Wesley So: How Carlsen tried to spice up game 11

by ChessBase
11/27/2016 – Game 11, 5.5-.5.5: Last regular White for Karjakin. What happened? After 1.e4 Carlsen avoided the Berlin and went for a classical system. He later tried to generate some threats, and Karjakin wasn't too impressed by his own play, as he later told after the game. Wesley So shares his perspective in our Newsblog 2016-11-27...

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World Chess Championship Carlsen Karjakin, New York - Newsblog 2016-11-27

Game No 11 - Notes by Wesley So

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,165,57054%2421---
1.d4946,47455%2434---
1.Nf3281,31256%2441---
1.c4181,93756%2442---
1.g319,68856%2427---
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1.f45,88648%2377---
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1.c342651%2425---
1.h327956%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
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1.Na34262%2482---
Notes by Wesley So - After wining Round 10 both players are tied now 5-5 but I have a sneaking suspicion that Magnus is gaining in control. If he achieves two more draws and they end tied, it's clear he won't be unhappy with rapid playoffs. Sergey just hasn't played as much Rapid and Blitz recently ... but then again ... this is the powerful Sergey Karjakin ... so we could be very surprised. Okay two games left to go and this is Number 11. 1.e4 This first move is expected, as Sergey sticks to the type of positions that he knows the best - 1.e4 gives him the best results based on his previous games. At least here he achieves playable and fighting positions, which are not easy to get against a well-prepared Magnus. A good idea I'm sure, as Sergey tried serving with 1.d4 back in Round 7, but was worse as early as move 11. e5 Did you expect something else? Magnus replies with this almost 90% of the time lately, so obviously he feels at home with it. Garry Kasparov once advised that in important games it's best to stick to the opening in which you have the most experience. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 The Ruy Lopez may be the most classical opening in chess history, with references to it going all the way back to the year 1490. a6 Magnus' preference. 3...Nf6 was Sergey's choice in Rounds 3 and 10. 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 The main line. Black wants to keep the tension. Magnus has already played like this in Rounds 2, 4, and 6 of the match, so I guess this is what I expected him to play today. Naturally he is hoping to outplay White again like he did in Round 4 and in general his results with Black here are very good. (Which is why I was surprised he went for 5...b5 in Round 9.) 5...Nxe4 leads to very forcing variations, where prepration and memory play a huge part. However, the problem is that Black has to play very exact moves, and chances to win are almost non existent. 5...b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 was played in Round 9. But why is there a need for this when 5.. .Be7 is serving him well? 6.d3 Aiming for a closed setup, White hopes for a long game and plenty of manuevering and the reason White aims for the Closed Ruy Lopez these days, is because it has become increasingly difficult to gain anything in the Marshall Attack. 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 is the starting position of the Marshall Attack. Black goes ...Bd6 and ..Qh4 next, gaining compensation for the sacrificed pawn based on the fact that White's queenside pieces are still undeveloped. 6...b5 7.Bb3 d6 I always thought that 7...0-0 is slightly more accurate to keep open options of playing d7-d5 in one move, but still after 8.Nc3 d6 9.a3 it just transposes to the game anyway. 8.a3 Reserving the a2-square for the bishop and controlling the b4-square. 8.a4 is an active alternative here and it leads to a slightly unusual position. I think the main difference is b4 is not controlled and Black may consider gaining space with b4 8...0-0 9.Nc3 Be6 Clever Magnus! He never plays the exact same line twice in a row. Just when Sergey is ready to face 9...Na5 again, as in Round 2, Black chooses a different move. 10.Nd5 10.Bxe6 fxe6 is an interesting possibility. Black has firm control of the center, but at the same time he has permanent doubled-pawns. Now I like the regrouping 11.Ne2 with the idea of preventing any kingside attacks by posting a knight on g3. Not sure if going for quiet positions like this is enough to beat the World Champion though. 