Waiting for Midnight

Hikaru Nakamura – Fabiano Caruana
7th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 17, 2019
Spanish Game C84

The Sinquefield(s) yearly invite-only chess Cup started yesterday with the same lineup as the 2nd stage of the 5th Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb, Croatia (June 26, 2019 – July 8, 2019). As Fabiano Caruana told Chris Smith in an interview in Forbes just a day earlier, he wishes nothing more but to be once again Magnus Carlsen’s challenger for the World Chess Championship 2020, but, after all, much (if not everything) depends on the ability to pick up new sponsors and win the adulation of new audiences. It’s not too original, but pretty capitalist: a few’s wealth does not come for free — it always costs many others very too dear. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 Be7 7. Re1 b5 8. Rxe4 d5 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. Rxe5 bxa4 11. b3!? This is hardly an improvement on 11. Nc3 0-0 12. Re1 Bd6 13. Qh5 a3 14. Nxd5 axb2 15. Bxb2 Rb8 16. Rab1 Re8 17. Ne3 Bf4 18. d5 Rb4 19. c4 Bxe3 20. Rxe3 Rxe3 21. fxe3 Rxc4 22. Bd4 c5 23. Ba1 f6 24. h3 Qe7 25. Qf3 h6 26. Re1 Re4 27. Kf2 Bd7 with a draw soon following, Caruana – Carlsen, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 2nd stage, Zagreb 2019. 11. ... Be6!? And here is the novelty, though it’s not too new with respect to 11. ... 0-0 12. Ba3 Bxa3 13. Nxa3 Re8 14. Rxe8+ Qxe8 15. Nb1 axb3 16. axb3 Bf5 17. Nc3 Qc6 18. Qd2 Re8 19. Rc1 Qe6 20. f3 h5 21. Kf2 Qd6 22. g3 h4 23. Ne2 Qf6 24. Re1 hxg3+ 25. hxg3 g5 26. Nc3 Rxe1 27. Kxe1 Bg6 28. Nxd5 Qxf3 29. Qxg5 Qe4+ 30. Ne3 Qxd4 31. Qf4 c5 32. Ke2 Bh5+ 33. Ke1 Bg6 34. Ke2 Bh5+ 35. Ke1 Bg6 36. Ke2 ½ : ½ Balogh – Radjabov, 19th European Team Chess Championship, Warsaw 2013. 12. Ba3 Bxa3 13. Nxa3 0-0 14. Nb1 Qd6 15. Nc3 axb3 16. axb3 c5 17. Ne2 f6 18. Re3

This position is slightly more uncomfortable for Black, but Caruana is prepared enough to be able to hold on his own: 18. ... c4! 19. Ng3 cxb3 20. cxb3 g6 21. Qf3 Bf7 22. h3 Rfe8 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qd3 Re6 25. Nf1 Qb6 26. Ne3 Rc6 27. h4 Kg7 28. h5 Qb4 29. Ng4 Be6 30. h6+ Kf7 31. Ne3 a5 32. Qd1 Rc3 33. Ra4 Qxb3 34. Qxb3 Rxb3 35. Rxa5 g5 36. Ra7+ Kg6 37. Ra6 Kf7 38. g4 Rb4 39. Ra7+ Kg6 40. Ra6 Kf7 41. Ra7+ Kg6 42. Ra6 Kf7 43. Ra7+ ½ : ½.

Hikaru Nakamura (standing) vs. Fabiano Caruana (seated). Photo: Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour).