[Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B00"] [WhiteElo "2791"] [BlackElo "2863"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] {[%evp 0,58,34,25,21,11,56,77,62,56,53,51,82,45,36,58,61,20,31,14,35,29,17,17, 17,17,10,8,20,19,74,84,84,93,92,82,39,68,68,73,216,180,315,167,167,164,279,267, 348,333,335,389,500,512,507,507,507,507,507,604,1629]} 1. e4 Nc6 {Repeating the offbeat move he used against Nepomniachtchi.} 2. Nf3 {Offering a return to normalcy.} (2. d4 {is the move to play if you believe that 1...Nc6 must be punished.}) 2... d5 $6 {"No, thank you."} (2... e5) 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. d4 Bg4 6. Bb5 O-O-O 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. h3 (8. Qd3) ({and} 8. Qe2 {may improve.}) 8... Qh5 {Otherwise Black's position is terrible.} 9. Be3 Nf6 10. Qe2 Bxf3 11. gxf3 e6 12. O-O-O $14 {/+/- If this is what Black is hoping for, he should revise his hopes.} Kb7 13. Rhg1 h6 14. Rd3 Rg8 $2 (14... Qa5) (14... Kc8) 15. Ne4 $18 Be7 16. Rb3+ Kc8 17. Qa6+ Kd7 18. Rd1 (18. d5 $3 {was much stronger.} Nxd5 (18... exd5 19. Rc3 $1 $18) (18... cxd5 19. Qa4+ c6 20. Rb7+ Ke8 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. Qxc6+ Kf8 23. Bc5+ $18 {mates.}) (18... Qxd5 19. Rd1 $18) 19. Rd1 $18 {wins - c4 is coming.}) 18... Qxf3 19. Nd2 Qxh3 (19... Qd5 $142) (19... Qf5 $142) 20. Nc4 Ke8 21. Ne5 (21. Bf4 $142) 21... Bd6 22. Nxc6 Ra8 23. Qb7 Kd7 24. Ne5+ Ke7 25. Bf4 Qf5 26. Nc6+ Kd7 27. Bxd6 Kxd6 28. Ne5 Qf4+ 29. Kb1 Rgf8 ( 29... Rgf8 30. Qb4+ Kd5 31. f3 {It's mate in three, with the immediate threat of Qc5#.}) 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2728"] [PlyCount "128"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 h6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nbd2 a5 9. Re1 a4 10. Nf1 Bg6 11. Ng3 c5 12. Bb5 Qa5 13. Bxd7+ Kxd7 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Be3 Qb5 16. Nd4 Qd3 17. Qc1 Nc6 18. Rd1 Qc4 19. f4 Bc5 20. f5 Bxd4 21. Bxd4 Bxf5 22. Nxf5 exf5 23. Qf4 Ne7 24. Rab1 Ra6 25. b3 axb3 26. Rxb3 b5 27. Rdb1 Ra5 28. a4 Rha8 29. Qf3 Rxa4 30. Rxb5 Ra1 31. Rb7+ Ke6 32. Qd1 Rxb1 33. Qxb1 Ra6 34. h3 f4 35. Rb8 Qe2 36. Rb2 Qe4 37. Qf1 Rc6 38. Kh2 f3 39. Qxf3 Qxf3 40. gxf3 Nf5 41. Kg2 g5 42. Kf2 Ra6 43. Ke2 Nh4 44. Ke3 Ng6 45. Rb8 Nf4 46. Rh8 Kf5 47. Rf8 Kg6 48. Rg8+ Kh7 49. Rf8 Kg7 50. Rc8 Ra2 51. Bc5 Re2+ 