The FTX Cryptocup took place in Miami from Mon 15th August to Sun 21st August 2022. Aronian and Carlsen. Duda, Firouzja. Giri. Le Quang Liem. Niemann. Praggnanandhaa. Magnus Carlsen was awarded first place, one point behind Alireza Firouzja and R Praggnanandhaa. In the final round, Carlsen was against Praggnanandhaa and had to draw the first four rounds at 2-2. He won game three and lost both tie-break games. Praggnanandhaa finished second.

The Tour is a global phenomenon that entertains millions of people, highlights the best players in the world at the most prestigious online tournaments and inspires the next generation. Over a full season, stars from around the globe battle it out for titles. The tournament will also include the official crowning ceremony of the Year-End Tour Champion, which is the ultimate achievement in online Chess.

Carlsen wins FTX Crypto Cup. Pragg impresses with second place

Magnus Carlsen won FTX Crypto Cup Miami, after losing in tiebreaks to Praggnanandhaa during the tournament-deciding match. Pragg was two points behind the world champion in the first round. His victory did not suffice to take him to first place. Carlsen gained 2 points. Although he tied with Alireza Firouzja for a second, the youngster finished second. He had defeated the Frenchman in round 1.

In tiebreaks, Pragg defeats Carlsen

In the final round, the two main protagonists of this year’s FTX Crypto Cup (in its second edition) were paired up against one another. Magnus Carlsen was able to win the match against Praggnanandhaa with a draw in the 4 game rapid section. The tournament ended with the Norwegian winning game 3 after drawing the first two games.

The competitors were relieved of the pressure of fighting to win first place and maintained a fighting spirit throughout the match. Pragg was able to even level the score in game 4 and won both tiebreakers in the blitz to conclude the event.

The performance of the 17-year old in Miami was incredible. He fought neck and neck with the strongest player of the world, beating a number of experienced GMs to show that his Olympiad performance is illustrative of his true playing strength.

Pragg defeated all his opponents, except Jan-Krzysztof Duba and Le Quang Liem, at the tournament in Miami. This included the world champion! Pragg followed her sister’s simple advice before he faced Carlsen in the final match.

Pragg’s outstanding performance doesn’t take away Carlsen’s spectacular showing. In fact, it makes it even more impressive. The Norwegian showed once again that he can play well under pressure, even against highly motivated and in-form opponents.

This victory was Carlsen’s third in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour this year (six events have been held so far). He also won his first Major win, after being outscored by Duda in the Oslo Esports Cup in April. The world champion has played in 5 of the 6 events and is now the clear leader in tour earnings with US$146.500, which is exactly US$46.000 less than Duda.

Before the final Major, which will begin on November 11, two more regular events will be held. This series has seen its prize pool increase to US$1.6million and has experimented with on-site tournaments.

Firouzja wins Aronian and takes third place

We might not remember that Alireza Firouzja, 19, is the strongest junior player in the world despite the fact that there have been so many young Indian players in recent news. He only lost to Carlsen in tiebreaks in round 1 of his French match but made up for it brilliantly to finish third.

Firouzja was tied with Pragg on points but was relegated third because of the first criterion for breaking a tie: the result of their direct encounter.

Round 7 saw Firouzja defeat the ever-dangerous Levon Aronian. After failing to convert winning opportunities in three consecutive endgames (! The youngster won the victory he needed to maintain his second-place finish. At that point, Pragg was still playing Carlsen.

Aronian entered an unfavorable tactical sequence in an unbalanced middlegame position during the fourth encounter.

White has more space and better structure. Black’s best option is to simplify the equation with 24…Nxe5, even though it isn’t very attractive for him. Aronian, who is well-known for his ambition, especially in difficult positions, chose 24…Bxh3.

The in-form Firouzja was not slow to show why this was a bad idea 25.Bxc7 BE6 26.Bd6Qf6 27.e5 White followed and took a strong initiative.

Firouzja’s play was outstanding from this point, and Aronian lost the game on move 41. After collecting 8 points during the week in Miami, the US grandmaster came in sixth.

Le and Duda win the final day of action

Although Le Quang Liem, Jan-Krzysztof and Jan-Krzysztof were not the best performers in Miami, they both finished the event with three match wins. Le took fourth place with 12 points and Duda was fifth, one point behind his Vietnamese counterpart.

Round 7 saw Le defeat Hans Niemann with a score of 2 1/2-1 1/2. Niemann was able to bounce back after a loss in game 1, but was unable to overcome the final hurdle and won game 4, securing match victory.

Duda defeated Anish Giri in two of the three games, before drawing in game 3. To further weaken Giri’s king position, the Polish grandmaster gave up an exchange.