The End of the Beginning

Magnus Carlsen – Hikaru Nakamura

1st Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour; second leg; Stage 2: Knockout; Final match game 1; time control: 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move; Paris, April 13, 2025

qnbrnkrb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/QNBRNKRB w GDgd - 0 1

Position #103

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 e5 4. b4!? Contemporary Romanticism.

4. ... Nxb4 (4. ... cxb4 5. Nd5 d6 6. d4!↑)
5. Nxe5 g6 6. d4 0-0. On 6. ... cxd4 7. Bh6+ would be annoying.
7. Ng4! Bg7. Black has not an easy time as White’s initiative can easily take the lead after either 7. ... h5 8. Nh6+ Kh7 9. g4! or 7. ... cxd4 8. Nh6+ Kg7 9. Nb5 or 7. ... Bxd4 8. Rxd4! cxd4 9. Nb5 (9. Nd5).
8. dxc5 d5! 9. Nh6+ Kh8 10. g4 Be6 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Bxd5 13. Bb2 Be6 14. g5 Rxd1+ 15. Qxd1 Qc8 16. Rg3 Qxc5 17. Ne4 Qd5 18. Qxd5 Bxd5 19. Nf6 (19. Nc3!? Bxa2 20. Ba3)
19. ... Bxa2 20. Ra3 Be6 21. Rxa7 Nd6 22. f3 Rc8 23. Be5 Nf5 24. Nxf5 Bxf5 25. Rxb7 Be6 26. Rb4 Bxf6 27. Bxf6+ Kg8 28. Kf2 Rc5 29. Kg3 h6 30. gxh6 Kh7 31. Bg7 g5

32. e4? Carlsen has kept all power in his own hands so far, but his last move was a bit too impulsive and could cost him dearly. More consistent was 32. Re4! Rc4 33. Re5 Kg6 34. e4 with a crushing advantage.
32. ... f5! 33. Rb7 f4+ 34. Kf2 Rc2+ 35. Ke1

35. ... Ba2?? A tragic oversight that loses at once. Simply 35. ... Rxh2! 37. Bf8+ Kg8 would leave White empty-handed.
36. Bf8+ 1–0. What a difference can one tempo make! Idem to say: 36. ... Kg8 37. h7+ Kh8 38. Bd6 or 36. ... Kg6 37. Rg7+ Kf6 38. h4! or 36. ... Kh8 37. Be7 Rxh2 38. Bxg5 winning in all cases.