I got kind of caught in the opening, said a subdued Caruana at the post-game press conference. The US champion got into heavy time pressure, and after 20 moves was down to 10 minutes to reach move 40, with no per-move increment.
Japan's national team, known as the Samurai Blue, has never advanced past the last 16 in World Cup history but stunned the football world with group-stage victories over Spain and Germany in Qatar, demonstrating their potential as formidable opponents.