Closing Credits

Magnus Carlsen – Levon Grigori Aronian

Champions Chess Tour 2021; Grand Finale Tournament; match game 4; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com/Oslo, October 3, 2021

Nimzo-Indian Defence E24

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 b6 6. f3 Nc6 7. e4 d6 8. Nh3 Na5 9. Bd3 Ba6 10. Rb1. Just for the record it should be noted that 10. Qe2 e5 11. Be3 Qd7 12. a4 Qc6 13. d5 Qd7 14. 0-0 Qe7 15. Nf2 Nd7 16. Rab1 0-0 gave Black a comfortable equality in Carlsen – Aronian, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 4th stage, Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Saint Louis 2019 (time control: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move). 10. ... Qd7 11. Qe2 c5 12. 0-0 Qa4

13. Bf4. Here (maybe) there may be room for improvement with 13. e5!? dxe5 14. dxe5 Nd7 15. Qe4⩲↑ keeping an eye on both wings. 13. ... Rd8. A new move instead of the previously played 13. ... Nxc4 that also brought Black good luck after all: 14. d5 e5 15. Bg5 Nd7 16. Nf2 f6 17. Bc1 b5 18. f4 0-0-0 19. Bc2 Qa5 20. a4 exf4 21. axb5 Bxb5 22. Bd3 Nde5 23. Bxf4 Nxd3 24. Nxd3 Rhe8 25. Qf2 Na3 26. Bxd6?? (26. Nxc5!∞) 26. ... Rxd6 27. Qxc5+ Qc7 28. Rxb5 Nxb5 29. Qxb5 Rxe4 30. Nc5 Rb6 31. Qa5 Re2 32. Ne6 Rxg2+! 0 : 1 Belous – Fedoseev, 10th Russian Junior Chess Championship U-20, Saint Petersburg 2011) 14. Bxd6? Now with nothing more to win or lose, Carlsen is in a hurry going nowhere. Better, probably, was 17. e5 at once. 14. ... Rxd6 15. e5 Rd8 16. exf6 gxf6

17. d5? White goes from bad to worse as his attack has no chance of succeeding, while instead his Queenside is doomed to collapse. ⌓ 17. dxc5 Bxc4 was not appealing either, but at least gave some hope to hold onto. 17. ... Bxc4 18. Qe4 Rxd5 19. Nf4 f5 20. Qe3 Rd7 21. Qe5. 21. Bxf5 Bxf1 is similar to the game. 21. ... Rf8 22. Bxf5 Bxf1 23. Bxe6. 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Bxe6 Kd8! 25. Bxd7 Qf4! leaves Black at least a piece up. 23. ... fxe6 24. Nxe6

24. ... Nc6! 25. Qh5+ Rff7 26. Re1 Re7 0 : 1.