[Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "1"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2789"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,116,24,18,87,66,74,69,69,60,91,47,69,10,30,11,24,34,59,53,50,48,48,48, 18,23,23,21,73,34,43,52,54,21,44,49,39,44,31,45,82,-37,46,14,54,97,64,24,65,51, 42,42,28,60,76,69,73,17,31,22,28,22,22,22,29,28,43,44,44,23,81,81,81,0,0,-20, -27,-27,-27,-9,-15,-75,-66,-71,-71,-64,-2,-67,-67,-75,-67,-80,-50,-46,-54,-72, -50,-65,-90,-90,-86,-212,-212,-253,-253,-253,-253,-253,-253,-253,-253,-253, -159,-537,-167,-167,-210,-1220,-1384]} 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. Qd2 b5 6. O-O-O Nd7 7. h4 h6 8. f3 Nb6 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. Nh3 e6 11. g4 Ne7 12. Kb1 Nc6 13. Ne2 Qe7 14. Nf2 O-O-O 15. b3 Kb8 16. f4 f5 17. h5 fxe4 18. Bxe4 gxh5 19. Rxh5 Rhf8 20. Nd3 Qe8 21. Re1 Ne7 22. Bxb7 Kxb7 23. Nc3 Ned5 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. f5 exf5 26. Bxh6 Bxh6 27. Rxh6 Qf7 28. Qg2 fxg4 29. Nb4 c6 30. Nxd5 Qxd5 31. Qxg4 Rf7 32. Qh4 Rfd7 33. Re7 Kc7 34. Rhh7 c5 35. Qe1 b4 36. a3 Qxd4 37. axb4 Qxb4 38. Qe6 Qb5 39. Kb2 Qc6 40. c4 Rxe7 41. Rxe7+ Rd7 42. Re8 Kb7 43. Qg8 Ka7 44. Qh8 Qb7 45. Re2 Rf7 46. Qd8 Rd7 47. Qh8 a5 48. Qe8 a4 49. Re3 d5 50. Qf8 Qb4 51. Re7 Qxb3+ 52. Ka1 Qc3+ 53. Kb1 Qd3+ 54. Ka1 Qd1+ 55. Kb2 a3+ 56. Kxa3 $2 (56. Ka2 {still leaves Black with no more than a draw.}) 56... Qc1+ $2 (56... Qa1+ 57. Kb3 dxc4+ 58. Kc2 Qd1+ 59. Kb2 c3+ 60. Kxc3 Qd2+ 61. Kb3 c4+ 62. Ka4 Qa2+ 63. Kb4 Qb3+ 64. Kc5 Qa3+ {and Black finally wins the rook (and with it, the game).}) 57. Ka2 Qxc4+ {There have been many good games, and the play has generally been at the level you'd expect from super-GMs. But it is a short time control, and there have been plenty of blunders, too, starting from round 1. Here's one of them:} 58. Ka1 $4 ({After} 58. Kb2 {there is no way for Black to set up a winning fork. Worse still, for Black, he can't keep both extra pawns without allowing a perpetual, so this position is still a draw.}) 58... Qa6+ {Next up, ...Qb7+ followed by ...Rxe7.} 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "1"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C41"] [WhiteElo "2781"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,54,18,10,18,18,60,68,72,22,26,23,26,12,11,-32,-15,-15,-4,6,8,18,19, -22,-11,-16,-15,-30,-12,-109,21,8,53,-29,151,56,64,31,70,9,0,-36,-51,-58,-59, -12,-12,-196,-117,-658,-551,-616,-589,-647,-483,-29997,-29998]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 O-O 8. h3 Nc6 9. Qe3 Re8 10. O-O-O Be6 11. g4 a6 12. Rg1 b5 13. g5 Nh7 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. Rxd5 Nb4 16. gxh6 Bxh4 17. Rxg7+ Kh8 18. Rf5 Bf6 {Thus far, a brilliant attack by Aronian. In a slower game, he probably would have seen it through to a successful conclusion, but it proved too difficult in g/15.} 19. Rxf7 $2 (19. Qb3 $1 $18) 19... Rf8 $11 20. Rxf8+ (20. Rg7 $1 Bxg7 21. hxg7+ Kxg7 22. Qd4+ Kg8 23. Qxb4 $11) (20. R5xf6 $1 Nxf6 21. Ng5 Qe8 $1 22. Rg7 $11) 20... Qxf8 21. e5 dxe5 ( 21... Re8 $142 $15) 22. Nxe5 Qg8 $11 23. Qf3 $2 (23. Qe4 $11) 23... Re8 24. Ng4 $2 {After the last move White was in some trouble, but he's completely gone after this move.} Qxa2 25. Kd2 Qa1 26. Ne3 Bxb2 27. Bd3 (27. Qd1 {isn't great, but it avoids an immediate mate.}) 27... Bc3+ (27... Bc3+ 28. Ke2 Qe1#) 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [WhiteElo "2847"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,67,18,-6,24,9,42,11,14,1,12,27,52,14,10,-3,0,-41,-40,-40,-40,-39,-40, -31,0,18,10,-28,-33,-50,-39,-72,-48,-32,-38,-81,-48,-67,-77,-97,-76,-54,-65, -86,-48,-52,15,-11,24,3,3,-23,-6,-23,0,0,0,0,0,0,-38,24,24,24,94,104,106,106, 125,152]} 1. c3 {The Saragossa Opening, if I recall correctly.} b6 {This seems unlikely to be the "refutation", but it makes sense to play a move that tries to render 1.c3 pointless.} 2. e4 Bb7 3. d3 e6 4. Nd2 d5 5. Ngf3 Nf6 6. e5 Nfd7 7. d4 c5 {Suddenly, it's a French (of sorts).} 8. h4 Nc6 9. Bd3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nb4 11. Be2 Qc8 12. O-O Ba6 13. Bxa6 Qxa6 14. Ne1 Rc8 15. h5 Be7 16. a3 Nc6 17. Qg4 g5 18. Ndf3 h6 19. Be3 Qe2 20. b4 Nd8 21. Qh3 f5 $2 {Carlsen now produces a wonderful idea.