Replay

Levon Grigori Aronian – Magnus Carlsen
9th London Chess Classic; London, December 11, 2017
Queen’s Pawn Game A40

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 3. g3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Bg2 Bc5 6. e3 d5 7. Qg4 Bf8 8. 0-0 Nf6 9. Qe2 e5!? Why not? For 9. ... Bd7 10. b3 Nc6 see Salo – Lehtinen, Finnish Team Chess Championship 2012-2013, Tampere 2013. 10. Qb5+ Bd7 11. Qxb6 axb6 12. Nb3 Nc6 13. Bd2 Bd6 14. Nc3 Ne7 15. a4 0-0 16. Nb5 Bxb5 17. axb5 Rac8 18. Bc3 h5 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Nd2 h4 21. Nf3 hxg3 22. hxg3 e4 23. Ng5 Ng6 24. Ra7 Rb8 25. Bd4 Bc5 26. Bxc5 bxc5 27. c4 Ne7. Not 27. ... dxc4? because of 28. Rxd8+ Rxd8 29. Rxb7 and Black’s Queenside falls apart. 28. cxd5

28. ... Nc8! Black’s position was quite uncomfortable, so Carlsen rightly sets up a dynamic defence, which may even imply the sacrifice of two Pawns. 29. Ra4 Nb6 30. Ra3 Nc4 31. Rc3 Nd6. And Black even sacrifices his second Pawn. After 31. ... Nxb2 32. Rd2 Nxd5 33. Rxc5 Nd3 34. Rc4 f5 35. g4 g6 36. gxf5 gxf5 37. Bf1 the game, although materially equal (at least for the moment), was better for White. 32. Rxc5 Ra8 33. Bh3 Re8 34. Rc7 Kf8! A due precaution, as 34. ... Re5?? would be met by 35. Nxf7! Nxf7 36. Be6 winning immediately. 35. b6? Best was 35. Bf1! (freeing the h3 square for the Knight) and if 35. ... Rac8 then 36. b6 keeping an edge. 35. ... Re5 36. Ne6+!? fxe6 37. dxe6 Nfe8 38. Rd7 Raa5 39. b4? Aronian’s decisive mistake. 39. R1xd6! Nxd6 40. Rxd6 Rad5 41. Rxd5 Rxd5 42. e7+! Kxe7 43. Bc8 Rb5 44. Bxb7 Rxb6 45. Bxe4 Rxb2 would have led to a draw. 39. ... Rad5! 40. Ra1 Rb5 41. Ra8 Rxb6. Now it’s just a technical win. 42. Bg4 Rd5 43. Kg2 Rxb4 44. Ra1 Rbb5 45. Be2 Rb2 46. Bg4 Rdd2 47. Kh3 Rxf2 48. Kh4 Rh2+ 49. Bh3 g5+ 50. Kh5 Rxh3+ 51. Kg6 Rf2 52. e7+ Kg8 53. Rxd6 Rh7 0 : 1.

Jeremy, tell Magnus that Garry’s letter might even not work for Sophia ’cause his self-quotes are far too long to be regarded as footnotes

The Scarlet Letter

At tonight’s gala dinner at Simpson’s in the Strand 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen (standing left) long entertained himself by chatting with Lawrence Trent (standing right), Fabiano Caruana’s manager and mentor. But Magnus’s eyes stared far away, and he looked like he was yawning while listening to Garry reading an unsigned love letter to Sophia. Photo: Lennart Ootes (@LennartOotes).

So, even today, Magnus did not manage to get rid of his glass flower pot (idem to say his Grand Chess Tour trophy). Yet, it would need just a flower to make it worth a kiss. Photo: Lennart Ootes (Flickr).

Put flowers in your pot

Quod erat demonstrandum: 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen won the Grand Chess Tour trophy for the year 2017! Perhaps he was not in his best mood during most of the tournament – and who can say he was wrong? – but he succeeded in finding enough inspiration for his last-round game against Levon Grigori Aronian, thus grabbing the coveted glass flower pot. The hardest challenge now comes in trying to get rid of it. Which girl will ever accept such a gift in exchange for a kiss? Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

A French Kiss in London

Magnus Carlsen – Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
9th London Chess Classic; London, December 10, 2017
Nimzo-Indian Defence E54

1. Nf3 c5 2. c3 d5 3. d4 cxd4 4. cxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Nh5 7. Bd2 Nf6 8. e3 e6 9. Bd3 Bd6 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Be7 12. 0-0 0-0. After 12. ... Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. Bc3 Qd8 15. Qf3 White would have powerful compensation for the Pawn, Mellado Triviño – Rowson, 3rd International Open, Palma de Mallorca 2008. 13. Qc2 h6 14. Rad1 Bd7 15. a3 Rc8 16. Nc3!? Carlsen tries something new. The old “score” was 15. Qb1 Qb6 16. b4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Bf6 18. Be3 Qc7 19. Qc1 Rfd8 20. d5 exd5 21. Bxd5 Bf5 22. b5 Nd4 23. Qxc7 Rxc7 24. Bxd4 Rxd5 25. Bxf6 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 gxf6 with dull equality, Safarli – Mammadov, International Chess Festival “Baku Open”, Baku 2012. 16. ... a6 17. Qc1 Re8 18. Rfe1 Bf8 19. Bf4 b5 20. Qd2 b4 21. axb4 Nxb4 22. Ne5. Very energetic. 22. Bb1 Nbd5 would have led nowhere. 22. ... Nxd3 23. Qxd3 a5 24. Qf3 Bb4. Actually, it could even be a mistake, but, curiously, it serves the purpose of distracting White from playing g2-g4 (before or after h2-h4).

25. Re3. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, except for the fact that almost all players from the nineteenth century would have played 25. Bxh6! without thinking twice. I ask the oracle: 25. Bxh6! Bxc3 26. bxc3 gxh6 27. Qg3+ Kh7 (if 27. ... Kf8 then 28. Rd3! followed by Qg3-f4 and/or Rd3-f3) 28. Nxf7 Qe7 29. Qd3+ Kg8 30. Qg6+ Kf8 31. Nd6 Qg7 32. Qd3 Bc6 33. f3 with great play for White (Stockfish’s analysis). 25. ... Bxc3 26. bxc3 Ba4 27. Ra1 Bc2 28. h3 Bf5 29. g4! Oh, no! Yes, it’s an excellent move, but... 29. ... Bh7 30. c4 Nd7 31. Nc6? 31. c5! Nxe5 (otherwise Ne5-c4 would follow) 32. Bxe5 followed by Re3-a3 (or also Re3-b3) would have given White a safe and definite advantage, but, strangely, now Carlsen seems in a mood to complicate. 31. ... Qf6 32. Nxa5 Nb6 33. c5!? Spectacularly complacent, but White had to give back the Pawn anyway; for instance: 33. Rea3 Nxc4 34. Nxc4 Rxc4 35. Ra8 Rcc8 36. Qc6 Qd8 37. Rxc8 Qxc8 38. Bc7 Rd8 39. Ra7 Bg6 with rough equality (Stockfish’s analysis). 33. ... Rxc5! 34. dxc5!? Qxa1+ 35. Kh2 Qxa5 36. Qc6? Another mysterious blind spot. After 36. cxb6 I guess it would not have been too hard for Carlsen to achieve a draw. 36. ... Qa4! 37. Qxa4 Nxa4 38. c6 Nb6 39. c7 f6 40. Rb3 Nc8 0 : 1. Don’t think it’s all nonfiction. Tomorrow Magnus Carlsen will be awarded the Grand Chess Tour trophy. He can always give it away in exchange for a kiss.

Climb the Wind

Magnus Carlsen – Michael Adams
9th London Chess Classic; London, December 9, 2017
5R2/1k5p/8/2rN1p2/2B1pP2/7r/1P6/4K3 w - - 7 51

Position after 50. ... Kc7-b7

And finally 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen won a game in one of his most uninspired Grand Chess Tour’s shows. Even today he risked to lose, but, thank to his supernatural skill as an endgame player, he somehow managed to wake up from his nightmare just in time. In the position of the diagram White cannot aim for more than a draw, but... never say never: 51. Rf7+ Kb8? His Majesty should have obviously gone to c6. 52. b3!+− Rh2 53. Nb4 Kc8 54. Na6 Rc6. After 54. ... Ra5 55. Be6+ Kd8 56. Rd7+ Kc8 (idem to say 56. ... Ke8 57. Nc7+ Kf8 58. Rf7+ Kg8 59. Rxf5+) 57. Rxh7+ (or 57. Rd5+) White wins a Rook. 55. Rf8+ Kb7 56. Bd5 Kxa6 57. Bxc6 Kb6 58. Bd7 1 : 0.

