Dopo che gli si è fatto notare che entrambi non hanno visto un matto in 30 mosse a favore dello sfidante nella sesta partita, che peraltro è stato trovato solo da un fantomatico supermotore e non da tutti gli altri motori scacchistici più forti e più popolari, nella settima partita del match mondiale di Londra Magnus Carlsen e Fabiano Caruana si sono messi a giocare paralizzati dal terrore, viste alcune imprecisioni reciproche nella parte iniziale del mediogioco, e hanno pattato la settima partita su sette. Col Bianco il campione in carica norvegese, ovviamente con la collaborazione dell’avversario, ripete l’apertura della seconda partita piazzando il suo alfiere delle caselle scure in f4, la partita prosegue sulla stessa linea giocata dai due otto giorni prima e il primo a deviare è Carlsen alla decima mossa. Subito dopo Caruana sceglie una variante inusuale ma in poche mosse, con la solita semplificazione del materiale, a cominciare dal doppio scambio delle torri per finire con quello delle regine, è evidente che l’unico risultato possibile è la patta. Le due consorti dei rispettivi sovrani spariscono dalla scacchiera alla 33a mossa ma il finale, con re, cavallo e sei pedoni per il Bianco e re, alfiere delle caselle chiare e sei pedoni per il Nero, si trascina senza storia fino alla 40a quando Fabiano e Magnus suggellano la parità con ripetizione di mosse. Anche nel match iridato di due anni fa tra Carlsen e Sergey Karjakin le prime sette partite finirono patte, con la differenza che lo scandinavo perse numerose occasioni per vincere finendo poi per perdere l’ottava e riequilibrare quindi il punteggio nella decima finendo per aggiudicarsi l'incontro agli spareggi. Oggi Caruana dopo due partite consecutive col Nero tornerà ad avere i pezzi bianchi e non è detto che sia un vantaggio, visto che in questo Mondiale chi li ha condotti ha quasi sempre subito l’iniziativa più o meno decisa dell’avversario, tranne forse solo in questa partita. Qui sotto lo svolgimento della settima puntata di questa sfida coi commenti per ChessBase del Grande Maestro inglese Daniel Fernandez. Foto: World Chess.
[Event "World Chess Championship 2018"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Site "London"]
[Round "7"]
[Annotator "Fernandez, Daniel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Date "2018.11.18"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2832"]
[PlyCount "79"]
1. d4 {} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 c5 {Straight
into one of the thematic battlegrounds of the world champions! This is an
opening that seems to be very much beloved by Nakamura, Anand, and more
recently Caruana himself.} 7. dxc5 (7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 {holds less
venom and was the battleground for an encounter between a Topalov second and
the a Carlsen second... Edouard,R -Hammer,J Drancy 2016} )Bxc5 8. Qc2 (8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 {To be honest, I am a little
surprised Carlsen didn't choose this. He tends to like playing against the IQP,
and while it might appear that Black can play ...d4, this is a mirage: either
there will be some trick yielding an edge (like exd4 followed by Be3) or else
White will simply push past with e4. The textbook encounter features a
commentator from this match:} Bb6 12. 0-0 Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 a6 15. Rc1 d4 16. g4 Bg6 17. e4 Re8 18. Re1 Rc8 19. Bc4 $1 $14 {Svidler,P-Harikrishna,P
Shenzhen 2017} )Nc6 9. a3 {During Norway Chess 2018, when I last looked
at this variation, I commented that I did not believe the present move to be
White's most critical, but I am now revising this assessment.} Qa5 10. Nd2 {
On this move, my only earlier comment was that it "might be an interesting try
for an advantage, but that it ultimately fails"- giving 10...Bb4. The
challenger, however, did not play that move, indicating that neither player
reads the details on chessbase.com!} (10. 0-0-0 $5 {See my detailed notes on
this in Karjakin-Anand, Norway Chess 2018.} Ne4 $1 11. Nxe4 (11. Nb5 a6 12. Nc7 e5 $1 $40 {Originally played by Karjakin, but ultimately used against him by
Anand in the above-mentioned encounter.} )dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bxa3 $1 {There
follows a forced line.} 13. bxa3 Qxa3+ 14. Kd2 Rd8+ 15. Ke2 Qb2+ 16. Rd2 Rxd2+ 17. Nxd2 e5 18. Bg3 Bg4+ $3 {New and detailed analysis now reveals that White
needs to accept first the bishop and then the perpetual check which results
after best play.} )({Of course,} 10. Rd1 {is also possible. It is impossible
to annotate the present game without paying attention to what occurred in the
2nd match game, and also more generally one of the defining decisions White
faces in such games is the choice between long-castling and playing Rd1.} Re8 $1 (10... Be7 {is more common, but mistaken. In January 2018 I wrote that
White has an edge after} 11. Be2 Ne4 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 exd5 14. 0-0 $14 {
and I see no reason to change this verdict.} )(10... Rd8 {was what happened in
the 2nd game. I wonder what Fabi has in mind following 11.Nd2 here?} 11. Nd2 $5 (11. Be2 Ne4 12. 0-0 Nxc3 13. bxc3 h6 14. a4 Ne7 15. Ne5 Bd6 $1 $11 {Carlsen,
M-Caruana,F London WC (2) 2018} )dxc4 12. Bxc4 (12. Nxc4 $5 Rxd1+ 13. Qxd1 Qd8 14. Qxd8+ Nxd8 $14 {Caruana might have intended to defend this
position, or a similar one, and make the structure into 'his Berlin'.
Certainly, with the centre nearly bereft of pawns, it is difficult to turn the
engine's '0.4' into something a human would recognise as a clear and lasting
plus.} )Be7 13. 0-0 Qh5 14. Nde4 Rxd1 15. Qxd1 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 e5 $1 $11 {Roiz,M-Khamrakulov,D Tashkent 2011} )11. Nd2 (11. Be2 e5 $15 {
is the point} )e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 13. Qb1 $1 (13. Qc1 Bf5 {is liable to lead
to a forced draw.} 14. Bxf6 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ $11 {Carlsen, M-Nakamura,H
Douglas 2017} )Bf5 14. Bd3 {White might have had a tiny something in
Mamedyarov-Anand, Tata Steel 2018, but this was ultimately neutralised.} )(10. Ra2 $5 {This move is nice and experimental, but after the accurate retreats} Be7 11. b4 Qd8 12. h3 {Black should deviate from a Topalov game and play} d4 $1 $11 )Qd8 {Perhaps Caruana is getting some kind of thrill out of playing
this kind of thing: personally I don't consider Nd2 anywhere near the size of
concession Black needs to extract to merit the 2 tempi. 10.Ra2, on the other
hand, would do. The question was asked by a perplexed Anna Rudolf of exactly
what Black has gained by these perambulations, as White always seems to win at
least one tempo during them.} (10... Bb4 $5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nb3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Qd8 $132 {This continuation was seen in Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Paris 2017,
and perhaps slightly biased by the fact that Black won the game, I concluded
it was unlikely anyone would play 10.Nd2 for an advantage. To be honest, I
still don't know what White would do here.} )(10... Be7 {This move was the
majority choice in the 'live commentary' room helmed by GM Judit Polgar, as
well as among grandmasters who have reached this position.} 11. Rd1 {is main
and now England's fast-rising talent Shreyas Royal opined, completely
correctly, that Black has to go ...e5! and let the pawns take care of
themselves!} (11. Bg3 $5 {is an interesting idea that may give chances} )e5 12. Bg5 (12. Nb3 Qb6 {gives White an extra tempo, but there is still
nothing after} 13. Bg5 d4 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Qd8 $11 )d4 $8 13. Nb3 Qd8 14. exd4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Nb5 {Now, in my considered opinion, Black
has to know about, and play, the ultra-precise} Bd7 $1 {and only then does he
stand equal.} )11. Nb3 Bb6 (11... Be7 {is maybe just a little bit too easy for
White to play, as there isn't any idea of ...d4 left.} 12. cxd5 (12. Rd1 e5 {
should again be fine} )Nxd5 13. Rd1 $14 )12. Be2 {Giving up on an
opening advantage.} (12. Rd1 {This move springs to mind immediately for anyone
with even a passing knowledge of the structure, and doesn't run the risks of
castling. A process of logical elimination tells us that Carlsen must have
seen, and disliked, the Black idea of} a5 $5 13. Bg5 a4 14. Nd2 d4 $5 $14 {
when the battle for loss of frivolous tempi might actually be won by White.
Certainly, over the board this could be difficult to assess.} )({In this
position, after} 12. 0-0-0 Bd7 $1 13. g4 $1 {the incredibly messy
complications can be analysed almost to a forced draw.} )Qe7 $11 {
One last time: are you SURE you don't want me to have an IQP?} 13. Bg5 (13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 $11 {is nothing though; White's pieces are poorly
placed to cope with Black's forthcoming ideas like ...Be6, ...Rac8, ...Rfd8.} )dxc4 {This exchange made sense on the previous turn too, but here it is
close to being forced.} 14. Nd2 ({Carlsen thought for some time about} 14. Bxc4 {,clearly wondering whether it was actually such an amazing idea to move the
knight another 2 times. A bit of analysis, though, indicates that it is with
the direct recapture that White risks becoming worse.} Bd7 15. 0-0 Ne5 16. Be2 Rfc8 $5 {Here, in a bizarre echo of the 6.Be3 Najdorf, Black is intending to
put his opponent in a highly annoying double-pin with ...Ba4.} 17. Nd4 h6 $1 18. Bxf6 gxf6 $5 {and play is for 3 results.} )Ne5 15. 0-0 (15. Nxc4 $2 Nxc4 16. Bxc4 Qc5 $1 $17 {simply gains the bishop pair for nothing.} )(15. Nce4 $5 {is a meaningful alternative, and Magnus said it was his 'main chance to
play dynamically' but, as above, Black doesn't need to tremble in fear at the
prospect of being left with doubled f-pawns. Indeed, neither player
particularly believed it.} Bd7 16. Nxc4 (16. Qc3 $5 {was the move both players
suggested in the press conference.} Nxe4 $1 17. Nxe4 f6 18. Qxe5 fxg5 19. Bxc4 Rac8 20. Bb3 h6 $132 {with a dynamically balanced game.} )Nxc4 17. Bxc4 Rac8 18. 0-0 Bc6 $11 {The tactical issues faced by each side more or less
balance each other out, and the most likely scenario is that all the pieces,
save either 1 or 2 pairs of rooks, will be vacuumed off the board quite soon,
leaving a draw.} )Bd7 $1 16. Bf4 $1 {White should hurry to take back the
pawn, in whichever way he chooses to do that.} (16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. Nde4 {
is plausible, but without the engine around we don't actually know whether
White will regain the pawn or not.} Bc6 (17... Bc7 $5 18. Bxc4 $1 Bc6 19. Bb5 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 a6 21. Be2 Nxe4 22. Bxe7 Nxc3 23. bxc3 Rfe8 $11 {and both sides
play for a win. The position is reminiscent of my game against Gawain Jones in
the British Championships 2018.} )18. Nd6 Rcd8 19. Nce4 (19. Nxc4 Nxc4 20. Bxc4 Qc5 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Bd3 f5 $11 {Now White has to trade off light-squared
bishops with some urgency, or else simply stand worse.} )h6 $1 20. Bh4 g5 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Bg3 Bc7 23. Nxc4 Nxc4 $1 24. Bxc7 Rc8 25. Bxc4 Rxc7 $11 {
The position is ever so slightly more comfortable for Black, but is still well
within the 'equal' band in objective terms.} )(16. Nxc4 Nxc4 17. Bxc4 Qc5 18. Bxf6 Qxc4 19. Rfd1 Bc6 20. Bd4 $1 $11 )Ng6 $1 (16... Qc5 {is a hard move
to make, because of all White's Ne4/b4 tactical ideas. Nevertheless, the
computer sees it as best, and then obliges White to take the pawn back
immediately:} 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. Nxc4 Qc7 19. b4 $5 (19. Rac1 Bc5 20. b4 Be7 $11 {is an equal position where Black might stand better after a few moves} )Rac8 20. Rac1 Rfd8 21. Nxb6 Qxb6 22. Rfd1 $11 )17. Bg3 $1 {With their last
moves, both players have shown that they appreciate the full value of the
bishop pair in this position- even where the two flanks are largely distinct
from each other and the engine doesn't mind White giving it up.} Bc6 {A
correct response from Caruana, who understands that White's dark-squared
bishop is better than his own, and takes steps to trade them off.} 18. Nxc4 Bc7 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Rxd8+ {This move smacks of boredom; surely normally Magnus
would ask himself whether it's impossible to gain some other minor edge while
Black is troubling himself with the exact mechanics of the double-rook trade?} Rxd8 21. Rd1 {Possibly, somewhere at the back of Magnus' mind, there might
have been an idea of eventually making an edge like 'slightly better
light-squared bishop' or 'slightly better knight' count; however, as it turned
out there wasn't a concrete opportunity to play for a win. From this point
onwards, the objective evaluation never veered from complete equality, but I
have tried to point out marginally more ambitious ideas for each side.} Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1 Nd5 23. Qd4 Nxc3 24. Qxc3 Bxg3 {My own personal feeling about this
move was that it gives White unnecessary chances. After all, White's pawn
structure is improved and furthermore there's a possibility that Black's
kingside could become very cramped indeed. The engine, of course, doesn't
think this is a problem.} (24... Bb5 {seemed a lot more normal to me.} )25. hxg3 Qd7 26. Bd3 {At this point, White decided his plan, which was to make it
inconvenient for Black to play ...f6/...e5, and to go for Bxg6, f3, e4 himself.
} ({Otherwise there is a chance he might have seen the idea of} 26. f4 {
followed by g4-g5 (if allowed) as being more auspicious.} )b6 ({This was
Black's chance to play} 26... f6 {but possibly he just found ideas like} 27. Qc2 Kf7 28. Na5 {to be a little annoying.} )27. f3 Bb7 (27... f6 $5 28. g4 Kf7 29. g5 Bd5 $11 {Black's construction looks a little loose, but there is
nothing objectively wrong with it. I would personally think of it as a
reasonable choice if Black wanted to retain the possibility of perhaps one day
winning the game.} )28. Bxg6 $5 {This had been coming for a while- White was
hardly going to play e4 without it- but I do wonder if maybe it could have
been delayed a further move.} (28. g4 Qc7 29. f4 $11 {is quite ambitious.} )hxg6 29. e4 Qc7 $1 {From a human perspective, this looks clearly correct.
Black needs to make the queen trade White seeks as inefficient as possible.} (29... f6 30. e5 $1 {has become, practically speaking, a little difficult.} )30. e5 Qc5+ 31. Kh2 (31. Ne3 Qxc3 32. bxc3 Ba6 $11 {One of the hardest things for
a human player to realise in this position (and related ones which we shall
come to) is that if Black can come with his king to c6, then in spite of his
awful bishop, which possesses a grand total of no targets to aim at, he is the
one playing for a win!} )Ba6 (31... f6 $5 {leads to the same thing:} 32. Nd6 Qxc3 33. bxc3 Ba6 )32. Nd6 Qxc3 33. bxc3 f6 34. f4 ({The next note is the
move suggested by a friend with whom I was watching the games, live and in
person. Around this time, we made a bet (which I won) about the sequence of
moves that would finish the game...} 34. Kh3 $6 fxe5 35. Kg4 Kf8 36. Kg5 Bd3 {
It is White treading on thin ice here (though the position is still a draw.)
It is not clear to me how White regains a pawn without suffocating his own
knight, and g2 is also weak.} )Kf8 35. Kg1 Ke7 36. Kf2 Kd7 {With Black's
king active, it is difficult to be ambitious.} 37. Ke3 Bf1 ({I did wonder
whether Black could play for a win:} 37... fxe5 $5 38. fxe5 Kc6 39. c4 Kc5 40. Kd3 b5 41. Ne4+ Kc6 {Now White has a choice of ways to draw, which differ only
in the multiplicity of the choice that he has thereafter.} 42. Kd4 $1 (42. cxb5+ Bxb5+ 43. Kd4 Be2 (43... Bf1 )44. Nc5 Bg4 $11 {Both sides have
fortresses, despite the World Champion's skepticism about the concept, but it
is still easier for White to go wrong.} )bxc4 43. g4 c3 44. Nxc3 g5 45. g3 Bf1 46. Ne4 Be2 47. Nxg5 Bxg4 48. a4 $11 )38. Kf2 Ba6 39. Ke3 Bf1 40. Kf2 {
Here Caruana claimed a draw, by the approved method.} 1/2-1/2
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