[Event "World Rapid, St. Petersburg"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Magnus Carlsen"] [Black "Shamsiddin Vokhidov"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"] [PlyCount "72"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.07.05"] {Parham Attack} 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 {The most accurate.} (2... d6 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qd1 (4. Qf3 {This is almost always played, but only a rank beginner would overlook the theatened mate.} Nf6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Nge2 c6 {Black has a solid position.}) 4... Bg7 5. d3 c6 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. O-O O-O {The position is equal.}) ( 2... Nf6 {An interesting reply that looks hasty because it loses a P, but black actually gets full equality!} 3. Qxe5+ Be7 {Here engines suggest the somewhat unnatural looking 4.Qf4,but sooner ot later that Q will have to retreat and f4 offers the best options.} 4. Qf4 (4. Bc4 Nc6 5. Qg5 {leaves the Q too exposed.} O-O 6. d3 Nxe4) 4... O-O 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d4 d5 {is fully equal.}) 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qf3 {This is evaluated just a hair worse than retreating ti d1, but it is by far the most popular move. The mate threat is innocuous and on f3 the Q takes away the N's best square.} (4. Qd1 Bg7 5. d3 Na5 6. Ne2 Nxc4 7. dxc4 d6 8. Nbc3 Be6 9. b3 f5 10. Bb2 {Black is ever so slightly better.}) 4... Qe7 (4... Nf6 5. Ne2 d6 6. Nbc3 Bg7 7. d3 {with complete equality.}) 5. Ne2 Nf6 6. d3 Bg7 7. Nbc3 h6 8. Nd5 Nxd5 9. exd5 Na5 10. d6 cxd6 11. Bd5 Nc6 12. Bd2 Qf6 13. Qe4 O-O {It would have been safer to play 13...Ne7. After the text white could have tried the interesting 14.g4?!} 14. O-O (14. g4 Ne7 15. g5 hxg5 16. Nc3 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Qe6 18. Nc7 d5 19. Nxe6 dxe4 20. Nxf8 Bxf8 21. dxe4 { with an unclear position. Shootouts using Stockfish and Dragin by Komodo suggest that a draw is the likely outcome.}) 14... Ne7 15. Nc3 Qf5 {A safe move was 15...Rb8, but black is to be admired for playing aggressively against the best player in the world!} 16. Qb4 (16. Qxf5 gxf5 17. f4 Rb8 {with equal chances.}) 16... Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Kh7 18. Nc7 Rb8 19. Qxd6 b6 20. f3 {After this white's advantage disappears.} (20. Ne8 {This riposte is the only move that keeps the advantage.} Qe6 21. Qxb8 Rxe8 22. Qxa7 {White has what should prove to be a winning advantage.}) 20... Bb7 21. Rae1 Rfc8 22. Bc3 {A huge, and surprising, oversight by Carlsen. His best try was 22.Nd5, but after exchanffing on d5 and ...Rxc2 black is better.} Bf8 23. Nb5 Bxd6 {The rest of the game is a matter of technique, but thus is a rapid game so the result us not guaranteed.} 24. Nxd6 Qe6 25. Nxc8 Rxc8 26. Rxe5 Qd6 27. Rfe1 Bd5 28. a4 Be6 29. a5 bxa5 30. Kf1 Rc5 31. Rxc5 Qxc5 32. Ra1 d5 33. Rxa5 Qc7 34. Ra4 Qxh2 35. Rxa7 Qh1+ 36. Kf2 d4 {[%eval -761,2] [%emt 0:00:00]} 0-1