Games
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "229"]
[EventDate "2018.11.09"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Nd7 8.
Be3 e5 9. O-O b6 10. Nh2 Nf8 11. f4 exf4 12. Rxf4 Be6 13. Rf2 h6 14. Qd2 g5 15.
Raf1 Qd6 16. Ng4 O-O-O 17. Nf6 Nd7 18. Nh5 Be5 19. g4 f6 20. b3 Bf7 21. Nd1 Nf8
22. Nxf6 Ne6 23. Nh5 Bxh5 24. gxh5 Nf4 25. Bxf4 gxf4 26. Rg2 Rhg8 27. Qe2 Rxg2+
28. Qxg2 Qe6 29. Nf2 Rg8 30. Ng4 Qe8 31. Qf3 Qxh5 32. Kf2 Bc7 33. Ke2 Qg5 34.
Nh2 h5 35. Rf2 Qg1 36. Nf1 h4 37. Kd2 Kb7 38. c3 Be5 39. Kc2 Qg7 40. Nh2 Bxc3
41. Qxf4 Bd4 42. Qf7+ Ka6 43. Qxg7 Rxg7 44. Re2 Rg3 45. Ng4 Rxh3 46. e5 Rf3 47.
e6 Rf8 48. e7 Re8 49. Nh6 h3 50. Nf5 Bf6 51. a3 b5 52. b4 cxb4 53. axb4 Bxe7
54. Nxe7 h2 55. Rxh2 Rxe7 56. Rh6 Kb6 57. Kc3 Rd7 58. Rg6 Kc7 59. Rh6 Rd6 60.
Rh8 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 Rd8 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+ 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+ 108. Kb3 Kd4 109. Rb6 Kd3 110.
Ra6 Rc2 111. Rb6 Rc3+ 112. Kb2 Rc4 113. Kb3 Kd4 114. Ra6 Kd5 115. Ra8 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2
Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Rd1 Rd8 11. Be2 Ne4 12. O-O Nxc3 13. bxc3 h6 14. a4 Ne7 15.
Ne5 Bd6 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Bf3 Nxf4 18. exf4 Bxe5 19. Rxd8+ Qxd8 20. fxe5 Qc7
21. Rb1 Rb8 22. Qd3 Bd7 23. a5 Bc6 24. Qd6 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+ Kxd7 37. Rb5 Ke6 38. Rb6+ Kf7 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 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. O-O Qc7 7. Re1 e5 8. a3
Nf6 9. b4 O-O 10. Nbd2 Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Nxf3 cxb4 13. axb4 a5 14. bxa5 Rxa5
15. Bd2 Raa8 16. Qb1 Nd7 17. Qb4 Rfe8 18. Bc3 b5 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Ra1 Rxa1+
21. Bxa1 Qa7 22. Bc3 Qa2 23. Qb2 Qxb2 24. Bxb2 f6 25. Kf1 Kf7 26. Ke2 Nc5 27.
Bc3 Ne6 28. g3 Bf8 29. Nd2 Ng5 30. h4 Ne6 31. Nb3 h5 32. Bd2 Bd6 33. c3 c5 34.
Be3 Ke7 35. Kd1 Kd7 36. Kc2 f5 37. Kd1 fxe4 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 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Championship London"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2018.11.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]
1. e4 {Not surprisingly, Caruana sticks to his usual first move.} c5 {Again a
Sicilian by Carlsen, which is logical considering the fact that Black was
doing quite OK in the previous games.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 (3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 {
I would be very interested in which variation Carlsen would chose here, and I
hope we will see this in one of the upcoming games.}) 3... g6 4. O-O $5 {
White diviates from games 1 and 3, where he played Bxc6. This logical move is
also very popular, and played many times on the top level.} Bg7 5. Re1 e5 {
As in the earlier games, Magnus likes to put his pawn on e5 as early as
possible, not allowing e4-e5.} 6. b4 $5 {Played instantly by Caruana and
clearly his preperation. This move made me happy to watch, as it looks sharp
and interesting. The most dangrous scenario for Carlsen would now to be
unprepared for this move. But actually he had faced it before!} (6. c3 {
is how White usually continues when they don't take on c6.}) 6... Nxb4 {
Played after only a few minutes thought, which means that Carlsen was probably
