For not to say that he’s just ready for another record-setting semester in the academic world

Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen)

The 25th Hour

Magnus Carlsen – Hikaru Nakamura
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 27, 2018
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 b6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Ba6 9. Qe2 Bxc4. In the 2015 Tata Steel Tournament, as Black, Carlsen preferred instead 9. ... Qc8 10. 0-0 c5 11. Nb5 Nbd7 12. Rac1 Qb7 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. b4 Nce4 15. Nfd4 Rac8 16. a3 Nd5 17. Bd3 Bxb5 18. Nxb5 Nxf4 19. exf4 Nf6 20. f5 exf5 21. Bxf5 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 a5 23. Rc7 Qd5 24. Bd3 Bd8 25. Bc4 Qg5 26. Rxf7 Qc1+ 27. Qf1 Qxf1+ 28. Kxf1 Rxf7 29. Nd6 axb4 30. Nxf7 Be7 31. Nd8+ Kf8 32. Ne6+ Kf7 33. Nc7+ Kg6 34. axb4 Bxb4 35. Nd5 Nxd5 36. Bxd5 ½ : ½ 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Carlsen, 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2015. 9. ... Bxc4 10. Qxc4 c5 11. dxc5 bxc5!? 11. ... Bxc5 is probably even more circumspect; for instance: 12. 0-0 Nbd7 13. Rfd1 Qc8 14. Ng5 Be7 15. Qe2 Qb7 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. Qf3 Qa6= Cheparinov – Domínguez Pérez, 51st Capablanca Memorial, Varadero 2016. 12. 0-0 Nc6 13. Rac1. 13. Rfd1 Qb6 14. Na4 Qb4 15. Qa6 Rfc8 16. a3 Qa5 doesn’t look like anything special for White, Lê Quang Liêm – Zherebukh, 62th Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, Cleveland 2015. 13. ... Rc8!? The first new move of the game. Previously Black had managed, somewhat laboriously, to hold a draw after 13. ... Qa5 14. Rfd1 Rfd8 15. a3 Rac8 16. h3 h6 17. Bg3 Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Qb6 19. Qe2 Qb7 20. Rd2 Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. Bd6 Be7 23. Qb5 Qxb5 24. Nxb5 Bxd6 25. Nxd6 Kf8 26. Nd2 Ke7 27. Nb7 Nd7 28. Kf1 Nd8 29. Na5 Kd6 30. Ke2 Kc7 31. Ne4 f5 32. Nd2 Nf7 33. Nac4 Nd6 34. Kd3 Kc6 35. e4 fxe4+ 36. Nxe4 Nxc4 37. Kxc4 Ne5+ 38. Kc3 Kd5 39. Nd2 g5 40. Nf1 ½ : ½ Dreev – Zherebukh, 26th National Open, Las Vegas 2016. 14. Ne5 Qb6 15. Nxc6 Rxc6 16. b3 h6 17. Rfd1 Qb7 18. h3 Rfc8 19. Na4 Nd7 20. Rd2 Nb6 21. Nxb6 Rxb6 22. Rcd1 Bf6 23. Rd7 Qa6 24. Qe4 e5!? Stockfish gives 24. ... Qxa2 25. Be5 (25. Bxh6!? Qe2!∞) 25. ... Rb4 26. Qf3 Bxe5 27. Qxf7+ Kh7 28. Qxe6 Rf8 29. Qxe5 Qxf2+ 30. Kh2 Rf7 with equality.

25. Bxh6! Re8. The Bishop is taboo: 25. ... gxh6?? 26. Rxf7! Kxf7 27. Qh7+ and mate in a few moves. 26. Qg4 Qxa2 27. e4 Qxb3! Of course, 27. ... Rxb3?? 28. R7d6 loses on the spot. 28. Be3 Rb7 29. R7d6 Be7 30. R6d5 Bf8 31. Bxc5 Bxc5 32. Rxc5 Qe6 33. Qe2 Rd7 34. Rxd7 Qxd7 35. Rd5 Qc7 36. Qd2 Ra8 37. Rd7 Qc4 38. f3 Qc5+ 39. Kh2 Qc6? This is not a mistake itself, but it’s certainly a strange way to save time. Much simpler seems to be 39. ... a5 40. Qa2 Qf8 for if 41. Qd5 then 41. ... a4 42. Rxf7 Qxf7 43. Qxa8+ Kh7 44. Qxa4 Qf4+ and draw by perpetual check. 40. Rd6 Qc5 41. Ra6! Qe7 42. Qe3 Kh7 43. Kg3 Qb7 44. Qa3 f6 45. Kh2 Qc7 46. Qa1 Qb7 47. Qa5 Qd7 48. Qa2 Qe7 49. Qf2 Qb7 50. Qa2 Qe7 51. Qd5 Rb8 52. Qa5 Rb7 53. Qe1 Qd7 54. Qh4+ Kg8 55. Qf2 Qf7. There’s nothing wrong here either — when, however, Black could have repeated with 55. ... Kh7 (56. Qh4+ Kg8). 56. Qa2 Qxa2 57. Rxa2. “Queens are off the board! In an ideal world, Magnus Carlsen would love to get a Rook on a6, King on f5, and Pawn on h6, where Black’s structure could potentially crumble. However, this should be an easy draw for Hikaru“, the U.S. Chess Federation tweeted. 57. ... Kh7. 57. ... g5! 58. Kg3 Kg7 59. Kg4 Kg6 60. g3 Rb1! 61. Rxa7 Rg1 was then given by Carlsen as an easy and plain draw. 58. Ra6 Kg6 59. h4 Kh5 60. Kh3 Rf7 61. g4+ Kh6 62. Kg3 g5? Of course, Caïssa did not forget his favourite hero! After 62. ... Kg6 White can hardly make progress; in his report for Chess.com Mike Klein gives a pretty drawing line: “62. ... Kg6 63. g5 Kh5 64. gxf6 gxf6 is one way to avoid White’s King’s advancement. 65. Kh3 Rf8! 66. Rxa7 Rg8 and here’s one fun line: 67. Ra6 Rg1! 68. Rxf6 Rg3+! 69. Kh2 (69. Kxg3 stalemate, and we’re not done with that idea!) 69. ... Rg8! 70. Rf5+ Kxh4 71. Rxe5 Rg2+! (again!) 72. Kh1 Ra2 and it’s a draw due to the mate threats coming up after ... Kh4-g3. Amazing”. 63. h5 Kg7 64. Kf2 Rb7 65. Ra3 Kh6 66. Ke3 a5? And so Nakamura condemns himself to lose a dramatic ending, recently occurred at least two times in the games Safarli – Golichenko, 49th World Junior Chess Championship, Chotowa 2010 and Gajewski – Vachier-Lagrave, 28th Open, Reykjavík 2013. It’s very unlikely that White could ever have won without this last mistake. 67. Rxa5 Rb3+ 68. Kf2 Rb2+ 69. Kg3 Kg7 70. Ra7+ Kg8 71. Ra1 Kg7 72. Rf1 Ra2 73. Rf2 Ra3 74. Rd2 Ra7 75. Kf2 Kf7 76. Ke2 Rb7 77. Rd3 Ra7 78. Kd2 Ke6 79. Kc3 Ke7 80. Kc4 Rc7+ 81. Kb5 Rc1 82. Rb3 Kf7 83. Kb6 Rc2 84. Kb7 Rc1 85. Kb8 Kg8 86. Rb6 Kg7 87. Rb7+ Kg8 88. Rc7 Rb1+ 89. Kc8 Rb3 90. Kd7 Rxf3 91. Ke6 Rf4 92. h6 Kh8 93. Rb7 Kg8 94. Rg7+ Kh8 95. Kf7 Rxe4 96. Kg6 Ra4 97. Rh7+ 1 : 0.

