Magnus Carlsen v Fabiano Caruana: World Chess Championship, Game 9 – live!

• Carlsen and Caruana meet in Game 9 of world championship match
• The World Chess Championship is thrilling. But where are the women?
• Carlsen escapes in Game 8 as Caruana blinks (move-by-move report)
• Tweet Bryan at @BryanAGraham or email him

2.57pm GMT

Carlsen had an eventful rest day. Sparring with Anthony Joshua? Not exactly. The champion’s doctor Dr Brede Kvisvik told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that Carlsen picked up a shiner and sustained a minor head injury in a collision while having a kickabout. “There’s no concussion, as we had feared,” Kvisvik said.

Brede said Carlsen otherwise was fine, and the cut he also sustained “isn’t so big that we need to do anything with it.” No stitches were necessary and ice was applied to ward off swelling. “If he has any vision problems, then it can be difficult,” Brede added, but he claimed Carlsen’s brain was “functioning just as well” as always.

The doctor thus didn’t think Carlsen would need to call in sick for the ninth game in a championship that remains even against challenger Fabiano Caruana. The two players have tied every single round they’ve played and currently stand at 4-4.

The match is heating up

2.45pm GMT

Caruana’s best winning chance of the match so far came in Monday’s eighth game. The challenger had the Carlsen down nearly an hour on the clock and facing a shaky position in the middlegame. His advantage per the Stockfish evaluation engine had ballooned to +2.45 after 22. … dxc5 and was a still-formidable +1.95 after 23. … Bd6. “For sure this was the moment that I was most worried,” Carlsen would later say.

But the American’s prophylactic response (24. h3?!) to Carlsen’s 23. … Bd6 cost him a tempo, all but wiped out his advantage on the computer and allowed Carlsen back into the game.

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