ready for this line.} (6... cxb4 {is what Carlsen answered as a young kid many
years ago, and the move which seems most logical. The game followed:} 7. a3
Nge7 (7... b3 {Played recently by Grischuk with success against Bacrot in
rapid. The point is just to sacrifice the pawn back and keep the a-file closed,
and then to just develop.} 8. cxb3 Nge7 9. Bb2 O-O 10. d4 (10. b4 {0-1 (48)
Bacrot,E (2708)-Grischuk,A (2761) Paris 2017} d5 $1 $146 {And Black is first
to strike in the center with a good game.}) 10... d5 {with a complicated battle
}) 8. axb4 O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Bb2 d6 11. d4 f6 12. Nbd2 $14 {Where Black was
quite passive and the White posistion looks very nice. ½-½ (52) Stellwagen,D
(2524)-Carlsen,M (2553) Wijk aan Zee 2005 CBM 105 [Finkel,A]}) 7. Bb2 {Simply
developing the bishop to a good square and threatening a pawn. Other moves do
not make much sense.} (7. c3 Nc6 8. d4 exd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 $1 $17) 7... a6 {
Again played quite fast, probably meaning that Carlsen was just spending some
time remembering his analyses.} (7... Qc7 {is also a move to consider, just
protecting the pawn.} 8. c3 Nc6 9. d4 d6 {I would be curious to see what
Caruana had planned here, but it looks easier to play White as he has the
attacking chances.} (9... Nf6 10. dxc5 $14 {looks nice for White}) 10. d5 a6
11. Na3 Ke7 $13 {With an unclear and very sharp game. I believe that White has
compensation for a pawn at least, but if he is better or not remains a
question. Black went on to win a fighting game in 0-1 (44) Rapport,R (2676)
-Granda Zuniga,J (2665) Camarinas 2013}) 8. a3 {The only challenging move,
still in Caruana's preperation.} (8. Bf1 $2 {Just does not make sense, and
after} Nc6 {White cannot play Bxc6 and Black remains a pawn up.}) 8... axb5 {
Played after 5 minutes of thought, and I believe it was still in his
preperation. This leads to some simplifications, which is usually beneficial
for the defending side:} (8... Nc6 9. Bxc6 dxc6 10. Nxe5 Nf6 11. Nf3 {Was also
a possibility, but I would chose White as he has the better structure here.})
9. axb4 Rxa1 10. Bxa1 d6 {Defending the important e5 pawn.} (10... cxb4 11.
Bxe5 $1 {Does not look so healthy for Black} Bxe5 12. Nxe5 Ne7 13. Qe2 $14) 11.
bxc5 Ne7 {Finally Black gets time to develop his knight and is preparing to
get the king to safety. White must try to create something fast, as if Black
gets one more developing move he has a perfectly fine posistion with the
bishop pair.} 12. Qe2 {Forcing the play. Still blitzed out by Caruana and his
prep, although it does not lead to much:} (12. cxd6 Qxd6 13. d4 {Looked very
logical to me, opening up the game before Black has castled.} exd4 14. Bxd4 (
14. e5 Qb4 15. Nxd4 (15. Qxd4 Qxd4 16. Nxd4 b4 {Black will castle next and
have nothing to worry about.}) 15... O-O {Black has activity and a nice
posistion}) 14... O-O 15. Bxg7 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Kxg7 {A critical posistion. The
question remains if White can create something against Black's doubled pawns
in this ending, but probably Black is too active.} 17. Na3 (17. Nd4 b4 18. Nd2
Rd8 $132) 17... b4 18. Nc4 Nc6 $11) 12... b4 {The only move which saves the
pawn.} (12... O-O $2 13. Qxb5 $16 {Would just lose a pawn.}) 13. Qc4 {Renewing
the threat and stopping Black from castling.} (13. c3 Nc6 14. cxb4 dxc5 15.
