Niemann loses to Caruana for fifth time in a row as his chess rival closes in on Carlsen again

Fabiano Caruana continued his imperious form with a round two win over chess bad boy Hans Niemann at the 2023 Grand Swiss Tournament. The impressive victory saw him cross the 2800 Elo barrier again on the live ratings, making him the only player other than Magnus Carlsen above the incredible barrier.

Despite having already secured his spot at the Candidates, Caruana was contractually obligated to attend the biggest open event of the season—and so far, he’s making the most of it. The Grand Swiss Tournament features almost all of the world’s top 100 players, with two spots at the Candidates on the line for the best-performing participants. Caruana is two for two so far at the event, and while there’s still a lot to go, inflicting a fifth straight defeat on Hans Niemann has to be a feather in his cap.

The two players have recently met at the US Chess Championship, where Caruana also beat Niemann with the Black pieces on his way to defending his title. Then, it was a close-fought affair in the Giuoco Piano, a position that heated up quickly after the young American misjudged his opponent’s attacking potential.

The pattern of a closely fought opening stage followed by a big error also continued at the Grand Swiss. This time, the players faced off in the Ruy Lopez, with Caruana wielding the White pieces—specifically, one of Niemann’s pet lines, which nevertheless contained a lot of intrigue as Caruana’s just recently released a course on the Archangel variation of the opening, which the 20-year-old understandably decided to avoid.

Niemann may have dodged the Archangel, but he couldn’t escape the angel of death. After opting against a queen trade and a marginally worse endgame, Caruana went on a tear with his active queen and rook, quickly ripping apart Niemann’s seemingly stable queenside. Facing a two-pawn deficit and a dangerous passer, Niemann threw in the towel immediately after the time control.

Caruana is now on a 2/2 score at the event, a score only a few other players can match even at this early juncture. In contrast, Hikaru Nakamura started off with two draws and two narrow escapes, while Alireza Firouzja began his campaign with a 1.5/2 scoreline. These two players are the main ones in the running for the Elo-based spot at the Candidates Tournament. A poor performance here could tank their hopes, not only because of missing out on the two spots on offer at the Grand Swiss by default but also by falling behind in the ratings race.

Caruana, having long secured his invitation at the World Cup—and the runaway leader of the FIDE Circuit, not that he needs it—has no such worries. Back over 2800 on the ratings list, the only player other than Magnus Carlsen to boast this incredible feat in an era of ratings deflation, he will no doubt calmly continue to add to a set of impressive performances in what turned out to be a standout year in an already special career.