Freestyle Summit: Carlsen holds draw with black, beats Caruana 1½-½

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
11/23/2024 – Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious in an entertaining two-game Freestyle Chess match against Fabiano Caruana, held at two stunning venues. The Norwegian claimed a wild first game with white before defending a tense 74-move battle in game two to secure the overall win. Sponsored by Jan-Henric Buettner, the event dazzled with luxury, including a $44 million golden chess set. Just days before the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh, this exhibition showcased Carlsen's brilliance in this innovative format. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy / ChessBase India
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A tricky rook endgame  

Magnus Carlsen claimed victory in his two-game Freestyle Chess match against Fabiano Caruana, securing a win with white in the first game and holding a draw with black in the second. Carlsen triumphed in a chaotic opening game before defending a challenging position to seal the match. The exhibition comes just days before the classical chess World Championship match between Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh.  

Game 1 was held aboard the opulent SilentWorld yacht, while the second encounter shifted to Le Freeport, a high-security underground vault and display space in Singapore. The event was made possible through sponsorship by Jan-Henric Buettner, whose contributions have brought glamour to the chess world. A standout feature of the venue was a chessboard with golden pieces valued at a staggering $44 million.  

In the second game, the opening position was particularly tricky, with knights stationed on the a-file and queens on the h-file complicating development.

Caruana v. Carlsen
Starting position

Caruana, playing with the white pieces, opted for a principled plan, castling queenside and maintaining a solid pawn structure. However, Carlsen's 13...b6 - while appearing natural -proved inaccurate, as it left him vulnerable with a clear weakness on c6, strengthening Caruana's prospects. 

Position after 13...b6
Position after 19.Rxc5 - here Carlsen replied with the strong central break 19...e5

Despite Caruana's advantage, defeating Carlsen proved elusive. The Norwegian maestro steered the game into a rook endgame where Caruana held a pawn advantage but lacked the resources for a decisive breakthrough. According to GM Karsten Müller, the complex endgame offered White some opportunities to press for more, but the position remained objectively drawn throughout the struggle.  

Ultimately, Carlsen held firm in a tense 74-move battle to secure a draw and claim the overall match victory. Reflecting on his performance, he expressed his appreciation for the Freestyle Chess format, and added: "In these situations with little time we end up making some mistakes, but I felt overall I did a good job defending today".   

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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