Fabiano Caruana

GM · United States · born 1992 · peak rating 2844

The deepest opening preparation in the world and a World Championship near-miss.

Who is Fabiano Caruana?

Fabiano Caruana is an Italian-American grandmaster who came within a hair of the world title, drawing all 12 classical games of the 2018 World Championship against Magnus Carlsen before losing the tiebreaks. His 2844 peak is one of the highest ever.

Playing style

Caruana is the model of preparation and precision. He plays principled, deeply-studied openings and rarely beats himself - his games are clean, accurate, and built on a rock-solid understanding of structure. A great example of how far 'just don't blunder' takes you at the top.

Signature openings

• Petroff Defense
• Ruy Lopez
• Najdorf Sicilian
• Queen's Gambit Declined

Career highlights

• 2018 World Championship challenger
• Peak classical rating 2844 (third-highest ever)
• US Champion and multiple-time Candidates contender
• Won the 2014 Sinquefield Cup with a 7/7 start against the elite

What you can learn from Fabiano

Pick a small set of openings and learn them well rather than dabbling in everything. Caruana's edge is knowing his positions cold, so he spends his energy on the middlegame.

Did you know?

• Holds dual Italian and American citizenship and has represented both.
• His 2014 Sinquefield Cup run is one of the best tournament performances in history.
• Co-hosts a popular chess podcast breaking down elite games.