World Chess Championship 2016
| After game 9 of 12 | |
| Defending champion | Challenger |
 |
 |
 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)
|
 Sergey Karjakin (RUS)
|
| 4 | 5 |
| Born 30 November 1990 25 years old |
Born 12 January 1990 26 years old |
| Winner of the 2014 World Chess Championship | Winner of the Candidates Tournament 2016 |
| Rating: 2853 (Ranked #1)[1] | Rating: 2772 (Ranked #9)[1] |
The World Chess Championship 2016 is an ongoing chess match between reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Sergey Karjakin to determine the World Chess Champion.[2] It is being held under the auspices of FIDE, the world chess federation, with the organisation rights belonging to Agon, its commercial partner.[3]
The 12-game match is taking place between 11–30 November in the renovated Fulton Market Building (formerly Fulton Fish Market) in the South Street Seaport in New York City,[4] with the two contestants competing for a prize fund of at least 1 million euros (US$1.1m).[5] If the score is tied after 12 games, a four-game rapid chess match will be played, then five two-game matches of blitz chess if necessary, and finally, an Armageddon game will be used to break the tie.[2]
The match began with seven consecutive draws, the longest since the PCA World Chess Championship 1995. Karjakin won the eighth game, and after nine games leads 5–4.
Planning timeline
- November 27, 2014: At the closing ceremony for the 2014 championship, FIDE president Ilyumzhinov announces the 2016 match will take place in the United States.[6]
- October 4, 2015: At the 2015 Chess World Cup, Ilyumzhinov reiterates the location as the United States, saying that the date and place were already final.[7]
- December 15, 2015: FIDE and Agon sign media rights deal with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, listing 7-figures (in unknown currency) until 2020.[8]
- January 8, 2016: FIDE announces that Agon has made operational an official broadcasting platform (worldchess.com) for the World Chess Championship cycle events (already present in October 2015).[9]
- March 1, 2016: Agon announce that the city will be New York City, with approval from its mayor.[10]
- March 4, 2016: Agon announce that only approved broadcasters will be allowed to retransmit moves from the Candidates and ensuing World Championship.[11]
- March 28, 2016: Sergey Karjakin wins the Candidates Tournament 2016 to qualify to play Magnus Carlsen.
- May 26, 2016: Agon head Ilya Merenzon says that "The contract between FIDE and Agon is finalized and is being signed. The contract between the players and FIDE will be finalized in the next 2-3 weeks."[12]
- June 7, 2016: Agon announce that a venue has been found in New York City, with only sponsor details and paperwork left to be finalized in the next 2 weeks.[13]
- August 8, 2016: Agon announce the venue as the Fulton Market building in the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan.[14]
- August 30, 2016: Agon publish on their website that PhosAgro has signed a strategic partnership contract as a sponsor of the 2016 FIDE World Chess Championship.[15]
- September 12, 2016: Agon announce EG Capital Advisors as a sponsor, and give pricing packages for virtual reality viewing options.[16][17]
- September 30, 2016: Tickets go on sale.[18] The lowest price listed is $75 per game.
- October 17, 2016: Agon announce their new broadcast model for the World Championship.[19][20]
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament to determine the challenger was held on 11–30 March 2016 in Moscow, Russia, with FIDE's commercial partner Agon as the official organizer,[3][21] with support from the Russian Chess Federation.[22] The tournament was an 8-player double round-robin, with five different qualification paths:[21] the loser of the World Chess Championship 2014 match, the top two finishers in the Chess World Cup 2015, the top two finishers in the FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15, next two highest rated players (average FIDE rating on the 12 monthly lists from January to December 2015, with at least 30 games played) who played in Chess World Cup 2015 or FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15, and one player nominated by the organizers (Agon).
| Qualification path | Player | Age | Rating | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loser of the World Chess Championship 2014 match |  Viswanathan Anand
|
46 | 2762 | 12 |
| Winner of the Chess World Cup 2015 | Sergey Karjakin
|
26 | 2760 | 13 |
| Runner-up of the Chess World Cup 2015 | Peter Svidler
|
39 | 2757 | 16 |
| The top two finishers in the FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15 |  Fabiano Caruana
|
23 | 2794 | 3 |
| Hikaru Nakamura
|
28 | 2790 | 6 | |
| The top two players with highest average 2015 rating who played in World Cup or Grand Prix |  Veselin Topalov
|
41 | 2780 | 8 |
 Anish Giri
|
21 | 2793 | 4 | |
| Wild card nomination of Organizers (Agon), with FIDE rating in July 2015 at least 2725 |  Levon Aronian[22]
|
33 | 2786 | 7 |
At the time of the event, five of the players were ranked in the top 10 on the FIDE rating list.[23]
Results
| Pos | Player | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Qualification | KAR | CAR | ANA | SVI | ARO | GIR | NAK | TOP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergey Karjakin (RUS) (Q)
|
14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 8.5 | Advance to title match | — | 1 ½ | 1 0 | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | 1 ½ | 1 ½ | |
| 2 | Fabiano Caruana (USA)
|
14 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 7.5 | ½ 0 | — | 1 ½ | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | 1 ½ | ½ ½ | ||
| 3 | Viswanathan Anand (IND)
|
14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 7.5 | 1 0 | ½ 0 | — | 1 ½ | 1 ½ | ½ ½ | ½ 0 | 1 ½ | ||
| 4 | Peter Svidler (RUS)
|
14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 7 | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ 0 | — | ½ 1 | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ||
| 5 | Levon Aronian (ARM)
|
14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 7 | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ 0 | 0 ½ | — | ½ ½ | 1 ½ | ½ 1 | ||
| 6 | Anish Giri (NED)
|
14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | — | ½ ½ | ½ ½ | ||
| 7 | Hikaru Nakamura (USA)
|
14 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 7 | ½ 0 | ½ 0 | 1 ½ | ½ ½ | ½ 0 | ½ ½ | — | 1 1 | ||
| 8 | Veselin Topalov (BUL)
|
14 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 4.5 | ½ 0 | ½ ½ | ½ 0 | ½ ½ | 0 ½ | ½ ½ | 0 0 | — |
Karjakin's victory qualified him as the official challenger.
Players
Head to head record
As of August 2016, Carlsen and Karjakin have played each other 21 times (at long time controls) with Carlsen leading 4 wins to 1 with 16 draws. Their most recent encounter was at the July Bilbao double round robin tournament, where Carlsen won one game while the other was drawn.[24]
Lead up to match
After his victory in the Candidates Tournament 2016, Karjakin was scheduled to play in the Norway Chess event in April with a head-to-head game against Carlsen on tap, but cancelled his appearance, citing fatigue from the Candidates victory.[25] He then surprised Carlsen by agreeing to play in the double round-robin Bilbao tournament in July.[26] The games at the Bilbao tournament were played at a slightly faster initial rate (40 moves in 90 minutes) than that used in the World Chess Championship (40 moves in 100 minutes).[27] Carlsen defeated Karjakin in their first game in the Bilbao tournament,[28] while the second was drawn. He credited the faster time control in making it difficult for Karjakin to deal with pressure.[29]
Championship match
Match regulations
The match regulations have been put forth by FIDE. Draws are not permitted before move 30, except by threefold repetition (3.8.3b). The time control is set at 40 moves in 100 minutes, then 50 extra minutes at move 40, and 15 extra minutes at move 60, with 30 seconds increment per move throughout.[2]
Opening press conference
The opening press conference was held on November 10. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was unable to attend following sanctions from the US Government over his ties with the Syrian regime, but communicated by Skype with instead vice president Gelfer the official FIDE representative (rather than deputy president Makropoulos). Agon's CEO Ilya Merenzon attended, and the two major sponsors (EG Capital Advisors and PhosAgro) had representatives, with both players and the chief arbiter rounding out the principals.[30]
Schedule and results
|
|
The games commence each day at 14:00 local time in New York City.
| Rating | Game 1 11 Nov |
Game 2 12 Nov |
Game 3 14 Nov |
Game 4 15 Nov |
Game 5 17 Nov |
Game 6 18 Nov |
Game 7 20 Nov |
Game 8 21 Nov |
Game 9 23 Nov |
Game 10 24 Nov |
Game 11 26 Nov |
Game 12 28 Nov |
Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergey Karjakin (Russia) |
2772 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5 | |||
| Magnus Carlsen (Norway) |
2853 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 4 |
Games
The player named first played the white pieces.
