The semi-final match, which took place early on 1/8, Hanoi time, lived up to its billing as the "El Clasico" of chess. Carlsen took the lead twice during the 6-game match, but Nakamura leveled the score both times. In the armageddon tie-breaker, the world number 1 player, playing white, secured victory after 43 moves to advance to the final against Alireza Firouzja.

Carlsen gestures for the audience to be quiet during his semi-final match against Hikaru Nakamura at the 2025 eSports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 31/7/2025. Screenshot

Carlsen gestures for the audience to be quiet during his semi-final match against Hikaru Nakamura at the 2025 eSports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 31/7/2025. Screenshot

Carlsen represents the esports team Liquid, while Nakamura plays for the host team Falcon. Consequently, the Riyadh audience overwhelmingly supported the Japanese-American player. Both players wore earplugs and headphones to minimize audience noise. However, at times the cheers were loud enough to affect both Carlsen and Nakamura.

Carlsen, playing white, won the first game. In the second game, Nakamura, playing white, had a winning advantage in the late middlegame. However, he opted for a threefold repetition draw instead of finding a winning strategy.

In the third game, the world number 2 player, playing black, trapped his opponent's queen to equalize the score. Carlsen regained the lead in the next game, also playing black. Afterward, the Liquid team member turned to the audience and put his index finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.

In the sixth game, Nakamura, playing white, needed a win to force a tie-breaker. The middlegame was balanced, but Carlsen made an error, placing his knight in a pin with the queen. The audience cheered as the computer evaluation strongly favored Nakamura. Within seconds, the 37-year-old player found the winning move, focusing his attack on the pinned black knight.

A visibly frustrated Carlsen turned to the audience and grimaced. In chess, knowing an opponent has made a serious blunder often leads to a quick win. Historically, chess players have preferred playing without audience influence.

In the armageddon tie-breaker, players bid on time to choose their color. The player with the lower bid plays black with their chosen time, while the other plays white with 10 minutes. Neither player receives increment time. A draw favors black.

Players in this tournament typically bid around 7 minutes to play black. However, Nakamura bid only 6 minutes and 12 seconds, confident in his fast playing ability. He indeed played faster than Carlsen. But while Nakamura pressed his attack, the Norwegian player launched a double attack with Qb1. This move threatened both the black rook on a2 and a rook lift to b8, capturing the queen.

Carlsen's brilliant Qb1 move.

This move gave Carlsen a decisive advantage, which he quickly converted into a victory. He advanced to the final with a 4-3 overall win, while Nakamura will compete for third place against Arjun Erigaisi. Earlier, in the first semi-final, Firouzja easily defeated Arjun 4-1.

After the match, Carlsen said, "I had my bow and arrow ready to take down a falcon. I want to take down another one tomorrow,".

Nakamura responded, "Hopefully, Firouzja will kick Carlsen's ass,".

The 2025 eSports World Cup (EWC) features 16 players divided into four groups. A double-elimination format within each group determines the two players advancing to the single-elimination quarterfinals. Both Carlsen and Firouzja are undefeated and will meet in the final at 11:05 PM on Friday, 1/8, Hanoi time. The final consists of a maximum of three matches. The first two matches each have four games. A final deciding match, if necessary, consists of two games.

Xuan Binh