Mistress of the Kings

Garry Kimovich Kasparov – Viswanathan Anand

6th Grand Chess Tour; 3rd stage; Blitz Tournament; time control: 5 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Zagreb, July 11, 2021

Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 c6 7. Qc2 g6 8. e3 Bf5 9. Qb3 Qb6 10. Nh4 Be6 11. Bd3 Nh5 12. Be5 0-0 13. g4!? Bxg4!? Anand does not fear to take the responsibility of capturing the Pawn. The more cautious 13. ... Ng7 has also worked well for Black: 14. Bxg7?! (14. Nf5! f6! 15. Nh6+ Kh8 16. Bg3 c5⇄) 14. ... Kxg7 15. Qc2? (⌓ 15. h3) 15. ... Qd8 16. Ng2 Bxg4 17. Nf4 Qh4∓/−+ Radovanović – Bosman, 32nd European Chess Club Cup, Novi Sad 2016 — but that was not entirely due to the second player’s merit. 14. Rg1 Be6

15. Qc2? Curiously enough, as in the aforementioned game, 15. Qc2 is probably White’s decisive mistake! White ought to play 15. Qd1! Ng7 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qh5 Rg8! 18. f4! (Δ f4-f5) with good prospects for initiative. 15. ... Nd7 16. Bxg6!? Very bullish, but once you say A, you must also say B. 16. ... fxg6 17. Nxg6 Nxe5! 18. Nxf8+ Kxf8 19. dxe5

19. ... Qc7 (19. ... d4!−+) 20. f4 Qf7 21. 0-0-0 Bf5 22. Qb3 a5 23. Ne2 Ng7 24. Nd4 Bc5? (24. ... Be4 25. f5 Qe7−+)

25. Rg3? No time to calculate! Yet salvation was there: 25. Rxg7! Kxg7 26. Nxf5+ Qxf5 27. Qxb7+ Kh6 28. Qxc6+ Kh5 29. Qxa8 Bxe3+ 30. Rd2 Bxd2+ 31. Kxd2 Qxf4+ with a likely draw. 25. ... Bxd4 26. exd4 0 : 1. And here Kasparov exceeded the time limit for the second time against Anand.

Maybe it’s worth mentioning how Kasparov eventually apologised to his fans for not doing more: “Sorry I couldn’t do better [...] But time is undefeated, and Caïssa is a jealous mistress who punishes anyone who ignores her as much as I do!”. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Life Happens

Garry Kimovich Kasparov – Jorden van Foreest

6th Grand Chess Tour; 3rd stage; Blitz Tournament; time control: 5 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Zagreb, July 11, 2021

Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. c4 Qb4+ 9. Nd2 Nf4 10. Qe3. 10. Qe4 Ne6 11. f4 (⌓ 11. Be2 followed by 0–0 and Be2-f3) 11. ... Bb7 12. a3 Qb6 13. Nf3 c5 is fine for Black, Walbrodt – Marco, Hastings 1895 Chess Tournament, Hastings 1895. 10. ... Ng6 11. Bd3 Bc5?!TN (11. ... Qb6 12. Nf3 Bb4+ 13. Kf1 Be7 14. h4 Bb7 15. b4 Qxe3 16. Bxe3 f6 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Re1 0-0 19. h5 Ne5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. c5 a5 22. Rd1 axb4 23. Bc4+ Kh8 24. Rxd7 Ba6 25. Bxa6 Rxa6 26. Rh4 Rxa2 27. Rxb4 h6 28. f4 Rc2 29. Re4 Bc3 30. Rde7 Rf5 31. Rxc7 Rxh5 32. Kg1 Re2 33. Rxc6 Rxe3 34. Rxe3 Bd4 35. Kf2 Bxc5 ½ : ½ Kristjánsson – Kortschnoi, 1st Hrókurinn Chess Tournament, Reykjavík 2003) 12. Qg3↑ 0-0 13. 0-0 d6 14. Nb3

14. ... Nxe5? Better was 14. ... dxe5 after which there could follow 15. Bd2 Qb6 16. h4! with White having the upper hand. 15. a3!? Much stronger was 15. Bd2! Qb6 16. Ba5 Qa6 17. Bc3+− with crushing effect. 15. ... Qb6 16. Nxc5 Qxc5 17. Be3 Qa5 18. b4 Qa4 19. Bd4 f6

20. Bxe5?! Throwing away all his advantage. In order to maintain the initiative, White would have done better to keep the light-squared Bishop by 20. Bb1 to follow with f2-f4 (of course Black cannot play 20. ... Nxc4?? because of 21. Qd3+−). 20. ... fxe5 21. f4 Bf5 22. fxe5 Bxd3 23. Qxd3 dxe5 24. Qd7 Qb3?! 24. ... a5!= was a simpler way to equalise. 25. Qxc6 Qe3+ 26. Kh1 Kh8?! 26. ... Rad8 is still a tough defence. 27. Rfe1 Qc3 28. Qxc7 Rac8? 28. ... e4 seems best as after 29. c5 e3 30. Qg3± it is anything but easy for White to take advantage of his extra Pawn. 29. Qxa7 Rxc4 30. h3. White’s two passed and united Pawns are enough to win. 30. ... Rcf4 31. Qc5 Qb2 32. Qxe5 Qb3

33. Qe3. Maybe it is just a minor detail, but 33. Qxf4! would have ended the game immediately. 33. ... Qc4 34. Rac1 Qf7 35. Qg3 h6 36. b5 Qd5 37. a4 Rxa4 (37. ... Rf3!? 38. Re5!+−) 38. Rb1 Rf5 39. b6 Rg5 40. b7! Qxb7 41. Qxg5 1 : 0.

