Making Time

Magnus Carlsen – Fabiano Caruana

Freestyle Chess Summit; match game 1; time control: 60 minutes plus 30 seconds per move; Singapore, November 21, 2024

nnbrkrqb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NNBRKRQB w FDfd - 0 1

Position #87

1. f4 Nb6 2. Nc3 f5 3. Nb3 Na6 4. d3 c6 5. Be3 g5!? A promising Pawn sacrifice, which should give Black a sizable compensation.

6. fxg5 e5 7. g4 f4 8. Bxb6 axb6 9. Qxb6 Qxg5 10. Na5 0-0 11. Be4 Qh4+. It only helps the White King to get to c1, “long” castling on the a-side. 11. ... d5 came here into consideration, with the possible follow-up 12. Bf5 Qe7 13. Bxc8 Rxc8 14. Qxb7 Qh4+ 15. Kd2 Nc5 16. Qb6 Nd7 offering a draw by repetition.
12. Kd2 Qe7 13. Bf5 Nc5 (13. ... Bg7 14. Kc1⩲)
14. Ne4 Ne6 15. Bxe6+ Qxe6 16. Nxb7. Concrete and greed.
16. ... Bxb7 17. Qxb7

17. ... Rb8? (17. ... Bg7! 18. g5 Rb8 19. Qc7 Rxb2 20. Rb1 Qxa2 21. Rxb2 Qxb2 22. Qxd7 Qb4+ 23. c3 Qb2+ 24. Ke1 Qc1+ 25. Kf2 Qe3+ 26. Kg2 Qxe2+ 27. Rf2 f3+ 28. Kg3 Kh8! 29. Qg4 Qe1∞)
18. Qc7 Rxb2!? A very ugly take, but 18. ... d5 19. Qxh7+! would cost Black a third Pawn.
19. Rb1 Qxa2 20. Rxb2 Qxb2 21. Qxd7 Qb4+ 22. c3 Qb2+ 23. Ke1 Bg7. The check at c1, by analogy with the variation given above, does not work because after 23. ... Qc1+ 24. Kf2 Qe3+ 25. Kg2 Qxe2+ 26. Rf2 f3+ 27. Kg3 Black is a tempo behind, which makes a substantial difference for him: 27. ... Bg7 28. Qe6+ Kh8 29. Ng5 with an easy win for White.
24. Qe6+ Kh8 25. Rf3 Qc1+ 26. Kf2 Qh1 27. Rh3 f3!? A last hope, though vain.
28. exf3 Rb8

29. g5! Rb2+ 30. Kg3 Qg1+ 31. Kh4 Rb8 32. Nd6 1–0.