GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave simply received Division I of the CrunchLabs Masters 2024 on Wednesday, whereas GM Alexander Grischuk received Division II and GM Arjun Erigaisi Division III. We’ll go over the 5 largest takeaways from the third leg, of 4, of the 2024 Champions Chess Tour.
- Vachier-Lagrave Finds His Type
- Successful In 9 Strikes Is not Sufficient For Caruana
- Time Is Ticking To Qualify For Finals
- Grischuk’s Nonetheless Acquired It, Wins Division II From Losers Bracket
- Arjun Has 2 Dangerous Days, Nonetheless Wins Division III
1. Vachier-Lagrave Finds His Type
Vachier-Lagrave has been an incumbent on the planet’s elite for properly over a decade. He earned his grandmaster title 19 years in the past and broke into the world top-10 in 2014; he’s one among 14 gamers to cross a 2800 ranking. In recent times, nevertheless, he is dropped out of the top-10 in classical chess, dropping all the way down to number-21 on the stay ranking listing.
In fast chess, nevertheless, he is nonetheless world number-eight, and he is confirmed to be one of the harmful gamers within the Champions Chess Tour. After defeating GM Alireza Firouzja in two matches with out dropping a single sport, he stated that he is beginning to really feel his type once more, ever for the reason that Superbet Romania Chess Traditional weeks in the past. He shared:
It is coming again, my openings are lastly getting higher, giving the black facet some extra bother… I used to be getting like no benefit with White for just like the previous yr or so, so lastly I used to be placing strain. Whenever you get positions you are extra comfy with, then it is a lot simpler to only take pleasure in enjoying and to calculate higher.
He is additionally now defeated GM Magnus Carlsen thrice within the final two seasons and certified for the CCT Finals two years in a row, reminding us that he is nonetheless very a lot one of the succesful gamers on the planet.
2. Successful In 9 Strikes Is not Sufficient For Caruana
GM Fabiano Caruana beat Firouzja in simply 9 strikes of their first match of Division I, however Firouzja flipped the script when he received the match anyway. The dominant story was not his embarrassing loss to a identified opening entice however, as an alternative, his restoration. Nonetheless, it is price wanting on the full, brief sport beneath if you have not already:
Firouzja stated that he noticed his opponent was laughing after his blunder 8…Bxh1??, and it solely motivated him to strike again more durable. Regardless of dropping within the Grand Ultimate, he has nonetheless earned extra tour factors and {dollars} than another participant this season.
Caruana simply hasn’t discovered his stream within the CCT but this yr. Within the final two occasions, he struggled within the Play-ins and solely made it to Division I for the primary time within the CrunchLabs Masters. The achievement was evanescent, nevertheless, as he misplaced each matches he performed, towards Firouzja after which GM Wesley So.
3. Time Is Ticking To Qualify For Finals
Time is working out for gamers to qualify for the in-person Finals on the finish of the yr. There may be one occasion left within the CCT common season, one final probability to qualify. Firouzja, Carlsen, and Vachier-Lagrave are within the Finals already, so GM Ian Nepomniachtchi leads the tour standings.
The winners of the CCT occasions qualify for the Finals, that includes eight gamers. The remaining spots are given to the gamers with probably the most tour factors, so if the common season ended right this moment, the next gamers would make the lower: GMs Nepomniachtchi, Vincent Keymer, So, Denis Lazavik and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
Nakamura and Caruana made it to the Finals final yr, however this yr has been a wrestle; they each have 40 tour factors and $12,000 in earnings. Nakamura hasn’t made it to Division I but this yr, assembly some kind of main impediment in Division I Placement. Within the first occasion, it was Lazavik; within the second, it was GM Velimir Ivic; lastly, within the CrunchLabs Masters, it was GM Jules Moussard. His greatest probability is successful Division I of the subsequent and final occasion in September.
Tick, tick, tick!
4. Grischuk’s Nonetheless Acquired It, Wins Division II From Losers Bracket
We will safely name the three-time blitz world blitz champion a veteran grandmaster and elite participant. He earned his grandmaster title in 2000, when lots of right this moment’s prime gamers have been nonetheless of their pampers. Simply consider this: GM Gukesh Dommaraju, the challenger for the 2024 FIDE World Championship, was solely born six years later.
Grischuk made it to the Division III Grand Ultimate within the 2024 Chessable Masters and even pressured the match reset towards GM Alexey Sarana, however he misplaced. This time round, he accomplished the redemption arc; he beat GM Vidit Gujrathi twice—thus straight qualifying for Division I of the subsequent occasion. In a world the place 20-year-old grandmasters are thought-about to be seasoned gamers, Grischuk might have one other shock or two up his sleeve.
5. Arjun Has 2 Dangerous Days, Nonetheless Wins Division III
They are saying there is no luck in chess, however each CCT options vastly contrasting twists of fortune. We regularly see a shock entrant in Division I (although they’re at all times eradicated ultimately), and we at all times see extremely robust gamers in Division III. World number-four GM Arjun Erigaisi discovered himself within the final division, however nonetheless he made probably the most of it.
Had one or two video games gone in another way on day one, Arjun might have simply as reliably certified for Division I. Within the Play-in, he began with a robust 5.5/7 however then misplaced the final two rounds. Division Placement additionally did not go his method, however as soon as he bought into Division III he received each single match he performed, towards:
The 20-year-old jumped from world number-30 to number-four in a matter of months this yr, so that you may as properly count on the sudden within the Play-in of the subsequent occasion. Arjun is able to qualifying for Division I, however so are many different grandmasters from everywhere in the world. You will not need to miss the motion, which can begin again up on the finish of September.
What was your largest takeaway from the CrunchLabs Masters? Tell us within the feedback beneath!
The 2024 Chess.com Traditional is the second of the Champions Chess Tour’s 4 occasions and determines one of many gamers who’ll make it to the in-person CCT Finals. The occasion begins on Might 8 at 12:30 p.m. ET/18:30 CEST/10 p.m. IST and contains a $300,000 prize fund.
Earlier protection:
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- Day 8: Vachier-Lagrave Wins CrunchLabs Masters After Defeating Firouzja In Armageddon
- Day 7: Grischuk Beats Vidit Twice To Win Division II, Arjun Tops Division III With Recreation To Spare
- Day 6: Firouzja Neutralizes Nepomniachtchi’s Killer Prep, Units Up All-French Grand Ultimate
- Day 5: Vachier-Lagrave Reaches Div I Grand Ultimate As Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi Set Up Repeat Conflict
- Day 4: Vachier-Lagrave Surpasses Carlsen, Units Up All-French Winners Ultimate With Firouzja
- Day 3: Firouzja Recovers After 9-Transfer Loss, Joins Carlsen, Vachier-Lagrave, Duda In Winners
- Day 2: Caruana, Wesley So, Nepomniachtchi, Duda, Andreikin Advance To Division I
- Day 1: Nepomniachtchi Wins Play-in On Tiebreaks Over Nakamura, Antipov
- Saying The 2024 CrunchLabs Masters, Champions Chess Tour’s Third Even
