ARMAGEDDON looms in the Chess World Championship after the most dramatic title showdown in recent memory crashed to another grinding halt in the final scheduled match.

The World Chess Federation Championship between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and Norway's champion Magnus Carlsen has already become the first title showdown between grand masters that's failed to record a deadlock-busting victory across the 12 classic games scheduled.

Every previous world championship showdown since 1886 - 132 years ago - has witnessed some kind of breakthrough, but Caruana and Carlsen remain deadlocked after more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks inside London's The College of Holborn theatre.

That doesn't begin to tell the story of pure drama.

The showdown was first plunged into scandal when a three-minute video leaked online showed secrets of Fabiano's championship training camp in St Louis.

Reigning champion Carlsen then showed up for Game 9 sporting a black eye which he'd suffered during a weekend amateur football game. He needed to be cleared for concussion by his own medical team before the championship was allowed to continue.

The very next game Carlsen inexplicably dropped his bundle when he had been on the verge of a famous victory. His one mistake allowed Caruana to sneak through for another draw.

The 27-year-old admitted he "blew it". Grand masters around the globe declared Carlsen may have been suffering the affects of concussion.

In Game 12, Carlsen seized control of the game after Caruana switched to the so-called Petrov Defence and was picked apart by his Norwegian rival. Again, the chess world was shocked as Carlsen proposed a draw with Caruana after 21 moves. Victory had been within his grasp.

"I'm very shocked by Magnus's decision," Hikaru Nakamura, an American grand master, told chess.com at the time.

All the delicious drama from the 12-drawn regulation games is simply the appetiser to the main event of mayhem predicted for when the championship heads into sudden death on Thursday morning (AEDT).

The match - which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London - now comes down to a series of rapid games.

Opinion across chess commentators is divided ahead of the sudden death showdown - but many already predict the world championship will be decided by an "Armageddon" tiebreaker.

The two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls - 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game - where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

An Armageddon match has never been used to decide the world championship in 132 years of recorded history. That is now likely to change.

Carlsen has drawn the white pieces for the sudden death round.

While Carlsen, defending his crown for the third time, is considered the higher ranked speed-round player, there are now question marks surrounding his mental state after his inexplicable peace offering in the 12th classic game.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favourite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted.

"Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said.

"But I don't know what's going to happen."

Nobody does, and that's why this showdown is the best thing in sport right now.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($860,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($700,000).</s>The big chess showdown between three-time defending champion Magnus Carlsen and his US challenger Fabiano Caruana will be decided by a series of rapid-play tiebreakers on Wednesday.

Norway’s Carlsen and Caruana wrapped up their 12-match World ChessChampionship series in London with their 12th successive draw on Monday.

It was an anti-climactic finish to a showdown between 27-year old Carlsen – a former child prodigy now regarded by many as the greatest ever chess player – and the first American contender to the crown since the legendary Bobby Fischer in 1972.

The result means the players will have a day off on Tuesday before getting together for an intense session of chess played in a completely different format.

They will try to settle things first in a four-game series in which each player will have 25 minutes. An extra 10 seconds of time are added for each move they make.

Things will go to an even faster-paced format if there is still no winner.

The final tiebreaker is a single winner-take-all game played in a lightning three minutes.

Carlsen will be viewed as the favourite on Wednesday. He excels at rapid chess and defended his title through tiebreakers against the Russian Sergey Karjakin in 2016.

“I think I have very good chances,” the Norwegian told reporters after Monday’s game.

But chess legend Garry Kasparov said he was losing faith in Carlsen.

The former Soviet and Russian world champion said Carlsen had the upper hand in Monday’s encounter but agreed to settle on a draw because he had lost his nerve.

“In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids,” Kasparov tweeted.

“Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his.”</s>Chess world title match comes down to rapid tiebreakers

LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday.

A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match.

That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games.

Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls.

However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen."

With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War.

Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S.

Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock.

For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle.

Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each.

But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day.

On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).</s>Chess world title match comes down to rapid tiebreakers

LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday.

A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match.

That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games.

Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls.

However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen."

With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War.

Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S.

Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock.

For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle.

Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each.

But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day.

On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).</s>LONDON — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday.

A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match.

That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games that could even conclude in a sudden-death format known as "Armageddon" if a winner can't be found.

Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls.

However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted . "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen."

With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War.

Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S.

Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Microsoft founder Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock.

For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle.

Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each.

But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day.

On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).</s>ARMAGEDDON looms in the Chess World Championship after the most dramatic title showdown in recent memory crashed to another grinding halt in the final scheduled match.

The World Chess Federation Championship between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and Norway's champion Magnus Carlsen has already become the first title showdown between grand masters that's failed to record a deadlock-busting victory across the 12 classic games scheduled.

Every previous world championship showdown since 1886 - 132 years ago - has witnessed some kind of breakthrough, but Caruana and Carlsen remain deadlocked after more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks inside London's The College of Holborn theatre.

That doesn't begin to tell the story of pure drama.

The showdown was first plunged into scandal when a three-minute video leaked online showed secrets of Fabiano's championship training camp in St Louis.

Reigning champion Carlsen then showed up for Game 9 sporting a black eye which he'd suffered during a weekend amateur football game. He needed to be cleared for concussion by his own medical team before the championship was allowed to continue.

The very next game Carlsen inexplicably dropped his bundle when he had been on the verge of a famous victory. His one mistake allowed Caruana to sneak through for another draw.

The 27-year-old admitted he "blew it". Grand masters around the globe declared Carlsen may have been suffering the affects of concussion.

In Game 12, Carlsen seized control of the game after Caruana switched to the so-called Petrov Defence and was picked apart by his Norwegian rival. Again, the chess world was shocked as Carlsen proposed a draw with Caruana after 21 moves. Victory had been within his grasp.

"I'm very shocked by Magnus's decision," Hikaru Nakamura, an American grand master, told chess.com at the time.

All the delicious drama from the 12-drawn regulation games is simply the appetiser to the main event of mayhem predicted for when the championship heads into sudden death on Thursday morning (AEDT).

The match - which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London - now comes down to a series of rapid games.

Opinion across chess commentators is divided ahead of the sudden death showdown - but many already predict the world championship will be decided by an "Armageddon" tiebreaker.

The two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls - 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game - where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

An Armageddon match has never been used to decide the world championship in 132 years of recorded history. That is now likely to change.

Carlsen has drawn the white pieces for the sudden death round.

While Carlsen, defending his crown for the third time, is considered the higher ranked speed-round player, there are now question marks surrounding his mental state after his inexplicable peace offering in the 12th classic game.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favourite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted.

"Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said.

"But I don't know what's going to happen."

Nobody does, and that's why this showdown is the best thing in sport right now.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($860,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($700,000).</s>Chess world title match comes down to rapid tiebreakers

LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday.

A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match.

That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games.

Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls.

However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted. "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen."

With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War.

Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S.

Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock.

For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle.

Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each.

But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day.

On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).</s>LONDON (AP) — After more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks, the chess world championship title will be decided by speedy tiebreaker games on Wednesday.

A 12-game battle of brains between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and reigning champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has resulted in 12 straight draws — the first time that has happened in a chess world championship match.

That means the match — which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London — now comes down to a series of rapid games that could even conclude in a sudden-death format known as "Armageddon" if a winner can't be found.

Caruana, 26, is trying to become the first American since Bobby Fischer to be crowned chess world champion. Still, he remains the underdog against the 27-year-old Carlsen, a former teenage prodigy who has been the world's top-ranked player since the age of 19 and is considered even more dominant when playing with shorter time controls.

However, Carlsen stunned many commentators when he offered Caruana a draw in the 12th game Monday despite having what experts and computer programs considered to be a better position and a large time advantage on the clocks. That led to suggestions the defending champion may be cracking under the pressure.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted . "Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said. "But I don't know what's going to happen."

With no decisive games and no political undertones, this match has not created anything resembling the worldwide buzz that Fischer's 1972 title meeting with Soviet champion Boris Spassky generated during the height of the Cold War.

Still, American chess fans are hoping that a win for the Miami-born Caruana could boost the game in the U.S.

Carlsen has created a chess craze in Norway, where his matches are front-page news and often shown live on TV. In 2014, he checkmated Microsoft founder Bill Gates in nine moves on a Norwegian talk show, using just 12 seconds on the clock.

For a global audience, these games have been live-streamed online with several top grandmasters providing play-by-play commentary and analysis, aided by super computers that instantly evaluate each position. The first game, on Nov. 9, came closest to a decisive result but Carlsen failed to convert a winning advantage and had to settle for a draw after a seven-hour tussle.

Carlsen's previous title fight against Russian Sergey Karjakin also went to tiebreakers in 2016 after they only managed to win one game each.

But despite the lack of knockout blows, this year's championship has still had some drama as both players have missed good chances to win games. Carlsen even showed up with a black eye for one game after getting injured playing soccer on an off-day.

On Wednesday, the two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls — 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game — where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($621,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($508,000).</s>ARMAGEDDON looms in the Chess World Championship after the most dramatic title showdown in recent memory crashed to another grinding halt in the final scheduled match.

The World Chess Federation Championship between American challenger Fabiano Caruana and Norway's champion Magnus Carlsen has already become the first title showdown between grand masters that's failed to record a deadlock-busting victory across the 12 classic games scheduled.

Every previous world championship showdown since 1886 - 132 years ago - has witnessed some kind of breakthrough, but Caruana and Carlsen remain deadlocked after more than 50 hours of play over nearly three weeks inside London's The College of Holborn theatre.

That doesn't begin to tell the story of pure drama.

The showdown was first plunged into scandal when a three-minute video leaked online showed secrets of Fabiano's championship training camp in St Louis.

Reigning champion Carlsen then showed up for Game 9 sporting a black eye which he'd suffered during a weekend amateur football game. He needed to be cleared for concussion by his own medical team before the championship was allowed to continue.

The very next game Carlsen inexplicably dropped his bundle when he had been on the verge of a famous victory. His one mistake allowed Caruana to sneak through for another draw.

The 27-year-old admitted he "blew it". Grand masters around the globe declared Carlsen may have been suffering the affects of concussion.

In Game 12, Carlsen seized control of the game after Caruana switched to the so-called Petrov Defence and was picked apart by his Norwegian rival. Again, the chess world was shocked as Carlsen proposed a draw with Caruana after 21 moves. Victory had been within his grasp.

"I'm very shocked by Magnus's decision," Hikaru Nakamura, an American grand master, told chess.com at the time.

All the delicious drama from the 12-drawn regulation games is simply the appetiser to the main event of mayhem predicted for when the championship heads into sudden death on Thursday morning (AEDT).

The match - which is taking place behind soundproof glass on a stage in London - now comes down to a series of rapid games.

Opinion across chess commentators is divided ahead of the sudden death showdown - but many already predict the world championship will be decided by an "Armageddon" tiebreaker.

The two players will first face off in four games with rapid time controls - 25 minutes plus 10 additional seconds per move for each player.

If the match remains deadlocked after that, they will play a series of five-minute games.

And if that fails to produce a winner, the match will end in an "Armageddon" game - where the player with the white pieces gets five minutes on the clock while the person playing black only gets four minutes, but a draw counts as a win for black.

An Armageddon match has never been used to decide the world championship in 132 years of recorded history. That is now likely to change.

Carlsen has drawn the white pieces for the sudden death round.

While Carlsen, defending his crown for the third time, is considered the higher ranked speed-round player, there are now question marks surrounding his mental state after his inexplicable peace offering in the 12th classic game.

"In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favourite in rapids," former world champion Garry Kasparov tweeted.

"Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his."

Even Caruana acknowledged he was "relieved" to be able to reach the tiebreakers after being on the ropes in the last game.

"When you feel like you're sort of on the brink of defeat, or at least you have a very dangerous position, then of course it's quite good," the American said.

Carlsen, though, remained confident in his ability to outplay the challenger in speed chess.

"I think I have very good chances obviously," the Norwegian said.

"But I don't know what's going to happen."

Nobody does, and that's why this showdown is the best thing in sport right now.

The winner will get 550,000 euros ($860,000), with the runner-up pocketing 450,000 euros ($700,000).</s>Fabiano Caruana is the first American to play in the World Chess Championship match since Bobby Fischer back in 1972.

If he wins against defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway this week, it won’t just be a big deal for the U.S.; it could cement St. Louis as a center for chess.

Caruana moved to St. Louis in 2015 with the intention of preparing to take on Carlsen.

“I think we're sitting in the epicenter of World Chess,” said Rex Sinquefield.

The billionaire financier has had a lot to do with making his St. Louis Chess Club in the Central West End the place for grandmasters to be. There’s the annual Sinquefield Cup, a stop on the Grand Chess Tour, as well as the grandmaster-in-residence program that’s attracted several top-level players here.

Sinquefield readily acknowledges he might be too close to judge whether the city has reached international status, but he points to someone whose opinion carries a lot of weight in the chess world.

“Garry Kasparov said it too. If Kasparov said it, it's true,” Sinquefield said, with a chuckle, referring to the Russian grandmaster and former world champion who many consider the greatest chess player.

Now, Sinquefield waits to see if Caruana will bring home the World Chess Championship to St. Louis.

Caruana and Carlsen have been evenly matched, ending with 12 consecutive draws since Nov. 9 when the championship began in London. The tiebreak will begin Wednesday with a series of rapid games. If those shorter games end in draws, the championship could culminate in what’s known as Armageddon in the chess championship. (The BBC explains it here.)

For those who couldn’t make it to London, there’s been commentary and analysis streamed around the globe from a broadcast studio in the basement of the St. Louis Chess Club.

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan is one of three commentators for the Caruana-Carlsen showdown. He’s an American who lives in Amsterdam, but he has a strong connection to the St. Louis chess scene, having served as the club’s first grandmaster-in-residence.

He’s convinced a Caruana win could elevate chess in the U.S. to heights not seen since Fischer more than four decades ago.

“Corporate sponsors have ignored chess. And for good reason. It's not on TV. The public is not clamoring,” he said. “But once we have a world champion, then the public goes, 'oh, cool.'”

Even before making it into the World Chess Championship, Caruana had already made an impact on chess in St. Louis.

“Him being here, really inspires me,” Jason Zhou said.

The John Burroughs student is the Missouri high school chess champion and spends a lot of his time at the chess club, learning from experts brought in from around the world.

Zhou hasn’t had a chance to take on Caruana, but he hopes someday he’ll get his chance.

"I would love to," he said, "I feel like there's a lot to learn from playing against the top of the top."

Now high schoolers like Zhou and grandmasters like Yasser Seirawan will be closely watching the tiebreak in London on Wednesday. Should Caruana win, Sinquefield expects St. Louis will have the proper reaction.

“I think the only thing that makes sense is we should all go out and go crazy,” he said.

Even if Caruana doesn’t bring a championship home, Sinquefield has his eye on hosting the World Chess Championship in St. Louis. The city is already home to several big chess tournaments, including the U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women’s Championship.

“I think we know what it takes and I've already said I'm prepared to do what it takes. So the powers that be, I think, are willing to make that happen,” he said.

Sinquefield has set a goal of six years for that crowning achievement.
Magnus Carlsen retains the title after a 3–0 victory against Fabiano Caruana in the best-of-four rapid tiebreaking series.