WCC Carlsen-Karjakin 2016 - First 3 games drawn

Three Games have been played at the 2016 World Chess Championship till now and the score is tied at 1.5-1.5. Although all games were hard fought, neither player was able to make the decisive breakthrough. We bring you a short summary of all three games -

• Game 1

The first game will be remembered for the unusual choice of Opening by Magnus Carlsen. Playing White against Karjakin, he opened with d4 and after the usual reply Nf6, he decided to play the Trompowsky Attack ( Donald Trump effect? ).Although Carlsen has a very broad repertoire, this opening is rarely employed at the highest level as it doesn't provide White any significant opening edge. The game fizzled out to a draw in 42 moves.

• Game 2

Karjakin had White in this game and he chose to employ his trusted e4 opening. Carlsen responded with a Ruy Lopez setup, though choosing a classical line rather than the Berlin Defense. Karjakin then avoided the principal variation with a less common move on the sixth move but was not able to put any significant pressure on Carlsen. The game ended in a draw in 33 moves.

• Game 3

Carlsen chose to open with e4 and the game again entered the Ruy Lopez lines, this time the famed Berlin Defense. Carlsen won a pawn to create winning chances but the Russian defended stubbornly, showcasing his famed defensive skills. Carlsen missed a couple of winning continuations late in the game and after 78 moves and 7 hours, the game was drawn.

It is clear that both players are fighting it out on the board with all they've got but Caissa hasn't smiled on either on them. Carlsen has been able to create winning chances in a couple of games outplaying Karjakin in the middlegame, but the Russian's famed defensive skills have bailed him out. After three games, Karjakin still has to find a way to put Carlsen under pressure while Carlsen has to do the same to win his good positions. Stay tuned for more updates !