16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen can finally spread his wings and fly like a butterfly after his 97-move victory against Hikaru Nakamura, which elected him as an ex æquo first-prize winner of the 6th Sinquefield Cup. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

Halfway to Midnight

Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mamedyarov – Magnus Carlsen
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 26, 2018
Neo-Grünfeld Defence D78

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 c6 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nbd2 a5 7. b3 a4 8. Ba3 axb3 9. axb3 0-0 10. 0-0 Re8. Carlsen departs from one of his challenger’s best known games: 10. ... Bf5 11. Nh4 Be6 12. Re1 Ne4 13. Bxe4!? (13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Bxe4 Qxd4 15. Qxd4 Bxd4 16. Bb2! Rxa1 17. Bxa1 Bg7=) 13. ... dxe4 14. Nxe4? (14. e3=) 14. ... Qxd4 (14. ... Bxd4? 15. Bxe7!±) 15. Qc2? (15. Qxd4 Bxd4 16. Bb2 Rxa1 17. Bxa1 Bb6⩱) 15. ... Bf5!∓ Kramnik – Caruana, 43rd Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 2015. 11. e3 Bf5 12. Qe2 Na6!? A novelty — instead of 12. ... Nbd7 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. h3 e6!? (Ivanchuk goes for an interesting Pawn sacrifice) 15. g4 Be4 16. g5 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nh5 18. Bxh5 gxh5 19. f4 (19. Qxh5 e5) 19. ... Qb6 20. Bb2 Nf8 21. Qxh5 Ng6 22. Qe2 Ne7 23. Qd3 Nf5 24. Rxa8 (the exchange of the four Rooks will leave Black with very good compensation for the Pawn, due to White’s bad Bishop) 24. ... Rxa8 25. Ra1 Rxa1+ 26. Bxa1 h6 27. gxh6 Bxh6 28. Kf2 Bf8 29. Bb2 Be7 30. Ke2 Qa5 31. Bc3 Qa2 32. Qb1 Qa6+ 33. Qd3?? (33. Kf3 was a must, White being still able to go on playing) 33. ... Ng3+ 0 : 1 Wojtaszek – Ivanchuk, 4th World Rapid Chess Championship, Berlin 2015. 13. Ne5 Ne4 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Bxe4. If 16. f3 then 16. ... Bf5 17. g4 Bd7 18. f4 Nc7 with equality. 16. ... dxe4 17. Qb5 Rb8 18. Qc4 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Qd3. Black equalised quite comfortably. 20. Rac1 Qxc4 21. Rxc4 b5 22. Rc6. Not 22. Rxe4(?) on account of 22. ... b4 23. Bb2 Nc5 and Black regains his Pawn with interest. 22. ... Ra8 23. Rfc1. If 23. Rb6 Black would likely have answered 23. ... Kf8 24. Rxb5 Nc7 25. Rb7 Rxa3 26. Rxc7 Rxb3 27. Rc4 f5 with parity. 23. ... Nb8 24. Rc8 Kf8 25. Bb4 Na6 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 27. Ba5 Ke8 28. Rc6 Kd7 29. Rb6 Nc5 30. b4 (30. Rxb5 Nxb3=) 30. ... Nd3 31. e6+! fxe6 32. Rxb5 Rc8 33. Rb7+ Kd6 34. b5 Rc1+ 35. Kg2 Rc2

36. Kg1! g5! 36. ... Rxf2 37. Bb4+ Kd5 38. Rd7+ Kc4 39. Rxd3 exd3 40. Kxf2 Kxb4 41. b6 Kc3 42. b7 d2 only leads to a very drawish Queen ending. 37. Rb8 Rb2 38. Rd8+ Kc5 39. b6 Rb5 40. Kg2 g4! Black’s play comes just a little easier, but it’s not so easy to get something out of that. 41. h3 h5 42. hxg4 hxg4 43. Bc3 e5 44. Rg8 Kc4 45. Rc8+ Kd5 46. Rd8+ Kc5 47. Rc8+ Kxb6. Implicitly agreeing a draw. 48. Rb8+ Kc5 49. Rxb5+ Kxb5 50. Kf1 Ka4 51. Ke2 e6. A hymn to the tripled Pawns. 52. Kf1 Kb3 53. Ba5 Kc2 54. Ke2 Nc1+ 55. Ke1 Nd3+ 56. Ke2 Nc1+ 57. Ke1 Nd3+ 58. Ke2 Nc1+ ½ : ½.

