Fighting Chess with Magnus Carlsen (gnv64).pdf

Mikhalchishin/Stetsko

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Fighting Chess with Magnus Carlsen

ProgressinCiiess

Volume 31 of the ongoing series

Editorial board GM Victor Korchnoi GM Helmut Pfleger GM Nigel Short GM Rudolf Teschner

2012 EDITION OLMS

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Adrian Mikhalchishin

Oleg Stetsko

FIGHTING CHESS WITH MAGNUS CARLSEN

Translated and edited by Ken Neat

2012 EDITION OLMS

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The Authors Adrian Mikhalchishin (born 1954) has an excel lent i nternational reputation, above all as a fine chess trainer. T h e Ukrainian-born grandmaster worked from 1980 to 1986 with the 12th world champion Anatoly Karpov, and he has also assisted Zsuzsa Polgar, M aya Ch iburdanidze, Vassily l vanchuk and Arkady Naid itsch. As chairman of the FIDE Trainers' C o m m ission, M i khalch ishin can also call on on h i s wealth of experience as an active player. He participated in several USSR national championships, 4th place in 1984 in the 51st championship in his home city of Lvov bei ng his greatest competitive success. He has also taken part i n four Chess Olympiads, three t i m es f o r his new homeland o f Slovenia (2000, 2002 a n d 2004).

Oleg Stetsko (born 1936) was a professional ai rforce pilot and a chess player of Soviet master standard, who played several times i n the strong USSR Armed Forces championships. After h i s ret i rement i n 1984 he was appointed to the trai n i n g staff of the USSR national team, which in 1989 he helped to win the second World Team Championship i n Lucerne. Stetsko then worked as a journalist for the prestigious 64 magazine, of which Anato ly Karpov was the editor-in-chief. In the 1990s together with the well-known grandmaster Eduard Gufeld he wrote several books, includ i n g

The Complete Dragon and Winning with the Torre Attack.

Bibliograph ical Information published by T h e Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek l i sts this publ ication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data i s available on the Internet at http://d nb.d-nb.de.

Copyright © 2012 Edition Olms AG W i l l i konerstr. 10a

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CH-8618 Oetwi l a.S./ZOrich, Switzerland

E-mail: info@ed ition-olms.com Internet: www.ed ition-o l m s.com All rig hts reserved. T h i s work is protected by copyright. No part of this publ ication may be reproduced, stored i n a retrieval system or transm itted i n any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, record ing or otherwise, without prior perm ission of the publ isher. Printed in Germany Printed on acid-free and ageing-resistant paper Editor: Ken Neat Photog raph: © Ray M o rris-Hi l l Photog raphy Translator: Ken Neat Typesetti n g by: Art & Satz

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Ulrich Di rr, D-80331 Munich

Printed by: Druckerei Friedr. Sch mucker GmbH, D-49624 Lon i ngen Cover: Ni klas WeiB, D-79104 Freiburg ISBN13: 978-3-283-01020-1

Contents

Preface

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Mag nus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era G. Kacheishvili-M. Carlsen 14

D. Pavasovic- M. Carlsen 16

M. Carlsen- L. Aronian 17

A. Onischuk- M. Carlsen 17

M. Carlsen-G. Kamsky 18

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M. Maki Uuro- M. Carlsen 14

F. Bindrich- M. Carlsen 15

M. Carlsen-A. Adly 19

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M. Carlsen-D. Kedik 15

E. Rozentalis-M. Carlsen 16 C. Pedersen- M. Carlsen 18

M. Carlsen-A. Naiditsch 19

L. Aronian-M. Carlsen 20

1

From Master to Grandmaster

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Game 1 M. Carlsen- H. Harestad 23

Game 2 M. Carlsen-S. Zhigalko 26

Game 3 M. Carlsen-S. Ernst 31

Game 4 M. Carlsen-S. Dolmatov 34

Game 5 M. Carlsen- E. Shaposhnikov 35

M. Carlsen- G. Kasparov 39

Game 6 M. Carlsen- E. V ladimirov 41

Game 7 D. Palo- M. Carlsen 43

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Game 8 M. Carlsen- N. Short 46

2 The Way to the Top

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P. H. Nielsen- M. Carlsen 50

Game 9 M. Carlsen-A. Shirov 51

Game 10 I. Cheparinov- M. Carlsen 55

Game 11 M. Carlsen- P. Nikolic 57

Game 12 M. Carlsen-K. Lie 62

Game 13 B. Jobava- M. Carlsen 66

Game 14 M. Carlsen- F. Amonatov 71

Game 15 M. Carlsen- G. Kamsky 73

Game 16 M. Carlsen-A. Beliavsky 77

M. Carlsen -A. Beliavsky 80

Game 17 M. Carlsen-J. Nunn 81

Game 18 M. Carlsen- M. Adams 84

Game 19 M. Carlsen-A. Morozevich 90

Game 20 A. Morozevich- M. Carlsen 95

M. Carlsen-A. Shirov 99

Game 21 M. Carlsen- A. Morozevich 101

M. Carlsen-V. Topalov 107

Game 22 M. Carlsen-V. lvanchuk 107

Game 23 M. Carlsen- L. Aronian 112


Game 25 L. Aronian-M. Carlsen 118

M. Carlsen- L. Aronian 123

M. Carlsen-Y. Pelletier 125

Game 26 M. Carlsen-A. Onischuk 125

Game 27 M. Carlsen- T. Radjabov 129

Game 28 V. Kramnik- M. Carlsen 133

Game 29 D. Jakovenko-M. Carlsen 135

Game 30 M. Carlsen- L. Dominguez 140

Game 31 M. Carlsen- M. Adams 143

Game 32 M. Carlsen -I. Cheparinov 149

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3

Life at the Top

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Game 33 M. Carlsen- P. Eljanov 155

Game 34 V. Kramnik- M. Carlsen 158

Game 35 V. Topalov- M. Carlsen 163

Game 36 M. Carlsen-L. Aronian 166

Game 37 M. Carlsen-V. Topalov 169

Game 38 T. Radjabov- M. Carlsen 174

Game 39 M. Carlsen- V. lvanchuk 178

Game 40 Y. Pelletier- M. Carlsen 184

Game 41 L. Dominguez- M. Carlsen 187

Game 42 M. Carlsen- T. Radjabov 191

Game 43 L. Aronian- M. Carlsen 195


Game 45 M. Carlsen -A. Beliavsky 201

Game 46 M. Carlsen- L. Dominguez 205

Game 47 M. Carlsen- V. Anand 208

Game 48 L. Dominguez- M. Carlsen 212

Game 49 M. Carlsen-A. Grischuk 215


Game 51 M. Carlsen-Wang Yue 221

Game 52 M. Carlsen-D. Jakovenko 226

Game 53 M. Carlsen- P. Leko 230


Game 55 M. Carlsen-T. Radjabov 237

Game 56 M. Carlsen- V. Anand 240

Game 57 M. Carlsen -R. Ponomariov 244

Game 58 M. Carlsen- V. Kramnik 247

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Game 59 S. Karjakin- M. Carlsen 252

L. Aronian -M. Carlsen 256

Game 60 L.-D. Nisipeanu- M. Carlsen 258

Game 61 R. Ponomariov- M. Carlsen 261

Game 62 M. Carlsen- E. Bacrot 265

Game 63 M. Carlsen-H. Nakamura 269

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Game 64 M. Carlsen- L.-D. Nisipeanu 271

4

Index

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Tournament and Match Record 274 Index of Carlsen's Opponents 279 Index of Openings 280

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7

Preface The swift rise of the young Norwegian Mag

for great achievements. Another impor

nus Carlsen to the top levels of chess has

tant factor was the boy's home situation.

literally overturned impressions about the

Magnus has a secure basis-a wholesome

possibilities of teaching talented children.

family, in which his sisters virtually idolise

Indeed, to progress at a young age from a

him, and the attention and support of rela

run-of-the-mill master to a real contender

tives and of society. Already at the age of

for the chess crown in just five years is

ten he had the help of a trainer, and as his

something that only an outstanding tal

prowess developed he also acquired the

ent is capable of doing. In the history of

support of financial bodies, including the

chess only Garry Kasparov has achieved

Microsoft company.

any similar. In this occurrence there is

By present-day junior standards, Mag

much that is surprising: both the fact that

nus began a serious study of chess rather

such an extraordinary talent appeared in

late-at the age of eight. The initial motiva

'non-chess' Norway, and the way itself in

tion was a promise by his father to include

which this chess mastery was acquired.

him, if he played well, in the Norwegian

For graduates and successors of the So

under-11 championship. This stimulated

viet Chess School, nurtured in a 'chess'

the boy to study chess for 2-3 hours a

foundation established over decades, and

day over a period of six months. The rest

fostered from childhood in clubs at Pio

was accomplished by his all-consuming

neers Palaces and then in chess schools

interest in the game. Many point to the

run by famous mentors, it is hard to imagine

prevalence of computer preparation, even

a boy grasping the wisdom of chess virtu

calling Magnus a computer boy. He does

ally on his own.

not deny his enthusiasm for the computer;

This is correct only in the sense that

indeed it would be strange not to make

Magnus likes to study chess on his own.

use of it in the age of universal comput

But there were also attendant circumstanc

erisation. For modern children, using a

es: Magnus's father, Henrik Carlsen, was

computer does not present any particular

well known in Norway as a chess organiser,

problems, and a grasp of the accompa

and it was he who noticed his son's talent,

nying programs comes quite naturally to

observing that already at the age of five

them. As for purely chess preparation,

he had good analytical ability. And, not

Carlsen uses the computer as an instru

surprisingly, knowing the precedent of the

ment, and he relates sceptically to con

famous Hungarian Judit Polgar, from an

tentions that it is emasculating live chess.

early age the father began assisting his son

The main thing for Magnus is improving

to become a chess professional, hoping

his mastery and achieving results. Here

8

Preface

it is appropriate to recall the pithy saying

have been countless examples of success

of Mikhail Botvinnik: 'Chess cannot be

ful self-realisation. His way is familiar to

taught, one can only learn it!' It is unlikely

me not just by hearsay, since at a mature

that Magnus is familiar with the Patriarch's

age I managed to achieve chess master

claim, but he has patiently learned, pro

standard and complete a correspondence

ceeding with the help of the computer,

course at the Aviation Institute.

picturesquely speaking, in seven-league

By his 19th year Carlsen had completed his chess Academy, he had received high

steps. Another very important factor in his im

marks from his examiners by victories in

provement has been the reading of chess

very strong tournaments, and he was con

literature. In the words of his father, he

tinuing to improve. This is indicated by his

literally swallowed all Kasparov's series

attainment of the high point 2800 in the

My Great Predecessors and from them he

world rating list, which allows him to be

remembers practically everything. These

regarded as the strongest player in the

books are a kind of academic course on

West. Carlsen has made his 'way to the

the classical heritage of chess. And the

top' in chess high society. One of the many

fact that he prefers to work on chess on

ways available to a talented young person.

his own ('Magnus is very independent

We would like to wish that his 'life at the

as regards preparation, I only help him',

top' does not collapse, as in the novel of

testifies his trainer Simen Agdestein), is

the same name by the well-known English

merely an indication of his character. In

writer John Braine.

short, we see an example of the effective

In conclusion, we would like to thank

study of chess by correspondence, based

grandmaster Andrey Devyatkin for help in

on fertile ground. In the opinion of one

describing the childhood stage of Magnus

of the best trainers of the present time,

Carlsen's chess career.

grandmaster Yuri Razuaev, the boy pos

Oleg Stetsko

sessed the gift of self-instruction. It would be incorrect to talk about the

USSR Master of Sport

ineffectivness of this type of study, with

Senior Trainer of the USSR

references to a lack of 'schooling'. There

national team 1985-89

9

Magnus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era

When we beg i n examining the chess phe nomenon Magnus Carlsen and his way to the top, the fi rst th i ng that comes to m i n d is whether we can compare the tal ented Norweg ian with the bri l l iant chess gen iuses of the second half of the 20th centu ry, Robert Fischer and Garry Kasp arov. What is it that unites him with these great champions? Above all - a bri l l i ant m e m o ry. H i s fi rst tra i ner, g ran d m aster Si men Agdestei n , to ld me that he gave the you n g Magnus an open i n g book to read , and the next day, as if noth ing had happened , he performed the new open ing to a h i g h standard . True, a striving for sharp positions i m med iately on emerg ing from the open i n g , as possessed by the young Fischer and Kasparov, was not very apparent, but already at the age of fifteen he was confidently playi ng complicated open ings such as the Sveshnikov Variation and the Botvi n n i k Variation. The greatest influence on the develop ment of the you n g talent was u ndoubt ed ly made by the Norweg ian grandmaster Si men Agdestein . Th is showed itself not only in chess, but also in the fact that Mag nus is a good footbal ler. After al l , his trainer played for his cou ntry at both chess and football , and he even scored a goal against Italy! They met when Magnus was 1 0 years old. Initially the boy studied with the Norwe g ian master Torbj0rn Ringdal Hansen , who

was doing his m i l itary service at a Col lege for Top Athletes, where Agdestein ran the chess section. And with in a year he made i ncred i ble progress. This is not surprisi ng: M ag n u s was l iterally gripped by c hess, playing i n all possible tournaments and read ing nu merous chess books in English. His fi rst book was Find the Plan by Bent Larsen. At that time Agdestein correctly thought that, for lessons with a boy who was at the stage of masteri ng the basics of chess, a computer was not needed . And only later, when the open ing became an i mportant element of the play in tour naments, M ag n u s began work i n g with the analytical modu les Fritz and Rybka. Agdestein worked with Magnus several times a month, spending two or three hours on the analysis of a game. I n Agdestein's opinion, children cannot be forced to study chess. Of cou rse, it is not easy to teach a youngster to play, but if you can arouse his ind ividual interest, miracles occur. Th is is how it was with Magnus - motivation was the main key to success! M ag n u s t h o u g ht that on the way to hig her achievements he should become N o rweg ian cham p i o n , but in 2004 and 2005 the road was blocked by his expe rienced teacher, and it was only in 2006 that he managed to su rpass h i m . Surpris ing ly, Magnus was also unable to win i n t h e young age categories o f t h e European

10

M ag nus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era

Cham pionsh i ps. But where now are those by move', so to speak. Although he was who fin ished ahead of him? In the history sti l l a long way from the best players of this of chess this has also occurred with other type, such as Fischer and Kasparov, he players. For example, up to the age of 1 6 was nevertheless notable for his sensible the great Garry Kasparov was twice unable and logical play. True, at ti mes his play to demonstrate his superiority in class. I n looked somewhat simplified , sometimes the fi rst stage o f h i s work with M agnus, automated , which was a consequence of Agdestein set the objective of reach i n g fascination with computer preparation. Not master level o f play a n d he regarded indi without reason , Garry Kasparov warned vidual tournaments only as stages towards about the poi ntlessness of such play. Th is the ach ievement of this aim. But al ready is how he descri bes the essence of the in 2004 he realised that he was u nable to play in so-cal led post-modern ism chess: raise the youngster to a higher level , and ' Nowadays most you n g p l ayers s i m ply the search for a new trai ner began. move the pieces i n antici pation of a mis Contact with Garry Kasparov early in take, l i ke an ice-hockey team knocking 2005 was not developed any further. But the puck into the opponent's zone, hoping a mentor was found on Scandi navian soi l . that someth ing will come of this. The pure After contacts at a number of joint tourna prag matism of the young shows itself in ments in Scandinavia, the strong Danish many games. Carlsen sti l l needs to raise grandmaster Peter Heine N ielsen began his u nderstand i n g to m atch u p with h i s working with the you n gster. For a long energy a n d optimism'. But even so, Magnus did not develop time he had been keeping an eye on the young Norweg ian and a year earlier he had l i ke a computer player, although the work com mented in the press: the West had with N ielsen , who made active use of the not known such a great talent si nce the computer, seriously developed the ana time of Fischer, and at such a young age lytical aspect of his talent, which is often Carlsen was not inferior to either Karpov or called playing computer chess. Is this good Kasparov. At that time N ielsen was actively or bad? N owadays chess has changed , col laborating with Vishwanathan Anand, and the top players are not inclined to phi and later, when he was having to work with losophise about the position; they need both of them , he wou ld sometimes enlist quickly and efficiently to find not so much Mag n u s to p repare Vishy for i m portant the best move, as the optimal decision. events, such as, for example, the match This enables them for a lengthy time to for the world championship with Kram nik maintain the tension on the board and to set the opponent the maximum discomfort in 2008. Working with N ielsen , Carlsen substan in the solving of constant problems. The tially expanded h i s o pen i n g repertoi re, plans for conducting the game in this type which had to be greatly modern ised . For of chess are far less concrete than during example, with Black he stopped playing the the ti mes of the g reat world champions, King's I ndian Defence, which did not suit who ad hered to the classical style of play, his style. At that time Magnus was most with the possible exception of M i khail Tal . successful in tense positions, in play 'move But these plans are based on the i nten-

11


..;;;..

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sity level of the position and are solved

very fruitful. Magnus possesses a natural

exclusively by concrete measures, not by

gift for correctly evaluating a position, a

general reasoning.

very rare quality, one which at a young

The well-known trainer Arshak Petro

age has been possessed by many world

sian, observing Carlsen's play at the C

champions. In Kasparov's opinion, in style

Tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 2004, was

of play the Norwegian youngster is close

surprised at how confidently the 13-year

to Karpov, Smyslov and Capablanca. But

old boy could 'serve with either hand', i.e.

since Magnus's style of play is markedly

play both 1. e4 and 1. d4 with equal suc

different from that of Kasparov, his contact

cess. At so young an age, such a thing was

with the famous champion will undoubt

typical only of Boris Spassky, the most uni

edly expand his chess views. Usually a

versal player of the Soviet Chess School,

trainer works with his pupil, but it is unlikely

who (stretching the point somewhat) can

that this is what Kasparov does. His role

be regarded as the forerunner of the mod

is rather that of a mentor; there are things

ern computer generation. Assessing Mag

he can pass on to his protege. There is no

nus's play, Arshak Petrosian quite seriously

doubt that Carlsen's opening repertoire will

warned his pupil, Peter Leko: ' Here is your

be strengthened -this is a strong compo

future rival, you should observe his play

nent of Garry. Especially since as yet the

very carefully. He is already quite a strong

level of the youngster's opening repertoire

positional player, and he places his pieces

does not correspond to his strength of play.

correctly - a rare quality for such an age'.

At the same time it is important to learn a

A new stage in Carlsen's chess biogra

more productive organisation of the work

phy began quite recently - in the summer

ing process, in order to make maximum

of 2009, when he began working with Garry

use of his natural talent.

Kasparov. Their first meeting occurred in

I n the opinion o f Arshak Petrosian,

2004 at the festival in Reykjavik, when the

working with Kasparov should not so much

prodigy's play impressed Kasparov in their

change the young Norwegian's opening

rapid game, which the maestro saved only

repertoire, so much as shift his motiva

with great difficulty. A year later Magnus

tion to the maximum level. This is the ap

was invited by Kasparov to Moscow for

proach of real champions to the play in

lessons with the famous trainers Yuri Ra

every game, and the accompanying feeling

zuvaev and Alexander Nikitin. But this work

of one's own superiority can be instilled

was not continued. Carlsen declined to

only by a great champion. This approach

follow the program developed by the Rus

to the fight was displayed in October 2009

sian trainers, and decided to improve his

at the super-tournament in Nanjing. It was

chess independently.

there that it became apparent what Mag nus has in common with the champions

However, without highly-qualified help it proved beyond Carlsen's powers to im

- he began to be feared!

prove on the 'star' level achieved in 2008

I saw Magnus at many Olympiads and

(his official rating reached 2776), and the

European Championships during his de

assistance of Kasparov proved most op

velopment period. And the first thing that

portune. For Garry the field of activity was

strikes you (incidentally, this is also the

12

Magnus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era ----------------

�

opinion of the well-known manager Silvio Danailov) is the feigned lack of energy, both in external appearance, and in play. Al l the champions, apart from Karpov and Pet rosian , looked very energetic, sometimes even frightening. As for Karpov, he had enormous i nternal energy, which he was able to transfer to the chess board . The drive of Kasparov and Fischer was felt as soon as their opponent arrived at the chess board . Carlsen conducts certai n parts of a g ame as though i m percepti bly, i n the style of Karpov or Adams, but, in contrast to them , he not only does not avoid sharp variations, but happily goes in for them. An indication of the youngster's thorough self-confidence is that he ventures to play very sharp variations, without working out all thei r details, which Kasparov always aimed to do. Yes, there are instances when he plays superficially, but this is typical of young players, who do not always u nder stand and sense the dangers associated with the opponent's counterplay. As for Carlsen, he possesses such a feel ing, and this is very i m portant i n high-level play. It is another m atter that his power begins to display itself only from a certain point in the game, but here he can already be irresistible. Agai n , this is a vivid charac teristic, typical of Karpov and to a certai n extent of Fischer. I n recent t i m es M ag n u s h as g reatly added to his depth of understanding of chess, he has beg u n to display an abil ity to find min imal and latent chances i n the position and he has clearly become more forcefu l i n his play. That is, he has mastered the transition to total chess, the readiness to fight to the end. We are seeing the development of a fig hter. It should be said that, i n their youth, neither Fischer nor

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Kasparov was an uncompromising fighter. They became this with the g rowth i n the confidence and power of their play and, let's make no secret of the fact, an aware ness of their mission in the chess world. We are also observi ng this phenomenon with the increase i n the mastery of the young Norwegian, which is reflected i n an abil ity to find the best decisions in any position. But Carlsen is insepara b l e from h i s era. He is sim u ltaneously also a computer player - it is all the same to h i m what he plays, as he looks for the best or optimal solution on the basis of his own i n d ividual algorith m . Carlsen is not a strateg ist and not a thin ker - he is a performer, l i ke an eng i neer finding the sol utions to specific problems . And his play rese m bles the output g raph of an atomic power station - constant and h i g h . Although h i s play lacks fantastic moves and d iscoveries, it is staggering in its logic and composure. It is as though he has no nerves - the typical character of a northerner. But perhaps it is not just a question of this? N ot without reason , at the conclusion of the Nanjing tou rnament of 2009, the 2nd-placed To palov declared : 'I was the win ner among people, but Carlsen is simply from another planet ! ' There you have an explanation, which does not make the Carlsen enig m a a n y more understandable. All these best q ualities of the you n g Norweg ian are what w e have tried to pre sent in his games. Through the chronol ogy of the games we wanted to show the development of the most talented player from the West, and to compare Magnus at the formation stage with the modern M agnus. Of cou rse, there are many as pects to his play and in the framework of one book it is i m possible to encom pass

13

M agnus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era

G. Kacheishvi li - M. Carlsen

the unbounded . Therefore we will restrict o urselves to just one com ponent of h i s play, a very i mportant ind icator o f play ing strength - the abil ity to play the end game, which has i nvariably d isti nguished the great champions of the past. It is wel l known that, espec ially with the modern strict time control, the end game can be d ifficult for you n g players, and here they com m it far more mistakes than in the midd legame. There are vari ous reasons for this: a lack of knowledge of standard positions, a poor mastery of typical manoeuvres and, it goes without saying, i g n o rance of classic exam ples. These gaps are not easy to el i m i n ate, and here the serious assistance of a trai ner is needed . Therefore it w i l l be interest i n g for students of chess to see not only Magnus's mistakes when he was a young ster, but also how he was able to correct them, and on what he is sti l l conti n u i n g to work. At the present time his technique of converting an advantage in the endgame resembles that of Fischer, and it rarely misfi res - an indication of the serious work he has done. The defence of i nferior posi tions is another matter - accord ing to the defi nition of Botvi n n i k, it is this q ual ity of a player that i n d icates his strength of play i n the endgame. And here, as was once the case with Fischer, M ag n u s has had many problems. But, as the examples will show, he is wel l aware of this deficiency and is working actively to elimi nate it. It can now be said that, whereas i n the initial stage of Carlsen's career the endgame was the weak aspect of his play, now we can talk about h i s su periority over other grandmasters who have crossed the 2700 rating mark. H is l atest tournaments have demonstrated this.

Bad Wiessee 2001 a

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57. .. §a5+?

If possible, one should normally beg i n by advancing a passed pawn - 57. . .f2!, and only then decide what to do next. 58. l:!g8+ <;!> h5 59. l:!f8 l:!a5+ 60. <;!> d4 l:!xa6 61 . b7 l:!b6 would have led to a d raw. 58. �d4 §xa6?

It was not yet too late for 58 . . . f2 . 59. b7 §b6 60. b8'W §xb8 61 . §xb8 �f4 62 . §f8+ �g3 63. �e3

Black resigned . M. Maki Uuro - M. Carlsen

Helsinki 2002 a

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Mag nus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era

56. �f4 Ja a1 57. Ja b4 Jaf1 + 58. �g4 Ja e1 59. e4 �f6 60. Ja b6+ �g7 61 . �f4 §f1 +?

Anything, except release the attack on the passed pawn! 61 . . . � h6 or 61 . . . � f7 would have enabled Black to fight for a draw. 62. �g5 §f3 63. g4 §e3 64. §xg6+ �f7 65. §f6+ �e7 66. §f4 �e6 67. �g6 � e5 68. §f8 §a3 69. g5 �xe4 70. �g7 � e5 71 . g6 Jag3 72. �h7 Ja h3+ 73. �g8

It is usefu l to make use of the 'desperado' rook to drive the king away from the pawns. With the king cut off, it is easier to blockade the pawns. 56. �e8 Ja f4! 57. g5+ �h5 58. Ja h7+ �g6 59. Ja h 6+ �g7 60. h5 Ja e4+ 61 . �d7 Ja e5 62 . Jag6+ �h7 63. �d 6 Ja a5 64. �c7 Ja e5 65. �d7 Ja a5 66. �e6 Ja a 6+ 67. �f5 Ja xg6

Draw.

� e 6 74. g7 Jag3 75. Jaf1 �e7 76. Ja e1 + �d7 77. Ja e4

And by constructing a ' bridge', Wh ite won . M . Carlsen - D . Kedik

After the lesson in this game, all Magnus could do was to remember for ever the method of ' h itching' the rook to the king and the passed pawns. A year l ater he hi mself saved a similar end ing.

Norwegian U nder-1 8 Championship 2002 a

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F. Bindrich - M. Carlsen

7

European U nder-1 4 Championship Budva 2003

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48. g4?

First the way for the king should have been secured - 48. fla4.

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48 ... Ja b3+ 49. �f4 Ja b4+ 50. �f5 Ja bS+

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9

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76. Ja f3 Ja h1 77. �g4 Jag1 + 78. Jag3 Ja a1 79. Ja c3 Jag1 + 80. Jag3 Ja a1 81 . §d3

51 . �e6 Ja b4!

Jag1 + 82. �f4 §f1 + 83. �g4 §g1 +

It is important not to allow the pawns to ad vance! Subsequently Black demonstrates the same mechan ism.

84. �f3 Ja f1 + 85. �g2 Ja f5 86. Jag3 §a5 87. �h3 Ja a1 88. §b3 Ja h1 + 89. �g4

52. Ja a7+ � h 6 53. �f5 labS+ 54. �f6

§xh5 93. §a3 §h1 94. §a7+ �f8

l'l b6+ 55. �f7 §f6+!

95. �g6 Jag1 96. §a8+ �e7 97. �h6?!

§g1 + 90. �f4 §f1 + 91 . §f3 §h1 92. �f5

15

M agnus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era ------

There was a win by 97. �g8!, intending � h7 and g5-g6, a manoeuvre which is useful to remember. Bindrich d i d not in fact find this m a noeuvre (although the possibility presented itself several times), and the game ended in a draw on the 1 1 5th move.

58. �d 6 �b6 59. §f5

Black resigned . E. Rozenta lis

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M. Carlsen

Malmo/Copenhagen 2004 a

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D. Pavasovic

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M. Carlsen

6

Wijk aan Zee C 2004 a

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The offer to exchange rooks - 29 . . . �f7 ! 3 0 . �xf7+ � xf7 3 1 . fxg4 - wou l d h ave enabled Black to hold the position. M ag nus did not work out the elementary pawn end ing : 31 . . . � e6!? 32. � g3 fS 33. hS fxg4 34. hxg6 � f6, since in the event of 34. h6? � f7 35. � xg4 � g8 it is Black who wins.

h

44 ...§g2?

Surely it was obvious that Black should aim for the exchange of the kingside pawns. The simple 44 . . . � c6! 45. � b4 g5 would have enabled him to draw.

30. fxg4 c4 31 . �f3 cxd3 32. cxd3 §c8 33. �f4 g5+ 34. hxg5+ fxg5+ 35. �e4 §c1 36. �xd4 §g1 37. §e4 §a1 38. �c5 §xa3 39. d4 �g6

The exchange of rooks leads to a lost pawn end ing .

Th ings would not have been changed by 39 . . . as 40. dS �c3+ 41 . � b6 �d3 42. � c6 �C3+ 43. � d7.

46...§h2 47. § xg6+ �b5 48. §g5+ �b6 49. § h 5 §g2 50. �a4 §f2 51 . § h 6+

40. d 5 §c3+ 41 . �b5 �f6 42. d 6 §d3

�b7 52 . b4

43. �c6 aS 44. d7 §c3+ 45. �b7 §b3+

The winning technique is sim ple and in structive.

46. �c7 §c3+ 47. �d8 �f7 48. §e7+ �f8 49. §e5

52

Black resigned . He has no defence against the check on f5 and then � e7.

.••

§f5 53. h5 §e5 54. b5 §e1 55. §f6

§a1 + 56. �b4 §b1 + 57. �c5 §c1 +

16


M. Carlsen

-

gb3+ 71 . � h2 or immediately 69. � g3 gh8 70. � h2.

L. Aronian

FIDE World Cham pionship Tripoli 2004 a

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67. . . mf7 68. �h5 me6 69. �h8 �c3 10. mt4 mt7 (70 . . J�c2!) 11 . m94 mg6 72. mf4 �c2!

The conversion technique is i n structive. Since 73. gxh3 gf4+ leads to the exchange of rooks, the pawn contin ues its advance, and the king makes an outflanking m a noeuvre. 1a. mga h2 74 . mta mt5 75. � h 5 + a

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Th is position occurred in the first game of the tie-break. It is well known that rook end ings with f- and h-pawns offer the weaker side real saving chances. And the fact that this was a rapid-play game is no excuse for Carlsen bei ng u nable to save the game. A top-class g randmaster is obliged to know key endgame positions. In end ings of this type the best squares for the king are considered to be f2 and g2. Here 66. � g2 suggests itself, aiming to block the h-pawn , and leaving the rook the option of checking along the ran k and along the file (the best square for it is a8). But there fol lowed : 66. mg4?! h a

a n d it tran s p i red that, s i n ce t h e w i n of the h3- pawn leads to a l ost pawn end ing, it has become more d ifficult to hold the position. 67. �g5+?

Th is trick, based on stalemate - 67. . . f xgS ?. - leads to defeat. 67. ga2 fS+ 68. �f4 would have held the posit i o n , i nten d i n g after 68 . . ,gb8 to play 69. ga6+ � hS 70. � g3

m e 6 7 6. � h 8 m e 5 7 7. �e8 + m d 4 7 8 . �d 8 + m c 3 7 9 . � h 8 �d 2 8 0 . mg3 m d 3 8 1 . mf3 m c 2 82 . mg3 md1

White resigned .

A. Onisch uk

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M. Carlsen

Olympiad , Calvia 2004 a

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Black should be able to hold such an end ing a pawn down , but Magnus has no clear impression of how to defend. 44 ...mt8 45. h4 g6 46. mt4 t6?

Such a move is sim ply inconceivable for a grandmaster. An obvious gap in Magnus's 'schooling'. 46 . . . �e7 47. gS hxg5+ 48. hxgS


M. Carls en

f6! , reducing the nu mber of pawns, was correct.

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G. Kamsky

World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2005 a

47. h 5!

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8

N ow holes appear in Black's position.

8

7

mf7 48.E[b7+ mg8 49. me4 gxh 5 50. gxh 5 mf8 51 .E[h7 E[e1 + 52. mf5 m9a 53.E[d7 E[f1 54. t4 mta 55. d 6

47

6

5 � 4 B .\ 3 B

•••

mea 56.E[h7 E[d1 57. mea

Black resig ned.

2

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C. Ped ersen

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41 .E[a6+ me5 42 .E[h 6E[d4 43.1tlc4+ mt5 44. h4 ltlt7 45.E[b6?!

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3

White is a pawn up with a winning position. All that is requ i red is a certain accuracy.

8

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M. Carls en

Gausdal 2005 a

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45. �xh7? was not possible because of the loss of the rook after 45 . . . � g 6 ! , but by playing 45. �e3+ � e4 (45 . . . � e5 46. �xh7) 46. �e6+ �e5 47. �c4 White would have won easily. 45...E[xh4 46.E[xb4

h

And here 46. � g3! �h1 47. � xf3 would have led to the win of the f3-pawn.

This is a theoretically drawn endgame, but you have to know the defensive proced ure.

4 6...E[h3 47. a 5/tlg5 48. a 6??

91 . Irc2 J.b4 92.E[c4 J. e7 93. mf4 mh 5

This elementary oversight changes the picture. N ow W h ite i s losi n g , altho u g h a simple knight manoeuvre - 48. � e3+ and 49. � g4 - would have enabled h i m t o q ueen his a-pawn i n comfort.

I t is correct t o head for t h e corner o f the opposite colour to the bishop - 93 . . . � h3. 94. �f5 AdS??

If c h ess n otation a l l owed it, this m ove would deserve a g reater n umber of ques tion m arks. The simple 94 . . . � h6 would have enabled Black to draw.

48

••.

ltle4+ 49. me3 f2+ 50. me2 E[c3?

50 . . . �f3! would have won i mmediately. 51 . �d2?

95.E[c8

The comedy of e rrors conti n u es . After 51 . � f1 ! Wh ite wou l d agai n have won :

Black resigned.

18

Mag nus Carlsen - Hero of the Computer Era

51 . . JU3 52. �d6+ � xd6 53. a?. 51 . . .J;lxc2 52. J;ld4 �xd2 53. J;ld5+ �e6

White resigned .

By attacking the pawn, Black releases his rook. White is short of one move, which could have been provided by the far-sight ed 55. � d3. 58. J;la6?

M. Carlsen - A. Adly

Reykjavik 2006 a

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Wh ite should have exchanged rooks, after which his knight blockades the pawn pair, guaranteeing a draw. Now the black pawns become dangerous . 58

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J;if8 59. �d2 e4+! 60. �xe4 J;lf3+

61 . �c2 �xe4 62. J;la8 J;lc3+ 63. �d1 J;lb3 64. �c2

After 64. f!c8 Black casts a m ati n g net around the enemy king: 64 . . . Af4 65. c7 f!xb7 66. f!e8+ � d3. 64 . . . J;lb6 65. lieS d3+ 66. �d1 J.f4

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Wh ite's pair of passed pawns i s obv i ously more promising than Black's. But with which pawn should he beg i n? It is not hard to calculate that in the event of 55. c7 A xe? 56. bxc7+ � d7 57. f!a7 � c6 58. � d3 cJ? b6 White loses his pawns, and it will be

67. J;le8+ �f3 68. b8W J;lxb8

White resigned .

M. Carlsen - A. Naiditsch

Sarajevo 2006 a

a draw. Therefore M ag nus begins with the other pawn, but he reaches an i mpasse. The truth is revealed within three moves.

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55. b7?!

This advance should have been prepared by bringing up the king - 55. � d3! . Now, however, Black succeeds i n neutralising the pawn pair.

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55 . . . .tc7 56. J;la8 J;lb8 57. �d3

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After 57. �c5+ � d5 58. � a6 Wh ite loses his passed pawns: 58 . . . � xc6! 59. � xb8+ cJ? xb7 and the result is a draw.

W h ite's p o s i t i o n is c l ose to w i n n i n g , but he sti l l has to make a few accu rate m oves .

57. . . �d5

29. J;Icc7?!

19


Material would have been won by 29. gxa6 � g5 30. A c4 �e4+ 31 . � f3 � d2+ 32. �e2 gb2 (after the exchange of the minor pieces Wh ite has a won rook end ing) 33. A xe6+ � h8 34. gb6.

37. . .�xg2+ 38. �xg2 �xb7 39. �a2

39. h6 ga7 40. gg7 gxa5 41 . gxh7 � h5 also leads to a draw. 39 . . . �xh5 40. a6 �a7 41 . �f2 �g4

29 . . . �b2 30. h4?!

42. �a4+ �g5 43. �f3 e5 44. �a5 �f6 45. �g3 �e6 46. �h4 �f6

A poi ntless move. The king should have been b ro u g ht i nto p l ay : 3 0 . � e1 g b1 + 31 . � d2 gb2+ 32. gc2, retaining winning chances. Now Black succeeds in begin ning cou nterplay.

Draw.

L. Aronian

30 ...�g7!

-

M. Carlsen

Tal Memorial Tou rnament Moscow 2006

Before the second rook is activated , the king m u st be m oved out of the danger zone. In the event of 30 . . . gda 31 . gxf7 gdd2 32. gfd7 a l i near mate is threatened , and Black can not play 32 . . . gxe2+ 33. � f1 gf2+ 34. �e1 gfe2+ 35. � d1 .

a

31 . �xa 6 �d8 32 .�aa7 �dd2 33. �xf7+ �g 6 34. h5+

The c o n seq uences of 34. � f3 g xe2 35. � f4 g b4+ 36. � e5 g xe3+ 37. � d 6 gd4+ 3 8 . �e7 gxh4 are unclear.

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34 . . . �g5 35. �g7+ �h4! 36. �g1?!

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A theoretically d rawn position. Magnus knew - and had em ployed earlier i n simi lar positions - the method of keeping the pawn under fire: 69 . . . ge2 ! . Instead of this he prefers another plan of defence: attack ing with the rook from the long side, which proves to be more complicated .

I n rook endings, king activity is of g reat i m portance, but it wou ld appear that the black rooks are al ready fu lly operational . If 36. � f3 there can follow 36 . . . gxe2 (not 36 . . . e5? 37. g4! with advantage to White) 37. � f4 gb5! and Black holds the position. The exchange of rooks 37. . ,gxg2 38. gxg2 gxg2 39. �e5 would merely com plicate his defence.

69 ...�a1 70. �e7 �a5 71 . e6 �a7+ 12 . �d7 �as 73. �d 6 �a7+?

In the flank attack one must not give u p the 8th ran k. 73 . . . � g6 was the only defence.

36. .. �xe2 37.�ab7?

As a result, after bei ng a pawn up, Wh ite loses two. But also after 37J!ad7 ga2! he can not hope for anyth ing.

74• �eS

Black resigned .

20

Magnus Carlsen- Hero of the Computer Era

It has to be said that Carlsen drew the con clusions from the deficiencies of his play in endings, and the consequences of the work he put it soon became apparent. Already at the Olympiad in Turin (2006) he dem onstrated endgame play on a grand scale against Adams (No. 1 8), where he converted the advantage of the two bishops. The year 2007 proved exceptionally pro ductive. There was the impressive conver sion of an extra pawn in an endgame with rooks and opposite-colour bishops i n a game with Morozevich (No. 2 1 ) . There was an ad mirable depth of ideas in the endings from the 3rd and 5th games of his Candi dates match with Aronian (Nos. 23 and 24), in which with subtle manoeuvres Magnus was able to confine the enemy king in a 'box'. The finish to his game with Onisch uk (No. 26), where his knights restricted the mobi lity of a rook, also i nvites inclusion i n the books. At t h e World Cup i n Khanty Mansiysk, in his game with Adams (No. 31) Magnus again showed brill iant technique in

converting the advantage of the two bish ops in a complicated multi-piece endgame. Also instructive is the fi nish to the game with Chepari nov (No. 32), where l iterally by nuances Carlsen was able to outplay an active rook with his bishop and knight. Also impressive were some masterpiec es by Carlsen early in 2008. In Wijk aan Zee there was a nice fi nish to his game with El janov (No. 33), where he subtly coordinated his rooks and knight. A special place goes to his win over the world champion Kramnik (No. 34) - Magnus was able to construct another ' box' for the king. At the end of the year in Bilbao he added to the textbook col lection of heavy- piece endings: he was able to convert an outside passed pawn in a heavy piece endgame with Aronian (No. 43). Of the games from 2009 mention should be made of his subtle hand ling of the endgame against Jakovenko (No. 52), in which Magnus was able to exploit some im perceptible errors by the opponent in an eq ual position.

21

Chapter 1

From Master to Grandmaster G ifted young players have always drawn the attention of both ad mirers of the ancient game and of recog nised experts. During the active development of chess over the last century and a half, young talents who have gone on to achieve an outstanding level of play can be counted l iterally in single figures. As for recent ti mes, the record belongs to the U krai ne-born Sergey Karjaki n , who became a grandmaster at the age of 1 2 . Such is the trend of the times, the age of techn ical progress. Universal computerisation has become a kind of accelerator in the development of the new chess generation. Chess databases and modern analytical modu les enable young talents to acq u i re the necessary knowledge far more quickly, and lack of experience i n the development of tactical and strateg ic understanding is com pensated by a computer- l i ke calculation of variations. Whereas 30 years ago, accord ing to the picturesque expression of Ti gran Petrosian , young players emerg ing into the chess arena were cal led 'children of l nformator', now they are cal led 'ch ildren of the computer'. Therefore rumours about the young Norweg ian boy Magnus Carlsen , who displayed outstanding chess talent at an eq ually early age as Sergey Karjaki n , quickly spread around the chess world . But in 2002 i t was t h e U krai nian youngster w h o reigned supreme. The height of his fame came at a tournament of the Grand Prix series, held in Moscow, where one of the authors of this book partici pated in the capacity of arbiter. The spectators who arrived at the Mezhdu narodnaya Hotel were able to observe a curious picture. On an em pty stage the last pair were continuing to battle: l iterally impending over a frail lad with his touching l ittle q uiff was a bearded hunk of a man . The experienced l lya Smirin needed 1 40 (!) moves to overcome the resistance of the 1 2-year-old Seryozha Karjaki n . Th is was their second game with t h e classical time control; in t h e first t h e grand master had managed to save a hopeless position a rook down by means of perpetual check. At that time Seryozha's contem porary - Magnus - was sti l l at the start of his career, although at the age of eleven he was able to share 1 st-2nd places in the N orweg ian U nder-1 8 Championship. H owever, he did not d isti nguish h i mself at the European Under-1 2 Championsh ip in Spai n , where he finished only sixth. But in the world cham pionship among his contemporaries in Greece, Carlsen displayed his character and shared 1 st-2nd places with lan Nepom niachtchi, who on the tie-break was proclai med world champion. Junior events at such a tender age do not usually cause much of a stir. This makes the almost i m probable episode with Nepomn iachtchi all the more curious. The emergence of the 1 2-year-old world champion made such an impres sion on one of the major Russian Newspapers lzvestiya, that it decided to sponsor h i m , overlooking that he was merely the best player among his contem poraries. True,

22

M . Carlsen - H. Harestad ------

soon the sponsorship came to nothing, since lan Nepomn iachtchi d isappeared i nto the general mass of Russian players. It is possible, therefore, that i n post-Soviet chess they learned about the Norwegian prodigy only i n 2003, when the magazine 64 - Shakhmatnoe obozrenie reported that in Scandinavia there was a shining new 1 2-year-old master by the name of Carlsen. First he shared 3rd-7th places in the N orweg ian Championship, and then he distinguished hi mself in the Politiken Cup tournament in Copen hagen . This was the first prestigious tournament i n the world chess calendar i n which Carlsen took part. The i nfluential Dan ish Politiken newspaper has al ready staged it 25 times, trad itionally providing a sol id prize fund. Th is attracts strong players, and it is sufficient to recall that among the winners have been such famous names as Smyslov, Korchnoi and Vaganian. The young Norwegian also distingu ished h imself i n Copen hagen , scori ng 8 poi nts out of 1 1 games and fi nishing only a point behind the win ner Krishnan Sasikiran. Starting with a rating of 2385, Carlsen demonstrated a strength of play corresponding to a perfor mance of 2500 (it should be mentioned that Karjakin already had this official rati ng). In that period the fou ndation was laid of the mastery that Magnus demonstrated both in attack on the king, and i n positional play. Carlsen's 'visiting card ' in Copenhagen was a spectacular m ating attack in his game with Harestad .

b2-b4 is possi ble.

Game 1 M. Carlsen - H. Harestad

a

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1 . e4 e5 2. �f3 �c6 3 .tb5 a6 4 .ta4 •

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..t� K. 7 K 'if ..t• • 6 . • �· 5 ·· � · 4 � � 3 � ttJ � 2 �� 1 .:1. ��.:l.tt:J�

Copenhagen 2003 Ruy Lopez [ C98] •

�f6 5. 0-0 b5 6 .tb3 .te7 7. Ete1 d 6 •

_,-

8 . c 3 0-0 9. h3 �a5 1 0 .tc2 c5 1 1 . d 4 •

Y!/c7

The classical Chigorin Variation of the Ruy Lopez. 12. �bd2 �c 6 1 3 . d5 �d8 14. a4 Ela7

a

Black does not want to concede the a-fi le. However, the presence of the rook on a7 allows White to play b2-b4 in a more fa vourable situation. The main continuation here is 1 4 . . . f!b8.

b

c

d

e

f

9

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

h

1 6 .th 6 •

15. �f1 g6

1 6. b4!? cxb4 1 7. cxb4 Ad7 1 8. Ae3 .§b7 1 9. axb5 A xb5 20. Y!/d2 is more in the spirit of the position, with the better game for White.

If 1 5 . . . h6, then 1 6. Ae3 with the idea of

1 6...Ete8 1 7. �g3

23

Chapter 1

From M aster to G randmaster

·

The preparatory 1 7. g4 should have been incl uded.

hopes i nvolving tD h6 and transferri ng his own knight to c5.

17 . ..thd7 1 8. thh2

29. §f1 thc5

And here 1 8 . b4 Af8 1 9. A e3 was more logical, mai ntain i ng the pawn tension.

a

8 7

1 8 ...f6 1 9. Ae3 thb6 20. axb5 axb5 21 . Ad3 Ad7 22. Yi'd2 a

8 7

b

c

d

.I

6 5

e

4

8

3

6

6

5

5

4

4

2 1

c

d

e

f

9

d

e

f

9

h

b

c

d

e

f

9

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

h

Somehow i m percept i b l y Carlsen has aimed his pieces at the kingside, but Black does not sense the danger. He continues to ignore the move 29 . . . h5, although after it the black king wou l d have been more safely placed than in the game. In the event of 30. tD h6 tD g5 31 . f4 exf4 32. � xf4 � xh6 (not 32 . . . A xh3? because of 33. tD xh5+! gxh5 34. e5! �f8 35. tDf5+ A xf5 36. � xf5 and Wh ite wins) 33. h4 �f8 Black safely withdraws his king.

2

b

c

-*--*-�*" 'iif .l .l.l .l� � .l .l � ttJ � iV tt.J � � jl �� g� jl a

3

a

.1

b

h

At the young age of 1 2 it is not easy to stay patient and engage in strateg ic manoeu vring, trying to find a vul nerable point in Black's solid defensive l i nes. But Magnus patiently bides his time. 22 . .. thf7 23. §xa7 Wxa7 24. We2 Wa 6 25. thg4 c!>g7

30. thh 6! thg5

Black i s n ot tem pted by the p rovoca t i ve 2 5 . . . h 5? ! , after w h i c h there can fol l ow 26. tD x h 5 ! gxh5 27. tD h6+ tD x h 6 28. A xh6 Af8 29. � xh5 A xh6 30. � xh6 �e7 31 . �e3 �g7 32. � xf6, when Wh ite has three pawns for the piece and a con tinuing attack.

Black should have restricted h i m self to the cool- headed exc hange 30 . . . tD x h 6 3 1 . � x h 6+ � g 8 , w i t h the i ntent i o n of switching his bishop to g7. 31 . 141 exf4 32. Wxf4 Axh3?

Black is tem pted by the w i n of a paw n , underestimating White's latent attacking resources . It was better to s i m p l ify the position: 32 . . . � xh6 33. h4 �f8 34. hxg5+ f x g 5 35. � h4+ � g7 36. A x g 5 � x f 1 + 37. tD xf1 A xg5 38. � xg5, although here too Wh ite's chances are preferable. N ow,

26. Ac1 tha4 27. Ac2 §a8 28. We3 c4

Black could have contin ued his waiting strategy - 2 8 . . . tD b6 2 9 . A d 3 � a4, but 28 . . . A xg4!? 29. hxg4 c4 also came into consideration, nipping in the bud Wh ite's

24

M. Carlsen - H. Harestad

however, Magnus succeeds i n demon strating the l atent energy of h i s pieces in all its g l o ry.

a

a J.

tt:J

��

----------

b

c

d

e

f

9

h 8

33. �h4 Ad7 (see next

diagram)

34. e5! dxe5 35. t'Llh5+! gxh5

Now Wh ite announces mate in 3 moves. But B l ac k wo u l d also h ave lost after 35 . . r;!l h8 36. A xg5 fxg5 37. 'Mig3!. .

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

36. �xg5+! fxg5 37. l3f7+ � x h 6 38. l3xh7 mate

Carlsen's successful performance in the Politiken Cup tournament greatly raised his self-esteem , and he was also noticed by the organ isers of other tournaments. True, his performances in the 'compulsary program' among his contem poraries were not so successfu l . Competitive fatigue made itself felt. Especially vexing was the set-back at the European Under-1 4 Championsh i p in Budva (Monteneg ro). When Magnus won again st his main rival Sergey Zhigalko and took the lead with 6Y2 poi nts after the 7th rou n d , it appeared that the question of the champion was decided . But he contrived to lose both his last two games, in which he was winning, and fi n ished only third . Magnus also started confidently at the world championsh i p i n Halkidiki (Greece), scorin g 3% points in the fi rst 4 rounds. But u nforeseen circumstances prevented him from becoming champion. As Agdestein , who was accompanying him, described it, the air was l iterally buzzing with bacteria and Magnus became i l l (h is tem peratu re reached 40 deg rees). He nevertheless kept in the lead ing group until the 9th round, but on this occasion he lost to Zhigalko and had to be satisfied with a share of 9th-1 3th places (?Y2 out of 1 1 ). These set- backs were not accidental : a child's organ ism is sti l l delicate, and since the 'compulsary prog ram ' for the year was over-generously combined with the 'free' o ne, by the end of the twelve months Magnus was very tired . This is not surprising - he had played about 1 50 games! It is wel l known that i n Norway since long ago they have long shown a great respect for their heroes, and they try to create the best conditions for the d isclosure of thei r tal ent. Carlsen was no exception. At the age of ten he drew the attention of the Norweg ian grandmaster Si men Agdestein, who i n 2002 began working with the prodigy. Despite the comparative shortness of thei r lessons - twice a month spending 2-3 hours on the analysis of games played - their collaboration produced resu lts. I n 2003 Carlsen three times achieved the i nternational master norm (the last time at the Pol itiken Cup tournament) and by the end of the year he had raised h i s rating to 2450.

25

Chapter 1 ----------------------

·

From Master to G randmaster

Game 2

I. a

M. Carlsen - S. Zhiga lko

8

Eu ropean Under-1 4 Championship Budva 2003 Sicilian Defence [ 833]

7 6

5

1 . e4 c5 2. �f3 �c6 3. d4 cxd4

b

c

d

e

f

'ii' .

g

I. h

1.1\ • ..t. .

£

• �. .

8 7 6

5

4. �xd4 �f6 5. �c3 e5

Despite its apparently anti-positional na ture, the Chelyabinsk Variation is sti l l alive and has not been refuted . Among the el ite players it is constantly employed , for ex ample, by Radjabov and Shirov.

a

d

e

f

g

h

18. Ab3

9. Axf6

I. a

8

At the present time Wh ite more often turns to the q u ieter l i ne 9. tb d 5 A e7 1 0. A xf6 A xf6, and here 1 1 . c3 or 1 1 . c4.

b

'iV c

d

7

9 . . .gxf6 1 0. �d5 f5 1 1 . Ad3

The alternative is 1 1 . c3, to which Black should reply 11 . . . A g7, si nce the capture on e4 is bad i n view of 1 1 . . .fxe4 1 2 . A xb5! axb5 13. tb xb5, and against the th reat of 1 4 . tb bc7+ 'i!? d7 1 5. �g4+ there is no sat isfactory defence, while 1 1 . . . Ae6? is poi nt less i n view of 1 2. exf5 A xf5 1 3 . �f3 .

6

5

VJ!/ 5

4

4 3

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

I n his com mentary for ChessBase, Do rian Rogozen ko rightly remarked that it is hard to think of a more natural move - the d5- pawn is defended and the manoeu vre tb a3-c2 prepared . The d i rect 1 8 . f3 gives Black the opportu nity for rather easy equal ity: 1 8 . . . b4 1 9. tD b1 bxc3 20. tb xc3 A x c 3 2 1 . b x c 3 � x c 3 2 2 . A b1 tb g 6 2 3 . � xf5 exf3 24 . � xf3 � xf3 2 5 . .§xf3 f!ae8 with a d rawn endgame, as i n Karen Asrian's game with Wan g Yue (Khanty Mansiysk 2005). However, for q u ite a long time the main conti n u ation was consid ered to be 1 8 . c.!i h 1 - u nt i l at the tou r nament i n Dortm und (2002), i n h i s game with Topalov, Leko employed the strong

1 1 . . . Ae6 1 2. 0-0 Axd5 1 3 . exd5 �e7 1 4. c3

The capture 14. tb xb5 Ag7 1 5. tbc3 e4 gives Black good compensation for the pawn. • . .

c

1 5 . . . e4 1 6. Ac2 'Wc8 1 7. :§ae1 0-0

6. �db5 d6 7. Ag5 a6 8. �a3 b5

14

b

Ag7 (see next diagram)

1 5. 'Wh5

Theory has grad ually come to the conclu sion that from the standpoint of fighting for an advantage 1 5. f!e1 0-0 1 6. � h5 e4 1 7. Af1 is more promising.

26

M . Carlsen

novelty 1 8 . . . .§b8! , ai med at creating q u ick cou nterplay on the q ueenside. It remains to add that after the i m med iate 1 8 . . . b4 White has the u n pleasant reply 1 9 . cxb4 A xb2 20 . .§e3 ! . In general, the character of the position is such that if both sides make the critical moves (which normally can be achieved only with the hel p of deep home prepa ration), the game m ost often concludes with the mutual el i m i nation of the forces and a draw.

-

S. Zhigalko

20. f4 (plan n i ng � e3 and g2-g4) or even 1 9. f3!? was more logical. 1 9 ...1ti g 6 20. ltic2 ltif4 21 . Y«h4 a

b

c

d

e

a

b

c

d

e

1 8 ..�h8?! .

Black has confused something - here this move is poi ntless. Let us briefly exam ine t h e other poss i b i l ities. Tou rnament practi ce has shown that after the q u iet 18 . . . � g 6 1 9 . � c2 W h ite's chances are preferable (if 1 9 . . . � f4 there is a danger ous exchange sacrifice: 2 0 . 'W g 5 � d 3 21 . � e3 !). After 1 8 . . . .§ b 8 Wh ite has time to consolidate his q ueenside - 1 9. � c2 a5 20. a3 ! after which he can cal mly mount an offensive on the opposite side of the board . The only way to equalise is by the ener getic 1 8 . . . a5! , which occurred a few days later in the game Carlsen - McShane, which continued 1 9. � xb5 a4 20. Ad1 'll!/c5 21 . �d4 W xd5 22 . .§e3 'We5 23 . .§h3 h6 24. f4 'Wf6 with dynamic equilibrium. If 1 9. 'll!/g 5 the best is apparently 1 9 . . . 'Wd7! 20. f3 � g6! 21 . fxe4 f4 with excellent play for Black (Fernandez Romero - Eijanov, Andorra 2003).

f

g

h

21 ...Ae5?!

It is strange that Black did not in fact carry out that for which he was obviously aiming: 21 . . .� d3, after which White wou ld prob ably have had to give up a rook for the pow erfu l knight. H owever, his compensation would have been sufficient: 22 . .§e3 'Wd8! 23. 'W h3 Wg5 24 . .§xd3 exd3 25. 'll!/ x d3 f4! , and the position is unclear. 22. 1tie3

N ow, as if by sched u le, the wh ite pieces arrive at the necessary posts. 22 ...9:g8 23. Ac2! b4 24. g3 1tid3

The opponent's in itiative after 24 . . .� g6!? 25. 'll!/ h 5 bxc3 26. bxc3 (or 2 6 . b3!? f4 27. � f5) 26 . . . A xc3 27. .§d1 seemed too dangerous to Zhigalko, and so he decided to g ive up a pawn.

1 9. �h1?!

On the emergence from the open ing, both players have made decisions that are hard to understand , which, however, is easily explai ned i n view of their youth and the complexity of the position. 1 9. � c2 � g6

2 5 . A x d 3 e x d 3 26. Wxb4 (see next diagram)

27

Chapter 1

a

5

b

'f!i

4 3

2 88 a

b

c

d

retained the advantage. N ow, however, Carlsen retains the d5-pawn with the help of a ' l ittle combi nation'.

8 .: .:

d

From M aster to G ran d m aster

e

8 .t ttJ c

·

e

f

8 9

6

34. c4! �g7

5

If 34 . . . A xb2 there follows 35. !!e8+.

4

35. b3

3

8 2 �1

a

8

h

7 6

White is sti l l a long way from a trouble free conversion of his advantage - it is n o easy m atter to suppress the typical 'Chelyabinsk' activity of the enemy pieces. However, from this moment Magnus begins demonstrating mature technique beyond his years. 26

• . .

.!

.t_[

5 4 3

2 8 1 a

13:b8 27. Wc4!

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

J .J .t • .t .t .i. -

l

.1 8 8 1:, 8 8 .t b

c

8 7 6 5 4 3

8 2 J, � 1 ttJ .: d

e

f

9

h

27. Wa3? would have lost to 27. . .f4 28. ti:J g2 fxg3 2 9 . fxg3 A xg3 ! .

White has set up a seemingly indestructible monolith, but, strangely enough, Black stil l has some drawing chances.

27

35

• • •

f4!

• • .

13:a5

It is not possible to regain the material: 27. . . !!xb2 28. W xd3, or 27. . . d2 28. !!b1 .

35 . . . a5 36. !!4e3 d2 37. !!1 e2 was hopeless for Black.

28. Wxc8 J3:gxc8 29. /l)d1 ! J3:c5 30. gxf4

36. J3:g1 + �f8 37. J3:g2 f!:a3!

30. !!e4! was more accurate: 30 . . . !!xd5 (or 30 . . .fxg3 31 . fxg3 with the same idea of soon surrounding the d3-pawn) 31 . gxf4.

The two players are as though competing in inventiveness. Zhigalko persistently tries to break through the obstructive barriers, skilfully erected by Carlsen in the path of the black pieces.

30

• • •

J.xf4 31 . J3:e4 J.e5 32 . f4 J.g7!

Better than 32 . . . Af6.

38. J3:e3 J3:e8

33. J3:fe1

If 38 . . . aS, then 39. !!xd3 a4 40. !!dg3 cl1 e7 41 . bxa4 !!xa4 42. !!b3 ! , and Wh ite should grad ually convert his two extra pawns.

Or 33. !!f3 !!xd5 34. !!ee3 A h6!. 33

. • •

At6

39. J3:d2!

3 3 . . . h 5 was poss i b l e , altho u g h after 34. cl1 g2 !!xd5 35. cl1 f3 White would have

An accurate move, enabling the knight to be

28

M . Carlsen - S. Zhigalko

activated with gain of tempo. 39. !lxe8+?! � xe8 40. !ld2 aS 41 . lilf2 a4 was weaker.

Ji x h 6 50. �xh 6+ mta 51 . �f5 aS a

39 . ..Ji xe3 40. �xe3 .id4 41 . �f5

6

41 . ..Ac5 42 . Jixd3

4

5

d

f

g

8 7 6

.

5 4 3 2

.I a

B

.i. B B

8 7 6 5

M

B

4 3 2

�1 b

c

d

e

f

g

g

h

6 5 4

B

2

b

c

d

e

f

g

3 2

h

52. d 6!

h

•

f

.i. B tD B �B

.

a

e

e

8

3

42 . . .Ji xa2 43. Jih3 c

d

7

42. �g2! A b4 43. !lxd3 !lxa2+ 44. � g3 was more method ical , bringing the king into play.

b

c

8

After 41 . !lxd3 A xe3 42. !lxe3 !lxa2 the win for White is i n question, since his king is badly placed .

a

b

The timid 52 . � d3? a4 53. � c3 � e8 would have delayed the win, although probably would not have thrown it away. 52 ...a4 53. mds Ab4

If 53 . . . a3 , then 54. � xeS � e8 (54 . . . a2 55. d7) 55. til d4 a2 56. tilb3. 54. c5 mea 55. c6 Aas 56. mc4

h

Of course, there was no point in playing 56. c7? A xe? 57. dxc7 � d7, since a knight is bad at combatting a passed rook's pawn. N ow Black is i n zugzwang.

43 . . . mga?

Blac k s h o u l d h ave p l ayed 4 3 . . . !lf2 ! 44. !lxh7 (44. !lh6? !lxf4 45. til xd6? � g7) 44 . . . � g8 4 5 . !l h 3 !lxf4 4 6 . til e?+ � g7 (46 . . . � f8 47. Cil c6) 47. � g2 (or 47. Cil c6), and although with best play White should win, he would have to overcome techn ical difficulties.

s s ...mda 57. �e7 hs sa. ts h4 5 9 . h3 ts 60. �d5 a3 61 . mb3

Black resigned.

44. Ji h 6!

This far from faultless but e ntertai n i n g game is a good i l l u stration o f Magnus's abil ity from his youngest years to create positions in which m i stakes are practi cally inevitable. In so d o i n g , he normally makes fewer m i stakes i n them than his opponents.

With the fall of the d6-pawn , Black's entire position collapses. However, accurate cal culation is still requ i red of Wh ite. 44 . ..Jia1 + 45. mg2 Jia2+ 46. mf3 Jia3 47. �xd 6 Jixb3+ 48. me4 Jib6 49. �f5

29

Ch apter 1

·

From M aster to G ra n d m aster_________ ________._

The lessons of 2003 were not wasted . During this time Carlsen changed l ittle in the way he worked to improve his standard of play. He sti l l preferred to do this indepen dently, devoting to it five hours a day. Apart from working at the board , he also read chess books with great pleasure. True, the range of them was very specific, but here it is better to hand over to his father, Henri k Carlsen. ' Mag nus has looked at many games comprising the classical heritage of chess, including all the games from Kasparov's books My Great Predecessors, which he l iter ally devoured and of which he remem bers practically everything. He reads a lot: Fire on Board by Shirov, Kram n i k's best games, fundamental works on the endgame and, of course, many books on the open ings. I should also add the New in Chess magazines and Yearbooks and other i nteresting chess magazines. Without any d ifficu lty Magnus combines read ing of chess material and its simu ltaneous analysis. I n the fi rst years of his chess career he spent a lot of time moving the pieces on the board , repeating games and remem beri ng ideas he had seen . But in the last two years he has mainly been analysing i n his head .' There are those who l i ke to tal k about Carlsen's lack of 'schooling', but I should l i ke to rem ind them of the possibility of studying by correspondence. As regards its effec tiveness, everything is decided by motivation. There are n u merous examples of this. Besides, can one talk about a lack of 'schooling', when you have such a prestigious trai ner as Simen Agdestein? Graduates of the Soviet chess school and thei r fol lowers improve their mastery by studying the classical heritage of the great world champions - Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine and Botvinnik, and researchers such as Tarrasch, N i mzowitsch and Reti. To them it may seem amazing how, without read ing a single book by these classics, Carlsen independently achieved such a high level of chess u nderstanding. At the time such a thing seemed i mpossi ble. For example, Tigran Petrosian l i ked to remem ber his youth, when he kept a copy of N imzowitsch's book My System under his pillow. But, as we learned earlier, Magnus absorbed the best of the classical heritage from Kasp arov's five-volume My Great Predecessors. As for the speed of assi m i lating material , present-day geniuses have their resources. I n the computer age it is hard to i mag ine a 1 3-year-old boy who does not spend hours on a computer. Carlsen was no different, using the computer as his main hel per in preparing for tournaments. As he matu red the efficiency increased , his open ing repertoire expanded , and he perfected his abil ity to make a deep study of his opponents' play and find their weak poi nts. Magnus began the year 2004 wel l prepared . One of the pillars of the world chess calendar is the trad itional festival in the small Dutch town of Wij k aan Zee. It is famous not only for its main A Tou rnament, which year after year assem bles almost the entire chess elite, but also its less prestigious B and C all-play-all tournaments, enabl ing young talents stage by stage to make thei r way into chess high society. And to beg i n with the C tournament, even a FIDE category 9 - modest by today's standards - is q u ite natural for a young matador. Carlsen's debut created a genuine fu rore! He not only won with a score of 1 01/2 from 13 games, but also exceeded the i nternational grandmaster norm

30

M . Carlsen - S. Ernst

by 1% points. The sharp and energetic attacking style of the 1 3-year-old Norweg ian testified to the appearance of a new star on the chess horizon. Professionals began talking about h i m . The highly experienced grandmaster Lj ubomir Kavalek, who in his time had seen many talents, saw Carlsen as a 'Chess Mozart'. He was echoed by Evgeny Bebchuk, who in the 1 990s was head of the Russian Chess Federation: 'As a person closely acq uainted with the play of all the great grandmasters, I can confidently say that in the history of chess no one has played l i ke this at the age of 1 3 .' The game with i nternational master Sipke Ernst, played at a key moment of the fight for the first prize, not only captivated those who value bri l l iancy, but gave a slight insight into the secrets of Magnus's home laboratory in work with a computer. To a q uestion, whether the attack on the king was the result of preparation or the fru it of inspiration, he replied: 'I knew that 1 7. 'We2 was the theoretical move, but I didn't remem ber the variations, so I thought about it for some 25 minutes, trying to understand the position . I saw the kn ight move 1 8 . t:D g6 in the game Bologan -Anand (Dortmund 2003). You can decide for yourself whether it was i mag ination or home preparation ! '. It wou ld not be out of place to mention: ideas in themselves do not hover i n the air. The patent on the knight move to g6 in this variation belongs to Alexander Beliavsky, who twice used it to defeat the famous ' Danish prince' Bent Larsen in 1 981 and 1 984, at the tournament i n Ti lburg and i n the USSR v. Rest of the World match. (The inqu isi tive reader is referred to Bel iavsky's book Uncompromising Chess). 1 1 . Af4

Game 3 M. Carlsen - S. Ernst

At one time 1 1 . A d2 was also played , since Black's main reaction was considered to be the set-u p with q ueenside castl ing. But in recent years he has often preferred king side castling, and in this case the bishop is more actively placed at f4.

Wij k aan Zee C 2004 Caro-Kann Defence [ 8 19] 1. e4 c6 2 . d4 d5 3.
1 1 . . .
a !,

b

c

If he wants to carry out the plan with queen side castling, Black can play 1 1 . . . 'W a5+, provoking 1 2. A d2 (1 2 . c3 makes it easier for him to develop counterplay with . . . c6c5), and then retreat 1 2 . . . 'Wc7.

6 5 4 3

2 �� 1 : j, a

b

c

� VJg d

� e

tt:Jtt:J �� f

g

4

1 2 . 0-0-0 Ae7 1 3 .
3

2 : 1

A popular move, which has the aim in the event of 13 . . . 0-0 of attacking the king's position with the g-pawn - 1 4 . t:D xf6+ t:D xf6

h

31

Chapter 1

·

From M aster to G rand master

1 S. g4, as in the game Shirov - Dreev (Dos Hermanas 2003). Before this 13. tD eS used to be played . The problems that Black encou ntered are wel l demonstrated by the game Beliavs ky - Tal (Moscow 1 981), which contin ued 13 . . . 0-0 14. �e2 �aS 1 S. � b1 �ad8 1 6. c4 tD xeS 1 7. dxeS tD d7 1 8 . �d2 A gS (with the aim of weakening the eS-pawn, but 1 8 . . . bS!? 1 9. �hd1 tD b6 came i nto considera tion) 1 9. A xgS hxgS 20. h6 (20. �hd1 tD xe5!) 20 . . .tD xe5 .

.tJl-

.! ...

'iV

The position reached in this game af ter Black's 1 5t h m ove occu rred nearly a q uarter of a century later i n the game Bologan - Anand (Dort m u n d 2 003), but Wh ite played 1 6 . tD g6! and after 16 . . . �fe8 1 7. tD xe7+ �xe7 1 8 . �d3 �ee8 1 9 . �hd1 �d S 20. �g1 ! b5 2 1 . �d2 aS?! (21 . . . c5!) 22. tD e2 b4 23. g4 his attack was more real. But the pioneer of the 'impending' tDeS g6 (which is the idea of placing the knight on eS) was again Bel iavsky, who carried it out in a game with Bent Larsen (Ti lburg 1 981). Black refrained from castling i n fa vou r of 1 3 . . . a5 1 4 . �he1 a4?, after which he ran i nto 1 5 . tD g6!. Nowadays this is one of the techn ical devices i n the solving of such positions, which Carlsen used i n the present game. There fol lowed 15 . . .tD dS?! (1 S . . . a3! 1 6 . b3 tD dS was correct, although here too 1 7. tDf5! secu res White an advan tage) 1 6. tDf5! Af8? (1 6 . . . exf5 really was better) 1 7. Ad6 �g8 1 8 . c4 tD b4 1 9. � h3! fxg6 20. � xe6+ � f7 2 1 . h x g 6 + � xe6 22. �e1 + tDeS 23. A xeS 1 -0.

.�. . ' ' ... 1.1

!::, ...

!::, !::, !::, �

4J : � � !::, :

Analysis diagram

21 . �d5! ! . This is now the last romantics played ! The rook places itself under a four fold attack , disrupting the coord i n ation of Black's q ueen and knight. I n the event of 2 1 . . . cxd5? 2 2 . � xeS g x h 6 23. � x h 6 f 6 24. � xe6+ �f7 2 5 . tD h5 Black cannot hold out. Tal preferred a prosaic solution: 21 . . . �xdS! 22. cxdS � xdS 23. hxg7 � xg7 Y2-Y2. Most of the spectators (and in the concert hall of the International Hotel there were more than a thousand) were puzzled by the peace agreement. This is not sur prising, since a pretty variation remai ned off-stage: 24. tD hS+! � g6! 25. tDf4+! gxf4 26. � h5+ �f6 27. � h4+ � fS 28. � hS+ and Black has to reconcile h i mself to perpetual check, s i n ce 28 . . . � e4? ! 29. �e2+ � d4 30. �d1 + � cS 31 . �xd5+! � xdS 32. �d2+ is risky.

13 . . . 'Wa5

I n the g a m e Bo l o g a n - D reev ( Dago mys 2006) Black simpl ified the position: 13 . . . tD xe4 14. � xe4 tD f6 1 S . �e2 � d S 1 6 . � b1 'We4 and obtained a roughly eq ual endgame. 14. mb1 0-0 1 5. lt\xf6+

1 5 . g4 tD xg4 1 6. tDe5 tDdxe5 1 7. dxeS �ad8 1 8. W h3 with sharp play has also occu rred . 1 5 . . . lt\xf6 1 6. lt\e5 §adS 1 7. 'We2

The th reat of . . . c6-c5 could also h ave been parried by 1 7. 'W b3, but after 17 . . . W b6 1 8 . W xb6 axb6 a practically eq ual end game is reached .

32

M. Carlsen - S. Ernst

17. . . c5?!

destroying his king's protection.

Ernst proves to be u nfami l iar with the var iation, otherwise he wou l d have played 17 . . . VN b6! (Anand - Bareev, team m atch Russia v. Rest of the World, Moscow 2002), where the th reat 1 8 . til g6? is parried by 18 . . . Aa3 .

20

8

a

b

c

d

.!

e

f

9

.� .

h

. • .

If 20 . . . �de8 or 20 . . . �d7 there is the deci sive 21 . �xh6+! gxh6 22. A xh6 fol lowed by g6-g7. But the rei nforcement of the h6-pawn does not change things.

8

8

7 •1i 7 .�. • • 6 ·� • 6 5 'if r--.J tb � 5 4 4 � � .,L--.J 3

�g8

a

b

c

d

.!

6

3

2 � � � Vjj � � g 1 1 � g

e

.1. VIii

b

c

d

e

f

9

18. �g6! fxg6?

h

.� � . 8 7 • �· 6 5 4

3

3

�� a

h

9

4

2

a

f

b

c

d

e

f

9

2

g 1 h

21 . J.xh6! gxh6 22. �xh6+! �xh6 23. Wxe7 �f7 24. g xf7 �g7 25. �d3 �d6

And this shows a lack of elementary knowl edge (Bologan -Anand, Dortm und 2003). 18 . . . �fe8 1 9. til xe7+ �xe7 20. dxc5 �ed7! was essential , when it is not easy for Wh ite to demonstrate his su periority, si nce the c5-pawn is regai ned .

Mate could have been avoided by playing 25 . . . 'W b6 26. �g3+ 'Wg6 27. �xg6+ 'i!i> xg6, but all the same the endgame after 28. d5 is hopeless.

19. Wxe6+ �h8 20. hxg6!

26. �g3+ �g6 27. We5+ �xf7 28. Wf5+ �f6 29. Wd7 m ate

Creating a m at i n g net, s i n ce Black has no defence against the sacrifice on h 6 ,

A spectacular epau lette mate!

Inspired by his bri l l iant performance in Wijk aan Zee, Carlsen decided to test his powers in Moscow at a far higher level in the Aeroflot Open , which was then becoming increas ingly strong. By that time in Russia the affectionate n ickname Malysh had become firmly attached to his name, by analogy with the popular hero of the c h i l d ren's stories Karlson on the Roof by the well-known Swed ish author Astrid Lindgen . The attention of the experts in the press to the Norweg ian prod igy was assured . And so, the Rossiya Hotel, the A Tou rnament, where the consistently strong field did not afford any opportun ities for a respite. I n itially there was a set-back - in the fi rst

33

C h a pter 1

·

From M aster to Grandmaster

round Magnus lost to Shu lskis, after overlooking a simple tactic in ti me-trou ble. But the youngster did not lose heart and he prod uced a series of three wins, gai ned in such dynam ic style, that it became clear: he did not i ntend to yield to successors of the celebrated Soviet chess school. ' I will never forget the veneration', remem bers the wel l-known chess journal ist Evg eny Atarov, 'with which Kasparov's famous trainer Alexander N i kitin produced a copy of the Carlsen - Dol matov score sheet: "Th is is the play of a genius!"' Indeed , we don't recall anyone defeating the experienced Sergey Dolmatov in 19 moves. The secret lay i n Magn us's thorough preparation for a specific opponent. His open ing repertoire i ncorporated play with Wh ite, so to speak, from either hand - 1 . e4 and 1 . d4, but for Dolmatov he made an exception - 1 . &Df3! . And this is why. I n his computer database he d iscovered 1 0 games with the reply 1 . . . f5 . It was here that the mine was laid - Magnus prepared a new plan in what was a seem ingly harmless variation for Black. There was a past history to the events which occu rred i n this game. The position arising after Wh ite's 8th move occu rred in the game Lerner- Bareev from the 1 986 USSR Championship Prem ier League in Kiev, where Dolmatov was also playi ng. Evgeny Bareev recal led (in a conversation with Maxim Notki n , the notable chess com menta tor) that when this position was reached he became i l l at ease, and, recog nising the dangers facing Black, he managed to find a move order with which he did not lose (8 . . . c6! 9. A d3 A xd3 1 0 . '!W xd3 &Df6 1 1 . 0-0 Ae7 1 2 . &D e2 d5). The confident defence found by Bareev, who did not allow the bishop to come out to c4, lul led the vigi lance of Dutch players, who perm itted themselves a seem ingly insign ificant transposition of moves, and this was noticed by Carlsen .

.I a

Game 4 M. Carlsen - S. Dolmatov

8

b

.i. 'iW • .i. l.&\ .I c

d

e

7 .t .t .t 6 1.1\ .t

Moscow 2004 Reti Opening [A04]

5

1 . tilf3 f5 2. d3!?

g

h

8

.t .t 7

�

4

f

6

.t

5 4

3 t:jj � t:jj 2 �� 2 ii, VJg � ii, 1:i 1 1 1:i

A kind of anti-Dutch variation, which mainly has a psycholog ical effect.

3

2 . d6 3. e4 e5 4. tilc3 . .

a

The position has acquired contours typical of the open games.

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

5. exf5! �xf5 6. d4 tilxd4

4 . . . tilc6

Evgeny Bareev evaluates this position as favourable for Wh ite, and thinks that in this set- up Black should play 4 . . . &Df6.

Now if 6 . . .e4 there is the unpleasant 7. d5!. 7. til x d 4 e x d 4 8. 'Wxd4 tilf6?

34

M. Carlsen

-

E. Shapos h n i kov

-------

The capture on c2 is dangerous for Black, who is clearly beh ind in development, but 8 . . . c6 is stronger, hindering the develop ment of the bishop at c4. 9. i.c4!

cxd5 14. A xf6 g xf6 1 5. Wf4 or 12 . . .Wd6 13. �e5 Ae6 14. A xf6 gxf6 1 5. �xe6! W xe6 1 6. tLl xdS are convi ncing enough. 1 1 . J.b3 J.e7?

Far more energetic than 9. A d 3 A xd3 10. W xd3 c 6 1 1 . 0 0 A e7 1 2 . tti e4 tti xe4 13. Wxe4 0-0 with equal ity, Romanishin Malaniuk (Tal linn 1 987).

The decisive mistake. Black's position was still hang ing by a thread : 1 1 . . . We7+! 1 2. �f1 (or 1 2. � d2 0-0-0) 1 2 . . . 0-0-0 1 3 . a4 b4! 1 4 . W xb4 d5, and at the cost of a pawn he would have avoided an im mediate loss.

9 . . c6 1 0. Ag5!

1 2 . 0-0-0 Wd7 13. !a he1 �d8

.

The position is an open one, and, as is customary i n such a situation, Carlsen develops his pieces i n their most active positions. a

b

c

d

e

f

'ii' e ..t

9

5

b

c

d

e

f

c

d

•

5

.! 8

�� 7

9

f

e

iV ..t

9

h

.! 8

�� 7

� .t Jt

6 5

6 5 a

a

b

6

h

J!a\ ..t Jt

6

a

h

1 0 . . b5 .

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

This position recalls the times of the ro mantic 1 9th century. Simi lar positions can be fou n d in the games of Pau l M o rphy and Adolf Andersse n . 'There fol l ows a combi nation, as natural as the smile of a 1 3-year-old youth' ( M . N otkin).

This move does not change the assess ment of the position as dangerous for Black. If 1 0 . . . d5 there follows 1 1 . 0-0-0!, and it only remains to include the second rook in the play, after which the king will be doomed . Especially sinc e the bishop on c4 is i n d i rectly defended: 1 1 . . . d xc4 12. We5+ or 1 1 . . . Ae7 1 2 . �he1 0-0 (1 2 . . . dxc4 1 3 . A xf6) 1 3 . We5. The king can be moved off the dangerous file - 1 1 . . .c!? f7, although here too after 1 2 . �he1 Black is lost. The variations 12 . . . h6 13. tLl xdS!

1 4. !a xe7! Wxe7 1 5. Wf4 i.d7 1 6 . tbe4 d5 1 7. tbxf6 h6 18 . .lh4 g5 1 9. Wd4

Black resig ned . An impressive rout!

Game S M. Carlsen

-

E. Shaposhnikov

Moscow 2004 Nimzo-/ndian Defence [ E38} 1 . d4 tbf6 2. c4 e6 3. tbc3 i.b4 4. Wc2

35

Chapter 1

·

From M aster to G randmaster

This q ueen m ove, which has the aim of keeping the q ueenside pawn structure in tact, is one of the most common reactions to the N i mzo- l nd ian Defence.

placed , and so he prepares to retreat it to the more appropriate square c7, by taking control of bS.

4 . . . c5

1 1 . g4!?

Other popular replies are 4 . . . 0-0 and 4 . . . dS.

As usual, Carlsen resolutely tries to exploit the opponent's slightly retarded develop ment, especially as i n the previous round he had gained a powerful charge of positive emotions. The alternative was the q u iet 1 1 . 0-0, but in this case Black can beg in rather unpleasant (by h u man standards) ' Paulsen-like' cou nterplay with 1 1 . . . tLl g4! (there is also another, more solid reply 1 1 . . . Ae7!? with the i ntention of setting up a ' hedgehog' by . . . d7-d6 and . . . tLl bd7). 1 1 . !!d1 !?, recommended by Vitali Golod, deserves consideration.

5. dxc5 AxeS

S . . . tb a6 6. a3 A xc3+ 7. 'l!V xc3 tL! xcS is also played , but most often Black repl ies S . . . 0-0 and captures on cS with his bishop only after 6. a3. 6. tDf3

It is curious that in the event of 6. Af4 the p l ay m ay u n ex pected ly transpose i nto a l i ne of the c l assical Queen's Gambit: 6 . . . 0-0 7. tLlf3 tLl c6 8. e3 dS 9. !!d1 'WaS 1 0. a3 etc. 6

• • .

8. b3 'Wc7 9. Ab2 b6 1 0. Ae2 Ab7

11

'Wb6

• . .

tD xg4

The sacrifice has to be accepted , as oth erwise Wh ite's play is too simple: g4-gS , tLl e4, 0-0-0, !! d g 1 a n d s o on.

Black p rovokes e2-e3 , to p revent the development of the bishop at g S or f4. However, as the further course of the game will show, it is just as wel l placed on the long d iagonal .

1 2 . lag1 tD x h 2 1 3. tDgS!

For what has White given u p two pawns? All his pieces are in play, apart from the rook on a1 , which needs only one move to be incl uded . B lack, on the other hand, has to solve the problems of both his un castled king, and, no less i m portant, the knight on h2 which is cut off from its main forces. The fearless Rybka assesses the position as eq ual, but in practice it is far more pleasant playing Wh ite.

7. e3 a6

13 . . . tDc6! 14. 0-0-0

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

Th i n g s are u n clear after the tem pti n g 14. tLl xf7!? � xf7 1 S . !!xg7+ � xg7 1 6. tLldS+ WeS! - Black obtains too much material for the q ueen . For example, 1 7. A xeS+ tLi xeS

h

Of course, Black's queen is obviously m is-

36

M. Carlsen

E. Shaposh n i kov

18. � b2 A d6 1 9 . tD xb6 A b4+ 20. � d 1 tD hf3 21 . tD xa8 l;!.xa8 with chances for both sides. a

8

7

6 5

J.

.t.

b

c

d

[j, 3 [j, tjj 2 [j, � VJii

14

. . .

•

f

.i. 'it' .t. .t. � .t. .i.

4

a

e

b

d

6

tjj

5 4 3

� [j, e

h

J. 8 1. 1. 7

[j,

�a c

g

f

a g

�2

1 5. �ce4 0-0-0 1 6. �xc5 bxc5

1 6 . . . � xc5 is bad in view of 1 7. tDe4! A xe4 (otherwise 1 8 . tD d6+) 1 8 . � xe4, and the knight on h2 is lost. 1 7. f4

1 7. tD e4! � b8 1 8 . l;!.xg7 was even better, with a very strong i n itiative. After the move in the game, strangely enough, White does not have a forced win. 1 7. . . �ef3

h

a

b

8

�e5?

7

This natural move, defend ing the f7-pawn and prepari n g q ueenside castl i n g , is a mistake. I n our computer age, concrete variations in chess increasingly take prec edence over general considerations. Very many players (especially of the older gener ation) find it hard to accept this, especially since the variations are often such that they can hardly been found at the board when there is restricted time for thought. Only 1 4 . . . d5!! - a solution which at first sight looks l i ke an attempt to exti nguish a fi re with petro l , and therefore without analysis will be rejected by 80% of play ers - enables Black to maintain a dynam ic balance. Here are these variations, which conclude with the assessment ' u nclear' : a) 1 5 . A h5 g6 1 6 . tD xd5 exd5 1 7. A xh8 gxh5 18. � xh7 0-0-0; b) 15. tD xd5 exd5 1 6 . A xg7 l;!.g8 1 7. � xh7

6

.t.

c

d

1• !.1

.i. 'it' .t.

l .t.

5

[j,

4

1

a

b

�a c

.t.

f

d

h

:t. l.t. .t. 7

� e

g

I!.

[j, [j, �

[j, 2 [j, � VJil

3

e

f

8

6

tjj

5 4 3

a g

�2 1

h

1 8. �xf7?!

What could be more natural than this cap ture? However, the most obvious conti nu ation again proves to be not the strongest. It was preferable to play 1 8 . tD xf3!? tD xf3 1 9. l;!.xg7 J;!.df8 20. J;!.f1 ! (the m ost accu rate; there is no clear win after 20. l;!.xh7 J;!. h g 8 ! , w h i le if 2 0 . J;!.g3 Black i s saved by 20 . . .tD d4! 2 1 . exd4? � xf4+) 20 . . . tD h4 2 1 . J;!.g4 tD f5 2 2 . A x h 8 f! x h 8 23. � c3. White succeeds i n transforming his ini tiative i nto something more tang ible, and he should g radually convert his exchange advantage.

0-0-0;

c) 1 5. cxd5 tD b4 1 6 . �e4 0-0-0; d) 1 5. tD a4 tD b4! 1 6. �d2 0-0-0 1 7. tD xc5 bxc5 1 8 . A xg7 d xc4 1 9. A x h 8 l;!.xd2 20. l;!.xd2 �as.

18 . . . �xg1 1 9. !;lxg1 �f3 20. !;lxg7?!

37

C hapter 1


·

The midd legame is of a purely calculating nature, and is not easy to annotate. The i m petuous rook capture could have lost Wh ite the g reater part of his advantage, which wou ld have been retained by 20. gf1 tD h4 21 . tD xh8 gxh8 22. A xg7 gea 23. A h5 (or 23. � x h7). After 20. gg3 Black is again saved by 20 . . .tD d4! .

24. 'Wg6

Wh ite should h ave considered 24. gf7!? g x h7 2 5 . g x f8+ � c7 26. g h a g x h 8 27. A xh8 A e4, when he has q u ite good chances of converting his extra pawn in the endgame. 24 . . . 1ih1+ 25. �b2 !ig1 26 . .tg5

20 . . J ihg8 21 . �xd8 a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

b

c

d

. QJ

a e

.i. 'it' .t � .t .t .t [3J

[3J [3J � V/if � a

b

c

f

9

J:( .t [3J

[3J �

� d

e

d

9

e

f

'if

7

8 7 6

5

5

4

4

3

[3J

�

2 a h

9

h 8

1:( VJH �

7 6 5 4

[3J �

3

!.--f

c

8

h

!.

b

b

c

d

e

f

3 2

!. 9

h

26 . . . !ixg5?

21 . . . 'Wxd8?

S haposh n i kov a p p arently despai rs of com peting with h i s you n g opponent i n the calculation of variations and he does not notice 26 . . . tD h4! 27. �f6 (if 27. � h7, then 27 . . . A e4! 28. gf7 Axh7 29. gxf8+ � c7) 27. . . � xf6+ 28. A xf6 ge1 ! 29. A g4 tD g2 - thanks to his active rook Black sti l l has saving chances.

B l ac k m i sses h i s c h a n c e : 2 1 . . , g xg7! 22. A xg7 � xd8, and if 23. � xh7 there is the u n p l easant 23 . . . � aS! . N ow Wh ite's position is again almost won . 2 2 . .tf6! 'Wf8 23. Wxh7 !i h8!

23 . . . g xg7 is hopeless: 24. A xg7 �f7 (if 24 . . . �e8 25. A c3, and the detached knight is soon won) 25. � h8+ � c7 26. Af6 A c6 27. �dB+ � b7 28. A xf3 A xf3 29. Ae7! or 29. A e5.

27. fxg5 �e5 28. 'Wf6 'Wd6 29. !ig8+ �c7 30. �c3!

Black resigned.

Carlsen played the second half of the tournament with alternating success, but never theless, by scori ng 5% poi nts in 9 rounds, for the second time in succession (after Wij k aan Zee) he achieved the g randmaster norm. He was developing l iterally before one's eyes, and a d i rect acq uai ntance with the Norweg ian prod igy allowed certain observa tions to be made. In particular, pleasantly surprising was his modest behaviour and

38

M. Carlsen - G. Kasparov

the amazing com posure with which Magnus conducted his games with experienced grand masters. I n his style of play one senses a classical approach to the game. He com petently deploys his pieces, displaying his read iness to engage i n a large-scale strategic battle. At the same time, his age often tel ls. Magnus is not averse to taki ng tactical decisions, and risky sacrifices of material occur for the sake of maintaining the initiative. Also, he constantly keeps the enemy king in view, and he displays exceptional imag ination when attacking it. And all this is supported by wonderfu l calculating abil ity, not only with speed of thinking, but also depth of penetration into the position. A surprising thing was Carlsen's striving for complete independence in his work on chess: 'I l i ke to prepare on my own , and I don't understand how some outsider can impose on me his choice of open ing or his vision of the fight.' A unique view for such a young age. At the same time he spoke with great respect about his fi rst trainer Simen Agdestein, who responded i n simi lar terms (Agdestein wrote about Magnus the book Wonderboy, publ ished in 2004 by New in Chess). After his successfu l performance in Moscow, Carlsen played less wel l at the trad i tional tournament in Reykjavik, where he scored only 50%. But the main result of the visit to Reykjavik was Carlsen's meeting with Garry Kasparov, who had been i nvited to take part in a bl itz and rapid tournament. Garry easily beat Magnus at bl itz, but in the rapid tournament, held on the knock-out system , an embarrassment almost occu rred . In the first game, after playi ng the open ing su perficial ly, the strongest player i n the world was thoroughly outplayed by the youngster, and it was only a lack of experience that prevented the latter from winning the game. In the second game Kasparov was extremely com posed and he won the m i n i -match, but the impression remained and it had im portant consequences for Carlsen. When a year later Kasparov gave u p top level chess, he decided to share his experience with the one he considered the most worthy. His choice fel l on the strongest young player from the West .

risky for Black) 21 . � x h 2 � x e4+

M. Carlsen - G. Kasparov

22. Ae5 �d6

1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. �f3 �f6 4. �c3 e6 5. Ag5 �bd7 6. e3 'WaS 7. �d2 Ab4

a

a !.

8. 'Wc2 0-0 9. Ae2 e5 1 0. 0-0 exd4 1 1 . �b3 'Wb6

7 6

11 .. .'�c7 was much better. Now somehow

5 .t B

imperceptibly Garry sl ides into a positional mire.

4

3

1 2 . exd4 dxc4 1 3 . Axc4 a5 14. a4

2

Wc7 1 5. �ae1 h 6 1 6. Ah4 Ad6 1 7. h3 � b6 1 8. A xf6 � xc4 1 9. �e4 Ah2+ 20. �h1 �d6 (20 . . . b5 2 1 . tLl bc5 was

a

39

b

c

d

e

..t

.\ 'if .\ � ttJ B VJJ! b

c

B

d

8 7

5

� B B B� :: e

f

9

h

4 3 2

C hapter 1


·

23. 'Wc5

32. 'Wg4

White acts as though in the Russian say ing: 'You can't have too much of a good thing', but here it does not apply. Although Black's position is sti l l u nenviable - it is not easy for h i m to complete his development under fi re by the opponent - Kasparov is g iven a respite. The i m mediate 23. d5! would have set Garry serious problems.

As it is fashionable to say nowadays, up to here Magnus has played like Fritz or Rybka. But the problem with com puter programs is that they often evaluate endings with an extra pawn as though their 'brains' are switched off. They fol l ow the principle: I have a pawn , so there is no need to think! And although, com pared with other drawn positions, here there are opposite-colour bishops, not a single computer g ives a drawn assessment. Winning chances would have been re tained by 32. f3 , removing the threat from the bishop on b7, whereas Wh ite's dark square bishop can attack both along the long diagonal, and - especially i m portant - the a5-pawn .

23 . . . §d8 24. d5

It was also possible to transpose i nto a favou rable endgame: 24. A xd6 � xd6+ 25. � xd6 �xd6 26. �e8+ � h7 27. �fe1 b5 28.�1 e7 bxa4 29. &D c5 �xd4 30. �xf7. 24 . . . 'Wd7 25. ttld4 ttlf5 26. dxc6 bxc6 27. til xc6 §e8 28. §d1 'We6 29. §fe1

32 . . .'Wxg4 33. hxg4 .tc6 34. b3 f6

.tb7 30. ttld4 etlxd4 31 . 'Wxd4 'Wg6

35 .tc3 §xe1 36. §xe1 .td5 37. § b1 •

a

a J. 7

b

c

d

e

I.

.i.

6

5 . 4 [j,

�

Jt

3

[j,

2 1 a

b

c

.: .: d

e

f

g

•

h

•• 'ti' .

[j, [j, [j, cJ;; f

g

'i!lf7 38. 'i!lg3 §b8 39. b4 axb4 40 . .txb4 .tc4 41 . a5 .ta6 42. f3 'i!lg6

8

43. 'i!lf4 h5 44. gxh5+ 'i!lxh5 45. § h 1 +

7 6

'i!lg6 4 6. .tc5 §b2 47. 'i!l g 3 §a2

4

48. Ab6 'i!lt7 49. §c1 g5 50. §c7+ 'i!lg6 51 . §c6 .tf1 52. Af2

3

Draw.

5 2 1

h

A month later, at the Open in Du bai , Magus achieved the g randmaster norm for the third time (61/z poi nts from 9 rounds), and then he confirmed his g rowi ng class in Scand i n avia at the Sigeman Tou rnament (FI D E category 1 3). The tournament was held in Malmo and Copenhagen, but whereas in the Swed ish part Magnus's play was rather restrained (21/z poi nts from 5 rounds), in Denmark he defeated three g rand masters and fi nished i n 3 rd place with 51/z poi nts out of 9, once again ach ievi ng the g randmaster norm .

40

M . Carlsen - E. Vlad i m i rov

The 1 3-year-old Norweg ian's achievements were recognised by his inclusion i n the World Championsh i p i n Li bya, held on the knock-out system i n May 2004. However, Carlsen's appearance went practically unnoticed, since in the very fi rst round he lost to the rapidly progressing Levon Aronian. But it should be mentioned that the latter was able to overcome his young opponent only in the second rapid tie-break game, in which Magnus lost a theoretically d rawn rook end ing with f- and h-pawns. After the set-back in Libya, Carlsen played without interruption, one tournament after another, and his rating also improved . By the time of the Olympiad in Calvia (Mallorca) the youngster had raised it by another hundred points and reached 2581 , finally catch ing his more successful contemporary Sergey Karjakin. I n the Norwegian team Magnus immediately made his debut on board 1 , which was conceded to him by the permanent team leader, grandmaster Agdestein. Despite his higher rating, M ag n us's trainer did not hesitate - the future belonged to him. And Carlsen did not let him down. He scored 3% points from 5 games, and the Norwegian team fin ished in a respectable 31 st place. These successes marked an i m portant watershed . The time of Swiss ' l otteries' was at an end . At the age of 1 4 , with such a high rating, M agnus could hope for more favourable i nvitations from tournament organisers, and the opportun ity presented itself to plan a sched ule of performances. After the protracted series of official com petitions, which had taken much strength , now was the time from him to rest and assess his capabil ities. But sig ned contracts have to be fulfi l led . And after the Olympiad came a considerable slump: an ind ifferent performance at the four-player Hoogeveen Essent Crown tournament in Hol land and a complete fai l u re in the Spanish Team Cham pion ship (four losses and five d raws). Such a d ismal finish cou l d hardly have improved his mood before the New Year. But how could he reject taking part in a FIDE category 1 4 tournament i n his homeland?

a

Game 6 M. Carlsen

-

.i

b

c

d

e

f

'it' • .i.. ..t

9

h

.i

7 .t. .t. "' .t. .t. "'.t. .t. .t. 7

E. Vladi m i rov

8

Dubai 2004 Sicilian Defence [ 867]

6

8

6

�

5

1 . e4 c5 2. tllf3 tll c 6 3. d4 cxd4

5

4. tll x d4 tllf6 5. tll c 3 d6 6. £g5 e6

4

4

3

3

7.

Wd2 a6 8. 0-0-0 .td7 9. f3 (see next diagram)

9

• • .

.§c8

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

i s poss i b l e : 9 . . . tD x d 4 1 0 . � x d 4 A e7 1 1 . g4 A c6 1 2 . A e3 0 - 0 1 3 . g 5 tb d7 1 4 . h4 b5 1 5. � b1 b4 1 6. tb e2 d5 1 7. exd5 A xd5 1 8 . � f4 .§c8 with good cou nter-

Apart from the move in the game, B lack has a wide choice of alternatives: 9 . . . A e7, 9 . . b5 or 9 . . .tb xd4. For example, i n the last case the fol lowing development of events .

41

Chapter 1


·

p l ay fo r Black (Ta l - Balashov, Tal l inn 1 973). 1 0. J.e3

1 0. g4 is also possible: 1 0 . . . Ae7 1 1 . Ae3 tD e5 (1 1 . . . h 6 1 2. h4 transposes into the game) 1 2. g5 tD h5 with double-edged play. 10

. . •

�e5

Another development of events involves the exchange of knig hts: 10 . . .tD xd4 1 1 . A xd4 b5 1 2 . g4 Ac6 1 3 . g5 tD d7 with pawn at tacks on opposite wings. 1 1 . g4 h6 1 2 . h4 b5 1 3. Ad3 b4 14. �ce2 d5 1 5. exd5 �xd5 1 6. �f4 a

b

8

c

d

e

.!. 'if • i. i.

.t. 1.& 1.&

7

f

5

9

.t. .t.

h

.!.

.t.

8 7 6

A xc2 26. tDf6+ � h8 27. tDe8 'Wc6 28. 'We5+ � g8 29. �d6?? (29. tDf6+ � h8 30. tD e8+ wou ld have forced a d raw) 29 . . . A h6+ 0-1 . 1 7. �b1 �xf3?!

H ow should this m ove be assessed? It looks very attractive, s ince the knig ht capt u re 1 8 . tD xf3? m ay lead to m ate: 1 8 . . . tD c3+! 1 9. bxc3 bxc3 20. 'Wc1 A a3, but Black's i l l usions are soon dispelled . It would have been more logical to settle on 1 7. . .tD xd3 1 8. 'W xd3 tD xe3 1 9. W xe3 Ae7, with an inferior but defensible position. 1 8. 'Wf2 �xe3 1 9. 'Wxe3 �xd4

If 19 . . . Ac5 there follows 20. 'W xf3 A xd4 21 . tD g6!, and the attempt to play for mate - 21 . . . e5!? 22. tD xh8 Ae6 - is parried by 23. b3 'Wa3 24. A b5+ axb5 25. �xd4 exd4 26. �e1 'Wa7 27. tD g6 . 20. 'Wxd4 Wc5

5

�4 tij � 3 ttJ il, il, � 2 2 � � � WJ g 1 g

4

3

a

16

• • •

b

c

d

e

f

9

8 7

h

'Wa5

A p p a rently, to the experienced Evg eny Vlad i m irov, Black's ach ievements in Gazi k - Popovic (Stary Smokovec 1 99 1 ) seemed inadequate. That game continued 1 6 . . .tD xd3+ 1 7. 'W xd3 tD xe3 1 8. 'W xe3 Ac5 1 9. tD h5 0-0 20. g5 We? 2 1 . �d2 (21 . tDf6+ gxf6 22. gxf6 � h7 23. 'We4+ � h8 24. 'We3 leads to a curious d raw) 21 . . . A a4 22. gxh6 A xc2? (22 . . . g6!? 23. � b1 �fd8 was cor rect) 23. hxg7 A g6 24. g xf8'W+ (24. � d1 ! A xd4 25. gxf8'W+ � xf8 26. 'W xd4 would have won m aterial) 24 . . . A xf8+ 25. tD c2

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

21 . 'We4

Black is beh ind i n development and Wh ite builds up the threats (if 21 . . . Ae7 there fol lows 22. tD h5), completely rul ing out the possibility of the black king castling. At first sight the q ueen move seems i m possible d ue to 2 1 . . . Ac6 22. 'We2 A xh1, but it is

42

D. Palo - M. Carlsen

here that a 'mine' has been laid: 23. CL!xe6! W/e7 (23 . . .fxe6 24. � xe6+ leads to mate: 24 . . .<;t>dB 25. Ae4+) 24. Af5! ! and there is no defence against the mate by 25. !!dB+ !::! x dB 26. tile?#. A pretty mate also awaits B lack after 21 . . . Ae7 22. Cbh5 Ac6 23. CL!xg7+ � fB 24. /i}xe6+ fxe6 25. !::! h f1 + � eB 26. � xc6+ Wfxc6 27. Ag6#!

a

7

6

b

c

d

e

f

9

8

.I

a

8

5

4 {jj [j [j 4 3 3 � 2 /j /j /j VJ!i 2 :g 1 :g � a

b

c

d

e

f

9

e

�

'iiV

h

� 6

6

• .i.

d

3 � 2 [j [j [j � :g b

c

d

f

9

��

.I h

8 7

� 6 {jj 5 /j /j 4 3 2 fH :g

e

f

9

h

26. 'Wd4!

7

7

.i. .I c

5

21 . . .'Wc6 22. 'We2 aS a

b

8

The double attack (27. A b5 with mate at dB is threatened , as wel l as the captu re on g7) is irresistible. 26 . . . §d7 27. �xg7+ .1xg7 28. 'Wxg7 §f8 29. 'Wxh6

Wh ite is now a pawn u p with a conti n u i ng attack on the king. The game is decided .

h

29 . . . b3

Black has an extra pawn and t h e two bishops: what else, it wou l d see m , can he want? But the main thing is the insecure position of his king. If 22 . . . A d6 there fol lows 23 . Cbh5 0-0 24. g5 with a dangerous attack.

If 29 . . . a3 , then 30. �g5 with the th reat of 31 . A b5 is decisive, since after 30 . . . A a6 31 . A xa6 � xa6 there follows 32. �f4, as occurred in the game. 30. axb3 axb3 31 . cxb3 .ta6 32 . .txa6

23. �h5 a4 24. § hf1 ! §c7

'Wxa6 33. 'Wf4! §a7

Black is obl iged to forg et about c o u n terplay: 2 4 . . . b3 25. c x b3 axb3 26. � f2 bxa2+ 27. � a1 and he has to run with his king - 27. . . � d8 (27. . . f6? 2B. CL!xf6+!), al lowing 2B. � xf7. Therefore he defends the f7- pawn with his rook, but Wh ite stri kes a blow at its neighbour. I n the event of the defence by the q ueen 24 . . . �c5 25. �f3 Wie7 there fol l ows a blow from the left 26. � b7.

If 33 . . . � b5, then 34. �c4 is an adequate reply. 34. 'Wb8+ �e7 35. 'Wb4+

Black resig ned .

Game ? D. Palo

-

M. Carlsen

Gausdal 2004 Nimzo-lndian Defence [E32]

25. 'Wf2 .tea

43

C hapter 1

From Master to G ran d m aster

·

1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �c3 Ab4 4. Vc2 0-0 5. a3 .Q.xc3+ 6. 'Wxc3 b6 7. .Q.g5

1 2 cxd4 13. Vxd4 �c5 14. Ac2 e5 1 5. 'Wf2 •••

b

Another plan i nvolves the development of the bishop at b2: 7. !Df3 A b7 8 . e3 d6 9. Ae2 !D bd7 1 0. O-O !De4 1 1 . �c2 f5 1 2. b4 etc.

.I 7 .t. .t 6 ...

7

5

• • •

a

8

J.b7

4 a

b

c

d

i. "' 'if 7 .f. ..t .t. .t.

8

6 5

e

f

g

h

I. • 8 1. 1. 1. 7 6 ... "' � 5

3 2

c

d

e

f

g

h

f

g

h

• 8 ... ... ... 7 6 ... "' "' ... � 5 4 £::, £::, 3 £::, £::, fj, � {jj WJ [j, [j, 2 � l:t l:t a

b

'ii' .l.

c

d

e

1 5 . . . �g4!

4 3

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

This tactical trick enables Black to solve his opening problems. 1 5 . . .!Dfxe4? did not work because of 1 6. !D xe4 !D xe4 1 7. A xe4. 1 6. Axd8?!

8. �f3

1 6. � h4! f6! 1 7. � xg4 fxg5 1 8. 0-0-0 was stronger, with an unclear game. The Danish player probably underesti mated the dan gers awaiting him in the endgame, which is by no means so harmless for White as it may seem .

At the present time fashion gives prefer ence to 8. e3 d6 9. !D e2 !D bd7 1 0. �c2. For exam ple: 10 . . . h6 1 1 . A h4 c5 1 2 . �d1 �c7 1 3 . !D c3 a6 1 4 . �d2 �adS 1 5 . f3 d5 1 6. cxd5 exd5 1 7. Ad3 �fe8 1 8 . 0-0 �c6 1 9. Ac2, and one can speak of some ad vantage for White (Dreev - Korotylev, Mos cow 2009). 8

• . .

16

• . •

�xf2 1 7. �xf2 Ilexd8

A close examination of the position reveals that the weak d6-pawn is easily defend ed , and the possession of the d 5 - point does not play any g reat role. At the same ti me, Wh ite's light-square bishop is bad , and the dark squares in his position are weakened .

d6 9. �d2

The simple 9. e3 !D bd7 1 0. A d3! is also possible, since the exchange on f3 can only favour White, who gains the advantage of the two bishops against two knights and the half-open g-file for an attack. 1 0. Ae2 �c8 1 1 . 0-0?! is less good because of 1 1 . . .!De4! . 9

. . •

1 8. b4

In the event of 1 8. �hd1 !D e6 the black k n i g ht wou l d have reached d4, w h i c h , however, wou ld hardly b e fatal for White.

�bd7 1 0. f 3 c5 1 1 . e 4 Ile8 1 2 . J.d3

1 2 . Ae2 deserves consideration.

44

D. Palo - M. Carlsen

The move in the game is more active, but also more committing - the c4- pawn is weakened . 18 . . . li:le6 1 9. Ethc1 �f8 20. li:lb3 �e7 21 . Ad3 Ac6 a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

J. I. •• • 7 . 6 • -*- • � 5 • 4 £:::, £:::, £:::, 3 £::, /!iJ � £:::, 2 rJ;; !:::, £:::, 1 .a. .a.

a

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

a

7 6 5 4

27. Eid1 + �c7 28. Ei xd8 Eixd8 29. �e3 Eid4 30. Ad3 Ad7 31 . Etb1

If 31 . �a2!? Carlsen would probably have played 31 . . . g6 32. �b2 f5 . The difference com pared with the game continuation was that the 6th ran k wou l d rem a i n c l osed , and B lack wou ld be denied the possibility of . . . �d6-g6-h6, which could have g iven Wh ite add itional chances. a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

8

8

• -*-

7

6 5 . 4 £:::,

3

2

h

• • £:::, 1. £:::, � � £:::,

3

2

22. a4?

This merely agg ravates Wh ite's difficu lties. The accu rate 22. tD d2 was better.

a

b

c

d

e

f

6 5 4 3

£:::, £:::, 2 9

h

22 . . . a5! 23. bxa5 tileS!

31 . . .f5! 32. Eic1

Apparently Palo was only rec ko n i n g on 23 . . . bxa5 24. c5! , when the position be comes equal . Now another wh ite pawn is fixed on a light square.

It was not possible to captu re on f5 be cause of 32. exf5 �xd3+! 33. 'i!;>xd3 A xf5+, but 32. g3 g5 (32 . . . �d6 33. A c2) 33. �g1 was i nteresting.

24. Ac2

32 . . . f4+ 33. �e2 Eid6 34. Eib1 Eih6!

After 24. tD xc5 both captures wou ld have led to a big advantage for Black.

It is usefu l to provoke h2-h3, after which Wh ite's pawns are on squares of the colour of his bishop.

24 . . . bxa5 25. Eicb1 �d7 26. tilxc5+

dxc5

35. h3 Etg6!

The position can be assessed as 'between a win for Black and a d raw'. It is i m portant only for Black to retain at least one pair of rooks, to avoid the creation of a fortress. I n practice the stronger side i s often success ful in such cases, since it is very difficult to defend passively.

Carlsen demonstrates excellent technique - it is also not out of place to draw the king away from the centre. 36. �f2 Etd6 37. �e2 g5 38. Ac2 h5 39. Eid1 Eid4

It wou l d h ave been a b l u n de r to p l ay

45

Ch apter 1

·

__________________.____

From Master to G ran d m aster

------

39 . . J !xd1 ? 40. � xd1 g4 41 . h4, when there is nowhere for B lack to break through.

8

40 . .td3

7

a

.l 4 �

43. 9:g1 9:d8 44. g3!?

If 44. l:! b1 , then 44 . . . A x a4! (44 . . . l:!h8 is less good : 45. A c2 g4 46. h4! and Wh ite has exc e l lent c h ances of setti n g up a fortress) 4 5 . l:! a1 A c 6 46. l:! x a5 � b6! ( b u t not 4 6 . . . l:!a8 47. l:! x a8 (47. l:!xc5 � d 6) 47. . . A xa8 48. � d2 � b6 49. � c3 � a5 50. � b3=) 47. l:!a1 l:!a8. The point of B l ack's plan is to break through with his king via the q u eenside: 48. l:!xa8 (af ter 48. l:! b1 + � c7 Wh ite is probably lost) 4 8 . . . A x a8 4 9 . � d 2 � a5 50. � c3 � a4 51 . A c2+ � a3 52. A b1 A c6 53. A c2 A a4 54. A d3 � a2! and wins.

3

d

e

f

�

a

b

c

d

g

.!.

h 8 7

�

2

�

.l �

e

.l .l �

6 5 4 3 2

f

g

h

and, despite h i s two extra pawns, B lack sti l l has to overcome some techn ical d if ficulties. 47. . . 9:g7 48 . .te4 .txh3

As usually happens when converting an advantage, at the critical moment one has to switch from the systematic strengthen ing of the position to the calcu l ation of specific variations. 49. a:h1 g4 so. a:b1 a:9s s1 . a: b7+ ct>da 52. e6 a:es

The e-pawn has been stopped , and Wh ite is u na b l e to cope with the c o n nected passed pawns. 53. 9:f7 g3 54. 9:xf4 9:g5 55 . .td5 .txe6! 56. mt1 .txd5 57. cxd5 9:xd5

44 . . . 9:g8 45. gxf4 exf4 46. e5!

Wh ite deprives h i mself of his only trump the protected passed pawn , but this deci sion is forced , since Black was threatening . . . � d6-e5 with a total bind.

.l �

5

40 .. J;td6 41 . .tc2 9:d4 42 . .td3 .tc6

c

• ..t

6

40. l:!xd4 cxd4 followed by the king march to c5 was also hopeless.

The open ing of a second front comes into Black's plans, but for the moment 42 . . . g4 is premature because of 43. hxg4 hxg4 4 4 . l:!h1 with the activation of the rook (44 . . . A x a4 45. l:!a1 ).

b

58. ct>g2 9:d4 59. 9:f5 h4 60. mh3 c4

Wh ite resig ned .

46 . . . .td7

Game 8 M. Carlsen - N . Short

(see next diagram)

Hoogeveen 2004 Queen 's Gambit {037]

47. .th7?!

47. A e4! was m o re res i l ient: 47. . . A xh3 48. A d 5 l:!g7 49. l:! b1 l:!e7! 50. l:!b7+ � d8 51 . l:!b8+ A c8 52. l:!a8 l:! xe5+ 53. � f2

1. d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �f3 d5 4. �c3 Ae7 5. Af4 0-0 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 AxeS

46

M . Carlsen - N. S hort

a

b

c

d

1. 1.& 1. 'if 7 .t.

.t.

8

: J 4 3

2 �� 1 II a

b

e

f

g

I. .

10 . . . �c6 11 . .td3 .tb6 12. 0-0

h

.t. .t. .t. 7 j_ l .t. l.& : � � c

8

a

4 i, 3 �� 2 � � i, II 1 d

e

f

g

3 � 2 � 1 � a

8. cxd5

b

c

d

e

4 i, 3 i, � � �� 2 'if II � d

e

f

g

h

1 2 . . . d4

A few years later, when he had grown up

.

c

4

h

a little, at the 2008 B i l bao tournament Carlsen chose a more agg ressive variation agai nst lvanchuk: 8 . "Wc2 tb c6 9. a3 �a5 1 0 . 0-0-0 .te7 1 1 . h4 l::!. d 8 1 2 . tD d2 a6!? 1 3 . Ae2 b5! 1 4 . cxd5 exd5 1 5 . g4? ! . Th is attack is too l ate, a n d W h ite should have restri cted h i mself to central strategy: 1 5 . tD b3 "Wb6 1 6 . tD d4 tD xd4 1 7. §xd4, restra i n i n g B l ack's i n itiative. If 1 7 . . Ac5 there can fo l low 1 8 . A e5 A xd4 1 9 . Axd4 when the centralised bishop, which has n o opponent, i s n o weaker than a roo k . The game contin ued 1 5 . . . A e6 1 6. tD b3 �b6 17. g5 tD e4 1 8 . tD xe4 d xe4 1 9. §.xd8+ �xd8!? (1 9 . . . "Wxd8 20. � b1 Wd5 21 . tD c1 §c8 22. Wd 1 "Wc5 23. tD b3 'W f5 is also possible, retai ning a dangerous i n itiative) 20. 'i!?b1 l::!. c 8 2 1 . "Wd 1 tD c6 22. h5 a5! and Black's attack proved more real.

b

Magnus has also had occasion to play this position with B lack. At the Amber Tourna ment (N ice 2009) in his blindfold game with lvanchuk he set Wh ite more com plicated problems: 1 2 . . . A g4 1 3 . h3 A h5 1 4 . b 4 §.e8 1 5 . §.c1 a6 1 6 . A xa6 §. x a6 1 7. b5 §. x a3 1 8 . bxc6 bxc6 1 9. §.xc6 §.a? and Wh ite could find nothing better than to go i nto a position with opposite-colour bishops 20. '1Wb3 A xf3 21 . §.xb6 Ae2 22. §.b1 A c4. The game is level. 1 3. e4 .tg4 14. h3 .th5 1 5. g4 .tg6 1 6. �d2 f6

If 1 6 . . . §.e8, then 1 7. A g3 followed by f2-f4 is possi ble. 1 7. lac1 (see next diagram)

I n this variation 1 7. tD c4 A c7 1 8 . A xe? '1Wxc7 1 9 . f4 is m o re often p l ayed . The game Pel letier - U bi lava (Spain 2000) con tinued: 19 . . . Af7! 20. §.c1 � h8 21 . b4 A xc4 22. l::!. x c4, and here instead of 22 . . . W d6 Black could have played 22 . . ."Wb6! with strong cou nterplay i n connection with . . . a7-a5 (Dautov).

8 . . . CLi x d 5 9. � x d 5 e x d 5 1 0. a 3

Sharper play resu lts from 1 0. A d3 A b4+ 1 1 . 'i!?e2 tb c6 1 2 . "Wc2 h6 1 3 . l::!. h d1 with strong press u re i n the centre, although Wh ite's u n s h e ltered k i n g n evertheless gives him some problems.

47

Chapter 1

a

b

c

d

e

f

g


·

h

5

5

In view of the weakening of the kingside, it was essential to cover the f6-sq uare 24 . . . A g6!, preventing White's manoeuvre which he carried out i n the game. Then 25. A xc6 bxc6 is pointless, since the pawn breakthrough 26. f5 Af7 27. e5? A dS is to Black's advantage. He also has a sound position after 25. 'I!Ng3 'I!Nc5 or 25. '1Wd3 f!d8. 25. /ixc6 bxc6 26. fxg5 fxg5 27. YJ/f6+!

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

1 7. . . �h8 1 8. �c4 /ic7 1 9. /ixc7 YJ/xc7 20. f4 §ae8

At that time Carlsen was already n oted for his practical approach. If he sees real chances in an endgame, he is prepared to be satisfied with a small advantage. a

20 . . . Af7! was stronger.

8

21 . YJ/f3 YJ/e7 22. §ce1 lif7 23. �d2!

7

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

6

A subtle move, making way for the bishop. a

c

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d

8 7 6

.t. .t.

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5

l

4

3 � 2

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1 a

b

c

e

f

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• 'ii' .S.. .t. .t. .t.

e

f

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5

4

4

3 �

8 7

2

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6 a

5

4 �. � � � i., VIIi � 3 2 CiJ ::� 1 d

5

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

27. . . �g8?

Short was clearly rattled . Otherwise how can it be explai ned that he gave up the d4pawn, and then 'asked' to go i nto an end game. After 27. . .'I!Nxf6 28. f!xf6 c5 29. e5! (29. f!ef1 <;!> g7 30. f!xa6 f!b8 31 . f!a7 <;!> g8 32. e5! f!xb2 33. tb e4 A g6 is not so clear) 29 . . . f!e7 (with the idea of 30. f!xa6 f!fe8, since otherwise W h ite w i l l p i c k up the a6-pawn for free) 30. tbf3 §.feB 31 . §.d6! a5 32. f!c1 Wh ite fixes all the opponent's weaknesses.

h

23 . . . g5!

Sens i b l e p ro p hylaxis. B lack sets u p a barrier on the distant approaches to his king. With passive play the pawn offensive could have become very dangerous: 23 . . . a6 24. h4! h6 25. g5! fxg5? 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. 'I!Nh3+ <;!> g8 28. e5 g6 29. e6! and Wh ite wins the bishop (29 . . . A xe6 30. f!xe6).

28. YJ/xd4 c5 29. YJ/f6 YJ/xf6 30. § xf6

24. /ibS a6?

Wh ite is a pawn up with the better posi-

48

M . Carlsen - N. Short

tion. Magnus conducts the technical phase impeccably. 30 J !b8 31 . �f3 flxb2 32. � xg5 A a2 33. §xf8+ � xf8 34. � xh7+
a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

8

•

7

6 ' 5

fj,

4

3 /j, 2 .i. l. a

b

iLl fj,

d

e

f

9

The pawn capture 37. . . flxa3 38. fla1 c3 39.
8

41 . Eic7+ �d8 42. Eia7 Ac4 43. g5 Eih4

7

44. �d6 Ae6 45. g6

6 5 4

fj, 3 2

c

36. Eic1 Ei b3 37. �f2 c3

h

Here the curtain could have been lowered. 45 . . . Etg4 46. g7 a5 47. �f3 Eig1 48. �b7+ �e8 49. �c5 Af7 50. �e4 Eixg7 51 . �d6+ �f8 52. Eia8+ �e7 53. �f5+ �d7 54. Eta7+

B lack resigned.

Black's last hope is his passed paw n . But Magnus is vigilant.

49

Chapter 2

The Way to the Top The chess festival in the town of Drammen, not far from Oslo, was a notable event in Norway. Just think, 500 players, divided into 1 0 tournaments, the main of which was the Dram men Smartfish Masters (FI DE category 1 4), were invited to greet the New Year 2005 in a friendly atmosphere. How could their idol refuse such an invitation? Of cou rse, M agnus played , but somehow superficial ly. In the very first round, against the Danish g randmaster Peter Heine N ielsen , wel l-known for his high-quality open ing knowledge (he had worked with none other than Anand), he played , so to speak, 'at sight'.

P. H. Nielsen

-

10

M. Carlsen

�fg4?! 1 1 . f3 g5!?

.••

Dram men 2004/2005 1 . �f3 �f6 2. c4 c6 3. d4 d5 4. �c3 dxc4 5. a4 .tf5 6. �e5 �bd7 7. �xc4 'Wc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 �xe5 1 0 . .tf4 a

b

c

d

5

!::,

3 2

1: a

!::, b

f

9

t2J t2J

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1 2 . fxg4 gxf4 1 3. �xe5 'Wxe5 1 4. gxf5 .tc5 1 5. 'Wc2

4

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h

•.t .I 8 ......... 7 6 � 5 �.t

6

4

e

But this is already his own home prepa ratio n , si nce M o rozevich's cont i n u ation 11 . . .''We7 12. fxg4 ttid3+ 13. 'Wxd3 A xd3 14. ttid6+ �d7 1 5 . 0-0-0 led to serious problems. However, the attempt to rehabili tate the idea of the piece sacrifice proves unsound .

9

By playing 1 5 . 'Wd3! N ielsen could have placed B lack in a critical position . N ow, however, he gains defi nite counterplay.

3

!::, 2 :1 h

1 5 0-0-0 1 6 . 'We4 fxg3 17 . .tg2 'Wd6 1 8. 'Wd3 'Wf4? .••

In this tabiya of the Slav Defence, where since the 1 930s 1 0 . . J:td8 1 1 . 'Wb3 tDfd7 has been played , Magnus su rprised the open ing encyclopaed ist with an eccentric idea, which shortly before he had seen in an Internet game of Alexander Morozevich. B lack is ready to sacrifice a knight with the aim of keeping the wh ite king in the centre.

18 . . .'Wf6 was correct. 1 9. 'Wxg3 'Wd2+ 20. �f1 'Wxb2 21 . J::i: b 1 'Wxb1 + 22. �xb1 J::i:d 1 + 23. 'We1 J::i: h d8 24 .te4, and Wh ite converted his extra piece. •

50

M . Carlsen - A. Shirov

However, every cloud has a silver lining! N ielsen began taking a closer look at Magnus (they had al ready played six months earlier in the Sigeman tournament) and he soon become his mentor. Talking about N ielsen, it should be mentioned that the Dane had absorbed many of the methods of the Soviet chess school. It was no accident that Garry Kasparov named him as one of the trainers who wou ld help in the development of Carlsen's open ing repertoire. As regards Magnus's further play in the Dram men tournament, the casual start did not bring any benefit. In the 3rd round he was 'punished ' for his su perficial play in the opening by the 73-year-old veteran Victor Korchnoi. Then came opening d isasters against Johan nessen and Macieja, which demonstrated the inadequacy of his ' black' repertoire. The result was a share of last place with the lady world champion Antoan eta Stefanova. Some consolation was provided by his only win, over Alexey Shirov. True, this was not without the help of the el ite grandmaster, who failed to withstand Magnus's 'cavalier' attack. This win allowed Peter Heine N ielsen to catch Shirov and share 1 st-2nd places with h i m . The two Scand inavians then travelled together to the tournament in Wij k aan Zee.

Game 9 A Shirov Drammen 2004/2005 Ruy Lopez [ C95}

M. Carlsen

-

Black prevents the d4-d5 advance, which is possible after the automatic fianchetto of the bishop - 1 5 . . . Ag7 1 6 . d5 'We? 1 7. c4, when White gains a spatial advantage.

.

16. Ag5 Ag7

1. e4 e5 2. �f3 �c6 3. Ab5 a6 4. Aa4 lUf6 5. 0-0 Ae7 6. ile1 b5 7. Ab3 0-0

The preparatory 1 6 . . . h6 came into consid eration, to d rive the bishop from its active position .

8. c3 d6 9. h3 �b8 a

b

c

d

e

f

9

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sK�.i.'iV K. a 7 � 1.�� 7 6 J!l\ 5 5 � �

4

1 7. 'Wd2 'Wc7

The trad itional ' S pa n i s h ' post for the queen , but i n recent years Black has also played 17 . . . 'We?, a keen advocate of which is Krishnan Sasikiran. For example, one of his recent games, against Bauer in the 2008 French Team Championship, con tinued 1 8. a4 'Wf8 1 9. Ad3 d5!? 20. d xe5 tbxe5 21 . tDxe5 �xe5 22. Af4 �ee8 23. e5 tbd7 with double-edged play.

4

3 JL� ttJ � 3 2 2�� 1 .:t: ttJJL�.: @ a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

The ultra-solid Breyer Variation .

1 8 . a4

10. d4 �bd7 1 1 . �bd2 Ab7 1 2 . Ac2

§e8 13. �f1 Af8 14. �g3 g6 1 5. b3 c6

(see next diagram)

51

Chapter 2

a

a .!.

b

c

d

e

f

.!.

9

h

• •-*-• 6 • • • '-'• 5 •J • jL 4 8 88 3 88 tiJtiJ8 2 jLfjf 8 8 1 .: .: �

7

a

j_'Yjfl,&

b

c

d

e

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·

The Way to the Top

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

a

b

c

d

e

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9

h

a

a .!.

7

7

.!. • a j_ 1.& •-*-• 7 6 . • 'iV .jL 6 5 5 • .8 4 4 8 3 88 tiJ 8 3 2 2 jL � 8 8 1 .: .: �

6

5

4 3 2

h

1 8 • . • dS

and by exploiting the p i n , Wh ite wins a piece: 27. f4 tbc4 28. f!xe6 tbxd2 29. f!xe8 f!xe8 30. f!xb7.

This leads to the open ing of the position , which allows Wh ite, thanks to the active placing of h i s pieces, to develop an attack on the kingside. 1 8 . . . f!ad8 followed by . . .tbf8 or the i m mediate 1 8 . . . tbf8 was more sol i d , after which Carlsen was in� trai ning his tending 1 9. b4 and then �b3, bishop on f7.

24• f4 Y!/e7 2s. E!ea

With the threat of 26. ttlf5 gxf5 27. f!g3+. 2S . . . �f8 a b c d e f h 9 ��---=��

.!. l,& . j_ a 'iiV. • 7 .jL 6

1 9. dxeS �xeS

After the complete open ing of the centre 1 9 . . . tbxe4 20. Axe4 dxe4 21 . tbxe4 tbxe5 22. tbxe5 Axe5 - Black has to reckon with 23. ttlf6+ Axf6 24. Axf6, when it is not easy for h i m to defend on the kingside. 20. �xeS Y!/xeS 21 . Af4

I n the event of 21 . f4 V!lc7 22. e5 tbd7 the bishop at g5 proves to be out of play. 26. E!f1 ?!

21 . . Y!/e6 22. eS �d7 23. Ah6 .

A natural move, and an indication of the deficiencies in the young g randmaster's 'schoo l i n g '. The attack should be com bi ned with prophylaxis agai nst possible counterplay by the opponent. It was correct fi rst to restrict Black's play on the queen side by 26. b4!? with the possible continu ation 26 . . . c5 27. f!ae1 bxa4?! 28. A x a4

(see next diagram)

23 . . . Ah8

The attem pt to win a pawn - 23 . . . bxa4 (23 . . .tbxe5? 24. Axg7 rilxg7 25. f4 1oses the knig ht) 24. bxa4 tbxe5 25. Axg7 r:ilxg7 is parried by the interposition 26. f!ab1 ! f!ab8,

52

ttJ

M. C arlsen - A. Shi rov �

------------------ �

--------------------

.I

flec8 29. Ag5!? (this is stronger than 29. f5 cxb4 30. cxb4 f!.c4) 29 . . . �e6 30. bxc5. But for the moment doubts are something unfam i l iar to Magnus, and he lau nches an attack on the king, indicating his read iness to sacrifice a whole rook.

• [::,

27. . . d4

Without the slightest doubts! The e5-pawn is 'poisoned ' because of the pin on the bish op- 27. . . Axe5?! 28. Axf8 �c7 (28 . . . f!.xf8? loses to the i nterposition 29. f6, casting a mating net around the king: 29 . . .�d6 30. gxe5 �xe5 31 . �h6). But now White forces the transition i nto a clearly favour able endgame: 29. f!.xe5 �xe5 30. �h6 �e3+ 31 . �h2 �xh6 32. Axh6 (variation by Carlsen). 28. cxd4 cxd4 29. fxg6?! A continuation of the previously calculated

line. It was not yet too late to 'call a halt' 29. �xd4 Axe5. 29 . . . hxg6?!

The energetic actions of his young oppo nent so impressed the experienced fig hter Shirov, who h i mself had gained nu merous wins with a direct attack on the king, that he fl inched and could not bring hi mself to go in for the c ritical continuation 29 . . . dxe3! 30. gxh7+ tDxh7 31 . �e2 .

• [::, A

26 . . . cs 27. f5?!

This direct attack is parried by cou nterplay in the centre, a fact ad m itted by Carlsen hi mself, who considers the correct move to be the prophylactic 27. f!.fe1 !?.

.I •.a 'if. "" A 8

1.

• V!;V

l!jjl::, [::, 1:1�

Analysis diagram

However, the th reat of 32. �g4+ can be parried, and Wh ite does not have compen sation for the sacrificed rook, si nce he has to reckon with the advance of the e3-pawn. Carlsen gives the fol lowi ng variations: a) 31 . . . �xe5 32. �g4+ Ag7 (the pin al lows Wh ite to regain one of the pieces) 33. A x h7+ � h 8 (if 33 . . . � x h7? there is 34. f!.xf7, when 34 . . . � x h 6? fai l s to 35. tDf5+), and Wh ite's attack suffices only to save the game: 34. tDf5 Axh6 35. tDxh6 f!.e7 (or 35 . . . Ad5 36. �h4 �g7 37. tDxf7+ Axf7 38. Ag6+ �g8 39. Axf7+ �xf7 40. f!.xf7 �xf7 41 . �f4+, forcing a draw by perpetual check) 36. �h4 e2 37. tDxf7+ f!.xf7 38. Ag6+ �g8 39. Axf7+ �f8 4 0 . � h 6 + �e7 41 . �h4+ �f8 42 . �h6+ with perpetual check; b) 31 . . . Axe5!? (vacating a square for the ki ng) 32. Axh7+ (32 . �g4+ �h8 33. tDf5 f!.g8) 32 . . . �xh7 33. �h5 e2 34. tDxe2 �g8 and W h ite's attack comes to a standstill. 30. �f5? Carlsen can not stop himself, but this reck less knight sacrifice should have led to de feat. Therefore he should have retreated his rook - 30. f!.e2 (weaker is 30. �xd4 Axe5), i ntending after 30 . . . A xe5 the exchanging operation 31 . Axf8 �xf8 32. f!.xe5 f!.xe5 33. Axg6 Ad5 34. tt:'ih5. 30 . . . gxf5 31 . �g3+ �g6 32 . Axf5

53

Chapter 2

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

·

The Way to the Top

h

.I . ..�.. 7 'ti'.l J!l\ � 6 5 ��

7

5 3 2

g� a

b

c

d

e

f

9

After 32 . . . AxeS! 33. gg4 �d 6 34. �d3 Ac8! 35. gxg6+ fxg6 36. Axg6 Ad? White's hopes would have been dashed . But even after the text move it is not easy for him to save the game. 33. Ei:g4 Ag7 34. Axg6 fxg6 35. §xg6 Ei:e7 36. Ei:f4

c

d

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f

.l

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9

5 4 g � 3 2 �

� a

36

•••

b

c

d

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• 8 ..t.. 7 g� 6

.I

..t..

6 .l 5 .l 4� 3 � 2

h

32 . . .Wxe5?!

J.

7

4 g� 3 2 �

�

b

a

8

8

f

9

h

Ae4??

In the time scram ble Shirov overlooks an interposition , lead ing to h i s defeat. The bishop manoeuvre was good only after the i n c l usion of 36 . . . gf8 , w h i c h wou l d have forced the exchange o n g7, since if 37. gxd4 Ae4! 38. ggs Black has 38 . . . gfs. 37. Ei:g5! We6 38. Axg7

Black resigned .

In 2005 the composition of the B Tournament at the famous festival in Wijk aan Zee was selected especially carefully by the organisers, who were able to ensure a solid FIDE category 1 3 . More than half of the participants comprised the most promising young players of that time. There were the recent prodigies Sergey Karjakin and Magnus Carlsen, who were meeting for the first time, and some slightly older players: Shakhri yar Mamedyarov, Ivan Cheparinov, Daniel Stellwagen, Jan Smeets, Alejandro Ramirez and Alexand ra Kosteniuk - all grandmasters. I n short, in such a youth parade a good performance was a matter of prestige! Magnus arrived at the tournament not only ful ly prepared in the openings, but also with a more pragmatic approach. Even his entourage had changed. Alexandra Kosteniuk made this curious observation: 'The numerous snacks and d rinks had disappeared from his table, and in Wijk aan Zee I never saw him wearing his favourite trainers.' What told was the favourable influence of Peter Heine N ielsen, who was playing alongside. Everyone saw how much he chatted with Carlsen during walks together. Outwardly, because of the d ifference in their weight categories, this pair looked very eccentric and provoked smiles on the faces of passers-by. But let's return to the chess itself. Magnus's play was rather restrained: after winning in the 2nd round against Kosteniuk, he proceeded cautiously, as though awaiting his

54

I. Cheparinov

-

M. Carlsen

opportunity. And after a series of seven d raws the Norwegian as though gained his second wind and powerful ly attacked the kings of Chepari nov and N i kolic. Moreover, the attack against the experienced Bosnian grandmaster was awarded the spectators' daily prize. Unfortunately, after joining the leading g roup, Magnus ran out of steam and lost his two remaining games. The result was only a modest 7th place. First prize and an invitation to the A Tou rnament the fol lowing year was won by Sergey Karjakin, who achieved an excellent result - 9% out of 1 3 . There was reason for h i m to b e distressed - progress t o higher society had to be deferred for another year.

Game 1 0 I. Cheparinov - M. Carlsen Wij k aan Zee B 2005 Sicilian Defence [ 833]

im portant than the sacrificed pawn. The main continuations are 1 5. Y#f3 and 1 5. 'Wh5, forcing Black to relieve the pawn tension, which is i mportant in the fight for the d5-square.

1. e4 c5 2. �f3 �c6 3. d4 cxd4 4. tnxd4 �f6 5. �c3 e5

1 5 . . . d5 1 6. exd5 e4 1 7. 'We2 Eib8

The Chelyabinsk Variation assu med an honourable p l ace in M ag n u s's open i n g arsenal , a n d he soon became famed as one of its main experts. 6. tndb5 d6 7. Ag5 a6 8. �a3 b5 9. Axf6

17 . . . 'tlfb4 1 8 . Ac4 'W x b2 1 9. tbc2 axb5 20. f!.ab1 'tlff6 21 . f!.xb5 f4 (Rogozen ko) also came into consideration. The active pawn pair gives Black compensation for the sac rificed material (for exam ple, if 22. 'tlfxe4?! there is 22 . . . Af5 23. 'tlfe2 f3).

gxf6 10. �d5 Ag7 1 1 . Ad3 �e7 12. �xe7 'f!xe7 13. c4 f5 14. 0-0 0-0 a

8

7

b

c

d

e

a

f

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6 5 4 3 [3:,[3:,[3:, 2

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b

7 6 5 4 3 2

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6 5 4 3

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ti:J /J:,/J:,

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a

h

9

b

c

d

e

f

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h

1 8 . . . Eib6!

15. cxb5?! A poor move, allowing Black a pawn centre,

A typical trait of the young Carlsen was that he always had his eye on the opponent's

which in such a dynam ic position is more

55

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

king. With the vigorous rook manoeuvre to the kingside he, as they say, takes the bull by the horns - the king will have no peace. 1 9. 'We3 Jag6 20. J.c2

Wh ite pins his hopes on the b-pawn, since after 20. bxa6 it is not possible to exploit the passed a-pawn. I n view of the fact that the g2-pawn is inadequately defended , in many variations B lack is practically g uar anteed perpetual check by a rook sacri fice: 20 . . . Wh4 21 . a? Ad4 (with the idea of 22. Wxd4 �xg2+) 22. a8W (22 . Wg3 Wxg3 23. hxg3 Axa7 24. Ac2 e3 is risky for Wh ite) 22 . . . Axe3 23. fxe3 exd3 24. �f2 (if 24. Wa7 there is 24 . . . �xg2+ 25. 'it>xg2 Wg4+) 24 . . . We? - Black retains the initiative and is th reatening not only the e3-pawn, but also the move . . . Ab7. The passive 20. �fd1 We5 21 . Af1 allows Black to build u p a dangerous attack: 21 . . . f4 22. Wc3 Wh5. 20

'Wh4

..•

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

.�. 8 7 �.i.� 7 6 6� .! 5 5 8 8 � 4 � 'iW 4 3 CLJ 3 '@' 2 8 8 iL 888 2 1:1 � 1:1 8

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

of his pieces is illustrated by the following variation: 21 . bxa6? Axa6 22. �fd1 Ah6 23. We1 �xg2+! (now this sacrifice is ap propriate) 24. 'it>xg2 Wg4+ 25. 'it>h1 Wf3+ 26. 'it>g1 Ae2! and Black has set up a mating construction. If 21 . �fd1 White has to reckon with the advance of the f-pawn - 21 . . . �e8 22. d6 f4. He is also u nable to set u p a blockade by 21 . f4 on account of 21 . . . exf3 22. Wxf3 Ae5 23. h3 �g3 24. We2 Wxh3 etc. 21 . . . �h8!?

By including his second rook in the attack along the g-file, Magnus demonstrates that he is not thi nking about a draw, which he could have forced by 21 . . . Ad4 22. Wxd4 �xg2+ 23. 'it>xg2 Wg4+. 22. �c4 JagS

The murderous . . . Ad4 is th reatened . 23. g3 'Wh3 24. Jafd1

A usefu l move, at the same time vacating a square for the king. If 24. Wd2 there fol lows 24 . . . f4! with the threat of 2 5 . . . �h6 (the im mediate 24 . . . �h6 is parried by 25. f4) . 24. f4?! im med iately is not good because of 24 . . . Af8! with the th reats of . . . Ac5 and . . . �xg3. 24

•••

Jah6 25. 'Wf4 a

b

c

d

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.�. 7 �.i.� 6 �8 .! 5 � 8 4 LD �'@' 3 8 1V 2 8 8 iL 8 8 1:1 1:1 �

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h

21 . b6

This lone pawn hard ly has any future, but it is not easy for Wh ite to choose a sound plan, whereas Black is ready to add fuel to his attack. For example, the latent activity

a

56

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8

7

6

5 4 3 2

M . Carlsen

25

•. .

At6?

A careless move, which could have cost Black the fruits of his efforts. He should have incl uded the other bishop in the attack by playing 25 . . . aS! , when it is doubtfu l whether White can prevent the development of the bishop at a6. For example: 26. b4 Ac3 27. bxaS (27. bS? �h4) 27. . . Aa6 28. Ab3 �h4 (in the event of 28 . . . 'Wxh2+ 29. �f1 �c8 30. �e2 �xc4 31 . Axc4 Axc4+ 32. �e3 'WhS 33. �e1 �d6 34. �bc1 ! Black's attack comes to a stand sti l l) 29. 'Wxh4 (29. �e3? �xh2+ leads to mate) 29 . . . �xh4, winning the queen. Wh ite is o b l i g ed to th row caution to the winds: 26. d6 Aa6 27. b3 e3! 28. �d3 (evidently the only move, since 28. Ad3? is bad: 28 . . . e2 29. d7 'Wxh2+ 30. �f1 e2+! 31. �xe2 �e6+ 32. d3 'Wg2 33. 'WxfS flf6, and Black wins the queen) 28 . . . 'Wxh2+ 29. �f1 with sharp play, where Wh ite is apparently able to defend . Here are some sam ple variations: a) 29 . . . �e8 30. �xe3 'Wh1 + 31 . �e2 'Wc6 32. �d2 Axd3 33. Axd3 �xd6 34. 'WxfS �g8 3S. �e2, and the wh ite pieces are excel lently coordinated ; b) 29 . . . exf2 3 0 . 'W x f2 (30 . d 7 ? ! 'Wg 1 + 31 . �e2 �e6+ i s dangerous for Wh ite, while if 32. �e3 or 32. �e3 there follows 32 . . . Ah6) 30 . . . 'Wxf2+ 31 . � xf2 � h2+ 32. �g1 �xc2 33. d7 Af6 34. �e1 , and White's passed pawns com pensate for the lost piece.

P. N i kolic

-

33. �g1 . Now, however, Wh ite is doomed . 26

••.

Axe5 27. 'Wxe5+ f6 28. 'Wf4 Elg4

There was a quicker win by 28 . . . aS! 29. b4 axb4 30. �xb4 Aa6 with the threat of play ing the bishop to f3 . 29• Wc7 ElgS 30• Ele1

There is no way of saving the game. 30. b7 d oes n ot work because of 3 0 . . . A x b7 31 . 'Wxb7 e3! with u n avoidable m ate. If 30. 'Wf4, then 30 . . . aS! is decisive. 30 . . . 'Wxh2+ 31 . t1 'Wh1 + 32 . e2 'Wf3+ 33. d2 'Wxf2+ 34. d1 f4 35. 'Wc3 fxg3 36. Axe4 Ag4+ 37. c1 lieS

Wh ite resigned .

Game 1 1 M. Carlsen

-

P. Nikolic

Wijk aan Zee B 2005 French Defence [COB] 1 . e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. �d2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. �gf3 a

8

b

c

d

e

1 It

After 26. b7! Axb7 27. �d6 'Wxh2+ 28. �f1 Black's attack would have come to a stand sti l l , for example: 28 . . . �g7 29. �xf5 (or 29. �xfS Ae7! 30. �xb7?! �f6) 29 . . . 'Wh1 + 30. �e2 'Wh5+ 31 . g4 �xg4 32. 'Wxh6 WxfS

a

5

•••

9

h

.I �.S..'ii'tfi.S.. � .I

•

7 .. 6 5 4 3 2 /j, /j, [j, tt:J

26. �e5?

t

7 6 5 4 3 tt:J fj, /j, /j, 2

�� b

c

d

•

8

e

f

9

It 1 h

c4!?

The experienced N i kolic aims to neutralise the fruits of his young opponent's home

57

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

preparation and he avoids positions with an isolated d5-pawn . Another version of this idea - 5 . . .tt:lc6 6. Ab5 c4 - has its special features, since Wh ite has determ ined the position of his light-square bishop.

a

c

d

e

f

9

h

8 I. 1.11 ..t 'Vi • ..t 1.11 I. 8 7 .t.t .t .l ?

6. b3 cxb3 7. axb3

A prag matic approach to the choice of m ove, t y p i c a l of p l ayers of the c o m p u t e r g e n e rat i o n . M a g n u s p refe rs a s o u n d m ove, a n d d e c l i n e s to enter a d i s c u s s i o n i nvo l v i n g t h e i nterm e d i ate exc h a n g e of the l i g h t- s q u a re b i s h o ps after 7. Ab5+ Ad7 8. We2+ We7 9. Axd7+ ti:lxd7 1 0 . a x b 3 , w h i c h had occu rred i n seve ral o f N i ko l ic's g a m e s . For exa m p l e , t h e g a m e Ad a m s - N i ko l i c ( N e u m 20 02) conti n u ed 1 0 . . . f 6 1 1 . tLlf1 Wxe2+ 1 2 . � xe2 A d 6 1 3 . Cb e 3 Cb e7 1 4 . Aa3 Axa3 1 5 . Z!xa3 �f7 1 6 . tt:le1 tLlf8 1 7. tLld3 tt:le6 1 8 . c3 Z!hd8 1 9 . �d2 tt:lc6 2 0 . Z!d 1 Z!ac8 %-%. Apart fro m t h e exc h a n g e of t h e l i g ht square bishops, also of i nterest i s the p ract i c a l l y u n ex p l o re d 7 . . . tt:l c 6 ! ? , not fearing the swift attack suggested half a c e n t u ry a g o by I g o r B o n d arev s k y : 8 . We2+ Ae7 9 . tt:le5 ! (not h i n g is g iven by 9 . a x b3 tt:lf6 1 0 . Aa3 0-0 1 1 . Axc6 A x a3 1 2 . Z! x a3 Wd6 1 3 . Z!a5 Wxc6=) . The best h e re i s 9 . . . We? ! ( i t i s i m p o r tant to d efend the knight, not forgetti n g about the defence o f the bishop on e7) 1 0 . axb3 (th i s is stronger than 1 0 . c4 tLlf6 1 1 . Axc6+ bxc6 1 2 . axb3 0-0 1 3 . 0-0 c 5 = o r 1 0 . ti:ldf3 f6 ! ? 1 1 . Axc6+ bxc6 12. Cbd3 bxc2=) 10 . . . ti:lf6 1 1 . Axc6+!? (or 1 1 . Aa3 0-0 1 2 . Axc6 A x a3 1 3 . Z!xa3 bxc6 1 4 . 0-0 c5=) 1 1 . . . bxc6 1 2 . 0-0 0-0 1 3 . Z!e1 Z!e8 , and B l ack, alternating the i deas . . . Ae7-b4 and . . . c6-c5, o bta i n s g o o d play.

b

6

6

5

5

4

4

[j,

3

1

1:, a

tb [j, [j, [j,

[j, tiJ

2

�� b

c

d

e

f

9

.:

3 2 1

h

7. . . .tb4

This bishop manoeuvre was actively em ployed by David Bronstein. 7. . . Ad6 8 . Ad3 tt:le7 9. 0-0 0-0 1 0. Z!e1 tt:lbc6 1ooks more natural . For exam ple, the game Lebedev Bronstein (Moscow Championship 1 953) contin ued 1 1 . c4 Ab4! (here this bishop manoeuvre effectively cou nters the rook move to e1 ) 1 2 . \Wc2 ti:lg6 1 3 . Ab2 Ae6 1 4 . Z!ad1 Wf6 1 5 . Z!e3 Ad6! 1 6. Wc3 ti:lf4 with the initiative for Black. After the modest move 1 1 . c3 B l ac k c o m p l etes h i s d eve l o p m ent: 1 1 . . . Af5 1 2 . tLlf1 Z!e8, retaining a sound position, for example: 13. Aa3 Axa3 14. Z!xa3 Wd6 1 5. Z!a1 Wf6 1 6 . tt:le3 Axd3 1 7. Wxd3 a6 1 8 . b4 eLla? 1 9. tt:le5 tLlb5 with the idea of . . . Z!ac8 . 8. �e5

It is hard to catch Carlsen unawares, even in such a rare variation. He is fol lowing the game Svidler- Korchnoi (G roningen 1 996). Black is not caused any particular prob lems by 8. Ad3 tt:le7 9. 0-0 ti:lbc6 1 0. Aa3 0-0 or 8. Ab5+ Ad7 9. We2+ tt:le7 1 0. 0-0 0-0 1 1 . Aa3 Axa3 1 2 . Z!xa3 ti:lbc6. 8 . . . �e7

58

M. Carlsen - P. N i kolic

Korchnoi played 8 . . . ttlf6 and after 9. Ad3

0-0 1 0. 0-0 Ac3 1 1 . f!a4 Ad? 1 2. ttlxd7 tDbxd7 1 3 . ttlb1 Aa5 he maintained the bal ance. But 1 0. Ab2!? was possibly stronger. 9. Ad3 �bc6 1 0. 0-0

One gains the impression that Magnus had analysed this position at home, since he ignores the th reat of . . . Ab4-c3 with the win of a pawn (otherwise he would have played 1 0. Ab2). 1 0 . . . Ac3

Black accepts the challenge, although his retarded development undoubted ly puts his king in a dangerous position . It was not yet too late to castle - 1 0 . . . 0-0 1 1 . Ab2 with somewhat the better game for Wh ite. 11. !::[ a 4! a

a J.

b

c

d

e

f

.t.'ii'• 7 .f..f. �· 6 6 � 5 5 .l tD 4 4 2:, 8 3 3 8-*.iL 2 8tD 888 2 iLvtli 2:. � a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

a) 1 3 . . . ttlg6 1 4 . f! h 5 0-0 1 5 . ttlb1 Ab4 1 6 . c3 Ae7 1 7. f4 Wc8 1 8. f5! with an irresistible attack in view of 1 8 . . .CL!xe5 1 9. f6 . The trick 1 8 . . . Wc6, with the idea after 1 9 . fxg6 fxg6 of trapping the rook, also does not save Black in view of the simple 1 9. e6; b) 13 . . .ttlc6 14. ttlf3 h6 1 5 . Ad2 Axd2 (weak er is 1 5 . . . Axe5 1 6 . l:!h5 Af6 1 7. f!xd5 Wc8 1 8 . We2+ Ae6 1 9. We4 g6 20. Ac4 with advantage to Wh ite) 1 6. Wxd2 0-0 1 7. f!e1 f!e8 1 8 . Wf4 (1 8 . f!xh6 tbxe5) 1 8 . . . Wa5 1 9. b4 Wb6 20. f! x h 6 ! gxh6 21 . Wxh6 ttld8 22. Wh7+ (it was not for the sake of perpetual check - 22. Ah7+ �h8 23. Ag6+ - that Wh ite sacrificed a rook) 22 . . . �f8 23. Wh8+ �e7 24. Wh4+ �f8 25. ttlg5 with a strong attack for Wh ite. 1 2 . �xc6 �xc6 1 3. Aa3 Ae6 14. �f3 Ab6?!

It was essential to neutralise the th reats on the a3-f8 diagonal , which would have been achieved by 1 4 . . . Af6 1 5. l:!e1 Ae7. 1 5. 'Wa1 !

A subtle manoeuvre, dispelling Black's illu sions of hiding his king on its own wing: if 1 5 . . .f6 there can fol low 1 6 . f!e1 �f7 1 7. l:!f4 with the threat of ttlf3-g5+. 15 . . . Wc7 16. b4!

11 . . . Axd4

The attack on the king was the 1 4-year-old Carlsen's natural element. He did not play 1 5. Wa1 in order to limit himself to 1 6. Wxg7, although this also g i ves a considerable advantage. With the pawn th rust Magnus warns his opponent about the danger of castling queenside .

It looks p rovocative to play 1 1 . . .CL!xe5 12. dxe5 Ad? (or 12 . . . Axe5 1 3 . f!e1 Af6 14. Wh5 �f8 1 5. ttlf3 g6 1 6. Wh6+ �g8 17. Wf4 with the better chances for White) 13. l:!h4 (after the passive 13. f!a2 ttlc6 Black has an easy game in view of the threat of . . .tDc6-b4), since the black king has not yet castled. Here are a few variations:

(see next diagram)

59

C apter 2 �-------------------h• - _

·

W y to t he To p _The� �a� � � � � �-

__

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

6

6

5

5

4 M8

4

3�

1 � a

�

8

2

b

c

d

e

f

9

this natural move. Black's position is so comprom ised that it is already hard to offer any good advice. Lev Psakh is considers it best to return the pawn - 1 7. . .l!iJe5, but even here White's attack is very strong: 1 8. l!iJxe5 fxe5 1 9. b5! . An im portant i nterposition, preventing castling, which is possible, for exam ple, in the event of 1 9. f!xe5? 0-0 ! , and i f 20. l:!xe6 there is 20 . . . Axf2+ 21 . �h1 'Wd7, forking the rooks.

h

I I • AA'Y!¥ AA j_ j_ 8 AA J:r Jt Jt 8 8 88 J:r � �

1 6 . . . f6

Black opts for artificial castl ing, realising that after 16 . . . 0-0 1 7. b5 l!iJe7 1 8. f!e1 ! he will be unable to withstand Wh ite's dan gerous i n itiative. For example, 1 8 . . . Ac5 1 9 . Ab2 'Wb6 20. f!e2 f6 2 1 . Ad4 or 18 . . . f!fe8 1 9. Ab2 l!iJf5 20. g4 'Wc5 21 . f!e2 l!iJh6 22. Axg7 l!iJxg4 23. Ad4 'Wd6 24. l:!xe6 with an obvious advantage to Wh ite in both variations. Let us exam ine the dangers awaiting Black after 16 . . . 0-0-0 1 7. b5: a) 17 . . . l!iJa5 1 8 . A b2 f6 1 9 . Ac3 l!iJc4 20. Ad4 �b8 (if 20 . . . 1!iJa5 there follows 21 . 'Wa2 and then 22. f!a1 ) 21 . f!e1 l:!he8 22. f!xa7! with a strong attack; b) 17 . . .1!iJe7 1 8 . Ac1 (or 1 8 . f!c1 �b8 1 9. c4 d xc4 2 0 . A xc4 'Wd7 2 1 . l!iJe5 'WeB 22. Axe6 fxe6 23. l!iJc4 Ad4 24. Ad6+ and Wh ite wins the exchange) 18 . . .l!iJf5 (1 8 . . . 1!iJ g 6 1 9 . Ae3 A x e 3 2 0 . fxe3 'Wc5 2 1 . f! x a7 'Wxe3+ 2 2 . � h 1 'Wb6 23. l!iJg5 with the th reats of 24. l!iJxe6 and 24. l!iJxf7) 1 9. Axf5 A xf5 20. Af4 Wc5 21 . Ae3 with an obvious advantage to Wh ite. 1 7. §e1 'i!lf7

It would be wrong to criticise N i kolic for

__________________ __

Analysis diagram

1 9 . . . Wf7 20. l:!xe5 (if 20. f!e2 there can fol low 20 . . . e4!? 21 . Axe4 dxe4 22. f!axe4 0-0-0 23. f!xe6 Axf2+ 24. �h1 Ad4, and B l ack somehow h o l d s o n) 20 . . . A x f2+ 21 . �h1 0-0-0 22. Ab2 with a dangerous initiative for Wh ite. We wi l l trust the two times USSR champion Lev Psakh is, an expert on this opening, but also enquire what Rybka thinks about it. Its verd ict is pessi m istic: 20 . . . Axf2+ 2 1 . �h1 0-0-0 22. Ac1 ! l:!hf8 23. f!f4 'Wd7 24. Wc3+ �b8 25. Wb4! f!f7 26. f!xf7 Wxf7 27. Wf4!? (27. l:!xe6 Wxe6 28. Wf4+ �a8 29. Wxf2 is also good) 27. . . Wxf4 28. Axf4 and Black cannot avoid loss of material. 19 . . . 0-0-0 20. l:!xe5 'Wf7 21 . We1 f!he8 22. Ac1 ! is also dangerous for Black - on the q ueenside too his king cannot fi nd peace: 22 . . .�b8 23. Af4 �a8 24. 'Wa1 with the threat of 25. l:!xa7+. Fleeing with the king to the queenside

60

ltJ

M . Carlsen - P. Nikolic

-------

---------------------------

is realistic after the s i m p l ification rec ommended by And rey Devyat k i n : 1 9 . . . e4!? 2 0 . A xe4 d xe4 2 1 . !!axe4 0-0-0 22. �xe6 !!d2 23. !!e8+ !!xe8 24. !!xe8+ �d8 25. !!xd8+ 'Wxd8, but after 26. 'Wc3+ �b8 27. 'Wf3 he has to play a difficult end game a pawn down.

19

..•

!3:ae8

There is no way of saving the game: 19 . . . g 6 (1 9 . . . ttlc4 2 0 . Af5 !) 2 0 . ttlg5+! fxg5 21 . 'Wf3+ �g7 22. Ab2+ d4 23. !!xd4 Axd4 24. Axd4+ �h6 25. h4 and Wh ite wins.

18. b5 �as

Putting the knight out of play leads to a rapid defeat . But also after the logical 18 . . .ttld8!? Wh ite retains a dangerous at tack. Here is a sample variation: 1 9. 'Wd1 �d7 20. !!h4 �g8 21 . ttld4 Axd4 22. !!xd4. 19. 'Wd1 ! a

The queen has done excellent work on the a1 -h8 diag onal and it returns home in order to attack the king on the light squares. I n the fi rst instance ttlg5+ i s threatened .

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

20. �g5+! fxg5 21 . Wf3+ �g8 22. l3:xe6

Black resigned .

The modest performance i n Wij k aan Zee showed that the youngster needed time to improve his play. Carlsen took a time-out, probably the fi rst in his career. However, the more than two months rest from tournaments was a wearisome period for Magnus. Strangely enough, the break did not benefit him, and a warm-up, planned on home territory at the Gausdal Classic Tou rnament (FI D E category 1 0), was frankly a fai lure. Mag nus started extremely bad ly - half a point i n the fi rst fou r rounds, and he fi nished in a share of 6th-8th places. In a class of his own was Sergey Tiviakov, who scored 8% poi nts out of 9. Mag nus's mood was improved by h i s partici pation in a series of rapid play tournaments with a 25-minute time control. The most prestigious of these was the four-player Cuidad de Leon tournament in Spain with the partici pation of Anand, Kasimdzhanov and Shirov. True, he did not play the latter two, s ince i n the sem i-final Carlsen lost 1 -3 to Anand, but the fi rst meeting with one of the strongest players in the world was undoubted ly beneficial. At the European Championshi p i n Warsaw, Mag n u s justified the expectations of his supporters, scori ng 8 poi nts from 1 3 games (+5 -2 =6). In such a un iformly strong 'Swiss', this cou ld be considered a successfu l result for a 1 4-year-old grandmaster. His performance in the double-round tournament in Biel with six g randmasters (FI DE category 1 6) was more modest. Magnus propped u p the tournament table with 4 poi nts from 10 games, in which he did not score a single win and suffered two defeats. Before the next category 1 6 tournament, the Samba Cup in Denmark, Carlsen warmed up at

61

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

home in the Gausdal Bygger'n M asters (1 st place - 8 poi nts out of 9) - and 'burned h i mself out'. There was no time to regain his strength, since the Samba Cup started the very next day. The tournament in Skanderborg followed the same pattern as i n Drammen: 8th place o u t o f 1 0 contestants was undoubted ly a fai lure for Carlsen . The only fai nt consolation was a win over the fi rst prize-winner, Baad u r Jobava. These set-backs can hardly have been conducive to a good mood before the main tournament of the year - the World Cup i n Khanty- Mansiysk. If one sums u p the series of fai l u res, beg i n n i ng with the Spanish team championship on the eve of 2005, where Magnus suffered fou r defeats, the picture was depressing, and the fai lures in his native Scandi navia were especially unpleasant: the Drammen, Gausdal Classic and Samba Cup tournaments. Less than a month remained to prepare for the World Cup. I n youth , which is typified by optimism, it is easier to heal one's wounds.

Game 1 2

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

8 .i 1.1\.i. .�. 8 7 £ � ££-*.£ 7 6 6 'if JA,I£

M. Carlsen - K. Lie

Gausdal 2005 King's Indian Defence [E62]

£

5

This game is i nteresting for Carlsen's ap proach to the solving of open ing problems i n a non -standard situation, and also the conversion of a m i n i mal advantage i n an endgame with opposite-colour bishops with rooks.

4 3

2 B 1

-: a

1 . d4 �f6 2. �f3 g6 3. g3 .tg7 4 . .tg2 0-0 5. 0-0 d6 6. c4 c6

BB B [jj

�.&£I

c

d

4

[jjB B BB�

:�

�� b

5

e

f

g

3 2 1

h

a routine manner ind icates that Black has q u ite good cou nterplay. For exam ple, the attempt to attack the b5-pawn - 1 0. cxb5 cxb5 1 1 . Wd3 - achieves its aim only after the awkward 1 1 . . . Ad7 1 2. Ag5 ! , when the bishop on d7 merely hinders Black in com pleting the development of his q ueenside, while at the same time the exchange on f6 followed by tDd5 is th reatened. But 1 1 . . . b4 is far stronger, and the attem pt to get at the rook on a8 - 1 2. tDe1 - is parried by 1 2 . . . Axh3! 1 3 . Axh3 (the mass e l i m i na tion 1 3 . Axa8 Axf1 leads to the loss of a pawn) 13 . . . bxc3 14. Ag2 d5 with good play for Black.

A rare branch of the King's Indian Defence, where Black attacks not the d4-pawn , but the c4-pawn. 7. �c3 'Wb6 8. h3 Wa6 9. b3 b5 (see next diagram)

1 0 . .tg5!?

On encountering a comparatively rare vari ation, Carlsen decides to fight for the initia tive from the very first moves. He sacrifices a pawn, hoping to exploit the retarded de velopment of the black pieces. Especially since experience of playing this position i n

62

M . Carlsen - K. Lie

The main conti nuation is considered to be 1 0. ttld2 bxc4 1 1 . ttlxc4 Ae6, where Black has q uite good cou nterplay. I n his time Magnus's trainer Agdestein became aware of this in a game with Klaus Bischoff (Dortmund 1 987), which continued 1 2 . ttle3 tDbd7 1 3 . Ab2 .§fc8 1 4 . .§c1 .§ab8 1 5. �d2 CL!b6 1 6. f4 c5 1 7. d5 Ad7 1 8 . .§a1 �as with active play for Black. 10 . bxc4 1 1 . bxc4 Wxc4 1 2 . !ac1 .ta6 .

.

a

White's plans include e2-e4 followed by tDc3-d5. Therefore it is useful to clarify the intentions of the active bishop on g5 - 1 2 . . . h6!?, which is usually practised i n King's Ind ian set-u ps. Now it is i l logical to play 1 3 . Axf6 Axf6 1 4 . ttle4 �xa2 1 5. ttlxf6+ exf6, since the position is simplified , and it is not easy for White to breach the black pawn barricade. Igor Sto h l considers 1 3 . Ad2 'We6 1 4 . .§e1 ttlbd7 (1 4 . . . Aa6 1 5. e4 .§c8 is also possible, but not 15 . . . Ac4?! because of 1 6. e5! ttlh7 1 7. exd6 �xd6 1 8. tbe4 �d5 1 9. tbe5) 1 5 . e4 ttlb6 1 6 . e5 tbfd5 1 7. ttlxd5 cxd5, and here 18 . .§c7 retai ns the i n itia tive for Wh ite. 13. !ae1

The o n l y known g a m e at t h at t i m e , Berkes - Stokke (Stockholm 2003), con tinued 13. e4 h6 1 4 . Ad2 e5 1 5 . d xe5 d xe5 16. tbd5 cxd5?! (an i nsufficiently justified queen sacrifice; Black should have decided on 1 6 . . . �xa2, when all Wh ite can do is force a d raw - 1 7. .§a1 �b2 1 8 . .§b1 �a2) 17. .§xc4 Axc4 1 8 . ttlxe5! Axf1 1 9. �xf1 CL!xe4? (1 9 . . . d xe4) 20. Ab4 .§d8 2 1 . ttlxf7! CL!c6 22. ttlxd8 .§xd8 23. Aa5 1 -0.

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

1 4 . . . e5?

Understandably, Black is tired of being un der pressure, but if he did not l i ke 14 . . . .!::! d 8 1 5. �d2 with the threat of 1 6. ttld5, then 14 . . . h 6 1 5. Ad2 �b6 would have enabled him to defend. I n returning his extra pawn, Black ends u p i n a strategically i nferior position i n view of his weak pawn on c6. 15. dxe5 dxe5 1 6. �xe5 Wa5

If 16 . . . .§e8? White has the decisive 1 7. tbxf7! �xf7 1 8. e5 tbh5 1 9. ttld5! �b2 20. ttlc7. 1 7. �xf7

Here this sacrifice is not so effective. Play ing for bri l liancy might merely have brought Carlsen unnecessary problems. The simple 1 7. Axf6 Axf6 1 8. tbxc6 tbxc6 1 9. tbd5 Ae5 20 . .§xc6 would have enabled White to win a pawn without any brilliancy. 17 . . . !a xf7 1 8 . e5 (see next diagram)

18

�bd7?

•••

Black is rattled, and he does not even make an attem pt to play on with an extra knight. Apparently, after 18 . . .ttle8 he was afraid of the attack 1 9. ttle4! (1 9. AdS �b4 20. e6

13. . .Wb4 1 4. e4 (see next diagram)

63

Chapter 2

a

b

c

d

.1. J!&\ 7. 6 j_ • s'if

e

f

9

·

The Way to the Top

h

• 8 ... .�.. 7 6 J!&\. 8 ii 5

8

4

4

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

i s parried by 2 0 . . . .!::! f S 2 1 . tD e 4 Ac4 22. a3 '!Wb3) 19 . . . h6 (the pawn is taboo: 19 . . . AxeS? 20. tDcS .§fS 2 1 . '!Wb3+) 20. e6! .§fS 2 1 . tDd6 hxgS 22. e7! and Black has no defence. However, the threat of the e pawn's advance could have been averted by the bishop retreat 1 9 . . . Ac8, although here too Wh ite's initiative is very danger ous: 20. tDcS .!::!fS 2 1 . '!Wb3+ ® h8 22. g4! .§xgS 23. '!Wf7 /!i)c7 24 . .§ed1 /!i)d7 2S. /!i)xd7 Axd7 26 . .§xd7 '!WxeS 27. .§xc7. 1 9. exf6

2S . .§e6 ! . If 2 1 . . . '!W x a 2 ? t h e re also fo l lows 2 2 . /!i)xf6+ .§xf6 2 3 . '!Wd4! and B l ack has no defence: 23 . . . .!::! f 7 24 . .§xc6 '!WaS 2S . .§ce6. 22. :§xc6 Ab7

The black pieces coordinate more harmo niously after 22 . . . l:!d8 23. '!Wa1 AbS 24. l:!e6 Ac4 2S . .§eS '!Wb6. 23. :§e6 :§d8

If 23 . . .Wxa2? White wins by 24 . .§xe7! .§xe7 2S. /!i)f6+ ®f7 26 . .§xe7+ ® xe7 27. /!i)dS+! ®f8 28. '!Wf3+ . 24. 1l\'e2 Axe4

B l ac k stra i g htfo rw a rd l y (24 . . . WfS ? ! 2 S . .§xe7! .§xe7 26. /!i)f6+) goes in for oppo site-colour bishops. But in the presence of other pieces, especially the queens, hopes based on this factor are illusory: a bishop which has no opponent is dangerous in an attack on the king.

But here playing for bri l l iancy by 1 9. Axc6! l:!c8 20. /!i)dS /!i)xdS 2 1 . e6 was q u ite appropriate. However, the move i n the game also ensures Wh ite an advantage.

A dangerous pin with an X-ray along the a2-g8 diagonal .

1 9 . • • �xf6 20. Axf6 Axf6

27• . . 1l\'b4

25. 'Wxe4 Ac5 26. :§e2 :§df8 27. Wd5!

If 20 . . . l:! x f6 there wou l d h ave fol l owed 21 . /!i)dS! .§f7 22. /!i)e7+ ® h8 23. tDxc6.

Black does not sense the danger. It was essential to 'unpin' the king - 27. . . ®g7 and if 28. ® h2 to offer the exchange of queens by 28 . . . Ab6. It should be mentioned that 28 . . . l:! xf2 ? is not poss i b l e because of 29 . .§xf2 .§xf2 30. l:!e7+! , when the mating attack costs Black h i s q ueen: 30 . . . ® h 6 31 . g4 Wd2 3 2 . g S + ! '!W x g S 33 . .§xh7+.

21 . �e4 Ae7

It is i m portant to retai n this bishop - oth erwise th ere i s not h i n g w i t h w h i c h t o d e fend t h e dark squ ares. If 2 1 . . . AbS, then 22. /!i)xf6+ .§xf6 23. l:!eS! with the th reats Axc6 and Wb3+ is good e n o u g h to w i n , but there is also a spectac u l a r com puter so l ution: 23. AdS+!? ® f8 24. Wd4! Wd 8

28• �h2 �g7

Not 28 . . . Axf2? 29 . .§xf2 .§xf2 30 . .§ xg6+.

64

M. Carlsen

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This move allows B lack to exchange the queens, which eases the problem of de fending his king. The th reat of 30 . . . �d4 could have been parried by 30. f4! , having in mind the variation 30 . . . �d4? 31 . �xd4 Axd4 32. AdS! �g7 33. f!.6e4, but by play ing 30 . . . f!.fS Black would have forced the queen to retreat to a less i m posing pos i tion: 31 . �a1 A d 4 3 2 . �d1 f!. d 8 etc. Also possible is 30. f!.e4 f!.fS 31 . f!.xg6+ hxg6 32. 'We6+, winning the q ueen , but how to convert the advantage i s not clear. Playing to s u rrou n d the b i s h o p also does not ach i eve its a i m : 30. f!.c6 Ad4 31. 'WdS Ab2! (from the long diagonal the bishop g uarantees its king a shelter at g7) 32. f!.cS Af6 33. f!.c7 �g7.

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There was a quick win by 29. f!.2e4! �a3 30. �eS+ �g8 31 . f!.h4 �d3 (if 31 . . . f!.g7 there is 32. f!.xg6! hxg6 33. AdS+ with a mating attack) 32. �xeS, with an extra bishop for Wh ite.

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K. Lie

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Endings with opposite-colour bishops are Carlsen's forte. On many subseq uent oc casions he was able to demonstrate the su periority of his bishop. In the g iven specific position it is worth noth ing that White's ex tra pawn is on the kingside, where Black's res o u rces are concentrated . Therefore Carlsen keeps both wings in view. 38 . . . E:d7?!

Pas s i ve d efence m a ke s t h i n g s eas i e r for Wh ite. 38 . . . f!.a6!? was more critical: 39. f!.c7+ (after 39. f!.a2 f!.e6! 40. AdS f!.e3 B l ac k attacks the g 3 - paw n , p ractically forcing the exchange of rooks: 41 . a4 Ac3 42. f!.a3 Ad4) 39 . . . �h6 40. h5 f!.xa3 41 . f!.c6 f!.e3 , pursuing the bishop. After the transi tion into a rook ending by 42. Axg6 hxg6 43. f!.xf6 �xhS 44. f!.f7 �h6 4S. f!.xa7 Black has real chances of a d raw. 39. q;,g4 Ae7 40. a4 E:d4 41 . Ac6 h5+?!

T h i s i m pu l s ive m ove m e rely c reates a weakness on g6. 41 . . . �f6 was more logi cal .

Y!Vd4! 31 . 'Wxd4 Axd4 32. f4 �g7

...

The game has gone into an ending which is not easy to win.

42. q;,h3 Ad6 43. q;,g2 Ab4 44. q;,h3

65

Chapter 2

The Way to the Top

�-------------------

Ad6 45. Aea l:id3 46. q;,g2 l:ie3 47. l:ic6!

Game 1 3 B. Jobava

-

M. Carlsen

Skanderborg 2005 a

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47. . . l:ie6?

The rook ending after 47. . J!xe8 48. gxd6 ge7 49. c!>f3 or 47. . . Axf4 48. gxg6+ c!>f8 49. gxf4 gxe8 50. ga6 is clearly better for Wh ite, who has an active rook. But moving into a pin leads to the loss of the a7-pawn. More was prom i sed by a symmetric at tack on the g3-pawn - 47. . . Ab4! 48. Axg6 Ae1 49. Axh5 g xg3+ 50. c!>f1 (weaker is 50. c!> h2?! ga3 51 . ga6 A x h 4) 50 . . . ge3 51 . gg6+ c!>f8 52. gg4 Ad2 53. c!>f2 ge4 54. f5 gxg4 55. Axg4 with real d rawing chances. 48. !:ia6 q;,f8 49. Ab5 iif6 50. Ad3!

It i s usefu l to gain a tempo. The rest does not req u i re any commentary. 50 . . . q;,g7 51 . l:ixa7+ q;,f8 52. a5 Ab4 53. a6 l:id6 54. l:ic7 l:ixd3 55. l:ic8+ q;,g7 56. a7 l:id2+ 57. q;,f3 l:id3+ 58. q;,e4 l:ia3 59. a8'W

Black resigned.

Queen's Indian Defence [E12]

8

::t .i.

6

a

h

1 . c4 �f6 2. d4 e6 3. �f3 b6 4. Ag5

It was not hard for Mag n u s to prepare for this game - at that time this variation was Jobava's main weapon against the Queen's I ndian Defence. 4 . . . h6 5. Ah4 Ae7 6. �c3 c5

Carlsen follows the path of lvanchuk in his recent game with Jobava at the Capablan ca Memorial (Havana 2005), in which Wh ite suffered a crushing defeat. The classical 6 . . . Ab7 7. e3 tDe4 seemed rather ted ious to h i m . 7. e4

The following contin uation is practically unexplored: 7. d5 tDxd5 8 . tDxd5 (the ex changing operation 8. cxd5 Axh4 9. d xe6 fxe6 1 0. Vt/c2 with the th reat of Vt/e4+ is parried by the simple 10 . . . Af6 1 1 . Vt/g6+ c!>f8 with an acceptable game for Black, who i s able to stabi l ise the position of his king thanks to the threat of the exchange 1 2 . . . A x c 3 + 1 3 . bxc3 Vt/f6) 8 . . . A x h 4 9. tDxh4 Ab7 (weaker is 9 . . . exd5 1 0. Vt/xd5 tDc6 1 1 . tDf5) 1 0. g3 (after 1 0 . tDf3 exd5 1 1 . cxd5 0-0 12. e3 'Wf6 1 3. 'Wb3 tDa6 Black successfu lly com pletes h i s development, retaining some initiative) 10 . . . exd5 1 1 . Ag2 0-0 1 2. 0-0 'Wf6 1 3 . Axd5 (or 1 3 . b3 gea 1 4 . e3 Vt/e5 with the idea of 1 5. cxd5 g5!) 1 3 . . . A x d 5 1 4 . Vt/xd5 tDc6 1 5 . b3 gad8 1 6 . gad 1 gfe8 1 7. e3 ge5 1 8 . 'Wd6 ge6, and Black maintai ns the balance. 7. . . cxd4 8. �xd4 d6

B. Jobava - M . Carlsen

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to go i nto an endgame: 1 8 . ygxc5+ bxc5 1 9. �b1 �ab8 20. b3 Ac3+ 21 . �f1 �d2, which, despite the pawn deficit, i s advan tageous to B l ack. The game conti n ued 1 8 . b4 yggs 19. �d1 ygxg2 20. b5+ �e8 2 1 . �xd8+ �xd8 22. Af3 ygg5 23. bxa6 ygd2+ 24. �f1 Ad4! 25. Ae2 Ac5 26. ygg3 ygxa2 27. ygxg7? �d1 +, and Black soon won . 1 0 . . . dxe5

h

Real i s i n g that 1 0 . . . a x b 5 1 1 . exf6 g x f6 (1 1 . . . A x f6 ? ! 1 2 . A x f6 yg x f6 1 3 . ygxd6 i s dangero u s for B l ack) 1 2 . ttJxb5 Cbc6 1 3 . Ag3 leaves Wh ite with an enduri n g i n itiative without a n y r i s k , Carlsen goes i n for an exchange sacrifice. His central pawn mass prom i ses him sufficient com pensation.

9. lDdb5!

With the idea of breaking up Black's king side pawns by exchanging on f6. However, as was shown by the Jobava - lvanchuk game, it proves to be i l l u sory. 9.. . a6 1 0. e5!?

1 1 . Axf6

This move, giving the play an almost forc ing character, was undoubted ly prepared at home. Thereby Jobava i n d i rectly ad mits the effectiveness of the pawn sac rifice made by lvanchuk: 1 0 . Axf6 Axf6 1 1 . ttJxd6+ �e7 1 2. ttJxc8+ ygxc8.

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Weaker is 1 1 . ygf3? e4! 1 2 . Cb xe4 a x b5 1 3 . tDxf6+ gxf6 1 4 . Wxa8 Ab4+ 1 5 . �e2 ygd2+ 1 6 . �f3 e5 with a very dangerous attack for B lack. For example: 1 7. ygds (Wh ite loses q u ickly after 1 7. ygxb8 ygf4+ 1 8. �e2 0-0) 1 7. . . ygf4+ (as a reserve vari ation there is a draw: 1 7. . . Ab7 1 8 . ygxb7 ygf4+) 1 8 . �e2 0-0! 1 9. Ag3 ygf5 20. ygd3 (if 20. �d1 there i s the decisive 20 . . . Ab7! 21 . ygxb7 �d8+) 20 . . . ygg5 (with the threat of . . . ttJc6 and . . . �d8) 2 1 . yge3 ygg6 22. �c1 bxc4 etc.

!.

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1 1 ... Axf6

Analysis diagram

13. ttJa4?! (1 3. ygf3 followed by Ae2 and

If B l ac k i nt e r p o s e s t h e exc h a n g e 1 1 . . . ygxd1 + 1 2. �xd1 axb5 1 3 . Axg7 (af ter 1 3 . AxeS lDd7! 1 4 . A.xg7 �g8 1 5 . lbxb5 �xa2 1 6. Axh6 �xb2 Black has quite good cou nterplay) 13 . . . �g8 1 4 . Axh6 Wh ite wins a pawn without sufficient compensation for the opponent.

0-0 was stronger) 13 . . . �d8 14. ygb3 ttJd7 15. yga3+, and after 1 5 . . . ttJc5 1 6 . Ae2

(not 1 6. ttJxb6? ygc6 1 7. ttJxa8 because of 17. . . Axb2! 1 8. 'Wxb2 ygxe4+ 1 9. yge2 ttJd3+

20. �d2 ttJf4+ and Black wins the queen) 16 . . _ygc6 1 7. ttJxc5 ygxc5 ! . lvanchuk offers

67

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

1 2 . Wf3!

Wh ite w i n s the exchange, but M ag n u s manages t o find defensive resources. 12

••.

axb5 1 3. Wxa8 b4! a

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The moment of truth for the assessment of the open ing idea devised by Jobava, who apparently underestimated this possibil ity, expecting only 1 3 . .. tLld7 1 4. tLlxb5 0-0 1 5 . 0-0-0 with advantage to Wh ite. H owever, Carlsen has planned a m o re active role for the knight, by prepari ng a route for it to d4, from where it controls both wings. 14. �e4

strong initiative; 1 6. tLlxb4 Y#d4! 1 7. tLlxc6 Y#e4+ 1 8. 'i!?d1 Axc6 is also advantageous to Black) 15 . . .Ad7 1 6. 'Wd6 bxc3 1 7. bxc3 e4 1 8. 0-0-0 Ae7 (1 8 . . . Axc3 1 9. Ae2 Y#c8 with the idea of .. . Aa4 is also possible) 1 9. Wd4 Aa4 (1 9 . . . Af6 2 0 . Wxe4 We? 2 1 . Y#a8+ Ac8 is also good) 20. Wxd8+ Axd8 21 . gd4 Ac6 22. Ae2 Ac7 followed by . . .'i!?e7. Carlsen assesses this position as favou rable for Black. 14

•..

J.d7 1 5. �xf6+

Wh ite hurries to deform Black's kingside pawns, whereas he also had other pos s i b i l ities. True, 1 5 . tLld6+ is u n convinc i n g : 1 5 ...'i!?e7 1 6 . tLlb5 (or 1 6 . gd1 tLlc6 1 7. 'Wxd8+ gxd8 1 8 . tLle4 tLld4) 16 .. .tLlc6 1 7. Wxd8+ gxd8 1 8. 0-0-0 tLld4 with sufficient com pensation for the exchange. But 1 5. gd1 , keeping the exchange on f6 in reserve, deserved serious consideration: 1 5 . .. tLlc6 (1 5 . . . Ae7 1 6. c5 0-0 1 7. Wa7 favou rs White) 1 6. Y#xd8+ 'i!?xd8 1 7. c5 bxc5 1 8 . tLlxc5 tLld4 1 9. tLlxd7 'i!?xd7 20. Ad3 , and Wh ite's position is preferable (Carlsen). 1 7. tLlxf6 gxf6 1 8 . g3 'i!?c7 1 9. Ag2 tLld4 20. f4 Ac6 21 . 0-0 also looks q u ite good, diverting the knight to f5 for the defence of the f-pawns.

After 1 4. Y# x b 8 b x c 3 1 5. g d 1 A d ? 1 6. Y#xd8+ 'i!?xd8 1 7. bxc3 e 4 t h e pair of strong bishops fu lly com pensates for the sacrificed exchange. 1 4 . \Wa4+ looks stro n g er: 1 4 ... tLlc6 (i n the event of 1 4 . . . Ad? 1 5 . Y#xb4 tLlc6 1 6 . Y#d6 Ae7 1 7. Wd 1 tLld4 B l ac k h as some com pensation for the exchange, but Wh ite's chances are nevertheless prefer able) 1 5. Y#xc6+ (activity with 1 5 . tLld5 is du bious: 1 5 . . . Ab7 1 6. Wb5 0-0 1 7. Y#xb6 exd5 1 8 . Wxb7 tLld4, and the powerfu l knight on d4 enables Black to develop a

15

•. .

gxf6 1 6. c5

Wh ite is aiming for a clear pawn structure on the queenside, but 1 6. 0-0-0 was more logical , after which Carlsen was i ntending to play 16 . ..tLlc6 1 7. Y#a4 (of cou rse, the queen exchange 1 7. \Wxd8+ 'i!?xd8 followed by . . . tLld4 would satisfy Black) 1 7. . . 'i!?e7, and with a su bsequent . . . Wa8 Black acti vates his forces. 16

.•.

bxc5 1 7. Wa7 �c6 1 8. Wxc5 �d4!

After carrying out this key defensive ma-

68

B. Jobava - M . Carlsen

noeuvre, Black can consider that he has solved his opening problems. a

b

c

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8 7

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1 9 . . .'We7!

Magnus demonstrates a deep understand ing of the position. The endgame with the powerfu l k n i g ht on d4 is advantageous to Black .

6

5

a

------

h

20. 'Wxe7+

After 20. 'Wb6 0-0 21 . Ad3 Ac6 the situ ation favou rs Black, since he can develop an attack on the white king by playing his rook to a8 and his q ueen to d5. 20 . . mxe7 21 . mb1 J.c6 22. f3 .

19. 0-0-0?

Jobava chooses a bad post for his king, where it m ay came under attack by the active black pieces. But it was not an easy choice. For exam ple, if 1 9. Ad3 Black can fight for the i n itiative: 19 . . . 'Wa8! (after 19 . . .'We? 20. 'Wb6 0-0 21 . 0-0 Ac6 22. l:!fc1 Black would have problems with the de fence of his b4-pawn) 20. 'Wxb4 l:!g8! 21 . a3 (if 21 . 0-0-0, then 21 . . . 'Wxa2 is possible, not fearing 22. 'Wb8+
If 22. l:!g1 again 22 . . . l:!g8 is possible, with the idea of . . .tDf3. 22 . . J �g8 23. Eic1 f5 24. Eic4 Eib8!

Subtle conduct of the endgame - now it is not easy for Wh ite to complete his de velopment. I n a superior position it is i m portant t o maintain t h e tension, b y forcing the defending side to solve the most d if ficult problems. The tem pting continuation 24 . . . AdS 25. l:!xb4 tbxf3! 26. a4 would have g iven Wh ite some chances, associated with his pair of connected passed pawns. 25. b3

2 5 . A d 3 is not poss i b l e because of 25 . . . Ab5. The attem pt to develop the h1 rook does not work, since if 25. h4 there is 25 . . . f4 (25 . . . h5 26. l:!h3 f4 27. g3 l:!g8 is also good) 26. h5 r!;}d6 27. l:!h4 tDfS, and the rook has to return home. 2s . . . t4 2s. mb2 ts

The pawn mass d isplays its character! The pair of central pawns is irresistible. (see next diagram)

69

Chapter 2

a

b

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g

·

The Way to the Top

h 8 7

7

j_

6

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�---- �------------------

31 . . J:tf8 32. gg4 gfs was also good, tying the rook to the h5-pawn , followed by . . . e6-e5 and . . . ggs. 32. Elg4 e3 33. Elg6

5

a

--

d

e

f

g

h

27. h4

If 2 7. Ad3 t h e re wou l d h ave fol lowed 27. . . AdS 28. gc7+ �d6 29. gg7 e4 with advantage to Black. 27. . . �d6 28. h5 AdS 29. Elc1 e4 30. fxe4

If 3 0 . Ac4, then 3 0 . . , gg8 31 . g h 2 e 3 was possible.

The position also can not be held after 33. ge1 tDf5 34. Ae2 gd8 35. gg6 Ae4, while if 33. Ad3 there is the decisive 33 . . . e2! 34. ge1 (34. gg6 gc8!) 34 . . . gc8 35. gg6 gc3 . 33 . . . Ae4 34. Elxh6 Elg8

M agnus appears to be enjoying the position, avoiding the win of a piece by 34 . . . e2. 35. Elc5+ �d6 36. Elc4 �dS 37. �c1 e2 38. El xd4+ �xd4 39 . .lxe2 Elxg2 40. Ad1

After 40. �d1 Black casts a m ating net with 40 . . . �e3 ! . 40 . . . Elxa2

30 . . .fxe4 31 . Elh4 �eS

Wh ite resigned .

The World Cup in Khanty- M ansiysk - analogous to the world championship on the knock-out system - was another reform of the world cham pionship, with a slight low ering of its status. The top ten in the tournament gained the right to take part in the Candidates tournament of the next ind ividual world cham pionshi p cycle in 2007. The knock-out event of 1 28 grandmasters, held in a remote part of Russia, proved to be a turning point in Carlsen's career on the eve of his 1 5th birthday. For M agnus this was a second test in matches with the strongest players in the world. True, the first one in 2004 - had ended in the very first rou nd, but the maturing Carlsen , who had joi ned the group of 'twenty-six hundreds' on the world rating list, now had the right to hope for a more successfu l performance. This was how his performance was assessed by the experienced grandmaster Viorel Bologan: 'The revelation of the tournament was Carlsen . He is d istinguished by his classical method of playing - he plays com petently and calculates wel l . For the mo ment he still displays a tendency to play for l ittle traps, but i n principle this is m i n i mal. Over the last two years he has been merci lessly beaten i n various tournaments, and unexpected ly this path to success has proved the shortest. Now he himself will do the

70

M. Carlsen - F. Amonatov

beating.' I n his preparations for the tou rnament Mag n u s had greatly improved his open ing groundwork. ' It i s apparent that he i s doing such work on his open i n g repertoire', Mikhail G u revich said in adm i ration, 'that experienced grandmasters don't know what to play agai n st h i m ! ' The youngster had also greatly improved his endgame techniq ue. I n contrast to Libya, i n Russia Carlsen played seven stages: fou r in the main tou rna ment and three i n the add itional fight for qual ification to the Candidates tou rnament. His res u lt could have been even better, since he missed a real chance to go through to the quarter-fi nal of the main tou rnament, when in his match with Evgeny Bareev h e lost a rapid game which was practically decided. B ut even without t h i s h i s l i st o f wins was im pressive: among those defeated were Zu rab Azmai parashvili, Farrykh Amonatov, Ivan Chepari nov, Joel Lautier, Vladimir Malakhov and Gata Kamsky.

9. t'Lld5

Game 1 4 M. Carlsen - F. Amonatov

World Cup, Khanty- Mansiysk 2005 Sicilian Defence [ 890]

9. Ag5 i s regarded as the main conti n u ation.

1. e4 c5 2. t'Llf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. t'Llxd4

9 . .t'Llxd5 1 0. 'Wxd5 t'Llc6 .

�f6 5. t'Llc3 a6 6 .te3 e5 7. t'Llf3 •

After 10 . . . Ab7 it i s not easy for Black to com plete his development: 1 1 . �b3 Axe4 1 2 . Ac4 �b7 1 3 . 0-0-0 Axf3 (if 13 . . . Ag6 there fol l ows 1 4 . tD h 4 A h 5 1 5 . f3! tDc6 1 6 . Axb6 o r 1 6 . �xb6 with advantage to Wh ite) 1 4 . g xf3 tDc6 1 5 . b1 ! (1 5. Ad5 b5 1 6. f4 is also good) 15 . . . !:!b8 (1 5 . . .tDa5 1 6. Ad5) 1 6. Ad5 with an obvious positional advantage for Wh ite.

The mai n continuation is 7. tDb3 Ae6 8. f3 with the development of an attack on the kingside. The move i n the game i s also very popular and indicates that Carlsen is aiming for positional play. 7 . :Wc7 8. a4 b6 .

Black radically prevents a4-a5 , but this move has d rawbacks, which Carlsen i s able t o disclose. 8 . . . Ae7 9. a 5 0-0 i s more often played . For example, the game Jang Jong -Sakaev, (China- Russia match 2004) conti n u ed 1 0 . Ae2 tbc6 1 1 . Ab6 �d7 1 2. tDd2 tDb4 1 3. tDc4 d5! 14. exd5 tDfxd5 1 5. tDxd5 tDxd5 1 6 . Af3 Ab4+ 1 7. f1 ! tDxb6 1 8 . tD x b 6 �xd 1 + 1 9 . !:! x d 1 !:! b 8 20. !:!d5! !:!e8? (20 . . . Ae6!? 21 . !:!xe5 !:!fd8 came i nto consideration, with s ufficient compensation for the pawn) 2 1 . c3 Af8 22. tDxc8! !:!bxc8 23. Ae4! with advantage to Wh ite in view of the weakness of the a6/ b7 pawn pair.

6 5

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fj,

4 3

3 2

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1 1 . t'Llg5

71

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Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

The less ambitious 1 1 . \Wd2 Ae7 1 2 . Ac4 0-0 allows Black to complete his develop ment. The game Kir. Georgiev - l strates cu (Oh rid 2001) conti nued 1 3 . Ad5 Ae6 1 4. 0-0 E!ac8 1 5 . E!ac1 tbb8! 1 6 . E!fd1 tbd7 with equal chances. 11 . . . Eib8

It is not possible for B l ack to complete h i s q u eenside d eve l o p m ent normally 1 1 . . .Ab7? 1 2. Axb6! \Wxb6 1 3 . \Wxf7+ �d8 1 4. a5! and if 14 . . . tbxa5 1 5. tbe6+ White g ives mate in three moves. 1 2 . Ac4

Carlsen's favou rite p roced u re from h i s youth: i f i t is possi ble t o p u t t h e k i n g under fire, he does this.

14 . . . Eia8

1 4 . . . Ae7 is no longer possible, si nce after 1 5 . Axa6 Axa6 1 6. "Wxa6 Black's strategic deficiencies are obvious. Let us conti nue: 16 . . .Wxc2 1 7. "Wb5+ "Wc6 (1 7. . . �f8? 1 8. a5) 1 8 . �e2! 0-0 1 9. "Wxc6 tbxc6 20. E!hc1 E!fc8 2 1 . E!c3 tbb4 22. Axb6, and Wh ite wins a pawn. Therefore the a6- pawn has to be defended , but the return of the rook to a8 is an ad m ission that B lack has problems with his queenside development and it is not easy for him to coordinate his pieces. If 14 . . . "Wb7 there can follow 1 5. 0-0 Ae7 1 6. Ad5!? with enduring pressu re on the q ueenside: 1 6 . . ."Wc7 1 7. tbd2 0-0 1 8 . Wc4 "Wd7 (not 1 8 . . . Wxc4? 1 9 . tbxc4 b5? because of 20. Aa7) 1 9. "Wb3 tbe6 20. tbc4.

12 . . . �d8 1 3. Wd3 h6

Black is i m patient to d rive away the an noying knight. To be fai r, it should be men tioned that the theory of this variation was largely unexplored . 1 3 . . . Ae7 is stronger, when the fol lowing line is not dangerous: 14. Axa6 Axa6 1 5 . "Wxa6 "Wxc2 1 6. Wb5+ Wc6 1 7. 0-0 "Wxb5 1 8 . axb5 Axg5 1 9. Axg5 tbe6 20. Ae3 tbc7 21 . E!fc1 tbxb5 22. Axb6 �d7 with a reasonable endgame for Black (Ku laots - Leyva, Olympiad, Turin 2006).

1 5. �d2 �e6

After 15 . . . Ae7 1 6. Ad5 Ab7 1 7. 0-0 0-0 1 8 . tbc4 A x d 5 1 9 . Wxd5 E!b8 20. E!fd 1 White has an obvious spatial advantage. 1 6. AdS labS

1 6 . . . A b7 1 7. 0-0 Axd5 1 8 . exd5 tbc5 1 9. "Wc4 also favours White - he is th reat ening 20. b4. 1 7. Wc4!

14. �f3

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M. Carlsen

The move of a mature master! Si nce the majority of the black pieces are undevel oped , Carlsen exchanges t h e o n l y active one - the queen, with the hope of convert ing his spatial advantage in the endgame. 17. . . �e5?!

This attem pt to avoi d the exchange of queens leads by force to the loss of the ex change. But in the endgame too Black can not hold out: 17 . . .'�xc4 1 8. CL!xc4 CL!f4 (not 18 . . b5? 1 9. axb5 axb5 20. Aa7) 1 9. 0-0-0! Ad? (1 9 . . . CL!xd5 20. �xd5 1eads to the loss of a pawn) 20. Axf4 (20. CL!xb6 Ag4 21 . �d2 tiJxg2 22. a5 CL!xe3 23. fxe3 i s also good) 20. . exf4 21 . e5! b5 (if 2 1 . . . d xe5 there fol lows 22. CL!xe5 or 22. Axf7+) 22. CL!xd6+ Axd6 23. exd6, and Black cannot avoid loss of material. .

-

G. Kamsky

27. �e4!

Deep calculation! All Black's trickery leads merely to a red uction i n the material. 27. . . Ae6 2S. Axd6 Axe4 29. lieS! lieS

After 29 . . . Axd6 30. �xc6 the elegant fork proves decisive. 30. l:ixe4 Axd6 31 . iia6 JabS

The alternative 31 . . .CL!e7 32. � xc8+ CL!xc8 33. �a8 i s equally hopeless. 32. g3 �d4 33. l:ixd6 ii b1 + 34. 'i!?g2 ii b2 35. e3 �e2 36. 'i!?t1

.

Black resig ned .

Game 1 5

1S. b4! b5 1 9. axb5 axb5 20. We3

M . Carlsen - G . Kamsky

ti:}e6 21 . Wxe7 �xe7 22. Aa7 �xd5

World Cup, Khanty- Mansiysk 2005 Sicilian Defence [ 843]

23. AxbS �xb4 24. 0-0!

Including the second rook in the attack on the queenside.

1 . e4 e5 2. �f3 e6 3. d4 exd4 4. �xd4 a6 5. �e3 We7 6. Ad3 b5 7. 0-0 Ab7 S. We2 �e7 9. iie1

24 . .�e6 25. iifb1 Ae7 .

At last Black has managed to develop this bishop. In the event of 25 . . . CL!xb8 26. �aS tiJc6 27. � xc8+ 'i!?d7 28. �aS its release might lead to further losses.

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Th i s novelty, apparently saved up for such an i m portant game, best c haracterises Carlsen's u n d e rstan d i n g of the game, based on a knowledge of the classics.

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73

C hapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

Taking account of B l ack's retarded development, he prepares the knight th rust to d5. For this he needs to rei nforce the pin on the e-fi le. 9 . . . �bc6

The natural way of deve l o p i n g . If 9 . . . tLlg6 all the same there fo l l ows 1 0 . tLld 5 ! 'Wd 6 (1 0 . . . exd5? 1 1 . exd5+ tLle7 1 2 . tLlf5) 1 1 . c4 (th e ag g ressive 1 1 . 'W h 5 is j u stified af ter 1 1 . . .exd5 1 2 . exd5+ �d8 1 3 . Ag5+ �c7 1 4 . c4 with an attack on the k i n g , b u t B l ack c a n cont i n u e h i s development with 1 1 . . . tLl c 6 ! ?) 1 1 . . . bxc4 1 2 . A xc4 f6 ( h e re too 1 2 . . . e x d 5 ? 1 3 . e x d 5 + � d 8 1 4 . 'We8+ �c7 1 5 . 'Wxf7 'Wf6 1 6 . tLle6+ �b6 1 7. Ae3+ is dangero u s for B l ack; if 12 . . . tLlc6 there i s the u n p l easant 1 3 . tLlf5) 1 3 . Ad2 tLlc6 with the idea of 1 4 . tLlxc6 Axc6 1 5 . J;!ad 1 Ab5. If 9 . . . g 6 B l ack has to rec kon with 1 0.tLldxb5!? axb5 1 1 . tLlxb5 'We5 1 2. Ae3 tLlbc6 1 3 . f4.

The World Cup form ula with a mini-match of two classical games rai sed the val ue of each of them . Therefore it i s hard to condemn Kamsky for taking a risk. Otherwise he would have retreated with 1 1 . . .'Wd8 . 1 2 . exd5+ �e7 1 3 . c4!

An i mportant move for the understanding of this position. Since it is unreal for the black king to move to its own wing, Wh ite must prepare to meet it on the q ueenside. 13 . . . b4

Opening the position by 1 3 . . . bxc4 14. Axc4 allows the wh ite rook to j o i n the attack along the c-fi le, and if 14 . . . 'Wd6 Black has to reckon with 1 5 . g3 followed by Af4. 14 . .tg5 f6

The alternative 1 4 . . . 'Wc5 i s parried by the seem ingly modest offer to exchange the queens - 1 5 . 'We3 'Wxe3 1 6 . l;!xe3 f6 (1 6 . . . d6 1 7. Axe? Axe? 1 8 . J;!ae1 ) 1 7. d6 �f7 (1 7. . .fxg5 1 8 . dxe7 �f7 1 9. J;!ae1 J;!e8 20. exf8'W+ l;!hxf8 21 . l;!xe8 l;!xe8 22. l;!xe8 �xe8 23. Axh7 1eads to the loss of a pawn) 1 8. dxe7 Axe? 1 9. Af4 with the better end game for Wh ite.

1 0. �xc6 �xc6

10 . . . dxc6 was more circumspect. To judge by the game, Kamsky either underestimat ed Wh ite's i n itiative after the knight th rust to d5, or he altogether did not consider it. a

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M. Carlsen - G. Kamsky

18. 'Wxh8

25 . . . gxf5

After the tempting 1 8. d6 there is 18 . . .�g8! 1 9. Wxh8 Axd6 and the i n itiative passes to Black. From the material point of view, the outcome of the open ing operation is not wonderfu l for Wh ite. But as regards the assessment of the position, it has been an undoubted success: h i s pieces are domi nant, whereas for the moment the black bishops are shut i n .

25 . . . Wxf5 loses to 26. l::! e 8+ �a7 27. Wa3! l::! c7 28. We3+.

18 . . .'Wd6

26. Iie6 f4 27. Iice1 Iid8 28. 'Wb6 Iic8 29. b4!

Wh ite's main threat i nvolves the invasion of his rook at e8. 29

•..

If 29 . . . l::! xc4 there fol lows 30. b5 axb5 31 . l::! e 8+ l::! c 8 32. Wxb5 Wxd5 33. l::! x c8+ � xc8 34. l::! e 8+ � c7 3 5 . Wxd5 A x d 5 3 6 . l::! xf8 , o btai n i ng a tec h n ically won ending.

If 1 8 . . . h6 there follows 1 9. Wf6. 19. Ae4

With the th reat of c4-c5. 19 .. /�b8 20. Iiac1 'Wf4 21 . g3 'Wf7

3 0 . h x g 3 h5 31 . b5 'Wc7

22. 'Wd4

Si nce Black cannot be satisfied with 31 . . . axb5 32. Wxb5 when there is no defence against 33. l::! e 8, he is forced to agree to an endgame, where his bishops are sti l l out of play.

22. We5+ followed by Wxg5 is also good

enough, but Carlsen is hoping for more. 22 . . . d6 23. 'Wb6 Iid7 24. 'Wxb4 t'Llf5 a 8 7 6

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An amazi ngly pragmatic approach to the solution of the position. Wh ite exchanges the active knight in order to invade with his rook at e6, not paying any great importance to the undoubling of the black pawns.

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Chapter 2

·

The Way to the To P ..;.

36 J ad8? .•

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

40. �xc3 Axd5 41 . �d1 Aa8 42. �a3 d5 (after 42 . . . �xb5 Wh ite wins by 43. �da1 Ac6 44. �a5+, while if 42 . . . Ab7 there fol lows 43. �e3 and 44. �e6) 43. �da1 Ab7 44. �e3 �d7 45. �e5 �g7 46. �b1 , although here too White should be able to convert his exchange advantage.

Black should have decided on 36 . . J � xc4 37. �xd6+ �c5 38. �g6 Ac3 39. �d1 Axd5 40. �xg5 Ad4 41 . �xh5. It is not easy for h i m to escape from the p i n , but the ad vance of the f- and g-pawn pair requ i res time, which gives h i m some practical sav ing chances.

39. §xb7 §f8 40. Jac7+ ckxd5 41 . §d1 !

37. c5+!

The final subtlety. 42. b6 is threatened.

An unexpected thrust, leading to the win of one of the bishops. 37 .'itxc5 38. §e7 Ad4

41 Ja b8 42. �ag7 94 43. JagS+ ckc4 44. Jaxh5 Ac5 45. JagS Jaxb5 46. Jaxg4+ ckc3 47. ckg2 Aa3 48. Jagd4

38 . . . Ac3 was more resil ient: 39. �c7+ �b6

Black resigned .

•.

•• .

Qual ifying for the Candidates series implies contacts with the world elite and the reach ing of a new level of mastery. The chess world was expecting a great deal of Carlsen , but if you raise you r potential in slow steps, you should remember that time does not work long for the young, and you can easily dissolve i nto the overall mass, as occurred with a n u m ber of his talented contemporaries. But to gain in class, it is im portant to make the next step. The step into chess high society. For the 1 5-year-old g rand master a rating of 2570 on the results of 2005 gave every justification for this. At that time the chess calendar offered two opportun ities to progress. The fi rst was to qualify for the main Wijk aan Zee tournament. Here there was no problem, as Magnus was a desired g uest at the most famous festival of the year. Another way of breaking i nto elite society was offered by the wel l -known Dutch chess patron Joop van Oosterom, who sponsored not only his trademark ' M elody Amber' tournament, but also the ' Rising Stars' competition, where veterans tested talented young players, the best of whom would qualify for the main tournament. Carlsen made use of both opportun ities. I n January 2006 he again , for the third year i n a row, played in Wij k aan lee. On this occasion the organisers had invited a stronger field for the B tournament compared with the previous year, raising it to FIDE category 1 5, where the brightest young talents were guaranteed places. But such rivalry was to the advantage of Magnus, who had rested and was eager for a fight. The battle for qual ification to the A tournament was uncommonly d ramatic. It appeared that on this occasion Magnus would more than hold his own : after 7 rounds he was confidently leading with 6 points, after gaining a n u m ber of wins i n splendid attacking style. But he then slowed down with a series of d raws, and in the 1 1 th round he was caught by Alexander Motylev, who won their

76

M. Carlsen - A. Beliavsky

individual encounter. It was these two who were victorious in the tournament, after overcoming the hurdle of the last round, where they had to defeat the lady players Kateryna Lahno and H u m py Koneru . True, even with a share of 1 st-2nd places (9 points out of 1 3) there were stil l g rounds for disappointment, since on the tie-break fi rst prize went to Motylev. But the festival organisers reassu red Carlsen , saying that they had decided to allow both players i nto the A tournament in 2007.

7. . . Ac5?!

Game 1 6 M . Carlsen - A. Beliavsky Wijk aan Zee B 2006 Ruy Lopez {C91] 1 . e4 e5 2. �f3 �c6 3 . .tb5 a6 4. Aa4 �f6 s. o-o b5 6. Ab3 .tb7 7. d3 a

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Here this activity is i nappropriate, si nce it al lows Wh ite to develop his knight at c3, creating the threat of pinning the f6-knight (with the idea of tt::l c 3-d5), after which the absence of the bishop from e7 is very per ceptible. The main continuation is 7. . . Ae7, as Bel iavsky had played in all his preceding games. To the q uestion, why did he play 7. . . Ac5, Alexander merely sh rugged his shoulders.

For the moment the i m mediate pin 8. Ag5 is premature, since after 8 . . . h6 9. Ah4 0-0 1 0. tt::l c 3 Ae7! Black retreats his bishop, obtai ning an easy game. N ow, however, it is not easy for h i m to choose a moment to castle.

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This modest pawn move is a kind of anti Arkhangelsk variation, directed against the active development of the bishop at c5, which is Black's main response to one of the basic contin uations 7. §e1 . Another such continuation is 7. c3, which was espe cially popular at the end of the 20th century. The greatest stir at that time was created by the game N u n n - Bel i avsky (Am ster dam 1 990), which continued 7. . .tt::l x e4 8. d4 tt::l a5 9. Ac2 exd4 1 0. b4 tt::l c 4 1 1 . Axe4 Axe4 1 2. §e1 d5 1 3 . tt::l x d4 c5! 1 4 . bxc5 Axc5 1 5. f3 0-0 1 6. fxe4 dxe4 1 7. *h1 §e8 18. Ae3 tt::l x e3 1 9. §xe3 b4, and Beliavsky won after a very sharp fight.

8 . . . d6

A natural and freq uently-employed move. But 8 . . . 0-0!? also comes i nto considera tion, with the idea after 9. Ag5 h6 1 0. Ah4 Ae7 of reaching a position from the varia tion given in the previous note. 9. a4

A standard fl a n k attac k , w h i c h at the same time solves the problem of retain ing the light-sq uare bishop. After the mod est 9. Ae3 0-0 1 0. a3 tt::l d 4 Black has no problems.

77

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

9 . . . �a5

A dubious move - the knight moves to the edge of the board . The main conti nuation is considered to be 9 . . . b4. Si nce the time of the Kasparov - Anand world champion ship match i n 1 995 it has been considered that 1 0. !Dd5 1eads to the exchange of this knight (1 0 . . .!Da5 1 1 . !Dxf6+ 'Wxf6), which eases Black's defence: 1 2. Aa2 h6 13. c3 bxc3 14. bxc3 0-0 1 5. Ae3 �ad8 1 6. �b1 Ac8 (with the idea of . . . Ag4 or . . . Ae6) with rou g h ly equal chances. More com pli cated play resu lts from 1 0. !De2 0-0, and if 1 1 . a5!? (preventing . . .!Da5), then 1 1 . . . d5!? i s possible.

a2 or effect a pin on g4. But in the g iven specific situation, for the moment this ma noeuvre i s premature. Black should have decided on 1 1 . . . 0-0!? 1 2. Ag5 h6 1 3 . Ah4, when 13 . . . Ac8! i s now good . 1 2 . c3

If 1 2. Ae3 Black eq ualises by 1 2 . . . Axe3 1 3 . fxe3 Ae6 ! . 1 2 . . . bxc3 1 3 . bxc3 Ab6

A p rophylactic b i s h o p retreat , s i nce in the event of 13 . . . Ae6 the 1 4. d4 advance is made with g a i n of tem po, and after 1 4 . . . Axa2 1 5 . �xa2 Ab6 1 6. Ag5 Wh ite has an enduring advantage.

1 0 . Aa2

14. �g3

No true 'Spanish' player would part with his trademark bishop for the sake of an extra, dou bled pawn - 1 0 . axb5 !Dxb3 1 1 . cxb3 a x b5 1 2 . � x a8 A x a8 1 3 . !Dxb5 h6, for which Black has s ufficient com pensation in the form of the two bishops.

Now if 14. Ag5 there can follow 14 . . . h6 1 5 . Ah4 g5!? (1 5 . . . 0-0?! 1 6. !Dg3!) 1 6. Ag3 0-0.

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Black decides against 14 . . . 0-0, feari ng the pin 1 5 . Ag5 . But perhaps the devil is not as terri ble as he's pai nted? For example, the game De Firmian - Lugo (San Diego 2004) continued 15 . . . h6 1 6 . Ah4 Ag4 1 7. h3 Axf3 1 8 . 'Wxf3 g5 1 9. tDf5 gxh4 20. !Dxh6+, and here, by playing 20 . . . �g7! 21 . !Df5+

b4 1 1 . �e2 Ac8?!

On the whole this is a thematic bishop ma noeuvre, by which Black takes control of f5 (for where the knight i s aimi ng) and gains the opportunity to neutral ise the bishop on

78

M . Carlsen - A. Beliavsky

<.!?h8, Black wou ld have held the position. Instead of 1 9. �f5 Vi ktor M i khalevsky recommends 1 9. �h5! �xh5 20. '1Wxh5, which is correct after 20 . . . gxh4? 21 . '1Wg6+ �h8 22. '1Wxh6+ �g8 23. �h1 ! with dangerous threats such as f2-f4. But 20 . . . '1Wf6! 21 . Ag3 <.!?g7 22. l:!ab1 '1Wg6 is stronger, when Black successfu lly defends (Beliavsky).

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Wh ite has been able to implement the main conceptual idea in the 7. . . Ac5 variation. The pin on the knight decides the game.

16. !axa2 0-0?!

1 7. . . exd4

Now Wh ite's attack becomes i rresistible, but it is already hard to offer Black good advice. For example, he is u nable to return the a5 -knight to the defence - 1 6 . . . �c6 17. a5! � x a5 (1 7 . . . Axa5? 1 8 . 'Wa4 '1Wd7 1 9. d5) 1 8. d xe5 d xe5 1 9. l:!d2 with numer ous threats. The defence is also not eased by the inclusion of 1 6 . . . exd4!? 1 7. cxd4 0-0 1 8. Ag5 h6 1 9. Ah4, when in view of the threat of �h5 Wh ite's attack is very dan gerous. For exam ple: 19 . . . c5 20. �h5 g5 21 . /:Dxg5 �xh5 22. '1Wxh5 hxg5 23. Axg5 f6 24. '1Wg6+ �h8 25. l:!a3! or 1 9 . . . l:!e8 20. '1Wc1 (with the th reat of �h5) 20 . . .�b3 2 1 . '1We3 �xd4 22. �xd4 Axd4 23. '1Wxd4 g5 24. f3! gxh4 25. �f5, and Black's position is de stroyed (Mi khalevsky).

Things are not changed by 17 . . . h6 1 8 . Ah4. Now 1 8 . . . exd4 1 9. cxd4 leads to a posi tion considered i n the n ote to 16 . . . 0-0, while if 18 . . .�c6 there follows 1 9. �h5! g5 20. �xg5! �xh5 2 1 . '1Wxh5 hxg5 22. Axg5 f6 23. Ah6, and after the capture of the rook Wh ite's attack remains dangerous. 18. �h5! dxc3 1 9. �h4!

Wh ite's attack is so strong, that h e can demonstrate the strength of his caval ry. But also after the prosaic 1 9. Axf6 gxf6 20. '1Wc1 �h8 21 . '1Wxc3 l:!g8 22. �xf6 B lack would not have held out for long. 19 . . . �h8 20. �f5

Black resigned.

Some commentators gave an enth usiastic assessment of this game. This wou l d seem t o be a d e l u s i o n . Beliavsky's play was a l o n g way from h i s real potential , as indicated by the series of medi ocre m oves , beg i n n i n g with his choice of opening variation. Knowing the main idea of Wh ite's play against 7. . . Ac5, it was not hard

79

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The Way to the Top

for M ag n u s to fi nd obvious m oves . But he must be g iven h i s d u e - he carried out a sustained attack . Carlsen encou ntered Beliavsky's real potential a few months l ater i n Amsterdam, where he was also hoping to m ake use of the other opportun ity to move i nto ' h i g h society'. I n the summer of that year the Max Euwe Association, financed by Joop van Oost erom, organised in Amsterdam a team tournament ' Rising Stars' v. ' Experience', held on the Scheveni ngen system . Famous veterans tested promising young players. The best of the young would receive an invitation to the Melody Amber tournament, held i n Monaco with the partici pation of the world el ite. The com position of the junior team was i m posing: the young g randmasters who had distingu ished themselves in Wijk aan Zee - Sergey Karjaki n , who had shared 5th-6th places i n the A Tou rnament, and Magnus Carlsen, who had shared 1 st-2nd places in the B Tou rnament, the home play ers Daniel Stel lwagen and Jan Smeets, and the Chi nese player Wang Hao. As for the five veterans, only the 53-year-old Alexander Beliavsky was sti l l active i n com petitions. He became a strict examiner of the main favourites in the two concl uding rounds: he defeated the leader Carlsen and did not allow Karjakin to catch h i m . As a result Carlsen and Beliavsky fi nished fi rst in their respective teams with identical resu lts - 6% poi nts from 1 0 games. For the second time Carlsen fulfi l led his main objective - to break through to encounters with the el ite in a m i n i m u m of two tournaments in 2007. As for the examination by the veteran , it was very instructive.

M. Carlsen - A. Beliavsky

32

Amsterdam 2006 a

b

c

d

8 7 6

... 'iV ... ..t ... �

5 4

j, D, � 2 D, D,

e

f

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31

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b

c

d

34. J.d1

3

3

1 .S,

J.xe3 33. Wxe3 9:f4

In a position which is difficult for the op ponent it is logical to increase the pressure . Therefore Bel iavsky is not in a rush to win a pawn - 33 . . . tDxe4 34 . .!:!f1 !? (34 . .!:!e2 tDd6) 34 . . . tDf6 35 . .!:!ae1 , which allows Wh ite to activate his forces .

h

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Magnus fol l ows the path of least resist ance. 34. Ac2 was stro n g er: 34 . . . .!:!ef8 35. �c5 .!:!f2 36. �xeS+ .!:!8f6 37. �g3 �xg3 38. hxg3 .!:!xc2 39. e5 .!:!e6 40. exd6 .!:! xd6, and now not 41 . .!:!e8+?! ct1g7 42 . .!:!e7+ ct1h6 43 . .!:!xb7 .!:!dd2, but i m med iately 41 . .!:!e7! .!:!xb2 42 . .!:!f1 , and the activity of the rooks secu res equal ity. Therefore B lack wou ld apparently have had to reg roup his forces

2

f

g

h

Wg4! 32. J.e3

•.•

White cannot take the knight by 32. �xd6 on account of an attractive mate: 32 . . . .!:!f2 33 . .!:!g1 �xg2+! 34 . .!:!xg2 .!:!f1 + 35 . .!:!g1 .!:!xg1 #.

80

M . Carlsen - J. Nunn

decisive. Two pawns down , White played on for another ten moves before curtai ling his hopeless resistance.

by 35 . . .'We6 36. fiad1 Wf6 37. '.'!?g1 fif2, but after 38. Ad3 Wh ite holds the position . 34 . . . Wg5 35. 'Wd3?

This allows a rook invasion, lead ing to the loss of a pawn without any com pensa tion. 35. Af3!? tilxe4 36. fiad1 was more resilient, although even here after 36 . . . tDf6 followed by . . . e5-e4 the extra pawn should have the final word . a

b

c

d

e

f

g

Game 1 7 M . Carlsen - J . N u n n Amsterdam 2006 Sicilian Defence [ 890] 1 . e4 c5 2. �f3 d6 3. d4 �f6 4. �c3 cxd4 5. �xd4 a6 6. Ae3 e5 7. �f3 Ae7 8. Ac4 0-0 9. 0-0 Ae6 1 0. Ab3 �c6 1 1 . We2 �aS 12. �fd1 �xb3 13. cxb3!?

h

8

7 6

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6

5

5

4

4

3

3

The main continuation 1 3. axb3 We? is con sidered to be sound enough for B lack, and so Carlsen turns onto a less well-explored path, opening the c-file for his rook and pre venting the development of the queen at c7. a

a

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c

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c

5 4

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37.. J a xb2 38. �ad1 �d8 39. c4?!

The cunning 39. Ag4 (with the idea of fixd6) is parried by the cool-headed 39 . . . '.'!?g7.

f

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Also after the q ueen exchange 37. We3 Wxe3 38. fixe3 fixb2 the endgame is hope less for White.

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35 . . . fif2 36. Af3 �d2 37. Wf1

d

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39 . . . �g7

1 3 . . . 'We8

In time-trouble one wants to play as sol idly as possi ble, but 39 . . . fixa2 was also possible, i ntending to meet 40. c5 with 40 . . .tDbS 41 . Wc4 fiad2.

Two years later the game Carlsen - lvanchuk (Morel ia/Linares 2008) continued 13 . . .tDd7 1 4. tDd2 Wc7 1 5. fiac1 fifeS 1 6. tDdS Wd8 1 7. fixeS fixeS 1 S . tDxe7+ Wxe7 1 9. tDc4 Axc4 20. bxc4 tileS 21 . b3 fic6 and Black maintained the balance. With the exchange of the dark-square bishop the d6-pawn is weakened , of course, but it proves i mpos sible to approach it.

40. 'Wd3 �f7 41 . 'Wa3 �dd2 42. �xd2 'i'xd2 43. �d1 �xa2 44. 'We7 Wc3 45. h4

If 45. Wxb7 or 45. fif1 , then 45 . . . fia1 is also

81

Chapter 2

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�----------------

1 8 . . . a5

14. �e1

This move indicates that Carlsen is fami l i a r with t h e theory even o f t h i s fairly rare variation. 1 4 . Ag5 , attem pting to exploit the weakness of the d5-point, is parried by 14 . . . tDh5! (this possibility is based on tactics: 1 5 . tDxe5 is not possible because of 1 5 . . . f6), played in the game Movsesian Babula (Czech Team Championsh ip 20056). After the exchange of B l ack's ' bad ' bishop the chances are equal.

This weakening of the q ueenside squares by Black is associated with an incorrect idea. Possibly the experienced g randmas ter was not attracted by the exchanging operation 1 S . . . Aa5 1 9. tDbd5 tDxd5 (or 1 9 . . . Axd5 20. tDxd5 AdS 21 . llad1 tDe8 22. llc3 tDf6) 20. tDxd5 AdS (not 20 . . . b5 2 1 . Ab6) 2 1 . llad 1 , lead i n g to a passive position, which, however, is not easy to breach. 1 9. �bd5 �xd5 20. �xd5 a4?!

14 . . . hS

I l logical - why undouble the white pawns? 20 . . . lla6 21 . llad1 llac6 was in the spirit of the position, with the idea of 22. llc3 Axd5. 20 . . . b5 and 20 . . .f5 were also possible.

Later, at the rap i d tournament in Cap d 'Agde 2006, Karjakin played more ener getically against Carlsen: 1 4 . . .tDg4 1 5. tDc2 f5 1 6. f3 tDxe3 1 7. tDxe3 fxe4 1 S. tDxe4 lldS 1 9. tDd5, and a position with equal chances was reached .

21 . bxa4 gxa4 22. b3 gas 23. gad1 gas?

A strange move, to put it mildly, leading to the loss of a pawn. If Black was i ntend ing to exchange on d5, 23 . . . Wb5 24. a4 WeS 25. tDb4 llaaS was more logical, at least provoking a weakening of the b3paw n . 23 . . .f5 came i nto conside ration, with the threat of 24 . . .fxe4 25. fxe4 Ag4, while if 24. Wf2? White has to reckon with 24 . . . Axd5 25. llxd5 f4.

1 5. �c2

The knight is transferred to the key point of the position - d5. 1 5 ... 'Wd7 1 S. �b4 gfc8 1 7. f3 .idS 1 8, gd3

By threatening the doubling of rooks on the d -file, Wh ite does not al low time for . . . b7-b5.

24. �bS .txbS 25 . .txbS gas 2S. gxdS We7

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7 'if ... ... .t. i. � ... 6 5 5 ... 4 4 ttJ � 3 3 � ttJ I!l � � 2 �� vw � � 2

7

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9

h

M. Carlsen - J. N u n n

27. Wb2!

31 . . .Wxd2

Apparently w h e n he p l ayed 23 . . J �a5 Black missed this possibil ity, hoping for 27. .§d8+ .§xd8 28. Axd8 �C5+ 29. h1 'Wa3, when he regains the pawn (30. f!d2? Axb3 31 . axb3 �c1 + 32 . .§d1 f!a1 ). Now, however, the queen is switched to its own wing , where it supports the advance of the pawns. 27. . .Wg5?!

Of course, 27. . . f! x b6? 28. f! x b 6 �c5+ 29. �f2 does not work, but Black should

have reconciled himself to 27. . . f!aa8 28. a4

Black is forced to agree to the exchange of q ueens, since otherwise after 31 . . . �h5 32. h3 the queen remains out of play, pas sively observing the breakthrough by the a-pawn: 32 . . . �g6 33. f!c1 .§xc1 + 34. �xc1 .§c8 35. �d2 (also good is 35. �xc8+ AxeS 36 . .§xg6 fxg6 37. b5 f7 38. Ac7 e6 39. f2 , when the m arch of the king to the q ueenside leads to the winning of the e5- and h4-pawns) 35 . . . f!c4 36. Ae3 h7 37. .§b6, winning the b6-pawn .

f6, si nce the attem pt to develop counter 32.!3:1 xd2 !3:c4 33. Ac5 !3:c8 34. !3:b6 !3:c7 35. �f2 �h7 36. Ad6 !3:d7

play on the kingside is unrealistic. 28. a4 h5 29. a5 h4 30. b4 !3:aa8

White has m ade prog ress with his attack on the q ueenside, whereas Black's play has come to a standsti l l , si nce after 30 . . . h3 31 . f!d8+ .§xd8 32 . .§xd8+ h7 33. �d2 'Wxd2 (otherwise b4-b5) 34 . .§xd2 f!a8 35. g4 he loses his h3-pawn.

36 . . . f!c2 37. e1 f!c1 + 38. f!d1 leads to the exchange of a pair of rooks and the loss of the e5-pawn. 37. �e3 f6

31. Wd2 a

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Parting with the e5-pawn , but also hopeless is 37. . . f!c3+ 38. f!d3 f!xd3+ 39. xd3 f6 40. c3, when White creates a passed pawn.

h 8

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38. Axe5 fxe5 39. !3: xe6 !3:xd2 40. �xd2 !3:xb4 41 . !3: xe5 !3: b2+ 42. �c3 !3:xg2 43. !3: h5+ �g6 44. !3:xh4 !3:a2 45. �b4

4 3

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f

9

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Black resigned.

After his notable performance i n the World Cup, Carlsen was also g uaranteed invita tions to the m ajor all-play-al l tournaments. Nevertheless, he couldn't refrai n from a trip to Reykjavik to take part i n the trad itional Open . Magnus was leading u p to the last round, but he contrived to lose a better endgame to the Egyptian Ad ly, whose rating was 1 50 points lower than his. The result was a share of 6th-9th places with a score of

83

Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

6% poi nts out of 9. A more serious test awaited h i m at a F I D E category 1 7 tournament in Sarajevo with a well-balanced young field of six partici pants. In the absence of any obvious outsiders, the tournament concluded with a unique result: '+1 ' was sufficient for a share of first place. Carlsen gai ned his only win with B lack against the Bosnian Borki Predojevic, and for clear victory in the tournament he needed to do the same in the last round with Wh ite, but he played on to a difficult endgame, which he saved only by a miracle. The result was a share of 1 st-3rd places with N isipeanu and Malakhov (5% points from 1 0 games). Part of the 'compulsory' program for 2006 was the Olympiad in Turin. Although Norway does not number among the 'chess' cou ntries and the team faced matches in the second echelon, Magnus showed h imself to be a genuine leader. On board 1 he scored 6 points in 8 games, which enabled the Norwegian team to finish in an honourable 31 st place. Carlsen's star status d i d not affect h i s patriotic sense, and he thought that he should also play in the Norweg ian Championsh ip. This stroll in an easy tournament (FI D E category 9) proved in fact to be q u ite d ifficult - a share of 1 st-2nd places with his fi rst mentor, Agdestein (7 poi nts out of 9). The match for the title of champion was won 3-1 by the pupil. The tournament i n Biel, held with the same format as in the previous year, attracted an even stronger field (FI D E category 1 7), with the partici pation of the winners of the preced ing tournaments, Alexander Morozevich (2003 and 2004) and Andrey Volokitin (2005). It was the games with them that determ ined Carlsen's result. He achieved the i m possible - he won twice against Morozevich , but he also lost twice to Volokitin. As for Morozevich, on this occasion too he was irrepressible and he again won ' Biel' by a marg i n of 1 % poi nts from Carlsen and Radjabov, who shared 2nd-3rd places with 6 points out of 1 0. Standing apart in the series of strong tournaments was the rapid-play event in the French town of Cap D'Agde (FI D E category 1 4), where in his sem i-fi nal match Carlsen lost %-1 % to Karjaki n .

averse to playing with a fianchettoed bish op. This same position can also arise in the Romanishin Variation of the N i mzo- l ndian Defence. Its virtues include piece pressure on the centre, and its d rawbacks - the vulnerabi l ity of the c4-pawn , which is not the case in the Catalan Open ing.

Game 1 8 M. Carlsen

-

M. Adams

Olympiad , Tu rin 2006 Nimzo-lndian Defence [ E20] 1 . �f3 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �c3 Ab4 4. g3 o-o 5. Ag2 d5 6. d4

Since the 1 4th world champion Vlad i m i r Kram n i k i ntroduced t h e Catalan Open ing into his repertoire, i nterest i n positions of this type has greatly increased . Th is theme was taken u p by Carlsen, who is also not

6 ... dxc4 7. 0-0

Fi rst c larify i n g the bishop's position by 7. a3!? also comes into consideration.

84

M. Carlsen - M. Adams

a

b

c

d

f

e

9

h

K.

•••

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6 5 4

3 !:::.

Analysis diagram

a) 7. . . Axc3+ 8. bxc3 and after the attem pt to defend the c4-pawn - 8 . . . c6 (if 8 . . . b5, then 9. a4! is good, taking play along simi lar l i n es) there can fol l ow 9. Cbe5! tbd5 1 0. V!fc2 b5 1 1 . e4 Cbf6 1 2. a4 Ab7 13. Aa3 �e8 1 4 . �b1 ! with the th reat of 1 5. Cbxc4. 8 . . .Cbbd7 is more cautious, after which Wh ite carries out a plan typi cal of such positions: 9. 0-0 c6 1 0. a4 b5 1 1 . Aa3 �e8 1 2 . Cbd2 Cbd5 1 3 . V!fc2 Ab7 1 4 . Cbe4;

b) 7. . . Ae7 8. V!fa4 a6 9. V!fxc4 b5 1 0 . V!id3 Ab7 1 1 . Ag5 Cbbd7 1 2 . b4 a5!? 1 3. 0-0 axb4 1 4 . a x b 4 A x b4 1 5 . Cb x b 5 c5 16. dxc5 �xa1 1 7. �xa1 Axc5 with an equal game (Radjabov -Topalov, Sofia 2008) .

2 1 M a

b

7 6 5

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8

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d

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If 8 . . . Ae7 White concentrates his forces in the centre: 9. e4 Cba5 1 0. Ae3 a6 1 1 . V!fe2 b5 1 2. �ad1 , threatening to launch an of fensive. Noteworthy, for example, is the game M atlakov - Em e l i n (St. Petersburg 2009): 1 2 . . . Ab7 1 3 . Cbg5 Cbd7 1 4 . h4 V!fe8 1 5. f4 Cbb3 1 6. e5 Axg2 1 7. �xg2 h6 1 8. d5! Cbdc5 (Wh ite also has a dangerous attack after 1 8 . . . hxg5 1 9. hxg5 g6 20. V!fg4 �g7 21 . Cbe4 �h8 22. Cbf6) 1 9. V!fg4 �d8 20. f5 exf5 21 . �xf5 g6 22. Cbge4 �h7 23. V!ff4 1 -0. 9. bxc3 Elb8 1 0. Ag5 b5

After the inclusion of 1 0 . . . h6 1 1 . Ah4 the continuation 1 1 . . . b5 1 2 . e4 e5 leads to a transposition of m oves. The dangers of w i n n i n g the bishop - 1 1 . . . g 5 1 2 . Cb x g 5 h x g 5 1 3 . A x g 5 a r e wel l d e m o n strated by the game lvan isevi c - Mas (Biel 2008): 1 3 . . . �g7 1 4 . e4 Cbe7 1 5. f4 Cbh7 1 6 . V!fh5 Cbxg5 1 7. fxg5 e5 1 8. �f6 Cbg8 1 9. �af1 V!/e7 20. V!ih4 V!id8 21 . V!fh5 V!fe7 22. dxe5 Ae6 23. g6 Cbh6 24. g xf7 �h8 25. f8Vff+ 1 -0.

7. . . tDc6

Black is prepari ng an attack on the centre by . . . e6-e5 . The alternative is the under mining move 7. . . c5. Therefore it is more accurate to clarify the bishop's position on the 7th move. 8. a3 (see next diagram)

8 . Axc3 . .

1 1 . e4

Playing this position with Black, Carlsen tried retreating his bishop - 8 . . . Aa5 9. e3 e5 10. tbxe5 Cbxe5 1 1 . dxe5 V!fxd1 1 2 . �xd1 �d7 1 3. f4 Cbc5 and he equalised i n Ped ersen - Carlsen (Aal borg 2006).

Carlsen considers a more effective way of exploiting the pin on the knight to be 1 1 . Cbd2!? Ab7 (after 1 1 . . .Cbe7 1 2 . Axf6 gxf6 1 3 . Cbe4 the weakness of the c5-sq uare is

85

Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

d isclosed) 1 2. tDe4 tDa5 1 3 . tDxf6+ g xf6 1 4 . Ah6. 11

•••

h6 1 2 . J.h4 e5

12 . . . g5?! is risky: 1 3. tDxg5 h xg5 1 4 . Axg5 e5 1 5 . d5 with a d a n g erou s attac k for Wh ite. a

8 7

6 5

4 3 2

1

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8 7

6 5

4 3 2

1

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13. �xeS!

For Magnus, who is noted for his concrete thinking, there is no reason to avoi d an endgame where he has a spatial advantage and the two bishops. Nothing significant is promised by 1 3. d5 tDa5 - after 1 4 . a4 there can fol low 1 4 . . . g5 1 5. tDxg5 hxg5 1 6. Axg5 'Wd6, and the pin does not succeed .

16

•• .

iie8?!

Played on general g rounds: B l ac k pre vents the transference of the bishop to the q ueenside. Annotating the game in lnformator, Adams suggests a more prom ising way to resist: 16 . . .tDxe5! 1 7. Ae7! §e8 1 8. fxe5 �xe7 1 9. �d8+ «i!?h7 20. Ah3 Axh3 21 . §xb8 §xe5 22. §b7! �xe4. Despite the exchange advantage, the weakening of White's peri phery allows Black to i n itiate counterplay, for example: 23. �xb5 �e2 24. §c5 §g2+ 25. «it>h1 §c2 26. �xc4 Ag2+ 27. «it>g1 c6 28. �a4 Ad5 29. �xa7 �g2+ 30. «it>f1 �xh2 31 . §e1 «it>g6 or 23. «it>f2 §e5 24. �xc7 §f5+ 25. «it>e3 a6, and White has nothing real. 1 7. e6!

A bri l l i ant positional pawn sacrifice for the sake of including the g2-bishop in the game. a

8 7

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If 1 5 . . .tDg4 Carlsen was intending 1 6. AdS �b7 1 7. f4 tDe3 1 8. �d2 tDxg2 1 9. «it>xg2, when White gains an enduring advantage thanks to his control of the d -fi le.

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

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1 7 fxe6 •••

As though bewitched , Adams calculated the consequences of capturing the pawn and decided on the m ove i n the game. The capture with the rook 17 . . . § xe6 did not appeal to him because of 1 8 . e5 g5 1 9. fxg5 tDxe5 20. �d8+ «i!?g7 21 . g xh6+

1 6. f4

B lack's position is unenviable: the roo k on d 1 severs h i s defensive resources i n two, a n d t h e bishop pair is ready t o beg i n operating a t ful l power.

86

M. Carlsen - M . Adams

gxh6 22. ge1 ! ge6 23. ge3, and now if 23 . . . �d3? there fol l ows 24. gxe6 fxe6 when Black cannot d isentangle h i m self. Rybka, which d oes not suffer from i l l u sions, defends b y 2 3 . . .f6!? 24. A d 5 geb6 25. gg8+ � h 6 , and altho u g h the k i n g 's position looks suspicious, it cannot be cap tured . However, 1 8 . Ad8! is more cunning (to judge by the game, Carlsen had this move in mind): 1 8 . . . c6 1 9. e5 with the threat of 20. Ah3. But it is not essential to take the pawn! It is surprising, but i n their commentaries on the game neither Adams nor Carlsen even considered 17 . . .�c5! 1 8 . exf7+ �xf7 1 9. e5 Ab7, when Black safely com pletes his development. 18. e5 �xeS

Carlsen's play in this endgame is ad m i rable. Depth is combi ned w i t h concrete decision-taking. It is wel l known that the side who is the exchange ahead should aim for the exchange of the opponent's rook, to deprive him of cou nterplay. The young Norweg ian is prepared to sacrifice a pawn to achieve this objective. 22 . . . bxa4 23. S:db1 .tc6 24. S:b8 �f7

Black cou ld have prevented the i nvasion of the rook by playing 24 . . . gxb8 25. Axb8 a6 26. Ad6 �f7 27. lab1 Ab5, but not for long. After 28. �g2 �f6 29. �f3 h5 30. �e4 White advances his kingside pawns, and after the open ing of one of the files the rook penetrates i nto the rear. 25. S: xe8 �xeS a

The only possible way of offering at least some resi stance. 1 8 . . . g 5 is d u b i o u s : 1 9. fxg5 �xe5 2 0 . gxh6 Ab7 21 . Af6 �d3 22. g4, and the passed pawns are bound to decide the game.

7

An excel lent intermed iate move! Black, un der the cross-fire of the bishops, is forced to give up the exchange.

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26 . . . a6 27. E:b1 h5?!

I llogical. If possible, the invasion of the rook should be prevented - 27. . . Ab5. However, after 28. �g2 h5 29. �f3 �f7 30. �e4 White would have obtai ned the position consid ered in the note to Black's 24th move. Now Black loses a pawn.

3

£::,

I. £::, �

The game enters the technical phase. First the path of the a4- pawn must be blocked.

4

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19. .td8!

a

b

8

2

h

28. S:b6 �d7

22. a4!

87

Chapter 2

��--------------

·

The Way to the Top

If 28 . . . Ab5 there fol l ows 29 . .§ b7 Ad? 30 . .§a?. 29. Af8 g6 30. §xa6

Black has a pawn for the exchange, and i n add ition it is passed. But this does not change the evaluation of the ending: Wh ite should win, although it will be a lengthy process. 30 . . . e5 31 . fxe5 tilxe5 32. h4 tilg4

The c3-pawn is immune: 32 . . .tDf3+ 33. �f2 tbd2 34. �e3 tbe4? 35 . .§xc6. 33. Ag7 �c7 34. Ad4

The bishop has handed over control of the a4-pawn to the rook, but it is perform ing an i m portant role by preventing the ma noeuvre of the knight to e4. The knight must find another way of tying the king to the defence of the g3- pawn, since against passive defence it will head towards the a4-pawn. 34 . . . tilh6 35. �f2 tilf5 36. Ac5 �d7 37. Ab4

'The Moor has done his d uty, let him go!' The rook is freed to go i n pursuit of the pawns.

38 . .§aS! was stronger: 38 . . . �b6 39 . .§c5 tbd6 40. �e3 ebbS (in the event of 40 . . .
Adams defends resourcefu l ly, doing eve rything possible to prevent the white king from crossing the 3rd ran k. But Carlsen fi nds a s u btle rook manoeuvre, which destabilises the defence. 41 . §d7! tilg4+ 42. �e2 Ae4 43. §d4! Ad3+ 44. �f3 tilh2+ 45. �f4 tilf1 46. §d6+ �b5 47. §d5+ �b6 48. §a5 Ac2 49. §e5 Ad3 50. �f3

50. g4!? hxg4 51 . �xg4 was stronger, not allowing Black the chance which occu rred in the game. 50 . . . tild2+ 51 . �f4 tilf1 ?

Adams misses the opportun ity to advance his pawn to a3 - 51 . . . tDb1 ! , with chances of holding the new defensive l i ne.

37. . . �c7 a

b

c

d

e

f

9

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8

8

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Analysis diagram

Here are the variations g iven by Adams: a) 52 . .§aS a3 53. �g5 Ac2 54. g4 (54. f!a8 �b7 55. f!a5 �b6, pursuing the rook) 54 . . . h xg4 55. �xg4 Ab3 56. �g5 Ac2, and by red u c i n g the pawn m aterial , Black holds on; b) 52 . �e3! a3 53 . .§aS Ac2 54. �d4 Ab3 fol lowed by 55 . . . a2.

5

4 ... Jt ... 3 8

3 2

2

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

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38. §a7+

88


But Wh ite's play can be improved . In vari ation b) instead of 53. �aS he can win the c4-pawn - 53. d4! Ac2 (53 . . . b7 54. �as �b6 55. �a4! Ac2 56. Ac5+ c6 57. �a6+! �b7 58. �aS) 54. Ac5+! (of course, not 54. xc4?? CL!d2+ and the paw n can not be stopped) 54 . . . c6 55. xc4. To convert the passed c3-pawn Wh ite must lift the blockade of the c4-sq uare, which Black can set u p by 55 . . .CL!d2+ 56. b4 a2 57. �e6+ �d5 58. �a6 Ab1 . This is achieved by the manoeuvre of the bishop to b2 - 59. �a3! CL!c4 60. �aa tLld2 61 . Ae3 lilc4 62. Ag5 CL!eS 63. b3 CL!c4 64. Ac1 �cs (64 . . . CL!d6 65. �aS+) 65. �a4 bs 66. l::!. b 4+ aS 67. Ab2, and the c- pawn beg ins advancing. Of course, under the strict time control it was impossible to calculate all these sub tleties, but this was Adams' only chance of saving the game. 52. g4

There is no other way of breaching Black's defences. 52 . . . hxg4 53. �xg4 �d2 54. �f4 �b3?

And h ere the o n l y sav i n g chance was 54 . .CL!b1 ! , with the hope of exchang i n g the a-pawn for t h e h4- pawn. However, as Adams shows in his analysis, after Wh ite's best contin uation 55. e3! he would have retained winning chances.

a) 55 . . . a3 56. d4 Ac2 (the attem pt to at tack the h4-pawn after 56 . . . CL!d2 leads to the temporary removal of the knight to the edge of the board , which allows Wh ite to pick up the a3-pawn and launch an attack on the k i n g : 57. l::!. e 6+ bS 58. Axa3 CL!f3+ 59. d5 CL!xh4 60. Ac5 CL!f3 61 . l::!. b 6+ as 62. �b4 or 57. . . b7 58. Axa3 CL!f3+ 59. cS CL!xh4 60. l::!. e7+) 57. Ac5+! c6 58. xc4 tLld2+ 59. b4 a2 60. l::!. e 6+ d5 61 . l::!. a 6 Ab1 62. Ae3 CL!c4. Altho u g h B l ack h as set up a blockade on c4, it is not difficult to l ift it: 63. Ad4 tLld6 64. �a5+ e4 65. Af6 d3 66. �a3 CL!c4 67. �aa CL!e3 68. c4, and the pawn beg ins advancing; b) 55 . . . � b7 5 6 . �as a3 57. d4 CL!d2 58. d5 (58 . �xa3 leads to the loss of the h4-pawn: 58 . . .CL!f3+ 59. dS CL!xh4 60. Ac5 CL!f5 61 . l::!. a7+ c8) 58 . . . CL!b1 59. l::!. b 5+ c8 60. d4 CL!d2 61 . e3 tLlf1 + 62. f2 CL!d2 63. �a5 tLlb1 64. e3 b7 65. d4 tLld2 66. dS tLlb1 . In this position, although White has retained an advantage, Black has more chances of holding the position, having in mind an attack on the h4- pawn. 55. lie6+

.

The knight on b3 is essentially out of play and it is easier to attack the pawn on a4 than on a2, as was exam ined in the note to Black's 51 st move. 55 . . . �b5

The a4-pawn is also not saved by 55 . . . b7 56. es CL!d2 57. d5 CL!f3 (or 57 . . . CL!b1 58. �e7+ b6 59. Ac5+ bS 60. � b7+ a6 61 . �a7+ bS 62. Ab4) 58. l::!. e7+ b6 59. Ac5+ bS 60. �b7+ a6 61 . l::!. a7+ bS 62. Ae7 tLld2 63. Ad8 and the inevitable �aS+ (Adams).

Analysis diagram

89

pt:: e r'.:.2:... · ...:._ T he Way to t he To p .; h.:;:a:;:,: :; ....C

....,

___ __ _ _ _

56. §e8 �c1

The position cannot be held by 56 . . . �b6 57. !!a8 �b5 58. �e5 Ac2 59. �d5 Ad3 60. !!b8+ �a6 61 . �c6 Ae4+ 62. �c7, when Black is in zugzwang (Adams).

It was because of this reply, fixing the b4square, that the move 9. a4 went out of use. This makes it all the more i nteresting - what has Carlsen prepared?

8

57. § b8+ �c6 58. §a8 �e2+ 59. �f3 �g1 + 60. �e3 �e2 61 . § xa4

7 6

The titanic work has nevertheless con cluded with the win of the pawn. Now Wh ite can permit h i mself to switch to an attack on the g6-pawn .

6

s j. 4 8

4

3

3

5

2

6 1 �d5 62. §a5+ �e6 63. § a 2 �g3 64. �f4 �f5 65. §a6+ �f7 66. �g5 �g3 67. §a7+ �g8 68. �f6 �h5+ 69. �e5 �g3 70. Ac5 �f5 71 . Af2! .••

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

1 0. b3!

After the knight's manoeuvrabi lity has been restricted , the game q u ickly concludes.

Here it is! To support the move b4 White brings out his bishop to a3 . This is a fresh idea in the given position - the knight remains at f3 , in order in the event of . . . f7-f5 to proceed via g 5 to e6. It should be mentioned that the fi rst serious test of this variation occu rred i n the World Cup in the game Korc h n o i - Kasparov (Bar celona 1 989), which conti nued 1 0 . tLle1 tLld7 1 1 . Ae3 f5 1 2 . f3 tLlc5! 1 3 . tLld3 b6 1 4 . b4! tLlxd3! 1 5. 'Wxd3 axb4 1 6. tLlb5 �h8 1 7. 'Wb3 tLlg8 1 8. 'Wxb4, and here, as Kasp arov shows, Black would have gained an advantage by 1 8 . . . fxe4! 1 9. fxe4 !!xf1 + 20. !!xf1 Ah6! 21 . Af2 tLlf6 ! .

71 . . . �h6 72. Ad4 �f5 73. �f6

Black resigned .

Game 1 9 M . Carlsen - A. Morozevich Biel 2006 King's Indian Defence [ £97] 1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 g6 3. �c3 Ag7 4. e4 d6 5. �f3 0-0 6. Ae2 e5 7. 0-0 �c6 8. d5 �e7 9. a4

A rare continuation in the classical variation of the King's Indian Defence, which used to be practised in the late 1 980s. Nowadays it is considered that White's main plan in volves the preparation of c4-c5, which can be begun with an immediate 9. b4 or after the preparatory moves 9. tLle1 , 9. tLld2 or 9. Ad2.

1 0 . . . �d7 1 1 . Aa3 Ah6

Of course, 1 1 . . .f5?! 1 2 . tLlg5! tLlf6 1 3. c5! h6 1 4 . cxd6 cxd6 1 5. tLle6 Axe6 1 6. d xe6 would have been too big a concession to White. Apart from the spike-pawn on e6, which cramps Black, his own pawn on d6 needs defending.

9 . . . a5

90

M . Carlsen - A. Morozevich

12. b4 axb4 1 3. Axb4 f5 a

b

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g

event of c4-c5) and vacates the g8-square for the knight, which at e7 is too passively placed. From here the knight can be played to f6, supporting the attack on the e4-pawn.

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1 5. a5 Iaf7

5 B .l .l 4 4 B�B B 3 3 CD CD 2 �B B B 2 1 :. VJ!I :. �

For the m o ment there i s noth i n g new. Wh ite continues seizing space, while Black strengthens his queenside defences and is not in a hu rry to remove the support of the f5-pawn.

5

a

b

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1 6. ttlb5

h

Carlsen is true to his agg ressive style. He presses on the q ueenside, d isplaying his read i ness to sacrifice the e4- pawn and hoping to use his pieces on the adjacent a2-g8 and a1 -h8 d iagonals.

Here we can take stock of White's opening idea. Compared with the 9. b4 variation, he is as though a tempo down , since his pawn has gone to b4 in two moves, which, how ever, is not of great importance. The main ideas of this position are wel l known: White prepares c4-c5, and Black, while trying to prevent this, ties down the white pieces by the reinforcement of the f5-e4 pawn ten sion, not hurrying with the exchange. As for the plan of advancing the kingside pawns in connection with . . .f5-f4, in the g iven situa tion (with the bishop on h6) it is unfounded, since White gets in first with his attack on the queenside. In this respect it is useful to be fami liar with van Wely's games with lvan chuk (Wijk aan Zee 1 999) and Piket (Monaco 1997).

1 6 . . . ttlf6

Black accepts the challenge. The posi tion demands concrete decisions, and Morozevich thinks that the manoeuvre of his other knight to f6 via g8 is too slow, si nce he has to reckon with 1 7. exf5 g xf5 1 8 . �c2 when he again faces a d i lemma - how to operate with his knights. 1 7. c5 dxc5

After 17 . . . Axd2 1 8. �xd2 tt::l x e4 Wh ite had prepared 1 9. �a2! dxc5 20. d6, attacking rook and knight. a

14. ttld2

b

c

d

e

f

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7

A typical m anoeuvre. S ince the knight's route to g5 is blocked , it defends the e4pawn and is ready from b3 to support the c4-c5 advance.

6 5

Also a typical manoeuvre in this type of position . The king moves off the a2-g8 di agonal in good time (which is useful in the

4

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2

CD � B B B 2

1 1:, a

91

'i¥ b

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Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

1 8 .tc3 .

Outwardly a thematic move: by capturing the eS-pawn, the bishop puts the black king u nder an 'X- ray' attack . But i n the given situation this is going too far. Carlsen comm its a mistake, typical of youth: he fai ls to reckon with the opponent's cou n terplay. There was no point i n rejecti ng 1 8. AxeS, since after 18 . . . Axd2 1 9. 'Mixd2 l£lxe4 20. 'Mib2! Black has no way of op posing Wh ite's attack on the long diago nal: 20 . . .l£lxcS 2 1 . 'MixeS+ �g8 22. l£lxc7. Now in the event of 22 . . . l£ld7 23. Wc3 !!a7 24. !!fd1 l£lf6 2S. d6 l£lc6 26. Ac4 Wh ite real ises the attacking conception beg un with 1 6 . !£lbS - his pieces dominate on the a2-g8 and a1 -h8 d i agonals. There only remains 22 . . . !!b8, but after 23. l£le6! (this is stronger than 23. d6 l£le4) Wh ite forcibly transposes i nto a favou rable endgame: 23 . . .WxdS 24. WxdS !£lxdS 2S. eLl xeS !!c7 26. !!fc1 l£lf4 27. Af1 . 1 8 . . . c6!

This way, without a moment's respite! In the event of 1 8 . . . Axd2 1 9 . Wxd2 tD xe4 20. AxeS+ �g8 21 . Wb2 Wh ite wou ld have achieved his aim. 1 9. dxc6?!

Carlsen beats a retreat, relying only on t h e positional p l u ses assoc i ated with the k n i g ht's post o n t h e c4 b l ockad i n g square . And w ro n g l y s o ! By the p i ece sacrifice 1 9. AxeS cxbS 20. AxbS !!xaS 21 . !!xaS WxaS 22. tDc4 Wh ite could have conti nued the attack: 22 . . . Wd8 23. l£ld6 !!f8 24. Axf6+ !!xf6 2S. Wa1 Wf8 26. eS, regai ning the sacrificed material and retain ing the i n itiative (Sergey Shi pov). 19

. . .

bxc6?!

An anti-positional move - the doubled c pawns are no adornment to Black's po sition . The natural 1 9 . . .tDxc6! suggested itself: 20. l£lc4 !!d7! 21 . Wc2 tDxe4 22. tLlb6 !!b8 23. l£lxd7 Axd7, and after . . .tDd4 Black has more than sufficient com pensation for the sacrificed exchange. 20. �a3 a 8

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20 . . . fxe4

The attempt to win this pawn with the knight after 20 . . . Axd2 would have been parried by the i ntermediate move 2 1 . tDc4! (after 21 . Axd2?! tDxe4 22. Ac3 Wc7 23. Ab2 tLldS 24. l£lc4 !!e7 2S. f4 Aa6 26. eLlxeS �g8 the black knights dominate in the centre of the board) 21 . . . tDxe4 22. AxeS+ �g8 23. f3, and Wh ite regains the piece, retain ing all the pl uses of his position. As Vik tor M i khalevsky has shown , Black woul d have had t o g o in for a forcing variation: 23 . . . WdS! 24. fxe4 Ae3+ 2S. tDxe3 WxeS 26. tDg4! fxg4 27. Wd8+ �g7 28. !! xf7+ �xf7 29. !!f1 + tDfS 30. Ac4+ �g7 31 . Wg8+ �h6 32. exfS gxfS 33. �h1 !?, where the doubled extra pawns are of no im portance, but White's initiative remains. After the in clusion of 33. Wf8+ �gS 34. �h1 Black can sacrifice the exchange - 34 . . . Aa6!

92

M. Carlsen - A. Morozevich

3S. 'Wxa8 Axc4 36. !::!g 1 AdS with the threat of forcing a d raw by perpetual check after . . . Axg2+.

a

a

21. �ac4! �ed5 22 .&.xeS .&.g7

23. �d6

5

•

23 . . J ae7 24.�2c4 .te6?

This routine central play allows Wh ite to advance h i s passed paw n . 24 . . . A a6 ! , keeping the white pieces under pressure, was more logical . 25. a6! �b4 26. 'Wc1

26. 'Wb1 !? (with the threat of tDb7) came into consideration: 26 . . . 'Wg8 (both 26 . . .tDxa6 27. tDb6 and 26 . . . !::! x a6 27. !::! xa6 tD x a6 28. 'Wa1 are u nfavou ra b l e for B l ac k) 27. tDb6 !::! aa7 and now 28. 'Wc1 gains in strength . For exam ple, if 28 . . .tDd3 there is 29. Axd3 exd3 30. 'WxcS.

.I

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7 6

An illog ical , reckless move, depriving the position of its strateg ic clarity for which Carlsen was aiming. He should have con sidered 2 3 . 'Wa4 e3 (23 . . . 'Wd7 24. 'Wa3 'fie? 2S. Ad6 favou rs Wh ite) 24. fxe3 tDxe3 2S. !::!f2, and after the inevitable exchange of a pair of knights Wh ite controls the most important points on the board .

b

e

f

9

2 1

h

28. 'Wc3?!

A poor move, allowing Black to provoke favou rable s i m p l ification while reta i n i n g his extra material . White could have fought for an advantage with the natural 28. !::! d 1 . 28 . . . Axc4! 29. 'Wxc4?!

After this move the d2-pawn remains alive and White has to fight for equality. More ac curate was 29. tDxc4 tDe4 30. 'Wb2 �g8!? 31 . Axg7 !::! xg7 32. tDb6 !::! aa7 33. !::!fd1 with the idea after 33 . . . Wd4 34. Wxd4 cxd4 35. !::! xd3 c5 of forcing a d raw: 36. tDc8 !::! a 8 37. tDb6. 29 . . .'Wg8! 30. 'Wxc5 d2

An impu lsive decision, provoked by a de sire in time-trouble to fix Wh ite's attention on the far-advanced passed d-pawn . From the standpoint of fighting for an advantage, 30 . . . 'WdS! 31 . Wc3 (31 . Wxd5 tDxd5 32. f4 tDb4) 31 . . .tDh5 32. Axg7+ !::! x g7 33. 'Wb4 c5 34. We4 Wxe4 35. tDxe4 c4 was stronger.

26 . . . �d3?!

Understandably, Morozevich did not like 26 . . . !::! x a6 27. !::! xa6 tDxa6 28. Wa1 ! !::! a? 29. f3! e3 30. tDxe3, when Black is u n able t o d isentangle h i mself without los ing material. But he could have taken the pawn with the knight: 26 . . .tDxa6 27. !::! d 1 (after 27. Wf4 tDd5 the knig hts become coordinated) 27. . . AdS 28. 'Wf4 'Wf8 , and the knight on a6 moves out of 'custody'.

31 . Jaad1 Jaxa6?!

One can understand Black's desire finally to capture the annoying passed pawn. Espe cially since in severe time-trouble it was hard to evaluate the consequences of the ex-

27 .&.xd3 exd3 •

93

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

changing variation 31 . . . \Wd5! 32. \Wc3 1:!xe5! 33. \Wxe5 \Wxe5 34. tDf7+ �g8 35. tDxe5 tDe4, where for the moment the d2-pawn remains alive, but as Shipov showed, Black is in no danger: 36. tDc4 Ac3 37. f3 Ad4+ 38. �h1 tDf2+ 39. !:!xf2 Axf2 40. !:!xd2 1:!xa6, and the draw is not far off. 32. § xd2 a 8 7

.!,

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

'i¥ . .!. j_ j. j. tt:J J!& j. WI j,

to create a counter-th reat - 36 . . . f!ga7! . Now the piece sacrifice 37. f!db2?! \Wxd6 38. 1:!b8+ �g7 39.1:!1 b7+ proves ineffective in view of 39 . . . tDc7 (39 . . .tDe7?? 40. f!g8+! leads to mate in three moves), and after 40. !:!xa7 f!xa7 41 . f!g8+ �f6 Wh ite can count o n l y on a d raw. M ost p robably White would have had to restrict h imself to 37. '1Wd4+ �h7 with an unclear position. 37. §xb6 'We1 + 38. �h2

8 7

a

6

8

5

7

4

4

6

3

3

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2

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With the win of the d2-pawn Wh ite has also gained a solid positional advantage.

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8 7 6 5 4

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32 . . • �d5 33 • .txg7+ § xg7?!

38 • • • �xb6?

The e-file should not have been conceded . 33 . . . �xg7 34. \Wd4+ tDf6 was stronger, since now 34. !:!e2! would have put Black in a critical position: 34 . . . !:!e7 (Black would not hold out much longer after 34 . . .tDc7 35. !:!fe1 f!a8 36. \Wxc6) 35. f!xe7 tDxe7 36. tDe8! \Wxe8 37. \Wd4+ �g8 38. \Wc4+. But Wh ite missed this chance, and every thing turned fu l l circle.

Black overlooks a q ueen manoeuvre, win ning a pawn, just when salvation was at hand: 38 . . . \Wxd2 39. !:!xc6 \!f/f4+ 40. \!f/xf4 tDxf4 and, in view of all the pawns being on one wing, he can hope for a draw. 39. 'Wf4! �d5?

Allowing a mating attack. But also after 39 . . . \We7 40. Wxh6+ �g8 41 . Wf4 tDd5 42. Wg3 there was no chance of saving the game.

34. h3?! 'We6!

It is i mportant not to concede the e-fi le to the white rooks.

40• §xdS! cxdS 41 • 'WfS+ �h? 42. �ea

Black resigned .

35. § b1 h6 36. 'Wc4 § b6?

This defeat merely aroused Morozevich, who won fou r games i n a row. But then

By impu lsively aiming to simplify the position, Morozevich misses an opportun ity

94

A. Morozevich - M . Carlsen

again 'awaiting' h i m was Carlsen . On this occasion Magnus had to demonstrate his defensive ski l l in a d ifficult position.

has found a way to avoid the exchange of bishops. If 8 . . . 0-0 there cou ld have fol lowed 9. h4. 9. c3

Game 20 A. Morozevich - M . Carlsen Biel 2006 Sicilian Defence [ 830]

If 9. Ad2, then 9 . . . vt/b6 is possible. 9

�eS! 1 0. �xeS .txeS 1 1 . �d2

. .•

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

1. e4 cS 2. �f3 �c6 3 . .tbS �f6

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J. s

Carlsen is seeking fresh ideas in an old variation . 3 . . . g6 occurs far more often . 5

4 .txc6 dxc6 S. d3 � d 7 6 . .tf4!? .

4

4

3

3

With the knight retreat Black prepared the fixing of the centre with . . . e7-e5, and White, while continuing his development, prevents this. The play is more committing after 6. e5 eab6. The source game Bologan - Lautier (Poikovsky 2003) contin ued 7. tLlbd2 Af5 8. 0-0 e6 9. b3 Ae7 1 0. Ab2 0-0 1 1 . l:!e1 a5 1 2 . a4 tLld5 1 3 . tZ:Ie4 VUe? with com plicated play. But in this variation too Carlsen had some experience: 7. 0-0 c4! 8. d4 Ag4 9. c3 e6 1 0. Ae3 Ae7 1 1 . tLlbd2 0-0 1 2. vt/e2 'Wd5 1 3 . b3 vt/a5 1 4 . bxc4 tZ:Ia4 1 5. tZ:Ib3 (1 5. tZ:Ie4!?) 15 . . .vt/a6 1 6. h3 Ah5 1 7. Ad2 eab6 1 8. g4 Ag6 1 9 . Ag5 Axg5 20. tZ:Ixg5 'Wxc4 21 . vt/xc4 tL:Ixc4, and Black achieved the better endgame (G u l laksen - Carlsen , Tromso 2006).

A poor m ove, and the i n itial cause of Black's problems. The d3-pawn is eas ily defended , whereas for a long time the queen proves to be out of play. The more naturai 1 1 . . . Ae6 1 2 . tZ:Ib3 suggests itself, and now 1 2 . . . vt/b5, provoking a weaken ing of the d4-square (1 2 . . . vt/b6 1 3 . Ae3 Axb3 14. axb3) 1 3 . c4 vt/b6 14. Ae3 Ad4 with roughly equal chances (variation by Carlsen).

6. . . g6 7. 'Wc1 .tg7?!

12. 'Wc2

In his comments on the game Carlsen con siders that it was more logical to prevent the exchange of his bishop by 7. . . h6, aim ing to obtain a position simi lar to the main variation 3 . . . g6 4. Axc6 dxc6.

Those fol lowi ng this game on the internet wondered what Morozevich was thinking about for so long, since 12. tZ:Ic4 is such a natu ral move. However, after 12 . . . Ac7 1 3 . vt/e3 (manoeuvres such as 1 3 . Ag7 l:!g8 1 4 . vt/h6 Ae6 1 5 . vt/xh7 0-0-0 can hardly be seriously considered) 13 . . . Ae6 1 4 . vt/xc5 0-0-0 Wh ite is forced to switch

::t: 1 a

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1 1 . . .'Wa6?!

8 .th6 WaS+! .

A move with deep impl ications. M agnus

95

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to defence - 1 S. Ag7 ghe8 1 6 . Ad4 b8, when his pieces are too cram ped . 1 7. 0-0 can be answered by 17 . . .fS!?, setting Wh ite a choice - 1 8. AeS gxd3 1 9. A xe?+ xc7 20. 'WeS+ d? or 1 8 . exfS AxfS , in both cases with an acceptable game for Black. 1 2 . . . .te6 1 3. f4

White drives back the bishop to c7, in order to obtain the possibility of playing c3-c4, rel ieving his concerns over the d3- pawn and sti l l further restricti ng the q ueen on a6. I n the event of 13. �f3 Ac7 1 4. �gS Black need not fear the doubling of his a pawns - 14 . . . 0-0-0 (weaker is 14 . . . Ad? 1 S . 'W b3) 1 S . �xe6 fxe6, s i n ce it i s n ot easy to defend the backward d3- pawn: after 1 6. c4 AaS+ 1 7. e2 B lack doubles rooks on the d -file.

Carlsen recognises the danger of his posi tion, and, realising that 1 6 . . . AaS 1 7. �b3 Ab4 1 8 . aS is hopeless (the q ueen is still out of play), he decides on rad ical meas ures. He decides to carry out a combi ned attack on the aS- and d3-pawns, display ing his read iness to part with his trapped queen . Half-measures aimed at cutting off the bishop on h6 apparently did not ap peal to him - 1 6 . . . ghg8 1 7. aS gS 1 8. �b3 b6 1 9. axb6 'Wxb6 20. fxgS fxgS 21 . 'Wc3, when after Ag7 W h ite controls the po sition's i m portant hig hway and retains a stable advantage. 1 7. a5 E:hd8 1 8. E:a3

The attack on the d3-pawn has come to a standstill, whereas 1 9. fS Af7 20. Ae3 is th reatened , forcing B lack to weaken his king's defences - . . . b7-b6. But Carlsen had al ready taken a decision.

1 3 . . . .tc7 1 4. 0-0 f6

Preparing the retreat of the bishop to f7 in the event of f4-fS .

18 . . . .txa5!

1 � cM 0-0-0 1 6. a4!

It is better to die standing, than to l ive on your knees!

The vice tig htens. Black's position is des perate, si nce Wh ite's only weakness - the d3-pawn - is easily defended , whereas it is easy for h i m to plan his attack on the q ueenside: a4-aS , �d2- b 3 , f4-fS and Ah6-e3 . a

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1 9. f5!

2

White is not in a h urry. The move �b3 will not run away, and for the moment it is use ful to include the bishop in the attack on the cS-pawn .

1 h

E:d7

96

A. M orozevich - M. Carlsen

19 . . . Af7 20. fxg6

If 20. ti)b3 there wou l d h ave fol l owed 20. . . �xd3 21 . ti)xc5 (in the event of 21 . �xa5

V!Vxc4 22. 'Wxc4 Axc4 23. ti)xc5 �d1 24. �xd1 l::l xd1 + 25. �f2 b6 the piece is regained) 21 . . . Ab6!. It was on this queen sacrifice that Carlen's defensive idea was based. After 22. �xa6 Axc5+ 23. �h1 bxa6 a position arises, similar to that which occurred in the game. 20 . . . hxg6 21 . eS Ae6 22. exf6

It was poss i b l e to w i n the exchange 22. ti)e4 Af5 23. e6 �d4 24. Ae3 , but Mo rozevich is hoping for more. 22 . . . exf6 23. �b3 � xd3 24. �xeS .tb6 A piece is lost after both 24 . . .'Wb6 25. �xa5

V!Vxa5 26. ti)xe6, and 24 . . . 'Wxc4 25. 'Wxc4 Axc4 26. ti) x d 3 Ab6+ 2 7. ti)f2 A x f 1 28 . �xf1 . 2S. �xa6

For Wh ite to restrict h imself to the win of the exchange by 25. �xd3 Axc5+ 26. �h1 27. 'Wxd3 Axc4 28. 'Wh3+ f5 29. �e1 would be too great a concession to Black.

This is the position for which Carlsen was aiming i n his attem pt to save the game. Black has sufficient material compensation for the queen, and his control of the d-fi le allows h i m to hope for counterplay in view of Wh ite's i n adeq u ately d efended back ran k. Surprising ly, he ignores this factor. 27. Ag7?

Fate is obviously u n kind to Morozevich. Now he loses the game. Of course, it is unjust to end up with a zero after such high q uality play. But objectively, it has to be ad m itted : the situation has changed , and the coordi nation of the black pieces can be disrupted only by concrete play: 27. b4! Ab6 (27. . . Axb4 28. 'Wa4) 28. 'We2 ! Af7 (28 . . . Af5 29. g4!). Now Carlsen suggests the following variation 29. 'We4 �b7 30. b5 axb5 31 . cxb5 Ad5 32. 'We7+ (or 32. bxc6+ Axc6 33. 'Wxg6 �d1 ) 32 . . . �a8 33. bxc6 Axc6 34. 'Wxf6 �3d6 with counterplay for Black. But White can also consider 29. Ag7 �d2 (29 . . .f5?! 30. c5 Ac7 is not good be cause of 31 . Ae5!) 30. 'Wf3 �8d6 31 . Af8 �e6 32. 'Wc3 �de2 33. Ac5 �b7 34. 'Wd3 Ac7 35. b5, when he nevertheless suc ceeds i n d isru pting the coord i nation of the black pieces.

2S . . . AxeS+ 26. �h1 bxa6

27

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a 8 7 6

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. ... I."r--->--I.

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28. b4

Here this move is now too late. 28 . . . Ae3! 29. h3 �d1 30. �xd1 �xd1 + 31 . �h2 Af4+ 32 . g3 �d2+ 33. Wxd2 J.xd2 34. hxg4

2

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a a

N ow W h ite cannot h o l d h i s back ran k, which gives Black a serious attack.

8

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(see next diagram)

97

Chapter 2

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34

•••

The Way to the Top

h

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Axb4?!

For the moment Carlsen's endgame tech nique is still shaky. The exchange of pawns allows Wh ite to p rolong the resistance.

There was a q uicker win by the thematic diverti ng-cum-i nterference move 34 . . . c5! 35. bxc5 Ag5 36. Af8 aS 37. c6 Ac1 , when the a-pawn cannot be stopped . 35. Axf6 aS 36. �g2 �d7 37. �f3 Ad6

These tricks are unnecessary. There was an elementary w i n by 37 . . . a4 3 8 . �e2 a3 39. �d3 �e6 40. Aa1 Ae7 41 . �c2 Af6. 38. �e4 Axg3 39. �d3 �e6 40. Ad4 a6 41 . �c2 a4 42. �b1 Ae5 43. Af2 �d6 44. �a2 Ac3 45. �a3 �e5 46. �xa4 �f4 47. Ab6 �xg4 48. Aa5 Axa5 49. �xa5 �f4 50. �b6 aS

Wh ite resig ned .

The sternest test of Carlsen's potential came at the M i khail Tal Memorial Tou rna ment, which took place i n N ovem ber 2006 i n Moscow. This was the fi rst time he had played i n a F I D E category 20 tournament with such a un iformly strong field . I ndeed , half of them were in the top ten in the world rating l ist , and although Carlsen h i mself was just 2 poi nts short of the 2700 mark, already i n the 1 st round the difference was felt. M agnus was g iven a gen u i ne strategy lesson by Gelfand : 'J ust l i ke Chigorin', Yu ry Razuvaev commented on the manoeuvres of his knig hts, which outplayed the opponent's bishops. After being g iven a master class by one of the pupils of the Soviet Chess Schoo l , su bseq uently the youngster held on l i ke a seasoned com peti tor. For the moment it was hard to hope for anyth ing more, and had it not been for an em barrassment in h i s game with Aronian (on this occasion he lost a dead -d rawn rook endgame), M agnus wou l d have saved face right to the end of the tou rnament. But as it was - a share of 8th-9th places with 3% poi nts out of 9. A serious lesson on the eve of his 1 6th birthday. Contrary to expectations, Carlsen made a poor start to the year 2007. In his fi rst A Tou rnament i n Wij k aan Zee (FI D E category 1 9) he suffered a complete fai l u re. Magnus lost fou r games, without a single win, and shared last place with S h i rov. The game between them from the last round was the only one where Carlsen was gen u i nely close to a w i n . It was something else that was i m portant. M agnus man aged to sum mon u p his courage and demonstrate the potential of a fig hter, ready for forthcoming battles.

98

M. Carlsen - A. S h i rov

M. Carlsen - A. Shi rov

lead to the goal. H ere too 29. f!.gf3 was more logical.

Wij k aan Zee 2007 a

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29 . . . �xe5 30 . .tb2 � bc4 31 . �xg6+

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Wh ite has no other way of conti n u i ng the attack. 31 . Ad4 allows Black a respite to bring up his reserves and parry the attack: 31 . . . f!.f6 32. �d5 .§.xf1 + 33. Wxf1 .§.f8, re tai ning the extra pawn. 31

•. .

hxg6 32 . laxf8+ la xf8 33. Axg6

After 33 . .§. x g 6 � x b2 34. Wh5+ �g8 35. f!. xg7+ � xg7 B lack's m aterial com pensation for the q ueen is too great.

26. �f5!

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Carlsen apparently thought that winning the q ueen by 26. �fe6 .§.xe6 27. .§.xf6 .§.xf6 was an insufficient reward for the parryi ng of the attack.

It is dangerous to take the knight - 26 . . . gxf5 27. .§.g3! �h8 28. �h5 '1Wd4 29. �xg7! (this is more effective than the capt u re with the rook) 29 . . . Wxd1 30 . .§.xd1 .§.xe4 (30. . . f!.g8 31 . �xf5) 31 . Axe4 fxe4 32. �h5, winning the exchange with a conti nuing attack: 33 . .§.xd6 is th reatened (variation by Carlsen).

33 . . . .tg4?

Carlsen comments that both he and Shi rov considered t h i s to be the o n ly pos sible defence, si nce a conti nuation of the forcing play by 33 . . . f!.f1 + 34. Wxf1 �xb2 35. Ae4! Wh6 36. AdS would have led to a loss for B l ack, in view of the th reat of f!.g8. But this proved to be delusion. After 33 . . . Ae8! Wh ite would have had nothing better than to force a d raw by perpetu al check: 34. Wh5+ �g8 35. Ah7+ �h8 36. Ag6+.

27. �xg7 Wxg7 28. lag3 28. f!.bf3!? was stronger. 28 . . . laf8 29. e5!? A pawn sacrifice on the altar of the at

tack! B ri l liancy lovers will undoubtedly give Carlsen's enterprise its due. And yet, ob jectively speaking, this is not the most justi fied sol ution to the position, since against accu rate defence Wh ite's plan does not

34. laxg4 Wt6 35. Ad4 Wf1 + 36. Wxf1 laxf1 + 37. �h2 �xa3 38. £d3 lad1 39. lag3 �ac4 40. h4

I 99

Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

There is no point i n com menti ng on the practically forced play i n the time scram ble, except to suggest moving one of the bishops out of the pin - 40. Ac3!?. 40

�d2

...

Only a computer would be capable of find ing a defence such as 40 . . .&Db6!.

The smoke of battle has cleared . With material eq ual, Wh ite has the two bishops, an i m portant factor, given the open char acter of the position. But subseq uently he missed chances to convert his advantage, and the game ended in a d raw 20 moves later.

It is unl ikely that anyone was expecting Carlsen to succeed i n the most prestigious tournament - Morelia/Linares (FI DE category 20), so poor had been his fi rst contacts with the el ite g randmasters i n M oscow and Wijk aan Zee. It was all the more surprising to see him lead ing together with Anand after the Mexican half of the tournament. This did not su rprise Magnus himself, as he was the most 'motivated ' fighter in the i nitial part of the tournament. 3% points in the fi rst five games - perhaps only Kasparov had managed this! After an exchange of blows with Morozevich and Anand (Carlsen's 'evil gen i us'), he gai ned successive wins over lvanchuk and Topalov, who clearly underes timated the youngster. In the Span ish half of the tournament they played against him with more respect, and only i n the last round was he unable to anything to counter the solid strategy of Leko, who was eager to win at least one game. Carlsen was caught by Morozevich, who played bri l l iantly in the second half of the event. Nevertheless, by scoring 'plus one', he clung on to 2nd place, a point beh ind the win ner, Anand . The main outcome of the tournament was that Magnus had learned how to win against el ite g randmasters! He confi rmed this at the ' Melody Am ber' Tournament, staged by Joop van Oosterom in Monte Carlo. This was a unique contest with twelve of the strongest players in the world , personally selected by the patron, who played two games a day - one bli ndfold and one rapid. Carlsen performed worth ily in the rapid event, and with a score of 6% poi nts he shared 2nd-5th places, beh ind only the world champion Vlad i m i r Kram nik. He was less successfu l at bli ndfold play, where he scored 4 points. One would have thought t h at , having passed thro u g h the cru cible of several p rest i g i o u s to u rn aments , Carlsen had earned h i m self a rest . B u t ahead l ay the Can d i d ates tournament, crown i n g his fi rst cycle i n the battle fo r the world cham pionsh i p . Befo re trave l l i n g to E l i sta it was i m portant to raise h i s fig hting spi rit in h i s homelan d , and M ag n u s deci ded to play i n Gausd a l , w h i c h was c l ose to his heart. In o rder to ensure the m otivation of thei r i d o l , the o rganisers of the ' G ausdal C l assic' g randmaster tournament did everyt h i n g possible to raise its level to F I DE categ ory 1 2. T he tourn ament was i n the nature of a warm - u p : Magnus easily took the fi rst prize. Over the short d i stance of 9 rou n d s he scored 7 points, fi n i s hing 1 % ahead of h i s nearest rival.

100


Game 2..... 1 _� M. Carlsen -A. Morozevich Morelia/Li nares 2007 King's Indian Defence [ E66}

thf3-e5) there can fol low 9 . . .thh5 1 0 . Ae3 thd4!. 8 . . . tba5 9. tbd2 e5

1. d4 tDf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 .tg7 4 . .tg2 0-0 5. tbc3 d6 6. tDf3 c5

a

a!.

This m ove characterises the Yugosl av Variation, which was so named thanks to the analyses of Yugoslav players i n the 1 950s. By attacking the centre from the wing, Black tries to expand the range of his bishop on g7, not feari ng the exchange 7. dxc5 d xc5, si nce in the absence of any weaknesses Wh ite can hardly hope for an advantage in this sym metric position. I n the event of 7. d 5 with 7. . . b5!? Black can switch to a sharp variation of the Benko Gam bit. Therefore after 6 . . . c5 Wh ite usu ally does not hu rry to close the centre, but waits for Black to bring out his kn ight with 7. . .thc6, after which he plays 8. d5. In mod ern tou rnaments the development 6 . . . thc6 7. 0-0 a6 is preferred , when after 8. d 5 tDa5 9 . thd2 c 5 a similar pawn structure arises. The attack on the wh ite centre with the central pawn 6 . . .thbd7 7. 0-0 e5 takes us back to the outstand i ng 'fathers' of the King's Ind ian Defence, David Bronstein and Isaak Boleslavsky. 7. 0-0 tbc6 8. d5

Wh ite's m a i n conti n u ation, lead i n g to a closed position. B ut in the Yugoslav Vari ation B lack also has to reckon with the transition into the symmetric variation after the exchange 8. d xc5 d xc5, where Wh ite can try to exploit the advantage of the fi rst move. But here too B l ack h as cou nter arguments. For exa m ple, after 9 . Ae3 Ae6 10. �a4 he can avoid the symmetry -1 0 . . .thd4!, while if 9. Af4 (with the idea of

I

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By closing the centre, Black sign ifies that his priorities lie in the centre and on the ki ngside. The d rawback to his position is the knight on a5, which is not easy to bring i nto play. The other plan with a counterattack i n t h e centre a n d on t h e q ueenside is asso ciated with the underm i n i ng of the pawn chain by . . . e7-e6 and . . . b7-b5 and play on the b-file. It is usually carried out via this move order: 9 . . . a6 1 0 . �c2 �b8 1 1 . b3 b5. 1 0. b3

More usual is 1 0 . a3 b6 (1 0 . . . �c7? fails to 1 1 . b4! cxb4 1 2. axb4 thxc4 1 3 . thb5 �b6 14. thxc4 �xb5 1 5. thxd6 �xb4 1 6. Aa3 with an obvious advantage for White) 1 1 . b4 thb7 1 2. Ab2 thg4 (if 1 2 . . .thea Wh ite erects the same barricade) 1 3 . h3 thh6 1 4. e3! f5 1 5. f4 with complicated play. As for the obvious move 1 0. e4, it has contrad ictory assessments. T h e out stand i ng King's Ind ian expert Yefim Gel ler regu larly employed it, hoping to exploit the undermi n i ng move . . .f7-f5 to White's advantage, si nce on the decisive part of

101

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The Way to the Top

the battlefield he has one piece more. For example, after 1 0 . . .CL!g4 i n his game with Vel i m i rovic (Havana 1 97 1 ) he responded 1 1 . b3 f5 1 2. exf5 and after 12 . . . e4? 1 3. f6! CL!xf6 1 4.CL!d xe4! CL! xe4 1 5 . CL! xe4 Axa1 1 6. Ag5 Af6 1 7. CL!xf6+ �xf6 1 8. 'Wa1 Black was unable to escape from the vice. But also after 1 2 . . . gxf5 1 3. h3 CL!h6 1 4 . Ab2 with the preparation of f2-f4 it is not easy for Black to create counterplay on the king side. Nevertheless, the modern view on the problems of this variation recommends that Wh ite should avoid al lowing Black his main counterplay resource. With 1 0 . b3 Wh ite fol lows a d ifferent conception: he pays no attention to the out-of-play kn ight at a5 and tries to exploit its absence for the creation of a numerical superiority on other parts of the board , avoid i ng giving Black something to latch onto for the creation of counterplay. 1 0 . tbg4 .

.

The retreat 1 0 . . . CL!e8, preparing . . .f7-f5 , does not satisfy the non-routi nely thinking Morozevich . However, now Black has to reckon with h i s second kn ight also be ing d riven to the edge of the board . T h is creates the constant p roblem of fi n d ing a suitable refuge a t t h e rear for the kn ights, whose paths i ntersect at d8. In this respect it i s useful to see how this position was handled by Kasparov, who in his game with Beliavsky (Linares 1 994) preceded the kn ight move with 1 0 . . . Ad7. There fol lowed 1 1 . Ab2 CL!g4 1 2. h3 CL!h6 1 3. e3 (Beliavsky chooses the plan with the blockade of the e5/f5 pawn pai r; 1 3. e4 f5 1 4. exf5 gxf5 1 5 . 'Wc2 fol lowed by f2-f4 is more often played) 13 . . .f5 14. f4 a6 1 5. 'Wc2 b5 1 6. CL!d1 (Wh ite takes his kn ight via f2 to d3, aiming to provoke a crisis at e5; i n

the event of 1 6. �ae1 Black advances his queenside pawns with gain of tempo: 1 6 . . . b 4 1 7. CL!d1 CL! b7 and then . . . a6-a5-a4) 1 6 . . . �b8 1 7. Ac3! (it is im portant to remove the bishop from the 'X-ray' of the rook) 17 . . . �e8 1 8. �b1 CL!f7 1 9. CL!f2 exf4 (Black has to keep the knight at a5 in view; for ex ample, after the inclusion of the exchange on c4, 1 9 . . . bxc4 20. bxc4 �xb1 21 . �xb1 exf4 22. exf4, he cannot play 22 . . . �e3 be cause of 23. Axg7 r:!l xg7 24. tLlf1 followed by Wc3+) 20. exf4 �e3 21 . Axg7 r:!l xg7 22. �fe1 ! �xe1 + (if 22 . . . We7 there fol lows 23. CL!f3 with the th reat of 24. �xe3 Wxe3 25 . �e1 ) 23. �xe1 Wf6! (it is i m portant to occupy the long diagonal) 24. cxb5 axb5 25 . b4 cxb4 26. 'We? 'Wd8 27. 'Wxd8 �xd8 28. CL!d3 �c8 with an equal game. 1 1 . h3 tbh6 1 2 . tbde4!?

A com pletely new idea in this position. It is obvious that if 12 . . .f5 there follows 1 3. CL!g5 with the th reat of an i nvasion at e6. I ncidentally, about the effect of a nov elty. It often operates l i ke a psychological bom b, and the reaction to it is burdened by this psychological factor: the opponent knows something that I don't know. And to go along with the opponent involves a risk: at the board will it be possible to find everyth i ng which he prepared at home? Morozevich d i d not take the risk, but he went, as they say, from the frying pan into the fire. 12

f6?!

...

Black refrains from active measures, pre paring the knight retreat to f7 and reserving the move . . . f7-f5 for better ti mes. Even so, there were no grounds for rejecting the main l i ne of play.

102

\

M. Carlsen - A. Morozevich ------

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But a con u n d rum was posed by 1 5 . . . tbf5!?, which would have set W h ite d ifficult problems. For example: 1 6 . Aa3 !;!e8!? (after 1 6 . ..Wc7 1 7. tbe4 b6 1 8. d6 Wf7 1 9. tbxf6+ Wxf6 20 . Axa8 Black achieves less) 1 7. tbe4!? (1 7. g4 tbh4 1 8. d6 tbxg2 1 9. �xg2 Af8 with the th reat of . . . Wxd6 and . . .b7-b6) 17 . . . b6 1 8. g4 tbh4 1 9. tbd6 tbxg2 20 . tbxe8 tbf4 21 . tbxg7 �xg7 with unclear play.

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After t h e i nclusion of t h e exc h ange 1 7. Axh6 Axh6 the advance 1 8. d7 !;!f7 1 9. dxc8W Wxc8 would have allowed Black counterplay, based on the advantageous opposite-colour bishops.

13. �xd6!?

This positional sacrifice of a piece for two pawns (the one on c5 cannot be held) sharply changes the character of the play. And although it is to a certain extent i ntui tive, with his poorly coord inated pieces it is not easy for Black to restrain the d5-pawn . Taking account of t h e surprise effect, he is forced to solve com pletely new problems.

17 . . .�f7 18. �b1 We7 1 9. dxc8W �axeS 20. �a4 �fd8 21 . We1 �c6

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The psychological effect of the piece sac rifice has worked . It is not in Morozevich's style to try and 'dig in'. By return ing the ma terial, he coord inates his pieces. However, with his extra pawn Magnus also feels com fortable. But did Black have anything bet ter? He would have been unable to solve his problems after 1 5 . . . Wc7 1 6 . Aa3 !;!d8 1 7. tbd3 f5 1 8. Wc2. For example, it is risky to play 18 . . . e4 1 9. tbf4 Axa1 ?! 20. l;!xa1 , when he m ay be unable to survive the 'draught' along the long diagonal. He would have lost material after 1 5 . . . tbf7? 1 6. tbe6 Axe6 1 7. dxe6 tbd6 1 8. e7 Wxe7 1 9. Wd5+.

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This was the position for which Morozevich was aiming, when he went in for the forcing play begi n n i ng with 1 5 . . . f5. For the sacri ficed pawn Black has compensation , in the form of his more active pieces. 22. �c3 �d4 23. Ab2

If 23. tbd5 Black could have sacrificed the exchange: 23 . . . l;!xd5!? 24. cxd5 !;!c2, ob tai n i ng defi n ite com pensation . But after

103

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

25 . �h1 tbxe2 26. Ad2 tild4 27. �c1 �xa2 28. �c8+ Af8 29. Ab4 tild6 30. 'Mr'd1 tD4d5 31 . �c2 �xc2 32. 'Mfxc2 White's chances are sti l l better. 23 . . . bS 24. tildS

24. e3 suggests itself, after wh ich the rnanoeuvre 24 . . .tbc2 25. 'Mfe2 Axc3 26. Axc3 tDa3 27. �bd1 looks dubious i n view of the weakness of the long d ark-square d i agonal, while 24 . . . tilf3+ 25 . Axf3 exf3 26. tilxb5 would have led to the win of a second pawn , although also with an element of risk - the wh ite ki ng's defences are weakened . 24 . . .'Wd6

24 . . . 'Mr'c5!? was more vigorous, when i n the event of 25. tDf4 'Mr' d 6 26. cxb5 �c2 27. Axd4 Axd4 28. �d1 e3 29. fxe3 Axe3+ 30 . �h2 'Mr'e5 Black's active pieces would have given him defi n ite compensation for the sacrificed material. 2S. Axd4 Axd4 26. !ad1 AeS?

27. WaS

It should not be forgotten that this game was played in the fi rst round of the most prestigious tournament of the year, and after his fai lure in Wijk aan Zee Carlsen was sub-consciousl y a i m i n g for clarity. Possibly, therefore, he prefers to transpose into a technical endgame, rather than play a midd legame with a couple of extra pawns: 27. cxb5 'Mr'c5 28. b4 'Mr'd6 29. a4, wh ich involves some risk. 27. . . bxc4 28. tile3! Wc7 29. Wxc7 Axc7 30. tilxc4 tileS

As a result of the exchanging operation Wh ite has obtai ned an endgame with an extra pawn and a stable pawn structure, where Black's practical saving chances are associated with the opposite-colour bish ops. With every exchange these chances are improved . 31 . E:i:xd8+ !axd8 a

Black m isses a chance opportunity to exchange a pai r of pawns: 26 . . . bxc4!? 27. �xd4 cxb3 28. axb3 �c5 29. f3 �xd5 30 . �xd5 'Mr'xd5 31 . fxe4 fxe4 32. 'Wc3, when Wh ite's achievements are less than in the game. a

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The active kn ight has to be exchanged , after which Wh ite wi l l 'revive' his bishop, regroup his forces, and at a conven ient moment underm i ne Black's pawn chain with g3-g4.

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••.

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43 . . . f!xd3? fails to 44. f!xe4+ and 45. f!xf4. 44. Axe4 §d2! 45. §xd2 Axd2 46. mg3

It is useful to halt the pawns at the distant approaches to the queening squares.

If White were able to advance f2-f4 with his pawn on h3, the position would be won for h i m . But he is not able to do this.

36. mg2

The prophylactic 36. f!c2 was more ac curate, preventing the possible 36 . . . f!d2.

46 . . . Ae1 47. mt3 Ab4 48. h4 h6 49. me2 Ad6

36 mf7 37. §c2 me7 38. Ae2 §d5

The ki ngside should have been blocked 49 . . . g5 50. h5, when it would not be easy for Wh ite to fi nd a winning plan.

.•.

After 38 . . . f!a1 White would probably have carried out the same plan as in the game.

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A com m itting decision . Any neutral move, such as 40 . . . �f6, would h ave retai ned practical d rawing chances. Now, however, White wins the e4-pawn . True, it is with the help of a tactical trick, which was easy to overlook when making the last move before the time control.

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Black m isses the last opportunity to play 50 . . . g5, when after 51 . h5 �e5 52. f3 Ab4 it would not be easy for Wh ite to convert his material advantage. H i s chances are associated with the creation of an outside passed pawn: 53. �c4 Aa3 54. �b5 Ab4 55. �a4 Ad2 56. a3 �d6 57. �b5 Ae1 58. b4 axb4 59. axb4 Ad2 60. �c4.

41. exf4 Axf4 42. §e2 §d4 43. Ad3!

Now Black has to play on two pawns down. The only consolation is the possi bil ity of exchanging rooks, transposing into a pure ending with opposite-colour bishops. Re taining the rooks - 43 . . . f!xd3 44. f!xe4+ leads to a hopeless rook end i ng.

1 05

Analysis diagram

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top �---------------------

The critical position . White would l i ke to d i vert the black pieces by the advance of the b-pawn and then create a second passed pawn on the h -file with the help of the f2-f4 breakth rough , which works, for example, after 60 . . . Ae1 ? - 61 . f4! gxf4 62. g5 . I n the event of 60 . . . Ac1 Wh ite wins using the typical idea of restricting the op ponent's ki ng- 61 . AdS! , enabl i ng his own king to go to e4 and then on to the h6-pawn - 61 . . . Af4 (if 61 . . . Ab2 the pawn advances - 62. b5, wh ile if 61 . . . Ae3 62. �d3 the king breaks th rough to e4) 62. �d4 Ad2 63. b5 Aa5 64. �e4 Ab6 65. Ac4 and �e4-f5 (M. Marin). The o n l y move lead i n g to a d raw i s 60 . . . Ae3! . I t i s i m portant to keep t h e b6-square u n d e r contro l , without l ifti n g t h e control o f f4 , a n d t h e ' k n ight o p position' o f the k i ngs with the sup port of the b i s h o p e n a b l e s the position to be hel d . If 6 1 . AdS or 6 1 . Aa8 there fol lows 6 1 . . .�e5 , a n d not h i ng i s given by 6 1 . b5 or 6 1 . �d3 because of 6 1 . . . Ab 6 . The march o f the k i n g t o a 6 - 6 1 . � b 5 i s restrained by 6 1 . . . A d 2 . I ncidentally, here too the opposition can be m a i n tai ned - 6 1 . . . �c7 6 2 . � a 6 �b8, s i nce after the advance of the pawn to b6 the f3-f4 b reakth rough does not ach i eve its aim: the passed h - pawn i s held by the bishop, and if the wh ite k i ng goes to its aid , Black wins the b6-pawn , by d iverting the wh ite bishop with his passed pawns . 51 . f4 h 5 5 2 . g5+ 'it>g7 5 3 . 'it>c4

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Black has restored material equal ity, but the pawn race is obviously won for Wh ite. a

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Black resigned .

(see next diagram)

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It is i l logical to give the opponent con nected passed pawns. 5 3 . . . Af2 5 4 . �b5 Ae1 55. a3 �f7 56. Ad3 �g7 57. Ae2 �f8

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M. Carlsen - V. lvanchuk

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M. Carlsen - V. Topalov

.'Da5 . Nowadays plans are also practised where Black does not hurry to relieve the pawn tension. lvanchuk follows the tradi tional path, retai ning t h e option after the bishop retreat of reverting to fam i liar l i nes by exchanging pawns, but the course of events in the game, where the kn ight at a5 played the role of a spectator, may subse quently have led h i m to another, possibly more p rom i s i ng conti nuation: 10 . . . Vf!c7 1 1 . l::! c1 l::! d 8. The game Chepari nov - lv anchuk (Cap d'Agde rapid 2008), continued 1 2. Af4 Ae5!? 1 3. Axe5 .'Dxe5 1 4 . Ab3 .'Dg4 1 5 . .'Dg3 Vf!f4 1 6. Vf!f3 Vf!xf3 1 7. gxf3 LDf6 1 8. l::!fd1 �f8 1 9 . .'De2 b6 20 . e5 .'Dh5 21 . d xc5 Aa6 22 . .'Dg3 "Df4 23. cxb6 axb6 with excel lent compensation for the pawn , typical of G ri.infeld-type positions. 1 1 . !J.d3

Morelia/Linares 2007

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a b c d e f 9 h Here somet h i n g i nexp l icable occurred with Topalov. He resigned the game, not finding any way to save h i s kn ight, and he merely sh rugged his shoulders i n per plexity when Magnus showed him how to do this: 64 . . . Vf!d5+ 65. f3 e5. Wh ite has nothing more than perpetual check by 66. Vf!h7+ �f8 67. Vf!h8+ Vf!g8 68 . .'Dh7+ <;!;>f7 69 . .'Dg5+.

8

7 1._,..:,1. :--:.,-_6

Game 22 M. Carlsen - V. lvanchuk Morelia/Li nares 2007 GrOnfeld Defence [ 087]

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1. d4 CLlf6 2. c4 g6 3. CL!c3 d5 4. cxd5 tDxd5 5. e4 CL!xc3 6. bxc3 IJ.g7 7. /J.c4 c5 8. CL!e2 CL!c6 9. !J.e3 0-0 1 0. 0-0

11 b6 This variation has become popular in recent years. Of course, Black could also have re turned to the main line by playing 1 1 . . . cxd4. 1 2 . lac1 If White captures the pawn - 1 2. d xc5?! bxc5 1 3. Axc5, then after 1 3 . . . Vf!c7 1 4. Ad4 e5 1 5 . Ae3 Ae6 1 6 . Vf!c2 .'Dc4 Black has ful l com pensation . 12 cxd4 With the rook on c1 , Carlsen considers .•.

This is the so-cal led main variation of the Gri.infeld Defence. It was here that the first attem pts were made to refute what has turned out to be the 'evergreen' idea of the Austrian grandmaster Ernst G ri.infeld (3 . . . d5!), fi rst carried out in 1 922. 10 CL!a5 Over previous decades Black's main continuation was 10 . . . cxd4 1 1 . cxd4 Ag4 1 2. f3 • .•

a b c d e f 9 h .!. .i. �

1 07

•.•

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

the open ing of the c-fi le to favour Wh ite. I ndeed , to neutralise the control of the c fi le Black has to go in for the exchange of rooks, which reduces the possibility of creating piece play typical of the G ri.in feld Defence. 1 2 . . .'\Wc? looks to be i n the spi rit of the position, although it is not easy to shake the pawn centre. Black's problems are i l lustrated by the game Ja kovenko-Areshchenko (World Cup, Khan ty-Mansiysk 2009): 1 3. 'Wd2 Ab7 1 4 . Ah6 fiad8 1 S . Axg7 �xg7 1 6. f4 fS?! 1 7. exfS gxfS 1 8. 'We3 'Wd6 1 9. ficd 1 c4 20. Ac2 AdS 21 . 'WeS+ WxeS 22. fxeS e6 23. �f4 �f7 24. fide1 �e7 2S. fie3 bS 26. fib1 a6 27. fih3 fit? 28. fih6 �c6 29. Ad 1 ! 1 -0. After 1 3. 'Wd2 Black can consider 1 3 . . . eS, when i n the event of 1 4 . d xeS AxeS 1 S . f4 Ag7 1 6 . eS fid8 or the i m med iate 1 4 .. . fid8 (i ntending 1 S . AgS Aa6!) he ob tai ns excellent play. However, 1 4. f4!? is more critical . 1 3. cxd4 e6

If 1 3 . . . A b7 there would h ave fol l owed 1 4. dS! , restricting the bishop, and Black is obliged to prevent this move. However, this leads to a weakening of the dark squares on the kingside, which creates the grounds for an attack. 14. 'Wd2 .tb7

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A strong move, introduced by the German grandmaster Rainer Knaak i n a game with Malich (Halle 1 976). Wh ite begi ns a flank attack without risking the loss of a pawn, si nce in the event of 1 S . . . Wxh4? 1 6. Ag5 'WhS (th i ngs are not changed by 1 6 . . .'\Wg4 1 7. f3 'WhS 1 8. �g3 Axd4+ 1 9. fif2) 1 7. �g 3 'Wg4 1 8. Ae2 the queen is lost. 1 5 . 'We7?! .

.

Surprisingly, lvanchuk fol lows Mal ich, who already then had become convi nced about the d rawbacks to this move and had rec ommended 1S . . .'Wd7, which Black adopted in later games with his variation . True, with out particular success. For example, the game Knaak- Kir. Georgiev (East Germany 1 987) continued 1 6. Ah6 fiac8 1 7. hS! fixc1 1 8 . .§xc1 fic8 1 9. Axg7 .§xc1 + 20. Wxc1 �xg7 21 . h6+! with advantage to White. The move in the game is obviously not in the spi rit of the position, si nce it assists White's plan of exploiting the weakness of the dark squares. Carlsen considers the best defence to be 1S . . .�c6, after which he was i ntending to play 1 6. eS. But a rad ical solution in the spi rit of the Sici l ian Dragon also comes into consideration: 1 S . . . hS!?, nipping in the bud the threat of the h-pawn's advance. For example, the game Tim man Baramidze (Bundesl iga 2007) continued 1 6. AgS 'Wd7 1 7. Ah6 fifc8 1 8. Axg7 �xg7 1 9. WgS 'Wd8 20. 'Wg3 fixc1 21 . fixc1 fic8 22. fie1 �c6 23. dS �b4 24. Ab1 exd5 2S. a3 �c2 26. fid 1 , and here 26 . . . We8! would have led to equal play. 16. h5!

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This is stronger than 1 6 . AgS f6 1 7. Af4, as played in the Knaak- Mal ich game, where

1 08


Wh ite did not achieve anything significant.

tDe2-f4. For exa m pl e: 22 . . .�f8 (22 . . . �e8 23. h xg6 h xg6 24. tDf4 tDxd4 25. tDh5! or 22 . . . Aa6 23. Axa6 �xa6 24. tDf4) 23. hxg6 h xg6 (23 . . . fxg6 24 . tDf4) 24. tDf4 A h 6 2 5 . � h 4 tDxd4 2 6 . tDxg6 fxg6 27. �xd4 etc.

16 . . . l:UcS 1 7. e5!

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The concrete solving of problems by earls en , who i m mediately 'takes the bul l by the horns', is impressive. Wh ite prepares the ground for the exchange of the bishop on g7, regard less of the weakening of the long light-square diagonal, which Black is not able to exploit . Previously 1 7. Ag5 �a3 18. e5 was preferred, and, to judge by sto ries about Magnus's outstand ing memory, this idea was wel l known to h i m . 1 7. . . 1a xc1 ?

This was clearly not lvanchuk's day. The exchange of all the rooks deprives Black of his last hopes of creating counterplay. As Carlsen comments, first and foremost the kn ight should have been brought back into play - 1 7. . . tDc6. The p rophylactic 17 . . . �d7, p reparing to besiege the d4-pawn after 18 . . . tDc6, was also in the spi rit of the position. 1S. laxc1 lacS

If 18 . . . �d7 Wh ite attacks: 1 9 . Ag5 l:::!.c 8 20. l:::!. x c8+ �xc8 2 1 . Af6 tDc6 22. �g5! (22. Axg7 <;!;>xg7 23. Ae4 tDe7 al lows Black to h o l d the position) with t h e t h reat of

Black misses the last chance for a suc cessful defence: 20 . . .�d7, as suggested by lvanchuk in his commentary on the game. 'This is more resil ient', agrees Carlsen, ' But even so after 2 1 . Af6 in any case it is very hard to believe that Black is able to sur vive.' After the best reply 21 . . . tDc6 Black's position is sti l l dangerous.

Analysis diagram

Wh ite can conti nue the attack as i n the game: 2 2 . �g5 tDxd4 2 3 . Axg7 <;!;>xg7! (weaker is 23 . . . tD x e2+ 24. Axe2 <;!;>xg7 2 5 . h 6+! <;!;>fa 2 6 . �f6 with the t h reat af ter Ae2-d 3xg6 of quee n i ng the h - pawn , wh i l e i n t h e eve nt of 2 6 . . . �d2 2 7. Af1 Ab7 28. �h8+ <;!;>e7 29. �xh7 Wh ite picks up an i m portant pawn and succeeds in retu r n i n g w i t h h i s queen - 29 . . . A xg2 30. �g7 �d 1 31 . �f6+ <;!;>fa 32. <;!;>xg2 with an extra piece) 24. �f6+ <;!;>f8 25. tDf4! (2 5 . h 6 is just i f i e d o n l y i n t h e event of 2 5 . . . tD x e2+ 26. A x e 2 , but by p l aying 25 . . . tDf5! B l ack h o l d s the position: 2 6 . �h8+ <;!;>e7 27. tDf4 tDxh6 28. �xh7 g5) 25 . . . g x h 5 2 6 . A x h7 �c7 27. tD x h 5 , and the attack conti nues .

�09

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

Another way of attacki n g is 22. 'Wf4 with the idea of 23. Axg7 �xg7 24. 'Wf6+ �f8 25. Axg6! hxg6 26. h6 and the pawn is i rresistible. Black loses after 22 . . . Axf6 23. gxf6 'Wd8 (23 . . . We8 24. Ab5 Ad7 25. Axc6 Axc6 26. We? leads to the loss of a pawn) 24. hxg6 fxg6 (24 . . . h xg6 25. Wg5 �f8 26. Axg6) 25. f7+! �g7 26. Ab5 Ad7 27. Axc6 Axc6 28. f8W+, winning the bish op. After the bishop retreat 22 . . . Af8 again 23. Wg5 is possible. Let us consider the main variations:

White has carried out his plan, and now it only remains to get to the king.

a) 23. .tDxd4? 24. tDxd4 Wxd4 25. hxg6 fxg6 26. Axg6 and Wh ite wins;

Wh ite is inexorable in the conduct of his plan. He is th reaten i ng to capture on g7 followed by h6+ and Wf6 , and if 22 . . . Af8 the bishop sacrifice is decisive.

21 . . . �c6

A belated return of the kn ight. But Black has no defence against the th reat of Wd2g5 with a ' b reak-in' at g6. For exam ple: 2 1 . . . Af8 2 2 . Wg5 tDc6 23. h xg6 h xg6 24. Axg6 fxg6 25. Wxg6+ Ag7 26. Axg7 Wxg7 27. We8+, or 21 . . . Axf6 22. exf6 Wd8 23. Wg5 tDc6 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. Axg6! . 22. Wg5

·

b) 23 . . . Ab7?! 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. d5! exd5 (oth erwise 2 6 . d 6) 2 6 . A xg6 h xg6 27. Wxg6+ Ag7 28. e6 and wins;

22 . . . h6

c) 23 . . . tDe7 24. h xg6 fxg6 25. tDf4 A b7 26. Wg4 AdS 27. Axe? 'Wxe7 (27. . . Axe? 28. tDxg6!) 28. tDxd5 exd5 29. Wc8 with advantage to Wh ite - he is th reatening 30. Wc6;

A forced weake n i ng, s i n c e W h ite was threatening 23. Axg7 �xg7 24. Wf6+ �f8 25. h6 when the pawn cannot be stopped .

d) 23 . . . tDb4 (the most resi lient) 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. Axg6! hxg6 26. Wxg6+ Ag7 27. tDf4 Wf7 28. Wg5 �h7 29. Wh4+ �g8 30. Axg7, and by coordinating his queen and kn ight (as Rybka ind icates), Wh ite combi nes an attack on the king with the th reat of winning one of the pieces:

The p i n o n the kn ight e m p h asi ses the hopelessness of Black's position.

23. Wc1 !

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g5

If 23 . . . Wd7 Wh ite wins by 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. tDf4 tDxd4 26. tDxg6 . But now to the

110

tD


a b c d e f 9 h

vertical pin is added a diagonal one, which leads to the loss of a piece.

8

24. Ab5 Ad7 25. d5! exd5 26. �d4 Axf6 27. exf6 'Wd6 28. A xc6 'Wxf6 29. Axd7 'Wxd4 30. g3 'Wc5 31 . 'Wxc5 bxc5 32. Ac6 d4 33. Ab5 �f8 34. f4 gxf4 35. gxf4

8 7

6 5 4

4

3

3

2

Black resigned .

a b c d e f 9 h

The Candidates tournament in the new cycle of the individual world cham pionship was a notable event in Carlsen's chess career. The very appearance of a 1 6 -year-old candidate for the world c rown was an extraord i n ary phenomen o n . The only player to have p revi ously achieved this was Bobby Fischer, among whose opponents were the stars of the post-war wave of Soviet gran dmasters. Playing in the Candidates Tou rnament in 1 959 were such titans of the Soviet Chess School as Paul Keres, Vasily Smysl ov, Mikhail Tal and Tigran Petrosian , who are now l egends of world chess. The present-day Candidates have their stars , and although the list of real contenders for the chess crown is shorter, this does not reduce the i ntensity of the fight at the top l evel . At t h e Candidates Tournament i n Elista, h e l d on t h e knock-out system , Carlsen was pai red with Levon Aronian , the brightest young representative in the chess el ite. Forecasts regard ing the outcome of the match were one-sided. The clear favourite was the Armenian gran d m aster, with whose strength and experience o n e could hard ly com pare the potential of the uncommonly talented but not yet battle-hardened you ngster. Here it was forgotten that, with prod igies, time moves on a different scale, and that which takes others years, they resolve within months. And the Carlsen who went into battle in Elista was a ' renovated' version, one who had m arked ly gained in strength during his contact with the elite. True, in his opening preparation there were still gaps , and the first game of the match appeared to confirm the unfavour able forecasts. Carlse n , who was not yet ready for o pening disputes, went in for an un pretentious anti - M arshall variation i n the Ruy Lopez and contrived to lose an absolutely equal position . In the 2nd game the self-confid ent Aronian was not eager to build on his success, and in the t h i rd game, like a sphinx, M agnus rose from the ashes and level led the scores.

1 11

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

�c6 1 3 . Ab2 gives preference t o Wh ite, Black's defensive resources should also n ot be underest i m ated . The attem pt to prevent the creation of the pawn centre fai ls in this objective.

Game 23 M. Carlsen - L. Aronian Candidates Match, 3rd Game Elista 2007 English Opening [A30]

1 1 . �e5! .axg2 12. mxg2 0-0 13. e4

1 . �f3 �f6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 c5 4 .ag2 .ab7 5. 0-0 e6 6. �c3 .ae1 7. lae1 d5 •

a b c d e f 9 h 8 !.'.& 'if .�. . 7 .l .S. .l .l 6 .l .l 5 .l ttJ 4 88 3 8 8

The m ost popular m ove, lead i ng to the creation of a mobile pawn centre for Wh ite. Lovers of the 'hedgehog' structure prefer 7. . . d6 8. e4 a6 9. d4 cxd4 1 0 . �xd4 V!fc7. 8. cxd5 �xd5 9. d4

This move is usually made after the pre parato ry exchange 9 . �xd5 V!! x d5. The following also occurs: 9. e4 �b4 (9 . . .�xc3 1 0 . bxc3 0-0 1 1 . d4 transposes) 1 0 . d4 cxd4 1 1 . �xd4 �8c6 1 2 . �xc6 V!! x d 1 1 3 . l::! x d1 Axc6. I n both cases this leads to an early exchange of queens.

28 1 l,!

8 7 6 5 4 3

8r!? 8 2 � �:!

a b c d e f 9 h

1 3 . . . 'Wc8

A n ew idea for solving B l ack's opening problems, compared with 1 3 . . . Af6 14. �g4 cxd4, as was played in the game Yermolin sky -Atalik (Berkeley 2005). There fol lowed 1 5. Aa3 Ae7 1 6. Axe? V!! xe7 1 7. cxd4 l::! d8! 1 8. d5 exd5 1 9. exd5 V!!d 6, and here White could have retained the better chances by 20. l::! c 1 ! �a6 2 1 . V!!f3 �c5 22. l::! c d1 . Black can also consider 14 . . .�c6!? 1 5. Ae3 cxd4 1 6 . cxd4 V!fd7 with an equal game.

a b c d e f 9 h

J. 8 8 J. I,& 'if. 7 .l .a .a .l .l .l 7 6 6 .l .l 5 5 .l '.& 4 4 8 3 3 ttJ tt:J8 2 /j,/j, 8 8 �8 2 1 :! � � :! rJ;;

1 4. 'Wg4

a b c d e f 9 h

The alternative is 1 4. d5!? Af6 1 5. Af4 with the better chances for Wh ite.

9 . . . �xc3

T h e p re p a ratory exc h a nge 9 . . . c x d 4 1 0. V!! x d4 0-0 comes i nto consideration, while if 10. �xd5 there is the good reply 10 . . . V!! x d5. 1 0. bxc3 .Q.e4

Although the experience of the main con tinuation 10 . . . 0-0 1 1 . e4 cxd4 12. cxd4

14 . . . .at6 15. �f3

With the th reat of e4-e5 and Ah6. 1 5 . . . mha 16. h4!

M agnus always h as suc h an attacking m ove i n mind, especially since 16 . . . h6 does noth ing to prevent 1 7. Ag5! . 1 6 . . . �c6 1 7. .ag5!

112

ctJ

M. Carlsen - L. Aronian

a b c d e f 9 h ,E a .. • 8 'iV 7 .l .l.l.l 7 6 6 · � .l.i. 5 .l !k, 5 4 8 8 V/!i 8 4 3 3 l::iJ 8 8 2 8 1 1:,

8 41

�

-----------------

-------

of the simple 22. l:Xed1 fol lowed by an at tack on the queenside by a2-a4 .

6

6 5 8 .l 4 8 8 3 l::iJ 8

4 3

2

:

a b c d e f 9 h

2 8 1 1:,

8�

2

:

a b c d e f 9 h

1 7. . . cxd4

For Black, who is under fire, it is not easy to hold the position. 1 7. . . Axg5 1 8. hxg5 will not do, since it allows the rook to be included in the attack along the h-fi le. His difficulties are only aggravated by 1 7. . . �d8 18. l:Xad1 cxd4 1 9. cxd4, when he has to reckon with t h e d4-d5 b reakth roug h . Therefore Black agrees t o t h e deforma tion of his ki ngside pawn structure, which may tel l not only i n the middlegame, but also in the endgame.

22. h5!

Not only clearing the knight's path to the key f5-point, but also with the aim of 'seal ing i n ' the king, which will be unable to render any assistance to its forces. 22 . . . �c4 23. �h4 �d6 24. h6 Jac3?!

24 . . _gc4 suggested itself. 25. l3:ac1 ! l3:fc8

For a rook, an open file is a gul p of fresh air. Aron ian makes use of the last practi cal chance. I n rejecting the capture of the pawn - 25 . . . tll x e4, he appreciated Wh ite's i ntention of attaching 'epaulettes' to the king at h 6 and d 6 - 26. �f5! gd8 (after 26 . . . l:Xfc8? 27. l:Xxc3 �xc3 the pin 28. l:Xc1 is decisive) 27. gxc3 �xc3 28. d6.

18. Axf6 gxf6 1 9. cxd4

The queen exchange could have been avoided - 1 9. �f4 �d8 20. cxd4 with the better game, but Carlsen has perceived cer tain advantages for White in the endgame and he provokes the opponent's reply. 19...e5

There a ppears to be n oth i n g better. If 19 . . . �d8 there is the good reply 20. �f4, when 20 . . .tbxd4? fai l s to 2 1 . ged 1 e5 22. �xeS. 20. Wxc8l3:axc8 21 . d5 �a5

Black transfers his kn ight to the d6 block ading point. 21 . . .�b4 is illogical on account

113

·.�.

1--

.t.

.t. [j .t. .t.tt:J

�

1----,

I�

[j

1.1\ :S:

£::., t::,cJ;;

Analysis diagram

• .t. [j

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

Tableau! - this was how the French would have assessed the resulting position. The i nvasion of the rook o n the c-fi le is threatened, but supporting the kn ight leads to the loss of a pawn, without essentially changing the position: 28 . . . b 5 29. gc1 b4 30. a3 a5 3 1 . axb4 axb4 32. gc2. Wh ite i ntends to play gb2, for example, 32 . . . gd7 33. gb2 gb7 33. gxb4! , since after 33 . . _gxb4 34. d7 gba 35. tDd6! Black has no defence against the threats of 36. tDxf7+ and 36. tDc8.

29. §e4! �f8 30. §g4 lic7

26. § xc3 §xc3

34. d6

8

31 . §g7 b5 32. §xh7 �g8 33. §g7+ �h8

Wh ite is as though playing with an 'extra' ki ng. If 33 . . . c2ff8 there fol l ows a b reak t h rough by the h - pawn - 34. d 6! gd7 35. gg4 and 36. h7.

a b c d e f g h 8 .8 7 ... .I 7 ... � 6 6 � ... � 5 5 ... � 4 4 3 3 � 2 � �� 2

e f g h .8 ... ... 7 � ... � 6 5 � ... � ttJ 4 .I � 3 �� 2

a b c

6 5 4 3 2 �

I n the event of 30 . . _gd3 31 . gg7 gxd5 32. g x h7 c2fg8 33. gg7+ c2fh8 34. gxf7 gas 35. gxf6 Black cannot cope with the armada of white pawns.

d

�

a b c d e f g h

a b c d e f g h

34 . . . §d7

27.
This is where the depth of the h4-h5-h6 manoeuvre is felt. White forcibly transposes into a rook ending where the black king is tightly 'sealed in' by the f5- and h6-pawns. 27
Black cannot prevent the rook's i nvasion o n the k i n gs i d e by 28 . . . gc4 in view of 29. d 6 c2fg8 30. gd1 gca 31 . g4! when he is i n zugzwang. It is not possible to avert the breakthrough by the g-pawn: 31 . . . c2ff8 32. d7 gd8 33. g5 c2fe7 (33 . . .fxg5 34. f6) 34. g6 and the h-pawn queens (variations by Carlsen).

34 . . . gb7 is more resil ient, with the idea of creating a passed pawn, but then a raid by the king proves decisive: 35. c2ff3 b4 36. c2fe4 a5 37. c2fd5 a4 38. c2fc6 b3 39. axb3 axb3 40. c2fxb7 b2 41 . d7 b1 'W+ 42. rl::lc7 Wc1 + 43. c2fd8 Wc5 44. g xf7, and after ge7 the king h ides from the checks at g6. 35. �f3 b4 36. �e4 §xd6

After 36 . . . a5 37. c2fd5 a4 Wh ite wins by the same method as in the preced ing note. 37. § xf7 §a6 38. g4 �g8 39. h7+ �h8 40. g5 fxg5 41 . f6

Black resigned .

1 14


After the 4th game everything appeared to have come ful l circle. N ow on his guard , Aronian played with great composure and did not let Carlsen 'off the ropes'. For the Norwegian, behind 1 1/2 -21/2 i n the match, only one chance remained - to make use of his last Wh ite i n the 5th game. And he did this brilliantly.

1 3 . . . c4

Game 24 M. Carlsen - L. Aronian Candidates M atch, 5th Game Elista 2007 Queen's Indian Defence [E12] 1. d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �f3 b6 4. a3 Ab7 5. �c3 d5 6. cxd5 �xd5 7. �c2 Ae7 8. e4 �xc3 9. bxc3 0-0 1 0. Ad3 c5 1 1 . 0-0 �c7

1 1 . . . Wc8 came i nto consideration, with the idea of exchanging the bishop after . . . Aa6. 12. �e2 �d7 1 3 . Ab2

a b

c

d e f g .1 •

.! 7 • .i.. 'if,... .i.. • 6 • 5 •

a

h a

•7

6 5 4 4 �� 3 3 � � � ttJ 2 � V/JJ� � � 2 1.:

a b

.:�

c

d e f g h

Carlsen had experience of playing the Pet rosian Variation, although with the black pieces. At the tournament in Biel (2005) Gelfand attacked h i m with 1 3 . e5, and this is what happened: 13 .. J:!.fd8 1 4 . h4 �f8 1 5. Ae3 Wc6 1 6. lafd1 laac8 1 7. h 5 h 6 18. �e1 tDh7 1 9. Wg4 �g5 2 0 . �h2 �h8 21 . a4 tDe4 22. ladc1 Ag5 23. f4 f5 24. We2 Ah4 25. tDf3 Ae7 26. Ab5 We? 27. Ac4 �d7 28. Ab5 We? 29. Ac4 Wd7 1/2 -1/2 .

An unexpected decision in the context of the match . I n making t h i s strategi cally risky move, Aronian surely should have had a 'bomb' up his sleeve. After all, by relieving the pawn tension (of course, 1 4. Axc4 Axe4 is un favourable for White), he granted Wh ite a mobile pawn centre with prospects of an attack on the kingside, which meant that he had to aim to strike fi rst on the queenside. But it would appear that he was merely counting on Carlsen's psychological de p ression after the defeated suffered the day before. Usually in this variation Black mai ntains the pawn tension by developing his rooks at c8 and d8. H ere are two typical examples on this theme: Kas parov - K ra m n ik ( L i n ares 2004): 13 . . .laac8 14. tDd2 lafd8 1 5 . lafd1 tDf6 1 6. a4 cxd4 1 7. cxd4 Ab4 18. tDf3 We? with equal chances; Ponomariov - Leko (Tal Memorial , Mos cow 2006): 1 3 . . .lafd8 1 4. d5 exd5 1 5 . exd5 Af6 1 6. c4 b5! with good counterplay for Black. 14. Ac2 b5 1 5. Ac1

After Black has 'locked ' the long diagonal, the bishop is doing nothing at b2 , and so it joins the attack on the ki ngside, ai ming for g5 . 1 5 . . . a5 16. Etb1

11 5

Chapter 2

a b c d e f g

s_!

7 6

·

The Way to the Top

h

8 .. . .i. 'iV 1.& ll. I. I. 7 6 I.

5 4 3

4 3 [:::, 2 a b c d e f g

h

1 6 . . . Aa6?!

When there are attacks on opposite wi ngs, every tempo is i m portant. Therefore 1 6 . . . b4! 1 7. axb4 axb4 1 8. cxb4 �a2 was more logical, with sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawn (Carlsen). 1 7. e5 b4?

But now this move is too late. It was time for Black to concern himself with his ki ng: 1 7 . . . �fe8 1 8. �g5 �f8 1 9 . 'W h 5 A xg5 20. A xg5 with a somewhat i nferior, but sound position. If 1 7. . . �fb8 Black has to reckon with the breakth rough 1 8. d5!? exd5 1 9. e6.

a b c d e f g

7 6 5 4 3 2

h

8 'iV I.& .i. l.l.l. 7 .i_ 6 I. 5 [:::, 4 1.1.£:::, 3 [:::, 4J � 'fl[:::,[:::,[:::, 2 .. .

I;! �

I;!�

a b c d e f g 1 9. Ag5

1 9 . . . ctlb6

Naturally, 19 . . . Axg5? 20. �xg5 h6 21 . 'We4 f5 22. �xe6 'Wc8 23. Wt4 would have been suicidal. 20. 'We4 g6 21 . 'Wh4 a:a7

Not 21 . . . Axg5 22. �xg5 h5 23. �xb4 �d5 24. �e4! , when 24 . . .�xb4 fails to 25. �f6+ 'i!>g? 26. �xh5+ with inevitable mate. 22. At6!?

1 8. axb4 axb4

a_!

This obvious move decides the outcome of the game, since the attack against the u n d efe n d e d k i n g s i d e l ooks extre m ely d angerous . But also i nterest i n g is the p ragm at i c view of the young p rofes s i o n a l , who c o n s i d e rs the best m ove to be 1 9. �x b4! with the win of a pawn . The rook cannot be taken because of a stan dard attack: 1 9 . . . A x b4 20. A x h7+ 'i!>xh7 (or 20 . . . 'i!>h8 2 1 . �g5 g6 22. 'Wf3! 'i!>g? 23. 'Wf4 with the th reats of �xe6+ and 'Wh4) 2 1 . �g5+ 'i!>g8 (2 1 . . . 'i!>g6 l eads to mate after 22. 'We4+ f5 2 3 . exf6+ 'i!>h5 24. 'W h7+ 'i!>g4 25. h3#) 22. 'W h 5 �tea 23. 'Wxf?+ 'i!>h8 24. �e1 ! , and B l ack has n o defence against the switc h i ng of the rook to h3.

h

Of course, the extra pawn after 22. Axe? Wxe7 23. 'Wxe7 �xe7 24. � x b4 �d 5 is too small a gai n i n such a powerful po siti o n . Carlsen was a i m i n g o n l y for an attack, but, h av i n g c o o l e d down after the battle, h i s p ragm at i c v i ew i n c l i ned i n favour of 22. �xb4, since here too the win of the exchange - 22 . . . A x b4 23. Af6 �b8 24. cxb4 - l eads to a very strong at tack on the king (25 . �g5 is th reatened). After 2 2 . . . �d5 23. �a4 W h ite rem a i n s a pawn up (23 . . . �xc3? 2 4 . Axe? 'Wxe7 25. 'Wxe7 �xe7 26. �xa6 leads to the l oss

116


a b c d e f g h 8 I. • 8 r 7 .t. .t. 7 6 � ...� ... 6 5 5 .t. 4 4 ·� 3 I. � 3 ttJ 2 �� 2

of a piece), retaining th reats to the king. For exam p le, in the event of 23 . .. .Ab5 24 . .§xa7 'Wxa7 25 . .Ae4 Black's position is unenviable. 22 . . . Axf6 23. exf6 �d5

a b c d e f g h 8 .�. . 7 I. 'iV .t. .t. 6 .*_ ·�· 5 '.& 4 ... ... � VJJJ 3 ttJ � 2 �� ii, �

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

�

Signal ling the start of an attack on the kingside. Although Black's defences ap pear solid , Magnus sees a way to launch a decisive storm .

h

31 . . . h6 32. �e5 �a1 33. �xa1!

24. Ae4

Amazing pragmatism ! By th reatening the exchange on d5 Carlsen provokes the ex change of q ueens, preferring to go into an endgame with an extra pawn, rather than an attack with 24. tt::le 5, which looks very at tractive. For example: 24 . . . b3 25. Ae4 'Wd6 26. f4 .§e8 27. .Axd5 exd5 28. f5, building up the threats. This is correct, but what can be suggested after 24 . . . bxc3 25. Ae4 'Wd6? 24 . . .'fif4 25. Axd5 Wxh4 26. �xh4 exd5 27. � x b4

White's main tru m p in this ending is the 'nail' on f6. By sealing the kingside, it ef fectively guarantees White an extra piece - his king, the role of which in the endgame is hard to overestimate. 27. . . Ac8 28. � b6

Prophylaxis against the th reat of . . . .!:!a6. 28 . . . �a3 29. �c1 Ae6 30. �f3 �fa8

h

31 . h4!

��

a b c d e f g

�

a b c d e f g

The only way of fighting for a win . If 33. .§bb1 Black can reply 33 ....§1 a3!, re stricting White's offensive actions. 33 . . . �xa1 + 34. �h2 �a3 35. � b8+ �h7 36. f4!

An essential link in White's plan is the diver sion of the bishop ( f4-f5 is th reatened). To convert his advantage it is important for him to win the f7- pawn without exchang ing the minor pieces, since in the event of 36. .§f8 .§xc3 37. ti:lxf7 Axf7 38. .§xf7+
37. h5!

A brilliant solution! The pawn offensive with a small army creates a fine aesthetic im pression. Black could not have prevented this move by . . . h6-h5, since after ti:lf3-g5 he would have been mated.

117

Chapter 2

al

a b c d e f g :s

sl 51 41 3[

Forced , since if 37. . . gS? there follows 38. fS AxfS 39. �xf7 with unavoidable mate.

1I

11

38. laf8 laa3 39. f5! J.xf5 40. la xf7+ mg8 41 . lag7+ mts 42. la b7! laa8 43. mg3!

The king decides the outcome. If 43 . . . c3 there follows 44. mf4 c2 (44 . . . Ae6 4S. l:!e7) 4S. �xfS! with mate in fou r moves.

� �1 2

21

..•

The Way to the Top

Ia

.l • 1 7 j_ � .l.lls .lti:J 15 · � � �14 .! 13

7[

37

h

·

a b c d e f g

43 ladS 44. mt4 J.e4 45. g3! c3 46. llt7+ mgs 47. llg7+ mts 48. tbd7+ laxd7 49. la xd7 •••

h

gxh5

Black resigned .

I n the 6th game Carlsen again deserved the highest praise - this time for the defence of a difficult position.

Capablanca- Vid mar (Carlsbad 1 929), the main continuation was considered to be 7. . .V!fc7 8. g3 eS 9 . d xeS �xeS 1 0 . Af4 �fd7 1 1 . Ag2 f6 , where in recent times Black has begun to experience difficu lties after 1 2 . �xeS . For exam ple, the game van Wely-1. Sokolov (Dutch Cham pion ship 1 998) continued 12 . . . �xeS 1 3. aS a6 1 4. 0-0 Ad6 1 S. �e4 Ae7 1 6. V!ib3 with a small but enduring positional advantage for White. Therefore, not without reason , Ivan Sokolov made a detailed study of 7. . . �b6 8. �eS aS and took it up. It was this that Carlsen employed in this im portant game.

Game 2S L. Aronian M. Carlsen Candidates Match, 6th Game Elista 2007 Slav Defence [017} -

1 . d4 tbf6 2. tbf3 d5 3. c4 c6 4. tbc3 dxc4 5. a4 J.t5 6. tbe5 tbbd7 7. tbxc4 tbb6

6

ti:J� t2J

3 2

1

:s

�

5 4 3

8. tbe5 a5 9. g3 tbfd7

��2

��

a b c d e f g

:s

1

h

For many years, beginning with the game

This continuation is employed far more rarely than 9... e6 1 0. Ag2 Ab4 1 1 . 0-0 0-0, and since the advance of the e-pawn is not threatened , for the moment it is not essen tial for Black to perform such pirouettes. But also Carlsen's decision to exchange

118

L. Aronian - M. Carlsen

the active knight rather earlier is probably no accident.

reason to be dissatisfied with his posi tion. He has managed to remove White's 'sting' - the g2-bishop, one of the main performers in such a position , supporting the d4-d5 breakth rough, and at the same time it is not easy for White to exploit the awkward position of the rook on a6. How ever, White's reply changes the picture.

10. ftlxd7

Nothing significant is p romised by the knight retreat 1 0 . tDf3. For example, the game Svid ler - Wang Yue (China 2008) continued 1 0 . . . e6 1 1 . e4 Ag4 1 2 . Ag2 e5 1 3. 0-0 exd4 1 4 . �xd4 f6 1 5 . Ae3 1/2-1/2. If 1 0 . tiJd3 there can fol low 1 0 . . . e5!? 1 1 . d xe5 tDc5 with active counterplay for the pawn.

14 . .tf4!

In the event of 1 0 . . . tDxd7 1 1 . Ag2 e6 1 2 . 0-0 Ab4 1 3. e4 the centre has to be conceded without sufficient reason .

From here the bishop can attack the knight on b6. In the game Gyimesi - Bu Xiangzhi (Germany 2007) White developed his bish op more passively - 1 4 . Ae3 and after 14 . . . e6 1 5 . d 5 Ab4 1 6. d xe6 Wxe6! 1 7. Wxe6+ fxe6 1 8. Axb6 l:!xb6 1 9. 0-0-0 Ac5 20. f4 �e7 he had an inferior endgame.

1 1 . e4 .th3

14 . . . e6 1 5. J.e5!

In the game P. H. Nielsen -Timman (Malmo 2002) Black d ecided first to weaken White's kingside: 1 1 . . . Ag4? ! 1 2 . f3 Ah3 13. A x h3 Wxh3 1 4 . W b3 .§a6 1 5 . Ae3 Wg2? 1 6 . 0-0-0 Wxf3 17 . .§he1 , and his delay in castling led to defeat . It should be mentioned that after the better 15 . . . e6 1 6 . �f2 White also has the advantage.

A well-known technique: before placing the bishop on its designated square - c7, in passing White tries to extract some benefit by provoking a weakening of the kingside.

1 0 . . .'Wxd7

1 5 . . . .tb4

12. J.xh3 'Wxh3 1 3. 'Wb3 !aa6

a b c d e f g

h

The first impression is that Black has no

The d rawbacks to 1 5 . . .f6 a re revealed by 1 6 . Ac7 Ab4 1 7. 0-0-0 0-0 1 8. tDe2 ! (after 1 8. tDa2 c5 1 9 . tD x b 4 c4!? Black has serious counterplay: 20. Wa3 axb4 21 . Wxb4 tDxa4 22. Wxb7 l:!fa8) . Now, in view of the th reat of tDf4 or even tDg1 , it is not easy for Black to defend his e6-pawn . He c a n hard ly contemplate either 1 8 . . . g5 1 9 . tDg1 Wg2 20. Wxe6+ � h 8 2 1 . tDh3 with a com promised kingside, or 1 8 . . . Wg2 1 9 . Wxe6+ �h8 20. tDf4! �xf2 2 1 . l:!hf1 We3+ 22. �b1 with a trapped queen. The main d rawback of Black's position is ob vious - his pieces are bad ly placed . On en countering difficulties , Carlsen sac rifices a paw n , hoping to gain time to coordinate his forces.

119

Chapter 2

The Way to the Top

16 . .txg7 lagS 1 7. Ae5 'Wg2

whereas White has his sights set on the h7-pawn.

Black regains the paw n , a central one moreover, which gives him the d5-square - an excel lent base for his pieces. True, for this he has to exchange his bishop, weakening his dark-sq uare periphery. But in White's position too the light squares are weak. The question is whose strategy is the more discerning.

22 . . . 'We7

1 8. 0-0-0 Axc3 1 9. 'Wxc3

White is hoping to extract more from the position than the endgame after 1 9. bxc3 �xe4 20. c4 �e2 2 1 . c5 (not 2 1 . �d3? tbxa4! with the th reat of . . . �b6) 21 . . . �c4+ 22. �xc4 tbxc4. 19 . . .'Wxe4 20. la he1 'Wd5

Normally it is im portant to blockade the weak point in front of an isolated pawn. I n the given situation , where the king has not castled , this is doubly im portant: the opening of the position after a pawn break through cannot be al lowed . This cou ld oc cur after 20 . . .�f5 2 1 . d5! tbxd5 (after 21 . . . cxd5 22. �c7 the b7-pawn is lost) 22. �xd5 exd5 23. �c5!, when Biack has no defence. 21 . b3 'Wd7 22. 'Wc2

a b c d e f 9 h 8 • I. 8 7 .l 'iV .l .l 7 6 6 !. '.&\ .l .l 5 5 .l � 4 4 [3::, [3::, 3 3 [3::, [3::, 2 � [3::, [3::, 2

23. 'Wxh7 lag6

After the preparatory 23 . .. �a3+ 24. d2 �g6 Black h as to reckon with 25. �e3! tbd5 26. �h8+ d7 27. �f3, reminding Black that he also has a king. Therefore Carlsen wou ld have to seek the exchange of q ueen s by 24 . . . �a2+ 2 5 . �c2 , but, knowing Aronian's tech niq ue in the con version of a minimal advantage in sim ple positions, he does not want to al low White a comfortable life and he prefers to go fishing in troubled waters. 24. 1ae3

� Ir ir

a b c d e f 9

Carlsen dislikes passive play and he de cides to sacrifice a pawn to activate his pieces as m u c h as possible. There is logic in this - there are plenty of weak nesses in White's position, and Black can greatly hinder the advance of the pawns. In such a situation it is customary to rely on intuition, but the conseq uences of pas sive defence also have to be weighed up: 22 . . . �g6!? 23. b2 tDd5 24. h4 h5 25. �e2 �g4 26. f3 �g6 27. g4 �e7, and Black is still holding the position . Nothing is given by either 28. gxh5 �h6, or 28. g5 �b4, while if 29. f4 , then 29 . . .f6 looks a satis factory reply.

h

Despite all his trickery, as yet Black has not managed to consolidate his forces,

One gains the impression that both play ers are thinking in the same direction and are not in a h u rry to exchange q ueens. Carlsen is afraid to go into an endgame, while Aronian is also not in a rush , hoping to finding chances in the middlegame, in which he is hardly taking any risk: it is dif ficult for Black to create any cou nterplay,

1 20

L. Aronian - M. Carlsen

since he has to worry about his own king. After 24. �h8+ Black wou ld have been unable to avoid the queen exchange, since with his king in the centre he would have to reckon with the opening of the position. For example, if 24 . . . @ d7, then 25. d5! fol lowed by 26. �b8 (the immediate 25. �b8 does not work because of 25 . . . �a3+) and the queen , coordinating with the bishop, creates dangerous th reats. 24 . . . ttld5 25. §f3 'Wf8 26. h4 §h6

Carlsen again decides against going into the endgame after 26 . . . �h6+ 27. �xh6 §xh6. For the same reason after the retreat of the rook he does not play 27. . . �a3+.

35. 'We2

Carlsen has nevertheless won the psycho logical battle. White's manoeuvres have not led to anything, and Aronian himself offers the exchange of q ueens. I n the event of 35. §xf5 �xf5 36. �e2 @ c8 Black finally resolves the problem of his king. 35 . . . §g8!?

And this is al ready the chal lenge of a self confident fighter. Black avoids the natu ral exchange 35 . . . �xe2+ 36. §xe2, not fearing the dou bling of his pawns by 36. �xg4 §xg4 37. l:!xf5 exf5 , since White can not prevent . . . f5-f4. 36. 'We1

27. 'Wc2 §a8 28. 'Wd2 §h5 29. �b2 'Wg8 30. §e1 'Wg6 31 . Ad6 §d8

The young Norwegian manoeuvres with his pieces like a high ly-experienced grand master, observing the basic ru les of actions by the defending side. He avoids pawn advances and any activity, keeping a care ful eye on the opponent's manoeuvres. 31 . . . @ d7, not removing the defence of the aS-pawn , can also be recom mended . But Magnus prefers to defend this pawn with counterplay.

Aronian appreciates his opponent's audac ity and returns to the previous manoeuvring strategy. 36 . . . §g6 37. §e2

Here the exchange 37. §xf5 exf5 is u nfa vou rable on account of the possible ma noeuvre . . . l:!g6- e6-e4. 37. . . §f3?!

a b c d e 8 7 £ • 6 £ £ 5 £ "' 4 [j, [j, 3 � /j, a 2 � a

32. Aa3 'Wg4 33. §d3 §f5 34. §e5 �d7

a b c d e f g h

8 7 6 5 £ 4 [j, 3 � /j, 2 �

a b c d e f g h

8 7 6 5 3 2

�

f g h

8 7 £ 6 .I 5 'iV [j, 4 3 .l [j, 2 [j,

a b c d e f g h Up till now Carlsen has acted irreproach ably, but in time-trouble his compos u re

1 21

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

deserts him . He forces events, changing the character of the position, although it was possible to continue the strategy of indirectly defending the aS-pawn, by at tacking the f2- and d4-pawns: 37. . . .§g8 38 . .§c2 'l;\'g6 39 . .§d1 (39. '1;\'xaS? ebf4) 39 . . . 'Mlf6 etc.

49 . . . rilxd6? 50. 'Mld8+ rileS 51 . .§xd5+! and 52. 'Mlb6 the queen is lost), and Black is still holding the position . 4 3 . . . �b4+ 44. Axb4 Wxb4 45. :§g2

The last attempt to retain an advantage 45 . .§c4 'Mld2+ 46. rila3 rile?! 47. Wf8 .§xg3 48. 'Mlxf7+ Wd7 49. Wxd7+ rilxd7 would have resulted in a d rawn rook endgame.

38. :§ xf3 'Wxf3 39. :§c2 Wf6 40. Wxa5 Wxd4+ 41 . �a2 :§f6 42. f4?!

After Black's lapse on the 37th move White has managed to break through to the queenside, at the same time ridding himself of his isolated d4-pawn . However, by removing his f-pawn from attack, he cre ates a backward pawn on g3, which signifi cantly eases Black's defence. The correct continuation was pointed out by Rogozen ko: 42. Ac5! We4 43 . .§d2 .§f3 44. Wa7 rile? 45. Ae3! with the idea of 46. 'Mld4 , exploiting t h e fact that 45 . . . ebxe3?? i s not possible on account of the mating attack 46. WaS+ b6 47. 'Mla7+.

a b c d e 7 6 5

f

9 h

8 7 6 5 8 8 4 3 8 :t

a b c d e

f

2

9 h

45 . . . :§xg3!

A worthy conclusion to this titanic struggle.

42 . . . :§g6 43. Was

This leads to sim plification , which could have been avoided by 43 . .§d2 with the probable continuation 43 . . . 'l;\'e3! 44. Wb4 rile? 4 5 . Wd 6+ ril b 6 4 6 . Wd8+ rila6 47. Wa8+ rilb6 (47. . . 'I;\'a? 48. Wxa7+ rilxa7 49 . .§d3 leads to a better endgame for White) 48. aS+ rile? 49. Ad6!? rild7 (after

46. :§ xg3 Wd2+ 47. �a3 Wc1 +

Draw. Such a d raw is worth any win . To hold out in a very difficult battle at a critical moment of the match signified a moral victory for Carlsen.

And so, ' normal time' ended in a 3-3 d raw, and the match continued with a tie-break of fou r rapid games. And everything repeated itself again. Aronian won his first 'White' game and for the third (!) time took the lead in the match . After two d raws Carlsen had one last chance to make use of the white pieces in what was already the 1 0th game of the match . And he performed a miracle, fighting 'to the last bullet', and win ning a theoretical ly d rawn endgame.

1 22

M. Carlsen

M. Carlsen L. Aronian Candidates Match, 1 0th Game Elista 2007

8

a b c d e f g

h

L. Aronian

(making it taboo for Black to exchange the queens), and the maxim u m activation of the king.

-

a b c d e f g

-

69. �h3 'Wb1 70. Wf6+ �h7 71 . Wf3 �g7 72. �h4

8

The techniq ue of coordinating the king and q ueen while keeping the pawn on its initial square is impressive. In a rapid play finish it is not easy to defend - it is im portant not to run into an exchange of q ueens. Black exaggeratedly plays with out checks , on ly moving his king, pl acing it on safe squares .

h

In pre- reform times, when games were played with the classical time control and there were adjou rn ments, one cannot im agine such an ending being resumed . The pawn cannot be converted. This is obvious, but not for the present-day 'condensed ' times, when the competitive element pre vails over logical play. Nowadays, fol lowing the FIDE reforms, games are played to a finish, and players are ensured against los ing on time by the addition of extra seconds after each move. And so Carlsen plays on . What is striking is the professionalism with which he plays this ending, even under the rapid time regime: here there is the rule 'do not hurry' (it is more difficult to defend than to attack), restraint in advancing the pawn

72 . . . �h7 73. Wf7+ �h8 74. Wh5+ �g7 75. Wg4+ �h7 76. Wh5+ �g7 77. We5+ �h7 78. Wd5 �g7 79. Wd4+ �h7 80. Wd7+ �h8 81 . g4

The pawn comes into play at the most ap propriate moment, provoking Aronian into giving checks with his q ueen . 81 . . .Wh1 + 82 . �g5 Wc1 +?

This next im p u l sive check leads to de feat. The position cou ld have been held by 82 . . . 'We4 or even 82 . . . 'Wa8!?, with a tacti cal point: 83. 'Wf5 'Wg8+ 84. � h 6 'Wg7+ 85 . �h5 'Wf7+ 86. Wxf7 - stalemate! 83. �g6 Wb1 + 84. Wf5

Black resigned .

And so, the tie-break also ended in a d raw, 2-2 . The winner was d ue to be decided in a blitz match of two games, and if necessary an 'Armageddon' game would be played . But things did not come to this. The ability to play five-minute chess has its specific features, and here the clear favou rite was Aronian , who won both games, and with them the match . Carlsen gave a critical appraisal of his defeat: 'Aronian i s very strong', he replied to a correspondent of the magazine 64 Shakhmatnoe obozrenie. 'The match with him was a good lesson ; I realised that there is still much to learn about chess, much to study.

1 23

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

Leven caused me a mass of unpleasant surprises in the middlegame. I n addition , I basically cou ldn't get out of the opening with the black pieces.' But, despite the defeat, it was this match that brought Carlsen up to a new level. The 1 6-year-old grand master presented himself to the chess com m unity as a real contender for the world crown in the near future. He presented himself in particular as an inflexible fighter! Three times in a week he eq ualised , twice in decisive games - only those possessing a cham pion's character are capable of this. T h ree weeks for ' repairs' before the start of the third ' pi l l ar' of the world chess calendar - the Sparkassen G M Tou rnament in Dort m u n d (FI D E category 20) was not a long time. It is wel l known that this was a kind of personal fiefdom of Kram nik, who by that time had won there on eight occasions. The other participants were also no pushover. Carlsen was in a cautious mood : ' W hen there are so many solid opponents: Kram nik , Anan d , Gelfa n d , Leko - playing is not easy. They exert pres s u re with their every move, not losing concentration for a seco n d . In this sense Dortm u n d was in general the most diffic ult su per-tourn ament of the year for me: Morelia/Linares or Wijk aan Zee was fu l l of fighters such as l vanchuk or Topalov, who themselves play and also al low their opponents to play. Here there were no such pl ayers.' Therefore he was not too disappointed with the resu lt: a loss to Kram nik (where he was thoroughly outplayed by the cham pion in his favou rite Catalan Opening) and fighting d raws with the rest was no reason to be u pset . Especially since t h ree weeks l ater there was the tou rnament in Bie l , where the opposition was not q uite so strong. On this occasion the organisers of the festival in Biel had changed the format of their m ain tou rnament. They increased the n u m ber of participants to ten , and, despite the absence of Morozevich , the main victor of the last few years, they were able to raise the level to F I D E category 1 8. Carlsen was happy: the opponents were of those who themselves play and al low others to play. It seemed the right time to play fighting chess, but he was contin uing to work on his own game, and in Biel we saw a self-confident 'tech nician'. Magnus happily exchanged the q ueens, relying on his greatly improved endgame tech nique, as he demonstrated in the very first round in this game with Bu Xiangzhi. He was not concerned by the protracted nature of the battle (the conversion of a positional advantage with opposite-colour bishops and rooks took 50 moves). The tou rnament went well, and th ree rounds before the end Carlsen was leading by a margin of one point. It seemed that victory was assured . But at that moment he committed a childish error, inad missible for a 1 7-year-old grand master.

1 24

M. Carlsen - A. Onischuk

M. Carlsen Y. Pelletier Biel 2007

the first p rize. They fought to the l ast: with a score of 2-2 things came down to an 'Arm aged don' (d raw in favo u r of Black, but he has 4 min utes on the clock) . And Carlsen again displayed his char acter. He won the game with Black, and moreover he won 'on c l ass'. Passions died down - M agn u s had won his first su per-tou rnament.

-

a b c d e 8 .! 1.1\ .! 7 ..t 6

9

h

8

6 5 4 4 8 3 3 8 [jj li, 8 2 8 888 2 � .:

a b c d e f 9

1:'( 1

Game 26 M. Carlsen A Onischuk Biel 2007 Queen's Gambit [043]

h

-

After the natu ral 1 6 . f3 White is slightly better, but that is all. But Magn us played 1 6. Axh7?? (one can't help remem bering the first game of the 1 972 Spassky- Fischer match), and after the natural reply 16 f5 17. e4 �g7 1 8. exf5 � xh7 1 9. fxe6 fxe6 he was a piece down for obviously inadeq uate compensation. What was the cause of such inexcusably cavalier play? Perhaps he was seeking revenge for the miniature in his first tou rna ment in Biel 2005, which he lost to Pel letier in the opening (1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �c3 Ab4 4. �c2 d5 5. cxd5 c5 6. d xc5 �xd5 7. Ad2 AxeS 8. �xd5 �xd5 9. e4 �d4 10. 0-0-0 �d7 1 1 . Ab5 0-0?? 1 2 . Ac3, and Black lost a piece). On the principle - it depends who you are playing! This chil dish ness cost him dearly. As it is said , misfortunes do not come sin gly. T h rough inertia Carlsen lost his next game to van Wely and allowed himself to be passed by Radj a bov, whom he had to p l ay in the l ast rou n d . All t h at remained was to display his character and win ' to order', and although he did this , M agn u s was caught by O nisc h u k . They h ad t o p l ay a b litz tie - b reak for . •.

.

1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �f3 d5 4 .tg5 •

By a non-traditional way the game has entered the c u rrently popu l a r M oscow Variation , the classical route to which lies via the Queen's Gam bit (1 . d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. �f3 �f6 4. Ag5). The variation received this name after the famous Moscow I nter national Tou rnament of 1 925, where it was emp loyed by Eman uel Lasker and Efim Bogolj u bow. 4 . . . h6 5 . .txf6

A popular continuatio n . Those who like sharp play p refer to test their strength (and home preparation !) in the so-cal led Anti- Moscow Variation 5 . Ah4 c6 6 . �c3 dxc4. As for Carlse n , he prefers clearer play. 5 . . .'Wxf6 6. �c3 c6 7. 'Wb3

Along with 7. �c2, one of the main continu ations in the Moscow Variation . 7. . . dxc4

Another branch 7. . .�d7 8. e4 dxe4 9. �xe4 �f4 1 0. Ad3 e5 1 1 . 0-0 has been known

1 25

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

a b c d e f g

since the time of the 1 938 AVRO Tourna ment.

h

8 .�. . 1.& � .�. 7 � 'if � � 6

6

5 4 'o/i/ 8 3 t2J 8 t2J 2 /j, /j, �8 8 1 M

M�

a b c d e f g

Analysis diagram

The Euwe - Fine game continued 1 1 . . . Ae7 1 2 . gfe1 exd4 1 3. &Dxd4 0-0 1 4. Ac2 tDf6 (nowad ays the more forceful 1 4 . . . tDc5 1 5 . '1Wc3 g d 8 i s p referred , with equal play) 1 5 . gad 1 g6 1 6 . tDxf6+? ! (1 6 . '1Wc3!?) 1 6 . . . A x f 6 1 7. ge4 We? 1 8. '1We3 *g7 1 9 . h4 h 5 20. gf4 ge8! 2 1 . '1Wxe8 'Wxf4 2 2 . tDf3 g b a 23. '1We4 '1Wxe4 24. Axe4 Ag4 , and Bl ack won the endgame in ex cellent style.

5 4 3 2

h

1 2 . Jafd1 e5

Carlsen t hinks t h at t h e p reparatory 12 . . . '\We?!? is more accurate. 1 3. �e4

Black is seriously behind in the develop ment of his queenside, and White's play involves exploiting the weakness of the d6-square for the invasion of his knight.

The modern sharp continuation 1 1 . . . exd4 underwent a severe testing in the game Mamedyarov -Topalov (Sofia 2007), where Shakhriyar made use of a recom mendation by Jan Tim man, that had not come to the attention of the ex-world champion - 1 2 . &Dxd4! , after which castling is not possible - 12 . . . Ae7 1 3. tDf5 ! . T h e game continued 1 2 . . .tD c 5 1 3. &Dxc5 Axc5 1 4 . gae1 + *f8 1 5. ge4 '1Wf6 1 6. '1Wc3 a5?! (1 6 . . . Ad7!? 1 7. b4 Axd4 1 8. gxd4 gea - Stohl) 1 7. gfe1 Ad7 1 8.g1 e3 Ab4 1 9. Wc2 '1Wd6 20. gf3 h5 2 1 . c5! Axc5 22. Ac4 f6 23. tDe6+ Axe6 24. gxe6, and White soon won .

1 3 . . .'We7?!

Here this move does not oppose White's plan , since it al lows a favourable break through in the centre. As Carlsen shows in his comments on the game, the problem would have been solved by the paradoxical move 1 3 . . . Wf5 ! . This seems strange - the queen invites the knight to go to d6 with gain of tem po, but the subtle point is that Black forces the exchange on e5 and neu tralises the danger: 1 4 . tDd6 Wf6 1 5 . d xe5 tDxe5 1 6. tDxe5 Wxe5 1 7. 'Wb4 Ae6 , and 1 8 . Wxb7?! is risky because of 18 . . . Ad5. 14. d5 cxd5 1 5. 'Wxd5 � b6

8. Wxc4 �d7 9. e 3 g6 1 0. Ae2 Ag7 1 1 . 0-0 0-0 (see next diagram)

The alternative 1 5 . . . tDf6 1 6. Wd 6 Wxd6 1 7. &Dxd6 would also have left White with a favourable endgame.

"1 26

M. Carlsen - A. Onischuk

a b c d e f g h 8 .i ..t. .i e 7 .f. .t. 'ii .t. ..t. 6 '.& ... ... 5 � ... 4 tiJ 3 8 tb 2 88 1 1:,

1 9. �xb7

8 7 6 5 4 3

White m u st accept the pawn sacrifice, since after 1 9 . �ac1 e4 20. h xg4 exf3 2 1 . Axf3 A x b2 22. �b1 �xeS 23. � x b2 �c7 he can not hope for anything. 1 9 . . . Ae6

The pair of long-range bishops supported by the rook put the queenside under con certed fire, forcing White onto the defen sive.

JL 8 8 8 2 1::. �

a b c d e f g

h

20. b3

16. Wc5!

White can not get by without this move, 20. �d2 is too passive: 20 . . . �c7 21 . &baS (2 1 . tbd6 �d8) 21 . . . �tea 22. �ad 1 �c2, while after a move by the knight - 20. tDd6 the potential of the black pieces is fu lly revealed : 20 . . . �c2 21 . �d2 �xd2 22. tbxd2 �d8 23.tD2c4 e4 24. � b1 fS , and again 2S. b3 cannot be avoided .

One can not help but be amazed at the pragmatism of the you ng grand master. If the position demands it, Carlsen is pre pared to try and squeeze out a minimal advantage, even in an obviously protracted endgame. 16 . Wxc5 1 7. � xeS Ag4 . .

White's control of the d-file combined with the pressu re of his knight on the b7-pawn creates problems for Black over the devel opment of his light-square bishop. Onis chuk's decision to sacrifice the pawn for the sake of disclosing the potential of his bishop pair seems a fu lly objective one. If he defends the pawn by 17 . . . �b8, after 18. �ac1 the problems of developing the bishop are not relieved : if 18 . . . AfS there is 1 9. tbh4, while if 18 . . . Ag4 - 1 9. h3.

20 . . . 9:c2 21 . Af1

a b c d e f g

8 7 ... tiJ 6 '.& 5 4

.� . .t. ..t. ..t. ... ... ... •

'-1-

a b c d e f g

18. h3

For the moment 1 8. tbxb7 does not work because of 18 . . . e4. 18 . . . 9:ac8

Black has gained an im portant tem po to secu re an excellent post for his bishop at e6.

h

8 7 6 5 4

h

21 . . . �d5

Bl ack is at the c ross-roads: should he continue his active cou rse, which Onis chuk settles for, by playing his knight to c3, or limit himself to waiting tactics? For example, 21 . . . AdS 22. tDd6 �c6 23. ebbS

1 27i

Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

a6 is possible, d riving the knight to the edge of the board (24. tDa3). But what to do next? 24 . . . e4 is only a half-measure: 25. tDd4 1k5 26. f!ac1 and White neverthe less transfers his knight to c4 - 26 . . . f!fc8 (or 26 . . . f!a5 27. tDc4 Axc4 28. bxc4 f!xa2 29. c5 tDc8 30 . f!a1 , win ning the a6- pawn) 27. f!xc5 f!xc5 28. tDc4! , and Black is u n able to regain t h e pawn. If 2 4 . . . a 5 White rep lies 2 5 . tD d 2 e4 (25 . . . a4 2 6 . Ab5) 26. f!ab1 f!a8 27. tDac4, stabilising the a3-knight.

6

h

Ap parently O nisc h u k was pin ning his hopes on this move, thinking that after the knight moves to a6 it wil l be out of play. Af ter 27 . . . tDa4 White can interpose 28. tDa6 .

8 7

.t. .t. 6

.i.

28. t'ila6!

5 ] • 5 4 4 � .t. 1 3 � I.& � � 3 2 � 2 CD � � ::

This knight is destined to discredit the rule of Siegbert Tarrasc h , that a knight on the edge of the board always stands bad ly. In the given specific position the white knights are excellently coordinated , restricting the rook, which looks longingly at the c6-square.

�

a b c d e f 9

It wou ld appear that Black no longer had any choice, other than to win the exchange: 26 . . . tDa4 27. tbxe6 Axa1 28. bxa4 fxe6 29. Axe6+ �g7 30. tDxe4, where White wou ld be faced with converting his com pact pawn mass in a protracted endgame. But, at the least, this was a p ractical c h ance, whereas with the exch ange of the light-square bishops the potential of the extra pawn increases sharply. 27. t'il xc4 l:ib5

22. Ac4 tilc3 23. l:id2 l:ixd2 24. tilxd2 e4 25. �f1

a b c d e f 9 8 .I. e 7 .t. CD '--'r .t. .i.

26. tileS Axc4+?

h

25 . . . 1:ib8

28 . . . Af8

Alexey Korotylev considers the best plan to be the switching of the light-sq u are bishop to the long diagonal, from where it defends the e4-pawn and keeps an eye on the queen side pawns: 25 . . . Ad7!? 26. a4 Ac6 27. tDd6 Ae5 28. f!c1 Axd6 29. f!xc3 Ab4 30 . f!c2 f!d8, and the a4/b3 pawn pair is sec u rely blockaded . It shou ld be added that the attempt to advance the b pawn - 26. tDc5 Ac6 27. b4 - is parried by 27. . . f!d8 28. �e1 a5! 29. bxa5 tDa4. Now, however, Carlsen confidently finds the key to Black's defences.

a b c d e

8 7 .t.

6 CD

5 .I 4 CD 3 � I.& 2 � 1 ::

8 7

5 4 .t. � � 3 �� 2 �

a b c d e f 9

29. b4!

1 28

h

M. Carlsen

-

T. Radjabov

And here is the key to the position. By sac rificing a pawn, White completely ties down the black pieces.

Game 27 M. Carlsen - T. Radjabov Biel 2007 Irregular Opening [ 807]

29 . . . .txb4 30. a4 lib7 31 . lic1 ltid5 32. lib1 f5

1 . e4 d6

Against the attempt to unravel with a 're verse' pin , White has a choice between two winning endgames: 32 . . J !e7 33. �xb4 .§b7 34. �xd5 .§xb1 + 35 . �e2 and 34. �d6 .§xb4 35 . .§xb4 �xb4 36 . �xe4.

Despite the fact that in the last round Carls en was more high ly motivated (to overtake Radjabov, he had to win the game), his opponent was by no means in a peace able mood . This is also indicated by the choice of opening. It should be mentioned that Radjabov (as also Carlsen) is no re specter of reputations, and he is one of the few who plays for a win with both col ours. It is worth remem bering Teimour's win , at the age of 1 6, over the great Garry Kasparov in Linares 2003. With the black pieces, moreover! It is sufficient to say that Teimour's main weapon against 1 . d4 is the King's Indian Defence, in which he has gained numerous wins.

33. a5!

8 7 s 5 4 3 2

a b c d e f g • � .1 t[j � 1.&

h

8 7 5 4

.i. tZJ

2 a b c d e f g

2. d4 ltif6 3. ltic3 e5

h

The domination of the white knights over the black rook is impressive! By taking away the b6-square, White puts Black in zugzwang. Carlsen confirms this with the fol lowing variations: 33 . . . .§e7 34. �xb4 .§b7 35 . �b6 ! , or 33 . . . .§b5 34. g3! with the th reat of 35. �d6 (after the immediate 34. �d6 .§xa5 35. �xb4 �xb4 36 . .§xb4 .§a1 + White has to give up his f2-pawn). The performance is finished . The curtain can be lowered . 33 . . . �g7 34. ltie5 f4 35. exf4 e3 36. fxe3 lti xe3+ 37. �g1 ltid5 38. �h1 lib5 39. ltic6

Black lost on time.

A curious psychological moment. It turns out that Radjabov was only 'scaring' Carls en with the Pirc- Ufimtsev Defence; he does not intend to fianchetto his bishop, and he invites a transposition into the Philidor Defence. He is not afraid of the exchange of queens, realising that in view of the tourna ment situation Carlsen will not go in for it . 4. ltige2

Magnus prefers something different, which has no name in opening classification . The transposition into the Philidor Defence could have occurred after 4. �f3 �bd7. 4 . . . ltibd7

Carlsen thinks that the development of the bishops was more in the spirit of the

129

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

position - 4 . . . Ae7 S. g3 Ag4 6. Ag2 exd4 7. �xd4 tilc6. 5. g3 c6 6. Ag2

Haifa 1 989) Beliavsky preferred to restrict Black on the queenside in 'Spanish' style 1 1 . b4. The game continued 1 1 . . . Ab7 1 2 . f!b1 axb4 1 3. axb4 tileS 1 4 . tilg3 g6 1 S. Ah6 tilg7 1 6. tilce2 tilb6 1 7. f4 exf4 1 S. tilxf4 AgS?! (1 S . . . tilc4! was more logi cal) 1 9. AxgS WxgS 20. eS d xeS 21 . tile4 �e7 22. d xeS �xeS 23. �d6 ! and White developed a dangerous initiative. 1 1 . . . b4?! One can only try and guess why Radjabov did not go in for the favourable opening of the position : 1 1 . . . exd4 1 2 . �xd4 b4 1 3. tilce2 bxa3 1 4 . .§xa3 (1 4. bxa3? tilxg4!) 14 . . . dS, where the black pieces would have become very active. But subsequently too his play raises questions. Apparently it was one of those days for Radjabov. 1 2 . �ce2 bxa3 By beginning with 12 . . . dS 1 3. exdS tilxdS, Black would not have allowed the activa tion of the queen's rook and after 1 4 . f!e1 he would have achieved an equal game: 14 . . . bxa3 1 S. bxa3 Af6. 1 3. r:lxa3 d5

-

It was possible to forestall the pawn initia tive on the queenside by 6. a4. 6 . . . b5 7. a3 Ae7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. h3 aS

In the rapid game G risc h u k - Frid man (Mainz 2006) Black included his pawn in the attack only after developing his bishop: 9 . . . Ab7 1 0 . g4 aS, but after 1 1 . tilg3 exd4 1 2 . �xd4 cS 1 3. �d1 b4 1 4 . tilbS!? Aa6 1 S. a4 it transpired that the d6-pawn re quired d efe nding. The game continued 1S . . . g6?! (1 S . . . tileS) 1 6 . Ah6 f!eS 1 7. gS tilhS 1 S. tilxhS gxhS 1 9. �xhS 'i'b6 20. f4 c4+ 21 . �h1 f!acS 22. fS tileS 23. f6 AdS 24. AfS 1 -0. 1 0. g4

It is natural to try and take the lead in the flank attacks , although in his com ments on the game Carlsen considered this to be not the optimal decision, without, however, suggesting anything instead . 1 0 . . . Aa6

a b c d e f g h 8 .1 'iV .�. . 7 l.& .l. .l .l .l 6 .1, .l .l 1.& 5 ££ .l 4 ��

a b c d e f g h 8 .1 'i¥ .1 9 7 l.& .l. .l .l .l 6 .1. .l 1.& 5 £ .l .l 4 ··� � �

8 7 6 5 4

-

� 3 t2J � � tD � .il. 2 1 J::l .il. 'lW g �

3 �

2 1

a b c d e f

g

8 7 6 5 4 2

a b c d e f

h

g

h

14. r:le3!

1 1 . �g3

A provocative move, since it allows the opening of the position. In his game with Mokry (European Team Cham pionship,

This shows a deep understanding of the position! The rook manoeuvre to the centre, involving the doubling of rooks on the e-file, forces Black to release the pawn tension.

130

M. Carlsen - T. Radjabov

This leads to the opening of the position , making it easier for White to attack o n the kingside. 1 4 . dxe4 Black is forced to concede the centre. He vacates the d5-square for his knight, hoping to d rive away the rook, but dis illusionment awaits him . The alternative 1 4 . . . exd4 1 5 . CL'I x d 4 Ac5 (1 5 . . . A x f 1 ? 16. CDxc6 \WeB 1 7. exd5 1eads to the loss of a piece) 1 6 . .§.fe1 '!Wb6 (weaker is 1 6 . . . Axd4 17. \Wxd4 c5 1 8. \Wa4 d4 19 . .§.a3 with an attack on the weak pawns) 1 7. c3 had its drawbacks, but at least Black would have activated his bishops. 1 5. �e1! The rook moves out of the pin and the il lusions associated with 1 5 . . . CL'Id5 prove unfounded in view of 1 6 . .§.xe4. Unexpect edly it transpires that the black pieces are mobilised far worse for the forthcoming play. .

.

a 7

6 5 4 3 2 1

CDf8 22. Ab2 CDg6 23. CDxg7! CL'Idf4 24. CL'Idf5 CL'Ixh5 25. CDxh5 with a decisive attack. 1 5 . . . h5, a move considered by Carlsen , also looks irrational , since it contradicts a classical rule: don't move pawns on the wing where you are weaker. After 1 6. gxh5! (1 6. g5 CL'Id5 17. .§.xe4 Axg5 1 8. d xe5 CL'Ic5 would suit Black) 1 6 . . . CL'Id5 17 . .§. xe4 f5 18 . .§.xe5 CDxe5 1 9. d xe5 White has more than sufficient compensation for the ex change (Axd5 and CL'If4 is th reatened). Possibly the best solution to the situa tion could have been 1 5 . . J �e8. 16. �f5 .td8? The bishop retreat conclusively disru pts the already poor coordination of the black pieces , dividing them into two camps. 16 . . . .§.fe8 answers better the demands of the defence. 1 7. g5 �d5 1 8 . � xe4 f6 1 9. �eg3

a b c d e f g h a !. ..t .�. . a 7 1. 1. 7 'il l.&\ 6 j_ I. 6 I. 5 I. 1.1\ 1. /:b � 5 4 4 �:

a b c d e f g h a !. 'if .�. . 1.1\ ..tl.l.l. 7 6 j_ Jl. 1.1\ 5 I. I. J • �· � 4 : l:b � 3 � � l:b � � 2 � iV :

a b c d e

�

f

g

a b c d e

1 h

1 5 . . . Wc7

Not an easy choice. The inclusion of the exchange 15 . . . exd4 1 6. CDxd4 V#c7 sharply activates the opponent's pieces: 1 7. g5 CDd5 18 . .§.xe4 Ac5 1 9. CL'Igf5 '!Wb6 (if 1 9 . . . a4 there follows 20. \Wh5 .§.fd8 21 . c4! Axc4 22. CL'Ixg7!) 20. \W h 5 .§.fd8 (or 20 . . . Axd4 21 . CDxd4 g6 22. \Wh6 .§.fd8 23. b3! with the decisive threats of Ab2 and .§.h4) 2 1 . b3

f

g

h

1 9 . . . g6 It is al ready hard to offer Black any good advice, since the white pieces are arriving on the kingside as though by schedule. To illustrate this we give two possible varia tions: 1 9 . . . .§.f7 20. \Wg4 CDe7 2 1 . b3 CDg6 22. Aa3 or 19 . . .CDe7 20. gxf6 CDxf5 21 . CDxf5 Axf6 22. dxe5 tDxe5 23. Af4. In both cases White's advantage is obvious. 20. �h6+ �g7

1 31

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

22. e6!

If 20 . . .'�> h8 there could h ave fol lowed 2 1 . gxf6 (2 1 . d xe5 fxe5 22. tbg4 is also good) 21 . . . Axf6 22. tbg4 Ag? 23. tbxe5 tbxe5 24. d xe5 with an extra pawn.

The decisive breakth rough . White clears the approaches to the black king. 22 . . . �xh6

21 . dxe5 fxg5

If 2 2 . . .tD7f6 t here a l so fol lows 23. e7! Axe? 24. l::! xe7+ tbxe7 25. l::! xe7+ VJ/xe7 26. tbhf5+.

a b c d e f g h 8 a .I ..t .1. 7 • .t 7 'iV,.. .t � 6 .t ,.. � .t 5 4 4 l:r 3 �� 3 2 �� 2 �� l:r

23. e7! 'Wb6

The capture of the pawn leads to a mating attack: 23 . . .tbxe7 24. l::! xe7 Axe? 25. l::! xe7 !!adS 26. 'Wd4 l::!f 6 27. 'Wh4#. 24. exf8'W+ tilxf8 25. c4 tilf4 26. 'Wd6 �g7 27. �xf4 gxf4 28. S:e7+

�

a b c d e f g

h

Black resigned .

An im portant l a n d m ark in Carlsen's self-assertion was his participation in the second M ikhail Tal Memorial Tou rnament (FI D E category 20) . On this occasion Carlsen arrived in M oscow not as a timid p u pi l , like a year earlier, but as a fighter, tested in battle with elite gran d m asters. However, he did not manage to take part in the battle for the first p rize. Kram nik was untouc hable. After the 1 4th world cham pion had passed on his ' ruling aut horit y ' to Anan d , h e p l ayed freel y and over the short distance of 9 rounds he scored +4, finishing 1% points ahead of the seco n d - p l aced Shirov. But Carlsen's sh are of 3rd-5th p l aces with Peter Leko and D mitry J akovenko also showed that he had effectivel y established himself in the upper echelo n . Playing in Moscow against a farge group o f successors o f t h e famous Soviet Chess Schoof is always a serious test . Especially when you begin the tournament with a game against Kram nik, and the fact that in Moscow the 1 4th world cham pion always pl ays with particular com mitment and is always aiming to win . The intrigue was increased by the fact that, in their previous meeting in the sum mer of that year in Dortmun d , Carlsen had suffered a disaster in the Catalan Opening. The opening was predictable.

13

V. Kramnik

-

M. Carlsen

-------

Game 28 V. Kramnik - M . Carlsen Moscow 2007 Catalan Opening [ EOS}

ready in a positional trap: 17. . . c6 1 8. tDd3 or 17 . . . axb4 1 8. tDc6 V!/d7 1 9. axb4 is equally unpleasant) 1 7. tDb3! . The culmination of White's strategy - he achieves a complete blockade of the queenside. After 17 . . . axb4 1 8. tDa5 Aa8 1 9. tDac6 Axc6 20. tbxc6 V!/d7 2 1 . Axd5! exd5 22. axb4 Black was com pletely paralysed and the b5- pawn was doomed .

1. �f3 �f6 2. c4

Kramnik's favourite way of reaching the Catalan . 2. . . e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 £e7 5. £g2 0-0 6. 0-0 d xc4 7. 'Wc2 a6 8. 'Wxc4 b5 9. 'Wc2 J.b7 1 0. £d2

1 1 . £g5 �bd7 1 2 . � bd2 Jac8 1 3. � b3 c5

Thus Black has carried out his plan, but has associated it with a new idea.

White is intending to place his bishop on a5, to prevent the freeing advance . . . c7-c5.

a b c d e f g h s ,i � 'iV .i fl a 7 .i. £ .i. £ £ £ 7 6 s £ £� 5 5 £ 4

14. J.xf6 �xf6!?

This is Carlsen's genuine novelty. He sacri fices a pawn. In the only previous game on this theme, Hofman - Browne (Bad Wies see 1 998), Black played 14 . . . V!/xf6 1 5. tDe5 cxd4 1 6. tDxd7, after which White did not tempt fate and he offered a d raw.

4

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3

1 l: £D

a b c

10

•.•

l: �

d

e f g

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Ad6

Carlsen's home p reparatio n . Black va cates the e7-square for his queen , when the Aa5 thrust becomes irrelevant. Up til l here t h e two players h a d move for move repeated their game in Dortmund, which continued 1 0 . . .tDc6 1 1 . e3 tDb4 1 2. Axb4 Axb4 1 3. a3 Ae7 14. tDbd2 lk8 1 5. b4 a5 1 6. tDe5! (apparently this move came as a surprise to Carlsen, who was being guided by the game Bruzon - Capo Vidal, Morelia 2007, which went 1 6. V!/b2 axb4 1 7. axb4 'Wd6 1 8. flfb1 flaB with good play for Black) 1 6 . . .tDd5? (Black should have exchanged bishops - 1 6 . . . Axg2 1 7. �xg2, but he is al-

Analysis diagram

What was it that Carlsen did not like here? Sergey Shipov suggests the fol lowing vari ation: 1 6 . . . V!/d8 1 7. tDbc5 Axg2 1 8. tDxf8 Axf1 1 9 . 'Wx h7+ � x f8 20. tD b7 V!/d7 2 1 . tDxd6 flc6 22. tbxf7 �xf7 23. flxf1 , and White win s a pawn. But 2 1 . . . V!/xd6 22. 'Wh8+ �e7 23. 'Wxc8 Axe2 must also be considered. White is the exchange up, but the d4-pawn, supported by the bishop, is a real force. In addition the white king is a concern . Let us consider a possible

1 33

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

As Pushkin said: 'One dawn to replace an other hastens'. Now White has to watch out for the possible manoeuvre . ..�e4- g5-f3.

continuation: 24. l:;!c1 �f6! (out of harm's way!) 25. l:;!c7 (25 . Wfc7 Wle5!?) 25 . . . Wib4 26. �g2 Wle1 27. l:;!c1 Wid2 28. l:;!c5 Ad3 29. Wlb7 �g6 and Black is alright. But these and other variations remained off-screen , since the two players continued playing at high speed , demonstrating confidence in their home preparation.

22. Wxe5 laxc5 23. 'Wd4

If 23. Wif4 possible is 23 . . . �g5 24. �h1 h6 fol lowed by the invasion of the rook on the 2nd rank.

a b c d e

1 5. � xc5

If 1 5 . dxc5, then 1 5 . ..�e4! is good . 15

•. .

J.e4 1 6. Wc3 e5!

For the sacrificed pawn Black has developed great activity. For example, bad for White is 1 7. �xeS Axg2 18. �xg2 Axe5 1 9. dxe5 �e4 when he has to give up his queen. 1 7. e3 J.xc5 1 8. dxc5 Wd5

It was only now that Kram nik stopped to think. And he had plenty to ponder. Black has successfully solved his opening prob lems. 8

a b c d e f g I ••

7

6 .\

5 4 3

I

h 8

.\ .\ .\

�

.\ 8 'if .\ -.t � 8 CiJ 8 2 88 8�8 1 1:, .: w

a b c d e f g

7

6

5 4 3 2 1

h

1 9. laad1 WaS

1 9 . . . '1Wb7 was more active, but Carlsen only took into account the nuances known to him with the defence of the back rank. 20. �h4 J.xg2 21 . �xg2 �e4

a b c d e f g 23

..•

h

1ac4!

A multi-purpose move. The rook d rives the queen off its central position and frees the knight for the manoeuvre to f3. I n the event of 23...l:;!c2 24. �f4 (after 24. �e1 f!e2 2 5 . �f3 h 6 2 6 . a3 f!c8 the b l ack pieces occupy their optimally active po sitions) 24 . . .�g5 25. 'l!l'ld5 �f3+ (weaker is 25 ...Wixd5 26. f!xd5 �f3+ 27. �g2 �d2 28. l:;!e1 with the threat of the f!e2 pin , while after 28 . . . f! x b2 29. �d3! f! b1 30 . f!xb1 �xb1 31 . �b4 White again obtains an extra pawn) 26. �g2 Black has either to withdraw his knight or work out the consequences of the mutual pin after 26 . . . �d2 27. Wxa8 f!xa8 28. f!fe1 l:;!d8. 24. 'Wd3

After 24. Wle5 , apart from the t rivial 24 . . . f!c5, there are also other possibilities. Black undoubted ly has full compensation

1 34

D. Jakovenko - M. Carlsen

for the pawn, although it is sufficient only to maintain the balance, not more.

way to save the game is by a cou nter sacrifice of a rook.

a b c d e

24 .. .ti�g5 25. b3 �c5 26. h4 8

To avoid standing for ever u nder the threat of the check on f3.

5 4 3 fj, 2 fj,

a b c d e

'ii'

8

7

6 5

6 .l 5 .l l. 4 3 fj, 2 fj, a b c d e f g

'iV

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26 . . . �f3+ 27. �h1

8

8

:t:

6 5 .l fj, 'iJJ fj, 4 1.1\ B 3 2 fj, :t:

a b c d e f g

W 1 h

32. 'We6+ �h8 33. 'Wxf5!

Exploiting the absence of an escape square for the king, White exchanges the q ueens. 33 . . .'Wxf5 34. � xf5 �xf5 35. �d1 g5

h

27. . .'Wc8

How can one refrain from threatening mate on h3? But Black's position is so good , that he does not need to h u rry. For example, he cou ld first have developed his rook 27. . . gea , opened an escape sq uare for his king with . . . h7-h6, and then taken a decision. 28. �f4 'Wg4!

Otherwise with <;!;>g2 White will d rive away the knight.

Black cannot get away with half-measu res - 35 . . . g6 36. <;!;>g2 . 36. hxg5 �xg5 37. fxg5 �xf2 38. a4 bxa4 39. bxa4 �a2 40. �d4

Draw. The tem po play in the final stage of the game is i m p ressive. The two p l ayers proved worthy of each other. Even so, there was a small 'pl us' for Carlsen, even if only a moral one - in his opening preparation he su rpassed none other than Kram nik.

29. 'Wd7 �f5!

Magnus's m otto is 'only forward ' ! The exchange sacrifice on f4 is now on the agenda. Kram nik has to find a way to save himself. 30. �d5 � xf4 31 . exf4 f5

Again mate on h3 is th reatened . The only

Game 29 - M. Carlsen Moscow 2007 Nimzo-lndian Defence [ E20] D. Jakovenko

1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �c3 Ab4 4. �f3

White goes in for the Romanishin Variation with the fianchetto of the bishop. The main

1 35

Chapter 2

The Way to the Top

18. Af4

continuations are 4. e3 and 4. 'Wc2.

a

4 c5 5. g3 cxd4 6. �xd4 0-0 7. J.g2 d5 8. cxd5 �xd5 9. 'Wb3 .••

a

b

c

d

e f g

8

7 .l

h

6

5

8 �. . .l .l .l ?

.l

6

5

.i.. tiJ 3 � ti} 2 �� 1 � i, b

c

d

3 2 � 1 �

5

4

4

a

4

6

1.&

3

e f g

a

h

A universal move in this type of position. White cou nters the pin on the knight and attacks the d5-point. 9 . . . Wa5

9 . . .'Wb6 is weaker in view of 1 0 . Axd5 exd5 1 1 . Ae3. 9 . . . tDc6 1 0. tDxc6 bxc6 1 1 . 0-0 Was 1 2. Ad2 leads to a transposition of moves. 1 0. Ad2 �c6 1 1 . �xc6 bxc6 1 2 . 0-0 Axc3 1 3. bxc3

After the exchange of the bishop 1 3. Axc3 tDxc3 1 4. bxc3 Aa6 Black easily equalises. For example, the game Moiseenko - Zugic (Toronto 2003) continued 1 5. 'Wb4 Wxb4 1 6. cxb4 §ab8 1 7. a3 Axe2 1 8. §fc1 §fc8 1 9. Axc6 �f8 20. f4 �e7 21 . �f2 Aa6 %-%. 13

•••

.1

Aa6 14. Elfd1 'Wc5

Preventing c3-c4, which is possible after � 1 4 . . . Axe2. 15. e4 Ac4 1 6. 'Wa4 �b6 1 7. Wb4 Wh5

Nothing is given by 17 . . . 'Wxb4 1 8 . c x b4 §fd8.

b

c

d

e 8

l.& .l

6

'if 5

� .i.. � b

c

� d

e f g

h

This battle took place at the peak of the variation's development, where much was decided by nuances, since this position was studied at the highest level. And although it is considered favourable for White, who has the two bishops, Black's resources are also quite considerable: his light-square bishop can be included in the fight for the d-file and in the play on the kingside. True, there are also drawbacks: Black's queenside pawns are in need of defence. White began developing his bishop at f4 after a detailed investigation had been made of 1 8 . Ae3, putting the queenside under attack. After Black carried out his main idea of exploiting the weakness of the light sq uares: 1 8 . . . Ae2 1 9 . §e1 (1 9. §d2 §ab8, Kasparov - Anand, Wij k aan Zee 2000) 1 9 . . . tDc4 20. Wc5 §fd8 2 1 . e5?! (21 . h3!?) 21 . . .tDb2! 22. Wxc6 tDd3, where he achieved the better game (Bacrot G rischuk, Cap d 'Agde 2003), interest in the move 1 8. Ae3 fel l away. 18

•••

c5

Black is at the parting of the ways: should he d rive back the queen or the bishop? Carlsen begins by driving back the queen, but in so doing he takes into account the

1 36


experience of the game G rischuk - Gel fand (World Championsh ip, Mexico 2007), where B l ack included 1 8 . . . Ae2 1 9 . l::! e 1 and wanted both the one and the other - 1 9 . . . cS 20. Wb3 eS, expecting 2 1 . Ae3 tDc4. But there fol l owed 2 1 . Ac1 ! , when Black faced an unpleasant white initiative on the q ueenside: 21 . . . l::! a c8 22. a4 Ac4 23. Wb2 Wg6 24. aS tDd7 2S. l::! d 1 Wc6 26. Ah3 Ae6 27. Axe6 Wxe6 28. Ae3 §c7 29. Wa2 ! (the exchange of queens guar antees W h ite control of both the open fi les, d and b) 29 . . . Wxa2 30. §xa2 tDf6 31 . f3 , and Wh ite obtained clearly the bet ter endgame. The alternative 1 8 . . . eS a l l ows W h ite to attack the c6- pawn. For example, the game Najer- J akovenko (Moscow 2006) conti n u ed 1 9 . Ae3 Ae2 20. l::! e 1 tDc4 21 . Wcs l::! fd8 22. l::! a b1 h6 23. h3! tDxe3 24 . Wxe3 Ac4 2S. a4 aS 26. WcS Ae6 27. h4 l::! d 2 ! , where for the pawn B l ack gained good counterplay. But it is q u ite poss i b l e t h at White's p l ay can be i m proved .

tinued 20. Ae3 l::!fc8 2 1 . f3 Wg6 22. a4 aS 23. Ah3 Ae6? (after 23 . . . !:!cbS 24. Wa3 Ae2! Black wou l d have had counterplay) 24. Wxb6 Axh3 2S. Wxg6 fxg6 (after 2S . . . hxg6 26. g4 fS 27. §dS fxg4 28. fxg4 Axg4 29. AxeS all the black pawns are weak) 26. �f2 , and White achieved clearly the better endgame.

1 9. Wb2

21 . h3

20. �e1

A d ubious decision to concede the d -fi le, not supported subseq uently by any idea. 20. f3 came into consideration , but block ing the diagonal of his bishop apparently did not come into White's plans. 20 . . . �d7

Carlsen's ability to place his pieces o n their best squares characterises h i m as an ad herent of the classical style of play. Black prepares the doubling of his rooks, at the same time defending the a7-pawn, and leaves open the possibility of includ ing the second rook in the defence of the cS-pawn in the event of Wa3 .

A month l ater at the 2007 World Cup i n Khanty- Mansiysk, Cheparinov in his game with Carlsen made an attem pt to improve White's play with 1 9. Was. The game con tinued 19 . . . eS 20. Ae3 Ae2 21 . l::! e1 tDc4 22. Wa6 tDxe3 23. §xe2 tDxg2 24. � xg2 and, despite the sym metry of the pawn weaknesses on the queenside, the black pawns proved more vulnerable.

White has t o reckon with t h e threat o f a rook invasion of the second rank, and in the event of this he prepares g3-g4. 21 . . . h6

Carlsen also makes a useful waiting move, leaving open the possibility of . . . l::! c 8 in the event of Wa3. 22. a4

19 . . . �ad8

A more natural continuation than 19 . . . eS?!, which makes the defence of the cS-pawn more d iffi c u lt . For exa m p l e , the g a m e Bacrot - G rischuk (Poikovsky 200S) con-

(see next diagram)

A pointless advance in the given situation , since an attack on t h e queenside i s not a reality.

1 37

Chapter 2

a

b

c

d

...

7

�

5

3 2 1

was intending to answer with 25 . . . g5! . Now if 26. Ac1 ? there follows a rook invasion - 26 . . J !d 1 27. Aa3 �xe1 + 28. �xe1 �d1 29. �xd1 'Wxd 1 + 30. � h 2 'Wa4 and the queenside comes u nder attack by Black, and after 31 . Af1 Ab7! 32. Axc4 'Wd 1 the kingside also collapses. White has to throw caution to the winds: 26. g4 'Wg6 27. Ae4 'Wg7 28. Ag3 tbd2, but the initiative remains with Black.

8

6

4

The Way to the Top

e

8 7

·

...

.i.

�

�

: a

Wi b

c

d

e

f

g

h

25 . . . e5 26. g4

22 . . . .ta6!

A s u btle move. The bishop vacates an i mportant square for the knight, without blocking the d -file, which cou ld have oc cu rred after 22 . . . Ad3. 23. Wa2

This prophylactic queen move in the event of . . .tbc4 i n d icates that J akovenko has reconciled himself to waiting tactics. It was more logical to return the rook to the d -file by playing 23. g4 'Wh4 24. �ed 1 .

W h ite loses after 26. Ac1 ? �d1 27. g4 � xe1 ! 28. gx h 5 � d d 1 , also pick i n g u p the bishop. 26 . . . Wg6 27. Axc4 exf4!

Transposing into a heavy piece ending by 27. . . Axc4 28. Wxc4 exf4 29. Wxc5 �d3 would have left White with cou nterplay 30· 'Wf5 'Wd6 31 · e5 'Wd5 32. e6. 28. AdS f3!

Fixing the kingside in antici pation of . . . h6-h5.

23 . . . §fd8 24. a5 �c4 a

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It is na"lve to hope to shelter behind the bishop, since Carlsen has already found the key to the enemy king. Wh ite should

138


have given up the exchange: 29. l::!. e3 Ae2! (29 . . . Wf6 30. c4 h5 31 . e5 Wh4 32. l::!. x f3 leaves White with some hopes) 30. l::!. x e2 fxe2 31 . Wxe2 , when his active bishop gives compensation. 29

h5 30. �h2 Wf6!

.••

Black moves his q ueen closer to the king, keeping 'up his sleeve' a delayed-action mine. The g4-pawn wil l not run away, es pecially as after 30 . . . hxg4 White wou l d have defended with 31 . l::!.g 1 Wf6 32 . l::!. ad 1 ! gxh3 33. Wb3.

The rook on a1 should have been moved out of range of the queen - 31 . l::!. a d1 , and after 31 . . . \Wf4+ 32. �h1 hxg4 White can defend by 33. l::!.g 1 Wh6 34. l::!.g3 (variation by Shipov). . •.

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Jakovenko sensed the danger and moved his rook away, but to the wrong square. 32. �ad1 , defending the bishop, was essential. 32 . . . Axc4!

That's it! The fortress on d5 col lapses, and the exposed king cannot withstand the attack by the heavy pieces. 33. Wxc4

31 . Iig1?!

31

h2, White has to accept the loss of the exchange - 33. Wxc4 Wxa1 .

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33 . . .Wf4+ 34. Iig3 Iixd5!

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If 33. Axc4 Black decides m atters with 33 . . . l::!. d 2, when 34. Axf7+ fails to 34 . . . �f8.

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While the rook is pinned , the pawn swiftly advances towards the queening square .

2

37. Iid1 c3 38. d6 c2 39. Iid3 Wc4!

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The axe is raised ! If 32 . �xg4 Carlsen had prepared 32 . . . Axc4! , and since 33. Axc4 i s not possible on account o f 3 3 . . . �d2 34. Wa4 l::!. x f2+ 35. �g1 �fd2! with the irresistible threats of . . . Wd4+ and . . . We5-

One senses that Carlsen is savouring the position . 40. gr93 Wc6 41 . Iid3 Wc5!

White resigned .

139

c_ hapter 2

..;;;.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

·

The Way to the To p ,_

---------

---

After the Tal Memorial, how cou ld he not play in the world blitz championship with the participation of the world cham pion Anand , which was held two days later there in Moscow, in the prestigious G U M building on Red Sq uare? Carlsen battled selflessly in the double-round tournament with 20 participants, and finished in an honourable 9th place, with a score of 20% points. Of course, 38 games with the strongest blitz players in the world was a severe strain , especially as two days later the World Cup was starting in Khanty- Mansiysk. Carlsen cou ld rightly consider himself a veteran of the knock-out system, he liked the fierce struggle in mini- m atches, and he was improving tou rnament by tourna ment. We should remind you : in Tripoli 2004 Magnus went out in the first round, in Khanty- Mansiysk 2005 he reached the fourth , but in Khanty- Mansiysk 2007 he played six stages. 'The knock-out suits the young more than experienced players,' Carlsen was to say after the end of the tou rnament. ' I n particular because it is easier for us to recover, and because nothing special is expected of us. Before the World Cup I didn't have many expectations. I wasn't afraid of anyone, but also I did not consider myself the favourite. I simply came along and played . It turned out wel l . I hope this wil l also continue in the future.' The start was difficult, as fatigue told after the continuous marathon. The respite in the 'entry' match with the Australian Zhao Zong Yuan (2-0) was purely sym bolic for Magnus, since his subsequent opponents did not al low him to relax. Much strength was used on a protracted endgame in the first game with Naiditsch , whom he managed to overcome only in the tie-break (3-1 ). Things took a difficult cou rse in the match with Dominguez, who in the first game so zealously tried to spoil M ag nus's birthday, that on this occasion too he was thinking about the tie-break. But the second game went wel l (1 %-%), and subsequently his play improved . By the same score 1 %-% he won his mini-matches against Adams and Cheparinov.

Game 30 M. Carlsen

-

L. Dominguez

World Cup, Khanty- Mansiysk 2007 Sicilian Defence [ 892] 1 . e4 c5 2. �f3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. �xd4 �f6 5. �c3 a6 6. J.e2 e5 7. �b3 J.e7 8 . .tgs

The pin on the knight is a natural reaction to 6 . . . e5. By the threat of the exchange on f6 White discloses the weakness of the d5-point and the d6-pawn .

The modern experience of the Sicilian De fence (and earlier - of the King's Indian De fence in the variation with . . . tDb8-d7 and . . . e5xd4) has shown that the weakness of the backward d6-pawn is fu lly compensated by Black's active piece play in the centre. Black is not concerned about his d6pawn being inadeq uately defended - he can support it by retreating his bishop to e7 or cover it with his knight from d4 after the exchange of the knight on b3. 1 0. 'Wd3

8 . . J.e6 9 . .lxf6 .lxf6

(see next diagram)

.

140

M. Carlsen - L. Dominguez

a

b

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7

Black makes a seemi ngly useful waiting move; after 1 4 . . .0-0 he was wrongly afraid of 1 S . h4, for the reason that Wh ite has insufficient resources to conduct an attack on the kingside. The variation 1 S. 0-0 g6 1 6. Ag4 looks more real , with the idea of advancing the pawn to fS, since the 1 6 . . . fS counter has its d rawbacks: 1 7. exfS gxfS 1 8. Ah3!? (1 8. Af3 'Wd7 1 9. AdS+ �h8 20. CL!e2 is also good) 18 . . . 'Wd7 1 9. f4, and Black may have problems with the defence of his fS-pawn.

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3 3 QJ QJ � 2 8 8 8 �8 8 8 2 : 1 1 : � a

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1 0 . . . Ag5

An original idea - Black prevents Wh ite's queenside castling. The classical continua tion is considered to be 10 . . .�c6 1 1 . 0-0-0 Ae7 1 2 . �b1 0-0 1 3. �dS AgS. A char acteristic game, for example, is Kramnik Anand (Wijk aan Zee 2004), which contin ued 1 4 . h4 Axh4 1 S. g3 Af6 1 6. 'Wf3 AgS 17. 'WhS h6 1 8. f4 Af6 1 9. �d2 �d4 20. Ac4 §c8! 2 1 . c3 �bS 22. fS AxdS 23. AxdS §xc3! 24. 'Wg6! (or 24. bxc3 �xc3+ 2S. �c2 CL!xdS! 26. exdS 'WaS 27. 'Wf3 §c8+ 28. �b1 §c3 with equal play) 24 . . . 'Wb6 2S. §xh6! and the players agreed a d raw in view of perpetual check - 2S . . .�a3+ 26. �a1 �c2+ 27. �b1 �a3+. The plan with control of the dS-point is also possible - 1 0 . . . 0-0 1 1 . 0-0-0 Ae7 1 2 . �dS AxdS 1 3. 'WxdS 'Wb6 1 4 . §hf1 �d7 1 S. �b1 �f6 . 1 1 . El d 1 �c6 1 2 . a 3

T h e variation w i t h the w i n o f a pawn 1 2 . 'Wxd6 'Wxd6 1 3 . f! x d 6 �e7 1 4 . f!d1 �b4 1 S . Ad3 §ac8 1 6 . 0-0 f!hd8, where the activity of the black pieces guarantees full com pensation - would undoubted ly be a bonus for the opponent. 12 . . . Axb3 13. cxb3 �d4 14. b4 §c8

1 5. o-o o-o 1 6. Ag4!

It is useful to retain this bishop, 'urgi ng' the rook to go to c6 where, strangely enough , it proves to be out of play. 1 6 . . . Eic6 1 7. g3 g6 1 8. f4 Ah6 1 9. Elf2 Ag7

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Somehow imperceptibly it has transpired that in this unpretentious manner Carlsen has outplayed his opponent. Despite the apparently active placing of the knight on d4 and the rook on the c-fi le, they are ef fectively out of play. At the same time the wh ite pieces are ready for an offensive on the ki ngside, and it is not easy for Black to create counterplay.

141

------

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top

20. f5! 'Wg5 21 . Ah3 Ah6

It would appear that it is already hard to offer him any good advice.

I ntending to exploit the weakening of the dark squares by 22 . . . 'We3.

24. fxg6 hxg6

I n the event of 24 . . .fxg6 the unfortunate position of the rook at a8 is d isclosed 25. Ae6+! tDxe6 26. 'Wd5 !!ac8 27. Wxe6+ c;!>h8 28. tDd5 and the concerted actions of the q ueen and kn ight shou l d bring a win (variation by Carlsen). For example, if 28 . . . !!f8, then 29. tDf6 is strong, with the threat of winning the queen by h2-h4.

22. §e1 b5 23. mg2

25. Ad7!

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

The poor rook! Black has reason to regret his superficial move 1 4 . . . !!c8. Incidentally, the proud knight at d4 is also sti l l playing the role of observer.

h

The temptation to d rive in the pawn wedge 23. f6, constructing a kind of trap arou nd the enemy queen , was very great. But then the position becomes closed and there is a protracted battle in prospect. At the same time, as Carlsen comments, he sensed that the opponent was experiencing some dis comfort and that it was possible to await a more favourable outcome. Taking account of this, a usefu l waiting move was made.

25 . . . §c4 26. b3 §c7 27. �d5!

Coord i n ating the actions of kn ight and bishop. Black can not avoid loss of ma terial: u n der th reat is not only his rook, but also his queen in view of the threat of tDd5-f6+ and h2-h4. a a

6

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23 . . . §a8?

Magnus's intu ition did not let him down. Black is unable to find a sensible plan of defence, and he commits a mistake, lead ing to disaster. The idea of switching the rook via a8-a7-c7, in order to double rooks, looks rather abstract, since it requires too much time. In anticipation of tDd5 he should have considered prophylaxis - 23 . . . c;!>h8, but after 24. tDd5 Wd8 again loom ing up is the idea of the wedge f6 followed by the advance of the h-pawn . 23 . . . lk7 24. tDd5 !!a? 25. !!ef1 is also too passive for Black.

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27. . . §c1 ?

N ow Black loses his q ueen . H e should have accepted the loss of the exchange by retreating 27. . . 'Wd8, although it is clear

142


Cup, Mikhail G u revich played 8. tilf3 0-0 9. Af4 against Adams, and after 9 . . . Aa6 he retreated 1 0. 'Wc2 (1 0. '1Wxc7 Wxc7 1 1 . Axe? Z!c8 1 2 . Af4 tilbd7 wou ld have transposed into the present game) 1 0 . . .til bd7 1 1 . Z!d1 WeB 1 2 . g3 c5 1 3. Ag2 Ab7 1 4. dxc5 and offered a d raw, which, natu ral ly, was ac cepted . How can one reject u p holding the black pieces without a fight in a mini-match of two games? In the second game Adams made successfu l use of the white pieces.

that the win for White wou ld be merely a question of time. 28. h4! §xe1

If 28 . . . \Wd8, then 29. Z!xc1 Axc1 30. '1Wf1 is decisive. 29. hxg5 .txg5 30 .tg4 §a1 31 . a4 •

Rook for queen is clearly insufficient com pensation. Dominguez decided to play on to the time control.

8

31 . . .g;,g7 32. �c3 §a3 33. axb5 axb5 34. �xb5 �xb5 35. 'Wxb5 .te3 36. §f1 §a2+ 37. .te2

.•.

Aa6

The same idea can be carried out, without sacrificing a pawn - 8 . . . tild5 9. Ag3 Aa6, as Onischuk played against Carlsen in a blitz match for the first prize at the tou rna ment in Biel. There followed 10. Wa4+ \Wd? 1 1 . Wc2 '1Wb5 12. tilf3 tilc6? and here 1 3. b4! with the threat of 1 4 . e4 wou ld have won . Therefore 9 . . . 0-0 1 0 . tilf3 Aa6 is more accu rate, as in the game Beliavsky- Rozen talis (Baden 2007). There fol lowed 1 1 . \Wa4 Wd7 1 2 . 'Wc2 c5 1 3. tilg5 tilf6 1 4. Ae5 cxd4 1 5 . Axf6 d3 1 6 . exd3 gxf6 1 7. tile4 Wd4 1 8. Wc3 %-%.

Not only a retreat, but also the start of an attack on the f7-pawn . 37. . . §a7 38. g;,h3 §a8 39 .tc4 §h8+ 40. g;,g4 §h5 41 . §xf7+ g;,h6 42. 'Wd7 •

Black resigned .

Game 31 M. Carlsen - M. Adams World Cup, Khanty- Mansiysk 2007 Nimzo-/ndian Defence [ E36]

a b

1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �c3 .tb4 4. Wc2 d5 5. a3 .txc3+ 6. 'Wxc3 dxc4

English solidarity. Fol lowing the prescrip tion of Nigel Short, Michael Adams con cedes the centre, in order to develop his light-square bishop with gain of tem po. The main contin uations are considered to be 6 . . . c5 and 6 . . . tile4.

5 4 2

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7. Wxc4 b6 8. Af4

Carlsen is ready to engage in a theoretical discussion, by choosing the most critical variation with the acceptance of the pawn sacrifice. I n the 2nd rou n d of the World

c

c

d e

f

9

h

9. 'Wxc7 Wxc7 1 0. Axc7 0-0

Strangely enough, this natural move proved to be a novelty. Black does not hu rry to

143

Chapter 2

·

The Way to the Top �------

1 5.
determine the position of his knight, keep ing open the option of both . . .CL!d7 and . . .CL!c6. Before this the main continuation was considered to be 10 . . . CL!c6 1 1 . tDf3. For example, the game Wang Hao - Jako venko (Poikovsky 2008) continued 1 1 . . . );tc8 1 2 . Af4!? 0-0 1 3. );tb1 );tfd8 1 4 . e3 Axf1 1 5. );txf1 CL!e4 1 6. c;t>e2 tL!aS 1 7. );tfd1 CL!b3 1 8. CL!e1 g5 1 9. Ag3, and here after 1 9 . . . hS 20. f3 CL!xg3+ 2 1 . hxg3 aS Black could have held the position. The game went 19 . . . f5 20. Ae5 c;t>f7 2 1 . f3 and White retained an advantage.

Now the depth of Carlsen's idea becomes apparent. He takes his knight to a1 , from where it d rives away the rook. 15

•••

1 1 .
For the sacrificed pawn Black has a lead in development and control of the c-fi le. The question is whether Wh ite can neutralise these tem porary factors, while retain i ng his extra pawn. 1 3.
The start of an impressive manoeuvre. 13

••.

.tc4

An original decision , to say the least. Black goes in for a forcing l i ne, since his play has come to a standsti l l . I n the event of 1 5 . . .tL!dS 1 6. Ad2 tD7f6 1 7. f3 the move e2-e4 can not be avoided , while if he at tem pts to prevent it with 1 6 . . .f5, then after 1 7. CL! a1 );t2c7 1 8 . e3 Axf1 1 9. c;t> xf1 eS 20. dxe5 tL!xeS 21 . c;t>e2 White consolidates his forces, retaining a sound extra pawn. 1 6.
The attempt to cut off the bishop from the c1 -square - 1 8 . . . );tc4 1 9. e3 );tc8 20. �d1 CL!e4 21 . Ag3 does not prevent White from completing his development after Af1 -a6. 1 9 .td2 e5

Jac2

•

a

The best reply was 13 . . .tDh5!, according to Adams, leaving the evidence in paren theses.

b

c

d

e

8 6 5 4 3

14. Jab1 Jaac8 a

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A unique situation: White's passive pieces block the enemy rook's access to his rear, h i s kingside is u ndeveloped , but Black has no way of strengthening his position. Therefore he makes a last attempt to sup-

1 44

M . Carlsen - M. Adams

port his fading initiative, as otherwise after f2-f3 and e3-e4 his opening idea will have been a fail u re.

Black succeeds in exchanging the lig ht square bishop: 27. Ae3 t'i:lf4+ 28. �f2 tbd3+ 29. Axd3 Axd3, obtaining opposite-colour bishops and setting up new defensive lines. For exam ple: 30. �d1 Aa6! 31 . d5 Ab7 32. d6 tbd5 33. tbc2 f6 and . . . �d8.

20. e3!?

Also possible is 20. d xe5 tbxe5 21 . e3 (in tending Aa6 and �e2) 21 . . . Ad3 (weaker is 2 1 . . . tbd3+ 22. Axd3 Axd3 23. f3 f5 24. �f2 �f7 25. �d1 ) 22. Ae2, when the black pieces occupy highly active positions (variation by Adams). But not for long . Let us continue: 22 . . .f5 23. f4 Axe2 24. �xe2 t'i:lc4 25. �c1 �c7 26. �c2 b5 27. b3! t'i:lxa3 28. �xc7 tbxc7, and with his knight cut off at a3 it is unlikely that Black can hold the position . There can follow 29. �d3 (with the threat of Ab4) or 29. Ab4 t'i:lb1 30. �d3.

24. �f2 .tf5 25. �b3

White has managed to retain his extra pawn, but Black's control of the d 5 block ading point leaves him with defensive re sources. a

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20 . . . exd4 21 . exd4 �b8

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The manoeuvre 21 . . . tbf8 22. Aa6 �e8+ 23. �d1 tbe6 looks more logical, threat ening after . . . tbdc7 to regain the paw n . But here too White retains t h e advantage: 24. �e1 �d8 25. tbb3.

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22. f3 �c6 23. £c4

25 . . . .te6 26. flc1 f6 27. a4 aS?!

A careless move, allowing Black to reinforce the blockade at d5. 23. �f2 with the threat of Aa6 was more accurate. Then 23 . . . Aa2 is dubious in view of 24. b3 t'i:lxd4 25. Ac4, when Black has problems in releasing his stray bishop. Therefore it is sounder to support the knight on d5 - 23 . . . Af5 24. Ac4 Ae6, at the same time setting a small trap: 25. �d1 tt::l e3! 26. �xe3 Axc4.

This natural reaction to the th reat of a4aS allows Wh ite to reg rou p his pieces. 27. . .�f7 (with the idea of exchanging the light-square bishops after . . .tbde7) 28. �e1 tbce7 followed by . . .tbc7 was stronger.

23 . . . fld8

28 . . . At7

23 . . .tt::l c b4 came into consideration: 24. b3 t'i:ld3+ 25. �f1 tbc7 (25 . . . �d8? 26. Axd5 �xd5 27. �e2) 2 6 . �e2 �e8+, and , by giving up the blockade of the d4-pawn,

Here also it was not yet too late for 28 . . . �f7 29. �e1 &bee? 30. tbd2 tt::l c7.

28_ .tc3

White frees his knight from the defence of the pawn, in order to transfer it to a more active post.

29. �d2 �de7

1 45

Chapter 2

a

b

·

The Way to the Top

36. �e3 Ab3 37. �xd5 Axd5 suggests itself, retaining practical chances of a draw (variation by Carlsen). 33 . . . Aea is also pos sible, and if White tries to carry out his intended plan - 34. Ae1 , then 34 . . .�ce7 35. b3 Ag6, switc h i n g to an attack on the b3-pawn. If 36. &tc1 there can fol low 36 . . . &tea 37. �g1 �e3 3a. Af2 �7d5.

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34. Ae1 �e7?!

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30 . .lt1 !

' I could have exchanged the bishops, but with almost no time left I suddenly found a very good plan', Carlsen comments. He sacrifices the d4-pawn, advantageously transforming the position. I ndeed , on this occasion too Magnus's intuition did not let him down . After 30. &td1 �xd4 31 . Axf7+ �xf7 32. �c4 the exchange of the d4-pawn for the b6-pawn is indeed favourable for White, but Black could also play 30 . . . Axc4 31 . �xc4 �d5, continuing his blockading strategy.

Conti nuing o n the same course. It was n ot yet too l ate to 'jo i n u p on' the a4pawn - 34 . . . �cb4 35. &td1 (or 35. �g 1 &tea 36. Af2 &te6 37. &td1 .tea 3a. b3 Ag6, forcing 39. �a3) 35 . . . �c2 36. Ad2 .tea 37. b3 Ag6 etc. 34 . . . Ag6 35. &td1 Ac2 36. &td2 Axa4 37. �xb6 Ab3 3a. �xd5 &txd5, simplifyi ng the position, was also possible. a

b

c 8

30 . . . �xd4 31 . �e1 �dc6 32. �c4 �d5 33. �b1 !

'The point. Black cannot take o n c3 due to the b6-weakness, and as a result White will have time for a desirable regrouping.' (Carlsen) 33 . . . �f8?!

It is not surprising that in time-trouble Ad ams does not have the time to see through the opponent's idea, and he makes what is in general a useful move, centralising the king. But why not attack the a4-pawn? 33 . . . Ag6 34. &td1 (34. &tc1 &tea with the idea of . . .�cb4) 34 . . . Ac2 35. &txd5 &txd5

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

35. �g1 !

This was Carlsen's idea: the king moves away from the centre, but vacates the f2square for the bishop, from where it attacks the b6-pawn , after which, relying on the strength of his bishop pair, Wh ite gains good winning chances. One never tires of admiring the depth and precision of Carlsen's ideas! On the 1 3th move he embarked on a manoeuvre

1 46

M . Carlsen - M. Adams

with his knight into the corner of the board , which enabled him to keep his extra pawn, and on the 30th he devised a retreat by his pieces, to obtain a strategically more favourable position with equal m aterial. The ability to arrange the pieces on the necessary squares, the depth of ideas and the purity of their implementation i n some way remind one of Jose Rau l Capablanca.

a

b

c

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Black takes his knight to d7, to support the b6-pawn. More active play came i nto consideration - 35 . . .tDeS!? 36. tDxe5 fxe5 37. Ah4+ tDf6 38. �e1 �d6 39. Ag3 tDd7 (39 . . . �e8?! 40. Ab5 �e7 41 . f4!) 40. Ab5 AdS 41 . �d1 (41 . Axd7 �xd7 42. AxeS+ �c5 leads to the c reation of opposite colour bishops) 41 . . .�e6, and White has to look for new ways. •

Carlsen comments that he used h i s re maining time studying the king walk after 36. tDxb6! tDxb6 37. Axa5 tD8d7 (37. . . �d6? 38. Ab4) 38. Ab4+ �e6 39. �e1 + �f5 (39 . . . �d5? 40. Ab5! is bad for Black) and he was unable to find a win. But had there been a little more time, he would surely have found 40. Ad3+ �g5 41 . �e7 tDf8 42. �xf7 .!::l x d3 43. Axf8 tDxa4 44 . .!::l xg7+ with new material gains. It should be added that 39 . . . tDe5 would also not have saved Black after 40. Aa5 .!::l b8 41 . f4 tDxa4 42. fxe5 �d7 (42 . . .tDxb2? 43. exf6+ �xf6 44. Ac3+ �g6 45. �b1 ; 42 . . .tDxb2? 43. Ac4+; 42 . . .fxe5?! 43. Ac7) 43. exf6 gxf6 44. b4 with a tech nically won endgame. In short, this could have been a worthy conclusion to the game. . . .

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40 . . . �e5?!

36 .lf2

36 �d7 37. S:e1 + �f8 38. S:d1 We7 39. E:e1 + Wf8 40. �d6

b

A mistake on the last move before the time control. The exchange of the bishop cre ates a situation where the superiority of the two bishops over the two knights, which have no strong points, is very perceptible. 40 . . .tDc5 was also unsuitable: 41 . tDxf7 �xf7 42. AxeS bxc5 43. Ac4 .!::l d 7 44. �d1 �e6 45. f4 g5 46. g3 and Black cannot disentangle himself (Adams). But 40 . . . Ag8 was more resil ient. 41 . � xf7 Wxf7 42. E:d1

The centra l i sed black k n i g hts are hob b l ed by the w h ite bishops stan d i n g at the rear. 42 . . . We7 43. f4 �g4

B l ac k wou l d h ave lost m aterial after 43 . . .tDxf4 44. �xd8 �xd8 45. Axb6+. 44. E:e1 + Wf8

Consideration should have been given to 44 . . . �d6!? 45. Ad4 tDxf4 46. �e4!? g5 47. Axb6 �b8 48. �d4+ �c6 49. Axa5 � x b2 50. Ad2 (if 50. �b4 there follows 50 . . . �a2 with t h e t h reat of 51 . . . �a1 ) 50 . . .tbe6, and the black pieces are more active than i n the game.

1 47

Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

�------------------

45. J.d4 !ad6

45 . . .tDxf4 was dubious in view of 46. Axb6 �d5 47. �e4 g5 48. g3 f5 49. �d4. 46. h3

tDxd6 50. Axb6 the knights lose their last strong point and are u nable to resist the long-range bishops, as occurred in the game, Even so, B l ac k cannot avoid the exchange of rooks. 49. g4 �h6

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Adams thinks that it was possible to capture the pawn - 46 . . .tDxf4 47. �e4 tbe6 48. �xe6 �xe6 49. hxg4 �e4 50. Axb6 �xa4, but Black would hard ly be able to save such an endgame. For example, 51 . Ab5 �a1 + (in the event of 51 . . . �xg4 52. Axa5 r!:le7 53. Ac3 the outside passed pawn, sup ported by the bishops, is bound to win) 52. r!lf2 �b1 53. Ac5+ r!lf7 54. Ac4+ r!:le8 55. b3. The king approaches the centre, after which the b6-pawn is won . Possibly this was the only practical chance, since in the subsequent play Carlsen did not offer another one, unhurriedly bringing the game to a victorious conclusion.

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The position is a purely technical one, and through i nertia Carlsen retains the bish op pair. But, as it transpires, the knights are able to stand up for themselves, and avoiding the exchange merely prolongs the game. 55. b3! tDxg2 (55 . . . tDd2 56. Ae3) 56. *xg2 tDd2 57. b4, creating an out side passed pawn, was stronger. 57. . .tDe4 58. Af8 r!le8 59. bxa5! is an amusing vari ation.

47. !ad1 !

55 . . . � xb2 56. J.b5+ mda

Dispelling Black's last i l l usions (47. . .tDxf4? 48. Ac5).

56 . . . r!lc7 was more resi l ient: 57. Af8 g6 (or 57. . . tDxh3+ 58. r!lh2 tDf2 59. g 5 fol lowed b y A xg7) 58. fxg6 h x g 6 59. h4, although here too Black is unable to save the game.

47. . .�f5 48. J.f2 me7

After the rook exchange 48 . . .tDxf4 49. �xd6

1 48

M . Carlsen - I. Cheparinov

57. Ab6+ �e7 58. �h2

The critical reply to the development of the k n i g ht at d 2 is 4 . . . d5, restricting its influence in the centre, but the move 4 . . . d 6 also has its vi rtues. However, from a romantic such as C hepari nov one would not expect anything else.

Capturing the pawn would have won more quickly - 58. Axa5 tbxh3+ 59. �g2 tbf4+ 60. �f3 tbd5 61 . �e4. 58 . . . �d5 59 . .txa5 �d6 60. Ad2 �c5

Now, when the king has come to the aid of the knights, Wh ite cannot get by without the exchange of one of his bishops.

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Black resigned.

Game 32 M . Carlsen - I . Cheparinov World Cup, Khanty- Mansiysk 2007 Torre Attack [A48] 1. d4 �f6 2. �f3 g6 3 . .tg5

Carlsen chooses the Torre Attack, avoiding the main l ines of the Grunfeld and King's Indian Defences, which are possible in re ply to 3. c4. A quite logical decision in a mini-match in the World Cup, where with the 'classical ' time l i m it the white pieces were of primary i m portance and there was a risk of running i nto a prepared line by the productive Bulgarian Topalov-Cheparinov pairing. .

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3 . . .tg7 4. �bd2 d6

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The game has transposed i nto a q u i et variation of the P i rc - Ufi mtsev D efence where, as is well known, the attem pt to maintain the pawn tension by 7. Ad3 leads to the exchange of White's i mportant dark square bishop: 7. . . cxd4 8. cxd4 h6 9. Ah4 tbh5! with good prospects for B lack . I n this respect the game T i m man -Topalov (Belgrade 1 995) is instructive: 1 0 . 0-0 g5 1 1 . Ag3 g4 12. tbh4 tbxg3 13. hxg3 Axd4 1 4. CL!f5 Axf5 1 5. exf5 h 5 1 6 . f6 CL!d7 (1 6 . . . e6 1 7. CL!e4 Axf6 1 8. �d2 �g7 or the imme diate 1 6 . . . Axf6 is stronger) 1 7. fxe7 �xe7 1 8. Af5 CL!c5 1 9 . CL!c4 with sharp play, where White has sufficient com pensation for the pawn. 7. . . dxc5 8. Ac4

After 8. Ae2 CL!c6 9. 0-0 �c7 1 0. �c2 Ae6 Black has an easier game.

1 49

Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

1 4. Ag3 �xg3 1 5. hxg3 b6 1 6. �h2 .thS

8. . . �c6 9. 0-0 Yl/c7

9 . . . tila5!? is m o re active: 10 . Ae2 Ae6 1 1 . �e1 a6 1 2. Wc2 (or 1 2. Af4 h6 1 3 . Wc2 b5 1 4 . h3 'Wb6 with equal chances) 1 2 . . . b5 1 3 . �b3 �xb3 14. axb3 We? with good play for Black, Malaniuk- Marin (Romania 1 992).

A provocative move: Chepari nov invites the enemy fire. 1 6 . . . Ad7 was more cir cumspect. 1 7. g4 .tg6 1 8. g3 Dad8 1 9. f4

1 0. Yl/e2

a

The main continuation is considered to be 1 0. �e1 , after which Black can carry out the same l i n e with the exchange of the dark-sq uare bishop: 10 . . . h6 1 1 . Ah4 �h5 1 2 . 'Wc2 Ag4 1 3 . Ag3 �xg3 1 4 . hxg3 h5 1 5. �f1 Ah6, obtaining comfortable play, Burmakin - Kurnosov (Ulan Ude 2009).

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10 . . . h6 1 1 . Ah4 �h5!

The crucial manoeuvre i n this variation, leading to the exchange of the dark-square bishop. 1 2 . 1Ue1

If 12. we3 there can follow 12 . . .�a5 13. Ad3 c4 1 4 . Ac2 g5 1 5. Ag3 �xg3 1 6. hxg3 �d8 with good play for Black.

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Nevertheless Ivan im poses his play! The advanced knight is immune on account of the loss of the queen. 20. flac1 bS! 21 . Af1

1 2 . . . Ag4 1 3. We3!

A useful move, moving the queen out of the pin. Now the natural 1 3 . . . b6 is met by 1 4 . e5! , shutting the g7- bishop out of the game. 1 3 . . . g5

After the inclusion of 1 3 . . . tila5 1 4 . Af1 and now 14 . . . g5 Black has to reckon with 1 5. �xg5!? hxg5 1 6. 'Wxg5 Wf4! 1 7. h3 Ae6 1 8 . Wxf4 tilxf4 1 9. Axe? �fc8 20. Ag5, when White has three pawns for a knight, which may be advantageous i n the end game.

15

After the active 21 . AdS with the threat of twice capturing on d4, White has to reckon with 21 . . . 'Wb6!?, when the attem pt to shut in the bishop - 22. f5 Ah7 23. �df3 �xf3+ 24. tilxf3 e6 25. Ab3 c4 leads to the ex change of queens, which does not come into Carlsen's plans. 21 . . . gxf4 22. gxf4 �e6 23. eS

The fork 23. fS is parried by 23 . . . Ae5 24. �hf3 Af4 25. We2 �g5, and if 26. fxg6 Black wins by 26 . . . Axd2 27. �xd2 �xd2 28. 'Wxd2 �f3+.

M. Carlsen -I. Chepari nov ------

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A prag m atic approac h . Without delving into detai ls, Magnus eliminates the pow erful bishop. 28. . .'Wxe5 29. �df3

Here Carlsen wrongly avoids going i nto an endgame, since the pressure of the heavy pieces on the central files is so great that there are no prospects of activating the minor pieces. After 29. Ag2 'We2 30. tDdf3 gd 1 + 31 . g x d 1 'Wxd 1 + 3 2 . 'Wf1 'Wxf1 + 33. tDxf1 tDxf3+ 34. Axf3 gxg6 35. �f2 he would have obtained a more favourable version of the endgame than that which oc curred in the game. As for Sergey Shipov's recommendation 33. Axf1 tDxf3+ 34. tDxf3 a6, this endgame is safer for Black, since it is not possible to retain the g6-pawn 35. tDh4 ge4 36. Ag2 gxg4 37. tDf5 gg5 38. tDxe7+ �f8 39. tDd5 gxg6, and with his outside passed h-pawn Black is not in danger of losing. Also insufficient is 35. �f2 gxg6 36. �g3 gd6 37. Ae2 e5! 38. tDxe5 gd2, when the rook reaches the second rank.

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Cheparinov is eager to sacrifice a piece. He cannot remain for ever under the impend ing threat of the pawn phalanx! 24. exf6J::lx f6 25. f5 �g5 26. fxg6J::le6 27. 'Wf2 .le5! a

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Carlsen finally realised that he needed to exchange the queens.

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For the sacrificed piece Black has a strong attack . For exa m ple, Wh ite loses after 28. tDhf3? Ag3 29. 'Wg2 Axe1 30. tDxe1 'Wf4! or 30. gxe1 gxd2 ! . Somewhat better is 28. tDdf3 Ag3 29. 'Wg2, when after ex changes on e1 - 29 . . . Axe1 30. gxe1 gxe1 31 . tDxe1 - Black retains the initiative: 31 . . . c4! 32. tDef3 'Wb6+ 33. �h1 'Wxg6, since White's minor pieces are sti l l passive (vari ation by Shi pov).

31 . . .J::lx e1

It is not clear - who i n fact is playing for a win? Black could have captured the g4pawn - 31 . . .'Wxg4+ 32. Ag2 gxe1 +, forcing a d raw i n the variations 33. tDxe1 'Wxg6 34. 'Wxc5 gd1 35. 'Wxe7 'Wg3 36. �f1 'Wf4+ 37. �g1 'Wg3+ or 33. 'Wxe1 'Wxg6 34. 'Wxe7 gd1 + 35. �f2 'Wc2+ 36. �g3 'Wg6+. 32. �xe1 'Wxf2+ 33. �xf2

151

Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top

The subseq uent play in this ending resem bles a three-act d rama. Act One - lost ill usions. Carlsen ignores the sharp move 37. b4, aiming by the time control on move 40 to obtain a position with a clearer pawn structu re.

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If this position is com pared with the one exa m i ned i n the n otes to W h ite's 29th move, it i s obvious that the situation is worse for him. 33 . J;td2+ 34. �e3 §d1 .

Black makes things difficult for hi mself. He should have reduced the number of pawns: 34 . . J:!xb2! 3S. tbd3 .§c2 36. tDxcS .§xc3+ 37. <;!.>d4 .§g3 38. Ae2 <;!,>g7, and after the win of the g- or the a- pawn he is close to a draw. This is confirmed by the variations 39. Ad3 .§xg4+ 40. <;!.>es .§g2 41 . tDe6+ <;!.>g8 42. tbc7 hS or 39. gS hxgS 40. Ad3 a6 41 . tDxa6 eS+ 42. <;!,>e4 <;!,>xg6 43. tDcS g4 44. <;!,>xeS+ <;!.>hS 4S. AxbS .§a3, where the outside passed pawns g ive Black suf ficient cou nterplay.

Good winning chances would have been g iven by the energetic 37. b4! , blocking the queenside pawns, which would have enabled the minor pieces to be activated . Let us consider the main variations: a) 37. . . .§ xa2+ 38. <;!.>e3 <;!,>g7 39. Ae4 e5 (otherwise <;!.>d4) 40. tDc2 .§b2 41 . AfS! a6 42. <;!.>t3! .§b3 (or 42 . . . .§a2 43. tDe3 .§a3 44. tDdS) 43. <;!,>e4 .§xc3 44. <;!,>xeS, and Wh ite develops an attack on the king; b) 37. . . cxb3 38. axb3 a5 (in the event of 38 . . . �g7 Wh ite attacks with 39. Ae4 .§a3 40. tDg2! .§xb3 41 . tDf4) 39. Ac6! a4 (39 . . . b4 40. c4) 40. b4! , and the a- pawn will be stopped by tDc2. 37 § b1 38. Ae4! §xb2+ 39. tilc2 �g7 40. �e3 ..•

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This was the position Carlsen had aimed for. The black pawns have been stopped , and the wh ite pieces are excellently co ordinated . It would appear that the win is

152

M. Carlsen -I. Cheparinov

a matter of technique. I ndeed , after the attem pt to i m pede the king by 40 . . . e5 White creates an attack against its oppo site number: 41 . &Db4! �b3 42. tDd5 �xa3 43. Af5! b4 44. &De?! (with the th reat of &De8+) 44 . . . �f8 (44 . . . � xc3+ 4 5 . �e4) 45. �e4 bxc3 46. � xeS �e7 (otherwise �f6) 47. &Dd5+ �f8 48. &Df4! �a6 49. �d4, winning the pawns (variations by Shi pov). But all is not so clear. 40

.•.

Black has to repeat moves 42 . . . �b3 with a probable draw. Now, however, White gains an opportunity to support the g6-pawn and he should be able to win. 42. �d4!

In view of the threatened knight manoeu vre &Dd4-e2-g3-h5, the idea of breaking through with the a-pawn after 42 . . . �b2+ 43. �e3 is too late, and so Black is forced to exchange his b5-pawn for the a3-pawn, which radically changes his pawn structure for the worse.

§b3!

Act Two - disappointment. This accu rate rook move, tying the king to the c3-pawn , is a kind of cold shower for White. It tran spi res that after the i ntended 41 . tDd4 there fol l ows 41 . . . aS 42. �c5 (42 . Af5 �f6 and . . . e7-e6) 42 . . . �xc3 43. � x b5 §g3 44. Af5 �f6 45. &Dd4 �xa3 46. �xc4 §e3 and Wh ite is stymied. If 47. &De6 there follows 47. . . �xe6, with the theme of the dark-square corner in mind: 48. g7 �c6+ (or 48 . . . �xg7 49. Axe6 h5! 50. g5 �g6) 49. �b5 �xg7 50. �xc6 h5! 51 . g5 a4. He is forced to retreat his king.

45. �e6+ �h8 46. �e3 §a1 47. �d4 aS 48. J.c6!

41 . �d2 �f6?

50. . . a3! 51 . .tf7 §xg5!

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42 . . . §xa3 43. �xb5 §a5 44. �c7 Wg7

Black also loses after 44 . . . �g5 45. Af5 h5 46. &De8+ �e5 47. gxh5! �xf5 48. g7, when he has to give up his rook.

The bishop is hurryi ng to f7. 48 . . . a4 49 .tea §g1 50. g5! •

The g5-pawn joins the group supporting the g6-pawn - it has to be covered .

Here is a surprise! Just try in time-trouble coping with the advancing pawns.

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An unexpected conclusion to the Second Act. After the pin 41 . . . �b2 there is noth ing more sensible for White than 42. �e3, when

153

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Chapter 2

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The Way to the Top �-----------------

Act Three - swings. It has nothing in com mon with the preced ing acts. It was per formed in severe time-trouble by two actors worn out by the very difficult struggle in the midd legame. The strength of the fighters was exhausted , and in such a condition, with time running out, calculating work is practically impossible. As fortunes swung backwards and forwards, Caissa smi led on her favourite.

58 . . . �e4 would have saved the game. 59. �b3?

The blockading 59. Ag2 would have won. 59 . . . �f4?

Here also it was not too late for 59 . . . �e4. 60. J.g2

It is no longer possible to go wrong, as . . . �f3 was threatened .

54. �d3?

This m ove th rows away the w i n , which could have been achieved by the study like 54. �e5! �xg6 55. Aa2. Now the race to queen a pawn - 55 . . . g4 56. �f4 �h5 57. c4 �h4 58. c5 g3 59. �f3! �h3 60. c6 ends with a winning check. It is also pos sible to win more prosaically: 57. �g3 �g5 58. c4, and Black cannot hold his g4-pawn. 54 . . . �xg6 55. �c2 g4 56. �b3 �f5

In the pawn race, time is i m portant. After 56 . . . e5 57. AdS �f5 58. c4 e4 59. c5 e3 Black would also queen one of his pawns. 57. �xa3 g3?

57. . . e5 or 57. . . �e4 wou l d have led to a draw. There is no point i n commenting in depth on instant play i n a time scram ble, but we will merely touch on the errors. 58 . .tf1 ?

Why not the immediate 58. AdS, occupying the long diagonal? 58 . . . e5?

60 . . . �e3 61 . �c4 �f2 62 . .t.e4

Black resigned. This and the preced ing games used up much of Carlsen's strength . Everyone has their l i m it, and in the sem i -fi nal he lost without a particu lar fig ht to G ata Kam sky (%-1%), who in fact won the World Cup. Questioned whether he was disap poi nted to have gone out of the World Cup at the semi-final stage, Magnus replied: ' I hadn't expected t o go s o far. A n d I was very tired, so basically I was ready to go out any point.' This was not surprising, since for practically the entire year he had not had any respite, playing tournament after tournament. At a press conference Carlsen looked extremely tired . I ndeed to reach the sem i-final of the World Cup after such a lengthy marathon of difficult battles was an ind ication of his fighting spirit. An important stage in his career had come to an end - at the age of 1 7 Carlsen had made his way to the top and was establ ished among the world elite.

154

Chapter 3

Life at the Top In 2008 the organisers of the chess festival i n Wij k aan Zee were able to assemble the strongest field for the mai n tournament i n its entire h i story (FI D E category 20). They could hardly have imag ined that i n such prestigious company Carlsen wou l d ach ieve the greatest success i n his short career. H e shared 1 st-2nd places with Aronian, ahead of all the main nomi nees i n the battle for the world crow n . The last year had not been wasted . From a complete fiasco in h i s fi rst A tournament in 2007, without a single w i n , to a triumph with five won games - this was the res u lt of an enormous amou nt of work. But as before, M ag n u s was modest: ' Before the tour nament I thought that if I could score 50%, it wou l d not be a bad result,' h e said i n a n i nterview for t h e magazi ne 6 4 Shakhmatnoe obozrenie. ' I wasn't expecting to wi n , of course, and the share of fi rst place was a pleasant su rprise for me.' But, as they say, appetite improves d u ring the meal. M ag n u s h imself realised how he was improving from one tournament to the next . Along with the perfecti n g of h i s posi tional understand i n g , the tec h n i q u e of playing simple positions and i n particu lar the endgame, he was also accumu lating experience i n h i s meetings with the strongest players in the world . His self-esteem was also g rowing: ' I can no longer consider 50% a good result. Of course, this is a big success, but i n the world there are sti l l many players who are stronger t h a n m e . To become world champ i o n , I will have to develop and improve in many respects.'

White's system of development associated with h i s l ast two moves has the aim of forcing Black to concede the centre. The roots of Wh ite's idea lie i n the game Ale khine- Bogolj u bow (Vienna 1922), where Wh ite first developed his bishop - 4. Ag5, after which there followed 4 . . .etJe4. Later things were refined: after the inclusion of 4. tDf3 Ag7 the move . . . etJe4 causes Wh ite less trouble.

Game33 M. Carlsen P. Eljanov Wijk aan Zee 2008 GrCmfeld Defence [ 091} -

It is rare to win a simple position agai nst a stro n g g randmaster without any ap parent effort, based on factors that are deeply hidden. This game, although with out outward effects, is impressive for its completeness.

(see next diagram)

1. d4 �f6 2 . c4 g6 3. �c3 d5 4. �f3 .tg7 5 . .lg5

5

Chapter 3

a

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9

Life at the Top

·

hoping to exploit the opening of files for his rooks, supported by the long-range bishop on g7.

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1 4 . lahd1 tbc6 1 S. dxcS is also played , but here Black has already completed his de velopment and he can begin counterplay on the q ueenside, exploiting the position of the white king in the centre. For exam ple, the game N everov - Pavlovic (Hast ings 200S/6) continued 1 S . . . 'Wc8 1 6. laab1 bxcS 1 7. 'Wc4 tbaS 1 8. 'WbS tDc6 1 9. 'Wc4 (1 9. 'WxcS 'Wa6+) 1 9 . . . lab8 20. laxb8 'Wxb8 2 1 . 'WxcS lac8 2 2 . A x e? (22 . �f1 was more cautious) 22 . . . 'Wb7 23. Ad6 'Wa6+ 24. lad3 tDaS (24 . . .tDeS!? 2S. 'Wxc8+ 'Wxc8 26. AxeS AxeS 27. tbxeS 'We6 also came i nto consideration, obtaining an outside passed pawn after . . . 'Wxa2) 2S. 'WdS tbc4 26. tbgS tDb2 27. 'Wxf7+ �h8 with sharp play, favourable for Black.

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•

Carlsen's reputation in questions of home preparation had grown so much, that El janov avoided 1 2 . . .tDc6 1 3 . �e2 0-0, which he had successfu lly employed in a game with Kiri l Georg i ev (Wij k aan Zee 2006), where after 14. lahd1 tDaS 1 S . 'Wb4 lafe8 1 6. flac1 laac8 1 7. c4 'Wg4 1 8 . h3 'We4 1 9 . 'Wa4 eS he gained q u ite good coun terplay.

14

Black intends to play his knight to the ex cellent square cS with gain of tempo in the event of 1 S. cxb6 tDcS 1 6. 'Wc4 axb6 1 7. lahd1 'Wb7, obtaining excellent compen sation for the pawn ( . . . f!a4 is threatened).

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I n provoking the capture on cS, which is positionally advantageous for White, Black associates this move with a pawn sacrifice,

But Wh ite is by no means obl iged to accept the pawn sacrifice, and he can play 1 6 . c6!?, as in the game. 1 6. c6

156

M. Carlsen

P. Eljanov

mobile, in the given specific position they are immobil ised . Therefore Black should have thought about preparing to advance them - 23 . . . a6 24. Aa3 !;iac8 etc. 24. �f3 Eiae8 25. h3 f6

Of course, 1 6. cxb6?! axb6 1 7. !;iab1 tDcS 18. 'ti'b4 tbe4 did not come into Carlsen's plans. In his preparations for the g ame he was aimi ng for a favourable endgame. 16

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...

Black regains the pawn, since in the event of 18 . . . !;iad8, as played in the game Gri vas - Leko (Dortmund 1 992), the compen sation for it is insufficient: 1 9. !;iac1 tbc7 20. c4 tbe6 21 . �f1 'We4 22. !;idS.

Log ical. Black has gone totally onto the defensive and h e brings his king to the centre. 26. Aa3 �f7 27. Eic2

19. Wxc3 Axc3 20. Eiac1 Ab4 21 . JJ.b2!

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White deploys his pieces in their most ac tive positions.

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A deep move, aimed not only at seizi ng space, but also at fighting for the weak ened f6-point. •..

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Here there is nothing for the rook to do - the knight at d4 stands like a rock. According to the theory of positional play, formulated by the fi rst world champion Wilhelm Steinitz, 'small advantages' should be accumulated . Among these is a q u eenside pawn ma jority, which Black has here, as in many Grunfeld-type positions. But, in contrast to other variations with a strong pawn centre for Wh ite, where the black pawns are very

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Carlsen 's technique in this endgame re sembles t h e ' i ntricate' style of Anatoly Karpov in his best years, when he would lull his opponents with unhurried manoeu vres, maintai ning the pressure and forcing them sooner or later to weaken themselves. Wh ite prepares to double his rooks on one of the files, intending the knight sortie to bS. 27 tba6? ..•

This is wrong. The knight at cS was ac tively placed , and the decision to exchange bishops is a strategic mistake. Now Black's rear, especially the d6-square, is extremely weak, and the wh ite rooks are able to in vade. He should have stuck to waiting tac tics, for example 27. . . !;i4e7, offering White a choice: to play an endgame with an isolated cS- pawn after 28. AxeS bxcS 29. ttlb3 (29 . !;ixcS !;ixe3+) 29 . . . !;ic7 30. !;ic4, or continue manoeuvring - 28. tDbS !;ib7, al though finding the key to Black's position

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is not easy. Thus, here the exchange of the f8-bishop is not so dangerous: 29. tbd6+ Axd6 30. �xd6 �c7, and Black sets up new defensive li nes, since going into the roo k e n d i n g by 31. Axc5 bxc5 has its drawbacks, if only because of their draw ing tendencies. Apparently, the spirit of the preceding strategy could have been mai ntai ned by a pawn offensive on the kingside - 29. h4 with the idea of break ing through, depending on circumstances, with g4-g5 or h4-h5. Here are some pos sible variations: a) 29 . . . h6 30. �c4 �e6 31 . tDd4 (or 31 . �d8 Ae7 32. �h8 �g7 33. � a8) 31 . . . �e8 32. tbe2 �c8 33. h5; b) 29 . . . �e5 30. Ab2 �e6 31. �cd2 Ae7 32. �d5 a6 33. tbd6+ Axd6 34. �xd6 �c7 35. �d8. 28. £.xf8 mxf8 29. grc6 29 . . .mg7 30. �b5 gr4e7 31 . grdd6 �c5 32. �c7

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Activity with 37. . .f5 i s i n a p p ropriate 38. gxf5 g xf5 39. h5. 38. h5 tbd3 39. g5 gxh5 40. �h6 is also good for Wh ite. 38. �f4 g5

38 . . . �h7 39. h5 g5 40. tbd5 �g7 41. e4 was little better for Black.

43 ... �d7 44. me4 mf8 45. grC8+ me7 46. md5 b5 47. grh8 �b6+ 48. mc6 �c4 49. gra8 �e5+ 50. mc5 �d7+ 51 . mxb5 md6 52. grx a7 grf8 53. mb4 �c5 54. mc4

Black resigned .

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The decisive word belongs to the king!

The capture 32. � xf6? tbd7 leads to the loss of the exchange.

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39. �h5+ mg6 40. f4 gxf4+ 41 . exf4 mh7 42. t5 m98 43. mt3

The start of the decisive i nvasion.

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Game34 V. Kramnik M. Carlsen Wij k aan lee 2008 English Opening [A30]

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Complete domi nation by White. Black is forced to exchange a pair of rooks (oth-

I n this game Magnus demonstrated the significance of a correct opening choice. With the aid of the cunning ' hedgehog' he was able to outplay the world champion.

158

V. Kram n ik- M. Carlsen

1. �f3 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �c3 c5 4. g3 b6 5 . .tg2 .lb7 6. 0-0 Ae7 7. d4 cxd4 8. xd4 d6 9. §d1 a6

1 3 . b3 0-0 1 4. tbge4 �d7 1 5 . Ab2 �e8 1 6. �ac1 d5 with excellent play for Black. But also i n the event of 1 3 . &Dce4 �d7 1 4 . &Dxf6+ Axf6 Wh ite cannot make use of tactics: 1 5 . &D x h7 � x h7 1 6 . 'We4 �h5 1 7. 'Wxc6 �c5 1 8 . 'We4 'Wc8 , regai n i ng the pawn with an equal game (Adorjan - Bis choff, New York 1 986).

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Black has arranged h i s pawns i n a so called ' hedgehog' set-up, the spines of wh ich are aimed at the central squares and b5.

It is important to defend the pawn without simpl ifying the position, since the wh ite knig hts are ' hang i n g ' somewhat. In the event of 13 . . .&Dxe4?! 14. &Dxe4 �a7 1 5. b3 �d7 1 6. Ab2 the ' hedgehog 's' spines are not so effective: 1 6 . . . d5 1 7. cxd5 � x d 5 1 8 . &Dc3 � x d 1 1 9 . � x d 1 'W c 8 20. tb e 4 , and Wh ite c reated th reats to the k i n g (Csom - Kinderman n , Biel 1 986).

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1 4. b3 lia7 1 5 . .tb2

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This continuation was i ntrod uced more than 30 years earlier. White plays his knight to e4 in order to attack the d6-pawn .

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The alternative is 1 2 . . . �a7, i m mediately switc h i n g the rook to d7. If Wh ite does not react to this manoeuvre, the ' hedge hog ' may demonstrate its spines, as in the game Webb - Hart (Hastings 1 977/78):

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By playing his queen to this active posi tion , White maintains the pressure on the d6-pawn , intending to include his bishop in the attack on it from a3 (after b2-b3).

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I n his commentary Carlsen remarks that he had not expected such an old-fash ioned variation as 1 0. tbg5 and he had to beg i n thinking for h i m self. I ntu itively he fol l owed the correct cou rse, and since the young 'classic' is accustomed to plac ing his pieces on the best squares, this

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move came naturally to h im. I n the game Wojtkiewicz - Ftac n i k ( B u da pest 1 993) Black carried out the thematic ' hedge hog' advance 15 . . . b5!? (with the idea after 1 6 . cxb5 axb5 of playi ng . . . d 6-d5). The game conti n u ed 1 6 . �f3 Was 17 . .§ac1 h6 1 8 . �ed2 (if 1 8 . �c3 there can fol low 1 8 . . . �e5 w i t h the th reat o f . . . Ag5) 1 8 . . . .§d 7 1 9 . g 1 V«b7 2 0 . Y«e4 bxc4 2 1 . Y«xc4 .§c7 22. 'i«d3 d5 with roughly equal chances.

the q ueenside: after b3-b4 and c4-c5 the d-file is opened, creating conditions for the exchange sacrifice on d4. 20 . . . J.g5! a

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White completes his d evelopment, indi rectly preventing . . . d6-d5. 1 6. . . �c7

A new idea i n the ' hedgehog' structure, fou n d at the board . B l a c k prepares a pawn offensive with . . .f7-f5 and . . . g7-g5, driving back the wh ite pieces with gain of tempo, and before h a n d h e d efends his e6-pawn . The standard plan i nvolves the preparation of . . . b6-b5 - 1 6 . . . Y«a8 1 7. �f3 b5. 1 7. �f3 f5 1 8. �c3

After t h e retreat 1 8 . �ed2 t h e k n i g ht blocks the d -fi le for the rook, and Black can switch to play i n the centre - 1 8 . . . e5!? (here 1 8 . . . g 5 1 9. Y«e3 g4 20. �e1 is less effective, since the b6- pawn needs defending) 1 9. �e3 �e6 with the idea of . . .�as and . . . �cd4. 18 . . . g5 1 9. Wd2 g4 20. � e1

Everybody back! The active 20. �d4?! is worse because of 20 . . . Ag5 2 1 . e3 �e5, when the long a8-h1 diagonal passes into Black's und ivided possession . There is an especially yawning weakness at f3, which makes it hard for White to create play on

The hand of a great master! Black provokes a weakening of the f3-sq uare, a desirable one for a knight. Compared with the posi tion after Black's 1 6th move, the picture has changed radically. He is in complete possession of the initiative. 21 . e3 E[ff7

A skilful combination of offensive with prophylaxis: Black prepares in good time for Wh ite's cou nterplay with b3-b4 and c4-c5, by defending his rook on d7. 22. g1 �e8

This passive knight is switched to a more active post. 23. �e2 �f6 24. �f4 We8

' I would have liked to play . . . �e4 immedi ately, but I rejected it because of the queen sac 24 . . . �e4 25. �xe6? WeB 26. �xg5 �xd2 27. �xf7. I don't really understand why though, since 27. . .�e4 28. �h6+ f8, with the poi nt of 29. �xf5 f7, wins for Black.' (Carlsen).

160

V. Kramnik - M. Carlsen

25. Wc3 !lg7 26. b4 � e4 27. Wb3 !lge7

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Wh ite is forced to retreat. When he made his queen sortie on the 28th move Kram nik overlooked that after 30. Wxb6? geb7 31 . Wd4 Af6! his queen would be trapped (32 . . .Ctif3+ is threatened). Now, however, Black transposes into a clearly better end game.

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28. Wa4?!

This attem pt to d ivert the q ueen to the defence of the q u eenside weaknesses does not achieve its aim. Kramn i k must have taken the reply into account, but un derestimated the dynamic potential of the centralised knights. At a press conference after the game Carlsen adm itted that he judged the position to be equal or slightly better for White. His i ntuition did not let him down. As N igel Short pointed out, the best solution for White was 28. h4! , and since 28 . . . gxh3 29. Ctixh3 is unfavourable for Black, it has to be ad mitted that the knights on e4 and f4 are of equal value. 28 ... �e5 29. Wxa6?

The strength of inertia is staggeri ng. White should h ave stopped in good time and returned his queen to b3. Other moves are unsou nd. If 29. c5?! Black has 29 . . .Ctic4! , while after the exchange 29. Axe5? dxe5 White loses a piece (30. gxd7 exf4 31 . gcd1 et:lc3!). 29. . . !1a7

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Black also has a big advantage after 33 . . .Ctixd3 34. Ctixd3 Af6, but Carlsen was absorbed in constructing a ' box' for the wh ite king. 34. �xe5+

I n the event of 34. Axe5 dxe5 35. gc6 ttig5 White has no defence against the threat of . . .Ctih3+ and . . . e5-e4. 34 . . . dxe5

' 3 4 . . . A x e 5 was p ro b a b l y bette r, but i n t i me-trouble I was rel u ctant to allow 35. Axe5 dxe5 36. Ctid3 , which however is wel l met by 36 . . . �f6 37. gfB+ �g7 38. gda (38. gb8 gd7) 38 . . .Ctic3 39. gf1 gd2! and wins.' (Carlsen) 35. !lc2 !lea7 36. �g2

36. �f1 is stronger, since White cannot get by without this move. 36. . . �g5 37. §d6?

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Belated activity. W h ite should have restricted himself to 37. �dd2, but all the same the ' box' is slamming shut and the game cannot be saved. 37

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If 40. �cd2 Black wins by 40 . . . �b1 41 . �d1 �xb4, when 42. �xb6 is not possible on account of 42 . . . �b2 with the irresistible th reat of . . . �h3. 40 J:ib1 41 . :i:id1 :i:ixb4 42. �g2 :§xb5 43. �f4 :i:ic5 44. :i:ib2 b5 45. Wf1 :i:ic7 46. :§bb1 .•

If 46. �g2 Black exchanges a pair of rooks by 46 . . . �c1 47. �xc1 �xc1 48. �xb5 �f3 49. �e2 �e1 50. �b2 �g5 and puts White in zugzwang , after which he wins with the pawn offensive . . . e6-e5 and . . . h7-h5-h4.

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Now all the wh ite pieces are tied by the threat of doubling rooks on the 1 st ran k. On the other hand , . . . �f3 is th reatened .

51 . h3 e5 52. �e2 :§d2 53. hxg4 fxg4 54. :§xd2 �xd2 55. :§b2 �f3 56. Wf1 b3 57. �g2 :i:ic2

Wh ite resigned .

Carlsen arrived at the main super-tournament of the year, Morel ia/Linares (FI DE cat egory 2 1 ) as the victor from Wij k aan Zee. But he realised that to achieve such a suc cess here would be more d ifficult: the evenly strong field did not permit any relaxation - there were no outsiders. In Wij k aan Zee there were, after all, a few players against whom you could hope to win or at least have a respite. But here Magnus did not relax and throughout the tournament he sat on the 'wheel ' of the leader Anand. Curious in this respect is the pen-portrait of one of the grandees of Russian chess journalism, Yuri Vasil iev: ' Mag nus, this l ittle mongoose, rising sharply and swiftly over the board , when he needs to grasp the nape of another cobra, is a new su per-hero! To win alone, without a trainer, the tournament in Wijk aan Zee, and then to take second place in "double-headed" Linares?! And all this at the boyish age of 1 7! ' In Linares Carlsen's play was dynamic and uncompromising, and, as in Wij k aan Zee, he scored five wins. Moreover, his contri bution to the eight decisive games considerably influenced the statistics of the tournament, in which the proportion of draws slightly exceeded 50%. The one to suffer most at the hands of the 'mongoose' was Topalov, who lost both games to him.

162

V. Topalov - M. Carlsen

Game35 M. Carlsen Morelia/Li nares 2008 Alekhine Defence [ 804]

V. Topalov

-

6. Ac4 c6 7. tbc3 Ae6 8. 0-0 tbd7 9. Wf3 Ag7 1 0. l:!e1 0-0 1 1 . Wg3 tbxe5 1 2. dxe5 tbxc3 1 3. Wxc3 Axc4 1 4 . Wxc4 Wd5 1 5. We2 !!adS, and Black maintained the balance.

1. e4 �f6

6. .ld3

Carlsen was so confident in his powers, that he decided to surprise his opponent with the Alekhine Defence, an opening from his child hood. N owadays he employs it only in bl itz games, and he was success ful with it at the 2007 World Champion ship in Moscow. Nevertheless, in su per tournaments it is not customary to play such open ings. How great is the degree of risk? I remember a conversation with Lev Polugayevsky, one of the strongest Soviet grandmasters. Commenting on the fascination for this opening of Vladimir Ba girov, who wrote a book about it, he was categorical : 'An incorrect opening! I don't have the time, otherwise I would refute it'. Knowing Polugayevsky's character and his analytical powers, one can have no dou bts about this.

At the World Bl itz Championsh i p (Mos cow 2007) other continuations were tried against Carlsen: S h i rov - Carlsen: 6. Ac4 tbd7 7. tbf3 tb7f6 8. h3 Af5 9. 0-0 e6 1 0. Ag5 Ae7 1 1 . tbbd2 h6 1 2 . Axf6 tbxf6 1 3 . c3 0-0 14. Ab3 c5 1 5. Ac2 Axc2 1 6. Wxc2 l:!c8 1 7. Wb3 We? with an equal game; Grischuk- Carlsen: 6. Ae2 Af5 7. 0-0 tbd7 8. tbg4 e6 9 . c4 tb5f6 1 0. tbe3 Ag6 1 1 . tbc3 Ad6 12. b3 Wc7 13. h3 0-0 14. Ab2 !!adS with complicated play. 6 . . . �d7 a

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2. e5 �d5 3. d4 d6 4. �f3

4

For a long time Wh ite tried to refute the Alekhine Defence with 4. c4, but nowadays he does not hurry with this move, preferring to complete his development.

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4 ... dxe5 5. �xeS c6

7. �xd7

Preparing the exchange of the active knight, since if 5 . . . tbd7 Black has to reckon with 6. tbxf7 c;!;>xf7 7. Wh5+ c;!;>e6, when White can choose between 8. c4 and 8. g3 with an attack on the king. At a tender age Magnus preferred 5 . . . g6, as, for example, against lan Nepom niachtchi in the World Youth Champion ship (Heraklion 2002). The game continued

Five years earl ier, p l ay i n g against the 1 2-year-old Carlsen (Rethymnon 2003), Emil Sutovsky did not bother to argue and he agreed to an endgame with 7. 0-0 tbxe5 8. dxe5 tbb4 9. Ae4 Wxd1 1 0. l:!xd1 f5 1 1 . a3 tba6 1 2 . Af3 g6 1 3 . tbd2 Ae6 14. Ae2 tbc7 1 5. tbf3 Ad5 1 6. tbd4 Ag7 1 7. c4 Af7 1 8 . f4, in which White had the better chances.

C hapter 3

---------------------

Life at the Top

·

---

��------------------

I n contrast to Topalov, Carlsen's play is specific and pu rposefu l . With this blow at the centre he casts doubts on the op ponent 's opening conception.

At the M oscow B l itz tournament M i chael Adams retreated h i s knight - 7. !Df3, but also without success: 7. . .!D7f6 8. h3 !Db4! 9. Ac4 AfS 1 0. !Da3 (1 0 . Ab3 aS!=) 1 0 . . . e6 1 1 . c3 !DbdS 1 2. !Dc2 Ae7 1 3 . !De3 Ag6 1 4 . !DeS 0-0 1 S. 0-0 !Dxe3 1 6. Axe3 !DdS 1 7. Ad2 cS. The g a m e is equal.

1 3 . .le4?!

A sound move, made on general grounds, but for g ai n i n g an advantage gen eral grounds alone are insufficient, as Carlsen e m p h asises with h i s s u bseq uent p l ay. M eanwhile, the presence of the bishop on g7 demands that attention be paid to the d4- pawn, which could have been rei nforced by 1 1 . c3 or at least the pin on the knight prevented - 1 1 . h3. I n the game Kulaots -Heim (Gausdal 2003) White solved his development problems in origi nal fashion: 1 1 . Wd2!? aS 1 2. a3 a4 1 3 . WgS lac8 1 4. lad1 bS 1 S. Wh4 e6 1 6. AgS. It is probable that Black's play here can be improved , but the main thing is the innova tive thinking.

After the capture of the pawn 1 3. dxcS there is the unpleasant 1 3 . . .!Dxc3! 14. bxc3 Axc3 1 S . Ah6 Axe1 1 6. Wxe1 Wxd3 1 7. !DeS Wd4!? 1 8. c6 (the primitive 1 8. Axf8 �xf8 1 9. !Dxg4 Wxg4 1eaves White a pawn down) 1 8 . . . bxc6 1 9. !Dxc6, and here there is a choice: 1 9 . . . Wd6 20. !Dxe7+ �h8 21 . Axf8 laxf8 22. Wc3+ f6 23. lae1 Ae6 24. We3 Af7 when the pawn capture 2S. Wxa7 is risky because of the p i n 2S . . . lae8, or 1 9 . . . Wf6 20. !D x e7+ � h 8 2 1 . !DdS Wd4 22. Axf8 laxf8. In both cases Black has a good game. But the decision to go in for a position with an isolated d4-pawn is also il logical: with the black pieces being very active, this pawn comes under attack. 1 3 . Ae2 came into consideration, pro voking 13 . . . Axf3 (1 3 . . . cxd4 14. !Dxd4 Axe2 1 S. !Dxe2 1eads to simpl ification favourable to White) 1 4 . Axf3 cxd4 and at the least Wh ite can try to ' m uddy the water' - 1 S. c4 !Db6 1 6. Axb7 lab8 1 7. Aa6 Wc7 (1 7. . . e5 1 8. b4) 1 8. AgS eS 1 9. lac1 .

11 . . . .lg4 1 2 . c3 c5!

1 3 . . . cxd4 14. cxd4

7

•••

.lxd7 8. 0-0 g6 9. �d2

9. lae1 Ag7 1 0. c3 0-0 1 1 . AgSiooks pref erable. 9 . . .tg7 1 0. �f3 0-0 1 1 . Iie1 .

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More cunning was 14. h3 Axf3 1 S. Wxf3 e6 (Black is better after 1 6. c4?! WaS 1 7. Ag5 !De3 or 1 7. 1ad1 fS) 1 6. cxd4 Axd4 1 7. Axd5 WxdS 1 8. WxdS exdS when, compared with the position in the game, White has opened an escape square for his king. 14 . . . e6 1 5. Wb3?!

1 S. h3 Axf3 1 6. Wxf3 was better, transpos ing i nto the variation considered earlier. But it was also possible to play 1 6. Axf3

164

V. Topalov

-

M. Carlsen

20 .. J�fd8

'i'b6 (1 6 . . . Wd6!?) 1 7. Axd5 exd5 1 8. Ae3!? 'i'xb2 19. Wd3 Wb6 20. gab1 Was 21 . Wb5 'i'xb5 22. gxb5, regaining the pawn.

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17 .'i'xd5 1 8. 'i'xd5 exd5 1 9. :iad1 J.g7 a

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• 8 £ .i. £ 7 £ 6

15 ... Axf3! 1 6. �xf3 �xd4 1 7. �xd5

White takes play into an endgame, since if he keeps the queens on with 1 7. Wxb7 the game clearly goes i n Black's favour: 1 7. . . Wa5 1 8 . gd1 gabS 1 9 . Wc6 gfc8 20. Wd6 gda 2 1. Wg3 A x b2 . 17. . . gba 18. Wa6 Wf6 1 9. gb1 gfc8 is also good .

f

h

Wh ite is a pawn dow n , and he must re gret that h e did not g o in for the varia tion g iven i n the note to his 9th move . His d ark- s q u are b i s h o p i s n ot d evel oped, a n d i n v i ew o f t h e weakness of his bac k ran k h e is u nable to reg a i n the pawn: 2 0 . g x d 5 gfd 8 2 1 . gxd8+ g x d 8 2 2 . Ae3 (22 . f 1 gd 1 + 23. e2 gh1 ) 22 . . . b6 23. gb1 Ax b 2 . 20. f1

20. Af4 gfd8 2 1. gac1 gd7 2 2 . b3 d4 23. gd3 gea 24. *f1 h 6 25. ge1 gxe1+ 26. xe1 f5 27. f3 f7 28. h4 e6 29. e2 �d5 30. gd1 , blocking the pawn, was more resilient, although it is hard to believe that this position can be saved .

Since Black's plans include the . . . d5-d4 advance, Wh ite must base his play on the blockade of the d-pawn . The move i n the game not only does not solve this problem, but also allows Black to carry out the ad vance with gain of tempo. I n this respect straightforward development is insufficient: 21 . Af4 gd7 22. gd2 gca 23. gad1 d4, and Black advances his d-pawn : 24. e2 Af6 25. d3 g5! 26. Ag3 gc3+! 27. e2 (in the event of 27. bxc3 d xc3+ 28. c2 gxd2+ 29. gxd2 cxd2 30. xd2 f8 31 . d3 e7 32. e4 e6 Black has winning chances in the bishop endi ng) 27. . ,ge7+ 28. f1 gc6, switching the rook to the queenside (variations by Shi pov). By all the rules of endgame play, it is useful to centralise the king - 21 . e2, aim ing not only for the blockade of the pawn, but also the exchange of bishops, si nce in a rook endgame White's chances of a draw are improved. For example: 21 . . ,gac8 22. d3 gd6 23. Ae3 Axb2 24. gab1 d4 25. Ad2 gb6 26. Aa5 gbs 27. gd2 gxa5 28.gbxb2, transposing i nto a rook ending. Stronger is 21 . . ,gd7!? 22. d3 gea 23. gb1 gde7 24. Ae3 b6 25. gd2 ge4 26. gc1 d4!

165

C hapter 3

Life at the Top

·

The black pieces occupy ideal positions, controlling all the most im portant l ines on the battlefield. The technique for convert ing the advantage is highly instructive.

27. Ag5 h6 2S. f3 �4e6 29. Af4 g5 30. Ac7 �e3+, when Black should win. 21 ... l::ld 7 22. §d2 h6 23. J.e3 d4 24. §d3

The attem pt to exploit the c-file by 24. �c1 proves ineffective: 24 . . . �adS 25. Af4 g5 26. Ag3 f5 27. f3 d3!. The subseq uent win ning plan i s as fol l ows: . . .f5-f4, . . . Ae5, . . . �c7, and after the exchange of a pair of rooks the king comes i nto play. 24 ... §c8 25. Ad2?!

25. �c1 was m o re res i l ient: 25 . . . �ddS! (in the event of 25 . . . � xc1 + 26. A xc1 f5 27. *e2 the king blockades the pawn on the d3-square) 26. �cd1 �c2 27. �3d2 �deS! (the exchange of rooks 27. . . �xd2 is justi fied after 2S. �xd2 f5 29. f3 *f7 30. Af2 d3! 31 . *e1 b6, when after . . . �d5 Black transfers his king to the q ueenside, but 2S. Axd2! with the idea of �c1 is stronger, and it is not apparent how to breach White's defences) 2S. Axd4 Axd4 29. �xd4 �xb2 30. �4d2 �xd2 31 . �xd2 b5 32. *e2 �c3 33. �d3 �c2+ 34. �d2 �c4! , after which Black takes his king to the centre with real winning chances.

27. a4 f5 28. b3 §ec7 29. J.e1 �f7 30. §d2 §c1 31 . §xc1 §xc1 32. �e2 l::lb 1 33. l::ld 3 �e6 34. h4 �d5 35. Ad2 �e4 36. l::lg3 f4! 37. l::ld 3

37. �xg6 d3 mate would have been a pretty fi nish! 37...J.e5 38. f3+ �d5 39. Ae1 .ld6 40. Ad2 g5 41 . hxg5 hxg5 42. Ae1 g4 43. fxg4 �e4 44. g5?

And Wh ite resigned, without waiting for 44 . . . �xe1 +.

Game36 M. Carlsen - L. Aronian

Morelia/Li nares 200S Ruy Lopez [ CSB] 1 . e4 e5 2. �f3 �c6 3. Ab5 a6 4. Aa4 �f6 5. 0-0 Ae7 6. l::le1 b5 7. Ab3 0-0 8. a3

25... l::lc2 26. l::lb 1 l::le7 ! a

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Carslen's favou rite way of avo i d i n g the Marshall Attack. 8...Ac5 166


15 . .tg3

For a long t i m e the m a i n conti n u ation was the classical 8 . . . d6 (as Shirov played agai nst Carlsen in Wij k aan Zee 2007). But the move in the game is also logical: Black first brings out his bishop to an ac tive position.

Now in the event of 1 5. Axg5 hxg5 1 6. tbxg5 the move 1 6 . . . d5! gains in strength . 1 5. . . g4

In the event of 9 . . . d5?! 1 0. exd5 tbxd5 1 1 . d4 exd4 1 2. cxd4 Ab6 13. tbc3 Black has a poor pawn structure on the queen side.

The e4-pawn is taboo: 1 5 . . . l::! xe4? 1 6 . l::! xe4 tbxe4 1 7. AdS Y!/e8 1 8. Y!/c2 tbxg3 1 9. Y!/g6+ (1 9. Axc6? Af5) 1 9 . . . C�f8 20. Y!/xh6+ �g8 (20 . . .'i!>e7 21 . tbc3) 21. Y!/xg5+ �f8 22. Y!/xg3 tbxd4 23. tbc3 ! and, despite the material equality, Black's position looks broken.

10. d4 .tb6 1 1 . h3

1 6. hxg4 £.xg4

9. c3 d6

To mai ntain the pawn tension in the centre it is important to prevent the pin on the knight at f3 .

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7 � � 6 �.t�� 5 � 4 � � j_ 3 �� tb � 2 � ��

11 . . . lire8!?

Aronian's refi nement compared with the game Carlsen - Svidler (Wijk aan Zee 2007). Black does not consider it necessary to spend time on . . . h7-h6. That game de veloped as follows: 1 1 . Ae3 h6 1 2. h3 l::!e 8 1 3 . tbbd2 Ab7 1 4 . d xe5 d xe5 1 5. Axb6 cxb6 1 6 . tbh2 Y!/e7 1 7. tbg4 l::! a d8 with roughly equal chances.

1 .: tLJ a

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1 7. .th4!

12 . .tg5

With the bishop cut off from its wing by the d6-pawn , this pin may cause Black prob lems. He is forced to concede the centre. 12 . . . h6 13 . .th4 exd4

13 . . . g5 is risky in view of 1 4. Axg5 hxg5 1 5 . tbxg5 l::!f 8 (1 5 . . . d5?! 1 6 . Y!/f3 exd4 1 7. Axd5 tbe5 1 8 . Y!/g 3) 1 6 . l::! e 3 Y!/e7 1 7. l::!g 3. 14. cxd4 g5

After q u iet d evelopment with 1 4 . . . Ab7 1 5 . tbc3 Wh ite has a small but enduring spatial advantage.

White has lost the opening battle, and with his knight undeveloped he is unable to hold the d4-pawn. Therefore Carlsen renews the pin, not hesitating to sacrifice the pawn. 1 7. . . t£�xd4 1 8. �c3 Axf3

It is hard to condemn this move, made after a long think. Aronian opens the g-fi le for an attack on the king, but carries out the idea incorrectly. He should have taken control of the d5-sq uare - 1 8 . . . c6! , and if Wh ite nevertheless insists on pinning the knight - 1 9. e5?! dxe5 20. tbe4, then his king is as sailed by the powerfu l group of black piec-

167:

C hapter 3

Life at the Top

·

--------�

20. �d5 §g8+ 21 . �f1

es concentrated i n the centre: 20 ...�xe4! 21 . Axd8 l;!axd8 22. l;!xe4 (the queen has to be retu rned , si nce neither 22. A xf7+ �xf7 23. �g5+ �xg5 24. Wxg4 �gf3+! nor 22. Vi'b1 Axf3 will do) 22 . . .�xf3+ 23. gxf3 l;!xd1+ 24. Axd1 Af5 25. J;!e2 Ad4, reach ing an endgame with real winning chances for Black. However, White is not obliged to throw caution to the winds and he can switch to defence - 19. Aa2 �g7 20. Vi'd3.

Of course, 2 1. �h1? wou l d h ave been crazy - the lone king simply cannot hold out agai n st the black army: 21 . . . �g4! 22. Vi'xd4+ Axd4 23. Axd8 �xf2+ 24. �h2 l;!axd8 with the terri ble threat of . . . l;!g5. 21 . . . �g4 22. Wxd4+!

Here is the d ifference compared with 19 . . . �h7!? - the exchange of queens takes place with check, and the assessment of the position changes rad ically.

1 9. gxf3 a

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22 . . . .lxd4 23. Axd8 �h2+ 24. �e2 §axd8 a

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7 6 I. 5 4 3 �2

5 4

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1 9 . . . �h8?

Here the variation 19 . . . c6 20. e5 d xe5 21 . �e4 can no longer satisfy Black, while the attempt to i nvade with the q ueen by 20 . . . Yi'c8 21. A x f6 Vi' h 3 22. J;!e3 � x b 3 23. J;!e4 does not promise anything real , apart from perpetual check after 23. . Vi'g3+ 24. �h1 Yi'h3+. However, the idea carried out i n the game would also have been practicable, but with appropriate refinement: 19 . . . �h7!? 20. �d5 l;!g8+ 21. �f1 �g4! 22. Vi'xd4 (2 2 . A x d 8 ? ? �h2 mate) 2 2 . . . Vi' x h 4 2 3 . �xb6 cxb6 24. fxg4 (or 24. �e2 �e5 25. J;!h1 Vi'f6 26. J;!h3) 24 . . . Vi'h3+ 25. �e2 Vi'xb3 26. f3 J;!ac8 27. J;!ac1 J;!c2+ 28. l;!xc2 Wxc2+ 29. �e3 and the storm d ies down. ·

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25. J;!ad1 !

The knight on h2 is doomed , but the bish op's position must be clarified , since if 25. J;!h1 there follows 25 . . . l;!g2. 25 . . . Axb2

Now Wh ite wins a piece, practically with out compensation, but also after 25 . . . c5 26. l;!h1 l;!g2 27. l;!xd4! cxd4 28. �f4 J;!g7 29. l;!xh2 Black is doomed . 26. §h1 c6

168

tiJ

M. Carlsen - V. Topalov �-----

------

26 . . . Ae5 27. f4 or 26 . . . f!g2 27. !De3 was no better. 27. �f4 Ae5 28. �d3 �xf3 29. �xf3 Ag7 30. !ah5!

Playing to restrict the opponent's mobility. Black has three pawns for a knight, but the white pieces are so active that he has no hopes of saving the game. 30 . . . d5

Game37 M. Carlsen V. Topalov Morelia/Linares 2008 English Opening [A28] -

1 . c4

A rare move for Carlsen, with the psycho logical idea of forcing the opponent to play without home preparation. But Topalov is a tough customer! 1 . . . e5 2. �c3 �f6 3. �f3 �c6 4. d3!?

If 30 . . . f!d7 there follows 31. !DeS, while after 30 . . . c5 White captures the pawn 31. Axf7 f!gf8 32. f!f5 f!d7 33. Ae6. 31 . exd5 Jad6 32. Jaf5 cxd5 a

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9

Provoking the opponent i nto a Sicil ian De fence with colours reversed. More usually White fianchettoes his bishop - 4. g3, keep ing the advance of the d-pawn in reserve.

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33. Jac1 !

d5

Topalov accepts the challenge. 5. cxd5 �xd5 6. e4 �b6

The alternative is 6 . . .!Df6 7. Ae2. The game Morozevich - G rischuk (World Champion s h i p , M exico 2007) conti n u ed 7 . . . Ag4 8. 0-0 A x f3 9 . A x f3 !Dd4 10 . g 3 Ac5 1 1 . Ag2 0-0 12. !Da4 Ab6 1 3 . Ae3 Wd6 14. f4 !Dd7 1 5. c;t.h1 f!ad8 16. f!c1 with com plicated play. 7. Ae2 Ae7

Excellent technique for converting the ad vantage - the pawns will not run away, but it is always useful to activate a piece.

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.i. 'ii' e • • • .i. . 6 1.11.1

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33 Jaf6 34. Ja xf6 .txf6 35. Jac6 �g7 36. �f4 Ag5 37. �h5+ �h8 38. Jaxa6 d4 39. �e4 Jag6 40. Jaa7 ..•

5 4 3 2

Black resigned .

6 5 4 8 3 ti:J 8 ti:J �888 2 88 a

69

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M 1 h

C hapter 3

Life at the Top

·

A position, typical of the Boleslavsky Vari ation with colours reversed , has arisen. It should be remembered that in Sicilian-type positions the value of a tempo is qu ite high.

For example, M i hail Marin considers the following variation: 12. b4!? et:lxb4 (1 2 . . .et:lb3 1 3 . �b1 ttlbd4 1 4 . bS tt:lxf3+ 1 S . Axf3 ttld4 1 6. Ag4 b6 1 7. Axe6 fxe6 is also possible) 1 3. et:lxeS f6 1 4 . �b1 fxeS 1 S. �xb4 b6, in both cases with a sound position for Black.

8. 0-0 0-0 9. a4

I n fu l l accordance with the i deas of the afore-mentioned variation - to d rive the knight from b6. 9

•••

11

•••

exd4 12. tlbxd4 tlbxd4 1 3. 'Wxd4 c6 a

a .!.

Ae6!?

9 . . . a5 suggests itself, but Topalov ap parently did not want to concede the bS point to the knight, which would assist the d3-d4 advance. For example, the game Agdestein - lvanchuk (Ti l burg 1 993) con tin ued 1 0. Ae3 fS 1 1 . �c1 f4 1 2 . Ad2 Ab4 1 3 . et:lbS Axd2 14. et:lxd2 <;!i>h8 1S. h3 Ae6 1 6. tt:lf3 Ag8, and here 1 7. d4! is good . 1 0. Ae3

The threat is stronger than its execution! For the moment a4-aS is kept in reserve, espec ially since the d i rect 1 0 . aS et:ld7 1 1 . d4 exd4 1 2 . et:lxd4 et:lxd4 1 3 . Wxd4 et:lcS, em phasising the weakness of the b3-sq uare, leads to a position favourable for Black.

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Black has safely got through the open ing. Wh ite's slight su periority in the centre is of a temporary nature, whereas Black's pawn majority on the q ueenside is a real positional factor. If he should succeed in playi ng . . . Wa5 and . . . �d8, Black will be able to seize the initiative. 14. a5 tlbc5

The knight is withd rawn not only for the sake of pro p hylaxis against a4-aS, but also with the aim of transferring it to b3.

This offer to go into an endgame is based on positional factors: apart from his pawn majority on the queenside, Black can in vade at the weak b3-point.

1 1 . d4

1 5. 'We5

This is the sign ificance of an extra tem po in a Sicil ian structure. At one time, when the Sicil ian was just beginning to become established , the battle for equality was as sociated with the preparation of the freeing advance . . . d6-dS. There was no real point in insisting on 1 1 . aS in view of 1 1 . . . et:lcS.

Magnus is happy to play an endgame, but in the given specific situation he prefers to retain his q ueen for an attack on the king. 15

tlbb3 1 6. Jaa4

•••

A not altogether su itable post for the rook, but otherwise the aS-pawn cannot be de-

170

M. Carlsen - V. Topalov -------

fended . After the i nterposition 1 6 . gfd 1 Black forces the exchange of q ueens by 1 6 . . . 'llr b 8, transposing i nto a favou rable endgame.

Axf6 24. exf6 and mate next move, and Black also fails to save the game with 20 . . . f6 21 . exf6 Axf6 22. tDxf6+ gxf6 23. AgS.

16 . . . .ld6 1 7. YlrhS

This inconsistency is not typical of Carlsen. True, after 1 9. h4 Ag7 20. Wf4 the offensive would have come to a standstill, since he would have had to reconcile himself to the exchange of q ueens: 20 . . . 'llr b 8 21 . Yltxb8 gfx b8 22. gd1 gda with good play for Black. But, apparently, there was no longer anything better - the aS-pawn is too weak. For example, if 1 9. gd1 there can follow 1 9 . . . 'llrc7 20. f4 Ag7 21 . 'llrg S h6 22. 'lltg 3 tDxaS, wi nning the pawn.

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A cool-headed defence. The threat of e4eS with the switching of the rook to h4 is in the air, but Black has time to transfer his bishop to g7, cementing together his cas tled position. The other way of defending involves 17 . . . 'llrc7. However, it is not easy to work out the consequences of the at tack after 1 8. eS!? AxeS 1 9. f4 (the frontal attack 1 9. gh4 h6 20. Axh6 gxh6 21 . 'llt x h6 is parried by 21 . . . gfe8 22. ghs Ag7 23. ggs WeS!). For example: 1 9 . . . Af6 20. tDe4 We? 21 . fS AdS 22. tDxf6+ 'llt x f6 23. gh4 h 6 24. gg4 etc. 1 9 . . . Axc3 20. bxc3 gfe8 21 . fS! WeS 22. fxe6 Yltxe3+ 23. �h1 fS 24. gh4 h6 2S. Ac4 is also unclear.

•

The abil ity to ad mit your m i stakes is an important qual ity for a professional. Carls en returns his bishop to the same sq uare and , although he loses a pawn, as if noth ing has happened he continues looking for chances on the kingside. M eanwhile, 20. Wh4!? tD x aS 2 1 . f4 Ag7 22. fS also came into consideration . 20

�xaS 21 . f4 .lg7 22. Wh4 .lb3

•••

22 . . . bS! was more vigorous, since now 23. gd4 would not have been such a pro d u ctive idea: 23 . . . ttJc4 24. Axc4 A xc4 2S. gfd1 Axd4 26. Axd4 fS. a

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171

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C hapter 3

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·

------

23. Jad4!

h6 32. flg3 �h7 33. �hS with the threat of 34. Axh6 Axh6 3S. flg6), and now after 29. AxeS fS 30. �f2 flf7 31 . Axa7 White regains the pawn, since 31 . . . Axb2?! is dan gerous because of 32. Ab6 �d2 33. fld1 �b4 34. fld8+ �g7 3S. Acs �a4 36. flaB.

An excellent m ove in the psychological sense. One can understand Topalov's feel ings. It is not easy for an attack-mi nded player to decide on the win of the exchange by 23 . . . Axd4 24. Axd4, opening the flood gates in the d i rection of his king.

28 . . . fxe5

The capture 28 . . . gxfS 29. flxfS would sig nify a lack of ambition.

23 . . . Jaad8?!

A human is afraid of things that a com puter works through without hesitation: 23 . . . Axd4 24. A xd 4 fS 2 S . e x fS �d 8 ! 2 6 . Ylff2 flxfS 27. Ag4 flf7 a n d Rybka does not see any d i rect contin uation of the attack. It parries the obvious 28. tile4 with 28 . . . fl xf4! 29. ttlf6+ �xf6 ! .

29. AgS �b6 30. f6 C4+ 31 . �h1

An auto m at i c m ove i n t i m e -t ro u ble. 31 . J;if2!? Axf6 32. Axf6 'tlfxbS 33. AhS! was stronger, when the bishops gain scope: 33 . . .'tlfe8 34. Af3 'tlfe6 3S. Ae4. 31 . . .'Wxb5 32. fxg7 Jaxf1 + 33. J.xf1

24. e5!

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Here it is, the triumph of spirit over matter! Wh ite's attack acquires a fresh impetus. The way is opened for the knight to f6.

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The desire to activate the g7-bishop is un derstandable, but 26 . . . b6!? 27. tile4 Ac4 28. Ylff2 fld8 was also not bad , with the idea of playing the knight to d4. 27. �bS 'Wd8 28. fS!?

The pawn makes a breakthrough, although no light is apparent at the end of the tunnel. Since if 28. AxeS Black had prepared 28 . . . fxeS ! , White could have prepared it by first playing 28. e6!? Axe6 (if 28 . . . �e7 White attacks by 29. fS gxfS 30. J;if3 Axe6 31 . flh3

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In time-trouble Topalov decides against leaving his king in front of the ' m i ne' on g7. Even so, the pawn could have waited . Black should have consolidated his forces, since the aS-knight is clearly out of play. True, he has to return one of the pawns and the position is not completely clear. Here are some variations: a) 33 . . . �dS 34. Ah6 tilc6 3S. Ae2 �f7 36. �g4 �fS (36 . . .tild8 37. 'tlfc8 'tlfe7

172

M. Carlsen

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V. Topalov

------

38. Af3) 37. A xc4+ Axc4 38. 'W xc4+ 'Wf7 39. 'Wd3 ! (39 . 'Wc1 tbd8) 39 . . . e4 40. 'Wd1 and then h2-h3; b) 3 3 . . . 'Wd7 34. A h 6 tbc6 3 5 . Ae2 ! ? (35. Axc4+ Axc4 36. 'Wxc4+ Wf7 37. Wc1 tbd8) 35 . . .'Wf5 36. h3 e4 37. Ag4 'Wf1 + 38. �h2 'Wf7 39. Ad?! 'Wxd7 40. 'Wf6, and the threat of mate on f8 ties Black down (4o . . . 'Wc?+ 41 . �h1 'Wf? 42. 'Wd6 We? 43. 'Wf4 'Wf7).

34. AdS! �c6??

A blunder in time-trouble. Now Black gets mated. He could h ave held the position by 34 . . . 'Wd5 35. 'We?+ �g8 or 34 . . . �g8 35. 'We? Wd5 , when Wh ite has noth ing more than perpetual check. 35. Wf6+ mga 36. We6+ mta 37. .lg5

Black resigned .

After his successes in Wijk aan Zee and Morelia/Linares, the appearance of Carlsen's name among the prize-win ners of the strongest tournaments was no longer regarded as a sensation. He also enhanced his reputation at the el ite ' M elody Amber' Tourna ment, which had changed its constant venue from Monte Carlo to N ice. Magnus shared 2nd-5th places, performing equally sol idly in both disci plines (blindfold and rapid). At the first tournament of the Grand Prix series in Baku (FI D E category 1 9) Carlsen started as the rating favourite. Therefore it was somewhat unusual to see him keeping in the background and playing second fidd le. But M agnus came to the fore in the last two rounds - he won against Adams and Bacrot and shared 1 st-3rd places. True, few realised that the turning point in his play had occurred back in the 7th round, when in his game with Radjabov Carlsen took the risk with Black of going into the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defence. This was not a one-off action, but a change of conception. The hitherto typically White-biased player began also playing for a win with Black. Magnus, as usual , was modest: 'I simply looked at the main li nes in the Dragon Variation and I couldn't understand where Black had problems. The positions appealed to me, and I decided to include this opening in my repertoire.' The success of the Aeroflot Open festival in Moscow drew the attention of U krainian patrons. Starting in 2006 they began organising prestigious all-play-all tournaments in Foros in the Crimea. The resort area, which in not so distant times used to greet the leaders of the USSR, and then by inheritance those of the U krai ne, was selected by the Aerosvit Company, presenting an opportun ity for U krai nian professional chess players to earn some money. In 2008 the organisers were also able to interest Carlsen, by assembl ing a FIDE category 19 field. The outcome of the tournament was effectively decided in the very first round, when Magnus confidently outplayed lvanchuk and took the lead , not allowing his rivals the slig htest chance. Clear first place with a score of +5 in 1 1 rounds cannot be called anything but a triumph. On the cu rrent rating list Magnus moved up to second place and closed right u p on Anand.

C hapter 3

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Game38�------� T. Radjabov - M. Carlsen Grand Prix, Baku 2008 Sicilian Defence [ 878] 1 . e4 c5 2. �f3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. �xd4 �f6 5. �c3 g6 6 .le3 .lg7 •

So, the Dragon Variation, a never-end ing dispute in which players of all times and na tions have engaged ! However many times it has been buried , it has always climbed back onto its feet. Not so long ago (after the millennium), one of the authors of this book, in collaboration with the u nforgettable Ed uard Gufeld, whose tremendous love for the g7-bishop was legendary, had to raise the entire Dragon in the process of writing a book about this open ing. This was by no means a labour of Sisyphus, and rumours about the tam ing of the Dragon proved exaggerated . And the fact that the bright est representatives of the chess young are prepared to demonstrate this (Radjabov also happily plays this variation with Black) is the best confirmation. 7. f3 �c6 8. 'Wd2 0-0 9. J.c4

The main continuation in the Rauzer At tack, where the most recent research has been made. Wh ite develops his bishop in an active position, preventing . . . d6-dS, which is possible after 9. 0-0-0. 9 . . . .ld7

A flexible move, leaving Black a wide range of options. In particular, he can carry out one of the main cou nterplay resources the . . . tilc6-eS-c4 manoeuvre - without first developing his queen , thereby saving a tempo. 10 .lb3 •

This prophylactic bishop retreat is part of the 'compu lsory prog ram' of this varia tion . After 1 0. 0-0-0 with 1 0 . . . ftb8!? Black can transpose into the so-called 'Chinese Dragon', which Radjabov employed in his game with Carlsen from the Grand Slam tournament i n B i l bao 2008. 1 0 . . . flc8 or 10 . . .tileS leads to the main line of the vari ation. 10

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An important branch. Wh ite does not hurry to castle, but first tests Black's reaction . In recent times the more restrained develop ment 1 1 . 0-0-0 tileS 1 2. �b1 has been in fash ion, where Wh ite is not i n a rush to disclose his attacking plans on the king side, retaining the option of playing both h2-h4 and g2-g4. For example: 1 2 . . . tilc4 1 3 . Axc4 flxc4 14. g4 b5 1 5. b3! . 1t is im por tant to disrupt the coordination of the rooks - now 1 5 . . . flcS? 1 6. tile6! leads to the loss of the exchange, and 1 5 . . . flc8 1 6 .tild xb5 'WaS 1 7. a4 is also in Wh ite's favour. But it turns out that the rook does not have to move. The game Socko - Stocek (Bu ndes liga 2006) continued 15 . . . b4! 1 6. bxc4 bxc3 1 7. V!Vxc3 'Wc7 1 8 . gS tilhS 1 9. �c1 flc8 20. 'Wd3 AeS with sufficient counterplay for the sacrificed exchange.

1 74

T. Radjabov - M. Carlsen

Apart from the standard plan , also in teresting is 1 2 . . . .!:!e8!? (with the idea at an appropriate moment of playing . . . e7-e5), which Carlsen tried two rounds later in his game with Karjaki n: 13. h4 h5 14. Ah6 &Dc4 15. Axc4 .!:!xc4 1 6. Axg7 � xg7 1 7. &Dd5 e5!? 1 8. tDxf6 Wxf6 1 9. tDe2 flc6 20. tDc3 Ae6 21 . &Dd5 Axd5 22. Wxd5 Wf4! 23. �d2 Wxd2 24 . .§xd2 f5, and Black maintai ned the balance. 11 . . . h5!

For Dragon devotees this is the standard reaction to h2-h4, si nce if 1 1 . . . &De5 Black has to reckon with the pawn sacrifice 12. h5 tDxh5 1 3 . g4 tDf6 1 4 . Ah6 Axh6 1 5 . �xh6 with a dangerous in itiative for Wh ite.

and now 1 5. h5 or 1 5. f4 1eads to very sharp play. 14 . . . :ia e8!

A prophylactic move, after which the sac rificial attack, possible after 14 . . . b5 1 5. g4 hxg4 1 6 . h5 tDxh5 1 7. &Dd5 when Black is forced to play 1 7. . . .!:!e8, is now consid ered insufficient, since in the variation with 14 . . . .!:!e8 the rook is already in the right place and Black saves an important tempo. However, even in the first case he has ad equate defensive resources: 1 8. flxh5 gxh5 19. Wh2 flxd5 20. Axd5 �b6 21 . tDf5! Axf5 22. exf5 gxf3 23. Wxh5 and now instead of 23 . . . flc8 , which has occu rred in practice, consideration should be given to 23 . . . Wf2!? 24. flh1 Wg3 with sharp play.

12. 0-0-0 tUe5 1 3. Ag5

The m ost usual cont i n uatio n . Wh ite at tacks the knight which is preventing g2-g4, and he restricts Black's possibilities. The direct attack 1 3 . Ah6 &Dc4 1 4 . Axc4 .!:!xc4 15. Axg7 �xg7 1 6. g4 hxg4 1 7. h5 does not achieve its aim. For example, the game Sax- Kir. Georgiev (Burgas 1 992) continued 1 7. . . flh8 1 8. hxg6 fxg6 1 9. f4 e5 20. fxe5 (or 20. &Dde2 .§xh1 21 . .§xh1 &Dxe4 22. &Dxe4 .§xe4 23. fxe5 .§xe2! 24. Wxe2 Wg5+ with roughly equal chances - Stohl) 20 . . . dxe5 21 . &Dde2 flh3! with double-edged play. 13 . . .:iac5

This move has the aim of prepari ng the pawn attack . . . b7-b5. I n addition , the rook takes control of a n u m ber of i m portant points along the 5th ran k. If 13 . . .&Dc4, then 14. We2 &Da5 1 5 . �b1 is good , followed by an attack on the kingside. 14. �b1

A usefu l prophylactic move. 14. g4 hxg4

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After the game Radjabov ad m itted that he had m i xed u p two li nes. N ow Wh ite is forced to th row caution to the winds. 15 . .!:!he1 is regarded as the main continua tion. But what Wh ite had prepared in reply to 15 . . .Wa5 remained a mystery, si nce ex tensive practice has not demonstrated any thing significant. For example, the game Beliavsky - Ki r. Georg i ev (Wij k aan Zee 1 985) went 1 6. f4 &Dc4 (after 16 . . . &Deg4? 1 7. e5! dxe5 1 8. Axf7+ �xf7 1 9. &Db3 Black

C hapter 3

Life at the Top

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note to 1 4 . . . �e8, the white knight is at c3, and Black has a wide choice of defensive measures.

loses material) 1 7. Axc4 �xc4 1 8. Axf6 (the 1 8 . eS breakthrough does not achieve its aim: 1 8 . . .tDdS! 1 9. tDxdS 'WxdS or 1 8. tDb3 'Wa6 1 9. eS tDg4 20. exd6 Axc3 21 . bxc3 e6!) 18 . . . Axf6 1 9. tDdS 'Wxd2 20. tDxf6+ exf6 21 . �xd2 fS! with an equal endgame. 1 S. Ah6!? tDc4 1 6. Axc4 �xc4 1 7. Axg7 �xg7 1 8. tDdS leads to a position which occurred in the afore-mentioned Karjak in - Carlsen game.

1 8 . . . ti)g6!?

Now if 1 9. tDdS there is 1 9 . . . h4. In Radja bov's opinion 1 8 . . . Wb6!? 1 9. WxhS e6 is also good . 1 9. Wxh5 Was

Black is obliged to reckon with the threat ened capture on g6 (for the moment this is unfavourable - 20. 'Wxg6? e6), and Carlsen decides to return the exchange, but with a more active position for his queen . Before this 1 9 . . . �xgS 20. WxgS e6 21 . Wxg4 Wf6 had been played .

15 . . . hxg4 1 6. h5

The alternative is to create a breakthrough in the centre: 1 6. f4 tDc4 1 7. Axc4 �xc4 1 8. Axf6 Axf6 1 9. eS Ag7 (weaker is 19 . . . dxeS?! 20. fxeS AxeS 21 . tDde2 and then h4-hS) 20. hS dxeS 21 . fxeS Ac6 with un clear play.

The immediate 1 9 . . . e6!? is also interest ing: 20. tDfS! 'WaS! 21 . �h1 (21 . �xd6 Ac6) 21 . . . �xfS 22. exfS WxfS 23. fxg4 'WeS with a sound position for Black (Stoh l).

1 6. . . ti)xh5 1 7. §xh5

If 1 7. f4 Black has several possible con tinuations: 17 . . . tDc4 1 8. 'Wd3 bS, 17 . . .tDc6 1 8 . eS 'Wc8 or 17 . . .tDf3 1 8 . tD xf3 Axc3 1 9. bxc3 g xf3. After 1 7. tDdS Mikhail Golubev considers the best to be 1 7. . . �xdS! 1 8. AxdS 'Wb6 with dynamic play.

20. f4!

1 7 . . . gxh5 1 8. Wh2

After 20 . . . �xc3 21 . bxc3 'Wxc3 there is the cou nter-sacrifice 22. Axf7+ �xf7 23. fS.

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21 . fxg5 e6

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176

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T. Radjabov - M. Carlsen ------

22. t'Uf5?

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Youth strives only to go forward , but this leads merely to a red uction in White's at tacking potential. He should have restricted himself to 22. 'Wxg4, although, objectively speaking, the spearhead of his attack has been considerably blunted .

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The rook endgame arising after the exchanges 24. Axe6 � xe6 25. �xf5 Axc3! 26. bxc3 �xf5 27. exf5 �e4 is in Black's favour (2B . � xd6? is not possible because of 2B . . . g3).

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31 . . . e2?

With this i m p u lsive move Carlsen could have ru i n ed the resu lts of h i s work. H e should fi rst have secured t h e position of his king: 31 . . . �e7 32. �f3 e2! 33. �x b7+ (33. �xe2 �xe2 34. et:lxe2 g2 35. c3 Ah6) 33 . . . �f6 34. et:lxe2 �xe2 35. �f7+ �g5 36. �xg7 �a6+ 37. �b1 g2 and the pawn can not be sto p ped . H ow, h owever, by playing 32. �d7! , Wh ite would have suc cessfu lly ' terrorised ' the king: 32 . . . �gB (32 . . . �e7 33. �cB+ WeB 34. �f5+ etc.) 3 3 . WeB+ AfB 34. � x b7 Ae7 3 5 . 'Wh1 �fB 36. �h7 �eB 37. et:lxe2 �xe2 3 B . g7.

24. . . fxe4 25. §f1

After 25. et:ld5 Carlsen g ives this varia tion: 25 . . . e3! 26. g 6 �fB 27. g xf7 Axf7 (or 27. . . �e7 2B. �g5 Axd5 29. �f1 ! �dB 30. � x d 5 e2 3 1 . �e1 ) 2 B . �f1 'We1 + ! 29. �xe1 Axh5 3 0 . �f1 + Af7 31 .
Black pins his hopes on the passed g pawn - 25 . . . Axb3 26. axb3 �e7 27. �xg4 prom ises less.

32. �f3+?

26. §xf7 Axb3

White misses his chance, and the king es capes from the checks.

26 . . . �fB!?, simplifying the position, is even stronger.

32 . . . .l... -=-e8 33. �f7+

27. axb3 g3 28. �a2

With a rather transparent trap: 2B . . . g2? 29. �f2! g 1 � 30. �f7+ �h7 31 . �h5+ with a draw. 28 . . . Etf8 29. §xf8+ �xf8 30. Wg4 e3 31 . g6

White loses after 33. �xe2 �xe2 34.
White resigned .

177

C hapter 3

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sound arguments for 1 0 . . .ttif4. Therefore, before launching the attack with c4-c5, Wh ite neutralises this possibility: the rook vacates the f1 -square for the bishop. Mark Taimanov, the founder of the Classical Vari ation, used to parry the threat of . . .ttih5-f4 with the radical 1 0. g3, but ever since the effectiveness of the counterplay with . . . f5-f4 was demonstrated, White has pre ferred to defer this move u ntil better times.

Game39 M. Carlsen - V. lvanchu k Foros 2008 King's Indian Defence [E97} This game, which was annotated by earls en, enables us to u nderstand to a certain extent the logic of the decisions he takes, based not so much on calculating abil ity (which some experts consider to be the main reason for his achievements), as on his depth of understanding of chess. This, in our view, is Carlsen's main strength , placing him on a par with the great chess players in the world.

10 . . . f5 1 1 . �g5

The knight is aiming for e6, with White dis playing his read iness to sacrifice a pawn for the sake of increasing the activity of his pieces.

1. d4 �f6 2. c4 g6 3. �c3 J.g7 4. e4 d6 5. �f3 0-0 6. .le2 e5 7. 0-0 �c6 8. d5 � e7 9. b4 a

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In the Classical Variation this move is the most popular. This is not surprising. The characteristics of the pawn structure imply the c4-c5 attack by White and . . .f7-f5 by Black. The move 9. b4 enables Wh ite to get going without beating about the bush. 9 . . . �h5 1 0. !!e1

The modern continuation . At one time they preferred to 'take the bull by the horns' with 1 0. c5, but it was realised that there were

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'Th is has become the main line after a lot of van Wely- Radjabov games' (Carlsen). In this sentence M agnus expressed the sum total of knowledge, accumulated in ChessBase - for him the opinion of mod ern experts is i mportant. But this is also the fru it of the decades of labour by such mighty King's Indian players as Yefi m Gel ler, Eduard Gufeld, Garry Kasparov and Boris Gelfand - the list could be extended .

178

M. Carlsen

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When conducting plans with an attack on pawn chains, you r own chain should be rei nforced . If 1 2. Af3 Black can reply by undermining the spearhead of the pawn chain - 1 2 . . . c6!?.

V. lvanchuk

It only remai ned to play . . . Cbd4, but Leek prevented this with 1 6. Cbd5! (1 6 . . . �d4? 1 7. e7) and after t h e forc i n g cont i n ua tion 16 . . .�xe4 1 7. Af3 �f6 18. b5 Cbxd5 1 9. bxc6! White retained the initiative. There followed 1 9 . . .�b6? 20. cxb7 �b8 21 . c5! e4 22. �xe4! dxc5 23. Wxd8 �fxd8 24. Ag5 �e8 25. �d1 Ad4+ 26.�exd4! cxd4 27. e7 and the e-pawn decided the game. But also after the better 19 . . .�c3! 20. cxb7 �b8 21 . Wc2 We8 22. Ad2 �a4 (with the idea of . . .�c5) 23. Ae3 White, with his pair of passed pawns, has an obvious advantage. The duel conti n ued in W ij k aan Zee 2007, when Radjabov went for the e6paw n with his other k n i g ht : 14 . . . Cb h 5 1 5 . g3 Af6 (with t h e idea o f . . . �g7) 1 6 . c 5 f4 1 7. g 4 �g7 1 8 . Ac4 �c6 1 9. cxd6 cxd6 20. �e2 �c8 2 1 . AdS �xb4 22. �b1 �c2, after which Black held the i n itiative and won the game. At Monaco 2007 i n their b l i n d fo l d g a m e van Wely began w i t h 1 5 . c5 a n d after 1 5 . . . �f4 1 6 . A c 4 fxe4 1 7. � xe4 �f5 1 8 . Axf4?! exf4 1 9 . Cbd5 �e8 Black safely got through the open ing. And fi nal ly, i n B i e l 20 07, van Wely corrected Wh ite's p l ay : 1 8 . g 3 ! ? Cbh3+ 1 9 . g2 �g5 20. �g4 �xf3 2 1 . xf3 e4+ 22. �xe4 A x a1 23. Ag5 tbe7+ 24. g2 Ae5 25. �f4 Axf4 , when after the fau lty 26. gxf4? with 26 . . . d5 B l ack seized the i n itiative and went on to win the game. M eanwhile, 26. Axf4! wou l d h ave g uar anteed a d raw: 2 6 . . . d 5 2 7. Wa1 + g 8 28. Ah6 Cbf5 29. e 7 Wxe7 30. Axd5+ �f7 31 . �f6+ h8 32. �h5+.

12 . . �h8 .

A u sefu l p rophylactic king m ove, i ntro duced into modern practice by Radjabov. Black prepares for the possible open ing of the a2-g8 diagonal in the event of 1 3 . �e6 Axe6 1 4 . dxe6, assuming that it is danger ous for his king to remain on it. 13. b5?!

'For some reason I decided against playing the main line - with 1 3 . �e6 - and came up with this move instead , which clamps down on the black queenside. It looked interesting to me during the game, but now I don't like it any more: it's probably just too slow' (Carlsen). A typical admission. Magnus is not inclined to think dogmati cally, although he undoubtedly knew the prospects for White in the event of 13. �e6 Axe6 1 4 . dxe6.

Analysis diagram

The dispute i n this position between van Wely and Radjabov began in 2005 at the World C u p in Khanty- M ansiysk, when Teimour tried to pick u p the pawn with his e7-knight , which is passively placed , by transferring it to c6 - 1 4 . . . fxe4 1 5. fxe4 �c6.

1 3 . . . � e8

With the same idea of attacking the e6pawn in the future from g7 (after . . . Af6). Of course, it is also possible to achieve the same aim after 1 3 . . .�h5.

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--� ��--------------

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14. A.e3

I n the event of 1 4 . c5 dxc5 1 5. Ae3 Black is not obl iged to defend the pawn - 1 5 . . . b6, since here 1 6. tbe6 Axe6 1 7. d xe6 takes place in a situation favou rable for Wh ite. Stronger i s 1 5 . . . A h 6 ! 1 6 . tDf7+ �xf7 1 7. Axh6, exchanging the ' bad' dark square bishop (variations by Carlsen). 14 . . . .tf6 1 5. �e6 .txe6 1 6. dxe6 �g7 1 7. Ah 6

The possession of the two bishops in the closed type of position after 1 7. tDd5 tbxe6 1 8 . tbxf6 �xf6 is not an advantage. 1 7 . . . �xe6

Otherwise the knight manoeuvre to g7 does not make sense. In the event of 1 7. . . tbg8 1 8 . Axg7+ Axg7 1 9. c5! Wh ite succeeds in defending his e6-pawn . 1 8. Axf8 Wxf8 a 8 7

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with opposite-colour bishops is clearly to White's advantage. 1 9. . .1t�xc5 'After this the k n i g ht will be somewhat sidelined. 1 9 . . . dxc5 was p robably bet ter. I intended to conti nue 20. Wd7 Wc8 21 . Wxc8+ � xc8 22. Ac4 with an about equal ending' (Carlsen). A confirmation of the previous comment. M agnus is objec tive not only with respect to his pieces. Let us continue the variation with 22 . . .tbd4, in order to see the difference in the placing of the knight: at d4 it is 'eternal', whereas at c5 it is merely trad itional and has no future. But let us be honest regard ing the natural reaction to 1 9. c5 - to whom would it occur to voluntari ly spoil his pawn structure in a simi lar situation, if it did not even occur to the non-trivially thinking lvanchuk? 20 .tc4 .tg5 The only way of activating the ' bad ' bishop. 21 . We2 'Wh6 22. liad1 Wh ite has managed to restrain the dark square bishop, by not allowing it to go to e3 or d2. But otherwise White's achievements are slight: an attack on the queenside for h i m is j u st as u n real istic as one on the kingside for Black. The position is one of dynamic balance. 22 . . . 1if8

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' I think this is basically the only move, as the highest priority is to activate the bish op' (Carlsen). This com ment shows the essence of M ag nus's concrete thinking. The main thing for him is the ideal plac ing of his pieces, for the sake of which he does not begrudge giving u p a pawn. With the activation of the bishop, the situation

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M. Carlsen

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23. a4

V. l vanchuk

28. !l:a1 !

'I was not quite sure if including a4 and . . . b6 was a good idea, as the a4-pawn will require constant attention now, but it has to be said that . . . b6 is also qu ite a conces sion here, as it gives up any dream of ever advancing the pawn centre' (Carlsen). One cannot help agreeing with the evaluation of 23 . . . b6, but as regards 23. a4 Magus is understating someth ing, and he most probably played t h i s intuitively. This is something we will be able to ascertai n . 23 . . . b6?!

It was safer to stick to a waiting course, as in the game - 23 . . . Wh4 24. g3 'Wh3 etc. 24. g3 'Wh3

An unpleasant move, preventing the con solidating �g2. 25. Wg2 Wh6 26. We2 Wh3 27. �h1

The avoidance of the repetition has the aim of dulling the veteran's vigilance. How otherwise can his reply be explained? 27. . . �d7?!

Why not sound out the opponent's inten tions with 27. . . Wh6 ?

' I believe that the rook is a little better off on a2 than on d1 , as it can now support a5, and also go to c2 in some lines' (Carlsen). Here it is, that amazing intuition! Magnus could not have known Eduard G ufeld, and had probably not read his book o n the King's I ndian publ ished i n 2002, but he exactly reproduced an idea of Tigran Pet rosian in a similar situation with a bishop on the h6-c1 diagonal, which he carried out in their game from the USSR Championship Final in 1 960. Here is the ad m i ring com mentary by the loser: 'While I was marking time, Petrosian gave me an object-lesson on the theme that time in chess, as in life, is irreversible. His gen ius was revealed in the fact that he avoided the ' m ined' square c1 ( a2-a4, b2-b3, ga1 -a2-c2, gf1 -b1 -b2) and succeeded in setting up a decisive bind on the queenside. Such a plan was hard to find and highly instructive. " I ron Tigran" sim ply reduced the board to seven ran ks, after which it transpired that my bishop was indeed firing into empty space.' Here you have the young Norwegian's lack of 'schooling ' ! N ot without reason do they say that he absorbs ideas like a sponge. 28 . . . Wh6 29. !l:a2 �f6?!

181

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Life at the Top

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Was the knight's run worth such effort, if it can be parried in one move?

39. Jace2!

33 . . . fxe4 34 . .lxe4 Wg5 35. Jac2 d5?

S i m ple and busi ness- l i ke! The e5-pawn cannot be held: if 39 . . . �f5 there is 40. g4, while if 39 . . . �e8 there follows 40. f4.

Black's play has come to a standstill, but why voluntari ly give up material? 35 . . . �f7 was more resil ient, although after 36. Ab7! with the idea of Ac8-g4 Wh ite neverthe less will force him to declare his intentions.

39 . . .Wf6 40. Jaxe5 Wxf3 41 . Wxf3 Ja xf3+ 42. 'it?e2 Jaf5 43. Jaxf5 gxf5 44. 'it?d3 c5 45. Jae5 �b4+ 46. 'it?d2

36. �xd5 �xg3 37. hxg3 �f4+ 38. 'it?f1

Black resigned .

The uninterru pted series of successes created another wave of i nterest in the rapidly prog ressing 1 7-year-old N orwegian. Carlsen's name was regularly among the first prize-winners at such prestigious tournaments as Wijk aan Zee, Linares, Nice, Baku and Foros - only successes, not a single failure. It appeared that to conquer the sum mit - a rating of 2800 - only one last effort was needed . Magnus's confidence in his own potential was impressive: he believed that he was capable of anyth ing, and that the limit of his possibilities lay far ahead . However, among the chorus of eulog ies, doubts were also expressed about the qual ity of his play, and it was said that his talent was only of a calculating nature. Numerous cock-and-bull stories were whipped up, such as his lack of 'schooling' with a su bstitute knowledge of computer dogmatism, and the surprise at how Carlsen had contrived , without reading a single classical chess book, to learn everything. What can we say? One can merely feel sym pathy for the ill-wishers. As for his love of chess, this question is indeed one that appeals only to basic instincts. Questions about the qual ity of his play also sound rhetorical , since the appreciation of Magnus's masterpieces depends on your own level of chess, and stories about his lack of school-

182

M. Carlsen

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V. lvanchuk

ing had long ago been refuted by his father. His schooling was at the level of a high quality expert, and prizes at super-tournaments testify to the marks of the examiners. And besides, can one talk about a lack of school ing, when you have such a mentor as Simen Agdestein? The famous Russian trainer Yu ri Razuvaev liked to remember the introd uctory sentence by M i khail Botvinnik at a session of his school: 'I m ust i m med i ately warn you that you cannot b e taught t o play chess, you c a n o n l y learn ! ' Magnus had learned . I ndependently. There were countless examples of this. It is clear that the times of the old chess stars are long si nce gone. Time has moved forward , and tech nical possibilities have also changed . And whereas i n the last century new ideas and conceptions were tracked down l iterally piecemeal in chess period icals, in the com puter age it would be silly not to use databases with m i l l ions of games, processed accord i ng to certain criteria. ' It is sufficient s i m ply to click on a few keys,' complains Alexander Khal ifman , whose main successes coincided with the start of mass com puter usage. ' Based on this, it is completely d ifferent q ual ities that are called for: calculation, memory and energy. Moreover, the key word here is memory! What becomes i m portant is not the abi l ity to look at many positions from various openings, but that all this should be i n your head .' One can argue with this. From the existing work with juniors it transpires that many talented players possess such qual ities as a good memory and excellent calculation, but only a few make it to the top. It is i m portant not only to be able to calculate, but also to know what to calculate. The main thing here is g rasping the depth of chess, understanding the essence of a position, enabl ing a n u m ber of variations to be i m mediately discarded and not considered . It is not possible to calculate everyth i n g . A player's class is determ ined by his abi l ity to chop off branches of the calculation ' tree' and find the correct continuation . This comes easily to only a few, among them Carlsen. 'I prob ably have qu ite a good understanding of chess,' he let slip i n one of his i nterviews . Th is the where the root of the q uestion l ies. As regards memory, it is worth dwelling on this factor i n more detai l . H ere Carlsen is undoubted ly superior to many of his contemporaries. During his apprenticesh ip, Agdestei n wrote an introductory letter to Garry Kasparov, extracts from which were published i n the magazi ne 64 Shakhmatnoe obozrenie. This was how he assessed the potential of his pupil: ' F i rst of all, M agnus has an incred ible, photographic type of memory, when a page is not read , but i m mediately i m pri nted on the brain and instantly assi milated . He remem bers not only the game itself, but also where, when and who played it. He is capable of read ing a book on a sharp open ing d u ring the cou rse of one evening (usually without using a board and pieces) and of playi ng it the following day even against a strong g randmaster. This explains why he has such a broad open ing repertoi re. It often seems to me that he can play everything and that i n the open ing he knows everything. It is wel l known that i n the Sicilian Defence there are several incred i bly sharp l i nes, where Wh ite unexpected ly sacrifices a cou ple of pieces, and it all ends with a better endgame - but suddenly Magnus tel ls me that all these compl ications are theory, and he knows about them! This is not

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surprising - he l iterally swallows all chess material.' We should remind the reader that Alexander Alekhine and M i khail Tal also had such a memory. And if to Carlsen's phenomenal memory you add this staggering intuition, plus his absol ute lack of fear of the strongest in the world - two i m portant qual ities remarked on by the famous trainer Mark Dvoretsky - this says a great deal . M ag n us's potential allows him to hope for a worthy place at the chess summit. Carlsen was self-sufficient; he acknowledged the strength of the leaders of the chess world, but he realised that he could beat any of them . The only one that Magnus had not yet got his 'teeth' into was the world champion Anand - he was the only one whom he had not managed to beat (not counting blitz games). Therefore their clash in Mainz, even in a rapid event, was of particular interest. There was no real battle. After suffering a fiasco in his favourite 'Dragon' in the first game, Magnus also conducted the second game weakly. The 1 -3 defeat was undoubted ly a blow to his self-esteem. However, there was nothing surprising about this, as rapid-play comes naturally to the quick-acting Anand; here he is the acknowledged leader. As for Carlsen's fai lure, there is a limit to everything, and a player can only do so much. The continuous bat tles at the top level, and with the bar raised high, demanded far more expenditure of energy than earl ier. Magnus arrived in Germany from Switzerland, where he had just played an intense tournament, and he looked very tired . It appeared that the battle in Biel did not herald any sensation. What for Carlsen , a regular partici pant in super-tournaments, was a FIDE category 1 8 tournament with a far from stellar field of six grandmasters! He set the pace: he won the fi rst half, and consolidated his success by also winning his second game agai nst the undoubted outsider Pelletier. But when it appeared that the fate of the fi rst prize was decided, Magnus was let down by his maximalism: he decided to win with Wh ite against Alekseev. He failed to finish off a slightly better position, and the protracted battle ended with the blunder of a pawn on the 75th (!) move and a loss. This game was the deciding point of Carlsen's performance in Biel, since a desperate attem pt to halt the leader Dominguez with the help of the risky ' D ragon' almost led to a second defeat. The outcome was 3rd place with 6 points out of 9. For the time being the storm ing of the 2800 summit had to be deferred .

curs quite often. By turning onto a sideline, Carlsen was hoping to outplay the Swiss grandmaster, who was performing badly in the tournament.

Game40 V. Pelletier - M. Carlsen

Biel 2008 Queen's Indian Defence [E15] 1. d4 tbf6 2. tbf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 J.a6 5. b3 J.b4+ 6. J.d2 Ae7 7 .tg2 d5

8. cxd5 exd5 9. tbc3 0-0 1 0. 0-0 Ab7 1 1 . §c1

•

7. . . c6 is considered the main continuation, but the move of the central pawn also oc-

184

(see next diagram)

Y. Pelletier - M. Carlsen

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8 7 6 5 4 4 � 3 3 [jj � � [jj 2 � ib � � ib � 2 1 1 � 1;1 1;1 � b

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8 7 6 5 4 4 � ib 3 3 [jj � � [jj 2 � � � � ib, � 2 1;1 1;1 �

a K ,.. 'iV K tfr 7 .t .i. .l J[ .i. .t .t .t 6 .t ,.. 5 .t

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1 1 . . . �bd7

14. l3cd1?!

In this position the more trad itional way of developing is considered to be 1 1 . . . tba6 followed by playing the knight to c7 after the c-pawn has moved . Of course, Wh ite can counter this. Here the game Aronian - lvan chuk (Morelia/Linares 2006) is of interest: 1 1 . . .tDa6 1 2 . Af4 l::! e8 1 3 . &DeS h6 14. tDbS!? cS 1 S . tDc4 (1 S. dxcS bxcS 1 6. tDc4 Ac6 17. tDbd6 is possible) 1S . . . Ac6 1 6. tDcd6 l::!f8 1 7. dxcS bxcS, and after 1 8. �d2!? (the game went 1 8. tDd4 cxd4 1 9. l::! x c6 tDb4 20. tDb7 �e8 21 . l::! c7 tDa6=) the hanging pawns are in need of defence. But after the classical knight manoeu vre . . .tDb8-d7-f8-e6 (in the style of the Carlsbad Variation of the Queen's Gambit) the knight also assists the undermining of the centre.

Pelletier follows in the footsteps of Aronian, taki ng into account the experience of the game van Wely- Leko (Dortmund 2008), where the attem pt to stop the c- pawn did not work: 14. � b2 tDf8 1 S . b4 tDe6 1 6. Ae3 Ad6 1 7. a4 �e7 1 8. l::! b1 a6 1 9. Ad2 l::! a b8 20. e3 cS 21 . bxcS bxcS 22. �a2 g6 23. dxcS AxeS 24. tbe2 tbe4 2S. l::!fd1 Aa8 26. l::! x b8 l::! x b8 with equal play. However, what he was hoping for is not clear. After Black's reply it transpires that White has simply wasted a tempo - an obvious hole in his home preparations. Carlsen does not forg ive such things.

1 2 . J.f4 c6

After t h e development o f t h e knight at d 7 Black is forced to su pport his dS-pawn .

14 . . . Ab4!

With the u nequ ivocal threat of 1 S . . . Axc3 1 6 . �xc3 l::! x e2. The problems are not re lieved by 1 S. &DeS?! tDxeS 1 6. AxeS tDd7 ! . 1 5. J. d 2 §c8 1 6. 'W b 2 'We7 1 7. §fe1 'Wf8 (see next diagram)

1 3. 'Wc2 l3e8 (see next diagram)

The same position was reached by transposition in the game Aronian - H uzman (Warsaw 200S).

As Carlsen hi mself thinks, in principle this queen retreat is not essential, since the threat of e4 with the idea . . . Axc3 exdS is not real istic. But he sensed that the op ponent was agon ising over his choice of

185

Chapter 3

a b c d e f g h 8 I .l. 'ii' fr 7 .l j_ 1.1\ .l .l .l 6 .l .l 1.1\ 5 l r .l 4 .t � 3 � Ci:J Ci:J � 2 �� a

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Life at the Top

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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p I an , an d so for t h e moment he improves the placing of his pieces. 18 . .lh3 J:Icd8 1 9. 'Wc2 h6!?

Cont i n u i n g the same waiting tactics. Ac tivity with 1 9 . . . 'De4 leads to m ass ex changes: 20. tDxe4 d xe4 2 1 . Axd7 �xd7 22. A x b4 'Wxb4 23. 'DeS �xd4 24 . tDxc6 Axc6 2S. Wxc6 �ed8 26. � xd4! with the simpl ification of the position and a prob able d raw, which did not suit Carlse n , who was a i m i n g for victory i n the tour nament.

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When pawn tension exists it is never easy to make a choice as regards the further transformation of the pawn structure. Should Black go in for an ' isolani ' - 22 . . . cxd4 23. tDxd4 'DeS, which stabilises the position with the prospect of protracted play, or decide on hanging pawns? Carlsen prefers to complicate matters. 23. J.xc3 �e4 24. dxc5 �xc3 25. 'Wxc3 bxc5 26. 'WaS �f6 a

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20 . . . cs 21 . �f5 a6

The bS-square has to be covered against the possible invasion of the knight.

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Magnus's tactics have worked . How can White refuse the invitation to go to fS? But with this creeping out of the ' lair' the play becomes much more lively, which in view of the difference i n motivation is to Carlsen's advantage.

(see next diagram)

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20. �h4

22. 'Wb2

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A typical position with hang i n g pawns. Black's pieces are ready to support their activity with . . . dS-d4 and . . .'Df6-e4, which demands energetic cou nter-action from Wh ite such as 27. �c1 !? or 27. Ag2. 27. 'Wb6?

1 86

L. Dominguez

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36

A strange move for a grandmaster. White provokes a pin, which is advantageous for his opponent.

.••

Sle3?!

There was a quick win by 36 . . . �c8! 37. Wa3 � xe2+! 3 8 . tD x e2 Wh3+ 39. �f2 Wf3+ 40. �g1 We3+ 41 . �g2 Ah3+ with mate in three moves (variation by Carlsen).

21. . . .tc8! 28. �g2

Only now did Pelletier see that the intended 28. tDxh6+ gxh6 29. AxeS does not work in view of the interposition 29 . . . �d6!, when White loses a piece. If 28. f3 there follows 28 . . . Ae6 with the threat of 29 . . . g6. 28

M. Carlsen

37. Wd4?

A time-trouble mistake, leading to a rapid d efeat. 37. �g1 was more resi lient, al though even here after 37. . . �c8 38. Wa3 �ce8 Wh ite would also have been u nable to resist the pressure.

�e4!

..•

With the th reat of . . . tD g 5 . N ow Wh ite's game goes downhill.

37 Wh3+ 38. �g1 Slxg3+ 39. hxg3 Wxg3+ 40. �h1 £f5

29. f3 �g5

•..

29 . . . tDc3 30. �d3 (no better is 30. �d2 d4 with the threat of . . .tDd5) 30 . . .tDxe2 31 . �e3 Axf5 32. �3xe2 �xe2+ 33. �xe2 Ad3 leads to the loss of a pawn.

Wh ite resigned .

30. g4 h5! 31 . Elc1 g6

Game41 L. Dominguez - M . Carlsen

31 . . . tDxh3 32. �xh3 hxg4+ 33. fxg4 g6 34. tDg3 Wh6+ 35. �g2 Axg4 was more accurate, in the end leading to a position which occu rred in the game.

Biel 2008 Sicilian Defence [ 878] 1. e4 c5 2. �f3 g6 3. d4 Ag7 4. �c3 cxd4 5. �xd4 �c6 6 . .te3 �f6 7. Ac4 0-0 8 . .tb3 d6 9. f3 Ad7 1 0. Vd2 Erc8 1 1 . 0-0-0 �e5 1 2 . �b1

32. �g3 �xh3 33. �xh3 hxg4+ 34. fxg4?!

34. �g2 was more resilient.

A useful prophylactic move, without which Wh ite cannot get by in most branches of the Dragon Variation. Wh ite takes his king i nto safety, inviting Black to declare his i ntentions. For example, i n the event of 1 2 . . . tDc4 1 3 . Axc4 �xc4 Wh ite can begin an attack with 1 4 . g4!?.

34. . .Wh6+ 35. �g2 £xg4 36. Vxc5? a

8 7 6 . 5 4

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This m ove i n combination with 9 . . . Ad7 was Carlsen's main weapon in 2008, one which he employed in five games. If 1 3 . g4 Black can play 1 3 . . . b5.

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This flank pawn breakthrough is nowadays a standard plan of attack. Black's defence is eased by the early exchange of the dark square bishops: 1 4 . Ah6 tbc4 1 5 . Axc4 �xc4 1 6. Axg7 c!ixg7, and here 1 7. g4 is not so dangerous - 1 7. . . hxg4 1 8 . h5 �h8. I n the rapid game Anand - Carlsen (Mainz 2008) Wh ite preferred 1 7. �he1 , and after 1 7. . . �e8!? 1 8 . tbde2 (1 8. tbd5 e5! 1 9. tbb3 tDxd5 20. 'Wxd5 Ab5=) 1 8 . . .'WaS 1 9. tDf4 �ec8 2 0 . tbcd5 'Wxd2 2 1 . � xd2 tD x d 5 22. tbxd5 � e 8 he satisfied h i m self with an equal endgame. 14. Ag5 is examined in the game Radjabov - Carlsen (Baku 2008). 14 . . . hxg4 1 5. h5 t"Llxh5 a

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In this variation Dom i n g uez was a pio neer, and it tu rned out that the exchange of the dark-squ are bishops was prema ture . S u bseq uently the more dangerous c o nt i n u at i o n 1 6 . � d g 1 was e m p l oyed against Carlsen , and his fi rst attem pt was a fai l u re. I n his rapid game against Anand (Mainz 2008) M ag n u s p l ayed 1 6 . . . 'Wa5 and after 1 7. Ah6 � xc3? 1 8 . Axg7 c!l xg7 1 9 . � x h 5 ! it was time for h i m to res i g n . Tru e , aft e r 1 9 . . . � x b 3 A n a n d s at i s fied h i m self with t h e w i n o f t h e q u een - 2 0 . 'W x a 5 , but he c o u l d a l s o h ave played more forcefu lly: 20. 'Wh6+! c!if6 2 1 . 'Wg 5+ c!lg7 2 2 . tD x b3 'We? 23. 'Wh6+ c!if6 24. �xe5. The experi ment with 16 . . . �c5, as played ag ainst To palov in the G rand Slam tour nament (Bil bao 2008), also ended i n fai l u re. T h e g a m e cont i n u ed 1 7. Ah6 c!ih7 1 8 . A x g7 c!i xg7 1 9 . f4 tb c 4 2 0 . A x c4 �xc4 21 . f5 e5 22. tbde2 �h8 23. b3 �c6? 24 . �xg4 tDf6 25. �gg1 � x h 1 26. �xh1 tbg4 27. tDg3 with an obvious advantage to Wh ite. And although an i m p rovement was found - 23 . . . �c8! 24. �xg4 (24. 'Wxd6 Axf5!) 24 . . . tbf6 25. �xh8 (25 . �gg1 'We?!) 25 . . . 'W x h 8 2 6 . � g 1 � c 6 , w h e n B l ack holds the position (A . Kuz m i n), Magnus d i d not tem pt fate any further. But the D ragon had once ag a i n demonstrated its viab i l ity! The main events occurred in the vari ation 1 6 . . . 'Wa5 1 7. A h 6 (where Carlsen suffered a disaster after 17 . . . � xc3?). At the Grand Prix tournament in Sochi 2008 Radjabov shocked Karjakin (and all con noisseurs of the Dragon) with a fantastic double exchange sacrifice. (see next analysis diagram)

188

L. Doming uez - M. Carlsen

impun ity, which would not be the case with his king on c1 on account of the exchange of queens after 1 8 . . . Axh6 1 9. 'Wxh6 �f4+. 1 8 . . . .lxh6

Not 18 . . .et:lc4?! 1 9. Axc4 �xd4 20. Ad3 Axh6 21 . �xh6 'Wg7 22. �e3 ttlf6 23. g5 etlh5 (after 23 . . .tileS 24. gg4 with the threat of ggh4 Black is forced to make a further weakening of his king's defences) 24. Ae2 followed by Axh5.

Analysis diagram

17 . . . Af6! ! 1 8. fxg4 Axg4 1 9. Axf8 �xf8 20. �e3 gxc3! 21 . 'Wxc3 �xc3 22. bxc3 e6 and Black gained excellent com pensa tion . Perhaps not sufficient for a win, but the psychological effect was so powerfu l that Karjakin was unable to save the game.

1 9. 'Wxh6 �g7 20. 'We3 �f6 21 . g5 �h5 22. �de2

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16 . . . e6?!

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This allows Wh ite to develop a dangerous initiative. Black should have clarified the sit uation by exchanging the dark-square bish ops: 1 6 . . . �h7! 1 7. Axg7 �xg7 1 8 . f4 et:lc4 19. Axc4 gxc4 20. f5 e5, when he would have achieved a good game (A. Kuzmin). 17. i:idg1 'Wf6

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This is where the val ue of 1 2. �b1 shows itself - Wh ite can capture the pawn with

T h i s m ove is m o re l o g i ca l in re p l y to 22. et:lce2 , whereas here 22 . . . b5 i s more appropriate. But i n that case too Wh ite carries out the same plan of attack as i n t h e g a m e : 2 3 . g x h 5 g x h 5 24. ttlf4 � h 8 2 5 . g h 1 w i t h t h e t h reat of ttlf4x h5-f6+, whereas B l ack's cou nterp lay is too late: 25 . . . h4 2 6 . 'Wf2 g xc3 27. bxc3 et:lc4 28. e5! , blocking the com m u n i ca-

189

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tions to the k i n g . N ow a l l capt u res o n eS are bad : 28 . . . til xeS 2 9 . g x h 4 , 28 . . . dxeS 29. g x h4 , o r 28 . . .'�xeS 2 9 . 'Wxh4. H owever, there is sti l l the possi b i l ity of 28 . . . gca, attempting to evacuate the king to the queenside.

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The alternative 24 . . .'Wh8 2S. gh1 h4 26. 'Wf2 gfd8 27. gxh4 'Wg7 28. gh3 gcs (with the idea of 29. &DhS &Dg4 30. 'Wf4 'WxgS) looks more attractive. a

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Carlsen does not miss such opportunities. Now he is able to cover his king.

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Of course, not 32. 'Wxg4?? Axc2+ 33. �c1 (33. �a1 gas mate) 33 . . . AfS+. 32 . . . .tf5 33. �h5 f6!

In amazing fashion Black has activated his position. With the inclusion of the rooks in the defence after 34. &Dxf6+ &Dxf6 3S. gxf6 �f7 Wh ite's attack peters out.

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34. �g3 §c7 35. �xf5 exf5 36. gxf6 �xf6 37. 'Wg5+ c;t?t7!

A rare instance of Carlsen playing impulsively. 2S . . ,gxc3 26. bxc3 &DeS 27. &DxhS 'Wg6, intending . . . gda, was essential.

The following was a false trai l: 37. . . gg7?! 38. 'WxfS gg1 + 39. �a2 ga8+ 40. &Da4 �f7 41 . 'WbS. 38. 'Wxf5

26. �ce2! 'Wxe4 27. Wxh5?!

It is not clear why Dom inguez rejected the thematic 27. tL!xhS! . After all, even 'by eye' it is obvious that the variation 27. . . fS 28. gxf6 �f7 29. tL!hg3 'Wg6 30. tL!f4 is u nable to save Black. He preferred to win the queen, thinking that the king would not run away, but he underestimated Black's defensive resources. 27. . . a4 28. §h1 'Wxh1 + 29. Wxh1 axb3 30. axb3

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M. Carlsen - T. Radjabov

38 . . . i:le7 39. b4

rtle7 45. Vd3 rtlt7 46. �b5 rtle7 47. �d4 rtlf7 48. 'Wf3 §h5 49. �f5 rtle6 50. �d4+

Not 39. �d5?? because of m ate in two moves.

Having fai led to find the key to the fortress, Dominguez forces a draw by repetition.

39 . . . i:le5 40. 'Wf2 i:ld8 41 . b3 i:ld7 42. rtlb2 i:lde7 43. 'Wb6 i:ld7 44. 'Wd4

50 . . .rtlf7 51 . �f5 rtle6 52. �d4+

Black begins erecting a 'fortress'.

Draw.

A new tournament - the Grand Slam in Bilbao (FI D E category 2 1 ) occupied a special place in the chess calendar. It was organ ised with a record prize fund for tournaments without the status of a world championsh ip - 400,000 Euros. The idea of the organis ers was that those playing in it should be the winners of the main super-tournaments of the year. Those taking part in the first tournament were the winners in Wijk aan Zee, Linares and Sofia - Aronian, Anand and lvanchuk, together with the personally invited Carlsen, Topalov and Radjabov. A special feature of the tournament was the 'football ' system of scoring (3 points for a w i n , 1 point for a draw). The battle of the ' big six' proved highly uncompromising. This was a benefit perfor mance by Topalov, who was striving to demonstrate the rig htfulness of his partici pation in the current world championsh ip cycle (he was facing a match with Kamsky). Veselin won four games, two of them against Carlsen , gaining revenge for the 'double' in Linares. The blow to Magnus's self-esteem was softened by second prize in the tournament: on the tie-break he finished ahead of Aronian. In last place, to general su rprise, was the world champion Anand.

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Game42 M. Carlsen T. Radjabov Grand Slam, Bilbao 2008 Sicilian Defence [ 878]

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1. e4 c5 2. �f3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. �xd4 �f6 5. �c3 g6 6. J.e3 £g7 7. f3 0-0 8. 'Wd2 �c6 9 . .lc4 J.d7 1 0. 0-0-0 i:lb8

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(see next diagram)

This is the co-called ' C h i nese D ragon'. The author of this brand name is the Belgian master Luc Henris, who under this title published an analysis of 10 . . . .§b8 in 2002 in the New in Chess Yearbook. The

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point of this move is to exploit the b-file after the exchange of the knight on c4. At the same time, the main tru m p of the

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'Chi nese' is to i m mediately react to the wing attack 1 1 . h4 or 1 1 . g4 with the pawn sacrifice 1 1 . . . b5! . It is dangerous to accept it. For exam ple, the game Stanford -Anka (McMi nnville 2004) continued 1 1 . h4 b5! 1 2 .tDdxb5 tbe5 1 3 . Ae2 \Wa5 1 4 . tbd4 1:!fc8 1 5 . tbb3 1:!xb3! 1 6 . cxb3 (1 6 . axb3? loses to 1 6 . . . tbxe4 1 7. fxe4 \Wa1 + 1 8. tDb1 tbc4!) 1 6 . . . \Wxa2 1 7. \Wc2 \WaS with an attack for Black. However, 1 2.tbcxb5!? tba5 1 3 . tba3 is not so clear.

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The position reached is typi cal of the 'Chi nese Dragon' structure. The last two moves are necessary for the defence of the king. Despite the enti re power of Black's heavy artillery, its defences are not easily breached.

Th is prophylactic move is best made i m mediately. After t h e d i rect attack 1 2 . h 4 b5 1 3 . h 5 ? ! (1 3 . � b 1 tbc4 1eads t o a posi tion from the game) 13 . . . tbc4 14. Axc4 bxc4 1 5 . Ah6 'lti!f b 6 W h ite i s forced to weaken his k i n g 's d efe n ce s . A g a m e Echevari a - d a Costa (correspondence 2003) cont i n u ed 1 6 . b3 Axh6! 1 7. \Wxh6 '!WaS 1 8 . �b2 1:!fc8 1 9 . tbde2 Ae6 with the i n itiative for Black.

1 6 . . .Wa5

12 . . . b5 1 3. h4

The effect of the move . . .tba5-c4 can be weakened by 1 3 . Ah6 A x h 6 1 4. \Wxh6, but, as often happens i n the Dragon, the early exchange of bishops does not give anything. For example, the game Berg - Ev domikov (Moscow 2007) contin ued 1 4 . . . e5!? 1 5 . tbde2 tbxb3 1 6. cxb3 b4 1 7. tba4 (or 1 7. tbd5 tbxd5 1 8 . 1:!xd5 Ae6 1 9. 1:!d2 1:!b6=) 17 . . .'!We7 1 8. tbg3 Ae6 1 9. h4 1:!fc8 20. hS 1:!c7 21 . '!Wg5 tbe8 22. '!Wd2 1:!c6 with equal play.

Black must act energetically to cou nterbal ance Wh ite's possible attack. Instructive, for exam ple, is the game Efi menko - Char bon neau (Montreal 200S), which contin ued 1 6 . . . !:!e8 1 7. Ah6 Ah8 1 8 . g4 hxg4 1 9 . h5 '!Wa5 20. hxg6 fxg6 21 . 1:!h4 gxf3 22. tbxf3 tbxe4? 23. tbxe4, and all Black's su bsequent efforts proved in vain: 23 . . . c3 24. tbxc3 !:!xb2 25. �xb2 Axc3+ 26. '!Wxc3 !:!b8+ 27. '!Wb3+ !:!xb3+ 28. axb3 e5 29. 1:!d1 Ac6 30. tbg5 d5 31 . !:!f1 1 -0.

Essential prophylaxis against the h4-h5 attack.

But there are q uestions. Apart from 1 9 . . . '!Wa5 , the captu re 1 9 . . . tbxh5 should also be exam ined . Now 20. !:!xh5 is parried by 20 . . . Axd4! (20 . . . gxh5? 21 . '!Wg5+ �h7 22. '!Wxh5 with a mating attack) 21 . Wxd4 e5. Also 20. fxg4 tDf6 21 . Ag5 tbxg4 22. tDd5 is unclear. And final ly, in the game White would hardly have felt so carefree if instead of 22 . . . tbxe4? Black had played 22 . . .tbg4! 23. tbd4 Af6.

1 6. !i b1

1 7. .th6

1 3 . . . tbc4 14 . .txc4 bxc4 1 5. ma1 h5!

192

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The specific natu re of the position is such that the typical pawn attack 1 7. g4 hxg4 1 8. h5 ti:)xh5 does not have the strength to break through, both after 1 9. fxg4 Axg4, and in the event of 1 9 . Ah6 gxf3 ! . I n the game Kulaots - Papp (H ungary 2008) White stuck to central strategy: 1 7. ti:)de2 l::!.fc8 1 8. l::!. h d1 l::!. b 4 1 9. a3 l::!. c bB 20. Ad4 1::1. 4 b7 and did not achieve anything sign ificant. We should add that also nothing is given by the typical tactic 1 7. ti:)d5 \Wxd2 1 8. ti:)xe7+ �h7 1 9. Axd2 ti:)xe4, when Black regains his pawn with the better position .

After the game Magnus ad m itted that he had forgotten about the typical idea 20. h5 g5!, cutting off the queen. Its release by 2 1 . ti:)f5 Axf5 22. \Wxg5+ h7 2 3 . fxg4 ti:)xe4! 24. \Wxf5+ (24 . ti:) xe4?? Wxa2+!) 24 . . . Wxf5 25. g xf5 ti:)g3 leads to an end game favourable for Black. 20 ... lafb8 21 . h5 g5

21 . . . ti:)xh5 22. fxg4 (22. ti:)f5 g xf5 23. laxh5 f4! is not good for White) 22 . . . Axg4 is stronger, when the knight on c3 stil l cannot move, since after 23. ti:)d5 l::!. a 6 24. a3 c3! 25. \Wxc3 (25. ti:)xc3? \Wxa3+!) 25 . . . Wxc3 26. ti:)xc3 White finds himself a pawn down.

17 . . . Axh6! 1 8. 'Wxh6 a

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Note this manoeuvre. Black intends to dou ble rooks and at the same time he restricts the mobility of the knight on c3 - if Wh ite removes the defence from the a2-pawn he gets mated ( . . . \Wxa2+! and . . . l::!. a6).

Radjabov is looking for a way to approach the king, but he fails to find one. He should have centralised his q ueen - 24 . . . Wc5 ! , w h e n he is i n co ntrol o f the situati o n . For example, in t h e event o f 2 5 . ti:) d 5 c3 26. �xc3 \We3 B l ac k transposes i nto a favourable endgame (Notkin).

1 9. g4

Usually this thrust is followed up with h4h5, but with the queen on h6 this does not work. But what else can be suggested for White? After all, 1 9. Wg5 l::!. a6 is too passive. 19 . . . hxg4 20. We3

25. lahg1 la b4 26. a3

Parrying the th reatened double sacrifice on a2 . 26 . . . Ae6

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After the game Radjabov suggested the pro m i s i n g q u een sacrifice 2 6 . . . !!a4 ! ? 27. tbxa4 �xd2 2 8 . tbxd2 !!xa4. a

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fai ls to achieve his aim with 30. �e2 tLlh6 31 . �g2, after which, apart from 31 . . . Ag4 32. �d2 f5, Black has an interesting com b i n ation: 31 . . . Axe4! 32. �xe4 �xa3+! 33. bxa3 !!xa3+ 34. tba2 !!xa2+! 35. �xa2 !!a4+ 36. �b2 c3+ 37. � xc3 !!xe4, trans posing i nto an unclear endgame.

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Sensing the somewhat ponderous nature of Black's manoeuvres, Carlsen resolutely opens up the position, forcing the oppo nent to solve concrete problems.

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The c o m b i n ation 27 . . . �xa3+ 28. bxa3 !!xa3+ 29. tba2 c3 is refuted by 30. �xg5+! fxg5 31 . !!xb4. 28. �xg5! .tf5

29. �ge4 mh7

On general g rou nds it wou l d be usefu l to remove the king from the danger zone - 29 . . . �f7!?. The attem pt to d rive back the knight with 30. �g3 wou ld be refuted by su pporti ng it with the rook: 30 . . . !!b8! 31 . �e2 tbh6 32. �e3 tbg4 33. �g1 tbh6, and Wh ite has to curb his ambitions - since 34. �g6? Axe4 moves the 'pointer' towards his own king: 35. tbxe4 �xa3+. He also

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It was essential to help the king - 31 . . . �b8! 32. �g2 �h8 (33 . !!g1 �b6), since now after 32. �g2 tLlf5 33. �g7+! Black would have had no defence. But is there any need to comment on ti me-trouble play? Perhaps only for the sake of establishing the truth . 32· lagS? �fS?

At this speed of play it is no wonder that a combination exam ined i n the notes to

194

L. Aronian

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M. Carlsen

Black's 29th move was missed: 32 . . . Af5! 33. �g2 Axe4! 34. �xe4 �xa3+! etc. , al though here the d ifference i n the placing of the kings tips the evaluation in favou r of Wh ite.

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Black resigned .

Game43 L. Aronian - M . Carlsen

G rand Slam, Bilbao 2008 English Opening [A32] 1. c4 c5 2. �f3 �f6 3. d4 cxd4 4. �xd4 e6 5. g3 �b4+ 6. �d2

Before this Aro n ian had played 6 . Ad2 , including against Carlsen i n their famous 2007 Candidates match i n Elista. True, this occu rred in the 1 1 th , bl itz game: 6 . . . Ac5 7. tDb3 Ae7 8. Ag2 tDc6 9. tDc3 b6 1 0. Af4 Ab7 1 1 . 0-0 0-0 1 2 . Ad6, where Magnus played the superficial 1 2 . . . tDa5?! (1 2 . . .tDe8 is sounder) 1 3. tDxa5 Axg2 14. r;t>xg2 bxa5 1 5 . e4 l:!c8 1 6 . b3 and ended up in an i n ferior position . But s i n c e that t i m e more than a year had passed - a gigantic d is tance for the swiftly- i m p roving Carlse n . B y defending against t h e check with h i s knight, Leven i nvites Magnus t o go i n for a ' hedgehog' structure.

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After complet i n g h i s kingside d evelop ment B l ack has to d e c i d e o n h i s s u b s eq u e nt p l a n , taki n g i nto acc o u nt t h e features o f the positio n . It is clear that , w i t h his b i s h o p o n g2, Wh ite w i l l aim to coord i n ate it with his k n i g hts, for which the natural posts are c3 and d4, but for the transference of t h e k n i g ht from d2 time is req u i red. I n the spi rit of the posi tion is 9 . . . d5 1 0 . cxd5 exd5 1 1 . tDb3 Af5 1 2 . tDcd4 Ae4, when with his isolated d pawn Black's pi eces are actively placed for the forthcom ing battle. Another plan i nvolves the setting u p of a ' hedgehog ' : 9 . . . b6 1 0 . b3 A b7 1 1 . A b 2 �c7 1 2 . e 4 d6 1 3 . tD e 3 , where Wh ite h a s a spatial advantage . 9 . . . §b8!?

A new idea. Black is intending to undermine the c4-pawn. 1 0. �e4

Wh ite is intending to seize control of the weak d6-point. Another route for the knight comes into consideration - 1 0. tDb3 with the idea of 1 0 . . . b5 1 1 . c5. It is true that this allows Black to develop pawn activity on the queenside, but, without the support of the pieces, this does not come to anyth ing:

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1 1 . . . a5 1 2. tDcd4 Yfic7 (1 2 . . .tDxd4 1 3 . Yfixd4) 1 3 . Ad2!? (1 3. a4 bxa4 expands the scope of the rook on b8) 13 . . . a4 1 4 . tDxc6 dxc6 1 5 . tDa5 (nothing is given by 1 5 . Aa5 Yfie5 1 6. Ac3 Yfic7) 15 . . . Ad? 1 6. Yfic2, and after 1 7. b4 White blocks the queenside, freeing his hands for play i n the centre. 10 . . . b5 1 1 . cxb5 §xb5 1 2 . ttld6 Axd6

After the roo k retreat 1 2 . . J � b 8 W h ite consolidates his hold on d6 - 1 3 . b3 Aa6 1 4. Aa3 Yfia5 1 5 . l:!e1 l:!fd8 1 6. e4 with the idea of 1 6 . . . tDe8 1 7. e5, and 17 . . . tDxe5? is not possible in view of 1 8 . tDc4! tDxc4 1 9. Axe?, winning the exchange.

n atural, with the prospect of converting the q ueenside pawn majority. 15 . . . §xb2 1 6. Ac5 §e8 1 7. §ab1

W h ite c o u l d h ave won the exc hange: 1 7. tDc4 l:!xe2 (not 17 . . . l:!b5?! 1 8 . a4 l:!b3 1 9. Yfid1 l:!c3 20. tDd6, winning material) 1 8 . Y!id3 Aa6 1 9. Yfixe2, but after 1 9 . . . d5 fol l owed by . . . Axc4 B l ac k wou l d have gained adeq uate material compensation. 1 7. . . §xb1 18. §xb1 Aa6

1 8 . . . Aa8 was weaker: 1 9 . tDb5 Y!ib8 20. l:! b 3 ! ? with the idea of 2 0 . . .tDa5 21 . Axa7, regai ning the pawn.

1 3. Wxd6 Ab7 14. ttla3

1 9. ttlb5 Axb5 20. §xb5 Wc8 21 . a4 h6

14. b3 tDe7 1 5. Axb7 l:!xb7 1 6. Ab2 came into consideration, retaining pressure on the dark squares.

It is useful to open an escape square for the king, prepari ng . . . Yfia6, which for the mo ment does not work because of 21 . . . Yfia6 22. Axc6 dxc6? 23. l:!b8.

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The ambitions of the two players have con verged on the d6-point. For the sake of this Aronian is ready to sacrifice a pawn, although fu ll compensation is not apparent. 1 5 . tDc4 l:!a6 1 6. Ad2 (preventing . . .tDa5) 1 6 . . . tDe7 1 7. Y!id3 Axg2 1 8 . c.!>xg2 is more

The logical com pletion of Wh ite's strategy was 22. e4!? Y!ia6 23. e5, when the advan tage of the two bishops is more apparent. Now the black q ueen comes out into the open. 22 . . .Wa6! 23. Ab2 Wxa4 24. Axc6

196

L. Aronian - M . Carlsen

dxc6 25. �b4

Chess history knows many examples of the conversion of an outside passed pawn with the same number of heavy pieces - re member the famous 34th game of the Ale kh ine- Capablanca match (Buenos Ai res 1 927). But there the king was covered by a continuous pawn chai n .

Si nce 25. 'Wxc6 a6 26. �c5 'Wxc6 27. �xc6 §a8 28. Axf6 gxf6 leads to a rook end game a pawn dow n , Aron ian prefers to keep the queens o n , with prospects of an attack agai nst the somewhat exposed black k i n g.

2 9 . . . f5 30. �a4?

25 . . . 'Wa5 2 6 . .1xf6 gxf6 27. �g4+ �h7 28. Wxc6

Too late, as now the i n itiative passes con cl usively to B l ac k . 30. �g2 was better, with the faint hope of 30 . . . We1 ?! 31 . 'We?, but Black plays 30 . . . �d2! 31 . �a4 'Wd5+ 32. e4 fxe4 33. 'Wxe4+ 'Wxe4+ 34. �xe4 �a2, transposing into a rook endgame with an outside passed pawn and real winning chances.

The suggestion of M i khail Golubev was more subtle: 28. 'Wd7 �f8 29. �f4!? and if 29 . . . h5 (cutting off the rook from g4), only now 30. 'Wxc6.

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Aronian is n ot lacking in i n g e n u ity, and within a couple of moves Carlsen's ambi tions will be curbed som ewhat.

29. 'Wc2+?

A critical moment. Wh ite q u ite logically ai m s to provoke the weakening . . .f6-f5 , but he carries it out inaccu rately, allowi ng an i m portant transposition of m oves . It was correct to beg i n with 29. �a4!. Since 29 . . . 'We1 + 30. �g2 �d1 is i neffective on accou nt of 31 . We? ! , the queen wou l d have t o move off the im portant diagonal - 29 . . . 'Wb6, and now 30. 'Wc2+ f5 31 . e4! fxe4 32. � xe4 exposes the king, forcing Black to concern himself with its defence.

33

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The kings have succeeded i n defending themselves. M ag n u s offers to take play i nto a queen endgame. 35. Wc2

W h ite c a n n ot refu se: 3 5 . �c4? �a3+ 36. �d2 'Wd5+ 37. �e1 �a2. 35 . . . �xa4 36. Wxa4

197

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Game44 M . Carlsen - L. Aron ian Grand Slam, Bil bao 2008 Sem i-Slav Defence [ 04 7]

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1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. �f3 �f6 4. �c3 e6 5. e3 �bd7 6. J.d3 dxc4 7. J.xc4 b5 8. J.d3 J.b7 a

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39 . . . We5 40. gxf5+ �xf5 41 . We8 �g6 42 . 'Wf8 a4 43. e3 'We4+ 44. �g3 Wd3 45. h4

It is poi ntless to p l ay 4 5 . 'M'g8+ <;!;lt6 46. Wh8+ <;!;le7, when the king escapes from the checks. 45 ... a3 46. �h2 'Wf5

Black also wins by 46 . . . a2 47. h5+ <;!;lt6 48. 'M'xh6+ <;!;le7 49. Wg5+ <;!;Ita 50. Wf6 'M'd1 . 47. Wxa3 Wxf2+ 48. �h3 'Wf3+ 49. �h2 �h5 50. 'Wf8 'Wf2+ 51 . �h1 �g4

Wh ite resigned.

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The transition i nto a pawn endgame by 36 . . . 'M'e4+ 37. 'M'xe4 fxe4 38. <;!;lxe4 is for lovers of pai nstaking home analysis, but, speaking on general grounds, it is u n real to hope to save this ending where the op ponent has an outside passed pawn.

39. e4 was objectively somewhat strong er.

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Cu rrently the main continuation, which has supplanted the classical 8 . . . a6 9. e4 c5 1 0 . e5 cxd4 1 1 . &Dxb5 axb5 1 2 . exf6 gxf6 1 3 . 0-0 'M'b6 14. 'M'e2 . Of the recent battles on this theme, mention should be made of the Kram n i k - Anand duel in the match for the world cham pionsh i p (Bonn 2008), where Black was able to demonstrate an in tegrated plan of attack on the king side. The 5th game of the match continued 1 4 . . . Ab7! 1 5 . Axb5 l::! g 8! (the most accu rate move order) 1 6. Af4 Ad6 1 7. Ag3 f5 1 8 . l::!fc1 ! f4 1 9. Ah4 Ae7 20. a4 Axh4 21 . &Dxh4 <;!;le?! with complicated play. 9. a3! b4 1 0. �e4 �xe4 1 1 . J. xe4 bxa3 1 2 . 0-0 �f6

Black's play is based on n uances. By de laying the development of his dark-square bishop, he hopes to save a tempo in com parison , for exam ple, with the game Aro nian - Grischuk (G rand Prix, Sochi 2008),

1 98

tD

M . Carlsen - L. Aro n i a n

------

which cont i n ued 1 2 . . . Ad6 1 3 . b3 �f6 14. �d2 Y!ic7 1 5 . Af3 ! Axh2+ 1 6. h1 Ad6 1 7. �c4 Ae7 1 8. Axa3 0-0 1 9. Ac5! );!.fd8 20. b4 with a spatial advantage for Wh ite. If 1 2 . . . Ae7 there can follow 1 3. b3 0-0 14. Axa3 Axa3 1 5 . l;!.xa3 Y!ie7 1 6 . b4 with pressure for Wh ite on the q ueenside.

1 6. Ab5+ �d7 1 7. �e5 with a mortal pin) 1 6. �d4! Ae7 1 7. �f5, and now in the event of castling - 1 7 . . . 0-0? Black comes under a mating attack: 1 8 . �xg7! xg7 1 9. Y!lg4+ h8 20. A xf6+ Axf6 21 . Y!if5 . 1 6. tbe5 tbfS 1 7• Y!Va4 .tb4 18. tbxc6 .txcS 1 9. Y!VxcS+ me7 20. �fd1 �c8 21 . 'Wf3 'Wb6

13 . .td3 axb2 14 . .txb2 a5

Vacating the square for the rook.

Black is ready to develop his bishop on b4, neutralising Wh ite's pressure on the open files on the queenside. a

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By blocking the q u e e n , Wh ite prepares an exchange sacrifice on b4, after which the black king w i l l come u n d er the dan gerous c ross-fire of the bishops. I n the event of the d i rect 24. l;!.ab1 with the idea of 25. Ac5+ B l ack can either sacrifice his q u e e n : 24 . . . l;!. h e 8 25. Ac5+ A x c 5 2 6 . l;!. x b8 l;!. xd 1 + 2 7. Y!i x d 1 .§ x b8 w i t h a d efe n s i b l e positi o n , o r m e c h a n i c a l l y forestall Wh ite's threat: 2 4 . . . l;!.d 6 25. Ab7 .§ h d 8 , prepari n g the evac uati o n of the king.

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The main idea of the pawn sacrifice is revealed after 15 . . . exd5 (not 15 . . . cxd5?

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Black has succeeded i n coordinating his forces, but this move gives a new impe tus to Wh ite's i n itiative. Correct was 24 . . . e5! 2 5 . Ab6 .§d6 26 . .§ x d 6 Y!ixd6 (not

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26 . . . Axd6 27. l::! x a5 with the threat of !::!a?) 27. Ax aS Ax aS 28. l::! x a5 l::! d 8, and Black completes his development. 25. h3

If 25. l::! ab1 there fol lows 25 . . . tbg4 26. g3 f6, preparing an escape square for the king. 25 . . . h4

Here too 25 . . . e5 should have been played . 26. S:ab1 ! e5

Too late! 27. S:xb4! a

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It is hard to comment on this type of carelessness without taking the preceding play into accou nt. It seems incred ible that such a powerful g randmaster as Aronian was unable to assess the conseq uences of Wh ite's attack after the obvious 28. Ac5+. But simi lar 'black-outs' often occur with Carlsen's opponents, who are u nable to withstand the prolonged tensi o n , when they have to fi nd a series of only moves. Now the black king ends up in a mating net and the game concludes quickly. 27. . . exd4 28. l::! b xd4 'lflc7 was essential , parrying the d i rect threats, although the ill-considered advance of the h-pawn has seriously com promised Black's position. For exam ple: 29. AdS tbxd5 30. l::! x d5 l::! x d5 31 . 'lflxd5, and in view of the th reat of '/flg5+ he can hard l y avoi d a further weakening of his position - 31 . . .f6. 28. Ac5+ �e6 29. S:a1 !

The game is decided. 29 . . . S:d6 30. Axd6 �xd6 31 . 'Wc6+ �e7 32. S:a8! 'Wd6 33. 'Wxd6+ �xd6 34. S:xh8 b3 35. Aa6 ttid7 36. S:xh4 ttic5

Black resigned.

At the Olympiad i n Dresden Carlsen performed as a genuine leader. He confidently led the Norwegian team in all eleven matches, in which he contributed 71/2 points. The entire team also played wel l and finished i n 1 9th place, its most successfu l in recent h istory. Among the young player's games, special note should be made of the one with the veteran Alexander Beliavsky, in which Magnus was given another master class by one of the outstanding grandmasters from the 'golden age' of chess.

200

M. Carlsen - A. Bel i avsky

He undoubted ly knew that after the bishop retreat 1 2. Ac2 with 12 . . .tDe6 1 3 . tDg3 Axf3 14. �xf3 Ag5 Black can exchange his 'bad ' dark-square bishop and obtain the bet ter game. I ndeed , in the i m mediate future Wh ite can not advance d3-d4, whereas Black has a clear plan - . . . g7-g6, . . . f�g7, . . . �g5 and the preparation of . . .f7-f5 .

Game 45 M. Carlsen A B eliavsky Olympiad , Dresden 2008 Ruy Lope z [ C84] -

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1 . e4 e5 2. �f3 �c6 3 . .tb5 a6 4 . .ta4 �f6 5. 0-0 .te7 6. d3 d6 7. c3 0-0 8. It e1

Alexander B e l i avsky i s known for be ing faithfu l to the open ings he employs. Therefore i n his preparations for the game Carlsen was probably expecting the vari ation with 8 . . . tDd7, which Beliavsky had employed against h i m i n the ' Rising Stars' tournament in Amsterdam 2006 in reply to 8. tDbd2, and also in this Olympiad against Bachman, who i n fact played 8. l::! e1 . But the experienced g randmaster changes course. Besides, the game with Bac h man, w h i c h d eveloped i n very u n usual fashion - 8 . . . tDd7 9 . d4 exd4 1 0 . cxd4 tDb6 1 1 . Axc6 bxc6 1 2. tDc3 aS 13. Ae3 f5 1 4 . e5 f4 1 5. Ac1 d5, left some questions unanswered .

1 2 . . . bxc6 1 3 . g4

The main line is considered to be 1 3 . tDg3 A xf3 1 4 . �xf3 tDe6 1 5 . Ae3 c5, where Black has a comfortable game. 13 . . . .tg6 14. �g3 �e6 15. mg2

Wh ite delays with the logical 1 5. d4, and after Black's reply it is no longer a reality. 1 5 . . . c5 1 6. It h1 f6 1 7. h4 d5 a

8 .!. 7 5 4 3 2 1

8 . . . .tg4 9. h3 .th5 1 0. � bd2 �d7 1 1 . �f1 �c5 a

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It is hard to surprise Carlsen in the open ing.

Carlsen recognises in good time that he has not achieved anything from the opening and has even ended up in an inferior position. Therefore he fixes the pawn structure in the centre, realising that otherwise Black himself will play . . . c5-c4 and gain control of the i mportant d3-point. But now the d4point becomes weak, and it may prove an excellent outpost for the black pieces.

201

Ch apter 3

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dxe4

There i s n o point in B l ack avo i d i n g the exchange of queens (1 8 . . . c6), si nce after 1 9. tDfS Wh ite has active play on the king side. I n the endgame Black gains control of the d-fi le, and the attractiveness of the d4-point is not red uced .

The bishop makes way for the knight, ex ploiting the fact that the cS- pawn is ta boo: 30. AxeS E!xd3 31 . E!xd3 AxeS; or 30. tDxcS tDb4 31 . E!xd8 E!xd8 32. E!c1 E!d2 33. tDxa4 E!xf2+ 34. �xf2 tDd3+ 3S. �e3 tDxc1 , and White has to make considerable efforts to regain the knight. 30. et:\e3 et:\d4 31 . !ac1 et:\e6 32. !acd1

1 9. dxe4 'Wxd1 20. !axd1 !afd8

This rook, since the f8-sq uare has to be freed in the event of tDfS .

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I n the event of the exchange on d4 28. tDxd4 cxd4 29. Af2 g6 30. E!cc2 cS Black strengthens h i s centre, and after . . . Ad6 he prepares . . .f6-fS .

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A m ove i n t h e sty l e of t h e n i nth world c h a m p i o n Tigran Petrosian . B l ac k dis p l ays h i s read i ness to sacrifice the ex change: in the absence of his dark-square bishop, Wh ite will h ave nothing with which to defend the dark squ ares . 32 . . . E!xd3?! wou l d have been a false tra i l : 33. E!xd3 tDf4 + 3 4 . �g3 tD x d 3 3 S . E! x d 3 E!xb2 36. E!d 8 g6 37. tDd 1 !, and i n view of the th reat of AxeS Black is forced to g ive up the exchange: 37. . . E!xf2 38. � xf2 Axc4 39. tDc3 �f7 40. E!a8 , when he has a dif ficu lt endgame. 33. �h2

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Bel i avsky gives the young g randmaster a good lesson in strategy. Having estab l ished control of the b-fi le with . . J !ab8 and . . . a7-aS, he at the same time weakens the dark squares in Wh ite's position.

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M . Carlsen- A. Bel i avsky

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N evertheless forcing the acceptance of the exchange sacrifice, as otherwise af ter . . . c7-c6 the pin on the d-fi le goes i nto operation.

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The 37-year handicap nevertheless means something! After safely reaching the time control, the tired Bel iavsky conti nues play ing 'automatically' and blunders a pawn. After 42 . . J:Ia8! he would have had a stra teg ically won position.

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8 7 6 5 4

A material advantage, although a mini mal one, is now on White's side. Beliavsky faces a difficult struggle for a d raw, in which he successfu lly demonstrates his defensive mastery.

48. �d5!? was more energetic, with the idea after 48 . . .�d4 of playing 49. fid b2 , intend ing the exchange of rooks, and in the event of 49 . . . Axd5 50. exd5 Black has to reckon with the passed d-pawn .

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54. f!:bb4

54. fib8! Ad6 55. fic8 was stronger. For example, 55 . . . Axe4+?! does not work i n view o f 5 6 . �g3 with t h e threat o f fixc5. 55 . . . fia2+ 56. �f3 (56. �g1 fia5 57. �f2 �e6 58. �f5 is also i nteresting) 56 . . . �b3 is safer, but here White can return the ex-

03

Chapter 3

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change by playing 57. �c3 (57. c!>g3 �d2 58. fk2 !!xc2 59. !!xc2 �xe4+ leads to a reduction in the material) 57. . .�d2+ 58. c!>e2 !!b2 59. c!>d3 with dangerous threats. 54 . . . iia2+

54 . . . Af7 55. !!c3 !!a1 was stronger. 55. mg3

B lack's defence wou l d have been more d ifficult after 55. c!>f3!? �e6 56. �c3 !!h2 57. !!b8 (57. h5? �g5+) 57. . . !!h3+ 58. c!>e2 Ac5 59. �f5 . 55 . . . iid2 56. h5 .tf7 57. iic2 a

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57. . . iid4!

An accurately-calculated exchanging op eration with a red uction in the n u m ber of

Life at the Top

pawns, in which by some m i racle the d3pawn survives. 57. . . !!d3!? 58. !!e2 g61ooks more prosaic, but perfectly sound. 58. iixd4 exd4 59. �f5 d3 60. iib2 �xe4+ 61 . mt4 �c5 62. �f2 g6

The n u m ber of pawns is i n exorably re d uced . 63. hxg6+ mxg6 64. me3 J.e6 s5. �h4+ mg5 ss. �t3+ mgs s1. iibs mt7

After 67. . . Ah6+ 68. c!>d4 d2 the passed d - pawn conti n ues to s u rvive: 69. !!c6 (69 . f! b1 �d7 70. c!>d3 �C5+ 71 . c!>d4 �d7) 69 . . . �b3+ 70 . c!>c3 Ad5 71 . �h4+ c!>g5 72 . !!d6 Ab7! 73. �f5 (73 . !!b6 �c5) 73 . . . Af8 74. !!d7 �c5, and now 75. !!xd2 �e4+ 76. �xe4+ Axe4 leads to the loss of the last pawn. 68. iic6 .td7 69. iic7 mea 70. �d4 Ah6+ 71 . mt3 �e6 12. �xe6 Axe6 73. �xd3 f5 74. g xf5 Axf5

Al ready here peace cou ld have been con cluded. 75. �e5 Af8 76. iia7 Ad6 77. �c4 Ah2 78. �e3 .td7 79. me4 Ag1 so. iia8+ mt7 81 . iia7

Draw.

The year 2009 began i n an u n usual way for Carlsen . The N o rweg ian's ad m i rers were su rprised by h i s peaceab l e n ess at the su per-to u rnament i n W ij k aan Zee (FI D E category 1 9) . It seemed that t h i s was the very t i m e to b u i l d on the success of the previous year, since fo r vari ous reasons the main favou rites for the chess crown h ad decli ned to p l ay in the tournament: Anan d , Kram n i k and To palov. But alongside Carlsen's name in the tournament table a depress i n g series of ' half poi nts' appeared . H owever, it was clear to the experts that the reasons were of a perso nal nature . It is wel l known that Carlsen n ever plays d e l i berately for a d raw, as i n d i cated at the l east by the length of h i s games. One of the reasons for such

04

M. Carlsen - L. Dom i nguez

an occu rrence was h i s g reatly increased prestige: opponents began p l aying more cautiously ag ainst h i m . But there were also some notable set- bac ks. Playi ng ' by tec h n i q ue' i n the endgame d i d not always work, as, for exam ple, i n heavy piece end i n g s with Radj abov and Karjaki n , which by their protracted n atu re resem b l ed individual games. N evertheless, by w i n n i n g i n rou n d s 1 0 and 1 2 ag ainst Dom i n g uez and Smeets , Carlsen j o i ned the battle for the fi rst prize. But his strength was on the wane, and i n the l ast rou n d he was outplayed by Wang Yue. Com pared with the fai ry-tale previous year, h i s fi nal score of +1 with ten d raws and a share of 5th-6th places looked very modest i n d eed .

Wxd3 1 5 . l::! x d3 &Dc6 1 6 . 0-0 &DeS gives Black an easy game.

Game 46 M. Carlsen - L. Dominguez

Wij k aan Zee 2009 G runfeld Defence [ 081]

12 . . . c6 13. �f3

For the moment it is too early to separate the d-pawn from its base. I n the event of 1 3 . d6 Ae6 14. &Df3 Wf6 Black is threatening to su rround it: 1 5 . Wc2 l::! d 8 1 6. 0-0 &DeB.

1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 g6 3. �c3 d5 4. 'Wb3 dxc4 5. 'Wxc4 .tg7 6. e4 0-0 7. .te2 �fd7 8 . .te3 �b6 9. 'Wd3 a

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13 ... cxd5 1 4. �xd5 �xd5 1 5. 'Wb3

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8 --�..t'if 6 5 4 3 2 1

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9 . . . f5

Dom inguez tries to carry out this idea more accu rately than i n his game with Kram n i k from t h e Olympiad in Dresden, where h e played 9 . . .&D c 6 1 0. l::! d 1 f5. 1 0. l::!d 1 f4 1 1 . .tc1 e5 1 2 . d5

The critical continuation. This pawn has the prospect of becoming passed. The feature less 1 2 . &Df3 exd4 1 3 . &Dxd4 c5 1 4 . &Ddb5

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This was undoubted ly prepared at home. The exchange of q ueens, carried out in the game Jakovenko - Mamedyarov (G rand Prix, Elista 2008), did not g ive Wh ite any t h i n g : 1 5 . Wxd5+ Wxd5 1 6 . e x d 5 Af5 1 7. 0-0 &Dd7. Carlsen is not against the queen exchange, but in a better version. For exam ple: 1 5 . . . W b 6 1 6 . Ac4 Wxb3 1 7. Axb3 &Dc6 1 8 . Axd5+ �h8 1 9. h3. 15 . . . �h8

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Chapter 3

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The pawn sacrifice 1 5 . . . Ae6 1 6. exd5 Af7 1 7. 'l!flxb7 tDd7 looks promising, but after Carlsen's meteoric rise the psychological approach of his opponents was al ready d ifferent. For exam ple, after 1 8 . d6 Axa2 1 9. 0-0 Ae6 20. f!fe1 the wh ite pieces co ord i nate very harmoniously, and the d6pawn may cause Black certain problems. Doming uez sensibly prefers not to throw caution to the winds and to retain a stable position. 1 6. Ac4 �c6 1 7. Axd5 Y!le7 1 8 . h3 � b4 The alternative was 1 8 . . . tDd4 1 9. tDxd4 exd4 2 0 . f! d 3 (20 . 0 - 0 ? f3) 2 0 . . . Af5 21 . 'l!flxb7 'l!fte5! with good compensation for the pawn. For example: 22. 0-0 (22. f!f3 g5 looks u n natu ral) 22 . . . f!ab8 23. 'l!ff xa7 Axe4 24. Axe4 'l!flxe4 25. f!a3 f!a8 etc. 1 9. Ac4 Carlsen avoids the exchange of his ac tive bishop, overloo k i n g B l ack's rep ly. Meanwhile, after the simple 1 9. 0-0 tDxd5 20. exd5 'l!ff f 7 21 . f!fe1 (otherwise there fol lows the blockad ing tDf3-g5-e4) 2 1 . . . Wf5 22. d6 this pawn causes Blac k consid erable problems. For exam ple: 22 . . . f!b8 23. 'l!ftc3 (23 . Ad2 e4 24. Ac3 ! exf3 25. f!e7 is tempting, but Black can play 23 . . . Ae6) 23 . . . Ae6 24. f!xe5! Axe5 25. tDxe5 <;!;lg8 26. d7 Wf6 27. 'l!ff c7. a

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Now Black solves his open ing problems. 20. Axb5

Also after 20. Ad2 bxc4 (weaker is 20 . . . a5 21 . Axb4 axb4 22. Ad5) 2 1 . 'l!flxb4 '�!ftc?!? (21 . . . Wxb4 22. Axb4 f!e8 23. 0-0) 22. Ac3 Ab7 23. tDg5 f!ae8 Black has noth ing to fear. 20 . . . �xa2 21 . Ad2 §b8 22. Y!la4 Y!lb7 23. 0-0 Y!lxb5 24. Y!lxa2 Y!lxb2 25. Y!lxa7 Y!l b7 26. Y!lc5 The position has stabil ised . The weakness of the e5- pawn is compensated by the weakness of the e4-pawn. 26 . . . Ae6 26 . . .'l!ff xe4 is also possible, but Black has to withstand some initiative by Wh ite: 27. Ac3 Ab7 28. Axe5 Axe5 29. f!fe1 f!bc8 30. Wa3 f!a8 31 . Wb3 Wa4. From the practical point of view, with ti me-trouble approaching, the move in the game is safer. 27. Y!ld6 Ab3 28. §b1 Y!lxe4 29. Ac3

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29 . . . §bd8?!

It is from such trifles that the precond itions for an attack are created . If one looks at the d ifference in the defences of the kings, it is obvious that after exchanges on e5 the black king w i l l to subject to a 'draught' along the adjacent a1 -h8 and a2-g8 di ag o n a l s , w h i c h i s d a n g e ro u s with the

2 06

M. Carlsen - L. Do m i nguez ------

queens on the board . M eanwh i l e , after the simple 29 . . . �dS the th reat of . . . eS-e4 wou ld have forced Wh ite to exchange the queens - 30. AxeS AxeS 31 . �xeS+ �xeS 32. tDxeS AdS with an i m m i nent d raw.

Over the last three moves the situation has changed sharply. 32 . . . .td3?

The bishop s h o u l d h ave been u rg e ntly switched to the a2-g8 diagonal - 32 . . . Ae4 33. AxeS �a? 34. tDgS AdS 3S . .!;d1 h6 36 . .!;bxdS ,l;xdS 37. .!;xdS hxgS. Black has a broken pawn structure, but the win is sti l l a l o n g way off. One g a i n s the i m pression that Dom i n g uez fai ls point-blank to see the vital d iagonal.

30. 'Wa3 Ac2?

Taking into accou nt what was said earl ier, the bishop should have been kept on the a2-g8 d i agonal, for example 30 . . . AdS. Carlsen i m med iately exploits Black's m is take. 31 . gb5! 'Wa4?

Another inaccu racy. The q ueen coord i nates better with t h e other pieces after 31 . . . �c6 , and alt h o u g h W h ite can sti l l torment h i s opponent, there i s n o d i rect win: 32 . .!;xeS!? (or 32. �b2 §c8 33. AxeS AxeS 34. tDxeS �c3 3S. �a2 .!;c7) 32 . . . §a8 33. �b2 Ae4! (after 33 . . . .!;fc8 34. Ad4 Wh ite is domi nant on the long d iagonal : 34 . . . .!;ab8 3S . .!;e7! ,l;xb2 36 . .!;xg7 with the win of a pawn - 37. .!;xg6) 34. tDd4 �b7 3S . .!;bS �f7 etc. 32. Wb2 a

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There is no longer any way of saving the game. T h i n g s are hopeless after both 33 . . . Axf1 34. AxeS .!;d7 3S. Axg7+ and 33 . . . .!;d7 34. CD xeS AxeS 3S. AxeS+ �g8 36 . .!;xd7 �xd7 37. �b3+ ,l;f7 3 8 . .!;c1 , when the th reats of .!;c7 or Ab2 and �c3 , with an attack on the long diagonal, are irresistible. 34. 'Wb4 gfe8 35. ge1

3S. AxeS! AxeS 36. tDxeS .!;xeS 37. �xf4 was more energetic .

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3S . . . Aa6 36 . .!;a? .!;a8 37. AxeS wou l d merely h ave delayed B l ack's i n evitable defeat. 36. �xe5 Axe5 37. Axe5+ gxe5 38. Wxf4 Wf5 39. Wh6

Black resigned .

I n Linares (FI DE category 2 1 ) Carlsen a s though by inertia contin ued his ' Wij k' drawing series and began the tournament with five draws. But the essence is not i n the n u mber of draws - in such stel lar com pany this is natural - but i n the qual ity of the play. And here open ing preparation comes to the fore. G iven the modern state of theory, it is only

2 07

Chapter 3

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with the wh ite pieces that it is realistic to hope to win against a player of equal class. But this demands pai nstaki ng work and searches in the labyri nths of theory, which is not to Magn us's taste. Typical, for example, is this ad m ission in one of his interviews: 'I have never l i ked studying opening theory. For me a normal position is sufficient. If I have an advantage in an end i n g , I can play for a long time, trying to force the oppo nent to make a mistake.' But in su per-tournaments it is na"lve to rely on players making mistakes. And the deficiencies of Carlsen's opening preparation were seen already in the second round, when with Wh ite he was obliged to force a d raw in his game with Doming uez after m issing a trick.

1. c4 c5 2. tbf3 tbc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. tbxd4 tbt6 5. tbc3 e6 6. g3 'Wb6 7. tbdb5 tbe5 8 . .tf4 tbfg4 9. 'Wa4 (9. e3 is more often played) 9 . . g5! 10 .txe5. .

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two successive losses, to Aro n i an and Wan g Vue, in w h i c h , p l ay i n g Wh ite, he not only fai l ed to extract anything from the open ing, but even ended up in i nferior positions. And only an i m portant win in the 1 Oth round over the l eader G risch uk enabled h i m to fi nish the tournament wor thily in 3rd place.

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Game 47 M . Carlsen - V. Anand

Linares 2009 Semi -Sla v Defence [ 045]

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1 0 'Wxf2+! (in the game Aron ian - Leko, Morel ia/Linares 2008, 10 . . .tL!xe5 was played) 1 1 . �d1 tbxe5 1 2 . tbc7+ �d8 1 3. tbxa8 'Wd4+ 14. �c2 tbxc4, and Carlsen went i n for a repetition of moves: 1 5. �b3 tbd2+ 1 6. �c2 tbc4 1 7. �b3 tbd2+ 1 8 . �c2 112-112. . . •

1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. tbc3 tbt6 4. e3 e6 5. tbf3 tb bd7 6. 'Wc2 .td6 7. g4 tbxg4 8. lag1 'Wf6 9. laxg4 'Wxf3 1 0. laxg7 tbf6 1 1 . h3

However, i n the 6th round M agnus nev ertheless managed to ach i eve what he wanted - he gai ned a m i n i mal endgame advantage and i n a d rawn-out game he defeated Anand for the fi rst time. But this proved to be a ' pyrrh ic' victory. Magnus began the second half of the event with

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M. Carlsen - V. Anand

Beg i n n i n g a chase of the q u e e n - l:!gS and Ag2 i s th reaten e d . I f Wh ite begins with 1 1 . l:!gS, t h e n 1 1 . . .l�� e 4 1 2. tD x e 4 (1 2 . Ag2 'Wf6) 1 2 . . . d x e 4 1 3 . Ag2 'Wf6 14. l:!g4 eS is possible, with roughly equal chances.

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Of course, if 1 2 . Ad3 Black w i l l happily capture the pawn - 12 . . .'Wxh3. 1 2 . . . exf5 1 3. cxd5 cxd5

The exchange of knights came into consid eration: 13 . . .tDxdS 1 4 . tDxdS cxdS 1 S . Ad3 �e7 followed by . . . Ae6 and . . . l:!ag8. 14. t'Ub5 Ab4+ 1 5. Ad2 Axd2+ 1 6. �xd2 �e7 1 7. Ad3 Ae6

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11 . . . Wf5

It is hard to explain Anand 's d ecision to go into an obviously i nferior endgame (possi bly the reasons were of a personal natu re), where the presence of the pawn islands dS, fS , f7 and h7 condemns B l ac k to a cheerless d efence. Apparently he doubted whether it was possible to break open such a fortress. But it is wel l known that Carlsen is not afraid of hard work, and h e is ready to play an endgame with a stable positional advantage. The play was more l ively in the game Aro n i a n - M o rozev i c h ( M o re l i a/Li n ares 2007): 1 1 . . . h 6 (preventing l:!gS with the th reat of tra p p i n g t h e q u ee n by Ag2) 12. Ad2 eS 1 3 . §g3 'WhS 14. cxdS exd4 1S. tDe4 tDxe4 1 6. 'Wxe4+ 'WeS 1 7. 'MixeS+ AxeS 1 8. §f3 cxdS 1 9. AbS+ �e7 20. exd4 Ad6 (20 . . . Axd4? 21 . Ab4+ �e6 22. 0-0-0 AeS 23. l:!e3 leads to the loss of the bishop) 21 . �f1 Ae6 with equal chances. 1 1 . . .eS is risky: 1 2 . dxeS AxeS 1 3 . l:!gS tDd7 1 4 . cxdS cxdS 1 S. l:!fS with advantage to White, Tisdaii- Sidselrud (Norway 2002).

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.!,a • .t.:t.t. 7 6 -*.'.& 5 ... ... 4 � � 3 �� 2 � �

1 S. t'Uc7!?

An indication of a deep unde rstand i ng of the endgame . Few would have conceived the idea of exchang ing the knight for the ' bad ' bishop. But Carlsen observed that the bishop was fulfilling the i m portant task of d efending the fS- and dS-pawns. For the solving of a strateg ic obj ective Wh ite uses a tactical feature of the position: the presence of the rook on g7 forces Black to capture the knight with his king , which will be tied to the d efence of the fS- and dS-pawns. 1S . . . laagS 1 9. t'Uxe6 �xe6 20. laxgS t'UxgS

Black does not want to concede the c-fi l e after 20 . . . 1:!xg8 21 . l:!c1 . 21 . �e2

If 21 . l:!c1 there follows 21 . . . tiJe7 22. l:!c7 l:!b8 and then . . . �d6. 21 ... t'Ue7 22. �f3 lacS 23. a4 lac7 24. a5 h6 25. h4 �f6 26. h5 t'UcS 27. �f4

While Black has been forced to adopt a waiting position, Wh ite has been seizing space. 27. . . t'Ud6 2S. lag1 lacS 29. f3 �e6

It was hard to decide on the further weak ening 29 . . . a6, but this was possibly the

2 09

Chapter 3

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only way of not allowing the roo k i nto the rear. Wh ite wou l d h ave had to look for other ways to strengthen his position: 30. .§e1 (both 30. Ab1 �e6 and 30. fta1 .§g8 31 . .§a3 .§g5 are insufficient) 30 . . . ftg8 31 . Ac2 t2Jc4 (weaker is 31 . . . ftg2 32. Ab3 .§ x b2 33. A x d 5 .§ b 5 34. e4) 32. A x f5 (32 . b4 .§g5 33 . .§h1 �e6 34. Ad3 tDd6) 32 . . . t2Jxa5 33 . .§c1 tD c 6 3 4. .§c3 tDb4 (34 . . . ftg2 35. Ac8) 35. Ag4 etc. 30. §g7

With the threat of .§h7. 30 . . . §h8

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36. §g1 !

Wh ite g ives his opponent the move (com pare this position with the one after Black's 33rd move). Si nce Black cannot concede the c-fi le, he is forced to move his knight. 36 . . . �e8

In the event of 36 . . .t2Jc4 Black has to reck on with the possibility of White transposing into a favou rable rook endgame: 37. Axc4 .§ xc4 (or 37. . . d xc4 38 . .§g7 .§h8 39. e4) 38 . .§g7 .§a4 39. b4 .§ x b4 40 . .§ h7 .§a4 41 . .§xh6+ �e7 42 . .§h8 .§xa5 43 . .§b8. He can also consider 37. e4!? fxe4 38. fxe4, putting the d5-pawn under pressure, since 38 . . . d xe4? fai ls to 39 . .§c1 , transposing i nto a won pawn e n d g a m e : 39 . . . �d5 40. Axc4+ .§xc4 41 . .§xc4 �xc4 42. �xe4. At the same time the manoeuvre Ab3-d1g4+ is th reatened . 37. e4!

White changes the pawn structure, gaining access to the h-pawn .

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37. . . fxe4 38. fxe4 �f6 39. e5 �e4

A subtle manoeuvre of the bishop to b3, creating the threat of e3-e4.

In the event of 39 . . .ttJxh5+? 40. �e3 Black could have lost his knight.

31 . . . §c8 32. Ab3 §h8 33. §g1 §c8 34. §g7 §h8 35. §g2 §c8

40. �e3

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8 .I 7 ££ 6 • ,.. . 5 £!:, • • £!:, 4 £!:, � 3 � £!:,£!:, 2 £!:, :s

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M . Carlsen - V. Anand

40 . . . b6

�e6 53. h6 was stronger, when the h-pawn must decide the game.

If 40 . . . ttlg5 Black has to reckon with the th reat of sacrifi c i n g the exc h a n g e fo r two pawns: 41 . §.f1 ttle4 42 . §.xf7!? �xf7 43 . Axd5+ �e7 44. Axe4! (44 . A x b7 §.b8 45. Axe4 §.xb2 is i nsufficient) 44 . . . §.c1 (44 . . . §.c4 45. d5 §.a4 46. �f4) 45. d5 and the pawns, 'taken by the hand', advance toward s the q u e e n i n g s q uare: 45 . . . §.f1 (or 45 . . . b6 46. axb6 axb6 47. �f4 §.f1 + 48. Af3 � d 7 4 9 . d 6 �e6 5 0 . b4! b5 51 . �e4 and the king goes to c5) 46. d6+ �e6 47. Af3 §.e1 + 48. �d4 §.g 1 49. Ad5+ �d7 50. Axb7 etc.

50 . . . Elh2+ 51 . �d1 �c4 52. Elxf6+ �e7 53. Ag6 Eld2+

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Another positional achievement by White: his rook obtains new manoeuvri ng pos sibilities.

54. �e1 was more accu rate: 54 . . . f!xd4 55. h6 §.h4 56. Af5 d4 57. §.e6+ �f7 58. b3! ttle3 59. f!f6+ �e7 60. Ac8! f!h2 61 . f!d6 �e8 (in the event of 61 . . . �f8 62. h7 White exchanges the rooks and w i n s the d4pawn) 62. Aa6 ttlf5 63. Ab5+ �e7 64. f!xb6 ttlxh6. Wh ite wins by coord i nating the ac tions of his pieces and the e-pawn: 65. Ac4 ttlf5 66. f!b7+ �e8 67. Ab5+ �f8 68. e6 ttle7 69. Ac4.

42 . �d3 �f2+ 43. �e2 �e4 44. �e3

Again giving the opponent the move by the 'triangulation' m ethod. Black has to decide whether to allow the rook into his rear or block the g-fi le. 44 . . . f6

44 . . . ttlg5 was more resil ient: 45. §.a1 (here 45. §.f1 ttle4 46. §.xf7 �xf7 47. Axd5+ �e7 48. Axe4 �e6 is now insufficient) 45 . . . f6!? (weaker is 45 . . .ttle4 46. §.a6 §.b8 47. Ad1 with the threat of Ag4+) 46. exf6 ttle4 47. f7 §.f8 48. §.a6 §.xf7 49. §.xb6+ ttld6, setting up a new defensive line.

54 . . . Elxd4 55. b3 �xeS 56. Elxb6 Elh4 57. Ats

45. Elg6 Elc1 46. Elxh6 Elh1 47. Ac2 Elh3+

47. . . §.e1 +! 48. �d3 §.h1 was stronger.

a

b

c

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

d

e

f

g

h

8 7 6 8 5 .!. 4 3 2

• ·��

48. �f4 Elh4+ 49. �f3 �d2+ 50. �e2

50. �g3! §.xd4 51 . §.xf6+ � xe5 52. §.f5+

211

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Chapter 3

Life at the Top

·

57 tbf3?

a

• . .

Th is was obviously not one of Anand's best days. By 57. . . .lah1 + he could have hindered the advance of the h-pawn . 58. �b2 tDc4+! 59. bxc4 .!axh5 60. Ag6 .lah2+ 61 . �c3 dxc4 leads to the theoretically drawn ending rook and bishop against rook. After 58. �c2 tDf3 59. Ag4 tDg5 Black somehow holds on, and without the passed b-pawn Wh ite cannot get by.

a

59 . . . tbxf5 60. §b8 tbd4 61 . mb2 md6 62. h8'W §xh8 63. §xh8

The game enters the technical conversion phase. 63 mc5 64. §h5 tbc6 65. §h4 tbb4 66. ma3 d4 67. §h5+ tbd5 68. mb2 mc6 69. ma3 mc5 70. §h4 tb b4 71 . §h8 tbc6 72 . §h5+ md6 73. b4 d3 74. §h3 tbe5 75. mb3 d2 76. mc2 tbc6 n. �ah4 md5 . • .

c

d

e

f

9

h

� . =-

58. h6 tbd4 59. h7!

A wel l -known tech nique. Now the h-pawn will cost the exchange.

b

8 I. � ... . 8 7 7 .t .t .i..t.t.S..t 6 6 .-·.t �.til, 5� 5 4 4 CiJ B 3 il,CiJ 3 B 2 BB BW/ BB 2 1 M1 �M b

c

d

e

f

9

h

away the knight by . . . e7-e5. I n this case the d6-pawn is not so vul nerable, since after . . . b7-b5 Black has the multi-purpose manoeuvre . . . .!ab6, when the rook defends the pawn while also taki ng part in an attack on the king ( . . . .!aa6, . . .'
. . •

.txh6

It is useful to divert the q ueen from the centre - in the event of the wing attack h2-h4-h5 there is the reply . . . g6-g5.

Black resigned .

1 3. 'Wxh6 b5 14. g4

Game 48 L. Dominguez - M . Carlsen

Linares 2009 Sicilian Defence [ 8 78] 1 . e4 c5 2. tbf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. tbxd4 tbt6 5. tbc3 g6 6 .te3 .tg7 7. f3 tbc6 8. 'Wd2 0-0 9 .tc4 .td7 1 0. 0-0-0 la bS 1 1 . .tb3 tba5 1 2 . .th6 •

•

(see next

diagram)

The exchange of bishops deprives . . . tbc4 of m u c h of its strength . But it also has drawbacks: in certai n l i nes Black can drive

It is an eternal di lemma in the Dragon- with which pawn to beg i n the assau lt? White beg ins with the g-pawn , not al lowing 14 . . . e5 i n view of 1 5. tDf5 ! , but now Black suc ceeds in i n itiating cou nterplay. The alternative is 1 4 . h4 e5!? 1 5 . tDde2 b4 1 6 . tDd5 tDx b3+ 1 7. axb3 (there is no particular poi nt in 1 7. cxb3 tDxd5 1 8. §.xd5 Ae6 19 . .!ad2 .!ab6, when apart from the attack with . . . .laa6 and . . .'
212

L. Dom i n guez - M. Carlsen

20. hxg6 fxg6 21 . .§xd6 .§fc8 22. c4 bxc3 23. eDxc3 .§ b 6 with a good game for Black, Lasti n - B . Savchenko, Sochi 2007) 19 . . . .§b6 20. f4 Ag4 21 . h5 V!/c7 22 . .§g3 .§c8 with chances for both sides, Bolo gan - B . Savchenko (Sochi 2007).

18. !a he1

Abandoning the flank strategy - 1 8 . h4 e5 1 9. dxe6 fxe6 20. h5 g5 . 1 8 . . . e5 1 9. d xe6 fxe6 a

14 . . . �xb3+

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

8

It is pointless playing 14 . . . eDc4 1 5 . h4 e5? 1 6. eDdxb5.

7� .!. 5 4 £::, 3 tZJ £::, 2£::,£::,£::, £::, �1::r1::r 6

15. �xb3 a 8

b

.!.

c

d

e

t

9

h

7� 6

5 4

a

5 4 3 £::, 2 1::r 1 a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

With this move Wh ite effectively abandons the potential th reat of eDd4-f5, for the sake of which g2-g4 was played . 1 5 . axb3!? b4 1 6 . eDce2 came i nto c o n s i d e rati o n , and now i f 1 6 . . . e5?! there is t h e good re ply 1 7. tDf5 ! g xf5 1 8 . g xf5 �h8 19 . .§hg1 .§g8 20 . .§xg8+ eDxg8 2 1 . Wxd6 and then 22. V!/xe5, obtai n i n g three pawns for the knight. Apparently the best for Black is 16 . . . .§b6, defending the pawn beforehand in the event of 1 7. h4 e5 1 8 . eDf5 g xf5 1 9 . gxf5 �h8 20 . .§hg1 .§g8. 1 5 . . . b4 1 6. �d5 �xd5 1 7. exd5 !a b6!

The best square for the 'Chinese' rook. From here it is ready for an attack on the king, and in the given specific case it also su pports the . . . e7-e5 advance.

b

c

d

e

f

9

5 4 3 2

h

Objectively speaki ng, Black's position is already the more prom ising. Wh ite's f3 pawn is weak, and at the same time the d 6/e6 'small centre' is ready to take up more active positions. I n addition, an at tack on the king looks more real for Black than for Wh ite. 20. !ae3 !af7

Al exey Kuzm i n reco m m e n d s 2 0 . . . e5!? 21 . h4 V!/c7 22. h5 Ae8 with good play for Black . 21 . �d2 d5 22. �b3

The e6/d5 pawn pair - which is usually a headache for Black i n the classical varia tion of the French Defence - does not con stitute a problem here, since it can not be blockaded by the knight. On the contrary, in a number of variations it can become mobile. For exam ple, White can not fix this pair with 22. f4. By playing 22 . . . V!/f6 23 . .§f3 Ab5 (with the th reat of . . . Ae2) 24 . .§f2 e5 Black breaks through i n the centre.

213

C hapter 3

Life at the Top

22 . . . Wc7 23. �b1 la bS 24. lade1

26 . . . d4!

It is obvious that Wh ite's play on the king side h as come to a standst i l l , whereas Black's threats on the opposite wing are real. Therefore it was logical to bring back the q u een to support the other pieces: 24. �h4 .!::! c 8 25. �f2, going onto the de fensive.

Black clears the approaches to the king.

24 . . . lac8

W h i l e W h ite has been s ee k i n g t h e req u i red regrou p i n g , B l ack has taken firm possession of the c-fi l e and is ready for action.

27. lae5 d3 28. cxd3 laxf3 29. d4?

Carlsen's e n ergy has had its effect. Doming uez, as though hypnotised , watch es the opponent's actions. The q u een should have been u rgently brought back to the defence - 29. �d2 . 2 9 . . . A b 5 30. la2e3 Ad3+ 31 . �a1

8

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h 8

25. la 1 e2 Wb6 a

8

b

c

d

e

f

g

•

.i

5 4 I. 3 tLJ 2 fj, fj, 1 �

h 8

I. 7 6 'iV I. I. Vjf 6 5 5 I. 4 I. fj, 4 3 3 tLJ �fj, 2 /j,/j,/j, � fj, 2 � a b c d e f g h 7

I.

j_

.i

a

31

26. h4

A pointless move. The advance of the d pawn should have been prevented , but this is not easily done. For example, after 26 . .!::!d 2 .!::!c4 27. .!::!e d3 .!::!cf4 Black switches to a siege of the f3-pawn - 28. �d4 �c7 and prepares . . . e6-e5 (the direct 28 . . . e5 29. �e2 leads to simplification of the position), retaining a serious initiative. Possibly the best for White was 26. �c1 , setting up a distant defensive line: 26 . . . .!::!cf8 (26 . . . d4) 27. h4.

.. •

b

5 3 2 c

d

e

f

g

h

Wxd4!?

The conseq uence of the back ran k be ing u ndefended . It is hard to resist such a move, but the ruthless Rybka poi nts out that 31 . . . .!::!f2! , with the same th reat, is more effective. 32 . .§e1 allows a mating attack: 32 . . . .!::! x b2! 33. �xb2 .§c2+ 34. �a1 �c6! 35 . .§c5 .§ x a2 36. � x a2 �a4+ 37. �b2 �a3#. 32. laxe6 laf1 + 33. lae1 Wxg4

With the th reat of 34 . . . �d1 + . 34. laxf1 Wxe6 35. �c5 We2 36. lac1 At5

White has somehow pl ugged the holes in his position. But Black has an extra pawn

2 14

M. Carlse n - A. Grischuk

49. 'We3 E[e8 50. 'Wc3 E[e2

and prospects of a pawn storm against the king's residence.

50 . . .Wd4! was more forcefu l .

37. Wf4 aS 38. h 5

51 . � b 3 E[xc2 52. Wxc2 We5+

With the faint hope of 38 . . . YNxh5? 39. YNc4+ c;!>f8 40. Wd4.

The trap 52 . . . YNxb3?? 53. YNg 6+ is only for beg i nners.

38

• . .

53. �b1 �g7 54. Wd2 £xb3

We7 39. Wc4+?

In time-trouble Dominguez fails to exploit his last chance. The preparatory opening of the h-fi le by the exchange 39. hxg6 hxg6 would not have done Wh ite any harm . After 40. Wc4+ the reply 40 . . . Ae6 is now insuf ficient in view of 41 . 'Wd4 with the threat of �h1 . Black would have had to restrict himself to 40 . . . �g7 41 . Wd4+ Wf6, red uc ing the tempo of the attack. However, this would not have saved the game for Wh ite. 39

.• •

.te6 40. Wc2 Wg5! a

b

c

d

e

f

9

5 . ttJ 4 • 3

--.-

c

d

7

6 • 'i¥' � 5 4 3 2

6

b

8

•

7

a

h

•

.I

8

e

f

9

h

Wh ite resigned .

Game 49 M. Carlsen -A. Grischuk

Linares 2009 Sicilian Defence [ 885] 1 . e4 c5 2. �f3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. �xd4 �f6 5. �c3 a6 6 .te2 e6 7. 0-0 .te7 8. a4 �c6 9 . .te3 0-0 1 0. f4 Wc7 1 1 . �h1 E[e8 1 2 . At3 At8 1 3. Wd2 E[b8 14. Wf2 •

This variation was wel l known to G rischu k from h i s Candidates match with Rublevsky (Eiista 2007), where he upheld the wh ite side. In the 8th game of the match Grischuk played 1 4 . �ad1 and after 1 4 . . . e5 1 5 . tDde2 b5 1 6. axb5 axb5 1 7. f5 b4 1 8 . tDd5 tDxd5 1 9. Wxd5 Aa6 20. 'Wd2 tDd4 21 . Axd4 exd4 22. �fe1 Axe2 23. Wxe2 Ae7 24. �xd4 Af6 25. �c4 WaS White had the better chances. a

Now Wh ite is tied , as they say, hand and foot. Dom i n g uez could h ave cal m ly re signed, but he was as though in a lethargic sleep. The rest is all Black.

8 7 6

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

.Ij.J .111.. ••• .'i¥' . �.& • • �.&

8 7 6

5 5 4 4 � tt:J � � 3 3 ttJ JtJt 2 VIIi � � 2 �� 1.: .: � 1

41 . hxg6 hxg6 42. a3 bxa3 43. Wc3

A piece is lost after 43. bxa3 'We5+ 44. 'Wb2 �xc5. 43 axb2+ 44. �xb2 Wd5 45. E[c2 a4 46. �a1 a3 47. We3 .tf7 48. Wc3 g5 .• •

a

15

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

Ch apter 3

Life at the Top

·

14 . . . e5

After 1 4 . . . Ad7 1 5 . g4! e5 White gains an important tempo for the attack on the king side. The game Carlsen - Anand (Wij k aan Zee 2008) conti nued 1 6. tDf5 exf4 1 7. Axf4! Ae6 18 . .§ad1 tDe5 1 9. AxeS d xe5 20. g5 tDd7 21 . tDd5 Wc6 22. Ag2 Wc5 , and here Magnus launched an attack on the king: 23. Wh4 Wxc2 24 . .§c1 Wxa4 25. b3!?

� 'iV

K �

K..te �� A tjj� tjj£::, !::, � �

!::, :

:

f8, and leaving Wh ite with a bad bishop on f3 . However, the move has some poi nts as well: the bad bishop might turn out to actu ally be very strong after a su bsequent tDd5 tDxd5 exd5, and the possibility of creating a passed pawn and a dangerous queenside majority is generally dangerous for Black.' 1 5 . . . dxe5

The capt u re with the k n i g ht 1 5 . . . tDxe5 l eads to loss of m aterial after 1 6 . Ag5! Ae7 1 7. Axf6 Axf6 1 8. tDd5 Wd8 1 9. Ah5. 1 6. �b3

!Jl,£::, �

Analysis diagram

25 . . . WaS? 26 . .§c3 g6 27. .§h3 h5, and here instead of 28. Af3 Axd5! 29. exd5 Ag7, after which Black was able to defend, according to analysis by Maxim Notkin Wh ite could have concluded the game in spectacular fashion: 28. tDg3! ! (with the th reat of tDxh5) 28 . . . Ag4 29. tDxh5! g x h 5 (or 29 . . . Axh5 30. Wf2 f5 31 . g xf6 .§e6 32 . .§ x h 5 gxh5 33. Ah3) 30. Wf2! f5 (30 . . . Ae6 31 . f!xh5+) 31 . g xf6 and wins. It remains to add that, in the diagram position, instead of 25 . . . WaS? Black could have seized the in itiative with a q ueen sac rifice: 25 . . . Wxb3! 26 . .§c3 Axd5! 27. .§xb3 A x b3 28 . .§f3 .§bc8! 29 . .§ x b3?! .§c1 + 30. Af1 .§xf1 + 31 . �g2 .§f4! (Notkin).

This is where a subtle point of the pawn exchange on move 1 5 is seen. If instead of 1 5. fxe5 Wh ite had retreated 1 5. tDb3, then after 1 5 . . . b5 1 6. axb5 axb5 1 7. tLld5 tDxd5 1 8. exd5 exf4 Black would have obtai ned the e5-square. But now 1 6 . . . b5 wou ld be a blan k shot - 1 7. axb5 axb5 1 8. tDd5 tDxd5 1 9. exd5, and the knight is driven to a less good post. 1 6 . . . �b4 1 7. j,a7

A wel l-known technique: before placing his bishop on b6 Wh ite d rives the rook to its initial square, removing a defender of the b7- pawn, which may be of i m portance in some variations. 1 7 .. J;!:a8 18. j,b6 'We7 1 9. Elad1

1 5. fxe5

Carlsen, as usual, is concrete in his deci sions: 'At fi rst sight it looks a bit i l logical, letting Black get rid of his backward pawn on d6 and opening up for his bishop on

2 16

a

b

c

a

b

c

8 K j_ 7 .l 6 .l � 5 4 Bl.l\ 3 ti:Jti:J 2 BB

d

e

f

9

h

d

e

f

9

h

8 K.t.e 'if .l .l .l 7 6 1.1\ .l .,L---J 5 4 B 3 � VJ!I B B 2 I;! I;! �

M. Carlsen - A. Gri schuk

19

. • .

Ae6?!

A routine move, which leads to Wh ite cre ating a dangerous passed pawn. 'Safer was 1 9 . . . Ag4! , which looks paradoxical , as Black offers to exchange his "good" bishop for my "bad" bishop, but actually it makes a lot of sense, as the key move now will be less dangerous. Wh ite sti l l keeps a slight initiative, but Black has a perfectly decent position.' (Carlsen) 20. tUd5 Axd5 21 . exd5 e4 22. d6 'We6?

It is wel l known that the q ueen is a poor blockader, and 22 . . . �d7 23. tbc5 �f5 wou l d have led to a position from the game, but why present the opponent with a tem po? 22 . . . �e5 23. d7 tbxd7 24. l;!.xd7 exf3 25. �xf3 f6 26. tbd4 �e4 was the best way out of the situation.

the placing of his pieces and prepare a breakthrough on the q ueenside. 26

. . •

tUxb6 27. axb6 flab8?

Grischuk returns the favou r. H e should not have clung on to the pawn - the position could have been held by the activation of the rook: 27. . . l;!.ec8 28. b4 l;!.c6 29. d7 Axc5 30. bxc5 (30 . d 8�+ is also i n s ufficient: 30 . . . l;!.xd8 31 . l;!.xd8+ Af8 32. Axa6 l;!.xb6) 30 . . . l;!.d8 31 . Axa6 l;!.xc5 (31 . . . bxa6 32. b7 leads to the loss of the exchange) 32. Axb7 l;!.b5, picking u p the pawns. a

b

c

b

c

d

23. tUc5 'Wf5 24. Ae2 'Wxf2 25. flxf2 tUbd5 a

b

c

d

e

f

9

e

f

9

h

e

f

9

h

8 J...te .l.l.l7 6 � 5 4 3

h

8J. J...t• 8 7 .l .l.l.l7 6 ·� t::o � 6 5 5 tb� 4 t::o 4 .l 3 3

a

d

28. flxf6!

Clearing the barrier in front of the passed paw n . Carlsen confidently converts h i s advantage. 28 gxf6 29. tUd7 15 30. c4 a5 31 . c5 Ag7 32. tUxb8 flxb8 33. Aa6! Af6 34. Axb7 flxb7 35. c6 flxb6 36. flc1 ! • . .

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

26. a5?

Throwing away the fruits of his previous work, whereas after 26. l;!.xf6 tb xf6 the move 27. a5 would have practically placed Black in zugzwang . It is hard for him to find a move, whereas White can calmly im prove

The final subtlety - after 36. c7? l;!.c6 Wh ite would have lost. 36

••.

Axb2 37. d7

Black resigned .

2 17

Chapter 3

Life at the Top

·

Carlen's fi rst appearance at the Mtel Masters super-tou rnament in Sofia (FI DE category 2 1 ) was reassuring. In the very fi rst round he defeated the main tournament favourite Topalov. In the second half Magnus gained add itional wins over Dom inguez and Wang Yue and was wearing the yellow jersey going into the last rou nd, half a point ahead of Shirov and Topalov. The fate of the fi rst prize was decided in the Shirov - Carlsen game. It was sufficient for the Norweg ian to make a draw, and it appeared that the game was fol lowing a perfected scenario: he played his favourite Chelyabinsk Variation, where he had the reputation of being invincible. But it was here that a serious hole in Magnus's open ing preparation was revealed - he fel l into a prepared line by Shirov and lost. As a result, the fi rst prize was won by Shirov, and Carlsen had to be satisfied with a share of 2nd-3rd places with Topalov.

venting the squeezing of Black's position, occurred in the rapid game Carlsen - Kar jaki n (Nice 2009), which contin ued 1 2 . d5 �b6 1 3 . Ab3 Ag4 1 4 . f!c1 ! (in the event of 1 4. h3 Axf3 1 5 . V!Jxf3 V!t!xf3 1 6 . gxf3 �e7 Black central ises his ki ng) 1 4 . . . 0-0 1 5 . h3 Axf3 1 6. V!Jxf3 V!Jxf3 1 7. gxf3 gfd8 1 8. gfd1 Af6 1 9. d xc6 bxc6 20. gxd8+ f!xd8.

Game 50 M. Ca r l s e n - V. Topalov

Sofia 2009 Semi -Sla v Defence [ 043] 1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. �f3 �f6 4. �c3 e6 5 . .tg5 h6 6 . .txf6 Wxf6 7. e3 �d7 8 .td3 dxc4 9 . .txc4 g6 .

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

8 .!. ..t • ..t .!. 8 7 �� 1.& � 7 6 � �'i¥�� 6 5 5 4 4 JL� 3 3 ttJ � ttJ 2�� 2 1 .s: .s: 1 �� a

b

c

d

e

f

9

.l

.! �·

Jblb fj, fj, �

.l fj,

• .l .i..l� fj, fj,

fj, �

Analysis diagram

h

The o l d variation 9 . . . Ad6 1 0. 0-0 V!Je? 1 1 . �e4 Ac7 1 2 . f!c1 , where Black has a cram ped position, has hardly been played in recent times. 1 0. 0-0 .tg7 1 1 . e4 0-0

Castling usually leads to more complicated play, which is in accordance with Topalov's style. Another critical branch , 1 1 . . . e5, pre-

I t u s e d to b e t h o u g ht t h at t h e e n d g a m e ari s i n g i n t h i s variat i o n was n ot dangero u s for B l ac k . H owever, it is by no means easy to m ake a d raw. Wh ite has a s m a l l advantag e , n ot o n l y thanks to h i s s u p e r i o r pawn structu re (wea k pawns o n a ? and c 6 ) , but also the fa vourable opposite - c o l o u r b i s h o ps : the l i g ht-squ are bishop ties t h e b l ack k i n g to t h e defence o f t h e f7-paw n , where as t h e dark- s q u are bishop i s passive.

2 18

M . Carlsen - V. To palov

Carlsen h a p p i l y p l ays t h i s type of e n d i n g : 2 1 . ti":ld 1 §.d 6 2 2 . §. c 5 � f 8 2 3 . �f1 h5 24 . ti":le3 �e7 ? ! (th e b i s h o p s h o u l d have b e e n freed fro m h av i n g t o d efend the e 5 - pawn - 24 . . . Ah4! 25. �e2 f6) 25 . �e2 Ag7 26. ti":lc2 , and B l ack was unable to d efe n d h i s weak paw n s .

1 8. h4 ttlb6 1 9. Ab1 c5 20. tt::l x b5 Aa6, and here instead of 21 . h5 g5 with dou ble-edged play (Kram nik-Svidler, World Championsh ip, Mexico 2007), 2 1 . Ad3! wou ld have retained the better chances.

12. e 5 Y!/e7 1 3. Y!/e2

A typical structure in the Moscow Varia tion. Black's cou nterplay i nvolves devel oping his bishop at b7 and prepari ng . . . c6-c5. Wh ite prepares the manoeuvre of his bishop to e4, in order to meet . . . c6c5 with the exchange of the lig ht-square bishops and the possible central break through d4-d5 .

b) 1 5 . . . §.b8 1 6 . Ad3 A b7 17. Ae4 c5 1 8 . Axb7 §.xb7 1 9. Y!/e4 §.bb8 20. ti":lb5 (20. d5 exd5 21 . ti::l x d5 is also possible) 20 . . . cxd4 (20 . . . a6 21 . ttla7) 2 1 . ti":lbxd4, and the weakness of B l ack's l i g ht square periphery guarantees Wh ite an enduring advantage. 1 4 .td3 .tb7 •

In the game G raf - Kraemer (Bundesliga 2007) B l ack p re m atu rely forced the . . . c6-c5 advance: 1 4 . . . b4? ! 1 5. tDa4 c5 1 6 . §.ac1 cxd4 1 7. Y!/e4 §.b8 1 8 . §.c7 and Wh ite gained the advantage. 15 . .te4 E:fd8

a

13

..•

b

c

d

e

f

g

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b5

1 3 . . . b6 is more often preferred: 1 4 . §.fe1 §.d8 (after 1 4 . . . Ab7 1 5 . Aa6 W h ite ad vantageously exchanges the light-square bishops) 1 5 . §.ad1 . Now Black has to de cide whether to forestall the exchange of bishops by 1 5 . . . a5 or continue manoeu vri ng - 1 5 . . . §.b8. a) 1 5 . . . a5 (in combination with . . . c6-c5 t h i s m ove somehow d oes n ot look right, si nce it leads to a weakening of the q ueenside) 1 6 . Ad3 Ab7 1 7. Ae4 b5

Black carries out the standard rook deploy ment in this variation, prepari ng the freeing . . . c6-c5. The i m mediate 15 . . . §.ab8 is also possible, although here too after 1 6. §.ac1 a6 1 7. §.fd1 it is not easy to make this ad vance, since 17 . . . c5? is parried by 1 8. Axb7 §.xb7 1 9. tt::l e 4 with the occupation of d6. Its preparation requires time. For example: 17. . . §.fc8 1 8 . h4 h5 1 9. tt::l g 5! Aa8 20. We3 c5 2 1 . f4 cxd4 22. Wxd4 with advantage to Wh ite in view of the chronic weakness of the d6-point. 1 6. E:ac1

If 1 6 . ti::l x b 5 there wou l d h ave fol l owed 1 6 . . .tt::l x e5. 16

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E:ab8 1 7. E:fd1 a6 (see next diagram)

Chapter 3

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8 7 6 5 4 3 2

21 . 'We3 c5 22. Axa8 .!:!xa8 23. d5 came i nto consideration. 21

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H e re 1 8 . . . c 5 is n ow poss i b l e , s i n c e 19. Axb7 .!:!xb7 2 0 . �e4 i s less effective be cause of 20 . . . cxd4 21 . .!:!xd4 (21 . �d6 .!:!bb8 22 . .!:!xd4 �xe5) 21 . . .�xe5 22 . .!:!xd8+ Wxd8 23. �xe5 Axe5 24. �c5 '1Mlc7 25. �d3 Ah2+ 26. �h1 '1Mlb8. 1 9. Etc2

1 9. h5 g5 20. �h2 was more energetic, switching the knight to g4. . • .

c5?!

'After t h e s i m p l e 21 . . . b4 2 2 . � b1 c5 23. Axa8 .!:!xa8 24. d xc5 .!:! xc5 (24 . . . tL!xc5 25. Wc4!) 25. �bd2 .!:!xc2 26 . .!:!xc2 .!:!c8 Black even has a sl ight i n itiative, thanks to the weaknesses on e5 and a4. It's hard to explain why both players had missed this.' (Carlsen)

The manoeuvre 1 8. �b1 ! was more i n the spi rit of the position, exploiting the res pite (1 8 . . . c5? is not possible on account of 1 9. Axb7 .!:!xb7 20. d xc5) to play the knight to b3. A possible continuation is 1 8 . . . .!:!dc8 1 9. �bd2 Aa8 (now if 1 9 . . . c5? there fol lows 20. Axb7 .!:!xb7 2 1 . �e4 with an inva sion at d6) '20. '1Mfe3! (a great preparatory move, shown by the engi nes. 20. �b3 c5 2 1 . Axa8 .!:!xa8 with equal ity is what discouraged me from playing 1 8 . �b1 ) 20 . . . c5 21 . Axa8 .!:!xa8 22. �e4, and since 22 . . . cxd4 can now be met by 23. 'Wxd4, Wh ite has a clear i n itiative.' (Carlsen)

19

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Etdc8 20. Etdc1 'Wf8

Since 20 . . . c5?! 2 1 . Axa8 .!:!xa8 22. tLle4 leads to a pin on the c-fi le, Black defends his rook on c8.

22. axb5 cxd4 23. �xd4 a

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A strateg i c m i stake, allowing complete domi nation by the knig hts in the centre of the board . After 23 . . . axb5 24. Axa8 .!:!xa8 the weakness of the b5-pawn is balanced by the weakness of the e5- pawn , which gives Black adeq uate cou nterplay. If 25. f4 there is the good reply 25 . . . 'Wd8 (with the th reat of . . .tL!xe5) 26. 'Wf2 and Black has a choice between 26 . . . g5 and 26 . . . b4. 24. �xe4 Etxc2 25. Et xc2 axb5

25 . . . A x e 5 is d a n g e ro u s because of 26 . .!:!d2 ! , when the black pieces are hang ing (tLlc6 is threatened). 26. �c6! Etb6 27. f4

220

M. Carlsen - Wang Yue

33. 'Wd3! 'Wxe7 3 3 . . . \W x c7 a l l ow s a m at i n g attac k : 34. tDg5+! hxg5 35. \Wxg6+ �h8 36. \Wh5+ Ah6 37. \Wxh6#.

Playing for a complete bind; it only remains to 'seal ' Black up with tDd6.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

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34. Etxd7 'Wh4+ 35. �f3 'Wh5+

If 35 . . . �h8, then 36. !! xg7 � xg7 37. tDf6 is decisive. 36. �g3

Black resigned .

Game 51 M. Carlsen - Wang Vue Sofia 2009 Sla v Defence {015}

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27 'Wa8 . . •

The queen is more active after 27. . . tDb8 28. tDa7! �b4, but it cannot do anything on its own: 29. h5 !!b7 30. tDc8 !!d7 31 . tDcd6 etc. 28. tile7+ �h7 29. h5 Eta6 30. hxg6+ fxg6 31 . Etc7! Eta1 + 32. �f2? 'I thought that the most natu ral 32. �h2 would give Black unnecessary counterplay after 32 . . .tDxe5, but this fai ls to the simple 33. tDf6+ Axf6 34. tDd5+ Ag7 35. \Wxe5 �f8 36. !!xg7+ \Wxg7 37. tDf6+, when Black is mated or loses the queen.' (Carlsen)

32

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32 . . . !!a4 33. tDc6! tDf8 34. tDf6+ also does not help. a

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There are few players who do not have awkward opponents. Carlsen is no excep tion. He was one of the Lviv player And rey Volokiti n's 'clients' (0-5!). But that was a long time ago (by Magn us's standards) in 2006, and with the existing rating table their paths are not likely to cross in the near future. But another 'offender', Wang Yue, is among his present-day rivals. The Chi nese grandmaster is one of Carlen's most awkward opponents: in their six games before the present one with the classical time control he not only did not suffer a single loss, but he also twice forced the Norweg ian to lay down his arms. Moreover, this was in the main tou rnaments of 2009, in Wijk aan Zee and Linares, where Carlsen was a real contender for fi rst prize. 1 . c4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. tilf3 tilf6 4. tilc3 a6

The Chebanenko Variation, named after the well-known Moldovan trai ner, who made a detai led analysis of this system of defence. Wang Yue is one of the most fervent sup porters of this variation.

221

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5. c5

8. tilxg6!?

The most critical reply: Wh ite tries to gain space o n the q u eenside. In a p revious game with Wang Vue (Linares 2009), the . . . a7-a6 theme was performed i n a differ ent scenario: 1 . d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. �c3 �f6 4. e3 a6 and after 5. �f3 b5 the play took on a q u ite d ifferent aspect. 5 .tf5 Wang Vue's favou rite reply in this variation. The main continuation is considered to be 5 . . .tbbd7, with which Black prepares the undermining of the pawn chain by . . . e6-e5 and . . . b7-b6. 6. t'ilh4 Magnus takes the decision to exchange the bishop, giving the position clear stra teg ic contou rs. In the main line - 6. Af4 tbbd7 7. e3 e6 S . Ae2 there is the possible S . . .tbe4, when Black's light-square bishop plays an i m portant role. 6 . . . .tg6 I n the event of 6 . . . Ag4 7. h3 Ah5 S. g4 Ag6 all the same the bishop has to retreat to g6. The inclusion of h2-h3 and g2-g4 not only expands White's space on the kingside, but also gives h i m a tempo for developing his bishop with 9. Ag2, from where it supports the e2-e4 advance. 7. .tf4 t'ilbd7 • . .

The concrete nature of Carlsen's thi nking is one of the i m portant com ponents of his playing style. Wh ite n i ps in the bud the possi bility of . . . e6-e5 . At the Amber Tou rnament (N ice 2009) in his rapid game with Wang Vue, Anand made this exchange after S. e3 e6 9. h3 Ae7 1 0. tbxg6 hxg6 1 1 . Ad3, and also re solved his main strateg ic objectives: along with . . .tbe4 he also excl uded . . . e6-e5. The game cont i n ued 1 1 . . .'�cS 1 2 . 0-0 0-0 1 3 . b4 !XeS 1 4. Ah2! AdS 1 5 . f4! b6 1 6. a3 a5 1 7. �c2 �b7 1 S . g4 Ac7 1 9. �g2 axb4 20. axb4 !!xa1 2 1 . !!xa1 !!aS 22. !!xaS+ �xaS 23. �a4 �xa4 24. tbxa4, and Wh ite achieved the better endgame. Apart from Black's compromised pawn structure on the kingside, his c6-pawn is also weak, and if 24 . . . b5 he has to reckon with the sacrifice of a piece for a pair of connected passed pawns. However, after S. e3 Black could also play S . . . e5. Now noth ing is promised by 9. A xe5 �xe5 1 0. d xe5 tDd7, while in the event of 9. d xe5 tDh5 the move Ag5 is no longer possible. 8 . . . hxg6 9. h3!

I m med iately prepari ng the retreat of the bishop. If 9. e3 there would have followed 9 . . . e5! . 9 . . . b6

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Here if 9 . . . e5 there is 1 0. dxe5 tDh5 1 1 . Ah2 Axc5, and if White does not l i ke the com plications after 1 2. g4 �b6 1 3 . e3 �xb2 1 4 . !!c1 d4, h e can restrict h i mself to 1 2 . �d2 �e7 1 3 . g4. Now after 1 3 . . . d4 it is possible to transpose i nto a favourable endgame: 1 4 . tbe4 Ab4 1 5 . tbd6+ �xd6

222

M. Carlsen - Wang Yue

16. exd6 Axd2+ 1 7. �xd2 lDhf6 1 8 . .§d1 . Instead of 1 0 . . .lDh5, 1 0 . . .'�c7 1 1 . e3 tDxe5 12. b4 Ae7 1 3 . Ae2 0-0 1 4 . 0-0 a5 1 5 . a3 lDfd7 looks more sol i d , with an accept able game. For exam ple, if 1 6 . e4, then 16 . . . axb4 1 7. a x b4 .§ x a1 1 8 . �xa1 d4! 19. lDa4 lDf3+ 20. A xf3 �xf4 2 1 . �xd4 tDe5 22. Ad1 .§d8 23. �c3 Af6 is possible, with excellent com pensation for the pawn. 16. �d2!? is more circumspect. 10. cxb6

If 1 0. b4?! there follows 1 0 . . . bxc5 1 1 . bxc5 e5! . 10 . . .'Wxb6 1 1 . §:b1 e 6 1 2 . e 3 c5 a

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8 .I 7 s . 'tW

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Although the opening battle has concluded safely for Black, certain problems sti l l re mai n . Wh ite has the advantage of the two bishops, and the exchange of the dark square pair w i l l enhance the rol e of the light-square bishop i n su pporting a pawn offensive on the q ueenside. 13. a3

Wh ite's plan i s to advance h i s paw n s a n d create a passed paw n . If 1 3 . . . Ae7, for exam ple, there follows 1 4. d xc5 tDxc5 1 5 . b4 tDce4 1 6. lDa4 �d8 1 7. Ad3, and the q ueenside pawns, supported by the

bishops, are ready to advance. 13 . . . Ad6

After the other version of the bishop ex change - 1 3 . . . cxd4 1 4 . exd4 Ad6 - Wh ite gains a serious positional plus: a pawn majority on the queenside. This could have been avoided by the rad ical 1 3 . . . c4, but then Black sti l l has the problem of defend ing his q ueenside i n the event of b2-b3 . For example: 1 4. Ae2 (after the i mmediate 1 4 . b3 there is the good reply 1 4 . . . �a5!) 1 4 . . . Ad6 1 5 . A x d 6 �xd6 1 6 . 0-0 0-0 1 7. �a4 .§fb8 1 8. b3 lDb6 19. �a5 cxb3 20 . .§xb3. 14. �a4 Wc7

The provocative 1 4 . . . �a5+? 1 5. b4 cxb4 1 6 . Axd6 b3+ 1 7. Ab4 �xa4 1 8 . �xb3 �xb3 19 . .§xb3 leads to the two bishops being a real advantage. 1 5. Axd6 Wxd6 1 6. �xc5 �xc5 1 7. dxc5 Wxc5 18. Wa4+ �e7 1 9. Ad3 a5

The position has clarified . To play for a win White must not only create a passed pawn, but also keep the q ueens on, as otherwise this pawn will be easily blockaded. 20. c.!;le2!

A highly concrete move, which as regards the opponent's reply also has a psychologi cal implication: White displays his readiness to give up his two rooks for the queen. I n t h e event o f 2 0 . 0-0 .§hc8 21 . .§fc1 �xc1 + 22 . .§xc1 .§xc1 + 23. �h2 .§b8 Black suc ceeds in activating his rooks. If the rooks are retained, it is not easy for White to create a passed pawn: 21 . .§fd1 (21 . �d1 a4) 21 . . . .§a? 22 . .§d2 �b6 23 . .§c2 .§xc2 24. �xc2 .§c7 (24 . . . a4 25 . .§c1 ) 25. �a4 .§a? etc.

23

Chapter 3

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23 . . . q;,f8?!

20 . . J;thc8

A critical moment. Focused on a passive stance, Wang Yue misses an opportu nity to exploit the position of the king on e2 by 20 . . . d4! . After 2 1 . \Wxd4 Wxd4 22. exd4 �hd8 the pawn is regained: 23. �e3 fbd5+ 24. �f3 lbf6 , and i n the endgame there is nothing to fear, while if 21 . exd4 Black obtains an excel lent post at d5 - 2 1 . . .Wh5+ 22. g4 \Wd5 (G ieizerov). 21 . �hc1

Usually it is not considered dangerous to exchange two rooks for a queen, but i n t h e given specific position t h e long-range bishop, su pporting the passed pawn, may be able to restrict the rooks' mobil ity. 21 . . . Wxc1

Passive defence has no chance of success. Black shou ld have decided on 23 . . .1be4!?. In the event of the exchange of minor piec es - 24. Axe4 d xe4 25. b5! (after 25. bxa5 �c7 26. Wxe4 �ca7 Black picks up both pawns) 25 . . . f5 (25 . . . �b8!? 26. Wxa5 �bc8 27. Wb4+ �8c5 looks tem pting, but after 28. f4! the king escapes from the danger) 26. f3 exf3+ 27. �xf3 e5 28. Wb3 it is easier for the rooks to fight against the passed paw n , although even here the chances of saving the game are i l l usory. However, Wh ite is not obl iged to exchange his bish op; he can also consider 24. �f3!? fbd2+ 25. �f4, and although it looks provocative to bring the king out, Black has no real th reats: 25 . . . �f6 26. bxa5 lbc4 27. \Wb4 �xb5 28. '!Wb8 etc. The other active possibility 23 . . . e5!? is parried by 24. �d2 �cc8 25. bxa5.

After 21 . . . Wb6 22. �xc8 �xc8 23. b4 axb4 24. �xb4 We? 25. Wb3, thanks to his out side passed pawn, Wh ite has a small but enduring advantage. 22. �xc1 �xc1 23. b4

(see next

diagram)

24. bxa5 q;,ga 25. a6

Wh ite has a big advantage, but its conver sion should take a considerable time. 25 . . . �c7 26. Wf4 �ca7

26 . . . �ac8 was m o re res i l ient. N ow i n t h e event o f 27. \Wb4 lbe4 2 8 . Wb6 �c6

224

M. Carlsen - Wang Vue

Black somehow holds out, but 27. f3 tDd7 28. 'Wd6 iDeS 29. Ab5 is stronger, when Wh ite should win. 27. 'Wd4!

The q ueen ties down both rooks. It is no longer possible to return: 27. . . 1k7 28. Wb6 l:!ac8 29. a7. 27. . . �e4 28. 'Wb6

Preventi ng . . .tDd6 with the switching of the knight to c4. a

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E l i m i n ating the th reat of a check on c3. Th is same aim would have been achieved by 29. Wc6 followed by the d riving back of the knight and an attack on the central pawns: 29 . . . l:!b8 30. f3 tDf6 31 . Wd 6 l:!b2+ 32. <.!?d1 or 29 . . . l:!d8 30. f3 tDf6 31 . Wb6 �da8 32. Wc5.

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34 . . .tDd7?! 35. Ac6) 35. h4 l:!c7 36. Wb6 lka7 37. g4. By advancing h4-h5 at the appropriate moment, Wh ite breaks u p the king's defences and gains new offensive lines: a) 37. . .tDd7 38. Wd6 tDb8 39. Wd8+ <.!?h7 40. h5! tDxa6 41 . hxg6+ fxg6 42. Wb6 tDb4 43. Wxe6; b) 37. . . <.!? h7 38. h 5 g x h 5 39. Ad3+! g6 40. gxh5 tDxa6 41 . hxg6.

If 29 . . . tDf6 Wh ite attacks with 30. a4 tDd7 31 . Wd6.

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30. J.b5 �e6 31 . a4 d4

28 . . . e5?

Inappropriate activity, leading to a weaken ing of Black's position and a rapid defeat. He should have tied the queen to the de fence of the a6-pawn - 28 . . .tDf6 29. Ab5 tDd7. However, this is a reciprocal linkage. By the cyc l i c manoeuvre 30. Wd 6 tDb8 31 . Wd8+ <.!?h7 32. Wb6 tDd7 33. Wd4 tDb8 Wh ite gains a tempo for a pawn offensive: 34. a4 <.!?g8 (not 34 . . . �c7? 35. Wh4+, or

Black loses after 31 . . .tDc7 32. Ac6 but, in view of the th reat of 32. Wd6, he also cannot get by without advancing his pawn. 32. a5 f!.c7?

Overlooking the loss of the exchange. But 32 . . . dxe3 33. fxe3 tDf8 34. Wd6 would have led to the loss of the e-pawn. 33. J.c6

Black resig ned .

For Carlsen the next super-tournament, the Sparkassen G M i n Dortmund (FI D E cat egory 20), followed a simi lar pattern to the tournament i n Sofia. The final result was also similar. I n the first round Magnus won against Jakovenko, and after a present in the 5th round from Naid itsch, who blundered a pawn, he could only be stopped by Kram nik, who by trad ition is especially form idable i n Dortmund (he al ready had nine victories to his cred it). Carlsen played against the favourite as though sleep-wal king, making mistakes in a fairly simple position. Defeat i n the decisive game, the third in

2 25

Chapter 3

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that year (after Wij k aan Zee and Sofia), was a warn ing symptom in the form ing of his champion's character. However, in such company it is not customary to call a share of 2nd-4th places a fai l u re.

Game 52 M. Carlsen - D. Jakovenko

Dortm und 2009 Ruy Lope z [ C67] 1 . e4 e5 2. ttif3 ttic6 3 . .tb5 ttif6

The Berlin Defence was employed when the study of the Ruy Lopez was sti l l in its infancy, including matches i nvolving the fi rst world champion Wilhelm Steinitz. But for its popu larity i n the 21 st century it is indebted to Vlad i m i r Kram nik, after he re vealed it as his main weapon against 1 . e4 in his match for the world championsh i p with Garry Kasparov i n 2000 i n London. 4. 0-0 ttixe4 5. d4 ttid6 6. Axc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 ttif5 8. 'Wxd8+

Wh ite has no reason to avoid the queen ex change, si nce 8 . Yf/e2 1{)d4 9. l{)xd4 Yf/xd4 10 . .§d1 Ag4 leads to the same thing, while the attem pt to be stubborn with 1 0. l{)c3 Ae6 1 1 . .§ d 1 Yf/c4 1 2 . .§d3 Ac5 g ives Black a comfortable game. For exam ple, if 13. l{)e4?! there follows 13 . . . Af5. a . . . mxd8 a

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The start i n g p o s i t i o n of t h e variation, w h i c h s i n c e the t i m e of the Kas p arov - Kram n i k m atch h a s b e e n called the ' B erl i n Wal l '. Even the 1 3th wo rld cham pion was unable to breach it. As for D m itry Jakove n ko, l i ke no one else he knows about its sol i d ity, s i nce he has ofte n attacked it fro m t h e w h ite side. H oweve r, w h i l e t h e c h o i c e of t h i s de fence ag ainst Carlsen has a psychologi cal i m p l icat i o n , it can hard ly be deemed a successful one. Everyone kn ows with what pleasu re M ag n u s plays a compli cated endgame, al beit with a smal l but enduring advantage. In the g iven position Wh ite can hope to make use of his pawn majority on the kingside. 9. ttic3 mea

Kram n i k played 9 . . . Ad? and moved his king to c8, but later experience in defend ing the Berl i n Wal l recommends keeping the king i n the centre. Therefore Black moves it away from possible checks on g5 and d1 . 1 0. h3 h5 1 1 . ttie2 Ae7 1 2 . Ag5 Ae6

This path was laid by one of the best So viet defensive players , Ratmir Kholmov. The plan with t h e d eve l o p ment of the bishop at b7 has been tried by the Chi nese g randmaster Wang Yue, who also has the reputation of being an expert on the Berl i n Wal l . 1 3 . ttif4 .td5 1 4 . .txe7 mxe7 1 5. ttig5 ttid4

2 26

M . Carlsen - D. J akoven ko

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By the march of the pawn to a4 Black pre pares the development of his rook via a5 , and at the same time he th reatens to cap ture the a2-pawn, si nce the bishop cannot be cut off by b2-b3 on account of . . . a5-a4 .

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In the event of 25. !!b4 !!xb4 26. cxb4 !!b5 27. f2 Black plays 27. . . c5.

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25 . . . l:X xe5

Strictly speaking, a novelty. But you don't have to be a Carlsen to make such a logical move - i n the g iven situation the rooks are best deployed in the centre at d1 and e1 , since all the same Black will not captu re the c2-pawn (1 5 . . . tbxc2? 1 6 . tbxd5+ cxd5 1 7. lk1 ). Nevertheless, previously 1 6. f!fd1 was played . For example, the game H ra cek - Kholmov (Pardu bice 1 999) conti nued 16 . . . tbe6 1 7. Cbxe6 Axe6 1 8 . h4 f!d8 1 9. f3 g6 20. f2 Af5 2 1 . c3 f6 22. exf6 xf6 23 . Cbe2 c5 with equal play.

As a rule, it is sound practice to exchange a wing pawn for a central one. In ad d i t i o n , i n t h e g iven specific position Black e l i m i n ates Wh ite's main advantage i n the Berl i n Wal l - his pawn m aj o rity o n the ki ngside. 26. l:X xe5 l:Xxe5 27. l:Xxa4 l:Xb5

27. . . b6 28. !!a? d6 is also possible, with approximate equal ity. a

16 . . .tile6 1 7.�gxe6 Axe6 1 8. h4

It is i m portant not only to fix the h5-pawn , but also to secure the knight at f4 against . . . g7-g5. 18 . . . a5 a

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7 e .t .t 6 .i. .l 5 � CD � 4

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6 4 3

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7 .l .l 6 .l 5 .!. 4 : 3 � � 2 �

7

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CD � �� d

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3 2 h

It is hard to imagine that Black can lose such a solid position, but one of Carlsen's strengths is his abil ity to exploit the slight est chances, the opponent only need ing to weaken his concentration. 28. b4 c5 29. l:Xa7

227

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·

Wh ite could have won a pawn: 29. tbxe6 �xe6 30. c4 .!ab6 31 . bxc5, but the tran sition i nto a rook endgame wou l d have dispelled all his i l lusions: 31 . . . .!ab3 32 . .!ab4 .!axa3 33 . .!axb7 �d7 with a d raw. 29 . . . cxb4 30. cxb4 �d7

This would appear to be an insign ificant transposition of moves, but it allows Wh ite to improve the position of his king. The ac curate 30 . . . i.c4 31 . �e3 �d6 would have restricted Wh ite's possibilities.

The decisive m i stake. The exchange of rooks only favou rs Wh ite. Black should have retreated with 34 . . . i.e6. 35. !a xa6+ bxa6 36. g4!

After this move the game is decided. Black faces a dilemma: whether to allow the crea tion of an outside passed pawn, or a weak ness on h5. a

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31 . ttie2! !a b6

6

Another slight inaccu racy. Black should not have conceded the 5th ran k to Wh ite, which he can use for an attack on the h5pawn after prepari ng g2-g4. 31 . . . �c8 was simpler, not feari ng 32. tDd4 .!ae5. a

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[3::,

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36 . . . hxg4

7

32. �e3 .tc4

Black follows the fi rst course. The second would also have lost. Play involving 36 . . . c5 i s too late: 37. gxh5! gxh5 (37. . . cxd4+ 38. �xd4) 38. tDf5 �e5 39. tDg3. No bet ter is 36 . . . �e5 37. gxh5 gxh5 38. f4+ <;!>f6 (or 38 . . . �d5 39. tDf5 Ab3 40. tbg7 i.d1 41 . tDe8! etc.) 39. �e4 Aa2 40. a4, and in view of the th reat of a4-a5 and b4-b5 Black has to go in for new concessions 40 . . . �e7 41 . tDf5+ �f6 42 . tDg3.

The rook's position should have been im proved - 32 . . . .!ad6, intending 33 . .!axb7 .!aa6.

37. fxg4 �e5 38. ttic6+ �f6 39. �f4 �e6 40. h5! gxh5 41 . gxh5 Ad3

33. ttid4 �d6?

Now g2-g4 is th reatened , with the idea of creating an outside passed pawn on the kingside.

Also after other continuations the coor di nation of the h- pawn with the knight is decisive. For example: 41 . . .f6 42. tbd8+ �e7 43. h 6 i.d3 44. tb b7 �f7 45. tDc5 Af1 46. h7 �g7 47. tbe6+ �xh7 48. <;!>f5, and after capturing the f6- pawn Wh ite also picks up the remaining pawns.

34 . . . !aa6?

42. �e3!

6 5

4 3

[3::, [3::,

3

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2

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Here also it was not too late for 33 . . . .!ad6. 34. l:ta5!

2 28

M. Carlsen

The king moves closer to the q ueenside. 42 . At1 43. h6 �f6 . .

a

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i •

i tiJ

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fj,

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3 /j,

fj,

D. Jakoven ko

44. �e5!

A study-l i ke theme! The knight is attacking the f7-pawn.

h

8

-

44 . . . Abs 45. �d4 Aa4 46. h7 �g7 47. �xf7 � x h7 48. �g5+ �g6 49. �e6

Black resigned .

4

3 2

2

.i. a

b

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9

h

For any representative of the el ite (apart from those seeking the champion's regalia), consistently fi nishing i n the top three in tournaments can in no way be regarded as a fai lure. For any, but not for Carlsen . His swift rise impl ied other summits. He h i m self real ised that, despite outward successes, i n recent times he had slowed down and too often fi nished on the i m mediate approaches to the tournament pedestal. The kind of stupor that had occurred with Carlsen did not go unnoticed . After Dort mund there was a storm of criticism. The comment by Konstantin Landa, published i n t h e magazine 64 Shakhmatnoe obo z renie, looks qu ite fair: 'What, i n m y view, is prevent ing the Norweg ian from conquering the summits? Previously chess was his favou rite game, he was cal led the second Fischer, a genius . . . but at some point for M agnus it became d ifficult everyday work (which in fact is true; powerful preparation is needed). Serious mistakes are occurri ng, and even one-move blunders are creeping in. I don't know what he is doing and how he is prepari ng with his trainers, but, i n my view, the fresh ness in his play has gone. Something needs to the changed ! ' This d i d not last long. After al l , Carlsen h imself realised perfectly wel l that i t was u nfai r to put his problems down to fate. For everything you have to answer you rself, and in particular you have to get to the bottom of what is happen ing. One of the causes h i n deri ng his further progress was qu ite obvious. He needed t o review his own conception of work on the opening, si nce a correctly organised game wou ld lead to comfortable play. Apparently help was also needed i n overcoming a certain psychological barrier, which was h i ndering his further i m provement. Help for the strongest player i n the West came from the East. I n the late summer of 2009 sensational news flew round the chess world. Garry Kasparov had beg un work ing with Magnus Carlsen! From two weeks in August they trai ned in Croatia, and then they worked for a few days i n Septem ber. Apart from face-to-face meetings, chess

229

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problems were regularly discussed by email and Skype. The results were i m mediately apparent! After his contact with the Maestro, Magnus began appreciating more deeply the i mportance of open ing organisation. This was undoubted ly an i m portant result of his contact with Kasparov! The results of the col laboration were al ready seen in October at the super-tou rnament in Nanjing (FI DE category 21). The chess world was staggered by the ease with which Carlsen defeated his opponents one after another, allotting them the role of observers in the battle for fi rst prize. In the h i story of tournaments of such standard it is u n l i kely that one can find an analog ue of the fi rst half, when fou r of M ag n us's five opponents fi n i shed on a m i n u s score, the excepti o n being Wang Yue, who gained a d raw. Their ' m i nuses' c l u bbed together to make M ag n us's ' p l us'. G arry's shadow hovered over Magnus in the very fi rst ro u n d , when in a Scotch Game he confidently d efeated Leko. There then fol l owed w i n s over Topalov, Jakoven ko and Radjabov. The confidence and strength issu i n g from M ag n u s were ad m i rable. ' It seems to m e that an enormous rol e is played i n particular by the emotional aspect of this col laboration,' commented Al exey Kuzm i n , who was p resent at the tournament. ' For Carlsen such contact, apart fro m the u n d o u bted c hess benefit , also h as a g reat psychological effect. Carlsen's respo n s i b i l ity has sharply increased: he is now answerable not only to h i mself, hut also to G arry Ki m ov i c h . ' I n the second h a l f o f the tournament Carlsen eased off, b u t he ended with the enormous (for such a u n iform ly strong field) lead over his nearest rivals of 2% points. Such a thing was achieved only by Alexander Alekh ine in the years of his greatest achievements! From the very first rounds the play of his main rivals gave the i m pression of a kind of doom . ' I f was as though M agnus did not do anything at all, except that, l i ke a python, he simply appeared on the path and lay down,' the reviewer of the Chesspro website, Sergey Zagrebelsky, picturesquely commented on his play. But if you dig deeper, in the games with Leko and Topalov the strategy of playing for restriction can be traced .

1 . e4 e5 2. �f3 �c6 3. d4

Game 53 M . Carlsen

-

P. Leko

Nanj i ng 2009 Scotch Game [ C45] Before this game Peter Leko was the only representative of the elite who Carlsen had not succeeded in beating in play with the classical time control. He was the first to experience the consequences of the col l aboration of the young N orweg ian with Garry Kasparov.

Here it is, the fi rst sign! Up till then the Scotch Game did not appear in Carlsen's repertoire, whereas in Kasparov's it used to occupy an honourable place. Among those to suffer was Leko. 3 . . . exd4 4. �xd4 Ac5

For those who like history we will also give Leko's only 'Scotch' experience with Kasp arov (Tilburg 1 997). Peter went in for a re-

230

M . Carlsen - P. Leko

1 1 . tt::l d 2 Vi!!t'g 6 1 2. tLlb5.

serve variation: 4 . . . Ab4+ 5. c3 Ac5 6. tt::l xc6 bxc6 7. Ad3 Vi!!t' h 4 8. Vi!!t'e2 tLlf6 9. h3 0-0, where he decided to try and refute Garry's pawn offensive 1 0. g3 Vi!!t' h 5 1 1 . g4 Vi!!t'e 5 12. g5 with the piece sacrifice 12 . . .tt::l xe4? 13. Axe4 �e8 14. Af3 Vi!!t'xe2+ 1 5. Axe2 Aa6 1 6. c4 Axc4 1 7. tLic3 and lost.

10

• • .

'Wxe4 1 1 . Af2 Axd4 1 2 . cxd4 tLl5g6 a

5. Ae3

One of the main opening trends, along with 5. tt::l xc6 bxc6 or 5 . . .Wf6 6. Vi!!t'd 2 dxc6, which in recent times has occurred more often . a

b

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e

f

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g

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e

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6 5

5

4 3

2 �� 1 : CiJ

h

.i .i. 'Vi' . � .i 8 7 • • • • • .f. 7 6 6 1.& 5 5 .i. 4 4 Cjj � 3 3 ib 2 �� 2 1 :( Cjj � � ib : 1 b

c

.i s • �.& • • • 7 • 1.& 6

a

8

a

b

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

1 3. g3!?

h

5 'Wf6 6. c3 tt:lge7 7. Ac4 tLle5 8. Ae2 'Wg6 9. 0-0 d6 • ..

The sharp conti n u ation 9 . . . d5 1 0. Ah5! Wxe4 1 1 . tLld2 allows White to develop a strong i n itiative. For example, the game Ehlvest - Be l i avsky (World Cup, Reykja vik 1 99 1 ) went 1 1 . . . Wd 3 1 2 .tt::l 4 f3 Ad6 (1 2 . . . Axe3 1 3 . tLixe5 'Wxd2 14. 'Wf3! favou rs Wh ite) 1 3 . tt::l x e5 Axe5 1 4 . Ac5 g6 1 5. Ae2 'Mif5 1 6. tt::lf3 Af6 1 7. �e1 0-0 1 8. Ad3 Wd7 1 9. tLie5 'Mld8 20. Wf3 �g7 21 . h4! and Black came under an attack. 1 0. f4

Sergey Rublevsky, one of the main Scotch devotees, usually sacrifices the pawn with a prophylactic king move - 1 0. �h1 Vi!!t' x e4

This move, which was i ntrod uced by Mo rozevich, takes the game onto positional l i nes: after defending the f4-pawn, Wh ite i ntends d4-d5, when the two bishops are a real advantage. The attem pt to l i n k this idea with 13. tt::l c 3 'Mixf4 and now 1 4. d5!? (1 4. tt::l b5 0-0 1 5 . tLixc7 �b8 1 6 . d5 is usually played, but after 16 . . . b6 followed by . . . Ab7 W h ite's i n itiative comes to a sta n d sti l l) was tried i n the game M i khalchish i n - Be liavsky (Lviv 2002): 14 . . . 0-0 1 5. tt::l b 5 Ad? 1 6. tLixc7 �ac8 1 7. �c1 Wg5 1 8 . Axa7 Ah3 1 9 . Af3 tLlh4 20. We2 tLieg6 21 . Ae3 V!fe7 22. tLlb5 tLixg2 23. �xc8 tLixe3 24. � xf8+ �xf8 25. �e1 tt::lf4 26. Wxe3 Wg5+ 27. �f2 V!fh4+ 28. �g1 Wg5+ %-%. 13

•••

0-0?!

A careless move, allowing Wh ite to car ry out t h e m a i n i d ea of 1 3 . g 3 . B l ack p l ayed m o re e n e rg etically i n the game M o rozevich - K ram n i k (Dortmund 2001): 1 3 . . . Ah3! 1 4 . Af3 Vi!!t'f5 1 5 . �e1 d5 1 6. Vi!!t' b 3 0-0 (1 6 . . . 0-0-0 is also interesting) 1 7. tt::l c3 c6 1 8 . Vi!!t' x b7 �fb8 1 9. Vi!!t'c7 Vi!!t'f6 %-%.

231

Chapter 3

·

14. �c3 'Wf5 1 5 . d5

8

I

8

Life at the Top

fends the d5-pawn , relieving the queen of this d uty, but also prepares the centralisa tion of his knight via �c3-e2-d4, attacking the q ueen with gain of tempo. 18 . . . �ac8 1 9. Wb3 b5

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

a

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d

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1 5 . . . a6

The positional pressure could have been avoided only by returning the pawn: 15 . . . c5!? 1 6. dxc6 �xc6 1 7. 'Wxd6 l::! d 8 1 8. 'Wa3 Ae6 1 9. l::!fd1 �ge7, when Black succeeds in coord i nating his pieces. For exam ple: 20. Af3 'Wg6 2 1 . l::! a c1 Ag4 22. l::! xd8+ l::! x d8 23. Ag2, and although Wh ite retains pressure on the q ueenside, the position is defensible. I n the opinion of Arshak Petro sian , consideration should also have been given to the return of the q ueen to the rear - 1 5 . . . 'Wd7!? followed by the fianchetto of the bishop, tyi ng White to the defence of the d5-pawn .

19 . . . b6 was more circumspect, h i ndering the attack on the pawn weaknesses. 20. �e2 Wh3 21 . �d4 Ag4?

A loss of time. 21 . . .�g8! was correct. Now the attempt to win a pawn by 22. 'Wa3 tDf6 23. Wxa6 runs i nto 23 . . . �g4, when af ter 24. Axg4?! 'Wxg4 Wh ite's light-square periphery is weakened. Also insufficient is 22. �c6 �f6 23. Ag2 'Wf5 (23 . . . 'Wh5? 24. Ad4) with a defensible position. 22. Ag2 is more accurate, provoking 22 . . . 'Wh5, and now 23. �c6 l::!fe8 fol lowed by . . .�g8-f6 with a tenable position. 22. Ag2 Wh5 a

1 7. �c1 Ad7 1 8. Af3!

A multi-purpose move: White not only de-

c

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I •8 7 � .l .l .l 7 � 6 .l 5 B 'ii' 5 4 t:2J B .i. 4 3 3 B � 2 BB ib ib B 2 1!l 1!l �

1 6. �e1 �h8!?

An i nterest i n g i de a . B l ac k i ntends to transfer his knight to f6 . Carlsen t h i n ks that B l ack's p roblems wou l d hardly be solved by 1 6 . . . b5 1 7. a3 , since he cannot play 1 7. . . Ab7? on accou nt of 1 8. Ag4 'Wf6 1 9. Ad4, when the q ueen is trapped . But here also it was not too late for 1 6 . . . 'Wd7, when Black holds the position.

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23. h4!

'The key move. Now all the black pieces on the kingside look rather stu pid, while the black q ueenside pawns are ripe for harvesti ng.' (Carlsen) 23 . . . �g8

Now this manoeuvre is too late, but Black's position is so comprom ised , that it is hard

32

M. Carlsen - V. To palov

to offer h i m any good advice. Apparently there was no longer any way of saving the game. If 23 . . . Ad7 there follows 24. J::! c 3 with the doubling of the rooks.

8

24. :E!:c6 �f6 25. :E!:xa6

5

.!.

7

.l �

tZJ

4

The gathering of the harvest begins.

.l

J:

6

�

�

3

25

• ..

Ad7

�

2

25 . . . J::!fe8 26. J::! x e8+ J::! x e8 27. J::! a7! is also hopeless for Black. 26. �xbS :E!:b8 27. a4 �g4 28. Af3 Wh6

Black also cannot be satisfied with 28 . . . 'Wf5 29. Ae4 'Wh5 30. J::! a7. a

7 6 5 4 3 2

b

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.!.

8

.l .t .l 1: tZJ � � � 0 � --;

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.!. • .l .l .l � 'if

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32 WhS 33. Wf4 AxdS 34. �xc7 Ab7 3S. :E!:b6 f6 36. Ad4 Wt7 37. �e6 :E!:g8 38. g;,f2 :E!: bc8 39. Ac3 AdS 40. aS :E!:c4 41 . �d4 Aa8 42. Wxd6 WhS 43. Wf4 :E!:cc8 44. :E!: be6 • • •

7

Black resigned .

6 5

�� 1: w

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8

Game 54

4

M. Carlsen - V. Topalov

3

Nanj i ng 2009 King's Indian Defence [ E90]

2

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29. Wc4

' I spent q u ite a bit of time aro u n d here trying to allow as l ittle counterplay as pos sible. With this move I prevent 29 . . . tilxf2 30. <;!;>xf2 tilxh4.' (Carlsen) 29

a

�xh4

•••

Desperation, but otherwise Black will suf focate. 30. Axg4 Axg4 31 . gxh4 Af3 32. fS

Only accu racy is req u i red of Wh ite - the check at g6 was threatened .

In 2009 Vesel i n Topalov headed the FIDE rating list, but surprising ly, it was against h i m that Carlsen played especially suc cessfu l ly, compared with the other repre sentatives of the top ten . After the tourna ment in Nanj i ng he improved the score to 5-3 (with 4 draws). 1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 g6 3. �c3 Ag7 4. e4 d6 s. �f3 0-0 6. h3

Carlsen avoids the Classical Variation, be ginning with 6. Ae2 , and prepares the de velopment of his dark-square bishop at e3. 6

�a6

•••

The main continuation here is 6 . . . e5 7. d5

33

Chapter 3

Life at the Top

·

a5 or 7. . . tll a 6. Also, 6 . . . c5, which is more in accordance with Topalov's style, is often played . 7. J.e3 e5 8. d5

The relieving of the pawn tension 8. dxe5 dxe5 is harmless after the queen exchange 9. 'Wxd8 f!xd8, since the e5-pawn is indi rectly defended (1 0 . .'Dxe5 .'Dxe4). But Black has to reckon with 9. c5. For example, in the game Radjabov -V. M ilov (Warsaw 2005) after 9 . . ..'Db4 1 0. Wa4 a5 1 1 . f!d1 We7 1 2 . a3 .'Dc6 White could have gained an advantage by 1 3 . Ab5!?. However, here too 9 . . . 'Wxd 1 + 1 0. f! x d 1 .'Db4 would have relieved Black's problems: 1 1 . f!d2 Ae6 1 2. a3 tll a2 13 . .'Dxa2 Axa2 14. Ad3 f!fd8 with the idea of 1 5. 0-0 f!xd3 1 6 . f!xd4 Ac4. 8 . . . c6

'Wxg6 1 4 . Ag4 Axg4 1 5 . h xg4 f!ae8+ 1 6 . <;t?f1 Ill e S (Kasparov). The game con tinued 1 2. 0-0 Axf5 (1 2 . . ..'Dxe2+ 13 . .'Dxe2 gxf5 is also possible) 1 3 . f!e1 Wf7 1 4 . .'Df1 , and here, accord ing to Kasparov's analy sis, Black could have mai ntai ned equal ity by 14 . . . .'Db4! 1 5 . .'Dg3 .'Dc2 1 6. Axf4 .'Dxe1 1 7. .'Dxf5 gxf5 1 8. Ad2 .'Dxg2 1 9. <;t?xg2 h8 with com plicated play. 9. g4!

Wh ite prevents Black's standard play on the kingside. 9 . . . �c5 1 0. �d2 a5 1 1 . a3

Wh ite prepares to drive away the knight. After the standard development 1 1 . Wc2 IDea 1 2 . 0-0-0 f5 B l ac k has sufficient cou nterplay. With a Samisch structure there is the interesting idea of switching the dark-square bishop to the queenside: 1 1 . f3 .'Dfd7 1 2. h4 Af6 1 3. Af2 'We8 1 4 . Ae2 Ad8 1 5 . 'Wc2 Ab6 with com plicated play (Kolev - Kam inski , Odessa 1 989). Topalov tries to carry out this idea in the course of the game. 1 1 . . .�fd7

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Black prepares not only . . .f7-f5, but also a bind on the q ueenside with . . . a5-a4, which does not work i m med iately - 1 1 . . . a4 1 2 . Axc5 d xc5 1 3 . .'Dxa4.

h

Kasparov preferred the classical 8 . . ..'Dh5 with the idea of playing the knight to f4 and advancing . . .f7-f5 . In the game C . Hans en - Kasparov (Sven d bo rg 1 99 0) Wh ite forestalled this by 9 . .'Dh2 'We8 1 0. Ae2, but nevertheless Kasparov carried out this idea with a pawn sacrifice - 1 0 . . .f5! 1 1 . exf5 .'Df4. Now, as in a number of simi lar variations, the exchange of the f4-knight is advanta geous to B l ack: 1 2 . Axf4 exf4 1 3 . fxg6

1 2 . lag1

1 2 . b4 is prematu re: 12 . . . axb4 13. axb4 f!xa1 1 4. Wxa1 .'Da6 1 5. Wa3 c5 and the knight establishes itself at b4. The move in the game has the aim of preventing . . .f7-f5. 1 2 . . . a4 1 3. 'Wc2 �b6 14. 0-0-0 .td7 1 5. �b1 cxd5

Black determ ines the pawn structu re too

Q34

M. Carlsen - V. To palov

creep in about the prospects of the bishop manoeuvre. M eanwh ile, the position demanded a m o re concrete decision - the prepara tion of . . . b7-b5. This wou l d h ave been answered by 19 . . . l;!c7!? 20. h4 l;!a8 2 1 . h5 tDc8 or the immediate 19 . . . l;!a8!?, preparing . . .tbc8 and . . . b7-b5.

soon, which is i m med iately exploited by Carlsen . The prophylactic 1 5 . . . �h8, pre pari ng . . .f7-f5 , was more in the spi rit of the position. 1 6. cxd5 l:!:c8

1 6 . . . l;!a5 came i nto consideration, when although the rook occupies an unusual po sition for the King's Ind ian Defence (usually the queen is brought out to a5), it performs the important task of su pporting the knight on c5 and controlling the b5-square.

20. g5

I n contrast to his opponent, Magn us's play is always concrete. He ' u rges' the bishop towards its d u bious goal and prepares an attack on the king.

8

8

20 . . . Ad8

7 6 5

5

4 .

4

Black should have ad m itted the faultiness of his idea and reverted to the plan with the preparation of . . . b7-b5 - 20 . . . Ag7 21 . h4 l;!c7 22. h5 l;!a8 23. l;!h1 tbc8.

2

2

21 . h4! �a8?

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1 7. Ab5!

Who said that Carlsen lacks 'schooling'? The move i n the game as though copies the style of Tigran Petros ian , who knew all about such exchanges. Wh ite exchang es his ' bad ' bishop (which is ru n n i ng up against his own pawn chai ns) for the 'good' bishop on d7.

If this is a pawn sacrifice, then for what benefits? But Black's pieces are so uncoor d inated , that possibly this is an attem pt to bring them together. An intervention such as 21 . . . �h3 22. l;!h1 �g4 23. h5 merely assists Wh ite's i n itiative. 22. AxeS! l:!:xc5 23. Wxa4 Wc8 24. l:!:c1 �b6

1 7. . . Axb5 1 8. �xb5 'Wd7 1 9. �c3 Af6?!

A rather artificial manoeuvre. Black takes his bishop to a5 , but, as the song goes 'the road is long'. And if it is taken i nto ac count that a barrier - the knight on b6 - will have to be removed , which will weaken the defence of the a4-pawn, doubts beg i n to

Q35

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Chapter 3

·

An ad m i ssion of t h e fai l u re of the idea 24 . . . Aa5, after which there follows 25. l;!g3 with the threat of b2-b4.

Life at the Top

29. gxf6+ I::i xf6 a

8

25. Wd1 !

7

Carlsen , as we know, i s able to deploy his pieces in their best positions. If White places his queen in an advanced post with 25. Wb4, the black q ueen sets off on a journey into the opponent's rear - 25 . . . Wh3 26. t/Jb3 l;!c8 27. l;!h1 Wf3 , eyeing not only the f2-pawn, but also the q ueenside. For exam ple, if 28. Wxd6?! Black can sacri fice the exchange - 28 . . . .§xc3 29. bxc3 Wxe4+, causing the king to become nerv ous: 30. �a1 t!Jc4 31 . Wb4 Ae7! 32. Wxe7 .§a8 .

6

25

• . •

'Wh3 26. Wf3 Wd7

26 . . . Wxh4? 27. .!::! g 4 leads to the loss of the queen , while after the q ueen exchange 26 . . . 'Wxf3 27. t/Jxf3 t/Jc4 Wh ite sets about converting his pawn majority: 28. b4! .§c8 29. t/Jb5 with the threat of doubling rooks on the c-fi le. For exam ple, if 29 . . . f6 there can fol low 30 . .§c2 t/Jb6 31 . l;!xc8 t/Jxc8 32 . .§c1 Ae7 33 . .§c7 with a decisive rook invasion, while in the event of 29 . . .f5 30. exf5 .§xf5 31 . .§xc4! .§xc4 32. t/Jxd6 .§xb4+ 33. axb4 .§xf3 34. t/Jxb7 Ab6 35. d 6 Black has to reckon with the passed pawns.

5 4 3 2 1

27 �g7 28. I::i c 2 f6 . . •

28 . . . .!::! h 8 followed by . . . h7-h6 would pos sibly have g iven Black better chances.

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.i. 'iV at • at � at .!. at .!. � at � � � Qj � � a QJ � a � I a

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8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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30. h5!

When an attack can be launched , Magnus is not afraid to sacrifice material . 30

. • .

I::i x f2 31 . hxg6 h6

If 31 . . . hxg6 there follows 32 . .§xg6+ �xg6 33. Wg3+ Ag5 34. Wxf2. 32• ti)d1 !

Simpl ification is the most effective way of converting the material advantage. 32 I::i x c2 33. ti)xf2 I::i c 8 34. ti)g4 .tg5 35. ti)f3 ti)c4 36. ti)xg5 hxg5 . . •

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7 6 5 4 3

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.!.

8

27. Wd3

27. h5 suggests itself, but with an extra pawn ' i n h an d' M ag n u s does n ot rush , preferri ng prophylaxis i n the event of pos sible cou nterplay for Black such as . . . Ae7, . . .t/Jc4 and . . . .§fc8.

b

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8

'if at � at � � �

• � at Qj

a

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5 4 3

� �

2

7 6

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37. ti)e3

O n ly here does Carlsen m ake an error. 37. Wh3! t/Jd2+ 38. �a2 l;!h8 39. Wxh8+! �xh8 40 . .§h1 + �g7 41 . .§h7+ was more forcefu l .

36

- T. Radjabov

M . Carlsen

37. . . �xe3 38. 'Wxe3 Wa4

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8 .I .t 'if fl � .I 8 7 .t .t .t l.&l .t .t .t 7 6 6 "' 5 ii. .t 5

By playing 38 . . . 'We7 39. �xg5 �h8 Black could have retarded, but not prevented Wh ite's offensive - 40. �f5 ! . 39. Wxg5 Wxe4+ 40. � a 1 J;le8 41 . J;lc1

Black resigned.

4

Game 55 M . Carlsen - T. Radjabov

a

Nanjing 2009 Sicilian Defence [ 830]

5

1 . e4 c5 2. �f3 �c6 3 . .tb5!

A pragmatic approach, typical of the 'new' Carlsen. In the main branches of the Chely abinsk Variation Radjabov has analysed everything, and there is no poi nt in com peting with him in knowledge. It is more log ical to switch to positional l i nes, where Mag n us is stronger. Especially since i n Linares that year they had already played a very interesting game in this variation. 3 . . . e6

The greatest expert on this variation, Evg eny Sveshni kov, considers this move to be the strongest. Earl ier Radjabov chose other variations, but d i d n ot play them in the best way. For exam ple, the game Grisch u k - Radjabov (Moscow 2002) went 3 . . . d6 4. 0-0 Ad7 5. �e1 tDf6 6. c3 a6 7. Af1 Ag4 8 . d3 Axf3 9. "1Wxf3 g6 1 0. "1Wd 1 Ag7 1 1 . tDd2 0-0 1 2 . tDf3 lDg4 1 3 . a3 �c8 1 4. �b1 tDge5 1 5 . tDxe5 tDxe5 1 6 . Ag5 Wd7 1 7. "1Wd2 me8 1 8 . �bc1 b5 1 9. h3 tDc6 20. Ae3 with comfortable play for Wh ite. 4. 0-0 �ge7 5. c3

Other solid conti n uations are 5. b3 and 5. �e1 . Carlsen sticks to central strategy.

• . .

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a6 6 . .ta4 b5

6 . . . c4 7. "1We2 b5 8 . Ac2 tD g 6 prevents Wh ite from setting u p a powerfu l centre, but he gains the opportu n ity to attack the q ueenside - 9. b3! . 7. .tc2 Ab7

The central pawn cou nter 7. . . d5 8 . e5 d4 9. Ae4 lDd5 leads to a very com p l i cated positi o n . For exam ple, the rap i d g a m e S h i rov - l van c h u k (Ta l l i n n 2 0 0 6) continued 1 0. d3 Ab7 1 1 . c4 lDb6 1 2 . Af4 Ae7 1 3 . lDbd2 g5 1 4 . Ag3 h5 1 5 . h3 'Wd7 1 6. �e1 0-0-0 1 7. cxb5 axb5 1 8. a4?! tDxa4 1 9. tDc4 bxc4 20. �xa4 cxd3 2 1 . 'Wxd3 , and t h e position was s o com plicated that only the players themselves could under stand it. 8. We2 d5

I n Linares 2009 Radjabov played 8 . . . tDg6 ag a i n st Carlse n . There fol l owed 9 . d4 cxd4 1 0. cxd4 �c8 1 1 . a3 Ae7 1 2 . tDc3 0-0 1 3 . �d1 tDa5 1 4 . g3 tDc4 1 5 . h4 tDxa3 1 6 . bxa3 (1 6. Ab3!?) 1 6 . . . �xc3 1 7. h5 Vflc7 1 8 . Ad3 tDh8 1 9. Ab2 �b3 20. �ac1 Vfla5 21 . d5 Axa3 22. Axa3 �xa3 23. "1We3 with sharp play, where White has com pensation for the sacrificed pawns.

2 37

Chapter 3

·

Life at the Top

The inclusion of 8 . . . c4 9. b3 d5 would have led after 1 0. exd5 ti:)xd5 1 1 . bxc4 ti:)f4 1 2. �e3 Ad6 to a very complicated posi tion, where Black has real cou nterplay. 8 . . . g6 is a log ical conti nuation, and it may possibly be the theme of futu re en counters.

A standard device, with which White opens the fi le for his rook. Black cannot prevent this: 12 . . . b4 weakens the c4-square, which w i l l be occu pied by the knight on b1 . If 1 2 . Ag5 Wh ite has to reckon with 12 . . . h6 1 3 . Ah4 g5 1 4 . Ag3 Ag7.

9. e5 d4 1 0. Ae4

The exchang ing operation 1 4. Ag5 Ae7 1 5 . Axd5 flxd5 1 6 . Axe? ti:)xe7 1 7. ti:)a3 fld7 1 8. c4 b4 1 9. ti:)bS 0-0 would not have given Wh ite anything real.

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1 0 . . . 'Wb6?!

1 2 . . . ttid5 1 3. axb5 axb5 14. cxd4

14 . . . cxd4

The knight exchange 14 . . . ti:)xd4 1 5 . ti:)xd4 cxd4 would have opened the way for the wh ite queen to the kingside: 1 6. Ag5 flc8 1 7. ti:)a3 Ae7 1 8 . Axd5 Axd5 1 9 . Axe?
A rather rare m ove. The m a i n m ove i s 1 0 . . .ti:) d 5 , a s Kasparov h i mself played i n a rapid game against G rischuk (M oscow 2002). The continuation was 1 1 . cxd4 ti:)xd4 1 2. ti:)xd4 cxd4 1 3 . a4 b4 14. d3 �c7 1 5 . f4?! flc8 1 6. ti:)d2 ti:)e3 1 7. flf3 Axe4 1 8 . d xe4 d3! 1 9. �xd3 ti:)c2 20. flb1 ti:)e1 , and Black won the exchange. 1 0 . . . ti:)g6 looks i nsufficiently logical: 1 1 . cxd4 cxd4 1 2. d3 Ae7 1 3 . g3! 0-0 1 4. h4 with an unpleasant initiative for Wh ite on the kingside. 1 1 . d3

1 1 . a4 deserved consideration, but Carlsen , a devotee of the classical style of play, wants to complete h i s d evelopment as soon as possible. 1 1 . . . lad8 1 2. a4

a 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

b

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i. e .I. .l .i. 'if ,.. .l .l ,.. � .l i;, � tiJ � tiJ VJJJ � � � .: � .: i;, a

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6 5 4 3 2

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1 5 . . . ttif4?

It was more logical for Black to complete his development by 1 5 . . . Ae7 1 6 . ti:)b3 0-0 1 7. Ag5 , when Wh ite merely retains the advantage of the first move. But Radjabov, with his active style, is aiming to seize the initiative.

38

M. Carlsen

-

T. Radjabov

a

16. Wd1 �b4?! 8

16 . . . tbg6 was safer. But Teimour did not declare war, in order to retreat!

7 6

17. �b3 Axe4 1 8. dxe4 �fd3

5 4

All in the same style - only forward ! But 18 . . . tbg6 1 9.tbfxd4 tbxe5 20. �h5 tbc4 21 . Ag5 would no longer have solved the main problem - the rapid development of the pieces.

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9

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.I

• -*- .I ... ... ... 'if I .t. £::, !k, ... J!&\ J!&\ttJ £3:, ttJ V/!f £::, £::, £3:, � � � a

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c

d

e

f

9

8 7 6 5 4 3 2

h

22 . . . AcS?

1 9. Ags

19 . . . Ae7? will not do, since after 20. Axe? �xe7 21 . �d2 Black has problems with his knights. For exam ple, 2 1 . . J !e8 22. tbc1 �xc1 23. �xb4+. 19 . . . ftc8 20.�fxd4 �xb2

If 20 . . . tbxe5 there fol l ows 2 1 . f!a5 ! , w i n n i n g the b5- paw n . T h e development of the kingside wo u l d also have led to the loss of this paw n : 20 . . . h 6 2 1 . Ae3 �b7 22. f3 tbxe5 23. �e2 Ae7 24. f!a5 0-0 25. f! x b 5. 21 . We2 � c 4 2 2 . ftfc1

3

b

22 . . . Ae7 was better, although here too after 23. tbxb5 �xb5 24. Axe? �xe7 25. f!a7+ �f8 26. f!a5 �b6 27. f! xc4 Wh ite has a very dangerous i n itiative. 23. �xbS! 0-0?

Overl ooking the loss of a p i ece. True, 23 . . . Axf2+ 24. �xf2 �xb5 25. �e2 0-0 26. tbd4 �c5 27. Ae3 would also have led to an obvious advantage for Wh ite. 24. �xeS �xeS

Th ings would not have been changed by 24 . . . f!xc5 25. Ae7 �xb5 26. Axc5. 2S. Ae7

Black resigned.

Partici pation in the Tal Memorial Tournament has particular implications for Carlsen. It is not only a matter of conti nuing the strong rival ry with the best players in the world , but also a n opportun ity t o make contact with t h e rich chess a n d cultural trad itions of Moscow. The fi rst tournament after the fai ry-tale victory i n Nanj i ng also i m posed cer tain obligations. Something extraord inary was expected of Magnus, although certai n reviewers warned that a repetition o f Nanjing was not possible i n Moscow. A n d i t was not only a matter of the very high level of the partici pants (FI DE category 21), but above all the powerfu l potential of the grandmasters themselves. After all, most of them, to some degree or other, were prod ucts of the famous Soviet Chess School and were i n the top ten o f t h e world rating l ist. In the very fi rst round he had to withstand the pressure of Vlad i m i r Kram n i k, who with Black l iterally right from the opening forced Carlsen onto the defensive. But the fol lowing series of d raws had a q u ite mu ndane explanation: d u ring the fi rst days

2 39

Ch apter 3

Life at the Top

·

M agnus was u nwe l l , and i n such a condition he was u nable to play for a win. The turn i n g point came in the second half of the tournament, when after five rounds the main favou rites Kram n i k and Anand were confidently l ead i n g . The game with the cu rrent world champion was awaited with particular i nterest . This was a fierce bat tle between two powerfu l fig hters , who proved worthy of one another. The dynamic nature of the play i n d icated that M agnus had recu perated , and although i n the 7th round the d rawing series conti n ued - he was forced to concl ude peace with the Rus sian champion Peter Svidler, his courage was now restored . In the next two rounds Carlsen won ag ainst Ponomariov and Leko, and fi nished among the tournament win ners, sharing 2nd-3rd places with lvanchuk, only half a point beh ind Kram nik. A worthy performance i n such stel lar com pany, confi rm ing his status as the No.1 player from the West . But the c u l m i nation of Carlsen's performance i n Moscow was his uncond itional victory in the World Blitz Championship. In a double-round tournament of 22 grand masters M agus scored 31 points, fi nishing 3 poi nts ahead of Anand and 6 ahead of the third-placed Karjaki n .

Game 56 M. Carlsen V. Anand M i khail Tal Memorial Tou rnament Moscow 2009 Queen 's Gambit {039}

a

8

-

7 6

5

1 . d4 �f6 2. c4 e6 3. �f3 d5 4. �c3 dxc4

4

The acceptance of the pawn sacrifice is cu rrently topical not only i n the Catalan Open i n g , but also i n the Queen's Gambit, for example i n the Botvi n n i k Variation or the Moscow Variat i o n . But for the mo ment Black is on course for the Vienna Variation. 5 . .t g 5 .t b 4 6. a 3

Carlsen avoids the Vienna Variat i o n , to which 6. e4 would have led , demonstrat ing his read iness to sacrifice a pawn. 6 . . . .txc3+ 7. bxc3

3 2 1

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c

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f

9

h

.! .! 1.1\ .t 'Vi• ... ••• . �.�� ·� � � tD �� .:g � � � .:g a

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c

d

e

f

9

8

7 6

5 4

3 2 1

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7. . . h6

Black clarifies the opponent's i ntentions and al lows the regai ning of the pawn . 7. . . b 5 8 . a4 c 6 i s m o re critical . The game G risch u k - van Wely (Wij k aan Zee 2005) contin ued 9. g3 h6 1 0. Axf6 (1 0. Ac1 also deserves consideration, retaining the bish ops with the idea of exploiting the weak dark squares on the a3-f8 diagonal) 10 . . .

240

M. Carlsen - V. Anand ------

possible - 1 2. g3 Ab7 1 3 . Ag2, or, as in the game, 12. g4!? Ab7 13. Ag2.

gxf6 (after 1 0 . . .'�xf6 1 1 . Ag2 Ab7 1 2 . �e5 it is n ot easy for Black to complete h i s development) 1 1 . A g 2 Ab7 1 2 . W b 1 a 6 1 3 . �d2 We? (� xc4 was t h reatened) 1 4 . 0-0 �d7 15. Wb4 c5 1 6. d xc5 Axg2 1 7. �xg2 Wc6+ 18. �g1 �e7 and Black maintained the balance. Instead of 1 5 . Wb4 Wh ite can consider the preparatory exchange 1 5 . axb5 axb5 (or 1 5 . . . cxb5 1 6 . A x b7 Wxb7 1 7. � xc4) 1 6. �xa8+ Axa8, and now 1 7. Wb4 with the better game i n view of the th reats of �e4 and �a1 . For exam ple: 1 7. . .f5 1 8 . �a1 Ab7 1 9. e4 c5 20. Wxb5 cxd4 2 1 . cxd4 (21 . �xc4 0-0 22. �a7 is also good) 21 . . . c3 22. �c1 ! .

12. g4!?

A fresh idea, combi ning the fianchetto with the idea of an offensive on the king side - an indirect indication of Carlsen's recovery. 12

Magnus did not sacrifice the pawn in order to regain it: 9. Wa4+ Ad7 1 0 . Wxc4, si nce after 1 0 . . . Ac6 1 1 . e3 �d7 Black success fu lly completes his development. 9 . . . b5 1 0. a4 c6 1 1 . �e5 a6 a

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h

.!. 8

•

7

•• . 'iV • ttJ

6

. •

5 4

. fj, fj, fj,

fj,

3

1 M a

7 6 5 4 3

fj, fj, fj, 2 � � Jt M 1

2

b

c

d

e

f

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.tb7 1 3 . .tg2 Vke7

There are two methods of playing as Black with this q ueenside pawn structu re: he can do his utmost to hold on to the pawn, displaying his read iness to withstand an attack by Wh ite on the q ueenside (in the Catalan Opening this course is success fu lly ad hered to by Evgeny Svesh n i kov), or at an appropriate moment he can return the pawn for the sake of completing his devel opment. Anand prefers the former course, demonstrating his i ntention of fighting for a win (by no means the last consideration here was Carlsen's physical exhaustion), whereas he could have demonstrated his peacefu l intentions and returned the pawn with 1 3 . . . �d7!?, provoking simpl ification: a) 14. Axc6 Axc6 1 5. �xc6 0-0 1 6. 0-0, and now after 16 . . .�b6 or 16 . . . e5 the g4-pawn looks out of place. It is hard to believe i n the real ity of an attack with such l i m ited reserves; b) 1 4 . axb5 axb5 1 5 . �xa8+ Axa8 1 6 . Wa1 Wd8 1 7. �xc6 Wc8, and all that remains for Wh ite is to force a draw by repetition - 1 8 . �a7 Wb8 1 9. �c6 Wc8 (variations by Shi pov).

8 . £xf6 Vkxf6 9 . e3

8 .!. � .a.

..•

h

If 1 1 . . . 0-0 there c o u l d h ave fo l l owed 1 2 . Ae2 Ab7 1 3 . W b1 (an 'X-ray' of the queen on the b7-bishop, typical of this type of pawn structure) 1 3 . . . a6 1 4. �xc4, regai ning the pawn i n a favourable situation . The fianchetto of the bishop is also

14. 0-0 0-0 1 5. f4 (see next diagram)

Wh ite has seized the i n itiative, and with the ' hook' on h6 the attacking pai r g4/f4

241

C hapter 3

a

b

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9

Life at the Top

·

threats to his king, and now he relieves the pawn tension on the q ueenside, hop ing to exploit the a-fi le. 19 . . . b4 also came into consideration, not only getting rid of the potentially weak b5- pawn (after the exchange 20. axb5 axb5 it is very vulner able), but also creating a passed c-pawn. If 20. 'fie2 there can fol low 20 . . . flea 21 . cxb4 'Wxb4, not fearing 22. g5 hxg5 23. fxg5 c3, when the c3-pawn diverts Wh ite from the attack on the king.

h

!. 1.1\ !. • 8 7 .i. 7 'ii l. l. 1. 6 6 £ I. I. 5 5 I. ttJ 4 4 � ... � � � 3 3 � � 2 JL � 2 1 l;l VJ!i : w 8

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

looks far more active than B l ac k's rigid pawn construction on the q ueenside. This is where the idea of the move 1 2. g4!? is revealed. 15

20. axb5 axb5 21 . !!xa7 'Wxa7 a

c

d

e 8

7 'iV 7 6 1.1\ I. 6 5 5 I. 4 4 �. � � � 3 3 � �

�d7

• ..

Anand becomes aware of the real ity of Wh ite's attack and he returns the pawn, exchanging the active knight. In the event of the preparatory 1 5 . . . 'fie? he wou ld have to reckon with 1 6. g5! with dangerous threats, for example: 1 6 . . . hxg5 1 7. 'fih5 tLld7 (1 7. . . g4 1 a. f5 exf5 1 9. flxf5) 1 a . CL!xd7 'fixd7 1 9. fxg5 with the th reat of switching the rook onto the h -fi le.

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22. 'Wa1

Wh ite switches his attention to the queen side.

1 6. �xc6 'Wd6

1 6 . . . A x c 6 i s weaker: 1 7. A x c 6 flaba 1a. axb5 axb5 1 9. fla7 flfda 20. 'fif3 b4 (20 . . . 'fid6? 2 1 . g5) 2 1 . flc1 with the initia tive for Wh ite.

22 · · ·'*'e7

U nderstandably, a p l ayer with classical convictions rejects movi ng i nto a pin by 1 7. 'fif3 , with unclear conseq uences after 1 7. . . �ha.

Logical . Only by keeping the queens on can Black hope to get at Wh ite's weaknesses. After the exchange 22 . . . 'fixa1 23. flxa1 CL!a4 24. fla3! flea 25. �f2 Wh ite retai ns a small but enduring advantage in the end game. Carlsen plays such endings with great pleasure, and therefore such a turn of events could not satisfy Anand.

1 7 'Wxe7 1 8 . Axb7 Eta7 1 9. Ag2 �b6

23. e4

Black has succeeded i n neutral ising the

Time will not wait. After the incl usion of his

1 7. �e7+

• . .

242

M. Carlsen - V. Anand

rook Black can set up a passed pawn on the queenside, and Wh ite forestal ls this with the th reat of an attack on the king. 23 .. J:ia8 24. 'Wb2 EtaS 25. e5!

Showing an excel l e nt fee l i n g for the dy nam ics of the posit i o n ! Wh ite i n c l udes h i s b i s h o p in the p l ay and i nte n d s to cont i n u e the advance of his pawn pha lanx by f4-f5 . a

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• 8 7 7 'Vi' I. I. 6 I. I. 6 5 .!. 1. 5 � 4 4 �. � � � 3 3 � 2 VJH b

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9

This carefu l move gives Black an i m por tant tempo for i n c l u d i n g h i s rook i n the counterattack, whereas the resolute 26. f5! wou l d have forced h i m to switch to de fence. If 26 . . .�xg4 there is the unpleasant 27. h3 �gS (27. . . �g3 leads to simi lar play) 28. fxe6 fxe6 29. �b4! �a? 30. �d6 �a2 31 . �xe6+ *h7 32. �g4 Wxg4 33. h xg4 and the passed e-pawn is very dangerous. 26

8

a

26. We2

. . •

Eta3! 27. f5!

It would be fatal to switch to defence. Af ter 27. �c1 or 27. �b1 there follows 27 . . . �a4. 27. . J:ixc3 28. fxe6 fxe6 29. We4! 'Wd8! 30. Wg6 Wxd4+ 31 . �h1 Ete3!

Attack and defence are at the highest level. a

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25

.••

Wh4

7

By launching a cou nterattack, d isclosing the d rawbacks of g2-g4, which has led to a weake n i n g of the k i n g 's defences, Anand d e m o n st rates h i s read i n ess to play for a win. However, he is taki ng a risk. At a press-co nfere n c e after the game he mentioned i n passing that 25 . . . �d5 wou l d have guaranteed an easy d raw. A straightforward analysis enables us to ascertai n that the world champion's as sessment was correct: 26. f5 (26 . Axd5 exd5 27. f5 �gS) 26 . . . �e3 27. �f3 �xg2 28. *xg2 �g S ! ? (28 . . . �h4 2 9 . h 3 hS 30. �f2 leads to more critical play) 29. h3 exf5 30. � xfS �e3 , and the queen pen etrates i nto the opponent's rear, forcing Wh ite to concern h i mself with h i s own king.

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32. Wxe6+

Carlsen forces a d raw in a situation where there was a last possibil ity of testing the solid ity of Black's position by 32. Ac6 ! , with t h e threat o f 3 3 . �f8+ * xf8 3 4 . �e8 mate, which Anand mentioned in the press conference. Black has to find the only de fence 32 . . . Wc5! . H e loses after 32 . . .�d8 33. g5 hxgS 34. �f7+ *h8 35. �h5+ *g8

243

C hapter 3

Life at the Top

·

36. Ae8, renewing the threat of 37. f!f8+. But after Black 32 . . . �c5! Black holds on by a fine thread of only moves: 33. �xe6+ *h7! (33 . . ·*h8? 34. �e8+ *h7 35. g5 hxg5 loses to 36. f!d1 ! with the threat of 37. �h5+ *g8 38. f!d8+) 34. g5 h xg5 35. Ae4+ f!xe4 36. �f5+ *g8 37. �xe4 �d5! 38. �xd5 tbxd5 39. f!d1 with a d raw. 32 . . . mh7 33. Wf5+ mhs 34. wta+ mh7 35. Wf5+ mha 36. wta+

1 1 . We1 !

Draw.

A new idea i n this variation After . . . b5b4 Wh ite moves away his q ueen in good time in the event of . . .tbe5-c4. Despite his fai l u re in this game, Ponomariov did not change his assessment of 1 0 . . . tbe5 at the World Bl itz Championship, which was held i m med iately after the end of the tourna ment. His opponents played differently. The modest 1 1 . a3 was tried in the game Dominguez- Ponomariov, which contin ued 1 1 . . .tDfd7 1 2. �f2 �c7 1 3 . f!g1 g5 14. h4 f!g8 1 5 . *b1 f!b8 1 6 . tba2 Ae7 1 7. f!h1 �b6 1 8 . tDb4 tDbc4 1 9. Axc4 bxc4 20. hxg5 h xg5 2 1 . Ad2 a5 22. tba2 c3! 23. Axc3 tbc4 with com plicated play. But in his game with Ponomariov, Mo rozevich made a reckless pawn sacrifice: 1 1 . f4!? tbexg4 1 2 . e5 b4 1 3 . exf6 bxc3 14. �xc3 tbxf6 (1 4 . . . gxf6 suggests itself) 1 5. Ag2 Ad? (1 5 . . . d5 1 6 . f5 would have al lowed White scope for an attack) 1 6. Axa8 �xa8 1 7. f!hg1 tbe4 1 8. �a5 g6 1 9. tbe2! Ag7 20. Ad4, and White gained the advantage.

Game 57 M. Carlsen - R. Ponomariov

M i khail Tal Memorial Tou rnament Moscow 2009 Sicilian Defence [ 890} 1 . e4 c5 2. �f3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. �xd4 �f6 5. �c3 a6 6 . .te3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. 'Wd2 � bd7 9. g4 h6 1 0. 0-0-0 a

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8 .!.

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j_ 'iV • j_ .!. 8 7 1.1\ 1. 1. I. I. 1.1\ I. 6

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10

�b6 1 7. tbe2 d xe4 1 8 . Axe4 !adS with excellent play for Black (Leko - lvanchuk, M u kachevo 2007); b) 1 1 . tbce2 �c7 1 2 . h4 d5 1 3 . tDf4 e5 1 4 . tDfe6 fxe6 1 5. tbxe6 �a5 1 6. exd5 �xa2 1 7. �d3 *f7 1 8. g5 tbxd5 1 9. Ah3 tb xe3 20. tDd8+ * e7 2 1 . tbc6+ �f7 22. g6+ *g8 23. �xe3 with very com p l i cated p l ay ( M o rozev i c h - Vachier Lagrave, Biel 2009).

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1 1 . . . Wc7 1 2 . h4 b4?!

In a number of recent games the more reso lute move 1 0 . . . b4 has occurred , with good results for Black. Here are some examples: a) 1 1 . tba4 tbe5 1 2 . b3 Ad? 1 3 . tbb2 d5 14. Af4 �c7 1 5. tbd3 tbxd3+ 1 6. Axd3

Premature, apparently. The more natu ral 1 2 . . . Ab7 1 3 . Ae2 tbc4 1 4. A xc4 �xc4 1 5 . g5 tbd7 1 6 . g6 tbe5 would have led to an u n clear position with chances for both sides.

244

M. Carlsen - R. Ponom ariov

13. ti:\ce2 ti:\c4

cessfu l . It was better to transfer the knight to c5 - 1 6 . . . CL!d7, not fearing 1 7.�fxe6 fxe6 1 8. Axe6, after which 1 8 . . .�c5 (or imme diately 18 . . . Ab7) 1 9. AdS Ab7 is possi ble.

13 . . . d5!? comes into consideration. a 8

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1 7. Wb3!

Wh ite h as focused his attention o n the e6- pawn: the th reat of a piece sacrifice becomes real.

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14. ti:\t4!

An amazi ngly bold move, si nce all the dou ble attacks associated with . . . e6-e5 had to be calcu lated . 14

• .•

d5

The opening of the position merely ag g ravates B lack's problems: his king has been caught in the centre and presents an easy target for White's mobil ised pieces. The only way to hold the position was by 1 7. . .'�e5. 1 8. exd5 Ad6

ti:\xe3

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8

In the event of 14 . . . e5 1 5 . �d5 � x d 5 1 6. exd5 exd4 1 7. Axd4+ �e5 1 8 . f4 B lack faces d ifficu lties.

16. Ac4!

In the style of Bobby Fischer, who so l i ked to attack the e6-point! 16

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Wc5?!

The . . .'�c7-b6-c5 manoeuvre is u nsuc-

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7 1. 1. 6 I. ,------ .i. I. � I. 6 5 5 'W B 4 l. � ttJ ti:J B B 4 3 3 � B 2 2 BBB 1 � 1 w� 7

15. Wxe3 Wb6?

The pri mary cause of Black's later prob lems. H e allows the development of the bishop on c4, after which the concentrated pressure on e6 may become un bearable. 15 . . . e5?! wou l d have been a mistake in view of 1 6. �d5 �xd5 1 7. exd5 Ab7 1 8 . f4! with a dangerous position for B lack. H e shou ld have completed his development with 1 5 . . . Ae7.

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1 9.ti:\fxe6

The fru it was ripe, but 1 9.�dxe6! looked stronger and more natural . Magnus occa sionally makes little 'slips' in the conversion of an advantage. 19

..•

fxe6 20. d xe6 Ae7 21 . Wd3!

The q ueen has performed its role on b3, and now it moves closer to the opponent's king.

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23. g5 �h7

21 . . . 0-0 a

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Of c o u rse, 23 . . J �x d 4 24. '1Wxd4 '1Wxd4 25 . .§xd4 tDe8 26. gxh6 would have ena bled Black to avoid a mating attack, but there was no serious hope of saving the game.

I. e 8 7 7 .i. .t 6 .t 8 1.1 .t 6 5 5 'if 4 88 4 .t ii. tt:J 3 3 � 8 2 2 888 g �g 8

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24. gxh6 �h5 25. �e4 �xh6+ 26. mb1 laa7 27. �f5 laxd1+ 28. laxd1 �f6 a

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22. J.b3

Wh ite wants to win in comfort: move in to g6 with his queen followed by tDf5 . But, strangely enoug h , even with such a con centration of force a delay i n the attack allows a respite. There was a quick win by 22. g5! tDe8 23. gxh6 Ab7 24. hxg7, com pletely elimi nating Black's pawn defences with a conti nuing attack. 22 J �d8? •.

Ponomariov misses the only chance to fight on with 22 . . . Ab7, when Black somehow sets up a defence: 23. \Wg6 tDe8 24. tDf5 f!f6 or 23. g5 tDh5 24. gxh6 tDf4. Now his game goes downh i l l .

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• 8 .i. .t l.i 7 6 8 'Yi' 5 tZJ � 8 4 3 8 2

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29. lad7!

I n concl usion, a l ittle combination in the style of Capablanca, which decides the game. The 'crude' 29 . .§d8+ would have led only to the win of the bishop. 29 . . . .txd7 30. exd7+ mta 31 . �d5

Black resig ned .

The l ast tournament of 2009 was the London Chess C l assic with the partici pation of e i g ht g ran d m asters (FI D E category 1 8) . The fi eld was selected in accordance with E n g l i s h trad itions with respect to their com patriots . The fou r strongest Engl ish players were g ranted the op portu n ity to cross swords with the m a i n challengers for the world crown , Vlad i m i r Kram n i k and M ag n u s Carlse n . The favou rites were d rawn together i n the very fi rst rou n d , and Carlsen 's w i n over the ex-world cham pion determ i ned the further course of the tou rnament. H e confi d ently converted h i s l ead i nto victory in the tou rnament (5 poi nts out of 7), al lowi ng h i s rival to close only wit h i n half a point.

246

M. Carlsen - V. Kram n i k ------

I n h i s game with Kram n i k , M ag n u s was able to demonstrate those attrib utes of h i s , in wh i c h h e is su perior to the strongest players in the world - an abi l ity to con d u ct l engthy p l ay, balancing on the barely d iscern i b l e bound ary separat i n g a m i n i mal advantage from equal ity. Here it is normal ly the opponent who makes t h e fi rst m i stake.

Game 58

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M . Carlsen - V. Kramnik

8

London 2009 English Opening [A29]

1. c4 For Carlse n , games with Kram n i k have a special i m p l icat i o n . Despite t h e fact that in his i nterviews he does not dem onstrate any i nterest i n the fight for the chess crow n , M ag n u s regards the play of the 1 4th world champion as a kind of beacon , by which he should be guided. Since for the present he is i nferior to the ex-champion as regards the scale of his home laboratory, this attempt to avoid sur prises with the help of the English Open ing, which he rarely plays, is fu l ly justified . It should be mentioned that Carlsen also used a s i m i lar idea i n his game with To palov i n Linares 2008.

1 . . .e5 2 . tbc3 tbf6 3. tbf3 tbc6 4. g3 I n the game with Topalov, Magnus played 4. d3, provoking his opponent i nto a re versed Sicilian. He adopts the same tactics in the present game. 4 . . d5 5. cxd5 tbxd5 6. Ag2 tbb6 7. 0-0 Ae7 8. a3 .

(see next diagram)

Wh ite prepares a pawn offensive on the queenside. 8 . d3 0-0 9. a3 leads to an insign ificant transposition of moves.

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3 8 t2J 3 QJ 8 2 8 8 8 8�8 2 1 .: � WH .:t � a

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8 . 0-0 .

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8 . . . Ae6 is also possible, since if 9. b4 White has to reckon with 9 . . . tbd4 with the threat of 1 0 . . . Ab3, and after 1 0 . .§b1 f6 1 1 . e3 (nothing is given by 1 1 . tbxd4 exd4 1 2. tbe4 AdS 1 3 . Ab2 fS) 1 1 . . .tbxf3+ 1 2 . 'Wxf3 c6 1 3 . bS .§c8 Black has good play. White's flank attack can be prevented by 8 . . . aS 9. d3 0-0 1 0. Ae3 Ae6. This varia tion occurred in the famous game Botvin nik- Portisch (Monte Carlo 1 968), where the 6th world champion carried out a com bination in which he twice sacrificed the exchange: 1 1 . tba4 tbxa4 1 2 . 'Wxa4 AdS 13 . .§fc1 .§e8 14 . .§c2 Af8 1S . .§ac1 tbb8? (1 S . . .'Wd7 is correct; the hope of playing . . . c7-c6 is illusory) 1 6 . .§xc7! Ac6 1 7. .§1 xc6! bxc6 18 . .§xf7! and White won . Nowadays 1 1 . tbd2 is preferred , but here too after 11 . . .tbdS 1 2. tbxdS AxdS 1 3 . AxdS 'WxdS 14 . .§c1 fS Black has adequate counterplay (Cvetkovic- Mikhalchishin, Yugoslavia 1 993).

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9. b4 .te6 1 0. la b1

1 0 . b5 is pre m at u re , as after 1 0 . . . tDd4 Wh ite can not play 1 1 . tDxe5? because of 1 1 . . . Ab3. 10

..•

f6 1 1 . d3

A well-known position in the English Open ing: White has deployed his forces as in the Dragon Variation of the Sicil ian Defence. This type of 'reversed ' play has a certain impl ication. I n dynam ic Dragon structu res an extra tempo is i m portant, and Carlsen, who has a fai r amount of experience in such positions, is satisfied by such a turn of events. a

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a i 'it' I . a 7 1. 1. 1. .a 1. 1. 7 6 � � j_ I. 6 5

cxb5 1 5 . &Db3 tDa4 of attacking the weak nesses on the q ueenside) 1 4 . �c2 &Dxc3 1 5. �xc3 �d7 with a good game for Black in view of his pressu re on the d3-pawn . It remains to add that after 1 2 . Ae3 tDxf3+ 1 3 . A xf3 c6 fol l owed by . . . tDd5 Black also has roughly equal chances. 1 2 . b5 ttid4 1 3. ttid2

After the exchange of knights Wh ite's c3square would have been weak. 1 3 . . . 'Wc8

The main contin uation is considered to be 1 3 . . . Ad5 (not 1 3 . . . tDd5? 1 4 . Axd5 Axd5 15. e3, when Black loses a piece) 1 4 . tDxd5 tDxd5. The central ised knights ensure Black a good game. 14. e3 ttif5 15. 'Wc2 a

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1 1 . . . a5

Before placing his knig hts on the central squares d4 and d5, Black aims to deter mine the pawn structure on the q ueenside and obtain an outpost for his pieces at b3, but after White's obvious reply he has problems with his other queenside pawns. It looks more promising to pursue central strategy with 1 1 . . . tDd4, which Carlsen en countered in his game with Radjabov at the 2008 Grand Prix tournament in Baku. There followed 1 2 . tDd2 c6 1 3. e3 (1 3. tDde4 tDd5) 1 3 . . .tDb5!? (with the idea after 1 4 . &Dxb5

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The price of driving away the knight is a weakening of the d3-pawn , which has to be defended . The alternative is 1 5. �e2 with the idea of attacking Black's centre by f2-f4, but in this case the problems with the defence of the d3-pawn are not relieved . For exam ple, the game Sarg issian - Yako vich (Moscow 2009) contin ued 1 5 . . . tDd6 1 6 . tDde4 tDf7 1 7. f!d1 Ag4 1 8 . f3 Ae6 1 9. d4, and here instead of routine play

248

M. Carlsen - V. Kram n i k

agai nst an ' isolan i ' - 19 . . . exd4 20. exd4 �e8, which in general is not bad , 19 . . . �d8!? came i nto consideration, with the idea of 20. tDc5 Ac4 2 1 . �e1 tDd5, controlling the central squares. In Bareev - Sh i rov (Poi kovsky 2 0 0 6) White preferred 1 6. a4, but this weakens the b4-sq uare, which expands the possibilities of the black bishops. The game conti n ued 1 6 . . . Ag4 (1 6 . . . �d8 is also good , i ntend ing to answer 1 7. Aa3 with 17 . . . tD e4!?, gaining the advantage of the two bishops) 1 7. f3 Ae6 1 8 . f4 tDf7 1 9 . tDb3 Ab4! 20. �c2 (the q ueen's journey to e2 has proved fru itless) 20 . . . Ah3 with excellent play for Black.

able post, not only removing the threat of an attack by the bishop, but also preparing f2-f4.

1 5 J ad8 1 6. �b2 a4

1 9 . . . �f8

Black prepares the surrounding of the b5pawn and takes control of the b3-sq uare, restricting the manoeuvrabil ity of the wh ite knights. The drawback to this move is that the a4-pawn may become a target, as in fact happened in the game.

The resulting position can be assessed as one of dynam ic eq u i l i bri u m , which is not easy to u n balance. By making t h i s wait i n g m ove, Kram n i k i nvites h i s o p ponent t o do t h i s . M o re active p l ay for Black cou ld have been associated with the preparation of . . . f6-f5 - the pivotal idea of the given variation. In this respect, consid erat i o n s h o u l d h ave been g iven to 1 9 . . . Ah3 20. Ah1 (if 20. Af3 , t h e n 2 0 . . . Ae6 is appropriate, emphasising that Wh ite's hopes associ ated with f2-f4 are i l l u sory) 20 . . .f5 2 1 . tDd2 Ag4 2 2 . �f1 (if 2 2 . tDf3 , then 22 . . . �e6 with t h e th reat of . . . e5-e4 is good) 22 . . . e4 23. f3 exf3 24 . tDxf3 �e6 , keeping Wh ite's so-called ' l ittle pawn centre' under contro l .

.•

1 7. �fc1

A logical move; i ntensifying the pressu re on the c-fi l e is i n the spi rit of the posi tion, and W h ite is i ntend i n g to transfer his knight to c5. After the routine 1 7. �fd 1 tD d 6 both wh ite knig hts are ' hobbled' by the need to defend the b5- pawn and the b3-sq uare. 17 . . . tDd6 1 8 . tDde4 tDe8

Black not only prevents tDe4-c5, but also defends the c7-pawn, not ru ling out the poss i b i l ity of retu rning to the attack on the b5-pawn. 1 9. 'We2!

A concrete approach to the position. Mag nus transfers his queen to a more comfort-

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20. f4

There is no other active possibil ity. The at tempt fi rst to regroup the rooks encounters a refutation, for example: 20. �d1 (with the idea of d3-d4) 20 . . . Ag4 2 1 . f3 Ae6 22. d4 Ab3 or 20. �f1 �d7 21 . �bd1 Ab3 22. �d2 f5.

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20 ... exf4

An essentially forced exchange, conced ing ground in the centre: Black does not want to al low the isolation of his e- pawn and the open ing of the f-fi le for the wh ite rook. 21 . gxf4 'Wd7 22. d4

Persisting with the �e4-c5 manoeuvre, exchanging the dark-square bishop. The passive 22. gd1 is met by 22... Ab3 23. gd2 f5! 24. �g5 �d6 with excellent play.

By l ifti n g h i s cont ro l of the a4- pawn , Black embarks on a forceful tactical path, which complicates the defence. The nat u ral 24 ...�d5 suggests itself: 25. �xd5 (25. bxc6 bxc6 26. �xd5 leads to a simi lar position) 25 ...Axd5 26. e4 We7 27. bxc6 bxc6 28. Af3 Ab3, and by contro l l i ng the d-fi le Black holds the position without any particular d ifficulty. 2S. �d1

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2S . . .'Wc7 26. Ac1 �as

22 ... c6

'Th is was more or l ess the o n ly m ove I considered , as I thought that Black had to do something to prevent b7 from col lapsing completely,' Carlsen comments. '22...Ac4!? 23. Wf2 Ad3 was actually quite good , but Kramn i k may have decided that there was no reason to start concrete play, since 24. �c5! looked strong d u ring the game. Sti l l , Black is probably fine here af ter 24 ...Axc5 25. dxc5 �c4! (25 ...Axb1 26. gxb1 gives Wh ite excel l ent compen sation for the exchange, as Black can not play 26 ...�c4, due to 27. Ad5+) 26. Axb7 Wg4+ 27. Wg2 Wxg2+ 28. Axg2 gabS.' 23. �cS AxeS 24. dxcS �c4

b

T h e c o n s eq u e n c e of/the i n cautious 24...�c4. Si nce Black h as to reckon with the exchanges on c6 and d8 with the loss of a pawn , he is forced to return his knight, defending the more valuable of the pawns. With the loss of the a4-pawn the conver sion of the passed pawn is too distant and Black has time to activate his pieces. 26 .. . cxb5? did not work i n view of 27. gxb5 �a5 28. �d5 Wf7 29. �b6, when a pawn is nevertheless lost, and the rook remains out of play. 27. bxc6 bxc6 28. �xa4

'I was very happy to d iscover that this m ove does n ot lose any m aterial, even though it looks a bit loose. 28. gb4 was another move I considered , but I d i d not

250

M. Carlsen

V. Kram n i k

l i ke 28...tt:lb3 (28 ...Ab3 29. �xd 8 �xd8 30. Af1 , a n d a4 fal l s without any real com pensation) 29. tDxa4 tDxc1 30. �xc1 f5 , w h e n Black has some cou nterplay. However, Wh ite is probably sti l l a bit bet ter, and I should probably have gone for this.' (Carlsen)

32. �e2 a

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28 J1xd1 +

The alternative 28 ... Ab3 29. �xd8 �xd8 30. tDb6 (if 30. tDc3, then 30...'fie? 31. Axc6 Ac4! 32. Wg2 Ad3 and .. .'�xeS is possi ble) 30 . .. �d1 + 31 . <;!;>f2 We? 32. �xb3 �xc1 33. �d3 would have led to simpl ification, but allowed Wh ite to activate his rook.

3

• •

29. V!Yxd1 lidS 30. V!Yc2 V!Yf7 31 . �c3

By bri nging u p his knight to the centre of events, Wh ite not only prevents the rook i nvasion at d 1 , but also coordinates his forces. I n time-trouble one could hard ly expect h i m to decide on 31. tDb6. After 31 . . . Ab3!? (if 31.. .tDb3, then 32. e4 tDd4 33. Wf2 fo l l owed by Ae3 is poss i b l e) 32. Ylf!c3 �d 1 + 33. <;!;>f2 Ylff h 5 34. �xb3 tDxb3 35. Ylftxb3 <;!;>f8 Wh ite wou ld have gained a m aterial advantage. However, his forces are uncoordi nated , and it is only possible to defend the bishop by 36. Ylftc4 or 36. Wc2 (36. Ab2? loses to 36 . ..�d2+), but then there fol l ows 36 ... Ylf!h4+, when Black picks u p the h2-pawn, not leaving the king i n peace.

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.tf5?

' Perhaps his only real mistake in this game. He could have retained dynam ic equal ity with the amazing 32 ...<;!;>f8!! , with the idea of 33 . . . Ab3 ,' com ments Carlsen. 'The point, which we probably both m issed , is that White cannot play 33. tDd4 because of 33 ...�xd4 34. exd4 Af5, and Black is at l east n ot worse, as 35. Ae4 fai l s to 3 5...Ylffg 6 + 36. Ylftg2 Ylf!xg2+!. 32 ...Ag4 33. tDg3 �d1+ 34. Ylftxd1 is probably why he decided to play 32 ...Af5.' However, it should be mentioned that to find the saving computer move 32 ...<;!;>f8!! i n time-trouble is practically i m possible. But the move in the game i s also hard to explai n , s i n ce after the opponent's obvious reply Black's position is u ntenable. 33. e4 .tg4 34. �g3 V!Yf7 35 .tf1 ! •

V!Yh5?!

.•.

An i m p u lsive m ove, w h i c h s i g n ificant ly c o m p l i c ates t h e d efe n c e , w h e reas the bishop manoeuvre 31 ...Ab3 (wh i c h Black must undoubtedly have considered) 32. Ylffe 4 Ac4 would have enabled him to hold the position. For example, in the event of 33. �b6 Ylftf8 Black regains the c5-pawn , since 34. Ylfff5 �d3 35. Ab2 �xe3 is not good for Wh ite.

In fi nishing off the opponent, Mag us, as always, is accurate. First a technical proce dure, shutting the knight out of the game. 35

• • •

.te6 36. V!Yc3!

And now the rook is d riven i nto the corner. 36

. • •

1Ia8

Otherwise the knight cannot be saved . If 36...tDc4 (b7) there would have followed 37. f5.

251

Chapter 3

Life at the Top

·

a

37. �b4 'Wd7 38. t5 At7 39. At4 'Wd1 40. �f2

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Black resigned.

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Carlsen began the year 2010 as the clear rating favourite, now establ ished at the 2810 mark, and after the positive end to the previous year, few doubted his ambitions at the super-tou rnament in Wijk aan Zee (FI DE category 19). And that is what happened. For the fi rst time Mag nus won the fi rst prize (if you don't count the share of 1st-2nd places in 2008, where on the tie-break the prize was awarded to Aronian). And the fact that he did this i n com petition with the strongest players i n the world, including the last two champions Kram n i k and Anand, consolidated his status as a real contender for the world championsh ip. But in qual ity of play it was as yet premature to talk about Carlsen's total superiority. Especially painful was his loss to Kram nik, the only player whom he had both beaten and lost to in 2009. However, his ability to play with full concentration was something that not all his famous opponents could withstand.

Game 59 S. Karjakin M. Carlsen Wijk aan Zee 2010 French Defence [C11} -

For Carlsen, games with Karjakin have a particular implication. Since their childhood years the chess paths of the two prodigies have taken the course of a secret rival ry, and they fi rst crossed here i n Wijk aan Zee, where Karjakin was the fi rst to break through to the A tournament and the fi rst to win the main prize. Th is had occurred in the p revious year in the p resence of Carlsen, who by that time had confidently overtaken Karjakin i n the rating list. How-

ever, in individual meetings in 'classical' chess, neither had won - five d raws. In the 1Oth round of the current 'Wijk' the two players arrived with the same n u mber of poi nts, but different moods: the previous day Carlsen had lost with Wh ite to Kram nik, whereas Karjaki n had won with Black against Nakam u ra. 1 . e4 e6 Undoubted ly a su rprise for Karjakin - ap parently for the fi rst time, Carlsen plays the French Defence. But here is his motivation: ' I n my younger years I used to consider it at best a second-rate openi ng. I believe that 1...c5 and 1...e5! are better choices, but since I desperately wanted to win this

252

S. Karjaki n - M. Carlsen

game (I was trai ling the leaders Kram n i k a n d Shirov b y a poi nt at t h i s stage) I de cided to try something new.' It can be as sumed that Carlsen was following the path of Rodriguez Vila, who at the 2009 World Cup i n Khanty- Mansiysk used the French Defence to try and save his m i n i -m atch against Karjaki n , and d rew appropriate conclusions from this experience.

sufficed only for a d raw, the com petitive objective of qualifying for the second round of the World Cup was fulfilled. The waiting move 1 1 . �h1 retains the op tion of tba4 if Black carries out the plan of ...b5-b4, ...a6-a5 and ...Ac8-a6, although moving the knight to the edge of the board has its drawbacks and demands additional justification compared with the retreat to d1.

2. d4 d5 3. CC!c3 CC!f6 4. e5 CClfd7 5. f4 c5 6. CClf3 CC!c6 7 .te3 .te7

1 1 . ..'Wc7

•

Carlsen also sticks to waiting tactics, to clarify Wh ite's plans, n ot considering it necessary to check 11 ...b4 1 2. tba4. Mean while, the game N ijboer- M. Gurevich (Am sterdam 2006) showed that Black has quite good prospects. There followed 1 2 ...cxd4 13 . tbxd4 tbxd4 1 4. Axd4 Ab7 1 5. f5 exf5 1 6. �xf5 Ac6 1 7. b3 Axa4 18. bxa4 tbc5 1 9. �af1 tbe6 20. Aa1 a5, and it was rather Wh ite who had problems.

I n recent times this move has often been employed by one of the last Mohicans of the French Defence, Mikhail Gurevich. The classical continuation is 7...cxd4 followed by ...�b6. 8. 'Wd2 0-0 9. .te2 a6 1 0. 0-0 b5 1 1 . �h1 a

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Strictly speak i n g , a new, although qu ite logical m ove. Wh ite switches his queen to the kingside, but his formulation of the idea is unsuccessful. Before this the routine 1 4. dxc5 AxeS 15. tDd4 was played.

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14 cxd4 1 5. CC!xd4 CC!xd4 16 .txd4 .tc5 • • •

Karjaki n decides not to conti nue with the standard 1 1 . a3 and he d iverges onto a l ittle-studied path, although in the afore mentioned game with Rodriguez Vila he was able to b u i l d up a very dangerous attack o n t h e k i ng: 11 ...� b 6 1 2. tbd1 a5 1 3. c3 a4 1 4. tDf2 tba5 1 5. �ad1 Ab7 1 6. Ad3 tbc4 1 7. �e2 tbxe3 1 8. �xe3 b4 1 9. f5 Aa6 20. f6 gxf6 2 1 . �h6 f5 22. dxc5 �xc5 23. axb4 �b6 24. �h1 f6 25. g4 Axd3 26. tbxd3 fxg4 27. �g1 f5 28. h3 �f7 29. hxg4 f4!. And although Wh ite's attack

253

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Ch apter 3

Life at the Top

·

1 7. 'Wh4?

A surpri s i n g l y n a'ive m ove for such an erud ite grandmaster. Surely Wh ite wasn't seriously hoping for an attack on the king? After all, for this he would need to have at least a pair of m i nor pieces ai med at the kingside. I n the spirit of the position was 1 7. �f2, from where, in the event of ...f7-f6, the queen retai ns control over the central dark squares (in particular d4). True, the loss of time on the king move to h1 makes itself felt, and Wh ite has no g rounds for gai n i n g a real advantage. For example: 1 7. �f2 f6 1 8. exf6 �xf6!? (more interesting than 18 ...tDxf6 1 9. AxeS �xeS 20. �xeS �xeS 2 1 . *g1 , after which Black has to forget about any ambitions) and Wh ite has to reckon with the threat to his f4-pawn. For example: 1 9. AxeS tDxcS 20. �d4 tDe4!? 2 1 . tDxe4 dxe4 22. c3 �cf8 23. g3 gS! , or 1 9. �e3 �cf8 20. *g1 Axd4 2 1 . �xd4 �b6, i ntending a possible ...tDd7-b8-c6. Apart from 17...f6 Black can also consider 17...tDb6 1 8. Ad3 (i ntending f4-fS, which for the m o ment i s p re m at u re - 1 8 . fS?! Axd4 1 9. �xd4 f6! 20. fxe6 fxeS) 1 8 . . .tDc4 1 9. Axc4 (not 1 9. b3? tDb2!) 1 9 ...Axd4! 20. �xd4 �xc4 with an equal game.

remains 23. �b4 d4 24. fxeS dxc3 2S. exf6 cxb2 26. �xb2 �xf6 with the better game for Black. 20 . . §xf6 .

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The simplest, since it becomes clear that White's play has come to a standstill. The rook on d4 is bad ly placed , and not only is ...�cf8 threatened , but he also has to reck on with the th reat of ...e6-eS. 20 .. .tDxf6 is also possible, eyeing the option of play ing the knight to e4. For example: 2 1 . �d1 (21 . �e1 tDe4!?) 21 ...eS 22. fxeS �xeS with the idea of .. .tDe4. 21 . f5

Of cou rse. As is well known, in the French Defence there are two standard u nderm in ing m oves: . . . c7-cS and ...f7-f6. It now tra n s p i res t h at there i s noth i n g for the queen to do on h4.

The opening of the position merely increas es the activity of the black pieces. But the attempt by Wh ite to consol idate his forces by 2 1 . �g4 �cf8 22. �f3 does not succeed after 22...tDb8! with the th reat of . . .tDc6. For example: 23. Ag6 Ac8! 24. �g3 tDc6 2S. �d2 tDe7 26. Ad3 �xf4 and Black wins a pawn.

1 9. Ad3 h6 20. exf6

21 ... §cf8

Nothing is given by 20. �g4 �b6 2 1 . exf6 tDxf6 22. �d1 eS! , when Wh ite cannot play 23. fxeS �xd4 24. Ah7+ tDxh7, since it turns out that his back ran k is weak. There only

Real i s i n g t h at W h ite is c o n d e m ned to passive d efence, Black cal m l y i n c reas es the p ress u re, assu m i n g that w i n n i ng the exchange by 21 ...eS 22. tDxdS AxdS

1 7 ... Axd4 1 8. §xd4 f6!

254

S. Karjakin

-

23. !!xd5 tDb6 24. '!We4 tDxd5 25. '!Wxd5+ is an i nsufficient return for his advantage.

27 ... Eif1 28. �d4 Eixg1+ 29. �xg1 Eie8

Forc i n g t h e exchange of queens, after which Black can set about converting his exchange advantage without any particular problems.

22. Eig1 �c5! 23. fxe6 �xe6 24. Eig4

Afte r 24. !!xd5 tDf4 25. !!d4 '!Wc5 o r 24. tDxd 5 Axd 5 2 5 . !!xd 5 tDf4 26. !!d4 Yf/c5 Wh ite has to g ive u p the exchange. 24

M. Carlsen

30. h4 We1 + 31. �h2 Wxg3+ 32. �xg3

�f4 25. Wg3

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The tech n ique of playing simple positions i s a favou rite 'hobby-horse' of Mag n u s Carlsen. He i s n o t tem pted b y the w i n o f a pawn after t h e i nvasion o f t h e rook: 32...!!e1 33. 'i!?f4 !!b1 34. b3 !!a1 35. 'i!?e5 !!xa3 36. 'i!?d6, and he prevents any activity by the wh ite king with the su pport of the blockad ing knight on d4 - 33. 'i!?f4 'i!?f6, th reatening ...g7-g5.

An accu rate m ove. By taking control of the e2-square with the th reat of ...d5-d4, Black puts h i s opponent in zugzwang. A characteristic variation is given by earls en: 26. h3 d4 2 7. tDd 1 (27. tDe2 tDxe2 28. Axe2 Ac8 leads to the loss of the exchange) 27...Ac8 28. !!e1 Vff/ f 7 29. !!h4 Ab7 30. !!g1 tDxg2! 3 1 . !!xg2 !!f3 32. Yf/g4 !!e8, and Wh ite cannot d efend aga i n st ...!!e1 .

33. �f2 �f6 34. g3 Ac8 35. c3 A g4 36. Ac2 g5 37. hxg5+ hxg5 38. Ab3

26. Eixf4

Against the attem pt to stand fi rm with 38. Ad3 Black decides matters by 38 ...!!h8 39. 'i!?g2 Ah5 with the switc h i n g of the bishop to g6.

White could not find anyth ing better than to give u p the exchange. But now it is merely a matter of tech nique.

38 �e5 39. Ac2 Eif8+ 40. ®g2 Ad7 41. �f3+ �f6 42. Ab3 g4 43. �d4 �e5

26... Eixf4 27. �e2

• ..

27. Vff/ g 6 !!8f6 28. Vffi h7+ 'i!?f7 was hopeless for White.

(see next diagram)

5

Chapter 3

8

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·

Life at the Top

The black pieces occupy ideal positions. Wh ite is u nable to prevent the advance of the b-pawn . 44. Ac2 a5 45. Ad1 c!>e4

Wh ite resigned.

3 2

h

After h i s vi ctory in Wijk aan Zee the l eader of the world rating l i st permitted h i mself to miss the prestigious Linares tou rnament and to relax i n N ice at the reg u l ar Am ber Tou rnament of Joop van Oostero m. It stands to reason that here too a complete tri u m p h was expected of Carlsen. After al l , in 2009 he had been o n ly fou rth after Aro n i a n , Kram n i k and Anand . Mag nus was so sure of success , that he perm itted h i mself to beg i n the tournament with the move 1. a3 in his b l i ndfold game with lv anch u k . I n this way h e so m otivated the outstanding U krai n ian g randmaster, that the latter won both games and developed such a pace, that to catch h i m Mag nus had to score seven (!) successive wins. He began with a bri l l iant attack, conducted b l i ndfo l d .

- M. Carlsen N ice 2010

L. Aronian

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1 8 ...fxe4! 1 9. fxe4 cxd5 20. exd5 �exd5! 21 . cxd5 �xd5 22. g1 e4!

'Th is is what Aron ian had missed . Once the bishop joins the attack via e5 or d4, Wh ite's days will be n u m bered ,' Carlsen comments. The fu rther c o m ments also belong to him, and were publ ished i n the Russian magazine 64 Shakh matnoe oboz renie and also in New in Ch ess. 23. �xe4 Ad4+ 24. Etf2

'24. �g2 looks very dangerous, but might have been Wh ite's best chance, together with Ag5 on the next move: a) 24...�h4 was what I had actually i ntended, and it does indeed work very wel l after the ob vious 25. Ag5 (25. Af3 is the only move

256

L. Aronian

that allows Wh ite to d efend) 25 ...ttie3+ 26. Axe3 Axe4 27. Af3 �xg4+; b) 24...�e7! 25. Af3 !!xf3 26. �xf3 ttlf6 27. !!ce1 Axe4 2S. �xe4 ttlxe4, and Black is a clear pawn up, but there is sti l l plenty of fight ahead.' 24. .. l!xf2

'When I played this, I believed that I was winning on the spot, but then I immediately noticed his only defence.' a

b

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.t 5 .t � 4 CLJ.t ..t.tt:J � 3 � 2� 1 1I :� 6

a

b

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-

M. Carlsen

25. tbxf2?

'This move, which my opponent made instantly, loses trivially. Had he taken a bit more time, he would surely have noticed the re source 25. Ag5! , which, surprisingly enough, keeps White in the game. I had intended to play the simple 25 .. . Ae3. N ow, after the more or less forced line 26. Axe3 !!g2+ 27. �h1 ttlxe3 2S. �d4+ �gS 29. �xe3 !!xe2 30. �xe2 �e7 Black will once again emerge with an extra pawn, but not without some drawing chances for his opponent. 25...Af6 is probably best, but lines like 26. ttlxf6 ttle3!! 27. �d4 !!g2+ 2S. �h1 !!xe2+ 29. ttle4+ �gS 30. AxdS lacS!! 31. �xe3 !!xe3 32. !axeS !!xe4! 33. Axa5 AxeS are not that easy to calculate blindfolded.' 25 .. .Wh4 26. We1 l!fS 27 .tf3 l!xf3 2S. We4 Wxf2+ •

h

Wh ite resigned.

Before the last round Carlsen still had real chances of sole victory in the tournament, but in his blindfold game with Grischuk he left his queen en prise. The result was a share of 1st-2nd places with lvanchuk and an overall score of 14% points from 22 games. The winners also made the same scores in both categories: in the blindfold they scored 6% points (the same as Kramnik), but in the rapid they were unrivalled with S points. The double-round tournament of six grandmasters in the smal l Romanian town of Bazna (FI DE category 20) received the prefix 'super' thanks to the partici pation of the leader of the world rating l ist Magnus Carlsen and the winner of the World Cup Boris Gelfand. And although the echo of Carlsen's victory by a marg i n of two moves (+5 in 10 games!) was i n keeping with his victory i n Nanji ng, i n the cou rse of the tournament his superiority did not seem so indisputable. At a certain moment he could have been challenged by Gelfand , i n the game with whom the Norweg ian had to defend by find ing virtually the only moves. I n the fi rst three rounds Carlsen had to be satisfied with d raws, but at the critical moment he as though acquired a second wind and won four games in a row. What operated was the phenomenon of Mag nus's 'Fischer style' of play, ready to fight until resources are completely exhausted, and winning apparently drawn positions. According to Gelfand: 'Carlsen has an incred ibly developed "ki l ler

257

Chapter 3

·

Life at the Top

instinct": to players who are not i n their best form , he gives no quarter - neither with Wh ite, nor with Black.' The impression is such that, u nder the magic of his powerful play, some players, including ones with high ratings, come along to a game as though doomed beforehand.

Game 60

a

s.!.

L.-0. Nisi peanu - M. Carlsen

7��

Bazna 201 0 Sicilian Defence [ 876]

6

1. e4 c5 2. �f3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. �xd4 �f6 5. �c3 g6 6. J.e3 J.g7 7. f3 �c6 8. 'Wd2 0-0 9. 0-0-0

5

T h e fi rst 'warn i n g b e l l ' , i n d i cat i n g t h e m a g i c a l effect of Carl s en o n h i s o p ponents. N is i peanu i s o p e n l y afrai d of Mag n u s , and he avo ids the critical m ove 9. Ac4, in w h i c h the l atter had gained several b r i l l i a n t wins, i n favour of the old conti n u at i o n. After 9. 0-0-0 Wh ite need not fear Black's cou nterplay after ...Ad?, ...l::!: c 8 and ...&Dc6-a5-c4, since h i s bishop can captu re the k n i g ht on c4 not from b3 (to where it retreats after be i n g deve l o ped at c4), but from f1 , sav i n g a whole tem po. B u t he h a s t o reckon with the attack i n the centre, as occu rred in the game.

2

9...d5 10. �b1

The second 'bel l ': N isi peanu avoids the main continuation 1 0. exd5 &Dxd5 1 1 . &Dxc6 bxc6 , where White w i n s a pawn i n the variations 1 2. &Dxd5 cxd5 1 3. 'Wxd5 and 1 2. Ad4 e5 1 3. Ac5 l::!:e 8 1 4. &Dxd5 cxd5 1 5. 'Wxd5, with active counterplay for Black. The tactical justification of 1 0. �b1 is that 1 0 ...dxe4? is not possible on accou nt of 1 1 . &Dxc6 Wxd2 1 2 . &Dxe7+. But Carlsen is also prepared for this turn of events, as is indicated by his 1 3th move.

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N i s i pe a n u was p r o b a b l y a1m1ng for 1 0 ...6Dxd4 1 1 . e5! (an i m portant i nterpo sition) 1 1 ...6Df5 1 2. exf6 exf6 (1 2 ...Axf6 1 3. &Dxd5 'Wxd5! 1 4 . Wxd5 &Dxe3 1 5. Wd2 &Dxd1 1 6. Wxd1 Ae6 leads to very sharp play, where Black has compensation for the sacrificed queen) 1 3. Ac5 d4 14. Axf8 Wxf8, being gu ided by the game Short - Carlsen (London 2009), which contin ued 1 5. &Db5 &De3 1 6.l::!:c 1 Ah6 1 7. 'Wxd4 &Df5 1 8. Wc3 Axc1 1 9. �xc1 Ad? 20. Ad3l::!:c 8 2 1 . 'Wd2 Axb5 22. Axb5 Wc5 with equal play, where he had most probably prepared a surprise. But in the Dragon it has already been establ ished that 1 0 . . l::!: . b 8 is a usefu l move (an indication being the emergence of the 'Ch inese Dragon' in the variation 9. Ac4 Ad? 1 0. 0-0-0 l::!: b 8), after which it is un favou rable for Wh ite to capture &Dxc6, and at the same time he has to reckon with the threat of ...e7-e5. The tactical justification of the rook development at b8 is reinforced

58

L.-D. Nisipeanu- M. Carlsen

ctJ �

----------------------

by the fact that 1 1 . Af4? is u nfavourable, as there fol lows 1 1 ...e5! 1 2. tDxc6 bxc6 1 3. Axe5 tDxe4 1 4. �d4 c5! 1 5. �xe4 dxe4 1 6. f!xd8 AxeS 1 7. f!xf8+ �xf8 18. �c1 exf3 1 9. gxf3, and Wh ite has a strateg ically lost position. 1 1 . tildb5

The most popular move - Wh ite plays his knight to a7 with the idea of exchang ing the bishop on c8. After the retreat 1 1 . tDb3 Black can go into an endgam e - 1 1 ...dxe4 1 2. �xd8 f!xd8 1 3. f!xd8+ CDxd8 1 4. Axa7 f!a8 15. Ab6 Af5= (L. Milov - Ovsejevitsch , N i kolaev 1 995). 11

.. •

a6 1 2. tila7 e6 1 3. g4

N ot h i n g i s g i ven by t h e s i m p l ifyi n g 1 3. exd 5 exd5 1 4. tDxc8 f!xc8 1 5. tDxdS tDxdS 1 6. �xdS �xdS 1 7. f!xd 5 tDb4 1 8. f!cS (or 1 8. f!d2 f!fe8 with the idea of 1 9. Af2 Ah6!) 18 ...f!ce8! 1 9. Ad2 f!d8 with equal chances (Sjugi rov - N arayanan , Kirishi 2006). 1 3 Jae8! .•

1 5· Af2?!

The i m pression is that Carlsen has outwit ted his opponent, and it has to be admitted that the knight raid to a7 has proved inef fective. If 1 5. tDxc8 Wh ite has to reckon with 15 ...d4! , while i n the event of 1 5. exd5 exd5 1 6. tDxdS Ae6 1 7. c4 tDeS the knight cannot escape from a7, and he is forced to return the pawn by 1 7. tDxc6 bxc6 1 8. tDf6+, transposing i nto an i nferior endgame. But after the move in the game Wh ite is un able to exchange his knight, which 1 5. Ac5 wou l d perm it, preventing 1 5 ... Ad7? be cause of 1 6. exd5 exd5 1 7. tDxdS! with the threat of 1 8. tDxc6 bxc6 1 9. tDe7+. Better here is 1 5 ...�a5 1 6. �e3 with the alterna tive of sacrificing a pawn - 1 6 ...d4 1 7. tDxc6 �xc5 1 8. tDxd4, obtaining a powerful dark square bishop as com pensation, or going into a roughly equal endgame - 1 6 ...Axc3 1 7. �xc3 �xc3 1 8. bxc3. 15

Black prepares for the opening of the posi tion after the captu re on dS. 1 4. g5 tilh5

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N ot 1 4 ...tDd7? 1 5. exd5 exd5 1 6. tDxdS tDxa7 1 7. Axa7 f!a8 1 8. Af2 with an over whel ming advantage for Wh ite.

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• • •

Ad7!

The loss of a pawn is of no sign ificance, since the knight on a7 is not even a notori ous 'Tarrasch knight', but rather a 'donkey' in a trap. 1 6. exd5 exd5 1 7. 'Wxd5

After 1 7. tDxdS Ae6! Black has more than sufficient compensation for the pawn. For example, White cannot play 1 8. tDxc6? bxc6 1 9. tDf6+ tDxf6 20. gxf6 �xf6, when without l oss of m aterial be is u nable to withstand the massed attack of the black pieces. But possibly he al ready had no choice other than to go 'fishing in trou bled waters', by playing 1 8. c4 tDeS.

259

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l:!bd8) 2 1 . 'Wc1 c'll c 4, with clear and easy play for Black.

1 7...tbe5

The trap has operated - the knight is out of play f or ever. a 8 7 6

The outcome is decided, since Black is effectively playing with an extra piece.

b

X QJ I. I.

8

20 . .te2 .te6 21 . Wa3 tbc4 22 . .txc4 J.xc4 23. tbd6 .tf8 24. fld4 We5 25. f!xc4 .txd6 26. Wd3 .tf8 27. a4 I:Ibd8 28. Wb3 'Wd5 29. I:Ic3 Wd2 30. Ae3 We2

6

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5 4

4

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3

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5

W h ite g i ve s u p h i s g 5 - paw n , w h i c h c o u l d h ave b e e n d efe n d ed: 1 8. Ae3 'We? 1 9. Ae2 (or 1 9. f4? Ae6 20. 'Wa5 c'll g 4 and Wh ite l oses after 2 1 . Ac5 b6 22. Axe? bxa5 , wh ile after 2 1 . Ab6 the p l a c i n g of his pieces looks strange, to say the least: Black can cont i n u e either 2 1 ...Axc3 or 2 1 ...Af5 with the th reats of ...c'llxf4 and ...Axc3) 19 ... Ae6 20. 'Wd2 l:!bd8 (20 ...c'll c 4 21. Axc4 Axc4 22. c'll e 4

3

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f

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31 . .tb6?

and Wh ite resigned, without waiting for 31 ...l:!d1 + 32. l:!xd1 'Wxd1 + 33. �a2 l:!e1 .

I n the following game it was a top-class player who fel l under the magic of Carlsen's i nfal libil ity. After obtai ning an almost winning position, at a critical moment Ruslan Ponomariov took Carlsen 'at his word ', was frightened by some illusory threats, and i n the end he lost.

260

R. Ponomari ov- M. Carlsen

Game 61 R. Ponomariov - M. Carlsen Bazna 201 0 King's Indian Defence [ E81] 1 . d4 t'Of6 2. c4 g6 3. t'Oc3 b.g7

I n recent times, possibly under the i nfl u ence of Garry Kasparov, the King's I n d ian Defence has ap peared in Carl sen's rep erto i re . But his choice of it at a decisive stage of the tournament, in the game with Ponomariov, apparently took acco unt of the variation employed by Ruslan against Radjabov at t h e start of t h e t o u r n a m ent. 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. t'Oge2

It was this move, employed by Ponomariov against Radjabov, the leading King's Ind ian player of modern ti mes (the classical con tin uation is 6. Ae3), that drew Magn us's attention in prepari ng a new line of play. a 8

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often responds with an i m med iate flank attack - 6 ...c5. 7. b.e3 c5

Here i s the su rprise. It tra n s p i res that Carlsen is not even contemplating ...e7-e5 and he prefers to transpose i nto a Modern Benon i structure, where the bishop at e3 is not on its best square. 8. d5 fOeS 9. t'Og3 h5

The play is based on nuances. Black hurries to drive the knight to f1 , as Wh ite can not prevent the advance of the pawn by 1 0. h4, since in this case, because of the weakness of the g4-square, he will never be able to carry out the thematic f3-f4. After 9...e6 1 0. Ae2 exd5 1 1 . cxd5 a6 1 2. a4, a natural move order for the Modern Benon i , 12 ...h5 proves ineffective, since after 1 3. 0-0 h4 1 4 . tDh1 the knight switches to the excel lent post f2, from where it forestalls Black's threats on the kingside. 1 0. b.e2 h4 1 1 . t'Of1 e6 1 2. t'Od2

1 2 . f4 suggests itself, but then Black is not obl iged to retreat, since after 1 2 . . .tDeg4 1 3. Axg4 tDxg4 1 4. �xg4 exd5 1 5. f5 d4 he regains the piece, obtai ning good play. 12

• •.

exd5 1 3. cxd5

8

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6

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Radjabov played 6 .. . e5?!, and after 7 Ag5! he experienced some difficulties. There fore Carlsen develops his knight, reducing the potential of 7. Ag5. But it should be mentioned that, when Wh ite delays the development of h i s bishop, Black m ost

.l

4 3

3

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61

4

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f

9

h

Chapter 3

Life at the Top

·

ing the d6-pawn , and then attacking the knight with . ..l::!a b8.

1 3 .. . Ad7

At first sight this is a transposition of moves com pared with 1 3 ...a6 1 4. a4 Ad7 1 5. 0-0 b5, which has been played in n u merous games. The best known of these, Vyzhma navin - J. Polgar (Gron ingen 1 994), contin ued 1 6. axb5 axb5 1 7.l::!x a8 �xa8 1 8. h3?! c4 1 9. �e1 (1 9. f4 tbd3 20. Axd3 cxd3 21. b4 �a3 is advantageous to Black) 19 ... b4 20. tDd1 �a2! 2 1 . �xh4 Aa4 22. f4 tDd3 with good play for Black. But, of course, 1 8. Axb5 Axb5 1 9. tbxb5 �a6 20. tbc3 l::! b 8 is more critical , with com pensation for the pawn typical of such structu res (Psakh is- Piket, Amsterdam 1 990), or i m med iately 1 7. Axb5 Axb5 1 8. tbxb5 l::! b 8. Peter Heine N ielsen recommends 1 3 . .. h3!? with the idea after 1 4. g4?! of sacrific ing the bishop by 14...Axg4 1 5. fxg4 tDfxg4 1 6. Af4 Ah6 1 7. AxeS tbxe5 with excel lent com pensation in the form of complete con trol of the dark squares. Therefore 1 3...h3 should be answered by 14 g3. 1 4. 0-0 b5

This is the idea of 1 3 ...Ad7, but after the next few moves one gains the i m pression that the prepared line is not too success ful. But there are no sensible alternatives. If 14 ...a6, with the idea after 1 5. a4 b5 of transposing into the fami l iar position, Wh ite can play 1 5. h3! with the threat of f3-f4. It is too late for 1 4. . .h3 1 5. g4 a6 in view of the unpleasant 1 6. g5! fol lowed by f3-f4, and therefore strong measures are necessary. 1 5. �xb5 Axb5

If 1 5 . . . � b 6 W h ite rep l i es with the typi cal manoeuvre 1 6. tba3 �xb2 1 7. tbc4, obtai ning a serious positional advantage. 1 5 . . . �e7 came into consideration, defend-

1 6. Axb5 :Sb8 1 7. a4

a

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. •.

I n pri n c i ple, a d u bious sortie, removing Black's control of the g4-square - after all, Wh ite will not allow the knight to go to f4. But Carlsen was undoubted ly look ing further ahead. I n the event of 1 7... h3 1 8. g4 (1 8. gxh3 �c8) 1 8 ...a6 1 9. Axa6 l::!x b2 20.l::! b1 White exchanges the active rook and Black has no compensation for the extra passed pawn. The compensa tion for the sacrificed pawn is also insuf ficient after 17...�a5 1 8. �e2 (or 1 8. �c2 a6 1 9. Ae2l::! b 4 20. b3) 1 8 ...a6 1 9. tbc4 ttlxc4 20. Axc4 tbd7 2 1 . l::!f b1 . It would appear that Carlsen recognises how d ifficult his position is, and he openly bl uffs, cal mly staking everything. 1 8. f4!

After this move White has an obvious ad vantage, but all the m i racles lie ahead. 18

•..

�d7 1 9. 'Wg4 a6! 20. Axa6

After 20. Axd7 tDf6 2 1 . �xh4 tbxd7 22. �xd8 l::!fxd8 Black regains one of the

Q62

R. Ponomariov- M. Carlsen ------

--------�====

sacrificed pawns (23. �c4 �b6 24. �a5 .§e8), retaining qu ite good compensation for the other one. Ponomariov prefers to have a passed pawn. 20... laxb2 21 . laab1 I

Aiming for the exchange of the active rook. But Carlsen carries out his plan of an at tack on the king, begun with his 1 7th move. 21

•.•

laxd2!

Everything else is hopeless! 22. Axd2 Ad4+ a

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by no means ephemeral , for exam ple, i n the variation 24. �xh4 �xe4 2 5 . �xd 8 .§xd8 26. Ae1 ? �g3+! 27. hxg3 �g7 etc. But is it so simple, when short of time, to fi nd all the n uances in the defence of the king? Apart from 24. �xh4 W h ite also has to calcu late 24. �f3 �g3+ 25. hxg3 hxg3 and fi n d a series of exact m oves: 26. Ae1 !, with the cal c u l ation branches 26 ...�g7!? 27. Axg3 .§h8+ 28. Ah2 �xe4 29. .§b8! and 26...�xe4!? 27. Axg3 �xg3+ 28. �xg3 �g7 29. .§f2!. Such resou rces, incidental ly, already on the 7th move of the calculation (beg i n n i ng with 23. �h1 ) are not easy to d iscover. But now the ad vantage passes to Black .

The e4- and a4-pawns are u nder attack. Which of them should be defended?

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T h e b l uff works! Po n o m ari ov, taki n g Mag n u s a t h i s word , b l o c ked w i t h his rook almost without t h i n k i n g . Of course, commenting on the game on the I nternet, and especially in the qu ite of one's study, one can consu lt with Rybka and i n a few m i n utes obtai n an answer regard i n g the safety of 23. �h1 �df6 . It is another mat ter to take such a decision at the board. Po n o m ariov o bv i o u s l y i m agined t h e re were t h reats i nvo l v i n g k n i g ht leaps to g3, when his king wou l d come under a cross-fi re not only on the a7-g1 d iagonal, but also the h -fi l e. These th reats were

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26. e5

Ponomariov takes the more energetic deci sion. In the event of 26. Ad3 �xa4 27. .§c1 �d4+ 28. �f1 .§e8 29. Ac3 �xe4 30. Axd4 �xd2+ 31 . �f2 �xf3 32. �xf3 cxd4 Wh ite still has problems. 26. Ab5 ti:)xe4+ 27. �e3! �xd2+ 28. �xd2 is stronger, with a defen sible position.

263

Ch apter 3

Life at the Top

·

26 ...'Wxa4 27. exf6?

29...'Wf5

This is the consequence of the psycho logical shock, following the loss of a cer tain advantage. After the straightforward 27. Ab5 &De4+ 28. �e1 &Dxd2 29. Axa4 &Dxf3+ 30. gxf3 &Dxf4 31 . exd6 �d8 32. d7 &Dxd5 33. �c1 White could have hoped to save the endgame.

Now, despite the material equality, White's position is strategically hopeless.

27...'Wxa6 28. Ac3 'Wc8?

Carlsen too has to pay for his past experi ence. He intends to switch his queen to f5 , whereas the game wou l d have been quickly concluded by 28...�c4 with an attack not only on the d5- and f4-pawns, but also indirectly on the f6-pawn (29. f5 &Dxf6! 30. Axf6 �C2+). a

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By placing his rook on its optim um square, Black has put White in zugzwang. The d5and f6-pawns cannot be simu ltaneously defended.

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30. l:!f1 l:!e8 31 . Aa1 l:!a8 32. 'We3 �h7 33. Ab2 Iib8 34. Ac1 Iib1

37 ...Wd4

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Ponomariov misses a chance opportu nity to exchange the queens, making it harder for Black to convert his advantage: 29. f5! �xf5 30. �xf5 gxf5 3 1 . �b6! �d8 32. �f3. And since if 32 ...�h7 there is the strong reply 33 Ae1 ! h3 34 gxh3 �g6 35 Ag3!, Black wou l d have had to fin d 32...�a8! with winning chances (variation by Nielsen).

37... f4 was more forceful: 38. �f2 (38. �h3 �d4+ 39. �h1 �xf6) 38...�g6 39. �xh4 �d4+ 40. �f2 �xf2 41 . �xf2 d 5. How ever, the passed d-pawn also guarantees a win. Carlsen's su bsequent technique is impeccable. 38. 'Wxd4 cxd4 39. A g5 l:!xf1 + 40. �xf1 h3 41 . gxh3 �g6 42. Ah4
White resig ned.

264

M. Carlsen

-

E. Bacrot

I n July 2 0 1 0 Mag n u s su rprised t h e c h ess world by beg i n n i n g an 'alternative ca reer' - with h i s rugged good l o o ks h e became a fas h i o n m o d e l fo r t h e fi rm G - Star Raw. A few weeks l ater h e took part in the Raw Wo r l d C h ess C h a l l e n g e in N ew Yo rk, with over 4 0 , 0 0 0 o p p o n ents vot i n g o n l i n e for t h e best m ove out of t h ose sel ected by an e l ite g ra n d m aster pan e l , and Garry Kas parov a m o n g the c o m m e n t a r y team. Whether t h i s w a s a l l p rov i n g a d i stract i o n i s not c l ear, but i n Carlsen's n ext event, the Arct i c Securities C h ess Stars , a rap i d - p l ay eve nt of fo u r p l ayers h e l d in h i s h o m e cou ntry and o rgan ised by the fi rm w h i c h was n ow sponsoring h i m , h e i n it i a l l y had to p l ay second fiddle to V i s hy Anand. The world c h a m p i o n d o m i n ated the a l l - p l ay-a l l sect i o n b y scori ng 5/6 as o p posed to Carlsen's 31/2, but the fo rmat provided fo r a two-game p l ay- off between the top two, and here Carlsen p reva i l e d 1 %-1/2. Carlsen o pted to l ead the Norweg ian team at the 39th O l y m p i ad , held i n the remote S i berian town of Khanty- Mansiysk, although he m ust have known that he wo u l d m a i n l y be fac i n g l ower- rated p l ayers and i n danger of losing rat i n g poi nts. W h i c h i s what in fact happened, as he suffered as m any as t h ree d efeats with Black, i n c l u d i n g one to Michael Ad ams after ventu ring the experi mental ' N orth Sea Defence' 1 . e4 g 6 2. d4 tDf6 3 . e5 tDh5. Then i n the G rand Slam Masters i n B i l bao (FI D E category 22!) , he fi n i shed t h i rd beh i n d Kram n i k and Anand in t h i s fo u r- p l ayer d o u b l e - ro u n d event, his o n l y win c o m i n g at the expense of the botto m-p l aced Al exey S h i rov. Tal k of a crisis in Carlsen's play was dispelled by his fine victory in the third Pearl Spring tou rnament in Nanji ng (FI D E category 2 1 ) . Facing five 2700+ g randmasters, including world champion Vishy Anand and former FIDE champion Veselin Topalov, Carlsen went through the ten rounds undefeated and with 7/1 0 fi n ished a point ahead of the 2nd-placed Anand. An incisive attack against Etienne Bacrot made a particularly pleasing impression.

as i nnocuous as it doesn't pose Black any particular problems.

Game 62 M. Carlsen E. Bacrot Nanji ng 201 0 Scotch Game [ C45] -

5 ... Ab6 6. �c3

1. e4 e5 2. �f3 �c6 3. d4 exd4 4. �xd4 Ac5 5. �b3

Kas parov tended to favou r 5. Ae3 o r 5. tbxc6, but his protege prefers this slightly quieter treatment. Some would describe it

Carlsen played 6. Y!fe2 in four games at the World Bl itz Cham pionsh i p in N ovember, but i n a 'real game' he prefers someth ing more mainstream ... 6...�f6

265

Chapter 3

a a

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weakening than on the c-file (after 11. tbxd4 Axd4 and 1 2 ... Axc3) proves to be spot on .

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Life at the Top

·

a

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... or does he? This seems to have been fi rst played by the 1 1 -year-old Sergey Kar jakin, and not very successfu lly at that. To date it has not had a good track record in terms of results scored. Added to his dubi ous open ing experiments at the Olympiad, further questions might have been asked of Carlsen's state of mind had this game gone awry, but this proves to be one of his more inspired ideas. 7...0-0

The solid 7. . . d6 has scored wel l for Black, with 8. Ag5 h6 9. Ah4 and now 9 .. . g5 be ing a possibil ity, as Black has yet to castle kingside. 8 .tgs h6 9. Ah4 •

9. h4?! d6 1 0. f3? hxg5 1 1 . hxg5 tbg4! (any thing else and Wh ite will play f4 followed by '11V h 5) 1 2. fxg4 'Wxg5 1 3. '11Vf3 Axg4 and Black al ready had a winning position in the game Rublevsky -Anand, Bastia Rapidplay 2004. a5 1 0. a4 ttld4 1 1 . Y«d3!

Carlsen's judgement, that the forthcoming doubled pawns on the b-fi le will be less

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W h ite s i g n a l l ed h i s i ntent i o n to castle queenside as soon as he played 7. 'We2. His pressure along the d-fi le and the h4-d8 d iagonal com pensate for the structural weakness of his queenside. 13

.. •

d6 14. Y«c2 Ad7?!

14...c61ooks more natural, depriving White of the use of b5 and d5 for his minor pieces. 1 5. Ac4 Ae6

Moving this piece twice along the same diagonal gives the impression that Bacrot is unsure of himself. Perhaps he intended 1 5...Ac6 but then feared an i m m i nent g pawn advance by Wh ite. Whatever his t h i n ki ng, we can adapt an o l d p roverb and conclude that 'he who hesitates (when playing Black against Carlsen) is lost '. 1 6. 9:he1

1 6 . e5? wou l d cost Wh ite a pawn after 1 6 ...Axc4 and a capture on e5, but now the e-pawn advance becomes a real threat. 1 6...Y«e7

266

M. Carlsen- E. Bacrot

Black's o ption was to be brave and try 1 6 ...g5 to drive away the annoying bishop, but the resulting weakness of his kingside would be a problem. b

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Th is allows a weakening of Black's king side, but it may be the best of a bad job. 18 ...c6 would prevent the deadly threat of tDd5, but 1 9. tDe4 is sti l l very strong; 1 8 . . . g5 is sti l l a possibil ity, b u t with t h e same drawbacks as before.

28 . . . Wxe4 l oses to 29. Wxe7+ � g 6 30. l::!.g 3+ �f5 3 1 . W h7+ �e5 32. l::!. e 3 etc. a

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Computers poi nts out that 29. tDxf6! is simi larly lethal.

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.tc5 26. �e4 .te7 27. §:h3! �g7?

Of course, not 27...Wxe4? when 28. Wxh6+ soon leads to mate, but the text move also has a tactical flaw. 27...l::!.d 8 28.l::!.x h6l::!.x d2 29. l::!.xh7+ �xh7 30. tDxd2 is better, but it leaves Wh ite a pawn up in a probably w i n n i n g endgame. 27. ..�g 8 28. Wf4 f5 29. l::!.x h6 Wg7 30. l::!. h 3 also costs Black a pawn.

7

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29...fxg5 30. §:f3+ �g8 31. Wxe6+ �h8 32. §:f7 .td6

If the queen flees with 32 . .. W d 3 , then 33. Wxh6+ and mate next move.

h

With a series of straig htforward m oves Wh ite has established a clear positional

33. §:xh7+ �xh7 34. Y«f7+ �h8 35. g3 a:a6

267

Chapter 3

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·

35 ...f!f8 36. 'Wg6 .§xf2 37. 'Wxh6+ �g8 38. 'Wxg5+ and the kingside pawns w i l l decide.

36. �b1 .lb4 37. f4 gxf4 38. gxf4

Black resigned.

The next el ite event - the Tal Memorial Tou rnament in Moscow - came too soon for the Nanjing contestants to take part, but Carlsen travel led to the Russian capital for the World Blitz Championshi p which followed i m mediately afterwards. After his stu n n i ng victory the previous year, Carlsen was the clear favourite, especially as the players from the Tal Memorial had enjoyed just one day's rest before the start of the 20-player double-rou nd bl itz event. But Leven Aronian, one of the joint win ners of the Tal Memo rial , overcame his fatigue to score a deserved win, and Carlsen , who lost as many as ten games, had to be content with third place. However, Mag nus was delighted to be presented with the 2009 Chess 'Oscar', the resu lt of a vote organ ised by the Russian chess magazine 64. Around this time Carlsen shocked and disappoi nted the chess world by announcing that he was withdrawing from the world championshi p Cand idates matches, due to be held in the spring of 201 1 . The reasons he gave were the changes made during the cycle, and the fact that he considered the current system to be insufficiently 'modern and fair'. There was speculation that advice from his former mentor Garry Kasparov was beh ind the decision , but the ex-world champion flatly denied this. I n the second London Chess Classic, held in December 201 0, i n itially it seemed u n l i kely that Carlsen would repeat his success of the previous year: a su rprise loss in the fi rst round to Luke McShane was followed by another in round 3 against Vishy Anand. And yet, with the aid of his fighting spirit, a miraculous endgame save against Vlad i m i r Kramnik i n the penulti mate round, and also the 'football' scoring system (3 poi nts for a win, 1 for a d raw) Carlsen nevertheless emerged the winner. I n Jan uary 201 1 , as usual most of the world 's top players l i ned u p i n the Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee. Carlsen made a hesitant start: two d raws were fol l owed by a sensational loss to the 1 6 -year-old Anish G i ri - it must have been a novel expe rience for the Norweg ian to lose to a player so much you nger than h i m self. Thi ngs i m p roved , and a sacrificial attack in the 8th rou n d against the leader N akam u ra brought Carlsen right back i nto contention. But this was fol l owed two rounds later by a bad loss against lan Nepom n i achtc h i , and in the end Carlsen had to settle for a share of t h i rd place, beh i n d N akam u ra, who achieved the best result of his career, and the world champion Anan d .

268

M. Carlsen- H. Naka m u ra

-=G a=m e 63

a

M. Carlsen- H. Nakamura

Sicilian Defence [892} 1. e4 c5 2. tilf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. tilxd4 tilf6 5. tilc3 a6 6. �e2 e5 7. t"ilb3 �e7 8. �e3 0-0 9. g4 a

7

b

c

d

I. 1.&\ .i. iY

e

t

g

h

I. • 8 .i. • • • 7 6 1.&\ 5 •

5 4 � � 3 tiJtiJ Jt 2�� Jt� � 1 .a. .a. �� a

b

c

d

e

f

g

4 3 2 1

c

d

.I ii

e

f

g

h

.�.. 8 .i. • • • 7

7 • 6 6 .I.&\ • .i. 5 J!a\ � 5 4 �Jt � 4 3 tiJtiJ 3 2��V/�Jt 2 .a. 1 � .a.

Wijk aan Zee 201 1

8

b

8

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

16...Wc7 17. h5 Elfe8 18. t,!;>a1

A prophylactic move, ai med against a pos sible knight check on a3 after the i m medi ate 1 8. tild4 tilbc4 1 9. �e1 �b6 20. Ac1 tila3+ 2 1 . �a1 �xd4 or 21 . ..tilc6. 18...�f8 1 9. tild4

h a

An u n usual twist, with the aim of catching the opponent off-balance. Normally Wh ite quietly castles kingside in this positio n , whereas i f he wants t o castle queenside he prepares it with f2-f3 (rather than Ae2).

11 ...tilb6 12. Wd2 til8d7 13. f4 exf4 14. �xf4 tile5 1 5. 0-0-0 lacS 16. t,!;>b1

The outcome is a fairly standard type of position from the English Attack, where Wh ite has advanced his pawn to f4 i n one go, but his bishop may not be best placed on e2.

c

d

e

f

g

h

I. l..i.9> 8 7 .ii ••• 7 6 6 .I.&\ • .i. 5 1.&\ ��5 8

4 3 2 .a. 1

4 tiJ�Jt 3 tiJ 2��V/�Jt 1 � .a.

9...�e6 10. g5 tilfd7 11. h4

Th is position has occurred in very few top level games. An alternative for Black is to advance his a-pawn, with the aim of induc i n g the weakening a2-a4. For exam ple, the game Khal ifman - Gelfand (Las Vegas 1 999) went 1 1 . �d2 aS 1 2. a4 tilc6 1 3. f4 fS with double-edged play.

b

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

19 ...Wc5?

Black is evidently aiming to bring his queen to an attacking position at b4 or aS , but this real ly is too slow. After the game Na kam u ra sugg ested 1 9 ...g 6 , the log ical consequence of his preced ing play, but then Wh ite can continue 20. hxg6 hxg6 2 1 . tilxe6 l;!.xe6 22. Ae3 , the point being that 2 2...tilbc4 23. Axc4 tilxc4 a l l ows

69

Chapter 3

Life at the Top

·

24. Ad4! (or 24. '1Wh2 Ag7 25. Ad4). How ever, the i m med iate 1 9 ...tbec4 1ooks quite adequate for Black.

a

b

c

8

7

20. g6 �ec4 21. Axc4 �xc4 22. 'Wd3

Wh ite has to keep his knight on c3 pro tected in the event of ...tbxb2.

d

e

.!.

f

g

• .l

h 8

7 �· 6

5

5

4

4

3

3 2

22 ... fxg6 23. hxg6 h6 24. Wg3 Wb6 25. Ac1 Wa5

After this Wh ite has to counter the threat of Black capturing on b2 and then on c3, followed by mate on a2. After some twenty min utes' thought Carlsen fou n d a good reply.

29. Axh6! gxh6

If 29 . . . '1Wxd4 Wh ite gives mate with 30. Ae3 fol lowed by 31 . �h8+. 30. g7 Ae7

26. l::i d f1 �e5

If now 26 .. . tbxb2 , then White's rook on d1 is no longer attacked , and after 27. tbxe6 �xc3 28. Wf4 he is the one who forces mate.

30 ... Axg7 loses immediately to 31 . tbf5 �c? 32. tbxh6+ followed by 33. tbg4+ or r.... 33.
27. �d5 Axd5 28. exd5 Wxd5

31. §xh6 �f7 32. Wg6 �xh6 33. Wxh6 At6 34. Wh8+ rJ;Jt7 35. g8W+ i::i x g8 36. Wxf6+ rJ;Jea 37. l::i e1+

After this Wh ite's attack crashes through.

Black resigned.

For the past two d ecades years th e Melody Amber to u rnament, with its gener ous sponsorsh i p by Joo p van Oosterom and its u n ique fo rmat of b l i ndfo l d and rap i d c h ess, has been one of the h i g h l i g hts of the e l ite c h ess calend ar. Sadly, it was a n n o u nced that t h e 20th event, h e l d in Mo n aco in Marc h 2 0 1 1 , was to be the l ast . As u s u a l , a truly ste l l ar l i n e - u p h ad been i nvited. Carlsen made the same score as the p rev i o u s year when h e f i n i shed equal fi rst - 1 4% out of 22, i n c l u d i n g a p h e n o m e n a l 9% out o f 1 1 i n the rap i d gam es! - but t h i s t i m e it was good e n o u g h o n l y fo r seco n d p l ace beh i n d the i n s p i red Levon Aro n i a n , who fi n i shed a fu l l p o i nt ah ead. With no Li nares tournament i n 201 1 , and with Carlsen not taking part in the Can didates matches, he had a lengthy break between Monaco and his next tournament in Romania in June. Meanwhile the Candidates matches went ahead in Kazan and produced a deserved but unexpected winner, Boris Gelfand. But there was also a storm of criticism, as only three of the thirty main games produced a decisive result,

270

M. Carlsen - L.- 0 . Nisipeanu

there was a spate of short d raws, and four of the matches were decided in rapid or even bl itz games. The feeling was that Carlsen's principled stand against the current worlp championsh ip format had been justified. After a ten -week break Carlsen was g l ad to be back in action in Romania at the 5th Kings Tou rnament, a six- p l ayer d o u b l e - ro u n d event (FI D E category 2 1 ), held this year i n Med i as. He began with an i n c i sive w i n over the Wijk aan Zee victor N akam u ra , and after smoothly overc o m i n g N i si peanu after an i n n ocuous-looking open i n g he led at the half-way stag e with 3%/5 . His o n ly real rival was Sergey Karjaki n , who d rew l evel i n the p e n u l t i m ate ro u n d with a crush i n g 22-move win over the u nderperfo rm i n g Vasi l y l vanc h u k. The stag e seemed set for a g randstand fi n i s h , with the two players pai red together in the l ast round. But Mag n u s had one of those days that he wou l d ' l i ke to forget ', and i n the end, despite play i n g Wh ite, he was rel i eved to d raw and share fi rst p l ace with his o p ponent on 6% out of 1 0 , two poi nts ah ead of the rest of the field. Carlsen was p l aced fi rst o n the tie- break, and his result was good enough to regain h i m the N o. 1 spot in the world rating l i st , p u b l ished on 1 July 201 1 .

Game 64 M. Carlsen- L.-0. Nisipeanu Med ias 201 1 Queen's Gambit Accepted {027] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 �f6 4. J.xc4 e6 5. �f3 c5 6. 0-0 a6 7. dxc5

A see m i n g ly i n nocuous l i n e , lead i n g to an early exchange of queens, but Wh ite retai ns a nagg i n g edge and Black has to defend accu rately. It was a favou rite with Boris Spassky in the later years of his career (in particular, he played it fou r times agai nst Bobby Fischer i n t h e i r ' re turn match ' in 1 992), and it also su its the tec h n ical style of Vlad i m i r Kram n i k (for exam ple, he played it against Garry Kasp arov in their world championsh i p match i n 2000). Psyc h o l o g i ca l l y t h i s wou l d seem to be a good c h o i c e aga i n st Livi u - D i eter N isi pean u , the lead i ng Romanian player, who is noted for his aggressive style. For exam ple, in four of his games in Med ias

he sacrificed a pawn for active play, and, although heavi ly outgraded by the rest of the players, this gained him a very respect able resu lt. 7 . Axc5 .

.

7...'t'/xd1 8. l:!xd1 AxeS is the more usual continuation. 8. 'Wxd8+ �xd8 a

b

c

d

7 6

.

e

f

g

h

J. a ••• 7 6 •�.&J

5

5

4

4

3

a

9. Ae2

71

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Ch apter 3

·

Life at the Top

9. �bd2 is more popular, although this may simply transpose. 9

m e7 10. ctlbd2 Ad7

• ..

An alternative set- u p i nvolves 1 0 ...b6, ...Ab7 and ...�bd7. 11 . ctlb3 AdS

Now Black will be more or less obl iged to concede the bishop pair, which he could have avoided by 11 ...Aa7. 12. ctla5 §a7 13. ctlc4 Ab5 14. b3 §d8 15. Ab2 Axc4 16. Axc4 a

b

c

8

d

e

f

g

h

�

8

. ... ... ... ..t.t.�

7 6 5

5

il

4

4 3 D, Cjj D, D, D, 2 1:. � 1 '

D, 2 D, il 1 1:,

3

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

a

b

c

d

e

t

g

h

22 ...m ea

This looks rather passive. Perhaps N i sipeanu should have aimed for counterplay with 22 . . .�cb4: a) 23. a3 �a2 24. l;txc8 l;txc8 25. Ad3 b5, and Black's control of c3 promises him reasonable chances, despite the exotic position of his knight on a2; b) 23. e4 l;txc1 24. l;txc1 �xa2 25. exd5 �xc1 26. Axc1 l;tc8 2 7. Axh6 l;tc3 28. Ae3 l;txb3 29. h5, with a sharp end ing where the wh ite h-pawn is more of an i m med iate danger than Black's con nected passed pawns on the queenside. 23. g5 hxg5

It would surely have been safer to keep the h-fi le closed by 23 ... h5.

Wh ite's two bishops give h i m a slight advantage, but as yet there are no real weaknesses in Black's position.

24. hxg5 Ae7 25. m g2

16 ctlc6 17. §fd1 §aa8 18. h3 g6 19. g4

A necessary preparation for the planned invasion on the h-fi le.

.. •

Wh ite sets about g ai n i n g space on the kingside. 19 h6 20. Af1 §ac8 21. §ac1 ctld5 22. h4 .. •

25

•.•

ctlb6

Again too passive. 25 ... �cb4 26. a4 �c6 followed by ...�a5 would have given Black some counterplay against Wh ite's queen side pawns.

72

M. Carlsen - L.- 0. Nisipeanu

26. Ad3!

a

b

A nice pawn sacrifice, which activates the light-square bishop and clears the way for a rook to go to h1.

7 6

c

d

e

f

h

• . �.��

8

..t. . • •

7 6

�

5

2 6 !0b4 27. Ae4 !Oxa2 28. §xd8+ m xd8 29. § h1

9

... .

8

5

4

.. •

(see next diagram)

Suddenly Black is lost. All the white pieces are very active and there is no satisfactory defence against the invasion by the rook. 29...!Od5 30. !Oe5 f5 31. Axd5

B l a c k resig n e d in view of 31 ...e x d 5

a

b

c

d

e

f

9

h

32. �h8+ �c7 33. �h7 �d6 (or 33 ...�d8 34. Ad4) 34. Aa3+ �xe5 35. �xe7 mate. 'I thin k I played a very decent game!' (Carlsen)

The world championship match sched uled for 201 2 wil l be between two players wel l into their forties. Mag nus Carlsen i s less than half their age - it i s abundantly clear that time is still wel l on his side!

273

Tournament and M atch Record

I n d ex To u r n a m ent a n d M atch Record Sven Magnus 0en Carlsen born 30th Novem ber 1 990 in T0nsberg , Norway. Gai ned the I nternational Master title in 2003, and the I nternational Grandmaster title in 2004. Became the No. 1 rated player in the world in January 201 0, a position which he regained in July 201 1 . Awarded the Chess 'Oscar' in 2009 and 201 0.

MAJOR TOU R NAMENTS 2001 Trol l Masters, Gausdal Norweg ian Open Championsh ip, Oslo Gausdal Classics Nordic Championships, Bergen Bavarian Open Championship, Bad Wiessee Norweg ian Junior Championship, Porsgrunn

+

=

2 5 0 2

2 1 5 3

5 3 4 4

1 st

3/9 5%/9 2Y2/9 3%/9 5/9 6/7

2002 Trol l Masters, Gausdal Gausdal Classics I nternational Shakkinet Tournament, Helsinki Open Tou rnament, Bergen Open Tournament, Kiel European under-1 2 Championship, Pen iscola World under-1 2 Championship, Heraklio

24th 8th 1 0th 1 1 th-1 8th 1 5th 6th 2nd

4%/9 2%/9 4/1 1 5/9 6/9 6/9 9/1 1

3 2 3 4

3 1 2 2

3 6 6 3

2003 Trol l Masters, Gausdal Valle d 'Aosta Open Gausdal Classics Norweg ian Championship, Fredri kstad Pol itiken Cup, Copenhagen Schwarzacher Open European Under-1 4 Championship, Budva

3rd-6th 73rd 1 1 th-1 2th 3rd-7th 7th-1 6th 2nd-8th 3rd

7/1 0 5/9 4/1 1 5%/9 8/1 1 6Y2/9 6%/9

6

2

2

2 3 6 5 6

4 5 4 3

5

274

40th-45th 9th-1 3th 8th ?1 st-80th

2

tb


+

=

World Under-1 4 championship, Hal kidiki Pecaut Memorial , Taormina Fi rst Saturday, Budapest

9th-1 3th 2nd-5th 4th-5th

7%/1 1 5%/9 8/1 3

7 3 5

5 6

3 1 2

2004 I nternational Tou rnament, Wijk aan Zee C Aeroflot Open , Moscow Reykjavik Open Dubai Open Sigeman Tou rnament, Mal mo/Copenhagen N orwegian Championship, Molde Pol itiken Cup, Copenhagen 5th Young Masters, Lausanne Gausdal Classic Essent Crown, Hoogeveen

1 st 40th 33rd-43rd 2nd-1 1 th 3rd 1 st-2nd 4th-1 3th 5th 5th 4th

1 0%/1 3 5%/9 4%/9 6%/9 5%/9 7/9 7%/1 0 6%/1 1 5/9 2/6

9 5 4 4 4 6 5 4 4 1

3 1 1 5 3 2 5 5 2 2

1 3 4 0 2 1 0 2 3 3

2005 Smartfish Masters, Drammen I nternational Tournament, Wijk aan Zee B Gausdal Classic I nternational Tournament, Leon (rapid) European Championship, Warsaw Norweg ian Championship, Sandnes Play-off v. Agdestein, Oslo I nternational Tou rnament, Biel 6th Young Masters, Lausanne Bygger'n Masters, Gausdal Scanda Cup, Skanderborg

8th-9th 7th 6th-8th 3rd-4th 1 8th-53rd 1 st-2nd 2nd 6th 5th 1 st 8th

3/9 7/1 3 4/9 1 /4 8/1 3 7/9 3%-4% 4/1 0 5%/8 8/9 4/9

1 3 3 0 5 6 2 0 4 7 1

4 8 2 2 6 2 3 8 3 2 6

4 2 4 2 2 1 3 2 1 0 2

2006 I nternational Tou rnament, Wijk aan Zee B Open Tournament, Reykjavik I nternational Tou rnament, Sarajevo Midnight Sun Tou rnament, Tromso N orweg ian Championship, Moss Play-off v. Agdestein, Oslo I nternational Tournament, Biel Rising Stars v. Experience, Amsterdam World Bl itz Championship, Rishon Le Zion I nternational Tou rnament, Cap d 'Agde (rapid) Tal Memorial Tournament, Moscow

1 st-2nd 6th-9th 1 st-3rd 2nd 1 st-2nd 1 st 2nd-3rd 1 st 8th sem i -final 8th-9th

9/1 3 6%/9 5%/1 0 7/9 7/9 3-1 6/1 0 6%/1 0 7%/1 5 7/1 1 3%/9

6 6 1 6 6 2 4 4 5 4 0

6 1 9 2 2 2 4 5 5 6 7

1 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 5 1 2

75


2007 I nternational Tou rnament, Wijk aan Zee I nternational Tou rnament, Morelia/Linares Melody Amber Tou rnament, Monaco I nternational Tou rnament, Gausdal Sparkassen Tou rnament, Dortm und I nternational Tou rnament, Biel Bl itz play-off v. Onisch uk Open Tou rnament, Tromso Bli ndfold World Cup, Bil bao Tal Memorial Tournament, Moscow World Bl itz Championship, Moscow

+

=

1 3th-1 4th 2nd 8th-9th 1 st 6th 1 st-2nd 1 st 2nd-4th 2nd-3rd 3rd-5th 9th

4%/1 3 7%/1 4 1 0%/22 7/9 3/7 5%/9 3/5 7/9 6/1 0 4%/9 20%/38

0 4 3 5 0 4 1 5 4 1 15

9 7 15 4 6 3 4 4 4 7 11

4 3 4 0 1 2 0 0 2 1 12

2008 I nternational Tou rnament, Wijk aan Zee I nternational Tou rnament, Morel ia/Linares Melody Amber Tou rnament, N ice Grand Prix Tou rnament, Baku Aerosvit Tou rnament, Foros I nternational Tou rnament, Biel I nternational Tournament, Mainz (rapid) Tal Memorial Blitz Tou rnament, Moscow Grand Slam Final, Bil bao I nternational Tou rnament, Cap d 'Agde (rapid)

1 st-2nd 2nd 2nd-5th 1 st-3rd 1 st 3rd 2nd 3rd 2nd-3rd sem i -fi nal

8/1 3 8/1 4 1 2/22 8/1 3 8/1 1 6/1 0 4%/1 0 2 1 /34 1 3/30* 8%/1 3

5 5 7 4 5 3

2 3 5 1 0

16 3 5

6 6 10 8 6 6 7 10 4 7

2009 Aker I nternational Tou rnament, Gjovik (rapid) I nternational Tou rnament, Wijk aan Zee I nternational Tou rnament, Linares Melody Amber Tou rnament, N ice Mtel Masters Tou rnament, Sofia I nternational Tou rnament, Leon (rapid) Sparkassen Tou rnament, Dortm und Pearl Spring Tou rnament, Nanji ng Tal Memorial Tou rnament, Moscow World Bl itz Championsh ip, Moscow Chess Classic Tournament, London

2nd 5th-6th 3rd 4th 2nd-3rd 1 st 2nd-4th 1 st 2nd-3rd 1 st 1 st

4%/8 7/1 3 71/2/1 4 1 3/22 6/1 0 7%/1 3 5%/1 0 8/1 0 51/2/9 31/42 1 3/2 1 *

3 2 3 8 3 4 2 6 2 28 3

3 10 9 10 6 7 7 4 7 6 4

2

2010 I nternational Tou rnament, Wijk aan Zee Melody Amber Tou rnament, N ice King's Tournament, Bazna

1 st 1 st-2nd 1 st

8%/1 3 1 4%/22 7%/1 0

5 13 5

7 3 5

1 6 0

276

2 8 3 1

2 4 1 2 1 0 0 8 0

ttJ


+

=

Arctic Stars Tou rnament, Kristiansund (rapid) G rand Slam Final, Bil bao Pearl Spring Tou rnament, Nanji ng World Blitz Tournament, Moscow Chess Classic Tou rnament, London

1 st 3rd 1 st 3rd 1 st

5/8 2%/6 7/1 0 23%/38 1 3/21 *

3 1 4 19 4

4 3 6 9 1

1 2 0 10 2

2011 I nternational Tournament, Wijk aan Zee Melody Amber Tou rnament, Monaco King's Tou rnament, Med ias I nternational Tou rnament, Biel

3rd-4th 2nd 1 st-2nd 1 st

8/1 3 1 4%/22 6%/1 0 1 9/30*

5 11 3 5

6 7 7 4

2 4 0

*These tou rnaments employed the scoring system of 3 poi nts for a win and 1 point for a draw.

I ND IVIDUAL MATCHES

FIDE World Championship 2004 v. Aron ian, Tri polis (1 st round) 2007 v. Aronian, El ista (Candidates 1 /8 final)

1 %-2% 5-7

0 3

3 4

FIDE World Cup 2005 Khanty- Mansiysk v. Azmai parashvili (1 st round) v. Amonatov (2nd round) v. Chepari nov (3rd round) v. Bareev (4th round) v. Lautier (places 9-1 6) v. Malakhov (places 9-1 2) v. Kamsky (places 9-1 0)

3-1 1 %-% 3-1 2%-1 % 1 %-% 3%-2% 1 -3

3 1 3 1 2 1

0 0 0 3 1 3 0

2007 Khanty- Mansiysk v. Zhao Zong Yuan (1 st round) v. Naid itsch (2nd round) v. Dominguez (3rd round) v. Adams (1 /8 final) v. Cheparinov (1/4 final) v. Kamsky (1 /2 fi nal)

2-0 3-1 1 %-% 1 %-% 1 %-% %-1 1/2

2 2 1 1 1 0

0 2 1 1 1 1

77

5

1 1 0 0 3

0 0 0 0 0 1


Other Matches 2004 v. Kasparov (rapid) 2006 v. Svid ler, Longyearbyen (rapid) v. van Wely, Schagen 2007 v. Radjabov, Porto Vecchio 2008 v. Leko, Miskolc (rapid)

+

=

%-1 % %-1 % 5%-2% 2-3 5-3

0 0 4 1 2

1 1 3 2 6

2 0

World Chess Olympiad 2004 Calvia, board 1 2006 Tu rin, board 1 2008 Dresden, board 1 201 0 Khanty- Mansiysk, board 1

3/5 6/8 7%/1 1 4%/8

2 4 5 4

2 4 5 1

0 1 3

European Team Championshi p 2007 Crete, board 1

6%/9

5

3

European Club Cup 2001 Panormo, board 6 2003 Rethym non, board 1 2007 Kerner, board 3 2008 Kal l ithea, board 1

4%/7 3%/7 4%/7 3/6

3 3 3 2

3 1 3 2

1

TEAM EVENTS

278

3 1 2

I ndex of Carlsen's Opponents

I n dex of Carlsen's O p p o n ents A Adams, M . . . 84, 1 43 Ad ly, A . 19 Amonatov, F . 71 Anand, V . . . . 208, 240 Aronian, L. 1 7, 20, 1 1 2, 1 1 5, 1 1 8 , 1 23 , 1 66, 1 95, 1 98, 256 .

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B Bacrot, E . Bel iavsky, A Bindrich , F .

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279

I ndex of Open ings

I n dex of Open i n g s Alekhine Defence [ 804 ] 1 63 Caro - Kann Defence [ 81 9 ] 31

Queen's I ndian Defence [ E1 2 ] 66, 1 1 5, [ E1 5 ] 1 84

Catalan Open ing [ E05 ] 1 33

Reti Open ing [ A04 ] 34

Engl ish Open ing [ A28 ] 1 69, [ A29 ] 247, [ A30 ] 1 1 2 , 1 58 , [ A32 ] 1 95

Ruy Lopez [ C67 ] 226, [ C84 ] 201 , [ C88 ] 1 66, [ C91 ] 77, [ C95 ] 51 , [ C98 ] 23

French Defence [ COS ] 57, [ C1 1 ] 252 G ri.infeld Defence [ D81 ] 205, [ D87 ] 1 07, [ D91 ] 1 55 I rreg ular Open ing [ 807 ] 1 29 King's I ndian Defence [ E62 ] 62, [ E66 ] 1 01 , [ E81 ] 261 , [ E90 ] 233, [ E97 ] 90, 1 78 N i mzo- l ndian Defence [ E20 ] 84, 1 35 , [ E32 ] 4 3 , [ E36 ] 1 43, [ E38 ] 35 Queen's Gambit Accepted [ D27 ] 271 Queen's Gam bit [ D37 ] 46, [ D39 ] 240, [ D43 ] 1 25

Scotch Game [ C45 ] 230, 265 Semi-Slav Defence [ D43 ] 2 1 8 , [ D45 ] 208, [ D47 ] 1 98 Sicil ian Defence [ 830 ] 95, 237, [ 833 ] 26, 55, [ 843 ] 73 , [ 867 ] 41 , [ 876 ] 258, [ 878 ] 1 74, 1 87, 1 91 , 2 1 2 , [ 885 ] 2 1 5 , [ 890 ] 71 , 81 , 244, [ 892 ] 1 40, [ 892 ] 269 Slav Defence [ D1 5 ] 221 , [ D1 7 ] 1 1 8 Torre Attack [ A48 ] 1 49

280

Fighting Chess with Magnus Carlsen (gnv64).pdf

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