[Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.29"] [Round "3.11"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 {So sticks to Old Faithful. } 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Nxe6+ fxe6 11. Bc4 Ke7 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Be3 Rc8 14. Bb3 Nc5 15. Bxc5+ Rxc5 16. Rfe1 g6 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Rxe4 e5 19. f4 Bg7 20. Rae1 Rf8 21. fxe5 Rf5 22. e6 Bxb2 23. Rd1 Rc7 $6 ( 23... Rc1 $11 {is simpler and better. One handy point is that White can't safely get a rook to the 7th, as} 24. Rxc1 Bxc1 {and now either 25.Rd4 or 25. Rc4 would be mated in two with 25...Be3+ followed by 26...Rf1#.}) 24. g4 Rf8 25. Kg2 b5 26. Re2 Bc3 27. Re3 Bb4 28. Red3 (28. Re5 a6 29. Red5 {was a little better, keeping Black's queenside pawns from going anywhere.}) 28... a5 29. Rd7+ Rxd7 30. Rxd7+ Kf6 31. Rb7 a4 $2 (31... h5 $1) 32. g5+ $1 Kxg5 33. Rxb5+ Rf5 $2 (33... Kh6 {was the right way to stay in the rook ending.} 34. Rxb4 axb3 35. axb3 Kg7 36. Rb7+ Kf6 37. Rxh7 Kxe6 {and Black should hold.}) (33... Kf6 $1 34. Rxb4 axb3 35. Rf4+ Ke7 36. Rxf8 Kxf8 37. axb3 Ke7 38. Kf3 Kxe6 {draws, but it's tough to take this on faith without some time to calculate everything.}) 34. Rxb4 axb3 35. e7 bxa2 (35... Re5 36. Rb5 $1 {is the problem.}) 36. e8=Q a1=Q {White has only one path to victory, and Carlsen finds it.} 37. Qe7+ $1 Kh6 38. Rh4+ $1 Rh5 39. Qf8+ $1 Qg7 40. Qf4+ $1 g5 41. Qd6+ $1 Qg6 42. Qf8+ $1 {The last six moves were the only ones to preserve a winning advantage.} Qg7 43. Rxh5+ 1-0 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.29"] [Round "3.12"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "185"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,185,58,33,39,25,9,-18,20,24,5,20,20,-5,19,-27,2,-9,-17,-7,-7,-72,-12, -27,-2,10,15,1,17,18,18,6,28,14,16,-11,52,43,51,13,23,25,61,61,61,45,45,59,43, 77,77,77,135,106,163,34,54,54,61,61,67,87,124,124,185,150,154,154,85,379,379, 393,474,58,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,169,0,0,0,65,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0, 0,0,-16,0,0,0,0,-29,-12,-20,0,-44,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-7,-7,-37,16,1,0,-37,0,0,0,0,0, 0,0,0,0,-8,0,-36,0,-43,0,0,10,0,13,0,0,0,-35,0,-11,-35,-49,-51,-44,-48,-44,-63, -20,-37,-14,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,4,0,0,0,0,-23,29991,29992,29993,29994,29995,29996, 29997,29998]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 h6 7. Re1 O-O 8. Nbd2 a5 9. Nf1 Be6 10. Bb5 Ne7 11. d4 Ba7 12. Ng3 Ng6 13. h3 c6 14. Bd3 a4 15. Be3 Re8 16. Qc2 b5 17. b4 axb3 18. axb3 Qc7 19. Ra6 Qb7 20. Rea1 $16 {So far, So good. (Pun intended.)} Bb6 21. Rxa8 Rxa8 22. Rxa8+ Qxa8 23. dxe5 Qa1+ 24. Bf1 Bxe3 25. exf6 Bb6 26. fxg7 $18 {Even better, now White is winning. } Ne5 27. Qd2 Nxf3+ 28. gxf3 Kxg7 29. Kg2 b4 30. Nh5+ $6 (30. cxb4 $18) 30... Kg6 $2 (30... Kh7) 31. Nf4+ Kh7 32. Nxe6 bxc3 $2 33. Qf4 fxe6 34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. Qf8+ Kh7 36. e5 $4 (36. Bd3 $1 {wins. What's the difference?} e5 (36... Qd1 37. Qxd6 $18 {is what changes everything.}) 37. Bc4 $1 d5 38. exd5 Qe1 (38... e4 39. d6 $18) 39. Bd3+ $18) 36... Qd1 $1 $11 {Oops. Now the game starts all over again, with both sides trying to win, if possible.} 37. Qf7+ (37. Qxd6 Qxd6 38. exd6 Kg7 39. Bd3 e5 $11) 37... Kh8 38. Qe8+ Kh7 39. Qd7+ Kh8 40. Qc8+ Kg7 41. Qd7+ Kh8 42. Qe8+ Kg7 43. Qe7+ Kh8 44. Qxe6 Qd4 45. Qe8+ Kg7 46. Qe7+ Kg8 47. Qe6+ Kg7 48. Qf6+ Kh7 49. Qe7+ Kg8 50. Qe6+ Kg7 51. Qd7+ Kf8 52. Qf5+ Ke8 53. Qc8+ Ke7 54. exd6+ Qxd6 55. Qf5 Qd4 56. Qc2 Qg7+ 57. Kh1 Qe5 58. Bd3 Bc7 59. Kg2 Qh2+ 60. Kf1 Qxh3+ 61. Ke2 Qe6+ 62. Be4 Be5 63. Qa2 Qd6 64. Qa7+ Kf6 65. Qh7 Qd2+ 66. Kf1 Bd4 67. Qg6+ Ke7 68. Qg3 Bf6 69. Qc7+ Qd7 70. Qf4 h5 71. Qe3 Qd4 72. Qf4 Qd6 73. Qe3 c5 74. Bg6+ Kd8 75. Qe8+ Kc7 76. Be4 h4 77. Kg2 Qd7 78. Qh5 Kb6 79. f4 Qe6 80. Qg6 Ka5 {White is getting into some trouble, but he's still okay.} 81. Bf5 $8 Qd6 82. Qe8 $1 Kb6 83. Be4 {Now White is fine again. The fight continues.} Kc7 84. Qa8 Qxf4 85. Qc6+ Kd8 86. Qd5+ Ke8 87. Bg6+ Ke7 88. Qxc5+ Qd6 89. Qe3+ Kf8 $4 {The only available mistake, and it's a doozy. Carlsen has come out miles ahead over the years by playing practically everything out to the bitter end, but every once in a while it backfires, as it does here. It's the cost of doing business, and despite this result, it's a cost that's well worth it.} 90. Qe8+ Kg7 91. Qf7+ Kh6 92. Qh7+ Kg5 93. Qh5+ ( 93. Qh5+ Kf4 94. Qf5# (94. Qf3+ Ke5 95. Qe4# {would be more poetic, but as Black's king could return to g5 instead and it takes longer than 94.Qf5#, it should be rejected.})) 1-0 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.29"] [Round "3.13"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,69,61,14,34,-10,4,4,0,6,15,-8,-22,-35,-21,-14,-5,-39,-16,-53,-58,-42, 0,-109,-88,-66,23,-17,40,44,20,30,48,0,63,104,102,96,83,124,85,96,118,118,118, 115,138,132,133,150,157,105,126,118,174,134,127,80,62,65,42,29,117,110,129,165, 213,235,214,242,292,327]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. a3 (6. e3) 6... Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 O-O (7... h6 $5) (7... Ne4) 8. Bg5 ({As I recall, Carlsen spent a little time here, and I wondered - ironically, in light of what happens a few moves later - if he was considering} 8. g4 { . It's not very good at the moment, in part because Black is under no obligation to take the pawn, but once Black has played ...h6 and created a hook it becomes more interesting.}) 8... h6 9. Bh4 Bd7 (9... g5 {is common (in this comparatively uncommon line), but probably unnecessarily risky.}) 10. Qc2 (10. cxd5) 10... Na5 11. g4 $5 $146 {It's unlikely that this move will stand the test of time, but it doesn't matter. It's plenty dangerous and certainly a suitable surprise for a 15-minute game.} g5 $2 {Bold, but not beautiful.} ( 11... dxc4 12. g5 hxg5 13. Bxg5 Bc6 14. Rg1 Bxf3 15. exf3 Re8 16. Bh6 Nh5 17. Rg5 b6 18. Rxh5 gxh6 19. Qd2 Qf6 20. Rxh6 Qg7 21. Rh5 Qf6 $11 {is one way Black might try to solve his problems, and if any of you want to make a quick draw with your best friend or a family member, you might kill the game with} 22. Rh6 Qg7 23. Rh5 Qf6 {etc.}) 12. Bg3 Ne4 13. h4 Nxg3 14. fxg3 gxh4 15. Rxh4 Kg7 {White has a big advantage, but how does he prove it?} 16. g5 $2 (16. e4 $1 $18 {was correct, grabbing space in the center and preventing Black from establishing his knight on c4.}) 16... Rh8 $6 (16... Nxc4) 17. Ne5 Nxc4 $2 ( 17... Qe7) 18. gxh6+ Kf8 19. Nxc4 $2 (19. Qc1 $1 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Qe7 21. Qf4 $18 {keeps Black tied down.}) 19... Qg5 20. Kf2 (20. Ne5 $3 Qxg3+ 21. Kd2 Qxh4 22. Nxd7+ Ke7 23. Ne5 Qxh6+ 24. e3 {followed by Qa4 is very strong, possibly winning for White. But this is an idea for computers, and not one for humans - certainly not in 15-minute games.}) 20... dxc4 (20... Rg8 $142) 21. Qc1 Qf6+ 22. Qf4 Ke7 $2 (22... Qxf4+ 23. gxf4 Bc6 $16) 23. Qxf6+ Kxf6 24. Bg2 Rab8 25. Rh5 (25. Rah1 $142 $18) 25... Kg6 (25... Bc6 $142) 26. Rah1 f5 (26... Rh7 $142) 27. g4 $1 Rh7 28. g5 $4 {A very big mistake, giving away White's (winning) advantage. The problem is that it almost completely immobilizes the herd of pieces and pawns White is trying to advance on the kingside.} (28. Kg3 { Not the only good move, but a logical choice, activating the final piece.} Rbh8 29. Kf4 Rxh6 (29... c6 30. g5 {The difference here is that Black doesn't have . ..Bc6, so White can play Bf3, drop the rook back, and play Bh5+ at some suitable moment.}) (29... Bc6 30. Bxc6 bxc6 31. gxf5+ exf5 32. Rxf5 Rxh6 (32... Re7 33. e4 Rxh6 34. Rxh6+ Kxh6 35. Rf6+ Kg7 36. Rxc6 $18 {is hopeless for Black.}) 33. Rg1+ Kh7 34. Rf7#) 30. gxf5+ exf5 31. Rxh6+ Rxh6 32. Rxh6+ Kxh6 33. Bxb7 $18) 28... Bc6 $1 $11 29. Bf3 Bxf3 $6 (29... Bd5 $1) 30. Kxf3 Rd8 $2 ( 30... c5 $1 31. e3 b5 $1 $14) 31. Kf4 Rd5 $2 {Understandably, Black wants to keep White's king out, and it looks active as well, with ideas like ...c5 or maybe ...Rb5/Ra5. So has missed a strong idea for Carlsen, however, and it immediately decides the game.} 32. R5h3 $1 {Here So thought for a long time, but there's nothing to do; his position is already ruined.} c5 ({If So waits with a move like} 32... b6 {and then meets} 33. Re3 {with} Rd6 {, White makes further progress with} 34. Re5 {followed by a breakthrough with e4 or d5, e.g.} Rh8 35. e4 fxe4 36. Kg4 Rf8 37. Rxe4 Kh7 38. Rhe1 Re8 39. Rf1 Re7 40. Ref4 Rdd7 41. Kh5 {and Black's king will soon be mated.}) 33. Re3 Rd6 34. dxc5 Ra6 35. Rd1 1-0 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.29"] [Round "3.14"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 9. Qf3 a6 10. Qa3 b6 11. Bg5 Be7 $6 ({Black has generally preferred} 11... f6 {; rightly so, it seems.}) 12. Bxe7 Kxe7 13. O-O-O $16 Bb7 14. Nc3 Nd7 15. f4 Qc7 16. fxe5 $6 {What's the rush?} (16. Bd3 $1 exf4 17. Rhf1 Ne5 18. Rde1 $16) 16... Nxe5 17. Qb4 h5 18. Be2 Kf8 19. Rhf1 Re8 20. Rf5 h4 21. Rf4 Qd8 22. Kb1 $16 Rh6 23. Rdd4 (23. a4) (23. Rdf1) 23... h3 24. g3 Bc8 25. a4 Kg8 26. Rde4 Qc7 27. Rh4 a5 (27... Rxh4 28. Rxh4 Qc5 $11) 28. Qd4 Rxh4 29. Rxh4 Bf5 $6 (29... Qc5 $11) 30. Rh5 Qc8 31. Qxb6 Ng4 $4 (31... Nd7 32. Qf2 (32. Qxd6 $4 Rxe2 33. Nxe2 Qxc2+ $19) 32... g6 33. Rh4 Qc5 $14) 32. Ba6 $18 Re1+ (32... Qd7 33. Bb5 Re1+ 34. Ka2 Qc8 35. Rxf5 Qxf5 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Bd3 $18) 33. Ka2 Qe8 ( 33... Qd7 34. Rxf5 Qxf5 35. Qd8+ Kh7 36. Bd3 $18) 34. Rxf5 Ne3 35. Bb5 Qe7 1-0 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.30"] [Round "3.21"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,77,33,33,75,68,68,74,78,36,19,29,36,36,41,39,19,22,65,47,55,51,68,59, 59,57,63,57,43,41,62,10,10,13,13,-49,-46,-33,-22,-22,-40,-83,-87,-70,-28,-18, -11,-50,-13,-22,-16,-28,-27,-43,-43,-9,-22,-60,0,-20,33,-72,-72,-85,-116,-116, -104,-131,-133,-133,-129,-146,-127,-130,-97,-140,-121,-135,-92,-98]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nd2 e6 5. Nb3 Nd7 6. Nf3 h6 7. Be2 a5 (7... Ne7 {is the standard move, but as so often Carlsen has a new and interesting idea in mind.} ) 8. a4 Bb4+ $146 9. c3 Bf8 {Is it a good idea? Who knows, but you'll see the point shortly.} 10. O-O Ne7 11. h3 Bh7 12. Bd2 Qb6 {There we go. The pawn on c3 loosens the stability of the knight on b3, which can't move because of the hanging b-pawn. The pawn can't be protected by Rb1, as the bishop could grab it (and there's no pawn on c2 blocking the diagonal, nor can White play Bd3), so unless White wants to play something like Ra2 it's going to be difficult to untangle.} 13. Ne1 Nf5 {This allows White a little respite, but less than you might think. Black can resume his kingside development andn then look for an auspicious moment to play ...c5.} 14. Bd3 Be7 15. Qc2 {Threatening g4.} Bg6 16. c4 $6 {Both impatient and tactically flawed.} dxc4 17. Qxc4 Nxd4 $1 {This nice trick wins a pawn, but it's not too bad for White.} 18. Qxd4 Qxb3 19. Bxg6 fxg6 20. Qe4 $2 (20. Nf3 $15) 20... O-O (20... Kf7 $1 {is better, not allowing the tactic in the game.}) 21. Bxh6 Rf5 22. Be3 Qd5 $6 (22... Qb4 $142 {was the right way to offer the exchange.}) 23. Qxd5 $6 (23. Qc2 $44 {White should keep the queens on, as Black's kingside structure is compromised.}) 23... exd5 24. f4 g5 25. e6 Nc5 26. g4 $2 (26. fxg5 $142 $15 {was better, when Black remains comfortably better but (objectively) far from won.}) 26... gxf4 {Forced, but strong.} 27. gxf5 fxe3 $17 {/-+ White's position is terrible, despite his minute material advantage and the attractive pawns on e6 and f5. This would be a very difficult position to save even with best play, and running out of time in a 15-minute game makes it practically impossible.} 28. Rf4 Bf6 29. Nc2 e2 30. Rf2 d4 31. Rxe2 d3 32. Rd2 dxc2 33. Rxc2 Rd8 34. Re1 Nxa4 35. Ra1 Nxb2 36. Rxa5 Nd3 37. Kh2 Nb4 38. Rc1 Nd5 39. Ra7 Rb8 40. Kg3 Ne7 41. Kg4 b5 42. Rd1 b4 43. Rad7 b3 44. Rd8+ Rxd8 45. Rxd8+ Kh7 46. Rb8 b2 47. Kf4 Nd5+ 0-1 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.30"] [Round "3.22"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "122"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,122,19,31,14,-14,-11,0,0,6,37,44,21,52,39,40,89,70,78,70,48,53,63,46, 33,33,43,29,33,24,47,76,51,60,62,17,30,-30,-33,-36,-36,-49,-28,-58,-65,-59,-56, -53,-53,-70,-35,-35,-39,-55,-65,-62,-69,-62,-62,-67,-72,-71,-62,-99,-101,-95, -90,-83,-76,-72,-69,-85,-65,-56,-59,-63,-66,-75,-86,-135,-135,-160,-91,-148, -139,-163,-175,-227,-164,-180,-95,-177,-188,-188,-203,-206,-216,-251,-264,-276, -278,-288,-281,-284,-133,-241,-273,-274,-286,-298,-298,-298,-334,-344,-398, -419,-419,-1096,-1121,-1117,-1157,-1157,-1257,-1259,-1334]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 {It amazes me that So can get away with this line even against Magnus.} 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Nxe6+ fxe6 {Is this going to be the new Berlin? Just to look at the position is to feel gloomy about Black's position: a compromised structure, a clumsy king, and White has the two bishops. Yes, Black is a pawn ahead, but White can regain it without making any serious concessions. And yet...Black's results here have been satisfactory and the engine doesn't claim even '+=' for White, but only a minimal plus within the bounds of equality. This seems wrong, but the moral may be that this is a sort of optical illusion for human chess players.} 11. Bc4 (11. Bg5) 11... Ke7 $11 {Adding a fresh visual insult to injury.} 12. O-O Nbd7 (12... Kf7 {may be the most precise move.} 13. Nb5 Na6 14. Be3 Bc5 15. Bxc5 Nxc5 16. b4 Na6 17. a3 Ke7 18. Rac1 Rhc8 19. Ba2 Nd5 20. Bb1 e3 21. fxe3 Nxe3 22. Rfe1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 h6 24. Be4 Nd5 25. Kf2 Kd7 26. Ke2 Rf8 27. g3 Rf6 28. h4 Rf8 29. Rc2 b6 30. Nxa7 Nac7 31. Nc6 Nb5 32. Ne5+ Kd8 33. Ke1 Re8 34. Kd2 Nd6 35. Kd3 Ke7 36. Bxd5 exd5 37. Rc7+ Ke6 38. Nc6 g6 39. a4 Nc4 40. Nd4+ Ke5 41. Kc3 Nd6 42. Nc6+ Ke4 43. Rd7 Nf5 44. b5 {1/2-1/2 (44) Spartinos,P (2357)-Baranowski,T (2359) ICCF email 2015}) 13. Rd1 Rc8 14. Be2 ( 14. Bf1) 14... a6 15. Be3 Rc6 ({The engine also likes the hilarious} 15... Kd8 {. The text prepares this by preventing Bb6+ ideas and clearing c8 for the king's exodus. Note by the way a further resemblance to the Berlin ending, in which Black's king sometimes remains in the center/kingside on e8 or e7, and sometimes heads to c8.}) 16. Rac1 (16. Rd4) (16. f3 $5) 16... Kd8 17. Bd4 $6 ( 17. Bg5 $11) 17... Bd6 18. Na4 $6 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Ke7 {White "forgot" to regain his pawn, and now it's becoming a meaningful participant in the goings-on.} 20. g3 Rd8 21. Be3 Nd5 $17 22. Bg5+ N7f6 23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. Rxc5 h6 25. Bc1 Nb4 26. Rc7+ Rd7 27. Rxd7+ Kxd7 $19 {Without the e4-pawn, this would be abject misery for Black, who would probaby be lost. Here, by contrast, he's winning. It's not that the pawn is going anywhere, but it restricts White's light-squared bishop while creating an anchor for a knight on d3.} 28. Bd2 Nfd5 29. a3 Nd3 30. b3 Kd6 31. f3 Nc5 32. fxe4 Nxe4 33. Bc1 e5 34. b4 Nec3 35. Bf1 e4 36. Kf2 Ke5 37. Bh3 b6 38. Bb2 Kd4 39. Bf1 b5 40. Ke1 Ke3 41. Bc1+ Kd4 42. Bb2 e3 43. Ba1 g6 44. Bh3 Kd3 45. Bc8 Nb1 46. Bb2 Nd2 47. Bg4 Nc3 48. Bxc3 Kxc3 49. Ke2 Nc4 50. Bc8 Nxa3 51. Bxa6 Kd4 52. h4 Nb1 53. Kd1 Nc3+ 54. Kc2 g5 55. hxg5 hxg5 56. g4 Kc4 57. Bc8 Kxb4 58. Kd3 e2 59. Kd2 Ka3 60. Bf5 b4 61. Bd3 b3 {For the third time in the match, So bounced back from a loss to win the next game. That's impressive resilience against anyone; against Carlsen - even a Carlsen who isn't playing his best chess - it's extraordinary.} 0-1 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.30"] [Round "3.23"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C02"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,62,31,26,86,56,65,60,114,63,60,-1,14,7,72,-19,4,-22,0,-3,53,38,25,-5, 10,20,16,-2,68,28,89,27,125,125,96,96,105,-98,-27,-31,-45,-45,-44,-42,-49,-29, -34,-20,-42,-37,-34,-34,-26,-25,-25,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. a3 Bxc5 6. Qg4 Ne7 7. Bd3 Ng6 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Qh5 Qc7 11. b4 Be7 12. Bb2 Bd7 13. Re1 Be8 14. Nc3 Qd7 15. Qh3 (15. Ne2 $16) 15... f6 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Rxe6 Nce7 $6 18. Bb5 $2 {Not as strange a move as you might think.} ({Sometimes - often, even - the obvious and natural move is best. } 18. Rae1 $1 $18 {Of course, there's no chance that So didn't see and consider this move, and while it rules out ...Nf4 ideas (h7 is hanging) it's much less obvious what he's supposed to do after} Bf7 {. White is clearly worse after a move like 19.R6e2, but there is a solution.} 19. Rxf6 $1 Qxh3 20. Rxg6 $3 {This is the answer. So if you were one of those computer jockeys seeing the engine say "18.Rae1+-" and thought So was a fool for not making the "obvious" move, you owe him an apology unless you saw this resource (and saw it without the engine's assistance, obviously) as well!} Qxf3 (20... Qd7 21. Rxe7 $1 Qxe7 22. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 23. Nxd5+ Kh6 24. Nxe7 $18) 21. Rxg7+ Kxg7 22. Nxd5+ Kh6 23. Nxe7 $1 {This is incredible. White has two minor pieces and two pawns for a queen and a rook, but Black's king and queen are in such poor shape that White will come out ahead. I think So and Carlsen would have figured this out in a slow game, but in G/15 one has to be in tip-top form to even have a chance to work this out at the board.} (23. gxf3 $4 Nxd5 $19) 23... Qh5 24. Nf5+ Qxf5 (24... Kg6 $4 25. Ng3+ $18) (24... Kg5 $4 25. f4+ Kg4 (25... Kg6 26. Ng3+ $18) 26. h3+ $18) 25. Bxf5 $18) 18... Qc8 $2 (18... Nf4 $1 $19 19. Bxd7 Nxh3+ 20. gxh3 Bxd7 21. Rxe7 Bxe7 22. Nxd5 Rxf3 23. Nxe7+ Kf7 24. Nd5 Bxh3 $19) 19. Rxf6 Rxf6 20. Qxc8 Rxc8 21. Bd3 $15 {Black is better thanks to his extra material, but it's not much. White has the bishop pair as well, and Black's isolated d-pawn doesn't improve his chances either.} Nf4 22. Ne2 Nxe2+ 23. Bxe2 Re6 24. Bd3 (24. Bf1 $142) 24... Bg6 25. Nd4 Rb6 26. Re1 $2 (26. Be2) 26... Kf7 $2 (26... Bxd3) 27. Be2 $1 Bxc2 28. Bg4 Rc4 29. Be2 Rc8 30. Bg4 Rc4 31. Be2 Rc8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.30"] [Round "3.24"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,45,31,29,31,31,15,8,8,-22,32,31,52,31,31,0,5,-12,2,-9,-9,-4,6,0,7,8, 15,15,16,41,33,36,44,36,34,29,29,34,29,29,37,28,22,11,18,6,11,7] Carlsen decided to take the game off, taking a little break before the playoff.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. c3 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. Bf4 d5 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nd2 Ng7 16. Nf3 Bf5 17. Bxf5 Nxf5 18. Qe2 c6 19. Re1 Ng7 20. Be5 Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Qd6 {Still following theory. This line is known to be very drawish, and the pretense stops in a couple of moves.} 22. Nd3 (22. Qf3 f6 23. Nd3 Re8 24. Rxe8+ Nxe8 25. Qe3 Kf7 (25... Ng7 26. h3 Kf7 27. Qh6 Kg8 28. Qe3 Kf7 29. Qh6 Kg8 30. Qe3 Kf7 {1/2-1/2 (30) Carlsen,M (2834)-Kramnik,V (2796) Doha 2015}) 26. Qh6 Kg8 27. Qe3 Kf7 28. Qh6 Kg8 29. Qe3 {1/2-1/2 (29) Carlsen,M (2863)-So,W (2770) chess24.com INT 2020}) 22... Re8 23. Qd2 {A novelty of sorts, as a 2017 game Tauscher-Ward finished in a draw after Black's last move.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.30"] [Round "3.31"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,87,28,31,68,68,60,60,48,50,58,60,73,60,50,29,57,29,45,22,57,55,97,70, 102,77,57,29,31,43,40,24,164,55,44,47,98,80,112,131,124,78,78,65,67,79,79,78, 95,96,75,104,104,69,171,176,120,113,115,62,94,19,19,23,18,0,20,3,18,0,0,57,57, 32,20,20,9,-74,83,82,236,236,284,335,337,493,1012,1012,1013,985]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 h6 6. O-O Ne7 7. a4 (7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Nb3 Nc8 9. a4 Ncb6 10. a5 Nc4 11. Bd3 Be7 12. Bxf5 exf5 13. e6 fxe6 14. Re1 Kf7 15. Qe2 Nf8 16. Nc5 Qc8 17. Bf4 g5 18. b3 Nd6 19. Bxd6 Bxd6 20. Ne5+ Kg7 21. Qh5 Bxe5 22. Rxe5 b6 23. Nd3 Ng6 24. Re3 Qd7 25. Qxg6+ {1-0 (25) So,W (2770)-Carlsen,M (2863) chess24.com INT 2020}) 7... a5 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nb3 Bh7 {With a slightly different approach So has achieved a similar setup to the one he went for in the earlier game, but by castling quickly he avoided Black's ...Bb4+ idea, inducing c2-c3 which undermined his knight on b3.} 10. Bd2 Qb6 11. h3 (11. g3 $5) 11... Ng6 12. Qe1 Bb4 13. Bxb4 Qxb4 14. Qxb4 axb4 15. Bd3 $14 c5 $2 { A thematic move, of course, but a simple tactical error. The players must have been very tired by now, playing a fifth game, on the ninth consecutive day of play.} 16. Nxc5 {This is pretty simple as well.} (16. Bb5 $1 $18 {is a simple way to win material.}) 16... Nxc5 17. dxc5 Ra5 $2 {Punch drunk?} 18. Bb5+ Ke7 19. Rfe1 Rc8 20. c3 (20. Nd4 {is also strong.} Rxc5 21. Nb3 Raxb5 22. axb5 Rxb5 23. Nd4 $18) 20... bxc3 21. b4 Raa8 22. Rac1 {The rest should be a mopping-up operation.} Nf4 23. Rxc3 Be4 24. a5 f6 25. h4 g5 26. g3 (26. exf6+ $142 Kxf6 27. g3) 26... Ng6 (26... Nh3+ $142 27. Kg2 g4) 27. exf6+ Kxf6 28. hxg5+ hxg5 29. Nh2 $2 (29. Rxe4 $1 dxe4 30. Nd2 $18 {should be easy.}) 29... Ne5 $16 30. Rce3 $6 (30. Bf1) 30... Rh8 31. f3 (31. g4 $1 Rxh2 32. Kxh2 Nxg4+ 33. Kg3 Nxe3 34. Rxe3 $16) 31... Rxh2 32. Kxh2 Nxf3+ 33. Rxf3+ Bxf3 $14 {Carlsen is almost completely back from the dead - even a tired, off-form Carlsen is a force to be reckoned with. So still has the initiative though, and Carlsen cracks a second time.} 34. c6 $1 d4 $2 {Either a blunder (if he missed 35.Rf1) or (more likely) a serious misassessment of the position after 38...Bxc6.} (34... bxc6 35. Bxc6 Ra7 $14) 35. Rf1 $1 Rh8+ (35... g4 36. Rxf3+ $1 (36. cxb7 Rh8+ 37. Kg1 Rh1+ 38. Kf2 Bxb7 {is still losing for Black, but not as directly as in the main line.}) 36... gxf3 37. cxb7 Rb8 38. a6 $18) 36. Kg1 Rh1+ 37. Kf2 Rxf1+ 38. Bxf1 Bxc6 {Materially, Black is more than fine. His misfortune is that White will promote the a-pawn and be a queen up - Black won't be able to sac his bishop for the pawn.} 39. b5 Bd7 40. a6 $1 (40. Bg2 $4 Bc8 $11) 40... bxa6 41. bxa6 d3 42. Bxd3 Ke5 43. a7 Bc6 44. Bf1 {Next comes Bg2, and Black will not manage to sac his bishop for White's a-pawn (though that too is hopeless for Black). Carlsen resigned.} 1-0 [Event "Skilling Open KO 2020"] [Site "chess24.com INT"] [Date "2020.11.30"] [Round "3.32"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2862"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2020.11.25"] {[%evp 0,91,23,14,30,6,6,6,6,1,37,14,59,62,62,52,51,24,2,6,28,33,33,-30,-20, -36,38,36,21,13,13,-9,25,1,15,9,12,-15,3,3,14,26,37,0,0,3,21,29,45,-21,-34,-36, -37,-49,-40,-54,-44,-49,-37,-65,-43,-52,-31,-33,-59,-68,-38,-24,-24,-127,-102, -208,-171,-186,-102,-84,-92,-78,-72,-37,-3,-4,-1,-2,-1,-2,0,-1,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 {Carlsen blinks first - no more of the 5.cxd5 cxd4 ending.} dxc4 ({So has generally played} 5... Nc6 {here.}) ( 5... a6 {is the move I've preferred. Admittedly, that's not much of a recommendation, so I'll add that Carlsen has used it as well.}) 6. Bxc4 a6 7. O-O b5 8. Be2 Bb7 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Nd2 Ke7 12. Nb3 Nbd7 13. Na5 ({White has typically chosen to devour the dark-squared bishop instead.} 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 14. f3 b4 15. Nd1 a5 16. e4 Ba6 17. Be3 Rhc8 18. Bxa6 Rxa6 19. Rc1 Rac6 20. Nf2 Nfd7 21. b3 f6 22. Rfd1 Nb7 23. Nd3 Nd6 24. Nb2 Rc3 25. Kf2 Ne5 26. Ke2 Nb5 27. Na4 Nd4+ 28. Kf1 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 30. Bxc1 Kd6 31. Be3 Nec6 32. Bf2 e5 33. Ke1 g5 34. Kd2 h5 35. Kd3 h4 36. Kc4 h3 37. gxh3 Nxf3 38. Kb5 Ncd4+ 39. Kxa5 Nc2 40. Nb6 Kc6 41. Nd5 Nd2 42. Nxf6 Kd6 43. h4 gxh4 44. Bxh4 Ke6 45. Bg5 Nb1 46. Nd5 Nc3 47. Nxc3 bxc3 48. h4 Kf7 49. a4 Nd4 50. Kb4 Ne2 51. a5 c2 52. Bd2 Ng3 53. a6 Nxe4 54. Bc1 Nf6 55. a7 Nd5+ 56. Kc5 Nc7 57. Kc6 { 1-0 (57) Ivanchuk,V (2678)-Kramnik,V (2753) chess24.com INT 2020}) 13... Rab8 14. Nxb7 $146 Rxb7 15. Bd2 Rc7 $146 {=} (15... Nb6 16. Rfc1 Bd6 17. Be1 Rc8 18. a4 Nxa4 19. Rxa4 bxa4 20. Bxa6 Rxc3 21. Bxc3 Ra7 22. Bd3 a3 23. Ra1 Rb7 24. bxa3 Rb3 25. Bxf6+ Kxf6 26. Bc2 Rxa3 27. Rxa3 Bxa3 28. g3 g6 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Kg1 Kf6 31. Kg2 Kg7 32. Kg1 Kf6 33. Kg2 {1/2-1/2 (34) Swiercz,D (2622)-Bartel, M (2619) Chorzow 2013}) 16. Rfd1 Rhc8 17. Be1 Bd6 $2 {It's not only Carlsen who is making relatively simple tactical errors by this stage of the match.} ( 17... g5 $11) (17... Rc6 $11) 18. Bxb5 $1 $16 axb5 19. Nxb5 Rc6 20. Na7 Be5 21. Nxc8+ $6 ({As is often the case, it's best to maintain the fork until one is forced to cash it in.} 21. Rab1 $16) 21... Rxc8 22. Rab1 Ra8 $132 23. a3 Nd5 $2 (23... g5) 24. Rdc1 $2 (24. e4 $16) 24... f5 {Now the knight is secure on d5, while White's queenside passers aren't going anywhere. Black is completely fine.} 25. h3 g5 26. Kf1 h5 27. Rc2 g4 $15 {So's play is reminiscent of Carlsen's - he's flat-out outplaying his opponent.} 28. Ke2 N7f6 29. Ra1 f4 ( 29... Ra4 $1) 30. hxg4 (30. a4 $1) 30... fxe3 31. fxe3 Nxg4 32. Bh4+ Kd6 (32... Kd7 $142) 33. e4 Nge3 34. Rcc1 $6 (34. Rd2 $142 $11) 34... Nxg2 35. Bf2 $2 { This should lose, but So is content to hoover up all the pieces and head for a dead drawn position that will secure match victory.} (35. exd5 Nxh4 36. dxe6 Nf5 $15 {/-/+}) 35... Ngf4+ {An error, if the aim is to win the game. But if the aim is to guarantee match victory without allowing White any chances to fight, this is the right move.} (35... Ndf4+ $142 $1 36. Kf1 Bxb2 37. Rd1+ Ke5 $19) 36. Kf3 Bxb2 {Here White has no check on d1, so he's forced to allow mass exchanges.} 37. Bc5+ Kd7 38. exd5 Bxc1 (38... Nxd5 {maintains the fork - see my comment above when Carlsen cashed in prematurely - but So's method leads to further exchanges.}) 39. dxe6+ (39. Rxc1 {would likely transpose to the way the game would go after 38...Nxd5. White has no real winning chances here either, obviously, but if he wants to pretend that he's hoping for something he should keep the bishop on the board.}) 39... Nxe6 40. Rxc1 Nxc5 41. Rxc5 Rxa3+ 42. Kf4 h4 43. Kg4 h3 44. Rh5 Rb3 45. Rxh3 Rxh3 46. Kxh3 {A great result for So, who is one of the very few players in the world who seems able, if only occasionally, to defeat Carlsen in a match. He has now done it at least twice: here, and in the Chess960 World Championship.} 1/2-1/2