eljanov vs fabianocaruana

Caruana began with the pin **3...Bg4**, pressuring White's knight and limiting White's development. He then exchanged queens with **7...Qxd6**, removing the central tension and allowing his pieces to move freely. After that, he placed a rook on the half‑open b‑file with **11...Rab8** and pushed **12...f5**, gaining space on the kingside and preparing active rook lifts.

Caruana opened the g‑file by playing **22...f4** and immediately captured on f4 with **23...Rxf4**, winning a pawn and forcing White's pieces onto defensive squares. He doubled his rooks on the seventh rank with **26...Rbf8** and **29...R6f7**, then exchanged the active bishop on f5 with **31...Nxf5**, eliminating White's key attacker. The decisive combination came after **34...Kg7**, when he captured the pawn on d4 with **33...Nxd4**, and later traded knights on e6 (**36...Nxe6**) to clear the way for his rook on c7 and the advancing pawn on c5.

In the final phase Caruana's king marched to **38...Kf7**, supporting his rooks while the pawn on c5 marched forward with **40...c5**, creating a passed pawn that White could not stop. His rook on c7 dominated the seventh rank, cutting off White's king and ensuring the pawn promotion. This shows how an active rook and a passed pawn can turn a small material edge into a full win.