Overview
- After losing the first classical game to Caruana, Magnus Carlsen forced tiebreaks and won both blitz deciders to reach the semifinals.
- The semifinal qualification made Carlsen uncatchable in the overall standings and secured the $100,000 season bonus.
- Javokhir Sindarov, Vincent Keymer and Levon Aronian also advanced to the last four to complete the semifinal lineup with Carlsen.
- Sindarov beat Parham Maghsoodloo 2-0, Keymer edged Arjun Erigaisi 1.5-0.5, and Aronian eliminated Hans Niemann in tiebreaks.
- Carlsen’s season was built on winning the Paris leg, a record showing at Grenke, and bronze finishes at Wangels and Las Vegas, with $200,000 still at stake for the South Africa leg winner.