Svidler's Caruana-Carlsen Game 12 Analysis - 2018 FIDE World Chess Championship

Grandmaster Peter Svidler takes us through Game 12 of the 2018 World Chess Championship in London.
Replay the game with an interactive board and computer analysis: chess24.com/en/watch/live-tou...
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#chess24 #WorldChessChampionship2018 #CarlsenCaruana

[@MrIllusiongamer12]

If Caruana win the Tiebreakers he will become the champion without winning a single game against Carlsen in 3 years on classic time controls.

[@SeppelSquirrel]

CARUANA/CARLSEN 2018. Fabiano Caruana shut the door of the cabin. He was breathing deeply and sweat ran off his brow. Today's jog through the woods felt good. His water bottle was drained, and he headed to the kitchen to get a refill. The old wooden boards creaked gently, welcoming each of his footsteps, one after another. It reminded him of the time he danced with Magnus Carlsen like two knights, silly and wistful. After refreshing himself with more water, he wiped his brow on a FIDE-branded towel, and headed to the shower. In the privacy of the ceramic walls, the warm water felt relaxing, opening diagonal paths across his face. As he finished, he heard the front door slam. Surprised at the sudden sound, he turned off the water and reached for a towel and his glasses. As he peeked out of the bathroom, he saw Magnus Carlsen. It was far too soon to expect him to meet in their private cabin. Magnus looked frustrated, and Fabiano winced when he saw the bandage above that precious brow. "Maggie," he called out as he approached, "You're hurt! What happened?" Magnus stood still and looked down as Fabiano wrapped his arms around Magnus's sturdy frame while also looking down. "It's just a scratch," Magnus protested. "Just a scratch! You were out playing those rough sports again!" accused Fabiano, with worry in his voice. Magnus turned away and snorted. "I'll be fine. I don't need your help." He reached for his Simonsen Vogt Wiig leisure suit, put it on, and headed to the parlor. In front of a rustic fireplace was half of a large sturdy barrel, no taller than a coffee table, upon which a granite slab supported a prepares chess board. Two chaises were on opposite sides, each with it's own rook shaped pillow to designate which side was which color. Magnus lit the fire, then sat next to the white rook pillow and stared at the board. "Please," said Fabiano as he followed, sitting oppoaite Magnus. "Can we not talk about work while we're here? This is supposed to be our private retreat. Just you and me, no cameras, nobody watching." "I have to study my lines," grunted Magnus, "And put some clothes on." The tension in the room was hot, and thr fire wasn't helping Magnus think. He scooted to the left, moving the pillow in front of the fire. Fabiano followed his movement, except to get closer to the fire. He hadnt fully dried off yet, and the warmth of the fire was more welcome than the warmth of Magnus's hands. With that move, Magnus looked up at Fabiano and thought deeply. He hadn't expected this move from his partner to hit him to his emotional core. "So," mused Magnus, "I heard you had a good time with Leela last night." "W-what?" Fabiano gasped. "How did you...? We only talked, okay?" "You don't have to lie," Magnus said, sighing as he stood up and walked over to Fabiano. "I can tell by the way you're acting. Look, I've been emotionally distant. And I recognize that. And I'm sorry." Magnus stumbled through his words and blundered his plan by accidentally kicking the chaise as he approached, falling right on top of Fabiano. Fabiano didn't push him off, and Magnus didn't get up. Magnus didn't believe Fabiano would intentionally trap himself in the corner, but despite Fabiano's cold demeanor, Magnus felt his welcoming embrace. "Fabi," said Magnus softly, "I'm here for you. I promise." Fabiano took a deep breath and kissed Magnus on the neck, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry." "No apologies," Magnus hushed. "You're beautiful." Fabiano blushed, and as they made out, Fabiano relaxed, having finally taken Magnus's attention from the game, and onto more intimate matters. Fabiano's.hips thrust upward as they kissed passionately, never making eye contact. "I have a plan," said Magnus after breaking a kiss. He stood up, took off his suit, and laid back on top of Fabiano, but this time with his feet to the fire. Both Magnus and Fabiano were looking to push their passed pawns. One after another they opened their mouths and pressed forward with warm lips and tongue, then pulling back, shivering with pleasure. Bobbing their heads in a long deep motion, their moans mingling with the snapping of the fire. Magnus and Fabiano worked their mouths deep once more, and pulled up again. It was in this position that the players agreed to a draw by repetition. The End

[@TrueWodzu]

@@SeppelSquirrel O_o can't stop laughing...

[@Varvitski]

Health Warning to Headphone Users - Loud Sneeze at 29:55

[@Socrates...]

Garry Kasparov's tweet "In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids. Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

[@oblio9147]

Grischuk said in the commentary that this game is "the nail in the coffin of the classical time control." That is a fitting description for a game played by two humans that basically followed a game between Houdini and Stockfish until the point when they were actually playing on their own where they agreed to a draw for psychological reasons. I hope Grischuk is right. Overall, this was a hard fought contest played in a terribly arcane format. Classical is dead. We want more games, faster time controls, and more excitement.

[@remilegendre6971]

I'm no Kasparov but that was exactly my thoughts after the draw offer.

[@vrusimov]

@@oblio9147 That is why you have the World's Rapid Chess Championship. Maybe you should stick with that. Nothing wrong with longer time controls, where more creativity can be employed. Neither Carlsen nor Caruana are looking like stewards of the game after this...especially Carlsen, whose rating has only declined from a stellar high four or five years ago. If he no longer has the stomach for battle, or the will to properly and exhaustively prepare himself (like Kasparov), then perhaps it is time to do something else. I think Sasha is wrong. It might be more the death knell for Carlsen than for classical chess. He seemed unprepared, uninspired and rather impotent for the majority of the match...verified by his decision in the final game. Kasparov might not end up being correct but he IS on to something about Carlsen of late. A 12 game match is too short. A rapid playoff should be removed from the process. 24 games...the champion remains if drawn at the end of 24. Move on to the next challenger. Like the old days of Kasparov and Karpov, two players that could deliver the goods when the chips were down. Rapid time controls allow more chicanery and luck to enter the process...something that should be minimized at classical time controls. It's not like we have a WCC match every week. In comparison to the high number of events each year, the classical World Championship retains a certain esteem because it doesn't happen very often and it should determine definitively who the best player is. If you want to play rapid chess there are plenty of events to take advantage of.

[@ztrinx1]

Yeah, I think that we all know how he feels, but at face value, his comment is just silly.

[@leondarcy7367]

@@vrusimov Or the first to win say three games wins. No exceptions, even if they play for three years. It would give a plus to either fighting spirit or stamina, depending.

[@jakab174]

Thank you Peter for doing these analisys after a long long day. You are awesome!

[@russellbaker4256]

Magnus tongue-in-cheek: “And I would say, keeping in that in mind, my favourite player from the past is probably… myself, three or four years ago.” True, a "younger" Magnus would not have accepted a draw in such a position with time on the clock. He's come a long way from rejecting a draw from Aronian in the last round of Sinquefield Cup 2013 when a pawn down and only requiring a draw for clear 1st. What a life lesson, if he loses in the tie-breaks

[@wanderingwatcher3981]

I think Magnus didn´t put much weight on the time situation as it hadn´t done much for him in the past. In game 1 for example, Magnus played quickly with a big time lead before move 40 to pressure Aronian. It ended up costing Magnus his advantage. Aronian has consistantly shown he is excellent at finding defensive resourses under pressure in their matches. Another explanation could be Magnus thinks he is stronger in blitz and therefore unwilling to gamble on a risky position. It seemed like Magnus had to make concessions in order to press the advantage. If the attack didn´t result in anything concrete, it is entirely possible that Aronian would get the initiative by exploiting the many holes created in Magnus position.

[@ilovejersey]

My favorite part was the sneeze at 29:54.

[@artemmsk701]

I liked the video after that immediately😂

[@winstonsmith-ministryoftru1609]

True. This shit has been so uneventful that anything (even a dude sneezing) is more entertaining....

[@musicalneptunian]

The Gesundheit Defence. Explosive and potentially toxic, this system was pioneered by the old master Snot De Mucus, whose chess career came to a sudden halt. He was last seen surrounded by people wearing masks.

[@ru40342]

Imagine a great football team that is very good in penalty shootout only plays for a draw versus relatively weaker teams. That would be catastrophic for the game of football.

[@usfazli]

I was thinking of traveling to London to watch the last three games. So glad I didn’t Alexander Grischuk’s prediction of 12 draws came true

[@brianclark4890]

The two highest rated players in the world have tried to sound the death knell to classical chess. This is what we have learned through 12 games and a month of anticipation.

[@cashbay7965]

Amazing commentary by Svilder . Please keep up the good work .

[@2199SPUDMAN]

Honestly... what would we do as chess players without Svidler?? My rating goes up 200 points whenever I listen to his explanations and insight. He's truly a remarkable guy, and I really appreciate him sharing his vast chess knowledge. I think I'll make it a bucket list goal to meet him and tell him that.

[@safin4omarat719]

aplause for svidler

[@paulpaschulke8636]

Excellent analysis and a unique sense of humor make me forgive you for bursting my ears. Thank you Mr. Svidler! If the wcc is to become more interesting for the public again, the format should really change in such a way that a draw becomes less attractive. A point distribution like in soccer for example (3-1-0)?!

[@pushpendra2453]

You are the very great person sir, i really love you sir

[@mnormanhammerlord7655]

The American Chess Congress was the official sponsor of the BOBBY FISCHER INT’L CHESS PARK proposed to be built in Santa Monica to honor the only American to have won the World Chess Championship. Bobby had an impressive career and for many is considered the greatest in chess. He began to study chess at the age of six and became a voracious student of the game. Fischer won the United States Chess Championship at the age of fourteen and at fifteen became the youngest Grandmaster at that time. In two consecutive years, he won the United States Chess Championship with a perfect score and has held the title eight times. In 1972, he captured the World Chess Championship with a decisive lead. In 1975, the Soviets and the International Chess Federation [FIDE] claimed the title on forfeiture in what is still a controversial issue and thus began the FIDE World Chess Championship. In 1992, Fischer emerged to play a rematch for the real title and won in good fashion. He died in 2008. The chess tables at the foot of the pier in Santa Monica, California are known of internationally. It was the former site of the old Santa Monica Bay Chess Club. Bobby first played in Santa Monica during the Piatigorsky Cup [a strong international tournament] in 1966. When Fischer lived in Pasadena in the late eighties, he would delight many with his visits to the tables. For these reasons, the tables have been selected to honor a great American chess hero.

[@musicalneptunian]

Fischer is disgusted with the draw. He's coming from the clouds for a comeback.

[@GG-tk8cq]

how about on move 28 for black Ba4 b3 29. Nxb3 axb3 30. Bxb3 skewing the 2 rooks with an open king for white ?

[@gregoriojrobogne6119]

Maybe if the last position occurs in the middle of game 6 or earlier ..Magnus will take risk! Its just his not confident enough to take any chances for Fabi..slight error can take his crown! He is being practical!

[@GanjawarsLostPro]

Make Fischer's Random great again!

[@lenekampp7174]

4

[@smitsaat]

who is playing the begin and end tune?

[@baoboustravel4033]

The draw offer is shocking. As Svidler says, you can only explain it if Carlsen decided before the game that a draw would be best, but if Carlsen doesn't have the fighting spirit anymore to play a fantastic position like this, then he fully deserves to lose the match. Go Fabi!

[@quarkraven]

"RIP classical chess" - Sasha Grischuk

[@williamdavis2505]

I think this was a must-win for Caruana, his last best chance. A draw in this game is almost as good as a match win for Carlsen. While an early draw offer from a better position is disappointing for the fans, it is good match strategy from the Champion. I hope Caruana can prove me wrong in the Rapid! Fabi it’s not that I underestimate your chess brilliance. I overestimate Carlsen’s.

[@julioandresgomez3201]

Keep it classical, no rapid, no blitz. In my humble opinion, a better idea for breaking ties is play 25 (you name the number) simultaneous games with classical time controls each. Hard to tie at the end of the day, but were that to happen another round of simultaneous classic games next day. 16 games better than 12, sure.

[@twist2shout]

what was the computer evaluation in the end when draw was offered? like -1 or something?

[@bunpeishiratori5849]

Roughly -.4

[@alexanderyeara8809]

@@bunpeishiratori5849 no?

[@EncryptedBear8]

yea, something around that on Sesse. When Magnus had the opportunity to play b4 it was at nearly -2, so it wasn't as bad anymore but still black clearly playing for 2 results.

[@strong8705]

-0.67 (depth 24)

[@abhishekkj3662]

Around -0.7 ..couple of moves before...had Magnus played b5 instead of a5...ha had -2 advantage

[@timdaele7109]

Use a handkerchief! :)

[@shauntaylor6040]

If Champion retains title then Fabi would have declined draw and game would have been fought to the end.

[@trippasnippa6450]

29:54 best part

[@joelforeman5097]

Does anyone know the minute that the draw came up on the livestream? Would love to see their immediate reaction

[@dinofelic487]

03:55:46

[@EncryptedBear8]

it was like 9 minutes left on Fabi's clock, don't know the timestamp

[@BANKO007]

Where is the co-host lady who made this so much more interesting? (Although I enjoyed the part where Svidler almost blew off his wig when he sneezed).