Game 1: Carlsen–Karjakin, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |          | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Carlsen opened with 1. d4, and then chose to play the Trompowsky Attack (1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5), an uncommon opening at the elite level, though one which Carlsen has employed before.[31] After 42 moves the game was drawn.[32]
Carlsen's opening choice was recalled multiple times in interviews and the post-game press conference, in part due to its uncommon reputation, but also because its name resonated with Donald Trump and the recent United States presidential election three days prior.[33] Carlsen said that if he had known how many questions he would face over his opening choice, he would have played something else.[32] Karjakin noted the media appeared more surprised about Carlsen's opening choice than he himself was, and indicated that perhaps move 27 was Carlsen's last chance to make something of the game.[32][34]
- 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Bxf6 gxf6 5. dxc5 Nc6 6. Bb5 e6 7. c4 dxc4 8. Nd2 Bxc5 9. Ngf3 O-O 10. O-O Na5 11. Rc1 Be7 12. Qc2 Bd7 13. Bxd7 Qxd7 14. Qc3 Qd5 15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. Qxc4 Qxc4 17. Rxc4 Rfc8 18. Rfc1 Rxc4 19. Rxc4 (diagram) Rd8 20. g3 Rd7 21. Kf1 f5 22. Ke2 Bf6 23. b3 Kf8 24. h3 h6 25. Ne1 Ke7 26. Nd3 Kd8 27. f4 h5 28. a4 Rd5 29. Nc5 b6 30. Na6 Be7 31. Nb8 a5 32. Nc6+ Ke8 33. Ne5 Bc5 34. Rc3 Ke7 35. Rd3 Rxd3 36. Kxd3 f6 37. Nc6+ Kd6 38. Nd4 Kd5 39. Nb5 Kc6 40. Nd4+ Kd6 41. Nb5+ Kd7 42. Nd4 Kd6 ½–½
Game 2: Karjakin–Carlsen, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |     | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
In game 2, Karjakin opened with 1. e4, which he had played in 9 of 12 prior encounters with Carlsen. Carlsen responded with a Ruy Lopez setup, though choosing a classical line rather than the Berlin Defense. Karjakin then avoided the principal variation with 6. d3. Karjakin exchanged central pawns on move 18 (see diagram), and Carlsen said afterwards that Black was too solid in the center for White to regroup his Nc3 to g3.[35]
After the game, Carlsen said that in a long match not every game is going to involve fireworks. The game had higher attendance than the opener, with one reason being that many schools used their free tickets on the weekend.[36][35][37]
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 Na5 10. Ba2 Be6 11. d4 Bxa2 12. Rxa2 Re8 13. Ra1 Nc4 14. Re1 Rc8 15. h3 h6 16. b3 Nb6 17. Bb2 Bf8 (diagram) 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. a4 c6 20. Qxd8 Rcxd8 21. axb5 axb5 22. Ne2 Bb4 23. Bc3 Bxc3 24. Nxc3 Nbd7 25. Ra6 Rc8 26. b4 Re6 27. Rb1 c5 28. Rxe6 fxe6 29. Nxb5 cxb4 30. Rxb4 Rxc2 31. Nd6 Rc1+ 32. Kh2 Rc2 33. Kg1 ½–½
Game 3: Carlsen–Karjakin, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
This game saw the Berlin Defense, which is quite often seen in the World Championship (4 times each in 2013 and 2014). Carlsen avoided the 'Berlin Endgame' by playing 5.Re1. A mainline was followed until Carlsen retreated his rook only to e2 on move 10, upon which Karjakin thought for nearly half an hour. Carlsen followed it up with 11.Re1, apparently losing a tempo but having provoked the move 10...b6. At the press conference afterwards he joked that 10.Re2 was a fingerfehler which he corrected on the next move. (In fact the idea had been tried the previous year by grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov.)[38] Karjakin accepted slightly weakened pawns, and in contrast to the previous games decided to aim for counterplay with 29... Ra8 then 30... Ra2 rather than sit passively. Carlsen soon won a pawn to emerge with the first real winning chances of the match. After many vicissitudes along the way, Carlsen missed the winning 70. Re8 (see diagram). After 70. Nc6, Black could reach a theoretical draw by 70... Rc3 (attacking the knight, which guards White's rook), though some difficult follow-up lines might be needed before a drawn pawnless endgame would definitively be reached.[39] Karjakin instead immediately grabbed White's f-pawn (70... Kxf5), which would lose against perfect play, but Carlsen granted him another drawing chance two moves later with 72. Rb7.[40] This time Karjakin found the necessary defense 72... Ra1. An ensuing liquidation saw Karjakin's passed h-pawn strong enough to compel Carlsen to acquiesce to a draw after almost seven hours of play.[39]
The game was hailed as a miracle escape for Karjakin and a showcase of his defensive skills.[41] At the postgame conference, Carlsen said that he never saw a clear win, that it was "a little bit disappointing" not to have converted, and responded "absolutely" when asked if he was afraid to find out from the computer how much he had missed.[39][42]
- 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re2 b6 11. Re1 Re8 12. Bf4 Rxe1 13. Qxe1 Qe7 14. Nc3 Bb7 15. Qxe7 Bxe7 16. a4 a6 17. g3 g5 18. Bxd6 Bxd6 19. Bg2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 f5 21. Nd5 Kf7 22. Ne3 Kf6 23. Nc4 Bf8 24. Re1 Rd8 25. f4 gxf4 26. gxf4 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ne3 c6 29. Kf3 Ra8 30. Rg1 Ra2 31. b3 c5 32. Rg8 Kf7 33. Rg2 cxd4 34. Nxf5 d3 35. cxd3 Ra1 36. Nd4 b4 37. Rg5 Rb1 38. Rf5+ Ke8 39. Rb5 Rf1+ 40. Ke4 Re1+ 41. Kf5 Rd1 42. Re5+ Kf7 43. Rd5 Rxd3 44. Rxd7+ Ke8 45. Rd5 Rh3 46. Re5+ Kf7 47. Re2 Bg7 48. Nc6 Rh5+ 49. Kg4 Rc5 50. Nd8+ Kg6 51. Ne6 h5+ 52. Kf3 Rc3+ 53. Ke4 Bf6 54. Re3 h4 55. h3 Rc1 56. Nf8+ Kf7 57. Nd7 Ke6 58. Nb6 Rd1 59. f5+ Kf7 60. Nc4 Rd4+ 61. Kf3 Bg5 62. Re4 Rd3+ 63. Kg4 Rg3+ 64. Kh5 Be7 65. Ne5+ Kf6 66. Ng4+ Kf7 67. Re6 Rxh3 68. Ne5+ Kg7 69. Rxe7+ Kf6 (diagram) 70. Nc6 Kxf5 71. Na5 Rh1 72. Rb7 Ra1 73. Rb5+ Kf4 74. Rxb4+ Kg3 75. Rg4+ Kf2 76. Nc4 h3 77. Rh4 Kg3 78. Rg4+ Kf2 ½–½
Game 4: Karjakin–Carlsen, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Both players repeated the classical Ruy Lopez opening from Game 2, but this time White went with the main line 6. Re1. After White avoided the Marshall Attack with 8. h3, the pace slowed at move 11, with Carlsen thinking for 4 minutes before Karjakin took 12 minutes on his 12th.[citation needed]
The game developed into a sharp middlegame when Karjakin played 18. Bxh6, but Carlsen navigated the complications better, gaining a small advantage. Karjakin eventually decided to trade queens and enter an inferior endgame. Carlsen was pressing along the way, but Karjakin defended stubbornly, and Carlsen's 45...f4? made the position easier to defend. The game was drawn after 94 moves.
Chessbase opined that, after four games, Karjakin still has to find a way to put Carlsen under pressure while Carlsen has to do the same to win his good positions.[43]
- 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Qd7 11. Nbd2 Rfe8 12. c3 Bf8 13. Nf1 h6 14. N3h2 d5 15. Qf3 Na5 16. Ba2 dxe4 17. dxe4 Nc4 18. Bxh6 Qc6 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. Be3 Nxe4 21. Ng3 Nd6 22. Rad1 Rab8 23. Bc1 f6 24. Qxc6 Bxc6 25. Ng4 Rb5 26. f3 f5 27. Nf2 Be7 28. f4 Bh4 29. fxe5 Bxg3 30. exd6 Rxe1+ 31. Rxe1 cxd6 32. Rd1 Kf7 33. Rd4 Re5 34. Kf1 Rd5 35. Rxd5 Bxd5 36. Bg5 Kg6 37. h4 Kh5 38. Nh3 Bf7 39. Be7 Bxh4 40. Bxd6 Bd8 41. Ke2 g5 42. Nf2 Kg6 43. g4 Bb6 44. Be5 a5 45. Nd1 (diagram) f4 46. Bd4 Bc7 47. Nf2 Be6 48. Kf3 Bd5+ 49. Ke2 Bg2 50. Kd2 Kf7 51. Kc2 Bd5 52. Kd2 Bd8 53. Kc2 Ke6 54. Kd2 Kd7 55. Kc2 Kc6 56. Kd2 Kb5 57. Kc1 Ka4 58. Kc2 Bf7 59. Kc1 Bg6 60. Kd2 Kb3 61. Kc1 Bd3 62. Nh3 Ka2 63. Bc5 Be2 64. Nf2 Bf3 65. Kc2 Bc6 66. Bd4 Bd7 67. Bc5 Bc7 68. Bd4 Be6 69. Bc5 f3 70. Be3 Bd7 71. Kc1 Bc8 72. Kc2 Bd7 73. Kc1 Bf4 74. Bxf4 gxf4 75. Kc2 Be6 76. Kc1 Bc8 77. Kc2 Be6 78. Kc1 Kb3 79. Kb1 Ka4 80. Kc2 Kb5 81. Kd2 Kc6 82. Ke1 Kd5 83. Kf1 Ke5 84. Kg1 Kf6 85. Ne4+ Kg6 86. Kf2 Bxg4 87. Nd2 Be6 88. Kxf3 Kf5 89. a4 Bd5+ 90. Kf2 Kg4 91. Nf1 Kg5 92. Nd2 Kf5 93. Ke2 Kg4 94. Kf2 ½-½
Game 5: Carlsen–Karjakin, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
In this topsy-turvy game, Karjakin equalized easily out of the opening (a Giuoco Piano) and seized the initiative in a complicated middlegame. Carlsen managed to neutralize Karjakin's initiative to enter a major piece endgame with opposite-colored bishops which he can try endlessly to win without risking a loss – the exact kind of game which he is renowned for winning. However, he played aimlessly before the first time control. After the careless king move 41. Kg2? (blocking his major pieces from the soon-to-be-opened h-file) he suddenly came under pressure. Like Carlsen in games 3 and 4, Karjakin failed to make the most of these chances, and the game ended in a draw, albeit the first in the match in which Karjakin had serious winning chances.[44][45]
- 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. a4 d6 7. c3 a6 8. b4 Ba7 9. Re1 Ne7 10. Nbd2 Ng6 11. d4 c6 12. h3 exd4 13. cxd4 Nxe4 14. Bxf7+ Rxf7 15. Nxe4 d5 16. Nc5 h6 17. Ra3 Bf5 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Qh4 20. Rf3 Bxc5 21. bxc5 Re8 22. Rf4 Qe7 23. Qd4 Ref8 24. Rf3 Be4 25. Rxf7 Qxf7 26. f3 Bf5 27. Kh2 Be6 28. Re2 Qg6 29. Be3 Rf7 30. Rf2 Qb1 31. Rb2 Qf5 32. a5 Kf8 33. Qc3 Ke8 34. Rb4 g5 35. Rb2 Kd8 36. Rf2 Kc8 37. Qd4 Qg6 38. g4 h5 39. Qd2 Rg7 40. Kg3 Rg8 41. Kg2 (diagram) hxg4 42. hxg4 d4 43. Qxd4 Bd5 44. e6 Qxe6 45. Kg3 Qe7 46. Rh2 Qf7 47. f4 gxf4+ 48. Qxf4 Qe7 49. Rh5 Rf8 50. Rh7 Rxf4 51. Rxe7 Re4 ½–½
Game 6: Karjakin–Carlsen, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
The sixth game was a relatively short draw. In a main line Ruy Lopez, Karjakin avoided the Marshall Attack (regarded as a drawish line at grandmaster level), playing instead 8.h3. Carlsen played the somewhat similar line 8...Bb7 9. d3 d5, sacrificing a pawn for positional compensation. Faced with Carlsen's opening preparation, Karjakin chose to return the pawn and after further simplifications the draw was agreed.[46]
