Ian Nepomniachtchi Defeats Levon Aronian in Quarterfinal of Skilling Open
The Russian will face Magnus Carlsen in the semi-final.
The quarterfinals of the Skilling Open were completed on Chess24.com on 26 November.
Ian Nepomniachtchi lost to Levon Aronian in their first match. However, he managed to win back n the second day. Having beaten his opponent in blitz, the Russian qualified for the semi-final.
Nepo's opponent in the semi-final will be Magnus Carlsen. The world champion won against Anish Giri by a narrow margin in the first match, while the second encounter was drawn.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated Hikaru Nakamura on the first day but then the American stroke back. MVL won the first blitz game; however, the American managed to come back in the second. The Armageddon game ended in a draw, which was in favour of Nakamura, who had the black pieces.
Teimour Radjabov and Wesley So also determined the winner in the "sudden death" game. The rivals exchanged blows in rapid, while both blitz games were drawn. The American secured a draw in a winning position in the Armageddon and qualified for the semi-final.
Semi-final pairings:
Carlsen - Nepomniachtchi
So - Nakamura
