1. e2e4  1... e7e5  2. g1f3  2... g8f6  3. f3e5  3... d7d6  4. e5f3  4... f6e4  5. d2d4  5... d6d5  6. f1d3  6... c8f5  7. e1g1  7... f8e7  8. f1e1  8... e8g8  9. b1d2  9... e4d6 This is a fashionable line for Black these days, but I'm sure Carlsen doesn't mind playing for a small advantage with White here. 10. d2f1  10... c7c6  11. c1f4  11... f5d3  12. d1d3  12... b8a6  13. f1e3  13... a6c7 Until now the players are following a game from the 2022 US Championship, but now Carlsen plays a different move. 14. f4d6 Not a new move, but played with more ambition than the original game. Why give up a bishop for a knight here $2 White wants to play a position with his two knights bothering Black's kingside. Black will need to play g7-g6 at some point, and White can then advance the h-pawn to create some weaknesses. 14... e7d6  15. g2g3 This is the novelty. A move in the style of the world champion, patient, improving the position. 15... f8e8  16. g1g2  16... d6f8  17. e1e2 Doubling the rooks on the e-file, a typical plan for White. Truth be told, Black's position is very solid, and Caruana would probably have no trouble defending it in a game played with a classical time control. 17... c7e6  18. a1e1  18... e6g5 Caruana exchanges a pair of knights, but this is not enough to equalize completely. 19. f3g5  19... d8g5  20. h2h4  20... g5g6  21. e3f5  21... e8e2  22. e1e2  22... g6f6  23. h4h5  23... g7g6  24. f5h4  24... f8d6  25. d3e3 The evaluation of the position has not changed: Black remains solid and must wait. I don't like Caruana's decision here. 25... g6h5 [%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Black had acceptable waiting moves. Maybe he believed that the position would be more active after Kh8-Rg8, but Carlsen finds the right way to counter this plan. 26. e3d3 [%c_effect d3;square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Controlling the f5-square. 26... g8h8  27. d3f5 [%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This is not an easy move. It's tempting to keep the queens, after all don't they say queens and knights go well together $2 But it's not easy to attack the king, and the black queen is active. Carlsen correctly judges that it's best to exchange queens and open the way for the white king to enter the game. 27... f6f5  28. h4f5  28... d6f8  29. g2h3 [%c_effect h3;square;h3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The king is activated and will capture the pawn on h5. Now the white knight is very well placed, and Black has no active plan. 29... a7a5  30. h3h4  30... a5a4 While watching the game, I asked myself if White should play a2-a3 to avoid a possible advance. Carlsen doesn't make that move, and that's a good decision, as we'll see later. 31. h4h5  31... h8g8  32. h5g5 [%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Avoiding the plan with f6-Kf7. 32... c6c5 Caruana decides to try some active play, even if this costs an isolated pawn on d5. 33. d4c5  33... f8c5  34. e2d2  34... a8d8  35. c2c3  35... g8f8  36. f2f4 White calmly reinforces his position, taking advantage of the opponent's lack of counterplay. 36... d8d7 