[Event "Casablanca"] [White "Carlsen,Magnus"] [Black "Anand,Viswanathan"] [Site "Casablanca"] [Round "1"] [Annotator ""] [Result "1-0"] [Date "2024.05.18"] [WhiteElo "2830"] [BlackElo "2751"] [PlyCount "39"] {[%evp 0,39,79,23,71,5,62,-21,53,-14,-11,24,5,-30,27,30,93,84,31,7,104,-24,53,44,78,51,52,37,104,-84,0,-47,0,78,274,274,256,256,252,154,160,204]} 1. e4 { In this All in One, I would like to take a closer look at the Evans Gambit. It's a line that has always existed in the repertoires of aggressive players. I particularly remember a wonderful game Kasparov-Anand 1995 that Suba explained so beautifully in his book Positional Chess Sacrifices. It's poetic perhaps that one of Kasparov's successors managed to inflict the same brutal punishment against Anand.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 {The starting position of the Evans. White sacrifices a wing pawn in order to build a powerful center. While I don't claim that this opening is good enough to get an advantage, I do feel that the resulting positions are massively unclear and suitable for players who prefer playing with an initiative.} Bxb4 {The only serious move.} (4... Nxb4 {is not the best way to take the pawn. After} 5. c3 Nc6 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 {Black has given up the center and doesn't have much to show for it.} Bb6 (7... Bb4+ {The most played move, but not that accurate.} 8. Nbd2 $1 {White retains an enduring advantage as Black is not in time with ... d5.} Nf6 9. d5 Ne7 10. Qb3 Bxd2+ 11. Nxd2 $14 )8. O-O d6 {Perhaps best.} (8... Nge7 9. Ng5 $1 $16 {illustrates the perils of one inaccurate move.} )(8... Nf6 $2 {A natural move that loses on the spot.} 9. e5 Ng4 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Bg5 Qe8 12. Nd5 $18 {Black is getting thrashed here.} )9. h3 $1 {A nice subtlety. Now the black bishop on c8 doesn't have much of a purpose.} Na5 10. Bd3 Ne7 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Rb1 $36 {[%csl Yb6,Rc8,Gd4,Ge4][%cal Gc1g5] This is exactly the type of position that is so dangerous for Black. Yes, he's a pawn up, but the pieces aren't functioning at all. White has very easy play here with Bg5 to come, and there are some cases when the rook can swing in via b3 or b5. I see a few CC games here with 3 wins for White - not encouraging signs at all for the 2nd player.} )(4... Be7 {Grishchuk has tried this move a bit in blitz recently. It's certainly a decent attempt to refuse the pawn.} 5. a3 $5 { Out of all the options here I like this one the best. We simply consolidate the extra space on the queenside and play normally.} Nf6 6. d3 d5 $1 {Black has to strike now.} (6... O-O {This move order gives us additional options.} 7. O-O {The simplest.} (7. Nc3 $5 {An alternative idea. Now Black is going to struggle to break in the center. The engine suggests} a5 8. b5 Nd4 {as the best option for Black. Here I feel the simplest is to ignore the sacrifice with } 9. Be3 $1 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 d6 11. O-O $36 {with a wonderful version of the Italian game.} )d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Bb2 {transposes to the mainline.} )7. exd5 Nxd5 8. O-O O-O 9. Bb2 Nb6 10. Bb3 a5 {so far we've followed the game - Gavrilov,I - Kirkov,T ICCF email 2019. Here I propose an interesting direction for White.} 11. Nxe5 $1 {Grabbing the pawn.} Nd4 12. Nxf7 {The key idea - we get an imbalance to play with.