11/24/2016 – In the tenth game of the World Championship in New York Magnus Carlsen scored his first win to come back into the match. With two games to play the score is now 5-5. In a nervous game with mistakes by both sides Carlsen finally managed to convert a clear advantage into a win. Game 10 annoated by Wesley So. Newsblog, Nov. 24 2016
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World Chess Championship News - 2016-11-24
Game No 10 - Notes by Wesley So
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Elo
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1.e4
1,179,682
54%
2421
---
1.d4
956,075
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
285,144
56%
2441
---
1.c4
184,108
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,839
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,560
54%
2428
---
1.f4
5,938
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,888
50%
2384
---
1.b4
1,779
48%
2379
---
1.a3
1,246
54%
2406
---
1.e3
1,079
49%
2409
---
1.d3
965
50%
2378
---
1.g4
670
46%
2361
---
1.h4
465
54%
2381
---
1.c3
438
51%
2425
---
1.h3
289
56%
2420
---
1.a4
117
59%
2462
---
1.f3
100
47%
2427
---
1.Nh3
92
67%
2511
---
1.Na3
47
62%
2476
---
Please, wait...
Notes by Wesley So - Going into the World Championship matches, many people
logically considered Magnus to be the clear favorite against Sergey Karjakin.
First of all the difference in their rating was a bit wide, as was their most
recent overall performance.This year alone Magnus has won four big tournaments
(Tata Steel, Norway, Leuven and Bilbao), while Sergey had only won the
(admittedly long and tough) Candidates tournament which qualified him as the
Challenger. Those things carry weight in people's minds but rounds 1-9
showed a different and very surprising story. The Challenger's strong balanced
attack, his ability to find good moves and make plans, his outstanding defense,
and resistance to cracking under pressure, proved him to be an impregnable
fortress. Magnus could not find a way to break Sergey down until eventually,
overextending himself in Round 8, the Champion even had to accept defeat. At
this point in Game 10 with only 3 games to the finish he absolutely has to
find a way to even the score. He HAS to do it today.1.e4In Rounds 1 and 8
Magnus got nowhere with 1.d4, after giving the Trompovsky and the Colle system
a try. Sergey Karjakin knew his stuff there. In fact he got nothing but
trouble in game 8. So today Magnus decides to go back to the "best by test
move" recommended by Fischer and Caruana. To be honest I'm kind of surprised
that Magnus does not try 1.c4 or 1.Nf3/1.g3 but maybe we will see that in
Round 12.e52.Nf3Nc63.Bb53.Bc4Bc5was Carlsen-Karjakin Round 5, but
Magnus got nothing there either and in the end he must have been happy to save
that game.3...Nf6Sergey sticks to his guns and goes for the Berlin
Opening. I noticed that during the entire match so far, one of Sergey's
strategies has been simply to go for the main lines in the opening and play a
normal game. He does not overpush but maintains composure by playing objective,
strong moves.4.d3Magnus' strategy seemed mostly aimed at surprises in the
opening and later on, hopes to exploit his opponent's mistakes over the board.
It reminded me of a quote by a famous chess player: "I will play 40 good moves.
If my opponent plays 40 good moves too, we will draw." The problem in this
match is Sergey is the opponent who finds all the good moves too.4.0-0Nxe45.Re1was Carlsen-Karjakin Round 3, where White got very close to first
blood, but later on couldn't convert.4...Bc5Putting the bishop on an
active post while also preparing to exchange the knights with Nd4.5.c3
Magnus has won many games in the past with5.Bxc6dxc6And here White has
many moves, but the latest innovation is6.Qe2threatening to take Nxe5.Qe76...Bg47.h3Bxf38.Qxf37.Nbd2Bg48.h3Bh59.a3Nd710.b4Bd611.Nc4f612.Ne3a513.Nf5The knight on f5 is very powerful and not
easy to dislodge.Qf814.bxa5Rxa515.0-0Qf716.a4Nc516...0-0?17.Bh6!is a really nice combination.17.Qe1b618.Nd2Rxa419.Nc4Bf8?20.Be3And White won easily Carlsen- against strong GM 1-0.5...0-06.Bg5This is unexpected, both for the spectators and I assume for Sergey too.
