[Event "FIDE World Cup 2023"] [Site "Baku AZE"] [Date "2023.08.19"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Abasov, Nijat"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2632"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2023.07.30"] [EventType "k.o."] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. b3 d6 {An important option, but less popular than} (5... Ne7) (5... f6) ({and} 5... d5 {, in descending order of popularity. Another move - and it's probably better than 5...d5 - is}) (5... e5) 6. e5 dxe5 7. d3 $146 {I don't see anything wrong with 7.Nxe5, either concretely or in terms of creating a position where Black has good prospects of killing the game. Maybe he thought this was good enough, and avoided prep?} (7. Nxe5 {is more common. It looks like a blunder at first sight, but if Black plays ...Qd4 and goes for the rook his queen will be caught.} Qd5 (7... Qd4 $2 8. Nc4 $16 {/+-} Qxa1 9. Nc3 Ba6 10. O-O Bxc4 11. bxc4 Bd6 12. Qe2 Nf6 13. Ba3 Qxf1+ 14. Kxf1 $18 {In some circumstances two rooks would suffice for the queen. Here the rooks have little to do, as there's nothing to do on the half-open d-file and the entry squares on the b-file are under control. Black's c-pawns are also very weak, so White's advantage is probably already enough to win with best play.} O-O-O 15. Na4 Nd7 16. Qg4 f6 17. d3 Rdg8 18. Qf3 Re8 19. Qh5 Reg8 20. Qe2 Re8 21. Qe3 Re7 22. Nxc5 Nxc5 23. Bxc5 Bxc5 24. Qxc5 Rc7 25. f4 Re8 26. Ke2 Kb7 27. Kd2 e5 28. f5 Rd7 29. Ke3 Rg8 30. g3 {1-0 Zhao,J (2434)-Zhang,P (2579) Moscow Aeroflot op-A 2004 (2)}) 8. Nf3 Qe4+ 9. Kf1 Qf5 10. Na3 $14 {has worked out well for White in a few OTB games, and the engine likes it as well.}) 7... f6 8. Nbd2 Nh6 (8... Ne7) 9. Rg1 $5 {No subtlety here: White wants to ram the g-pawn and attack.} (9. Bb2 Nf5 10. g4 {is an interesting alternative that's similar to the game and possibly improving on it - why play the preparatory Rg1 if g4 will be possible without it?}) 9... Ba6 $6 (9... Qa5 $1 {is a cool computer move, intending to meet} 10. g4 {with} c4 $1 {This is playable for White, who might also consider 10.Kf1 (to meet the then-pointless 10...c4 with 11.Nxc4) instead. Then Black would play 10...Ba6.}) 10. g4 $16 Nf7 11. Qe2 Be7 12. Bb2 $16 {/+-} Qa5 13. c4 (13. g5 $142) (13. O-O-O $142 O-O-O 14. g5) 13... g5 $1 $16 14. h4 h6 15. Rh1 O-O-O 16. O-O-O Qc7 (16... Qxa2 $2 {The queen won't be trapped, but this gives White a lot of free moves to go with the very useful a-file. This is not a case where greed is good.} 17. Kc2 Qa5 18. Ra1 Qb6 19. Bc3 Rde8 20. Ra4 $18) 17. Ne4 (17. Rh2 $142 $16) 17... gxh4 $1 $14 18. Nxh4 Rhg8 19. f4 $1 exf4 (19... Kb8) 20. Nxf6 Bxf6 21. Qxe6+ Kb8 22. Qxf6 Bc8 (22... Rxg4 $142 $14) 23. Rde1 Rd6 24. Qxf4 Rxg4 25. Qe3 (25. Qd2 $142) 25... Re6 26. Qd2 Ne5 (26... Rxe1+ $142 27. Qxe1 Qd6 $11 {/?}) 27. Kc2 (27. Re3 $142 $14) 27... Kb7 (27... Rg3 $1 28. Qxh6 $5 Rxh6 29. Bxe5 Qxe5 30. Rxe5 Rg4 31. Re4 Bf5 32. Rxg4 Bxg4 33. Rh2 Rh5 $1 {This way White can't play Nf3. Despite the extra pawn, White has no advantage - he's stuck, and Black will benefit if White hauls his king to the queenside.} 34. Kd2 a5 35. Ke3 Kb7 36. Kf4 Bf5 37. Nf3 Rxh2 38. Nxh2 Bxd3 $11) 28. Re3 Qe7 29. Nf5 Qg5 30. Bxe5 Rg2 $1 31. Re2 Rxe2 32. Qxe2 Qxf5 $11 {Abasov's play since getting into a difficult position out of the opening has been extraordinary, especially considering the opposition. The adventures are not yet over, though, and the players were a bit short of time approach the control on move 40.} 33. Rh5 Qf7 34. Qh2 $4 {Logical, but tactically flawed.