bxc5 Qa5 16. Nc3 Qxc5) (13. Qb5+ Nc6 {and Black should be OK as he gets to
castle next!}) 13... Qa5 $1 {Forcing the queens off:} (13... Nc6 14. d4 $1 {
Seems dangrous for Black:} exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 (15... Nxd4 16. Bxd4 {would lead
to collapse of the Black posistion} O-O 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rd1 $16 {and White
wins a pawn.}) 16. Bxd4 Be6 (16... O-O $2 17. cxd6 Qxd6 18. Bc5 $18 {loses the
exchange.}) 17. Qb5 O-O 18. Be3 {White has a risk-free advantage.}) 14. cxd6 (
14. Bb2 $2 Be6 $17) 14... Be6 (14... Nc6 15. d4 $1 $36 Qxa1 16. d5 {Looks only
fun for White}) 15. Qc7 (15. Qe2 Qxa1 16. dxe7 Qa6 $1 {Black is doing great})
15... Qxc7 16. dxc7 Nc6 $11 {Protecting the important e5-pawn before planning
to eat the pawn on c7 with Kd7. I guess that probably around here the notes of
the players ended, and they are on their own. We have reached a position where
White has a healthier structure, but at the same time Black has the bishop
pair and some activity - I would say enough counterplay for being OK. Still
White needs to spend some tempi to bring the b1-knight to life. Black should
be happy about the outcome of the opening!} 17. c3 {Prepares to bring the
b1-knight into the game.} (17. Rd1 {What I was expecting. Simply preparing to
open up with d2-d4.} Kd7 18. d4 b3 $1 {A surprising move, but it solves the
problems mainly because of the activity:} (18... exd4 19. Nxd4 Nxd4 20. Bxd4
Bxd4 21. Rxd4+ Kxc7 22. Rxb4 Kc6 {and the question is if Black has enough
compensation for the pawn, but it is clear that White is in the driver's seat
at least:} 23. Nc3 Ra8 24. Kf1 $14 {And Black is the one who has to play
precisely in order to make a draw.}) 19. Nxe5+ (19. dxe5+ Kxc7 20. cxb3 Bxb3
$44 {Black is too active and has a nice b-pawn. I would definetly take Black
in this posistion.}) (19. cxb3 Bxb3 $15) 19... Kxc7 $1 (19... Nxe5 20. dxe5+
Kxc7 21. cxb3 Bxb3 22. Rc1+ $14) 20. cxb3 Ra8 21. Nd2 (21. Nc3 Bxb3 $1) 21...
Bxe5 22. dxe5 Ra2 {Although Black is two pawns down, he has enough
compensation: Extremely active and good king, and the b3 pawn should fall at
some point. The White pieces are rather stuck.}) 17... Kd7 (17... b3 $2 18. d4
$18 {is a killer!}) 18. cxb4 Ra8 {Annoying move. Although he could take on c7,
it makes more sense to get the rook to a better square first.} 19. Bc3 (19. Nc3
$2 Nxb4 $1) (19. Bb2 Ra2 $1) 19... Kxc7 {Black remains a pawn down, but still
White did not solve the b1-knight problem, and Black has a much better king +
bishop pair. Carlsen definetly has an easier posisiton here} 20. d3 {Gets a
new square for the b1-knight.} (20. Ng5 {Actually the only move that reaches
equality. But quite desperate and not so logical..} Bc4 21. Nxh7 {Obviously an
ice-cold way for a human to play...}) (20. Rc1 Kd7 $15) 20... Kb6 $6 (20... b5
$1 $15 {The only chance Carlsen had in the game to be better. The b4-pawn is
weak, and this just seems as a more comfortable posistion to play for Black.
At least Caruana would have to be precise here. Usually Carlsen is always
taking these small chances when he gets them, so I'm a bit curious what he
missed. As the game continued, there was not much happening.} 21. Kf1 (21. Bd2
Rd8 $1 22. Nc3 Rxd3 23. Nxb5+ Kb6 24. Nc3 Nd4 $17 {maybe the line Carlsen
missed?}) 21... Ra4 22. Bd2 Nxb4) 21. Bd2 $1 {Preparing Nc3, and kind of
profylactic against Kb5.} (21. Ng5 Kb5 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Kf1 Bf8 $1) 21... Rd8
(21... Kb5 $6 22. Nc3+ Kxb4 23. Rc1 (23. Na4+ $1)) 22. Be3+ Kb5 (22... Kc7 23.
b5 $1) 23. Nc3+ {White finally gets to develop his knight and the posistion
gets simplified:} Kxb4 24. Nd5+ $1 {Basically a draw is forced.} Bxd5 (24...
Kb3 25. Rb1+) 25. exd5 Rxd5 26. Rb1+ Kc3 27. Rxb7 Nd8 $1 28. Rc7+ Kxd3 {
Black is a pawn up, but White is too active and the d8 knight is stuck to
protect f7. One of the pawns will be lost.} 29. Kf1 h5 (29... e4 $4 30. Ne1# {
Would be a funny mate!}) 30. h3 Ke4 31. Ng5+ Kf5 32. Nxf7 $11 Nxf7 33. Rxf7+
Bf6 {Black offered a draw as there is nothing to play for with 3 against 3
pawns on same side.} 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2018.11.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[Annotator "Adams"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]
{After the second game Carlsen would have been very keen to avoid Caruana
demonstrating how good his preparation is again, but despite a slightly
unexpected first move, he had another frustrating day with the White pieces.}
1. c4 e5 (1... e6 {would be an option to try to steer the game back towards
the QGD of game 2.}) 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 {Although we haven't seen
an Open Sicilian when Caruana is White (yet), here we get one with reversed
colours.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 Re8 (8... Bb6 $5 {was
played by Alexander Grischuk against Pavel Eljanov in the Geneva Grand Prix
last year which brought this line to prominence. Since then many players have
picked up the idea, including myself.}) 9. Bd2 ({Fabiano played the White side
of this position against me!} 9. Ng5 $5 Nf6 10. Qb3 Qe7 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5
Nd8 {Now it's hard to intensify the pressure and Black is not doing badly.} 13.