Usually White castles his king first with 6.O-O and then after 6...d6 7.Bg5,
when Black no longer has the option of Be7.6.Bxc6does not win a clean
pawn, since afterbxc67.Nxe5d5Black will get fast development in return.6...h67.Bh4Be7This is the safe and natural approach. I like this move.7...g58.Bg3d69.Nbd2is not desirable for Black as with the rook still
on h1, White gets extra attacking options.8.0-08.Bxc6bxc69.Nxe5
You think White has won a pawn? Well...Nxe4!No. Black is better.8...d69.Nbd2It's a little perplexing in general Magnus' opening approach, as
its not very clear here where White's advantage is.Perhaps9.Bg3
with a complex position for example,Nh5If9...Bd7then10.h3
which is a typical Ruy Lopez subtlety, vacating the h2-square for the bishop
to retreat into!Nh511.Bh2f5∞10.Bxc6bxc610...Nxg311.Bxb7!
Aha! The suicidal bishop gives up it's life so White wins a pawn.Bxb712.hxg3±11.Nxe5dxe512.Qxh5Qxd313.Qxe5Re8and Black has the bishop
pair and some compensation for the pawn.9.Re1Nh510.Bxe7Qxe711.d4Nf4=9...Nh510.Bxe7If10.Bg3Black just grabs the bishop pair:Nxg311.hxg3Bf6with a happy position.11...Nb812.d4c613.Bd3Nd714.Nc4Qc7should also bring a smile to Sergey's face.10...Qxe711.Nc411.Bxc6to give Black doubled pawns looks like a good option.bxc612.d412.g3f512...Nf4But in fact White cannot really exploit it. In fact if
anything, the strong knight on f4 gives Black good chances. For example13.Qa4Rb814.b3Rb6when Black seizes a strong initiative. I can already
foresee a rook swing (Rb6-g6) to the kingside later on.11...Nf4Simple
and strong.11...f5is a more complicated way to equality.12.Ne3fxe413.dxe4Kh7=12.Ne3Qf612...f5is always an option here, though after
13.g3fxe414.dxe4Nh3+15.Kg2the knight on h3 still has to find a way
to escape.13.g3Nh3+14.Kh1A little too passive.The king would be
better placed on g2.14.Kg2Ne715.d4gives White a small advantage as he
has more space and seizes control over the center.Ng616.Bd3the knight on
h3 can be kicked later with Ng1.14...Ne7Now comes the manoevering phase.
Both sides will now try to improve their position. The knight on h3 is very
active, and Black can always exchange it with Ng5. I think Black has no
problems here.15.Bc4Putting the bishop on the right diagonal.15.d4
seems natural but leads nowhere.exd416.cxd4c5=15...c615...b5
was being cried out by the spectators online:16.Bb3But I
am not sure where it leads. Advancing pawns too far can lead to unnecessary
weaknesses and as everyone knows pawns cannot move backwards. In fact White is
threatening a2-a4 so perhaps16.Bxb5Rb816...Rb8with around equal position.16.Bb3Ng6Perhaps a small inaccuracy.The knight was just fine on e7, to guard
the d5 and f5-squares. In fact Black has on his agenda an active option here
to try to seize the initiative:16...d5!?17.exd5cxd518.Nxd5Nxd519.Bxd5Rd820.Be4and now comes The Pin:Bg4!And White has to sacrifice
material to get rid of this dangerous pin.17.Qe2I always think Magnus
excels in this kind of close to equal positions. So in fact his opening choice
has been quite successful despite its modest appearance. Now even if the
advantage is not much, White has chances to outplay his opponent.a518.a4
Fighting for space on the queenside and fixing the pawn on a5. With the black
knights so far away on the kingside, later this a5 pawn will lack protection.Watching the game live, I thought stronger was18.d4based on the chess
