[Event "Eliteserien 2025-26"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2025.10.31"] [Round "1.11"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Elsness, Frode"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "A30"] [WhiteElo "2839"] [BlackElo "2418"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "71"] [GameId "2239130199359488"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] [WhiteTeam "Offerspill"] [BlackTeam "Asker"] {[%evp 0,71,22,0,11,5,19,8,-81,23,-67,15,35,8,36,50,-25,-4,-46,11,52,48,27,12,44,26,18,9,22,-38,32,24,-3,28,31,87,72,56,77,-4,3,30,60,36,145,249,185,230,161,231,208,182,121,192,1,148,179,168,150,185,158,137,209,173,436,388,448,403,419,466,523,430,436,545]} 1. c4 c5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 {A very minor line, almost certainly played to force his opponent onto his own resources rather than having any chance to kill the game with some good prep.} (5. Nc3 {is the main move, and probably (not coincidentally) White's best.}) 5... cxd4 6. Qxd4 Be6 {Almost a novelty. It's not that bad, but it's not as good as the more natural option.} (6... e6 {is better. White doesn't want to give up his beautiful fianchettoed bishop to give Black an isolated d-pawn, and if he doesn't the inconvenience to Black's queen's bishop isn't so serious.}) 7. Nf3 $146 Nc6 8. Qa4 (8. Qe4 $1 {is a nice move that's easy to miss, as White almost always plays Qh4 or Qa4 in such positions. What makes this position special is Black's awkwardly placed bishop on e6. Here White threatens Ng5.}) 8... Nb6 9. Qh4 Bf5 10. Nc3 e5 11. Bg5 f6 12. Rd1 Qe7 13. Be3 g5 (13... Qf7 {takes h5 away from White's queen, so ...g5 threatens to win a piece. Calling this a "threat" may be slightly ironic, however, in light of what happens in the game. In this position White can play} 14. g4 Be6 15. g5 $11 {, with a strategically wild but apparently equal position.}) 14. Nxg5 $5 (14. Qh5+ {is playable, but the endgame after} Qf7 15. Qxf7+ Kxf7 {is if anything very slightly in Black's favor. Carlsen would still be a favorite in the long run...but today Carlsen was more interested in the short run.}) 14... fxg5 15. Bxg5 Qb4 $2 {It looks good, offering a trade of queens while threatening to take on b2. But Elsness has underestimated the danger to his king; his queen needs to stay around his majesty to help keep him safe.} (15... Qf7 $142 16. O-O Rg8 17. e4 Bd7 18. Nb5 Rc8 19. Nd6+ Bxd6 20. Rxd6 Rg6 21. Rxg6 hxg6 22. f4 {Even after a couple of trades White's compensation remains undiminished.} Be6 $8 23. f5 $44 (23. Bh3 $44) (23. Rd1 exf4 24. Rd6 $44)) 16. Be4 $1 $18 Bxe4 17. a3 $1 Qa5 {Black understandably wants to prevent Nxe4, but the drawback of this move is that the queen is almost hopelessly out of play on a5.} 18. Qxe4 Be7 19. Bh6 $2 $11 {The move might even deserve two question marks, taking the game's evaluation from move than +4 to just about full equality.} (19. Bxe7 $1 Kxe7 (19... Nxe7 20. b4 $1 Qxa3 21. Nb5 $1 (21. Qxe5 $4 O-O 22. O-O $8 Ng6 $17 {is somehow good for Black after all those adventures.}) 21... Qb3 {Now 22.Nc7+ wins, but it's even better to play} 22. Nd6+ $1 {, e.g.} Kf8 23. Qxe5 Qxb4+ (23... Rg8 $2 24. Qf6+ Qf7 25. Qxf7#) (23... Kg8 24. Qxe7 $18) 24. Kf1 $18) 20. O-O {followed, for example, by Qh4+ and Ne4, looking to break through on d6 and elsewhere. Black is completely lost.}) 19... Nd7 $2 {Prosperity and the chances for it tend not to stick around very long if one plays Magnus Carlsen. Elsness immediately goes astray.} (19... Qc5 $1 {(or 19...Qa6 for the same reason) was critical, aiming to bring the queen back into the action via the c4 square. Or to put it another way, undoing the damage done on move 15.} 20. Bg7 Rg8 21. Qxh7 Qc4 22. Bxe5 $1 Nxe5 23. Rd5 $1 Nxd5 $1 24. Qxg8+ Bf8 25. Qe6+ (25. Qxd5 $5 Qxd5 26. Nxd5 Rc8 27. O-O $8 Rc2 {will collect a pawn, making it only three White pawns for Black's extra bishop. Black's pieces are somewhat more relevant than White's kingside pawn mass, so he is at least a touch better.}) 25... Be7 26. Qg8+ Bf8 $11) 20. O-O $18 O-O-O 21. Nd5 $6 $16 {Going for a non-standard opening and middlegame served Carlsen well insofar as his opponent was unable to navigate the fresh territory well. But it has proved a challenge for Carlsen as well. Ultimately though, it's a bit like the joke about the two guys about to be chased by a bear. One is lacing up his sneakers and the other asks what he's doing. "You can't outrun a bear!", he exclaims. The reply: "I don't have to outrun the bear; I just have to outrun you!" Carlsen doesn't have to "outrun" Stockfish, only Elsness - and he does.} (21. b4 $1 Qxa3 $1 22. Nd5 $1 {Otherwise Black is winning.} Bxb4 (22... Bd6 23. Ra1 Qb2 24. Be3 $1 Qxe2 25. Rfc1 $18 {Too many barbarians are at the game for Black to repel them all.}) 23. Ra1 $1 Qb2 24. Rfb1 Qd4 25. Qxd4 exd4 26. Nxb4 $18) 21... Kb8 $2 (21... Nb6 $142) 22. Nxe7 Nxe7 23. Bg5 $18 Rhe8 24. Qh4 $1 Nc6 (24... Ng6 25. Bxd8 Qxd8 26. Qxh7 $18) 25. e3 $5 (25. Qxh7 $1 $18) (25. Bxd8 $18) 25... Nf8 26. Bxd8 Nxd8 27. Qh5 Re7 28. Rd6 (28. Qh6 $142) (28. Qf5 $142) 28... Qc7 29. Rfd1 Nf7 30. Rf6 (30. R6d5 $142) 30... a6 (30... Qc4 $142) 31. b4 $6 (31. Qf5) 31... Ng6 $2 {White was winning in any case, but this speeds up the process.} (31... Qc4 {and now White has only one move that keeps a winning advantage.} 32. Qf5 $1 Kc7 33. Qb1 $1 Kb8 34. Rc1 Qd5 35. Qc2 Ka7 36. h4 $18) 32. Qxh7 Ngh8 33. Qf5 Ka7 34. h4 e4 35. Re6 Ne5 36. Rxe7 (36. Rxe7 Qxe7 37. Qxe4 $18 {leaves White with a rook and four(!!) pawns for the two knights. It's no contest.}) 1-0