Digiplomacy

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Magnus Carlsen

2nd Champions Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Charity Cup; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 19, 2022

Modern Benoni A65

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 e6 4. e4 c5 5. d5 d6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. cxd5 Bg7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Be3 a6 10. a4 0-0 11. Qd2 Re8 12. Bc4!? A half move. 12. ... Nbd7 13. Be2. Now, the second half. If, instead, 13. Bxh6? then 13. ... Nxe4! 14. Nxe4 Qh4+ 15. g3 Rxe4+ 16. Kd1 Bxh6! with very powerful effect. 13. ... Ne5!? It is Black who first goes off the beaten tracks: 13. ... Nh7 14. Nh3 Ne5 15. Nf2 h5 16. 0-0 f5 17. a5 Nf6 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Na4 Qe7 20. Ra3 Qf7 21. Nb6 Rab8 22. Rd1 Nfd7 23. Nxd7 Qxd7 24. b4 c4 25. f4 ½ : ½ C. Ionescu – Marin, 12th Victor Ciocâltea Memorial, Bucharest 1995. 14. Bxh6

14. ... Nxe4? Carlsen goes for a tactical adventurism which will not produce the desired effect. 14. ... Bd7 aiming for ... b7-b5 was at least worth a try. 15. Nxe4 Qh4+ 16. g3 Qxh6 17. Qxh6 Bxh6 18. Nf6+ Kf8 19. Nxe8 Kxe8 20. h4 Bd7 21. h5 g5 22. Nh3.

Black doesn’t seem to have any compensation for the Exchange, so Carlsen goes all out to make a mess of it: 22. ... g4!? 23. fxg4. 23. f4! followed by the disappearance of both Knights from the board is also very strong. 23. ... Nxg4 24. Bxg4 Bxg4 25. Nf4 Kd7 26. Kf2 Bg7 27. Kg2 Bf5 28. Kf3 Bxb2

29. Rab1! Well done. It’s the right time to return the Exchange and force an easily won ending. 29. ... Bxb1 30. Rxb1 Be5 31. Rxb7+ Ke8

32. g4?! Much simpler and stronger was 32. Nd3! B∼ 33. Nb2! Bxb2 (or else after Nb2-c4 Black ends up in zugzwang) 34. Rxb2 winning very easily, as the White Rook will go to c6. 32. ... Rc8 33. g5? Strangely this natural move appears to throw away the win. Best is 33. Rb6 Kd7 (otherwise follows Rb6-c6) 34. h6 c4 35. Rxa6 c3 36. Nd3 and White’s two distant passed Pawns should win. 33. ... c4 34. g6 fxg6 35. hxg6 Kf8 36. Ne6+ Kg8 37. Ke2 c3 38. Kd1

38. ... a5? But this immediately turns out to be a dramatic miscalculation. Black ought first play 38. ... c2+! 39. Kc1 and then 39. ... a5 for after 40. Rb6 Kh8! 41. Rc6 Rg8 42. Kxc2 Rxg6 43. Rc8+ Rg8 44. Rxg8+ Kxg8 45. Kb3 Kf7 the gain of the a-Pawn with 46. Nd8+ Ke8 47. Nc6 Kd7 48. Nxa5 only results in a tablebase draw. 39. Kc2+− Ra8 40. Rb5 Bf6 41. Rb6 Be5 42. Rb7 Bf6 43. Rc7 Be5 44. Kd3! “The King is a strong piece”, Wlhelm Steinitz used to say, and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) makes the concept his own: His Majesty begins its long march to checkmate! 44. ... Bf6 45. Ke4 Be5 46. Kf5 Rb8 47. Kg5 Ra8 48. Kh6 Re8 49. g7 1 : 0. Black cannot stop Kh6-g6 followed by Rc7-f7-f8+.