[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2862"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. d4 d5 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 {An annoying move to face. There
are many other possibilities, but most importantly 5.c5!? is dangerous to
which Gata almost always replies 5...g6!?} Bf5 {A surprise! Other moves have
been tried in this idea. 5...b5 is a main idea while transposing to a
Semi-Slav with 5...e6 is also very popular.} 6. Bd3 (6. Qb3 b5 7. c5 a5 $1 8.
Ne5 a4 9. Qd1 g6 10. g4 Be6 11. h3 Bg7 {gave Black a fine position in the game
Tomashevsky-Ramirez, Tromso 2013}) 6... Bxd3 7. Qxd3 e6 8. O-O Bb4 {Most
players had rejected this as a dubious idea. Magnus took a long time trying to
figure out how to get an advantage after this.} (8... Be7 {allowing} 9. e4 dxe4
10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 Nd7 {is very possible and the main idea.}) 9. Bd2 Bxc3
10. Bxc3 O-O 11. a4 Nbd7 12. a5 Ne4 13. Bb4 Re8 14. Rac1 {White holds a very
slight advantage because his position has more space and its more obvious on
what exactly to do: mainly it is to remove the knight from f3 and push f3.} h5
$5 {Kamsky took a long time thinking about this move. Carlsen seemed to have a
confused look in his face when he saw it.} 15. Ne5 Qc7 (15... Nxe5 16. dxe5 {
strands the knight on e4, and could prove dangerous.}) 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qe2 (
17. f3 {was more direct, but its unclear how much advantage White will be able
to obtain.}) 17... Nf6 18. Rfd1 Qc7 19. h3 Rad8 20. b3 Rd7 {Black has enough
space to maneouver endlessly, so it's up to White to try to create something.}
21. Rc2 Qd8 22. Rcc1 h4 23. Be1 Ne4 24. Qg4 g5 $5 {Kamsky is in no mood to let
Carlsen slowly wrap his army around the weak h4 pawn. Instead he will create
space on the kingside and push back White's pieces. Kamsky was beginning to
fall dangerously low on the clock around this time.} 25. cxd5 f5 26. Qf3 cxd5 (
26... Rxd5 $5 {was also interesting, to retain the pawn on the c-file keeping
White's pieces out.}) 27. Rc2 Rg7 28. Rdc1 Nf6 (28... g4 $1 {was more to the
point, but Kamsky was running short on time.}) 29. Qd1 g4 30. f3 $1 {An
amazing move. Suddenly the counterattack on the weak h4 pawn is strong and
Black must decide exactly how to proceed with the kingside initiative, as if
it is mishandled White already enjoys the c-file and some strong positional
advantages.} gxh3 31. Bxh4 Kf7 $2 {Too optimistic} (31... hxg2 32. Qe1 Qe7 {
still gave some hope}) 32. Qe1 $1 {Very powerful, white is nearly winning now}
hxg2 {and now he definitely is with the following sequence} 33. Rc7+ Re7 34.
Rc8 Qd6 35. Bxf6 Kxf6 36. Qh4+ Kf7 37. Qh5+ Rg6 38. f4 $1 {Most accurate.
Black is in a sort of zugzwang and his position will fall apart faster than
with the immediate Qh8.} Qa3 39. Qh8 Rg7 40. Qh5+ Rg6 41. Qh8 Rg7 42. Qf8+ Kg6
43. Kxg2 $1 {Slow but fatal: White's rook will swing into great effect.
Black's discovery check is no threat at all. From now on White must play
perfect to checkmate Black, but Carlsen does this with ease.} Rgf7 44. Qd8 Rh7
45. Rg1 Qa2+ 46. Kf3+ Kf6 47. Qg8 Rh3+ 48. Rg3 Rxg3+ 49. Qxg3 {and now Black
is completely defenseless against the threats.} 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.09"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

{Aronian was the last person on his board, arriving only a few minutes before
the opening moves.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1
b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 b4 9. d4 d6 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nbd2 {The players
confidently blitzed to this position, but here Aronian began to think. Maybe
he was not anticipating this in his preparation, but it seemed that he wasn't
out of his own book as he quickly replied} Nfd7 12. Nd4 c5 13. Nf5 {Hikaru has
nothing to complain out of the opening. His powerful control of the
lightsquares a dangerous knight on f5 should give him the better position.} Nf6
14. Ne3 (14. Nf3 $5 {was maybe a better move, trying to mobilize all of
White's pieces, but Black can try to create counterplay after} Bxf5 15. exf5
Qc7 {preparing c4.} (15... c4 $2 {this move immediately does not work because}
16. Nxe5 cxb3 17. Nc6 {is a deadly fork.})) 14... Bb7 15. f3 Ng6 $6 {White
retains strong pressure after this. Levon spent a lot of time in this move but
maybe he was not confident in his calculations nonetheless.} (15... d5 $1 {
Breaking in the center is the only reason to put the bishop on b7.} 16. exd5
Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rxe5 Bxb3 19. Rxe7 $1 (19. cxb3 $2 Qd4+ 20. Kh1 Qxe5 {
and Black wins.}) 19... Qxe7 20. Nxb3 Rad8 21. Qf1 c4 $1 22. Nd2 Qc5+ $1 23.
