The standings after four rounds: Aronian, Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi, Karjakin, 2.5 points; Anand, Ivanchuk, Svidler, 2; Kramnik, Nakamura, 1.5; and Gelfand, .5. Six more rounds to go.
Carlsen, as usual, is the tournament favorite and everyone is already looking forward to his game against the new student of his former coach, Kasparov — Nakamura. In an interview prior to the tournament, Magnus practically pooh-poohed Nakamura’s chances against him: “I’ve had very good results against Nakamura in the period since Kasparov has been his trainer. I think Nakamura has made and will make more progress as a result, but right now there are four to five players in the world, including me, who have significantly better understanding of chess than Nakamura.
And I don’t know if even a man like Kasparov can change that in the short term.”
Whoa.
Game of the week. In this game, Magnus had the satisfaction of beating the veteran GM who once said that Ivanchuk at his best played better than the young Norwegian, who already has an 8-2 score against the erratic Ukrainian in classical games. Annotations by Mark Crowther.
White: M. Carlsen (2826)
Black: B. Gelfand (2744)
Slav Defense
6th Tal Memorial Moscow, 2011
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9.0-0 Bd6 10.h3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Nb6 12.Bb3 e5 13.Qc2 Says Carlsen: “I’m not at all sure about this Qc2 move but anyway. Now it gets really interesting because I think this is more or less forced.” [13.dxe5 Bxe5 14.Qxd8+ Rxd8 15.Ne2 0-0 16.f4 Bd6 17.Ng3 Bc5 18.Kf2 Nbd5 19.Kf3 Nb4 20.Rd1 Rxd1 21.Bxd1 Rd8 22.Be2 Nc2 23.Rb1 Nd5 24.Nf1 Re8 25.Bc4 Ndxe3 26.Bxe3 Bxe3 27.Nxe3 Rxe3+ 28.Kf2 Re4 29.Bd3 Rd4 30.Bxc2 Rd2+ 31.Kf3 Rxc2 32.a4 Kf8 33.b4 Rc3+ 34.Kg4 Rc4 35.b5 Rxa4 36.bxc6 bxc6 37.Rb8+ Ke7 38.Rb7+ Kf6 39.Rc7 Rc4 40.Rxa7 g5 41.g3 gxf4 42.gxf4 g5 43.Rc7 Rxf4+ 44.Kg3 Rc4 45.Rc8 Rc3+ 46.Kg4 Rc4+ 47.Kg3 Kf5 0-1 Wyss,J (2307)-Bindrich,F (2504)/Zuerich SUI 2010] 13…Qe7 14.Bd2 0-0-0 Gelfand felt this was the principled continuation.
[14…exd4 Gelfand suggested this as an alternative. 15.exd4 0-0-0 16.Bg5 Qd7 17.Rad1] 15.d5 Carlsen doesn’t think there is a decent alternative. “I don’t think any other sacrifices work here.” He also knew expected the double edged play that follows. 15…e4 16.dxc6 Qe5 17.f4 exf3 18.Rxf3 Ng4 This move is correct according to Carlsen. 19.cxb7+ Carlsen wasn’t sure whether he should take here but he was worried that Gelfand might be able to take with the king if he delayed. [19.hxg4 Rh1+ 20.Kf2 Rxa1 21.Ne2 Bc5 22.Rxf7 bxc6] 19…Kb8 20.hxg4 Rh1+ 21.Kf2 Rxa1 22.Ne2 Bc5 23.Bc3 Qe7 [23…Qg5 Gelfand wondered about Qg5 here. 24.Qe4 Qh4+ 25.Ng3 Bd6 26.Be5 Qe7 27.Bxd6+ Qxd6 28.Rxf7 Qd2+ (28…Nd7 29.Qd4 Ne5) 29.Kf3] 24.g5 Carlsen: “I didn’t see what else to do apart from g5.” 24…Rdd1 25.Ng3 Bd6 26.Qe2 [26.Ne4 Carlsen he admitted he had the illusion that this move was playable. 26…Rac1 wins for black. 27.Qe2 Rf1+] 26…Rg1?! [26…Bxg3+ “I really thought you were going to take. Maybe the logical conclusion to the game,” says Carlsen. 27.Rxg3 Rf1+ 28.Qxf1 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Nd7 30.Rf3 (30.Bd5? Qd6) 30…Ne5 31.Rf4 Kxb7 “and I don’t see how white can play for a win,” Carlsen adds.] 27.Qd3 Bc7 [27…Nd7 28.Ne4 Bc7 “Somehow now [white’s pieces] are taking square after square,” says Gelfand. 29.Qd5] 28.Ne4 Raf1+ 29.Ke2 Rxf3 30.gxf3 Now it is already very difficult for black.
30…f5 “If you don’t play f5 at some point you risk losing all of these pawns [Black’s Kingside],” says Carlsen. [30…Be5 doesn’t work according to Gelfand. 31.Bxe5+ (31.Bxf7! Bxc3 32.bxc3) 31…Qxe5 32.Qd8+ Kxb7 33.Nd6+ was what Gelfand feared but it isn’t so bad for black as they realized when they looked at it. 33…Kc6] 31.gxf6 gxf6 32.Bxf6 Incisive. 32…Qh7 33.Qb5 Rg2+ [33…Nd7 34.Bd4 Qh3 I didn’t see Qh3 – Carlsen. 35.Nd2 and white is winning. (35.Kd2) ] 34.Kd3 Qd7+ 35.Qxd7 Nxd7 Carlsen: Here it is very simple. 36.Bd5 Be5 [36…Nxf6 37.Nxf6 a5 38.Nd7+ Ka7 39.e4 Rxb2 40.e5 wins.] 37.f4 Bc7 38.Bc6 and 1-0. Says Costa Rican GM Alejandro Ramirez: “The knight can’t move and it cannot be defended, so Boris resigned. This was a wild, crazy game. Magnus’ defense was superb, and as much as it seemed that Black was on the verge of winning, he held on to dear life to his positional advantages and when the attack faltered, he was there to deliver a killing blow. Fabulous chess!”
Puzzler.
White: Ka5, Nb5, Qc1, Bd3, pawn on d4
Black: Kd5, Ne5, pawns on a6 and f3
White to play and mate in three moves.
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