Over Earth

Alireza Firouzja – Magnus Carlsen
8th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, October 15, 2020
King’s Indian Attack A05

Firouzja too could do nothing against Carlsen, who won the 8th Norway Chess with a round still to go. 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. 0-0 e5 5. e4 d6 6. c3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bg4 9. dxe5!? A new and unambitious move. In a recent game, White obtained an overwhelming advantage after 9. d5 Ne7? (but 9. ... Nd4 is perfectly good) 10. Nc3 Bg7 11. Qa4+ Nd7 12. Qa3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Nc5 14. Be3 b6 15. b4 Nd7 16. Nb5 Nf6 17. Rac1 0-0 18. Nc7 Rb8 19. Qxa7 Qd7 20. a4 Ra8 21. Qxb6 Rxa4 22. Qb5 Qxb5 23. Nxb5 Rd8 24. Rc4 Ne8 25. Rb1 f5 26. Nc3 Ra3 27. b5 Rc8 28. Rxc8 Nxc8 29. Rc1 f4 30. b6 Rb3 31. Bd1 fxe3 32. Bxb3 exf2+ 33. Kxf2 Nxb6 34. Ra1 Nd7 35. Ra8 Kf7 36. Ra7 Nf6 37. Ba4 Ke7 38. Bxd7 Nxd7 39. Na4 Ke8 40. Nb6 Nxb6 41. Rxg7 Nd7 42. Rxh7 Nf6 43. Rh8+ 1 : 0 Romanishin – Miroshnichenko, 43rd Sunway Open, Sitges 2017. 9. ... dxe5 10. Nc3 Bg7 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxd8+ Rxd8 13. Bxf3 0-0 14. Kg2 Nd4 15. Bg5 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6. A draw seems to be quite imminent. 17. Nd5 Rd6 18. Rac1 Bd8 19. Rfd1 Kg7 20. Ne3 Ra6 21. a3 h5 22. Nc4 Bf6 23. h4 Rc8 24. Ne3. Also after 24. Rxd4!? exd4 25. e5 Bxe5 26. Bxb7 Rxc4 27. Rxc4 d3 28. Rb4 d2 29. Bf3 Rc6! 30. Rb7 a6 Black can hardly do more than draw. 24. ... Rac6 25. Rxc6 Rxc6 26. Rd3 Bd8 27. Bd1 Rc1 28. Bb3 b5 29. Rd1 Rc8 30. Ba2 a5 31. Rd3 a4 32. Kf1 Bb6. Maybe Firouzja conceded Carlsen too much — but not enough so far to be profitable. His next offer of the Rook exchange, however, make things considerably more less comfortable. 33. Rc3. 33. Bd5 or 33. Rd2 deserved serious consideration. 33. ... Rxc3 34. bxc3 Nb3 35. Ke1 Bc5 36. Nc2

36. ... Nc1. Perhaps a bit too materialistic. Who knows, maybe moves such as 36. ... f6!?, 36. ... f5!?, or even 36. ... g5!? would have been a little more enterprising. 37. Bd5 Nd3+ 38. Ke2 Nxf2 39. Bc6 f6 40. Ne3 Nh1 41. Nf1 Bxa3 42. Bxb5 Bb2 43. Bxa4 Bxc3 44. Kf3 Bd4 45. g4 hxg4+ 46. Kxg4 Nf2+ 47. Kf3 Kh6 48. Ng3 Nd3 49. Be8 Nf4 50. Ne2 Ne6 51. Bf7 Nc5 52. Ng3 Bc3 53. h5 Be1 54. Bxg6 Bxg3 55. Kxg3 Kg5 56. Kf3 Nb3 57. Bf7 Nd4+ 58. Kg3 Ne2+ 59. Kf3 Nf4 60. Kg3 Nxh5+ 61. Bxh5 Kxh5 62. Kh3 Kh6 63. Kh4 Kg7 64. Kg3 Kf8 65. Kf2 Ke7 66. Ke2 Ke8 67. Ke3 Kd7 68. Kd3 Kd6

69. Kc3?? A blunder which recalls Morphy’s 51. Kg1?? in the eight game of his match against Löwenthal at London, 1858. Of course, White had to maintain the distant opposition by 69. Kd2 with a draw. 69. ... Kc5 0 : 1. For after 70. Kd3 Kb4 71. Kd2 Kc4 72. Ke3 Kc3 73. Ke2 Kd4 74. Kf3 Kd3 the last bastion falls.

“The only things that gave me optimism were his nervousness and his lack of time. Had I seen something else in his body language, I’d probably have stopped playing on”, Carlsen said afterwards. “He was clearly uncomfortable. He sat shivering — and I guess his King move was a bit of an accident”. Photo © Lennart Ootes.