Qatar Masters Round 4: Carlsen Great Escape; Nakamura, Gukesh Join Leaders (2024)

GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Gukesh Dommaraju, and Saleh Salem all won in round four of the 2023 Qatar Masters to join a seven-way tie for first place on 3.5/4.GM Magnus Carlsen languishes a point back in 29th place after again being involved in the day's most enthralling game. The world number-one flirted with disaster against 17-year-old Indian GM M Pranesh before finding a fantastic escape.

Round five starts on October 15 at 8:15 a.m. ET/14:15 CEST/5:45 p.m. IST.

No one has a perfect score after four rounds of the Qatar Masters, though GM Rinat Jumabayev came very close when he spotted a trick his 17-year-old opponent GM Javokhir Sindarov had overlooked.

White is a pawn down, but Sindarov planned to level things up by taking the a7-pawn. It can't be defended by 31...a6? since 32.Qa5! then wins for White, but it turns out there is a defense—the shocker 31...Bc5!, exploiting the pinned d4-pawn (32.dxc5?? Qxa4). Black kept the extra pawn and all the winning chances, but Sindarov dug deep and held a draw.

The day's most dramatic draw, however, featured Carlsen, who has now lost over 10 rating points in Qatar but could also breathe a sigh of relief. Nakamura, who again recapped that game before his own, introduced the former world champion's young opponent as follows, recalling their online games:

What I remember from all the games I’ve had is that Pranesh is somebody who is a lunatic! He loves to sacrifice material, whether it’s pawns, whether it’s pieces, he’s very tactical and very, very aggressive. Let’s see if Magnus would understand that and try to avoid a tactical skirmish against a talented Indian junior.

At first Carlsen seemed to do everything right, taking risks in the opening but then outplaying his opponent with bold, positional chess.

With 21...Ba3! Magnus offers up his "good" bishop for White's "bad" bishop, but things seem to be working out for Black! https://t.co/4IcjHYkWsg #QatarMasters2023 pic.twitter.com/1zUji*zNEhd

— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 14, 2023

Pranesh "blinked" with 22.Be3!?, but when Carlsen then captured that bishop, it was taking his conceptual idea a little too far. Before the second knight could come to c4 and reestablish control, White blew open the position with 25.f5!

25.f5! is an excellent break by Pranesh! https://t.co/4IcjHYkWsg #QatarMasters2023 pic.twitter.com/XR7efkhZKW

— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 14, 2023

"Not again!" Carlsen may have muttered under his breath. After both players found a string of great moves, it was ultimately the world's highest-rated player who found himself in trouble. Pranesh correctly rejected a draw by repetition ("They have no fear of a random world champion like Magnus Carlsen!" said Nakamura) and probably wondered why his opponent wasn't simply resigning when he was about to lose a full rook with check.

17-year-old Pranesh reacted with incredulity to Magnus Carlsen's 43...Ke5!!, a move that gave away a full rook with check but secured a study-like lifeline. pic.twitter.com/oChQtN3Rsd

— Olimpiu Di Luppi (@olimpiuurcan) October 14, 2023

Carlsen had seen further, however, and was not only holding a draw but posed a couple of tough challenges to his young opponent. Pranesh was up to the task and didn't spoil one of the most spectacular draws you'll ever witness.

Nakamura, in contrast, has made smooth progress in Qatar and moved to 3.5/4 by beating Dutch GM Robby Kevlishvili. It was only in the opening, where his opponent blitzed out his moves, that Nakamura felt uncomfortable, but he solved that issue by swapping off queens. Objectively, it wasn't great, but Nakamura's endgame prowess came to the fore, helped by his opponent panicking: "I was stunned when my opponent decided to sac the rook. This was a horrible move. He started to see ghosts."

Nakamura was joined on 3.5/4 by Salem, who defeated IM Mukhiddin Madaminov, and Gukesh, who showed enormous fighting spirit to beat former Turkish Champion GM Mert Yilmazyerli from a position where a draw seemed only a matter of time.

Both players contributed to a wild ride, with Yilmazyerli shrugging off the fact that his queen, and then rook, got trapped one after the other. In fact, he emerged with enough compensation to hold a draw before the 17-year-old world number-eight finally prevailed to make it three wins in a row.

That epic clash is our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Dejan Bojkov.

There's just one round to go before the players get a well-deserved rest day, and it sees a major match-up in Sindarov-Nakamura. Carlsen also continues his coaching sessions for talented young Indian stars.

17-year-old Javokhir Sindarov takes on Hikaru Nakamura in tomorrow's Round 5, while Magnus Carlsen faces a 4th Indian opponent — 15-year-old GM Bharath Subramaniyam! https://t.co/mWBTI4UZ5h #QatarMasters2023 pic.twitter.com/dXgvfmeFAy

— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 14, 2023

The standings look as follows, with five rounds to go.

Qatar Masters | Standings After Round 4 (Top 29)

Full standings

Qatar Masters | All Games Round 4

The 2023 Qatar Masters is a nine-round open tournament for players rated 2300+. It takes place in Lusail, Qatar on October 11-20, and boasts a $108,250 prize fund with $25,000 for first place, as well as a $5,000 prize for the top female player.

Previous Coverage:

• Round 3: Nakamura, Giri Held As Carlsen Hits Back
• Round 2: Carlsen Criticises Lack Of Anti-Cheating Measures After Stunning Defeat
• Round 1: Carlsen, Nakamura Start Fast, Fedoseev Falls
• Qatar Masters 2023 - All The Information