10...Nd4 This move is well-known as Black's best here. It was first played by Peter Svidler of Russia back in 2013. I myself remember spending many, many hours of analysis work on this move back in 2014 (how fast time flies) however, not ever really being able to use it. After that, I decided not to waste so much time on lines that have a low chance of appearing in my games. I sometimes think perhaps that's what Magnus does as well. He knows how to be time-efficient. In this regard Anatoly Karpov is a good example, as he is well-known for being the most practical of the World Champions. He didn't really spend hundreds of hours researching the openings, but instead focused on the skill of selecting and absorbing new ideas. Anyway let's go back to the game. 10...Bxd5 is not recommended as in general you shouldn't give up your bishop pair at an early stage of the game. After 11.exd5 Nd4 12.Nxd4 exd4 13.Bd2 White is slightly better. If 10...Na5 White does not retreat his bishop, but instead goes 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 when the doubled e-pawns give him a head start. 13.b4 Nc6 14.c3 White is much better. 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Nxf6+ I was a little surprised to see this move, which is thought to be harmless, appear in this game. In my notes I had 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.Bg5 as the most critical and the only way to trouble Black. For example: Bxb3 13...c5 14.f4 14.cxb3 h6 14...Rac8 15.b4 c5 16.f4 15.Bh4 The pin is highly unpleasant and after Qe6 16.f4 White has chances for an attack on the kingside. c5 16...Nd7 17.f5 Qe5 18.b4 17.b4 Rfe8 17...Rac8 18.Rc1 18.f5!? 18.Rc1 Rac8 19.Re1 c4∞ 18...Qe5 19.Bg3 Qe7 20.bxc5 dxc5 21.e5 Nd5 22.f6 Qe6 23.fxg7 Ne3 24.Qd2 Nxf1 25.Rxf1∞ with a really complicated position. It's very possible though that my notes are outdated. However it seems to me that Black still has to play extremely accurately to equalize. 12...Bxf6 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.f4 Sergey makes a natural move, while keeping all of his options open. Options such as Qg4, g4-g5, or Rf3-h3. White is basically up a pawn on the kingside right now (3 vs 2), so it is clear he should focus his attention there. But I thought that Black showed the way to equalize after two top level games played in 2013, when everyone was still using the chess engine 'Houdini' and computers and the Internet were significantly slower. In those two games, Black made easy draws. 14.a4 c5 15.Qg4 Qd7 16.axb5 axb5 17.Bd2 c4 18.Bb4 Ra4! The best way to force exchanges. 19.Rxa4 bxa4 20.dxc4 Rc8 21.Qg3 21.Qe2 Qc6= 21...Rxc4 22.Bxd6 Rxc2= and the game ended in a draw soon in Anand-Svidler, Alekhine Memorial 2013. 14.Qg4 Qc8 15.f4 e5 16.f5 c5 Black has a 'pawn diamond' in the center and quick counterplay along the c-file. His king's position is quite shaky but White does not have enough time to exploit this. 17.Bg5 17.Rf3 c4 18.Rh3 Qe8∞ prevents Qh5, and prepares Rc8-c2. 17...Kh8 17...c4 18.Bxf6 Rxf6= might be easier. 18.Rf3 c4 19.Rh3 19.Raf1 might be a possible improvement to allow defence of the 2nd rank later in some cases with R1f2. 19...Bxg5 20.Qxg5 Rf6 21.g4 cxd3 22.cxd3 Qc2 23.Rc1 Qe2! 24.Rc7 Qe1+ 25.Kg2 Qe2+ 26.Kg1 Qe1+ 27.Kg2 Qe2+ 28.Kg1 ½-½ Leko -Caruana, Dortmund 2013. 14...c5 Preparing queenside counterplay later with c5-c4. 14...e5 is an alternative, but perhaps Magnus didn't want to close the center right away. After 15.f5 c5 16.Rf3 c4 17.Rh3 looks quite scary for Black, and if Qe8 18.g4!? with some attacking chances. 14...Qd7 15.Qg4 c5 just transposes to the game. 15.Qg4 15.Rf3 c4 16.Rh3 can simply be met by Rf7 to meet Or 16...Qd7 17.Qh5 with g6 15...Qd7 15...Qc8!? like in Leko-Caruana was a good option. Later after the opening of the c-file, a quick Qc2 is in the agenda. After 16.Bd2 16.f5 exf5 17.exf5 Be5 18.Qf3 Ra7∞ 16...e5 17.f5 c4 Black has sufficient counterplay. 16.f5 Releasing the tension and allowing trades. I feel that Sergey no longer believes that White has much going on and decides to loosen up the position. After all, in the event of an endgame Black still has his doubled d-pawns to worry about (though it's hard for White to make use of his better pawn structure). If White wants to keep fighting chances then perhaps he should go for 16.Bd2 or 16.Rf3. So here I can recommend for White 16.Bd2 c4 And now 17.b3 17.Rf3 c3! 18.bxc3 dxc3 19.Be3 d5 20.e5 Be7 21.Rh3 Rf7 17...Rac8 18.h3 cxb3 19.cxb3 Rc2 20.Bb4 Be7 21.a4 with a small advantage. 16.Rf3 c4 Or 16.b3 c4 and the overall position of the picture does not change. 16...Rae8 Already, Black has more than one way to equality. 16...exf5 Is just fine, to clarify the situation right away. 17.exf5 17.Rxf5 Rf7 18.Bd2 g6= 17...Rae8 17...Rf7 18.Bd2 Re8 18...c4 19.Rae1 Be5 20.Rf2 c4= 18.Bd2 And now g6 to eliminate White's spearhead. 19.h3 19.Bh6 Bg7 20.Bxg7 Rxf5 21.Rxf5 gxf5 22.Qg3 Qxg7= 19...Be5 20.fxg6 Qxg4 21.gxh7+ Kxh7 22.hxg4 Bg3! And with control over the open file, Black should be able to play ...Re2 in the near future. Control of the 2nd rank should give him enough compensation for the pawn. Even 16...e5 although it's no longer necessary to go for a complicated middlegame. 17.Bd2 c4 18.h3 Protecting the queen on g4 so he can take on f5 later with the rook. It also puts a pawn on a light-square to ensure that in case they go into some deep endgame, Black cannot capture this h-pawn with his bishop. 18.fxe6 Qxe6 19.Qxe6+ Rxe6 20.Bb4 Rd8 followed by posting a bishop on e5, hence guarding his doubled-pawns. The endgame is level. 