} Rg6 $4 $11 {A huge missed chance. Fortunately for Abasov, it's 99+% likely that he's going to be in the Candidates no matter what happens in this match. Otherwise, this error might have haunted him for years to come, as he missed a golden opportunity to win the game.} (34... Qf1 $1 {is winning, as in stone-cold, it's over, thanks for playing and let's shake hands winning. Black intends 35...Rg6, and the bishop can't move because of 35...Re2+. All the tactics work out for Black, and there's no escape for Carlsen. Some illustrative lines:} 35. Rxh6 (35. Qd2 Rg6 36. Rh2 Rg1 37. Bf4 (37. Kb2 Qa1+ 38. Ka3 Qxe5 $19) 37... Qa1 38. Qa5 Qb1+ 39. Kc3 Qe1+ 40. Bd2 (40. Rd2 Qc1+ 41. Rc2 Qxf4 $19) 40... Qa1+ 41. Kc2 Bg4 $19) (35. Kc3 Rg6 36. Bb8 (36. Bf4 Rg2 $19) (36. Bg3 Rxg3 37. Qxg3 Qc1#) 36... Qa1+ 37. Qb2 Qxb2+ 38. Kxb2 Kxb8 $19) 35... Rxh6 36. Qxh6 Qe2+ $19) 35. Bf4 Rf6 (35... Qg7 $142 $11) (35... Rg4 $142 $11) 36. Be3 $14 Bf5 (36... Rg6 $142) 37. Bxc5 Qg6 $2 (37... Re6 $14) 38. Kc3 $16 {/+-} (38. Kb2 $142 $18) 38... Re6 $2 39. Rh4 $2 (39. Bxa7 $1 {was a nice trick. Interestingly, Carlsen played it on the next move, albeit with a different idea in mind. The point here is not to play 40.Qc7+ if Black takes, but to regain the bishop.} Kxa7 40. Qf2+ Kb7 41. Rxf5 $18) 39... Bg4 $1 40. Bxa7 $2 {Unfortunately for Abasov, what turns out to be the last critical decision of the game comes on the last move of the time control. Should Black give check from g7 or f6? One move draws, the other loses.} Qf6+ $2 (40... Qg7+ $11 {was correct, guarding the bishop and the c7 square.} 41. Kb4 (41. Bd4 Qg5 42. Bb6 Kxb6 43. Qb8+ Ka6 44. Qa8+ Kb6 45. Qb8+ $11) (41. d4 Kxa7 42. Rxg4 {Forced.} Qxg4 43. Qc7+ $11) 41... Kxa7 42. Qg1+ Kb7 43. Rxg4 c5+ $1 {Otherwise, Black is lost.} 44. Kxc5 Qe5+ 45. Kb4 Rb6+ 46. Qxb6+ $1 {Forced.} Kxb6 47. Rg6+ Kb7 48. Rxh6 $11 {There are no checking sequences that force the win of the rook, and so White has enough pawns to hold the ending.}) 41. Kb4 $1 $18 Re5 (41... Kxa7 42. Qc7+ (42. Qg1+ $4 c5+ $1 {is even worse for White than in the line above. There it was a draw; here, Black wins.}) 42... Ka6 43. Rxg4 $18) 42. d4 Qe7+ 43. c5 {Black's rook can't move because of 44.Qb8+ followed by 45.Qb6#, while the exchange-down ending after 43...Kxa7 44.dxe5 is hopeless.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup 2023"] [Site "Baku AZE"] [Date "2023.08.19"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2782"] [BlackElo "2690"] [PlyCount "156"] [EventDate "2023.07.30"] [EventType "k.o."] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 a6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 d6 8. Nbd2 Ba7 9. O-O Qe7 10. b4 Be6 11. a4 O-O 12. Re1 Bxc4 13. Nxc4 Qe6 14. b5 Ne7 15. Rb1 Nd7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. d4 Qe6 18. Qd3 Rab8 19. bxa6 bxa6 20. Rxb8 Rxb8 21. Na5 exd4 22. Nc6 Nc5 23. Qxd4 Ra8 24. a5 Qe8 25. Qd5 Nd3 26. Ne7+ Kh8 27. Qxd3 Qxe7 28. g3 Bc5 29. Nd4 Qd7 30. Qc4 Kg8 31. Kg2 Ra7 32. Rb1 Qe8 33. Qd5 Bxd4 34. cxd4 g6 35. e5 dxe5 36. dxe5 Qa8 37. Qf3 c5 38. Rb6 Qxf3+ 39. Kxf3 c4 40. Rc6 Rd7 41. Rxa6 c3 42. Rc6 Ra7 43. a6 c2 44. Rxc2 Rxa6 45. Rc8+ Kg7 46. Rc7 Kg8 47. Rd7 Ra3+ 48. Ke4 Ra1 49. h4 h5 50. f3 Ra4+ 51. Rd4 Ra3 52. Kf4 Kg7 53. g4 hxg4 54. fxg4 Ra5 55. h5 gxh5 56. gxh5 f6 57. h6+ Kxh6 58. Rd6 Kg7 59. Rxf6 Ra1 60. Kf5 Ra2 61. Rb6 Kf7 62. Rb7+ Kf8 63. Kf6 Rf2+ 64. Ke6 Re2 65. Rb8+ Kg7 66. Re8 Ra2 67. Rd8 Re2 68. Rd1 Kf8 69. Rf1+ Ke8 70. Ra1 Kf8 71. Ra5 Re1 72. Ra8+ Kg7 73. Kd6 Kf7 74. Ra5 Rd1+ 75. Rd5 Rxd5+ 76. Kxd5 Ke7 77. Kc4 Ke6 78. Kb3 Kxe5 1/2-1/2