Overview
- Carlsen beat 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in the final classical round Thursday to catch Arjun Erigaisi, leaving the Turkish teen in tears.
- The playoff used two blitz games at 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move, then sudden-death with White on 2.5 minutes and Black on 3, and Carlsen won the first sudden-death game with Black.
- Erigaisi survived against Andy Woodward after choosing a risky opening, drawing a lost knight-versus-bishop endgame when the American blundered.
- The world number one started with 2 points from his first four rounds, then won three straight classical games to reach the playoff.
- Final standings listed Carlsen first after the tiebreak, Erigaisi second on 5/7, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Erdogmus tied for third on 4/7 in the eight-player Malmö round-robin.