52. Kd4 Rd2+ 53. Ke3 Rd3+ 54. Kf2 Nxh3+ 55. Kg3 Nf4 56. Bf8+ Kg6 57. Rc6+ Ne6 58. Kf2 Rd2+ 59. Ke3 Ra2 60. Rc8 h5 61. Be7 h4 62. Rh8 h3 63. Rxh3 d4+ 64. Ke4 Re2+ 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A45"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2736"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 c5 3. d5 d6 4. Nc3 a6 5. a4 g6 6. e4 Bg7 7. Nf3 h6 8. Bf4 Bg4 9. Be2 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nbd7 11. O-O O-O 12. Qd2 Kh7 13. Be2 Qa5 14. Rfe1 Qb4 15. Ra2 b5 16. f3 Nb6 17. a5 Nc4 18. Bxc4 Qxc4 19. b3 Qb4 20. Nd1 Qxd2 21. Bxd2 e6 22. dxe6 fxe6 23. Nf2 Nd7 24. c3 c4 25. b4 Rfe8 26. Rd1 d5 27. Rc2 Ne5 28. Be3 Nc6 29. Bb6 d4 30. cxd4 Nxb4 31. Rcc1 Na2 32. Rc2 Nb4 33. Rcc1 Rac8 34. g3 h5 35. f4 Bf6 36. e5 Be7 37. Ne4 Nd5 38. Bc5 Bxc5 39. dxc5 Kg7 40. Kf2 Re7 41. Kf3 Nb4 42. Ke3 Nd3 43. Rxd3 cxd3 44. Kxd3 Rc6 45. Kd4 Kf8 46. h3 Rd7+ 47. Nd6 Rh7 48. Ne4 Ke7 49. Rd1 Rh8 50. Kc3 Rd8 51. Rd6 Rdxd6 52. exd6+ Kd7 53. Nf6+ Kd8 54. Kb4 Rc8 55. h4 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2835"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. c4 e5 2. d3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. a3 a5 7. Be2 Bd6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nc3 Be6 10. Qc2 Qe7 11. Re1 Kh8 12. Bd2 Nb6 13. Na4 Nd7 14. d4 exd4 15. exd4 Qf6 16. Be3 Qg6 17. Qxg6 hxg6 18. Rac1 f6 19. Nh4 Ne7 20. h3 g5 21. Nf3 Bd5 22. Nc3 Nb6 23. Nxd5 Nexd5 24. Bd2 g6 25. g3 Kg7 26. Kg2 c6 27. Bd3 a4 28. Re6 Rad8 29. Rce1 Rd7 30. h4 g4 31. Nh2 Nc7 32. R6e2 f5 33. f3 gxf3+ 34. Nxf3 Nbd5 35. Bc4 Re7 36. Rxe7+ Bxe7 37. Ng5 Bxg5 38. Bxg5 Re8 39. Rxe8 Nxe8 40. Kf3 Nd6 41. Bd3 b5 42. g4 fxg4+ 43. Kxg4 Nc4 44. Bc1 Kf6 45. Kf3 Kf7 46. Kg4 Kf6 47. Kf3 Nd6 48. Bg5+ Kf7 49. Kg4 Nc4 50. Bc1 Kf6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B21"] [WhiteElo "2863"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] {[%evp 0,63,30,11,46,20,36,36,22,13,27,-28,-20,-17,-20,-27,6,-45,-40,-50,-66, -24,-12,-20,-4,-8,-2,11,6,-3,-13,-13,-21,11,11,11,41,29,53,4,10,6,101,-7,-3,-1, 57,57,48,46,73,49,69,59,68,61,158,58,250,183,204,208,306,404,404,267]} 1. e4 c5 2. f4 $6 {More junk.} g6 ({Why not} 2... d5 3. exd5 Nf6 {, long seen as the cure for 2.f4 (and the reason 2.Nc3 and only then 3.f4 is far more popular)?