Superstition

Magnus Carlsen – Fabiano Caruana
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 25, 2018
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Bc4!? 0-0 9. Qd2 Bf5!? 10. 0-0-0 Qd7 11. Kb1 Rfe8 12. h4!? Carlsen plays the opening with fresh originality as usual. 12. ... Bf8 13. h5 h6 14. Be2! Bg4 15. Nh2! Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Ne5 17. Bc1. White’s planning a Pawn storm on the Kingside, so Caruana has to take immediate countermeasures. 17. ... Qc6 18. f4 Nc4 19. Qd3 Qe4 20. g4! Ne3 21. Rde1 Qxd3 22. cxd3 Nd5 23. Reg1! White succeeded in keeping the initiative even without Queens, and Black therefore must defend very carefully. 23. ... Re6 24. g5 Ne7. All’s well that ends well, as Black’s Knight will eventually head to g8, from where it will cooperate with the Rook in defending the third (sixth) rank, if only with a little help from his opponent. Probably best was 24. ... Kh7 though after 25. Ng4! White should keep the initiative. 25. gxh6 Rxh6 26. f5! Rh7. Of course, 26. ... Rxh5?? loses on the spot to 27. Ng4! (27. ... Rxh1 28. Nf6+ Kh8 29. Rxh1 mate).

27. Ng4. “Instructive explanation from Maurice Ashley: Carlsen played 27. Ng4 Kh8 28. f6, when 28. ... Ng8! looked ugly, but successfully defended against White’s threats. Instead, the opposite order was better: 27. f6! Nd5 28. Ng4 and the Knight does not reach g8”, Geir Sune Tallaksen Østmoe tweeted. 27. ... Kh8 28. f6 Ng8 29. fxg7+ Rxg7 30. Be3 c5. White’s advantage just vanishes very quickly. 31. Bf4 Re8 32. Ne3 Rxg1+ 33. Rxg1 Re6 34. Nd5 Nf6 35. Nc7 Re2 36. Nb5 Re6 37. Rf1 Kg8 38. Nc7 Re2 39. Nb5 Re6 40. Nc7 Re2 41. Nb5 Re6 ½ : ½. Carlsen has lost the chance to win an useless game, and maybe that will bring him good luck for his next World Chess Championship match.

Magnus Carlsen in confessional mode. Screengrab from Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour).

Arctic Mood

Alexander Igorevich Grischuk – Magnus Carlsen
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 24, 2018
Benkö Counter-Gambit A58

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. c4 0-0 5. d4 d6 6. 0-0 c5 7. d5 b5!? It should’ve been a surprise to Grischuk, but instead no. 8. cxb5 a6 9. bxa6 Bf5!? “Fun fact about Magnus Carlsen’s 9. ... Bf5 — it has been played by Kasparov in 1994 and Anand in 1996 :-)”, International Master Venkat Saravanan tweeted. On the other hand, the more prosaic 9. ... Bxa6 10. Nc3 Nbd7 has also its merits; for instance: 11. Bf4?! (11. Qc2 Qa5 12. b3⩲ Nxd5? 13. Nxd5 Bxa1 14. Bd2±) 11. ... Qa5! 12. Qc2 Rfb8 13. h3? (13. b3 c4? 14. Nd4!) 13. ... Rxb2! 14. Qxb2 Ne4! 15. Qc2 Nxc3 16. Bd2 Nxe2+ 17. Kh2 Qa3! 18. Qe4 Ne5! 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Rae1 Nxg3 21. fxg3 Qxg3+ 22. Kg1 Qh2+ 23. Kf2 Bxf1 24. Kxf1 Rxa2 25. Be3 Qg3 26. Rb1 Rxg2 27. Rb8+ Kg7 28. Qxg2 Qxe3 0 : 1 Giustolisi – R. Primavera, 1st International Festival “Capodanno in Calabria”, Cirella di Diamante 1975/1976. 10. Nfd2 Nxa6 11. Nc3 Nb4 12. Nc4 Nc2!? This is a novelty and probably not an improvement over 12. ... Bc2 13. Qd2 Bb3 14. Na3 Bxd5 15. Nxd5 Nfxd5 16. Nc4 Nc7(!) 17. Bxa8 Qxa8 where Black seems to have more than enough for the sacrificed Exchange, Draško – Bejtović, 10th Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina Team Chess Championship, Neum 2011.

13. g4! Grischuk delivers a violent — however quite thematic — counterblow (with a powerful symbolic value) which seems to catch Carlsen off guard. 13. ... Nxg4 14. e4 Nxa1 15. exf5 Bxc3!? Black keeps playing very optimistically! 15. ... Ne5 suggests itself, as 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Bd2 doesn’t seem to give White any transcendental advantage. 16. bxc3 Nf6 17. Qe2 Re8 18. Bg5! Carlsen ended up on the brink of ruin, but, luckily for him, Grischuk has spent an infinity of time as usual, when there are still some not-so-easy “next” moves to make. 18. ... Qd7 19. fxg6 hxg6 20. Rxa1 Qf5 21. Bxf6? 21. h4(!) actually seems the strongest move here, leaving Black in a sad plight. But Grischuk is overanxious about his time shortage, so he goes for a risk-free way, that not surprisingly proves to be not enough to win. 21. ... Qxf6 22. Qf3 Qh4 23. Qe4 Qf6 24. Qf3 Qh4 25. Qe4 Qf6. White repeated moves to gain time, but now he has to tell what he will do next: 26. Qd3. Of course, winning is better than drawing, but drawing is better than losing. Jokes aside, 26. a4 Qxc3 27. Ra3 Qc1+ 28. Bf1 would have perhaps kept Black still out of his comfort zone, at least for a while. 26. ... Reb8!= 27. a3 Rb3 28. Rc1 Ra4 29. Qc2 Qf4 30. Qxb3 Qxc1+ 31. Bf1 Qg5+ 32. Bg2 Qc1+ 33. Bf1 Qg5+ 34. Bg2 Qc1+ ½ : ½.

