Raymond Keene Byron Jacobs - Carlsen V Caruana - FIDE World Championship London 2018

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First published in 2018 by Gloucester Publishers Limited, London.
Copyright © 2018 Raymond Keene and Byron Jacobs
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About the Authors
Raymond Keene OBE is a grandmaster and chess correspondent of The Times
and The Spectator. He is a former British champion and has won gold medals in
various European championships. He holds the world record (200 and counting)
for the greatest number of books to which he has materially contributed, or
written solo, on chess, Mind Sports, thinking and genius. At Trinity College
Cambridge he studied Modern Languages and spent his finals year sharing digs
with HRH The Prince of Wales. He has played on top board for Cambridge
University and England and won bronze medals in The Chess Olympiads and
The Commonwealth championship. The 2018 London contest was the first
world chess championship to be held in London since 1872 which Ray did not
personally organise.
Byron Jacobs won numerous national junior championships and went on to

acquire the international master title. He is a chess journalist, chess publisher and
general games expert (he also excels at poker). He has been the chess
correspondent of The New Statesman and had chess articles published in The
Times, The Independent, Chess and British Chess Magazine. He is the
commissioning editor and advisor for the world’s leading chess publisher,
Everyman Chess, is the author or co-author of 18 chess books and runs a chess
publishing company that has produced over 400 books.
Contents
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Grandmaster Nigel Short
World Chess Comes to London

History of the World Chess Championship
The Champion and the Challenger
The Berlin Candidates 2018
The 2018 World Chess Championship Match

Caruana-Carlsen (Game 1)
Carlsen-Caruana (Game 2)
The 2018 World Chess Championship Match, Tie-break

Carlsen-Caruana (Play-off Game 1)
Caruana-Carlsen (Play-off Game 2)
Carlsen-Caruana (Play-off Game 3)
Are 12 Games Enough?

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the following:
Tarjei J. Svensen for permission to use extracts from his Twitter interview with
Magnus Carlsen.
Julian Simpole for proofreading.
Nigel Short for the foreword.
Lily Freeman of Wcommunications for the cover photo.
Foreword by Grandmaster Nigel Short
The 2018 Carlsen-Caruana World Championship Match was one of the most
eagerly awaited title fights in recent history. The Norwegian colossus had been
showing, if not signs of irreversible decline, then at least a degree of fallibility.
Motivation appeared to be lacking. The American, however, was in the form of
his life and the Elo rating gap between the two had narrowed to a statistically
insignificant 3 points. A humdinger of a contest was in prospect.
When Magnus Carlsen totally outplayed his opponent with Black in the first
game, obtaining an overwhelming position, a bloodbath seemed on the cards.
Miraculously the World Champion missed several wins, and Caruana, through
luck and resilience, escaped. Fabiano duly picked himself from this near-death
experience and continued the match unperturbed. Draw after draw occurred and
deadlock ensued.
What had begun as a mental gladiatorial contest ended as an existential crisis
for classical chess. Playing standards are so high, and computer preparation so
deep, that winning games at the summit is a titanic struggle. The situation is not
helped by an abundance of rest-days which allow ample time for recovery. It is
beyond all doubt that a short 12 game match, played at a chelonian pace, is an
unacceptable way for the biggest event in the sport – one which is followed live
by a huge global audience - to be conducted. It is unlikely that such an archaic
format will be seen again. Outside of Scandinavia, there was also dissatisfaction
that the match was ultimately decided by rapid chess. After all a championship at
that discipline already exists. A longer match will reduce, but not eliminate, such
a possibility in future. Some serious head-scratching needs to be done by the
FIDE administrators.

As a member of the Appeals’ Committee, who was present throughout, I am glad
to say that the match was far more interesting than the scoreline suggested. Both
sides had their chances, and Fabiano even missed an impossibly difficult forced
mate. After 12 games, neither player could really claim to have the
psychological upper-hand. But in the tie-break, Magnus showed his tremendous
versatility and destroyed his opponent. His lengthening reign continues. The
better player won, but Fabiano showed real class both on and off the board. It is
not the last we will see of him either.
Grandmaster Nigel Short MBE,

FIDE Vice-President and World Championship Finallist 1993
World Chess Comes to London
From 1846 to 1883 London could justifiably claim to be the chess capital of the
world. Howard Staunton had established himself during the 1840s as the
outstanding champion and publicist of the game. His pre-eminence acted like a
magnet on such other luminaries as Adolf Anderssen, Paul Morphy, Johannes
Zukertort and Wilhelm Steinitz, all of whom fought out important matches in the
hub and epicentre of the then British Empire. Steinitz himself was the illustrious
model for Professor Challenger, that brilliant, if irascible, creation from the
science fiction stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, progenitor of the even more
celebrated consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes.
With a few further isolated exceptions in 1899, 1922, 1927, 1932 and 1946,
no grandmaster level chess event took place in London until 1973, when I led
the British contingent in the Guardian Royal Exchange Grandmaster tournament.
This represented a gap, with no grandmaster all-play-alls held in London, of a
staggering 27 years!
Then, though, the ball started to roll again, with world championships in
1986, 1993 and 2000, attracting title contests for the supreme chess accolade.
These were contested between Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Nigel Short
and Vladimir Kramnik. I was instrumental both in organising and raising the
finance for all three matches, one of which, Kasparov-Short at The Savoy
Theatre in 1993, was sponsored by The Times. In fact, while researching for this
book, the curious fact came to light that I had personally organised every match
in London which might be considered to have decided the world chess
championship from 1872 up to 2018!
Now, world chess returns to London with an impressive opening ceremony
planned for the Victoria and Albert Museum on 8 November. Twelve games are
envisioned, with a tie-break scheduled for 28 November, should the main match
result in deadlock. The venue is The College in Southampton Row, Holborn,
near The British Museum. Coincidentally, the VIP entrance to the venue is
directly opposite Sicilian Avenue.
The match pits Magnus Carlsen from Norway, the highest-rated player in the
history of chess and world champion since 2013, against the top-ranked
American grandmaster, Fabiano Caruana. Their chessboard styles could not be
more different. Carlsen is a devotee of lengthy wars of attrition, in the same
mould as such great predecessors as Emanuel Lasker and Anatoly Karpov.
Caruana, in contrast, plays more aggressively, openly and fluently, clearly
influenced by the legendary Bobby Fischer.
Who will win? My heart says Caruana, while my head says Carlsen,
probably by the points score of 6½-4½. We shall see ... One thing is sure – a
world championship match brings out two elements. The first being for lovers of
statistics. For this constituency I can point out the amazing popularity of chess at
this time, largely connected to 21st century technology.
When Garry Kasparov lost to the IBM computer Deep Blue in 1997, many
so-called experts predicted the death of chess. In contrast, in my lecture to The
Royal Institution, I predicted that technology would make chess more popular.
Furthermore, as long as young people continued to take an interest in the game,
doubtless encouraged by easy access to opponents via that technology, then the
future held out glorious prospects for a game which has been played for almost
two millennia. Both predictions have been proven correct – in spades – to mix
my gaming metaphors.
A case in point was that of nine-year-old Shreyas Royal, recently – as the
pleasing result of a campaign launched publicly in The Times – granted a visa to
stay in the UK on account of his precocious chess talent! And Shreyas is just one
of numerous pre-teenagers who have developed colossal skill at a very early age.
Returning to my words of encouragement for the stats community, chess can
now boast 11 million games played online, worldwide every day; 600 million
active chess players and no fewer than one billion smart phones in use with
chess apps!
Secondly, a world chess championship emphasises the mystique of chess, its
romance and its amazing feats which astound the general public, such as the
ability to play multiple games simultaneously without sight of the board and
pieces. I myself have faced 19 opponents in this fashion at one and the same
time, but that is modest compared with the true experts of this genre who are
pushing this feat in the direction of facing 100 sighted opponents.
Then there is the seemingly magical ability of the chess maestros to calculate
many moves ahead in their mind’s eye, conjuring forth possibilities and
variations way beyond the vision of the average enthusiast. There are more
possible chess games than there are atoms in the visible universe.
Finally, there is the aesthetic dimension – chess in literature and art. Shakespeare
mentions chess both in The Tempest and in King John. Chess appears in at least
one Sherlock Holmes story, while authors of the rank of Stefan Zweig, Vladimir
Nabokov, Elias Canetti, and Jorge Luis Borges, have all evinced a fascination
with chess, the last named as part of his intoxication with the concept of the
infinite. On stage Sir Tim Rice and the male half of ABBA have written CHESS
The Musical, a dramatisation of the complex lives of Bobby Fischer, Boris
Spassky and Viktor Korchnoi. It was, appropriately, revived for the stage of
London’s English National Opera, to packed houses, earlier in 2018, thus
creating one of the two great chess attractions in London this year, the other, of
course, being the championship about to be covered in this book.
Ray Keene OBE

International chess grandmaster
Chess correspondent of The Times, London
History of the World Championship
The Pre-Steinitz Era
There is no doubt that the title of world chess champion dates back to no later
than 1886, when Wilhelm Steinitz defeated Johannes Zukertort in a gladiatorial
contest, specifically designed to resolve that question. Less clear is whether the
great predecessors of Steinitz also merited that proud title. Part of the difficulty
of authentication is lack of evidence of important contests and gaps in the
record.
Thus, François-André Danican Philidor won an important match against the
erudite Philip Stamma, translator of oriental languages to the court of King
George II. Sadly, none of those games has survived, and Philidor’s legacy
consists largely of offhand, blindfold and games at odds. Following Philidor,
there comes a hiatus, until the brief flourishing of Louis-Charles Mahé de La
Bourdonnais during the 1830s. After this, there is a further gap in the record,
until the French heir to the Philidor tradition, Pierre St Amant, was overthrown
in Paris, the epicentre of European chess life at that time, by the English
champion Howard Staunton.
Fortunately, from Staunton onwards, there is a relatively unbroken line of
succession, with each champion being dethroned by the next in line. The
exceptions are Paul Morphy and Bobby Fischer, who simply downed tools, and
Alexander Alekhine who died in office, thus permanently preserving their
hallowed nimbus of invincibility.
Also worthy of mention are various champions who have contested the FIDE
(World Chess Federation) championship, without gaining universal recognition
from the global chess community. These include Max Euwe, Efim Bogolyubov,
Vesselin Topalov and Viswanathan Anand. A common outcome is that such
FIDE champions have gone on to contest matches against the universally
recognised laureate, and in two such cases (Euwe and Anand) have emerged
victorious to become undisputed champions themselves.
The current match in London is run entirely under the auspices of FIDE, the
authority of which is now universally accepted under the reliable new presidency
of Russian Arkady Dvorkovich, and his English Vice President, Nigel Short.
François-André Danican Philidor

The first great player who could be considered a world champion was the French
expert François-André Danican Philidor, who dominated the chess scene of his
day. The term world champion was not used when describing him, with
commentators preferring to employ such metaphors as “wielding the sceptre”.
There is also the problem that very few of Philidor’s games on level terms have
survived, his reputation largely being constructed on his blindfold simultaneous
displays, which so electrified London chess enthusiasts. Philidor was able to
conduct three games blindfold at once, a feat that led to a letter of admonishment
from the French encyclopaedist Denis Diderot, warning Philidor that such
exploits might lead to brain damage.
It is interesting to note that Philidor was the first great Apostle of pawn
power in chess. According to Philidor, pawns determined the structure of the
game, they were in fact “ the soul of chess” not mere cannon fodder, whose sole
task was to make way for the power of the pieces. In this respect his chess
teachings paralleled the rise of the masses embodied in the French Revolution of
1789. The following result is an example of what Philidor could achieve when
matched against the other leading lights of the day.
Match, London 1747
1 Philidor 8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss 8½

2 Stamma1 win, 1 draw, 8 losses 1½
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais

France was the dominant chess nation at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries,
and Philidor’s undoubted heir, the next player after Philidor who could be
considered an early world champion was the 19th-century French master Louis-
Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais. La Bourdonnais’s claim to fame rests
primarily on his mammoth series of matches against Alexander McDonnell,
contested in London in 1834. This represented the finest corpus of games ever
created up to that time and numerous generations of chess devotees learned their
basic chess strategies and tactics from these ingenious and well contested battles.
Both protagonists appear to have become mentally exhausted by their efforts and
both died shortly after their epic series, McDonnell in 1835 and La Bourdonnais
1840.
Match, London 1834

Howard Staunton
In the panoply of world champions, Howard Staunton, the Victorian polymath,
Shakespearean scholar and assiduous chronicler of the English schools system,
is the only English player who could legitimately be considered as world
champion. In a series of matches between 1843 and 1846, Staunton defeated the
French master Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant, followed closely by wins
against the German master Bernhard Horwitz and Daniel Harrwitz, originally
from Poland. Staunton’s match against Saint-Amant closely resembled the
template for modern world championship competitions. The chess pieces in
regular use for important competitions, including the London contest between
Carlsen and Caruana, are named the Staunton pattern, after Howard Staunton.
Match, Paris 1843
Adolf Anderssen
The German master Adolf Anderssen seized the sceptre from Howard Staunton
when he decisively defeated the English champion in the very first international
tournament in London 1851. Anderssen was one of that select group, which
includes Mikhail Botvinnik and Viswanathan Anand, who initially assumed the
accolade of supreme chess master from a tournament rather than a match. The
London 1851 event was in fact put together by Staunton, who thereby created a
perfect pretext for losing out to Anderssen in their knockout match, it being
notoriously difficult to compete in an event, whilst simultaneously organising it!
Anderssen can claim to be one of the supreme tacticians of all time. Three of
his wins are of imperishable beauty. On their own they would justify any one’s
devotion to chess. They are his Immortal game against Kieseritsky from
Simpsons in the Strand (not the tournament) of London 1851; his Evergreen
game against the pseudonymous Dufresne (in reality the German player E. S.
Freund) of Berlin 1856, and his majestic sacrificial masterpiece against
Zukertort from Breslau 1869.
London 1851
Anderssen v Szen 4-2

Anderssen v Kieseritsky 2½-½
Anderssen v Staunton (semi-final) 4-1
Anderssen v Wyvill (final) 4½-2½

Paul Morphy
Paul Morphy was the American meteor who took the world by storm over the
two momentous, whirlwind years of 1857 and 1858. His grand tour of Europe
culminated in a match victory against Adolf Anderssen, after which Morphy was
universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest player. Thereafter Morphy
issued a challenge to anyone in the world to take him on at odds (Morphy
starting the game with a pawn handicap) but no one accepted. At this point the
meteor had burnt itself out and Morphy, tragically, retired from chess, a curious
forerunner of Bobby Fischer’s behaviour following his 1972 world
championship victory against Boris Spassky.
Morphy understood the principles of chess better than anyone who came
before him. Anderssen’s tactical brilliance sprang like Athene from the head of
Zeus, without necessarily having grown from regular organic preconditions.
Morphy, on the other hand, constructed his positions along sound strategic and
positional lines, before unleashing his devastating arsenal of tactical weaponry.
On Morphy’s retirement, Anderssen resumed the position of world
leadership which had belonged so fleetingly to the First Great Genius of
American chess.
Match, Paris 1858

Wilhelm Steinitz
Although there had been several claimants to the world chess title, including
Andre Danican Philidor, Charles De La Bourdonnais, Howard Staunton, Paul
Morphy and Adolph Anderssen, it was the Austrian,Wilhelm Steinitz, who has
been universally recognised as the first official world chess champion. Steinitz
himself claimed that his tenure dated from 1866, when he defeated Adolph
Anderssen in London, followed by further match victories against Blackburne
and Zukertort, the latter in 1872.
Match, London 1866
In 1886 Steinitz overcame Zukertort in their second match so, from 1886 to
1894, Steinitz reigned as undisputed champion. He was also possibly the game’s
most profound thinker. His deep insights into defensive play and into the
accumulation of small but enduring advantages changed the outlook of an entire
generation of grandmasters and baffled his opponents for many years.
Before Steinitz, everybody believed that winning depended on both
inventiveness and luck and that rapid kingside attacks were always the most
effective strategy. After Steinitz, the best players realised that no attack should
succeed, unless it was launched at the proper time with a prior clear strategic
advantage. The American Paul Morphy had earlier shown the way in open
positions; Steinitz illuminated the paths in the infinitely more subtle closed
positions. Some experts have claimed that his defensive barricades were the
chessboard precursors of the trench warfare tactics of World War I.
World Championship, USA 1886

Emanuel Lasker
Lasker is of great importance for the London contest, since his intellectual
heritage has exerted a huge impact on the style of Magnus Carlsen. Lasker was
not a theoretician but a psychologist and his main objective was to win. He
achieved this goal by subtly unbalancing positions, no matter whether he was
slightly better, slightly worse or technically even. His aim was always to create a
battlefield where his superior playing skills would prevail. His influence in this
respect on Carlsen has been immense.
Emanuel Lasker was born on 24 December 1868 in Brandenburg, Germany.
In 1894 he wrested the world chess championship from the ageing Wilhelm
Steinitz. The match took place in New York, Philadelphia and Montreal over the
months of March, April and May. Lasker went on to hold the world title for a
record near 27 years, winning virtually all of the important tournaments in which
he participated. He did not confine his talents solely to chess; he was also a
writer of verse dramas, a philosopher and a mathematician of some note.
When his biography appeared, the foreword was written by Albert Einstein,
who wrote of Lasker, “Emanuel Lasker was undoubtedly one of the most
interesting people I came to know in my later life. Few, indeed, can have
combined such a unique independence of personality with so eager an interest in
all the great problems of mankind. I met Emanuel Lasker in the house of a
mutual friend and I came to know him well during the many walks we took
together, discussing ideas on a variety of subjects. It was a somewhat unilateral
discussion in which, almost invariably, I was in the position of listener, for it
seemed to be the natural thing for this eminently creative man to generate his
own ideas, rather than adjust himself to those of someone else.”
Lasker’s style was essentially combative. He viewed chess as a struggle and
was adept at creating complications from the most unpromising of situations. He
was also the first player to study the practical aspects of chess play – how to
prepare for a tournament, how to prepare for individual games, when to rest and
so on. He was, however, indifferent to pure chess exploration and, unlike almost
all other world champions, made no significant contributions to opening theory.
Given Lasker’s credo that chess is a fight, and his tangible influence over
Carlsen, it is ironic that the London match should consisted of a record-breaking
12 consecutive draws for the classical phase!
World Championship, USA/Canada 1894
José Capablanca
The Cuban, José Raoul Capablanca, was noted primarily for the fluency and
elegance of his style and for his legendary invincibility. Capablanca was the first
modern chessplayer to become an international superstar. When he lost a game
to Richard Réti in New York in 1924, it made headlines around the world. He
had been considered invincible, a magician of the chessboard, and had not been
defeated for more than eight years.
Capablanca, who was born in Havana in 1888, held the world championship
from 1921 to 1927. The story goes that he picked up the moves of chess at the
age of four from watching his father play with friends. At 12 he beat Juan Corzo,
the Cuban Champion. His reputation began to grow when he annihilated Frank
Marshall, America’s leading grandmaster, in 1909. Solely because of this win
against one of the world’s top players, he was invited to the grandmaster
tournament at San Sebastian in 1911. All the contestants were supposed to have
won first prize in at least one grandmaster tournament and two of the
contestants, Aron Nimzowitsch and Ossip Bernstein, both established members
of the ‘Grandmaster Club’, protested at the young Cuban’s inclusion. The mythic
status rapidly engulfing Capablanca required that he should destroy both of his
detractors at the board, and then that he should win first prize. He accomplished
each of these feats with ease.
In 1913 Capablanca obtained a position with the Cuban Foreign Office
which opened unlimited possibilities for foreign travel and hence for chess.
Eight years later the Capablanca legend was crowned when, in his home city, he
beat Emanuel Lasker and became the first man in the history of chess not to lose
a single game in winning the world championship. Vladimir Kramnik was to
become the second, 79 years later.
Capablanca is proof of the impact which a chess champion can make on a
small country. Cuba went chess crazy for Capablanca, and an annual Capablanca
Memorial tournament is still organised in his honour, one of which was won by
Ray Keene in 1974. A similar effect was witnessed in Holland after Dr Max
Euwe’s victory over Capablanca’s successor, Alexander Alekhine. Now we
observe the same type of popularity generated for chess in Norway, by the
prestigious performances of Magnus Carlsen and national adulation for their
hero.
World Championship, Havana 1921
Alexander Alekhine
Dynamics and dynamite was how one commentator described Alekhine’s style.
He is the spiritual forefather of the later world champions, Mikhail Tal and Garry
Kasparov. Like them, Alekhine was prepared to embark on incalculable
complications, confident in the knowledge that his superior tactical skill would
blow away the opposition.
Alekhine was born in Moscow in 1892 and led one of the most turbulent
careers of any chess professional. The First World War, in which he served
during the hostilities between Russia and Austro-Hungary, followed by the
Russian Revolution, almost derailed his career. As an aristocrat, his very survival
was in question, but he escaped to Paris, where he established himself during the
1920s as the leading contender for Capablanca’s world crown.
Alekhine scoured the world to find financial backers for a match against
Capablanca, and ultimately he found them in Buenos Aires. In 1927 Alekhine
achieved the virtually impossible. He defeated Capablanca in a match. This was
the high point of Alekhine’s career. If one examines the statistics, Capablanca
lost fewer games than any other great master and, to beat him six times in one
contest, as Alekhine did, bordered on the miraculous.
Alekhine held the world championship until 1935, en route dominating
tournaments such as San Remo 1930 and Bled 1931, in a way that few
champions have done before or since. Alekhine lost the title to Euwe in 1935,
only to regain it two years later. His latter years were marred, once more, by
turbulent world events as he was sucked into the geographical sphere of Nazi
influence during the Second World War. To complete the picture of the
bohemian, romantic artist, the genius buffeted by the cruel reality of the world,
Alekhine died, impoverished and intoxicated in a Lisbon hotel, still in
possession of the title in 1946.
Alexander Alekhine is regarded as one of the supreme tactical geniuses.
Garry Kasparov, an ardent devotee of the great man, records his own admiration,
“Alekhine’s attacks came suddenly, like destructive thunderstorms that erupted
from a clear blue sky. This style of Alekhine’s was what I admired and what I
wanted to develop in my own games.” Alekhine is the only world champion to
have died in possession of the title.
World Championship, Buenos Aires 1927
Max Euwe
Euwe’s trajectory was very much determined by his epic matches against the
creative Russian aristocrat, Alexander Alekhine. Max Euwe was born in 1901
and held the world championship title for two years from 1935 (when he
defeated Alekhine) to 1937. Highly unusually for a world champion, or even for
a world-class player, he was an amateur, with chess taking second place to his
career as a mathematician. He lived in Holland for the whole of his life and
almost single-handedly popularised the game in that country. Chess remains
popular in Holland with the media coverage far surpassing that of most other
countries, while the tournament calendar in the Netherlands features some of the
top events in the world. The parallel with Magnus Carlsen and his electrifying
impact on chess in Norway is obvious.
In their rematch in 1937, Alekhine won convincingly by the score of ten
wins to only four losses. Euwe was involved in many different areas of chess. He
was a prolific writer on the game and held the post of President of FIDE for
eight years between 1970 and 1978. Interestingly, the 1935 Alekhine v Euwe
clash was the only match where the leader after 16 games failed to clinch the
match in his favour.
World Championship, Netherlands 1935
Mikhail Botvinnik
Botvinnik was the first of that long line of Soviet grandmasters who dominated
the world championship for so many decades. The Soviet chess empire will
probably never be matched as a state engine for the popularisation of chess. The
game was seen as an intellectual pursuit, victory in which demonstrated the
superior thinking of the USSR. Even after the collapse of Communism, vestiges
remain in modern Russia of that ancient support. President Putin is certainly a
fan.
Botvinnik once said that chess was the art that complemented the science of
logic, just as music complements acoustics, and painting optics etc. Botvinnik
was the father of the Soviet chess dynasty and greatly influenced the trend to
pre-match preparation. His researches were so immense, and his training
sessions so thorough, that, detesting tobacco, he acclimatised himself in training
games by encouraging opponents to blow smoke into his eyes. (Smoking is now,
of course, banned during tournaments.)
Botvinnik won two tournaments which undoubtedly rank amongst the
strongest ever. At Leningrad/Moscow 1941 he finished 2½ points clear of a field
which included Keres, Smyslov and Boleslavsky, while in 1948 he won the
Hague/Moscow World Championship tournament, elevating himself to the status
of world champion, a post made vacant by the death of Alekhine in 1946.
Remarkably, Botvinnik relinquished the world title on two occasions (against
Smyslov in 1957 and Tal in 1960) only to win it back in revenge matches in the
subsequent year (i.e. beating Smyslov in 1958 and Tal in 1961). He is the only
player to have achieved this.
Having been the leading representative of the Soviet School of chess on the
world stage, Botvinnik later morphed into the patriarch of the game in Russia,
scoring many fine victories in his post-championship period, during his 50s,
against such luminaries as Tigran Petrosian, Vassily Smyslov, Paul Keres, Lajos
Portisch and Boris Spassky.
World Championship, The Hague/Moscow 1948
Vassily Smyslov
Smyslov was a proponent of harmony in chess, relying more than any other great
master on instinct rather than calculation. It is no coincidence that he had to
choose between a career in chess and a promising alternative as an opera singer.
Vassily Smyslov was born in 1921 and played three matches for the world
championship against Mikhail Botvinnik. The first match in 1954 resulted in a
12-12 tie, enabling Botvinnik, as the incumbent, to retain his title. In 1957
Smyslov succeeded in toppling Botvinnik, winning their match by the score of
12½-9½. However, Botvinnik was entitled to a “revenge” match and duly made
the most of his chances, winning in 1958 by the score of 12½-10½. This
represents one of the epic series in chess, such as the rivalry between Steinitz
and Zukertort, Alekhine and Euwe or Karpov and Kasparov.
Smyslov proved himself to be a supreme example of chess longevity. He
won the world championship candidates tournaments of both 1953 and 1956,
yet, almost three decades later, he reached the final of the candidates matches in
1984 at the age of 63, eliminating world-class opponents Robert Hübner and
Zoltan Ribli along the way. He only succumbed to a rampant, youthful Kasparov.
At the height of his powers, Smyslov perfected a uniquely harmonious
playing style, one that subordinated the conventional tactical hurly-burly of
competitive chess to an Olympian conceptual appraisal. It is perhaps this stress-
free approach that enabled him to achieve his remarkable gerontological feats.
World Championship, Moscow 1957
Mikhail Tal
Tal was probably the most popular and beloved world champion of them all. He
burst onto the scene like a blazing meteor and only perennial ill-health held him
back from even greater exploits.
Mikhail Tal, the ‘magician from Riga’, was the greatest attacking world
champion of all. At a time when the chess world was dominated by the
positional and strategic masters such as Botvinnik, Smyslov and Petrosian, Tal
demonstrated a different way to play chess. He played aggressively and took
risks, often sacrificing material for unclear compensation. Rather than relying on
logic or harmony to see him through, he turned chess into a psychological battle,
always aiming for positions where he could set his opponent problems.
In the world championship match of 1960 he inflicted a crushing defeat on
Mikhail Botvinnik. Botvinnik’s Olympian calm was shattered by the Napoleonic
force of the young Tal. Their games were replete with grand strategic designs
occasionally triumphing, but more often collapsing under the variegated assault
of tempestuous tactical sorties. For connoisseurs, the two Botvinnik-Tal matches
in 1960 and 1961 represented some of the most exciting chess seen at world
championship level. Although he was defeated in the first match Botvinnik,
employing subtle psychology, triumphed in the second, exploiting Tal’s dislike
of simplification and the endgame.
Tal had a warm and engaging personality and his love for the game was
unquenchable. Although dogged by ill-health for most of his life, he never
complained about his difficulties and continued to play chess right up until his
death in 1992.
Stylistically he learned from Alekhine and helped to inspire Kasparov. The
current world title games from London 2018 could not be further in style from
the unpredictable adventures of the Tal era. During the de facto interregnum
characterised by Bobby Fischer’s inactivity in 1973, just after wresting the
supreme title from the USSR for America, Tal’s tournament successes probably
elevated him once again to the position of strongest (active) player in the
world. From July 1972 to April 1973, he played 86 consecutive games without a
loss (47 wins and 39 draws). And then between 23 October 1973 and 16 October
1974, he played 95 consecutive games without a loss (46 wins and 49 draws).
Tigran Petrosian
If Emanuel Lasker was the prime influence on the style and psychology of
Magnus Carlsen, then Petrosian must surely have inspired the reigning
champion’s defensive tenacity and his determination to avoid loss.
Tigran Petrosian was born in Georgia in 1929. His early development was
slower than some other world champions but, by the early 1950s he had begun to
achieve considerable success. By the 1960s he had become a credible title
challenger and set up a clash with Botvinnik by winning the Curacao Candidates
tournament in 1962. He won the match in 1963 easily and in 1966 successfully
defended his title against Boris Spassky. However, in their next match in 1969
Spassky’s energy and dynamism proved too much.
Quite early in his career Petrosian refined his style, becoming adept at
avoiding loss. Time and again he was able to make extraordinary escapes from
seemingly impossible situations, salvaging draws and even winning. In his best
years he also developed a highly refined sense of danger, and seemed able to
prevent active plans for his opponents that they had not even thought of. Once
this deeply prophylactic play had succeeded, Petrosian would then start to
squeeze relentlessly. The effect on his opponents was alarming. This was well
summed up by Botvinnik, “It was really hard to play Tigran. The thing is that he
had a somewhat different understanding of positional play. He went deeper into
it than usual and even I did not fully understand Tigran’s way and depth of
judgment. His style was very economical, spending little energy during a game.”
Petrosian died in 1984 after a long illness. He was not appreciated by the
general public (apart from vociferous Armenian fans) in the same way that
Alekhine, Tal, Fischer and Kasparov were venerated, but there is no doubt that
his games at best displayed a mysterious quality of profound strategic mastery,
well worth studying. His lasting impact and legacy on the small nation of
Armenia can be deduced from the fact that Armenia have since won the world
chess Olympiad gold medals on no fewer than three occasions. The parallels
with Capablanca and Cuba, Euwe and Holland as well as Carlsen and Norway
are obvious.
Boris Spassky
Spassky was the fifth and last in the unbroken line of the great Soviet world
champions, before their hegemony was, briefly, interrupted by the tempestuous
Bobby Fischer.
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is one of the greatest chessplayers who ever lived.
After a volcanic early career, in which he gave full reign to his aggressive
genius, he won the world championship from his Soviet compatriot Tigran
Petrosian in 1969. It was a victory to gladden the hearts of the romantics for,
while Petrosian’s style had relied on slippery defensive skills and patient
consolidation, Spassky was wholeheartedly committed to attack. It seemed that
he could look forward to a great and glorious future. But, alas, it was not to be.
The first challenge to his reign came from the disconcerting, eccentric
American Bobby Fischer. Their match at Reykjavik in 1972 was subjected to a
glare of publicity previously unknown in chess, with political and symbolic
overtones that overshadowed the purely sporting aspects of the game. The
battering Spassky received in that match knocked the stuffing out of him. He
never succeeded in staging a world title comeback, and in the USSR his
reputation was rapidly eclipsed by that of Anatoly Karpov. The restrictions of
Soviet life began to irk his free spirit. Within a few years he emigrated to France,
the country which he represented at the chess Olympiads. But he never
recovered the élan that Fischer’s onslaught quenched.
Yet it is for his early buccaneering that Boris Spassky deserves to be
remembered. His elegant play produced some of the most excitingly aggressive
and surprising attacking games of chess ever executed. One of these scintillating
masterpieces, a win against Bronstein, was used as the key game of chess on
screen in the James Bond movie, From Russia with Love.
Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer, the brash, unschooled chess genius from Brooklyn who toppled
the might of the Soviet chess system before his 30th birthday is, apart from Paul
Morphy, the only North American world champion, though his disciple, Fabiano
Caruana, now hopes to emulate his success.
In many ways Fischer’s story epitomizes the self-reliant, frontier ideals of
modern America. (It also provided the inspiration for Chess, the Tim Rice/Abba
musical.) Yet the dream evaporated after Fischer took the world championship
from Boris Spassky in 1972. Inexplicably, Fischer renounced chess totally and
did not play a single competitive game for 20 years. He did not even visit a chess
club or chess event as a spectator until his return match with Spassky in
September 1992. His three-year official tenure of the title from 1972-1975 is the
only example of a de facto interregnum, a parallel to the real interregnum of
1946-1948 caused by the death of Alekhine.
Fischer’s world championship match with Spassky was characterised by his
detailed demands and his near refusal to play. Once Fischer had condescended to
play, however, events took a miraculous course. He began to play magnificent
chess, which he backed up with an extraordinary battery of psychological
pressures, protesting about both the playing conditions and the board. The
Russians retaliated by having the hall swept for electronic and chemical
equipment and x-raying the players’ chairs.
The match ended in a crushing victory for Fischer, but it had strangely
traumatic effects on both players. Spassky subsequently disappeared into a shell
of caution, Fischer into self-imposed exile, like that of Paul Morphy, the earlier
American genius. Yet Fischer’s demands performed one lasting service to the
followers of chess and to his fellow professionals. The vast modern prize funds
are a direct result of his insistence that chessplayers should be paid on a scale
comparable with champions in other sports. And his cult of invincibility created
a massive upsurge in the popularity of chess.
Iconically, Fischer died in 2008 in Reykjavik, the scene of his 1972 triumph,
at the age of 64, the number of squares on the chessboard.
World Championship, Reykjavik 1972
Anatoly Karpov
Karpov held the world title from 1975-1985, which places him in the upper
range of successful world champions, several of whom only retained the
supreme laurels for half a dozen years, or less.
Anatoly Karpov was born in Zlatoust in the Ural mountains in 1951. He
learnt the game at a very young age and quickly showed promise. He became a
grandmaster and world junior champion in 1969 and even then was already
viewed as a potential world champion. He continued to improve steadily and by
1975, thanks to previous victories over Spassky and Korchnoi in the Candidates
matches, he had qualified to challenge Bobby Fischer for his world title.
Unfortunately this match never took place as Fischer was unable to agree terms
with FIDE.
Karpov thus became world champion ‘by default’. However, his highly
impressive performances in tournaments soon after obtaining the title marked
him out as the strongest player in the world and well worthy of the title. He
successfully defended his title in 1978 in a hard fought match against the Soviet
émigré Viktor Korchnoi. He again defeated Korchnoi in 1981, this time by a
more convincing margin. In 1984 he faced the challenge of the young Kasparov
in a match to be decided by the first player to win six games. With draws not
counting, the length of this match was potentially unlimited. Karpov had a
fantastic start, establishing a 5-0 lead. However, he was unable to land the killer
blow and the match dragged on with numerous draws. Slowly Kasparov fought
back and, with the score at 5-3, the match was controversially stopped by the
then President of FIDE, Florencio Campomanes. In the rematch in 1985,
Kasparov finally toppled Karpov, although Karpov took him to the final game.
Although he lost the world title and his number one status to Kasparov,
Karpov continued to perform at a very high level and it is only in very recent
years that he has slipped down the rankings. His greatest tournament success
was Linares 1994, where he finished with an astonishing 11/13, 2½ points clear
of Kasparov in a field which included almost all the best players in the world.
Karpov enjoys a justified and outstanding reputation as a squeeze player, one
able to drain the life from his opponent’s position with the subtlest of means.
The slightest domination of an important square, or the most refined control of a
colour complex on the board, can be quite sufficient for Karpov to score a
victory. In this respect Karpov, along with Lasker and Petrosian, has been a role
model for Magnus Carlsen.
World Championship, Candidates Final 1974

