One Hundred and Eleven Shakespeare Monologues

Jorden van Foreest – Magnus Carlsen
82nd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 14, 2020
Two Knights Defence C58

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5. “Tarrasch branded this a ‘duffer’s move’ and Panov called it ‘primitive’. But there is no other way for White to try for an advantage”, Robert James “Bobby” Fischer wrote in “My 60 Memorable Games”, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1969, p. 280. 4. ... d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3!? Isidor Gunsberg’s move, which is as old as odd. 8. ... Nd5 9. Nf3. Not 9. Nxf7? on account of 9. ... Kxf7 10. Qh5+ g6 11. Bxg6+ hxg6 12. Qxh8 Qg5 with a crushing attack. Bad is also 9. Ne4?! after which, a long time ago, White ended up inexorably zugzwanged: 9. ... f5 10. Ng3 Nf4 11. Bf1 Bc5 12. c3 Bb6 13. d4 Ng6 14. Bd3 0-0 15. b4 Nb7 16. Bc4+ Kh8 17. d5? Nd6 18. Bb3 f4 19. Nf1 Ne4 0 : 1 Castaldi – Keres, 7th Olympiad, Stockholm 1937. 9. ... Bd6 10. Nc3 0-0 11. Be2 Nf4. Alternatively, 11. ... f5 is also quite interesting, Zelkind – Klovans, 19th World Senior Chess Championship, Condino 2009 12. 0-0 Bg4 13. d3 Nxe2+ 14. Qxe2 f5 15. h3 Bh5 16. g4! A powerful novelty instead of 16. Qe3 Qe7 17. Qg5 Qf7 18. Nd2 h6 19. Qh4 f4 20. f3 c5 21. Qf2 Rac8 22. Nde4 Be7 23. b3 Nc6 24. Ba3 Nd4 25. Na4 Rc6 26. Bxc5 Nf5 27. Kh2 Rfc8 28. b4 Bh4 29. Qd2 Rg6 30. Bf2 Qe7 31. Nac5 Bxf2 32. Rxf2 Nh4 33. Rg1 Rcc6 34. d4 Nf5 35. dxe5 Qh4 36. Nd3 Ne3 37. g3 fxg3+ 38. Nxg3 Nd5 39. Qe2 Rc4 40. Nf5 Qd8 41. Rfg2 Qc7 42. Nd6 Rxg2+ 43. Rxg2 Nf4 44. Nxf4 Rxf4 45. Qd2 Rf8 46. f4 Bf3 47. Rg1 Ba8 48. f5 Qe7 49. Qd4 Kh8 50. c4 a6 51. h4 Kh7 52. a4 Rb8 53. b5 axb5 54. axb5 Rd8 55. c5 Qa7 56. Ra1 Qe7 57. c6 Rxd6 58. exd6 Qe2+ 59. Kg3 1 : 0 Varga – Halkias, 8th Serbian Team Chess Championship 1st League, Palić 2014 — which would have certainly been improved by Carlsen. 16. ... fxg4 17. Ng5 Qd7 18. Nce4 Be7 19. Ng3 Bg6 20. Qxg4 Qxg4 21. hxg4 c5 22. N5e4 Nc6 23. Be3 Nd4 24. Rac1 Rac8 25. Kg2 c4. Now White is practically forced to take the Knight, thus leaving Black with all the powers of two Bishops, and indirectly a compensation for his minus Pawn. 26. Bxd4 exd4 27. f3 Rc6 28. b3 Ba3

29. Rce1. White is prudently content with a honourable draw, letting Carlsen set his world record of 111 games without a loss. “He played pretty well but he should have enacted the Exchange”, Carlsen said. “I would have been in huge, huge trouble”. Idem to say: 29. dxc4! Bxc1 30. Rxc1 with a Pawn preponderance on the Queenside. 29. ... cxd3 30. cxd3 a5 31. Rf2 Bc1 32. Nd2 Bxd3 33. Nc4 Bf4 34. Ne5 Rc3 35. Nxd3 Rxd3 36. Nf5 g6 37. Re4 Bg5 38. Ne7+ Kh8 39. Nc6 Be3 40. Re2 Rd1 41. Nxa5 Rg1+ 42. Kh2 Rc1 43. Kg2 Rg1+ 44. Kh2 Rc1 45. Kg2 ½ : ½.

“I was in definite trouble”, Carlsen said afterwards. “I was trying to bluff him a bit in the opening and I thought I’m getting these positions with Bishops and some initiative with a Pawn then he went g4 [...] and I realised I was lost”. Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images.