Time was when chess world championship matches included a lengthy getting-to-know-you phase.
When Emanuel Lasker challenged William Steinitz for the world title in 1894, Game 1 of the match was the first time the two had ever competed across the board. When Lasker relinquished the title to Capablanca 24 years later, the two great champions had only played five games prior to the opening of the 1918 match.
It’s not just the old-timers: Soviet rivals Mikhail Botvinnik and Mikhail Tal had never faced each other prior to the 1960 world title match won by Tal, and even Bobby Fischer had only five games against Boris Spassky (two draws and three losses) under his belt before the two paired off in their epic 1972 match in Reykjavik.
With modern travel and the explosion of super-elite events, such paltry head-to-head records are pretty much a thing of the past. As Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen and American challenger GM Fabiano Caruana prepare for their much-anticipated 12-game title bout in London in November, the two can draw on a deep well of mutual history. According to the invaluable chessgames.com, Carlsen and Caruana have already faced each other at least 32 times at classical time controls in tournaments, Olympiads and other events; throw in rapid and blitz games, and the number jumps to at least 55.
Unusually in the world of sports, Carlsen and Caruana continue to compete with one another even as they throw themselves into intense pre-match preparations. (It’s hard to imagine Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier agreeing to a little tune-up sparring session just months before one of their ballyhooed bouts.)
Carlsen enjoys a 10-5-17 edge over his American rival in classical games, and may have increased his psychological edge with a nice win over Caruana last week in the first round of the Norway Chess Tournament in Stavanger, Norway. Carlsen is a notoriously slow starter in tournaments and hasn’t always played well before the adoring home crowds in Norway, but this time he clearly outplays Caruana from the White side of a Bishop’s Opening.
The familiarity of the two stars is evident as early as Move 6, when Carlsen deviates from the 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bg5 line he played at Caruana at the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, which Black won in 34 moves. After 11. Re1 Re8 12. Nf1 b5!? (a new move in this position and a fateful one, as White gets a passed a-pawn that Black never manages to corral) 13. a4 b4 14. cxb4 axb4 15. Ne3 Bb7 16. d4 e4 17. Ne5, Carlsen said he expected the counter-sacrifice 17…Rxe5!? 18. dxe5 Nxe5, when Black has good compensation for the exchange on 19. Qd4 Nc6 20. Qd2 d4 21. Nf5 Ra5.
Instead, Black grabs the offered pawn with 17…Nxe5?! 18. dxe5 Rxe5 19. Qd4 Re7 20. Rac1, when it is White who enjoys strong positional compensation for the pawn. By 21. Red1 h6 22. Rc5, Caruana’s center is blocked, his pawns at d5 and b4 as weak, and the White queen dominates from her post on d4.
Black should have hunkered down, but instead hands White a highly favorable minor-piece ending with 25. Rc1 (see diagram; tougher now for Black was 25…Qa6 26. Qxb4 d4 27. Nc4 Nd5 28. Qb5 Rc7, and White must still find a way to break through) Rc7? (a trade offer Carlsen would say afterwards was “insane” for Black to allow) 26. Rxc7 Qxc7 27. Qxb4 Qc1+ 28. Bd1! (neatly blocking the check and defending the b-pawn) Ba6 29. Qd4, and now it’s white who is a pawn to the good.
After 30. Kh2 Bxd1 31. Nxd1 Qc7+ (the dominating presence of the White queen makes itself felt in lines such as 31…Qa1 32. Ne3 Kg8 33. Nf5 Kh7 34. Ne7 Qa2 35. Nc6 Qb3 36. Ne5 Kg8 37. a5) 32. Kg1 Qc1 33. b4 e3 34. fxe3 Ne4 35. Qxd5 Nd2 36. Qf5+ Kh8 37. Qg4 f5 38. Qe2, White saves his piece and is two pawns to the good. Even the dreaded queen-and-pawn ending can’t keep White from reeling in the point.
Carlsen makes steady progress while shielding his king from checks, and in the final position after 76. Qe3+ Kh7 77. a7 (the passed a-pawn pays off in spades), Black resigns as lines such as 77…Qh1+ 78. Kg8 Qd5 79. Qe7+ Kh6 80. Qf6+ Kh7 81. Qf5+ put an end to all resistance.
Carlsen would later stumble in Stavanger with his first loss to American GM Wesley So, but he still holds a half-point lead with two rounds to go following Monday’srest day. We’ll have full results and maybe some more action from the event next week.
Carlsen-Caruana, 6th Norway Chess Tournament, Stavanger, Norway, May 2018
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Nbxd2 a5 8. c3 Nbd7 9. exd5 cxd5 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 Re8 12. Nf1 b5 13. a4 b4 14. cxb4 axb4 15. Ne3 Bb7 16. d4 e4 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Rxe5 19. Qd4 Re7 20. Rac1 Rd7 21. Red1 h6 22. Rc5 Ra5 23. Rxa5 Qxa5 24. h3 Kh7 25. Rc1 Rc7 26. Rxc7 Qxc7 27. Qxb4 Qc1+ 28. Bd1 Ba6 29. Qd4 Be2 30. Kh2 Bxd1 31. Nxd1 Qc7+ 32. Kg1 Qc1 33. b4 e3 34. fxe3 Ne4 35. Qxd5 Nd2 36. Qf5+ Kh8 37. Qg4 f5 38. Qe2 Ne4 39. Qe1 Qa1 40. a5 Nd6 41. Qd2 Nc4 42. Qd4 Qc1 43. Kf1 Nxe3+ 44. Qxe3 Qxd1+ 45. Kf2 Qc2+ 46. Kg3 g5 47. Qe5+ Kh7 48. Kh2 f4 49. Qd5 Qa4 50. Qf7+ Kh8 51. Qg6 Qxb4 52. Qxh6+ Kg8 53. Qxg5+ Kh7 54. Qh5+ Kg7 55. Qg5+ Kh7 56. h4 Qd6 57. Qh5+ Kg7 58. Qg5+ Kh7 59. h5 f3+ 60. g3 f2 61. Qg6+ Kh8 62. Qxd6 f1=Q 63. Qh6+ Kg8 64. Qe6+ Kh8 65. Qe3 Qb5 66. Qc3+ Kh7 67. g4 Qd5 68. Qc7+ Kg8 69. Kg3 Qe6 70. Qd8+ Kh7 71. Qd3+ Kh8 72. a6 Qe5+ 73. Kh3 Qa1 74. Qd8+ Kh7 75. Qe7+ Kh6 76. Qe3+ Kh7 77. a7 Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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