Maxime Vachier-Lagrave emerged victorious in the £1.7m CrunchLabs Masters on Champions Tour, defeating Alireza Firouzja twice and ultimately winning against Magnus Carlsen after eliminating him from contention.
Carlsen, who faced personal loss with his mother's passing earlier this month, conceded to Vachier-Lagrave in the semi-final matchup at 2.5-1.5. This marked a comeback for Vachier-Lagrave after narrowly missing out on challenging Carlsen in 2021 and falling behind in Fide world rankings since then.
Firouzja's defeat came from an opening trap set by Fabiano Caruana, leading to a quick loss in just nine moves during the quarter-final matchup.
The online Champions Tour consists of four events open for grandmasters and qualifying tournaments for other international title holders. The competition features fast time limits with a two seconds per move increment, adding an element of tension.
Carlsen will face GM Tuan Minh Le from Vietnam in the round of 16, participating in three rounds featuring different chess formats: blitz and rapid games with varying lengths.
With over 7 million online games played on July 20th for Fide's centenary celebration, alongside notable events such as England's potential grandmaster qualifier at Hull and the inaugural season of Global Chess League from October 3rd to 12th in London, the chess community continues to thrive.
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