Si giocherà nella Sala Teatro del The College di Holborn, centralissimo quartiere della capitale britannica. Oggi è in programma la cerimonia d’apertura. Questo il regolamento: si comincerà con 12 partite a cadenza classica in calendario il 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24 e 26 novembre con 100 minuti per le prime 40 mosse, poi 50 minuti dalla 41 alla 60a mossa e infine 15 minuti dalla 61a mossa fino alla fine di ciascuna partita, dopo ciascuna mossa entrambi i giocatori beneficeranno di 30 secondi di incremento di tempo. Se uno dei due raggiungerà la quota di almeno 6,5 punti verrà dichiarato campione, se invece il punteggio sarà di 6-6 mercoledì 28 novembre si giocheranno i tie-break, cominciando con 4 partite rapid di 25 minuti ciascuna e con un incremento di 10 secondi per ogni mossa. Se la situazione sarà ancora pari si passerà a due partite blitz: 5 minuti l’una con 3 secondi di incremento a mossa, stante ancora la parità si disputeranno altre due blitz. Come ultima risorsa, se il punteggio dovesse essere ancora in equilibrio, sarà la volta della famigerata partita Armageddon: 5 minuti a disposizione del Bianco e 4 per il Nero che però, se la partita terminerà patta, verrà dichiarato campione, inoltre l’incremento di tempo, 3 secondi, è previsto solo dalla 61a mossa in avanti. Il montepremi è di un milione di euro, se il vincitore uscirà dalle partite classiche ne intascherà il 60% e lo sconfitto il 40%, se invece dovesse decidersi tutto agli spareggi sarebbe diviso così: il 55% al vincitore e il 45% allo sconfitto.
Nella foto chessdom.com, Carlsen e Caruana sono ritratti in una delle loro sfide nella località olandese di Wijk aan Zee, dove si svolge uno dei più prestigiosi tornei del mondo e dove nel 2010 si incontrarono per la prima volta. I 56 precedenti parlano in favore del campione in carica: 23 vittorie per Carlsen, 11 per Caruana e 22 patte. Un’ulteriore suddivisione evidenzia che nelle partite a gioco classico Magnus ha vinto 10 volte e Fabiano 5, le patte sono state 18, mentre nelle partite a gioco rapido il norvegese se ne è aggiudicate 13 e l’italostatunitense 6 con solo 4 patte. Ma attenzione: nell’ultima classifica mondiale della FIDE, uscita il giorno di Ognissanti, Caruana non è mai stato così vicino a Carlsen: 2835 punti per Magnus, 2832 per Fabiano. Insomma, il campione è il favorito ma un match mondiale può riservare molte sorprese, soprattutto in presenza di due giocatori così forti, e Fabiano ha l’occasione di diventare il primo campione del mondo sotto i colori Usa dopo Bobby Fischer, guarda caso anche lui cresciuto a Brooklyn e diventato re degli scacchi nel 1972 sconfiggendo a Reykjavik in un match che ha fatto epoca il russo Boris Spassky mettendo momentaneamente fine all’egemonia dell’Unione Sovietica sul Nobil Giuoco. Di seguito tutte e 56 le partite finora giocate tra i due protagonisti, col formato grafico Chessbase e i commenti degli esperti (con la visualizzazione a schermo intero si possono leggere data, luogo, evento e commentatore di ciascuna partita).
[Event "Corus"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2010.01.31"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2675"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2010.01.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 135"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 g6 7. Nbd2 Bg7 8. Nf1
O-O 9. Bg5 d5 $1 {It's strange that this move hasn't appeaed at the top level
so far. Objectively speaking, Black doesn't have have problems in this line
anyway, but the move in the text seems to give Black some chances for evne
more than equality.} (9... h6 10. Bh4 Ne7 (10... b5 11. Bb3 Na5 12. Bc2 c5 13.
Ne3 Be6 14. O-O Qd7 15. a3 Ng4 16. Nxg4 Bxg4 17. h3 Be6 $11 {1-0 Tiviakov,S
(2648)-Eljanov,P (2701)/Montreal 2007/CBM 119 (39)}) 11. Ne3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 13.
Bb3 b5 14. a4 Bb7 15. Qd2 Kh7 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rxa8 Bxa8 18. Ra1 Bb7 $11 {
0-1 Papp,G (2509)-Almasi,Z (2668)/Nyiregyhaza 2008/CBM 126 (40)}) 10. Qe2 Qd6
11. Bxf6 {I don't see any reason to give up the bishop.} (11. Ng3 $11 {
Objectively, the knight is out of place on g3. Still, this is the way to
complete the development without any concession.}) 11... Bxf6 12. Ne3 ({
White can't win a pawn like this:} 12. exd5 Qxd5 13. Ne3 Qd6 14. Nc4 Qe6 15.
Bxc6 Qxc6 16. Ncxe5 Bxe5 17. Nxe5 Qxg2 $15) 12... Ne7 {Black is already
slightly better.} 13. Bb3 c6 14. h4 $6 {White doesn't have any grounds for
this kind of attack.} (14. O-O {is clearly safer.}) 14... Be6 15. Ng5 (15. h5 {
is just a punch in the air. Black can start the queenside offensive by} a5 $15)
15... Bd7 16. Rd1 Rad8 17. Qf3 $5 {Magnus is consequent. Objectively, this
idea leads to a worse position for White, but at least Black has to find some
precise moves here.} (17. Nf3 $15 {would clearly indicate that all White's
previous play was false.}) 17... h6 18. Nc4 $1 {This is the point.} dxc4 19.
dxc4 Nd5 $8 20. Nh3 h5 $1 {[%cal Gd7g4] Caruana finds the best way to parry
white's attacking attempts.} (20... Bxh4 $6 21. cxd5 Kg7 22. Nf4 $5 exf4 23.
Rxh4 g5 24. Rh1 f5 25. exf5 Bxf5 26. dxc6 Rfe8+ 27. Kf1 Qxc6 28. Qxc6 Rxd1+ 29.
Bxd1 bxc6 {is also slightly better for Black, but is quite messy on the way.})
21. Qg3 Bg4 22. Rd2 (22. f3 $4 Qe7 $1 $19 {[%cal Gf6h4]}) {[%tqu "En","How
should Black continue?","","","f6h4","Nice counterblow, simplifying to a
better ending.",10,"d6e7","",0]} 22... Bxh4 $1 {Nice counterblow, simplifying
to a better ending.} (22... Qe7 $2 23. cxd5 cxd5 24. Bxd5 Bxh4 25. Qe3 $13) 23.
Qxh4 Qf6 24. Qxf6 Nxf6 25. Ng5 c5 {[%csl Yb3] Black is clearly better, as he
is practically a pawn up.} 26. f3 Bc8 27. Ba4 Kg7 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. b4 $2 {
Looks like a nervous slip of the finger.} ({For example:} 29. g3 $17 {was the
normal way to continue.}) 29... Rd3 $19 {Now White just loses a pawn without
any compensation.} 30. bxc5 {Funny tripled pawns, which are going to be eaten
one by one.} Rxc3 31. Kd2 Rxc4 32. Bb3 Rxc5 33. Nxf7 a5 34. Rc1 (34. Nd6 {
is an suggestion by the chess engine, but with precise play Black should win
this.}) 34... Rxc1 35. Kxc1 a4 36. Bc4 b5 37. Nd6 bxc4 38. Nxc8 h4 39. Nb6 Nh5
40. Nxc4 Kf6 $2 {It wasn't an easy choice for Caruana, especially in time
trouble. The difference between the two lines is rather subtle, but important!}
(40... Nf4 $1 41. Nxe5 Nxg2 42. Ng4 (42. Kd2 Kf6 43. Ng4+ {would be just a
transposition.}) 42... Ne1 43. Nh2 Kf6 44. Kd2 Ng2 45. Ng4+ Kg5 {Here the
white knight must guard the h-pawn, and doesn't have time to go for the a-pawn.
} 46. Ke2 h3 47. Kf2 Kh4 $1 48. Nh2 (48. e5 Nf4 $19) 48... Nf4 49. Ke3 g5 50.
Nf1 Ng6 $1 51. Kf2 Ne5 52. Ke3 Nc6 53. a3 Ne5 $19 {[%csl Ra3][%cal Ge5c4]}) 41.
Kd2 Nf4 42. Ke3 (42. Ne3 $2 {falls to a typical tactical trick:} Kg5 43. Ke1
Nxg2+ $1 44. Nxg2 h3 45. Kf2 h2 $19) 42... Nxg2+ 43. Kf2 Nf4 44. Nb2 {The
exchange of a-pawns is in favour of the defending side.} a3 45. Nc4 Nd3+ 46.
Kg2 Kg5 (46... Nb4 47. Nxa3 Nxa2 48. Nb5 Nb4 49. Kh3 g5 50. Nd6 Nd3 51. Nc4 {
Black can torture his opponent for a long time, but I don't really see a
constructive winning plan.}) 47. Nxa3 Kf4 48. Nc2 {Now it's a clear draw,
since the a-pawn gives White counterplay.} Nb2 49. Nb4 h3+ 50. Kxh3 Kxf3 51.
Kh4 Kf4 52. Nd5+ Kxe4 53. Ne7 Kf3 54. Nxg6 e4 55. Ne5+ Kf4 56. Ng4 Na4 {
A somewhat lucky escape for the World number one, which yielded him another
victory in an elite tournament!} 1/2-1/2
[Event "Wch Blitz 5th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2010.11.16"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C68"]
[WhiteElo "2709"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2010.11.16"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "38"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2011"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.11.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Ne7 6. Nxe5 Qd4 7. Qh5 g6 8.
Qg5 Bg7 9. Nd3 f5 10. e5 c5 11. b3 Qg4 12. Qxg4 fxg4 13. Nxc5 b6 14. Nd3 Bf5
15. Bb2 Bxd3 16. cxd3 O-O-O 17. Na3 Rxd3 18. Rac1 b5 19. Nc2 Rxd2 20. Bc3 Re2
21. Nd4 Rxa2 22. Ne6 Rg8 23. Ra1 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Kb7 25. Nc5+ Kc6 26. b4 Ra8 27.
Rxa6+ Rxa6 28. Nxa6 Nd5 29. Bd4 Bf8 30. e6 Nxb4 31. Nb8+ Kd5 32. Nd7 Bd6 33.
Bc5 Kxe6 0-1
[Event "Wch Blitz 5th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2010.11.17"]
[Round "26"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2709"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2010.11.16"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "38"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2011"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2010.11.26"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2010.11.26"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Nbd7 8. a5
Bb4 9. Qa4 Qe7 10. O-O O-O 11. Be2 Ne4 12. Qb3 Rab8 13. Rd1 Bd6 14. Nxe4 Bxe4
15. Nd2 Bg6 16. Nc4 Bc7 17. Bd2 Rfd8 18. Bb4 Qg5 19. Bf3 a6 20. h3 Nf6 21. Bc5
Rd7 22. Bb6 Bxb6 23. Qxb6 Nd5 24. Qc5 h6 25. b4 Rdd8 26. Rd2 Bh7 27. Re1 Bg6
28. Kh2 Qf6 29. Ne5 Bh7 1-0
[Event "Biel Accentus"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2011.07.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2821"]
[BlackElo "2711"]
[Annotator "Ftacnik,L"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2011.07.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 144"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 Qh4 7. Qe2 Ne7
$146 {Black has developed the queen to an active square and made castling for
White more complicated. The knight move to e7 is a novelty, Black players have
usually fared well after the natural move 7...Nf6.} (7... Nf6 8. h3 (8. Be3
Bxe3 9. Qxe3 O-O 10. Nd2 Re8 11. O-O d6 12. Rae1 a5 13. Qg3 Qxg3 14. hxg3 a4
15. f3 Be6 16. b3 Nd7 17. Re3 axb3 18. axb3 Ne5 19. Be2 Ra2 20. Rc3 c5 21. b4
cxb4 {1/2-1/2 Carlsen,M (2714)-Kamsky,G (2714)/Khanty Mansiysk 2007/}) 8... d5
(8... O-O 9. g3 Qh5 10. g4 Qh4 11. Nd2 Ne8 12. Nb3 (12. Nf3 Qe7 13. Bd2 Rb8 14.
b3 d6 15. Bc3 Bb4 16. Bxb4 Rxb4 17. e5 c5 18. exd6 Qf6 19. d7 Bxd7 20. Ne5 $14
{1-0 Kovchan,A (2554)-Annaberdiev,M (2459)/Konya 2011/ (61)}) 12... Be7 13. Nd4
Bc5 14. Nf5 Qd8 15. Bd2 Nd6 16. O-O-O Nxf5 17. gxf5 Qh4 18. Rh2 Bd4 19. Rg1 Be5
20. Rhg2 $16 {1-0 Motylev,A (2641)-Liang Chong (2531)/Moscow 2001/ (53)}) 9. g3
(9. exd5+ Kd8 10. O-O Bxh3 11. dxc6 Re8 12. Qd2 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Qg4+ $11) 9...
Qh5 10. Qxh5 Nxh5 11. Nc3 (11. e5 Bd4 12. g4 Nf4 13. Bxf4 Bxb2 14. Kd2 Bxa1 15.
Nc3 Bxc3+ 16. Kxc3 c5 $17 {0-1 Nataf,I (2534)-Fressinet,L (2673)/Pau 2008/ (32)
}) 11... Nf6 12. Bf4 Bb4 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bd2 Nxc3 15. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 Be6
17. f4 O-O 18. Kf2 Rab8 19. f5 Bd7 $14 {0-1 Ivanchuk,V (2739)-Malakhov,V (2706)
/Warsaw 2009/ (68)}) 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Be3 Bb6 10. O-O {Carlsen is a courageous
player, but he decided to abstain from castling long due to the semi-open
b-file. He correctly guessed, that the attack against the black king was
unlikely to succeed.} (10. O-O-O d5 $132) 10... d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 (11... cxd5
12. g3 Qf6 13. Qh5 $14) 12. Bd2 Bd4 {In the new era of chess and computers the
top players have to live with the fact, that achieving an advantage from the
opening is a rare feat. The remaining ambition is a bit more modest - to build
up a position, that can be full of life.} (12... Bg4 13. Qe4 Rae8 14. Qc4 Qh5
$14) (12... Nb4 $5 13. Qe4 (13. Be4 $2 Ba6 $17) 13... Qxe4 14. Bxe4 Rd8 15. Bf4
Nd5 16. Rad1 Be6 $11) 13. Rae1 Nb4 $1 (13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bb6 15. Qe8 $1 Rb8
16. Qxc6 Bb7 17. Qc4 $14) 14. Qe4 (14. Ne4 $2 Bg4 15. g3 Qh5 $19) 14... Qxe4
15. Bxe4 Ba6 16. Ne2 {The passive retreat of the knight is certainly far from
what White is dreaming about, but Black has problems with the coordination of
his pieces as well.} Bc5 17. a3 (17. Bxb4 Bxb4 18. c3 Be7 19. Bxc6 Rad8 20. b4
Bc4 $11) 17... Nd5 (17... Rae8 18. Nf4 (18. axb4 Rxe4 19. bxc5 Bxe2 20. f3 Re6
21. Rf2 Rfe8 (21... Bc4 22. Ra1 $16) 22. Bf4 $14) 18... Nd5 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20.
Nxd3 $14) 18. b4 Bd6 {Caruana is playing sensible moves and does not try to
solve the position with the help of tactics.} (18... Rfe8 19. Bf3 (19. Bd3 Bxd3
20. cxd3 Bd6 $11) 19... Bd6 20. Nd4 Bxf1 21. Rxf1 $14) 19. Nd4 $5 {[%mdl 1024]
Sporting the best rating in the world does not come cheap, Carlsen has to try
for a win even against the very good opponents. Breaking the balance with the
help of an exchange sacrifice fuels the tension in the position.} (19. g3 Be5
20. Kg2 f5 21. Bd3 Bxd3 22. cxd3 Rfe8 $11) 19... Bxf1 20. Kxf1 Nb6 (20... Rae8
21. Nxc6 Nf6 22. Bf3 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 a6 $11) 21. Nxc6 Rfe8 22. a4 {The danger
for Black does not seem to be great, but White's active approach is calling
for exact solutions.} (22. h3 g6 $11) 22... Kf8 (22... Nxa4 $6 23. Ne7+ Rxe7
24. Bxa8 Rxe1+ 25. Kxe1 $16) 23. a5 Nc4 24. Bc1 (24. Bc3 Bf4 25. Re2 Bd2 $1 26.
Bd4 Bxb4 27. Bxh7 (27. Nxb4 Rxe4 $17) 27... Rxe2 28. Kxe2 Bxa5 $15) 24... a6 {
The defender is choosing a passive move, that does not spoil anything. He
could have found the courage for the speedier clarification of the position
with the help of the active move 24...f5!} (24... f5 $1 25. Bxf5 Rxe1+ 26. Kxe1
Re8+ 27. Kf1 Ne5 28. Be4 Nxc6 29. Bxc6 Rd8 (29... Bxb4 $2 30. Bxe8 Kxe8 31. a6
$16) 30. Bd2 Be7 31. Bc3 Rd1+ 32. Ke2 Rb1 $11) 25. f4 $6 (25. g3 f5 26. Bxf5 (
26. Bd5 Rxe1+ 27. Kxe1 Re8+ 28. Kf1 Ne5 29. c3 Nxc6 30. Bxc6 $11) 26... Rxe1+
27. Kxe1 Re8+ 28. Kf1 Ne5 29. Be4 Nxc6 30. Bxc6 Bxb4 31. Bxe8 Kxe8 $11) 25...
Re6 $2 {A small comedy of errors on the highest level. The shocking and well
disguised move of the black knight to e3 would have clearly shown the gap in
White's concept.} (25... Ne3+ $1 26. Rxe3 (26. Bxe3 $2 Rxe4 $19) 26... Bxf4 27.
Rf3 Bxc1 28. Bd5 f6 29. Nd4 Rab8 $15) 26. Bd5 $1 Rf6 (26... Rxe1+ 27. Kxe1
Bxb4+ 28. Nxb4 Re8+ 29. Kf2 Nxa5 30. Nxa6 $18) 27. Re4 {A truly tragic finish
of the game for Caruana. One serious mistake and the battle was immediately
over.} 1-0
[Event "Biel Accentus"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "2011.07.29"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2711"]
[BlackElo "2821"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2011.07.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "19"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 144"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. a4 a6 8. a5
h6 9. Re1 exd4 10. Nxd4 Ne5 11. Bf1 c5 12. Nb3 Be6 13. Bf4 Rc8 14. h3 Re8 15.
Bxe5 dxe5 16. Nd2 c4 17. Ra4 Bc5 18. Nxc4 Bd4 19. Qf3 Rc5 20. Nd1 Qc7 21. Nde3
Bxe3 22. Nxe3 Rxa5 23. Rb4 Rd8 24. Rd1 Rxd1 25. Qxd1 Rc5 26. Ra4 Rc6 27. Bd3
Rd6 28. Qe1 b5 29. Ra3 g6 30. b4 Rc6 31. Qa1 Qd6 32. Kh2 h5 33. Rc3 Rxc3 34.
Qxc3 h4 35. Nf1 Nh5 36. Nd2 g5 37. Nf3 f6 38. g3 hxg3+ 39. fxg3 Ng7 1/2-1/2
[Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2012.01.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 Bb4 11. Ne2 Be6 12. Nf4 Bd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14.
g4 Ne7 15. Nd4 Bc5 16. Rd1 h5 17. Kg2 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 c5 19. Rd3 d4 20. b4 cxb4
21. Rxd4 Nc6 22. Rd5 hxg4 23. hxg4 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Bg5+ Kc7 26. f4 b5
27. Rd1 a6 28. Rd5 Re8 29. Kf3 Rh8 30. Kg2 Re8 31. Bh4 Na5 32. Bf2 Nc4 33. Kf3
g6 34. Bd4 1/2-1/2
[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 7th Blitz"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.06.07"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2012.06.07"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 148 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.06.22"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.06.22"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. b3 b6 4. Bb2 Bb7 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. c3 Nf6 7. Bc2 d5 8. e5 Nd7
9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nb4 11. O-O Rc8 12. Nc3 Nxc2 13. Qxc2 Be7 14. Qd2 O-O 15.
Ne2 Ba6 16. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 17. Rxc1 Qb8 18. h4 Rc8 19. Nf4 Rxc1+ 20. Qxc1 Qc8 21.
Qb1 Nf8 22. g3 Ng6 23. Ng2 h6 24. Ne3 Be2 25. Kg2 Qa6 26. Ne1 Bb4 27. f3 Bd2
28. Kf2 Bxe3+ 29. Kxe3 Bf1 30. Qc2 Qxa2 31. Bc3 Qxc2 32. Nxc2 a5 33. h5 Ne7 34.
g4 Nc6 35. Kd2 g6 36. Ne3 Ba6 37. f4 b5 38. hxg6 fxg6 39. f5 Kf7 40. f6 b4 41.
Bb2 g5 42. Nd1 Na7 43. Nf2 Bf1 44. Ke1 Bg2 45. Ke2 Nb5 46. Nd3 Be4 47. Nc5 Bg6
48. Nb7 Ke8 49. Nxa5 h5 50. gxh5 Bxh5+ 51. Ke3 Bd1 52. Nb7 g4 53. Kf4 Nc3 54.
Kg3 Ne4+ 55. Kg2 Bxb3 56. Bc1 Bd1 57. Nd6+ Nxd6 58. exd6 b3 59. Kg3 Bc2 1-0
[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 7th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.06.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.06.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 149"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.07.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Nd7 8.
Nf3 O-O 9. Be3 (9. Bg5 {was the original idea of the Janjghava system but it
doesn't force} h6 {. Therefore White prefers a simpler way of development.})
9... c5 10. Rc1 (10. Rd1 Qc7 11. Bd3 b6 12. O-O Bb7 13. Rfe1 a6 14. Qa3 e6 15.
Qb2 b5 16. a4 Nf6 17. Bg5 bxa4 18. Qa3 h6 19. Bd2 cxd4 20. cxd4 Bc6 21. Rc1 Qb7
22. Rb1 Bb5 23. Ne5 Rfd8 {1/2 Schandorff,L (2534)-Khalifman,A (2622)/Fuegen
2006/CBM 115}) (10. Be2 Nf6 (10... Qc7 $5) (10... e5 $5) 11. Bd3 (11. Nd2 Ng4
12. Bxg4 Bxg4 13. f3 Bd7 14. Qb3 cxd4 15. cxd4 b5 $15 {1-0 Korobov,A (2511)
-Obodchuk,A (2438)/Moscow 2002/CBM 088/[Krasenkow] (39)}) 11... a6 12. O-O Qc7
$11 {[%cal Yb7b5]}) 10... Nb6 (10... Nf6 11. Bd3 Ng4 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 cxd4
14. cxd4 Ne5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. d5 Qd6 17. Bg3 Bxg3 18. hxg3 Bd7 19. Qd4 $14 {
1-0 Tunik,G (2435)-Gutman,L (2535)/Moscow 1989/TD (45)}) (10... b6 11. Be2 Bb7
12. e5 Qc7 13. h4 Bd5 14. h5 c4 15. Qc2 Qc6 16. Qd2 f6 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Bh6
$36 {0-1 Gurevich,M (2644)-L'Ami,E (2516)/Belgium 2005/EXT 2006 (44)}) (10...
e6 {is unnecessary but also possible:} 11. Be2 a6 12. Qa3 b6 13. Qb3 cxd4 14.
cxd4 Bb7 15. Bg5 Bf6 16. Bh6 Bg7 17. Bg5 Qb8 18. Qe3 Rc8 19. O-O Qd6 $11 {
1-0 Lenic,L (2637)-Gabrielian,A (2554)/Plovdiv BUL 2012/The Week in Chess 907
(40)}) (10... a6 $5 11. Qa3 (11. Be2 b5 $1) 11... b6 12. e5 Bb7 13. h4 b5 14.
h5 e6 15. hxg6 hxg6 16. Ng5 Rc8 17. f4 cxd4 18. cxd4 Rxc1+ 19. Bxc1 {1-0
Twardon,M (2355)-Jasnikowski,Z (2460)/Katowice 1993/EXT 1998 (21)} Re8 $13) (
10... cxd4 11. cxd4 Nb6 12. Qa5 (12. Qb4 Qd6 13. Qxd6 exd6 14. Bd3 f5 15. O-O
fxe4 16. Bxe4 d5 $11 {1/2 Karner,H (2365)-Rytshagov,M (2425)/Tallinn 1989/EXT
1997 (26)}) 12... f5 13. e5 Be6 14. Be2 Qd5 15. Qb4 Qxa2 16. Qxe7 Rfc8 $13 {
0-1 Pisulinski,J (2400)-Malisauskas,V (2500)/Warsaw 1989/EXT 1997 (23)}) (10...
Qc7 {The main move, quite sufficient for equality.} 11. Be2 (11. Bd3 a6 (11...
b6 12. e5 Bb7 13. h4 Rad8 14. Bb1 Bc6 15. Qc2 {1-0 Twardon,M (2340)-Murawski,G
(2260)/Lubniewice 1994/CBM 045 ext (48)} b5 16. h5 Nb6 $13) 12. Qa3 c4 13. Bb1
e5 14. O-O b5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bd6 18. Qb2 Bb7 19. Qf2 Rae8
20. e5 Ba3 21. Rce1 f6 $132 {1-0 Comas Fabrego,L (2435)-Fernandez Garcia,J
(2445)/Spain 1993/TD (32)}) 11... a6 (11... e5 12. O-O b6 13. Rfd1 Bb7 14. d5
a6 15. Qb3 Nf6 16. Nd2 Bc8 17. a4 $14 {0-1 Ortiz Suarez,I (2556)
-Nepomniachtchi,I (2711)/Khanty-Mansiysk 2011/CBM 145 (59)}) 12. O-O b5 13. Qa3
Bb7 14. d5 Rac8 15. c4 b4 16. Qa4 Nb6 17. Qc2 a5 18. Qd2 e5 19. Ne1 Qd6 20. a3
f5 21. f3 Nd7 $13 {1-0 Litinskaya,M (2370)-Veroci,Z (2320)/Subotica 1991/TD
(34)}) 11. Qd1 Bg4 (11... Qc7 {is less logical now:} 12. Bd3 Rd8 13. h3 e5 14.
O-O Be6 15. Qe2 $14 {[%csl Rb6] 1/2 Hughes,T (2161)-Dragicevic,D (2302)/
Gaziantep 2008/CBM 125 Extra (24)}) 12. Be2 Bxf3 13. gxf3 cxd4 {The simplest
course. Black opens up the c-file and trades all the rooks along it, reaching
full equality.} 14. cxd4 Qd7 15. O-O Rac8 16. Qd2 Rfd8 17. Rfd1 Rxc1 18. Qxc1
Rc8 19. Qa3 Na4 20. Bf1 b5 21. Rc1 Rxc1 22. Qxc1 Bxd4 23. Bxb5 Bxe3 24. Bxd7
Bxc1 25. Bxa4 Bf4 26. h3 Be5 27. Kg2 Bf4 28. Kg1 Be5 29. Kg2 Bf4 30. Kg1
1/2-1/2
[Event "Grand Slam Final 5th"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao"]
[Date "2012.09.24"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C19"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2843"]
[PlyCount "181"]
[EventDate "2012.09.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "BRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 151"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3 Nbc6 8.
Bd3 Bd7 9. O-O Qc7 10. Re1 Na5 11. Ng5 Ng6 12. Re3 c4 13. Be2 Nc6 14. Bh5 Nce7
15. Qg4 Ba4 16. Ra2 Nf5 17. Re1 O-O-O 18. Nf3 Kb8 19. h4 Rdf8 20. Qh3 Nge7 21.
Qh2 h6 22. Bg4 g5 23. h5 Ng7 24. Nd2 f5 25. exf6 Qxh2+ 26. Kxh2 Rxf6 27. Bf3
Rhf8 28. Nf1 Nef5 29. Bg4 Be8 30. Bxf5 Nxf5 31. Ne3 Nxe3 32. Bxe3 Bxh5 33. Kg3
Bg6 34. Rb2 h5 35. f3 g4 36. Bg5 Rf5 37. f4 Re8 38. Re2 Kc7 39. Rb1 Rf7 40. Rh1
Rh7 41. Kf2 Kb6 42. g3 Ka5 43. Ke3 Bf5 44. Kd2 Rc8 45. Bh4 Rd7 46. Rb1 Rc6 47.
Ree1 Rb6 48. Rxb6 Kxb6 49. Rb1+ Kc7 50. Kc1 Rd6 51. Kb2 Rb6+ 52. Kc1 Ra6 53.
Kb2 Be4 54. Bg5 Kd7 55. Bh4 Ke8 56. Ka2 b6 57. Kb2 Kf7 58. Re1 b5 59. Rb1 Kg6
60. Re1 Kf7 61. Ra1 Rb6 62. Rb1 Kg6 63. Kc1 Ra6 64. Kb2 Kf5 65. Re1 Rb6 66. Rb1
a5 67. Kc1 Bg2 68. Kd2 Ke4 69. Re1+ Kf3 70. Re2 b4 71. axb4 axb4 72. Re3+ Kf2
73. Re2+ Kf3 74. Re3+ Kf2 75. Re2+ Kg1 76. Re1+ Kh2 77. cxb4 Rxb4 78. Rxe6 Be4
79. Rxe4 dxe4 80. f5 Kg2 81. Ke3 Rb2 82. d5 Rxc2 83. d6 c3 84. d7 Rd2 85. d8=Q
Rxd8 86. Bxd8 h4 87. gxh4 g3 88. f6 c2 89. Kd2 e3+ 90. Kxc2 e2 91. Ba5 1-0
[Event "Grand Slam Final 5th"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao"]
[Date "2012.10.08"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C00"]
[WhiteElo "2843"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[Annotator "Carlsen,M"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2012.09.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "BRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 151"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e6 2. d3 {The French Defence was a huge surprise to me, so I decided to
employ the same strategy that had brought me my only victory so far in the
tournament, namely push the d-pawn one square forward as early as possible.
Die Französische Verteidigung war eine Riesenüberraschung für mich, daher
beschloss ich, dieselbe Strategie anzuwenden, die mir meinen einzigen Sieg
bislang in dem Turnier eingetragen hatte, nämlich, den d-Bauern so früh wie
möglich ein Feld vorzuschieben.} d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Nc6 {A perfectly
reasonable way of avoiding the "fearsome" King's Indian Attack, starting with
4...c5 5.g3 and so on. Ein absolut vernünftiger Weg, den "furchterregenden"
Königsindischen Angriff zu vermeiden, beginnend mit 4...c5 5.g3 und so weiter.}
5. c3 Bd6 {Looks a little weird, but is actually quite logical. If immediately
5...e5, or 5...dxe4 6.dxe4 e5, then Black would have to reckon with the
b4-push. Sieht ein wenig seltsam aus, ist aber eigentlich ganz logisch. Falls
sofort 5...e5, oder 5...dxe4 6.dxe4 e5, dann müsste Schwarz mit dem Vorstoß b4
rechnen.} 6. Be2 {It seemed to me that the bishop would have more work here
than on g2 after a subsequent dxe4 dxe4 e5, and besides, this one seemed to
fit better with ideas of pushing b4. Mir schien, dass der Läufer hier nach
anschließendem dxe4 dxe4 e5 mehr Arbeit hätte als auf g2, und außerdem schien
dieser Zug besser zu Ideen mit dem Vorstoß b4 zu passen.} O-O 7. O-O (7. b4 {
here or on the previous move, could have been well met with hier oder im
vorigen Zug hätte gut begegnet werden können mit} dxe4 8. dxe4 a5 9. b5 Ne5 {
and White has gained some space, but also weakened some squares, so Black
should be doing fine. und Weiß hat zwar einigen Raum gewonnen, aber auch ein
paar Felder geschwächt, daher sollte Schwarz gut stehen.}) 7... a5 {Black had
several choices here: Schwarz hatte mehrere Möglichkeiten hier:} (7... e5 {
would be met by würde beantwortet werden mit} 8. b4 {and White obviously has
an excellent version of the Philidor. Whether that would be sufficient for an
advantage though, is quite unclear. und Weiß hat offensichtlich eine
ausgezeichnete Version des Philidor. Ob dies allerdings zu einem Vorteil
reichen würde, ist völlig unklar.}) (7... b6 8. Re1 Bb7 9. Bf1 {seems a little
artificial for Black. scheint ein wenig künstlich für Schwarz.}) (7... Re8 8.
Re1 a5 9. Bf1 e5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nc4 {would transpose to the game. würde zur
Partie überleiten.}) 8. Re1 e5 9. exd5 {Other Philidor-style moves like Bf1 or
b3 were certainly possible, but I felt like forcing things a bit. Andere
Philidor-gemäße Züge wie Bf1 oder b3 waren durchaus möglich, aber mir war
danach, die Dinge ein bisschen zu forcieren.} Nxd5 10. Nc4 Re8 11. Bf1 Bg4 12.
h3 (12. g3 {is not as accurate, as Black can play ist nicht so genau, denn
Schwarz kann} Qd7 {when the annoying bishop cannot be kicked away with h3. I
actually once tried that in a similar position in a blitz game against
Ponomariov, who with a puzzled look in his face simply captured the pawn.
spielen, wonach sich der lästige Läufer nicht mit h3 vertreiben lässt.
Tatsächlich hatte ich dies einmal in ähnlicher Stellung in einer Blitzpartie
gegen Ponomariov versucht, der mit verdutztem Gesichtsausdruck einfach den
Bauern nahm.}) 12... Bh5 13. g3 {Once the e4-pawn is not there to obstruct it,
the bishop is re-deployed to the long diagonal. Nachdem es keinen e4-Bauern
mehr gibt, der ihn behindert, wird der Läufer auf die lange Diagonale
überführt.} ({Going on a fishing expedition with Auf Fischfang zu gehen mit}
13. g4 Bg6 14. Qb3 {as the comp seems to recommend, would probably have
appealed to me on the next day against Paco, when I was in more of a
coffee-house mood. wie der Comp offenbar empfiehlt, hätte mir vermutlich am
nächsten Tag gegen Paco zugesagt, als ich eher in Kaffeehaus-Stimmung war.})
13... Nb6 {A decent move, made after a long period of thought. As you might
have guessed, by this point we were both way "out of book". Ein ordentlicher
Zug, gespielt nach einer langen Denkphase. Wie Sie wohl erraten haben, waren
wir an dieser Stelle beide weit "aus dem Buch".} 14. Nxb6 cxb6 15. Bg2 b5 $2 {
This one however, is rather questionable, as will become apparent after a few
more moves. Dies allerdings ist ziemlich fragwürdig, wie sich nach ein paar
weiteren Zügen herausstellen wird.} (15... a4 {would have retained equal
chances. hätte gleiche Chancen bewahrt.}) 16. a4 $1 {Favourably fixing the
black queenside pawns on dark squares. Fixiert günstig die schwarzen
Damenflügelbauern auf dunklen Feldern.} b4 (16... bxa4 17. Qxa4 {also gives
Black plenty to worry about. gibt Schwarz ebenfalls viel, worüber er sich
sorgen muss.}) 17. Be3 Bc7 18. Qb3 {Now the queen is active, and soon the
knight will be brought to d2 and e4, when all the white minor pieces will be
much more active than their black counterparts. Nun steht die Dame aktiv, und
bald wird der Springer nach d2 und e4 gebracht werden, wonach alle weißen
Leichtfiguren weit aktiver sein werden als ihre schwarzen Gegenüber.} h6 {
It's not so easy to find a more useful move for Black here. Es ist nicht so
leicht, hier einen nützlichen Zug für Schwarz zu finden.} (18... Qxd3 $2 {
loses immediately: verliert sofort:} 19. Rad1 Qa6 (19... Qe4 20. Nh4 Bxd1 21.
Rxd1) 20. g4 Bg6 21. Bf1 {and the queen is trapped. und die Dame ist gefangen.}
) (18... Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Qxd3 {is possible, but even here Black has a very
unpleasant position after ist möglich, doch selbst hier hat Schwarz eine sehr
unangenehme Stellung nach} 20. Rad1 Qf5 21. Bg4 Qg6 22. Rd7 Rac8 23. Be2 $1 {
with the threat of Rxf7. mit der Drohung Rxf7.}) 19. Qc4 {According to a
Russian GM, this was the move of a 2nd category (1600) player. Laut einem
russischen GM war dies der Zug eines Spielers der 2. Kategorie (1600).} ({
He instead recommended Stattdessen empfahl er} 19. Nh4 {which looks very
attractive, as , was sehr attraktiv aussieht, da} Qxd3 (19... Qc8 {however,
bothered me a little, as after allerdings störte mich ein wenig, denn nach} 20.
g4 Qd8 $1 21. Nf5 Bg6 {it is not entirely clear what White has achieved ist
nicht gänzlich klar, was Weiß erreicht hat.}) 20. Rad1 Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Qh7 22.
Rd7 Re7 23. Bxc6 {wins. gewinnt.}) 19... bxc3 20. bxc3 e4 {Otherwise, the
pressure on the queenside would quickly have become unbearable. Ansonsten wäre
der Druck am Damenflügel schnell unerträglich geworden.} 21. dxe4 {I played
this and the next few moves quickly, as I couldn't wait to get to torture him
in the endgame. Dies und die nächsten paar Züge spielte ich schnell, denn ich
konnte es nicht erwarten, ihn im Endspiel zu quälen.} (21. Nd4 {would have
been even stronger. I would have probably have considered it had I noticed
that after wäre sogar noch stärker gewesen. Ich hätte es vermutlich erwogen,
wäre mir aufgefallen, dass nach} Ne5 22. Qb5 Nxd3 {The bishop is actually
hanging der Läufer tatsächlich hängt:} 23. Qxh5) 21... Bxf3 22. Bxf3 Ne5 23.
Qe2 Nxf3+ 24. Qxf3 Qd3 {The position has been simplified quite a bit, but I
had seen many moves ago that even in the endgame Black is far away from a draw.
Die Stellung wurde ziemlich vereinfacht, aber ich hatte viele Züge zuvor
gesehen, dass selbst im Endspiel Schwarz von einem Remis weit entfernt ist.}
25. Kg2 $1 {This is much stronger than Dies ist viel stärker als} (25. Rab1
Qxe4 26. Qxe4 Rxe4 27. Rxb7 Be5 {when Black is pretty close to a draw, e.g. ,
wonach Schwarz ziemlich nach am Remis ist, z.B.} 28. Bd2 Rxe1+ 29. Bxe1 Rc8 30.
Rb5 Bxc3 31. Bxc3 Rxc3) 25... Qxe4 26. Bd4 Qxf3+ (26... Qc6 27. Qxc6 bxc6 28.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Rb1 {also gives Black a very difficult defence. gibt Schwarz
ebenfalls eine sehr schwierige Verteidigung.}) 27. Kxf3 b6 28. Rab1 Rac8 29.
Re4 g6 (29... h5 {seems logical, in order not to be stuck with a weak pawn on
a dark square, but then after wirkt logisch, um nicht mit einem schwachen
Bauern auf einem dunklen Feld sitzenzubleiben, aber dann nach} 30. Rb5 g6 31.
g4 hxg4+ 32. hxg4 {he might have to deal with a rook penetrating via the
h-file at some point. hätte er eventuell damit fertigwerden müssen, dass ein
Turm an irgendeiner Stelle über die h-Linie eindringt.}) (29... f6 {might be
the best way to arrange the pawns, but even here, after an eventual g4-h5,
Black will have problems on both flanks. ist womöglich der beste Weg, die
Bauern aufzustellen, doch selbst hier, nach schließlichem g4-h5, wird Schwarz
auf beiden Flanken Probleme haben.}) 30. g4 $1 {Fixing the pawn on h6. Fixiert
den Bauern auf h6.} Kf8 31. h4 Rxe4 32. Kxe4 Re8+ 33. Kd3 Re6 34. Be3 Kg7 35.
Rb5 Bd8 36. h5 Rd6+ 37. Kc4 Rc6+ (37... f5 {was suggested by Caruana as a
possible improvement after the game. I was intending to keep the pressure with
wurde von Caruana nach der Partie als mögliche Verbesserung vorgeschlagen. Ich
hatte vor, den Druck aufrechtzuerhalten mit} 38. f3 {when Black can exchange a
couple of pawns, but is still a long way from a draw - , wonach Schwarz zwar
ein paar Bauern tauschen kann, ein Remis aber noch immer in weiter Ferne liegt
-} fxg4 39. fxg4 gxh5 40. gxh5 $16) 38. Kd5 Re6 39. Bd4+ Kf8 40. f4 {With the
pawn coming to f5, I felt pretty sure that I was winning. White just gains
more and more ground, and eventually Black cannot hold on to everything.
Angesichts des nach f5 kommenden Bauern war ich ziemlich sicher, dass ich
gewinne. Weiß erobert einfach mehr und mehr Boden, und am Ende kann Schwarz
nicht mehr alles festhalten.} Bc7 41. f5 Rd6+ 42. Ke4 Rc6 43. Rb1 Ke8 {
Allowing a more or less forced win, but the position was lost in any case.
Lässt einen mehr oder weniger forcierten Gewinn zu, aber die Stellung war in
jedem Fall verloren.} (43... g5 {closes the kingside, but now the king creates
havoc on the queenside, while Bg7 is always an issue. schließt den
Königsflügel, aber jetzt wütet der König am Damenflügel, während Bg7 immer ein
Thema ist.} 44. Kd5 Rd6+ 45. Kc4 Ke7 46. Kb5 Kd7 47. Ka6 Rc6 (47... Kc6 48.
Bxb6 Rd8 49. Rb5 Ra8+ 50. Ba7 $18) 48. Kb7 Rc4 49. Bg7 $1 Bd6 (49... Rxg4 50.
Rd1+ Bd6 51. Be5) 50. Bxh6 Rxg4 51. Bg7 Rh4 52. Rd1 Ke7 53. Kc6 $1 Rc4+ 54.
Kxb6 Rxa4 55. Rh1 {and the h-pawn will cost Black a rook. und der h-Bauer wird
Schwarz einen Turm kosten.}) (43... gxh5 44. gxh5 Rc4 45. Ra1 Rc6 46. Rg1 Rd6 (
46... Rc4 {allows White to finish in style: erlaut Weiß, stilvoll zu vollenden:
} 47. Kd5 Rxa4 48. Rg4 $1 Ra1 49. Kc6 Bh2 50. Bg7+ Ke8 51. Re4+ Kd8 52. Bf6+ {
and mate next and mate next}) 47. Be5 $1 (47. Rg7 $4 Rxd4+) 47... Rc6 48. Bg7+
Ke7 49. Bd4 Kf8 50. Rg7 {and the rook penetrates with decisive effect. und der
Turm dringt mit entscheidender Wirkung ein.}) 44. hxg6 $1 {Reducing the number
of pawns, but I had seen a more or less forced win. Reduziert die Anzahl der
Bauern, doch ich hatte einen mehr oder weniger forcierten Gewinn gesehen.} fxg6
45. Rh1 Kf7 $6 (45... gxf5+ 46. gxf5 Bd8 {was certainly the most tenacious
defence, and the line I had spent the most time calculating: war sicherlich
die zäheste Verteidigung und das Abspiel, für das ich die meiste Bedenkzeit
aufgewandt hatte:} (46... Rc4 47. Kd5 Rxa4 48. Rxh6 {wins easily, despite the
limited material gewinnt leicht trotz des begrenzten Materials.}) 47. f6 $1
Bxf6 48. Rxh6 Rxc3 $1 {Other moves lose rather trivially Andere Züge verlieren
ziemlich trivial.} 49. Bxf6 (49. Bxc3 $4 Bxc3 50. Rxb6 {is a tablebase draw!
ist ein Tablebase-Remis!}) 49... Ra3 (49... Rc4+ 50. Kd5 Rxa4 51. Ke6 Re4+ 52.
Be5) 50. Rh7 $1 (50. Kd5 Kf7 $11) 50... Rxa4+ 51. Kd5 Ra2 52. Ke6 Re2+ 53. Be5
Rf2 54. Rb7 Rd2 55. Rxb6 {and the tablebase shows a win in 23 moves. In fact,
the win is quite simple as soon as White captures the pawn, as was shown many
times, for instance in the recent game Grischuk-Kamsky from the Olympiad. und
die Tablebase zeigt einen Sieg in 23 Zügen. Tatsächlich ist der Gewinn
ziemlich einfach, sobald Weiß den Bauern schlägt, wie viele Male gezeigt wurde,
zum Beispiel in der kürzlich gespielten Partie Grischuk-Kamsky bei der
Olympiade.}) 46. Kd5 Rd6+ 47. Kc4 {Caruana spent a lot of time on this move
and the next, but in vain. Caruana verbrauchte eine Menge Zeit für diesen Zug
und den nächsten, aber vergeblich.} gxf5 (47... g5 48. Kb5 {holds out longer,
but the winning plan is quite clear even here hält länger, aber der Gewinnplan
ist selbst hier recht klar:} Bd8 49. Ka6 Rc6 50. Rh3 $1 (50. Kb7 Rc7+ {is less
accurate ist weniger genau.}) 50... Rd6 (50... Kg8 51. f6 $1) 51. Kb7 Ke8 52.
Rh1 Kf7 53. Kc8 {with total zugzwang. Check for yourselves! mit totalem
Zugzwang. Überprüft es selbst!}) 48. gxf5 Bd8 49. f6 {I played this
immediately, as I had double and triple-checked the lines so many times
already while he was thinking. Ich zog dies sofort, da ich die Abspiele
bereits so oft doppelt und dreifach gecheckt hatte, während er nachdachte.}
Bxf6 (49... Kg6 50. Rg1+ Kf7 51. Rg7+ Ke8 52. Rg6 Kf7 53. Rxh6 {and there is
nothing Black can do. und es gibt nichts, was Schwarz tun kann.}) 50. Rxh6 Be7
(50... Ke7 51. Bxf6+ Rxf6 52. Rxf6 Kxf6 53. Kb5) 51. Rxd6 Bxd6 52. Kb5 Ke6 53.
Bxb6 Kd7 54. c4 Kc8 55. Bxa5 {It only remains for White not to let Black sac
the bishop for the c-pawn. I (and a suspect quite a lot of other people) knew
the winning method from the famous game Fischer-Keres, Zurich 59. Nun muss
Weiß nur noch aufpassen, dass Schwarz nicht seinen Läufer für den c-Bauern
opfert. Die Gewinnmethode kannte ich (wie vermutlich viele andere auch) aus
der berühmten Partie Fischer-Keres, Zürich 59.} Kb7 56. Bb4 Bf4 57. c5 Ka7 58.
c6 Kb8 59. a5 Ka7 60. a6 Ka8 61. Bc5 Bb8 62. Kc4 Bc7 63. Kd5 Bd8 64. Ke6 Bc7
65. Kd7 Ba5 66. Be7 {Black resigned, as Bd8 followed by c7 is coming up.
Schwarz gab auf, denn es steht Bd8 nebst c7 ins Haus.} 1-0
[Event "Grand Slam Final playoff 5th"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao"]
[Date "2012.10.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2843"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2012.10.13"]
[EventType "match (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "BRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 151"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. h3 h6 11. Ne4 b6 12. b3 Bd7 13. Bb2 Kc8 14. Rad1
a5 15. a4 Nd5 16. Ng3 Rg8 17. Nd4 c5 18. Nb5 Nf4 19. Rfe1 Bc6 20. f3 Kb7 21. c4
Re8 22. Kh2 Be7 23. Nf5 h5 24. h4 Ne6 25. Nxe7 Rxe7 26. Rd2 g5 27. hxg5 Rxg5
28. Re3 Re8 29. Nc3 Nd4 30. Ne4 Rgxe5 31. Bxd4 cxd4 32. Red3 Bxe4 33. fxe4 Rxe4
34. Rf2 R8e7 35. Rf5 h4 36. c5 R7e5 37. Rxe5 Rxe5 38. cxb6 c5 39. Rf3 f5 40.
Rf4 d3 41. Rxh4 Rd5 0-1
[Event "Grand Slam Final playoff 5th"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao"]
[Date "2012.10.13"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2843"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "2012.10.13"]
[EventType "match (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "2"]
[EventCountry "BRA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 151"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. Qe2 d6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Rd1 a6 10. e5 Bxg2 11. exf6 Bh3 12. Qh5 Qxf6 13. Qxh3 Be7 14. Nc3 Qg6
15. Nc6 Ne5 16. Nxe7 Kxe7 17. Bf4 1-0
[Event "Tata Steel-A 75th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2013.01.12"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A36"]
[WhiteElo "2861"]
[BlackElo "2781"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2013.01.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 153"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. c4 g6 2. e4 e5 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Nge2 c5 6. d3 Nc6 7. Bg2 Nge7 8. a3
Nd4 9. b4 Bg4 10. h3 Bxe2 11. Nxe2 Nxe2 12. Qxe2 Nc6 13. Rb1 b6 14. O-O O-O 15.
Be3 Rc8 16. Qd2 Rc7 17. Kh1 Kh8 18. Rb2 f5 19. Rbb1 Nd4 20. Bxd4 cxd4 21. exf5
gxf5 22. Bd5 Qe8 23. b5 Re7 24. Rbe1 e4 25. f4 exf3 26. Rxe7 Qxe7 27. Rxf3 Be5
28. a4 Qg7 29. Qf2 Rf6 30. Rxf5 Bxg3 31. Qf3 Be5 32. Be6 Rxf5 33. Bxf5 Qg5 34.
Be4 Kg7 35. Qg4 Qxg4 36. hxg4 h6 37. Kg2 1/2-1/2
[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 8th Blitz"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2013.06.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2774"]
[BlackElo "2864"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2013.06.12"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 154 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.06.25"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.06.25"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Nc3 e5 5. O-O d6 6. d3 Be7 7. Bg5 O-O 8. Bxf6
Bxf6 9. Nd5 Be6 10. Bc4 g6 11. c3 Bg7 12. a3 Kh8 13. b4 f5 14. Rb1 b6 15. Ne3
Bd7 16. Bd5 Rc8 17. Qb3 f4 18. Nc4 Qe7 19. Nfd2 g5 20. f3 g4 21. fxg4 Bxg4 22.
Nf3 Bf6 23. Rb2 Nd8 24. a4 Ne6 25. a5 b5 26. Ncd2 a6 27. h3 Bxf3 28. Nxf3 Ng5
29. c4 Nxf3+ 30. Rxf3 cxb4 31. Qxb4 Rc5 32. Qa3 Bh4 33. Rb1 Qc7 34. cxb5 Rc2
35. bxa6 Rf6 36. Qb4 Qg7 37. Qb8+ Rf8 38. Qxf8+ Qxf8 39. a7 Rc8 40. d4 Qg7 41.
Rb7 Rc1+ 42. Rf1 Bf2+ 43. Kxf2 Rc2+ 0-1
[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 8th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2013.06.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2864"]
[BlackElo "2774"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2013.06.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bg4 5. c4 e6 6. cxd5 Bxf3 7. Bxf3 cxd5 8.
Nc3 Nc6 9. d4 Be7 10. e3 O-O 11. b3 Qa5 12. Bb2 Ba3 13. Qc1 Bxb2 14. Qxb2 Rfc8
15. Rac1 Ne7 16. Na4 Nd7 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Rxc5 19. b4 Rb5 20. a3 Qd8 21.
e4 a5 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. Rc5 Qb6 24. Rxb5 Qxb5 25. Bxd5 exd5 26. Rc1 Re8 27. Qd4
axb4 28. axb4 h6 29. Kg2 b6 30. Rd1 Re4 31. Qxd5 Qxd5 32. Rxd5 Rxb4 33. h4 Kf8
34. Rd7 Re4 35. Rb7 Re6 36. g4 g5 37. f4 gxf4 38. Kf3 Rf6 39. g5 Rc6 40. Kxf4
h5 41. Kf5 Kg7 42. Rb8 Rc5+ 43. Kf4 Rb5 44. Ke4 Rb1 45. Kf5 Rb2 46. Kf4 Rb4+
47. Ke5 Kg6 48. Rg8+ Kh7 49. Rf8 Rxh4 {Caruana's cut off This is an important
technique in rook endings:} 50. Rxf7+ $2 {This capture is too greedy.} (50. Rb8
$1 {saves the day, e.g.} b5 (50... Rb4 51. Kf6 $1 {(Golubev)} h4 52. Rb7 Rf4+
53. Ke5 Rf1 54. Rxb6 $11) 51. Rxb5 Kg6 52. Rb8 Kxg5 53. Rg8+ $1 {(Golubev in
Chess Today 4603)} Kh6 54. Kf5 Ra4 55. Rh8+ Kg7 56. Rb8 h4 57. Rb3 Kh6 58. Rb6+
Kh5 59. Rb8 Ra5+ 60. Kf4 Ra6 61. Rb5+ Kg6 62. Kg4 Ra4+ 63. Kh3 $11) 50... Kg6
51. Rf6+ (51. Rf8 {is also insufficient, e.g.} Kxg5 52. Rg8+ Kh6 53. Rb8 Rc4
54. Kf6 Rc6+ 55. Kf5 Rd6 56. Ke5 (56. Rh8+ Kg7 57. Rxh5 $6 Rd5+ 58. Kg4 Rxh5
59. Kxh5 b5 $19) 56... Rg6 57. Kf5 Rc6 58. Rg8 Rd6 59. Rb8 Kg7 60. Rb7+ Kf8 61.
Kg5 Ke8 62. Kxh5 Kd8 63. Kg5 Kc8 64. Rh7 Rd7 $19) 51... Kxg5 52. Rxb6 (52. Rf5+
{is met by} Kg4 53. Ke4 Rh3 54. Rb5 Rh1 $1 {(Heimers)} 55. Rxb6 Re1+ 56. Kd3 h4
57. Kd2 Re5 58. Rg6+ Kh5 59. Rg8 h3 60. Rh8+ Kg4 61. Rg8+ Rg5 $19) 52... Ra4 {
The cut off decides.} 53. Rb8 Kg4 54. Rg8+ Kf3 55. Rf8+ Kg3 56. Rg8+ Kh2 57.
Kf5 h4 58. Rb8 ({Just waiting with} 58. Rg7 {is broken by} h3 59. Rg8 Kh1 60.
Rg7 h2 61. Rg8 Ra1 62. Kf4 Rg1 63. Ra8 Kg2 64. Ra2+ Kh3 65. Ra3+ Kh4 66. Ra8
Rf1+ $19) 58... h3 59. Kg5 ({After} 59. Rb2+ {Caruana's king hides on h4:} Kg3
60. Rb3+ Kh4 $19) 59... Re4 60. Kf5 Re2 61. Rg8 (61. Kf4 Kg2 62. Rg8+ Kf1 63.
Kf3 h2 64. Rh8 Rf2+ 65. Ke3 Kg1 66. Rh7 Rg2 $19) 61... Rg2 62. Rd8 Rf2+ (62...
Rf2+ 63. Ke4 Kg1 64. Ke3 h2 65. Rh8 Rg2 66. Ra8 h1=Q $19) 0-1
[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge Blitz"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2014.01.29"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2872"]
[BlackElo "2782"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2014.01.29"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 158 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.02.28"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.02.28"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. c3 d6 7. Nd2 Nf6 8. O-O
O-O 9. a4 e5 10. N4b3 Ba7 11. Nc4 Be6 12. Qe2 Nc6 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3
Ne7 16. Nbd2 Ng6 17. Rfe1 h5 18. h3 h4 19. Bh2 g4 20. Kh1 gxh3 21. gxh3 Bxh3
22. Rg1 Kg7 23. Ne3 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Ng4 25. Qf3 Qf6 26. Rxg4 Qxf3+ 27. Nxf3 Bxg4
28. Nxh4 Nxh4 29. Rg1 Nf3 30. Rxg4+ Kf6 31. Rg3 Nxh2 32. Kxh2 Rh8+ 33. Kg2 Rag8
34. Bc4 Rxg3+ 35. fxg3 a5 0-1
[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2014.02.02"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2872"]
[BlackElo "2782"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2014.01.30"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 ({The last round featured finally featured a
Marshall, after} 3... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9.
exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d3 Bd6 13. Re1 Bf5 14. Qf3 Qh4 15. g3
Qh3 16. Be3 Bxd3 17. Nd2 Qf5 {White came up with a novelty} 18. Bd4 $5 $146 {
, which retained some pressure:} (18. Qxf5 Bxf5 19. Bd4 Rfd8 20. a4 Bf8 21. Ne4
h6 22. h4 Bg6 23. Rad1 Bh5 24. Rc1 Nb4 25. Re3 Nd5 26. Ree1 Nb4 $11 {Ivanchuk,
V (2751)-Aronian,L (2739)/Nice rpd blindfold/2008/}) (18. Rad1 {did not offer
superiority either.} Rfe8 19. Qxf5 Bxf5 20. Bxd5 cxd5 21. Nb3 Be6 22. Bc5 Bc7
23. Nd4 Rac8 24. b4 Bd7 25. Nc2 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Re8 27. Rxe8+ Bxe8 28. Ne3 Bd8
29. Nxd5 Bc6 $11 {Polgar,J (2707)-Leko,P (2753)/Wijk aan Zee/2008/}) 18... Rfe8
19. a4 h6 20. Kg2 Kf8 (20... Bf8 $5) 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. axb5 axb5 23. Qxf5 Bxf5
24. Bxd5 cxd5 25. Ra6 Be7 $6 (25... Be5 $1 $14 {/<=>}) 26. Nf1 b4 27. Ne3 Bd3
28. Ra5 bxc3 29. bxc3 $14 {/+/-,Caruana,F (2782)-Aronian,L (2812)/Zürich/2014/
Black loses a pawn, in the end he didn't make the most of his drawing chances
and went down in the endgame. See the winner's notes in CBM 159.}) 4. d3 {
In Zürich nobody ventured into the Berlin endgame; we'll check out some recent
examples mainly from Wijk 2014:} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 (6. dxe5 Nxb5
7. a4 Nbd4 ({The fighting option is} 7... d6 8. e6 fxe6 9. axb5 Nb4 {is not
without risk after} 10. Ng5 Be7 11. Qh5+ g6 12. Qh6 Bf8 13. Qh3 Qf6 14. Ra4 Nd5
15. Re4 e5 16. Qb3 h6 17. Qxd5 hxg5 18. Rc4 g4 19. Nc3 Rh7 20. f3 Rf7 21. Qe4
Qf5 22. Nd5 c6 23. bxc6 b5 24. Rc3 Be6 {Larin,I (2293)-Grigoryev,V (2498)/corr/
2012/} 25. Qe2 $5 $36) 8. Nxd4 d6 9. exd6 Bxd6 $5 10. Re1+ Be7 11. Nxc6 Qxd1
12. Rxd1 bxc6 13. Be3 Bf5 14. Re1 O-O-O 15. Na3 Rhe8 16. Bxa7 Bxa3 17. Rxe8
Rxe8 18. bxa3 Re4 19. c3 Rxa4 20. Bd4 g6 21. f3 Kd7 $11 {Naiditsch,A (2718)
-Aronian,L (2812)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/}) 6... dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.
h3 ({The tension quickly dissipated after} 9. Rd1+ Ke8 10. Bf4 Ne7 11. h3 Ng6
12. Bh2 Be7 13. Nc3 Bd7 14. Nd4 Nf8 15. Rd2 h5 16. Rad1 Rd8 17. a3 h4 18. Nce2
c5 19. e6 Nxe6 20. Nxe6 Bxe6 21. Bxc7 Rxd2 22. Rxd2 f6 23. Nf4 Kf7 24. Nxe6
Kxe6 $11 {Dominguez Perez,L (2754)-Giri,A (2734)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/}) 9... Bd7
({Another topical and playable alternative is} 9... Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 11. Rd1 (11.
Ne2 Be7 12. Re1 Be6 13. Ned4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bc8 15. Bf4 c5 16. Nb5 Bd8 17. e6
Bxe6 18. Rad1 Ke7 19. Nxc7 Bxc7 20. Bxc7 Rac8 21. Bd6+ {1/2,Fressinet,L (2710)
-Giri,A (2749)/Bundesliga/2014/} Kf6 22. Rd3 h4 $11) (11. Bf4 Be7 12. Rad1 Be6
13. Ng5 Rh6 14. g3 Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Rg6 16. h4 f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bf4 Nxh4 19.
f3 Rd8 20. Rxd8+ Kxd8 21. Kf2 Nf5 22. Rh1 Ng7 23. Nd1 $44 {/=, Naiditsch,A
(2718)-So,W (2719)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/}) 11... Be7 12. Ne2 Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14.
Bf4 Be7 15. Nd4 g5 16. Bh2 Rh6 17. e6 Bxe6 18. Bxc7 Rc8 19. Nxe6 Rxe6 20. Ba5
Bf6 21. Rab1 b6 22. Be1 Rd8 $11 {Harikrishna,P (2706)-So,W (2719)/Wijk aan Zee/
2014/}) 10. Rd1 Kc8 11. g4 Ne7 12. Ng5 Be8 13. f4 b6 (13... h5 14. Kf2 b6 15.
f5 Kb7 16. c4 $146 (16. Nc3 hxg4 17. hxg4 Rh2+ 18. Kg3 Rxc2 19. Nh7 c5 $1 20.
Nxf8 Bc6 $44 {Caruana,F (2796)-Adams,M (2740)/Dortmund/2013/} 21. Bg5 $1 Rg2+
22. Kf4 Rf2+ 23. Kg3 $11 {See the notes to this game by Adams in CBM 156.})
16... c5 17. Bf4 Nc6 18. Nc3 g6 $1 19. e6 fxe6 20. Nxe6 hxg4 21. Nxc7 Bh6 $1
22. Bxh6 Kxc7 23. Bf4+ Kb7 24. hxg4 gxf5 25. g5 Rh4 26. Ne2 Bh5 27. Rh1 Rxh1
28. Rxh1 Bxe2 29. Kxe2 Nd4+ 30. Kd3 Ne6 31. Rf1 Rd8+ 32. Kc3 Rg8 $11 {Giri,A
(2737)-Nakamura,H (2772)/Elancourt/2013/}) 14. f5 $5 (14. Nc3 c5 (14... h5 15.
Kg2 c5 $13) 15. Kf2 h6 16. Nf3 g6 17. Be3 Bc6 18. a4 Kb7 19. a5 Re8 20. Nd2 Nd5
21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. Nf3 Be6 23. Rd3 Be7 24. Rad1 h5 25. Kg3 hxg4 26. hxg4 Rh7 27.
R3d2 Kc6 28. axb6 cxb6 29. Rh2 Rxh2 30. Nxh2 a5 $36 {[%csl Ga5,Gb6,Gc5,Ge6,Ge7]
Sutovsky,E (2700)-Harikrishna,P (2669)/WChT Ningbo/2011/}) 14... c5 (14... h5
15. Kg2 c5 16. Nc3 g6 17. f6 Nc6 18. Nf3 Nb4 19. Bf4 $1 Nxc2 20. Rac1 Nb4 21.
a3 Nc6 22. Ne4 $44 Bd7 23. Neg5 hxg4 $2 (23... Nd8 $142 24. Rxd7 $1 Kxd7 25.
e6+ fxe6 26. Ne5+ $36) 24. hxg4 Bxg4 25. Nxf7 Rh5 26. Kg3 Bf5 27. N7g5 Bh6 28.
e6 {Dominguez - Nakamura, Wijk aan Zee 2014.} Bxg5 29. Nxg5 Rxg5+ 30. Bxg5 Bxe6
{Dominguez Perez,L (2754)-Nakamura,H (2789)/Wijk aan Zee/2014/} 31. b4 $16) 15.
Nd2 (15. e6 $5) 15... h6 16. Ngf3 Bc6 17. Kf2 Kb7 18. b3 g6 19. f6 Nd5 20. Bb2
Nb4 21. Rdc1 a5 22. a3 Nd5 23. Kg3 g5 24. a4 Nb4 25. Nc4 Be4 26. Ne3 c4 $5 27.
bxc4 Rd8 $44 {/=/+,Caruana,F (2779)-Nakamura,H (2783)/ECC Rhodes/2013/
Nakamura was probably worried about some improvement right from the start, as
against Dominguez he was the first to deviate.}) 4... Bc5 {I have already
mentioned in the notes to Navara-Caruana,ECC 2013 (CBM 157) and Anand-Carlsen,
WCh 2013 (CBM 158), that this active developing move is all the rage nowadays.}
({However, even the modest} 4... d6 {is playable and retains some top level
fans:} 5. O-O Be7 6. h3 O-O 7. c4 a6 8. Ba4 Nd7 9. Nc3 Nc5 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. d4
exd4 12. Nxd4 Bd7 13. Be3 Bf6 14. Re1 Re8 15. Qc2 Qe7 ({The traditional way to
deploy the queen in these positions is} 15... Qb8 $5 $132 {[%cal Yb8b4,Ya6a4]})
16. Rad1 g6 17. Bc1 Ne6 $6 (17... a5 $142 $11) 18. Nf3 $1 {[%csl Re7][%cal
Ye4e5]} Bg7 19. b3 Qf8 20. Ba3 $1 Rad8 21. e5 c5 22. Nd5 dxe5 23. Nxe5 Nd4 24.
Rxd4 Rxe5 25. Rxe5 Bxe5 26. Rd1 Bc6 {Sjugirov,S (2641)-Jakovenko,D (2721)/
Khanty-Mansiysk/2013/} 27. Qe4 Bg7 28. Qe3 $1 $16 {[%csl Rc5]}) 5. Bxc6 {
This swap changes the character of the position and is also very topical.} (5.
Nc3 {is too weak:} O-O (5... d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. Nxb6 axb6 8. c3 Bd7 9. Ba4 Ne7
10. Bc2 Ng6 $11 {was Anand's choice in his game against Carlsen, London 2012.
For more details see the notes by Postny in CBM 152.}) 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Bg5 Qd6
8. Qd2 a5 9. h3 Re8 10. Nh4 a4 11. a3 b5 12. O-O Nh5 13. Ne2 Bb6 14. g4 h6 15.
Be3 Nf4 16. Nxf4 exf4 17. Bxf4 Qf6 18. Nf5 Qxb2 19. Kh2 h5 $13 {/=/+,Motylev,A
(2676)-Kramnik,V (2796)/RUS-ch Nizhny Novgorod/2013/}) (5. c3 {was featured in
the recent title match:} O-O 6. O-O Re8 $5 ({A welcome change to the standard}
6... d6 {, where the struggle strongly resmebles the Giuoco Piano:} 7. h3 (7.
Nbd2 Bb6 8. h3 (8. Nc4 Ne7 9. Nxb6 axb6 $132) 8... Ne7 {is similar and often
only transposes.}) 7... Ne7 8. d4 Bb6 9. Re1 (9. Nbd2 exd4 $5 (9... c6 10. Bd3
Ng6 11. Re1 h6 12. a4 Re8 13. Bf1 d5 $5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. exd5 Nxf3+ 16. Nxf3
Rxe1 17. Nxe1 Nxd5 18. Qf3 Be6 19. Nd3 a5 20. Bd2 Qh4 21. b3 Rd8 $11 {
Movsesian,S (2699)-Alekseev,E (2683)/St Petersburg rpd/2012/}) 10. cxd4 d5 11.
e5 Ne4 12. Bd3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Bxe4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Bxe4 17.
Qxe4 Qxd4 $11 {/=/+,Areshchenko,A (2709)-Kramnik,V (2784)/WCup/2013/}) 9... Ng6
(9... d5 $5 10. Nxe5 Nxe4 11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Bf1 c6 13. b3 Re8 14. a4 Ng6 15. Nxg6
Rxe1 16. Qxe1 hxg6 17. Ba3 a5 18. Qe3 Be6 19. Re1 Bc7 20. Bd3 Bf5 21. Nf3 Bxd3
22. Qxd3 Ne4 23. Nd2 Nxd2 24. Qxd2 Bd6 25. Bxd6 Qxd6 26. g3 Qd7 27. Kg2 Re8 $11
{Karjakin,S (2756)-Le Quang,L (2703)/Beijing rpd/2013/}) 10. Bd3 (10. Nbd2 d5
$5 $11) 10... Re8 11. Qc2 c6 12. Be3 h6 13. Nbd2 Nh7 14. Bf1 Ng5 15. Rad1 Qf6
16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Bxb6 axb6 19. Nc4 b5 20. Nd6 Rd8 21. Nxc8 Raxc8
22. Be2 Ra8 $11 {Areshchenko,A (2720)-L'Ami,E (2648)/WChT Antalya/2013/}) 7.
Re1 a6 8. Ba4 b5 9. Bb3 (9. Bc2 d5 $1 $11 {is one of the main ponts behind 6...
Re8!?}) 9... d6 10. Bg5 $5 ({I have already quoted almost all the relevant
examples with} 10. Nbd2 Bb6 ({or} 10... Be6 {in the notes to Anand-Carlsen.}))
10... Be6 11. Nbd2 (11. Bxe6 $142 $1 fxe6 12. b4 (12. d4 $5) 12... Bb6 13. a4
$14) 11... h6 12. Bh4 Bxb3 13. axb3 Nb8 $5 14. h3 Nbd7 15. Nh2 Qe7 16. Ndf1 Bb6
17. Ne3 Qe6 18. b4 a5 $1 19. bxa5 Bxa5 20. Nhg4 Bb6 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Nxf6+
Qxf6 $11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/2013/ - see the notes in
CBM 158 for more details.}) ({After} 5. O-O {White must reckon with} Nd4 $5 (
5... d6 6. c3 O-O {transposes to 5.c3 and was already mentioned above.}) 6.
Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Nd2 c6 9. Ba4 O-O 10. Nf3 d5 $5 ({Black has no serious
problems even after the more restrained} 10... d6 11. h3 h6 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Kh1
d5 14. Qe2 dxe4 15. dxe4 Nh5 16. Nh2 Qh4 17. Qf3 {Kamsky,G (2723)-Kramnik,V
(2788)/Moscow blitz/2008/} Be6 $11) 11. Nxe5 dxe4 12. d4 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14.
Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Bb3 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Nc4 b5 18. Be3 bxc4 19. Bxc5 Rd5 20.
Bd4 e5 21. Be3 Rd3 22. Rfe1 h6 $11 {Perunovic,M (2613)-Andreikin,D (2710)/
EU-chT Warsaw/2013/ Black's active pieces balance the split pawns.}) 5... dxc6
6. h3 {This has become White's main try after Chennai.} (6. Nbd2 Bg4 $5 ({
A reliable antidote, but Black may possibly go for the more complex} 6... O-O
7. O-O Re8 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. a4 f6 $5 {as well:} 10. Bd2 Nf8 11. Nh4 (11. b4 $142)
11... Ne6 12. Nf5 Bf8 13. Kh1 c5 14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 Be6 17. b3
a6 18. a5 b5 19. axb6 cxb6 20. Nce3 g6 21. Ng3 Bh6 22. Rf3 b5 $132 {/=/+,
Michalik,P (2529)-Lysyj,I (2656)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2012/}) 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nc4 $5 (8.
Nf1 Nd7 9. Ng3 Bxf3 $1 10. Qxf3 g6 11. Be3 Qe7 12. O-O-O O-O-O 13. Ne2 Rhe8 14.
Kb1 b6 15. h4 Kb7 16. h5 Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. g3 a5 20. Rh7 Rh8
21. Rdh1 Rxh7 22. Rxh7 Qf6 23. f4 Rh8 24. Rxh8 Qxh8 25. fxe5 Qxe5 26. Qf3 f5
$11 {Anand,V (2775)-Carlsen,M (2870)/WCh Chennai/2013/}) 8... Nd7 9. Be3 f6 10.
Qd2 Qe7 ({A simpler and more consistent way is} 10... Bxf3 11. gxf3 Qe7 $11)
11. Nh4 $5 O-O-O 12. Nf5 Qf8 13. O-O Bf7 14. b3 g6 15. Ng3 h5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17.
Qe3 Kb8 18. f4 Bxc4 19. bxc4 Qd6 20. Ne2 Rhf8 $132 {Sjugirov,S (2641)-Maletin,
P (2598)/Khanty-Mansiysk/2013/}) (6. b3 Bg4 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Bb2 f6 9. Nf1 (9. h3
Bxf3 10. Nxf3 Qe7 11. a3 O-O-O 12. b4 Bd6 13. c3 Nf8 14. Qa4 Kb8 15. O-O-O Ne6
16. Qc2 c5 17. Nd2 c6 18. Nc4 {1/2,Trent,L (2433)-Parker,J (2531)/England/2012/
} Bc7 $15) 9... Nf8 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Ne6 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h4 a5 14. a4 O-O
15. h5 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 c5 17. Qh3 Qc6 $11 18. O-O Nf4 19. Qh2 Qe8 20. h6 g5 21.
g3 Ne6 22. f4 $5 gxf4 23. gxf4 Nxf4 24. Rxf4 exf4 25. Kf2 $44 {/=,McShane,L
(2671)-Kramnik,V (2800)/London/2011/}) (6. O-O {may be somewhat premature.
White has committed his king and in some cases opposite-side castling can be
advantageous for Black. An illustrative example is} Bd6 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. Nc4 Nd7
9. h3 Bh5 10. g4 $6 (10. Ne3 $11 {/\} Qf6 11. Nf5) 10... Bg6 11. Kg2 Qe7 12.
Ne3 O-O-O 13. Nd2 h5 14. Nf5 Qf6 15. Nf3 hxg4 16. hxg4 Rdg8 17. Rh1 Bxf5 18.
Bg5 Qe6 19. exf5 Qe8 20. Rxh8 Rxh8 21. Qe2 f6 22. Bd2 Qg8 $1 23. Qe1 g6 24.
fxg6 Nc5 $1 $40 {[%cal Rg8g6] Karjakin,S (2756)-Leko,P (2730)/Beijing rpd/2013/
} (24... Qxg6 25. Qe4 $11)) 6... Nd7 {Black also doesn't show his hand with
his king.} (6... Be6 7. Qe2 ({A novel idea is} 7. Nc3 $5 $146 Qd6 8. O-O O-O-O
(8... a5 $5 $132) 9. a3 Nh5 $6 {Black's ultra-sharp reaction is maybe not
ideal, after} 10. Na4 $1 Bb6 11. Nxb6+ axb6 12. a4 $5 f6 13. Be3 Nf4 14. a5 b5
15. Bxf4 (15. d4 $6 Nxh3+ $1 16. gxh3 Bxh3 17. dxe5 Qe6 18. Nd2 Bxf1 19. Qxf1
Qxe5 20. c3 Kb8 21. a6 b6 22. Qg2 Rd6 23. Nf1 f5 $1 $36 {Anand,V (2773)
-Nakamura,H (2789)/Zuerich/2014/}) 15... exf4 16. Re1 $14 {[%cal Ye4e5] Here
Black's king is more exposed, than White's.}) 7... Nd7 8. Be3 f6 ({Black
doesn't want to part with his bishop immediately after} 8... Bd6 9. Ng5 $14) (
8... Qe7 9. Bxc5 Qxc5 10. Nc3 Qd6 11. O-O-O c5 12. Nh4 O-O-O 13. Nf5 Bxf5 14.
exf5 Nf6 15. Rhe1 Rhe8 16. Qf3 Qd4 17. g4 h6 18. a3 a6 $6 (18... Qf4+ 19. Qxf4
exf4 20. Ne2 h5 $132 {Postny}) 19. Re3 Re7 20. Kb1 Nd5 21. Nxd5 Qxd5 22. Qxd5
Rxd5 23. Rde1 f6 24. f4 Kd7 25. c3 b5 26. Kc2 $36 {Morozevich,A (2748)-Caruana,
F (2786)/Tashkent 2012/ See the notes by Postny in CBM 152 for more details.})
9. Bxc5 Nxc5 10. Qe3 Qe7 11. Nc3 O-O-O 12. O-O-O Kb8 13. d4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Nd7
15. f4 Nb6 16. Nxe6 Qxe6 17. Qc5 Rd6 18. b3 Rhd8 19. Qh5 h6 20. Qg4 Qe7 {
White has the better pawn structure, but he has no obvious way to make
progress. The simplifying} 21. Rxd6 cxd6 22. Rd1 {allowed Black to force a
draw with} d5 $1 23. exd5 Qa3+ 24. Kb1 Nc4 25. bxc4 Qb4+ $11 {Nakamura,H (2772)
-Fressinet,L (2708)/Elancourt/2013/}) ({However, Black can also refrain from
any speculations and play the simple} 6... O-O 7. O-O Re8 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nc4 f6
10. Nh4 $5 (10. Be3 Bf8 11. Qd2 Nc5 12. Qc3 Ne6 13. b4 b6 14. a4 c5 15. bxc5
Bxc5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. a5 Be6 18. Ne3 Qd7 19. Qa3 Rad8 20. axb6 axb6 $11 {
Antoniewski,R (2559)-Balogh,C (2665)/AUT-chT/2012/}) 10... Nf8 11. Be3 Bb6 12.
a4 Be6 13. a5 Bd4 14. Bxd4 Qxd4 15. b3 (15. Ne3 $1 $13 {retains more tension
in the position}) 15... Ng6 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Qe2 Bxc4 18. bxc4 g5 19. Rfb1 b5
$1 20. cxb5 cxb5 $11 {/=/+,Caruana,F (2774)-Anand,V (2786)/Moscow blitz/2013/})
7. Be3 (7. Nbd2 {is too weak:} O-O 8. Nf1 (8. O-O Re8 {transposes to the line
from the previous note}) 8... Re8 9. Be3 Bd6 10. Ng3 Nf8 11. Qd2 c5 12. O-O Ne6
13. Nf5 Nd4 14. Bxd4 cxd4 15. Nxd6 cxd6 16. c3 dxc3 17. Qxc3 Qf6 18. d4 exd4
19. Qd3 b6 20. Rfe1 Bb7 21. Nxd4 d5 22. exd5 Bxd5 $11 {/=/+,Solak,D (2583)
-Sargissian,G (2678)/EU-chT Novi Sad/ 2009/}) 7... Bd6 (7... Bxe3 8. fxe3 $13 {
/+/= is not a direct mistake, but given a choice, Black would nevertheless
prefer to retain both his bishops.}) 8. Nc3 $146 {A novelty, but hardly an
impressive one - this game certainly wasn't decided by opening preparation.} (
8. Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. c3 $5 (10. Nc4 Nf8 11. d4 exd4 12. Qxd4 c5 13. Qd3
b6 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Qxd6 cxd6 16. Rfd1 Bb7 17. Rxd6 Bxe4 18. Ne1 Rad8 19. Rad1
Ne6 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxd8+ Nxd8 $11 {Anand,V (2773)-Carlsen,M (2872)/Zuerich/
2014/ This colourless draw was played on the following day, it seems the
players had an unwritten non-aggression pact.}) 10... Nf8 (10... c5 $5 $11) 11.
d4 Ng6 12. Qc2 exd4 13. cxd4 Bf4 14. Rfe1 Qf6 15. Nf1 Be6 16. Ng3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3
Nf4 18. a3 a5 19. Qd2 Qh6 20. Rc1 $14 {[%csl Gd4,Ge4] /<=>,Inarkiev,E (2671)
-Aronian,L (2783)/Mainz rpd/2010/ White is somewhat better due to his pawn
centre, but Black's defences are still solid.}) 8... c5 9. O-O ({White could
have played} 9. Nd2 {immediately, but Carlsen doesn't speculate with his king
placement anymore. If necessary, Black can follow suit and prepare 0-0, or
0-0-0 in accordance with White's choice.}) 9... Nf8 10. Nd2 Ng6 (10... Ne6 11.
Nc4 O-O 12. a4 $11 {/+/= is perhaps a tad better for White. Caruana sensibly
keeps e6 free for his bishop.}) 11. Nc4 Be6 12. Ne2 Qd7 (12... Bxc4 13. dxc4
$14 {[%csl Rd6,Ge3]}) ({However, Black had no serious reason to hesitate with}
12... O-O $1 {/\} 13. Nxd6 cxd6 14. f4 f5 $5 $11) 13. Nxd6+ {Radically
counters any ideas as Bxh3 (Anand-Nakamura!), or Nh4xg2.} cxd6 14. f4 exf4 ({
With the king still on e8} 14... f5 $6 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. d4 $1 {is definitely
risky:} Nc4 17. Bc1 fxe4 18. b3 Nb6 19. Ng3 $36) 15. Nxf4 Nxf4 16. Rxf4 b6 $6 {
[%cal Yd6d5] This is really toying with fire.} ({There was still nothing
really wrong with} 16... O-O {, the direct attack} 17. Qh5 f6 {[%cal Yd7f7]} (
17... f5 $5 {is also a plausible alternative}) 18. Rh4 $2 g5 {leads nowhere
and otherwise White has only a very slight and almost surely temporary pull.})
17. Qh5 d5 {A natural follow-up to the previous move.} (17... O-O 18. Rh4 h6
19. Rf1 $1 {[%cal Re3h6]} (19. Bxh6 $2 gxh6 20. Qxh6 f6 {doesn't give White
anything concrete and his compensation for the piece is somewhat vague.}) 19...
f6 $8 20. Qg6 Qf7 21. Rxh6 Qxg6 22. Rxg6 $14 {/+/-}) ({Black's king is more
exposed after} 17... O-O-O 18. a4 $14 {[%csl Rc8]}) 18. d4 $1 {[%csl Re8]} c4
19. b3 {Black now can't afford to open the position, while Magnus wants to
blast apart the centre. However, White had also other moves:} (19. Raf1 $14 {or
}) (19. e5 $5 {[%csl Rf7] both give White an edge.}) 19... Qc6 {Again risky.
Caruana insists on castling queenside, but this is risky.} ({Houdini insists on
} 19... Rc8 $1 {and this indeed seems better. After} 20. e5 cxb3 21. cxb3 O-O
22. Raf1 (22. Rh4 Bf5) 22... Qb5 $11 {[%cal Yb5d3] Black can defend his
kingside from d3.}) 20. Raf1 O-O-O 21. bxc4 $5 (21. e5 {[%cal Ye3c1,Yc1a3,
Ya3d6,Gf1f7] also gives White nagging pressure, but Carlsen is already more
ambitious and envisages a positional exchange sacrifice to further his attack.}
) 21... Qxc4 22. Rxf7 $1 {[%mdl 640]} Bxf7 ({Black could have considered} 22...
g6 $5 {, but after} 23. Qh6 $1 (23. Qe5 Bxf7 24. Rxf7 Rhe8 25. Qg7 Qc6 26. e5
Rd7 $11) 23... Bxf7 24. Rxf7 dxe4 (24... Qc6 25. c4 $1 {/\} dxc4 26. d5 $16 {->
}) 25. Qg7 (25. Rxa7 Rhf8 26. Qxh7 $36 {leads to the same position}) 25... Rhg8
26. Qxh7 Rgf8 27. Rxa7 $36 {he still faces a difficult defence.}) 23. Rxf7 Rd7
$8 {[%cal Gd7f7] Black must fight back on the 7th rank.} (23... dxe4 $2 24.
Qf5+ Kb8 25. Qe5+ Ka8 26. Qxe4+ Qd5 27. Qe7 $18) (23... g6 24. Qg4+ (24. Qh6 {
-22...g6!?}) 24... Kb8 25. Qg5 {[%cal Rg5e7]} Ka8 26. Qe7 Qa6 27. Bg5 {/\} Rhe8
28. Qc7 Rc8 29. Qd7 $18) 24. Rxd7 Kxd7 25. exd5 g6 ({The engine prefers} 25...
Rd8 26. Qxh7 Kc8 27. Qxg7 Rd7 {for a while, but gradually the evaluation of
Black's chances decreases - the kingside passed pawns are dangerous after} 28.
Qg8+ Kb7 29. Qe6 Rxd5 30. h4 $14 {/+/-}) 26. Qg4+ Kc7 27. Qe6 Kb7 28. Qe7+ $6 {
Gives Black some respite.} (28. Qf6 $142 $1 {/\d6 I don't see any perpetual
after} Qe2 29. Qxh8 Qxe3+ 30. Kf1 (30. Kh2 Qf4+) 30... Qc1+ 31. Kf2 Qf4+ (31...
Qxc2+ 32. Kg3 Qc3+ 33. Kf4 $16) 32. Ke2 Qe4+ 33. Kd1 $16) 28... Qc7 29. Qe4 {
[%csl Gc2,Gd4,Gd5] The material is equal, but White with his strong central
pawns holds the initiative. However, now Black's rook joins the fray and he
can fight back.} Qd7 (29... Rd8 $142 $1 30. Bg5 (30. d6+ $2 Qc6) 30... Rd7 31.
Bf4 Qc4 32. d6+ Ka6 $14 {with drawing chances.}) 30. d6+ (30. c4 $143 $6 Re8
31. Qf3 Qf5 $132 {/=/+}) 30... Ka6 (30... Qc6 $2 31. Qe7+ Kc8 32. Bf4 $40 {/\}
Qd7 33. Qe4 Kb8 34. c4 Rc8 35. c5 $1 bxc5 36. dxc5 Rxc5 37. Qe8+ $1 $18) 31.
Bf4 Rc8 32. Kh2 $6 ({Useful prophylaxis, but White had the more direct} 32.
Qe2+ $142 $1 Kb7 (32... Qb5 $2 33. Qe7 Qb1+ 34. Kh2 Qf1 35. Bg5 Rxc2 36. Qe4
Re2 37. Qc6 $18 {[%cal Rd6d8] , ako aj}) (32... b5 $2 33. a4 $40) 33. c4) 32...
Rc4 $2 {Blockade was necessary, but the rook is misplaced here, as Qe7 becomes
an issue.} (32... g5 33. Bg3 b5 $14 {or the immediate}) (32... b5 $5 {makes it
more difficult for White to convert his advantage.}) 33. Bg3 {Carlsen is in no
hurry and spurns such tempting alternatives as} (33. Qe2 $5 b5 34. Qe7 $16) ({
or} 33. Qe7 Qxe7 34. dxe7 Rc8 35. Bc7 $36) 33... Rc8 $6 {Losing tempi is more
than Black's position can stand.} ({A more resilient try was} 33... b5 {
, although} 34. a4 $5 (34. Qe7 Qxe7 35. dxe7 Rc8 36. Bc7 Rg8 $5 $14 {might not
be enough}) 34... bxa4 35. Qe2 Kb5 36. d5 {[%cal Re2e6]} a3 37. Qd3 a2 38. Qb3+
Kc5 39. Qxa2 Kxd5 40. Qb3 $16 {/+- is probably winning anyway. Black's king is
permanently exposed and his pieces are not coordinated well enough to prevent
either a decisive attack, or an advance of the c-pawn.}) 34. Qd3+ Kb7 (34...
Qb5 $2 35. Bh4 $1 $18 {[%cal Rd6d8]}) 35. c4 $18 {-> Once all the pawns join
in, Black is facing an uphill fight.} Qc6 36. Qb3 {Now he has got in c4, White
doesn't force the issue before the time control.} (36. c5 $5 {/\} bxc5 37. dxc5
Qxc5 38. Qe2 $1 $40) 36... Ka8 (36... Qxc4 $2 37. d7 $18) (36... Qe4 37. a4 $5
{[%cal Ra4a5,Rc4c5] /\} Qxd4 38. Qf3+ Ka6 (38... Rc6 39. a5 $1 {[%cal Ra5a6]}
bxa5 40. Qf7+ Ka6 41. Qe8 $18) 39. Qe2 Ka5 40. Qe7 $18) 37. a4 $1 Re8 38. a5
Kb7 (38... bxa5 39. d5 (39. c5 $18 {[%cal Yb3c4,Yd4d5]}) 39... Qb7 (39... Qc5
40. Qa4 Rd8 41. Qc6+ $18) (39... Qb6 40. Qxb6 axb6 41. Bh4 $18) 40. Qxb7+ Kxb7
41. d7 Rd8 42. c5 $18 {[%csl Gc5,Gd5,Gd7]}) 39. c5 {White already had more
than one way to win.} (39. d5 $5 Qc5 40. a6+ $1 Kc8 41. Qf3 Qxc4 42. Qf7 Re2
43. Qg8+ Kd7 44. Qxh7+ Ke8 45. d7+ Kd8 46. Bh4+ $18) 39... Kc8 40. axb6 axb6
41. d5 $1 {Move 40 has passed and Carlsen calmly finds and calculates the most
convincing win.} Qxc5 42. Qa4 Re3 43. Qa8+ Kd7 44. Qb7+ Ke8 45. d7+ Kd8 46.
Bh4+ Re7 47. Qc8+ $1 {Now White wins a whole rook.} (47. Bxe7+ $2 Kxe7 48. Qc8
Qd6+ $11 {was still a way to spoil the game.}) 1-0
[Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge Rapid"]
[Site "Zuerich"]
[Date "2014.02.04"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2781"]
[BlackElo "2872"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2014.02.04"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "SUI"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bf5 5. d3 e6 6. c4 Nbd7 7. cxd5 cxd5 8.
Be3 Bc5 9. Bxc5 Nxc5 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Qd2 h6 12. Rfc1 Rc8 13. b4 Ncd7 14. a4 Qe7
15. Nb5 a6 16. Nbd4 Bg6 17. Nb3 e5 18. Nh4 Bh7 19. Bh3 d4 20. Nf3 Rxc1+ 21.
Rxc1 Nb6 22. a5 Nbd5 23. Rc5 Rd8 24. Na1 e4 25. Nxd4 exd3 26. exd3 Bxd3 27.
Qxd3 Nxb4 28. Qc3 Ne4 29. Nf5 Qf8 30. Qxb4 Nxc5 31. Nc2 Nd3 32. Qc3 g6 33. Nfd4
Nc5 34. Bg2 Qd6 35. h4 h5 36. Qe3 Qf6 37. Nf3 Qf5 38. Nfd4 Qf6 39. Kh2 Kg7 40.
Qc3 Nd7 41. f4 b5 42. Nb4 Nb8 43. Nd5 b4 44. Nf5+ 1-0
[Event "Gashimov Memorial-A"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2014.04.23"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2881"]
[Annotator "Caruana,F"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2014.04.20"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 h6 {In the match, Magnus played 9...Bd7. Perhaps he feared
preparation and was hoping to surprise me, but he made an unfortunate choice,
going for a line I knew well, as I had faced it last year against Ponomariov.}
(9... Bd7 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nc3 {It's interesting that exactly 1 day before
Anand and Carlsen's game, Grischuk played the same variation against me during
the European Team Championship. I played 11.g4 and the game was eventually
drawn.} Kc8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Rd2 c5 15. Rad1 Be6 16. Ne1 Ng6 17.
Nd3 b6 18. Ne2 {, and now Magnus grabbed a pawn with} Bxa2 $1 {Anand-Carlsen,
Chennai 2013; , held onto it and nearly won the game.}) 10. Rd1+ {Now Black's
king is forced to e8, which generally speaking is an awkward square.} Ke8 11.
Nc3 Bd7 12. Bf4 Rd8 13. Ne4 {This is the new move. In the aforementioned game
against Ponomariov, I played 13.e6 and didn't pose serious problems to my
opponent.} (13. e6 Bxe6 14. Bxc7 Rxd1+ 15. Rxd1 Be7 16. g4 Nh4 17. Nd4 Bd7 18.
Re1 Kf8 19. Bg3 g5 20. Bxh4 gxh4 21. Ne4 Kg7 {, although perhaps if I had
played more accurately here I could have counted on a minuscule advantage.})
13... Be7 {I was happy to see this move. After the trade of knights White's
position is very comfortable.} (13... c5 $5 {seems like the most critical move.
I was planning} 14. e6 Bxe6 15. Bxc7 Rc8 16. Bh2 {, with a small advantage,
but Black should be able to defend with accuracy.}) 14. g4 Nh4 15. Nxh4 Bxh4
16. Kg2 Be6 17. f3 b6 18. b3 c5 $6 {A strategic mistake. After the game,
Magnus said he wanted to use the d4-square but underestimated the importance
of the d5-square.} ({I was expecting} 18... Rd7 19. c4 Kd8 {If Black is given
time to play ...Kc8 and ...Rd8 he will have a fine position. White has to act
fast:} 20. Bg3 Be7 21. f4 g6 22. Rf1 $1 {, and the threat of f5 is very
unpleasant.}) 19. c4 ({Perhaps} 19. Bg3 Be7 20. c4 {was more accurate.}) 19...
Rd7 (19... Rd4 20. Be3 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 {doesn't solve Black's problems.}) 20. Bg3
Be7 21. Rxd7 Bxd7 {Understandably, Magnus wanted his bishop out of the way of
f4-f5.} ({However,} 21... Kxd7 {was a stronger alternative.} 22. f4 g6 23. Rf1
Kc8 24. f5 gxf5 25. gxf5 Bd7 {and it isn't easy to prove a clear advantage for
White.}) 22. Nc3 Kd8 $6 ({It made sense to set up a passive but solid
defensive formation.} 22... Bd8 23. Nd5 Bc8 {, and just sit and wait,
unpleasant though it may be.}) 23. Nd5 Re8 {Magnus played this and the next
move surprisingly quickly. He was probably already disgusted with his position.
} ({After} 23... c6 {, White should simplify into an opposite colored bishop
ending:} 24. Nxe7 Kxe7 25. f4 {, with good winning chances.}) 24. Rd1 Kc8 $4 {
Just losing a pawn for nothing. It's hard to say what Magnus overlooked.} (
24... c6 25. Nxe7 (25. Nc7 Rg8 26. e6 fxe6 27. Nxe6+ Kc8) 25... Rxe7 26. Bh4 g5
27. Bg3 {is awful for Black, but there was already no choice.}) 25. Nxc7 Rd8
26. Nd5 {Besides being up a pawn, White also has a commanding position.} Re8
27. Be1 Bd8 28. Bc3 g6 29. Kg3 ({I would prefer} 29. a4 $1 {, snuffing out any
hopes of counterplay.}) 29... b5 30. cxb5 Bxb5 31. Ne3 Re6 32. f4 Ra6 {Black
is trying to create counterplay any way he can, but White is too solid.} 33.
Rd2 h5 34. gxh5 gxh5 35. Nf5 Rg6+ 36. Kh2 Bc6 37. Nd6+ Kb8 38. f5 Rg8 39. f6 $1
{An important move, blocking the bishop's access to h4.} Bb6 40. Nc4 $2 {
With 2 minutes on my clock for the last move, I got spooked by Black's
counterplay with ...c4 and committed a serious inaccuracy.} (40. Nxf7 $1 c4 41.
h4 $1 {is the game.}) 40... Re8 $2 {Giving me a second chance! I calculated a
bit and decided to take the pawn.} (40... Bc7 41. Ba5 {is probably winning for
White, but he could have put up serious resistance.}) 41. Nd6 Rg8 42. Nxf7 $1 {
A pawn is a pawn, after all.} c4 43. h4 Rg4 44. e6 {This is what I hadn't seen
before the time control. The bishop will protect everything from e5.} Be3 45.
Be5+ Ka8 46. Rd8+ Kb7 47. Bg3 c3 48. Rb8+ Ka6 49. Rc8 Bd5 ({During the game I
spent some time figuring out what happens after} 49... Rc4 50. bxc4 c2 51.
Rxc6+ Ka5 52. Bc7+ Ka4 53. Ra6+ Kb4 54. Bd6+ Kc3 55. Ba3 {Good calculation,
but unfortunately I missed a mate in two with 52.Be1!}) 50. Rxc3 Bd4 51. Rd3
Re4 52. Rd2 Rxe6 53. Ng5 1-0
[Event "Gashimov Memorial-A"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2014.04.30"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2881"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2014.04.20"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
{[%mdl 2]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 c5 5. c3 d5 {[%mdl 512] It was
not a good decision for Fabiano Caruana to sac the c5-pawn, taking into
consideration that Magnus Carlsen is especially strong in this kind of
position.} 6. dxc5 O-O 7. O-O {This line was examined in CBM 129, annotations
to Kamsky-Karjakin.} a5 {This attempt to encircle the c5-pawn proves fruitless.
} (7... Nc6 8. Qb3 Qa5 9. Qa3 Qc7 10. Bg5 Ne4 11. Be3 e5 12. Nbd2 f5 13. Rad1
Nf6 14. b4 Re8 15. Nb3 Ne4 16. b5 Ne7 17. Qc1 $16 {1-0 (41) Kamsky,G (2725)
-Karjakin,S (2706) Wijk aan Zee 2009}) (7... Qc7 $5 8. b4 e5 {deserves
attention. In the following game Black obtained decent compensation for the
pawn:} 9. Bb2 Rd8 10. Nbd2 Bf5 11. Qb3 (11. c4 $5) 11... Nc6 12. a3 b6 13. cxb6
axb6 14. Rfd1 h6 15. e3 Be6 16. Qc2 {1/2 (16) L'Ami,E (2626)-Bok,B (2527)
Haarlem 2013}) 8. Be3 (8. Nd4 $5 e5 9. Nb5 Na6 10. Bg5 e4 11. Bf4 Bd7 12. N1a3
b6 13. cxb6 Qxb6 14. c4 dxc4 $6 15. Nd6 $16 {1/2 (90) Harika,D (2525)-Muzychuk,
M (2462) Antakya 2010}) (8. c4 $5 Na6 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. Ne5 $5 Nxc5 11. Be3 Nfe4
12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxc4 Nd6 14. Nxd6 Qxd6 15. Qxd6 exd6 16. Rad1 $14) 8... Nc6 (
8... Ng4 9. Qd2 {, and Black can't recapture the pawn anyway.}) 9. Na3 a4 10.
Qc1 $1 e5 {Black's pawn centre doesn't fully compensate for his missing pawn.}
11. Rd1 Qe7 12. Nb5 {[%csl Rd6]} Be6 13. Ng5 (13. Nd6 {was less clear in view
of} b6) 13... Bg4 $1 14. Nd6 $1 (14. f3 $6 Bc8 15. Nd6 h6 16. Nh3 Bxh3 17. Bxh3
b6 $13) 14... h6 $1 (14... Bxe2 15. Rxd5 $1 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Nd8 17. Qc2 Bg4 18.
Qe4 $16 {[%csl Gd5,Gd6,Ge4]}) 15. Nf3 Kh7 {An unnecessary loss of a tempo.} (
15... b6 $142 $1 {- a typical undermining although White keeps the better
prospects after} 16. Ne1 $1 (16. Bxh6 $2 bxc5) 16... e4 $1 (16... Bxe2 17. Rxd5
Nxd5 18. Bxd5 bxc5 19. Bxc5 {[%csl Gc5,Gd5,Gd6]} Ra5 20. Qe3) 17. f3 exf3 18.
exf3 Be6 19. Nd3) 16. h3 Be6 17. b4 {This move unexpectedly gives Black good
counterplay.} (17. Ne1 $142 {[%cal Ye1d3]}) 17... axb3 18. axb3 Rxa1 19. Qxa1
Ne4 20. Nd2 f5 $6 (20... Nxd6 21. cxd6 Qxd6 22. Nc4 Qd8 23. Bc5 Rg8 (23... Re8
24. Nd6 Bf8 25. Nxb7 Qb8 26. Qa6) 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. e4 Nd4 26. exd5 Nxb3 27.
Qa3 Qc8 28. Qxb3 Qxc5 29. d6 $16 {[%csl Gd6]}) (20... d4 $1 21. Bxe4 (21. N2xe4
dxe3 22. fxe3 f5 23. Nd2 e4 $44 {[%csl Rg2]}) 21... dxe3 22. fxe3 Bxh3 $44 {
White's king is unsafe, and Black's attacking chances should not be
underestimated.}) 21. N2xe4 dxe4 (21... fxe4 22. Qb1 {[%cal Yc3c4] e.g.} h5 23.
c4 d4 24. Bc1) 22. Qb1 $1 f4 23. Bd2 e3 {This is now harmless.} 24. Be1 {
Safely protecting White's king while his other pieces are very active. Black
has no compensation for the pawn whatsoever.} Bf5 25. Qc1 h5 26. fxe3 fxg3 27.
Bxg3 Qg5 28. e4 $1 Qxg3 29. Rd3 Qh4 30. exf5 gxf5 31. e4 $1 {White seizes the
light squares.} fxe4 (31... f4 32. Nf5) (31... Bh6 32. Qd1) 32. Bxe4+ Kh8 33.
Qe3 Rf4 34. Bg2 Qe7 35. Qe2 Qh4 36. b4 {The rest is clear. Black has no real
counterplay anymore, and the advance of White's queenside pawns decides the
game.} e4 37. Nxe4 Ne5 38. Rd5 Kg8 39. b5 Rf5 40. c6 bxc6 41. bxc6 Qe7 42. Nd6
Rg5 43. Nb5 Qe6 44. Rd8+ Kh7 45. Qe4+ Rg6 46. c7 Qa6 47. c8=Q Qa1+ 48. Kf2 Qb2+
49. Ke1 1-0
[Event "Norway Chess blitz 2nd"]
[Site "Flor & Fjaere"]
[Date "2014.06.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C07"]
[WhiteElo "2881"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "2014.06.02"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Nb5 Na6 8.
Nc3 Qd8 9. a3 Be7 10. Qf3 O-O 11. Bxa6 1-0
[Event "Norway Chess 2nd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2014.06.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D70"]
[WhiteElo "2881"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2014.06.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. O-O-O Qd6 10. Nb5 Qd7 11. Kb1 Rd8 12. d5 a6 13. Nc3 Qe8 14. Qc1 (14. Qe1
{was played in Gelfand-Caruana (see CBM 153, where you can learn more about
this line). After} Na7 $1 {some new games have been played since then:} 15. h4
(15. Nge2 Nb5 $1 (15... Nc4 16. Bd4 e5 17. dxe6 Bxe6 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Nd4 Nb6
20. Qe3 Nc6 21. Be2 Nxd4 22. Rxd4 Qe7 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. h4 {1/2 (42) Jarmula,L
(2213)-Wagner,D (2467) Al-Ain UAE 2013} h6 $11) 16. Nxb5 axb5 17. Bd4 {1-0 (28)
Yang,D (2486)-Schut,L (2289) Philadelphia 2013} Rxd5 $3 18. exd5 Bf5+ 19. Kc1 (
19. Ka1 Rxa2+ 20. Kxa2 Qa8+ 21. Kb3 Qa4+ 22. Kc3 Nxd5+ 23. Kd2 Qc2#) 19... Rxa2
$40 20. Bxg7 $140 $2 Nc4 $1 $19) 15... Nb5 16. Nxb5 (16. Nge2 Nc4 $15 {1/2 (40)
Gelfand,B (2740)-Caruana,F (2757) Zuerich 2013 CBM 153 [Krasenkow,M]}) 16...
axb5 17. h5 $2 Nc4 ({Black misses} 17... Nxd5 $1 18. exd5 (18. Rxd5 $2 Rxd5 19.
exd5 Bf5+ 20. Kc1 Rxa2) 18... Bf5+ 19. Bd3 b4 $1 20. Bxf5 (20. Ne2 Rxa2 $1 21.
Kxa2 Qa4+ 22. Kb1 Qb3 $19) 20... Qa4 21. Bd4 Qxa2+ 22. Kc2 Qc4+ 23. Kb1 Bxd4
24. Rxd4 Qxd4 25. hxg6 hxg6 26. Be4 Rxd5 $1 27. Ne2 Qc4 $19) 18. Bc1 f5 19. Bd3
Qf7 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Qh4 Qf6 22. Qxf6 Bxf6 23. Ne2 $13 {1-0 (40) Thorfinnsson,
B (2484)-Gordon,S (2533) England 2013}) 14... Na5 15. Bh6 $146 {A new move
order although not a new plan, of course. White will play h2-h4 at a later
stage.} (15. h4 e6 16. Bg5 $5 f6 17. Bd2 Nbc4 18. Bh6 Bxh6 19. Qxh6 exd5 20. h5
d4 21. hxg6 Qxg6 22. Bxc4+ Nxc4 23. Qxg6+ hxg6 24. Nge2 d3 25. Nf4 d2 26. Nxg6
Kg7 27. Nf4 Ne3 $13 {1/2 (45) Berczes,D (2497)-Sarkar,J (2452) Dallas USA 2014}
) 15... Bxh6 (15... Bh8 16. Bf4 Rd7 17. h4 {and here the position of Black's
bishop on h8 is worse than on g7.}) 16. Qxh6 e6 17. Nh3 {[%cal Rh3g5]} (17. h4
exd5 18. h5 {is harmless due to} Qf8 {.}) 17... Qe7 (17... Qf8 $5 {- the
position after the queen exchange is nearly equal but I understand Caruana
avoiding it against Carlsen.}) 18. Bd3 $5 {White goes for sharp play...} (18.
Nf4 $5 e5 19. Nd3 c6 $132 {e.g.} 20. Qe3 Nac4 21. Qc5 Qxc5 22. Nxc5 Ne3 23. Rd3
Nxf1 24. Rxf1 cxd5 25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. Rfd1 Be6 27. Nxe6 fxe6 28. exd5 Rxd5 29.
Rxd5 exd5 30. Rxd5 Re8 31. Rd7 (31. Kc2 Kf7 32. Rd7+ Re7 33. Rxe7+ Kxe7 34. Kd3
Ke6 35. Ke4 a5 {is not enough either}) 31... e4 32. fxe4 Rxe4 33. Rxb7 Re2 {
and the endgame should be drawn.}) 18... e5 {... and Black prefers a solid
continuation. However, the resulting position is quite passive and slightly
inferior for him.} (18... exd5 19. Nf4 {[%cal Rf4h5,Rf4d5] looks dangerous but
Black holds on by means of} Be6 20. Nh5 $1 f6 $1 (20... gxh5 $2 21. exd5) 21.
exd5 Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Rxd5 23. Bxg6 $1 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 hxg6 25. Qxg6+ Kh8 26. Nxf6
Bg8 $1 27. Rd5 Qe1+ 28. Kc2 Qe2+ $11) 19. Nf2 Nbc4 (19... c6 {can now be met
with} 20. h4 $1 cxd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. exd5 Rxd5 23. h5 Bf5 24. Bxf5 Rxd1+ 25.
Nxd1 gxf5 26. Ne3 $16 {[%csl Ra5]} Nc6) (19... Qc5 $5 20. Qh4 $14 {A.Korotylev}
) 20. h4 Rd6 21. Bxc4 (21. Qc1 $5) 21... Nxc4 22. Qc1 {[%cal Yh4h5]} b5 (22...
Rb6 23. Nd3 $14) (22... c6 23. b3 Nb6 24. Qe3 cxd5 25. exd5 $14 {[%csl Re5]
[%cal Rf2e4,Yh1e1]}) 23. Nd3 $14 {[%csl Rc5]} Bd7 24. b3 Nb6 25. h5 g5 26. g3
$6 {[%cal Yf3f4]} (26. Qe3 $142 {preventing ...c7-c6.}) 26... c6 $1 27. f4 $6 {
White continues his plan despite Black's counterplay.} ({It was probably
better to reduce ambitions and play} 27. dxc6 Rxc6 28. Qe3 Rxc3 29. Qxb6 $13)
27... cxd5 28. Nxe5 $6 (28. fxe5 Rc6 29. Qd2 Be6 $36) 28... d4 $1 29. Qa3 a5 $1
30. Nxb5 $6 {Panic. White doesn't get sufficient compensation for the piece.} (
30. Nd5 Nxd5 31. exd5 Bf5+ 32. Ka1 a4 $36 {A.Korotylev}) 30... Bxb5 31. Rxd4
Re6 32. Qxe7 Rxe7 33. Rc1 Nd7 34. Rc7 Nxe5 $6 (34... gxf4 $1 35. gxf4 (35. Nxd7
f3 36. Nf6+ Kg7 37. Rxe7 f2 38. Rd1 Kxf6 $19) 35... Nxe5 36. Rxe7 Nc6 37. Rd5
Nxe7 38. Rxb5 Kg7 {and Black should gradually win.}) 35. Rxe7 Nc6 36. Rd5 Bd3+
37. Rxd3 Nxe7 38. fxg5 {[%mdl 4096] White has got a third pawn for the piece
and now has good drawing chances.} Rb8 39. Rd7 $6 {It was more essential to
bring the king into the game.} (39. Kb2 $142 {A.Korotylev}) 39... Kf8 40. Ra7
Rb5 41. Ra8+ Kg7 42. Re8 (42. Ra6 {[%cal Rh5h6]} Rc5 $1 $17 (42... Rxg5 43. h6+
Kh8 44. Kb2)) 42... Re5 (42... Nc6 $142 $1 43. h6+ Kg6 44. Rg8+ Kh5 45. Rg7 Ne5
46. Rxh7 Kxg5 {and Black should win, according to GM A.Korotylev.}) 43. g4 Rxe4
44. Kc2 Re5 45. Kd3 f6 46. gxf6+ Kxf6 47. Rh8 Kg7 48. Re8 (48. Ra8 $142 Rg5 49.
a3) 48... Kh6 (48... Nc6 $142 {Caruana was probably tired and couldn't
evaluate the position after the exchange of rooks:} 49. Rxe5 Nxe5+ 50. Kc3 (50.
Kd4 Nxg4 51. a4 Kf7 52. Kc4 Nf6 53. b4 Ke6 $19) 50... Nxg4 51. b4 axb4+ 52.
Kxb4 Kf6 53. Kb5 Ke7 54. Kc6 Kd8 55. Kb7 Nf6 56. h6 (56. a4 Nxh5 57. a5 Nf4 58.
a6 Ne6 59. a7 Nc7) 56... Ng4 57. a4 Nxh6 58. a5 Nf5 59. a6 Nd6+ 60. Kc6 Nc8 $19
) 49. a3 Kg5 50. Rh8 $5 (50. b4 axb4 51. axb4 Kxg4 52. b5 Kxh5 {should be
winning for Black.}) 50... h6 51. Rh7 Re6 52. Rg7+ Kf6 53. Rh7 Ke5 54. Rg7 Kf4
55. b4 axb4 56. axb4 {This passed pawn is White's main trump. The position is
very hard to evaluate and calculate; White's drawing chances are realistic.}
Nc6 57. b5 Ne5+ 58. Kd4 Nxg4 59. Kc5 Re5+ 60. Kc6 (60. Kb4 $1 Rxh5 (60... Ne3
61. Rg6 Rxh5 62. b6 Nd5+ 63. Kc4 Nxb6+ 64. Rxb6 {is a draw.}) 61. b6 Ne5 62.
Rh7 Nc6+ 63. Kc4 {, keeping White's king closer to Black's pawn, was probably
more appropriate.}) 60... Rxh5 $2 ({A.Korotylev recommends} 60... Ne3 $142 $1 {
as the rook endgame after} 61. b6 Nc4 {will now be winning for Black: White's
king is too far away. Meanwhile it is unclear whether White can reach a draw
by refraining from b5-b6.}) 61. b6 Ne5+ 62. Kc7 Nc4 $6 (62... Nd3 $142 $1 {
, but} 63. Rh7 $1 ({but not} 63. Rf7+ Rf5 64. Rxf5+ $2 Kxf5 65. b7 Nc5 66. b8=N
$8 h5 $19) 63... Nc5 64. Kd6 {looks like a positional draw.}) 63. b7 Rc5+ 64.
Kd8 Rb5 65. Kc7 Rc5+ 66. Kd8 Rb5 67. Kc7 Ke5 1/2-1/2
[Event "Wch Rapid"]
[Site "Dubai"]
[Date "2014.06.17"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2881"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2014.06.16"]
[EventType "swiss (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "15"]
[EventCountry "UAE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 d6 2. e4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O exd4 7. Qxd4 Nb6 8.
Bb3 O-O 9. a4 a5 10. Bf4 Bg4 11. Qd3 Nfd7 12. Nd4 Bf6 13. Ndb5 Nc5 14. Qg3 Nxb3
15. cxb3 Be6 16. Rac1 Nd7 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Rc8 19. Bd2 Be5 20. Qh3 c6 21.
dxc6 Rxc6 22. Bxa5 Qxa5 23. Qxd7 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Qd2 25. Rf1 Qxb2 26. Qxb7 Qxb3
27. a5 d5 28. Qc6 Rb8 29. Rc1 g6 30. a6 Qa2 31. a7 Rf8 32. g3 d4 33. Qb7 Kg7
34. Rc8 Rxc8 35. Qxc8 Qb1+ 36. Kg2 Qe4+ 37. Kh3 Qd3 38. a8=Q 1-0
[Event "Tromsoe ol (Men) 41st"]
[Site "Tromsoe"]
[Date "2014.08.08"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2877"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2014.08.02"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Italy"]
[BlackTeam "Norway"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ITA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NOR"]
1. e4 d5 {A big surprise on the very first move: Carlsen has never played the
Scandinavian before! His opening choice must be a bit more than a display of
peninsular patriotism; if intended as a psychological weapon, it worked
wonderfully well. The Scandinavian Defence used to be a frequent guest in Bent
Larsen's games, but otherwise it is very uncommon at such a high level. True,
when things started going wrong during his match with Kasparov, Anand
unexpectedly used this opening and even got an advantage with it, but this was
just an exception.} 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 {White gets a developing tempo for
free, but placing the knight in front of the c-pawn is likely to restrict his
strategic possibilities. I remember that when 30 years ago I switched from 1.
e4 to 1.d4, one of my main ghosts was precisely the Scandinavian. I simply
could not find a way to a harmonious development!} ({If I should no decide to
switch back to 1.e4, I would consider} 3. d4 {, aiming for a development based
on c4, Nc3, Nf3, with full control in the centre. One possible problem is that
after} e5 {White's advantage might prove symbolic.}) 3... Qd8 {Without being
new, of course, this really looks provocative. After three moves Black has not
developed any piece yet! But on the other hand, he will not have to spend
additional time retreating with his queen from d6 or a5, whenever attacked by
a white minor piece.} 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 c6 8. Ne2 {
An almost new and logical move, clearing the path for the c-pawn in an attempt
to restore White's harmony. However, the knight will still need doing a bit of
jumping before reaching a perfect square.} ({The usual continuation is} 8. Be3
{see for instance the heavily annotated game Kovacevic,A (2525)-Georgiev,K
(2670) Belgrade 1997 CBM 062 [Mueller,Karsten] (0-1, 47)}) 8... e6 $146 {
A new move, leaving the queen's acess to d5 open.} ({The only previous game
reaching this position went} 8... Nbd7 {deprives Black from the possibility of
activating the queen with ...Qd8-d5, but creates the threat ...e7-e5.} 9. g3 $6
{This does not cross Black's intentions at all.} (9. Bd2 $5 {[%cal Gg2g4,Gc2c4,
Gd2c3]} e5 $6 10. O-O-O $32 Bd6 11. g4 $36) 9... g6 {But Black refrains from
his main plan. The bishop's development to the fianchetto is typical for a
wide range of openings reaching this structure, such as the Alekhine, the Caro
Kann, the Pirc and the Scandinavian, of course, but here it loses too much
time.} (9... e5 $5 10. Bg2 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Bb4 12. c3 {[%csl Gd3]} Bd6 13. O-O O-O
) 10. Bg2 Bg7 11. O-O O-O 12. Rd1 $14 e5 {With his development almost complete,
White is better prepared for this central break.} 13. Qb3 Qc7 14. dxe5 Nxe5 {
The structure is almost symmetrical, but the bishop pair may prove a telling
factor in the ending. It greatly depends on the way Black will find stability
for his knights, especially on dark squares. In the following manoeuvring
phase both sides will commit small inaccuracies, typical for such apparently
dull positions, which are actually full of subtleties.} 15. Bf4 {The bishop
stands actively here, but in the long run the control of the c5-square would
be important.} (15. a4 a5 16. Be3 $14) 15... Nfd7 16. a4 Nc5 17. Qb4 Ne6 18.
Be3 a5 19. Qb3 Nd7 20. Nc3 $6 {This allows Black to consolidate.} (20. Nf4 $5
$14 {would exchange the e6-knight, shaking Black's overall stability.}) 20...
Ndc5 21. Qc4 Na6 (21... Qe7 $5 $11 {would keep Black's stability.}) 22. Rd2 $6
(22. Ne4 $5 Nb4 23. Nc5 Nxc5 24. Bxc5 Rfe8 25. c3 $14) 22... Rfd8 23. Rad1 Rxd2
24. Rxd2 {Fedorchuk,S (2647)-Danielsen,H (2501) Kolkata 2014 (1-0, 39)} Nb4 $5
25. Nb1 Bf8 26. c3 Na6 $11 {[%csl Gc5]}) 9. g4 {Being better developed and
enjoying more space, White surely can afford such active moves.} ({But against
such a strong strategist as Carlsen, I would consider the more restrained} 9.
g3 Qd5 10. Bg2 {True, after} Nbd7 {the queen would not have the g3-square at
its disposal, which more or less forces White into castling short. As we will
see, Caruana had other plans for his king.}) 9... Qd5 10. Bg2 Nbd7 11. Qg3 Qc4
$1 {After the bishop has parted from the f1-a6 diagonal, the queen can cause
some minor problems in the surrounding area.} 12. Qb3 {Caruana spent 25
minutes on this move. This was a critical moment, indeed, when White had to
decide whether to exchange queens or not.} ({The main alternative is} 12. c3 {
for instance} Be7 13. b3 Qa6 14. Bd2 {[%cal Gc3c4]} O-O 15. c4 Rad8 16. O-O $14
{[%csl Ra6]}) 12... Qxb3 {I would consider this an important strategic
concession, allowing White to recapture towards the centre, but Carlsen played
it almost without thinking. Eventually, White lost because of his double pawns
and even though his position looked very promising for a long while, I will
refrain from attaching an "?!" to the last move. Since the Carlsen era seems
to be lasting for a while, I suggest introducing a sign for "inspired, even
though probably not the best, move". I would use that here.} ({And if I had to
choose a move without thinking,} 12... Nb6 {would surely be my candidate. If
White wants to exchange queens, let him activate my knight! For instance} 13.
Qxc4 Nxc4 14. c3 (14. b3 Na3 {[%csl Ya1,Gc2,Ye1]}) 14... Be7 15. b3 Nd6 (15...
Na3 16. O-O {[%csl Ga3]}) 16. c4 h5 17. g5 Nd7 {with a perfect regrouping of
the knights.}) 13. axb3 Bd6 14. c4 a6 {Preparing long castling. White has the
bishop pair and more space on practically the whole board, but the relative
weakness of the b4- and f4-squares offers Black hopes for counterplay.} 15. Be3
({A natural move, but it would make sense solving one of the aforementioned
problems by playing} 15. Bd2 {This could turn the weakness into a strength by
means of b4-b5.} O-O-O 16. b4 Kb8 17. O-O) 15... O-O-O 16. O-O-O {Another
natural move and again an original available alternative.} ({White could have
tried} 16. Kd2 $5 {followed by Kc3 and b3-b4. In many cases, the rook would be
useful on a1, being ready for activating along the fifth rank. If} e5 {then}
17. Kc2 {would be safest, switching to play along the central files with white
pressure due to his two bishops.} Rhe8 18. Rhd1) 16... Rhe8 $6 {This looks a
bit dogmatic: centralisation without a clear purpose.} ({Black cannot think of
starting counterplay in the centre, for instance} 16... e5 $6 17. d5 cxd5 $6
18. g5) ({But the rook could have been more useful on h8 than in the centre.
Black could have tried} 16... h5 17. Bf3 (17. g5 Ng8 {[%cal Gg8e7,Ge7f5]})
17... Nf8 18. g5 Ng8 19. d5 cxd5 20. Bd4 (20. cxd5 Ne7 21. dxe6 Nxe6 $11 {
[%csl Rb4,Rb5,Gd6,Ge6,Ge7,Rf4,Rf5]}) 20... e5 21. Bb6 Bc7 22. Bxc7 Kxc7 23.
Bxd5 f6 24. Rhg1 Ne7 25. gxf6 gxf6 26. Nc3 Nfg6 $132 {[%csl Rf4]}) 17. Ng3 Nf8
(17... h6 $5 {, slowing down White's expansion, could be somewhat better.}) 18.
Bf3 {Preparing h4-h5.} ({But I see no reason to keep the g-pawn on a light
square, restricting the bishop, so why not} 18. g5 {followed by h3-h4? This
would have prevented Black's plan of exchanging the dark-squared bishops.} N6d7
19. h4 Ng6 20. h5 Ne7 (20... Nf4 21. Bf1 Bc7 22. Rh4 e5 23. Nf5 $16) 21. Kc2
$14) 18... Ng6 19. h4 Bf4 $1 {Even though this will strengthen White's control
in the centre, it will mainly offer Black some stability on the dark squares
and some breathing space.} 20. h5 Bxe3+ 21. fxe3 Ne7 22. e4 $6 {Played after
eight minutes, this move marks a turning point on the game.} ({White would
have retained a positional advantage in a rather one-sided position with either
} 22. g5 Nd7 23. Bg4) ({or} 22. h6 g6 (22... Rg8 23. hxg7 Rxg7 24. Rdf1 $14
Nxg4 $2 25. Nh5 Rg6 26. Bxg4 Rxg4 27. Rxf7 Nf5 28. Nf6 $16 {[%cal Gh1h7]}) 23.
Rdf1 $14 {It is curious that Caruana neglected the dark squares issue that
much.}) 22... h6 $1 {Finally, Black gets some stability on at least one part
of the board.} 23. e5 Nh7 24. Ne4 Rf8 25. Nd6+ Kc7 26. Bg2 Ng5 {White has
installed a magnificent knight on d6, having gained tempi in the meanwhile,
but it will soon become clear that the knight is kind of hanging there!} 27.
Rhf1 f6 $1 {Starting from this moment, Carlsen plays at full strength. Even
though the position is approximately equal still, Black's play is easier to
carry out.} 28. Kc2 fxe5 29. dxe5 Nc8 30. c5 {When playing this ambitious move,
consolidating the knight but conceding the d5-square, Caruana might have still
been under the spell of his previous advantage.} ({From a practical point of
view, it would have been safer to exchange the active black knight with} 30.
Ne4 $11) 30... Ne7 31. b4 $2 {Played after a quarter of an hour, this move
leads to some trouble. Any move taking measures against the thteatened ...
Nd5-e3 would have been enough for maintaining equality.} ({One possible
continuation was} 31. Kd3 Nd5 32. Bh1 {White's position surely is unpleasant
to play over the board, as it seems to be hanging. But the far advanced
d6-outpost seems to keep trouble away from him. Black has no obvious way of
making progress. For instance} b6 33. cxb6+ Kxb6 34. Rc1 {[%cal Gd6c4,Gc4a5]
creates some sort of perpetual harassing mechanism.}) 31... Nd5 $1 {Played
almost without thinking. Finally, the weakness of the doubled pawns makes
itself felt. Black not only attacks b4, but also threatens ...Ne3, attacking
three white pieces and the g4-pawn. How did he do that? How could he confuse
his strong opponent so greatly? Did the knight manoeuvre along the route
b8-d7-f8-g6-e7-c8-e7-d5 hypnotise Caruana?} 32. Bxd5 cxd5 {Suddenly, there are
some problems defending the e5-pawn against the threats of ...Nf3 or ...Rf3.}
33. b5 $6 {This desperate attempt at counterplay weakens the c5-pawn.} (33. Kb3
$5 Nf3 (33... Rf3+ 34. Rxf3 Nxf3 35. Ka4 Kc6 36. Rf1 $11 Nxe5 $6 37. Re1 $36)
34. Nf5 exf5 35. Rxf3 fxg4 36. Rg3 Rf3+ 37. Rxf3 gxf3 38. e6 f2 39. e7 Re8 40.
Rf1 Rxe7 41. Rxf2 b6 42. Rf8 $15) 33... axb5 34. Nxb5+ Kc6 35. Nd6 Nf3 $6 {
This should have offered White saving chances.} (35... Rf3 $1 36. Ra1 Rdf8 37.
Rxf3 Nxf3 $19 {When I think of choosing between these two moves, 35...Nf3 and
35...Rf3, I cannot help remembering a friendly blitz game played some 30 years
ago against IM Parik Stefanov. I was White in a Benoni and he could install a
magnificent knight on d4 (I believe ...Nb5-d4). But the question was whether
he should previously exchange bishops with ...Bg7xb2. We used to comment
loudly on our thoughts (Romanians are very forthcoming and outspoken, as most
of the Latins) and he asked himself: "Do I need the g7-bishop? Should I
obstruct it with my knight?" The answer was obvious (2 x NO) and after ...Bxb2
followed by ...Nd4 he got a crushing advantage. It is strange that after so
many years in chess I consider that some of the most teaching moments have
taken place casually, like in this case. And I believe that if I had reached
the current position I would have felt sceptical about 35...Nf3, if I only had
got the time and inspiration to remember Parik's words.}) 36. b4 $1 (36. Nf5 {
is premature because of} exf5 37. Rxf3 fxg4 38. Rg3 Rf4 $17 {partly because
the c5-pawn is doomed.}) 36... Ra8 37. Ra1 $2 ({But now was a good moment for}
37. Nf5 $1 Nxe5 (37... exf5 38. Rxf3 fxg4 39. Rxf8 Rxf8 40. Rd4 g5 {The only
way to keep the game tense.} 41. hxg6 h5 42. Rf4 $3 {[%cal Gf8f4,Gg6g7]} Rg8
43. Rf6+ Kd7 44. Kd3 g3 45. Ke2 h4 46. Kf3 d4 47. Kg2 $11 {[%cal Gf6d6,Gf6f4]})
38. Rfe1 exf5 39. Rxe5 fxg4 40. Rdxd5 $1 (40. Rexd5 Ra3 {leaves White without
counterplay.}) 40... Rf6 ({If} 40... Ra3 {the rooks are well prepared for
counterplay:} 41. Rd6+ Kb5 42. c6+) 41. Rd4 g3 42. Rg4 $15 {White is
struggling but not necessarily lost.}) 37... Rxa1 38. Rxa1 Nxe5 {The first
pawn has dropped and in view of the hanging (rather than active) white knight,
grabbing the second one is not far away...} 39. Ra7 Rb8 40. Ra3 b6 41. Ra7 bxc5
42. Ra6+ Kc7 43. bxc5 Nd7 44. Ra7+ Kc6 45. g5 Nxc5 {The rest is simple.} 46.
Nf7 d4 47. Ne5+ Kd5 48. Nd7 d3+ 49. Kc1 Nxd7 50. Rxd7+ Ke4 0-1
[Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2014.08.29"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2877"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2014.08.27"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "23"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 {As usual, Magnus is not going for the theoretical
lines, trying to minimise the value of any opening preparation.} c6 4. Nf3 d5
5. Bb3 Bb4+ {Provoking the move that now follows, so that White won't be able
to develop his knight to c3 anymore.} (5... Bd6 {used to be the main move.}) 6.
c3 Bd6 7. Bg5 dxe4 (7... Be6 8. d4 dxe4 9. Nfd2 exd4 10. Nxe4 Be7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6
12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Qb3 Qe7 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. cxd4 Na6 16. Nc3 O-O-O $11 {
1/2-1/2 (34) Shirov,A (2713)-Roiz,M (2668) Saratov 2011}) 8. dxe4 h6 (8... O-O
9. O-O Qe7 $6 (9... h6 10. Bh4 Qe7 $11) 10. Nh4 $1 Na6 11. Nd2 Nc5 12. Qf3 Nxb3
13. axb3 $14 {1-0 (29) Karjakin,S (2772)-Efimenko,Z (2703) Poikovsky 2011}) 9.
Bh4 Qe7 {Fabiano is playing it flexibly, not castling immediately, but
developing the queenside pieces instead. The position is, of course, equal.}
10. Nbd2 Nbd7 11. Bg3 $6 $146 {This move looks strange to me - moving the
bishop away without even provoking g7-g5.} (11. Qe2 Bc7 12. O-O Nf8 13. Bg3 Ng6
14. Nh4 Nf4 15. Bxf4 exf4 16. Rfe1 Bg4 17. f3 Be6 18. Bxe6 Qxe6 19. Nf5 O-O $11
{1-0 (73) Pridorozhni,A (2491)-Aleshin,O (2423) Moscow 2005}) (11. O-O {
would also be normal.}) 11... Bc7 12. O-O Nh5 13. h3 $6 {Carlsen continues the
odd strategy. Anything else that makes sense would be preferable.} Nxg3 14.
fxg3 Nc5 (14... Nf6 {would avoid the complications that followed in the game.
Black is slightly better.}) 15. Bxf7+ $5 {Obviously, Carlsen wasn't happy with
the course of the game. This intuitive sacrifice is an interesting practical
chance as it leads to a murky position where both sides have to calculate a
lot.} Kxf7 (15... Qxf7 $4 16. Nxe5 {and Black has to part with his queen to
avoid the deadly check on h5.}) 16. Nxe5+ (16. Nh4+ $5 {was an interesting
alternative which could lead to a position where White wins the queen for
several pieces.} Kg8 17. Ng6 Qe8 18. Rf8+ Qxf8 19. Nxf8 Kxf8 20. Qh5 Be6 21.
Nf3 Nd7 22. Rf1 (22. Nh4 Nf6 23. Rf1 Rg8 $17) 22... Kg8 23. Nh4 Rh7 $1 24. Qg6
Bxa2 25. Nf5 Kh8 26. Ne7 Bb6+ 27. Kh2 Bc5 28. Qf5 g5 $1 29. Rd1 $1 Rf7 30. Qxd7
Rxe7 31. Qf5 Kg7 32. Rd7 Bf7 33. Rxe7 Bxe7 34. Qd7 Re8 35. Qxb7 {Black is
better, but to win this position would be quite a difficult task.}) 16... Kg8
17. Ng6 Qg5 18. Rf8+ Kh7 19. Nxh8 (19. Rxh8+ Kxg6 20. Nf3 (20. b4 Qxg3 $1 21.
bxc5 Bxh3 22. Qf3 Rxh8 23. Qxg3+ Bxg3 24. gxh3 Be5 $17) 20... Qxg3 (20... Qe3+
$6 21. Kh1 Nxe4 22. Nh4+ Kg5 23. Nf3+ Kf6 24. Qd4+ Qxd4 25. Nxd4 Nxg3+ 26. Kg1
{Here the matters are not entirely clear as long as Black's queenside is
undeveloped.}) 21. Qc2 Bg4 $1 22. hxg4 Rxh8 23. e5+ Kf7 24. Qf5+ Ke7 $19) 19...
Bg4 (19... Qe3+ $1 {was even stronger, but required precise calculation.} 20.
Kh1 Bg4 21. Qf1 $2 (21. Qxg4 Rxf8 22. Ng6 Rf7 $17) 21... Qxg3 22. e5 {[%cal
Gf1b1,Gb1h7]} Rxf8 23. Qxf8 Qxe5 (23... Bxe5 $4 24. Nf1 $18) 24. Nf1 Bxh3 $1 {
This must have been seen in advance!} 25. gxh3 Qe4+ 26. Kg1 Ne6 $19 {[%csl Rg1]
[%cal Gc7b6]}) 20. Qf1 Nd3 $1 {[%cal Gg5e3,Ge3g3] Great resource, adding the
knight to the counterattack.} 21. Qxd3 (21. Ng6 {was an interesting chance,
but insufficient.} Qe3+ (21... Kxg6 $2 22. Qf7+ Kh7 23. Qg8+ $11) 22. Kh1 Qxg3
23. e5 Rxf8 24. Nxf8+ Kg8 25. Ng6 Nf2+ 26. Kg1 Nxh3+ 27. Kh1 Nf2+ 28. Kg1 Be6
$1 29. Ne7+ (29. Qxf2 $2 Bb6 $19) 29... Kh8 30. Ng6+ Qxg6 31. Kxf2 Qc2 $17)
21... Rxf8 22. hxg4 Qxg4 23. Nf3 Qxg3 (23... Kxh8 {would have been slightly
more precise.}) 24. e5+ (24. Nf7 $1 Rxf7 25. e5+ g6 (25... Kh8 $6 26. e6 {
is the point of White's idea, the black rook gets kicked away by the pawn.})
26. Rf1 {White is worse as in the game, but here Black's seventh rank is
slightly weakened, which might give White some additional practical chances.})
24... Kxh8 25. e6 {Carlsen is rushing forward with his passed pawn, but
unfortunately for him his king is too vulnerable.} (25. Rf1 Bb6+ (25... Bxe5
26. Nxe5 Rxf1+ 27. Qxf1 Qxe5 28. Qf7 {White has decent chances to hold this
endgame.}) 26. Kh1 Qg4 (26... Rf4 27. Qd7 $8 {still surviving.}) 27. Nh2 Rxf1+
28. Qxf1 Qh5 29. Qf8+ Kh7 30. Qd6 Qg6 31. Nf3 Qxd6 32. exd6 Kg6 33. Kh2 Kf6 34.
Kg3 Ke6 35. Kg4 Kxd6 36. Kf5 Kd5 {This endgame should be won for Black. If the
white king goes to g6, its counterpart will penetrate to the queenside via e4.}
) 25... Bb6+ 26. Kh1 Qg4 (26... Rf4 $4 {No, it's not mate.} 27. e7 Rh4+ 28.
Nxh4 Qxh4+ 29. Qh3 $16) 27. Qd6 (27. e7 Re8 28. Re1 Qh5+ 29. Nh2 Bc7 30. g3 Qf7
{The pawn is going down and White's prospects are very grim.}) 27... Rd8 28.
Qe5 Rd5 29. Qb8+ Kh7 30. e7 Qh5+ (30... Rh5+ $4 31. Nh2 {[%csl Ge7][%cal Ge7e8]
would turn the tables.}) 31. Nh2 $2 {A blunder in a bad position.} (31. Qh2 {
was the only way to prolong the fight.} {Still, after} Qe8 {White loses the
passed pawn. The bishop is also superior to the knight.} 32. Re1 $2 {fails to}
Bf2 33. Rf1 Rh5 $19) 31... Rd1+ 32. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33. Nf1 Qxf1+ 34. Kh2 Qg1+ (
34... Qg1+ 35. Kh3 Qe3+ {capturing the Pe7.}) 0-1
[Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2014.09.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B36"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2877"]
[Annotator "Roiz,M"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2014.08.27"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "23"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 162"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3 Nxd4 8.
Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 ({The most popular continuations here are} 10...
Be6) ({and} 10... Qa5 {but the text move is also well known.}) 11. b3 {
Restricting Black's activity on the queenside.} ({Another way to handle the
position was shown by 13th World Champion:} 11. Be2 a4 12. O-O Qa5 13. Rac1 Bd7
(13... Be6 $5) 14. c5 Bc6 15. cxd6 Rfd8 16. Nb1 Qxd2 17. Nxd2 exd6 18. Nc4 d5
19. Nb6 Ra5 20. e5 Nd7 21. f4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Kasparov,G (2825)-Alterman,B (2615)/
Tel Aviv 1998/CBM 065/[Tsesarsky] (25)}) 11... a4 $6 {This move is quite risky
from a strategic point of view: the a-pawn may become a target, while Black
has a couple of weak squares on the queenside.} ({In the following recent game
Black had a solid, but rather passive position:} 11... Bd7 12. Be2 Bc6 13. O-O
Nd7 14. Rfd1 Nc5 15. Rac1 Qb6 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Qb4 18. Rc2 Qxd2 19. Bxd2
$14 {1-0 Khismatullin,D (2671)-Vorobiov,E (2587)/Vladivostok RUS 2014}) ({
The most reasonable setup is connected with:} 11... Be6 12. Rb1 (12. Be2 $5 Nd7
13. O-O Nc5 14. Rac1) 12... Nd7 13. Be2 Nc5 14. O-O Qb6 15. Rfc1 Rfc8 16. Kh1 (
16. Nd5 $5 {deserves a serious attention, but after} Bxd5 17. cxd5 Qb4 {
Black is a tempo up compared to Khismatullin-Vorobiov,2014.}) 16... Qb4 17. Bg5
a4 18. Bxe7 axb3 19. axb3 Nxb3 $11 {1/2-1/2 Van Wely,L (2691)-Iturrizaga,E
(2627)/Istanbul TUR 2012 (122)}) 12. b4 Be6 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Be2 {Fabiano is
not in a hurry.} ({Black's position also looks unpleasant after} 14. Nd5 f5 (
14... a3 15. Nf4 Rc8 16. Be2 $14) 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Be2 $14) 14... Nb6 15. Nb5
$5 $146 {This ambitious continuation is a novelty. Having a serious space
advantage, White wants to keep as many pieces as it possible.} ({In the
preceding game Black was able to defend an inferior position after:} 15. Nd5
Nxd5 16. exd5 Bd7 17. a3 (17. O-O a3 18. c5 dxc5 19. bxc5 $14) 17... e6 18.
dxe6 Bxe6 19. O-O d5 20. c5 d4 21. Bf2 Qd7 22. Bd3 $14 {1/2-1/2 Felgaer,R
(2586)-Cuenca Jimenez,J (2477)/La Massana AND 2013}) 15... a3 {Desperately
looking for any kind of counterplay.} ({After} 15... Rc8 16. Na3 f5 17. exf5
gxf5 18. O-O $16 {Black's position lacks any active ideas.}) 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. h4
$1 {Once again, Caruana chooses the most ambitious way to handle the position.}
(17. O-O Na4 18. f4 Qc7 19. Kh1 $14 {was a quiet alternative. White maintains
a stable advantage.}) 17... h5 (17... e6 18. h5 Qe7 19. Nb3 $16 {followed by
20.c5 is extremely unpleasant.}) 18. g4 $1 {Now Black is under a direct attack.
} hxg4 19. fxg4 ({Correcty deviating from} 19. h5 e5 20. Nb3 gxf3 21. Bxf3 Be6
22. Qh2 Nd7 $132) 19... e5 {This is an obvious positional concession, but
Magnus had no choice.} (19... Be5 20. h5 Na4 21. Nf3 $40) 20. Nb3 (20. Nb5 $5 {
also deserved serious attention:} Bxb5 21. cxb5 d5 22. h5 d4 23. Bh6 $36) 20...
Bc6 21. Bf3 f5 {Now Black's king is exposed, but Black cannot sit and wait
anymore.} 22. gxf5 (22. Na5 $5 Rxa5 (22... f4 23. Bf2 Qc7 24. h5 $16) 23. bxa5
Na4 24. gxf5 gxf5 25. Bg5 $16) 22... gxf5 23. Na5 {Keeping an eye on the
light-squared bishop.} f4 (23... Rxa5 24. bxa5 Na4 25. Bg5 {leads to a
position from the previous note. Black has some practical chances, but
objectively there is no compensation for an exchange.}) 24. Bf2 $16 {White's
monarch feels quite safe now, while Black has numerous weaknesses.} Na4 25.
Nxc6 (25. Rg1 Kh8 26. Ke2 Bf6 27. h5 $16) 25... bxc6 26. O-O {Caruana doesn't
mind spending some time on removing his king from the centre.} ({Also good
enough was} 26. h5 Bf6 27. Rg1+ Kh8 28. Ke2 $16) 26... c5 {In such a difficult
situation, Magnus is trying to fix the pawn structure in order to set up some
kind of blockade.} (26... Bf6 27. Kh1 Kh8 (27... Bxh4 $2 28. Rg1+ Kh8 29. Rg2
$18) 28. Rg1 Qe7 29. Rg2 Rf7 (29... Rg8 30. Bg4 Rg7 31. Rcg1 Rag8 32. Qe2 $16)
30. Bg4 Rh7 31. Bf5 Rh6 32. b5 Bxh4 33. Rh2 $16) (26... Rf6 27. Kh1 Rh6 28. Rg1
Kh8 29. Rg2 Bf6 30. h5 $16) 27. b5 Bf6 28. Kh1 Nb6 $2 {This could be a
decisive mistake.} ({A better move was} 28... Ra7 $142 29. Rg1+ Kh8 30. h5 Nb6
31. Rg6 Rg8 32. Bg4 Rag7 33. Bf5 $16) ({The pawn was untouchable:} 28... Bxh4
29. Rg1+ Kh8 30. Rg2 {with a decisive attack.}) 29. Rcd1 $2 {Wrong rook!} ({
Fabiano misses a clear win:} 29. Rfd1 $1 Be7 30. Bxc5 Kh8 31. Bf2 Bxh4 $140 32.
Bxb6 Qxb6 33. Qxd6 $18 {and the 2 strong passed pawns will decide the game.})
29... Kh8 $1 30. Qxd6 $6 {Underestimating Black's defensive resources in the
resulting endgame.} ({After} 30. Bg4 Bxh4 31. Qxd6 Qxd6 32. Rxd6 Bxf2 33. Rxb6
Be3 $14 {Black gets excellent drawish chances.}) ({It was still possible to
pose serious problems by means of} 30. Be2 $1 Be7 31. Rg1 Rf6 32. Qd3 Qd7 33.
Qf3 $36) 30... Qxd6 31. Rxd6 Nxc4 {[%cal Gc4e3] The knight is heading to e3,
forcing White to exchange the dark-squared bishop.} 32. Rd5 (32. Rd7 {also
achieves nothing special:} Rad8 33. Bxc5 (33. Rfd1 Ne3 34. Bxe3 fxe3 35. Be2 c4
36. Rxd8 (36. Bxc4 Rc8 37. Bd3 Bxh4 $11) 36... Rxd8 37. Rxd8+ Bxd8 38. Bxc4
Bxh4 39. b6 Bd8 40. b7 Bc7 $11) 33... Rxd7 34. Bxf8 Rd2 35. Rc1 Ne3 36. b6 Rxa2
37. Bxa3 Rxa3 38. b7 Rb3 39. Rc8+ Kg7 40. b8=Q Rxb8 41. Rxb8 Bxh4 $11) 32...
Ne3 33. Bxe3 fxe3 34. Be2 Bxh4 {Magnus should be happy with his position at
this moment.} 35. Rf5 ({After} 35. Rxf8+ Rxf8 36. Rd3 {the easiest way is} c4
$1 37. Rxe3 Rc8 38. Rc3 (38. Rxa3 c3 39. Bd3 Bf2 40. Bc2 Bd4 41. Rb3 Rf8 $11)
38... Be1 39. Rxc4 Rxc4 40. Bxc4 Ba5 $11) 35... Rxf5 36. exf5 Rd8 $11 {
Liquidating into a drawish bishop endgame.} 37. Rxd8+ (37. Rxe5 Rd2 38. Rxe3
Rxa2 $11) 37... Bxd8 38. Kg2 Kg7 39. Kf3 Kf6 40. Ke4 c4 41. Bxc4 Bb6 42. Bd3 ({
A draw was agreed in view of} 42. Bd3 Bd4 43. Kd5 Ba7 44. Kc6 e4 45. Be2 Kxf5
46. b6 Bxb6 47. Kxb6 Kf4 48. Kc5 Kg3 $11) 1/2-1/2
[Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2015.01.16"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2820"]
[BlackElo "2862"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2015.01.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 c5 {Magnus is in a fighting mood - no Berlin after beating Aronian the
day before!} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {On the other hand Caruana lost to Wojtaszek
and is in a different frame of mind - no Open Sicilian either!} (3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 {The last game between our 2 protagonists featured} g6 ({Carlsen hasn't
played Sveshnikov structures with Black since 2010. In Wijk he faced} 4... e5
5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 (6... g6 $5 7. Be3 Be6 8. N1c3 a6 9. Na3 Nf6 10. Be2 Bg7
11. Nc2 Rc8 12. Rc1 O-O 13. O-O Ne7 14. Na3 Nc6 15. Re1 Nd4 16. f3 Qb6 17. Rb1
Nxe2+ 18. Rxe2 Qb4 19. Rd2 Rfd8 20. c5 Qa5 21. Rxd6 Bf8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Qe2
Bxc5 $15 {Ivanchuk,V (2715)-Jobava,B (2727)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 7. N1c3 a6 8.
Na3 Be6 9. Nc2 Bg5 10. Be2 Bxc1 11. Rxc1 Nf6 12. O-O O-O 13. Qd2 Qb6 14. Rfd1
Rfd8 15. b3 h6 (15... Rac8 {is a more standard setup.}) 16. h3 Qa7 17. Bf3 Ne7
18. Ne3 Nc6 19. Bg4 Nd4 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Nc2 Nxc2 22. Rxc2 Rd7 23. Qe2 Rad8
24. Rd3 $11 {/+/=, Carlsen,M (2862)-Hou,Y (2673)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/ White has
a very slight edge due to his more flexible pawn structure, but he managed to
increase his pressure only in the late middlegame.}) 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. f3
Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 11. b3 a4 $6 ({Risky, as the pawn will
be vulnerable. The solid move is} 11... Be6 12. Rb1 Nd7 13. Be2 Nc5 14. O-O Qb6
15. Rfc1 Rfc8 {then} 16. Kh1 Qb4 17. Bg5 a4 $1 18. Bxe7 axb3 19. axb3 Nxb3 $11
{Van Wely,L (2691)-Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2627)/Istanbul olm/2012/} {/\} 20. Qd1
Bxc4 21. Bxc4 Qxc4 22. Rxb3 Qxb3 $1 23. Qxb3 Rxc3 {[%cal Rc3c1,Ra8a1] wins the
Q back.}) 12. b4 {[%csl Ra4]} Be6 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Be2 Nb6 15. Nb5 $5 $146 ({
More ambitious than} 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 $14) 15... a3 (15... Rc8 16. Na3 $14
) 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. h4 $1 h5 18. g4 hxg4 19. fxg4 e5 20. Nb3 (20. Nb5 $5) 20...
Bc6 (20... Na4 21. h5 Be6 $14) ({or} 20... Be6 {are engine suggestions, but
they seem too passive. Carlsen seeks central counterplay, but doesn't equalise
either.}) 21. Bf3 f5 22. gxf5 gxf5 23. Na5 $1 f4 24. Bf2 $36 {[%csl Rd6,Rg8]
Caruana,F (2801)-Carlsen,M (2877)/Saint Louis/2014/ For more details see the
notes to this game in CBM 162 by Roiz.}) ({Magnus uses the bishop sortie
himself:} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 (4... e5 5. O-O ({Rather soft; a more critical
line is} 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nxe5 Nxe4 7. Nxe4 Qd5 8. Qe2 Qxe5 9. f4 $13) 5... d6
6. d3 Be7 7. Bg5 O-O 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Nd5 Be6 10. Bc4 g6 11. c3 Bg7 12. a3 Kh8 (
12... Ne7 $5 $11) 13. b4 f5 14. Rb1 b6 $6 {Caruana,F (2774)-Carlsen,M (2864)/
Moscow blitz/2013/} 15. Nxb6 axb6 16. Bxe6 Rxa3 17. bxc5 bxc5 18. Rb3 $14 {
[%csl Ge6,Rg7]}) 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. Bc4 b5 8. Nd5 Nxd5 9. Bxd5 Rb8 10.
Nxd4 cxd4 11. d3 e6 12. Bb3 Bd6 13. Qh5 Bb7 14. f4 Bxf4 15. Bxf4 Qxf4 16. Rf1
Qe3+ 17. Kh1 O-O 18. Rf3 Qh6 19. Qe5 a5 20. a4 Bc6 21. axb5 Rxb5 22. Qxd4 Qd2
$11 {Carlsen,M (2862)-Saric,I (2666)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 3... g6 {The most
usual move, but in the past Carlsen has slso played other standard
alternatives:} (3... e6 {became more fashionable after Anand-Gelfand in 2012} {
After} 4. O-O ({Anand preferred} 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. d3 ({or} 5. b3)) 4... Nge7 {
Caruana's specialty is the rare} 5. d4 $5 (5. c3 {is played very often.}) ({
The same goes for} 5. Re1 Ng6 (5... a6 $142 6. Bf1 d5 $132) 6. c3 d5 7. Qa4 Be7
8. d4 O-O $5 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nbd2 Be7 12. Nc4 Qd8 13. Bxc6 bxc6
14. Nd4 c5 15. Nc6 Qc7 16. Nxe7+ Nxe7 17. Qa5 Qxa5 18. Nxa5 Ba6 19. Bg5 Rfe8
20. Rad1 h6 21. Bxe7 Rxe7 22. c4 Kf8 23. Rd6 Bb7 24. Red1 Ke8 {Wang,H (2752)
-Carlsen,M (2861)/Wijk aan Zee/2013/} 25. a3 $14 {[%cal Yb2b4]}) 5... cxd4 6.
Nxd4 Ng6 (6... Qb6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Ng6 9. c4 Be7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Rb1 Qc7
12. Be3 e5 $6 (12... Nf4 13. Bc2 e5 $14 {/~~ Caruana}) 13. g3 $1 d6 14. b4 Be6
15. Qd2 Rac8 16. b5 Bd8 17. Rfc1 Qd7 18. bxc6 Rxc6 19. Nd5 $36 {Caruana,F
(2779)-Gelfand,B (2764)/Elancourt/2013/ For more details see the notes by
Caruana in CBM 157.}) 7. Be3 (7. Be2 Bc5 $5 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. c4 d6 10. Nc3 a6 11.
Kh1 e5 12. Nd5 Ba7 13. Bg4 O-O 14. Bxc8 Rxc8 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Nxe3 Nge7 17. Rc1
a5 18. c5 dxc5 19. Nxc5 Nd4 20. Qd3 Qd6 $11 {Caruana,F (2839)-Nakamura,H (2767)
/London rpd/2014/}) 7... Be7 8. Be2 O-O 9. c4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Bf6 11. Qd2 b6 12.
Nc3 Bb7 13. f3 Qe7 14. a4 Rad8 15. Ra3 Be5 16. a5 f5 $6 (16... bxa5 $13 {/\}
17. Rxa5 d5 {[%cal Re5h2,Re7c7]}) (16... Bd6 17. Rb3 Bc5 $132) 17. axb6 axb6
18. exf5 Rxf5 19. Bd3 Rh5 20. h3 Bb8 21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. Bxb6 Rf8 23. Ne2 Rh4 24.
Qd3 Kh7 25. Bf2 $14 {/+/-, Caruana,F (2779)-Radjabov,T (2723) /Bucharest/2013/
For details see the notes to this game by Rogozenco in CBM 157.}) (3... d6 {
Nowadays more topical is} 4. O-O (4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. e5 $5 (5. O-O e5 6. c3 Nf6
7. Re1 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 ({The simple} 8... Bxf3 {is quite solid:} 9. Qxf3 Be7 10.
d3 O-O 11. Nd2 Ne8 12. Nc4 Nc7 13. b4 cxb4 14. cxb4 Ne6 15. Be3 Qd7 16. Rac1
Rfc8 17. Rc2 Rab8 18. a3 Bd8 19. Rec1 Bb6 20. Qg4 {Rublevsky,S (2679)-Tregubov,
P (2599)/Krasnoyarsk/2007/} Bxe3 21. fxe3 c5 $11) 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nd7 11.
Be3 Be7 12. Nbd2 O-O (12... exd4 13. Bxd4 O-O 14. Nf1 $14) 13. Qc2 Qc7 14. Rac1
Rfc8 15. Qd3 Qb7 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Rc3 Rab8 18. Rec1 {Palac,M (2604)-Tomic,B
(2418)/Sarajevo/2012/} c5 $132) 5... Bg4 (5... d5 6. h3 $5 $14 {gives White
excellent practical results}) 6. h3 Bh5 7. O-O e6 (7... dxe5 8. g4 e4 $13) 8.
Re1 (8. d3 d5 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. Re1 Nc8 $1 11. Qe2 Nb6 12. b3 Be7 13. Bb2 O-O 14.
Nb1 a5 15. a4 c4 $1 16. dxc4 dxc4 17. Rd1 Qb8 18. Nbd2 cxb3 19. cxb3 Nd5 20.
Rac1 Qb6 $15 {Kabanov,N (2502)-Caruana,F (2767)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2012/}) (8. exd6
$142) 8... Ne7 (8... d5 $5) 9. exd6 Nd5 10. d3 Bxd6 11. Nbd2 O-O {and Black's
piece play should compensate for his split pawns:} 12. Nc4 (12. Ne4 h6 13. Ng3
Bg6 14. Ne4 Bh5 15. Ng3 Bg6 16. Ne4 {½, Rabiega,R (2501)-Boensch,U (2540)/
Austria/2002/}) 12... Bc7 13. Qe2 Kh8 14. Bd2 Nb4 15. Bxb4 cxb4 16. Qe3 Qd5 17.
g4 Bg6 18. Nfe5 Rfe8 19. Qf3 f6 20. Nxg6+ hxg6 21. Re4 f5 22. gxf5 exf5 23.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Qxd5 cxd5 25. Ne3 {Caruana,F (2757)-Gelfand,B (2740)/Zuerich
blitz/2013/} d4 $132 {[%cal Ye8e2]}) 4... Bd7 (4... Bg4 $5 5. h3 Bh5 {is for
the more aggressively minded.}) 5. Re1 Nf6 ({After} 5... a6 {Black must also
reckon with} 6. Bxc6 $5 Bxc6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Rc8 9. c4 Nf6 10. Nc3 Bd7 11.
b3 b5 12. Bg5 bxc4 13. Nd5 h6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Qf3 h5 16. h3 Bh6 17. Nf5 Bf8
18. bxc4 e6 19. Rab1 Bc6 20. Qc3 $18 {Anand,V (2793)-Nakamura,H (2775)/London
blitz/2014/}) 6. c3 (6. h3 e6 7. c3 d5 $5 8. d3 (8. e5 $2 Nxe5) 8... a6 9. Ba4
b5 10. Bc2 dxe4 11. dxe4 e5 12. a4 Be7 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Qxa8 15. Bg5 Be6
16. Na3 b4 17. Nb1 $6 (17. cxb4 cxb4 18. Nb5 Qb8 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bd3 O-O 21.
Nh4 Rd8 $13) 17... O-O 18. Ba4 h6 19. Bh4 Rd8 20. Nbd2 g5 21. Bg3 Nd7 22. Bb3
Nf8 23. Qc2 f6 24. Nc4 Qa6 {Bologan,V (2732)-Carlsen,M (2837)/Biel/2012/} 25.
Nfd2 $11) 6... a6 7. Bf1 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 g6 10. d3 Bg7 11. Be3 Nd7 12.
Nd2 O-O 13. Qd1 b5 14. Nf3 b4 15. Qa4 Qc7 16. d4 Rfb8 17. Rab1 e6 (17... Na7 $6
18. cxb4 Rxb4 19. Qc2 Nc6 20. dxc5 dxc5 21. a3 Rb7 22. Rec1 $36 {Efimenko,Z
(2649)-Markos,J (2590)/Slovakia/2014/}) (17... a5 $5 18. Rec1 Qb7 19. Qd1 Rc8
20. Bc4 Nb6 21. Bf1 Nd7 22. Bc4 Nb6 {½, Haug,J (2121)-Lissang,C (2273)/
Stockholm/2014/}) 18. Rec1 (18. Qc2 a5 19. a4 Rc8 20. Bb5 bxc3 21. bxc3 cxd4
22. cxd4 Qb7 23. Qd1 Nb4 24. d5 exd5 25. exd5 Qc7 $132 {Partenie,M (2130)
-Ulbig,S/email/2011/}) 18... Ra7 19. Qd1 a5 20. Bf4 bxc3 21. bxc3 Rxb1 22. Rxb1
cxd4 23. cxd4 Nxd4 24. Nxd4 Bxd4 25. Qxd4 e5 26. Qd2 exf4 27. Qxf4 $14 {
Ottesen,S (2399)-Hansen,L (2182)/email/2010/}) (3... Nf6 4. e5 ({More usual is
} 4. Nc3 {- 3.Nc3}) 4... Nd5 5. O-O (5. Nc3 Nc7 $132) 5... g6 6. c3 Bg7 7. d4
cxd4 8. cxd4 Nc7 9. Nc3 Nxb5 10. Nxb5 O-O 11. Bf4 a6 12. Nc3 d6 13. exd6 exd6
14. h3 d5 15. Re1 Be6 16. Qd2 Re8 17. Re2 Qb6 18. Rae1 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Qxd4 20.
Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nxd5 Rac8 22. Bd6 Kh8 23. Nc7 Red8 24. Nxe6 Rxd6 $11 {Zvjaginsev,
V (2636)-Bacrot,E (2722)/Moscow/2009/}) 4. Bxc6 {Caruana mostly plays the text
move.} ({The main alternative is} 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 (5. c3 Nf6 {is usually
just a transposition}) 5... Nf6 6. c3 (6. e5 Nd5 7. Nc3 Nc7 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Ne4
Ne6 (9... b6 10. Nf6+ Kf8 11. Ne4 h6 12. d3 g5 $5 (12... Kg8 13. h3 Kh7 $132)
13. Ng3 Be6 14. Qe2 Qd5 15. c4 Qd7 16. b3 f5 17. exf6 exf6 18. Bb2 Re8 19. Qc2
h5 20. Re3 h4 21. Ne4 Rh6 22. Rae1 h3 23. g3 Bf7 $13 {Rapport,R (2693)
-Moiseenko,A (2699)/Biel/2013/}) 10. d3 O-O 11. Be3 b6 12. Qd2 Nd4 13. Nxd4
cxd4 14. Bh6 c5 15. h4 Qd5 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Ng3 Bb7 18. f3 Qe6 19. b3 {
½, Bacrot,E (2714)-Moiseenko,A (2699)/W Cup Tromsoe/2013/}) 6... O-O 7. h3 (7.
d4 d5 8. e5 Ne4 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nbd2 cxd4 11. cxd4 c5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Nb3
Nxb3 14. Qxb3 Bg4 15. Nd4 Qb6 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. b3 Rfc8 18. a4 Bd7 19. f4 e6
20. Ba3 Bh6 21. g3 g5 22. Ra2 b5 $132 {Vegjeleki,A (2224)-Latronico,N (2441)/
email/2010/}) 7... Qb6 $5 (7... e5 8. d3 d6 9. a3 {[%cal Yb2b4] is perhaps
slightly more promising for White.}) 8. Ba4 (8. Bf1 e5 9. d3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5
11. Qb3 Qxb3 12. axb3 Rd8 13. g3 f6 14. Nbd2 Nc7 15. Nc4 Bf5 16. Rd1 Be6 17.
Be3 Bf8 18. Nfd2 Nd5 19. Re1 Bf7 20. g4 b6 $15 {Kamsky,G (2741)-Christiansen,L
(2579)/USA-ch Saint Louis/2013/}) 8... Rd8 9. d3 (9. d4 d5 $1 10. e5 Ne4 $132)
9... d5 10. e5 Nd7 11. d4 Nf8 $1 12. Na3 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bf5 14. Be3 Ne6 15. Qd2
Be4 16. Ng5 $1 (16. Rad1 $2 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Rac8 18. f4 Kh8 19. Bb5 Bh6 20. Be2
Ng7 21. Nb5 Nf5 22. Nc3 e6 23. Bg4 Nh4 24. Kh1 Rg8 $40 {[%csl Rh1][%cal Yg6g5]
Muminova,N (2315)-Hou,Y (2661)/Sharjah/2014/ After thorough preparation Black
gradually broke through on the kingside.}) 16... Nxg5 17. Bxg5 f6 $11 {Hou
Yifan}) 4... dxc6 (4... bxc6 {is somewhat more risky, as was seen a few rounds
later:} 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 Nf6 (6... Nh6 7. c3 O-O 8. d4 {also gives White
chances to fight for an advantage}) 7. e5 Nd5 8. c4 Nc7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Qxd4 O-O
(10... d6 11. Bh6 $1 $36) 11. Qh4 f6 12. Nc3 Ne6 13. Ne4 fxe5 14. Nfg5 Nxg5 15.
Bxg5 Qb6 16. c5 $5 Qxb2 17. Rad1 $44 d5 $6 (17... Qxa2 $142 $5 {[%csl Ga7]})
18. cxd6 exd6 19. Rxd6 Bf5 20. Nf6+ Bxf6 21. Bxf6 Rab8 $2 22. Qc4+ Rf7 23. Red1
Qb1 24. h3 {1-0, Van Wely,L (2667)-Hou,Y (2673)/Wijk aan Zee/2015/}) 5. d3 Bg7
6. h3 Nf6 {[%mdl 32] White has swapped his light-squared B and places his
pawns strategically on the light squares, Black continues developing naturally
and a positional battle starts.} ({Carlsen is not attracted by} 6... b6 7. O-O
e5 8. Be3 Ne7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nc4 f6 11. a3 a5 $2 {[%csl Ra5,Rb6]} (11... Nd5
$142 $1 $13) 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 b5 15. Ncd2 cxb4 16. Qa2+ Kh8
17. Bc5 g5 18. Ra1 Bd7 19. Qa5 Qe8 20. Qxb4 Rf7 21. Ra7 Bf8 22. d4 $16 {
Caruana,F (2716)-Kuznetsov,V (2427)/RUS-chT Olginka/2011/}) 7. Nc3 b6 ({
Basically a useful move, but Black usually plays it a bit later, preferring}
7... O-O 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 ({Caruana probably would have played} 9. O-O {
, transposing to our game.}) 9... e5 10. Bh6 Qd6 11. O-O-O (11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12.
g3 $146 a5 13. Nh4 a4 14. a3 b5 15. Qe3 Rb8 16. f4 exf4 17. gxf4 Nh5 {[%csl
Re1]} 18. Ne2 Qf6 19. Nf3 Qxb2 20. Kf2 Qf6 21. Rag1 b4 22. Qxc5 {Hansen,E
(2577)-Saric,I (2680)/Doha/2014/} Nxf4 23. Nxf4 Qxf4 24. axb4 f5 $1 $36) 11...
a5 12. Nh2 (12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. g4 a4 14. Ne2 b5 15. Ng3 b4 16. Qg5 Re8 17. Nd2
a3 18. bxa3 h6 19. Qe3 Be6 20. Nb3 Rxa3 21. Qxc5 Qb8 $40 {Shirov,A (2697)-Leko,
P (2722)/Dortmund/2002/}) 12... a4 13. Ng4 Nh5 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Ne2 f6 16. g3
a3 17. b3 f5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Qe3 Rae8 20. f3 Nf6 21. Nxf6 Qxf6 $132 {
Pedersen,H (2527)-Serradimigni,R (2477)/email/2006/}) 8. Be3 ({Black gets in
the central advance even after} 8. Bf4 Nd7 9. Qd2 h6 10. a3 e5 11. Be3 Qe7 12.
O-O h5 13. Rfb1 a5 14. b3 O-O 15. Bh6 Rd8 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qe3 Ba6 18. a4 Nf8
19. Ne2 Qf6 20. Ng5 Qd6 21. f4 exf4 22. Nxf4 Qd4 23. Re1 Ra7 24. Kh2 Qxe3 25.
Rxe3 Re7 $11 {Chadaev,N (2574)-Alekseev,E (2691)/Irkutsk/2010/}) 8... e5 $6 {
Strategically sound, but right now rather careless...} (8... O-O $142 9. O-O (
9. Qd2 e5 {see 7...0-0 above}) 9... Ne8 (9... e5 $5 {leads back to the game})
10. Qd2 e5 (10... Nc7 11. Bh6 Ne6 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Ne2 $14) 11. Bh6 f6 12. Nh2
Qe7 13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. f4 exf4 15. Qxf4 Ne6 16. Qh4 Nd4 17. Rf2 Rf7 18. Raf1 f5
19. Qf4 Be6 20. e5 g5 21. Qd2 c4 22. Rd1 cxd3 23. Qxd3 Rd8 $15 {Veinger,I
(2597)-Wills,M (2500)/corr/1996/}) 9. O-O $6 ({White misses an opportunity to
play} 9. Nxe5 $1 Nxe4 10. Qf3 $1 f5 11. Bf4 (11. Nxg6 $5 hxg6 12. dxe4 O-O 13.
Qg3 $14) 11... Qe7 12. Nxc6 ({A simpler way is} 12. dxe4 Bxe5 13. O-O-O $1 $36)
12... Qe6 (12... Ng5+ $142 $1 13. Nxe7 (13. Qe3 Qxe3+ 14. fxe3 Nf7 {[%csl Rc6]}
) 13... Nxf3+ 14. gxf3 Kxe7 $44) 13. dxe4 Qxc6 14. Nd5 (14. O-O-O $142 $1 $14)
14... Kf7 15. O-O-O fxe4 16. Qxe4 Re8 17. Qf3 Bf5 18. Rhe1 Rad8 19. c4 Qa4 20.
Qb3 Qxb3 21. axb3 Be4 22. f3 Bxd5 23. Rxe8 Kxe8 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. cxd5 Kd7 26.
Kc2 b5 $2 (26... Bf6 {/\} 27. Bb8 Kc8 $11) 27. Bb8 $1 a6 28. f4 $18 {[%cal
Rb8e5] Macieja,B (2430)-Pyda,Z (2305)/Polanica Zdroj/1996/}) 9... O-O 10. a3 {
As with Kuznetsov, Caruana concentrates on the queenside.} ({However, White
far more often plays} 10. Qd2 Qd6 11. Bh6 Nh5 12. Ne2 (12. Rae1 f6 13. Ne2 Be6
14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. b3 a5 16. a4 Rfd8 17. Qe3 b5 18. Ra1 Bf7 19. Nh2 c4 $132 {
Nijboer,F (2510)-Piket,J (2670)/Amsterdam/1995/}) 12... f6 13. b3 (13. a3 a5
14. Nh2 Ra7 15. Rad1 Be6 16. Bxg7 Rxg7 17. Ng4 Rd7 {½, Vachier Lagrave,M
(2458)-Lautier,J (2666)/Val d'Isere/2004/}) (13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. Nh2 Ne6 $11)
13... Be6 (13... g5 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. Ng3 h5 16. h4 $1 Bg4 {Jansa,V (2449)
-Zwardon,V (2383)/CZE-chT/2013/} 17. hxg5 {/\} Bxf3 18. g6 $1 $40) ({Lautier's
} 13... a5 $5 {deserves attention even here.}) 14. Bxg7 Nxg7 15. Qh6 Rad8 16.
Nd2 Bc8 (16... Nh5 $142 $5) 17. f4 exf4 18. Rxf4 Qe5 19. Raf1 Qg5 20. Qxg5 fxg5
21. Rxf8+ Rxf8 22. Nc4 Rxf1+ 23. Kxf1 $14 {Magem Badals,J (2573)-Alsina Leal,D
(2531)/Barcelona/2011/}) 10... Qe7 (10... Qd6 $5) 11. Qb1 $146 (11. Qe2 $6 {
only helps Black in improving his knight with} Nh5 12. Rfb1 Nf4 13. Qd2 Ne6 $11
{/=/+, Fougerit,V (2233)-Desbonnes,S (2332)/France /2009/}) (11. Qd2 {also
prepares queenside activity:} Nh5 12. b4 $1 cxb4 13. axb4 Qxb4 14. Rfb1 $14 {
[%cal Rb1b6,Re3b6] wins the pawn back with an edge.}) 11... Nh5 $5 {Carlsen
wants to develop his own play on the opposite flank.} (11... a5 12. Na4 $5 {
[%csl Rb6]} (12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1 14. Qxa1 cxb4 15. Na4 Nd7 16. Nxb6 Nxb6
17. Bxb6 Bb7 18. Qa5 Ra8 19. Qc5 Qxc5 20. Bxc5 Ra2 $11)) (11... Rd8 $5 {
Korotylev, /\} 12. b4 c4 $1 13. dxc4 Ba6 $11 14. Qb3 (14. b5 $2 cxb5 15. cxb5
Bb7) 14... Qe6 15. Nd2 Rxd2 16. Bxd2 Bxc4 $11) 12. b4 f5 $6 {This seems too
hasty, as it gives White a free hand on the queenside.} (12... Nf4 $142 $1 13.
bxc5 bxc5 $13 {[%cal Yf4e6,Yf7f5] improves the knight, f5 can come later.}) 13.
bxc5 f4 14. Bd2 bxc5 (14... Qxc5 15. Qb3+ Kh8 16. Qb4 $36 {swaps queens and
quashes Black's attacking ambitions.}) 15. Qb3+ {Very direct and logical.} ({
The engines recommend} 15. Qb2 Be6 16. Na4 $14 {[%csl Rc5,Re5][%cal Yb2c3,
Ya4b2]} (16. Rfb1 $5 {is also interesting, stopping Rab8.})) 15... Be6 16. Qa4
Rac8 ({After} 16... Qd7 $5 {[%cal Ye6h3] White should probably play the
prophylactic} 17. Kh2 $5 $14 (17. Ng5 c4 18. Qa6 f3 $5 $132)) 17. Qa5 (17. Qa6
$142 $5 g5 18. Rfb1 {[%cal Yb1b7] forces Black to lose a tempo with} Rf7 19.
Na4 g4 20. hxg4 Bxg4 21. Qc4 $36) 17... g5 $1 {[%mdl 640] Carlsen throws
caution (and a pawn) to the winds and concentrates on his attack.} ({After}
17... c4 18. Na4 c5 19. Nb2 $14 {Black must defend his weaknesses.}) 18. Na4 ({
Consistent,} 18. Nh2 c4 $132 {is a concession.}) 18... g4 19. hxg4 Bxg4 20.
Qxc5 Qf6 21. Nh2 $6 {Gives the attack a new impulse.} (21. Rfb1 Qg6 22. Kf1
Ng3+ $1 23. Ke1 (23. fxg3 fxg3 {/\} 24. Ke2 Qh5 25. Rf1 Qh2 26. Qg1 Rxf3 $1 $19
) 23... Nxe4 $5 24. Qc4+ Be6 25. Qxe4 Bf5 (25... Qxg2 $2 26. Ke2 Bd5 27. Rg1)
26. Qc4+ (26. Qe2 Qxg2 $44 {|^}) 26... Be6 $11 {and repetition seems to be a
logical outcome.}) (21. Rfe1 Rf7 $5 $13 {[%cal Yg7f8,Yg8h8,Yc8g8]} (21... Qg6
22. Kf1 Ng3+ 23. fxg3 fxg3 24. Ke2 Qh5 25. Kd1 $1 $16)) 21... f3 $1 22. Nxg4 $8
(22. gxf3 $2 Bxf3 $19) (22. g3 $6 Bh3 $36 (22... Qg6 $5 $15 {/-/+})) 22... Qg6
23. Qe7 $1 {[]} ({The queen must quickly return, White can't afford} 23. Ne3 $2
Bh6 $19 (23... Nf4 $19)) 23... fxg2 (23... Qxg4 $2 24. Qg5 $16 {leads to a
premature queen swap.}) 24. Rfb1 (24. Rfe1 Qxg4 25. Qg5 Qxg5 26. Bxg5 Nf4)
24... Qxg4 25. Qg5 Qe2 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. Qg5 Qxg5 $1 ({Carlsen spurns} 27... Qe2
$11 {, Black already risks nothing by continuing the fight.}) 28. Bxg5 Nf4 {
[%cal Rf4h3]} 29. Bxf4 $2 {A serious error with disastrous consequences.} ({
The series of forced moves continued with} 29. Kh2 $1 {[]} Kh8 $1 (29... Bf6
30. Bh6 Bg7 $11) (29... c5 $5 30. Rg1 c4 31. Bxf4 exf4 32. Rxg2 cxd3 33. cxd3
f3 $44) 30. Re1 (30. Ra2 c5 31. Bxf4 exf4 32. Kxg2 f3+ $40 {[%csl Ra2]}) 30...
h6 31. Bh4 (31. Bxf4 exf4 32. e5 f3 $17) 31... Bf6 $15 {[%csl Gg2] Black holds
the initiative, but the game is far from over.}) 29... exf4 30. Kxg2 f3+ 31.
Kf1 $6 ({Black should gradually win after} 31. Kh3 Bxa1 32. Rxa1 Kf7 $17 {
, as his Pf3 remains very much alive. However, this was still more resilient,
as now White's king can't escape the mating net.}) 31... Rf4 $1 32. c3 ({
Caruana most probably overlooked} 32. Ke1 Rd8 $1 (32... Bxa1 $2 33. Rxa1 {
[%cal Ye1d2,Yd2e3,Ya4c5] is actually OK for White}) 33. Kd2 Rxe4 {[%cal Re4a4,
Re4e2]} 34. Nc3 Bh6+ 35. Kd1 Rh4 {with mate to follow.}) 32... Rd8 $1 33. d4 (
33. Rd1 Rh4 34. Ke1 Bh6 $1 $19 {[%cal Rh4h1]}) (33. Ke1 Rxd3 $19 {[%cal Rf4h4,
Rf4e4]}) 33... Bh6 {Black already had a choice:} (33... Rxe4 34. Nc5 Rh4 35.
Ke1 Bxd4 36. cxd4 Rdxd4 37. Rb8+ Kf7 38. Rf8+ Kxf8 39. Ne6+ Kf7 40. Nxd4 Rh1+
$19) (33... Bxd4 $142 $1 {and taking the bishop leads to mate after} 34. cxd4
Rh4 35. Ke1 (35. Kg1 Kh8 {[%cal Rd8g8]}) 35... Rxd4 $19) 34. Ke1 Rxe4+ 35. Kd1
c5 $1 $19 {Now the only winning move.} (35... Re2 $143 $6 36. Rb2 $15) 36. Kc2
(36. Nxc5 Re2 37. Nb3 Rde8 $19 (37... Kh8 $19 {[%cal Rd8g8]})) 36... cxd4 37.
Kd3 Re2 38. c4 Rxf2 (38... Rd2+ $142 $1 39. Ke4 Rxf2 $19) 39. Rd1 (39. Rb2 {
prolongs White's suffering, his position remains hopeless after} Rxb2 40. Nxb2
Rb8 41. Nd1 Kf7) 39... Re2 {[%cal Re2e3] Black's passed pawns will soon clinch
the point.} 0-1
[Event "Grenke Chess Classic 3rd"]
[Site "Baden-Baden"]
[Date "2015.02.08"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2811"]
[BlackElo "2865"]
[Annotator "CB"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2015.02.02"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 165"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 h6 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. Nc3 Ne7 12. Bf4 Ng6 13. Bh2 Bb4 14. Ne2
Be7 15. Nfd4 Nf8 16. g4 h5 17. Nf5 Ne6 18. Kg2 b6 19. f3 c5 20. Bg3 Bg5 (20...
Bb7 {was also perfectly possible.}) 21. h4 hxg4 {and now the draw is forced}
22. hxg5 gxf3+ 23. Kxf3 Nxg5+ 24. Kf4 (24. Kg4 Nh3 {is risky for White:} 25. e6
Bxe6 26. Nf4 g6 27. Nxe6 gxf5+ 28. Kxf5 fxe6+ 29. Kg4 e5 $1 {with this key
move the knight from h3 is rescued and Black remains out a pawn, though
probably one that is very hard to convert.} 30. Bxe5 (30. Rd5 Ke7 $15) (30. Re1
Kd7 $1 $17) 30... Nf2+ $17) 24... Nh3+ 25. Ke4 Ng5+ 26. Kf4 Nh3+ 1/2-1/2
[Event "Gashimov Memorial"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2015.04.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A90"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2863"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2015.04.17"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
{Caruana had reasonable results against the World Champion in the last 2 years,
but in 2015 the tide started to change. Despite having Black, Carlsen won a
nice attacking game in Wijk (see CBM 165) and easily drew in Baden.} 1. d4 {
Fabiano avoids the Sicilian, or Berlin...} f5 $5 {Magnus is in a fighting
mood! However, this could have hardly surprised Caruana, as his opponent has
already played the Dutch more than once this year.} 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. c4
c6 {Still following his win against Anand in Baden. The flexible text move
waits for White to declare his intentions with the Ng1 before committing the
Pd7.} ({After the immediate} 4... d5 {White scored well with the} 5. Nh3 $5 {
system, an impressive example was} c6 6. O-O Bd6 7. Qc2 O-O 8. Nd2 Bd7 9. Nf3
Be8 10. Bf4 h6 11. Qb3 b6 12. Rfc1 Be7 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Bd2 g5 15. Ne5 a5 16.
e4 fxe4 17. Bxe4 Ra7 18. f4 gxf4 19. Kh1 Bf6 20. Nxf4 $16 {Anand,V (2769)
-Nikolic,P (2659) Wijk aan Zee 2000 See the notes to this game by Tyomkin in
CBM 75.}) 5. Nf3 ({Now} 5. Nh3 {allows} d6 $5 {[%cal Ye6e5]} 6. Nc3 e5 (6...
Be7 7. e4 e5 $132) 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Ke8 10. e4 Bd6 11. exf5
Bxf5 12. O-O h6 13. Rd1 Bc5 14. Nge4 Bxe4 15. Bxe4 Kf7 16. Bf5 Na6 17. Re1 g6
18. Bh3 Nb4 19. Re2 Rad8 20. Rb1 Bd4 21. Kg2 Nd3 22. Be3 b6 $11 {[%csl Gd3,Gd4]
Wojtaszek,R (2721)-Vaisser,A (2533) FRA-chT Mulhouse 2011}) 5... d5 {[%mdl 32]
The Stonewall leads to a complex strategic fight with almost no long forcing
lines - all in all an opening suiting Carlsen's style. Moreover it belonged to
the repertoire of his trainer Agdestein.} 6. O-O Bd6 7. b3 Qe7 8. Bb2 {Allows
Black to fianchetto his Bc8.} ({He was fine also after} 8. Ne5 O-O (8... b6 {
now runs into} 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nc4 $1 Nc6 11. Nxd6+ Qxd6 12. Ba3 Nb4 13. Nd2
$14) 9. Nd2 a5 10. Bb2 Nbd7 11. Qc2 a4 (11... Ne4 12. Ndf3 a4) 12. Ndf3 ({
Possibly critical is the greedy} 12. bxa4 Ne4 (12... Bxe5 13. dxe5 Ng4 14. Nf3
Nb6 15. cxd5 exd5 16. h3 Nh6 17. Nd4 Nc4 (17... f4 $5 $13) 18. f4 Ne3 19. Qb3
Nxf1 20. Ba3 Qd8 21. Bxf8 Nxg3 22. Bxg7 Nxe2+ 23. Nxe2 Kxg7 24. Nd4 Ng8 25. Re1
$36 {Visloguzov,V (2036)-Jardi Talarn,J (2054) email 2011}) 13. Nxe4 $1 (13.
Ndf3 Bxe5 (13... Qd8 14. Nd3 Qa5 15. Nf4 Bxf4 16. gxf4 Qxa4 17. Qxa4 Rxa4 18.
cxd5 exd5 19. e3 Nb6 20. Ne5 {Kiriakov,P (2555)-Moskalenko,V (2540) playchess.
com blitz 2006} Nc4 $15) 14. dxe5 (14. Nxe5 $142 $5) 14... Nb6 15. cxd5 exd5
16. Rab1 Nc4 17. Rfd1 Qb4 18. Nd4 Qxa4 $36 {Goganov,A (2550)-Sandipan,C (2590)
Moscow 2013}) 13... fxe4 14. f4 exf3 15. Nxf3 $14 {Roiz}) 12... Ne4 13. e3 a3
14. Bc3 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bd7 16. Nxd7 (16. Be1 $142 $1 $14) 16... Qxd7 17. c5 Bc7
18. b4 h5 19. Be1 e5 20. dxe5 Bxe5 21. Rd1 Qe6 $11 {Anand,V (2797)-Carlsen,M
(2865) Baden-Baden 2015 For more details see the notes to this game by Roiz in
CBM 165.}) 8... b6 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. Nd2 ({White will later redirect his N to c3,
but here the immediate} 10. Nc3 {is not too effective due to} Nbd7 $11 {
forcing White to make a decision about his Ne5.}) 10... O-O 11. Rc1 ({My own
experience with this line was rather bleak, after} 11. e3 a5 12. Nd3 Na6 13. a3
Rac8 14. Qe2 Ne4 15. Rfc1 c5 16. dxc5 Naxc5 17. Nxc5 bxc5 18. Rd1 a4 19. bxa4
Ra8 20. f3 Nxd2 21. Qxd2 Rxa4 22. cxd5 exd5 23. f4 $11 {Stohl,I (2465)-Glek,I
(2430) Tallinn 1986 White just barely managed to hold the balance (and lost
due to a miscalculation later on).}) 11... a5 12. e3 {The most usual move, but
it's not easy for White to get anything tangible from the opening.} (12. Nd3
Na6 13. Nf3 {avoids ideas with Bxe5; White intends to put the other N on e5,
but this manoeuvring costs time and Black gets counterplay after} Ne4 14. Nfe5
Rac8 (14... c5 15. f3 Nf6 16. cxd5 exd5 17. Re1 Nb4 18. a3 Nc6 19. e3 Nd8 20.
Bh3 g6 21. Nf4 Qe8 22. Ned3 Rc8 23. dxc5 bxc5 24. Qd2 a4 25. e4 $5 dxe4 26.
fxe4 Bxe4 27. b4 $36 {Martin Clemente,J (2638)-Timmerman,G (2694) email 2009})
15. e3 c5 16. dxc5 bxc5 17. Nf4 Nb4 18. a3 Bxe5 19. Bxe5 Nc6 {½ Avrukh,B
(2425)-Gleizerov,E (2535) St Petersburg 1994} 20. Bb2 d4 $1 $132) (12. Nb1 Nbd7
(12... Ne4 13. f3 Nf6 14. Nc3 Nbd7 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. e4 dxc4 17. bxc4 e5 18.
exf5 exd4 19. Re1 Ne5 20. Ne4 Ba3 21. Bxa3 Qxa3 22. Qxd4 Nxf3+ 23. Bxf3 Qxf3
24. c5 $16 {Gordon,S (2556)-Djurhuus,R (2436) Oslo 2012}) 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Nc4
b5 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Nc3 Ba6 {[%csl Ga6,Rg2] Black's bad Ba6 is more effective,
than the "good"one on g2.} 17. Qd2 Rfc8 18. f3 b4 19. Nd1 a4 20. Ne3 a3 21.
Rxc8+ Rxc8 22. Bc1 f4 23. gxf4 Qxf4 $11 {()=/+, Tukmakov,V (2575)-Agdestein,S
(2560) Dortmund 1987}) 12... Na6 13. Nb1 $146 {A novelty, but judging by the
time-consumption an over the board idea. The N heads for c3 and possibly for
a4 (or e2-f4).} ({Until now White mostly connected his rooks with} 13. Qe2 Ne4
(13... Nc7 14. Ndf3 Ne4 15. Rfd1 a4 16. Nd3 a3 17. Ba1 Na6 18. Nfe5 c5 19. f3
Nf6 20. Bh3 g6 21. Rd2 Rac8 22. Rdc2 Rc7 23. Rd1 Rfc8 24. Rcd2 cxd4 25. Bxd4
Nc5 26. Nxc5 Bxc5 27. Bg2 Ba6 28. Bf1 Nd7 29. Nxd7 Rxd7 30. Bxc5 Qxc5 31. Qf2
Rcd8 32. e4 d4 $132 {Hansen,O (2499)-Timmerman,G (2694) email 2009}) (13... a4
14. bxa4 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. a5 Nac5 17. Bc3 bxa5 18. Nb3 Nxb3 19. axb3 Nc5
20. Qc2 Ne4 21. Bb2 a4 22. bxa4 Ba6 23. f3 Ng5 24. cxd5 Bxf1 25. d6 $16 {
So,W (2656)-Reinderman,D (2573) Wijk aan Zee 2010}) (13... Bxe5 14. dxe5 Ne4
15. Rfd1 a4 $5 16. Nb1 Nb4 (16... axb3 17. axb3 Nac5 18. Qc2 Ra2 $132 {/\} 19.
f3 $6 Qg5 $1 20. fxe4 fxe4 $44) 17. Ba3 axb3 18. axb3 c5 19. f3 Ng5 20. h4 Nf7
21. Bxb4 cxb4 22. f4 dxc4 23. Bxb7 Qxb7 24. Rxc4 Rfd8 25. Rxd8+ Nxd8 {Alekseev,
E (2640)-Moiseenko,A (2662) Sochi 2006} 26. Rxb4 $14) 14. Rfd1 c5 15. Nb1 Nb4
16. f3 Nxa2 17. fxe4 Nxc1 18. Bxc1 fxe4 19. Nc3 Rad8 20. Nb5 cxd4 21. exd4 Bxe5
22. dxe5 dxc4 {Van Wely,L (2668)-Ulibin,M (2581) Moscow 2003} 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24.
bxc4 Qc5+ 25. Be3 Qxe5 26. Bxb6 $13) 13... Bxe5 $5 {A very straightforward
solution.} ({Black can also redirect his N with} 13... Nb8 14. Nc3 Nbd7 {
Carlsen maybe didn't relish the possibility} 15. f4 $5 (15. Na4 b5 $11 {
is harmless}) 15... Rac8 $13 {with a complex double Stonewall.}) 14. dxe5 Ne4
15. Qe2 (15. cxd5 exd5 $5 16. Nc3 Nac5 $132) ({It was worth considering} 15.
Nc3 $5 {/\} Nac5 (15... Rac8 $142 $5) 16. Ba3 $14) 15... a4 $5 16. Nc3 $6 {
A mediocre reaction, after which already White will have to tread with care.} (
{The principled continuation was} 16. Ba3 $142 c5 17. f3 Ng5 18. cxd5 Bxd5 (
18... exd5 $5 19. bxa4 $13) 19. bxa4 (19. Nc3 Nc7 $13 {can transpose}) 19...
Nc7 20. e4 fxe4 21. fxe4 Rxf1+ 22. Rxf1 Bc6 23. h4 Nf7 24. Qb2 $13) (16. Rfd1 {
transposes to Alekseev-Moiseenko above.}) 16... axb3 (16... a3 $5 17. Ba1 Nb4
$13 {[%csl Ra1] /=/+ also deserves attention, but true to himself, Carlsen
chooses a simple technical solution.}) 17. axb3 Qb4 18. Nxe4 (18. cxd5 exd5 {
is also pleasant for Black.}) 18... dxe4 {Black continues in the spirit of his
16th move and chooses the simpler symmetrical recapture.} ({More complex is}
18... fxe4 19. Bh3 (19. Bc3 $5 Qxb3 20. cxd5 exd5 21. Bh3 $44) 19... Rfe8 20.
f4 $1 $13 {[%cal Yf4f5]}) 19. Qc2 Nc5 20. Bc3 Qxb3 21. Qxb3 Nxb3 22. Rb1 Nc5
23. Rxb6 Na4 24. Rxb7 Nxc3 {[%csl Gc3,Rg2][%mdl 4096] A series of natural
moves has led to an endgame in which White must still solve the problem of his
passive Bg2. It would seem that this is simple enough, but in such technical
positions Carlsen is incomparable.} 25. Re7 {Voluntarily exchanges the R on
the 7th rank.} ({A more active way is} 25. f3 $5 {White intends to reanimate
his bishop either on the long diagonal, or by hitting Pe6 from h3 after a pawn
swap on e4. All this should be sufficient to hold the balance.}) 25... Rfe8 26.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Ra1 $6 (27. f3 $1 $132 {still seems preferable.}) 27... Rd8 28.
Bf1 {White must already change plans and start calculating.} (28. Ra6 $5 Ne2+
29. Kf1 Nc1 30. Kg1 Rd1+ (30... Rc8 31. Bf1 $132 {and Black's R is too passive}
) 31. Bf1 Nb3 32. Kg2 Nd2 33. Ra8+ Kf7 34. Ra7+ {/\} Kg6 35. Rd7 Rxf1 36. Rxd2
Rc1 37. Rd6 $11) (28. f3 Rd1+ $1 29. Rxd1 Nxd1 30. fxe4 Nxe3 $15 31. exf5 $2
Nxg2 32. Kxg2 exf5 33. Kf3 Kf7 34. Ke3 c5 $1 35. Kf3 Ke6 36. Kf4 h6 $19) 28...
c5 29. Ra3 (29. Ra5 $5) 29... Nb1 $5 30. Ra1 (30. Ra5 {or}) (30. Ra6 $142 {
seems preferable:} Rd1 31. Ra8+ Kf7 32. Ra7+ Kg6 33. Ra1 {and it's still not
clear, how Black should make progress.} (33. Kg2 Rd2 (33... Nd2 34. Rd7 Rxf1
35. Rxd2 Rc1 36. Rd7 Rxc4 37. Re7 $11) 34. Re7 Nc3 35. Kg1 Nd1 36. Rxe6+ Kf7
37. Rd6 Rxd6 38. exd6 g6 $11 {/=/+})) 30... Nd2 $1 31. Be2 $2 ({This is
already a serious error, more or less necessary was} 31. Kg2 $8 Nf3 32. Ra6 Kf7
33. Ra7+ Kf8 34. Rc7 Rd1 35. Rc8+ (35. Rxc5 Nd2 36. Be2 Re1 {[%csl Re2]}) 35...
Kf7 36. Rc7+ Kg6 37. Rc6 $1 $132) 31... Nf3+ 32. Bxf3 (32. Kg2 Nxe5 $17 {
gives Black a healthy extra pawn.}) 32... exf3 33. h3 h5 $17 {White had a
slightly unpleasant position, some nine moves later he is on the verge of
losing.} 34. g4 (34. Ra6 Rd1+ 35. Kh2 Rf1 36. Rxe6 Rxf2+ 37. Kg1 (37. Kh1 $2
Rf1+ 38. Kh2 Rc1) 37... Rg2+ 38. Kf1 Kf7 $17) ({With the passive} 34. Ra5 Rd1+
35. Kh2 Rf1 36. Ra2 (36. Rxc5 Rxf2+ 37. Kg1 Rg2+ 38. Kf1 Rxg3 $17) {, White
pins his hopes to stalemate tricks after} 36... g5 (36... Rc1 $5) 37. h4 g4 38.
e4 $17 {However, it's difficult to believe this would save the game, moreover
in time trouble one naturally strives for activity.}) 34... fxg4 35. hxg4 h4 $1
{[%csl Rg1]} 36. Kh2 (36. g5 Kh7 37. Ra6 Rd1+ 38. Kh2 Rf1 39. Rxe6 Rxf2+ 40.
Kh3 Rc2 $19) 36... Rd2 37. Kh3 $6 (37. g5 $1 Rxf2+ 38. Kh3 Kh7 39. Kxh4 Rg2 40.
Rf1 $17 {was the last chance to fight on. Black will have an extra pawn, but
converting it still presents technical problems.}) 37... g5 {Keeps the king
boxed in.} 38. e4 Rd4 $1 (38... Rxf2 $2 39. Ra8+ Kf7 40. Ra7+ Ke8 41. Ra8+ Kd7
42. Ra7+ Kc6 43. Ra6+ Kb7 44. Ra7+ $11 {is too obvious, Carlsen easily avoids
the stalemate trap.}) 39. Ra8+ Kf7 40. Ra3 Rxc4 41. Rxf3+ Ke7 42. Re3 Rd4 43.
f3 c4 $19 {[%csl Gc4,Gh4] Material is still equal, but Black's positional
superiority with 2 strong passed pawns is decisive.} 44. Ra3 ({After} 44. Rc3 {
Black already has a choice:} Kd7 $19 (44... Rd3 $5 45. Rxc4 Rxf3+ $19)) 44...
Rd3 45. Ra7+ Kd8 46. Kg2 c3 47. Ra4 c2 48. Rc4 Rd2+ 49. Kh3 Kd7 50. Rc5 (50.
Rc3 Rf2 $19 {[%cal Rf2f3]}) 50... Rf2 51. f4 Rf3+ (51... gxf4 52. g5 f3 53. g6
Rd2 54. g7 f2 $19 {is more forcing, but Black can already win without any
calculation.}) 52. Kh2 Rxf4 ({White has had enough, the endgame after} 52...
Rxf4 53. Rxc2 Rxe4 $19 ({or} 53... Rxg4 $5 $19 {is completely hopeless.})) 0-1
[Event "Norway Masters blitz 3rd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2015.06.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2876"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2015.06.15"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 c6 6. Bc4 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8.
Qxf3 e6 9. Bd2 Qc7 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Bd6 13. Kb1 Nf6 14. Qf3
O-O 15. Bd3 a5 16. h4 Nd5 17. h5 Rfd8 18. Qe4 Nf6 19. Qe2 Bf4 20. Bxf4 Qxf4 21.
g3 Qg5 22. c3 h6 23. Bc2 Kf8 24. Rde1 c5 25. dxc5 Qxc5 26. Rd1 b5 27. Rxd8+
Rxd8 28. Rd1 Rc8 29. a3 Qxh5 30. Qxh5 Nxh5 31. Rd7 b4 32. cxb4 axb4 33. axb4
Nf6 34. Rb7 Nd5 35. b5 Nb4 36. Be4 Rc4 37. Bg2 Rd4 38. Rc7 Rd1+ 39. Rc1 Rxc1+
40. Kxc1 Ke7 41. Kd2 Kd6 42. b6 h5 43. f4 f6 44. Kc3 Nc6 45. b7 Nb8 46. Kd4 Nd7
47. b4 Kc7 48. Bf3 g6 49. Be4 g5 50. fxg5 fxg5 51. Bf3 h4 52. g4 h3 53. b5 h2
54. Bh1 Nf6 55. Ke5 Nxg4+ 56. Kxe6 Nf2 57. Bg2 Nd1 58. Ke5 Kb8 59. Ke4 Nf2+ 60.
Kf5 h1=Q 61. Bxh1 Nxh1 62. Kxg5 Kxb7 63. b6 Kxb6 1/2-1/2
[Event "Norway Chess 3rd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2015.06.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2876"]
[Annotator "Wagner,D"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2015.06.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
{This game was played in the 2nd round of the Norway Chess tournament in
Stavanger. It has to be mentioned that Carlsen entered this game with a
certain psychological handicap, as he had lost his game in round one against
Veselin Topalov on time in a winning position, because he didn't know the time
control.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Definitely not for the first time
the two experts have chosen the Berlin as their battleground.} 4. O-O Nxe4 5.
d4 {Caruana is principled enough to enter the ending.} Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5
Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 h6 $5 {That's the third time Carlsen has chosen this
setup against Caruana. The move h6 controls the important g5-square, but has
the drawback that White can seize space with g4 at the appropriate moment.} (
9... Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 {is the mainline.}) 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. Nc3 Ne7 (11... Bd7 {
led to another disaster for Carlsen against the same opponent.} 12. Bf4 Rd8 13.
Ne4 Be7 14. g4 Nh4 15. Nxh4 Bxh4 16. Kg2 Be6 17. f3 b6 18. b3 c5 19. c4 Rd7 20.
Bg3 Be7 21. Rxd7 Bxd7 22. Nc3 Kd8 23. Nd5 Re8 24. Rd1 Kc8 25. Nxc7 $16 {
1-0 (53) Caruana,F (2783)-Carlsen,M (2881) Shamkir 2014}) 12. b3 $1 {I think
that the b3-setup is the most promising against the line with h6 and Ne7.} (12.
Bf4 {Apparently Caruana wasn't content with the result of their last game in
this line.} Ng6 13. Bh2 Bb4 14. Ne2 Be7 15. Nfd4 Nf8 16. g4 h5 17. Nf5 Ne6 18.
Kg2 b6 19. f3 c5 20. Bg3 Bg5 21. h4 hxg4 22. hxg5 gxf3+ 23. Kxf3 Nxg5+ 24. Kf4
Nh3+ 25. Ke4 Ng5+ 26. Kf4 Nh3+ {1/2-1/2 (26) Caruana,F (2811) -Carlsen,M (2865)
Baden-Baden 2015}) 12... Bf5 {Carlsen immediately activates his light-squared
bishop.} (12... Ng6 $5 {is an alternative.} 13. Bb2 Be7 14. Ne2 (14. Ne4 Nf4
15. Nd4 Bd7 16. Ng3 c5 17. Nde2 Nxe2+ 18. Nxe2 Rd8 $11 {1/2-1/2 (37)
Svetushkin,D (2597)-Kryvoruchko,Y (2676) Achaea 2012}) 14... h5 15. a4 a5 16.
c4 $14 {1-0 (83) Kamsky,G (2705)-Bruzon Batista,L (2679) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010})
13. Nd4 Bh7 14. Bb2 Rd8 15. Nce2 $1 (15. e6 {is rather harmless, if Black
reacts precisely.} Nd5 $1 $11 (15... Nc8 16. Nce2 Bd6 17. c4 Ne7 (17... f6 18.
g4 h5 $11) 18. Rac1 b6 19. g4 f6 20. f4 {1/2 (65)-1/2 (65) Polgar, J (2689)
-Howell,D (2644) Warsaw 2013; with a complicated position, where White has the
initiative.}) 16. Nxd5 (16. Nce2 Bd6 17. c4 Nb4 18. Bc3 Rg8 $132) 16... cxd5
17. exf7+ Kxf7 18. Nf3 Bd6 19. Ne5+ Bxe5 20. Bxe5 c6 $11) 15... Nd5 (15... g5 {
is another idea, but creates some further weaknesses.} 16. c4 (16. e6 Rg8 $1
$11) 16... Bg7 17. Ng3 Bg6 18. Re1 a6 (18... Kd7 19. e6+ fxe6 20. Rad1 Kc8 21.
Nxc6 Nxc6 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8 23. Bxg7 Rh7 24. Bc3 $14) 19. Nf3 Rg8 20. Ne4 Bxe4 21.
Rxe4 c5 22. h4 $1 gxh4 23. Rxh4 Ng6 24. Re4 $14 {White is slightly better,
because of his mobile kingside majority, but Black can hope to compensate for
this with his control of the d-file.}) 16. c4 Nb4 17. Nf4 Rg8 18. g4 {I
already like White's position. The knight on b4 is out of the game, while
Black is still far away from active counterplay. Anyway, Black should still be
ok here.} Na6 $2 {But that´s the start of major problems.} (18... g5 $6 19. Nh5
Be7 20. Nf5 $14) (18... Nc2 $1 {Black can hope to survive by exchanging his
bad knight.} 19. Nxc2 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Bxc2 21. Rd2 Bb1 22. Bc3 Be7 23. Ne2 {
might be the best try, since Black can't attack ths knight on this square.} (
23. Kg2 Bg5 $1 {with a good exchange for Black} 24. Kg3 Bxf4+ 25. Kxf4 Ke7 $11)
(23. Nh5 Bg6 24. Kg2 Bxh5 25. gxh5 Bg5 26. Rd4 c5 27. Rd5 g6 28. Rxc5 gxh5 29.
Kf3 c6 $11) 23... Ba3 24. Kg2 Ke7 25. Nd4 Rd8 26. Nf5+ Bxf5 27. gxf5 Rxd2 28.
Bxd2 $14) (18... Be7 $5 {is also possible.} 19. Nf5 (19. Bc3 Nc2 20. Nxc2 Rxd1+
21. Rxd1 Bxc2 22. Rd2 Bg5 $11) 19... Bg5 20. Ne2 c5 21. Rxd8+ (21. f4 Bxf5 22.
gxf5 Bh4 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8 24. Rd1+ Kc8 $11) 21... Kxd8 22. Rd1+ Kc8 23. a3 Nc6
24. Kg2 {with a double-edged position where Black should be able to defend
successfully.}) 19. Nf5 Nc5 20. Rxd8+ (20. Kg2 $5 {is also good, e.g.} Ne6 21.
Nxe6 fxe6 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. Nd4 Kd7 25. Ne2+ Ke7 26. Kf3 $14)
20... Kxd8 21. Rd1+ Kc8 22. Ba3 $5 {Setting a cunning trap...} Ne6 $2 {...
which Carlsen runs into!} (22... Bxf5 $6 23. gxf5 g6 24. fxg6 (24. f6 g5 (24...
Ne6 25. Nxe6 Bxa3 26. Ng7 Bb2 27. f4 g5) 25. Nh5 Ne6 26. Bxf8 Rxf8 27. Kg2 Re8
28. Kg3 $14) 24... Ne6 25. Bxf8 Nxf4 (25... Nxf8 26. Kg2 Nxg6 27. Nxg6 Rxg6+
28. Kf3 $14) 26. g7 Ne6 27. Kh2 Nxf8 28. gxf8=Q+ Rxf8 29. Kg3 $14 {with a
dangerous edge in the rook ending.}) (22... b6 $5 {is more pleasant for White,
but nothing decisive of course.}) 23. Nxe6 Bxa3 {A sad necessity.} ({Probably
Carlsen had planned} 23... fxe6 {but overlooked the strong reply} 24. Be7 $3
$18) 24. Nexg7 Bf8 25. e6 $1 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 fxe6 27. Ng3 $16 {This is a
nightmare for every Berlin-player. The black structure has even worsened and
White can exploit the kingside majority without the slightest risk.} Be7 28.
Kg2 Rf8 29. Rd3 $1 {[%cal Gd3f3] A great square for the rook.} Rf7 30. Nh5 Bd6
31. Rf3 Rh7 (31... Rxf3 32. Kxf3 Kd7 33. Ke4 {is also just bad.}) 32. Re3 Re7
33. f4 {The rest is a matter of technique.} Ba3 34. Kf3 Bb2 35. Re2 Bc3 36. g5
Kd7 37. Kg4 Re8 38. Ng3 Rh8 39. h4 b6 40. h5 c5 41. g6 Re8 42. f5 exf5+ 43. Kf4
Rh8 44. Nxf5 Bf6 45. Rg2 {A convincing technical game by Caruana and a tough
start for the World Champion.} 1-0
[Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2015.08.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2015.08.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 168"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/7200:3600+30"]
1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:06];Caruana,F (2805)
-Carlsen,M (2876) Norway Chess 3rd 2015 (2) 1-0 There is little wonder that
Carlsen avoids the Berlin after the recent defeat by Caruana's hands in} 4. Ba4
{[%emt 0:00:04]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:06] By this moment I
guess Caruana was asking himself whether it would be a Marshall or a Breyer.}
b5 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 6. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:06] None of them
in fact! Carlsen chooses the classical Arkhangelsk move order, which has
fallen into oblivion long time ago.} ({Fashion has the neo-Arkhangelsk based on
} 6... Bc5 {more reliable.}) 7. d3 {[%emt 0:01:15] Caruana does not show
himself keen of checking Carlsen's preparation in the main lines and chooses a
setup which is mainly played to avoid the Marshall.} (7. Re1 Bc5 8. c3 d6 9. d4
Bb6 {leads to positional play with reasonable black counterplay.}) (7. c3 {
is more challenging. The most fascinating line goes} Nxe4 8. d4 Na5 9. Bc2 exd4
10. Bxe4 Bxe4 11. Re1 d5 12. b4 Nc4 13. Nxd4 c5 14. bxc5 Bxc5 15. f3 O-O 16.
fxe4 dxe4 17. Rxe4 Qd5 {with certain compensation for Black in view of his
better development and the hanging d4-knight. The last games at high level went
} 18. Qf3 Ne5 19. Qf5 Rae8 20. Nd2 g6 ({Deviating from his slightly earlier
game} 20... b4 21. N2b3 g6 22. Qf1 Qxe4 23. Nxc5 $14 {Ivanov,A (2539)
-Tomashevsky,E (2708) Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 (½-½, 36)}) 21. Qf4 b4 22. Bb2
bxc3 23. Bxc3 Nc6 24. Kh1 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 Nxd4 26. Bxd4 Re2 27. Nf3 f6 28. h3 $14
{Hellers,F (2520)-Shirov,A (2580) Stockholm 1990 0-1 Shirov,A (2719)
-Tomashevsky,E (2708) Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 (1-0, 41). Maybe Shirov was not the
best suited opponent to try this opening against, since two decades ago he
used to be a specialist of it with... Black. See for instance}) 7... Be7 {
[%emt 0:00:09] A bit disappointing - the game now enters the Anti-Marshall
paths, (I find Alejandro Ramirez' description "An Archangel with Be7"
inaccurate, but this is relative, of course.)} ({Long before the
neo-Arkhangelsk story started to take shape, Malaniuk caused some sensation
winning three games with the slightly weird} 7... Bd6 {The idea is to
over-defend the e5-pawn in order to allow an early ...Na5 if needed. The most
famous of his games (of course, I am speaking from the perspective of somebody
who was playing chess at that time) went} 8. a4 ({Neutral play such as} 8. c3
O-O 9. Nbd2 {could eventually transpose to ...Bc5 lines (I do not know how to
baptize them already) when the bishop retreats to f8 a few moves later:} Re8
10. Re1 Bf8 {and so on.}) 8... h6 9. Nc3 b4 10. Ne2 Na5 {Now is when the
bishop proves useful on d6.} 11. Ba2 O-O 12. Ng3 Re8 13. h3 ({The modern
interpretation is} 13. c3 c5 {as for instance in Hovhannisyan,R (2560)-Bartel,
M (2638) Aix-les-Bains 2011 (0-1, 51)}) 13... Bf8 14. Nh2 d5 15. Qf3 c5 $15 {
Adams,M (2505)-Malaniuk,V (2560) Palma de Mallorca 1989 (0-1, 51)}) 8. Nc3 {
[%emt 0:02:22]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:01]} 9. a3 {[%emt 0:01:01] The third most
popular continuation after 9.Bd2 and 9.a4.} d6 {[%emt 0:16:21]} 10. Re1 {
[%emt 0:09:39]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:00:35];Jansa,V (2535)-Smyslov,V (2600) Sochi
Chigorin Memorial 1974 (9) 0-1 The regrouping initiated with this move reminds
me of one of Smyslow's ultra-solid systems in the classical Ruy Lopez} 11. Ne2
{[%emt 0:05:12]} Nd8 {[%emt 0:06:15] Unlike in Smyslow's game, Black can
already regroup with his knight, since there is no pressure on e5.} 12. Ng3 {
[%emt 0:01:06]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:00:32] This position was seen in five earlier
games, which makes Caruana's 30 minute thought a bit surprizing.} 13. Ba2 $146
{[%emt 0:29:44]} ({During my live comments I did not have access at the
"reference" button, nor to the engines, so I wondered what would be wrong with
} 13. c3 c5 14. d4 {After all, this is what the Spanish Opening is all about -
White needs occupying the centre. I must confess that I under-estimated
Black's dynamic potential, based on his better development. White has wasted
quite some time with a2-a3 and d2-d3-d4.} exd4 15. cxd4 {Black has two
playable ways of breaking the centre with ...d6-d5.} c4 (15... d5 16. exd5 Bxd5
17. Bxd5 Nxd5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. b4 Bb6 20. Ne5 Qb7 21. Nf5 {White's position
looks threatening but he still is underdeveloped.} Rad8 $1 (21... Ne7 22. Qf3
$1 Qa7 {Horvath,A (2531)-Banusz,T (2598) Gyula 2013 (0-1, 38)} 23. Nxe7+ Qxe7
24. Bb2 $14 {[%csl Rc6,Rg7][%cal Ge5c6,Ga1c1]}) 22. Qg4 Nf6 23. Qh4 Bd4 {
Black's position becomes dominant so White is best adviced to force a draw by
perpetual:} 24. Bg5 Bxa1 25. Rxa1 Nxg5 26. Qxg5 g6 27. Qxf6 {or 27.Nh6+.}) 16.
Bc2 d5 {This is Tomashevsky's specialty.} 17. e5 Ne4 18. Nxe4 ({White does not
get much by rejecting the sacrifice:} 18. Nf5 f6 19. Be3 Bd8 20. exf6 Bxf6 {
with active black play in Jakovenko,D (2711)-Tomashevsky,E (2658) Dagomys 2008
(½-½, 26)}) 18... dxe4 19. Bxe4 Bxe4 20. Rxe4 Qd5 21. Qc2 Rfd8 {This looks
unnatural.} ({But if} 21... Rad8 {Black must have feared} 22. Bd2 {[%cal Gd2b4]
when ...a5 is impossible.}) ({Given this problems, I am actually asking myself
whether there is such a hurry to define the rooks' intentions. Since Black
plans playing ...f7-f5 anyway, I consider} 21... f5 {a serious candidate, for
instance} 22. exf6 Bxf6 23. Be3 Rad8 {with a couple of extra tempi compared to
the game.}) 22. h4 f5 23. exf6 Bxf6 24. Be3 Qf5 25. Re1 Rf8 {The rook returns
to the right square but I am not sure h2-h4 is such a weakening as to allow
wasting two tempi.} 26. Re2 Rad8 {Anyway, Black's blockade is relatively safe
and the game ended in a draw, Shirov,A (2740)-Tomashevsky,E (2658) Dagomys
2008 (½-½, 34) Even if the consequences of 13.c3 are far from clear, I do
not see the point behind Caruana's novelty. White wastes just another tempo
while big part of his army is placed on the initial squares.}) 13... Rfe8 {
[%emt 0:08:03] Black is one step away from completing his development with ...
Rad8, while White is far behind in the process. Besides, he does not have too
much space to deal with that. Little wonder that Caruana decided to exchange
some pieces.} 14. Ng5 {[%emt 0:06:30] Trying to make use of White's best piece
- his Spanish bishop.} ({If} 14. Nf5 Bf8 15. c3 c5 {Black threatens
undermining the white centre with ...c5-c4.}) ({The only reasonable
alternative to the game move is} 14. Bd2 {, without offering a clue to what
White should do with his queen, though.}) 14... d5 $5 {[%emt 0:16:04] Played
after 16 minutes, this is the most principled decision. Allowing an exchange
on e6 looks unappealing, while} (14... Nxg5 15. Bxg5 {would only speed up
White's development, for instance} h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nf5 Kh7 18. Qh5 Rf8 19.
h4 $36 {[%cal Gg2g4,Ge1e3] with a much better version of the game continuation.
}) 15. Nxe6 {[%emt 0:08:59] White needs releasing the tension in order to
clear the g5-square for the bishop. Delaying this exchange would give Black
time to increase his space advantage.} ({The pawn grabbing} 15. exd5 Nxg5 16.
Bxg5 Bxd5 17. Rxe5 Bxa2 18. Rxa2 {should not scare a Marshall Attack player.
The a2-rook is less than undeveloped.} h6 $5 19. Bxf6 (19. Bd2 Bd6) 19... Bxf6
20. Re4 Rxe4 21. Nxe4 Be5 {offers Black plenty of play.}) 15... Qxe6 {[%emt 0:
00:15]} 16. Bg5 {[%emt 0:07:46]} ({For instance} 16. Nf5 Bf8 17. Bg5 c5 18. Qf3
({Or if} 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Ne3 d4 20. Nd5 Qd6 $11 {[%cal Gb7c8,Gc8e6,Ya8c8,
Yc5c4] the beautiful central knight would actually block the own bishop.})
18... c4 19. Nh6+ (19. Bxf6 Qxf6 20. exd5 Rad8 21. dxc4 $2 e4 {[%cal Gf6b2]})
19... Kh8 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Qxf6 gxf6 22. Nf5 Rac8 $11 {Black's activity and
space advantage compensates for the structural deffect.}) 16... h6 $1 {[%emt 0:
04:17] It would be dangerous to delay this thematic move.} (16... c5 17. Bxf6
Bxf6 18. Nh5 Be7 (18... Rad8 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Nf4) (18... Qd6 19. Nxf6+ gxf6
20. Qh5 $16) (18... Bg5 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Qxd5 21. Qg4 Qd8 22. f4 $36) 19.
exd5 Bxd5 $2 20. Nf4 $18) 17. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:01:23]} Bxf6 {[%emt 0:01:22]} 18.
Qf3 {[%emt 0:05:51]} (18. Nh5 Bg5 {is safe for Black due to the fact that his
bishop is defended, making the queen incursion after} 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. exd5
Qxd5 21. Qg4 {inoffensive, for instance} Qe6 $11) 18... c6 {[%emt 0:03:08]
This ultra ambitious move fails to keep the a2-bishop out of play after
Caruana's active answer.} (18... Rad8 {is more natural, even though the
evaluation remains the same: both sides' chances are even.}) 19. c4 $1 {
[%emt 0:06:36]} Rad8 {[%emt 0:03:30]} 20. cxd5 {[%emt 0:01:05]} ({One
important problem is that the a1-rook needs defending the bishop. For instance
completing the development with} 20. Rac1 {allows} dxc4 $1 (20... bxc4 {
is less clear:} 21. exd5 $1 ({Only not} 21. dxc4 $2 d4 22. b4 c5 $15 {[%csl
Ra2]}) 21... cxd5 22. dxc4 e4 23. cxd5 Bxd5 24. Bxd5 exf3 25. Bxe6 Rxe6 26.
Rxe6 fxe6 $13) 21. dxc4 Bg5 22. Rc2 g6 {[%csl Ra2,Rg3][%cal Ge6a2]}) 20... cxd5
{[%emt 0:00:02]} 21. Nf5 {[%emt 0:00:30] White tris compensating his space
defficit with active piece play.} ({It would be nice to fight for the c-file,
but} 21. Rac1 $2 {loses material to} dxe4 {[%csl Ga2]} 22. Bxe6 exf3) ({Or if}
21. Rec1 {(not very natural - the rook belongs to e1.)} Rd7 22. Rc5 Qb6 23.
Rac1 Be7 24. R5c2 Bg5 25. Re1 Red8 26. Qg4 Rc7 $11) 21... Bg5 {[%emt 0:22:27]}
22. h4 {[%emt 0:01:00]} Bd2 $5 {[%emt 0:03:54] When I saw this move, I thought
the bishop will finally reach b6, truly in the spirit of the Arkhangelsk. But
my expectations proved wrong...} ({As pointed out by Ramirez,} 22... Bf4 {
"is also possible."} 23. g3 dxe4 24. Qg4 (24. dxe4 $2 Qxf5 $17) 24... Qf6 25.
gxf4 exd3 {"gets crazy, but computers like Black a bit."} 26. fxe5 $2 d2 $19 {
"was something Carlsen missed."}) 23. Re2 {[%emt 0:04:26]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:14:28]
} 24. dxe4 {[%emt 0:05:18]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 25. g3 {[%emt 0:09:41]} Kf8 $3
{[%emt 0:01:45];Carlsen,M (2863)-Anand,V (2792) World Championship 2014 (11)
1-0 The evaluation is not only for the objective merits of the move, but also
for the whole king's moving around initiated now and the depth behind it. The
king manoeuvre reminds me a bit of the somewhat similar issue in the last game
of the return Carlsen-Anand match} ({Carlsen intended to drive the enemy
knight away with ...g6, which would not work with the king on h8 due to Nxh6+.
And if} 25... Kh8 {the f7-square would be vulnerable. White could play a
consolidating move such as} 26. Kg2 (26. h5 Bg5) 26... g6 $6 27. Nd4 Qg7 (27...
Qxf3+ $2 28. Nxf3 Ba5 29. Bxf7 $18) 28. Nb3 f5 29. Nc5 $14) ({The ARkhangelsk
plan should be carried out with care, for if} 25... Ba5 $6 26. Nxh6+ $1 Qxh6
27. Qxf7+ Kh7 28. Qxb7 $16) ({I would probably choose} 25... Kh7 26. Kg2 Ba5
27. Rc1 g6 28. Ne3 (28. Nd4 {does not work so well now, since after} Qxf3+ 29.
Nxf3 {the bishop is not hanging anymore, allowing} f5 $36) 28... Qxf3+ 29. Kxf3
Rd3 {[%cal Ga5b6]}) 26. h5 {[%emt 0:05:10]} ({With the f7-pawn defended,} 26.
Kg2 g6 27. Nd4 Qxf3+ 28. Nxf3 Ba5 {is safe for Black.}) 26... Bg5 {[%emt 0:04:
20] There were no reasons to refrain from occupying the concealed square. The
bishop defends the queen, making ...g6 an issue already, without fearing Nd4
at all.} 27. a4 {[%emt 0:01:14] By now, both players were approaching severe
time trouble. With jis last move Caruana opens a new front, clearing the
a3-square for the queen in order to harass the centralized king.} ({A neutral
move such as} 27. Rf1 {would allow} g6 ({If Black wants more than an immediate
draw he can try} 27... Bc8) 28. hxg6 fxg6 29. Qb3 (29. Nh4 Bxh4) 29... gxf5 30.
Qg8+ Ke7 31. Qh7+ Kf8 {White should take the draw by perpetual since} 32. Qxb7
$2 Re7 {[%csl Gb7] suddenly traps the queen!}) 27... b4 $6 {[%emt 0:01:13]
Carlsen renews the threat, without realizing that White's queenside play is
far from over.} (27... g6 $2 28. hxg6 fxg6 29. Qa3+) (27... bxa4 $1 {would
have absolved Black from any problems:} 28. Qa3+ Kg8 29. Qxa4 Bc8) 28. a5 $3 {
[%emt 0:02:02] Caruana spent most of his remaining time on this fantastic move,
going down to seconds on his clock. White prevents Black's consolidating with .
..a6-a5, endangering the b4-pawn and adding a small tactical detail to the
plot.} Kg8 $5 {[%emt 0:04:23] Typical for Carlsen's lack of pre-concepts. He
does not mind returning with his king now that there was some danger for it.} (
{When playing his precious move Carlsen might have thought that he could
finally carry out his plan, failing to notice that after} 28... g6 29. hxg6
fxg6 30. Qb3 gxf5 31. Qg8+ Ke7 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. Qxb7 $1 Re7 {the queen has a
choice between} 34. Qxb4 {and the less strong 34.Qb6.}) ({But in principle}
28... Bc8 {[%cal Gg7g6] would have been safer} 29. Qb3 Bxf5 30. Qxb4+ Kg8 31.
exf5 Qxf5 {[%cal Gf5f3] with some symbolic white advantage only, due to his
more active bishop. For instance:} 32. Qe4 Qxe4 33. Rxe4 Kf8 34. b4 Rd6 {
[%cal Ge8b8,Gg5d2]}) 29. Bc4 $6 {[%emt 0:00:09] Too slow. Besides, White
dismantles his potential battery along the a2-g8 diagonal.} (29. Rc2 $5 Rd7 (
29... Rc8 30. Rc4 Rxc4 31. Bxc4 $14 {[%cal Ga1d1]} Kh8 $6 32. Rd1) 30. Rc4 Kh8
31. Rd1 (31. Rxb4 g6 32. hxg6 fxg6 33. Rd1) 31... Rxd1+ 32. Qxd1 Rd8 33. Qf3 g6
34. Rc7) (29. Qb3 {would mainly transpose to the line above since} Bxe4 {
would be met with} 30. Qxf7+ Qxf7 31. Bxf7+ Kxf7 32. Rxe4 $14) 29... Rd7 $6 {
[%emt 0:00:51] Carlsen still had a few minutes left, but failed to remain
consequent to his curious king manoeuvre.} (29... Kh8 $1 30. Kg2 g6 31. Ne3 (
31. hxg6 $2 fxg6 32. Ne3 Qxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Rf8+ 34. Kg2 Bxe4+ $17) 31... Qxf3+ 32.
Kxf3 Rd4 33. Bd5 Bxd5 34. Nxd5 gxh5 35. Ra4 b3 $13) 30. Ra4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:28]
Suddenly, White's queenside play strongly interfers with Black's planned ...g6.
} Kh8 {[%emt 0:02:15] Carlsen spent most of his remaining time on this move,
joining his opponent for the blitz mode.} 31. Rxb4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} g6 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} 32. hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} fxg6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 33. Qb3 $1 {
[%emt 0:00:41] The clue.} Bc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} (33... Bxe4 34. Rxe4 (34. Nxh6
Rd1+ $5 35. Qxd1 Qf3 36. Nf7+ Kg7 37. Rxe4 $8 Qxd1+ 38. Kg2 $14) 34... gxf5 (
34... Qxf5 35. Bd3 $16) 35. Rb6 Rd6 36. Re2 $16 {[%cal Gc4a6]}) 34. Ne3 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 35. Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} (35. Bb5 $5 Rb8
36. Rxe4 Rxb5 37. Qc3 {[%cal Ge3c4,Ge3g4]} Qf3 38. Rxe5 $36) 35... Bxd5 {
[%emt 0:01:03]} ({Ramirez:} 35... Qf3 36. Rxe4 $1 (36. Bxe4 Qxe2 37. Rb8 {
Carlsen thought this was "at least a draw" but actually Black is winning after}
Rxb8 38. Qxb8+ Kh7 $1 39. Bd5 Rg7 $1 $18) 36... Qxe2 37. Nc4 Qh5 38. g4 $1 Qh4
39. Nxe5 $1 {with a strong initiative.}) 36. Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Qc6 {
[%emt 0:00:01]} 37. Nc3 $14 {[%emt 0:00:02] White has achieved stability on
light squares, but needs to be careful with his major piece regrouping,
something Caruana failed to do under the time pressure.} Qf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]}
38. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} ({Even with seconds on the clock, it is strange that
Caruana refrained from the natural} 38. Rb8 $16 {reducing Black's attacking
potential.}) 38... Red8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 39. Rbe4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} (39. Qe4 $1
$16 Rd1+ $2 40. Nxd1 Rxd1+ 41. Re1 {Ramirez}) 39... Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 40.
Rxd2 $4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} (40. Qb3 Rd1+ $1 41. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 42. Nxd1 h5 $44) ({
It is hard to predict what would have happened after} 40. Qa4 {White would
retain his strategic advantage against any black move with one exception:} Bf4
$3 {leading to perpetual check (either Black, after 41.gxf4 or White after} 41.
Rxd2 Rxd2 42. Qe8+ {But would Carlsen have found it just before the control?})
40... Rxd2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 0-1
[Event "London Classic 7th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2015.12.05"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah/CB Website"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2015.12.04"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 170"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {Magnus goes for a pretty
sedate line, trying to get a small edge.} Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5
O-O 9. Nc3 Ne8 10. Nd5 Bd6 11. Re1 c6 12. Ne3 Be7 13. c4 Nc7 14. d4 d5 15. cxd5
Nxd5 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Bf4 {All of this has been seen before in the game
Areshechenko-Bacrot in June 2015. White won that game. The position is very
symmetrical. However, White seems to have a small edge due to the better
placement of his pieces, like the rook being on e1 and the bishop on f4.
However, this is nothing much.} Bf6 {.} 18. Be5 Bxe5 19. Rxe5 {One of the
reasons why White should have a small edge here is because the d5-pawn is on a
light square, which means that the bishop on c8 is slightly a bad piece.} Re8
20. Rxe8+ Qxe8 21. Qb3 {Magnus was playing his moves pretty quickly and
confidently.} Qc6 22. Bb5 Qb6 {Black is ready to sacrifice his d5 pawn in
order to get some counterplay.} (22... Qd6 23. Rc1 (23. Re1 Be6 $11) 23... Be6
{also looks fine. But Caruana wanted to be more precise and hence chose ...Qb6
over ...Qd6.}) 23. Qxd5 a6 $1 {Very accurate.} (23... Be6 24. Qc5 $1 Qxc5 25.
dxc5 $16 {is just an extra pawn.}) 24. Bd3 {Magnus retreats to a square where
he can create some mating threats with Bd3.} Be6 25. Qe4 g6 26. d5 {It seems
as if White has things going his way but Caruana has everything under control.}
Bf5 27. Qe2 Bxd3 28. Qxd3 Qxb2 {Black recovers the pawn. However, the d5-pawn
is not at all a unit that should be underestimated.} 29. Re1 Rd8 30. d6 Rd7 {
Stopping the pawn in its tracks. This is not all easy to defend but Caruana
does a fine job.} (30... Qxa2 31. Qd4 $1 {looks pretty dangerous with Qf6
coming up next.}) 31. g3 $5 {Magnus takes out time to secure his back rank.}
Qf6 32. Rd1 Qe5 33. Qa3 a5 34. f4 {This move might well be strong practically,
however in the end it was this move that led to the perpetual check.} Qe2 35.
Qc1 Qe6 36. Qc5 b5 37. Qxb5 (37. Qe5 $11 {Anand and Aronian analysed this move
in their press conference and it is also equal.}) 37... Rxd6 $1 {Caruana is
tactically alert and sacrifices his rook in order to get a perpetual check.}
38. Qb8+ Kg7 39. Qxd6 Qe3+ 40. Kg2 Qe2+ 41. Kg1 Qe3+ 42. Kg2 Qe2+ 1/2-1/2
[Event "Tata Steel-A 78th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2016.01.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2844"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2016.01.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 171"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. g3 {By far not the main move in Carlsen's repertoire, but then the question
is whether the World Champion really has a main weapon with White. And it
surely is an excellent way to confuse a well prepared opponent from an early
stage.} g6 2. Bg2 Bg7 3. e4 {But only this is new in Carlsen's games.} ({
Three years earlier he transposed to a genuine English with} 3. Nf3 e5 4. O-O
c5 5. c4 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nge7 7. a3 {Carlsen,M (2868)-Nakamura,H (2775) Stavanger
(blitz) 2013 (1-0, 62)}) 3... e5 4. Ne2 c5 5. d3 Nc6 6. Be3 d6 {Carlsen,M
(2877)-Wojtaszek,R (2735) Tromso ol (Men) 41st 2014 (4.1) 1-0 The game finally
took the contours of the Closed Sicilian, an opening which Carlsen famously
used in} 7. Qd2 $5 {With the exception of a few games between lower rated
players, this is a novelty.} (7. Nbc3 Nge7 {would transpose to a genuine
Closed Sicilian, but Carlsen has other plans for his queenside development.})
7... Nd4 $146 ({Caruana obviously feared White's attack after} 7... Nge7 8. Bh6
O-O 9. h4) 8. c3 {In the Closed Sicilian White has to waste some time with
Nc3-d1 and Ne2-c1 before driving the enemy knight away from d4, while here he
has this plan on a plate.} (8. Nc1 {would be pushing things too far because of}
Bg4 {[%cal Gd4f3]}) 8... Nxe2 (8... Ne6 $6 {wastes too much time allowing
White to open the centre in his favour with} 9. d4) ({Actually White's last
move does not threaten to win a piece but after, say,} 8... Bg4 9. cxd4 cxd4
10. Nxd4 (10. Bg5 f6 11. Bh4 g5) 10... exd4 11. Bf4 Ne7 12. Na3 {White retains
the better structure and comfortable development.}) 9. Qxe2 Ne7 10. h4 {
This is the kind of move facing Black with a difficult choice of principle.} h6
$6 {This seems to be the least advisable reaction under the given
circumstances.} (10... O-O {exposes the king prematurely after} 11. h5 Be6 12.
Nd2 $14 {possibly followed by long castling.}) ({Caruana must have rejected
the principled} 10... h5 {because it causes problems with the thematic ...
f7-f5 due to weakening the g5-square. After the flexible} 11. Nd2 {White could
choose between a2-a3 followed by b2-b4 or 0-0-0 followed by opening the
kingside somehow (f2-f4 or f2-f3 followed by g3-g4.)}) 11. h5 g5 {If Black was
better developed, this would be the most ambitious continuation, aiming for
either ...f7-f5 or ...d6-d5. But the way it is it implies certain risk.} (11...
Be6 12. hxg6 fxg6 13. Bh3 $14) 12. f4 {This tempting move leads to sharp play,
offering Black more counterplay than Magnus must have thought.} ({The
developing} 12. Nd2 {would ensure White a plus without any risk.} Nc6 (12... f5
{only increases the force of} 13. f4 $16) (12... g4 13. O-O-O Be6 14. Kb1 Qd7
15. f4 gxf3 16. Nxf3 O-O-O 17. d4 $14) 13. Bh3 Bxh3 14. Rxh3 Qd7 15. g4 $14 {
[%cal Gd2f1,Gf1g3]}) 12... exf4 13. gxf4 gxf4 14. Bxf4 Nc6 15. Na3 {White has
the more compact and flexible structure and is better developed. Black's
prospects of bringing his king into safety are unclear yet, so in order to
compensate for all these drawbacks he needs making use of his main trump: the
control over the dark squares.} Be5 ({Leaving the e4-pawn without blocking can
have unpleasant consequences.} 15... Be6 16. O-O-O Bxa2 17. e5 Nxe5 (17... dxe5
18. Bxc6+ bxc6 19. Bxe5 $36) 18. d4 {[%cal Ge2b5]} cxd4 19. b3 $3 {[%csl Ga2]}
(19. cxd4 $2 Rc8+ 20. Nc2 O-O 21. dxe5 Bb3 22. Be4 Qa5 $36) 19... Bxb3 20. Qb5+
{[%cal Gb5b3]}) 16. Be3 Be6 ({Black should not hurry to fire his bullet too
soon with} 16... Bg3+ $6 17. Kd2 Be6 18. Bh3 $16) 17. Nc4 {Even though ...
b7-b5 needs some preparing, the knight is not too stable here, so things
become more and more concrete.} ({The point of the comment on the previous
line is that} 17. Bh3 $6 {allows} Qh4+ 18. Bf2 Bg3) ({The last move defends
the a2-pawn since after} 17. O-O-O Bxa2 18. Bh3 Qa5 {Black gets too much
counterplay:} 19. Qc2 Rb8 $1 (19... b5 20. d4 {[%csl Ga8,Gc6,Ge8]}) 20. d4 (20.
Rhg1 b5 21. d4 b4 $1 $40 {[%cal Gb8b2]}) 20... cxd4 21. cxd4 Bf6 $13) 17...
Bg3+ {This makes the position even sharper as the bishop is vulnerable here.} (
17... b5 {may not suffice for full equality, but is playable:} 18. Nxe5 Nxe5
19. d4 cxd4 20. cxd4 {[%csl Ge3,Gg2]} Nc4 21. O-O (21. Bf4 Qf6) 21... Nxe3 22.
Qxe3 Qg5 23. Qf3 $14) 18. Kd2 Qd7 {Over-defending the knight.} ({The position
is not ripe for} 18... b5 $2 {yet:} 19. e5 $1 Nxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. Bxa8 Qxa8
22. Bxc5 $1 Bxc3+ 23. bxc3 dxc5 24. Qe5 $5 Qg2+ 25. Ke3 $18) 19. d4 cxd4 (19...
b5 20. d5 $1 {The critical answer.} (20. Na3 b4 21. Nc4 bxc3+ 22. bxc3 cxd4 23.
cxd4 Ne5 {is a largely improved version of the game continuation, because
Black has attacking space on the queenside.}) 20... bxc4 21. dxe6 fxe6 22. Qg4
Be5 23. Qg6+ Kd8 (23... Qf7 24. Raf1 Qxg6 25. hxg6 $16) 24. Bh3 Rb8 25. Rab1
Re8 26. Rhf1 $36) 20. cxd4 Ne5 $5 {A nice, yet insufficient, trick aimed at
changing the course of the game.} (20... O-O-O $2 21. d5 Bg4 22. dxc6 Bxe2 23.
cxd7+) (20... Ke7 {removes the threat d4-d5xc6xd7 with check, but leaves the
king exposed in the centre.} 21. Rac1 $5 $16 {[%csl Gc4][%cal Ge2f3]}) (20...
b5 21. Na3 b4 22. Nc4 $16) (20... d5 $2 21. exd5 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 Qxd5 23. Bf4+
Kf8 24. Bxg3 Qxc4 $2 25. Bd6+) 21. Nxe5 dxe5 22. d5 {White has a structural
advantage so Black needs to look for counterplay at any cost.} Bg4 (22... f5
23. Kc2 $1 Qc7+ (23... Rc8+ 24. Kb1 Bf7 25. Bh3 $18) 24. Kb1 Bd7 25. Qd3 $16)
23. Bf3 (23. Qd3 f5 24. exf5 Bxf5 25. Bh3 Bxd3 (25... Bxh3 26. Qg6+ Kd8 27.
Qf6+ Qe7 $11 28. Qxh8+ $2 Kd7 29. Qxa8 Qb4+ 30. Kc1 Bf5 $19) 26. Bxd7+ Kxd7 27.
Kxd3 Kd6 28. Ke4 Rag8) 23... Bxf3 24. Qxf3 Qb5 25. Rac1 $2 {Offering Black a
pawn and a lot of counterplay.} (25. Qxg3 $2 Qxb2+ 26. Kd3 Qb5+) (25. b3 $1 {
seems to keep all White's trumps, but after} Qb4+ {it takes clarity and
courage to play} 26. Kd3 $1 (26. Kc2 $2 Rc8+ {[%csl Gc3]}) (26. Kd1 Qc3 27. Ke2
Qc2+ 28. Bd2 Bf4 29. Qd3 Qxd3+ 30. Kxd3 Bxd2 31. Kxd2 Rc8 $14) 26... Bf4 (26...
Qb5+ 27. Kc2 Bf4 28. Bxf4 exf4 29. Rad1 $18) 27. Rac1 $5 Rg8 28. Rc4 Qa3 29.
Bxf4 exf4 30. Qxf4 Qxa2 31. Rhc1 Qxb3+ 32. R4c3 Qb5+ 33. Ke3 Qb6+ 34. Kf3 $16 {
The king has finally reached the desired safety and White can now start his
own attack, based on his superior coordination. Black's extra pawn does not
play any part at this stage.}) 25... Qxb2+ 26. Kd1 (26. Rc2 Qb4+ 27. Kd3 Qb5+
28. Rc4 Rc8 29. Rhc1 Rxc4 30. Rxc4 Qb1+ 31. Rc2 Rg8 $132 {After the exchange
of one rook, White does not have the pinning Rg1 anymore.}) 26... Bf4 27. Bxf4
exf4 28. Qxf4 Rg8 $132 29. Rf1 Qd4+ 30. Ke1 (30. Qd2 Qa4+ 31. Rc2 Rc8 32. Kc1
Rxc2+ 33. Qxc2 Qxc2+ 34. Kxc2 Rg5 $11) 30... Qb4+ 31. Kd1 Qd4+ 32. Ke1 Qb4+
1/2-1/2
[Event "Paris GCT rapid"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "2016.06.09"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2855"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2016.06.09"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 173"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. d3 Be7 8. Nc3
O-O 9. a3 Nd4 10. Ba2 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 d6 12. Bg5 Qd7 13. Ne2 Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Nc5
15. Bd5 Bxd5 16. Qxd5 Qxe7 17. d4 exd4 18. Nxd4 Rfe8 19. c4 Qe4 20. Rfd1 Qxd5
21. cxd5 Re5 22. Nf3 Re4 23. Rac1 b4 24. Nd4 bxa3 25. bxa3 Rb8 26. Rd2 g6 27.
g3 Kg7 28. Kg2 Rb6 29. h4 h5 30. Rcd1 a5 31. Rc2 a4 32. Kf1 Re5 33. Nc6 Rf5 34.
Nb4 Rf3 35. Ra2 Rb3 36. Re1 Rb8 37. Re7 Rc8 38. Ke2 Kf8 39. Re3 Re8 40. Rxe8+
Kxe8 41. Kf1 Ke7 42. Nc6+ Kf6 43. Nd4 Rb1+ 44. Ke2 Ke5 45. Nf3+ Kxd5 46. Ng5 f6
47. Nh3 Ne6 48. Rd2+ Nd4+ 0-1
[Event "Paris GCT blitz"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "2016.06.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2855"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[PlyCount "136"]
[EventDate "2016.06.11"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 173"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Nc6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Be2 Qb6 6. O-O Be7 7. Rb1 O-O 8. a3
Qc7 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 b6 11. Ndb5 Qb8 12. Be3 Bb7 13. f4 Rd8 14. Kh1 d6 15.
Bf3 Nd7 16. Ne2 a6 17. Nbc3 Bf6 18. b4 Ne7 19. Qd3 Ng6 20. g3 Be7 21. Nd4 Qc7
22. Rbc1 Rac8 23. Nce2 Qb8 24. Bg2 Qa8 25. Nc3 Rc7 26. Qe2 Bf6 27. f5 Ngf8 28.
Bg1 Rdc8 29. fxe6 fxe6 30. Nb1 b5 31. Nd2 Bg5 32. N4f3 Bh6 33. e5 Nxe5 34. Nxe5
Bxg2+ 35. Qxg2 Qxg2+ 36. Kxg2 Bxd2 37. Rcd1 dxe5 38. Rxd2 bxc4 39. Bb6 c3 40.
Rc2 Rd7 41. Bc5 Rd2+ 42. Rf2 Rd3 43. Rf3 e4 44. Rxd3 exd3 45. Rxc3 Rd8 46. Rc1
Ng6 47. Be3 Ne5 48. Bd2 Rd4 49. Kf2 Re4 50. Re1 Rxe1 51. Kxe1 Nc4 52. a4 Kf7
53. b5 axb5 54. a5 Ke7 55. a6 Kd7 56. a7 Nb6 57. Bc3 g6 58. Kd2 Kc6 59. Kxd3
Kb7 60. Ke4 Kxa7 61. Ke5 Kb7 62. Kxe6 Kc6 63. Kf7 Nd5 64. Bd2 b4 65. Bxb4 Nxb4
66. Kg7 Kd6 67. Kxh7 g5 68. Kg6 g4 1/2-1/2
[Event "Paris GCT blitz"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "2016.06.12"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2855"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2016.06.11"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 173"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 h6 7. a4 a5 8. Na3
Bxa3 9. Rxa3 O-O 10. Re1 Re8 11. h3 Be6 12. Bb5 Bd7 13. Be3 Ne7 14. Bc4 Ng6 15.
Qb3 Be6 16. Bxe6 Rxe6 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Qa6 Rxb2 19. Qxa5 d5 20. Raa1 dxe4 21.
dxe4 Qc8 22. Nd2 Nh5 23. Nc4 Rb8 24. Reb1 Ra8 25. Qc5 Nhf4 26. Bxf4 Nxf4 27.
Nxe5 Qe8 28. Nf3 Rg6 29. Qf5 Nxg2 30. Kh1 Raa6 31. e5 Qa8 32. Rb4 c5 33. Re4
Qd5 34. c4 Qd3 35. Rg1 Rxa4 36. e6 Rxe6 37. Ne5 Nh4 38. Qxf7+ 1-0
[Event "Leuven GCT rapid"]
[Site "Leuven"]
[Date "2016.06.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2855"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "Besenthal,K"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2016.06.17"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "BEL"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 173"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. h3 Nd7 8.
Be3 Bd6 9. Nc3 c5 10. Nd2 Nb8 11. a4 Nc6 12. a5 Be6 13. O-O O-O 14. Nc4 Be7 15.
b3 b5 16. axb6 cxb6 17. Bd2 b5 18. Ne3 Nb4 19. Ne2 Bg5 20. f4 exf4 21. Nxf4 a5
22. Bc3 Nc6 23. Ned5 Nd4 24. Qh5 Bxf4 25. Nxf4 Qd6 26. Rxa5 Rxa5 27. Bxa5 b4
28. Nxe6 Nxe6 29. Qd5 Qa6 30. Ra1 Rb8 31. Ra4 Qb5 32. d4 Qe2 33. Qe5 Re8 34.
dxc5 f6 35. Qd6 Qe3+ 36. Kh2 Nf4 37. Bc7 {Diagramm [#] An dieser Stelle hatte
Carlsen Gewinnstellung erlangt.} Ne2 38. Ra1 Qxe4 39. Re1 Re5 40. Qd2 Re6 41.
Qd7 $2 (41. Bg3 $1) 41... h5 42. Bb8 Re8 {Diagramm [#]} 43. Bd6 $2 {Dies
ermöglicht Caruana einen überraschenden Konter.} (43. Bg3 $1 h4 44. Bxh4 Qf4+
45. Kh1 Re5 46. Qd3 $18) 43... Re5 $1 44. Rf1 (44. Bxe5 $2 Qxe5+ 45. Kh1 Ng3+
46. Kh2 Qxe1) 44... Rg5 {Diagramm [#]} 45. Rf3 $4 (45. Rf2 $11) 45... Rxg2+ $1
46. Kxg2 Nd4 47. Kg1 Nxf3+ 48. Kf2 Nd4 49. Qc8+ Kh7 50. Qa6 Qf3+ 51. Ke1 Nxc2+
52. Kd2 Qc3+ 53. Kd1 Qxb3 54. Kc1 Nd4 0-1
[Event "Leuven GCT blitz"]
[Site "Leuven"]
[Date "2016.06.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2855"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "Besenthal,K"]
[PlyCount "180"]
[EventDate "2016.06.19"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "BEL"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 173"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Ne4 7. Qc2 Qa5 8.
Bg2 Nxc3 9. O-O Nc6 10. bxc3 Bxc3 11. Nb3 Nd4 12. Nxd4 Bxd4 13. Rb1 d6 14. Bb2
Bxb2 15. Qxb2 O-O 16. Rfd1 Rd8 17. Rd3 e5 18. Rbd1 Be6 19. Qxb7 Rab8 20. Rxd6
Rdc8 21. Qe7 Re8 22. Qh4 Qxa2 23. Bc6 Rf8 24. Qe7 h6 25. Rxe6 fxe6 26. Rd7 Qb1+
27. Kg2 Qg6 28. f3 Rb2 29. Kf2 Qf6 30. Rxa7 Rc2 31. Qxf6 Rxf6 32. Ra4 Rf7 33.
Be4 Rc1 34. Bg6 Rf8 35. h4 Rc8 36. Bd3 e4 {Diagramm [#]} 37. Bxe4 (37. fxe4 $1
$11 {Der Freibauer auf c4 war wohl wertvoller als der Besitz eines "guten"
Läufers. Aber eine solche Degradierung einer Figur zu einem besseren Bauern
ist natürlich gar nicht Carlsens Sache.}) 37... R1xc4 {Caruana kann jetzt
ganz bequem Gewinnversuche machen.} 38. Ra6 Kf7 39. h5 R4c7 40. Bg6+ Ke7 41. f4
Rc6 42. Ra2 Rc5 43. Kf3 Kf6 44. Kg4 e5 45. Bf5 R8c7 46. Ra8 exf4 47. gxf4 Rc1
48. Bg6 Rg1+ 49. Kf3 Re1 50. Rf8+ Ke6 51. Re8+ Kd6 52. Kg4 Re7 {Diagramm [#]}
53. Rd8+ $2 {Ohne ersichtlichen Grund gibt Carlsen den Be2 preis.} (53. Rxe7 $1
Kxe7 54. e4 $15) 53... Kc7 54. Rg8 R1xe2 55. Kf5 Rc2 56. Ra8 Rc5+ 57. Kg4 Kd6
58. Ra6+ Rc6 59. Ra4 Rec7 60. Rd4+ Ke7 61. Re4+ Kf6 62. Re8 Rc4 63. Rf8+ Ke7
64. Rf5 Kd6 65. Rf8 Re7 66. Kf5 Rc5+ 67. Kg4 Kd5 68. Rd8+ Kc4 69. Bd3+ Kc3 70.
Bg6 Rc4 71. Rd3+ Kb4 72. Rd8 Ra7 73. Bd3 Rc5 74. Bg6 Kc3 75. Rd3+ Kc4 76. Rd8
Rd5 77. Re8 Kd4 78. Re4+ Kc5 79. Re8 Rd4 80. Rc8+ Kb4 81. Rb8+ Kc3 82. Re8 Raa4
83. Rf8 Kd2 84. Kf3 Ra3+ 85. Kg4 Raa4 86. Kf3 Ra7 87. Kg4 Ra6 88. Kf5 Ke3 89.
Re8+ Kf3 {Diagramm [#] Den richtigen Plan hatte Caruana schon geraume Zeit
über im Kopf: Den Angriff gegen den Bf4 mit Unterstützung des eigenen
Königs.} 90. Rb8 $2 Rd5# 0-1
[Event "Leuven GCT blitz"]
[Site "Leuven"]
[Date "2016.06.20"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2855"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2016.06.19"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "BEL"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 173"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Qb3 Nf6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 Re8 8. Bf4
Nbd7 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bd2 e5 11. Nc3 Nc7 12. Ne4 Nb6 13. Bg5 Qd5 14. Nf6+ Bxf6
15. Bxf6 Qxb3 16. axb3 Bg4 17. Rfe1 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 h6 19. d4 e4 20. Bg4 Nbd5 21.
Be5 Nb5 22. Bf4 f5 23. Bh3 Nxf4 24. gxf4 Nxd4 25. Ra4 Red8 26. Bf1 a5 27. Rc1
Nxb3 28. Rc3 Nd4 29. e3 Nf3+ 30. Kg2 Rd1 31. Rc5 Rad8 32. Rcxa5 Rxf1 33. Kxf1
Rd1+ 34. Kg2 Rg1+ 35. Kh3 g5 36. fxg5 hxg5 0-1
[Event "Baku ol (Men) 42nd"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2016.09.11"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2857"]
[Annotator "Mekhitarian,K"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2016.09.02"]
[EventType "team-swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 175"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.11.10"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.11.10"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "United States of America"]
[BlackTeam "Norway"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NOR"]
1. e4 d5 {The world champion tries the Scandinavian for the 3rd time,
according to the database, and all of them against the same opponent!} 2. exd5
Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 {This is Sergey Tiviakov's pet line - he has played it 164
times, according to my research!} (3... Qd8 {This happened in the 2014 olympiad
} 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 c6 8. Ne2 e6 9. g4 Qd5 10. Bg2 Nbd7
11. Qg3 Qc4 12. Qb3 Qxb3 13. axb3 Bd6 14. c4 $14 {0-1 (50) Caruana,F (2801)
-Carlsen,M (2877) Tromso 2014. White has a more comfortable endgame, but the
pawn structure is unbalanced, and Black ended up winning.}) (3... Qa5 {The old
and main move was tried in a blitz game between them in 2015, ending in a draw:
} 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 c6 6. Bc4 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 e6 9. Bd2 Qc7 10. O-O-O
Nbd7 11. Ne4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 Bd6 13. Kb1 $14 {1/2-1/2 (63) Caruana,F (2805)
-Carlsen,M (2876) Stavanger 2015; and once again, White has a small advantage.}
) 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nc4 (7. f4 Nb6 8. g4 $5 {is one of the
most energetic ways to fight this variation, and there is no better person to
play this than Shirov} Nbd5 (8... g6 9. Bg2 Bg7 10. O-O O-O $13 {should be
safer}) 9. Bg2 g6 10. g5 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Nd5 $6 (11... Nd7 $5 {following with ...
h6 and ...Nxe5 at the right moment}) 12. c4 Nc7 13. c5 Qd8 14. d5 $1 {a very
instructive pawn sacrifice for the initiative} cxd5 $2 (14... Bg7 $5 {was the
lesser evil} 15. dxc6 Qxd1+ 16. Kxd1 b5 17. cxb6 axb6 $132 {following with ...
h6 and ...Be6, Black is fighting}) 15. c4 $1 {now the position is bad already}
e6 16. Bb2 Bg7 17. Nc6 bxc6 18. Bxg7 Rg8 19. Be5 $18 {1-0 (26) Shirov,A (2749)
-Tiviakov,S (2637) Hoogeveen 2010; leaving Black already in a hopeless
position.}) 7... Qc7 8. a4 $5 {A rare line, aiming to harass Black's knight on
b6 (a standard idea).} Nd5 $5 (8... Nb6 9. Ne5 g6 10. a5 Nbd7 11. Nd3 $5 $14) (
8... g6 $5) 9. Bd3 g6 10. Qf3 N7f6 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 (11... cxd5 $2 12. Bf4 Qd8 13.
Ne5 {threatening Bb5+} a6 14. O-O Bg7 15. c3 O-O 16. Rfe1 $16 {and Black has
some development issues.}) 12. O-O Bg7 13. c3 O-O 14. Qg3 {According to
Caruana himself, he missed Black's next move, that solves all of his problems
(15...Rd8!).} (14. Re1 $5 {White has a good space advantage, and can always
count on exploiting it with an idea like Bg5 or h4-h5. Now if Black tries a
standard development with ...Be6, White may sacrifice the exchange to achieve
interesting play:} Be6 {intending c5} (14... Rd8 $6 15. h4 $1 c5 (15... h5 $2
16. Ne5 {with problems to defend f7 properly} Be6 (16... e6 17. Bg5 Rf8 18. Qe4
$16 {followed by Rad1 and c4}) 17. Qg3 $1 $16 {threatening Nxg6 or Bxg6}) 16.
dxc5 Qxc5 17. h5 $40 {it is not easy for Black to find a move here, Ne5 is a
strong threat}) 15. Rxe6 $5 {not forced, but playable} fxe6 16. Qe2 Nf4 (16...
Qd7 17. h4 $5 $40) 17. Bxf4 Qxf4 18. Qxe6+ Kh8 19. Qe2 $44 {with interesting
positional compensation.}) 14... Qxg3 15. hxg3 Rd8 $5 {Threatening ...c5,
Black finds a way to activate.} 16. Be2 (16. Re1 c5 17. dxc5 Nxc3 $1 $132 {
looking bad for White already.}) 16... Be6 17. a5 c5 $5 (17... Rac8 {would be
a calm way to play the position} 18. a6 b6 $11) (17... b5 $5 18. axb6 axb6 19.
Rxa8 Rxa8 {should be equal, but Black is starting to look very comfortable and
could even create something on the queenside with ...b5, ...Ra2.}) 18. dxc5
Bxc3 {Suddenly there's action!} 19. a6 (19. bxc3 Nxc3 {and Black gets the
piece back, equalising:} 20. Bf3 Bxc4 21. Re1 Nd5 22. Bxd5 Bxd5 23. Rxe7 Re8
24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. Be3 $11) 19... bxa6 20. Na5 (20. bxc3 {is no good once again
} Nxc3 21. Bf3 Bxc4 22. Bxa8 Bxf1 23. Bb7 Bb5 {despite the dangerous c-pawn,
Black is doing ok:} 24. Kh2 Rd1 25. Bb2 Rxa1 26. Bxa1 Na4 27. c6 Nb6 $15 {
followed by ...a5, Black is already thinking about getting an advantage.})
20... Bxa5 21. Rxa5 Nb4 22. Bf4 (22. Be3 Nd5 23. Bg5 Rab8 $11 {wouldn't change
the story of the game.}) 22... Nc6 23. Ra3 (23. Rxa6 Nd4 24. Bd3 Nb3 25. Be2
Nxc5 $11) 23... a5 24. Bb5 Nd4 25. Ba6 Bc8 26. Bc4 Be6 27. Ba6 Bc8 28. Bc4 Be6
(28... Be6 29. Bxe6 {would lead to simple equality after:} Nxe6 30. Rxa5 Nxf4
31. gxf4 Rdb8 32. Rfa1 Rxb2 33. Rxa7 Rxa7 34. Rxa7 Kf8 $11) 1/2-1/2
[Event "PRO League Stage"]
[Site "chess.com INT"]
[Date "2017.02.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2827"]
[BlackElo "2840"]
[PlyCount "171"]
[EventDate "2017.01.11"]
[EventType "team-swiss (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176 Extra"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.03.02"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.03.02"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Montreal ChessBrahs"]
[BlackTeam "Norway Gnomes"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "CAN"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NOR"]
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b5 3. e3 a6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O g6 6. b3 Bg7 7. Bb2 O-O 8. d4 d6
9. Nbd2 Nbd7 10. Qe2 c5 11. c4 Ne4 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. cxb5 axb5 14. Qxb5 Ra7 15.
Qe2 Qa8 16. Bc3 Nb6 17. dxc5 Bxc3 18. cxb6 Ra3 19. Rac1 Rxa2 20. Qd1 Bf6 21.
Ne1 Ra6 22. Rc4 Bxg2 23. Nxg2 Rxb6 24. Nf4 e6 25. Qc2 d5 26. Rc5 Rfb8 27. Rb1
Be7 28. Rc3 Bb4 29. Rc7 Bd6 30. Rc3 d4 31. exd4 Bxf4 32. gxf4 Qd5 33. Rc8+ Kg7
34. Rxb8 Rxb8 35. Qc5 Rxb3 36. Rxb3 Qxb3 37. Qe5+ f6 38. Qe2 Qd5 39. Qe3 Kf7
40. h3 Qf5 41. Kg2 Kg7 42. Kg3 Kh6 43. h4 Kg7 44. Qe2 Qd5 45. Qe3 Kf7 46. Qc3
Qb7 47. Qc4 Qb6 48. Qc3 Kg7 49. Qe3 Qc6 50. Qa3 Qd7 51. Qe3 Qd5 52. Qe2 Kf7 53.
Qe3 Qh1 54. Qb3 h5 55. Qb5 Qg1+ 56. Kf3 Qd1+ 57. Ke3 Qe1+ 58. Kf3 Qc3+ 59. Kg2
Qxd4 60. Qb7+ Kf8 61. Qb8+ Ke7 62. Qc7+ Qd7 63. Qb8 Qc6+ 64. Kg3 Qe8 65. Qc7+
Qd7 66. Qb8 Qd8 67. Qb7+ Kf8 68. Qh7 Qd3+ 69. f3 Qf5 70. Qh8+ Ke7 71. Qg7+ Kd6
72. Qf8+ Kd5 73. Qa8+ Kd4 74. Qa1+ Kc4 75. Qa4+ Kc3 76. Qa3+ Kd2 77. Qb2+ Kd3
78. Qb1+ Kc4 79. Qa2+ Kb5 80. Qb3+ Kc6 81. Qa4+ Qb5 82. Qe4+ Kd6 83. Qxg6 Qf1
84. Qxf6 Qg1+ 85. Kh3 Qh1+ 86. Kg3 1/2-1/2
[Event "Grenke Chess Classic 4th"]
[Site "Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden"]
[Date "2017.04.19"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C01"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2817"]
[Annotator "Silver,A"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2017.04.15"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 178"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 Nf6 6. d4 d5 7. Bd3 Bd6 8.
Qe2+ Be6 (8... Qe7 9. Qxe7+ Kxe7 10. O-O Re8 11. Re1+ Kf8 12. Rxe8+ Kxe8 13.
Nc3 c6 14. Bd2 h6 15. Re1+ Kf8 16. Ne5 Nbd7 17. f4 Nb6 {1-0 (58) Carlsen,M
(2838)-Akobian,V (2645) chess.com INT 2017}) 9. c4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qe7 11. O-O
O-O 12. Nc3 h6 $146 (12... Re8 13. Bd2 Nc6 14. Rfe1 Qd7 15. Bxe6 Rxe6 16. Qb5 {
1/2-1/2 (42) Taksrud,V (2091)-Cerveny, L (2144) ICCF email 2011}) 13. d5 Bg4
14. Qxe7 Bxe7 15. Nb5 Nbd7 16. Re1 Bc5 17. Bb3 (17. Nxc7 $2 {is wrong:} Rac8
18. Ne6 (18. Bf4 $2 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Nh5 $17) 18... fxe6 19. dxe6 Nb6 20. e7+ Nxc4
$17) 17... Rac8 18. Bf4 Bxf3 19. gxf3 {The position is equal.} a6 20. Nxc7 {
This might seem unplayable, but both players had seen it was, and knew where
it was leading.} Nh5 {The obvious continuation.} 21. Ne6 $1 Nxf4 ({Obviously
not} 21... fxe6 $6 22. dxe6 Ndf6 23. e7+ Rf7 24. Rad1 $1 $16 {and the threat
of Rd8 serves as protection of the hanging bishop on f4.}) 22. Nxf4 Bd6 23. Nd3
Nc5 24. Nxc5 Rxc5 25. Rac1 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 $11 {It is pretty easy to guess that
this endgame has no hope of coming to life, and after 15 more moves they shook
hands.} Re8 27. Ba4 Rd8 28. Kg2 Kf8 29. Re1 g6 30. h3 Kg7 31. Re8 Rxe8 32. Bxe8
Kf6 33. Bd7 a5 34. a4 b6 35. b3 Ke7 36. Bc6 Kf6 37. Be8 Ke7 38. Bc6 Kf6 39. Be8
Ke7 40. Bc6 1/2-1/2
[Event "Norway Masters blitz 5th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2017.06.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2017.06.05"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. e3 e6 5. g4 c5 6. g5 Nfd7 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. a3 b5
9. h4 Bb7 10. h5 Nb6 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 Nc4 13. Bxc4 dxc4 14. Rg1 f6 15. Bf4
Qd7 16. h6 O-O-O 17. Qe2 cxd4 18. exd4 Qxd4 19. Rd1 Qxf4 20. Qxe6+ Kc7 21. Qf7+
Be7 22. Qxe7+ Kc8 23. hxg7 Rxd1+ 24. Nxd1 Rg8 25. Qf8+ Kc7 26. Qxg8 1-0
[Event "Norway Chess 5th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2017.06.07"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2017.06.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. d3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nbd2 f6 12. c3 Kh8 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Bxa8
15. Ne4 b4 16. d4 bxc3 17. bxc3 exd4 18. Nxd4 Nxd4 19. cxd4 Bb4 20. Bd2 Bxd2
21. Qxd2 Re8 22. h3 Nb6 23. Nc5 Bd5 24. Bxd5 Nxd5 25. Ne6 Qd7 26. Nc5 Qf7 27.
Re2 Rb8 28. Re1 Re8 29. Re4 Rxe4 30. Nxe4 h6 31. Nc3 Qe6 32. Nxd5 Qxd5 33. Qe3
Kg8 34. Qe8+ Kh7 35. Qe3 c6 36. h4 Kg6 37. Qe8+ Kh7 38. h5 Qxd4 39. Qg6+ Kg8
40. Qe8+ Kh7 41. Qg6+ Kg8 42. Qe8+ Kh7 1/2-1/2
[Event "Paris GCT Rapid"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "2017.06.23"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[Annotator "Pc"]
[PlyCount "158"]
[EventDate "2017.06.21"]
[EventType "tourn (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "1500"]
1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 6. d3 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 7. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
8. a4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 9. c3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} O-O {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 10. Bc2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} b4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 11. Re1 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 12. a5 {[%emt 0:01:05]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 13.
Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 14. Bb3 {[%emt 0:00:37]} bxc3 {
[%emt 0:00:35]} 15. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 16. h3 {[%emt 0:
00:09]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 17. Ba4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 18.
Nc4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 19. Bc2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Ng6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 20. d4 {[%emt 0:00:21]} exd4 {[%emt 0:01:03]} 21. cxd4 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:01:31]} 22. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxe1+ {[%emt 0:
00:00]} 23. Qxe1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 24. Bxg6 {[%emt 0:01:
20]} fxg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 25. Nce5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be8 {[%emt 0:01:38]} 26.
Ba3 {[%emt 0:00:50]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 27. Bc5 {[%emt 0:01:02]} g5 {[%emt 0:
02:33]} 28. Rc1 {[%emt 0:01:57]} Nf4 {[%emt 0:02:01]} 29. Qe4 {[%emt 0:01:57]}
Bxe5 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 30. Nxe5 {[%emt 0:01:37]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 31. Qxd5+
{[%emt 0:01:59]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 32. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rb5 {[%emt 0:
00:26]} 33. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bf7 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 34. Nxf7 {[%emt 0:01:35]}
Kxf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 35. Re5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 36. Rf5+ {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 37. Re5+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:
41]} 38. Rf5+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 39. Re5 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
Rxa5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 40. Re6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Rxc6 {
[%emt 0:00:12]} Ra2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 42. Rd6 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:
43]} 43. d5 {[%emt 0:01:04]} Ke4 {[%emt 0:03:17]} 44. Rd8 {[%emt 0:02:51]} Nxd5
{[%emt 0:00:00]} 45. Re8+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 46. Bd4 {
[%emt 0:00:52]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 47. Re7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 48. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 49. g4+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg6
{[%emt 0:00:00]} 50. Re6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 51. Ra6 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Rd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 52. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 53.
Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 54. Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb3+ {
[%emt 0:00:00]} 55. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 56. Be5 {[%emt 0:
00:00]} Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 57. Ra7 {[%emt 0:00:40]} Ne3+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 58.
fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 59. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg6 {
[%emt 0:00:25]} 60. Ra6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 61. Ra7+ {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 62. Ra6+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 63. Ra7+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 64. Rxg7 {[%emt 0:00:37]}
Kc5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 65. Rg6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 66. Rxh6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} a3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 67. h4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} gxh4 {[%emt 0:00:
56]} 68. Rxh4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 69. Rh1 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kc4
{[%emt 0:00:26]} 70. Kf4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Ra5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 71. Ra1 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Kb3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 72. g5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kb2 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 73. Rxa2+ {[%emt 0:00:20]} Rxa2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 74. g6 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
Kc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 75. Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rf2+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 76. Ke6 {
[%emt 0:00:00]} Rg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 77. Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:
00]} 78. g7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxg7+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 79. Kxg7 {[%emt 0:00:00]}
Kxe3 1/2-1/2
[Event "Paris GCT Blitz"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "2017.06.24"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2017.06.21"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Nf3 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. Bg3 O-O 8. Bb5
Bxg3 9. hxg3 Qb6 10. a4 h6 11. O-O Ne7 12. Qb3 Qc7 13. a5 Bd7 14. Be2 Ng6 15.
Qa3 c4 16. b3 cxb3 17. Nxb3 Ne4 18. Rfc1 Bc6 19. c4 dxc4 20. Rxc4 Qd8 21. Nc5
Nd6 22. Rc2 Bd5 23. Bd3 b6 24. e4 bxc5 25. exd5 exd5 26. dxc5 Ne4 27. c6 Qc7
28. Qb3 Rfd8 29. Qb7 Rac8 30. Rb1 Qxa5 31. c7 Rf8 32. Qb5 Qa3 33. Qxd5 Nc3 34.
Rxc3 Qxc3 35. Bxg6 Rxc7 36. Ne5 Qc5 37. Bxf7+ Rfxf7 38. Rb8+ 1-0
[Event "Paris GCT Blitz"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "2017.06.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2808"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2017.06.21"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "18"]
[EventCountry "FRA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 179"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. O-O e6 5. d3 Be7 6. h3 Bh5 7. Nbd2 c5 8. e4
Nc6 9. Re1 dxe4 10. dxe4 O-O 11. e5 Nd7 12. g4 Bg6 13. Nc4 Nb4 14. Ne3 Nb6 15.
Qe2 N6d5 16. Rd1 Qc7 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. a3 c4 19. Nd4 Rfd8 20. Kh1 c3 21. b4 Qb6
22. Nb3 Rd7 23. f4 Rad8 24. Rf1 h6 25. f5 Bh7 26. Na5 Qc7 27. Nc4 b5 28. Na5 a6
29. Nb3 Nb6 30. Bf4 Nc4 31. Bg3 Bg5 32. Rf3 Rd2 33. Nxd2 cxd2 34. h4 Ne3 35.
hxg5 d1=Q+ 36. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 37. Kh2 Nxg4+ 38. Kh3 Rd4 39. g6 fxg6 40. fxe6 g5 41.
Rf7 Qc8 42. Qf3 Bg6 43. Re7 Nxe5 44. Qf2 Qd8 45. Rxg7+ Kxg7 46. Bxe5+ Kg8 47.
Bxd4 Qd6 48. Qf6 g4+ 49. Kxg4 1-0
[Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2017.08.02"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2822"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2017.08.02"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 180"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 b4
9. a5 O-O 10. Nbd2 Rb8 11. Re1 Be6 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Nb3 Qc8 14. Qe2 Nd8 15. d4
exd4 16. Nbxd4 c5 17. Nb3 e5 18. Nbd2 Ne6 19. Nc4 Nd4 20. Nxd4 cxd4 21. Nb6 Qc6
22. Bg5 Bd8 23. Bxf6 Bxb6 24. axb6 Rxf6 25. Rxa6 h6 26. Qd3 Rxb6 27. Rea1 Rxa6
28. Rxa6 Qc5 29. Ra8+ Kh7 30. h3 b3 31. Qxb3 d3 32. cxd3 Qxf2+ 33. Kh2 Qf4+ 34.
Kh1 Qc1+ 35. Kh2 Qf4+ 36. Kh1 Qg3 37. Qg8+ Kg6 38. Rf8 Qxd3 39. Rxf6+ Kxf6 40.
Qf8+ Ke6 41. Qe8+ Kf6 42. Qf8+ Ke6 43. Qe8+ 1/2-1/2
[Event "Douglas IoM op"]
[Site "Douglas"]
[Date "2017.09.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2827"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2017.09.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceTitle "EXT 2018"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.10.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.10.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. a4
Rb8 9. d4 Bb6 10. a5 Ba7 11. h3 O-O 12. Be3 Ra8 13. Re1 h6 14. Nbd2 Re8 15. g4
Qe7 16. Nf1 Nd8 17. Ng3 c5 18. Qd2 c4 19. Bc2 Nh7 20. b4 cxb3 21. Bxb3 Be6 22.
Bc2 Rc8 23. Bd3 Nb7 24. Rec1 Qd8 25. Qb2 Nxa5 26. Nd2 d5 27. Re1 Bb8 28. exd5
Bxd5 29. Bf5 Rc6 30. Qa3 Nb7 31. Rad1 exd4 32. Bxd4 Ng5 33. c4 Rxe1+ 34. Rxe1
Be6 35. Qe3 Bf4 0-1
[Event "London Classic 9th"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2017.12.01"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2837"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2017.12.01"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CB50_2017"]
[SourceDate "2017.12.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.12.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bxc4 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Be2 Nbd7 8. Nc3
b6 9. e4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bb7 11. Be3 Bc5 12. f3 O-O 13. Qe1 Rc8 14. Qf2 b5 15.
Rac1 Qe7 16. a4 bxa4 17. Nxa4 Bd6 18. Nb3 Bc6 19. Nc3 Rb8 20. Na5 Ba8 21. Nc4
Bc5 22. Rfd1 Rfc8 23. Na4 Bxe3 24. Qxe3 Qb4 25. Qa3 h6 26. Kf1 g5 27. Rc3 a5
28. Qxb4 axb4 29. Rcc1 Kf8 30. Na5 Ke7 31. Kf2 Rxc1 32. Rxc1 Ne8 33. Ke3 Nd6
34. Nc5 Rc8 35. Nab3 f5 36. Nxd7 Rxc1 37. Nxc1 Kxd7 38. Nd3 fxe4 39. fxe4 Ke7
40. e5 Nf5+ 41. Kf2 Nd4 42. Bd1 b3 43. Nb4 Bd5 44. g3 Bc4 45. Ke3 Nf5+ 46. Ke4
Kd7 47. g4 Ne7 48. Kd4 Bf1 49. Bxb3 Be2 50. h3 Bf1 51. Nd3 Nc6+ 52. Kc5 Bxd3
53. Ba4 Be4 54. Kb6 Bd5 1/2-1/2
[Event "Tata Steel-A 80th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2018.01.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2834"]
[BlackElo "2811"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2018.01.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CB05_2018"]
[SourceDate "2018.01.31"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.01.31"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qxe2+ 8.
Bxe2 g6 9. Nd4 a6 10. Bf4 Bg7 11. h3 Bd7 12. Bf3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxc6+
bxc6 15. O-O-O Kd7 16. Rhe1 Rhe8 17. Ne4 Nd5 18. Bd2 f5 19. Ng5 h6 20. Nf3 g5
21. c3 c5 22. Kc2 Bf6 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Re1 Rf8 25. Rh1 Re8 26. g3 g4 27. Ng1
Bg5 28. Kd1 a5 29. Ne2 a4 30. Bxg5 hxg5 31. hxg4 fxg4 32. Rh5 Re5 33. Rh7+ Ke6
34. a3 Rf5 35. c4 Nf6 36. Rh2 Rf3 37. Kc2 Nd7 38. d4 Nb6 39. dxc5 dxc5 40. Nc3
Ke5 41. Nd1 1/2-1/2
[Event "Grenke Chess Classic 5th"]
[Site "Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden"]
[Date "2018.03.31"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E61"]
[WhiteElo "2784"]
[BlackElo "2843"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2018.03.31"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CB15_2018"]
[SourceDate "2018.04.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.04.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. Be2 d6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d5 Nb4 8. a3
Na6 9. Nd4 e5 10. dxe6 fxe6 11. O-O e5 12. Nb3 c6 13. e4 Nc7 14. f4 Ne6 15. f5
Nd4 16. Be3 Nxe2+ 17. Qxe2 gxf5 18. exf5 d5 19. cxd5 cxd5 20. Rad1 d4 21. Bg5
Qb6 22. Qc4+ Rf7 23. Na4 Qc7 24. Qxc7 Rxc7 25. Nac5 b6 26. Bxf6 bxc5 27. Bxg7
Kxg7 28. Nd2 Bb7 29. f6+ Kf8 30. Rde1 Re8 31. Ne4 Bxe4 32. Rxe4 c4 33. g4 Rb8
34. Rxe5 Rxb2 35. Rd5 c3 36. Rd8+ Kf7 37. Rh8 Rbb7 38. Rxh7+ Kg6 39. Rxc7 Rxc7
40. Kf2 c2 41. Rc1 d3 42. Ke3 Rd7 43. Kd2 Kxf6 44. h4 Ke5 45. Rf1 Kd4 46. h5
Re7 47. Rf4+ Kd5 48. Rf1 Kc4 49. Rf4+ Kd5 50. Rf1 Kc4 51. Rf4+ Kb3 52. Rb4+
Kxa3 53. Rc4 Kb3 54. Rc8 a5 55. h6 Re2+ 56. Kxd3 Rh2 57. g5 Rh3+ 58. Kd2 Rh2+
59. Kd3 1/2-1/2
[Event "Norway Masters blitz 6th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2018.05.27"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E48"]
[WhiteElo "2843"]
[BlackElo "2822"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2018.05.27"]
[EventType "tourn (blitz)"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CB22_2018"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.30"]
[SourceVersion "2"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. a3
Ba5 9. O-O cxd4 10. exd4 Nc6 11. Bc2 Nce7 12. Qd3 Ng6 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Bd2 Bc7
15. Bf4 Re8 16. Bxc7 Qxc7 17. Rae1 Bd7 18. Nc3 Qd6 19. Qg3 Qxg3 20. hxg3 Bc6
21. Bxg6 hxg6 22. f3 f6 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Kf2 Kf7 25. Rc1 g5 26. g4 Rd8 27.
Nd1 g6 28. Ne3 Rh8 29. a4 Ke6 30. a5 Kd6 31. Nc2 Bb5 32. Nb4 b6 33. axb6 axb6
34. Na2 Bd7 35. Nc3 Rc8 36. Ra1 Rc4 37. Ke3 Rb4 38. Rb1 f5 39. b3 fxg4 40. Na2
Rb5 41. b4 gxf3 42. Kxf3 Bf5 43. Rb2 Kd7 44. Nc3 Kc6 45. Ke3 Be6 46. Kd2 Bf5
47. Rb3 Be6 48. Kc1 Bf5 49. Kb2 Be4 50. g3 Bf5 51. Ka3 Bc2 52. Rb2 Bd3 53. Rf2
1-0
[Event "Norway Chess 6th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2018.05.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2843"]
[BlackElo "2822"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "2018.05.28"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CB24_2018"]
[SourceDate "2018.06.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.06.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Nbxd2 a5 8.
c3 Nbd7 9. exd5 cxd5 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 Re8 12. Nf1 b5 13. a4 b4 14. cxb4 axb4
15. Ne3 Bb7 16. d4 e4 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Rxe5 19. Qd4 Re7 20. Rac1 Rd7 21.
Red1 h6 22. Rc5 Ra5 23. Rxa5 Qxa5 24. h3 Kh7 25. Rc1 Rc7 26. Rxc7 Qxc7 27. Qxb4
Qc1+ 28. Bd1 Ba6 29. Qd4 Be2 30. Kh2 Bxd1 31. Nxd1 Qc7+ 32. Kg1 Qc1 33. b4 e3
34. fxe3 Ne4 35. Qxd5 Nd2 36. Qf5+ Kh8 37. Qg4 f5 38. Qe2 Ne4 39. Qe1 Qa1 40.
a5 Nd6 41. Qd2 Nc4 42. Qd4 Qc1 43. Kf1 Nxe3+ 44. Qxe3 Qxd1+ 45. Kf2 Qc2+ 46.
Kg3 g5 47. Qe5+ Kh7 48. Kh2 f4 49. Qd5 Qa4 50. Qf7+ Kh8 51. Qg6 Qxb4 52. Qxh6+
Kg8 53. Qxg5+ Kh7 54. Qh5+ Kg7 55. Qg5+ Kh7 56. h4 Qd6 57. Qh5+ Kg7 58. Qg5+
Kh7 59. h5 f3+ 60. g3 f2 61. Qg6+ Kh8 62. Qxd6 f1=Q 63. Qh6+ Kg8 64. Qe6+ Kh8
65. Qe3 Qb5 66. Qc3+ Kh7 67. g4 Qd5 68. Qc7+ Kg8 69. Kg3 Qe6 70. Qd8+ Kh7 71.
Qd3+ Kh8 72. a6 Qe5+ 73. Kh3 Qa1 74. Qd8+ Kh7 75. Qe7+ Kh6 76. Qe3+ Kh7 77. a7
1-0
[Event "Sinquefield Cup 6th"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2018.08.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2842"]
[BlackElo "2822"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2018.08.18"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CB35_2018"]
[SourceDate "2018.08.29"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.08.29"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nc6
8. Bc4 O-O 9. Qd2 Bf5 10. O-O-O Qd7 11. Kb1 Rfe8 12. h4 Bf8 13. h5 h6 14. Be2
Bg4 15. Nh2 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Ne5 17. Bc1 Qc6 18. f4 Nc4 19. Qd3 Qe4 20. g4 Ne3 21.
Rde1 Qxd3 22. cxd3 Nd5 23. Reg1 Re6 24. g5 Ne7 25. gxh6 Rxh6 26. f5 Rh7 27. Ng4
Kh8 28. f6 Ng8 29. fxg7+ Rxg7 30. Be3 c5 31. Bf4 Re8 32. Ne3 Rxg1+ 33. Rxg1 Re6
34. Nd5 Nf6 35. Nc7 Re2 36. Nb5 Re6 37. Rf1 Kg8 38. Nc7 Re2 39. Nb5 Re6 40. Nc7
Re2 41. Nb5 Re6 1/2-1/2
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