[Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.12"] [Round "21.2"] [White "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A10"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2828"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. c4 {Chekhov,V} g6 2. e4 Bg7 ({RR} 2... e5 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d3 Nc6 5. g3 Nd4 6. Nce2 Ne6 7. Be3 Ne7 8. Qd2 c6 9. Bg2 d5 10. Nf3 h6 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. d4 exd4 13. Nfxd4 dxe4 14. Bxe4 Nc5 15. Bg2 Nf5 16. Rd1 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 {Hort,V (2620)-Sax,G (2565) Ljubljana/Portoroz 1977 1-0 (44)}) ({RR} 2... Nf6 3. e5 Nh5 4. d4 d6 5. f4 Bh6 6. g3 dxe5 7. dxe5 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 Nc6 9. Bd2 Bf5 10. Bg2 O-O-O 11. Ke1 Nd4 12. Na3 f6 13. Nf3 Be4 14. Rf1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 fxe5 16. Bxh5 gxh5 17. Rd1 {Caruana,F (2782)-Carlsen,M (2835) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (46)}) ({RR} 2... e5 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. h4 h5 5. d3 Ne7 6. Bg5 c6 7. Be2 d6 8. Qd2 a6 9. b4 Be6 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. a4 Nd7 12. a5 Nf8 13. Ng1 Bxe2 14. Ngxe2 Ne6 15. Na4 Qc7 16. Rc1 f6 17. Be3 {Jakubowski,K (2449)-Noeldner,J (2233) Berlin GER 2025 ½-½ (53)}) 3. Nf3 ({RR} 3. h4 h5 4. d4 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Nf3 Nh7 8. Be3 c6 9. Qd2 Ndf6 10. Bh6 O-O 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. Ng5 e5 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. f3 a5 15. Be2 a4 16. Nxh7 Kxh7 17. g4 hxg4 {Terentiev,S (2252)-Krasenkova,I (2160) Rhodes GRE 2019 1-0 (57)}) 3... e5 4. g3 $146 ({RR} 4. b4 d6 5. d3 Ne7 6. Nc3 Bg4 7. Be2 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nbc6 9. g3 Nd4 10. Bg2 c6 11. O-O O-O 12. Be3 Qd7 13. Rb1 b5 14. Re1 a6 15. a3 Qe6 16. Rc1 Rfc8 17. h4 a5 18. Kh2 Qd7 {Zhao,X (2568)-Lagno,K (2543) Beijing 2013 ½-½ (55)}) ({RR} 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Be2 Nge7 6. d3 O-O 7. Nd5 d6 8. Rb1 a5 9. h3 h6 10. Bd2 f5 11. Qc1 Kh7 12. Qd1 Bd7 13. Qc1 Rc8 14. Qd1 Qe8 15. a3 g5 16. Nxe7 Qxe7 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Qf6 {Gutmann,A (2046)-Kessler,L (2313) Bad Gleichenberg 2014 0-1 (39)}) ({RR} 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 Nge7 7. d3 O-O 8. Nd5 ({RR} 8. O-O Bg4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nd4 11. Bg2 c6) ({RR} 8. h3 h6 9. O-O f5) 8... Bg4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nd4 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. Bg2 c6 13. O-O f5 14. exf5 ({RR} 14. f4 exf4 ({RR} 14... Rae8) 15. gxf4 Rae8) 14... gxf5 15. Qh5 Qe8 ({RR} 15... f4 16. Be4) 16. Qxe8 Raxe8 17. Be3 Ne6 18. Rfd1 ({RR} 18. Bxa7 f4 ({RR} 18... Ra8 19. Be3 f4 20. Bd2 f3 21. Bh1 Nc5) 19. Bb6 Ra8 20. a4) ({RR} 18. f4 exf4 19. gxf4 Bxb2 20. Rab1 Bd4 21. Bxd4 Nxd4 22. Rxb7 Rf7) 18... f4 {Serper,G (2590)-Graf,A (2565) Bishkek 1993 CBM 035 [Chekhov,V] 0-1 (61)}) ({RR} 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Be2 Re8 8. f3 c6 9. Nc2 d5 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qxd5 Be6 14. Qb5 Nc6) ({RR} 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. g3 Nge7 6. Bg2 d6 7. h3 O-O 8. d3 f5 9. Be3 f4 10. Bd2 fxg3 11. fxg3 Nd4 12. O-O Nec6 13. Kh2 Nxf3+ 14. Rxf3 Nd4 15. Rxf8+ Qxf8 16. Be3 Bh6 17. Bg1 c6 18. Qf1 Be6 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Svidler,P (2723) Lichess.org INT 2020 ½-½ (65)}) 4... c5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nge7 7. h4 d6 8. h5 Bg4 9. h6 Bf6 10. d3 Qd7 11. Be3 Nd4 12. Bxd4 cxd4 13. Ne2 Nc6 14. Nh2 Be6 15. Qd2 Qe7 16. f4 exf4 17. gxf4 Bh4+ 18. Kd1 a5 19. Nf3 Bf2 20. Bh3 Be3 21. Qe1 O-O 22. Qh4 Qxh4 23. Nxh4 Nb4 24. f5 Bc8 25. Nc1 Bxh6 26. a3 Nc6 27. Ne2 Bg5 28. Nf3 Be3 29. Kc2 a4 30. Rh2 Ra5 31. Rah1 h5 32. Rg2 Kg7 33. Ng3 Kf6 34. Rf1 Ke7 35. Rh1 b5 36. fxg6 fxg6 37. Bxc8 Rxc8 38. Ne2 Rf8 39. Nh4 Ne5 40. c5 Rf6 41. cxd6+ Kxd6 42. Kb1 Ra8 43. Ka2 0-1 [Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.12"] [Round "21.2"] [White "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A10"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2828"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. c4 {Chekhov,V} g6 2. e4 Bg7 ({RR} 2... e5 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d3 Nc6 5. g3 Nd4 6. Nce2 Ne6 7. Be3 Ne7 8. Qd2 c6 9. Bg2 d5 10. Nf3 h6 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. d4 exd4 13. Nfxd4 dxe4 14. Bxe4 Nc5 15. Bg2 Nf5 16. Rd1 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 {Hort,V (2620)-Sax,G (2565) Ljubljana/Portoroz 1977 1-0 (44)}) ({RR} 2... Nf6 3. e5 Nh5 4. d4 d6 5. f4 Bh6 6. g3 dxe5 7. dxe5 Qxd1+ 8. Kxd1 Nc6 9. Bd2 Bf5 10. Bg2 O-O-O 11. Ke1 Nd4 12. Na3 f6 13. Nf3 Be4 14. Rf1 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 fxe5 16. Bxh5 gxh5 17. Rd1 {Caruana,F (2782)-Carlsen,M (2835) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (46)}) ({RR} 2... e5 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. h4 h5 5. d3 Ne7 6. Bg5 c6 7. Be2 d6 8. Qd2 a6 9. b4 Be6 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. a4 Nd7 12. a5 Nf8 13. Ng1 Bxe2 14. Ngxe2 Ne6 15. Na4 Qc7 16. Rc1 f6 17. Be3 {Jakubowski,K (2449)-Noeldner,J (2233) Berlin GER 2025 ½-½ (53)}) 3. Nf3 ({RR} 3. h4 h5 4. d4 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Nf3 Nh7 8. Be3 c6 9. Qd2 Ndf6 10. Bh6 O-O 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. Ng5 e5 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. f3 a5 15. Be2 a4 16. Nxh7 Kxh7 17. g4 hxg4 {Terentiev,S (2252)-Krasenkova,I (2160) Rhodes GRE 2019 1-0 (57)}) 3... e5 4. g3 $146 ({RR} 4. b4 d6 5. d3 Ne7 6. Nc3 Bg4 7. Be2 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nbc6 9. g3 Nd4 10. Bg2 c6 11. O-O O-O 12. Be3 Qd7 13. Rb1 b5 14. Re1 a6 15. a3 Qe6 16. Rc1 Rfc8 17. h4 a5 18. Kh2 Qd7 {Zhao,X (2568)-Lagno,K (2543) Beijing 2013 ½-½ (55)}) ({RR} 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Be2 Nge7 6. d3 O-O 7. Nd5 d6 8. Rb1 a5 9. h3 h6 10. Bd2 f5 11. Qc1 Kh7 12. Qd1 Bd7 13. Qc1 Rc8 14. Qd1 Qe8 15. a3 g5 16. Nxe7 Qxe7 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Qf6 {Gutmann,A (2046)-Kessler,L (2313) Bad Gleichenberg 2014 0-1 (39)}) ({RR} 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 Nge7 7. d3 O-O 8. Nd5 ({RR} 8. O-O Bg4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nd4 11. Bg2 c6) ({RR} 8. h3 h6 9. O-O f5) 8... Bg4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nd4 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. Bg2 c6 13. O-O f5 14. exf5 ({RR} 14. f4 exf4 ({RR} 14... Rae8) 15. gxf4 Rae8) 14... gxf5 15. Qh5 Qe8 ({RR} 15... f4 16. Be4) 16. Qxe8 Raxe8 17. Be3 Ne6 18. Rfd1 ({RR} 18. Bxa7 f4 ({RR} 18... Ra8 19. Be3 f4 20. Bd2 f3 21. Bh1 Nc5) 19. Bb6 Ra8 20. a4) ({RR} 18. f4 exf4 19. gxf4 Bxb2 20. Rab1 Bd4 21. Bxd4 Nxd4 22. Rxb7 Rf7) 18... f4 {Serper,G (2590)-Graf,A (2565) Bishkek 1993 CBM 035 [Chekhov,V] 0-1 (61)}) ({RR} 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Be2 Re8 8. f3 c6 9. Nc2 d5 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qxd5 Be6 14. Qb5 Nc6) ({RR} 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. g3 Nge7 6. Bg2 d6 7. h3 O-O 8. d3 f5 9. Be3 f4 10. Bd2 fxg3 11. fxg3 Nd4 12. O-O Nec6 13. Kh2 Nxf3+ 14. Rxf3 Nd4 15. Rxf8+ Qxf8 16. Be3 Bh6 17. Bg1 c6 18. Qf1 Be6 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Svidler,P (2723) Lichess.org INT 2020 ½-½ (65)}) 4... c5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nge7 7. h4 d6 8. h5 Bg4 9. h6 Bf6 10. d3 Qd7 11. Be3 Nd4 12. Bxd4 cxd4 13. Ne2 Nc6 14. Nh2 Be6 15. Qd2 Qe7 16. f4 exf4 17. gxf4 Bh4+ 18. Kd1 a5 19. Nf3 Bf2 20. Bh3 Be3 21. Qe1 O-O 22. Qh4 Qxh4 23. Nxh4 Nb4 24. f5 Bc8 25. Nc1 Bxh6 26. a3 Nc6 27. Ne2 Bg5 28. Nf3 Be3 29. Kc2 a4 30. Rh2 Ra5 31. Rah1 h5 32. Rg2 Kg7 33. Ng3 Kf6 34. Rf1 Ke7 35. Rh1 b5 36. fxg6 fxg6 37. Bxc8 Rxc8 38. Ne2 Rf8 39. Nh4 Ne5 40. c5 Rf6 41. cxd6+ Kxd6 42. Kb1 Ra8 43. Ka2 0-1 [Event "London Classic 7th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.07"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2850"] [BlackElo "2744"] [Annotator "Prathamesh,Sunil Mokal"] [PlyCount "155"] [EventDate "2015.12.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 ({On move number 33 in the main game below, Carlsen was of the opinion that perhaps he should have taken the ? with his ? and gone for a ?? vs ??? endgame with 3 other ?s each on the kingside. That endgame would be somewhat similar to the following one that occured in Tkachiev - Van Wely, 2003 with light notes by endgame expert Karsten Mueller in CBM 95. It went -} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3 e5 9. d5 Nb4 10. e4 c6 11. a3 Na6 12. a4 O-O 13. a5 Nc4 14. Qb3 cxd5 15. Nxd5 Nxa5 16. Qc3 b6 17. b4 Bb7 18. bxa5 Bxd5 19. axb6 axb6 20. exd5 e4 21. Nd4 Qxd5 22. Be3 Rfc8 23. Qd2 Rc4 24. O-O Rxd4 25. Bxd4 Qxd4 26. Qxd4 Bxd4 27. Ra4 Bc3 28. Bxe4 Ra7 29. Bd3 Ba5 30. Bxa6 Rxa6 {This is the structure and material balance that we are talking about.} 31. Rd1 Ra7 32. g4 Kg7 33. Rad4 Bc3 34. Rd7 Ra4 35. h3 Rf4 36. Kg2 b5 $5 37. R1d3 b4 38. Rb7 h6 39. Rf3 Rf6 40. Rxf6 Kxf6 {Without the b-pawn Black's position is theoretically lost, but with it matters are not completely clear. The game is not conclusive proof, so further analysis is needed.} 41. Kf3 h5 $6 {opens for White many inroads on the light squares.} (41... Be1 $142) 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. Rb5 Kg6 44. Ke4 Be1 45. f4 Bc3 46. Rb6+ f6 47. Rc6 Bb2 48. Rd6 Bc3 49. Rd3 Be1 $6 (49... f5+ $5 {came strongly into consideration}) 50. Re3 Bd2 51. Rg3+ Kf7 52. Kf5 Ke7 53. Rd3 (53. Rg7+ $5 Kd6 54. Rh7 Kc5 55. Ke4 $16 (55. Kxf6 $2 b3 56. Rb7 b2 {[%CAl Gd2b4]} 57. Rxb2 Bc3+ $11)) 53... Bc3 54. Ke4 Kf7 55. f5 Kg7 56. Rg3+ Kh7 57. Kd5 Be5 58. Re3 Kh6 59. Ke6 Bd4 (59... Bc3 60. h4 Kg7 61. Ke7 Kh7 62. Kf7 Be5 63. Rb3 Bc3 64. Rb1 Kh8 65. Rg1 b3 66. Rg8+ Kh7 67. Rg7+ Kh8 68. Kg6 b2 69. Rc7 $18) (59... Kg5 $2 {is refuted nicely:} 60. Rxe5 fxe5 61. f6 b3 62. f7 b2 63. f8=Q b1=Q 64. Qf6#) 60. Rg3 $1 Be5 61. Rg6+ Kh7 62. Kf7 h4 (62... b3 63. Rg7+ Kh8 (63... Kh6 64. h4 b2 65. Kg8 b1=Q 66. Rg6#) 64. Kg6 b2 65. Rd7 Bc7 66. Rxc7 b1=Q 67. Rc8#) 63. Rg4 Kh6 64. Rxb4 Kg5 65. Ke6 {1-0 (65) Tkachiev,V (2642)-Van Wely,L (2675) France 2003 CBM 095 [Mueller,Karsten]} (65. Ke6 Ba1 66. Rg4+ Kh5 67. Rg6 Bd4 68. Rxf6 $18)) 1... d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O e6 5. d3 Bd6 6. c4 ({RR} 6. h3 Bh5 7. c4 Ne7 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Qb3 Nd7 10. d4 Qb6 11. Rd1 Qxb3 12. axb3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 f5 14. e3 a6 15. Bd2 Nf6 16. Be1 g5 17. Be2 h5 18. f3 g4 19. hxg4 hxg4 20. fxg4 fxg4 {Kramnik,V (2808)-Jobava,B (2707) Leuven 2017 1-0 (66)}) 6... Ne7 7. cxd5 ({RR} 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. b3 a5 9. a3 Nd7 10. Bb2 e5 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qc2 f6 13. e3 Bf7 14. Rac1 Re8 15. Rfe1 Nf8 16. Nb1 Ne6 17. Nc3 Rc8 18. Rcd1 Qb6 19. Na4 Qa6 20. c5 Bc7 21. e4 Rcd8 {Srihari,L (2366)-Zhigalko,S (2572) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (45)}) 7... exd5 8. Nc3 O-O $146 ({RR} 8... Nd7 9. Qb3 Nc5 10. Qc2 Ne6 11. Qa4 h5 12. e4 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 d4 14. Ne2 h4 15. Bg2 Ng6 16. f4 hxg3 17. hxg3 Nc5 18. Qc4 Qd7 19. Nxd4 b5 20. Qc3 b4 21. Qc4 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Bc5 23. Be3 {Khachatryan,V (1975)-Skigelstrand,L (1720) Bratislava 2019 1-0 (42)}) 9. h3 Bh5 10. e4 Na6 $146 {In two previous games the ? had been developed to d7. From a6 the ? can find a nice shielded square on c7 to protect d5 while if needed, it can play an active role from b4 or c5.} (10... Nd7 {[%CAl Yd7e5]} 11. Qc2 (11. exd5 cxd5 (11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qb3 $14) 12. g4 Bg6 13. Nh4 $14) 11... Rc8 12. Nd4 {[%CAl Yf2f4]} (12. Be3 $5) 12... Bg6 13. f4 $6 Bc5 (13... Qb6 $15) 14. Be3 $14 {1-0 Miles,A (2595)-Vera Gonzalez Quevedo,R (2535)/Havana 1998 (53), with a slight advantage of space.}) (10... dxe4 11. dxe4 Qc7 12. Qc2 Nd7 13. Be3 Rad8 14. Nd4 $14 {½-½ Berkovich,M (2334)-Azarov,S (2603)/Cappelle la Grande 2014 (31); was also slightly better for White.}) 11. exd5 (11. g4 Bg6 12. Nd4 $5 {[%CAl Gf2f4] ?f2-f4-f5.} (12. Nh4) 12... Re8 13. f4 Bc5 (13... Qb6 14. Be3 Qxb2 $13) 14. Be3 $13) 11... cxd5 (11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qb3 $14) 12. Re1 ({Worth considering was} 12. g4 Bg6 13. Nh4 {to pocket the ? advantage.}) 12... Nc6 13. d4 (13. g4 $5 Bg6 14. Nxd5 Nc5 $132 (14... Nab4 $5 15. Nxb4 Nxb4 16. Ne5 Re8 (16... Nxd3 17. Nxd3 Bxd3 18. Bxb7 (18. Qxd3 $2 Bh2+ $19) 18... Rb8 19. Qf3 $14) 17. Bd2 Bxe5 18. Bxb4 Bxd3) 15. d4 Nd3) 13... Nc7 14. a3 h6 15. b4 Rc8 (15... Re8 $5 16. Rxe8+ (16. Bb2 $6 Rxe1+ 17. Qxe1 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Nxd4) 16... Qxe8 17. Bb2 $14 {[%CAl Gd1d2,Ga1e1,Gd2d3]}) 16. Bb2 a6 $6 {Adams "My ...a6 move was not very clever, because it gave him a clear plan."} (16... Re8 $5) 17. Na4 $1 {[%csl Rb6,Rc5] Carlsen immediately pounces on the weakened squares.} a5 18. Nc5 (18. Nb6 $5 Rb8 19. bxa5 Nxa5 20. g4 Bg6 21. Ne5 {[%CAl Gb6d7,Ge5d7,Ge5g6]} Bxe5 22. dxe5 $16 {[%csl Rd5][%CAl Gb2d4,Gf2f4]}) 18... axb4 19. axb4 Rb8 (19... b6 20. Qa4 $1 bxc5 21. dxc5 $16 {[%csl Rc6,Rd6]} Nxb4 22. cxd6 Qxd6 23. Be5 Qb6 24. Rab1 Nca6 25. Bd4 Qd6 26. Nh4 $1 $16 {[%csl Rd6,Rg7][%CAl Gh4f5]} Bg6 27. Nxg6 fxg6 28. Bf1 $16 {[%csl Ra6,Rb4] Black's pieces are stuck.}) 20. Qa4 (20. Qb3 $5 b6 21. Nd3 {[%CAl Gd3e5,Gf3e5,Gd3b4]} f6 (21... Bxf3 22. Bxf3 Ne6 23. Qxd5 Nxb4 24. Qb3 $16 {[%csl Gb2,Gd4,Gf3]}) 22. Rac1 $14) 20... Bxf3 21. Bxf3 Qf6 22. Qb3 (22. Bg4 $5 Bxc5 23. bxc5 $14) 22... Rfd8 23. Bg4 Nxd4 {Black finds the best way to fight, giving up an exchange.} (23... Qg6 24. b5 Ne7 (24... Na5 25. Rxa5 b6 26. Ra7 bxc5 27. dxc5 Rxb5 28. Qf3 $1 Rxb2 29. cxd6 Ne6 30. Qxd5 $18) 25. b6 Ne8 26. Ra7 $18) (23... Qg5 24. b5 $16) (23... Ra8 24. Kg2 (24. Nxb7 Bxb4) 24... Rxa1 25. Rxa1 b6 26. Nb7 Rb8 27. b5 Nxd4 28. Nxd6 Nxb3 29. Bxf6 Nxa1 30. Bxa1 $16) (23... Bxc5 24. bxc5 $16 {[%csl Gb2,Rb7,Rd5,Gg4]}) 24. Bxd4 Qxd4 25. Red1 Qc4 26. Qxc4 dxc4 27. Nd7 {[%csl Rd6]} Rxd7 (27... Bxb4 28. Ra4 {would be similar to the game.}) 28. Bxd7 {Adams "I was not very optimistic about my chances here."} Bxb4 29. Ra4 Bc5 $1 {Adams visualises a nice fortress. Although not an impeccable one, this fortress seems like his best chance to fight for a draw.} (29... Na6 30. Rc1 c3 31. Bb5 $16 {[%csl Ra6,Rb4,Rb8,Rc3][%CAl Ga6b4,Gb4c3,Gb8b4] and Black's pieces are all stuck defending each other.}) 30. Rxc4 b6 {Carlsen "I just assumed that I should be able to break down this fortress somehow. But maybe it is not that easy."} 31. Kg2 g6 32. Bc6 Ne8 33. Rd7 ({Carlsen "Perhaps I should have taken the ? with} 33. Bxe8 Rxe8 34. Rd7 $14 {with slightly better chances to win than in the game." A similar situation occured in Tkachiev vs Van Wely, 2003 which you can find above in the note to the 1st move.}) 33... Nf6 34. Ra7 Kg7 35. Ra8 Rxa8 36. Bxa8 h5 37. Ra4 Ng8 38. Bd5 Ne7 39. Ba2 Nc6 ({Black could also think about going for his desired setup immediately with} 39... Nf5 $5 {[%CAl Gf5d6]}) 40. Ra8 Nb4 41. Bc4 Nc6 42. f4 Ne7 43. Kf3 ({Adams was worried about} 43. Ra7 $5 {but Carlsen rejected it because of} h4 {which seems to be simplifying towards a draw. For example} (43... b5 $2 44. Ra5 $18) 44. gxh4 (44. g4 b5 45. Ra5 (45. Rc7 Bd6 46. Rd7 Bxf4) 45... Bd6 46. Rxb5 Bxf4 $11) 44... b5 45. Ra5 Bd6 46. Rxb5 Bxf4 47. Rb7 Bd6 $13) 43... Nf5 44. Ra7 Nd6 ({Nakamura was of the opinion that keeping the ? on e7 would secure an easier draw, but the players were not sure about this assessment. While Adams thought that the White ? would penetrate via b5-a6-b7-c7 and so on, Carlsen thought that ?e4-e5 at some point might create problems for Black. I tried both these ideas, but could not find anything clear -} 44... Ne7 45. Ke4 Kf6 (45... b5 46. Rc7 Bd6 47. Rd7 $18) 46. Rb7 Kg7 47. Kd3 (47. g4 hxg4 48. hxg4 Kf6 49. g5+ Kg7 50. Kd3 Kf8 51. Kc2 Bd6) (47. Ke5 Nc6+ 48. Kd5 Ne7+ 49. Ke4 Kf6 50. g4 hxg4 51. hxg4 Kg7 52. g5 Kf8 53. Ke5 Kg7 54. Rc7 Kf8 {It is still not clear how White can make progress.} 55. Rd7 (55. Rxc5 bxc5 56. Kf6 Ng8+ $11) (55. Kf6 $4 Bd4#) 55... Ke8 56. Rb7 Kf8) 47... Kf8 48. Kc3 Kg7 (48... Bf2 49. g4 hxg4 50. hxg4 Be3 51. f5 gxf5 52. gxf5) 49. Kb3 Kf8 50. Ka4 Bf2 51. g4 hxg4 52. hxg4 Bc5 53. Kb5 Kg7 54. Ka6 Kf8 55. Ba2 (55. Rc7 Bd6) 55... Kg7 56. Ra7 (56. Rd7 Kf8 57. Kb7 Be3 58. Rd8+ Kg7 59. Re8 Bc5 60. Kc7 Ng8 61. g5 Ne7 62. Kd7 Nf5 63. Bb1 Nd6 (63... Ng3 $5 {[%CAl Gg3h5]})) 56... Kf8 57. Kb7 {and in spite of getting the ? into the enemy camp I found it tough to make progress. Some sample variations -} Be3 58. Ra8+ (58. Ra4 Ng8 59. Re4 Bc5 60. g5 Ne7 61. Kc7 Kg7 62. Kd7 Nf5) 58... Kg7 59. Re8 Bc5 60. Bb3 Ng8 (60... Kf6 61. Rf8) 61. Rd8 Nh6 (61... Ne7 62. Rd7 Kf8 63. Kc7) 62. Rd7 (62. g5 Nf5 63. Rd7 Ne7 64. Kc7 Kf8 65. Rd1 (65. Kd8 Nc6+ 66. Kc7 Ne7) 65... Be3 66. Kd7 Nf5 $13) 62... g5 $5 (62... Nxg4 63. Rxf7+ Kh6 64. Bc2) 63. f5 (63. fxg5 Nxg4 64. Rxf7+ Kg6 65. Be6 Ne3 $11) 63... Nxg4 64. Rxf7+ Kh6 65. Rc7 Ne5 66. f6 Kg6 67. f7 Bd6 68. Ka6 Kg7 69. Ra7 g4 70. Ra8 Bf8 $11) 45. Bd5 Bd4 46. Rd7 Bc5 47. Ba2 Kf6 48. g4 hxg4+ 49. hxg4 Kg7 50. Rd8 Nb7 51. Rd7 Nd6 52. Ke2 Kf8 53. Kd3 Kg7 54. Bd5 Kf8 55. Rd8+ Kg7 56. Bc6 Kh7 57. g5 Kg7 58. Bd5 Kh7 59. Rd7 Kg7 60. Ke2 Kf8 61. Kf3 Ke8 62. Rc7 Bd4 (62... Kf8 $5) 63. Kg4 (63. Bxf7+ Nxf7 64. Rc6 Nh8 {[%CAl Gd4b6,Gd4h8,Gh8g6]} 65. Ke4 Kd7 $11) 63... Be3 $6 {After a lot of manouvering, Adams makes a slip, overlooking White's strong idea.} ({He should have played} 63... Kf8 $142 {not allowing ?f7. Then Carlsen was intending to use the idea of} 64. f5 (64. Bxf7 $2 Nxf7 65. Rc6 Kg7 $11) 64... gxf5+ 65. Kh5 {, with minor chances, according to him. This would still be a draw, but it would require some accuracy from Black (less than the game though).}) 64. Bxf7+ $1 {Adams admitted to having overlooked this point. But luckily, he managed to collect himself and continue to find the best resources in a difficult position.} Nxf7 65. Rc6 Bd4 66. Rxg6 b5 {[%csl Gd4,Gd6,Gf7][%CAl Gf7d6,Gd4h8,Gd4a1,Gb5b4,Gb4b3,Gb3b2,Ge8d7] Black has a striking harmony and flexibility between his ?,?,?&?. Its like they are all there for each other, always. He can use the ? as a decoy for the ?, or he can even think about sacrificing the 2 pieces for White's two pawns and draw the ?+? vs ?+? ending.} 67. Rg8+ (67. Kf3 $5 b4 68. Ke4 Bc3 69. Rb6 Kd7 70. Kd5 Ke7 71. g6 Nh6 $11) (67. Kh5 Kd7 $1 $11 {[%CAl Gf7d6]}) 67... Kd7 68. f5 (68. Rb8 Nd6 69. f5 Kc7 70. Ra8 b4 71. Ra4 Bc3) (68. Ra8 b4 69. g6 Nd6 70. g7 Bxg7 71. Ra7+ Kc6 72. Rxg7 b3 73. Re7 Kc5 $11) 68... Be3 $1 {Carlsen underestimated this defense. He thought White would win this but he missed 74...?e7 in the variation below with 73.?h5.} 69. Rg7 (69. g6 $2 Nh6+ 70. Kf3 Nxg8 71. Kxe3 $11) 69... Ke8 70. Rg8+ Kd7 71. Rg7 Ke8 72. g6 Nh6+ $1 73. Kf3 (73. Kh5 Nxf5 74. Rf7 Ne7 $1 $11 (74... Nh6 $2 75. Rf3 Bd2 76. g7 $18 {[%CAl Gh5g6]} b4 77. Kg6 Ke7 78. Rd3 Bc1 79. Rd1 Bf4 80. Rd4 Bc1 81. Rxb4 Bd2 (81... Ng8 82. Rb8 Nh6 83. Rh8 $18) 82. Re4+ Kd7 83. Rd4+ $18) (74... Nd6 $2 75. Rf6 $18 {[%csl Rd6,Re3][%CAl Gf6e6]})) 73... Nxf5 74. Rf7 Nh4+ 75. Kxe3 Nxg6 76. Rb7 b4 77. Ke4 b3 78. Rxb3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-41"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2014.08.11"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Solak, Dragan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2877"] [BlackElo "2632"] [Annotator "Roiz,Michael"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2014.08.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Turkey"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "TUR"] 1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. h3 $5 {An interesting way to deviate from the main lines in the Slav.} e6 6. b3 ({After} 6. d4 Nbd7 {Black has a superb version of the Meran.}) 6... Bd6 {Black is ready to push e6-e5, so White should clarify the situation in the centre.} ({The alternatives are:} 6... c5 7. cxd5 (7. d4 Nc6 8. Bb2 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bd6 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O Qe7 $11 {0-1 Gelfand,B (2729)-Bacrot,E (2707)/Rishon Le Ziyyon 2006/CBM 114 ext (39)}) 7... exd5 8. d4 Nc6 9. Bb2 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bd6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd3 O-O 13. O-O $14) (6... Nbd7 7. d4 (7. Bb2 e5) 7... Bb4 8. Bd2 O-O 9. Bd3 Bd6 (9... Qe7 $5) 10. O-O e5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Rc1 {may transpose to another topical line of Meran.}) ({RR} 6... c5 7. d4 Nc6 8. Bb2 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bd6 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O Qe7 12. Rc1 Bd7 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Qd4 Rfe8 16. Rfd1 Be5 17. Qh4 Rad8 18. Bf3 h6 19. Rd2 Kh7 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Bxe5 {Gelfand,B (2729)-Bacrot,E (2707) Rishon Le Ziyyon 2006 0-1 (39)}) 7. d4 Nbd7 8. Bb2 O-O ({RR} 8... Ne4 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Nd2 f5 11. Qh5+ g6 12. Qe2 Qe7 13. O-O-O O-O 14. Kb1 a5 15. f3 exf3 16. Nxf3 a4 17. h4 axb3 18. axb3 Nf6 19. c5 Bc7 20. Rh3 b6 21. Qc2 Nd5 22. Nd2 bxc5 23. dxc5 {Borgo,G (2295)-Sedina,E (2208) Darfo Boario Terme ITA 2025 0-1 (35)}) 9. Be2 $146 {A natural novelty in a typical but rare Meran position.} ({There was an alternative worth considering:} 9. Bd3 $5 e5 (9... Re8 10. O-O e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Na4 Nc6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Nb6 Rb8 16. Nxd5 $14 {½-½ Daly,C (2365)-Ryan,J (2275)/Drogheda 1999/EXT 2000 (79)}) 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. O-O Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 Be5 14. Rfd1 $14 {with some pressure on the isolated pawn.}) ({RR} 9. Qc2 e5 10. g4 exd4 11. Nxd4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Ne5 13. Be2 c5 14. Nf5 Bxf5 15. Qxf5 c4 16. g5 Nfd7 17. Rd1 Bb4 18. O-O g6 19. Qf4 Bxc3 20. Bxc3 f6 21. Bxc4+ Kh8 22. gxf6 Qxf6 23. Rxd7 {1-0 (23) Kovalenko,I (2654)-Demidov,M (2546) Riga 2019}) 9... Qe7 10. g4 $6 {White's setup isn't suitable for such aggressive measures.} ({More to the point was} 10. O-O e5 $140 (10... b6 $5 11. Qc2 Bb7 {might be the best way to handle this position.}) 11. dxe5 (11. cxd5 $6 e4 12. Nd2 cxd5 $15) 11... Nxe5 12. cxd5 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 Qe5 14. g3 Bxh3 15. dxc6 bxc6 (15... Bxf1 $2 16. cxb7 Rad8 17. Qxf1 $18) 16. Re1 Rfd8 17. Qc2 Qg5 18. Ne2 $14) 10... b5 {Black has control over the key e4-square, so there is no need to hurry with 10...?e4.} 11. g5 {What else?} (11. Qc2 dxc4 12. bxc4 bxc4 13. g5 Nd5 14. Bxc4 Rb8 $15) (11. c5 Bc7 12. b4 a5 13. a3 e5 $15) 11... Ne4 {Black takes over the initiative, as the ?e1 is stuck in the centre.} 12. Nxe4 (12. c5 {was hardly any better:} Bc7 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Nd2 e5 15. Qc2 f5 $36) 12... dxe4 13. Nd2 f5 $1 ({The text is much stronger than} 13... Qxg5 14. Nxe4 Bb4+ 15. Kf1 Qh4 16. Nd2 $132) 14. h4 {That is probably the best practical decision - the advanced kingside pawns may give White some tactical resources in the future.} (14. gxf6 {Opening up the f-file couldn't suit White:} Nxf6 15. Qc2 e5 16. O-O-O exd4 17. Bxd4 (17. exd4 Bf5 18. Nf1 bxc4 19. Bxc4+ Nd5 20. Ne3 Kh8 $15) 17... Be5 $15) 14... e5 {This natural advance is the most natural way to proceed.} ({But Black had a better way to develop the initiative:} 14... c5 $142 $1 15. cxb5 cxd4 16. Bxd4 axb5 17. Bxb5 Ne5 $36) 15. c5 Bc7 16. a4 $6 {White has no time for real counterplay on the queenside.} ({It was the right moment to get some space for the pieces:} 16. b4 $1 exd4 17. exd4 Kh8 (17... Bb7 18. Qb3+ Kh8 19. a4 f4 20. f3 $132) 18. a4 Bb7 19. Qb3 $132) 16... f4 $1 (16... exd4 17. exd4 Bb7 (17... e3 18. Nf3 Re8 19. Qd3 exf2+ 20. Kxf2 $132) 18. b4 f4 19. Qc2 e3 20. Nf3 $132) 17. Qc2 {Freeing a way for the king.} ({There was no time for} 17. axb5 {in view of} fxe3 18. bxc6 exf2+ 19. Kf1 exd4 20. cxd7 Bxd7 21. Bxd4 e3 22. Nf3 Rad8 23. Bc4+ Be6 $36 {with a strong attack.}) 17... fxe3 (17... exd4 $5 18. Bxd4 Ne5 19. Nxe4 (19. axb5 cxb5 20. Qxe4 Bf5 21. Qd5+ Kh8 $40) 19... Bf5 20. O-O-O Qe6 $36) 18. fxe3 exd4 19. Bxd4 {This decision is double-edged. White keeps the bishop useful along the a1-h8 diagonal, but Black gets the important e5-square for his pieces.} ({On the other hand,} 19. exd4 e3 20. Nf1 Qf7 21. O-O-O Re8 $36 {looks unpleasant as well.}) 19... Ne5 20. axb5 $6 {Magnus is playing with fire. Black gets a golden opportunity to develop a direct attack.} (20. Nxe4 {was called for:} Nf3+ (20... Ba5+ 21. Kd1 Bg4 22. Bxg4 Nxg4 23. Kc1 Bc7 $44) 21. Bxf3 Rxf3 22. axb5 cxb5 23. Rg1 Qe8 $44 {In the resulting position Black has obvious compensation for a pawn, but there is nothing decisive.}) 20... Nd3+ $1 {Dragan takes his chance.} (20... cxb5 21. Qxe4 Bf5 22. Qd5+ Kh8 23. O-O-O Rfd8 24. Qg2 Rac8 $44) 21. Bxd3 exd3 22. Qxd3 Bf5 $36 {The light squares in White's camp are extremely weak now.} 23. Qe2 (23. Qc3 Bg3+ 24. Kd1 axb5 $36) 23... cxb5 ({There was nothing wrong with the other recapture} 23... axb5 24. Rxa8 Rxa8 25. O-O Bh3 $17) (23... Bg3+ $5 24. Kd1 Rad8 $1 25. Qc4+ (25. bxa6 $4 Rxd4 26. exd4 Bc2+ $19) 25... Be6 26. Qc3 axb5 $17) 24. O-O-O {The king is under attack there too, but there was no choice.} Qe6 {At this stage of the game Magnus had to find precise moves in order to avoid an immediate loss.} (24... Rad8 $5 25. Qg2 Rxd4 26. exd4 Qe3 27. Kb2 Qxd4+ 28. Ka2 Qxc5 $17) 25. Qg2 Rad8 (25... Be5 26. Rde1 Rac8 27. h5 Bd3 $17) 26. Rhf1 Be5 27. Rde1 Bd3 $2 {The first serious inaccuracy by Dragan in this game. Exchanging one pair of rooks will decrease the attacking potential.} (27... Rf7 $1 {[%CAl Gf5h3]} 28. h5 (28. Rg1 Rc7 $19) 28... Bh3 29. Qe4 Bxf1 30. Qxe5 Qxe5 31. Bxe5 Rd5 32. Bd6 Bg2 $17) 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. Rd1 {Now it looks like White has almost consolidated, but Black starts to disturb the king again.} a5 $1 30. h5 a4 31. Kb2 $2 {This could be a decisive mistake by the World Champion, but Dragan's task wasn't easy.} (31. h6 $1 Bg6 32. Qb7 Rb8 33. Qa7 gxh6 34. gxh6 Qd5 35. Rg1 $132) 31... Rd8 $2 {This natural move (especially under time pressure) is actually a serious mistake.} ({Provoking b3-b4 would drastically change the picture:} 31... Rc8 $1 32. b4 {and only now} Rd8 $1 {wins by force:} 33. Qf2 (33. h6 a3+ $1 34. Kc3 Bg6 $19 {[%CAl Ge6a2]}) 33... a3+ 34. Ka1 Qg4 35. Nf3 Bxd4+ 36. exd4 Be4 37. Rf1 Bxf3 38. Qxf3 Qxd4+ $19) 32. h6 $1 {Now the threat of 32...?xd4 isn't fatal, so White can create some counterplay and stay in the game!} a3+ $2 {Mistakes are rarely come alone in such sharp positions!} (32... Rxd4 {leads only to equality after} 33. exd4 Bxd4+ 34. Ka3 Bxc5+ 35. b4 Bf8 (35... Bxb4+ 36. Kxb4 Qd6+ 37. Ka5 Qc7+ 38. Kb4 Qd6+ $11) 36. hxg7 Bxg7 37. Rc1 Bg6 38. Qa8+ Bf8 39. Qc6 $11) ({But} 32... Bxd4+ 33. exd4 Qe3 34. Qg1 Qf4 $1 {would still keep the initiative. For instance,} 35. Nf1 Be2 36. g6 gxh6 37. Re1 Re8 38. c6 Qf3 39. Qg3 Qxc6 40. gxh7+ Kxh7 41. Nd2 Bh5 $15) 33. Ka2 Bxd4 34. exd4 {Suddenly the ?a2 is not under attack, so Black has his troubles!} Qe3 35. Qg1 $2 {Returning the favour.} (35. c6 $1 {?After} Qf4 (35... Qxd4 36. Ne4 Rc8 37. Nc5 $18) 36. Nf1 Rxd4 (36... Qxd4 37. c7 Rc8 38. Rd2 Rxc7 39. Qa8+ Kf7 40. Qf3+ Kg8 41. Qxd3 $18) 37. Qh2 $3 {Black cannot keep the queens on the board, so the passed c-pawn decides the game.}) 35... Qe2 $2 ({The game should have ended in a draw in the event of} 35... Qf4 36. Nf1 Be2 37. Rd2 Bxf1 38. Rf2 Qxd4 39. Qxf1 Qxc5 $11) 36. Qe1 {Magnus doesn't miss a second chance to swap the queens.} Rxd4 37. c6 Rd6 $1 ({Correctly deviating from the rook ending:} 37... Bb1+ 38. Kxa3 Qxe1 39. Rxe1 Rxd2 40. Rxb1 Rc2 41. Kb4 Rxc6 42. Kxb5 Rg6 43. b4 Rxg5+ 44. Kc6 Rg6+ 45. Kc7 Rxh6 46. b5 $18) 38. c7 Rc6 39. Qxe2 Bxe2 40. Re1 Bg4 41. Re7 {The endgame loos really difficult for Black, but there are definite drawish chances.} gxh6 42. gxh6 Rxh6 43. Re4 {Now Black has to find a good square for the bishop...} (43. Kxa3 $2 Kf8 44. Re4 Bd7 45. Rd4 Ke7 $11) 43... Bf5 $2 {Finally Dragan overlooks a nice tactical resource and loses on the spot.} ({Had he played} 43... Bd7 44. Rd4 Bh3 45. Rd3 Bf5 46. Rg3+ Kh8 $14 {the position would be drawish due to a reduced material balance.}) 44. Nf3 $1 {That is the point! The bishop is vulnerable on f5, so White can avoid a pin and win a piece.} (44. Re5 $2 Rh2 45. Rxf5 Rxd2+ 46. Kxa3 Rc2 $11) 44... Bh3 (44... Rc6 {offered no hope either:} 45. Nd4 Rxc7 46. Nxf5 $18) ({And} 44... Ra6 45. Nd4 Bd7 46. Re8+ Kf7 47. c8=Q Bxc8 48. Rxc8 $18) 45. Ng5 Bf5 46. Re5 Bg4 47. Ne6 $18 {Finally White wins a piece and easily wins.} Rh2+ 48. Kxa3 Rc2 49. Rg5+ ({A slightly simpler way was} 49. Nc5 Kf7 50. Kb4 h5 51. Rxh5) 49... Kf7 50. Nd4 (50. Nc5 h6 51. Rd5 Ke7 52. Kb4 $18) 50... Rxc7 51. Rxg4 Rb7 52. Kb4 Kf6 53. Nf3 {Preventing any counterplay.} ({There was also nothing wrong with} 53. Nxb5 h5 54. Rg2 h4 55. Kc5 h3 56. Rh2 Rh7 57. Nd4 Kg5 58. b4 Kg4 59. Ne2 $18) 53... h5 54. Rf4+ Kg6 55. Kc5 b4 ({Or} 55... Rb8 56. b4 Rb7 57. Kc6 Rb8 58. Kc7 Rh8 59. Kb6 Rb8+ 60. Kc6 Kg7 61. Rf5 $18) 56. Rxb4 Rxb4 57. Kxb4 Kf5 58. Kc3 Kf4 59. Nh4 Kg4 60. b4 ({Black resigns in view of} 60. b4 Kxh4 61. b5 Kg3 62. b6 h4 63. b7 h3 64. b8=Q+) 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 8th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2013.06.15"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2864"] [BlackElo "2774"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2013.06.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bg4 5. c4 e6 6. cxd5 Bxf3 7. Bxf3 cxd5 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. d4 Be7 10. e3 O-O 11. b3 Qa5 12. Bb2 Ba3 13. Qc1 Bxb2 14. Qxb2 Rfc8 $146 ({RR} 14... Rac8 15. Rac1 Ne7 16. Rfd1 Nf5 17. Be2 Nd6 18. Rc2 Rc6 19. Rdc1 Rfc8 20. Kg2 g6 21. Bd3 Kg7 22. f3 Nf5 23. Kf2 h5 24. Bxf5 exf5 25. Ne2 Rxc2 26. Rxc2 Re8 27. h4 Re6 28. Rc5 Qa6 29. Nf4 {Kobo,O (2477)-Saric,I (2664) Caleta 2018 1-0 (45)}) 15. Rac1 Ne7 16. Na4 Nd7 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Rxc5 19. b4 Rb5 20. a3 Qd8 21. e4 a5 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. Rc5 Qb6 24. Rxb5 Qxb5 25. Bxd5 exd5 26. Rc1 Re8 27. Qd4 axb4 28. axb4 h6 29. Kg2 b6 30. Rd1 Re4 31. Qxd5 Qxd5 32. Rxd5 Rxb4 33. h4 Kf8 34. Rd7 Re4 35. Rb7 Re6 36. g4 g5 37. f4 gxf4 38. Kf3 Rf6 39. g5 Rc6 40. Kxf4 h5 41. Kf5 Kg7 42. Rb8 Rc5+ 43. Kf4 Rb5 44. Ke4 Rb1 45. Kf5 Rb2 46. Kf4 Rb4+ 47. Ke5 Kg6 48. Rg8+ Kh7 49. Rf8 Rxh4 {Caruana's cut off This is an important technique in rook endings:} 50. Rxf7+ $2 {This capture is too greedy.} (50. Rb8 $1 {saves the day, e.g.} b5 (50... Rb4 51. Kf6 $1 {(Golubev)} h4 52. Rb7 Rf4+ 53. Ke5 Rf1 54. Rxb6 $11) 51. Rxb5 Kg6 52. Rb8 Kxg5 53. Rg8+ $1 {(Golubev in Chess Today 4603)} Kh6 54. Kf5 Ra4 55. Rh8+ Kg7 56. Rb8 h4 57. Rb3 Kh6 58. Rb6+ Kh5 59. Rb8 Ra5+ 60. Kf4 Ra6 61. Rb5+ Kg6 62. Kg4 Ra4+ 63. Kh3 $11) 50... Kg6 51. Rf6+ (51. Rf8 {is also insufficient, e.g.} Kxg5 52. Rg8+ Kh6 53. Rb8 Rc4 54. Kf6 Rc6+ 55. Kf5 Rd6 56. Ke5 (56. Rh8+ Kg7 57. Rxh5 $6 Rd5+ 58. Kg4 Rxh5 59. Kxh5 b5 $19) 56... Rg6 57. Kf5 Rc6 58. Rg8 Rd6 59. Rb8 Kg7 60. Rb7+ Kf8 61. Kg5 Ke8 62. Kxh5 Kd8 63. Kg5 Kc8 64. Rh7 Rd7 $19) 51... Kxg5 52. Rxb6 (52. Rf5+ {is met by} Kg4 53. Ke4 Rh3 54. Rb5 Rh1 $1 {(Heimers)} 55. Rxb6 Re1+ 56. Kd3 h4 57. Kd2 Re5 58. Rg6+ Kh5 59. Rg8 h3 60. Rh8+ Kg4 61. Rg8+ Rg5 $19) 52... Ra4 {The cut off decides.} 53. Rb8 Kg4 54. Rg8+ Kf3 55. Rf8+ Kg3 56. Rg8+ Kh2 57. Kf5 h4 58. Rb8 ({Just waiting with} 58. Rg7 {is broken by} h3 59. Rg8 Kh1 60. Rg7 h2 61. Rg8 Ra1 62. Kf4 Rg1 63. Ra8 Kg2 64. Ra2+ Kh3 65. Ra3+ Kh4 66. Ra8 Rf1+ $19) 58... h3 59. Kg5 ({After} 59. Rb2+ {Caruana's king hides on h4:} Kg3 60. Rb3+ Kh4 $19) 59... Re4 60. Kf5 Re2 61. Rg8 (61. Kf4 Kg2 62. Rg8+ Kf1 63. Kf3 h2 64. Rh8 Rf2+ 65. Ke3 Kg1 66. Rh7 Rg2 $19) 61... Rg2 62. Rd8 Rf2+ (62... Rf2+ 63. Ke4 Kg1 64. Ke3 h2 65. Rh8 Rg2 66. Ra8 h1=Q $19) 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 4th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2016.04.28"] [Round "8"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2851"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2016.04.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {When replaying the first 7 moves of the game I was pleased to notice that Aronian followed the lines given in the second volume of my English trilogy.} ({But then everything changed when Carlsen switched to a line I examined in CBM 170:} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 d5 5. c4 dxc4 6. bxc4 c5 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 {The only difference is that... Carlsen played this position with a tempo down! In the genuine ...dxc4 line Black's extra tempo makes itself felt if play continues in the same spirit as in one of the lines below:} 9. Ne5 Na5 10. Qc1 Ng4 11. Nxg4 Bxg4 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. d3 Rc8 14. Nc3 Qd7 15. Nb5 b6 {With the queen on d7 instead of d8, the last move defends the queenside properly solving most of Black's problems. In fact, in my article I had recommended 9.d3 instead of 9.?e5.}) 1... Nf6 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 g6 5. b3 Bg7 6. Bb2 O-O 7. O-O dxc4 $6 8. bxc4 c5 {Carlsen's win over a difficult opponent (Kramnik) in the previous round might have been the reason behind such a weird opening choice. But as we will see, there have been some strong players who have experimented in this way before.} 9. d3 ({RR} 9. Ne5 Qc7 10. Qb3 Rd8 11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. f4 Rb8 13. Na3 a6 14. d4 cxd4 15. Bxd4 Nc5 16. Qe3 Rxd4 17. Qxd4 Bf5 18. Qe3 Nfd7 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Rac1 Bb2 21. Qxe7 Qa5 22. Nc2 Bxc1 23. Rxc1 Qxa2 {Ivanchuk,V (2756)-Svidler,P (2741) Ohrid 2009 0-1 (41)}) 9... Nc6 10. Ne5 {With an extra tempo White has no reason to refrain from this active knight move.} Na5 $146 {This is the thematic answer, aimed at leaving the e5-knight vulnerable.} (10... Nxe5 11. Bxe5 {frees the white knight's way to c3 forcing Black to lose some time to exchange the dominating bishop.} Ne8 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 (12... Nxg7 13. Nc3 Nf5 14. Rb1 Rb8 15. Qa4 a6 16. Qa3 b6 17. Rb2 Nd4 18. Rfb1 $16 {Stein,L (2605)-Shamkovich,L (2520) Leningrad 1971 (1-0, 37)}) 13. Nc3 Rb8 14. a4 Bd7 15. a5 Nd6 16. Qc1 Nf5 17. Qb2 Kg8 18. Rfb1 $36 {Radjabov,T (2734)-Gelfand,B (2743) Beijing (blitz) 2014 (½-½, 45). In both these games White's queenside play develops naturally, without any shadow of counterplay for Black.}) (10... Nd4 {avoids the exchange but wastes time.} 11. e3 Nf5 12. Qc2 (12. Nc3 Nd7 13. Nf3 b6 14. Nh4 Rb8 15. Nxf5 gxf5 {Giri,A (2722)-De Jong,J (2424) Netherlands 2011 (1-0, 35)} 16. Qe2 $14) 12... Rb8 13. Nd2 Nd7 14. Nef3 e5 15. a4 a5 16. Ne4 b6 17. Nc3 $16 {[%csl Gd5] Giri,A (2737)-Negi,P (2662) Linares 2013 (½-½, 64)}) 11. Qc1 $146 {A cunning and typically English way of developing the queen. Apart from defending the bishop thus avoiding any pin along the long diagonal, Her Majesty is prepared to move to a3, causing Black serious queenside problems.} ({RR} 11. Nc3 Nd7 12. Ng4 f5 13. Ne3 e6 14. Rb1 Rb8 15. Nb5 Bxb2 16. Rxb2 a6 17. Na7 b6 18. Nxc8 Rxc8 19. Qa4 f4 20. Bh3 Rc6 21. Ng2 g5 22. Qc2 Ne5 23. Ne1 Rd6 24. Bg2 Nac6 25. Bxc6 Nxc6 {Rezasade,A (2314)-Kolosowski,M (2477) Germany 2020 0-1 (45)}) ({RR} 11. Qd2 Nd7 12. Ng4 Bxb2 13. Qxb2 h5 14. Ne3 Rb8 15. Nd2 b6 16. f4 e6 17. g4 Qf6 18. Qxf6 Nxf6 19. g5 Nd7 20. Nb3 Nxb3 21. axb3 a5 22. Nd1 Bb7 23. Nc3 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Rbd8 25. Rad1 Nb8 {Lorparizangeneh,S (2456)-Stany,G (2439) Kuwait City KUW 2025 1-0 (77)}) 11... Qc7 {This plan, aiming to take advantage of the white knight's vulnerability, is too time consuming.} ({But with a tempo down, the plan recommended in my article does not work out so well:} 11... Ng4 12. Nxg4 Bxg4 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. Nc3 {White will try forcing the weakening of Black's queenside with ?b5, even though this looks like a loss of time after ...a6, ?b5-c3.} Rb8 (14... Rc8 15. Nb5 Nc6 16. h3 Be6 17. Qa3 a6 18. Nc3 $14) 15. Nb5 a6 (15... Nc6 16. Rb1 Qd7 17. Qa3 $14 b6 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. Nxa7 Qb7 20. f3 Bh3 21. Rfd1 Ra8 22. Qb2+ f6 23. Nb5 $16) 16. Nc3 $14 {In all these lines Black faces difficulties keeping the integrity of his queenside.}) 12. Nd2 {A natural developing move} ({But speeding up the queenside attack with} 12. Bc3 Ne8 13. Qb2 {may be even more effective:} Rb8 14. Na3 a6 (14... Nd6 15. Nb5 Nxb5 16. cxb5 $16 {[%csl Ra5]}) 15. Rab1 b6 16. f4 $16 {In order to avoid losing material due to the threat ?xa5, Black has nothing better than taking on e5 with an obvious advantage for White.}) 12... Ne8 13. f4 Nd6 $6 {After this logical move Black will not manage to keep his queenside together.} ({The insertion of the fairly unaesthetic} 13... f6 {offers better chances for surviving:} 14. Nef3 Nd6 15. Nb3 {[%csl Ra5,Rc5][%CAl Gb2c3]} ({After the white knight's retreat} 15. Bc3 {is not dangerous due to} Nc6 $11) 15... Nxb3 {Black will have to take on b3 after ?c3 anyway and it is questionable whether he can find a useful move in between.} 16. axb3 a5 17. d4 $14) 14. Bc3 Rb8 ({It is too late for} 14... f6 {already:} 15. Qa3 fxe5 16. Bxa5 $16) 15. Qa3 {A remarkable moment for a game which started with such a peaceful opening at this level: after only 15 moves Black cannot avoid losing material.} b6 {.} 16. Bxa5 bxa5 17. Nb3 Nb7 {The best practical chance. In order to win the pawn White needs to part with his g2-bishop, offering Black some chances to muddy the waters.} (17... Nf5 {has similar ideas but after} 18. Qxc5 Qxc5+ 19. Nxc5 Rb2 20. Kf2 Bxe5 21. fxe5 Nd4 22. Bf3 Nxf3 23. Kxf3 {the absence of queens makes White's position easier to handle than in the game.}) 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 {Black needs to keep the queens on the board.} (18... Bxb7 19. Qxc5 {[%csl Gc7]}) 19. Nxc5 Qc7 20. d4 Rd8 {This and the next few moves are aimed at shattering White's stability in the centre. and clearing the path for the c8-bishop.} 21. Rfd1 f6 22. Nf3 e5 23. fxe5 fxe5 24. Nxe5 Bxe5 ({The thematic} 24... Rxd4 {is insufficient:} 25. Rxd4 Bxe5 26. Qe3 $1 {The only move which retauns the advantage by centralising the queen, but not a very difficult one to find.} (26. Rad1 Bxd4+ 27. Rxd4 Bh3 $44) (26. Rdd1 Bxa1 27. Rxa1 Qe5 28. Re1 Bh3 $19) (26. e3 Bh3 $132) 26... Bf5 (26... Bh3 27. Rad1 Bxd4 28. Qxd4 {[%CAl Gc5e4,Ge4f6]}) (26... Qxc5 $2 27. Rd8+ {[%csl Gc5]}) 27. Rad1 Bxd4 28. Rxd4 ({The capture with the queen is slightly less clear than in the previous line since the e4-square is controlled.} 28. Qxd4 Qe7 $5) 28... Bh3 (28... Qxc5 29. Rd8+) 29. Kf2 Qc6 30. Re4 {Not the only move, of course, since ...?g2+ is not such a big threat. But it is useful to provoke opposition of the rooks.} Rf8+ 31. Rf4 Qg2+ 32. Ke1 $18 {[%CAl Ge1d2,Gc5d3]}) 25. dxe5 Rxd1+ $6 {The prelude to a suicidal idea.} (25... Bh3 $142 26. Nd3 $16 {[%csl Rg2,Rh3][%CAl Gd3f4,Gd3f2]}) 26. Rxd1 Qxe5 $2 {Losing immediately.} (26... Bh3 27. Nd3 $16) 27. Rd8+ Kf7 ({Carlsen might have overlooked that} 27... Kg7 28. Ne6+ $1 {[%CAl Ga3f8] yields a mating attack.}) 28. Qf3+ Bf5 29. Rxb8 Qxb8 30. g4 {[%csl Gf5]} Qb4 31. Nd3 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 75th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2013.01.20"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2861"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "183"] [EventDate "2013.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 153"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 {It is not a secret that the opening is not Carlsen's favourite area for duels of principle; he prefers the middlegame and the endgame for that. The Reti Opening is just perfect for such an approach.} d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bg4 5. c4 e6 6. d3 Nbd7 7. cxd5 exd5 ({After ...?bd7, it seems to make less sense to clear the c6-square with} 7... cxd5 {, but the move remains playable, of course, see for instance Markowski,T (2564)-Fressinet,L (2627) Gothenburg 2005 CBM 109 [Marin,M] (1/2, 31)}) 8. Qc2 {Usually White does not develop his queen so early, but it may well lead to a transposition.} (8. Nc3 Be7 (8... Bc5 9. h3 Bh5 10. a3 a5 11. e4 {1-0 (40) Marin,M (2530)-Krasenkow,M (2655) Elista 1998 CBM 066 ext [Horn,Pe]}) 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 d4 11. Nb1 {1/2 (26) Markowski,T (2560)-Bobras,P (2501) Poznan 2005 CBM 107 [Marin,M]}) 8... Be7 9. Nc3 Bxf3 {Black gives up the bishops pair in order to prevent the planned e2-e4.} (9... O-O 10. e4 Nc5 11. Ne5 Bh5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. d4 $14 {Loginov,V (2499)-Poddubnyi,V (2240) Elista 2001 CBM 083 [Horn,Pe] (1-0, 33)}) 10. Bxf3 d4 {This prolongs the f3-bishops range only partly, since the c6-pawn is solidly defended. It all depends on whether White can carry out the minoritys attack with b4-b5.} 11. Ne4 (11. Nb1 O-O 12. Nd2 {1/2 (73) Markowski,T (2560)-Czarnota,P (2478) Poznan 2005 CBM 107 [Marin,M]}) 11... O-O {Abstractly speaking, the best approach. Black does not release the tension, letting White do it if he wishes so.} ({Concretely, I am not sure whether} 11... Nxe4 12. Bxe4 {really improves that much White's position with respect to the game, but in practice White scored well:} a5 (12... O-O 13. b4 Bxb4 14. Rb1 a5 15. a3 Bc3 16. Bb2 Bxb2 17. Rxb2 Nb6 18. Rfb1 Ra6 19. Rb3 $44 {Loginov,V (2524)-Sinkevich,P (2323) St Petersburg 2003 (1-0, 48)}) (12... Nc5 13. Bg2 O-O 14. b4 Ne6 15. Rb1 Qd7 16. Bd2 Rac8 17. Rfc1 Kh8 18. Qb3 a6 19. Rc2 Ng5 20. a4 Qf5 21. b5 $16 {Hausrath,D (2445)-Jacob,G (2250) Germany 2004 (1/2, 60)}) 13. Bd2 O-O 14. Rab1 (14. Rfb1 Qb6 15. Qc4 Ne5 16. Qa4 Nd7 17. Qc4 Ne5 18. Qa4 Nd7 {1/2 (18) Loginov,V (2540)-Grischuk,A (2701) Togliatti 2003}) 14... Qb6 15. Rfc1 Rfe8 16. Qd1 Bb4 17. Bf4 Nc5 18. Bf3 Ne6 19. Bd2 Bxd2 20. Qxd2 Qb4 21. Qxb4 axb4 22. Rc4 Rxa2 23. Rxb4 Re7 24. Bg4 g6 25. Bxe6 Rxe6 26. Kf1 $16 {Hausrath,D (2507)-Van Wessel,R (2375) Netherlands 2011 (1-0, 44)}) 12. Nxf6+ Nxf6 $146 ({Clearly an improvement over} 12... Bxf6 {, which allows White start his queenside attack without loss of time:} 13. b4 Nb6 14. Rb1 Qd7 15. b5 Rac8 (15... cxb5 16. Qc5 $16) 16. bxc6 bxc6 17. Bd2 Rfe8 18. Rfc1 g6 19. a4 Nd5 20. Qc4 $16 {Loginov,V (2507)-Tunik,G (2451) Togliatti 2001 (1-0, 43)}) 13. Bd2 $146 ({The already familiar} 13. b4 {maybe worth a try here, too, but Carlsens approach (at least in this game) is by far longer ranged than that.}) ({RR} 13. Qc4 a5 14. Bf4 Qb6 15. Be5 Rfd8 16. Rab1 Ne8 17. Kh1 Qb4 18. Rfc1 Qb6 19. Qa4 Qb4 20. Qd1 Qb5 21. Bf4 Qf5 22. Qe1 h5 23. Bd2 h4 24. Kg2 Nd6 25. a3 g6 26. Rc2 hxg3 27. hxg3 Kg7 {Pedersen,N (2390)-Andersen,M (2504) Aarhus 2014 0-1 (42)}) 13... a5 14. a3 Nd5 $1 {From this square, the knight inhibits the thematic b2-b4, because of the possible occupation of the c3-square (sustained by ...?f6, of course). Still, Black is not 100% stable since the d4-pawn cannot be defended along the d-file.} (14... a4 {is premature and would play into White's hands:} 15. b3 axb3 16. Qxb3 Ra7 17. a4 $14) 15. Rab1 Qd7 16. Rfc1 (16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 Bf6 {[%CAl Gd5c3]}) 16... Rfe8 {It is far from easy to evaluate this position. It takes a lot of optimism to claim an advantage with White, but on the other hand did Black achieve full equality? White's structure is more flexible, his bishops are a potential danger and it would be only he who could carry out certain pawn breaks, such as b2-b4 or e2-e4. Black has to limit himself to parrying the small threats and in doing so he should also avoid losing coordination. Karjakin will deal with this task for a long time, but not long enough! So, for practical point of view, I would risk to asses the position as a ?.} 17. Qc4 Nc7 18. h4 a4 19. Bb4 {An interesting plan. White needs the b4- and c5-squares for his major pieces, in order to start attacking the a4- and d4- pawns.} (19. b4 {remains unappealing:} Nb5 20. Ra1 Bf6) 19... Nb5 20. Kg2 h6 21. Bc5 g6 22. Qb4 Bf6 {Stepping out of the tension in the hope that White's pieces will become vulnerable.} (22... Bxc5 23. Rxc5 {offers White some initiative, but it is difficult to say how persistent. From practical point of view, Black's position would be slightly unpleasant though.} h5 24. Rbc1 Kg7 25. R1c4 Qe7 (25... Red8 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. Bxc6) (25... Re6 26. Rxb5 cxb5 27. Rxd4) 26. Rxb5 cxb5 27. Rxd4 Qxb4 28. Rxb4 $44) 23. Qd2 Kg7 24. Rc4 Ra6 25. Qd1 b6 {Quite a committal, but not necessarily bad move.} ({It is not easy to find a constructive plan for White in case of neutral black play, though:} 25... Rea8 26. Rbc1 h5 27. Rb4 Kh7 (27... b6 $2 28. Bf8+ $1 $16 {[%CAl Gf3c6]}) 28. Qc2 Kg8 (28... b6 $2 29. Bxb6 $1 Rxb6 30. Bxc6 Rxc6 31. Qxc6 Qxc6+ 32. Rxc6 $16) 29. Qc4 Kh7 30. Rc2 Kg7) 26. Bb4 c5 27. Bd2 Nc7 $1 {Heading for d5, in oder to keep dreaming of the c3-square.} (27... Nd6 {offers White some play:} 28. Rcc1 Qe6 29. b4 c4 (29... axb3 30. Qxb3 Qxb3 31. Rxb3) 30. dxc4 Nxc4 31. b5 Ra7 32. Rb4 $36) 28. Rcc1 Nd5 29. Qh1 $5 {An original way to cast some doubt over the advance of Black's queenside pawns. The d5-knight has lost some of his stability.} Be7 30. Kg1 Rd8 31. Rc2 Qe6 32. Qg2 Ra7 33. Re1 Rad7 34. Kh2 Rc8 35. Qh3 Qxh3+ {As a consequence of Black's space advantage, his queen enjoyed higher mobility and the possibility of keeping both wings under control. These are reasons to keep the queen, but how to achieve that?} (35... Qd6 $2 36. h5 $14 g5 $2 37. Bg4 $18) (35... f5 {looks entirely playable, though. White could try to keep weakening the light suqares from Black's camp with} 36. h5 g5 37. g4 Qd6+ 38. Kg2 f4 {, but how to make progress here?}) 36. Kxh3 h5 37. Rb1 {Somehow, Black's queenside looks more vulnerable in the absence of the queen.} Ra8 38. Kg2 Ra6 39. b3 axb3 40. Rxb3 Bf6 41. Rc4 Rd6 ({There does not seem to be any counterindication for} 41... Nc3 {, sicnce after} 42. e3 Nd5 $1 {it is not easy to make further progress.} 43. e4 $2 (43. exd4 Bxd4 {activates the bishop.}) 43... Nc3 $1 {and the c4-rook is in danger.}) 42. Kf1 Kf8 43. a4 Nc3 $6 {But now, the occupation of this square allows White take over the initiative. It does not lose the game, though, this will happen much, much later.} (43... Ke7 $6 44. a5 $1 bxa5 45. Rb7+ Ke6 (45... Kf8 46. Rxc5 $16) 46. Rxc5 a4 47. Bg2 $40) ({It is better to put the king into safety with} 43... Kg7 {waiting for White to display his intentions. For instance} 44. a5 $6 bxa5 $1 45. Rxc5 a4 {and there is no interemdiate check anymore.}) 44. Bf4 Re6 45. e3 Nxa4 (45... Kg7 46. exd4 cxd4 47. Bc6 $14) 46. Bd5 $1 Re7 (46... Re8 47. Bc6 $18) 47. Bd6 b5 48. Bxe7+ Bxe7 49. Rxb5 Nb6 50. e4 Nxc4 51. Rb8+ Kg7 52. Bxc4 Ra7 {This ending is very unpleasant for Black, but possibly not more than that.} 53. f4 (53. Rc8 Rb7 54. f3 Rb2 55. Rc7 Kf8 56. Kg1 Re2 57. g4 hxg4 58. fxg4 Re3 59. Kg2 Re2+ $11) 53... Bd6 54. Re8 Rb7 55. Ra8 Be7 56. Kg2 Rb1 57. e5 Re1 58. Kf2 Rb1 59. Re8 (59. e6 f5) (59. Kf3 Rf1+ 60. Ke4 Rg1) 59... Bf8 60. Rc8 Be7 61. Ra8 Rb2+ 62. Kf3 Rb1 63. Bd5 Re1 64. Kf2 Rd1 65. Re8 Bf8 66. Bc4 Rb1 67. g4 $5 {The only chance. Carlsen might have broken the kingside with his king on f2 in order to tempt his opponent to make use of the h1-square. Had he put his king on g2 first, Black would have been forced to play the correct move, ...g6xh5.} hxg4 68. h5 Rh1 $2 $18 (68... gxh5 69. f5 h4 70. f6+ Kg6 71. Rxf8 Kf5 $1 $11 (71... g3+ 72. Kf3 Kf5 73. Rh8) 72. Rh8 (72. Rxf7 $2 g3+ 73. Kf3 Rb2 $19) 72... Rb2+ 73. Kg1 Rb1+) 69. hxg6 fxg6 70. Re6 (70. e6 Bd6) 70... Kh6 71. Bd5 Rh2+ (71... Ra1 72. Be4) 72. Kg3 Rh3+ 73. Kxg4 Rxd3 74. f5 Re3 75. Rxg6+ Kh7 76. Bg8+ Kh8 77. Kf4 Rc3 78. f6 d3 79. Ke3 c4 80. Be6 Kh7 81. Bf5 Rc2 82. Rg2+ Kh6 83. Rxc2 dxc2 84. Bxc2 Kg5 85. Kd4 Ba3 86. Kxc4 Bb2 87. Kd5 Kf4 88. f7 Ba3 89. e6 Kg5 90. Kc6 Kf6 91. Kd7 Kg7 92. e7 1-0 [Event "Division I"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2024.05.12"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Keymer, Vincent"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2816"] [BlackElo "2893"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "GER"] [BlackTeam "NOR"] [WhiteClock "0:00:15"] [BlackClock "0:01:00"] {[%evp 9,120,20,26,26,19,0,38,33,35,33,42,38,45,44,41,44,51,50,57,45,51,44,49,46,53,46,75,36,71,63,87,75,100,74,82,23,24,7,7,5,239,12,19,9,20,10,9,10,10,10,11,7,11,7,8,7,7,7,9,8,7,7,8,8,13,8,8,6,8,6,7,7,10,10,10,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,28,25,19,19,19,19,19,19,19,19,19,24,19,21,18,18,18,20,32]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Qc2 e5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bc4 Nxc3 (7... N7b6 $5 {[%CAl Rb6c4]} 8. Nxe5 Be6 9. Bxd5 Nxd5 $11) 8. bxc3 Bd6 9. d4 Qe7 ({RR} 9... O-O 10. a4 Qe7 11. O-O e4 12. Nd2 Nf6 13. Be2 Bg4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bxg4 Qh4 16. h3 f5 17. Be2 Rae8 18. Ba3 Rf6 19. Qb3+ Kh8 20. Qxb7 Ng5 21. Bxd6 Rxd6 22. Qc7 Rg6 23. Qg3 Nxh3+ 24. Kh2 {Le,Q (2739)-Sieciechowicz,M (2401) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (38)}) 10. e4 b5 $146 ({RR} 10... O-O 11. O-O Nf6 12. h3 b5 13. Bd3 Re8 14. a4 Bb7 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Ba3 b4 17. Bxb4 c5 18. Ba3 Nh5 19. Rfe1 Nf4 20. Bb5 Red8 21. Nxe5 Qxe5 22. Bc1 Rd6 23. Bxf4 Qxf4 24. Qe2 Rad8 25. Qe3 {Keymer,V (2738)-Murzin,V (2627) Samarkand UZB 2023 ½-½ (51)}) 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O Rb8 13. a4 a6 14. Rb1 h6 15. Be3 Re8 16. h3 Bb7 17. Rfe1 Ba8 18. c4 {[%CAl Ra4b5]} exd4 19. Nxd4 Bc5 20. cxb5 (20. Nf5 {seems wilder.} Qe5 21. cxb5 cxb5 22. f4 Bxe3+ 23. Rxe3 Qc5 24. Qb2) 20... cxb5 {[%CAl Ra8e4]} 21. axb5 {[#] Black must now prevent Nc6.} (21. Nf5 {is more complex.} Qe5 22. f4 Bxe3+ 23. Rxe3 Qc5 24. Qb2) 21... axb5 {[%CAl Ra8e4]} 22. Rxb5 Rxb5 23. Nxb5 Bxe4 24. Bxc5 Qxc5 $2 {[#]} (24... Nxc5 $11 {and Black has nothing to worry.} 25. f3 Qd7 26. Rxe4 (26. Bxe4 Nxe4 27. Rxe4 Qxb5 $11) 26... Nxe4) 25. Nc3 $2 ({Inferior is} 25. Rxe4 Rxe4 26. Bxe4 Qxb5 $11) (25. Qc4 $1 $18) 25... f5 $1 $11 26. Nxe4 (26. Bxe4 {keeps more tension.} Rxe4 27. Rxe4 fxe4 28. Qa2+ Kh8 29. Qa8+) 26... fxe4 27. Rxe4 Rxe4 28. Bxe4 Qxc2 29. Bxc2 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KB-KN} Kf7 30. Kf1 Kf6 31. Ke2 Ke5 32. Ke3 {With the idea f4+.} g5 33. g3 Nf6 34. Bb3 Ne8 35. Ba4 Nf6 36. Bc6 Kd6 37. Bb7 {next Kd4 is good for White.} Ke5 38. Kf3 Kf5 39. Ba6 Ke5 40. Bd3 Kd4 41. Bb1 Ke5 42. h4 gxh4 43. gxh4 Nd5 44. Kg4 {Hoping for Kh5.} Nf6+ 45. Kg3 Nh5+ 46. Kf3 Nf6 47. Bc2 Nd5 48. Kg3 Nf6 49. Bg6 Nd5 50. Bf7 {Threatens to win with Bxd5.} Nf6 51. f3 Ne4+ 52. fxe4 Kxe4 {KB-KP} 53. Kg4 Ke5 54. Kh5 Kf6 55. Ba2 Kg7 56. Bb1 Kh8 57. Kxh6 Kg8 58. h5 Kh8 59. Kg6 Kg8 60. h6 Kh8 61. h7 {Accuracy: White = 87%, Black = 84%.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "San Fermin Masters Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.07.10"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2847"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2021.07.10"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 b5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. d3 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4 $146 ({RR} 8. Bf4 Nc6 9. Nc3 a6 10. e4 O-O 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. exd5 exd5 13. Ne2 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Qd2 Qb4 16. Qc3 Rfe8 17. Ned4 Rac8 18. Nf5 Qf8 19. Qd2 Ne5 20. N3d4 h6 21. b4 Kh7 22. Nb3 g6 {Resika,N (1979)-Orndahl,M (2123) Gallipoli ITA 2025 ½-½ (59)}) 8... b4 9. a5 O-O 10. Nbd2 Nc6 11. Nb3 Ba6 12. Be3 Rc8 13. Qd2 e5 14. Rfc1 d4 15. Bg5 e4 16. Bxf6 e3 17. fxe3 dxe3 18. Qxe3 Bxf6 19. Qd2 Re8 20. Kh1 h5 21. Nc5 Bb5 22. Rab1 Qxa5 23. Ne4 Rxe4 24. dxe4 Qd8 25. Qd5 a6 26. Qxh5 Bxe2 27. Qf5 Ne7 28. Rxc8 Nxc8 29. Qd5 Qxd5 30. exd5 Nd6 31. b3 Bc3 32. Ng5 Bd3 33. Rc1 a5 34. Nh3 g6 35. Nf4 Bb5 36. Bf1 Bd7 37. Bd3 Kg7 38. Kg2 Kf6 39. Ne2 Bd2 40. Rc7 Be8 41. Ra7 a4 42. bxa4 b3 43. Ra6 Ke5 44. Ng1 Kxd5 45. Nf3 Bc3 46. a5 b2 47. Rb6 Kc5 48. Rb8 Bb5 49. Bb1 Bxa5 50. Ng5 Bc6+ 51. Kh3 Bc3 52. Kg4 f5+ 53. Kh3 Ne4 54. Nxe4+ Bxe4 55. Ba2 g5 56. Rc8+ Kb4 57. Rc7 Bd4 58. Rc4+ Ka3 59. Rxd4 Kxa2 60. Ra4+ Kb3 0-1 [Event "Legends of Chess Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.08.01"] [Round "1.22"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2723"] [BlackElo "2863"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2020.07.31"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 197"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Marin,Mihail} d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. c4 e6 5. O-O Nf6 6. d3 Bd6 ({RR} 6... dxc4 7. dxc4 Nbd7 8. Nc3 Qc7 ({RR} 8... Be7 9. Nh4 ({RR} 9. h3 Bxf3 10. exf3 Nc5 11. Be3 Qd3 12. Ne4 Nfxe4 13. fxe4 Qxc4 ({RR} 13... O-O 14. Qc1 Rfd8 15. Bf3 Qd6) 14. Rc1 Qb5 15. Qd4 O-O 16. Rxc5 Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Qxb2 18. a4) 9... O-O 10. h3 Bh5) ({RR} 8... Qa5 9. Be3 Be7 10. Qb3 Qc7 ({RR} 10... Qa6) ({RR} 10... Nb6) 11. h3 Bh5 12. Bf4 ({RR} 12. Rad1) ({RR} 12. Nh4) 12... e5 13. Be3 Nc5 14. Qc2 a5 ({RR} 14... Bg6 15. Qc1 a5) 15. Nh4 Bg6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Rad1 O-O 18. Na4 Nfd7 19. Nxc5 Nxc5 20. Rd2) ({RR} 8... Bxf3 9. exf3 Be7 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Rd1 a5 12. Na4 Qb8 13. Bf4 Qa7 14. Be3 Qb8 15. f4 Re8 16. g4) 9. h3 Bh5 10. Nh4 Be7 ({RR} 10... O-O-O) ({RR} 10... Bc5 11. Bf4 e5 12. Bg5 O-O-O 13. Qc2 Kb8 ({RR} 13... h6 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. g4 g5 16. gxh5 gxh4 17. Qf5+ Nd7 18. Ne4 Kb8 19. Rad1) 14. Rab1 Bb4 15. Ne4) ({RR} 10... Bd6 11. Be3 O-O 12. Qc2 Rad8 13. Rfd1 Ne5 14. Bd4 Be7 15. g4 Bg6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. b3 Ned7) 11. Bf4 e5 ({RR} 11... Qb6 12. g4 Bg6 13. Na4 Qb4 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. b3) ({RR} 11... Qa5 12. a3 Qa6 13. b3 ({RR} 13. b4 Qxc4 14. Rc1 Qa6 15. g4 Bg6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Qb3 O-O 18. Rfd1) 13... h6 ({RR} 13... O-O 14. g4 Bg6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. g5) 14. Bd6 ({RR} 14. g4 g5) 14... Rd8 15. Bxe7 Kxe7 16. Qc2 g5 17. Nf3 Bg6 18. Qb2) 12. Bg5 Bg6 ({RR} 12... h6 13. Be3) ({RR} 12... O-O 13. Nf5) 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Qc2 Nc5 15. Rad1 Ne6 16. Bc1 ({RR} 16. Be3 Bc5 ({RR} 16... O-O 17. Na4) 17. Bxc5 Nxc5 18. b4 Ne6 19. b5 O-O 20. e3 Nc5 21. bxc6 bxc6 22. Na4) 16... Nd4 17. Qa4 Nd7 18. Rd2 Nc5 ({RR} 18... Nb6 19. Qa5 ({RR} 19. Nd5 Qb8 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Qd1 Rxa2) 19... O-O-O ({RR} 19... O-O 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. b3) 20. e3 ({RR} 20. Qxa7 Nxc4 21. Rdd1 Bb4) 20... Nxc4 ({RR} 20... Ne6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Qxa7 Nxc4 23. Qa8+ Qb8 24. Qa4) 21. Qxc7+ Kxc7 22. exd4 Nxd2 23. Bxd2 Rxd4 24. Be3 Rd7 25. h4) ({RR} 18... Ne6 19. Rfd1 Nb6 20. Qb3 Nd4 21. Rxd4 exd4 22. Bf4 Bd6 ({RR} 22... Qd7 23. Be5 O-O 24. Bxd4 Qe6 25. c5 Qxb3 26. axb3 Nd7 27. b4) 23. Bxd6 Qxd6 24. e3 Qe6 25. Rxd4 O-O 26. c5 Qxb3 27. axb3 Nc8 28. Rd7 Rb8 29. b4) 19. Qd1 a5 ({RR} 19... Qb6 20. e3 Nde6 21. Na4 Nxa4 22. Qxa4 Nc5 23. Qc2 O-O 24. b3 a5 25. Bb2) 20. e3 Nde6 21. Nd5 {Wang,H (2752)-Caruana,F (2796) Dortmund 2013 CBM 156 [Marin,Mihail] 1-0 (39)}) ({RR} 6... Nbd7 7. cxd5 exd5 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nc3 Bc5 10. Qb3 b5 11. e4 dxe4 12. dxe4 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Ne5 ({RR} 13... O-O 14. Bg2 Qe7 15. Kh2 Rfe8) 14. Be2 O-O 15. Kg2 Ned7 16. Bg5 ({RR} 16. f4 b4 17. Na4 Nxe4 18. Bf3 Re8 19. Qc2 Qe7 20. Rd1) 16... Bd4 17. Rad1 Qb6) ({RR} 6... Be7 7. Qb3 ({RR} 7. Be3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 d4 9. Bd2 ({RR} 9. Bf4 Nbd7 10. e4 e5 11. Bc1 h5 12. Nd2 h4 13. Be2 Nc5 14. b4 Ne6 15. c5 ({RR} 15. Rb1 hxg3 16. fxg3 Qc7) 15... hxg3 16. fxg3 a5 17. Nc4 axb4 18. Nxe5 Qc7 19. Nxf7 Kxf7 20. Qb3 Bxc5 21. Bg4 Rae8 22. Bf4 Qd7 23. Bg5 Kg6) 9... Nbd7 10. b4 h5 11. h3 Qc7 12. Bg2 Ne5 13. Qc1 Ng6 14. Na3 Rd8 15. Nc2 h4 16. g4 e5 17. Qa3 O-O) 7... Qb6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Be3 Bc5 10. Bxc5 Qxc5 11. Nbd2 a5 12. Rfc1 O-O 13. cxd5 Qxc2 14. Rxc2 exd5 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Nxf3 Rfe8) 7. Qb3 ({RR} 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. Qb3 Qb8 10. a3 Re8 11. Rfc1 Bh5 12. Qc2 a5 13. b3 h6 14. Qb2 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. d4 Bd6 17. Bd2 Bg6 18. Na4 Qd8 19. Bf4 Bxf4 20. gxf4 Ne4 21. e3 Nd6 {Pantsulaia,L (2612)-Carlsen,M (2837) Riadh 2017 0-1 (67)}) 7... Qe7 $146 ({RR} 7... Qc7 8. Nc3 Nbd7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. e4 dxe4 11. dxe4 O-O 12. Nd4 Rad8 13. h3 Nc5 14. Qc4 b5 15. Ndxb5 cxb5 16. Nxb5 Be6 17. Qc3 Qc8 18. e5 Nd5 19. Qd4 {½-½ (19) Al Huwar,J (2275)-Ben Nasser,K (2215) Fujairah 2012}) ({RR} 7... Qb6 8. Be3 Qxb3 9. axb3 Nbd7 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 a6 12. Nc3 O-O 13. d4 Rfd8 14. Rfd1 h6 15. Bd2 e5 16. cxd5 exd4 17. dxc6 dxc3 18. cxb7 Rab8 19. bxc3 Nc5 20. Be3 Nce4 21. Bd4 Bc7 22. Bxf6 {Pantsulaia,L (2457)-Subelj,J (2545) Batumi GEO 2025 1-0 (35)}) 8. Nc3 Na6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. e4 dxe4 11. dxe4 O-O 12. e5 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Qxb7 Nc5 15. Bf4 Qh5 16. Qxc6 Rac8 17. Qb5 a6 18. Qa5 Rfe8 19. f3 Nd3 20. Qxh5 Bxh5 21. Bg5 Nxb2 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Ne4 Rc6 24. Rac1 Ree6 25. Nc5 Re7 26. f4 Rb6 27. Bd5 Kg7 28. Rf2 Nd1 29. Bb3 Nxf2 30. Kxf2 Re2+ 31. Kg1 Bf3 32. Rc3 Bd5 0-1 [Event "San Fermin Masters Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.07.10"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2847"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2021.07.10"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 d5 4. Nf3 b5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. d3 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4 $146 ({RR} 8. Bf4 Nc6 9. Nc3 a6 10. e4 O-O 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. exd5 exd5 13. Ne2 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Qd2 Qb4 16. Qc3 Rfe8 17. Ned4 Rac8 18. Nf5 Qf8 19. Qd2 Ne5 20. N3d4 h6 21. b4 Kh7 22. Nb3 g6 {Resika,N (1979)-Orndahl,M (2123) Gallipoli ITA 2025 ½-½ (59)}) 8... b4 9. a5 O-O 10. Nbd2 Nc6 11. Nb3 Ba6 12. Be3 Rc8 13. Qd2 e5 14. Rfc1 d4 15. Bg5 e4 16. Bxf6 e3 17. fxe3 dxe3 18. Qxe3 Bxf6 19. Qd2 Re8 20. Kh1 h5 21. Nc5 Bb5 22. Rab1 Qxa5 23. Ne4 Rxe4 24. dxe4 Qd8 25. Qd5 a6 26. Qxh5 Bxe2 27. Qf5 Ne7 28. Rxc8 Nxc8 29. Qd5 Qxd5 30. exd5 Nd6 31. b3 Bc3 32. Ng5 Bd3 33. Rc1 a5 34. Nh3 g6 35. Nf4 Bb5 36. Bf1 Bd7 37. Bd3 Kg7 38. Kg2 Kf6 39. Ne2 Bd2 40. Rc7 Be8 41. Ra7 a4 42. bxa4 b3 43. Ra6 Ke5 44. Ng1 Kxd5 45. Nf3 Bc3 46. a5 b2 47. Rb6 Kc5 48. Rb8 Bb5 49. Bb1 Bxa5 50. Ng5 Bc6+ 51. Kh3 Bc3 52. Kg4 f5+ 53. Kh3 Ne4 54. Nxe4+ Bxe4 55. Ba2 g5 56. Rc8+ Kb4 57. Rc7 Bd4 58. Rc4+ Ka3 59. Rxd4 Kxa2 60. Ra4+ Kb3 0-1 [Event "Legends of Chess Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.08.01"] [Round "1.22"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2723"] [BlackElo "2863"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2020.07.31"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 197"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Marin,Mihail} d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. c4 e6 5. O-O Nf6 6. d3 Bd6 ({RR} 6... dxc4 7. dxc4 Nbd7 8. Nc3 Qc7 ({RR} 8... Be7 9. Nh4 ({RR} 9. h3 Bxf3 10. exf3 Nc5 11. Be3 Qd3 12. Ne4 Nfxe4 13. fxe4 Qxc4 ({RR} 13... O-O 14. Qc1 Rfd8 15. Bf3 Qd6) 14. Rc1 Qb5 15. Qd4 O-O 16. Rxc5 Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Qxb2 18. a4) 9... O-O 10. h3 Bh5) ({RR} 8... Qa5 9. Be3 Be7 10. Qb3 Qc7 ({RR} 10... Qa6) ({RR} 10... Nb6) 11. h3 Bh5 12. Bf4 ({RR} 12. Rad1) ({RR} 12. Nh4) 12... e5 13. Be3 Nc5 14. Qc2 a5 ({RR} 14... Bg6 15. Qc1 a5) 15. Nh4 Bg6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Rad1 O-O 18. Na4 Nfd7 19. Nxc5 Nxc5 20. Rd2) ({RR} 8... Bxf3 9. exf3 Be7 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Rd1 a5 12. Na4 Qb8 13. Bf4 Qa7 14. Be3 Qb8 15. f4 Re8 16. g4) 9. h3 Bh5 10. Nh4 Be7 ({RR} 10... O-O-O) ({RR} 10... Bc5 11. Bf4 e5 12. Bg5 O-O-O 13. Qc2 Kb8 ({RR} 13... h6 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 15. g4 g5 16. gxh5 gxh4 17. Qf5+ Nd7 18. Ne4 Kb8 19. Rad1) 14. Rab1 Bb4 15. Ne4) ({RR} 10... Bd6 11. Be3 O-O 12. Qc2 Rad8 13. Rfd1 Ne5 14. Bd4 Be7 15. g4 Bg6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. b3 Ned7) 11. Bf4 e5 ({RR} 11... Qb6 12. g4 Bg6 13. Na4 Qb4 14. Nxg6 hxg6 15. b3) ({RR} 11... Qa5 12. a3 Qa6 13. b3 ({RR} 13. b4 Qxc4 14. Rc1 Qa6 15. g4 Bg6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Qb3 O-O 18. Rfd1) 13... h6 ({RR} 13... O-O 14. g4 Bg6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. g5) 14. Bd6 ({RR} 14. g4 g5) 14... Rd8 15. Bxe7 Kxe7 16. Qc2 g5 17. Nf3 Bg6 18. Qb2) 12. Bg5 Bg6 ({RR} 12... h6 13. Be3) ({RR} 12... O-O 13. Nf5) 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Qc2 Nc5 15. Rad1 Ne6 16. Bc1 ({RR} 16. Be3 Bc5 ({RR} 16... O-O 17. Na4) 17. Bxc5 Nxc5 18. b4 Ne6 19. b5 O-O 20. e3 Nc5 21. bxc6 bxc6 22. Na4) 16... Nd4 17. Qa4 Nd7 18. Rd2 Nc5 ({RR} 18... Nb6 19. Qa5 ({RR} 19. Nd5 Qb8 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Qd1 Rxa2) 19... O-O-O ({RR} 19... O-O 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. b3) 20. e3 ({RR} 20. Qxa7 Nxc4 21. Rdd1 Bb4) 20... Nxc4 ({RR} 20... Ne6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Qxa7 Nxc4 23. Qa8+ Qb8 24. Qa4) 21. Qxc7+ Kxc7 22. exd4 Nxd2 23. Bxd2 Rxd4 24. Be3 Rd7 25. h4) ({RR} 18... Ne6 19. Rfd1 Nb6 20. Qb3 Nd4 21. Rxd4 exd4 22. Bf4 Bd6 ({RR} 22... Qd7 23. Be5 O-O 24. Bxd4 Qe6 25. c5 Qxb3 26. axb3 Nd7 27. b4) 23. Bxd6 Qxd6 24. e3 Qe6 25. Rxd4 O-O 26. c5 Qxb3 27. axb3 Nc8 28. Rd7 Rb8 29. b4) 19. Qd1 a5 ({RR} 19... Qb6 20. e3 Nde6 21. Na4 Nxa4 22. Qxa4 Nc5 23. Qc2 O-O 24. b3 a5 25. Bb2) 20. e3 Nde6 21. Nd5 {Wang,H (2752)-Caruana,F (2796) Dortmund 2013 CBM 156 [Marin,Mihail] 1-0 (39)}) ({RR} 6... Nbd7 7. cxd5 exd5 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nc3 Bc5 10. Qb3 b5 11. e4 dxe4 12. dxe4 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Ne5 ({RR} 13... O-O 14. Bg2 Qe7 15. Kh2 Rfe8) 14. Be2 O-O 15. Kg2 Ned7 16. Bg5 ({RR} 16. f4 b4 17. Na4 Nxe4 18. Bf3 Re8 19. Qc2 Qe7 20. Rd1) 16... Bd4 17. Rad1 Qb6) ({RR} 6... Be7 7. Qb3 ({RR} 7. Be3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 d4 9. Bd2 ({RR} 9. Bf4 Nbd7 10. e4 e5 11. Bc1 h5 12. Nd2 h4 13. Be2 Nc5 14. b4 Ne6 15. c5 ({RR} 15. Rb1 hxg3 16. fxg3 Qc7) 15... hxg3 16. fxg3 a5 17. Nc4 axb4 18. Nxe5 Qc7 19. Nxf7 Kxf7 20. Qb3 Bxc5 21. Bg4 Rae8 22. Bf4 Qd7 23. Bg5 Kg6) 9... Nbd7 10. b4 h5 11. h3 Qc7 12. Bg2 Ne5 13. Qc1 Ng6 14. Na3 Rd8 15. Nc2 h4 16. g4 e5 17. Qa3 O-O) 7... Qb6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Be3 Bc5 10. Bxc5 Qxc5 11. Nbd2 a5 12. Rfc1 O-O 13. cxd5 Qxc2 14. Rxc2 exd5 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Nxf3 Rfe8) 7. Qb3 ({RR} 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. Qb3 Qb8 10. a3 Re8 11. Rfc1 Bh5 12. Qc2 a5 13. b3 h6 14. Qb2 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. d4 Bd6 17. Bd2 Bg6 18. Na4 Qd8 19. Bf4 Bxf4 20. gxf4 Ne4 21. e3 Nd6 {Pantsulaia,L (2612)-Carlsen,M (2837) Riadh 2017 0-1 (67)}) 7... Qe7 $146 ({RR} 7... Qc7 8. Nc3 Nbd7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. e4 dxe4 11. dxe4 O-O 12. Nd4 Rad8 13. h3 Nc5 14. Qc4 b5 15. Ndxb5 cxb5 16. Nxb5 Be6 17. Qc3 Qc8 18. e5 Nd5 19. Qd4 {½-½ (19) Al Huwar,J (2275)-Ben Nasser,K (2215) Fujairah 2012}) ({RR} 7... Qb6 8. Be3 Qxb3 9. axb3 Nbd7 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 a6 12. Nc3 O-O 13. d4 Rfd8 14. Rfd1 h6 15. Bd2 e5 16. cxd5 exd4 17. dxc6 dxc3 18. cxb7 Rab8 19. bxc3 Nc5 20. Be3 Nce4 21. Bd4 Bc7 22. Bxf6 {Pantsulaia,L (2457)-Subelj,J (2545) Batumi GEO 2025 1-0 (35)}) 8. Nc3 Na6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. e4 dxe4 11. dxe4 O-O 12. e5 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Qxb7 Nc5 15. Bf4 Qh5 16. Qxc6 Rac8 17. Qb5 a6 18. Qa5 Rfe8 19. f3 Nd3 20. Qxh5 Bxh5 21. Bg5 Nxb2 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Ne4 Rc6 24. Rac1 Ree6 25. Nc5 Re7 26. f4 Rb6 27. Bd5 Kg7 28. Rf2 Nd1 29. Bb3 Nxf2 30. Kxf2 Re2+ 31. Kg1 Bf3 32. Rc3 Bd5 0-1 [Event "London Classic 11th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2019.12.08"] [Round "2.5"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A11"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2872"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2019.12.02"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 194"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 a6 5. Qc2 Bg4 ({RR} 5... e6 6. b3 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. d4 Nc6 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Bb2 O-O 11. Rd1 Nb4 12. Qb1 g6 13. Bd3 d4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. exd4 Re8+ 16. Ne2 Nxd3+ 17. Qxd3 Bf5 18. Qd2 Rc8 19. Rc1 Rxc1+ 20. Bxc1 {Svidler,P (2765)-Eljanov,P (2711) Riadh 2017 ½-½ (82)}) 6. Ne5 ({RR} 6. b3 e6 7. Bb2 Nbd7 8. Be2 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. d4 Qe7 11. Rfe1 b5 12. h3 Bh5 13. e4 Bg6 14. Bd3 bxc4 15. bxc4 Rab8 16. Rab1 Bb4 17. e5 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Ne4 19. c5 Bxc3 20. Bxc3 Rb5 {Fedotov,N (2278)-Becking,S (2410) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (73)}) 6... e6 7. cxd5 $146 ({RR} 7. Nxg4 Nxg4 8. Be2 Nf6 9. d4 Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Nd7 14. Rd1 Qe7 15. Bd3 f5 16. Qf3 Rae8 17. Bf1 Kh8 18. Bf4 Bxf4 19. Qxf4 e5 20. dxe5 Nxe5 21. Rd2 Ng6 {Ivanov,O (2423)-Garmash,A (2089) Ershovo RUS 2024 1-0 (60)}) ({RR} 7. Nxg4 Nxg4 8. Be2 Nf6 9. d4 Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Nd7 14. Rd1 Qe7 15. Bd3 f5 16. Qf3 Rae8 17. Bf1 Kh8 18. Bf4 Bxf4 19. Qxf4 e5 20. dxe5 Nxe5 21. Rd2 Ng6 {Ivanov,O (2423)-Garmash,A (2089) Ershovo RUS 2024 1-0 (60)}) 7... exd5 8. Nxg4 Nxg4 9. h3 Nf6 10. g3 g6 11. Bg2 Bg7 12. Ne2 O-O 13. b3 Nbd7 14. Bb2 Re8 15. d3 Nh5 16. O-O Bxb2 17. Qxb2 Qf6 18. Qc2 a5 19. e4 dxe4 20. dxe4 Qe7 21. Rad1 Nc5 22. Nc3 Rad8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Rd1 Ng7 25. Rxd8+ Qxd8 26. Qd1 Qf6 27. Qd2 Nge6 28. f4 h5 29. h4 Kg7 30. Kf2 Nd7 31. Ne2 Ne5 32. Ke1 Ng4 33. Qc3 Qxc3+ 34. Nxc3 Ne3 35. Bh3 Nc2+ 36. Kd2 Ncd4 37. Ke3 f5 38. e5 Kf7 39. Bf1 Ke7 40. Bd3 b5 41. Nb1 Kd7 42. Nd2 Kc7 43. Bf1 Kb6 44. Kd3 Kc5 45. Kc3 Nc7 46. a3 Nd5+ 47. Kd3 b4 48. a4 Nc7 49. Ke3 Nd5+ 50. Kd3 Nc7 51. Ke3 Nd5+ 52. Kd3 Nc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2017.01.22"] [Round "8"] [White "Rapport, Richard"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A12"] [WhiteElo "2702"] [BlackElo "2840"] [Annotator "Lenderman,Aleksandr"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2017.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 $5 {Stopping 1...e5 first of all.} d5 2. b3 $5 {Now that Black can't play 2...e5, White plays this setup with b3. Richard Rapport is well-known to be a creative player in general, and also in the openings. Richard also played b3 on move 1 against Sergey Karjakin but in that game if anyone was better, it was Sergey, so Richard decided to adjust his play a bit, and it worked very well.} Bf5 3. Bb2 e6 4. d3 h6 5. Nbd2 Nf6 6. c4 c6 7. g3 Be7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. a3 a5 {Stopping White from expanding on the queenside with b4.} 11. Qb1 $5 {Preparing b4 anyway.} Bh7 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Qb6 14. Bc3 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 Bxb4 16. Bxb4 Qxb4 17. Rb1 Qd6 18. Rxb7 e5 19. d4 $146 ({RR} 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. d4 e4 21. Ne5 Bf5 22. Qb2 Qa6 23. Nxd7 Bxd7 24. Nf1 Bg4 25. Rb5 Ra8 26. h3 Bd7 27. Rb6 Qc4 28. Ne3 Qa4 29. Kh2 Be6 30. Rb4 Qa2 31. Nf1 g5 32. g4 h5 33. gxh5 Qxb2 {Jakits,L (2110)-Mostbauer,F (2261) Austria 2017 ½-½ (54)}) 19... exd4 20. Nxd4 c5 21. N4b3 d4 $5 {An ambitious move. If Magnus wanted a quieter, simplified game, he could've opted for 21...dxc4. But probably Magnus, after a heartbreaking draw last round against Anish Giri, wanted to try hard to win this game with Black against Richard Rapport, who had been having a difficult tournament up to this point.} (21... dxc4 22. Nxc4 Qe6 23. Ne3 Be4 24. Bxe4 Nxe4 $11 {should just be dead equal.}) 22. Bh3 d3 $6 {This decision is very double-edged since it makes Black's bishop on h7 bad, and gives White strong control of the centre. On the other hand, Magnus thinks that the d3-pawn will be enough of a trump, that it will compensate for the drawbacks in his position. It turned out to be a bit too optimistic.} (22... Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Qxb8 24. Qa5 Qc8 {should still be quite balanced.}) 23. e3 $1 {White correctly now doesn't simplify the game, and keeps the tension to his advantage. A lot of players might have just tried to release the tension to get closer to a draw if they were playing Magnus. But Richard to his credit is a very fighting player, even when his tournament isn't going the way he would like it to be. I really applaud that.} (23. exd3 $6 Qxd3 $11) (23. e4 $5) 23... Ne5 $6 {A natural move, but considering that Black had already started playing unbalanced chess he should probably have tried to continue going that route.} (23... g5 $1 {After this prophylactic move White might be better but it's still not so clear. At least White can't easily expand in the centre, like he was able to do in the game.}) 24. Bg2 $1 (24. f4 $2 Nf3+ $1 25. Nxf3 Be4 $15 {was a nice trap by Magnus, and perhaps Richard saw it and that's why avoided it and played the strong consolidating move, ?g2.}) 24... Rc8 (24... Ned7 {The funny thing is, Stockfish thinks going back with ?ed7 is the best move. The knight on e5 turns out to be really misplaced, since it will get hit with e4 and f4.}) 25. f4 Neg4 26. e4 Re8 $5 {At this point sacrifising a piece might be the best practical chance, since Black is already getting streamrollered.} 27. e5 Nxe5 28. fxe5 Rxe5 29. Rb6 $1 {Very nice geometry.} Qe7 30. Rb8+ Ne8 31. Bc6 Re1+ 32. Qxe1 Qxe1+ 33. Nf1 {Black resigned because he will be down a piece in the endgame which is completely hopeless. A very nice game by Richard Rapport, trying to play a fighting game against Magnus, playing logical chess, keeping the tension, and taking full advantage of Magnus's over-ambitious play at one moment.} 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 8th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2013.06.22"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2864"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2013.06.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. Qc2 Nf6 5. Nf3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qb3 Bb7 8. O-O Nbd7 9. d4 a6 10. Ne5 Qb6 {A rare and probably less accurate continuation instead of the main move} (10... Nxe5 {, examined in my survey in CBM 150. After that White sometimes sacrifices his e5-pawn obtaining a positional compensation (active pieces etc.). However, in future Black's queenside pawn advantage can become essential. Here are some recent games:} 11. dxe5 Nd5 12. Nc3 Be7 13. Ne4 O-O $5 {[%CAl Yc6c5] is probably simpler:} (13... Qc7 14. Nd6+ $5 (14. Bf4 Nxf4 15. gxf4 O-O 16. a4 Rad8 17. Rfc1 Rd4 $132 {1/2 (31) Ni Hua (2641)-Frolyanov,D (2555) Moscow 2012}) (14. Bg5 Bxg5 15. Nxg5 Qxe5 16. Ne4 O-O 17. Nc5 {[%csl Gd5]} Qc7 18. Rfc1 Rad8 19. Qc2 Bc8 20. Nd3 Bb7 $13 {1-0 (52) Bruzon Batista,L (2694)-Leitao,R (2623) Quito 2012 CBM 150 [Krasenkow,Michal]}) 14... Bxd6 15. exd6 Qxd6 16. Rd1 (16. e4 Nb6 $13) 16... Qe7 17. e4 Nb6 18. Qc3 O-O 19. b3 c5 (19... Nd7 {[%CAl Ye6e5,Yc6c5] may be a bit more accurate}) 20. Qa5 Qc7 21. Bf4 e5 22. Be3 Rac8 23. Rac1 (23. Bh3 $1 Rcd8 24. f3 $14) 23... Nd7 24. Qxc7 Rxc7 25. Bh3 Bc8 26. Bxd7 Rxd7 27. Rxd7 Bxd7 28. Rxc5 f6 $11 {1/2 (31) Maletin,P (2567)-Yudin,S (2546) Kirov 2012}) 14. Be3 (14. Rd1 c5 15. a4 c4 $13) 14... Nxe3 15. Qxe3 c5 16. Rac1 c4 (16... Bxe4 $5) 17. b3 Qc7 18. bxc4 Qxe5 19. Nf6+ Bxf6 20. Qxe5 Bxe5 21. Bxb7 Ra7 $11 {1/2 (25) Shyam,S (2484)-Vaibhav,S (2494) Kolkata 2012}) 11. Be3 c5 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. d5 e5 $2 {[%mdl 32] A big positional mistake.} (13... exd5 14. Bxd5 Bxd5 15. Qxd5 Rd8 (15... Rc8 16. a4 b4 (16... Be7 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nc3 $36 {- Black can't castle}) 17. Nd2 Nf6 18. Qe5+ Qe6 19. Qxe6+ fxe6 20. Rac1 Be7 21. Nc4 O-O 22. f3 Rfd8 23. Rfd1 $14 {1-0 (59) Smirnov,P (2599)-Zontakh,A (2556) Sochi 2012}) 16. a4 Be7 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nc3 O-O 19. b4 (19. Qe4 $142 $14) 19... Qf6 20. Nxb5 cxb4 21. Ra7 Nc5 $11 {1/2 (44) Meier,G (2656)-Ponomariov,R (2764) Dortmund 2011}) 14. a4 {Black will be forced to play ...b5-b4 or ...b5xa4 weakening his position.} b4 (14... Bd6 {is even worse:} 15. axb5 axb5 16. Rxa8+ Bxa8 17. Nc3 b4 18. Qa4 $1 $16) ({If} 14... c4 {then} 15. Bxb6 cxb3 16. Bc7 Bb4 (16... Rc8 17. d6) 17. axb5 axb5 18. Rxa8+ Bxa8 19. Rc1 O-O 20. Nc3 $16) 15. Nd2 Bd6 16. Nc4 {[%csl Gc4]} (16. Rac1 $5 {[%csl Rc5][%CAl Yd2e4]}) 16... Qc7 17. f4 (17. Bh3 $5 Nf6 (17... Bxd5 18. Rfd1 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Nf6 20. Bg2 $16) 18. Bg5 Bxd5 (18... Nxd5 19. Rad1 h6 20. Bh4) (18... Ne4 19. Bh4 {[%CAl Yh3g2]}) 19. Rfd1 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 $16) 17... O-O (17... exf4 $143 18. Nxd6+ Qxd6 19. Bxf4 Qg6 20. Qe3+) 18. Rac1 exf4 (18... Rae8 $5 19. fxe5 Bxe5 {may be more stubborn.}) 19. Bxf4 Bxf4 20. gxf4 {[%CAl Ye2e4,Ye4e5]} a5 $146 ({RR} 20... Rad8 21. e4 Nf6 22. Ne3 Qb6 23. Qc4 Rfe8 24. e5 Nd7 25. Kh1 a5 26. Qb3 Qg6 27. Rg1 Kh8 28. Nc4 Nb6 29. d6 Bxg2+ 30. Rxg2 Qe6 31. Qg3 {1-0 (31) Malikentzos,S (2314)-Kourkoulos Arditis,S (2290) Athens 2014}) 21. e4 Rae8 (21... Ra6 $1 {was the only chance to put up resistance. If} 22. e5 ({or} 22. d6 Rxd6 23. Nxd6 Qxd6) {then} 22... Rg6) 22. e5 $18 {White's pawns now just sweep Black's pieces away.} Ba6 23. Rfe1 Kh8 (23... Bxc4 {was equally hopeless.}) 24. Nd6 Re7 (24... Rd8 $2 25. Nxf7+ Rxf7 26. d6 $18) 25. Qe3 (25. Qh3 $5 c4 26. Nxc4 Bxc4 27. d6 Qc5+ 28. Qe3 $18 Ree8 $140 29. Qxc5 Nxc5 30. Rxc4 Nxa4 31. Bc6 Rc8 32. d7 Rc7 33. Rd4 $1) 25... Qd8 (25... g5 26. Nf5 Ree8 (26... gxf4 27. Qxf4 Rxe5 28. d6 Rxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Qd8 30. Re7 $18 {?}) 27. Qg3 $18) 26. b3 $1 {A good prophylactical move stopping ...c5-c4.} g5 27. Kh1 (27. Nf5 Ree8 28. Qg3 $18 {was more energetic} Rg8 $140 29. Nh6) 27... Qb8 28. Qf2 gxf4 (28... Bd3 29. Nb7 $1 gxf4 30. Nxc5 $18) 29. Qxf4 Bd3 30. Re3 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A tactical oversight, however, not taken advantage of by Black.} (30. Bh3 $1 {, liquidating the main defender of Black's position (the ?d7), was the best way to finish the game off. If} Qa8 {then} 31. Rxc5 $1 (31. Qf3 {is also possible}) 31... Nxc5 32. Qf6+ Kg8 33. Rg1+ Bg6 34. Nf5 Qxd5+ 35. Bg2 $18) 30... Bg6 $4 (30... Rxe5 $1 31. Rxe5 Qxd6 32. Rf5 Qxf4 33. Rxf4 c4 $1 {, and the position becomes unclear.}) 31. Rf1 $2 ({Again} 31. Bh3 {was winning}) 31... Rxe5 $1 {This is less effective than a move earlier but still creates serious problems for White.} 32. Rxe5 Qxd6 33. Re8 (33. Re3 {deserved attention, not exchanging Black's passive rook.}) 33... Qxf4 34. Rxf8+ Kg7 35. Rxf4 Kxf8 {[%CAl Yf8e7][%mdl 4096]} 36. d6 $1 Ne5 {[%CAl Yf8e8,Ye8d7]} 37. Bf1 $1 Bc2 38. Bb5 f5 (38... Bxb3 39. Rf5 f6 40. Rxf6+ Nf7 41. d7 $1 Ke7 42. Rf5 Be6 43. Rxc5 {, and White should win.}) 39. Kg2 c4 $2 {This miscalculation hastens Black's defeat.} (39... Nf7 $142 40. d7 Ke7 41. Rf2 $1 Bxb3 42. Rxf5 {etc. like in the previous annotation.}) 40. Bxc4 Be4+ 41. Kg3 Nxc4 42. bxc4 Ke8 {Or else:} (42... b3 43. Rf2 Bc2 44. Re2 $1 b2 45. d7 b1=Q 46. d8=Q+ $18) (42... Kf7 43. c5 (43. Rf2 $143 Ke6 44. c5 Bc6) 43... b3 (43... Ke6 44. Rh4 $3 b3 45. Rh6+ Kd7 46. Rxh7+ Kd8 (46... Ke6 47. d7) 47. Rh8+ Kd7 48. Rb8 $18) 44. Rf2 Bc2 (44... Ke6 45. Rb2 Bc2 46. Kf4 h6 47. h3 h5 48. h4 $18) 45. d7 b2 (45... Ke7 46. Rd2 Kd8 47. c6) 46. d8=Q b1=Q 47. Qd7+ Kf8 48. Qd4 Qg1+ 49. Kh4 $18) 43. c5 Bc6 (43... b3 44. Rf2 Kd7 (44... Bc2 45. c6 b2 46. c7 Kd7 47. Rxc2 $18) 45. Rb2 Bc2 46. Kf4 Ke6 47. h3 h6 48. h4 h5 {is not a reciprocal zugzwang as White can play} 49. Kg5 $18) 44. Rxf5 Bxa4 45. Re5+ Kd8 46. Re7 Bc6 47. Rc7 (47. Rc7 Bd5 48. c6 b3 49. Rd7+ $1 Kc8 50. Rxh7 Bxc6 51. Rc7+ Kd8 52. Rxc6 a4 53. Rb6 $18) 1-0 [Event "Gausdal Classic"] [Site "Gausdal"] [Date "2004.09.29"] [Round "7"] [White "Gronn, Atle"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2409"] [BlackElo "2567"] [Annotator "Ribli,Zoltan"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "2004.09.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "10"] [SourceTitle "CBM 104"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 d4 {Das ist eine agressive Fortsetzung, die ruhigen (und gewöhnlichen) Alternativen sind 4...dxc4 und 4...?e7. Es ist wahr, dass wir nach der Partiefortsetzung eine assymetrische Stellung mit beiderseitigen Chancen bekommen, aber die weißen Aussichten scheinen etwas besser zu sein.} 5. O-O (5. b4 a5 (5... c5 $5) 6. Bb2 $5 c5 7. bxc5 Bxc5 8. e3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Na3 e5 11. Nb5 {1-0 Ehlvest,J-Pomes Marcet,J/Terrassa 1991/CBM 24 (51)}) 5... Nc6 (5... c5 6. e3 Nc6 7. exd4 cxd4 8. d3 Bd6 9. Re1 O-O (9... h6 $5) 10. a3 a5 11. Bg5 $5 {Ftacnik: 'The world junior champion U20 Aronian rarely combines strategic talent with an excellent tactical abilities, we shall hear much more about him in the future. '} h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Nbd2 {[%CAl Gd2e4,Ge4d6,Ge4f6]} Qd8 (13... Qe7 {Ftacnik} 14. Nb3) 14. Rc1 {[%CAl Gc4c5] 1-0 Aronian,L-Filippov,V/Istanbul 2003/CBM 96/[Ribli] (46) Weiß bereitet den Plan 15.c5, 16.?c4 vor und Schwarz hat keine gute Abwehr.}) 6. d3 Be7 7. e3 (7. Na3 O-O 8. Nc2 a5 9. b3 e5 10. Bb2 Re8 11. Qd2 Bc5 12. a3 Qe7 13. Rfb1 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 15. Ng5 h6 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Qe6 18. Bg2 Qd6 {½-½ Wegerle,J-Volke,K/Germany 2000/CBM 82 ext (29)}) 7... e5 8. exd4 exd4 9. Re1 {Wir haben eine Stellung, die typisch in der Benoni Verteidigung ist, jedoch mit vertauschten Farben.} O-O 10. Bf4 Bf5 ({RR} 10... Nd7 11. h4 h6 12. Na3 Nc5 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Rxe5 c6 15. Re1 Bf5 16. Bf1 a5 17. Nc2 Ne6 18. Bc1 Bd6 19. Qf3 Qf6 20. b3 Qg6 21. Ba3 c5 22. Bc1 Nd8 23. h5 Bg4 24. Qd5 Qf6 25. Bg2 {Skrbec,L (2255)-Mica,M (2372) Trencin SVK 2025 0-1 (45)}) 11. Ne5 $146 {Das ist ein bekanntes Motiv in solchen Stellungen, aber - meiner Meinung nach - wäre es besser zuerst den b1-Springer zu entwickeln.} (11. Nbd2 $5 Bd6 (11... Bxd3 $6 12. Qb3 {[%CAl Rb3b7,Rb3d3]} Nb4 $2 13. Rxe7 $1 Qxe7 14. Re1 Qc5 (14... Be2 15. Nxd4 $18) 15. a3 Nc2 16. Re5 $18) (11... Re8 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 $14) 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Ne4 Bxe4 15. Rxe4 Rae8 16. Nd2 $14 {[%CAl Gg2b7,Gd2e4]}) (11. Na3 $14 {[%CAl Ga3b5,Ga3c2]}) (11. a3 {[%CAl Gb2b4]} a5 12. Ne5 $14) ({RR} 11. a3 a5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 c6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Rxe4 a4 17. Nd2 Qb6 18. Rb1 g6 19. Nf3 Ra5 20. Qd2 Rf5 21. Kg2 Bg7 22. Qb4 Qd8 23. Nh4 Re5 24. Rxe5 Bxe5 25. Nf3 Qc7 {Parkkinen,J (2118)-Tuovinen,J (2116) Helsinki 2002 1-0 (41)}) 11... Nxe5 12. Rxe5 Qd7 $1 {Schwarz opfert einen Bauern. Diese Fortsetzung ist klar besser als der passive Läuferzug 12...?c8?} 13. Bxb7 Rab8 $44 {Schwarz hat einen Entwicklungsvorteil und eine gute Figurenkoordination, die ausreichend Kompensation für den Bauern geben.} 14. Qf3 $2 (14. Rb5 Bd6 (14... Bg4 15. Qb3 Rbe8 $44) 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Rxf5 Rxb7 17. b3 Re8 18. Nd2 c5 $44 {[%CAl Gb7e7,Ge8e1]}) 14... Bg4 $36 {[%mdl 2048] Schwarz hat ein ausgezeichnetes Figurenspiel.} 15. Qc6 (15. Qg2 Bd6 16. Bc6 Qd8 17. Rb5 Bxf4 18. gxf4 Qd6 $36 {[%CAl Rd6f4]}) 15... Bd6 {[%csl Re5][%CAl Rd6f4] Der e5? steht unglücklich.} 16. Na3 (16. Rb5 Qxc6 17. Bxc6 Bxf4 18. gxf4 Be2 $17 {[%csl Rd3,Ge2] Schwarz gewinnt - mit besserer Stellung - den Bauern zurück.}) 16... Bxe5 $17 17. Bxe5 Qf5 18. Bf4 g5 $2 (18... Qxd3 19. Bxc7 Rbe8 20. Bd6 Ne4 21. Bxf8 Qf3 22. Rf1 (22. Qxe4 Rxe4 $19) 22... Bh3 $19) 19. f3 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Weiß nutzt seine taktischen Chancen nicht.} (19. Bxc7 $142 $1 Rxb7 (19... Rbe8) 20. Qxb7 Bf3 21. Qb5 Nd5 (21... Qh3 $4 22. Qxg5+ Kh8 23. Qxf6+ $18) 22. Nc2 $8 Qh3 23. Ne1 Be2 24. Ng2 Bf3 25. Ne1 $11) 19... gxf4 $19 20. fxg4 Nxg4 {[%csl Rg1] Schwarz hat einen großen Materialvorteil und einen überlegenen Angriff am Königsflügel.} 21. Rf1 Qh5 {[%CAl Rh5h2,Rh2g1]} 22. h4 (22. Qg2 Rxb7 $19) 22... fxg3 0-1 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi"] [Site "Dubai"] [Date "2021.12.07"] [Round "9"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2782"] [BlackElo "2855"] [Annotator "So,Wesley"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2021.11.26"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "UAE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 206"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,78,58,-36,1,-66,-50,-89,-23,1,-3,-22,26,-4,36,16,65,53,53,22,22,42,72,49,60,45,16,39,39,10,6,-10,25,-7,7,0,37,-51,-16,-19,6,8,79,-7,20,1,-3,-14,18,-5,58,58,58,39,76,13,103,21,31,-143,-143,-143,-167,-170,-167,-208,-227,-227,-227,-227,-221,-227,-180,-187,-214,-266,-129,-135,-145,-193,-162] This game (number nine) was very crucial for Ian. He needed to make use of his White games and start winning somehow. Coming to the board with a new hair cut and a new look was hopefully a good sign. He also came with a new move today in a must win situation. Diese Partie (Nummer neun) war sehr entscheidend für Ian. Er musste seine Weißpartien ausnutzen und irgendwie anfangen zu gewinnen. Dass er mit einem neuen Haarschnitt und einem neuen Look ans Brett kam, war hoffentlich ein gutes Zeichen. Er kam heute auch in einer Must-win-Situation mit einem neuen Zug.} 1. c4 $5 {Ian finally decided to change his first move; the time had finally come to avoid 1.e4 e5 openings. I expected Ian to try something else. Magnus is very solid in the Ruy Lopez openings, and even when he gets slightly worse positions there, he is able to defend them very well. Not many players can defend slightly worse positions as accurately and cooly as Magnus. In my view Ian hade been getting good positions in the arising Ruy Lopez lines after the opening, but he just couldn't convert them into the much needed win. So maybe 1.c4 is a good try to see what Magnus intends to play against it. Ian beschloss schließlich, seinen ersten Zug zu ändern; es war endlich an der Zeit, 1.e4 e5-Eröffnungen zu vermeiden. Ich hatte erwartet, dass Ian etwas anderes versuchen würde. Magnus ist sehr solide in den Spanisch-Eröffnungen, und selbst wenn er dort leicht schlechtere Stellungen bekommt, kann er sie sehr gut verteidigen. Niht viele Spieler können leicht schlechtere Stellungen so genau und cool verteidigen wie Magnus. Meiner Meinung nach hatte Ian nach der Eröffnung in den entstehenden Spanisch-Varianten gute Stellungen, aber er konnte sie einfach nicht in den dringend benötigten Sieg umwandeln. Vielleicht ist 1.c4 also ein guter Versuch, um zu sehen, was Magnus dagegen zu spielen gedenkt.} e6 {A surprise reply against the English. Normally 1...e5 and 1...c5 are the main lines, or Black can also play flexibly with 1...?f6 first. The issue with 1...e6 is after 2.?c3, Black either has to allow the line 2...?f6 3.e4, which is incredibly complex or go for the Queen's Gambit variations by playing 2...d5 3.d4. Eine überraschende Antwort gegen die Englisch. Normalerweise sind 1...e5 und 1...c5 die Hauptvarianten, oder Schwarz kann auch flexibel zuerst mit 1...?f6 beginnen. Das Problem bei 1...e6 ist, dass Schwarz nach 2.?c3 entweder die Variante 2...?f6 3.e4 zulassen muss, die unglaublich komplex ist, oder die Damengambit-Varianten mit 2...d5 3.d4 spielen muss.} 2. g3 (2. Nc3 {is considered slightly more challenging as now both wird als etwas anspruchsvoller angesehen, da nun sowohl} Nf6 ({und und} 2... d5 3. d4 {here Black has many options such as ...c6, ...a6, or ...?f6 etc but in all honesty he has some problems to solve. Hier hat Schwarz viele Möglichkeiten wie ...c6, ...a6, oder ...?f6 usw., aber ehrlich gesagt hat er einige Probleme zu lösen.}) 3. e4 {forces Black to play accurately in the opening at least. zwingt Schwarz dazu, zumindest in der Eröffnung genau zu spielen.}) 2... d5 3. Bg2 {Ian goes for the same line which he used against Alekseenko in the Candidates earlieir this year. He won that game very convincingly. Black has many different possibilities here and a wide choice between solid and more aggressive moves. Ian wählt dieselbe Variante, die er Anfang des Jahres gegen Alekseenko im Kandidatenturnier verwendet hat. Er hat diese Partie sehr überzeugend gewonnen. Schwarz hat hier viele verschiedene Möglichkeiten und eine große Auswahl zwischen soliden und aggressiveren Zügen.} d4 $5 {A very brave decision by Magnus. Or maybe a well-prepared one, as he clearly knew what he was doing later on. Not a lot of players would push the d-pawn here with a serious lead in the match. Normally the position becomes double-edged now, Black had safer ways to approach the opening. Eine sehr mutige Entscheidung von Magnus. Oder vielleicht eine gut vorbereitete, da er eindeutig wusste, was er später tun würde. Nicht viele Spieler würden hier mit einem ernsthaften Vorsprung im Match den d-Bauern vorantreiben. Normalerweise wird die Stellung jetzt zweischneidig, Schwarz hatte sicherere Wege, um die Eröffnung anzugehen.} ({Alekseenko chose the natural Alekseenko wählte das natürliche} 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 {but later he played inaccurately in the opening and got a worse position after aber später spielte er in der Eröffnung ungenau und bekam eine schlechtere Stellung nach} dxc4 (4... Be7 {is a very solid choice here, inviting White to go for the main line Catalan after ist hier eine sehr solide Wahl, die Weiß dazu einlädt, die Katalanisch-Hauptvariante anzustreben nach} 5. d4) 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Be7 $6 9. O-O O-O 10. d4 $14) 4. Nf3 (4. b4 {is an interesting option here. Black cannot take on b4 due to ?a4+, but he is okay after ist hier eine interessante Option. Schwarz kann aufgrund von Da4+ nicht auf b4 nehmen, aber nach} e5 {steht er ordentlich.}) 4... Nc6 $5 {A very interesting rare option. Normally Black plays ...c5, but Magnus prioritizes his development and piece activity first and foremost. I haven't checked this line for a long time; this knight move looks very suspicious, but Magnus makes it work. Eine sehr interessante seltene Option. Normalerweise spielt Schwarz ...c5, aber Magnus priorisiert in erster Linie seine Entwicklung und Figurenaktivität. Ich habe diese Variante schon lange nicht mehr geprüft; dieser Springerzug sieht sehr verdächtig aus, aber Magnus lässt ihn funktionieren.} ({Normally Black plays Normalerweise spielt Schwarz} 4... c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. exd4 cxd4 7. O-O Nf6 8. d3 Bd6 {and this is one of the main lines here. I've played this myself and Black usually equalizes although in a very complicated position. und dies ist eine der Hauptvarianten hier. Ich habe das selbst gespielt und Schwarz gleicht normalerweise aus, wenngleich in sehr komplizierter Stellung.}) 5. O-O Bc5 {The bishop firmly controls the dark-squares from this position.Black can also start first with 5...?f6, and then ...?c5, but this is slightly more accurate, as in some lines Black can develop his knight on e7. Schwarz kann auch zuerst mit 5...?f6 und dann ...?c5 beginnen, aber das ist etwas genauer, da Schwarz in einigen Varianten seinen Springer auf e7 entwickeln kann.} 6. d3 (6. e3 {gives Black the extra option of gibt Black die zusätzliche Möglichkeit} Nge7 7. Re1 O-O {when later the knight can come to f5. wonach später der Springer nach f5 kommen kann.}) 6... Nf6 7. Nbd2 {Ian played this very quickly. At the moment he is playing the most ambitious and critical line. The knight is coming to b3 in order to fight for control of the central dark-squares. Ian hat das sehr schnell gespielt. Im Moment spielt er die ehrgeizigste und kritischste Variante. Der Springer kommt nach b3, um um die Kontrolle über die zentralen Dunkelfelder zu kämpfen.} ({Black is doing well after Schwarz geht es gut nach} 7. e3 O-O 8. exd4 Nxd4 9. Nc3 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 c6 {followed by ...?d4. gefolgt von ...?d4.}) 7... a5 {Black controls the dark-squares on the queenside and prepares ...a4 later on to kick the knight away from b3. There had been some games where Black castled first, but clearly Magnus knows what he is doing. Schwarz kontrolliert die dunklen Felder am Damenflügel und bereitet später ...a4 vor, um den Springer von b3 zu vertreiben. Es gab schon einige Partien, in denen Schwarz zuerst rochierte, aber Magnus weiß offensichtlich, was er tut.} 8. Nb3 Be7 9. e3 dxe3 10. Bxe3 Ng4 $5 {This forces the play and was his plan all along. Black is willing to spend a tempo in order to harass the enemy bishop and force a trade of minor pieces. Dies forciert das Spiel und war von Anfang an sein Plan. Schwarz ist bereit, ein Tempo zu opfern, um den gegnerischen Läufer zu bedrängen und einen Tausch von Leichtfiguren zu erzwingen.} ({The other logical choice is Die andere logische Wahl ist} 10... O-O 11. Nbd4 Bd7 {when White can play 12.?b5 or 12.?e2, with a small advantage for White in both cases. , wonach Weiß 12.?b5 oder 12.?e2 spielen kann, mit einem kleinen Vorteil für ihn in beiden Fällen..}) 11. Bc5 {This is necessary, in order to maintain control over the central dark-squares. Dies ist notwendig, um die Kontrolle über die zentralen dunklen Felder zu behalten.} O-O {Just continuing the development. Setzt einfach die Entwicklung fort.} ({The text is a little more precise than Der Textzug ist etwas präziser als} 11... a4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nbd4 {when White has a lead in development and a slightly better position. , wonach Weiß einen Entwicklungsvorsprung und eine etwas bessere Stellung hat.}) 12. d4 ({The alternative was Die Alternative war} 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. a4 {securing the position of the knight on b3. After Sicherung der Stellung des Springers auf b3. Nach} Rd8 14. Re1 Qb4 15. Qc2 Qb6 16. d4 Bd7 {Black's position is slightly worse, but no more. Die Stellung von Schwarz ist etwas schlechter, aber nicht mehr.}) 12... a4 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nc5 {Ian is playing the opening confidently and quickly so far.He probably has this position prepared at some point and his play seems very logical. The next move seemed to caught him offguard though. Ian spielt die Eröffnung bisher selbstbewusst und schnell. Wahrscheinlich hat er diese Stellung schon einmal vorbereitet und sein Spiel scheint sehr logisch zu sein. Der nächste Zug schien ihn jedoch zu überraschen.} a3 $146 {A nice and very solid move, dealing with the problem of the a-pawn and creating some counterplay on the queenside. Ein schöner und sehr solider Zug, der das Problem des a-Bauern löst und gewisses Gegenspiel am Damenflügel schafft.} ({The computer first recommends Der Computer empfiehlt zunächst} 14... e5 {which I assume is what Ian had prepared maybe. After was, nehme ich an, Ian vielleicht vorbereitet hatte. Nach} 15. Re1 Rd8 16. b4 $1 (16. Nxa4 {is another complicated possibility. ist eine weitere komplizierte Möglichkeit.}) 16... axb3 17. Nxb3 {Black has some problems with the pin along the e-file, and the play is very concrete. Schwarz hat einige Probleme mit der Fesselung entlang der e-Linie, und das Spiel ist sehr konkret.} e4 18. h3 Nh6 19. Ne5 {White is better here and it demands some very accurate play by Black. I think Magnus made the right decision by playing 14...a3, instead of going for very complicated play. Weiß steht hier besser, und es erfordert ein sehr genaues Spiel von Schwarz. Ich denke, Magnus hat die richtige Entscheidung getroffen, indem er 14...a3 spielte, anstatt ein sehr kompliziertes Spiel zu wählen.}) (14... Rd8 {loses a pawn due to verliert einen Bauern aufgrund von} 15. Nxa4) ({RR} 14... e5 15. Re1 Rd8 16. Nxa4 Qb4 17. b3 exd4 18. h3 Nf6 19. Qd3 Be6 20. Nd2 Qd6 21. a3 Ne5 22. Qe2 Nc6 23. Qd3 Ne5 24. Qe2 Nc6 25. Qd3 Ne5 {½-½ (25) Assaubayeva,B (2469)-Paehtz,E (2479) Bydgoszcz POL 2023}) ({RR} 14... e5 15. Re1 Rd8 16. Nxa4 Qb4 17. b3 exd4 18. Qd2 Qd6 19. Rad1 h6 20. h3 Nf6 21. c5 Qf8 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. Rxe5 Bd7 24. Bxb7 Ra7 25. Qxd4 Rxb7 26. c6 Rbb8 27. cxd7 Rxd7 28. Qa1 Rbd8 29. Rxd7 {Tirpan,C (1996)-Krasteva,B (2257) Rhodes GRE 2025 ½-½ (58)}) 15. bxa3 {This allows Black to get good breathing space. Now there is always counterplay on White's vulnerable queenside pawns. Ian played this very quickly, and now he has a big lead in the clock. Dies verschafft Schwarz guten Raum zum Atmen. Jetzt gibt es immer Gegenspiel auf die verwundbaren weißen Bauern am Damenflügel. Ian hat das sehr schnell gespielt und hat nun einen großen Vorsprung auf der Uhr.} ({Very strong for White is Sehr stark für Weiß ist} 15. b4 $1 {which is clearly the most challenging move here. White fights for the initiative and takes advantage of his lead in development. Probably Magnus still has this position prepared on his files, and is ready to defend a slightly worse position after was hier eindeutig der anspruchsvollste Zug ist. Weiß kämpft um die Initiative und nutzt seinen Entwicklungsvorsprung aus. Wahrscheinlich hat Magnus diese Stellung noch in seinen Dateien vorbereitet und ist bereit, eine etwas schlechtere Stellung zu verteidigen nach} Nxb4 (15... Rd8 16. Rb1 $14) 16. Rb1 (16. h3 b6 17. Nd3 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Nf6 19. Ne5 Ra4 {this gives White a good initiative for the pawn, but it remains double-edged. Dies gibt Weiß eine gute Initiative für den Bauern, aber es bleibt zweischneidig.}) 16... b6 (16... Nxa2 $2 {leaves the knight trapped after lässt den Springer in der Falle sitzen nach} 17. Qb3) 17. Rxb4 bxc5 18. Rb5 Ra6 (18... cxd4 $2 19. Nxd4 {wins a piece, as the knight on g4 is hanging. gewinnt eine Figur, da der Springer auf g4 hängt.}) 19. Rxc5 Bb7 {and White is definitely better. I think Magnus prepared this and was ready to defend, but at the same time what are the chances your opponent can find all the best moves in the opening? und Weiß steht definitiv besser. Ich denke, Magnus hat sich darauf vorbereitet und war bereit, sich zu verteidigen, aber wie groß ist die Chance, dass der Gegner alle besten Züge in der Eröffnung finden kann?}) (15. b3 {doesn't pose Black any problems after stellt Schwarz keine Probleme nach} Rd8 {when there are some problems with the d4-pawn and the dark-squares for example , worauf es Probleme mit dem d4-Bauern und den dunklen Feldern gibt, zum Beispiel} 16. Na4 Nh6 $1 17. Re1 Qf6 {this gives Black good counterplay on d4. Dies gibt Schwarz gutes Gegenspiel gegen d4.}) 15... Rd8 ({Black may as well take on a3 Schwarz kann auch gleich auf a3 nehmen} 15... Rxa3 16. Re1 Nf6 17. Nb3 {and get a very solid position, for example und eine sehr solide Position bekommen, zum Beispiel} Qb4 {followed by ...?a5. gefolgt von ...?a5.}) 16. Nb3 Nf6 {The knight feels a bit shaky on g4, therefore Magnus brings it back home. Der Springer fühlt sich auf g4 etwas wackelig, deshalb bringt Magnus ihn zurück nach Hause.} 17. Re1 ({Maybe Vielleicht sieht} 17. Qe2 {followed by ?fd1 looks more natural and it forces Black to defend a bit more accurately. gefolgt von ?fd1 natürlicher aus und zwingt Schwarz zu einer etwas genaueren Verteidigung.}) 17... Qxa3 {Black always has counterplay thanks to his total control over the a-file. This compensates for White's control over the center. Schwarz hat dank seiner totalen Kontrolle über die a-Linie immer Gegenspiel. Dies kompensiert die Kontrolle von Weiß über das Zentrum.} 18. Qe2 h6 19. h4 Bd7 {Magnus brings his last undeveloped piece in the game. He actually already has a comfortable choice here for example: Magnus bringt seine letzte unentwickelte Figur ins Spiel. Hier hat er schon eine bequeme Wahl, zum Beispiel:} (19... Na5 {looks very solid. If the White knight moves Black play ...?c6 back to attack the d4-pawn and if sieht sehr solide aus. Wenn der weiße Springer zieht, geht Schwarz mit...?c6 zurück, um den d4-Bauern anzugreifen, und wenn} 20. Nxa5 Rxa5 {Black has no problems. hat Schwarz keine Probleme.}) 20. Ne5 Be8 21. Qe3 (21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 {can only be good for Black. kann nur gut für Schwarz sein.}) 21... Qb4 {Black has a very comfortable position and is totally out of danger. With this move he protects b7 and is ready to take on e5 next. Schwarz hat eine sehr komfortable Stellung und ist völlig außer Gefahr. Mit diesem Zug schützt er b7 und ist bereit, als nächstes auf e5 zu nehmen.} 22. Reb1 Nxe5 {It's a good idea to clarify the position and simplify when the position calls for it. Es ist eine gute Idee, die Position zu klären und zu vereinfachen, wenn die Position dies erfordert.} ({There are plenty of other solid options here, such as Hier gibt es viele andere solide Optionen, wie zum Beispiel} 22... Ra3 {with good counterplay along the a-file. mit gutem Gegenspiel auf der a-Linie.}) 23. dxe5 Ng4 {Magnus chooses the most active square for his knight, and at the same time gains time attacking the enemy queen. Magnus wählt das aktivste Feld für seinen Springer und gewinnt gleichzeitig Zeit für den Angriff auf die gegnerische Dame.} ({At the same time is perfectly fine Völlig in Ordnung ist ebenso} 23... Nd7 24. Nd4 Qc5 25. Rxb7 Nxe5 $11) 24. Qe1 {According to Magnus he totally missed this move. It forces the trade of queens, thanks to the threat of f3, trapping the knight. But at the same time Black still has no problems whatsoever. Laut Magnus hat er diesen Zug völlig übersehen. Er erzwingt den Damentausch, dank der Drohung auf f3 mit Springerang. Aber gleichzeitig hat Schwarz immer noch keinerlei Probleme.} ({He expected Er erwartete} 24. Qc5 Qxc5 25. Nxc5 Nxe5 $11) (24. Qf4 {leads nowhere after führt nirgendwohin nach} h5) 24... Qxe1+ 25. Rxe1 h5 {This frees up h6 as a retreat square for the knight. Dadurch wird h6 als Rückzugsfeld für den Springer frei.} ({Simple is also Einfach ist auch} 25... Rd3 26. Bxb7 Ra3 {when Black equalizes easily after , worauf Schwarz leicht ausgleicht nach} 27. Be4 ({Oder Oder} 27. f3 Nxe5 28. Rxe5 Rdxb3 $11) 27... Rc3) 26. Bxb7 {White wins a pawn, but Black has full compensation. All his pieces are well placed, and his rooks are active. Weiß gewinnt einen Bauern, aber Schwarz hat volle Kompensation. Alle seine Figuren stehen gut, und seine Türme sind aktiv.} Ra4 ({Any rook move is good as well, for example Jeder Turmzug ist auch gut, zum Beispiel} 26... Ra3 $11 {followed by ...?b8, when there is no way for White to make use of his extra pawn. gefolgt von ...?b8, wonach es für Weiß keine Möglichkeit gibt, seinen Mehrbauern zu verwerten.}) {Now Ian had more than 50 minutes of time left on the clock, but after thinking for only a couple of minutes he lashed out Ian hatte noch mehr als 50 Minuten Zeit auf der Uhr, aber nachdem er nur ein paar Minuten nachgedacht hatte, entkorkte er} 27. c5 $4 {and immediately stood up. This just blunders a piece! As the commentators were saying during the live feed Ian spent almost as much time away from the board than in front of it today! und stand sofort auf. Das ist einfach ein Schnitzer! Wie die Kommentatoren während der Live-Übertragung sagten, verbrachte Ian heute fast so viel Zeit fernab des Brettes wie am Brett!} ({White must play Weiß muss spielen} 27. f3 Nh6 28. Be4 Nf5 $11 {when even though he is a pawn up at the moment, I don't think White has any realistic winning chances. , wonach, obwohl er im Moment einen Bauern mehr besitzt, ich nicht glaube, dass Weiß irgendwelche realistische Gewinnchancen hat.}) 27... c6 {White was planning to go c5-c6 but this move was clearly missed by Ian. Many things happen in chess, especially in a World Championship match. Weiß plante c5-c6, aber dieser Zug wurde von Ian eindeutig übersehen. Im Schach passieren viele Dinge, besonders bei einem Weltmeisterschaftskampf.} 28. f3 Nh6 {There is no way to rescue the bishop as Black's rooks control too many squares. Es gibt keine Möglichkeit, den Läufer zu retten, da die schwarzen Türme zu viele Felder kontrollieren.} 29. Re4 Ra7 30. Rb4 Rb8 31. a4 (31. Bxc6 Rxb4 32. Bxe8 Rxb3 $19) 31... Raxb7 {White's passed a-pawn does not have enough support to be a threat. Der weiße a-Freibauer hat nicht genug Unterstützung, um eine Drohung zu sein.} 32. Rb6 Rxb6 33. cxb6 Rxb6 34. Nc5 Nf5 {Black brings his knight back into the game and Magnus gave his opponent absolutely no chances after the blunder. Schwarz bringt seinen Springer zurück ins Spiel und Magnus ließ seinem Gegner nach dem Fehler absolut keine Chance mehr.} 35. a5 Rb8 36. a6 (36. Kf2 Rb2+ {followed by ...?xg3 wins. gefolgt von ...?xg3 gewinnt.}) (36. Kg2 Ne3+ 37. Kf2 Nc4 $19 {also wins as the knight grabs another pawn. gewinnt ebenfalls, da der Springer einen weiteren Bauern erobert.}) 36... Nxg3 37. Na4 c5 38. a7 Rd8 {The bishop comes to c6 and Black remains with too many pawns up. Der Läufer kommt nach c6, und Schwarz bleibt mit zu vielen Bauern im Plus.} 39. Nxc5 (39. Rb1 Ra8 40. Rb8 Rxa7 41. Rxe8+ Kh7 42. Nxc5 Nf5 $19) 39... Ra8 {A huge turn of events. Ian was playing very well early on in the match but today it's possible the pressure has got to him. The win in game 6 was clearly the turning point in this match as before that both players were playing equally well and it seems that Ian was no inferior to Magnus. But after game 6, it became clear that the momentum had shifted totally to the other side and Magnus took full advantage of any mistakes that Ian made. Never be too critical of elite players in an elite event. Ninety nine percent of the people watching and making useles comments will never in their lives play in an event of this magnitude and intensity. Ian is a great player and even the greatest players make mistakes. Unexpected and miserable stuff happens to us all, and we hope Ian wil be able to move on and get his mojo back asap! Eine gewaltige Wendung der Ereignisse. Ian hat zu Beginn des Matches sehr gut gespielt, aber heute ist es möglich, dass ihm der Druck zu schaffen gemacht hat. Der Sieg in Partie 6 war eindeutig der Wendepunkt in diesem Match, denn davor spielten beide Spieler gleich gut und es schien, dass Ian Magnus in nichts nachstand. Aber nach Partie 6 wurde klar, dass sich das Momentum völlig auf die andere Seite verlagert hatte, und Magnus nutzte jeden Fehler, den Ian machte, voll aus. Seien Sie niemals zu kritisch gegenüber Elitespielern bei einem Elite-Event. Neunundneunzig Prozent der Leute, die zuschauen und sinnlose Kommentare abgeben, werden nie in ihrem Leben an einem Turnier dieser Größenordnung und Intensität teilnehmen. Ian ist ein großartiger Spieler, und selbst die größten Spieler machen Fehler. Unerwartete und unglückliche Dinge passieren uns allen, und wir hoffen, dass Ian in der Lage sein wird, weiterzumachen und seine Strahlkraft so schnell wie möglich zurückzubekommen!} 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel-A 80th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.19"] [Round "6"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,Alex "] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 183"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 2. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bb4 $5 {[%emt 0:00:08] Back in the day we used to call it a Poor Man's Nimzo, but, in fact, it is a fully playable line.} 3. Qb3 {[%emt 0:01:20]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:20]} ({The more solid} 3... Ba5 {was seen in Giri-Kramnik earlier in this tournament.}) 4. Nb5 $5 {[%emt 0:07:54] This extravagant move has been known for some time. I'm sure Carlsen counted on it in his preparation.} Nc6 {[%emt 0:07:15]} 5. Nd6+ {[%emt 0:00:58]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:02:27]} (5... Ke7 $5 6. Qg3 Kf8 {is an interesting nuance. The white queen may find itself not supported by other pieces, and therefore, out of place on the kingside.}) 6. Nf3 $6 {[%emt 0:01:10] It is funny to even question this natural developing move, but the thing is, that knight is going to be driven back!} ({Instead, let's take a look at one possible alternative:} 6. g3 Qe7 7. Nxc8 Rxc8 8. Bg2 Nf6 9. Nf3 e5 10. O-O e4 $6 ({A more reasonable move is} 10... g6 11. d3 Kg7 $14) 11. Ne1 Nd4 12. Qd1 {It may seem from a casual glance that Black has made some progress, but his position has a rotten foundation. The absence of a light-squared bishop, a stray bishop on b4, uncastled king and disconnected rooks do not inspire confidence in his success in the long run. One thing left to do is to play} h5 {and hope for the best.}) 6... Qe7 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 7. Nxc8 $146 {[%emt 0:01:26]} ({RR} 7. Qd3 Ba5 8. a3 Bc7 9. Nxc8 Rxc8 10. g3 h5 11. Bg2 Nh6 12. b4 cxb4 13. axb4 Nxb4 14. Qb3 a5 15. O-O Nf5 16. e4 Nd6 17. e5 Nf5 18. d4 d6 19. Bg5 f6 20. exf6 gxf6 21. Bd2 h4 {Landa,K (2632)-Lisek,J (2316) Germany 2003 1-0 (35)}) 7... Rxc8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 8. e3 {[%emt 0:12:28]} e5 $5 {[%emt 0:02:03] Carlsen is absolutely right: Black must act fast and disrupt White's smooth development.} ({In that respect} 8... g5 $5 {also comes into consideration.}) 9. Qc2 {[%emt 0:01:00]} e4 {[%emt 0:09:34]} 10. Ng1 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:02:12]} 11. Ne2 {[%emt 0:03:05]} Ba5 {[%emt 0:02:12]} 12. a3 {[%emt 0:05:21]} h5 $1 {[%emt 0:13:39] A remarkable move. It serves as a deterrent against White's idea of fianchettoing his light-squared bishop, and prepares a possibility of development for the h8-rook.} (12... d5 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Ng3) 13. b3 {[%emt 0:09:03]} (13. g3 $2 h4) 13... Rd8 {[%emt 0:03:20] Magnus prepares to open the d-file to pressurise d2.} ({He could have done so right away,} 13... d5 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Ng3 (15. Bb2 Ncb4 16. axb4 Nxb4 17. Qb1 Nd3+ 18. Kd1 Nxf2+ 19. Ke1 Nd3+ 20. Kd1 {would give Black a choice between a draw by repetition, and a more ambitious try} Bb4 $5) 15... Nf6 16. h4 {and play} Rd8 {then. Either way, Black is getting some play, and possibly, more!}) 14. Bb2 {[%emt 0:10:30]} d5 {[%emt 0:12:59]} 15. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Rxd5 {[%emt 0:02:49]} 16. O-O-O $1 {[%emt 0:05:09] Excellent play by Svidler. With the black rook off the c-file he is safe against all ...?b4 tricks.} Ng4 $1 {[%emt 0:01:25] Once again Carlsen shows his deep understanding of dynamic factors.} ({A slow approach, such as} 16... h4 17. Nf4 Rd8 {would allow White to switch to positional tracks with} 18. Bb5 $5 Bc7 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. d3 $14) 17. Ng3 $5 {[%emt 0:23:27] Peter Svidler is no stranger to tactical battles. He knows the value of being the one in the driver's seat.} ({He rejected} 17. Nf4 Rf5 18. Nh3 {most likely on account of} c4 $1 ({Not} 18... Nxf2 19. Nxf2 Rxf2 20. Bc4 f6 21. Bd5 $14) 19. b4 (19. Bxc4 b5 {look out for that rook coming to c5!}) 19... Bxb4 20. axb4 Nxb4 21. Qa4 b5 {with a big intiative for Black.}) 17... Nxf2 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 18. Bc4 {[%emt 0:01:33]} Nxd1 {[%emt 0:10:24]} 19. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Rg5 $1 {[%emt 0:09:43] The white knight had to be kept off f5.} 20. Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:35] This looks very difficult to defend, but no worries, it's Magnus at the controls.} Nd8 $1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} (20... f6 $2 21. Nxe4 Rxg2 22. Nxf6 $1 $18) 21. Nf5 {[%emt 0:07:57]} ({With no target present on f6} 21. Nxe4 {is pointless:} Rxg2 $15) 21... Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 22. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Rg4 {[%emt 0:02:30] Carlsen's move forces White's hand.} (22... b5 23. Bd5 h4 24. Qf3 {is very much unclear.}) 23. Bxg7+ {[%emt 0:06:21] After some consideration Svidler decided to wrap up this exciting game.} ({I can't blame him for taking a draw, as} 23. Qc2 Rxg2 24. Bxg7+ Rxg7 25. Nxg7 {would have led to an ending,} Qxd2+ ({no need to allow} 25... Kxg7 $6 26. b4 $1) 26. Qxd2 Bxd2+ 27. Kxd2 Kxg7 28. Ke2 b6 29. Rd1 Nc6 30. Rd7 Ne5 31. Rxa7 Rh6 {where chances are about even.}) 23... Rxg7 {[%emt 0:04:05]} 24. Nxg7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Qxd2+ {[%emt 0:01:03] All is forced now.} 25. Kb1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 26. Rxf7+ {[%emt 0:00:31]} Nxf7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 27. Qe8+ {[%emt 0:01:37]} Kxg7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 28. Qxf7+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 29. Qf4+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 30. Qf7+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 31. Qf4+ {[%emt 0:00:04] With draws like this, who needs decisive games?} 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi"] [Site "Dubai"] [Date "2021.12.07"] [Round "9"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2782"] [BlackElo "2855"] [Annotator "So,Wesley"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2021.11.26"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "UAE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 206"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,78,58,-36,1,-66,-50,-89,-23,1,-3,-22,26,-4,36,16,65,53,53,22,22,42,72,49,60,45,16,39,39,10,6,-10,25,-7,7,0,37,-51,-16,-19,6,8,79,-7,20,1,-3,-14,18,-5,58,58,58,39,76,13,103,21,31,-143,-143,-143,-167,-170,-167,-208,-227,-227,-227,-227,-221,-227,-180,-187,-214,-266,-129,-135,-145,-193,-162] This game (number nine) was very crucial for Ian. He needed to make use of his White games and start winning somehow. Coming to the board with a new hair cut and a new look was hopefully a good sign. He also came with a new move today in a must win situation. Diese Partie (Nummer neun) war sehr entscheidend für Ian. Er musste seine Weißpartien ausnutzen und irgendwie anfangen zu gewinnen. Dass er mit einem neuen Haarschnitt und einem neuen Look ans Brett kam, war hoffentlich ein gutes Zeichen. Er kam heute auch in einer Must-win-Situation mit einem neuen Zug.} 1. c4 $5 {Ian finally decided to change his first move; the time had finally come to avoid 1.e4 e5 openings. I expected Ian to try something else. Magnus is very solid in the Ruy Lopez openings, and even when he gets slightly worse positions there, he is able to defend them very well. Not many players can defend slightly worse positions as accurately and cooly as Magnus. In my view Ian hade been getting good positions in the arising Ruy Lopez lines after the opening, but he just couldn't convert them into the much needed win. So maybe 1.c4 is a good try to see what Magnus intends to play against it. Ian beschloss schließlich, seinen ersten Zug zu ändern; es war endlich an der Zeit, 1.e4 e5-Eröffnungen zu vermeiden. Ich hatte erwartet, dass Ian etwas anderes versuchen würde. Magnus ist sehr solide in den Spanisch-Eröffnungen, und selbst wenn er dort leicht schlechtere Stellungen bekommt, kann er sie sehr gut verteidigen. Niht viele Spieler können leicht schlechtere Stellungen so genau und cool verteidigen wie Magnus. Meiner Meinung nach hatte Ian nach der Eröffnung in den entstehenden Spanisch-Varianten gute Stellungen, aber er konnte sie einfach nicht in den dringend benötigten Sieg umwandeln. Vielleicht ist 1.c4 also ein guter Versuch, um zu sehen, was Magnus dagegen zu spielen gedenkt.} e6 {A surprise reply against the English. Normally 1...e5 and 1...c5 are the main lines, or Black can also play flexibly with 1...?f6 first. The issue with 1...e6 is after 2.?c3, Black either has to allow the line 2...?f6 3.e4, which is incredibly complex or go for the Queen's Gambit variations by playing 2...d5 3.d4. Eine überraschende Antwort gegen die Englisch. Normalerweise sind 1...e5 und 1...c5 die Hauptvarianten, oder Schwarz kann auch flexibel zuerst mit 1...?f6 beginnen. Das Problem bei 1...e6 ist, dass Schwarz nach 2.?c3 entweder die Variante 2...?f6 3.e4 zulassen muss, die unglaublich komplex ist, oder die Damengambit-Varianten mit 2...d5 3.d4 spielen muss.} 2. g3 (2. Nc3 {is considered slightly more challenging as now both wird als etwas anspruchsvoller angesehen, da nun sowohl} Nf6 ({und und} 2... d5 3. d4 {here Black has many options such as ...c6, ...a6, or ...?f6 etc but in all honesty he has some problems to solve. Hier hat Schwarz viele Möglichkeiten wie ...c6, ...a6, oder ...?f6 usw., aber ehrlich gesagt hat er einige Probleme zu lösen.}) 3. e4 {forces Black to play accurately in the opening at least. zwingt Schwarz dazu, zumindest in der Eröffnung genau zu spielen.}) 2... d5 3. Bg2 {Ian goes for the same line which he used against Alekseenko in the Candidates earlieir this year. He won that game very convincingly. Black has many different possibilities here and a wide choice between solid and more aggressive moves. Ian wählt dieselbe Variante, die er Anfang des Jahres gegen Alekseenko im Kandidatenturnier verwendet hat. Er hat diese Partie sehr überzeugend gewonnen. Schwarz hat hier viele verschiedene Möglichkeiten und eine große Auswahl zwischen soliden und aggressiveren Zügen.} d4 $5 {A very brave decision by Magnus. Or maybe a well-prepared one, as he clearly knew what he was doing later on. Not a lot of players would push the d-pawn here with a serious lead in the match. Normally the position becomes double-edged now, Black had safer ways to approach the opening. Eine sehr mutige Entscheidung von Magnus. Oder vielleicht eine gut vorbereitete, da er eindeutig wusste, was er später tun würde. Nicht viele Spieler würden hier mit einem ernsthaften Vorsprung im Match den d-Bauern vorantreiben. Normalerweise wird die Stellung jetzt zweischneidig, Schwarz hatte sicherere Wege, um die Eröffnung anzugehen.} ({Alekseenko chose the natural Alekseenko wählte das natürliche} 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 {but later he played inaccurately in the opening and got a worse position after aber später spielte er in der Eröffnung ungenau und bekam eine schlechtere Stellung nach} dxc4 (4... Be7 {is a very solid choice here, inviting White to go for the main line Catalan after ist hier eine sehr solide Wahl, die Weiß dazu einlädt, die Katalanisch-Hauptvariante anzustreben nach} 5. d4) 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3 Be7 $6 9. O-O O-O 10. d4 $14) 4. Nf3 (4. b4 {is an interesting option here. Black cannot take on b4 due to ?a4+, but he is okay after ist hier eine interessante Option. Schwarz kann aufgrund von Da4+ nicht auf b4 nehmen, aber nach} e5 {steht er ordentlich.}) 4... Nc6 $5 {A very interesting rare option. Normally Black plays ...c5, but Magnus prioritizes his development and piece activity first and foremost. I haven't checked this line for a long time; this knight move looks very suspicious, but Magnus makes it work. Eine sehr interessante seltene Option. Normalerweise spielt Schwarz ...c5, aber Magnus priorisiert in erster Linie seine Entwicklung und Figurenaktivität. Ich habe diese Variante schon lange nicht mehr geprüft; dieser Springerzug sieht sehr verdächtig aus, aber Magnus lässt ihn funktionieren.} ({Normally Black plays Normalerweise spielt Schwarz} 4... c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. exd4 cxd4 7. O-O Nf6 8. d3 Bd6 {and this is one of the main lines here. I've played this myself and Black usually equalizes although in a very complicated position. und dies ist eine der Hauptvarianten hier. Ich habe das selbst gespielt und Schwarz gleicht normalerweise aus, wenngleich in sehr komplizierter Stellung.}) 5. O-O Bc5 {The bishop firmly controls the dark-squares from this position.Black can also start first with 5...?f6, and then ...?c5, but this is slightly more accurate, as in some lines Black can develop his knight on e7. Schwarz kann auch zuerst mit 5...?f6 und dann ...?c5 beginnen, aber das ist etwas genauer, da Schwarz in einigen Varianten seinen Springer auf e7 entwickeln kann.} 6. d3 (6. e3 {gives Black the extra option of gibt Black die zusätzliche Möglichkeit} Nge7 7. Re1 O-O {when later the knight can come to f5. wonach später der Springer nach f5 kommen kann.}) 6... Nf6 7. Nbd2 {Ian played this very quickly. At the moment he is playing the most ambitious and critical line. The knight is coming to b3 in order to fight for control of the central dark-squares. Ian hat das sehr schnell gespielt. Im Moment spielt er die ehrgeizigste und kritischste Variante. Der Springer kommt nach b3, um um die Kontrolle über die zentralen Dunkelfelder zu kämpfen.} ({Black is doing well after Schwarz geht es gut nach} 7. e3 O-O 8. exd4 Nxd4 9. Nc3 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 c6 {followed by ...?d4. gefolgt von ...?d4.}) 7... a5 {Black controls the dark-squares on the queenside and prepares ...a4 later on to kick the knight away from b3. There had been some games where Black castled first, but clearly Magnus knows what he is doing. Schwarz kontrolliert die dunklen Felder am Damenflügel und bereitet später ...a4 vor, um den Springer von b3 zu vertreiben. Es gab schon einige Partien, in denen Schwarz zuerst rochierte, aber Magnus weiß offensichtlich, was er tut.} 8. Nb3 Be7 9. e3 dxe3 10. Bxe3 Ng4 $5 {This forces the play and was his plan all along. Black is willing to spend a tempo in order to harass the enemy bishop and force a trade of minor pieces. Dies forciert das Spiel und war von Anfang an sein Plan. Schwarz ist bereit, ein Tempo zu opfern, um den gegnerischen Läufer zu bedrängen und einen Tausch von Leichtfiguren zu erzwingen.} ({The other logical choice is Die andere logische Wahl ist} 10... O-O 11. Nbd4 Bd7 {when White can play 12.?b5 or 12.?e2, with a small advantage for White in both cases. , wonach Weiß 12.?b5 oder 12.?e2 spielen kann, mit einem kleinen Vorteil für ihn in beiden Fällen..}) 11. Bc5 {This is necessary, in order to maintain control over the central dark-squares. Dies ist notwendig, um die Kontrolle über die zentralen dunklen Felder zu behalten.} O-O {Just continuing the development. Setzt einfach die Entwicklung fort.} ({The text is a little more precise than Der Textzug ist etwas präziser als} 11... a4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Nbd4 {when White has a lead in development and a slightly better position. , wonach Weiß einen Entwicklungsvorsprung und eine etwas bessere Stellung hat.}) 12. d4 ({The alternative was Die Alternative war} 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. a4 {securing the position of the knight on b3. After Sicherung der Stellung des Springers auf b3. Nach} Rd8 14. Re1 Qb4 15. Qc2 Qb6 16. d4 Bd7 {Black's position is slightly worse, but no more. Die Stellung von Schwarz ist etwas schlechter, aber nicht mehr.}) 12... a4 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nc5 {Ian is playing the opening confidently and quickly so far.He probably has this position prepared at some point and his play seems very logical. The next move seemed to caught him offguard though. Ian spielt die Eröffnung bisher selbstbewusst und schnell. Wahrscheinlich hat er diese Stellung schon einmal vorbereitet und sein Spiel scheint sehr logisch zu sein. Der nächste Zug schien ihn jedoch zu überraschen.} a3 $146 {A nice and very solid move, dealing with the problem of the a-pawn and creating some counterplay on the queenside. Ein schöner und sehr solider Zug, der das Problem des a-Bauern löst und gewisses Gegenspiel am Damenflügel schafft.} ({The computer first recommends Der Computer empfiehlt zunächst} 14... e5 {which I assume is what Ian had prepared maybe. After was, nehme ich an, Ian vielleicht vorbereitet hatte. Nach} 15. Re1 Rd8 16. b4 $1 (16. Nxa4 {is another complicated possibility. ist eine weitere komplizierte Möglichkeit.}) 16... axb3 17. Nxb3 {Black has some problems with the pin along the e-file, and the play is very concrete. Schwarz hat einige Probleme mit der Fesselung entlang der e-Linie, und das Spiel ist sehr konkret.} e4 18. h3 Nh6 19. Ne5 {White is better here and it demands some very accurate play by Black. I think Magnus made the right decision by playing 14...a3, instead of going for very complicated play. Weiß steht hier besser, und es erfordert ein sehr genaues Spiel von Schwarz. Ich denke, Magnus hat die richtige Entscheidung getroffen, indem er 14...a3 spielte, anstatt ein sehr kompliziertes Spiel zu wählen.}) (14... Rd8 {loses a pawn due to verliert einen Bauern aufgrund von} 15. Nxa4) ({RR} 14... e5 15. Re1 Rd8 16. Nxa4 Qb4 17. b3 exd4 18. h3 Nf6 19. Qd3 Be6 20. Nd2 Qd6 21. a3 Ne5 22. Qe2 Nc6 23. Qd3 Ne5 24. Qe2 Nc6 25. Qd3 Ne5 {½-½ (25) Assaubayeva,B (2469)-Paehtz,E (2479) Bydgoszcz POL 2023}) ({RR} 14... e5 15. Re1 Rd8 16. Nxa4 Qb4 17. b3 exd4 18. Qd2 Qd6 19. Rad1 h6 20. h3 Nf6 21. c5 Qf8 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. Rxe5 Bd7 24. Bxb7 Ra7 25. Qxd4 Rxb7 26. c6 Rbb8 27. cxd7 Rxd7 28. Qa1 Rbd8 29. Rxd7 {Tirpan,C (1996)-Krasteva,B (2257) Rhodes GRE 2025 ½-½ (58)}) 15. bxa3 {This allows Black to get good breathing space. Now there is always counterplay on White's vulnerable queenside pawns. Ian played this very quickly, and now he has a big lead in the clock. Dies verschafft Schwarz guten Raum zum Atmen. Jetzt gibt es immer Gegenspiel auf die verwundbaren weißen Bauern am Damenflügel. Ian hat das sehr schnell gespielt und hat nun einen großen Vorsprung auf der Uhr.} ({Very strong for White is Sehr stark für Weiß ist} 15. b4 $1 {which is clearly the most challenging move here. White fights for the initiative and takes advantage of his lead in development. Probably Magnus still has this position prepared on his files, and is ready to defend a slightly worse position after was hier eindeutig der anspruchsvollste Zug ist. Weiß kämpft um die Initiative und nutzt seinen Entwicklungsvorsprung aus. Wahrscheinlich hat Magnus diese Stellung noch in seinen Dateien vorbereitet und ist bereit, eine etwas schlechtere Stellung zu verteidigen nach} Nxb4 (15... Rd8 16. Rb1 $14) 16. Rb1 (16. h3 b6 17. Nd3 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Nf6 19. Ne5 Ra4 {this gives White a good initiative for the pawn, but it remains double-edged. Dies gibt Weiß eine gute Initiative für den Bauern, aber es bleibt zweischneidig.}) 16... b6 (16... Nxa2 $2 {leaves the knight trapped after lässt den Springer in der Falle sitzen nach} 17. Qb3) 17. Rxb4 bxc5 18. Rb5 Ra6 (18... cxd4 $2 19. Nxd4 {wins a piece, as the knight on g4 is hanging. gewinnt eine Figur, da der Springer auf g4 hängt.}) 19. Rxc5 Bb7 {and White is definitely better. I think Magnus prepared this and was ready to defend, but at the same time what are the chances your opponent can find all the best moves in the opening? und Weiß steht definitiv besser. Ich denke, Magnus hat sich darauf vorbereitet und war bereit, sich zu verteidigen, aber wie groß ist die Chance, dass der Gegner alle besten Züge in der Eröffnung finden kann?}) (15. b3 {doesn't pose Black any problems after stellt Schwarz keine Probleme nach} Rd8 {when there are some problems with the d4-pawn and the dark-squares for example , worauf es Probleme mit dem d4-Bauern und den dunklen Feldern gibt, zum Beispiel} 16. Na4 Nh6 $1 17. Re1 Qf6 {this gives Black good counterplay on d4. Dies gibt Schwarz gutes Gegenspiel gegen d4.}) 15... Rd8 ({Black may as well take on a3 Schwarz kann auch gleich auf a3 nehmen} 15... Rxa3 16. Re1 Nf6 17. Nb3 {and get a very solid position, for example und eine sehr solide Position bekommen, zum Beispiel} Qb4 {followed by ...?a5. gefolgt von ...?a5.}) 16. Nb3 Nf6 {The knight feels a bit shaky on g4, therefore Magnus brings it back home. Der Springer fühlt sich auf g4 etwas wackelig, deshalb bringt Magnus ihn zurück nach Hause.} 17. Re1 ({Maybe Vielleicht sieht} 17. Qe2 {followed by ?fd1 looks more natural and it forces Black to defend a bit more accurately. gefolgt von ?fd1 natürlicher aus und zwingt Schwarz zu einer etwas genaueren Verteidigung.}) 17... Qxa3 {Black always has counterplay thanks to his total control over the a-file. This compensates for White's control over the center. Schwarz hat dank seiner totalen Kontrolle über die a-Linie immer Gegenspiel. Dies kompensiert die Kontrolle von Weiß über das Zentrum.} 18. Qe2 h6 19. h4 Bd7 {Magnus brings his last undeveloped piece in the game. He actually already has a comfortable choice here for example: Magnus bringt seine letzte unentwickelte Figur ins Spiel. Hier hat er schon eine bequeme Wahl, zum Beispiel:} (19... Na5 {looks very solid. If the White knight moves Black play ...?c6 back to attack the d4-pawn and if sieht sehr solide aus. Wenn der weiße Springer zieht, geht Schwarz mit...?c6 zurück, um den d4-Bauern anzugreifen, und wenn} 20. Nxa5 Rxa5 {Black has no problems. hat Schwarz keine Probleme.}) 20. Ne5 Be8 21. Qe3 (21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 {can only be good for Black. kann nur gut für Schwarz sein.}) 21... Qb4 {Black has a very comfortable position and is totally out of danger. With this move he protects b7 and is ready to take on e5 next. Schwarz hat eine sehr komfortable Stellung und ist völlig außer Gefahr. Mit diesem Zug schützt er b7 und ist bereit, als nächstes auf e5 zu nehmen.} 22. Reb1 Nxe5 {It's a good idea to clarify the position and simplify when the position calls for it. Es ist eine gute Idee, die Position zu klären und zu vereinfachen, wenn die Position dies erfordert.} ({There are plenty of other solid options here, such as Hier gibt es viele andere solide Optionen, wie zum Beispiel} 22... Ra3 {with good counterplay along the a-file. mit gutem Gegenspiel auf der a-Linie.}) 23. dxe5 Ng4 {Magnus chooses the most active square for his knight, and at the same time gains time attacking the enemy queen. Magnus wählt das aktivste Feld für seinen Springer und gewinnt gleichzeitig Zeit für den Angriff auf die gegnerische Dame.} ({At the same time is perfectly fine Völlig in Ordnung ist ebenso} 23... Nd7 24. Nd4 Qc5 25. Rxb7 Nxe5 $11) 24. Qe1 {According to Magnus he totally missed this move. It forces the trade of queens, thanks to the threat of f3, trapping the knight. But at the same time Black still has no problems whatsoever. Laut Magnus hat er diesen Zug völlig übersehen. Er erzwingt den Damentausch, dank der Drohung auf f3 mit Springerang. Aber gleichzeitig hat Schwarz immer noch keinerlei Probleme.} ({He expected Er erwartete} 24. Qc5 Qxc5 25. Nxc5 Nxe5 $11) (24. Qf4 {leads nowhere after führt nirgendwohin nach} h5) 24... Qxe1+ 25. Rxe1 h5 {This frees up h6 as a retreat square for the knight. Dadurch wird h6 als Rückzugsfeld für den Springer frei.} ({Simple is also Einfach ist auch} 25... Rd3 26. Bxb7 Ra3 {when Black equalizes easily after , worauf Schwarz leicht ausgleicht nach} 27. Be4 ({Oder Oder} 27. f3 Nxe5 28. Rxe5 Rdxb3 $11) 27... Rc3) 26. Bxb7 {White wins a pawn, but Black has full compensation. All his pieces are well placed, and his rooks are active. Weiß gewinnt einen Bauern, aber Schwarz hat volle Kompensation. Alle seine Figuren stehen gut, und seine Türme sind aktiv.} Ra4 ({Any rook move is good as well, for example Jeder Turmzug ist auch gut, zum Beispiel} 26... Ra3 $11 {followed by ...?b8, when there is no way for White to make use of his extra pawn. gefolgt von ...?b8, wonach es für Weiß keine Möglichkeit gibt, seinen Mehrbauern zu verwerten.}) {Now Ian had more than 50 minutes of time left on the clock, but after thinking for only a couple of minutes he lashed out Ian hatte noch mehr als 50 Minuten Zeit auf der Uhr, aber nachdem er nur ein paar Minuten nachgedacht hatte, entkorkte er} 27. c5 $4 {and immediately stood up. This just blunders a piece! As the commentators were saying during the live feed Ian spent almost as much time away from the board than in front of it today! und stand sofort auf. Das ist einfach ein Schnitzer! Wie die Kommentatoren während der Live-Übertragung sagten, verbrachte Ian heute fast so viel Zeit fernab des Brettes wie am Brett!} ({White must play Weiß muss spielen} 27. f3 Nh6 28. Be4 Nf5 $11 {when even though he is a pawn up at the moment, I don't think White has any realistic winning chances. , wonach, obwohl er im Moment einen Bauern mehr besitzt, ich nicht glaube, dass Weiß irgendwelche realistische Gewinnchancen hat.}) 27... c6 {White was planning to go c5-c6 but this move was clearly missed by Ian. Many things happen in chess, especially in a World Championship match. Weiß plante c5-c6, aber dieser Zug wurde von Ian eindeutig übersehen. Im Schach passieren viele Dinge, besonders bei einem Weltmeisterschaftskampf.} 28. f3 Nh6 {There is no way to rescue the bishop as Black's rooks control too many squares. Es gibt keine Möglichkeit, den Läufer zu retten, da die schwarzen Türme zu viele Felder kontrollieren.} 29. Re4 Ra7 30. Rb4 Rb8 31. a4 (31. Bxc6 Rxb4 32. Bxe8 Rxb3 $19) 31... Raxb7 {White's passed a-pawn does not have enough support to be a threat. Der weiße a-Freibauer hat nicht genug Unterstützung, um eine Drohung zu sein.} 32. Rb6 Rxb6 33. cxb6 Rxb6 34. Nc5 Nf5 {Black brings his knight back into the game and Magnus gave his opponent absolutely no chances after the blunder. Schwarz bringt seinen Springer zurück ins Spiel und Magnus ließ seinem Gegner nach dem Fehler absolut keine Chance mehr.} 35. a5 Rb8 36. a6 (36. Kf2 Rb2+ {followed by ...?xg3 wins. gefolgt von ...?xg3 gewinnt.}) (36. Kg2 Ne3+ 37. Kf2 Nc4 $19 {also wins as the knight grabs another pawn. gewinnt ebenfalls, da der Springer einen weiteren Bauern erobert.}) 36... Nxg3 37. Na4 c5 38. a7 Rd8 {The bishop comes to c6 and Black remains with too many pawns up. Der Läufer kommt nach c6, und Schwarz bleibt mit zu vielen Bauern im Plus.} 39. Nxc5 (39. Rb1 Ra8 40. Rb8 Rxa7 41. Rxe8+ Kh7 42. Nxc5 Nf5 $19) 39... Ra8 {A huge turn of events. Ian was playing very well early on in the match but today it's possible the pressure has got to him. The win in game 6 was clearly the turning point in this match as before that both players were playing equally well and it seems that Ian was no inferior to Magnus. But after game 6, it became clear that the momentum had shifted totally to the other side and Magnus took full advantage of any mistakes that Ian made. Never be too critical of elite players in an elite event. Ninety nine percent of the people watching and making useles comments will never in their lives play in an event of this magnitude and intensity. Ian is a great player and even the greatest players make mistakes. Unexpected and miserable stuff happens to us all, and we hope Ian wil be able to move on and get his mojo back asap! Eine gewaltige Wendung der Ereignisse. Ian hat zu Beginn des Matches sehr gut gespielt, aber heute ist es möglich, dass ihm der Druck zu schaffen gemacht hat. Der Sieg in Partie 6 war eindeutig der Wendepunkt in diesem Match, denn davor spielten beide Spieler gleich gut und es schien, dass Ian Magnus in nichts nachstand. Aber nach Partie 6 wurde klar, dass sich das Momentum völlig auf die andere Seite verlagert hatte, und Magnus nutzte jeden Fehler, den Ian machte, voll aus. Seien Sie niemals zu kritisch gegenüber Elitespielern bei einem Elite-Event. Neunundneunzig Prozent der Leute, die zuschauen und sinnlose Kommentare abgeben, werden nie in ihrem Leben an einem Turnier dieser Größenordnung und Intensität teilnehmen. Ian ist ein großartiger Spieler, und selbst die größten Spieler machen Fehler. Unerwartete und unglückliche Dinge passieren uns allen, und wir hoffen, dass Ian in der Lage sein wird, weiterzumachen und seine Strahlkraft so schnell wie möglich zurückzubekommen!} 0-1 [Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.09"] [Round "8.5"] [White "Keymer, Vincent"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2647"] [BlackElo "2828"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. Nf3 {Ribli,Z} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. b3 d5 4. Bb2 Bd6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Re8 ({RR} 6... b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. Nc3 a6 ({RR} 8... Nbd7) 9. d4 Nbd7 10. Qc2 Qe7 ({RR} 10... Ne4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Ne5 f5 13. Rad1 Qe7) 11. Rad1 Ne4 12. e3 f5 ({RR} 12... Nxc3) 13. Ne2 ({RR} 13. Ne1) 13... dxc4 ({RR} 13... c5) 14. bxc4 Ng5 ({RR} 14... c5 15. Ne5 Rad8 16. Nf4) 15. Nxg5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qxg5 17. Nf4 ({RR} 17. e4 f4 18. f3) 17... Qe7 18. Rfe1 Qf7 19. Nd3 ({RR} 19. d5 Bxf4 ({RR} 19... e5 20. Ne6 Rfe8 21. e4) 20. exf4 Rfe8) 19... c5 20. Qa4 ({RR} 20. f4) 20... b5 21. Qa5 {Gulko,B (2635)-Sveshnikov,E (2570) Biel 1993 CBM 037 [Ribli,Z] ½-½ (51)} ({RR} 21. cxb5 Nb6) ({RR} 21. Qc2 Rfc8 22. dxc5 Nxc5 23. Nxc5 Bxc5 24. cxb5 Bb4) {RR} 21... bxc4 22. dxc5 cxd3 23. cxd6) ({RR} 6... dxc4 7. bxc4 c5 8. O-O Nc6 9. d3 Rb8 10. Nc3 a6 11. a4 b6 12. e3 Bb7 13. Qe2 Qc7 14. Ne1 Na7 15. f4 Bxg2 16. Nxg2 Rfd8 17. g4 Be7 18. g5 Ne8 19. Ne4 Nc6 20. h4 b5 21. axb5 {Puranik,A (2580)-Xu,Y (2555) Tornelo INT 2021 1-0 (60)}) 7. d4 ({RR} 7. Nc3 dxc4 8. bxc4 e5 9. Ng5 h6 10. Nge4 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Bf8 12. O-O Nd7 13. e3 c6 14. d3 Nc5 15. Nxc5 Bxc5 16. Qb3 Qc7 17. Kh1 Bf5 18. Qc3 Rad8 19. Rad1 Qd7 20. Rd2 Qd6 21. Qb3 Bxd3 {Keymer,V (2690)-Moussard,J (2654) Biel SUI 2023 ½-½ (36)}) 7... b6 $146 ({RR} 7... c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. e4 Qa5+ 10. Nfd2 Nb4 11. O-O cxd4 12. Nc4 Qc7 13. Nba3 Bc5 14. Nb5 Qe7 15. a3 N4c6 16. e5 a6 17. Nbd6 b5 18. Na5 Nxe5 19. Nxc8 Rxc8 20. Bxa8 Bb6 21. f4 d3+ 22. Kh1 {Boyd,S (2311)-Beaurain,J (2098) France 2007 1-0 (41)}) 8. O-O Bb7 9. Nc3 dxc4 $146 ({RR} 9... Nbd7 10. Qc2 c5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rad1 g6 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Nd2 Qb6 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Nc4 Qc6 18. Na5 Qa6 19. Rxd5 Rxe2 20. Rxd6 Rxc2 21. Rxa6 Rxb2 22. Nc4 Re2 23. Rd1 Nf8 24. Ne3 {Donchenko,A (2626)-Lagarde,M (2595) Walbrzych POL 2024 ½-½ (74)}) ({RR} 9... a6 10. Nd2 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Rc1 Nbd7 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Nf3 b5 15. e3 Qb6 16. Nd4 Ne5 17. Nce2 b4 18. Nf4 Rac8 19. Rc2 g6 20. Bh3 Rcd8 21. Nd3 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Ne4 23. Rfc1 a5 24. Bf1 {Quesada Perez,L (2535)-Montes Orozco,M (2294) Mexico City MEX 2025 1-0 (35)}) 10. bxc4 Nbd7 11. Qc2 c5 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 a6 14. a4 Rb8 15. Nd2 Be5 16. e4 b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nxb5 Bxd5 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. exd5 Rxb5 21. Rfe1 c4 22. Rad1 g6 23. Ne4 Nxe4 24. Rxe4 Qb6 25. Re2 f6 26. h3 Kg7 27. Kh2 c3 28. Qa4 Nf3+ 29. Bxf3 Rxe2 30. Bxe2 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 Qxe2 32. Qa7+ Kh6 33. Qd4 Qf3+ 0-1 [Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.09"] [Round "8.5"] [White "Keymer, Vincent"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2647"] [BlackElo "2828"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. Nf3 {Ribli,Z} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. b3 d5 4. Bb2 Bd6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Re8 ({RR} 6... b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. Nc3 a6 ({RR} 8... Nbd7) 9. d4 Nbd7 10. Qc2 Qe7 ({RR} 10... Ne4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Ne5 f5 13. Rad1 Qe7) 11. Rad1 Ne4 12. e3 f5 ({RR} 12... Nxc3) 13. Ne2 ({RR} 13. Ne1) 13... dxc4 ({RR} 13... c5) 14. bxc4 Ng5 ({RR} 14... c5 15. Ne5 Rad8 16. Nf4) 15. Nxg5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qxg5 17. Nf4 ({RR} 17. e4 f4 18. f3) 17... Qe7 18. Rfe1 Qf7 19. Nd3 ({RR} 19. d5 Bxf4 ({RR} 19... e5 20. Ne6 Rfe8 21. e4) 20. exf4 Rfe8) 19... c5 20. Qa4 ({RR} 20. f4) 20... b5 21. Qa5 {Gulko,B (2635)-Sveshnikov,E (2570) Biel 1993 CBM 037 [Ribli,Z] ½-½ (51)} ({RR} 21. cxb5 Nb6) ({RR} 21. Qc2 Rfc8 22. dxc5 Nxc5 23. Nxc5 Bxc5 24. cxb5 Bb4) {RR} 21... bxc4 22. dxc5 cxd3 23. cxd6) ({RR} 6... dxc4 7. bxc4 c5 8. O-O Nc6 9. d3 Rb8 10. Nc3 a6 11. a4 b6 12. e3 Bb7 13. Qe2 Qc7 14. Ne1 Na7 15. f4 Bxg2 16. Nxg2 Rfd8 17. g4 Be7 18. g5 Ne8 19. Ne4 Nc6 20. h4 b5 21. axb5 {Puranik,A (2580)-Xu,Y (2555) Tornelo INT 2021 1-0 (60)}) 7. d4 ({RR} 7. Nc3 dxc4 8. bxc4 e5 9. Ng5 h6 10. Nge4 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Bf8 12. O-O Nd7 13. e3 c6 14. d3 Nc5 15. Nxc5 Bxc5 16. Qb3 Qc7 17. Kh1 Bf5 18. Qc3 Rad8 19. Rad1 Qd7 20. Rd2 Qd6 21. Qb3 Bxd3 {Keymer,V (2690)-Moussard,J (2654) Biel SUI 2023 ½-½ (36)}) 7... b6 $146 ({RR} 7... c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. e4 Qa5+ 10. Nfd2 Nb4 11. O-O cxd4 12. Nc4 Qc7 13. Nba3 Bc5 14. Nb5 Qe7 15. a3 N4c6 16. e5 a6 17. Nbd6 b5 18. Na5 Nxe5 19. Nxc8 Rxc8 20. Bxa8 Bb6 21. f4 d3+ 22. Kh1 {Boyd,S (2311)-Beaurain,J (2098) France 2007 1-0 (41)}) 8. O-O Bb7 9. Nc3 dxc4 $146 ({RR} 9... Nbd7 10. Qc2 c5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rad1 g6 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Nd2 Qb6 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Nc4 Qc6 18. Na5 Qa6 19. Rxd5 Rxe2 20. Rxd6 Rxc2 21. Rxa6 Rxb2 22. Nc4 Re2 23. Rd1 Nf8 24. Ne3 {Donchenko,A (2626)-Lagarde,M (2595) Walbrzych POL 2024 ½-½ (74)}) ({RR} 9... a6 10. Nd2 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Rc1 Nbd7 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Nf3 b5 15. e3 Qb6 16. Nd4 Ne5 17. Nce2 b4 18. Nf4 Rac8 19. Rc2 g6 20. Bh3 Rcd8 21. Nd3 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Ne4 23. Rfc1 a5 24. Bf1 {Quesada Perez,L (2535)-Montes Orozco,M (2294) Mexico City MEX 2025 1-0 (35)}) 10. bxc4 Nbd7 11. Qc2 c5 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 a6 14. a4 Rb8 15. Nd2 Be5 16. e4 b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nxb5 Bxd5 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. exd5 Rxb5 21. Rfe1 c4 22. Rad1 g6 23. Ne4 Nxe4 24. Rxe4 Qb6 25. Re2 f6 26. h3 Kg7 27. Kh2 c3 28. Qa4 Nf3+ 29. Bxf3 Rxe2 30. Bxe2 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 Qxe2 32. Qa7+ Kh6 33. Qd4 Qf3+ 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 2024"] [Site "Stavanger, Norway"] [Date "2024.06.02"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2830"] [BlackElo "2762"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1 - Chessbase"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. Nf3 {[%eval 14,0] Stockfish 16 https://lichess.org/?/ralphptorres} d5 {[%eval 18,0]} 2. g3 {[%eval 5,0]} Nf6 {[%eval 14,0]} 3. Bg2 {[%eval 13,0]} c5 {[%eval 26,0]} 4. O-O {[%eval 13,0]} e6 {[%eval 18,0]} 5. c4 {[%eval 15,0]} d4 {[%eval 17,0]} 6. e3 {[%eval 5,0]} Nc6 {[%eval 21,0]} 7. exd4 {[%eval 16,0]} cxd4 {[%eval 18,0]} 8. d3 {[%eval 19,0]} Bd6 {[%eval 28,0]} ({RR} 8... h6 9. Re1 Bd6 10. Na3 O-O 11. Nc2 a5 12. a3 e5 13. Rb1 a4 14. b4 axb3 15. Nb4 Re8 16. Qxb3 Bf5 17. Nd2 Qd7 18. Qc2 Bh3 19. Bh1 Ne7 20. Na2 Rab8 21. a4 Ng6 22. Rb5 Qc7 23. Ne4 {0-1 Duda,J (2732)-Keymer,V (2743) Titled Tue 9th Jan Early chess.com INT 2024 (11)}) 9. Nbd2 {[%eval 8,0]} ({RR} 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nbd2 Qe7 12. a3 a5 13. Ne4 Bc7 14. c5 O-O 15. Nfd2 f5 16. Nd6 Bxd6 17. cxd6 Qxd6 18. Nc4 Qd8 19. Rc1 Ra6 20. Qb3 Kh8 21. Rfe1 f4 22. Qb5 Rf5 23. Qb3 f3 {1-0 Fridman,D (2569)-Ding,L (2818) GRENKE Chess Classic Karlsruhe, Germany 2024 (12.2)}) ({RR} 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nbd2 Qe7 12. a3 a5 13. Ne4 Bc7 14. b4 axb4 15. axb4 Rxa1 16. Qxa1 Qxb4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. Rb1 Nc2 19. Qa2 Qa3 20. Qxc2 O-O 21. d4 b6 22. d5 Rd8 23. h4 Qe7 {Gukesh,D (2730)-Abdusattorov,N (2731) Berlin GER 2023 ½-½ (54)}) ({RR} 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nbd2 Qe7 12. a3 a5 13. Ne4 Bc7 14. b4 axb4 15. axb4 Rxa1 16. Qxa1 f5 17. Nc5 Nxb4 18. Qa4+ Kf7 19. Qxb4 Bd6 20. Qb5 Bxc5 21. Ne5+ Kf6 22. f4 Rd8 23. Rb1 Bd6 {Fridman,D (2569)-Ding,L (2818) Karlsruhe, Germany 2024 [Stockfish 16] ½-½} {RR} 24. g4 g5) 9... O-O {[%eval 5,0]} 10. Ng5 {[%eval 1,0]} Be7 $146 {[%eval 14,0]} ({RR} 10... e5 11. a3 Bg4 12. Qe1 h6 13. Nge4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Re8 15. b4 Bf8 16. h3 Be6 17. g4 f5 18. gxf5 Bxf5 19. f4 exf4 20. Bxf4 Qd7 21. b5 Nd8 22. Ra2 Nf7 23. Qh4 Ne5 24. Bxh6 Nxd3 25. Nf6+ {1-0 Yuffa,D (2607)-Klimkowski,J (2505) III Menorca Open 2024 Ciutadella de Menorca ESP (8.6)}) ({RR} 10... e5 11. a3 Bg4 12. Qe1 h6 13. Nge4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Re8 15. b4 Bf8 16. h3 Be6 17. g4 f5 18. gxf5 Bxf5 19. f4 exf4 20. Bxf4 Qd7 21. b5 Nd8 22. Ra2 Nf7 23. Qh4 Ne5 24. Bxh6 Nxd3 25. Nf6+ {Yuffa,D (2607)-Klimkowski,J (2505) Ciutadella de Menorca ESP 2024 1-0}) ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. f4 b6 12. a3 a5 13. g4 Qc7 14. Nde4 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 f5 16. Nxd6 Qxd6 17. g5 Rae8 18. b4 e5 19. b5 Nd8 20. fxe5 Qxe5 21. Bf4 Qc5 22. Qf3 Ne6 23. Qd5 Rf7 24. Bd6 Qc8 25. h4 {Siddharth,J (2496)-Liu,C (2271) Petrovac MNE 2025 ½-½ (49)}) 11. f4 {[%eval 14,0]} Rb8 {[%eval 3,0]} 12. Qe2 {[%eval 27,0]} Qc7 {[%eval 31,0]} 13. g4 {[%eval 0,0]} b5 {[%eval 0,0]} 14. b3 {[%eval 0,0]} bxc4 {[%eval 0,0]} 15. bxc4 {[%eval 0,0]} Rb6 {[%eval 0,0]} 16. Nde4 {[%eval 5,0]} Nxe4 {[%eval 0,0]} 17. Nxe4 {[%eval 0,0]} Bb7 {[%eval 44,0]} 18. f5 {[%eval 37,0]} exf5 {[%eval 44,0]} 19. gxf5 {[%eval 43,0]} Ne5 {[%eval 43,0]} 20. Bf4 {[%eval 37,0]} f6 {[%eval 39,0]} 21. Rae1 {[%eval 36,0]} Bxe4 {[%eval 61,0]} 22. Qxe4 {[%eval 43,0]} Bd6 {[%eval 44,0]} 23. Kh1 {[%eval 57,0]} Qc5 {[%eval 100,0]} 24. Bg3 {[%eval 98,0]} Rd8 {[%eval 101,0]} 25. Qe2 {[%eval 64,0]} Nd7 $6 {[%eval 149,0] Inaccuracy. Qa3 was best.} (25... Qa3) 26. Bf2 {[%eval 158,0]} Be5 {[%eval 139,0]} 27. Bd5+ {[%eval 104,0]} Kh8 {[%eval 135,0]} 28. Qh5 $6 {[%eval 43,0] Inaccuracy. Rg1 was best.} (28. Rg1 Qf8 29. Rg4 Rb4 30. Reg1 Rdb8 31. Bxd4 Bxd4 32. Rxd4 Rb1 33. Re4 Rxg1+) 28... Qf8 $6 {[%eval 128,0] Inaccuracy. Rb2 was best.} (28... Rb2 29. Re4) 29. Re4 $2 {[%eval 5,0] Mistake. Bxd4 was best.} (29. Bxd4) 29... Rb2 $4 {[%eval 32764,0] Checkmate is now unavoidable. h6 was best.} (29... h6) 30. Qxh7+ {[%eval 32766,0]} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Krasnaya Polyana"] [Date "2021.07.18"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Tari, Aryan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2847"] [BlackElo "2639"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2021.07.12"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "8"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 dxc4 4. Qa4+ c6 5. Qxc4 c5 6. b3 Nf6 7. Bb2 Be7 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne5 $146 ({RR} 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Bxc6 Rc8 14. Qb5 Rxc6 15. Qxb7 Rc2 16. Ba3 Bxa3 17. Nxa3 Rxe2 18. Qxa7 Qd5 19. Nc4 h5 20. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Ra8 22. Qc7 Rxa2 23. Ne5 Qxb3 24. Qxf7+ Kh7 {Holtel,J (2344)-Matthes,A (2204) Germany GER 2025 1-0}) 10... Nxe5 11. Bxe5 Nd7 12. Bb2 Rb8 13. Nc3 Bf6 14. Rab1 b6 15. b4 Bb7 16. Bxb7 Rxb7 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. Ba3 Rc7 19. Rfd1 Re8 20. Nb5 Rd7 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Qa4 Qa8 23. d3 h5 24. Rdc1 Rc8 25. Na3 Rd4 26. Nc4 h4 27. Qb5 Qd5 28. Qb7 Rd8 29. Qxd5 exd5 30. Ne3 Ra4 31. Rc2 h3 32. Kf1 Bd4 33. Nf5 Bf6 34. Ne3 Bd4 35. Nf5 Bf6 36. Rxc5 Rxa2 37. Ne3 a5 38. Nxd5 Bd4 39. Rcb5 a4 40. Ne7+ 1-0 [Event "Arctic Chess Challenge"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2007.08.10"] [Round "7"] [White "Burmakin, Vladimir"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2581"] [BlackElo "2710"] [PlyCount "99"] [EventDate "2007.08.04"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 119 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.09.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.09.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. b3 d4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. O-O e5 7. d3 a5 8. e3 Be7 9. exd4 exd4 10. Na3 O-O 11. Nc2 Bf5 12. Re1 $146 ({RR} 12. a3 Bc5 13. Re1 Re8 14. Rxe8+ Qxe8 15. Bb2 Qd7 16. Qd2 Qd6 17. Re1 h6 18. h3 Bh7 19. Bf1 Rb8 20. b4 axb4 21. axb4 Bxb4 22. Nxb4 Qxb4 23. Qxb4 Nxb4 24. Bxd4 Nxd3 25. Re3 Nb4 26. Rb3 Nc6 {Castillo Dalmau,A (2221)-Sanchez,S (2425) Sabadell 2019 0-1 (59)}) ({RR} 12. Bb2 Bc5 13. a3 Bg6 14. Qd2 Qd6 15. Nh4 Rfd8 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Rab1 Rab8 18. Bc1 Qd7 19. b4 axb4 20. axb4 Be7 21. Re1 Nh7 22. b5 Na7 23. Bb2 c5 24. bxc6 Nxc6 25. Ba3 Bxa3 26. Nxa3 Re8 {Antonica,D (2329)-Prraneeth,V (2485) Arad ROU 2023 ½-½ (75)}) 12... Qd7 13. Bb2 Bc5 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Rxe5 Bd6 16. Re1 c5 17. Na3 Rae8 18. Qd2 b6 19. Nb5 Bb8 20. a3 Ng4 21. h3 Ne5 22. g4 Bg6 23. f4 Nxd3 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. f5 Bxf5 26. gxf5 Qxf5 27. Rd1 Re3 28. Nxd4 cxd4 29. Bxd4 Rg3 30. Bf2 Rxh3 31. Bxh3 Qxh3 32. Bxb6 Bh2+ 33. Qxh2 Qg4+ 34. Kh1 Qxd1+ 35. Bg1 h6 36. Qg2 Qe1 37. Qa8+ Kh7 38. Qf3 Ne5 39. Qf4 Ng6 40. Qe3 Qf1 41. Kh2 f5 42. Bf2 a4 43. bxa4 Qxc4 44. a5 Qc7+ 45. Kg1 Qxa5 46. Qa7 Qd2 47. a4 Nf4 48. Qc5 Qd1+ 49. Kh2 Qg4 50. Bd4 0-1 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Krasnaya Polyana"] [Date "2021.07.18"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Tari, Aryan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2847"] [BlackElo "2639"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2021.07.12"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "8"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 dxc4 4. Qa4+ c6 5. Qxc4 c5 6. b3 Nf6 7. Bb2 Be7 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Ne5 $146 ({RR} 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Bxc6 Rc8 14. Qb5 Rxc6 15. Qxb7 Rc2 16. Ba3 Bxa3 17. Nxa3 Rxe2 18. Qxa7 Qd5 19. Nc4 h5 20. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Ra8 22. Qc7 Rxa2 23. Ne5 Qxb3 24. Qxf7+ Kh7 {Holtel,J (2344)-Matthes,A (2204) Germany GER 2025 1-0}) 10... Nxe5 11. Bxe5 Nd7 12. Bb2 Rb8 13. Nc3 Bf6 14. Rab1 b6 15. b4 Bb7 16. Bxb7 Rxb7 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. Ba3 Rc7 19. Rfd1 Re8 20. Nb5 Rd7 21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. Qa4 Qa8 23. d3 h5 24. Rdc1 Rc8 25. Na3 Rd4 26. Nc4 h4 27. Qb5 Qd5 28. Qb7 Rd8 29. Qxd5 exd5 30. Ne3 Ra4 31. Rc2 h3 32. Kf1 Bd4 33. Nf5 Bf6 34. Ne3 Bd4 35. Nf5 Bf6 36. Rxc5 Rxa2 37. Ne3 a5 38. Nxd5 Bd4 39. Rcb5 a4 40. Ne7+ 1-0 [Event "ESP-chT"] [Site "Sanxenxo"] [Date "2004.11.23"] [Round "6"] [White "Graf, Alexander"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2581"] [Annotator "Ribli,Zoltan"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2004.11.18"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 105"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. b3 d4 {Der junge norwegische Spieler spielt gern diese ambitionöse Fortsetzung. Der Zug führt zu scharfem Spiel, die ruhige Alternative ist 4...?e7, wonach Schwarz im Folgenden mit b6-?b7 die Entwicklung des Damenflügels fortsetzen kann.} 5. Bg2 Nc6 (5... c5 $5 6. O-O Nc6) 6. O-O Be7 7. d3 O-O 8. Na3 {[%CAl Ga3c2,Ge2e3]} ({RR} 8. e3 e5 9. exd4 exd4 10. Na3 Nd7 11. Nc2 Nc5 12. b4 Ne6 13. Rb1 a5 14. a3 Bf6 15. Re1 Ne7 16. Nd2 Nf5 17. Bb2 c6 18. Ne4 Be7 19. Bh3 g6 20. Bg2 Ra7 21. Nd2 Bf6 22. Ne4 Bg7 {Frayna,J (2286)-Ervan,M (2383) Bandung INA 2025 1-0 (44)}) 8... e5 9. Nc2 {Wir haben eine ähnliche Stellung, wie in der Benoni-Verteidigung. Schwarz hat Raumvorteil im Zentrum, aber Weiß kann die Stellung mit e2-e3 sprengen.} a5 (9... Re8 $5) 10. e3 $5 (10. Bb2 Re8 11. Qd2 Bc5 12. a3 Qe7 13. Rfb1 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 15. Ng5 h6 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Qe6 18. Bg2 $11 {½-½ Wegerle,J-Volke,K/Germany 2000/CBM 82 ext (29)}) 10... dxe3 $146 ({RR} 10... h6 11. exd4 exd4 12. Bb2 Bc5 13. a3 Bf5 14. Qd2 Qd6 15. h3 Nd7 16. Nh4 Be6 17. f4 Nf6 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. b4 Ba7 20. f5 Bd7 21. Nxd4 Qd6 22. Qf4 Qxf4 23. Rxf4 Nh5 24. Rf3 axb4 25. axb4 {Janczarski,M (2202)-Matuszewski,M (2301) Warsaw 2009 0-1 (42)}) 11. Nxe3 Nb4 $5 12. d4 (12. Nxe5 $4 Qd4 $19 {[%CAl Rd4a1,Rd4e5]}) 12... exd4 13. Nxd4 Bc5 14. Bb2 $14 {[%csl Gb2,Gg2] Weiß hat eine ausgezeichnete Stellung - seine Läufer stehen gut und er hat ein sehr aktives Figurenspiel, weil Schwarz Probleme mit der Figurenkoordination hat.} Ra6 $1 {[%CAl Ga6d6,Gd8d1][%mdl 4] Schwarz bringt seinen Turm durch die 6. Reihe ins Spiel.} 15. a3 (15. Ndf5 Nd3 16. Bc3 (16. Bxf6 Rxf6 17. Be4 Bxf5 (17... Bxe3 18. Nxe3 Nc5 19. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 20. Qh5+ $16 {[%CAl Rh5c5,Rh5h7]}) 18. Nxf5 Nxf2 $1 $17) 16... Re8) 15... Rd6 16. axb4 Bxd4 17. Bxd4 Rxd4 18. Qe1 axb4 19. Qxb4 b6 (19... c6 20. Ra8 $14 (20. Rfd1 Re8 21. Rxd4 Qxd4 22. Rd1 Qe5 $11)) 20. Ra8 (20. Bc6 Ng4 21. Nxg4 Bxg4 22. Rfe1 Be6 23. Ra8 Qd6 $11) 20... Qd6 21. Qxd6 Rxd6 22. b4 {[%csl Ga8,Gb4,Gc4,Gg2] Nach Vereinfachungen hat Weiß einen kleinen Positionsvorteil, weil er positionellen Druck am Damenflügel hat. Anderseits ist die Bauernstellung symmetrisch und Schwarz hat keine Schwächen.} Be6 23. Ra7 (23. Rfa1 $14) 23... c5 24. bxc5 (24. b5 $14) 24... bxc5 25. Rc7 Rc8 (25... Nd7) 26. Rxc8+ Bxc8 27. Ra1 {[%CAl Ra1a8,Ra8g8]} Ra6 28. Rd1 Re6 $4 {Schwarz möchte die weiße Drohung 29.?d8+ mit 29...?e8 parieren.} (28... Nd7 $2 29. Bb7 (29. Nf5 $18) 29... Bxb7 30. Rxd7 Ra1+ 31. Nf1 $18) (28... Bd7 $1 29. Nd5 Ra7 (29... Nxd5 $2 30. Rxd5 $16) 30. Nxf6+ gxf6 $14) {?} 29. Bc6 $3 $18 {[%csl Rc8][%CAl Rd1d8,Rd8g8,Rd8c8][%mdl 64] Nach diesem schönen Zug verliert Schwarz eine Figur; er hat keine Verteidigung gegen 30.?d8+.} (29. Bc6 Rxc6 30. Rd8+ $18) 1-0 [Event "GRENKE Chess Classic"] [Site "Karlsruhe, Germany"] [Date "2024.03.31"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A15"] [WhiteElo "2755"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] {[%evp 0,84,27,30,30,-7,26,27,20,-10,13,-5,26,15,4,-1,6,9,36,27,39,40,27,23,39,27,17,14,13,11,19,-14,-18,19,19,2,2,-21,-21,-11,1,1,20,28,23,21,26,12,4,-1,-1,-1,21,17,15,13,21,14,9,6,9,5,5,7,12,8,8,10,9,7,9,9,11,0,0,0,0,0,0,-4,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. Bg2 Bb7 4. b3 g6 5. Bb2 Bg7 6. c4 O-O 7. d4 e6 8. O-O Na6 ({RR} 8... d6 9. Nc3 Ne4 10. Re1 Nd7 11. Qc2 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 Qe7 13. e4 e5 14. d5 a5 15. a3 c6 16. b4 cxd5 17. exd5 Rfc8 18. Qb3 a4 19. Qa2 Bxd5 20. cxd5 Rxc3 21. Nd4 Rac8 22. Nc6 Qg5 23. Rad1 {Injac,T (2457)-Lazaro Azcutia,M (2275) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (64)}) 9. Nc3 d5 10. e3 $146 ({RR} 10. Ne5 Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. e3 c5 13. Rc1 Rfd8 14. Re1 Nc7 15. a4 Ne6 16. Ba3 Rac8 17. h4 Ne4 18. Ne2 Qf6 19. Nf3 Qf5 20. Nf4 Nxf4 21. exf4 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Rxc1 23. Bxc1 Qd7 24. Be3 Nc5 {Adhiban,B (2603)-Carlsen,M (2859) chess24.com INT 2022 0-1 (40)}) 10... c5 11. Qe2 Qe7 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Rac1 Nc7 $6 {Inaccuracy. Nb4 was best.} (14... Nb4 15. Ne5) 15. Ba3 $6 {Inaccuracy. dxc5 was best.} (15. dxc5 bxc5) 15... Ne4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Nd2 Ba6 18. Qe1 Nb5 19. Bb2 cxd4 20. Nxe4 Bb7 21. exd4 Nxd4 22. Nf6+ Bxf6 23. Qxe7 Bxe7 24. Rxd4 Rxd4 25. Bxd4 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Bxc8 27. Bd5 Kf8 28. f4 Bc5 29. Bxc5+ bxc5 30. Kf2 Ke7 31. Ke3 f6 32. Be4 Kd6 33. Kd2 Be6 34. Kc3 Bf7 35. a3 a5 36. b4 cxb4+ 37. axb4 axb4+ 38. Kxb4 h6 39. Kc3 Kc5 40. h4 g5 41. hxg5 hxg5 42. fxg5 fxg5 1/2-1/2 [Event "GRENKE Chess Classic"] [Site "Karlsruhe, Germany"] [Date "2024.03.31"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A15"] [WhiteElo "2755"] [BlackElo "2823"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] {[%evp 0,84,27,30,30,-7,26,27,20,-10,13,-5,26,15,4,-1,6,9,36,27,39,40,27,23,39,27,17,14,13,11,19,-14,-18,19,19,2,2,-21,-21,-11,1,1,20,28,23,21,26,12,4,-1,-1,-1,21,17,15,13,21,14,9,6,9,5,5,7,12,8,8,10,9,7,9,9,11,0,0,0,0,0,0,-4,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. Bg2 Bb7 4. b3 g6 5. Bb2 Bg7 6. c4 O-O 7. d4 e6 8. O-O Na6 ({RR} 8... d6 9. Nc3 Ne4 10. Re1 Nd7 11. Qc2 Nxc3 12. Bxc3 Qe7 13. e4 e5 14. d5 a5 15. a3 c6 16. b4 cxd5 17. exd5 Rfc8 18. Qb3 a4 19. Qa2 Bxd5 20. cxd5 Rxc3 21. Nd4 Rac8 22. Nc6 Qg5 23. Rad1 {Injac,T (2457)-Lazaro Azcutia,M (2275) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (64)}) 9. Nc3 d5 10. e3 $146 ({RR} 10. Ne5 Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. e3 c5 13. Rc1 Rfd8 14. Re1 Nc7 15. a4 Ne6 16. Ba3 Rac8 17. h4 Ne4 18. Ne2 Qf6 19. Nf3 Qf5 20. Nf4 Nxf4 21. exf4 cxd4 22. Nxd4 Rxc1 23. Bxc1 Qd7 24. Be3 Nc5 {Adhiban,B (2603)-Carlsen,M (2859) chess24.com INT 2022 0-1 (40)}) 10... c5 11. Qe2 Qe7 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Rac1 Nc7 $6 {Inaccuracy. Nb4 was best.} (14... Nb4 15. Ne5) 15. Ba3 $6 {Inaccuracy. dxc5 was best.} (15. dxc5 bxc5) 15... Ne4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Nd2 Ba6 18. Qe1 Nb5 19. Bb2 cxd4 20. Nxe4 Bb7 21. exd4 Nxd4 22. Nf6+ Bxf6 23. Qxe7 Bxe7 24. Rxd4 Rxd4 25. Bxd4 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Bxc8 27. Bd5 Kf8 28. f4 Bc5 29. Bxc5+ bxc5 30. Kf2 Ke7 31. Ke3 f6 32. Be4 Kd6 33. Kd2 Be6 34. Kc3 Bf7 35. a3 a5 36. b4 cxb4+ 37. axb4 axb4+ 38. Kxb4 h6 39. Kc3 Kc5 40. h4 g5 41. hxg5 hxg5 42. fxg5 fxg5 1/2-1/2 [Event "NOR-ch"] [Site "Fredrikstad"] [Date "2003.07.07"] [Round "4"] [White "Ekeberg, Carl Fredrik"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A16"] [WhiteElo "2226"] [BlackElo "2385"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2003.07.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 095 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.09.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.09.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 f6 8. Be3 e5 9. Nd2 Nd7 10. a4 ({RR} 10. Nb3 h5 11. f3 Nb6 12. Kc2 Bd7 13. Nc5 Bc6 14. b3 Bh6 15. Bxh6 Rxh6 16. a4 Ke7 17. Bb5 Nd7 18. Nd3 Nb8 19. Nb4 a5 20. Bxc6 bxc6 21. Nd3 Nd7 22. Rhd1 Rhh8 23. Rd2 Rhd8 24. Rad1 Nb6 {So,W (2778)-Aronian,L (2764) Leuven 2018 ½-½ (38)}) ({RR} 10. Nb3 b6 11. Kc2 a5 12. a4 Bd6 13. f3 Ke7 14. h4 h5 15. Bc4 Ba6 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. Rad1 Raa8 18. Rd5 Rhd8 19. Rhd1 Nf8 20. Nd2 Ne6 21. Nc4 Bc5 22. b3 Bxe3 23. Nxe3 c6 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 {Stojanovic,M (2476)-Mattenberger,M (2239) Switzerland SUI 2024 1-0 (53)}) 10... Bc5 11. Nc4 $146 ({RR} 11. a5 Bxe3 12. fxe3 Kf7 13. Kc2 Rd8 14. Be2 Nc5 15. b4 Rxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Nb3+ 17. Kc2 Nxa1+ 18. Rxa1 Bd7 19. c4 h5 20. Bd3 h4 21. Kc3 g5 22. Ra2 g4 23. c5 Kg6 24. Ra1 g3 25. h3 Rd8 {Milosevic,A (2261)-Roganovic,M (2485) Kragujevac 2010 0-1 (32)}) ({RR} 11. Bxc5 Nxc5 12. b4 Ne6 13. a5 Bd7 14. Kc2 Ke7 15. Bc4 Rhd8 16. Rhd1 a6 17. Nb3 Bc6 18. f3 f5 19. exf5 gxf5 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Re1 Kf6 22. Bxe6 Kxe6 23. Nd4+ Kf6 24. Nxc6 bxc6 25. Rd1 Rg8 {Doettling,F (2473)-Navara,D (2433) Aviles 2000 ½-½ (59)}) 11... Bxe3 12. Nxe3 c6 13. Bc4 Nc5 14. f3 a5 15. Kc2 Ke7 16. Rhd1 f5 17. exf5 gxf5 18. g3 f4 19. gxf4 exf4 20. Ng2 Bf5+ 21. Kc1 Rhd8 22. Nxf4 Rxd1+ 23. Kxd1 Rd8+ 24. Ke2 Bc2 25. Rg1 Kd6 26. Bd3 Nxd3 27. Nxd3 Bxa4 28. Rg7 Bb5 29. Ke3 Re8+ 30. Kd4 b6 31. c4 c5+ 32. Kc3 Bc6 33. Rxh7 Bxf3 34. Rh6+ Kc7 35. Rh7+ Kd6 36. Rh6+ Kc7 37. Rh7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-Cup 24th"] [Site "Kallithea"] [Date "2008.10.21"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Svidler, Peter"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A16"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2727"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2008.10.17"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 127"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Erevan MIKA"] [BlackTeam "Baden-Baden"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qh4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bg7 8. Rb1 Bc6 9. e4 e6 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Ng5 Ke8 12. f3 h6 $146 ({RR} 12... Nd7 13. d4 h6 14. Nh3 g5 15. Nf2 b6 16. Be2 Bb7 17. e5 f6 18. exf6 Bxf6 19. O-O Kf7 20. Ne4 Be7 21. Ng3 Raf8 22. f4 Ke8 23. f5 exf5 24. Nxf5 Rxf5 25. Rxf5 Be4 26. Rfb5 c6 27. R5b3 {Heinis,V (2170)-Cmilyte,V (2497) Gibraltar 2009 0-1 (65)}) 13. Nh3 b6 14. d4 Ba4 15. Nf4 c5 16. Bd2 Ke7 17. d5 g5 18. Nh5 Be5 19. g3 exd5 20. exd5 Bc2 21. Rc1 Bg6 22. f4 Bxh5 23. fxe5 Nd7 24. d6+ Ke6 25. Bh3+ g4 26. Bg2 Rad8 27. O-O Nxe5 28. c4 Rxd6 29. Bc3 f6 30. Bd5+ Kd7 31. Rxf6 Rxf6 32. Bxe5 Rhf8 33. Rd1 Kc8 34. Bxf6 Rxf6 35. Rf1 Rxf1+ 36. Kxf1 Kd7 37. Ke2 Kd6 38. Bb7 b5 39. cxb5 Bf7 40. a3 Bc4+ 41. Kd2 Bxb5 42. Kc3 Bc6 43. Bc8 Bd7 44. Bb7 Be6 45. Be4 Ke5 46. Bc6 c4 47. Bb7 h5 48. Bc6 Bf7 49. Bg2 Bd5 50. Bf1 Ke4 51. Bg2+ Ke5 52. Bf1 a6 53. a4 a5 54. Bxc4 Bc6 55. Bf7 Bxa4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Croatia GCT"] [Site "Zagreb"] [Date "2019.06.29"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A16"] [WhiteElo "2875"] [BlackElo "2774"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2019.06.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 191"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. h4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. h5 c5 8. Rb1 ({RR} 8. Qa4+ Nc6 9. Ba3 Qd6 10. d4 b6 11. h6 Bf6 12. e4 Bd7 13. Qc2 e5 14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Rd1 Qe7 16. Rd5 O-O 17. Bxc5 Qe8 18. Bxf8 Kxf8 19. Bb5 a6 20. Be2 Be6 21. Rd2 Qe7 22. Qa4 Qc5 {Yakimova,M (2201)-Tabermakova,L (2082) Barnaul RUS 2025 1-0 (35)}) 8... b6 $146 ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. g3 Qc7 10. Bh3 Bxh3 11. Rxh3 Qd7 12. Rh2 b6 13. Qa4 Rd8 14. Kf1 Ne5 15. Qxd7+ Rxd7 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. c4 g5 18. d3 g4 19. Bd2 f5 20. a4 Kd8 21. Kg2 Kc7 22. h6 Rf8 23. Rh5 {Gozzoli,Y (2588)-Bonelli Maestracci,P (2113) Ceyreste FRA 2024 ½-½ (65)}) ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. e3 O-O 10. hxg6 hxg6 11. Qa4 e5 12. Ba3 Re8 13. Bxc5 e4 14. Nd4 Ne5 15. Qc2 b6 16. Ba3 Nd3+ 17. Bxd3 exd3 18. Qd1 Qd7 19. Qf3 Bb7 20. Qg3 Re5 21. f4 Ra5 22. Bb4 Rd5 23. f5 {So,W (2770)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2784) chess24.com INT 2020 1-0 (34)}) ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. e4 Qc7 10. Be2 Bg4 11. h6 Bf6 12. Qa4 O-O 13. O-O Rfd8 14. Re1 a6 15. e5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Bxe2 17. Nxf7 Bb5 18. Qe4 Kxf7 19. d4 cxd4 20. cxd4 Qc6 21. Qe3 Rxd4 22. Bb2 Rd7 23. Bxf6 {Rasulov,V (2516)-Rorrer,G (2311) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (63)}) 9. e4 O-O 10. hxg6 hxg6 11. d4 Bb7 12. Ng5 cxd4 13. Qg4 Nd7 14. Qh3 Nf6 15. e5 Nh5 16. e6 Qd5 17. exf7+ Rxf7 18. Bd3 Qe5+ 19. Kd1 dxc3 20. Nxf7 Kxf7 21. Re1 c2+ 22. Bxc2 Rd8+ 23. Bd2 Qd6 24. Qe3 Nf4 25. Kc1 Bh6 26. Kb2 Rc8 27. Rbc1 e6 28. Kb1 Bxg2 29. Bb3 Rxc1+ 30. Bxc1 Bh3 31. Bb2 Bf5+ 32. Ka1 Bg7 33. Bxg7 Kxg7 34. Rd1 Nd3 35. Bc4 Qe5+ 36. Qxe5+ Nxe5 37. Be2 g5 38. Rc1 Kf6 39. Rc7 Bd3 40. Bxd3 Nxd3 41. Rxa7 Nxf2 42. Rb7 g4 43. Rxb6 g3 44. a4 Ne4 45. Rb1 Nc5 46. a5 Ke5 47. Kb2 Kf4 48. Kc3 g2 49. Kc4 Na6 50. Kb5 Nb8 51. Kc4 Na6 52. Kb5 Nb8 53. Kc4 Na6 54. Rg1 Kg3 55. Kd4 Kf2 56. Rxg2+ Kxg2 57. Ke5 Nc5 58. a6 Nxa6 59. Kxe6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dos Hermanas Qualifier S18"] [Site "ICC INT"] [Date "2005.03.18"] [Round "9"] [White "Agrest, Evgenij"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A16"] [WhiteElo "2579"] [BlackElo "2553"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2005.03.18"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventCountry "NET"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qc2 Nb6 7. d4 Bg7 8. e4 O-O ({RR} 8... Bg4 9. Ne5 Bxe5 10. dxe5 Nc6 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. Be3 Qd7 14. Rd1 Qe6 15. O-O Rd8 16. Bd4 Rg8 17. b3 g5 18. Rd2 Rc8 19. Rfd1 Kf8 20. Ne2 Qg6 21. Ng3 e6 22. Nf5 exf5 23. exf5 {Ivanchuk,V (2703)-Howell,D (2614) Kallithea 2009 1-0 (34)}) ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. d5 Ne5 10. Nxe5 Bxe5 11. Bh6 e6 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. g3 Qe7 14. Bg2 O-O-O 15. f4 Bg7 16. Bg5 Bf6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. e5 Qe7 19. Rc1 Qc5 20. Qf2 Qb4 21. O-O Rhf8 22. a3 Qe7 23. a4 {Chittka,J (2319)-Arold,G (2045) Dortmund 2019 1-0 (39)}) 9. h3 Nc6 10. Be3 e5 11. Qd2 $146 ({RR} 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Be2 Be6 14. O-O Nc4 15. Bxc4 Bxc4 16. Rfd1 Qf6 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 b6 19. Rad1 c5 20. b3 Rfd8 21. Qd2 Rxd5 22. Qxd5 Re8 23. b4 cxb4 24. Qb5 Qe6 25. Qxb4 Qxa2 {Weiss,C (2402)-Wagener,C (2217) Plovdiv 2003 ½-½}) 11... exd4 12. Nxd4 Ne5 13. b3 c5 14. Nc2 c4 15. Rd1 Rc8 16. Bd4 Re8 17. Be2 Be6 18. f4 Nd3+ 19. Bxd3 cxd3 20. Qxd3 Qc7 21. e5 Bf5 22. Qe2 Red8 23. O-O Bxc2 24. Qxc2 Bf8 25. Kh2 Nd5 26. Rc1 Nb4 27. Qe4 Qc6 28. Qxc6 Rxc6 29. Ne2 Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Nd3 31. Rc7 Nxf4 32. Nxf4 Rxd4 33. g3 Rd2+ 34. Kh1 Rxa2 35. Rxb7 Bc5 36. e6 fxe6 37. Nxe6 Bb6 38. Rg7+ Kh8 39. Rf7 Ra1+ 40. Kg2 Ra2+ 41. Kf1 Ra1+ 42. Ke2 Ra2+ 43. Kd3 Rf2 44. Rxf2 Bxf2 45. g4 Kg8 46. Ke4 Kf7 47. Kd5 Kf6 48. Nf8 Kg7 49. Nd7 Kh6 50. Ke4 Kg5 51. Kf3 Bd4 52. Kg3 h5 53. h4+ Kh6 54. g5+ Kg7 55. Kf3 Kf7 56. Nb8 Ke6 57. Nc6 Bb6 58. Nd8+ Bxd8 0-1 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 6th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2018.08.19"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2842"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "175"] [EventDate "2018.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 186"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 ({It is useful to compare the game variation with the classical way of reaching almost the same position:} 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 c5 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Be3 Qc7 14. Rd1 Nd5 15. Bd4 Rd8 {Since nobody so far has played ?xd5 here, Carlsen's 17th move can be considered the real true novelty.}) 2... Bb4 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 d5 6. a3 (6. d4 {would lead to a fianchetto Nimzo-Indian tabiya, which White usually sidesteps by playing 4.?f3 and only after 4...c5 5.g3.}) 6... Be7 ({The alternative is} 6... Bxc3 {At a high level,} 7. dxc3 {is the main move, clearing the path for the bishop.} ({Instinctively, I would think of strengthening my centre with} 7. bxc3) {Here are two examples:} 7... Nbd7 (7... c5 {exposes the c5-pawn a bit too soon.} 8. O-O Nc6 9. Bg5 dxc4 10. Qa4 h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Qxc4 Qe7 13. Ne1 Ne5 14. Qf4 Ng6 15. Qe3 c4 $6 16. Nf3 $14 {Ivanchuk,V (2752)-Bologan,V (2700) Saint Vincent 2005 (1-0, 71)}) 8. cxd5 exd5 9. O-O Nc5 10. Be3 Nce4 11. Rc1 {Objectively Black should be doing fine, but the bishop pair is a latent danger for Black.} Be6 12. Nd4 Bd7 13. Bf4 c5 14. Nf3 Re8 15. c4 d4 16. e3 Bg4 $6 (16... dxe3 17. Bxe3 {would offer White a purely symbolic advantage.}) 17. exd4 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 cxd4 19. Qd3 $14 {(Wojtaszek,R (2614)-Bartel,M (2613) Lublin 2008 1-0, 50)}) 7. d4 {We have reached a known Catalan tabiya with the extra tempo for White a2-a3.} dxc4 8. Ne5 Nc6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nxc6 Qe8 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. Qa4 c5 13. dxc5 $146 ({It is interesting that Karjakin had had this position twice. The games continued with} 13. Qxc4 cxd4 14. Qxd4 e5 15. Qb4 (15. Qh4 Qe6 16. O-O Bb7 17. Bg5 Nd5 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. f3 Qb5 $6 (19... h6 20. Be3 Qb5 21. Qb4 Qxe2 $11) 20. Qb4 $1 {This is one of the moments when the extra tempo a2-a3 proves useful.} Qa6 21. Rac1 (21. e4 $5) 21... e4 $44 {(Moiseenko,A-Karjakin,S Eurasian blitz 2016 ½-½, 51)}) 15... Qe6 16. Bg5 a5 17. Qh4 Nd5 $44 {Aronian,L (2737)-Karjakin,S (2727) Sochi 2008 (½-½, 34)}) ({RR} 13. Qxc4 cxd4 14. Qxd4 e5 15. Qh4 Bb7 16. O-O Qe6 17. e4 h6 18. Be3 Rac8 19. f3 a5 20. Rad1 Rfd8 21. g4 Ba6 22. Rfe1 Bc4 23. Qf2 Bb3 24. Rd2 Nh7 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Re2 Nf8 27. Rd2 Rc8 {Le,Q (2709)-Firouzja,A (2759) chess24.com INT 2021 1-0 (56)}) ({RR} 13. Qxc4 cxd4 14. Qxd4 e5 15. Qh4 Qe6 16. O-O Bb7 17. Bg5 Nd5 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. f3 Qb5 20. Qb4 Qa6 21. Rac1 e4 22. Be7 Rfe8 23. Bc5 Rab8 24. Qd2 Rbd8 25. Qc2 exf3 26. exf3 Re2 27. Qc3 h6 {Moiseenko,A (2648)-Karjakin,S (2774) Almaty 2016 ½-½ (51)}) 13... Qxc5 14. Be3 Qc7 {Despite the presence of opposite-coloured bishops, White's position remains more pleasant because of the perfect blockade on c3. In many endings this would yield him a small but lasting advantage. This applies to both positions, with or without a2-a3.} 15. Rd1 Nd5 $146 ({RR} 15... e5 16. f3 Bb7 17. O-O e4 18. fxe4 Nxe4 19. Qd7 Qc6 20. Qxc6 Bxc6 21. Nxe4 Bxe4 22. Rd4 Rfe8 23. Rxc4 Bd5 24. Rc3 a5 25. b3 Rac8 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. b4 axb4 28. axb4 Rc3 29. Rd1 Rxe3 30. Rxd5 {Theodorou,N (2625)-Navara,D (2662) Biel SUI 2025 1-0 (76)}) 16. Bd4 Rd8 17. Nxd5 $146 {I know that indicating two novelties in the same game rarely makes sense, but as explained above this is one of them. Actually the move is logical because it forces Black to obstruct the long diagonal and it extends White's area of blockade by one square (d4).} exd5 18. Qc2 Qe7 (18... Bh3 {is not dangerous as after} 19. f3 Rd7 20. Kf2 {followed by ?he1 White completes his development harmoniously.}) 19. O-O Bh3 20. Rfe1 Rd7 21. Bc3 {[%CAl Gd1d4,Gc2d2] Starting a coherent regrouping.} Re8 22. Rd4 Qg5 {The plan of exchanging queens mainly plays into White's hands, as his king has better prospects for centralising.} (22... h5 $5 23. Qd2 f6 {might have been better as} 24. Rxd5 $2 {loses to} Qe4 $19) 23. Qd2 Qxd2 24. Rxd2 $14 {With his king in absolute safety after the queen exchange White can play at his leisure. True, his winning chances are not very clear yet.} Be6 25. Red1 Rde7 26. f3 h5 27. Kf2 f6 28. Rd4 Kh7 29. R1d2 Bf7 30. h3 ({WHite could have obtained an active ending with} 30. e4 dxe4 31. Rxe4 Rxe4 32. fxe4 Re7 33. Ke3 {for instance} Bg6 34. Rd4 Bf7 35. Bb4 Rb7 36. Rd6 $14 {, but Carlsen was probably looking for a good moment to eliminate the d5-pawn by other means.}) 30... a6 31. Rf4 Kg8 32. Bd4 Kh7 33. Bc3 {Typical waiting moves when one is not entirely sure about how to proceed, or when one wants to confuse one's opponent.} Kg8 34. g4 hxg4 35. hxg4 Kh7 36. Rf5 Rb7 ({I cannot imagine that Karjakin did not understand Carlsen's intentions. But he probably refrained from over defending the pawn with} 36... Rd7 {due to} 37. e4 {In fact, this would not be too dangerous for Black:} Red8 38. e5 fxe5 (38... Bg6 39. e6 $1 Bxf5 40. gxf5 {offers White ample compensation for the exchange.}) 39. Bxe5 d4 40. Rxd4 Rxd4 41. Bxd4 Rxd4 42. Rxf7 Rd2+ 43. Kg3 Rxb2 $11) 37. Rfxd5 $1 {Now White knows what he will be playing for. The c4-pawn is weak, the c3-bishop as strong as earlier and he will have the plan of advancing his kingside majority. Objectively, the position may still be equal, but from a practical point of view it remains very unpleasant for Black.} Bxd5 38. Rxd5 Kg6 {A strange decision. Black gives up the c4-pawn without a fight.} ({True, after} 38... Rc8 39. Rd6 Ra7 40. e4 Rcc7 41. Rd4 Rc6 42. f4 {White has some kingside initiative. But giving up the pawn will not avoid that, either!}) 39. Rc5 Rh8 40. Kg3 $1 (40. Rxc4 $2 Rh2+ 41. Ke1 Re7 42. e4 Rd7 $15 {[%csl Ge1]}) 40... Rb6 41. Rxc4 Rh1 42. Rc7 Rc1 43. Rd7 Rc6 {Karjakin must have looked for a moment to return the exchange, and reach a draw in a symbolically worse rook ending, but somehow this will not work.} 44. a4 Rg1+ (44... R1xc3 45. bxc3 Rc4 46. Rd4 $1 Rxc3 47. Rd6 $18) 45. Kf2 Ra1 46. a5 Ra4 (46... Rxc3 47. bxc3 Rxa5 48. Ke3 {remains dangerous for Black, as exchanging the a- and c-pawns is by no means trivial.}) 47. Kg3 Rac4 48. Ra7 $1 ({If} 48. e4 Rc7 $1 ({But not} 48... Rxc3 $2 49. bxc3 {[%CAl Gd7a7]} Rc5 50. Rd5 $1) 49. Rd6 R7c6 {and the rook will have to retreat. In the event of an exchange White would lose any chance to put Black under pressure.}) 48... Re6 49. e4 Rc8 50. Rd7 Rec6 (50... Rce8 51. Kf4 R8e7 52. Rd5 Rc6 53. g5 $14) 51. f4 R8c7 ({Once again returning the exchange looks risky:} 51... Rxc3+ 52. bxc3 Rxc3+ 53. Kh4 Ra3 54. f5+ Kh6 55. g5+ (55. Rd5 g5+ $5) (55. e5 g5+ 56. fxg6 fxe5) 55... fxg5+ 56. Kg4 Rxa5 57. Rd6+ Kh7 58. Kxg5 {One would not go willingly to such an ending. The a6-pawn is more of a problem for Black, who cannot check from a distance when the king will intrude through the centre.} Ra1 59. e5 Rg1+ 60. Kf4 Rf1+ (60... Kg8 61. Ke4 a5 62. Kd5 {is not all roses either.}) 61. Ke4 Re1+ 62. Kd5 Rf1 63. Ke6 Rb1 (63... a5 64. Kd7) 64. Kd7 Rb7+ 65. Kc6 Re7 66. e6 $18) 52. f5+ Kh7 {The safest square for the king.} (52... Kg5 $2 53. Bd2#) (52... Kh6 53. Rd1 Kh7 (53... Rxc3+ 54. bxc3 Rxc3+ 55. Kf4 $18 {[%CAl Gd1h1,Gd1d6] The vulnerability of the black king is decisive.}) 54. Kf4 $14 {[%CAl Gg4g5]}) 53. Rd8 Rc8 54. Rd3 ({Apparently Carlsen was not entirely sure about the aforementioned ending resulting after} 54. Rd1 Rxc3+ 55. bxc3 Rxc3+ 56. Kf4 Ra3 57. g5 fxg5+ 58. Kxg5 Rxa5 59. Rd6) 54... Re8 55. Rd4 Rc7 56. Kf4 {White has made considerable progress, but nothing is clear yet.} Rce7 57. Rc4 Kh6 58. Kf3 Rd7 59. Bd4 Kh7 60. b4 Rd6 61. Ke3 Kh6 62. Rc1 Kh7 63. Bb6 Rd7 64. Bc5 {White has gained space on the queenside, too.} Red8 ({Black could have taken advantage of the bishop's departure from the long diagonal with} 64... g6 $5 {somewhat freeing his position.}) 65. Rh1+ ({The long awaited break} 65. g5 {does not bring in anything concrete:} fxg5 66. e5 Rd1 67. Rxd1 Rxd1 68. e6 Re1+ 69. Kf3 {[%CAl Ge6e7,Gc5e3]} Kg8 70. Kg4 Re2 71. Kxg5 Rg2+ 72. Kf4 Re2 $11) 65... Kg8 66. Kf4 Re8 67. Re1 g5+ {Better late than never.} 68. fxg6 Kg7 69. g5 Kxg6 70. gxf6 Kxf6 71. Rh1 {[%CAl Gh1h6]} Rf7 $1 {The best defence, keeping the king centralised.} (71... Kg6 72. e5 $14) 72. Ke3 (72. Rh6+ $2 Kg7+) 72... Ke6 73. Rh4 Rf6 74. Rh7 Rf7 75. Rh5 Kd7 76. e5 Rf1 77. Ke4 Kc6 $2 {A terrible blunder after a difficult defence.} (77... Re1+ 78. Kd5 Rd1+ 79. Bd4 Rd8 $11) (77... Re6 78. Kd5 Rd1+ $11) 78. Rh6+ Kb5 (78... Kb7 79. Rb6+ Kc7 (79... Ka7 80. Re6+) 80. Rxa6 Re1+ 81. Kd3 R1xe5 82. Bd6+ Kb7 83. Rb6+ Ka7 84. Bxe5 $18) (78... Kd7 79. Rd6+ Kc7 (79... Kc8 80. e6 $18) 80. Rxa6 Re1+ 81. Kd3 R1xe5 82. Bd6+ Kb7 83. Rb6+ Ka7 84. Bxe5 $18) 79. Rb6+ Kc4 80. e6 $18 {The e-pawn is strong and safe now and the pawn on a6 is doomed. To make things worse, the black king is out of play.} Re1+ 81. Kf5 Rf1+ 82. Ke5 Re1+ 83. Kf6 Rf1+ 84. Kg7 Ra8 (84... Re1 85. Kf7) 85. e7 Re1 86. Kf7 Re4 (86... Rf1+ 87. Rf6 Re1 88. Re6 Rf1+ 89. Kg7 Re8 90. Rxa6) 87. Rd6 Rh8 88. Rxa6 (88. Rd8 $18) 1-0 [Event "Division I"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2024.05.12"] [Round "3.4"] [White "Keymer, Vincent"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2889"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "GER"] [BlackTeam "NOR"] [BlackClock "0:00:23"] {[%evp 9,100,21,26,19,21,22,17,19,41,33,42,42,34,43,45,32,32,32,34,41,40,23,75,-62,74,68,73,77,80,69,85,83,145,0,3,-39,-1,-78,-78,-102,-83,-100,-80,-85,-86,-84,-71,-71,-83,-116,-68,-68,-69,-67,-72,-66,-66,-67,-72,-76,-66,-92,-44,-39,-28,-26,-22,-18,-18,-24,-22,-25,-19,-31,-32,-28,-16,-55,-56,-65,-70,-87,-96,-895,-895,-29974,-29976,-29969,-29973,-29953,-29954,-29983,-29984]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. Bxc4 a6 6. e4 ({RR} 6. Be2 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d4 cxd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. Be3 b5 11. Ne5 Bd7 12. Bf3 Rc8 13. a4 b4 14. Ne2 O-O 15. Qd3 a5 16. Rfc1 Nb8 17. b3 Rxc1+ 18. Rxc1 Bc8 19. Nf4 Bd6 20. Nc4 Ba6 {Aronian,L (2765)-So,W (2765) Kolkata 2018 1-0 (42)}) 6... c5 ({RR} 6... b5 7. Bb3 Bb7 8. e5 Nd5 9. d4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Nd7 11. h4 Nb6 12. h5 h6 13. a4 Qd7 14. axb5 axb5 15. Rxa8+ Bxa8 16. Rh3 Qc6 17. Bd2 Nc4 18. Kf1 Qa6 19. Kg1 Be4 20. Rg3 Qc6 21. Bc1 {Badelka,O (2377)-Velikic,A (2261) Rhodes GRE 2025 1-0 (43)}) ({RR} 6... b5 7. Bb3 Bb7 8. e5 Nd5 9. d4 c5 10. Bxd5 Bxd5 11. Bg5 Qd7 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qxd5 exd5 15. Rd1 Nc6 16. Rxd5 Be7 17. Bxe7 Kxe7 18. Ke2 Rac8 19. Rhd1 Rhd8 20. Rxd8 Nxd8 21. Nd4 {Keymer,V (2730)-Santos Latasa,J (2624) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (45)}) 7. d4 cxd4 $146 ({RR} 7... b5 8. Bb3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nbd7 10. Be3 Bb4 11. O-O Bb7 12. a4 O-O 13. axb5 axb5 14. Ndxb5 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 Nxe4 16. Rd1 Qe7 17. Bc2 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Bc5 19. Qc1 Nf6 20. Qd2 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Bxe3 22. Qxe3 {Keymer,V (2602)-Sarana,A (2643) Reykjavik 2021 0-1 (38)}) 8. Nxd4 {The position is equal.} Bd6 9. Be3 O-O 10. Rc1 b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Nxe6 {[%mdl 64] [#] Double Attack} Qe7 14. Nxf8 Kxf8 15. f3 Nbd7 16. Ne2 (16. O-O $16) 16... Ne5 (16... Bb4+ $1 $15 {keeps the upper hand.} 17. Nc3 Ne5) 17. O-O $16 Rd8 18. Qc2 Rc8 19. Qb1 Nc4 20. Bd4 Bc5 21. Rfd1 {[#]} (21. Bxc5 $16 Qxc5+ 22. Kh1) 21... Nxe4 $1 $11 {[%mdl 512]} 22. b3 (22. fxe4 Bxe4) 22... Ne3 $1 {[%CAl Re3d1]} 23. fxe4 Nxd1 24. Rxd1 Bxe4 25. Qb2 Bb4 26. Rc1 Re8 27. Ng3 Kg8 {Hoping for ...Ba3.} 28. Qf2 ({Don't go for} 28. Nxe4 $2 Ba3 $19) 28... Bg6 29. h3 Bd6 30. Nf5 Qg5 31. Rf1 Rf8 {[%CAl Rf8f5]} 32. Qe3 Qxe3+ 33. Nxe3 Rxf1+ 34. Kxf1 $15 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KBB-KBN} Bb1 35. a4 Ba2 36. axb5 axb5 37. Bxg7 $1 Bc5 38. Nf5 Bxb3 {White must now prevent ...Bc4+.} 39. Bd4 Bf8 40. Kf2 Kf7 41. g4 Ke6 42. Ke3 Bc2 43. Ng7+ Kd5 44. Bb2 b4 {[%CAl Bb5b4,Bb4b3,Bb3b2][%mdl 32]} 45. Nh5 Kc4 46. Bg7 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (46. h4 $17) 46... Bxg7 $19 47. Nxg7 Kc3 {Black mates.} 48. Ne6 b3 49. Nc7 b2 50. Nb5+ Kb4 {Accuracy: White = 69%, Black = 80%.} 0-1 [Event "Gausdal Byggern Masters"] [Site "Gausdal"] [Date "2005.10.05"] [Round "5"] [White "Dobrov, Vladimir"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2515"] [BlackElo "2570"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2005.10.01"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 108 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.11.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.11.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g4 d6 5. g5 Bxc3 ({RR} 5... Nfd7 6. Qc2 Nc6 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Qxc3 e5 9. h4 Nc5 10. b4 Ne6 11. e3 e4 12. b5 exf3 13. bxc6 bxc6 14. Bh3 O-O 15. Bb2 f5 16. gxf6 Qxf6 17. Qc2 Qg6 18. O-O-O Qxc2+ 19. Kxc2 Nc5 20. Rdg1 {Froewis,G (2414)-Rozentalis,E (2486) Germany GER 2025 1-0 (64)}) 6. bxc3 Nfd7 7. d4 ({RR} 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. d3 e5 9. h4 Nb6 10. Be3 Qe7 11. Nd2 Bd7 12. a4 Na5 13. Nb3 Bc6 14. Nxa5 Bxg2 15. Rg1 Bh3 16. c5 Nd5 17. Nxb7 Nxe3 18. fxe3 dxc5 19. Qb3 O-O 20. Qa3 Rab8 21. Nxc5 f5 {Nakamura,H (2710)-Sokolov,A (2570) Mainz 2009 1-0 (43)}) 7... b6 8. a4 $146 ({RR} 8. e4 Bb7 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. Be3 Qe7 11. Nd2 e5 12. Rb1 O-O 13. Qh5 f6 14. g6 hxg6 15. Qxg6 Qf7 16. Qg3 f5 17. exf5 Nb4 18. cxb4 Bxh1 19. f3 a5 20. b5 exd4 21. Bxd4 Nc5 22. Bc2 d5 {Gurevich,M (2672)-Istratescu,A (2587) Antalya 2004 0-1 (43)}) ({RR} 8. h4 Nc6 9. e4 Na5 10. Be3 Qe7 11. Nd2 e5 12. h5 Bb7 13. Qg4 O-O-O 14. d5 Ba8 15. c5 dxc5 16. Qe2 Kb8 17. Nb3 Nb7 18. a4 Nd6 19. f3 a5 20. Rb1 Bb7 21. Nxa5 bxa5 22. Qa6 Nb6 {Mellado Trivino,J (2436)-Tallo Dominguez,I (2087) Sabadell 2009 ½-½ (42)}) 8... Nc6 9. e4 Qe7 10. Be3 f5 11. gxf6 Nxf6 12. a5 O-O 13. axb6 cxb6 14. Rg1 e5 15. Nd2 Kh8 16. Bd3 Bd7 17. Qe2 Be8 18. f4 Bh5 19. Qf2 Ng4 20. Rxg4 Bxg4 21. Qg3 Bh5 22. fxe5 dxe5 23. d5 Na5 24. c5 Nb7 25. c6 Nc5 26. Be2 Bg6 27. Bg5 Qf7 28. d6 Bxe4 29. c7 Qd5 30. Be7 Bd3 31. Bf3 e4 32. Bxf8 Rxf8 33. Qg4 exf3 34. Kf2 Bf5 35. Qd4 Nd3+ 36. Kg3 Qe6 37. Kxf3 Be4+ 38. Ke3 Bg6+ 39. Ne4 Nc5 40. c8=Q Rxc8 41. Rxa7 Qxe4+ 0-1 [Event "Gausdal Byggern Masters"] [Site "Gausdal"] [Date "2005.10.09"] [Round "9"] [White "Akesson, Ralf"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2486"] [BlackElo "2570"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2005.10.01"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 108 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.11.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.11.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 b6 7. g3 Bb7 8. Bg2 c5 9. O-O d5 10. cxd5 ({RR} 10. b4 Nbd7 11. d3 Rc8 12. b5 d4 13. Qb2 e5 14. e4 dxe3 15. Bxe3 Re8 16. Rfe1 Qc7 17. a4 Nf8 18. a5 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Ne6 20. Ra3 Rcd8 21. Bc6 Re7 22. Rea1 Nd4 23. Bxd4 exd4 24. axb6 axb6 {Dubov,D (2720)-Socko,B (2642) Warsaw 2021 1-0 (45)}) 10... Nxd5 11. Qc2 Nc6 12. b3 e5 $146 ({RR} 12... Qe7 13. Bb2 Rac8 14. e3 Rfd8 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Rad1 Nf6 17. Qb1 b5 18. Rc1 Na5 19. Bc3 b4 20. axb4 cxb4 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Nd4 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 e5 25. Nf3 Qe6 26. Qe4 Nxb3 27. Qxb4 {Goganov,A (2583)-Karthikeyan,P (2416) Chennai 2020 ½-½ (31)}) ({RR} 12... Qe7 13. Bb2 Rac8 14. e3 Rfd8 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Rad1 Nf6 17. Qb1 b5 18. Rc1 Na5 19. Bc3 b4 20. axb4 cxb4 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Nd4 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 e5 25. Nf3 Qe6 26. Qe4 Nxb3 27. Qxb4 {Goganov,A (2583)-Karthikeyan,P (2416) Chennai 2020 ½-½ (31)}) 13. Bb2 Re8 14. e3 e4 15. Nh4 Nf6 16. f3 Ba6 17. fxe4 Bd3 18. Qc3 Bxf1 19. Rxf1 Ne5 20. Rf5 Nfd7 21. Bf1 f6 22. Ba6 Nf8 23. Bb7 Rb8 24. Bd5+ Kh8 25. Qc2 Nfg6 26. Nxg6+ Nxg6 27. Rh5 Qd7 28. Qd1 Nf8 29. Qf3 Rbd8 30. Rf5 Ne6 31. Bc3 Ng5 32. Qg4 Nf7 33. Qe2 Qxf5 34. exf5 Rxd5 35. Qc4 Rd7 36. b4 cxb4 37. axb4 Nd6 38. Qc6 Rdd8 39. g4 Ne4 40. Bd4 Nxd2 41. Bxf6 gxf6 42. Qxf6+ Kg8 43. Qg5+ Kh8 44. Qf6+ Kg8 45. Qg5+ Kh8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tromsoe Midnight Sun"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2006.07.02"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Hammer, Jon Ludvig"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2287"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2006.06.24"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 112 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.07.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.07.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bf4 Bd6 ({RR} 9... Nbd7 10. Nb5 c6 11. Nd6 Bxd6 12. Bxd6 Re8 13. Rc1 c5 14. b4 Rc8 15. bxc5 {½-½ (15) Nagy,G (2500)-Rozentalis,E (2531) Aarhus 2022}) 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. d4 c6 $146 ({RR} 11... Re8 12. Rc1 a6 13. Rc2 Nbd7 14. Qc1 Ne4 15. Rd1 Qf6 16. Qf4 Qxf4 17. gxf4 Re7 18. e3 Rae8 19. Bh3 h6 20. Rdc1 c5 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Bxd7 Rxd7 23. Ne5 Rc7 24. dxc5 f6 25. Ng6 Kf7 26. Nh4 {Savchenko,S (2585)-Vukanovic,S (2360) Ljubljana 1996 1-0 (41)}) ({RR} 11... Re8 12. Rc1 a6 13. Qb3 Nbd7 14. Rfd1 Rab8 15. e3 c5 16. Qa3 Qe6 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Na4 Ne4 19. Nd2 d4 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 Qxe4 22. Nxc5 Nxc5 23. Rxc5 dxe3 24. Qxe3 Qxe3 25. fxe3 Rxb2 26. Rc7 {Kick,J (2187)-Morawietz,D (2413) Bad Wiessee 2007 0-1 (36)}) 12. Ne5 Nbd7 13. f4 Qe7 14. e3 Ne8 15. e4 dxe4 16. Bxe4 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Nc7 18. Qh5 g6 19. Qh6 f6 20. f5 Qg7 21. Qxg7+ Kxg7 22. Rad1 Nd5 23. Nxd5 cxd5 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 gxf5 26. Rxf5 fxe5 27. Rd7+ Kg6 28. Rxe5 Rf7 29. Re6+ Kg7 30. Ree7 Rxe7 31. Rxe7+ Kg6 32. b3 Rc8 33. Rxa7 Rc1+ 34. Kg2 Rc2+ 35. Kh3 Rb2 36. Ra6 Kg5 37. g4 h5 38. gxh5 Kxh5 39. Kg3 Kg5 40. h4+ Kh5 41. Kf4 b5 42. Ke4 Kxh4 43. Kd3 Rf2 44. Kc3 Rf4 45. Rb6 Rf2 46. a3 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2009.01.24"] [Round "7"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A17"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2776"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2009.01.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. g3 O-O 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. O-O d6 9. d3 h6 ({RR} 9... Rb8 10. Rb1 a6 11. Bd2 b5 12. cxb5 axb5 13. b4 cxb4 14. Na2 Bd7 15. Nxb4 Nxb4 16. Bxb4 Qb6 17. Qd2 Bxb4 18. Qxb4 Rfc8 19. Nd2 Qc5 20. Nb3 Qxb4 21. axb4 Bc6 22. Rfc1 Bxg2 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Kxg2 {Svidler,P (2727)-Ivanchuk,V (2786) Almaty 2008 ½-½ (36)}) 10. Rb1 ({RR} 10. b3 e5 11. Bb2 Be6 12. e3 Qd7 13. Rad1 Bg4 14. Ne4 Qe6 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nxe4 17. dxe4 Qxh3 18. Rxd6 Rad8 19. Rfd1 Bc7 20. R6d5 b6 21. Qe2 Qe6 22. Bg4 Qf6 23. Rd7 Bb8 24. Bc3 g6 {Pein,M (2272)-Logar,M (2006) Catez SLO 2024 1-0 (43)}) 10... Rb8 11. e3 e5 12. Nd5 $146 ({RR} 12. Na2 Be6 13. b4 Bc7 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. Nc3 Qd7 16. e4 Nd4 17. Nxd4 cxd4 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. cxd5 Bg4 20. h3 Bh5 21. Bd2 Bd6 22. a4 Rfc8 23. Qb3 f6 24. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 Be8 26. Bb4 Qe7 {Georgiev,K (2607)-Stojanovic,D (2499) Kragujevac 2015 1-0 (32)}) 12... Nxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. b4 cxb4 15. axb4 Bc7 16. Qa2 b5 17. e4 Bb6 18. Bb2 Bg4 19. d4 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qd7 21. Rbc1 Ng6 22. Kh1 Rbc8 23. Qb3 Ne5 24. f3 Bh3 25. Bxh3 Qxh3 26. Nf5 Nc4 27. Rfe1 Bf2 28. Red1 g6 29. Qc3 f6 30. Ne7+ Kh7 31. Nxc8 Bxg3 32. Qc2 Rxc8 33. Qg2 Qxg2+ 34. Kxg2 Bf4 35. Bd4 Bxc1 36. Rxc1 Kg7 37. Ra1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 5th"] [Site "Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden"] [Date "2018.04.06"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A18"] [WhiteElo "2843"] [BlackElo "2794"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2018.03.31"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e5 Ne4 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. d3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 c5 9. d4 c4 10. g3 Be7 11. Bg2 Bd3 12. Ng1 Qa5 13. Bd2 Nc6 $146 ({RR} 13... Ba3 14. Ne2 Bb2 15. Rb1 Qxa2 16. O-O Nc6 17. Nf4 Bxb1 18. Qxb1 Qb3 19. Nxd5 Rd8 20. Qf5 Ba3 21. Nc7+ Kf8 22. Ne6+ Kg8 23. Ng5 Rf8 24. Bd5 Nd8 25. e6 {1-0 (25) Sebenik,M (2570)-Gong,Q (2321) Batumi 2018}) 14. Ne2 Ba3 15. O-O O-O 16. Re1 Rad8 17. Bg5 Bb2 18. Bxd8 Rxd8 19. Rc1 Bxe2 20. Qxe2 Bxc1 21. Rxc1 Qa3 22. Qe3 b5 23. e6 f6 24. h4 Ne7 25. Rb1 a6 26. Qd2 Qd6 27. a4 bxa4 28. Qa2 a3 29. Rb4 h5 30. Qxa3 Nc6 31. Ra4 Qxa3 32. Rxa3 a5 33. e7 Nxe7 34. Rxa5 Rb8 35. Bxd5+ Nxd5 36. Rxd5 Rb3 37. Rxh5 Rxc3 38. Rc5 Rc1+ 39. Kg2 c3 40. Kf3 c2 41. Kf4 Rd1 42. Rxc2 Rxd4+ 43. Kf5 Kh7 44. f4 Ra4 45. Rc5 Kh6 46. Rd5 Ra6 47. g4 g6+ 48. Ke4 Ra4+ 49. Rd4 Ra5 50. Rd5 Ra4+ 51. Ke3 Ra3+ 52. Rd3 Ra6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2011.11.18"] [Round "3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2800"] [BlackElo "2826"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2011.11.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "6000+30"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 h6 {This waiting move is not unknown. Black is waiting for White to define the positions of some of his pieces before defining his own.} 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. e4 Nc6 (5... Bxc3 {right away is far more popular, and has been the choice of several top-GMs. Magnus has a completely different idea.}) 6. Nge2 Bc5 {The bishop returns to c5 now that the dark squares have been weakened.} 7. d3 d6 8. h3 (8. O-O Bg4 {might be uncomfortable as another defender of the dark squares will be traded off.}) 8... Nh7 $5 {[%csl Rd4][%CAl Gh7g5,Gg5e6,Rh7f8,Rf8e6,Re6d4] Already quite original play. Black is targeting the weakness left on h3 after an eventual 0-0, gaining a tempo in a long but useful manoeuvre. He also prepares a potential f5, though it does not happen in this game.} (8... O-O 9. O-O Be6 {was also perfectly possible.}) 9. a3 a6 10. O-O Ng5 11. Kh2 Ne6 {The ? lands in e6, cementing the control over d4 and becoming quite useful overall.} 12. f4 Bd7 13. b4 Ba7 14. Nd5 Ned4 15. Nec3 {The position is very messy. White has more space everywhere but has a glaring weakness in d4. His king is safe for now, but the more he expands on the kingside the more vulnerable he becomes. Magnus tries to lure him into doing precisely that.} Be6 16. f5 Bd7 17. Rb1 Nb8 $5 {with the simple idea of playing c6. Black's pieces do seem awkward, but he has great control over the dark squares since he provoked f5.} 18. c5 (18. Qg4 Kf8 $1 {is very unclear. Notice how it is difficult for White to develop any sort of kingside initiative.}) 18... dxc5 19. bxc5 Bc8 {It seems like Black is playing completely aimlessly, but it's actually not so simple. If White's initiative doesn't take off NOW he will be pushed back in a few moves. The c5-pawn is quite vulnerable, his ? on g2 is not participating in the game just yet and his structure is not great, not to mention he still has no control over d4. Kramnik MUST use these next few moves.} 20. Qh5 $146 (20. Qg4 $1 Kf8 {and again it is unclear why the ? is on g4, however there is a subtle point this time around.} (20... g5 {is a much stronger move.} 21. Qh5 c6 $1 22. Bxg5 Qxg5 23. Nc7+ $1 (23. Qxg5 hxg5 24. Nc7+ Kd8 25. Nxa8 Bxc5 26. Nb6 Bxb6 27. Rxb6 Nb5 $1 {traps the rook on b6.}) 23... Ke7 $1 (23... Kd8 $2 24. Qxf7 Rg8 25. g4 {and the presence of the queens clearly favours White.}) 24. Qxg5+ hxg5 25. Nxa8 Bxc5 26. Na4 $44 {is plenty of compensation for Black because of his strong hold on the dark squares, but White is up the exchange.}) (20... g6 $2 21. Rxb7 h5 22. Qg5 Qxg5 (22... Bxb7 23. Nf6+ Ke7 24. fxg6 $18) 23. Nxc7+ Kd7 24. Nxa8+ Bxb7 25. Bxg5 Bxa8 26. fxg6 $18) 21. Qh5 Nd7 $2 (21... f6 22. Nxf6 $1 $18 Qxf6 (22... gxf6 23. Bxh6+ Rxh6 24. Qxh6+ Kg8 25. Nd5 Nd7 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Qh5+ Kg8 28. g4 {The idea of g5 is unstoppable, and the attack irresistible.} c6 29. g5 $1 {A great piece sacrifice to finish Black off quickly.} cxd5 30. exd5 Qf8 31. d6 $18 {and the passive bishop jumps into action with deadly consequences.}) 23. Nd5 Qf7 (23... Qd8 24. f6 {is clearly crushing.}) 24. Qxf7+ Kxf7 25. Nxc7 Bxc5 26. Nxa8 $18 {and the ? should make it back. Black still has some dark square control but an exchange and a pawn is an exchange and a pawn.}) (21... Nbc6 22. f6 g6 23. Bxh6+ Ke8 24. Qxg6 {Anyways!} fxg6 25. f7+ Kd7 26. f8=Q Rxf8 27. Rxf8 Qxf8 28. Bxf8 Ne6 29. Rf1 $1 $16 {and White has an extra pawn; although his bishop on g2 is relatively out of play, Black's pieces aren't that great either. Black might have some compensation but White holds the advantage.}) (21... Bxc5 22. f6 g6 23. Qxe5 {[%csl Rc7,Rd4][%CAl Ge5c7,Gc1e3,Ge3d4] is a big disadvantage of not being developed. With the centre being ripped open like this (Black will soon lose control over d4) his position becomes hopeless.}) 22. f6 {and now g6 is not possible since ?xh6 is check.} g6 23. Bxh6+ Ke8 {and now Black would be ok after ?g5 ?xc5, but the bombshell is...} 24. Qxg6 $1 {and White should be just winning.}) ({RR} 20. Qg4 Kf8 21. Qh5 Nbc6 22. Na4 f6 23. Bd2 Rb8 24. Nab6 Kg8 25. Nxc8 Rxc8 26. Rfc1 Rb8 27. h4 Qf8 28. Bh3 Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Qxc5 30. Nxf6+ gxf6 31. Qg6+ Kf8 32. Qxf6+ Ke8 33. Qxh8+ Qf8 34. Qxf8+ Kxf8 {Enkhnar,E (2438)-Shtyrenkov,V (2293) Alushta 2016 1-0 (42)}) 20... Nd7 21. Na4 (21. f6 $2 g6 {is just pointless now.}) (21. Bg5 Qxg5 22. Qxg5 hxg5 23. Nxc7+ Kd8 24. Nxa8 Bxc5 {gives Black a fantastic position for the sacrificed material. That is assuming that the ? on a8 ever gets out without too many losses.}) 21... c6 $5 {The start of fantastic complications.} (21... Nf6 22. Qh4 Nxd5 23. Qxd8+ Kxd8 24. exd5 Bd7 $13 {looks quite good for Black, though White is not without chances in this position. Maybe a strange dynamic equality.}) 22. Ndb6 (22. Bg5 {was another possibility, but Black should come out on top after barely sacrificing the exchange.}) 22... Nxc5 {You could say this is the critical point: if White takes on a8 Magnus will take the ? on a4 and it is hard to believe the a8-? will ever be retrieved. Kramnik proves it is not as easy as that.} 23. f6 g5 {Forced.} 24. Bxg5 $5 (24. Nxc8 Qxc8 $8 25. Nxc5 Bxc5 26. h4 $5 {is very messy, but was probably better than the game continuation.} Rg8 (26... gxh4 $6 27. Qxe5+ Ne6 28. Bh3 hxg3+ 29. Kg2 {and it's hard to find a good move for Black.}) 27. Bh3 Ne6 28. Bb2 Bd6 {and White has a lot of play for his pawn. Notice how important it is to have activated the white squared bishop in these lines. That's why I think this idea of 24.?xc8 and an eventual h4 is stronger.}) 24... Nxa4 25. Nxa8 (25. Nxa4 $6 b5 26. Nc3 Be6 {looks quite good for Black.}) 25... b5 26. Be3 Bb8 27. g4 {...with the idea of g5-g6. There are tons of possibilities for Black, let's look at some of them.} Rg8 $1 {Personally I think this move is best. It calmly gives away a pawn, but controls the important g6-square, which means Magnus doesn't have to worry about the kingside being blasted open any time soon.} (27... c5 $5 28. g5 Be6 29. g6 fxg6 30. Qxg6+ Bf7 31. Qg7 Rg8 32. Qxh6 Bd6 33. Bxd4 exd4+ 34. e5 Bxe5+ 35. Kh1 Rxg2 36. Kxg2 Qxa8+ 37. Kg1 $11 {With both kings so exposed, it is impossible to believe one side will win this. A perpetual is the most likely outcome.}) (27... Be6 {trying to immediately trap the ? on a8, quick action must be taken.} 28. g5 Ba7 29. g6 Qxa8 30. g7 Rg8 31. Qxh6 $13 {Black will never rid himself of the strong passed pawns, but he dominates the rest of the board. I would prefer to be White but anything can happen.}) (27... Nc5 {bringing the ? back into action!} 28. g5 Be6 29. g6 $2 (29. gxh6 $1 Nd7 30. Qg5 Nf8 {is again very difficult to asess.}) 29... fxg6 30. Qxg6+ Bf7 31. Qg7 Rg8 32. Qxh6 Nce6 $1 {and since the ? is so active in this line, Black should be better. The centre is held nicely and the ? on a8 is doomed.}) 28. Qxh6 Be6 29. Rbc1 Kd7 $1 {Protects the rook on g8, the pawn on c6, threatens ...?xg4 and puts the ? on a safer square!} 30. Bxd4 exd4+ 31. e5 Nc3 32. Rxc3 {Absolutely forced.} (32. Qf4 $2 Ba7 {and White is lost, as pointed out by Vlad during the postmortem.}) 32... Bxe5+ 33. Kh1 dxc3 34. Qe3 {Again, Black has options. 34...?d6, ?d6 and the move played in the game all come to mind.} Qb8 (34... Bd6 35. Qa7+ (35. Nb6+ Kc7 36. Na4 $1 {a fantastic resource!} bxa4 $4 (36... Kb8 37. Nxc3 Bc7 {and White's square weaknesses are starting to tell, since Black's king is rather safe. The game is still complex though.}) 37. Qa7+ Kc8 38. Qa8+ Bb8 39. Qxa6+ Kd7 40. Qxc6#) 35... Ke8 36. Qxa6 Kf8 37. Qxc6 Rh8 {[%CAl Gh8h1] looks dangerous for White.}) (34... Kd6 $5 {Getting away from potential checks on a7 and defending the bishop. However the king might be a little over exposed.} 35. d4 Bxf6 36. Qxc3 Ke7 37. Qxc6 Bxd4 38. Nc7 Qd7 39. Qxd7+ $11) 35. Qc5 $6 {Easy to attach a ?! when using an engine to analyse, but truth be told this move looks like the most obvious way to a draw.} (35. d4 $5 Bd6 36. d5 cxd5 37. Nb6+ Kd8 (37... Kc6 $2 38. Nxd5 Bxd5 39. Qxc3+ $18) 38. Nxd5 Bxd5 39. Bxd5 $13 {with a very murky position. Any queen trade will transpose the game into an opposite coloured bishop endgame in which the chances for a draw are high.}) 35... Qd6 36. Qa7+ Kd8 37. Qxa6 (37. Nb6 Rg6 {Black is simply threatening ?xf6, with a decisive advantage, so White has to do something quickly. It seems like he doesn't have enough resources.} 38. Qa8+ Qb8 39. Qxc6 Rxf6 40. Rxf6 Bxf6 41. Nd5 Bg7 $1 (41... Bd4 42. Nb4 $1 {The only fighting chance.} (42. Nxc3 $2 Qg3 $19 {and the attack is decisive.}) 42... Qb6 (42... Qg3 43. Qa8+ Ke7 $2 44. Nc6+ $18) 43. Qa8+ Ke7 44. Nc6+ Kd7 45. Nxd4 Qxd4 46. Qxa6 Qxd3 $15 {and Black's king is too vulnerable to try to win, but obviously he is the only one with chances.}) 42. Nxc3 Qe5 43. Qb6+ Qc7 {Forcing the exchange of queens.} 44. Qxc7+ Kxc7 {and Black is down a pawn, but he has dominating bishops and an active king, not to mention a soon to be passed pawn on the queenside. This looks very difficult to hold for White.}) 37... Bd4 $1 {A nice move, which cuts off the coordination between the ? and the ?, as well as creating Black's own threats on the K-side.} 38. Qa5+ Kc8 39. Qa6+ Kd8 40. Qa5+ Kc8 41. Qa6+ {And... surprise! Magnus claims three-fold repetition in a position computers claim he is winning! A small explanation is required. A wild game and you cannot blame the players for being exhausted after so much calculation.} (41. Qa6+ Kb8 42. Nb6 {The problem is that in this situation neither of the players considered the move ...?c8. It does seem quite strange, but it beautifully prevents all of White's counterplay, leaving Black with a dominating position.} Bc8 {Note that without this move, the game would simply end in a perpetual.} 43. Qa8+ (43. Nxc8 Rxc8 44. a4 b4 45. Qc4 Qc5 {and computers think Magnus is winning, but that's not so obvious at a first glance.}) 43... Kc7 44. Nxc8 (44. Qa7+ Bb7 {is the point} 45. Nd5+ Qxd5 {and Black wins.}) 44... Rxc8 45. Qa5+ Kb8 {White has now exhausted his resources. His position will collapse since he must now shift the focus on to protecting against the c-pawn.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 2024"] [Site "Stavanger, Norway"] [Date "2024.05.27"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2762"] [BlackElo "2830"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1 - Chessbase"] [PlyCount "129"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. c4 {[%eval 13,0]} e5 {[%eval 11,0]} 2. g3 {[%eval 16,0]} Nf6 {[%eval 25,0]} 3. Bg2 {[%eval 16,0]} h6 {[%eval 27,0]} 4. Nc3 {[%eval 25,0]} ({RR} 4. d3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 O-O 7. Nf3 Re8 8. O-O c6 9. c5 b6 10. Rc1 bxc5 11. Rxc5 e4 12. Ne1 Qb6 13. d4 Na6 14. Rc1 Rb8 15. b3 Nb4 16. Nc3 d6 17. Nc2 a5 18. Ne3 Ba6 {1-0 Fedoseev,V (2683)-Ivic,V (2570) World Blitz 2023 Samarkand UZB (9.21)}) 4... Bb4 {[%eval 17,0]} 5. e4 {[%eval 17,0]} d6 {[%eval 24,0]} ({RR} 5... Bxc3 {RR} 6. bxc3 d6 7. Ne2 O-O 8. O-O b6 9. f4 Ba6 10. d3 Nc6 11. h3 Nd7 12. a4 Nc5 13. f5 f6 14. g4 Kf7 15. Ng3 Na5 16. Ra3 Qd7 17. h4 Rh8 18. Rf2 Rad8 19. Bf3 Bb7 20. g5) 6. Nge2 {[%eval 19,0]} Bc5 $146 {[%eval 57,0]} ({RR} 6... Nc6 7. O-O ({RR} 7. h3 Bc5 8. d3 O-O ({RR} 8... Nh7 9. a3 a6 10. O-O Ng5 11. Kh2 Ne6 12. f4 Bd7 13. b4 Ba7 14. Nd5 Ned4 15. Nec3 Be6 16. f5 Bd7 17. Rb1 Nb8 18. c5 ({RR} 18. Qg4 Kf8) 18... dxc5 19. bxc5 Bc8 20. Qh5 ({RR} 20. Qg4 Kf8 ({RR} 20... g5 21. Qh5 c6 22. Bxg5 Qxg5 23. Nc7+ ({RR} 23. Qxg5 hxg5 24. Nc7+ Kd8 25. Nxa8 Bxc5 26. Nb6 Bxb6 27. Rxb6 Nb5) 23... Ke7 ({RR} 23... Kd8 24. Qxf7 Rg8 25. g4) 24. Qxg5+ hxg5 25. Nxa8 Bxc5 26. Na4) ({RR} 20... g6 21. Rxb7 h5 22. Qg5 Qxg5 ({RR} 22... Bxb7 23. Nf6+ Ke7 24. fxg6) 23. Nxc7+ Kd7 24. Nxa8+ Bxb7 25. Bxg5 Bxa8 26. fxg6) 21. Qh5 Nd7 ({RR} 21... f6 22. Nxf6 Qxf6 ({RR} 22... gxf6 23. Bxh6+ Rxh6 24. Qxh6+ Kg8 25. Nd5 Nd7 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Qh5+ Kg8 28. g4 c6 29. g5 cxd5 30. exd5 Qf8 31. d6) 23. Nd5 Qf7 ({RR} 23... Qd8 24. f6) 24. Qxf7+ Kxf7 25. Nxc7 Bxc5 26. Nxa8) ({RR} 21... Nbc6 22. f6 g6 23. Bxh6+ Ke8 24. Qxg6 fxg6 25. f7+ Kd7 26. f8=Q Rxf8 27. Rxf8 Qxf8 28. Bxf8 Ne6 29. Rf1) ({RR} 21... Bxc5 22. f6 g6 23. Qxe5) 22. f6 g6 23. Bxh6+ Ke8 24. Qxg6)) 9. Na4 ({RR} 9. O-O Be6) 9... Nd4 10. Nxc5 dxc5 11. O-O Qd6 12. Nxd4 cxd4 13. f4 Nd7 14. f5 f6 15. h4 a5 16. g4 Ra6 17. Rf3 Rf7 18. Rg3 Nf8 19. g5 fxg5 20. hxg5 hxg5 21. Bxg5 Nh7) ({RR} 7. a3 Bc5 ({RR} 7... Bxc3 8. Nxc3 Be6 9. d3 Qd7 10. h3 g5 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. cxd5 Nd4 13. Be3 O-O-O 14. Rc1 Kb8 15. Bxd4 exd4 16. Rc4 h5 17. Rxd4 h4 18. g4 Qe7 19. Qd2 Qe5 20. Qe3 Rhe8 21. O-O Rc8) 8. b4 Bb6 9. h3 a5 10. Rb1 O-O 11. O-O Nh7 12. Nd5 Ba7 13. b5 Ne7 14. d4 Nxd5 15. cxd5 f5 16. Bb2 fxe4 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Bxe5 Ng5 19. Nf4 Qe7 20. Ng6 Qe8 21. Nxf8 Qxe5) 7... Bg4 8. d3 Qd7 9. Be3 Bc5 10. Qd2 h5 11. f3 Bh3 12. Nd5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nxd5 14. cxd5 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Nb4 16. Qd2 Qb5 17. d4 h4 18. a4 Qd3 19. Qxd3 Nxd3 20. Ra3 hxg3 21. hxg3 {½-½ Visakh N R (2506)-Aditya Mittal (2607) Dubai Police Global Chess Challenge 202 Dubai Police Officers Club, A 2024 (6.2)}) ({RR} 6... Nc6 7. O-O Bg4 8. d3 Qd7 9. Be3 Bc5 10. Qd2 h5 11. f3 Bh3 12. Nd5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nxd5 14. cxd5 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Nb4 16. Qd2 Qb5 17. d4 h4 18. a4 Qd3 19. Qxd3 Nxd3 20. Ra3 hxg3 21. hxg3 {½-½ Visakh,N (2511)-Aditya,M (2608) Dubai Police Open A 2024 Dubai UAE (6.2)}) 7. h3 {[%eval 2,0]} a5 {[%eval 68,0]} 8. O-O {[%eval 32,0]} Nc6 {[%eval 27,0]} 9. d3 {[%eval 23,0]} Nh7 {[%eval 45,0]} 10. Kh2 {[%eval 41,0]} Nf8 {[%eval 58,0]} 11. f4 {[%eval 62,0]} Ne6 {[%eval 75,0]} 12. f5 $146 {[%eval 51,0]} ({RR} 12. Nd5 Bd7 13. Bd2 Nb4 14. Bc3 Nc6 15. a3 a4 16. Bd2 h5 17. f5 Ned4 18. Nec3 Nb3 19. Nb5 Rc8 20. Rb1 Nxd2 21. Qxd2 Nd4 22. Nxd4 Bxd4 23. f6 g6 24. Ne7 Ra8 25. Qg5 Be6 26. Nf5 gxf5 {Niemann,H (2733)-Carlsen,M (2832) Paris FRA 2024 ½-½ (82)}) 12... Ned4 {[%eval 49,0]} 13. Nxd4 {[%eval 38,0]} Nxd4 {[%eval 41,0]} 14. Rb1 {[%eval 32,0]} Bd7 {[%eval 37,0]} 15. b3 {[%eval 15,0]} b5 {[%eval 21,0]} 16. Qg4 {[%eval 6,0]} Kf8 {[%eval 2,0]} 17. Qh5 {[%eval 46,0]} f6 {[%eval 3,0]} 18. Qd1 {[%eval 58,0]} b4 {[%eval 75,0]} 19. Na4 {[%eval 98,0]} Ba7 {[%eval 9,0]} 20. Bf3 {[%eval 87,0]} Nxf3+ {[%eval 38,0]} 21. Rxf3 {[%eval 32,0]} Qe8 {[%eval 25,0]} 22. g4 {[%eval 6,0]} Bd4 {[%eval 59,0]} 23. Be3 {[%eval 55,0]} Bxe3 {[%eval 48,0]} 24. Rxe3 {[%eval 51,0]} Bxa4 {[%eval 3,0]} 25. bxa4 {[%eval 37,0]} c5 {[%eval 1,0]} 26. h4 {[%eval 8,0]} Ke7 {[%eval 12,0]} 27. Rh3 {[%eval 0,0]} Kd8 {[%eval 8,0]} 28. Qc2 {[%eval 3,0]} Kc7 {[%eval 7,0]} 29. Rg1 {[%eval 9,0]} Kb6 {[%eval 7,0]} 30. Rgg3 {[%eval 0,0]} Qe7 {[%eval 5,0]} 31. Kg2 {[%eval 4,0]} Rh7 {[%eval 0,0]} 32. Kf2 {[%eval 7,0]} Rah8 {[%eval 1,0]} 33. Ke1 {[%eval 21,0]} Qe8 {[%eval 16,0]} 34. Kd1 {[%eval 34,0]} Ka6 {[%eval 2,0]} 35. Kc1 {[%eval 6,0]} Kb6 {[%eval 5,0]} 36. Kb2 {[%eval 1,0]} Ka6 {[%eval 0,0]} 37. Kb3 {[%eval 5,0]} Kb6 {[%eval 0,0]} 38. Qh2 {[%eval 1,0]} Qg8 {[%eval 2,0]} 39. Qg2 {[%eval 12,0]} Qd8 {[%eval 14,0]} 40. Qf3 {[%eval 4,0]} Qe8 {[%eval 2,0]} 41. Rh1 {[%eval 8,0]} Qd8 {[%eval 0,0]} 42. Rhg1 {[%eval 1,0]} Qe8 {[%eval 1,0]} 43. Rh3 {[%eval 5,0]} Qd8 {[%eval 0,0]} 44. Rgh1 {[%eval 0,0]} Qg8 {[%eval 2,0]} 45. Qg3 {[%eval 0,0]} Ka6 {[%eval 0,0]} 46. g5 {[%eval 0,0]} hxg5 {[%eval 0,0]} 47. hxg5 {[%eval 0,0]} Rxh3 {[%eval 0,0]} 48. Rxh3 {[%eval 0,0]} fxg5 {[%eval 0,0]} 49. Rxh8 {[%eval 0,0]} Qxh8 {[%eval 0,0]} 50. Qxg5 {[%eval 3,0]} Qh1 {[%eval 0,0]} 51. Kc2 {[%eval 0,0]} Qa1 {[%eval 3,0]} 52. Qd8 {[%eval 8,0]} Qc3+ {[%eval 15,0]} 53. Kb1 {[%eval 17,0]} Qxd3+ {[%eval 2,0]} 54. Kb2 {[%eval 28,0]} Qd4+ {[%eval 38,0]} 55. Kb1 {[%eval 44,0]} Qxe4+ {[%eval 0,0]} 56. Kb2 {[%eval 0,0]} Qc6 {[%eval 0,0]} 57. Qe7 {[%eval 7,0]} Qg2+ {[%eval 17,0]} 58. Kb1 {[%eval 0,0]} Qe4+ {[%eval 0,0]} 59. Kb2 {[%eval 0,0]} Qd4+ {[%eval 0,0]} 60. Kb1 {[%eval 1,0]} e4 {[%eval 0,0]} 61. Qd7 {[%eval 0,0]} Qd3+ {[%eval 0,0]} 62. Kb2 {[%eval 0,0]} Qd2+ {[%eval 0,0]} 63. Kb1 {[%eval 0,0]} Qd1+ {[%eval 0,0]} 64. Kb2 {[%eval 0,0]} Qd2+ {[%eval 0,0]} 65. Kb1 {[%eval 0,0]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "San Fermin Masters Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.07.10"] [Round "1.6"] [White "Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2847"] [PlyCount "149"] [EventDate "2021.07.10"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 h5 3. Nf3 Nc6 ({RR} 3... e4 4. Nh4 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. d3 exd3 7. Qxd3 Be7 8. Bg2 Nfd7 9. O-O Nc6 10. b3 Nc5 11. Qd2 a5 12. Bb2 Bf6 13. Rad1 O-O 14. Nd5 Bxb2 15. Qxb2 Ne5 16. e4 c6 17. Ne3 Qf6 18. Qe2 {Stockfish dev-20230409-b36d39 (3639)-LCZero 0.30-dag-a9b25c2b-BT2- (3598) tcec-chess.com INT 2023 ½-½ (79)}) ({RR} 3... e4 4. Nh4 c6 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 g5 7. Ng2 cxd5 8. d3 exd3 9. Qxd3 Be6 10. h4 d4 11. Ne4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 gxh4 14. Rxh4 Nc6 15. Nf4 Nf6 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Bh3 Qe7 18. Ng5 {Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2600)-Beerdsen,T (2502) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (34)}) 4. Nc3 Bc5 5. Bg2 ({RR} 5. a3 d6 6. b4 Bb6 7. Bg2 h4 8. Nxh4 g5 9. Nf3 g4 10. Nh4 Bd7 11. d3 Qf6 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Bg5 f6 14. Bd2 f5 15. Nc3 Qg7 16. b5 Nce7 17. Bxb7 Rb8 18. Bg2 f4 19. Nd5 Nxd5 {Vogel,C (2184)-Rempe,J (2149) Germany GER 2025 1-0 (49)}) 5... h4 $146 ({RR} 5... d6 6. a3 a5 7. d3 Nd4 8. Ne4 Nxf3+ 9. Bxf3 Bb6 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bd2 Ne7 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 Bd4 15. Qa4+ Bd7 16. Qa2 Bc6 17. e3 Bb6 18. b5 Bd7 19. h4 Bg4 20. Bxg4 {Lizak,P (2398)-Adhiban,B (2532) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (43)}) 6. Nxh4 Rxh4 7. gxh4 Qxh4 8. e3 Qxc4 9. a3 Nf6 10. b4 Bb6 11. Bb2 Qe6 12. Rc1 Ne7 13. Na4 c6 14. O-O d5 15. f4 e4 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Qe1 Nf5 18. Bh3 Qe7 19. Bxf5 Bxf5 20. Qh4 Nd7 21. Qh8+ Qf8 22. Qxf8+ Kxf8 23. Kf2 b5 24. Rg1 f6 25. h4 Nb6 26. h5 Nc4 27. Bc3 Kf7 28. Rg3 Rh8 29. Rcg1 Rh7 30. R3g2 Nd6 31. Rh2 Rh6 32. Ra1 Ke6 33. a4 bxa4 34. Rxa4 g6 35. Ra7 gxh5 36. Bd4 h4 37. Bc5 Rh7 38. Ra8 h3 39. Rg8 Nc4 40. Kg1 b6 41. Bd4 Kf7 42. Rb8 Rg7+ 43. Kf1 b5 44. Bc3 Ke6 45. Re8+ Re7 46. Rc8 d4 47. Bxd4 Kd5 48. Rf8 Re6 49. Bxf6 Bg4 50. Bc3 Nd6 51. Rg8 Bf5 52. Rg5 Kc4 53. Be5 Bh7 54. Rxh3 Nf7 55. Rg7 Bf5 56. Rh5 Bg6 57. Rh2 Nxe5 58. fxe5 Be8 59. Rhh7 Rxe5 60. Re7 Rf5+ 61. Ke1 Bg6 62. Rxe4+ Kb3 63. Rh6 Rg5 64. Rd4 Kc2 65. Kf2 Kd1 66. Rh1+ Kc2 67. Rh6 Kd1 68. Kf3 Bf7 69. Rxc6 Bd5+ 70. Rxd5 Rxd5 71. d4 Kd2 72. Rc5 Rd8 73. Rxb5 Kd3 74. Re5 Rf8+ 75. Kg4 1-0 [Event "EU-Cup 37th"] [Site "Mayrhofen"] [Date "2022.10.06"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2856"] [BlackElo "2717"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2022.10.03"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "AUT"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Offerspill"] [BlackTeam "Novy Bor"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "CZE"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. d4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. e4 $146 ({RR} 7. O-O-O Qe7 8. e4 O-O 9. f4 exf4 10. Qxf4 Re8 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. Nf3 Nf8 13. h3 Ng6 14. Qd2 c5 15. dxc5 dxc5 16. Nd5 Qd6 17. g4 {½-½ (17) Abramovic,B (2520)-Laketic,G (2415) Barcelona 1991}) ({RR} 7. O-O-O e4 8. f3 Qe7 9. Qf4 exf3 10. Nxf3 d5 11. e4 dxe4 12. Re1 O-O 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Rxe4 Qb4 15. Bd3 Nd7 16. a3 Qa4 17. Qh4 h6 18. g4 Nf6 19. Rf4 Qb3 20. Rd1 Nxg4 21. Rxg4 Bxg4 {Keymer,V (2733)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2755) Oslo NOR 2024 1-0 (36)}) ({RR} 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. e4 Nbd7 10. Nf3 Re8 11. Bh3 Kc7 12. Bxd7 Bxd7 13. Nd2 Be6 14. Rc1 Rad8 15. Nd5+ Kb8 16. Ne3 Ng4 17. Nxg4 Bxg4 18. f3 Be6 19. Ke2 Rd4 20. b3 f5 21. Rhd1 Red8 {Bezuidenhout,R (2285)-Fitzsimons,D (2317) England ENG 2025 0-1 (43)}) 7... O-O 8. Nge2 b5 9. cxb5 cxb5 10. a3 a5 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O b4 13. axb4 axb4 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Qb6 16. Rxa8 Bxa8 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. g4 Nd7 19. Ng3 g6 20. Rc1 Rd8 21. Ne4 Nf6 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rc5 Qb6 24. Qe3 Qa7 25. Qc1 Bb7 26. h4 Qb6 27. h5 h6 28. Qe3 gxh5 29. Rc8 Qd6 30. Rxd8+ Qxd8 31. Qxh6 Bxd5 32. Qd2 hxg4 33. Qxd5 Qxd5 34. Bxd5 Kg7 35. Kg2 f5 36. Kg3 Kf6 37. Kh4 e4 38. Bc6 Ke5 39. Kg3 Kd4 40. Kf4 Kd3 41. Kxf5 e3 42. fxe3 Kxe3 43. b3 1-0 [Event "NOR-ch"] [Site "Moss"] [Date "2006.07.15"] [Round "9"] [White "Ostenstad, Berge"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2480"] [BlackElo "2673"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2006.07.08"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 113 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 h6 4. d4 exd4 5. Qxd4 Nc6 6. Qd1 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Qxd2 O-O 9. Nc3 d6 10. Nh3 Ne5 $146 ({RR} 10... Bf5 11. Nf4 Re8 12. O-O Ne4 {½-½ (12) Mack,W (2251)-De Francesco,K (2221) Augsburg GER 2023}) ({RR} 10... Bf5 11. Nf4 Re8 12. O-O Ne4 {½-½ (12) Mack,W (2251)-De Francesco,K (2221) Augsburg GER 2023}) 11. b3 c6 12. Rd1 Qa5 13. O-O Kh8 14. Nf4 Bf5 15. e4 Bh7 16. Nfe2 Rad8 17. Qb2 Rfe8 18. Rd4 d5 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. b4 Qb6 21. exd5 Bd3 22. Rd1 Nfg4 23. Qd2 Nxf2 24. Kxf2 Ng4+ 25. Kg1 Bxe2 26. Nxe2 Ne3 27. Nc3 Nxd1 28. Nxd1 Re5 29. Nf2 Rc8 30. Bf3 f5 31. Kg2 Rd8 32. d6 Rd7 33. h4 Re6 34. Qf4 Rexd6 35. Rxd6 Qxd6 36. Qxf5 g6 37. Qc2 Kg7 38. a3 b6 39. Ne4 Qe5 40. Nf2 Rc7 41. Qd2 Qc3 42. Qe2 Qf6 43. h5 gxh5 44. Bxh5 Re7 45. Qd3 Qg5 46. Bf3 Qe3 47. Qd8 Re8 48. Qd1 Re7 49. Ng4 Qg5 50. Qd4+ Kf7 51. Qd6 Re6 52. Qd7+ Qe7 53. Qd4 Kg6 54. Bd5 Re2+ 55. Kf3 Re1 56. Be4+ 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 7th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2019.06.10"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2875"] [BlackElo "2805"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2019.06.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 191"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e5 3. Bg2 c6 4. d4 e4 5. Qb3 d5 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Qxc4 b5 8. Qb3 Qxd4 9. Be3 $146 ({RR} 9. Bg5 Bf5 10. e3 Qe5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Qc2 Na6 13. a3 Nc5 14. Nge2 Nd3+ 15. Kf1 Bc5 16. Nf4 Rd8 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Nxe4 Be7 20. Rd1 Qxb2 21. Qxc6+ Kf8 22. Rd2 Qxa3 23. Qxb5 Kg7 {Hansen,M (2388)-Kistrup,N (2387) Denmark DEN 2023 ½-½ (62)}) ({RR} 9. Bg5 Bf5 10. e3 Qe5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Qc2 Na6 13. a3 Nc5 14. Nge2 Nd3+ 15. Kf1 Bc5 16. Nf4 Rd8 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Nxe4 Be7 20. Rd1 Qxb2 21. Qxc6+ Kf8 22. Rd2 Qxa3 23. Qxb5 Kg7 {Hansen,M (2388)-Kistrup,N (2387) Denmark DEN 2023 ½-½ (62)}) 9... Qb4 10. Bd2 Qxb3 11. axb3 Bf5 12. g4 Bxg4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 g6 15. Bc3 Rg8 16. b4 a6 17. e3 Bg7 18. Ne2 Bxe2 19. Kxe2 Ra7 20. Bxg7 Rxg7 21. Rhc1 Rc7 22. h4 Kd8 23. h5 Kc8 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. Rd1 Rge7 26. f3 Re6 27. Rh1 Kb7 28. Rh6 Rf7 29. Rah1 Ree7 30. Rc1 Kb6 31. Rh2 Re6 32. Rch1 Nd7 33. Rxh7 Rxh7 34. Rxh7 Nf6 35. Rh4 Nxe4 36. fxe4 c5 37. bxc5+ Kxc5 38. Kd3 g5 39. Rg4 Rg6 40. Kc3 a5 41. b4+ axb4+ 42. Kc2 Kc4 43. e5+ Kd5 44. Rxb4 g4 45. Rxb5+ Ke4 46. Rb4+ Kxe3 47. e6 Kf3 48. Rb3+ Kf2 49. Rb4 Kf3 50. Rb3+ Kf4 51. Rb4+ Kf5 52. Rb5+ Kxe6 53. Kd3 g3 54. Rb6+ Kf5 55. Rxg6 Kxg6 56. Ke2 Kg5 57. Kf3 Kh4 58. Kg2 Kg4 59. Kg1 Kh3 60. Kh1 g2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2007.11.17"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2714"] [BlackElo "2736"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2007.11.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 e4 8. Ne5 f5 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Nc3 O-O 11. f3 exf3 12. exf3 Bf6 13. Re1 Rb8 14. f4 Rb4 15. Nxd5 $146 ({RR} 15. Ne2 Re8 16. a3 Rb6 17. Kh1 Ba6 18. Ng1 Rxe1 19. Qxe1 Bd3 20. Nf3 Be4 21. b4 c5 22. bxc5 Rb3 23. Ne5 Nc3 24. Nf3 Qd5 25. Qf1 Nb1 26. Ne5 Qxd4 27. Ra2 Bxe5 28. fxe5 Rd3 29. Re2 Nc3 {Garcia Palermo,C (2475)-Liascovich,L (2454) Buenos Aires 2009 0-1 (31)}) 15... cxd5 16. Be3 Rxb2 17. Qa4 a6 18. Rab1 Rxb1 19. Rxb1 Qd6 20. Rc1 Bd7 21. Qa5 Bb5 22. Qxc7 Qxc7 23. Rxc7 Bc4 24. Rc5 Bxa2 25. Bxd5+ Bxd5 26. Rxd5 Ra8 27. Rxf5 a5 28. Rc5 a4 29. Rc2 a3 30. Ra2 Kf7 31. f5 g6 32. fxg6+ hxg6 33. Kg2 Ke6 34. Bc1 Be7 35. h4 Kd5 36. g4 Kc4 37. g5 Kxd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-Cup 37th"] [Site "Mayrhofen"] [Date "2022.10.06"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2856"] [BlackElo "2717"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2022.10.03"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "AUT"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Offerspill"] [BlackTeam "Novy Bor"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "CZE"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. d4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. e4 $146 ({RR} 7. O-O-O Qe7 8. e4 O-O 9. f4 exf4 10. Qxf4 Re8 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. Nf3 Nf8 13. h3 Ng6 14. Qd2 c5 15. dxc5 dxc5 16. Nd5 Qd6 17. g4 {½-½ (17) Abramovic,B (2520)-Laketic,G (2415) Barcelona 1991}) ({RR} 7. O-O-O e4 8. f3 Qe7 9. Qf4 exf3 10. Nxf3 d5 11. e4 dxe4 12. Re1 O-O 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Rxe4 Qb4 15. Bd3 Nd7 16. a3 Qa4 17. Qh4 h6 18. g4 Nf6 19. Rf4 Qb3 20. Rd1 Nxg4 21. Rxg4 Bxg4 {Keymer,V (2733)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2755) Oslo NOR 2024 1-0 (36)}) ({RR} 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. e4 Nbd7 10. Nf3 Re8 11. Bh3 Kc7 12. Bxd7 Bxd7 13. Nd2 Be6 14. Rc1 Rad8 15. Nd5+ Kb8 16. Ne3 Ng4 17. Nxg4 Bxg4 18. f3 Be6 19. Ke2 Rd4 20. b3 f5 21. Rhd1 Red8 {Bezuidenhout,R (2285)-Fitzsimons,D (2317) England ENG 2025 0-1 (43)}) 7... O-O 8. Nge2 b5 9. cxb5 cxb5 10. a3 a5 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O b4 13. axb4 axb4 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Qb6 16. Rxa8 Bxa8 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. g4 Nd7 19. Ng3 g6 20. Rc1 Rd8 21. Ne4 Nf6 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rc5 Qb6 24. Qe3 Qa7 25. Qc1 Bb7 26. h4 Qb6 27. h5 h6 28. Qe3 gxh5 29. Rc8 Qd6 30. Rxd8+ Qxd8 31. Qxh6 Bxd5 32. Qd2 hxg4 33. Qxd5 Qxd5 34. Bxd5 Kg7 35. Kg2 f5 36. Kg3 Kf6 37. Kh4 e4 38. Bc6 Ke5 39. Kg3 Kd4 40. Kf4 Kd3 41. Kxf5 e3 42. fxe3 Kxe3 43. b3 1-0 [Event "EU-Cup 36th"] [Site "Struga"] [Date "2021.09.20"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Sarrau, Jelle"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2374"] [BlackElo "2855"] [PlyCount "182"] [EventDate "2021.09.18"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "MKD"] [SourceTitle "CBM 204 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.09.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.09.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Zuid Limburg"] [BlackTeam "Offerspill CC"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NED"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 h6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nf3 Bxc3 6. dxc3 ({RR} 6. bxc3 e4 7. Nd4 O-O 8. O-O d6 9. f3 c5 10. Nc2 exf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bg2 Ne5 13. d3 Rb8 14. Bf4 Re8 15. Rb1 a6 16. e4 b5 17. Ne3 Be6 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. cxd5 Bg4 20. Qd2 Bh5 {Eljanov,P (2684)-Delchev,A (2596) Sunny Beach 2012 1-0 (37)}) ({RR} 6. bxc3 d6 7. O-O O-O 8. d4 Nbd7 9. Ba3 Re8 10. e3 Rb8 11. Nd2 a6 12. Rb1 b6 13. c5 dxc5 14. dxc5 b5 15. c6 Nb6 16. Qc2 Be6 17. Rfd1 Qc8 18. Bc5 Bh3 19. Bh1 Bf5 20. Ne4 Nxe4 {Meduri,A (2023)-Ozates,T (2290) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (41)}) 6... d6 7. Nd2 Nbd7 $146 ({RR} 7... Nc6 8. e4 Be6 9. Qe2 Qd7 10. h3 a6 11. Nf1 Na5 12. Ne3 Qa4 13. b4 Nc6 14. O-O O-O 15. f4 exf4 16. gxf4 Rae8 17. e5 dxe5 18. f5 Bc8 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. cxd5 Ne7 21. f6 Ng6 22. Be4 {Valsecchi,A (2512)-Libiszewski,F (2522) Chess.com INT 2020 0-1 (36)}) 8. Nf1 a5 9. b3 a4 10. Ba3 e4 11. Ne3 b6 12. O-O O-O 13. Qc2 Re8 14. Rfd1 Bb7 15. b4 Qe7 16. Rd4 Ne5 17. c5 dxc5 18. bxc5 Bc6 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Qc1 b5 21. Qf4 g5 22. Qc1 Nc4 23. Bb4 Nd5 24. Qc2 Nf6 25. Rf1 Re5 26. Ne3 Nxe3 27. fxe3 Nd5 28. Qd2 Nxb4 29. cxb4 f5 30. g4 Rae8 31. Qc3 h5 32. gxf5 Qf6 33. a3 Rf8 34. Rdd1 Kg7 35. Qe1 Bd5 36. Qg3 c6 37. h4 g4 38. Rf4 Rfe8 39. Qf2 Kf7 40. Qg3 R8e7 41. Rff1 Ke8 42. Kh2 Kd7 43. Kg1 Kc8 44. Kh2 Kb7 45. Kg1 Rf7 46. Kh2 Qe7 47. f6 Rxf6 48. Rxf6 Qxf6 49. Rf1 Rf5 50. Rxf5 Qxf5 51. Qd6 Qf7 52. Kg1 Qg7 53. Qd8 Qc7 54. Qf6 Qg3 55. Qe7+ Ka6 56. Qf8 Kb7 57. Qe7+ Qc7 58. Qf8 Qe5 59. Qd8 Qe6 60. Qg5 Qe8 61. Qg7+ Kc8 62. Qh6 Qe5 63. Qf8+ Kd7 64. Qh6 Bf7 65. Qf8 Qa1+ 66. Bf1 Qf6 67. Bg2 Qe6 68. Qg7 Ke7 69. Qd4 Bg6 70. Qg7+ Ke8 71. Qh8+ Kf7 72. Qb8 Qf6 73. Qc7+ Kf8 74. Qg3 Kg7 75. Kh2 Qe7 76. Kg1 Kh7 77. Kh2 Qd8 78. Kg1 Kg8 79. Kh2 Kf7 80. Kg1 Ke6 81. Kh2 Qd5 82. Kg1 Qe5 83. Qe1 Bf5 84. Qd2 Qg3 85. Qd8 Qxe3+ 86. Kh1 Qc1+ 87. Kh2 Qf4+ 88. Kh1 g3 89. Qg8+ Kd7 90. Qf7+ Kd8 91. e3 Qxh4+ 0-1 [Event "NOR-UKR Solidarity m"] [Site "Tornelo INT"] [Date "2022.04.23"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Moiseenko, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2864"] [BlackElo "2602"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.04.23"] [EventType "team-match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 207 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Ukraine"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "UKR"] 1. c4 e5 2. e3 c6 3. d4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bd3 $146 ({RR} 7. Nf3 Qe7 8. h3 Nbd7 9. g4 h6 10. O-O-O e4 11. Ng1 Nb6 12. d5 cxd5 13. cxd5 Bd7 14. Kb1 O-O 15. Nge2 Rac8 16. Ng3 Na4 17. Nxa4 Bxa4 18. b3 Bd7 19. Bc4 b5 20. Be2 Rc5 21. Rc1 Rfc8 {Meister,J (2494)-Gaerths,R (2226) Bad Woerishofen 2012 0-1}) 7... O-O 8. Nge2 Re8 9. O-O e4 10. Bc2 d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. f3 exf3 13. Rxf3 Bg4 14. Rf4 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 Nbd7 16. Raf1 Qe7 17. R1f3 Rac8 18. g4 Rf8 19. Bb3 Nb6 20. g5 Ne4 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Rxf7 Rxf7 23. Rxf7 Qxg5+ 24. Kh1 Kh8 25. Qf1 Qd8 26. Qg1 g6 27. Qf1 Qd6 28. Rxb7 Rf8 29. Rf7 Rc8 30. Rxa7 Nd7 31. Qf7 Qb4 32. Rxd7 Qe1+ 33. Kg2 Qe2+ 34. Kg3 Qxe3+ 35. Kg4 h5+ 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. Kxh5 Qh3+ 38. Kxg5 Qg2+ 39. Kf6 Rc6+ 40. Be6 Qf2+ 41. Ke7 1-0 [Event "San Fermin Masters Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.07.10"] [Round "1.6"] [White "Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2847"] [PlyCount "149"] [EventDate "2021.07.10"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 h5 3. Nf3 Nc6 ({RR} 3... e4 4. Nh4 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. d3 exd3 7. Qxd3 Be7 8. Bg2 Nfd7 9. O-O Nc6 10. b3 Nc5 11. Qd2 a5 12. Bb2 Bf6 13. Rad1 O-O 14. Nd5 Bxb2 15. Qxb2 Ne5 16. e4 c6 17. Ne3 Qf6 18. Qe2 {Stockfish dev-20230409-b36d39 (3639)-LCZero 0.30-dag-a9b25c2b-BT2- (3598) tcec-chess.com INT 2023 ½-½ (79)}) ({RR} 3... e4 4. Nh4 c6 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 g5 7. Ng2 cxd5 8. d3 exd3 9. Qxd3 Be6 10. h4 d4 11. Ne4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 gxh4 14. Rxh4 Nc6 15. Nf4 Nf6 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Bh3 Qe7 18. Ng5 {Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2600)-Beerdsen,T (2502) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (34)}) 4. Nc3 Bc5 5. Bg2 ({RR} 5. a3 d6 6. b4 Bb6 7. Bg2 h4 8. Nxh4 g5 9. Nf3 g4 10. Nh4 Bd7 11. d3 Qf6 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Bg5 f6 14. Bd2 f5 15. Nc3 Qg7 16. b5 Nce7 17. Bxb7 Rb8 18. Bg2 f4 19. Nd5 Nxd5 {Vogel,C (2184)-Rempe,J (2149) Germany GER 2025 1-0 (49)}) 5... h4 $146 ({RR} 5... d6 6. a3 a5 7. d3 Nd4 8. Ne4 Nxf3+ 9. Bxf3 Bb6 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bd2 Ne7 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 Bd4 15. Qa4+ Bd7 16. Qa2 Bc6 17. e3 Bb6 18. b5 Bd7 19. h4 Bg4 20. Bxg4 {Lizak,P (2398)-Adhiban,B (2532) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (43)}) 6. Nxh4 Rxh4 7. gxh4 Qxh4 8. e3 Qxc4 9. a3 Nf6 10. b4 Bb6 11. Bb2 Qe6 12. Rc1 Ne7 13. Na4 c6 14. O-O d5 15. f4 e4 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Qe1 Nf5 18. Bh3 Qe7 19. Bxf5 Bxf5 20. Qh4 Nd7 21. Qh8+ Qf8 22. Qxf8+ Kxf8 23. Kf2 b5 24. Rg1 f6 25. h4 Nb6 26. h5 Nc4 27. Bc3 Kf7 28. Rg3 Rh8 29. Rcg1 Rh7 30. R3g2 Nd6 31. Rh2 Rh6 32. Ra1 Ke6 33. a4 bxa4 34. Rxa4 g6 35. Ra7 gxh5 36. Bd4 h4 37. Bc5 Rh7 38. Ra8 h3 39. Rg8 Nc4 40. Kg1 b6 41. Bd4 Kf7 42. Rb8 Rg7+ 43. Kf1 b5 44. Bc3 Ke6 45. Re8+ Re7 46. Rc8 d4 47. Bxd4 Kd5 48. Rf8 Re6 49. Bxf6 Bg4 50. Bc3 Nd6 51. Rg8 Bf5 52. Rg5 Kc4 53. Be5 Bh7 54. Rxh3 Nf7 55. Rg7 Bf5 56. Rh5 Bg6 57. Rh2 Nxe5 58. fxe5 Be8 59. Rhh7 Rxe5 60. Re7 Rf5+ 61. Ke1 Bg6 62. Rxe4+ Kb3 63. Rh6 Rg5 64. Rd4 Kc2 65. Kf2 Kd1 66. Rh1+ Kc2 67. Rh6 Kd1 68. Kf3 Bf7 69. Rxc6 Bd5+ 70. Rxd5 Rxd5 71. d4 Kd2 72. Rc5 Rd8 73. Rxb5 Kd3 74. Re5 Rf8+ 75. Kg4 1-0 [Event "EU-Cup 36th"] [Site "Struga"] [Date "2021.09.20"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Sarrau, Jelle"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2374"] [BlackElo "2855"] [PlyCount "182"] [EventDate "2021.09.18"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "MKD"] [SourceTitle "CBM 204 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.09.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.09.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Zuid Limburg"] [BlackTeam "Offerspill CC"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NED"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 h6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nf3 Bxc3 6. dxc3 ({RR} 6. bxc3 e4 7. Nd4 O-O 8. O-O d6 9. f3 c5 10. Nc2 exf3 11. Bxf3 Nc6 12. Bg2 Ne5 13. d3 Rb8 14. Bf4 Re8 15. Rb1 a6 16. e4 b5 17. Ne3 Be6 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. cxd5 Bg4 20. Qd2 Bh5 {Eljanov,P (2684)-Delchev,A (2596) Sunny Beach 2012 1-0 (37)}) ({RR} 6. bxc3 d6 7. O-O O-O 8. d4 Nbd7 9. Ba3 Re8 10. e3 Rb8 11. Nd2 a6 12. Rb1 b6 13. c5 dxc5 14. dxc5 b5 15. c6 Nb6 16. Qc2 Be6 17. Rfd1 Qc8 18. Bc5 Bh3 19. Bh1 Bf5 20. Ne4 Nxe4 {Meduri,A (2023)-Ozates,T (2290) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (41)}) 6... d6 7. Nd2 Nbd7 $146 ({RR} 7... Nc6 8. e4 Be6 9. Qe2 Qd7 10. h3 a6 11. Nf1 Na5 12. Ne3 Qa4 13. b4 Nc6 14. O-O O-O 15. f4 exf4 16. gxf4 Rae8 17. e5 dxe5 18. f5 Bc8 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. cxd5 Ne7 21. f6 Ng6 22. Be4 {Valsecchi,A (2512)-Libiszewski,F (2522) Chess.com INT 2020 0-1 (36)}) 8. Nf1 a5 9. b3 a4 10. Ba3 e4 11. Ne3 b6 12. O-O O-O 13. Qc2 Re8 14. Rfd1 Bb7 15. b4 Qe7 16. Rd4 Ne5 17. c5 dxc5 18. bxc5 Bc6 19. Nf5 Qf8 20. Qc1 b5 21. Qf4 g5 22. Qc1 Nc4 23. Bb4 Nd5 24. Qc2 Nf6 25. Rf1 Re5 26. Ne3 Nxe3 27. fxe3 Nd5 28. Qd2 Nxb4 29. cxb4 f5 30. g4 Rae8 31. Qc3 h5 32. gxf5 Qf6 33. a3 Rf8 34. Rdd1 Kg7 35. Qe1 Bd5 36. Qg3 c6 37. h4 g4 38. Rf4 Rfe8 39. Qf2 Kf7 40. Qg3 R8e7 41. Rff1 Ke8 42. Kh2 Kd7 43. Kg1 Kc8 44. Kh2 Kb7 45. Kg1 Rf7 46. Kh2 Qe7 47. f6 Rxf6 48. Rxf6 Qxf6 49. Rf1 Rf5 50. Rxf5 Qxf5 51. Qd6 Qf7 52. Kg1 Qg7 53. Qd8 Qc7 54. Qf6 Qg3 55. Qe7+ Ka6 56. Qf8 Kb7 57. Qe7+ Qc7 58. Qf8 Qe5 59. Qd8 Qe6 60. Qg5 Qe8 61. Qg7+ Kc8 62. Qh6 Qe5 63. Qf8+ Kd7 64. Qh6 Bf7 65. Qf8 Qa1+ 66. Bf1 Qf6 67. Bg2 Qe6 68. Qg7 Ke7 69. Qd4 Bg6 70. Qg7+ Ke8 71. Qh8+ Kf7 72. Qb8 Qf6 73. Qc7+ Kf8 74. Qg3 Kg7 75. Kh2 Qe7 76. Kg1 Kh7 77. Kh2 Qd8 78. Kg1 Kg8 79. Kh2 Kf7 80. Kg1 Ke6 81. Kh2 Qd5 82. Kg1 Qe5 83. Qe1 Bf5 84. Qd2 Qg3 85. Qd8 Qxe3+ 86. Kh1 Qc1+ 87. Kh2 Qf4+ 88. Kh1 g3 89. Qg8+ Kd7 90. Qf7+ Kd8 91. e3 Qxh4+ 0-1 [Event "NOR-UKR Solidarity m"] [Site "Tornelo INT"] [Date "2022.04.23"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Moiseenko, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2864"] [BlackElo "2602"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2022.04.23"] [EventType "team-match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 207 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Ukraine"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "UKR"] 1. c4 e5 2. e3 c6 3. d4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bd3 $146 ({RR} 7. Nf3 Qe7 8. h3 Nbd7 9. g4 h6 10. O-O-O e4 11. Ng1 Nb6 12. d5 cxd5 13. cxd5 Bd7 14. Kb1 O-O 15. Nge2 Rac8 16. Ng3 Na4 17. Nxa4 Bxa4 18. b3 Bd7 19. Bc4 b5 20. Be2 Rc5 21. Rc1 Rfc8 {Meister,J (2494)-Gaerths,R (2226) Bad Woerishofen 2012 0-1}) 7... O-O 8. Nge2 Re8 9. O-O e4 10. Bc2 d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. f3 exf3 13. Rxf3 Bg4 14. Rf4 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 Nbd7 16. Raf1 Qe7 17. R1f3 Rac8 18. g4 Rf8 19. Bb3 Nb6 20. g5 Ne4 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Rxf7 Rxf7 23. Rxf7 Qxg5+ 24. Kh1 Kh8 25. Qf1 Qd8 26. Qg1 g6 27. Qf1 Qd6 28. Rxb7 Rf8 29. Rf7 Rc8 30. Rxa7 Nd7 31. Qf7 Qb4 32. Rxd7 Qe1+ 33. Kg2 Qe2+ 34. Kg3 Qxe3+ 35. Kg4 h5+ 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. Kxh5 Qh3+ 38. Kxg5 Qg2+ 39. Kf6 Rc6+ 40. Be6 Qf2+ 41. Ke7 1-0 [Event "London Classic 2nd"] [Site "London"] [Date "2010.12.11"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A21"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2741"] [Annotator "Carlsen,Magnus"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2010.12.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 140"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Ribli,Zoltan} f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e3 {After a less than perfect start it seemed appropriate not to discuss topical theory today, even in the Dutch Defence. Nach einem weniger als perfekten Start schien es angemessen, heute keine aktuelle Theorie zu diskutieren, nicht einmal in der holländischen Verteidigung.} Bg7 6. Nge2 O-O 7. O-O e5 8. b3 Nbd7 (8... Nc6 {would lead to a well-known position from the closed Sicilian, with White a tempo up obviously. Whether the extra tempo actually makes a difference is, of course, an entirely different matter. würde zu einer bekannten Stellung aus dem Geschlossenen Sizilianer führen, wobei Weiß offensichtlich ein Tempo mehr hat. Ob das Extratempo tatsächlich einen Unterschied macht, ist, natürlich, eine ganz andere Frage.}) ({RR} 8... c6 9. Ba3 Re8 ({RR} 9... a5 10. d3 Na6 11. Qd2 Rb8 12. Rac1 b5 13. cxb5 cxb5 14. Nd5 b4 15. Bb2 Nxd5 16. Bxd5+ Kh8 17. d4 e4 18. f3 Nc7 19. Bc6 exf3 20. Bxf3 Ba6 21. Rfe1 Bxe2 22. Rxe2 Nb5) ({RR} 9... Na6 10. b4 Nc7 11. b5 cxb5 12. cxb5 Rf7 13. f4 e4 14. Rb1 Ne6 15. Bb2 d5 16. Na4 b6 17. Nd4 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Ne8 19. Bxg7 Nxg7 20. d3 Bb7) 10. Rc1 Na6 ({RR} 10... a5 11. d3 Na6 12. Qd2 Be6 ({RR} 12... Kh8 13. h3 Nc5 14. Rcd1 Ne6 15. f4 exf4 16. gxf4 Nc5 17. Ng3 Ng8 18. d4 Na6 19. e4) 13. d4 Bf7 14. d5 c5 15. e4 f4 16. gxf4 Bh6 17. Qd3 exf4 18. Qh3 Kg7 19. Bb2) ({RR} 10... Be6 11. d4) 11. d3 ({RR} 11. b4 Nc7 12. d4 e4 13. d5 cxd5 14. Nxd5 Nfxd5 15. cxd5 Nb5 16. Qb3 a5 17. Bb2 a4 18. Qc2 Bd7 19. Qd2 Bxb2 20. Qxb2 Qe7 21. Rfd1 Rec8) 11... Nc7 12. Qd2 Be6 ({RR} 12... d5 13. cxd5 cxd5) 13. f4 ({RR} 13. d4 e4 14. Nf4 Bf7) 13... exf4 ({RR} 13... Bf7 14. e4) 14. Nxf4 d5 ({RR} 14... Bf7 15. e4) 15. Na4 ({RR} 15. Nxe6 Rxe6) 15... Bf7 16. h3 ({RR} 16. Nc5 Rb8 17. Bb2 Ng4) 16... g5 ({RR} 16... d4 17. exd4 Qxd4+) 17. Ne2 Bg6 18. Nd4 ({RR} 18. Nc5 Rb8 19. Nd4) 18... dxc4 19. bxc4 ({RR} 19. Nc5) 19... Rxe3 20. Qxe3 Ng4 21. Nxc6 ({RR} 21. Qd2 Bxd4+ 22. Kh1 Ne3 23. Rf3 Nxg2 24. Kxg2 ({RR} 24. Qxg2 g4 25. hxg4 Qg5 26. gxf5 ({RR} 26. Rcf1 fxg4 27. Rf8+ Rxf8 28. Rxf8+ Kg7) 26... Qh5+ 27. Qh2 Qxf3+) 24... Ne6) 21... Nxe3 22. Nxd8 Rxd8 23. Rf3 {Ruck,R (2583)-Jakubiec,A (2532) Griesheim 2003 CBM 094 [Ribli,Zoltan] 0-1 (71)} {RR} Rxd3 24. Bc5 f4) ({RR} 8... e4 9. d3 Nbd7 10. Bb2 Re8 11. dxe4 fxe4 12. Nf4 a5 13. Qc2 Nc5 14. Ncd5 Ng4 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. a3 c6 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Rxa1 19. Rxa1 Na6 20. b5 Nc5 21. bxc6 bxc6 22. Ra7+ Bd7 23. Bh3 {Brain,L (2111)-Panuganti,K (1960) New York USA 2024 ½-½ (48)}) 9. d3 {I thought it would be sensible to postpone the devolopment of the bishop, and for that purpose I also prepared another waiting move, ?d2. I thought that d4 here or during the next few moves would be wrong, as Black can simply answer e4. I would then have to play f3 and later try to get e4 in, but it seemed to me that Black is always ready for this Ich hielt es für vernünftig, die Entwicklung des Läufers zu verzögern, und zu diesem Zweck bereitete ich auch noch einen weiteren Wartezug vor, ?d2. Die Fortsetzung d4 hier oder in den nächsten paar Zügen hielt ich für falsch, da Schwarz einfach e4 antworten kann. Darauf würde ich f3 spielen und später versuchen müssen, e4 durchzusetzen, aber mir schien, dass Schwarz immer dafür gewappet ist.} c6 $146 ({RR} 9... Kh8 10. Bb2 Rb8 11. Qd2 a6 12. f4 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. b4 Bb7 15. fxe5 dxe5 16. e4 Nb6 17. Qc2 fxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. dxe4 Nc4 21. Rxf8+ Qxf8 22. Qc3 Qd6 23. Re1 Qb6+ 24. Kh1 {Stanke,J (2240)-Kalinitschew,S (2465) Berlin 1992 0-1 (31)}) ({RR} 9... a6 10. Bb2 Qe8 11. Qd2 g5 12. Rae1 Qh5 13. f4 g4 14. e4 fxe4 15. dxe4 Qh6 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 a5 18. Qc3 Nc5 19. f5 Bd7 20. Bc1 Qh5 21. Be3 b6 22. Nc1 Rf6 23. Rf2 Bh6 24. a3 {Vlahov,H-Valkovic,K (2095) Sibenik 2011 1-0 (41)}) 10. Ba3 Qc7 (10... Qe7 {is also possible, but it makes sense not to put the queen in the line of fire of the white bishop. ist ebenfalls möglich, aber es ist sinnvoll, die Dame nicht in die Schusslinie des weißen Läufers zu stellen.}) 11. Qd2 Re8 {White is well prepared for a pawn storm on the kingside, as g5 can always be met with f4. Therefore, putting this rook on e8, and later the other one on d8, makes perfect sense. Für einen Bauernsturm am Königsflügel ist Weiß gut gewappnet, da g5 immer mit f4 beantwortet werden kann. Daher ist das Platzieren dieses Turmes auf e8 und später die des anderen auf d8 absolut sinnvoll.} 12. Rae1 {I was very unsure of where to put the rook. Basically, White has three ways of breaking in the centre, d4, e4 and f4. As I said, I felt that d4 is usually not very good. Clearly, the rook would be better placed on the d-file if I'm going to play e4, but I think Black is well prepared for this: Ich war sehr unsicher, wo ich den Turm hinstellen sollte. Im Grunde hat Weiß drei Möglichkeiten, im Zentrum durchzubrechen, d4, e4 und f4. Dabei schien mir, wie gesagt, dass d4 meist nicht sehr gut ist. Wenn ich e4 spielen will, stünde der Turm eindeutig besser in der d-Linie, aber ich denke, dass Schwarz dafür gut gewappnet ist.} (12. Rad1 Nc5 13. e4 (13. d4 Nce4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qc2 Nf6 $1 16. d5 c5 {looks excellent for Black sieht ausgezeichnet aus für Schwarz.}) 13... a5 (13... f4 $5 {with the idea of mit der Idee} 14. gxf4 Bh6 15. d4 Ne6 $1 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Bd6 Qf7 18. Bxe5 Nh5 {also might be interesting könnte ebenfalls interessant sein.}) 14. exf5 {The idea behind my previous move. Maybe h3, which would be very useful in the following line would be more prudent, but then the f4!? idea becomes even more tempting for Black. Die Idee hinter meinem vorigen Zug. Womöglich ist h3, was in dem folgenden Abspiel sehr nützlich wäre, klüger, aber dann wird die Idee f4!? noch verlockender für Schwarz.} Bxf5 15. d4 Nd3 16. h3 h5 {and Black is just too active. und Schwarz ist einfach zu aktiv.}) 12... Nc5 13. h3 {I was very happy with this prophylactic move. Mit diesem prophylaktischen Zug war ich sehr zufrieden.} ({The problem with the immediate Das Problem bei dem sofortigen} 13. f4 {is ist} e4 14. Bxc5 dxc5 15. dxe4 fxe4 16. h3 h5 {when the ?e4 cannot be won, and White is stuck with a relatively passive position due to the cramping effect of that very same pawn. With the pawn already on h3, it all would be very different, as White would then have g4, followed be either ?g3 or g5, rounding up the e4-pawn. , wonach der ?e4 nicht erobert werden kann, und Weiß aufgrund der einengenden Wirkung eben jenes Bauern eine relativ passive Stellung am Hals hat. Mit dem Bauern bereits auf h3 wäre alles ganz anders, da Weiß dann g4 hätte, gefolgt von entweder ?g3 oder g5, mit Einkreisung des e4-Bauern.}) 13... e4 {My opponent decides to simplify the position a bit, possibly due the fact that he had already spent quite a bit of time. Mein Gegner beschließt, die Stellung ein wenig zu vereinfachen, womöglich aufgrund der Tatsache, dass er bereits einiges an Zeit verbraucht hatte.} ({Mobilising the rest of his army with Das Mobilisieren seiner restlichen Armee mit} 13... Bd7 14. f4 a5 {was obviously quite reasonable as well, and Black is quite ok. war offenbar ebenfalls ganz vernünftig, und Schwarz steht recht ordentlich.}) 14. dxe4 (14. Bxc5 dxc5 15. dxe4 fxe4 16. g4 {looks much less convincing now that the white pawn is not on f4, but even here Black has to act quickly because ?g3 is coming. wirkt weit weniger überzeugend jetzt, da der weiße Bauer nicht auf f4 steht, doch selbst hier muss Schwarz schnell handeln, da ?g3 kommt.} Qe5 (16... Bxg4 17. hxg4 Nxg4 18. Ng3 Qe7 {is something I didn't see at all during the game, and is probably worse due to ist etwas, was ich während der Partie überhaupt nicht sah, und vermutlich auch schlechter wegen} 19. Bh3 Ne5 20. Qc2 Nf3+ 21. Kg2 Nxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Bxc3 23. Qxc3 {and White must be better. und Weiß muss besser stehen.}) 17. Rd1 (17. Ng3 Nxg4) 17... h5 18. gxh5 Qxh5 {and I thought that Black must be doing quite well. True, the engines point out und ich dachte, dass Schwarz recht gut stehen muss. Schön, die Engines weisen auf} 19. Qd6 {when ?xh3 is met by ?f4, but the follow up with ?h2 somehow fails to convince me... hin, worauf ?xh3 mit ?f4 beantwortet wird, aber die anschließende Fortsetzung mit ?h2 kann mich irgendwie nicht überzeugen...} (19. Ng3 Qh4)) 14... Nfxe4 (14... fxe4 15. Rd1 Bf8 16. g4 {is clearly not to be recommended for Black. ist eindeutig nicht zu empfehlen für Schwarz.}) 15. Qc2 (15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 fxe4 17. Bxd6 Qf7 18. Kh2 g5 {gives plenty of compensation for the pawn, and is not something to enter when there is a very reasonable alternative. gibt jede Menge Kompensation für den Bauern und ist nichts, worauf man sich einlassen sollte, wenn es eine sehr vernünftige Alternative gibt.}) 15... Nxc3 16. Nxc3 Be6 17. Rd1 Rad8 {Now we have reached a type of position which is quite typical for the Leningrad Dutch. It looks a little better for White, who has no real weaknesses and a harmonious enough position, but in reality it's probably closer to equal, as Black has enough influence in the centre, and his only weakness on d6 can be easily defended. Damit haben wir einen Stellungstyp erreicht, der für den holländischen Leningrader ziemlich charakteristisch ist. Es sieht ein bisschen besser aus für Weiß, der keine echten Schwächen hat und harmonisch genug steht, in Wirklichkeit aber ist es vermutlich eher ausgeglichen, da Schwarz genügend Einfluss im Zentrum hat und sich seine einzige Schwäche auf d6 leicht verteidigen lässt.} 18. Bb2 Bf7 19. Rd2 {While the d6-pawn is certainly not falling any time soon, piling up the rooks on the d-file to keep Black on his toes certainly can't hurt. Obwohl der d6-Bauer in nächster Zeit bestimmt nicht fallen wird, kann das Verdoppeln der Türme in der d-Linie, um Schwarz auf Trab zu halten, gewiss nicht schaden.} a5 20. Rfd1 Be5 21. Ne2 a4 {Hikaru, true to his style, decides to sharpen the game a bit. With a weakness on b3 I would certainly not have anything real, so in a sense my next move is forced. Hikaru, seinem Stil treu, beschließt, die Partie ein wenig zu verschärfen. Mit einer Schwäche auf b3 hätte ich sicher nichts Reales, daher ist mein nächster Zug gewissermaßen erzwungen.} (21... Qb6 22. Bc3) 22. b4 Nd7 (22... Bxb2 23. Qxb2 Ne4 24. Bxe4 fxe4 (24... Rxe4 25. c5 d5 26. Nc3 {wins a pawn. gewinnt einen Bauern.}) 25. Qc2 {seems to leave Black with more weaknesses than White, and Black is not active enough to exploit the absence of my g2-bishop scheint bei Schwarz mehr Schwächen zu hinterlassen als bei Weiß, und Schwarz steht nicht aktiv genug, um die Abwesenheit meines g2-Läufers ausnutzen.}) 23. Bd4 Nb6 {An interesting point, as White has three different options. Ein interessanter Punkt, denn Weiß hat drei verschiedene Optionen.} 24. Bxb6 (24. Bxe5 dxe5 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. c5 Nc4 28. Qxa4 Qd2 {clearly isn't worth going for, misplacing the queen and activating the black pieces is too high a price for the a-pawn. lohnt eindeutig keinen Versuch; das Deplatzieren der Dame und Aktivieren der schwarzen Figuren ist ein zu hoher Preis für den a-Bauern.}) (24. c5 {however, is rather more demanding for Black, and something I considered very seriously dagegen ist deutlich anspruchsvoller für Schwarz, und etwas, was ich sehr ernsthaft erwog.} dxc5 25. bxc5 Nc4 26. Rd3 Bxd4 27. exd4 {Now Black will have to act quickly, as if the black knight gets kicked from c4 or White gets in d5, Black will be in serious trouble Nun wird Schwarz schnell handeln müssen, denn wenn sein Springer von c4 vertrieben wird oder Weiß zu d5 kommt, wird er ernsthaft in der Klemme sitzen.} (27. Rxd4 Qa5 $1 {is very much ok for Black ist vollauf okay für Schwarz.}) 27... a3 $1 (27... Qa5 {is also quite interesting, as ?c3 can now be met with ?xe2. However White will now have time to get in a3 and deny the black knight the b2-square. ist ebenfalls recht interessant, da auf ?c3 nun ?xe2 folgen kann. Doch Weiß wird jetzt Zeit haben, zu a3 zu kommen und dem schwarzen Springer das b2-Feld zu verwehren.} 28. Rb1 Re7 29. a3 $1 Rde8 30. Bf1 {and White is very close to achieving something real. und Weiß steht dicht davor, etwas Reales zu erreichen.}) 28. Rb1 (28. d5 Nb2) 28... Ra8 $1 {The only move as otherwise ?c3 would be very unpleasant. Now however, Black seems to have enough counterplay with precise play. Der einzige Zug, denn andernfalls wäre ?c3 sehr unangenehm. Jetzt dagegen scheint Schwarz bei genauem Vorgehen genug Gegenspiel zu haben.} 29. d5 Nb2 30. Rd4 {I stopped around here, as I could not really figure out what was going on, and the game continuation looked quite good. Additionally this is the kind of messy position my opponent is considered to excel in. However, the position is quite dangerous for Black if White can coordinate his pieces. Hier irgendwo stoppte ich, da mir nicht wirklich klar wurde, was los war, und die Partiefortsetzung ganz gut aussah. Außerdem ist diese Art von undurchsichtiger Stellung genau das, worin mein Gegner als überragend gilt. Allerdings ist die Position ziemlich gefährlich für Schwarz, wenn Weiß seine Figuren koordinieren kann.} Re5 $1 (30... Rad8 31. d6 Qa5 32. Nc1 $8 Re1+ 33. Kh2 {with ?b3 to come looks good for White. nebst ?b3 sieht gut aus für Weiß.}) (30... Qe5 31. dxc6 $1) (30... cxd5 31. Bxd5 Bxd5 32. Rxd5 Qf7 33. Nf4 Rad8 34. Qb3 {looks promising for White. wirkt aussichtsreich für Weiß.}) 31. Nf4 (31. Nc3 Qa5 32. dxc6 bxc6 33. Bxc6 Qxc5 34. Bxa8 Qxd4 $15) 31... Qa5 32. Kh2 Rae8 33. h4 {with a complicated position, but it's probably easier to play for White. mit komplizierter Stellung, die allerdings wohl für Weiß leichter zu spielen ist.}) 24... Qxb6 25. Rb1 {Now the game has changed character a bit. Black has gained a serious asset, the bishop pair, but in return my bishop has become quite a bit stronger, especially in connection with b5 at some point. Additionally, while I always have watch out for ?xg3 if the knight moves, the white king will almost certainly be the safer one when the position inevitably opens up. Nun hat die Partie einen etwas anderen Charakter angenommen. Schwarz hat einen ernsten Trumpf erobert, das Läuferpaar, aber dafür ist mein Läufer ein ganzes Stück stärker geworfen, vor allem in Verbindung mit b5 an irgendeinem Punkt. Außerdem muss ich zwar ?xg3 aufpassen, wenn der Springer zieht, doch wird der weiße König von Weiß fast garantiert der sicherere sein, wenn sich die Stellung unweigerlich öffnet.