Saturday Night Fever

Magnus Carlsen – Fabiano Caruana
World Chess Championship match game 11; London, November 24, 2018
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 Nf6 10. Bd3 c5 11. Rhe1 Be6 12. Kb1 Qa5 13. c4. The incredible thing is that Carlsen then told NRK he was surprised by something in Caruana’s opening. It sounded too much even for Caruana himself, who candidly noted: “I’m just a bit surprised he was surprised. I thought he was prepared for that”. 13. ... Qxd2 14. Bxd2 h6!? A novelty which does not add much to 14. ... Rfe8 15. Ng5 Bd7 16. f3 Bc6 17. a3 h6 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 Bf8 with a basically equal game, Sasikiran – Miroshnichenko, Winter Chess Classic A 2018, Saint Louis 2018. 15. Nh4 Rfe8

16. Ng6. 16. Nf5 Ng4 may well transpose into the game. 16. ... Ng4. Black has no difficulty in equalising. 17. Nxe7+ Rxe7 18. Re2 Ne5 19. Bf4 Nxd3 20. Rxd3 Rd7 21. Rxd6 Rxd6 22. Bxd6 Rd8 23. Rd2 Bxc4 24. Kc1 b6 25. Bf4 Rxd2 26. Kxd2. And here they are. The promised land is a deadly drawish opposite coloured Bishop endgame. 26. ... 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 ½ : ½.

Magnus Carlsen (left) played to yet another draw with Fabiano Caruana (right) in Saturday’s eleventh game of their World Chess Championship match in London, United Kingdom. Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA.