Carlsen’s pushed to Armageddon but still wins Julius Bär Generation Cup

Magnus Carlsen, the chess world No. 1 pushed aside all his peers, old and young alike, to win the 2023 edition of the Julius Bär Generation Cup with a flawless upper bracket performance, defeating Alireza Firouzja once more in the grand finals with a strong but nervy performance in a series that went all the way to the Armageddon decider.

The Julius Bär Generation Cup was the latest stop in the 2023 Champions Chess Tour, the latest iteration of the popular online chess tournament series that has been captivating players around the world since its inception during the pandemic. This time, it featured some of the up-and-coming players of the next chess generation, pitting some of the strongest teenagers on the planet against the reigning chess elite.

With one big exception, it was the youngsters who made it further in the bracket, as 20-year-old Alireza Firouzja reached the final, with 2004-born Nodirbek Abdusattorov and 2006-born Denis Lazavik ending their runs in the semis. The fourth player at the tail end of the event, of course, was none other than Magnus Carlsen, who promptly won the event and described himself as “the final boss of chess” in front of the emerging new generation in the chess world.

Carlsen, who’s long ago secured his spot in the live season finals (and recently filled the final gaping hole in his chess trophy cabinet with his World Cup win), triumphed in the event in convincing fashion, defeating Amin Tabatabaei and Fabiano Caruana before sweeping Alireza Firouzja in the winners’ semis.

The French youngster bounced back, however, earning himself a rematch, albeit under tough circumstances, since Carlsen, as the upper bracket winner, had a whole extra series advantage to spare. On the other hand, it became clear quite early on that the Norwegian wasn’t quite at his sterling best on the day of the grand final, playing slightly slower and more sloppily than he usually does (not that this wouldn’t be enough to handily defeat at least 99.5 percent of the global chess population).

It was an explosive series and exciting chess right from the get-go, as Carlsen sacrificed an exchange for initiative in the opening game, a move that didn’t quite turn out to be right in the position, but despite giving great chances to Firouzja, the Norwegian was able to hold the ensuing endgame. He then went into a surprisingly aggressive line in the Sicilian Defense in game two, and once again found himself on the back foot heading into the endgame, but defended precisely for another split point.

In game three, it was Firouzja’s turn to do something dubious, giving up a pawn with little to nothing to show for it, but it still took 61 moves and a ton of work for Carlsen to convert his advantage in a topsy-turvy game to gain a lead in the series.

With his back against the wall, the young Frenchman went for a rare sideline in the Sicilian and reached a hyper-complicated endgame, one that not even Carlsen could manage to keep track of with very little time on the clock. With nothing but the queens left on the board, Firouzja had a clean advantage to work with, and this time, he was able to convert it after a grueling 130-move affair.

As good as it all turned out, running the same opening in the Armageddon decider may have been a tad bit overly optimistic. In this format, the players bid time on their clock: White has to win the game, but Black starts with less time. The player with the lower time bid gets to choose, with the draw odds often the more enticing option of the two. Not getting caught out this time, Carlsen brought superior weapons to bear in the opening, and even let his winning chances go for a guaranteed draw that secured him the game, the series, and the tournament.

So far, five out of the eight slots have been filled for the season-ending grand finals in Toronto. Alongside Carlsen, three other participants of Division I in the Julius Bär Generation Cup have already earned themselves a spot: Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Wesley So are already confirmed for the competition. Whether the remaining three spots will go to the old guard or the new generation remains to be seen.