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Saint Louis Blitz 2019 · Saint Louis USA · 13 August 2019

Carlsen, M. vs Caruana, F., Saint Louis Blitz 2019

Carlsen, M. ½–½ Caruana, F.
Carlsen, M. vs Caruana, F.
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Saint Louis Blitz 2019, 13 August 2019

The Carlsen-Caruana blitz game at the 2019 Saint Louis Blitz tournament (Round 5) was a draw. The Saint Louis Chess Club’s annual rapid and blitz events were established by 2019 as part of the Grand Chess Tour calendar. The blitz format used 3+2 time control over 18 rounds.

The draw was an aggressive game from a Sicilian Najdorf, with both sides finding active piece play in a sharp middlegame. The eventual result was determined by time-trouble accuracy rather than by positional considerations. At blitz time controls, even elite players miss tactical opportunities; the draw was accepted in a position where either side could have continued to play for a win with more time.

The 2019 Saint Louis Blitz was won by Magnus Carlsen with 13/18. Caruana finished co-second on 11.5/18. The result confirmed Carlsen’s dominance in blitz format that year — a dominance that would persist through the 2020 and 2021 cycles.

The Saint Louis Chess Club’s annual events have become the most important non-FIDE elite series in the modern era. The combination of classical, rapid, and blitz sections allows top players to test themselves across all time controls in a single trip. By 2023 the club was hosting the strongest annual rapid and blitz tournaments in the world.