[@BANKO007]

@Spawn You do know that they are married?!

[@adomaskuzinas2137]

If Carlsen wins the tiebreak, everyone will forget this draw and salute him for retaining the crown. However, if Caruana pulls through, this will have been the biggest blunder in the history of Magnus

[@EGarrett01]

Magnus was able to handle Fabiano's novelties at the board, and didn't have the focus to be able to grind Fabiano down in any endgames. So all draws. What a fail of a match.

[@flugschulerfluglehrer7139]

There is another reason for the draw. Even if Fabi wins, Magnus will still be the WC in classical chess. He has not been defeated in one single game in classical format. With this draw, Fabi gave away all his chances to win the championship.

[@MartinUToob]

Dang! I shoulda bet the rent money on Fabi. (World Champion Analyst. 🏆)

[@rappscallion379]

Feels like their is some conflict within Magnus. He has seemed a bit demotivated and bored recently and there was even some (probably exaggerated) talk of retirement. But he still desperately wants to retain the title and doesn't mind playing somewhat cynical low risk chess to achieve this.

[@radimmynar5607]

tie break - Magnus time, lets take it all brilliant now in first rapid already :)

[@essexbirds1870]

Tour de France = 3 Weeks and 2 rest days !.

[@diamondmeeple]

I really wonder if Chess would been this popular if not for the draws?

[@winchester6678]

I know Bobby Fischer is Carlsen's favourite player, but I guess he never would have offered a draw in this position as black.

[@HipSpirit]

When did Magnus ever say Fischer was his favorite player?? He has repeatedly said he doesn't have one (or more recently that it was himself from 3-4 years ago)

[@winchester6678]

@@HipSpirit he said it many times in his career.

[@winchester6678]

@SIOLA if you don't believe me than believe Carlsen himself kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2fKaGqvlJmCh9U

[@winchester6678]

@SIOLA Fischer and kasparov are the best chess players, he said and there is one famous quote about Fischer from him too,I think both players would have played on.

[@winchester6678]

@SIOLA"What I admired most about him (Fischer) was his ability to make what was in fact so difficult look easy to us. I try to emulate him." Magnus Carlsen

[@Seph.ackerman]

Why not directly go for the Berlin wall if you wanna draw the game anyway to reach tiebreak? Wasting a totally playable position with Caruana in time trouble is a shame. I understand Magnus decision not wanting to risk anything, feeling favourable in rapid but still, all of this games weren't very strong and almost boring.

[@usfazli]

Im pretty sure Magnus Carlsen has HIV virus cuz hes sure playing like a player suffering with AIDS

[@leondarcy7367]

@Ashley Tron The one in chess is standing strong, I have no idea how to win against it and neither seems anybody else.

[@NeutralDice]

I predict a Caruana win in the rapids or blitz

[@zhandospolov3553]

Carlsen couldn't beat Karjakin in the classics, couldn't beat Caruana. So, why on Earth is he champion in the classics? They both aren't chess giants, they both are chess dwarfs in this bout.

[@RK-dk5vt]

HEALTH WARNING @ 29:54 !!!

[@jadezee6316]

rooting for caruana now....magnus...wimping out..to confident in blitz...but to weak nerved to finish like a champion

[@peterfoster8604]

Too weak too slow

[@alexanderyeara8809]

That's your opinion.

[@EncryptedBear8]

@@alexanderyeara8809 also the opinion of Garry Kasparov, if that counts for anything

[@pablo-ww2ey]

@Hadi Purwanto Caruana is not the champ, He has nothing to lose. We want Carlsen to play his best and to show the world why he should still be the champion.

[@thenakedsingularity]

disgraceful draw.

[@privacyishard150]

Magnus is too scared of losing to dare to win. It's sad.

[@alenflint]

Dang alot of you people are haters. Magnus is champion Magnus is himself so he knows why he did what he did. Who knows but him, to deny the fact that he was courageous enough to go through with his own decision against all odds of there being people disappointed either deserves respect or atleast deserves more thought than just the reaction that most of you are giving. Maybe it's a joke of to slow to Fabiano, maybe he didn't want to take the risk cause he wasn't feeling it today, but I highly doubt that Magnus after his fighting spirit to become champion would make a decision like this out of fear.. I think I know what comes next, Magnus's plan

[@markmondrinos7721]

12 draws? Wow. Perhaps classical chess has reached the point where there is so much history, so many games to study, that every position is understood well enough by a 2800+ player that it is virtually impossible for them to blunder. If that is the case, then something needs to change in terms of the format. Maybe the Fischer random? Idk that would be odd, but WCC matches that go 12 draws is a quick way to destroy any widespread interest in chess.

