Chess Record Match: Caruana's Equal to Carlsen as Kasparov Criticizes World Championship

Fabiano Caruana, currently ranked world No 3 and US champion, demonstrated his newfound proficiency in speed chess when he claimed victory at SuperUnited Zagreb Rapid and Blitz, a segment of the St Louis-organised Grand Chess Tour, earning an impressive total score of 27/36 points - matching Magnus Carlsen's record for this particular event. With five rounds remaining in both rapid (G25+10) and blitz (G5+2), with the former offering double points, a grand prize of $175,000 was at stake.

Over the nine years since its introduction to the Tour, there have been ten instances where total scores for rapid/blitz rounds exceeded 24.5 points. Amongst these achievements were five by Carlsen himself and four more by other formidable players like Fabiano Caruana, Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, Wei Yi, and Wesley So.

Caruana exhibited some remarkable games throughout the event, including his final rapid round against Anish Giri. For this match, he devised an original opening sequence starting with moves 6 Qd3 and 7 g3 - nicknamed by Caruana and his coach Grigoriy Oparin as "Delayed Zagreb." His surprising move of 41 Qa7 left his opponent momentarily taken aback.

This triumph represents a significant boost for Caruana, particularly after the setback incurred during his world title challenge campaign in 2018. At that time, he held his own against Carlsen over twelve gruelling draws but ultimately suffered defeat in the rapid tie-breakers. Nonetheless, Caruana has now secured a spot as No 2 in FIDE's rapid ratings and No 6 in blitz rankings, emphasizing how even minor distinctions can make all the difference in the world of competitive chess.

In a potential match-up against Ian Nepomniachtchi - which could have occurred at Candidates if Caruana had converted his winning position in Zagreb's blitz - it was noted that Gukesh ranked last among 10 participants, losing five games within one day alone.

Garry Kasparov, a former world champion and one of the organizers for the Grand Chess Tour, recently expressed reservations about the upcoming World Championship match in his commentary on X. He believes that it should feature two top-ranked players rather than Gukesh or Ding Liren, who are both worthy contenders but don't currently hold the No 1 spot.

Kasparov has a history of making such statements - for instance, during his championship in 2023 when he referred to the contest between Ding Long and Ian Nepomniachtchi as an "amputated event." Similarly, Kasparov criticized Boris Gelfand's qualification against Vishy Anand back in 2012. However, while there is some validity to his concerns, it remains essential to acknowledge that Ding and Gukesh are both strong competitors in their right, given the absence of Carlsen from this year's match-up due to a voluntary renouncement of his title.

Turning our attention to upcoming events, we find ourselves at the commencement of The Crunchlabs Masters, an online Champions Tour event that kicks off on Wednesday and continues throughout the week ahead. Magnus Carlsen is favored in this competition, notwithstanding his absence from SuperUnited Zagreb due to a personal tragedy involving the passing of his mother at age 61.

Similarly, The Mindsports International Open commenced on Thursday, pitting European grandmasters and masters against English experts and emerging talents. This intriguing contest unfolds within the walls of London's Mindport Centre, with top-level games available for viewership online at lichess.com each day thereafter.