Carlsen-Karjakin, Game 10: Magnus smile is back!

Magnus Carlsen has beaten Sergey Karjakin to level the score in the 2016 World Chess Championship with two games to go. The first half of Game 10 saw both players creaking under the pressure and could have ended abruptly if Sergey had spotted an all but forced draw. Instead, after more adventures, Magnus got the kind of slightly better endgame on which he’s built his chess empire.

Sergey seemed to have constructed a fortress, but one moment’s inattention was all it took to see it all come crashing down. A hugely relieved Magnus Carlsen is now favourite again – but so are tiebreaks!

The players once again went for the Ruy Lopez, and this time Magnus met the Berlin with an offbeat variation of the Anti-Berlin. He was back at his old game of getting his opponent “out of book” at all costs, as Anish Giri explained: Similar concept to game 2 from Sochi match. Worse version of a known position, but still playable. Nice, desperate idea.