Fabiano Caruana — Sinquefield Cup 2014

dates: 27 August–6 September 2014 (games)
location: Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
score: 8½ / 10 — seven wins, three draws
winner: Fabiano Caruana

Fabiano Caruana waits before game nine of the 2018 World Championship in London, four years after his Sinquefield Cup victory. Photo: Pablo Martínez Rodríguez.

Fabiano Caruana won the 2014 Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis with eight and a half points from ten games. The six-player double round robin included Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura, Veselin Topalov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Every opponent was faced twice, with colors reversed in the second half.

Caruana began with seven consecutive victories, an extraordinary sequence against this field. He defeated all five opponents in the first cycle, then beat Topalov and Vachier-Lagrave again. Three draws closed his tournament. Carlsen finished second on five and a half points, three points behind the winner.

The games offer more than a record of the winning streak. Caruana used different openings with each color, winning with Black against the reigning world champion and handling a long struggle against Nakamura. The final three draws also belong in the collection: they show the completion of the event after the spectacular start.

Follow all ten rounds in order and choose either player in the embedded trainer. Caruana’s side lets you work through the winner’s choices, while his opponents’ sides expose the practical defensive tasks. Both sides keep separate sessions, and a finished game contributes only once to tournament completion.

Fabiano Caruana's Profile

Tournament results

Sinquefield Cup 2014 final standings and crosstable
No.	Player	Elo	01	02	03	04	05	06	Points
1	Fabiano Caruana	2801	**	1½	11	11	1½	1½	8½
2	Magnus Carlsen	2877	0½	**	½½	½½	1½	½1	5½
3	Veselin Topalov	2772	00	½½	**	1½	0½	11	5
4	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	2768	00	½½	0½	**	1½	½½	4
5	Levon Aronian	2805	0½	0½	1½	0½	**	½½	4
6	Hikaru Nakamura	2787	0½	½0	00	½½	½½	**	3

Each numbered column refers to the player with that number. The two symbols show the results of their two games. 1 = win, ½ = draw, 0 = loss; ** = same player. Points are out of 10.

Completed 0 / 10

Game 1: Starting with a Black win

Topalov opened with the English against Caruana. Caruana began the tournament by winning with Black. The recorded game ends after 34 moves with Fabiano Caruana winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Veselin Topalov – Fabiano Caruana 0-1	Sinquefield Cup	2014	34	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 2: A Caro-Kann breakthrough

Vachier-Lagrave defended a Caro-Kann against Caruana. Caruana’s second consecutive victory came with White. The recorded game ends after 30 moves with Fabiano Caruana winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Fabiano Caruana – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 1-0	Sinquefield Cup	2014	30	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 3: Beating the world champion

Carlsen chose a Bishop’s Opening with White. Caruana defeated the reigning world champion to reach three wins in three rounds. The recorded game ends after 34 moves with Fabiano Caruana winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Magnus Carlsen – Fabiano Caruana 0-1	Sinquefield Cup	2014	34	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 4: Four straight against Aronian

Caruana played a Ruy Lopez against Aronian. The longest game of his opening four rounds extended his winning streak. The recorded game ends after 50 moves with Fabiano Caruana winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Fabiano Caruana – Levon Aronian 1-0	Sinquefield Cup	2014	50	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 5: Sweeping the first cycle

Nakamura opened with a queen’s-pawn setup against Caruana. Caruana won this long encounter to beat every opponent in the first half. The recorded game ends after 67 moves with Fabiano Caruana winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Hikaru Nakamura – Fabiano Caruana 0-1	Sinquefield Cup	2014	67	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 6: A second victory over Topalov

Caruana faced Topalov’s Sicilian Defence with White. He won their return game after the rest day to reach six points. The recorded game ends after 31 moves with Fabiano Caruana winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Fabiano Caruana – Veselin Topalov 1-0	Sinquefield Cup	2014	31	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 7: The seventh consecutive win

Vachier-Lagrave opened with a queen’s-pawn setup in their return meeting. Caruana won with Black to complete his seven-game streak. The recorded game ends after 39 moves with Fabiano Caruana winning.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Fabiano Caruana 0-1	Sinquefield Cup	2014	39	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 8: Carlsen ends the winning streak

Caruana met Carlsen’s Sicilian Defence in the return game. Their draw was Caruana’s first non-winning result of the event. The recorded game ends in a draw after 42 moves.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Fabiano Caruana – Magnus Carlsen 1/2-1/2	Sinquefield Cup	2014	42	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 9: A Berlin draw against Nakamura

Nakamura defended the Berlin variation of the Ruy Lopez. Caruana drew with White to remain unbeaten. The recorded game ends in a draw after 55 moves.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Fabiano Caruana – Hikaru Nakamura 1/2-1/2	Sinquefield Cup	2014	55	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 10: Closing an unbeaten tournament

Aronian chose the English Opening in the final round. The draw completed Caruana’s eight-and-a-half-point result. The recorded game ends in a draw after 30 moves.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Levon Aronian – Fabiano Caruana 1/2-1/2	Sinquefield Cup	2014	30	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Sources and image credits

By IgniteChess Editorial Published 2026-10-07

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