[Event "World Championship"] [Site "Dubai"] [Date "2021.12.01"] [Round "5"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "2782"] [BlackElo "2856"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2021.11.27"] [EventCountry "UAE"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 Rb8 {Generally considered the worst of three main options, and a switch from the 8...Bb7 of game three. That opinion is liable to change, now that Carlsen has played this not once, but twice, in very important games.} 9. axb5 axb5 10. h3 {Unusual here, but of course this resembles the 8.h3 of game 1, with a couple of moves of unclear significance interpolated.} ({Here's Carlsen's other game with 8...Rb8, from the World Cup.} 10. c3 d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 c6 14. d4 Bd6 15. Re1 Qh4 16. g3 Qh3 17. Re4 g5 18. Qf1 $146 Qxf1+ 19. Kxf1 Bf5 20. Nd2 Bxe4 {White is a little better after this, but Carlsen eventually manages to draw.} (20... Rfe8 $11) (20... Rbe8 $11) 21. Nxe4 Be7 22. Bxg5 Bxg5 23. Nxg5 Ra8 $1 24. Rd1 (24. Rc1 $14) 24... Nb6 25. Re1 Nc4 26. Bxc4 bxc4 27. Nf3 Rfb8 28. Ne5 Rxb2 29. Nxc4 Rc2 30. Re3 Ra1+ 31. Kg2 Rac1 32. Re8+ Kg7 33. Ne5 Rxc3 34. Re7 R3c2 35. Rxf7+ Kg8 36. Rc7 h5 37. Nd7 Rd1 38. Nf6+ Kf8 39. Nxh5 Rdd2 40. h4 Rxf2+ 41. Kh3 Rf7 42. Rc8+ Ke7 43. Nf4 Kd6 44. h5 Rd2 45. Kg4 Rg7+ 46. Kf3 Rxd4 47. h6 Rh7 48. Rd8+ Ke5 49. Re8+ Kd6 50. Rd8+ Ke5 51. Re8+ Kd6 52. Re6+ Kd7 53. Rg6 Ke7 54. Rxc6 Rd6 55. Ng6+ Kd7 56. Ne5+ Ke6 57. Rxd6+ Kxd6 58. Kf4 Ke6 59. Ng4 Ra7 60. Kg5 Kf7 61. Ne3 Kg8 62. g4 Kh7 63. Kh5 Ra3 64. Nf5 Ra5 65. Kg5 {1/2-1/2 (65) Duda,J (2738)-Carlsen,M (2847) Krasnaya Polyana 2021}) 10... d6 11. c3 b4 {Putting ...Rb8 to use.} 12. d3 (12. d4 bxc3 13. bxc3 exd4 14. cxd4 d5 15. e5 Ne4 {looks playable for Black.}) 12... bxc3 13. bxc3 d5 $146 {It seems almost impossible to prevent Black from playing some sort of "Marshall", even in the so-called Anti-Marshall.} 14. Nbd2 {Played immediately. Today, Nepomniachtchi was the better prepared player.} ({ Accepting the gambit doesn't seem promising:} 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nxe5 (15. Ba4 { is more challenging.}) 15... Nxe5 16. Rxe5 Be6 {The threat of ...Nxc3 leaves White with nothing better than} 17. Bxd5 Bxd5 18. d4 Bf6 19. Re1 Ra8 $44 { , when Black's great bishop on d5 and White's less than great development give Black enough for the pawn.}) (14. Ba4 {is a move that can be considered almost every time, as we'll see.}) 14... dxe4 15. dxe4 {Despite the high degree of symmetry, White's position is a little more comfortable, and the onus is style on Carlsen to prove complete equality.} Bd6 {To switch the knight over to g6.} (15... h6 $1 16. Ba4 Bd7 17. Nc4 Ra8 18. Qc2 Qe8 $1 $11 {, with the idea of ... Nb4, may improve.}) 16. Qc2 (16. Ba4 {followed by Nc4 may eventually net a pawn, and the question will once again be whether Black's long-term compensation will suffice.}) 16... h6 17. Nf1 {Bringing the knight to g3 means that knight won't go to c4. But it's still possible for the Nf3 to swing back to the queenside.} (17. Ba4 {followed by Nc4 is possible once again.}) 17... Ne7 {Black likewise aims to swing his knight to g6. An alternative plan was to play 17...Re8 or 17...Qe8 followed in either case by ...Be6.