Carlsen Takes the Lead with Historic Victory

World Champion Magnus Carlsen took the lead in Croatia by getting his first ever win against Ian Nepomniachtchi, proving Garry Kasparov right once again. As I mentioned in my previous blog, Kasparov said: "Nepomniachtchi is yet to play Magnus and as long as this game is not played, I would consider Magnus the favorite [to win the tournament]." The former World Champion was certainly right that Nepomniachtchi vs. Carlsen would be a crucial game. Here are all six games of the round, annotated by Chess.com's Robert Hess and Sam Copeland.

Now that Magnus is in the sole lead, he is favored to pick up the 20 Grand Chess Tour points allotted for first. Here's how the Grand Chess Tour standings would shake up if the tournament ended now.