No risking, no pushing, they're just trying to wear each other out. Waiting for obvious mistakes, neither is going to create any serious chances for himself.
I hope Magnus strikes first blood today as white.
Let’s go Fabi!!
I sorta feel like Game 4 (Magnus with White) might be where we see White push a slightly harder, but nothing crazy yet. Magnus may feel now is an opportunity to snatch a point after the very careful play in previous games.
But, like others have said, draws are actually an advantage for Magnus. With each draw his odds of World Champion go up because Fabi isn't on the same level in quicker games.
But, like others have said, draws are actually an advantage for Magnus. With each draw his odds of World Champion go up because Fabi isn't on the same level in quicker games.
Black is OK.
Magnus should/could have won game 1.
Magnus should/could have won game 1.
Every WC match should have at (the very) least one QGD (it just never, ever goes out of fashion haha) and one full English game too ;-) Both boxes ticked after today. Despite the now many draws, this WC encounter has been particularly fascinating so far.
Black very often pretty OK in this match. Fabiano has played the Nezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Bb5 Sicilian attack pretty OK, but then he produced 2 very strange mid-opening pushes cq choices aka Ng4-Kf6 and yesterday in failing to immediately take on a5 (by delaying cq transposing by just one move). Then Magnus got much initiative both times, almost instantly. First game might have been decisive in some very many lines, 3rd game less chances but still pressure possible
Don't forget colours are reversed at the midway point, so as of today, Fabiano was suddenly facing 3 games out of the next 4 with the Black pieces. Today however was safely negotiated (initially a quite nice position, then a more problematic one after Magnus played the very nice Rb1 idea, then Magnus refusing the clear, instant minority attack b5 pawn push, then a quickish draw ensuing) ...so a couple of more hurdles to now quickly come for Fabiano here.
Next game up (G5) and I'd fully predict a resumption of the theoretical debate in the Nezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Bb5 Sicilian. No reason not to. Both sides can very quickly sidestep memorizing theory in this very fluid and complicated anti-Sicilian. Neither player with the upper-hand so far. Caruana twice better in the initial opening exchanges, then Magnus twice better after decidedly lesser Caruana moves. This opening is still up-for-grabs, I'd feel.
As to what Magnus might play as white in his next 2-of-3 games, in this nice and very tempting sequence of colours for him, I just don't know. Will he be tempted to play 1.e4 and then basically allow Caruana's signature and very potent Petroff defense or will they repeat the QGD yet again or will the battle move on to some unexplored (yet) Grunfeld territory etc.
This WC format of just 12 matches seems in one sense just a little bit too short here. It's the big trend in the recent decades to try to quicken Chess up ...but to achieve what audience metric exactly? Certainly not any mainstream TV or popular press audience.
This very defining Chess match comes with a quite paltry $1m prize money at stake, whilst in 1975 about $5m was already available for Karpov-Fischer, that then never happened. Yes, Chess has long been "found-out" by super-computers and even could be seen as being half-solved and yes almost any Chess app on your smartphone now plays better than Carlsen ever can (or will).
But still ...and it's all so very disappointing to see so little interest anymore from the general public towards Chess. Yes, Chess is quite hard to comprehend cq digest and to try to understand, yes it takes just as long as cricket normally does. But this is a very fascinating battle of minds (human minds too). Computer engines are simply unparalleled qua crunching of the basic numbers here in Chess, but they have nothing human about them.
You can count the pretty high numbers of mistakes that both Fabiano and Magnus have made so far, but that has always happened in WC Chess at the very highest level. Heaven help us if computers ever totally enter the frame.
The Nezhmetdinov-Rossilimo Sicilian debate atm is a welcome breath of fresh air here. So very difficult to analyse properly, so uniquely different each time, all themes and ideas long-known, but little explored in practical play at the very highest level. You could choose a lot worse battleground for a high-end WC theoretical debate, where move 7 (or so) is already moving into semi-unexplored territory. Yes, very lop-sided positions and smaller advantages and more unusual play that WC battles of yesteryear ...but just the nature of the beast here.
In 2018, It's quite tough to fight another almost equal player on a semi-equal template. Carlsen-Caruana does seem to be turning out to be just about that though. A very compelling struggle on the 64 squares, between 2 players with so very little to choose between them. Long may that continue! Sadly just the very ultra short 12 classic games, but much mind-game scenarios still possible even within this shortish match timeframe.
I'm loving it at the moment, and Caruana doing better than I though he would have in the beginning of the match. Hoping for some great chess struggles to come soon too. The Rossilimo a great battleground as well.
