Newsblog WCC Carlsen-Karjakin, 2016-11-17

by ChessBase
11/17/2016 – Game five ended in a draw bringing the match-score to 2.5-2.5. In an Italian game Sergey Karjakin equalized easily with Black and seized the initiative. But his activity soon came to a halt and Carlsen was in control again. Which he lost once more after the first time-control. But then it was Karjakin who missed good chances. More...

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World Chess Championship News - 2016-11-17

Game No. 5 - Notes by John Nunn

 
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Notes by John Nunn - Carlsen had pressed strongly in Games 3 and 4 so now, with the white pieces in front of him, would this be the game for the champion's breakthrough in the match? 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 So far Carlsen has adopted three different openings in his three games with White. Gone are the days of Alekhine-Capablanca when they played the Queen's Gambit Declined in almost every one of the 34 games. Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 The quiet form of the Giuoco Piano, often called the Giuoco Pianissimo. White aims for a slow build-up, sometimes trying to gain space on the queenside with c3 and b4, or playing for a delayed action in the centre after transferring the knight from b1 to d2, f1 and g3, much as in the Spanish. It's tempting to just comment that such quiet methods are unlikely to bring White much of an objective advantage, but that isn't the way Carlsen plays. Like another world champion, Emanuel Lasker, he is often not so concerned with playing the most critical lines, but more in reaching a position in which he can show his strengths. Quiet methods have secured Carlsen many victories from positions that initially didn't appear to offer many winning chances. 0-0 6.a4 But this is really unusual. White generally prefers to prepare central expansion by 6.c3 or to pin the knight by 6.Bg5 The ChessBase online database gives a mere 22 games with this move, with White scoring a respectable 66%. 6...d6 7.c3 Now we have transposed into a more standard line. Black has to take action against the threat to trap his bishop. a6 8.b4 Ba7 9.Re1 Ne7 A standard plan in such positions. Black transfers his knight to the kingside in order to generate play there. With only one minor piece on that side of the board, White is slightly vulnerable there especially if he does not undertake the knight transfer to g3. 9...Ng4 can be met by 10.Ra2 a benefit of White's early queenside pawn advance. 10.Nbd2 Ng6 11.d4 I'm not very enthusiastic about this move, even though my computer likes it. Is White playing on the queenside or in the centre? True, the knight transfer to g6 has weakened Black's hold on d4, allowing White to push in the centre, but it is better to wait for this type of move until White is more prepared. Playing d3 and then d4 involves an inevitable loss of tempo and White's development is not yet good enough to give a central advance any real bite. c6 A good response by Karjakin. Noting the slight fragility in White's position, he prepares to play actively in the centre himself. 12.h3 It's unfortunate that White has to play another non-developing move, but 12.Nf1 is strongly met by Bg4 White has not achieved any advantage from the opening. 12...exd4?! Karjakin plans to break apart White's centre, but the results are not especially favourable. He could have kept the balance by the simple 12...Re8 or, if he really wanted some central action, by 12...d5 13.cxd4 Nxe4 14.Bxf7+! A somewhat surprising decision, but a good one. 14.Nxe4 d5 15.Bd3 dxe4 16.Bxe4 Be6 doesn't give White anything, so Carlsen prefers to keep his knights, which are effective despite the relatively open position. 14...Rxf7 15.Nxe4 d5 16.Nc5 16.Neg5?! Rf6 only puts the g5-knight in jeopardy. 16...h6 Ruling out any possible ideas involving Ng5 followed by Qh5. 17.Ra3 Thanks to White's earlier queenside advance, White can save time by doubling rooks without developing the c1-bishop first. Bf5 18.Ne5 This looks slightly premature. White would have had more chances of an advantage with the natural 18.Rae3 Qf6 19.Ne5 Re7 20.Nxg6 Rxe3 21.Rxe3 Bxg6 22.Qe2 with a solid control of the open file, although admittedly any advantage is rather slight. 18...Nxe5 19.dxe5 19.Rxe5 achieves nothing after Bb8 20.Nxb7 Qf6 21.Re8+ Kh7 attacking the knight and threatening ...Bh2+. 19...Qh4 Attacking b4 and taking aim at f2. 20.Rf3 A good defensive move maintaining the balance. Bxc5?! The tactical justification for White's play is 20...Qxb4? 21.Ba3 Qa5 22.e6 Rf6 23.Nxb7 Qb6 24.e7 and wins, but Karjakin's response is not the best. 20...Bg6 21.Rxf7 Bxf7 would have been fine for Black, since the e-pawn is not well enough supported to be a real danger. 