rebounded against GM Oleksandr Bortnyk to keep hope alive. They too will have a rematch in the Grand Final.

Day seven, featuring the Grand Finals of Division II and III only, begins on Tuesday, February 6, starting at 11 a.m. ET / 17:00 CET / 9:30 p.m. IST. The Division I Grand Final will be held separately, on Wednesday at the same time.

Division I Bracket

• Division I: Firouzja's On Fire
• Division II: Aronian Claws Back To Grand Final
• Division III: Grischuk Will Rematch Sarana

Division I: Firouzja's On Fire

Firouzja was knocked into the Losers Bracket on the very first day of the knockout when he lost to GM Vladimir Fedoseev, but he's been fighting ever since. On his way to the Grand Final, he's defeated GMs Wesley So, Jose Martinez, Nepomniachtchi, and Lazavik. The only thing that stands between him and title victory now is the "final boss of chess."

Losers Final: Firouzja 1.5-0.5 Lazavik 

Lazavik defeated a host of super-GMs to get to this stage, even beating Carlsen for the first time in his career despite losing that match. Although his tournament comes to an end, Lazavik does earn $15,000 for his efforts—and experience.

Firouzja won the first game and drew the second to close out the match.

There's a widely-circulated quote that says "pawns are the soul of chess," and Firouzja's victory in game one bolstered those wise words. After trading queens, the world championship candidate deftly exploited the weaknesses of isolated and doubled pawns.

GM Rafael Leitao provides his expert analysis below.

Game two was, generally, a good hold by the French number-one, who only needed a draw. Although it didn't matter much for the match, there was a gorgeous opportunity to find 63...f6!!, a study-like move that wins. It's a beauty to look at:

Losers Semifinals: Firouzja 1.5-1.5 Nepomniachtchi 

Firouzja's first victim of the day was, in fact, Nepomniachtchi. The two regular games ended in draws and the younger grandmaster won the match by drawing the armageddon with Black.

After getting his bishop trapped earlier in game one, Firouzja showed exquisite technique in defending the rook and bishop vs. rook endgame that eventually followed. Amusingly, as they approached the 50-move rule, Nepomniachtchi hung a full rook without changing the result—the game was a draw after 162 moves.

Nepo hangs his whole rook and both players can't help but smile! 😆 Fortunately, it's still a draw.#ChessChamps #ChessableMasters pic.twitter.com/UTWylo4yv5

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 5, 2024

In game two, Firouzja essayed 1.Nc3 and transposed into the Jobava London System, repeating the first moves of their last over-the-board encounter in Tata Steel Chess 2024. Firouzja had attacking chances even after trading queens, but it ended in a draw after 36 moves.

Armageddon forced a result in an otherwise even match. Firouzja ultimately held a heavy-piece endgame and even won when Nepomniachtchi, in a must-win situation, overreached.

The desired result could have come much sooner if Firouzja found a trick in the opening that both players missed for two moves. Can you find the move two super-GMs overlooked? Black to move and win material.

Firouzja will have to win two matches against Carlsen on Wednesday in order to claim the title and a spot in the CCT Finals. As he pointed out in his interview, his countryman GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave showed last year that it is, at least, possible.

Firouzja was optimistic: "In general, I'm very happy with my play, I think. I don't think I need to change so much for the Grand Final. If I keep playing this level, I have chances."

If I keep playing this level, I have chances.

—Alireza Firouzja

Division II: Aronian Claws Back To Grand Final

The younger grandmaster, Keymer, emerged on top of the clash of generations in Division II. After a draw in game one, Aronian collapsed in time trouble in the next two games, blundering a full piece in both when playing on just the increment.

Still, he took down Bok to earn his second chance at the title. After trading wins, Aronian held the armageddon game with Black to advance. His victory in game two featured a temporary rook sacrifice and a long-term attack.

The Keymer vs. Aronian Grand Final match has great implications. The winner will take home $15,000, but more importantly will also automatically qualify for Division I of the next event, which comes with a minimum of $7,500 with a chance to win more.

You can find the full brackets and pairings for Division II here. 

Division III: Grischuk Will Rematch Sarana

Like Aronian, Grischuk will have a second shot at winning this division on Tuesday. He will have to improve on his performance on day six, however, where he lost all three games against Sarana.

Game three was the most entertaining, where in a must-win situation Grischuk pressed the "chaos" button and turned up the dial. It was a short game, which he lost, but the fireworks were spectacular:

In all three divisions, we will see a clash of generations in the Grand Finals. On one hand, we have Firouzja (age 20), Keymer (19), Sarana (24)—and on the other Carlsen (33), Aronian (41), and Grischuk (40). Will the youngsters assert themselves on the world stage, or will the veterans teach them a lesson?

You can find the full brackets and pairings for Division III here. 

The 2024 Chessable Masters is the first of four events on the 2024 Champions Chess Tour and determines one of the players who'll make it to the in-person CCT Finals. The event starts on January 31 at 11 a.m. ET/17:00 CET and features a $300,000 prize fund.

Previous coverage:

• • Carlsen Reaches Grand Final, Defeats Dark Horse Lazavik
  • Carlsen Reaches Winners Final Vs. Lazavik
  • Fedoseev, Martinez, Lazavik Prevail Against Top-20 Players
  • Lazavik Beats Nakamura 2-0; Dubov Plays Brilliancy
  • Martinez Wins Play-in On His Birthday
  • Faster And Fitter: Champions Chess Tour 2024 Returns With Chessable Masters