Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen defeated Denis Lazavik and Jan-Krzysztof Duda 3-2 in both matches to reach the grand final of the 2026 Chess.com Open Playoffs. The Norwegian world number-one overcame early setbacks in the winners bracket semifinals and final. Duda secured a qualification spot for the 2026 Esports World Cup by advancing to the winners final.
Carlsen faced Lazavik in the first semifinal, starting with a blunder that cost him a piece and the opening game. He rebounded by winning the next two, including an instructive endgame where Lazavik's rook trade led to defeat. Lazavik won game four on demand, but Carlsen triumphed in the armageddon with Black in a Sicilian Defense, playing on a tablet throughout, according to Chess.com reports. All five games were decisive in this 3-2 victory. In the other semifinal, Duda swept Nihal Sarin 3-0, winning the first on time and the second with a strong 27...Raf8! maneuver that trapped White's queen. Duda's advancement guaranteed his Esports World Cup spot, joining already qualified Carlsen and Lazavik. Carlsen then met Duda in the winners final, where the Pole took game one with an exchange sacrifice and forced draws in games two and three. Carlsen shifted gears, winning game four in a King's Indian Defense endgame and the armageddon Queen's Gambit Declined. In the losers bracket, Sina Movahed and Nodirbek Abdusattorov won both their matches, joined by Lazavik and Nihal for the quarterfinals. Eliminated players included Pranesh M, Yu Yangyi, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Vincent Keymer, Daniil Dubov, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Five players remain besides Carlsen. Day three action continues Saturday with losers bracket play at 11:15 a.m. ET, leading to a grand final matchup. The online event, running March 14 to April 26, offers up to $250,000 in prizes and three Esports World Cup spots.