}) 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. c3 Nf6 $5 (4... d5) (4... Nc6) 5. d3 (5. e5 Nd5 6. d4 {looks tempting and it's not bad, but Black is okay after} cxd4 7. cxd4 d6 $11 { , with a sort of hybrid of the c3 Sicilian and the Four Pawns Attack against Alekhine's Defense.}) 5... Nc6 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O b5 8. a3 d6 9. Kh1 a5 10. Be3 Bb7 {Black seems fine here, too. Surprisingly, this position has happened a few times, including a couple of GM games (see below).} 11. Nbd2 b4 12. Qc2 ( 12. d4 bxc3 13. bxc3 a4 14. Rb1 cxd4 15. cxd4 Na5 16. d5 Nd7 17. Qxa4 Nc5 18. Qb4 Ba6 19. Bxa6 Nxa6 20. Qb5 Nc7 21. Qd3 Qd7 22. Rfc1 Rfc8 23. Nd4 Na6 24. Rxc8+ Qxc8 25. N4b3 Nxb3 26. Nxb3 Nc7 27. Nd4 e6 28. Nc6 Qd7 29. Rb7 exd5 30. exd5 Bf6 31. h3 Qc8 32. Rb3 Qf5 33. Qxf5 gxf5 34. Rd3 Nb5 35. Bc1 Ra4 36. g4 Rc4 37. Bd2 fxg4 38. hxg4 h6 39. Kg2 Rc2 40. Kf3 Ra2 41. Bb4 Bb2 42. Rd2 Kg7 43. a4 Nc7 44. Rxb2 Rxa4 45. Bxd6 Nxd5 46. Rd2 Nb6 47. Be5+ Kh7 48. Rd8 Nc4 49. Rh8+ Kg6 50. Rg8+ Kh7 51. Rg7+ Kh8 52. Rxf7+ Kg8 53. Rg7+ Kf8 54. Rh7 Kg8 55. Rxh6 Nd2+ 56. Kg3 Ne4+ 57. Kh4 Ra2 58. Kh5 Kf7 59. Rh7+ Kg8 60. Kg6 {1-0 (60) Kovalev,V (2639)-Moiseenko,A (2667) Riadh 2017}) 12... e6 $146 (12... Rc8 13. Bg1 e6 14. Rad1 Nh5 15. g3 f5 16. Ng5 Qe7 17. Rde1 h6 18. Nh3 Nf6 19. Bf3 e5 20. Bg2 Ng4 21. Nf3 fxe4 22. Nh4 Qe6 23. dxe4 Ne7 24. axb4 cxb4 25. Qd3 bxc3 26. bxc3 Rcd8 27. f5 gxf5 28. exf5 Bxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Qb3 30. Rb1 Qa4 31. Qe2 Qc6+ 32. Qf3 Nd5 33. Kh1 Ngf6 34. Ng6 Rfe8 35. Nf2 Qxc3 36. Qe2 Qc6 37. Qf3 e4 38. Qg2 Ne3 39. Qh3 Nxf1 40. Qxf1 e3+ 41. Qg2 Qxg2+ 42. Kxg2 exf2 43. Bxf2 a4 44. Rb7 Ra8 45. Bd4 a3 46. Nf4 a2 47. Ba1 Nh5 48. Nxh5 Bxa1 49. f6 Rf8 50. Rg7+ Kh8 51. Rg6 Ra7 52. Rxh6+ Rh7 {0-1 (52) Chigaev,M (2551)-Bocharov,D (2611) Sochi 2016}) (12... Ba6 $146 {may be best of all.}) 13. axb4 axb4 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Nc4 Qb8 (15... Rd8 $142 $15) 16. e5 Nd5 17. Bg1 dxe5 18. Bxc5 Nxf4 19. Bxf8 Bxf8 20. Re1 $44 {Black's compensation for the exchange is sufficient, but now he goes a bit crazy.} g5 $6 21. Bf1 (21. Nxg5 $1 {is possible, but it's nearly impossible to make such a move with a short time control, opening the line to g2.}) 21... f6 22. Qf2 Ne7 $6 23. Nfd2 Nf5 24. Ne4 $16 {/+-} Qd8 25. Qb6 Qxb6 26. Nxb6 Kg7 27. Nc4 (27. Ra1 $18) 27... Nh4 $2 (27... g4) 28. Ra1 $18 Kg6 29. Ra7 Bd5 30. g3 f5 $2 31. Nxe5+ Kh6 32. c4 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A81"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2784"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nd2 Bg7 5. e4 fxe4 6. Nxe4 Nxe4 7. Bxe4 O-O 8. Bg2 d6 9. Nf3 c6 10. O-O Bg4 11. c3 Qd7 12. Re1 Kh8 13. Qd3 Na6 14. Ng5 Nc7 15. Qe4 h6 16. h3 Bf5 17. Qh4 Kg8 18. Ne4 g5 19. Qh5 Nd5 20. h4 Bg4 21. Qg6 e6 22. Nd2 Bf5 23. Qh5 Nf6 24. Qe2 gxh4 25. gxh4 Rae8 26. Nf1 Bg4 27. Qd3 Qf7 28. Bf4 Nh5 29. Bg3 Nxg3 30. fxg3 Qf2+ 31. Kh2 e5 32. dxe5 Bf3 33. Ne3 Rxe5 34. Qf1 Bxg2 35. Nxg2 Qxb2 36. Qd3 Rf2 37. Rxe5 Rxg2+ 38. Kh3 Rh2+ 39. Kg4 dxe5 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A45"] [WhiteElo "2736"] [BlackElo "2778"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Bd6 6. Bxe4 Bxf4 7. exf4 dxe4 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. d5 Nb4 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Nxe4 exd5 12. Qxb4 dxe4 13. Ne2 Re8 14. O-O e3 15. fxe3 Rxe3 16. Rad1 Qe8 17. Ng3 b6 18. Rfe1 Bg4 19. Rc1 Rd8 20. Nf1 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 Qc6 22. Ne3 Bc8 23. Qe7 Re8 24. Nd5 Be6 25. f5 Kh8 26. Nb4 Qa8 27. Qxc7 Bxf5 28. Rxe8+ Qxe8 29. Kf2 h5 30. Nd5 Qe4 31. Ne3 Be6 32. b3 h4 33. Qxa7 Qf4+ 34. Ke2 Bg4+ 35. Nxg4 Qxg4+ 36. Kd3 Qxg2 37. Qb8+ Kh7 38. Qf4 Qd5+ 39. Kc3 Qc5+ 40. Kb2 Qe7 41. a4 g5 42. Qd4 f5 43. Qxb6 Qe5+ 44. Ka2 Qxh2 45. Qc5 Qg2 46. Qxf5+ Kg7 47. Qd7+ Kh6 48. Qe6+ Kg7 49. Qe7+ Kh6 50. Qf6+ Kh7 51. Qf7+ Kh6 52. Qf8+ Kh7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2764"] [PlyCount "134"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. a4 Qc7 11. Bb3 O-O 12. O-O Rac8 13. a5 Nc5 14. h3 Nxb3 15. cxb3 d5 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Re1 Bb4 19. Bb6 Qc6 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Ra4 Bxb3 22. Qxb3 Bxd2 23. Rd1 Qc2 24. Qxc2 Rxc2 25. Re4 Rxb2 26. Re2 Bc3 27. Rxb2 Bxb2 28. Rd7 Bd4+ 29. Bxd4 exd4 30. Rxd4 g5 31. Rd7 Re5 32. Rxb7 Rxa5 33. Kh2 h5 34. h4 gxh4 35. Rb4 Rb5 36. Rxh4 a5 37. Rc4 Rb8 38. Rc5 Ra8 39. Rxh5 a4 40. Kg3 a3 41. Rh1 a2 42. Ra1 Kg7 43. Kf4 Kf6 44. Ke4 Ra4+ 45. Kd5 Kf5 46. g3 Ra5+ 47. Kd6 Ra7 48. Kd5 Rd7+ 49. Kc4 Rd2 50. Rh1 Kg5 51. Ra1 Kf5 52. Rh1 Kg5 53. Ra1 f5 54. g4 f4 55. Rh1 Kg6 56. Ra1 Rf2 57. Kd4 Kg5 58. Ke4 Rb2 59. Kd4 Re2 60. Rh1 Kg6 61. Rc1 Re6 62. Ra1 Ra6 63. Kd3 Ra3+ 64. Ke2 Kf6 65. Kf2 Ke5 66. Kg2 Kd4 67. g5 Ke5 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2791"] [BlackElo "2863"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 h5 $146 {Ooooookay. Is he having fun because the match is fundamentally meaningless, or does he think Ding is an idiot he can beat with any kind of garbage?