Qf2 Qe5 {Despite White's material advantage, it's very hard to see how exactly
he will untangle. It is more pleasant to be Black, but maybe Aronian was
worried that White would be able to develop and utilize his material advantage.
}) 16. Ndc4 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nf5 Qc7 19. Nxe7+ Ngxe7 20. Bg5 {White's pair
of bishops secures him a slight but stable advantage. Also, Black's pawn
structure on the queenside is not the best.} Nf5 21. c3 (21. Na5 $5 {would've
been a very interesting move, since after} Qxa5 22. Bxd5 Bxd5 23. Qxd5 {
White's pieces are clearly dominating the board.}) 21... bxc3 22. bxc3 h6 23.
Qd3 g6 24. Bd2 Rad8 25. Qe2 Nf4 {it seems that with this move Black starts
regaining control of the position and equality. White's only advantage is the
pair of bishops and without it Black should hold without problems.} 26. Bxf4
Qxf4 27. Rad1 Bd5 28. Nd2 Bxb3 29. Nxb3 Qxa4 30. Nxc5 Qb5 $4 {A stunning
blunder!} (30... Qc6 31. Ne4 {would have led to an easy draw}) 31. Qxb5 axb5
32. Nd7 {Nakamura played this instantly, after which Aronian was visibly
shaken. He might have completely forgotten about this resource which wins an
exchange. The Armenian was very fidgety before he decided his best chance was
to immediately take on d7} Rxd7 33. Rxd7 Ra8 {If the b and c pawns didn't
exist, some resources might exist, but as it is the exchange is top powerful.}
34. Kf2 Ra6 35. g4 Nh4 36. f4 Rc6 37. Ree7 Rf6 38. Kg3 g5 39. f5 Kg7 40. Re6 {
Nakamura starts the tournament with an unexpected win.} 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A85"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2862"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 f5 {Already something to talk about. The Dutch is not a common guest in
top level chess, but two other players in this tournament are known to use it:
Kamsky and Nakamura!} 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 {The setups with a quick g3
and b3 are more common, but Aronian has a specific idea in mind.} Bg7 5. Bf4 $5
{A favorite of Hrant Melkumyan, an Armenian that lives in Berlin like Aronian.
It is possible that Aronian got the idea from him.} d6 6. e3 Nc6 {basically
new, but since Black's only plan is to play e5 anyways the move makes sense.}
7. Be2 (7. d5 e5 $1 {is the typical response against d5 when there is a bishop
on f4.} 8. dxc6 exf4 9. cxb7 Bxb7 10. exf4 Qe7+ {gives Black a superior
position despite being a pawn down.}) 7... O-O 8. O-O Ne4 $1 {The point of
this move is to allow Black to push e5. There are other ways of doing this,
like Qe8, but they are far more awkward while this is natural and direct.} 9.
h3 e5 {Black has achieved e5 while it is unclear exactly what White has
achieved. Carlsen has already equalized.} 10. Bh2 exd4 11. exd4 Ng5 $1 {Taking
away the protection of the d4 pawn will force this diagonal open: a nice
strategical advantage as the bishop on h2 will not be able to oppose the one
on g7.} 12. Nxg5 Qxg5 13. f4 {a strange move as White is at least temporarily
burrying his bishop. He hopes to maneouver it soon to g1 for it to regain its
power.} Qf6 14. d5 Nd4 15. Kh1 c5 $1 {Securing the diagonal and giving b5
ideas a sharper edge.} 16. Bd3 Bd7 17. Bg1 Rae8 18. Qd2 a6 19. Rad1 {Already
Black's position is more comfortable. By induction from the Benoni, it is
clear that if Black achieves the b5 break and achieves a powerful bishop on g7
he will be in the driver's seat.} Rb8 20. a4 Qd8 $1 {A smart regrouping of the
queen. Black only needs one piece to control the long diagonal.} 21. Rb1 Qa5
22. Qd1 Qb4 23. Bf2 Rbe8 24. Be1 Qb3 {The queen finishes her long journey to
b3, and with it she exerts so much power that White has no choice but to trade
her off. The problem is that this is a bad trade for White, as the Queen is
his best defender. Without the queen White is both planless and in a difficult
situation, Black will slowly set up b5 and when that break happens Black's
pieces will crash through.} 25. Qxb3 Nxb3 26. Bc2 {Aronian was down to less
than ten minutes at this point. He started pacing a lot around this point,
while Carlsen stayed at his board constantly thinking.} Na5 {It was tempting
to put the knight on d4 again, but both moves are about as problematic for
White as now the c4 pawn is not easily defended.} 27. Bd3 $1 Re3 28. Rd1 Rb8 $6
{Black continues with this plan of breaking on b5. Magnus has shuffled his
rooks a lot, but they now find themselves in strong positions which is why
Aronian takes care of that immediately. However it might have been better to
immediately place the knight on a5 back to d4 before anything else.} (28...
Rxd3 $5 {was his original idea, but Carlsen didn't see anything clear at the
end and decided not to go for the complications.} 29. Rxd3 Nxc4 $13) 29. Bf2
Ree8 30. Ra1 $1 {Aronian is an excellent player, and sometimes it is most
important to shine when you are in difficult positions. This important move
allows the rook to diminish the effects of a possible b5, as the a-file will
be open in its favor.} Bd4 31. Kg1 {Aronian took the opportunity where he felt
Black's advantage had slip and the fact that Carlsen had dropped significantly
in the clock to offer a draw in this position.} Be3 32. Bxe3 Rxe3 33. Rad1 Rbe8
34. Kf2 Nb3 35. Rfe1 $1 {With the trade of all the rooks, White has nothing to
worry about.} Rxe1 36. Rxe1 Rxe1 37. Kxe1 Nd4 38. Kd2 Kf7 39. Be2 Kf6 40. Bd1
a5 {A nice save for Levon Aronian.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.10"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 {A small surprise. Kamsky has used the Sicilian many times in the
past, but he is better known as a Spanish player.} 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
a6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 {Interestingly, both players
have had this position with black.} 9. Re1 (9. Qe2 $6 Bc5 10. e5 Bd4 $1 11. Rd1
Qb6 {with adequate counterplay. Felgaer-Kamsky, 2010}) 9... Qb8 10. a4 (10. Qe2
Bd6 11. e5 Bc7 {was the end of the game in Gashimov-Nakamura, Tata Steel 2012.
The game still has lot of life left, of course.}) 10... b4 11. Nd5 {The knight
is obviously taboo, but it isn't immediately threatening anything by itself -
the main point is that it is supporting the move Bf4.} Bd6 12. Qh5 Ne7 13. Nxe7
Bxe7 14. b3 a5 $6 {Kamsky played this move very quickly, but it is hard to
justify exactly why a5 was necessary.} (14... O-O $5 15. Bb2 f6 {looks
dangerous, but might be entirely playable as at some point Black might play e5
to close White's bishops, or at least he will be ready to meet e5 with f5
closing the diagonals in that way.}) 15. Bb2 Bf6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. e5 {Black
has a lot of weakness and will have to prove that his activity can compensate
for this and hold his position together.} Rg8 18. g3 Rg5 19. Qh6 Rxe5 20. Qxf6
Rh5 $1 {An important move, without this Black would quickly lose the h7 pawn
without compensation.} 21. Be4 $1 {Nakamura uses the fact that the security of
the king is a prime factor in major piece endgames - and it is clear that the
e8 king is not a happy camper.} Qd8 22. Qf3 Rc5 23. Qe3 {a strange choice, as
now Kamsky could simplify the position significantly.} (23. Bxc6 {was more in
tune with White's plans.} dxc6 (23... Rxc6 $2 24. Re4 $1 {and immediately
Black has serious problems with his king and the h7 pawn.}) 24. Rad1 Qg5 (24...