21.bxc5 The exchange on c5 has altered the structure of the position. White's queenside pawns are broken, but they are not really vulnerable, while Black's b-pawn is now permanently backward. Perhaps the main worry for Black is that White's 4 vs 2 kingside majority is far more mobile than Black's queenside pawns. The outlines of real problems for Black are visible in the position and it is surprising that Karjakin went in for a line which allowed Carlsen to exercise his famous grinding skills when he had a reasonable alternative which kept some active play. Re8 22.Rf4 Qe7 23.Qd4 White now a very safe advantage. At the moment it may appear small, but it could easily increase. The big question is whether White can advance his kingside pawns without exposing his king too much. Ref8 24.Rf3 Be4 25.Rxf7 Qxf7 26.f3 Bf5 27.Kh2 It might appear that White can start pushing his pawns at once, but after 27.g4 Qg6 28.Kh2 Be6 29.f4 Qc2+ 30.Bd2 g6 31.Rg1 Kf7 Black sets up a line of defence which is hard to break through. Carlsen therefore manoeuvres in the hope of finding a more favourable moment to start his pawn advance. However, the extra time allows Black to improve his position and it becomes more rather than less difficult to advance the pawns. 27...Be6 28.Re2 Qg6 29.Be3 Rf7 30.Rf2 Qb1 31.Rb2 Qf5 32.a5 Kf8 An interesting plan. If White does eventually push on the kingside, it could be that Black's king will be a tactical weakness. Karjakin therefore decides to transfer his king to the queenside, where his numerical superiority of pawns offers good shelter. Additionally, the king can defend the b7-pawn, relieving his other pieces of a rather menial job. 33.Qc3 Carlsen cannot see any way to make progress, and for the moment just moves around without achieving very much. Ke8 34.Rb4 g5! An interesting and highly committal decision. Black could have set up a light-square blockade with ...g6, aiming to hold onto the f5-square at all costs, but he decides instead to take pre-emptive action to prevent White's pawns even getting as far as f4 and g4. The danger is that in any ending the kingside pawns on dark squares will be vulnerable to attack by White's bishop, especially if his king is far away on the queenside. In my view, Karjakin made the right decision and, by taking action himself rather than simply waiting, he has forced Carlsen to come up with a counterplan. 35.Rb2 Kd8 36.Rf2 Kc8 37.Qd4 Qg6 Black is now even ready to play ...h5 followed by ...g4, which would completely kill any winning prospects for White, so Carlsen decides to block Black's advance. 38.g4 h5 39.Qd2 Rg7 I don't see how White can make progress here since any pawn advance of the kingside would expose the white king too much. If White could swap off the major pieces the g5-pawn would fall, but there is no way to achieve this. 40.Kg3 Rg8 41.Kg2? This move, which blocks the path of White's major pieces to the h-file is a serious error after which White is even worse. Any normal move, such as 41.Rh2 would have maintained the balance. 41...hxg4 42.hxg4 42.fxg4? Qe4+ 43.Kg1 Rh8 loses at least a pawn,. 42...d4! Karjakin strikes with a pawn sacrifice allowing him to activate his bishop. This is even stronger than 42...Qh6 43.Qd4 White must block the d-pawn since 43.Kf1 d4 44.Bxd4 Qh1+ 45.Ke2 Rd8 gives Black a very dangerous attack 43...Rh8 44.Kf1 Qh1+ 45.Ke2 Qb1 46.Bxg5 when White can at least run with his king to f4. 43.Qxd4 43.Bxd4 Qh7 44.Kg1 Qh3 45.Qe2 Rf8 46.Rh2 Qg3+ 47.Rg2 Qxf3 48.Qxf3 Rxf3 is an unpleasant ending for White, since all his pawns are weak, but this might actually have been the lesser evil. 43...Bd5? Karjakin fails to make the most of his chances. After 43...Rh8 44.Qe4 Qh6 45.Kf1 Qh1+ 46.Ke2 Bd5 would have been deeply unpleasant for White. His king is floating around in the middle of the board, while Black's piece press from all sides. After 47.Qd3 Qa1 48.Bxg5 Qxe5+ 49.Be3 Qa1 it is unlikely that White will survive in the long run. As is so often the case in opposite-coloured bishop positions with major pieces, it's the initiative and attacking chances which count, and not the odd pawn or two. 44.e6 In an echo of Karjakin's ...d4, Carlsen returns the pawn in order to gain space for his pieces. However, it would have been even simpler to play 44.Kg3 allowing the rook to switch to h2, after which I can see nothing for Black. 44...Qxe6 Or 44...Qh7 45.e7 Qxe7 46.Bd2 Qh7 47.Qf6 Rh8 48.Qf5+ Qxf5 49.gxf5 g4 50.Kg3 gxf3 and with his king active White should have no trouble holding the ending. 45.Kg3 The crisis is essentially over and the game is once more on course for a draw. Qe7 46.Rh2 Qf7 47.f4 Further activating White's pieces and fully equalising. gxf4+ 48.Qxf4 48.Bxf4 Qf5 49.g5 was also safe for White. 48...Qe7 49.Rh5 Rf8 50.Rh7 Rxf4 51.Rxe7 Re4 Forcing the draw. After 51...Re4 52.Rxe4 Bxe4 53.Kf4 Bd3 54.Ke5 Kd7 55.Kf6 Ke8 56.Bh6 Bc2 57.g5 Bd3 58.g6 Bc2 59.g7 Bb3 Black is not in any danger. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S2772½–½2016C54WCh 2016

