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8/17/2026 – Magnus Carlsen successfully defended his title. After winning the Esports World Cup in 2025, he came out on top again this year. In the final, he faced Denis Lazavik, a young talent who is particularly strong in online chess. Carlsen won both matches, each of which consisted of four games. Overall, he defeated Lazavik four times and drew the other four games. In the match for third place, Hikaru Nakamura beat Alireza Firouzja. Their encounter was not without drama. | Image: Esports World Cup webcast new: Fritz 20 Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before. YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. EXPAND YOUR CHESS HORIZONS Your entry into the great world of ChessBase with ChessBase Program '26, Big Database, CBM and Premium Account. €249.90 Carlsen remains unbeaten No one managed to defeat Magnus Carlsen throughout the tournament. In the interview after his victory over Denis Lazavik in the final, Carlsen spoke about how his rivals have particular difficulty matching his level and challenging his position in this format: online chess with a short time control. The final: Magnus Carlsen v. Denis Lazavik The final consisted of two matches of four games each. If a match had ended level on points, an additional tiebreak game would have been played. That was not necessary, however. Magnus Carlsen won the first and fourth games of both matches, thus earning 2 match points and securing a clear victory over Denis Lazavik. From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories! Carlsen Lazavik Match 1 - Game 1 1 0 Match 1 - Game 2 0.5 0.5 Match 1 - Game 3 0.5 0.5 Match 1 - Game 4 1 0 Match points - Match 1 1 0 Match 2 - Game 1 1 0 Match 2 - Game 2 0.5 0.5 Match 2 - Game 3 0.5 0.5 Match 2 - Game 4 1 0 Match points - Match 2 1 0 Total match points 2 0 Match 2 - Game 4: Carlsen 1 - 0 Lazavik Carlsen before sacrificing his queen in the final game | Photo: Esports World Cup (EWC) All games - Final match Third-place match: Not without drama! Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja faced each other in the match for third place. The contest was scheduled as a best-of-six, with the player scoring the most points over six games winning the match. This meant the contest would be decided as soon as one player reached 3.5 points. It never got to the point where either player reached 3.5 points through the games played on the board, however. After three games, Hikaru Nakamura was already leading 2-1. The first and third games had ended in draws, while Nakamura had won the second. During the fourth game, an error message suddenly appeared on Nakamura's screen. A technical pause was required, after which Nakamura and Firouzja resumed the game. Shortly after play restarted, Firouzja made several mistakes and soon resigned. The score was then 3-1 in Nakamura's favour. He needed only half a point from the final two games to win the match. After resigning the fourth game, Firouzja took off his headphones, stood up and left, even though the fifth game was due to follow. At first the situation was unclear, but it was then announced that Firouzja had left the building and that this amounted to a resignation of the match. No fifth game was played, and Nakamura won the contest for third place. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Facing the Sicilian doesn’t have to be complicated. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Whether your opponent plays the Najdorf, Taimanov, or Dragon, the Alapin lets you take control of the game as early as move two. Free video sample: Introduction Free video sample: 2...g6 ChessBase India presents an eight-minute compilation of footage from the conclusion of the match between Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja: Video: ChessBase India, using footage from the EWC livestream Game 2: Firouzja 0 - 1 Nakamura Game 2: Nakamura has no poker face, reacting with surprise to Firouzja's move | Photo: EWC Hikaru Nakamura is known for showing his assessment of a position on his face. That was also the case in the second game against Alireza Firouzja. Playing White, Firouzja played 26.Nxd4, and Nakamura immediately grimaced. After a short think, he replied with 26...Rxg3+, sacrificing a rook. Firouzja then resigned. Martina GerdtsMartina Gerdts studied Portuguese and Spanish linguistics and nowadays teaches language classes and writes about chess and languages. Having started playing chess for a tournament trip to Paris, she is now active not only as a player but in a diverse range of activities connected to chess. This includes among others teaching chess classes, writing about chess and being active as an arbiter. 8/15/2026 – Magnus Carlsen is looking to defend his title at the $1.5 million Esports World Cup. Chess is part of the event for the second time, with this year's competition taking place in Paris from 11 to 15 August. In Sunday's final match, Carlsen faces Denis Lazavik, while Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja battle for third place. | Follow the games live with commentary from 13:00 CEST 8/14/2026 – Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi, Denis Lazavik and Hans Niemann claimed the final four places in the Esports World Cup playoffs after progressing through Thursday's losers brackets. They join Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, who had qualified a day earlier. The quarterfinals will see Carlsen face Nihal, Nakamura meet Erigaisi, Abdusattorov play Lazavik and Firouzja take on Niemann. | Image: Esports World Cup webcast King’s Indian fans who choose the Mar del Plata attack (7...Nc6) against White’s classical system (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0) usually aim for a complex position with mutual attacks on open wings, requiring long-term strategic planning and tactical sharpness in critical moments. Computers often do not know how to handle the arising complex strategic positions, which suits players who like to think on their own instead of memorizing long variations. However, the fashionable Bayonet Attack (9.b4) interferes with Black’s ideas. After Black’s main move 9...Nh5 the positions opens, the lines get forced and computer analysis is important again. But this DVD offers an antidote against White’s Bayonet Attack, namely 9...a5! This move leads to sound positions with very few concrete lines, in which the focus is on strategy not on tactics. Objectively chances are equal but if Black knows what to do things might quickly become dangerous for White. YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. IM Andrew Martin shows why this 19th-century opening weapon still is a fantastic choice for club players. The Evans produces exciting chess and teaches the art of attack. The major part of the material on which the Petroff Defence Powerbook 2026 is based comes from the engine room of playchess.com: 357 000 games. This imposing number is supplemented by another 17 000 from Mega and from correspondence chess. Petroff Defence Powerbase 2026 is a database which contains 6475 high class games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 682 annotated. Videos: Felix Blohberger presents the surprise weapon 4…a6 in the Four Knights Game. Mihail Marin analyses the English Opening with 1.c4 e5 2.g3 g6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Bg2 Nc6. Plus the ‘Lucky bag’ featuring 37 analyses by Berg, Radjabov and others. Renowned for its solidity and strategic soundness, it has been a cornerstone of the repertoires of elite grandmasters including Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who relied on it successfully in the Candidates Tournament. €39.90 We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. 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