- He defeats the “Indian Iceman” Arjun Erigaisi 2-0
- He played to play older and less theoretical lines during his confrontation with Erigaisi
- Carlsen is already qualified for the eight-player Major in San Francisco
Magnus Carlsen once again defends his reputation by winning the Julius Baer Generation Cup while becoming the first player to ever reach a 2900 Tour Rating.
Carlsen Wins the Julius Baer Generation Cup
With the pandemic forcing many tournaments to be held online, many games have seen an increase in popularity. With events being livestreamed and people having more time to watch them, a somewhat unlikely traditional sport has entered the realm of electronic sports – chess.
The game has seen a significant rise in viewership and not even non-chess fans recognize the name of one of its most prominent players – Magnus Carlsen. The 31-year-old Norwegian player recently again astonished viewers by winning the Julius Baer Generation Cup, becoming the first player to break the 2900 Tour Rating.
Needing just two games to take the seventh leg of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, Carlsen crushed the “Indian Iceman” Arjun Erigaisi in today’s final. This is the Norwegian’s fourth tournament win of the Tour season, extending his advantage at the top of the overall leaderboard. His opponent, 19-year-old Erigaisi, also made a stunning run and reached the finals to face Carlsen.
How Has Carlsen Been Performing during the Tournament?
Carlsen achieving a 2900 Tour Rating is historic because he is the first player to ever reach the goal. He also managed to reach $180 000 in earnings on the Tour with Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa following in second place with $106 500.
“Magnus in killer mode. He’s just relentless,” said International Master Jovanka Houska about Carlsen’s performance in the match against Erigaisi. “He really is not stopping here. If we had any doubt Magnus would slip up, he has come in here today in absolute fighting mode. He is the beast.”
The new champion said after the match, with a smile on his face, that he tried to play older, less theoretical lines that have some serious strategic complexity. “For the tournament as a whole, the level was pretty good, but it could’ve been even better of course,” Carlsen commented about the competition. “I dipped a little bit at points in the knockouts, but obviously the finish was nice.”
Carlsen lost only two games in the entire eight-day event, and one was his controversial decision to resign after one move against Hans Niemann in Round 6. Both he and his finals opponent Erigaisi are already qualified for the eight-player Major in San Francisco.