} Qc7 (25... a3 {was a sharper, but not very good try: war ein schärferer, aber nicht besonders guter Versuch:} 26. Nd4 {, otherwise ?b2 might be unpleasant , ansonsten könnte ?b2 unangenehm sein} d5 {, the point, now that the knight has been lured to d4 , die Pointe, jetzt, da der Springer nach d4 gelockt wurde.} 27. c5 Qc7 28. b5 {and White is clearly on top. und Weiß ist klar obenauf.}) 26. Nd4 Rc8 $1 {A nice prophylactic move. Ein hübscher prophylaktischer Zug.} (26... Qe7 {immediately would be considerably weaker due to b5, when the white squares in the black camp are really soft. sofort wäre beträchtlich schwächer wegen b5, wonach die weißen Felder im schwarzen Lager wirklich weich sind.}) 27. Rc1 {Now I'm threathening to take the a4-pawn. Nun drohe ich, den a4-Bauern zu nehmen.} Qe7 28. Rd3 {?xa4 obviously failed to ?xg3. ?xa4 scheiterte offensichtlich an ?xg3.} c5 $1 {It turned out that that there was also another idea connected with ?c8. It is also essentially the only move, as Es stellte sich heraus, dass mit ?c8 auch noch eine andere Idee verbunden war. Es ist auch im Kern der einzige Zug, denn} (28... Ra8 29. b5 {leaves Black under serious positional pressure. belässt Schwarz unter ernstem positionellen Druck.}) 29. bxc5 Rxc5 30. Qxa4 Rec8 $6 {The most obvious move, which my opponent played very quickly. However, now White retains some pressure without any risk. Der offensichtlichste Zug, welchen mein Gegner sehr schnell spielte. Nun aber behält Weiß einigen Druck ohne jedes Risiko.} (30... d5 {was more interesting. war interessanter.} 31. Ne2 (31. Nf3 b5 $1) 31... dxc4 32. Rd7 Ra5 $1 33. Qd1 Qf6 34. Bxb7 Ra7 35. Bf3 Rxd7 36. Qxd7 Rd8 37. Qb5 Rd2 {and Black should not lose. und Schwarz sollte nicht verlieren.}) 31. Rb1 $1 (31. Rb3 {looks tempting, but after wirkt verlockend, aber nach} Rxc4 32. Rxc4 Rxc4 33. Qa8+ Qf8 {it's just a draw. ist es einfach remis.}) 31... Rxc4 32. Qd1 {Now Black has some problems as White is once again well coordinated, and b7 and d6 are weak. Hikaru was also getting seriously short on time. Nun hat Schwarz einige Probleme, da Weiß wieder gut koordiniert ist und b7 sowie d6 schwach sind. Außerdem wurde bei Hikaru die Zeit ernstlich knapp.} b6 ({Exchanging with Abtauschen mit} 32... Bxd4 33. Rxd4 Rxd4 34. Qxd4 Qe5 35. Qb6 Bxa2 36. Qxb7 Be6 37. Rd1 {doesn't really solve all Black's problems either as he will inevitably lose the d6-pawn. löst nicht wirklich alle Probleme, da er unweigerlich den d6-Bauern verlieren wird.}) 33. Nb5 R4c5 $6 (33... Rd8 {was indicated by Hikaru after the game as stronger. wurde von Hikaru nach der Partie als stärker angegeben.} 34. f4 (34. a4 Rc5 35. f4 Bc4 $1 36. fxe5 Bxd3 37. Qxd3 dxe5 38. Qe2 Qd7 {must be fine for Black. muss ordentlich sein für Schwarz.}) 34... Bf6 35. Nxd6 Rc3 36. Rxb6 Qc7 37. Rxc3 Qxb6 {This is probably the strongest. Dies ist vermutlich am stärksten.} (37... Qxc3 {is what we looked at after the game, but here White keeps serious pressure with ist, was wir nach der Partie betrachteten, aber hier behält Weiß ernsten Druck mit} 38. Qe2 Bd4 $1 39. exd4 Qxd4+ 40. Qf2 Rxd6 41. Rxd6 Qxd6 42. Qf3 $1 {and White will keep the extra pawn with winning chances und Weiß wird den Extrabauer behaupten, mit Gewinnchancen} (42. Qa7 g5 {gives Black counterplay gibt Schwarz Gegenspiel.})) 38. Rd3 Bxa2 39. Qd2 Be6 40. Nb5 Rxd3 41. Qxd3 {and while White can certainly try, is unlikely that it's enough to win. und während Weiß es sicher versuchen kann, ist unwahrscheinlich, dass es zum Gewinn reicht.}) 34. Nxd6 {I have to take, as Ich muss nehmen, denn} (34. Rd2 Rd8 {followed by d5 is just too little. nebst d5 ist einfach zu wenig.}) 34... Bxd6 35. Rxd6 Bxa2 36. Ra1 {Now White will win a pawn. Nun wird Weiß einen Bauern gewinnen.} Rc1 (36... Bf7 37. Rxb6 {also leaves Black with the cheerless task of defending a pawn down, although with real chances of success. beschert Schwarz ebenfalls die freudlose Aufgabe, sich mit Minusbauern zu verteidigen, allerdings mit realen Chancen auf Erfolg.}) 37. Rxc1 Rxc1 38. Rxg6+ {Without this interpolation (which Hikaru had missed when he went for the line with ?4c5) it would obviously just have been a draw. Black still has drawing chances, but it's very difficult now. Ohne diese Einschaltung (welche Hikaru übersehen hatte, als er das Abspiel mit ?4c5 einschlug) wäre es offensichtlich einfach remis. Schwarz hat noch immer Remischancen, aber jetzt ist es sehr schwierig.} hxg6 39. Qxc1 Qd6 40. h4 Bf7 $6 {After this typical 40th move inaccuracy Black is probably lost. Nach dieser typischen Ungenauigkeit im 40. Zug ist Schwarz wahrscheinlich verloren.} (40... Be6 {was considerably more tenacious. Hikaru feared that an endgame after ?c6 would be lost here, but I am still not sure about that. I would probably have gone for e4 here, which is met by war erheblich hartnäckiger. Hikaru fürchtete, dass ein Endspiel nach ?c6 an dieser Stelle verloren wäre, aber ich bin da noch immer nicht so sicher. Ich hätte hier vermutlich e4 gewählt, was mit} 41. e4 fxe4 42. Bxe4 Bf7 {and it might still be within the drawing range. beantwortet wird, und es könnte noch immer innerhalb der Remisbreite sein.}) 41. h5 $1 Kh7 (41... Qc5 {is the move I had to calculate while making my last move. However, since the Black passer will now be on c5, where it's considerably easier to approach for the white king, White must be winning now. ist der Zug, den ich bei meinem letzten Zug berechnen musste. Doch da der schwarze Freibauer jetzt auf c5 steht, wo der weiße König beträchlich leichter an ihn herankommt, muss Weiß jetzt auf Gewinn stehen.} 42. Qxc5 bxc5 43. hxg6 Bxg6 44. Kf1 Kf7 45. Ke2 Ke7 46. f4 Kd6 47. Kd3 Bf7 48. e4 fxe4+ 49. Bxe4 {and White wins.}) 42. hxg6+ Kxg6 43. Qc2 b5 (43... Kf6 44. Qb2+ Kg6 45. Bf3 {can hardly be held either, as the black king is too weak for him to create any real counterplay. ist auch kaum zu halten, da der schwarze König zu schwach steht, als dass er reales Gegenspiel aufziehen könnte.}) 44. g4 Qe5 (44... b4 45. Qxf5+ Kg7 46. Qg5+ Kf8 47. Be4 b3 48. Qf5 b2 49. g5 {and Black's pawn will not go any further, as ?g7 with the idea of ?g6 is met by ?h7+. und der schwarze Bauer kommt nicht mehr weiter, da ?g7 mit der Idee ?g6 durch ?h7+ beanwortet wird.}) 45. gxf5+ Kg7 46. Qe4 $1 {Without this move, which kicks the black queen from its dominating position, it would not have been easy to win. It's not immediately apparent that the bishop ending is won, but, as becomes clear in the game, the black pawn can be stopped. Ohne diesen Zug, welcher die schwarze Dame aus ihrer dominierenden Stellung kickt, wäre es nicht einfach gewesen zu gewinnen. Es springt nicht sofort ins Auge, dass das Läuferendspiel gewonnen ist, aber, wie in der Partie klar wird, der schwarze Bauer kann gestoppt werden.} Qd6 47. Qh4 Bc4 (47... b4 48. f6+ {was the point of my previous move. Black has to take on f6, after which it's obviously plain sailing. war die Pointe meines vorigen Zuges. Schwarz muss auf f6 nehmen, wonach die Sache offensichtlich klar ist.}) 48. Bf3 Qf6 (48... Qe5 {was the last try. war der letzte Versuch.} 49. Qg5+ Kf8 50. Qh6+ Ke7 51. e4 {and White will gradually win. Importantly, und Weiß wird allmählich gewinnen. Wichtig ist, dass} b4 52. Qb6 $1 b3 53. Qb4+ Kd8 54. Qxc4 Qa1+ 55. Kg2 b2 56. Qd5+ Kc7 57. Qc5+ {wins for White, for instance für Weiß gewinnt, zum Beispiel} Kd7 58. f6 $1 {with ?g4 to come. und es kommt ?g4.}) 49. Qxf6+ Kxf6 50. Be4 {The endgame is easily winning, thanks to a little trick. Das Endspiel ist leicht gewonnen, dank eines kleinen Tricks.} Ba2 51. f4 b4 52. Kf2 b3 53. Bd5 $1 Kxf5 54. Kf3 {And there are no chances left for Black. Und es gibt keine Chancen mehr für Schwarz.} Kf6 55. e4 Kg6 56. Ke3 Kh5 57. Kd4 Kg4 58. f5 Kg5 59. Ke5 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2017.01.19"] [Round "5"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A21"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2840"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2017.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:01:45]} 2. Nc3 {[%emt 0:01:16]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 3. Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 4. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:28]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 5. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 6. e3 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 7. d4 {[%emt 0:03:08]} exd4 {[%emt 0:07:11]} 8. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 9. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:26]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:12]} 10. O-O {[%emt 0:00:27]} d5 {[%emt 0:10:05]} ({RR} 10... a5 11. b3 Na6 12. Bb2 Re8 13. Re1 Bd7 14. Bd3 Rad8 15. a3 Bg4 16. Qd2 Bb6 17. h3 Bc8 18. Nf5 Qf8 19. Na4 Bc7 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. Qe2 Bxf5 22. Bxf5 Nc5 23. Nc3 Qg7 24. b4 Ne6 25. Rad1 {Chasin,N (2458)-Geher,K (2265) Budapest HUN 2025 1-0 (63)}) 11. cxd5 {[%emt 0:08:04]} cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 12. Nb3 $146 {[%emt 0:06:00]} (12. b3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Bb2 Bd6 15. Bf3 Rd8 16. g3 Ba6 17. Re1 Rac8 18. Qc2 Be5 19. Rad1 h5 20. Ne2 h4 21. Nf4 hxg3 22. hxg3 Nd7 23. Kg2 Bxb2 24. Rh1 g5 25. Qxb2 Qe5 26. Qa3 gxf4 27. exf4 Qg7 28. Qxa6 Nf6 29. Rd2 Rc7 30. Qa5 Rcd7 31. Qc3 Rd6 32. Qe5 Re6 33. Qf5 Rde8 34. Rc2 Ne4 35. Rh4 Rg6 36. Rg4 Nd6 37. Rxg6 fxg6 38. Qd3 Rc8 39. Rxc6 {1-0 (39) Gurevich,M (2644)-Naiditsch,A (2611) Ajaccio 2004}) ({RR} 12. Bf3 Rd8 13. b3 Nc6 14. Nce2 Ne5 15. Bb2 Bd7 16. Rc1 Rac8 17. h3 Ba3 18. Rxc8 Rxc8 19. Qb1 Bxb2 20. Qxb2 Ne4 21. Nf4 Qc5 22. Be2 a5 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Bxd3 Qc3 25. Qe2 g6 26. Rd1 Nf6 {Howell,D (2676)-Sadler,M (2685) London 2017 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 12. b3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Bb2 Bd6 15. Rc1 Bd7 16. Bf3 Rfe8 17. Re1 h5 18. g3 Ng4 19. Rc2 Qg5 20. e4 h4 21. exd5 Nxh2 22. Ne4 Nxf3+ 23. Qxf3 Qg6 24. Rce2 Bf8 25. Qd3 hxg3 26. Qxg3 Qxg3+ {Jacobson,B (2503)-Ringoir,T (2500) Charlotte 2019 0-1 (52)}) 12... Bb4 {[%emt 0:12:52]} 13. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:16:00]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 14. Qxd5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 15. Qh5 {[%emt 0:03:31]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:01:46]} 16. a3 {[%emt 0:02:58]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:01:19]} 17. Nd4 {[%emt 0:01:40]} Be5 {[%emt 0:03:26]} 18. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:09:39]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 19. Bc4 {[%emt 0:01:04]} g6 {[%emt 0:01:24]} 20. Qe2 {[%emt 0:01:30]} Be6 {[%emt 0:03:56]} 21. Bxe6 {[%emt 0:05:09]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 22. Rb1 {[%emt 0:01:42]} Rab8 {[%emt 0:08:07]} 23. b4 {[%emt 0:10:54]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 24. Bb2 {[%emt 0:00:48]} Qa2 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 25. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Bxb2 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 26. Qxb2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Qxb2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 27. Rxb2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} a5 {[%emt 0:08:22]} 28. Kf1 {[%emt 0:09:23]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Legends of Chess Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.07.31"] [Round "1.11"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A22"] [WhiteElo "2723"] [BlackElo "2863"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2020.07.31"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 197"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 Bb4 4. e4 Bxc3 5. bxc3 ({RR} 5. dxc3 d6 6. f3 a5 7. a4 Be6 8. Nh3 Qe7 9. b3 Na6 10. Ra2 Nc5 11. Be3 O-O 12. Ng5 Bd7 13. Rd2 Kh8 14. h4 Rad8 15. g4 Be6 16. h5 h6 17. b4 axb4 18. cxb4 Na6 19. Nxe6 fxe6 {Lagarde,M (2617)-McShane,L (2614) Batumi GEO 2025 1-0 (43)}) 5... O-O 6. f3 Re8 7. d4 $146 ({RR} 7. Nh3 c6 8. Nf2 d5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Bg2 b6 11. O-O Ba6 12. Re1 Nc6 13. d3 h6 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. f4 Rc8 16. c4 Nf6 17. fxe5 Rxe5 18. Rxe5 Nxe5 19. Bb2 Ned7 20. Qa4 Nc5 21. Qa3 Bb7 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Aronian,L (2773) Lichess.org INT 2020 ½-½ (70)}) ({RR} 7. Kf2 c6 8. d4 d5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. dxe5 Rxe5 11. c4 d4 12. Ne2 Nc6 13. Nf4 Nd7 14. Nd5 Re8 15. Bf4 Nde5 16. Bxe5 Rxe5 17. Bd3 f5 18. Re1 fxe4 19. Bxe4 Bf5 20. Bxf5 Rxf5 21. f4 Qd7 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Caruana,F (2835) Lichess.org INT 2020 ½-½ (67)}) 7... d6 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. Ne2 b6 10. g4 Nd7 11. O-O Ba6 12. Ng3 exd4 13. cxd4 Nxd4 14. Bb2 Ne6 15. f4 g5 16. fxg5 Qxg5 17. Rf5 Qe3+ 18. Kh1 Ne5 19. Be2 Bb7 20. Qc2 Nc5 21. Bc1 Bxe4+ 22. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 23. Qxe4 Nxe4 24. Bb2 Re6 25. Raf1 Rae8 26. g5 Nd2 27. R1f2 Nexc4 0-1 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 6th"] [Site "Karlsruhe/Baden Baden"] [Date "2019.04.22"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A22"] [WhiteElo "2845"] [BlackElo "2774"] [PlyCount "126"] [EventDate "2019.04.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 190"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e4 Bxc3 5. dxc3 d6 6. f3 a5 ({RR} 6... Be6 7. Nh3 a5 8. a4 O-O 9. b3 Na6 10. Ng5 Bd7 11. Be3 Nc5 12. Ra2 Ra6 13. Rd2 Rb6 14. Bxc5 dxc5 15. Bh3 h6 16. Bxd7 hxg5 17. h4 Rd6 18. Rxd6 cxd6 19. Bf5 Nh5 20. Kf2 g6 21. Bg4 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Aronian,L (2773) Lichess.org INT 2020 1-0 (46)}) 7. Nh3 a4 8. Nf2 Be6 ({RR} 8... O-O 9. Bd3 Be6 10. f4 c6 11. Be3 Qa5 12. f5 Bc8 13. g4 b5 14. g5 Ne8 15. cxb5 cxb5 16. Rg1 b4 17. Rg3 bxc3 18. bxc3 Nc6 19. Rc1 g6 20. Ng4 h5 21. Nf6+ Kg7 22. Bc4 Qc7 23. Nxh5+ {Strache,M (2268)-Eilenberg,J (2316) Kreuzberg GER 2025 1-0 (32)}) 9. Bd3 $146 ({RR} 9. Be3 Nfd7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Rb1 O-O 12. g4 Na5 13. b3 axb3 14. axb3 b5 15. cxb5 Nxb3 16. Qd1 Ra3 17. Be2 Qa8 18. O-O Qa5 19. Qc2 Nb6 20. c4 Nd4 21. Bxd4 exd4 22. Rfd1 Rc3 23. Qd2 Bxc4 {Portal Ramos,C (2085)-Berdayes Ason,D (2507) Panama City PAN 2023 0-1 (35)}) ({RR} 9. Be3 Nfd7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Rb1 O-O 12. g4 Na5 13. b3 axb3 14. axb3 b5 15. cxb5 Nxb3 16. Qd1 Ra3 17. Be2 Qa8 18. O-O Qa5 19. Qc2 Nb6 20. c4 Nd4 21. Bxd4 exd4 22. Rfd1 Rc3 23. Qd2 Bxc4 {Portal Ramos,C (2085)-Berdayes Ason,D (2507) Panama City PAN 2023 0-1 (35)}) 9... Nbd7 10. Qe2 c6 11. f4 Nb6 12. Be3 c5 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. f5 Bd7 15. g4 h6 16. h4 O-O-O 17. g5 Ne8 18. Bd2 hxg5 19. hxg5 Nc7 20. Ng4 Rdg8 21. Rh2 Qf8 22. Rdh1 Kb8 23. b4 axb3 24. axb3 Nc8 25. Kb2 Qd8 26. Rh7 Rxh7 27. Rxh7 Rh8 28. Qh2 Rxh7 29. Qxh7 Qf8 30. Ne3 Ne7 31. Kc2 Qg8 32. Qh4 Qf8 33. Kd1 Nc6 34. Qh7 Ne7 35. Ke2 Nc8 36. Kf2 Ne7 37. Be2 Qg8 38. Qh1 g6 39. Qh6 Ne8 40. f6 Nc6 41. b4 Nc7 42. bxc5 dxc5 43. Nd5 Ne6 44. Be3 Ka7 45. Bg4 b6 46. Nc7 Qc8 47. Nb5+ Kb8 48. Nd6 Qg8 49. Qh1 Qf8 50. Qd1 Ncd8 51. Nb5 Bc6 52. Kg1 Nc7 53. Bf2 Nb7 54. Bg3 Bxb5 55. cxb5 Qd6 56. Qe2 Ne6 57. Bxe6 Qxe6 58. Qh2 Qg4 59. Kf2 Qxe4 60. Bxe5+ Kc8 61. Qh3+ Kd8 62. Qh8+ Kd7 63. Qh3+ Kd8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Legends of Chess Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.07.31"] [Round "1.11"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A22"] [WhiteElo "2723"] [BlackElo "2863"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2020.07.31"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 197"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 Bb4 4. e4 Bxc3 5. bxc3 ({RR} 5. dxc3 d6 6. f3 a5 7. a4 Be6 8. Nh3 Qe7 9. b3 Na6 10. Ra2 Nc5 11. Be3 O-O 12. Ng5 Bd7 13. Rd2 Kh8 14. h4 Rad8 15. g4 Be6 16. h5 h6 17. b4 axb4 18. cxb4 Na6 19. Nxe6 fxe6 {Lagarde,M (2617)-McShane,L (2614) Batumi GEO 2025 1-0 (43)}) 5... O-O 6. f3 Re8 7. d4 $146 ({RR} 7. Nh3 c6 8. Nf2 d5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Bg2 b6 11. O-O Ba6 12. Re1 Nc6 13. d3 h6 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. f4 Rc8 16. c4 Nf6 17. fxe5 Rxe5 18. Rxe5 Nxe5 19. Bb2 Ned7 20. Qa4 Nc5 21. Qa3 Bb7 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Aronian,L (2773) Lichess.org INT 2020 ½-½ (70)}) ({RR} 7. Kf2 c6 8. d4 d5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. dxe5 Rxe5 11. c4 d4 12. Ne2 Nc6 13. Nf4 Nd7 14. Nd5 Re8 15. Bf4 Nde5 16. Bxe5 Rxe5 17. Bd3 f5 18. Re1 fxe4 19. Bxe4 Bf5 20. Bxf5 Rxf5 21. f4 Qd7 {Carlsen,M (2863)-Caruana,F (2835) Lichess.org INT 2020 ½-½ (67)}) 7... d6 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. Ne2 b6 10. g4 Nd7 11. O-O Ba6 12. Ng3 exd4 13. cxd4 Nxd4 14. Bb2 Ne6 15. f4 g5 16. fxg5 Qxg5 17. Rf5 Qe3+ 18. Kh1 Ne5 19. Be2 Bb7 20. Qc2 Nc5 21. Bc1 Bxe4+ 22. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 23. Qxe4 Nxe4 24. Bb2 Re6 25. Raf1 Rae8 26. g5 Nd2 27. R1f2 Nexc4 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 2nd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2014.06.12"] [Round "8"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A25"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2881"] [Annotator "Roiz,Michael"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2014.06.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 161"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5 {I guess this came as a real susprise for Peter. This system is rarely seen on the top level.} 4. d3 {Not the most principled response.} (4. d4 e4 {is the main theoretical line here, but it requires a lot of knowledge from both players.}) 4... Nf6 5. g3 Bb4 6. Bg2 {This move is connected with a definite strategic risk, since White's q-side pawn structure becomes less flexible, while the bishops are not so strong in such a closed positions.} ({That's why} 6. Bd2 $5 O-O 7. Bg2 d6 8. O-O {makes a lot of sense. For instance,} Bd7 (8... Bc5 $142 9. e3 a6) 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Bxc3 Qe8 11. e3 f4 12. exf4 exf4 13. Qd2 $14 {1-0 Grandelius,N (2536)-Tikkanen,H (2591)/Germany 2011/CBM 146/[RR] (65)}) 6... Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 d6 8. O-O (8. Qb3 O-O 9. c5+ d5 $132) 8... O-O 9. Rb1 Qe8 10. Qb3 $6 {It looks like Peter wasn't familiar with the chosen opening system. The queen has no good prospects there, so White is just losing a tempo.} ({White's play should be based on attacking the opponent's pawn centre by means of} 10. c5 dxc5 (10... Qh5 11. cxd6 cxd6 12. Ba3 Rd8 13. Qd2 Rb8 14. Qg5 Qxg5 15. Nxg5 $14 {1-0 Vaganian,R (2625)-Dzindzichashvili,R (2530)/Saint John 1988/EXT 1997 (53)}) (10... d5 11. Bg5 Qh5 12. e3 e4 13. Bxf6 Rxf6 14. Nd4 Qxd1 15. Rfxd1 Ne5 16. Nb5 c6 17. d4 Nc4 18. Nc7 Rb8 19. Na6 Ra8 20. Nc7 Rb8 21. Bf1 $14 {½-½ Ubilava,E (2525)-Kristiansen,J (2430)/Kecskemet 1989/TD (46)}) 11. Be3 Qe7 12. Qa4 Kh8 13. Nd2 $44) ({Or even} 10. Ne1 $5 Qh5 11. f4 Re8 12. Nf3 e4 13. Nd4 Nxd4 14. cxd4 $132 {1-0 Nikolac,J (2485)-Plaskett,J (2470)/Bahrain 1990/CBM 020/[Ribli] (37)}) ({RR} 10. Ne1 b6 11. Nc2 Bb7 12. Nb4 Na5 13. Nd5 Qf7 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. f3 f4 16. e4 Rae8 17. Bh3 Qh6 18. Bg4 Qg6 19. Rb2 fxg3 20. hxg3 h5 21. Bf5 Rxf5 22. exf5 Qxf5 23. Qd2 Re6 24. Qg5 Qxd3 {Goganov,A (2590)-Khismatullin,D (2680) Samara 2014 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 10. Ba3 Qh5 11. c5 d5 12. e3 f4 13. exf4 exf4 14. Nd4 Bg4 15. f3 fxg3 16. hxg3 Bh3 17. Rxb7 Nxd4 18. cxd4 c6 19. Re1 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rae8 21. Rbe7 Rxe7 22. Rxe7 Ne4 23. dxe4 dxe4 24. Rxe4 Qd5 {Fernandes,R (2241)-Kuzuev,D (2436) chess.com INT 2025 1-0}) 10... b6 $146 {This natural move is a sound novelty in a rare position. Objectively speaking, Black's position already looks better, since White lacks any counterplay on the q-side.} (10... Kh8 {½-½ Uddenfeldt,D-Kaplan,J/Stockholm 1969/EXT 2001 (64)}) 11. Nh4 $146 ({RR} 11. Ng5 Na5 12. Qc2 Rb8 13. Ba3 Qh5 14. Nf3 f4 15. c5 dxc5 16. Bxc5 Re8 17. Bb4 Nc6 18. Rfc1 Bf5 19. Nh4 Bd7 20. Bf3 Qh6 21. Nf5 Qh3 22. Nh4 Ng4 23. Bxg4 Bxg4 24. Qd1 g5 25. Nf3 Qh5 {Simeone,G (1991)-Beltrami,N (1909) Arco 2014 1-0 (32)}) 11... Na5 ({Another energetic way to handle the position is} 11... e4 $5 12. f3 h6 13. fxe4 fxe4 14. Nf5 Bd7 $15) 12. Qa3 {It is not easy to find a useful place for the queen now.} (12. Qc2 Rb8 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Rxf6 $15) 12... Rb8 13. Be3 $6 {One more inaccurate move - the ?e3 is just a target for Black's pieces, while f5-f4 would come with tempo.} ({The lesser evil was} 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Rxf6 $15 {getting rid of the useless bishop.}) 13... f4 $1 {An obvious temporary pawn sacrifice.} 14. gxf4 {Accepting the challenge.} (14. Bd2 Bg4 15. Rfe1 Qh5 $17) 14... Qh5 {Black's attack plays itself now.} ({Magnus had another good possibility at his disposal:} 14... e4 $5 15. dxe4 Nxe4 16. Rbd1 Bb7 $17 {White's position desperately lacks any harmony.}) 15. Nf3 Bh3 {Liquidating the main defender of White's monarch.} (15... e4 16. Ng5 exd3 17. exd3 Bf5 $17) 16. Bxh3 Qxh3 17. Kh1 Rbe8 $1 (17... e4 18. dxe4 Nxe4 19. Rg1 c5 20. Rg2 Rbe8 21. Rbg1 Re7 $17) 18. Qb2 $6 (18. Qa4 e4 (18... exf4 19. Bxf4 Rxe2 20. Ng1 Qxd3 21. Nxe2 Qxe2 22. f3 $17) 19. Ng1 Qf5 20. d4 $17) 18... e4 $1 19. Ng5 Qh5 $19 {As a result of Peter's unsuccessful play, Carlsen has a completely winning position on move 19!} 20. dxe4 (20. Rg1 exd3 21. exd3 h6 $19) 20... Ng4 (20... h6 $5 21. Nf3 Nxc4 22. Qb3 Rxe4 23. Rg1 Kh8 $19) 21. Nf3 Nxc4 {Starting to collect the pawns.} 22. Qb3 Rxe4 23. Rg1 d5 ({Avoiding the pin wasn't necessary:} 23... Rfxf4 24. Bxf4 Nxf2+ 25. Kg2 Nh3 $19) 24. Qb5 {Black has many good possibilities, but here the miracle comes...} Rfxf4 $2 {A terrible misclaculation. Magnus has missed a nice defensive resourse.} ({All the following continuations were quite convincing:} 24... Ncxe3 25. fxe3 Nf2+ (25... Rxe3 26. Rg2 Re7 $19) 26. Kg2 Nh3 27. Rgf1 Rxe3 $19) (24... c5 25. Qd7 Ncxe3 26. fxe3 Nf2+ 27. Kg2 Qg4+ 28. Qxg4 Nxg4 $19) (24... Nxf2+ 25. Bxf2 Rxe2 $19) 25. Bxf4 Nxf2+ 26. Kg2 Rxe2 ({After} 26... Nh3 27. Qd7 $1 Rxe2+ 28. Kg3 Nxf4 29. Rbe1 $1 {White gets serious counterplay and should survive as well:} (29. Kxf4 Re4+ 30. Kg3 Qxf3+ 31. Kxf3 Ne5+ 32. Kg2 Nxd7 $17) 29... Qg6+ 30. Kxf4 Re4+ 31. Rxe4 Qxe4+ 32. Kg3 Qxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Ne5+ 34. Kf4 Nxd7 35. Rd1 Nf6 36. Ke5 $11) 27. Kf1 $1 {That is the point! Suddenly White is able to make use of the g-file.} Ne4 ({There was no more than a perpetual after:} 27... Qxf3 28. Rg3 Qe4 (28... Qxf4 $2 29. Qxd5+ Qf7 30. Qxf7+ Kxf7 31. Kxe2 $18) 29. Qd7 $1 g6 30. Qc8+ Kg7 31. Qxc7+ Kg8 32. Qd8+ $11) 28. Rxg7+ $1 (28. Kxe2 Nxc3+ 29. Kf2 Nxb5 30. Rxb5 c5 $19) 28... Kf8 $6 {A risky decision - Magnus is trying to complicate matters, but now Black is in real danger as well.} ({After the correct} 28... Kxg7 29. Qd7+ Qf7 30. Qg4+ Qg6 31. Qd7+ Kh8 32. Qd8+ Qg8 33. Qxg8+ Kxg8 34. Kxe2 Nxc3+ 35. Kd3 Nxb1 36. Bxc7 $15 {White should be able to survive, but some work is required.}) 29. Kxe2 Nxc3+ 30. Kf2 Nxb5 31. Rbg1 {Now White's king is well protected, but the ?f8 is under fire.} Nc3 $2 {A natural mistake in such a scary situation.} ({It was very difficult to find the most precise defence:} 31... Nbd6 32. Rg8+ Ke7 33. R1g7+ Kf6 34. Rxc7 d4 $1 {freeing a way out for the monarch} 35. Rf8+ (35. Ng5 Qd1 36. Rf8+ Kg6 37. Rg8+ Kf6 $11) (35. Nxd4 Qd1 36. Rf8+ Kg6 37. Rg8+ Kf6 $11) 35... Ke6 36. Nxd4+ Kd5 37. Nf3 Ne4+ 38. Ke2 Nc3+ 39. Kf2 Ne4+ $11) 32. Rxc7 $2 {Returning the favour!} ({White's attack seems decisive after} 32. Rg8+ $1 Ke7 33. R1g7+ Kf6 34. Rxc7 Ne4+ 35. Kg2 $40 {For example:} Kf5 36. Rf8+ Kg6 37. Re7 $18) 32... Ne4+ 33. Ke1 $1 {Correctly leaving the knight unprotected.} (33. Ke2 $2 Nc5 $1 34. Rc8+ Kf7 35. Rc7+ Kf6 36. Rc6+ Ne6 37. Rg5 Qe8 38. Nd4 Qxc6 39. Rf5+ Kg6 40. Rg5+ Nxg5 41. Nxc6 Kf5 $17) 33... Nc5 {Now the game ends quickly.} ({White has enough counterplay also after} 33... Ncd6 34. Nd4 Qh4+ 35. Kd1 Qh3 36. Rg3 $1 Nxg3 (36... Qf1+ 37. Kc2 Qf2+ 38. Kd3 Nc5+ 39. Rxc5 bxc5 40. Bxd6+ Ke8 41. Bxc5 $11) 37. Bxd6+ Kg8 38. Bxg3 Qg4+ 39. Ne2 $11) 34. Rc8+ Kf7 35. Rc7+ Kf8 ({Magnus had no reason to refuse the draw at this point:} 35... Kf6 36. Rc6+ Ne6 $6 (36... Kf7 $11) 37. Nd4 Qh4+ 38. Rg3 Qxf4 39. Rf3 Qxf3 40. Nxf3 $14) 36. Rc8+ Kf7 37. Rc7+ Kf8 {A very disappointing draw for Magnus in this game!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Living pieces game blindfold"] [Site "Porsgrunn"] [Date "2007.06.16"] [Round "1"] [White "Lie, Kjetil A"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A25"] [WhiteElo "2529"] [BlackElo "2693"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2007.06.16"] [EventType "game"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e5 3. Bg2 h6 4. a3 Bc5 5. Nc3 a6 6. e3 Nc6 7. Nge2 O-O 8. O-O d6 9. b4 Ba7 10. d3 $146 ({RR} 10. Bb2 Rb8 11. Qc2 Ne7 12. d4 Ng6 13. Rfd1 b5 14. c5 Qe7 15. a4 bxa4 16. Rxa4 Re8 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Qg5 19. Bc6 Re7 20. dxe5 dxe5 21. Rd8+ Kh7 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rxa6 Bb8 24. Be4 Rf8 {Gurevich,M (2633)-Akyuz,A (1891) Izmir 2007 1-0 (37)}) 10... Rb8 11. Bb2 Ne7 12. h3 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. Kh2 Bb7 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 16. a4 bxa4 17. Rxa4 c6 18. Qc2 Bb8 19. Rfa1 d5 20. Nd1 Qd7 21. f4 Ng6 22. Nf2 Re8 23. Bc1 h5 24. Bd2 h4 25. Kg2 hxg3 26. Nxg3 exf4 27. exf4 Nh4+ 28. Kf1 Nf5 29. Nxf5 Qxf5 30. Qd1 Rbe7 31. Qf3 Nh5 32. b5 cxb5 33. Rb4 Qg6 34. Ng4 f5 35. Ne3 Ng3+ 36. Kf2 d4 37. Rxd4 Qf6 38. Qd5+ Kh7 39. Kxg3 Rxe3+ 40. Bxe3 Rxe3+ 41. Kf2 Rxh3 42. Qd8 Qe6 43. Re1 Rh2+ 44. Kg3 Qxe1+ 45. Kxh2 Qf2+ 46. Kh3 Qf3+ 47. Kh2 Bxf4+ 48. Kg1 Be3+ 49. Kh2 Qf2+ 50. Kh1 Qg1# 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel-A 82nd"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2020.01.11"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A25"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2768"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2020.01.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 194"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. e3 Nc6 4. Qb3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. d4 exd4 7. exd4 O-O 8. Be2 d6 9. O-O Re8 10. h3 Ne4 11. Nxe4 $146 ({RR} 11. Be3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Na5 13. Qa3 b6 14. c5 Be6 15. cxd6 Qxd6 16. Qa4 Bd7 17. Qc2 Bf5 18. Bd3 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 c5 20. Rfd1 Rad8 21. Qb5 cxd4 22. cxd4 Qd5 23. a4 Nc6 24. Rac1 Re6 25. Qxd5 Rxd5 {Melkumyan,H (2650)-Fromm,M (2472) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (44)}) 11... Rxe4 12. Be3 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 14. Bf3 Rh4 15. Bxd4 Rxd4 16. Bxb7 Bxb7 17. Qxb7 Rxc4 18. Rac1 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 c5 20. Rd1 Rb8 21. Qxa7 Rxb2 22. Qxc5 dxc5 23. Rxd8+ Kg7 24. Rc8 Rxa2 25. Rxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-44"] [Site "Chennai"] [Date "2022.08.06"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Pechac, Jergus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A25"] [WhiteElo "2864"] [BlackElo "2594"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2022.07.29"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Slovakia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "SVK"] 1. c4 e5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Qb3 g6 5. d3 Bg7 6. g3 b6 ({RR} 6... O-O 7. Bg2 d6 8. Nge2 Ne7 9. O-O c6 10. d4 Qc7 11. Rd1 exd4 12. exd4 Bg4 13. h3 Bxe2 14. Nxe2 Rfe8 15. Bf4 Nh5 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bd2 Nf5 18. Qd3 Nf6 19. Bf4 Qb6 20. Bd2 d5 21. c5 {Moroni,L (2549)-Nihal,S (2692) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (50)}) 7. Bg2 Bb7 8. Qd1 Qe7 $146 ({RR} 8... O-O 9. Nge2 a6 10. O-O b5 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Ba6 13. Nbc3 d5 14. a3 e4 15. dxe4 dxe4 16. b4 Bd3 17. Ra2 Ne5 18. Re1 c5 19. bxc5 Qa5 20. Bd2 Qxc5 21. Nd4 Rxa3 22. Rxa3 Qxa3 23. Qa1 {Pechac,J (2610)-Harikrishna,P (2704) Poland POL 2023 0-1 (60)}) 9. Nge2 h5 10. h3 h4 11. g4 Nd8 12. Bxb7 Nxb7 13. e4 Nc5 14. Be3 Ne6 15. Qd2 c6 16. O-O-O O-O-O 17. d4 exd4 18. Nxd4 Nc5 19. Bg5 Ne6 20. Nxe6 dxe6 21. Qe2 e5 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Bxh4 Bh6+ 24. g5 Nd7 25. Qg4 Bf8 26. Bg3 Kc7 27. Rd1 Qb4 28. Qe2 Qe7 29. h4 Qe6 30. f4 exf4 31. Bxf4+ Ne5 32. Rxd8 Kxd8 33. b3 Bd6 34. Qd2 Ke7 35. Kc2 Qg4 36. Qf2 Qf3 37. Be3 Ke6 38. Qxf3 Nxf3 39. Bf2 Ke5 40. Bg3+ Ke6 41. Bf2 Ke5 42. Bg3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 82nd"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2020.01.11"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A25"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2768"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2020.01.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 194"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. e3 Nc6 4. Qb3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. d4 exd4 7. exd4 O-O 8. Be2 d6 9. O-O Re8 10. h3 Ne4 11. Nxe4 $146 ({RR} 11. Be3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Na5 13. Qa3 b6 14. c5 Be6 15. cxd6 Qxd6 16. Qa4 Bd7 17. Qc2 Bf5 18. Bd3 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 c5 20. Rfd1 Rad8 21. Qb5 cxd4 22. cxd4 Qd5 23. a4 Nc6 24. Rac1 Re6 25. Qxd5 Rxd5 {Melkumyan,H (2650)-Fromm,M (2472) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (44)}) 11... Rxe4 12. Be3 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 14. Bf3 Rh4 15. Bxd4 Rxd4 16. Bxb7 Bxb7 17. Qxb7 Rxc4 18. Rac1 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 c5 20. Rd1 Rb8 21. Qxa7 Rxb2 22. Qxc5 dxc5 23. Rxd8+ Kg7 24. Rc8 Rxa2 25. Rxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-44"] [Site "Chennai"] [Date "2022.08.06"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Pechac, Jergus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A25"] [WhiteElo "2864"] [BlackElo "2594"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2022.07.29"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Slovakia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "SVK"] 1. c4 e5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Qb3 g6 5. d3 Bg7 6. g3 b6 ({RR} 6... O-O 7. Bg2 d6 8. Nge2 Ne7 9. O-O c6 10. d4 Qc7 11. Rd1 exd4 12. exd4 Bg4 13. h3 Bxe2 14. Nxe2 Rfe8 15. Bf4 Nh5 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bd2 Nf5 18. Qd3 Nf6 19. Bf4 Qb6 20. Bd2 d5 21. c5 {Moroni,L (2549)-Nihal,S (2692) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (50)}) 7. Bg2 Bb7 8. Qd1 Qe7 $146 ({RR} 8... O-O 9. Nge2 a6 10. O-O b5 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Ba6 13. Nbc3 d5 14. a3 e4 15. dxe4 dxe4 16. b4 Bd3 17. Ra2 Ne5 18. Re1 c5 19. bxc5 Qa5 20. Bd2 Qxc5 21. Nd4 Rxa3 22. Rxa3 Qxa3 23. Qa1 {Pechac,J (2610)-Harikrishna,P (2704) Poland POL 2023 0-1 (60)}) 9. Nge2 h5 10. h3 h4 11. g4 Nd8 12. Bxb7 Nxb7 13. e4 Nc5 14. Be3 Ne6 15. Qd2 c6 16. O-O-O O-O-O 17. d4 exd4 18. Nxd4 Nc5 19. Bg5 Ne6 20. Nxe6 dxe6 21. Qe2 e5 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Bxh4 Bh6+ 24. g5 Nd7 25. Qg4 Bf8 26. Bg3 Kc7 27. Rd1 Qb4 28. Qe2 Qe7 29. h4 Qe6 30. f4 exf4 31. Bxf4+ Ne5 32. Rxd8 Kxd8 33. b3 Bd6 34. Qd2 Ke7 35. Kc2 Qg4 36. Qf2 Qf3 37. Be3 Ke6 38. Qxf3 Nxf3 39. Bf2 Ke5 40. Bg3+ Ke6 41. Bf2 Ke5 42. Bg3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-38"] [Site "Dresden"] [Date "2008.11.17"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A26"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2731"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2008.11.13"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 128"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.01.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Azerbaijan"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "AZE"] 1. c4 {L'Ami,Erwin} e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. a3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. d3 d6 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. O-O Be6 11. b4 $146 ({RR} 11. Nd2 Qd7 12. b4 Bg7 ({RR} 12... Bh3 13. Nd5) 13. Rc1 Bh3 14. Bxh3 Qxh3 15. e3 Nd8 16. Qf3 Qd7 17. b5 c6 18. a4 a5 19. Nb3 Ne6 20. Rfd1 ({RR} 20. Qg2 f5 21. f4 Rfe8) 20... f5 21. d4 ({RR} 21. Qg2 f4 22. gxf4 exf4 23. Qxg6 Ng5) 21... Ng5 22. Qe2 ({RR} 22. Qg2 f4 23. Kh1 ({RR} 23. dxe5 fxe3 24. f4 Nh3+ 25. Kh1 Nf2+ 26. Kg1 Nxd1 27. Rxd1 Qf7) 23... fxe3 ({RR} 23... f3 24. Qf1) 24. fxe3 exd4 25. exd4 Nf3) 22... f4 23. dxe5 fxg3 24. f4 Nh3+ 25. Kg2 Rxf4 {Reinderman,D (2506)-L'Ami,E (2598) Dieren 2007 CBM 124 [L'Ami,Erwin] 0-1} {RR} 26. Nc5 Qf5 27. Nd3 Rf2+ 28. Nxf2 Nxf2 29. hxg3 Nxd1) 11... Ne7 12. Rc1 c6 13. b5 d5 14. Nd2 Bg7 15. bxc6 bxc6 16. Qa4 f5 17. cxd5 cxd5 18. e3 e4 19. Rfd1 Rc8 20. Nb5 Bd7 21. Rb1 Rb8 22. dxe4 Qe8 23. exd5 Bxb5 24. Qxa7 Be5 25. Qc5 Qd7 26. Nf3 Bd6 27. Qd4 Be2 28. Rxb8 Rxb8 29. Re1 Bxf3 30. Bxf3 Bxa3 31. e4 fxe4 32. Rxe4 Rb4 33. Qe3 Rxe4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Wch U12"] [Site "Heraklion"] [Date "2002.11.24"] [Round "11"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Howell, David"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A27"] [WhiteElo "2250"] [BlackElo "2224"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2002.11.15"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 091 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.01.09"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.01.09"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nc6 2. c4 e5 3. Nc3 g6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. g3 Ne7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O Rb8 10. Qa4 a6 11. Rd1 Re8 12. c5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Bxd5 Qe7 15. Be3 $146 ({RR} 15. Qc4 Rb5 16. c6 d6 17. Bg5 Qxg5 18. Bxf7+ Kf8 19. Bxe8 d5 20. Qd3 Kxe8 21. e4 Bxb2 22. Rab1 Qe5 23. Qe3 Qxe4 24. Qa7 Be5 25. Rxb5 Bh3 26. Rb8+ Kf7 27. Rf8+ Kg7 {0-1 (27) Jovic,S (2270)-Sekulic,D (2355) Nis 1993}) 15... Rxb2 16. Qc4 Be5 17. Rab1 Rxb1 18. Rxb1 c6 19. Bf3 Kf8 20. Rd1 Rd8 21. h4 Kg7 22. Kg2 h6 23. h5 g5 24. Bg4 Qf6 25. Qe4 d5 26. cxd6 Bxg4 27. Qxg4 Rxd6 28. Rxd6 Qxd6 29. Qc4 Qd5+ 30. Qxd5 cxd5 31. f4 gxf4 32. gxf4 Bb2 33. Kf3 f5 34. Bc5 Kf7 35. e3 Bg7 36. Ke2 Ke6 37. Kd3 Kd7 38. Bd4 Bf8 39. Bc3 Kc6 40. Be5 Kc5 41. Kc3 Kc6 42. Bf6 Kc5 43. Kd3 Kc6 44. Kd4 Kd6 45. Be5+ Kc6 46. Kd3 Kc5 47. Bf6 Kc6 48. Kd4 Kd6 49. Bh8 Ke6 50. Be5 Ba3 51. Kc3 Bf8 52. Bd4 Kd7 53. Be5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 5th"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2018.04.26"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2843"] [BlackElo "2749"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2018.04.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 $5 ({In the remote past this was a reasonably frequent alternative to the absolute main line} 4. g3 {but then it almost disappeared for a long while. Nowadays there seems to be some interest in it again.}) 4... Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 {This apparent concession, exchanging the bishop before White attacks it, is considered Black's safest way of "drying up" the position and depriving White of any chance for an initiative. The point is that WHite has to either expose his queen or somewhat spoil his structure.} (5... O-O {leads to more lively play as for instance:} 6. Nd5 Re8 7. Qf5 d6 8. Nxf6+ Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 {Grischuk,A (2785)-Giri,A (2737) Elancourt 2013 CBM 157 [ChessBase Website] (1-0, 34)}) 6. bxc3 $5 {Strategically this is the most consistent. White strengthens his centre aiming at placing his pawns on d3 and e4. This would be fine in the 4.g3 systems, but here White has committed his queen very early and needs to waste a tempo with e3-e4.} (6. Qxc3 Qe7 7. Be2 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 Nb6 10. d3 Bg4 11. Bd2 O-O-O 12. Rc1 f5 {Oleksienko,M (2615)-Navara,D (2726) Germany 2018 (0-1, 52), with active play for Black.}) 6... d6 (6... O-O {may lead to a transposition but in the following game White reserved a different fate for his bishop than Carlsen:} 7. d3 d6 8. Be2 Re8 9. e4 {Aronian,L (2799)-Matlakov,M (2728) Tbilisi 2017 CBM 181 [Mekhitarian,K] (1-0, 40)}) 7. e4 O-O 8. g3 $5 {Strategically the most ambitious plan, but due to the two wasted tempi (?c2 and e3-e4) completely inoffensive.} ({RR} 8. Be2 Nh5 9. d4 Nf4 10. Bxf4 exf4 11. O-O Qf6 12. Rfe1 Re8 13. Bd3 Bg4 14. Nd2 Na5 15. c5 dxc5 16. e5 Qh6 17. d5 Rad8 18. c4 b6 19. h3 Bh5 20. Be4 Re7 21. Qc3 Rde8 22. Bf3 Nb7 {Ding Liren (2788)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2795) Astana KAZ 2023 1-0 (47)}) 8... Ne8 $5 $146 {The knight is temporarily passive on e8 but keeping the bishop's diagonal open ensures the carrying out of the thematic break ...f7-f5.} (8... Nd7 9. Bg2 Nc5 {looks a bit more harmoniousd, though.} 10. Nh4 (10. O-O f5 $15) (10. d4 exd4 11. cxd4 Bg4 $5 $15 12. dxc5 $6 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Qf6 $17) 10... a6 ({Preparing to undermine the centre with ...b7-b5. The same manoeuvre as in the game} 10... Ne7 {does not work due to} 11. d4 $14 {and Black can complain about not having placed the knight safely on e8.}) 11. O-O (11. a4 Na5 12. d3 Nab3 $11) 11... b5 12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Nxd4 14. Qd2 Nc6 15. e5 Bb7 16. exd6 Qxd6 17. Qxd6 cxd6 18. Nf5 {½-½ Khairullin,I (2662)-Svidler,P (2739) Chita 2015 CBM 168 [Sagar Shah]} Ne5 $11) 9. Nh4 Ne7 10. d3 $146 ({Queenside queen activity is premature with incomplete kingside development. I was watching the following game from the next board and was surprised by the superficiality of such a great English expert like Suba:} 10. Qb3 Rb8 (10... f5 $5) 11. d4 c5 12. dxc5 dxc5 13. Qa3 b6 14. Qxa7 Bb7 $17 {Suba,M (2535)-Komarov,D (2580) Sovata 1998 EXT 1999 [Bulletin] (½-½, 40)}) ({RR} 10. Bg2 f5 11. d4 fxe4 12. Bxe4 Nf6 13. Bg2 exd4 14. cxd4 d5 15. O-O dxc4 16. Ba3 Re8 17. Rfe1 Ned5 18. Qxc4 c6 19. Re5 Be6 20. Qe2 Qd7 21. Re1 Nc3 22. Qe3 Nfd5 23. Qg5 Qf7 24. f4 h6 {Lentzos,I (2117)-Eggleston,D (2349) England ENG 2025 0-1 (59)}) ({RR} 10. d4 f5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Bg5 Nd6 13. exf5 Ndxf5 14. Bd3 g6 15. O-O-O Qe8 16. Rhe1 Nc6 17. f4 Nxh4 18. gxh4 Bf5 19. h5 Qe6 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Bxf5 Qxf5 22. Qd2 exf4 23. Qd5+ Rf7 24. Re6 Raf8 {Mekhitarian,K (2563)-Filgueiras,N (2257) Florianopolis 2020 ½-½ (58)}) 10... f5 11. exf5 Nxf5 12. Nxf5 Bxf5 {It goes without saying that Black has solved all his opening problems.} 13. Bg2 c6 {Preparing to re-activate the knight.} 14. h3 Nc7 15. O-O Ne6 $11 {If on the white side there were any other player, we could say Black's position is comfortable and safe. But this is never the case when you face Carlsen. And to do justice to Topalov, he is also in permanent search for ways to complicate the fight.} 16. Be3 Nc5 {This is already a sign that something may change in the position soon, in view of the possible exchange on c5. But since White planned ?ad1-d2, ?d1 and d3-d4, Black should activate his knight before it is too late.} 17. Rad1 (17. Bxc5 {is slightly premature as WHite is not too well prepared to defend the d3-pawn:} dxc5 18. Rad1 Qd7 19. Kh2 Rad8 20. Qc1 Qe6 21. Qe3 Qg6 $11) 17... Qd7 18. Kh2 Bg6 $6 {A somewhat inconsistent move, losing a tempo and disabling the regrouping with ...?g6.} (18... Rad8 19. Rd2 Rfe8 {would have kept the rhythm of development.}) ({But also} 18... b6 {was good, with possible transposition to the game.}) 19. Rd2 ({White could have tried using the tempo offered by Black with} 19. Bxc5 $5 dxc5 20. Rfe1 Rfe8 (20... Rae8 21. Re3 $14) 21. Re3 Rad8 22. Qe2 $14 {and White is better regrouped, to take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses.}) 19... Rae8 20. Qd1 b6 $1 $11 {Topalov consolidates his knight, but later he will not make use of the main virtues of his last move.} 21. Re1 (21. Bxc5 bxc5 22. d4 cxd4 23. cxd4 e4 $13) 21... h6 22. Bxc5 {It is hard to say whether Carlsen still hoped to obtain an advantage when playing this. In principle he would have liked to carryi out d3-d4 but this is not easy to achieve under favourable circumstances:} (22. d4 Ne4 $11) (22. f3 Nb7 $1 {Carlsen} (22... Ne6 23. d4 exd4 24. cxd4 d5 25. cxd5 Qxd5 {Topalov} 26. f4 Be4 27. Bxe4 Qxe4 28. d5 $16) 23. d4 $6 Na5 $15) 22... dxc5 $6 ({And it is even harder to say why did Topalov weaken his centre when he had the simple and good} 22... bxc5 $11 {at his disposal.}) 23. Re3 $14 {We now get a similar position as in some lines above. The d3-pawn is much more solidly defended than the e5-pawn and c6 is also hanging sometimes.} Re6 24. Kg1 $5 {A typical mysterious Carlsen move. He probably wanted to keep f2 overdefended should his rooks get busy winning the e5-pawn.} ({But} 24. h4 $5 $14 {may be a bit more to the point.}) 24... Rd6 25. h4 Rd8 $6 {Another curious decision. It looks as if Topalov had lost his patience. Or maybe he simply blundered something in the ensuing tactical line.} (25... Re8 {completes the regrouping in a better way, by defending e5.}) {But even after the last small inaccuracy Black remains close to equality.} 26. Rxe5 Bxd3 (26... Rxd3 $2 {runs into} 27. Bd5+ $1 cxd5 28. Rxd3 ({or} 28. Rxd5 {Topalov}) 28... Bxd3 29. Rxd5 $16 {Carlsen.}) 27. Be4 Bxc4 $2 {Along his career Topalov probably sacrificed more exchanges and queens than any of his contemporaries. But in this case the last move puts him on the verge of defeat.} ({Ljubojevic suggested} 27... Bc2 {but Black loses a pawn without compensation:} 28. Rxd6 Bxd1 29. Rxd7 Rxd7 30. Bxc6) ({Carlsen was mainly worried about his chances for an advantage after} 27... Kf8 $1 {, defending e8 and avoiding any combination based on ?e8+. Topalov considered this move but "did not dare playing it" True, White could win a pawn with} 28. Qf3+ Kg8 (28... Rf6 $2 29. Qe3 Rd6 30. Rxd3 Rxd3 31. Bxd3 Qxd3 32. Re8+ $1 $18) 29. Bxc6 Qxc6 30. Qxc6 Rxc6 31. Rd5 $1 {Not an easy move to find in advance.} Rxd5 32. cxd5 Rd6 33. Rxd3 {But after} b5 $14 {Black is in no real danger of losing.}) 28. Rxd6 Qxd6 29. Re8+ $1 Rxe8 30. Qxd6 Rxe4 31. Qxc6 Re1+ 32. Kh2 Bxa2 {Material is about equal but the black king is vulnerable and his pieces are not coordinated, making them comfortable targets for the queen.} 33. g4 {White's best plan is weakening the enemy king, of course.} Kh7 34. f4 $18 h5 {Logical but insufficient.} 35. f5 $6 {This weakens the f-pawn and offers Black saving chances.} (35. Qd7 $1 {[%csl Ra2,Re1][%CAl Gd7d2] would have more or less won:} Bc4 (35... Re2+ 36. Kg3 {[%CAl Gd7d3] does not change anything.}) 36. Qf5+ g6 37. Qd7+ Kg8 38. gxh5 gxh5 39. Qxa7 $18 {The combined attack of the queen, king and f-pawn wins easily.}) 35... hxg4 36. h5 (36. Qg6+ Kh8 37. f6 g3+ ({During the post mortem} 37... gxf6 {was also considered satiosfactory but probably both players overlooked that after} 38. Qxf6+ Kh7 {White wins a piece with} 39. Qf2 $1 Ra1 40. Qb2 $18) 38. Qxg3 Re2+ 39. Kg1 gxf6 {with reasonable drawing chances.}) (36. Qb7 $5 {[%CAl Gf5f6]} Kh8 37. Qxa7 Bb1 38. Qxb6 Bxf5 39. Qxc5 $18) 36... Bf7 37. Qb7 Kg8 $14 {Black has partly stabilised and has two targets on f5 and h5.} 38. Qxa7 (38. f6 {is parried with} Re6) 38... Bxh5 $2 {This exposes the bishop in one of the lines below, once again turning the position into critical for Black.} (38... Rf1 $14 {or}) (38... Re3 $14 {[%CAl Ge3f3] would have retrieved the kingside pawns maintaining the stability at the same time.}) 39. Qxb6 c4 40. Qd8+ Be8 ({A sad necessity such as} 40... Kh7 {allows} 41. Qh4 {with a very unpleasant pin. For instance} Re2+ 42. Kg3 Re3+ 43. Kf4 Rf3+ 44. Kg5 Rh3 45. Qf2 {with a similar attack as in the game.}) 41. Kg3 Kh7 ({As pointed out by Carlsen} 41... g6 {fails to free Black after} 42. Kf2 Re5 43. fxg6 Rf5+ 44. Kg3 Rf8 45. Qd6 {folowed by the king's advance.}) 42. Qc7 Kg8 43. Qxc4+ Bf7 44. Qd4 Re8 45. c4 {White is winning already and Carlsen will display the needed accuracy until the end.} Rf8 46. c5 Be8 47. Qd5+ Kh7 48. Qe6 (48. Qe4 $5 Bd7 49. f6+ Kg8 50. Qd5+ Rf7 51. fxg7 Kxg7 52. c6 Bc8 (52... Bf5 53. c7 $18) 53. Qg5+ Kh7 54. Qd8 Be6 55. c7 $18) 48... Bb5 49. c6 Bxc6 (49... Ba6 50. c7 (50. Kxg4 Bc8 51. Qe5 $18 {Carlsen}) 50... Bc8 51. Qg6+ Kg8 52. Kxg4 Rf7 53. Kg5 Rxc7 54. Qe8+ Kh7 55. f6 gxf6+ (55... Rc5+ 56. Kh4 $18) 56. Kxf6 $18 {Carlsen. Black loses one of his pieces soon.}) 50. Qg6+ Kg8 51. Qxc6 Rf6 52. Qe8+ Kh7 53. Kxg4 {With pawns on f7 and g5 the game would be drawn, but the way it is White has a simple winning plan, known since the earliest endgame books.} Rh6 54. Kf4 Rf6 55. Ke5 Rh6 56. Qe6 1-0 [Event "Morelia/Linares 25th"] [Site "Morelia/Linares"] [Date "2008.03.04"] [Round "12"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2008.02.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 123"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.04.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.04.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 $5 {This far from popular move has been a lucky choice for White at the top level recently.} d5 ({The main idea behind White's previous move is to answer} 4... Bb4 {with} 5. Bd2 {, preventing the creation of double pawns as frequently happens after 4.g3 ?b4.}) 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nb6 (6... Nf6 {Morozevich,A (2758)-Grischuk,A (2726)/Mexico City MEX 2007/CBM 120/[Marin] (1-0, 42)}) 7. Be2 Be7 8. O-O (8. Be3 {was played in Spraggett,K (2575)-Lautier,J (2450)/Correze 1989/EXT 97 (0-1, 39) as mentioned in my notes to the previous game.}) 8... O-O 9. a4 {...a5 is a typical idea in the Bolseslavsky Sicilian, so why not play a4 here?} Be6 $5 ({Topalov does not wish to weaken his b5-square. Instead, he ignores the threat of a5, hoping that the weakness of the b4- and b3-squares will offer him good counterplay.} 9... a5 {was investigated in the comments to the Morozevich-Grischuk game.}) 10. Be3 $146 {technically speaking, this is a novelty, although transpositions are possible here.} (10. a5 Nd7 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 {Now, 13...c6 is likely to transpose, but Black carelessly allowed the activation of the enemy queen with} Bf6 $6 14. Qb4 b6 15. Be3 Be7 16. Qb5 $14 {Topel,Z (2085)-Vasilieva,M (2124)/Chisinau 2005/CBM 106 ext (1-0, 45)}) 10... Nd7 ({RR} 10... a6 11. a5 Nd7 12. d4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Nc5 15. Be3 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 Rfd8 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Nd7 19. Bf4 Bd6 20. Bxd6 cxd6 21. Rac1 Nf6 22. Rc7 Rab8 23. Bf3 b6 24. b4 bxa5 25. bxa5 {Carlsen,M (2870)-Aronian,L (2772) Kolkata 2019 1-0 (56)}) 11. d4 $146 {With reversed colours, this would have been an entirely satisfactory decision, equalizing completely. Will White's extra tempo offer any chances for an advantage here? The further course of the game suggests an affirmative answer.} ({However,} 11. a5 {should also be mentioned, when the structure is likely to suffer radical modifications, leading to very complicated play which is hard to evaluate.} Nc5 (11... f5 $6 12. exf5 Rxf5 {Ameri,H-Kichinski,R/Livermore 1989/(0-1, 30)} 13. a6 (13. Nd2 $14) 13... b6 14. Nd2 $14 {[%CAl Ge2g4] The dream position of any Sicilian Najdorf player.}) (11... Bc5 $6 12. a6 b6 13. Qa4 Nb4 14. d4 exd4 15. Nxd4 $14) 12. b4 $5 Nxb4 (12... Nb3 13. Rb1 Nbd4 14. b5 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Nd4 16. Bg4 $14 {Despite the black knight's centralisation, White's stability on the light squares is likely to tell in the long term.}) 13. Nxe5 f6 (13... Nb3 14. Rb1 Nxa5 15. d4 $44 {[%csl Ra5,Rb4,Gd4,Ge4]}) 14. Rb1 fxe5 15. Rxb4 $13 {The structure is highly assymetrical and the position remains strategically unbalanced.}) ({RR} 11. Qb1 Nc5 12. a5 f6 13. Rd1 Nb3 14. Ra4 Ncd4 15. Bxd4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Nd5 Bd6 18. Qc2 c6 19. Nb4 f5 20. e5 Bxe5 21. a6 b5 22. Raa1 Rc8 23. Bf3 Qh4 24. g3 Qf6 25. Qe2 f4 {Yuffa,D (2235)-Musakaev,E (2295) Tiumen 2010 0-1 (43)}) ({RR} 11. Rc1 Nc5 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. Bxc5 Bxc5 14. Rxc5 Be6 15. h3 Qd6 16. Qc2 f6 17. Qc3 a5 18. Rc1 Rf7 19. Bd1 Nb4 20. Bb3 c6 21. Bxe6 Qxe6 22. Rd1 b6 23. Rc4 c5 24. Qb3 Re7 25. Nd2 Rd8 {Rasulov,V (2512)-Yan,T (2290) Aksu, Xinjiang CHN 2025 ½-½ (54)}) 11... exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 c6 14. a5 Nc5 15. Qe5 {Having a strong kingside majority, White rightly avoids the exchange of queens, retaining chances for an attack.} Nb3 16. Ra4 Bd6 17. Qh5 g6 18. Qh6 {Clouds start gathering around the black king. The strong e5 followed by ?h4 is very strong.} Be5 {[%CAl Ge5g7] AIming to expel the enemy queen as soon as possible from its attacking position.} (18... Nxa5 $2 19. e5 $1 Be7 (19... Bxe5 20. Rh4 $18) 20. Ne4 f6 21. exf6 Bxf6 22. Nxf6+ Rxf6 23. Bg5 $18) (18... Qe7 {parries the threat, but does not relieve the pressure.} 19. h4 (19. e5 Bxe5 20. Rh4 f5) 19... Be5 20. h5 Bg7 21. Qf4 $36) 19. Bg5 $6 {In combination with the next move, this is hard to understand.} (19. h4 Bg7 20. Qf4 Qb8 {Now, after having provoked the weakening of Black's kingside, White can exchange queens already, maintaining the initiative.} 21. Qxb8 Raxb8 22. f4 $36 {[%CAl Gh4h5,Gf4f5]}) 19... Qc7 20. Be3 $6 (20. Qh4 $5 {[%CAl Gg5f6]}) 20... Nxa5 {The logical punishment for the loss of two tempi.} 21. f4 Bg7 22. Qh4 Bb3 (22... b5 $5 23. Rxa5 (23. Rd4 Nc4) 23... Qxa5 24. f5 Bb3 25. f6 Bh8 {Black has a huge material advantage, but his bishop is captive on h8. However, it is not clear how he would generate an effective attack.} 26. Qg5 (26. e5 b4 27. Ne4 Qxe5) (26. Rf3 b4 27. Rh3 h5 28. Bxh5 Qxh5 29. Qf4 Qxh3 30. gxh3 bxc3 31. bxc3 a5 $19) 26... Rad8 27. h4 Qc7 28. h5 Rfe8 {and there seems to be no danger for Black.}) 23. Rd4 $5 {An interesting psychological trick. Knowing Topalov's habit of sacrificing the exchange himself, Carlsen probably relied on the fact that his opponent would not capture on d4. After other moves, White would just be a pawn down.} Rad8 $6 {After this ultra-cautious move, White will obtain adequate compensation for his minimal material disadvantage, in view of the fact that two of Black's minorpieces are far from the kingside.} (23... Bxd4 $5 24. Bxd4 f5 $1 {It is essential to deprive the bishop of the stable outpost on f6, although opening the position looks a bit dangerous.} (24... Qd6 25. Bf6 Rfd8 26. Rf3 $40) 25. exf5 Qd8 $1 26. Qf2 Rxf5 27. Bg4 Rf7 $6 {and it is not easy to continue the attack, for instance} 28. Ne4 Rxf4 $1 29. Nf6+ Qxf6 $1) 24. e5 $1 $44 Rxd4 25. Bxd4 c5 26. Be3 f6 {Black questions White's advantage in space at once, but this will lead to an additional weakening of his kingside.} 27. Nb5 Qd8 28. f5 $5 (28. Bxc5 fxe5 $1) (28. e6 $5 Qe7 (28... Bxe6 29. Bxc5 f5 30. Qf2 Rf7 31. Bxa7 $11 Bxb2 $6 32. Bb6 Qd2 33. Rd1 Qb4 34. Rb1 $36) 29. f5 gxf5 30. Rf3 $44) 28... fxe5 29. Bg5 {Finally, this bishop has found an useful job in this game.} Qb6 30. f6 c4+ 31. Kh1 Qxb5 32. fxg7 Rxf1+ 33. Bxf1 {[%csl Rg8][%CAl Gg5h6,Gh4e7]} Kxg7 {The safest continuation, eliminating the dangerous pawn.} (33... Qd5 34. Bh6 Nc6 $8 35. Be2 Qf7 36. h3 $44 {This looks a bit dangerous for Black, despite his two extra pawns. In fact, the threat of ?g4 practically forces Black to return one of the pawns with} c3 37. bxc3 {in order to open the communication between his own bishop and the kingside, but then White would not risk anything, being just a pawn down.}) 34. Bd8 Nc6 $4 {An incredible blunder in a position where it is hard to believe that White should have anything better than a draw by perpetual.} (34... Qd5 35. Qe7+ Kg8 (35... Kh6 $2 36. Qf8+ Kh5 37. Be2+) 36. Qe8+ $11) (34... Kg8 35. Qe7 Qd5 $8 $11) 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Qe6+ Kf8 37. Bg5 1-0 [Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.11"] [Round "14.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Keymer, Vincent"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2828"] [BlackElo "2647"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. a3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Qc2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bd6 8. g3 ({RR} 8. e3 O-O 9. d4 Qe7 10. Be2 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. Bb2 Na5 14. Bb5 c6 15. Bf1 e4 16. Nd2 c5 17. c4 cxd4 18. exd4 Qh4 19. g3 Qg4 20. Bg2 f5 21. c5 Bf8 22. Nc4 {1-0 (22) Kramnik,V (2808)-Karjakin,S (2781) Stavanger 2017}) ({RR} 8. e3 O-O 9. d4 Qe7 10. Be2 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. Bb2 Na5 14. Bb5 c6 15. Bf1 e4 16. Nd2 c5 17. c4 cxd4 18. exd4 Qh4 19. g3 Qg4 20. Bg2 f5 21. c5 Bf8 22. Nc4 {1-0 (22) Kramnik,V (2808)-Karjakin,S (2781) Stavanger 2017}) 8... O-O 9. Bg2 Qe7 10. d3 h6 $146 ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Rad8 12. Ng5 h6 13. Ne4 b6 14. a4 Na5 15. c4 Bb4 16. Nc3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Rfe8 18. Ba3 Qe6 19. Bd5 Qg4 20. Bf3 Qg6 21. Bb4 Nc6 22. Rfe1 Nd4 23. Bg2 a5 24. Ba3 Bxa4 25. Be7 {Potkin,V (2626)-Wang,Y (2716) Ningbo 2010 0-1 (43)}) ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Na5 12. Nd2 c5 13. Ne4 f5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. f4 Rae8 16. fxe5 Qxe5 17. Rf2 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. Qb3+ Rf7 20. g4 Na5 21. Qa4 Nc6 22. Bd2 Re6 23. Raf1 Rg6 24. g5 Re6 25. e4 {Vaganian,R (2595)-Chernin,A (2565) Nabereznye Chelny 1988 1-0 (44)}) ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Rae8 12. e4 Na5 13. Nh4 b6 14. Nf5 Qf6 15. Ne3 Be6 16. Bb2 Bc5 17. Qe2 Rd8 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Bd6 20. Rae1 Nb3 21. Qd1 Nc5 22. f4 exf4 23. d4 Nd7 24. gxf4 Qh4 25. Re5 {Gashimov,V (2760)-Wang,Y (2709) Ningbo 2011 0-1 (43)}) ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Na5 12. Nd2 c5 13. Ne4 f5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. f4 Rae8 16. fxe5 Qxe5 17. Rf2 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. Qb3+ Rf7 20. g4 Na5 21. Qa4 Nc6 22. Bd2 Re6 23. Raf1 Rg6 24. g5 Re6 25. e4 {Vaganian,R (2595)-Chernin,A (2565) Nabereznye Chelny 1988 1-0 (44)}) ({RR} 10... Bg4 11. h3 Bd7 12. O-O b6 13. e4 f6 14. d4 Qf7 15. Be3 Kh8 16. a4 Rad8 17. Rfe1 Na5 18. Nd2 Qh5 19. g4 Qf7 20. Qa2 Be6 21. d5 Bd7 22. Nc4 Nxc4 23. Qxc4 h5 24. Qe2 g6 25. gxh5 {Caruana,F (2805)-Theodorou,N (2612) Charlotte USA 2024 0-1 (49)}) 11. O-O Na5 12. c4 c5 13. Nd2 f5 14. Nb1 Nc6 15. Nc3 Rb8 16. Rb1 Nd4 17. Qd1 f4 18. e3 fxe3 19. fxe3 Rxf1+ 20. Qxf1 Nc6 21. Bd5+ Kh8 22. Bb2 Bd7 23. Qg2 Rf8 24. Rf1 Rxf1+ 25. Qxf1 b6 26. Qf3 Qe8 27. Ne4 Bc7 28. Nf2 Ne7 29. Be4 Ng8 30. g4 Nf6 31. Bf5 Bc6 32. Qh3 Nh7 33. Qg3 Nf6 34. g5 hxg5 35. Qxg5 Qh5 36. Qxh5+ Nxh5 37. Ng4 e4 38. Bg6 exd3 39. Bxh5 Bf3 40. Bc3 Be2 41. h3 Kh7 42. Bf7 Bg3 43. Kg2 Bh4 44. Bd5 g6 1-0 [Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.11"] [Round "14.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Keymer, Vincent"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2828"] [BlackElo "2647"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. a3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Qc2 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bd6 8. g3 ({RR} 8. e3 O-O 9. d4 Qe7 10. Be2 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. Bb2 Na5 14. Bb5 c6 15. Bf1 e4 16. Nd2 c5 17. c4 cxd4 18. exd4 Qh4 19. g3 Qg4 20. Bg2 f5 21. c5 Bf8 22. Nc4 {1-0 (22) Kramnik,V (2808)-Karjakin,S (2781) Stavanger 2017}) ({RR} 8. e3 O-O 9. d4 Qe7 10. Be2 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. Bb2 Na5 14. Bb5 c6 15. Bf1 e4 16. Nd2 c5 17. c4 cxd4 18. exd4 Qh4 19. g3 Qg4 20. Bg2 f5 21. c5 Bf8 22. Nc4 {1-0 (22) Kramnik,V (2808)-Karjakin,S (2781) Stavanger 2017}) 8... O-O 9. Bg2 Qe7 10. d3 h6 $146 ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Rad8 12. Ng5 h6 13. Ne4 b6 14. a4 Na5 15. c4 Bb4 16. Nc3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Rfe8 18. Ba3 Qe6 19. Bd5 Qg4 20. Bf3 Qg6 21. Bb4 Nc6 22. Rfe1 Nd4 23. Bg2 a5 24. Ba3 Bxa4 25. Be7 {Potkin,V (2626)-Wang,Y (2716) Ningbo 2010 0-1 (43)}) ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Na5 12. Nd2 c5 13. Ne4 f5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. f4 Rae8 16. fxe5 Qxe5 17. Rf2 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. Qb3+ Rf7 20. g4 Na5 21. Qa4 Nc6 22. Bd2 Re6 23. Raf1 Rg6 24. g5 Re6 25. e4 {Vaganian,R (2595)-Chernin,A (2565) Nabereznye Chelny 1988 1-0 (44)}) ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Rae8 12. e4 Na5 13. Nh4 b6 14. Nf5 Qf6 15. Ne3 Be6 16. Bb2 Bc5 17. Qe2 Rd8 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Bd6 20. Rae1 Nb3 21. Qd1 Nc5 22. f4 exf4 23. d4 Nd7 24. gxf4 Qh4 25. Re5 {Gashimov,V (2760)-Wang,Y (2709) Ningbo 2011 0-1 (43)}) ({RR} 10... Bd7 11. O-O Na5 12. Nd2 c5 13. Ne4 f5 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. f4 Rae8 16. fxe5 Qxe5 17. Rf2 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. Qb3+ Rf7 20. g4 Na5 21. Qa4 Nc6 22. Bd2 Re6 23. Raf1 Rg6 24. g5 Re6 25. e4 {Vaganian,R (2595)-Chernin,A (2565) Nabereznye Chelny 1988 1-0 (44)}) ({RR} 10... Bg4 11. h3 Bd7 12. O-O b6 13. e4 f6 14. d4 Qf7 15. Be3 Kh8 16. a4 Rad8 17. Rfe1 Na5 18. Nd2 Qh5 19. g4 Qf7 20. Qa2 Be6 21. d5 Bd7 22. Nc4 Nxc4 23. Qxc4 h5 24. Qe2 g6 25. gxh5 {Caruana,F (2805)-Theodorou,N (2612) Charlotte USA 2024 0-1 (49)}) 11. O-O Na5 12. c4 c5 13. Nd2 f5 14. Nb1 Nc6 15. Nc3 Rb8 16. Rb1 Nd4 17. Qd1 f4 18. e3 fxe3 19. fxe3 Rxf1+ 20. Qxf1 Nc6 21. Bd5+ Kh8 22. Bb2 Bd7 23. Qg2 Rf8 24. Rf1 Rxf1+ 25. Qxf1 b6 26. Qf3 Qe8 27. Ne4 Bc7 28. Nf2 Ne7 29. Be4 Ng8 30. g4 Nf6 31. Bf5 Bc6 32. Qh3 Nh7 33. Qg3 Nf6 34. g5 hxg5 35. Qxg5 Qh5 36. Qxh5+ Nxh5 37. Ng4 e4 38. Bg6 exd3 39. Bxh5 Bf3 40. Bc3 Be2 41. h3 Kh7 42. Bf7 Bg3 43. Kg2 Bh4 44. Bd5 g6 1-0 [Event "NOR-ch playoff"] [Site "Oslo"] [Date "2006.09.21"] [Round "3"] [White "Agdestein, Simen"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2575"] [BlackElo "2675"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2006.09.19"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 115"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.11.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Nd5 Be7 6. a3 ({RR} 6. d4 d6 ({RR} 6... exd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. Be2 Nxd5 9. cxd5 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 d6 13. O-O Re8 14. Rac1 Re7 15. Rc3 Bd7 16. Rfc1 c5 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Rd1 Re6 19. Bc4 Qg5 20. Bd5 Rg6) 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Bf5 9. Nxe7+ Qxe7 10. d5 Nb8 11. b4 a5 12. b5 Nbd7 13. a4 Nc5 14. Ba3 Nfd7 15. Nd2 h6 16. f3 Bh7 17. Kh1 b6 18. Qe1 Kh8 19. Bd1 Nd3 20. Qe2 Qh4) 6... e4 $146 ({RR} 6... a5 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d3 Be6 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qc2 Bf5 12. Nh4 Bd7 13. g3 e4 14. dxe4 Qxe4 15. Qxe4 Nxe4 16. Bd3 Nc5 17. Bc2 Ne5 18. O-O Bc6 19. f3 g6 20. Rad1 a4 21. f4 {Sandrin,A-Mickeleit,K Kuortane 1976 0-1}) ({RR} 6... d6 7. b4 ({RR} 7. Qc2 Nxd5 ({RR} 7... Be6 8. Nxe7 Qxe7 9. d3 h6 10. Be2 Bf5 11. O-O e4 12. Nd2 exd3 13. Bxd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 a5 15. b3 O-O 16. Bb2 Nd7 17. Ne4 Nc5 18. Qc3 f6 19. Ng3 Ne4 20. Nxe4 Qxe4 21. Rad1 Rfe8) 8. cxd5 Nb8 9. d4 exd4 10. Nxd4 Bf6 11. Nb5 Na6 12. Be2 O-O 13. O-O Bd7 14. Bd2 Bxb5 15. Bxb5 Nc5 16. Rac1 a6 17. Be2 Re8 18. Rfd1 Rc8 19. b4 Nd7 20. Bg4 g6 21. Qa4 Re7) 7... Nxd5 8. cxd5 Nb8 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qc2 c6 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4 cxd5 13. Be2 Bf6 14. Bf3 Be6 15. O-O Bxd4 16. Bxd4 Nc6 17. Rfd1 Rc8 18. Qb2 Qg5 19. Be2 a6 20. Rac1 Qg6 21. Bc3 {Maghsoodloo,P (2697)-Nakamura,H (2816) chess.com INT 2025 ½-½ (77)}) 7. Ng1 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8 9. Ne2 Ne5 10. Nxf6+ Bxf6 11. Nc3 d5 12. cxd5 Bf5 13. Nxe4 Bh4 14. Qa4 Qxd5 15. Nc3 Qd8 16. d4 Nd3+ 17. Bxd3 Bxd3 18. Bd2 b5 19. Qb3 Qxd4 20. O-O-O Qc5 21. g3 Bc4 22. Qc2 Bf6 23. Kb1 a5 24. f3 Rad8 25. Ka1 b4 26. Ne4 Rxe4 27. Qxe4 Bd3 28. Rc1 Qxc1+ 29. Bxc1 Bxe4 30. fxe4 bxa3 31. h4 h5 32. Rf1 Be5 33. Rg1 f6 0-1 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 7th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2019.08.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2882"] [BlackElo "2779"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2019.08.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 192"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.10.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.10.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 Bb4 5. d3 d6 6. Be2 Bg4 7. a3 Bc5 8. b4 Bb6 9. Be3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nd4 11. Na4 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Bxe3 13. Qxe3 O-O 14. O-O Re8 ({RR} 14... c6 15. d4 Ng4 16. Qg3 Nf6 17. Qe3 Ng4 18. Qg3 Nf6 19. Qe3 Ng4 {½-½ (19) Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2576)-Bacrot,E (2635) Linares ESP 2025}) ({RR} 14... c6 15. d4 exd4 16. Qxd4 Re8 17. f3 Re6 18. Rfd1 Qe7 19. Nc3 a6 20. Rd2 b5 21. Rad1 bxc4 22. Qxc4 d5 23. Qc5 dxe4 24. Qxe7 Rxe7 25. Rd8+ Re8 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 27. fxe4 a5 28. bxa5 Kf8 29. e5 {Abdusattorov,N (2661)-Giri,A (2761) Chess.com INT 2022 0-1 (46)}) 15. Nc3 a5 16. b5 c6 17. Rab1 $146 ({RR} 17. bxc6 bxc6 18. Rab1 d5 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Nb5 Rc8 21. Rfc1 Qd7 22. a4 h6 23. f3 dxe4 24. dxe4 Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 27. Qc3 Qxc3 28. Nxc3 Kf8 29. Nb1 Nd7 30. Nd2 Nb6 31. Nb3 Nxa4 {Romanov,E (2570)-Cheparinov,I (2685) Ankara 2022 ½-½ (32)}) ({RR} 17. bxc6 bxc6 18. Rab1 d5 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Nb5 Rc8 21. Rfc1 Qd7 22. a4 h6 23. f3 dxe4 24. dxe4 Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 27. Qc3 Qxc3 28. Nxc3 Kf8 29. Nb1 Nd7 30. Nd2 Nb6 31. Nb3 Nxa4 {Romanov,E (2570)-Cheparinov,I (2685) Ankara 2022 ½-½ (32)}) 17... d5 18. Na4 Qe7 19. bxc6 bxc6 20. cxd5 cxd5 21. Nb6 Rad8 22. Rb5 Qxa3 23. exd5 e4 24. dxe4 Qxe3 25. fxe3 Rxe4 26. Rxa5 Rb4 27. Ra8 Rxa8 28. Nxa8 Nxd5 29. Rd1 Rb8 30. Rxd5 Rxa8 31. Kf2 Kf8 32. Kf3 h6 33. Kf2 Ra2+ 34. Kf3 Ra8 35. Kf2 Ra2+ 36. Kf3 Ra8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-37"] [Site "Turin"] [Date "2006.05.30"] [Round "9"] [White "Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2584"] [BlackElo "2646"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2006.05.21"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 113"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Iran"] [BlackTeam "Norway"] [WhiteTeamCountry "IRI"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 Bb4 5. Bd2 O-O 6. e3 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Bxc3 Qe7 10. Be2 Bf5 11. O-O e4 12. dxe4 Bxe4 13. Qb3 Rfd8 $146 ({RR} 13... Rad8 14. Rfd1 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Rd8 17. a3 Rxd1+ 18. Bxd1 Qd6 19. Be2 h6 20. Nd2 Bd5 21. f3 Qe5 22. Qxe5 {½-½ (22) Cyborowski,L (2524)-Nyback,T (2572) Germany 2016}) 14. Rfd1 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 Nb4 16. a3 Nd5 17. Qe5 Qxe5 18. Nxe5 Nb6 19. Rac1 c6 20. f3 Bd5 21. e4 Bb3 22. Rd3 Rxd3 23. Nxd3 Na4 24. Kf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss"] [Site "Douglas"] [Date "2019.10.19"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A28"] [WhiteElo "2876"] [BlackElo "2812"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2019.10.10"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "IOM"] [SourceTitle "CBM 193"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.12.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qf3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba5 10. Bf4 O-O 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Kb2 Rb8 13. Bd3 b5 14. cxb5 Bb7 15. Qh3 g6 16. Qe3 Rfe8 17. Rhe1 Bc6 $146 ({RR} 17... a6 18. Bg5 Qf8 19. Bh6 Qe7 20. Bg5 Qf8 21. Bh6 Qe7 22. Bg5 {½-½ (22) Batsiashvili,N (2422)-Dzagnidze,N (2502) Batumi 2019}) 18. a4 a6 19. Bg5 Bxc3+ 20. Kxc3 Qa3+ 21. Kd2 Qb4+ 22. Ke2 Qg4+ 23. Kd2 Qb4+ 24. Ke2 Qg4+ 25. Kd2 Qb4+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 5th"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2018.04.27"] [Round "8"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2777"] [BlackElo "2843"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2018.04.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Yuffa,Daniil} e5 2. Nc3 ({The immediate fianchetto} 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 {gives some extra options:} d5 (3... c6 {is another topical line, the direct} 4. d4 {seems harmless;} (4. Nf3 {is the main try to fight for an advantage}) {a recent example went} 4... e4 5. Nc3 d5 6. Bg5 Bb4 7. Qb3 Bxc3+ 8. Qxc3 O-O 9. f3 dxc4 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. fxe4 c5 12. e5 cxd4 13. exf6 dxc3 14. fxg7 Re8 15. bxc3 Nc6 16. Rb1 Re3 17. Kd2 Re7 18. Nf3 Bf5 19. Rb5 Rd8+ 20. Nd4 Nxd4 21. cxd4 Be4 22. Bxe4 Rxd4+ 23. Bd3 Red7 $11 {McShane,L (2647)-Anand,V (2783) Germany 2018 The resulting endgame is drawish.}) 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Nb6 7. d3 Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. Nbd2 {develops the ?b1 differently, but this is also no novelty.} a5 10. b3 Be6 11. Bb2 f6 12. Qc2 Qd7 {and now:} 13. Nc4 (13. e3 Rfd8 14. d4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 c5 17. Bxc5 Rac8 18. b4 Nd5 $1 19. Qd3 (19. Nb3 b6 20. e4 Nxb4 21. axb4 axb4 22. Rfd1 Qc7 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Bf1 Bxc5 $17 {Thiede,L (2416)-Graf,A (2624) Germany 2003}) 19... b6 20. Bxd5 bxc5 21. Bxe6+ Qxe6 22. Qb3 Qf7 $5 23. Qxf7+ Kxf7 24. Nb3 cxb4 25. axb4 axb4 26. Ra7 Ke8 27. Nd4 Rd7 28. Rxd7 Kxd7 29. Rd1 g6 30. Kf1 Rc4 {½, Kuhn,C (1981)-Avdeev,S (2032) email 2011}) 13... Rfd8 14. Rfc1 (14. Rfd1 Qe8 15. d4 $6 a4 $15 {Ponomariov,R (2723)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2710) Beijing blitz 2011.}) 14... Qe8 15. Nxb6 cxb6 16. Nd2 Rac8 17. a4 Bc5 18. Qd1 h5 19. Nc4 Qe7 20. e3 Bg4 21. Qf1 Nb4 22. Rd1 $5 Bxd1 23. Rxd1 Qf7 {Gordievsky,D (2622)-Vidit,S (2718) Wijk aan Zee 2018} 24. d4 exd4 25. exd4 Bf8 26. Nxb6 Rc2 27. Nc4 b5 28. axb5 a4 29. Rb1 $1 axb3 30. Ne3 $44) 2... Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 ({The Dragon with reversed colours is very popular, but} 4... Bb4 5. Bg2 {only somewhat less so:} O-O ({Less usual, but also playable is} 5... d6 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 Re8 8. Bd2 (8. Nd5 $5 Nxd5 9. cxd5 Ne7 10. d4 e4 11. Ng5 {is perhaps more promising}) 8... Nd4 9. a3 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 c6 12. e4 Bh3 13. Re1 c5 14. b4 b6 15. a4 Nd7 16. a5 Be6 17. Ra3 Rb8 18. b5 Qc8 19. axb6 axb6 20. Re2 Ra8 21. Rea2 Rxa3 22. Rxa3 Qc7 23. Bg2 Nf8 24. f4 f6 25. f5 Bc8 26. Bd2 Bb7 27. g4 h6 28. h4 Nh7 $11 {Ding,L (2778)-Wojtaszek,R (2744) Shamkir 2018 With patient defence Black held his fortress.}) 6. O-O e4 7. Ng5 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Re8 {featured some recent experiments with} 9. Qc2 (9. f3 {is the main line of this branch}) {, but they didn't bring White success after} 9... d5 $5 ({More active, than} 9... Qe7 10. d3 exd3 11. exd3 d6) 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. d3 (11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. d3 Bf5 13. Bf4 Qe6 14. dxe4 Bxe4 15. Bxe4 Qxe4 16. Qb2 b6 17. Rfe1 Rac8 18. Qb5 Ne7 19. Rad1 c6 20. Qa6 Nd5 $15 {Dimitrov,R (2493)-Georgiev,K (2596) Skopje 2018}) 11... Bf5 12. Bf4 h6 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qb2 b6 15. Rfd1 Qc5 16. dxe4 Bxe4 17. Bf1 Re7 18. a4 Rae8 19. Rac1 $2 (19. Qb5 $1 $11 {is still roughly equal.}) 19... g5 $1 20. Bd2 Qf5 21. f3 Qc5+ 22. Kh1 Bd5 23. Be1 Bc4 24. e4 Bxf1 25. Bf2 Qc4 26. Rxf1 Qxa4 27. c4 Ne5 28. Bd4 g4 $17 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)-Caruana,F (2784) Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden 2018}) 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 (6... Bc5 $5 {is also viable, Illingworth wrote an article about this novel line in CBM 181. Since then there haven't been too many new games, after} 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 {Black also has} Re8 ({Illingworth concentrated on} 8... Bb6 {proving Black holds his own in the tactical labyrinth of Dubov-Karjakin, WCup Tbilisi 2017. Black also equalises after} 9. Bd2 Nxc3 10. Bxc3 Re8 11. b4 Bg4 12. Nd2 Nd4 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. Re1 c6 15. a4 a6 16. Nb3 Qf6 17. Qd2 Re7 18. h3 Be6 19. Nc5 Rae8 20. Nxe6 Qxe6 21. b5 axb5 22. axb5 c5 $11 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2751)-Aronian,L (2789) chess.com blitz 2017}) 9. Ng5 Nf6 10. Qb3 Qe7 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Nd8 13. Qc4 Bd4 14. Bg2 h6 15. Nf3 Nc6 16. Be3 $5 Bxe3 17. fxe3 e4 18. dxe4 a5 $1 19. a3 Ra6 20. Rac1 Rb6 21. Rc2 Be6 22. Qc3 Rb3 23. Qd2 Rd8 24. Qc1 a4 $44 {The tripled pawns are comical and Black would have enough compensation even without trying to undertake anything. As it is, he allowed White to untangle with} 25. Rc5 Rd7 26. h3 Qd8 27. g4 g6 28. Kh1 Kg7 29. e5 Bd5 30. Kg1 Be6 31. Kf2 Qe7 32. Kg1 Rd5 33. Rc4 Ra5 34. Rc2 Bd5 $6 35. Nd4 $1 Nxd4 36. exd4 Rg3 37. Rf3 $1 Bxf3 38. exf3 $16 {Caruana,F (2799)-Adams,M (2715) London 2017 After regaining the exchange by trapping the ?g3 White already had a healthy extra pawn. For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 182 by Fernandez.}) 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 (8. d3 O-O 9. Be3 {was played in Kamsky-Svidler, Thessaloniki 2013, which I annotated for CBM 155:} Be6 (9... Re8 10. Rc1 Bf8 11. Na4 Nd4 12. Nc5 {gives Black also the sharper option} a5 $5 (12... Bxc5 13. Rxc5 Bg4 {and}) (12... Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 c6 {are restrained continuations, leading to approximate equality.}) 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. Nb3 g5 $1 15. Qd2 g4 $13 {Granda Zuniga,J (2648)-So,W (2794) Douglas 2016}) 10. Rc1 Qd7 ({Svidler's choice} 10... f5 {is perhaps not bad, but more risky.}) ({RR} 10... f6 11. a3 Qd7 ({RR} 11... a5 12. d4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4) 12. Ne4 ({RR} 12. Nd2 Rfd8) 12... Nd5 13. Bc5 b6 14. Bxe7 Ndxe7 15. Qa4) ({RR} 10... Nd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Qa4 Re8 13. Rc3 a6 14. a3 Bf6 15. Rc5 Nd4 16. Rxd5 Nxe2+ 17. Kh1 Qxd5 18. Nd4 Qxg2+ 19. Kxg2 Nxd4 20. Bxd4 exd4 21. Qb4 Rab8 22. Re1) 11. Re1 (11. Ne4 f6 12. Nc5 Bxc5 13. Bxc5 Rfd8 14. Qc2 Qf7 $5 15. Nd2 Nd5 {Kashlinskaya,A (2201)-Bukavshin,I (2350) Pardubice 2008} 16. a3 $11) (11. a3 Bh3 12. b4 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Qe6 14. Ne4 Nd5 15. Bc5 b6 16. Bxe7 Ncxe7 17. Neg5 Qd6 18. Ne4 Qe6 $11 {Carlstedt,J (2432)-Volokitin,A (2632) Berlin blitz 2018}) 11... f6 12. a3 Rfd8 (12... Rad8 13. Na4 Rfe8 14. Nc5 Bxc5 15. Rxc5 Nd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. Qc2 c6 18. b4 {Martinez,R (2422)-Sanchez,J (2529) Civitanova Marche 2012} a6 $11) 13. b4 Nd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. Bc5 b6 ({Possible improvements are} 15... Bxc5 16. Rxc5 Ne7 17. e4 Bf7 18. d4 Nc6 $5 $13 {or the simpler}) (15... a6 $5 $11) 16. e4 $1 Bf7 17. Bxe7 Nxe7 18. d4 exd4 19. e5 d3 20. exf6 gxf6 21. Nd2 $44 {Lagarde,M (2594)-Fressinet,L (2660) Caleta 2017} (21. Re4 $5)) ({RR} 8. d3 O-O 9. Be3 Be6 10. Rc1 f5 11. b4 a6 ({RR} 11... Nxb4 12. Nxe5 c6 13. Qd2) ({RR} 11... Bxb4 12. Ng5 Bf7 13. Nxf7 Rxf7 14. Qb3 Bxc3 15. Rxc3 Nd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. Rc5 c6 18. Rxf5 Qe7 ({RR} 18... Qd7 19. Bh3 Nd5 20. Rf4) 19. Rf4 Rd8 20. Bh3 Kf8 21. Rxf7+ Qxf7 22. Qa3+) 12. a3 Kh8 ({RR} 12... Bf6 13. Nd2) 13. Bc5 ({RR} 13. Na4 Nxa4 14. Qxa4 Bd5 15. Bc5 Bd6 16. Qc2) ({RR} 13. Re1 Qe8 14. Qd2 Bd6 15. Bxb6 cxb6 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4) 13... Bg8 14. e3 Bxc5 15. bxc5 Nd5 16. Qd2 Qe7) 8... a5 $5 {This prophylactic move was considered weakening and long had a dubious reputation. However, there might be more to it than meets the eye...} ({Far more usual is} 8... O-O 9. b4 Be6 {After} 10. Rb1 ({RR} 10. Rb1 f6 ({RR} 10... a6 11. d3 f6 12. Ne4 Ba2 13. Rb2 Bd5 14. Nc5) 11. d3 a5 12. b5 Nd4 13. Nd2 Qc8 14. e3 Nf5 15. Qc2 a4) ({RR} 10. b5 Nd4 11. Rb1 Nxf3+ ({RR} 11... f6) 12. Bxf3 Qc8 13. d3 a5 14. a4 Rd8 15. Qc2) 10... f6 {White has lately tested} 11. b5 (11. d3 {has long been the main move and I mentioned} a5 {as Black's main reaction in the notes to So-Navara, Prague 2015 in CBM 167.}) 11... Nd4 12. e3 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 {and now: And finally there is} Qc8 $5 (13... Rb8 14. d4 exd4 15. exd4 Re8 (15... Qd7 $6 16. Re1 Rfe8 17. a4 Bf7 18. a5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bf4 Rbc8 21. Bg4 $1 f5 22. Bf3 Bf6 23. Be5 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Rcd8 25. Bxd5+ Qxd5 26. Qc2 Qf7 27. a6 $16 {Gelfand,B (2737)-Edouard,R (2607) Heraklio 2017}) 16. Re1 Bf7 17. a4 Bf8 18. Rxe8 Qxe8 19. Bf4 Qd7 20. a5 Nc4 21. b6 axb6 22. axb6 Bd6 {and White found nothing better than liquidating with} 23. bxc7 Bxc7 24. Bxc7 Qxc7 25. Nd5 Qd7 26. Nb6 Nxb6 27. Rxb6 Bd5 {½, Nepomniachtchi,I (2751)-Karjakin,S (2783) chess.com blitz INT 2017}) ({Black can also hold the balance with} 13... Nd5 14. Ne2 (14. Bb2 a6 $1 15. a4 axb5 16. axb5 Nxc3 17. Bxc3 Bd5 18. Bxd5+ Qxd5 19. Qb3 Rfd8 20. d4 Qxb3 21. Rxb3 exd4 22. Bxd4 Rd5 23. Kg2 Ra5 $11 {Gordon,S (2528)-Alsina Leal,D (2507) England 2017}) 14... Qd7 15. d4 Rad8 16. Qc2 Kh8 17. Bg2 Bh3 18. Bxh3 Qxh3 19. e4 Nb6 20. Be3 (20. Qxc7 Rd7 21. Qc2 Qh5 $1 $44) 20... Qe6 $5 21. d5 Qd7 22. a4 f5 23. f3 fxe4 24. fxe4 Qg4 25. Kg2 Qg6 $132 {Edouard,R (2612)-Xiong,J (2640) Saint Louis 2018}) 14. Qc2 Rd8 (14... Bf5 15. d3 Rd8 16. e4 Be6 17. a4 Qd7 18. Rd1 a5 19. bxa6 Rxa6 20. Be3 Qc6 21. Qb2 Nxa4 22. Nxa4 Qxa4 23. Qxb7 Qc6 $11 {Polatel,A (2243)-Guaimare,C (2113) email 2017}) 15. d4 (15. Rd1 Bf5 16. d3 Kh8 17. e4 Bd7 18. a4 c6 19. Be3 cxb5 20. axb5 Be6 21. Qb2 Bc5 22. Bxc5 Qxc5 $11 {Svoboda,F (2406)-Betker,J (2451) email 2015}) 15... Bf5 16. Qb3+ (16. Be4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 f5 $1 18. Qxe5 Bd6 19. Nd5 Kh8 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Qd5 Bxg3 $15 {[%csl Rg1]}) (16. e4 Bh3 17. Rd1 Rxd4 18. Rxd4 exd4 19. Ne2 Qd7 $13) 16... Be6 (16... Kh8 $5) 17. Qc2 Bf5 18. Qb3+ Be6 19. Qc2 Bf5 {½-½ (19) Nihal,S (2534)-Vaibhav,S (2544) Reykjavik 2018}) ({RR} 8... O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. d3 a5 11. b5 Nd4 12. Nd2 c6 13. bxc6 Nxc6 14. Rb1 a4) 9. d3 O-O 10. Be3 Be6 11. Rc1 {Natural, but we'll check also the alternatives:} ({Considering Black's following move,} 11. Na4 {certainly deserves attention: Later Black's efforts concentrated on} Nd5 (11... e4 12. Ne1 exd3 13. Nxd3 Nd5 14. Bc5 b6 15. Bxe7 Ndxe7 16. Rc1 (16. Nc3 $142 $5 $14) 16... Bd5 17. Bxd5 Qxd5 18. Nc3 Qc4 19. b3 Qg4 ({An enterprising idea is} 19... Qe6 $5 20. Nb5 Rad8 21. Nxc7 Qf5 $44) 20. e3 Qd7 $6 (20... Qf5 $142 $5) 21. Nf4 $1 Rad8 22. Qh5 Ng6 23. Nfd5 Nce7 24. Rfd1 Nxd5 25. Nxd5 $36 {Vidit,S (2723)-Petrosyan,M (2569) Moscow 2018}) (11... Nxa4 12. Qxa4 Bd5 13. Rfc1 Re8 14. Rc2 Bf6 $5 (14... Bf8 $2 15. Rac1 Nb8 16. Rxc7 Bc6 17. R1xc6 bxc6 18. Rxf7 $1 h6 19. Rb7 Qc8 20. Qc4+ Kh8 21. Nh4 $1 Qxb7 22. Ng6+ Kh7 23. Be4 Bd6 24. Nxe5+ g6 25. Bxg6+ Kg7 26. Bxh6+ {1-0, Botvinnik,M-Portisch,L Monte Carlo 1968 This beautiful and famous game discouraged people from playing 8...a5 for quite a while.}) 15. Rac1 (15. Rc5 $5 $14) 15... Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxg2 17. Nb5 Bc6 18. Rxc6 $5 bxc6 19. Rxc6 $44 {/?}) 12. Bc5 {and now: In mail practice Black has been holding his own with} b6 $5 (12... Bd6 13. Rc1 h6 14. d4 $5 (14. Nd2 Rc8 (14... Rb8 15. Ne4 f5 $132) 15. Ne4 b6 $6 16. Nxd6 cxd6 17. Bxb6 Nxb6 18. Rxc6 (18. Bxc6 $142 $1 $14) 18... Rb8 19. Nxb6 Rxb6 20. Qc2 Qb8 21. Rxb6 Qxb6 22. Rb1 Bb3 23. Qd2 Rb8 24. Rc1 Be6 25. Rc2 d5 $44 {Kasparov,G (2750)-Georgiev,K (2595) Saint John blitz 1988}) 14... e4 $142 $5 (14... exd4 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 b6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. e4 Ne7 20. Qxd6 Rxd6 21. Rxd6 cxd6 22. f4 (22. Nc3 $5 $36) 22... b5 23. Nc3 b4 24. Nb5 bxa3 25. bxa3 $14 {Kasparov,G (2750)-Georgiev,K (2595) Saint John blitz 1988}) 15. Ne5 f5 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Bxd6 cxd6 $5 18. Rxc6 Qb8 $44 (18... Qd7 $5)) 13. Bxe7 Ndxe7 14. Nc3 (14. Rc1 Qd7 15. Nc3 f6 16. Qa4 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. e3 Qe8 19. d4 exd4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. Qxe8+ Rxe8 22. exd4 c6 23. b4 axb4 24. axb4 Kf7 25. b5 $11 {½, Vidit,S (2723)-Melkumyan,H (2664) chess.com rpd INT 2018}) 14... Qd7 15. Qa4 Rab8 16. Qb5 (16. Rfc1 f6 17. b4 Rfd8 18. b5 Na7 19. Rab1 Kh8 20. Qc2 Nf5 21. Qd2 Nc8 22. Rd1 Nce7 23. Qb2 Nd6 24. a4 Bg8 25. Nd2 Qe8 $11 {Degerhammar,R (2475)-Rogos,J (2518) email 2014}) 16... f6 17. e3 Rbd8 18. Rfd1 Nd5 19. Rac1 Nxc3 20. bxc3 Na7 21. Qxd7 Bxd7 22. d4 Nc6 23. dxe5 fxe5 24. Ng5 Ne7 25. Bf1 g6 26. Be2 h6 27. Nf3 Ba4 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Nxe5 Rd2 $44 {Kazantsev,R (2376)-Brugger,A (2528) email 2015}) ({Nor can one ignore} 11. Bxb6 cxb6 12. Nd2 f5 (12... Rc8 13. Nc4 f6 14. e3 Na7 15. Bxb7 Rc7 16. Bg2 Rd7 17. Qa4 Rxd3 18. Rfd1 Bc5 19. Be4 Rd7 20. b4 $16 {Van Wely,L (2675)-Mosadeghpour,M (2469) Bandar e Anzali 2017}) 13. Nc4 e4 (13... Bxc4 $5 14. dxc4 e4 {is more solid, Black is close to full equality.}) 14. Ne3 exd3 15. Ned5 $1 dxe2 16. Qxe2 Bxd5 17. Nxd5 Bf6 {½, Opocensky,K-Flohr,S Podebrady 1936 Despite the quick draw in this historic game White has obvious compensation and pressure here.} 18. Rad1 Kh8 19. Rfe1 (19. Rd2 $5) (19. Qb5 $5) 19... Re8 20. Qxe8+ Qxe8 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Nxf6 gxf6 23. Kf1 Re5 24. Bd5 f4 $1 25. gxf4 Rf5 $132 {Mueller,H (1764)-Mair,E (1643) email 2013}) 11... a4 $5 {[%mdl 512] A positional sacrifice, to take this pawn White will have to give up his important dark-squared ?.} ({Otherwise White occupies the a4-square himself, a model example is} 11... Re8 12. Na4 Nxa4 13. Qxa4 f6 $6 ({We had} 13... Bd5 $142 $5 {above, only the other rook was on c1.