 

08.00 Mumbai/ 03.30 Hamburg/ 21.30 New York: IM Sagar Shah analyzes the key positions and the fifth round encounter on the ChessBase India website. According him,Sergey Karjakin played an excellent game and held Magnus with ease.

01.15 / 19.15: Draw agreed. The fifth draw in a row but the first, in which Karjakin had serious chances.

01.00 / 19.00: The opinion among spectators also is that Carlsen was doing fine until he missed Karjakin's ...d4! After this, Karjakin might have been winning, but he returned the favor with ...Bd5 allowing Carlsen's e6! Now it is anyone's game and the opinions even among the GMs diverge on whether White is fine or Black still retains an edge thanks to his pressure against White's weak king.

The tables are crowded with players trying to reach a consensus. Here IM Javier Ochoa,
president of the Spanish Federation, partakes in the fun.

Norwegian journalist Kaja Marie Snare tours the Café asking fans their opinions.

00.47 / 18.47: According to the engines Karjakin gave most of his advantage away when he played 43...Bd5?!. Three moves later the engines consider the position as equal but suddenly both sides seem to have chances again.

00.32 / 18.32: For the first time in the match Carlsen is under serious pressure.

00.14 / 18.14: Karjakin seized his chance and played 43...d4!?, an interesting pawn-sacrifice that liberates Black's white-squared bishop and forces Carlsen to play precisely again.

00.10 / 18.10: Carlsen's aimless play before the time-control has brought him into trouble: after 42 moves the engines see an advantage for Black and Carlsen is suddenly on the defensive again.

23.55 / 17.55: In the last moves before the time-control Carlsen has not made any progress - and it is difficult to see how he can make progress.

23.30 / 17.30: After stopping Karjakin's initiative Carlsen is in full control again. In a major piece endgame with opposite-colored bishops he runs no real risk of losing but can try to win - for a long time.

22.59 / 16.59: The main room is quite full today, with fans loving the complicated struggle going on. The organizers are also running a blitz tournament in view of the success of the one two days ago. One can hear the pairings being announced while others debate the game at hand.

Avid chess fan enjoying the blitz tournament.