} 4. h3 {Is this some sort of strange deference, or is he passing the buck to see which third-move plan Black opts for?} (4. O-O ) (4. c3) 4... e6 5. c3 Nf6 6. e5 Nd5 7. d4 $5 cxd4 8. O-O $5 dxc3 9. Nxc3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 {This certainly isn't a refutation of Black's line, but it makes sense. Black's king won't be safe on the queenside, and thanks to h5 the kingside won't be completely safe either.} Qc7 11. Re1 b6 12. Ng5 Bb7 13. Qf3 $5 Nxe5 14. Qf4 Bd6 15. Rxe5 Bxe5 $2 (15... O-O $1 16. Qh4 f6 $8 17. Qxh5 fxg5 18. Bd3 Rxf2 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Qh8+ Kf7 21. Qh5+ $11) 16. Qxf7+ Kd8 17. Ba3 $16 {/+-} a6 $2 (17... Kc8) 18. Rd1 $6 {Good enough, but there was a crusher.} (18. Nxe6+ $1 dxe6 19. Qxe6 {ends the game on the spot, thanks to the threatened Rd1+.}) 18... Kc8 19. Rxd7 Bh2+ 20. Kh1 axb5 21. Rxc7+ Bxc7 22. Nxe6 Be5 23. Bf8 Bc6 24. Bxg7 Bd6 25. Bxh8 Rxa2 {It looks interesting for a second, but the illusion is immediately dispelled.} 26. Qg8+ Kd7 (26... Kb7 27. Nd8+ {comes to the same thing, followed by taking the rook.}) 27. Nf8+ (27. Nf8+ Bxf8 28. Qxa2 $18) 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2728"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 h6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nbd2 a5 9. Re1 a4 10. Nf1 Bg6 11. Ng3 c5 12. Bb5 Qa5 13. Bxd7+ Kxd7 14. dxc5 Nc6 15. Be3 Bxc5 16. c4 Rhd8 17. Bxc5 Qxc5 18. Nh4 Qxc4 19. Nxg6 fxg6 20. Rc1 Qxa2 21. Ne4 Rf8 22. Nc5+ Ke7 23. Qg4 d4 24. Qxg6 Rf7 25. Nxb7 Qxb2 26. Nd6 Qxf2+ 27. Kh1 Nxe5 28. Qe4 Kxd6 29. Qxe5+ 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A08"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2736"] [PlyCount "186"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. O-O e6 5. b3 Be7 6. Bb2 O-O 7. d3 Nc6 8. Nbd2 b6 9. e3 Bb7 10. c4 Qd7 11. Qe2 d4 12. exd4 cxd4 13. a3 a5 14. Rae1 Rad8 15. Nh4 Ne8 16. Nhf3 Qc8 17. Qd1 f6 18. Bh3 f5 19. Bg2 Bf6 20. c5 bxc5 21. Qc2 Be7 22. Nc4 Nc7 23. Bc1 Nb5 24. Bf4 Rde8 