Replay

Levon Grigori Aronian – Magnus Carlsen
9th London Chess Classic; London, December 11, 2017
Queen’s Pawn Game A40

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 3. g3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Bg2 Bc5 6. e3 d5 7. Qg4 Bf8 8. 0-0 Nf6 9. Qe2 e5!? Why not? For 9. ... Bd7 10. b3 Nc6 see Salo – Lehtinen, Finnish Team Chess Championship 2012-2013, Tampere 2013. 10. Qb5+ Bd7 11. Qxb6 axb6 12. Nb3 Nc6 13. Bd2 Bd6 14. Nc3 Ne7 15. a4 0-0 16. Nb5 Bxb5 17. axb5 Rac8 18. Bc3 h5 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Nd2 h4 21. Nf3 hxg3 22. hxg3 e4 23. Ng5 Ng6 24. Ra7 Rb8 25. Bd4 Bc5 26. Bxc5 bxc5 27. c4 Ne7. Not 27. ... dxc4? because of 28. Rxd8+ Rxd8 29. Rxb7 and Black’s Queenside falls apart. 28. cxd5

28. ... Nc8! Black’s position was quite uncomfortable, so Carlsen rightly sets up a dynamic defence, which may even imply the sacrifice of two Pawns. 29. Ra4 Nb6 30. Ra3 Nc4 31. Rc3 Nd6. And Black even sacrifices his second Pawn. After 31. ... Nxb2 32. Rd2 Nxd5 33. Rxc5 Nd3 34. Rc4 f5 35. g4 g6 36. gxf5 gxf5 37. Bf1 the game, although materially equal (at least for the moment), was better for White. 32. Rxc5 Ra8 33. Bh3 Re8 34. Rc7 Kf8! A due precaution, as 34. ... Re5?? would be met by 35. Nxf7! Nxf7 36. Be6 winning immediately. 35. b6? Best was 35. Bf1! (freeing the h3 square for the Knight) and if 35. ... Rac8 then 36. b6 keeping an edge. 35. ... Re5 36. Ne6+!? fxe6 37. dxe6 Nfe8 38. Rd7 Raa5 39. b4? Aronian’s decisive mistake. 39. R1xd6! Nxd6 40. Rxd6 Rad5 41. Rxd5 Rxd5 42. e7+! Kxe7 43. Bc8 Rb5 44. Bxb7 Rxb6 45. Bxe4 Rxb2 would have led to a draw. 39. ... Rad5! 40. Ra1 Rb5 41. Ra8 Rxb6. Now it’s just a technical win. 42. Bg4 Rd5 43. Kg2 Rxb4 44. Ra1 Rbb5 45. Be2 Rb2 46. Bg4 Rdd2 47. Kh3 Rxf2 48. Kh4 Rh2+ 49. Bh3 g5+ 50. Kh5 Rxh3+ 51. Kg6 Rf2 52. e7+ Kg8 53. Rxd6 Rh7 0 : 1.