No matter who wins or loses, that’s “A truly special moment! Never thought I’d get the opportunity”, Jorden van Foreest said. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Two Men by the Sea

Viswanathan Anand – Garry Kimovich Kasparov

6th Grand Chess Tour; 3rd stage; Blitz Tournament; time control: 5 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Zagreb, July 10, 2021

Sicilian Defence B96

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qc7. “This move has been a favourite of the Soviet GM Balashov for many years. Black allows his Kingside Pawns to be weakened by Bg5xf6, but hopes for compensation in the two Bishops”, Ken Smith and John Hall wrote in their book “Modern Art of Attack”, Chess Digest, Dallas, 1988, p. 131. 8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. Qf3. Kasparov’s experiences with 9. Be2 date back to happy days as a predestined Word Champion: 9. ... Nc6 10. Qd2 (10. Nb3 b5 11. Bh5 Bg7 12. Qg4 0-0 13. 0-0-0 Ne7 14. Nd4 b4 15. Nce2 f5! 16. exf5 e5! 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Qg5 h6 19. Qg3 Nxf5 20. Nxf5 Bxf5 21. Rd2 Rac8 22. Qb3 e4 23. Kb1 Be6 24. Qg3 Qa5 0 : 1 Yudasin – Kasparov, 49th USSR Chess Championship, Frunze 1981) 10. ... Bd7 11. 0-0-0 h5 12. Kb1 Be7 13. Bf3 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 0-0-0 15. f5 Kb8 16. Qd2 h4 17. Ne2 Bc8 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Nf4 Rhg8 20. Qe3 Rg5 21. Rd3 Bf8 22. Rhd1 Bh6 23. Ne2 h3 24. g3 Rh5 25. Qf2 Rc5 26. Nd4 Rc4 27. Qe2 Rg8 28. b3 Rc5 29. Qf2 Re5 30. Qf1 d5 31. Qxh3 dxe4 32. Bxe4 Bg7 33. Bf3 f5 and Black’s two Bishops compensate for the Pawn, Timman – Kasparov, International Tournament, Nikšić 1983. 9. ... b5 10. a3 Nc6 11. 0-0-0. Three rounds earlier, Kasparov suffered a burning defeat at the hands of the young Dutch star Jorden van Foreest: 11. Nxc6 Qxc6 12. f5 Qc5 13. Be2 Ra7 14. 0-0-0 Qe5TN (14. ... Rc7 15. Rhf1 Rg8 16. fxe6 fxe6 17. Qxf6 Qg5+ 18. Kb1 Qxf6 19. Rxf6 Bg7 20. Bh5+ Kd8 21. Rf7 Be5 22. Rxc7 Kxc7 23. Bf3 Bxc3 24. bxc3 e5 25. Rd3 Kc6 26. h3 ½ : ½ van der Wiel – Tukmakov, 46th Hoogovens International Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 1984) 15. Rhf1 Rc7 16. Kb1 h5 17. h4 Be7 18. Qe3 Qc5 (18. ... Rb7!?) 19. Qg3 Kf8 20. fxe6 fxe6? (⌓ 20. ... Bxe6) 21. Qg6 Qe5 22. Rd3 Bd8 23. Rg3 Rf7 24. Rg5! Qd4 25. Bxh5 1 : 0 J. van Foreest – Kasparov (Round 10). 11. ... Nxd4 12. Rxd4 Qc5. The round before, Kasparov tried, with little luck, to frighten Polish Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda (another young bright star of Caïssa’s pantheon) with 12. ... Rb8 13. Be2 Bd7 14. f5 Qc5 15. Rhd1 Qe5 16. Qh5 Be7 17. fxe6 Bxe6 18. Nd5 Qxh5 19. Bxh5 Rg8 20. Nc7+ Kd8 21. Nxa6 Rb6 22. Nb4 Rxg2 23. R4d2 Rxd2 24. Kxd2 f5? (the same idea could be executed without material losses by 24. ... Bf8 followed by the transfer of the Bishop to the h6-c1 diagonal) 25. exf5 Bg5+?? 26. Ke2 1 : 0 Duda – Kasparov (Round 12). 13. Rd3 Rb8 14. b4 Qa7 15. f5 a5 16. Na2 Be7 17. Be2 h5 18. Kb1 Bd7 19. Rhd1 h4

20. bxa5!? Anand apparently doesn’t fear the consequences of such a weakening of his castle. 20. Qg4 was probably safer and more profitable. 20. ... Qxa5. 20. ... b4!? 21. axb4 Qxa5 doesn’t make all that difference, as after 22. Rb3 Qe5 23. b5 White stands better. 21. Nb4 Rc8 22. Qg4? White could no longer afford a “zero risk” safety policy and had to take the plunge — 22. Rxd6! Bxd6 23. Rxd6 Qc7 24. Qd3 with a cushing bind. 22. ... Kf8 23. fxe6 Bxe6 24. Qf3 Rc5 25. Qe3 f5? An impulsive move that should cost the game. A reasonable continuation was 25. ... Kg7 and if 26. Nd5 then 26. ... Bxd5 27. exd5 Qc7 with complex but basically stable play.

