GRENKE Rd3: Naiditsch beats Carlsen, again!

[Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.04"] [Round "3"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E39"] [WhiteElo "2797"] [BlackElo "2820"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. d4 {0} Nf6 {0} 2. c4 {0} e6 {0} 3. Nc3 {0} Bb4 {0} 4. Qc2 {4} O-O {23} 5. Bg5 {52} c5 {30} 6. dxc5 {30} Qa5 {30} 7. Bd2 {30} Qxc5 {30} 8. e3 {30} Qc7 {30 } 9. Nf3 {30} Be7 {30} 10. Bd3 {30} Nc6 {30} 11. a3 {30} b6 {30} 12. Nb5 {30} Qb8 {30} 13. Bc3 {30} h6 {30 The position will soon resemble a hedgehog. Black will without a doubt kick out the knight on b5 with a6 and follow up with d6. White has two main plans, try to restrain Black by castling kingside and putting his rooks on the c and d files, or pushing for an aggressive g4. Both are viable.} 14. Rd1 {30} (14. g4 $5 {Is not as bad as a computer will tell you it is.}) 14... a6 {30} 15. Nbd4 {30} Nxd4 {30} 16. Bxd4 {30} d6 {30} 17. O-O {30} Bd7 {30} 18. e4 {30} e5 $1 {30 A great strategical decision. Without a knight on c3 to jump to d5 this advance is quite safe and allows Black much needed space for his pieces.} 19. Bc3 {30} Rc8 {30} 20. Qe2 {30} Be6 {30} 21. Nh4 {30} g6 {30} 22. g3 {30} Qc7 {30} 23. Ng2 $5 {30 Sacrificing the pawn Aronian hopes to get his knight into a good square.} (23. Bd2 Bxc4 24. Bxh6 { keeps material equality and is playable.}) 23... Bxc4 {30} 24. Ne3 {30} Bxd3 { 30} 25. Rxd3 {30} Nxe4 {30} (25... b5 $5) 26. Bxe5 {30} dxe5 {30} 27. Nd5 {30} Qd6 {30} (27... Nxg3 {was riskier} 28. fxg3 Qa7 29. Rdf3 {and White has some real threats down the f and e files, it's unclear which continuation was stronger.}) 28. Qxe4 {30 White has compensation for the lost pawn as his powerful knight on d5 and his control over the d-file are strong. Also Black has no clear way of improving his awkard bishop.} Bf8 {30} 29. Rfd1 {30} b5 {30 } 30. Qf3 {30} Kg7 $6 {30 A tactical slip!} 31. Nc3 {30} (31. Nc7 $3 {Would have turned the game around.} Qxc7 (31... e4 32. Rxd6 exf3 33. Rd7 Rab8 34. R1d3 $16) 32. Rd7 Qc4 33. R1d5 $1 Be7 {there is no other way of defending against the threats on the seventh rank.} 34. Rxe7 Rf8 35. Rd6 $1 {With strong pressure.}) 31... Qe6 {30} 32. Rd7 {30} Bc5 $1 {30 Now Black starts consolidating his extra pawn. A blockading bishop on d4 would stop White dead on his tracks.} 33. Qe4 {30} Ra7 {30} 34. Rd8 $2 {30 A blunder in a position that was already very difficult.} Rxd8 {30} 35. Rxd8 {30} Bxf2+ {30 The bishop is taboo due to the fork on b6.} 36. Kg2 {30} Bb6 {30} 37. Rd2 {30} Rc7 {30} 38. Qa8 {30} Bd4 {30} 39. Ne2 {30} Rd7 {30} 40. b4 {30} h5 {30 With time control reached its clear that White is simply down two pawns.} 0-1

[Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.04"] [Round "3"] [White "Adams, Michael"] [Black "Baramidze, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2738"] [BlackElo "2594"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. e4 {0} e5 {0} 2. Nf3 {0} Nc6 {0} 3. Bb5 {0} a6 {4} 4. Ba4 {0} Nf6 {9} 5. O-O {0} Be7 {6} 6. d3 {2} d6 {417} 7. c3 {9} O-O {14} 8. Re1 {28} b5 {72} 9. Bc2 {8 } d5 {23} 10. Nbd2 {92} dxe4 {47} 11. dxe4 {89} Be6 {64} 12. a4 {270} Bc5 {60} 13. Qe2 {229} Ba7 {831} 14. h3 {353} Nh5 {178} 15. Nf1 {461} Qf6 {1665} 16. Bd3 {857} Ne7 $2 {811 Oblivious to the following sequence.} (16... b4 {keeps the game interesting. Black will lose a6 but he has some compensation for it in the form of pressure on the kingside and counterattack against a4.}) 17. axb5 { 688} axb5 {302} 18. Rxa7 $1 {195} Rxa7 {12} 19. Bg5 {11} Qg6 {230} 20. Qe3 {15 A nasty double attack. White threatens the rook on g5, but with the protection of the g5 bishop he also threatens Nh4, trapping the queen!} f6 {71} 21. Qxa7 { 105} fxg5 {17} 22. Nxe5 {1549} (22. Qxc7 {was perhaps even easier.}) 22... Qf6 {29} 23. Ng4 {96} Bxg4 {100} 24. hxg4 {6} Nf4 {73} 25. Bxb5 {188 Black is down two pawns. His pressure on the kingside does not come close to compensating for that.} Nxg2 {398} 26. Kxg2 {170} Ng6 {99} 27. Nh2 {288} Nf4+ {340} 28. Kh1 {39} Nh3 {19} 29. Qe3 {310} Nxf2+ {62} 30. Kg2 {98} Qe5 {16} 31. Bc4+ {22} 1-0

[Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.04"] [Round "3"] [White "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B06"] [WhiteElo "2694"] [BlackElo "2862"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. e4 {25} g6 {0} 2. d4 {27} Bg7 {0} 3. Nc3 {9} d6 {0} 4. Be3 {21} a6 {9 Even though the Modern defense is not practiced by most top level grandmasters, it is not a bad opening; White needs to navigate it well to obtain some sort of opening advantage, and even with it the positions remain double edged.} 5. a4 { 154} Nf6 {693} 6. h3 {97} O-O {361} 7. g4 $5 {418 A typical idea, White is simply trying to restrain Black all over the board, preventing him from executing his breaks, f5 or b5.} e5 {580} 8. d5 {329} c6 {463} 9. Nge2 {243} cxd5 {75} 10. exd5 {23} Bxg4 $6 {251 Maybe an extra exclamation mark for how spectacular it is for the World Champion to do this, but another question mark for how dubious this idea is. Black sacrifice a piece for two pawns, but that's basically all there is to it.} 11. hxg4 {67} Nxg4 {2} 12. Qd2 {1356} Nd7 {71} 13. Ne4 {1009} f5 {906 Black also is able to kick out the e4 knight, but White can live without this square.} 14. Bg5 {84} Qb6 {81} 15. Bh3 {15 Naiditsch's positoin is holding together and now Carlsen is forced to trade some pieces.} Ndf6 {831} (15... Qxb2 16. O-O {looks suicidal. White has the threats of Bxg4 and Rfb1, trapping the queen.}) 16. Nxf6+ {175} Nxf6 {7} 17. Nc3 $6 {156 When you are up material, there rarely is a good reason to give your opponent counterplay. In this case giving up a pawn was not necessary.