Särspel

 

Caruana 1 - 0 Firouzja

1.c4  e5  2.d3  Bb4+  3.Nd2  c5  4.Ngf3  Nc6  5.g3  d6  6.Bg2  Nge7  7.0-0  Ba5  8.b3  0-0 9.Bb2h6  10.e3  Be6  11.d4  exd4  12.exd4  cxd4  13.Nxd4  Nxd4  14.Bxd4  d5  15.cxd5  Bxd5 

Out of an English Opening, the players have reached a somewhat symmetrical position, though there is plenty of chances for dynamic play with the centre wide open and most pieces still on the board. 

16.Ne4 

 Playable is 16.Qg4  Nf5  17.Qxf5  Bxg2  and e.g.:18.Qg4  g6 19.Kxg2  Bxd2 

 16...Nc6

  Firouzja fails to foresee the good-looking tactical shot that Caruana found and played. 

17.Bf6  +-

The beginning of a two-punch tactical shot. 

17...gxf6  18.Qxd5 Beautiful! Qe7 

 Objectively better is 18...Qxd5  19.Nxf6+  Kg720.Nxd5  but this was a 10-minute game, so Firouzja opts for keeping the queens on the board, as he probably considered that he had some chances of outplaying his opponent in the complications. 

19.Rac1  Rad8 

 Firouzja again fails to foresee a tactical shot. 19...Bb6  is better, as it prevents White from playing the line seen in the game.

 20.Qf5  Kg7  21.Rxc6

 Removing the defender of the bishop on a5. 

21...bxc6 22.Qxa5  Rd5  23.Qc3  Rfd8  24.g4 

White has consolidated his advantage and begins to expand on the kingside. It's time to go for the win actively. 

24.-Qe5  

The best move in the position - keeping the queens would make Black's defensive task harder at this point. 

25.Qxe5  fxe5  26.Bf3  Ra5  27.Rc1  Rxa2  28.Rxc6 Rb2  

Both contenders had about a minute at this point, with only 5-second increments in the playoff. Naturally, there were many inaccuracies by both sides from here on. But it was Caruana who was putting pressure on his opponent - perhaps the biggest asset during mutual time trouble. 

29.Kg2  Rxb3  30.Ng3  Rb6  31.Rc7  a6  32.Nf5+  Kf8  33.Ra7  Rf6 34.Be4  Rg635.Kf3  Rb6  36.h4  Ke8  37.h5  Rd7  38.Ra8+  Rd8  39.Rxd8+  Kxd8  40.g5  Kd7 41.Nxh6  Ke642.Bf5+  Ke7  43.Ng4  White has created a dangerous passer on the kingside. a5  44.h6a4  45.h7  Rb8  46.Nf6  Much stronger is 46.Nxe5  since Black cannot play Rh8  due to the devastating 47.g6  46...Rh8  The engine's evaluation goes from over +9 to around +0.7. But both players had close to 30 seconds on the clock - so it is all about who can handle the pressure better. 47.Bb1  a3  48.Ke4  Kf8  49.Kxe5  Kg7  50.Nh5+ Kf851.Nf6  Kg7  52.Ba2  Rb8  53.f4  Rc8  54.Kd4  Rc2  55.Bxf7  a2  56.Bxa2  Rxa2  White has given up his bishop for the black queenside passer. The three connected passed pawns, the knight and the king look really menacing, but tablebases evaluate this position as drawn. 57.Ke4  Ra4+  58.Kf5  Ra5+  59.Kg4  Ra6  60.Kh5  Rc6  61.f5  Ra6  62.Kg4Rc6  63.Kf4 Ra6  64.Ke5  Ra5+  65.Ke6  Ra6+  66.Ke7  Ra7+  67.Ke6  Ra6+  68.Ke5  Ra5+69.Kf4  Ra4+ 70.Kg3  Ra6  71.Kg4  Rc6  72.Kh5  Ra6  The losing mistake. Tablebases indicate that ...Rc5 or ...Kh8 draw for Black. 73.Nd7  Caruana finds one of the two moves that win, giving up the h-pawn. Remarkably 73.g6  also wins, giving up the knight, e.g.: Rxf6  74.Kg5  Rf8  75.f6+ 73...Kxh7  74.f6  Ra5  75.f7  Rf5  76.f8Q  Rxg5+  77.Kh4Of course not 77.Kxg5 stalemate. 77...Rh5+  78.Kg4  Game over. 1–0