World Championship Game 8: Carlsen in luck

by André Schulz
11/20/2018 – For the first time in the match, Fabiano Caruana chose to play the Open Sicilian 3.d4 against Carlsen. The World Champion went for the Sveshnikov variation, which would not have been totally unexpected by the Caruana team and the challenger secured some advantage, both on the board and on the clock. But, as GM WESLEY SO and GM YANNICK PELLETIER explain, after a missed opportunity on his 24th move, Caruana let Carlsen equalise and the game ended drawn. | Photos: Nikolai Dunaevsky / World Chess

The Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian is one of the most popular and fascinating replies to 1.e4. Right from the beginning, Black is striving for active and dynamic counterplay, and this results in a double-edge struggle for the initiative. Dutch top grandmaster and six-times national champion Loek van Wely himself has played the Sveshnikov since 1998. On this DVD he comments on his latest encounters with world-class players like Shirov, Anand, Topalov and Kramnik, games which abound with combinatorial ideas and sacrifices; a feast for all fans of tactics.

Record tied

Eight games, eight draws, the chess fans grumble. preferring to see some decisive games between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Yet far from boring, some of these draws have been balanced on a knife's edge. We've been here before: Magnus Carlsen worked out what could have been a clear win in the first game, but then didn't play it. Fabiano Caruana was tantalisingly close to victory in the sixth game last Friday — at least for those with the benefit of super-strong computers — but couldn't break Carlsen's fortress.

German Grandmaster Robert Huebner wrote in his first half analysis (in German): 

"It is not, however, the goal of the World Championship participants to entertain the spectators as effectively as possible. They are concerned with achieving the best possible result. It seems to me a strange contradiction to demand, on the one hand, the content of the games be "thrilling" when, on the other hand, recognising that the element of competition is paramount. If the result is the most important thing, you have to leave it to the players how they want to pursue their goals; they will know best."

Apparently, Carlsen's choice of socks was subject to revision — they mysteriously went from bright red to black during the game!

Monday was the eighth game and the eighth straight draw, tying the record for most consecutive draws to start a World Championship set by Garry Kasparov And Viswanathan Anand, in their 1995 match in New York.

Demis Hassibis

Demis Hassabis, who made the first move, was studying computer science at the University of Cambridge in 1995

This time Caruana had to carry the "burden" of the white pieces again after Carlsen was "forced" to play White in back-to-back Games 6 and 7. It's become a bit of a running joke to say that White used to be considered to have an advantage before this match between the two best players in the world. In London, White had so-far failed to gain the upper hand and, on the contrary, the Black player has been closer to winning on a few occasions.

When Caruana pushed 3.d4 — eschewing the Rossolimo we saw in previous games — the question then became which open Sicilian variation Carlsen would choose?

No Rossolimo this time!

It turns out Carlsen had prepared the Sveshnikov. This sharp variation has been deeply analysed, particularly in the main line after 7.Bg5, where White has a hard time playing for a significant advantage.

Caruana took a different approach with 7.Nd5 and was excellently prepared. For the first time in this World Championship, White came out of the opening with a noticeable advantage.

GM Peter Leko, the 2004 World Championship challenger, commenting on the Chess Club and Scholastic Center's live show "Today in Chess" said:

“With Nd5 you basically force the game into your territory and this is one of the things that the team members really like because they can devote their time and try to find some specific idea where we’re going to try to surprise Magnus and not worrying that he’s going to surprise us again”.

Carlsen responded to White's queenside pawn majority with the aggressive thrust 8...g5, going for counterplay at the expense of opening holes in his kingside.

 
Caruana vs Carlsen, Game 8
Position after 18...g5

Leko:

"Basically these aggressive intentions from the black side are the way to create enough dynamics to counterbalance the problem that you are facing on the queenside. Now we are seeing some position where time is a huge factor. It’s clear that if White gets two extra tempi and gets b4-c5 in then Black’s position will just collapse.”

