Desert Water

Magnus Carlsen – Hikaru Nakamura

Unofficial World Fischerandom Chess Championship match game 13 (10+5); Høvikodden, February 13, 2018

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Position 671

1. g3 f5 2. f4 g6 3. Nc3 d5!? 4. d4!? Both Nakamura and Carlsen set up a kind of Dutch Pawn configuration that might make their respectively light-squared and dark-squared Bishops feel just a little bad. 4. ... c6 5. Nd3 Nd6 6. e3 Nd7 7. Bf2 Nf6 8. Be1 Ng4 9. Qe2 Qh6 10. h4 Nf6 11. Ne5 Be6 12. Bf3 Nfe4!? 13. Bxe4 fxe4 14. Na4 0-0. A spectacular “double-move” h-side castling. 15. g4!? Nf7?! Probably best was 15. ... Bxe5! 16. dxe5 Nc4 17. b3 Bxg4! 18. Qxg4 Nxe3∞ with very unclear play. 16. Nc5 Bc8 17. a4 Nxe5 18. dxe5 b6 19. Nb3 g5!? Black, who stands worse, courageously tries to play for a win anyway. 20. hxg5 Qh3 21. f5 Bxe5 22. Nd4 Bxd4 23. exd4±

23. ... e6?? Nakamura’s nerves finally break. Best was 23. ... a5(!), so as to answer 24. Ra3(?) by 24. ... Ba6(!); however, the game would have probably continued 24. Rd2(!) e3 (24. ... Ba6? 25. Qh2! Qxg4 26. f6+−) 25. Rd3 Ba6 26. Qxe3 Qxg4 27. Rb3 e5!? (Stockfish’s analysis) which is better for White, but still with some fuzzy edges. 24. Ra3+− Qh1 25. Bb4 Qh4 26. Bxf8 Qxg5+ 27. Qd2 Qxd2+ 28. Kxd2 Kxf8 29. Rh1 Kg7 30. Rah3 exf5 31. Rxh7+ Kg6 32. Ke3. Threatening Ke3-f4 followed by Rh1-h6 mate. 1 : 0. For the first time in chess history there is only one World Champion for classical and Fischerandom chess! 960 hip hip hurra for Norway and Magnus Carlsen!

Artwork © Willum Morsch‏ (@WillumTM)

Magnus Carlsen (right) vs. Hikaru Nakamura (left). Magnus said afterwards that he will play Fischerandom chess again for sure, and that he hopes for an official World Fischerandom Chess title coming soon. Photo: Berit Roald/NTB Scanpix.