(the match that made Karpov world champion)
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov has always considered the number 13 to be his lucky number.
This contrarian attitude underpins what seems to be the credo of his life value
system. When in the USSR, he opposed the Communist system. Now that he has
left to become a citizen of Croatia, USA and the world, he devotes much of his
considerable energy to proselytising against Presidents Vladimir Putin and
Donald Trump. One might be excused for speculating that Sisyphus is Garry’s
personal role model!
Garry Kasparov was born in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, then a republic
of the Soviet Union, on 13 April 1963. His chess talents were apparent at an
early age and he received extensive coaching from the Soviet chess authorities.
Former world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik, recognised his potential when he
was only 11 years old, making the bold statement, “The future of chess lies in
the hands of this young man.”
Successes were quick to follow. In 1980 he won the world junior
championship, the following year he was equal first in the Soviet championship
and thereafter he captured an entire sequence of first prizes in major
tournaments.
In parallel, Kasparov also set his sights on the world championship. In 1984
he duly won through as the official challenger for the title, then held by Anatoly
Karpov. In 1985 Kasparov became, at the age of 22, the youngest world
champion in the history of the game. Since then, he successfully defended his
title three times against fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov and once each against
Britain’s Nigel Short and Viswanathan Anand of India.
Kasparov has written numerous books and has gained international
recognition as a prominent spokesman for political, educational and social
reforms in Eastern Europe. He is also active in charity work and has created the
Kasparov Foundation.
Stylistically on the chessboard Kasparov was a devotee of Alexander
Alekhine, combining Alekhine’s aggression and tactical brilliance with profound
openings preparation and research. Although Magnus Carlsen has surpassed
Kasparov’s rating, many still consider Kasparov to have been the greatest player
of all time.

Vladimir Kramnik
Kramnik sensationally snatched the world title from Garry Kasparov at their
match in London 2000. It was in this contest that Vlad revived the ancient Berlin
Defence to the Ruy Lopez. As a result of its unexpectedly solid nature 1 e4 e5 2
Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 was promptly re-Christened the Berlin Wall Variation.
Born in 1975, Vladimir Kramnik was, and remains, the most illustrious of
Kasparov’s former pupils. Since he first burst on the world chess scene in 1992,
Vladimir Kramnik has displayed a maturity of play far beyond his years. Early in
his career he was famously and accurately identified by Garry Kasparov as his
most likely successor.
Despite an aggressive style, Kramnik has developed the reputation of being
extremely difficult to beat. This quality equipped him well for match play. In
world title contests Kramnik defeated Kasparov, Leko and Topalov, before
eventually ceding the world title to Anand.
World Championship, London 2000
Viswanthan Anand
Anand follows in the fine tradition of such masters from the subcontinent as The
Brahmin Moheschunder Bonnerjee and Mir Sultan Khan. Indeed, it is possible
that the early game of chess itself, Chaturanga also known as Shatranj, actually
originated in India.
Revered as The Tiger from Madras, Anand first challenged (unsuccessfully)
for the world championship against Garry Kasparov at New York 1995. Having
turned down a new challenge to Kasparov at London 2000, Anand had to wait
until 2007 before winning the unified title at the championship tournament of
Mexico 2007. Here the feeble FIDE version of the championship was merged
with the true succession, which had deviated from the, at that time, corrupt
governing body with the Kasparov-Short championship of 1993.
Anand’s tenure was confirmed by his subsequent trio of match successes
against Kramnik, Topalov and Gelfand, the last of these being decided by
rapidplay tie-break after the main match was drawn. Anand’s star only began to
wane after two consecutive match losses to Magnus Carlsen.
If we include only the undisputed world champions since 1886, Anand held the
championship for a similar period of time to Capablanca, Petrosian and Kramnik
ahead of Euwe, Smyslov, Tal, Fischer and Spassky. He thus occupies a most
honourable plinth within the Pantheon of the laureates of the supreme chess
accolade.
World Championship, Mexico 2007

The Champion and the Challenger
Magnus Carlsen
Scandinavia has bred and hosted some formidable grandmasters, starting with
Aron Nimzowitsch and Rudolf Spielmann, both émigrés from defunct European
empires, who respectively sought asylum in Denmark and Sweden. Their
inspirational activity doubtless helped to propel Bent Larsen, Fridrik Olafsson,
Ulf Andersson and Johann Hjartarson to world status. The last named once
eliminated Viktor Korchnoi from the world championship cycle and is now
acting with Nigel Short and Alexander Beliavsky as members of the Appeal
Committee here in London.
Carlsen is the first Norwegian to hit the big time in world chess. His
prodigious talent became evident at an early age and predictions that he would
inevitably win the world title were rife. With seeming inevitability, Carlsen won
the London 2013 Candidates tournament, went on to defeat Anand on two
occasions and, in his most recent title defence before London, he warded off a
challenge from Sergey Karjakin. It should be noted, though, that this contest in
New York 2016, came right down to the wire and could only be settled by the
rapid tie-break.
Is that the shape of things to come? It is our contention that Carlsen’s style is
inspired by the psychology of the ambitious Lasker, combined with the
technique of such filigree strategists as the more conservative and cautious
Capablanca, Petrosian and Karpov. However, it may well be that Carlsen has
inherited the skill of these great predecessors, but without that willingness to
take risks, to wrestle on the brink of the precipice, which also characterised the
victories of Emanuel Lasker.
World Championship, Chennai 2013
Thanks are due to Tarjei J. Svensen for permission to use the following extracts
from an interview he conducted with Magnus Carlsen on Twitter.
Carlsen on why he is so good at blitz and rapid, while Caruana tends to

suffer.
I think it has a lot to do with playing style. Caruana is a very concrete player and
in rapid and blitz you won’t have time to calculate if you base your play on pure
calculation. It’s better to play simpler and more on intuition. I think rapid is the
most difficult. It’s the hybrid. If you have just played a lot of blitz, you will often
play too fast and superficially in rapid. In rapid you will think too much at the
start, especially if you play with increments.

Carlsen says he needs to improve as a rapid player, but thinks it’s very
difficult.
It’s a lot more difficult than both blitz and classical. The last few rapid world
championships I have suffered a lot and this is something I want to improve. The
results have been okay, but with many ups and downs. I need to play more rapid
if I am to improve, but it’s hard when I’m not playing any rapid tournaments.

Carlsen on facing a younger opponent.
I am still waiting for the real young guys. Caruana is two years younger, So is
three years younger and Giri four years younger. Not many have been able to
break through yet. These guys have been around for a while now. I don’t know
which generation I belong to. It would be exciting to get younger people up, let’s
say those born around 2000. Because that is really a different generation again.
At this moment none of them has become part of the elite.

Carlsen on the social side of playing tournaments.
Aronian, MVL (Maxime Vachier-Lagrave) and Nepomniachtchi are the guys I
hang out with most during events. Karjakin is also a nice guy ... there are many
of them. It is important not to be too relaxed during tournaments, because it can
make you lack the necessary “punch” needed to win every game. You can’t think
too much about results either, have to try to have fun while at the same time
staying sharp. Players are much more conscious about physical fitness than a
few years ago, and this is something I take some credit for. It’s a good thing that
players are more professional, which leads to higher quality.

Carlsen on not converting the early games against Karjakin in 2016.
I wasn’t very worried after first four games, because I thought I was outplaying
him. Then some draws followed. I tend to lose energy after “boring draws”. It
tires you out mentally, because you don’t get to play any chess. In the 8th
game (which Carlsen lost), I had absolutely no fear of losing. Then I went too
far. Suddenly I realized I could actually lose it. I froze.
Carlsen on Caruana.
He is a calm and rather uncomplicated type, a nice guy. His playing style is very
concrete. He calculates very, very well and deep. He is well prepared. And he
loves the centre! Caruana often sacrifices pawns, gives his opponents passed
pawns, accepts attacks towards his king in order to achieve control of the centre.
So in terms of chess understanding, this is what I would assess that we are the
most different on, he values the centre a lot.

Carlsen on his good score against Caruana, no losses in the last three years.
My recent experiences have been good. It’s been a while since I was in danger of
losing against him. But it will always be a bit difficult in a world championship.
He has done well recently, but not against me.

Carlsen on whether there are other opponents he would fear more.
No, Caruana is the most dangerous opponent. He is the number two and the most
difficult to play against. He is not the most difficult to beat as he takes risks but,
along with Aronian, he is one I feel has outplayed me the most. Karjakin is a
player who is able to defend very well when there is no counterplay, while
Kramnik and Aronian are not. It will be exciting to see how Caruana does it, I
will definitely force him to defend himself! I have won several games against
him earlier with active defence where he put pressure on me and I managed to
get counterplay and win. So you can't rule out that I will try that.

Carlsen on playing in London.
There are advantages and disadvantages. It's easier for the fans. It's great that it's
just a few hours from Oslo and it won't be hard to persuade the family to go for a
quick trip to London! But it's in November, it will be dark. And in a city, it will
be noisy. It won't be easy to find the calmness, so that will be more of a
challenge for the players.
Fabiano Caruana
There is no doubt that Fabi, as he is universally known, is a disciple of his
compatriot Bobby Fischer. At his best, such as the St Louis elite tournament of
2014, Fabi displayed all of Fischer’s maximalist ambitions, sweeping the most
powerful of opponents before him, as if they were chaff in the wind. At the same
time, Fabi has a clean, clear and crisp attacking style which is equally dangerous
with both White and Black. In this respect, Fabi’s espousal of the Petroff
Defence as a black weapon which he uses to play for a win, is evidence of his
aggressive tendencies with either colour. This aspect is entirely in line with
Fischer’s own maximalist programme, though Fischer would doubtless have
recoiled from the Petroff, preferring the Sicilian Defence.
At the start of the London match Fabi could boast a string of 2018
tournament victories and his rating had crept to within three points of the
champion. Never in the annals of chess had two such equally matched opponents
faced each other in battle for the supreme accolade of the chess firmament.
The first turning point in Berlin came for Caruana when he foiled the
winning attempts of the brilliant former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, in
the early rounds of the competition. Kramnik had himself been crowned
champion when he grappled the chess crown from compatriot Garry Kasparov,
also in London in 2000. Now seemingly with his best days behind him, Kramnik
nevertheless began at Berlin as if inspired by the greats of chess history. With
Caruana facing disaster, the young American turned the tables by brilliant
defence and left the already triumphing Kramnik a demoralised wreck,
psychologically crushed and with his head slumped over the scene of his
chessboard tragedy.
While Kramnik then descended into a black abyss of despair, losing game
after game, Caruana rocketed forwards to lead the pack. With three rounds to go,
Caruana suffered a sensational setback, his first loss, against former title
challenger Sergey Karjakin. Then, over the last two rounds, Caruana revealed his
qualities of icy resilience and titanium nerves to win both of his final two games,
breasting the field by a clear point and assuring his qualification for London in
November.
The following is based on an interview I (RDK) conducted with Caruana via

Skype after his success in the 2018 Berlin Candidates.
Caruana is very far from being a follower of the Bobby Fischer model of
eccentric, diva-like chess genius. Whereas Fischer often went into seclusion for
long periods, serially threatened to withdraw from events, insisted sporadically
on outrageous conditions and ultimately refused to defend his title, Caruana is a
model of modesty, of respect for his opponents and a clear believer in his
obligations to perform to his maximum for the benefit of chess fans across the
globe. Slightly built, bespectacled with a somewhat owlish, academic
demeanour, the only connexion I could perceive with the mad genius stereotype
was his thick black hair, which has the potential in future years to develop into a
spectacular mane of Einsteinian proportions.
Our discussion focused on the forthcoming million Euro championship bout
against Carlsen, the highest rated champion in the history of chess, excelling
even Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. Caruana is under no illusion as to the
magnitude of the task facing him. Carlsen is not invincible, but he does enjoy a
healthy lead in prior encounters between the two.
Caruana sees the champion’s chief strength as his powerful, dominating
presence and over the board charisma. Viktor Korchnoi once claimed that
Carlsen hypnotises his opponents to make them blunder. Caruana does not hold
any truck with such mysticism. He respects Carlsen’s profound chess knowledge
and admires his flawless technique. Caruana is also well aware of the sheer
physical challenge of facing the same devastatingly remorseless and terrifyingly
accurate opponent across the board for hour after hour. Caruana’s mental
preparation will, accordingly, take account of the champion’s liking for grinding
out interminable victories, forever probing here and there for the slightest
weakness, while keeping all the balls in the air and avoiding any path which
might fizzle out to sterile equality, hence a drawn outcome.
Caruana has performed well in London in the past. In December 2017 he won
the prestigious London Chess Classic, ahead of Carlsen, though their individual
clash ended as a draw. London has played host to such chess greats as Staunton,
Morphy, Steinitz, Lasker, Kasparov and Karpov. Caruana hopes that for the fight
of his life, the city which has smiled on his efforts before will do so yet again,
and make him the first American world champion since Bobby Fischer seized
the crown over four decades ago in his great battle against the might of the
Soviet chess imperium.
Berlin Candidates 2018
Tournament Summary
The 2018 Candidates tournament was played in Berlin in March 2018. The
winner of the event would gain the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen for the
World Championship title. The tournament took the form of an eight-player
double round event. The players, with their world rankings and ratings, at the
time, were:
2. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2809)

3. Vladimir Kramnik (2800)
4. Wesley So (2799)
5. Lev Aronian (2794)
8. Fabiano Caruana (2784)
11. Ding Liren (2769)
12. Alexander Grischuk (2767)
13. Sergei Karjakin (2763)
The players obtained their places as follows. Aronian and Ding Liren were the
top two finishers in the Chess World Cup 2017. Mamedyarov and Grischuk were
the top two finishers in the FIDE Grand Prix 2017. Caruana and So were the top
two players with highest average 2017 rating who played in World Cup or Grand
Prix. Karjakin was the runner-up in the 2016 World Championship match.
Kramnik was the wild card nomination by the organisers, Agon.
Kramnik got off to a flying start with two early wins but was then pegged
back when Caruana beat him in the fourth round. Thereafter Caruana was in the
lead or joint lead for most of the event. After 11 rounds, and with just three left
to be played, Caruana had 7 points, ahead of Mamedyarov on 6½, with Grischuk
and Karjakin on 6. In a crucial 12th round encounter Karjakin beat Caruana,
enabling him to take the joint lead. Meanwhile Mamedyarov suffered his only
defeat in the event when Ding Liren beat him with the black pieces. Scores after
12 rounds were: Caruana and Karjakin 7, Mamedyarov and Grischuk 6½.
In the 13th round both Caruana and Mamedyarov bounced back from their
previous defeats to score the only two wins of the round. Mamedyarov beat
Grischuk while Caruana scored a crucial win against the off-form Aronian. This
enabled Caruana to regain the lead as Karjakin was held to a draw by So.
Going in to the final round the leading scores were: Caruana 8, Mamedyarov
and Karjakin 7½. The key games were Grischuk-Caruana, Karjakin-Ding Liren
and Kramnik-Mamedyarov. If Caruana were to draw against Grischuk and either
Mamedyarov or Karjakin managed to win then there would be a tie for first
place. However, Caruana’s tie-break scores were worse than those of both
Mamedyarov and Karjakin, so they would be more likely to become the overall
winner. In the event Karjakin gained a promising position against Ding but after
misplaying it he ended up worse and had to fight for a draw. Mamedyarov
managed to create complications as Black against Kramnik but, after a hard
struggle, this game also ended as a draw.
Caruana quickly obtained a strong position against Grischuk and, even
though it became clear he would only need to draw this game to win the
event, he pressed hard and was rewarded with a win after 69 moves.
Berlin Candidates 2018
Key Games from Berlin

Caruana’s final round victory against Grischuk is a fine example of his
powerful strategic play.
White: Alexander Grischuk

Black: Fabiano Caruana
FIDE Candidates, Berlin 2018
Petroff Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4
3 Nxe5 is the most frequently seen move here but the text is also popular.
3 ... Nxe4 4 dxe5
For many years the alternative 4 Bd3 was standardly met by 4 ... d5.
However, in the 1990s it was suddenly noticed that Black did not actually have
the to protect the knight and 4 ... Nc6 (5 Bxe4 d5 6 Bd3 e4 regains the piece)
became popular.
4 ... d5 5 Nbd2 Nxd2 6 Bxd2 Be7 7 Bd3 c5 8 c3 Nc6 9 0-0
The scene is set for an interesting middlegame. White potentially has the
makings of an attack on the kingside should Black play ... 0-0. However, Black
has easy development and the white e5-pawn can potentially become vulnerable.
Black also has a useful 4-3 majority on the queenside.
9 ... Bg4
Pressurising the e-pawn at once.
10 Re1 Qd7
Black is in no hurry to announce the destination of his king.
11 h3 Bh5 12 Bf4 Qe6
This move is based on a subtle tactical point. The immediate 12 ... 0-0 can be
met by 13 Qc2, when 13 ... Bxf3 (Black should prefer 13 ... Kh8 or 13 ... h6) is
bad after 14 Bxh7+ Kh8 15 Bf5. If now 15 ... Be4 16 Qxe4!
13 a3 0-0
The point of Caruana’s 12 ... Qe6 is revealed. 14 Qc2 is now a blunder on
account of 14 ... Bxf3 and if 15 Bxh7+ Kh8 16 Bf5 (as in the previous note) then
Black counters with 16 ... Be4! and emerges a piece ahead as the black queen on
e6 is now protected.
14 b4 h6 15 Bg3 b6
The game is equal.
16 Nd4
An alarming way of breaking the pin on the knight but it doesn’t change the
assessment of the position.
16 ... Bxd1
Best. 16 ... cxd4 17 Qxh5 g6 (not 17 ... dxc3 18 Bf5 g6 19 Bxe6 gxh5 20
Bxd5 and White has a substantial endgame advantage) 18 Qxh6 dxc3 might be
just about playable but is clearly very dangerous.
17 Nxe6 fxe6 18 Raxd1
18 ... c4
This is an excellent strategic decision from Caruana, making the most of his
queenside pawn majority. It looks as if White will be able to activate his own
kingside pawn majority with moves such as f4, Bh2, g4 and f5. If he were able
to implement this plan then he would obtain a dangerous initiative. However,
Caruana has foreseen that he can generate sufficient piece play on the kingside to
frustrate White’s efforts.
19 Bc2 b5 20 a4
An important move, otherwise Black will assume an even greater queenside
initiative with ... a5. The move 20 a4 weakens the b4-point and makes White
vulnerable to an undermining ... d4 advance at some point. However, if Black
were allowed to play ... a5 then this would inevitably happen and in worse
circumstances.
20 ... a6
21 f3
White urgently needs to relocate his bishop to f2. Trying to activate his
position with 21 f4 proves disastrous after 21 ... Rac8 22 Bh2 d4 and White is
falling apart.
21 ... Bg5
Black could even speculate here with a piece sacrifice: 21 ... Nxb4 22 cxb4
Bxb4 23 Re2 Bc5+ 24 Bf2 Bxf2+ 25 Kxf2 b4, when he has three connected
passed pawns. Black woiuld certainly not be worse here but Caruana stands well
and, quite rightly, sees no reason to take such risks.
22 Bf2 Bf4 23 Bc5
Needing only a draw to qualify, Caruana plays it safe. As an alternative to his
next move, which safeguards his rook, the sacrifice 23 ... Bxe5 24 Bxf8 Rxf8
comes into consideration.
23 ... Rfd8 24 Bd6 Bg3 25 Re2 g5
The combination of the pawn at g5 and the bishop on g3 cripples White’s
kingside pawn majority. Black’s majority, on the other wing, remains mobile and
this gives him the advantage. The basic contours of this position were no doubt
anticipated by Caruana when he decided on his 18th move.
26 Kf1 Kf7 27 Bc7 Re8 28 Bd6 Rac8 29 Ra1 Red8
Caruana is manoeuvring with the intention of advancing ... d4 at some point.
30 Bb1 Rd7 31 Ra3
Handing the initiative to Black. Instead 31 axb5 axb5 32 Ra6 and if 32 ... d4
then 33 Be4 easily holds the balance.
31 ... d4 32 axb5 axb5 33 cxd4 Nxd4
Black has a clear plus. His minor pieces are much better than White’s, he has
a powerful protected passed c-pawn and White’s e5- and b4-pawns are
vulnerable.
34 Rea2 Nc6
Caruana decides to annex the white e-pawn. Another plan was 34 ... c3 35
Bc2 h5, planning ... g4.
35 Be4
Grischuk hopes for salvation in an endgame with opposite-coloured bishops.
This is a wise decision as 35 Re3 Rcd8 36 Bc2 can be met with 36 ... Rxd6! 37
exd6 Nxb4 and Black is winning.
35 ... Bxe5 36 Bxc6 Rxd6 37 Bxb5 Rd1+ 38 Ke2 Rg1 39 Ke3 Rb1
Black’s rooks are ideally placed. One keeps an eye on the white b-pawn and
the other supports the advance of his own c-pawn.
40 Ra7+ Kf6 41 Bd7 Bf4+ 42 Ke2 Rd8 43 Rc2
White must give up the b-pawn, otherwise he will have no chance to cope
with Black’s c-pawn. For example 43 b5 c3 44 Rc2 Rb2 45 Kd3 Ke7 and Black
wins a piece.
43 ... Rxb4 44 Bc6 c3 45 Rd7
45 Rxc3 Rd2+ mates.
45 ... Rc8 46 Be4 h5 47 Kd3 Rb2 48 Ke2 h4
As noted before, a draw would have been sufficient to ensure qualification
but Caruana, like Bobby Fischer before him, is a maximalist and is intent on
driving home his advantage. The text creates a further weakness in the white
camp in the form of the pawn on g2.
49 Rd1 Ke5 50 Ra1 Rd8 51 Rd1 Rdb8 52 Ra1 Bd2 53 Ra6 Rd8 54 Rc6
Rb1 55 Kf2 Ra1 56 Rc4 Rd4 57 Rc8 Rb4 58 Ke2 Kf4
The combination of the advanced black c-pawn and the weak g2-pawn
render White’s defensive task impossible.
59 Kf2 Rbb1 60 Rf8+ Ke5 61 Bd3 Rb2 62 Ke2 Re1+ 63 Kf2 Rc1 64 Rxb2
cxb2 65 Rb8 Bc3 66 Be4 Bd4+ 67 Ke2 Kf4 68 Rb4 e5 69 Rb7 Kg3 White
resigns
The g2-pawn falls and White’s kingside collapses.
Caruana’s win in the penultimate round was a wild and nervy encounter that
could have gone either way.
White: Fabiano Caruana

