Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour: Contrasting draws headline first day of semifinals

Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana played out a captivating draw in the first leg of their semifinal in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, battling down to their final pieces, with only the kings left standing on the board.

Caruana, playing white, opened assertively, advancing his knight and bishop early, but Carlsen calmly absorbed the pressure, using his queen to blunt the advances.

By move 18, both players had exchanged queens, setting the stage for a more measured, strategic contest. What followed was a slow yet finely balanced encounter that stretched all the way to move 67.

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It was then that Caruana scalped the final pawn, likely feeling a sense of relief with just 10 minutes left on his clock, compared to Carlsen, who had over half an hour.

In contrast, the other semifinal between Vincent Keymer and Hikaru Nakamura was far more subdued, wrapping up in just 40 moves. Despite several pieces remaining on the board, neither player pushed for an advantage after an early queen exchange, with both settling for a quick stalemate, perhaps keen to conserve energy for the next leg tomorrow.

The second leg of semifinals will take place on April 12..