World Championship 2018: Carlsen – Caruana
For the first time, all twelve classical games were drawn — Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana matched each other move for move. Then, on the rapid-play tiebreak, Carlsen swept all three games 3–0 to retain his crown in emphatic style.
◈An immovable object
Caruana, the American world number two, arrived as the strongest challenger Carlsen had faced — the first to enter a title match within touching distance of him on the rating list. The classical games bore that out: twelve hard, tense, error-light draws, several of them genuine fights that came within a move of a decisive result.
Controversially, Carlsen offered a draw in a promising position in game twelve, content to take his chances in the faster tiebreak where he was the clear favourite.
◈Speed settles it
In the four-game rapid playoff there was no contest. Carlsen won game one from a near-winning position, crushed a must-press Caruana in game two, and clinched with a third straight win — 3–0 — declining even the safe clinching draw to finish in style.
It was Carlsen's third title defence, and the first time since 2013 that he came through a championship without losing a single game of any kind.
◈Cross Table
1 win · ½ draw · 0 loss — click a game number to replay it.