Simple But Not Easy

Magnus Carlsen – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 1; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, September 27, 2021

Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 e6. Another good continuation is 7. ... g6 8. 0-0 Bg7 9. Be3 Nf6 10. f3 0-0 11. Qd2 Rac8 12. Rad1 Rfd8= Redolfi – R. J. Fischer, 22nd Mar del Plata International Chess Tournament, Mar del Plata 1959. 8. b3 Be7 9. Bb2 Nf6 10. Qd2. In conjunction with the next move (long castling) a novelty. With 10. 0-0 White could still revert by transposition to beaten tracks — 10. ... 0-0 11. Qd2 Rac8 12. Rad1 Rfd8 13. Rfe1 a6 14. Na4 Qc7 15. c4 Nxd4 ½ : ½ Gormally – Petrov, 94th Hastings International Chess Congress, Hastings 2019. 10. ... 0-0-0 11. 0-0-0

11. ... d5 12. Qe2 Bc5. If 12. ... Nxd4 there might follow 13. Rxd4 e5 14. Rxd5! with a promising Exchange sacrifice. 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Rxd5 16. f3 f6 17. Rxd5 Qxd5 18. Rd1 Qc6 19. a4 Kb8 20. Kb1 e5 21. Qd3 Be7? Here the Bishop is very badly placed. Much better was 21. ... Bb6 in order to answer 22. Qf5 by 22. ... a6 23. Rd7 g6 24. Qd3 Bc7 and Black can still hope to defend.

22. Qf5! Black is now in a kind of zugzwang as most of his possible moves would imply losses of material (22. ... g6? 23. Bxe5+!). 22. ... a6 23. h4 h5 24. Rd7 Re8 (24. ... g6 25. Bxe5+!+−)

25. Bxe5+! Ka8. No good are either 25. ... fxe5 26. Qxe5+ Ka7 27. Rxe7 or 25. ... Ka7 26. Bg3! Bc5 27. Rc7 Re1+! 28. Ka2 Bd4 29. Rxb7+! Kxb7 30. Bxe1 since in both cases White remains with two Pawns ahead in what must be a relatively easily won ending. 26. Rc7 1 : 0. Because if 26. ... Qd5 then 27. Rc8+ and White forces checkmate.