Game 12 draw / Showdown on Wednesday / Notes by Yasser Seirawan

by ChessBase
11/28/2016 – Game 12 ended in a short draw - we will witness tiebreaks on Wednesday. Carlsen's 26th birthday. Carlsen chose to avoid a fight and settled for a quick draw by playing one of the most solid variations against the Berlin Defence. Karjakin also seemed to be happy with the draw. Maybe the press conference after the game was harder than the game itself. Yasser Seirawan shows mixed emotions. Newsblog 2016-11-29...
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World Chess Championship Carlsen Karjakin, New York - Newsblog 2016-11-28

Game No 12 - Notes by Yasser Seirawan

 
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1.e41,174,61854%2421---
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Notes by Yasser Seirawan - While both players have much to lament, each receiving a sympathetic ear, let's face it: The Arbiters have been brilliant. They have been out of sight and nary a word about them has been spoken. Out of the spotlight they have trebled checked that bane of all chess players - the clock. The battery is functioning (good), the time control has been set to the right one (very good), the board and pieces have been set up correctly (most excellent). And so it all comes down to this: After eleven hard fought games the twelfth and final game would be played for all the marbles. I wanted to describe the situation as high drama. But my 'Spidey sense' began to tingle as I considered the word. Blessed with a heightened sense of caution I decided to look up the current definition of the word. You see the English language changes. Nearly every day in fact. Just like the FIDE rules committee that loves to change the rules of chess, so to do the committees that define words in the English language. It can get pretty confusing. To assuage my internal warnings I double-checked and learned something new while bringing myself up-to-date: drama: Top definition: "Something women and especially teenage girls thrive on. Consisting of any number of situations that have an easy solution, which would bring a fairly good outcome, but these girls choose another, shitty, bad way to deal with it, again consisting of backstabbing, blackmailing/gossiping/betraying their friends, or the all-too-common, "I want to break up with him but I still love him!" It drives men and what I like to call "normal" girls nuts." Urban Dictionary. Hmm. Right. Just as expected a surprising change. Oh boy, I'm already in trouble and this is before annotating move one. Somehow, I can't quite put my finger on it but the (for me) new definition just feels a tiny bit to be politically incorrect. I confess I'm not the most astute in such matters. Therefore, let us put high drama aside for a moment and instead set up the situation from a different point of view... Many fans and even none-fans have asked me the question, "What makes one grandmaster stronger than another?" A fair question. Once when describing himself against his colleagues World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik saw himself, "As first amongst equals." It seems the top grandmasters know all the various chess skills and instead to find an answer to such a question we should consider the intangibles: Confidence; ambition; determination; good health; a supportive team; good food; a strong stomach; a working internet connection; staying regular and other key factors. The twelfth game would require a supreme effort by both players featuring nerves of steel coupled with boundless energy. They would before the gong imagine a long, hard fought game where conquering their nerves and remaining calm at those crucial moments is vital. They would review their preparation to the best of their abilities while hoping to out-calculate their opponent in the heat of battle. Doing all the things that grandmasters do so well. But there is another intangible to consider as well: At such a moment are you capable of getting a good night's sleep? Don't laugh. It is an important question. Imagine yourself in the role of Challenger Sergey Karjakin. You are to have a career defining moment. An opportunity to become World Chess Champion. A dream come true. With so many thoughts and emotions racing through your mind, will you be able to recharge your battery for the biggest contest of your life? But which player is carrying the bigger pressure? Same questions for Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion. Experts, pollsters and fans had all been unanimous predicting an easy match win. They were stone-cold wrong. Lucky to be at a level score, what risks should Magnus take to try to clinch the match? To go all in as White in the final game? As did Veselin Topalov with White against Viswanathan Anand in 2010? A decision which cost him the match... So many questions. So many worries and all you really want is to rest and recharge your battery. To sleep peacefully with pleasant dreams of victory. Perhaps such an ability, that one, to cast aside your concerns and get a good night sleep, is what makes one grandmaster stronger than another? Before the battle commenced, I wondered, would we see a real drama? Wait, now I'm certain that's not the word I want to use. In this preamble I've got it all wrong entangling myself in knots. I think National Basketball Association legend Michael Jordan said it best at such moments, "Go out and just enjoy the game. Don't think about the consequences. If you do, you'll freeze." 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 A first indication that perhaps the "decisive" final Classical game in the match might not be all that decisive after all. For Game 10, Magnus played: 4.d3 Keeping all the pieces on the board. 4...Nxe4 5.Re1 Uh oh. The second indication the game is about to fizzle. Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Not repeating Game 3, where Magnus tried: 10.Re2!? A move that didn't promise much but almost brought him great success. 10...Re8 All according to modern theory as well as strategic principles. The e-file is open and therefore the chopping block for the major pieces. 11.Bf4 Rxe1 12.Qxe1 Ne8 The first moment of "excitement" quickly passes. I'm a notorious pawn-grubber but the d4-bait is poisonous: 12...Bxd4?! 13.Bxd6 cxd6 13...Bxb2?? 14.Bxc7 Simply wins for White. 14.Nc3 When I much prefer White's position. Black has difficulties developing while White's moves play themselves: Rb8 15.Rd1 Be5 16.Nd5 White's initiative is getting serious. 13.c3 d5 14.Bd3 g6 Practice has proven that the symmetry in the position is hard to crack. With a draw being the most likely result. 15.Na3?! A confounding move. After all, where is the Knight heading? I will certainly not claim that after the standard: 15.Nd2 Ng7 16.Qe2 c6 17.Re1 Bf5 18.Bxf5 Nxf5 19.Nb3 It is all "blue sky" for White. Truly, there is not much in the position but the chances for a pull lay in this direction. 15...c6 16.Nc2 Ng7 17.Qd2 This one also had me perplexed. Trying my best to channel my "inner Magnus" I wrongly thought his Knight maneuver was designed to cover the f5-square: 17.Ne3 Seemed to be his intended follow-up. True, it does stop Black's: ...Bc8-f5, plan but allows another in its stead: Nh5! 18.Bh6 Bg5 19.Bxg5 Qxg5 With a Knight coming to the f4-square Black has solved all his Opening problems. 17...Bf5 18.Bxf5 Nxf5 19.Ne3 Nxe3 20.Qxe3 Qe7 21.Qxe7 Bxe7 The mutual hacking continues. The board is nearly empty. Just one last trade along the chopping block remains. 22.Re1 Bf8 I'm sorely tempted to give this move an exclamation mark. After all I'm a paid commentator and I have to earn my keep. That would make one for the whole game. In truth Black had a perfectly decent alternative as well. 22...Re8 Grandmasters do not make such moves: Walking into a "self-pin." However, there is no way for White to exploit the moment: 23.Bg5 Kf8 24.Bh6+ Kg8 Black is ready to play: ...f7-f6, and ...Kg8-f7, releasing the pin, with the time honored ritual of signing the scoresheets to follow. 23.Kf1 f6 24.g4 This bold thrust does not hold the promise of a vicious attack, so hold the trumpets. Actually it is actually quite safe. Kf7 25.h3! At last, I'm in a generous mood, "Give the man an exclam!" The text shows "understanding." In a Bishop ending, pawns should be on the opposite colored squares from the Bishop. The text also insures against adversity: The possibility of blundering a pawn is greatly reduced. Re8 26.Rxe8 Kxe8 The tasks along the chopping block have all been completed. The play must continue until move thirty. At least. 27.Ke2 Kd7 28.Kd3 Ke6 29.a4 a6 30.f3 Be7 Draw agreed. Oh boy. My preamble was longer than my notes to the game. Likely for good reasons. I'll leave it to other more gifted writers to share their thoughts on this downer. Instead, I'll just boldly state the obvious: A very disappointing conclusion to an intense World Championship match. Such games do not kindle interest in our glorious sport. Maybe I pegged it right after all? Perhaps Magnus did not get enough sleep? Now another rest day follows and on Wednesday the tension will be at its zenith as the title of who will be World Chess Champion will be decided by tiebreaks. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M-Karjakin,S-½–½2016C672016 World Championship

