The Magnus Carlsen Invitational began April 18 and features some of the world’s best chess players. Over the course of 16 days, the field of eight players are competing online for a $250,000 prize fund with $70,000 awarded to the winner.
And we've now reached the final, which features Magnus Carlsen vs. Hikaru Nakamura on Sunday.
Magnus Carlsen Invitational participants
World No. 1 and four-time world champion Magnus Carlsen headlines the field as six of the top 10 players will compete. The field includes 16-year-old Alireza Firouzja, who upset Carlsen in the final of the Banter Blitz Cup.
Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi are also among the competitiors.
| Player | Country | Age | Rapid | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 29 | 2863 | 1 |
| Fabiano Caruana | USA | 27 | 2835 | 2 |
| Ding Liren | China | 27 | 2791 | 3 |
| Ian Nepomniachtchi | Russia | 29 | 2784 | 4 |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | France | 29 | 2778 | 5 |
| Anish Giri | Netherlands | 25 | 2764 | 10 |
| Hikaru Nakamura | USA | 32 | 2736 | 18 |
| Alireza Firouzja | Iran | 16 | 2728 | 21 |
Magnus Carlsen Invitational format and schedule
The tournament sees the eight players play a round-robin tournament with four advancing to the Final Four knockout. In the round-robin portion, each player will play in a four-game rapid match with a 15 minute clock and 10-second increments after each move.
The semifinals will take place May 1-2 with the final set for May 3.
| Day | Date | Round | Matches | Time (ET) / Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | April 18 | 1 | Carlsen vs. Nakamura | Carlsen, 3-2 |
| Saturday | April 18 | 1 | Firouzja vs. Ding | Ding, 2.5-1.5 |
| Sunday | April 19 | 1 | Caruana vs. Nepomniachtchi | Caruana, 2.5-1.5 |
| Sunday | April 19 | 1 | Vachier-Lagrave vs. Giri | Vachier-Lagrave, 3-1 |
| Monday | April 20 | 2 | Carlsen vs. Firouzja | Carlsen, 2.5-1.5 |
| Monday | April 20 | 2 | Nakamura vs. Giri | Nakamura, 2.5-1.5 |
| Tuesday | April 21 | 2 | Nepomniachtchi vs. Vachier-Lagrave | Nepomniachtchi, 3-2 |
| Tuesday | April 21 | 2 | Ding vs. Caruana | Caruana, 3-2 |
| Wednesday | April 22 | 3 | Caruana vs. Carlsen | Carlsen, 3-1 |
| Wednesday | April 22 | 3 | Firouzja vs. Nakamura | Nakamura, 3.5-.5 |
| Thursday | April 23 | 3 | Vachier-Lagrave vs. Ding | Ding, 3-2 |
| Thursday | April 23 | 3 | Giri vs. Nepomniachtchi | Nepomniachtchi, 2.5-1.5 |
| Friday | April 24 | 4 | Carlsen vs. Vachier-Lagrave | Carlsen, 2.5-1.5 |
| Friday | April 24 | 4 | Firouzja vs. Caruana | Caruana, 3-1 |
| Saturday | April 25 | 4 | Nakamura vs. Nepomniachtchi | Nakamura, 2.5-1.5 |
| Saturday | April 25 | 4 | Ding vs. Giri | Ding, 2.5-2.5 |
| Sunday | April 26 | 5 | Giri vs. Carlsen | Giri, 2.5-1.5 |
| Sunday | April 26 | 5 | Vachier-Lagrave vs. Firouzja | Firouzja, 2.5-1.5 |
| Monday | April 27 | 5 | Caruana vs. Nakamura | Caruana, 3-2 |
| Monday | April 27 | 5 | Nepomniachtchi vs. Ding | Ding 2.5-1.5 |
| Tuesday | April 28 | 6 | Carlsen vs. Nepomniachtchi | Carlsen 3-2 |
| Tuesday | April 28 | 6 | Firouzja vs. Giri | Firouzja, 2.5-1.5 |
| Wednesday | April 29 | 6 | Nakamura vs. Ding | Nakamura, 3-2 |
| Wednesday | April 29 | 6 | Caurana vs. Vachier-Legrave | Caurana, 2.5-1.5 |
| Thursday | April 30 | 7 | Ding vs. Carlsen | Ding, 3-1 |
| Thursday | April 30 | 7 | Nepomniachtchi vs. Firouzja | Nepomniachtchi, 3-2 |
| Thursday | April 30 | 7 | Vachier-Lagrave vs. Nakamura | Nakamura, 3-2 |
| Thursday | April 30 | 7 | Giri vs. Caruana | Giri, 2.5-1.5 |
| Friday | May 1 | SF | Nakamura vs. Caruana | Nakamura, 4-2 |
| Saturday | May 2 | SF | Ding vs. Carlsen | Carlsen, 2.5-1.5 |
| Sunday | May 3 | Final | Nakamura vs. Carlsen | 10 a.m. |
Standings
After seven rounds
- Hikaru Nakamura: 15 points
- Ding Liren: 15 points
- Magnus Carlsen: 13 points
- Fabiano Caruana: 13 points
- Ian Nepomniachtchi: 8 points
- Alireza Firouzja: 7 points
- Anish Giri: 7 points
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: 6 points
Prize money
The eight chess players will compete for a $250,000 prize fund. The winner will get $70,000 while the last-place finisher will receive $15,000.
- First place: $70,000
- Second place: $45,000
- Third place: $30,000
- Fourth place: $30,000
- Fifth place: $22,500
- Sixth place: $20,000
- Seventh place: $17,500
- Eighth place: $15,000
How to stream
Matches will be streamed live on DAZN, the global sports streaming service, in the following regions: United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and Spain. The matches will also be streamed on chess24's YouTube channel.