The US world No 2 finished two points clear of the Norwegian on 10/13 and is now the favourite to win the candidates in MarchFabiano Caruana has set down an impressive marker for a 2020 campaign which could take the US world No 2 to a second shot at Magnus Carlsen’s world crown. Caruana simply ran away with the elite Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee tournament, finishing two points clear of the Norwegian with 10/13, a points total previously achieved at Wijk only by Garry Kasparov and by Carlsen himself. This was his most eye-catching win.
The gap between the top two in the live ratings shrank by 30 points during Wijk, so that Carlsen’s dream of reaching a 2900 rating is on the back burner for a while.