}) 14. Nd2 Bd5 15. Qb5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qc8 17. Rc4 Bf8 18. Rfc1 Ra6 19. R1c2 Kh8 20. Nf3 Qa8 21. Ra4 Na7 22. Qb3 b5 23. Rh4 a4 24. Qf7 Re7 25. Qg6 h6 26. Bc5 Rd7 27. Bxf8 Qxf8 28. Nxe5 $1 $18 {Hracek,Z (2625)-Simacek,P (2508) Czechia 2010}) ({In practice Black also had to fight for equality after} 11... Nd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. Qa4 $14 {, or}) (11... f5 12. Na4 $14) ({RR} 11... f5 12. Na4 Nxa4 13. Qxa4) 12. Nd2 ({The immediate} 12. Bxb6 cxb6 13. Nxa4 e4 14. Ne1 (14. Nd2 {is also met by} Bg5 $1 $44 {, when} 15. Rxc6 bxc6 16. Nxe4 Be7 $13 {is at best unclear.}) 14... Bg5 $142 $1 (14... Nd4 $2 15. Nc3 Bg5 16. e3 Nb3 17. Bxe4 (17. Rc2 $5 $16) 17... Nxc1 18. Qxc1 Qd7 19. d4 $40 Qxd4 $2 20. f4 $18 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2730)-Bocharov,D (2609) Apatity rpd 2011}) (14... e3 15. fxe3 $5 Bg5 {again allows an exchange sacrifice} 16. Rf4 $14) 15. Rc3 (15. e3 $6 exd3 16. Nxd3 Rxa4 17. Qxa4 Qxd3 18. Be4 b5 19. Qc2 Qxc2 20. Rxc2 Bf6 $15 {Deneuville,C (2206)-Weber,K (2313) email 2014}) (15. Rxc6 bxc6 16. Bxe4 f5 $1 17. Bg2 (17. Bxc6 $6 Rc8 18. f4 Bf6 $17) 17... Ra7 $15) ({RR} 15. Ra1 exd3 16. Nxd3 Nd4 17. Nc3 Nb3) ({RR} 15. e3 exd3) 15... e3 ({Apart from} 15... Bf6 16. Rc1 Bg5 $11 {Black has other interesting options, namely}) (15... f5 {and}) (15... Qd4 $5 $44) 16. f4 Bf6 17. f5 Bd7 18. Rc1 Nd4 19. Nc3 Ra5 20. Bxb7 Bxf5 $44 {Zielinski,S (2159)-Kuzmin,K (2167) LSS email 2014}) ({RR} 12. Bxb6 cxb6 13. Nxa4 e4 14. Ne1 Bg5 15. Rc3) 12... f5 ({Ambitious, but Black can change his mind about the sacrifice. Roughly equal is} 12... Nd5 $5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Qc2 f5 15. Bxd5+ Qxd5 16. Qc4 Ra5 17. Nb1 Qxc4 18. Rxc4 Bd6 19. Rfc1 Rfa8 20. h3 Nd8 21. g4 f4 22. Bd2 Rb5 23. Bb4 Bxb4 24. axb4 Nc6 25. Kg2 Rf8 $11 {Leal,P (2343)-Genga,S (2400) email 2013}) ({RR} 12... Nd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Bf3 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 Qd5) 13. Bxb6 cxb6 14. Nxa4 (14. Re1 Bg5 15. e3 Qxd3 16. Bf1 Qd7 17. Nc4 Qf7 18. Nxb6 Rad8 19. Qe2 f4 20. Nbxa4 Bf5 21. Nc5 fxe3 22. fxe3 b6 23. N5e4 Nd4 $1 24. exd4 Bxc1 25. Rxc1 exd4 26. Ng5 Qg6 27. Qe7 b5 $1 28. Bxb5 {½, Recasens Sanchez,J (2048)-Gudkov,A email 2012} dxc3 29. Bc4+ Kh8 30. Nf7+ Qxf7 31. Bxf7 cxb2 32. Re1 b1=Q 33. Rxb1 Bxb1 $11) 14... Bg5 15. Nc3 e4 16. Kh1 $146 {[%mdl 8] A novelty, but not necesarily an improvement.} ({This position is not new at the highest level, last year featured a game with} 16. Rb1 Rf7 $5 (16... Ne5 17. Nb3 Ng4 18. Qc2 (18. h3 $142 $1) 18... Be3 19. dxe4 $2 (19. Bh3 $1 {was already necessary, although} Nxf2 20. Rxf2 Qd7 21. Rbf1 f4 $1 22. Bxe6+ Qxe6 $44 {gives Black enough play.}) 19... Qg5 $2 (19... Nxf2 $1 20. Rxf2 fxe4 21. Rbf1 Qc7 22. Bxe4 Rxf2 23. Rxf2 Qf7 24. Bf3 Bxb3 $15) 20. fxe3 Qxe3+ 21. Kh1 Qh6 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2742)-Aronian,L (2809) Geneva 2017} 22. h4 $1 Ne3 23. Qc1 f4 24. Rf3 Bxb3 25. gxf4 Nxg2 26. Kxg2 Qxh4 27. f5 $16 {For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 180 by Yuffa.}) ({RR} 16... Rf7 17. Nc4 Rd7 18. b3 Bf6 19. Nb5 exd3 20. exd3 Nd4) 17. Nc4 $5 (17. Nb3 Rd7 $36) 17... Rd7 18. b3 {[%CAl Yc3b5]} Bf6 (18... exd3 19. exd3 Rxd3 20. Qc2 $14) 19. Nb5 Nd4 20. Nxd4 Bxd4 $44) ({RR} 16. Rb1 Ne5 17. Nb3 Ng4 18. Qc2 ({RR} 18. h3 Nxf2 19. Kxf2 ({RR} 19. Rxf2 Be3) 19... Qd6 20. h4) 18... Be3 19. dxe4 ({RR} 19. Bh3 Nxf2 20. Rxf2 Qd7 21. Rbf1 f4 22. Bxe6+ Qxe6 23. g4 f3 24. exf3 Rxf3 25. Nxe4 Qxg4+ 26. Kh1 Rxf2 27. Rxf2 Bxf2 28. Nxf2 Qf3+ 29. Kg1 Rf8) 19... Qg5 ({RR} 19... Nxf2 20. Rxf2 fxe4 21. Rbf1 ({RR} 21. Nxe4 Rc8) 21... Qc7 22. Bxe4 ({RR} 22. Nc1 Bxf2+ 23. Rxf2 Rxf2 24. Kxf2 Qc5+) 22... Rxf2 23. Rxf2 Qf7 24. Bf3 Bxb3) 20. fxe3 Qxe3+ 21. Kh1 Qh6 22. h3 ({RR} 22. h4 f4 23. Qc1 Ne3 24. Rf3 Bxb3 25. gxf4 Nxg2 26. Kxg2 Qxh4 27. f5) 22... Ne3 23. Qd2 f4 24. gxf4 Nxf1 ({RR} 24... Nxg2 25. Kxg2 Qxh3+ 26. Kf2 Qh4+ 27. Ke3 Bxb3 28. Qd4 Rad8 29. Qe5) ({RR} 24... Rxf4 25. Rxf4 Qxf4 26. Rg1 Bxb3 27. Nd5 Bxd5 28. exd5 Nxg2 29. Qc3 g6 30. Rxg2 Rd8 31. Qd3 Re8 32. Qf3 Qc1+ 33. Kh2 Qc7+ 34. Qg3 Qc4) 25. Rxf1 Bxb3 26. e5 Rae8 ({RR} 26... Rad8 27. Qe3 Rd7 28. Ne4 Bd5 29. Nd6) 27. Ne4 Kh8 28. Kh2 Bg8 29. e3 Re6 30. Nd6 Qh4 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2742)-Aronian,L (2809) Geneva 2017 CBM 180 [Yuffa,Daniil] 1-0 (36)}) ({RR} 16. f4 exf3 17. Nxf3 Bxc1 18. Qxc1 h6 19. Qe3 Re8 20. Qf2 Ra5 21. d4 Qf6 22. d5 Bxd5 23. Qxb6 Bxf3 24. Bxf3 Qd4+ 25. Qxd4 Nxd4 26. Bd5+ Kh7 27. e4 g6 28. Rd1 Nb5 29. exf5 gxf5 30. Bxb7 Nxc3 {Gheng,J (2233)-Sonis,F (2467) Karlsruhe 2019 0-1 (45)}) 16... Qd7 {Natural, Carlsen connects his rooks asap.} ({However, considering the following note, the prophylactic} 16... g6 $13 {or}) (16... Rf7 $13 {also deserved consideration ?} 17. g4 g6 18. gxf5 gxf5 19. Rg1 Rg7) 17. Rb1 {Unpins the ?c1 after all.} ({However, the active} 17. g4 $142 $1 {would better profit from the previous move:} Bxd2 (17... g6 18. gxf5 gxf5 19. e3 $1 Qxd3 20. Rg1 $36) (17... exd3 18. f4 dxe2 19. Qxe2 Bf6 20. g5 $11) 18. Qxd2 exd3 19. gxf5 dxe2 20. Qxe2 Rxf5 21. f4 $5 $13 {All White's pieces are active and the position is roughly equal.}) 17... Rad8 18. Nc4 $6 {Black will easily parry the threat against ?b6.} ({It was stronger to win back some space with} 18. f4 $1 {, although Black has indisputable compensation after} Bf6 $44) 18... Qf7 $1 19. b3 (19. Nxb6 $2 Bb3 20. Qe1 exd3 {[%csl Gd3] and the ?d3 is taboo:} 21. exd3 Rfe8 22. Ne2 Rxd3 $19) 19... exd3 20. exd3 f4 21. Ne4 ({The engine briefly prefers} 21. Re1 f3 22. Bf1 {, but still doesn't relish White's position after} Nd4 $36) 21... Be7 22. gxf4 Qxf4 {[%csl Rd3,Ge6,Ge7,Rf2,Rh2][%mdl 2048] Giri has managed to prevent the f3 advance, but defending the numerous white weaknesses against Black's active pieces is very difficult. Carlsen has strong long-term pressure.} 23. a4 {Prevents b5, but allows Black to activate his knight.} Nb4 24. Qe2 Qh6 $1 {A strong manoeuvre, freeing f4 for other pieces.} 25. Rbd1 (25. d4 $5 $15 {was probably more resilient}) 25... Nd5 26. Rg1 Kh8 (26... Nf4 27. Qe3 {helps the defence, but a more energetic try was the immediate}) (26... Rf4 $1 $36) 27. Bf1 ({White could have begun with} 27. d4 Rf4 28. f3 Rh4 29. Bf1 $15 {The position is unpleasant, but there is no direct tactical refutation.}) 27... Rf4 28. Ne5 $6 (28. f3 $142 Rh4 29. d4 {transposes to the previous note.}) 28... Rdf8 $2 ({Carlsen hesitates, after the stronger} 28... Rh4 $1 29. f3 Ne3 30. Rd2 Nf5 $17 {the knight aims for d4 and the defence is under great strain.}) 29. f3 Rh4 30. d4 Nf4 (30... Ne3 {is unconvincing:} 31. Rd3 $15) ({as is} 30... Bf5 31. Ng5 $1 {?} Bxg5 $4 32. Nf7+ $18) 31. Qd2 Bxb3 {Although White couldn't hang on to his extra pawn, he has activated his forces and clawed his way back into the game. In the final phase probably time trouble played an important role.} 32. Rb1 $2 {Why give up a pawn?} ({After} 32. Rc1 {the outcome of the game remains open; the greedy} Bxa4 $2 {runs into} 33. Rc7) 32... Bxa4 33. Bb5 (33. Bc4 Be8 $15) 33... Bxb5 34. Rxb5 Qe6 35. Qb2 ({Engines also mention the passive, but more solid} 35. Rb2 $15) 35... Bd8 36. Ng5 ({Here} 36. d5 $5 {deserves attention, after} Nxd5 37. Ng5 Bxg5 38. Rxg5 {Black faces serious technical problems.}) 36... Qe8 37. Rb3 Bxg5 $6 ({A cleaner solution is the tactical} 37... Rf5 $1 38. Ne4 Rxh2+ $1 39. Qxh2 Rh5 {and Black should gradually win.}) 38. Rxg5 Ne6 39. Rg4 $6 ({White should have avoided the ? swap, after} 39. Rg1 $1 Nxd4 40. Re3 $15 {Black must still work hard for the full point.}) 39... Rxg4 40. fxg4 (40. Nxg4 Qa4 $17 {doesn't help much.}) 40... Qd8 41. Rh3 $6 ({Hastens the end, but even after the better} 41. Rf3 Rxf3 42. Nxf3 Qd5 $17 {Black should prevail in the long run.}) 41... Qd5+ 42. Kg1 Qe4 43. Qb4 Rf6 {The ?f8 has left its vulnerable square and the ? is ready to pounce either on d4, or f4. Further resistance is futile.} 0-1 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Caruana"] [Site "London"] [Date "2018.11.21"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2832"] [Annotator "Navara,David"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2018.11.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "GBR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 187"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] {While the Women’s World Championship Cycle is going to imitate the overall World Championship, it might also hold the other way around. After eight rounds, there remained four games and an eventual tie-break to be played to determine the winner. The finale of the Women’s World Championship looks quite similar in this respect, doesn’t it? The match has been quite tense, both players have been fighting hard and it is therefore surprising that all the games finished in draws. This shows high class of both players as well as their superb defensive abilities. Moreover, the permanent progress of the opening theory makes it increasingly difficult to achieve an advantage with White against a well-prepared opponent. We all have probably hoped to see more decisive games, but it is really very hard to beat a 2800-rated player.} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Bc5 {This is currently the most fashionable continuation. It had been played by club players many times before GM Grischuk introduced it to a top level.} 7. O-O ({White could win a pawn by means of} 7. Nxe5 Nxc3 8. Bxc6+ (8. bxc3 Nxe5 9. d4 Bd6 $11) 8... bxc6 9. bxc3 {, but Black would get an ample compensation after} (9. dxc3 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Bxf2 11. Rf1 Bc5 12. Rxf7 Bd6 13. Rf3 Bxe5 14. Re3 O-O $1 15. Rxe5 Rf1+ {should be fine for Black as well according to GM Marin and IM Stoica (NIC Yearbook 125).}) 9... Qd5 10. Nf3 Bh3 {owing to his better development.}) 7... O-O 8. d3 ({A funny-looking continuation} 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Ng5 Qd8 10. Nxh7 Re8 11. Ng5 Qxg5 12. d4 Qh5 13. dxc5 Rd8 14. Bd2 Nd4 {gives Black a decent counterplay according to GM Marin and IM Stoica.}) (8. Nxe5 Nxc3 9. Nxc6 $2 {is not to be recommended in view of} Nxd1 10. Nxd8 Bxf2+ $1 11. Kh1 Bg4 $1 {.}) 8... Re8 {This variation has already been played in the 4th round.} ({A bishop retreat} 8... Bb6 {is equally playable, but it enables White to play b2-b4 in certain lines.}) 9. Bg5 $5 {This motif has been known from the Sicilian Dragon (with reversed colours).} Nxc3 ({It it also possible to play} 9... Nde7 {, but retreating the centralized knight contradicts the spirit of this variation (if there is any).}) ({Black would like to play} 9... f6 $6 {, but it allows} 10. Qb3 Be6 11. Qxb7 {, when White seems to be better, e.g.} Ndb4 $6 12. Qb5 $1 {and the queen escapes.}) 10. bxc3 f6 11. Bc1 {If any piece belongs to d2, it is the knight. Black players have been doing very well in this match. Magnus therefore sort of "switched colours" by losing time with his bishop. Well, he has slightly improved his pawn structure in return. Black can no longer claim the d4-square.} Be6 {Pushing e5-e4 with an undeveloped queenside would be clearly inferior to this healthy developing move.} 12. Bb2 ({RR} 12. Nd2 Qd7 13. a4 Rad8 14. Nb3 Bf8 15. Be3 b6 16. Re1 a5 17. Qc2 h5 18. Nd2 Ne7 19. Nf3 Nf5 20. Bc1 Bc5 21. Bb2 Qf7 22. e4 Bb3 23. Qc1 Ne7 24. d4 exd4 25. cxd4 Bb4 26. Re3 Qc4 {Vakhidov,J (2571)-Paravyan,D (2608) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (58)}) 12... Bb6 ({Here my computer likes} 12... e4 $5 {for some reason.} 13. Nd4 (13. dxe4 Qxd1 14. Rfxd1 Bc4 15. e3 Rad8 {gives Black a good compensation owing to White's queenside weaknesses.}) 13... Nxd4 14. cxd4 Bxd4 15. Bxd4 Qxd4 16. Bxe4 c6 ({or even} 16... Bd5 17. e3 Qe5 {should not be too dangerous for Black.})) ({I expected} 12... Qe7 {, when} 13. d4 {allows Black to play} Rad8 {.}) 13. d4 Bd5 {Black neutralizes White's kingside bishop.} 14. Qc2 $146 ({RR} 14. e3 Na5 15. Qc2 Nc4 16. Rfd1 e4 17. Nd2 Qe7 18. Bf1 Qf7 19. Nxc4 Bxc4 20. Bxc4 Qxc4 21. Qb3 Qxb3 22. axb3 c5 23. d5 Kf7 24. c4 Bc7 25. d6 Bb6 26. Rd5 Re6 27. Ba3 Ke8 28. d7+ Kd8 {Ding,L (2805)-So,W (2770) Chess.com INT 2020 ½-½}) ({RR} 14. e3 Na5 15. Qc2 Nc4 16. Rfd1 e4 17. Nd2 Qe7 18. Bf1 Qf7 19. Nxc4 Bxc4 20. Bxc4 Qxc4 21. Qb3 Qxb3 22. axb3 c5 23. d5 Kf7 24. c4 Bc7 25. d6 Bb6 26. Rd5 Re6 27. Ba3 Ke8 28. d7+ Kd8 {Ding,L (2805)-So,W (2770) Chess.com INT 2020 ½-½}) 14... exd4 15. cxd4 Be4 16. Qb3+ Bd5 ({The endgame arising after} 16... Qd5 17. Qxd5+ Bxd5 18. e3 {is somewhat more pleasant for White. Not much, but it is hard to achieve more, nowadays.}) 17. Qd1 {Magnus played quickly up to this moment. I like his opening choice. This seemingly unambitious variation with few long forced lines gives him decent chances to outplay his opponent in the subsequent course of the game. The b6-bishop might remain out of play after e2-e3, Nf3-d2. True, Fabiano Caruana is quite hard to be outplayed.} (17. Qc2 Be4 {would not be very inspiring.}) 17... Bxf3 $6 {Watching the game, I also considered this move. It is a logical and straightforward one. While it is certainly not bad, it leads to a position where White can play for the win without any risk.} ({I like} 17... Qd7 {. Black can complete his development and play Na5, c5 later on.}) (17... Na5 $5 {was another option.}) 18. Qb3+ {This limits Black's options.} (18. Bxf3 Nxd4 19. Bxd4 Qxd4 20. Qb3+ Kh8 {is a mere transposition} ({, while} 20... Kf8 $5 {was not possible in the game.})) 18... Kh8 19. Bxf3 Nxd4 20. Bxd4 Qxd4 21. e3 $1 Qe5 {Black would like to exchange the queens, but it is not that simple.} (21... Qd6 22. Bxb7 Rab8 {is also slightly better for White after} 23. Rad1 Qf8 24. Bc6 {, as} Bxe3 $2 {loses an exchange after almost any queen retreat.}) 22. Bxb7 Rad8 23. Rad1 $14 {White has achieved a small but stable advantage. His king is safer and his bishop is more active than its counterpart. He should keep the queens on the board to maintain attacking chances. Magnus Carlsen has already won many equal-looking positions with rooks and opposite-coloured bishops on the board. On the other hand, Black's position is quite solid and the drawing margin is quite broad unless White launches a mating attack. Black can sometimes sacrifice a pawn to exchange the major pieces and achieve a drawish bishop endgame.} Qe7 24. h4 $1 {White needs to weaken his opponent's king.} g6 25. h5 $6 (25. Bc6 {looks better in hindsight, but Black's defensive resources should be sufficient anyway. Still, some accuracy is needed, as} Rxd1 $6 26. Rxd1 Rd8 27. Rxd8+ Qxd8 28. Qf7 {would be fairly unpleasant for Black.}) 25... gxh5 $1 {A brave decision. Instead of defending an inferior position after 25...Kg7, Black launches counterplay. GM Mihail Marin has recently written an article on such an unexpected recapture for a German magazine "Schach".} ({White would keep his trumps after} 25... Kg7 26. Bf3 $14 {.}) 26. Qc4 f5 $1 {Another good move. Black prepares h5-h4, after which both kings would be equally weak. Black has equalized, but the fight continues.} 27. Bf3 h4 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. gxh4 Rg8+ 30. Kh1 Qf6 31. Qf4 Bc5 $1 {The bishop joins the play.} 32. Rg1 Rxg1+ ({It was safer to play} 32... Bd6 33. Rxg8+ Kxg8 {, as the h4-pawn would then be hanging with check in many lines. Still, Black's continuation does not spoil anything.}) 33. Kxg1 Bd6 34. Qa4 {Fabiano Caruana was a bit short of time, but he kept everything under control.} f4 $1 35. Qxa7 fxe3 36. Qxe3 Qxh4 {All Black needs to do is to exchange the queens without losing the pawns.} 37. a4 Qf6 38. Bd1 Qe5 {The bishop endgame is drawn.} 39. Qxe5+ Bxe5 40. a5 Kg7 41. a6 Bd4 42. Kg2 Kf6 43. f4 Bb6 44. Kf3 h6 {Black does not advance his pawns to far to be able to protect them. Watching this endgame, I recalled an important game Aronian - Bacrot from the World Cup 2005 semifinal, where Black gave up in a similar position without his c-pawn and with White's bishop on h3 and pawn on f5. It looks like a dream scenario for White, but the final position of that game was still drawn! Needless to say, White cannot achieve it now.} 45. Ke4 Ba7 46. Bg4 {From here White's bishop blocks the h-pawn and protects the f4-pawn. White can win a bishop for the a-pawn, but then Black's c-pawn could run forward to save a draw (at least).} Bg1 47. Kd5 Bb6 48. Kc6 Be3 {The c7-pawn can also be protected indirectly. There is nothing to be done.} 49. Kb7 Bb6 50. Bh3 Be3 51. Kc6 Bb6 52. Kd5 Ba7 53. Ke4 Bb6 54. Bf1 Ke6 55. Bc4+ Kf6 56. Bd3 Ke6 1/2-1/2 [Event "London Classic 2nd"] [Site "London"] [Date "2010.12.09"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2723"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2010.12.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 140"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Ftacnik,Lubomir} Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 a6 {In this line, Black usually plays ...h6 in the move range from 7 to 9. In doing so, he aims to prevent both ?g5 and ?g5, which can be annoying under certain circumstances. It is worth mentioning that in his days of glory, Karpov himself used to play ...h6 at an early stage when employing this system of development.} 8. a3 {For the time being, it is best to keep developing, keepning both aforementioned threats in reserve.} (8. Bg5 {does not lead anywhere after} h6 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Ne4 Qe7 11. Nxc5 dxc5 {Gulko,B (2620)-Waitzkin,J (2440)/Modesto 1995/CBM 051/[Ribli] (1/2, 34)}) ({RR} 8. Bg5) 8... Ba7 ({RR} 8... Nd4 9. Nd2 c6 10. b4 Ba7 11. Bb2 Bf5 12. e3 Ne6 ({RR} 12... Bxd3 13. exd4 Bxf1 14. Qxf1 Bxd4 15. Rd1) 13. Nf3 h6 ({RR} 13... Qd7 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. dxe4 Bxe4 16. Nxe5) 14. Qb3 Qd7 ({RR} 14... Bxd3 15. Rfd1 Bh7 ({RR} 15... e4 16. Ne1 Qe7 17. Nxd3 exd3 18. Rxd3) 16. c5 d5 17. Nxe5) 15. Rad1 Bg4 16. Rd2 Rad8 17. Rc1 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 d5 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Na4 ({RR} 20. Ne2 Ng5 21. Bg2 Qf5) 20... d4 ({RR} 20... Ng5 21. Bg2 Qf5 22. Nc5) 21. Nc5 ({RR} 21. e4 Rc8) 21... Qe7 ({RR} 21... Nxc5 22. bxc5 dxe3 23. fxe3 Qe7 ({RR} 23... e4 24. Bxf6) 24. d4 e4 25. Bg2) 22. Rdc2 ({RR} 22. exd4 Nxd4 23. Bxd4 Rxd4 24. Nxb7 e4) 22... dxe3 23. fxe3 {Gelfand,B (2700)-Karpov,A (2765) Sanghi Nagar 1995 CBM 045 [Ftacnik,Lubomir] 0-1 (36)}) ({RR} 8... h6 9. b4 ({RR} 9. e3 Ba7 10. b4 Be6 11. Qc2 Qd7 12. Rd1 Rab8 13. Bb2 b5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. Rac1 Ne7 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Bc4 18. Nce2 d5 19. Nf3 Qf5 20. Qxf5 Nxf5 21. Ned4 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Bxd4) 9... Ba7 10. Bb2 Bg4 ({RR} 10... Be6 11. Nd2 d5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Rc1 Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Bd5 15. Bxd5 Qxd5 16. Qb3 Rad8 17. a4 Rfe8 18. b5 axb5 19. axb5 Ne7 20. Ba5 Qxb3 21. Nxb3 Rd5 22. Bxc7 Rxb5 23. Nd2 Rb2 24. Ba5) 11. h3 Be6 12. Kh2 Rb8 13. Nd2 Qd7 14. Nd5 Ne8 15. Qa4 Nd4 16. Qxd7 Bxd7 17. e3 Ne6 18. Ne7+ Kh7 19. c5 dxc5 20. Nc4 Ba4 21. Be4+ Kh8 22. Bxe5 Nf6 23. Bf5) 9. b4 Be6 {Black keeps refraining from ...h6.} ({White's play in the following game, which I had extensively annotated for my English Opening CD published by ChessBase, bears some similarity with Carlsen's later play:} 9... h6 10. e3 Be6 11. Re1 Qd7 12. Rb1 Rad8 (12... e4 13. dxe4 Bxc4 14. Nd2 Bd3 15. Rb3 {??d5}) 13. Qc2 Ne7 {'This is a standard maneovre: the knight is going to g6, like in a Ruy Lopez (with reversed colours, of course) creating threats on the kingside and making play in the centre possible with c6, d5. There is a future hope for ?a7 too: the diagonal b8-h2 might become available. '} (13... e4 $2 14. Nxe4 $16) 14. a4 Bh3 15. Bh1 Ng4 16. a5 f5 $6 {'Black is impatient to launch an attack against the white king, but neglects the defence on the other wing.'} ({After} 16... c6 $142 {it would have been more difficult for White to make progress. For instance, after} 17. b5 axb5 18. cxb5 f5 19. a6 bxa6 20. bxa6 {the far advanced pawn is fully compensated for by Black's domination in the centre.}) 17. b5 $36 {Portisch,L (2595)-Garcia Palermo,C (2440)/Reggio Emilia 1992/EXT 2000 (1-0, 60)}) ({RR} 9... Nd4 10. Nd2 Rb8 11. e3 Nc6 12. Bb2 Bf5 13. Nde4 Nxe4 14. dxe4 Be6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. c5 f6 17. cxd6 Qxd6 18. Rc1 Nxd5 19. exd5 Bd7 20. Qc2 Rbc8 21. Rfd1 Bb6 22. Qb3 a5 23. Bc3 a4 24. Qb2 {Stribuk,A (2437)-Sahib,S (2430) chess.com INT 2025 ½-½ (68)}) 10. Nd2 $146 {A new move, the point of which I fail to understand. White not only gives up the possibility of ?g5, thus allowing Black to save a tempo (...h6), but also allows an immediate opening of the centre.} (10. Bb2 Qd7 (10... Ne7 11. Ng5 Bc8 12. e3 h6 13. Nf3 {Spiridonov,N (2400)-Therkildsen,T (2145)/Nice 2000/EXT 2001 (1-0, 21)}) ({With the knight on f3,} 10... d5 $6 {loses a pawn to} 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. e4 {, but under the given circumstances, 11.?g5 also looks unpleasant for Black.}) 11. Rc1 Rac8 (11... Bh3 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. Bxh3 Qxh3 14. cxd5 Ne7 15. e4 Rac8 16. d4) 12. e3 {White has played his usual moves in this line and Black may have to finally transpose to the main lines with 12...h6, preparing ...?h3 and/or ...?h7.} Bh3 {offers White pleasant play on the light squares:} 13. Bxh3 Qxh3 14. Ng5 Qh6 (14... Qd7 {is a bit passive and can be met by} 15. Qf3 $5) ({The queen is exposed after} 14... Qf5 15. Nge4) 15. Nge4 Nxe4 16. dxe4 $14 {The a7-bishop is passive, there is no kingside attack available and the control over the d5-square offers White a pleasant domination.}) ({If White intends to carry out the game plan, he can start with} 10. Rb1 {, when} d5 {remains unappealing for Black because of} 11. Ng5 $1) ({RR} 10. Bb2 Qd7 11. Ng5 Rab8 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. e3 Kh8 14. b5 Ne7 15. a4 a5 16. d4 exd4 17. exd4 Nf5 18. Ne2 Qf7 19. Rc1 Rfd8 20. Qd3 c6 21. Bc3 Bb6 22. bxc6 bxc6 23. Qd2 Qc7 24. Nf4 Re8 {Silseth,S (2207)-Madevan Vaishnavi,Y (1808) Karlstad SWE 2024 1-0 (39)}) ({RR} 10. Bb2 Rb8 11. Rc1 Ne7 12. Qd2 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. d4 exd4 15. Nxd4 Bd7 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 d5 18. Bb1 Nc8 19. Qc2 g6 20. Qxc7 Qxc7 21. Rxc7 Bh3 22. Rd1 Bb6 23. Rcc1 Nd6 24. Nc6 Rbe8 {Plantet,S (2328)-Alba,L Agneaux 2000 1-0}) 10... Rb8 {By defending the b7-pawn, Black intends to prepare the thematic transfer of his queen's knight to g6.} ({Black probably had better chances to get even chances with the ambitious} 10... d5 {, for instance} 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bb2 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 Bd5 14. Bxd5 Qxd5 15. Qb3 Rad8 {White will prepare his queenside attack with a4 and b5, but Black's control over the d4-square (the bishop is better placed than on e7, as in the Reversed Dragon 4...d5) offers him good counterchances.}) 11. Rb1 {White anticipates the opponent's plan and prepares a massive queenside attack, in a similar way as Portisch did in the aforementioned game.} ({The bishop would obviously stand in the way after} 11. Bb2) 11... Ne7 12. a4 Qd7 13. b5 Bh3 14. Ba3 {We see that Carlsen's plans for the bishop were more ambitious than the stereotypical ?b2. The pressure along the a3-f8 diagonal is quite annoying.} (14. e3 $5 h6 15. Ba3 {may have been a more restrictive move order.}) 14... h6 {Finally, Black plays this move anyway. There was no threat on g5 anymore, but in order to get a kingside attack started, ...?h7 followed by ...f5 is necessary.} (14... Bd4 {comes into account.} 15. Nce4 (15. Qb3 {takes the queen away from the kingside, offering Black chances for counterplay:} Bxg2 16. Kxg2 axb5 17. axb5 Ng4) 15... Nxe4 {Since the h7-squeare is not available, the knight does not have good retreats.} (15... Ne8 $2 16. Bxh3 Qxh3 17. bxa6 $18) (15... Nh5 $2 16. e3 $18) (15... Bxg2 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Kxg2 $16) 16. dxe4 $14 {We have reached a familiar structure, which tends to favour White. The bishop is not stable on d4 and is likely to cause more losses of time.}) 15. e3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Bc5 {A radical way of neutralising the enemy bishop and avoiding problems with his own. Possibly, the weakening of the pawn structure is too high a price to pay.} ({Black had no time for} 16... Nh7 $6 {because of} 17. a5 {, threatening to trap the bishop with b6.} Bc5 (17... Rbc8 18. Qa4 {also offers White a strong queenside initiative.}) 18. Bxc5 dxc5 {is even less appealing now because of} 19. Nde4 {and Black cannot defend c5 under favourable circumstances.}) ({Against a neutral move such as} 16... Rfe8 {, White can carry out a familiar plan:} 17. Nde4 Nxe4 (17... Nh7 $6 18. c5 $1 d5 19. b6 $1 {opens the position to White's favour.}) 18. dxe4 $14) 17. Bxc5 dxc5 18. Nf3 {The plan chosen by Carlsen, based on e3-e4, does not look too natural.} ({The maneuvre} 18. Nde4 Nxe4 19. dxe4 {would once again led to a more pleasant position for White, at no risk.} Qe6 (19... Qxd1 $6 20. Rfxd1 {leaves Black with problems keeping the b- and d-file defended at the same time.} axb5 {hardly is a solution because of} 21. Nxb5 $1 c6 22. Na7 $1 {The knight is not in danger here, because White threatens to eliminate the b7-pawn with ?d7xb7, after which the knight is likely to escape via c6 (after grabbing another pawn)} b6 23. Rd7 $16 {Black loses most of his queenside pawns.} Rfe8 $6 24. a5 $1 $18) 20. Qe2 axb5 21. axb5 $14 {White's knight is more active and he also disposes over more space. The permanent threat of ?d5 keeps the black knight immobile on e7. The attempt to generate counterplay with} f5 $6 {only offers White the e4-square.} 22. exf5 Nxf5 23. b6 c6 (23... cxb6 24. Nd5 $16) 24. Ne4 Qg6 25. Kh1 Nh4 26. Nd2 Nf5 27. Nb3 $16) 18... Qe6 19. e4 {Even though Black's knights cannot reach d4 very quickly, the weakness of this square restricts White's active possibilities. White probably thought that he would be able to play ?d5, underestimating Black's answer.} c6 $1 20. Qb3 Rbd8 21. bxa6 bxa6 22. Qc2 Ng6 {[%CAl Gg6f4]} 23. Ng1 Rb8 24. a5 Nd7 25. Na4 Qd6 26. Ne2 Qc7 27. Qc3 Rfd8 {Black is well regrouped and White is too busy keeping his d3- and a5-pawns defended to be able to take advantage of the chronic weakness of the c5-square.} 28. Rxb8 {Giving up the control of the b-file for the sake of a kingside attack is a double-edged decision.} Rxb8 29. f4 exf4 (29... Rb7 $5 {[%CAl Gc7b8] Seirawan}) 30. gxf4 Qd6 31. Kh1 {Somehow, White's position looks too chaotic to make the prospectes of an attack realistic. Black is well regrouped and has easy play.} Rb4 32. Qc2 Nh4 ({There is no obvious refutation of the pawn grabbing} 32... Qc7 33. Nac3 Qxa5 34. Rg1 Kh7 35. Qd1 Rb2 36. Qf1 Ngf8 37. Qg2 g6 38. f5 Ne5 39. Qg3 Qc7 {The weakness of the d4-square results in an almost absolute stability of the knight on e5, allowing Black to keep his position together. In the long run, the a-pawn may well decide the game.}) 33. Nac3 Qg6 34. Ng3 Nf6 35. e5 Nh5 36. Nxh5 Qxh5 37. Ne4 {White has somehow managed to regroup properly, but his king is vulnerable, which should allow Black to keep the balance even.} Kh8 $2 {Defending against a non-exisent (yet) threat, while the c5-pawn was in danger already. Instead, Black should have prepared ...?h3, in order to cause White some problems with his own king.} (37... Nf5 $5 38. Qg2 (38. Qf2 $2 Qh3 {?...?b2, ? ...?xd3} 39. Rd1 Rb2 $1 40. Qxb2 Qf3+ 41. Kg1 Qxd1+ 42. Kf2 Qxd3 $19) 38... Qh4 $132 {[%CAl Gf5e3]}) (37... Qf5 $5 $132 38. Nxc5 $2 (38. Qe2 $142 Qh3 $132) 38... Qh3 $17 39. Re1 (39. Qf2 $2 Rb2 $1) (39. Rf2 $2 Qe3 $19) 39... Qf3+ 40. Kg1 Qxf4 $17) 38. Qf2 Nf5 39. Nxc5 $16 {Now it is practically over. The d3-pawn is defended by the knight and White can easily parry Black's one-move threats.} Qh3 {[%CAl Gf5g3]} 40. Re1 Nh4 41. Qg3 Qxg3 42. hxg3 Nf3 43. Rf1 Nd4 44. Kg2 Ne6 45. Nxa6 Ra4 46. f5 Ng5 47. Nc7 Kg8 (47... Rxa5 48. e6 Re5 49. d4 Re2+ 50. Rf2 Re1 51. d5 $18) 48. a6 Kf8 49. Kf2 1-0 [Event "Grand Slam Final 3rd"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2010.10.13"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2826"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Kramnik,Vladimir"] [PlyCount "138"] [EventDate "2010.10.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 139"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. d3 O-O 9. Be3 Re8 (9... Be6 {is more common. ist geläufiger.}) 10. Rc1 Bf8 11. Ne4 Nd4 12. Bg5 (12. Nc5 {is the most popular move here. ist der beliebteste Zug an dieser Stelle.}) 12... f6 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Bd2 Be6 (14... c6 15. b4 Be6) 15. b4 $146 (15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Rxc5 c6 $11 {? ?d5}) ({RR} 15. a4 Nd5 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. Rxc5 c6 18. b4 Rc8 19. Qa1 b6 20. Rc2 c5 21. bxc5 bxc5 22. Rfc1 Qd6 23. a5 Nb4 24. Rb2 Bg4 25. h3 Bf5 26. Bf4 Qd7 27. g4 Bg6 28. a6 Re6 29. Bb7 Rce8 {Krejci,J (2570)-Nguyen,T (2546) Prague 2019 1-0 (36)}) 15... Bd5 (15... Bxa2 $6 16. Nc5 $14 Bd5 17. Nxb7 Qd7 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. Rxc5) 16. a4 c6 (16... f5 {is enough for equality probably as well. reicht wahrscheinlich auch zum Ausgleich.} 17. Ng5 (17. Nc5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qd5+ 19. Kg1 a5 $1) 17... Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qd5+ 19. Nf3 c5 (19... Bd6) 20. bxc5 Bxc5 21. Rb1 Nd7 22. Qb3 Qxb3 23. Rxb3 b6 24. Re1 a5) 17. a5 (17. Re1 f5 (17... a6) 18. Nc5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qd5+ 20. Kg1 a5 21. bxa5 Bxc5 22. axb6 Bxb6 23. Rb1 Ra6 $11) 17... Nc8 (17... Nd7 18. b5 $1 cxb5 $140 19. Nd6 $1) 18. Re1 $6 (18. a6 {is risky, but had to be played, at least it is the logical continuation of White's previous move. ist riskant, musste aber gespielt werden, zumindest ist es die logische Fortsetzung des vorigen weißen Zuges.} b5 (18... bxa6) 19. e3 $13) 18... a6 $1 {Now Black takes the initiative, transfering his knight to b5, blocking White's play on the queenside. Nun ergreift Schwarz die Initiative, indem er seinen Springer nach b5 überführt, was das weiße Spiel am Damenflügel blockiert.} 19. Nc5 (19. Qc2 Na7 $1) 19... Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Qd5+ 21. Kg1 Nd6 22. Qb3 Qxb3 23. Nxb3 Nb5 24. Kf1 Rad8 25. Rc4 Rd5 26. Bc1 Red8 27. Bb2 Kf7 28. Kg2 (28. Nd2 Nc7 $1 {White should not allow this manoeuvre. Weiß sollte dieses Manöver nicht zulassen.} 29. Rb1 Ne6 {? ?b5 sometimes. ? ?b5 gelegentlich.}) 28... h5 {Black is in full control of the position, but it is very difficult to break through. Schwarz hat die Stellung fest im Griff, allerdings ist es sehr schwer durchzubrechen.} 29. h3 g5 30. g4 Kg6 31. Rf1 Be7 {No need to hurry. Kein Grund zur Eile.} (31... f5 $6 32. gxf5+ Kxf5 33. e4+ $1 dxe3 34. fxe3+ Kg6 35. Re4 Rxd3 36. Re6+ Kh7 37. Rf7+ Kg8 38. Rxb7) 32. f4 (32. Rh1 $15 {Probably it was safer just to stay, although Black can slowly try to improve his position. Vermutlich war es sicherer, einfach auf der Stelle zu treten, obwohl Schwarz langsam versuchen kann, seine Stellung zu verbessern.} f5 33. gxf5+ Kxf5 34. Rg1 Ke6) 32... hxg4 33. hxg4 gxf4 34. Rxf4 Bd6 {Now Black has some chances due to the better mobility of his remaining pieces. Nun hat Schwarz aufgrund der besseren Mobilität seiner verbleibenden Figuren ein paar Chancen.} 35. Rf3 Rg5 {Tempting, but the computer prefers Verlockend, aber der Computer bevorzugt} (35... Re8 36. Kf1 Be5 37. Rh3 Rd7 $15) 36. Bxd4 {A very strange decision. Eine sehr seltsame Entscheidung.} ({After Nach} 36. Nxd4 $142 Rxg4+ 37. Kf2 {White should hold without much trouble: sollte sich Weiß ohne große Mühe halten:} Nxd4 38. Bxd4 f5 39. Bc3) 36... Rxg4+ 37. Kf2 Nxd4 38. Nxd4 Rh8 {It's getting hot for White. Langsam wird es heiß für Weiß.} 39. e4 Rh2+ 40. Ke3 Rb2 $6 {Again the most tempting, but probably not the best. Wieder am verlockendsten, aber womöglich nicht am besten.} (40... Rgg2 $1 41. Nf5 Be5 42. d4 Bb8 $17) 41. Nc2 $6 (41. Rc2 $1 Rxb4 42. Nf5 Be5 43. Rf1 {and strangely enough, the computer claims that White is ok here. und seltsamerweise behauptet der Computer, dass die weiße Stellung hier okay ist.}) 41... Rg5 $1 {White is in serious trouble now. Jetzt ist Weiß in ernsthaften Schwierigkeiten.} (41... Rg2 42. Rf2) 42. d4 Rb5 {Logical and good enough, but there was an even better move: Logisch und gut genug, aber es gab einen noch besseren Zug:} (42... Rg4 $1 {This strange, but very strong possibility did not cross my mind, but seems to be just winning; White is losing his e-pawn: Diese seltsame, aber sehr starke Möglichkeit kam mir nicht in den Sinn, scheint aber einfach zu gewinnen; Weiß verliert seinen e-Bauern:} 43. Kd2 (43. Rc3 Rg2 44. Kd3 Bxb4) 43... Rb1 44. Kd3 Rb3+ 45. Rc3 Rxc3+ 46. Kxc3 Rxe4 $19) 43. Kd3 Bxb4 44. Rxb4 R5xb4 45. Nxb4 Rb3+ 46. Ke2 Rxb4 {On playing ?xb4, I thought this should be a winning rook endgame, but in fact things are not so simple. Bei ?xb4 dachte ich, dies sollte ein gewonnenes Turmendspiel sein, tatsächlich aber ist die Sache nicht so einfach.} 47. Rg3+ {There is no need to push Black's king where it goes anyway. Es ist nicht nötig, den schwarzen König dahin zu treiben, wohin er sowieso geht.} (47. Rd3 $142 Rb5 48. Ra3) 47... Kf7 48. Rd3 Ke6 49. Ke3 Rb5 50. Ra3 c5 $1 (50... f5 {was suggested as an improvement by various commentators, but does not seem to be true: wurde von verschiedenenen Kommentatoren als Verbesserung vorgeschlagen, aber dies scheint nicht zu stimmen:} 51. exf5+ Rxf5 52. Ra4 Rb5 (52... Kd6 53. Kd3 Rb5 54. Kc4) 53. Kd3 Kd5 54. Kc3 {and I could not see how to proceed now, seems to be just a draw. und jetzt konnte ich nicht sehen, wie es weitergehen soll, scheint einfach remis zu sein.} Rb1 55. Kc2 Rb5 56. Kc3 Kd6) 51. dxc5 Rxc5 $2 {Just an automatic reply and in fact a very serious mistake, missing the victory: Einfach ein automatischer Reflex und tatsächlich ein ganz schwerer Fehler, der den Sieg ausslässt:} (51... Ke5 $1 {After this move it seems to me that Black is winning in all lines. Nach diesem Zug scheint mir, dass Schwarz in allen Abspielen gewinnt.} 52. Rc3 (52. Ra4 $145 $5 {(Mueller,Karsten)}) 52... Rxa5 53. Kd3 (53. c6 bxc6 54. Rxc6 Ra3+ 55. Kd2 Ra4 56. Kc2 a5 {similar to the main variation ähnlich der Hauptvariante.}) 53... Rb5 54. c6 bxc6 55. Rxc6 Rb3+ 56. Kc4 Ra3 57. Kb4 Ra1 58. Kb3 a5 59. Kc2 a4 60. Ra6 a3 61. Ra4 a2 62. Kb2 Re1 63. Kxa2 Rxe4 {winning, the white king is too far away. mit Gewinn, der weiße König ist zu weit weg.}) 52. Kf4 {I thought I would be able to kick the king away from f4 and get mine to e5 somehow, but it is not realisable in fact. Ich dachte, ich würde irgendwie in der Lage sein, den König von f4 zu vertreiben und meinen nach e5 zu bringen, tatsächlich aber ist das nicht machbar.} Rh5 53. Rb3 Rb5 (53... Rh4+ 54. Kg3 Rxe4 55. Rxb7 {should be drawish. sollte remislich sein.}) 54. Ra3 Kd6 55. Ra1 Kc6 56. Ke3 (56. Ra2 {was actually even simpler. war sogar noch einfacher.}) 56... f5 {This seems to be Black's best chance here, but it's not enough anyway. Dies scheint hier die beste Chance für Schwarz zu sein, aber es reicht trotzdem nicht.} 57. exf5 Rxf5 58. Kd3 Rf3+ 59. Kc4 Rf4+ 60. Kc3 (60. Kb3 $2 {loses after verliert nach} Kb5 61. Kc3 Ra4 62. Rb1+ Kc6) 60... Kc5 61. Rh1 $1 Rf3+ 62. Kc2 $1 (62. Kb2 Kb4 63. Rh7 Rb3+ 64. Kc2 Ka4) 62... Ra3 63. Rh7 Kc6 64. Rh6+ Kc7 65. Rh7+ Kb8 66. Rh8+ Ka7 67. Rh5 Re3 68. Kb2 Kb8 69. Rc5 Re6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 6th"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2019.04.07"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2845"] [BlackElo "2797"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2019.03.31"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 190"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,76,80,-17,-10,-11,-19,-19,-12,-32,-39,-37,-25,-51,41,-8,4,10,2,-4,16,1,22,-16,-7,3,13,-7,64,49,51,60,47,43,38,40,30,-69,-66,-71,-79,-30,-24,-29,-29,-25,47,-11,56,17,234,36,111,18,155,167,167,157,148,148,153,136,136,136,140,136,183,151,223,234,216,221,299,306,306,335,337,328,334]} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 {A very popular line recently.} h6 {Black prevents Nf3-g5 and Bc1-g5. This move is new in GM practice. Alternatives:} (8... Nxc3) (8... Re8) (8... Be6) (8... Bb6) 9. Nxd5 (9. Bd2 Be6 10. Rc1 (10. Na4 Bb6 11. a3 f5 12. Qc2 Qd6 13. Rac1 Rad8 14. Nxb6 axb6 15. e3 f4 $132 {0-1 (24) Zupe,M (2260)-Fenil,S (2346) Skopje 2018}) 10... Bb6 (10... Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Bd6 12. d4 e4 13. d5 exf3 14. Bxf3 Ne5 15. dxe6 Nxf3+ 16. exf3 fxe6 17. Qb3 $16 {1-0 (65) Stanec,N (2512)-Sucher,J (2234) Aschach 2001}) 11. a3 Qd7 $11) 9... Qxd5 10. a3 a5 11. Bd2 Qe6 12. Rc1 Qe7 (12... Bb6 13. Bc3 {[%CAl Yf3d2,Yd2c4]}) 13. Bc3 ({RR} 13. Qa4 Bd7 14. Qe4 Bd6 15. Bc3 Ra6 16. Qh4 Qe8 17. d4 e4 18. Ne5 f5 19. f4 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Bc5+ 21. Kh1 Be3 22. Rcd1 g5 23. Qh3 g4 24. Qh4 Bc5 25. Rxd7 Qxd7 26. Qh5 Qf7 27. Qxf7+ Kxf7 {Hua,Z (1856)-Chen,Z (2263) Daqing CHN 2025 0-1 (43)}) 13... Nd4 $146 (13... a4 $5 14. Nd2 (14. e3 Rd8) 14... Be6 {as} 15. Bxc6 bxc6 {is hardly dangerous for Black}) ({RR} 13... a4 14. Nd2 Rd8 15. Qc2 Bd6 16. e3 Bf5 17. Rfd1 Qe6 18. Nc4 Bh3 19. Bxh3 Qxh3 20. d4 exd4 21. exd4 Re8 22. d5 Ne7 23. Nxd6 cxd6 24. Rd4 b5 25. Qd3 Ng6 26. Qxb5 Ne5 27. Qe2 Qf5 28. Rf4 {Abdusattorov,N (2777)-Praggnanandhaa,R (2737) Kolkata IND 2024 1-0 (36)}) 14. e3 Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 Bd6 16. Qh5 c6 17. f4 $1 $36 {[%mdl 512]} exf4 18. gxf4 Qxe3+ $2 {This acceptance of White's pawn sacrifice leads to a surprisingly fast defeat.} (18... Kh7 $14 {[%CAl Yg7g6]}) 19. Kh1 Rd8 $2 (19... f6 $8 20. Be4 {[%CAl Rh5g6,Rf1g1]} Qh3 21. Qg6 Bg4 $1 22. Qh7+ Kf7 23. Bg6+ Ke6 24. Rce1+ Kd7 25. Qxg7+ Kc8 {, and Black avoids disaster, although after} 26. Be4 {White keeps strong pressure.}) 20. Rce1 Qc5 (20... Qxd3 21. f5 {etc.}) 21. f5 {[%mdl 128]} Bf8 22. Be4 Rd5 {Of course, White doesn't accept this exchange sacrifice. Instead, he continues his attack.} 23. Rf3 $1 b5 24. Rg1 Ra7 25. Bf6 (25. Rfg3 {was already possible but a line like this is too hard to calculate:} Bxf5 26. Rxg7+ Bxg7 27. Rxg7+ Kf8 28. Qxh6 Ke8 29. Qh8+ Ke7 30. Qh4+ Kd6 (30... Ke8 31. Rg8+) 31. Qf6+ Be6 (31... Kc7 32. Bxf5 Rxf5 33. Rxf7+ $18) 32. b4 $1 Qe3 33. Bxd5 cxd5 34. Bd4 $18) 25... g6 26. Qh3 (26. Rxg6+ $5 fxg6 27. Qxg6+ Bg7 (27... Rg7 28. Bxg7 Bxg7 29. Rg3 $18) 28. Bc3 $18 {[%CAl Rf5f6]}) 26... Rd6 27. Qh4 Rxf6 28. Qxf6 Be7 29. Qxc6 Qxc6 30. Bxc6 $18 {Black has avoided direct mate but this endgame is technically winning for White.} Kg7 31. fxg6 fxg6 32. d4 a4 33. d5 b4 34. Be8 Bg5 35. h4 Bxh4 36. Rxg6+ Kh7 37. Rc6 Bg4 38. Rf4 Rg7 (38... Rg7 39. Bg6+ $18) 1-0 [Event "London Classic"] [Site "London"] [Date "2009.12.08"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Carlsen,Magnus"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2009.12.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 134"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {The English opening, obviously a fitting choice for the first round in London, especially as it is exactly the same pawn as I picked in the drawing of lots (n.1 obviously) Besides, I felt that chances were rather low that I would get a worse position with the text than I got with 1.d4 against him in Moscow Die englische Eröffnung, offensichtlich eine passende Wahl für erste Runde in London, vor allem, da er genau derselbe Bauer ist, den ich bei der Auslosung ergirff (Nr. 1 offensichtlich). Außerdem hatte ich das Gefühl, dass die Chancen recht schlecht stünden, dass ich mit dem Textzug eine schlechtere Stellung gegen ihn erhalten würde, als es mit 1.d4 gegen ihn in Moskau der Fall war.} Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 {This has been Kramnik's choice lately, and was what I expected. So far, White has (not surprisingly) not been able to prove that having an extra tempo in the Dragon gives the first player an advantage. Die war Kramniks Vorliebe in letzter Zeit, und auch was ich erwartet hatte. Bislang ist Weiß (wenig überraschend) nicht in der Lage gewesen zu beweisen, dass das Innehaben eines Mehrtempos im Drachen dem Anziehenen Vorteil gibt.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 {Other moves here include Andere Züge hier sind unter anderem} (8. Rb1 {which can me met by the sane , worauf das vernünftige} a5 {after which White has not been able to gain an advantage, or the insane folgen kann, wonach Weiß bisher keinen Vorteil herausholfen konnte, oder auch das verrückte} (8... g5)) (8. d3 {leading to more or less normal play. , was zu mehr oder weniger normalem Spiel führt.}) 8... O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 (10. b5 Nd4 11. Nxe5 $4 Bb3 {is a well known trap, and not the best way to start the tournament! ist eine bekannte Falle und nicht der beste Weg, das Turnier zu starten.}) 10... f6 11. d3 a5 {This move, which Kramnik played very quickly, has recently been overtaken by the immediate 11...?d4 as the main move. The text complicates play a bit: Black will gain an outpost on b3 for his bishop after an eventual a4, as well as some pressure against a3, but on the other hand the c7-pawn is now backward. Dieser Zug, welchen Kramnik sehr schnell spielte, wurde als Hauptzug in letzter Zeit von dem sofortigen 11...?d4 abgelöst. Der Text kompliziert das Spiel ein wenig: Schwarz wird nach eventuellem a4 den Vorposten b3 für seinen Läufer erhalten und auch etwas Druck gegen a3, aber andererseits ist jetzt der c7-Bauer rückständig.} 12. b5 Nd4 13. Nd2 Qc8 (13... Bd5 {is the other main line here, while ist das andere Hauptabspiel hier, während}) (13... Nd5 $4 14. Bxd5 Bxd5 15. e3 {is a well known trap: Black loses a piece by force. eine bekannte Falle darstellt: Schwarz verliert forciert eine Figur.}) 14. e3 Nf5 15. Qc2 {Here or on the next move ( I was more or less out of book here) I considered playing a4 myself, which however has the drawback of giving up the b4 square, where a black bishop might eventually sit comfortably. Hier oder im nächsten Zug (ich war hier mehr oder weniger aus dem Buch) überlegte ich, selber a4 zu spielen, was aber den Nachteil hat, das b4-Feld preiszugeben, wo es sich eventuell ein schwarzer Läufer bequem machen könnte.} Rd8 16. Bb2 a4 17. Rfc1 {Quite logically, White is piling up the pressure in the c-file. Recht logisch, Weiß verstärkt den Druck in der c-Linie.} Nd6 18. Nde4 Ne8 $1 {Even though this unlucky knight ended up staying here for the rest of the game, I think this is a good move, as the knight is protecting c7, while the white pieces are stepping on each other's toes. Obwohl dieser Unglücksspringer letztlich den Rest der Partie hier stehen blieb, denke ich, es ist ein guter Zug, denn der Springer deckt c7, während sich die weißen Figuren gegenseitig auf die Zehen treten.} 19. Qe2 $1 {I liked this move. I bring the queen a bit closer to the kingside and increase my influence over some light squares which will be important in the likely event of White playing f4. Perhaps even more importantly though, it was hard to find another useful move. Dieser Zug gefiel mir. Ich bringe die Dame ein wenig näher an den Königsflügel und verstärke meinen Einfluss auf einige weiße Felder im Zentrum, was wichtig sein wird in dem wahrscheinlichen Fall, dass Weiß f4 spielt. Aber vielleicht wichtiger noch, es war schwer, einen anderen nützlichen Zug zu finden.} (19. Ne2 $6 Bb3 {is awkward, since c7 is now protected. ist lästig, da c7 jetzt gedeckt ist.} 20. Qc3 Qd7 $1 {winning a pawn. mit Bauerngewinn.}) 19... Bf8 (19... Bh3 20. Bf3 {should be an improvement of the position for White, as Black will now have to reckon with g4. sollte für Weiß eine Verbesserung der Stellung sein, da Schwarz jetzt mit g4 zu rechnen haben wird.}) 20. f4 {I felt that there was no other plan here. 20.f4 increases my central control, but does at the same time weaken my position a bit. Ich fühlte, dass es hier keinen anderen Plan gab. 20.f4 verstärkt meine Zentrumskontrolle, schwächt aber gleichzeitig auch ein wenig meine Stellung.} exf4 21. gxf4 Qd7 {Consistent, as it more or less forces my next move. Konsequent, da es meinen nächsten Zug mehr oder weniger erzwingt.} 22. d4 {I was aiming for this position, believing that I would have good chances because of the dynamic possibilities connected with ?c5. I think Kramnik was not too unhappy with it either, as yet another weakness is created in my position. Diese Stellung hatte ich angestrebt in der Annahme, dass ich gute Chancen hätte aufgrund der dynamischen Möglichkeiten in Verbindung mit ?c5. Ich denke, Kramnik war ebenfalls nicht all unzufrieden damit, da in meiner Position eine weitere Schwäche geschaffen wird.} c6 $146 {This was more or less the only move I considered, as I thought that Black had to something to prevent b7 from collapsing completely. Dies war mehr oder minder der einzige Zug, den ich in Betracht zog, denn ich dachte, dass Schwarz etwas tun müsste, damit b7 nicht komplett kollabiert.} (22... Bc4 $5 23. Qf2 Bd3 {was actually quite good, but Kramnik probably (if so, probably quite correctly) decided that there was no reason to start concrete war tatsächlich recht gut, aber womöglich entschied Kramnik (wenn, wahrscheinlich auch ganz korrekt), dass es keinen Grund gab, zu Konkretem überzugehen.} 24. Nc5 $1 {looked strong to me during the game, but Black is probably fine here after Schien mir während der Partie stark zu sein, aber hier steht Schwarz wahrscheinlich ordentlich nach} Bxc5 25. dxc5 Nc4 $1 (25... Bxb1 26. Rxb1 {gives White excellent compensation for the exchange, as Black cannot play gibt Weiß ausgezeichnete Kompensation für die Qualität, da Schwarz nicht} Nc4 {due to spielen kann wegen} 27. Bd5+) 26. Bxb7 Qg4+ 27. Qg2 Qxg2+ 28. Bxg2 Rab8 {and Black is absolutely fine. und Schwarz steht absolut ordentlich.}) ({RR} 22... Bc4 23. Qf2 Bd3 24. Ra1 Bxe4 25. Nxe4 Qxb5 26. Nc5 Bxc5 27. Rxc5 Qb3 28. Bxb7 Rab8 29. Rc3 Qe6 30. f5 Qe7 31. Bg2 Nd6 32. Qc2 Nb5 33. Rd3 Nd6 34. Rf1 Re8 35. e4 Nbc4 36. Ba1 Rb5 37. Rc3 {Reinderman,D (2606)-Haslinger,S (2529) Delft 2011 1-0 (64)}) 23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. dxc5 Nc4 25. Rd1 Qc7 $6 {The most solid move. This move also has some downsides though, as it doesn't address the capture of c5 which would leave the passive knight on e8 an excellent square on d6, as well as taking away the c7-square from the very same knight. Der solideste Zug. Er hat allerdings auch ein paar Schattenseiten, denn er verzichtet auf das Schlagen auf c5, wonach der passive Springer auf e8 ein ausgezeichnetes Feld auf d6 bekäme, und außerdem wird genau diesem Springer das Feld c7 genommen.} (25... Nd2 {It took me a little time to refute this crazy-looking move over the board, but fortunately it's not very hard: Ich brauchte ein bisschen, um diesen verrückt aussehenden Zug am Brett zu widerlegen, aber glücklicherweise ist es nicht sehr schwer:} 26. bxc6 bxc6 27. Ne4 Nxb1 (27... Bg4 28. Qxd2 $1) 28. Rxd7 Rxd7 29. Nd6 $1 (29. Qe1 Rb8 30. Qxb1 Rdb7 {is not at all clear ist keineswegs klar}) 29... Nxd6 30. Bxc6 {with decisive gains of material. mit entscheidendem Materialgewinn.}) (25... Qe7 {Attacking c5 looked very risky to me during the game, but is probably possible: Das Angreifen von c5 schien mir während der Partie sehr riskant zu sein, aber es ist wahrscheinlich möglich:} 26. bxc6 bxc6 27. Bxc6 Rxd1+ (27... Rac8 28. Rxd8 Qxd8 29. Bxa4 Rxc5 30. Ne4 Rc8 {should be a draw as well, as Black is very active. sollte ebenfalls remis sein, da Schwarz sehr aktiv steht.}) 28. Rxd1 Rc8 29. Nd5 Qxc5 30. Bd4 {I stopped my calculations here during the game, thinking that White is winning material. However it turns out that after Hier brach ich während der Partie meine Berechnungen ab, da ich meinte, dass Weiß Material gewinnt. Es stellt sich jedoch heraus, dass nach} Qd6 31. Qxc4 Kh8 {and surprisingly White has no way of remaining material up Weiß überraschenderweise keinen Weg hat, das Mehrmaterial zu behaupten.} 32. Qxa4 Bxd5 33. Bxd5 Qxd5 {and due to White's weakened king and offside queen, Black should not lose. und aufgrund des geschwächten weißen Königs und der abseits stehenden Dame sollte Schwarz nicht verlieren.}) 26. Bc1 $1 {Bad bishops protect good (potentially at least) pawns, and I need this one to protect e3 and a3! Additionally, the knight might now turn out to be exposed on c4, as both ?d4 and ?b4 are in the air. However, I still don't think that White has any real advantage, especially in a practical game, as White is still a bit exposed. Schlechte Läufer decken gute (potentiell zumindest) Bauern, und diesen brauche ich, um e3 und a3 zu beschützen! Außerdem könnte sich der Springer auf c4 jetzt als exponiert erweisen, da sowohl ?d4 als auch ?b4 in der Luft liegen. Ich glaube aber trotzdem nicht, dass Weiß irgendeinen realen Vorteil hat, vor allem in einer praktischen Partie, da er noch immer ein bisschen exponiert steht.} Na5 {Black needs to relocate this knight in order to create counterplay. Schwarz muss seinen Springer umsiedeln, um Gegenspiel aufzuziehen.} 27. bxc6 bxc6 28. Nxa4 $6 {I was very happy to discover that this move does not lose any material, even though it looks a bit loose. Ich war sehr glücklich zu entdecken, dass dieser Zug kein Material verliert, obwohl es ein bisschen locker wirkt.} (28. Rb4 {was another move I considered, but I did not like war ein weiterer Zug, an dem ich überlegte, aber mir missfiel} Nb3 (28... Bb3 29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Bf1 {and a4 is falling, without any real compensation und a4 fällt, ohne wirkliche Kompensation}) 29. Nxa4 Nxc1 30. Rxc1 f5 {when Black has some counterplay. However, White is probably still a bit better, and I should probably have gone for this. , wonach Schwarz etwas Gegenspiel hat. Trotzdem, Weiß steht vermutlich dennoch ein bisschen besser, und ich hätte wahrscheinlich so spielen sollen.}) 28... Rxd1+ (28... Nb3 29. Nb6 {looked good for White to me due to sah mir gut aus für Weiß wegen} (29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Bb2 {is Rybka's first choice, but looks too risky to me ist Rybkas erste Wahl, scheint mir aber riskant}) 29... Nxc1 (29... Ra5 {is what I missed; now Black has good counterplay ist, was ich übersah, nun hat Schwarz gutes Gegenspiel}) 30. Rbxc1 Rxd1+ 31. Qxd1 Rxa3 32. Qd4 {with some kind of domination, though Black still retains some drawing chances. mit einer Art von Dominanz, obwohl Schwarz noch immer einige Remischancen wahrt.}) 29. Qxd1 Rd8 30. Qc2 Qf7 31. Nc3 (31. Nb6 {was my original intention, but I eventually rejected it because of war meine ursprüngliche Absicht, aber am Ende verwarf ich dies wegen} Bb3 32. Qc3 Rd1+ 33. Kf2 Qh5 34. Rxb3 Nxb3 35. Qxb3+ Kh8 {when it seemed to me that Black had too much activity. , wonach mir schien, dass Schwarz zu viel Aktivität hätte.}) 31... Qh5 32. Ne2 {I was very happy with my position here, thinking that I was on my way to consolidation Hier war ich sehr zufrieden mit meiner Stellung, da ich glaubte, auf dem Weg zur Konsolidierung zu sein.} Bf5 $2 {Perhaps his only real mistake in this game. Vielleicht sein einziger wirklicher Fehler in dieser Partie.} ({He could have retained dynamic equality with the amazing Er hätte dynamisches Gleichgewicht wahren können mit dem verblüffenden} 32... Kf8 $3 {with the idea of ...?b3 next. The point, which we probably both missed, is that White cannot play mit der Idee ...?b3 als nächstes. Die Pointe, die wir wahrscheinlich beide übersahen, ist, dass Weiß nicht} 33. Nd4 {because of spielen kann wegen} Rxd4 34. exd4 Bf5 {and Black is at least not worse, as und Schwarz steht zumindest nicht schlechter, denn} 35. Be4 {fails to scheitert an} Qg6+ 36. Qg2 Qxg2+ $1) (32... Bg4 33. Ng3 Rd1+ 34. Qxd1 {is probably why he decided to play ...?f5. ist wahrscheinlich der Grund, weshalb er sich für ...?f5 entschied.}) 33. e4 Bg4 34. Ng3 {Now however Black has nothing. Nun allerdings hat Schwarz gar nichts.} Qf7 ({Kramnik had probably been hoping that Kramnik hatte womöglich gehofft, dass} 34... Rd1+ {would be good here, but this is easily refuted by the calm hier gut sein würde, aber dies wird einfach widerlegt durch das ruhige} 35. Bf1 (35. Qxd1 $4 Qxc5+)) 35. Bf1 $1 Be6 36. Qc3 Ra8 37. Rb4 {Now White is in complete control, with a positional as well as a material advantage. The knight on e8 still has no prospects. Nun hat Weiß vollständig die Kontrolle, bei positionellem wie auch materiellem Vorteil. Der Springer auf e8 hat noch immer keine Perspektiven.} Qd7 38. f5 Bf7 39. Bf4 Qd1 40. Kf2 Nb3 {Desperation, but it was either this or losing slowly without counterplay. Verzweiflung, aber es hieß, entweder dies oder langsam verlieren ohne Gegenspiel.} 41. Be2 Qb1 42. Bc4 Rxa3 43. Ne2 {Black resigned as he is completely tied up and defenceless against threats like ?b8 and ?xf7+. Schwarz gab auf, denn er ist vollständig gebunden und wehrlos gegen Drohungen wie ?b8 und ?xf7+.} (43. Bxf7+ Kxf7 44. Qc4+ Kf8 45. Rb8 Ra2+ 46. Ne2 Rxe2+ 47. Qxe2 {would have won even quicker, but would not have led to such a nice final position :-) hätte sogar noch schneller gewonnen, dafür aber nicht zu einer schönen Schlussstellung geführt :-)}) 1-0 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 3rd"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2865"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Sagar,Shah"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2015.02.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2016"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.10.08"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.10.08"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Michael Adams was Magnus Carlsen's second for his World Championship Match 2014 against Vishy Anand. Carlsen said that he included Adams in his team to get a human feel to the preparations owing to the British player's excellent positional understanding. Hence, this game which was played three months after the World Championship match was extremely interesting.} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 {This line with four knights in the English is strategically very complicated. Basically there are two ways for White to play. One is to continue normally with ?g2 and later allow Black to take on c3 or as Carlsen plays in this game, to jump with the ? on d5.} 5. Nd5 {Marin recommends a similar knight jump to d5 in his book on the English but there instead of ?f3, White has played ?g2.} Bc5 {It was also possible to leave the bishop out on b4 and continue with 0-0 or e4 but this move ?c5 looks the most natural.} (5... e4 $5 6. Nh4 O-O 7. Bg2 (7. Nxb4 Nxb4 8. Bg2 d5 $1 $17) 7... Re8 8. O-O {With an interesting position. THe important point to note is that White usually refrains from taking on b4 because he considers his knight on d5 to be much stronger and important than the ? on b4.}) 6. Bg2 d6 (6... e4 {would be highly inaccurate because of} 7. Ng5 $1 Nxd5 8. Nxe4 $1 Bxf2+ 9. Nxf2 $14 {And the central pawns determine White's advantage.}) 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 {We reach the main position of the opening. It could be said that Black has wasted a tempo in playing ?b4-c5. Which means that if he had directly played his bishop to c5 from f8 then it would have been the same position apart from the White knight being on c3 instead of d5. So the question to be asked is whether White has benefitted from playing his knight to d5. Adams doesn't think so and he exchanges it off.} Nxd5 (8... h6 {is the other way to go. This move prevents the pinning of the knight with ?g5.} 9. a3 a5 10. Nxf6+ Qxf6 11. Nd2 {With an interesting position as witnessed in the game Topalov-Epishin 1994. White tries to reroute his knight to the d5 square via d2-e4-c3-d5.}) 9. cxd5 Nd4 (9... Ne7 {can be met with} 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 {At first glance this position looks clearly better for White as he has more space due to the pawn on d5. But things are not so clear as Black immediately looks for the exchange of one pair of minor pieces.} Nf5 12. Nb3 $1 {This is the right way to claim an advantage. White has more space and must definitely refrain from exchanges.} (12. Nxf5 Bxf5 $11 {is a very fine position for Black.}) 12... Bb6 13. e4 Ne7 14. Re1 $14) 10. Nxd4 exd4 {A very unusual structure with both the sides having doubled d-pawns has arisen. Who stands better? In general Black's dark squared bishop is his main piece that defends his position. If magically you could remove the c1 and the c5 bishop then White would be clearly better. The main reason for that is the c7 pawn would be very weak. In general to attack c7 for White would be much easier than e2 for Black. Carlsen's subsequent play thus revolves around posing maximum problems to the c5 bishop.} (10... Bxd4 {is plausible. A high quality game between Karpov-Anand, Frankfurt Rapid 1997 continued} 11. e3 Bb6 12. b4 Bd7 13. a4 a5 14. b5 f5 15. Bd2 Qf6 16. Rc1 Qg6 17. Rc4 {The game reached an interesting position and here ?ae8 would have maintained the balance but Anand went for} f4 $6 (17... Rae8 $1 $132) 18. exf4 $6 (18. Be4 $1 {would have given the advantage to Karpov.} Bf5 19. exf4 $14) 18... Qxd3 19. Qc1 exf4 20. Bxf4 $11 {With an interesting position.}) 11. Bd2 a5 {Stopping queenside expansion with b4.} 12. e4 $5 dxe3 (12... f5 $5 $132 {Keeping the pawn structure without taking fxe3 was also an option.}) 13. fxe3 (13. Bxe3 {Earlier I mentioned that it would be nice for White to get rid of the dark squared bishops. But things have changed now. White's pawn structure is no longer as compact as it used to be before the e3 break. In fact now it makes more sense to preserve the bishops and block the black one with d3-d4. As seen in the game, Black's dark squared bishop is left without much to do after it is blocked with d4.} Bxe3 14. fxe3 Bd7 $11) 13... Qg5 14. Rf4 $146 ({RR} 14. d4 Bb6 15. Rf4 Bd7 16. Qb3 Bf5 17. Raf1 Bg6 18. Qc4 Qe7 19. h4 h6 20. Kh2 Rae8 21. Qe2 Qd8 22. Bc3 f6 23. e4 Bh7 24. Qh5 Qe7 25. Bh3 Kh8 26. e5 dxe5 27. dxe5 fxe5 28. Rf7 Rxf7 {Jussupow,A (2485)-Petrosian,T (2615) Vrbas 1980 ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 14. d4 Bb6 15. Rf4 Bd7 16. Qc2 a4 17. Raf1 Qe7 18. h4 Rae8 19. Kh2 f5 20. Bh3 g6 21. Qd3 Qg7 22. Bc3 Re7 23. e4 Ref7 24. e5 Re7 25. e6 Be8 26. g4 c6 27. gxf5 gxf5 28. Rg1 Bg6 {Kiselev,V (2505)-Garakov,M (2412) Lugansk 2007 1-0}) 14... Bd7 15. a4 Rae8 (15... Rfe8 $5 {Somehow it made more sense to keep the a8 rook where it is for the time being. White is angling for the b2-b4 break and then the rook on a8 could come in handy.}) 16. d4 Bb6 17. Qb3 {Putting the queen on an active square on c4 before going for the b4 break.} Qd8 (17... Re7 18. Qc4 Rfe8 19. b4 $14 {is similar to the game with one difference being, the queen is on g5 which is more active than the one on d8 as in the game. And this difference turns out to be disadvantageous for Black because his queenside pawns will be weak and fragile.}) 18. Qc4 Re7 19. b4 $1 {After this break White's advantage starts to assume very real proportions. The point to note here is how effectively each of White's piece is positioned and how passive black pieces have become. The bishop on b6 is biting on granite. The bishop on d7 doesn't know what to do. Queen is passive on d8 and even if White doubled the rooks on the e-file, the bishop on d2 does a great job of defending everything.} axb4 20. a5 Ba7 21. Qxb4 c5 {Finally Adams tries to break free from the bind. It is very instructive to see how Carlsen handles this position.} 22. dxc6 {This was forced as it makes no sense to open the path for the a7 bishop by spoiling the e3-d4 formation.} Bxc6 (22... bxc6 {This would have been wonderful if it was possible because now Black can blast open the position with c6-c5. But the problem is that the d6 pawn falls now.} 23. Qxd6 $16) 23. Qb3 {A very nice move putting pressure on the f7 point.} Bxg2 24. Kxg2 {Almost magically Black has been left with more weaknesses than White. White's advantage is made up of the following factors: 1. The b7 and d6 pawns are weak. The e3 and a5 pawns which can be source of counterplay for Black are securely defended by the d2 bishop. 2. The white rooks and queen have more weaknesses to focus upon in the black position than the Black major pieces. 3. And the biggest advantage for Black is his e3-d4 pawn structure which limits the a7 bishop. 4. One factor which is in Black's favour is the weakness of the White king. Black king is very safe on the g8 square. One has to understand that White's advantage is in no way substantial. It is the kind of nagging edge which humans find very irritating to defend against. For a machine, Black's position is completely tenable.} Qd7 (24... d5 {would be a positionally desirable move but tactically doesn't work due to} 25. Bb4 $18) (24... Rfe8 25. Qd5 $1 $14 (25. Raf1 {would be inaccurate because of} d5 $1 {And black is back into the game. His bishop can now be activated on the b8-h2 diagonal. Notice how Carlsen prevents this d6-d5 move for Black in the game.})) 25. Raf1 Rc8 26. Rf5 $1 {Preventing d5.} h6 27. R1f2 Bb8 28. Bb4 Qc6+ 29. R2f3 (29. Qd5 Qxd5+ 30. Rxd5 Rxe3 $11 {is not something that White would want.}) 29... Rcc7 30. Be1 Qe8 (30... Qc4 31. Qxc4 Rxc4 32. Rb5 $14) (30... g6 $1 {Pushing the rook away from the favourable fifth rank.} 31. Rf6 Qc4 $1 32. Qxc4 Rxc4 $11 {Black is more than alright here.}) 31. g4 Re4 (31... Qc8 $5 {was a better way to play} 32. Qd5 (32. Bf2 $2 g6 $1 33. R5f4 d5 $1 34. Qxd5 Rcd7 $17) 32... g6 33. R5f4 Rc2+ 34. Rf2 Rxf2+ 35. Bxf2 Kg7 $11) 32. h3 Rce7 33. Bf2 {Once again Black's counterplay comes to a standstill as the bishop comes just in time to defend the pawns.} R4e6 34. Rb5 Bc7 35. Rxb7 Qa8 $2 {The fatal mistake of the game. Now Carlsen has a winning position.} (35... Bxa5 36. Rb8 Bd8 37. Bh4 Rd7 38. Qd5 $14 {looks scary for Black but no real threat is apparent and he can defend this position.}) 36. Rb5 $1 Re8 37. Qd5 Qxd5 38. Rxd5 {White is a pawn up and maintains all his positional trumps. The rest is very easy for Magnus.} Rb8 39. Bg3 g6 (39... Rb2+ 40. Rf2 Rb3 41. Re2 Rbxe3 42. Rxe3 Rxe3 43. a6 Ra3 44. Bxd6 Bxd6 45. Rxd6 $18 {With two passed pawns, this should be a winning endgame.}) 40. h4 Ra8 41. Be1 Re4 42. g5 $5 {Playing aggressively. The pawn on g5 is very safe because the rook on d5 is very stable.} h5 43. Rb5 Ra7 44. Kf1 Re8 45. Ke2 Rea8 46. Rf6 Ra6 47. Bb4 Bxa5 48. Rxa5 Rxa5 49. Bxa5 Rxa5 50. Rxd6 {The rook endgame is easily won.} Kf8 51. Rf6 Ra3 52. Kf3 Ke7 53. Ke4 Ra5 54. Rf4 Rb5 55. d5 Rb3 56. Kd4 Ra3 57. e4 Rb3 58. Ke5 {Slowly and steadily Carlsen makes progress and there is no way to prevent it.} Rd3 59. Rf1 Rh3 60. Ra1 Rxh4 61. d6+ Kd7 62. Ra7+ Ke8 63. Ra8+ Kd7 64. Rf8 {The f7-pawn falls and the game is over. Where was black's exact mistake is a very logical question that can be asked. I think overall the structure was such that it was very difficult to create counterplay for Black. And Adams would have drawn that position against many great players in the world but against Carlsen! Well, that guy's technique is just from another planet!} 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 7th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2012.06.17"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Tomashevsky, Evgeny"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "169"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 149"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a3 O-O 8. b4 Ba7 9. d3 h6 10. Bb2 {I have a lot of experience as White with this line, but I must confess that White's regrouping completed on the 14th move was unfamiliar to me.} Rb8 $5 {A rare move. Black overdefends the b7-pawn in order to enable the standard manoeuvre ...?c6-e7-g6. In some cases, Black can display some queenside ambitions with ...b7-b5.} ({The main line is} 10... Be6 {as played in Marin,M (2551)-Navara,D (2656) Reggio Emilia 2007 CBM 122 [Marin,M] (1/2, 37)}) (10... Bg4 {is an important alternative:} 11. Rc1 Qd7 12. e3 Ne7 (12... Qf5 {fails to keep White pinned:} 13. Nd5 Qh5 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. h3 $1 Bxh3 16. Bxh3 Qxh3 {Marin,M (2541)-Nemeth,F (2426) Baile Tusnad ROM 2005 (1/2, 17)} 17. c5 $36 {[%csl Ga7,Gg8]}) (12... Bh3 {transposes to 10...?e6.}) 13. Qc2 c6 14. c5 Ng6 15. cxd6 Qxd6 16. h3 Bf5 17. e4 Be6 18. Na4 $14 {Marin,M (2541)-Valeanu,E (2380) Baile Tusnad 2005 (1-0, 42)}) 11. Rc1 ({RR} 11. Nd2 Bf5 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Qd7 14. Rc1 Bh3 15. e3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 f5 17. Nd2 f4 18. exf4 exf4 19. Qf3 Rf5 20. g4 Rg5 21. Kh1 Qxg4 22. Qxg4 Rxg4 23. Ne4 Bd4 24. Bxd4 Nxd4 25. f3 Rg6 {Fresow,B (1804)-Carlsson,L (2375) Reykjavik ISL 2023 0-1 (43)}) 11... Be6 12. Nd2 (12. e3 Ne7 13. a4 {This obstinate play on the queenside does not offer White much, since Black is well regrouped.} (13. Nd2 {would transpose back to the game.}) 13... Qd7 14. Re1 Ng6 15. b5 Bg4 16. Qb3 Bb6 (16... Qf5 17. Nd2 Qxd3 $2 18. Nde4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Qd2 20. Rcd1 $18) 17. Nd2 Bh3 18. Qd1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Ba5 20. Nb3 Bb4 21. Rf1 axb5 22. axb5 Bxc3 23. Bxc3 c6 $132 {Le Quang,L (2715)-Bruzon Batista,L (2673)/Khanty-Mansiysk 2011/CBM 145 (1/2, 34)}) ({RR} 12. e3 Ne7 13. a4 Qd7 14. Re1 Ng6 15. b5 Bg4 16. Qb3 Bb6 17. Nd2 Bh3 18. Qd1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Ba5 20. Nb3 Bb4 21. Rf1 axb5 22. axb5 Bxc3 23. Bxc3 c6 24. b6 Ra8 25. d4 Ne4 26. dxe5 Nxc3 {Le,Q (2715)-Bruzon Batista,L (2673) Khanty-Mansiysk 2011 ½-½ (34)}) 12... Ne7 13. e3 $146 (13. Qb3 {is too provocative, inviting the following operation.} c6 14. a4 b5 15. Qa3 (15. axb5 axb5 16. Ra1) 15... Qd7 (15... bxc4 $5) 16. Ra1 Bb6 (16... bxc4 $5) 17. axb5 axb5 18. Rfd1 d5 $13 {Verduga,D (2356)-Quezada,Y (2515)/Morelia 2007/CBM 116 ext (0-1, 46)}) ({RR} 13. Qb3 c6 14. a4 b5 15. Qa3 Qd7 16. Ra1 Bb6 17. axb5 axb5 18. Rfd1 d5 19. e3 Bg4 20. Nf3 Ng6 21. cxd5 cxd5 22. d4 exd4 23. Nxd4 Ne5 24. Qb3 Bxd1 25. Rxd1 Nc4 26. Bc1 Bxd4 27. Rxd4 Ra8 {Verduga Zavala,D (2356)-Quesada Perez,Y (2515) Morelia 2007 0-1 (46)}) 13... Qd7 14. Ne2 $1 {(!!) A clever display of the knights, which I do not remember having seen in this variation. (It is more typical for the reversed hippopotamus, if such a thing exists, where the knights would get to these squares without loss of time). The c4-, d4- and e4-squares are sufficiently well defended to allow the standard d3-d4, gaining space and restricting the a7-bishop.} Bg4 ({Black probably discarded} 14... Bh3 {because of} 15. Ne4 $5 Nxe4 16. Bxh3 Qxh3 17. dxe4 {[%csl Ga7]}) 15. Re1 Ng6 16. Qc2 c6 17. d4 $14 {Both sides have completed their planned regroupings, but White has more space. Black will need some time to find an useful job for his a7-bishop.} Rbe8 18. c5 Bb8 ({After} 18... d5 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. f4 Ng6 {the a7-bishop would remain completely out of play (even after ...?b8). White would have a pleasant choice already.} 21. e4 (21. Bxf6 Rxe3 $5 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Nd4 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 $16) 21... Nxe4 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Bxe4 $16) 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. Nc4 Bh3 21. Rcd1 Qe6 22. Na5 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Re7 24. e4 {The weakness of the b7-pawn prevents Black from actively fighting for the only open file. At the same time, his kingside attack is not reaching anywhere.} Qg4 25. Ng1 Nh4+ 26. Kh1 Nf3 27. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 28. Kg1 {The exchange of one knight has not helped Black to solve his problems: the d-file, the b7-pawn, his passive bishop.} Qg4 29. Rd3 Qc8 30. Nc4 Qe6 (30... Rd8 31. Nb6 Qc7 32. Red1 Rxd3 (32... Ree8 $2 33. Bxe5 $1 $18) 33. Qxd3 Re8 34. Nc4 $16) 31. f3 Bc7 32. Red1 Rd7 {Finally, Black has managed to neutralise part of White's pressure.} 33. Nd6 Bxd6 (33... b5 34. Qc3 Re7 $14 {would be solid, but not too appealing.}) 34. Rxd6 $6 {Allowing an unexpected resource.} (34. cxd6 $14) 34... Rxd6 $6 ({Missing his chance:} 34... Rfd8 $1 {Black is very close to equality, since White cannot prevent general exchanges.} 35. Rxe6 $2 {is impossible to} Rxd1+ $19 {retrieving the queen and winning more material after that.}) 35. Rxd6 $14 {White maintains his domination now, although Black has solved at least one of his problems: the bishop.} Qa2 36. Kg2 Re8 37. Qc3 Nh7 38. Rd2 Nf8 39. Bc1 Qe6 40. Rd6 Qa2+ 41. Qb2 Qxb2+ {The ending is less safe than Black might have thought.} (41... Qc4 $5 {would have kept White busy with avoiding perpetual checks.}) 42. Bxb2 f6 43. Kh3 {An interesting plan, but maybe not the best.} ({Playing in centre would have offered good chances for an advantage. Here is a sample line:} 43. Kf2 Kf7 44. Ke3 Re7 45. f4 exf4+ 46. gxf4 {The point is that} f5 {fails to stabilise the position in view of} 47. Be5 $1 (47. e5 Ne6 $11) 47... Ng6 48. exf5 Nxe5 49. fxe5 Rxe5+ 50. Kf4 Re7 51. Rd8 $16 {This ending is quite unpleasant for Black. Among others (lack of space, weak queenside) he is in zugzwang.} Re2 (51... Rc7 52. Ke5) (51... g5+ 52. fxg6+ Kxg6 53. Rd6+ Kg7 54. Kf5) 52. Rd7+ Re7 $2 53. Rxe7+ Kxe7 54. Ke5 h5 (54... Kf7 55. Kd6 Kf6 56. Kc7 Kxf5 57. Kxb7 $18) 55. h4 Kf7 56. Kf4 $1 (56. Kd6 {is less clear:} Kf6 57. Kc7 Kxf5 58. Kxb7 g5 59. Kxa6 gxh4 60. b5 h3 61. bxc6 h2 62. c7 h1=Q 63. c8=Q+) 56... Kf6 57. a4 $18) 43... Re7 44. Kg4 Kf7 45. Bc1 Rd7 46. Be3 Rxd6 47. cxd6 Nd7 48. a4 b6 49. a5 bxa5 50. bxa5 c5 (50... Ke6 {looks riskier than it really might be. White surely is not worse, but Black may be able to hold a draw.} 51. Kh5 Nf8 52. Bc5 Kd7 53. Ba3 Ne6 {A complicated regrouping.} 54. Kg6 c5 55. f4 (55. h4 Kxd6 56. Kf7 $44) 55... Kxd6 56. f5 Ng5 57. Kxg7 Nxe4 58. Kxh6 Kd5 {Quite a complicated position, which is evaluated as drawn by my engines.} 59. Kg6 c4 60. g4 c3 61. h4 Nd6 62. h5 Nc4 63. Bc1 e4 64. h6 e3 65. h7 e2 66. h8=Q e1=Q 67. Qg8+ Kd4 68. Qd8+ $11) 51. Kh5 Kg8 {?...?h7, ...g6} 52. f4 (52. Kg6 Nf8+ 53. Kf5 Kf7 $15 54. Bxc5 $2 h5 $3 $19 {with mate in one.}) 52... exf4 53. gxf4 Kf7 54. Bd2 Nf8 55. Be3 Nd7 56. f5 c4 57. Bd4 {Optically, it looks like if White has some chances, but in fact there are more ways than one to defend with Black. One important element is that the a5-pawn has the promotion square on a different colour from that of the bishop.} Ke8 (57... Nf8 {was also possible, not fearing} 58. e5 fxe5 59. Bxe5 {because of} Nd7 60. Bc3 Nf6+) 58. Kg6 Kf8 59. Bc3 Kg8 60. Bd4 Kf8 61. h3 Kg8 62. Bc3 Kf8 63. h4 Kg8 64. e5 $5 {Finally some action.} fxe5 65. f6 gxf6 (65... Nxf6 66. Bxe5 Kf8 $8 67. h5 Ke8 68. Kxg7 Nxh5+ 69. Kxh6 c3 70. Kxh5 c2 71. Bf4 Kd7 72. Kg4 c1=Q 73. Bxc1 Kxd6 $11) 66. h5 f5 67. Kxf5 Kf7 68. Bb4 e4 69. Kxe4 Ke6 70. Kd4 Nf6 71. Kxc4 Nxh5 72. Kc5 Nf6 73. Kc6 Nd7 74. Be1 h5 75. Bg3 Nf8 76. Kb7 h4 77. Bh2 Kd5 78. Kxa6 Kc6 79. Ka7 Nd7 80. a6 Nc5 $11 81. Bf4 h3 82. Bg3 Kb5 83. Bh2 Kc6 84. Bg3 Kb5 85. Bh2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge"] [Site "Zuerich"] [Date "2014.01.31"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2812"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2014.01.30"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 159"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.03.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Carlsen's intentions when opening the game with this move are not very clear. In the fifth game of his match against Anand he soon transposed to 1.d4, something Korchnoi used to do a lot in his matches against Karpov. In this game, White will not be given this opportunity.} Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 {In my opinion, the most testing system against the English Opening. It is very hard to prove an objective advantage with White; you mainly need to know all the typical ideas and try to outplay your opponent by combining them in the most inspired way.} 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. d3 Re8 10. b4 Bf8 11. Rb1 a5 12. b5 Nd4 13. e3 $5 {A rare move and, at this level, a novelty. White usually does not play e2-e3 with the knight on f3 still.} (13. Nd2 a4 14. e3 Ne6 15. Nf3 Nc5 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4 {This was supposed to be good for White some 20 years ago, but things seem to have changed since then.} Qg5 (17... g6 {Georgiev,K (2580)-Gelfand,B (2680) Manila 1990 CBM 019 [Ribli] (1/2, 91)}) 18. e4 Qg6 19. Bf4 Ne6 20. Nxe6 Bxe6 21. Bxc7 Rec8 22. Bxb6 Rxc3 23. Qd4 {1/2 Flores,D (2599)-Garcia Palermo,C (2479) Mar del Plata 2012}) (13. Bb2 {used to be a favourite of Portisch:} a4 (13... Bg4 {Portisch,L (2605)-Kortschnoj,V (2625) Wijk aan Zee 1990 CBM 017 [Ribli] (1-0, 39)}) 14. Nd2 {Portisch,L (2605)-Petursson,M (2555) Wijk aan Zee 1990 CBM 017 [Ribli] (1/2, 39)}) ({RR} 13. Nd2 a4 14. e3 Ne6 15. Nf3 Nc5 16. Nxe5 Rxe5 17. d4 Re8 18. dxc5 Qxd1 19. Rxd1 Bxc5 20. Bb2 Nc4 21. Nd5 Nxb2 22. Rxb2 Bxa3 23. Rc2 Be6 24. Nxc7 Bb3 25. Ra1 Bxc2 26. Rxa3 Bb3 27. Nxa8 Rxa8 {Nepomniachtchi,I (2749)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2796) Sharjah 2017 ½-½ (96)}) ({RR} 13. Nd2 a4 14. e3 Ne6 15. Nf3 Nc5 16. d4 exd4 17. exd4 Nb3 18. Bg5 f6 19. Bf4 Be6 20. Re1 Qd7 21. Bh1 Bf7 22. Be3 Nc4 23. Nd2 Rxe3 24. fxe3 Ncxd2 25. Ra1 c5 26. Ra2 cxd4 27. Rxd2 Nxd2 {Grzesik,G (2175)-Hjartarson,J (2464) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (40)}) 13... Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 a4 (14... Bh3 $6 {offers White pleasant play:} 15. Bxb7 $1 Bxf1 {Vezzosi,P (2362)-Ranola,Y (2432) Salsomaggiore Terme 2006 (0-1, 49)} 16. Qxf1 Rb8 17. Bc6 Re6 18. Bb2 Rd6 19. Rd1 $44) 15. Qe2 $146 {Planning a long and logical regrouping.} ({The previously played} 15. Qc2 {does make sense, though:} Ra5 ({If Black chooses the same setup as in the game with} 15... Ra7 {White could speed up his initiative with} 16. Ne4 {[%CAl Ge4c5] inhibiting the development of the c8-bishop in view of the threat ?c5; here we see that the queen is useful on c2 and that White is ready for action even with incomplete development. One main thing is that the 7-rook is passive.} f5 17. Nd2 Be6 18. Bb2 Bd6 19. Nc4 Nxc4 20. dxc4 Qe7 21. Qc3 e4 22. Bh5 Rd8 23. f3 Qg5 24. f4 Qe7 25. g4 {White's position remains more pleasant, but is it enough for anything?}) 16. Rd1 f5 $6 17. e4 $1 $14 {[%csl Gf4] Kristiansen,J (2445)-Jakobsen,O (2390) Copenhagen 1990 (1-0, 33)}) ({RR} 15. Qc2 Ra5 16. Rd1 f5 17. e4 g6 18. Bg2 Qd6 19. exf5 gxf5 20. Be3 Be6 21. Bxb7 Bb3 22. Rxb3 axb3 23. Qxb3+ Kg7 24. a4 Qa3 25. Qc2 Nxa4 26. Nd5 Bd6 27. Qd2 Qb3 28. Bh6+ Kf7 29. Qg5 Qxd1+ {Kristiansen,J (2445)-Jakobsen,O (2390) Copenhagen 1990 1-0 (33)}) 15... Ra7 16. Bb2 Be6 17. Rfc1 {Logical, but also a bit slow. If the rooks go on the b- and c-files, the queen is surely well placed on e2.} Qd7 ({Aronian does not feel like embarking double edged action such as} 17... f5 18. e4 f4 19. gxf4 exf4 20. Kh1 $5 {[%CAl Gc1g1]}) 18. Ne4 Ba2 $1 {At some later point it will appear that the white queen's rook actually stands better on a1 than on b1. And yet, at this point in the game, the last move is the best.} (18... Bd5 19. Nc5 $14 Qxb5 $2 20. Bxe5 $16 {Here we see the role of the b1-rook.}) (18... Bb3 19. Nd2 Ba2 20. Ra1 Bd5 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. e4 Nb6 23. Nf3 Bd6 (23... Qxb5 24. Rab1 $1 {[%CAl Gb2e5] Even with a loss of one tempo the rook is quite effective here, for instance} Qa5 $6 25. Rxc7 Bd6 26. Bc3 Qa6 27. Ng5 $1 {[%CAl Ge2h5]} h6 28. Qh5 Rf8 29. Nxf7 Bxc7 30. Nxh6+ gxh6 31. Qg6+ Kh8 32. Qxh6+ Kg8 33. Qg6+ Kh8 34. Rxb6 $1 Qxb6 35. Bxe5+ Bxe5 36. Qxb6 $16 {lots of pawns...}) 24. d4 $14 {[%csl Ga7]}) 19. Ra1 Bd5 20. Bg4 {Aiming to provoke some weakening of Black's position.} Qd8 ({Actually,} 20... f5 {was entirely playable, but the following variation had to be calculated accurately.} 21. Bh3 Ra5 22. Ng5 Bd6 23. e4 Qe7 $1 {Exiting the pin and attacking the knight.} 24. Qd2 Rxb5 $1 25. exd5 Rxb2 26. Qxb2 Qxg5 $44 {There is no obvious way to breakthrough with White. In fact, it is mainly Black who could think of a pawn attack on the kingside.}) 21. Bc3 Nd7 22. Bf3 $6 {Giving away the chances to keep the micro-initiative.} (22. Qb2 $5 {[%CAl Gc3b4] The bishop exchange would spare White any troubles with the a3-pawn and would ensure some queenside space for the major pieces.} b6 ({The bishop would be exposed after} 22... Bb3 23. Bb4 Bxb4 24. axb4 b6 25. Rc3 {[%CAl Gc3b3]} Bd5 26. Nd2 Nf6 27. Bd1 $16 {[%csl Ga4]}) 23. Bb4 Bxe4 24. dxe4 Bxb4 25. Qxb4 Nc5 26. Be2 Ra8 27. Bc4 $1 Qf6 (27... Nxe4 $2 28. Bxf7+ $1 $16) 28. Rc2 Rad8 29. Bd5 $14 {[%csl Ga4,Gc7][%CAl Ga1c1,Gc2c5]}) 22... b6 $1 {[%CAl Gd7c5] Crossing White's plans.} ({There was absolutely no need to fall into the thematic trap} 22... f5 $2 23. Nd6 $1 $16 Bxf3 24. Qa2+ $1 $18) 23. Bb4 $5 {Not the optimal way to exchange bishops, but a reasonable one...} ({Now is too late for} 23. Qb2 {in view of} Nc5 $1) 23... Bxb4 24. axb4 Qe7 25. Nc3 Bxf3 26. Qxf3 Nf6 $1 (26... a3 $6 {not only fails to keep the pawn, but also hands over the initiative to White:} 27. Nd5 Qd8 (27... Qd6 $2 28. Rc6 $18) 28. Rc3 $16 {[%csl Ga3]}) ({Or if} 26... Qxb4 $6 27. Qc6 Rd8 {White has a pleasant choice already} 28. Nd5 $1 (28. Nxa4 $5 $14 Rxa4 $2 29. Qxc7 $1) 28... Qb3 29. Nxc7 $16 {Black's poor coordination seems to be more relevant than his passed pawn.}) 27. Rxa4 Rxa4 28. Nxa4 Qxb4 $11 29. Nc3 Qb2 30. Qd1 Rd8 31. Kg2 h6 32. h3 Rxd3 {Actually, any reasonable move would suffice for equality. True, White's structure is more compact, but Black is quite active.} (32... Rd7 $11) 33. Qxd3 Qxc1 34. Qd8+ Kh7 35. Qxc7 Ne4 $1 {Otherwise Black would be in some trouble.} (35... e4 36. Qe5 Qc2 37. Nd5 Nxd5 38. Qxd5 $16 {[%csl Gb6,Ge4,Gf7]}) 36. Qxe5 (36. Qxf7 $11) 36... Nxc3 37. Qf5+ Kg8 38. Qc8+ Kh7 39. Qf5+ Kh8 40. Qc8+ Kh7 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Caruana"] [Site "London"] [Date "2018.11.13"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2832"] [Annotator "Adams,Michael"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2018.11.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "GBR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 187"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] {After the second game, Carlsen would have been very keen to avoid Caruana demonstrating how good his preparation is again, but despite a slightly unexpected first move, he had another frustrating day with the White pieces.} 1. c4 e5 (1... e6 {would be an option to try to steer the game back towards the QGD of game 2.