Start With Why

Wesley So – Magnus Carlsen

1st World Fischerandom Chess Championship; Final for First Place; match game 2; Høvikodden, October 31, 2019

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Position 294

1. d4 b6 2. Ng3 Ba6 3. b3 e6 4. c4 d5 5. e3 Be7 6. Nc3 Ng6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. 0-0 Nd7 9. cxd5 Bxd3 10. Rxd3 exd5 11. Nf5 Rfe8 12. Nxe7+ Rxe7 13. b4 Nf6 14. b5 c6 15. a4 h5. Just like in the previously mentioned game between Caruana and Nepomniachtchi, White’s minority attack is under way on the a-side, while Black counterattacks on the h-side. 16. h3 Qc8 17. bxc6 Re6! 18. f3! Rxc6 19. e4! dxe4 20. fxe4 Ne5! 21. Re3 Nc4 22. Ref3! Rxd4 23. Nd5 Rxe4 24. Bh6! So sacrificed a couple of Pawns for a powerful attack, but Carlsen magnificently defends his “impossible game”. 24. ... Ne8! 25. Bxg7! Nd2!

26. Rxf7!! White has won back his two Pawns, but just to sacrifice a whole Rook! 26. ... Nxf1 27. Rf8+ Kh7 28. Be5 Rc1! 29. Rh8+ Kg6 30. Ne7+ Kf7 31. Rh7+ Ke6 32. Nxc8 Rxa1 33. Bxa1 Ng3. As soon as White re-established material equality, it is Black who now gives a couple of Pawns for the sake of the initiative. 34. Rxa7 Nf5 35. Bh8 Re2?? After a titanic struggle, Carlsen blunders a Knight by a terrible oversight. Yet he was very near showing his profound understanding of chess, as, indeed, after 35. ... Re1+ 36. Kf2 (36. Kh2 Rc1! 37. Nxb6 h4!↑) 36. ... Rc1 37. Nxb6 Rc2+ 38. Kf3 Ned6 Black’s Knights and Rook sting enough to make White’s two extra Pawns quite meaningless. 36. g4! Did Carlsen really overlook this move? 36. ... hxg4 37. hxg4 Ne3 38. Re7+ Kd5 39. Rxe8 Rg2+ 40. Kh1 Rxg4 41. Rxe3! So goes for the simplest “book” win. 41. ... Rh4+ 42. Kg2 Rxh8 43. Nxb6+ Kc5 44. Rb3+− Rh4 45. Rb5+ Kc6 46. Rb1 Rh5 47. Nc4 Rh4 48. Nb6 Rh5 49. Nc4 Rh4 50. Nb2 Kb6 51. Kg3 Rd4 52. Kf3 Ka5 53. Ke3 Rd8 54. Rh1 Rd5 55. Rh4 Rg5 56. Kd3 Rc5 57. Rc4 Rh5 58. Kc2 Rh3 59. Rc3 Rh6 60. Kb3 Rb6+ 61. Ka3 Rc6 62. Rc4 Rh6 63. Rc5+ Ka6 64. Kb4 Rh1 65. Rc6+ Ka7 66. Nc4 Kb7 67. Rb6+ Ka7 68. Rg6 Rb1+ 69. Ka5 Rh1 70. Rg7+ Kb8 71. Ka6 Rh5 72. Rg8+ 1 : 0.

Carlsen is notoriously a bad starter, but also always winner. Will So be able to prove that who begin well may end better? Photo © Lennart Ootes.