Two and a Half Men

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Magnus Carlsen
World Chess Championship match game 4; New York, November 15, 2016
Spanish Game C88

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1. In the second game Karjakin played 6. d3. 6. ... b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. h3 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Qd7 11. Nbd2 Rfe8 12. c3. This sophisticated theoretical conformism might not be necessary. 12. ... Bf8 13. Nf1. Another try is 13. Ba2 Nd8 14. Nf1 Ne6 15. Ng3 c5 16. d4 exd4 17. cxd4 d5 18. dxc5 dxe4 19. Nxe4 Qxd1 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Rxd1 Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. b4 Rd1+ 24. Kh2 Bh6 25. Bb2 Bf4+ 26. g3 Rd3! 27. gxf4 ½ : ½ Anand – Navara, 69th Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk an Zee 2007. 13. ... h6 14. N3h2. Understandably, Karjakin is not interested in transposing into 14. Ng3 d5 15. Qe2 Rad8 16. Bc2 g6 17. Be3 a5 18. a4 b4 19. Rad1 Ba6 20. c4 d4∓ 21. Bc1 Qe7 22. Rf1 Nd7 23. b3 Nc5 24. Qe1 Bc8 25. Nh2 f5 26. f4 exf4 27. Rxf4 fxe4 28. Nxe4 Bf5 29. Qg3 Bxe4 30. dxe4 g5 31. Ng4 Bg7 32. Rf5 d3 33. Rxd3 Rxd3 34. Bxd3 Nxd3 35. Qxd3 Qxe4 36. Qd7 Qd4+ 37. Qxd4 Nxd4 0 : 1 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – 卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì), 3rd China Mind Team Knockout, 枣庄 (Zǎozhuāng) 2015. 14. ... d5! The most powerful and thematic rejoinder. 15. Qf3 Na5 16. Ba2 dxe4. “Strangely, the tactical 16. ... c5!? is also possible for Magnus. But I prefer to drink some wine and let these guys suffer”, Grandmaster Nigel David Short said. 17. dxe4 Nc4 18. Bxh6!? Alea iacta est. Karjakin decides to accept Carlsen’s temporary Pawn sacrifice as 18. Ng4 Nxg4 19. hxg4 Qc6 is all but better than the text. 18. ... Qc6!? 19. Bxc4?? Do you imagine Bobby Fischer exchanging the light-squared Bishop in such a position? Something seems to be broken in Karjakin’s heart, otherwise it would be impossible to understand the reason for his chess crime! White ought to play 19. Bc1 Nxe4 20. Ne3. 19. ... bxc4 20. Be3 Nxe4 21. Ng3 Nd6 22. Rad1 Rab8 23. Bc1 f6 24. Qxc6 Bxc6 25. Ng4 Rb5 26. f3 f5! “26. ... f5! although loose, is excellent because the White Knight belongs on e3, but cannot go there. Non-stereotypical thinking”, Short said. 27. Nf2 Be7 28. f4. “Despite having a rancid position, Sergey seized the best practical chance by breaking out with f2-f4”, Short said. 28. ... Bh4 29. fxe5 Bxg3 30. exd6 Rxe1+ 31. Rxe1 cxd6 32. Rd1 Kf7! “Magnus starts the apparently inexorable march of the King to the tender paradise of the b3 square”. Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson said. 33. Rd4 Re5 34. Kf1 Rd5 35. Rxd5 Bxd5 36. Bg5! “Reassuring that Karjakin has a plan. Now h3-h4 and Nf2-h3 will follow, given half a chance”, Rowson said. 36. ... Kg6! 37. h4!? Kh5. Not 37. ... f4? (intending ... Kg6-f5) on account of 38. Nh1! (Rowson’s analysis). 38. Nh3

38. ... Bf7! “38. ... Bf7! is the move of an absolute killer. The kind of move that makes your heart sink as a defender. Black will win now”, Rowson said. Rowson himself instead foresaw 38. ... Bxh4 (or 38. ... Kg4!? 39. Nf2+) 39. Nf4+ Kxg5 40. Nxd5 to be followed by Nd5-b6. 39. Be7 Bxh4 40. Bxd6 Bd8. Time control reached. “The good news for White is that he’s exchanged a pair of Pawns. The bad news is that he’s now effectively a Pawn down”, Rowson said. 41. Ke2 g5 42. Nf2 Kg6 43. g4. Unwilling but necessarily. 43. ... Bb6 44. Be5 a5. “44. ... a5 makes absolutely no sense to me. Loses a spare tempo, Pawn more vulnerable, needs a4 for King. But it's Magnus, so...”, Rowson said. 45. Nd1 f4? “Somehow I have a feeling that by closing the position with 45. ... f4 any sort of winning plan became a lot, lot harder”, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura said. Short thought that 45. ... fxg4 “was very strong”, but maybe, as Rowson said, “45. ... Be6 is cunning. Simply to prevent 46. Ne3 (due to 47. ... f4) and ask White what else he can do”. 46. Bd4 Bc7 47. Nf2 Be6 47. Nf2 Be6 48. Kf3 Bd5+ 49. Ke2 Bg2 50. Kd2. “After 50. Kd2 I’m struggling to see What Magnus has in mind. Looks like a tight blockade to me, even if the King gets to a4”, Rowson said. 50. ... Kf7 51. Kc2 Bd5 52. Kd2 Bd8 53. Kc2 Ke6 54. Kd2 Kd7 55. Kc2 Kc6 56. Kd2 Kb5 57. Kc1 Ka4 58. Kc2 Bf7 59. Kc1 Bg6 60. Kd2 Kb3 61. Kc1 Bd3 62. Nh3 Ka2 63. Bc5 Be2 64. Nf2 Bf3 65. Kc2 Bc6 66. Bd4 Bd7 67. Bc5 Bc7 68. Bd4 Be6 69. Bc5 f3 70. Be3 Bd7 71. Kc1 Bc8 72. Kc2 Bd7 73. Kc1 Bf4 74. Bxf4 gxf4 75. Kc2 Be6 76. Kc1 Bc8 77. Kc2 Be6 78. Kc1 Kb3 79. Kb1 Ka4 80. Kc2 Kb5 81. Kd2 Kc6 82. Ke1 Kd5 83. Kf1 Ke5 84. Kg1 Kf6 85. Ne4+ Kg6 86. Kf2 Bxg4 87. Nd2 Be6 88. Kxf3 Kf5 89. a4 Bd5+ 90. Kf2 Kg4 91. Nf1 Kg5 92. Nd2 Kf5 93. Ke2 Kg4 94. Kf2 ½ : ½. A very strange game!

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin vs. Magnus Carlsen
Photo: Europe Échecs (‏@EuropeEchecs)