Game 10: Carlsen wins and is back in the match / Notes by Wesley So

by ChessBase
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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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.e4 In 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. e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 3.Bc4 Bc5 was Carlsen-Karjakin Round 5, but Magnus got nothing there either and in the end he must have been happy to save that game. 3...Nf6 Sergey 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.d3 Magnus' 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. 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 was Carlsen-Karjakin Round 3, where White got very close to first blood, but later on couldn't convert. 4...Bc5 Putting 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 with 5.Bxc6 dxc6 And here White has many moves, but the latest innovation is 6.Qe2 threatening to take Nxe5. Qe7 6...Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 7.Nbd2 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.a3 Nd7 10.b4 Bd6 11.Nc4 f6 12.Ne3 a5 13.Nf5 The knight on f5 is very powerful and not easy to dislodge. Qf8 14.bxa5 Rxa5 15.0-0 Qf7 16.a4 Nc5 16...0-0? 17.Bh6! is a really nice combination. 17.Qe1 b6 18.Nd2 Rxa4 19.Nc4 Bf8? 20.Be3 And White won easily Carlsen- against strong GM 1-0. 5...0-0 6.Bg5 This 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.Bxc6 does not win a clean pawn, since after bxc6 7.Nxe5 d5 Black will get fast development in return. 6...h6 7.Bh4 Be7 This is the safe and natural approach. I like this move. 7...g5 8.Bg3 d6 9.Nbd2 is not desirable for Black as with the rook still on h1, White gets extra attacking options. 8.0-0 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxe5 You think White has won a pawn? Well... Nxe4! No. Black is better. 8...d6 9.Nbd2 It's a little perplexing in general Magnus' opening approach, as its not very clear here where White's advantage is. Perhaps 9.Bg3 with a complex position for example, Nh5 If 9...Bd7 then 10.h3 which is a typical Ruy Lopez subtlety, vacating the h2-square for the bishop to retreat into! Nh5 11.Bh2 f5∞ 10.Bxc6 bxc6 10...Nxg3 11.Bxb7! Aha! The suicidal bishop gives up it's life so White wins a pawn. Bxb7 12.hxg3± 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Qxh5 Qxd3 13.Qxe5 Re8 and Black has the bishop pair and some compensation for the pawn. 9.Re1 Nh5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.d4 Nf4= 9...Nh5 10.Bxe7 If 10.Bg3 Black just grabs the bishop pair: Nxg3 11.hxg3 Bf6 with a happy position. 11...Nb8 12.d4 c6 13.Bd3 Nd7 14.Nc4 Qc7 should also bring a smile to Sergey's face. 10...Qxe7 11.Nc4 11.Bxc6 to give Black doubled pawns looks like a good option. bxc6 12.d4 12.g3 f5 12...Nf4 But in fact White cannot really exploit it. In fact if anything, the strong knight on f4 gives Black good chances. For example 13.Qa4 Rb8 14.b3 Rb6 when Black seizes a strong initiative. I can already foresee a rook swing (Rb6-g6) to the kingside later on. 11...Nf4 Simple and strong. 11...f5 is a more complicated way to equality. 12.Ne3 fxe4 13.dxe4 Kh7= 12.Ne3 Qf6 12...f5 is always an option here, though after 13.g3 fxe4 14.dxe4 Nh3+ 15.Kg2 the knight on h3 still has to find a way to escape. 13.g3 Nh3+ 14.Kh1 A little too passive. The king would be better placed on g2. 14.Kg2 Ne7 15.d4 gives White a small advantage as he has more space and seizes control over the center. Ng6 16.Bd3 the knight on h3 can be kicked later with Ng1. 14...Ne7 Now 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.Bc4 Putting the bishop on the right diagonal. 15.d4 seems natural but leads nowhere. exd4 16.cxd4 c5= 15...c6 15...b5 was being cried out by the spectators online: 16.Bb3 But 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 perhaps 16.Bxb5 Rb8 16...Rb8 with around equal position. 16.Bb3 Ng6 Perhaps 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.exd5 cxd5 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Bxd5 Rd8 20.Be4 and now comes The Pin: Bg4! And White has to sacrifice material to get rid of this dangerous pin. 17.Qe2 I 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. a5 18.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 was 18.d4 based on the chess principle 'Attack on the flank is best met by a counter-attack in the center'. a4 19.Bc2 Ng5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Rad1 and 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...Be6 19.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. Bxb3 20.Nxb3 and in fact White is already threatening to win a pawn with Nc4, amongst other threats. Ng5 21.f3 White has a much better coordination of pieces than his opponent's. 19.Bc2 Ng5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Rad1 is possible too, though not as forceful as 19.Nd2. 19...fxe6 20.Nd2 Now White is threatening to block the kingside with f3. d5 I thought 19.Bxe6 was a blunder because at first sight 20...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.Kg1 22.gxh4? Qg6+ will end the match right here and right there. 22...Nh3+ 23.Kh1 Nf2+ and a perpetual check is undesirable for White, as he trails the match. 21...Nh3+ 22.Kg2 Nhf4+ 23.gxf4 Nxf4+ 24.Rxf4 exf4 24...Qxf4 25.Qf3! gives Black an unpleasant choice. To trade queens or not to trade? Either way White will be happy. Qh4 26.Qg3 25.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. e5 Perhaps 25...b5 to open some files but then 26.e5! dxe5 27.Ne1!? with the idea to blockade with the knights on e4 and f3. The position is totally chaotic. 26.Qg4 and 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. Rad8 22.Rae1 I like White. 21...Ng5 Sergey misses the draw! Just when he is close to it, he chooses another way. 21...Nxf2+ 22.Kg2 22.Kg1 Qg5 wins a pawn with an easy tactic. 23.Qxg5 Nh3+ Check! 24.Kg2 Nxg5 22...Qf7! Threatening Nf4 check. 