Magnus Carlsen, the world No 1, is favourite for the $210,000 Meltwater Tour final going into the decisive weekend rounds but the Norwegian, 31, will meet his most difficult opponent in Sunday’s best-of-four games mini-match, right at the end of the eight-player tournament.
Carlsen faces Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Poland’s No 1, the grandmaster who has been his nemesis on more than one big occasion. It was Duda who ended Carlsen’s world record sequence of 125 games unbeaten in autumn 2020 and who the following year knocked him out of the World Cup in their semi-final match.