26. Bf3? Anand errs in too much caution. 26. Rxd6! Bxd6 27. Rxd6 Qc7 28. e5+− would have been crushing. 26. ... fxe4? But Kasparov misses his great opportunity for redemption — 26. ... Bf6!↑ in order to carry out the attack, if allowed as possible, with ... Kf8-g7 followed by ... Rh8-a8 and ... Qa5xb4+. 27. Bxe4 Rc4? And here he misses his last chance to save the game: ⌓ 27. ... Rhh5! so as to reply to 28. Rf1 with 28. ... Rc4 29. Bd5 Re5∞ still staying in the safety zone. 28. Bd5 Bf6. Threat: ... Rc4xb4+. 29. Bxc4 bxc4 30. Rxd6 1 : 0. Black lost on time, but his position was bad enough to be resigned.

The two who sat on the roof of the world could not deny themselves the thrill of sailing on a board along the Adriatic Sea. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

King Kong

The 3rd stage of the 6th Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is set to kick off in Zagreb, Croatia on July 7, 2021. 10+1 élite Grandmasters will compete in the Rapid & Blitz combined. Wildcards include two legendary World Chess Champions, Garry Kimovich Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand (pictured above, on top of the World Trade Center at New York in 1995), who will meet again each other at a board in the blitz tournament. Photo: Owen Williams, The Kasparov Agency.

Window on the Seine

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Levon Grigori Aronian

6th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Paris Rapid; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Paris, June 19, 2021

English Opening A13

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. Ne5 Qc8 8. b3 Nc6 9. Nxd7 Qxd7 10. Bb2 Be7 11. 0-0 Rc8 12. Rd1 0-0 13. Nc3 a6!?TN (13. ... Rfd8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 b6 16. Rac1 Bg5 17. h4 Bh6 18. Bc3 g6 19. e3 Bg7 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. d4 Ne7 22. Bf3 cxd4 23. Rxc8 Qxc8 24. Rxd4 Rxd4 25. Qxd4+ Kg8 26. h5 Qc7 27. Qf6 Nf5 28. Kg2 Ng7 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Be4 Ne8 31. Qd4 Nd6 32. Bf3 Nf5 33. Qd2 Qe5 34. a4 Kg7 35. Qd3 Qc5 36. Qd2 a5 37. Qb2+ Kf8 38. Qf6 Ke8 39. Qh8+ Ke7 40. Qb8 Qd6 41. Qc8 Qb4 42. Qc7+ Kf6 43. Qd8+ Kg7 44. Qd3 Qc5 45. Qd2 Nd6 46. Qd3 Kf6 47. Qd2 Ke7 48. Qd3 Ne8 49. Qe4 Nf6 50. Qb7+ Kf8 51. Qb8+ Kg7 52. Qd8 Qb4 53. Qd3 Ne8 54. Kf1 Kf8 55. Qc2 Nf6 56. Kg2 Qd6 57. Qc8+ Kg7 58. Qc3 Qd8 59. b4 axb4 60. Qxb4 Kg8 61. Qc3 Nd7 62. Kg1 Nc5 63. a5 Qc7 64. axb6 Qxb6 ½ : ½ Harika – L. van Foreest, 80th Tata Steel Challengers Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2018) 14. Rac1 b5 15. Qf4 h6 16. d3 Rfd8 17. Qd2 Qa7 18. e3 Qb6 19. Qe2 Nb4 20. a3 Nbd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. d4 Nf6 23. dxc5 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Bxc5 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Qh5

26. ... Bxa3? It’s hard to say what Aronian may have been thinking as he captured such a poisoned Pawn. Instead he should give up a Pawn by 26. ... Be7 27. Qxh6 (now Black can reply to 27. Rd7 with 27. ... Rc7) 27. ... Rd8 with good chances for defence. 27. Rd7! Rf8 28. Be4! f5 29. Qxh6 fxe4. Or 29. ... Qc5 30. Qg5+ Kh7 (if 30. ... Kh8 then 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Bf3 and the threat of Qf6-g5+ followed by Rd7-d4 costs Black a heavy price) 31. Rd5! Qc6 (not 31. ... exd5 on account of 32. Bxf5+ followed by mate in two) 32. Qh4+ Kg7 33. Rxf5! winning handily.

30. Rd5! The Rook joins the mating attack, thanks to the pin on the 6th rank. After that there is nothing for Black to do but leave the stage: 30. ... Qxe3 31. Qxe3 exd5 32. Qg5+ Kh8 33. Qxd5 f5 34. Qd4+ Kg8 35. b4 Bc1 36. Qb6 Rf7 37. Qxa6 e3 38. Qc8+ 1 : 0.

