Nakamura Defeats Niemann By Double Digits In Consolation Match

GM Hikaru Nakamura finished third in the Speed Chess Championship 2024 after defeating GM Hans Niemann in the consolation match 21-9. He won all three segments, making his greatest gains in the 3+1 and 1+1 segments. Nakamura earns $13,500 for winning the match, while Niemann makes $1,500 by win percentage.

The title match between GM Alireza Firouzja and GM Magnus Carlsen will take place on Sunday, September 8, starting at 12:00 p.m. ET / 18:00 CEST / 9:30 p.m. IST. 

Speed Chess Championship 2024 Bracket

• 5+1 Blitz: Nakamura 5-4 Niemann
• 3+1 Blitz: Nakamura 7.5-1.5 Niemann
• 1+1 Bullet: Nakamura 8.5-3.5 Niemann

It's day two of the SCC Finals. Saturday featured the consolation match for third place, while Sunday's match will determine the 2024 champion.

Hikaru Nakamura 21-9 Hans Niemann

SmarterChess predicted Nakamura's victory with 62 percent odds, a prognosis that IM Levy Rozman pointed out must have taken the previous day into account. While Nakamura suffered defeat at the hands of Firouzja the previous day, he showed a vastly superior form on Saturday.

Blitz 5+1: Nakamura 5-4 Niemann

The first segment was the closest part of the match, though Nakamura won it by a point. Notably, the two best games of the day were played at the very end of this portion.

Carlsen joined the commentary right at the moment Nakamura won the first game. It ended suddenly after Niemann's 17.Qb7??. Nakamura paused, winced, and found 18.b4! to win a piece at the end of the line.

In the next four games, Nakamura took a three-point lead, but the action picked up in the final three games. Niemann won two of them, losing one, but the two best games of the day were played back-to-back—Nakamura winning positionally, then Niemann tactically.

First, Nakamura executed a positional masterclass in the Carlsbad structure. When the time was right, 43.d5! was a fantastic pawn sacrifice to neutralize Black's play on the d-file and to open the c-file for his rook.

That was a contender for the Game of the Day, but Niemann's victory in the next game for sure takes the prize, even if he lost the match. In a blazing attack, Niemann threw the kitchen sink in a flurry of sacrifices: first a piece, then the exchange, and finally the queen for checkmate. GM Dejan Bojkov analyzes the details from start to finish in this relentless attack.

Likely energized by that convincing victory, Niemann won another game with the black pieces to cut Nakamura's lead down to one point.

Blitz 3+1: Nakamura 7.5-1.5 Niemann

The 3+1 portion essentially decided the match as Nakamura won almost every single game—dropping his only loss in the last one.

Nakamura won three of the first four games, but the last two before the break exemplified one of his idiosyncratic skills: saving and even winning lost positions. In game three, his knight was trapped, but his Houdini-like escape that started with the otherworldly 60...Nf5!? literally left Niemann jaw-dropped.

The next game, Niemann rushed with his own plan on the queenside, and after winning a piece realized to his horror that there was no way to stop the white h-pawn. A needless loss from a winning position.

The next game, Niemann reached a well-known draw with the Philidor Defense in the rook endgame but slapped himself after he traded into a lost king and pawn endgame. Keeping the rooks on would have drawn.

Niemann won the last game of the portion, but his case was far from enviable. Nakamura led the match 12.5-5.5, ahead of bullet chess, his strong suit. As an aside, Nakamura gained 47 rating points in Chess.com blitz from the first two segments, capping off at 3193, while Niemann lost 47 points.

Bullet 1+1: Nakamura 8.5-3.5 Niemann

Nakamura's match victory was never truly in doubt, especially because he won four bullet games in a row early on. Ultimately, he won six games, drew two, and lost two.

In the first three games, the players traded wins with one draw. But when Nakamura got going, he kept it going. He won the second game of a four-game streak with one more second than he started with, showing off by this point.

Hikaru wins two games in a row, and in the second one he had one more second than he started with!https://t.co/Dq9w8KXGBu#SpeedChessFinals pic.twitter.com/3T04ZgGVjv

— chess24 (@chess24com) September 7, 2024

Win after win, Nakamura reached a 13-point lead at the zenith of his bullet domination. Even the two games they drew, he let wins slip in both of them. The following game nicely exhibited Nakamura's instincts for attacking chess. While 34.Bxh6 wins material and would most likely win in the endgame, 34.Kh2!, played in literally one second, announced his intentions of winning by checkmate instead.  

Niemann won the last game but even converting two extra pawns was tremendously difficult—Nakamura created objective chances to draw, though he did ultimately resign on move 100.

In the post-game interview, Nakamura responded to Niemann's trash-talking from Thursday, claiming that he intended to prove a point in this match.

