Aronian And Caruana Win In Sao Paulo

The first half of the Chess Masters Final is underway in Sao Paulo, and the first round did not disappoint fans in search of drama!

Lev Aronian had the white pieces against Sergey Karjakin, and caught his opponent in some opening preparation to start the tournament on a winning note.

In contrast Magnus Carlsen seemed absolutely determined to achieve more than a draw with black against Fabiano Caruana, but eventually fell on his own sword and lost instead after a 5-hour struggle!

World champion Vishy Anand had to settle for a draw with the white pieces against the tournament underdog Paco Vallejo Pons.

The standings after the first round (3-1-0 scoring system)

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The crowds watch Sergey Karjakin and Lev Aronian in the glass cube

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Magnus Carlsen overpressed and lost against Fabiano Caruana

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World Champion Vishy Anand could only draw with Vallejo Pons

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The Chess Masters Final is a 6-player double round-robin event which is being held half in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and half in Bilbao, Spain. The Sao Paulo leg takes place from 23-29 September and the Bilbao leg is from 7-13 October.

The tournament uses the so-called "Sofia" anti-draw rules, meaning that players can only draw by mutual agreement with the permission of the arbiter. The "Bilbao" scoring system (3-1-0) is also in operation.

The official website is rather disappointing for such a high-profile event!

The full schedule:

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