Of course, there is at least one obvious reason why Nepomniachtchi is interested in showing that he is in pretty good form. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Last Tango in Paris

Wesley So – Richárd Rapport

6th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Paris Rapid; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Paris, June 18, 2021

Nimzo-Indian Defence E41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Ne2 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. 0-0 Nf6 10. Bc2 0-0 11. a3 Bxc3 12. bxc3 e5!?TN (12. ... Qa5 13. c4 Rd8 14. Bb2 Qh5 15. Qe1 b6 16. d5 exd5 17. Nf4 Qh4 18. Nxd5 Be6 19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20. Qe4 Qxe4 21. Bxe4 Rd6 22. Rac1 Rc8 23. Bxf6 Nd4 24. Rfd1 Ne2+ 25. Kf1 Ng3+ 26. hxg3 Bxc4+ 27. Kg1 Rxf6 28. Rd7 a6 29. Bd5 b5 30. Rc3 Rb8 31. Bxc4 bxc4 32. Rxc4 Rb1+ 33. Kh2 Rxf2 34. Rd8+ Kg7 35. Rg4+ Kf6 36. Rf4+ Rxf4 37. gxf4 Kf5 ½ : ½ del Rio de Angelis – Salgado López, 7th Ibero-American Chess Championship, Linares 2019) 13. Bg5 exd4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. cxd4 h6 16. Bh4 Re8 17. Qd3 Bd7 18. d5 Rc8 19. d6 (Δ Bh4xf6) 19. ... g5 20. Bg3

20. ... Ne4? This seems to be the losing move, leaving White in command of the central files. Probably better was 20. ... Qa5 so as to reply to 21. Rac1 with 21. ... Qd5 forcing the exchange of Queens and remaining with a tenable game. 21. Rae1 Rc3 22. Qd1 Nxg3 23. hxg3 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Be6. Yet Black cannot take on a3 because of the penetration of White’s Rook to e7. 25. Qd2 Rxa3. Now finally, he does it. 26. Rd1. But the d-file is also enough for the White Rook. 26. ... Bd7 27. Qb4 Ra2 28. Qb3 Ra5 29. Qxb7 Kg7 30. Re1 Rc5 31. Qe4 Qf6 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. Re7 Be8. After all, one must be grateful to Rapport for allowing his opponent to finish in style rather than to provide a prosaic display of technique (as would have happened in case of 33. ... Rxc2 34. Qxc2 Qxd6 35. Re1).

34. Bg6! 1 : 0. A devilish interference: if 34. ... fxg6 then 35. Qxh6+ followed by mate in two, while in case of 34. ... Qxg6 35. Qh8+ Qg8 36. Qxh6+ (or 36. Rxe8+) 36. ... Qg7 37. Rxe8+ White takes it all.

Invisibility to Invincibility

Magnus Carlsen – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
5th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Zagreb, July 7, 2019
Grünfeld Defence D85

16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen handily won his sixth classical super-tournament in a row and broke all records, so from now on, only he himself will be able to outdo himself. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8. Be3 Qa5 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. Rb1 cxd4 11. cxd4 0-0 12. Qxa5 Nxa5 13. Bd3 Bg4 14. 0-0 Bxf3?! This is probably the beginning of all Black’s troubles, as is tellingly shown by a somewhat similar game: 14. ... Rfd8 15. d5 Bxf3 16. gxf3 e6 17. Bg5 f6 18. Bd2 b6 19. Bxa5 bxa5 20. Bc4 Rac8 21. Ba6 Rc7 22. dxe6 Bh6 23. Bb7 Rd3 24. Bd5 Kf8 25. Rb8+ Ke7 26. Rfb1 Rd2 27. R1b7 Rdc2 28. Rh8 Rxb7 29. Rxh7+ Kd6 30. Rxb7 Rc7 31. Rb8 Bg5 32. Rd8+ Ke5 33. Rg8 f5 34. Rxg6 Bh4 35. Rh6 Rg7+ 36. Kf1 Bg5 37. Rh5 1 : 0 Ragger – Sutovsky, 31st European Chess Club Cup, Skopje 2015. In his need for theoretically sounder models, Black also tried 14. ... b6 15. Rfc1 Rfd8 16. d5 e6 17. Bf4 exd5 18. exd5 Rac8 19. d6 Bf8 20. Rxc8 Bxc8 21. Rd1 Nb7 22. Bc4 Kg7 23. Ng5 Nxd6 24. Ne4 Nb7 25. Be5+ Kh6 26. Bf4+ Kg7 27. Be5+ Kg8 28. Nf6+ Kh8 29. Ne8+ Kg8 30. Nf6+ Kh8 31. Ne8+ Kg8 32. Nf6+ Kh8 33. Ne8+ Kg8 34. Nf6+ ½ : ½ Wiedenkeller – Domínguez Pérez, 31st European Chess Club Cup, Skopje 2015. 15. gxf3 e6 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Bf1 b6 18. Ba6 Rd6 19. Rbc1 Rad8 20. Bg5 f6 21. Be3 h6 22. Bb5 f5

23. d5! Carlsen makes his final breakthrough in a well calculated sequence. 23. ... g5 24. Bd2 fxe4 25. fxe4 a6 26. Ba4. 26. Bxa6? exd5 27. Bb4 allows Black to reply with 27. ... Rc6 still making defence possible. 26. ... exd5 27. Bb4 Re6 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. exd5 Re4 30. Rc8+ Kf7 31. a3 Be5 32. Be8+ Kg7 33. d6 Rd4. 33. ... Nb7 34. d7 Bf6 (34. ... Rd4 transposes into the game) 35. Bf8+! also ends in a triumph of White. 34. d7 Nb7 35. Be7 Re4 36. Rc6 Bd4 37. Rc7! 1 : 0.

