World number one chess player Magnus Carlsen has won his second consecutive e-Sports World Cup title after a brilliant and undefeated performance. Playing for Team Liquid, Carlsen defeated Belarusian Grandmaster Denis Lazaevich 2–0 in the finals in a one-sided match. The Norwegian chess player won both sets of the final match 3-1. He remained undefeated throughout the tournament and successfully maintained his dominance.
Carlsen said he had been keeping an eye on Lazevich's past matches and had talked to his coaches about it. He said that he had previously suffered losses against Lazaevich in online matches due to his risky tactics, so this time he did not allow Lazaevich to gain any clear tactical advantage.
“I am very happy to finish the tournament without losing. I was not trying to do anything special,” the five-time world champion said. “I tried to take advantage of opportunities and maintain a little uncertainty.”
Carlsen admitted there were moments during the tournament when he felt in danger. Referring to the matches against Alireza Firozha and Nihal Sarin, he said that at times the conditions were difficult, but in the end he managed to become the champion without losing a single game. The championship match was played in a 'best-of-three' set format. The first two sets were played of four games each, while the third set, if necessary, was to decide the winner in two games.
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