Night’s on Fire

李超 (Lǐ Chāo) – Magnus Carlsen
4th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, April 22, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D14

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Bf5! SuperMagnus evidently doesn’t want to take responsibility for the possibility of a marriage breaking down. 7. e3. “We don’t know how he spent his birthday. Maybe he had a heavy night?”, Grandmaster Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler wondered. It is a philosophical question that perhaps should not be addressed immediately to the FIDE Ethics Commission! They’re so envious... 7. ... e6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. 0-0. “Not the most ambitious opening 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) has ever played in his life”, Svidler said. 11. ... 0-0 12. Rac1 Rfc8 13. h3 h6 14. Nd2 Nd7. Chess openings are such a drag... 15. a3 Nb6. For 15. ... a6 16. Na4 Rc7 17. Rc2 Rac8 see Paragua – 周唯奇 (Zhōu Wéiqí), 3rd HDBank Cup International Chess Open, Ho Chi Minh City 2013. 16. Qb5 Qd8 17. Na4 Nxa4 18. Qxa4 Qa5 19. Qd1 Ne7 20. Qe2 Qa4 21. Qd3 Nf5 22. Qb3 Qa6 23. Qb4 Nd6 24. a4 Qb6 25. Qa3 a5 26. Rc5 Qb4 27. Qxb4 axb4 28. Rfc1 Rxc5 29. dxc5

29. ... Rc8. “I think Black is quite seriously better”, Grandmaster Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer said. He’s even more optimistic than Danish Grandmaster Bent Larsen was! 30. Kf1 Nc4 31. Nxc4 Rxc5 32. b3 dxc4 33. bxc4 Ra5 34. Ra1 Rc5 35. Rc1 Ra5 36. Ra1 Rc5 37. Rc1 ½ : ½. “After last game I had a big headache until now”, 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) said. “[I decided] to get a draw & go to the hotel & rest”. They all say so, before the night’s fire :).

李超 (Lǐ Chāo) vs. Magnus Carlsen
Photo: Tarjei J. Svensen/Matt & Patt