Harry and the Magic Wallet

Fabiano Caruana – Viswanathan Anand
9th London Chess Classic; London, December 6, 2017
Spanish Game C65

As it was guessable, Caruana also defeated Anand, and remains the only one who challenged the “draw syndrome” that permeated the screenplay of the Grand Chess Tour’s terminal. You don’t need to ask Yeltsin: that’s only means that the big hunt to Rex Sinquifeld’s wallet has just started, and if it should fail, it will be a trouble to Agon Limited, which will have to actually fund the purse of the next World Chess Championship match. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nc3 0-0 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. h3 Nd7 8. Be3 Bd6 9. Ne2. After 9. Qd2 c5 10. 0-0 Nb8 11. Nh2 Nc6 12. Ne2 Nd4 13. Rae1 Be6 14. b3 a5 Black has no problems at all, M. Adams – Caruana, 2nd Gashimov Memorial, Şəmkir 2015. If, instead, 9. 0-0 there might follow 9. ... Re8 10. a4 a5 11. Nd2 b6 12. Nc4 Ba6 13. Nxd6 cxd6 14. f4 f6 15. Qg4 Nf8 16. Qg3 Ra7 17. Rf3 Rf7 18. Raf1 Ne6 with satisfactory play for Black, Caruana – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Speed Chess Championship, Chess.com 2017, match game 8 (5’+2” per move). 9. ... Re8. Or 9. ... c5 10. Ng3 Re8 11. Nf5 Nf8 12. Nd2 Qf6 13. Qf3 Bxf5 14. exf5 e4 with wild complications, Karjakin – Malakhov, 67th Moscow Blitz Championship, Moscow 2013. 10. g4!? Nc5 11. Ng3 Ne6 12. Nf5 c5 13. h4 a5 14. h5 Ra6 15. Qd2 Nd4 16. Rh3 Bf8 17. 0-0-0 Be6 18. Kb1 f6 19. c3 Nxf3 20. Rxf3 c4. Black played wonderfully so far, but now there were sound arguments for preferring 20. ... h6! (Stockfish) neutralising any possible attacking challenge. 21. Qc2 cxd3 22. Rxd3 Qc8 23. g5! fxg5 24. Bxg5 Bf7

25. h6! gxh6 26. Bc1 Qe6 27. b3 a4! 28. c4 axb3 29. axb3 Qc6 30. Rg3+ Kh8 31. Rd1 b5 32. c5 b4? Anand’s first serious misstep. Black ought to play 32. ... Qxc5 33. Qxc5 Bxc5 34. Rd7 Bg6 (34. ... Be6 is also possible) 35. Bxh6 Bf8 with rough equality. 33. Bb2. Now the threat of Rd1-d8 may become incumbent on Black; for instance: 33. ... Bxc5?? 34. Rd8! Bd4 35. Rxd4! winning at once. 33. ... Bg6? The last and fatal mistake as it allows White’s next move. 33. ... Qxc5 34. Qxc5 Bxc5 35. Rd7 Bg6 36. f4 was obviously unpleasant for Black, but not that dramatic. 34. Rd5! Qb5 35. Rg1 c6 36. Rxe5 Rxe5 37. Bxe5+ Kg8 38. Bd4 Kf7 39. Nh4 1 : 0.

