[Event "GotM #25"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2004.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Ernst, Spike"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2484"]
[BlackElo "2474"]
[Annotator "Connaughton, Ken"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2004.??.??"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
1. e4 c6 {Caro-Kann Defense} 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 { Classical
Variation} 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 { Main Line} 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3
10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bf4 Ngf6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Ne4 Qa5 14. Kb1 O-O { Castling
on opposite sides promises a frenetic fight to the finish.} 15. Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.
Ne5 Rad8 17. Qe2 c5 18. Ng6 { White finds a nice tactic to win material.}
fxg6 {The game losing mistake. Now his defense will be torn apart with a
couple of devastating sacrifices.} (18... Rfe8 {would have kept Black in the
game.} 19. Nxe7+ Rxe7 20. dxc5 Red7 21. Rxd7 Rxd7) 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 20. hxg6
$1 {Doesn't simply regain the piece, he sees something more.} (20. Qxe7 {
simply leads to an equal position.}) 20... Ng8 {To support h6, he doesn't have
time to worry about the Bishop.} 21. Bxh6 {The time to be coy has passed,
he must follow in the same vein to speedily get to the King.} gxh6 22. Rxh6+
{ Having already given up material to open up the defense around the King,
White plays the exchange sacrifice to finally destroy the Black King's
security.} Nxh6 23. Qxe7 {[%CAl Re7h7]} Nf7 {Absolutely forced.} 24. gxf7 {
[%CAl Re7e5,Re5h8,Rf7g8,Rd1h1,Rh1h8]} ({If} 24. Rh1+ Kg7 25. gxf7 cxd4 {
and White's still winning but it's not so simple now.}) 24... Kg7 {Again
forced. Black is trying to solve his problems but White is just in time with
the decisive final push.} 25. Rd3 {[%CAl Rd3g3] Crucially the White Queen
is locking the Black Queen out of White's home rank, allowing the Rook to
enter the attack in a timely manner.} Rd6 26. Rg3+ (26. Qxd6 Qe1+ 27. Rd1
Qxd1#) 26... Rg6 27. Qe5+ Kxf7 28. Qf5+ Rf6 {Understandable to want to hold
the Rook, but the move has hastened the end.} (28... Ke8 {or 28...Ke7 was best
though White was still winning:} 29. Re3+ Kd8 30. Qxf8+ Kd7 31. Qe8+ Kc7 32.
Re7+ Kb6 33. Qxg6+ Kb5 34. c4+ Kb4 35. a3+ Kxc4 36. b3+ Kxb3 37. Qc2+ Kxa3 38.
Re3+ Qc3 39. Qxc3+ Ka4 40. Qxc5 a5 41. Ra3#) 29. Qd7# { Nice finish.} 1-0
