Count Not the Hours

Fabiano Caruana – Magnus Carlsen
World Chess Championship match game 8; London, November 19, 2018
Sicilian Defence B33

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 12. Bd2 f5 13. a5 a6 (13. ... Nf6 14. Be3 Bd7 15. Nxa7 f4 16. Bb6 Qe8 17. f3 Bd8 18. c4 Bxb6+ 19. axb6 Qd8 20. Qb3 Nh5 21. c5 dxc5 22. Nc6 Qf6 23. Ra7 Ng3 24. Re1 Nxe2+ 25. Rxe2 bxc6 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 ½ : ½ Huschenbeth – Hráček, 37th Mitropa Cup, Le Castella 2018) 14. Na3 e4 15. Nc4 Ne5 16. Nb6 Rb8 17. f4 exf3 18. Bxf3 g5!? A very committal course, which weakens without counterattacking. Maybe Carlsen needed to test himself in hard circumstances. 19. c4! f4 20. Bc3 Bf5

21. c5! A thematic breakthrough, which, however, costed Caruana too much thinking time (more than half a hour). 21. ... Nxf3+ 22. Qxf3 dxc5 23. Rad1. 23. Rae1 was another romantic-strategic concept, after which the game might have eventually assumed the appearance of a kind of King’s Gambit (23. ... Bf6 24. h4). 23. ... Bd6 24. h3!? Probably Caruana’s first intention was 24. Nc4, but then he must have become afraid of ... g5-g4 followed by ... f4-f3, and thus passion was overcome by prudence. Besides that, he could go for 24. Qh5 Bg6 (24. ... Qe8!? 25. Qxg5+ Qg6 26. Qxg6+ hxg6 27. Nc4 finally leads to the win of a Pawn for White, but shall it be enough?) 25. Qh3 with a definite advantage (but no forced win). 24. ... Qe8. Her Majesty comes just in time to rescue the kingdom. 25. Nc4 Qg6 26. Nxd6 Qxd6 27. h4 gxh4 28. Qxf4 Qxf4 29. Rxf4 h5 30. Re1 Bg4 31. Rf6 Rxf6 32. Bxf6 Kf7 33. Bxh4 Re8 34. Rf1+ Kg8 35. Rf6 Re2 36. d6 Rd2 37. Rg6+ Kf8 38. Rg5 ½ : ½.

Magnus Carlsen (right) saved a draw in the eight game of his World Chess Championship match with Fabiano Caruana (left) in London, United Kingdom. Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EFE.