Mirror Mirrored

Magnus Carlsen – Jan-Krzystof Duda
8th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, October 11, 2020
Semi-Slav Defence D31

Referentially speaking, revenge should be a dish best served cold, but Carlsen has no time to wait, as the double round-robin schedule features today a “mirroring” of yesterday’s pairings: just the same foreground but with reversed colours. 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. b3 b6 6. Bb2 Bb7 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Nge2 Bd6 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Ng3 c5 11. cxd5 cxd4 12. Nce4 Bxg3 13. Nxg3 dxe3 14. dxe6 exf2+ 15. Rxf2 fxe6 16. Qe2 Nc5!? This is a providential improvement on 16. ... Rf7? 17. Qxe6 Bd5 18. Qf5 Qe7 19. Qg5 h6 20. Qh4 Ne8 21. Qxe7 Rxe7 22. Nf5 Rf7 23. Re1 Nc5 24. Bc2 Kf8 25. Ne7 Rxf2 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Kxf2 Bf7 28. Re7 Rd8 29. Ke3 a5 30. Ra7 Nf6 31. Ne7+ Kf8 32. Ng6+ Kg8 33. Ne7+ Kf8 34. Nf5 Re8+ 35. Kd2 Rd8+ 36. Kc1 Ne8 37. Ba3 Nf6 38. Rb7 Kg8 39. Rxb6 Nd3+ 40. Kb1 Ne1 41. Nxh6+ gxh6 42. Rxf6 Rd2 43. Bg6 Bd5 44. Rd6 Nxg2 45. Kc1 1 : 0 Pashikian – Matlakov, 17th European Individual Chess Championship, Gjakova 2016. 17. Bc2 Ba6 18. Qe1

18. ... Qe8? It’s likely that after this plausible mistake Black’s game may no longer be saved. Best seems 18. ... Nd5 in order to answer 19. Rxf8+ Qxf8 20. b4 by 20. ... Nd3 21. Qxe6+ Qf7 with an apparently tenable position. Now White mounts an irresistible attack on Black’s King: 19. Rd1! Rc8 20. b4! Nb7 21. Ne4 Nd5 22. Rxf8+. 22. Ng5+− was also very strong, but Carlsen wants to retain both his Bishops on the board. 22. ... Qxf8 23. Bb1 Qxb4 (23. ... h6 24. Ng3+−)

24. Nf6+! Kh8 25. Qxe6 Ra8. It is as good a way as another to resign a lost game. If, instead, 25. ... Ne7 then 26. Ne8! winning in all variations. 26. Qxd5 1 : 0.

“Frankly speaking, today I couldn’t content myself with nothing less than a win”, Carlsen finally told TV2. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

On Time and Eternity

Jan-Krzystof Duda – Magnus Carlsen
8th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, October 10, 2020
Caro-Kann Defence B15

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 10. Be3 Nd7 11. 0-0-0 b5!? An interesting, although not new, Pawn sacrifice. 12. d5 c5 13. Bxb5 Rb8 14. c4 a6 15. Ba4 Re7!?TN (15. ... Re5 16. Nc3 Nb6 17. Bb3 Bf5 18. Qd2 a5 19. a3 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 Rxb3 21. Nc3 Rb6 22. Nb5 Re6 23. Qxa5 Qb8 24. Rxd6 Rbxd6 25. Nxd6 Qxd6 26. Qa8+ Kh7 27. Qd5 Qxd5 28. cxd5 Rd6 29. Rd1 c4 30. Bc5 Rd7 31. d6 Kg6 32. Rd4 Bd3 33. a4 Bf1 34. g3 Kf5 35. a5 Ke6 36. a6 c3 37. a7 cxb2+ 38. Kxb2 Bg2 39. Rb4 Rb7 40. Kc3 Rxb4 41. Bxb4 Bf3 42. Kd4 Kd7 43. Ke3 Bb7 44. Kf4 Ke6 45. f3 g5+ 46. Ke3 f5 47. h3 Ba8 48. f4 f6 49. Kd4 Bf3 50. Kc5 Bg2 51. Bc3 gxf4 52. gxf4 Be4 53. Bxf6 Ba8 54. Bc3 Bg2 55. Bb4 Ba8 56. Kd4 Bb7 57. Ke3 Ba8 58. Kf2 Bb7 59. Kg3 Ba8 60. Kh4 Bf3 61. Kg5 1 : 0 Ivić – T. R. Hansen, 34th European Chess Club Cup, Porto Carras 2018) 16. Ng3 Ne5 17. Ne4. 17. Nxh5 Rb4! would give Black plenty of initiative — which is what Carlsen is aiming at.