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 Bb7 9. d3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 Nd4 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. Bf4 Nxb3 14. axb3 c5 15. Ne4 f6 16. Nf3 f5 (diagram) 17. Neg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 h6 19. Ne6 Qd5 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Re5 Qd6 22. c3 Rxe6 23. Rxe6 Qxe6 24. cxb4 cxb4 25. Rc1 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 27. Qe1 Qd7 28. Kh2 a5 29. Qe3 Bd5 30. Qb6 Bxb3 31. Qxa5 Qxd3 32. Qxb4 Be6 ½-½
Game 7: Karjakin–Carlsen, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
After three unsuccessful attempts at gaining an advantage with 1. e4, Karjakin played 1. d4 for the first time in the match. Carlsen responded with the Slav Defense, which transposed into a tame variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Karjakin made a slight inaccuracy with 11. Nd2, but Carlsen seemingly underestimated his position with 16...Rc8 and failed to capitalize. Several forced exchanges later, the game entered an opposite-color bishop endgame where White was a pawn up, but could make no progress.[47]
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 e6 7. Nf3 c5 8. O-O b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. dxc5 Nc6 11. Nd2 Bxc5 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Be7 14. b3 Nb4 15. Bf3 O-O 16. Ba3 Rc8 (diagram) 17. Nf6 Bxf6 18. Bxb7 Bxa1 19. Bxb4 Bf6 20. Bxf8 Qxd1 21. Rxd1 Rxf8 22. Bxa6 b4 23. Rc1 g6 24. Rc2 Ra8 25. Bd3 Rd8 26. Be2 Kf8 27. Kf1 Ra8 28. Bc4 Rc8 29. Ke2 Ke7 30. f4 h6 31. Kf3 Rc7 32. g4 g5 33. Ke4 Rc8 ½–½
Game 8: Carlsen–Karjakin, 0–1
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Carlsen played the Colle System, an innocuous opening rarely seen at grandmaster level, as is typical of his playstyle: he only aims to get a playable position and not to prove that his opening preparation is superior to the opponent's. He then played recklessly for a win, openly inviting complications. Analysis suggested that the complicated 19...Qg5 would have been good for Black, however Karjakin refused to oblige, playing instead 19...Bc6. The position was equal, but Carlsen continued to play for a win. The move 24.bxc4 was criticized by commentators who said that if Carlsen wanted to make this recapture, it should have been done on move 22. Carlsen eventually overpressed with 35. c5?, going down two pawns for almost no compensation. In time trouble, Karjakin returned the blunder with 37...Qd3? (37...Qa4 was winning), allowing Carlsen to win back both pawns. The resulting position was objectively equal but double-edged in practice, with connected outside passed pawns but an exposed king for Karjakin. Once again Carlsen had forced drawing lines at his disposal, but chose to play for a win. Instead, he erred with 51. Qe6? and after 51...h5! 52.h4 a2! he resigned. (After 53. Qxa2 Ng4+ 54. Kh3 Qg1, White has to sacrifice the queen to avoid immediate mate.)[48] International Master Sagar Shah attributed Carlsen's defeat to a loss of objectivity.[49]
After the game Carlsen was visibly uncomfortable and left the press conference before it began. This means he may have to forfeit 5% of his prize money to the organizers Agon, and a further 5% to FIDE.[48] FIDE released a statement the following day suggesting that the penalty was likely to be imposed.[50]
