[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A very strong move by Caruana. It's the only move that gives White a clear edge, and it was probably missed by Black.
1. d2d4  1... g8f6  2. c2c4  2... g7g6  3. h2h4 As elite grandmasters show us in every tournament, it's possible to play anything in the opening these days, you just have to be well prepared. I guess I'm making this sound easier than it really is. The idea of this move is not so complex: White wants to play h5 at some point. This is mainly targeted against the Grunfeld Defence. I hope the reader is not offended by this spoiler, but it's curious that this pawn never managed to fulfill its destiny and stayed on h4 for the remainder of the game. 3... f8g7  4. b1c3  4... e8g8 Vachier-Lagrave accepts to play a King's Indian. Can this be considered Caruana's first victory in this game, or am I exaggerating $2 5. e2e4  5... d7d6  6. f1e2 [%c_effect e2;square;e2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The best way to make sense of the pawn on h4. Vachier-Lagrave himself has some experience on the white side of this position. 6... c7c5  7. d4d5  7... b7b5 [%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Interesting;persistent;true] Black chooses an improved version of the Benko Gambit. 8. c4b5  8... a7a6 As I was about to make fun of one more failed attempt of playing the Benko Gambit, I suddenly found out that I had played this position with Black myself. The past always comes back to haunt us. To be fair, I managed to get a pretty good position against a strong opponent. 9. a2a4  9... a6b5  10. e2b5  10... c8a6  11. b5a6  11... b8a6  12. g1f3 Here we have a much better version for Black of the traditional gambit, since the pawn on h4 leaves some weaknesses on White's position. Honestly, if this position is not playable for Black, then I have bad news for Benko Gambit lovers. The question is: what's the best way for Black to explore the lead in initiative and the weakened g4-square to fight for compensation $2 12... d8d7 A novelty. Vachier-Lagrave aims his queen at the kingside, but his piece's only got a one-way ticket for its journey. 13. e1g1  13... d7g4 [%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] 14. f1e1  14... a6b4 