Tim Hanks from the US Chess Federation analyzes the game with GM Denes Boros

22.51 / 16.51: In this game Karjakin had a promising looking position with active pieces but he found no way to put pressure on White and now has to defend again.

22.33 / 16.33: After 20 moves a strategically and tactically complicated position is on the board. And Karjakin has a bit less than 30 minutes on the clock, Carlsen has  a bit less than 40 minutes to reach the time-control on move 40.

22.19: / 16.19: Chess is demanding:

22.13 / 16.13: Things might heat up soon:

22.05 / 16.05: Karjakin now also takes time and invests more than 20 minutes on his 19th move.

21.54 / 15.54: The position is complicated but Karjakin seems to have good chances.

21.45 / 15.45: After thinking for more than fifteen minutes, Carlsen finally came up with 18.Ne5, a move Fabiano Caruana had predicted minutes before on twitter.

21.37 / 15.37: Carlsen played the opening quickly but then slowed down. After 17...Bf5 Carlsen spent a lot of time on his next move and caught up with Karjakin on the clock.

21.06 / 15.07: Carlsen's 14.Bxf7+ made Simon Williams wonder:

 

21.00 / 15.00: After a short tactical skirmish (13...Nxe4 14.Bxf7+ Rxf7 15.Nex4) we once again see a fight knight vs bishop. The engines evaluate the position as equal and until now Carlsen has not spent much time on his moves and is 20 minutes ahead on the clock.

20.49 / 14.49: Nigel Short seemed to like Carlsen's opening choice.

 

20.30 / 14.30: Both sides played the first moves quickly, but after Carlsen's 12.h3 Karjakin took some time to remember his preparation - or think on his own.

20.05 / 14.05: No Ruy Lopez today. Carlsen again started with 1.e4 and after thinking for 30 seconds Karjakin replied 1...e5. But after 2.Nf3 Nc6 Carlsen deviated from game 3 and played 3.Bc4.

20.01 / 14.01: Bennett Miller, chess fan and director of the film "Capote" from 2005, is guest in the AGON studio and played the first move. "Capote" gave the late Philip Seymour Hoffman the Oscar for Best Actor.

19.50 / 13.50: It also works the other way round - as a TNT 2009 NBA playoffs commercial shows. Under the heading "Basketball is like a game of chess" the commercial lists a number of parallels:

"The first move requires no pieces. It is the look into the eyes of your opponent. The iron gaze of a warrior. The frozen stare of a man possessed. The piercing glare of a champion. Feel his years. A lifetime of hunger and hope trifles and triumphs. Search his heart for fear. Show him none in return.

No single piece can win a match. Combine several, move them in constant, and behold a synchronized symphony of force. Push forward. Attack. Retreat. Or is it a trick? A ruse to draw out the opposition. Be watchful as one avenue closes another opens. Employ tactics and advance your aims while perplexing your rival.

Be mindful of time but do not grant a clock authority of your reason. Defend with vigor. A skilled advisory is beatable when his movements are restricted and his patterns are exposed. Tension grinds at the nerves. Emotion can weigh a man down or lift him in the air! ..." and so on.

19.45 / 13.45: Magnus Carlsen's workout on the basketball court might have been a good preparation for game five. To quote Bobby Fischer: "Chess is like basketball. You toss the ball around until you find an opening."

19.30 / 13.30: Game 5 will start in about half an hour. Carlsen plays with White and spectators wonder whether he will open with 1.e4 - as he did in game 3 - or 1.d4 - as he did in game 1. Or maybe he opts for an off-beat line such as 1.b3? Specators also wonder whether the last two games will have a psychological impact on the players - in both games Carlsen outplayed Karjakin and was close to winning but failed to convert.  

11.14 Hamburg Time / 5.14 am New York Time: 

Magnus Carlsen is working out, he is playing Basketball around the corner. Norwegian TV is on his heels again. 

Fabio Caruana thinks 43...g4 was a clear-cut winning plan for Black in game No 4, and Daniel King had published that before in his commentary for Der Spiegel (in German). Very instructive video!

 

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