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Bb2 b6 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Nbd7 11. c4 dxc4 12. Nxc4 Qe7 13. a3 a5 14. Nd4 Rfd8 15. Rfd1 Rac8 16. Rac1 Nf8 17. Qe1 Ng6 18. Bf1 Ng4 19. Nb5 (first diagram) Bc6 20. a4 Bd5 21. Bd4 Bxc4 22. Rxc4 Bxd4 23. Rdxd4 Rxc4 24. bxc4 Nf6 25. Qd2 Rb8 26. g3 Ne5 27. Bg2 h6 28. f4 Ned7 29. Na7 Qa3 30. Nc6 Rf8 31. h3 Nc5 32. Kh2 Nxa4 33. Rd8 g6 34. Qd4 Kg7 35. c5 Rxd8 36. Nxd8 Nxc5 37. Qd6 Qd3 38. Nxe6+ fxe6 39. Qe7+ Kg8 40. Qxf6 a4 41. e4 Qd7 42. Qxg6+ Qg7 43. Qe8+ Qf8 44. Qc6 Qd8 45. f5 a3 46. fxe6 Kg7 47. e7 Qxe7 48. Qxb6 Nd3 49. Qa5 Qc5 50. Qa6 Ne5 51. Qe6 (second diagram) h5 52. h4 a2 0–1
Game 9: Karjakin–Carlsen, ½–½
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Carlsen opened with the Archangelsk variation of the Spanish Game, a variation he had played only four times in his career. The game followed a line in which Karjakin beat Adams until move 18 at which point Carlsen deviated by playing 18...c5. Carlsen remained within his opening preparation until at least move 22, taking less than a minute to play the novelty 21...cxb3. The game developed into a pawn-up middlegame for White that offered White a long-term advantage, but Karjakin declined to sit on his 1-point lead and instead went for the win. The game became very tense with Carlsen consuming a lot of time. He played 38...Ne7 with less than two minutes on his clock, against Karjakin's 25 minutes. Karjakin invested most of the 25 minutes before making the bishop sacrifice 39. Bxf7+, when 39. Qb3 was also very strong and possibly even winning. In spite of his time situation, Carlsen defended accurately. In the resulting endgame White was still a pawn up, but the extra pawn was doubled. Karjakin kept playing, but could make no progress, and the game was drawn after 74 moves.[51]
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. c3 d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. axb5 axb5 11. Na3 O-O 12. Nxb5 Bg4 13. Bc2 exd4 14. Nbxd4 Nxd4 15. cxd4 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Nh5 17. Kh1 Qf6 18. Be3 c5 19. e5 Qe6 20. exd6 c4 21. b3 cxb3 22. Bxb3 Qxd6 23. Ra6 Rfd8 24. Rg1 Qd7 25. Rg4 Nf6 26. Rh4 Qb5 27. Ra1 g6 28. Rb1 Qd7 29. Qd3 Nd5 30. Rg1 Bc7 31. Bg5 Re8 32. Qc4 Rb5 33. Qc2 Ra8 34. Bc4 Rba5 35. Bd2 Ra4 36. Qd3 Ra1 37. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 38. Kg2 Ne7 (diagram) 39. Bxf7+ Kxf7 40. Qc4+ Kg7 41. d5 Nf5 42. Bc3+ Kf8 43. Bxa1 Nxh4+ 44. Qxh4 Qxd5 45. Qf6+ Qf7 46. Qd4 Ke8 47. Qe4+ Qe7 48. Qd5 Bd8 49. Kf1 Qf7 50. Qe4+ Qe7 51. Be5 Qe6 52. Kg2 Be7 53. Qa8+ Kf7 54. Qh8 h5 55. Qg7+ Ke8 56. Bf4 Qf7 57. Qh8+ Qf8 58. Qd4 Qf5 59. Qc4 Kd7 60. Bd2 Qe6 61. Qa4+ Qc6 62. Qa7+ Qc7 63. Qa2 Qd6 64. Be3 Qe6 65. Qa7+ Ke8 66. Bc5 Bd8 67. h3 Qd5 68. Be3 Be7 69. Qb8+ Kf7 70. Qh8 Qe6 71. Bf4 Qf6 72. Qb8 Qe6 73. Qb7 Kg8 74. Qb5 Bf6 ½–½
Game 10: Karjakin–Carlsen, (ongoing)
32 moves have been played and position of both white and black pieces are equal at the moment
References
- ^ a b "Top 100 Players". Ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ a b c 2016 Fide World Championship Match Regulations
- ^ a b FIDE-Agon agreement (3.1a) of Annex 11, 2012 FIDE General Assembly
- ^ WCC to be played at South Street Seaport (Wall Street Journal)
- ^ "The World Chess Championship comes to New York City!". World Chess Federation. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ Wrapping Up The World Championship by Mike Klein (Chess.Com)
- ^ "Chess-News interview with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov". 4 October 2015.
