The Soul of the Croupier

Fabiano Caruana – Magnus Carlsen
World Chess Championship match game 12; London, November 26, 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 Ne7!? Both in the eighth and tenth games Carlsen continued with 8. ... Nb8. 9. c4 Ng6. 9. ... a6?? 10. Qa4+− is an old trap. 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Qb4 Bf5 12. h4 h5!? A recent game continued: 13. ... a6 13. h5 Nf4 14. Nc3 Be7 15. Be3 Nd3+ 16. Bxd3 Bxd3 17. h6 0-0 18. Rd1 a5 19. Qb5 e4 20. hxg7 Re8 21. Rxd3! exd3 22. c5! Bg5 23. Qxd3 h6 24. Ne4 dxc5 25. Kf1 Rxe4 26. Qxe4 Bxe3 27. fxe3 Ra6 28. Rh5 Rg6 29. Kg1 Kxg7 30. Rf5 b5 31. Qe5+ Kg8 32. e4 c4 33. Qf4 Qd7 34. a3 Qa7+ 35. Kh2 b4 36. e5 Qd7 37. e6 fxe6 38. Rf8+ Kg7 39. Ra8 Kh7 40. Qd4 Qd6+ 41. Kh1 e5 42. Qxc4 bxa3 43. bxa3 Qxa3?? (Kramnik himself then showed his opponent how Black could have saved the game: 43. ... Qb6! in order to reply 44. Qc8 with 44. ... Qf6 or 44. Re8 with 44. ... Qb1+ 45. Kh2 Rxg2+! 46. Kxg2 Qg6+) 44. Qc7+ Rg7 45. Qc2+ Rg6 1 : 0 Kramnik – Roganović, 43rd Chess Olympiad, Batumi 2018. 13. Qa4 Bd7 14. Qb4 Bf5 15. Be3 a6 16. Nc3 Qc7 17. g3 Be7 18. f3

18. ... Nf8! 19. Ne4 Nd7 20. Bd3 0-0 21. Rh2. Most commentators have criticised both White’s 18th and 21st moves as too artificial. 21. ... Rac8 22. 0-0-0 Bg6 23. Rc2 f5 24. Nf2 Nc5. Black got a comfortable game already, but his next move (... a6-a5 instead of ... b7-b5) also indicates quite clearly that his duty is imposed on him by one or more sponsors. And thus the match will be decided by a tiebreaker of rapid or even blitz games. 25. f4 a5 26. Qd2 e4 27. Be2 Be8 28. Kb1 Bf6 29. Re1 a4. If else, 29. ... Ba4 30. Rcc1 b5! 31. cxb5 Qb6 would have certainly made the game more intense. 30. Qb4 g6 31. Rd1 Ra8 ½ : ½. “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. Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his”, 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kimovich Kasparov tweeted.

Magnus Carlsen (right) and Fabiano Caruana (left) agreed to a draw in the twelfth and last classical game of their World Chess Championship match in London, United Kingdom. Photo: Matt Dunham/AP.