Magnus Carlsen has won the first event of the 2022 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, the Airthings Masters, after overcoming Ian Nepomniachtchi with a classy display today.

The World Champion was hugely-impressive in the 16-player online super-tournament knockout stages, having struggled at times during the round-robin.

Then on day 2 of the final, after five draws against his Russian opponent, Carlsen turned on the style to break through. In Game 6, the 31-year-old marched his king up the board and weaved a mating net around Black's monarch.

Ian had to resign and was left needing a draw in the next game just to stay in it. True to his style, Nepomniachtchi didn't play safe and tried to hit back. Yet Carlsen, who faced Ian for the world title back in December, did not flinch and turned a piece advantage into the win he needed to secure the title.

The Norwegian said after: "These things are always going to be about whether you can perform on that particular day. But even so, my games were going in a positive direction here.

"I felt I was playing better as the tournament went along, and that was enough."

Carlsen paid tribute to his opponent but said it just wasn't his day.

The Russian, who was on fire early on in the tournament and topped the prelims, has been under considerable strain given the events happening in Ukraine, which he expressed considerable unease about.

However, he managed to hold himself together and contributed to a sparkling first day of the final yesterday when the two players were left locked at 2-2.

The Meltwater Champions Chess Tour will return with the next event starting on March 19.

 For further comments, contact:

Leon Watson - leon@championschesstour.com

About the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour

The Champions Chess Tour is the leading online chess Tour worldwide, determining the world's best chess player over a full competitive season of online chess. The 2022 season begins in February 2022 and features monthly tournaments culminating in a Final in November 2022. The best chess players in the world are competing in rapid chess. All games take place online on www.chess24.com, with players competing for a total prize pool of over USD 1.5 million. For more information, visit www.championschesstour.com.

About Play Magnus Group

Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and students. The company offers e-learning and entertainment services via its market-leading brands: chess24, Chessable, iChess, New In Chess, Everyman Chess, Silver Knights, Aimchess, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Group's mission is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn a living from chess. Play Magnus Group is listed on Euronext Growth Oslo under the ticker PMG.