How Magnus Carlsen overturned 2.5 point deficit to win Superbet Rapid and Blitz Poland

Magnus Carlsen had an unlikely task coming into last day’s action at the Superbet Rapid and Blitz event in Poland. He trailed Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi by 2.5 points with just nine rounds to be played.

In what was an audacious run, the Norwegian went on a nine game winning streak, including against three Indians, to finish 0.5 points ahead and clinch the title in Warsaw. In so doing, Carlsen has now won seven tournaments in a row - Champions Chess Tour Final, World Rapid Championship, World Blitz Championship, Chessable Masters, Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T Challenge, Grenke Chess Classic and now the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland.

Carlsen, oldest in the 10-player field, had expressed desire to “teach the others a thing or two”. The event featured three Indians — World Chess Championship challenger D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi — besides other top Grandmasters like Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Vincent Keymer. But that mattered little as Carlsen romped to victory.

“I knew if I had a good day I had a chance and I could feel from the second game on that I was a lot calmer than I was yesterday. So I thought that I was in with a shot. I also knew that I’ve done this before, in the World Blitz in 2017. I came in 2.5 points behind Karjakin and I erased that in four games, beating him in the fourth game, so funnily it was exactly the same this time. I felt very calm today,” said Carlsen later.

Wei Yi of China, however, had to content with the second place after below-par five points from the last nine games.

Scoring one win after another, the Norwegian won seven and drew just two to reach the magical 26 points, a half point more than Wei Yi in overall standings.

Duda Jan-Kryzstof of Poland saved his blushes for last and finished third on 19.5 points and R Praggnanandhaa was right behind him a half point adrift.

Erigaisi Arjun finished fifth on 18 points, ahead of Nodirbek Abdusattorov on 17.5. Kirill Shevchenkov who had started off with three brilliant wins on the opening day in rapid ended sixth on 17 points in all for his seventh place finish while Anish Giri washed off his earlier blues in the tournament to finish eighth eventually on 14 points.

Vincent Keymer of Germany ended ninth on 13.5 a full point ahead of world championship challenger D Gukesh who clearly struggled.

Final results: 1. Magnus Carlsen 26; 2. Wei Yi 25.5; 3.Duda 19.5; 4. Praggnanandhaa 19; 5. Arjun 18; 5.. Abdusattorov 17.5; 7. Shevchenko 15; 8.Giri 14; 9. Keymer 13.5; 10. Gukesh 12.5.