Abandon the Rossolimo Sicilian, Fabio

Fabio just finished playing his 3rd Rossolimo in game 5 today of the 2018 WCC.  

He was losing in game 1.  Game 3 he didn't get much out of it.  And in game 5 today, Magnus made a critical decision to play Kb6 instead of b5 where he could have pressed hard for the win.

So, despite Fabio's famed deep opening prep, Magnus the King Lion has just utterly laughed at the White side of Fabio's opening repertoire.  

Time for Fabio to hold or somehow win with the black pieces in games 6 and 7, and then try something different with White in Game 8.  No more Rossolimo Sicilians!

Also, since Magnus enjoys playing with the 2 Bishops, why voluntarily give him a comfortable positional factor from the start?

I know a lot of players probably think this match has been boring to this point, but I don't feel that way at all. It does seem like trying something completely different might be a good idea. We shall see. And of course if Magnus manages to win one of the next two games as White, it might force a change in strategy.

He might just be trying to "shorten" the match, which normally isn't bad strategy if you think the opponent is stronger, or maybe he had some prep that didn't pan out.  With Magnus the clear favorite in tiebreaks I expect a change of strategy for Fabi.

I agree.  I used to have the mindset that draws are boring, but they're really not.  As long as the player(s) are striving for the win, but the game turns out to be a draw because of accurate play, then so be it.  A draw can still be exciting!!?

My gut feeling is this:  If Magnus wins the first game of the match, then it's over.  Fabio doesn't have the game to fight back against a front -running Boa Constrictor like Magnus.  

But if Fabio wins the 1st game of the match, then Magnus does have the game and the internal and mental fortitude to storm the gates and get the match back to even.  Naka says Fabio has 20% chances.  If Fabio wins the 1st decisive game, then those chances go up from 20% to 60-65% in my amateur opinion.

Devil's advocate... Right about now, Carlsen has got to be quite frustrated. Fabi keeps getting level or worse positions, but Carlsen just can't find a way to refute White's play over the board in an opening that Caruana 1) had not played against Magnus before this event 2) stubbornly continues to play despite previously less than stellar results as if Fabi knows something Magnus doesn't 3) changes the variation each game like he's playing whack-a-mole, 4) All the while preventing Black from going down whatever Open Sicilian labyrinth Carlsen probably spent a lot of effort preparing just to surprise his opponent with something other than 1...e5.

Kasparov said during the middle of Game 1 that if Magnus doesn't win that game, then Magnus's nerves are getting to Magnus.  (That's how much of an advantage or Won Game that Magnus had.)

But perhaps Magnus has already put that memory away.

I think we are going to see some interesting White openings from Magnus in games 6 and 7.  Fabio better be ready.  

Good post!

I think Fabio has to go for the main lines, maybe against the Chelyabinsk..... he has shown that no advantage is to be gained from 3.Bb5.

I don't think Magnus is frustrated.  He essentially has draw odds and knows it.  He can wait Fabi out and his better positions haven't been that great.  It wasn't like the match against Sergey where he was basically winning every game. 

What can I say but that I agree with your analysis, Daniel, and the Carlsen-Karjakin match proves your point.  If it happens differently I'll be surprised.  Frankly, I think it will go to tie-break where Magnus has the advantage because he's the more naturally talented player.

I think the fact that the score is 2.5-2.5, AND Magnus getting TWO whites in a row rounds 6-7 greatly decrease Caruana's chances.

Of course, as Hikaru said two years ago, "Maybe they will draw 12 games, and kill classical chess."

I hope not for classical chess is what I love for its depth.  Unfortunately, the level of defense is so refined and the match so short that we are approaching what in the past Capablanca was accused of, namely the draw death of chess.  But than along came Alekhine, so to paraphrase Mark Twain perhaps the reports of the death of classical are greatly exaggerated.

Lol.  I'm not Catholic, but there are a lot of Catholics who think the current Pope is often wrong.  

Back in the day it was like you had to be the first player to win 6 games.  And they had overnight adjournments.  And the players collapsed from exhaustion. 

Today? 12 games.  No adjournments.  Don't have to win a single classical game at all.  Can just win the World Championship in rapid or blitz or Armageddon tiebreaks.  

Seems so wuss compared to before.

The O.P. should apply for Caruana's second.

He clearly fulfills all the preconditions- making good tea included.

Some Popes have even been excomulgated.

Nyet!  Gru is nobody's minion!

By George, I think you've go it.  The brain was drained now it strolls down the lane from My Fair Grandmaster.

Magnus' overlooking a move any 2100-player would see (...Rg3) in game 1 means nothing. Fabi's Rossolimo is safe. Admittedly he got nothing in game 1 (even I can see that Bf4: made more sense than Rf4:, that the King's-Knight belonged back on f3 where he came from, and that doubling on the f-file before Black castled was offsides), and the O-O of game 3 was totally uninspiring. But Fabi had a little initiative in game 5. The point in this match is not to lose... although Fabi needs to win one so as not to get outplayed in rapid/blitz after a drawn match! Twelve games is a bit short for so closely-contested a match. Whomever pounces first an an inaccuracy or two will have a terrible advantage.

In short, since Fischer's seemingly excellent idea of giving the title to whomever wins N number of games first proved impractical, I think we need to return to a match of (18, 20, or) 24 games--or else throw Hikaru into the mix, the Championship being partially a blitz contest.