Qc4 Bd4 $1 {preventing the queen transferring to e4.} (13... Bb6 14. Qe4) 14.
Bg2 h6 15. Nf3 Nc6 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. fxe3 e4 18. dxe4 {The Irish pawn centre as
Tony Miles dubbed tripled pawns is often not as bad as it looks - here the
position is roughly balanced.} a5 19. a3 Ra6 20. Rac1 Rb6 21. Rc2 Be6 22. Qc3
Rb3 23. Qd2 Rd8 24. Qc1 a4 25. Rc5 Rd7 26. h3 Qd8 27. g4 g6 28. Kh1 Kg7 29. e5
Bd5 30. Kg1 Be6 31. Kf2 Qe7 32. Kg1 Rd5 $6 ({After} 32... Qd8 {it's hard for
either side to do anything, now things went wrong for me.}) 33. Rc4 Ra5 34. Rc2
Bd5 35. Nd4 Nxd4 36. exd4 Rg3 37. Rf3 Bxf3 38. exf3 c6 39. Kh2 Rxg2+ 40. Kxg2
Rd5 41. Rc4 c5 42. Rxc5 Rxd4 43. Qc3 Qd8 44. Rc8 Qb6 45. Re8 g5 46. Re7 Kg8 47.
e6 fxe6 48. Qc2 Kf8 49. Rh7 Qc6 50. Qxc6 bxc6 51. Rxh6 Kf7 52. Kg3 Rd2 53. Rh7+
Kf6 54. Rb7 Ke5 55. h4 gxh4+ 56. Kxh4 Kf4 57. Rf7+ Ke3 58. Kg3 Rd1 59. g5 Rg1+
60. Kh4 Rg2 61. Rf6 e5 62. g6 Rxb2 63. Kg5 Rg2+ 64. Kh6 Rh2+ 65. Kg7 c5 66. Kf7
c4 67. g7 Rh7 68. Ra6 {1-0 (68) Caruana,F (2799)-Adams,M (2715) London 2017})
9... Nxc3 10. Bxc3 ({It looks more natural to capture towards the centre} 10.
bxc3 {but then White's minor pieces are in each other's way after} h6 $5 (10...
e4 $5 11. dxe4 Qe7 {could also be interesting.})) 10... Nd4 ({Not the only
move, but it counters White's threat:} 10... a5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. d4 $14) 11.
b4 ({Magnus was already thinking a bit here, somewhat surprisingly given
Caruana played this only 5 months ago, in almost his last game against the
English!} 11. Rc1 Bb6 12. Re1 Bg4 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. a3 c6 15. Nd2 a5 {Black
was comfortable here in the blitz game So - Caruana. Magnus chooses a more
critical move, gaining some queenside space.}) 11... Bd6 ({This unnatural move
was played quickly} 11... Bf8 {allows White the option of} 12. Nxe5 Rxe5 13. e3
) (11... Bb6 12. a4 {is also not straightforward.}) 12. Rb1 (12. Nxd4 $5 exd4
13. Bxd4 Bxg3 (13... Bxb4) 14. hxg3 Qxd4 {looks like it could be interesting,
but with home analysis no doubt Black survives.}) (12. e3 $5) 12... Nxf3+ 13.
Bxf3 a6 14. a4 c6 15. Re1 $5 (15. Qc2 $5) ({The critical move must be} 15. b5
$1 {Could} cxb5 $5 (15... axb5 16. axb5 Bd7 (16... Bh3 $2 17. bxc6 bxc6 18.