} (21... Rg8 $11 {/=/+}) 22. exf6 $8 Nxf6 23. Ne5 $1 { Probably forced in any case, but it's great all the same. Black collects his pawn, but after} Qxh5 24. Qxh5+ Nxh5 25. N1d3 $14 {White has a pleasant edge despite being a pawn down. Black's forces are restricted, and while he's trying to coordinate his forces White will grab even more space.} Bd6 26. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 27. Rxc1 Rh7 28. Rc8 Rc7 29. Ra8 Nf6 $2 (29... Bxe5 30. Nxe5 (30. dxe5 $2 d4 $1) 30... Ke7 {was necessary.}) 30. b5 $18 Ke7 $2 (30... Nd7 $142) 31. Ng6+ $1 Kd7 (31... Ke8 $142) 32. Nde5+ Bxe5 33. Nxe5+ Ke7 34. Bd2 $1 {There aren't many pieces on the board and Black remains a pawn ahead, but White's perfect coordination wins the game.} (34. Bd2 $1 Rb7 (34... Ne4 35. Bb4+ Nd6 36. Bxd6+ $18) 35. Bb4+ Ke8 36. Nc6 Rd7 37. a4 Ne4 38. a5 {helps make the win clear. If Black does nothing, White plays a6, takes on a7, and then the a-pawn will either promote or win "only" a piece (if Black is fortunate). If Black takes on a5 instead, then 39.Bxa5 the knight on d8 drops. Either way, Black is losing at least a piece.}) 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "2"] [White "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D32"] [WhiteElo "2673"] [BlackElo "2701"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,58,24,24,24,-4,-4,4,81,52,51,56,100,118,39,22,83,-17,-21,-2,-6,16,21, -8,-3,10,23,18,18,23,42,21,9,-74,49,-109,64,41,55,29,36,35,53,35,45,43,48,-5, -16,-8,-8,-8,0,-3,-11,-36,-6,-24,3,-525,-523]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 cxd4 $5 {The ever-entertaining Von Hennig-Schara Gambit. It's a rare bird in GM play, but as a surprise weapon once in a blue moon it's worth considering.} 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Qxd5 Nf6 (7... Nc6 {is more common, but not strictly necessary.}) 8. Qd1 (8. Qxb7 {is playable, but inferior to Anton's move.} Nc6 {and now} 9. Qb3 {is probably a better choice than the more usual 9.Bf4.}) 8... Bc5 9. e3 O-O {Castling short is unusual in this gambit. Black's excuse for giving away the pawn generally relies on two benefits: speedy development (which he retains here) and the chance to attack more vigorously with the kings castled on opposite flanks (this he has forsaken). It's safer to play this way, but the increased safety extends to both players.} (9... Nc6 10. Nf3 Qe7 11. Be2 O-O-O 12. O-O g5 {reaches the main line of the VHS Gambit (not to be confused with the Betamax Gambit, which was considered refuted by 1988).* This far more frequently comes about via a 7...Nc6 move order. * It's a joke. If you don't get it, ask your parents.}) 10. Nf3 Qe7 11. Be2 Rd8 12. Qc2 Nc6 13. a3 Rac8 14. O-O Bd6 15. Bd2 (15. h3) 15... Ne5 16. Rad1 (16. Nd4) 16... Bc7 (16... Nxf3+ $142 17. Bxf3 h5) 17. Bc1 (17. Nd4 $142) 17... h5 $2 18. Nd4 (18. Ng5 $1 $18) 18... Nc6 19. h3 $2 (19. Nf3 Ne5 20. Ng5 $1) 19... Nxd4 20. Rxd4 Qe5 $11 {Now Black is fine.} 21. f4 Qe7 22. Bf3 Bb6 23. Rb4 (23. Rdd1 $142) 23... Bc6 24. Bxc6 Rxc6 25. Kh1 (25. Kh2 $142 $11) 25... Ba5 26. Ra4 Bxc3 27. bxc3 b5 (27... Qc7 $142 $15) 28. Rb4 Qc5 {As noted in an earlier game, there have been plenty of blunders in the event (and I will not cover them all). Here's another example, showing once again the perils of short time controls even for elite GMs.} 29. a4 $4 (29. Qe2 $11) 29... Qxb4 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "2"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Dubov, Daniil"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B22"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,137,24,18,47,21,22,-38,-37,-37,8,27,47,47,47,47,62,62,62,54,85,85,85, 85,83,56,43,4,56,48,39,52,29,39,79,30,59,17,1,12,60,-31,77,0,43,61,64,0,-2,11, -1,74,23,8,-13,-9,-25,65,56,55,55,55,55,55,55,105,100,100,102,100,100,123,142, 141,157,172,172,172,179,171,172,149,149,130,130,130,130,138,138,153,153,136, 123,124,124,123,125,125,125,120,133,132,157,130,143,143,178,162,170,172,176, 165,167,192,165,199,202,208,216,211,210,181,174,198,164,169,188,166,188,164, 167,180,174,174,596,15,15,18,12,0]} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 Nc6 6. Nf3 e5 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Bd2 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 e4 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Ne7 12. Qa4+ Bd7 13. Qa3 Qe6 14. Rd1 O-O 15. Be2 Nf5 16. O-O Bc6 17. Bg4 Qg6 18. Bxf5 Qxf5 19. Qc5 Rfd8 20. Qxa7 h5 21. Qe3 Rd3 22. Rxd3 exd3 23. f3 Rxa2 24. Rd1 Bb5 25. e6 fxe6 26. Qd4 Qg6 27. Re1 Ra4 28. Qd8+ Kh7 29. Re5 Ra1+ 30. Kf2 d2 31. Qxd2 Rf1+ 32. Ke3 Qh6+ 33. Kd4 Qxd2+ 34. Bxd2 Be8 35. Rxe6 Bf7 36. Re7 Kg6 37. Ke3 Rh1 38. h3 b5 39. Rb7 Rg1 40. g4 Rg3 41. gxh5+ Kf6 42. Bc3+ Ke6 43. Kf4 Rxh3 44. Kg4 Rh1 45. Rxb5 Rg1+ 46. Kf4 Rh1 47. Kg4 Rg1+ 48. Kf4 Rh1 49. Bxg7 Bxh5 50. Bc3 Kd6 51. Kg3 Bf7 52. f4 Be8 53. Ra5 Bd7 54. f5 Rf1 55. Kg4 Ke7 56. Bd4 Kf7 57. Kg5 Rd1 58. Rd5 Bc8 59. Rd8 Ba6 60. Rd7+ Ke8 61. Rd6 Bc4 62. Kf6 Bb3 63. Rb6 Bc2 64. Re6+ Kd7 65. Re7+ Kc6 {Is this a win for White, or a draw, with best play by both sides? I'm not sure, and it doesn't really matter. White can play for a long time, and Black will have to suffer on his way to a likely loss. At least that's how it would go for most players, but Dubov is very alert, and quickly avoids further misery.} 66. Be5 $2 {This looks reasonable. If Black misses the threat of Rc7+ the game will end speedily, and if doesn't, then the bishop can go back to c3. Why c3? It's not the only good square for the bishop, but it's handy to have the bishop and the b-pawn anchoring each other. There's also a Black threat to attend to: were it not for the threat of Rc7+, Black would pick up White's f-pawn with ...Rf1. So while the bishop needn't be on c3, it does need to stay away from e5 so the rook go there to defend the pawn. But it's no big deal, right? Black has to address the threat of 67.Rc7+, and when he does White will play 67.Bc3, and things will proceed as expected. Or so White thought...} (66. Bc3 {was better, followed by a hundred moves of the aforementioned torture.}) 66... Rf1 $3 67. Rc7+ Kd5 $1 68. Rxc2 Rxf5+ $1 69. Kxf5 {What an excellent trick - stalemate!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B36"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2847"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,115,24,18,52,42,96,94,60,50,48,28,34,21,23,31,22,7,-2,-2,-6,12,30,35, 46,55,38,67,56,50,48,61,69,46,47,42,52,24,38,45,59,52,72,84,84,103,78,96,82,77, 94,98,75,79,97,93,96,96,88,46,96,77,81,87,87,85,90,72,88,88,97,97,99,97,93,110, 110,113,110,97,113,120,131,138,140,127,127,129,137,110,100,119,124,118,143,135, 212,143,143,112,134,141,155,164,169,153,160,153,176,156,144,136,148,151,166, 191,827,1095] Carlsen started off with two convincing victories and an easy draw with Black in round 3, while Giri started with a pair of draws and a win in round 3. Things had perhaps gone too easily for Carlsen up to now, and Giri makes him pay.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Be2 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qd3 a5 11. Be3 Bd7 12. Bd4 Bc6 13. b3 Nd7 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Qd4+ Kg8 16. Rfd1 Qb6 17. Qxb6 Nxb6 18. f4 f5 19. exf5 Rxf5 20. g3 g5 21. Bd3 Rc5 22. Re1 Re8 23. Ne4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 gxf4 25. Rxf4 Nd7 26. Re1 Ne5 27. Be4 b5 28. cxb5 Rxb5 29. Rh4 Rb4 30. Bxh7+ Kg7 31. Be4 a4 32. bxa4 Rxa4 33. Re2 Rh8 34. Rxh8 Kxh8 35. Bd5 Ra5 36. Bb3 Nc6 37. Rd2 Kg7 38. Kg2 Ne5 39. h3 Nd7 40. Re2 Kf8 41. Rf2+ Nf6 42. g4 Kg7 43. Rf4 d5 44. g5 Ne4 45. Bxd5 Nxg5 46. Bb3 e5 47. Ra4 Rc5 48. Rc4 Ra5 49. h4 Ne6 50. Ra4 Nf4+ 51. Kf3 Rc5 52. Rc4 Ra5 53. Rc7+ Kh6 54. Bc2 Ra3+ 55. Kg4 Nd3 56. Kf5 Nb4 57. Be4 { Giri's grinding is paying off. It seems that he's winning even against best play by the champion, but Black's next move is anything but best.} Rxa2 $4 ( 57... Nd3 58. Rc6+ $1 Kh5 (58... Kg7 59. Rg6+ Kf8 60. Rg3 $18) 59. Rc8 Kxh4 60. Ra8 {is winning, though this may not have been obvious under the circumstances. }) 58. Kg4 $1 {There's no sensible defense to the threat of 59.Rh7#.