Magnus Carlsen is still first in the Côte d’Ivoire Rapid & Blitz after one day of blitz. However, not everything went according to the script for the world champion, who had a tough day at the Pullman hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but managed to be on top of things nonetheless.
The threat to Carlsen’s domain in the tournament came from an incredibly motivated MaximeVachier-Lagrave. The French grandmaster, who had finished the rapid phase of the event with three wins in the last round, beat direct competitors Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura in an eight-win streak that got him on the trail of the world champion despite losing against an always resourceful Veselin Topalov.