Caruana did manage to make a key queenside break with 21.c5 and secured a passed d-pawn, but he hesitated at a moment when chess engines' evaluation in favour of White reached their apex on move 24.

 
Position after 23...Bd6

At this critical point, 24.Qh5 is more testing, and Caruana mentioned the line 24...Bg6 25.Qh6 in the post-game press conference as something he considered. Instead, the Challenger played the more timid 24.h3, much to Carlsen's relief, as he immediately removed the option of Qh5 with 24...Qe8. Soon the queens were exchanged and an endgame with opposite-coloured bishops made a draw most likely. On the 38th move, Caruana offered and a draw was agreed.


Game 8 summary

GM Daniel King provides a 5-minute look at the main events of the day:


Leko was a second for Vladimir Kramnik in his match against Anand in Bonn, 2008. As Anand explained himself on "Today in Chess" during Sunday's Game 7, his opening preparation was working best in the first five games against Kramnik. Leko reports having the feeling that if the match had been longer the situation would have changed in favour of Kramnik: “There were simply not enough games and Vishy won the match deservedly”.

In 2013, Leko then worked for Anand against Carlsen in Chennai. They managed to out-prepare Carlsen in the first three games, but Magnus played the Berlin Defence in Game 4 and that changed the psychological dynamic of the match because Carlsen got a boost of confidence as he became more secure with the black pieces. Leko drew a parallel to Caruana's effort in Game 2 in London.

It's worth remembering that the first player to win a game hasn't necessarily fared well historically. Anand lost a game to both Topalov in 2010 and Gelfand in 2012 before going on to win both matches. And of course, Carlsen lost Game 8 to Karjakin in 2016 (see Carlsen vs Karjakin 2016 revisited). Leko articulated why that pattern may have played out before:

“I think winning a game is extremely important but it’s just the beginning of the match. There are still a lot of games and it’s typically also the dynamic of a match [that] once somebody wins, the other one gets much more angry — gets somehow much more focused because he knows he needs to strike back...Until the score is even you know that there is nothing to lose…you have to go for it, and this also gives your opponent a chance and the whole match gets wide open.”

Each passing draw makes a win even more valuable, but also a dramatic rapid tiebreak more likely.


Match standings


Game 8 press conference


Game 8 analysed by GM Wesley So

You can read Wesley So's comments, then watch him think through a trio of devilish studies.

"I can't help wondering though why Magnus sticks to the Sicilian in these games. Against Sergey Karjakin two years ago he only played 1...e5 and had absolutely no problems."

 
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Game 8 of the Carlsen-Caruana match. Many questions are in the air. Are we going to see the same Sicilian Rossolimo or will we finally see 1.e4 e5? Will they break the drawing streak and someone draw first blood? 1.e4 Fabiano sticks to his openings as you can see from his games so far. With White he plays 1.e4 and with Black he does not change his lines. This is not really surprising as this flow is recommended in many top matches. Plus, Leinier Dominguez being one of his assistants and a fan of this same system himself, I think it's safe to assume we will see 1.e4 whenever Fabiano is White here in London. c5 I can't help wondering though why Magnus sticks to the Sicilian in these games. Against Sergey Karjakin two years ago he only played 1...e5 and had absolutely no problems. I suppose it's a matter of fashion and personal preference. Before this Championship match the Sicilian was never really the main opening of Magnus even less so the Sveshnikov. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 Checking what Magnus had prepared against the Open Sicilian, I must say I am surprised that Fabiano avoided going for 3.Bb5. He must have run out of good ideas there. cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 Now we see the long-awaited Sicilian Sveshnikov! This opening became very popular during the late 90s and early 2000s thanks to the effort of Kasparov, Kramnik and Leko. These days it has a rock solid reputation and is often employed as a barricade to any White attempts at an advantage. It is obvious Fabiano expected this and accordingly prepared a special idea. The Sveshnikov holds good memories for me as back in the days of my youth it was my one and only opening against 1.e4. One of my first ever chess books was by Mikhail Krasenkow published in 1996! I also had books by Yuri Yakovich and Dorian Rogozenco on this specific opening. It is always a pleasure for me to annotate a game on an opening that has good vibes for me. 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 This is the main retreat, the knight will be transferred to the kingside via d7 later on. Even though I have not checked the most updated theory here recently, it is known that this is the most solid option for Black. Retreating to e7 is possible 8...Ne7 where Black's plan next consists of Nf5 followed by ...g6-Bg7. 9.a4 This is the first surprise. 9.c4 is the main move here. I wonder if Magnus' team preparation anticipated this. It is not clear yet if this idea poses any serious threat to the Sveshnikov. I am sure over the board it can be difficult to face. The normal continuation for most games here is 9.c4 Be7 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 a6 12.Nc3 f5 where we have a typical position. White has a grip on the queenside while Black has more space on the other flank. The position should be close to equal. I had this position in some of my games many years ago. One of them went 13.f3 Nd7 14.Rb1 Bg5 15.b4 b6 16.a3 when White seems slightly better but the game ended in a draw later on. ½-½ (58) Wan,Y (2471)-So,W (2577) Manila 2008 9...Be7 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 Nd7 11...f5 12.Bd2 f4 12.Bd2 Quiet, refined and dangerous moves like this one are very much Caruana! Remember 9.Bd2 in the Ruy Lopez against Aronian in the Candidates? (Though to be fair Grischuk played it first.) Anyway my point is, there is more to this move than meets the eye. f5 This looks like a most natural response. 12...Nf6 Seems like a good move that requires further research. After 13.Be3 a6 14.Na3 Qa5!? A funny instance that could work. 15.c4 Qd8!? The idea is to blockade the queenside dark-squares with a5 and b6. 16.Nc2 16.b4 a5 16...a5 17.Na3 b6 Black has accomplished his strategy and the position now looks very interesting to me. 13.a5 a6 13...f4!? 14.Bb4 Nf6 15.c4 a6 16.Nc3 Bf5 17.f3 14.Na3 e4 I think Magnus is playing all the most logical moves here. He fixes the problem of needing more space for his pieces by securing the e5 post for his knight. 14...f4 is one of the suggestions I saw on the live book. 15.Nc4 Rf6 The idea is to attack on the kingside with Rh6 while keeping the b6 square protected for the moment. 