23.Kg1 White prevents the check, and now Black has to find: If White retreats with 23.Qe2 then Nh4+ and its clear to see that it leads to a perpetual. 24.Kg1 24.gxh4? Qg6+ 24...Nh3+ 25.Kh1 Nf2+ 23...Qf6! It's easy to miss this move. Black prepares Qg5 followed by Nh3 check, so White has nothing better than 24.Kg2 24.Ng4 Qg5 24...Qf7= 22.h4 Magnus 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 but 22.Rae1! preparing Ng4, is even stronger. For example Nf3 23.Ng4 Qg5 24.Qxg5 hxg5 25.Nxf3 Rxf3 26.Rd1± You may ask, what is worse than doubled pawns? Well... four doubled-pawns. 22...Nf3 23.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24.Qxf3 Rxf3 25.Kg2 Magnus 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. Rf7 26.Rfe1 This leaves the f2-pawn slightly vulnerable. Not that it matters though. White has an abundance of plans here. I like 26.Ng4 Forcing h5. h5 27.Nh2 Nf8 28.Nf3 Now White seizes the g5-square too. Nd7 29.Rae1 White is well on the way to converting his advantage. 26...h5 26...Raf8 can be simply met by 27.Nd1 27.Re2 gives birth to Nf4+ ideas. 28.gxf4 exf4 27...h5 28.Re2 27.Nf1 Finding ideal squares for his pieces is a piece of cake for Magnus. Kf8 27...Raf8 28.Re2 Rf3 29.Rd1 with the queens off the board any tries by Black to attack will not be successful. So instead he tries to improve his king. 28.Nd2 Ke7 29.Re2 Protecting 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. Kd6 30.Nf3 Raf8 31.Ng5 Re7 32.Rae1 Rfe8 33.Nf3 Besides 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.d4 A 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 choose 34.b4 axb4 35.cxb4 Nf7 36.a5 with a clear advantage too, but sooner or later White has to find a way to break through. 34...exd4 35.Nxd4 g6 Protecting the f5-square. A lesser wood pusher might go 35...Nf7 but then 36.exd5 cxd5 37.c4 dxc4 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 subtle 36.Nb3!? b6 37.Nd4 with the idea of weakening c6 but perhaps its too subtle for the most part. 36...Nf7 37.e5+ 37.Rf3 Ne5 38.Rf6 Rf7 allows Black to defend no problemo. After the exchange of his most active rook, White's chances to convert become much harder. 39.Rxf7 Nxf7 37...Kd7 38.Rf3 Perhaps not the best but it is a normal move, especially when both players are relatively low in time. 38.b4 is 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. After 39.Nb3 b6 40.Nd2 Black still does not fully solve his problems however. Nh8! 40...Rg8 41.Rf6 and the g6-h5 pawn chain will be quite vulnerable. 41.c4 41.Rf6 Rf7! eliminates White's most active piece! 41...Rf7 the 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...g5 39.hxg5 Nxg5 40.Rf6 Or 38...Rg8 39.Rf6 but White still looks better here. 39.Rf6 Rg7 40.b4 Now 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...axb4 41.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. Ng8 If 41...Nf5 White simply retreats his knight to b3 or f3, and the pressure becomes untenable in conjunction with a power rook on f6. 42.Rf3 Nh6 43.a5 Improving his position slowly but surely. Of course White avoids the repetition of moves! Nf5 44.Nb3 Kc7 45.Nc5?! Magnus starts to drift, probably because he has such a nice position. White could have sealed the win with 45.Rc1 threatening b5. And if Kb8 46.a6 if the b7-c6 pawn chain falls then the last of Black's bastions are fallen. Rc7 47.Rfc3 A sample line of how the game can end: bxa6 48.Rxc6 Rxc6 49.Rxc6 Kb7 50.Na5+ Ka7 51.Rc7+ Kb8 52.Rf7+- Seventh rank, active pieces, later on active king, White has all the Trumps that he needs. Black's position is crumbling. 45...Kb8 46.Rb1 Ka7 Now there is no clean finish. However White is still clearly ahead. 47.Rd3 Rc7 Trying to counter with a punch is too slow 47...g5 48.hxg5 Rxg5 After 49.b5+- Black cannot defend all his weaknesses (b7 and e6). 47...b6 can be met simply by 48.Na4 Or even better: 48.axb6+ Kxb6 49.Ra3 Ra7 50.Rxa7 Kxa7 51.Kf3± when the White king is really fast. 48.Ra3 Nd4 49.Rd1 Nf5 50.Kh3 Nh6 51.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. Rf7 52.Rd4 Nf5 53.Rd2 I like 53.Rf4 but then Rh7! preventing g4, leaves the White rook immobile on f4. 53...Rh7 54.Rb3 Ree7 55.Rdd3 This 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! cxb5 56.Rxb5 Black cannot hold on to his b7 and e6-pawn for long. Perhaps Black can try Ne3 but then 57.Rd3 Nc4 58.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...Rh8 56.Rb1 Again waiting for the right moment. Just wait, just wait... Patience is a virtue. Rhh7 57.b5! NOW! cxb5 58.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. d4 59.Rb6 Rc7 60.Nxe6 Rc3 61.Nf4 Rhc7 62.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.Rxg6 Rxd3 62...Rc1 gives White a choice between five different moves that win. 63.Nxd3 Rc3 64.Rf6 Ne3 65.Nf4 and 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...Rxd3 63.Nxc7 Some 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. Kb8 64.Nb5 Kc8 64...Rxf3 65.a6 promotes the passed a-pawn. 65.Rxg6 Rxf3 66.Kg2! Activating the king. From here Magnus does not give Sergey any chance to escape. Rb3 67.Nd6+ Another exchange. Now it is 6 vs 5. Nxd6 68.Rxd6 Re3 69.e6 Not 69.Rxd4? Rxe5 70.Ra4 Kd7 when 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...Kc7 69...d3 70.Kf2+- 70.Rxd4 Rxe6 70...Re5!? 71.e7!? Rxe7 72.Rd5 does not change anything. 71.Rd5! The White rook attacks h5 while at the same time protecting his a-pawn. Rh6 72.Kf3 Sergey 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. Kb8 72...b6 73.axb6+ Kxb6 74.Kf4 Kc6 75.Rd8 White need not even calculate rook and single pawn endings because he can win the enemy pawn by force. Kc7 76.Rg8 Kd6 77.Kg5 Rh7 78.Kg6+- 72...Kc6 73.Rf5 Kd6 74.g4 hxg4+ 75.Kxg4+- also wins easily. 73.Kf4 73.g4 hxg4+ 74.Kxg4+- easy win. 73...Ka7 74.Kg5 Rh8 75.Kf6 Magnus 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.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S27722016C65AGON FWCM 201610

