Hello everyone!
Today is the much awaited 1st game of the 12-game World Chess Championship 2018 Match held in London from 9-28 November 2018. I would be using this as my Blog Id in order to post my musings relating to chess as well as life, learnings etc. For today, I am quiet sure that Magnus would be aiming to hold on with the Black pieces v/s Caruana and try to press on with the White pieces as is usually the strategy in the World Championship Matches. Caruana meanwhile would want to 'step it up' from the word go itself. The first rounds are always the most important in any tournament, more so in the World Chess Championship. Caruana may play 1.e4 also which was his mainstay yet I think he would want to play it later when he believes he has better preparations than now going a bit deeper into the match. If Caruana plays 1.e4 I have a very strong feeling that it may be interesting for Carlsen to go for the Caro-Kann to limit or even finish all the preparations Fabi did for the WCC! However, the major problem is always that Fabi believes in himself more than all of Carlsen's earlier WCC opponents.
I think Caruana will play 1.d4 first for which Carlsen may reply 1...Nf6( or 1...d5 depending on his match preparation). 1...Nf6 will be followed by 2.c4 e6 3.g3 according to me as often played by Caruana. 3...Bb4+ 4.Nd2 or even 4.Bd2 is a realistic possibility. However, having seen the previous World Championship Matches, I think Carlsen is going to prevent even this and try to nullify opponent's prepared lines!
One of Carlsen's trademark styles in the World Chess Championships has been not allowing opponent to use much of his preparations for the World Championship Matches- 1...c6 against Mr. Anand in Madras 2013 followed by sticking with the Berlin Endgame and changing openings consistently with the White pieces.
2014 Sochi was also good yet quiet predictable. Carlsen's opening preparation precisely shone in the 2016 WC getting micro-advantages against a ferocious theoritician like Karjakin who could not use much of the preparations done for the match!
For 3.g3 therefore, Carlsen may try 3...c5!?. 4.Nf3 then would be nicely dealt with in his preparations. 4.d5 is the critical option for which Carlsen may try 4...ed5 5.ed5 b5 or some rarely played lines. Also important to note is that Carlsen recently quipped that he has Fressinet, P.H. Nielsen along with many young players working for him in this match. He used the services of MVL, Gustaffson, Shankland, Nils Grandelius for the 2016 match. Gustaffson is not commentating for the match which makes me think he maybe a part of ' Team Carlsen'. Richard Rapport was used for playing training games. This time, if Rapport is part of analysis, there may even be some ingenious ideas like 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5!? up Carlsen's sleeves as well!
All said and done and knowing Carlsen I think that Carlsen can play something like the Grunfeld(especially to surprise Fabi, although Fabi does not mind playing on his own as he has faith in his own strength). I think that Carlsen can play 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 also like he did to limit Caruana's prep although unfortunately for Carlsen, Caruana does not mind playing without theory while Karjakin and Mr.Anand struggled if the game went far away from theoritical waters.
Let's see what's in store at 8:30 PM IST.
Thanks!
Today is the much awaited 1st game of the 12-game World Chess Championship 2018 Match held in London from 9-28 November 2018. I would be using this as my Blog Id in order to post my musings relating to chess as well as life, learnings etc. For today, I am quiet sure that Magnus would be aiming to hold on with the Black pieces v/s Caruana and try to press on with the White pieces as is usually the strategy in the World Championship Matches. Caruana meanwhile would want to 'step it up' from the word go itself. The first rounds are always the most important in any tournament, more so in the World Chess Championship. Caruana may play 1.e4 also which was his mainstay yet I think he would want to play it later when he believes he has better preparations than now going a bit deeper into the match. If Caruana plays 1.e4 I have a very strong feeling that it may be interesting for Carlsen to go for the Caro-Kann to limit or even finish all the preparations Fabi did for the WCC! However, the major problem is always that Fabi believes in himself more than all of Carlsen's earlier WCC opponents.
I think Caruana will play 1.d4 first for which Carlsen may reply 1...Nf6( or 1...d5 depending on his match preparation). 1...Nf6 will be followed by 2.c4 e6 3.g3 according to me as often played by Caruana. 3...Bb4+ 4.Nd2 or even 4.Bd2 is a realistic possibility. However, having seen the previous World Championship Matches, I think Carlsen is going to prevent even this and try to nullify opponent's prepared lines!
One of Carlsen's trademark styles in the World Chess Championships has been not allowing opponent to use much of his preparations for the World Championship Matches- 1...c6 against Mr. Anand in Madras 2013 followed by sticking with the Berlin Endgame and changing openings consistently with the White pieces.
2014 Sochi was also good yet quiet predictable. Carlsen's opening preparation precisely shone in the 2016 WC getting micro-advantages against a ferocious theoritician like Karjakin who could not use much of the preparations done for the match!
For 3.g3 therefore, Carlsen may try 3...c5!?. 4.Nf3 then would be nicely dealt with in his preparations. 4.d5 is the critical option for which Carlsen may try 4...ed5 5.ed5 b5 or some rarely played lines. Also important to note is that Carlsen recently quipped that he has Fressinet, P.H. Nielsen along with many young players working for him in this match. He used the services of MVL, Gustaffson, Shankland, Nils Grandelius for the 2016 match. Gustaffson is not commentating for the match which makes me think he maybe a part of ' Team Carlsen'. Richard Rapport was used for playing training games. This time, if Rapport is part of analysis, there may even be some ingenious ideas like 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5!? up Carlsen's sleeves as well!
All said and done and knowing Carlsen I think that Carlsen can play something like the Grunfeld(especially to surprise Fabi, although Fabi does not mind playing on his own as he has faith in his own strength). I think that Carlsen can play 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 also like he did to limit Caruana's prep although unfortunately for Carlsen, Caruana does not mind playing without theory while Karjakin and Mr.Anand struggled if the game went far away from theoritical waters.
Let's see what's in store at 8:30 PM IST.
Thanks!
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