Bxc6 $16) 17. bxc6 Bxc6 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Qc2 $14 {looks no fun at all for
Black. Perhaps Magnus was concerned 15.b5 would still be within his opponent's
homework.}) 16. axb5 a5 {be Black's idea?}) 15... Bd7 {Preventing the b5 break
for now.} 16. e3 Qf6 (16... Qe7 $5 {was also possible.}) 17. Be4 Bf5 ({A
forcing option} 17... Rad8 $5 {still looks sensible to me.}) 18. Qf3 {Magnus
is also happy to swap material.} Bxe4 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. dxe4 {Black's kingside
structure is ugly but it won't be easy to get at it.} b5 {fixing the pawn on
b4 as a target for the Black bishop.} 21. Red1 ({Another fast move} 21. Rb2 $5
{was another option.}) 21... Bf8 22. axb5 axb5 (22... cxb5 {is met by} 23. Be1
Rec8 24. Rdc1 {preventing the Black rook getting to c4.}) 23. Kg2 {White's
king would like to get to f5 but that's not going to happen.} Red8 24. Rdc1 Kg7
25. Be1 Rdc8 26. Rc2 Ra4 {It's hard for White to improve as he is tied to the
b4 pawn.} 27. Kf3 (27. g4 $5) 27... h5 {A good move taking some space on the
kingside.} 28. Ke2 Kg6 29. h3 f5 {Getting rid of the doubled pawns and
improving the Black king position} 30. exf5+ Kxf5 31. f3 Be7 {The position is
fairly dead and the players bring proceedings to a swift conclusion.} 32. e4+
Ke6 33. Bd2 (33. Rbc1 {can be met by} Kd7 {or} (33... Bxb4 {as in the next
note.})) 33... Bd6 34. Rbc1 {Draw agreed as} Kd7 ({Even} 34... Bxb4 35. Bxb4
Rxb4 36. Rxc6+ Rxc6 37. Rxc6+ Ke7 38. Rh6 Rb2+ {is fine as there is no way to
hide from the checks.}) 35. Rb1 {repeats} 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "160"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nd3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. Nf4 Nc6 7. Nd5 Nd4 8.
Nxe7 Nxe2 9. Nd5 Nd4 10. Na3 Ne6 11. f3 N4c5 12. d4 Nd7 13. c3 c6 14. Nf4 Nb6
15. Bd3 d5 16. Nc2 Bd6 17. Nxe6 Bxe6 18. Kf2 h5 19. h4 Nc8 20. Ne3 Ne7 21. g3
c5 22. Bc2 O-O 23. Rd1 Rfd8 24. Ng2 cxd4 25. cxd4 Rac8 26. Bb3 Nc6 27. Bf4 Na5
28. Rdc1 Bb4 29. Bd1 Nc4 30. b3 Na3 31. Rxc8 Rxc8 32. Rc1 Nb5 33. Rxc8+ Bxc8
34. Ne3 Nc3 35. Bc2 Ba3 36. Bb8 a6 37. f4 Bd7 38. f5 Bc6 39. Bd1 Bb2 40. Bxh5
Ne4+ 41. Kg2 Bxd4 42. Bf4 Bc5 43. Bf3 Nd2 44. Bxd5 Bxe3 45. Bxc6 Bxf4 46. Bxb7
Bd6 47. Bxa6 Ne4 48. g4 Ba3 49. Bc4 Kf8 50. g5 Nc3 51. b4 Bxb4 52. Kf3 Na4 53.
Bb5 Nc5 54. a4 f6 55. Kg4 Ne4 56. Kh5 Be1 57. Bd3 Nd6 58. a5 Bxa5 59. gxf6 gxf6
60. Kg6 Bd8 61. Kh7 Nf7 62. Bc4 Ne5 63. Bd5 Ba5 64. h5 Bd2 65. Ba2 Nf3 66. Bd5
Nd4 67. Kg6 Bg5 68. Bc4 Nf3 69. Kh7 Ne5 70. Bb3 Ng4 71. Bc4 Ne3 72. Bd3 Ng4 73.
Bc4 Nh6 74. Kg6 Ke7 75. Bb3 Kd6 76. Bc2 Ke5 77. Bd3 Kf4 78. Bc2 Ng4 79. Bb3 Ne3
80. h6 Bxh6 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2
Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Nd2 Qd8 11. Nb3 Bb6 12. Be2 Qe7 13. Bg5 dxc4 14. Nd2 Ne5 15.
O-O Bd7 16. Bf4 Ng6 17. Bg3 Bc6 18. Nxc4 Bc7 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21.
Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1 Nd5 23. Qd4 Nxc3 24. Qxc3 Bxg3 25. hxg3 Qd7 26. Bd3 b6 27.
f3 Bb7 28. Bxg6 hxg6 29. e4 Qc7 30. e5 Qc5+ 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 1/2-1/2
[Event "London 2018"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2018.07.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]
{Game 8 of the Carlsen-Caruana match. Many questions are in the air. Are we
going to see the same Sicilian Rossolimo or will we finally see 1.e4 e5? Will
they break the drawing streak and someone draw first blood?} 1. e4 {Fabiano
sticks to his openings as you can see from his games so far. With White he
plays 1.e4 and with Black he does not change his lines. This is not really
surprising as this flow is recommended in many top matches. Plus, Leinier
Dominguez being one of his assistants and a fan of this same system himself, I
think it's safe to assume we will see 1.e4 whenever Fabiano is White here in
London.} c5 {I can't help wondering though why Magnus sticks to the Sicilian
in these games. Against Sergey Karjakin two years ago he only played 1...e5
and had absolutely no problems. I suppose it's a matter of fashion and
personal preference. Before this Championship match the Sicilian was never
really the main opening of Magnus even less so the Sveshnikov.} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.