Black: Lev Aronian
Ruy Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 d3
Systems using d3 (instead of attempting to play d2-d4 in one move) against
the Ruy Lopez have become all the rage in recent years. In this particular
position 8 d3 has the added benefit of avoiding the Marshall Attack (8 c3 d5)
which is generally thought to be fine for Black.
8 ... d6 9 Bd2 Bg4 10 c3 d5 11 h3 Bh5
In a subsequent game, Wei Yi-So, Chess.com Blitz 2018 Black played 11 ...
Bxf3 12 Qxf3 d4. After 13 Bd5 dxc3 14 bxc3 (not 14 Bxc6 cxb2 but 14 Bxc3
looks like an improvement) 14 ... Qd6 15 Bxc6 Qxc6 16 d4 Rfd8 Black already
stood better.
12 Qe2
White can accept the challenge with 12 exd5 Nxd5 13 g4 Bg6 14 Nxe5 Nxe5
15 Rxe5, when Black undoubtedly has decent compensation for the pawn in a
murky position. However, having just lost in the previous round it is possible
that Caruana did not want to be thrown onto the defensive quite so early in this
game.
12 ... Rb8
13 Bg5
This is a little tame. 13 exd5 Nxd5 14 a4 (14 g4 Bg6 15 Nxe5 Nxe5 16 Qxe5
c6 will again give Black adequate compensation for the pawn) 14 ... b4 15 Bc4 is
a more adventurous continuation. The Black pawn structure is beginning to look
rather strung out but he has better development and free play for his pieces as
compensation.
13 ... dxe4
Aronian decides to clarify the situation in the centre. 13 ... d4 was also quite
playable.
14 dxe4 h6 15 Bc1
The third move of White’s dark-squared bishop returns it to its home square.
Black is fully developed and only has a minor weakness on b5 so the position
must be considered equal.
15 ... Bg6 16 Nbd2
16 ... Nh5
Black decides to deploy his pieces aggressively. A safer plan such as 16 ...
Bd6 17 Nh4 Ne7 would maintain equality without much trouble.
17 Nf1 Bc5 18 g3 Kh7
Black slides his king away from the a2-g8 diagonal. If he can subsequently
play ... f7-f5 in favourable circumstances his pieces will be well placed for a
kingside attack. The drawback of his play is that if he doesn’t generate activity
on the kingside then his pieces will end up misplaced.
19 Kg2 Qe7 20 Bc2 Rfd8
This is a step in the wrong direction, after which White is better. 20 ... Qe6
21 b4 Bb6 22 a4 Ne7 kept the position balanced.
21 b4 Bb6 22 a4
Caruana is quietly exposing Black’s weaknesses on the queenside and Black
has not managed to generate any serious counterplay.
22 ... Nf6 23 Nh4 Qe6 24 Bd3
A bad mistake from Caruana who undoubtedly underestimated Black’s next
move and the subsequent piece sacrifice. 24 Nxg6 fxg6 25 Bd3 is very good for
White.
24 ... Bh5
After drifting over the last half dozen moves, Aronian wakes up and takes his
chance.
25 g4
Black now sacrifices a piece for a raging rattack. It is easy to understand why
Caruana underestimated this as, at first sight, it doesn’t look particularly
dangerous for White since he has many pieces in the vicinity of his king.
However, these pieces do not co-ordinate well for defensive purposes. With
accurate play White should still be better but it would have been better to avoid
the complications with 24 Nxg6.
25 ... Bxg4
25 ... Nxg4 quickly burns out after 26 hxg4 Bxg4 27 f3 Bh3+ 28 Kg3! (and
not 28 Kh2 Rxd3 29 Qxd3 Bf2 with good play) and Black has no plausible
continuation.
26 hxg4 Nxg4 27 Nf5
27 Be3 is favourable for White but it requires very accurate calculation. For
example 27 ... Nxe3 28 fxe3 (not 28 Nxe3 Bxe3 29 fxe3 Rxd3 30 Qxd3 Qg4+)
28 ... Rxd3 29 Qxd3 Qg4+ 30 Ng3 Qxh4.
Analysis diagram

This position is excellent for White but only if he can foresee that the
continuation 31 Qd7 Rd8 32 Qxf7! (and not 32 Qxc6 Rd6! 33 Qe8 Rd2+ 34 Re2
Rxe2+ 35 Nxe2 Qxe4+ which is very dangerous; note that 32 Qxc6 Rd2+ at
once is fine for White as after 33 Re2 Rxe2+ 34 Nxe2 his e-pawn is protected) is
good for him. This is far from easy to calculate, especially several moves in
advance.
27 ... Nxf2 28 Bc2 g6 29 N1e3
The wrong knight. With 29 N5e3 Nh3 30 Nd5, White retains control.
29 ... gxf5 30 exf5 Qf6 31 Qxf2
Caruana no doubt saw this far and, not unreasonably, assumed the position
was excellent for White as he is on the verge of consolidating with moves such
as Be4, Bd2 and Kh3. However, he has overlooked an astonishing resource and,
fortunately for him, so does Aronian.
31 ... e4
This is a blunder. After the vastly superior 31 ... Nxb4!! 32 cxb4 Rd4,
Black’s forces converge dangerously on the white king.
Analysis diagram

An example of how White can go wrong is 33 Bb2 Qg5+ 34 Qg3 Rd2+ 35
Kf3 (35 Kh3 Qh5+ 36 Qh4 Rh2+) 35 ... Qh5+ 36 Ke4 Rg8, when White’s king
is badly exposed and he will have to play with extreme accuracy.
The best try after 31 ... Nxb4!! 32 cxb4 Rd4 is 33 Kh3, removing the king
from immediate danger. One possible line is then the ferociously complicated 33
... Qg5 34 f6+ Kh8 35 Bd1 Rg8 36 Ng2 Rf4 37 Rxe5 Rxf2 38 Bxg5 Bd4 39 Bh4
Bxa1 40 Bxf2 Bxe5 41 axb5 axb5, resulting in a level endgame.
32 Rh1 Rd6 33 Bxe4 Rg8+ 34 Kf1
The white king is secure and Black has nothing for the piece.
34 ... Ne5 35 Qf4 c6 36 axb5 Rg5 37 bxa6 Qd8 38 f6+ Ng6 39 Rxh6+
Black resigns

Black: Wesley So
Catalan Opening
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 Bb4+ 4 Bd2 Be7 5 Bg2 d5 6 Nf3 0-0 7 0-0 c6 8 Qb3

Nbd7 9 Bf4
Black has lost a tempo with his manoeuvre of ... Bb4-e7. White now returns
the compliment as his bishop on d2 is not particularly well placed.
9 ... a5
Black hopes to exploit the slightly awkward situation of the white queen.
White can reply 10 a4 but that would leave an unpleasant hole on b4. Black’s
last move also sets a small trap in that the natural 10 Nc3 is met by the very
move it appears to prevent, i.e. 10 ... a4!, as 11 Nxa4 dxc4 12 Qxc4 b5 would
win a piece.
10 Rd1 Nh5 11 Bc1 Nhf6 12 Nbd2
White decides to play for a win. Of course 12 Bf4 is possible, when 12 ...
Nh5 invites a draw. This has been seen in former play. White’s 12th move
prepares the familiar plan in these positions of Qc2 followed by the central
advance e4.
12 ... b5
13 c5
If 13 cxb5 cxb5 14 Qxb5 then 14 ... Ba6 is very strong. After 13 c5 the battle
now revolves around whether Black will be able to make the break ... e6-e5
successfully. If he can, he will stand well but if White can prevent this move
then, in the long run, he has a useful space advantage.
13 ... b4
This doesn’t contribute to the battle around ... e5. 13 ... Qc7 14 Qc2 e5 15
dxe5 Nxe5 is equal.
14 Qc2 a4
Black creates a tactical trick to inhibit White’s plan of e2-e4. If now 15 e4,
then 15 ... b3 16 axb3 axb3 17 Nxb3 Rxa1 18 Nxa1 Nxe4 is fine for Black.
15 Re1 e5
Giving up his e-pawn in exchange for White’s blockading pawn on c5.
16 Nxe5 Nxe5 17 dxe5 Nd7 18 Nf3
White ensures that the pawn that Black regains is the one on c5 and not on
e5. By maintaining the pawn on e5 White creates a useful central pawn phalanx
that can be used as the basis for a kingside attack.
18 ... Bxc5
A recapture that allows White’s next move which leads to a weakening of the
black kingside structure. Although 18 ... Nxc5 looks like a clumsy move, it
would have been preferable.
19 Ng5 g6 20 Bf4
20 e6 looks strong here but following 20 ... fxe6, Black’s counterattack
against the f2-square frustrates White’s attacking efforts.
20 ... Qb6 21 e4
21 ... b3
Black has to look for counterplay quickly before he is swamped on the
kingside. 21 ... d4 22 e6 fxe6 23 Nxe6 wins easily for White.
22 axb3 axb3 23 Qe2 Ba6
With this move Black thinks he is driving but, in fact, he will soon be driven.
The methodical approach consisted of 23 ... Ra2 and if 24 exd5 only then 24 ...
Ba6. After 23 ... Ra2 White is reduced to the passive 24 Rab1, when 24 ... Ba6
25 Qf3 Bc4 leads to similar play as in the game except that Black’s queen’s rook
is more active while his king’s rook remains to shore up the kingside.
24 Qf3 Bc4 25 Rxa8 Rxa8
26 e6
White is now breaking through against Black’s depleted kingside. He avoids
the tempting 26 Nxf7 when 26 ... Kxf7 is crushed after 27 e6+ Kxe6 28 exd5+.
However, Black can improve with 26 ... dxe4 27 Nh6+ Kh8 and suddenly White
has no queen move that maintains protection of the d2-square.
26 ... dxe4
The computer makes an amusing observation after 26 ... fxe6, noting that
although 27 Bc7 now wins the black queen (mate is coming on f7 and h7) the
move 27 Bb8! is in fact stronger as it prevents the defence ... Rf8.
27 exf7+ Bxf7 28 Nxe4
This position may not look so bad for Black as material is equal. However
the problem is that the white pieces are ready to stream into the attack with
moves such as Bh3 and Bh6 and Black has no way to organise any kind of
defence on the kingside.
28 ... Bd4 29 Nd6 Bd5 30 Qe2
The queen now threatens to invade on e6.
30 ... Nf8 31 Bxd5+ cxd5 32 Qf3 Qa5 33 Re7 Black resigns
After 33 ... Ra7 34 Bh6 wins and if 33 ... Bg7 34 Rxg7+ forces mate.

The following game was a crucial one for Caruana. His opponent, former
world champion Vladimir Kramnik, had got off to a tremendous start with 2½/3
and was sole leader. Caruana’s victory in this game enabled him to overtake
Kramnik and he subsequently held the lead (either on his own or jointly) until
the end of the event. An historic game, had Kramnik won and soared to 3½/4 he
might have been lent wings and gone on to win the tournament.
White: Vladimir Kramnik

Petroff Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Qe2
This variation entails an early exchange of queens in a symmetrical position
and thus often prefaces a non-existent struggle and an early draw. Not in this
case ...
5 ... Qe7 6 Nc3 Nxc3 7 dxc3 Qxe2+ 8 Bxe2 Nc6 9 Be3 Be7 10 0-0-0 0-0 11
Rhe1 Bf6 12 Nd2 Re8 13 Bf3 Ne5 14 Bf4 Kf8 15 Bd5
Kramnik decides to switch the diagonal of his light-squared bishop, but it is
far from clear that this achieves anything and Caruana soon gains a promising
initiative on the kingside.
15 ... c6 16 Bb3 Bf5 17 h3 g5
A good decision from Caruana. His minor pieces are well placed to support
this advance.
18 Bh2 Kg7 19 c4 g4
White already has some problems to solve as 20 hxg4 Nxg4 21 Bg3 Bg5 is
quite awkward to meet.
20 Ne4 Bxe4 21 Rxe4 Bg5+ 22 Kb1 gxh3
23 c5
Kramnik, untypically, decides to play like Tal. 23 c5 could either be lauded
as a brilliant, practical counterattacking idea or criticised as unnecessary panic. It
is, however, clear that after 23 gxh3 f5 Black is doing very well, e.g. 24 Ree1
Nf3 25 Rxe8 Rxe8 26 Bxd6 Re2 and White is in some trouble.
23 ... f5
23 ... hxg2 immediately is weaker. After 24 cxd6 Nf3 the white rook comes
to g4 and will be able to snap off the g-pawn. Caruana’s move takes away g4
from the white rook and Kramnik is forced to gambit a piece.
24 Rb4 hxg2 25 Rxb7+ Kh8 26 cxd6 Nf3
27 Ba4
27 Bg1 Re2 is hopeless so White must gambit a piece to get his pawns going.
27 ... Nxh2 28 Bxc6 Rad8 29 d7 Re2 30 Bxg2 Rxf2 31 Bc6
White’s position looks decidedly grim as he is a piece down, his three
queenside pawns are as yet unmoved and Black has a strong passed f-pawn.
Nevertheless it is not easy for Black to find the most accurate moves.
31 ... Ng4 32 Rxa7 Ne3 33 Rg1
33 ... h6
A very natural move that turns out to be a serious loss of time. 33 ... Rxc2!
removes the important white c-pawn. The move is possible due to a tactical
point. After 34 Ba4, Black has 34 ... Rf2 and White cannot capture the black
bishop due to 35 ... Rf1+ mating. Once the c-pawn is gone it is very hard for
White to create counterplay.
34 Rc7
An excellent move. White introduces the concept of Rxg5 followed by Rc8
and also frees the path for his a-pawn to rush down the board.
34 ... Kg7 35 a4 Kf7 36 Bb5 Ke7 37 a5 Rf4 38 c3
An important move. White prevents the black rook from coming to b4.
38 ... Kd6 39 Rb7 Rg4 40 Re1 f4 41 a6 h5 42 a7 Ra8 43 b4
The game has witnessed an extraordinary turnaround as Kramnik is now
winning.
43 ... h4
44 c4
This is where Kramnik misses his clearest opportunity. 44 d8Q+ Bxd8 45
Rd7+ Ke5 (White could not have played this sequence on the previous move as
Black would have had the resource 45 ... Kc5, preventing White’s next) 46 Bc6
Rxa7 47 Rxa7 and White is winning.
44 ... h3 45 c5+
This is a blunder, failing to an unbelievable defensive resource. White can
still play 45 d8Q+ with the same idea as in the previous note. Black will have
more chances as the h-pawn is further advanced, but White should still win.
45 ... Ke5 46 Rb8 Rxa7 47 Rg8
Kramnik had no doubt seen this far and, not unreasonably, assumed Black
was completely lost. White threatens 48 Rxg5 followed by the promotion of his
d-pawn. If the black bishop moves then the rook on g4 will be lost as the knight
on e3 is pinned. It would seem that Black has nothing better than 47 ... Rxd7 48
Bxd7 but this is hopeless as 48 ... Rg3 49 Bxh3 safely removes Black’s last
remaining asset – the advanced h-pawn. However, Kramnik was in for a horrible
shock.
47 ... Bf6!!
An incredible move that keeps Black in the game as 48 Rxg4 is met by 48 ...
Kf5! when a mate threat on a1 appears out of nowhere.
Analysis diagram

White has nothing better than 49 Rxe3 fxe3 50 Rg3 but after 50 ... h2, the
black pawns will cost White his rook.
48 d8Q
Kramnik finds the only move to stay alive.
48 ... Bxd8 49 Rxg4 Bf6
Amazingly, this position is now about equal.
50 Rg6 Rb7 51 Be2 Rxb4+ 52 Ka2 Nc2 53 Rc1 Nd4 54 Bd3 Ra4+ 55 Kb1
Nb3 56 Re1+ Kd5 57 Kc2 Nd4+ 58 Kb1
Inaccurate. 58 Kc1 is a clear path to a draw. After 58 ... Ra1+ 59 Bb1 White
keeps the black f- and h-pawns under control.
58 ... Nf3
59 Rd1??
Doubtless exhausted by the long struggle, Kramnik blunders. 59 Rxf6! Nxe1
60 Bf1 h2 61 Rh6 Kxc5 62 Rxh2 should lead to a draw.
59 ... Ra1+ 60 Kc2 Rxd1 61 Ba6
Complete desperation but 61 Kxd1 h2 62 Rh6 Bh4 and the h-pawn promotes.
61 ... Rd2+ 62 Kc1 Bb2+ 63 Kb1 Kxc5 64 Bb7 Ne5 65 Rf6 f3 66 Rf5 f2 0–
1
Game One
The Longest Day
The first game of the World Chess Championship Match between defending
champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Fabiano Caruana ended as a draw
after a titanic struggle lasting 115 moves. This is the longest ever opening
encounter in a world chess championship. However, it was not the longest game
ever seen in a World Championship match and, in fact, not even the longest one
to feature Magnus Carlsen. Game 7 of his 2014 match against Viswanathan
Anand actually lasted 122 moves, although Carlsen said that the current game,
although seven moves shorter, actually felt longer as there was more fight in it.
Various vicissitudes engulfed the players, including a misstep by Hollywood
celebrity Woody Harrelson, who had been invited to make the ceremonial first
move. The celeb duly executed 1 d4, much to the consternation of Caruana, who
wanted to play 1 e4 which, of course, he was allowed to do. Harrelson also
accidentally knocked over the white king, much to Carlsen’s amusement.
Appropriately enough for a venue situated opposite London’s Sicilian
Avenue, the champion duly replied with 1 ... c5 and the game swiftly steered into
a fashionable variation of the Sicilian Defence. The line was one popularised by
the legendary Bobby Fischer in his rematch against Boris Spassky from 1992.
Carlsen initially played very well and achieved a strong initiative in the
middlegame. He looked to be well on the way to scoring an opening win until he
began to lose the thread of the game in the run up to the move 40 time control.
Thereafter Caruana defended very accurately to avoid a disastrous first game
defeat with the white pieces.
The opening games of World Championship matches can often be cautious
affairs where the players focus more on avoiding defeat rather than striving for
victory. This can result in somewhat turgid draws. Despite some inaccuracies on
both sides this was an excellent fighting game and a good omen for a hard-
fought and combative match.
Game 1
Black: Magnus Carlsen
World Chess Championship (Game 1) London 2018
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5
3 d4 leads to variations of the open Sicilian which tend towards great
complexity and often require extensive theoretical knowledge. 3 Bb5 follows the
modern trend in elite chess which is to aim for a complex (but not necessarily
advantageous) position from the opening rather than straining for a small
advantage. This, essentially, postpones the main struggle for the middlegame.
3 ... g6 4 Bxc6
The idea of voluntarily capturing on c6 without being provoked by an ... a6

from Black is an idea that stems from the Fischer-Spassky match of 1992.
4 ... dxc6
Spassky instead chose to recapture with the b-pawn. After 4 ... bxc6 play
continued 5 0-0 Bg7 6 Re1 e5 and now Fischer uncorked a highly imaginative
sacrifice with 7 b4!? and went on to score a brilliant win. Nevertheless, the line
itself is perfectly playable for Black.
5 d3 Bg7 6 h3 Nf6 7 Nc3 Nd7
The two players have contested this line previously. Caruana-Carlsen, Wijk
aan Zee 2015 continued 7 ... b6 8 Be3 e5 9 0-0 0-0 10 a3 and Carlsen went on to
win in a complex struggle.
8 Be3 e5 9 0-0
This set-up is often seen but White normally prefers the immediate 9 Qd2,
creating the possibility of a bishop exchange with Bh6. This would deprive
Black of the bishop pair which can often prove to be a potent force in the
middlegame.
9 ... b6
10 Nh2
Preparing the advance f2-f4 and a very standard plan in such positions.
However, Carlsen’s accurate play quickly demonstrates that Black appears to
have no problems at all here and this may cause a reassessment of this line.
Another way for White to play is to initiate queenside action with 10 a3,
intending b4, as in their previous encounter in this line given in the note to move
7.
10 ... Nf8 11 f4 exf4 12 Rxf4 Be6 13 Rf2 h6 14 Qd2 g5
A new move that seems to be a good one. Previous play had seen the black
players choosing 14 ... Nd7 in order to quickly establish this piece on e5.
Carlsen’s bold advance looks risky, but Black always has in reserve the option of
castling on the queenside – a highly unusual device for Black in the Sicilian.
15 Raf1 Qd6
16 Ng4
Caruana has his eye on the slightly vulnerable f6-square but better would be
a semi-waiting strategy with 16 a4, reminding Black that his king may not be
entirely secure on the queenside. Caruana later described 16 Ng4 as “too direct”
and said that he soon regretted playing it.
16 ... 0-0-0 17 Nf6 Nd7 18 Nh5
White has spent three moves relocating his knight to h5 but it achieves very
little here and actually becomes something of a target. Black already has a small
advantage.
18 ... Be5 19 g4
Weakening but more or less obligatory as Black was planning ... g4 himself.
19 ... f6 20 b3 Bf7 21 Nd1
21 ... Nf8
Caruana was beginning the drift short of time so Carlsen decides on an
imaginative pawn sacrifice. However another, and possibly preferable way, to
prosecute the attack was 21 ... Rhg8 which plans ... Bxh5 followed by ... g4.
After 22 Qe2 Qe6 23 Qf3 Bxh5 24 gxh5 g4 Black has a strong initiative.
Analysis diagram

One possible continuation is 25 hxg4 Rxg4+ 26 Rg2 Rdg8 27 Rxg4 Rxg4+
28 Kf2 Rg3 29 Qf5 Qxf5+ 30 exf5 Rh3 when Black will emerge a pawn up in
the endgame although White will create counterplay by activating his rook with
31 Rg1.
22 Nxf6 Ne6
The point of Black’s pawn sacrifice is to gain total control over the dark
squares on the kingside.
23 Nh5
Here White has the visually surprising 23 Nd7 but this thrust is rendered
pointless by the reply 23 ... Bf4 when White has nothing better than retracting
his last move with 24 Nf6.
23 ... Bxh5
Carlsen plays very directly. It was also possible to continue 23 ... Bg6 with
the aim of gradually building up his position with moves such as ... Kb7 and ...
Rhg8 before taking action on the kingside. Although this all takes time it is not
immediately obvious how White can use the respite to reorganise his forces in
any useful way.
24 gxh5 Nf4 25 Bxf4 gxf4
Not 25 ... Bxf4 when 26 Ne3 is fine for White. It is essential for Black to
open the g-file to pursue his kingside attack.
26 Rg2
Caruana decides to take his chances in the middlegame. He could instead
have tried 26 Rxf4 Bxf4 27 Qxf4, when he has a very solid position in return for
the exchange. His knight will quickly arrive at the excellent outpost on f5 and
Black will be hard pressed to find a winning plan. This may well have been a
better practical choice bearing in mind that Caruana was by now very short of
time.
26 ... Rhg8
27 Qe2
White must strive to create a blockade on the kingside by relocating his
queen to f3 and his knight to g4. However, it is difficult to calculate an accurate
move order to achieve this without falling foul of a tactical shot. For example 27
Nf2 runs into 27 ... f3! 28 Rxg8 Rxg8+ 29 Ng4 Bd4+ 30 Kh1 Qg3 31 Qh2.
Analysis diagram

For the moment White appears to have everything covered but Black has the
brilliant 31 ... Rxg4! 32 hxg4 Qxg4 which leaves him with the threat of 33 ...
Be5! 34 Qxe5 Qg2 mate. White’s only defence to this threat is to return the
exchange with 33 Rf2 but after 33 ... Bxf2 34 Qxf2 Qxh5+ 35 Kg1 Qg5+ Black
is winning.
27 ... Rxg2+ 28 Qxg2 Qe6 29 Nf2 Rg8 30 Ng4 Qe8 31 Qf3
White has achieved his desired set-up on the kingside but Black still has a
very strong initiative.
31 ... Qxh5
32 Kf2
Escaping with his king into the centre is White’s only chance. After 32 Kh2
Qh4 33 Rg1 Bd4 34 Rg2 h5 is decisive as both 35 Ne3 and 35 Nf2 are met by 35
... Rg3! and Black will emerge a piece ahead.
32 ... Bc7 33 Ke2
Too hasty and also indicative of an overly-defensive state of mind. It was
imperative to play 33 e5 which keeps White in the game as this creates the active
possibilities of Qxc6, Nf6 and Qxf4. After 33 e5 Kb7 34 Nf6 Qh4+ 35 Ke2
Black is better but White is in the game.
33 ... Qg5 34 Nh2
34 ... h5
Up to here Carlsen has played very well but now he starts to drift. 34 ... Qe5,
with the intention of invading on the queenside dark squares would have been
led to a winning position. A typical variation is 34 ... Qe5 35 Qf2 Qb2 36 Kd2
Analysis diagram

and now Black can prise the white position open with the ingenious 36 ...
c4!, fatally exposing the dark squares. After 37 bxc5 b5 the black bishop will
emerge on a5 and Black will have a crushing attack.
35 Rf2 Qg1 36 Nf1 h4
This is not bad and Carlsen still stands very well. However, the more direct
36 ... Qg7, again planning a queenside invasion, would have been stronger.
37 Kd2
White misses a good defensive opportunity with 37 e5. After 37 ... Bxe5 38
Qxc6+ Kb8 39 a4, the situation looks dangerous for White but Black has no
clear plan of attack. Caruana has paid the penalty for poor clock handling. With
more time available he would almost certainly have been able to calculate this
accurately.
37 ... Kb7 38 c3
38 ... Be5
Carlsen misses the point of his own play. His advance of the h-pawn to h4
enables the thrust 38 ... Rg3. After 39 Nxg3 hxg3 40 Re2 Qa1 the white queen
and rook are hemmed in by the pawn duo on f4 and g3 and his queenside will
collapse. Carlsen may have been concerned that the white e-pawn could prove to
be a threat but analysis shows that this is not the case. For example after 41 d4
Qxa2+ 42 Kc1 Qxb3 the try 43 e5 fails on account of 43 ... cxd4 while 43 d5
Be5 leaves Black in total control.
39 Kc2
39 ... Qg7?
Carlsen overlooks his last chance to maintain a serious advantage with the
energetic 39 ... b5! This plans ... b4, again softening up the queenside dark
squares, after which Black will have a decisive attack. White’s problems are
exacerbated by the fact that he has no real constructive moves.
40 Nh2 Bxc3 41 Qxf4
The worst is over for Caruana as he has now created the opportunity to
exchange queens with Qf7+.
41 ... Bd4 42 Qf7+ Ka6 43 Qxg7 Rxg7 44 Re2 Rg3
This wins a pawn but White creates strong counterplay. The following
sequence is more or less forced.
45 Ng4 Rxh3 46 e5 Rf3
The rook has to scurry back to defend against the advance of the e-pawn.
47 e6 Rf8 48 e7 Re8 49 Nh6 h3 50 Nf5 Bf6
Both sides have improved their positions to the maximum. Carlsen has won a
pawn but Caruana has activated his knight and now has a powerful passed pawn
on e7.
51 a3!
An excellent defensive move from Caruana that removes the pawn from a
vulnerable square and also intends to follow up with b4, simplifying the position
on the queenside. The reason why the pawn was poorly placed on a2 is
demonstrated in the variation 51 Rh2 Bxe7 52 Nxe7 (52 Rxh3 Bf6 also gives
Black excellent winning chances) 52 ... Rxe7 53 Rxh3 Re2+ and now White is
obliged to incarcerate his king on the back rank with 54 Kb1 in order to protect
the a-pawn. Despite the remaining material being on one side of the board, this
endgame is very likely to be winning for Black.
White’s 51st move also avoids a trap after 51 Kd2, when Black can continue
51 ... Bg5+ 52 Kc2 Bf4 53 Ng7 h2 54 Nxe8? (54 Rxh2 is essential but after 54 ...
Rxe7 Black is likely to win) 54 ... h1Q 55 Nc7+ would be winning for White
were it not for the fact that Black has 55 ... Kb7 56 e8Q Qc1 mate.
51 ... b5 52 b4
In endgames it is nearly always a good idea for the defending side to
exchange off pawns whenever possible.
52 ... cxb4 53 axb4
53 ... Bxe7
Although Carlsen now emerges a pawn ahead in the rook endgame it does
not offer serious winning chances. However, there were no other ways to try to
make progress. Note that the black king is curiously dominated by the white
knight as 53 ... Kb7 54 Nd6+ is a fatal fork while 53 ... Kb6 54 Nd6 Rxe7 55
Nc8+ is another fork, although probably of the non-fatal variety as Black will
most likely be able to draw after 55 ... Kc7 56 Nxe7 h2 57 Rxh2 Bxe7.
54 Nxe7 h2 55 Rxh2 Rxe7 56 Rh6 Kb6 57 Kc3 Rd7 58 Rg6
This endgame is relatively straightforward for White to hold. As long as he
keeps his rook active, Black will never be able to advance his king successfully
as his a- and c-pawns are too weak.
58 ... Kc7 59 Rh6 Rd6 60 Rh8
White must absolutely not exchange rooks as the pawn endgame is losing.
The general principle is the corollary to the one given on move 52, in that it is
nearly always a good idea for the defending side to avoid piece exchanges in
endgames.
60 ... Rg6 61 Ra8 Kb7 62 Rh8 Rg5 63 Rh7+ Kb6 64 Rh6 Rg1 65 Kc2 Rf1
66 Rg6 Rh1 67 Rf6 Rh8 68 Kc3 Ra8 69 d4
69 ... Rd8
69 ... a5 70 bxa5+ Rxa5 71 d5 b4+ 72 Kxb4 Rxd5 leads to the kind of
position that demonstrates why Black cannot win this endgame. Rook and pawn
versus rook is “always” a draw when the defending king is in front of the
opponent’s remaining pawn.
70 Rh6 Rd7 71 Rg6 Kc7 72 Rg5 Rd6 73 Rg8 Rh6 74 Ra8 Rh3+ 75 Kc2
Ra3 76 Kb2 Ra4 77 Kc3 a6 78 Rh8 Ra3+ 79 Kb2 Rg3 80 Kc2 Rg5 81 Rh6
Rd5 82 Kc3 Rd6 83 Rh8 Rg6 84 Kc2 Kb7 85 Kc3 Rg3+ 86 Kc2 Rg1 87 Rh5
Rg2+
Interestingly, in spite of Carlsen’s denial at the pre-match press conference of
the role of psychology in the match, the principal justification for grinding on in
this technically arid situation, was precisely to exert psychological pressure on
his challenger.
88 Kc3 Rg3+ 89 Kc2 Rg4 90 Kc3 Kb6 91 Rh6 Rg5 92 Rf6 Rh5 93 Rg6
Rh3+ 94 Kc2 Rh5 95 Kc3 Rd5 96 Rh6 Kc7 97 Rh7+ Rd7 98 Rh5 Rd6 99
Rh8 Rg6 100 Rf8 Rg3+ 101 Kc2 Ra3 102 Rf7+ Kd6 103 Ra7 Kd5 104 Kb2
Rd3 105 Rxa6 Rxd4 106 Kb3 Re4 107 Kc3 Rc4+
Carlsen could have set a small trap here with 107 ... Re6. Now 108 Rb6
leaves Black unable to make progress but 108 Kb3?? allows
Analysis diagram

