Thoughts in Stone

Magnus Carlsen – Zvonko Stanojoski
44th Chess Olympiad; Mamallapuram, August 5, 2022
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 e6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. Nbd2 Bxf4. “It is doubtful whether this exchange is good. 5. ... Qe7 followed by 6 ... Nb8-d7 and ... e5-e5 could be played”, Grandmaster Géza Maróczy wrote in his book “London 1922”, Russell Enterprises, Inc., Milford, Connecticut, U.S., 2010, p. 92. 6. exf4 c5 7. dxc5 Qc7 8. g3 Qxc5 9. Bd3 Qb6. Or, alternatively, 9. ... Nc6 10. c3 0-0 11. 0-0 b5 (11. ... h6 12. Nb3 Qb6 13. Re1 Bd7 14. Qe2 Rae8 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. fxe5 Nh7 17. h4 f5 18. Nd4 Re7 19. f4 Kh8 20. h5 Rg8 21. Kf2 Nf8 22. Rh1 Be8 23. Rag1 Nd7 24. g4 Nc5 25. Bb1 fxg4 26. Kg3 Rf8 27. Rh2 Ref7 28. Rf1 a6 29. Qxg4 Bb5 30. Rf3 Rf5 31. Nxf5 exf5 32. Bxf5 Rxf5? 33. Qxf5 Ne4+ 34. Kg2 Be2 35. Qg6 Bxf3+ 36. Kxf3 Qb5 37. Qg2 Qd3+ 38. Kg4 g5 39. Qf3 Qb1 40. fxg5 hxg5 41. h6 Qg1+ 42. Rg2 Qc5 43. Qf7 Qc8+ 44. e6 Qg8 45. Qxg8+ Kxg8 46. Kf5 1 : 0 A. K. Rubinstein – Tartakower, International Chess Congress, London 1922) 12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Qe2 ½ : ½ A. K. Rubinstein – Capablanca, International Chess Congress, London 1922. 10. Nb3 0-0 11. 0-0 Na6. There’s something about Gukesh: 11. ... Bd7 12. Qe2 Nc6 13. c3 Rfe8 14. Rfe1 a5 15. Nbd4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Qc5 17. a4 Bc6 18. Qc2 Qd6 19. Re5 g6 20. Rae1 Nd7 21. R5e3 Nc5 22. b3 Rac8 23. h4 Bd7 24. h5 f5 25. Nf3 Re7 26. h6 Qb6 27. Ne5 Be8 28. Rb1 Rec7 29. Bf1 Ne4 30. c4 Bc6 31. Rd1 d4 32. Red3 Nc3 33. R1d2 Be4 34. Qxc3 Bxd3 35. Qxd3 Rd8 36. Nf3 Rcd7 37. Re2 Rd6 38. Ng5 Qc6 39. Bg2 Qd7 40. c5 Ra6 41. c6 1 : 0 Gukesh – Klabis, 11th Riga Technical University Open, Riga 2021 (time control: 30 minutes plus 30 seconds per move). 12. c3 Bd7 13. a4 Nc5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Nd4 a5 16. Re1 Qb6 17. Qc2 Rfe8 18. Re5 Bc6 19. Qe2 Nd7 20. Re3 Nc5 21. Bc2 g6 22. b3 Ne4 23. Rd1 Rac8 24. h4 e5 25. fxe5 Rxe5 26. Qg4 Rce8 27. Rde1 Nf6 28. Qf4 Rxe3 29. Rxe3 Rxe3 30. Qxe3 Qc5 31. Qf4 Nd7 32. Qd2 Ne5 33. Qe3 Qd6 34. h5 Qf6 35. Bd1

Of course White is better here, as Black’s isolated d-Pawn is much of a liability for an ending. And yet still, after 35. ... gxh5! 36. Bxh5 Bd7 Black’s position seems solid enough. 35. ... Bd7? 36. h6! That’s exactly what had not happened! 36. ... g5

37. Nf3! Ng4. If 37. ... Nxf3+? then 38. Bxf3 Qxh6 39. Bxd5 with overwhelming advantage. 38. Qa7! Qxh6 39. Qxb7 Nf6 40. Qb8+ Kg7 41. Qe5 g4 (41. ... Bg4? 42. Nd4!+−) 42. Nd4 Qc1 43. Kg2! h6 (43. ... Qxd1 44. Qg5+ Kf8 45. Qxf6+−) 44. Bc2 Qd2 45. Bf5 Qg5

46. b4! Bxa4 47. bxa5 Bd1 48. a6 Qc1 49. a7 Qa1 50. Qe7 Bf3+ 51. Nxf3 gxf3+ 52. Kxf3 Qh1+ 53. Ke2 Qh5+. Desperation, but 53. ... Qa1 54. Qe3 is also hopeless for Black. 54. g4 Nxg4 55. a8=Q Ne5+ 56. Ke3 Qxf5 57. Qef8+ Kg6 58. Qa6+ f6 59. Qg8+ Kh5 60. Qe2+ Ng4+ 61. Kd4 Kh4 62. Qxd5 Qf4+ 63. Qde4 Qd6+ 64. Kc4 h5 65. f3 Qa6+ 66. Kb3 Qb6+ 67. Kc2 f5 68. Qh2+ Kg5 69. Qhf4+ 1 : 0.