Back In Time For Dinner

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Magnus Carlsen
World Chess Championship match game 1; Dubai, November 26, 2021
Spanish Game C88

Actually, there’s very little to say. Nepomniachtchi paid the price of his faith in the science fiction of petaflops, allowing the World Champion to draw the game without difficulty. The position reached after 16 moves can be interesting only for a supercomputer, because from a mortal viewpoint it is much easier to play for Black who has more than enough compensation for the Pawn.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. h3 Na5. Through other ways Black aims at sacrificing a Pawn for dynamic play, similarly to the Marshall Counterattack. The alternative is 8. ... Bb7 9. d3 d5 (9. ... d6 10. a3 Qd7 11. Nbd2 Rfe8 12. c3 Bf8 13. Nf1 h6 14. N3h2 d5! 15. Qf3 Na5 16. Ba2 dxe4 17. dxe4 Nc4 18. Bxh6!? Qc6! proved good for Black in Karjakin – Carlsen, New York 2016, World Chess Championship match game 4) 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. a4 (11. Nxe5 Nd4 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. Bf4 Nxb3 14. axb3 c5 15. Ne4 f6 16. Nf3 f5 17. Neg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 h6 19. Ne6 Qd5 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Re5 Qd6 22. c3 Rxe6 23. Rxe6 Qxe6 24. cxb4 cxb4 25. Rc1 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 27. Qe1 Qd7 28. Kh2 a5 29. Qe3 Bd5 30. Qb6 Bxb3 31. Qxa5 Qxd3 32. Qxb4 Be6 ½ : ½ Karjakin – Carlsen, New York 2016, World Chess Championship match game 6) 11. ... Nd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Bxa8 15. Na3 Bb4 16. Bd2 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 Qd7? [17. ... Qf6 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Nxb5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Qc6+ 21. Kh2 Qxb5 22. Qf4 Qxb2 23. Qxc7 Qb4 24. Re4 g6? (⌓ 24. ... Qd2!) 25. Kg2 h5 26. c4!± Ivanchuk – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), 8th 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament, 儋州 (Dānzhōu) 2017] 18. Qg5 h6 19. Qe5 c5 20. Nxb5 Qxb5 21. Bxd5 Qxb2 22. Bxa8 Rxa8 23. Qxc5 Ra1 24. Rxa1 Qxa1+ 25. Kh2 g6 26. Kg3 h5 27. Kh4 Qa8 28. f3 Qd8+ 29. Kg3 Qb8+ 30. f4 Qb2 31. Kh4 Qb7 32. Kg5 Kh7 33. Kf6 Qd7 34. f5 Kg8 35. g4 hxg4 36. hxg4 gxf5 37. gxf5 Qd8+ 38. Qe7 Qb6+ 39. Kg5 Qa6 40. Qe4 Kh7 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – E. Pähtz, 4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, Douglas 2017. 9. Nxe5 Nxb3 10. axb3 Bb7 11. d3 d5 12. exd5 Qxd5 13. Qf3 Bd6

14. Kf1!? A move that sooner or later White will end up playing anyway. Likewise it can be considered 14. Qxd5 Nxd5 15. Bd2 f6?! (⌓ 15. ... c5 is quite similar to the actual game) 16. Nf3 Ne7 17. Nd4 c5 18. Ne2 Ng6 19. Nbc3 f5 20. Kf1 b4 21. Na4 f4 22. Nb6 Rad8 23. Nc4 Bc7 24. f3 Nh4 25. d4 Rd5 26. dxc5 Rg5 27. c6 Bxc6 28. Nd4 Bd7 29. g4 Rd5 30. Ne6 Nxf3 31. Nxf8 Nxe1 32. Bxe1 Kxf8 33. Rxa6 h5 34. Ra7 Bd8 35. Bxb4+ Kg8 36. Ra8 Bc6 37. Rc8 hxg4 38. hxg4 Bb7 39. Rb8 f3 40. Be7 Rd1+ 41. Kf2 Kh7 42. Rxb7 1 : 0 Korneev – Nataf, 48th Portuguese Team Chess Championship, Évora 2006. 14. ... Rfb8. The tactical point is 14. ... Qxe5 15. Qxb7 Qh2 16. Nc3!⩲ with White consolidating his tiny hold. 15. Qxd5 (15. Nc3?? Qxe5 16. Qxb7 Qxe1+−+) 15. ... Nxd5 16. Bd2 c5

Black has everything one could want at the price of only one Pawn: better Pawns, two Bishops, and a fine development. Dutch Grandmaster Erwin l’Ami very opportunely observes that “A ton of engines games have reached the current position. Most of them continued 17. Nc3 Nb4 18. Rac1 when White can try to make use of the extra Pawn”. However, it is just the case to note that usually Black manages to draw. 17. Nf3 Rd8 18. Nc3 Nb4 19. Rec1 Rac8 20. Ne2 Nc6 21. Be3 Ne7 22. Bf4 Bxf3 23. gxf3 Bxf4 24. Nxf4. “But [this Bishop exchange] idea was logical but it doesn’t work for some positional and tactical reasons, so basically after I let those exchanges happen (at 22. ... Bxf3 23. gxf3 Bxf4 24. Nxf4), it was never something I could really hope for more than a draw. Basically after 33. ... b4, probably I would have to bring my King to c2 and sacrificing the Pawn back and accept the draw”, Nepomniachtchi said afterwards. 24. ... Rc6 25. Re1 Nf5 26. c3 Nh4 27. Re3 Kf8 28. Ng2 Nf5 29. Re5 g6 30. Ne1 Ng7 31. Re4 f5 32. Re3 Ne6 33. Ng2 b4 34. Ke2 Rb8 35. Kd2 bxc3+ 36. bxc3 Rxb3

Black has finally won back his Pawn, retaining at the same time a somewhat easier play. So, what does it mean? That a draw is White’s best result! 37. Kc2 Rb7 (37. ... Rcb6?? 38. Rxe6!+−) 38. h4 Kf7. “38. ... a5 was a nasty idea, since 39. Rxa5? Nd4+! 40. Kd1 Rb1+ 41. Kd2 Rcb6 42. cxd4 cxd4 either wins a Rook or mates on b2”, l’Ami writes, but indeed after 39. Re2! Rcb6 40. Kc1 White should hold without difficulty. 39. Ree1 Kf6 40. Ne3 Rd7 41. Nc4 Re7 42. Ne5 Rd6 43. Nc4 Rc6 44. Ne5 Rd6 45. Nc4 ½ : ½.

“The result was solid. I do feel like I was a little bit shaky at times. Certainly things that I could have done better but overall I think the result was fair enough”, Carlsen eventually said. Photo: Haider Ali/EPA.