18.b3 exf5 19.exf5 Be5 19...cxb3 20.cxb3 Re5= 20.Rf2 cxb3 21.cxb3 Rc8= in general, Black's play is quite easy and he has many options to choose from in each move. 18...c3!? The most unbalanced continuation. Black disrupts the coordination of White's queenside before he has the time to consolidate with b3 and a4. Many paths lead to equality. A normal continuation would be 18...Be5 19.fxe6 Rxf1+ 20.Rxf1 Qxe6= 18...exf5 19.Rxf5 and now Black just has to avoid g6? 20.Rxf6 when the White queen is protected. 18...e5∞ also gives an unclear position, but as I said, there is no more point to keeping the center closed, when Black has easier alternatives. 19.bxc3 d5!? Perhaps trying to confuse White, but as usual, Sergey keeps his nerve. 19...dxc3 20.Be3 d5 21.Bc5 Rf7= 20.Bg5 What follows now is another series of exchanges, where each side takes away material from the board consecutively. The most obvious continuation is 20.fxe6 but after Qxe6 21.Qxe6+ Rxe6 22.exd5 Re2 White has some tricky problems to solve. 23.Rf2 Rxf2 24.Kxf2 Bg5+ 24...dxc3 25.Be1 Rd8= is perhaps just equal too. 25.Ke2 Bxd2 26.Kxd2 Rf2+ 27.Ke1 Rxc2 White's position looks scary, but according to the calculator, White holds the balance with: 28.c4! 28.cxd4? Rxg2 29.Kf1 Rh2 30.d6 Kf7-+ looks like a typical Carlsen grind. 28.d6 Kf7 and the difference in the activity of the kings will be crucial. 20.c4!? is fine, since the pawn on c3 was lost anyway. White now gets some stability in the center and after dxc4 20...dxe4 21.Bb4 21.Bb4 Rf7 22.fxe6 Qxe6 23.Qxe6 Rxe6 24.Rf5= the ending is just equal. Though not 20.exd5 exf5 21.Qf3 dxc3 22.Be3 when White is slightly worse, as now it is he who has the doubled-pawns. Re5 20...Bxg5 20...dxc3 21.Bxf6 Rxf6 22.exd5 exd5 23.a4= 21.Qxg5 dxe4 22.fxe6 Rxf1+ 23.Rxf1 Qxe6 24.cxd4 e3!? Perhaps trying to put psychological stress on the opponent. There is always pressure when you have to make a draw from a defensive point of view. Now instead of making natural moves, White has to remain alert that the passed e-pawn does not become unstoppable. Instead of 24...e3, Black has at least three ways to make a relatively easy draw. 24...exd3 25.cxd3 Qe3+ 25...h6 26.Qc5 Qe3+ 27.Kh2 Qxd3= is another way. 26.Qxe3 Rxe3 27.Rd1 Re2! And because of the control of the 2nd rank and counterplay on the a3-pawn, Black makes a draw by straightforward moves. 28.Rc1 28.d5 Kf7 29.Rc1 Ra2= 28...Ra2 29.Rc3 Kf7= Or 24...Qd6 25.Qc5 25.Qe3 Qxa3 25...Rd8 26.Qxd6 Rxd6 27.dxe4 Rxd4 28.e5 Re4 29.Rf5 Re3= as they say, all rook endings are drawn. 25.Re1 25.Qg4 Qe7 26.Qf3= 25.d5?! is an example of how things can go wrong for White. Qb6 26.Re1 e2+ 27.Kh1 Qf2 28.Qd2 Re3 29.d6 Kf7 and there is some problems with the White king immobile in the corner. 25...h6 25...e2 26.Qd2 g6 27.Qf4 27.d5= 27...Qe7 28.Qd2= 26.Qh5 e2 27.Qf3 a5!? Pushing the a-pawn one step closer to promotion, just in case a pawn race happens down the line. Is Magnus still trying to win? Surely he's hoping for Sergey to make a small mistake or better, a major blunder, but really that doesn't happen often. Also, Black's problem is that his king lacks a fortress, meaning it is going to be hard to escape from queen checks later on. Almost all moves lead to a draw now. 27...Qd6 28.Rxe2 Qxd4+ 29.Kh1 Rxe2 30.Qxe2 Qa1+ 31.Kh2 Qxa3= 28.c3 28.d5 Qe5 28...Qe7 29.d6 Qxd6 30.Rxe2= 29.d6= 28...Qa2 Protecting the e2-pawn while at the same time threatening to take the guy on a3, or play Qd2, attacking the rook on e1. 29.Qc6! But Black's queen escapade has left his rook and king a little vulnerable too. Re6 29...Re7 30.Qc8+ Kh7 31.Qf5+ Hoping for perpetual check. g6 32.Qf8= There is no way for Black to make progress, as he cannot attack and defend at the same time. 30.Qc8+ Now is not the time to grab pawns: 30.Qxb5? Qd2 31.Qb1 Qxc3 32.d5 Qd4+ 33.Kh2 Qxd5 and White's greed has got him nothing but trouble. 30...Kh7 31.c4 Qd2 32.Qxe6 Qxe1+ 33.Kh2 Qf2 34.Qe4+ Draw. A quiet but well-played game by two experienced players. Today they decided to go for the Closed Ruy Lopez with 6. d3. Sergey played the same moves as in Round 2, but Magnus decided to deviate with 9...Be6 just in case his opponent prepared something viscious against his pet line with 9...Na5. What followed after 9...Be6 was a series of liquidations, with each player trading three minor pieces each, though Black had to accept doubled d-pawns. Moves 14-16 were critical to see if White can prove an advantage, but in the end Sergey decided to release the tension with 16.f5. What followed was a series of exchanges and with even Magnus trying to spice up the game a bit with 18...c3!? and 19...d5!? Sergey held fast, exchanged a few more pieces, and in the end the game never really left the boundaries of equality. Tomorrow is the last Round and let's see if Magnus' sister's prediction that he will win his last two White games comes true. Maybe this game is just the deep breath before the explosion. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2772Carlsen,M2853½–½2016C77AGON FWCM 201611