Black very often pretty OK in this match. Fabiano has played the Nezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Bb5 Sicilian attack pretty OK, but then he produced 2 very strange mid-opening pushes cq choices aka Ng4-Kf6 and yesterday in failing to immediately take on a5 (by delaying cq transposing by just one move). Then Magnus got much initiative both times, almost instantly. First game might have been decisive in some very many lines, 3rd game less chances but still pressure possible
Don't forget colours are reversed at the midway point, so as of today, Fabiano was suddenly facing 3 games out of the next 4 with the Black pieces. Today however was safely negotiated (initially a quite nice position, then a more problematic one after Magnus played the very nice Rb1 idea, then Magnus refusing the clear, instant minority attack b5 pawn push, then a quickish draw ensuing) ...so a couple of more hurdles to now quickly come for Fabiano here.
Next game up (G5) and I'd fully predict a resumption of the theoretical debate in the Nezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Bb5 Sicilian. No reason not to. Both sides can very quickly sidestep memorizing theory in this very fluid and complicated anti-Sicilian. Neither player with the upper-hand so far. Caruana twice better in the initial opening exchanges, then Magnus twice better after decidedly lesser Caruana moves. This opening is still up-for-grabs, I'd feel.
As to what Magnus might play as white in his next 2-of-3 games, in this nice and very tempting sequence of colours for him, I just don't know. Will he be tempted to play 1.e4 and then basically allow Caruana's signature and very potent Petroff defense or will they repeat the QGD yet again or will the battle move on to some unexplored (yet) Grunfeld territory etc.
This WC format of just 12 matches seems in one sense just a little bit too short here. It's the big trend in the recent decades to try to quicken Chess up ...but to achieve what audience metric exactly? Certainly not any mainstream TV or popular press audience.
This very defining Chess match comes with a quite paltry $1m prize money at stake, whilst in 1975 about $5m was already available for Karpov-Fischer, that then never happened. Yes, Chess has long been "found-out" by super-computers and even could be seen as being half-solved and yes almost any Chess app on your smartphone now plays better than Carlsen ever can (or will).
But still ...and it's all so very disappointing to see so little interest anymore from the general public towards Chess. Yes, Chess is quite hard to comprehend cq digest and to try to understand, yes it takes just as long as cricket normally does. But this is a very fascinating battle of minds (human minds too). Computer engines are simply unparalleled qua crunching of the basic numbers here in Chess, but they have nothing human about them.
You can count the pretty high numbers of mistakes that both Fabiano and Magnus have made so far, but that has always happened in WC Chess at the very highest level. Heaven help us if computers ever totally enter the frame.
The Nezhmetdinov-Rossilimo Sicilian debate atm is a welcome breath of fresh air here. So very difficult to analyse properly, so uniquely different each time, all themes and ideas long-known, but little explored in practical play at the very highest level. You could choose a lot worse battleground for a high-end WC theoretical debate, where move 7 (or so) is already moving into semi-unexplored territory. Yes, very lop-sided positions and smaller advantages and more unusual play that WC battles of yesteryear ...but just the nature of the beast here.
In 2018, It's quite tough to fight another almost equal player on a semi-equal template. Carlsen-Caruana does seem to be turning out to be just about that though. A very compelling struggle on the 64 squares, between 2 players with so very little to choose between them. Long may that continue! Sadly just the very ultra short 12 classic games, but much mind-game scenarios still possible even within this shortish match timeframe.
I'm loving it at the moment, and Caruana doing better than I though he would have in the beginning of the match. Hoping for some great chess struggles to come soon too. The Rossilimo a great battleground as well.
How does one watch the actual footage of the game? Is there a simulcast of some sort? All I ever see are board position+commentator. I wanna see the players play!
You could try Norwegian TV live, supposedly possible but not understandable language wise. Or some delayed transmission stuff.
It's a huge shame that this iconic match is not made more readily available. A whole load is being placed behind paywalls, with some part of that going to the players themselves. Quite frustrating though, to try to follow the match very closely ...with some very crippled coverage.
You can do it, but not easily at all, which is a real pity.
It's a huge shame that this iconic match is not made more readily available. A whole load is being placed behind paywalls, with some part of that going to the players themselves. Quite frustrating though, to try to follow the match very closely ...with some very crippled coverage.
You can do it, but not easily at all, which is a real pity.
Thank you @cp560. It is a shame; I would love to see the reactions, and the general vibe of the players. The coverage is totally inadequate here in the States, indeed, in the non-Norwegian-speaking world.
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