TravelGuides – Magnus Carlsen v Ian Nepomniachtchi: World Chess Championship Game 7 – live! | Sport

Nepomniachtchi plays 17. d4 and Carlsen has gone into the think tank. He’s spent more than seven minutes pondering his response and has gone more than 20 minutes behind his opponent on time.

“I think the opening has gone well for Ian,” says American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana on Chess.com’s broadcast. “It’s not a very large advantage but it is pressure and he’s up on the clock. This is a bit of an opening success. But we saw it last time he was white that he got an advantage but he wasn’t able to pursue it in the most accurate way.

“So this is only the start of it. Although he might have won the opening battle in some small way, he still needs to outplay Magnus from this position. Which is really difficult because this is magnus’s territory. Ruy Lopez positions, he’s been playing at the top level, and at the world championship level, for over a decade.”

Nepomniachtchi inspects the position for nearly 10 minutes before playing 16. Be3. Carlsen responds with 16. … Be6 after exactly six minutes.

Carlsen has taken more than 20 minutes pondering his response to 15. c3. “I’m not sure if I would say if this is an opening success for Ian,” commentator Jon Kristian Haarr says on Chess24’s broadcast. “It seems to me that Magnus has equalized. But then again, it depends again on what Ian wants to get out of this game. He has a very solid position and is by no meams this game over or a draw or anything.”

Ultimately, Carlsen retreats his knight with 15. … Ne7. Early days, but he’s fallen 20 minutes behind Nepomniachtchi on time.

We’re under way after a technical snafu! After the players blitz out their opening moves into an anti-Marshall variation of the closed Ruy Lopez (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3), the players continue with 7. … O-O 8. a4 Rb8 9. axb5 axb5 10. h3 d6 11. d3 h6 12. Nc3.

Carlsen, playing as black today, has his first lengthy think of the day, taking nearly 13 minutes before deciding on 12. … Re8, before 13. Nd5 Bf8 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. c3 leave us in the current position.