Sea of Sand

Magnus Carlsen – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship match game 8; Dubai, December 5, 2021
Russian Defence C43

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxd7 Bxd7 7. Nd2 Nxd2 8. Bxd2 Bd6. Played almost instantly, with an eye to the mirror. Apparently, Nepomniachtchi was not attracted by the book move 8. ... Qe7+ which usually results in an equal game after the exchange of Queens. 9. 0-0 h5!? After 17 minutes of trance, Nepomniachtchi comes up with a new and very interesting symmetry breaker.

10. Qe1+. After more than 40 minutes of raw thinking. It is possible that there might have been even better ways to play for an advantage (for instance 10. c4), but Carlsen prefers to leave his opponent with the burden of inventing something. The outcome will prove him right. 10. ... Kf8!? This is most consistent with 9. ... h5, but with respect to 10. ... Qe7, it may be a questionable bet for Black. Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana is not impressed by Nepomniachtchi’s display of combativity: “10. ... Kf8 shows Ian’s intention to keep the game double edged, but I don’t really like it”. 11. Bb4 Qe7 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Qd2 Re8 14. Rae1 Rh6!? 15. Qg5 c6

“I have played positions far better than this [with Black] and felt under pressure. White has an eternal initiative. Black can’t trade all the Rooks”, is Caruana’s merciless assessment. 16. Rxe8+ Bxe8 17. Re1 Qf6 18. Qe3 Bd7 19. h3 h4 20. c4! dxc4 21. Bxc4

21. ... b5?? Obviously a dramatic blunder, which puts an end to today’s game and could put an end to the match also. There was probably nothing better than 21. ... Kg8 (and if 22. Qe7 then 22. ... Be6), yet holding a sound defensive position as well. 22. Qa3+ Kg8. “He probably thinks there’s good drawing chances here, but how do you go for this anyway? It’s nuts”, Caruana says. 22. ... Qd6 23. Qxa7 also demonstrates the fallacy of Nepomniachtchi’s illusion as Black cannot play 23. ... bxc4?? on account of 24. Qa8+ followed by mate in two. 23. Qxa7 Qd8. “This is just tilt”, says Caruana. Black ought to play 23. ... Bxh3 24. Qxf7+! Qxf7 25. Re8+ Kh7 26. Bxf7 Bf5 27. Bg8+ Kg6 28. Bb3 with very little for the lost Pawn, but yet better than nothing. “I didn’t play at my best after the blunder...”, Nepomniachtchi then explained. “It was a little bit hard to change the flow of the game because it was like probably in a very drawish position. Blundering a Pawn like this, it hurts”. What follows needs no comment: 24. Bb3 Rd6 25. Re4 Be6 26. Bxe6 Rxe6 27. Rxe6 fxe6 28. Qc5 Qa5 29. Qxc6 Qe1+ 30. Kh2 Qxf2 31. Qxe6+ Kh7 32. Qe4+ Kg8 33. b3 Qxa2 34. Qe8+ Kh7 35. Qxb5 Qf2 36. Qe5 Qb2 37. Qe4+ Kg8 38. Qd3 Qf2 39. Qc3 Qf4+ 40. Kg1 Kh7 41. Qd3+ g6 42. Qd1 Qe3+ 43. Kh1 g5 44. d5 g4 45. hxg4 h3 46. Qf3 1 : 0.

“It’s not the first game I’ve lost in my career”, Nepomniachtchi finally said. “This one was one of the worst perhaps...”. Photo © Eric Rosen.