16.15 / 10.15: Okay, game 12 was short and maybe disappointing. But it raised questions:

Routine questions...

What can you say about game 12?

Questions of self-confidence...

Do you think you are stronger on tie-break?

Questions one should perhaps not answer truthfully...

Which color would you choose for the Armageddon game?

Questions about the opponent...

What do you think about Karjakin's nervous system?

Questions about the match in general...

Is that your toughest match so far?

And questions about some particular moves...

In the game you played h3, were you also thinking of f3?

16.00 / 10.00: A lot of people were disappointed by game 12. On his website chessintweets Eric van Reem gathers tweets about the match. Here's a sample of three tweets about game 12: @reachvsara: “Frankly, it was one of the worst games ever in a worldchess championship”; @benjamin_bok: “What an anti-climax”, @willtomford: “Is anyone else enjoying Carlsen-Karjakin as a soothing, meditative thing to fall asleep to? “

14.05 / 8.05 am: Tie-breaks are played on Wednesday - we can expect up to 15 games, the last one being the famous Armageddon or Sudden-Death blitz game.

Rapid

First, the players start with a match consisting of four rapid games (25 min + 10 sec/move) - Karjakin will have the white pieces in the 1st game. If the score is level after these four games, we enter the 2nd stage.

Blitz

This consists of a two-game-blitz-match (5 min + 3 sec/move), which will in case of a level score be repeated for four time. So in total this could sum up to ten blitz games.

