Linearity

Alexey Sergeyevich Dreev – Magnus Carlsen
7th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Tbilisi, September 6, 2017
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 c5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Qxc3 c4! I know it’s all another story, but this makes come to mind 15. ... c4! of O. S. Bernestein – Capablanca, Moscow 1914. 11. b3 Be6 12. Ne5? It’s hard to believe that only one weak move may have caused Dreev to feel himself like some of Rubinstein’s opponents. And yet, even 12. e3 0-0 13. Be2 Rc8 (13. ... Nd7 14. 0-0 b5 15. Nd2 Rfc8 16. Rfc1 Qd8 17. bxc4 bxc4 18. Rab1 Rab8 appears also satisfactory for Black, Brynell – Grandelius, Schackstudions GM-turnering, Lund 2011) 14. 0-0 Nc6 would have offered Black a very comfortable game, Skrondal – Hammer, Open Norwegian Rapid Chess Championship, Sandefjord 2017. I think there must be something wrong with White’s opening. 12. ... 0-0 13. e3 Nc6 14. Be2 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qg6 16. 0-0.

16. ... d4! Carlsen makes a very deep assessment of the ending. The passed Black b-Pawn will prove to be exceptionally powerful. Black’s win is not scientifically provable, but practically likely. 17. exd4 cxb3 18. Bf3 Rac8 19. Qe3 Qg5! 20. Rab1. After about twelve minutes of thinking. Now Dreev has only ten minutes left to reach the time control, provided he succeeds in saving the endgame. 20. ... Qxe3 21. fxe3 Rfd8 22. Bxb7 Rc3 23. d5 Bd7 24. Rf4. Now and (especially) on the next move the advance d5-d6 was certainly worth considering. Whatever it is, Dreev does not oppose any resistance. 24. ... a5! 25. Kf2 Rb8 26. Bc6 Bxc6 27. dxc6 Rxc6 28. Rd4 Rc2+ 29. Kf3 b2 30. Rdd1 Rb5 31. a4 Rxe5 32. Rd8+ Kh7 0 : 1.