For the second consecutive round of the Altibox Norway Chess Tournament, only one game was decisive. In Round 2 the lone winner was Vladimir Kramnik, who bested the man that wrested the World Championship title from him. Viswanathan Anand had the ...
In Norway, four of the five games petered out into draws. Hikaru Nakamura versus Anish Giri also looked like it might fizzle out, but Nakamura channeled his inner Bobby Fischer by using his rook and bishop to outclass his opponent's rook and knigh...
World Champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Sergey Karjakin enter Wednesday's tiebreaks tied with 6 points apiece. In the 12 games with the classical time control, only two were decisive. Rapid games - 25 minutes to start, with 10 seconds added p...
This post is merely for consistency's sake. It's a travesty that people had to pay anything for tickets to attend this round, as they did not get their money's worth. Of course, the tiebreaks will be of great interest, but until then I am left wit...
Nothing really special today. Magnus Carlsen deviated first, Sergey Karjakin did not get anything of significance, and the game fizzled out into a draw. With one round left and the scored tied 5.5-5.5, Karjakin will need to defend as if his life d...
While I enjoyed my Thanksgiving feast (thanks Dad!), Magnus Carlsen feasted on a blunder by Sergey Karjakin to even the score of the World Championship at 5-5. While many were texting, tweeting, etc. about Karjakin's failure to "immediately draw" ...
Two days after Sergey Karjakin shocked the world by beating Magnus Carlsen, he almost did it a second time. The two followed the game Nakamura-Kasimdzhanov for 20 moves, before Carlsen deviated. He got himself into a bit of trouble, but managed to...
WOW! Karjakin at first accepts passivity, then obtains an edge after overeager Carlsen play. Sergey's advantage becomes huge after Carlsen played 35. c5?, but then Karjakin returns the advantage when he erred with 37...Qd3? in time trouble. Carlse...
Another short day at the office! This time Magnus Carlsen uses a rare line to unsettle Sergey Karjakin. The challenger got absolutely no advantage, wasting his second straight game with the white pieces. For the seventh time in seven games, team C...
A boring - but quick - day at the office for me. Magnus Carlsen has now won the opening battle in all six contests, successfully surprising his challenger by mixing it up with 9...d5. Sergey Karjakin found nothing, and with his white pieces neutra...
In the most topsy-turvy game of the match, Carlsen surprised Karjakin in the opening. The challenger handled it well, and even became a bit aggressive. 20...Bxc5 was criticized, as it handed Carlsen a slight but steady advantage with no risk. Howe...
Today felt eerily familiar. An excruciating defensive task for Sergey Karjakin after an opening gone wrong. A seemingly winning position that had its tricks and traps. But unlike yesterday, today I had a busy day, live on the official broadcast an...
Wow!!! What a game!! Seriously looked like Carlsen had just a little edge after surprising Karjakin early on with 10. Re2 only to go 11. Re1. Karjakin defended admirably before Carlsen seized the initiative and improved his position. Magnus obtain...
Round two saw Carlsen avoid the Berlin Defense, which is immensely popular at the elite level. Karjakin spent 15 minutes early, only for Carlsen to do the same on the next move. Both players were familiar with the structure, and after careful play...
Round 1 of the World Championship saw Magnus Carlsen press with the white pieces. Challenger Sergey Karjakin was slightly worse, but never in serious danger. After 42 moves, the game ended with a peaceful result. Please enjoy my analysis!