The Easy Day Was Yesterday

Fabiano Caruana – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 24, 2018
Nimzo-Indian Defence E20

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 0-0 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Qa4 Bd7 9. Bg5 a5 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. a3 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Qd8 13. Qxc4 a4 14. Nd2 Na5 15. Qb4 Ra7 16. Rab1 b6 17. e3 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. Qb5 Qa8 20. c4 Rd8 21. Rfc1. Caruana has achieved the better game by simple means, so no wonder Karjakin — who is not performing at his best in Saint Louis — shows some signs of impatience: 21. ... e5? 21. ... h6(!) 22. Qb2 Na5 (Stockfish) seems to be quite sound. 22. d5 Nb8

23. c5± Ra5. If 23. ... bxc5 then 24. Qxc5 Nbd7 25. Qc6 with a pleasant ending. 24. Qb2 Qxd5. Of course, 24. ... bxc5 25. Ne4 would not be better. 25. cxb6 cxb6 26. Nc4 Rc5 27. Qxb6. Threatening Nc4xe5. 27. ... f6?? A huge blunder which loses on the spot. After 27. ... Rf8 28. Qxb8! Rxc4 29. Rxc4 Qxc4 30. Qxe5 Qd3 31. Qa1 Black should have been suffering in a Queen and Rook endgame one or probably two Pawns down (in view of Rb1-b4xa4). 28. Rd1. Sic et simpliciter. 28. e4 was the “dual”. 28. ... Qxd1+ 29. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 30. Kg2 1 : 0.

I just hope he won’t get angry if his father arrives first

Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen)

Flip jump

Magnus Carlsen – Wesley So
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 22, 2018
Semi-Tarrasch Defence D42

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd3 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Qe2 b6 10. Rd1 cxd4 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. exd4 Bb7 13. Be4 Qd6. The alternative is 13. ... Qh5 14. Be3 Na5 15. Bxb7 Nxb7 16. Rac1 Bd6 17. Qa6 Rfb8 18. h3 Qd5 19. Rd3 Qa5 20. Qc4 Qd5 21. Qa4 a6 22. Rdc3 b5 ½ : ½ Taimanov – O’Kelly, 5th Capablanca Memorial, Havana 1967. 14. g3!? It might seem to be quite an artificial novelty in a rather well known position. 14. ... Bf6 15. Bg5 Qe7. 15. ... Bxg5 16. Nxg5 h6 17. d5! exd5 18. Rxd5 Qc7 looks rather unclear, so So goes for a more defensive path. 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Ne5! Rfc8 18. Qb5 Na5 19. Bxb7 Nxb7 20. Qd7 Nc5! 21. dxc5 Qxe5 22. c6 h5

23. Rd6! White decides to give up at least a Pawn to maximize the strength of his c-Pawn. Now So has to defend very carefully. 23. ... Qxb2 24. Rad1 Qc2! 24. ... Qxa2? wins a second Pawn, but loses a fatal tempo: 25. Qe7! and the terrific threat of c6-c7 is not avoidable without heavy concessions from Black. 25. h4 Rd8! Probably the simplest way to ensure a draw. Alternatively, it could be considered 25. ... b5!? 26. Qb7 Qc5! 27. Rd7 Rab8 28. Rc7! Rf8! 29. Qxa7 Qc2 with approximate balance (Stockfish’s analysis). 26. Qxd8+. If 26. Qb7 then (maybe) 26. ... Qxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28. Kg2 Rdd8 29. c7 Rdc8 (29. ... Re8 30. Qc6! Rac8 31. Qd7 may be far more dangerous for Black) 30. a4 which appears to be the maximum White can obtain, but still not enough to win, as after 30. ... Kf8 Black should succeed in freeing himself. 26. ... Rxd8 27. Rxd8+ Kh7 28. R8d7 a5. 28. ... Qxc6 29. Rxf7 a6 30. Rdd7 Qc3 should equally lead to a draw — and, eventually, to an easily drawn King and Pawn endgame. Whatever it is, So feels apparently more confident with the Queen on the board. 29. c7 b5 30. R1d2 Qc1+ 31. Rd1 Qc2 32. R1d4 f6 33. Rd2 Qc1+ 34. Rd1 Qc2 35. R1d6 Qb1+ 36. Rd1 Qc2 37. R1d6 Qb1+ 38. Kg2 Qe4+ 39. Kh2 Qc2 40. Rd2 Qc3 41. R2d6 Qc2 42. Rd2 Qc3 43. Re2 e5 44. Red2 b4 45. R2d6 Kg6 46. Kg2 Qc2 47. Re7 Qe4+ 48. Kg1 Qe1+ 49. Kg2 Qe4+ 50. Kg1 Qe1+ 51. Kg2 Qe4+ ½ : ½.

