Morphy’s Planet

Magnus Carlsen – Levon Grigori Aronian
6th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, May 30, 2018
Spanish Game C67

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 0-0 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Nf5 11. d5 Re8 12. Rxe8+. The most recent reference game is 12. Bd3 Rxe1+ 13. Qxe1 Qe7 14. Qxe7 Nxe7 15. d6 cxd6 16. Na3 d5 17. Nb5 d6 18. Nxd6 Nc6 19. Bf4 Be6 20. Nxb7 Nb4 21. Nc5 Bxb2 22. Rb1 Nxd3 23. cxd3 Bd4 24. Be3 Bxc5 25. Bxc5 d4 26. Bxa7 Bxa2 27. Rb8+ Rxb8 28. Bxb8 Bb1 29. Ba7 Ba2 30. Bb8 Bb1 31. Ba7 Ba2 32. Bb8 ½ : ½ Caruana – Aronian, 5th GRENKE Chess Classic, Baden-Baden 2018. 12. ... Qxe8 13. Qd3!? Carlsen’s novelty involves more than a nuance with respect to 13. Nd2 d6 ½ : ½ Palac – P. H. Nielsen, 6th European Individual Chess Championship, Warsaw 2005. Si duo faciunt idem non est idem. 13. ... d6 14. Nd2 Bg5? The exchange of dark-squared Bishops is obviously not in Black’s best interest, and may be regarded as a gross strategic error by Aronian. Better would seem to be 14. ... c6 in order to answer 15. Ne4 by 15. ... Be5 with a much sounder basis to get balance. 15. Nf3 Bxc1 16. Rxc1 Bd7 17. Re1 Qd8 18. Qc4! g6 19. h3! Ng7 20. Re3! a5 21. a4 Ne8 22. Qd4. White has a dominating position, with space advantage and the initiative. No wonder Aronian is swept away like dust before the wind. 22. ... Ng7 23. g4 c6 24. c4 Ne8

25. Qf4 Kg7. If 25. ... cxd5 then 26. Ng5 with a vehement attack anyway. 26. Rb3 Rb8 27. Ng5 Nf6. This loses even brilliantly, but neither 27. ... f6 28. Rf3! nor 27. ... Qf6 28. Qd2! h6 29. Ne4 Qd8 30. Rf3 could have changed the outcome. 28. Rf3 h6 29. Ne4 Nxe4 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 31. Qxg6 1 : 0.

Magnus Carlsen. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Altibox Norway Chess.