India, June 7 -- Magnus Carlsen was down to his dying seconds. The position was still complex, and he hadn't spotted a clear path to convert his advantage. With the clock ticking down, he had a pertinent decision to make. He had already been undone in time scrambles (read: Round 6 loss to D Gukesh) in the tournament.

The world No.1 craned his neck to glance at the screen overhead - it showed live positions of the other games. The only player who could spoil his title hopes - reigning world champion Gukesh, who trailed him by half a point - was in hot water against four-time US champion Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen knew right away that settling for a draw against India's Arjun Erigaisi was the pragmatic call. It was enough to assure him the N...