principle 'Attack on the flank is best met by a counter-attack in the center'.a419.Bc2Ng520.Nxg5hxg521.Rad1and White is a little better. But now I
like Magnus choice too, as he wants to dominate the whole board, and not just
the center.18...Be619.Bxe6!?When I first saw this move I thought
Magnus just made a small blunder. I thought that's it, he just wasted one of
his last White games, congrats to Sergey for making an easy draw and getting
one step closer to being a World Champion. However deeper inspection shows
that he sets up a trap!19.Nd2!is definitely the best move. Black's
knights on g6 and h3 look nice, but in fact they're stepping on each other's
shoes as none of them can really put a foot on f4, while White is ready to
consolidate his center with f3.Bxb320.Nxb3and in fact White is already
threatening to win a pawn with Nc4, amongst other threats.Ng521.f3
White has a much better coordination of pieces than his opponent's.19.Bc2Ng520.Nxg5hxg521.Rad1is possible too, though not as forceful as 19.Nd2.19...fxe620.Nd2Now White is threatening to block the kingside with f3.d5I thought 19.Bxe6 was a blunder because at first sight20...Nxf2+
seems to finish the game with a clean draw. But Magnus still has a final trick
up his sleeve which I am sure he will go for.21.Kg1!is the prepared
trick. Now White gets two knights for a rook and a couple of pawns.21.Kg2?Nh4+22.Kg122.gxh4?Qg6+will end the match right here and right
there.22...Nh3+23.Kh1Nf2+and a perpetual check is undesirable for
White, as he trails the match.21...Nh3+22.Kg2Nhf4+23.gxf4Nxf4+24.Rxf4exf424...Qxf425.Qf3!gives Black an unpleasant choice. To trade
queens or not to trade? Either way White will be happy.Qh426.Qg325.Nc2
In terms of material Black is fine, but with the position being closed, the
White knights get a lot of jumping potential. Leading the match by one game,
Sergey decides to avoid unbalanced positions like this.e5Perhaps25...b5to open some files but then26.e5!dxe527.Ne1!?with the idea to
blockade with the knights on e4 and f3. The position is totally chaotic.26.Qg4and White is preparing to improve his kingside with h4 or Ne1-f3. At the
very least he is not worse and could even be better.21.Qh5!?Again a
very daring try by Magnus. He goes for the most risky but most rewarding
continuation.21.f3!would be my preference. White is well on his way to
consolidation. Knight sacrifices on f4 do not work, while the doubled e-pawns
give Black eternal problems.Rad822.Rae1I like White.21...Ng5
Sergey misses the draw! Just when he is close to it, he chooses another way.21...Nxf2+22.Kg222.Kg1Qg5wins a pawn with an easy tactic.23.Qxg5Nh3+Check!24.Kg2Nxg522...Qf7!Threatening Nf4 check.23.Kg1
White prevents the check, and now Black has to find:If White retreats with
23.Qe2thenNh4+and its clear to see that it leads to a perpetual.24.Kg124.gxh4?Qg6+24...Nh3+25.Kh1Nf2+23...Qf6!It's easy to
miss this move. Black prepares Qg5 followed by Nh3 check, so White has nothing
better than24.Kg224.Ng4Qg524...Qf7=22.h4Magnus is so happy
to be able to torture his opponent in a long endgame that he just went for it.
According to online sources he spent less than half a minute on this move.
I don't blame him at all for wanting to squeeze the life out of Sergey in the
endgame but22.Rae1!preparing Ng4, is even stronger. For exampleNf323.Ng4Qg524.Qxg5hxg525.Nxf3Rxf326.Rd1±You may ask, what is worse
than doubled pawns? Well... four doubled-pawns.22...Nf323.Nxf3Qxf3+24.Qxf3Rxf325.Kg2Magnus daring play starting from 19.Bxe6 has paid off.
