The Chess Mind

But, as usual, it's worth adding that not all draws are created equal.

Carlsen-Leko was the sort of draw we all like, especially when we want to get on to the next game. To be fair, Leko improved on a game Aronian lost earlier this year to Karjakin, so he does get credit for doing his homework. Carlsen was quickly satisfied by Leko's idea, and the game was drawn in 22 moves.

Bacrot-Kramnik seemed longer, but not as long as you might think. The opening was sharp but well and long known, and the players followed earlier games well past move 20. The novelty came on move 25, and every Black move was forced through move 32. At that point the position was equal, and the draw was agreed six moves later.

Then there was Naiditsch-Jakovenko, and this was completely different. Here we had the Accelerated/"Normal" Dragon variation we've discussed quite a few times on this blog, and it led to very sharp play. In fact, the game never really cooled off, remaining exciting for all 70 moves. Black came out of the opening fine, even with an advantage, but after an inaccuracy on move 21 White took over the initiative. More fluctuations occurred, but they were mostly in White's favor. A big Jakovenko error on move 50 gave Naiditsch the chance to get his first win, but several moves later he missed a clear-cut crusher; Jakovenko escaped by the skin of his teeth.

Standings after Round 7:
1. Carlsen 4½
2-3. Leko, Kramnik 4
4. Jakovenko 3½
5. Bacrot 3
6. Naiditsch 2

Tournament site here, game with my (brief) comments here.