Wolrd Chess Championship

[Steve Minkin]

An American is playing for the World Chess Championship for the first time since Bobby Fischer.



26-year old Fabiano Caruana is challenging Magnus Carlsen of Norway, the highest rated player ever. Magnus had the advantage in game one, Fabiano in game two, both ended in draws. Ten games to go.

[Antoine]

https://www.chess.com/wcc2018

[Steve Minkin]

https://www.chess.com/article/view/worl ... en-caruana

Another draw, Caruana had the advantage in the opening against Carlsen's Sicilian, Carlsen may have missed a win in the middle game, two pawns vs a pawn and bishop at the end.

[Antoine]

Note that Magnus will play white in games 6 & 7...

[Steve Minkin]

Five straight draws now, and, yes, Carlsen has white the next two games. Caruana keeps coming up with opening wrinkles, but they've produced nothing decisive. Carlsen's famous for pushing his opponents into long endgames, where his superior physical stamina usually proves decisive. He tested the American's endurance in game one, but Caruana hung in there without faltering for 115 moves and almost seven hours.

[Steve Minkin]

An 80-move draw in game 6, although there is a claim that Fabiano missed a forced mate on move 68. Magnus boldly trying his first King Pawn opening, drawing Fabiano's dreaded Petrov's Defense.

https://www.chess.com/article/view/worl ... en-caruana

[Steve Minkin]

Eleven draws in a row. One game left, Caruana has white, last shot.

If that one is drawn, they will slug it out in one day with four rapid games at 25/10 -- twenty-five minutes on the clock, with ten seconds added for each move. If it's tied then, they go to an even faster time-control for a two-game match. And then to a one-game bullet-paced showdown game. Carlsen is the better player at the more rapidly paced games.

[Steve Minkin]

SHOCK!

Magnus offers a draw in a sharp position in which he had the advantage, positionally and time-wise! Granted, he's heavily favored in the rapid chess tie-breakers; but this is a move that borders on the unsportsmanlike, will piss off chess players around the world, ends the first championship in which all standard games were drawn. Exciting game, stunning and disappointing way for it to end.

[walto]

Rapid playoff reminds me of penalty kicks.

[Steve Minkin]

Yes. And Carlsen rolls off three straight wins to retain his title.