Four games have been already played at the FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018, in London. After four played games, reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen and the challenger Fabiano Caruana are in a tie with result 2-2 with all games finished in a peaceful manner.
The event has been declared opened at the Gala Opening Ceremony, where European Chess Union was represented by its President Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Secretary General Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou and Vice President Mr. Johann Poecksteiner. After the Opening Ceremony, the players participated in drawing of lots, where Magnus Carlsen picked black pieces for the first round of the Championship.
The long anticipated match for the World Chess Champion has started sharper than spectators expected, with 1. e4 played by Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen answered with Sicilian, and the game proceeded to Rossolimo variation. Carlsen chose combative g5 in the 14th move and continued to enlarge the advantage. By the move 32, Carlsen’s advantage became significant and the evaluation of position was almost winning for the World Chess Champion. Although, the match almost received the leader in the first round of the event, Caruana resisted the pressure and managed to shake hands for draw after 115 moves of fight!
After the great fight of the round 1, the second game started with Magnus’s 1. d4 and Caruana answered with flexible d5. It seemed that Fabiano was better prepared for the opening and surprised the reigning World Chess Champion with 10…Rd8. From that moment, Caruana kept the equality and event reached slightly better position, but it wasn’t enough to win the game.
After two played games, the players had a resting day and then were ready to fight for the 3rd game. Caruana players with white colours, the opening was repeated, and on the board was Sicilian Rossolimo again, with small adjustments and changes by both of players. Already by the 24th move, players exchanged the pieces and left the table with knights and bishops. Without any upsets and mistakes in an endgame, players agreed to a draw in 49th move.
In the fourth game of the match, Carlsen has changed the previous choice to open the game, and played 1. c4. Caruana got the equal position in very early stage of the game and kept it through. After the exchange of a few pieces, it was clear that it will be hard to break the position from any side and soon, Magnus and Caruana signed for the fourth draw.
The 5th round of the match will be played tomorrow at 15:00 (local time) with Caruana having the white pieces. The live transmission of the game can be followed through the Official Website of the Championship, together with live commentary done by GM Judit Polgar and IM Anna Rudolf.
Official Website of the Championship
Photographs by: Niki Riga