} Rxf7 13. Bxf7+ Kxf7 14. Nd2 $36 {with a slight initiative thanks to the favourable material balance of rook + 2 pawns against 2 pieces.} )(4... Bb6 {I see quite a few players have tried it with Black, but Mamedyarov has essayed it in quite a few games. I don't like this concept though - Black agrees to play a worse version of the typical Italian games.} 5. a4 a6 6. c3 Nf6 7. d3 d6 {This seems to be a pretty major branch of the Quiet Italian game. Not my biggest area of expertise, so I won't go into all the intricacies. I will say though that after} 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O $14 {we arrive at a position that seems to be slightly better for White. Slightly more space on the queenside, harmonious development with Re1, Nf1 and Be3. I would suggest taking a look at the recent OTB and CC praxis here to decide how you want to proceed from here.} )5. c3 Ba5 {One of the plausible retreats.} (5... Be7 $1 {I believe this is the biggest test of the Evans Gambit concept. Black tries to liquidate by giving the pawn back to secure a safe and playable position.} 6. d4 $1 {Strictly the only move.} (6. Qb3 $5 {I tried to make this work, but unfortunately modern engines are great at counterattacking. You have to be ok with a small objective minus to try this.} Nh6 7. d4 Na5 {This is what I don't like - Black wins the bishop pair while having the extra pawn.} 8. Qb5 Nxc4 9. Bxh6 gxh6 10. Qxc4 exd4 11. O-O $1 {Perhaps the best try.} (11. cxd4 d5 $1 {The point. At the cost of a pawn Black opens up the position for the two bishops.} 12. exd5 Rg8 $15 {Black has quite the initiative here.} )dxc3 12. Nxc3 d6 13. Rfe1 c6 14. Rab1 $44 {I don't think we have full compensation for the two pawns, but the longer I run the engine the closer it gets to equality. It might be worth a shot as a surprise weapon.} )Na5 $1 {Black also has to be concrete.} 7. Bd3 (7. Be2 {I would love to make such moves work, but unfortunately Black has a simple route to equality.} exd4 (7... d6 8. Qa4+ c6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Nxe5 Nf6 11. O-O {at least gave White a playable position in - Lei,T - Goryachkina,A Toronto 2024} )8. Qxd4 $1 (8. cxd4 d5 9. exd5 c6 $1 $132 {It's not even clear who's fighting for the initiative here!} )d6 $1 {Giving back the pawn to help with development.} (8... Nf6 { Anand's choice in 1995 against Kasparov. It's decent, but now White gets exactly what he wants!} 9. e5 Nc6 10. Qh4 Nd5 11. Qg3 g6 {Not optimal. Now Kasparov gets to demonstrate his powerful preparation.} (11... Kf8 $1 12. O-O h5 $1 13. h4 d6 {was strictly the only way to play for a balanced position.} )12. O-O Nb6 13. c4 d6 14. Rd1 (14. Nc3 {was perhaps better, but I don't want to critique Kasparov's play too much.} )Nd7 $2 {To this day I don't undestand this move. Anand wasn't very comfortable playing against Kasparov and this sort of move demonstrates it.} (14... Na4 $1 {was the only way to keep some semblance of equality.} )15. Bh6 Ncxe5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Nc3 f6 18. c5 $1 {What follows is a demolition.} Nf7 19. cxd6 cxd6 20. Qe3 Nxh6 21. Qxh6 Bf8 22. Qe3+ Kf7 23. Nd5 Be6 24. Nf4 Qe7 25. Re1 {1-0 (25) Garry Kasparov-Viswanathan Anand Riga, Tal's Memorial (4) 1995} )9. Qxg7 Bf6 10. Qg3 Ne7 11. Bg5 (11. O-O {was tried by Nigel Short once, but it doesn't hold up anymore.} Rg8 12. Qf4 Bh3 13. g3 Ng6 14. Qe3 Bxf1 15. Bxf1 h5 $1 $15 {With an exchange and an attack.} )Ng6 12. Nbd2 $5 $146 {This might be White's last chance to make something of this game, but once again the positions after} (12. h4 {is for the more adventurous folks, but I don't like White's position enough to play this OTB.} )Bxg5 13. Qxg5 Qxg5 14. Nxg5 Nf4 $11 {Should be balanced.} )d6 $1 {Black is happy to give back material if it means stabilising the position a bit.} 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 Nf6 {The critial position. Here my plan is to offer you all a number of playable lines and allow you to pick a direction you like. There is still some potential to catch people if they are unprepared. In the end I was quite happy with what I discovered.} 10. O-O (10. Qa4+ $5 {Might be an interesting idea just to throw a wrench in the works. The best line for both sides seems to be} c6 11. O-O (11. Qc2 {Avoids the mainline, but after} Qc7 12. Nf3 c5 13. O-O c4 $1 14. Be2 O-O {Black looks to be on the better side of equality.} )Ng4 $1 $146 { The move that potentially breaks this line.} (11... O-O 12. Qc2 $5 $146 Qc7 13. Nf3 c5 14. c4 {[%cal Ge4e5] I think we should be happy here. We can potentially get the e5 advance going and open up more diagonals.} )12. Nxg4 Qxd3 13. Ne3 Qb5 $1 {Now we lose most of the fun since queens come off the board.} 14. Qxb5 cxb5 15. Nd5 Bd8 16. Na3 a6 17. Be3 $13 {This is an equal but unclear ending. Playable from time to time, but should end in a draw with best play.} )O-O 11. Qc2 {After a lot of research I decided that this is our best option.} (11. Nd2 Ng4 $1 {The problem move. Black has these sorts of 'little tricks' in lines like the Evans.} (11... c5 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. f4 $14 { 1/2-1/2 (34) Starke,H (2379)-De Jong,P (2407) ICCF 2012} )12. Ndf3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Qd6 14. Bf4 Rd8 $1 {The best move. Black tries to force the exchange of queens.} (14... Qf6 15. Bg3 {At least White can play for a bit here.} Bd6 16. Nf3 Nc6 17. Qc2 Bxg3 18. hxg3 $13 {1/2-1/2 (32) Johansen,A (2205)-Haugen,A (2440) corr ICCF 2016} )15. Qa4 $1 {Delaying the inevitable for now.} Qc5 $1 { Forcing the matter.} 16. Be2 Qxc3 17. Rac1 Qa3 18. Qxa3 Bxa3 19. Rxc7 Be6 $11 { The rook on the 7th looks great, but Black can exchange it, and the queenside majority can potentially tell. Not something I want with White.} )Bd6 $1 {This is the most precise move.} (11... c5 12. Nd2 Qc7 13. f4 {This leads to a playable position for White. For example -} c4 $1 {The best move.} (13... Be6 14. Ndf3 c4 15. Be2 Nc6 16. Nxc4 {I feel White has a slight initiative here.} )14. Ndxc4 Nxc4 15. Nxc4 Nxe4 {The point.} 16. Bxe4 Qxc4 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Bd3 Qc5+ 19. Kh1 $13 {There is some potential for a kingside attack with Rf3.} )12. Nf3 Bg4 $1 {The most testing idea.} (12... Re8 13. Bg5 $1 {is one example where we can potentially get something.} )13. Nbd2 $1 {The best move in my opinion. We should go for a fighting game.} (13. e5 Bxf3 14. exf6 Qxf6 15. gxf3 Qh4 16. f4 Qg4+ $11 {is a forced draw if we want it. But I think we should not go for this each time.} )Re8 14. h3 Bh5 {So far we've followed Zhigalko-Praggnanandhaa Lichess 2021. Here I feel we can improve on White's play.} 15. Re1 $1 {Preparing to advance with e5. Black's answer is forced.} Nd7 16. e5 $1 {When we say A, we must say B.} Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Ne4 $1 {with a crazy position. In a high-level CC game this is a draw in the next few moves, but over the board I'm not sure how accurately a human can play when posed with such fresh problems. I like this for White a bit more since our king is safer.} )(5... Bd6 {This is not an optimal retreat. The bishop looks stupid on d6.} 6. d4 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 $14 {White has a slight but enduring edge here.} )6. O-O {Not the best idea, but given that Casablanca chess starts from a given point, it's normal that the sequence to get there is not the greatest.} (6. d4 $1 {This is the modern main line and one of the biggest tests for Black. I would recommend that all White players familarise themselves with the resulting variations here. It's incredibly complex and fun to play. I will provide some basic notes to illustrate typical directions.} d6 {The main move.} (6... exd4 7. Qb3 Qf6 {This is almost equivalent to Qe7 though White needs to check a lot more moves.} (7... Qe7 { One of the two places Black can put the queen.} 8. O-O Bb6 9. cxd4 {White sacrifices a 2nd pawn but soon wins the bishop pair.} Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 11. Nc3 Nf6 12. Rd1 $5 {A relatively rare option. Nisipeanu has tried it once before but I don't see any other known players give it a shot.} (12. Ba3 d6 13. Rad1 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 Qe5 15. Qc1 {is the main line - lots of CC games here. It's also worth a shot.} )Be5 13. f4 Bxc3 (13... Qc5+ 14. Kh1 $14 {Black gets a worse version of the mainline since Ba3 comes with tempo.} )14. Qxc3 O-O 15. e5 Ne4 16. Qe3 Nc5 17. Bb2 $44 {½-½ Viver Ruiz,J (2281)-Andres,C (2042) Champion's League 2021/C4 email ICCF email with a playable position. Black's two extra pawns don't mean much for now and our bishops are ready to start attacking the kingside.} )8. O-O Bb6 {The main move.} (8... d3 $5 {Kasparov used this to beat Short back in 2011 and the idea still stands the test of time, though with best play White gets some initiative.} 9. e5 $1 {Only way forward.} Qg6 {This or Qf5 are equivalent.} 10. Rd1 Nge7 11. Bxd3 Qh5 12. Ba3 O-O 13. Nbd2 $36 {White definitely has an enduring initiative here. Black is going to struggle to develop the queenside.} )9. e5 Qg6 {The best retreat.} 10. cxd4 Nxd4 $5 {The computer prefers this greedy option.} (10... Na5 {The human way to play.} 11. Qc3 Nxc4 12. Qxc4 Qc6 $1 {The most testing idea. Black wants to go Ne7 and d6/d5.} 13. Qe2 Ne7 14. Ba3 {The resulting variation is forced.} d5 (14... Nd5 15. Nbd2 $1 $16 )15. exd6 cxd6 16. d5 Qd7 17. Re1 Bd8 { Ivanov-Voetter ICCF 2014.} 18. Nbd2 $1 $36 {[%csl Rd6][%cal Rd2c4] The d6 pawn is a big problem for Black. We have a tangible pull.} )11. Nxd4 Bxd4 12. Nc3 Ne7 13. Ba3 (13. Nb5 $5 {This can also lead to some crazy complications.} Bxa1 14. Nxc7+ Kd8 15. Bxf7 $1 {Very important to insert this move.} Qf5 16. Nxa8 Bd4 17. e6 dxe6 18. Rd1 $44 )b6 $1 {Black needs to walk quite the tightrope.} 14. Nb5 $3 {This is for the maverick.} (14. Bxe7 {The normal option, seen before in a CC game.} Kxe7 15. Rad1 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Bb7 17. Qh3 $1 Rhd8 18. Rd4 $36 {Rashitov-Jensen ICCF 2017. White has a furious initiative for the 2 pawns. I don't know how Black can survive this in a practical game.} )Bxa1 15. Rxa1 (15. Nxc7+ Kd8 16. Rxa1 {forces Black to find} Bb7 $1 { but after} 17. f3 $44 {White has enough compensation in an insane position.} )Bb7 16. f3 Rc8 17. Re1 {With a furious attack. For example -} a6 18. e6 $3 fxe6 19. Bxe6 axb5 20. Bxd7+ Kd8 21. Rxe7 $44 {With full compensation for the exchange and two pawns.} )(6... Bb6 {Vishy tried this successfully back in 2005, but it's not a great move. White regains the pawn while retaining few plusses.} 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. dxe5 Ne7 9. Ba3 O-O 10. O-O $14 {1-0 Pap,M (2399) -Cornette,M (2418) Srajber Memorial 09th Subotica 2005 (3)} )(6... b5 $5 { An interesting way to liquidate a bit.} 7. Bxb5 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 exd4 {This position is one of the critical ones in the entire Evans Gambit. I'm happy to say that I've found a very fresh direction that offers White great attacking chances.} 9. O-O $3 {Feels like the coffeehouse days!} (9. Qxd4 {The old mainline.} Qf6 10. O-O Bb6 $1 (10... Qxd4 11. cxd4 $36 {This endgame is quite pleasant for White tanks to our better pawn structure.} )11. Qd3 Ne7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nf3 {I feel this is a better place to put the knight.} (13. Nc4 c6 14. Nxb6 axb6 15. Bc4 {½-½ Pichot,A (2638)-Harikrishna,P (2704) ChessKid Cup Div 3 W Chess.com INT rapid 2023 (6.1)} Ng6 $1 16. f4 d5 17. exd5 cxd5 18. Bb5 Bf5 $132 )h6 {Senzacqua-Keber ICCF 2016.} (13... Ng6 14. a4 Ba5 { Ottesen-Hablizel ICCF 2017.} 15. Bg5 $1 Qxc3 16. Qe2 $44 {with great compensation.} )14. a4 $5 $146 a6 15. Bc4 d5 $1 {Practically forced, thought not a decision that Black can make lightly if he's unprepared.} 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Bg4 18. Qe5 Qc6 19. a5 Ba7 20. Bf4 {We have an extra pawn and Black has the bishop pair. It's balanced according to Stockfish, but Black's margin of error is smaller. I would take White here.} )c6 (9... dxc3 $2 10. Bc4 $16 )(9... Ne7 10. Qxd4 $1 {A nice improvement, with the idea that after} O-O 11. c4 $1 $36 {We get a clamp in the center.} )10. Bd3 $1 dxc3 {Poulos-Ackley ICCF 2020.} 11. Ba3 $1 {A powerful improvement.} Ne7 12. Qc2 O-O 13. Nxc3 $36 )(6... Nge7 $5 {This is actually a fairly interesting idea. Since Black threatens to play d5, we are forced to make that move ourselves.} 7. d5 Nb8 8. Nxe5 O-O {Black has given back the pawn but rescued his development. Now I believe that the best place to put the bishop is on d3.} 9. Bd3 $5 $146 (9. Bb3 {is also playable.} )d6 10. Nc4 Bb6 11. O-O $36 {with a certain pull.} )7. Qb3 Qd7 $1 {This awkward square is the best spot for the Black queen.} (7... Qe7 {This is not a great move. White gets a plus by force.} 8. d5 Nd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. O-O Bb6 11. Bb2 $14 )8. O-O Bb6 9. Nbd2 (9. Bb5 $5 {Might be worth investigating. I think White can get enough compensation for the pawn here, but there needs to be some very deep analysis done.} )Na5 10. Qc2 { The first critical positon for the line.} Qe7 {Perhaps the most decent idea.} (10... Nxc4 {A very forcing line.} 11. Nxc4 Qc6 12. Nxb6 axb6 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nxe5 Qa4 15. Qd3 $1 {Declining the queen trade.} Nf6 16. Re1 O-O 17. Bg5 $13 { With a complex position.} )(10... f6 11. a4 {with the idea of Ba2.} Nh6 (11... Ne7 12. Ba2 Nec6 13. Re1 Qe7 14. Ba3 $36 {Black's pieces are tied up.} )12. Ba2 Nf7 13. Nc4 Nxc4 14. Bxc4 a5 $146 {An improvement over existing theory. Black must not allow the pawn to a5 as it will further clamp his queenside.} 15. Qb3 Qe7 16. Be3 $36 {with the typical Evans initiative for the pawn. Black's position is very cramped.} )11. Ba3 f6 12. Bb5+ {A very annoying check to meet. } Bd7 $1 (12... c6 13. Bd3 Nh6 14. c4 {This gives White a great game.} )13. Rfb1 a6 {Martin-Kazimierski LSS email 2022.} 14. Bxd7+ $1 {Keeping the game going.} Qxd7 15. d5 Bc5 16. Bxc5 dxc5 17. Nb3 Nxb3 18. Qxb3 b6 19. a4 $44 {[%cal Ga4a5] with ample compensation for the pawn and an interesting position.} )Qf6 {Not the best move.} (6... Nf6 $1 {Leaves White searching for compensation.} )7. d4 $1 {One of the main ideas of the Evans. White gets a powerful pawn center and free piece play.} Nge7 8. Bg5 Qd6 9. Qb3 (9. Nbd2 { is stronger with insane complications after} Bxc3 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 11. Nc4 Qb4 12. Ncxe5+ Ke8 13. Rb1 $40 )O-O 10. Rd1 {This natural move is an inaccuracy.} (10. d5 $14 {is superior.} )Bb6 {The players started playing from here. Honestly, the current position seems so much easier to play for White than for Black, as the 2nd player's queenside is paralysed.} 11. Na3 {An interesting choice by Magnus, keeping the tension.} (11. Bf1 {Hikaru's choice. I don't see it being repeated though.} exd4 12. cxd4 Ng6 $2 {Amin goes wrong almost immediately.} (12... Qg6 $1 {Ensuring that Black can open the queenside.} 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Nbd2 d6 $15 {White has insufficient compensation. } )13. Nc3 Nxd4 $2 {From the frying pan into the fire.} (13... h6 14. Bc1 Qe7 $14 {limits the damage.} )14. Rxd4 $3 Bxd4 15. Nb5 Bxa1 16. Nxd6 cxd6 17. h4 $18 {1-0 Nakamura,H (2795)-Amin,B (2683) Casablanca rapid 2024 (1) Hikaru mops up in short order.} )(11. dxe5 {was a more prudent choice.} Qg6 {This was the stem game for this position Chigorin-Steinitz Wch 1889. Here White's play could have been improved with} 12. Nbd2 Qh5 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Bf1 $1 {with a complex position where White's no worse and keeps asking Black some questions.} )Na5 {Not the wisest of moves from Anand. He has to rush with his queenside development instead of wasting time.} ({Black should play} 11... exd4 12. cxd4 Qg6 {[%cal Gd7d6] with the idea of ...d6 after which he should be fine.} )12. Qa4 $1 $36 {White has good play.} Nec6 $2 {Another questionable decision. I don't understand what the knights are doing.} (12... exd4 $1 { limits some of the damage. After} 13. Nb5 Qc5 14. Bd3 dxc3 15. Rac1 d5 $1 { Black is just in time with developing the queenside.} 16. Rxc3 Qxf2+ 17. Kh1 Bh3 $3 $132 {Black holds on, though only just.} )13. dxe5 $2 {The wrong way of releasing the tension.} ({White should try} 13. d5 Nd8 14. Rab1 $16 )Qc5 $2 {The losing mistake.} (13... Qg6 $1 $11 {and Black has nothing to worry. I am surprised that Anand kept missing this idea. Perhaps a lack of regular tournament practice was hindering his immense tactical abilities?} )14. Rd5 $1 Qxf2+ 15. Kh1 {[%cal Ra1f1] The queen is nearly trapped - White threatens Rf1.} Qb2 16. Rb1 {White is clearly winning. The queen disappears and there is not enough compensation.} Qxa3 17. Qxa3 Nxc4 18. Qa4 Ne3 19. Rxb6 $1 {Black loses the house.} Nxd5 20. Rxc6 {Anand resigned. Quite the powerplay from Carlsen, demonstrating a superb understanding of the resultant complexities. This game also demonstrates the latent power of gambits in chess. While the Evans might not rate as highly as the Quiet Italian, at least as far as engines are concerned, it has a lot of destructive potential if used correctly thanks to the hidden power in White's pieces.} 1-0