}) 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 {Although we haven't seen an Open Sicilian when Caruana is White (yet), here we get one with reversed colours.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. O-O O-O 8. d3 Re8 (8... Bb6 $5 {was played by Alexander Grischuk against Pavel Eljanov in the Geneva Grand Prix last year which brought this line to prominence. Since then many players have picked up the idea, including myself.}) 9. Bd2 ({Fabiano played the White side of this position against me!} 9. Ng5 $5 Nf6 10. Qb3 Qe7 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Nd8 {Now it's hard to intensify the pressure and Black is not doing badly.} 13. Qc4 Bd4 $1 {preventing the queen transferring to e4.} (13... Bb6 14. Qe4) 14. Bg2 h6 15. Nf3 Nc6 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. fxe3 e4 18. dxe4 {The Irish pawn centre as Tony Miles dubbed tripled pawns is often not as bad as it looks - here the position is roughly balanced.} a5 19. a3 Ra6 20. Rac1 Rb6 21. Rc2 Be6 22. Qc3 Rb3 23. Qd2 Rd8 24. Qc1 a4 25. Rc5 Rd7 26. h3 Qd8 27. g4 g6 28. Kh1 Kg7 29. e5 Bd5 30. Kg1 Be6 31. Kf2 Qe7 32. Kg1 Rd5 $6 ({After} 32... Qd8 {it's hard for either side to do anything, now things went wrong for me.}) 33. Rc4 Ra5 34. Rc2 Bd5 35. Nd4 Nxd4 36. exd4 Rg3 37. Rf3 Bxf3 38. exf3 c6 39. Kh2 Rxg2+ 40. Kxg2 Rd5 41. Rc4 c5 42. Rxc5 Rxd4 43. Qc3 Qd8 44. Rc8 Qb6 45. Re8 g5 46. Re7 Kg8 47. e6 fxe6 48. Qc2 Kf8 49. Rh7 Qc6 50. Qxc6 bxc6 51. Rxh6 Kf7 52. Kg3 Rd2 53. Rh7+ Kf6 54. Rb7 Ke5 55. h4 gxh4+ 56. Kxh4 Kf4 57. Rf7+ Ke3 58. Kg3 Rd1 59. g5 Rg1+ 60. Kh4 Rg2 61. Rf6 e5 62. g6 Rxb2 63. Kg5 Rg2+ 64. Kh6 Rh2+ 65. Kg7 c5 66. Kf7 c4 67. g7 Rh7 68. Ra6 {1-0 (68) Caruana,F (2799)-Adams,M (2715) London 2017}) 9... Nxc3 ({RR} 9... h6 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Bc3 Qd6 12. Nd2 Bb6 13. Nc4 Qg6 14. Rc1 Qh5 15. Re1 Bh3 16. Bh1 Rad8 17. Nxb6 axb6 18. Qa4 Bd7 19. Qb3 Be6 20. Qc2 Bd5 21. Bxd5 Rxd5 22. b3 Qh3 23. e4 Rd6 24. Qe2 {Akkarakaran,J (2322)-Paravyan,D (2610) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (69)}) 10. Bxc3 ({It looks more natural to capture towards the centre} 10. bxc3 {but then White's minor pieces are in each other's way after} h6 $5 (10... e4 $5 11. dxe4 Qe7 {could also be interesting.})) 10... Nd4 ({Not the only move, but it counters White's threat:} 10... a5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. d4 $14) 11. b4 ({Magnus was already thinking a bit here, somewhat surprisingly given Caruana played this only five months ago, in almost his last game against the English!} 11. Rc1 Bb6 12. Re1 Bg4 13. Bxd4 exd4 14. a3 c6 15. Nd2 a5 {Black was comfortable here in the blitz game So - Caruana. Magnus chooses a more critical move, gaining some queenside space.}) 11... Bd6 ({This unnatural move was played quickly} 11... Bf8 {allows White the option of} 12. Nxe5 Rxe5 13. e3) (11... Bb6 12. a4 {is also not straightforward.}) 12. Rb1 $146 (12. Nxd4 $5 exd4 13. Bxd4 Bxg3 (13... Bxb4) 14. hxg3 Qxd4 {looks like it could be interesting, but with home analysis no doubt Black survives.}) (12. e3 $5) ({RR} 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Bxd4 Bxg3 14. hxg3 Qxd4 15. Rc1 c6 16. Qd2 Be6 17. e3 Qf6 18. b5 cxb5 19. Bxb7 Rab8 20. Bg2 Red8 21. Rc6 Qe7 22. d4 Bc4 {½-½ (22) Solonar,S (2298)-Suvorov,A (2391) Heusenstamm 2021}) ({RR} 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Bxd4 Bxg3 14. hxg3 Qxd4 15. Rc1 c6 16. Qd2 Be6 17. e3 Qf6 18. b5 cxb5 19. Bxb7 Rab8 20. Bg2 Red8 21. Rc6 Qe7 22. d4 Bc4 {½-½ (22) Solonar,S (2298)-Suvorov,A (2391) Heusenstamm 2021}) 12... Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 a6 14. a4 c6 15. Re1 $5 (15. Qc2 $5) ({The critical move must be} 15. b5 $1 {Could} cxb5 $5 (15... axb5 16. axb5 Bd7 (16... Bh3 $2 17. bxc6 bxc6 18. Bxc6 $16) 17. bxc6 Bxc6 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Qc2 $14 {looks no fun at all for Black. Perhaps Magnus was concerned 15.b5 would still be within his opponent's homework.}) 16. axb5 a5 {be Black's idea?}) 15... Bd7 {Preventing the b5 break for now.} 16. e3 Qf6 (16... Qe7 $5 {was also possible.}) 17. Be4 Bf5 ({A forcing option} 17... Rad8 $5 {still looks sensible to me.}) 18. Qf3 {Magnus is also happy to swap material.} Bxe4 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. dxe4 {Black's kingside structure is ugly but it won't be easy to get at it.} b5 {Fixing the pawn on b4 as a target for the black bishop.} 21. Red1 ({Another fast move.} 21. Rb2 $5 {was another option.}) 21... Bf8 22. axb5 axb5 (22... cxb5 {is met by} 23. Be1 Rec8 24. Rdc1 {preventing the black rook getting to c4.}) 23. Kg2 {White's king would like to get to f5 but that's not going to happen.} Red8 24. Rdc1 Kg7 25. Be1 Rdc8 26. Rc2 Ra4 {It's hard for White to improve as he is tied to the b4 pawn.} 27. Kf3 (27. g4 $5) 27... h5 {A good move taking some space on the kingside.} 28. Ke2 Kg6 29. h3 f5 {Getting rid of the doubled pawns and improving the Black king position.} 30. exf5+ Kxf5 31. f3 Be7 {The position is fairly dead and the players bring proceedings to a swift conclusion.} 32. e4+ Ke6 33. Bd2 (33. Rbc1 {can be met by} Kd7 {or} (33... Bxb4 {as in the next note.})) 33... Bd6 34. Rbc1 {Draw agreed as} Kd7 ({Even} 34... Bxb4 35. Bxb4 Rxb4 36. Rxc6+ Rxc6 37. Rxc6+ Ke7 38. Rh6 Rb2+ {is fine as there is no way to hide from the checks.}) 35. Rb1 {repeats} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.28"] [Round "6"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2853"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. d3 O-O 9. a3 Re8 10. b4 Bf8 11. Nd2 ({RR} 11. Bg5 f6 12. Be3 a5 13. Bxb6 cxb6 14. b5 Nd4 15. e3 Nf5 16. Nd2 Rb8 17. Nc4 Be6 18. Na4 Nd6 19. Naxb6 Nxb5 20. Qa4 Nc3 21. Qc2 Nd5 22. Rfb1 Kh8 23. h4 Nxb6 24. Nxb6 Qd6 25. Rb5 Red8 {Carlsen,M (2864)-Hansen,E (2606) chess24.com INT 2022 1-0 (73)}) 11... Be6 12. Bb2 {A normal version of a reversed Dragon, though there are no games in the database with this exact position!} Qd7 13. Nce4 $146 ({RR} 13. Rc1 f6 14. Nb3 a5 15. b5 Nd4 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Ne4 Bd5 18. Nc5 Qxb5 19. Bxd4 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rad8 21. e3 Nd7 22. a4 Qc6+ 23. Ne4 Qd5 24. Kg1 c5 25. Bb2 Ne5 26. Bxe5 Rxe5 27. Nc3 Qxd3 {Mikhalevski,V (2504)-Khachiyan,M (2530) Chess.com INT 2017 1-0 (66)}) ({RR} 13. Re1 f6 14. Nb3 Qf7 15. Nd2 Rab8 16. Na4 Nd5 17. Rc1 a5 18. bxa5 Nxa5 19. e4 Nb6 20. Nxb6 cxb6 21. f4 Bc5+ 22. Kh1 Nc6 23. fxe5 fxe5 24. Rf1 Qe7 25. Nc4 Qg5 26. Rc2 Rbd8 27. Bc1 Qe7 {Bastiao,T (1893)-Mannion,S (2135) Maia POR 2024 ½-½ (59)}) 13... Bh3 {Trading off the dragon bishop is very normal. Black wastes some time on this operation, but it is more than acceptable.} 14. Bxh3 (14. b5 Nd4 15. Bxh3 Qxh3 16. a4 {was not to Aronian's liking.}) 14... Qxh3 15. Qb3 Qd7 16. Nf3 a5 17. b5 Nd4 18. Nxd4 (18. Bxd4 exd4 {gives Black the ability to pressure a3 (after a4 from Black) and e2, which should give him enough counterplay.}) 18... exd4 19. a4 Qd5 {Carlsen mentioned he didn't know what else to do, this leads to a draw after many trades.} 20. Qxd5 Nxd5 21. Bxd4 f5 22. Nc3 Nxc3 23. Bxc3 Rxe2 {so far forced. White has to take care of the active rook.} 24. Rfe1 {no Rae8 because a5 is hanging} Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Bb4 {more trades} 26. Rc1 {forced} (26. Bxb4 axb4 {gives Black an obvious edge in an endgame.}) 26... c6 27. bxc6 bxc6 28. Bxb4 axb4 29. Rxc6 Rxa4 {the game is very obviously drawn.} 30. Rb6 Ra1+ 31. Kg2 Rd1 32. Rxb4 Rxd3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 6th"] [Site "Karlsruhe/Baden Baden"] [Date "2019.04.24"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2845"] [BlackElo "2695"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2019.04.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 190"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Nd5 a5 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Re8 8. d3 Nxd5 ({RR} 8... h6 9. e4 Bc5 10. Be3 d6 11. h3 Nb4 12. a3 Nbxd5 13. cxd5 Bxe3 14. fxe3 Bd7 15. Rc1 c6 16. Nd2 Ra6 17. Kh2 b5 18. a4 cxd5 19. exd5 bxa4 20. Nc4 Bb5 21. Na3 Bd7 22. Nc4 e4 23. dxe4 {Erigaisi,A (2713)-Maghsoodloo,P (2732) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (35)}) ({RR} 8... h6 9. Rb1 Bf8 10. a3 d6 11. b4 axb4 12. axb4 e4 13. dxe4 Nxe4 14. Be3 Bf5 15. Rc1 Qd7 16. Nd4 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 c5 18. bxc5 dxc5 19. Qb2 Qc6 20. Bf4 Bd6 21. Bxd6 Qxd6 22. Rfd1 Qc6 23. h3 {Ferreira,E (2076)-Keller,P (2308) chess.com INT 2025 ½-½ (46)}) 9. cxd5 Nd4 10. Nxd4 $146 ({RR} 10. Nd2 a4 11. e3 Nf5 12. Ne4 c6 13. a3 Bf8 14. Nc3 Qa5 15. b4 axb3 16. Qxb3 Qa6 17. a4 b5 18. Bb2 b4 19. Ne4 c5 20. d6 Rb8 21. Rfc1 Bxd6 22. Nxc5 Bxc5 23. Rxc5 d6 24. Rc7 Be6 {Duer,A (2395)-Kaspret,G Graz 1981 1-0 (35)}) ({RR} 10. Ne1 Bf8 11. e3 Nf5 12. Nc2 c6 13. e4 Nd4 14. Nxd4 exd4 15. dxc6 dxc6 16. f4 b5 17. e5 Qb6 18. Bd2 Ba6 19. Be1 Rac8 20. Bf2 c5 21. Re1 Bb7 22. Be4 Bxe4 23. Rxe4 Qg6 24. Qf3 f5 {Tawakol,K (2135)-Mohrholz,S (1966) Goch 2016 ½-½ (47)}) 10... exd4 11. e4 c6 12. Bf4 cxd5 13. a3 Bc5 14. b4 Bf8 15. exd5 d6 16. bxa5 Qxa5 17. Bd2 Qa6 18. Qf3 g6 19. Bb4 Bf5 20. Rad1 Re5 21. g4 Bd7 22. Qf4 h5 23. h3 hxg4 24. hxg4 Qb6 25. Bf3 Ba4 26. Rc1 Bg7 27. Kg2 Bb3 28. Rh1 Bxd5 29. Bxd5 Rxd5 30. Rh3 Qd8 31. Qf3 Rb5 32. Qg3 Qg5 33. Rc7 Rd8 34. Rh1 Qd5+ 35. Qf3 Qxf3+ 36. Kxf3 d5 37. Rhc1 Be5 38. Rc8 Rxc8 39. Rxc8+ Kg7 40. g5 f6 41. Re8 Rb6 42. Re7+ Kg8 43. Kg4 f5+ 44. Kf3 Bh2 45. Rd7 Rb5 46. Bd6 Bxd6 47. Rxd6 Rb3 48. Rxg6+ Kh7 49. Rh6+ Kg7 50. Kf4 Rxd3 51. a4 Rc3 52. Rd6 Rc5 53. Rd7+ Kg6 54. Rxb7 Rc6 55. a5 d3 56. Ke3 Rc5 57. f4 d2 58. Kxd2 Rxa5 59. Rd7 Kh5 60. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Baku FIDE GP"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2008.04.29"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Cheparinov, Ivan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2696"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2008.04.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. d3 f6 11. Rb1 Nd4 12. Nd2 c6 13. e3 Nb5 14. Qc2 ({RR} 14. Nxb5 cxb5 15. Nb3 Qd7 16. Na5 Nd5 17. Bb2 Rac8 18. d4 b6 19. Nb3 Nc3 20. Bxc3 Rxc3 21. Rb2 a5 22. d5 Bg4 23. Qd2 axb4 24. axb4 Bxb4 25. Nd4 Rb3 26. Qc2 Rxb2 27. Qxb2 exd4 28. Qxb4 Be2 {Carlsen,M (2813)-Karjakin,S (2725) Nice 2010 0-1 (46)}) 14... Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Qd7 16. Nb3 Rad8 $146 ({RR} 16... Rfd8 17. Rd1 Rac8 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. bxc5 Nd5 20. Qc2 b5 21. d4 Ne7 22. Bb2 exd4 23. Rxd4 Qc7 24. Rbd1 Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Rd8 26. Qd2 Rxd4 27. Bxd4 f5 28. Bb2 Qd7 29. Qc3 Nd5 30. Qe5 Nf6 31. Bd4 {Moor,R (2363)-Edouard,R (2680) Deizisau 2013 ½-½ (52)}) 17. Rd1 Bg4 18. Rd2 Kh8 19. Nc5 Qc8 20. Bb2 Nd5 21. Qc2 Nc7 22. Rc1 Ne6 23. h4 Nxc5 24. bxc5 Qe6 25. d4 exd4 26. Bxd4 Rd7 27. Qe4 Qxe4 28. Bxe4 Re8 29. Bg2 Bf8 30. Rb2 Kg8 31. Rcb1 Ree7 32. Rb4 h5 33. R1b2 Kf7 34. f3 Be6 35. Kf2 g6 36. Bf1 Bg7 37. Ra4 a6 38. Rab4 f5 39. Bxg7 Kxg7 40. e4 fxe4 41. Rxe4 Bf5 42. Rxe7+ Rxe7 43. Bc4 Kf6 44. Be2 Bc8 45. Rd2 Re5 46. Rc2 a5 47. Rc3 Rd5 48. Ke3 Re5+ 49. Kf2 Rd5 50. Ke3 Re5+ 51. Kf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 2nd"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2015.04.25"] [Round "8"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2863"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2015.04.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Borik,Otto} e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. cxd5 Nd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. Qa4 $146 ({RR} 10. e4 c6 11. dxc6 bxc6 12. d3 a5 13. f4 Ba6 14. f5 Be7 15. e5 f6 16. Be4 Bf8 17. e6 d5 18. Bf3 g6 19. g4 g5 20. Rf2 Bd6 21. Qf1 Ra7 22. Qh3 Rg7 23. Be2 c5 24. b3 Be5 {Bielicki,C-Behrensen,J Balcarce 1961 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 10. e3 c5 ({RR} 10... dxe3 11. dxe3 d6 12. Bd2) ({RR} 10... Bc5) 11. a3 Ba5 12. exd4 cxd4 13. d6 Qf6 ({RR} 13... Re6 14. b4 Bb6 15. d3 Rxd6 16. Bf4 Re6 17. Bd5) 14. d3 Qxd6 15. Bf4 Qa6 16. b4 Bd8 17. Re1 Rf8 18. Qh5 d6 19. Bd5 Bd7 20. a4 Rc8 21. Be4 g6 22. Qf3 Rc7 23. b5 Qb6 24. Bh6 a6 {Timman,J (2630)-Huebner,R (2620) Sarajevo 1991 Candidates [Borik,Otto] 1-0} ({RR} 24... Re8 25. Bd5 Be6 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. Rxe6)) ({RR} 10. e4 dxe3 11. dxe3 d6 12. a3 Bc5 13. b4 Bb6 14. Bb2 Bf5 15. a4 a5 16. b5 Bc5 17. Rc1 Qd7 18. Rc4 f6 19. g4 Bg6 20. h4 h6 21. h5 Bh7 22. Kh2 Re7 23. Rg1 Qe8 24. Bf3 Be4 {Greet,A (2405)-Garcia Pantoja,R (2550) Budapest HUN 2024 ½-½ (48)}) ({RR} 10. b3 b6 11. Bb2 Bc5 12. e3 Ba6 13. Re1 Qf6 14. Qc2 dxe3 15. dxe3 Qg6 16. e4 c6 17. Qd2 Bb7 18. d6 Bxd6 19. e5 Bc5 20. b4 Bf8 21. Qxd7 Rab8 22. Be4 Qe6 23. Qxe6 fxe6 24. Bc3 c5 {Uhlmann,W-Portisch,L Skopje 1972 ½-½}) 10... a5 11. e3 b5 12. Qc2 Bb7 13. b3 Qg5 14. a3 Bf8 15. Bb2 Bxd5 16. e4 Bb7 17. Bxd4 c5 18. Be3 Qg6 19. d3 a4 20. Rab1 axb3 21. Rxb3 b4 22. axb4 cxb4 23. Bd2 Bc6 24. Rb2 Ba4 25. Qc4 Rec8 26. Qd4 Bc5 27. Qd5 b3 28. d4 Bb6 29. Be3 h6 30. e5 Bc6 31. Qxb3 Bxg2 32. Kxg2 Bxd4 33. Bxd4 Qe4+ 34. Qf3 Qxd4 35. Rb5 Qc3 36. Rd1 Qxf3+ 37. Kxf3 Rc7 38. Rbd5 Raa7 39. Kg4 Ra2 40. R1d2 Rxd2 41. Rxd2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.08.10"] [Round "8"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2742"] [BlackElo "2822"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2017.08.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. Bf4 ({RR} 8. Nc2 d6 9. O-O Re8 10. h3 a5 11. Ne3 Bd7 12. Bd2 Nd4 13. Ned5 Nxd5 14. cxd5 c5 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. Rc1 d5 17. Re1 h5 18. e4 Be6 19. b3 dxe4 20. Nxe4 Bd5 21. Bc3 Qb6 22. Qd2 Red8 {Rodshtein,M (2685)-McShane,L (2688) Netanya 2019 0-1 (31)}) ({RR} 8. Nc2 d6 9. O-O Be6 10. b3 Qd7 11. Re1 Bh3 12. Bf3 Rfe8 13. Bb2 Ne5 14. Bh1 Rad8 15. e4 h5 16. Ne3 c6 17. f3 a6 18. a4 Qc7 19. Bg2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nfd7 21. Rb1 Nc5 22. Ba1 a5 {Sadhwani,R (2659)-Socko,B (2551) St. Pauli GER 2025 0-1 (50)}) 8... Nh5 $146 ({RR} 8... Re8 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Qd2 Ba6 11. b3 d5 12. O-O Qe7 13. Rac1 Rad8 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Rfe1 c6 16. Na4 Ne4 17. Qa5 Bb5 18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. Nc3 Bd4 20. Nxb5 Bb6 21. Qa3 cxb5 22. Qxe7 Rxe7 23. Bg5 {Mareco,S (2574)-Bacrot,E (2720) Tromsoe 2014 ½-½ (90)}) ({RR} 8... Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. Qd2 Be6 11. Bxb7 Rb8 12. Bg2 Bxc4 13. O-O Ba6 14. Rac1 Bb7 15. b3 Re8 16. Rfd1 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qc8 18. f3 Qa6 19. e4 Rb7 20. Bg5 Re6 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Nd5 c6 23. Nxf6+ {Potkin,V (2597)-Thorfinnsson,B (2399) Reykjavik 2019 1-0 (37)}) 9. Nxc6 dxc6 10. Qxd8 Rxd8 11. Bxc7 Rd4 12. c5 Rc4 13. O-O Rxc5 14. Rfc1 Nf6 15. Bd6 Rh5 16. Rd1 Be6 17. Bf3 Ra5 18. Rd2 h6 19. Rad1 Ra6 20. e4 Bg4 21. Bxg4 Nxg4 22. Kg2 Ne5 23. b3 Nc4 24. bxc4 Bxc3 25. Rc2 Bg7 26. c5 Re8 27. e5 b5 28. cxb6 axb6 29. Rxc6 Rxa2 30. Re1 b5 31. Rb6 Rd2 32. Rxb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bergen Sommer op"] [Site "Bergen"] [Date "2002.07.21"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Fyllingen, Roy Harald"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2214"] [BlackElo "2378"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2002.07.20"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 089 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.09.10"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.09.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Nd5 Bf8 8. d3 Nxd5 9. cxd5 Nb4 10. Qb3 ({RR} 10. e4 c6 11. d4 cxd5 12. exd5 d6 13. Qb3 Na6 14. Be3 e4 15. Ng5 f5 16. f3 exf3 17. Bxf3 Nc7 18. Rae1 Bd7 19. Bf4 Qf6 20. Ne6 Nb5 21. Bg2 Kh8 22. Bg5 Qg6 23. Nxf8 Rxf8 24. Be7 Rfe8 {Klepek,W (2221)-Savitha,S (2341) Warsaw POL 2025 ½-½ (51)}) 10... a5 11. Bg5 $146 ({RR} 11. a3 Na6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Be3 d6 14. Rac1 b6 15. d4 exd4 16. Nxd4 Bd7 17. Qc2 a4 18. Be4 g6 19. Ne6 fxe6 20. Bxg6 Bf6 21. Bxh7+ Kh8 22. Rfd1 Qe7 23. Bg6 Rg8 24. Be4 Nc5 25. dxe6 Nxe4 {Sisniega,M (2455)-Garcia,G (2365) Buenos Aires 1978 ½-½ (44)}) ({RR} 11. a3 Na6 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Be3 d6 14. Rac1 f5 15. Nxe5 dxe5 16. d6+ Kh8 17. dxe7 Qxe7 18. Qb5 c6 19. Qxa5 Be6 20. Qxe5 Qd7 21. Qd4 Qf7 22. Qb6 Bd5 23. Bxd5 Qxd5 24. Qxb7 Reb8 25. Qxc6 Qxc6 {Wieczorek,O (2477)-Gholami,A (2493) Chess.com INT 2018 1-0 (52)}) 11... f6 12. Bd2 Kh8 13. Nh4 c6 14. Bxb4 axb4 15. Be4 g6 16. dxc6 dxc6 17. Qf7 f5 18. Bg2 Qe7 19. Qxe7 Bxe7 20. Nf3 Bf6 21. e4 Be6 22. a3 Ra4 23. Rfe1 bxa3 24. bxa3 fxe4 25. dxe4 Rea8 26. Rab1 Bc8 27. Nd2 b5 28. Rbc1 Bd7 29. Rcd1 R8a7 30. Nb1 Be7 31. f4 Bc5+ 32. Kh1 Bd4 33. Rd3 Be6 34. fxe5 Bxe5 35. Rc1 Rc4 36. Rcd1 Bg4 37. Re1 Rc2 38. Rd8+ Kg7 39. Re8 Bd6 40. e5 Be7 41. h3 Be6 42. Rd1 Rc7 43. Rb8 Bc5 44. Re8 Rd7 45. Rf1 Bc4 46. Re1 Rf7 0-1 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2008.01.26"] [Round "12"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2799"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Carlsen,Magnus"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2008.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Before this game I had lost to Vishy in a complicated struggle, so for this game I decided that I should just try and make a draw, (which is not an easy task anyway) and not lose 3 out of the last four games, winning against van Wely only by a miracle.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 {I must admit that I rather expected the Catalan here, but possibly because I had defended quite confidently against his Catalan in the Tal he decided to switch this time} c5 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 (7. Re1 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 {hasn't given White much lately, neither after} 9. d4 ({Nor} 9. e4 Nb4 $1) 9... cxd4 {As for instance in Aronian-Jakovenko} (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Be4 11. Ne5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 O-O 13. e4 {Was probably somewhat better for White in Carlsen-Aronian, Elista 2007.})) 7... cxd4 8. Qxd4 d6 9. Rd1 a6 10. Ng5 {A fairly old line I think, which is not considered especially dangerous for Black if he's well prepared. Unfortunately I couldn't remember anything, and so I had to start thinking from this point.} Bxg2 11. Kxg2 Nc6 {I didn't find a comfortable way to put this guy on d7, so I came up with this move, which is part of a plan which turned out to have a reasonably good reputation.} 12. Qf4 O-O 13. Nce4 Ne8 {Retreating is considered to be the normal reaction to ?e4. The black position is now slightly awkward, but the white knights are not perfectly placed either.} 14. b3 Ra7 15. Bb2 Rd7 {This move is probably not really necessary, but I thought that there was no better square for the rook anyway, and overprotecting the d6-pawn might turn out to be useful at some point. I had already spent a lot of time here, 45 minutes, but he had also spent some time, almost 40 minutes, which left me feeling relieved that he was not still in his preparation. Still, things are not really easy for Black. His coordination is somewhat worse than it usually is in the hedgehog, and I found it hard to find constructive waiting moves.} 16. Rac1 {h4 or ?f3 could also be considered, but the text is quite reasonable as well.} ({RR} 16. Nf3 h6 17. h4 f5 18. Nc3 Bf6 19. Qe3 e5 20. Nd5 f4 21. Qe4 Ne7 22. gxf4 exf4 23. Qe6+ Kh8 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Nxf4 Qe8 26. Rxd6 Ng6 27. Nxg6+ Qxg6+ 28. Kf1 Rxd6 29. Qxd6 Re8 30. Rd1 Qg4 {Harsha,B (2499)-Shiva,P (2022) New Delhi 2022 1-0 (39)}) 16... Nc7 $146 {I spent quite some time on this move, which has the purpose of protecting e6, preparing f5. There were of course alternatives, the most natural being the more hedgehog-like} (16... Qa8 17. Nf3 b5 {I rejected it because I wasn't sure whether bxc4 bxc4 would really improve my position. That is why I decided that going for f5 and g5 was just according to the demands of the position.}) ({RR} 16... Qa8 17. Kg1 b5 18. Nf3 bxc4 19. Rxc4 d5 20. Nc5 Rd8 21. Rcc1 Nf6 22. Qa4 Nb8 23. Be5 Rc8 24. b4 Bxc5 25. bxc5 Ne4 26. Nd2 Nc6 27. Nxe4 Nxe5 28. Nd6 Rc7 29. Qf4 Nd7 30. Nf5 Rxc5 31. Rxc5 {Van der Sterren,P (2470)-Kindermann,S (2500) Munich 1988 ½-½ (104)}) 17. Nf3 f5 18. Nc3 g5 {Not especially aggressive or anything, just a normal continuation of the plan starting with ?c7.} 19. Qd2 (19. Qe3 g4 20. Nd2 {Not} (20. Nd4 Bg5 21. Nxc6 Bxe3 22. Nxd8 Bxc1 {winning an exchange.}) 20... Bg5 21. Qxb6 {was another, computer-like option. I thought that I would have very good counterplay after} Qa8 22. f3 $8 {and now just 22...?e5 or even 22...?b8 23.?f2 ?e5 gives Black active piece play and good compensation for a pawn.}) 19... g4 20. Ne1 (20. Nd4 $6 {would be worse, since now} Bg5 21. e3 Ne5 {leaves the knight practically untouchable on e5. Note that it also makes it more difficult to create active play for White, since b4 and c5 would be almost impossible to carry out, as ?xd4 and a knight move to f3 would probably be strong then.}) 20... Bg5 {An important element in my plan. The weak f3-square will now be a constant worry for White.} 21. e3 Rff7 {A good prophylactic move, preventing ?a4 and c5 and preparing to redeploy the knight with ?e8-f6-e4 without having to worry about ?d5.} 22. Kg1 Ne8 23. Ne2 {A natural manoeuvre. The diagonal is opened for his bishop and the knight is transferred to a better square.} Nf6 24. Nf4 Qe8 {I would have liked to play ?e4 immediately, but I rejected it because of the queen sac:} (24... Ne4 25. Nxe6 $2 Qe8 26. Nxg5 Nxd2 27. Nxf7 {I don't really understand why though, since, as any engine points out,} Ne4 28. Nh6+ Kf8 {with the point that 29.?xf5 ?f7 wins for Black.}) 25. Qc3 (25. Bxf6 {was an option, but at the same time it's hard to see how White can play for an advantage after giving up this bishop.}) 25... Rg7 {I really wanted to get that thing to e4. I felt that the position was about equal or maybe slightly better for White, but I was rather worried that I would blow it before the time-control, as I only had 17 minutes left here. At the same time I saw that Kramnik clearly was suffering from a cold and was feeling uncomfortable, which comforted me a little (thinking about my chances in this game that is!).} 26. b4 Ne4 27. Qb3 Rge7 28. Qa4 $6 ({Rybka's suggestion of} 28. f3 gxf3 29. Nxf3 Bf6 {really doesn't impress me much, but}) (28. h4 {as suggested by Nigel Short during my press-conference after the round was probably an improvement of the white position, and certainly better than the text. After only h4 I can only repeat my evaluation after my 25th move: equal or slightly better for White. The knight on e4 is certainly pretty, but the f4-knight is a good piece as well. It's not easy to take advantage of my weakened king, and not easy to make any clear progress for either side.}) 28... Ne5 29. Qxa6 $2 (29. c5 {is well met by} Nc4 $1 {so White should rather admit failure with}) (29. Qb3 {after gaining two tempi Black is obviously slightly better, but the white position is certainly playable.}) 29... Ra7 30. Qb5 {Having seen that} (30. Qxb6 Reb7 31. Qd4 Bf6 {would leave his queen trapped in the centre, Kramnik was forced to make this move, which he actually accompanied with a draw offer. I was slightly tempted of course, since I would have been happy with a draw before the game, but I realised that my position was so much better that I simply had to decline.}) 30... Qxb5 31. cxb5 Rxa2 32. Rc8+ Kf7 33. Nfd3 Bf6 34. Nxe5+ (34. Bxe5 dxe5 35. Rc6 Ng5 {is winning for Black.}) 34... dxe5 (34... Bxe5 {was probably better, but in time-trouble I was reluctant to allow} 35. Bxe5 dxe5 36. Nd3 {which however is well met by} Kf6 37. Rf8+ Kg7 38. Rd8 (38. Rb8 Rd7 $19) 38... Nc3 39. Rf1 (39. Nxe5 Nxd1 40. Rxd1 {is better but should lose as well.}) 39... Rd2 $1 {and wins.}) 35. Rc2 (35. Nd3 {leaves Black with a pleasant choice between} Nxf2 {and} (35... Ng5 {so White should rather retreat.})) 35... Rea7 36. Kg2 (36. Kf1 {was better, the king later headed in this direction anyway.}) 36... Ng5 37. Rd6 $2 {This pseudo-active move makes matters much worse for White, but Black had a practically winning positional advantage anyway.} e4 38. Bxf6 Kxf6 39. Kf1 (39. Rxb6 Ra1 40. Re2 Nf3 {loses at once.}) 39... Ra1 40. Ke2 (40. Rcd2 Rb1 41. Rd1 Rxb4 42. Rxb6 Rb2 {leaves White defenceless against the threats of ?aa2 and ?h3.}) 40... Rb1 {I made this move with only some 15 or so left on the clock, but I actually even spent some seconds on ?b1, so I wasn't really worried about losing on time.} 41. Rd1 (41. Rxb6 {leads to mate after the computer-like or loses a piece after} Rd7 (41... Raa1 42. Kd2 (42. Ng2 Nf3 $19) 42... Rxe1)) 41... Rxb4 42. Ng2 Rxb5 {Black is obviously winning now, and White might as well have resigned here. I understand that Kramnik chose to play on for a while though, as he couldn't have been especially happy about the way things turned out.} 43. Nf4 Rc5 44. Rb2 b5 45. Kf1 Rac7 46. Rbb1 (46. Kg2 {allows the exchange of one rook, which is desirable for Black.} Rc1 47. Rxc1 Rxc1 48. Rxb5 Nf3 49. Ne2 Re1 50. Rb2 Kg5 {and White is completely tied up, he cannot even play h4 due to gxh3 and ?e2. Black will win by playing e5 and h7-h5-h4.}) 46... Rb7 47. Rb4 Rc4 48. Rb2 b4 49. Rdb1 Nf3 50. Kg2 Rd7 $1 {The last good move, forcing the exchange of one rook. The rest doesn't require any comments.} 51. h3 e5 52. Ne2 Rd2 53. hxg4 fxg4 54. Rxd2 Nxd2 55. Rb2 Nf3 56. Kf1 b3 57. Kg2 Rc2 {I was obviously elated to win with Black against (a slightly weakened I have to add) Kramnik, I almost couldn't believe it. After this I again shared the lead, and even though I couldn't make anything of my slight advantage in the last game and win the tournament outright, I'm obviously very happy with my shared victory with Aronian.} 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 1st"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2013.05.08"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2868"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2013.05.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 ({It is interesting to compare the line played in this game with that obtained by symmetry:} 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 d5 {This idea had been developed by Korchnoi as a complement to the Grünfeld, one of his favoured openings half a century ago. He won a couple of games against 6.?g5, but in his comments he considered} 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Ndb5 Nxc3 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nxc3 Bg7 10. Bd2 {to be better, slightly favouring White on account of Black's impossibility to castle. Things are not entirely clear, though, since the king can reach safety anyway.} Nc6 11. g3 Be6 12. Bg2 Rc8 13. O-O Kc7 ({Black's coordination looks less harmonious after} 13... Ke8 14. Rfc1 b6 {Gheorghiu,F (2520)-Petrosian,T (2645) Skopje 1972 (1/2, 32)}) 14. Bf4+ Kb6 15. Rac1 {Fomichenko,E (2492)-Andonov,B (2326) Rennes 2008 EXT 2009 (1-0, 59)} Rhd8 {with similar play (with reversed colours) as in one of the lines below.}) 3... Nc6 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. d4 {The only way to prevent Black setting up the Maroczy bind with reversed colours.} cxd4 7. Nxd4 Ndb4 {Not the only possible reaction, but surely a natural one.} 8. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Nxc6 10. Nc3 ({Ulf Andersson, in his best days the world's greatest expert at getting an endgame advantage out of nothing, almost never refrained from a move like} 10. Bxc6+ {White can hardly claim an advantage here, but the weakness of the pawns will stay there forever, giving Ulf a clear plan of play.} bxc6 11. Nc3 e5 12. Be3 h5 (12... Be6 13. Kc2 Bb4 14. Na4 Bf5+ 15. Kc1 a5 16. Bc5 O-O-O 17. Bxb4 axb4 18. Rd1 Kc7 19. b3 h5 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. a3 bxa3 22. Rxa3 Ra8 23. Kb2 Rd8 24. Kc1 Ra8 25. Ra1 Ra5 26. Kb2 c5 $11 {Andersson,U (2605)-Sax,G (2610) Brussels 1988 (1/2, 44)}) 13. h4 Bb4 14. Kd2 Ke7 15. Rhc1 Rd8+ 16. Ke1 Be6 17. a3 Bxc3+ $6 {Black mistakenly thought that the opposite coloured bishops would make his defence easier.} (17... Ba5 {[%csl Gc5][%CAl Ga5b6]}) 18. Rxc3 Bd5 19. b4 Rdb8 20. Bd2 Ke6 21. Rc5 Rb5 22. Rcc1 f6 23. a4 Rb7 24. Rc5 $14 {Andersson,U (2560)-Stean,M (2540) Sao Paulo 1979 (1-0, 52)}) 10... Bd7 {This is not so much a way to prevent ?xc6+, as it is a preventive measure against ?d5 or ?b5.} (10... g6 11. Nd5 $36) (10... e5 11. Nb5 $36) 11. Be3 (11. Nd5 O-O-O) (11. Nb5 Kd8) 11... g6 (11... O-O-O {1/2 Kramnik,V (2758)-Kasparov,G (2851)/Frankfurt 2000/CBM 078/[Stohl] (32)}) 12. Rc1 Bg7 13. Kc2 $146 {Entirely in the spirit of a game mentioned above.} (13. f4 {1-0 Smirin,I (2590)-Alterman,B (2615)/Dresden 1998/CBM 065/[Stohl] (49)}) (13. Ke1 h5 14. h3 Nd4 {1/2 (14) Izoria,Z (2602)-Mikhalevski,V (2572) Lake George 2005}) ({RR} 13. Ke1 h5 14. f4 h4 15. Kf2 hxg3+ 16. hxg3 Rxh1 17. Bxh1 Rc8 18. Bxc6 Rxc6 19. Bxa7 Bxc3 20. Rxc3 Rxc3 21. bxc3 f5 22. Ke3 Bb5 23. a4 Bxa4 24. Kd4 Kd7 25. e3 Bc6 26. Bb6 Ke6 27. Bc5 Be4 {Bellahcene,B (2488)-Chan,K (2405) Fujairah City UAE 2025 ½-½ (31)}) 13... Rc8 (13... Bf5+ 14. Kb3 {only helps White activating his king. In certain lines, having the b2-pawn defended would be quite useful, allowing ?a4-c5 or ?d5.} Na5+ (14... Be6+ 15. Ka3 Rc8 16. Na4 $14) 15. Kb4 Nc6+ 16. Ka3 Rc8 17. Nd5 $14 {[%csl Ga7,Gb7][%CAl Gd5b4] One of the threats is ?b4, putting serious pressure on the black queenside pawns. here too, the usefullness of the king on a3 is obvious.}) 14. Rhd1 Na5 $146 ({RR} 14... Bf5+ 15. Be4 Nd4+ 16. Bxd4 Bxe4+ 17. Kb3 Bxd4 18. Nxe4 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 O-O 20. e3 Bb6 21. Rd1 f5 22. Nc3 Kf7 23. Rd5 Ke6 24. Rb5 Rc8 25. a4 Rc5 26. Rb4 Kd6 27. e4 Ba5 28. Rxb7 Bxc3 29. bxc3 {Hausrath,D (2495)-Gschnitzer,A (2363) Muenster 2018 ½-½}) 15. Bd4 ({If} 15. Kb1 {White has to reckon with a continuation in the style of Ulf:} Bxc3 $5) 15... Bf5+ 16. e4 Bxd4 17. Rxd4 Be6 18. b3 f6 19. f4 Kf7 20. Kb2 Rhd8 $11 {Black has normal development and White's space advantage does not count that much. Both participants displayed high fighting spirit, but the equality will persist, with one exception, until the end.} 21. Rcd1 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Nc6 23. Rd2 h6 24. Bf3 Bh3 25. Nb5 h5 26. Be2 h4 $6 {This coud have led to some problems.} 27. Bc4+ $6 (27. gxh4 $5 a6 (27... Rh8 28. h5 gxh5 29. f5 a6 $6 30. Bc4+ Kg7 31. Nc7 $16) 28. Nc3 Rh8 29. h5 gxh5 30. Na4 $14) 27... Be6 28. Bd5 hxg3 29. hxg3 a6 30. Nc3 Rd8 31. Na4 Bxd5 32. exd5 Nb4 33. Nc3 Nc6 34. Ka3 Na7 35. Kb4 Nc8 36. Ne4 Nd6 37. Nc5 Rc8 38. Ne6 b6 39. Rh2 Nf5 40. g4 Ne3 41. Rh7+ Ke8 42. Rh8+ Kd7 43. Rxc8 Kxc8 44. g5 Nxd5+ 45. Kc4 Ne3+ 46. Kd4 Nf5+ 47. Ke4 Kb7 48. Nf8 Nd6+ 49. Kd5 fxg5 50. fxg5 Nf7 51. Nxg6 Nxg5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates sf"] [Site "Elista"] [Date "2007.05.29"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2693"] [BlackElo "2759"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2007.05.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 119"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 ({After his recent success in the rapid match against Kramnik, Aronian seems to like the Hedgehog more than his previous weapon - the double fianchetto:} 5... g6) 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Re1 d5 {However, this is a clear deviation from the Hedgehog structure.} ({A true Hedgehog adherent would always play} 7... d6 8. e4 a6 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Qc7 {and, although Black is under strong pressure, his counterchances are not to be neglected.}) 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. d4 $5 {A rare move.} ({The main continuation is considerd to be} 9. e4 Nb4 (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 O-O 11. d4 {transposes to a relatively unpleasant (for Black) variation of the Queen's Indian, strongly advocated by Kramnik some 10 years ago. Among his "scalps" we can find such outstanding names as Anatoly Karpov (twice!)}) 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 N8c6 12. Nxc6 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Bxc6 {and Black has managed to somewhat simplify the position, with good chances to maintain the balance even.}) 9... Nxc3 (9... cxd4 {is the main alternative.} 10. Qxd4 Nxc3 $6 {A premature release of the tension, helping White consolidate his advantage of development.} (10... O-O $1) 11. Qxc3 O-O 12. Bf4 $14 Bf6 13. Be5 Bxe5 $6 {Same comment.} (13... Nd7) 14. Nxe5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Qd5+ 16. Qf3 $1 Rd8 17. Red1 Qxf3+ 18. Kxf3 Na6 19. Nc6 $16 {Erdelyi,T (2365)-Delanoy,A (2210)/Kecskemet 1991/TD (1-0, 37). A typical Catalan ending. Major simplifications have only consolidated White's advantage. He has a wonderful knight on c6 and the more active king.}) 10. bxc3 Be4 $6 ({This is the only way to prevent the transposition to the aforementioned variation after} 10... O-O 11. e4 {. However, moving around with the bishop while several other pieces find themselves on their initial squares still will leave Black with big problems of development.}) 11. Ne5 $1 {It might seem that this exchange favours Black, who las less space, but White's initiative will soon become very threatening.} Bxg2 12. Kxg2 O-O 13. e4 Qc8 $146 (13... Qc7 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Qf3 Nc6 {½-½ Dementiev,O (2490)-Gofshtein,L (2415)/Yerevan 1981/MCD. Slightly premature decision.} 16. Nxc6 Bxf4 (16... Qxc6 17. d5 exd5 18. e5 $1 Be7 19. c4 $16) 17. d5 $14) ({RR} 13... Qc7 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Qf3 Nc6 {½-½ (15) Dementiev,O (2490)-Gofshtein,L Yerevan 1981}) ({RR} 13... Bf6 14. Nf3 Nc6 15. Be3 cxd4 16. cxd4 Na5 17. Qe2 Rc8 18. Rad1 Qd7 19. d5 Bc3 20. Bd2 Bxd2 21. Rxd2 Nc4 22. Rd4 b5 23. d6 e5 24. Rd5 f6 25. Red1 a6 26. Nh4 g6 27. f4 Rfe8 28. fxe5 {Mekhitarian,K (2563)-Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2597) Chess.com INT 2020 0-1 (48)}) 14. Qg4 Bf6 15. Nf3 {?e5, ?h6.} Kh8 16. h4 Nc6 (16... h6 {only weakens the kingside and does not prevent} 17. Bg5 $5 {in any way.}) 17. Bg5 $16 cxd4 {Black has to accept the deterioration of his kingside structure.} ({In the event of} 17... Bxg5 18. hxg5 {followed by ?h1, the black king would be in great danger. We can see here that the move ?xg2 can be considered a developing move in a more general sense, casting additional doubt over Aronian's 10...?e4.}) 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. cxd4 e5 20. Qxc8 Raxc8 21. d5 Na5 {Black has managed to exchange queens and enjoys the perspective of installing the knight on the excellent blockading d6-square. Besides, he has occupied the only open file already. Aronian probably hoped that all these aspects would compensate for the chronic weakness of his kingside, but Carlsen's subtle play will prove the contrary.} 22. h5 {Clearing the way for the knight towards f5.} Nc4 23. Nh4 Nd6 {Black's knight has succeded in occupying the optimal square first, but that is not the endof the story yet...} 24. h6 {This is Carslen's only debatable move in a generally marvellously played game. His desire to put the enemy king under the permanent threat of aback rank mate is understandable, but the c-file also deserved some attention.} (24. Rac1 $5 {?h6 would have maintained his advantage intact.} Rxc1 (24... h6 25. Kf3 $16) 25. Rxc1 Nxe4 26. Rc7 $16) 24... Rc3 25. Rac1 Rfc8 $6 {Not sensing the danger.} ({He should have grabbed his chance to complicate matters with} 25... Nxe4 $5 26. Nf5 Rd8 (26... Rfc8 $2 27. Rxc3 Nxc3 28. Rc1 b5 29. Ne7 Rc4 30. d6 b4 31. a3 a5 32. axb4 axb4 33. d7 Rd4 34. Ra1 $18) 27. Rxc3 Nxc3 28. d6 b5 {and Black's achievements on the queenside seem to be a reasonable match for White's advantage on the other wing. However, the difference between the kings' activity can make itself felt after} 29. f4 e4 30. Kf2 $14 {when despite his extra-pawn Black is struggling.}) 26. Rxc3 Rxc3 {Black has obtained an active placement of his pieces and "only" needs to centralize his king in order to obtain an entirely viable position. Can White really prevent this?} 27. Nf5 $3 {A fantastic move, proving a very deep understanding of the position. White gives up the plan of installing a piece on f5 and provokes a radical modification of the structure. In doing so, he destroys Black's apparent stability in the centre and clears the e4-square for his own rook.} Nxf5 28. exf5 Kg8 (28... Rc7 29. Kf3 $16) (28... b5 29. Rb1 a6 30. a4 $16) 29. Re4 Kf8 (29... Rc7 30. Rg4+ Kh8 31. d6 Rd7 32. Rc4 Rd8 33. d7 $18) 30. Rg4 Rc7 31. Rg7 b5 32. Rxh7 Kg8 (32... b4 33. Rh8+ Ke7 34. h7 $18) 33. Rg7+ Kh8 {The king has been forced to the corner anyway. The fact that the threat of a back rank mate has been removed is a feeble consolation.} (33... Kf8 34. Rg4 Rc4 35. Rxc4 bxc4 36. d6 $18) 34. d6 Rd7 35. Kf3 $18 b4 36. Ke4 {[%CAl Ye4c6]} Rxd6 37. Rxf7 Ra6 38. g4 Kg8 39. h7+ (39. Rg7+ Kh8 40. Rg6 {is also winning, but Carslen's method is more elegant.}) 39... Kh8 40. g5 fxg5 41. f6 {[%CAl Ye4g6]} 1-0 [Event "Morelia/Linares 24th"] [Site "Morelia/Linares"] [Date "2007.03.07"] [Round "12"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2690"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2007.02.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 117"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.03.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.03.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Yu,Yangyi} Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Re1 ({RR} 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 O-O 9. Rd1 d6 10. Bg5 ({RR} 10. e4 Nbd7 11. Qe3 Qc7 12. b3 Rad8 13. Nd4 Qb8 14. Bb2 Rfe8 15. Re1 Bf8 16. Qe2 a6 17. Rad1 Qa8 18. Nc2 Rc8 19. Nd4 Nc5 20. f3 h6 21. Qd2 Red8 22. Kh1 Qb8 23. Qe2 Re8 24. Nc2 Qa8) ({RR} 10. b3 Nbd7 11. Ba3 Nc5 12. b4 ({RR} 12. Qe3 a6 13. Rac1 Qc7 14. b4 Ncd7 15. b5 Nc5 16. Bb2 Rfd8 17. bxa6 Rxa6 18. Nb5 Qb8 19. a3 Ra4 20. Bh3 Nfe4 21. Bd4 h6 22. Bg2 Qa8 23. h4 Nf6 24. Ne1 Bxg2 25. Nxg2 Qc6 26. Bb2 d5) 12... Ncd7 13. Rac1 a6 14. Nd2 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Qc7 16. Nde4 Rfc8 17. Nxd6 Bxd6 18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 Rxc4 20. Na4 Rxc1 21. Bxc1 b5 22. Nc5 Nxc5 23. bxc5 Kf8 24. f3 Ke8) 10... Nc6 ({RR} 10... Nbd7 11. Nb5 d5 12. cxd5 Bxd5 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qc4 Qc8 15. Rac1 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. e4 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. f4 Bxc3 20. Qxc3 Bb5 21. Qa3 Qa6 22. Qxa6 Bxa6 23. e5 Rac8 24. Be4 Rxc1 25. Rxc1) 11. Qd2 ({RR} 11. Qf4 Qb8 12. Nb5 Ne5 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nxd6 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Bxb2 17. Rab1 Be5 18. c5 Qc7 19. Qe4 Qxc5 20. Rbc1 Bxd6 21. Rxc5 Bxc5 22. Qd3 a5 23. a4 Rae8 24. Kg2 e5 25. Qe4 Re6) 11... Qb8 12. h3 Rd8 13. Rac1 h6 14. Be3 Rd7 15. b3 Qf8 16. Nd4 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Rc8 19. e4 Ne8 20. Qe2 Bf6 21. Be3 Qe7) 7... d5 8. d4 ({The other possible move order is} 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. e4 {. Topalov probably wanted to avoid} Nb4 (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 O-O 11. d4 {leads to one of the main lines of the system based on ?e1, which is considered to favour White.}) 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 N8c6 {with simplifications, as, for instance, in Vallejo Pons,F (2674)-Van Wely,L (2648)/Khanty Mansyisk 2005/CBM 111/[Stohl] (½-½, 25).}) 8... dxc4 ({Carlsen has no intention to transpose to the aforementioned line with} 8... O-O 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. e4) 9. dxc5 ({RR} 9. e4 cxd4 ({RR} 9... Nc6 10. d5 Nb4 11. Bg5 ({RR} 11. Qe2) ({RR} 11. Ne5) 11... O-O 12. d6 Qxd6 13. Qxd6 Bxd6 14. e5) 10. Nxd4 O-O 11. e5 Bxg2 ({RR} 11... Nd5 12. Qg4) 12. Kxg2 Nd5 ({RR} 12... Nfd7 13. Qg4) ({RR} 12... Ne8) 13. Qg4 Kh8 14. Rd1 Na6 15. Nf5 exf5 16. Qxf5 Nab4 17. Nxd5 Nd3 ({RR} 17... Nxd5 18. Qf3 Qc8 19. Rxd5 f6) 18. Nf4 g6 19. Qg4 ({RR} 19. Qe4 Nxf2 20. Rxd8 Nxe4 21. Rd4 f5) 19... Nxe5 20. Qe2 Nd3 ({RR} 20... Bd6 21. Bd2 Re8 ({RR} 21... Qd7 22. Bc3 Qc6+ 23. Nd5 f6 24. Qe4) 22. Bc3 f6 23. Nd5) ({RR} 20... Qb8 21. Nd5 Re8 22. b3 ({RR} 22. Bf4 Bf8 23. Rac1 Bg7) 22... Bf8 23. bxc4 Qb7 24. Bb2 Bg7) 21. Nxd3 cxd3 22. Rxd3 Qc7 23. Bh6 ({RR} 23. Qf3) 23... Rfe8 {Yu,Y (2753)-Jakovenko,D (2691) Hamburg 2019 CBM 193 [Yu,Yangyi] 1-0 (51)} ({RR} 23... Rfd8 24. Rc1 Qb7+ 25. Qf3 Qxf3+ 26. Rxf3 f5 27. Rc7)) ({RR} 9. e4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 O-O 11. Ndb5 a6 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Nc7 Ra7 14. Bf4 Nh5 15. Be3 Bc5 16. Rad1 Rf8 17. Bf3 Bxe3 18. Rxe3 Nf6 19. Rd6 Bc6 20. e5 Bxf3 21. Rxf3 Nfd7 {0-1 (21) Tyurin,A (2261)-Wagh,S (2210) Paracin 2022}) 9... Bxc5 10. Qa4+ Nbd7 11. Qxc4 $146 (11. Ne5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 O-O $2 (12... a6 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Qxc4 O-O $11) 13. Rd1 $1 $16 {Garcia,R (2385)-Ricardi,P (2530)/Buenos Aires 1995/EXT 97 (½-½, 22)}) ({RR} 11. Ne5 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 O-O 13. Rd1 Nxe5 14. Rxd8 Rfxd8 15. Bg5 a6 16. Rd1 Rdc8 17. Bxf6 b5 18. Qc2 gxf6 19. Qc1 Bf8 20. Qf4 Bg7 21. g4 Ng6 22. Qg3 b4 {½-½ (22) Garcia,R (2385)-Ricardi,P (2530) Buenos Aires 1995}) ({RR} 11. Bg5 O-O 12. Red1 Qc8 13. e3 Bc6 14. Qxc4 Qb7 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Ne1 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Rac8 18. Qf4 Rfd8 19. Ne1 h6 20. Rac1 Be7 21. a4 a6 22. Qf3 Qxf3 23. Nxf3 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Bb4 25. Na2 Be7 {Kamsky,G (2723)-Gashimov,V (2717) Sochi 2008 ½-½ (47)}) 11... O-O 12. Rd1 Rc8 {The position is characteristic for the Catalan Defence. Black has a normal development and has managed to neutralise the g2-bishop, but White's main hopes are connected with the relative weakness of the c6-square.} 13. Qh4 {A typical manoeuvre. White puts up some pressure on the enemy kingside.} Be7 {This might look like a loss of tempo, but in fact it will force White spend some time regrouping with his queen, too.} ({Besides, in the Catalan Black usually avoids such pins as} 13... Qe7 14. Bg5 {although things are not entirelyckear here:} h6 15. Rxd7 $5 (15. Bxh6 gxh6 16. Qxh6 Bxf2+ 17. Kf1 Qc5 $17 {Shipov}) 15... Qxd7 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Qxh6 (17. Qxf6 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Qd4) 17... Qe7 $13 {and White has good compensation for the exchange, with virtually no risk tolose, but possibly not more than that.}) 14. Qh3 {This way of transferring the queen to the long diagonal is quite original.} Qe8 (14... Qc7 15. Bf4 Qc5 (15... e5 16. Bg5 {×d5}) 16. Rd2 $5 (16. Rac1 Qb4 $132) 16... Rfd8 17. Rad1 {maintains some pressure for White.}) (14... Rc5 {[%CAl Yc5h5]} 15. g4 $5) 15. Nd4 Bxg2 16. Qxg2 Ne5 {A curious alignment of all knights on the long dark diagonal. From practical point of view, it is more important that the chances for the occupation of the c6-square are about equal.} 17. Qb7 {This queen incursion might be just premature.} ({Maybe White should have just continued his development with} 17. Bf4 {Possibly, Topalov feared that Black can take advantage of the slightly unnatural placement of the white queen by attacking the relatively vulnerable queenside with} Nc4 (17... Nfg4 $2 18. h3 $16) (17... Neg4 18. Ndb5 $14 {[%csl Ga7]}) {However, after} 18. b3 Nb2 (18... Ne3 19. Bxe3 Rxc3 {allows White increase his control over the c6-square with} 20. Rac1 Rxc1 21. Bxc1 $14) 19. Rdc1 {the b2-knight might get into trouble.}) 17... Bc5 {Carlsen decides to remove the danger of an invasion to c6 as in radical way.} 18. Bg5 {Curiously, Topalov refrains from employing one of his favourite methods of complicating the fight: the exchange sacrifice.} (18. Qxa7 Bxd4 19. Rxd4 Nc6 20. Qxb6 $44) 18... Nfg4 19. h3 Nc6 $1 20. hxg4 ({In case of} 20. Nxc6 {Black should refrain from delivering check with 20...?xf2+, which just loses material to the calm 21.?g2 and play} Nxf2 $1 {, when too many of White's pieces are hanging (the c6-knight, the g5-bishop, the d1-rook).}) 20... Bxd4 21. Nb5 Rb8 22. Qc7 Rc8 ({Black has no time to capture the b-pawn with} 22... Bxb2 {because of} 23. Nd6 {, trapping the queen.}) 23. Qb7 ({The main adherent to the Sofia rule cannot do anything against a peaceful end of the game before the 30th move.} 23. Qd6 {would be bad because, once the d6-square is occupied, Black could play} Bxb2 {already.}) ({The other queen retreat,} 23. Qf4 {leaves the bishop trapped after} f6) 23... Rb8 24. Qc7 Rc8 25. Qb7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2012.01.14"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Gashimov, Vugar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Carlsen,Magnus"] [PlyCount "133"] [EventDate "2012.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 147"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {I decided to annotate the game against Gashimov from the first round. The games against Aronian and Topalov that I won (I've yet to annotate a game I haven't won, for different reasons) were arguably more interesting, but I like this one better.} 1. Nf3 {Primel,Dominique Stohl,Igor I had asked my father to name a letter from a-h before the game, and since the other moves to the f-file are not particularily inviting, it had to be this one.} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O ({RR} 6. d4 cxd4 7. Qxd4 d6 8. O-O ({RR} 8. Bg5)) 6... Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 d6 ({RR} 8... Nc6 9. Qf4 O-O 10. Rd1 Qb8 ({RR} 10... d6) ({RR} 10... a6) 11. Qxb8 ({RR} 11. b3) ({RR} 11. Ng5) 11... Raxb8 12. Bf4 Rbc8 13. Ne5 d6 ({RR} 13... Rfd8 14. Nb5) 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Bxd6 Bxd6 16. Rxd6 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Rxc4 18. Rad1) ({RR} 8... O-O 9. Rd1 d6 ({RR} 9... Qc8 10. Bf4) 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Nb5 d5 12. cxd5 Bxd5 13. Nc3 Bc6 14. Qc4 Qc8 ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. Qa6 Rc7 16. Bf4) 15. e4 h6 16. Bf4 ({RR} 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Rac1 Qb7 18. Ne5) 16... Bb7 17. Qxc8 ({RR} 17. Qe2) 17... Rfxc8 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Ne1 ({RR} 20. Nd4 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 g5 22. Nc6)) 9. Bg5 {I had sort of expected him to go for the hegdehog, and I was curious to see what he would do against the good old Andersson-line, where White frequently manages to get a small but stable advantage.} ({RR} 9. Rd1) ({RR} 9. b3) ({RR} 9. Rd1) 9... a6 ({RR} 9... h6) ({RR} 9... Nbd7) 10. Bxf6 ({RR} 10. Rfd1 Nbd7 11. Qd2 Qc8 12. b3 O-O 13. Rac1 Rd8 14. Qb2 Qc7 15. a4 Rac8 16. Ne1 Bxg2 17. Nxg2 Ne5 18. Be3 Qb7 19. f3 Nc6 20. Nf4 h6 21. g4 Ne5 22. Bf2 Ne8 23. Bg3 g6 24. Qd2 Bf6) 10... Bxf6 11. Qf4 ({RR} 11. Qd3 Qc7 ({RR} 11... Ra7) 12. Rad1 Be7 13. Nd4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Nc6 15. f4 O-O) ({RR} 11. Qd3) 11... O-O ({RR} 11... Bxf3 12. Bxf3 ({RR} 12. exf3) 12... Ra7) ({RR} 11... Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Ra7 14. Rfd1 Rd7 15. Rab1) 12. Rfd1 ({RR} 12. Rad1 Be7 13. Ne4) 12... Be7 13. Ne4 {This is the point, Black has to give up his light-squared bishop.} Bxe4 ({RR} 13... e5 14. Qe3) 14. Qxe4 Ra7 15. Nd4 ({RR} 15. Rac1 Qc8 16. b3 Qc5 17. Nd2 Nd7 18. Nb1 Nf6 19. Qd3 b5 20. cxb5 Qxb5 21. Qd4 Qb8 22. Nc3 Rc7 23. Ne4 d5) ({RR} 15. Qe3 Rc7 ({RR} 15... Nc6) 16. Rac1 Qc8 17. Nd4 Rxc4 ({RR} 17... Re8) 18. Nc6 Nxc6 19. Rxc4 d5 20. Rcc1) 15... Rc7 ({RR} 15... Qc8 16. b3 Re8 ({RR} 16... Bf6 17. a4 Rd8 18. Qe3 Qc5 19. Ra2 Bxd4 20. Rxd4 a5 21. Rad2 Rad7) 17. a4 Qc5 18. Ra2 Bf6 19. Rad2 Rc7 20. Qb1 Be7 21. b4 Qh5 22. Rc2 Rec8) ({RR} 15... Qc8 16. b3 Re8 17. a4 Qc5 18. Ra2 Bf6) ({RR} 15... Rd7 16. Qd3 ({RR} 16. Bh3)) 16. Rd2 {This has all been seen many times before, but here I suddenly got the idea that I might be able to defer playing b3 until later. Probably, it shouldn't make a lot of difference, though.} ({RR} 16. b3 Rc5 ({RR} 16... Bf6) 17. a4 ({RR} 17. e3 Qc7 18. a4 Re8 19. Rd2 Bf8 20. Rad1) 17... Qc7 ({RR} 17... Qc7) 18. Qb1 Nd7 ({RR} 18... Rc8 19. Ra2 Bf8 20. e3 Qe7 21. Rc2 g6 22. Qa2 Qg5 23. h4 Qf6 24. b4 R5c7 25. b5 a5 26. Nc6 Nd7 27. Rcd2 Nc5 28. Qc2 Qg7 29. f4 Kh8 30. Bf3 Re8 31. Kg2 f5 32. e4 e5 33. fxe5) 19. e3 ({RR} 19. Ra2 Nf6 20. Nc2 Rd8 21. Nb4 Qc8 22. Nd3 Rc7 23. Rc1 d5 24. cxd5 Rxc1+ 25. Qxc1 Qxc1+ 26. Nxc1 Nxd5 27. Bxd5 Rxd5 28. Nd3 b5) 19... Qc8 ({RR} 19... Nf6 20. Ra2 d5) 20. Ra2 Nf6 21. Rc2 a5 ({RR} 21... Rd8 22. b4 Rxc4 23. Rxc4 Qxc4 24. Rc1) 22. Rdd2 ({RR} 22. Nb5 d5) ({RR} 22. Rcd2 d5 ({RR} 22... Rd8 23. Nb5 Ne8 ({RR} 23... d5 24. cxd5 Nxd5 25. Bxd5 Rdxd5 26. Rxd5 exd5 ({RR} 26... Rxd5 27. Rxd5 exd5 28. Qd3) 27. Qd3) 24. Rd3) 23. cxd5 Nxd5 24. Nf5) 22... Rd8 23. Nb5 g6 24. Qd1 Ne8 25. Bf3 Qd7 26. Rd3 Nc7 27. Rcd2 ({RR} 27. Nc3 Na6 28. Ne4 Nb4 29. Rxd6 ({RR} 29. Nxc5 bxc5) 29... Qxd6 30. Nxd6 Nxc2) 27... Nxb5 28. axb5 Bf8 29. Bc6 Qe7 30. Rd4 Qf6 {Kasparov,G (2817)-Adams,M (2731) Moscow 2004 CBM 102 [Stohl,Igor] ½-½ (45)}) ({RR} 16. b3 Rc5 17. a4 Bf6 18. e3 ({RR} 18. Rd2 d5) 18... Re8 ({RR} 18... Qe7) 19. Ra2 Qc7 ({RR} 19... d5 20. cxd5 exd5 21. Qd3) 20. Rad2 d5 21. cxd5 Rxd5 22. b4 ({RR} 22. Bf1) 22... Rdd8 23. Nc6 ({RR} 23. Bf1) 23... Rxd2 24. Rxd2 Qxc6 25. Qxc6 Nxc6 26. Bxc6 Rd8 27. Rxd8+ Bxd8 28. Bb7 {½-½ (28) Pelletier,Y (2596)-Gashimov,V (2734) Guingamp 2010 EXT 2011 [Primel,Dominique]}) 16... Rc5 (16... Rxc4 17. Nxe6 Rxe4 18. Nxd8 Rc4 19. Nb7 {is obviously very good for White, as d6 is dropping.}) 17. Rad1 Qc7 18. b3 Kh8 $146 (18... b5 {was a way to try and exploit the fact that White hasn't got in a4 yet} 19. cxb5 axb5 20. b4 Rc4 21. a3 d5 22. Qe3 {and thanks to some tactical tricks, most notably} Qb6 23. Bxd5 {White keeps the initative.}) ({RR} 18... Re5 19. Qb1 Rc5 20. Rc2 Rc8 21. Bh3 Qd7 22. Rcd2 Nc6 23. e3 b5 24. Bg2 Ne5 25. cxb5 axb5 26. h3 b4 27. Qe4 Qa7 28. Kh2 Qb6 29. Ra1 Nc6 30. Nxc6 R5xc6 31. Rad1 R6c7 32. Qd4 Qa5 33. h4 {Mastrovasilis,A (2503)-Jeremic,V (2487) Leros 2009 ½-½ (45)}) ({RR} 18... b5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. b4 Rc4 21. a3 Qb6 22. Qb7 Qxb7 23. Bxb7 d5 24. Nxb5 Bxb4 25. Bxd5 Rc5 26. axb4 Rxb5 27. Bf3 Rxb4 28. Rd6 Rc4 29. h4 g6 30. Kg2 h5 31. Rb1 Rc7 32. Rbd1 Rc4 33. e3 {Pogosian,M (2394)-Salman,P (2219) Moscow 2019 ½-½ (43)}) ({RR} 18... b5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Qd3 Qb6 21. Rc2 d5 22. e3 b4 23. Rdc1 Nd7 24. Bf1 Ra8 25. Rxc5 Nxc5 26. Qe2 g6 27. Rc2 Bf6 28. Qb5 Qxb5 29. Nxb5 Ne4 30. Bd3 Nc3 31. Nxc3 Bxc3 32. Bb5 Ra5 33. Ba4 {Pogorelov,R (2441)-Strikovic,A (2523) Pamplona 2009 ½-½ (56)}) 19. Qb1 {Now however, we get a typical position. White will try to expand on the queenside, and ideally put a knight on c6.} Nd7 20. e3 Qc8 21. Rc2 Rc7 22. a4 Rd8 23. Qa2 {Now White has completed his plan (which I would have been quite proud of finding incidentically, had it not been played by Andersson 30 years ago) , and if I could get in b4-b5 now, I would have a serious advantage.} Ne5 {Stopping b4, but nevertheless not solving his problems.} 24. h3 $6 (24. a5 {was quite strong here. I naturally considered this, but I thought that Black could reply} bxa5 25. Qxa5 d5 {with an excellent game. However, the simple} 26. Rdc1 {leaves White well on top, thanks to the trick} Rc5 27. cxd5 $1 {which is what I missed (after other moves Black is more than fine).}) 24... Bf6 {Now however, we resume the unhurried manoeuvring.} 25. Rcd2 Rc5 26. f4 {I was very uncertain about this one, but I thought it was worth chasing the knight to a bad square, even at the cost of weakening my own position slightly.} Ng6 (26... Nd7 {would be desirable, but fails to} 27. Nc6 Rxc6 28. Bxc6 Qxc6 29. Rxd6 Qf3 30. Qf2 Qb7 31. Qg2 Qc7 32. Qd2 {and the pin on the d-file is Black's downfall.}) 27. Rd3 {I thought the queen might find some useful work on the second rank.} h6 {Eventually, this led to an ugly weakening on the dark squares, but that was rather hard to foresee at this point, and the black king needs an escape hole, just in case.} 28. Qd2 e5 {Gashimov decided not to wait any longer, and try to free his game. This break is made possible by the fact that I have weakened my position with f4, giving Black some counterchances.} 29. Nc2 $1 {Much stronger than} (29. Ne2 b5 {with adequate counterplay for Black.}) 29... b5 30. axb5 axb5 31. Na3 {This is what I had been counting on, I reckoned that White would have a huge advantage with the knight coming to c4. However, around this point I realised that it wasn't all that simple.} bxc4 32. Nxc4 d5 {The point, otherwise the d6-pawn falls and Black has a miserable position.} 33. Bxd5 {After some thought I settled on this, which at least gives White a lasting advantage with no risk.} (33. Nb6 Qe6 {with the point of} 34. Nxd5 (34. Rxd5 Rcxd5 35. Nxd5 Ne7 {also leaves White with very few winning chances, as Black gets to exchange his bad knight}) 34... e4 {is what I had missed. Surprisingly, at least to me, Black wins material.}) 33... Qxh3 34. Qg2 Qxg2+ {Black has to exchange queens to save his f7-pawn.} 35. Kxg2 exf4 36. exf4 {Material is sharply reduced, and there are opposite-coloured bishops on the board, but as it's often been shown in practice, that doesn't always guarantee a draw. Here, White has some concrete advantages: His minor pieces are more much active than their black counterparts, and the passed b-pawn is potentially very dangerous. Additionally, the f7-pawn needs protection.} Rc7 37. Ne3 Rcd7 38. Ng4 {I was very happy to find this manoeuvre.} (38. b4 Ne7 39. b5 Rd6 {leads nowhere, as I don't want to move the bishop and exchange rooks.}) 38... Bb2 $2 {A serious inaccuracy.} (38... Bc3 {was much better. Paradoxically, the bishop is less exposed here than on b2, as is apparent in the game} 39. Nf2 f5 {and Black keeps excellent drawing chances, as is apparent in the line} 40. Be6 Rxd3 41. Rxd3 Rxd3 42. Nxd3 {and the bishop is not hanging, so that Black can safely protect the pawn with ...?e7.}) (38... Ne7 {might be tempting, but leads to a very unfortunate transformation for Black} 39. Nxf6 gxf6 40. Bc4 Rxd3 41. Rxd3 Rxd3 42. Bxd3 {and with a passed pawn and the stronger miner piece, White should win despite material equality.}) 39. Nf2 f6 {An ugly move, but probably not a bad one.} (39... Rb8 40. Bc4 {also leaves Black with an unpleasant position.}) 40. Be4 Nf8 {Absolutely forced;} (40... Rxd3 41. Rxd3 Rxd3 42. Nxd3 {leaves two black pieces hanging.}) 41. b4 {Finally, the time has come to advance this pawn.} Rxd3 42. Nxd3 Bc3 43. Rc1 Bd4 (43... Rd4 44. Kf3 Bxb4 45. Nxb4 Rxb4 46. Rc8 {costs Black the knight on f8.}) 44. Nc5 Be3 {I was happy to see this one, as I was sure that the plan involving putting a rook on the second rank would lead nowhere.} (44... g6 {would also not have solved Black's problems, due to the clever} 45. Rd1 f5 46. Nb7 $1 (46. Bf3 Bf6 {is naturally harmless}) 46... Rd7 47. Bc6 Rc7 48. b5 Bb6 49. Nd6 {and, mainly due to the passive positions of his pieces, Black still has a very difficult position.}) 45. Rc3 Rd2+ 46. Kf3 Bd4 47. Rc4 g6 {Preparing to weave a mating net, but White has a simple answer.} 48. Nd3 {Now the threat is parried, and White can launch a counterattack.} Bg1 49. Rc8 $2 {A mistake, which seriously complicates my task.} (49. Rc1 {was correct, with the idea of forcing the black bishop to d4, a square the knight needs.} Bd4 50. f5 {I rejected this because of} gxf5 51. Bxf5 Ne6 {activating the black knight, and failing to spot the simple} 52. Ke4 Re2+ 53. Kd5 {and White wins a piece.}) 49... Kg7 50. Rc7+ Kg8 51. f5 {This was my point, as now Black cannot play ...gxf5 ?xf5 ?e6 due to the check on e6. However, Black has another trick, which I failed to spot.} g5 $2 {Now the black knight is left completely paralysed.} (51... h5 $3 {would most probably have saved the day} 52. fxg6 Ne6 53. Rd7 Nd4+ (53... Ng5+ 54. Kf4 {is simple; the white king does not get mated here}) 54. Kf4 {I finished calculating here, thinking that White is easily winning, but Black continues with} Ne2+ {This one escaped my line of vision. Now White has nothing better than} 55. Kf5 Nxg3+ 56. Kf4 Nxe4 57. Kxe4 h4 58. Kf5 h3 59. Kxf6 Bb6 {and miraculously, Black makes a draw.}) 52. g4 {A very important move, now the white king will never get in trouble, and I can now calmly go about converting my advantage.} Bh2 53. Rb7 Rc2 54. Nc5 Rc3+ 55. Ke2 h5 {Desperation, but what else to do? ?d5 followed by ?e6 is a threat, and the otherwise desirable} (55... Bd6 {runs into a nasty fork:} 56. Bd5+ Kh8 57. Ne4) 56. gxh5 g4 57. Ne6 Rc8 58. b5 {My first priority was to keep the black knight passive, and so winning a second pawn with} (58. Rg7+ Kh8 59. Rxg4 Nd7 {was not very tempting.}) 58... Rb8 {The best try, but the endgame is easily winning for White.} 59. Rxb8 Bxb8 60. Bd5 {Very accurate. Now ...?d7 is naturally not possible due to ?c5+.} Ba7 {He needs to prevent b6, but now I can simply march with the king to g3 and pick up the pawn.} (60... Nxe6 61. fxe6 Kf8 62. h6 f5 63. h7 Be5 64. b6 {leaves Black with too many passed pawns to handle.}) 61. Kf1 Be3 62. Kg2 Kf7 63. Nxf8+ {The end of a long and interesting journey for this knight. Finally the time has come to exchange the unfortunate knight on f8. The two passed pawns are too far apart for Black to deal with both.} Kxf8 64. Kg3 Ke7 (64... Kg7 65. Kxg4 Kh6 66. Bf7 {followed by a king march to the queenside, is also quite elementary.}) 65. Kxg4 Kd6 66. Kf3 {Since Black has to let one of my pawns advance to the sixth rank, the game is over.} Bd2 67. b6 {My best game in Wijk aan Zee this year, and apart from the mistake on move 49, a game I'm quite proud of!} 1-0 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 20th"] [Site "Reykjavik"] [Date "2015.11.17"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Pelletier, Yannick"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2850"] [BlackElo "2566"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2015.11.13"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ISL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Norway"] [BlackTeam "Switzerland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "SUI"] [WhiteClock "0:43:40"] [BlackClock "0:08:29"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 Qc8 12. e4 ({RR} 12. e3 a6 13. f4 Ra7 14. Qf3 Rc7 15. Rac1 Nc6 16. Nxc6 Rxc6 17. f5 Rc5 18. g4 Qa8 19. Na4 Qxf3+ 20. Rxf3 Rc6 21. g5 Ne4 22. f6 Bd8 23. fxg7 Re8 24. h4 e5 25. Rf5 b5 26. Nc3 Nxc3 {Istratescu,A (2615)-Stefansson,H (2566) Bled 2002 ½-½}) ({RR} 12. Nf3 Nbd7 13. Rc1 a6 14. e4 Qb7 15. Qe2 Rac8 16. Kg1 Rc5 17. Rfd1 Rfc8 18. Ba3 R5c6 19. Nd4 R6c7 20. Nc2 b5 21. Bxd6 Bxd6 22. Rxd6 bxc4 23. b4 Ne5 24. a3 Nd3 25. Rd1 h5 26. Ne1 Ng4 {Razafindratsima,T (2495)-Vershinin,I (2241) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (54)}) 12... Nc6 13. Rc1 Nxd4 $146 ({RR} 13... Qb7 14. Nxc6 Qxc6 15. Qd4 a6 16. f3 Qb7 17. a4 Rac8 18. Ba3 Rfd8 19. Rfd1 Ne8 20. Qe3 Bf6 {½-½ (20) Repin,O (2261)-Bystrov,N (2002) Nizhnij Novgorod 2012}) 14. Qxd4 Qb7 15. Rfd1 a6 16. Ba3 Rfd8 17. Qd3 Rd7 18. Qf3 Bf8 19. Rd4 d5 20. Bxf8 dxe4 21. Nxe4 Kxf8 22. Rxd7 Nxd7 23. c5 bxc5 24. Nxc5 Qxf3+ 25. Kxf3 Nb6 26. Ke4 Ke7 27. f4 a5 28. Nd3 Nd5 29. Rc5 Kd6 30. Kd4 f6 31. a4 Ne7 32. Rb5 Kc6 33. b4 Nf5+ 34. Kc3 axb4+ 35. Kxb4 Nd4 36. Rh5 h6 37. Rc5+ Kb6 38. Rc4 Nc6+ 39. Kc3 Rd8 40. Re4 Rd6 41. Re2 Ne7 42. Rb2+ Kc6 43. Rb8 Nd5+ 44. Kb3 Kc7 45. Rg8 Ne7 46. Rxg7 Rxd3+ 47. Kc4 Rd7 48. Rf7 f5 49. Rf6 Kd6 50. Rxh6 Rc7+ 51. Kb3 Nd5 52. Rh8 Rc3+ 53. Kb2 Re3 54. a5 Kc5 55. h4 Rxg3 56. h5 Rh3 57. h6 Nf6 58. a6 Kb6 59. Rd8 Ne4 0-1 [Event "Foros Aerosvit 3rd"] [Site "Foros"] [Date "2008.06.17"] [Round "9"] [White "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2711"] [BlackElo "2765"] [PlyCount "31"] [EventDate "2008.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 125"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. e3 Nbd7 10. d4 Ne4 11. Nxe4 Bxe4 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. Rfd1 Qb7 14. Ne1 Nf6 15. Rac1 cxd4 $146 ({RR} 15... Bxg2 16. Nxg2 Rac8 17. d5 exd5 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rxd5 Be7 20. Nf4 Rfe8 21. h4 Bf8 22. Rcd1 a6 23. Qc2 b5 24. Qd3 Rb8 25. Rc1 Qe7 26. Qd2 Qe4 27. Rd3 Qf3 28. Qd1 Qxd1+ 29. Rdxd1 Re4 30. Nd5 {Radulov,I (2465)-Ortega,L (2380) Cienfuegos 1980 0-1 (40)}) ({RR} 15... Bxg2 16. Nxg2 Qe4 17. f3 Qg6 18. e4 cxd4 19. Bxd4 e5 20. Be3 Nd7 21. Rd2 f5 22. exf5 Qxf5 23. f4 e4 24. Rd5 Qf7 25. Bd4 Rae8 26. Qxe4 Bf6 27. Qd3 Bxd4+ 28. Qxd4 Nf6 29. Rxd6 Re2 30. Rf1 {Nik,K (2076)-Kazarian,A (2096) Chess.com INT 2020 0-1 (39)}) 16. Bxd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 73rd"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2011.01.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2744"] [BlackElo "2814"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2011.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 141"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.03.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.03.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 6. Nc3 d6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bxg2 9. Kxg2 Qc7 ({RR} 9... a6 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Qa4+ Qd7 12. Rfd1 Ra7 13. Rd3 Rc7 14. Rad1 O-O 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Qxd7 Nxd7 17. Nf3 Be7 18. Ne4 Nc5 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20. Nd2 f5 21. e4 g6 22. b3 Kf7 23. a4 Rb8 24. Re1 {Bakre,T (2509)-Khismatullin,D (2667) Kavala 2010 ½-½ (42)}) 10. Bg5 ({RR} 10. Qd3 a6 11. f4 Nbd7 12. b3 Be7 13. Qf3 Rc8 14. g4 g6 15. g5 Nh5 16. Bd2 O-O 17. f5 Ne5 18. Qh3 Qb7+ 19. Kg1 d5 20. fxe6 Bc5 21. Be3 dxc4 22. bxc4 Nxc4 23. Rxf7 Rxf7 24. exf7+ Kh8 {Putrenko,K (2353)-Kaiyrbekov,R (2295) Yerevan ARM 2024 1-0 (58)}) 10... Nbd7 11. Qa4 $146 ({RR} 11. e4 a6 12. Re1 Be7 13. Nd5 exd5 14. exd5 Kf8 15. Nc6 Re8 16. f4 h6 17. Bh4 Ng8 18. Qd4 Bf6 19. Rxe8+ Kxe8 20. Re1+ Kf8 21. Bxf6 Ndxf6 22. b4 h5 23. h3 g6 24. a4 Kg7 25. Re8 Qd7 {Toro Diaz,F (2187)-Arancibia Guzman,E (2405) Maipu 2003 0-1 (32)}) 11... Be7 12. Rfd1 O-O 13. Nc6 Bd8 14. b4 Rc8 15. b5 Ne5 16. Bf4 Be7 17. c5 Nxc6 18. cxd6 Qb7 19. bxc6 Rxc6 20. dxe7 Rxc3+ 21. Kg1 Re8 22. Be5 b5 23. Rab1 Rc5 24. Bd4 Rd5 25. Qxa7 Qxe7 26. Qxe7 Rxe7 27. Bc3 h6 28. Rxd5 Nxd5 29. Bd4 b4 30. e4 Nc3 31. Rxb4 Nxa2 32. Rc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 78th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2016.01.30"] [Round "12"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2773"] [BlackElo "2844"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2016.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 171"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.03.14"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. e4 Nb4 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 N8c6 12. Nxc6 Qxd1 13. Rxd1 Bxc6 14. Rb1 ({RR} 14. a3 Nc2 15. Ra2 Rd8 16. Rxd8+ Bxd8 17. b4 Ne1 18. Bf1 Bf6 19. Bb5 Kd7 20. Bd2 Bxb5 21. Nxb5 a6 22. Bxe1 axb5 23. Rd2+ Kc6 24. f4 Ra8 25. e5 Be7 26. Rd3 Rd8 27. Rc3+ Kb7 28. Kf2 f6 {Le,Q (2694)-Ivanchuk,V (2754) Cap d'Agde 2010 ½-½ (37)}) ({RR} 14. Bf4 g5 15. Be5 f6 16. Bd6 Rd8 17. e5 Bxd6 18. exd6 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rd7 20. Rac1 Kf7 21. a3 Nc6 22. Ne4 Nb8 23. Rc7 Rhd8 24. b4 h6 25. b5 f5 26. Nd2 Kf6 27. Nc4 e5 28. Re1 Re8 {Sargsyan,S (2666)-Durarbayli,V (2612) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (43)}) 14... Rd8 15. Rxd8+ Kxd8 $146 ({RR} 15... Bxd8 16. Bf4 Nd3 17. Bb8 Kd7 18. Bf1 Bf6 19. Bxa7 Nxb2 20. Rxb2 Bxc3 21. Rxb6 Ra8 22. Ra6 Bxe4 23. Bb5+ Kc8 24. Bb6 Rxa6 25. Bxa6+ Kd7 26. a4 Kc6 27. Be3 Kc7 28. Bb5 Bc6 29. Bxc6 Kxc6 30. Kf1 {Epishin,V (2657)-Ftacnik,L (2589) Germany 2000 ½-½ (39)}) 16. a3 Nd3 17. Be3 Kc7 18. f4 a5 19. e5 Rd8 20. Bxc6 Kxc6 21. Kf1 Bc5 22. Ke2 Bxe3 23. Kxe3 Nc5 24. Rc1 Rd3+ 25. Ke2 Rd4 26. Ke3 Rd3+ 27. Ke2 Rd4 28. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gausdal Classics GM"] [Site "Gausdal"] [Date "2003.04.08"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "De Firmian, Nick E"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2315"] [BlackElo "2536"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2003.04.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "8"] [SourceTitle "CBM 093 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.05.09"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.05.09"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O e6 7. d4 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Bxg2 9. Kxg2 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Be7 11. Rd1 ({RR} 11. Bf4 O-O 12. b3 Qc8 13. Qd3 Qc6+ 14. Qf3 {½-½ (14) Kavalek,L (2545)-Christiansen,L (2550) Berkeley 1984}) ({RR} 11. e4 d6 12. b3 Qc7 13. f3 O-O 14. Bb2 Rfd8 15. Rad1 Qc5 {½-½ (15) Sikorova,O (2155)-Holemar,D (2180) Czech Republic CZE 2025}) 11... O-O 12. b3 Qc7 13. Bb2 $146 ({RR} 13. f3 d6 14. e4 Rfd8 15. Bb2 a6 16. Rd2 Qb7 17. Qd3 h6 18. Qe2 Nd7 19. Rad1 Nc5 20. Ba3 Qc7 21. Rc2 Bf6 22. Bc1 Be5 23. Be3 Rac8 24. Bd4 Nd7 25. Rcd2 Kf8 26. Bxe5 Nxe5 27. Na4 Qc6 {Lin,T (2380)-De Firmian,N (2430) Thessaloniki 1988 ½-½ (54)}) ({RR} 13. Qd3 a6 14. Qf3 Rac8 15. Bb2 Rfd8 16. Rac1 Qb8 17. a4 d6 18. Kg1 h6 19. Ba3 Nd7 20. Ne4 Nc5 21. Nxc5 bxc5 22. Bb2 Rd7 23. Rd3 Qb7 24. e4 Qc6 25. Qg4 Bf8 26. Re1 Rb8 27. Qf3 Rdb7 {Engqvist,T (2330)-De Firmian,N (2605) Stockholm 1998 ½-½ (50)}) ({RR} 13. Qd3 Rfd8 14. Bf4 d6 15. Rac1 a6 16. Qf3 Rac8 17. Ne4 Nxe4 {½-½ (17) Requera,G-Franco Ocampos,Z (2495) San Fernando 1991}) 13... Rfd8 14. Qf4 Qxf4 15. gxf4 a6 16. Rd3 Rab8 17. a4 Kf8 18. Rad1 Rb7 19. Kf3 Ke8 20. e3 Rc8 21. e4 Nh5 22. Bc1 g6 23. Be3 Rc6 24. e5 Ng7 25. Ne2 Bc5 26. Nc3 Be7 27. Ne2 Rcc7 28. Nd4 Bc5 29. Bd2 Rc8 30. Ke2 d6 31. exd6 Rd7 32. a5 Rxd6 33. Bc3 Nh5 34. Kf3 bxa5 35. Bxa5 Nf6 36. Ne2 Rxd3+ 37. Rxd3 Rb8 38. Bc7 Rb7 39. Be5 Nd7 40. Bd4 Bxd4 41. Nxd4 Nc5 42. Re3 Rb4 43. Ke2 a5 44. Nc6 Rxb3 45. Nxa5 Rb2+ 46. Kf3 Kd7 47. Re2 Rxe2 48. Kxe2 f6 49. Ke3 e5 50. fxe5 fxe5 51. f4 e4 52. Kd4 Kd6 53. h4 h5 54. Ke3 Kc7 55. Kd4 Kb6 56. Nb3 Nxb3+ 57. Kxe4 Nd2+ 58. Ke5 Nf3+ 59. Kd6 Nxh4 0-1 [Event "Baku FIDE GP"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2008.04.27"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Gashimov, Vugar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A31"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2679"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2008.04.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 124"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.05.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 d6 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nc3 g6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. e4 Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Bg5 ({RR} 11. Be3 Nd7 12. Qc2 Qa5 13. Rac1 Rfc8 14. Rfd1 a6 15. Qb1 b5 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Ne5 18. Bh3 Rxc1 19. Bxc1 h5 20. Kg2 b4 21. b3 Ra7 22. Qc2 Rc7 23. Qe2 Qb5 24. Qxb5 axb5 25. Be3 Ng4 {Zhou Jianchao (2555)-Wieczorek,O (2512) Chicago USA 2023 ½-½ (68)}) ({RR} 11. Be3 a5 12. Qe2 Nd7 13. Rfd1 a4 14. Rac1 Qa5 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. Rxd5 Qa6 17. h4 Rfc8 18. Rb5 Rc7 19. h5 Rac8 20. h6 Bh8 21. b4 axb3 22. axb3 Nc5 23. Qd1 Nd7 24. Bh3 Ra8 25. Bxd7 Rxd7 {Carlsen,M (2881)-Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2653) Dubai 2014 1-0 (48)}) 11... h6 $146 ({RR} 11... Nd7 12. Qd2 a5 13. Nd5 Re8 14. Rab1 Nc5 15. b3 Bxd5 16. exd5 Bf6 17. h4 Qd7 18. Rfe1 Qf5 19. Rbd1 Bxg5 20. hxg5 f6 21. gxf6 exf6 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Qxa5 Re2 24. Rf1 Nd3 25. Qa8+ Kg7 26. Qxb7+ {Atalik,S (2543)-Borisek,J (2189) Bled 2001 1-0 (39)}) 12. Be3 Qa5 13. a3 Rfc8 14. b4 Qd8 15. Rc1 b6 16. Qe2 e6 17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. Nb5 Bxb5 19. cxb5 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Rd8 21. Rc6 Kh7 22. h3 Ne8 23. Bd2 Bd4 24. a4 e5 25. h4 Nf6 26. Bf3 Qe6 27. Kg2 Rd7 28. Qc4 Qxc4 29. Rxc4 Kg7 30. Bc1 h5 31. Bg5 Nh7 32. Bd2 Nf6 33. Rc6 Ng4 34. Be1 Nf6 35. a5 d5 36. exd5 Nxd5 37. Bd2 Ne7 38. Bg5 Nxc6 39. bxc6 Rc7 40. Bd8 Rc8 41. c7 e4 42. Bxe4 Be5 43. Bb7 Rxc7 44. Bxc7 Bxc7 45. a6 b5 46. Bc6 Bd6 47. Bxb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "NOR-ch playoff"] [Site "Oslo"] [Date "2006.09.20"] [Round "2"] [White "Agdestein, Simen"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A31"] [WhiteElo "2575"] [BlackElo "2675"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2006.09.19"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 115"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.11.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 d6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Nc2 Bg7 9. b3 O-O ({RR} 9... h5 10. h4 O-O 11. O-O Ng4 12. Bd2 a6 13. Rc1 Rb8 14. Ne3 Nce5 15. Nxg4 Nxg4 16. Bg5 Nf6 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. cxd5 Re8 19. Qd2 a5 20. Rc2 Qb6 21. Be3 Qb4 22. Qxb4 axb4 23. Bd2 Bf5 24. e4 {Sujkowski,P (2047)-Mickiewicz,P (2224) Warsaw POL 2025 0-1 (48)}) 10. Bb2 Qa5 11. Qd2 Bf5 $146 ({RR} 11... a6 12. a3 Rac8 13. Ne3 Qb6 14. Rb1 e6 15. O-O Ne5 16. Ba1 Rfd8 17. Na2 Bc6 18. Bd4 Qc7 19. f3 d5 20. f4 Neg4 21. Nxg4 Nxg4 22. c5 Nf6 23. b4 Ne4 24. Qe3 e5 25. fxe5 Bxe5 26. Bxe4 {Lopez Martinez,J (2498)-Debray,C (2383) Barcelona 2012 1-0 (49)}) ({RR} 11... Rfe8 12. h3 a6 13. O-O Qh5 14. g4 Bxg4 15. hxg4 Nxg4 16. Rfd1 Qh2+ 17. Kf1 Qh4 18. e3 Nce5 19. Qe2 f5 20. Nd4 Rf8 21. Ne6 Bh6 22. Nxf8 Rxf8 23. Nd5 f4 24. Bxe5 fxe3 25. Nxe7+ Qxe7 26. Bd5+ {Donchenko,A (2633)-Martin Fuentes,A (2375) chess.com INT 2024 1-0}) 12. Rb1 d5 13. cxd5 Bxc2 14. Qxc2 Nxd5 15. Bxd5 Nb4 16. Qd2 Rad8 17. e4 e6 18. a3 exd5 19. axb4 Qxb4 20. e5 Bxe5 21. O-O d4 22. Ne4 Qxb3 23. Nc5 Qd5 24. Nd3 Bg7 25. Ra1 a6 26. Ra5 Qb3 27. Ra3 Qb5 28. Nf4 Rfe8 29. Rd3 Re4 30. Rd1 Qc4 31. Qa5 Qc8 32. Rc1 Qd7 33. Rc7 Qe8 34. Rxb7 Re5 35. Qc7 Re1+ 36. Kg2 g5 37. Nh3 Bf6 38. Rf3 g4 39. Rf4 gxh3+ 40. Kxh3 Re6 41. Rg4+ Bg7 42. Bxd4 Rh6+ 43. Kg2 Rg6 44. Rxg6 hxg6 45. Bxg7 Qe4+ 46. Kh3 Qf5+ 47. Kg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates sf"] [Site "Elista"] [Date "2007.06.03"] [Round "1.11"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A32"] [WhiteElo "2759"] [BlackElo "2693"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2007.05.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 119"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 c5 4. g3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bc5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg2 Nc6 9. Nc3 b6 10. Bf4 Bb7 11. O-O O-O 12. Bd6 ({RR} 12. Nb5 Ne8 13. Rc1 d6 14. Qd2 a6 15. N5d4 Rc8 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Rfd1 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Qc7 19. e4 Qb7 20. f3 h6 21. Be3 Nf6 22. Qf2 b5 23. c5 d5 24. c6 Qa8 25. e5 d4 26. Bxd4 Nd5 {Lei,T (2505)-Carlsen,M (2847) chess24.com INT 2021 0-1 (37)}) 12... Na5 $146 ({RR} 12... Bxd6 13. Qxd6 Qb8 14. Rfd1 Rd8 15. c5 Qxd6 16. cxd6 Rab8 17. Nb5 a6 18. Nc7 a5 19. Nd2 Na7 20. e4 Ne8 21. Nc4 Bc6 22. Rac1 f6 23. f4 Rb7 24. Nxe8 Rxe8 25. Kf2 Kf7 26. Ke3 Ra8 27. g4 {Barbosa,O (2506)-Ghaem Maghami,E (2606) Mashhad 2011 ½-½ (40)}) ({RR} 12... Ne8 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Qd2 d6 15. Nd4 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Nf6 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. Rd2 d5 20. cxd5 Nxd5 21. Rad1 Rac8 22. Nxd5 Rxd5 23. Qe4 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 g6 25. h4 h5 26. a3 {½-½ (26) Nielsen,P (2649)-Akopian,V (2698) Lugo 2007}) 13. Nxa5 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 bxa5 15. e4 Rc8 16. b3 Bxd6 17. Qxd6 a4 18. e5 Ne8 19. Qd4 axb3 20. axb3 f6 21. Rxa7 Rc7 22. Rxc7 Qxc7 23. exf6 Nxf6 24. Nb5 Qc6+ 25. f3 h6 26. Ra1 Nh7 27. Qe4 d5 28. Qe2 dxc4 29. Nd4 Qd5 30. Qxc4 Qxc4 31. bxc4 Rc8 32. Rc1 e5 33. Nf5 Kf8 34. c5 Ng5 35. Nd6 Rc6 36. h4 Ne6 37. Ne4 Ke7 38. h5 Rc7 39. Kh3 Nd4 40. Kg4 Ne6 41. Rc2 Nd4 42. Rc3 Rc6 43. Ra3 Ne6 44. Kf5 Nxc5 45. Rc3 g6+ 46. hxg6 Ne6 47. Rxc6 Nd4+ 48. Kg4 Nxc6 49. Kh5 Kf8 50. Kxh6 Ne7 51. Kh7 1-0 [Event "Arctic Chess Challenge"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2007.08.05"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "De Firmian, Nick E"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A32"] [WhiteElo "2710"] [BlackElo "2540"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2007.08.04"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 119 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.09.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.09.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. g3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. Nb3 Bb4+ 8. Bd2 d5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. O-O O-O 11. Bxb4 ({RR} 11. a3 Bxd2 12. Qxd2 Qb6 13. Qc2 Bd7 14. Nc3 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Rac8 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Nd4 Na5 18. Qb4 e5 19. Qxb6 axb6 20. Nf3 Nb3 21. Rab1 Bf5 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Re1 f6 24. Nh4 Be6 25. Bxb7 Rd2 {Muratet Casadevall,A (2018)-Enkhrii Enkh-Amgalan (2184) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (32)}) 11... Ncxb4 $146 ({RR} 11... Ndxb4 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Nc3 e5 14. Nc5 Rb8 15. Rad1 Nd4 16. e3 Ne6 17. Rxd8+ Nxd8 18. Rd1 Nbc6 19. Nd7 Bxd7 20. Rxd7 Kf8 21. Nb5 a6 22. Nd6 f6 23. Nxb7 Nxb7 24. Bxc6 Nc5 25. Rd5 Ne6 26. b3 {Tukmakov,V (2570)-Meetei,A (2320) New Delhi 1986 1-0 (33)}) ({RR} 11... Ndxb4 12. Nc3 e5 13. a3 Na6 14. Ne4 Qb6 15. Nbd2 Qxb2 16. Nc4 Qd4 17. Ned6 Nc5 18. Qc2 Ne6 19. e3 Qc5 20. Rfc1 b5 21. Nxe5 Qxe5 22. Qxc6 Rb8 23. Nxc8 Rbxc8 24. Qxc8 Rxc8 25. Rxc8+ Nf8 26. Rd1 {Iskusnyh,S (2473)-Kovanova,B (2310) Chess.com INT 2021 1-0 (34)}) 12. Qd2 Qb6 13. Na3 Nxa2 14. Nd4 Ndb4 15. Nf3 Rd8 16. Qf4 Bd7 17. Nc4 Qa6 18. Rfd1 f6 19. Rd6 Nc3 20. Re1 Ncd5 21. Qe4 Qb5 22. b3 Nc3 23. Qd4 Ncd5 24. Qd2 Qc5 25. e4 b5 26. exd5 exd5 27. Rxd7 Rxd7 28. Nb2 Rc7 29. Nd3 Nxd3 30. Qxd3 Kh8 31. Nd4 a6 32. Qe2 Rcc8 33. Qg4 Re8 34. Ne6 Qe7 35. Bxd5 Rad8 36. Bc6 1-0 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 37th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2009.07.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A32"] [WhiteElo "2756"] [BlackElo "2772"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2009.07.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 131"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. g3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 Nc6 ({RR} 7... O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. e4 d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nc3 Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Ba6 15. Qg4 Bf6 16. Rfd1 Qe7 17. Rd7 h5 18. Rxe7 hxg4 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bxa8 Rxa8 21. Rd1 Bb5 22. b3 {Borne,M (1673)-Wadelek,K (1979) Reykjavik ISL 2025 ½-½ (57)}) 8. Bf4 O-O 9. O-O ({RR} 9. Nc3 e5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Bxe5 Qa5 12. Bd6 Bxd6 13. Qxd6 Ba6 14. Qd4 Rab8 15. O-O c5 16. Qd2 Bxc4 17. Rfd1 Be6 18. b3 Rfc8 19. Nd5 Qxd2 20. Rxd2 Kf8 21. Rc1 Nxd5 22. Bxd5 Ke7 23. Rc4 Rb4 {Dominguez Perez,L (2713)-Gashimov,V (2740) Nice 2010 0-1 (48)}) 9... Qb6 10. Nb5 $146 ({RR} 10. Nb3 d5 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 exd5 13. Nc3 d4 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Qxe2 18. Rfe1 Qf3 19. Re3 Qc6 20. Rc3 Qb5 21. Rc5 Qb6 22. Bc7 Qg6 23. Bf4 h6 24. Rc7 Bh3 {Tjurins,I (2202)-Bellaiche,A (2454) Chalkidiki 2003 0-1 (33)}) 10... a6 11. Bc7 Qc5 12. Bd6 Bxd6 13. Nxd6 Nd4 14. e3 Qxd6 15. Qxd4 Qxd4 16. exd4 Rb8 17. Nc3 b6 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Bb7 20. Bxb7 Rxb7 21. Rac1 Rc8 22. Rc3 d5 23. Rfc1 Rxc4 24. Rxc4 dxc4 25. Rxc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "NOR-UKR Solidarity m"] [Site "Tornelo INT"] [Date "2022.04.23"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A32"] [WhiteElo "2678"] [BlackElo "2864"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2022.04.23"] [EventType "team-match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 207 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Norway"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd2 Be7 8. e4 Nxc3 9. Bxc3 O-O 10. Bd3 ({RR} 10. Be2 Qb6 11. O-O Rd8 12. Qb3 Na6 13. Qxb6 axb6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. a3 Bd7 16. Rfd1 Kf8 17. Nc2 Raa8 18. Kf1 Bb5+ 19. Ke1 Bd3 20. Ne3 Bxe4 21. f3 Bc6 22. Nc4 b5 23. Ne5 Bd5 24. Rac1 f6 {Carlsen,M (2863)-So,W (2770) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (53)}) 10... Qb6 ({RR} 10... Nd7 11. O-O Bf6 12. f4 e5 13. Nf3 Re8 14. Kh1 exf4 15. e5 Be7 16. Qc2 Nf8 17. Rad1 Qb6 18. Qa4 Be6 19. Qxf4 Ng6 20. Qa4 Rad8 21. Ba5 Bd7 22. Qxd7 Qxa5 23. Qxb7 Qxa2 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Qxe7 {Bortnyk,M (2381)-Huston,G (2316) New York USA 2025 1-0}) 11. O-O Rd8 12. Rc1 $146 ({RR} 12. Nf3 Nc6 13. Qe2 Nb4 14. Bc4 Nc6 15. h4 Bb4 16. h5 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Qc5 18. e5 Bd7 19. Qe4 h6 20. Bd3 Kf8 21. Rab1 Qd5 22. Rxb7 Bc8 23. Rc7 Qxd3 24. Qxc6 Qd5 25. Qa4 a5 26. Qa3+ Kg8 {Navaratnam,R (2071)-Rudzinska,M (2315) Bydgoszcz 2022 ½-½ (61)}) 12... Bd7 13. Qh5 Be8 14. Rfd1 Nc6 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. Qg4 Bf8 17. h4 Rd7 18. h5 Rad8 19. Bc2 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 h6 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22. a3 a6 23. g3 Qd6 24. Kf1 Qc5 25. Kg1 Qc4 26. Qf3 f5 27. Bd3 Qa4 28. Qe2 Bxe4 29. Bxe4 fxe4 30. Qg4 Qc4 31. Qg6 Qd5 32. Qe8 a5 33. a4 b6 34. Kh2 Qf5 35. Kg1 Kh7 36. Bd4 Bc5 37. Bxc5 bxc5 38. b3 Qg4 39. Kh2 Qf5 40. Kg1 e5 41. Qa8 e3 42. fxe3 Qb1+ 43. Kf2 Qc2+ 44. Kf3 Qd1+ 45. Kf2 Qxb3 46. Qxa5 Qc2+ 47. Kf3 Qf5+ 48. Kg2 e4 49. Qe1 Qxh5 50. a5 Qf7 51. Qa1 Qf3+ 52. Kh2 Qxe3 53. a6 Qf2+ 54. Kh3 Qf5+ 55. Kh2 e3 0-1 [Event "NOR-UKR Solidarity m"] [Site "Tornelo INT"] [Date "2022.04.23"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A32"] [WhiteElo "2678"] [BlackElo "2864"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2022.04.23"] [EventType "team-match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 207 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Norway"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd2 Be7 8. e4 Nxc3 9. Bxc3 O-O 10. Bd3 ({RR} 10. Be2 Qb6 11. O-O Rd8 12. Qb3 Na6 13. Qxb6 axb6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. a3 Bd7 16. Rfd1 Kf8 17. Nc2 Raa8 18. Kf1 Bb5+ 19. Ke1 Bd3 20. Ne3 Bxe4 21. f3 Bc6 22. Nc4 b5 23. Ne5 Bd5 24. Rac1 f6 {Carlsen,M (2863)-So,W (2770) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (53)}) 10... Qb6 ({RR} 10... Nd7 11. O-O Bf6 12. f4 e5 13. Nf3 Re8 14. Kh1 exf4 15. e5 Be7 16. Qc2 Nf8 17. Rad1 Qb6 18. Qa4 Be6 19. Qxf4 Ng6 20. Qa4 Rad8 21. Ba5 Bd7 22. Qxd7 Qxa5 23. Qxb7 Qxa2 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Qxe7 {Bortnyk,M (2381)-Huston,G (2316) New York USA 2025 1-0}) 11. O-O Rd8 12. Rc1 $146 ({RR} 12. Nf3 Nc6 13. Qe2 Nb4 14. Bc4 Nc6 15. h4 Bb4 16. h5 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Qc5 18. e5 Bd7 19. Qe4 h6 20. Bd3 Kf8 21. Rab1 Qd5 22. Rxb7 Bc8 23. Rc7 Qxd3 24. Qxc6 Qd5 25. Qa4 a5 26. Qa3+ Kg8 {Navaratnam,R (2071)-Rudzinska,M (2315) Bydgoszcz 2022 ½-½ (61)}) 12... Bd7 13. Qh5 Be8 14. Rfd1 Nc6 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. Qg4 Bf8 17. h4 Rd7 18. h5 Rad8 19. Bc2 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 h6 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22. a3 a6 23. g3 Qd6 24. Kf1 Qc5 25. Kg1 Qc4 26. Qf3 f5 27. Bd3 Qa4 28. Qe2 Bxe4 29. Bxe4 fxe4 30. Qg4 Qc4 31. Qg6 Qd5 32. Qe8 a5 33. a4 b6 34. Kh2 Qf5 35. Kg1 Kh7 36. Bd4 Bc5 37. Bxc5 bxc5 38. b3 Qg4 39. Kh2 Qf5 40. Kg1 e5 41. Qa8 e3 42. fxe3 Qb1+ 43. Kf2 Qc2+ 44. Kf3 Qd1+ 45. Kf2 Qxb3 46. Qxa5 Qc2+ 47. Kf3 Qf5+ 48. Kg2 e4 49. Qe1 Qxh5 50. a5 Qf7 51. Qa1 Qf3+ 52. Kh2 Qxe3 53. a6 Qf2+ 54. Kh3 Qf5+ 55. Kh2 e3 0-1 [Event "London Classic 4th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2012.12.07"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Polgar, Judit"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2848"] [BlackElo "2705"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2012.12.