[Event "World Championship"]
[Site "Dubai"]
[Date "2021.11.28"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2782"]
[BlackElo "2855"]
[Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[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
{From one Anti-Marshall line to the other.} (8. h3 {was played in the first
game of the match, when Carlsen replied with the rare} Na5 {. Alas, we aren't
given the chance to see if Carlsen would repeat the move, or if it was only a
surprise meant for a single game.}) 8... Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 Re8 {The
sideline du jour. 10...Na5 is the historic main move, while 10...Nd7 is the
trendy option.} 11. Nf1 h6 12. Bd2 (12. Ne3 {is another common move, but after}
Bf8 {White generally plays} 13. Bd2 {anyway, transposing to the game. The
advantage of the move order in the game is the extra option on move 13.}) 12...
Bf8 13. Ne3 (13. c4 {is an alternative that has done very well, though the
games are all quite old by current computer standards.} bxc4 14. Bxc4 Rb8 15.
Bc3 {is probably critical, and now Black may try} Ne7 {, played in a 2001
rapid game between Kasparov and Tkachiev,} ({or} 15... d5 $146 {.})) 13... Ne7
14. c4 bxc4 (14... c6 {has also been tried with some regularity and success.})
15. Nxc4 (15. Bxc4 {, threatening Qb3, should be met by} Qd7 $1 $146) 15... Nc6
$146 {Both players moved quickly to this point, but now Nepo slowed down a
little, and then Carlsen slowed down even more.} (15... Rb8 {was played in an
earlier game, and was well met by} 16. Ncxe5 $1 dxe5 17. Nxe5 {, with more
than enough for the piece.} Kh7 $2 (17... Ned5 $8 {had to be tried, when Black
has some compensation for the pawn after} 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Qxd5 20. Bc3
Bb4 21. Qc2 $14) 18. Bxf7 $18 {1-0 (41) Arakhamia Grant,K (2447)-Yildiz
Kadioglu,B (2244) Rijeka 2010}) 16. Rc1 {Preparing Na5.} ({After the immediate
} 16. Na5 {, Black has time to neutralize White's pressure with} Nxa5 17. Bxa5
Qd7 {followed by ...c5.}) 16... a5 {Carlsen spent 13 minutes on this move, so
he may have been out of his preparation at this point. His move stops White's
Na5 plan in the most direct way possible, but it does make the pawn itself a
bit of a weakness. (White could consider Bc3 followed by Qd2, for example.)}
17. Bc3 {Both looking for d4 possibilities and preparing Qd2.} Bc8 {Carlsen
finds a nice regrouping. It seems slow, but everything works just in time.} 18.
d4 {This looks appealing, but Black's response of taking twice followed by ...
Be6 and ...d5 results in a clear-cut equality.} ({In the post-game press
conference, Nepomniachtchi thought} 18. h3) ({and} 18. Ne3 {may have been
better, not rushing with d3-d4.}) ({As for the greedy/direct} 18. Qd2 {, it is
tamed by} Be6 {For example:} 19. Nxa5 Bxb3 20. Nxb3 Rxa4 $11) 18... exd4 19.
Nxd4 Nxd4 20. Qxd4 Be6 {Black threatens to play ...d5, and there's very little
if anything that White can do about it.} 21. h3 {After half an hour, seeing
that direct approaches go nowhere, Nepomniachtchi opts for this useful move,
waiting to see how Black reacts.} (21. Nxa5 $6 c5 22. Qd2 Bxb3 23. e5 $8 (23.
Nxb3 $2 Nxe4 $17) 23... Bxa4 24. exf6 g6 $15) (21. Bxa5 $2 Bxc4 22. Qxc4 Rxa5
23. Qxf7+ Kh8 24. Qxc7 Qa8 $19 {The extra piece greatly outweighs the three
pawns.}) (21. Bc2 d5 $11) (21. Rcd1 d5 22. exd5 Nxd5 $11) (21. Qd3 {Probably
the best try.} d5 $1 22. Bxf6 (22. exd5 Nxd5 23. Bxa5 Nb4 24. Qxd8 Raxd8 25.
Bxb4 Bxb4 26. Re4 Kf8 $44 {is a satisfactory Marshall Gambit-like ending.})
22... Qxf6 23. exd5 Bf5 24. Qf3 {Black has good compensation, but maybe White
retains some hopes, at least of keeping the game going.}) (21. Nd2 {was
proposed by Nepo after the game, and in response to a journalist's question
Carlsen offered} d5 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. Bxd5 Qxd5 24. Qxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxe8 Rxe8 26.
Bxa5 Ra8 27. Bxc7 Rxa4 28. Be5 f6 29. Bc3 Kf7 {and ...h5, opining that this
Marshall-style ending is a pretty easy draw for Black.}) 21... c6 {Defending
a5 and preparing ...d5.} ({The immediate} 21... d5 $11 {is also fine.}) 22. Bc2
{Unpinning the knight and possibly looking to play Qd3, with looming
possibilities against Black's king.} (22. Rcd1 d5 23. exd5 Nxd5 24. Ne5 {
is a reasonable alternative.}) 22... d5 23. e5 {Heading for a safe, drawn
ending where White has minimal chances to win without incurring even the
slightest risk.} ({White has nothing after} 23. exd5 Qxd5 ({or} 23... Nxd5) {
, and if he goes after the a-pawn with} 24. Qxd5 Nxd5 25. Bxa5 {he's a little
worse after} Nf6 $1 26. Be4 Ra6 27. Bc3 Nxe4 28. Rxe4 Rxa4 {.}) 23... dxc4 24.
Qxd8 Rexd8 25. exf6 Bb4 26. fxg7 Bxc3 27. bxc3 Kxg7 {If this were a pure pawn
ending, Black could resign. What about the bishop ending? There, it depends on
whether Black's king were sufficiently active; if it's not, he can get into
trouble.} 28. Kf1 Rab8 29. Rb1 Kf6 30. Rxb8 Rxb8 31. Rb1 Rxb1+ 32. Bxb1 {
White has achieved the desired (and desirable) rook swaps, but with ...Ke5 and
...f5-f4 Black achieves an essentially impregnable fortress.} Ke5 33. Ke2 (33.
g3 $4 {would be wonderful for White, intending f4+ (especially in case of 33...
f5), were it not for} Bxh3+ $19 {, when Black is winning after a subsequent ...
Bf5.}) 33... f5 34. Bc2 f4 35. Bb1 c5 36. Bc2 Bd7 {White is going nowhere.} 37.
f3 (37. Kf3 $6 Bc6+) 37... Kf6 38. h4 Ke5 39. Kf2 Kf6 40. Ke2 (40. g3 {is the
only thing that could count as a try, but it's not dangerous at all.} Ke5 41.
g4 Kf6 $11 {Not only does White lack a means of making progress, but he's also
somewhat stuck once Black plays ...Bc6, tying White down to the defense of not
only the a4-pawn but the one on f3 as well.}) 40... Ke5 41. Kf2 {A very good,
"correct" game by both players.} 1/2-1/2
