Magnus Carlsen needed just 27 moves to destroy Peter Svidler’s white citadel and lead 1-0 in the first set of their semifinal clash of the chess24 Legends of Chess on Friday.
Carlsen exploited Svidler’s weakness on the kingside in the middle-game by bringing his queen into active play.
With his knight-pair ready to unleash serious damage, Carlsen was looking to add to his three-pawn advantage when Svidler resigned.
The other semifinal saw Anish Giri and Ian Nepomniachtchi sign peace after a marathon lasting 131 moves.
The results: Semifinals: Set One: Game One: Peter Svidler (Rus) lost to Magnus Carlsen (Nor); Anish Giri (Ned) drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus).