[Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.01.16"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E05"] [WhiteElo "2865"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 {The preparation for the world championship match keeps giving fruits for the world champion, and in this game he manages to demonstrate one more powerful Catalan idea.} O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3 Bxa3 8. bxa3 Bd7 9. a4 $5 {An interesting side-line according to Megabase. White quickly brings his bishop out, but in the process risks to lose his gambited pawn permanently.} ({Black managed to demonstrate equality in this recent top encounter:} 9. Qc2 Bc6 10. Qxc4 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qb2 Nbd7 13. Bf4 Rc8 14. Rac1 Re8 15. Rfd1 Nd5 16. Bg5 f6 17. Bd2 c5 18. dxc5 Nxc5 { Le,Q (2709)-So,W (2772) chess24.com INT 2021}) 9... Bc6 10. Ba3 Re8 11. Qc2 { [#]} Nbd7 $146 {Technically speaking, it is Giri that produces the novelty. However, an important detail: he does this after more than twelve minutes on the clock.} ({The predecessor witnessed White achieing everything he wished for after:} 11... Bd5 12. Rfe1 Nbd7 13. e4 Bc6 14. Nd2 a5 15. Nxc4 Nb6 16. Nxb6 cxb6 17. Bb2 {Cordova,E (2571) -Slade,T (2124) Saint Louis 2019}) ({Instead of the move in the game, another idea is:} 11... Qd5 $5 12. Rac1 Qa5 {first transfering the queen for the attack against the a4-pawn before accomplishing development with} 13. Qxc4 Nbd7) 12. Rac1 {Carlsen eyeballs the c7-pawn. If White can win his pawn back, his advantage will be enormous. The pressure along the b- and c-files a la Benko, coupled with the nasty bishops and the nastier a-pawns would be too much for Black to cope with.} ({Not the instant} 12. Qxc4 Nb6) 12... a6 13. Qxc4 Nb6 14. Qc3 {Played after a lenghty thought.} ( {The more obvious} 14. Qd3 Bxa4 {allows Ba4-b5 next, with a tempo, and might have been the reason for the rejection.}) 14... Nxa4 15. Qb3 Qd5 {For now, the world champion does play} ({Giri was evidently afraid of the positional exchange sacrifice after} 15... Nb6 16. Rxc6 $1 bxc6 17. Ne5 Qxd4 18. Nxc6 { when the white knight somehow manages to dominate both the rooks!}) ({However} 15... Bb5 $5 {might have been a safer alternative.}) 16. Rxc6 $3 {anyway, and even though the black pawns are still intact after} Qxc6 17. Ne5 Qb5 18. Qc2 $1 {Black has serious problems to solve. His queen is exposed, the knight on the rim is in mortal danger, and all the queenside pawns are hanging.} Nd5 { The most natural move turns out to be a serious mistake.} ({The best defense was connected with the cute tactical line} 18... Nb6 $1 19. Bxb7 Nc4 $3 20. Bxa8 Nxa3 {when Black is OK after both} 21. Qc6 ({Interestingly, White can afford sacrificing a piece and entering an endgame with} 21. Qxc7 Rxa8 22. Qxf7+ Kh8 23. Rc1 Qe8 $1 24. Qxe8+ Rxe8 25. Rc6 {when White's initiative should soon net him another pawn} a5 26. Ra6 Nb5 27. e3 Nc3 28. Rxa5 {and all of this leads to approximately even endgame.}) 21... Qxe2 22. Bb7 Qxa2) 19. Rb1 Qa5 20. Bxd5 $1 {Perhaps Giri underestimated this idea.} ({Wrong was instead} 20. Rxb7 $2 Nab6 21. Qc1 Qc3 $1 {when tables are turned in Black's favor.}) ({ However, the capture might have worked even better with the inclusion of the moves} 20. Be4 $5 g6 21. Bxd5 exd5 {As now White has an additional idea} 22. Bb4 $1 Qb6 23. Bc3 Qxb1+ 24. Qxb1 Nxc3 25. Qxb7 Nxe2+ 26. Kg2 Nxd4 27. Qxc7 { and White's queen and knight crash through thanks to the weakened long diagonal.}) 20... exd5 ({There is not enough for the pieces after} 20... Qxd5 21. Qxa4) 21. Rxb7 $1 {A very precise move! Ba3-b4 is a mortal threat and that forces Black to weaken his seventh rank.} ({The resource from above does not work with a black pawn on g7 as the line} 21. Bb4 Qb6 22. Bc3 Qxb1+ 23. Qxb1 Nxc3 24. Qxb7 ({White does not achieve anything more than a balanced position after} 24. Qd3 Nxe2+ 25. Qxe2 f6 26. Qf3 fxe5 27. Qxd5+ Kh8 28. dxe5 Rad8) 24... Nxe2+ 25. Kg2 Nxd4 26. Qxc7 f6 {proves good for Black.}) 21... c5 ({Or} 21... Nc3 22. Bb4 Qxa2 23. Qxc3) 22. Qf5 Rf8 23. Nxf7 Qd8 {A passive defense, but there was nothing else.} ({Or else Black can easily get smothered-mated after} 23... Qe1+ 24. Kg2 Qxe2 25. Qxd5) 24. dxc5 {Wins an inportant pawn, but above all, opens the long diagonal for the bishop.} Qf6 25. Qxf6 gxf6 26. Nh6+ Kh8 27. c6 Rfc8 28. c7 {Next the white knight will come to either d6 or e7, and there is no way out.} Nc3 (28... Kg7 29. Nf5+) 29. Bb2 d4 30. Nf7+ Kg7 31. Nd6 Kg6 32. Kf1 Nb5 33. Nxc8 Rxc8 34. a4 Nxc7 35. Bxd4 Ne6 36. Be3 1-0