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 152"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 ({Kavalek in his notes indicated that the first one to use White's setup was Ljubojevic almost 40 years ago, albeit against a Sicilian:} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N5c3 (7. N1c3 {is the usual move, but Ljubojevic wanted to avoid the standard} a6 8. Na3 {, as he didn't like the knight on the edge.} (8. Nd4 {allows} Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O d5 $1 11. exd5 exd5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Be3 a5 16. Bf3 Ba6 17. Re1 Bb4 18. Bd2 Bc5 19. Bc3 d4 20. Bxa8 dxc3 $44 {Ehlvest,J (2589)-Bacrot,E (2649)/Dubai rpd/2002/})) 7... Be7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O b6 10. Bf4 Bb7 11. Nd2 (11. Re1 {is similar:} Ne5 12. Nd2 (12. Bf1 Ng6 13. Bg3 Qd7 14. Na3 Rfd8 15. Qd2 Ne8 16. Rad1 Bf6 17. Nab5 Qe7 18. Qe3 Bg5 19. f4 Bh6 20. Qf2 Qf6 21. f5 Ne5 22. Qd4 Ng4 23. Qxf6 gxf6 24. Rd3 Ne5 25. Rdd1 Ng4 26. Rd3 {½,Ljubojevic,L (2605)-Sokolov,A (2595)/Bugojno/1986/}) 12... Nfd7 13. Bf1 Bg5 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15. Nf3 Qf6 $5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Qd2 (17. Qxd6 Rfd8 $44) 17... g5 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. Qe3 Rd7 20. Rd2 Bc6 21. Red1 Rad8 22. f3 h5 23. Be2 h4 $11 {Ljubojevic,L (2590)-Kasparov,G (2630)/Tilburg/1981/}) {The most usual reaction is the immediate} 11... a6 (11... Ne5 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. a3 {leads to the position from our game, only there Black's bishop took 2 moves to get to e7 and Carlsen had the extra move ?e1. After} a6 (13... Qc7 14. Re1 Qb8 15. b4 Qa8 16. Bf1 Rfd8 $13 {is a viable attempt to do without a6.}) 14. Re1 Rc7 15. Be3 Ned7 16. b4 Qa8 17. Na4 Rc6 18. Qb3 Bd8 19. f3 Rc8 20. Kh1 Bc7 21. Bf1 Kh8 22. Qb2 Rg8 23. Nb3 Bc6 24. Nc3 Bb7 25. Na4 Bc6 26. Nc3 Bb7 27. Red1 Qb8 28. Bg1 g5 $132 {Cheparinov,I (2572)-Karjakin,S (2599)/Wijk aan Zee/2005/ Here Black has a typical Hedgehog counterplay, see the notes to this game by Ribli in CBM 105.}) (11... Rc8 12. Re1 Rc7 13. Bf1 Rd7 {seems too artificial:} 14. a3 Qa8 15. Rc1 Ne5 16. Bg3 Ng6 17. Qe2 Rc8 18. f4 Rdd8 19. Kh1 h5 20. Nf3 Re8 21. h3 Ba6 22. b3 d5 23. e5 Ne4 24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. Nd2 h4 26. Bh2 Bb7 27. b4 a5 28. Rb1 axb4 29. axb4 Qa3 30. Nxe4 Bxe4 31. Qxe4 Bxb4 32. Re3 Qa5 33. f5 $1 $40 {Ljubojevic,L (2605)-Bronstein,L (2380)/Buenos Aires olm/1978/}) 12. a3 Nd4 13. Bd3 Nd7 14. Be3 (14. Re1 $5 Ne5 15. Bf1 Bg5 16. Be3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 f5 18. exf5 Nxf5 19. Rh3 $13 {leads to an interesting position. Black has active piece play, but his central pawns are vulnerable and exchanges help his opponent. After} Qg5 (19... Qc7 $5) 20. Nde4 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 Qf4 22. Qe1 d5 $6 23. cxd5 exd5 24. Nc3 Rad8 25. Rd1 d4 26. Qe4 $14 {/?,Kavalek,L (2555)-Langeweg,K (2410)/Wijk aan Zee/1975/ White forces an advantageous endgame.}) 14... Bf6 15. Rc1 Ne5 16. Bb1 Nec6 17. Re1 Rb8 (17... Rc8 $5 $11 {seems more natural}) 18. b4 b5 19. Ba2 Ba8 20. Nd5 $5 exd5 21. cxd5 a5 (21... Ne7 22. Nf1 Ndf5 (22... Qb6 23. Ng3 {[%CAl Rg3h5]} g6 24. Rc3 $16) 23. exf5 Nxf5 $11) 22. dxc6 Nxc6 23. Qb3 axb4 24. axb4 Ne5 25. h3 Qe7 26. Qb1 {½,Ljubojevic,L (2565)-Karpov,A (2660)/Madrid/1973/} Rfe8 $132 {The final position resembles a Ruy Lopez.}) 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 (5... Qb6 {is less flexible:} 6. Nb3 e6 7. a3 $5 {[%csl Rb6]} (7. e4 Bb4 8. Bd3 Ne5 9. O-O Qd6 10. Bf4 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qxd3 12. Bxe5 {1-0 Le Quang,L (2647)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2658)/Moscow 2010/CBM 135/[Le Quang Liem] (60)} Qxd1 $5 13. Raxd1 (13. Rfxd1 Nxe4 14. Bxg7 Rg8 15. Bd4 b6 16. f3 Nd6 17. c5 Nf5 $11) 13... Nxe4 (13... b6 14. Rd4 $14) 14. Rfe1 Nf6 15. Nd4 Kf8 16. Nb5 $44 {White has compensation, but hardly an advantage after} Ne8) 7... d5 8. Be3 Qd8 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. g3 a5 12. Bg2 a4 13. Nd4 Qa5+ 14. Qd2 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Na5 $6 (15... Bc5 $5 $14) 16. Bxd5 Bh3 17. Rhd1 Rd8 18. Ba2 Bc5 19. Ke1 O-O 20. Rac1 b6 21. Nc2 Rb8 22. Bf4 Rb7 23. Ne3 Re8 24. Rc3 $16 {Stohl,I (2525)-Polgar,J (2540)/Amsterdam/1990/}) 6. a3 {Let's check the alternatives:} (6. g3 Qb6 {There have been new developments also after} 7. Nb3 (7. Ndb5 Bc5 (7... Ne5 8. Bf4 Nfg4 9. e3 (9. Qa4 g5 10. Bxe5 Qxf2+ $5 11. Kd1 Nxe5 12. Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nxa8 Qd4+ 14. Kc2 Nxc4 15. Kb3 Nd2+ 16. Kc2 Nc4 17. Kb3 Nd2+ 18. Kc2 {½, Carlsen,M (2776)-Dominguez Perez,L (2717)/Linares/2009/}) 9... a6 10. Qa4 $5 $146 {With this White wants to avoid the above line. The critical move is probably} Rb8 {when} (10... g5 11. Bxe5 Nxe5 12. O-O-O {Vachier was obviously striving for this position and got a big plus after} Be7 (12... Rb8 13. Nd4 Qc7 14. Be2 Be7 15. Kb1 (15. f4 $5) 15... Nc6 16. Rc1 Qe5 17. Rhd1 h5 18. Ka1 g4 19. Bf1 f5 20. Bg2 Kf7 21. h3 Bf6 22. Qc2 Ne7 23. Nce2 b5 $5 $13 {Aronian,L (2739)-Leko,P (2753)/Morelia/Linares/2008/ See the notes to this game by Marin in CBM 123. Here the actual move order was 9.?a4 g5 10.?xe5 ?xe5 11.0-0-0 a6 12.e3.}) 13. Be2 O-O 14. Nd4 Qb4 15. Qxb4 Bxb4 16. f4 gxf4 17. gxf4 Ng6 18. h4 b6 19. h5 Ne7 20. Ne4 d5 21. Rhg1+ Kh8 22. Nf6 Bc5 23. h6 Ng8 24. Nxg8 Rxg8 25. Rxg8+ Kxg8 26. Rg1+ $16 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2686)-Dominguez Perez,L (2725)/Istanbul ol/2012/}) 11. Be2 axb5 12. Nxb5 g5 13. Bxg5 f6 14. Bf4 h5 15. O-O $5 $44 {gives White good compensation.}) {White can probably fight for an edge only with} 8. Bg2 $5 (8. Nd6+ Ke7 9. Nde4 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 d5 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Nc3 Be6 14. Bg2 Rhd8 15. O-O d4 $5 (15... Kf8 16. Na4 Qa5 17. Bxb4+ Qxb4 18. Rc1 Qe7 19. Nc5 Rac8 20. Qa4 a6 21. Rfd1 $14 {Christiansen,L (2555)-Tolnai,T (2470)/WChT Luzern/1989/}) 16. Na4 Qa5 17. Bxb4+ Qxb4 18. a3 Qb5 19. b4 a5 20. Nc5 axb4 21. axb4 Rxa1 22. Qxa1 {Marin,M (2545)-Nisipeanu,L (2610)/Bucharest/1998/} Bd5 $11) (8. e3 $6 {This is too soft.} O-O 9. Bg2 a6 10. Na3 Bxa3 11. bxa3 Ne5 12. Na4 Qd8 13. Qb3 d5 14. cxd5 exd5 15. O-O b5 16. Nc5 Nc4 17. Qc3 (17. a4 $5) 17... Bf5 18. Qd4 Qe7 19. Nd3 Be4 20. f3 Bxd3 21. Qxd3 Rfe8 22. Re1 Rad8 $36 {[%csl Rc1,Gc4,Gf6,Rg2] Fressinet,L (2702)-Short,N (2707)/Bastia rpd/2012/}) 8... a6 9. Nd6+ Ke7 10. Nde4 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Bb4+ 12. Kf1 d5 13. cxd5 Rd8 14. Be3 Qb5 15. Nc3 Bxc3 16. bxc3 exd5 17. Rb1 ({Marin suggests} 17. h4 $5 h5 18. Bf3 $14) 17... Qc4 18. Qd3 Qxd3 19. Bc5+ Kf6 20. exd3 b5 21. Ke2 {½,Marin,M (2551)-Gashimov,V (2664)/Reggio Emilia/2008/}) 7... Ne5 8. e4 Bb4 9. Qe2 d6 10. Bd2 (10. f4 Nc6 11. Be3 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Qc7 13. Bg2 O-O 14. c5 (14. O-O b6 15. g4 Ba6 $13 {/? is not without risk, in practice Black has mostly been able to cope with White's attack.}) 14... dxc5 15. Bxc5 Rd8 16. e5 Na5 17. Bd4 Nxb3 18. axb3 Rxd4 19. cxd4 Qc3+ 20. Kf2 Qxd4+ 21. Kf3 Qc3+ 22. Kf2 Qd4+ $11 {is a well-known draw.}) 10... a5 (10... O-O 11. O-O-O a5 12. f4 Nc6 $5 (12... a4 13. fxe5 axb3 14. a3 dxe5 15. axb4 Ra1+ 16. Nb1 Qa6 17. Qd3 {The untested} b5 $5 (17... Qa2 18. Bg2 Re8 19. Bc3 Re7 20. Kd2 $1 (20. Qd8+ Re8 21. Qd3 Re7 $11) 20... Rd7 21. Na3 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 $16 {[%csl Ra2] Gulko,B (2589)-Alekseev,E (2625)/Ruschess.com/2005/ White has good winning chances, as the ?a2 is completely offside. see the notes to this game by Ribli in CBM 109.}) 18. c5 Nxe4 $13 {seems worth a try.}) 13. Be3 Qa6 14. Nb5 a4 15. Nd2 (15. Nc7 axb3 $1 16. Nxa6 bxa2 17. Kc2 Rxa6 18. e5 dxe5 19. fxe5 Nxe5 20. Bg2 Neg4 21. Ra1 e5 22. Rxa2 Be6 {[%CAl Re6c4]} 23. Kb3 Ba5 24. Bc5 b5 25. Rxa5 Rxa5 26. Qd2 bxc4+ 27. Kb4 Rxc5 28. Kxc5 Rc8+ $44 {Pauwels,C (2541)-Korze,D (2474)/corr/2009/}) 15... a3 16. b3 e5 $5 17. Bg2 (17. Nc7 $2 Qa5 18. Nxa8 Bc5 $1 $19) ({Probably the critical move is} 17. f5 $5 Bc5 18. Bg5 $13) 17... Bg4 18. Bf3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Qa5 20. h4 $6 Rfe8 21. f5 h5 $1 22. Rhe1 Bc5 23. Re2 Bxe3 24. Rxe3 Nd4 25. Nxd4 exd4 26. Rd3 Qc5 $17 {Martin Rebollo,L (2106)-Baltasar Perez,A (2022)/corr/2008/}) 11. f4 Nc6 12. Be3 $5 (12. Na4 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 Qb4 $11) 12... Qc7 13. Bg2 a4 ({After} 13... Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 {Black is a tempo up, compared to 10.f4. However, the extra move a5 only makes his queenside more vulnerable.}) ({The same goes for} 13... O-O 14. O-O Bxc3 15. bxc3) 14. Nd2 Bxc3 15. bxc3 b6 (15... O-O 16. c5 d5 17. O-O Rd8 18. e5 Nd7 19. Qh5 Ra5 20. g4 f6 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Qh4 d4 23. cxd4 Nxd4 24. Rad1 Qxc5 25. Kh1 $18 {[%CAl Rd2f3,Rd2e4] D'Costa,L (2411)-Edouard,R (2531)/Palma de Mallorca/2008/}) 16. Rb1 Nd7 17. Qf2 Rb8 18. O-O O-O 19. g4 Ba6 (19... f6 {is more circumspect}) 20. Qh4 Rfe8 21. Rf3 Nf8 22. Rh3 b5 $6 (22... Na5 $142 $5 {was consistent:} 23. e5 Nxc4 $13) 23. e5 $1 dxe5 24. Be4 h6 25. f5 $1 f6 26. Bxh6 $1 $40 {Morozevich,A (2748)-Leko,P (2732)/Tashkent/2012/ However, we have indicated Black's play can be improved, only further practice will decide the future of 10...a5.}) (6. Ndb5 d5 7. Bf4 e5 8. cxd5 exf4 9. dxc6 bxc6 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Rd1+ Bd7 12. Nd6 Kc7 $5 (12... Bxd6 13. Rxd6 Rb8 14. Rd2 Re8 15. g3 f3 16. Kd1 fxe2+ 17. Bxe2 Kc7 $11) 13. Nxf7 Rg8 14. Ne5 Rb8 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. g3 (16. Rd2 Bb4 17. g3 Ne5 18. Bh3 {allows Black to force a draw with} Bxc3 19. bxc3 Rb1+ 20. Rd1 Nd3+ $1 21. exd3 Re8+ 22. Kd2 Rb2+ 23. Kc1 Ree2 $11 {Blees,A (2380)-Hegeler,F (2245)/Krumbach/1991/}) 16... Rxb2 17. Bh3 Nf6 18. O-O Bb4 19. Rc1 Rd8 20. Bg2 Rdd2 21. gxf4 Rbc2 22. Ne4 Rxe2 23. Nxf6 gxf6 24. Rxc2 Rxc2 25. Be4 Rxa2 26. Rc1 c5 27. Bxh7 Rd2 $11 {Nakamura,H (2775)-Kramnik,V (2801)/Moscow/2012/ The ? endgame is drawish, if anybody must tread with care, it's White.}) (6. e4 Bb4 7. Nxc6 bxc6 (7... dxc6 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. e5 Ne4 10. a3 $1 {?} Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Nxc3 12. a4 Ne4 13. Be3 b6 14. a5 $44 Rb8 15. axb6 axb6 16. Ra7 Rf8 17. Bd3 Nc5 18. Bxh7 Nd7 19. Bg5+ f6 20. exf6 gxf6 21. Bf4 Rb7 22. Rxb7 Bxb7 23. Bd6 Rh8 24. Be4 f5 25. Bd3 Rh4 26. f4 Nf6 27. O-O $14 {/?,Kosten,A (2534)-Don Juan/playchess.com/2007/}) 8. Bd3 e5 (8... d5 9. exd5 exd5 10. cxd5 Qe7+ 11. Qe2 Qxe2+ 12. Kxe2 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Nxd5 14. Bd2 (14. c4 $5) 14... O-O 15. c4 Re8+ 16. Kf3 Ba6 $132 {½,Stohl,I (2560)-Lautier,J (2580)/Chalkidiki/1992/}) 9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 (10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 Bc5 12. a3 a5 13. Qd2 d6 14. Kh1 Be6 15. f4 exf4 16. Rxf4 g5 17. Raf1 Bd4 18. R4f3 Ng4 19. Bg3 Ne5 20. Bxe5 Bxe5 21. R3f2 Qb6 $17 {Christiansen,L (2595)-Ribli,Z (2595)/Bundesliga/1992/}) ({Maybe White should prefer the modest} 10. Bd2 {, but here Black can hardly have problems after} Be7 $11 ({or} 10... d6 $5)) 10... d6 (10... Bxc3 $5 11. bxc3 d6 $11 {was Kasparov's laconic recommendation. However, even his own move was not that bad.}) 11. Na4 $1 d5 12. exd5 cxd5 13. a3 Be7 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Bc5 Nf6 (15... Bxc5 $5 16. Nxc5 Nf4 $132) 16. Re1 Bxc5 17. Nxc5 Qb6 18. Qc2 Re8 19. h3 a5 20. Rac1 Rb8 21. Re2 h6 22. Bc4 Re7 23. Rd2 e4 $14 {/?,Kramnik,V (2710)-Kasparov,G (2805)/New York rpd/1994/ Black lost the game only after further mistakes.}) 6... Bc5 (6... Qb6 7. Nb3 $14 {- 5...?b6}) ({However, an equivalent alternative is} 6... Be7 $5 7. e4 O-O 8. Nf3 (8. Be2 d5 $11 {was sufficient for equality even in an inferior version from the note to move 1 - here it easily solves Black's problems.}) (8. Nc2 b6 $11 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Qc7 11. Ne3 a6 12. f4 d6 13. b4 b5 $5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. Bb2 Qb6 16. Qd3 Nd4 17. Bd1 e5 18. Kh1 Rac8 $132 {Agdestein,S (2571)-Carlsen,M (2528)/Sandnes/2005/}) 8... Qc7 (8... b6 9. Bf4 {prevents the queen from going to c7, but even here} Bb7 10. Be2 d6 11. O-O Rc8 {leads only to a playable Hedgehog from our game (mentioned also in the note to move 1).}) 9. Be2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 11. Bg5 Rad8 {is less forcing:} (11... Ne5 12. Nxe5 (12. Bh4 {Xiu,D (2508)-Edouard,R (2634)/Moscow/2011/} Ng6 $5 13. Bg3 Nf4 14. Nb5 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 Qc6 {[%csl Gb7,Ge7] is fine for Black.}) 12... Qxe5 13. Bh4 Bxe4 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nxe4 Qxe4 16. Bf3 Qxc4 17. Rc1 Qd4 18. Bxa8 Rxa8 19. Rc7 a5 20. Rxd7 Qxb2 21. Qd6 h6 22. Rd1 b5 23. g3 b4 $11 {Van Wely,L (2688)-Dominguez Perez,L (2734)/ECC Eilat 2012/}) 12. Re1 h6 13. Bh4 d6 14. Bf1 Ne5 15. Nd4 Qb8 16. Bg3 Qa8 17. Qe2 Rc8 18. b3 a6 19. Rac1 Rfe8 20. h3 Ned7 $11 {Kovalyov,A (2593)-Akopian,V (2703)/St Petersburg/2012/}) 7. Nb3 Be7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 ({Here Black has also} 10... Ba6 $5 {[%csl Rc4] , targetting c4.} 11. f4 (11. Bf4 d6 12. Re1 Ne5 13. Nd2 Rc8 $132) 11... d6 12. Be3 Rc8 13. Rc1 {again allows} (13. Bd3 Nd7 $5 14. Rc1 (14. Nd2 Bf6 $132) 14... Nc5 15. Nxc5 bxc5 16. Rf2 Qa5 (16... Bb7 $11) (16... Bf6 $5 {?} 17. e5 dxe5 18. Bxc5 Be7 $13) 17. Bd2 Qc7 18. Qa4 Qa5 19. b4 $5 Qxa4 20. Nxa4 Nd4 21. Be3 Bf6 $2 (21... Rfd8 $11) (21... f5 $5 $132) 22. e5 dxe5 23. Nxc5 {Stohl,I (2580)-Fancsy,I (2345)/HUN-chT/1998/}) (13. Kh1 Nb8 14. Nd2 d5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. e5 d4 17. Bxd4 Qxd4 18. exf6 Bxf6 19. Bxa6 Nxa6 20. Nde4 Nc5 21. Nxf6+ {½,Stohl,I (2525)-Horvath,J (2540)/Stary Smokovec/1990/}) 13... Nb8 ({Black can also keep more tension on the board with} 13... Re8 14. Bf2 Bb7 15. Nd2 Bf8 16. b4 Ne7 17. Bf3 Ng6 18. g3 h6 19. Re1 Qc7 20. Qe2 Qb8 21. Nf1 Bc6 22. Ne3 a6 23. Nc2 Ba8 $11 {Khairullin,I (2631)-Jakovenko,D (2736)/Tyumen/2012/}) 14. Nd2 d5 $5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Bxa6 Nxa6 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. exd5 Rd8 20. Qc1 Nc7 21. d6 {½,Papaioannou,I (2600)-Vajda,L (2584)/EU-chT Porto Carras/2011/}) 11. Bf4 {Simple development à la Ljubojevic.} (11. Be3 d6 12. f4 Rc8 13. Bf3 Qc7 (13... Nb8 $143 14. Nd2 Nbd7 15. Qe2 Qc7 16. Rac1 Qb8 17. g4 $1 Ne8 18. g5 Nc7 19. Qg2 Rfe8 20. h4 Bf8 21. h5 g6 22. Rce1 Ba8 23. Qh3 b5 24. Re2 Re7 25. f5 $1 $40 {Stohl,I (2525)-Benjamin,J (2560)/Novi Sad olm/1990/ Black played too passively and White whipped up a strong attack.}) 14. Rc1 Qb8 15. Qe2 Rfe8 16. Rfd1 (16. g4 {is double-edged, as the knight has a comfortable retreat} Nd7 $1 $13) (16. Bf2 Bf8 17. Nd2 {0 Milov,V (2635)-Vettel,M (2205)/Baden/1998/ is similar to what Carlsen played later in the game.}) 16... Bf8 17. Kh1 Ne7 18. Nd2 Ba6 19. b4 Ng6 20. g3 Rc7 21. a4 Rec8 22. Na2 d5 $1 23. e5 Ne4 24. b5 Bb7 $11 {Jakovenko,D (2718)-Bocharov,D (2595)/RUS-chT Olginka/2011/ The typical central break once again gave Black good counterplay.}) (11. f4 d6 {usually only transposes.}) 11... d6 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Re1 Ne5 14. Nd2 {[%mdl 32] The extra tempo in comparison with Cheparinov-Karjakin is fine, but it still doesn't change the evaluation - Black is doing reasonably well here. More important for Carlsen is the fact that against an excellent tactician he has achieved a complex position full of various predominantly strategic options and motifs. This allows him to fight for an advantage in the middlegame - something he obviously enjoys much more than preparing computer novelties in irrational lines.} Nfd7 15. Be3 $146 {The first novelty, Carlsen starts the manoeuvring struggle by retreating the bishop to a square, where it could have been since move 11. From here it attacks both flanks and has more perspectives than after} (15. b4 Kh8 16. Bg3 g5 $5 17. Nb3 a6 18. Bf1 Rg8 19. Na4 Bc6 20. Nd4 (20. b5 axb5 21. cxb5 Bb7 $13) 20... Bb7 21. Nb3 Bc6 22. Nd4 Bb7 23. Nb3 {½,Van Wely,L (2692)-Gashimov,V (2761)/Wijk aan Zee/2012/}) ({RR} 15. b4 Kh8 16. Bg3 g5 17. Nb3 a6 18. Bf1 Rg8 19. Na4 Bc6 20. Nd4 Bb7 21. Nb3 Bc6 22. Nd4 Bb7 23. Nb3 {½-½ (23) Van Wely,L (2692)-Gashimov,V (2761) Wijk aan Zee 2012}) 15... Qc7 16. b4 Qb8 ({Even here} 16... g5 {deserved attention, but Polgar doesn't want to commit herself yet...}) 17. f4 {And she doesn't get another chance.} Ng6 18. g3 {[%CAl Yh2h4,Yh4h5] White first fortifies his territorial gains.} Rfe8 19. Bf3 Qa8 20. Bf2 Ngf8 21. Qe2 Qb8 22. Red1 g6 $2 {Black's lack of space doesn't matter that much, as long as she has no weaknesses - and the text-move creates a serious one.} (22... a6 {??c7, ?ec8 is plausible, Black can proceed to double on the c-file as in Jakovenko-Bocharov above.}) ({Other waiting moves are} 22... Red8 {or}) (22... Ba8) ({If Black wanted to create a luft, Kavalek indicates the stronger} 22... h6 $5) 23. e5 $1 $36 {[%csl Ge5] This pawn will be a thorn in Black's flesh, moreover with the last move he denied his knight the g6-square, from which it could be effectively attacked.} Bc6 (23... Bxf3 24. Nxf3 {or}) (23... dxe5 24. fxe5 {are similar.}) 24. Bd4 Red8 25. Bxc6 Rxc6 26. Nf3 (26. exd6 Qxd6 27. Nf3 {??e4 is tempting, but Magnus wants this as an option, preferring to retain the cramping ?e5.}) 26... dxe5 (26... Rdc8 $2 {already runs into} 27. exd6 Bxd6 28. Ne4 Be7 29. Ne5 Nxe5 (29... R6c7 30. Ng4 $18) 30. Bxe5 Qb7 31. b5 $16 {/+- , winning an exchange.}) 27. fxe5 (27. Nxe5 Nxe5 28. Bxe5 Rxd1+ 29. Rxd1 Qb7 30. Ne4 Nd7 $14 {gives Black better defensive chances.}) 27... Rdc8 {The counterattack fails due to Black's lack of space and weak kingside.} ({After} 27... a5 28. Ne4 axb4 29. axb4 Bxb4 {Kavalek points out the powerful} 30. Qe3 {[%CAl Re3h6]} Kg7 31. Qf4 h6 32. Be3 $18 {?} g5 33. Nfxg5 $1 hxg5 34. Qxg5+ Ng6 35. Rxd7 $1 Rxd7 36. Qh6+ Kg8 37. Nf6#) ({This is why the computer recommends} 27... h6 {, or even}) (27... g5 $5 {as more resilient. However, I can't believe that in the long run Black can get away with such weaknesses.}) 28. Ne4 {[%csl Rf6,Rg7,Rg8][%mdl 128] White has a promising attacking position, Carlsen will meke the most of his chances.} Qc7 29. Nfd2 {[%CAl Rb4b5]} a6 (29... Nxe5 30. b5 Rc5 31. Nb3 $5 $16 (31. Nxc5 $16) 31... Rxc4 $2 32. Bxe5) 30. Nf2 {[%CAl Yf2g4]} Bg5 {This active move doesn't help, as without the bishop Black can't defend the gaping holes on the dark-squares.} ({More resilient was} 30... f5 $5 31. exf6 Bxf6 {although White is distinctly better after} 32. Bxf6 Nxf6 33. Nde4 $16) 31. Rf1 $1 {[%csl Rf7][%CAl Gf1f7,Yf2e4] ×f7} Bxd2 {Insufficient, but it's difficult to suggest an improvement.} ({After} 31... f5 32. exf6 Bxf6 33. Bxf6 Nxf6 34. Nfe4 $40 {White is has an important extra tempo, compared with the previous note.}) 32. Qxd2 Nxe5 (32... Rxc4 33. Rxc4 Qxc4 34. Ng4 Kh8 35. Nh6 $5 (35. Rxf7 $40) {gives White a huge attack:} 35... f5 36. exf6 e5 37. Bb2 Qe6 {allows White to quickly shift the to e5 with} 38. Re1 Rc7 39. Ng4 $1 {?} Qxg4 40. Qh6 Ne6 41. f7 $18 {[%CAl Re1e5,Rb2e5]}) 33. Bxe5 Qxe5 34. Ng4 Rd6 (34... Qd6 35. Nh6+ Kg7 36. Rxf7+ Kh8 37. Qc3+ e5 38. Qf3 $18 {[%CAl Rc1d1]}) 35. Nh6+ Kg7 36. Rxf7+ Kh8 37. Qf2 Qd4 38. c5 $5 ({Here White already had a wider choice, other good moves are} 38. Rb7 {, or}) (38. Rf1 Qxf2+ 39. R1xf2 Nd7 40. Re7 Ne5 41. Nf7+ $16 {/+-}) 38... bxc5 (38... Qxf2+ 39. Kxf2 bxc5 40. Rxc5 (40. bxc5 $5 Rdc6 41. Ke3) 40... Rxc5 $1 41. bxc5 Rc6 42. Ng4 (42. Rxf8+ Kg7 43. Rf3 Kxh6 44. Rc3 Kg7 45. Ke3 Kf6 46. Kd4 Ke7 47. Rb3 $14 {/? is difficult for Black, but she could still fight on.}) 42... Kg8 43. Ne5 Rxc5 44. Rxf8+ Kg7 45. Nd7 Rd5 46. Rd8 h6 47. Ke3 Kf7 48. Rf8+ Ke7 49. Nb6 Kxf8 (49... Rb5 50. Rb8 $18) 50. Nxd5 exd5 51. Kd4 {and White's active king decides the issue:} Ke7 52. Kxd5 Kd7 53. Kc5 Kc7 54. g4 Kb7 (54... g5 55. a4 Kb7 56. a5 Kc7 57. h3 $22) 55. Kd6 Kb6 56. Ke6 Kb5 57. Kf6 g5 (57... Ka4 58. Kxg6 Kxa3 59. Kxh6 $18) 58. Kg6 Ka4 59. Kxh6 Kxa3 60. Kxg5 a5 61. h4 $18) (38... Nd7 39. Re7 Ne5 40. cxd6 $5 Rxc1+ 41. Kg2 Qxf2+ 42. Kxf2 Rd1 43. g4 Rd2+ 44. Kg3 g5 (44... Rxd6 45. Re8+ Kg7 46. g5 {[%CAl Re8g8]}) 45. Rxe6 $18) 39. Qxd4+ $5 {Carlsen doesn't even allow the line from the previous note.} Rxd4 40. Rxc5 {[%csl Rh8] Black is fighting for a lost cause with her cornered king and uncoordinated pieces.} Rcd8 (40... Rxc5 41. bxc5 Nd7 (41... Rc4 42. Rxf8+ Kg7 43. Rf4 $18 {retains the extra knight}) 42. c6 Nb6 43. c7 $18 {[%csl Gc7]}) (40... Rdd8 41. Rxc8 Rxc8 42. Ng4 $18 {[%CAl Yg4f6,Yg1d4,Ya3a4,Yb4b5] also paralyses Black. The course of the game will be similar.}) 41. Rcc7 $18 Rd1+ 42. Kg2 R1d2+ 43. Kh3 R2d5 44. Ng4 Rh5+ 45. Kg2 Rd2+ 46. Kf3 Rf5+ 47. Ke3 Rxf7 48. Rxf7 Rd8 49. Nf6 Rb8 50. Kf4 {[%CAl Rf4h6,Rf7g7,Rg7g8]} h6 $8 51. Ke5 a5 (51... Rd8 52. h4 g5 53. h5 $22) 52. bxa5 Ra8 53. a6 (53. a6 Rxa6 54. Rxf8+ Kg7 55. Rd8 Ra5+ 56. Kxe6 Ra6+ 57. Rd6 $18) 1-0 [Event "Biel GM"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2006.07.28"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Volokitin, Andrei"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2675"] [BlackElo "2662"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2006.07.24"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 114"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Nb3 Ne5 8. e4 Bb4 9. Qe2 d6 10. f4 Nc6 11. Be3 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Qc7 13. Bg2 O-O 14. O-O {This variation allows White to obtain the pair of bishops and an optically impressive advantage of space. However, the chronic weakness of the c4-pawn (partly caused by the fact that the light-squared bishop has been developed on another diagonal than f1-d3) offers Black excellent prospects for active counterplay. This game will not question this general evaluation in any way.} b6 15. Nd4 {The fact that this logical move (aiming to take advantage that double pawns generally offer excellent outposts for minor pieces) fails to solve White's structural problems is a serious signal of alarm for the adherents of this whole setup.} Nxd4 $1 {This paradoxical move, allowing White to get rid of the double pawns, but in no way of his weakness on c4, is probably the simplest way out the opening.} (15... Bb7 {allows White develop some initiative with} 16. Nb5 {for instance:} Qe7 (16... Qb8 17. Nxd6 $6 {This leads to premature simplifications.} (17. Rad1 Rd8 18. g4 {looks better and if} Na5 {then} 19. f5 $1 $36 {taking advantage of the fact that the knight is far from the e5-square.}) 17... Qxd6 18. e5 Qe7 19. exf6 Qxf6 20. c5 Rac8 {1/2-1/2 Bui Vinh (2444)-Breder,D (2438)/Budapest 2002/CBM 090 ext (31)}) 17. Rad1 Rfd8 18. Bc1 $1 {The transfer of the bishop to the a3-f8 diagonal is the most efficient way of increasing the pressure against the relatively weak d6-pawn.} (18. Qd3 Ne8 19. Rf2 Na5 20. Nxa7 Rxa7 21. Bxb6 Bc6 22. c5 Rdd7 23. Bxa7 dxc5 24. Qb1 Rxa7 $15 {0-1 Ostenstad,B (2475)-Dvoirys,S (2525)/Gausdal 1991/TD (41)}) 18... Ne8 (18... a6 {unnecessarily weakens the b6-square. After the already familiar to us exchange operation} 19. Nxd6 Rxd6 20. Rxd6 Qxd6 21. e5 Qe7 22. exf6 Qxf6 {White has} 23. Qf2 $14) 19. Ba3 Na5 (19... a6 20. Nxd6 $1) 20. Rd4 e5 (20... Nc6 21. Rd2 {? ?fd1}) 21. fxe5 Qxe5 22. Rfd1 $16 {1-0 Evdokimov,A (2356)-Zarezenko,I (2230)/Cherepovets 2001/EXT 2002 (56). with strong pressure for White.}) (15... e5 $6 {unnecessarily gives White chances for a kingside attack.} 16. Nb5 Qe7 17. f5 Bb7 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. g4 Na5 20. Bc1 h6 21. h4 Nh7 22. g5 hxg5 23. hxg5 Nxg5 24. f6 gxf6 25. Rd3 $40 {1-0 Rotstein,A (2485)-Schlosser,P (2515)/Vienna 1998/EXT 99 (31)}) 16. cxd4 {White has built up an impressive pawn centre but Black has won time to attack his Achile's heel (the c4-pawn). If the d-pawn was placed just one square behind, on d3, White would enjoy considerable positional advantage, but the way it is he even has problems maintaining the balance even.} Ba6 17. Rac1 $146 {Judging from the modest effects produced by this novelty, we can guess that it was just over-the-board inspiration rather than fruit of thorough home analysis.} (17. e5 Bxc4 (17... Nd5 $5) 18. Rfc1 Bxe2 19. Rxc7 Nd5 {1/2-1/2 Cvetkovic,S (2460)-Lanka,Z (2420)/Trnava 1989/EXT 97}) 17... Rac8 18. e5 {White's problems consists of the fact that after the elimination of the c4-pawn the chronic weakness is extended to other light squares in the centre, which can be seen after} (18. g4 Bxc4 19. Qf3 d5 $1 20. e5 Ne4 {and White's attacking chances are rather doubtful.}) 18... Nd5 19. Bxd5 $146 {White definitevely gives up the fight for the light squares for the sake of a rather illusory kingside attack. In any case, after} (19. exd6 Qxd6 20. Bd2 Ne7 {he would have faced problems defending his central pawns.}) ({RR} 19. Bd2 Bxc4 20. Qg4 f5 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Qh3 Qd7 23. Rfe1 Bxa2 24. Ra1 Rc2 25. Bc1 Re8 26. g4 Bd5 27. Bf1 g6 28. g5 Nh5 29. Re2 Rxc1 {0-1 (29) Spindelboeck,G (2227)-Poetz,F (2415) Graz 2013}) 19... exd5 20. f5 dxc4 21. f6 g6 22. Qg4 ({Pelletier:} 22. e6 fxe6 23. Bh6 Rf7 24. Qxe6 Qd7 25. d5 $13) 22... Qc6 $17 {Black's threats along the h1-a8 diagonal are more realistic than White's plan to deliver mate on g7.} 23. Rf4 dxe5 24. dxe5 Bb7 25. Qh3 Rfe8 26. Kf2 Rxe5 27. Rcxc4 Qxc4 28. Rxc4 Rxc4 29. Qd7 Rc2+ 30. Kg1 Bc6 31. Qd4 Rd5 32. Qg4 h5 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 6th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2018.06.02"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2843"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,Alex "] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2018.05.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 185"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. a3 {Introduced into tournament practice in the 1990's this little move shows White's big ambition to build up a big centre by preventing the black bishop from coming to b4.} Be7 {The d7-d5 break can be delayed.} ({In the past Anand and some members of his coaching staff relied on} 6... d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bg5 Bc5 9. e3 Bxd4 {which is a dull but reliable way to equalise.}) 7. e4 ({Carlsen-Gelfand, 2009 saw a different plan:} 7. g3 Qb6 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Bg2 Rd8 10. O-O d5 11. cxd5 exd5 {the resulting position looks like it came from the Tarrasch Defence, possibly with an extra tempo for Black thanks to White's ?f3-d4-f3.}) 7... O-O 8. Nf3 {Normally White wouldn't retreat with that knight,} ({but} 8. Be2 d5 {is known to be equal.}) 8... Qa5 $5 {Still a relatively fresh idea. Black insists on his central break.} ({A Hedgehog-like formation can be reached via the standard} 8... Qc7 9. Be2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 {Anand had this position with Black against Vallejo back in 2005!}) 9. Bd2 {I'm rather surprised with this one.} ({One would think the endgame up a pawn after the semi-forced} 9. Bd3 d5 10. exd5 exd5 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxh7+ Kxh7 13. Qxd5 Qa6 14. Bg5 Be6 15. Qb5 {would be right up Carlsen's alley.}) 9... Qh5 10. Be2 d5 {So, the break goes through.} 11. cxd5 exd5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. O-O ({Black absolutely doesn't mind the split pawns after} 13. Nd4 Qe5 14. Nxc6 bxc6 {as his pawn formation provides support to his ?d5, as seen in Huzman-Timofeev, 2016 and Inarkiev-Gelfand 2017}) ({RR} 13. Nd4 Qe5 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. O-O Rb8 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Bc3 Qg5 18. Qd4 Rb6 19. Bf3 Be6 20. Qa4 Rb7 21. Rad1 Bf6 22. h4 Qf5 23. Bxf6 Qxf6 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Qxb2 26. Rfd1 h6 27. g3 Qf6 {So,W (2780)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2779) Saint Louis 2018 ½-½ (47)}) 13... Nf6 $146 {A novelty and improvement from Vishy, which was rather predictable.} ({We talked about the c6-pawn in the note above, but here things take a bit of a different shape after} 13... Rd8 14. Nd4 Qg6 15. Nxd5 Rxd5 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Bf3 {as White got himself a free ride in Wojtaszek-Borisek, 2015. Naturally, Carlsen wouldn't mind a repeat of such a scenario, but this being a Wojtaszek game made it very unlikely to escape a careful examination in Anand's lab.}) ({RR} 13... Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Qg6 15. Bd3 Bf5 16. Bxf5 Qxf5 17. Qb3 b6 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Qa4 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 Rc8 21. h3 h6 22. Qg4 Qxg4 23. hxg4 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Bxd8 25. Nd4 Nxd4 26. Bxd4 f6 27. f3 Kf7 28. Kf2 {Svidler,P (2723)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (38)}) ({RR} 13... Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Qg6 15. Bd3 Bf5 16. Bxf5 Qxf5 17. Qb3 Bf6 18. Qxb7 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Qc5 20. Rad1 Rab8 21. Qc7 Rfc8 22. Qf4 Qxc3 23. Rd6 h6 24. h3 Rd8 25. Rfd1 Qxa3 26. Kh2 Rxd6 27. Rxd6 Qb4 28. Qg3 {Bu,X (2676)-Timofeev,A (2690) Ningbo 2010 ½-½ (38)}) 14. Nd4 Qc5 15. Nxc6 Qxc6 16. Bf3 {White's only hope in this dry desert type of position is the pressure against b7, but Black's next takes care of that.} Qa6 $1 17. Re1 Be6 18. Qe2 Qxe2 19. Nxe2 Bg4 $1 20. Bxg4 Nxg4 {Dead equal. One last thing left to do was to honour the 30-move rule.} 21. h3 Ne5 22. Nf4 Nc6 23. Nd5 Bd6 24. Bc3 f6 25. Rad1 Rad8 26. Rd2 Kf7 27. Red1 Bb8 28. Kf1 Rfe8 29. Nb4 Rxd2 30. Rxd2 Bf4 31. Rd1 Rd8 32. Rxd8 Nxd8 33. Ke2 Bd6 34. Nc2 Nc6 35. Nd4 Nxd4+ 36. Bxd4 a6 37. Kd3 Ke6 38. Be3 Kd5 39. f3 b5 40. Bd2 f5 41. Be1 g6 42. Bd2 Be7 43. Be1 Bd6 44. Bd2 Be7 45. Be1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "London"] [Date "2013.03.16"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2013.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bf4 d5 7. e3 (7. Ndb5 {transposes to a line that used to be fashionable a few decades ago; in recent years we had Nakamura,H (2775)-Kramnik,V (2801)/Moscow 2012/CBM 149/[Marin,M] (1/2, 40)}) 7... Bb4 8. Be2 dxc4 $146 (8... O-O {Zhigalko,A (2589)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2711)/Warsaw 2012/ (0-1, 69)}) 9. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Rxd1 bxc6 11. Bxc4 Nd5 12. O-O Nxf4 13. exf4 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Ke7 15. Rb1 Bd7 16. Rb7 Rhb8 17. Rfb1 Rxb7 18. Rxb7 a5 19. Bd3 $146 ({RR} 19. Kf1 Kd8 20. Ke2 Kc8 21. Rb2 Rb8 22. Rxb8+ Kxb8 23. Ke3 Kc7 24. g4 f6 25. Bd3 h6 26. h4 Kd6 27. f3 c5 28. a3 Bc6 29. Be2 e5 30. fxe5+ Kxe5 31. f4+ Kd6 32. Bd3 g5 33. hxg5 hxg5 {Kvetny,M (2416)-Krassowizkij,J (2448) Weissach 2021 ½-½ (34)}) ({RR} 19. Kf1 Kd8 20. Ke2 Kc8 21. Rb2 Rb8 22. Rxb8+ Kxb8 23. Ke3 Kc7 24. g4 f6 25. Bd3 h6 26. h4 Kd6 27. f3 c5 28. a3 Bc6 29. Be2 e5 30. fxe5+ Kxe5 31. f4+ Kd6 32. Bd3 g5 33. hxg5 hxg5 {Kvetny,M (2416)-Krassowizkij,J (2448) Weissach 2021 ½-½ (34)}) 19... h6 20. h4 Kd8 21. Kf1 Kc8 22. Rb1 Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Kxb8 24. Ke2 Kc7 25. Ke3 Kd6 26. Kd4 c5+ 27. Ke3 Bc6 28. g3 f6 29. a3 e5 30. fxe5+ Kxe5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 26th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2009.02.20"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2717"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "35"] [EventDate "2009.02.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 129"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.03.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 ({RR} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 {½-½ (17) Ernst,S (2530)-Ponkratov,P (2613) Moscow 2015}) 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Ndb5 Ne5 8. Bf4 Nfg4 {#} 9. Qa4 {This astonishing move was introduced into practice last year by Aronian, who surprised Leko in Morelia 2008.} g5 {Faced with a new situation in the above-mentioned game this advance took Leko 80 minutes of thought. Dominguez spent less than a minute for it. His next moves were played a tempo as well - a clear sign of good home preparation.} 10. Bxe5 Qxf2+ {An important novelty! In the game Aronian-Leko, Morelia 2008 Black continued 10... Nxe5.} 11. Kd1 Nxe5 12. Nc7+ Kd8 13. Nxa8 Qd4+ 14. Kc2 Nxc4 15. Kb3 ({Without preparation Carlsen wasn't ready to test the most principled continuation} 15. e4 Qd2+ 16. Kb3 Qxb2+ (16... Ne3 {loses:} 17. a3 Qc2+ 18. Ka2) 17. Kxc4 d5+ ({Not} 17... Qxa1 18. Qa5+ b6 19. Qxg5+ Be7 20. Qe5 {winning}) {and here White must find} 18. Kd3 $1 (18. exd5 Bg7 {favours Black}) 18... Bg7 19. Ne2 {# This wild position requires a careful analysis in order to tell if White can emerge out of complications with some advantage. At the first sight Black has sufficient counterplay to keep the balance. Here is a possible variation that ends up with a draw by perpetual check:} Bd7 ({worse is} 19... dxe4+ 20. Ke3 Qxa1 21. Bg2 Qe5 22. Qxa7 Bd7 23. Rc1) 20. Qxa7 Qxa1 (20... Bb5+ 21. Ke3 d4+ 22. Kf2 {is again winning for White}) 21. Bg2 Bb5+ 22. Ke3 Qb2 23. Qb8+ Ke7 24. Qxb7+ Kf8 25. Qc8+ Ke7 26. Qc7+ Ke8 {and White can either repeat the moves, or try to play for more with 27.Re1.}) 15... Nd2+ 16. Kc2 Nc4 17. Kb3 Nd2+ 18. Kc2 $146 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gausdal Classics GM"] [Site "Gausdal"] [Date "2007.04.20"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Moskow, Eric"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2693"] [BlackElo "2260"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2007.04.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "12"] [SourceTitle "CBM 118"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.05.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.05.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. g3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Nc3 b6 9. Bf4 ({RR} 9. O-O Bb7 10. Nb5 d6 11. N3d4 Qd7 12. Bf4 e5 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6 Qxc6 15. Bg5 Nd7 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Rc1 a6 18. Nc3 Nf6 19. Nd5+ Ke6 20. Nxf6 gxf6 21. Qb3 Ke7 22. Rfd1 Rhc8 23. Qa3 a5 {Murawski,J (2033)-Brunner,N (2413) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (40)}) 9... Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. Qd2 ({RR} 11. Nb5 Na5 12. Qd3 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 a6 14. Nc3 Nb7 15. Rfd1 d6 16. Qf3 Qc7 17. Rac1 Rac8 18. Nd2 Nd7 19. b4 Ne5 20. Bxe5 dxe5 21. a3 f5 22. Na4 Bg5 23. e3 Rcd8 24. b5 Na5 25. bxa6 Rd3 {Carlsen,M (2581)-Bologan,V (2669) Sanxenxo 2004 0-1 (39)}) 11... Na5 $146 ({RR} 11... Rc8 12. Rac1 Ba6 13. Nb5 d5 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxd5 Bxb5 16. Bc4 Qxd2 17. Bxd2 Bxc4 {½-½ (17) Favaloro,A (2370)-Shytaj,L (2460) Montesilvano 2022}) ({RR} 11... Rc8 12. Rac1 Ba6 13. Nb5 d5 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxd5 Bxb5 16. Bc4 Qxd2 17. Bxd2 Bxc4 {½-½ (17) Favaloro,A (2370)-Shytaj,L (2460) Montesilvano 2022}) 12. Nxa5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 bxa5 14. Rac1 Qb6 15. b3 d5 16. cxd5 Bb4 17. Be5 Bxc3 18. Bxc3 Ne4 19. Qd4 Nxc3 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Rxc3 exd5 22. Rd1 Rfd8 23. Rcd3 a4 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxd5 axb3 26. axb3 Kf8 27. Rd6 Ra6 28. b4 Ke7 29. Rc6 Kd7 30. b5 f5 31. e3 g6 32. h4 1-0 [Event "ESP-chT"] [Site "Sanxenxo"] [Date "2004.11.25"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Bologan, Viktor"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2581"] [BlackElo "2669"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2004.11.18"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 105"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. g3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Nc3 b6 ({RR} 8... O-O 9. Bf4 b6 10. O-O Ba6 11. Nb5 Rc8 12. Nd6 Rc7 13. Rc1 Nh5 14. Be3 Nf6 15. Bf4 Nh5 16. Be3 Nf6 17. Bf4 {½-½ (17) Gelfand,B (2695)-Mamedyarov,S (2809) Moscow 2018}) 9. O-O Bb7 10. Bf4 ({RR} 10. Nb5 d6 11. N3d4 Qd7 12. Bf4 e5 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6 Qxc6 15. Bg5 Nd7 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Rc1 a6 18. Nc3 Nf6 19. Nd5+ Ke6 20. Nxf6 gxf6 21. Qb3 Ke7 22. Rfd1 Rhc8 23. Qa3 a5 24. Rd5 Qxd5 {Murawski,J (2033)-Brunner,N (2413) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (40)}) 10... O-O 11. Nb5 $146 ({RR} 11. Qd2 Na5 12. Nxa5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 bxa5 14. Rac1 Qb6 15. b3 d5 16. cxd5 Bb4 17. Be5 Bxc3 18. Bxc3 Ne4 19. Qd4 Nxc3 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Rxc3 exd5 22. Rd1 Rfd8 23. Rcd3 a4 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxd5 axb3 {Carlsen,M (2693)-Moskow,E (2260) Gausdal 2007 1-0 (32)}) ({RR} 11. Rc1 Nh5 12. Bd6 Nf6 13. c5 Rc8 14. e4 Bxd6 15. Qxd6 Ne8 16. Qd2 d6 17. cxb6 Qxb6 18. Rfd1 Ne5 19. Na4 Qa6 20. Qa5 Nc4 21. Qxa6 Bxa6 22. Bf1 Nf6 23. f3 d5 24. Nac5 Bb5 25. a4 Bc6 {Sarana,A (2668)-Shimanov,A (2581) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (46)}) 11... Na5 12. Qd3 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 a6 14. Nc3 Nb7 15. Rfd1 d6 16. Qf3 Qc7 17. Rac1 Rac8 18. Nd2 Nd7 19. b4 Ne5 20. Bxe5 dxe5 21. a3 f5 22. Na4 Bg5 23. e3 Rcd8 24. b5 Na5 25. bxa6 Rd3 26. c5 b5 27. Nb6 Be7 28. a4 Bxc5 29. a7 Qxa7 30. Rxc5 Qxb6 31. Rxb5 Qd8 32. Qe2 Nc4 33. Nxc4 Rxd1 34. Nxe5 Qa8+ 35. Qf3 Qxa4 36. Rb6 Ra1 37. Rxe6 Qb5 38. Kh3 g5 39. g4 Rg1 0-1 [Event "NOR-ch"] [Site "Sandnes"] [Date "2005.07.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Agdestein, Simen"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A33"] [WhiteElo "2571"] [BlackElo "2528"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2005.07.02"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 107 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.09.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.09.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. a3 Be7 7. e4 O-O 8. Nc2 b6 9. Be2 ({RR} 9. f4 Bb7 10. Bd3 Rc8 11. Qe2 d6 12. O-O Na5 13. Be3 a6 14. Nd4 Qc7 15. Rac1 Qb8 16. b4 Nc6 17. f5 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Ba8 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. e5 dxe5 21. Bxe5 Qb7 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Qxe6+ Kh8 {Carlsen,M (2776)-Topalov,V (2796) Nice 2009 1-0 (69)}) 9... Bb7 10. O-O ({RR} 10. f3 d5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. exd5 Ne5 13. Ne3 Bc5 14. b4 Bxe3 15. Bxe3 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Qd4 Ng6 18. Rd1 Qe7 19. Kf2 Rad8 20. Qc3 Qh4+ 21. g3 Qh3 22. Rd4 Rc8 23. Qd2 Be6 24. Bf1 Qf5 {Maghsoodloo,P (2706)-Baskakov,E (2215) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (87)}) 10... Qc7 $146 ({RR} 10... Rc8 11. Bf4 d6 12. Ne3 Ne5 13. Qb1 Rc7 14. Bg3 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 f5 16. Nd2 f4 17. Bxf4 Rxf4 18. g3 Bg5 19. Qe1 Rxf2 20. Rxf2 Bxe3 21. Nf1 Bxf2+ 22. Qxf2 Rxc4 23. Rd1 Rc2 24. Qe3 Qc7 25. Rd2 {Epishin,V (2553)-Gschnitzer,A (2410) Innsbruck 2019 0-1}) ({RR} 10... Na5 11. e5 Ne8 12. Bf4 d6 13. Ne3 g5 14. Bg3 dxe5 15. Bxe5 f6 16. Bg3 f5 17. b4 Bf6 18. bxa5 Bxc3 19. Rc1 Bg7 20. c5 Qxd1 21. Rfxd1 bxc5 22. a6 Be4 23. f3 f4 24. Be1 fxe3 25. fxe4 {Gomez Esteban,J (2400)-Izeta Txabarri,F (2380) Elgoibar 1991 0-1 (38)}) 11. Ne3 a6 12. f4 d6 13. b4 b5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. Bb2 Qb6 16. Qd3 Nd4 17. Bd1 e5 18. Kh1 Rac8 19. Ncd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 g6 21. Bb3 Nxb3 22. Qxb3 f6 23. Rad1 Rce8 24. h3 Bd8 25. Rd3 Qc7 26. fxe5 fxe5 27. Rdd1 Bg5 28. Ng4 Qc4 29. Qxc4 bxc4 30. Bc1 Bxc1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.08.05"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2822"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,Renato"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "2017.08.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This very had fought game had a decisive influence in the final standings, as Vachier-Lagrave finished half point ahead of Carlsen and Anand, winning the Sinquefield Cup!} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 {As usual, Carlsen deviates to the less played lines and aims just to get a game.} ({In the first round, Aronian played} 6. bxc3 g6 7. h4 $5 Bg7 8. h5 Nc6 9. Ba3 Qa5 {and now} 10. Rh4 $1 {1-0 Aronian,L (2809)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2742) 5th Sinquefield Cup 2017 (1.3) an amusing way to develop the rook and at the same time indirectly to protect the a3-bishop, even Kasparov praised this idea! The exclamation point is for Aronian's wonderful imagination to find such ideas in his preparations -}) 6... Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 {This position reminds us of one which can be reached in an Anti-Grünfeld, but in that line the pawn is oin e4. Such positions are, of course, objectively equal, but there are many plans to follow for each side, which means a strategic battle ahead. In his time, Ulf Andersson used to outplay strong opponents from these positions, providing nice examples of positional play.} Bf5 {Pretty natural, avoiding e4.} 8. Nd2 Nc6 9. e4 Bg6 $146 ({We have a nice recent example of how White can get an advantage in this apparently harmless position:} 9... Be6 10. Kc2 g6 11. Bc4 Bd7 $6 (11... Bxc4 $142 12. Nxc4 b5 $1) 12. Nb3 b6 13. a4 $1 Ne5 14. Bb5 a6 $6 (14... O-O-O $142 15. Bf4 Bg7 16. Ba6+ Kc7 17. a5 $36 Kc6 $5) 15. Bxd7+ Nxd7 (15... Kxd7 16. Bf4 Bg7 17. Rhd1+ Kc6 18. a5 $1 b5 19. Rd5 Nd7 20. Rad1 Ra7 21. Nxc5 $1 $18) 16. Be3 {[%CAl Ga4a5] Now Black should always have to worry about a5} e6 (16... a5 17. Nd2 {[%csl Gb6][%CAl Yd2c4]}) 17. Rhd1 O-O-O 18. Nd2 $1 {[%CAl Yd2c4] after provoking b6, the knight come back to improve its position by manoeuvring to c4} Be7 19. Nc4 Kb7 20. a5 $16 {1-0 Radjabov,T (2724)-Svidler,P (2749) Geneva Grand Prix 2017 (7.2)}) 10. Bb5 Rc8 11. h4 $146 ({RR} 11. a4 a6 12. Bd3 e6 13. a5 Be7 14. Nc4 O-O 15. Kc2 Rcd8 16. Bf4 f6 17. Rhd1 Bf7 18. Be3 Be8 19. f3 Kf7 20. Bf4 Na7 21. Bc7 Rd7 22. Bg3 Rd8 23. Ne3 Bb5 24. Bxb5 Nxb5 25. Nc4 Rxd1 {Svane,R (2591)-Pultinevicius,P (2452) Riga 2018 ½-½ (86)}) 11... h5 {This move is probably the best, avoiding White winning space on the kingside.} 12. Re1 e6 13. a4 $5 {One thing that seems remarkable to me in Magnus Carlsen's games, is how often he uses his rook pawns in order to generate ideas and try to force his opponents to make concessions.} Be7 ({For example, if Black rushes with} 13... a6 14. Bf1 $5 Be7 15. g3 O-O 16. a5 $1 Rfd8 (16... Bd8 17. Nc4) 17. Kc2 f6 18. Nc4 Bf7 19. Be3 $14) 14. g3 O-O 15. a5 Rfd8 {Vachier-Lagrave cleverly avoisd forceful or committal moves, and finishes the development with a good position.} 16. a6 (16. f4 $5 {[%CAl Yf4f5]} Kf8 17. Ke2 {[%CAl Ye2f2] was a good way to find a safe place for White's king.}) 16... b6 {Black has achieved a solid structure on the queenside, but White also has a stable position for his ?b5 and expects to exploit the a7-pawn in the future, as well as create pressure with the pieces on Black's pawns.} 17. Kc2 Ne5 $1 {This move makes White's development difficult, avoiding ?c4.} 18. f4 (18. Nc4 Nf3 19. Re2 Rd4 $3 {I don't know if the players saw this sacrifice, but the engine yes, and it is very beautiful!} 20. cxd4 Nxd4+ 21. Kd1 Nxb5 {Black has a great compensation here, for example} 22. f3 Nd4 23. Rf2 Rd8 24. Ke1 Nb3 25. Rb1 f5 $1 $36) 18... Ng4 {[%csl Yg4] The Black knight finds a nice post on g4.} 19. Kb3 {Again necessary to prepare ?c4.} (19. Nc4 Nf6 $1) 19... f6 {A good move to prevent another threat: f4-f5.} 20. Nc4 Nf2 (20... e5 {looks playable} 21. Bd2 Bf7 22. Kc2 Bd6 {with a good position.}) 21. e5 (21. f5 $5 {was another idea} Bf7 (21... Be8 22. Ka4 $5) 22. fxe6 Bxe6 23. e5 $5 {this is one way to try to open lines and get some initiative, but after} f5 {Black's position still looks pretty solid} (23... Kf7 {is also possible, but after} 24. exf6 gxf6 25. Re2 Nd3 26. Bh6 $1 {the only safe square for the bishop} Ne5 27. Rf1 Kg6 28. Bf4 Bd6 29. Bxe5 Bxe5 30. Ka4 Bxc4 31. Bxc4 $14 {it is clearly White who can play for a win in this endgame, with the better minor piece and the better pawn structure.})) 21... Ne4 22. Be3 Bf5 ({Of course not} 22... Nxg3 $2 23. Rg1) 23. Rg1 {The pawns are more or less blocked on both sides, and looks the sort of position where it is difficult for both players to make progress.} Rd5 24. Rae1 Kf7 25. Bc1 {[%csl Ge4][%CAl Yc4e3] With his usual ability to keep improving his position, Magnus tries to disturb Black's setup by threating ?e3 or attacking the e4-knight, which is kind of trapped in e4.} Bh7 26. Re3 (26. g4 $1 {would be a timely opening of kingside} hxg4 27. Rxg4 Nf2 (27... Rcd8 28. Reg1 Bf8 29. Ne3 {[%csl Rd5] suddenly the rook has no squares!} c4+ $8 30. Bxc4 Ra5 31. f5 $1) 28. Rg3 Nd3 29. Reg1 Rg8 30. h5 $1 {and White's position is easier, for example} fxe5 31. fxe5 Nxe5 32. h6 $1 Bf6 (32... gxh6 33. Nxe5+ Rxe5 34. Rxg8 Bxg8 35. Bxh6 {[%CAl Yg1g7]} Bf6 36. Bf4 $1 {[%CAl Yf4b8]}) 33. hxg7 Rxg7 34. Rxg7+ Bxg7 35. Rf1+ Kg8 36. Nxe5 Bxe5 37. Re1 $16 {[%CAl Yb5c4] Black's situation looks difficult, although maybe it is defensible.}) 26... Rcd8 {After this move, action begins!} (26... Nf2 {was safer} 27. Re2 Nd3 28. Be3 Bf5 $11) 27. Bc6 Nf2 $1 (27... Rd1 $2 28. Rxd1 Rxd1 29. Bxe4 Bxe4 30. Rxe4 Rxc1 31. Nxb6 $1 {reveals a nice point about the a6-pawn} axb6 32. Ra4 $1 (32. a7 $2 Ra1 33. Ra4 c4+ $1) 32... b5 33. a7 bxa4+ 34. Ka2 $18 {[%CAl Ga7a8]}) 28. Re2 $1 {Magnus correctly refuses the Greek gift.} (28. Bxd5 $2 {gives a very active position for Black with the central pawns advancing strongly, and White's remaining pieces stay badly placed} exd5 29. Na3 (29. Nd2 Nd3 {[%CAl Yc5c4,Ye7c5]} 30. Nf3 d4 31. Re2 c4+ $1 32. Kxc4 dxc3 33. exf6 (33. bxc3 Nxc1 34. Rxc1 Bd3+ $19) (33. Kxc3 Rc8+ 34. Kd2 Bb4+ $19) 33... Bxf6 34. bxc3 Nxc1 35. Ne5+ Bxe5 36. Rxe5 Nd3 $17) 29... Ng4 30. Ree1 Bd3 $17 {[%csl Ga6]}) 28... Nd3 29. exf6 (29. Bxd5 {is still bad} exd5 30. Na3 b5 $1 31. Ka2 (31. Nxb5 Nxc1+ 32. Rxc1 Bd3 $19) 31... Rb8 $17 {[%CAl Yb8b6]}) 29... gxf6 30. Bb5 {Kind of a sad admission that the rook never can be accepted.} Rg8 31. Bd2 Rgd8 32. Be3 Be4 33. Rd2 Rg8 34. Ka4 Rgd8 35. Kb3 Rg8 36. Ka2 {Carlsen avoids repetition, but it still seems difficult to create something, as Black is very solid.} f5 {[%CAl Ye7h4]} 37. Rh2 Rc8 38. Rd2 Rg8 39. Re2 $5 Bf3 {Vachier-Lagrave doesn't accept the provocation.} ({But he could have played} 39... Bxh4 40. Rh2 Bxg3 41. Rxh5 Rg7 $1 (41... Bxf4 $2 42. Rh7+ Kf8 43. Rxg8+ Kxg8 44. Rxa7 $16) 42. Rh8 {[%CAl Yh8a8]} Bxf4 43. Ra8 {Black has a nice resource now} Rd7 $1 {[%CAl Ye4a8]} 44. Bxd7 Bxa8 45. Bxe6+ $1 Kf6 46. Rxg7 Kxg7 47. Bxf5 Bxe3 48. Nxe3 (48. Bxd3 Bd5 $11) 48... Ne5 $11) 40. Rh2 Bf6 $6 {This move is careless, as now White can disturb the harmony of Black's position.} (40... Be4 $142 $11) 41. Nd2 $1 Bg4 (41... Be4 42. Nxe4 fxe4 43. Bc6 {now is a better version for White} Rc8 44. Bb7 $1 Rcd8 45. Kb1 $1 {[%CAl Yc3c4] the point is that White is not forced to take on d5, but Black cannot retreat the rook without terrible consequences because of the e4-pawn} b5 46. g4 hxg4 47. Rxg4 b4 48. cxb4 Nxb4 49. Bxd5 exd5 50. Bxc5 Nxa6 51. Bxa7 d4 52. f5 $1 e3 53. Re4 $16 {[%csl Yf5,Yh4] Despite the material advantage, White has two healthy passed pawns.}) 42. Rf1 $1 {[%csl Gg4][%CAl Yd2c4] Another strong move, leaving the g4-bishop with no moves and freeing again the ?d2.} Rgd8 43. Nc4 e5 $1 {Vachier-Lagrave is fighting on and tries to complicate matters.} (43... Kg6 44. Bc6 Kf7 45. Rd2 $16 {already looks very good for White.}) 44. fxe5 (44. Bc6 e4 $1 45. Bxd5+ Rxd5 {again gives enough compensation for Black, as White's rooks doesn't have open files to operate and all Black pieces are well placed.}) 44... Bxe5 $2 {But this move involves a variation which actually is a losing one for Black.} (44... Nxe5 {was the right move, but Black needs to find a very delicate variation} 45. Bf4 {[%CAl Yc4e5,Gb5c4]} Kg7 $1 46. Ne3 c4 $1 47. Nxd5 (47. Bxc4 Ra5+ 48. Kb3 Nxc4 49. Kxc4 Rxa6 50. Nxg4 fxg4 51. Rhf2 $14) 47... Rxd5 48. Bxe5 Bxe5 49. Bxc4 Ra5+ 50. Kb1 Bxg3 51. Rd2 f4 {[%CAl Yg4f5]} 52. b4 Re5 53. Rd8 $14 {White keeps chances to win, but Black is fighting.}) 45. Bg5 Bxg3 {The best practical chance.} (45... Rc8 46. Nxb6 $1 axb6 47. Bc4 Ke6 48. Rd2 $18) (45... Bf6 46. Bxf6 Kxf6 47. Bc6 $18 {[%csl Gd5]}) 46. Rg2 $2 {But this imprecision throws victory away.} (46. Rd2 $1 {was winning, Black has pratically no moves, for example} Rf8 (46... Bc7 47. Ka1 f4 48. Bxd8 Rxd8 49. Ne3 {[%csl Rd3,Rg4]} Bh3 50. Bxd3 Bxf1 51. Nxf1 $18) 47. Ka3 $1 {[%CAl Yc4e3] preparing the simple ?e3, for example} (47. Ne3 Nc1+ 48. Rxc1 Rxd2 49. Nxg4 $18) 47... f4 48. Rxd3 Rxd3 49. Ne5+ $18) 46... Bh3 47. Rxg3 Bxf1 48. Rf3 $4 {But this is already losing.} (48. Bxd8 {still is a draw} Rxd8 (48... f4 $2 49. Rg1) 49. Rf3 Be2 50. Rxf5+ Kg6 51. Rg5+ Kf6 52. Na3 $11) 48... Be2 49. Bxd8 ({In the interview after the game, Vachier-Lagrave said Carlsen was counting on} 49. Re3 {now, which looks winning, but then Black has} f4 $1 50. Re7+ (50. Rxe2 Nc1+ {is the detail, as now the ?g5 is not guarding c1}) 50... Kg6 51. Rxa7 (51. Re6+ Kf5 52. Rf6+ Kg4 $19) 51... Rxg5 $1 52. hxg5 f3 53. Rb7 h4 {and after Black to eliminate the a7-pawn, the remaining passed pawns in kingside are unstoppable} 54. a7 Ra8 55. Nxb6 Rxa7+ 56. Rxa7 Nc1+ $1 57. Kb1 Bxb5 58. Kxc1 f2 $19) 49... Bxf3 {This endgame is winning for Black, although White still has some tricks to try.} 50. Bxb6 (50. Bc7 {[%csl Ga7][%CAl Yc7b8] was the slow way} Ke6 51. Bb8 Nc1+ 52. Ka3 (52. Kb1 Rd1 53. Kc2 Rh1 {[%CAl Gf3e4]} 54. Nd6 f4 $19) 52... Rd1 53. Bxa7 Nd3 $1 {[%CAl Yd1a1,Yf3d1] suddenly creating a mating net around White's king} 54. Ka2 Bd5 55. b3 f4 56. Bxb6 f3 57. a7 f2 58. Ne3 Ba8 $1 $18 {[%CAl Yd1e1]}) 50... axb6 51. Bc6 Be4 $1 {Again accurate, eliminating the pin.} 52. a7 (52. Nxb6 Rd8 53. Bxe4 fxe4 54. a7 e3 $19) 52... Rd8 53. Nd6+ {Carlsen tries all his chances in this desperate position.} Rxd6 $1 54. Bxe4 (54. a8=Q Rxc6 $19 {is totally hopeless for White.}) 54... Rd8 55. a8=Q Rxa8+ 56. Bxa8 $19 {This endgame is an easy win for Black and Vachier-Lagrave has no problems to convert the advantage.} Ne5 57. Kb3 f4 58. Kc2 Kg7 59. Kd2 Ng6 60. Kd3 Nxh4 61. Ke4 f3 62. Ke3 Kf6 63. b4 c4 $1 {The last precise move for Black, deflecting the bishop from the main diagonal.} (63... cxb4 64. cxb4 Kf5 65. Bb7 Kg4 66. Kf2 {could have offered serious chances for White, as is not possible to manoeuvre the knight without losing the f3-pawn.}) (63... Kg5 64. bxc5 bxc5 65. Bd5 Kg4 66. Kf2 {is the same as 63...cxb4.}) 64. Bd5 Kf5 65. Bxc4 Kg4 66. Kf2 Ng6 $1 {This move is possible now because the bishop is not attacking the f3-pawn anymore.} 67. Be6+ Kf4 68. Bf7 Ne5 69. Bxh5 Nd3+ 70. Kf1 Kg3 71. Bf7 Nf2 {A complicated strategic battle, where the World Champion was about to finish another memorable game, when the tactical nuances drastically turned the table, and Vachier-Lagrave, with great vision sfor the available resources, took his chances immediately and scored a crucial win.} 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 2nd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2014.06.03"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2881"] [BlackElo "2752"] [Annotator "Sumets,Andrey"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2014.06.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 161"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 (5. e4 Nb4 6. Bc4 Nd3+ (6... Be6 $5 {reminds me of an old game Polugaevsky,L-Tal,M:} 7. Bxe6 Nd3+ 8. Kf1 fxe6 9. Ng5 (9. Qb3) 9... Qb6 10. Qe2 $6 c4 11. b3 h6 12. Nf3 Nc6 13. bxc4 O-O-O $44 {Polugaevsky,L (2625)-Tal,M (2615) Riga 1979 0-1 (28)}) 7. Ke2 Nf4+ 8. Kf1 Ne6 9. b4 {Up to the moment, this option doesn't give anything to White. See another classic game Polugaevsky,L-Kortschnoj,V:} (9. Ne5 Nc6 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Na4 Nd4 $5 $146 12. Nxc5 g6 13. Nb3 Be6 14. Bxe6 Nxe6 15. Qc2 Bg7 16. Qxc6+ Kf8 17. Qa6 Nd4 18. Nxd4 Bxd4 19. d3 Kg7 $44 {Nakamura,H (2789)-Giri,A (2734) Wijk aan Zee NED 2014 1/2 (39)}) 9... cxb4 10. Nd5 g6 $1 11. Bb2 Bg7 12. Bxg7 Nxg7 13. Nxb4 (13. Qc1 Nc6 14. d4 Be6 $1 15. h4 Rc8 16. h5 Nxh5 17. Qh6 Nxd4 $6 (17... a6 $1 {with the threat of ...?a5} 18. Re1 Na5 19. Bd3 Bxd5 20. exd5 Qxd5 $17) 18. Nxd4 Rxc4 19. Nxe6 $6 (19. Rxh5 gxh5 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rd1 exd5 22. Qxh5+ Kf8 23. Qf3+ Kg7 24. Qg4+ $11) 19... fxe6 20. Rxh5 exd5 21. Rxd5 Qb6 $15 {Seirawan,Y (2565)-Peters,J (2445) South Bend 1981 1/2 (29)}) 13... O-O 14. d4 Bg4 15. Ke2 $2 Qd6 16. Qd2 Ne6 $17 {Polugaevsky,L (2635)-Kortschnoj,V (2695) Buenos Aires 1980 0-1 (41)}) 5... Nxc3 ({In his game against Dmitry Andreikin, Magnus played a rare line:} 5... g6 6. Bb5+ (6. Qb3 $5 Nxc3 $2 (6... Nc7 $6 7. Bc4 e6 8. d4 (8. Ne4 $6 b6 $4 (8... Be7 9. d4 cxd4 10. exd4 O-O 11. O-O Nc6 $132) 9. Qc3 $18) 8... cxd4 9. exd4 Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Bg5 {White is well on top}) (6... Nf6 {seems to be the strongest option} 7. d4 cxd4 8. exd4 Bg7 {with an unexplored position}) 7. Qxc3 f6 8. Qxc5 e5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Qd5 Bxb5 11. Qxb5+ $16 {Malich,B (2470)-Tischbierek,R (2380) Halle 1981 1-0 (41)}) 6... Bd7 7. Qb3 Nxc3 (7... Nb4 $2 8. Bc4 e6 9. a3 b5 10. Nxb5 N4c6 11. Qd3 (11. Be2 $1 a6 12. Nc3 Bg7 13. O-O O-O 14. Qc2 $18 {White will take c5-pawn soon}) 11... Na5 12. b3 Nxc4 13. bxc4 Bg7 14. Rb1 O-O 15. Bb2 Bxb5 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. cxb5 Bxb2 18. Rxb2 Rd3 19. Ke2 $16 {1/2 (19) Witt,R (2280)-Ernst,S (2440) Amsterdam 2001}) 8. Ne5 (8. Bc4 $1 e6 9. Qxc3 f6 10. O-O $14 {I think that this position is in the White's favour}) 8... e6 9. bxc3 Bxb5 10. Qxb5+ Nd7 11. Rb1 b6 12. c4 Bd6 $11 {Andreikin,D (2713)-Carlsen,M (2864) Moscow 2013 1/2 (34)}) 6. bxc3 Qc7 $146 {A novelty. Probably Anish Giri didn't want to play 6...g6 due to 7.h4 or he didn't want to allow ?d3.} (6... g6 7. d4 (7. h4 $5 Bg7 8. h5 Nc6 9. Rb1 Qc7 10. d4 Bd7 11. Bd3 Rd8 12. Qc2 {Svidler,P (2740)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2702) Nizhny Novgorod 2013 1-0 (66) CBM 157 [Gormally,D]} (12. Ng5 $1 {Gormally,D})) 7... Bg7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Nd7 10. Ba3 b6 11. Qe2 Bb7 12. Rad1 Qc7 13. e4 e5 14. d5 a6 15. Bb2 b5 16. a4 c4 17. Bc2 Rfe8 $14 {Rodshtein,M (2615)-Gupta,A (2470) Yerevan 2007 1/2 (80)}) 7. d4 g6 8. Bb5+ ({Of course, he couldn't play 8.?d3:} 8. Bd3 $6 cxd4 9. cxd4 $4 (9. Bb5+) 9... Qc3+ $19) 8... Bd7 9. a4 ({Another option is} 9. Rb1 $5 Bg7 10. O-O O-O) 9... Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Ba3 $146 {It seems that White has a better position due to the strong pressure on the queenside but after the strong reply...} ({RR} 11. Qe2 Nc6 12. Ba3 b6 13. Rfd1 Bc8 14. dxc5 Na5 15. cxb6 axb6 16. Nd4 Rd8 17. Bb4 Bb7 18. Rab1 Be4 19. Rbc1 e5 20. Nf3 h6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Rd1 Nb3 23. h3 Bf6 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. Bc4 Na5 {Delchev,A (2568)-Bronstein,O (2404) Anogia 2019 1-0 (43)}) 11... b6 $1 {...he wasn't able to prove White's superiority.} 12. dxc5 (12. Qe2 Nc6 13. Rad1 (13. h3 Rfd8 14. Rfd1 Na5 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Bxd7 Rxd7 17. Rxd7 Qxd7 18. Bxc5 Bxc3) 13... a6 $1 14. Bxa6 Nb8 15. Bb5 Bxb5 16. Qxb5 Qc6 $11) (12. h3 Nc6 13. dxc5 (13. Qe2 {leads to the same position as after 12.?e2 ?c6 13.h3})) 12... bxc5 13. Qd5 Bxb5 {A normal move. However, Giri could have played 13...a6!? with a very complicated position:} (13... a6 $5 14. Qxa8 (14. Be2 Rc8 15. Qxa8 $2 Bc6 16. Qxc6 Nxc6 $17) 14... axb5 15. Qd5 (15. axb5 Bxb5 16. Rfd1 Bc6) 15... Bxc3 $44 {It seems to me that White should give the exchange back and play an equal position} 16. Rac1 (16. axb5 Bxa1 17. Rxa1 Bxb5 18. Qxc5 Qxc5 19. Bxc5 Nc6 $11) 16... b4 17. Rxc3 bxc3 18. Qc4 Qa5 19. Rc1 Na6 $11) 14. axb5 (14. Qxa8 $4 Bc6 $19) 14... Nd7 15. Rfd1 ({Black is OK after} 15. Rad1 Rfd8 16. c4 a6 $1 {the point} 17. Qc6 Rac8 18. Qxc7 Rxc7 19. b6 (19. bxa6 Ra8 $11) 19... Rb7 20. Bxc5 Rc8 21. Bxe7 Nxb6 22. c5 Na4 23. Bd6 Nxc5 24. Rc1 Bf8 $11) 15... Rfd8 16. Ng5 e6 $8 17. Qc6 Qxc6 ({He could have played} 17... Rac8 18. Qxc7 Rxc7 19. Rac1 {intending to play c4} Rb8 $1 20. c4 a6 21. bxa6 Ra8 $11) 18. bxc6 Ne5 19. c7 Rdc8 20. f4 h6 $1 (20... Nc4 $2 21. Rd7 Nb6 22. Rad1 $1 Nxd7 23. Rxd7 $16 {Despite the extra exchange, Black's position is close to hopeless.}) 21. Ne4 Nc4 22. Rd7 {Anyway Magnus insists on the exchange sacrifice.} (22. Bxc5 Rxc7 23. Bd4 a5 {might be dangerous only for White}) 22... Nb6 23. Rad1 Nxd7 24. Rxd7 Bf8 25. c4 ({The last chance to continue the game was the move} 25. Bxc5 $1 {In this case Black had to find a rook sacrifice that leads to a draw.} Bxc5 $1 (25... a5 $6 {leads to a difficult rook endgame.} 26. Bd4 a4 (26... Ba3 $6 27. c4 a4 28. c5 Bb4 29. Nd6 Rf8 30. Nc4 a3 31. Nb6 $18) 27. Nf6+ Kh8 28. Nd5+ Bg7 29. Nb6 a3 30. Nxa8 a2 31. Bxg7+ Kxg7 32. Rd1 Rxa8 33. Ra1 Rc8 34. Rxa2 Rxc7 35. Rc2 $16) 26. Nxc5 Kf8 (26... a5 $2 27. Na4 Kf8 28. Nb6 Ke8 29. Rd2 $16) 27. Na6 Ke8 28. Rd2 Ke7 {White should hurry up otherwise Black's rooks can be dangerous} 29. Rb2 (29. Kf2 Re8 30. Rb2 Rac8 31. Rb7 $6 (31. Rd2 $11) 31... Kd6 32. Rxa7 $2 (32. c4 e5 33. c5+ Kc6 34. Rb8 exf4 35. exf4 Kd7 $15) 32... Ra8 $17) 29... Kd6 30. Rb8 Raxb8 $1 {Black can't wait.} (30... Re8 $2 31. Kf2 f6 32. c4 $16 {Black hasn't any counterplay and White gradually improves his position.}) 31. cxb8=Q+ Rxb8 32. Nxb8 {White has an extra knight but he can't win the game.} a5 33. Kf2 Kc7 $1 (33... a4 $4 34. Na6) 34. Na6+ Kb6 $11 35. Nb4 (35. Nb8 Kc7 $11 (35... a4 36. Nd7+ Kb5 37. c4+ Kxc4 38. Nb6+ Kb5 39. Nxa4 Kxa4 40. Kf3 Kb4 41. Ke4 f6 $11)) 35... axb4 36. cxb4 Kb5 $11) 25... a5 26. Nc3 {The position is drawish.} (26. Bb2 Bg7 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 28. Nd6 a4 29. Nxc8 Rxc8 30. Kf2 a3 31. Rd3 Rxc7 32. Rxa3 $11) 26... a4 27. Nb5 (27. Kf2 Re8 $1 28. Nb5 Rac8 $11) 27... Re8 $1 28. e4 Rac8 29. Na7 (29. Kf2 $6 Re7 {and Black can think about the full point.}) 29... Ra8 30. Nb5 Rac8 31. Na7 Ra8 32. Nb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sarajevo Bosnia-A 36th"] [Site "Sarajevo"] [Date "2006.05.10"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2664"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2006.05.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "BIH"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 113"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.07.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Ribli,Zoltan} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. Qxd4 Nxc3 7. Qxc3 Nc6 8. e4 e6 9. Bb5 ({RR} 9. a3 Bd7 ({RR} 9... Qa5 10. b4 Qd8 ({RR} 10... Nxb4 11. Bd2) 11. Bb2 Bd7 12. Rd1) 10. Be2 Rc8 ({RR} 10... Qf6 11. e5 ({RR} 11. Qxf6 gxf6) 11... Qg6 12. O-O Be7 13. Rd1) 11. O-O Na5 12. Qd3 ({RR} 12. Qe3 Bc5 13. Qf4 Nb3 14. Qg3 Nxc1 15. Raxc1 O-O 16. Ne5 f6 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Qb3 Kh8 19. Bc4 e5) ({RR} 12. Qe5 Nb3 13. Rb1 Qf6 ({RR} 13... Qc7 14. Qxc7 Rxc7 15. Bf4 Rc8 16. Ne5 Ba4 17. Rfe1 f6 18. Nc4 e5 19. Be3 b5 20. Nd2 a6 21. Nxb3 Bxb3 22. Rbc1) 14. Qg3 Qg6 ({RR} 14... Nxc1 15. Rbxc1 Rxc1 16. Rxc1 Qxb2 17. Qb8+ Ke7 18. Re1 ({RR} 18. Rd1 Qxe2 19. Qd6+ Kf6) 18... g6 19. e5 Qb6) 15. Qf4 Bc5 16. Be3 Qf6 17. Qg3 Qg6 18. Qf4 Qf6 19. Qg3 Qg6) 12... Ba4 ({RR} 12... Be7 13. b4 ({RR} 13. Rd1 Ba4) 13... Nc6 ({RR} 13... Nc4 14. Qd4 Nb6 15. Bb2) 14. Bb2) 13. Qxd8+ Rxd8 14. Be3 Nb3 ({RR} 14... a6 15. Rac1 ({RR} 15. Bb6 Nb3 16. Rad1 ({RR} 16. Bxd8 Nxa1 17. Rxa1 Kxd8 18. Ne5 Ke7) 16... Rc8)) 15. Bd1 b5 ({RR} 15... a6 16. Bxb3 Bxb3 17. Rac1 Bd6 18. Bb6 Ra8 19. Nd4 Ba4 20. Rc4 Bd7 21. Rd1 O-O 22. e5 Bb5 23. Nxb5 axb5 24. Re4 Be7 25. Rd7 Rfc8 26. g3 Bf8 27. Rxb7) 16. Bxb3 Bxb3 17. Rfc1 e5 ({RR} 17... a6 18. Bb6 Ra8 19. Nd2 Bc4 20. Nxc4 bxc4 21. Rxc4) ({RR} 17... a5 18. Nd2 a4 19. Nxb3 axb3 20. Rc3) 18. Nxe5 a6 19. Nc6 {1-0 (19) Anand,V (2795)-Kortschnoj,V (2625) Tilburg 1998 EXT 1999 [Ribli,Zoltan]} {RR} Rd6 20. Nd4 Bc4 ({RR} 20... Be6 21. Nxe6 Rxe6 22. Rc8+ Kd7 23. Rac1) 21. b3) 9... Qb6 ({RR} 9... Bd7 10. O-O Qb6 11. a4 Qc5 12. Qd3 Qd6 13. Qe2 Qc7 14. e5 Bc5 15. Rd1 a6 16. Bd3 h6 17. Bf4 Nb4 18. Be4 Bc6) 10. a4 a6 11. Be3 ({RR} 11. Bxc6+ Qxc6 12. Qxc6+ bxc6 13. a5 Bb7 14. Be3 Bb4+ 15. Ke2 c5 16. Rhc1 Rc8 17. Bd2 Bxd2 18. Nxd2 Ke7 19. Ke3 Rhd8 20. Rc3 Rd4 21. Rac1 Rb4 22. b3 Rb5 23. Nc4 Rb8 24. Rd3 Bc6 25. Rcc3 Rb4 {Khalifa Essa,A (2046)-Abdulazizov,A (1707) Doha QAT 2024 ½-½ (47)}) 11... Qc7 $146 ({RR} 11... axb5 12. Bxb6 Bb4 13. Qxb4 Nxb4 14. Rd1 Bd7 15. Ne5 Bc6 16. Nxc6 Nxc6 17. axb5 Ne5 18. O-O O-O 19. Bc7 Nc4 20. b3 Na3 21. b6 Nb5 22. Rd7 Ra3 23. b4 Ra4 24. Bd8 h6 25. Be7 Rb8 26. g3 {Molander,R (2246)-Nyysti,S (2178) Vammala 1999 1-0 (33)}) ({RR} 11... axb5 12. Bxb6 Bb4 13. a5 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 e5 15. Ke2 Be6 16. Nd2 b4 17. cxb4 Nxb4 18. Rhc1 Nc6 19. Rc3 Ra6 20. Nb3 Bxb3 21. Rxb3 O-O 22. Rb5 Rfa8 23. Rd1 h6 24. Rdd5 g6 25. Kd3 Kg7 26. Bc7 {Mortensen,E (2474)-Christensen,J (2243) Denmark 2006 1-0 (59)}) 12. O-O Bd7 13. Be2 Qa5 14. Qxa5 Nxa5 15. Ne5 Bc6 16. b4 Bxb4 17. Rab1 Bc3 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19. Rxb7 Bd4 20. Rc1 Nd8 21. Rbc7 Bxe3 22. fxe3 O-O 23. e5 f6 24. exf6 gxf6 25. a5 f5 26. h3 Rb8 27. Ra7 Rb3 28. Kf2 Nf7 29. Rcc7 Rb2 30. h4 Kg7 31. Rxa6 Rd8 32. Raa7 Rdd2 33. Rxf7+ Kg6 34. h5+ Kg5 35. Rg7+ Kh4 36. Kg1 Rxe2 37. Rab7 Rxg2+ 38. Rxg2 Rxb7 39. Ra2 Kxh5 40. a6 Ra7 41. Kf2 Kg4 42. Ra4+ Kg5 43. Kf3 e5 44. Ra5 Kf6 45. Kg3 Ke6 46. Kh4 Kf6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 5th"] [Site "Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden"] [Date "2018.04.04"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2843"] [BlackElo "2789"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2018.03.31"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 e4 6. d5 exf3 7. dxc6 fxg2 8. cxd7+ Bxd7 9. Bxg2 g6 ({RR} 9... Qc7 10. Nb5 Bxb5 11. cxb5 Bd6 12. h3 O-O 13. O-O Rad8 14. Qc2 Rfe8 15. a4 Qe7 16. Ra3 Bb8 17. Rd1 h6 18. Rad3 Rxd3 19. Rxd3 b6 20. b3 Qe5 21. Bb2 Qh2+ 22. Kf1 Be5 23. Bc1 g5 24. Rd1 {Lorparizangeneh,S (2456)-Prasad,D (2193) Kuwait City KUW 2025 1-0 (42)}) 10. b3 ({RR} 10. O-O Bg7 11. Qd6 Qe7 12. Qxe7+ Kxe7 13. Bxb7 Rab8 14. Bg2 Bf5 15. b3 Rhd8 16. Ba3 Nd7 17. Rac1 Rbc8 18. Rfd1 Ne5 19. Rxd8 Kxd8 20. Rd1+ Ke8 21. Nb5 Bf8 22. Nxa7 Rd8 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8 24. Bb2 Nd3 {Sevian,S (2647)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2780) Chess.com INT 2019 ½-½ (49)}) 10... Bg7 11. Qd6 ({RR} 11. Bb2 O-O 12. Qd2 Qc7 13. O-O-O Bg4 14. f3 Rad8 15. Qe2 Be6 16. f4 Qe7 17. Bf3 h5 18. Kb1 Bh6 19. a4 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Qxd8 22. Ka2 Qd7 23. Nb5 Bg7 24. e4 Ne8 25. Bxg7 Nxg7 {Grischuk,A (2783)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2804) Tbilisi 2017 ½-½ (47)}) 11... Qb6 12. Qxb6 $146 ({RR} 12. Qe5+ Kf8 13. Bb2 Nh5 14. Qd5 Bc6 15. Qd6+ Kg8 16. Bxc6 Rd8 17. Qe7 bxc6 18. Rd1 Rxd1+ 19. Kxd1 Bf6 20. Qe4 Kg7 21. Kc2 Qc7 22. h3 Rd8 23. Qf3 Be5 24. Rd1 Rxd1 25. Nxd1 Nf6 26. Bxe5 Qxe5 {Grischuk,A (2750)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2795) Chess.com INT 2017 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 12. Qe5+ Kf8 13. Bb2 Nh5 14. Qd5 Bc6 15. Qd6+ Kg8 16. Bxc6 Rd8 17. Qe7 bxc6 18. Rd1 Rxd1+ 19. Kxd1 Bf6 20. Qe4 Kg7 21. Kc2 Qc7 22. h3 Rd8 23. Qf3 Kg8 24. Rd1 Rxd1 25. Nxd1 Be7 26. Bc3 Ng7 {Dominguez Perez,L (2739)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2779) Saint Louis 2018 ½-½ (36)}) 12... axb6 13. Bb2 Bc6 14. O-O Ke7 15. Nd5+ Bxd5 16. cxd5 Rhg8 17. d6+ Kxd6 18. Rad1+ Ke7 19. Be5 Rgd8 20. Bxb7 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8 Kxd8 23. Kf1 Ne8 24. Bg3 Kd7 25. a4 f5 26. f3 Ke6 27. Bc8+ Kd5 28. Bb7+ Ke6 29. Bc6 Nd6 30. Bf2 Be5 31. h4 f4 32. exf4 Bxf4 33. a5 bxa5 34. Bxc5 Nf5 35. Bb6 Bd2 36. Bd8 Nd4 37. Ba4 Kd6 38. Kg2 Ne6 39. Bb6 Nc5 40. Bxc5+ Kxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 8th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2013.06.17"] [Round "4"] [White "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "2713"] [BlackElo "2864"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2013.06.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 g6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 ({RR} 6... Nc6 7. Ne5 Qd6 8. Nc4 Qe6 9. O-O Bd7 10. d4 cxd4 11. exd4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Qd5 13. Rb1 Bg7 14. a4 O-O 15. Ne3 Qe4 16. Bd3 Qh4 17. Rxb7 Bc8 18. Rc7 Na5 19. Ba3 Bf6 20. Nd5 Bg4 21. Qe1 {Svane,R (2619)-Mikhalsky,V (2219) chess.com INT 2025 1-0 (38)}) 7. Qb3 ({RR} 7. Be2 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. d4 Nc6 11. Rb1 Na5 12. Ba3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Be6 14. Qa4 Bxa2 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qxa2 Nc6 17. Bc4 a5 18. Rb5 Nb4 19. Qb3 Rfc8 20. h4 Bf6 21. Ra1 Qc7 {Malakhov,V (2697)-Dubov,D (2648) St Petersburg 2016 1-0 (41)}) 7... Nxc3 8. Ne5 e6 9. bxc3 $146 ({RR} 9. dxc3 Qc7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. O-O a6 12. Bxd7+ Qxd7 13. e4 Bg7 14. Qb6 Rc8 15. Be3 {½-½ (15) De Toledo,J (2376)-Choma,E (2266) Sao Paulo 2006}) 9... Bxb5 10. Qxb5+ Nd7 11. Rb1 b6 12. c4 Bd6 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. a4 O-O-O 15. a5 Qxb5 16. Rxb5 Bc7 17. Bb2 Rhe8 18. Ke2 e5 19. e4 f5 20. f3 Kb7 21. Bc3 Kc6 22. axb6 axb6 23. Rbb1 h5 24. h3 h4 25. Rbg1 f4 26. Ra1 Ra8 27. Rxa8 Rxa8 28. Ra1 Rxa1 29. Bxa1 g5 30. d3 Bd6 31. Kd2 Bc7 32. Kc2 Bd6 33. Kd2 Bc7 34. Kc2 Bd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 1st"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2013.05.17"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Wang, Hao"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A35"] [WhiteElo "2868"] [BlackElo "2743"] [Annotator "Sumets,Andrey"] [PlyCount "158"] [EventDate "2013.05.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. d3 {According to ChessBase 4.g3 or 4.e3 is more popular.} (4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d3 Nge7 7. h4 h6 8. Bd2 d6 9. a3 Be6 10. Rb1 a5 11. Qc1 Rc8 12. O-O b6 13. e4 Bg4 14. Re1 Kf8 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nd4 18. Bg4 f5 19. Bd1 g5 $132 {Wang Yue-Grischuk,A Istanbul TUR 2012 0-1 (28)}) (4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 cxd4 6. exd4 e4 7. Ne5 Bb4 8. Be2 Qa5 9. O-O Nxe5 10. dxe5 Qxe5 11. Bd2 Bc5 12. Nb5 O-O 13. b4 Be7 (13... Bd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. Bf4 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 b6 17. a4 $44 {Buhmann,R (2579)-Gschnitzer,O (2444) Bonn 2011 1-0 (46)}) 14. f4 Qe6 15. Be3 Bxb4 16. Nc7 Qc6 17. Nxa8 b6 (17... Bc5 18. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 19. Kh1 d6 20. Rb1 Bd7 $14) 18. Rb1 Bc5 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. Rb8 $16 {Aronian,L-Caruana,F Wijk aan Zee NED 2012 1-0 (47)}) 4... d6 5. a3 a5 6. g3 ({RR} 6. e3 f5 7. d4 e4 8. d5 exf3 9. dxc6 bxc6 10. Qxf3 Ne7 11. e4 fxe4 12. Qxe4 Bf5 13. Qe2 Qd7 14. Bf4 O-O-O 15. Na4 Qc7 16. g4 Bd7 17. O-O-O Ng6 18. Be3 Re8 19. h3 h5 20. gxh5 Nh4 {Nielsen,P (2578)-Avrukh,B (2625) Istanbul 2000 ½-½ (51)}) 6... Nge7 $146 (6... g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. O-O Nge7 9. Bd2 (9. Bg5 f6 (9... h6 $6 10. Bxe7 $1) 10. Bd2 Be6 11. Ne1 O-O 12. Nd5 Bf7 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. Nc2 f5 15. Ne3 e4 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Ne5 18. dxe4 Nc4 19. exf5 Nxb2 20. Qc2 Qxe2 21. Ra2 Nc4 22. Bc1 {1/2 Nisipeanu,L (2666)-Eljanov,P (2574) Andorra 2003}) (9. Ne1 O-O 10. Nc2 Rb8 (10... Be6 11. Ne3 Rb8 12. Ned5 h6 13. Rb1 Kh7 (13... f5 14. b4 axb4 15. axb4 cxb4 16. Nxb4 Nxb4 17. Rxb4 d5 18. cxd5 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Rb5 $14) 14. Bd2 f5 15. f4 Ng8 16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 cxb4 18. Nxb4 e4 19. Nbd5 $14 {Podzielny, K-Sarakauskas,G/Bad Zwischenahn 2002 1-0 (39)}) 11. Rb1 Be6 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 cxb4 14. Nxb4 Nxb4 15. Rxb4 d5 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rb5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qd7 20. Qb3 $14 {1/2 (62)-1/2 Kramnik,V-Carlsen,M/ London ENG 2012}) 9... O-O 10. Rb1 Rb8 11. Qa4 Be6 12. Nb5 d5 13. cxd5 Bxd5 14. Nc3 (14. Rfc1 $5 b6 15. Nc3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nd4 17. Bg2 b5 18. Qd1 $14) 14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Nd4 16. Bg2 b5 17. Qd1 b4 18. Ne4 bxa3 19. bxa3 Rxb1 20. Qxb1 Nxe2+ 21. Kh1 c4 22. dxc4 f5 $11 {Socko, B-Gershon,A Athens 2005 0-1 (41)}) ({RR} 6... g6 7. Bg5 f6 8. Bd2 Bg7 9. Bg2 Nge7 10. h4 h5 11. O-O O-O 12. Rb1 Be6 13. Na4 e4 14. dxe4 Bxc4 15. Nc3 Bf7 16. Bf4 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. Qxd5 Bxd5 20. Rbc1 Nd4 21. Nxd4 {Lu,M (2392)-Tahay,A (2397) Budapest HUN 2025 ½-½ (40)}) ({RR} 6... f5 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. e3 Rb8 11. Ne1 Qe8 12. Nc2 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Rb1 Be6 15. Nd5 Bd8 16. b4 cxb4 17. axb4 b5 18. Na3 bxc4 19. b5 Nb4 20. Nxb4 axb4 21. Rxb4 {Danielsen,H (2497)-Sobjerg,E (2289) Denmark 2020 1-0 (34)}) 7. Bg2 g6 8. Bg5 $1 $146 (8. O-O) 8... Bg7 9. Bxe7 $1 {In order to better understand Carlsen's idea I advise you to look at the game Eingorn,V-Borovikov,V Ordzhonikidze zt 2000 or the game Peelen,P-Polgar,S Hoogovens (B) Wijk aan Zee 1990. Both games were commented on by Ribli.} Qxe7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nd2 Be6 12. Rb1 Rfc8 $1 {It is not so easy to understand Black's last move. Now Wang Hao is very well prepared to meet b4.} 13. Nd5 {I think that Carlsen underestimated the opponent's plan.} (13. e3 $5 Qd7 14. Qa4 Ra6 15. Bd5 Bf5 16. Nde4 $14) 13... Qd8 14. b4 axb4 15. axb4 Bxd5 $1 {The point of Wang Hao's idea.} ({Of course he didn't want to take on b4.} 15... cxb4 $6 16. Nxb4 Ra3 (16... Nxb4 17. Rxb4 Ra2 18. Rxb7 $16) 17. Nd5 Ra7 18. e3 Ne7 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Rb6 $16 {Black should avoid such a position}) 16. Bxd5 cxb4 17. Ne4 {To regain the pawn White needs to trade his bishop for Black's knight. It leads to an equal game.} Rc7 {It would be nice to play f4 and to start an attack on the kingside. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to put into practice.} 18. Qd2 (18. f4 $6 exf4 19. Rxf4 Be5 {After f4 the black bishop is a very strong piece.} 20. Rf1 Kg7 21. Qd2 h6 $15 {Black's position is better.}) 18... Kh8 $1 (18... h6 $6 19. f4 $1 Kh7 (19... exf4 $2 20. Qxf4 Qe7 21. Qxd6 $16) 20. f5 $40) 19. Ra1 {Carlsen accepted the fact that f4 doesn't work.} (19. f4 $2 exf4 20. Qxf4 f5 $1 21. Ng5 Nd4 22. Rf2 Be5 23. Qh4 Bf6 $17) 19... Rb8 ({Houdini recommends} 19... Rxa1 $5 20. Rxa1 f5 21. Ng5 Bh6 22. Nf7+ Rxf7 23. Qxh6 Rc7 {It seems to me that final position is better for White.}) 20. Rfb1 h6 21. Bxc6 {He has to admit that position is equal.} bxc6 22. Rxb4 d5 $11 23. Rxb8 Qxb8 24. Nd6 e4 {The position is completely equal.} (24... Bf8 25. c5 Kg7 26. Ra6 (26. Qe3 f6 27. d4 Ra7 28. Rxa7+ Qxa7 29. dxe5 Qa1+ 30. Kg2 Qxe5 $11) 26... Bxd6 27. cxd6 Rd7 28. Qc3 Qxd6 29. Rxc6 Qe7 $11) 25. Ra6 exd3 26. exd3 (26. Qxd3 Qb4 $1 27. Ne8 dxc4 $1 28. Qd8 Qb1+ 29. Kg2 Qe4+ 30. Kg1 Qb1+ $11) 26... Kh7 27. Kg2 (27. c5 Qb2 28. Qxb2 Bxb2) 27... dxc4 (27... Be5 28. c5 Qb2 29. Qxb2 Bxb2 30. Rb6 Bd4 31. Rb7 Rxb7 32. Nxb7 Kg7 33. Nd8 Bxc5 34. Nxc6 $11) 28. dxc4 Rd7 29. c5 ({Carlsen could take the pawn} 29. Rxc6 {that leads to a draw:} Qa8 (29... Bf8 30. Qd5 Rxd6 (30... Qa8) 31. Qxf7+ Bg7 32. Qf4 Rd8 33. Qe4 Rd6 34. Qf4 Rd8 $11) 30. Qd5 Bf8 31. h4 h5 32. Kh3 Qa2 33. Kg2 Qa8 $11) 29... Bf8 30. Rb6 Qc7 31. Rb3 Qa7 $1 (31... Bxd6 $2 32. Rd3 $16) 32. Rc3 $2 {After this mistake White will fight for a draw.} (32. Qb4 Bxd6 33. cxd6 c5 34. Qf4 Qa8+ 35. Qf3 Qxf3+ 36. Rxf3 Kg7 37. Rc3 Rxd6 38. Rxc5 $11) 32... Bxd6 33. cxd6 Qa5 $1 34. h4 Rxd6 35. Qe3 Qd5+ 36. Qf3 h5 (36... c5 $2 37. Rxc5 $1 $11) (36... Qxf3+ $5 {Probably White should make a draw if he played precisely. However it seems to me that Black's chances are higher than in the endgame with the extra d5-pawn} 37. Kxf3 Re6 {The white king is cut off from the queenside.}) 37. Qxd5 cxd5 38. Kf3 $15 {It seems that the endgame is drawish and Magnus Carlsen mostly proved it.} Kg7 39. Rc7 Kf6 40. Ke3 Ra6 41. Rd7 Ke6 42. Rb7 Ra3+ 43. Kf4 Ra4+ 44. Ke3 Re4+ 45. Kd3 $1 Re1 46. Rb6+ Kf5 47. Rb7 f6 48. Rd7 Re5 49. f3 $5 (49. Rd8 $5 {also leads to a draw:} Kg4 50. Rg8 Kf3 51. Rxg6 Kxf2 52. Kd4 (52. Rxf6+ Kxg3 $19) 52... Rf5 53. Rg8 Rf3 54. Kxd5 Rxg3 55. Rh8 $11) 49... Ke6 50. Rg7 g5 51. Rh7 g4 (51... gxh4 52. gxh4 Rf5 53. Ke3 d4+ 54. Kxd4 Rf4+ 55. Ke3 Rxh4 56. Kf2) 52. fxg4 ({White could make draw after} 52. f4 $5 Re1 53. Rxh5 Rg1 54. Kd4 Rxg3 55. Rxd5 f5 56. Ra5 Rf3 57. Ra6+ Kf7 58. Ke5) 52... hxg4 53. Rg7 f5 54. Rg6+ Kf7 55. Ra6 (55. h5 $5 Re1 56. Kd4 Rg1 57. Kxd5 Rxg3 58. Ke5 Rf3 59. Rg5 g3 60. h6 $11) 55... Re1 56. Kd2 $2 {Why not 56.?d4?} (56. Kd4 Re4+ 57. Kxd5 Re3 58. h5 Rxg3 59. Ke5 Rf3 60. Ra7+ Kg8 61. Kf6 g3 62. h6 $11) 56... Rg1 {It seems to me that White still could save the game but he needed to play very precisely.} 57. Ra3 Rg2+ 58. Ke1 Kf6 59. Kf1 Rc2 60. Ra6+ Ke5 61. h5 Rh2 62. h6 d4 63. Kg1 Rh3 64. Kg2 $2 {The decisive mistake.} (64. Kf2 $1 {It was necessary to take control of the e3-square.} d3 65. Ra5+ Kd4 (65... Ke4 66. Ra4+) 66. Ra4+ Kc3 67. Ra3+ Kc2 68. Ra2+ Kb3 69. Ra6 Rh2+ (69... d2 70. Ke2 Rh2+ 71. Kd1 Kc3 72. Ra3+ Kd4 73. h7 Ke4 74. h8=Q Rxh8 75. Kxd2 Rh2+ 76. Ke1 $11) 70. Kg1 (70. Ke1 $2 Kc3 71. Ra3+ Kd4 72. Ra4+ Ke3) 70... Rh3 71. Kf2 $11) 64... d3 $19 65. Ra5+ Kd4 66. Ra4+ Kc3 67. Ra6 (67. Ra3+ Kd2 68. Ra2+ Ke3 $19) 67... d2 68. Rc6+ Kd3 69. Rd6+ Kc2 70. Rc6+ Kd1 71. Rd6 f4 $1 {Wang Hao calculated everything till the end.} 72. gxf4 Ke2 73. Re6+ Re3 74. Rxe3+ Kxe3 75. h7 d1=Q 76. h8=Q Qf3+ 77. Kg1 Qf2+ 78. Kh1 Qf1+ 79. Kh2 g3+ 0-1 [Event "Corus-B"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2005.01.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A35"] [WhiteElo "2553"] [BlackElo "2599"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2005.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "13"] [SourceTitle "CBM 105"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Bulletin} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. d3 g6 5. a3 ({RR} 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg5 f6 7. Bd2 Nge7 8. h4 h5 9. Bg2 d6 10. a3 a5 11. O-O Be6 12. Qb3 Rb8 13. e4 O-O 14. Nd5 Bg4 15. Qb6 Nxd5 16. Qxd8 Nxd8 17. cxd5 a4 18. b3 f5 19. Ng5 Be2 {Fiorito,J (2411)-Perea Fruet,L (2369) Roquetas de Mar ESP 2025 ½-½ (36)}) 5... a5 $146 ({RR} 5... Bg7 6. b4 d6 7. Rb1 Nge7 8. g3 b6 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. Nd5 Qd7 12. Ng5 h6 13. Ne4 f5 14. Nec3 Nxd5 15. cxd5 Ne7 16. Bd2 Rac8 17. Qb3 Ba6 18. b5 Bb7 19. a4 {½-½ (19) Khalifman,A (2616)-Huzman,A (2575) St Petersburg 1999}) ({RR} 5... Bg7 6. Rb1 Nge7 7. b4 d5 8. Nxd5 Nxd5 9. cxd5 Qxd5 10. e3 O-O 11. b5 Na5 12. Bd2 b6 13. Be2 e4 14. Bxa5 bxa5 15. Nd2 Be6 16. Nxe4 c4 17. Bf3 Qxd3 18. Qxd3 cxd3 19. Kd2 Rac8 20. Rhc1 {Berkes,F (2602)-Tregubov,P (2628) Moscow 2004 ½-½}) ({RR} 5... d6 6. Rb1 Bg7 7. b4 Nge7 8. Bd2 O-O 9. g3 f5 10. Bg2 h6 11. O-O g5 12. Ne1 f4 13. e3 g4 14. exf4 exf4 15. gxf4 Ng6 16. Nd5 Qh4 17. Be4 Bf5 ({RR} 17... Rf5) 18. Ng2 Qh3 19. f3 Bd4+ ({RR} 19... Nd4) 20. Be3 {Uhlmann,W-Boensch,U Leipzig 1975 MCL [Bulletin] 1-0 (36)}) 6. e3 f5 7. d4 e4 8. d5 Nb8 9. Nd2 d6 10. g4 Nf6 11. gxf5 gxf5 12. Bh3 Bg7 13. Rg1 O-O 14. b3 Kh8 15. Bb2 Nbd7 16. Na4 Ne8 17. Bxg7+ Nxg7 18. Qc2 Ne5 19. Qc3 Qf6 20. f4 exf3 21. O-O-O f4 22. Bxc8 Raxc8 23. e4 Rce8 24. Rdf1 Ng6 25. Rxf3 Qxc3+ 26. Nxc3 Rf6 27. Rh3 Ne5 28. Nf3 Kg8 29. Kc2 b6 30. Nxe5 dxe5 31. Kd3 Rg6 32. Ne2 Re7 33. Rxg6 hxg6 34. Rh6 Kf7 35. Ng1 Ne8 36. Nf3 Kg7 37. Rh4 Nd6 38. Rg4 Kf6 39. Rg1 Ra7 40. a4 1/2-1/2 [Event "13th Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger NOR"] [Date "2025.05.29"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2837"] [BlackElo "2782"] [Annotator "Crowther,Mark - CB"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2025.05.26"] 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Rb1 Nf6 6. a3 a5 7. d3 {A36: Symmetrical English vs ...g6: 4 Bg2 Bg7.