Hikaru Nakamura hit back to beat Magnus Carlsen 2.5-1.5 and steered their semifinal encounter to the deciding third mini-match in the $150,000 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge.
Earlier on Friday, Russia’s Daniil Dubov raced away to a 2.5-0.5 win against China’s Ding Liren and clinched their best-of-three mini-match 2-0 for a place in the final. Like in their first mini-match, Dubov won the first two games and drew the third.
Nakamura, needing a win to stay alive in the match, won the first game after being in some serious trouble. Carlsen, even after gaining the upper hand, fell back on the clock. The World champion declined to opt for a draw by repetition of moves and eventually walked into a checkmating net.
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In the second game, Carlsen had his chances but Nakamura defended well. Thereafter, in the remaining two games, Nakamura held on to his lead.
Semifinal-results (second mini-match): Hikaru Nakamura (USA) bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 2.5-1.5; Daniil Dubov (Rus) bt Ding Liren (Chn) 2.5-0.5.