Historien om Pi (Life of Pi)

Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen)

From Bricks to Books

Viswanathan Anand – Magnus Carlsen
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 21, 2018
Sicilian Defence B31

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 0-0 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 e5 10. Bh6 (10. Nxe5? Nxe4⩱) 10. ... Qd6. It’s just interesting to note that Carlsen’s challenger, Fabiano Caruana, in one of his last U.S. Championship games, continued instead 10. ... Re8 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. Qe3 Qd6 13. Ne2 a5 14. 0-0 Nh5(!) with satisfactory play for Black, 梁世奇 (Awonder Liáng) – Caruana, 62th U.S. Chess Championship, Saint Louis 2018. 11. Bxg7. Anand has recently won a brilliant game by castling Queenside, but the brilliancy of the victory has little to do with the opening: 11. 0-0-0 a5 12. g4 a4 13. Kb1 Be6 14. Ne2 b5 15. Ng3 Rfd8 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qg5 Nd7 18. Nf5+ Bxf5 19. gxf5 a3 20. b3 h6 21. Qg3 Kh7 22. Rhg1 Qf6 23. h4 gxf5 24. Qh3!? f4 25. Rg5 Qe6 26. Rf5 Rg8?? (26. ... f6!⩱) 27. Ng5+! hxg5 28. Rxf7+! Qxf7 29. hxg5+ Kg7 30. Qh6 mate, Anand – Grischuk, 11th Tal Memorial Rapid, Moscow 2018 11. ... Kxg7 12. a4!? Very strange move and, perhaps, a new idea. Maybe mindful of his game with Grischuk, Anand seems apparently eager to stop all of Black’s Queenside counterplay. At first glance, it is not clear where White’s King will hide, but time will tell pretty soon. If 12. Nh2 there might follow 12. ... Nh5 13. Ng4 f6 14. g3 Be6 15. Ne2 Rad8 16. 0-0-0 Kh8∞ Ivanchuk – Radjabov, World Blitz Chess Championship, Astana 2012. 12. ... Ne8 13. Nh2 Nc7 14. Ng4 f6 15. f3 Ne6 16. h4 Nd4 17. h5 g5 18. Ne3 Be6 19. Ne2 Kh8 20. Ng3 Rad8 21. Kf2. It seems incredible that White’s King may afford to take such an itinerary, and yet Anand proves it possible. 21. ... Qe7 22. Qd1. Anand leaves free hand to his opponent to do what he intended to do. 22. Qe1 could be answered by both 22. ... f5 and 22. ... Qg7 with quite an unclear play.

22. ... c4! A temporary Pawn sacrifice by which Black seizes a volatile initiative. Also interesting seems 22. ... Qf7, apparently keeping alive all potential themes and motifs. 23. dxc4 f5! The corollary of the previous move. The trite 23. ... Nb3 was anything but appealing, because of 24. cxb3 Rxd1 25. Raxd1 with plenty of compensation for the Queen. 24. exf5 Nxf5 25. Ngxf5 Bxf5 26. Qe2 g4 27. Kg1 gxf3 28. Qxf3 Bxc2 29. Qg3 Bd3. Black just needs the time to continue with ... Rf8-f4 followed by ... Rd8-g8, and everything would be over in a few moves. Of course, Anand doesn’t let him do it. 30. Rh4! Rd4 31. Rg4! Rxg4 32. Nxg4 e4 33. Qe5+ Qxe5 34. Nxe5 Kg7. Now the game inexorably drifts towards a draw. 35. Rd1 Rd8 36. Nxc6 Re8 37. Kf2 e3+ 38. Ke1 Bxc4 39. Rd4 Bf7 40. g4 a5 41. b4 axb4 42. Rxb4 Be6 43. g5 Bf7 44. h6+ Kg6 45. Rb5 Ba2 46. Re5 Rxe5 47. Nxe5+ Kxg5 48. Nd7 Bb3 49. Nxb6 Bxa4 50. Nxa4 Kxh6 51. Nc3 e2 52. Nxe2 Kg5 53. Ng3 h5 54. Nxh5 ½ : ½.

Friends for Hard Times

Fabiano Caruana – Hikaru Nakamura
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 21, 2018
Catalan Opening E05

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. g3 dxc4 6. Bg2 0-0 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 c5 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Be3 Qc7 14. 0-0-0!? This is something Nakamura was still missing: a) 14. 0-0 Nd5 15. Bd4 Bd7 16. Qa3 a5 17. Rad1 Nb4 18. Bc5 Qxc5 19. Rxd7 Rab8 20. Rfd1 h6 21. Qa4 Nd5 22. Nxd5 exd5 23. R7xd5 Qb4 24. Qc2 Qxb2 25. Qxc4 Rb4 26. Qc5 Qxa2 27. Qxa5 Rb2 28. Qxa2 Rxa2 29. e3 g6 30. g4 Rfa8 31. Kg2 R8a5 32. h4 Kg7 33. Kg3 R2a3 34. Kf4 R3a4+ 35. e4 Rxd5 36. Rxd5 Ra3 37. f3 Rc3 38. Ra5 Rb3 39. Rc5 Ra3 40. Rb5 Rc3 41. Kg3 Ra3 42. g5 hxg5 43. hxg5 Rc3 44. Kg4 Ra3 45. Rb7 Ra4 46. Kf4 Ra5 ½ : ½ Svidler – Nakamura, Grand Prix 2017, 4th stage, Palma de Mallorca 2017; b) 14. Rd1 Bd7 15. Qa3 Nd5 16. Bd4 a5 17. Rd2 Nb4 18. 0-0 Qb7 19. Na4 Bxa4 20. Qxa4 Rfc8 21. Rc1 f6 22. f3 Qa6 23. Bf2 Nd5 24. Rdc2 Nb4 25. Rd2 Nd5 26. Rdc2 Nb4 27. Rc3 h6 28. Kg2 Rab8 29. b3 cxb3 30. Rxc8+ Rxc8 31. Rxc8+ Qxc8 32. Qxb3 Kf7 33. Qa4 Qa6 34. Qd7+ Kg8 35. Qd2 Qc4 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Qxa5 Nxa2 38. Qd2 Nb4 39. Qb2 Nc6 40. Qb1+ Kg8 41. Qb7 Ne5 42. Qb8+ Kh7 43. Qb1+ Kg8 44. Qb8+ Kh7 45. Qb1+ Kg8 ½ : ½ 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Nakamura, 9th Grand Slam Masters Final, Bilbao 2016. 14. ... Ng4 15. Rd2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Rb8 17. Rhd1 a5 18. Kb1 h6 19. Ka1 Rb4 20. Qc2 Rb8 21. Qe4 Bb7 22. Qd4 Ba8 23. e4 Rfc8 24. Qf2 Bc6 25. Qc5 Be8 26. Qxc7 Rxc7 27. Rd6 Kf8 28. Ra6 Rc5 29. Ra7 Rbc8 30. Kb1 Rh5 31. h4 Re5 32. Kc2 g5 33. Rf1 Kg7 34. Rb7 Kg6 35. Kd2 f5 36. hxg5