d4 {Checking what Magnus had prepared against the Open Sicilian, I must say I
am surprised that Fabiano avoided going for 3.Bb5. He must have run out of
good ideas there.} cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 {Now we see the long-awaited
Sicilian Sveshnikov! This opening became very popular during the late 90s and
early 2000s thanks to the effort of Kasparov, Kramnik and Leko. These days it
has a rock solid reputation and is often employed as a barricade to any White
attempts at an advantage. It is obvious Fabiano expected this and accordingly
prepared a special idea. The Sveshnikov holds good memories for me as back in
the days of my youth it was my one and only opening against 1.e4. One of my
first ever chess books was by Mikhail Krasenkow published in 1996! I also had
books by Yuri Yakovich and Dorian Rogozenco on this specific opening. It is
always a pleasure for me to annotate a game on an opening that has good vibes
for me.} 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 {This is the main retreat, the
knight will be transferred to the kingside via d7 later on. Even though I have
not checked the most updated theory here recently, it is known that this is
the most solid option for Black.} ({Retreating to e7 is possible} 8... Ne7 {
where Black's plan next consists of Nf5 followed by ...g6-Bg7.}) 9. a4 {
This is the first surprise. 9.c4 is the main move here. I wonder if Magnus'
team preparation anticipated this. It is not clear yet if this idea poses any
serious threat to the Sveshnikov. I am sure over the board it can be difficult
to face.} ({The normal continuation for most games here is} 9. c4 Be7 10. Be2
O-O 11. O-O a6 12. Nc3 f5 {where we have a typical position. White has a grip
on the queenside while Black has more space on the other flank. The position
should be close to equal. I had this position in some of my games many years
ago. One of them went} 13. f3 Nd7 14. Rb1 Bg5 15. b4 b6 16. a3 $14 {when White
seems slightly better but the game ended in a draw later on. ½-½ (58) Wan,Y
(2471)-So,W (2577) Manila 2008}) 9... Be7 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O Nd7 (11... f5 12.
Bd2 f4) 12. Bd2 {Quiet, refined and dangerous moves like this one are very
much Caruana! Remember 9.Bd2 in the Ruy Lopez against Aronian in the
Candidates? (Though to be fair Grischuk played it first.) Anyway my point is,
there is more to this move than meets the eye.} f5 {This looks like a most
natural response.} (12... Nf6 {Seems like a good move that requires further
research. After} 13. Be3 a6 14. Na3 Qa5 $5 {A funny instance that could work.}
15. c4 Qd8 $5 {The idea is to blockade the queenside dark-squares with a5 and
b6.} 16. Nc2 (16. b4 a5) 16... a5 17. Na3 b6 {Black has accomplished his
strategy and the position now looks very interesting to me.}) 13. a5 a6 (13...
f4 $5 14. Bb4 Nf6 15. c4 a6 16. Nc3 Bf5 17. f3) 14. Na3 e4 {I think Magnus is
playing all the most logical moves here. He fixes the problem of needing more
space for his pieces by securing the e5 post for his knight.} (14... f4 {
is one of the suggestions I saw on the live book.} 15. Nc4 Rf6 {The idea is to
attack on the kingside with Rh6 while keeping the b6 square protected for the
moment.}) (14... Nf6 15. Bb4 Bd7 16. Nc4 Bb5 17. Nb6 Bxe2 18. Qxe2 Rb8 19. f4
$14) 15. Nc4 Ne5 16. Nb6 {Keeping the queenside in check. This protected
knight is very annoying on b6 and it controls many squares. Now White can
always grab the bishop pair if need be.} (16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Bc4 Bd6 18. Re1 Bd7
19. Bf1) 16... Rb8 17. f4 exf3 18. Bxf3 g5 $6 {The best word to describe my
thoughts when I first saw this move is "shocking"! This looks at first sight
like utter desperation. With a powerful knight on b6 tying down Black's
queenside and significantly more space, it looks like White's opportunities
have a substantially higher chance to succeed.} ({It seems to me that much
stronger is} 18... Bf6 19. c3 Nd7 {to get rid of the annoying White knight.
