2016 World Championship, Game 15: Karjakin Collapses
Psychological advantage or not, Sergey Karjakin didn't make enough good moves in game 15 to keep the balance (or take the lead). It was another Ruy, but this one took a sharp turn early on. Karjakin chose the wrong plan with 18.Ne4 and 20.f3. He got a bit of a reprieve when Carlsen played 29...Bxf6 rather than 29...gxf6, when Black would add the g-file to his attacking assets. Still, his position remained difficult after 30...e4, and as usual he was very short of time. His 36.Qe1 was the losing move, practically speaking, as the way to hold equality on move 37 was impossible without a computer's help. He didn't find the right move there, and his 38th move was an outright blunder, losing on the spot.
So Karjakin must win the last game with Black to keep the match going; not likely, but if anything is clear about him it's that he is a great fighter.
The game, with my analysis, is here.
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