Carlsen, Lazavik, Duda, and Nihal Advance to Chess.com Open Playoffs Semifinals

Winners Bracket Semifinals Set After Dominant Opening Round

The first day of the 2026 Chess.com Open Playoffs delivered compelling chess as the field was cut from 16 players down to four in the Winners Bracket. Magnus Carlsen, Denis Lazavik, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Nihal Sarin each won two consecutive matches Thursday to advance to Friday’s semifinals.

Carlsen’s Flawless Performance

The standout performer of the day was undoubtedly Carlsen, who dispatched both opponents without conceding a single victory. Against Shant Sargsyan, Carlsen won the opening two games, including a second-game masterclass combining aggressive attacking play with solid defensive technique. He then drew the third to secure the match.

Carlsen’s second opponent, GM Vincent Keymer, proved similarly helpless. The opener showcased an audacious rook sacrifice in the endgame that Carlsen converted into a draw, before he secured victory in the deciding game with the White pieces.

Duda’s Impressive Turnaround

Duda entered his matches against Ian Nepomniachtchi and Sina Movahed on uncertain footing but displayed remarkable resilience. After dropping his opening game to Nepomniachtchi, he reeled off three consecutive wins to claim the match. His second contest proved equally dominant, with a polished tactical victory featuring a piece sacrifice that left his opponent with insufficient material.

Lazavik and Nihal Edge Past Strong Opposition

Denis Lazavik’s path to the semifinals required maximum effort. His clash with Yu Yangyi went the distance, with three consecutive draws before Lazavik engineered a queen trap in the fourth game. He then barely escaped his second match against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, requiring an armageddon tiebreak with White to secure advancement.

Nihal Sarin’s route proved more straightforward initially. He defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave by winning two of three games, then faced a grueling encounter with Daniil Dubov. That match featured four consecutive draws before Nihal prevailed in the deciding armageddon game, which he won with a remarkable pair of consecutive rook sacrifices.

Dubov’s Impressive Run Falls Short

Despite ultimately falling short, Daniil Dubov was among the day’s most captivating stories. The young grandmaster produced a stunning 3-0 whitewashing of Javokhir Sindarov, the recent Candidates champion, delivering what many observers described as a dominant display. The first game featured a positional exchange sacrifice on f3 that defied engine evaluation but proved more than sufficient in rapid conditions. However, Dubov’s momentum stalled against Nihal in the Winners Bracket match.

Losers Bracket Eliminates Four Top Players

The Losers Bracket witnessed the elimination of four notable competitors on the opening day. World championship challenger Sindarov suffered a devastating exit, losing to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a particularly cruel twist—both players had just been announced as Team Vitality signings that morning.

GM M Pranesh emerged as the strongest performer in the first Losers round, defeating Shant Sargsyan with two decisive victories in regular games without requiring an armageddon tiebreak. Arjun Erigaisi and Sam Sevian also fell, with the latter coming painfully close to advancing after nearly stealing a victory in an opposite-color bishop endgame against Yu Yangyi.

Ian Nepomniachtchi recovered from an opening loss to Arjun Erigaisi, winning the next two games—including a clever armageddon victory featuring a combination beginning with 19…Nxf2!

Tournament Format and Stakes

The event features a 16-player double-elimination bracket where participants can lose twice before elimination. Players qualified through two paths: eight earned spots via the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix Winter Split, while eight others qualified through Play-In events in March.

Matches in the Winners Bracket are best-of-four games, while Losers Bracket matches are best-of-two. All games use the esports standard format of 10 minutes with no increment.

Beyond the prize pool, the most significant prize is qualification for the 2026 Esports World Cup. The tournament’s top three finishers will secure direct spots at that summer event. Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and Denis Lazavik have already qualified through other means, though they may compete for additional spots here.

Semifinals Matchups

Friday’s semifinals will feature Carlsen versus Lazavik and Duda against Nihal, with action beginning at 11:15 a.m. ET (17:15 CEST / 8:45 p.m. IST) on April 24.