Magnus Carlsen just thinking out loud. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

Through the Eye of the Needle

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Magnus Carlsen
5th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Zagreb, July 4, 2019
Catalan Opening E05

Magnus Carlsen also crushed 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) — actually the world No. 3 — with stunning power, and for the first time in classical time control. That means that the search for the next challenger will likely become a still more exclusive affair among very few rich people. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 dxc4 7. Qc2 b5 8. a4 b4 9. Nfd2 Nd5 10. Nxc4 c5 11. dxc5 Ba6!? This new move by Carlsen upset 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) enough to make him think long and hard. 12. Ne3 Nd7 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. c6 Rc8 15. Bf4 Nc5 16. c7 Qd7 17. Nd2 g5. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) has now to defend his precarious “drawing zone” being a hour behind his opponent, which is going to be a “mission impossible” against the Carlsen of today.

18. Be5 f6 19. Bd4 Rxc7 20. Qd1 Ne6 21. Nb3 Bc4 22. Na5 Nxd4 23. Qxd4 Kg7 24. Rfc1 Bxe2 25. Rxc7 Qxc7 26. Re1 Bc5 27. Qxd5 Re8 28. Qb7. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) enters an endgame which he feels to be drawable, but that instead will end with the triumph of Black’s Bishop pair. All things considered, then, 28. Qc6 Qxc6 29. Nxc6 Bh5 was worth considering as possibly giving better drawing prospects. 28. ... Qxb7 29. Nxb7 Bf8 30. Bc6 Re7 31. f3 Bc4 32. Rxe7+ Bxe7 33. Kf2 f5 34. Ke3 Bg8 35. Kd3 g4 36. Na5 Bc5 37. Nc4 Bg1 38. Ne3 Be6 39. fxg4 fxg4 40. Ke2 h5 41. Bd5 Bd7 42. Bb3 Bxh2 43. Kf2 h4 44. gxh4 Be5 45. Nc4 g3+ 46. Kg1 Bf4 47. Bd1 Bc6 48. b3 Kh6 49. a5 Be4 50. Kf1 Kg7 51. Kg1 Kf6 52. Kf1 Ke6 53. h5 Kd5 54. a6 Kd4 55. Bg4 Kc3 56. Be6 Bc2 57. Na5 Bc7 58. Nb7 Bd3+ 59. Kg1 Bxa6 0 : 1. “Win is a win, but this one is special”, Carlsen finally said.

Thanks to his win against 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), Carlsen remains in the lead with ½ point ahead of Wesley So. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

Jump Seat

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Magnus Carlsen
5th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Zagreb, July 3, 2019
Sicilian Defence B30

Yesterday Carlsen successfully defeated his nemesis Nepomniachtchi taking also the lead of the tournament. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5. Carlsen chivalrously gives the odds of the centre light squares. 4. Bc4 g6 5. d3. Somewhat similar may be 5. h4!? h6! 6. h5 g5 7. Nh2!? Nf6 8. d3 d6 9. Nf1 Bg4 10. f3 Be6 11. Ne3 Bg7 12. Ncd5 0-0 13. c3⩲ Vachier-Lagrave – Carlsen, 6th Sinquefield Cup, Saint Louis 2018. 5. ... h6!? 6. h4 d6 7. h5 g5 8. Nh2 Bg7 9. Ng4 Nge7 10. Ne3 0-0 11. Bd2 Kh8 12. g4 Rb8 13. a4 Nd4 14. Ncd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Ne6 16. f3 Nf4 17. Qb1 Be6 18. Qa2 Qd7 19. Rg1 b6 20. Bc3 Bxd5 21. Bxd5 a6 22. Bd2 Qe7 23. Rf1 b5! White has got nothing, so Carlsen takes his time now. Two thematic breaks will literally disrupt Nepomniachtchi’s nervous balance. 24. axb5 axb5 25. Kf2. A strange walk which gives sense to Black’s next ... f7-f5. 25. ... c4!? 26. Bxf4. If 26. dxc4 then 26. ... bxc4 27. Bxc4 d5! (27. ... f5!? is likewise interesting) 28. Bxd5 f5!∞ with unclear play — but certainly easier for Black. 26. ... exf4 27. Rad1 f5! That’s the point and should not be the end of White’s afternoon. After something like 28. exf5 Qe3+ 29. Kg2 Qe2+ 30. Kh3!? cxd3 31. cxd3 Rbc8!?∞ Black, in spite of his volatile initiative, may hardly hope for more than a draw.

28. gxf5?? g4!−+ 29. d4 Qh4+ 30. Ke2 Qh2+ 31. Rf2 gxf3+ 0 : 1.

“Body language after 28. ... g4 was played”. Caption and photo: Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour).

Trust in a Complex World

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
5th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Zagreb, July 1, 2019
English Opening A20

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. d4 e4 8. Ne5 f5 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Qc2 Nb4 11. Qa4 Bd7 12. a3 Nd5 13. Nc3 Bd6!? A novelty by Nepomniachtchi instead of 13. ... 0-0 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Qb3 c6 16. Bf4 Qb6 with approximate equality, Thiede – Langrock, 2nd International Chess Tournament Cala d’Or, Santanyí 2004. But probably 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) would have put Black to the test with 14. Qc4! (instead of 14. Nxd5) which wins a Pawn, apparently with no obvious drawback. 14. f3! exf3 15. Bxf3 Nb6. In many variations, Black ends up dropping a Pawn, and compensation would be uncertain and difficult to demonstrate. By his move Nepomniachtchi holds tight to his c-Pawn, even though at the cost of keeping the King in the centre (or is he thinking about Queenside castling?). Whatever it is, he’s relying upon his h-Pawn to “steal the initiative”. 16. Qb3 Qf6 17. Be3

17. ... Qg6? This seems to lose precious time. Had he played 17. ... h5! at once, then 18. Bf2 h4! gave Black better chances to “make the basket” (19. gxh4 Rxh4!↑). 18. Bf2 h5. Now, it’s late. 19. e4! h4!? Good or bad — this is, by now, what Black can do, for if 19. ... 0-0-0 then 20. e5 followed by d4-d5 with crushing effect. 20. exf5 Qxf5 21. Rae1+ Kd8 22. Ne4 Qg6 23. Nxd6 cxd6 24. d5 c5 25. a4! The threat of a4-a5 is troublesome enough to make Black’s reply quite foreseeable: 25. ... Bxa4. If instead 25. ... Nxa4 then 26. Re6!! with devastating effect. 26. Qa3! Re8. Black must prevent Re1-e6. 27. b4! 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) methodically tightens the noose, and Black’s end comes rapidly: 27. ... Rc8 28. bxc5 Rxe1 29. Rxe1 hxg3 30. hxg3 dxc5 31. Kg2 Qc2 32. Qe3 Rc7 33. Qe6 Rd7 34. d6 Kc8 35. Rh1 1 : 0.

Nepomniachtchi (right) stretches out his hand to 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) as he resigns the game. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

How Not to Say Goodbye

Fabiano Caruana – Magnus Carlsen
5th Grand Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Zagreb, June 28, 2019
Spanish Game C84

The result of a single game cannot change, of course, the overall relationship strength between the two strongest players on the planet (so far), but it may serve to confirm (or disconfirm) the reliability of Fabiano Caruana as a most likely challenger to Magnus Carlsen even for the next world cycle. Thus, the resilience Caruana showed in his last 16 classical games against the mighty Carlsen may still constitute a powerful argument in his own favour. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 Be7. The Walbrodt Variation. 7. Re1 b5 8. Rxe4 d5 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. Rxe5 bxa4 11. Nc3 0-0. An illustrious reference is 11. ... Be6? 12. Qh5! g6 13. Qf3 Bf6? (this leads to a quick catastrophe, but also after 13. ... c6 14. Bh6 White stands better — Em. Lasker’s analysis) 14. Rxd5! Bxd5 15. Nxd5 Bg7 16. Bg5!+− Em. Lasker – Tarrasch, Berlin 1916, match game 6. 12. Re1!? Here is something of a novelty. Likewise after 12. Rxd5 Bd6 13. Bg5 Qe8 the game is complex with chances for both colours, Kruppa – Ivanchuk, Semifinal of 54th Championship of USSR, Irkutsk 1986. 12. ... Bd6 13. Qh5 a3 14. Nxd5 axb2 15. Bxb2 Rb8 16. Rab1 Re8 17. Ne3 Bf4 18. d5 Rb4 19. c4 Bxe3 20. Rxe3 Rxe3 21. fxe3 Rxc4 22. Bd4 c5 23. Ba1 f6 24. h3 Qe7 25. Qf3 h6 26. Re1 Re4 27. Kf2 Bd7. That is what happened so far, and it is enough to guess the result. 28. Rd1 Kh7 29. Rd2 Qe8 30. Bb2 Ra4 31. a3 Rc4 32. Re2 Qg6 33. e4 Ba4 34. d6 Bc6 35. Qg3 Qxg3+ 36. Kxg3 Kg6 37. e5 fxe5 38. Bxe5 h5 39. Bb2 h4+ 40. Kh2

40. ... Kf5!? 41. Bxg7 Re4!? Carlsen is just pretending not to accept the draw outcome or what? 42. Rxe4 Kxe4 43. Bf6. Two united passed Pawns won’t prove to be enough for Caruana to score a victory, since, in the end, he will end up with the wrong colour Rook Pawn for his Bishop. 43. ... c4 44. Bxh4 c3 45. Bf6 c2 46. Bb2 Kd5 47. g4 Kxd6 48. Kg3 Bb5 49. Kf3 Ke7 50. h4 Kf8 51. h5 Be8 52. Kg3 Kg8 53. Kh4 Kh7 54. Kg5 Bd7 55. Kf4 a5 56. Kg5 a4 57. Kf4 Be6 58. g5 Bf7 59. g6+ Bxg6 60. hxg6+ Kxg6 61. Ke5 Kf7 62. Kd6 Ke8 63. Bc1 Kd8 64. Kc6 Kc8 65. Bf4 c1=Q+ 66. Bxc1 Kb8 67. Kb6 Ka8 68. Bf4 stalemate.

Today’s draw raises to 16 the number of consecutive draws between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

Foufou

Magnus Carlsen – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
5th Grand Chess Tour; 1st stage; Côte d’Ivoire Rapid (25+10); Abidjan, May 9, 2019
Sicilian Defence B90

As expected, 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen won the rapid round-robin of the Grand Chess Tour’s first stage with stunning ease, implicitly suggesting that his last challenger was to have the honour of not being here. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Nb3 Be6 12. h4 gxh4 13. Bxh4 b5 14. f4 b4 15. Na4 Qc7 16. 0-0-0 Rb8 17. Kb1 Na5 18. Nxa5 Qxa5 19. b3 Qc7 20. Be2 h5 21. f5 Bd7 22. Bxg4 hxg4 23. Qg5. White forces a liquidation that will leave him a Pawn ahead, but in a very unstable “ending” of Queen and Rook vs. Queen and Rook. 23. ... Bf6 24. Qxg4 Bxa4 25. Bxf6 Rxh1 26. Rxh1 exf6 27. bxa4 Ke7 28. Qf3 Rc8 29. Qd3 a5 30. Rd1 Rg8 31. Qe2 Rg3! Maybe White could have done better somewhere earlier, but now Black gets an entry for his Rook to take over the third rank with a dynamic equality. 32. Qf2 Ra3! 33. g4