108 ... c5! 109 Rxe6 c4+ and after 110 ... Kxe6 Black has a winning king and
pawn endgame.
108 Kb3 Kd4 109 Rb6 Kd3 110 Ra6 Rc2 111 Rb6 Rc3+ 112 Kb2 Rc4 113
Kb3 Kd4 114 Ra6 Kd5 115 Ra8 draw agreed
Overall a disappointment for Carlsen, who should have swept into an early lead
with a win with the black pieces. Nevertheless, the fluent facility with which
Carlsen defused White’s opening, rendering his entire strategy nugatory, was
both impressive and encouraging for the champion.
Carlsen ½
Caruana ½
Game Two
The Harrwitz Connection
After their marathon exertions in the first game it was to be expected that the
tempo might slow down for the following day’s battle. Indeed, the world
champion seemed remarkably timid in confronting the challenger’s innovative
opening treatment of a variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, a line
pioneered by Daniel Harrwitz in his Paris 1858 match against another
egregiously successful American, Paul Morphy.
In the game, Caruana equalised easily in a line which he had evidently
prepared in great depth. The challenger even succeeded in rounding up a passed
but exposed white pawn in the entrails of his own camp. However, the resultant
gains were insufficient to force victory and, rather than subject the watching
multitudes to a renewed demonstration of what the first official world champion,
Wilhelm Steinitz, legendarily referred to as “Sitzfleisch”, Caruana readily
acceded to a draw while still a (useless) pawn ahead.
Game 2
White: Magnus Carlsen
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 c4 e6 4 Nc3 Be7 5 Bf4

The classic variations for White in the Queen’s Gambit Declined start with 5
Bg5. The exchange with 5 cxd5 is also frequently seen.
5 ... 0-0 6 e3 c5 7 dxc5 Bxc5 8 Qc2 Nc6 9 a3 Qa5 10 Rd1
This is all well-known. White can also play the hyper-aggressive 10 0-0-0
when he will often combine play in the centre with an attack on the kingside
using the move g4. Clearly the presence of the king on the queen’s wing will
give Black a ready-made avenue for counterplay, especially with the hook of the
white pawn at a3.
10 ... Rd8
A highly unusual move in a very popular position. This rook is nearly always
placed on e8 in order to facilitate play in the centre, especially in terms of
supporting the advance ... e6-e5. To this end 10 ... Re8 has been tried but the
most frequently seen move is 10 ... Be7, avoiding any potential problems with
the white advance b2-b4.
After 10 ... Re8 White usually continues 11 Nd2 and play can become very
complicated, e.g. 11 ... e5 12 Bg5 Nd4 (a clear indication of why Black usually
prefers to place the king’s rook on e8 in this line). Now 13 Qc1 is a well-known
way to force a quick draw after 13 ... Bf5 14 Bxf6 Nc2+ 15 Ke2 Nd4+ 16 Ke1.
More ambitious is 13 Qb1 Bf5 14 Bd3 Bxd3 (14 ... e4 was seen in Korchnoi-
Karpov, World Championship [game 21], Baguio 1978; Korchnoi replied 15
Bc2, obtained an advantage and won the game but it was later discovered that
the unintuitive and retrograde 15 Bf1 leaves White with a winning position) 15
Qxd3 Ne4 leads to a fascinating position that has been much explored at the
highest level with both Nakamura and Anand happy to play Black.
Analysis diagram

After 16 Ncxe4 dxe4 17 Qxe4 it looks, at first sight, as if White is close to
winning. He is a pawn up, threatens b2-b4 and Black does not appear to have
any serious compensation. However, 17 ... Qb6 18 b4 Bf8 is suddenly rather
awkward for White, mainly because 19 0-0 runs into 19 ... Ne2+ and 20 ... Nc3
winning the exchange. Black will continue with ... a5, generating good
counterplay.
11 Be2
A slightly feeble response from Carlsen after which Black has no serious
difficulties. The only real way to test Caruana’s idea is with 11 Nd2, which is a
very typical move in this variation. The main point of 11 Nd2 is to break the pin
along the e1-a5 diagonal (note that 11 b4 immediately fails to 11 ... Nxb4 12
axb4 Bxb4 13 Rc1 Ne4 14 Be5 f6). However, after 11 Nd2, the advance b2-b4
becomes a real threat and White has further ideas such as Nb3 and also Nxc4,
activating the knight with tempo if Black decides to capture on c4.
The only real reason why Carlsen would have rejected 11 Nd2 is that he was
reluctant to enter a very complicated position where Caruana would be much
better prepared. After the game both players indicated that 11 Nd2 is the critical
test of Black’s idea. Caruana, keeping his cards close to his chest, merely said it
was very complicated. Carlsen said he had hoped to gain a small edge with a
safer line.
Interestingly Carlsen also said that he was wary of playing 11 Nd2 as he
knew that not only would he be taking on the preparation of Caruana and his
assistants but also that of their computers. Caruana continued this discussion by
indicating that although some people might argue that computers were killing
creativity in chess, he felt the opposite. His reasoning being that when computer
analysis demonstrates that lines hitherto thought either unplayable or simply too
risky were in fact viable, it adds to chess creativity.
11 ... Ne4
The natural follow-up if White declines to break the pin with 11 Nd2.
12 0-0 Nxc3 13 bxc3 h6
It is important to prevent Ng5 which would develop a useful initiative.
14 a4
It is not strictly necessary to get this pawn off prise at once as Black is not
yet threatening it. 14 ... Qxa3 would run into 15 Ra1, when the black queen is
trapped and 14 ... Bxa3 15 Ra1 places the black bishop in a fatal pin (White will
follow up with Qb3).
14 ... Ne7
A regrouping that enables Black to recapture on d5 with the knight. Carlsen
later said that he had underestimated the strength of this plan.
15 Ne5 Bd6 16 cxd5 Nxd5
This is the only moment in the game when play could have become exciting.
White can try the surprising 17 Nxf7 which leads to great complications. Play
continues 17 ... Kxf7 (17 ... Nxf4 loses simply to 18 Nxd8) 18 Bxd6 Rxd6 19
Bh5+ (19 c4 fails to 19 ... Nb4 and 19 e4 Qxc3! is also winning for Black) 19 ...
Kg8 and now White can try to exploit the pin along the d-file with either 20 c4
or 20 e4.
Analysis diagram

One line that gives a flavour of possible play is 20 c4 Qc7 21 Qg6 Nf6 (21 ...
Ne7 loses to 22 Qf7+ Kh8 23 Rxd6 Qxd6 24 Rd1 Qc7 25 Qf8+ Kh7 26 Rd8) 22
Rxd6 Qxd6 23 Qf7+ Kh8 24 Rd1 Qb6 25 Qf8+ Kh7.
Analysis diagram

Here the only move for White is 26 g4! which serves the double function of
defending the bishop on h5 while simultaneously solving White’s weak back
rank problem. After 26 ... Nxh5 27 gxh5 e5 28 Rd8 Qb1+ 29 Kg2 Qe4+ the
game ends in a draw by perpetual check.
After 20 e4 Nf4 21 Rxd6 Qxh5 the position is dynamic balance.
White could also try 17 Nc4 but analysis shows that this fails to 17 ... Qxc3.
17 Bf3
Carlsen actually played this rather quickly, although it essentially abandons
any thoughts he might have harboured of playing for a win. Again, he may have
been concerned that the variations with 17 Nxf7 formed part of Caruana’s pre-
game preparation and so opted for a safer continuation.
17 ... Nxf4 18 exf4 Bxe5 19 Rxd8+ Qxd8 20 fxe5 Qc7
This endgame is very comfortable for Black as White’s pawns on a4, c3 and
e5 are all targets. White has a slight lead in development but, with so few pieces
on the board, he can’t use it effectively.
21 Rb1 Rb8
21 .. .Qxe5 is dangerous after 22 Qd3 Qc7 23 Rd1, when White suddenly has
a strong initiative.
22 Qd3 Bd7 23 a5 Bc6 24 Qd6
Generating a passed pawn at d6. However, far from being an advantage, this
pawn is somewhat vulnerable. Nevertheless, even its loss, combined with the
fracture of White’s kingside pawns, proves inadequate for a Black win, given the
concentration of both players’ remaining pawns in one sector of the board.
24 ... Qxd6 25 exd6 Bxf3 26 gxf3 Kf8 27 c4 Ke8 28 a6 b6 29 c5 Kd7 30
cxb6 axb6 31 a7 Ra8 32 Rxb6 Rxa7 33 Kg2 e5 34 Rb4 f5 35 Rb6 Ke6 36 d7+
White jettisons the pawn but Black would have inevitably won it after ... Rd7
anyway.
36 ... Kxd7 37 Rb5 Ke6 38 Rb6+ Kf7
This endgame is a curious echo of the first game where Black was also an
irrelevant pawn ahead in a rook and pawn endgame. In that game Carlsen
trundled on for 60 moves without achieving anything. Here Caruana calls it a
day after just a further 10.
39 Rb5 Kf6 40 Rb6+ Kg5 41 Rb5 Kf4 42 Rb4+ e4 43 fxe4 fxe4 44 h3 Ra5
45 Rb7 Rg5+ 46 Kf1 Rg6 47 Rb4 Rg5 48 Rb7 Rg6 49 Rb4 draw agreed
So, after two games, honours remain even, though it is the challenger who can
be more satisfied with the early run of play. In game one he escaped in Houdini-
like fashion from the champion’s clutches, while in game two Caruana equalised
smoothly as Black, utilising well-honed openings preparation.
Carlsen ½ ½ 1
Caruana ½ ½ 1
Game Three
Balancing Act
In the interim before game three Alan Byron launched the world premiere of his
film Closing Gambit at the Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square, a short
distance from the match venue in Holborn. Closing Gambit primarily relates the
stormy course of the 1978 World Championship contest between Anatoly
Karpov, the golden boy of the Soviet establishment and the defector, Viktor
Korchnoi. It also acts as a tribute to the entire career of the controversial
Korchnoi who passed away in 2016.
The contrast between the atmosphere in 1978 and the current championship
match could not be more marked. 40 years ago the environment resembled a war
zone with constant conflagrations involving parapsychology, chanting gurus,
complaints about colour-coded yoghurts and general mayhem. Nowadays, both
protagonists behave with absolute decorum and the appeals committee, led here
by grandmaster Alexander Beliavsky and including Nigel Short and Johann
Hjartarson, scarcely needs to meet. In 1978 it was in constant session.
The third game continued the debate on the Bb5 variation against the Sicilian
Defence. On this occasion the world champion sought to improve his play from
game one and the only real moment of crisis came when Black offered his c5-
pawn as a temporary sacrifice. Caruana declined to accept the challenge and the
game quickly became dead level with no real opportunity for complex play to
arise.
Game 3
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6 4 Bxc6 dxc6 5 d3 Bg7 6 0-0 Qc7

Deciding upon the development square for the queen so early is a slightly
committal decision.
7 Re1 e5 8 a3
In game one Caruana chose the plan of advancing with f2-f4. With this move
Caruana indicates that he will be opting for the other main method of handling
the white position which is to play a3 followed by b4.
8 ... Nf6
Black could consider attempting to clamp down on White’s queenside
ambitions with 8 ... a5. However this move runs the risk of falling badly behind
in development – a feature that White may be able to exploit. For example 9 Be3
b6 10 Nbd2 Nf6 and now after 11 b4 axb4 12 axb4 Rxa1 13 Qxa1, the Black e-
and c-pawns are under threat.
9 b4 0-0
This is where Carlsen offers to make the game complicated. 9 ... cxb4 10
axb4 is perhaps slightly compliant but after 10 ... 0-0 Black is very close to
equality.
10 Nbd2
In game two, Carlsen played it safe in the opening in reply to Caruana’s
provocative 10 ... Rd8 and here the challenger adopts the same strategy. After
this move White has absolutely no advantage whatsoever. If Caruana was in the
mood for a fight he needed to play 10 bxc5, grabbing a pawn and forcing
Carlsen to demonstrate compensation for the gambit.
After 10 bxc5 Nd7 11 Be3 White retains the pawn but Black can strive for
activity with 11 ... f5. Now White can regroup his bishop with 12 a4 f4 13 Bd2
Nxc5 14 Bb4 b6 and continue 15 a5. Although Black has regained the gambit
pawn, White has a pleasant initiative on the queenside.
Black can also respond to 10 bxc5 with 10 ... Be6, forgoing any immediate
attempt to restore material equality and possibly continuing with ... Nd7 and ...
f5, attacking on the kingside. The two players previously contested a game at
Wijk aan Zee in 2015 that broadly followed these contours and Carlsen won with
a powerful kingside attack. This may have dissuaded Caruana from following
this path. Nevertheless, if Caruana really wants to take Carlsen on, this is the
kind of thing he has to try. In games between elite players, it is fairly rare to be
able to play for a win unless you are prepared to take a risk at some point.
The Wijk aan Zee game opened as follows: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6 4
Bxc6 dxc6 5 d3 Bg7 6 h3 Nf6 7 Nc3 b6 8 Be3 e5 9 0-0 0-0 10 a3 Qe7 11 Qb1
Nh5 12 b4 f5 13 bxc5 f4 14 Bd2 bxc5 15 Qb3+ Be6 16 Qa4 Rac8 17 Qa5 g5.
White stands very well strategically as the black queenside is a mess.

However, Carlsen’s kingside play proved very difficult to control and Caruana
was overrun.
10 ... Bg4
A good move as it enables Black to connect his rooks and, after the capture
on f3, the white knight is diverted from its route to the useful c4-square.
11 h3 Bxf3 12 Nxf3 cxb4 13 axb4 a5 14 bxa5 Rxa5 15 Bd2
Now the game is completely equal. White’s only chance to develop a slight
edge was with 15 Rxa5 Qxa5 16 Bd2 Qc7 17 Qa1 when he gains acontrol of the
a-file.
15 ... Raa8
The game is completely equal.

16 Qb1 Nd7 17 Qb4 Rfe8 18 Bc3 b5
Carlsen was seen to touch his knight at this point but then decided to move
his b-pawn instead. Rumours circulated that Carlsen had failed to articulate the
magic phrase j’adoube, which permits a player to adjust any piece that is not
properly situated on its square. Such rumours were exposed as unfounded when
a Norwegian technician later revealed that Carlsen had announced his intention
to adjust, but in low Norwegian tones.
19 Rxa8 Rxa8
20 Ra1
White can try 20 Qe7 here with the tactical idea of 20 ... Bf8 21 Bxe5! which
is good for White. However, after 20 ... Bf6 21 Bxe5 Bxe5 22 Nxe5 Qxe5 23
Qxd7 Qc3 Black holds the balance.
20 ... Rxa1+ 21 Bxa1 Qa7 22 Bc3 Qa2
23 Qb2
Sensibly heading for an endgame. White can try to activate with 23 Qd6 but
Black copes with this easily after 23 ... Qxc2, for example:
a) 24 Qxd7 Qxc3 25 Qe8+ Bf8 26 Nxe5 (better is 26 g3 which is equal) 26 ...
Qe1+ 27 Kh2 Qxf2 28 Nd7 and now Black defends with 28 ... Qf4+ 29 Kg1 Qd6
when he stands well.
b) 24 Bb4 and now 24 ... c5 leads to a draw after 25 Qxd7 cxb4 26 g3 h6 27
Qe8+ Kh7 28 Qxf7 b3 29 Nxe5 b2 30 Qxg6+ with perpetual or Black can simply
play 24 ... Nf8, when he can hardly be worse as 25 Nxe5 loses to 25 ... Qc1+ 26
Kh2 Qf4+.
23 ... Qxb2 24 Bxb2 f6 25 Kf1 Kf7 26 Ke2 Nc5 27 Bc3 Ne6 28 g3 Bf8
29 Nd2
Possible here is 29 Bxe5 fxe5 30 Nxe5+ Ke7 31 Nxc6+ Kd7 32 Ne5+ Kd6
33 f4, when White has three pawns for a piece.
Analysis diagram

However, although this will also probably end up as a draw it is more likely
that Black will be the one who has whatever winning chances are available, so
there is no incentive for White to gamble with this line.
29 ... Ng5 30 h4 Ne6 31 Nb3 h5 32 Bd2 Bd6 33 c3 c5
Black is marginally better in this endgame as he has more space to
manoeuvre and has the opportunity for various pawn breaks such as ... c4, ... f5
or even ... g5. However, the position is so balanced that White should not have
much difficulty coping with these.
34 Be3 Ke7 35 Kd1 Kd7 36 Kc2 f5 37 Kd1 fxe4
This pretty much agrees a draw. If Black really wanted to continue to probe
he had to try 37 ... f4 or, at the very least, hold this possibility in reserve. After
the capture on e4, it is essentially impossible for White to go wrong.
38 dxe4 c4 39 Nd2 Nc5 40 Bxc5 Bxc5 41 Ke2 Kc6 42 Nf1 b4 43 cxb4
Bxb4 44 Ne3 Kc5 45 f4 exf4 46 gxf4 Ba5 47 f5 gxf5 48 Nxc4 Kxc4 49 exf5
draw agreed
Black is left with a bishop and “wrong-coloured” rook’s pawn. White can
jettison his remaining pawns and simply sit with his king on h1. Any attempt to
drive the white king away results in a draw by stalemate.

It is true to say that the revolution in communications means that millions of
people can now follow important games online as they are played. One site,
chessbomb.com, assigns a colour to every move. Blue represents accurate,
magenta doubtful and red indicates an outright mistake. The estimations are
based on analysis by the reliable stockfish chess engine. Remarkably, when
looking at the pictorial summary of this game at the conclusion of play, all the
moves were in blue, arguing for an extraordinary degree of balance and
accuracy.
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ 1½
Caruana ½ ½½ 1½
Game Four
Paradox
The fourth consecutive draw produced a paradoxical situation. Carlsen appears
to have been more demoralised than was previously thought by his failure to
land the decisive blow in game one. Since then his play has been lacklustre and
sources close to him indicate that the champion has become exceedingly
frustrated by his performance so far. However the drawing of all the games to
date means that the players are potentially inching towards a 6-6 tie, after which
a rapidplay play-off will be necessary. The overwhelming opinion of the
assembled experts is that Carlsen far outranks Caruana in their respective speed
chess skills. So, the question remains, which of the two is favoured more by the
increasing sequence of draws? Not clear!
Today I (RDK) spent some time with Oystein Brekke, formerly a high
official of the Norwegian Chess Federation, and now running a chess emporium
in Drammen, Norway. Brekke told me that Carlsen’s success has attracted
considerable television coverage in Norway of their local hero. This, in turn, has
led to a remarkable ten-fold increase in chess activity and sales of chess-related
materials. A similar effect could be observed when the Dutch grandmaster, Dr
Max Euwe, won the world title in 1935. The beneficial effects for the Dutch
chess community are still visible to day.
Game 4
English Opening
1 c4
It had to come. One of the contestants was bound to try the English Opening
during the match in London.
1 ... e5
This “reversed Sicilian” approach leads to a pure English Opening. After 1 ...
Nf6 or 1 ... e6, play can transpose back into queen pawn openings.
2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 g3 d5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 Bg2 Bc5
White is essentially playing a reversed Sicilian Dragon (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3
d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 is the proper Sicilian Dragon). In the Dragon
variation White often chooses very sharp lines, involving an early advance of the
h-pawn in an attempt to generate a very swift attack. However, with colours
reversed, Black cannot afford such early aggression as there will often be central
tactics, based on moves such as Nxe5 and Ng5 (after the bishop comes to g2).
Therefore, the most common move is 6 ... Nb6, immediately eliminating any
such potential problems.
Caruana’s alternative choice is perfectly playable and, in fact, offers a pawn
sacrifice if White captures on e5.
7 0-0
The game can liven up, but not necessarily in a helpful way for White, if he
tries 7 Nxe5. Black replies 7 ... Nxc3, when the first point to note is that the
apparently strong 8 Nxc6 is refuted by 8 ... Qf6 (making use of the bishop
development on c5) with a mate threat on f2. Instead, White can try two other
moves:
Analysis diagram

a) 8 bxc3 Nxe5 9 d4 Bd6 10 dxe5 Bxe5 is equal.
b) 8 Bxc6+ is more enterprising but also rather risky. After 8 ... bxc6 9 dxc3
(9 bxc3 Qd5 10 Nf3 Bh3 gives Black tremendous compensation for a pawn) 9 ...
Qxd1+ 10 Kxd1 Bxf2 11 Rf1 Bc5 12 Rxf7 (12 Nxf7 loses to 12 ... 0-0 and 12
Nxc6 0-0 is far too dangerous) 12 ... Bd6 13 Rf3 Bxe5 14 Re3 0-0 15 Rxe5 Rf1+
16 Kd2 Bg4. Here Black has excellent play for the pawn and is certainly not
worse.
7 ... 0-0 8 d3 Re8
More common here is 8 ... Bb6 which has been seen in a previous Caruana
game. Anand-Caruana, St Louis 2017. Play continued 9 Bd2 Bg4 10 Rc1 Nxc3
11 Bxc3 Re8 12 b4 and White went on to win although this position is
dynamically equal.
9 Bd2
Caruana has also had experience on the white side of this variation. In
Caruana-Adams, London 2017 White continued with the more adventurous 9
Ng5 Nf6 10 Qb3 Qe7 11 Nd5 Nxd5 12 Bxd5 and now Adams played 12 ... Nd8
which left White perhaps very slightly better and he eventually won. More
aggressive and stronger is 12 ... Nd4! 13 Bxf7+ Kh8 which creates difficult
problems for White, for example 14 Qd1 Bg4 15 Re1 Rf8 gives Black a vicious
attack. Carlsen would certainly not want to get involved in anything like this.
9 ... Nxc3 10 Bxc3
10 bxc3 has been tried here but without any great success. Although White
has a central pawn majority, Black has completed development and has very
easy piece play.
10 ... Nd4
11 b4
Carlsen was using quite a lot of time around here which is surprising as this
position has actually occurred previously in a recent Caruana game. So-Caruana,
Paris Blitz 2018 continued 11 Rc1 Bb6 12 Re1 Bg4 13 Bxd4 exd4 14 a3 and was
eventually drawn.
11 ... Bd6
Offering a temporary pawn sacrifice.
12 Rb1
Carlsen declines, as 12 Nxd4 exd4 13 Bxd4 Bxg3 (there isn’t much wrong
with 13 ... Bxb4 either) 14 hxg3 Qxd4 is very comfortable for Black.
12 ... Nxf3+ 13 Bxf3 a6
In general White’s problem here, assuming he is wanting to play for the
advantage, is that the exchange of all four knights has robbed the position of
much if its dynamism.
14 a4 c6
15 Re1
Garry Kasparov criticised this move as “feeble” and insisted that White had
to advance with 15 b5 at once. Black then has two options. First, he can try 15 ...
cxb5 16 axb5 a5 17 Qa4, when White looks a little better but there is some
imbalance in the position. In particular, in the long term the black a-pawn could
become a threat as it can be supported by the bishop pair, especially when the
queen’s bishop is developed to e6.
His second course of action is to curl up in his shell with 15 ... axb5 16 axb5
Bd7 17 bxc6 Bxc6 18 Bxc6 bxc6.
Analysis diagram

Here, thanks to the isolated black c-pawn, White has a minute advantage
which is more visual than actually useful. In chess there is a general principle
that in order to be able to win such positions you need to be able to attack two
weaknesses. Although the black c-pawn is a small liability, he does not have a
hint of a weakness anywhere else. Nevertheless, this is a better course than that
taken by White in the game where he achieves precisely nothing.
15 ... Bd7 16 e3 Qf6 17 Be4 Bf5
18 Qf3
Carlsen takes his opportunity to “weaken” the black pawn structure but he
does not really force a serious concession.
18 ... Bxe4 19 Qxf6 gxf6 20 dxe4 b5
Again, Black suffers from an optical rather than concrete disadvantage. By
playing 20 ... b5, Caruana fixes b4 as a permanent weakness, handicapping
Carlsen in his attempts to organise his forces. To emphasize the point made on
move 13, White really needs to have a knight on the board here. If he could
manoeuvre such a piece around to the f5-square (or maybe h5) then he might be
able to exploit the black pawn structure. However, his bishop is a fairly useless
piece in this respect.
21 Red1 Bf8 22 axb5 axb5 23 Kg2 Red8 24 Rdc1 Kg7 25 Be1 Rdc8 26
Rc2
It is true that the c6-pawn is a weakness, but no more so than White’s pawn
on b4.
26 ... Ra4 27 Kf3 h5 28 Ke2 Kg6 29 h3 f5 30 exf5+ Kxf5 31 f3 Be7 32 e4+
Ke6 33 Bd2 Bd6 34 Rbc1 draw agreed
The position is dead. 34 ... Kd7 is fine for Black as is the simplifying 34 ...
Bxb4 35 Bxb4 Rxb4 36 Rxc6+ Rxc6 37 Rxc6+ Ke7, when the white king and
kingside pawns are too vulnerable to the black rook for there to be any reason
for White to continue.

The big story of the day was the “great video scandal” which involved the
apparently accidental release of video footage online (swiftly removed)
revealing Caruana’s training team in action with screenshots of lists of variations
being prepared for the match. The footage was taken in St Louis, the current
capital of US chess and home of legendary chess Maecenas Rex
Sinquefield. Whether any permanent damage has been done, or whether
sufficient information was released to determine the future course of the contest,
remains to be seen. Certainly the well-known chess journalist Leontxo Garcia,
chess correspondent for Spain’s leading newspaper, El Pais of Madrid,
speculated dramatically that Caruana might have to ditch his entire openings
preparation and work on emergency transfusions of new material. It might,
though, be too late for that.
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ 2
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ 2
Game Five
The Bobby Bayonet
The fifth game ended in a hard fought draw after an interesting battle. Once
again the Bb5 variation of the Sicilian Defence appeared on the board, as had
already been seen in games 1 and 3. On this occasion, though, Caruana
enlivened his treatment with a Bobby Fischer inspired pawn sacrifice, 6 b4, a
bayonet thrust that resembled a hybrid of the Wing Gambit and the Evans
Gambit. Carlsen reacted carefully and skilfully steered the play away from any
difficult complications. In the latter half of the game the early white initiative
had burnt out and he was the one who had to play more accurately in order to
achieve the draw.
Prior to the start, a snake of would be spectators wound around the outside of
the venue – an encouraging sign for the popularity of chess in the UK. As if to
live up to the enthusiasm of the fans, both champion and challenger returned to
the fray with renewed vigour. Online commentary as usual was provided by the
sparkling duo of Judith Polgar and Anna Rudolf who today were joined by Hou
Yifan, the former women’s world champion, who is completing her studies at
Oxford University.
Game 5
Sicilian Defence
1 e4
The opening move in this game was made by Jimmy Wales, founder of the
wikipedia website.
1 ... c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6 4 0-0
Caruana varies from the 4 Bxc6 which he tried in games 1 and 3.
4 ... Bg7 5 Re1 e5
Black stakes a claim in the centre but also creates an obvious weakness on d5
which can, potentially, become a problem.
6 b4
The Wing Gambit in its purest form arises after 1 e4 c5 2 b4 or 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3
d6 3 b4. Caruana’s version (which has been seen many times before) is an
improved version as White already has a lead in development and the advance ...
e5 means that there is a ready-made weakness along the a3-f8 diagonal for
White to aim to exploit.
The whole b4 idea in the Bb5 Sicilian stems from a game in the famous
Fischer-Spassky “rematch” of 1992 when, after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6 4
Bxc6 bxc6 5 0-0 Bg7 6 Re1 e5,
Fischer uncorked 7 b4 and went on to score a brilliant win.
6 Bxc6 is a legitimate alternative which will generate positions similar to
those that arose in games 1 and 3.
6 ... Nxb4
6 ... cxb4 is an important alternative. White continues with 7 a3 Nge7 (7 ...
bxa3 has been played but is foolhardy as after 8 Bxa3 Nge7 9 Bd6 0-0 10 Nc3
White has tremendous play for the pawn with ideas such as Bc4, Nd5 and
possibly Ng5; in practice White has scored very heavily from this position) 8
axb4 0-0 (not 8 ... Nxb4 9 Ba3 which leads to play very similar to that in the
previous note) 9 Bb2 (in a game from Carlsen’s youth, Stellwagen-Carlsen, Wijk
aan Zee 2005, White tried 9 Bxc6 bxc6 10 Bb2 d6 11 d4 f6 12 Nbd2 and the
game was eventually drawn) 9 ... d6 and now one possible continuation is 10
Bxc6 Nxc6 11 b5 Nd4 12 Nxd4 exd4 13 Ra4 Qb6 14 Na3.
Analysis diagram