25. Nb6 Nxa3 26. Qe2 Qd8 27. Qxe6+ Kh8 28. Nd7 Bc8 29. Qxc6 Bxd7 30. Qd5 Nc2 31. Rxe7 Qxe7 32. Bd6 Qe6 33. Ng5 Qxd5 34. Bxd5 h6 35. Nf7+ Kh7 36. Bxc5 Rg8 37. Rc1 Ne1 38. Bxd4 Be6 39. Bxe6 Rxe6 40. Bc3 Nxd3 41. Rd1 Nc5 42. Bxa5 f4 43. b4 Nb3 44. Nd8 Re2 45. gxf4 Nxa5 46. bxa5 Rf8 47. a6 Ra2 48. Ne6 Rf6 49. Rd6 h5 50. Kg2 Ra3 51. h4 Kg6 52. Rd5 Kh6 53. f5 Rxa6 54. Ng5 Ra4 55. f3 Rf4 56. Kg3 R4xf5 57. Rd8 Kg6 58. Ra8 Rb5 59. Rc8 Ra6 60. Rc7 Rb1 61. Rd7 Rg1+ 62. Kf2 Rb1 63. Kg3 Re1 64. Rb7 Ra2 65. Rb6+ Kf5 66. Rb5+ Re5 67. Rb7 Ree2 68. Rb5+ Kf6 69. Rb6+ Ke5 70. Rb5+ Kd4 71. Ne4 Rg2+ 72. Kf4 g6 73. Rb6 Ra5 74. Rf6 Kd3 75. Rd6+ Kc2 76. Ng5 Ra4+ 77. Ne4 Rb4 78. Rd5 Rb8 79. Ra5 Kd3 80. Ra3+ Kc4 81. Ra4+ Kb5 82. Nc3+ Kc6 83. Ra6+ Rb6 84. Ra8 Rb4+ 85. Ne4 Rb1 86. Ng3 g5+ 87. hxg5 h4 88. Ne4 h3 89. Rh8 h2 90. Rh6+ Kd7 91. Rh7+ Kd8 92. Rh8+ Ke7 93. Rh7+ Kf8 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A80"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2835"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Ne2 Nd7 10. c4 c6 11. Rc1 a5 12. a3 Nd6 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Ne5 Bd7 15. cxd5 exd5 16. b4 Rfc8 17. Qc5 axb4 18. axb4 Be8 19. Ra1 Qd8 20. Ng3 g6 21. f3 b6 22. Qc3 Qe7 23. Rfe1 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Nf7 25. Bf1 Nxe5 26. dxe5 Nd7 27. f4 Nf8 28. Ne2 c5 29. bxc5 bxc5 30. Nd4 Rb8 31. Nf3 Ne6 32. Ra6 c4 33. Qd2 Nc5 34. Qxd5+ Bf7 35. e6 Nxe6 36. Bxc4 Ng5 37. Qd3 Nxf3+ 38. gxf3 Re8 39. Kg2 Qc5 40. Bxf7+ Kxf7 41. e4 Re7 42. e5 Rb7 43. Ra2 Kg7 44. Qd8 Rb1 45. Qf6+ Kh6 46. Kh3 Qe3 47. Qg5+ Kg7 48. Qf6+ Kh6 49. Qh4+ Kg7 50. Qe7+ Kh6 51. Qh4+ Kg7 52. Rf2 Qc5 53. Qf6+ Kh6 54. Rg2 Rb8 55. Rg5 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C34"] [WhiteElo "2863"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 $2 {The most entertaining of Carlsen's bad openings, but it *is* a bad opening. (With all due respect to King's Gambit fans. Let me insist right away that I love seeing strong players trot it out - it's very entertaining! And at the club level, especially low-to-mid levels, it's 100% playable. But I've gotta call a spade a spade, and the KG is not a good opening, objectively speaking.)} exf4 3. Nf3 Nf6 (3... g5 {is probably best, and Fischer's}) (3... d6 {is also very good. There are other fully playable moves, but if Black wants to punish White he should probably choose one of these two moves.