} 18. Ng3 Ng6 19. Be3 $14 {Black's position is very uncomfortable, largely due to the great superiority of White's bishops. Carlsen thought for around 20 minutes here, but didn't manage to solve his problems.} Qe8 $6 {A much more human way of playing, but that's why Stockfish is rated 3500 or thereabouts while Carlsen "only" sports a rating in the mid-2800s. (The poor guy.)} ({The amazing} 19... Qe7 $3 {may be Black's best. If White doesn't play Nf5, Black can develop the rook from f8. And if he does play Nf5...} 20. Nf5 {then no problem:} Qd8 $1 { Worse still: if White plays} 21. Bc4 {Black can play either ...Be6 or - gasp -} Qd7 ({or} 21... Qe8 {. Computers! (Sigh.)})) 20. Red1 $6 {After seeing this, Carlsen thought that the worst was over and thought that only minimal suffering awaited him. It's true that this was Nepo's best chance in the game, but as Carlsen later acknowledged his defensive task was still more unpleasant than he had initially suspected.} (20. c4 $142 $1 {was very strong, aiming to further restrict Black's pieces with c4-c5. White isn't winning, but the advantage is significant and Black faces a depressing defensive struggle that may prove futile.} c5 (20... Be6 21. Ba4 Bd7 (21... Qc8 $5) 22. c5 Bxa4 23. Rxa4 $16) (20... Qe6 {stops c4-c5 for a moment.} 21. Reb1 c5 22. Ba4 Bd7 23. Bxd7 Nxd7 24. Nf5 $14 {/+/- is obviously very comfortable for White.}) (20... Bb4 21. Reb1 c5 22. Ba4 Qe7 23. Bc6 $1 $16 {/+- followed by Bd5.}) 21. Ba4 Qd8 22. Bc6 Qc7 23. Bd5 $16) 20... Be6 21. Ba4 Bd7 22. Nd2 Bxa4 23. Qxa4 Qxa4 24. Rxa4 Ra8 25. Rda1 Rxa4 26. Rxa4 Rb8 {Black is doing better than he would have been after 20.c4, but with white knights heading for c4 and f5 his defensive chores aren't over.} 27. Ra6 {Carlsen now decides on an extremely passive defensive setup. It's visually unappealing, but it worked.} Ne8 28. Kf1 Nf8 29. Nf5 (29. h4 {"Perhaps the smarter try" - Nepomniachtchi. This was probably White's last chance to meaningfully improve. White's ideal setup is to have his pawn on h5 and knight on f5, but without playing g4. To have a chance to break Black's position down he'll need to play g3 and f4 at some point, and that obviously can't happen if the pawn is on g4. Here's a slightly cooperative variation to show what White is hoping for:} Ne6 (29... Ng6 { improves, I think.}) 30. Nc4 Rd8 31. h5 f6 32. Nf5 $14 {Now White maintains the option of g3 and f4 someday, and while this is far from a win it gives Black more problems than the game continuation does.}) 29... Ne6 30. Nc4 Rd8 31. f3 f6 $1 {This allows Black the option of recapturing on d6 with a knight, without hanging his e5-pawn.} 32. g4 {Preventing ...h5 so he can bring his own pawn to that square. But it also takes away any further pawn breaks, and it becomes impossible to make progress.} (32. h4 {will be met by} h5 {.}) 32... Kf7 33. h4 Bf8 34. Ke2 Nd6 {After this, "there was nothing left for him [Nepo] ".} 35. Ncxd6+ Bxd6 36. h5 {White's position is as pretty as a picture, as they used to say in the south, but that's all it is. There's no way to make any progress whatsoever.} Bf8 37. Ra5 Ke8 38. Rd5 Ra8 39. Rd1 Ra2+ 40. Rd2 Ra1 41. Rd1 Ra2+ 42. Rd2 Ra1 43. Rd1 {Nepo: "Of course I'm disappointed." Carlsen: "I'm not pleased...other than Ra1, Ra2 at the end, I didn't make a single active move."} 1/2-1/2