This position is somewhat typical of what often happens in the Bb5 Sicilian
in that White has active piece play and Black has some structural weaknesses.
However, the position is fairly open and in the long run, Black’s bishops will
make themselves felt. Chances are about equal.
7 Bb2 a6
Black can also try 7 ... Qc7 and 7 ... Qb6, both of which lead to complex
play.
8 a3
White must play this. If he retreats the bishop then 8 ... Nc6 protects the e-
pawn and White has very little for the pawn.
8 ... axb5 9 axb4 Rxa1 10 Bxa1
10 ... d6
It is important for Black, for the moment at least, to protect the e-pawn and
hold his centre together. 10 ... cxb4 has been tried but after 11 Bxe5 White has
some advantage. Caruana was moving quickly in the opening, indicating that he
was well prepared for this particular line. However, Carlsen, although clearly
surprised, defends very accurately. The world champion was taking his time over
his moves but watching commentators sensed that this was more to do with
checking over analysis that he had previously done in this variation rather than
having to work it out from scratch.
11 bxc5 Ne7 12 Qe2
Another way to play is with 12 cxd6 Qxd6 13 d4 exd4 14 Bxd4 0-0 15 Bxg7
Qxd1 16 Rxd1 Kxg7. Although White now has a 4-3 kingside pawn majority,
this is unlikely to be sufficient to generate any serious winning chances as his
c2-pawn is weak and will quickly come under pressure when the black rook
comes to c8.
12 ... b4
Saving the pawn and also hemming in the white knight on b1.
13 Qc4
13 Qb5+ is an interesting alternative. Play continues 13 ... Nc6 14 d3 0-0 15
Nbd2 dxc5 16 Qxc5 Re8. Optically this appears quite good for White as Black
has a weak pawn structure with the pawn on e5 in particular being somewhat
vulnerable. However, the immediate 17 Nc4 runs into the undermining thrust 17
... b3, after which Black has no problems. As 17 Nc4 leads nowhere it is hard to
find a way for White to take his position forward and Black can slowly unravel
with ... Be6 and possibly ... Bf8.
13 ... Qa5
An excellent move that shows superb judgement by the world champion.
Carlsen has foreseen that although he will be two pawns down in an endgame,
this will not present him with any difficulties. 13 ... Qc7 is a very natural
alternative but 14 Qxb4 dxc5 15 Qa4+ Bd7 16 Qa8+ Nc8 17 Nc3 leads to a
situation where, although material is equal, the black pieces are on clumsy
squares and he will have to play very accurately to hold the balance.
14 cxd6
With the adventurous 14 d4 White plans to sacrifice a piece to obtain a huge
pawn phalanx. This plan succeeds admirably after 14 ... Qxa1 15 cxd6 Nc6 16
d5 Na7 17 Qxb4 Qa6 18 c4, when White has excellent chances as 18 ... 0-0 runs
into 19 Re3, which is very powerful. However, Black can defuse the whole idea
with the zwischenzug 14 ... dxc5. Now after 15 Qxc5 (15 Nbd2 cxd4 leaves
Black two pawns up) 15 ... Qxa1 16 d5 Qa6 White has nowhere near enough
play for the piece.
14 ... Be6 15 Qc7
White must head for the endgame as 15 Qe2 Nc8 can only be good for
Black.
15 ... Qxc7 16 dxc7 Nc6
17 c3
This is an attempt by White to solve the perennial problem of how to activate
his b1-knight. A complex alternative is 17 d4 exd4 18 Rd1. Now 18 ... Kd7 and
18 ... Ke7 are both met by 19 Nxd4, when White definitely has some advantage.
However, Black can react instead with the complex 18 ... d3 19 Bxg7 dxc2 20
Rc1 cxb1Q 21 Rxb1 Rg8, when he is not worse and White must even be careful
that Black’s passed b-pawn does not become a strong asset.
17 ... Kd7 18 cxb4 Ra8
Carlsen continues with impressive accuracy. 18 ... Kxc7 allows White more
options to develop his queenside, e.g. 19 Na3 or 19 Rc1.
19 Bc3
Having played relatively quickly up to here Caruana now slowed down and
thought for a long time. He used this time well and found the best move as 19
Nc3 Nxb4 20 Rb1 Bc4 leads to difficulties for White.
19 ... Kxc7 20 d3
Although White is a pawn ahead he will not be able to retain it as the pawns
on d3 and b4 are too vulnerable. He must now ensure that while Black re-
establishes material equality he is able to generate sufficient counterplay or
simplification to ensure a draw.
20 ... Kb6
This is Carlsen’s only slight inaccuracy in the whole game. In game 1 he
threw away a winning advantage by being overly focused on re-establishing
material equality and now he makes a similar error. Better is 20 ... b5, keeping
control of the position and planning ... f6, ... Bf8 and possibly ... Rd8. For
example 21 Kf1 f6 22 d4 exd4 23 Nxd4 Bc4+ 24 Kg1 Nxd4 25 Bxd4 Bf8 is
uncomfortable for White although the odds are still on a draw.
21 Bd2
Caruana has calculated very accurately and foreseen the following
simplifications.
21 ... Rd8 22 Be3+ Kb5
23 Nc3+
Caruana has finally untangled but the champion now wins a pawn and
penetrates with his king. Nevertheless, White retains sufficient defensive
resources to avoid loss.
23 ... Kxb4 24 Nd5+ Bxd5 25 exd5 Rxd5 26 Rb1+
The key move of White’s defence. The rook is activated to the seventh rank,
providing sufficient counterplay for White to draw.
26 ... Kc3 27 Rxb7 Nd8 28 Rc7+ Kxd3 29 Kf1
29 ... h5
If one considers the general principle that the king is a strong piece in the
endgame then it would be reasonable to assume that here, the black king is a far
better piece than White’s. However, the black king is somewhat restricted and
White has sufficient remaining material to create awkward mating threats. The
obvious point is that 29 ... e4 30 Ne1 is checkmate. The more subtle point is that
29 ... h6 (to prevent Ng5) is met by 30 g4! when the threat of 31 Ne1+ Ke4 32
Ke2 followed by f3 mate, is decidedly awkward for Black. For example 30 ...
Rd6 31 Bc5 Rc6 32 Rd7+ Kc3 33 Bd6 and White has all the chances. Carlsen’s
29 ... h5, and his subsequently play, avoids any such issues but allows White to
simplify to a draw.
30 h3
30 Bg5 (but not 30 Ng5 Bh6) 30 ... Ne6 31 Ne1+ Ke4 32 Rxf7 is also a draw.
30 ... Ke4 31 Ng5+ Kf5 32 Nxf7 Nxf7 33 Rxf7+ Bf6 34 g4+ draw agreed
Afterwards the challenger said that, “This line is really interesting and if
Black is cooperative it can also get very exciting, but Magnus knew the line
quite well and I think played in a very logical way.” While admitting that the
endgame wasn’t much fun, he continued “I never thought I was worse.”
Carlsen thought that only he could be better in the endgame, but couldn't find
a way to push for a win. “If there is a way at all to play for the advantage, the
path is very narrow.”
So, at almost the halfway point the world champion now has the advantage, as
he will now play with the White pieces in both games 6 and 7. Having a “double
white” such as this in the middle of the match is considered to generate useful
momentum which is why Carlsen, when winning the drawing of lots to decide
the colour sequence, chose to play with the black pieces in the opening game.
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 2½
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 2½
Game Six
Open Sesse
The late Professor Nathan Divinsky of the University of British Columbia once
made the following astonishing calculation. He worked out that if one wanted to
store all the moves of all possible miniature games of chess (25 moves by each
side) in books and print the same format and size as the London telephone
directory (for those mature enough to recall such publications) then one would
need a substantial warehouse to store them. A warehouse not the magnitude of
the Albert Hall, as some have speculated, nor the size of Belgium, but a book
depository equal in all dimensions to the distance between Earth and the furthest
known galaxy, not once, but 1020 times! And that is just the miniature games.
Some of that quasi-infinite fascination with the dauntingly awesome
mathematics of chess rose to the fore in game six. This epic tussle eventually
burnt out to a draw after which the scores remained level at 3-3.
The champion opted for an obscure choice to unsettle Caruana’s habitual
Petroff Defence. Carlsen’s 4 Nd3 resembled more a move that would typically
be the precursor to a 19th century tactical slugfest, rather than a game between
two sophisticated 21st century grandmasters. After the early complications
settled down a queenless middlegame duly arose, where Carlsen evidently
believed that he enjoyed fair prospects to exact one of his famous squeezes.
The pawn structures and piece dispositions were approximately symmetrical
but White’s kingside pawns were more flexible and ready to advance.
Furthermore, in the centre White harboured ambitions of trading dark-squared
bishops, leaving Black with an inferior light-squared unit.
In particular, if Black ever sought to trade this piece with ... Bf5, he had to
watch out for a potentially deadly zwischenzug with Rxe7. Caruana solved his
problems in imaginative fashion. Instead of leaving his king in the centre, which
is normally recommended in queenless middlegames, he acted resolutely by
castling and striking back in the centre with ... c5. This manoeuvre had the effect
of nullifying Carlsen’s long-term plan of suffocating Black on the e-file and the
kingside, the kind of strategy with which he had claimed numerous scalps in the
past.
In the ensuing simplification phase Carlsen began to drift, much as he had in
game 1, and permitted his remaining minor pieces to get into a tangle.
With his minor pieces now lacking co-ordination, Carlsen eventually
embarked on a bold course of action, sacrificing his knight for several pawns but
creating an opposite bishop situation, with White’s majority and all remaining
enemy pawns on the same side of the board. The consensus amongst the
assembled grandmasters such as Nigel Short, Johann Hjartarson (the Icelandic
representative on the Appeals Committee here) and Alexander Khalifman, was
that Caruana stood clearly better, but that a draw was certainly the most likely
result.
Then Carlsen perhaps began to display signs of impatience. He gave up his
one queenside passed pawn in order to clarify the situation on the board and
establish a fortress that he hoped Black could not penetrate. In fact the
practicality of this decision was vindicated, when Caruana finally admitted that
he could make no progress and offered a draw.
Only then did rumours circulate that former world champion Garry Kasparov
had discovered a computer variation on move 68 of this 6½-hour test of
endurance, which demonstrated a forced checkmate by Black in 36 moves. To
exacerbate matters, the computer solution involved making moves which to the
human eye were utterly counter-intuitive such as ... Bh4, lifting the guard on the
White h-pawn, and ... Ng1, permitting the black knight to be immobilised by the
move Bg4.
Game 6
Petroff Defence
1 e4
In his quest for an opening advantage, Carlsen completes a hat-trick of
opening moves, having previously got nowhere with 1 d4 and 1 c4.
1 ... e5 2 Nf3 Nf6
The Petroff Defence is a great favourite of the challenger and was a key
opening in his success in the Berlin Candidates tournament earlier this year. His
victory in that event gave him the right to challenge Carlsen for the world title.
3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nd3
An optically very strange move that seems to contradict all opening
principles by gumming up White’s development. Nevetheless, it has been tried
many times before.
4 ... Nxe4 5 Qe2 Qe7 6 Nf4
Remarkably, Caruana had actually faced this line recently. The game So-
Caruana, St Louis 2018 continued 6 Nc3 Nf6 7 b3 Nc6 8 Bb2 Bf5 and was
eventually drawn.
6 ... Nc6
A bold move that move invites complications. 6 ... Nf6 is a safe alternative.
7 Nd5 Nd4
This counterattack is forced.
8 Nxe7 Nxe2 9 Nd5 Nd4
Not 9 ... Nxc1, as after 10 Nxc7+ Kd8 11 Nxa8, the black knight on c1 is
trapped and White will eventually emerge the exchange up.
10 Na3
10 Nxc7+ is a road to nowhere for White after 10 ... Kd8 11 Bd3 Nc5 12
Nxa8 Nxd3+ 13 cxd3 Nc2+ 14 Kd1 Nxa1 15 b3 Be6 16 Bb2 Nxb3 17 axb3 Kd7.
10 ... Ne6 11 f3
11 Nb5 would oblige Black to renounce castling rights with 11 ... Kd8 but
this is not much of a handicap in a queenless middlegame.
11 ... N4c5 12 d4 Nd7 13 c3 c6 14 Nf4 Nb6
A good move from Caruana, after which he is completely equal. He prevents
the knight on the rim from becoming activated. After 14 ... Nf6 15 Nc4 d5 16
Ne5, this knight has become invigorated and White might be slightly better.
15 Bd3 d5 16 Nc2 Bd6 17 Nxe6 Bxe6 18 Kf2 h5 19 h4 Nc8 20 Ne3 Ne7 21
g3
Carlsen is trying to engineer one of his slow grinds with Ng2, Bf4 and Rae1.
Caruana has no intention of being a willing victim and cuts right across this plan.
21 ... c5
An excellent and ambitious move from Caruana. He is not afraid of
potentially being left with an isolated d-pawn as he judges that his slight lead in
development will certainly be sufficient compensation. The fact that the white
bishop on c1 remains undeveloped means that his rooks are unconnected. So, if
files open up, this will favour the more mobile black rooks.
22 Bc2
A very slight innaccuracy from Carlsen, after which Black assumes a small
edge. The problem with the move is that (after the c-file opens up) the bishop
turns out to be slightly exposed on this square and this enables Black to create a
useful queenside initiative. 22 Bb5+ should be completely equal.
22 ... 0-0 23 Rd1 Rfd8
Black is now very comfortable.
24 Ng2 cxd4 25 cxd4 Rac8
White is experiencing the anticipated difficulties along the c-file. This is a
direct consequence of his slight lack of development and the awkward position
of the bishop on c2.
26 Bb3
26 Bd3 Bf5 is good for Black.
26 ... Nc6 27 Bf4 Na5 28 Rdc1
Carlsen may well have planned 28 Bxd6 Nxb3 29 axb3, when 29 ... Rxd6 30
Rdc1 is fine for him. However, Black has the zwischenzug 29 ... Rc2+ following
up with 30 ... Rxd6 and giving him a clear advantage.
28 ... Bb4
A good move and an improvement over 28 ... Rxc1 29 Rxc1 Nxb3 30 axb3
Bb4. Here White continues 31 Be3, planning Nf4 and easily maintains equality
as it is impossible for Black to retain the bishop pair, prevent the white rook
from coming in to c7 and keep his pawn structure intact. For example 31 ... f6 32
Nf4 Bf7 and now 33 Rc7 gives White good counterplay.
29 Bd1 Nc4 30 b3
White must play this but the slight weakening of the c3-square soon gives
Black chances.
30 ... Na3 31 Rxc8 Rxc8 32 Rc1 Nb5 33 Rxc8+ Bxc8 34 Ne3 Nc3
Exploiting the weakness created on move 30. Black will now inevitably win
the white a-pawn and White must focus on gaining counterplay elsewhere while
this happens.
35 Bc2 Ba3 36 Bb8 a6 37 f4
Another way to defend was 37 Bc7 Be6 38 f4 g6 39 f5 gxf5 40 Ng2 (this is
better than 40 Nxf5), planning to come to f4 to threaten the h-pawn.
37 ... Bd7
Cleverly manoeuvring the bishop to c6 to shore up the defences of the d5-
pawn before cashing in on the queenside.
38 f5 Bc6 39 Bd1 Bb2 40 Bxh5
White has a tough choice between continuations all of which are difficult for
him in one way or another. For example, if 40 Ba7 Nxa2 41 Bxh5 Nc3 42 Bb6
Nb5 43 Nc2 then 43 ... Bd7, followed by ... Nd6 leaves White with an
unpleasant, but by no means lost, endgame.
40 ... Ne4+
Caruana also has difficult decisions, trying to calculate which variations will
create the best chance of enabling him to strive for victory. 40 ... Nxa2 would
likely lead to positions similar to the previous note but the challenger has
decided that he has better chances by capturing the d-pawn and concentrating his
forces in the centre.
41 Kg2
Although this move appears to be a fairly straightforward response to the
knight check, it actually represents a crucial decision as it anticipates White’s
forthcoming defensive concept. White could instead defend “normally” with 41
Kf1 Bxd4 42 Nc2 Bc5 43 Be2.
Analysis diagram

Black undoubtedly has a small but clear advantage as his pieces are much
more active and better co-ordinated than White’s and he also has a potentially
useful passed d-pawn.
Note that 43 ... Nxg3+ does not win a pawn as the white bishop, currently
lurking on b8, can recapture with 44 Bxg3. Trying to play ... Nxg3+ in this and
similar positions was a blunder that was committed by many spectators and even
some commentators while speculating on possible continuations during the
game. As an aside, this is not entirely surprising as “backwards bishop moves”
are notoriously difficult to see and have been overlooked on many occasions.
Here is a famous example from the game Reshevsky-Savon, Petropolis 1973. At
his best, Reshevsky was one of the top five players in the world.
Reshevsky’s attack had broken through and now 40 g5+ forces mate after 40
... Kxg5 41 h4+ Kxh4 42 Qf4. Instead Reshevsky played 40 Qxg6 “mate” and
was doubtless horrified when Black replied 40 ... Bxg6, forcing White’s
immediate resignation.
41 ... Bxd4 42 Bf4 Bc5
Black is preparing for the powerful advance of the d-pawn so White must act
quickly.
43 Bf3 Nd2
Creating the threat of 44 ... Nxf3 followed by ... d4+ winning. It appears that
White has to retreat into grovel mode with 44 Nd1 Nxf3 45 Kxf3 d4+ 46 Ke2
but after 46 ... Be4, this endgame is extremely unpleasant. The black bishops are
running the show, the passed d-pawn is a constant threat and White’s kingside
pawns are vulnerable. It may not yet be lost but it will be very difficult to defend
accurately. Instead Carlsen has prepared a remarkable and imaginative defence.
44 Bxd5
This is Carlsen’s plan. He sacrifices a piece in order to completely change
the dynamics of the position.
44 ... Bxe3 45 Bxc6 Bxf4 46 Bxb7 Bd6 47 Bxa6 Ne4
Carlsen has freed himself and acquired three pawns for the piece. If this were
the whole story than his decision to sacrifice would not necessarily merit much
praise as one would not expect him to have much difficulty drawing the position.
However, after 47 ... Ne4, which Carlsen would certainly have foreseen, it is
clear that White will lose one of his pawns. This makes Carlsen’s entire plan a
much braver decision.
48 g4
Another defensive set-up can be achieved with 48 Bd3 Nxg3 49 Kf3 Nh5 50
a4, trying to get the queenside pawns going. However, after 50 ... Bc5 Black will
follow up with ... Nf6 when the bishop and knight create a barrier across the
centre of the board that makes it impossible for White to activate his king in any
useful manner.
48 ... Ba3 49 Bc4 Kf8 50 g5 Nc3
51 b4
This move demonstrates a useful endgame principle. It is better to retain the
a-pawn rather than the b-pawn because the more remote pawn has greater
chances to over-stretch the opponent’s resources.
51 ... Bxb4 52 Kf3 Na4 53 Bb5 Nc5 54 a4 f6 55 Kg4 Ne4 56 Kh5 Be1 57
Bd3 Nd6
58 a5
This is a fascinating decision from Carlsen. He could simply pass by moving
his bishop and place the onus on Caruana to find a way to play for the win.
Instead he jettisons the a-pawn in order to further activate his king on the
kingside in the expectation that he will be able to create some sort of blockade.
This plan succeeds but whether it was the correct plan is an almost impossible
question to answer, even with the assistance of powerful chess engines.
58 ... Bxa5 59 gxf6 gxf6 60 Kg6 Bd8
60 ... Bc3 comes into consideration. Caruana doubtless chose d8 for his
bishop as this means that when his knight eventually arrives on e5, which is
important for driving the white king back, it will not interfere with the protection
of the f-pawn.
61 Kh7!
A brilliant defence from Carlsen and actually the only way to stay in the
game. Black’s threat, completely counter-intuitively, is not to activate his king
into the centre of the board but to bring it to h8! Here is a sample variation: 61
Bb1 Kg8 62 Ba2+ Kh8 63 Bb1 Nc4 64 Ba2 Ne5+ 65 Kh6 Bb6 66 Bb1 Bf2
Analysis Diagram

67 Kh5 (67 h5 Be3 mate would be a way to choose an end with horror rather
than horror without end) 67 ... Kg7 68 Ba2 Bc5 69 Bd5 Bd6 70 Bb3 Nf3 71 Bd5
Nd4 and the black knight will soon come to f4 or g3 when the white king will be
forced further back, allowing the black king to penetrate decisively on the
kingside.
61 ... Nf7 62 Bc4 Ne5 63 Bd5 Ba5 64 h5 Bd2 65 Ba2 Nf3 66 Bd5 Nd4 67
Kg6 Bg5 68 Bc4
Note that Carlsen consistently keeps his bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal to
prevent Black’s potential winning plan of bringing the king to h8.
68 ... Nf3
This is the moment where computer analysis demonstrates an incredible win
for Black, starting with the move 68 ... Bh4. This analysis stems from the well-
known chess engine Stockfish. However this was a souped-up version that was
powered by a state-of-the-art mainframe known as Sesse. The versions of
Stockfish running on standard PCs and laptops (which are normally vicious
beasts) were comparatively clueless, thus demonstrating the incredible
complexity of this analysis.
Play continues 69 Bd5 Ne2 70 Bf3 and now Black plays the astonishing 70
... Ng1, allowing his knight to be trapped after 71 Bg4.
Analysis Diagram

The basic point of this idea is that, by using zugzwang, Black is eventually
able to force the white king back and activate his own king. A typical variation is
71 ... Kg8 72 Kh6 Be1 73 Kg6 Bc3 74 Kh6 Bd2+ 75 Kg6 Bg5 76 h6 (any move
from the white bishop would enable the black knight to regroup to the f4-square
which would prove fatal for White) 76 ... Kh8 77 h7
Analysis Diagram

77 ... Bh4 (this starts a sort of “triangulating” manoeuvre which is more
familiar from king and pawn endgames) 78 Kh6 Bf2 79 Kg6 Bd4 80 Kh6 Be3+
81 Kg6 Bg5. With this final zugzwang Black is able to free the knight and, after
82 Bd1 Nh3, the knight will come to f4 and the h-pawn will be lost.
Caruana should certainly not be criticised for missing this as it is almost
impossible for a human to find the early moves in this sequence. They only work
because they do and there is no particular “chess logic” behind them.
This was confirmed by Carlsen’s comment, when shown the mating move,
“I’m not going to disagree with the computer, I just don’t understand it.”
Garry Kasparov also acknowledged this, tweeting, “Had Caruana played the
incredible 69 Bd5 Ne2 70 Bf3 Ng1!! they would request metal detectors
immediately! No human can willingly trap his own knight like that.”
69 Kh7 Ne5 70 Bb3 Ng4 71 Bc4 Ne3
72 Bd3
Another excellent defensive move from Carlsen. It is tempting to post the
bishop on e6 (remember that White generally wants to prevent the black king
from coming to h8) but this would be an error. White needs the bishop on d3 as
this creates better opportunities to restrict the manoeuvres of the black knight.
72 ... Ng4 73 Bc4 Nh6 74 Kg6 Ke7 75 Bb3 Kd6 76 Bc2 Ke5 77 Bd3 Kf4
78 Bc2
78 ... Ng4
The logical culmination of Caruana’s king march is 78 ... Kg4 79 Bd3 Kh4
80 Bc2 Ng4, when 81 ... Ne5+ appears to be a winning threat.
Analysis Diagram

However, the white defences hold as he can set up an x-ray protection of the
h-pawn with 81 Bd1 and now 81 ... Ne5+ 82 Kg7 achieves nothing for Black.
Note that if the white bishop were on e6 it would not be able to relocate onto the
d1-h5 diagonal and this manoeuvre would win for Black.
79 Bb3 Ne3 80 h6 Bxh6 draw agreed
A monumental struggle, reflecting great credit on both players.
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 3
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 3
Game Seven
Papal Infallibility
“Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike.” These words of the poet Alexander
Pope accurately describe the situation afflicting world champion Magnus
Carlsen in the World Chess Championship Match against his challenger, Fabiano
Caruana. In game 7, Carlsen was desperate to score his first victory but he could
make no impression on the slightly passive variation of the Queen’s Gambit
Declined employed by Caruana. Optically, with his dominating knight, White
looked to be in charge, but the weakness of his g2-pawn proved to be his
Achilles heel and his challenger’s salvation.
The game was ceremonially opened by chess prodigy Shreyas Royal, whom
The Times did so much to support during the campaign to ensure his continuing
residence in the UK. Just one day after The Times editorial appeared, the Home
Secretary, Sajid Javid, intervened personally to authorise the family’s permit to
stay.
Game 7
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1 d4
Carlsen gets his second consecutive game with the white pieces.
1 ... Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 c4 e6 4 Nc3 Be7 5 Bf4
Carlsen tries the same variation to counter the Queen’s Gambit Declined as
he chose in game 2.
5 ... 0-0 6 e3 c5 7 dxc5 Bxc5 8 Qc2 Nc6 9 a3 Qa5 10 Nd2
In game 2, Carlsen played 10 Rd1 but the move he tries here is also very
popular. The highly aggressive 10 0-0-0 is a more double-edged continuation but
one that Carlsen has avoided so far. Carlsen’s style is very much to look for
small edges that he can nurture safely rather than heading for wild and complex
positions.
10 Nd2 is a very logical move that breaks the pin along the e1-a5 diagonal
and creates the possibility to recapture with the knight on c4.
10 ... Qd8
This retraction of his previous move has been seen before but is highly
unusual. The standard continuation for Black here is 10 ... Be7. By retreating the
queen, Black is arguing that White’s knight is misplaced on d2. This move is
very much in keeping with Caruana’s plan for the match which appears to be to
avoid any Carlsen preparation by playing unexpected lines at an early stage.
11 Nb3 Bb6
A new move. 11 ... Be7 has been seen previously but White has scored very
well after the reply 12 Rd1.
12 Be2
A slightly feeble move from Carlsen and an echo of his 11 Be2 in game 2
which also failed to challenge Black’s opening idea. More logical is the
immediate 12 Rd1 which creates further pressure against d5 and makes it
difficult for Black to complete his development easily. 12 ... e5 in reply looks
good for White after 13 Bg5 d4 14 Nd5, when the black kingside will be
weakened with a capture on f6 and White can certainly hope to develop the
initiative.
A better way for Black to respond to 12 Rd1 is with 12 ... Qe7. This offers
the d5-pawn but this is a gambit which White would be most unwise to accept.
For example after 13 cxd5 Nxd5 14 Nxd5 exd5 15 Rxd5 Be6,
Analysis diagram

White is in terrible trouble due to the vulnerable situation of the knight on
b3, e.g. 16 Rd1 Bxb3 17 Qxb3 Ba5+ 18 Ke2 Rad8 and the white position is
clearly awful.
White can meet 12 ... Qe7 with 13 Bg5 and if then 13 ... dxc4 14 Bxc4 White
has much better development than he has in the game although Black is certainly
not yet in trouble.
12 ... Qe7
13 Bg5
By pinning the black knight White is hoping to put pressure on the d5-pawn
or possibly to wreck the black kingside pawns at a later stage with a capture on
f6. This is a logical way to attempt to exploit Black’s decision to retreat the
bishop to b6 instead of e7 on move 11.
As on the previous move, 13 Rd1 again comes into consideration. Black can
choose between the slightly cooperative 13 ... dxc4 14 Bxc4 Rd8, when White
looks a little better or the more combative 13 ... Bd7, again utilising the theme of
offering the d-pawn. Play can then become very complicated after 14 cxd5 (14
c5 Bxc5 15 Nxd5 Nxd5 16 Nxc5 is an interesting, and probably better,
alternative) 14 ... Nxd5 15 Nxd5 exd5 16 Rxd5 Be6. White cannot afford to back
off as 17 Rd1 Rfc8 is just good for Black so he has to go onwards with 17 Bd6
Qf6 18 Rh5, when play is very complicated. As in previous situations in the
match, Carlsen no doubt feared that Caruana’s pre-match preparation had
included a good, long computer-aided look at this position and he did not want to
get involved.
13 ... dxc4 14 Nd2 Ne5
15 0-0
15 Nce4 Bd7 16 Nxf6+ gxf6 17 Bh4 Ng6 18 Bg3 Rac8 is fine for Black as
White still has to regain the pawn on c4 and is in no position to exploit the slight
weakness of the black kingside.
15 ... Bd7
16 Bf4
It is very hard to believe that White can play for an advantage by developing
his bishop on f4, moving it to g5 and then retreating back to f4, all in the first 16
moves. After this retreat, entropy sets in and the energy of the game winds down.
However, 16 Nce4 does not really trouble Black. A possible continuation is 16 ...
Rac8 17 Nxc4 Nxc4 18 Bxc4 Bc6 19 Nxf6+ gxf6 20 Bh4 Bd5 21 b3 Bxc4 22
bxc4 Rc6 and it is not clear that Black’s kingside weakness is more of a liability
than White’s weak c-pawn.
16 ... Ng6 17 Bg3 Bc6 18 Nxc4 Bc7 19 Rfd1 Rfd8
The beginning of whole scale trading along the d-file.
20 Rxd8+ Rxd8 21 Rd1 Rxd1+ 22 Qxd1 Nd5 23 Qd4 Nxc3 24 Qxc3 Bxg3
25 hxg3 Qd7 26 Bd3
26 ... b6
Well calculated. The following play looks good for White, as he drives Black
back and establishes a knight on d6. Nevertheless, this advantage turns out to be
illusory. Black could also try to cut the Gordian Knot at once with 26 ... Be4 and
if 27 Bxe4 then 27 ... Qd1+ 28 Kh2 Qh5+ with a draw by perpetual check. White
could meet 26 ... Be4 with 27 Ne5 and after 27 ... Nxe5 28 Qxe5 f5 29 Be2 (29
Bxe4 Qd1+ again leads to perpetual check), when Black has to be careful as the
move ... f5 has slightly weakened his kingside although the game should still
certainly be drawn.
27 f3 Bb7 28 Bxg6 hxg6 29 e4 Qc7 30 e5 Qc5+
An important check to drive White’s king to the h-file and thus force the
champion to squander a crucial tempo in order to recentralise his king after the
queen trade.
31 Kh2 Ba6 32 Nd6 Qxc3 33 bxc3 f6 34 f4 Kf8 35 Kg1 Ke7 36 Kf2 Kd7
37 Ke3 Bf1 38 Kf2 Ba6 39 Ke3 Bf1 40 Kf2 draw agreed
Neither side can make progress.

