A win in Saint Louis

Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana

Sinquefield Cup · 2014 · 0-1

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A masterpiece, move by move

Caruana defeats Carlsen in round 3 of the 2014 Sinquefield Cup. Black survives the early tactics and attacks with queen, rook and bishop.

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15. Bxf7+

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Start a forcing sequence. Carlsen sacrifices the bishop on f7 with check. White’s knight and rook soon join the attack, so Black must coordinate the defense carefully.

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20... Nd3

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A knight in the center. The knight lands on d3 while White’s knight is stranded on h8. After Qxd3, Black captures the rook on f8, changing the material balance again.

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31... Rd1+

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Invade with check. The rook reaches the first rank. Following Rxd1 and ...Qxd1+, Black’s queen continues giving checks, supported by the bishop on b6.