[Event "Norway Chess 2021"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2021.09.07"] [Round "2"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2855"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] {[%evp 0,114,19,31,72,53,48,28,36,37,58,18,40,34,23,40,43,23,31,12,11,15,36, -12,21,26,26,0,0,-2,-9,-14,-12,15,13,13,-25,-13,-49,-34,16,14,55,43,47,54,54, 54,79,45,66,54,55,59,53,53,86,86,86,84,73,54,52,52,64,64,64,42,83,89,90,69,85, 85,85,82,129,150,139,120,116,113,159,141,141,140,283,285,332,339,347,311,314, 304,286,311,331,344,375,282,294,307,349,163,198,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 (3. d4) 3... e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. Re1 b6 {[%CAl Rc8b7] Carlsen goes for fast development.} ({Korobov chose instead to challenge the white bishop at once with} 5... a6 6. Bf1 (6. Ba4 $4 b5 7. Bb3 c4) 6... Ng6 7. c3 Be7 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 10. e5 O-O 11. Nc3 f6 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. Be3 Bd7 14. Bd3 Rc8 $14 {[%CAl Rc8c1] with a weird French in Giri,A (2776)-Korobov,A (2683) Zagreb 2021}) 6. d4 $146 {An obvious novelty.} ({An email game went} 6. c3 a6 7. Ba4 {[%CAl Ga4c2]} b5 8. Bc2 Bb7 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Ng6 11. Nc3 Na5 12. g3 Rc8 13. h4 {Nemchenko,V (2470)-Babic,D (2408) ICCF email 2014}) 6... cxd4 {This is needed.} ({As} 6... a6 7. Bxc6 Nxc6 8. d5 $1 {[%CAl Re1e8] is strong for White.}) 7. Nxd4 Bb7 {Also an accurate move. Black postpones the typical Taimanov trade.} ({With both knights standing on each other's road Black wants to get rid of them as a rule with} 7... Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Nc6 {However here White can pressurize thanks to} 9. Bxc6 dxc6 10. Qc3 $1 {[%CAl Rc3g7, Rc3c6]}) 8. Nc3 a6 9. Bf1 Nxd4 {Now he can.} 10. Qxd4 Nc6 11. Qe3 Bc5 (11... Qc7 {is perhaps a tad more accurate.}) 12. Qg3 O-O 13. e5 {Firouzja takes the f6- square away from the black queen, while opening the road for his knight.} ( {Since} 13. Bh6 {is met with} Qf6) ({There was an idea to capitalize on Black's last move with} 13. Na4 $5 {When} Bd4 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 b5 16. Nc5 {promises White better chances thanks to his dark-squared control.}) 13... f5 $1 {The white knight should not be allowed to e4 for free.} 14. exf6 Rxf6 15. Bg5 {Forcing matters.} ({Black does not experience any problems in case of} 15. Ne4 Rg6 16. Bg5 Be7 17. Bxe7 Nxe7) 15... Rxf2 $1 {Everything else loses.} ({ For example} 15... Bxf2+ 16. Qxf2 Rxf2 17. Bxd8 Rxf1+ $1) 16. Bxd8 Rf3+ 17. Kh1 Rxg3 18. Bxb6 {Very natural, winning a pawn. And a mistake $1} ({After} 18. hxg3 Rxd8 19. Ne4 Be7 20. Rad1 {Black has decent compensation for the exchange but this was the way to play it.}) 18... Bxb6 19. hxg3 Bf2 ({The drawback of the pawn grabbing would have been revealed by the move} 19... Rf8 $1 {[%CAl Gf8f6,Gf6h6] Unequivocally aiming at the h-file. Then} 20. Re4 ({Mate is not a joke as the line} 20. Rad1 Rf6 21. Re4 {[%CAl Ge4h4]} g5 $1 {confirms.}) 20... Nd4 21. Rf4 Nf5 $1 {Brings another attacker in, and Black is clearly on top} 22. Kh2 Rf6) 20. Re2 (20. Re4 $1 {was more accurate on the account of the above-mentioned threat.}) 20... Bxg3 ({This was the last moment for} 20... Rf8 $1 {True, this time White has} 21. Rd1 Rf6 22. Rxf2 $1 Rxf2 23. Ne4 Rxc2 24. Rxd7 Rxb2 25. Nc5 Na5 {which should be likely a draw.}) 21. Ne4 {Now Firouzja consolidates and his extra exchange matters.} Be5 22. Nc5 Bc8 23. c3 {[%CAl Re5b2]} d6 24. Ne4 ({Also interesting was the pressure against the black pawns with} 24. Nd3 Bf6 25. Nf4 Kf7) 24... Kf7 25. Rd1 {[%CAl Rd1d6]} ({Here too, a sudden retreat} 25. Nd2 $1 d5 26. Nf3 Bf4 27. c4 $1 {would have successfully pressurized the black center.}) 25... Ke7 26. g3 {[%CAl Ge5g3]} Rb8 27. Bg2 { [%CAl Gg2c6]} d5 {[%CAl Rg2a8,Ge6d5] That is questionable. Firouzja wants to see these pawns fixed without a doubt.} (27... Nd8 $5 {followed by Nd8-f7 looked more in the spirit of the position.}) 28. Nc5 Kd6 29. b4 {Putting pressure on the world champion.} a5 30. a3 axb4 31. axb4 Ra8 {[%csl Ra3,Ga7] [%CAl Ra8a3]} 32. Ne4+ Kc7 33. b5 dxe4 {Most likely a blunder.} ({Carlsen had better chances surviving with} 33... Nd8 $5 34. Ng5 Bxg3 35. c4 Kb6 $5 ({Or} 35... Ra3 $5)) 34. Rxe4 $1 {This might have been missed by the world champion.} ({He probably expected something along the lines of} 34. bxc6 Bxg3 35. Rf1 g5 36. Rf7+ Kd6 $1) 34... Ra3 35. Rc4 {[%CAl Rc4c7,Ra3c3,Re5c3,Gc4c3]} Rxc3 36. Rxc3 Bxc3 37. Rc1 $1 {[%csl Gc1][%CAl Rc1c7] Not even allowing the bishop pair to his mighty opponent $1} ({Strong enough seemed} 37. Bxc6 $5 Bf6 38. Kg2 Kb6 39. Kf3 e5 40. Ke4 {when the chances of a win for White and a draw seem about equal.}) 37... Na7 {Best.} ({Carlsen quickly figured out that his king will be in a mating cage after} 37... Bf6 38. Rxc6+ Kb8 39. b6) 38. Rxc3+ Kb6 39. Bc6 ( {Strong was the immediate infiltration with} 39. Rf3 $1 {[%CAl Rf3f7]} Nxb5 40. Rf7 {when White should be able to convert.}) 39... e5 {It is Carlsen's turn to miss a resource.} ({He could have saved himself a lot of trouble with} 39... Nxb5 $1 40. Bxb5 Bb7+ {This in-between check is the key $1} 41. Kh2 Kxb5 { and the draw is inevitable.}) 40. Kg1 Bf5 41. Be8 g6 42. Kf2 {Now after another consolidation Firouzja is winning.} h5 43. Ra3 $1 {The invaders are coming.} g5 (43... Nxb5 {is of course never possible due to} 44. Rb3 {[%CAl Rb3b5,Re8b5,Gb6b5]}) 44. Ra6+ Kb7 45. Rf6 Be4 46. Re6 h4 47. g4 $1 {Excellent technique $1 White wants to win both the enemy pawns.} ({After} 47. gxh4 gxh4 48. Rxe5 Bh1 {Black can at least hope.}) 47... Nc8 48. Rxe5 Nd6 49. Bd7 { Up to here Firouzja did a great job converting, but just a step away from the win starts missing the decisive continuations.} ({There were two convincing wins} 49. Bc6+ $1 Bxc6 50. bxc6+ Kxc6 51. Kg2 {picks up both the black pawns.}) ({And the other is equally good:} 49. Re6 $1 Kc7 50. b6+) 49... Kc7 50. Be6 ({ Here and on the next move the maneuver} 50. Bf5 $1 {[%CAl Rf5f6,Rf6f7,Rf7f8]} Bb7 51. Bd3 {would have still won for White.}) 50... Bb7 51. Ke3 {The last wrong step, made with just seconds on the clock. Now Carlsen escapes.} (51. Bf5 $1) 51... h3 52. Rxg5 ({Firouzja likely missed that in the line} 52. Bd5 { Black does not need to go for} Bxd5 ({Neither will he try} 52... h2 53. Re7+ $1 {[%CAl Ge7h7]} Kd8 54. Rxb7 {when White is again winning.}) ({But he would rather save himself thanks to the pretty} 52... Nc4+ $3 53. Bxc4 h2 $11) 53. Rxd5 h2 54. Rd1) 52... h2 53. Rh5 h1=Q {And the draw became inevitable.} 54. Rxh1 Bxh1 55. g5 Be4 56. Kd4 Bh7 57. Ke5 Ne4 1/2-1/2