17. ... Reb7! 18. b3 Rb4 19. Bd2 Rxa4! 20. bxa4 Bf5 21. Rde1

21. ... h4? As they say, records are made to be broken — even the Invincibles’ ones. And here is where Carlsen — deliberately or not — decides to end his 125-game unbeaten streak. Best seems 21. ... Ng4! 22. f4 Nf2 23. Rhf1 Nxe4 24. Rxe4 Qd7= with comfortable equality. 22. h3 Ng6 23. Re3 Nf4 24. g4 Bg6 25. Kd1 f5 26. Nxd6 Qxd6 27. gxf5 Bh5+ 28. f3 Qf6 29. Bc3 Qg5 30. Qe4? (30. Rhe1+−) 30. ... Qg2? (30. ... Kh7!) 31. Rhe1 Qxa2 32. Qc2. “I overlooked this Queen move by him”, Carlsen told TV2 afterwards. “Believe or not, I was still thinking I could win. Well, it’s very disappointing”. 32. ... Qxc4 33. Re8+ Kh7 34. Rxb8 Qxd5+ 35. Qd2 Bxf3+ 36. Kc1 Qxf5 37. Re3 Ne2+ 38. Kb2 Nxc3 39. Qxc3 Qf4 40. Qd3+ f5 41. Rf8 Qb4+ 42. Kc1 Be4 43. Qb3 Qd4 44. Qc3 Qd6 45. Rf7 Qg6 46. Rd7 Qg1+ 47. Kb2 c4 48. Rxe4 fxe4 49. Rd4 Qf2+ 50. Qd2 c3+ 51. Kxc3 Qg3+ 52. Kb2 Qxh3 53. Rxe4 Qg3 54. Qd4 Qg2+ 55. Kc3 Qf3+ 56. Kb4 Qf8+ 57. Ka5 Qf5+ 58. Kxa6 g5 59. a5 h3 60. Re7+ Kg6 61. Qg7+ Kh5 62. Qh7+ Kg4 63. Re4+ 1 : 0.

In the end, Carlsen decided that one hundred and twenty-five games of solitude could be enough to widen his outlook on life. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Glaciology

Fabiano Caruana – Jan-Krzystof Duda
8th Altibox Norway Chess; Stavanger, October 6, 2020
Slav Defence D10

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. e3 Nf6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Nc3 a6 8. Bd3 Bg4 9. Nge2 e6 10. 0-0 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Be7 12. a3 0-0 13. Na4 h6!? 13. ... Nd7 14. Rac1⩲ transposes into the games Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn – Grachev, 2nd World Rapid Chess Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2013 and Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn – Al-Sayed, 11th Asian Chess Championship, Manila 2013. 14. Bg3 Nd7 15. h3 Qa5 16. Qd1 Rfc8 17. b4 Qd8 18. Rb1 Ra7. Here 18. ... b5 19. Nc5 Nb6 was worth considering, and if 20. Bc2 then 20. ... Qe8, so as to answer 21. Qd3 by 21. ... g6 with a tenable game. 19. Nc5 Ncb8 20. Qe2 a5 21. Rfc1 axb4 22. axb4 Nf6 23. b5

23. ... b6? This very grave mistake gives White absolute domination of the board. 23. ... Nbd7! was mandatory as well as perfectly playable. 24. Na6! Rxc1+. Now 24. ... Nbd7 is met instead by 25. Rc6! with painful consequences for Black. 25. Rxc1 Nbd7 26. Rc6 Qf8 27. Qc2 Ra8 28. Rc7 Bd6 29. Bxd6 Qxd6 30. Qc6 Qf8

31. Rxd7. Finally, White measures his own advantage simply by quantity. What follows is an almost mechanical display of technique by Caruana. 31. ... Nxd7 32. Qxd7 Rc8 33. g3 Rc3 34. Bf1 Qc8 35. Qxc8+ Rxc8 36. h4 g5 37. Nb4 Kf8 38. Nc6 Ra8 39. Be2 Ra2 40. Kf1 Ra1+ 41. Kg2 Ra2 42. Bd3 Rd2 43. Bf1 f6 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. g4 Ke8 46. Kg3 Rd1 47. Be2 Rg1+ 48. Kh2 Re1 49. Bd3 Rd1 50. Nb4 Kd7 51. Kg2 Ra1 52. f4 Ra3 53. fxg5 fxg5 54. Nc6 Kd6 55. Ne5 Ke7 56. Kf3 Ra2 57. e4 Ra1 58. Ke3 Re1+ 59. Be2 Rg1 60. Kf2 Ra1 61. Nf3 Kf6 62. Ke3 Ra8 63. Bd3 Rg8 64. Bb1 Ke7 65. Ne5 Ra8 66. Bd3 Rc8 67. Nc6+ Kd6 68. Ne5 Rf8 69. exd5 exd5 70. Bf5 Re8 71. Kd3 Re7 72. Bg6 Ra7 73. Ke3 Ke6 74. Bf5+ Kd6 75. Kd2 Ra2+ 76. Kc3 Ra3+ 77. Kb4 Ra7 78. Bc2 Ke6 79. Nc6 Ra2 80. Kb3 Ra1 81. Kc3 Rc1 82. Ne5 Rg1 83. Bf5+ Ke7 84. Nd7 Rc1+ 85. Kb3 Rc4 86. Nxb6 Rxd4 87. Kc3 Rd1 88. Nc8+ Kd8 89. b6 d4+ 90. Kc2 Re1 91. Nd6 Re3 92. Nf7+ Ke7 93. b7 d3+ 94. Kd1 1 : 0.

Duda got entangled into Caruana’s deceptively unambitious opening. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Odyssey Two

Almost everything is ready for the 8th Norway Chess to start “over the board” Monday in Stavanger, Norway. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual single 10-player round-robin has been turned into a 6-player double round robin, with the same format as last year, including Armageddon. Aside from Magnus Carlsen and Aryan Tari, all others had to quarantine on arrival in Norway; namely they are (in alphabetical order): Levon Grigori Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Jan-Krzystof Duda, and Alireza Firouzja. This is also the last stop before Caruana go back to Yekaterinburg, Russia (or, who knows, maybe to Tbilisi, Georgia), where on November 1 he will have to play the eight round (as well as other six rounds in the following days) of the Candidates Tournament, which was truncated halfway last March 26 due to Russia’s ban of all air traffic to and from everywhere.