Armageddon

If the score is level after the 2nd stage, an Armageddon game will be played. This format guarantess a winner, as in case of a draw the player with the black pieces will be declared as the winner. In this format, white has five minutes, black only four. An increment of three secsonds is given from move 61.

13.29 / 7.29: Jonathan Tisdall reports there is an article in Norwegian media that covers Sergey Karjakin helping people who stammer to identify theirselves with a new role model: 

+ + + 13.10 Hamburg / 7.10 am New York: What the players had to say about the game (analysis) + + +

+ + + The players on the perspective to play a tiebreak Carlsen: "Having a tiebreak is an achievement in itself" + + + 

6.30 Hamburg time: Tweet by World Chess is surprisingly harsh.

20.50 / 2.50 pm: "I didn't feel today was the day to take major chances." (Magnus Carlsen)

20.45 / 2.45 pm: Tiebreaks will start on Wednesday at 2 pm and last until they are over. Magnus will have black in the first game.

20.35 / 2.35 pm: Draw agreed after 30 moves.

20.34 / 2.34 pm: 

Caruana shows himself surprised that Carlsen does not even try to capitalize his white game and goes directly for the tiebreaks.

20.28 / 2.28 pm:

Magnus Carlsen seemingly goes for a draw and the tie-breaks. (Foto: Max Avdeev)

20.28 / 2.28 pm: Simon Williams takes it with humour:

20.20 / 2.20 pm: "This game might be a very short one" - Judit Polgar

20.12 / 2.12 pm: Magnus coach Peter Heine Nielsen explains their quite careful opening choice for today's game.

"Magnus is extremely good at getting a lot from very small things"

 

20.08 / 2.08 pm: Magnus tries a quiet opening this time - but as we saw in game three, the possiblities to outplay Sergey in such positions are still given.

 

20.02 / 2.02 pm: Magnus repeats the variation from game three: 5.Re1 in the Berlin Defense.

20.00 / 2.00 pm:

1.e4 was the kickoff of the shortest game in the match (Foto: Max Avdeev)

19.14 / 1.14 pm: We eagerly look forward to game twelve, which starts in less than an hour from now. The last two World Championship matches were already decided sooner. 2013 in Chennai Carlsen won after ten games (+3), while in Sotchi 2014 the match was over after eleven games (+2). The last time we saw a 12th game was in the 2012 match between Anand and Gelfand. Its last game was drawn then and we saw a tiebreak, where Gelfand missed a lot of chances and Anand retained his title.

19.03 / 1.04 pm: Chess fever rolls over Norway: according to Norway's TV station NRK a quarter of a million people in Norway stayed up late to watch game ten on Thursday night till they saw Carlsen winning. A quarter of million, that's 7 percent of Norway's population.

18.40 / 12.40 pm: Should today's game end in draw, rapid and, if necessary, blitz tie-breaks will follow on Wednesday. If you trust the live ratings Carlsen is a slight favorite in both disciplines - but far from being a clear favorite. Not to mention that nerves might play a role - to put it mildly.

Live Ratings: Top Ten Rapid

1 Carlsen 2894.0
2 Nakamura 2839.0
3 Karjakin 2818 i
4 Nepomniachtchi 2812.0
5 Mamedyarov 2805.0
6 Dominguez Perez 2803.0
7 Anand 2802.0
8 Vachier-Lagrave 2795.0
9 Radjabov 2788 i
10 Kramnik 2778.0

Live Ratings: Top Ten Blitz

1 Ding Liren 2875.0
2 Carlsen 2873.0
3 Nakamura 2842.0
4 Nepomniachtchi 2830.0
5 Aronian 2830.0
6 Vachier-Lagrave 2823.0
7 Mamedyarov 2813.0
8 Radjabov 2800 i
9 Karjakin 2800.0
10 Caruana 2800.0

16.30 / 10.30: Game 12 is thrilling and might decide the World Championship. Another interesting question is what Carlsen wants to play with White. 1.e4 or 1.d4 are the most likely first moves but a search in the ChessBase database reveals that Carlsen in the past has also opened with moves such as 1.a4, 1.a3, 1.b3 or 1.g3. Admittedly, he mainly tried these moves in blitz games. But maybe Carlsen also opts for 1.c4 or 1.Nf3. In a few hours we will know!

11.39 Hamburg / 5.39 am New York: The last bullet today. If the game has a winner we will have a World Champion. White smoke above Pier 16. If not: the tiebreak shall decide.

Last year, in Berlin, Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin playing in the Rapid- and Blitz-World Championships in Berlin , a fascinating show. Carlsen was always playing at the top but Karjakin also showed his class. And we know that he is calm under pressure. One day, Sergey Karjakin was playing bullet on playchess.com when his opponent blundered in a tense situation. With with 12 seconds or less on the clock  Karjakin found the time to type "lol".

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%

Game No 11 - Notes by Wesley So

 
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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

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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.

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