Chess

[DarthFed]

If the clocks are correct I think Karjakin has spent way too much time in the opening.

 

[DarthFed]

Not a single pawn off the board yet through move 18 and Karjakin is down to 11 minutes while Carlsen is at 18. That doesn't bode well.

 

[DarthFed]

Dead even game after 30 moves, but it is rapid so who knows what can happen.

 

[DarthFed]

Queens off the board, game 1 looks like a draw for sure now.

 

[DarthFed]

Draw is official. best of 3 now but Magnus has 2 whites

 

[Federberg]

Tension just keeps building

 

[DarthFed]

More dynamic game here and I think Carlsen has the slight edge after 17 moves.

 

[Federberg]

Yes he does seem to have acquired a nice edge, but Bxe3 shows Sergey doing everything he can to avoid complications

 

[Federberg]

now this is interesting

 

[DarthFed]

Wow, bad blunder there with cxb5, Carlsen has good winning chances now.

 

[DarthFed]

Looking grim here for Karjakin.

 

[Federberg]

Magnus is managing to make a pigs ear of this. What on earth is wrong with him?

 

[Federberg]

I can understand going for this type of position in classical but rapid?

 

[DarthFed]

This is still easily winning. Very rare position, not the rook vs. 2 bishops but the fact that no passed pawns are in the picture which makes it more difficult for sure. But this has to be winning for white.

 

[DarthFed]

Both low on time now, that could be a factor.

 

[DarthFed]

Bg4 is bizarre, now it's looking a little more and more difficult for white to convert this.

 

[Federberg]

Just a very odd decision to go for this type of position. I agree in classical this should be winning, but in rapid? Hmmm...

 

[DarthFed]

Yeah, actually this is a draw unbelievably. Magnus should definitely still play this out and hope SK screws up which is very easy to do in a position like this.

 

[DarthFed]

the drawing idea is simple, black can check white on the 7th rank after Bf8 gets played

 

[Federberg]

I'm really shocked. After watching Magnus play bullet. He seems to have lost his balls