[@CGiant]

There were more than enough winning chances in the games, frankly both players missed very crucial moves.

[@blackzebra96]

Why are reigning chess world champions automatically already in the finals of the next world championship cycle? Or why are they even entitled to a revenge fight? Well, it's a long tradition. But is it still contemporary? I mean, no: today's super grandmasters are no longer 'gods'. The current Top 10-30 is romping around at well endowed invitational tournaments, they are likeable, accessible at any time in interviews and simply professional chess players. Comparable with tennis, badminton, golf, snooker or darts players... Did Phil Taylor have to wait and see which of the hundreds qualified for the final? Where else besides in chess 'sport' are there such privileges? Okay, in boxing - but there are probably only 2 'games' per year... My favourite idea is: The chess world champion will only be determined in one tournament from now on. E.g. 7 challenger + reigning world champion double rounded. If equal points, the title or the ranking list counts... And therefore no more rapid chess games!

[@HipSpirit]

They're not entitled to a revenge fight if they lose, but the answer to your first question if that "to be the champion, you have to beat the champion".

[@jadezee6316]

dumbest thing i ever heard...to become the WC..you have to prove you are better...that requires a match..how in hell does playing a single tourny with guys never coming close to being champ prove strength?

[@VictorUdd]

@@jadezee6316 I prefer this current format. But your argument doesn't really hold. The team winning the world cup in football is still called World champions even though they might not have played the previous world champion throughout the competition.

[@budesmatpicu3992]

I would not dismiss this question so easily, since the current system has a lot of to do with the history of chess. One can easily imagine many different ways to determine the "world champion", e.g. league or F1-like (fixed amount of tournaments, overall points decide, possibly with some playoff). You can add crazy things like (you have it in figure skating) fixed mandatory opening (first move) for few games, or borrow from scoring systems used in tennis/volleyball (sets, advantages). Or something from boxing, some measure how decisive the victory was, or eventually evaluate drawn games (though this will be highly contraversial). And as a last measure... STYLE POINTS! Anything to counter the Grischuk's prophecy (classical chess is dead) from earlier today.

[@blackzebra96]

@@jadezee6316 Did you really read my comment?? In most of every popular sport there is a competition including the current one for the next World Champion... Why not in chess??

[@proflaxis6968]

This current format sucks. How about an annual knock-out or a double RR to potentially determine a new classical WCh each year? Maybe the ordeal of the current format is the cause of Magnus' obvious boredom and, disrespectful to chess, couldn't care less attitude. He has shocked and offended all the living legends of chess today with his attitude to this game. I now hope he gets his arse kicked by Fabi and then takes a sabbatical from chess to reflect on his goals in life.

[@johnmcmillen4540]

It's such a tragedy to witness the steady decline of such a great player as Magnus Carlsen, only because he fears to loose a part of his identity. Namely holding the WC-title and number one ranking is part of his identity, as Carlsen pointed out in an interview with a norwegian newspaper and added that loosing these two would suck a great deal. Since 2 - 3 years it seems that his fear to loose increases to such an amount, that he even gave up on such a promising position, offering a completely premature draw - which never was seen by Magnus Carlsen before imho. If i interpret the post game press conference correctly, Carlsen has already decided before the start of the game, that he wants a draw more or less no matter how good the position he gets evolves. He pointed out, as Peter said, that he hadn't the mindset to look for advantages at all. But this kind of stubbornness points also to a broken self-confidence far more than to a cool strategic calculation relying on tie breaks in my eyes. And i'm not at all sure, whether relying on rapid and blitz tiebreaks, where he has of course a favorite status, will pay off, because if Caruana play the first two game solid and succeed in making two draws the pressure will be up again and Carlsen will probably ending up again with playing too cautiously and even loosing... Perhaps it's completely exaggerated but i really wouldn't be surprised, if Carlsen quit his chess career after this match, perhaps even if he wins in the tiebreaks. I hope not of course, but this situation of being paralyzed has to be such an humiliating experience for Magnus Carlsen who tends to castigate himself even for small errors, that this big ongoing struggle to succeed at big matches in classic chess lately could perhaps be enough for him to retire...

[@jimgeary]

Well, he is guaranteed still being #1 rated classical at the end of the match!

