Magnus Carlsen Hangs a Full Knight against China’s No. 1

How often do we witness a Grandmaster, let alone the best player in the world, blunder a full piece with no compensation in chess? Well, it was none other than Magnus Carlsen, already going through a bittersweet tournament in Norway, who had to bear the brunt of it against GM Wei Yi.

For a second consecutive round, an uneventful four-knights opening was seen in Carlsen’s classical game, which concluded with a draw. Going into the Armageddon game, Magnus needed a draw with the black pieces against Wei Yi, and in an attempt for quick liquidation, World No. 1 hung a full knight!

In this position, Magnus Carlsen, with more than 90 seconds on the clock, launched his rook to c2, overlooking that after Qxg5 Qxd4, Qxd8 comes with a check. Having mentally given up, Magnus was seen laughing at the board after Wei Yi captured the free knight.

Wei Yi managed to put the game away and added 1.5 points to his tally, while Magnus had to suffice with 1. Curiously, even after losing the match in Armageddon, Carlsen climbed up to #2 in the standings as Nakamura took down the World Champion Gukesh in their classical encounter. Fabiano Caruana (12.5) continues to lead, with Magnus (12) now breathing down his neck, half a point behind. The script has been written and has set up Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana in the penultimate round after the rest day. Stay tuned for fiery chess action!

Photo courtesy: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza