One Knight Only

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler – Magnus Carlsen
34th European Chess Club Cup; Porto Carras, October 18, 2018
Caro-Kann Defence B15

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6. The Tartakower Variation — tremendously drawish, even if White’s ending must probably be regarded as symbolically a little easier. 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Be3. If 9. Ne2 Black can reply with 9. ... Kh8 and then, for instance, 10. Be3 (“Of course Black intended to answer 10. Bxh7 with 10. ... g6”, Emanuel Lasker wrote in his tournament book) 10. ... Nd7 11. 0-0-0 Nf8 12. Kb1 Be6 13. Nf4? (“This costs a Pawn. Far better was 13. Nc1 for, should White succeed in defending himself, he would have good chances of winning the ending”, Lasker writes) Bxf4 14. Bxf4 Qd5 15. b3 Qxg2 16. Rhg1 Qf3 17. Be3 Bg4 18. Rde1 Bh5 19. Rg3 Qd5 20. f4 Re7 21. Reg1 Rae8 22. c4 Qd6 23. Qf2 g6 24. d5? (“White changes his tactics, by attacking suddenly on the Queenside. Thereby he abandons the point e5 and c5 to his opponent. He should, instead, have fixed Black’s f6-Pawn by 24. f5 to be followed by Be3-c1-b2”, Lasker suggests) 24. ... Nd7 25. Bd4 Re2! 26. Be5 Qxe5 0 : 1 Forgács – Duras, International Chess Congress, Saint Petersburg 1909. 9. ... h6 10. Ne2 Na6 11. 0-0 Nc7 12. c4 Bg4. An earlier qualified reference is 12. ... Ne6 13. Qd2 Qc7 14. c5 Bf8 15. Ng3 Qd8 16. Bc2 Nc7 17. h4 f5 18. h5 Qf6 19. Rae1 Be6 20. Bf4 Nd5 21. Be5 Qh4 22. Nxf5 Bxf5 23. Bxf5 Qxh5 24. Be4 Qg5 25. Qc2 Nf6 26. Bxf6 Qxf6 27. d5 cxd5 28. Bxd5 Rxe1 29. Rxe1 Rc8 30. b4 b6 31. Bb7 Rc7 32. c6 g6 33. Qa4 Bd6 34. b5 Re7 35. Rf1 Qe5 36. g3 Qg5 37. Qb3 h5 38. Rd1 Bc7 39. Rd5 Qc1+ 40. Kg2 h4 41. Rd7 h3+ 42. Kh2 Rxd7 43. cxd7 Qd2 44. Kxh3 Qxd7+ 45. Kg2 Qe7 46. Qc4 Kg7 47. Bd5 ½ : ½ J. Polgár – J. Bellin, 29th Women’s Chess Olympiad, Novi Sad 1990. 13. h3!?TN Bxe2 14. Bxe2 Ne6 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. Bg4 Rad8 17. Rfe1 Bf4 18. Bxf4 Nxf4 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. h4 Qa5 21. g3 f5 22. Bf3 Re1+ 23. Kh2 Rxd1 24. Qxd1 Ng6 25. a3 f4 26. Be4 fxg3+ 27. fxg3 Nf8 28. d5 cxd5 29. Qxd5 Qxd5 30. Bxd5 b6 31. b4 Nd7 32. Kg2 Kf8 33. Kf2 Nf6 34. Bf3 Ke7 35. Ke3 Kd6 36. Kd4. Svidler is obviously hoping in the theoretical strength of the Bishop to support (and eventually realise) his Queenside Pawn majority, but Black’s next elegant Knight’s move clears up any doubts as to the outcome:

36. ... Ng8! 37. c5+. 37. Bd5 Ne7 doesn’t make any difference. 37. ... bxc5+ 38. bxc5+ Kc7 39. Bd5 Ne7 40. Ke5. Some commentators criticised this, but also after 40. Bxf7 Nf5+ 41. Ke5 Nxg3 Black draws handily. 40. ... Nxd5 41. Kxd5 h5! 42. c6 a6! 43. a4 a5 44. Kc5 f6 45. Kd5 g5 46. Ke6 Kxc6 47. Kxf6 gxh4 48. gxh4 Kd6 49. Kg5 Ke5 50. Kxh5 Kf5 51. Kh6 Kf6 52. h5 Kf7 53. Kg5 Kg7 54. h6+ Kh7 55. Kh5 Kh8 56. Kg6 Kg8 57. h7+ Kh8 58. Kh6 ½ : ½. And thus, in the end, 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen retained his well-deserved No. 1 world ranking spot!

Magnus Carlsen (seated first from left) is probably thinking about how to bring the sun to London. Photo © Niki Riga.