[@johnmcmillen4540]

@@jimgeary True that, but his #1 spot may evaporate shortly after the match, if Caruana plays the GCT Final in London well though. Apart from this his paralyzing fear of loosing his WC title is the biggest threat at the moment. Let's see how it goes.

[@bennysaravi149]

I was always wondering how Carlsen became a world champ. He hasn't got the killer instinct of Kasparov let alone the great Fischer.

[@abhishekkj3662]

I did agree..Magnus of 2013 was a monster...of late he has lost motivation that's all...

[@nkarrpumpky]

abhishek K J He now has a girlfriend and maybe she keeps him busy and distracted. I really believe that. Also Bobby Fischer was a different animal. He was out there to demolish you with white or with black. This is not so with Carlsen. I also don’t like this format. It should be sudden death classical. Rapid and Blitz doesn’t belong in a championship match.

[@usfazli]

If Magnus can focus less on liv Tyler and more on chess , he would have won today

[@igbc176]

I dont like to hear what the computer says, I think is irrelevant.

[@strong8705]

Would stay great if pressed and won. Risk free position etc. Will dominate in rapid, but isn't it too "pragmatic" and plain cowardly? A shameful regrettable decision that cannot be undone.

[@roddiereventar6188]

Please do not blame or attact Magnus and Fabiano. The game rules and match format put the players in this predicament where a draw offer is the best decision, although disappointing. How much easier is it to offer a draw on move 31 than to press on for 6-7 hours and risk losing? I thought this would be won by Magnus in a hard-fought endgame of the ages. But with tiebreaks coming anyway, it was the best decision to draw... and the game ended before the battle really began. Let's consider revising the match rules and even the game. Does not playing out the game help the game of chess? Should we call a baseball game tied in the 3rd inning? The joy is in witnessing the event to its conclusion. Even when you hear a homerun hit off the bat you still watch it go over the fence. It was going over anyway but we witness it in awe... even if we've seen it done before. It is amazing every time. Perhaps there should be no draw offers. Even resignations hide the excitement of the moves to come. Losing a football game badly does not allow you to walk off the field... you must play to the painful end. Draws especially should be much harder and more risky to achieve in chess. An equal position can be spoiled by one wrong move. How many possible positions are there from this game 12 after the draw? Could Fabi have held under time pressure? Make drawing harder to achieve. Take away 3fold repetition. If you can still hold without repeating 3 times until move 200 then bravo you earn a draw. Of course stalemate and insufficient material should be drawn. A rapid and blitz tiebreak should not decide the world champion. The highest quality chess is produced during the deep thinking that classical allows. If the classical game cannot decide the champion as it is then it is time for the game to change to keep up with the tremendous players we have today. This year we have co-champions in my opinion. Well deserved. Well played. Next year I hope we have a harder version of the chess world championship to showcase our amazing players.

[@johnmcmillen4540]

Co-Champions is actually a very interesting idea. Some top level tournaments also have this concept. Let's play 18 or 24 games though.

[@terrabitic7090]

A decidedly cowardly approach by our World Champion. Perhaps it is time for him to concede the crown after all.

[@julioandresgomez3201]

Caruana has not proved heart of a champion either. For a starters, he could reject the draw and play on, that was the last chance to prove a bit he has gut.

[@jadezee6316]

cant agree...since whites position was weaker according to programs...and fabi....must have realized it..plus he was way lower on time.....as far as heart goes...holding the WC to 12 draws proves you wrong

[@julioandresgomez3201]

@@jadezee6316 Weaker, yet perfectly playable and with some chances. IF you got guts you will play it on, even if just to pull an epic swindle.

[@mastrake]

No GM would have refused Magnus's draw offer in that position and choosing to do so would have been suicidal, not brave.

[@julioandresgomez3201]

@@mastrake No GM of nowadays, feeble people.

[@warnaoh]

Whining about Carlsen is something i can understand. But to the point of rooting for this boring over prepared robot that is Caruana ?! LOL. Plus i hope you realise the only reason Caruana s white games were interesting isnt thanks to this great preparation or imagination otb but thanks to Carlsen playing the Sicilian. Had he played the petroff too this match would have been a disaster... Thanks Carlsen ! Whenever a player like Caruana is going to be the classical champion, people will realise how spoiled they were.

[@gracefullygraceful9776]

Magnus bottle it. I hope he retires after winning this championship.

[@leondarcy7367]

Carlsen has made neither chess nor his own standing any good with this draw offer. SAD.