Today I (RDK) gained some interesting insight into the workings of the
FIDE anti-drugs Czar, or Czarina in this case, Dr Jana Bellin. Jana conducted the
mandatory drugs test demanded by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) on
both players late after the conclusion of game 6. Without such tests, FIDE could
not be recognised by the International Olympic committee. Such recognition is
essential for many national chess federations to gain much needed government
grants.
Of course, none of the prohibited drugs on the IOC anathema list would be of the
slightest use to a chess player. Indeed, there is no known drug which usefully
enhances a player’s alertness or brain efficiency apart, perhaps, from strong
black coffee. Coffee, of course, does not come under the heading of banned
substances!
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 3½
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 3½
Game Eight
Record Equalled
After eight consecutive indecisive outcomes, the record for draws at the start of a
world championship match, set in the Kasparov-Anand from 1995, has now been
equalled. It was, however, not for lack of fighting spirit that this unenviable
statistic has been established. For game eight, opened by Demis Hassabis CBE,
the genius behind Deep Mind, and recently appointed Brain Trust Charity Brain
of the Year, the contestants came out fighting in an open Sicilian Defence.
Caruana chose an unusual side variation based on an early Nd5 instead of the
customary Bg5. The point of White’s play was to create a huge pawn mass in the
centre and queenside, potentially capable of overwhelming the black palisades.
The champion reacted fiercely with the advance ... g5, which could be
considered a weakness but also created the possibility of establishing a striking
force of pawns against the white king. The challenger boldly sacrificed a pawn
in reply in order to activate his pawns and destabilise the black knight on e5.
With Carlsen running low on time and computers predicting a substantial plus, it
appeared that we would be treated to the first outright victory of the match.
However, it was not to be. Once again, the player with the plus seemed
willing to wound and yet afraid to strike. Drift set in around the phase
inaugurated by 23 Rad1 and the timid 24 h3. Hereabouts analysis must focus on
alternatives involving some blend of Rae1, Nc4, and Qh5 in order to detect the
right path for White to pursue.
After losing the thread, White himself had to be slightly careful. The
disruptive h4 left the position very much resembling the burnt out embers of a
Kings Gambit which had missed its target. As it was, Caruana retained sufficient
impetus to avoid disadvantage and the game petered out to an opposite-coloured
bishop endgame which was manifestly drawn.
Game 8
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4
Caruana finally takes on Carlsen in the main lines of the Open Sicilian,
having chosen 3 Bb5 in his three previous games with the white pieces.
3 ... cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5
This move is the hallmark of the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian
Defence. Black accepts a very obvious weakening of the pawn structure in return
for free piece play.
6 Ndb5 d6
7 Nd5
Caruana chooses a very respectable variation but the main lines of the
Sveshnikov occur after 7 Bg5 which is a direct attempt to exploit Black’s self-
inflicted wound on d5. 7 Nd5 completely changes the contours of the position.
7 ... Nxd5 8 exd5
White’s idea is to use the queenside pawn majority in the middlegame. With
a numerical advantage of 4-3 and a strong pawn on d5, White’s plan is a general
advance on the queenside. Black will naturally look for counterplay on the
kingside but this will always entail some risk, as, if he chooses to advance his
pawns in that sector, he will be exposing his own king. These themes come
strongly to the fore in the play that follows.
8 ... Nb8 9 a4
The other way to handle this position is with the advance 9 c4, which is a
more direct attempt to energise White’s queenside pawns. The plan behind 9 a4
is to leave the c4-square available for the white knight.
9 ... Be7 10 Be2 0-0 11 0-0 Nd7 12 Bd2
An apparently passive and slightly unusual move. 12 Kh1 is seen more
frequently. 12 Kh1 plans to advance f4 planning to fight for space in order to
take the sting out of Black’s kingside advance. A further argument for this move
would be that Kh1 is always likely to be useful for White whereas it is not
immediately clear what the best square is for the c1-bishop.
12 ... f5 13 a5 a6 14 Na3 e4
Black is making swift use of his 4-3 kingside pawn majority.
15 Nc4 Ne5
Black doesn’t fear the trade of knights on e5. It would be hard for White to
advance the c- and d-pawns and the black counterplay with ... f4 and ... f3 is
coming quickly.
16 Nb6
In general this knight is well placed on b6, hampering the development of
Black’s queenside. However, if Black manages to untangle and ferry his pieces
across to the centre and kingside then this knight can become very misplaced.
16 ... Rb8 17 f4
Preventing Black from advancing with ... f4 in this way is a very standard
plan in such positions.
17 ... exf3 18 Bxf3
This allows Black to gain the bishop pair with an exchange on f3. However,
the knight on e5 is currently Black’s best piece and exchanging it on f3 would be
a poor trade.
18 ... g5
The logical way to attack on the kingside but this move does also expose the
black king (especially along the a1-h8 diagonal) in a situation where he does not
yet have a clear plan of attack as his queenside remains undeveloped. More
circumspect would be 18 ... Nd7, challenging the black knight, followed by ...
Bf6. The immediate and non-committal 18 ... Bf6 is also playable.
19 c4 f4
19 ... g4 would be the wrong idea as after 20 Be2 the black kingside pawns
are in danger of becoming stymied. 20 ... f4 immediately is not possible and if
Black prepares this with 20 ... Bg5 White can reply 21 Qc1, adding extra
protection to the important f4-square. White also keeps g3 in reserve.
20 Bc3
Caruana immediately posts his bishop on the vulnerable diagonal. 20 Be4 is
weaker as Black does not fear an exchange of light-squared bishops and after 20
... Bf5 21 Bxf5 Rxf5 22 Qc2 Qf8, the game is balanced.
20 ... Bf5
21 c5
This was played after long thought. It involves a pawn sacrifice and appears
to be an excellent decision. Black is more or less obliged to accept the sacrifice
as allowing White to advance with c6 would be extremely dangerous.
21 ... Nxf3+ 22 Qxf3 dxc5
23 Rad1
This is where Caruana misses his main chance. His idea is to force Black to
blockade the d-pawn with ... Bd6. After this White can relocate his knight to c4,
exchange on d6 and then hope for a powerful attack based on play along the a1-
h8 diagonal. In principle this is a fine idea but in practice it turns out to be
insufficiently dynamic and Carlsen is able to organise his defences in time.
23 Rae1 was strongly advocated by grandmaster Nigel Short during the
game and analysis demonstrates that this move is indeed far stronger. The e5-
and e6-squares are weak spots in the black camp and targeting them directly will
create very difficult problems for Carlsen. White can operate in the centre and on
the kingside with moves such as h4, Qh5 and Nc4. The following variations give
some idea of how play can continue.
Analysis diagram

a) 23 ... Bd6 is met by 24 Nc4, when the advantage of having the rook on e1
is already evident as White threatens 25 Nxd6 Qxd6 26 Be5 winning the
exchange. Black has to waste time dealing with this threat and after 24 ... Rc8 25
Qh5 White has a vicious attack, e.g. 25 ... Rf7 (25 ... Be7 is the only hope but
White has various promising continuations including 26 Re5)
Analysis diagram
26 Re8+! Qxe8 27 Qxg5+ Bg6 28 Nxd6 Qe3+ 29 Kh1 and Black is crushed.
b) 23 ... Bf6, contesting the long diagonal, is the best chance, but 24 h4 keeps
up the pressure. After the natural 24 ... h6, White has the powerful 25 g4! Bg6
26 Re6 (the advantage of having this rook on the open e-file is made crystal
clear) 26 ... Bxc3 27 Qxc3 Kh7 28 d6 is overwhelming.
The best try after 24 h4 is 24 ... g4 25 Qxf4 Bxc3 26 bxc3 Qxh4, when the
surprising 27 Qh2 Qxh2+ 28 Kxh2 gives White a clear advantage in the
endgame despite Black’s extra pawn.
Analysis diagram

The white rook will soon invade on e7 and his d-pawn is very powerful.
Furthermore his knight is very well anchored on b6 and can potentially switch to
c4 or d5 (after the white d-pawn advances). In contrast the black bishop is a
vulnerable target wandering around in no man’s land and has no base where it
can secure itself.
23 ... Bd6
It is essential to prevent the advance of the d-pawn. 23 ... Bf6 24 d6 Bxc3 25
Qxc3 is horrible for Black as the white d-pawn is a monster and White is also
about to re-establish material parity by capturing the pawn at c5.
24 h3
After another rather feeble move Caruana’s advantage evaporates. The main
chance with 23 Rae1 has already gone, but 24 Qh5 would maintain
uncomfortable pressure against the black kingside and force Carlsen to defend
very accurately. For example after 24 Qh5 Bg6 25 Qh3 Rf7 26 Nc4 Bf5 27 Qh6
Bf8 28 Qh5 Bg7 29 d6, White has a clear advantage but Black is certainly in the
game.
24 ... Qe8
White’s hesitancy has given Carlsen sufficient time to regroup his forces
effectively and from here on he has little trouble defending. Note that if White
had his rook on e1 this queen transfer would be impossible.
25 Nc4 Qg6 26 Nxd6 Qxd6 27 h4
Now that the position has become simplified and Black has co-ordinated his
forces, this thrust loses its potency.
27 ... gxh4 28 Qxf4 Qxf4 29 Rxf4 h5 30 Re1 Bg4 31 Rf6 Rxf6 32 Bxf6 Kf7
33 Bxh4 Re8 34 Rf1+
A slightly better try was 34 Rc1 as the line 34 ... Re2 35 Rxc5 Rxb2 36 Rc7+
Kg6 37 d6 Rd2 38 Be7 gives White some tiny hopes based on the advanced d-
pawn although these will be difficult to realise as Black has the d7-square firmly
covered. However, Black can avoid any such issues by meeting 34 Rc1 with 34
... Rc8 which should also draw comfortably.
34 ... Kg8 35 Rf6 Re2 36 Rg6+ Kf8 37 d6 Rd2 38 Rg5 draw agreed
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 4
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 4
Game Nine
A Roland for his Oliver
This legendary duo of Carolingian Paladins were renowned for their equal
prowess in battle and, as such, form an appropriate metaphor for the struggle
between the two chess knights. Cynics have observed that world champion
Magnus Carlsen is steering ruthlessly towards a tally of 12 consecutive draws, as
he believes he will inevitably triumph in the rapidplay tie-break against the
challenger. Others detect no such Machiavellian plot, rather diagnosing a lack of
energy in the champion’s conduct of the games, with favourable positions
frustratingly dissolving into sterile equality.
For game 9, at least, Carlsen appeared looking as if he had signed up for the
new sport of chessboxing, or gone two rounds with Lennox Lewis. Fortunately,
the champion’s facial injuries, incurred during a football match on the free day,
did not prevent him from engaging in combat.
Once again, Carlsen resorted to the Dragon Reversed variation of the English
opening, already seen in game 4. White’s 9 Bg5 was a novelty, but one which led
to the expenditure of no fewer than three tempi to relocate the White queen’s
bishop onto its most promising square, b2.
Black reacted solidly and seemed to have a complete blockade of White’s
prospects but then Caruana unexpectedly traded his light-squared bishop in an
attempt to force equality. This was a premature panic measure which was
generally excoriated as giving the champion too many chances as Black was left
with isolated pawns, a slightly exposed king, and weakened light squares.
If progress was to be made, it was not by Carlsen’s unduly hasty advance of
his h-pawn. It would have been more sensible, in terms of gaining an enduring
advantage, to tidy things up with Kg2 and Bf3, possibly followed by the
avoidance of a rook trade with Rc1, envisaging an invasion by Rc6. This would
certainly not have been a forced win but, by pivoting around c6 and delaying h4
to a more propitious moment, White could have probed for some time.
Caruana responded accurately to the advance of White’s h-pawn by cleverly
capturing on h5. This split Black’s pawns and further exposed his king, but the
timely counter resource ... h4 equally split up White’s kingside and left him
bereft of winning chances.
Finally White seemed to be making progress by penetrating towards b7 with
his king. Sadly for him, though, any attempt to push the outside passed a-pawn,
would enable Black to sacrifice his bishop, play ... c5 and force White’s own
bishop away from its protective surveillance of White’s last remaining pawn,
without which victory would be impossible.
Nine consecutive draws ab ovo in a world championship match now
constitutes an official record. With just three classical games left before the
looming tie-break, Caruana must now extract every drop of advantage from his
concluding two games with the white pieces. This is the only way forwards, if he
is to avoid a shoot-out, predicated on accelerated time controls, which is almost
unanimously deemed to favour the champion.
Game 9
English Opening
1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 g3 d5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 Bg2 Bc5

Caruana again tries the same slightly unusual move that he played in game 4.
See that game for an analysis of the opening.
7 0-0 0-0 8 d3 Re8 9 Bg5
Carlsen varies from game 4 where he played the less adventurous 9 Bd2.
9 ... Nxc3
The immediate point of 9 Bg5 is that the natural 9 ... f6 runs into the strong
counter 10 Qb3. Black would never want to wreck his pawn structure with a
capture on g5 so his only course of action would then be a pawn sacrifice with
10 ... Be6. White does not need to retreat the g5-bishop here and can continue 11
Qxb7, counterattacking against the black knight on c6.
The whole theme of capturing the opponent’s b-pawn with the queen in the
opening is known as taking the “poisoned pawn”. In fact there is an entire
variation of the Sicilian Najdorf which is actually called the Poisoned Pawn
Variation (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Qb6,
planning to capture on b2). However, this is something of a misnomer as the
Poisoned Pawn Variation is actually thought to be fine for Black and was played
successfully by both Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov.
Of course, capturing the “poisoned pawn” in general may or may not be a
good idea, depending on the exact circumstances. In this case White is doing
well after 11 Qxb7 as 11 ... Ncb4 (trying to trap the queen with ... Rb8) is met by
12 Qb5, hitting the bishop on c5 and 11 ... Qd7 12 Nxd5 Bxd5 13 Qb5 is also
good for White.
10 bxc3 f6 11 Bc1 Be6 12 Bb2 Bb6 13 d4
Advancing in the centre is White’s only real plan.
13 ... Bd5
Caruana tries to nullify the any potential pressure along the h1-a8 diagonal
from the white bishop on g2. He also creates the possibility of an advance with
... e4, possibly supported by ... f5.
Black can try for a tactical trick with 13 ... exd4 14 cxd4 Bc4 but it backfires.
White’s only way to defend the e-pawn is with 15 Re1 and now 15 ... Ba5
Analysis diagram

appears to force White into awkward contortions with 16 Nd2. However,
White has tricks of his own based on the exposed black bishops and the
weakness of the a2-g8 diagonal. Instead of 16 Nd2 he continues 16 Qc2 Ba6 (not
16 ... Bxe1 17 Qxc4+) 17 Bc3 Bxc3 18 Qxc3 Rxe2 (18 ... Bxe2 loses out of hand
to 19 Rxe2 Rxe2 20 Qc4+) 19 Rxe2 Bxe2 20 Qb3+ and 21 Qxb7, when White
regains the pawn with a large advantage.
14 Qc2 exd4
Caruana decides to play it safe. He could have engineered an interesting
middlegame position with 14 ... e4. The continuation 15 Nd2 e3 16 fxe3 Bxg2
17 Kxg2 Rxe3 is pleasant for Black so White should prefer 15 Nh4. Now there
are a couple of plans for Black.
Analysis diagram

a) 15 ... Na5 hopes to give Black a bind on the queenside light squares.
White replies 16 Nf5 and now 16 ... c5 (16 ... Nc4 17 Ne3 Nxe3 18 fxe3 is okay
for White) leads to very complex play.
b) Black can also try the e-pawn advance with 15 ... e3 16 fxe3 Rxe3. Now
17 Bxd5 Qxd5 18 Ng2 Re7 is good for Black so White should play 17 Nf5 Bxg2
(not 17 ... Re8 18 e4) 18 Nxe3 Bxf1 19 Rxf1 with a difficult position where it is
unclear whether White’s central pawns represent a strength or a weakness.
15 cxd4 Be4 16 Qb3+ Bd5 17 Qd1
17 ... Bxf3
This move was almost universally criticised by the commentating
grandmasters. Caruana bludgeons his way into a position where he is slightly
worse in the hope that he is able to contain White’s advantage. This is a
controversial plan as there is no need for Black to force matters when simple
moves such as 17 ... . Qd7 and 17 ... Na5 are perfectly playable.
18 Qb3+ Kh8 19 Bxf3 Nxd4 20 Bxd4 Qxd4 21 e3 Qe5 22 Bxb7 Rad8 23
Rad1
White definitely has the advantage. The light squares on the black kingside
are weak and these can potentially be probed by the white queen and bishop in
conjunction with an advance of the h-pawn. Black has no counterplay at all and
his bishop is a far worse piece than White’s. His main plan is to exchange all the
rooks along the d-file at an opportune moment and before White’s threats on the
kingside become too serious. The opposite-bishops situation is also potentially
helpful for Black as the more simplified the position becomes, the less likely
White is to be able to win.
23 ... Qe7
Creating the possibility of a mass exchange of the heavy pieces along the d-
file.
24 h4 g6
Black wants to tidy up the kingside with ... g6 and ... Kg7 before embarking
on the cull along the d-file. This is good judgment as after 24 ... Rxd1 25 Rxd1
Rd8 26 Rxd8+ Qxd8 27 Qf7 Bc5 28 Bd5 Bd6 29 h5 Qf8 30 Qe6, the position is
extremely uncomfortable for Black.
25 h5
Carlsen displays untypical impatience and, in doing so, throws away his
advantage. It was important to play 25 Kg2 in order to be able to transfer a rook
to the h-file. After 25 ... Kg7 26 h5 Rxd1 27 Rxd1 Rd8 28 Rh1 Rd2 29 h6+ Kf8,
White is obliged to play the passive 30 Re1.
Analysis diagram

Nevertheless, the advance of the h-pawn to h6 is a huge bonus for White as
the black king is now highly vulnerable to an invasion from the white major
pieces. Also, in a simplified position Black would have to be aware of White
manoeuvring the bishop onto the a2-g8 diagonal and then picking off the h-pawn
with Bg8. White has a serious advantage here and Caruana would be hard-
pressed to defend, especially as this would lead to the kind of squeeze in which
Carlsen traditionally excels.
In one of the earlier press conferences, both players were asked who was
their favourite player from the past. Caruana chose his compatriot Bobby
Fischer, while Carlsen made a good joke, claiming that his favourite player from
the past was himself from about 3-4 years ago. There is more than a germ of
truth in this as the Carlsen of 3-4 years ago would almost certainly have side-
stepped the premature 25 h5 and subjected his opponent to much greater
pressure than he succeeded in generating with the game continuation.
25 ... gxh5
An excellent move. Although the black pawn structure is now hideous as he
has five isolated pawns, Caruana has foreseen that he will be able to simplify the
position successfully.
26 Qc4
Carlsen hastens to prevent ... h4, but ...
26 ... f5
Carlsen most likely overlooked this move. Now Black forces through ... h4
and the previously secure white king becomes vulnerable. Carlsen needs his king
on g2 to be able to play Rh1 and prevent this from happening. This is why his
overzealous 25th move threw away most of his advantage.
27 Bf3 h4 28 Rxd8 Rxd8 29 gxh4 Rg8+ 30 Kh1 Qf6 31 Qf4 Bc5
This is the final accurate move that Black needs to play. By relocating the
bishop to d6 he forces through the advance ... f4, thus getting rid of his weakness
on f5.
32 Rg1 Rxg1+ 33 Kxg1 Bd6 34 Qa4 f4 35 Qxa7 fxe3 36 Qxe3 Qxh4
Restoring material equality. White’s great trump earlier was that his king was
far more secure than its opposite number. However, the premature 25 h5 has
allowed Caruana to engineer the thrusts ... h4 and ... f4, eliminating this plus.
37 a4
Having been unsuccessful playing chess in this game, Carlsen turns his hand
to poker. This move is pure bluff. Black can snap this off with 37 ... Qxa4 and
after 38 Qc3+ Kg8 39 Bd5+ Kf8 40 Qf6+ Ke8 41 Bf7+ Kd7 the white “attack”
is only good for perpetual check.
The line chosen by Caruana, which quickly exchanges queens, is also fine as
the position is far too simplified for the white a-pawn to become a serious threat.
37 ... Qf6 38 Bd1 Qe5 39 Qxe5+ Bxe5 40 a5 Kg7 41 a6 Bd4 42 Kg2 Kf6
43 f4 Bb6 44 Kf3 h6 45 Ke4 Ba7 46 Bg4 Bg1 47 Kd5 Bb6 48 Kc6
White can march in with his king and win a piece but this would be a purely
symbolic achievement as the black c- and h-pawns will then deflect the white
bishop and allow the black king to capture White’s last remaining pawn.
48 ... Be3 49 Kb7
49 Kxc7 would win for White were it not for the annoying fact that 49 ...
Bxf4+ in reply is check.
49 ... Bb6 50 Bh3
After 50 a7 Bxa7 51 Kxa7 c5 the white king cannot deal with the advance of
the c-pawn. This job must be passed over to the white bishop when, at some
point, Black will be able to play ... Kf5 and eliminate the f-pawn. Even if White
had brought his bishop round to c2 prior to his king march, it would not help as
the black h-pawn would then advance and perform the same job.
50 ... Be3 51 Kc6 Bb6 52 Kd5 Ba7 53 Ke4 Bb6 54 Bf1 Ke6 55 Bc4+ Kf6
56 Bd3 Ke6 draw agreed
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 4½
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 4½
Game Ten
Machine Age
Game 10 ended in a further draw, but only after immense complications that
were handled almost flawlessly by both players. It seems that the widespread use
of computer preparation and practice by the world’s elite has led to a honing of
their skills and accuracy which is now commensurate with the best chess
engines.
We have mentioned before the online game reports where all the moves are
computer-assessed and colour coded for mistakes. Once again, following the
game live on the chessbomb.com site, only two moves (23 ... Qg5 by Black and
24 g3 by White) veered into the magenta coloration which indicated an inferior
choice. And it should be noted that magenta is the mildest form of castigation,
with scarlet being the alert for a real howler. When the play of the game is fairly
straightforward this would not be so surprising but, given the level of complexity
of game 10, this was quite an extraordinary achievement by both players.
In one respect, though, computers still lag behind. In the final position
Stockfish evaluated the situation as +0.96 in White’s favour (indicating a serious
advantage to White), even though the endgame of rook and three pawns against
rook and two with material all on the same side of the board, is well known to be
dead drawn.
In the game itself the complex Sveshnikov Variation was repeated, with
Caruana introducing the sharp novelty 12 b4. Black, after due preparation, struck
back with the feint 21 ... b5, distracting White’s attention from the kingside
where the champion harboured notions of implementing a massive attack.
Black’s 23 ... Qg5 was probably not the best way to prosecute the attack,
since it permitted White to capture with 24 Bxb5, when engine analysis
indicated that Caruana could weather the storm. However, fearing the
consequences of a virtually incalculable race, Caruana took fright with 24 g3.
Although this beat off the black attack, it essentially abandoned White’s winning
prospects. Carlsen then steered the play into an endgame where his central
pawns conferred him a slight advantage but, once again, the defence held and
another draw resulted.
Fans may be discouraged by the extensive series of inconclusive results, but
when one compares the standard of play here in London with, for example, the
1972 “match of the century” between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer, then the
difference in tenacity, accuracy and persistence, is marked. This also discounts
the former privilege of adjournments, when the players stopped playing after 40
moves and resumed on a subsequent day. Nowadays, once the clocks start in
contemporary chess, the players must remain alone and isolated at the board,
armed only with their recall of preparation and their practical fighting skills.
Game 10
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Nd5 Nxd5 8

exd5 Nb8 9 a4 Be7 10 Be2 0-0 11 0-0 Nd7
So far all as in game 8 but now Caruana comes up with a completely new
move.
12 b4
Despite the fact that he achieved an excellent position in game 8 with 12
Bd2, Caruana tries something different. 12 b4 is a natural move to begin to
exploit White’s 4-3 pawn majority on the queenside but it has never been tried
before.
12 ... a6 13 Na3 a5
This is a very interesting counter from Carlsen. On the positive side, he is
trying to break up White’s pawn formation on the queenside before he can
advance with, for example, c4 and c5 and obtain a complete clamp. However, at
the same time, he is breaking the general principle that you do not want to
attempt to take the initiative in the area of the board where the opponent is
stronger.
14 bxa5 Rxa5 15 Nc4 Ra8 16 Be3 f5
17 a5
The general structure and battleground of the middlegame would have been
very different had Caruana chosen 17 f4. This was the thurst he used in game 8
to inhibit Black’s kingside attack. By advancing with f4, White ensures that
Black does not gain too great a space advantage on the kingside.
Caruana’s 17 a5 is, in a sense, more aggressive. He continues his queenside
initiative at once and is prepared to tolerate strong kingside play from Black. It is
a far more double-edged way to play as he runs the risk of coming under a
powerful attack where he may have to find very accurate defensive moves to
survive. However, if Carlsen misplays the attack then White’s advantage is likely
to be substantial and potentially decisive.
To use poker terminology, Caruana’s 17 a5 effectively raises the stakes.
17 ... f4
Black gains time and furthers his kingside ambitions. No other move really
comes into consideration as Carlsen does not want to give Caruana a second
chance to play f4 himself.
18 Bb6 Qe8
It may seem surprising that Black does not want to capture with 18 ... Nxb6
and obtain the bishop pair. However, after 18 ... Nxb6 19 Nxb6 White has a very
strong knight at b6 and can, if he so wishes, exchange on c8 at some point,
depriving Black of his useful light-squared bishop. Furthermore 18 ... Qe8
improves the position of the black queen, allowing it to join in the forthcoming
kingside attack.
19 Ra3
This is a generally useful move for White. He improves the situation of his
rook and provides lateral defence along the third rank to counter Black’s
impending kingside attack.
19 ... Qg6
The middlegame position loosely resembles a King’s Indian Defence,
although in the King’s Indian, the black dark-squared bishop would be on g7 not
e7. In the analogous King’s Indian situations Black would develop his initiative
with a pawn storm, advancing ... g5-g4 and potentially ... g3 or ... f3. Here,
however, this plan would be too slow and would also weaken the black king (as
proved to be a problem for Carlsen in game 8). Instead Black will conduct the
attack with piece play and use the pawn duo on the e- and f-files as a battering
ram.
20 Bc7 e4
Slightly surprisingly, Carlsen took a long time to decide on this move. It is
very logical to advance the central pawns and this also creates an immediate
threat of ... f3. Carlsen’s hesitancy is hard to understand as there isn’t any other
obvious way to further his kingside ambitions.
21 Kh1
21 ... b5!
A fantastic move and one that was universally admired by the commentators.
If White continues with the natural 22 axb6, then Black replies 22 ... Rxa3 23
Nxa3 f3 24 gxf3 Ne5. The point of Black’s pawn sacrifice is that he has
managed to disorganise the white defences and now his kingside attack is very
dangerous. Chess engines will crunch this position and tell you that White is
okay but to face this attack as a human is terrifying as a single error will likely
lead to immediate defeat.
One line is 25 fxe4 (25 Rg1 is actually the only move) 25 ... Bh3 26 Rg1
Qxe4+ 27 f3 Rxf3! (not 27 ... Nxf3 28 Qd3 Qxd3 29 Bxd3 Nxg1 30 Kxg1 when,
despite Black’s extra exchange, White is fine thanks to the advanced b6-pawn)
28 Bxf3 Nxf3
Analysis diagram

29 Rg3 (there is nothing better as 29 Qd3 is refuted by both 29 ... Qf4 and
the beautful 29 ... Bg2+!) and now Black has various ways to win, the most
aesthetically pleasing being 29 ... Nd2+ 30 Kg1 when Black wins with the
“staircase” manoeuvre 30 ... Qd4+ 31 Kh1 Qxd5+ 32 Kg1 Qd4+ 33 Kh1 Qe4+
34 Kg1 d5 and the black bishop emerges at c5 when White gets mated.
22 Nb6
A sensible and far safer move.
22 ... Nxb6 23 Bxb6
23 ... Qg5
It may be here that Carlsen misses his best chance. The queen was already
well-placed on g6 and it is not obvious that it stands much better on g5. Or, at
the very least, not sufficiently better that it merits spending a crucial tempo to
achieve this.
The commentators were crying out for 23 ... b4 24 Rb3 and now 24 ... Bf6 25
Rxb4 Be5 (the computer prefers to flick in 25 ... Bc3 26 Rb3 Be5, possibly to
reduce the pressure against the e4-pawn), when the feeble bishop on e7 has
metamorphosed into a fearsome attacking unit. This is a good example of the
saying in chess that when you are attacking you want to invite everyone to the
party.
Analysis diagram
White now faces an extremely difficult defence as, when ... f3 comes, there
will be additional threats against h2. For example 27 a6 f3 28 gxf3 Bxh2 is
immediately decisive. After 26 ... Be5 White is probably reduced to the
continuation 27 f3 e3, when Black has a complete clamp on the white kingside
and is in total control. He has ideas to generate a mating attack with ... Qh5, ...
Rf6-h6 which are not easy to counter. He also has the possibility to play
strategically with ... Bf5 and ... Rfc8. It is hard to believe that Caruana would be
able to defend here. Chess engines don’t mind the white position but to the eyes
of a human grandmaster it looks horrible.
24 g3
While waiting for Caruana to play his 24th move there was a great deal of
excitement amongst the many commentators as the chess engines were all
screaming that 24 Bxb5 gave White a considerable advantage. However, after
long thought, Caruana shied away from this critical continuation to which there
is no obvious immediate refutation. Exasperated, the American grandmaster,
Hikaru Nakamura, exclaimed, “Just play it. Take a chance for once!”
24 Bxb5 will be met by 24 ... Rf6. Now White can try to force the win at
once with 25 Bc6. However, this is a very bad practical idea as Black has many
ways to continue the attack and also has the fairly obvious fall back line of 25 ...
f3 26 gxf3 Rh6 27 Be3 Rxh2+ forcing a draw by perpetual check. In fact, deeper
analysis shows that Black could try to win with 25 ... Rh6 26 Bxa8 Qh4 27 h3
Bg4 (not the immediate 27 ... f3 which is met by 28 Rxf3 exf3 29 Qxf3) 28
Qxg4 (absolutely forced as otherwise ... f3 will lead to carnage and after 28 f3
White is quickly and unsurprisingly mated following 28 ... Bxh3) 28 ... Qxg4 29
f3 Qg3. Here Black can continue to play for the win without risk as he can
always force a draw with ... Rxh3+ at some point.
However, White can do better than 25 Bc6 with 25 Re1, planning to retreat
the bishop to f1 and shore up the kingside defences. Black’s best is 25 ... Rg6 (25
... Rh6 26 Rxe4 snuffs out Black’s initiative) 26 Bf1 f3 (26 ... Bf5 may be better)
27 g3 Bf5.
Analysis diagram

