18 November 2016
Game Five Ends in a Draw
Carlsen-Karjakin match score is now 2.5-2.5.
The World Chess Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin resumed after a rest day with the Game Five. The World Champion had White. The right to make the first move was given to Bennett Miller, a renowned movie director, who pushed the e-pawn to e4. The Russian grandmaster, as usual, responded with е7-е5.
Carlsen, Miller, and Karjakin
This time Carlsen deviated from the Ruy Lopez in favor of the Italian Game, which did not occur in World Championship matches for 35 years, since Karpov-Korchnoi (Merano 1981). This ancient opening has gained some popularity, largely thanks to the ideas associated with 6.а4, which was introduced recently. With this move White grabs space and restricts Black's dark-squared bishop.
Sergey played the opening moves with confidence, clearly not surprised by the opponent's choice. The first critical moment occurred on the move 12, when Carlsen did not retreat his bishop from c4, allowing a trade. Karjakin reacted in the most principled way, and a complex middlegame arose: Black had the bishop pair, but White's central knight was very active and restricted the black bishop on a7. The challenger soon traded his bishop for this knight: according to Karjakin, he wanted to keep the bishop pair, but did not see how he could afford it.
This trade led to a position with queens, rooks, and opposite-colored bishops. White had a slight initiative, however, Carlsen played rather hesitantly, and his decision to lock the queenside by 32.а5 was probably a mistake. Karjakin replied by transferring his king to the queenside and starting active operations on the kingside, which included a pawn sacrifice. After the control he could utilize Carlsen's mistake and seize control of the h-file, creating dangerous threats. However, it would lead to a very sharp and uncontrollable position. Karjakin eventually decided to play in a more textbook fashion, and Carlsen returned the pawn, neutralizing the opponent's threat. Following further simplifications, the players agreed to a draw.
The score remains equal after five games – 2.5-2.5. Game Six will be played on Friday, November 18. Sergey Karjakin has White.
Official site http://worldchess.com/nyc2016/
Photos by Vladimir Barsky
