The momentum augured badly for Fabiano Caruana in the final match of the Grand Chess Tour, held in Sao Paulo earlier this month. In the first classical game against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave he blew a chance to take a commanding lead in the match, since wins in those slow games were weighted more than the subsequent rapid and blitz games (3:2:1 respectively). Worse still, he went on to lose one of the rapid games, leaving him needing a 3-1 victory in the blitz just to tie the match.
Caruana explained after the match how he managed to keep his hopes alive. ‘If you think about it as having to win one game, and then it looks like you just lost one game in blitz, then that’s not too bad.’ One foot in front of the other, as they say. Caruana managed to alchemise that thought into three consecutive victories. In the second of those, he spotted a neat tactical shot.
Fabiano Caruana – Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave
GCT Final: Blitz game 2. Sao Paulo, 2025
16 b4! Ne4 Vachier-Lagrave must have been counting on this response, since after 17 Nxe4 Qxc2 18 Nxf6+ Bxf6 19 Rxc2 Be4 the bishop pair offer good play for the pawn. 17 Nd5! Beautiful, since after 17…Qxc2 the intermezzo 18 Nxe7+ Kg7 19 Rxc2 leaves White a piece up. Qd8 18 Qxe4 18 Nxf6+ also wins, but Caruana chooses strategic trumps over material. exd5 Black’s pawns are crippled, but 18…Bxd5 was no better: 19 Qg4+ Kh8 20 e4 19 Qg4+ Kh8 20 Qh5 Rg8 21 Nd4 Rg6 22 Nc6 Qe8 23 Bxd5 Bf8 24 Qf3 Rc8 25 a3 a5 26 bxa5 bxa5 27 Nxa5 Rxc1 28 Rxc1 Bxd5 29 Qxd5 Bxa3 30 Rb1 Rg5 31 Qd2 Kg7 Owing to a few inaccuracies from Caruana, 31…Qe4! would have kept the fight alive. 32 Nc4 Bc5 33 Qd3 Qe6 34 e3 Rh5 35 Nd2 Rd5 36 Qe2 Qf5 37 Rc1 Bb4 38 Nf3 Qg4? 39 Rc4 Black resigns as the Bb4 is about to drop. Caruana needed only a draw in the fourth game to wrap up the match. But his play was anaemic, perhaps giddy with success, and ‘MVL’ was granted one final opportunity to level the scores, when both players had less than 15 seconds left. Saving the game meant Caruana became the 2025 Grand Chess Tour Champion, the tenth edition of the elite circuit.
Fabiano Caruana – Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave
GCT Final: Blitz game 4. Sao Paulo, 2025
48…Qf3? 48…g5+! 49 fxg5 Nf8 threatens Nf8-g6+ and prevents Qd7+. The finish could be 50 g6 Qf3 51 Nf2 Nxg6+ 52 Kh3 f4 53 Qd7+ Kh6 54 Ng4+ Qxg4+! 55 Kxg4 Nxe5+ 56 Kxf4 Nxd7 and wins. 49 Qd7+ Evidently, MVL had intended 49…Kh6 but 50 Qxh7+! Kxh7 51 Ng5+ turns the tables. Kf8 50 Qd8+ Kf7 51 Qd7+ 51 Ng5+ Nxg5 52 Qd7+ Kg8 53 Kxg5 Qxg3+ 54 Kf6 wins, but a draw was all Caruana needed for match victory. Kf8 52 Qd8+ Kf7 53 Qd7+ Kf8 54 Qd8+ Draw agreed
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