}) 4. e5 Nh5 5. Qe2 (5. d4) ({and} 5. Be2 {are the most common moves, but Carlsen's move is also well known.}) 5... Be7 6. d4 O-O 7. Nc3 (7. g4 fxg3 8. Qg2 {is the usual, for better or worse. (Probably for worse.)} d6 9. hxg3 Bg4 10. Nh2 Be6 $19) 7... d6 (7... d5) 8. Bd2 Bg4 9. O-O-O Nd7 10. Qe1 c6 (10... c5 $142 $17) 11. Be2 Re8 12. g3 dxe5 $2 13. Nxe5 $2 (13. dxe5 $14) 13... Nxe5 14. dxe5 f3 15. Bd3 $2 (15. Bc4 $15) 15... Qd4 $17 {/-+} 16. Qe4 {A sad necessity.} Qxe4 17. Nxe4 f2 18. Rdf1 Bf3 19. g4 $2 (19. Nxf2) 19... Bh4 $1 $19 {Very nice. Ding is on top of the tactics, and the S. S. Carlsen is about to sink.} 20. gxh5 Rxe5 $1 21. Ng3 Rae8 $1 22. Bc3 Bg5+ 23. Kb1 Bxh1 (23... Bxh1 24. Bxe5 Rxe5 25. b3 Re1+ 26. Kb2 Rxf1 27. Bxf1 Bf3 $19) 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A81"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2784"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nd2 Nc6 5. d5 Ne5 6. b3 Bg7 7. Bb2 Nf7 8. h4 c6 9. c4 O-O 10. Nh3 e5 11. dxe6 dxe6 12. Qc2 e5 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. e4 a5 15. a3 f4 16. gxf4 Bxh3 17. Bxh3 exf4 18. e5 Nh5 19. Nf3 Rad8 20. Bg4 Nxe5 21. Bxh5 gxh5 22. Rxd8 Nxf3 23. Rxf8+ Qxf8 24. Qe4 Bxb2+ 25. Kxb2 Qf6+ 26. Ka2 Nxh4 27. Qe8+ Kg7 28. Qxh5 Qc3 29. Qxh4 Qc2+ 30. Ka1 Qc3+ 31. Kb1 Qxb3+ 32. Kc1 Qxa3+ 33. Kd2 Qb2+ 34. Kd3 Qb3+ 35. Ke4 Qxc4+ 36. Kf3 Qd3+ 37. Kxf4 Qd4+ 38. Kg3 Qxh4+ 39. Kxh4 Kf6 40. Ra1 b5 41. Rxa5 Ke5 42. Ra6 c5 43. Ra5 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A45"] [WhiteElo "2736"] [BlackElo "2778"] [PlyCount "164"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 g6 3. Bxf6 exf6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Ne2 O-O 6. h4 h5 7. Nf4 d5 8. c4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Kh8 10. Nc3 c6 11. d5 f5 12. dxc6 Qxd1+ 13. Rxd1 bxc6 14. Rc1 Nd7 15. O-O Ne5 16. Be2 Bf6 17. g3 Bb7 18. Na4 Rad8 19. Nc5 Bc8 20. Rc2 Rd6 21. Rfc1 Rfd8 22. b3 Rd2 23. Kg2 Be7 24. Kf1 Kg7 25. Ke1 Rxe2+ 26. Rxe2 Bxc5 27. Rxc5 Nf3+ 28. Kf1 Ba6 29. Kg2 Bxe2 30. Nxe2 Ne1+ 31. Kf1 Nf3 32. Ng1 Nxg1 33. Kxg1 Rd6 34. Ra5 Rd7 35. Kf1 Kf6 36. Ke2 Ke6 37. b4 Kd6 38. a3 Rc7 39. Kd3 Re7 40. Ra6 Kd5 41. Ra4 Rd7 42. Ra5+ Ke6+ 43. Kc2 f6 44. Ra6 Kd5 45. Kd3 Ke5+ 46. Ke2 Kd5 47. f3 Rc7 48. Kd3 Rd7 49. Ra5+ Kd6 50. Kc3 Re7 51. Kd4 Rd7 52. Kc4 Re7 53. Kd3 Rd7 54. Ke2 Re7 55. Kf2 Rb7 56. e4 fxe4 57. fxe4 Rc7 58. Ra6 Ke5 59. Ke3 c5 60. Ra5 Kd6 61. bxc5+ Rxc5 62. Rxa7 Rc3+ 63. Kf4 g5+ 64. Kf5 Rf3+ 65. Kg6 Rxg3 66. Kxf6 gxh4 67. e5+ Kc6 68. a4 Rf3+ 69. Ke6 Ra3 70. Rh7 Rxa4 71. Rxh5 Re4 72. Ke7 h3 73. e6 Re3 74. Rh6 Kc7 75. Kf7 Kd6 76. e7+ Kd7 77. Rxh3 Rxe7+ 78. Kf6 Re6+ 79. Kf5 Rd6 80. Re3 Rd5+ 81. Re5 Kd6 82. Rxd5+ Kxd5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A20"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2764"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. c4 e5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nge2 O-O 5. a3 Be7 6. b4 a5 7. b5 c6 8. d4 d6 9. Bb2 Be6 10. d5 cxd5 11. cxd5 Bc8 12. Ng3 Nbd7 13. a4 Nc5 14. Ba3 Qb6 15. Bd3 Bg4 16. Qb1 Nxd3+ 17. Qxd3 Rfc8 18. O-O Qd8 19. h3 Bd7 20. Bb2 Rc5 21. f4 exf4 22. Rxf4 Rac8 23. Raf1 Kh8 24. Nge4 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.5"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2728"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 h6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nbd2 a5 9. Re1 a4 10. Nf1 Bg6 11. Ng3 c5 12. Bb5 a3 13. b3 Nc6 14. Qe2 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qb6 16. Be3 Bc5 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. b4 Bxd4 19. Bxd4 Qb5 20. Qg4 h5 21. Qh4 c5 22. bxc5 Nxc5 23. Ne2 Nd3 24. Rf1 Qc4 25. Ng3 Rb8 26. f4 Nc5 27. f5 exf5 28. Nxf5 Bxf5 29. Rxf5 Ne6 30. Raf1 Rb7 31. Rxh5 Rxh5 32. Qxh5 Nxd4 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Qh4+ Ke8 35. cxd4 Rb4 36. Qh8+ Ke7 37. Qxg7 Qxd4+ 38. Kh1 Qf2 39. Qg5+ Ke6 40. Qc1 Qe2 41. Qc6+ Kxe5 42. Qe8+ 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.04.30"] [Round "7.5"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2736"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2020.04.18"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. d3 Bc5 4. Nf3 d6 5. c3 Nf6 6. O-O h6 7. Re1 O-O 8. h3 a5 9. Nbd2 Bb6 10. Bb3 Be6 11. Nc4 Ba7 12. Ne3 Ne7 13. Bc2 c5 14. d4 cxd4 15. cxd4 Ng6 16. Nf5 Re8 17. Be3 d5 18. dxe5 Nxe4 19. Bxa7 Bxf5 20. Bd4 Nf4 21. Be3 Ne6 22. Bb3 N4c5 23. Qxd5 Nxb3 24. Qxb3 Be4 25. Nd2 Bd5 26. Qd3 Bc6 27. Qxd8 Rexd8 28. Nc4 a4 29. Rad1 Rd5 30. f4 Rad8 31. Nd6 f6 32. Rxd5 Bxd5 33. Bb6 Rd7 34. Be3 fxe5 35. fxe5 Bxa2 36. Kf2 Rc7 37. Kg3 Rc2 38. Rd1 Rxb2 39. Nf5 Bb1 40. Rd8+ Kh7 41. Nd6 Nxd8 0-1