} 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "5"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C53"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,58,19,38,25,16,10,5,13,1,21,2,27,29,10,-23,-1,-22,5,6,2,-8,34,-27,9, 15,17,7,13,13,20,32,48,38,33,8,-13,19,13,5,22,30,26,-1,-35,-17,0,-20,-13,-5, -38,-15,0,-25,-25,-25,-41,-216,-217,-455,-435]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 a6 8. h3 Ba7 9. a4 h6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Qc2 Be6 12. Bxe6 Rxe6 13. b4 Qd7 14. Rb1 Rd8 15. b5 Ne7 16. d4 Ng6 17. Nf1 axb5 18. Rxb5 c6 19. Rb3 d5 20. exd5 cxd5 21. dxe5 Ne4 22. Be3 Qxa4 23. Qb2 Bxe3 24. Nxe3 Nc5 25. Rb4 Qe8 26. Rd1 Nxe5 27. Nxe5 Rxe5 28. c4 $4 (28. Rbd4 $11) 28... d4 29. Rxd4 (29. Nd5 Re1+ 30. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 31. Kh2 d3 $19 (31... Nd3 $19)) (29. Nf1 Na4 {Best, but not the only winning move.} 30. Qd2 Re2 31. Qf4 d3 { followed in most cases by ...Nb2, ...d2, and reaping.}) 29... Rxe3 (29... Rxe3 30. fxe3 (30. Rxd8 Re1+ $19) 30... Qxe3+ $19) 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.13"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C77"] [WhiteElo "2847"] [BlackElo "2673"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "169"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,169,27,21,21,15,5,21,17,1,5,0,-10,-10,4,13,7,15,37,42,33,20,53,37,31, 22,34,46,57,19,32,40,44,0,8,5,7,11,11,5,11,4,27,36,30,31,25,17,23,12,14,20,12, 11,18,2,-10,0,30,17,0,0,39,37,28,39,52,54,49,53,52,49,62,59,71,64,95,94,101,76, 69,74,71,68,78,84,110,87,110,114,110,110,110,110,110,110,110,109,101,99,99,123, 117,128,117,128,123,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,91,70,91,73,69,67, 67,66,67,65,67,65,67,67,67,65,67,67,65,67,65,65,65,65,65,23,65,56,72,72,119, 116,116,116,109,110,126,130,147,171,181,183,183,183,183,202,209,162,240,274, 280,283] Only one comment: this game is a nice illustration of the advantage of having fewer pawn islands than one's opponent (all else being equal, obviously). White's compact pawn structure left him essentially impervious to any possible counterplay, while Black had to suffer forever defending this loose pawn and that. Eventually and unsurprisingly, he failed to keep it all together.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nc3 Qe7 8. h3 Nd7 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 Nb6 11. a4 a5 12. Qd2 Bd7 13. b3 Nc8 14. g4 h5 15. O-O-O Nd6 16. Ne2 b6 17. Qc3 f6 18. Ng3 hxg4 19. hxg4 O-O-O 20. Nf5 Bxf5 21. gxf5 Kb7 22. Kb2 Qf7 23. Nd2 g6 24. fxg6 Qxg6 25. Nc4 Nxc4+ 26. Qxc4 Qg5 27. Rhf1 Rd6 28. Rf3 Qg7 29. Rdf1 Rh2 30. Qc3 Re2 31. R1f2 Rxf2 32. Rxf2 Qg3 33. Qd2 Qg5 34. Rg2 Qh6 35. Rh2 Qg5 36. Qf2 Qg6 37. Rh8 Qg5 38. Qf3 Qg7 39. Qh3 Rd7 40. Re8 Qh7 41. Qf5 Qxf5 42. exf5 b5 43. Kc3 Kb6 44. Rf8 Rd6 45. Rf7 Kb7 46. Kb2 Kb6 47. Ka3 Kb7 48. b4 axb4+ 49. Kxb4 bxa4 50. Kxa4 Kb6 51. Kb4 Kb7 52. Kc4 Kb6 53. c3 c5 54. e4 Kc6 55. Rf8 Kb6 56. Ra8 Rd7 57. Re8 Rd6 58. Re7 Kc6 59. Rf7 Kb6 60. Kb3 Kc6 61. Kc2 Kb6 62. c4 Kb7 63. Kd2 Kc8 64. Ke2 Kd8 65. Ke3 Kc8 66. Rf8+ Kd7 67. Rh8 Ke7 68. Ra8 Kd7 69. Ra5 Kc6 70. Ra3 Kd7 71. Kf3 Ke7 72. Kg4 Kf7 73. Kh5 Rd8 74. Ra7 Rh8+ 75. Kg4 Rc8 76. Ra5 Ke7 77. Rxc5 c6 78. Kf3 Kd6 79. Ra5 Rh8 80. c5+ Kc7 81. Ra7+ Kb8 82. Rf7 Rh6 83. Ke3 Kc8 84. Kd2 Kd8 85. Kc3 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Anton Guijarro, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C83"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2673"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,73,27,21,15,5,5,17,25,-10,-13,-13,39,-64,-40,-27,-11,-12,17,-77,-39, -57,-4,-6,5,14,9,19,44,30,11,-1,51,-58,-46,-50,14,-33,-29,-24,-24,3,17,3,1,-5, -37,0,56,72,85,-49,101,70,92,103,130,44,128,88,81,81,78,68,68,97,92,-78,126, 126,157,157,150,196,192,99]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. Re1 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 15. Nf1 Bc5 16. Ng3 $146 ({In previous games, White had been understandably concerned to avoid the weakening of his kingside we're about to see.} 16. Be3) 16... Bxf3 17. gxf3 Qd6 18. Kg2 Rae8 (18... Rad8 $142) 19. Rxe8 Rxe8 (19... Nxe8 $142) 20. Bg5 $16 Ne5 (20... Rf8 $142) (20... Ne7 $142) 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. f4 Ng6 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. f5 d4 (24... g5 {was ugly but preferable all the same. Black cannot avoid the opening of lines, but he can try to minimize the damage.}) 25. Qf3 $18 Re5 $2 26. fxg6 Qd5 27. h4 Kg7 28. h5 dxc3 29. bxc3 Bd6 30. Rh1 Kh6 31. Rh4 Qxf3+ 32. Kxf3 Rc5 33. Rg4 Bf8 34. Rf4 Rxc3+ 35. Kg4 Kg7 36. Nf5+ Kg8 37. Re4 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B22"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2759"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,92,24,11,51,6,-7,-17,-6,-7,6,11,24,24,24,16,42,49,47,47,47,32,28,37, 59,59,45,-7,49,39,26,36,24,24,24,35,118,106,86,26,50,8,117,46,46,16,9,26,36,36, 1,-41,11,1,11,-16,-17,-90,-90,-94,-87,-82,-78,-77,-78,-80,-79,-73,-73,-76,-76, -77,-81,-81,-77,-86,-86,-83,-85,-85,-86,-119,-176,-241,-273,-688,-826,-972, -982,-992,-1012,-1012,-1012,-1032,-1379]} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Na3 a6 7. Nc4 Nbd7 8. Be2 b5 9. Ne3 Qc6 10. O-O Bb7 11. a4 Be7 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Qb3 b4 14. Bd2 Ne4 15. Be1 a5 16. cxb4 axb4 17. Bb5 Ba6 18. Bxa6 Rxa6 19. Rd1 Qc6 20. Bxb4 Qb7 21. Rxd7 Kxd7 22. Qd3+ Ke8 23. Bxe7 Kxe7 24. Qa3+ Nd6 25. Nd4 Rd8 26. Nb3 Rb6 27. Nc5 Qb8 28. b4 Rxb4 29. Na6 Rb3 30. Nxb8 Rxa3 31. Nc6+ Kd7 32. Nxd8 Kxd8 {White to move and draw?} 33. Rd1 Ke7 34. Rxd6 Rxe3 35. fxe3 $2 {Mamedyarov probably didn't have enough time to calculate things out, and assumed that with his king on the c-file vs. Firouzja's king on the a-file he should be fine. That's an understandable error, but an error nonetheless. One should avoid generalizing from this, however. If White's e-pawn were defended - say, if the g2-pawn were on f2 instead - this approach might be okay. It's a good activity for a lazy Sunday afternoon to experiment with different structures, to see when White's general approach might work and when it won't.} ({The answer is yes, but like this.} 35. Rd1 Ra3 36. h4 Rxa4 37. g3 {with a well-known theoretical draw. Of course Black will try, but as White has achieved the ideal f2-g3-h4 setup on the kingside his defensive task shouldn't be too onerous.}) 35... Kxd6 36. Kf2 Kc5 37. Kf3 Kb4 38. Ke4 f6 ( 38... Kxa4 {was also possible:} 39. Ke5 Kb4 40. Kd6 {otherwise, who cares about ...f6?} Kc4 41. Ke7 Kd3 42. Kxf7 e5 43. Kxg7 e4 44. Kxh7 Kxe3 45. Kg7 ( 45. Kg6 Kf4 46. h4 e3 47. h5 e2 48. h6 e1=Q 49. h7 Qe5 {is a standard trick in such situations, which is why I made 45.Kg7 the main line.} (49... Qe6+ { mates a move faster, but it's slightly silly to play this way unless one has plenty of time on the clock and either a sadistic or a perfectionistic streak.} )) 45... Kf4 46. h4 e3 (46... Kg4 {also wins, of course.}) 47. h5 e2 48. h6 e1=Q 49. h7 Qe7+ 50. Kg8 Kg5 51. h8=Q Kg6 $19) 39. Kd4 Kxa4 40. Kc5 Kb3 41. Kd6 e5 42. g4 Kc4 43. Ke6 Kd3 44. Kf7 Kxe3 45. Kxg7 Kf4 46. Kxf6 e4 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "6"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E32"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2781"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,65,27,27,18,6,3,4,4,-22,-22,-7,-7,-44,-3,-65,-19,-105,-75,-82,-82,-98, -56,-63,19,28,-100,-81,-44,-119,-86,-86,-63,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-23,-23,0,0,0,-55, -37,-55,-55,-48,68,68,68,111,236,317,566,566,566,621,621,621,621,597,898,924, 962,972]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. Nf3 d5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 dxc4 8. e4 g5 9. Bg3 b5 10. e5 Nh5 11. Qe4 Qd5 12. Qg4 Ng7 13. Be2 {Black is fine at this point, but his next move unleashes White's tactical fury.} f5 $2 14. Qh3 $1 {Perhaps Aronian thought White had to take en passant. This costs White a piece, but his pieces gain tremendous scope while Black's king is weak and his development lags.} g4 (14... f4 15. Qxh6 {is at least as bad.}) ({ It's too late for Black to play non-greedy chess, because saving the h-pawn loses the g-pawn.} 14... h5 15. Nxg5 $18) (14... Kh7 15. Nxg5+) 15. Qxh6 gxf3 16. Bxf3 Qxd4 17. O-O c6 18. Rad1 Qb6 19. Ne4 $1 (19. Bh4 $1 {was also very strong, but not as flashy as So's creative move.}) 19... fxe4 20. Bxe4 { The threat is to give check on h7 (with either piece), then check on g6 (with the other piece), and then play Qxg7+ or Bh4+, in either case with a speedy mate.} Rf5 (20... Nf5 21. Qg6+ Kh8 22. Bh4 {is even worse for Black.}) 21. Bxf5 exf5 22. e6 $1 {A nice clearance move for the bishop, which is heading to e5.} Bf8 23. Be5 (23. e7 Bxe7 24. Be5 Bf8 25. Rfe1 Nd7 26. Bxg7 Bxg7 27. Qe6+ Kh8 28. Re3 $18 {is a strong alternative.}) 23... c5 24. Bxg7 Bxg7 25. e7 $1 { Now he's just showing off, you might think, but without this move Black would be completely fine.} Bd7 26. Qh5 Qc6 27. Rfe1 Be8 28. Rd8 Na6 29. Re6 $1 Qd7 ( 29... Qxe6 30. Qxe8+ Kh7 31. Qh5+ {followed by 32.e8Q wins.}) 30. Rxa8 Nc7 31. Rd8 Nxe6 32. Rxe8+ Nf8 33. Rxf8+ (33. Rxf8+ Bxf8 34. Qg6+ Bg7 35. e8=Q+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "7"] [White "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C66"] [WhiteElo "2701"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,112,19,25,18,26,23,21,22,6,48,48,44,42,37,60,40,17,42,15,15,-11,18,8, 11,0,-12,-12,7,16,33,20,33,9,23,4,47,47,61,72,72,36,61,67,80,65,65,65,61,54,27, 12,4,0,0,5,65,24,24,13,83,83,14,-2,-2,-38,-36,-68,-15,-34,-31,-63,-52,-41,-35, -43,-65,-68,-119,-139,-136,-131,-139,-127,-91,-217,-217,-250,-244,-247,-247, -255,-263,-702,-308,-642,-677,-582,-642,-677,-677,-591,-591,-647,-600,-539, -534,-607,-616,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O d6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bd7 7. Nc3 Be7 8. Re1 O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. h3 Re8 11. Bf4 Rb8 12. b3 c5 13. Nf3 Bc6 14. e5 Nh5 15. Bh2 g6 16. Qd3 Ng7 17. Rad1 Ne6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Rb6 20. exd6 cxd6 21. Nd2 Qa8 22. Nc4 Qxd5 23. Rxd5 Ra6 24. a4 Rd8 25. Red1 Nd4 26. Rd2 f5 27. a5 Kf7 28. b4 Ke6 29. Ne3 g5 30. bxc5 dxc5 31. Re5+ Kf7 32. Nc4 f4 33. f3 Ne6 34. Rdd5 Bf6 35. Rxd8 Bxd8 36. h4 h6 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. g3 Bc7 39. Rf5+ Kg6 40. g4 Bxa5 41. Kg2 Bc3 42. Bg1 Ra2 43. Ne5+ Bxe5 44. Rxe5 { To take, or not to take?} Rxc2+ $1 {The right decision, but you'll see why it's a question in a moment.} 45. Kh3 Kf6 46. Bd4 $1 {Stalemate tricks loom, but they can be avoided with correct play.} Ke7 $1 47. Rd5 $5 cxd4 48. Rd7+ Kf6 49. Rf7+ Ke5 50. Rf5+ Kd6 51. Rd5+ Kc7 52. Rd7+ (52. Rc5+ $2 Rxc5 {releases the stalemating net.}) 52... Kb6 53. Rb7+ Ka5 $4 {Only now is the draw secure.} (53... Kc5 $1 54. Rc7+ Kb4 55. Rb7+ (55. Rxc2 d3 {is just a "normal" ending where Black's d-pawn will cost White his rook and the game.}) 55... Kc4 56. Rb4+ (56. Rc7+ Kd3 {and the (safe) checks come to an end.} 57. Rc3+ Rxc3) 56... Kc3 57. Rb3+ (57. Rc4+ Kd2 {breaks the stalemate net.}) 57... Kd2 58. Rd3+ Ke2 $19 {brings the checks to an end.}) 54. Rb5+ {Of course. The king is trapped on the a-file, and there's no way for Black's king to interfere with his rook (and thereby provide White's king with a legal move).} Ka4 55. Rb4+ Ka3 56. Rb3+ Kxb3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "8"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Grandelius, Nils"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2670"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,91,27,27,50,53,86,86,116,49,48,26,61,14,80,42,44,48,35,40,42,40,62,35, 25,-5,0,-4,5,-4,25,24,26,29,56,-29,-18,-32,25,34,95,10,68,17,31,38,57,43,44,44, 55,42,62,65,66,65,89,84,95,84,99,80,74,103,53,59,56,64,59,33,33,44,70,34,56,34, 150,48,51,78,52,52,52,11,58,52,58,58,58,58,78,54,52,54]} 1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 g6 7. Be2 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd2 Rb8 11. Rfb1 $146 {I don't think I've ever seen this idea before, never mind the particular move in this position. (It is a novelty, and of course it is recommended by Stockfish.) The most important thing about this game, however, is that it was Giri's first draw after a five-game winning streak. It's important that Giri not forget how to achieve his signature result.} Ng4 12. Bxg4 Bxg4 13. Nd5 Bd7 14. a5 Ne5 15. Bg5 Re8 16. b3 Ng4 17. Re1 $16 h6 18. Bh4 Bc6 19. h3 Nf6 20. c4 Nh5 21. f3 g5 22. Bf2 e6 23. Nb6 $18 Be5 24. Rad1 Qe7 25. Ne2 (25. b4) (25. Rb1) 25... Red8 26. Bd4 Nf4 27. b4 Kh7 28. Qb2 {White is still doing great here, but Grandelius does well the rest of the way to stay active and not make Giri's life easy. His persistence pays off.} (28. Nc3 $142) 28... Qf6 29. Nxf4 gxf4 30. Bxe5 dxe5 31. b5 Be8 32. bxa6 bxa6 33. c5 Bb5 34. Qc2 Rxd1 35. Rxd1 Rd8 36. Rd6 Qh4 37. Qf2 Qf6 38. Qd2 Rg8 39. c6 Qe7 40. Nd7 Qg5 41. Qb2 Qh4 42. Qf2 Qe7 43. Qd2 Qg5 44. Qb2 Qh4 45. Qf2 Qe7 46. Qd2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "8"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2789"] [BlackElo "2847"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "108"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,108,27,25,45,53,53,25,26,-4,29,47,48,61,45,14,10,-2,-11,-6,-1,-1,0,5, 15,14,14,-4,34,22,-4,28,12,-4,-4,-78,9,5,39,23,8,8,43,47,54,38,25,9,29,-3,38, 23,30,-14,43,-19,-41,-41,-18,-13,-9,-17,-13,-17,-7,-7,7,-25,-20,-14,-17,-35, -17,-20,-23,-41,-32,-21,-21,-39,0,-39,-34,-13,-17,-56,-51,-24,-21,-29,-36,-54, -52,-150,-126,-609,-292,-292,-395,-395,-458,-399,-306,-701,-657,-1763,-3009, -3009,-1180,-1180,-1657]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Ne7 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13. Nc2 Bb7 14. Bd3 d5 15. Qe2 f5 16. O-O-O fxe4 17. Bxe4 Qc7 18. Bf3 O-O-O 19. g3 Kb8 20. Kb1 Nc8 21. Rhe1 Rhe8 22. Ne3 Nb6 23. Qc2 f6 24. Bg2 Rd6 25. Rd2 Red8 26. Red1 a5 27. a3 Nc4 28. Nxc4 bxc4 29. Qf5 Ka7 30. Ka1 Qd7 31. Qh5 Qc7 32. f4 e4 33. Rd4 Bc6 34. R1d2 Be8 35. Qe2 Bc6 36. Qe3 Qb6 37. f5 R6d7 38. Qh6 Ba4 39. g4 Ka6 40. Bf1 Ka7 41. h4 Rb7 (41... Re7 $14) 42. Qe3 Rdb8 43. g5 $16 Bd7 {Carlsen was in good form all day, but sometimes one needs a little luck, too. He gets it in this game.} 44. gxf6 $2 (44. Qf4 $18) 44... Bxf5 $11 45. Qg5 (45. Bh3 $142 $11) (45. Qf4 $142 $11) 45... Be6 46. Bxc4 $4 (46. Bg2 $15) 46... Rg8 $19 47. Qe5 Rg1+ 48. Ka2 dxc4 49. b4 cxb3+ 50. Kb2 e3 51. Qxe3 Ra1 $1 {Cute.} 52. Qe5 (52. Kxa1 b2+ 53. Kb1 Ba2+ 54. Kxa2 b1=Q#) 52... Ra2+ 53. Kb1 Rxd2 54. Rxd2 b2 {...Ba2+ is coming anyway, so it's time to throw in the towel.} 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "9"] [White "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C45"] [WhiteElo "2701"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,110,27,25,22,22,18,40,7,-10,10,-63,-28,-28,3,-18,-14,-18,11,11,1,-4,1, 6,27,0,16,-42,-23,-18,-5,-8,-16,-36,-39,-80,-59,-106,-18,-19,15,0,0,-110,-89, -89,-89,-94,-142,-89,-85,-125,-139,-151,-165,-142,-187,-187,-187,-230,-222, -245,-123,-182,-233,-248,-245,-245,-247,-290,-256,-295,-296,-354,-352,-336, -250,-254,-247,-247,-272,-474,-475,-475,-406,-413,-454,-478,-498,-507,-507, -507,-311,-369,-401,-513,-171,-176,-328,-333,-333,-451,-436,-515,-515,-2614, -29685,-29987,-29990,-29995,-29996,-29999,-29998]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Bb5 {What is this? A combination Scotch and Ruy - the Scruy? (Screwy?) The engine isn't impressed, and White's results on those very few occasions when it has been tried aren't terribly impressive either. Maybe JVF was hoping for 5...Nxe4, which is playable but tricky. So takes a simpler approach, gets a good position without any complications, and eventually wins.} Bc5 6. Nb3 Bb6 7. Nc3 d6 8. O-O Bg4 9. Qd3 O-O 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. a4 a5 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3 Nh5 15. Nd4 Bd7 16. Rad1 Qf6 17. e5 dxe5 18. Ne4 Qg7 19. Nf3 Be6 20. Bxe5 f6 21. Ng3 fxe5 22. Nxh5 Qf7 23. Ng3 Bc4 24. Qe4 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Rae8 26. h4 gxh4 27. Nxh4 Bxf2+ 28. Kh1 Re6 29. Qg4+ Kh7 30. Nh5 Rg8 31. Qe2 Rf8 32. Qg4 Qg8 33. Qe4+ Kh8 34. g3 Qg5 35. Qe2 Rd6 36. Kg2 Rdf6 37. Kh3 Bxg3 38. Nxg3 Rxf1 39. Nxf1 Rf4 40. Nf3 Qg4+ 41. Kh2 Qxf3 42. Qxe5+ Kh7 43. Ng3 Rh4+ 44. Kg1 Rg4 45. Kh2 Rg7 46. b4 axb4 47. a5 c5 48. a6 c4 49. a7 b3 50. cxb3 cxb3 51. Qe1 b2 52. Qb1+ Rg6 53. Qe1 b1=Q 54. a8=Q Qc2+ 55. Kh3 Qcg2+ 0-1 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.14"] [Round "9"] [White "Firouzja, Alireza"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E98"] [WhiteElo "2759"] [BlackElo "2765"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,63,27,27,27,27,63,33,37,36,37,37,44,37,62,38,70,81,81,55,77,58,67,50, 51,36,88,83,104,91,101,85,79,36,47,34,77,45,40,9,9,-25,-16,-42,24,17,-20,-43, 13,102,80,81,81,81,81,49,82,82,82,82,262,348,342,340,558,519]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 {Radjabov was a big KID specialist in his youth, but it doesn't seem to be a regular part of his repertoire anymore. Kudos to both players for heading into this super-sharp main line.} 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Nd3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. b4 g5 13. c5 Rf6 ( 13... Nf6 {is more popular, but lines with the ...Rf6 lift are also common.}) 14. a4 Rg6 15. Kh1 $146 ({A predecessor between two talented (then-) U.S. juniors:} 15. Ba3 Nf6 16. Nf2 h5 17. h3 Kh7 18. Kh2 g4 19. fxg4 hxg4 20. hxg4 Neg8 21. Rh1 Nh6 22. Kg1 Kg8 23. Rh4 Nxe4 24. Rxh6 Nxf2 25. Rxg6 Nxd1 26. Rxd1 Bd7 27. b5 Kf7 28. Re6 Qh4 29. Ne4 Bf8 30. cxd6 cxd6 31. Bxd6 Bxe6 32. dxe6+ Kg6 33. Bxe5 Rd8 34. Nd6 Bxd6 35. Bxd6 Rxd6 36. Rxd6 Qe1+ 37. Bf1 f3 38. e7+ Kf7 {0-1 (38) Youngworth,P (2295)-Root,D (2400) Phoenix 1981}) 15... a6 16. Rg1 $16 {This seems to defang Black's approach.} Nf6 17. Nf2 Nh5 18. g3 Rh6 19. Kg2 Nf6 20. a5 Qe8 21. Rh1 Qg6 22. cxd6 cxd6 23. Na4 $2 (23. g4 {was correct, when Black's kingside play will be far less dangerous than White's pending breakthrough on the queenside. Yes, Black gets the h4 square and an eventual .. .h5, but h3 is an adequate rejoinder to the latter, and the h4 square isn't anywhere near enough to break through the clog.}) 23... fxg3 $2 (23... g4 $1 { had to be tried, though even here White is for choice - if he can navigate crazy lines like the following:} 24. Nb6 gxf3+ 25. Bxf3 Rb8 26. Ra3 Rh4 $1 27. Qe1 $1 Rxh2+ 28. Rxh2 fxg3 29. Rh1 gxf2+ 30. Kxf2 Bg4 31. Rg1 Rf8 32. Rg2 $3 { Everything else is bad for White.} Nxe4+ 33. Kg1 Rxf3 34. Rxf3 h5 35. Rf1 $16) 24. hxg3 $18 Rxh1 25. Qxh1 g4 26. Nb6 Rb8 27. Ra3 $6 (27. Qh4 $142) 27... h5 28. Qh4 gxf3+ 29. Bxf3 Bh6 $2 (29... Bg4 {had to be played, but White is still likely to win after} 30. Qg5 {.}) 30. Bxh5 Nxh5 31. Bxh6 Qf7 32. Rf3 1-0 [Event "Carlsen Inv Prelim"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2021.03.10"] [Round "10.7"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C53"] [WhiteElo "2781"] [BlackElo "2701"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2021.03.13"] {[%evp 0,131,25,25,22,22,18,5,18,8,8,2,27,-1,10,4,-12,-34,-23,-31,-14,-25,-27, -31,-13,-2,19,21,15,-1,38,17,28,-39,-39,-39,-51,-92,-82,-92,-104,-101,-94,-153, -153,-142,-142,-142,-142,-142,-142,-158,-148,-148,-155,-139,-139,-153,-135, -151,-142,-146,-149,-147,-184,-160,-172,-181,-181,-186,-165,-175,-165,-192, -190,-200,-170,-173,-176,-176,-185,-180,-175,-156,-150,-188,-189,-181,-208, -219,-208,-175,-177,-174,-153,-167,-164,-164,-164,-188,-188,-202,-139,-192, -134,-144,-158,-177,-151,-169,-180,-188,-188,-195,-168,-221,-225,-258,-255, -221,-221,-236,-266,-266,-266,-266,-266,-304,-304,-306,29997,29998,29999, -30000]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 a5 8. Re1 Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. Rxe3 d5 12. Nbd2 d4 13. cxd4 exd4 14. Re1 a4 15. Rc1 Nb4 16. Nc4 Nxa2 17. Ra1 Nb4 18. Rxa4 Rxa4 19. Qxa4 Nxd3 20. Rd1 Nf4 21. Nxd4 Nxe4 22. Nf3 Qf6 23. Nce5 Ng5 24. Qb3 Nxf3+ 25. Nxf3 Nxh3+ 26. gxh3 Qxf3 27. Qxe6+ Kh8 28. Rd2 h6 29. Re2 Rf5 30. Kh2 Qf4+ 31. Kg2 Rg5+ 32. Kf1 Qc1+ 33. Re1 Qxb2 34. Qe8+ Kh7 35. Qe4+ Rg6 36. Qd3 Qf6 37. Rc1 c6 38. Rc4 Qa1+ 39. Ke2 Qb2+ 40. Kf1 Qb5 41. h4 h5 42. Ke2 Qe5+ 43. Kf1 c5 44. Ra4 Qd6 45. Qf3 Qd7 46. Rc4 b6 47. Qxh5+ Rh6 48. Qf3 Rf6 49. Qh5+ Kg8 50. Rc3 Qf5 51. Qe2 Re6 52. Re3 Qd5 53. Kg1 Rg6+ 54. Rg3 Rxg3+ 55. fxg3 c4 56. h5 Kh7 57. Qg4 Qd3 58. h6 Kxh6 59. Qe6+ Kh7 60. Qh3+ Kg6 61. Qe6+ Kg5 62. Qe5+ Kh6 63. Qe6+ g6 64. Qe5 {Play like a GM: find the worst move.} Qf5 $4 {Success!} 65. Qh8+ Kg5 66. Qh4# {This would not have been mate without the black queen on f5.} 1-0