} ( 17. b3 $16) 17... Qxb2 {99} 18. Rb1 {90} Qa3 {2} 19. Rxb7 {412} Rf7 $6 {854} ( 19... Rab8 $1 20. Rxg7+ Kxg7 21. Bxf5 gxf5 22. Bxf6+ Kxf6 $1 {Is just a draw, according to the heartless monsters.}) 20. Rb3 {179} Qc5 {43} 21. Qe3 {314} Qc7 {172} 22. Qb6 $1 {102} e4 {102} 23. Qc6 {376 A little fancy, just trading was better.} Rc8 {178} 24. O-O {263} Qxc6 {161} 25. dxc6 {5} Rxc6 {8} 26. Rfb1 {33 Carlsen again has three pawns for the piece, but now the pair of bishops and the weak a6 pawn give Naiditsch an obvious target. Not only that, but with the queens off there is little counterplay for Black.} h6 {152} 27. Bxf6 {286} Bxf6 {15} 28. Nxe4 $1 {52 A trade of advantages. The endgame after fxe4 is practically very difficult so Carlsen decides to give up the pawn again.} Be5 { 52} (28... fxe4 29. Be6 Kf8 30. Bxf7 Kxf7 31. Rb6 Rxc2 32. Rxd6 {and the rooks simply destroy all of Black's pawns.}) 29. Nd2 {159} (29. Rb6 $1 {just a touch more exact.}) 29... Rxc2 {27} 30. Nf3 {7} Ra2 {161} 31. Bg2 $6 {344} (31. Nxe5 $1 dxe5 32. Rb6 Rxa4 33. Rxg6+ {White only has one pawn left, but it should be sufficient to win.} Kh7 34. Rbb6 $18) 31... Bf6 {74} 32. Nh2 {41} Kg7 {71} 33. Bd5 {47} Re7 {32} 34. Rb4 {33} Rd2 $1 {38} 35. Bc4 {2} a5 $1 {203} 36. Rb7 {8} Rd4 {82} 37. Rxe7+ {22} Bxe7 {1} 38. Bb5 {22} h5 {69 With the amount of Black pawns he has enough to compensate for the missing piece. However the most important aspect is that White has no real targets: a5 can now be easily defended by the bishop.} 39. Nf3 {28} Rf4 {9} 40. Kg2 {97} h4 {67} 41. Rd1 {586 } Rg4+ {102} 42. Kf1 {59} h3 {68} 43. Rd3 {551} Bf6 {817} 44. Nh2 {505} Rh4 { 186} 45. Kg1 {6} (45. Rxd6 Be5 46. Rd7+ Kf6 47. Kg1 Rb4 48. Rh7 $1 $14) 45... Bd4 {148} 46. Rf3 {469} Kf6 {182} 47. Nf1 {38 with Black's pieces so active and his threatening pawn on h3, it would seem as if only Carlsen is playing for a win.} Be5 {101} (47... d5 $1) 48. Ne3 {118} Kg5 $2 {165 This move is already strange. The king will have to go back to f6 so it does nothing but waste important time.} 49. Kh1 {213} Kf6 $6 {802} 50. Nc4 {64 Suddenly Black has done nothing, meanwhile White slowly brought his knight to take the key pawn on a5!} g5 {32} 51. Nxa5 {343} g4 {272} 52. Rd3 {6} f4 {218} 53. Nc4 {9 Black's pawns look threatening, but they are not queening right away.} Rh7 {140 } (53... g3 54. fxg3 fxg3 55. Nxe5 g2+ 56. Kh2 Kxe5 57. Bd7 {and the pawns start falling (Rxh3 cannot be prevented). Notice that the a-pawn is the correct color to win with.}) 54. Nxe5 {156} dxe5 {14} 55. a5 {46} Rc7 {182} 56. Ra3 {184} Rc1+ {105} 57. Kh2 {8} Rc2 {29} 58. a6 $1 {79 Well calculated, those four connected passed pawns are not as relevant as the one passed pawn on the a-file!} Rxf2+ {61} 59. Kh1 {61} g3 {89} 60. a7 {33} Rd2 {43 One last trick, if White promotes there is backrank mate.} 61. Ra1 {946} 1-0