Vachier-Lagrave To Play Carlsen In Semifinals, Firouzja Faces Nepomniachtchi

GMs Magnus Carlsen and Alireza Firouzja made it to the 2024 Champions Chess Tour Finals Semifinals by finishing as numbers one and two in the round-robin, while GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave advanced through the Survival Stage.

GMs Denis Lazavik, Vincent Keymer, Levon Aronian, and Wesley So were eliminated on Thursday.

The Semifinals take place on Friday, December 20, starting at 12:00 ET / 18:00 CET / 10:30 p.m. IST.

Semifinals Bracket

• Round-Robin Round 7: Carlsen, Firouzja Are In, While Aronian, So Are Out
• Survival Matches: Nepomniachtchi's Through To The Semis
• Survival Match For 4th Spot: Vachier-Lagrave Outlasts Lazavik In Long Endgame

Aronian and So were eliminated as the last two finishers of the round-robin, even when they both won their last matches. Aronian earned $15,500, and So $12,000, plus $2,000 went to both players for two match wins.

Round-Robin Final Standings | After 7 Rounds

Round 7: Carlsen, Firouzja Are In, While Aronian, So Are Out

At the same time, Carlsen and Firouzja skipped the Survival Stage thanks to finishing in the top two of the round-robin. The four players in the middle would go on to play the Survival Stage. 

At the start of the day, a young, local fan wished Carlsen would lose the first game but win the rest—so that we'd see more games from the former world champion. Sadly, Carlsen shut down that expectation by winning his first and only match on Thursday.

"I want him to lose" - Jakob, from Oslo on hometown hero Magnus Carlsen 😂 pic.twitter.com/s2UpUBtPxo

— Chess.com (@chesscom) December 19, 2024

He defeated Lazavik with the old "Magnus magic" in an equal endgame, though evidently some pitfalls still existed. The world number-one told FM Mike Klein, "I think he just played a bit too passive there. And, all of the sudden, I was winning, which was a bit unexpected but obviously very welcome."

Carlsen drew the second game, taking a threefold repetition in a winning position to win the match. He explained that he may have played for the win when he was "younger and braver," but not today.

After they drew game one, Keymer came so close to drawing Firouzja in the second game as well, but he blundered an exchange in mutual time trouble and ultimately lost in a rook endgame. Thus, Firouzja won five matches and finished second in the Round-Robin.

Though he could have picked up the exchange earlier, Nepomniachtchi won game one against Aronian with 30.Nf7!! capping off the attack by disconnecting the black army on the f-file.

Aronian actually managed to get a winning position in their second game but had just 15 seconds against over a minute. After Aronian pushed a passed pawn too soon, Nepomniachtchi found a clutch way to save the game and draw.

Because Firouzja won his head-to-head encounter with Nepomniachtchi, he had better tiebreaks. Thus, the two-time World Championship Challenger, who also won five matches, would have to win another one to advance.

Last but not least, So won the match when he dismantled Vachier-Lagrave's Grunfeld Defense in game two, but it was too little too late. He did earn an extra $1,000 for that match win, but his fate had already been decided when he lost five matches on the previous two days. 

Survival Matches: Nepomniachtchi's Through To The Semis 

Since he finished third in the Round-Robin, Nepomniachtchi had to win just one match to advance to the Semifinals. Vachier-Lagrave, on the other hand, took down the two youngest players, Keymer and Lazavik, for his spot.

Round-Robin 3rd vs. 4th: Nepomniachtchi 1.5-0.5 Lazavik

After a draw in game one, Nepomniachtchi won the second game with the black pieces. It was a one-sided game, as Lazavik attempted 12.g4? to force an attack, but one that didn't exist. Nepomniachtchi counter-attacked immediately, punching through the e7-e5 pawn break that spelled doom for the white king. Lazavik didn't get checkmated, but only survived to enter a losing pawn endgame.

Lazavik would have another chance in the Losers Final, but Nepomniachtchi was through to the Semifinals.

Round-Robin 5th vs. 6th: Vachier-Lagrave 2-0 Keymer

Vachier-Lagrave won the other match 2-0, in both cases having the better knight against bishop in the endgame. In both games, he placed his pawns on the opposite color to his opponent's bishop and gobbled up the enemy pawns one by one with the knight.

Keymer earns $20,000 and a $2,000 bonus for match wins as he's eliminated from the tournament.

Survival Match For 4th Spot: Vachier-Lagrave Outlasts Lazavik In Long Endgame

Lazavik had a second chance, but it wasn't enough. He finished the tournament in fifth place, earning $25,000 plus another $4,000 for four match wins in the Round-Robin. He told Klein afterward that he exceeded his expectations coming into the tournament, so it was a good result for the 18-year-old either way.

"Overall, it's a good result!" says Denis Lazavik who made it all the way to the last match of the Survival Stage of the #CCTFinals! pic.twitter.com/YXrd7LKEb6

— chess24 (@chess24com) December 19, 2024

Game one was drawn and, for a long time, it looked like game two was destined for the same fate. It was a long, maneuvering game in the Accelerated Sicilian Dragon, and it took 83 moves for Vachier-Lagrave to outdo Lazavik in the patient, methodical, and technical style that Lazavik himself usually excels in.

GM Rafael Leitao annotates the Game of the Day below.

Shortly after winning his match, Vachier-Lagrave was informed that Carlsen had chosen him, over Nepomniachtchi, as his opponent in the Semifinals. His response? No problem!

MVL upon learning that Magnus has chosen him as his opponent in the Semifinals:

"I don't mind! With Magnus, it's always a big, big fight."#CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/IU7p2eu8jn

— chess24 (@chess24com) December 19, 2024

He said that it's always a pleasure to play, in his opinion, the best player of the last 15 years. "If I can manage something, I would be proud of myself." 

Previous coverage:

• Day 2: Firouzja Ends Carlsen's Streak, Still Trails By 1 With Lazavik, Nepomniachtchi
• Day 1: Lazavik, Carlsen On Perfect 3/3 After Surviving Rollercoaster 3rd Round
• Champions Chess Tour $500,000 Finals Kicks Off On December 17 In Oslo, Norway