The f6 bishop can then be posted on e5.} 20. Be3 Be5) ({Or Black can also
start with} 18... Nd7) 19. c4 {While watching this game live I thought Magnus
was in deep danger here. His attack does not seem to be going anywhere. At the
same time Black has to be careful not to weaken his king's position. And
White's play on the queenside is definitely faster. We might finally see a
decisive result today!} f4 20. Bc3 ({Trading the light-squared bishops with}
20. Be4 {is a serious option too.} Bf5 21. Bxf5 Rxf5 22. Bc3 {White has a
stable advantage.}) 20... Bf5 (20... Bf6 {is met by the same c5} 21. c5 $1 {
it is incredible how powerful this pawn sacrifice can be.} dxc5 22. d6 Nxf3+
23. gxf3 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Be6 25. Re1 $18 {when White is just totally winning.
The knight on b6 and the pawn on d6 totally bind up Black's forces.}) 21. c5 $1
{Fabiano is playing accurately and powerfully. White wastes no time in
mobilizing his forces at the cost of a pawn.} Nxf3+ (21... Bf6 22. c6 $16) 22.
Qxf3 dxc5 23. Rad1 {This seems like a most natual move. What can be more
instinctive than putting a rook behind a passed pawn? But here White had two
great opportunities that would almost certainly lead to a win.} (23. g4 $1 {
is an enormously powerful move. It kicks away Black's bishop from its ideal
square on f5. After} Bg6 (23... fxg3 24. Qxg3 {leads to a winning attack. After
} Bd6 {White has Be5, with irresistible threats.}) 24. Rad1 Bd6 (24... Bf6 25.
d6 $18 {Once the d-pawn reaches d6, it is over.}) 25. Rfe1 {White is cruising
to the win. Black cannot defend against the rook infiltration on e6. Nc4 is
another huge threat.} c4 26. Re6 Qc7 27. Qh3 $18) (23. Rae1 Bf6 (23... Bd6 24.
Nc4) 24. h4 {also looks absolutely dominating. After} h6 25. hxg5 hxg5 {
We have the now familiar motif} 26. g4 {which just crushes Black's defences.
Of course although in both cases the lines are totally winning for White, lets
be fair. It's easy to see it with a coffee in one hand, a sandwich in the
other, and an incredibly powerful computer analyzing lines right in front of
you. Poor Carlsen and Caruana have to do all the calculating in their heads
over a board.}) 23... Bd6 24. h3 $2 {I suppose Fabiano panicked a little in
the face of the threat of g4. White can opt for more active possibilities at
his disposal.} (24. Qh5 {looks like a natural move to me. If White is afraid
of the g4 push then he can play this.} Qe8 (24... Bg6 {is met by} 25. Qh3 {Now}
Bf5 {can be replied to by the typical} 26. g4 $1 {gaining time and dislodging
the Black bishop.} Bg6 27. Rfe1 f3 28. Re6 {and now Rxg6 is a threat. It seems
that once a White rook gets to e6 Black's defences fall apart.}) 25. Qxg5+ Qg6
26. Qxg6+ hxg6 27. Nc4 {White still maintains a clear advantage in the ending.}
) (24. Nc4 {could be stronger still. Albeit the lines look a bit more like
computer variations. It is probably too hard for a human to find them over the
board.} g4 25. Qf2 f3 (25... g3 26. Qd2 Qh4 27. h3 $18) 26. Rfe1 fxg2 27. Qxg2
{Black's king turns out to be much more vulnerable than White's.}) 24... Qe8 $1
{Black more or less equalizes now and does not give White any second chance
after his mistake.} 25. Nc4 Qg6 {Black manages to mobilize his forces very
comfortably. Now he is ready to fight for control in the center and he is a
pawn up. So Fabiano decides its time to trade pieces.} 26. Nxd6 (26. Rfe1 Rbe8)
26... Qxd6 27. h4 (27. Qh5 Qg6 28. Qxg6+ hxg6 {does not lead anywhere for
White.} 29. d6 {could just be met by} Rbd8) 27... gxh4 28. Qxf4 Qxf4 29. Rxf4
h5 {The last accurate move. It secures the g4 square.} 30. Re1 (30. d6 Bg4 31.