This position is scary for White as he is permanently vulnerable to getting
unceremoniously mated along the h-file. However, analysis shows that he has
sufficient time to organise his kingside defences and his advantage on the
queenside is now overwhelming. A sample line is 28 Be3 (usefully covering the
h6-square) 28 ... Qh5 29 Qb1 Bg5 (Black needs access to the h6-square) 30
Bxg5 Qxg5 (whichever way Black recaptures his queen and rook tread on each
other toes in terms of doubling on the h-file) 31 a6 and White is winning.
24 ... b4
A good move, temporarily denying White an extra pawn. Caruana’s previous
move has made 25 gxf4 a possible reply but after 25 ... Qxf4 26 Rg3 Bh4 27
Rgg1 Bf6 Black stands well. An amusing and unexpected feature of this position
is that the white rook on g1 is actually his queen’s rook!
25 Rb3
25 ... Bh3
Carlsen had a difficult choice here between this move and 25 ... f3. On
balance he probably made the right decision as 25 ... Bh3 leads to a fairly
straightforward sequence at the end of which Black has a slight plus. 25 ... f3 26
Bb5, on the other hand, is simply very unclear. Black will try to give checkmate
with some combination of ... Bh3, ... Rf6-h6, ... Qg4 etc but it is far from clear
that this will be successful. One interesting line is 26 ... Rf6 27 Re1 Qg4 and
now White can consider 28 Rxe4 Qxe4 29 Re3 Qg5 30 Rxe7, giving up the
exchange to defuse the black attack.
26 Rg1
It is better to use this rook defensively. 26 Re1, trying to create pressure
against the black e4-pawn, is countered by 26 ... e3 with a very dangerous attack.
26 ... f3 27 Bf1
Sensible. 27 Bb5 is way too risky after 27 ... Rf6, when Black’s attack is
coming very fast.
27 ... Bxf1
28 Qxf1
The point of Black’s play is that 28 Rxf1 is unplayable as the black attack
after 28 ... Qg4 is too quick. Play continues 29 Rxb4 Rf5 30 Rg1 Rh5 31 Qf1 g5
and now ... Rh6 and ... Qh5 will win. An important point is that after, for
example, 32 a6 Rh6 33 a7 Qh5 34 h4 Black does not play 34 ... gxh4 35 g4 but
instead 34 ... Qxh4+ mating.
28 ... Qxd5 29 Rxb4
The position has calmed down. White is no longer in danger of being mated
but his queenside advantage has dissipated. Although material is equal, Black
stands well as the central pawns and poor position of the white king give him an
edge.
29 ... Qe6 30 Rb5
30 Qb5, with ideas of Qc6 or c4 and Qd5, is a natural try for White. After 30
... d5 White continues 31 Rd4 and now Black can attempt to resuscitate his
kingside attack with 31 ... Rf5, planning the familiar ... Rh5 and mate along the
h-file. The following variation is entertaining: 32 c4 Rh5 33 Rxd5 g5 34 Rgd1
Qh3.
Analysis diagram
White’s king is about to be mated but his counterattack is sufficient for
perpetual check after 35 Rd8+ Rxd8 (35 ... Bxd8 36 Qe8+ Kg7 37 Rd7+ wins)
36 Rxd8+ Bxd8 37 Qe8+ Kg7 38 Bd4+ Bf6 39 Qe7+ Kg8 40 Qe8+.
30 ... Bd8
Exchanging the dark-squared bishops is a reasonable plan but 30 ... Rfc8 also
comes into consideration.
31 Qe1 Bxb6 32 axb6 Rab8 33 Qe3 Qc4 34 Rb2 Rb7 35 Rd1 Qe2
36 Re1
There is a remarkable variation here which both players must have seen.
White can play 36 Qb3+ Kh8 37 c4, apparently trapping the black queen.
Analysis diagram

However, this backfires after the incredible 37 ... Rxb6!! 38 Rxe2 and now
not 38 ... Rxb3 39 Rxe4 but 38 ... fxe2! 39 Qa4 exd1Q+ 40 Qxd1 Rxf2 and
Black wins.
36 ... Qxe3 37 Rxe3 d5
The central pawns give Black the advantage but it is not enough to win.
38 h4
White must tidy up his back rank. Breaking up the black centre with 38 c4
fails to 38 ... Rc8.
38 ... Rc8 39 Ra3 Kf7 40 Kh2 Ke6
Black would like to try to imprison the white king with 40 ... h5 but a swift
jailbreak follows with 41 g4 hxg4 42 Kg3.
41 g4 Rc6 42 Ra6 Ke5 43 Kg3 h6 44 h5
44 ... Kd4
A mistake after which White has no further problems. Black should play 44
... g5 45 hxg6 Rxg6. White has various ways to draw and the following lines
demonstrate the main ideas. 46 Rb5 Rbg7 (46 ... h5 47 Raa5 Rxg4+ 48 Kh3
holds the balance) 47 b7 Rxb7 (forced) 48 Rxd5+ Kxd5 49 Rxg6 Rf7.
Analysis diagram

Black has the threat of 50 ... e3 but with careful defence White can cope, e.g.
50 c4+! Kxc4 51 Rc6+ Kd3 (51 ... Kd5 52 Rc1 draws as Black has no way to
improve his position) 52 Rd6+ Ke2 53 Rxh6 with a draw as now 53 ... e3
actually loses after 54 Re6.
45 Rb5 Rd6
After his error on the previous move, Carlsen must now be careful. 45 ...
Rxc2 will lose to 46 Raa5.
46 Ra4+ Ke5 47 Rab4 Ke6 48 c4 dxc4 49 Rxc4 Rdxb6 50 Rxe4+ Kf7 51
Rf5+ Rf6 52 Rxf6+ Kxf6 53 Kxf3 Kf7 54 Kg3 draw agreed
As mentioned in the preamble, is it amusing that chess engines such as
Stockfish can analyse complex middlegame positions with incredible depth and
profundity, often indicating correctly within a fraction of a second whether a
complicated sacrificial attack will result in mate or merely lose a lot of material.
However, when presented with the above position they will chug away for hours,
insisting doggedly that White has a clear advantage when any half-decent player
will know that the position is hopelessly drawn.
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 5
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 5
Game Eleven
Orangutan
During the New York tournament of 1924, Dr Savielly Tartakower visited the
New York Zoo. Fascinated by the gyrations of the orangutan, Tartakower
resolved to invent an opening in that singular creature’s honour. He duly
uncorked 1 b4 and unleashed it on the unsuspecting Hungarian grandmaster
Geza Maroczy at his first opportunity.
In game 11, the ceremonial first move was made by Sergey Karjakin, who
holds the record as world’s youngest ever grandmaster (achieving the title at the
age of 12 years and seven months) and was also the most recent challenger to
Magnus Carlsen in 2016. That match ended level after twelve games, but
Carlsen easily won the rapidplay tie-break.
To general consternation Karjakin chose 1 b4 (thus instantly earning himself
the soubriquet Karjoking) which the evidently unamused champion swiftly
replaced with 1 e4. In our conversation after the ceremony, I (RDK) asked
Karjakin if he had any advice for Caruana. He firmly offered the counsel that the
challenger should, at all costs, avoid a quickplay tie-break against Carlsen.
Ironically, this seems the outcome that Carlsen has envisaged and is intending to
bring about.
Far from launching a do-or-die attack with his final white, the champion
adopted a cautious strategy, designed to avoid loss, rather than go outright for
death or glory. True, White retained a microscopic edge and indeed won a pawn.
However, this advantage was very much of the symbolic variety and, after his
final trick was easily avoided by Caruana, the champion acquiesced in the
inevitable.
It now remains to be seen whether Caruana can muster the energy for a last
ditch attack for game 12 or whether he too will acquiesce in a painless peace
treaty, relying on his prowess in the resultant quickplay tie-break should the
main contest result in stalemate.
Carlsen has been widely regarded as the favourite in any such quickplay, but
Caruana has surprised the critics with his depth of preparation to date. So, it may
well be that the challenger has, in a “secret, black and midnight” pre-
championship conclave, succeeded in eliminating his perennial weakness at
speed chess, in which case his confidence will be well placed.
As for game 11, Carlsen adopted a line first introduced by Aron
Nimzowitsch against Frank Marshall in two games from San Sebastian 1911 and
St Petersburg 1914. In both of these encounters White gained the advantage, but
inexplicably failed to convert. Caruana himself had also used this Nimzowitsch
variation to win the most elegant victory of his career, a stunning win against
Ruslan Ponomariov.
Black’s 9 ... Nf6 instead of 9 ... c6 had in fact featured in the leaked video of
Caruana’s preparation, which had so exercised the media several games ago. Be
that as it may, and whether armed with foreknowledge or not, Carlsen made no
effort to refute Black’s conduct of the opening, heading instead for the smallest
of endgame advantages.
Caruana was more than content to agree with speedy simplification,
choosing the cautious 15 ... Rfe8 in preference to the more active 15 ... Ng4.
Mass exchanges led to a minute edge for White as Black’s pawns were the more
vulnerable in the resultant opposite-bishop ending. However, the challenger
really only had to sidestep one obvious trap to secure the draw.
Game 11
Petroff Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3

Carlsen plays the usual move and avoids the rather constipated 4 Nd3 which
he uncorked in game 6.
4 ... Nxe4 5 Nc3
For many years this was viewed as a rather harmless backwater and was
rarely used by elite players. However, in the last decade it has been promoted to
become more or less the main line of the Petroff. White plans to develop swiftly,
castle queenside and then use his slight lead in development to launch an attack.
5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Be7 7 Be3
7 Bd3 Nc6 8 Be3 Bg4 9 Be4 Qd7 10 Qd2 was the continuation of
Nimzowitsch-Marshall, San Sebastian 1911, the first time 5 Nc3 was tried.
7 ... 0-0
By committing his king to the kingside, Black takes an early decision to
unbalance the play. Situations with kings on opposite wings often lead to violent
attacks and counterattacks, so many players prefer 7 ... Nc6 which maintains the
option of castling queenside. This was also seen in a game where the challenger
played white, Caruana-Ponomariov, Dortmund 2014. Play continued 8 Qd2 Be6
(the second Nimzowitsch game, Nimzowitsch-Marshall, St Petersburg 1914
went 8 ... Bg4 9 Be2 Qd7 10 0-0-0 0-0 11 Rhe1) 9 0-0-0 Qd7 10 Kb1 Bf6 11 h3
h6 12 b3 a6 13 g4, when Black capitalised on his decision to delay the placement
of his king by continuing 13 ... 0-0-0. Nevertheless, Caruana slowly built up his
position and eventually engineered one of the most brilliant attacking finishes of
recent years.
White certainly has an edge but it appears that the black defences should
hold. However, 37 g6! proved to be a winning breakthrough. Black is curiously
short of moves. 37 ... Qd6 fails to 38 Qxd6 cxd6 39 Re1 (threatening 40 gxf7
followed by Re7+) 39 ... Kb8 40 Bf5! Re8 (40 ... Bxf5 41 gxf7 and Re8 wins) 41
Bxe6 fxe6 42 g7 Rg8 43 Rxe6 Rxg7 44 Rxd6 winning.
After 37 g6! Black tried 37 ... Rg7 38 gxf7 Bxf7,
allowing the stunning finish 39 Re7!! Qxe7 40 Ba6! Kxa6 41 Qa8 mate.
8 Qd2 Nd7 9 0-0-0 Nf6
Caruana has previously played 9 ... c6. For example, Aronian-Caruana,
Batumi 2018 continued 10 h4 d5 11 Kb1 Re8 12 Bd3 Bc5 13 Rde1 Bxe3 14
Rxe3 Rxe3 15 Qxe3 Nf6 and was quickly drawn. Despite the fact that 9 ... Nf6
had a starring role in the infamous leaked video, Caruana was happy to play the
move, presumably very confident in his preparation.
10 Bd3 c5
Black’s main try. The advance of the c-pawn has many important points. It
prevents White from playing Nd4, a future ... d5 will form a strong centre and it
also creates the possibility of ... a5 and ... Be6 with good counterplay.
A further useful feature becomes clear after 11 Kb1, when Black can
consider the pawn sacrifice 11 ... b5 12 Bxb5 Rb8 13 Bd3 Be6 with a dangerous
initiative.
11 Rhe1 Be6
12 Kb1
This demonstrates a clear lack of ambition from Carlsen as Black now has a
simple forcing sequence that takes him directly into an endgame where he is
most unlikely to lose. 12 Bg5 was tried by the previous challenger Sergey
Karjakin in the game Karjakin-Harikrishna, Shamkir 2016. Black immediately
blundered with 12 ... h6 (12 ... Qa5 13 a3 may give White an edge as he now
threatens the awkward 14 Bf5 but 12 ... d5 instead is equal) which was refuted
by 13 Bxh6! as 13 ... gxh6 14 Qxh6 leaves Black defenceless against White’s
kingside attack.
For example 14 ... Bg4 15 Re4! Nxe4 16 Bxe4 f5 17 Bd5+ Rf7 18 Qg6+ Kh8
19 Bxf7 with carnage.
In reply to 13 Bxh6 Black tried to grovel with 13 ... c4 but after 14 Bxg7
cxd3 15 Qg5 (15 Qh6 Nh7 16 Rxd3 also wins) 15 ... Ne4 16 Qh6 Bg5+ 17 Nxg5
Qxg5+ 18 Qxg5 Nxg5 19 Bxf8 dxc2 20 Rxd6 Kxf8 21 h4 Nh7 22 Kxc2 White
won the endgame easily.
12 Ng5 is another try for White but this is well met by 12 ... Bxa2! the main
point being that after 13 b3, Black liberates his dark-squared bishop with 13 ...
c4! 14 Bxc4 d5. His previously dormant bishop has suddenly leapt into life and
threatens mate on a3. White has no time to save his light-squared bishop and,
after 15 Kb2 dxc4, Black stands better.
12 ... Qa5
13 c4
Pretty much forced as 13 a3 loses too much time and after 13 ... c4 14 Bf1
Ne4 15 Qc1 d5, Black will swiftly charge down on the queenside while White’s
attack on the opposite wing is stillborn.
13 ... Qxd2 14 Bxd2 h6 15 Nh4
White is hoping to gain the bishop pair when he might be able to pretend he
has a slight advantage.
15 ... Rfe8
A straightforward move. If Caruana wanted to maintain any sort of
dynamism in the position he had to try 15 ... Ng4 16 Nf5 Bf6 17 Re2 Rxd8 when
there is more tension on the board although a draw still remains by far the most
likely result.
16 Ng6 Ng4
The point of this manoeuvre is not to threaten White’s kingside pawns ( ...
Nxh2 will never work as f3 in reply will trap the errant knight) but to relocate to
e5 and exchange off one of White’s bishops.
17 Nxe7+ Rxe7 18 Re2 Ne5 19 Bf4 Nxd3 20 Rxd3 Rd7 21 Rxd6
21 b3 allows Black to completely free himself with 21 ... Rad8 and 22 ... d5.
21 ... Rxd6 22 Bxd6 Rd8 23 Rd2 Bxc4 24 Kc1 b6 25 Bf4
Although White will now win a pawn it is, as so often in this match, a purely
symbolic gain as there is no opportunity to convert this material plus into a win.
Opposite-coloured bishop endgames are notoriously drawish and this one is no
exception.
25 ... Rxd2 26 Kxd2
26 ... a6
Bobby Fischer famously made a rash capture with ... Bxh2 in the opening
game of his 1972 match against Boris Spassky.
In this equally dead drawn endgame Fischer continued 29 ... Bxh2?? 30 g3
h5 31 Ke2 h4 32 Kf3. At this point he probably realised that 32 ... h3 (which
would otherwise be good for Black) failed to 33 Kg4 Bg1 34 Kxh3 Bxf2 35 Bd2,
trapping and winning the bishop. Fischer tried to wriggle with 32 ... Ke7 but
after 33 Kg2 hxg3 34 fxg3 Bxg3 35 Kxg3 Kd6 he was unable to avert defeat.
Caruana has no intention of repeating his compatriot’s blunder. 26 ... Bxa2
27 b3 c4 28 Kc3 cxb3 29 Kb2 would win the black bishop.
27 a3 Kf8
Caruana could try to maintain material equality with 27 ... Bf1 but he prefers
to give up a pawn to ensure the activation of his king.
28 Bc7 b5 29 Bd6+ Ke8 30 Bxc5 h5 31 Ke3 Kd7 32 Kd4 g6 33 g3 Be2
In order to be able to win an opposite-coloured bishop endgame with an
extra pawn the aggressor needs to be able to create a passed pawn on the
opposite wing or engineer some kind of breakthrough there. Here it is easy for
Caruana to prevent this from happening.
34 Bf8 Kc6 35 b3 Bd1 36 Kd3 Bg4 37 c4 Be6 38 Kd4 bxc4 39 bxc4 Bg4
40 c5
Ideally White would prefer to keep this pawn on c4 to restrict the black king.
However, whenever the white king moves towards the kingside Black will play
... Be2 and oblige the pawn to advance anyway.
40 ... Be6
In more dynamic situations, opposite-coloured bishop endgames can create
remarkable opportunities for unexpected breakthroughs. Here is a typical
example from the game Kotov-Botvinnik, Moscow 1955.
Much as in the Carlsen-Caruana game, White’s king is minded with the task
of keeping an eye on the extra queenside pawn, here on b3. Although the black
king has advanced it appears that White has a complete blockade. However,
Botvinnik broke this with 59 ... g5!! 60 fxg5 (after 60 hxg5 the advance of the
black h-pawn becomes lethal) 60 ... d4+!! 61 exd4 (analysis shows that 61 Bxd4
Kg3 62 g6 Kxh4 also fails to save White) 61 ... Kg3, when Black wins the h-
pawn and this proved sufficient for victory.
41 Bh6 Bd5 42 Be3 Be6 43 Ke5 Bd5 44 Kf4 Be6 45 Kg5 Bd5 46 g4 hxg4
47 Kxg4 Ba2 48 Kg5 Bb3 49 Kf6 Ba2 50 h4 Bb3 51 f4
With this move Carlsen sets a trap.
51 ... Ba2
Unfortunately for the champion, Caruana is alert and avoids the catastrophic
51 ... Be6?? when 52 f5! is a winning breakthrough à la Botvinnik as it forces
the creation of a passed h-pawn after 52 ... gxf5 or 52 ... Bxf5 53 h5.
52 Ke7 Bb3 53 Kf6 Ba2 54 f5
Caruana now has only one move to avoid defeat but it isn’t very hard to find.
54 ... Bb1
This holds the balance as 55 fxg6 fxg6 creates a hard border between the
white pawn on h4 and the promotion square on h8.
55 Bf2 Bc2 draw agreed
Contemporary major tournaments are always played with time increments,
meaning that every time a player makes a move they have a small amount of
time added onto their (digital) clock. In this world championship match, the
players start with a 100 minute allowance to get to move 40, they have a further
50 minutes for the next 20 moves and then, finally, 15 minutes to complete the
rest of the game. However, every time they make a move, starting from move
one, an increment of 30 seconds is added to their remaining time.
In general, players use up most or all of their thinking time and when the time
controls loom it is not unusual for either or both players to have just minutes left
to play their moves. In game 11 the play was so simple and straightforward that,
quite remarkably, both players had more time on their clocks at the end of the
game than at the beginning.
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 5½
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 5½
Game Twelve
Sword of Damocles
Game 12, the final classical time limit game before the rapid shootouts,
developed into an archetypal example of the myth of the sword of Damocles,
that menacing weapon suspended over the head of any prospective ruler or
leader.
The challenger Fabiano Caruana had to win this game to avoid the grisly fate
of facing champion Magnus Carlsen in the tie-break. Carlsen has always won
such tie-breaks in the past, and also has a generally dominating score at speedier
time controls. A failure to win game 12 by Caruana would put his head directly
under the Damocletian scimitar.
For his part, Carlsen played ruthlessly for the draw, which would bring about
the tie- break. First he deviated from earlier games in the match in the sharp
Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defence by retreating his knight to e7 rather
than b8. Caruana responded with a somewhat bucolic queen manoeuvre, which
contained both some shallow threats and the key to an early draw by repetition,
if he so desired.
As it was, Caruana agonised far too long in the early stages. He ran low on
time and ultimately found his pieces driven back and his position became
uncoordinated.
Castling queenside was a dangerous, but possibly necessary, choice. Black
then developed tactical threats, with ideas such as ... Ba4, possibly followed by a
minor piece sacrifice on b3. Then, on move 25 the grandmaster gallery and the
synod of chess engines were all clamouring for 25 ... b5 or 25 ... exf4, in both
cases opening lines towards White’s king. Instead the champion handed out
some much needed respite by closing off the centre. On move 31 Carlsen, to
universal astonishment, offered a draw, which a relieved and bewildered
Caruana was more than eager to accept.
At that stage Caruana was running dangerously low on time and the initiative
lay with Carlsen who had various different ways to increase the pressure on
White at no real risk to himself. The experts, such as former champion Garry
Kasparov, were baying for Carlsen’s blood while castigating his egregious
cynicism in shutting down the classical combat in favour of the cold calculation
that he will likely triumph in the tie-break.
I think it is fair to say that Carlsen disappointed his fans, frustrated the press
team entrusted with making the match attractive to the general public and
appalled the assembled grandmasters, who unanimously excoriated the decision
to cease hostilities.
Nigel Short lightened the mood and proposed nomination of both players as
joint Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Joking apart, Carlsen disillusioned a lot of
supporters today by bailing out when he should have continued to seek victory.
Game 12
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Nd5 Nxd5 8

exd5 Ne7
In games 8 and 10 Carlsen retreated this knight to b8, which is actually the
more usual move, being preferred in practice over 8 ... Ne7 by a ratio of
approximately 2-to-1.
9 c4
The standard move. In the earlier games with 8 ... Nb8, Caruana chose 9 a4,
keeping the c4-square available for the knight. This plan fails after 8 ... Ne7 as 9
a4 a6 10 Na3 Qa5+ picks up the d-pawn.
9 ... Ng6 10 Qa4 Bd7 11 Qb4
As we saw in previous games in this variation White’s general plan is to take
the initiative on the queenside, usually with some combination of a4, b4 and c5.
To this end, White’s queen manoeuvre looks odd as the queen seems to be
impeding these pawn advances. Nevertheles, it is a popular continuation as it
puts pressure on the slightly weakened black queenside and often obliges Black
to make awkward moves.
11 ... Bf5
11 ... Qb8, keeping it tight at the back, is playable. White can continue 12
Be3 when both 12 ... a6 13 Nc3 Be7 14 Na4 and 12 ... b6 13 a4 give White
something to bite on. These lines demonstrate how the Qa4-b4 idea can force
useful concessions.
12 h4
White probes, hoping to either create a weakness in the black kingside or
force the g6-knight into uncomfortable contortions.
12 ... h5
White forces a “concession” but it is not entirely clear that the insertion of h4
and ... h5 favours White. In Kramnik-Roganovic, Batumi 2018 Black ignored
White’s demonstration with 12 ... a6 13 h5 Nf4 14 Nc3 Be7 15 Be3 but this is
uncomfortable for Black as he is in danger of finding his knight trapped if he is
not careful.
13 Qa4 Bd7 14 Qb4 Bf5
15 Be3
Following the little queen and bishop dance, Caruana gets back to business.
The only previous game that reached this position was a computer clash between
the silicon warriors Houdini (Playing White) and Stockfish which continued 15
Bg5 Qb8 16 Be2. This looks to be a more energetic continuation than Caruana’s
choice.
15 ... a6 16 Nc3 Qc7 17 g3 Be7
18 f3
Caruana is losing the thread of the game. This is a feeble defensive measure
against ... e4 and ... Ne5 but playing f3 leaves White’s position without
prospects. 18 Be2 reminds Black that his h-pawn is vulnerable and keeps White
slightly better.
18 ... Nf8 19 Ne4 Nd7
The knight had no future on g6 so Carlsen has rerouted it to d7 where it helps
in the fight for the c5-square.
20 Bd3 0-0 21 Rh2
Perhaps Caruana is trying to justify his 18 f3 as having created room along
the second rank for this rook but this is a terribly artificial move. There wasn’t
much wrong with 21 0-0 Bg6 22 Qd2 f5 23 Ng5 Bxg5 24 Bxg5 with a balanced
position. Note that 21 Nf6+ (an important general theme in the position) is not
good here on account of 21 ... Nxf6 22 Bxf5 b5, chipping away at the queenside
and undermining the white d-pawn.
21 ... Rac8 22 0-0-0
Following his 21st move his king no longer has anywhere else to go but the
queenside is far from being a secure location.
22 ... Bg6 23 Rc2 f5 24 Nf2
Dreadfully passive. The white knight retreats to a square where it has no
prospects. White must play 24 Ng5 Bxg5 25 Bxg5 (25 hxg5 is also playable),
when Black is very comfortable but does not have a serious advantage.
24 ... Nc5 25 f4
25 ... a5
Black remains on top after this move but it is the first indication that Carlsen
is more interested in maintaining the security of his position than striving for the
knockout blow. The chess engines and commentating grandmasters were united
in recommending that Black should prise the queenside open with either 25 ... b5
or 25 ... exf4 26 Bxf4 and now 26 ... b5.
White has all sorts of problems after 25 ... b5 as 26 cxb5 Nxd3+ is
immediately terminal. Black plans ... a5 and ... b4 with a complete clamp on the
queenside and ideas of ... b3, or maybe ... bxc4 followed by ... Rb8 and ... Bf6
with tremendous pressure against b2. It is very hard to find an acceptable
continuation for White. For example after 26 Bxc5 dxc5 27 Qd2 e4 28 Be2 Bf6
Analysis diagram

White’s position is beginning to look very ugly.
Or 26 Be2 a5 27 Qd2 (27 Qxb5 Be8 traps the queen) 27 ... b4 and now White
can hardly allow ... b3 so must play 28 Bxc5 Qxc5 29 Nd3 Qd4 which also looks
awful for White.
25 ... b5 is a very obvious continuation and not difficult to calculate. It is as
if Carlsen has been presented with an open goal but, rather than shooting to
score, prefers to kick the ball back to the midfield and build up again.
26 Qd2 e4
Strategically Black still stands well but the arteries of the position have now
hardened, somewhat easing White’s defensive problems. Caruana must have
been highly relieved that, for the moment at least, he no longer needed to be
overly worried about the ... b5 lever.
27 Be2 Be8 28 Kb1 Bf6
This sets a small trap. The positionally desirable 29 Bd4 now fails to 29 ...
Ba4 30 b3 Bxb3 31 axb3 Nxb3 with carnage.
29 Re1
29 ... a4
Carlsen gives the impression of playing every single move on general
principles as if he has lost the ability to actually calculate any concrete variations
at all. 29 ... a4 is a reasonable strategic move but he had a far more dynamic
continuation with 29 ... Ba4 (note that 29 ... a4 actually kills this idea and
reduces Black’s attacking options still further). The main point is that 30 b3 is
met by 30 ... Bxb3 31 axb3 Nxb3 32 Qd1 a4.
Analysis diagram
Although Black is a piece down here it is not difficult to see that his position
is overwhelming as his bishop and knight dominate White’s entire army. For
example 33 Bc1 is met by 33 ... Qb6 threatening a discovered check as well as
the useless knight on f2. White has no way to improve his position and Black
will win by invading with his queen on the dark squares, possibly in conjunction
with ... b5. Just how bad this position is for White is confirmed by chess engines
whose top three choices for White in this position are the non-moves 33 Rf1, 33
Rg1 and 33 Rh1 and they assess the position as easily winning for Black.
White must therefore meet 29 ... Ba4 with 30 Rcc1 but now taking a crowbar
to White’s queenside with 30 ... b5 (it may even be better to prepare this with 30
... Rb8) is once again possible. After 31 cxb5 Qb6 32 Bd4 Bxd4 33 Qxd4 Bxb5
34 Bxb5 (the engines indicate, without any great enthusiasm, that White must try
34 Bxh5) 34 ... Qxb5 and White is unlikely to survive.
30 Qb4 g6 31 Rd1 Ra8 draw agreed
Despite having missed chances earlier Black still stands well and the chess
public were astonished and utterly dismayed by Carlsen’s draw offer. The
following instant reaction tweets by former world champions sum up the general
impression.
“In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with
more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids. Tie-
breaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his.” – Garry
Kasparov.
“As a human, as a World Champ this is simply not allowed! I would not
sleep for one month!” – Vladimir Kramnik
“This has to change! FIDE needs to change this rule! No draw offer should be
allowed! There is no draw offer in ping pong, boxing, MMA (mixed martial arts)
and other sports. Fighting draw is no problem. But not because one’s nerves is
shot! Am I wrong?” – Susan Polgar.
Carlsen ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 6
Caruana ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 6
Play-off Game 1
First Blood
Far from being despondent at the 12 consecutive draws played out in the 12
classical games, or depressed by his failure to prosecute the advantage in game
12 itself, Carlsen came out fighting in game 1 of the rapidplay playoff. He
castigated the two former world champions Garry Kasparov and Vladimir
Kramnik for criticising his decision to offer a draw in that game, saying (albeit
with a smile on his face) that they are fully entitled to their own “stupid
opinions” but that he, Magnus, was very bad at accepting advice or opinions
from others and that he had reached his own exalted position by listening only to
himself.
Indeed, as many had expected, Carlsen rapidly imposed his own direction on
the course of play. His reputation for rapid chess is unrivalled and Kasparov
himself was quick to unblot his copy book by complimenting Carlsen on his
exceptional prowess in this department. Most players, according to Kasparov,
trail considerably in accuracy when forced to move at a faster tempo. Carlsen,
though, according to the ex-champion, only suffers a “15 per cent loss in
quality”. Exactly how this “15 per cent” is calculated is a matter for some
conjecture but this utterance was doubtless intended as a compliment. Of course,
depending on his own appraisal of his accuracy, Carlsen may see even this
attempt at atonement in a different light.
Judging by the run of play in game one of the tie-break, it became evident
that Carlsen’s more than relaxed attitude to finishing the match within the 12
classical games was, in a purely results-oriented context, fully justified. Caruana
chose an offbeat and frankly dubious approach to defending against the
champion’s English opening. This involved Black indulging in some curious
early pawn commitments, voluntarily surrendering the bishop pair and wrecking
his own pawn structure for the sake of temporarily gaining an extra, but very
sickly looking, pawn on c4.
Caruana then rallied temporarily, finding a clever defence that confused
Carlsen and led to him overlooking the chance to head for a clearly winning
position. Carlsen obtained a rook endgame with an extra pawn where he had
connected passed pawns. However, his king was horribly cut off on the back
rank and, with accurate play, Caruana could have drawn. Unfortunately for him,
at the critical moment he made an automatic capture of a pawn, overlooking a
sneaky rook check from the champion that fatally misplaced his king.
Play-off Game 1
World Chess Championship Play-off (Game 1) London 2018
English Opening
1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 g3 Bb4 4 e4

