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Library / Games / Caruana, F. vs Carlsen, M.
Croatia GCT 2019 · Zagreb CRO · 28 June 2019

F. Caruana vs M. Carlsen, Croatia GCT 2019

Caruana, F. ½–½ Carlsen, M.
Caruana, F. vs Carlsen, M.
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135/135
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Croatia GCT 2019, 28 June 2019

The Caruana-Carlsen game at the 2019 Croatia Grand Chess Tour (Round 3.1, June 28) was a draw. The 2019 Croatia GCT was the inaugural event of the Grand Chess Tour Croatia leg — played in Zagreb, with a 12- player round-robin field. The format was a strong classical event with 2-week duration.

Caruana as White played the Italian Game, the slow positional structure Carlsen himself preferred as White. The choice to play Carlsen’s own weapon back at him was characteristic of Caruana’s preparation strategy during this period — try to neutralise Carlsen’s structural preferences by entering them with deep preparation of his own.

The game was drawn in 35 moves with material balance and a clear drawing endgame. Carlsen finished first in the 2019 Croatia GCT with 8/11; Caruana finished co-fifth on 5.5/11. The result confirmed Carlsen’s status as the world’s strongest classical player at the time.

The Grand Chess Tour 2019 calendar included Croatia, Saint Louis, and several other stops. The cumulative tour result was won by Carlsen with consistent top-three finishes at every event. The Tour had become by 2019 the most prestigious annual chess series outside of the World Championship cycle.

Game record

This game between Caruana, F. and Carlsen, M. was played at the Croatia GCT 2019 in Zagreb CRO in 2019. Played in round 3.1. At the time of the game, the players were rated 2819 (White) and 2875 (Black). The game lasted 68 moves, ending with a drawn outcome. It is part of the modern AI-era of elite chess.

Opening context

The opening sequence runs 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6, after which the players entered the middlegame proper.

Match notes

This Croatia GCT 2019 game sits in Carlsen era. Master-level chess of the period was published in tournament bulletins, magazine annotations, and — for the most-studied games — in published opening monographs by the participants and their successors. This game is preserved in the open historical record and can be replayed in full above.

Where to read on

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