Rxf8+ Rxf8 32. Rd5 Rf5 $11) 30... Bg4 31. Rf6 Rxf6 32. Bxf6 Kf7 33. Bxh4 Re8
34. Rf1+ Kg8 35. Rf6 (35. d6 Re2 $11) 35... Re2 36. Rg6+ Kf8 37. d6 Rd2 38. Rg5
1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.21"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8.
d3 Re8 9. Bg5 Nxc3 10. bxc3 f6 11. Bc1 Be6 12. Bb2 Bb6 13. d4 Bd5 14. Qc2 exd4
15. cxd4 Be4 16. Qb3+ Bd5 17. Qd1 Bxf3 18. Qb3+ Kh8 19. Bxf3 Nxd4 20. Bxd4 Qxd4
21. e3 Qe5 22. Bxb7 Rad8 23. Rad1 Qe7 24. h4 g6 25. h5 gxh5 26. Qc4 f5 27. Bf3
h4 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. gxh4 Rg8+ 30. Kh1 Qf6 31. Qf4 Bc5 32. Rg1 Rxg1+ 33. Kxg1
Bd6 34. Qa4 f4 35. Qxa7 fxe3 36. Qxe3 Qxh4 37. a4 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 Be3 49. Kb7 Bb6 50. Bh3 Be3 51. Kc6 Bb6 52. Kd5 Ba7
53. Ke4 Bb6 54. Bf1 Ke6 55. Bc4+ Kf6 56. Bd3 Ke6 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.22"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
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 O-O 11. O-O Nd7 12. b4 a6 13. Na3 a5 14. bxa5 Rxa5
15. Nc4 Ra8 16. Be3 f5 17. a5 f4 18. Bb6 Qe8 19. Ra3 Qg6 20. Bc7 e4 21. Kh1 b5
22. Nb6 Nxb6 23. Bxb6 Qg5 24. g3 b4 25. Rb3 Bh3 26. Rg1 f3 27. Bf1 Bxf1 28.
Qxf1 Qxd5 29. Rxb4 Qe6 30. Rb5 Bd8 31. Qe1 Bxb6 32. axb6 Rab8 33. Qe3 Qc4 34.
Rb2 Rb7 35. Rd1 Qe2 36. Re1 Qxe3 37. Rxe3 d5 38. h4 Rc8 39. Ra3 Kf7 40. Kh2 Ke6
41. g4 Rc6 42. Ra6 Ke5 43. Kg3 h6 44. h5 Kd4 45. Rb5 Rd6 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 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.24"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[Annotator "TA"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 O-O
8. Qd2 {C42: Petroff Defence: 3 Nxe5 and unusual White 3rd moves} Nd7 9. O-O-O
Nf6 10. Bd3 c5 11. Rhe1 Be6 {LiveBook: 3 Games} 12. Kb1 $146 ({Predecessor:}
12. Bg5 Qa5 13. a3 Rfe8 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Ng5 Bxg5 16. Qxg5 {1/2-1/2 (46) Giri,
A (2772)-Motylev,A (2675) Tbilisi 2017}) 12... Qa5 13. c4 Qxd2 14. Bxd2 {
Threatening Ng5.} h6 15. Nh4 Rfe8 16. Ng6 Ng4 17. Nxe7+ Rxe7 18. Re2 Ne5 19.
Bf4 Nxd3 20. Rxd3 Rd7 21. Rxd6 Rxd6 22. Bxd6 $11 {Endgame KRB-KRB} Rd8 23. Rd2
Bxc4 24. Kc1 b6 25. Bf4 Rxd2 (25... Re8 {looks sharper.} 26. Rd7 Re1+ 27. Kd2
Re2+ 28. Kc3 Bxa2 29. b3 Rxf2 30. Bg3 Rxg2 31. Kb2 f5) 26. Kxd2 {KB-KB} a6 27.
a3 Kf8 28. Bc7 b5 29. Bd6+ Ke8 30. Bxc5 h5 31. Ke3 Kd7 32. Kd4 g6 33. g3 Be2
34. Bf8 Kc6 35. b3 Bd1 36. Kd3 Bg4 37. c4 Be6 38. Kd4 bxc4 39. bxc4 Bg4 40. c5
Be6 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 Ba2 52. Ke7 Bb3 53. Kf6 Ba2
54. f5 Bb1 55. Bf2 Bc2 {Accuracy: White = 55%, Black = 82%.} 1/2-1/2
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2018.11.26"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2018.10.20"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8.
exd5 Ne7 9. c4 Ng6 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Qb4 Bf5 12. h4 h5 13. Qa4 Bd7 14. Qb4 Bf5
15. Be3 a6 16. Nc3 Qc7 17. g3 Be7 18. f3 Nf8 19. Ne4 Nd7 20. Bd3 O-O 21. Rh2
Rac8 22. O-O-O Bg6 23. Rc2 f5 24. Nf2 Nc5 25. f4 a5 26. Qd2 e4 27. Be2 Be8 28.
Kb1 Bf6 29. Re1 a4 30. Qb4 g6 31. Rd1 Ra8 1/2-1/2
