Fabiano Caruana – Ding Liren, Catalan E00
2018 Chess Candidates Tournament, Round 9
Fabiano and Ding Liren have played one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far! It was a theoretical Catalan position in which they managed to complicate things right out of the opening. They entered a very complex tactical variation in which both sides had a chance to blunder, but both players calculated well and somehow ended up in an equal middlegame position with not too much for either side.
After some maneuvering and attempting to create an attack, Caruana managed to infiltrate Ding’s position and gained the initiative. The resulting position transitioned into a completely mad endgame in which Caruana had a winning advantage three times, and he managed to blunder it away three times! Eventually the position ended in a draw, but Fabiano had missed a completely winning check just two moves earlier.
A brilliant game by both sides. Full of mistakes and missed opportunities, but that’s what makes chess interesting! After round 9, Fabiano is still in clear first despite drawing, and Ding is still at only 50%.
2018 Chess Candidates, standings after round 9:
Fabiano Caruana 6/9
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 5.5/9
Alexander Grischuk 5/9
Sergey Karjakin 4.5/9
Ding Liren 4.5/9
Levon Aronian 3.5/9
Wesley So 3.5/9
Vladimir Kramnik 3.5/9