[Event "Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge"] [Site "Weissenhaus, Germany"] [Date "2024.02.16"] [Round "13.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2830"] [WhiteTitle "GM"] [WhiteFideId "1503014"] [BlackElo "2804"] [BlackTitle "GM"] [BlackFideId "2020009"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/AAArmstark"] [FEN "nnrkbbrq/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NNRKBBRQ w GCgc - 0 1"] [Variant "Chess960"] [ECO "?"] [Opening "?"] [SetUp "1"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/FO3zez69/5k1yX5Ok"] [Orientation "white"] 1. g4 { [%eval 0.34] } { Magnus stays true to his main weapon in several of these starting positions: The Grob. Of course, openings don't have names in this variant, but Carlsen was seen writing "Grob" under the 'opening' section of his scoresheet, showing an affinity for the much-maligned (in "normal" chess) 1. g4. } { [%clk 1:27:51] } 1... c6 { [%eval 0.58] [%clk 1:26:04] } 2. O-O-O { [%eval 0.59] } { Carlsen seems to be employing the author's preferred strategy for this variant: start by playing the moves that would be most unusual in a game of classical chess. After 1. g4, concretely threatening the b7-pawn, it's hard to resist writing "long castles" on move two of one's scoresheet! } { [%clk 1:26:31] } 2... g5 { [%eval 0.69] [%clk 1:23:06] } 3. h4 { [%eval 0.56] [%clk 1:16:44] } 3... h6 { [%eval 0.95] [%clk 1:22:25] } 4. d4 { [%eval 0.81] [%clk 1:15:56] } 4... d5 { [%eval 0.9] [%clk 1:19:20] } 5. e4 { [%eval 0.82] [%clk 1:11:28] } 5... O-O-O { [%eval 0.94] } { Black is clearly on the back foot, but it's not like there were such obvious improving moves. A difficulty throughout the event, then, is that many of these positions offer such promising play for the attacking side, and, importantly, the same positions are not repeated from one game to the next. Which is to say: one player might get a "friendlier" position to defend with the black pieces one day than the next. Arguably, that was the case here, with the engine giving over a half-point advantage to White by move 2, compared to straight zeroes in yesterday's game. } { [%clk 1:18:05] } 6. Nb3 { [%eval 0.91] [%clk 1:10:41] } 6... Nc7 { [%eval 1.02] [%clk 1:14:21] } 7. Nc3 { [%eval 0.93] [%clk 1:10:01] } 7... e6 { [%eval 0.95] [%clk 1:10:41] } 8. Bd2 { [%eval 0.96] [%clk 1:06:56] } 8... Be7 { [%eval 0.95] [%clk 1:03:13] } 9. f4 { [%eval 0.59] [%clk 1:05:17] } 9... Nd7 { [%eval 0.75] [%clk 1:00:02] } 10. exd5 { [%eval 0.7] [%clk 0:58:39] } 10... cxd5 { [%eval 0.94] [%clk 0:57:51] } 11. fxg5 { [%eval 0.8] [%clk 0:53:16] } 11... hxg5 { [%eval 0.91] [%clk 0:57:46] } 12. h5 { [%eval 0.93] [%clk 0:53:09] } 12... Nb6 { [%eval 1.05] [%clk 0:52:34] } 13. Bd3 { [%eval 1.12] [%clk 0:51:20] } 13... Qh6 { [%eval 1.14] [%clk 0:46:23] } 14. Rgf1 { [%eval 1.34] [%clk 0:44:20] } 14... Rf8 { [%eval 1.41] [%clk 0:43:23] } 15. Qg1 { [%eval 1.35] [%clk 0:42:21] } 15... Bc6 { [%eval 1.25] [%clk 0:35:43] } 16. Be1 { [%eval 1.41] [%clk 0:35:57] } 16... Bd6 { [%eval 1.57] [%clk 0:32:34] } 17. Bg3 { [%eval 1.61] [%clk 0:35:29] } 17... Bxg3 { [%eval 1.52] [%clk 0:26:14] } 18. Qxg3 { [%eval 1.45] [%clk 0:35:27] } 18... Nc4 { [%eval 1.7] [%clk 0:25:32] } 19. Rde1?! { [%eval 1.07] [%clk 0:22:17] } (19. Bxc4! dxc4 20. Nd2 Bd5 21. Nxd5 exd5 22. Rf5 Qa6 23. a3 $16) 19... Nd6 { [%eval 0.98] [%clk 0:23:07] } 20. Nc5 { [%eval 0.94] [%clk 0:21:53] } 20... f5 { [%eval 0.89] [%clk 0:19:49] } 21. Qe5 { [%eval 0.9] [%clk 0:20:20] } 21... Ne4 { [%eval 0.98] [%clk 0:16:06] } 22. a4 { [%eval 1.05] [%clk 0:18:25] } 22... Nxc3? { [%eval 2.48] [%clk 0:11:46] } (22... Nxc5 23. dxc5 d4 24. Nb5 Bxb5 25. axb5 Rd5! 26. Qh2 Rxc5 27. Re5 Rxe5 28. Qxe5 fxg4 29. Rxf8+ Qxf8 30. Kb1 $16) 23. bxc3 { [%eval 2.17] [%clk 0:18:23] } 23... fxg4 { [%eval 2.3] [%clk 0:11:38] } 24. Rxf8 { [%eval 2.05] [%clk 0:15:58] } 24... Qxf8?! { [%eval 3.72] [%clk 0:07:09] } (24... Rxf8 25. Bg6 Qh8 26. Qxg5 Qf6 27. Re5 $16) 25. Qxc7+ { [%eval 2.07] [%clk 0:15:04] } 25... Kxc7 { [%eval 2.17] [%clk 0:07:06] } 26. Nxe6+ { [%eval 2.08] [%clk 0:14:51] } 26... Kd6 { [%eval 2.48] [%clk 0:06:38] } 27. Nxf8 { [%eval 2.38] [%clk 0:14:44] } 27... Rxf8 { [%eval 2.35] [%clk 0:06:36] } 28. h6 { [%eval 2.24] [%clk 0:14:16] } 28... Bxa4 { [%eval 2.5] [%clk 0:05:50] } 29. Re5 { [%eval 2.53] [%clk 0:12:45] } 29... a6 { [%eval 3.78] [%clk 0:05:46] } 30. Rxg5 { [%eval 3.7] [%clk 0:10:25] } 30... Bb5 { [%eval 4.27] [%clk 0:05:43] } 31. Rg6+ { [%eval 3.81] [%clk 0:06:56] } 31... Kd7 { [%eval 4.1] [%clk 0:04:56] } 32. Bxb5+ { [%eval 3.81] [%clk 0:06:04] } 32... axb5 { [%eval 4.07] [%clk 0:04:53] } 33. Rxg4 { [%eval 4.06] [%clk 0:05:36] } 33... Rf1+ { [%eval 3.95] [%clk 0:04:50] } 34. Kd2 { [%eval 4.29] [%clk 0:05:26] } 34... Rf2+ { [%eval 4.05] [%clk 0:04:14] } 35. Kd1 { [%eval 4.07] [%clk 0:05:11] } 35... Rh2 { [%eval 3.65] [%clk 0:03:56] } 36. Rg7+ { [%eval 4.03] [%clk 0:04:44] } 36... Kc6 { [%eval 3.56] [%clk 0:02:14] } 37. h7 { [%eval 3.69] [%clk 0:04:34] } 37... b6 { [%eval 3.98] [%clk 0:01:20] } 38. Ke1 { [%eval 3.64] [%clk 0:04:28] } 38... b4 { [%eval 4.57] [%clk 0:01:06] } 39. cxb4 { [%eval 4.68] [%clk 0:04:16] } 39... Kb5 { [%eval 4.82] [%clk 0:01:03] } 40. c3 { [%eval 4.83] [%clk 0:34:18] } 40... Kc4 { [%eval 4.98] [%clk 0:31:29] } 41. Rc7+ { [%eval 4.74] [%clk 0:34:33] } 41... Kd3 { [%eval 4.78] [%clk 0:31:55] } 42. Kf1 { [%eval 4.81] [%clk 0:34:47] } 42... Ke3 { [%eval 5.13] [%clk 0:31:46] } 43. Kg1 { [%eval 4.71] [%clk 0:35:11] } 43... Rh6 { [%eval 4.95] [%clk 0:32:09] } 44. Kg2 { [%eval 4.93] [%clk 0:35:33] } 1-0