36. ... fxe4? Nakamura macabrally manages to run his King into a mating net. 36. ... hxg5? 37. Rh1! could also stage similar scenarios, so 36. ... Kxg5 was Black’s best and perhaps only move, with a difficult but still tenable ending. 37. Ke3 Bc6 38. Re7 Rxg5 39. Rxe6+ Kg7 40. Re7+ Kg6 41. Rd1 Kf6 42. Ra7 Ke6 43. Rh1 h5 44. g4! Be8? Always insisting on playing for the self-mate. Other moves, however, would have condemned Black to a lost endgame anyway. 45. gxh5 Bxh5 46. Nxe4 Rf5 47. Ra6+ Ke7 48. Nd6 Re5+ 49. Kd4 1 : 0.

Goodnight Tonight

Levon Grigori Aronian – Magnus Carlsen
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 20, 2018
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. 0-0 d6 6. c3 a6 7. Re1 h6 8. b4 Ba7 9. a4 0-0 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Nf1 Be6 12. Bxe6 Rxe6. If 12. ... fxe6 then 13. Be3 Qd7 14. Qc2 Bxe3 15. Nxe3 Nh5 16. b5 Na5 17. d4 with an edge, Galinsky – Mihajlov, 4th Fagernes Chess International, Fagernes 2014. 13. Ng3. The reference game — from a theoretical viewpoint — is 13. Be3 Qd7 14. b5 Ne7 15. bxa6 bxa6 16. Bxa7 Rxa7 17. Qb3 c6 18. Rab1 Ng6 19. g3 a5 20. Ne3 a5 20. Ne3 Re8 21. Nc4 Kh7 22. Qc2 Qe6 23. Ne3 d5 24. Kg2 Kg8 25. h4 Rd7 26. c4! with a plus for White, Kramnik – Adams, 4th Gashimov Memorial, Şəmkir 2017. 13. ... Ne7. The alternative is 13. ... d5 14. Qc2 b5 (14. ... Qd7 15. h3 Rae8 16. b5 Ne7 17. c4 d4 18. c5 doesn’t seem convincing for Black, Aronian – Anand, 6th Norway Blitz, Stavanger 2018) 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Rxe3 d4 17. Ree1 dxc3 18. Qxc3 with a pull for White, Anand – 韦奕 (Wéi Yì), 29th Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez “Ciudad de León”, León 2016, match game 1. 14. d4 Ng6 15. Qc2 c6 16. h3 Qc7 17. Be3 d5!? Finally the novelty, instead of 17. ... a5 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. Bxa7 Rxa7 20. Nf5 b5 21. g3 axb4 22. cxb4 bxa4 23. Rxa4 Rxa4 24. Qxa4 Kh7 25. Kg2 Re8 26. Qa2 Qd7 27. Qc2 Rd8 28. Rc1 Qb7 29. Qc4 Rd7 30. h4 Rd8 31. Rc2 Rd1 32. Rd2 Rxd2? (it would seem that after 32. ... Rb1 33. Nd6 Qd7 White has nothing better than repeating moves) 33. Nxd2 Kg8 34. Nb3 Qb5? (this further liquidation is the last thing Black should have done) 35. Qxb5 cxb5 36. Nd6 (the ending is just a suffering for Black) 36. ... Kf8 37. Nc5 Ne7 38. f3 Nc6 39. Nd3 Nd4 40. Nxe5 Ke7 41. Nb7 Nc2 42. Nd3 Nd7 43. f4 Nb8 44. e5 Nc6 45. Kf3 Ke6 46. Nd6 f6 47. Nxb5 fxe5 48. Nc7+ Kd6 49. Na6 exf4 50. Kxf4 g6 51. Ke4 N2d4 52. Nb8 Nf5 53. Nxc6 Kxc6 54. Kf4 Kb5 55. Ne5 Ne7 56. Nf7 Nf5 57. Nxh6 Nxh6 58. Kg5 Nf5 59. h5 Nxg3 60. h6 Nf5 61. h7 Nd6 62. Kxg6 1 : 0 Shankland – Sevian, 3rd Millionaire Chess Open, Atlantic City 2016. 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Qxe5!? Black seems to want to provoke emotional conflict and turmoil in his opponent. After 19. ... Bxe3 20. exf6 (20. Rxe3 Rxe5 21. f4 Rxe4! appears to offer Black excellent compensation for the Exchange) 20. ... Ba7 21. Nf5 Rxf6 22. Re7 Qf4 Black seems to get a comfortable equality. 20. exd5 cxd5. 20. ... Qxd5? 21. Rad1 appears to be a far worsened version of the game.

