Roscón de Reyes (King cake)

Fabiano Caruana – Hikaru Nakamura
Candidates Tournament 2022; Madrid, June 17, 2022
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Be6 7. 0-0 Bd6 8. Nb3 Qe7 9. Na5 Rb8. Nakamura has little or no curiosity to know what Caruana had prepared on 9. ... 0-0-0 that after 10. Bd2 Bg4 11. Rb1 Nd7 12. Nc4 Qf6 13. b4 Nf8 gave Black a satisfactory game in Robson – Domínguez Pérez, 63rd U.S. Chess Championship, Saint Louis 2019. 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nd7 13. d4 f6 14. Qd3 h5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 fxe5 17. Nc4 Rd8 18. Nxd6+ cxd6 19. Qe3 g4 20. Nd2 a6 21. b3

21. ... 0-0? This looks very strange, to say the least. 21. ... Rg8! would have kept the game sharp and double-edged. This is not to say that Black’s King, in case of necessity, might also think about castling Queenside by hand with ... Ke8-d7-c8. 22. f3! Qg7 23. fxg4 hxg4 24. Rad1 d5!? This bold advance, if nothing else, drawn the attention of Magnus Carlsen: “Literally does not care about King safety”. 25. exd5 cxd5 26. Rde1 e4 27. Rxf8+ Rxf8 28. c4! Re8 29. cxd5 Bxd5 30. Nf1 Qe5 31. Qh6

31. ... Qg7?! 31. ... Re7 32. Ne3 also leaves White with the better game, but it was probably the best Black could hope for. 32. Qd6 Bc6 33. Ne3 g3

34. hxg3. 34. Rf1! was also very strong, but Caruana is playing with an eye to the clock. 34. ... Qe5 35. Qg6+ Qg7 36. Qd6 Qe5 37. Qh6 Qxg3 38. Rf1 Qg7 39. Qh4 Qh7 40. Qg3+ Qg7 41. Qh4 Bd7 42. Rd1 Be6

43. Nd5 Rf8 44. Qxe4 Qh6 45. Re1 Rd8 (45. ... Bd7 46. Re3+−) 46. Ne7+ Kf7 47. Nf5! Qf6 48. Rf1 Bd5 49. Nh6+ Kg7 50. Qg4+ 1 : 0.

“It’s still only the first game, but it’s always nice to start well”, Caruana eventually said. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova/chess.com.