Magnus takes a very pragmatic approach, going for the Sicilian Alapin, an opening where there are countless lines that lead to very dry and equal endgame positions!
A bit of a speculative direction to take the game in, allowing Magnus to build a strong center straight away. But Firouzja needs to imbalance things at all costs in this must-win game.
Principled, grabbing the center right away.
Firouzja can be relatively happy here. He's gotten into unexplored territory theoretically, while having a very powerful bishop that could trouble Magnus' king in the long run.
Supporting the central pawn that cramps Firouzja's position.
Magnus started the game off with a super-solid Alapin Sicilian, but now he finds himself going on the offensive on the kingside. This is exactly the kind of muddy waters that offer the best chances for Firouzja to push for the win!
Looking to shut down the entry of the knight into the game.
Will he find the tactical shot? Magnus has left his queenside knight undefended, setting up a temporary piece sacrifice!
Firouzja misses his chance! Suddenly things are close to level, as he gives Magnus enough time to solve the problem of his undefended knight.
Magnus might well go for a trade here and plant his knight in the center right after. That'd keep things simple and safe for him.
A disastrous sequence in practical terms for Firouzja. A tonne of pieces are getting traded off, including potentially the queens. The result? Almost certainly a very drawish endgame.
Jumping the knight in would allow Magnus to disconnect the enemy queen and provide a way to trade off more pieces. He may well be thinking about this right now.
Magnus goes for the knight jump, forcing off more pieces and inching closer to the desired draw.
Firouzja has just blundered material with this quiet pawn move. He will lose at least an exchange. We could be entering the final moments of the Esports World Cup!
No matter where Firouzja turned, there was a way to win the exchange or - at worst - a full piece.
This should be just a matter of technique for Magnus. And yet again, Firouzja is down a huge amount on the clock, making it even less likely that a miracle will happen.
The 'cynical' choice, forcing the queens off.
I think Firouzja will play on for a few more moves at most. This is entering hopeless territory.
What can you say?! Fans around the world may lament when the highest rated player on the planet retires from competitive chess. But perhaps, his elite grandmaster peers will feel a little differently?!
Alireza Firouzja walked into today's final with every reason to feel confident. He had taken down a murderer's row of opponents to get to the final, without dropping a single game!
Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen had looked a little shaky at times, and none more so than when Hikaru Nakamura took him to the brink in yesterday's semi-finals, a clash that ultimately had to be decided in the Armaggedon tiebreaker.
But Magnus is, like many greats of their sports, the type of player who seems to up his game as the stakes get higher. And the stakes were just about as high as they get today, with a gold medal and a $250,000 payday up for grabs in the Esports World Cup!
In the end, it was a dominant performance from start to finish. Magnus set the tone with an early victory in game 1, and after that he cruised to a 3-1 victory in the first of a maximum of three sets today.
Alireza looked to be about to turn the tide with a reversal victory from a losing position in game 1 of set 2, but Magnus righted the ship striking back immediately to level things up 1-1 after two games. From there, it was all Magnus, and he won the final two games of the day to take the second, and final set, 3 games to 1!
Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen, as he brings Team Liquid glory, taking gold at the Esports World Cup!
Magnus a whisker away!
Frustration for Firouzja, as he lands himself in a bad position right out of the gates in game 3 from the White side. Now he faces the unenviable task of having to defeat Magnus with Black, to keep his tournament hopes alive!