| FIDE WCCM: Magnus Carlsen proudly defends his title as he is Crowned the World Chess Champion |
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| Thursday, 29 November 2018 00:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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MAGNUS CARLSEN PROUDLY DEFENDS HIS TITLE AS HE IS CROWNED THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPION The world’s most prestigious Chess tournament has finally drawn to a thrilling close following the final round today, which saw Norwegian Magnus Carlsen defend his title and crowned the 2018 FIDE World Chess Champion, scooping up a prize of over €1million.  The 1,500 year-old sport has had a record breaking global audience online or attend the 12 tense matches between World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, and US challenger, Fabiano Caruana, in London from 9 and 28 November 2018.  The 2018 tournament turned out to be the closest fought battle in over a decade, with Magnus conquering his opponent in just the final round after games of drawers, with a final score of 0.3 in the last round. A press conference followed the final round where the two players spoke candidly about their experience over the past month with Magnus stating: “I feel like I had a really good day at work today… It’s very special for me to win this time. Fabiano is the strongest opponent that I’ve played so far in a World Championship match. Fabiano Caruana he has just as much a right as mine to call himself the best in the world, so I’m very happy to have overcome this great challenge.”  FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 became one of the most popular sports events of the year, covered by worldwide media such as CNN, BBC, Sky News, CBS, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. More than 10, 000 guests visited The College from 40 countries, including the USA, Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia, and France.  During the Championship, the honoured guests who participated in the First Move Ceremony included Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson, founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales, the daughter of Stephen Hawking Lucy Hawking, and other celebrities. The organisers offered unprecedented experience for fans coming to London to watch the games live: a public program, chess entertainment, official souvenir shop, new limited edition merchandise, and much more. Spectators were also able to view the after-game press conferences and listen to live commentary from the the world’s strongest chess players and experts — Judit Polgar and Anna Rudolf. On top of the huge numbers of fans in attendance, people watched exclusive broadcasts from UK via www.worldchess.com. The winner was then officially crowned the World Chess Champion at the Closing Ceremony, which saw guests and VIPs such as FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, CEO of World Chess Ilya Merenzon, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC PhosAgro Andrey Guryev,, Head of Global Partnerships and Sponsorships of Kaspersky Lab Aldo del Bo attend the special event, where bespoke Beluga vodka cocktails were served to celebrate the close of the tournament. President of FIDE (World Chess Federation), Arkadiy Dvorkovich, says: “Magnus and Fabiano are both exceptionally talented players, and I congratulate them both on their achievements.”  CEO of World Chess, Ilya Merenzon, says: “This year’s World Chess Championship has been the most popular yet, with a global audience of millions. We wanted to make the 2018 World Chess Championships the world’s most interesting event in chess history, and we didn’t disappoint. The world has closely watched both Magnus and Fabiano make each and every move, and they should extremely proud of their accomplishments.” CEO of Kaspersky Lab, Eugene Kaspersky, says: “As always, the World Chess Championship has been a big intellectual pleasure to watch. I’m happy that this strategic, even mathematical sport is evolving and becoming more open to a bigger, younger audience thanks to connectivity and modern technology. Though I regret greatly not being able to be in London to shake the champion’s hand, I hereby congratulate Magnus for his well-deserved victory.” Deputy Chairman of the Board of PhosAgro, an International-Class Master of Sports and Honoured Coach of Russia, Andrey Guryev says: “Despite the record number of draws, it was one of the most interesting matches in chess history between two young talented grandmasters. “For my part, I would like to note that we have pinned great hopes on Russia's grandmasters and the Russian school of chess. This year, three Russians took part in the Candidates Tournament: Sergey Karjakin, Alexander Grischuk and Vladimir Kramnik. I think we can look to the future with confidence and work together on the long-awaited return of the chess crown to Russia. PhosAgro, which has been the permanent general partner of the Russian Chess Federation for the past eight years, will continue to support the development of chess.” PHOTO GALLERY OFFICIAL WEBSITE Game 11: One Game May Decide the Title Saturday, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana extended their record-setting streak by drawing the eleventh game of their World Championship match. It is the longest streak to start a title match in history.  On Monday, in Game 12, they will have one more chance to clinch the title in regulation. If neither player can win, the match will proceed to tie-breakers on Wednesday. The score in the best-of-12 match stands at 5.5 points apiece. (Each win is worth a point and each draw a half point.) In Game 11, Carlsen, 27, the World Champion from Norway, had White and opened with 1 e4, as he had in Game 6. Caruana, 26, who is American, replied with 1… e5 and then, just as in Game 6, opted for the Petroff, or Russian, Defense. On Move 4, Carlsen varied from the earlier game with the standard retreat, 4 Nf3. The game then followed a well-known and heavily analyzed line. Caruana had little trouble equalizing and, after queens were traded on Move 13, he faced only incidental problems.  Carlsen tried to shake things up with 15 Nh4 and 16 Ng6, but after a series of exchanges from Moves 17 to 25, there were only bishops of opposite color and symmetrical pawn structures left. Though Caruana later blundered a pawn, it made absolutely no difference – Carlsen no longer had any reasonable winning chances. The players agreed to a draw after 55 moves. The match has a prize fund of a million euros (about $1.1 million), with 60 percent for the winner, or 55 percent, if the winner is decided by the tie-breakers. The string of draws is certainly frustrating for fans and probably for the players themselves, but that is the danger when two foes face each other who are evenly matched. Carlsen and Caruana are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, and they are only separated by three points in the rankings. While Carlsen may have had an important edge at the start of the match, based on having played several title matches, that edge is now largely gone, as Carlsen acknowledged during one of the press conferences. Caruana is now as comfortable, or uncomfortable, as Carlsen. Should the match go to tie-breakers, however, then Carlsen will once again have an advantage. The first four games would be at a rapid time control (25 minutes for each player with 10 seconds added after each move). At that time control, Carlsen is ranked No. 1, and has won World Championships, while Caruana is ranked No. 10.  If neither player should win the rapid games, then they would go to blitz games (five minutes per player with three seconds added after each move). There, Carlsen’s edge is even more pronounced as he No. 1, and has won World Championships in blitz, while Caruana is No. 18. FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 is also supported by PhosAgro, a leading chemical company as the Official Strategic Partner; Kaspersky Lab as the Official Cybersecurity Partner; PRYTEK as Technology Transfer Partner; S.T. Dupont as Official Writing Instrument; Isklar as the official mineral water of the Championship Match; Unibet as the Official Betting Partner. Game 12 is Monday at 3 PM local, or GMT, time. PHOTO GALLERY
OFFICIAL WEBSITE Game 10: An Intense Fight, the Same Result
For hours, the players waged an intense battle, walking a razor’s edge between success and ruin. In the end, however, after 54 moves and more than five hours, neither player could deliver a knockout blow.
The game was identical through Move 11. Caruana then varied with 12 b4, launching an attack on the queenside. Carlsen responded energetically and by Move 20, his initiative on the kingside offered him equal chances. Game 9: Still Deadlocked Another game, another draw. Wednesday, Game 9 of the World Championship between the champion, Magnus Carlsen, and the challenger, Fabiano Caruana, produced the same result as the first eight games: A draw. The nine consecutive draws to start a World Championship match are a record.
 The match has become a clash between the irresistible force (Carlsen) and the immovable object (Caruana). In Game 9, Carlsen, 27 and from Norway, had White and, as he had in Game 4, he began with the English opening (1 c4). Caruana, 26, from the United States, replied with the same system that he had used in the earlier game and the players followed the same path until Carlsen varied with 9 Bg5. The move did not change the evaluation of the position much and by Move 16, Caruana was already trying to repeat the position to force a draw by playing Bd5 and Be4 to continually attack Carlsen’s queen.
