Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour: Magnus Carlsen continues strong run with solid win over Hikaru Nakamura in first leg of the final

Magnus Carlsen on Sunday secured a clinical victory over Hikaru Nakamura in the first leg of the finals at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris.

Opening with the unorthodox 1.c4, Carlsen quickly seized the initiative with aggressive knight manoeuvres and an early pawn sacrifice on Move 4, disrupting Nakamura’s development and provoking early complications.

He continued pressing with another knight thrust into Nakamura’s kingside, forcing defensive concessions. After queens were exchanged on Move 18, Carlsen sustained pressure through coordinated play with his rooks and bishops. A decisive tactical sequence beginning with 27.Bxf6 marked the beginning of Nakamura’s unravelling, culminating in his resignation after 36.Bf8+. 

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Nakamura was unable to neutralise Carlsen’s momentum, especially after the collapse of his kingside pawn structure. With this win, the Norwegian is now just one victory away from clinching the title in this high-stakes Chess960 showdown.

The Paris tournament marks the second of five events in the multi-million-dollar Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. Following Paris, the next three legs are set to take place in the USA, India, and South Africa. 

Each Grand Slam event features a 10-player lineup drawn from multiple qualifying routes: the top three finishers from the previous event, the top three players by classical rating, two wildcards selected by the host organisers, the winner of a major classical tournament, and the winner of Chess.com’s Play-Ins.