Game 12 of the match was, indeed, drawn, and so the regular section of the match concludes tied, 6-6.
And therefore we proceed, tomorrow, to tiebreaks.
Which are complicated and chaotic, but designed to be certain to crown a champion.
But before we move on, I must share that I was as startled as any chess fancier to see Carlsen offer a draw on move 31, with such an (apparently) overwhelming advantage in both time and space. Carlsen had nearly 40 extra minutes on the clock, had an extremely powerful knight and a passed central pawn on the 5th rank, and had enormous mobility for his pieces, while Caruana was confined to his back two rows and was reduced to shuttling his rook around.
Carlsen’s Bizarre Decision Has Sent The World Chess Championship To Overtime
After Caruana’s 25th move, he was down more than 30 minutes on the clock and the equivalent of nearly two pawns, according to a supercomputer analyzing the game. The middlegame became a wild rumpus, and a scary one for fans of the American, one that neither human grandmasters nor chess superengines could make all that much sense of. Swings in advantage were wild, and time pressure was mounting.
Well, I guess the supercomputer was confused, too; I am in good company?
“I wasn’t in a mood to find the punch,” Carlsen said by way of explanation after the game.
What mood will he be in tomorrow?
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