GCT Finals: MVL escapes with a draw in lengthy struggle

The first classical games of the final and the match for third place in São Paulo both ended drawn, though in contrasting ways. Levon Aronian and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu quickly simplified their Sicilian Defence encounter into a level ending after queens left the board on move 15. Meanwhile, Fabiano Caruana pressed for more than five hours against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a lengthy queen endgame, but despite holding an extra pawn, he could not convert his advantage into a win. | Photo: Lennart Ootes