Carlsen, Tania Dream Team Scores 2-0 Vs. Caruana, Ashley

GM Magnus Carlsen and IM Tania Sachdev proved to be the dream team in "Head & Hand" as the duo defeated GMs Fabiano Caruana and Maurice Ashley 2-0. Day one was a promotional event for the Freestyle Chess Match: Carlsen vs. Caruana in Singapore that starts on Thursday.

Game one of the main event between Carlsen and Caruana is on Thursday, November 21, starting at 7:00 a.m. ET / 13:00 CET / 8:00 p.m. local time in Singapore. There will be two games in total, not counting tiebreaks.

After abdicating his world championship title in 2022, Carlsen has teamed up with German entrepreneur Jan-Henric Buettner in creating an alternative to standard, classical chess tournaments—one that eliminates opening theory and elevates creative ideas. And following a successful first event, the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge 2024, where Carlsen defeated Caruana in the Final, Carlsen and Buettner unveiled the yearlong Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. It will span several continents next year and the dates and locations can be seen below. 

All the games will feature Freestyle Chess, their fresh term for the Chess960 variant, where pieces are randomly arranged on the first rank but all the other rules of chess are generally the same.

As for promoting the tour, what better way than to schedule an exhibition match between the world number-one and number-two, taking place just days before the 2024 FIDE World Championship between GMs Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju in Singapore? And why not do it on a yacht, for good measure?Well, day one wasn't on the yacht just yet. The first day took place at the luxurious Skai Loft and featured the team-chess format of what they termed "Head and Hand," more commonly known to chess fans as Hand and Brain. IM Danny Rensch shared photos of the venue just hours before the event began.

Just your typical commentary setup for your typical chess event tonight in Singapore… pic.twitter.com/jeuMR1VucA

— Daniel Rensch (@DanielRensch) November 20, 2024

The main event will be played in the SilentWorld, a 40-meter luxury motor super yacht, and also Le Freeport, a precious metals exchange.

Day one featured a two-game match with a time control of 10 minutes plus a 10-second increment. In the first game, Carlsen and Caruana were the "Heads," who called out a piece but could not say the move they had in mind, and respectively Tania and Ashley were the "Hands," deciding on the specific move with that piece. The roles switched for game two, so that Carlsen and Caruana made the moves.

"I think there is not a better opponent to be found. Fabi also crushed Garry and the American elite in Freestyle [Chess 9LX] in St. Louis just a few weeks ago," says Magnus Carlsen before playing Fabiano Caruana in a Chess960 match.#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/VEa4DLo2ms

— chess24 (@chess24com) November 20, 2024

Carlsen & Tania 2-0 Caruana & Ashley 

The opening of the first game had a comic beginning, as both Tania and Ashley were unable to predict their partner's intentions on move two. When Carlsen said "pawn," he wanted 2.a4 to be played but instead we saw 2.f3, and when Caruana said "pawn," he wanted 2...a5 to be played but instead came 2...d6. 

It was only when Carlsen said "pawn" again that Tania latched onto his idea and played 3.a4.

As Carlsen summed up, his team prevailed in a complicated game after the queens came off: "Tania navigated it really well, and Maurice as well for a while, but you know we're strong in the endgame so far!" GM Rafael Leitao analyzes the Game of the Day below.

Onto the second game, where Caruana and Ashley got a massive chance when Carlsen decided to sacrifice a pawn on the second move of the game.

While the engine gobbles up the pawn without a second thought and spits out "+1," Carlsen still believed in the sacrifice even after the game. The problem was that they developed the knight too early, allowing the queen into h6, he said: "I think if we did it correctly, the pawn sacrifice was actually quite interesting."

The next critical moment came when Caruana played 10.Qf4?, a decision he only made because he forgot Black could no longer castle kingside and then attack on the other side of the board. The rook had moved, after all, to g8. Nevertheless, White was winning for most of the game until things turned around in the time scramble—with a win for the black pieces.

After the match, Ashley teased, "Losing to Magnus is OK, losing to Tania is nasty." In return, Tania retorted, smilingly, "Maurice has been trash talking and psyching me out the last two days." She also shared the advice Carlsen gave her before the match, as given below. You can decide for yourself how helpful it was.

Tania: "I told Magnus before we started that I am a little nervous to play this.

"He said, 'What are you talking about? Just try to read my mind.' And he walked off, with that piece of advice!"#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/7fNyFkCTyJ

— chess24 (@chess24com) November 20, 2024

The main event, solely between Carlsen and Caruana, begins on Thursday. Who do you think will take the first game of the match? Share in the comments below!

The 2024 Freestyle Chess Match: Carlsen vs. Caruana is a two-game Chess960 match between the world number-one and number-two. After a Head and Hand event on November 20, the main event takes place from November 21-22. The time control for the two games is 60 minutes plus a 30-second increment.