33. ... Rxa4? But this inconsistent move that cuts the Rook off the stage is a grave mistake which loses immediately. Correct seems 33. ... Qc5! 34. Qxc5 dxc5 35. Rd5 Rc3 with a likely draw. 34. g5!+− fxg5 35. f6+ Ke8 36. Qe2 b3 37. axb3 Rb4 38. e5! dxe5 39. Rd5 Kf8 40. Qh5 Rh4 41. Qxg5 Rh7 42. Qd2 1 : 0.

Magnus Carlsen vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

Alloco

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Magnus Carlsen
5th Grand Chess Tour; 1st stage; Côte d’Ivoire Rapid (25+10); Abidjan, May 8, 2019
Sicilian Defence B32

Not too surprisingly, 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen showed himself in great form even in the first African stage of the Grand Chess Tour, which has now come to its fifth edition. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 Be7 8. g3. It’s very unlikely that such a sideline may cause Carlsen to worry about his theoretical conclusions. 8. ... Nf6 9. Bg2 b5 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Nb8 12. 0-0 Nd7 13. c4 0-0 14. cxb5 axb5 15. Nc2 f5 16. Nb4 Bf6 17. Nc6 Qe8 18. a4 Nc5 19. Be3 Nxa4 20. Qc2 Bd7 21. b3 f4 22. bxa4 fxe3 23. axb5 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Bg5 25. b6 exf2+ 26. Kh1 Bc8 27. Rf1 Qf7 28. Qe2 e4

29. h4? Clearly not 29. Bxe4?? on account of 29. ... Bh3−+ winning heavy material. However, Nepomniachtchi misses his only chance to stay in the game with 29. Qxe4! Ba6! (not 29. ... Re8? because of 30. Rxf2! turning the tables) 30. Qe6 Bxf1 31. Bxf1 and White’s powerful Knight on c6 and the passed b-Pawn provide excellent compensation for the Exchange. 29. ... e3!−+ 30. hxg5 Re8! The elegant pointe. Black was perhaps hoping for 30. ... Ba6? 31. g6!∞ (but not 31. Qxa6?? because of 31. ... Qh5+ and mate next move). 31. Kh2 Bg4! As a last act of White’s drama, Black unblocks his e-Pawn just to queen in a few moves. 32. Qxg4 e2 33. b7 Qxb7 34. Rxf2 e1=Q 35. Qf5 Qe3 36. Rf3 Qe2 37. Nd4 Qe5 38. Qg4 Qbxd5 39. Nf5 Qde6 40. Qh5 Qg6 41. Qg4 h5 42. Qc4+ d5 43. Qb5 Qxg5 44. Qd7 h4 45. Rf1 hxg3+ 46. Kg1 g6 47. Bxd5+ Kh8 0 : 1.

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi vs. Magnus Carlsen. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.

Neocolonialism

Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen)

Crown of Cinders

Hikaru Nakamura – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
10th London Chess Classic; tie-break game 4 (5+3); London, December 17, 2018
English Opening A34

Hikaru Nakamura won the 10th London Chess Classic and the 4th Grand Chess Tour Final as well by winning the last blitz game of the tie-breaker against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. Bb5+ Bd7 8. Be2 Bg7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. d4 Bc6 11. Ba3 cxd4!? Theory for tie-breakers is by now a genre in itself: 11. ... b6 12. dxc5 Bxc3 13. Rc1 Bf6 14. Qb3 Qd7 15. Bb2 Bd5 16. Qa3 Nc6 17. Rfd1 Qe6 18. Bxf6 exf6 19. Qc3 Rac8 20. Ba6 Rb8 21. Bc4 Bxc4 22. Qxc4 Qxc4 23. Rxc4 Rfd8 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Kf1 b5 26. Rc2 Kf8 27. Ke2 Ke7 28. Rd2 Rc8 ½ : ½ Fressinet – Nepomniachtchi, 6th Chess World Cup, Baku 2015, tie-break game 6 (5+3). 12. cxd4 Re8 13. Rc1 Qa5 14. Qb3 Nd7? 14. ... e6(!) was almost called for. 15. Bb4 Qf5? Perhaps Vachier-Lagrave thought the République could be saved only if the Queen put herself in the forefront of a cul de sac. 15. ... Qa4 16. Qb1! Rac8 17. Bd2 e6 was obviously a little better than the text. 16. Bd3 Qh5 17. e4 e6 18. h3 Rad8 19. Rfe1 a5 20. Bd2 a4 21. Qb1 Rc8 22. Be2 Bf6. Black’s Queen appears doomed. If else, 22. ... Bh6 23. Ng5 Qh4 24. g3 gives up Her Majesty for something in exchange, though not enough to hope for miracles. 23. Rcd1 Red8 24. Ng5 Qh4 25. g3 Qh6 26. Nxf7 Qxh3

27. Bf1. It’s really a mystery why Nakamura didn’t play 27. Bg4! at once, so maybe let’s say he repeated moves to gain time on the clock. 27. ... Qh5 28. Be2 Qh3 29. Bg4! 1 : 0. “Apparently the key to securing a victory is to move the King’s Bishop 7 times! Pretty finish for the title”, 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kimovich Kasparov tweeted on congratulating Nakamura. And probably it was an euphemism to say that the only way to give sense to such a “Magical Mystery Tour” was to move the Black Queen 8 times.