21. Rad1. After this, Black has no difficulty in getting what he wanted, a draw in the hours before midnight and a long sleeping night — and that’s probably good for his fans, too. Objectively speaking, however, it is daring enough to guess that 21. Bxa7 Qxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 23. Kh2 Rxa7 could have produced a different result, but dreaming doesn’t cost anything, do you? Now Stockfish continues 24. Qd2 Re6 25. Qf4 Ra8 26. Qc7 b5 27. Qb7 Ree8 27. a5(!) — just to make White’s battery of Queen and Knight quite impressive. Who knows... 21. ... Bxe3 22. Rxe3 Qc7 23. Nf5 Rae8 24. Qd3 Qf4! (Δ ... Re6-e4) 25. g3 Qc7 26. a5 Rxe3 27. Nxe3 Qc6 28. Nxd5 Nxd5 29. Qxd5 Re1+! 30. Kh2 Rxd1 31. Qxd1 Qxc3 32. Qd8+ Kh7 33. Qd5 Qxb4 34. Qf5+ Kg8 35. Qc8+ Kh7 36. Qf5+ Kg8 37. Qc8+ Kh7 ½ : ½.

The Long Night

Magnus Carlsen – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 19, 2018
Nimzo-Indian Defence E20

Two men who shared a board nearly everyday for almost three weeks must know each other very well, so whatever may happen between them, it will not happen by chance. 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 0-0 5. Nf3 d5 6. a3 Be7 7. d4 dxc4 8. Ne5 Nc6. The Romanishin Variation of the Nimzo-Indian is on the board (though it is usually reached by another move order: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 d5 5. Bg2 0-0 6. a3 Be7 7. Nf3 dxc4 8. Ne5 Nc6). It should only be noted that Karjakin has already adopted that, while Carlsen has thought longer (about half a hour) than his opponent to get here. 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nxc6 Qe8 11. Nxe7+ Qxe7 12. Qa4 c5 13. dxc5!? A plain novelty by Carlsen, perhaps just to disconnect Karjakin from his “book”: 13. Qxc4 cxd4 14. Qxd4 e5 15. Qb4 (15. Qh4 Qe6 16. 0-0 Bb7 17. Bg5 Nd5 doesn’t seem to lead to anything special either, Moiseenko – Karjakin, Eurasian Blitz Chess Cup of the President of Kazakhstan, Almaty 2016) 15. ... Qe6 16. Bg5 a5 17. Qh4 Nd5 18. Rc1 Rb8 19. Na4 f5 20. 0-0 f4 21. e4 fxe3 22. fxe3 Rxf1+ 23. Rxf1 h6 24. Nc5 hxg5 25. Rf8+ Kxf8 26. Nxe6+ Bxe6 27. Qxg5 Rxb2 28. Qxe5 Rb1+ 29. Kf2 Kf7 30. Qh5+ Kf8 31. Qe5 Kf7 32. Qh5+ Kf8 33. Qe5 Kf7 34. Qh5+ ½ : ½ Aronian – Karjakin, Grand Prix 2008–2010, 2nd stage, Sochi 2008. 13. ... Qxc5 14. Be3 Qc7 15. Rd1 Nd5 16. Bd4 Rd8. After a long thought. 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Qc2 Qe7. Of no use is 18. ... Bh3 because of 19. f3 followed by Ke1-f2. 19. 0-0 Bh3 20. Rfe1 Rd7 21. Bc3 Re8 22. Rd4 Qg5 23. Qd2! Carlsen relies upon his marvellous technique in the hope to squeeze out a win in an endgame that looks very drawish. 23. ... Qd2 24. Bxd2 Be6 25. Red1 Rde7 26. f3 h5 27. Kf2 f6 28. Rd4 Kh7 29. R1d2 Bf7 30. h3 a6 31. Rf4 Kg8 32. Bd4 Kh7 33. Bc3 Kg8 34. g4 hxg4 35. hxg4 Kh7 36. Rf5 Rb7

37. Rfxd5! White’s Exchange sacrifice constitutes the only way to keep playing for high stakes at zero risk. That’s means that the ending is still very drawish, but not yet drawn. 37. ... Bxd5 38. Rxd5 Kg6. Black prefers to concede his opponent full material compensation for the Exchange rather than freezing himself on the defensive. However, the outcome of the text won’t be that different. 39. Rc5 Rh8 40. Kg3 Rb6 41. Rxc4 Rh1 42. Rc7 Rc1 43. Rd7 Rc6 44. a4 Rg1+ 45. Kf2 Ra1 46. a5 Ra4 47. Kg3 Rac4 48. Ra7 Re6 49. e4 Rc8 50. Rd7 Rec6 51. f4. Despite all, however, Carlsen is constantly exerting pressure on Black’s position. 51. ... R8c7 52. f5+ Kh7 53. Rd8 Rc8 54. Rd3 Re8 55. Rd4 Rc7. Here the engines give 55. ... Rec8(!) as Black’s best, so as to be always able to oppose Rook to Rook on the c-file (56. Rd7 R6c7). 56. Kf4 Rce7 57. Rc4 Kh6 58. Kf3 Rd7 59. Bd4. The immediate break with 59. e5! seemed now very strong, winning the a-Pawn in most variations. 59. ... Kh7 60. b4 Rd6 61. Ke3 Kh6 62. Rc1 Kh7 63. Bb6 Rd7 64. Bc5 Red8 65. Rh1+ Kg8 66. Kf4 Re8 67. Re1 g5+! 68. fxg6 Kg7 69. g5 Kxg6 70. gxf6 Kxf6 71. Rh1 Rf7 72. Ke3 Ke6 73. Rh4 Rf6 74. Rh7 Rf7 75. Rh5 Kd7 76. e5 Rf1 77. Ke4 Kc6?? Finally, exhausted, Karjakin sunk into his chair, just when the worst was by now over: 77. ... Re1+ 78. Kd5 Rd1+ 79. Kc4 (or 79. Bd4 Rd8!=) 79. ... Rc1+ was an easy draw. 78. Rh6+ Kb5 79. Rb6+ Kc4 80. e6! Re1+ 81. Kf5 Rf1+ 82. Ke5 Re1+ 83. Kf6 Rf1+ 84. Kg7 Ra8 85. e7 Re1 86. Kf7 Re4 87. Rd6 Rh8 88. Rxa6 1 : 0. The will to win has won.