 Naturally, Carlsen avoided that by playing 17 Qd1. Caruana immediately exchanged his light-squared bishop for Carlsen’s knight with 17… Bf3. That turned out to be a small error as, after a further series of exchanges, Black had a broken, and therefore slightly worse pawn structure. That was not a serious problem for Caruana, however, and after more trades, the players wound up in an endgame in which chances were roughly equal. The game continued for another 25 moves, but there was no real hope for either player to win and they finally agreed to a draw after 56 moves and three-and-a-half hours.
 The best-of-12 game match has a prize fund of a million euros (about $1.1 million), with 60 percent for the winner. Each win is worth a point and each draw a half point. The first player to reach 6.5 points is declared the winner. (If the match should be tied after 12 games, the players will proceed to a series of tie-breakers and the winner of the match would receive 55 percent of the prize fund.) The Match is organized under the auspices of the World Chess Federation, or FIDE, the game’s governing body, and World Chess, the official organizer of the World Championship cycle.
FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 is also supported by PhosAgro, a leading chemical company as the Official Strategic Partner; Kaspersky Lab as the Official Cybersecurity Partner; PRYTEK as Technology Transfer Partner; S.T. Dupont as Official Writing Instrument; Isklar as the official mineral water of the Championship Match; Unibet as the Official Betting Partner.
The lack of decisive results has not dampened press coverage of the match. In the day before Game 9, articles appeared in The New York Times, NBC News, the Guardian, the Daily Mail, FiveThirtyEight, and Deadspin, to name a few.
 There is certainly no shortage of tension, particularly with only three games left in the regulation, or slow, part of the match. The last match in 2016, went to tie-breakers before Carlsen prevailed over Sergey Karjakin. That turned out to be a really exciting finish. The current Match seems to be heading for the same ending. Game 10 is Thursday at 3 PM local, or GMT, time.
PHOTO GALLERY OFFICIAL WEBSITE Game 8: Dubious Record Tied With a draw on Monday in Game 8 of the World Championship match in London, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana equaled the record for the most consecutive draws to start a title contest. In 1995, Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand also drew the first eight games of their title match in New York City.
The match score stands at four points apiece.
 Though Game 8 did not lead to a decisive result, it was a fight as the players contested a different opening than in the previous seven games. Caruana, the American challenger, had White for the fourth time in the match. As he had in the previous games with White, he opened with 1 e4 and Carlsen, the World Champion from Norway, once again answered with the Sicilian Defense (1… c5). Instead of the Rossolimo Variation (3 Bb5), Caruana finally ventured into the Open Sicilian by playing 3 d4. Carlsen answered with the Sveshnikov, or Pelikan, Variation (5… e5). Instead of 7 Bg5, which can lead to heavily analyzed and very complicated positions, Caruana chose 7 Nd5. Though that continuation is considered more strategic than the other approach, it also can be dangerous for Black.
Carlsen’s 8… Nb8 is odd-looking, but it is also considered the best move because the more “normal” 8… Ne7 can land Black in some hot water after 9 c3.
 Both players continued to follow the paths considered best until Carlsen played 18… g5. The move is consistent with some plans in the variation of the Sveshnikov that the game was following, but the move neglected Black’s development and allowed Caruana to gain time. He took advantage with an enterprising pawn sacrifice (21 c5), after which White had a dangerous passed pawn. Carlsen might have been in real trouble if Caruana had not played 24 h3. Instead, 24 Nc4, continuing to build pressure on Carlsen’s center, would have given White a clear edge. Caruana’s error gave Carlsen just enough time to shore up his defenses.
 Though the game continued until Move 38 before the players agreed to a draw, most of the drama was already gone. The best-of-12 game match has a prize fund of a million euros (about $1.1 million), with 60 percent for the winner. Each win is worth a point and each draw a half point. The first player to reach 6.5 points is declared the winner. (If the match should be tied after 12 games, the players will proceed to a series of tie-breakers and the winner of the match would receive 55 percent of the prize fund.) FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 is also supported by PhosAgro, a leading chemical company as the Official Strategic Partner; Kaspersky Lab as the Official Cybersecurity Partner; PRYTEK as Technology Transfer Partner; S.T. Dupont as Official Writing Instrument; Isklar as the official mineral water of the Championship Match; Unibet as the Official Betting Partner.
A close contest between Carlsen, who is ranked No. 1, and Caruana, who is No. 2, would certainly have been a logical expectation before the match began. But the inability of either player to pose a real threat to the other – with the exception of Game 1, when Caruana was in real trouble – may be a bit vexing for fans, and even for top players. As Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, ranked No. 6, told Chess.com at one point during Game 7, “I’m not gonna hide; the position is pretty dull.”
 If Carlsen and Caruana are to avoid going into the history books with a somewhat unwanted record – most consecutive draws to start a World Championship match – they are going to have to do remarkable in Game 9, which will be Wednesday at 3 PM local, or GMT, time. Game 7: The Draws Continue More than half the games in regulation have been played in the World Championship match in London and neither player has been able to notch a victory.  The latest effort was Sunday in Game 7. Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion from Norway, had White for the second game in a row and, for the second time in the match, he opened with 1 d4. As he had in Game 2, Fabiano Caruana, steered the game into a Queen’s Gambit Declined. The players repeated the moves from Game 2 until Carlsen, who had been outplayed in the earlier game, deviated by playing 10 Nd2. That move has been played many times before, so it could not have been a surprise to Caruana.
Caruana’s reply, 10 … Qd8, was not the best, and Carlsen soon had a slight edge. But it was no more than that and, as the game progressed, Caruana was never in any danger.
After a wholesale exchange of pieces from moves 18 to 25, chances were equal. Though the game continued until Move 40, a draw already seemed like a foregone result.
The match is now tied at 3.5 points apiece.
The best-of-12 game match has a prize fund of a million euros (about $1.1 million), with 60 percent for the winner. Each win is worth a point and each draw a half point. The first player to reach 6.5 points is declared the winner. (If the match should be tied after 12 games, the players will proceed to a series of tie-breakers and the winner of the match would receive 55 percent of the prize fund.) The match is organized under the auspices of the World Chess Federation, or FIDE, the game’s governing body, and World Chess, the official organizer of the World Championship cycle.
The venue for the event is in central London at The College in Holborn, an historic, Victorian-style building. Fans can watch online at Worldchess.com, the official site of the championship.
The match has now reached the same point as the match in 2016, which also started with seven draws. At that point, Carlsen tried too hard to beat Sergey Karjakin, who was then the challenger, and lost. It would be surprising if that happened again. At the same time, except for Game 1, when Caruana was in real trouble, neither player has come close to victory. Fans, and even the players themselves, have to be wondering when or if one of the players will crack.
  FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 is also supported by PhosAgro, a leading chemical company as the Official Strategic Partner; Kaspersky Lab as the Official Cybersecurity Partner; PRYTEK as Technology Transfer Partner; S.T. Dupont as Official Writing Instrument; Isklar as the official mineral water of the Championship Match; Unibet as the Official Betting Partner. Game 8 is today at 3 PM local, or GMT, time. FIDE WCCM Game 6: The World Champion Escapes. Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion, was on the ropes in Game 6 of the title match in London. But in a long endgame, Fabiano Caruana, the challenger, could find no way to break down Carlsen’s defenses and he was finally able to escape with a draw.
 The result left the match tied the halfway point at three points apiece; all six games in the contest have ended in draws. The best-of-12 game match has a prize fund of a million euros (about $1.1 million), with 60 percent for the winner. Each win is worth a point and each draw a half point. The first player to reach 6.5 points is declared the winner. (If the match should be tied after 12 games, the players will proceed to a series of tie-breakers and the winner of the match would receive 55 percent of the prize fund).
 In Game 6, Carlsen, who is from Norway, had White and started with 1 e4. It was Carlsen’s third game with White and, in all three games, he has chosen a different opening move. Caruana, who is American, replied 1 … e5 and after Carlsen continued 2 Nf3, Caruana chose the Petroff, or Russian, Defense. That was not a surprise as Caruana had employed the defense with great success when he won the Candidates tournament in Berlin earlier this year to qualify for the title match.  The game continued down an obscure branch of the Petroff that Carlsen had doubtless studied carefully. Caruana demonstrated he also was well prepared as he navigated some of the intricacies with no problem. After 15 moves, the position was symmetrical and the game seemed headed for a draw, which also was no surprise, as the Petroff has long had a reputation of being drawish. The game continued, however, partly because there is a rule in the match that games must be at least 30 moves, and also because neither player had any interest in agreeing to an early peace.
On Move 22, Carlsen made what turned out to be a small, but subtle error by positioning his light-squared bishop on a file that could be opened. Caruana was able to gain time to develop his rooks by attacking the bishop and that allowed him to take over the initiative.
Carlsen was in no immediate danger, but Caruana had nagging pressure against White’s position. By Move 34, the players had reached an endgame in which each had his bishop pair and a knight and a set of six pawns.
Just after the first time control at Move 40, Carlsen made another small error and was forced to trade one of his remaining pieces for three of Caruana’s pawns. Nominally, that is about an even trade, but, at the tail end of the sequence, Caruana was able to win another of Carlsen’s pawns.
Carlsen was clearly in trouble, but Caruana only had two pawns left and if Carlsen could trade them, the game would be a draw. The exchange of one pawn was impossible to prevent, but Carlsen could not easily get to the second. Computer evaluations showed a clear edge for Caruana.
Computers do not understand endgames very well, however. And Carlsen is one of the greatest endgame virtuoso’s in history. He found a plan that involved sacrificing his last queenside pawn to allow his king to infiltrate Caruana’s king side. Though Carlsen’s king now had almost no room to maneuver, it could support the advance of his h pawn if Caruana tried to go after Carlsen’s f pawn to clear the path for his own remaining f pawn.
For nearly 20 moves, Caruana tried to outflank Carlsen, but it was not possible. Carlsen had built a fortress. The game was drawn on Move 80, after six-and-a-half hours of play. A curious facet of the match is that Black has had equal chances or an edge in every one of the games; neither player’s strategy with White has been effective.
 FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018 is also supported by PhosAgro, a leading chemical company as the Official Strategic Partner; Kaspersky Lab as the Official Cybersecurity Partner; PRYTEK as Technology Transfer Partner; S.T. Dupont as Official Writing Instrument; Isklar as the official mineral water of the Championship Match; Unibet as the Official Betting Partner.  Game 7 is on Sunday at 3 PM local, or GMT, time. Game 4: The Defense Holds Again
Game 4 of the World Championship on Tuesday ended as the first three had – with a draw. It was also the shortest game of the match, lasting 34 moves and three hours.  As in Game 3, neither player made any obvious or big error. Indeed, Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian World Champion, who had White, chose the English (1 c4), an opening that generally does not put much pressure on Black. After Fabiano Caruana, the American challenger, replied with 1 … e5 (essentially the Sicilian Defense with colors reversed), he had little trouble developing his pieces or establishing equal chances. By Move 20, the queens, both sets of knights and the light-squared bishops had all been exchanged and though there was some imbalance in the pawn structure, neither player had particularly good prospects for a breakthrough. They agreed to a draw soon after.
The match now is tied at two points apiece.
 The match is best-of-12 games with a prize fund of a million euros (about $1.1 million), with 60 percent for the winner. Each win is worth a point and each draw a half point. The first player to reach 6.5 points will be the winner. (If the match should be tied after 12 games, the players will proceed to a series of tie-breaker games.) The match is organized under the auspices of the World Chess Federation, or FIDE, the game’s governing body, and World Chess, the official organizer of the World Championship cycle.
The venue for the event is in central London at the College in Holborn, an historic, Victorian-style building. Fans can watch online at Worldchess.com, the official site of the championship.
The match’s sponsors include PhosAgro, a giant Russian-based international fertilizer company; Kaspersky Lab, one of the world’s top information security companies; S.T. Depont, a leading French luxury goods manufacturer; Prytek, a Russian venture capital company specializing in technology and financial services; and Unibet, an online gambling operator that is in more than 100 countries.
After a great deal of excitement in Game 1, which lasted 115 moves and which Caruana nearly lost, the match has settled down, with neither player having any significant winning chances in the last three games.
 That is not really a surprise. The players in World Championship matches are always incredibly well prepared and they are also reluctant to take big risks because falling behind in such a match is very dangerous.
Carlsen and Caruana are also fairly evenly matched, judging both by their rankings, Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, and the difference in their ratings – three points, which is only a whisker. As the match progresses, the tension will mount. Normally, that would favor the champion, who not only has more match experience, but also would have an advantage in the tie-breakers, as they are played at faster time controls, at which he excels and at which Caruana is not nearly as proficient.
 However, in the 2016 title match against Sergey Karjakin of Russia, it was Carlsen who cracked first as he lost his patience and overpressed in Game 8, eventually losing. He had to fight back in Game 10 to tie the match before prevailing in the tie-breakers. Has Carlsen learned from that experience? Time will tell. Wednesday is a rest day. The match resumes with Game 5 on Thursday at 3 PM local, or GMT, time.
Game 3: An error-free day After three games of the World Championship, neither player has made a dent in the other’s armor. All the games have ended in draws.  On Monday, in Game 3, Fabiano Caruana, the American challenger, had White for the second time in the match and, for the second time, he opened with 1 e4. As he had in Game 1, Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion from Norway, replied with the Sicilian Defense (1 … c5) and Caruana again replied with the Rossolimo Variation (3 Bb5). The players repeated the same first five moves before Carlsen deviated first by moving his queen instead of his king knight. The change was subtle and did not result in any major shift in the dynamic balance of the position. Indeed, unlike in the first game, when Caruana got into trouble, in this game he was never in any real danger. But neither was Carlsen. As the game proceeded and pieces and pawns were gradually exchanged, chances remained equal as neither player made any mistake.  In the end, Caruana sacrificed his remaining piece, a knight, to eliminate the last pawn that Carlsen had any chance to promote to a queen. With no winning chances for either side, the players agreed to a draw after 49 moves. The match now is tied at 1.5 points apiece. The match is best-of-12 games with a prize fund of a million euros (about $1.1 million), with 60 percent for the winner. Each win is worth a point and each draw a half point. The first player to reach 6.5 points will be the winner. (If the match should be tied after 12 games, the players will proceed to a series of tie-breaker games.)  The match is organized under the auspices of the World Chess Federation, or FIDE, the game’s governing body, and World Chess, the official organizer of the World Championship cycle.
The venue for the event is in central London at the College in Holborn, an historic, Victorian-style building. Fans can watch online at Worldchess.com, the official site of the championship.
The match’s sponsors include PhosAgro, a giant Russian-based international fertilizer company; Kaspersky Lab, one of the world’s top information security companies; S.T. Depont, a leading French luxury goods manufacturer; Prytek, a Russian venture capital company specializing in technology and financial services; and Unibet, an online gambling operator that is in more than 100 countries.
Though the match is only three games old, one theme has already emerged: Black is having no trouble equalizing out of the opening. (Indeed, the player with Black has, if anything, had an advantage in each game.)
In this respect, Caruana may already be a bit worried about his match strategy as he has avoided mixing things up with Carlsen on the White side of a Sicilian Defense by playing 3 d4, the most popular third move. Though the Rossolimo Variation (3 Bb5) certainly holds dangers for Black, it may be necessary for Caruana to enter the myriad complications of the main lines of the Sicilian after 3 d4 if he hopes to crack Carlsen’s defense.
Or Caruana may have to resort to a different first move altogether, such as 1 d4. His opening choice in Game 5, when he again has White will be very interesting.
Game 2: A Fair Result
Game 1: A Near Miss for Carlsen The match has received worldwide media exposure, with articles in The Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and ESPN, among others.
Opening Ceremony of FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018
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