Half-Time

Wesley So – Magnus Carlsen

Champions Chess Tour 2021; 3rd stage; Opera Euro Rapid; Final match game 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, February 13, 2021

Two Knights Defence C58

The score is level at half-time in the final match between Carlsen and So. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3!? Nd5 9. Nf3 Bd6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Re1 f5 12. Nxe5 Qf6 13. Nf3 g5 14. c4 Nf4 15. Bf1 g4 16. d4 gxf3 17. Qxf3 Ne6 18. Qc3. White can also play 18. c5 at once, after which two recent games continued as follows: (a) 18 ... Bc7 19. b4 Qxd4 20. Qc3 Qxc3 21. Nxc3 Nb7 22. Bc4 Re8 23. Bb2 a5 24. b5 Nxc5 25. Ba3 Ne4 26. Nxe4 fxe4 27. b6 Bxb6 28. Rxe4 Kf7 29. Rae1 Ra7 30. Kh1 a4?! (30. ... Rd8! 31. f4 Rd5! 32. Bxd5 cxd5 33. Re5 Bc7 34. Rxd5 Bxf4=) 31. f4 Ra5 32. g4 Bc5 33. Bxc5 Rxc5 34. f5 h5 35. Bxe6+ Bxe6 36. fxe6+ Ke7 37. Rxa4 h4 38. Rf4 Rc2 39. Rf7+ Kd6 40. Rd7+ Kc5 41. Rh7 Kd6 42. e7 Rd2 43. Rxh4 Rxe7 44. Rh6+ Kd7 45. Rxe7+ Kxe7 46. Rxc6 Rxa2 47. Rc3 Kf6 48. h4 Ke5 49. Rf3 Ra4 50. Rg3 Kf4 51. Rg2 Kf3 52. h5 Kf4 53. g5 Kf5 54. g6 1 : 0 Aronian – Vidit, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 7th stage, Tata Steel India Rapid, Kolkata 2019 (time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move); (b) 18. ... Nxd4 19. Qc3 Bc7 20. b4 Nb7 21. Bc4+ Kg7 22. Bb2 Rd8 23. Nd2 a5 24. Nb3 axb4 25. Qxd4 Rxd4 26. Bxd4 Qxd4 27. Nxd4 Kf6 28. Nxc6 Nxc5 29. Nxb4 1 : 0 So – Abdusattorov, 5th Speed Chess Championship, chess.com, November 8, 2020, match game 5 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move). But, no doubt, Carlsen had something in store for his opponent. 18. ... Nb7 19. c5 Bc7 20. b4. 20. d5 simply leads nowhere: 20. ... cxd5 21. Qxf6 Rxf6 22. Nc3 Ba5 23. c6 Nbd8 24. Nxd5 Bxe1 25. Nxf6+ Kf7 26. Nxh7 Nxc6 27. Ng5+ ½ : ½ Bartel – Nasuta, 31st International Chess Festival, Kraków 2021. 20. ... a5 21. b5

21. ... Qxd4. Probably not too accurate. Better seems to be 21. ... cxb5 22. Bxb5 a4! and if 23. Bc4 Black can reply 23. ... Na5 24. Bd5 Rb8 with dynamic equality. 22. Qxd4. Strangely, So lets slip a most propitious chance, viz., 22. Bc4! Qxc3 23. Nxc3 Re8 24. Ba3 Kf8 25. Rad1 with White soon getting a third Pawn for the sacrificed Knight with a very powerful position. 22. ... Nxd4 23. Bc4+ (23. Nc3!? Be6⩱) 23. ... Be6! 24. Bxe6+ Nxe6 25. Rxe6 Nxc5 26. Re2. Despite White’s material compensation, after 26. Rxc6 Be5 27. Rxc5 (instead, 27. Nc3 Bxc3 28. Rb1 Rfc8 doesn’t offer White enough) 27. ... Bxa1 28. Bh6 Rfe8 Black would dominate the scene. 26. ... Rfe8 27. Nc3 cxb5 28. Be3 Be5 29. Bxc5 Bxc3 30. Rxe8+ Rxe8 31. Rb1 b4 32. Kf1 Re5 33. Be3 a4 34. Rc1 a3 35. g3 Rb5 36. Rc2

36. ... b3! 37. axb3 Rxb3 38. Kg2 Kf7 39. Bd2? Although unappealing, 39. Ra2 Bb4∓ was White’s best chance. 39. ... Be5 40. Bf4. Now both 40. Bc1 and 40. Ra2 would be met by 40. ... Bb2 with overwhelming advantage. 40. ... Bxf4. Of course 40. ... Rb2 is also very strong. 41. gxf4 Rb7 42. Ra2 Ra7. This book win is in a way a remake of Kasparov – Karpov, Moscow 1984, World Chess Championship match game 6. 43. Kg3 Ra4 44. Kh4 Kg6 45. Kg3 Kf6 46. h3 h5 47. Kh4 Kg6 48. Kg3 Kg7 49. Kf3 h4 50. Ke2 Kf6 51. Kd1 Ke6 52. Kc1 Kd5 53. Kb1 Ke4 54. Rd2 Kf3 55. Ka2 Kg2 0 : 1.