- ^ FIDE and Agon sign historic media rights with NRK (FIDE press release)
- ^ Agon Launches Site (FIDE News)
- ^ NYC to host 2016 WCC by Jonathan Zalman, Wall Street Journal, 1 March 2016
- ^ Moves from Candidates Tournament exclusively shown by approved broadcast partners (Agon)
- ^ Interview with Agon CEO Ilya Merenzon (FIDE)
- ^ ""VM-sjefen bekrefter: - Kampen spilles i New York. Vi har funnet arena" Dagbladet (Norwegian) article, June 7, "World Championship organizer confirms: - The match will take place in New York. We have found a venue"
- ^ A historic site for the World Championship Match (Agon)
- ^ PhosAgro Announces Sponsorship (Agon)
- ^ Carlsen-Karjakin to include virtual reality (Chess.Com, Mike Klein)
- ^ WCC 2016 to be in virtual reality (Agon)]
- ^ Ticketfly
- ^ World Chess Broadcasts (Press Release, Agon)
- ^ Q&A on Broadcast Rights (WorldChess, owned by Agon)
- ^ a b "Rules & regulations for the Candidates Tournament of the FIDE World Championship cycle 2014–2016" (PDF). FIDE. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ a b World Chess Candidates Tournament (FIDE)
- ^ March 2016 Rating List (FIDE)
- ^ http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?yearcomp=exactly&year=&playercomp=either&pid=52948&player=&pid2=54535
- ^ "Opprørt over Carlsens VM-motstander: - Det er respektløst" Dagbladet (Norwegian) article, April 7, "Outrage against Carlsen's championship opponent: - It is disrespectful" "Karjakin breaks Norway Chess contract"
- ^ "Carlsens VM-utfordrer med uventet trekk: - Jeg er litt overrasket" Dagbladet (Norwegian) article, June 7, "Carlsen's championship challenger makes an unexpected move: - I'm a little surprised"
- ^ Bilbao regulations #4. Compare regulation 3.5.1 of FIDE World Championship Match
- ^ Carlsen beats Karjakin (Chess.com)
- ^ "Carlsen etter ny knusende seier: – Spillet blir bedre dag for dag" Matt Og Patt (Norwegian), July 16, "Carlsen after crushing victory: every day I am playing better"
- ^ WCC Press Conference (chess24)
- ^ Carlsen vs Kramnik (Tal Memorial, 2013)
- ^ a b c Round 1 report (Chess.com)
- ^ Before the Candidates Tournament 2016, Carlsen had jokingly described himself as a Donald Trump fan who wanted to "Make Chess Great Again": Jeg er stor fan av Trump (TV2 Interview, "I'm a big fan of Trump!", Norwegian)
- ^ Game 1 Press Conference
- ^ a b Another Dull Draw, Round 2 Report (Chess.com)
- ^ Chess Fans Flood Match, Have Trouble Seeing Players
- ^ Game 2 Postgame comments and press conference (YouTube, video)
- ^ Kasimdhanov-Melkumyan, Bundesliga 2015
- ^ a b c Carlsen Can't Airlift Karjakin's Berlin in Round 3 draw (Chess.com)
- ^ Necessary was 72. Rf7+ to deflect Black's king, after which Kg4 can be played: see Chess.com Analysis (Robert Hess)
- ^ "New York 2016: Dramatic near-win in game three". Chessbase. 15 November 2016.
- ^ Game 3 Press Conference
- ^ "Newsblog WCC Carlsen-Karjakin, 2016-11-15". Chessbase. 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Newsblog WCC Carlsen-Karjakin, 2016-11-17". 17 November 2016.
- ^ "Carlsen Fights Off Karjakin To Draw Again As White". 17 November 2016.
- ^ Tiger Hillarp Persson, Newsblog WCC Carlsen-Karjakin, 2016-11-19, Chessbase, 19 November 2016
- ^ "Karjakin Switches To 1.d4, Still Can't Make Headway". 20 November 2016.
- ^ a b c Robert Hess, Karjakin Beats Carlsen, Leads World Championship, Chess.com, 22 November 2016
- ^ Sagar Shah, FWCM 08: Karjakin strikes the first blow, ChessBase India, 22 November 2016
- ^ Magnus Carlsen declined to attend the press conference, FIDE, 22 November 2016
- ^ "Carlsen Escapes, Draws Karjakin In Game 9". 23 November 2016.
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