Carlsen went on to win once while the remaining matches ended in draws. The pair have played against each other on four occasions since 2019, in the classic format. Nepo is playing under a FIDE banner because of Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) sanctions against Russia. World No.5 Nepomniachtchi, popularly know as ‘Nepo,’ will now have to dig deep over the next five games if he is to stop Carlsen and make a match of it. The duo again shared points in the seventh game after which Carlsen increased his lead with victory in the eighth game. “I could not imagine there is a way to blunder in that position,” said Nepomniachtchi.Įarlier, the pair had shared points over the opening five games before Carlsen took the lead with white pieces in the sixth game. Nepomniachtchi, meanwhile, was distraught after fluffing the lines. A turnaround like that was unexpected,” he added.
“It was a tough game in which I was under pressure both on the board and on the clock. “No style points awarded, so I’ll take it,” Carlsen, who has been holding the world title since 2013, was quoted as saying on the International Chess Federation’s (FIDE) official Twitter handle. The 31-year-old’s Nepomniachtchi 27.c5 error saw Carlsen trap a piece after which the Russian resigned.
BATTLE CHESS IPHONE SERIES
Five game still remain and the series will conclude on December 15. Carlsen, who is also the world rapid chess champion and the world blitz chess champion, now holds a substantial 6-3 lead in the 14-game series. The Norwegian, who turned 31 last Tuesday, won the ninth game following a costly blunder on move 27 by Nepomniachtchi.