14...Nf6 15.Bb4 Bd7 16.Nc4 Bb5 17.Nb6 Bxe2 18.Qxe2 Rb8 19.f4 15.Nc4 Ne5 16.Nb6 Keeping the queenside in check. This protected knight is very annoying on b6 and it controls many squares. Now White can always grab the bishop pair if need be. 16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.Bc4 Bd6 18.Re1 Bd7 19.Bf1 16...Rb8 17.f4 exf3 18.Bxf3 g5?! The best word to describe my thoughts when I first saw this move is "shocking"! This looks at first sight like utter desperation. With a powerful knight on b6 tying down Black's queenside and significantly more space, it looks like White's opportunities have a substantially higher chance to succeed. It seems to me that much stronger is 18...Bf6 19.c3 Nd7 to get rid of the annoying White knight. The f6 bishop can then be posted on e5. 20.Be3 Be5 Or Black can also start with 18...Nd7 19.c4 While watching this game live I thought Magnus was in deep danger here. His attack does not seem to be going anywhere. At the same time Black has to be careful not to weaken his king's position. And White's play on the queenside is definitely faster. We might finally see a decisive result today! f4 20.Bc3 Trading the light-squared bishops with 20.Be4 is a serious option too. Bf5 21.Bxf5 Rxf5 22.Bc3 White has a stable advantage. 20...Bf5 20...Bf6 is met by the same c5 21.c5! it is incredible how powerful this pawn sacrifice can be. dxc5 22.d6 Nxf3+ 23.gxf3 Bxc3 24.bxc3 Be6 25.Re1+- when White is just totally winning. The knight on b6 and the pawn on d6 totally bind up Black's forces. 21.c5! Fabiano is playing accurately and powerfully. White wastes no time in mobilizing his forces at the cost of a pawn. Nxf3+ 21...Bf6 22.c6± 22.Qxf3 dxc5 23.Rad1 This seems like a most natual move. What can be more instinctive than putting a rook behind a passed pawn? But here White had two great opportunities that would almost certainly lead to a win. 23.g4! is an enormously powerful move. It kicks away Black's bishop from its ideal square on f5. After Bg6 23...fxg3 24.Qxg3 leads to a winning attack. After Bd6 White has Be5, with irresistible threats. 24.Rad1 Bd6 24...Bf6 25.d6+- Once the d-pawn reaches d6, it is over. 25.Rfe1 White is cruising to the win. Black cannot defend against the rook infiltration on e6. Nc4 is another huge threat. c4 26.Re6 Qc7 27.Qh3+- 23.Rae1 Bf6 23...Bd6 24.Nc4 24.h4 also looks absolutely dominating. After h6 25.hxg5 hxg5 We have the now familiar motif 26.g4 which just crushes Black's defences. Of course although in both cases the lines are totally winning for White, lets be fair. It's easy to see it with a coffee in one hand, a sandwich in the other, and an incredibly powerful computer analyzing lines right in front of you. Poor Carlsen and Caruana have to do all the calculating in their heads over a board. 23...Bd6 24.h3? I suppose Fabiano panicked a little in the face of the threat of g4. White can opt for more active possibilities at his disposal. 24.Qh5 looks like a natural move to me. If White is afraid of the g4 push then he can play this. Qe8 24...Bg6 is met by 25.Qh3 Now Bf5 can be replied to by the typical 26.g4! gaining time and dislodging the Black bishop. Bg6 27.Rfe1 f3 28.Re6 and now Rxg6 is a threat. It seems that once a White rook gets to e6 Black's defences fall apart. 25.Qxg5+ Qg6 26.Qxg6+ hxg6 27.Nc4 White still maintains a clear advantage in the ending. 24.Nc4 could be stronger still. Albeit the lines look a bit more like computer variations. It is probably too hard for a human to find them over the board. g4 25.Qf2 f3 25...g3 26.Qd2 Qh4 27.h3+- 26.Rfe1 fxg2 27.Qxg2 Black's king turns out to be much more vulnerable than White's. 24...Qe8! Black more or less equalizes now and does not give White any second chance after his mistake. 25.Nc4 Qg6 Black manages to mobilize his forces very comfortably. Now he is ready to fight for control in the center and he is a pawn up. So Fabiano decides its time to trade pieces. 26.Nxd6 26.Rfe1 Rbe8 26...Qxd6 27.h4 27.Qh5 Qg6 28.Qxg6+ hxg6 does not lead anywhere for White. 29.d6 could just be met by Rbd8 27...gxh4 28.Qxf4 Qxf4 29.Rxf4 h5 The last accurate move. It secures the g4 square. 30.Re1 30.d6 Bg4 31.Rxf8+ Rxf8 32.Rd5 Rf5= 30...Bg4 31.Rf6 Rxf6 32.Bxf6 Kf7 33.Bxh4 Re8 34.Rf1+ Kg8 35.Rf6 35.d6 Re2= 35...Re2 36.Rg6+ Kf8 37.d6 Rd2 38.Rg5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Caruana,F2832Carlsen,M2835½–½2018B33London 20188

Wesley So published two new opening DVDs: 1.b3, the so called Nimzo-Larsen-Attack, for White and his black secrets in the modern Italian. Get them in a package and save money!


Round-up shows


All games of the match

 
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Translation from German and additional reporting: Macauley Peterson

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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