Queen Move

Magnus Carlsen – Wesley So

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

Larsen’s Opening A01

1. b3 b6 2. e4 Bb7 3. Nc3 e6 4. Bb2 Nf6 (4. ... c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Bd3 d6 10. Qe2 Be7 11. 0-0-0 Nd7 12. f4 0-0 13. Rhe1 Re8 14. g4 Bf8 15. h4 Nc5 16. g5 ½ : ½ (Mariotti – Wirthensohn, 15th Biel International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 1982) 5. e5 Nd5 (5. ... Ne4 6. Nxe4 Bxe4 7. h4 c5 8. Qg4 Bb7 9. h5 Nc6 10. 0-0-0 a6 11. Nf3 h6 12. Kb1 b5 13. d4 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Qg5 15. Qe4 Qxe5 16. Qxe5 Nxe5 17. Nxe6 dxe6 18. Bxe5 f6 19. Bb2 Bc5 20. f3 Ke7 21. c4 b4 22. Bd3 Rad8 23. Bg6 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Rd8 25. Rxd8 Kxd8 26. Kc2 Ke7 27. Kd3 Bc6 28. Bd4 Kd6 29. Bxc5+ Kxc5 30. Ke3 a5 31. g4 a4 32. Be4 Be8 33. Bg6 Bd7 34. Bd3 a3 35. Bc2 f5 36. Bb1 f4+ 37. Ke4 Bc6+ 38. Kxf4 Kd4 39. Be4 Bd7 40. c5 e5+ 41. Kg3 Kxc5 0 : 1 Sarin – Andreikin, 9th Chess World Cup, Krasnaya Polyana 2021, match game 1) 6. Nxd5 (6. Qg4 Nb4 7. 0-0-0 h5 8. Qg3 Rh6 9. a3 h4 10. Qh3 Nd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Be2 Bb7 13. Bf3 Nc6 14. Ne2 Qg5 15. Nd4 0-0-0 16. Nxc6 dxc6 17. Rhe1 Bc5 18. Qg4 Qxg4 19. Bxg4 Rd7 20. f4 Bd4 21. c3 Bc5 22. f5 Be7 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Rf1 c5 25. Bh3 Rg6 26. Rf2 b5 27. Rdf1 Kd8 28. Kc2 c4 29. b4 Be4+ 30. Kd1 Bd3 31. Re1 Rd5 32. Rf7 Kd7 33. Rf4 Ke8 34. Rg4 Kd7 35. Rxg6 Bxg6 36. Bg4 Bg5 37. Bc1 Ke7 38. d4 Bxc1 39. Kxc1 Rd8 40. Rf1 Be4 41. Rf2 Rh8 42. Kd2 Rh6 43. Ke3 Bd5 44. Kf4 Rg6 45. Bh5 Rxg2 46. Rxg2 Bxg2 47. Kg5 h3 48. Kg6 Kf8 49. Bg4 Be4+ 50. Kg5 Bd5 51. Bxh3 Kf7 52. Bg4 Kf8 53. Bd1 Bc6 54. Bc2 Bd5 55. a4 a6 56. axb5 axb5 57. h4 Kg8 58. Kf4 Kf7 59. h5 Ke7 60. Kg5 Bc6 61. Bd1 Be4 62. Bg4 Kf7 63. Bh3 Ke7 64. Kf4 Bd5 65. Kg5 Be4 66. Kf4 ½ : ½ Rygg – I. L. Hansen, 2nd Xtracon Chess Open, Helsingør 2017) 6. ... Bxd5 7. Qg4 (7. Nf3 h6 8. Be2 Be7 9. 0-0 c5 10. c4 Be4 ½ : ½ Aden – Kohls, 82nd German Women’s Chess Championship, Bonn 2011) 7. ... h5 8. Qf4 g5 9. Qe3 a5 10. a3 Bb7 11. Nf3 g4 12. Nd4 Nc6 13. Nb5 Bh6. It also makes sense to propose the exchange of Knights with 13. ... Na7 which if accepted would ease the defender’s burden. 14. Qc3

14. ... Bg7? This is probably So’s crucial mistake as it enables White to unleash his full power and break the defence. 14. ... Rc8! was called for so as to free both the Knight and Queen. 15. d4 d6 16. exd6 cxd6 17. h3! White’s attack develops very easily as the Black King has no safe place. 17. ... f5 18. hxg4 hxg4 19. Rxh8+ Bxh8. Carlsen now forces the win by a beautiful series of Queen moves: 20. Qg3! e5. 20. ... Ke7 21. 0-0-0 it’s a target practice.

21. Qh2! Kd7. If 21. ... Qf6 then 22. Nxd6+! and the curtain falls. 22. Qh7+ Ne7 23. dxe5 Qg8 24. Qh6! Qg6 25. Qd2! 1 : 0.