2018 Cup Chronicle Issue 7

A large crowd gathered at the Saint Louis Chess Club to watch the encounter between the World Champion and his challenger. The face off attracted so much attention that only media was allowed in the playing hall for the first 15 minutes of the game, while the fans patiently waited their turn. The game eventually ended in a draw, but the final result does not tell all the drama that happened during the four hours of gameplay. As this was their final official classical game, the chess world will have to wait until November to see Carlsen and Caruana battle it out once again, this time for the World Championship crown. There were no other changes in the standings as the rest of the games were also drawn. Going into the final stretch of the tournament, Fabiano Caruana is still leading by half a point.