White has a very pleasant endgame advantage. The doubled e-pawns are a
constant source of problems. I don't like Black's position.Rf726.Rfe1
This leaves the f2-pawn slightly vulnerable. Not that it matters though. White
has an abundance of plans here.I like26.Ng4Forcing h5.h527.Nh2Nf828.Nf3Now White seizes the g5-square too.Nd729.Rae1White is well on
the way to converting his advantage.26...h526...Raf8can be simply met
by27.Nd127.Re2gives birth toNf4+ideas.28.gxf4exf427...h528.Re227.Nf1Finding ideal squares for his pieces is a piece of cake for
Magnus.Kf827...Raf828.Re2Rf329.Rd1with the queens off the board
any tries by Black to attack will not be successful. So instead he tries to
improve his king.28.Nd2Ke729.Re2Protecting f2. This is a very happy
position. I had no doubt that White would be able to convert this position
barring big blunders. It's got nothing to do with Sergey, the Black structure
is simply bad.Kd630.Nf3Raf831.Ng5Re732.Rae1Rfe833.Nf3Besides
all Black problems, his knight is also a little misplaced on g6.Nh8!
Improving the position of the knight. Despite being at a disadvantage, Sergey
hangs tough. The question for White now, is how to convert his advantage?34.d4A conversion of advantages. Magnus decides the time is ripe to blast open
the center and endanger the position of the Black king.Personally I would
prefer to leave Black with his doubled pawns and choose34.b4axb435.cxb4Nf736.a5with a clear advantage too, but sooner or later White has to find
a way to break through.34...exd435.Nxd4g6Protecting the f5-square.
A lesser wood pusher might go35...Nf7but then36.exd5cxd537.c4dxc4
and the Black king is caught in the middle of the crossfire.36.Re3
Threatening Rf3. Again White has an abundance of plans here. b2-b4 ideas are
always in the air.I like the subtle36.Nb3!?b637.Nd4with the idea
of weakening c6 but perhaps its too subtle for the most part.36...Nf737.e5+37.Rf3Ne538.Rf6Rf7allows Black to defend no problemo. After the
exchange of his most active rook, White's chances to convert become much
harder.39.Rxf7Nxf737...Kd738.Rf3Perhaps not the best but it is a
normal move, especially when both players are relatively low in time.38.b4is more acurate, to prevent c5 ideas.38...Nh6?!Sergey also makes a
natural consolidating move. If he can block the f-file with Nf5, then all well
and good. However Black has better options here on move 38 though.38...c5
looks good, to set the queenside pawns into motion. After39.Nb3b640.Nd2
Black still does not fully solve his problems however.Nh8!40...Rg841.Rf6and the g6-h5 pawn chain will be quite vulnerable.41.c441.Rf6Rf7!eliminates White's most active piece!41...Rf7the programs show that
Black is fine but it's hard for me to believe with the knight on h8. Also,
it's almost impossible for a human to play Nh8 over the board.38...g539.hxg5Nxg540.Rf6Or38...Rg839.Rf6but White still looks better here.39.Rf6Rg740.b4Now White is back on track.40.c4!?is the
complicated way to try to knock out Black. His king will be vulnerable in the
center even in the endgame.40...axb441.cxb4±Both players have
finished the time trouble stage and now have an extra hour of thinking time.
