GM Fabiano Caruana has now beaten each of his opponents in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup through the first cycle of the super-tournament’s double-round robin format. His performance rating so far has surpassed 3600.
by GM Ian Rogers
Five games, five wins, a two-and-a-half point lead — this is getting ridiculous.
On Sunday, in front of the biggest crowd so far at the Sinquefield Cup, GM Fabiano Caruana continued his winning run by defeating U.S. No. 1 Hikaru Nakamura with the black pieces. The win may have taken 67 moves and forced Caruana to play on the 30-second increment for the latter part of the game, but the Italian won nonetheless, recording a start to the tournament that he confessed “could not have dreamed of.”
Caruana’s fifth win began as an unusual variation of the Slav to the Queen’s Gambit, but after Nakamura’s strange plan of 8.g3 and 9.a3, it seemed that Caruana was already taking the initiative.
However a surprising pawn exchange by Caruana at 15…exd4 made Nakamura’s life easy, and one expected the American to start pressing. Instead, Nakamura chose 19. Rad1 and an unpromising plan and, with impressive moves such as 23…g5!, Caruana gradually took control — as he has done so often in this tournament.
By move 35 Nakamura was so bereft of counterplay that he decided to lash out with 35.h3, but this only made Caruana’s task easier. But just when it seemed that victory was close: “I overlooked his 45.Qe2 and 46.Qd3! plan,” admitted Caruana, and the 22-year-old needed to win the game all over again — now with his king exposed to multiple checks.
Caruana stayed cool despite the time trouble, however, and eventually his material advantage prevailed.
Game analysis by GM Varuzhan Akobian
In his post-game demonstration to the Sunday crowd after his impressive win against GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, GM Veselin Topalov thanked Caruana for beating everybody and thereby helping the Bulgarian to reach second place, with a 50% score.
Topalov’s game began as a sharp Sicilian Najdorf where he criticized Vachier-Lagrave’s 18…Nh5 (rather than 18…Rf7) and moreso 19…Bf6?! (instead of 19…g6) as Black’s first missteps.
By 25. c3, Topalov had obtained unassailable control over the light squares. Vachier-Lagrave soon had little hope left in the position, noticing that he would be losing after 35.Bc4? b5! Topalov showed that 35…Qf7 36.Qxf7 Rxf7 37.Bc4 Rf6 38.Rg5! leaves Black helpless against the coming invasion of the White king.
Game analysis by GM Varuzhan Akobian
World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen won his first game of the tournament, in trademark style, squeezing something out of nothing.
Employing Kramnik’s specialty 4…g6, Carlsen reached a solid Queen’s Indian position against GM Levon Aronian. Carlsen thought his opponent held a slight edge “until I was able to play 25…b5! and 26…bxc4.”
From there on, it was Carlsen pressing, though with 29.Qd4! Aronian looked to have secured a draw. Instead, the Armenian panicked with 35.c5?! and, when the smoke cleared at the first time control, Aronian needed to work to earn the draw.
Aronian’s 44.Nb3!? was a clever decision, forcing a rook endgame which looked drawish, though Carlsen was never likely to stop setting problems for his opponent. With 53…g5!! the World Champion avoided the advance of Aronian’s king, offering a chance for White to reach a rook-and-three-pawns versus rook-and-two-pawns ending.
“That should be a draw, but is by no means easy,” said Carlsen.
By then Aronian was playing on increment and, fearing a difficult technical task at 30 seconds-per-move, again tried a dubious pawn sacrifice with 57.g6? — after which, it seemed, the game could no longer be saved. Five hours and ten minutes after the start of the session, Aronian finally extended his hand and conceded the point, for the longest game of the tournament so far.
The players will now enjoy a rest day before battle resumes on Tuesday. Can anyone stop Caruana? None of the players seemed to think so except, in an understated way, Carlsen, the World Champion, happy that his own tournament was now back on track.