The Jobless Economy

Hikaru Nakamura – Fabiano Caruana
10th London Chess Classic; London, December 12, 2018
Russian Defence C42

The return game between Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura made the parody of the recent World Chess Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Caruana himself. Nothing happened under the classical time control, so that, for the sake of gamblers and sharpers, the verdict is delivered to the tie-break games, rapid, blitz, and so on till Armageddon. Of course, only time will tell what consequences this will have on the “royal game”’s governance, but it’s hard to think that chess may keep maintaining its deepmind’s status by simply and constantly shortening its horizons and times. A “cult” mind game is a much more complex concept than a sport, and it should not be lowered in a betting market. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 c6 10. h4 d5 11. Kb1 Re8 12. Bd3 Bc5 13. Bd4 Bxd4 14. cxd4 Nf6 15. Rde1 Ne4 16. Qf4

16. ... Qf6 17. Qxf6 Nxf6 18. Kc1. There is at least a certainty about the fact that both in London and Leuven a draw is a draw: 18. Ne5 g6 19. a4 Ng4 20. Nxg4 Bxg4 21. a5 Kf8 22. f3 Bd7 23. Kc1 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Re8 25. Rh1 h6 26. Kd2 Ke7 27. Ke3 Kf6+ 28. Kf4 Bf5 29. Bxf5 gxf5 30. g3 Re2 31. Rc1 Rd2 32. Ke3 Rg2 33. Kf4 Rd2 34. Ke3 Rg2 ½ : ½ Karjakin – Giri, 4th Grand Chess Tour, Rapid YourNextMove, Leuven 2018. 18. ... Rxe1+ 19. Rxe1 Kf8 20. Kd2 h6 21. Ne5 Ng4 22. Nxg4 Bxg4 23. c3 Re8 24. Rxe8+ Kxe8 25. Ke3 g5 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. f3 Be6 28. f4 f6 29. g3 Ke7 30. a3 Bd7 31. Bc2 Be6 32. Bd3 Bd7 33. Bc2 Be6 ½ : ½. “It’s not my job to create excitement as Black, is it?”, Caruana eventually wondered. And yet it should be his job.

The Guy I Left Behind

Fabiano Caruana – Hikaru Nakamura
10th London Chess Classic; London, December 11, 2018
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4. Caruana just can’t forget Carlsen! 5. ... 0-0 6. e3 b6 7. Qc2 Bb7 8. Rd1 Bd6 9. Bg3!? A game from one of Caruana’s helpers continued: 9. Bg5 Nbd7 10. Be2 a6 11. 0-0 Qb8 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Bh4 Re8 14. Bg3 c5 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. b3 Bxg3 17. hxg3 Qd6 featuring a typical hanging Pawn position in which Black seems to be fine, Chirila – Orosz, PRO League Group Stage, Chess.com 2017. 9. ... Nbd7 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. e4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Bxg3!? Very bold, as Black exposes himself to the fire of White’s Rook on the h-file. 13. hxg3 e5 14. Bb5! White seizes the initiative with both hands! 14... c6 15. Be2 Qc7 16. g4! The key to the door. 16. ... Rfe8 17. g5 Rad8 18. Kf1! b5 19. Rh4! a6 20. a4 Qa5 21. g6! Too strong a temptation. 21. ... hxg6 22. Ng5. With the basic threat of Qc2-b3 eventually followed by Rd1-d3-f3-h3. 22. ... Nf8? This scholastic defence might well be worse than 22. ... c5!∞ (Δ ... c5-c4), which would have lead to an unclear and double-edged game. Now Caruana launches his powerful offensive: 23. Rd3! Bc8 24. Qb3 Qc7 25. axb5! axb5

26. Rf3? Yet Caruana seems oblivious to the fact that no other key than the g-Pawn, of course, could open that door! Let’s consider, for example: 26. g4! (simply threatening Rd3-h3) 26. ... Ne6 (26. ... Be6?? 27. Rdh3!! illustrates even better the virulence of White’s threats) 27. Rdh3 still leaving White with a very formidable attack. 26. ... Be6 27. d5 cxd5 28. exd5 Rxd5 29. Nxe6. Now after 29. g4 Nd7! Black’s King manages to escape just in time. 29. ... fxe6 30. Rfh3 e4! 31. Rxe4 Ra8 32. g3 Qc5 33. Re3 Ra3. Now White must be content with a draw. 34. Qb2 Qd6 35. Rh4 Ra4 36. Rhe4 Qa3 37. Qxa3 Rxa3 38. Bg4 Rc5 39. Bxe6+ Nxe6 40. Rxe6 Raxc3 41. Rxc3 Rxc3 42. Rxg6 b4 43. Rb6 b3 44. Kg2 Kf7 45. f4 g5 46. fxg5 Rc2+ 47. Kf3 b2 48. Kg4 Kg7 49. Rb7+ Kg6 50. Rb6+ Kg7 51. Rb7+ Kg6 ½ : ½.

Fabiano Caruana (left) vs. Hikaru Nakamura (right). Photo: Daniel John King (@DanielKingChess).

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.

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.