Compared to a few moves back, White has now managed to increase his advantage
and gain firm control over the position. Black's dark-squares are very
vulnerable and at the same time he has to think of ways to regain control over
the f-file.Ng8If41...Nf5White simply retreats his knight to b3 or f3,
and the pressure becomes untenable in conjunction with a power rook on f6.42.Rf3Nh643.a5Improving his position slowly but surely. Of course White
avoids the repetition of moves!Nf544.Nb3Kc745.Nc5?!Magnus starts to
drift, probably because he has such a nice position.White could have
sealed the win with45.Rc1threatening b5. And ifKb846.a6if the b7-c6
pawn chain falls then the last of Black's bastions are fallen.Rc747.Rfc3
A sample line of how the game can end:bxa648.Rxc6Rxc649.Rxc6Kb750.Na5+Ka751.Rc7+Kb852.Rf7+-Seventh rank, active pieces, later on
active king, White has all the Trumps that he needs. Black's position is
crumbling.45...Kb846.Rb1Ka7Now there is no clean finish. However
White is still clearly ahead.47.Rd3Rc7Trying to counter with a punch is
too slow47...g548.hxg5Rxg5After49.b5+-Black cannot defend all
his weaknesses (b7 and e6).47...b6can be met simply by48.Na4
Or even better:48.axb6+Kxb649.Ra3Ra750.Rxa7Kxa751.Kf3±when
the White king is really fast.48.Ra3Nd449.Rd1Nf550.Kh3Nh651.f3
White has improved the position of his king in the past few moves and is now
introducing the possibility of opening up the kingside with g4. Black can do
nothing but sit and wait.Rf752.Rd4Nf553.Rd2I like53.Rf4but thenRh7!preventing g4, leaves the White rook immobile on f4.53...Rh754.Rb3Ree755.Rdd3This is one of Magnus' favorite strategies. He likes to
wait patiently for his opponent to crack while slowly improving his own
position. This worked well for him today.But objectively now is the time
to strike.55.b5!cxb556.Rxb5Black cannot hold on to his b7 and
e6-pawn for long. Perhaps Black can tryNe3but then57.Rd3Nc458.f4
gives White all the time he needs to improve his position. Black rooks are
stuck defending pawns, which is never a good sign. Rooks are made for offense,
not defense!55...Rh856.Rb1Again waiting for the right moment. Just
wait, just wait... Patience is a virtue.Rhh757.b5!NOW!cxb558.Rxb5
Compared to move 55, the only change is White rook is on d3. Notice the
difference? Black does not have Ne3-c4 now and his position crumbles quickly.d459.Rb6Rc760.Nxe6Rc361.Nf4Rhc762.Nd5!Simplification makes
White's job easier. The rule of thumb is that when you are ahead in material
you aim for trades and exchanges. Like in soccer, 11 players vs 10 players
is harder than 5 players vs 4 players, and a 3 vs 2 game is a piece of cake.
Chess is no different. When you are ahead in material, exchanges usually mean
less complications = cleaner win.62.Rxg6Rxd362...Rc1gives White a
choice between five different moves that win.63.Nxd3Rc364.Rf6Ne365.Nf4and White's win should be easy. Contrary to appearances there is never
any mate on h1, as White can always free his king with g3-g4. Meanwhile White
is two pawns up.62...Rxd363.Nxc7Some people didn't understand it at
first, however if you put this position in a super computer it just gives +- 5.
36, meaning White is more than five pawns up in a mathematical scale.Kb864.Nb5Kc864...Rxf365.a6promotes the passed a-pawn.65.Rxg6Rxf366.Kg2!Activating the king. From here Magnus does not give Sergey any chance to
escape.Rb367.Nd6+Another exchange. Now it is 6 vs 5.Nxd668.Rxd6Re369.e6Not69.Rxd4?Rxe570.Ra4Kd7when the Black king goes over to
the kingside and secures the draw. The rook on a4 has become a mere spectator
protecting the a-pawn.69...Kc769...d370.Kf2+-70.Rxd4Rxe670...Re5!?71.e7!?Rxe772.Rd5does not change anything.71.Rd5!The
White rook attacks h5 while at the same time protecting his a-pawn.Rh672.Kf3Sergey could safely have resigned here, but it does not hurt to make a
few more moves. After all its not over until the king is mated.Kb872...b673.axb6+Kxb674.Kf4Kc675.Rd8White need not even calculate rook and
single pawn endings because he can win the enemy pawn by force.Kc776.Rg8Kd677.Kg5Rh778.Kg6+-72...Kc673.Rf5Kd674.g4hxg4+75.Kxg4+-
also wins easily.73.Kf473.g4hxg4+74.Kxg4+-easy win.73...Ka774.Kg5Rh875.Kf6Magnus finally levels the match! This has been a great
game and a great fight by both players. After choosing a modest line against
the Berlin Opening, Magnus slowly improved his position and kept the game
going. Black's knight looked a little shaky on h3 (perhaps 11...f5!?) and
White managed to take advantage of this. The sequence from move 19-21 seems to
me a little strange as Black allowed doubled-pawns and White gladly went for
it and both sides developed interesting options. Perhaps 21...Ng5 was a
crucial mistake as Sergey could maybe have made a draw with 21...Nxf2. But of
course sitting at home, its much easier to calculate than it was for the two
fighters in New York. Having played nine long games in two weeks with all the
attendant pressure, tension and drama, most certainly took a toll on both
players. A World Championship match definitely requires levels of
extraordinary endurance for anyone. Looking ahead with the score 5-5 I feel
Magnus has good chances now in the match. He absolutely had to win today and
he did. Tomorrow is a rest day, so both players can relax and prepare new
ideas. I'm sure Sergey will try to put on the pressure in Round 11 and fight
for a win with the White pieces (in Round 9 he got close!) In case the match
ends with two draws and a tie of 6-6 ensues, both players go to the tiebreaks
with a shorter time control. Magnus may have the edge there although Sergey
never fails to impress and surprise his fans.
02.32 / 20.32: Karjakin resigns! Carlsen equalized the match. This loss might be a heavy blow for Karjakin who could have drawn in about 20 moves. With two games to play the score is now 5-5.
9.00 Mumbai/ 4.30 Hamburg/ 22.30 New York: ChessBase India tries a novel idea of analyzing the tenth game with the new Tactical Analysis feature of ChessBase 14. Check it out here.
02.27 / 20.27: Carlsen solved his biggest problems and reached a rook endgame that looks like a relatively easy technical win. Judit Polgar: "It is impossible that Carlsen does not win."
02.17 / 20.17: A rook endgame is on the board and this endgame is probably won - but Carlsen still might go wrong.
02.10 / 20.10: Karjakin shows tenacious defense again and with 63...Kb8 poses Carlsen unexpected problems. Moreover, Carlsen's clock is ticking down and he suddenly has to find precise moves to secure the win.
02.02 / 20.02: It's an endgame but suddenly tactics flare up and Karjakin might have hopes that Carlsen goes astray in the complications.
01.54 / 19.54: Susan Polgar sums it up:
This is in Carlsen's hands now to even up the match. Karjakin screwed up badly twice on move 20-21 by not finding the draw #CarlsenKarjakin
01.45 / 19.45: Carlsen's pawn push 57.b5 netted him a pawn and Carlsen reaches the second time-control after 60 moves a pawn up. He is now close to equalizing the match.
Carlsen and Karjakin after reaching the second time-control
01.38 / 19.38: After moving about with his rooks for some time Carlsen finally gets active and advances his b-pawn with 57.b5, breaking open Black's king position. The engines now see Karjakin in serious trouble.
01.03 / 19.03: Does Carlsen have a way to break through Karjakin's defenses? Opinions are divided:
Carlsen should not have said that he does not believe in fortresses. We got another one I guess. #CarlsenKarjakin#defender
00.41 / 18.41: It's similar to game four: Carlsen is better but has to find a way to win.
00.14 / 18.14: Judit Polgar: "Of course, White is better in this endgame and Black might have to suffer for hours but the position is not lost yet."
23.56 / 17.56: This game is crucial for the match. If Karjakin manages to hold a worse position again he is not only leading with 5.5-4.5 but would also have a clear psychological advantage in the last two games. However, if Carlsen wins this game he might have a psychological advantage in the last two games, much more so because Karjakin missed a couple of chances in game ten.
23.39 / 17.39: The endgame is better for White but Carlsen takes his time - and now is behind Karjakin on the clock.
Karjakin on the defense again
23.20 / 17.20: Carlsen now has a clearly better endgame.
This is the critical moment of the match. If Carlsen cannot win this dream ending he will not win the match #CarlsenKarjakin
23.05 / 17.05: The tension is rising and Carlsen and Karjakin both played moves that Judit Polgar and Ian Nepomniachtchi found hard to comprehend.
Position after 26.Rfe1
Judit Polgar and Ian Nepomniachtchi were wondering what would White now do after 26...Raf8? After the natural 27.Re2 Black has 27...Nf4+ with the idea 28.gxf4 gxf4 threatening 29...f3+. But instead Karjakin played 26...h5 and was worse.
22:56 / 16.56: Now an endgame is on the board which made Judit Polgar exclaim: "Oh my God, what a beautiful position for White. It's going to be an awful difficult for Sergey... This is Magnus' favorite type of position." Ian Nepomniachtchi predicted "endless torture" for Black.
22.47 / 16.47: After missing (?) the possible (?) draw Karjakin seems to drift into an endgame that Judit Polgar things to be "long and painful" for Black. "This is Magnus' chance."
22.42 / 16.42: What happened? Experts wonder:
Don't know what is most shocking, 19 Bxe6 or 20...d5. Both hard to understand given the match and time situation. Tension! #CarlsenKarjakin
22.35 / 16.35: Either Karjakin did not want the perpetual or he did not see it - or he saw more than the commentators. At any rate, after Carlsen's 20.Nd2 he quickly played 20...d5 avoiding the possible perpetual.
22.22 / 16.22: Will the game suddenly end in a draw? By exchanging on e6 on move 19 Carlsen opened the f-file for Black and Judit Polgar and Ian Nepomniachtchi discovered drawing lines in the analysis room.
Position after 19.Bxe6 fxe6.
One drawing line given by Judit Polgar is 20.Nd2 Nxf2+ 21.Kg2 Nh4+ 22.Kg1 Nh3+ 23.Kh1 and now Black can force a repetition of moves with 23...Nf2+ 24.Kg1 Nh3+.
22.04 / 16.04: How important will the clock be in this game?
Sergei fans among my crew are rather concerned about his time management today. Can't be a good sign. #CarlsenKarjakin
22.02 / 16.02: "No pressure, no diamonds." Thomas Carlyle
21.48 / 15.48: After 16 moves Carlsen is more than 25 minutes ahead on the clock. While Karjakin used a lot of time for his last moves, Carlsen played quickly and appears confident.
21.34 / 15.34: After Carlsen's 15.Bc4 it was Karjakin's turn to go into the tank and he spent more than 20 minutes on his next move.
21.26 / 15.26: “Well, it’s pressure, there’s no doubt. I was nervous and that’s a good thing. That means you care. You can try and use that energy as best you can to heighten your focus and then get into the right situation and it worked out great for me this week.”
Golf player Tiger Woods after winning the 2008 US Open
21.13 / 15.13: If Carlsen just wanted to have a playable, strategically complex game with White in game ten, his opening was a success.
Although not very frightening, it's strategically complex now. All about small subtleties. #CarlsenKarjakin
21.00 / 15.00: "Chess gives children so much emotionally and socially." Said Judit Polgar while discussing with Spanish chess journalist Leontxo Garcia why chess is an attractive and inspiring game.
20.55 / 14.55: After 12...Qf6 by Karjakin Carlsen went into the tank and thought for more than 25 minutes before playing 13.g3. Carlsen's long think made Judit Polgar comment: "Usually not a good sign."
Focused: World Champion Magnus Carlsen
20.42 / 14.42: Some observers liked Carlsen's opening choice...
I like this as an opening choice. Fits the bill. Hope it is actually good as well. #CarlsenKarjakin
20.13 / 14.13: After playing the first nine moves quickly, Carlsen and Karjakin slowed down and took more time for their moves.
Still preparation?
20.03 / 14.03: It's a Ruy Lopez again. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 Karjakin invited Carlsen to a Berlin but the World Champion politely and quickly declined with 4.d3.
19.50/ 13.50: Game ten will begin in ten minutes. Will Carlsen bounce back and show a strong finish as he has done so often in tournaments in the past? But how? And what opening did he and his team prepare for such a situation?
18.30 Mumbai/ 14.00 Hamburg/ 8.00 New York: IM Sagar Shah analyzes the ninth game on ChessBase India newspage and points out the various critical and key positions from the game.
Which Archangel was it? Gabriel, the Messenger? Raphael, the Pilgrim or Michael, Vanquisher of the devil? Uriel, Light and Fire of God? Defeat threatened to strike down the Champion this time. The drama was in the air. Some expected the game to peter out in a quick draw, following the russian rule that after a defeat, being shaky it's good to reach normality again. The Black position started boldly with an ambitious line of the Ruy Lopez - the Archangelsk. Black was ready to play actively while giving away a pawn for superior coordination and activity. No big deal these times, seventy years after the baptism of the Volga Gambit in the magazine 'Shakhmaty v SSSR'. Watching the game, Fabiano Caruana initially expected a short game with a peaceful result. But have a look and follow his annotations, which again provides ample food for thought.
Nov. 24, 7.25 Hamburg / Nov. 24, 1.25 am New York: What a fight! Complaining about the many draws misses the point. In game nine the Champion had Black and was on the verge of another defeat and being down 3.5-5.5 in the match with only three games to go. The theme of the game: The Archangel. Not enough drama?
The spectators saw Carlsen in real danger. One of them was Teimur Radjabov:
There is a good chance Carlsen will be 0-2 after today #carlsenkarjakin
Of course, Karjakin could have played better in the second half of the game (but for this "Coulda. Shoulda. Woulda." see Yasser Seirawan's notes to game 3) but it's easy to find improvements with an engine running. However, at the board in New York Karjakin was all alone. He was +1 ahead, had a good position, enough time. Combining optimism and caution he reaches for the title that seems to be close and ready to be grabbed. But he is still fighting against the best player on the planet.
0.29 / 6.29 pm: According to Polgar, Magnus has to decide whether to bring his king to the queenside or leave it on the kingside. It's a long way to go, but he should draw it in the end.
0.12 / 6.12 pm: Magnus is a bit lucky that the position holds.
0.12 / 6.12 pm:
Black holds after Nf5 now. And it's much easier for the human than g5. #carlsenkarjakin
0.02 / 6.02 pm: The 40th move have been reached. Karjakin sacrificed his light squared bishop on f7 but has a strong attack and may win his material back. A huge chance for the challenger to increase the standing on 2-0, but Carlsen may hoild with precise play.
23.52 / 5.52 pm: Karjakin takes his time on this important decision - he goes down to the five minutes mark but still shows no sign of nervousness.
23.50 / 5.50 pm: "In this game Sergey played better than Magnus" (Judit Polgar)
23.45 / 5.45 pm: Body language: Karjakin highly concentrated and bend forward, Carlsen seems to be deeply dissatisfied, almost nauseated with his position. Definitely a big moment in the match!
23.40 / 5.40 pm:
Karjakin calculating the almost winning continuation 39.Qb3! followed by 40.Bxf7!
23.35 / 5.35 pm: Radjabov already sees it executed:
Karjakin,senses the moment,plays very good game,Magnus self-destructs and we are going to have 2-0 in Sergey's favor! Nice game by white!
Ruy Lopez Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12092 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 1276 are annotated.
In this 60 Minutes, Andrew Martin guides you through all the key ideas you need to know to play with confidence. Whether you’re looking to surprise your opponents, or simply want a straightforward weapon against e5, the Centre Attack has you covered.
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This video course provides a comprehensive and practical White repertoire in the Ruy Lopez! Through instructive model games and in-depth theoretical explanations, you will learn how to confidently handle both main lines and sidelines.
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