Beyond the Veil

Magnus Carlsen – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
World Chess Championship match game 8; New York, November 21, 2016
Rubinstein Attack D05

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Bb2 b6. If, instead, 7. ... Nc6 there might follow 8. Nbd2 cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. c4!? Ba6 11. Re1 Rc8 12. Rc1 Na5 13. Ne5 and White stands somewhat better, Zukertort – Blackburne, London 1883. 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Nbd7 11. c4 dxc4. The alternative was 11. ... Ne4 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Ba6 Bxa6 14. Qxa6 Nxd2 15. Nxd2 Be7 16. Nf3 Bf6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Rac1 Nc5 ½ : ½ Uhlmann – Parma, 2nd International Alekhine Memorial Tournament, Moscow 1971. 12. Nxc4 Qe7 13. a3 a5 14. Nd4 Rfd8 15. Rfd1. “After 15. Rfd1 White is somewhat ‘more equal’ than Black, in the Orwellian sense”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson said. 15. ... Rac8 16. Rac1 Nf8 17. Qe1!? “Jokes aside, when I saw 17. Qe1!? (supporting b3-b4 and preparing Bd3-f1) I was very impressed, but the engine is less so”, Grandmaster Nigel David Short said. 17. ... Ng6 18. Bf1 Ng4!? “After 18. ... Ng4 it feels completely equal. Over the last few moves I think Magnus outplayed himself a little bit”, Rowson suggested. 19. Nb5. Thus, yet another provocative move from Carlsen, who doesn’t look like he is feeling good at all. And Karjakin? “19. ... Qg5 now. Not to attack, just to control e5. Then Black is ‘not worse’, which is GM code for ‘probably a bit better’”, Rowson said. 19. ... Bc6. “I wonder if Sergey realises he can win the match yet? If he plays 19. ... Bc6 now it’s a sign that he probably hasn’t”, Rowson said. 20. a4 Bd5 21. Bd4 Bxc4. “21. ... Bxc4 may look like a gratuitous concession, but we’re at the stage of the match where we can trust Sergey a little”, Rowson said. 22. Rxc4 Bxd4 23. Rdxd4 Rxc4 24. bxc4!? It’s not as bad as it looks, obviously. Carlsen was probably quite frustrated that so far he didn’t succeed to win a single game, and desperately tries to find water in the desert. He needs Karjakin’s help, however, and Sergey Alexandrovich, on the other hand, is hardly in the mood to commit himself. 24. ... Nf6 25. Qd2 Rb8 26. g3 Ne5 27. Bg2 h6 28. f4 Ned7 29. Na7 Qa3 30. Nc6 Rf8. Draw? 31. h3!? No! Well, it’s a gamble, but, from a psychological point of view, it might even work out. The question is always the same: will be Karjakin able to play for a win? 31. ... Nc5 32. Kh2 Nxa4!? “Noteworthy intuitive choice. The Knight is slightly offside now, but the Queen would have been misplaced on a4”, says Rowson. 33. Rd8 g6. Breaking news: both players are in terrific time trouble! 34. Qd4 Kg7 35. c5!?? Once again, Carlsen tries his luck! In order to win, he had to survive being in quite an uncomfortable situation. 35. ... Rxd8 36. Nxd8 Nxc5. “Better for Black, winning even, but not yet ‘won’”, says Rowson. 37. Qd6 Qd3? A melodramatic cupio dissolvi, but only a few seconds remained on Karjakin’s clock! Apparently, 37. ... Qa4 would have left White quite helpless. 38. Nxe6+! And of course, Carlsen didn’t miss his chance! 38. ... fxe6 39. Qe7+ Kg8 40. Qxf6 a4 41. e4 Qd7 42. Qxg6+. “And now the engines might give 0.00 due to perpetuals, but in practice I would say White has some chances here”, says Rowson. 42. ... Qg7 43. Qe8+ Qf8 44. Qc6 Qd8 45. f5 a3. Indeed, the passed a-Pawn gives Black more than sufficient counterplay. 46. fxe6 Kg7! Karjakin keeps the pressure in the glass chamber constant. The alternative 46. ... Kh7 47. e5 a2 48. Be4+ Nxe4 49. Qxe4+ Kg7 50. Qb7+ Kg8 51. Qf7+ Kh8 52. Qf4 a1=Q 53. Qxh6+ Kg8 54. Qg6+ Kh8 55. Qh5+ would have led to a draw by perpetual check. 47. e7!? There’s nothing wrong about it, except that maybe it wasn’t necessary. 47. ... Qxe7 48. Qxb6 Nd3! 49. Qa5? Carlsen keeps being overexcited and, what’s more serious, keeps playing too speculatively. 49. e5! was called for, to be promptly followed by Qb6-d4. 49. ... Qc5! “OK, I understand this is supposedly a draw, but I would be very nervous with White”, Short said. 50. Qa6 Ne5 51. Qe6? And this is the step of no return!

51. ... h5!! And finally Karjakin seizes his day! White is in zugzwang! 52. h4 a2! Very elegant pointe. 0 : 1. For after 53. Qxa2 Ng4+ 54. Kh3 Qg1 it’s all over.

Magnus Carlsen vs. Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova