Newsblog WCC Carlsen-Karjakin, 2016-11-14

by ChessBase
11/14/2016 – Today, at 2 pm local time, Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin started game three of the World Championship Match in New York. Carlsen chose 1.e4 today, played a very well game and reached a very decent, maybe winning position after the first time control. A pawn down, Karjakin defended stubbornly and escaped with a draw. What a game! More...
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Game 3 - Notes by Yasser Seirawan

 
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Notes by Yasser Seirawan - Match play is all about the result. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, explanations all fall before the final score. To get a result a player has to first establish the real battleground: In which lines of Opening play will the match be decided? Match play competition is also an exchange of information. The players start by making informed, educated guesses about their opponents primary Defense, their secondary Defense and so on. A player will play their primary Defense until a disaster before switching to a back-up Defense. For Game One Magnus chose the Trompovsky Opening and in the process learned precisely nothing about Sergey's primary Queen Pawn Defense. In a similar vein, Sergey learned something about Magnus's primary Defense to the King Pawn Opening but by opting out with the safe: 6.d3, instead of 6.Re1, in a Ruy Lopez, he didn't learn enough. The first pair of games were soft, two draws where the balance was barely disturbed. The match was now reduced to a ten game match. Would Game Three finally produce the clash that chess fans were anxious for? 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 Amongst the elite King Pawn Opening players the Berlin Defense has been a huge problem. How to get any advantage as well as how to get play? 4.0-0 The other main try is: 4.d3 Which can be well met by either the active: Bc5 As well as: 4...d6 Transposing into a Classical Ruy where White has committed himself with the d2-d3, tempo. 4...Nxe4 5.Re1 Disappointing. Okay the "Berlin Endgame" that appears after: 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 May not be everybody's cup of tea but the imbalances can lead to rich strategic games. 5...Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re2 Stop the presses! Novelty of the year! Mmm, no. The text has been played a few times over the "standard" move: 10.Re1 Presumably the difference being that when Black readies a Rook swap down the e-file, recapturing on the e2-square is to be preferred. Hmm, such a nuanced difference strikes me as insufficient for a pull. 10...b6 Instead, I'll surmise that against the standard move: 10...Nf5 Magnus had planned to advance his d-pawn: 11.d5!? b6 12.c4!? Ba6 13.Na3 c6 14.Rd2 Is a line of play where the Rook might find a purpose along the second rank. Personally, I'm skeptical of White's play as it feels artificial. 11.Re1 Having coaxed Black into playing: ... b7-b6, the e2-Rook moves yet again, this time to avoid: ...Bc8-a6, which would favor Black with a Bishop trade. Re8 12.Bf4! Rxe1 13.Qxe1 Qe7 13...Bxd4? 14.Bxd6 cxd6 15.Qe4 Bxb2 16.Qxa8 Qf8 17.Nc3 Bxa1 18.Nd5 Bf6 19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Qxa7 Would leave Black's structure in tatters. 14.Nc3 Bb7 15.Qxe7 Bxe7 16.a4 a6 "Before the Endgame, the Gods have placed the Middle-game. And I thank those Gods." So said Tal. The position at hand queries this adorable quote. It feels as if the players have magically avoided a middle-game and embraced an Ending. Perhaps White has a smidgen of something but it sure feels balanced to me. 17.g3 Perhaps angling for an opportunity to play: Bf1-h3, hitting the d7-pawn at an inconvenient moment. g5 An active rejoinder to be sure that helps Black resolve the problem of his misplaced d6-Knight. The downside to this pleasant move is that the f5-square is weakened. Magnus was quick to pounce. 18.Bxd6! Bxd6 19.Bg2! Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Imperceptibly after these trades White does have something in the position. If he can maneuver his Knight to the f5-square, back it up with his g-pawn, he might yet find a serious pull. f5! Nipping the idea in the bud before it could take shape. Not as convincing would be: 20...Re8 21.Nd5 Re2 22.Ne3! Rd2 23.Rd1 Rxd1 24.Nxd1 When White has the more agreeable play. 21.Nd5 Kf7 22.Ne3 Kf6 Sergey has "met" Magnus well and appears to be closing in on a boring draw. 23.Nc4 Bf8 24.Re1 Rd8?! A "mysterious Rook move" an echo of Game Two where Magnus played: Ra8-c8, backing up a c7-pawn. I suppose the idea is to discourage: Nc4-e5, by preemptively defending the d7-pawn. Very sophisticated indeed. The brutes among us might not have been so caring: 24...d5 25.Ne5 Bd6= Strikes me as just fine for Black. 25.f4 gxf4 26.gxf4 b5 27.axb5 axb5 28.Ne3 c6 29.Kf3 It is easy to get lulled to sleep and imagine that nothing is happening but the swap of four pawns has opened up the a-file and the g-file insuring play for the Rooks. On closer inspection a problem has crept into Black's position: The f5-pawn is a greater target than any White pawn. White is ready to seize one of the open files and ready an invasion. White is now for choice. Ra8 30.Rg1 Ra2!? A highly optimistic move to be sure. My concern is that it could be badly timed. The threat of: Rg4-g5, picking off the f5-pawn needs to be taken seriously. Therefore: 30...Bh6! 31.Rg3 d5! 32.Rh3 Bg7! Is a nice way to keep White at bay. If White persists in his attempts to win the f5-pawn he could well miss the mark: 33.Rh5 Ra2 34.b3 34.Rxf5+ Kg6 35.Rg5+ Kf7 Black will win back his pawn. 34...h6 35.Rxf5+ Kg6 White has managed to tangle up his own pieces. 31.b3 c5? Sergey cracks. Up to now, nothing has gone seriously wrong but the text is born from excessive worry. The threat of: Rg1-g5xf5+, is stronger than its execution. Upon cold reflection best was the simple: 31...d5! 32.Rg5 Ke6! 33.Rxf5 Bg7 With a variation similar to the previous note. Black's counter-attack against the d4-pawn gives sufficient counterplay for holding the draw: 34.Rh5 Bxd4 35.Rh6+ Kd7 36.Rxh7+ Ke6 Seems to be finely balanced. 32.Rg8! Kf7 33.Rg2 cxd4 34.Nxf5 d3 35.cxd3 Ra1!? When I don't understand a move I tend to reward it with a (!?) mark as a sign of respect for the players sophistication. In truth this one is a bit beyond my comprehension. Sergey has jettisoned a pawn for active play or what the real cognoscenti would call "dynamic factors." Cool! So why not play actively? Direct, good and compelling was: 35...Ra3! 36.Rb2 Bb4! 37.Ne3 Bc3 38.Rb1 b4 When thanks to Black's active pieces it would be a real technical challenge to win this one. 36.Nd4 b4 37.Rg5 Rb1 38.Rf5+ Ke8 39.Rb5 From an arid desert Magnus has managed to find an oasis. He has consolidated his extra pawn, now, remarkably, he has created real winning chances. Unlike the previous note, the f8-Bishop is now passive as well as a potential tactical target. Rf1+ 40.Ke4 Re1+ 41.Kf5 Rd1 42.Re5+ By no means a bad move. But around these parts Magnus missed a more incisive continuation: 42.Rb8+! Ke7 42...Kf7?! 43.Nf3!± 43.Ke4 Re1+ 44.Kd5 Rd1 45.Nf5+ Kf7 46.d4 Rd3 When appearances can be deceiving. At first blush it seems that there has been a lot of to-and-froing without much happening. In truth, things are going great for White. All his pieces are active and his once dormant d-pawn and f-pawns are playing fine supporting roles. This is laid bare after: 47.Rd8! Rxb3 48.Rxd7+ Kg6 49.Ng3 Re3 50.f5+ Kg5 50...Kh6 51.Rf7! Did I mention the f8-Bishop could become a target? Re8 52.Ne4 White is close to winning now. 51.Ne4+ Kf4 52.Rxh7 b3 53.Nc5 With good winning chances for White. 42...Kf7 43.Rd5 Rxd3 44.Rxd7+ Ke8 45.Rd5 Trading off the d-pawns has benefitted Black. With the reduced material Black need only make a few more pawn swaps and he will be home free to make a draw. Rh3 46.Re5+ Kf7 Natural. But likely wrong. Black's King is more of a target on the Kingside than a stern blockader. For reasons as we will see in the game, there is less danger for Black's King on the d7-square. In addition covering the c6-square is important. 46...Kd7 47.Re2 Bc5 48.Ne6 Be7 When White has a hard task to convert ahead of him. 47.Re2 Bg7 48.Nc6! This is the rub. White defends the b3-pawn indirectly by creating a mating net against Black's King. Rh5+ Doubtlessly played with a heavy heart. Sergey had covertly eyeballed the b3-pawn dreaming that it would soon be his! Not so: 48...Rxb3?? 49.Nd8+ Kf8 50.Ne6+ Kf7 51.Ng5+ With a forced checkmate to follow. 49.Kg4 Rc5 50.Nd8+! Obviously, White wants to keep the game alive. Again, a trade of pawns: 50.Nxb4? Rb5 51.Re4 h5+ 52.Kf3 Bf8 53.Nd3 Rxb3 Is helpful to Black's cause. 50...Kg6 51.Ne6 h5+ 52.Kf3 Rc3+ 53.Ke4 Bf6 54.Re3 h4 55.h3? A careless slip when once again Magnus was close to fitting the noose. An opportunity was present to include the King into the attack by forcibly vacating the f5-square: 55.Nf8+! Kf7 56.Nd7 Threatening a winning King and pawn Ending. Rc2 56...Bd8 57.Ne5+ Ke6 58.Nd3! Bb6 59.Rh3! 57.Kf5! Bg7 58.h3 Is a superior version of the game. 55...Rc1 56.Nf8+ Kf7 57.Nd7 Ke6! The difference between the two lines is now clear: White is prevented from playing: Ke4-f5. 58.Nb6 Rd1 59.f5+ Kf7 60.Nc4 Rd4+ 61.Kf3 Bg5? After fighting so tenaciously Sergey makes an egregious slip which endangers all his hard work. With the draw nearly in sight the simple method was also a direct one, keep attacking the f5-pawn: 61...Rd5! 62.Ke2 Kg7! 63.Rf3 And only now: Bg5! Black's King is ready to sweep away the f5-pawn and secure the coveted draw. 62.Re4 Rd3+ 63.Kg4 And just like that Magnus is back in business. Rg3+ In such positions, there is the "human element" of wanting to eliminate all of White's pawns at the cost of a Bishop and to play K&R versus a K,R&N position. Where possible, you calculate where such an escape might lie. At first blush there appears to be an "easy" draw in view: 63...Bf6 64.Re6 Rg3+ 65.Kf4 Bg5+ 66.Ke4 Rxh3 67.Ne5+ Kf8 68.f6 Rxb3 Exactly at this moment, Black is a happy camper. Just one move away from the goal! 69.Kf5 69.f7! Be7 70.Rg6!+- 69...Bxf6! 70.Kxf6 Kg8 Mission accomplished. A draw is in the offing. How cruel is the scorpion's sting. Go back to move sixty-nine and play: 69.f7! Be7 70.Rg6!, instead. When Black is just lost. Yikes. 64.Kh5 Be7 65.Ne5+ Kf6 66.Ng4+! During the time that this phase of the game was being played I was having dinner at the Closing of the "Showdown" in Saint Louis tournament. In my nearest vicinity was Fabiano, Hikaru and Vishy. We all scrunched around Fabi's smart-phone to follow the cut and thrust. In rapid-fire succession, one defense after another was defeated. The verdict of the table was clear: Magnus was now winning. Our mirth attracted the attention of Veselin Topalov as well. I was beginning to feel out-rated but followed their analysis closely. Kf7 The plausible alternative: 66...Kxf5 Was defeated by the important zwishenzug: 67.Re5+! Kf4 68.Rxe7 Rxh3 69.Rf7+! When Black's King is forced to go into the path of his Rook. Kg3 70.Nf2! While: 70.Rb7 Is also good, the text is much stronger. 70...Rh2 71.Ne4+ Kh3 72.Rf3+ Kg2 73.Rf2+ Forcing the trade of Rooks is the easiest win. 67.Re6 Rxh3 68.Ne5+ Black is now forced to part with his Bishop. Kg7 69.Rxe7+ Kf6 70.Nc6 Kxf5? A move the dinner table had rejected. The conversation had centered on a study-like position that arises after: 70...Rc3‼ 71.Re6+ Kxf5 72.Nd4+ Kf4 73.Kxh4 Rd3! The "collective wisdom" of the table was having a devil of a time here. The analysis continued: 74.Ne2+ Kf3! 74...Kf5?? 75.Rb6+- 75.Nc1 Rd1‼ 75...Rc3 76.Re1 Kf2 77.Rd1 Black's King is cut-off from the Queenside and White's King will march to victory. 76.Rc6 Ke3 77.Rc2 At this moment, the table was reasonably sure that the game was won, as again, Black's King appears to be cut-off and another victorious White King march was in the offing. Vishy forced us away from our dinners with another offering: Rd2! 78.Rc6 Rd1 And no matter how we tried, the win, if it exists proved elusive. 71.Na5?! Missing a golden opportunity to cinch the game: 71.Re1‼ Comes with splendid timing. The text renders any tricks based on: ...Rh3-h1, and pushing the h4-pawn harmless. Secondly, White is ready to play: Ra1-b1, and then collect the b4-pawn. Finally, the King on the h5-square is poised to keep an eye on the h4-pawn. Play might continue: Kf4 This time, the move: 71...Rc3? Has a cruel failing: 72.Ne7+! And Black's King is forced to move into a fatal fork. 72.Rf1+! Ke4 73.Na5! Winning. The key difference is that in this line of play White has managed to bring his Rook to the first rank with gain of tempo. Black is unable to prevent future pawn pluckings. 71...Rh1 72.Rb7?? Tragedy after a supreme effort. With this, the win definitely slipped away. Last chances were still to be had: 72.Rf7+! Ke6 73.Rf2! h3 74.Kh4 Ra1 The plausible alternative: 74...h2? 75.Ra2! Is a rather pretty picture. 75.Nb7 Ra3 76.Rd2! Ke5 77.Nc5 h2 78.Rxh2 Kd5 79.Rc2! At long last, White is winning. 72...Ra1! Sergey seizes his chance to save the game with a study like finish: 73.Rb5+ Kf4! Otherwise the h4-pawn is removed from the board. 74.Rxb4+ What else? White cannot capture the h4-pawn: 74.Kxh4?? Rh1# Is spine chilling. 74...Kg3! 75.Rg4+ Kf2 76.Nc4 h3 77.Rh4 Kg3 78.Rg4+ Kf2 Oh my what a game! The collective wisdom of the table was that if Magnus had won this game 'out of nothing' Sergey would have lost a lot of confidence, conversely thanks to this incredible save we now have a great match in store. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M-Karjakin,S-½–½2016C672016 World Championship

10.51 a.m. Mumbai/ 6.21 a.m. Hamburg/ 00.21 a.m. New York: It was a mammoth fight between world's leading expert on chess technique and the master of chess defence. Game three annotations and key points on the ChessBase India website by IM Sagar Shah.

2:40 / 8:40 pm: Draw! Karjakin defended stubbornly and saved the game. Tomorrow he will have White.

1:40 / 7:40 pm: Carlsen still has a small advantage and will press for a long time...no end in sight.

1:10 / 7:10 pm: 

1:05/ 7:05 pm: Carlsen seems to be unhappy about the latest developments.

Carlsen seems to realize that 48...Rh5 may have saved the game.

 

0:59 / 6:59 pm: According to the search function "similar endgames" in ChessBase 12 or 13, the game Sjugirov-Sasikiriran, Aeroflot Open 2012, comes closest to the current position in Carlsen - Karjakin.

Sjugirov - Sasikiran, position after 46...Nd5. Of course, the colors are reversed to the game Carlsen-Karjakin.

0:45 / 6:45 pm: Judit Polgar attests Karjakin's good practical chances to hold the game. The coordination of the white pieces is a bit disturbed.

0:26 / 6:26 pm:

The Café in the venue is full of players and fans who enjoy the atmosphere, follow and discuss the games and play.

0:06 / 6:06 pm: In the three WCC matches Carlsen has played so far, he took the lead by winning with the white pieces. In 2013 he won game five, in 2014 he already won in game two. Will he succeed this time?

23:53 / 5:53 pm:

Andrew Murray-Watson from AGON (left) talks with German chess journalist Stefan Löffler.

Murray-Watson claims that in the first 48 hours after the start of the match their widget, not including affiliates, had around 500,000  unique visits.

23:46 / 5.46 pm: After having played his 40th move Carlsen looks very confident.

Magnus takes the lead - after 40 moves he is a pawn up and has the better position.

23:29 / 5.29 pm: Carlsen is now a pawn up and should have high winning chances. Karjakin must have misplayed his position in the last hour.

23:07 / 5.07 pm: Carlsen's long-time second Ian Nepomniachtchi anticipates Carlsen's Rg8!

23:02 / 5.02 pm: Carlsen is threatening Rg5, Karjakins counters very actively with 31...c5!? The game becomes more and more interesting! Is ...c5 a brave decision by Karjakin or is he over-enthusiastic?

22:43 / 4.43 pm:

In spite of the lack of action on the board, many spectators still enjoy themselves in the café area.

22:57 / 4.57 pm: Similarities to the 1st game are quite obvious: Carlsen again has the knight vs. the bishop, and he again fixes his pawn on f4.

