World Champion and Challenger Make Draw Again in London
The score is 2-2.
The fourth game of the World Championship Match between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana took place in London on November 13. The world champion played with the white pieces. The opponents discussed the main line of the English Opening, to which Caruana responded with a relevant plan of developing his bishop to c5. It seemed after the opening, that White had got a microscopic edge, but the position simplified after a series of precise moves made by the Black, and the draw became inevitable.
The score is 2-2. The fifth game is to be played on Thursday, November 15. Fabiano Caruana will have the white pieces.
Grandmaster Vladimir Fedoseev shares his impressions of the game and the first third of the match:
– Has the today’s choice of opening come as a surprise to you? Can 1.c2-c4 be viewed upon as a refusal to continue the discussion in the Queen's Gambit?
– I think Magnus is still on a reconnaissance, and we will see something more concrete when going into the second half of the event and the champion playing two times in a row as White. I mean games 6 and 7. Meanwhile, his team is to come up with something creative in the proper direction. Today's opening is rather sizing up the opponent in an equal position. Let me voice a suggestion about the champion pining hopes on the black color as well.
– With this in mind, can we expect 1. е2-е4 in the champion's next game as White?
– e4 is quite likely. It is as likely as 1. d4.
– What was the critical moment in the opening? Could White keep up pressure at any moment?
– I cannot say about the opening because I am not an expert in this line. Good preparation from both sides was obvious for everyone to see. Black's performance was solid as he initiated trades and ended up building up a robust position. I rather liked Caruana's followup in an equal position. I praise 29...f5 as a move freeing pieces and killing any potential counterplay.
– What are your impressions from the first third of the match distance?
– The reconnaissance is over. I think some serious arguments are going to step in starting with game five. Pivotal for the first third of the match was game one. Were Magnus to convert it, the match course would have been totally different.
– Still, which player has more substantial claims for the driver's seat in the games to come, from your point of view?
– So far the contest is balanced, but I rather believe in Magnus. In my opinion, he is on the more comfortable end of making draws. I believe games five to seven are going to be pivotal for the entire match!
Questions by Dmitry Kryakvin
Tournament page
Official website
Ian Nepomniachtchi's broadcast
Photos by Press service of World Chess
