Magnus Carlsen showcased his dominance at the Esports World Cup, crushing Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin in their quarter-final match. The encounter, billed as a clash between a speed chess expert and one of the greatest chess players of all time, ended with Carlsen winning 2.5-0.5.
The first game concluded in a draw, but the second game saw Carlsen secure a victory after Sarin rejected a draw offer. According to the rules of the tournament, the time control for all games is 10 minutes with no increment. Carlsen responded to the rejection with a smile, and then went on to win the game. In the third game, Carlsen sealed his victory, completely outplaying Sarin to advance to the semi-finals.
After the match, Sarin admitted he was "completely crushed" but acknowledged Carlsen's prowess. He felt he had played well for the first one and a half games but recognized Carlsen's superior skill. Despite the defeat, Sarin expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play against Carlsen, who he considers his biggest inspiration. The 21-year-old from Thrissur also added, "It was my first time against Magnus in a match," and wished him good luck.
Carlsen had previously spoken highly of Sarin's speed chess abilities, recognizing him as a potentially dangerous opponent in time-sensitive situations. Prior to the event, Carlsen noted that Sarin is "incredibly good with very little time on the clock". He also mentioned that his own mouse speed isn't the best, which could be a disadvantage against players like Sarin.
Nihal Sarin, representing S8UL in the tournament, had a strong run leading up to the quarter-finals. He defeated Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave without losing a single game. However, he faced a tough challenge against Carlsen, who was representing Team Liquid.
The Esports World Cup features a unique rule where the loser of a match has their key crushed by their opponent. In addition to the prize fund, the chess players are also part of esports teams of a shared $27 Million prize fund.
Magnus Carlsen will advance to the semi-finals of the Esports World Cup. Other quarter-final matches included Arjun Erigaisi vs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs Alireza Firouzja, and Hikaru Nakamura vs Levon Aronian.
