Fabiano Caruana defeated Alireza Firouzja in a thrilling playoff to clinch Champions Showdown Chess 9LX. Firouzja had an impressive performance in Saint Louis, winning three tournaments in a row: Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Sinquefield Cup, thus emerging as the Grand Chess Tour 2022 Winner. Fabiano Caruana stopped the 19-year-old from taking the fourth title in a row, and described the playoffs as a total mess and a super difficult match.
Fabi shared his happiness about winning the Champions Showdown Chess 9LX on his twitter account, posting that he was just crowned Global Chess 9LX Champion of St. Louis. Concurrently with the Chess 9LX event, Chess.com Global Chess Championship kicked off with the Knockout phase this week, and Fabi’s first match at the CGC is scheduled for Sunday, September 18, when he plays against Martyn Kravtsiv. Detailed information about Caruana’s group at the CGC can be found here