} ({RR} 7. b4 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d3 Rb8 10. e3 e5 11. Nge2 Be6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. e4 b5 15. h4 Nd7 16. O-O f5 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. f4 b4 19. axb4 axb4 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Kh1 Qd6 {Rotstein,A (2525)-Stanojoski,Z (2506) Izmir 2004 ½-½}) ({RR} 7. Nf3 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. d3 O-O 11. O-O Qd8 12. Be3 c4 13. dxc4 Bf5 14. Ra1 Bxb2 15. Ra2 Bg7 16. Qa4 Bd7 17. Rd2 Qc8 18. Rc1 e5 19. c5 h6 20. Qh4 g5 21. Bxg5 hxg5 {Grivas,E (2396)-Chinguun,S (2349) Dubai UAE 2024 1-0}) ({RR} 7. b4 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d3 Rb8 10. e3 e5 11. Nge2 Be6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. e4 b5 15. h4 Nd7 16. O-O f5 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. f4 b4 19. axb4 axb4 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Kh1 Qd6 {Rotstein,A (2525)-Stanojoski,Z (2506) Izmir 2004 ½-½}) ({RR} 7. Nf3 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. d3 O-O 11. O-O Qd8 12. Be3 c4 13. dxc4 Bf5 14. Ra1 Bxb2 15. Ra2 Bg7 16. Qa4 Bd7 17. Rd2 Qc8 18. Rc1 e5 19. c5 h6 20. Qh4 g5 21. Bxg5 hxg5 {Grivas,E (2396)-Chinguun,S (2349) Dubai UAE 2024 1-0}) ({RR} 7. b4 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d3 Rb8 10. e3 e5 11. Nge2 Be6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. e4 b5 15. h4 Nd7 16. O-O f5 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. f4 b4 19. axb4 axb4 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Kh1 Qd6 {Rotstein,A (2525)-Stanojoski,Z (2506) Izmir 2004 ½-½}) 7... e6 $146 ({RR} 7... h6 8. Nh3 d6 9. O-O O-O 10. Nf4 e6 11. e3 Bd7 12. b3 Rb8 13. Bb2 Ne7 14. Ba1 Bc6 15. e4 b5 16. Nxb5 Bxb5 17. cxb5 Rxb5 18. d4 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Qb6 20. Qxb6 Rxb6 21. Rfd1 Rfb8 22. e5 {Aparicio,A (2330)-Nievas,G Salta 1992 1-0 (43)}) ({RR} 7... b6 8. Nh3 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 d6 11. Qa4 Qd7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 exf6 14. Nd5 Ra6 15. Nhf4 g5 16. Nh5 Qc8 17. Nhxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ Kg7 19. Nd5 Re8 20. e3 Ne7 21. Nc7 Qxc7 22. Qxe8 {Hoellmann,L (2254)-Haerig,W (2076) Verden 2006 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 7... Rb8 8. e3 b6 9. Nge2 Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. h3 d6 12. f4 e6 13. e4 Nd7 14. Nb5 Qe7 15. Bd2 Ba6 16. Bc3 Bxb5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. cxb5 Na7 19. Nc3 e5 20. Nd5 Qe8 21. a4 Nc8 22. f5 {Rat,D (2302)-Laszlo,Z (2031) Miskolc 2005 1-0 (38)}) ({RR} 7... h6 8. Nh3 d6 9. O-O O-O 10. Nf4 e6 11. e3 Bd7 12. b3 Rb8 13. Bb2 Ne7 14. Ba1 Bc6 15. e4 b5 16. Nxb5 Bxb5 17. cxb5 Rxb5 18. d4 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Qb6 20. Qxb6 Rxb6 21. Rfd1 Rfb8 22. e5 {Aparicio,A (2330)-Nievas,G Salta 1992 1-0 (43)}) ({RR} 7... b6 8. Nh3 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 d6 11. Qa4 Qd7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 exf6 14. Nd5 Ra6 15. Nhf4 g5 16. Nh5 Qc8 17. Nhxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ Kg7 19. Nd5 Re8 20. e3 Ne7 21. Nc7 Qxc7 22. Qxe8 {Hoellmann,L (2254)-Haerig,W (2076) Verden 2006 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 7... Rb8 8. e3 b6 9. Nge2 Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. h3 d6 12. f4 e6 13. e4 Nd7 14. Nb5 Qe7 15. Bd2 Ba6 16. Bc3 Bxb5 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. cxb5 Na7 19. Nc3 e5 20. Nd5 Qe8 21. a4 Nc8 22. f5 {Rat,D (2302)-Laszlo,Z (2031) Miskolc 2005 1-0 (38)}) ({RR} 7... b6 8. Nh3 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 d6 11. Qa4 Qd7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 exf6 14. Nd5 Ra6 15. Nhf4 g5 16. Nh5 Qc8 17. Nhxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ Kg7 19. Nd5 Re8 20. e3 Ne7 21. Nc7 Qxc7 22. Qxe8 {Hoellmann,L (2254)-Haerig,W (2076) Verden 2006 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 7... h6 8. e4 d6 9. Nge2 O-O 10. O-O Ne8 11. Be3 Nd4 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Nc7 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. Nd5 Ra7 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. Bd2 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bf5 19. Qb3 Qc7 20. Rfe1 Rfa8 21. Bb4 Bf6 22. c5 {Xiong,J (2646)-Clasby,D (2339) Philadelphia USA 2025 1-0 (38)}) 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Be3 {White has an edge.} Qe7 $146 (9... d6 10. h3 e5 11. O-O Bd7 12. Ne1 Nh5 13. Bd2 f5 14. e3 Rb8 15. Nc2 Na7 {½-½ Von Herman,U (2421)-Figura,A (2418) Berlin-ch 2010 (3)}) 10. Na4 {[%eval 12,29] [%wdl 42,940,18]} (10. Qc1 $14 {[%eval 53,24] [%wdl 159,837,4] is superior.}) 10... d6 $1 $11 11. O-O Rb8 12. d4 {[%eval -29,32] [%wdl 10,916,74]} (12. Nb6 $142 {[%eval 13,28] [%wdl 43,939,18]}) 12... cxd4 {[%eval 10,31] [%wdl 36,947,17]} (12... b6 $142 {[%eval -29,32] [%wdl 10,916,74]}) 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 b5 $1 15. cxb5 Rxb5 16. Nc3 Rb8 17. Qa4 Bb7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qxa5 e5 20. Be3 d5 $1 {[%CAl Bd6d5,Bd5d4][%mdl 32] [#]} 21. Bg5 $1 d4 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Nd5 Bg5 {Hoping for ...Ra8.} 24. Nb4 Bd2 {[%CAl Rd2b4]} 25. Qxe5 Bxb4 26. axb4 Qxb4 27. Rfd1 Rfe8 28. Qf4 Rxe2 29. Rxd4 Qb7 (29... Re1+ $6 30. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 31. Kg2 $16) 30. Qf6 Re6 $2 {[%eval 225,32] [%wdl 999,1,0] This nervous move is completely understandable. Carlsen said afterwards he predicted this error.} (30... h5 $11 {[%eval 20,33] [%wdl 10,989,1] Black has time to set up a good defence.}) (30... Qe7 {was Carlsen's post game suggestion, very sensible.}) 31. Rd8+ $18 Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQR-KQR. White is a pawn up.} Kg7 33. Qd4+ Kg8 34. b4 {[%CAl Bb2b4,Bb4b5][%mdl 32]} h5 35. b5 {and h4 should not be overlooked} Rb6 $2 {[%eval 390,25] [%wdl 1000,0,0]} (35... Re4 {[%eval 206,28] [%wdl 998,2,0] was worth a try.} 36. Qf6 Re8) 36. Re1 Qb8 {[#] Repels Re8+} 37. Re8+ $3 {[%mdl 576] Deflection} Qxe8 38. Qxb6 {KQ-KQ. White is a pawn up.} Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kf1 Qd3+ 41. Ke1 Qc3+ 42. Ke2 Qc2+ 43. Ke3 Qc3+ 44. Ke4 {White is clearly winning.} Qc4+ 45. Ke5 Kg7 46. h4 (46. Qf6+ Kh7 47. Qb6 Qc3+ 48. Kd6 Qf6+ 49. Kc7 Qe7+ 50. Kb8 Qe8+ 51. Ka7 h4 $18) 46... Qd3 47. Qc5 Qf5+ 48. Kd6 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger, Norway"] [Date "2025.05.29"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2837"] [BlackElo "2782"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:0"] {[%evp 0,95,19,-12,25,5,17,5,20,20,16,-17,11,-47,-2,12,43,55,40,17,69,45,41,34,25,1,-3,-2,22,-4,9,0,7,-1,-4,-51,16,7,7,16,34,34,70,40,40,20,20,19,19,19,43,43,43,43,43,75,75,59,59,59,75,75,92,92,87,93,91,95,115,103,147,120,126,105,115,135,135,135,143,143,141,149,141,141,141,147,147,147,162,157,157,157,192,140,149,191,330,379]} 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Rb1 {Com sua escolha de abertura, Carlsen decide jogar uma posição mais lenta e técnica, provavelmente uma boa escolha para limitar a criatividade de Arjun, um jogador que adora posições caóticas.} (5. Nf3 {é o lance mais frequentemente jogado.}) 5... Nf6 6. a3 a5 {Jogado para impedir o avanço b2-b4. Enfraquecer a casa b5 não é algo que cause problemas para as Negras.} 7. d3 ({RR} 7. b4 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d3 Rb8 10. e3 e5 11. Nge2 Be6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. e4 b5 15. h4 Nd7 16. O-O f5 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. f4 b4 19. axb4 axb4 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Kh1 Qd6 {Rotstein,A (2525)-Stanojoski,Z (2506) Izmir 2004 ½-½}) 7... e6 $146 {Um tanto surpreendente.} (7... O-O {é a continuação normal, por exemplo:} 8. Nf3 d6 9. O-O {como jogado em muitas partidas.}) ({RR} 7... b6 8. Nh3 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 d6 11. Qa4 Qd7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 exf6 14. Nd5 Ra6 15. Nhf4 g5 16. Nh5 Qc8 17. Nhxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ Kg7 19. Nd5 Re8 20. e3 Ne7 21. Nc7 Qxc7 22. Qxe8 {Hoellmann,L (2254)-Haerig,W (2076) Verden 2006 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 7... h6 8. e4 d6 9. Nge2 O-O 10. O-O Ne8 11. Be3 Nd4 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Nc7 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. Nd5 Ra7 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. Bd2 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bf5 19. Qb3 Qc7 20. Rfe1 Rfa8 21. Bb4 Bf6 22. c5 {Xiong,J (2646)-Clasby,D (2339) Philadelphia USA 2025 1-0 (38)}) 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Be3 $5 {Os próximos dois lances de Carlsen são muito originais.} (9. O-O d5 10. Bf4 {é uma possível continuação.}) 9... Qe7 {Um lance novo.} (9... d6 {foi jogado em Von Herman-Figura, Berlin-ch 2010.}) 10. Na4 $5 {Ameaçando o peão em c5 e explorando a fraqueza em b6.} (10. Qc1 {também é interessante, impedindo d7-d5. O bispo pode ir depois para g5, já que h7-h6 não é possível.}) 10... d6 11. O-O Rb8 12. d4 $6 {Este lance é criticado pela máquina, pois permite que as Negras joguem b7-b6, alcançando uma boa posição.} (12. Nb6 {é melhor, embora as Brancas não tenham muito depois de} Nd7 13. Nxc8 Rfxc8 {O par de bispos não é tão forte. Mais relevante é o contra-ataque das Negras na ala da dama com b7-b5.}) 12... cxd4 $6 (12... Ng4 $2 {é errado devido à tática} 13. dxc5 Nxe3 14. cxd6 $1) (12... b6 $1 {era melhor:} 13. d5 {e as Negras conseguem bom contra-ataque após} exd5 14. cxd5 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 Bf5 18. Bf4 Qe7) 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 (13... Ng4 {é possível agora, mas as Brancas podem reivindicar uma pequena vantagem após} 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Bb6) 14. Bxd4 b5 15. cxb5 Rxb5 {As Negras conseguiram a típica ruptura em b5 e estão próximas da igualdade, mas Carlsen continua exercendo pressão em posições iguais, como sabemos.} 16. Nc3 (16. b4 {é outra ideia. As Negras podem continuar com} axb4 17. axb4 e5 (17... Nd5 $5 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 {também é possível.}) 18. Nc3 Rb8 19. Be3 Bf5 20. Rb2 Rfc8 21. Qd2 {quando a posição volta a estar naquela avaliação de \"igual, mas não empatada\".}) 16... Rb8 17. Qa4 $1 {O melhor lance para causar problemas. As alternativas são mais fáceis para as Negras defenderem.} (17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Bb7) (17. e4 Ba6 18. Re1 Nd7) 17... Bb7 {Sacrificando um peão.} ({Após} 17... e5 18. Be3 Bf5 19. Rbc1 Rxb2 20. Qxa5 {o peão de a pode causar algumas dores de cabeça para as Negras.}) 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qxa5 e5 20. Be3 d5 21. Bg5 $1 {O único lance, mas claro que Carlsen já o tinha visto muito antes da posição surgir no tabuleiro.} d4 (21... Rfd8 {é uma boa alternativa, guardando o avanço d5-d4 para depois, quando o cavalo das Brancas não puder ir para d5.}) 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Nd5 Bg5 (23... Bd8 $6 {é mais fraco, pois as Negras não estão ganhando o cavalo.} 24. Qb4 {com vantagem para as Brancas.}) (23... Bg7 {é jogável. O bispo apoia o peão de d4, tornando o avanço e5-e4 mais interessante. As Negras têm compensação suficiente pela igualdade.}) 24. Nb4 Bd2 25. Qxe5 Bxb4 26. axb4 Qxb4 27. Rfd1 Rfe8 28. Qf4 (28. Qxd4 Rxe2 {é similar, mas uma versão um pouco melhor para as Negras.}) 28... Rxe2 29. Rxd4 {As Brancas estão com um peão a mais, mas as peças das Negras estão muito ativas e, em circunstâncias normais, não deveria ser difícil conseguir um empate. Carlsen, no entanto, vencerá facilmente na continuação da partida. Isso não é coincidência: já vimos isso acontecer muitas vezes antes.} Qb7 $6 (29... Qb3 $1 {bloqueia o peão e é um lance mais forte. O computador indica igualdade total após} 30. Qf6 Ree8) 30. Qf6 Re6 $2 {Já é um lance perdedor.} (30... Rxb2 $4 {claro que perde de mais de uma forma. A mais simples é} 31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kg7 33. Qd4+ {capturando a torre.}) (30... Rbe8 {não é preciso. As Brancas podem responder com} 31. Rd8 $1) (30... h5 $1 {pode ser a melhor defesa, criando algumas ideias com h5-h4 e dando a casa h7 para o rei. As Brancas não conseguem vencer contra a melhor defesa, por exemplo:} 31. b4 (31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kh7 33. b4 Qf3 34. Qd4 Re4 {seguido por h5-h4, com contra-jogo.}) (31. h4 Rbe8 32. Rd8 Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kh7 {e novamente as Negras estão muito ativas.}) 31... Rbe8 32. Rd8 Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kh7 34. Qd3 (34. h4 {As Brancas não têm tempo para jogar esse lance de consolidação, pois as Negras podem jogar} Qe4 35. Qd1 Qf5 $1) 34... Re4 35. b5 h4 $1 {As Negras conseguem criar contra-jogo suficiente para alcançar o empate com a melhor jogada. Obviamente, não é fácil jogar com tanta precisão.}) (30... Qe7 $1 {O próprio Carlsen sugeriu trocar as damas aqui como a forma de garantir um empate claro.}) 31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kg7 33. Qd4+ Kg8 34. b4 {Um par de torres foi trocado e as peças negras foram recuadas. As Brancas estão com um peão saudável a mais, e esta é uma vitória técnica para Carlsen.} h5 35. b5 Rb6 (35... Re4 {dá mais chances de defesa, mas as Brancas devem vencer após} 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. h4 $1 {impedindo o contra-jogo com h5-h4.}) 36. Re1 $1 Qb8 37. Re8+ $1 Qxe8 38. Qxb6 {É fácil ganhar o final de damas.} Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kf1 Qd3+ {Claro que as Negras não têm tempo para capturar o peão de h, pois o peão passado das Brancas é rápido demais.} 41. Ke1 Qc3+ 42. Ke2 Qc2+ 43. Ke3 $146 {há xeque perpétuo e o rei das Brancas simplesmente avança, aproximando-se do peão.} Qc3+ 44. Ke4 Qc4+ 45. Ke5 Kg7 46. h4 Qd3 47. Qc5 Qf5+ 48. Kd6 {Uma vitória típica de Carlsen.} 1-0 [Event "13th Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger NOR"] [Date "2025.05.29"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2837"] [BlackElo "2782"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2025.05.26"] [TimeControl "40/7200:0"] {[%evp 0,95,28,-17,15,13,25,25,19,11,8,-4,6,-13,14,12,47,29,39,19,44,37,35,30,18,7,34,14,42,-9,-16,-14,1,12,0,-83,5,-4,6,6,8,39,41,34,23,40,27,27,16,20,38,61,61,43,36,40,40,43,43,75,81,82,79,68,80,82,98,92,115,115,140,118,128,133,105,126,126,115,135,143,148,148,148,126,148,151,151,159,161,161,170,180,192,136,197,202,309,327]} 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Rb1 {Com sua escolha de abertura, Carlsen decide jogar uma posição mais lenta e técnica, provavelmente uma boa escolha para limitar a criatividade de Arjun, um jogador que adora posições caóticas.} (5. Nf3 {é o lance mais frequentemente jogado.}) 5... Nf6 6. a3 a5 {Jogado para impedir o avanço b2-b4. Enfraquecer a casa b5 não é algo que cause problemas para as Negras.} 7. d3 ({RR} 7. b4 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d3 Rb8 10. e3 e5 11. Nge2 Be6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. e4 b5 15. h4 Nd7 16. O-O f5 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. f4 b4 19. axb4 axb4 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Kh1 Qd6 {Rotstein,A (2525)-Stanojoski,Z (2506) Izmir 2004 ½-½}) 7... e6 $146 {Um tanto surpreendente.} (7... O-O {é a continuação normal, por exemplo:} 8. Nf3 d6 9. O-O {como jogado em muitas partidas.}) ({RR} 7... b6 8. Nh3 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 d6 11. Qa4 Qd7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 exf6 14. Nd5 Ra6 15. Nhf4 g5 16. Nh5 Qc8 17. Nhxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ Kg7 19. Nd5 Re8 20. e3 Ne7 21. Nc7 Qxc7 22. Qxe8 {Hoellmann,L (2254)-Haerig,W (2076) Verden 2006 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 7... h6 8. e4 d6 9. Nge2 O-O 10. O-O Ne8 11. Be3 Nd4 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Nc7 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. Nd5 Ra7 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. Bd2 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bf5 19. Qb3 Qc7 20. Rfe1 Rfa8 21. Bb4 Bf6 22. c5 {Xiong,J (2646)-Clasby,D (2339) Philadelphia USA 2025 1-0 (38)}) 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Be3 $5 {Os próximos dois lances de Carlsen são muito originais.} (9. O-O d5 10. Bf4 {é uma possível continuação.}) 9... Qe7 {Um lance novo.} (9... d6 {foi jogado em Von Herman-Figura, Berlin-ch 2010.}) 10. Na4 $5 {Ameaçando o peão em c5 e explorando a fraqueza em b6.} (10. Qc1 {também é interessante, impedindo d7-d5. O bispo pode ir depois para g5, já que h7-h6 não é possível.}) 10... d6 11. O-O Rb8 12. d4 $6 {Este lance é criticado pela máquina, pois permite que as Negras joguem b7-b6, alcançando uma boa posição.} (12. Nb6 {é melhor, embora as Brancas não tenham muito depois de} Nd7 13. Nxc8 Rfxc8 {O par de bispos não é tão forte. Mais relevante é o contra-ataque das Negras na ala da dama com b7-b5.}) 12... cxd4 $6 (12... Ng4 $2 {é errado devido à tática} 13. dxc5 Nxe3 14. cxd6 $1) (12... b6 $1 {era melhor:} 13. d5 {e as Negras conseguem bom contra-ataque após} exd5 14. cxd5 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 Bf5 18. Bf4 Qe7) 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 (13... Ng4 {é possível agora, mas as Brancas podem reivindicar uma pequena vantagem após} 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Bb6) 14. Bxd4 b5 15. cxb5 Rxb5 {As Negras conseguiram a típica ruptura em b5 e estão próximas da igualdade, mas Carlsen continua exercendo pressão em posições iguais, como sabemos.} 16. Nc3 (16. b4 {é outra ideia. As Negras podem continuar com} axb4 17. axb4 e5 (17... Nd5 $5 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 {também é possível.}) 18. Nc3 Rb8 19. Be3 Bf5 20. Rb2 Rfc8 21. Qd2 {quando a posição volta a estar naquela avaliação de \"igual, mas não empatada\".}) 16... Rb8 17. Qa4 $1 {O melhor lance para causar problemas. As alternativas são mais fáceis para as Negras defenderem.} (17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Bb7) (17. e4 Ba6 18. Re1 Nd7) 17... Bb7 {Sacrificando um peão.} ({Após} 17... e5 18. Be3 Bf5 19. Rbc1 Rxb2 20. Qxa5 {o peão de a pode causar algumas dores de cabeça para as Negras.}) 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qxa5 e5 20. Be3 d5 21. Bg5 $1 {O único lance, mas claro que Carlsen já o tinha visto muito antes da posição surgir no tabuleiro.} d4 (21... Rfd8 {é uma boa alternativa, guardando o avanço d5-d4 para depois, quando o cavalo das Brancas não puder ir para d5.}) 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Nd5 Bg5 (23... Bd8 $6 {é mais fraco, pois as Negras não estão ganhando o cavalo.} 24. Qb4 {com vantagem para as Brancas.}) (23... Bg7 {é jogável. O bispo apoia o peão de d4, tornando o avanço e5-e4 mais interessante. As Negras têm compensação suficiente pela igualdade.}) 24. Nb4 Bd2 25. Qxe5 Bxb4 26. axb4 Qxb4 27. Rfd1 Rfe8 28. Qf4 (28. Qxd4 Rxe2 {é similar, mas uma versão um pouco melhor para as Negras.}) 28... Rxe2 29. Rxd4 {As Brancas estão com um peão a mais, mas as peças das Negras estão muito ativas e, em circunstâncias normais, não deveria ser difícil conseguir um empate. Carlsen, no entanto, vencerá facilmente na continuação da partida. Isso não é coincidência: já vimos isso acontecer muitas vezes antes.} Qb7 $6 (29... Qb3 $1 {bloqueia o peão e é um lance mais forte. O computador indica igualdade total após} 30. Qf6 Ree8) 30. Qf6 Re6 $2 {Já é um lance perdedor.} (30... Rxb2 $4 {claro que perde de mais de uma forma. A mais simples é} 31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kg7 33. Qd4+ {capturando a torre.}) (30... Rbe8 {não é preciso. As Brancas podem responder com} 31. Rd8 $1) (30... h5 $1 {pode ser a melhor defesa, criando algumas ideias com h5-h4 e dando a casa h7 para o rei. As Brancas não conseguem vencer contra a melhor defesa, por exemplo:} 31. b4 (31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kh7 33. b4 Qf3 34. Qd4 Re4 {seguido por h5-h4, com contra-jogo.}) (31. h4 Rbe8 32. Rd8 Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kh7 {e novamente as Negras estão muito ativas.}) 31... Rbe8 32. Rd8 Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kh7 34. Qd3 (34. h4 {As Brancas não têm tempo para jogar esse lance de consolidação, pois as Negras podem jogar} Qe4 35. Qd1 Qf5 $1) 34... Re4 35. b5 h4 $1 {As Negras conseguem criar contra-jogo suficiente para alcançar o empate com a melhor jogada. Obviamente, não é fácil jogar com tanta precisão.}) (30... Qe7 $1 {O próprio Carlsen sugeriu trocar as damas aqui como a forma de garantir um empate claro.}) 31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kg7 33. Qd4+ Kg8 34. b4 {Um par de torres foi trocado e as peças negras foram recuadas. As Brancas estão com um peão saudável a mais, e esta é uma vitória técnica para Carlsen.} h5 35. b5 Rb6 (35... Re4 {dá mais chances de defesa, mas as Brancas devem vencer após} 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. h4 $1 {impedindo o contra-jogo com h5-h4.}) 36. Re1 $1 Qb8 37. Re8+ $1 Qxe8 38. Qxb6 {É fácil ganhar o final de damas.} Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kf1 Qd3+ {Claro que as Negras não têm tempo para capturar o peão de h, pois o peão passado das Brancas é rápido demais.} 41. Ke1 Qc3+ 42. Ke2 Qc2+ 43. Ke3 $146 {há xeque perpétuo e o rei das Brancas simplesmente avança, aproximando-se do peão.} Qc3+ 44. Ke4 Qc4+ 45. Ke5 Kg7 46. h4 Qd3 47. Qc5 Qf5+ 48. Kd6 {Uma vitória típica de Carlsen. PRECISÃO LICHESS: BRANCAS 98% PRETAS 93% ORECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 98.3% PRETAS 92.1%} 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger, Norway"] [Date "2025.05.29"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2837"] [BlackElo "2782"] [Annotator "Rafael Leitao"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [TimeControl "40/7200:0"] 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Rb1 {With his opening choice, Carlsen decides to play a slower and more technical position, probably a good choice to limit the creativity of Arjun, a player who loves chaotic positions.} (5. Nf3 {is the move most often played.}) 5... Nf6 6. a3 a5 {Played in order to prevent the b2-b4 advance. Weakening the square on b5 isn't something that creates problems for Black.} 7. d3 ({RR} 7. b4 O-O 8. Bb2 d6 9. d3 Rb8 10. e3 e5 11. Nge2 Be6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. e4 b5 15. h4 Nd7 16. O-O f5 17. bxc5 Nxc5 18. f4 b4 19. axb4 axb4 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Kh1 Qd6 {Rotstein,A (2525)-Stanojoski,Z (2506) Izmir 2004 ½-½}) 7... e6 $146 {Somewhat surprising.} (7... O-O {is the normal continuation, for instance:} 8. Nf3 d6 9. O-O {as played in many games.}) ({RR} 7... b6 8. Nh3 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 d6 11. Qa4 Qd7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 exf6 14. Nd5 Ra6 15. Nhf4 g5 16. Nh5 Qc8 17. Nhxf6+ Bxf6 18. Nxf6+ Kg7 19. Nd5 Re8 20. e3 Ne7 21. Nc7 Qxc7 22. Qxe8 {Hoellmann,L (2254)-Haerig,W (2076) Verden 2006 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 7... h6 8. e4 d6 9. Nge2 O-O 10. O-O Ne8 11. Be3 Nd4 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Nc7 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. Nd5 Ra7 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. Bd2 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bf5 19. Qb3 Qc7 20. Rfe1 Rfa8 21. Bb4 Bf6 22. c5 {Xiong,J (2646)-Clasby,D (2339) Philadelphia USA 2025 1-0 (38)}) 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Be3 $5 {Carlsen's next two moves are very original.} (9. O-O d5 10. Bf4 {is a possible continuation.}) 9... Qe7 {A new move.} (9... d6 {was played in Von Herman-Figura, Berlin-ch 2010.}) 10. Na4 $5 {Threatening the pawn on c5 and exploiting the weakness on b6.} (10. Qc1 {is also interesting, preventing d7-d5. The bishop might go later to g5, since h7-h6 isn't possible.}) 10... d6 11. O-O Rb8 12. d4 $6 {This move is criticized by the machine, as it allows Black to play b7-b6, with a fine position for Black.} (12. Nb6 {is better, although White doesn't have much after} Nd7 13. Nxc8 Rfxc8 {The pair of bishops is not so strong. More relevant is Black's counterplay on the queenside with b7-b5.}) 12... cxd4 $6 (12... Ng4 $2 {is wrong due to the tactical} 13. dxc5 Nxe3 14. cxd6 $1) (12... b6 $1 {is the best continuation, when Black has a very good position. If White tries to clarify the center with} 13. d5 {Black achieves good counterplay after} exd5 14. cxd5 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Qxe5 16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 Bf5 18. Bf4 Qe7) 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 (13... Ng4 {is possible now, but White can claim a small edge after} 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Bb6) 14. Bxd4 b5 15. cxb5 Rxb5 {Black has achieved the typical break on b5 and is close to equality, but Carlsen keeps applying pressure in equal positions, as we know.} 16. Nc3 (16. b4 {is another idea. Black can continue with} axb4 17. axb4 e5 (17... Nd5 $5 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 {is also possible.}) 18. Nc3 Rb8 19. Be3 Bf5 20. Rb2 Rfc8 21. Qd2 {when the position is again in that \"equal but not drawn\" evaluation.}) 16... Rb8 17. Qa4 $1 {The best move to pose problems. The alternatives are simpler for Black to defend.} (17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Bb7) (17. e4 Ba6 18. Re1 Nd7) 17... Bb7 {Sacrificing a pawn.} ({After} 17... e5 18. Be3 Bf5 19. Rbc1 Rxb2 20. Qxa5 {the a-pawn can cause some headaches for Black.}) 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Qxa5 e5 20. Be3 d5 21. Bg5 $1 {The only move, but of course Carlsen had seen it long before the position occurred on the board.} d4 (21... Rfd8 {is a good alternative, saving d5-d4 for later, when White's knight is unable to go to d5.}) 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Nd5 Bg5 (23... Bd8 $6 {is weaker, since Black isn't winning the knight.} 24. Qb4 {with the advantage for White.}) (23... Bg7 {is playable. The bishop supports the d4-pawn, making the e5-e4 advance more interesting. Black has enough compensation for equality.}) 24. Nb4 Bd2 {Arjun decides to clarify the position.} ({He could also have chosen} 24... Rfe8 {with good enough compensation.}) 25. Qxe5 Bxb4 26. axb4 Qxb4 27. Rfd1 Rfe8 28. Qf4 (28. Qxd4 Rxe2 {is similar, but a slightly better version for Black.}) 28... Rxe2 29. Rxd4 {White is a pawn up, but Black's pieces are very active and it shouldn't be too difficult to achieve a draw under normal circumstances. Carlsen, however, will easily win in the game continuation. This is no coincidence: we've seen it happen many times before.} Qb7 $6 (29... Qb3 $1 {blocks the pawn and is a stronger move. The computer shows full equality after} 30. Qf6 Ree8) 30. Qf6 Re6 $2 {Already a losing move.} (30... Rxb2 $4 {of course loses in more than one way. The simplest is} 31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kg7 33. Qd4+ {picking up the rook.}) (30... Rbe8 {isn't accurate. White can reply} 31. Rd8 $1) (30... h5 $1 {may be the best defense, creating some ideas with h5-h4 and giving the h7-square to the king. White cannot win against best play, for instance:} 31. b4 (31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kh7 33. b4 Qf3 34. Qd4 Re4 {followed by h5-h4, with counterplay.}) (31. h4 Rbe8 32. Rd8 Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kh7 {and again Black is very active.}) 31... Rbe8 32. Rd8 Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kh7 34. Qd3 (34. h4 {White has no time to play this consolidating move, since Black can play} Qe4 35. Qd1 Qf5 $1) 34... Re4 35. b5 h4 $1 {Black manages to create enough counterplay to achieve a draw with best play. Obviously, it isn't easy to play so precisely.}) (30... Qe7 $1 {Carlsen himself suggested exchanging queens here as the way to make a clear draw.}) 31. Rd8+ Rxd8 32. Qxd8+ Kg7 33. Qd4+ Kg8 34. b4 {A pair of rooks was exchanged and Black's pieces were pushed back. White is a sound pawn up and this is a technical win for Carlsen.} h5 35. b5 Rb6 (35... Re4 {gives more chances of defending, but White should win after} 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. h4 $1 {preventing the counterplay with h5-h4.}) 36. Re1 $1 Qb8 37. Re8+ $1 Qxe8 38. Qxb6 {The queen endgame is easily winning.} Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kf1 Qd3+ {Of course Black has no time to take the h-pawn since White's passed pawn is too fast.} 41. Ke1 Qc3+ 42. Ke2 Qc2+ 43. Ke3 {There's no perpetual and White's king simply marches forward, closer to the pawn.} Qc3+ 44. Ke4 Qc4+ 45. Ke5 Kg7 46. h4 Qd3 47. Qc5 Qf5+ 48. Kd6 {A trademark Carlsen win.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup 9-12"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2005.12.12"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Malakhov, Vladimir"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2670"] [BlackElo "2570"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2005.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 111"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.04.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. g3 c5 2. c4 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. O-O Nge7 7. e3 O-O 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 d5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd4 12. exd4 exd5 13. Qb3 Be6 14. Rd1 Qd7 15. Bf4 Rac8 16. Rac1 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Rc8 18. Rxc8+ Qxc8 19. Qa4 $146 ({RR} 19. Bxd5 Bxd4 20. Qxb7 Qxb7 21. Bxb7 Bxb2 22. Be3 Bxa2 23. Bxa7 h5 24. h4 Kg7 25. Be3 Be6 26. Bf3 Ba1 27. Kg2 Bf6 28. Bg5 Bxg5 29. hxg5 f6 30. gxf6+ Kxf6 {½-½ (30) Kempinski,R (2583)-Mista,A (2576) Polanica Zdroj 2013}) ({RR} 19. Bxd5 Bxd4 20. Qxb7 Qxb7 21. Bxb7 Bxb2 22. a4 Bd4 23. Bc6 Bc5 24. Kg2 Kf8 25. Bg5 Bg4 26. Bf6 Be2 27. h3 h6 28. g4 g5 29. Bd7 Bb6 30. Bc6 Bc5 {½-½ (30) Antoniewski,R (2532)-Mista,A (2593) Poland 2016}) 19... a6 20. h4 h5 21. a3 b5 22. Qd1 Qc4 23. Be3 b4 24. Bf1 Qa2 25. axb4 Qxb2 26. Qe1 Qa3 27. Bc1 Qb3 28. Be3 Qa3 29. Kh2 Bf5 30. Bc1 Qa2 31. Be3 Be4 32. Qe2 Qb3 33. Qxa6 Qxb4 34. Qb5 Qe7 35. Be2 Qf6 36. Qb3 Qf5 37. Qc3 Bf6 38. Qe1 Kg7 39. Qd1 Qe6 40. Qd2 Kh7 41. f3 Bf5 42. Kg2 Bh3+ 43. Kf2 Qb6 44. Bd3 Bd7 45. Qc3 Kg7 46. Bf1 Qa7 47. Qb2 Qa4 48. Be2 Bf5 49. Kg2 Be6 50. Bf2 Bf5 51. Be3 Be6 52. Kf1 Bc8 53. Kg2 Ba6 54. Bxa6 Qxa6 55. Qd2 Qc4 56. Bf2 Qc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "NOR-ch"] [Site "Fredrikstad"] [Date "2003.07.09"] [Round "6"] [White "Lie, Espen"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2260"] [BlackElo "2385"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2003.07.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 095 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.09.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.09.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. a3 e6 6. b4 d6 7. Rb1 Nge7 ({RR} 7... Nf6 8. e3 O-O 9. Nge2 cxb4 10. axb4 d5 11. c5 a5 12. b5 Ne5 13. Qc2 h5 14. O-O h4 15. f4 hxg3 16. fxe5 gxh2+ 17. Kh1 Nh5 18. d4 Bd7 19. Bf3 Qh4 20. Bxh5 Qxh5 21. Nf4 {1-0 (21) Haack,K (2297)-Baeuml,U (2107) Schwaebisch Gmuend GER 2024}) 8. e3 ({RR} 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O b6 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. b5 Na5 12. d3 d5 13. Rd1 Nf5 14. Bg5 Nd4 15. Qc1 Nab3 16. Bxd8 Nxc1 17. Rdxc1 Nxf3+ 18. Bxf3 Rfxd8 19. a4 Rab8 20. cxd5 exd5 21. a5 Rd6 22. Na4 Bc8 {Ivanchuk,V (2779)-Aronian,L (2808) Monte Carlo 2011 0-1 (51)}) 8... O-O 9. Nge2 Rb8 10. Qa4 $146 ({RR} 10. O-O b6 11. d4 Bb7 12. b5 Na5 13. Qa4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 cxd4 15. exd4 Qc7 16. c5 dxc5 17. Bf4 e5 18. dxe5 Bxe5 19. Rbd1 Rbd8 20. Qe4 f6 21. Bh6 Rfe8 22. f4 Nf5 23. Nd5 Bd4 24. Qxe8+ Rxe8 {Titz,H (2280)-Sapi,L (2325) Austria 1996 0-1 (47)}) ({RR} 10. d4 cxd4 11. exd4 e5 12. Bb2 Bg4 13. h3 Bf5 14. d5 Nd4 15. Ne4 Nxe2 16. Qxe2 b5 17. Nxd6 Bxb1 18. Nxb5 Rxb5 19. cxb5 Nxd5 20. O-O Bf5 21. Rd1 e4 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Qb2+ Qf6 24. Qxf6+ Nxf6 {De Carlo,F (1864)-Manguso,M (2054) Torre del Greco 2006 0-1 (55)}) 10... b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. f4 Qd7 13. Bb2 Rfd8 14. Ne4 Nd4 15. Qd1 Nxe2+ 16. Qxe2 Bxe4 17. Bxe4 Bxb2 18. Rxb2 b5 19. cxb5 d5 20. Bc2 Qxb5 21. Qxb5 Rxb5 22. Bd3 Rb6 23. Rc1 c4 24. Be2 Ra6 25. Rc3 Nf5 26. d3 Nxe3 27. dxc4 Nxc4 28. Bxc4 dxc4 29. b5 Ra5 30. Rb4 Rd3 31. Rbxc4 Rd1+ 32. Kg2 Rxb5 33. Rc7 Rd2+ 34. Kf3 a5 35. Ra7 h5 36. a4 Rbd5 37. Rc8+ Kg7 38. Rcc7 Rf5 39. h3 Rd3+ 40. Kg2 h4 41. gxh4 Rd4 42. Kg3 Rxa4 43. Rc3 Rfxf4 44. Rxa5 Rxh4 45. Rac5 Rh5 46. Rxh5 gxh5 47. Rb3 Kg6 48. Rc3 h4+ 49. Kf3 Kf5 50. Rb3 e5 51. Ke3 Ra2 52. Kd3 Rg2 53. Rb1 Rg3+ 54. Kc4 Rxh3 55. Kd5 Rd3+ 0-1 [Event "NOR-chTA final"] [Site "Trondheim"] [Date "2004.05.19"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Egeli, Per Ove"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2298"] [BlackElo "2552"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2004.05.19"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 100 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.07.06"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.07.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "08"] [BlackTeam "06"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. c4 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 c5 6. Nge2 Nc6 7. d3 d6 8. O-O Ne8 9. Be3 Nd4 10. Rb1 a5 11. a3 Nc7 ({RR} 11... a4 12. f4 Bd7 13. Bf2 Nc7 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. Nd5 Na6 16. g4 e6 17. Nb4 Nc5 18. Nc2 e5 19. Bg3 f5 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Bd5+ Kh8 22. g5 e4 23. Nb4 Rc8 24. Bf2 exd3 25. Nxd3 Ne4 26. Nb4 {Eljanov,P (2658)-Radjabov,T (2729) Fuegen 2006 ½-½ (44)}) 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 b6 ({RR} 13... Nce6 14. bxc5 dxc5 15. Nd5 Nxe2+ 16. Qxe2 Nd4 17. Bxd4 Bxd4 18. e5 Be6 19. Rxb7 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 e6 21. Bg2 Ra3 22. h4 h5 23. Kh2 Qa5 24. Be4 Kg7 25. Kg2 Ra2 26. Qf3 Bxe5 27. g4 Rb2 28. Rxb2 {King,A (2263)-Cruz,W (2216) chess.com INT 2024 0-1 (45)}) 14. Nd5 $146 ({RR} 14. Qc1 Ra7 15. Bh6 Bb7 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qb2 Ra6 18. Nxd4 cxd4 19. Nd5 e5 20. f4 Nxd5 21. cxd5 f6 22. Rbc1 Qd7 23. fxe5 dxe5 24. Rc2 Raa8 25. Rfc1 Rac8 26. h4 Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Rc8 28. Kh2 Rxc2 {Williams,S (2335)-Bakre,T (2290) Calicut 1998 ½-½ (31)}) ({RR} 14. Qd2 Bd7 15. f4 Bg4 16. f5 Bxe2 17. Nxe2 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Ra3 19. g4 e6 20. g5 exf5 21. exf5 Be5 22. bxc5 bxc5 23. Rb7 Re8 24. Bc6 Rf8 25. Be4 Bd4 26. Bxd4 Qxg5+ 27. Qg2 Qxg2+ 28. Kxg2 cxd4 {Eljanov,P (2697)-Ozen,B (2369) chess.com INT 2022 1-0}) 14... Nxd5 15. cxd5 Ra2 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. Qb3 Ra7 18. Bd2 Bd7 19. Ra1 Qa8 20. Qb2 Bb5 21. Rxa7 Qxa7 22. Ra1 Qd7 23. Bf1 f5 24. Qa3 fxe4 25. dxe4 Bxf1 26. Rxf1 Qb5 27. Bg5 Re8 28. Qa7 Kf7 29. h4 Qe2 30. Qxb6 h6 31. Bf4 g5 32. hxg5 hxg5 33. Bxg5 Rh8 34. Qc7 Qxe4 35. f3 Qe2 36. Bh4 Bf6 37. Qd7 Bxh4 38. Qe6+ Qxe6 39. dxe6+ Kxe6 40. gxh4 Rxh4 41. Re1+ Kd7 42. Kg2 e5 43. Kg3 Rh8 44. f4 Rg8+ 45. Kf3 Rf8 46. Re4 Kc6 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel-A 75th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2013.01.12"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2861"] [BlackElo "2781"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2013.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 153"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 g6 2. e4 e5 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Nge2 c5 6. d3 Nc6 7. Bg2 Nge7 8. a3 ({RR} 8. f4 Bg4 9. h3 Bxe2 10. Nxe2 exf4 11. gxf4 f5 12. Rb1 Rb8 13. Bd2 Qd7 14. a3 Nd4 15. b4 Nxe2 16. Qxe2 b6 17. b5 O-O 18. O-O Rbe8 19. Rbe1 Kh8 20. Kh2 Ng8 21. e5 dxe5 22. Bc6 Qd4 {Moskalenko,V (2569)-Peralta,F (2558) Barcelona 2008 0-1 (38)}) 8... Nd4 $146 ({RR} 8... a6 9. Rb1 Rb8 10. b4 cxb4 11. axb4 b5 12. cxb5 axb5 13. O-O O-O 14. f4 Be6 15. Nd5 f5 16. Be3 Nd4 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. Bg5 Bxd5 20. exd5 h6 21. Bd2 Qd7 22. Qb3 Kh7 23. Rbc1 {Sofrevski,J-Bertok,M Titograd 1965 ½-½ (32)}) ({RR} 8... O-O 9. Rb1 Be6 10. b4 b6 11. O-O Rb8 12. b5 Nd4 13. h3 Qd7 14. Kh2 f5 15. exf5 Rxf5 16. f4 Rh5 17. h4 Bg4 18. Qe1 Nef5 19. Nxd4 Nxd4 20. Rf2 Rf8 21. Ne4 h6 22. Qf1 Qd8 23. Rbb2 {Brunke,P (2257)-Sepe,G (2003) Werther GER 2025 ½-½}) ({RR} 8... O-O 9. Rb1 Rb8 10. b4 Nd4 11. b5 Bg4 12. O-O Nf3+ 13. Kh1 f5 14. h3 Bh5 15. Qc2 Qd7 16. Ng1 Nd4 17. Qd2 f4 18. g4 f3 19. gxh5 Rf4 20. Qe1 Rh4 21. hxg6 Qg4 22. gxh7+ Rxh7 {0-1 (22) Hickman,A (1936)-Levermore,P (2066) West Bromwich 2003}) 9. b4 Bg4 10. h3 Bxe2 11. Nxe2 Nxe2 12. Qxe2 Nc6 13. Rb1 b6 14. O-O O-O 15. Be3 Rc8 16. Qd2 Rc7 17. Kh1 Kh8 18. Rb2 f5 19. Rbb1 Nd4 20. Bxd4 cxd4 21. exf5 gxf5 22. Bd5 Qe8 23. b5 Re7 24. Rbe1 e4 25. f4 exf3 26. Rxe7 Qxe7 27. Rxf3 Be5 28. a4 Qg7 29. Qf2 Rf6 30. Rxf5 Bxg3 31. Qf3 Be5 32. Be6 Rxf5 33. Bxf5 Qg5 34. Be4 Kg7 35. Qg4 Qxg4 36. hxg4 h6 37. Kg2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Outdoor Exhibition Match"] [Site "Bergen"] [Date "2004.08.06"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Agdestein, Simen"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A36"] [WhiteElo "2614"] [BlackElo "2567"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2004.08.06"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. d3 d6 6. Bd2 Nh6 ({RR} 6... Qd7 7. a3 b6 8. b4 Bb7 9. b5 Ne5 10. Nf3 Nxf3+ 11. Bxf3 Bxf3 12. exf3 e6 13. O-O Ne7 14. Ra2 O-O 15. Qc2 Nf5 16. Ne2 d5 17. Rb1 Qb7 18. Rb3 Rad8 19. Kg2 Rd7 20. a4 Rfd8 21. Bg5 {Granda Zuniga,J (2674)-Felgaer,R (2577) Praia da Pipa 2014 1-0 (63)}) ({RR} 6... Nf6 7. Rb1 O-O 8. a3 a5 9. Nf3 Bd7 10. Qc1 Re8 11. Ng5 Qc8 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 e6 14. Bg2 f5 15. Nf3 Ra7 16. Bh6 Bf6 17. h4 Nd4 18. h5 Bc6 19. Nxd4 Bxg2 20. Rh2 cxd4 21. Rxg2 {Callenberg,R (1975)-Schlueter,C (1995) Germany 2016 0-1 (37)}) 7. h3 $146 ({RR} 7. h4 f5 8. h5 Ng4 9. Nf3 e5 10. Nd5 e4 11. dxe4 fxe4 12. Nh2 Nxh2 13. Rxh2 Bf5 14. hxg6 Bxg6 15. Qc1 O-O 16. Bc3 Ne5 17. Rh4 Bf6 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Rf4 Qe6 20. Bxe4 Nxc4 21. Bxg6 hxg6 {Heinicke,H-Ehrat,J Luzern 1952 1-0 (41)}) ({RR} 7. h4 Ng4 8. h5 O-O 9. a3 e6 10. Rb1 a5 11. Nh3 Qe7 12. hxg6 fxg6 13. e3 Nf6 14. Nf4 Bd7 15. Ne4 e5 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Nd8 18. b4 cxb4 19. axb4 a4 20. b5 Nf7 21. Nc3 a3 {Perez Garcia,R (2385)-Becerra Rivero,J (2510) Matanzas 1997 0-1 (34)}) 7... Nf5 8. g4 Nfd4 9. e3 Ne6 10. Nge2 Bd7 11. f4 Rb8 12. O-O Nc7 13. Rb1 b5 14. Nxb5 Nxb5 15. cxb5 Rxb5 16. Bc3 O-O 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Nc3 Rb8 19. f5 Ne5 20. Nd5 e6 21. f6+ Kh8 22. Nc3 Bb5 23. Nxb5 Rxb5 24. g5 Rb4 25. a3 Rh4 26. Rf4 Rxf4 27. exf4 Nd7 28. h4 Nxf6 29. gxf6 Qxf6 30. Qg4 Rb8 31. h5 Kg7 32. Kh2 Rb3 33. Bf1 Rxb2+ 34. Rxb2 Qxb2+ 35. Bg2 Qxa3 36. f5 exf5 37. h6+ Kxh6 38. Qf4+ Kg7 39. Qxd6 Qc3 40. Bd5 a5 41. Qe7 Qd2+ 42. Kg1 Qxd3 43. Bxf7 Qd4+ 0-1 [Event "London Classic 2nd"] [Site "London"] [Date "2010.12.08"] [Round "1"] [White "McShane, Luke J"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2645"] [BlackElo "2802"] [Annotator "McShane,Luke"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2010.12.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 140"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Nh6 7. d4 $5 {With this interesting idea, White voluntarily gives up the bishop pair in order to increase his lead in development.} (7. b3 {was played in Flores-Carlsen at the Khanty Mansiysk-Olympiad in 2010}) 7... cxd4 8. Bxh6 Bxh6 9. Nxd4 Ne5 {[%csl Gc8,Gg2,Gh6][%CAl Yg2a8] An ambitious decision, refusing to simplify the position.} 10. Qb3 O-O 11. Rfd1 {[%csl Rd8,Rh6][%CAl Yc4c5,Yd4f5,Yd1d8] The position is calm on the surface, but the situation is tense. Black's queenside is under pressure, but if Black can catch up in development then his pair of bishops will give him an advantage, so it's important for White to keep up the momentum and create threats. This move creates the idea of c4-c5, and if d6xc5 then ?d4-f5 with a discovered attack.} Nd7 12. Qa3 a5 $146 ({RR} 12... Bg7 13. b4 Nb6 14. c5 dxc5 15. bxc5 Bxd4 16. cxb6 Bg4 17. Bxb7 Bxf2+ 18. Kg2 Bd4 19. h3 Be6 20. Rab1 Rb8 21. Bf3 Rxb6 22. e3 Bxh3+ 23. Kh2 Rxb1 24. Nxb1 Bf5 25. Rxd4 Qc7 26. Nc3 Rb8 27. Rd2 {Grachev,B (2669)-Sasikiran,K (2676) Lublin 2011 1-0 (40)}) 13. b4 $5 {[%csl Ga3][%CAl Ya3a8,Yc4c5] A brave decision which took some time. I wanted to seize the initiative before my opponent had a chance to unravel his queenside. The immediate threat is to advance c4-c5 which would break through the queenside defences.} Ra6 {[%csl Ga6][%CAl Ya5b4,Yb7a6]} (13... Nb6 {was the critical response, hitting c4 and protecting the rook on a8 so that axb4 becomes possible. Now after} 14. c5 Nc4 15. Qb3 Nd2 $5 {is a surprising shot. During the game I thought White had good chances in the tactical melee which arises after 16.?d5!?, but perhaps} 16. Qa4 {is the correct follow up after all.}) 14. b5 Ra8 {It's not obvious who has gained from the pawn's advance to b5. If White can break through, the advanced pawn will be an asset, but if Black can get a grip on c5 then the c4-pawn will be a long term weakness.} 15. e3 a4 16. Rab1 Bg7 17. Ne4 {[%CAl Yc4c5] White is threatening c4-c5 again, which would open the floodgates for the rest of my pieces. It's correct to prevent that, but I had foreseen the nice maneouvre with the other knight.} Qb6 18. Nc6 $1 {[%csl Gc6,Gd5,Re7][%CAl Yc6e7,Yc6b4,Yb4d5]} Re8 ({Capturing the knight wasn't a great option:} 18... bxc6 19. bxc6 Qc7 (19... Qxc6 20. Nf6+ {wins the queen.}) 20. cxd7 Bxd7 21. c5 {and White will probably pick up a pawn.}) 19. Nb4 {[%csl Rb6,Gd5,Ge4][%CAl Yb4d5,Yc4c5] Heading for a nice square on d5.} f5 {Certainly ugly, but both of us thought this was a necessary evil. Perhaps though, moving the queen away was the best bet.} 20. Nc3 $6 (20. Nd5 $1 Qd8 21. Ng5 $1 {was the strongest continuation, threatening to hop into the hole on e6. After} Nc5 22. b6 {threatens a fork on c7. If both the rooks flee then} Rf8 23. Nc7 Rb8 24. Rb5 $1 {is incisive, and Black has no good answer to ?xc5.}) 20... Qc5 $2 (20... e6 $1 {was the best defence. I was looking at some ideas with} 21. Na6 $5 {but the position remains messy. Retreating the knight to d3 should preserve an edge though.}) 21. Nxa4 Qa7 22. Na6 $3 {[%csl Ga6,Ra7,Gg2][%CAl Yg2a8,Yb5b6,Ya6c7] Certainly Magnus missed the force of this knight sacrifice. The threat is ?a6-c7 and taking the knight comes with its own problems.} bxa6 (22... Rf8 23. c5 $1 Nxc5 24. N4xc5 dxc5 25. Qxc5 {and the knight still can't be taken:} bxa6 26. b6 Qb8 27. Qd5+ $18) 23. b6 Nxb6 24. Rxb6 $1 (24. Nxb6 Rb8 {is less convincing.}) 24... Rb8 25. c5 $1 Be6 {Black faced an unappealing choice.} ({The alternative was} 25... dxc5 26. Qxc5 Rxb6 27. Nxb6 Be6 28. Qc6 Bf7 29. Bd5 {and Black is in huge trouble.} e6 $2 {allows a pretty finish:} 30. Nc8 Qb8 31. Bxe6 $1 Rxe6 32. Rd8+ Bf8 33. Ne7+ $1 Kg7 34. Rxb8 Rxc6 35. Nxc6 {with an easy win.}) 26. Rdb1 dxc5 27. Rb7 Rxb7 28. Rxb7 Qa8 29. Nxc5 Qc8 (29... Bf7 30. Rxe7 $1 {is winning comfortably, as a6 will also drop off after the exchange of rooks.} Qb8 31. Rxe8+ Qxe8 32. Qxa6 {etc.}) 30. Qxa6 Bf7 (30... Qxc5 31. Qxe6+ Kh8 32. Bc6 {[%csl Re7] wins the e7-pawn as well.}) 31. Bc6 Rd8 32. Nd7 $1 {[%csl Gd7][%CAl Yb7c7,Ya6b6,Yb7b8] The neatest way to finish. The threat is simply to play ?b6 followed by ?c7 or ?b8 to trap the queen, and there is no good response.} Rxd7 (32... Be6 33. Qb6 Rxd7 34. Rb8 $1 {wins with a pin.}) 33. Bxd7 Qc1+ 34. Qf1 Qxf1+ 35. Kxf1 Bc4+ 36. Kg1 Bxa2 37. Ba4 $1 {[%CAl Ya4b3] Forcing off a pair of bishops makes the technical task much simpler.} e5 38. f3 $1 {A final accurate move. After exchanging bishops, White will play e3-e4 to fix a weakness on e5 before advancing the king.} Bh6 39. Bb3+ 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-39"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.29"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Flores, Diego"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2615"] [BlackElo "2826"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2010.09.21"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 139"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Argentina"] [BlackTeam "Norway"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARG"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Nh6 7. b3 O-O 8. Bb2 Rb8 9. e3 Nf5 10. d3 a6 11. Qe2 b5 12. Nd5 e6 13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. Nc3 b4 $146 ({RR} 14... d5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. d4 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. exd4 Bb7 19. Rfe1 Re8 20. Qd2 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Ne6 22. Re5 Qb6 23. Nxd5 Qxd4 24. Qxd4 Nxd4 25. Re7 Kf8 26. Rd7 Bc6 27. Nf6 Ne2+ 28. Kf1 Bxg2+ 29. Kxg2 {Onischuk,A (2640)-Muradli,M (2588) New York USA 2024 1-0 (53)}) 15. Ne4 f5 $1 16. Ned2 e5 $1 {#In yesterday's report, it was mentioned that avoiding Elo loss in this Olympiad was not obvious, but truthfully, if Magnus continues his revenge warpath, he may even gain a few by the end of the event.} 17. a3 bxa3 18. Rxa3 Nb4 19. Rc1 Bb7 20. Ne1 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Rb6 22. Nc2 Qa8+ 23. f3 $2 {A mistake that further weakens the kingside. Kg1 was safer.} Nc6 24. Rf1 Qb7 25. Kg1 Ne6 26. f4 exf4 27. gxf4 Qg7 28. Raa1 Re8 29. Ra2 Qc3 30. Ne1 Nb4 31. Nb1 Qg7 32. Ra3 d5 33. cxd5 Nxd5 34. Ng2 {#} Nd4 $1 35. Qf2 {White loses a pawn.} (35. Qb2 $2 {loses to} Nf3+ 36. Rxf3 Qxb2) (35. Qa2 {runs into} Nxe3) 35... Nxb3 36. Qa2 Qb7 37. Qc2 Nxe3 38. Nxe3 Rxe3 39. Nc3 Nd4 40. Qa2+ Kg7 41. Qd5 Rxd3 42. Qe5+ Kh6 43. Qxc5 Rb2 0-1 [Event "London Classic 4th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2012.12.03"] [Round "3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2848"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2012.12.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 152"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O Nge7 7. a3 a5 8. Ne1 d6 9. Nc2 O-O 10. d3 Rb8 11. Rb1 Be6 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 cxb4 ({RR} 13... Nxb4 14. Nxb4 cxb4 {½-½ (15) Ivanov,M (2396)-Todorovic,N (2312) Kragujevac 2015}) 14. Nxb4 Nxb4 15. Rxb4 d5 $146 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rb5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qd7 20. Qb3 Rfc8 21. Bb2 Qd6 22. Rb1 Rc5 23. Rb6 Rc6 24. Rxb7 Rxb7 25. Qxb7 Rb6 26. Qc8+ Qf8 27. Qd7 h5 28. e4 Qd6 29. Qe8+ Qf8 30. Qd7 Qd6 31. Qxd6 Rxd6 32. Rd1 f5 33. f3 fxe4 34. fxe4 Rb6 35. Bc3 Rb3 36. Ba1 Kf7 37. Kf3 Ke6 38. h3 Bh6 39. Ke2 Bg5 40. Rg1 Bh6 41. h4 Kd6 42. Rd1 Ke6 43. Rf1 Rb4 44. Rd1 Rb3 45. Rg1 Kf6 46. Rh1 Ke6 47. Rd1 Kf6 48. d4 Re3+ 49. Kf2 Rxe4 50. dxe5+ Kf5 51. Rd7 Kg4 52. Rd6 Be3+ 53. Ke2 Bf4+ 54. Kd3 Re3+ 55. Kc4 Bxe5 56. Rxg6+ Kf3 57. Bxe5 Rxe5 58. Rg5 Re4+ 59. Kd5 Rg4 60. Ke5 Kxg3 61. Rxh5 Rxh4 62. Rxh4 Kxh4 1/2-1/2 [Event "July 23 Late 2024"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2024.07.23"] [Round "11.3"] [White "Demidov, Mikhail"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "3001"] [BlackElo "3239"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "FID"] [BlackTeam "NOR"] [TimeControl "180+1"] [BlackClock "0:01:09"] 1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} b6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 2. g3 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 3. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. O-O {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bg7 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 5. d3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 6. c4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 7. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nh6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 8. Rb1 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 9. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:02]} 10. a3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 11. b4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 12. bxc5 $146 {[%emt 0:00:07]} ({RR} 12. e3 e6 13. Qe2 Rfd8 14. Rfc1 Rac8 15. Be1 Ba8 {½-½ (15) Gulko,B (2615)-Miles,A (2630) Las Palmas 1996}) 12... dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 13. Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:26]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 14. Ne3 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Nfd4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 15. Nc2 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Nxc2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 16. Qxc2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 17. Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 18. Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} exd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 19. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rfe8 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 20. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bxg2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 21. Kxg2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Re6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 22. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Rae8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 23. a4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} a5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 24. Rb2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 25. Qd1 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 26. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 27. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:14]} f5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 28. Nf1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} f4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 29. e4 {[%emt 0:00:57]} dxe3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 30. fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Bf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 31. Rf2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 32. Rxe3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 33. Rxe6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 34. Qh5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bxf2+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 35. Kxf2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Rf8+ {[%emt 0:00:01]} 36. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Qc6+ {[%emt 0:00:27]} 37. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 38. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 39. Qe6+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} Qf7 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 0-1 [Event "Olympiad-41"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2014.08.10"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Predojevic, Borki"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2604"] [BlackElo "2877"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2014.08.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Bosnia&Herzegovina"] [BlackTeam "Norway"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BIH"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nc3 d6 6. O-O e6 7. d3 Nge7 8. Bd2 b6 9. Qc1 h6 10. a3 Bb7 11. Rb1 Qd7 12. b4 Rd8 13. Nb5 $146 ({RR} 13. Ne4 f5 14. Nc3 g5 15. h4 g4 16. Ne1 Nd4 17. e4 Ng6 18. f3 Ne5 19. f4 Nec6 20. Nc2 Nxc2 21. Qxc2 Nd4 22. Qd1 O-O 23. Ne2 Nf3+ 24. Rxf3 gxf3 25. Bxf3 fxe4 26. dxe4 d5 27. cxd5 exd5 {Urbanc,P (2280)-Markoja,B (2432) Slovenia 2018 0-1 (42)}) 13... Ba8 14. Rd1 g5 15. Bc3 e5 16. Ba1 Nd4 17. Nbxd4 cxd4 18. e3 Qf5 19. Ne1 Bxg2 20. Nxg2 O-O 21. exd4 exd4 22. Qd2 Ng6 23. f4 Rfe8 24. Rf1 g4 25. Rbe1 Bf6 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Re1 Re6 28. Bb2 Ne7 29. Rxe6 fxe6 30. Qe2 Kf7 31. Ne1 h5 32. Bc1 b5 33. cxb5 Qxb5 34. h3 gxh3 35. Kh2 Qf5 36. Bd2 Qg4 37. Nf3 Nf5 38. Be1 Ne3 39. Ng1 Qxe2+ 40. Nxe2 Nc2 41. Bd2 Nxa3 42. Kxh3 Nb1 43. Be1 Nc3 44. Nc1 Nd5 45. Ne2 Ne3 46. Bf2 Nc2 47. b5 e5 48. g4 e4 0-1 [Event "Ronne Jubilaum"] [Site "Ronne"] [Date "2001.06.24"] [Round "1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Loginov, Valery A"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2288"] [BlackElo "2499"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2001.06.24"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "DEN"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2023"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.10.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nh6 7. d3 Nf5 8. Rb1 ({RR} 8. e3 O-O 9. a3 a6 10. Qc2 Rb8 11. Nd2 Bd7 12. b3 b5 13. Bb2 bxc4 14. dxc4 Ne5 15. Rab1 h5 16. h3 Qc8 17. Nde4 Bc6 18. Rfd1 e6 19. Bc1 Rd8 20. Ne2 d5 21. cxd5 exd5 22. Nxc5 d4 {Granda Zuniga,J (2640)-Leon Hoyos,M (2569) Quito 2012 1-0 (79)}) 8... h5 9. h3 ({RR} 9. h4 O-O 10. a3 Bd7 11. Bd2 a5 12. Ne4 ({RR} 12. Ne1 e5 13. Nc2 a4 14. Ne3 Nxe3 15. Bxe3 Nd4 16. Bxb7 Ra7 17. Bg2 Be6 18. Bxd4 exd4 19. Nxa4 Bd7 20. b3 Qa5 21. Qc2 Bh6 22. Bd5 Re8 23. Rfe1 Bg4 24. Kf1 Rae7 25. b4 Qc7 26. Bf3 Bh3+) 12... a4 13. Nc3 Ncd4 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. Ne4 Bc6 16. Bb4 d5 17. cxd5 Bxd5 18. Nd2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qd5+ 20. Kg1 Be5 21. Ne4 Nd6 22. Ng5 f6 23. Nf3 f5 {Bagamasbad,E (1975)-Maryasin,B (2217) Gallipoli ITA 2025 1-0 (39)}) 9... Bd7 10. e4 $146 ({RR} 10. Nd5 a6 11. a3 b5 12. b4 cxb4 13. axb4 Rb8 14. Bd2 e6 15. Ne3 Nfd4 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Nc2 h4 18. Nxd4 Bxd4 19. g4 Qb6 20. Qb3 f5 21. g5 O-O 22. Bc3 Rbc8 23. Bxd4 Qxd4 24. cxb5 axb5 {Dimov,D (1763)-Stojanov,A (2121) Teteven 2016 0-1 (32)}) 10... Nfd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. Ne2 Nc6 13. Be3 Qc8 14. Kh2 Rb8 15. f4 b5 16. cxb5 Rxb5 17. d4 h4 18. g4 Qb8 19. b3 cxd4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 e5 22. Bb2 O-O 23. f5 d5 24. exd5 e4+ 25. Kh1 Bxb2 26. Rxb2 Qe5 27. Qe2 Rb4 28. Qe1 Bb5 29. Rg1 a5 30. a3 Rd4 31. fxg6 fxg6 32. Qxh4 g5 33. Qe1 e3 34. Qc3 e2 35. Rbb1 Rxd5 36. Bxd5+ Qxd5+ 37. Kh2 Rf3 38. Qc8+ Kg7 39. Qc7+ Kh6 40. Rg2 Rf1 41. Rc1 Rxc1 42. Qxc1 Qe5+ 0-1 [Event "San Fermin Masters Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.07.10"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2847"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2021.07.10"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. a3 Qd7 7. Rb1 ({RR} 7. b4 Nxb4 8. Bb2 Nc6 9. e3 Nf6 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 O-O 12. O-O Na5 13. Qe2 e5 14. Nf3 Qc7 15. Nd2 Bd7 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. a4 Rfd8 18. Ba3 a6 19. h3 Bc6 20. e4 Qd7 21. Bb4 b6 {Dziuba,M (2567)-Gharamian,T (2657) Germany 2015 0-1 (58)}) ({RR} 7. O-O b6 8. e3 Ba6 9. b3 e6 10. Bb2 Nge7 11. d4 O-O 12. Re1 Rad8 13. d5 exd5 14. cxd5 Na5 15. Qc2 h6 16. Rad1 g5 17. Ne4 f6 18. Nc3 Qe8 19. Ba1 Ng6 20. Bh3 Bc8 21. Bxc8 Rxc8 {Martinez Alcantara,J (2611)-Chinguun,S (2415) London ENG 2025 1-0 (58)}) 7... b6 8. d3 Bb7 9. O-O Nh6 $146 ({RR} 9... Bxc3 10. bxc3 f5 11. Qd2 Nf6 12. d4 Na5 13. Qa2 Be4 14. Rb2 Qa4 15. Ng5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qxc4 17. Ne6 Nd5 18. dxc5 Qe4+ 19. Kg1 Qxe6 20. Rd1 Nc7 21. cxd6 exd6 22. Qxe6+ Nxe6 23. Rxd6 Ke7 24. Rbd2 {Skrondal,I-Carlsen,M (2214) Kiel 2002 0-1}) 10. e4 O-O 11. h3 f5 12. Re1 fxe4 13. Nxe4 Nf5 14. b4 Ncd4 15. bxc5 dxc5 16. Nxc5 Bxf3 17. Nxd7 Bxd1 18. Nxf8 Rxf8 19. Rxd1 Ne2+ 20. Kh2 Nc3 21. Bd2 Nxb1 22. Rxb1 Bd4 23. Be1 Bc5 24. a4 Nd4 25. Be4 Nc2 26. f3 Nxe1 27. Rxe1 Kg7 28. Kg2 g5 29. Bd5 Bd6 30. d4 Rf5 31. Re6 h6 32. Re2 Kf6 33. Re6+ Kg7 34. Re1 Kf6 35. Rb1 h5 36. Rb5 h4 37. g4 Rf4 38. Be4 e6 39. a5 Bc7 40. axb6 axb6 41. c5 bxc5 42. dxc5 Ke7 43. c6 e5 44. Rd5 Bd6 45. Ra5 Bc7 46. Ra8 Rf8 47. Rxf8 Kxf8 48. Kf2 Ke7 49. Bf5 Kd6 50. Bd7 Kd5 51. Ke3 Bb6+ 52. Kd3 Bc7 53. Be8 Bb8 54. Bf7+ Kxc6 55. Ke4 Ba7 56. Kxe5 Be3 57. Ke4 Bf4 58. Kd3 1/2-1/2 [Event "NOR-chT"] [Site "Asker"] [Date "2003.05.31"] [Round "4"] [White "Hole, Oystein"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2247"] [BlackElo "2315"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2003.05.28"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 094 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.07.09"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.07.09"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. e4 e5 4. Nc3 d6 5. g3 g6 6. d3 Bg7 7. Bg2 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Nd4 ({RR} 9... Rb8 10. a3 Nd4 11. b4 Bg4 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. exd5 b6 14. Bxd4 cxd4 15. h3 Bd7 16. Re1 Qc7 17. Qd2 a5 18. Kh2 Ra8 19. h4 h6 20. Bh3 f5 21. Ng1 Rae8 22. Rac1 Kh7 23. Bg2 Bf6 24. Nh3 {Ivakhin,M (2374)-Gutman,G (2508) Pardubice 2005 ½-½ (35)}) 10. Ne1 ({RR} 10. Nd5 Bg4 11. Bxd4 cxd4 12. Qd2 h6 13. Ne1 Be6 14. Nc2 f5 15. Rab1 Qd7 16. f4 Bxd5 17. exd5 Kh7 18. Kh1 Rac8 19. b3 Ng8 20. Rbe1 Rfe8 21. Re2 h5 22. fxe5 dxe5 23. Bh3 Nh6 24. Ne1 Nf7 {Hanya Shah (1773)-Gomes,M (2278) Ahmedabad IND 2025 0-1 (44)}) 10... Be6 11. h3 $146 ({RR} 11. Rb1 Nec6 12. Nd5 Rb8 13. Qd2 b5 14. cxb5 Rxb5 15. Nc2 Nxc2 16. Qxc2 Nb4 {½-½ (16) Voelzke,F (2221)-Nickel,A (2070) Eckernfoerde 2001}) 11... Qd7 12. Kh2 f5 13. exf5 gxf5 14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Ng6 16. Nd5 Kh8 17. Nc2 Bxd5 18. Bxd5 Nxf4 19. gxf4 Rae8 20. Nxd4 Bxd4 21. Qh5 Qg7 22. Rae1 Rxe1 23. Rxe1 Bf2 24. Rf1 Bg3+ 25. Kh1 Qxb2 26. Bg2 Rg8 27. Qxf5 Bxf4 28. Qe4 Be5 29. Rf7 Qc1+ 30. Bf1 Qh6 31. Qxb7 Qg6 32. Bg2 Qxd3 33. Qxa7 d5 34. Qxc5 Qg3 35. Qg1 dxc4 36. Rf3 Qg6 37. Qf2 c3 38. Rf5 Qd6 39. Qc2 Rd8 40. Rf1 Qd3 41. Qxd3 Rxd3 42. Be4 Rxh3+ 43. Kg2 Rh2+ 44. Kf3 Rxa2 45. Rh1 Ra7 46. Rh5 Bd6 47. Rd5 Rf7+ 48. Ke3 Bf4+ 49. Kd3 Bd2 50. Bf5 Rf8 51. Rc5 Rf7 52. Rd5 Kg7 53. Rd7 Rxd7+ 54. Bxd7 Kf6 55. Ba4 Kg5 56. Ke2 Kg4 57. Kf2 h5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss"] [Site "Douglas"] [Date "2019.10.12"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2876"] [BlackElo "2657"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2019.10.10"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "IOM"] [SourceTitle "CBM 193"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.12.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Yuffa,Daniil} c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. h4 ({RR} 6. O-O Nge7 7. d3 ({RR} 7. a3 d5 8. b4 cxb4 ({RR} 8... dxc4 9. bxc5 e5) 9. axb4 dxc4 10. b5 Nd4 11. Nxd4 Bxd4 12. Qa4) ({RR} 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nb5 O-O 9. Nbxd4 d5) ({RR} 7. e3 O-O 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 d5) 7... O-O 8. Bd2 d5 9. a3 b6 10. Rb1 Bb7 11. b4 cxb4 12. axb4 dxc4 13. dxc4 Rc8 14. c5 bxc5 15. bxc5 Na5) 6... Nf6 ({RR} 6... h6 7. d3 Nge7 8. Bd2 ({RR} 8. h5 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 f6 11. Be3 d6 12. h6 Bf8 13. g4 Ne5)) ({RR} 6... d5 7. h5 Nge7 8. d3 ({RR} 8. h6 Bf6) 8... h6 9. hxg6 fxg6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Qb3 ({RR} 11. e4 d4 12. Ne2 g5) 11... b6 ({RR} 11... Bg4 12. Qxb7 Rb8 13. Qa6 Qd7 14. O-O O-O 15. Nh2 Be6) 12. d4 Bg4) 7. d4 ({RR} 7. d3 d5 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nd2 O-O ({RR} 10... d4 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. Nce4 Be7 13. f4)) 7... cxd4 ({RR} 7... O-O 8. dxc5 Qa5 9. Bf4 Rd8 ({RR} 9... Qxc5 10. Bd6 Qxc4 11. Bxf8 Bxf8 12. O-O d5 13. a3) 10. O-O Qxc5 11. Bc7 Re8 12. Nb5) 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. O-O d5 10. cxd5 ({RR} 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qa4 Qb6) 10... Nxd5 ({RR} 10... exd5 {RR} 11. Be3 Re8 12. Nb3 Rxe3) 11. Bg5 $146 ({RR} 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd2 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Ba6 15. Qc2 Qa5 16. Rfd1 Qc5 ({RR} 16... Rad8 17. Bxc6 Rc8) 17. Rd7 Rad8 18. Rad1 Rxd7 19. Rxd7 Bc4 20. Qd2 ({RR} 20. a4 Bd5 21. Qd2 a5) 20... a5 21. Bf3 Qa3 22. h5 Qxa2 23. Qd4 c5 ({RR} 23... gxh5 24. Qh4 Qb1+ ({RR} 24... Qa1+ 25. Kg2 Qxc3 26. Rd4 Bd5 27. Qg5+ Kh8 28. Qf6+ Kg8 29. Bxd5 cxd5 30. Rg4+) 25. Kg2 Qb5 26. Bxh5 Qe5 ({RR} 26... Bxe2)) 24. Qe3 a4 ({RR} 24... Qa4 25. Rc7 Qd1+ 26. Kg2) 25. Kg2 Qb1 {Giri,A (2771)-So,W (2812) Stavanger 2017 CBM 179 [Yuffa,Daniil] ½-½ (59)}) 11... Qa5 ({RR} 11... f6 12. Bc1 Nxd4 13. Nxd5 Nc6 14. Nc3) 12. Nb3 Nxc3 13. Nxa5 Nxd1 14. Nxc6 Nxb2 15. Ne7+ Kh8 16. Rac1 Bd7 17. Bxb7 Rab8 18. Rc7 Bb5 19. Bf3 a6 20. Rfc1 h6 21. Be3 Rbd8 22. Kg2 Kh7 23. Nc6 Rc8 24. Na7 Rxc7 25. Rxc7 Kg8 26. Nxb5 axb5 27. h5 g5 28. Rb7 Nc4 29. Bc5 Ra8 30. Be4 Be5 31. Bb1 Bd6 32. Ba7 Bf8 33. f4 gxf4 34. gxf4 Na5 35. Rd7 Nc6 36. Bf2 Nb4 37. f5 exf5 38. Rd2 Be7 39. Be1 f4 40. Rd7 Bf8 41. Kf1 Bc5 42. Rb7 Nxa2 43. Rxb5 Bd4 44. Rb3 Kg7 45. Rd3 Bf6 46. Bd2 Ra4 47. Rd7 Kg8 48. Rc7 Rd4 49. Bxa2 Rxd2 50. Bxf7+ Kf8 51. Bc4 Bg5 52. Kf2 Rc2 53. Kf3 Rc3+ 54. Ke4 f3 55. exf3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 6th"] [Site "Karlsruhe/Baden Baden"] [Date "2019.04.29"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2845"] [BlackElo "2773"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2019.04.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 190"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Bf5 7. h3 Nf6 8. d3 O-O 9. Be3 ({RR} 9. a3 a6 10. Rb1 Rb8 11. b4 cxb4 12. axb4 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. e4 Be6 15. Bd2 Nd7 16. Kh2 Nde5 17. Nxe5 dxe5 18. Be3 Nd4 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Qd6 21. Qd2 Rfc8 22. Rfc1 e6 23. Bxd4 exd4 {Carlsen,M (2872)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2780) London 2019 ½-½ (72)}) ({RR} 9. a3 Rb8 10. Rb1 a6 11. b4 cxb4 12. axb4 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. Be3 Qd7 15. g4 Be6 16. Ng5 Rfc8 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. Qd2 Qd7 19. Rfc1 e6 20. g5 Ne8 21. Ne4 Nd4 22. Bxd4 Bxd4 23. e3 Bg7 {Villca,J (2413)-Coro,L (2415) Montevideo URU 2025 ½-½}) 9... a6 10. Qd2 b5 $146 ({RR} 10... Rb8 11. Bh6 Nd4 12. Nh4 Bd7 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. e3 Nf5 15. Nf3 e6 16. Ne4 Bc6 17. Qc3 e5 18. Ned2 b5 19. b3 Kg8 20. Rfe1 Re8 21. Rad1 Qb6 22. g4 Ng7 23. d4 exd4 24. exd4 Ne4 25. Nxe4 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2770)-Baron,T (2529) Caleta 2020 1-0 (39)}) ({RR} 10... Rb8 11. Bh6 Nd4 12. Nh4 Bd7 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. e3 Nf5 15. Nf3 e6 16. Ne4 Bc6 17. Qc3 e5 18. Ned2 b5 19. b3 Kg8 20. Rfe1 Re8 21. Rad1 Qb6 22. g4 Ng7 23. d4 exd4 24. exd4 Ne4 25. Nxe4 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2770)-Baron,T (2529) Caleta 2020 1-0 (39)}) 11. cxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Qa5 13. Nc3 Rab8 14. Rfc1 Rfc8 15. b3 e5 16. Bh6 Nd4 17. Bxg7 Nxf3+ 18. exf3 Kxg7 19. f4 Qa6 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Na4 Nd7 22. Rc3 Rb4 23. g4 Be6 24. Nxc5 Nxc5 25. Rxc5 Rxb3 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. Rc1 Rxd3 28. Qe2 Be6 29. Qxe5+ Kg8 30. Rb1 Rd8 31. Rb8 Rxb8 32. Qxb8+ Kg7 33. Bd5 Bxd5 34. Qe5+ f6 35. Qxd5 h5 36. gxh5 gxh5 37. Qd7+ Kg6 38. a4 Qe2 39. Qd5 f5 40. a5 f4 41. Kg2 Kh6 42. Qf5 Qc4 43. Kf3 1-0 [Event "London Classic 11th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2019.12.04"] [Round "1.8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2872"] [BlackElo "2780"] [PlyCount "144"] [EventDate "2019.12.02"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 194"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Bf5 7. h3 Nf6 8. d3 O-O 9. a3 a6 10. Rb1 Rb8 11. b4 cxb4 12. axb4 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. e4 Be6 $146 ({RR} 14... Bd7 15. d4 Qc8 16. Kh2 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Qxc3 18. Bb2 Qc7 19. Rc1 Qb6 20. Nb3 Be6 21. Na5 Rfc8 22. Qd2 Bc4 23. Rfe1 Nd7 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. f4 Nf8 26. e5 dxe5 27. Rxe5 Ne6 28. f5 Qd4 29. Qxd4 {Dehtiarov,R (2300)-Anton Guijarro,D (2690) chess.com INT 2023 ½-½ (57)}) ({RR} 14... Bd7 15. Qb3 e5 16. Be3 Ne8 17. Nd5 Kh8 18. Rbc1 Ne7 19. Nc3 h6 20. d4 Be6 21. Qb2 f5 22. dxe5 fxe4 23. Nxe4 Bd5 24. Qd4 Ba8 25. Nh4 Bxe5 26. Qa7 Rb7 27. Qa2 Bg7 28. Qe6 d5 29. Rfd1 {Schitco,I (2483)-Thorhallsson,S (2202) Blonduos ISL 2025 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 14... Bd7 15. d4 Qc8 16. Kh2 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Qxc3 18. Bb2 Qc7 19. Rc1 Qb6 20. Nb3 Be6 21. Na5 Rfc8 22. Qd2 Bc4 23. Rfe1 Nd7 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. f4 Nf8 26. e5 dxe5 27. Rxe5 Ne6 28. f5 Qd4 29. Qxd4 {Dehtiarov,R (2300)-Anton Guijarro,D (2690) chess.com INT 2023 ½-½ (57)}) 15. Bd2 Nd7 16. Kh2 Nde5 17. Nxe5 dxe5 18. Be3 Nd4 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Qd6 21. Qd2 Rfc8 22. Rfc1 e6 23. Bxd4 exd4 24. Rc6 Rxc6 25. dxc6 h5 26. h4 Bf6 27. Kg1 Ra8 28. Qc2 Be7 29. Qc5 Qxc5 30. bxc5 Rb8 31. c7 Rc8 32. Rxb5 Rxc7 33. c6 Kg7 34. Ra5 Bd6 35. Ra8 Kf6 36. Be4 Ke7 37. Kg2 Bc5 38. Kh3 Kd6 39. Kg2 Ra7 40. Rd8+ Ke7 41. Rb8 Rc7 42. Kf1 Kd6 43. Ke2 Ba7 44. Rd8+ Ke7 45. Ra8 Bc5 46. Kd1 Bb4 47. Ke2 Bc3 48. Kf1 Bb4 49. Kg2 Bc3 50. Ra4 Kd6 51. Kh3 Ke7 52. Bg2 Be1 53. Ra2 Bb4 54. g4 hxg4+ 55. Kxg4 Bd6 56. Rb2 Kf6 57. Rb7 Kg7 58. Rb5 f5+ 59. Kh3 g5 60. hxg5 Kg6 61. Rb7 Kxg5 62. Rxc7 Bxc7 63. Bf3 Bd6 64. Bd1 Kf4 65. Kg2 e5 66. Kf1 e4 67. Ke2 Bc7 68. Bb3 Bd6 69. Be6 Bc7 70. Bd7 Bd6 71. Be6 Bc7 72. Bd7 Bd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "San Fermin Masters Final"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.07.10"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2847"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2021.07.10"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.09.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. a3 Qd7 7. Rb1 ({RR} 7. b4 Nxb4 8. Bb2 Nc6 9. e3 Nf6 10. d4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 O-O 12. O-O Na5 13. Qe2 e5 14. Nf3 Qc7 15. Nd2 Bd7 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. a4 Rfd8 18. Ba3 a6 19. h3 Bc6 20. e4 Qd7 21. Bb4 b6 {Dziuba,M (2567)-Gharamian,T (2657) Germany 2015 0-1 (58)}) ({RR} 7. O-O b6 8. e3 Ba6 9. b3 e6 10. Bb2 Nge7 11. d4 O-O 12. Re1 Rad8 13. d5 exd5 14. cxd5 Na5 15. Qc2 h6 16. Rad1 g5 17. Ne4 f6 18. Nc3 Qe8 19. Ba1 Ng6 20. Bh3 Bc8 21. Bxc8 Rxc8 {Martinez Alcantara,J (2611)-Chinguun,S (2415) London ENG 2025 1-0 (58)}) 7... b6 8. d3 Bb7 9. O-O Nh6 $146 ({RR} 9... Bxc3 10. bxc3 f5 11. Qd2 Nf6 12. d4 Na5 13. Qa2 Be4 14. Rb2 Qa4 15. Ng5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qxc4 17. Ne6 Nd5 18. dxc5 Qe4+ 19. Kg1 Qxe6 20. Rd1 Nc7 21. cxd6 exd6 22. Qxe6+ Nxe6 23. Rxd6 Ke7 24. Rbd2 {Skrondal,I-Carlsen,M (2214) Kiel 2002 0-1}) 10. e4 O-O 11. h3 f5 12. Re1 fxe4 13. Nxe4 Nf5 14. b4 Ncd4 15. bxc5 dxc5 16. Nxc5 Bxf3 17. Nxd7 Bxd1 18. Nxf8 Rxf8 19. Rxd1 Ne2+ 20. Kh2 Nc3 21. Bd2 Nxb1 22. Rxb1 Bd4 23. Be1 Bc5 24. a4 Nd4 25. Be4 Nc2 26. f3 Nxe1 27. Rxe1 Kg7 28. Kg2 g5 29. Bd5 Bd6 30. d4 Rf5 31. Re6 h6 32. Re2 Kf6 33. Re6+ Kg7 34. Re1 Kf6 35. Rb1 h5 36. Rb5 h4 37. g4 Rf4 38. Be4 e6 39. a5 Bc7 40. axb6 axb6 41. c5 bxc5 42. dxc5 Ke7 43. c6 e5 44. Rd5 Bd6 45. Ra5 Bc7 46. Ra8 Rf8 47. Rxf8 Kxf8 48. Kf2 Ke7 49. Bf5 Kd6 50. Bd7 Kd5 51. Ke3 Bb6+ 52. Kd3 Bc7 53. Be8 Bb8 54. Bf7+ Kxc6 55. Ke4 Ba7 56. Kxe5 Be3 57. Ke4 Bf4 58. Kd3 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-Cup 19th"] [Site "Rethymno"] [Date "2003.10.03"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Jeremic, Veljko"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A38"] [WhiteElo "2467"] [BlackElo "2385"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2003.09.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 098"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.02.03"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.02.03"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Glasinac"] [BlackTeam "Asker"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BIH"] [BlackTeamCountry "NOR"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d3 d6 6. c4 c5 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. Rb1 Rb8 9. Ne1 ({RR} 9. b3 b6 10. Bb2 Bb7 11. Qd2 d5 12. e3 e6 13. Rfd1 Nb4 14. Qe2 Qe7 15. a3 Nc6 16. cxd5 exd5 17. d4 Rfd8 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Ba1 Ba8 20. Qe1 h6 21. h4 Qe6 22. Ne2 Ne7 23. Nf4 Qa6 {Radjabov,T (2747)-Assaubayeva,B (2440) Krasnogorsk RUS 2023 1-0}) ({RR} 9. b3 b6 10. Bb2 Bb7 11. Qd2 Qd7 12. e4 Ne8 13. Nd5 Ne5 14. Ne1 e6 15. Ne3 f5 {½-½ (15) Cruz,F (2226)-Serrano Batova,V (2228) Rubi ESP 2025}) 9... Bd7 10. Nc2 Qc8 $146 ({RR} 10... a6 11. b4 cxb4 12. Nxb4 Qa5 13. a3 Qh5 14. Ncd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 e5 16. Rb6 Bg4 17. Re1 f5 18. f3 Bh3 19. Bxh3 Qxh3 20. Be3 f4 21. Bf2 Rf5 22. g4 Rg5 23. Nc3 e4 24. Nxe4 Rxg4+ 25. fxg4 {Maltsev,A-Kaikamdzozov,J Sofia 1966 0-1 (37)}) ({RR} 10... a6 11. a4 Ne8 12. Bd2 Qc8 13. b4 Bh3 14. b5 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Ne5 16. Nd5 Bf6 17. Bh6 Ng7 18. Nxf6+ exf6 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne3 axb5 21. axb5 h5 22. Qd2 Rh8 23. h4 Re8 24. Nd5 Qf5 25. Qf4 {Bravo,A-Figueiredo,F (2045) Lisbon 1998 ½-½}) 11. Re1 a6 12. a4 Nd4 13. Bg5 Nxc2 14. Qxc2 Bc6 15. e4 e6 16. b4 b6 17. bxc5 bxc5 18. Rxb8 Qxb8 19. e5 Ng4 20. Bxc6 Nxe5 21. Bg2 Qb4 22. Rb1 Qa5 23. Ne4 f5 24. Bd2 Qc7 25. Ng5 Re8 26. Rb7 Qc8 27. Qb1 h6 28. Nxe6 1-0 [Event "Biel GM"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2006.07.27"] [Round "4"] [White "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A39"] [WhiteElo "2667"] [BlackElo "2675"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "98"] [EventDate "2006.07.24"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 114"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 ({According to the present stage of theory, the immediate opening of the centre with} 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 {allows Black adequate counterplay after} e6 6. g3 Qb6 {. In fact, Carlsen himself unsuccessfully tried to change this evaluation when playing with White just one round later.}) 4... g6 ({In case of} 4... d5 {White is not forced to accept playing a reversed Maroczy, but can actively fight for the supremacy in the centre with} 5. d4) 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. Qd3 {This position can arise via fianchetto King's Indian move order and, decades ago, was one of Geller's favourite weapon with Black. Compared with a genuine Maroczy, the more active placement of the white king's bishop certainly puts some pressure on the enemy queen side, but its absence from the "traditional" f1-a6 diagonal facilitates Black's counterplay based on ...a6 and ...b5.} a6 11. Bd2 {This apparently modest development of the bishop is aimed to inhibit the development of the enemy queen to the active a5-square, where from it can be easily transferred to h5 in order to put pressure on the white king side.} ({The main alternative is} 11. Be3) 11... Rb8 12. Rac1 Bf5 {Before placing the bishop on d7 in order to sustain the planned ...b5, Black forces his opponent to advance the pawn to e4, not only releasing part of his pressure against the queen side but also creating himself a potential weakness in the centre. Quite curiously, this logical continuation is not the most popular here.} ({The immediate} 12... b5 {, which leads to complications that tend to favour White and}) (12... Bd7 {have been more frequently seen in practice.}) 13. e4 {By the way, if White had developed the bishop on e3, he would have had to retreat with his queen (most likely to d2), allowing Black to complete his development in a very comfortable way with 13...?d7.} Bd7 14. h3 {This prophyactical move, depriving the enemy knight from the g4-square, does not prepare ?e3 as it could seem at first glance (and which would be slightly inconsequent) but the advance of the b-pawn to b4, in order to keep Black's queen side initiative under control. White has no reasonable ways to prevent ...b5, so that he has to learn to live with it. In practice several other moves have been tried, without too much success.} (14. Be3 $6 b5 15. cxb5 axb5 {faces White with the unpleasant threat ...b4.} 16. Ba7 {Aiming to solve the problems by tactical means, but this only helps Black develop his initiative.} ({The usefullness of the move h3 can be seen after} 16. b4 Ng4 {followed by ...?e5-c4.}) 16... b4 $1 17. Bxb8 bxc3 18. Ba7 cxb2 $17 {0-1 Lengyel,L-Geller,E/Beverwijk 1965/MCD (26)}) ({Playing for the better development with} 14. Rfd1 b5 15. c5 b4 16. Nb1 {as happened in the game 1-0 Zheliandinov,V-Pribyl,J/Prague 1966/EXT 99, should fail because White's position contains too many weaknesses already. Khalifman recommends} dxc5 $1 17. Rxc5 Ba4 18. Qxd8 Rfxd8 19. Rdc1 Nd7 $13) ({The physical prevention of ...b5 with} 14. a4 {has the significant drawback that it weakens the b4-square.} Ng4 {Black probably intended to outplay his less experienced and lower rated opponent in a position with flexible structure, but this could have led to trouble.} ({The standard reaction is} 14... a5 15. h3 Bc6 {[%CAl Yf6d7,Yd7c5]}) 15. b3 Ne5 16. Qe2 Bc6 17. b4 b6 18. Rfe1 e6 {½-½ Petrosian,A (2320)-Vasiukov,E (2560)/Riga 1975/MCD. and now White could have obtained an advantage with} 19. f4 Nd7 20. Qd3 Qc7 (20... Qe7 21. e5 Bxg2 22. exd6 $16) 21. Nb5 $1 axb5 22. cxb5 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Qa7 24. Bc6 $16) ({One month later, Carlsen managed to defend Black's point of view against a legendary opponent. In that game, White avoided to weaken his position in any way, but completely failed to put Black under pressure.} 14. b3 b5 15. Rfd1 bxc4 16. Qxc4 Qb6 17. h3 Rfc8 18. Qe2 h5 19. Be3 Qa5 20. Qd2 Kf8 21. Ne2 Qxd2 22. Bxd2 Ke8 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Rc1 Rxc1+ 25. Bxc1 Bb5 26. Nc3 Bd3 27. Bd2 Kd7 28. f3 Ne8 29. Bf1 Bxf1 {½-½ Andersson,U (2542)-Carlsen,M (2675)/Amsterdam NED 2006/TWIC 617}) 14... b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. b4 {The critical moment of the opening. White has managed to stop Black's first wave of counterplay. The b5-pawn is submitted to strong pressure, while Black's minor pieces are considerably restricted in their actions. However, it can be foreseeen that if Black will be able to regroup in a favourable way, the weaknesses in White's camp (c4, d3, d4) might tell. We can state that the position is strategically unbalanced.} Qe8 $5 $146 {This slightly unnatural move, typical for the Dutch Defence rather than for the English-Maroczy, has the very concrete purpose of over-defending the b5-pawn in order to enable the maneouvre ...?e6 followed by ...?d7-e5. In the games played so far, Black has generally abandoned the pawn for the sake of obtaining dynamic compensation.} (16... Ra8 17. Nxb5 Rxa2 18. Nc3 Ra8 19. b5 {This unnecesarily gives up the control of the a5-square.} (19. Ra1 $5 $14) 19... Ra3 20. Ra1 Qa5 21. Rxa3 Qxa3 22. b6 Rb8 23. Qe3 Qa6 24. Rb1 Be6 25. Bf1 Qb7 26. Rb5 Bd7 27. Rb3 Bc6 28. Bg2 Nd7 {Black has safely blocked the enemy pawn and has nothing to fear. In fact, in the game ½-½ Smyslov,V-Geller,E/Moscow 1965/Candidates (79) White eventually lost the pawn and had to fight hard for a draw.}) ({The spectacular} 16... Be6 {was successfull in a corespondence game, but does not look entirely sound.} 17. Nxb5 Qd7 18. a4 Bxh3 19. Rc7 Bxg2 (19... Qg4 20. Rxe7 $16) (19... Qe6 20. Nd4 Qg4 21. Bf3 $18 {[%csl Yg4]}) 20. Rxd7 ({In case of the simple} 20. Kxg2 Qe6 21. Re1 {Black would still need to prove that his counterplay against the slightly weakened white king side offers adequate compensation for the queen side passed pawns.}) 20... Bxf1 21. Qxf1 Nxd7 22. a5 ({Simpler is} 22. Na7 Ra8 23. Nc6 $16) 22... Ne5 23. Kg2 Rfc8 24. a6 Nc4 25. a7 Nxd2 26. axb8=Q Rxb8 27. Qd3 Nxe4 28. Qxe4 Rxb5 29. Qc4 Rb6 30. b5 Bd4 $5 $11 31. Qxd4 Rxb5 {Black's fortress is impossible to break. In fact, the position would be drawn even if Black would miss one of the h- or d-pawns, something Fritz would never believe, though.} 32. f4 Rc5 33. g4 f6 34. Kg3 Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:01] ½-½ Meissner,P-Handke,M/DDR corr 1982/Corr Nr.}) 17. Rfe1 $146 ({RR} 17. Bg5 Be6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 h6 20. Be3 Nd7 21. f4 Nb6 22. Rc6 Nc4 23. Bc1 Ra8 24. a3 Qd7 25. Kh2 Qa7 26. Re1 Bf6 27. Re2 Qb7 28. Rc2 Ra4 29. R2xc4 bxc4 30. Qxc4 Rfa8 31. Rc7 Qb6 {Knott,S (2332)-Bremner,A (2195) Hastings 2012 ½-½ (42)}) 17... Be6 18. Nd5 {There was no hurry to jump with the knight to d5 so soon, because the threat ...?c4 is not so strong. In fact, the bishop could be slightly exposed on that square, in view of the possibility of a further a4.} (18. Bg5 $5 Bc4 19. Qd2 Nd7 20. Nd5 f6 (20... Bxd5 21. exd5 $16 {[%csl Yc6,Ye7]}) 21. Be3 Ne5 22. Red1 $14 f5 23. f4 Nd3 24. Rc3 $1 Bxc3 25. Qxc3 $16) 18... Nd7 (18... Bxd5 {would be premature because after} 19. exd5 {[%csl Yc6] White would get an excellent outpost for his rooks on c6.}) 19. f4 {This is a double edged decision. If White will not manage to break the position with a further e5, the advance of the pawn to f4 would count only as a weakening move.} (19. Qe2 $5) 19... Nb6 20. Bc3 $6 {But this is innacurate already. After having weakened so many dark squares in his position, White should have avoided the exchange of the dark squared bishops, especially that there was nothing to fear along the a1-h8 diagonal.} (20. Nc7 $5 Qd7 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. e5 $36) 20... Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Bxd5 $1 {Now, only the negative aspects of the move f4 will be revealed.} 22. exd5 Rb7 $13 {White has a slightly more active position, but his structure contains more weaknesses than his opponent's. Chances are about equal in a rather complicated position.} 23. Rc2 Qa8 24. Rce2 Rc8 25. Qf3 Nc4 26. h4 Qa7+ 27. Kh1 Re8 28. h5 Qd4 29. Re4 Qf6 30. Qe2 Ra7 31. h6 Kf8 32. Bh3 Ra3 33. Qh2 Nb6 34. Bf1 Nxd5 35. Bxb5 Rc8 36. Bc4 Qf5 37. Bb3 e6 38. Kg1 Rc3 39. Qh4 Nf6 40. R4e3 Rxe3 41. Rxe3 Ra8 42. Re2 Qb1+ 43. Kg2 Qd3 44. Rxe6 Nd5 45. Re1 Ne3+ 46. Rxe3 Qxe3 47. Qf6 Qe2+ 48. Kg1 Qe1+ 49. Kg2 Qe2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Amsterdam NH Hotels 1st"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "2006.08.29"] [Round "10"] [White "Andersson, Ulf"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A39"] [WhiteElo "2542"] [BlackElo "2675"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2006.08.19"] [EventType "schev"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "CBM 114"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 g6 5. O-O Bg7 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. Nc3 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. Qd3 a6 11. Bd2 Rb8 12. Rac1 Bf5 13. e4 Bd7 14. b3 b5 15. Rfd1 bxc4 16. Qxc4 Qb6 17. h3 $146 ({RR} 17. Be3 Qa5 18. Qe2 Bg4 19. f3 Be6 20. Bf1 Nd7 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 Qa3 23. Qxa6 Qxa6 24. Bxa6 Ra8 25. Bb5 Ne5 26. a4 Nxf3+ 27. Kg2 Ne5 28. Rc7 Ng4 29. Bb6 e6 30. Rd2 Be5 31. Ra7 Rxa7 {Obert,G (1993)-Tondera,B (1836) Hannover 2014 1-0 (42)}) 17... Rfc8 18. Qe2 h5 19. Be3 Qa5 20. Qd2 Kf8 21. Ne2 Qxd2 22. Bxd2 Ke8 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Rc1 Rxc1+ 25. Bxc1 Bb5 26. Nc3 Bd3 27. Bd2 Kd7 28. f3 Ne8 29. Bf1 Bxf1 1/2-1/2