Poll: Who will win the match? And will there be a tie-break?

Who will win the World Championship Match 2016?
Magnus Carlsen, after 12 games170
47%
Magnus Carlsen, after tie-break134
37%
Sergey Karjakin, after tie-break34
9%
Sergey Karjakin, after 12 games22
6%

16.10 Hamburg / 10.10 New York: What we all would like to know: "Who is the favorite to win this thing?"

16.02 Hamburg / 10.02 New York: "What's your main reply after 1.e4 besides e5?" And, ahem..., any novelties prepared?

12.58 Hamburg / 6.58 am New York: Press conference snippets part 1 - analysis

12.58 Hamburg / 6.58 am New York: Press conference snippets part 2 - questions

11.29 Hamburg / 5.29 am New York: Yannick Pelletier did a round up show on game 11 on playchess.com. Watch it here.

11.20 / 5.20 am: Some remarkable pictures by Max Avdeev:

Sergey Karajakin being scrutinized - picture by Max Avdeev

Sergey Karjakin being scrutinized

Last glance before the game - by Max Avdeev

Last glance before the game

Magnus Carlsen arrivig backstage - by Max Avdeev

Magnus Carlsen arriving backstage

Last regular White for Sergey Karjakin - by Max Avdeev

Last regular White for Sergey Karjakin 

A Ruy Lopez unfolds - by Max Avdeev

A Ruy Lopez unfolds 

12.15 Mumbai / 7.45 Hamburg / 1.47 New York: Peter Svidler has experienced this variation in depth in his own games. ChessBase India reports on the eleventh game with key positions and analysis by 12-year-old prodigy Nihal Sarin: A Tale of Two Pawn Structures.

23.24 / 17.24: Draw - after 34 moves game 11 ended in a draw by perpetual check. With one game to go the score is 5.5-5.5.

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