Half Time

Fabiano Caruana – 王皓 (Wáng Hào)
Candidates Tournament 2020; Yekaterinburg, March 25, 2020
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 Qxd2 14. Nxd2!? And so today Caruana decided to hide himself in the mirror: 14. Bxd2 h6 15. Nh4 Rfe8 16. Ng6 Ng4 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 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 Carlsen – Caruana, London 2018, World Chess Championship match game 11. 14. ... Rad8. The prolific chess writer Cyrus Lakdawala, in his book “Opening Repertoire: The Petroff Defence”, Gloucester Publishers Limited, London, 2019, p. 232, wrote: “14. Nxd2 would be met by the freeing 14. ... d5”. But no! In that case, indeed, 15. Bg5 could be annoying. 15. f3 b6 16. g4 d5 17. g5 Nh5 18. cxd5 Bxd5 19. Ne4

19. ... f5 20. gxf6 Nxf6 (20. ... Bxf6!? 21. Nxf6+ Nxf6=) 21. Bg5 Kf7 22. Ng3 c4 23. Bf1 b5 24. a4 a6 25. axb5 axb5 26. Nf5 Bc5 27. Re5 Bxf3 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rxc5 Rd1+ 30. Ka2 Rxf1 31. Rxb5 c3 32. Bxf6 Kxf6 33. Ne3 Rf2 34. Rf5+ (34. b4 g6=) 34. ... Ke6 35. Ka3 cxb2 36. Kxb2 h5. Or 36. ... Rxc2+! at once, drawing as in the game. 37. h4

37. ... Rxc2+! 38. Kxc2 Be4+ 39. Kd2 Bxf5 40. Ke2 Ke5 41. Kf3 Bd3 ½ : ½.

Caruana is only a point behind, so nothing is yet lost. “Fabi is a perfectionist”, his co-manager, Mehreen Malik, told The New York Times. “I think he’s been relaxed and very positive. There is all still to play for”. Photo © Lennart Ootes.