The position of the 1st game after Karjakin's 26...Kd8

22:37 / 4.37 pm: Judit Polgar is critical of Karjakin's decision to keep the bishop on the board. She would have gone for the pure rook endgame, which she thinks is the safer alternative for Black. She believes that Karjakin will have problems to activate his pieces after Carlsen's f4.

22:23 / 4.23 pm: Karjakin declines the exchange of the minor pieces, Carlsen is trying to make progress with 25.f4.

22:05 / 4.05 pm:

A new version of Magnus Carlsen's mobile app was announced during game three. After the presentation, several TV networks invited the CEO of PlayMagnus (right) to a quick chat.

22:01 / 4.01 pm: According to Judit Polgar, the official commentator of the match, Karjakin has to take care of two things in his position: the e-file and the f5 square. With 20...f5 and 21...Kf7 he does just that and after two hours of play, the position now looks pretty equal and drawish.

21:39 / 3:39 pm: 

21:33 / 3:33 pm: After Carlsen exchanged on d6, Karjakin seems relieved. His weak light squares do not seem to bother him too much.

21:30 / 3.30 pm:

Carlsen's sister is in New York, at the venue. She was recognized very quickly and was soon asked for selfies and autographs.

21:13 / 3:13 pm: Judit Polgar likes Carlsen's position and expects a long and hard defensive task for Karjakin. With his last move 17.g3 the World Champion hints at a possible Bh3!?

20:39 / 2:39 pm: Karjakin has already spent nearly half an hour while Carlsen is still blitzing out his moves.

20:19 / 2:19 pm: 10.Re2 seems to catch Karjakin by surprise as he went into deep thought after this move. The move has indeed appeared rarely so far, Rustam Kazimdzhanov played it against Hrant Melkumyan in the german Bundesliga last year and Spanish GM Vallejo Pons repeated it the Iranian youngster Tabatabaei. Both games ended in a draw.

20:13 / 2:13 pm: The 5.Re1 line does not appear to be the critical test of the Berlin, we can be curious what Magnus has prepared.

20:04 / 2:04 pm: Carlsen goes for 1.e4 this time, Karjakin unsurprisingly chooses the ultra-solid Berlin Defense.

19:36 / 1:36 pm: 25 minutes until the game starts. The venue is considerably emptier today, which is to be expected as it is a Monday. Probably more press than actual spectators at the moment, though this may change later.

19.10 / 13.10 am: Numbers: Game two was the 23rd game with classical time control Carlsen and Karjakin played against each other. In ten of these 23 games, Carlsen had White. Six times he opened with 1.d4 (six draws), two times he chose 1.Nf3 (one win, one loss), one time he played 1.c4 (draw), and one time he opted for 1.e4 - at the Grand Slam Masters Final in Bilbao in July 2016, the last time Carlsen won against Karjakin.

18.08 / 12.16 am: CBS Network has covered the World Chess Championship in their morning show - a noteworthy contribution.

16:16 / 10:16 AM: Today will be Magnus Carlsen's second white. In the press conference after game one, disappointed with the lackadaisical position he had obtained, he promised something different. Any guesses what that would be?

16:09 / 10:09 AM: There was to be a book launch today at the Fulton Market, which has now been moved to Thursday, Nov. 17. Invitations were sent out to the press describing the forthcoming book by former NYT columnist Dylan Loeb McClain, "FUEL is releasing this table top book profiling the rarest and most beautiful chess sets throughout history." Thursday we will be there and bring the news.

14.55 / 8.38 am: Too many rest days at the match? Jon Ludvig Hammer and Nigel Short seem to think so:

But who is John Oliver? Wikipedia has the biography, YouTube shows him in action.

12.38 / 6.38 am: Too little excitement in the first two games? At any rate, Nigel Short confessed to looking for distractions while following game two:

 

World Chess Championship News - 2016-11-13

13.31 / 7.31 am: By the way: the first official World Championship began in New York, 130 years ago. The match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort took place from 11th January to 29th March 1886, and the first five games were played in the Manhattan Chess Club. Zukertort did well in New York and went 4-1 ahead. But then the match moved to St. Louis and New Orleans and Zukertort suffered a reversal of fortune. In the end, Steinitz won 12.5-7.5 to become the first official World Chess Champion.

Wilhelm Steinitz

10.46 / 4.46 am: Daniel King just finished his game 2 summary on Playchess. Watch it once again here.

Games live via the Widget to the left on our page. For Premium users also on Playchess.

 

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