To Be Continued

Magnus Carlsen – Fabiano Caruana
7th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 19, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bxc4 Nxe4 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Qa4+ Nc6 9. Ne5 Bd6!? Apparently Caruana is just clearing out his few last but not least odds and ends from his London suitcases. Both he and Carlsen, however, had good reasons to believe that their story would have taken a different turn from 9. ... Rb8 10. Rd1 [or 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qxc6+ Qd7 14. Qxd5 (14. Bxd5 0-0 15. Qxd7 Bxd7 16. Be3 Bd6 17. b3 a5 18. Rfd1 a4 19. Rac1 axb3 20. axb3 Rfe8 21. h3 Be6 22. Bxe6 Rxe6 23. Bc5 Bxc5 24. Rxc5 g6 25. Rxc7 Rxb3 26. Rcd7 Rb8 27. Rd8+ Rxd8 28. Rxd8+ Kg7 ½ : ½ Aronian – Caruana, 6th Altibox Norway Chess, Stavanger 2018) 14. ... 0-0 15. Qxd7 Bxd7 16. Rd1 Bg4 17. f3 Bc5+ 18. Kf1 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. b3 Bd6 21. h3 Rf5 22. Bd2 Rd5 23. Be1 Bf4 24. g3 Bd6 25. f4 h5 26. h4 Kf7 27. Ke2 Rbb5 28. Kf3 Rf5 29. Rac1 e5 30. Rc4 exf4 31. gxf4 ½ : ½ Mamedyarov – Caruana, 38th SchachBundesliga, Berlin 2019] 10. ... 0-0 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Qxa7 Bd7 13. Qa4 c5 14. Qc2 cxd4 15. Rxd4 Bc5 16. Rh4 h6 17. Bxh6 gxh6 18. Qd2 Nh7 19. Qxh6 Bxf2+ 20. Kxf2 Qf6+ 21. Qxf6 Rxb2+ 22. Kg1 Nxf6 23. Rf1 Kg7 24. Rf3 Rg8 25. Rhf4 Bc6 (25. ... Kh8 26. Rxf6 Rgxg2+ 27. Kf1 Rxh2 28. Ke1±) 26. Rxf6 Bxf3 27. Rxf3± Carlsen – Duda, 81st Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2019. 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qxc6+ Bd7 12. Qf3 0-0 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 Rb8 15. b3 Rb6

16. Ne4. Carlsen resolves to content himself with a very slight structural advantage, thus channelling the game’s outcome towards a likely draw. The immediate 16. d5 was probably the sharpest alternative, with many complex variations (for instance, after 16. ... g5) — and possibly already computer-analysed by Caruana. 16. ... Be7 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. d5 e5 21. Rfc1 a5 22. Be2 c6 23. dxc6 Rxc6 24. Rxc6 Bxc6 25. Rc1 Bd7 26. Rc5 Ra8 27. f4 exf4 28. Bf3 Ra6 29. Kf2 Be6 30. Be2 Ra8 31. Bf3 Ra6 32. Bb7 Ra7 33. Be4 Kg7 34. Kf3 a4 35. Bc2 axb3 36. Bxb3 Rb7 37. Kxf4 Bxb3 38. axb3 Rxb3 39. g3 Rb4+ 40. Kf3 Rb3+ 41. Kf4 Rb4+ 42. Kf3 Rb3+ 43. Kf4 ½ : ½.

Today’s draw thus raises to 17 the number of consecutive draws between Carlsen and Caruana. Photo © Tori (@golddusttori).