The fact is three of four players here are at a certain level. Maybe yesterday didn't go my way, but I think it showed that when Hans says all these things he's just not at the same level. Ultimately, when you focus on the game and get away from all the distractions, I think I proved a point that I was clearly better than Hans, at least in blitz.

The fact is three of four players here are at a certain level.

—Hikaru Nakamura

Nakamura, who is 36, alluded to his age a few times in the interview and, beginning with "sometimes I get emotional about these things," said that he was glad he was able to play in front of his fans "at least one time" in person.

"Time is dwindling," he said, "for those of us who have been around for a long time," referencing Firouzja, GM Gukesh Dommaraju, and GM Arjun Erigaisi as the torchbearers of the next generation. Firouzja, he added, "is the one with the most potential still." For himself and the world number-one, he said, "It's a bit of a shift. I think for Magnus, he has a couple more years; for myself, we'll see how much longer I'm playing. We'll see."

Nakamura added that he'll join the commentary on Sunday to watch the title match. You can listen to more of Nakamura's thoughts about the match and the games in the recap below.

Niemann also gracefully joined Naroditsky for an interview after the tough match. His tone was humble, and he said that he didn't play enough training games online. "It was the lack of form and practice."

Although he lost both of his matches in Paris, he did lose them to the only two players to ever win the SCC in its long history—numbers one and two in the world. He said that he controlled the matches against GMs Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, but he wasn't experienced in recovering when knocked down—a situation he hadn't yet faced, especially against this level of opposition.

The 21-year-old was humble and optimistic, though, knowing that time is on his side: "With some opening work and more experience and perhaps the right mindset, I do think that I can defeat them."

With some opening work and more experience and perhaps the right mindset, I do think that I can defeat them.

—Hans Niemann

"Obviously, it was my first time playing against them, so I didn't really know what to expect. So it was certainly a good lesson."#SpeedChessFinals pic.twitter.com/n7nHVNNSNS

— chess24 (@chess24com) September 7, 2024

He also suggested that he might be ready to move on from the past and to focus on what's important: playing better chess.

I might not be the most respectful person, but I would hope that you appreciate what has been done to me, and I think it's time to leave that in the past and let the chess speak for itself.

Naroditsky also asked Niemann about his relationship with GM Vladimir Kramnik, the former world champion who has accused several grandmasters, including Nakamura and Niemann himself, of cheating. Niemann actually said that he communicated with Kramnik during breaks between games and received advice. He stated, "Since I do not have many supporters or friends or even sponsors in the chess world, it's nice to have someone with so much experience and such a legend of the game to believe in you."

Congrats to Hikaru. All I’ve ever wanted is the chance to compete against the best players in the world and I’m grateful for the opportunity. A lot to learn, I’ll be preparing the entire year for the next SCC 😀

— Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) September 7, 2024

As for Kramnik's allegations, Niemann doesn't agree with all of them, but he said that other grandmasters accusing others of cheating with insufficient evidence—naming, "with much respect to him," Nakamura—should be held to the same standard.

Niemann believes that he's the fourth-best speed chess player in the world but also that "on a better day I could've beaten Alireza and Hikaru" because he's beaten them several times before online. He thinks he will become the best speed chess player and that "classical is a bit more complex." The experience has "reaffirmed that being the best is possible."

Niemann gave Firouzja 35 to 40 percent odds of winning against Carlsen. As for next year: "I'll be back much stronger."

The Speed Chess Championship is Chess.com's most important speed chess event. Some of the biggest names in chess compete to determine the best speed chess player in the world. The main event started with qualifiers on June 27 and 28 and concludes with the first-ever Final on September 8, live in Paris. The games are played with time controls of 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1. The prize fund is $173,000.

Previous reports:

• Carlsen Takes 10-Point Lead Before Beating Niemann, Firouzja On Fire Vs. Nakamura
• Nakamura Takes Off In Bullet, Sets Up Semifinal Match Vs. Firouzja In Paris
• Carlsen Qualifies For SCC Finals In Paris, Will Play Niemann In Semifinals
• Niemann Advances To SCC Finals In Paris & Potential Match With Carlsen, Blasts 'Chess Establishment'
• Firouzja Scores Nearly Double Caruana, Qualifies For Paris Semifinals
• Niemann, Caruana Advance To Quarterfinals After Superior Bullet Performances
• Firouzja Fireworks Lead To Win Over Grischuk, So Outlasts Lazavik
• Carlsen Keeps It Classy, Nepomniachtchi Does A Houdini
• Arjun Prevails At The Final Turn, Nakamura Dominates
• Lazavik Qualifies For SCC Main Event, Goes Undefeated On Day 2
• Pranesh Tops Swiss Qualifier, 8 Players Move On To Knockout Stage
• Paris To Host Live Final Of 2024 Speed Chess Championship: Nakamura, Carlsen Confirmed