2018 World Chess Championship

The 2018 World Chess Championship between Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Fabiano Caruana, who holds both Italian and U.S. citizenship, started today at The College in Holborn, London. Caruana has been creeping up the FIDE rankings to #2 in the world. Carlsen has a rating of 2835; Caruana is just behind him at 2832. The two are also very close in age. Carlsen will turn 28 later this month (11/30) and Caruana turned 26 last July (7/30). Both players have been preparing for months and have a team of experts along to help them. Carlsen even brought his own chef.

Carlsen has a very impressive resume. He has been world champion since 2013, when he beat Viswanathan Anand. He defended his title against Anand in 2014 and again against Sergei Karjakin in 2016. He has been the highest rated player in the world since January 1, 2010. As a child prodigy, he was known as "the Mozart of chess." He holds the highest peak rating, 2882 (achieved in 2014), in history. Caruana has been a strong grandmaster for years, but has only recently ascended to challenger status for the world crown.

Carlsen has become a swashbuckling champion who appears annoyed by journalists and publicity and often behaves like a surly teenager. There is something charming, however, in his insouciance and candidness. Caruana, universally known as Fabi, seems much more mature, polished, and courteous. He is kind, calm, and unassuming. He reminds me of my son, so I'm rooting for him.

Game 1 is underway! Caruana has the white pieces, and Carlsen responded to 1) e4 with the Rossolimo Sicilian Defence. Caruana is in time trouble, and it looks like Carlsen has the better position with strong king-side attacking chances

One can follow the moves in real-time here, and The Guardian offers commentary here.

Should Caruana win, he will be the first U.S. champion since Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky back in 1972.

It's really fun to watch the game. Chess is not generally considered to be a spectator sport, but  Caruana has to now move very quickly, so things are happening fast. Carlsen is playing for a win. I will update the match as it progresses.

Update: After Caruana blundered on his 17th move, Carlsen had a won position until he also blundered while in time trouble. Unwilling to give up the point, he persevered for several excruciating hours until a draw was agreed.

11/10: Game 2 is underway. Carlsen opened as white with 1) d4, and the game continued as a queen's gambit declined. The experts are opining that the game now looks draw-ish. My completely non-expert and ignorant opinion is that 25) ... Bxf3 looks very good for black. I think he could pick up the d-pawn and would have far better pawn structure in the end game...

Update: Fabi did indeed play 25) ... Bxf3, and picked up a pawn. The pundits are saying it's a theoretically drawn rook and pawn ending. I'm sure they're right, but I'm not seeing it ...

Update: Unsurprisingly, the pundits were right. The players agreed to a draw after 49 moves. The score stands at 1-1.

11/12: Game 3 is afoot. It's another Rossolimo Sicilian, as in the first game. According to the Norwegian supercomputer Sesse, white (Fabi) has a significant advantage. The Guardian commentary on this game offers mixed predictions from two grandmasters at move 17. Norwegian Simon Agdestein thinks the game is headed for another draw; Judit Polgar describes black (Magnus) as being in "survival mode." Judit's sister, Susan, is live-tweeting and thinks white has a superior position but that it is holdable for black.

Update: According to Susan Polgar, the position is now "99.99% draw", although she suspects Magnus will play on for hours to "burn off some anger that he got outplayed in the opening again."

Update: Draw agreed after 49 moves. The score stands at 1.5 to 1.5

11/13: Game 4 is going on. Magnus opened with 1) c4, the English Opening. Magnus played the opening surprisingly slowly, given that he must have prepared for many responses. Queens are off the board before the 20th move, usually a sign of an upcoming draw. According to analysis on Twitch, their computer thinks the position is equal.

Update: Magnus offered a draw, which was accepted, on the 34th move. Shortest game of the four so far. 2-2

Magnus may be happy to draw his way to 6-6, as he is expected to have a major advantage in the tiebreak, which would consist of four short games (25 minutes per player for the first 40 moves, with a 10s increment after each move.)

11/15: Game 5, with Caruana as white, was the third Rossolimo defense and the fifth draw (after 33 moves.) The Guardian commentary is here.