Barden’s Counter-Attack

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Fabiano Caruana
9th London Chess Classic; London, December 5, 2017
Sicilian Defence B48

Finally something happened in London. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3 Ne5 8. Qg3 b5. Just an excerpt from Karjakin’s “book”: 8. ... h5 9. f3 b5 10. 0-0-0 d6 11. f4 Ng4 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 Bd7 15. Be2 g6 16. Qf3 Rc8 17. Rhf1 Rh7 18. Kb1 Bb4 19. Ne4 Qxe5 20. h4 f5 21. Ng5 Re7 22. Qb7 Bc5 23. Ngf3 Qc7 24. Qxa6 Bxd4 25. Nxd4 Kf8 26. c3 Nf6 27. Bxb5 Bxb5 28. Qxb5 e5 29. Qa6 Kg7 30. Ne6+ Rxe6 31. Qxe6 Re8 32. Qd6 Qb7 33. Rfe1 Re7 34. g3 Ne4 35. Qb4 Qxb4 36. cxb4 Nxg3 37. b5 f4 38. b6 f3 39. Rg1 Ne2 40. Rgf1 e4 41. a4 Ng3 42. Rf2 1 : 0 Karjakin – Giri, Grand Prix 2014-2015, 2nd stage, Tashkent 2014. 9. 0-0-0 Nf6 10. f4 Neg4 11. Bg1 h5 12. e5 b4 13. Na4 Nd5 14. Nb3. The alternative was 14. h3 Nh6 15. Bd3 g6 16. Be4 Bb7 17. Qf3 Nf5? (17. ... Rc8! seems okay for Black) 18. Nxf5 gxf5 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5! exd5 21. Nb6 and Black is about to disintegrate, Fier – Leenhouts, 9th Batavia Chess Tournament, Amsterdam 2017. 14. ... Bb7 15. Nac5 Bc6! Caruana’s cooked menu new item. For 15. ... Rc8 16. Bd3 a5 see Nepomniachtchi – 王玥 (Wáng Yuè), 4th SportAccord World Mind Games, Blitz Event, 北京 (Běijīng) 2014. 16. Ne4. 16. Kb1 a5 also seems comfortable for Black. 16. ... f5 17. h3 h4 18. Qe1 fxe4 19. hxg4 Nxf4 20. Rxh4 Rxh4 21. Qxh4 Qxe5 22. Bd4 Ng6 23. Qh3 Qg5+ 24. Kb1 Bd5 25. Bg1? In spite of his minus Pawn, perhaps White could still have hope to hold his own, but not longer after the text, a mistake that allows Black to develop his dark-squared Bishop. 25. ... Be7 26. g3 Ne5 27. Be2 Nf3 28. Bxf3 exf3 29. Bd4 Kf7 30. Nc1 d6. “That’s how you cyberbully someone out of his opening repertoire straight into a win!”, Grandmaster Anish Giri tweeted. 31. Nd3 e5 32. Bf2 Be6 33. Nxb4 e4 34. Qh1 Rc8 35. Nxa6. Desperation. 35. ... Qa5 36. Qh5+ Qxh5 37. gxh5 Bg5. White is a Pawn up, but only to go a very short way. 38. Re1 Bc4 39. Nb4 Re8 40. Re3 Bxe3 41. Bxe3 Re5 42. g4

42. ... Rg5! 0 : 1. “Yesterday I could have been clear first. Now I am clear last”, Karjakin then said.

Magnus, why don’t you ask the staff to put together a robot in order to keep Garry busy quoting the first three chapters of “A for Andromeda” during your playing time?

chess24.com (@chess24com)

Magnus, you really must ask yourself whether it is a good idea to invite him at your wedding day

Garry Kimovich Kasparov (@Kasparov63)

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Birthday?

It’s the price of success. While in London to take part in the 9th London Chess Classic, 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen had to celebrate his 27th birthday in a way consistent with the values and aims his mentor Garry Kimovich Kasparov actually follows. So, he was cajoled into playing the 5th Pro-Biz Cup and losing a blitz game with Kasparov. Who knows what else will come out when the birthday party begins. A can of red balls? The famous last words by Sophia? C’mon, everything passes by, after each winter comes spring again.

Diving Queen 吴敏霞 (Wú Mǐnxiá) celebrating both her birthday and her first month of marriage on November 10, 2017. Photo: weibo.com/wuminxia.

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• Jan Sample, Google’s DeepMind makes AI program that can learn like a human, The Guardian, March 14, 2017

The DeepMind AI mirrors the learning brain in a simple way: it reuses what it has learned and applies it to solve new tasks. Photo: DeepMind.