Magnus Carlsen’s thinking shoes. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

The Taming of Chance

Fabiano Caruana – Alexander Igorevich Grischuk
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 18, 2018
Two Knights Defence C55

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Kh8 8. Nc3 Ng8 9. Nd5 f5 10. h3 fxe4 11. dxe4 Nf6 12. a5 a6 13. Ra3. Here’s just a brevity: 13. Ng5!? Nxd5 14. Nxh7 Nf4?? (14. ... Rf4! 15. Qxd5 Nb4!) 15. Nxf8 1 : 0 A. Rombaldoni – Timmermans, 14th Unive Open, Hoogeveen 2010. 13. ... Be6!? Not surprisingly, Grischuk provides a providential improvement on 13. ... Nxd5? 14. exd5 Nb8 15. Bd3 Nd7 16. c4± Howell – Pavlidis, 22nd World Youth Chess Championship U18, Vũng Tàu 2008. 14. Nxf6 Bxc4 15. Nd5 Bb5 16. Be3 Qd7 17. Nd2 Nd8 18. c4 Bc6 19. Qg4 Ne6 20. b4 Rae8 21. Nf3 Bd8 22. h4 h6 23. h5. Caruana pushes hard for a win. 23. ... Nd4 24. Qxd7 Nxf3+ 25. gxf3 Bxd7 26. Kg2 Rf7 27. Rh1 Ref8 28. Bc1 c6 29. Nb6 Be6 30. Rd1 Bxb6. Grischuk, very short of time as usual, judges — perhaps too hastily — the ensuing Rook and Bishops of opposite colours is drawn; he may be right, but White can hold the cards as long as he pleases. 30. ... Bc7(!) seems to offer ground for interesting complications. 31. axb6 Rf6 32. Rad3 Bxc4. 32. ... Rd8(!) 33. f4 Bxc4 34. fxe5 Bxd3 35. exf6 Bxe4+ 36. f3 Bd5 37. Bb2 Re8 38. fxg7+ Kg8 may be a simpler way of drawing (Stockfish’s analysis). 33. Rxd6 Rxf3 34. Be3 R3f7 35. R1d2 Kh7 36. Rd7 Rxd7 37. Rxd7 Rf7 38. Rc7! Be6 39. Bd2 g6 40. Bc3 g5 41. Bxe5 Kg8 42. f3 Bb3? With the tricky threat of ... Bb3-d1, but it could have proved to be a lost tempo.

43. Kf2? However strange it may appear, Stockfish’s mandatory transition to a pure ending with Bishops of opposite colour with 43. Bd6! (Δ Bd6-e7) 43. ... Rxc7 44. bxc7 Be6 45. f4! gxf4 (otherwise f4-f5 follows) 46. Bxf4 Kg7 47. Be3! followed by the penetration of White’s King along the dark squares could well have been White’s best chance to win. 43. ... Be6. Gone crazy and back again. Suddenly Grischuk realises that after 43. ... Bd1? 44. Bd6! White would win on the spot. 44. Ke3 Kf8 45. f4 gxf4+ 46. Bxf4 Ke8 47. Bxh6 Bg4 48. Bf4 Bxh5 49. Rc8+ Kd7 50. Rh8 Bg4 51. Bc7 Rf3+ 52. Kd4 Rh3 53. Rb8 c5+ 54. bxc5 Kc6 55. Bd6 Bd7 56. Ke5 Rh6 57. Rg8 a5 58. Kf4 a4 59. Ra8 Rh4+ 60. Ke3 Kb5 61. e5 Bc6 62. Kd3 Rh3+ 63. Kd2 Rh2+ 64. Kd3 Rh3+ 65. Kd2 Rh2+ 66. Kd3 Rh3+ 67. Kd2 ½ : ½.

Taming the Chaos

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Magnus Carlsen
6th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 18, 2018
Sicilian Defence B30

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5. Morphy is probably turning in his grave. 4. Bc4 g6 5. h4!? This super-aggressive approach may well give Carlsen credit for his opening oddity. 5. ... h6! 6. h5 g5 7. Nh2!? Quite an obvious improvement over 7. d3 Bg7 8. a3 d6 9. Nd2 Nf6 10. f3 Be6 11. Nf1 Ne7 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Be3 b6 with Black enjoying a comfortable equality (and probably earlier he could have aimed for more), Gulamali – Marosi, Budapest 2015. 7. ... Nf6 8. d3 d6 9. Nf1 Bg4 10. f3 Be6 11. Ne3 Bg7 12. Ncd5 0-0 13. c3. “Really poor opening for Magnus. Making a draw would be a success with those squares on d5 and f5”, three-time Norwegian Chess Champion Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer tweeted. 13. ... Rb8 14. a4 a6 15. g4. White seems to have no clear idea about what to do of his “dogmatic advantage”, and, of course, his opponent seizes the opportunity of aiming for the most convenient coordination possible. 15. ... b5! 16. axb5 axb5 17. Bb3 Ne7! 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. 0-0 Qb7! 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. c4. White seems to lack of any will to win, and with the text move he even concedes his opponent a venial strategic triumph. 21. ... b4. Now, curiously, it is White who has a hole in d4, as Black’s doubled e-Pawn has nullified both the holes on d5 and f5. Black stands better, but probably not that much to score the goal.

22. b3 Nd7 23. Qe2 Rbd8 24. Nc2 Nb8 25. Be3 Nc6 26. Kg2 Rf7 27. Ra4. The a-file is White’s lucky saving clause. 27. ... Rdf8 28. Bg1 Bf6 29. Rfa1 Bd8 30. Ra8 Rxf3 31. Qxf3 Rxf3 32. Kxf3 Kg7 33. Ke2 Bb6 34. R8a6 Kf7 35. Ra8 Kg7 36. R8a6 Kf7 37. Ra8 Kg7 ½ : ½.

The return of Tarzan

Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen)