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Yearly Archives: 2015

[Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.04"] [Round "3"] [White "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "2694"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. e4 {25} g6 {0} 2. d4 {27} Bg7 {0} 3. Nc3 {9} d6 {0} 4. Be3 {21} a6 {9 Even though the Modern defense is not practiced by most top level grandmasters, it is not a bad opening; White needs to navigate it well to obtain some sort of opening advantage, and even with it the positions remain double edged.} 5. a4 { 154} Nf6 {693} 6. h3 {97} O-O {361} 7. g4 $5 {418 A typical idea, White is simply trying to restrain Black all over the board, preventing him from executing his breaks, f5 or b5.} e5 {580} 8. d5 {329} (8. dxe5 dxe5 9. g5 Nfd7 10. h4) 8... c6 {463} 9. Nge2 {243} cxd5 {75} 10. exd5 {23} Bxg4 $6 {251 Maybe an extra exclamation mark for how spectacular it is for the World Champion to do this, but another question mark for how dubious this idea is. Black sacrifice a piece for two pawns, but that's basically all there is to it.} ( 10... Nbd7 11. Bg2 Ne8 12. O-O f5 13. gxf5 gxf5 14. f4) 11. hxg4 {67} Nxg4 {2} 12. Qd2 {1356} (12. Ng3 Nxe3 13. fxe3) 12... Nd7 {71} 13. Ne4 {1009} (13. O-O-O f5 14. Bh3 Ndf6 15. Bxg4 Nxg4 16. Bg5 Qa5 17. Rdf1) (13. Bg2 f5 14. Bg5 Qb6) 13... f5 {906 Black also is able to kick out the e4 knight, but White can live without this square.} 14. Bg5 {84} Qb6 {81} 15. Bh3 {15 Naiditsch's positoin is holding together and now Carlsen is forced to trade some pieces.} Ndf6 {831} (15... Qxb2 16. O-O {looks suicidal. White has the threats of Bxg4 and Rfb1, trapping the queen.}) 16. Nxf6+ {175} Nxf6 {7} 17. Nc3 $6 {156 When you are up material, there rarely is a good reason to give your opponent counterplay. In this case giving up a pawn was not necessary.} (17. b3 $16 Ne4 18. Be3 Qc7 19. Qd3 Rac8 20. Rc1) 17... Qxb2 {99} 18. Rb1 {90} Qa3 {2} 19. Rxb7 {412} Rf7 $6 { 854} (19... Rab8 $1 20. Rxg7+ Kxg7 21. Bxf5 (21. Bh6+ Kf7 22. Bxf8 Rxf8 23. Bg2 Rc8 24. Rh3) 21... gxf5 22. Bxf6+ Kxf6 $1 {Is just a draw, according to the heartless monsters.} 23. Rxh7 (23. Qh6+ Ke7 24. Qe6+ Kd8 25. Rxh7 Qxc3+ 26. Kf1 Qc4+ 27. Kg2 Qg4+ 28. Kh2) 23... f4 24. Qd3 Qc1+ 25. Ke2 Rf7) (19... Rfb8 20. Rxg7+ Kxg7 21. Bxf5) 20. Rb3 {179} Qc5 {43} 21. Qe3 {314} Qc7 {172} 22. Qb6 $1 {102} e4 {102} 23. Qc6 {376 A little fancy, just trading was better.} (23. a5 Rc8 24. O-O) 23... Rc8 {178} 24. O-O {263} Qxc6 {161} 25. dxc6 {5} Rxc6 {8} 26. Rfb1 {33 Carlsen again has three pawns for the piece, but now the pair of bishops and the weak a6 pawn give Naiditsch an obvious target. Not only that, but with the queens off there is little counterplay for Black.} h6 {152} (26... Rf8 27. Bf1) 27. Bxf6 {286} Bxf6 {15} (27... Rxf6 28. Nd5 Rf7 29. Bf1 Rxc2 30. Ne3) 28. Nxe4 $1 {52 A trade of advantages. The endgame after fxe4 is practically very difficult so Carlsen decides to give up the pawn again.} Be5 { 52} (28... fxe4 29. Be6 Kf8 30. Bxf7 Kxf7 31. Rb6 Rxc2 32. Rxd6 {and the rooks simply destroy all of Black's pawns.}) 29. Nd2 {159} (29. Rb6 $1 {just a touch more exact.} Rxb6 (29... Rxc2 30. Nxd6) 30. Rxb6 Rc7 31. Nd2 Rxc2 32. Nf3) 29... Rxc2 {27} 30. Nf3 {7} Ra2 {161} 31. Bg2 $6 {344} (31. Nxe5 $1 dxe5 32. Rb6 Rxa4 33. Rxg6+ {White only has one pawn left, but it should be sufficient to win.} Kh7 34. Rbb6 $18 (34. Rd6 a5 35. Rb5) 34... Rh4 35. Kg2 a5 36. Rbf6 Rxf6 37. Rxf6 Rf4 38. Bxf5+ Kg7 39. Rg6+ Kf7 40. Bc2 Rc4 41. Bd3 Rd4 42. Rg3) 31... Bf6 {74} 32. Nh2 {41} (32. Rb6 Rxa4 33. Rxd6 a5 34. Rbb6 Kg7) 32... Kg7 { 71} 33. Bd5 {47} Re7 {32} 34. Rb4 {33} Rd2 $1 {38} 35. Bc4 {2} a5 $1 {203} 36. Rb7 {8} Rd4 {82} 37. Rxe7+ {22} Bxe7 {1} 38. Bb5 {22} h5 {69 With the amount of Black pawns he has enough to compensate for the missing piece. However the most important aspect is that White has no real targets: a5 can now be easily defended by the bishop.} 39. Nf3 {28} Rf4 {9} 40. Kg2 {97} h4 {67} (40... Rg4+ 41. Kf1 Rf4 42. Ne1 Bf6) 41. Rd1 {586} Rg4+ {102} 42. Kf1 {59} h3 {68} 43. Rd3 {551} Bf6 {817} 44. Nh2 {505} Rh4 {186} 45. Kg1 {6} (45. Rxd6 Be5 46. Rd7+ Kf6 47. Kg1 Rb4 48. Rh7 $1 $14 Rb3 49. Nf1) 45... Bd4 {148} 46. Rf3 {469} Kf6 {182} 47. Nf1 {38 with Black's pieces so active and his threatening pawn on h3, it would seem as if only Carlsen is playing for a win.} Be5 {101} (47... d5 $1 48. Nh2 Bb6 49. Rc3 Bd4 50. Rc6+ Kg7 51. Nf3 Rg4+ 52. Kf1 Bb2) 48. Ne3 {118} Kg5 $2 {165 This move is already strange. The king will have to go back to f6 so it does nothing but waste important time.} (48... h2+ 49. Kh1 Rd4 50. Nf1 Rg4 51. Ng3 Rh4 52. Rd3 Ke6) 49. Kh1 {213} Kf6 $6 {802} (49... Rf4 50. Rxf4 (50. Rxh3 Rxf2 51. Nc4 Kg4) 50... Kxf4 51. Be8 g5 52. Bd7 Kf3 53. Bxf5 Kxf2 54. Nc4 Bc3 55. Kh2 d5) 50. Nc4 {64 Suddenly Black has done nothing, meanwhile White slowly brought his knight to take the key pawn on a5!} g5 {32} (50... h2 51. Rd3 (51. Nxa5 Rg4) 51... g5 52. Nxa5 (52. Rd2 Rh3) 52... Rf4) 51. Nxa5 {343} g4 {272} 52. Rd3 {6} f4 {218} 53. Nc4 {9 Black's pawns look threatening, but they are not queening right away.} Rh7 {140} (53... g3 54. fxg3 fxg3 55. Nxe5 g2+ 56. Kh2 Kxe5 57. Bd7 {and the pawns start falling (Rxh3 cannot be prevented). Notice that the a-pawn is the correct color to win with.}) 54. Nxe5 {156} dxe5 {14} 55. a5 {46} Rc7 {182} (55... Rb7 56. Rd6+ Kg5 57. Rb6 Rc7 58. Rc6 Rb7 59. Rc5 g3 60. a6 Re7 61. Rc3) 56. Ra3 {184} Rc1+ {105} 57. Kh2 {8} Rc2 {29} 58. a6 $1 {79 Well calculated, those four connected passed pawns are not as relevant as the one passed pawn on the a-file!} Rxf2+ {61} 59. Kh1 {61} g3 {89} 60. a7 { 33} Rd2 {43 One last trick, if White promotes there is backrank mate.} (60... Rh2+ 61. Kg1 Rg2+ 62. Kf1 Rb2 63. a8=Q (63. Ra1) (63. Bc6 g2+ 64. Bxg2 Rb1+ 65. Kf2 Rb2+ 66. Kg1) 63... g2+) 61. Ra1 {946} 1-0