A highly unusual move.
4 ... 0-0 5 Nge2 c6
Preparing a curious advance on the queenside which doesn’t do much for
Black’s position. 5 ... d6, following up with ... Nc6 is more natural. Caruana may
have been recalling game 5 from the main match, when he advanced early on
with b2-b4 (as White) in a similar structure but with colours reversed.
6 Bg2 a6 7 0-0 b5 8 d4 d6
Black finds himself playing a sort of King’s Indian or Old Indian Defence
where his king’s bishop is badly misplaced, needing to be on e7 or, preferably,
g7 (after ... g6)
9 a3 Bxc3
Black’s opening is going from bad to worse. Following this timid exchange,
White has a clear advantage. 9 ... Ba5 10 b4 exd4 11 Nxd4 Bb6 is probably not
very good for Black but at least it would be more combative.
If Black wants to make this exchange (9 ... Bxc3) he should be more inclined
to play it on move four when at least it would lead to the creation of doubled
pawns in the white camp.
10 Nxc3
10 ... bxc4
It is difficult to offer Black any good advice here. Although the move played
gains a pawn it wrecks Black’s structure and in the long run he will never hold
on to the extra material. However, 10 ... Nbd7 can be met by 11 d5 when White
has a very pleasant King’s Indian position with more space and the bishop pair.
It is difficult to see how Black will ever obtain counterplay.
11 dxe5 dxe5 12 Na4 Be6 13 Qxd8 Rxd8 14 Be3
14 Nc5 can be met by the imaginative 14 ... Nbd7 15 Nxe6 fxe6. As
Alexander Grischuk observed, once your pawn structure is ruined you shouldn’t
care how much it is ruined. Indeed, although this is undoubtedly good for White,
16 Be3 Rab8 does give Black more counterplay than he is entitled to.
14 ... Nbd7 15 f3
Black has an awful endgame. The extra pawn on c4 is irrelevant as White
has a clear plan to regain it when Black will be left with weak pawns, numerous
weak squares and facing White’s powerful bishop pair.
15 ... Rab8 16 Rac1 Rb3
17 Rfe1
A typically accurate move from Carlsen. 17 Kf2 appears more natural as it
centralises the king and allows the rook to come to the more relevant d1-square.
However, after 17 ... Rdb8 18 Rfd1 c3! is a good move as 19 Rxc3 Rxc3 20 bxc3
is impossible on account of 20 ... Bb3.
17 ... Ne8
The line in the previous note is now less promising as after 17 ... Rdb8 White
replies 18 Bf1 c3 19 Rxc3 Rxc3 20 bxc3 and can meet 20 ... Rb3 with 21 Ra1,
when he can eject the black rook with Bd3-c2. Nevertheless, this was probably a
better try for Black than the passive 17 ... Ne8. At least he has managed to
“equalise" the pawn structures, although White’s bishops will be a potent force.
18 Bf1 Nd6 19 Rcd1
19 ... Nb5
An imaginative defensive try from Caruana that seems to confuse Carlsen.
19 ... Nb7 (to prevent White’s next) appears forced but that would leave Black
with a very passive position. Caruana’s choice seems to lose (and, indeed, should
against careful play) but he has foreseen a clever trick.
20 Nc5 Rxb2 21 Nxe6 fxe6 22 Bxc4 Nd4
Forced as 22 ... Kf7 loses to 23 Bxb5 when any recapture is met by 24 Bg5
winning material.
23 Bxd4 exd4
24 Bxe6+
Caruana’s tactical ingenuity is revealed after 24 Rxd4 Kf7 25 Red1,
Analysis diagram

when Black survives with 25 ... Ne5! 26 Rxd8 Nxf3+, forcing perpetual
check. Nevertheless, Carlsen should still have played 24 Rxd4 and met 24 ... Kf7
with the calm 25 Kh1!, sidestepping Black’s threat.
Black is presented with a whole tempo to defend but it turns out that there
isn’t much he can do with it as White’s d-file pressure is so strong. For example
25 ... Ke7 26 Red1 a5 (attempted trickery with 26 ... Ne5 now fails dismally to
27 Rxd8 Nxf3 28 R1d7+ Kf6 29 Rf8+) 27 Rd6 e5 28 Re6+ Kf8 29 Rxc6 and
Black can resign.
24 ... Kf8 25 Rxd4 Ke7 26 Rxd7+ Rxd7 27 Bxd7 Kxd7 28 Rd1+ Ke6 29 f4
Although White is a pawn ahead with connected passed pawns this endgame
is far from clear as his king is horribly cut off.
29 ... c5 30 Rd5 Rc2 31 h4
White’s kingside pawns become rather stymied after this advance so 31 g4
also comes into consideration. However, this leaves the white pawns vulnerable
along the fourth rank and after 31 ... Re2 32 Rxc5 Rxe4 a draw is looking likely.
31 ... c4 32 f5+
Another possibility is 32 Rd4 which, at first sight, just seems to place the
rook on a very passive square. The point is that if Black plays ... c3 at some
moment then White can reply Rc4 and the combination of White’s Rc4 and
pawns on e4 and f4 create a barrier against the advance of the black king.
32 ... Kf6 33 Rc5 h5 34 Kf1 Rc3
This should draw but the black rook is so powerful on the seventh rank that
he can consider keeping it there, even at the cost of the advanced c-pawn. The
following line is instructive: 34 ... c3 35 Ke1 a5 36 Kd1 Rd2+ 37 Kc1 Rg2 38
Rxc3 Ke5
Analysis diagram

and Black draws easily despite the two pawn deficit.
35 Kg2 Rxa3 36 Rxc4 Ke5 37 Rc7
37 ... Kxe4?
A tragedy for Caruana, who blunders just as the draw is within reach. 37 ...
Ra2+! 38 Kh3 Kxe4
Analysis diagram

39 Rxg7 (39 Re7+ Kf3! 40 Rxg7 Ra1 41 Kh2 Ra2+ is also a draw) 39 ...
Rf2! 40 Re7+ Kd4 (not 40 ... Kxf5 41 Rf7+) leaves White unable to improve his
position.
The chess24.com commentator Anish Giri made an interesting observation
here. He suggested that if this position had occurred in a classical time limit
game where Caruana had got very short of time he would very likely have found
the correct defence with 37 ... Ra2+, even though the clock and board situations
might be the same as in the rapidplay game. His argument was that in a classical
time limit game the players have the mindset of looking for the most accurate
moves whereas in a rapidplay game they are more concerned with playing
“okay” moves quickly.
38 Re7+
A clever tactic, forcing Black’s king to precisely where it does not want to
be. 38 Rxg7 allows Black to escape with 38 ... Ra2+ 39 Kh3 Rf2 40 Re7+ Kd4
(not 40 ... Kxf5 41 Rf7+) and White has no way to improve his position as 41 g4
is met by 41 ... Rf3+ and 42 ... hxg4.
38 ... Kxf5 39 Rxg7 Kf6 40 Rg5
White wins the h-pawn and, with it, the game.
40 ... a5 41 Rxh5 a4 42 Ra5 Ra1 43 Kf3 a3 44 Ra6+ Kg7
The great complexity of chess is indicated by the fact that during the
livestream the elite commentary team of Anish Giri, Peter Svidler and Alexander
Grischuk were temporarily unsure what the result of this apparently
straightforward endgame should be. For a minute or so they seemed to be
thinking that it should be a draw. When the penny eventually dropped Giri made
a good joke, apologising for disseminating fake news. In fact, with a modest
degree of care White wins easily by leaving his king at home and advancing the
pawns.
45 Kg2
White can still go wrong. 45 Kg4 a2 leads to a draw as the white king now
impedes the advance of the g-pawn and there is no way to free this pawn without
allowing simplification into a drawn ending, for example 46 Kg5 Rg1 and Black
will capture the g-pawn.
45 ... Ra2+ 46 Kh3 Ra1 47 h5 Kh7 48 g4 Kg7
48 ... a2 creates a small chance for White to mess up. If 49 Kg2 Kg7 50 g5
then 50 ... Rb1 51 Rxa2 Rb5 is a draw. Instead White must correct his king
position with 50 Kh2 and after 50 ... Kh7 51 g5 Rb1 52 Rxa2 Rb5 he has 53 Rg2
available.
49 Kh4 a2 50 Kg5 Kf7 51 h6 Rb1 52 Ra7+ Kg8 53 Rxa2 Rb5+ 54 Kg6
Rb6+ 55 Kh5 Black resigns
W
As long as White is mindful of stalemate traps this endgame is an easy win.
One pleasing finish is 55 ... Rb5+ 56 g5 Rb6 57 Rf2 Rc6 58 g6 Rc5+ 59 Kg4
Rc4+ 60 Kg5 Rc5+ 61 Rf5 Rc8 62 g7 Rb8
Analysis diagram

and now (among others) 63 Rf8+ Rxf8 64 Kg6 forces the win.

Play-off Games
Carlsen 1
Caruana 0
Play-off Game 2
Crocodilian
At the close of game one there had been a huge shout from the VIP lounge as
assorted Norwegians, Scandinavians and Vikings in general rejoiced in Carlsen’s
victory. His win in game two, however, received a more muted reaction, almost
as if the crowd were feeling pity for Caruana, so great was the gulf in the
respective strengths of champion and challenger at faster rates of play.
In the final few games of the classical phase of the match, Carlsen had
seemed strangely unwilling to attempt to impose himself on proceedings and
many observers suggested he might be suffering from poor form or even a full-
blown crisis of confidence. The alternative, more Machiavellian explanation for
such overt lack of ambition, was that Carlsen was so confident of his superiority
at speed chess, that he was content to keep things level and just wait for the
speed chess tie-breaks.
Game 2 of the play-off added further credibility to this theory. The seemingly
somnolescent Carlsen was in fact acting more like a half-submerged crocodile,
waiting for the moment to pounce on the unsuspecting prey. When the rapidplay
began, the jaws snapped shut and, having won game 1, Carlsen swiftly crushed
Caruana in the second game, thus almost certainly guaranteeing him overall
victory.
Play-off Game 2
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e5

Having taken the lead by winning the first game of the play-off Carlsen
could have opted for a safer opening but clearly felt confident to take Caruana on
in a sharp variation. So, once again, we see the double-edged Sveshnikov
Variation of the Sicilian Defence.
6 Ndb5 d6 7 Nd5 Nxd5 8 exd5 Ne7 9 c4 Ng6 10 Qa4 Bd7 11 Qb4 Qb8
11 ... Bf5 was Carlsen’s choice in game 12 of the main match.
12 h4 h5 13 Be3 a6 14 Nc3 a5 15 Qb3 a4
Amusingly, despite the sharp nature of the position, Black has made four
consecutive moves with his rook’s pawns.
16 Qd1 Be7 17 g3 Qc8
Black must do something about White’s intended Be2 which will
immediately threaten his h-pawn.
18 Be2 Bg4 19 Rc1 Bxe2 20 Qxe2 Qf5
21 c5
A brave, or possibly foolhardy, decision from Caruana. It is certainly the
sharpest try in the position but runs the risk of walking into some Carlsen pre-
game preparation. However, Caruana is already minus one in the play-off, so
maximally sharpening the position is in his interests. 21 Nb5 and 21 0-0 are
simpler choices.
Caruana may also have been recalling his 21 c5 from game 8 – an excellent
advance that led to what should have been a winning position.
21 ... 0-0
White’s idea is that 21 ... dxc5 is met by 22 Bxc5 Bxc5 23 Qb5+ Kf8 24
Qxc5+ with good play.
22 c6
The point of White’s play. He obtains a powerful passed pawn on c6 and a
clamp over the central light squares. The drawback is that his development lags
and his king is not yet safe. This game is an interesting demonstration of just
how important king safety is in rapidplay chess.
22 cxd6 Bxd6 23 0-0 would be unappealing for Caruana as it is less dynamic
and Black would always have chances against the weakened white kingside. He
has to permanently be aware of sacrifices such as ... Nxh4 which, even if not
winning, might lead to perpetual check when a draw is clearly not in Caruana’s
best interests.
22 ... bxc6 23 dxc6 Rfc8 24 Qc4 Bd8
This is an excellent move for many reasons. Firstly it removes the bishop
from danger when White inevitably plays Nd5. Secondly it eyes the a5-square
which proves to be very useful in the ensuing complications for generating
counterplay based on ... Ba5(+) or ... Ra5. The latter move is surprisingly
troubling for White in many variations as it undermines his control of the key
d5-square.
25 Nd5
This is very natural and optically this move looks very good, as White now
has complete central control. Unfortunately for him, as long as Black is now able
to play accurately, the tactics all work in his favour.
Also possible was 25 Nb5, when play becomes absurdly complicated and
calculating correctly is well beyond human ability. We have to rely on engines to
demonstrate the most accurate lines. 25 ... Bc7 is playable but passive, so Black
does better to counterattack with 25 ... Qf3.
Play continues 26 Nxd6 (White has already crossed the Rubicon as 26 0-0 d5
is very good for Black) 26 ... Qxh1+ (Black can flick in 26 ... Ba5+ 27 Kf1 and
now 27 ... Qxh1+ but engines insist that the immediate capture is more accurate)
27 Ke2.
Analysis diagram

White plans 28 Qxf7+, possibly followed by 29 Ne8, and Black can defend
as follows.
a) 27 ... Qg2 is bad for Black after 28 Qxf7+ Kh7 29 Ne8 Nf4+ 30 Bxf4
Qe4+ 31 Be3 Qg6 32 Qxg6+ Kxg6 33 Nd6 winning.
b) The correct defence is the unbelievable 27 ... Qh3 28 Qxf7+ Kh7 and now
29 Ne8
Analysis diagram

is refuted by 29 ... Qg4+ 30 f3 Nh8!! and Black wins. Therefore White has to
bale out with 29 Nxc8 Rxc8 30 Qf3 Qe6 (better than 30 ... Qg4 31 Qxg4 hxg4 32
Kd3 Ne7 33 Rc4 Rxc6 34 Rxa4) 31 Qxh5+ Kg8, when the position is messy but
Black, a piece for two pawns up, has a clear advantage.
25 ... e4
An excellent move. It is tempting to play 25 ... Ba5+ 26 Kf1 Qf3 but after 27
Kg1 Black grinds to a halt and White can untangle with Kh2 and Rhd1.
Instead 25 ... Qf3 26 0-0 e4 has ideas of sacrificing on h4 (e.g. 27 c7 Bxc7 28
Nxc7 Nxh4 29 gxh4 Qg4+ is an immediate draw) but if White holds his nerve he
can keep control with 27 Bf4 Nxf4 28 Nxf4 and meet 28 ... e3, with 29 Kh2 exf2
30 Rc2 when he stands very well.
This latter variation is instructive. After White plays 25 Nd5 Black is,
essentially, strategically lost and must find very accurate tactics to stay in the
game. Although in this variation he seems to achieve a great deal by advancing
... e4-e3 and breaking up White’s king position, it isn’t enough.
26 c7
A blunder, based on an oversight. However, the position is already difficult
for White as the coming ... Ne5 will be very strong. White had to play 26 Bd4.
Now 26 ... Ra5 27 Ne3 Qf3 28 0-0 is met by 28 ... Nxh4 when Black has a very
dangerous attack although engines still assess the position as equal. A stronger
line is 26 ... Ba5+ 27 Kf1 (27 Bc3 is forced but then 27 ... Bxc3+ 28 Rxc3 Ra5
gives Black the advantage).
Analysis diagram
Now the extraordinary dynamism in the black position is demonstrated once
again by the variation 27 ... Bd2! 28 Rc2 Ra5! 29 Ne3 Bxe3 30 Bxe3 Qf3 31
Kg1 Ne5 winning.
26 ... Bxc7 27 Nxc7 Ne5
28 Nd5
Desperation, but Caruana had probably by now noticed that 28 Qd5 is
refuted by the quiet 28 ... Rab8. Despite White’s extra piece he is defenceless
against the numerous threats. The following is a typical finish: 29 Kf1 (not 29 0-
0 Rxc7 30 Rxc7 Nf3+ winning the queen) 29 ... Qf3 30 Kg1 Rxb2 31 Qxd6 Nd3
(the simpler 31 ... Ng4 also wins) 32 Rf1 Rc2 33 Nd5
Analysis diagram

33 ... Nxf2 34 Bxf2 Rxf2 35 Ne3 (35 Rxf2 Rc1+) 35 ... Rxf1+ 36 Nxf1 Rc1
37 Kh2 Qf2+ 38 Kh3 Rxf1.
28 ... Kh7 White resigns
Black sidesteps the fork on e7 and White’s position falls apart. 29 Ne7 is met
by 29 ... Qf3.

Play-off Games
Carlsen 1 1
Caruana 0 0
Play-off Game 3
Monster
“Monster” is how Nigel Short described Magnus Carlsen after his performance
in game three of the play-off of the World Chess Championship Match. Having
established a 2-0 lead, the champion only needed a draw to defend his title but
instead he played remorselessly to crush his challenger, Fabiano Caruana, and
register victory by the score of 3-0.
Carlsen has now won four world title bouts, twice against Viswanathan
Anand and once each against Sergei Karjakin and Fabiano Caruana. The latter
two matches both ended 6-6 and were only decided in the tie-break phase at
which Carlsen excels. On this occasion, Carlsen praised Caruana as being his
most difficult opponent of the three.
Doubtless the long sequence of draws will encourage future speculation on
changes to the world championship format. One thing, though, is clear. Carlsen
has secured his tenure as champion until at least 2020 and thus moves into an
equal category of championship longevity with such greats as José Capablanca,
Tigran Petrosian, Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand, ahead of Max
Euwe, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer. Only
Wilhelm Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik,
Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov held the title for significantly longer
periods. In the modern world, where everything has speeded up, can Carlsen go
on to outperform all these titans?
In game three the champion only needed a draw to defend his title. He
skilfully created a situation where it was exceedingly difficult for Caruana to stir
up any complications at all. As soon as Caruana erred, Carlsen pounced and
finished off the match with a flurry.
Play-off Game 3
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 c4
Needing only to avoid defeat in this game Carlsen chooses a safe line. He
quickly sets up the so-called Maroczy Bind centre with pawns on c4 and e4. The
advantage of this set-up is that whenever Black tries to break the bind with ... d5
the resulting simplification often leads to completely equal positions.
Interestingly, in the final game of the 2016 play-off (where Carlsen, playing
Sergey Karjakin, also needed only to draw) he chose 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 f3, an offbeat line that nevertheless has the advantage of again
allowing White to establish the Maroczy Bind centre with c4 on the next move.
3 ... Nc6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Bc5 6 Nc2 Nf6 7 Nc3 0-0 8 Be3 b6 9 Be2 Bb7
10 0-0 Qe7 11 Qd2 Rfd8 12 Rfd1 Ne5 13 Bxc5 bxc5 14 f4 Ng6 15 Qe3
Carlsen has achieved a very satisfactory position. It is easy for White to

continue playing safe moves and there is little danger of any tactical complexity
arising.
15 ... d6 16 Rd2 a6 17 Rad1 Qc7 18 b3
Carlsen has carefully established a rock-solid fortress and made it difficult
for Black to find any plan that can complicate the position.
18 ... h6 19 g3 Rd7 20 Bf3 Re8 21 Qf2 Ne7
Caruana finds a good try to generate some dynamism. Black’s idea is to
manoeuvre the knight round to c6 and then play ... e5 and ... Nd4.
22 h3 Red8 23 Bg2 Nc6 24 g4
Carlsen is alert and cuts across Black’s plan.
24 ... Qa5 25 Na4
25 ... Qc7
Caruana’s intended 25 ... e5 is refuted by 26 g5 hxg5 27 fxg5 Ne8 28 Nxc5,
exploiting the d-file pin.
26 e5
This isn’t strictly necessary but it prevents Black’s ... e5 plan and simplifies
the position to a situation where White is highly unlikely to lose. This obviously
suited Carlsen perfectly.
26 ... dxe5 27 Nxc5 Rxd2 28 Rxd2 Rxd2 29 Qxd2 Ba8
29 ... exf4 30 Nxb7 Qxb7 31 Qxf4 is just good for White in a simple
position.
30 fxe5
30 ... Qxe5
30 ... Nxe5 runs into 31 Nxe6! fxe6 32 Bxa8 as 32 ... Qa7+ fails to 33 Qd4.
31 Nd7
If winning were important for White he could consider 31 Nxa6 Bb7 32 Qf2
but Carlsen’s continuation is ideal for a player who only needs a draw.
31 ... Qb2 32 Qd6 Nxd7 33 Qxd7 Qxc2 34 Qe8+ Kh7 35 Qxa8 Qd1+ 36
Kh2 Qd6+ 37 Kh1 Nd4
Clearly Caruana can draw with 37 ... Qd1+ but this was of no use to him.
38 Qe4+ f5 39 gxf5 exf5 40 Qe3 Ne6 41 b4
41 ... Ng5
The wrong route for the knight. Objectively correct was 41 ... Nf4 42 c5
Qd1+ 43 Kh2 g5 but then Black can never win the game as his king is so
exposed that White will always be able to give perpetual check.
42 c5 Qf6 43 c6 Ne6 44 a4 Nc7 45 Qf4 Ne6 46 Qd6 Qa1+ 47 Kh2 Nd4 48
c7 Qc3 49 Qc5 Qe3 50 c8Q f4 51 Qg4 Black resigns
Play-off Games

Carlsen 1 1 1
Caruana 0 0 0

Carlsen now retains his title for at least a further two years and takes home
€550,000 as the winner while Caruana gets €450,000. The 1 million euro purse
would have been split 60/40 if the match had been decided after the 12 classical
games.
Carlsen, clearly delighted with his victory, stated, “I’ve been a chess
professional now for many years and my chess career dates even further back
than that and one of the things that I’ve never done very well is listen to other
people’s advice. I’ve always gone my own way ... and it’s brought me this trophy
today!”
He also paid tribute to Caruana, saying “Fabiano is the toughest opponent I
have faced in world championship matches, and in classical chess he has as
much right as I do to call himself the best in the world.”
Caruana admitted that in the tie-break, “I just wasn't playing at his level or
anything close to it.” He also congratulated Carlsen on his victory, saying “This
was a hard fought match to the end, and I want to congratulate Magnus on
defending his title. I was up against one of the most talented players in the
history of chess, and I gave it everything I had. Throughout the championship
I’ve heard from fans around the world and want to thank them for their support. I
feel that we put this beautiful game back on the map in America and hope it will
inspire a new generation of players. I look forward to the opportunity to make
another bid for the title.”
Are 12 Games Enough?
Match Format
The format for this contest is the best of 12 games played at classical time limits,
with 6½ points being sufficient for victory. Should the main match conclude in a
tie, then there will be a single day of rapidplay shoot-outs to determine the title.
It is justifiable to question if this is the optimum format or whether superior
frameworks are available.
In the past, a maximum of 24 games has tended to be the norm, though there
have been monster marathons of 32, 34 and even 48 games, in matches featuring
José Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Viktor Korchnoi, Anatoly Karpov and
Garry Kasparov. Research indicates that 16 games are, in fact, adequate to unveil
the identity of the superior protagonist, a judgement echoed by no less an
authority than five-times world champion Mikhail Botvinnik.
Botvinnik added that after game 16 the players become too exhausted to
continue at full strength, another argument supporting the 16-game thesis. In the
past, though, a tied match left the incumbent in possession of the title, with no
play-off. Hence the current format – shortening the main match to 12 encounters
but adding a play-off to enable an outright winner – appears to be a reasonable
compromise but, in the light of this match, may not be sufficient.
60 years ago Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov fought for the championship in
Moscow. The dramatic game 18, two beyond the magic 16, demonstrates the
kind of exhaustion that Botvinnik abhorred.
White: Mikhail Botvinnik

Black: Vasily Smyslov
World Chess Championship (Game 18) Moscow 1958
23 Bh3?
Botvinnik misses the chance for a brilliant win with 23 Nd4!! with the
following variations.
a) 23 ... cxd4
Analysis diagram

24 Bd5+! (not 24 Re7 which is beaten off by 24 ... Nxe7 25 Rxe7 Qd1+ 26
Bf1 Rf7) 24 ... Kh8 (the point of White’s play is that 24 ... Rxd5 25 Re8 Rxe8 26
Rxe8+ Kf7 27 Qf8 is mate) 25 Re7 Nxe7 26 Rxe7 and mate follows.
b) 23 ... Nxd4 24 Re7! Rf7 25 Bd5! winning
Analysis diagram

as 25 ... Rxd5 26 Re8+ mates as does 25 ... Nf3+ 26 Kh1 Ng5 27 Bxf7+
Nxf7 28 Rxf7 Kxf7 29 Qxh7+ Kf8 30 Qe7+.
c) 23 ... Qxa2 is most easily brushed aside by 24 Ne6.
23 ... Ne5 24 Nxe5 fxe5
25 f4?
A dreadful strategic move, horribly weakening White on the h1-a8 diagonal.
25 Be6+ Kh8 26 f3 would have left White better. Although he is a pawn down
his pieces are very active, his king relatively secure and the black e-pawn weak.
25 f3 at once is met by 25 ... Rde8, preventing the activation of White’s bishop.
25 ... Bc6
26 Qg5??
A horrible blunder. 26 Rxe5 Qxc3 27 Bg2 Qd4+ 28 Kh1 Bxg2+ 29 Kxg2
Rd5 is good for Black but White has definite chances to draw.
26 ... Rde8??
Smyslov overlooks the very obvious 26 ... Rd2, when the threat of 27 ...
Rg2+ forces immediate resignation.
27 Rxe5 Qxc3 28 Rxe8 Bxe8 29 Qe5 Qxe5 30 Rxe5 b6 31 Re7
Black is a pawn up but White has good chances to draw. In keeping with the
standard of the earlier play, White actually went on to win this endgame.
Will things now change as a result of the London match?

In discussions with new FIDE Vice President Nigel Short, I gain the impression
that the governing body will be looking at various possible measures to improve
the current situation and make chess more accessible to the non-expert public.
Personally, I would be in favour of abolishing the time increment, which is
merely an unnecessary cushion for those who cannot handle their clock properly.
The next measure will be, as advocated earlier, to increase the length of the
classical portion of the match. Finally, there will be a move to reduce the number
of free days from one every second game, to one per three or four main games.
All such measures will tend to increase the excitement level of the next
match between Magnus Carlsen and ???

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Byron Jacobs won numerous national junior championships and went on to

World Chess Comes to London

The 2018 World Chess Championship Match

The 2018 World Chess Championship Match, Tie-break

Are 12 Games Enough?

Grandmaster Nigel Short MBE,

Ray Keene OBE

François-André Danican Philidor

Match, London 1747

1 Philidor 8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss 8½

Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais

Match, London 1834

Match, Paris 1843

Anderssen v Szen 4-2

Match, Paris 1858

Match, London 1866

World Championship, USA 1886

World Championship, USA/Canada 1894

World Championship, Havana 1921

World Championship, Buenos Aires 1927

World Championship, Netherlands 1935

World Championship, The Hague/Moscow 1948

World Championship, Moscow 1957

World Championship, Moscow 1960

World Championship, Moscow 1963

World Championship, Moscow 1969

World Championship, Reykjavik 1972

World Championship, Candidates Final 1974

World Championship, Moscow 1985

World Championship, London 2000

World Championship, Mexico 2007

World Championship, Chennai 2013

Carlsen on why he is so good at blitz and rapid, while Caruana tends to

The following is based on an interview I (RDK) conducted with Caruana via

2. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2809)

Berlin Candidates 2018

Key Games from Berlin

White: Alexander Grischuk

White: Fabiano Caruana