Magnus Carlsen was held to an uneasy draw by Ian “Nepo” Nepomniachtchi as the second round of a highly anticipated World Chess Championship fixture refused to declare a winner. Like the previous round, both minds failed to outfox each other despite a few clear chances on either end. 

Defending his title, Carlsen entered the round as a clear favorite to win, but Nepo managed to counter some surprising strategic changes to hold off the Grand Master. Following a nervy end, the Norwegian took to Twitter to assure fans he will be pulling up his socks for the next round… or did he?

Chess is all about mind games and the pieces on the board. Starting off with the white set, fans expected Carlsen to begin with his common Berlin defense (or Berlin Wall) opening- an e4 or moving the pawn in front of the queen two paces forward. 

This sort of move is one of the most common openings in the game, and one Carlsen uses frequently. Nepo himself expected his opponent to proceed as expected but was visibly shocked when a white pawn was moved to d4 instead of the block next to it.

Magnus Carlsen chose a more positional approach against Nepo

While the two spots (e4 and d4) are right next to one another, there is a huge difference in the outcomes of play. An e4 would lead to a more attacking stance but is also a quick way to set up the Berlin Defense, which is a highly effective strategy even used by Vladimir Kramnik to beat Garry Kasparov in 2000.

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The d4 opening is called the Queen’s Pawn Game and is only the second most popular opening after the e4. This move leads to a much more positional play throughout the rest of the game, which is highly synonymous with the style Carlsen prefers. It also gives the player control of the board’s center faster.

It showed that Carlsen chose to draw out his opponent rather than taking his usual Berlin Wall approach. Nepo had obviously studied Carlsen’s moves in every way prior to the match, and as grandmaster Vishwanathan “Vishy” Anand told Ilya Levitov for Levitov Chess World, “Nepo’s style is somehow incompatible with Magnus’, in the sense that for Magnus it’s not easy to lock into this style. [Nepo]’s the only one who has the ability to get this tactical style against Magnus.” 

Magnus Carlsen attempted the more defensive and strategic positional approach but was quickly caught out by Nepo, who adapted fairly quickly. As expected, the reigning champion had his say in the middle stages of play but missed opportunities on both ends ensured the match ended in a draw. 

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