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:

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:

 

 

 

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.

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:

 

 

 

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?

 

 

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.

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...

 

... and some did not:

 

 

20.37 / 14.37: Nobody knows what the future will bring but maybe that's why people like predictions. Sam Shankland dared a "bold" one:

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?

17.09 / 11.09 am: Did the players consider 46.Qh8+ and then 47.Qd4 instead of 46.Qd4? .

16.22 / 10.22 am: Magnus Carlsen about game 8 and what happened afterwards.

15.43 / 9.43 am: Impressions from game 9.

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.

12.36 / 6.36 am: Our snippets from the press conference part 2, here questions from the audience.

12.34 / 6.34 am: Our snippets from the press conference, here analysis from the players.

11.38 / 5.38 am: Daniel King did a round up show on playchess.com of game 9. Click here to watch it for free.

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:

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.

1.40 / 7.40 pm: Draw! After more than five and a half hours of play.

1.13 / 7.13 pm: 

1.10 / 7.10 pm: Carlsen succeeded in placing his pieces quite well while Karjakin has not made any progress - a draw seems inevitable.

0.45 / 6.45 pm: Carlsen seems to be relieved, the game could have gone much worse.

0.32 / 6.32 pm: 

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: 

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:

23.33 / 5.33 pm: After Carlsen's 38...Ne7 L'Ami spots a tactic:

+ + + 

 

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