Unlike last year, when Nakamura dominated the first, more slower blitz time control of 5+1 that ultimately proved decisive, it was Carlsen who got off to a flying start this time - but Nakamura being Nakamura stormed back later with a hat-trick of successive wins in the 3+1 session, inflicting on Carlsen his first-ever successive three-game loss in the SCC.

It all came down to the final bullet session, where Carlsen stopped Nakamura’s comeback with a valiant last-game do-or-die attack from the American, who unfortunately missed a mating attack that allowed the Norwegian to brilliantly hit back with his own stunning double-rook sacrifice that not only saved the game but denied the match going into overtime. 

“I thought I was lost for sure, then I just gave a check,” was Carlsen’s succinct summary of the decisive game. “I was not going to be anywhere near to the level I was against Wesley [So],” referring to his  22-7 semifinal shellacking over the world’s number 10). “My brain just shut off during [time] scrambles,” before ominously adding “I still haven’t managed to achieve my goals in the Speed Chess Championship.” 

“Considering the start, I was pretty happy with the match overall,” said Nakamura in the post-match interview. “I suspect we will have some fun matches coming up in the future, and it will be pretty hype as well,” he added with a wry smile. 

This was Carlsen’s third victory in the Speed Chess Championship, long after his first two triumphs in the inaugural events of 2016 and 2017. Since then, the high-octane, high-stakes competition popular with chess fans has proved to be Nakamura’s fiefdom. The Roll of Honour now stands at Nakamura with five titles and Carlsen three titles.

The latest victory for Carlsen also sees the world #1 continue his amazing string of performances in his last six events, both online and over-the-board: Speed Chess Championship (first), Julius Baer Generations Cup CCT (first), FIDE World Cup (first), Bullet Chess Championship (second), SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz GCT (first) and Aimchess Rapid CCT (first).

GM Magnus Carlsen - GM Hikaru Nakamura

Chess.com SpeedChess Ch. 5+1m (2)


C65: Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 The so-called 'Berlin Wall' endgame after - 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 is considered the most testing line - but Carlsen of late has preferred this innocuous, slower and solid line that keeps the queens on and is growing in popularity. 4...Bc5 5.Ba4 O-O 6.O-O Re8 7.c3 Bf8 8.Re1 h6 9.Nbd2 d6 10.d4 Bd7 11.h3 g6 12.Bc2 Bg7 Chess can be remarkable at times - we started off this game as a rock-solid Ruy Lopez Berlin Defence, and now, by a series of manoeuvres and transpositions, we are basically in a Modern Defence, Geller Quiet System! 13.Nf1 Qe7 14.Ng3 Qf8 Not just played to get the queen off the potentially problematic e-file - in the King's Indian/Pirc/Modern Defence, we sometimes see this strange queen retreat being followed up with ...Kh7, ...h5 and ...Bh6 to ease the pressure by exchanging off the dark-squared bishop; also, as happens in the game, ...h6 sometimes just needs to be defended. 15.Be3 Rad8 16.Qd2 Na5?! A wasted move that Nakamura soon comes to regret, as Carlsen literally just steamrolls up the kingside with his attack. In such KID/Pirc/Modern positions, you also have to look at liquidating the centre whenever possible, and here, simply 16...d5!? releasing all the tension in the centre of the board seems to do the job nicely - and very efficiently! 17.b3 c5 18.Rad1 b6 Nakamura has wasted too much time with his ...Na5 set-up - and now watch Carlsen take full advantage. 19.Qe2 Eyeing up a potential annoying flick to the queenside with Qa6. 19...exd4 20.cxd4 Nc6 21.d5 Ne5 22.Nxe5 Rxe5 23.Qa6 Re7 24.a4 Bc8 25.Qf1!? And just as Nakamura thought he had the queenside under control, Carlsen flicks the queen all the way back to f1 to set up a potential kingside pawn storm. 25...Nd7 26.f4 h5?

(see diagram) At the critical moment of the game, Nakamura blinks - and with it, he's quickly overwhelmed by Carlsen's thematic attack. In order to stay competitive, he had to play 26...Bc3 27.Bd2 Bd4+ 28.Kh2 Qg7 and make your stand here. White has the space and the attacking possibilities - but as the attack pushes forward, there will be holes in White's position that could well be exploited. 27.e5! dxe5 28.f5! It's a thematic pawn-storm more commonly seen in the Modern Benoni - White sacrifices the e-pawn so as to push the f-pawn to open up all the lines of attack for his better-placed pieces. 28...e4 The only try, looking to generate some sort of counterplay down the open e-file, as allowing the knight to swing unchallenged into e4 would lead to a desperate position to have to defend. 29.Nxe4 Rde8 30.Bf4 Even stronger was 30.Bg5! Re5 31.fxg6 f5 (Definitely not 31...fxg6? 32.Qc4! Nf6 There's no time to move the king out of the way of the annoying discovered check. After 32...Kh8 33.Rf1 Rf5 34.Rxf5 gxf5 35.Ng3 Bd4+ 36.Rxd4! and Black's position soon collapses) 33.Nxf6+ Bxf6 34.Rxe5 Rxe5 35.Bf4 with a big winning advantage. 30...gxf5 31.Nd6 Ba6?? Such game-losing blunders in blitz, as you increasingly find yourself short of time, do happen when you think you are being pummelled - but after 31...Rxe1! 32.Rxe1 Rxe1 33.Qxe1 Nf6 34.Qg3 h4 35.Qf3 Ne4!? 36.Nxc8

(Better than 36.Nxe4 fxe4 37.Qxe4 f5 38.Qe1 Bf6 39.Bd3 where White is clearly better, but in blitz with both sides having queens and the bishop-pair, anything can happen) 36...Qxc8 37.Bxe4 fxe4 38.Qxe4 Bf6 39.Kf2 and again, White is clearly better, but with blitz it is not so easy to convert for a win. 32.Rxe7 1-0 Nakamura resigns, realising the folly of his piece-losing blunder in a difficult position.