Rd5 25. Rxd5 Qxd5 26. Qf6 {and again the h7 pawn is the issue.}) 25. Rd6 {and
it seems impossible to defend c6, which nets White an extra pawn.}) 23... Qe7 (
23... Re5 24. Qd4 Rxe4 25. Rxe4 Bxe4 26. Qxe4 h6 $11 {and Black is barely
holding, but his counterplay against the weak c2 pawn seems to keep him alive
and almost equal.}) 24. Bxh7 $5 {The only way to fight for an advantage. This
comes with some risk as the bishop will be trapped and out of play for a long
time, while the pawn advantage will not be of use for many moves.} f5 {this is
of course Black's point} 25. Bg6+ Kd8 {The king heads to safer grounds, while
it will allow the a8 rook to swing back to the game.} 26. Rac1 $5 {a
"mysterious" rook move as Nimzowitsch would say. The idea is that a potential
c3 break might be very powerful.} Kc7 27. Bh5 e5 $5 {Very optimistic. Black
could also have played...} (27... Qd6 $5 28. Rcd1 f4 $1 {and the game turns to
be quite interesting as White has to play carefully to not get into hot water.}
) 28. f4 $6 {Not a move that Nakamura wanted to play, but he thought it was
necessary to stop Black's play.} (28. c4 $5 {Securing the queenside structure}
f4 29. Qe2 e4 $1 {Black obtains a strong attack.}) 28... Qd6 $1 {With Nakamura
down to onlny four minutes - an extremely unusual event - Kamsky has secured
both good counterplay and dangerous tactical chances against his opponent.} 29.
Rf1 exf4 30. Qxf4 Be4 31. Qf2 Rc3 32. Be2 Kb7 $6 {an unfortunate decision.
Kamsky was clearly worried about the queen's opportunities on the f2-a7
diagonal, but now his own queen will be tied down to the d7 pawn - not a
position it wants to be in} 33. Rcd1 Qe6 34. Bc4 d5 35. Qc5 $1 {Nakamura is
such a resourceful player! Here the bishop is poisoned} Rd8 (35... dxc4 $2 36.
Rd6 $1 {and the threats will soon be lethal on the king, so Black must give up
his queen.}) 36. Qxa5 $1 {Amazing! despite the fact that it looks like White
has no time to do this, he is just barely able to take Black's pawns on time.}
Rxc2 $2 {Maybe the losing move} (36... Qb6+ 37. Qxb6+ Kxb6 38. Bd3 Kc5 {still
is difficult for White as Black is very active.}) 37. Rf2 $1 {Very important
not to go for the intermezzo yet} (37. Qxb4+ $6 Qb6+ 38. Qxb6+ Kxb6 39. Rf2
dxc4 $1 {And White will have many problems with the passed b-pawn after} 40.
Rxd8 Rc1+ $1 41. Rf1 Rxf1+ 42. Kxf1 cxb3 {with an unclear position that should
end in a draw.}) 37... Rxf2 38. Qxd8 $1 (38. Qxb4+ Qb6 39. Qxb6+ Kxb6 40. Kxf2
Kc5 {is still unclear as Black's pieces are very active.}) 38... Rg2+ 39. Kf1
Rb2 (39... Rxh2 {was no better since after} 40. Bxd5+ Bxd5 41. Qxd5+ Qxd5 42.
Rxd5 {the b4 pawn cannot be saved.}) 40. Bxd5+ Bxd5 41. Qxd5+ Qxd5 42. Rxd5 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E62"]
[WhiteElo "2862"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 {Nakamura comes to the game
in fighting spirits. This slugfest was expected, and the American's
step-father, FM Sunil Weeramantry, had predicted that this would be a game
full of fighting chess.} 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. O-O Rb8 8. Bf4 {In a very common
position Carlsen decides to play in a slightly unusual way. h3 and b3 are by
more common ideas, but this move coupled with Rc1 has been seen more and more
in the recent past. The Bf4, like in the game that Carlsen played yesterday
with black, has the problem that it might be bothered by the e5 break.} a6 9.
Rc1 h6 $5 {This move allows Black to sometimes play g5 if the time is right.}
10. b3 (10. Qd3 Ng4 $5 11. Bd2 e5 {was the game between Vachier-Lagrave and
Ding Liren from 2012 which ended in a draw.}) (10. h3 {is also interesting, to
avoid g4 after g5.}) 10... g5 $1 {Of course, Nakamura wouldn't back down from
such an opportunity. White is forced to go for the line that was played in the
game} 11. d5 (11. Bd2 g4 12. Nh4 Nxd4 {does not give White enough compensation
for the pawn.}) 11... gxf4 12. dxc6 fxg3 13. hxg3 {Black cannot win a pawn
here after...} b5 (13... bxc6 $6 14. Nd4 Bd7 (14... c5 $2 15. Nc6 {and Black
loses}) 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. Bxc6 {is certainly more pleasant for White.}) 14.
cxb5 axb5 15. b4 {White fixes the weakness on b5, but at the same time his
pawn on b4 is somewhat lose. He has to worry about Black's pair of bishops and
the potential pawns on the center rolling down. On the other hand he has
pressure on b5 and a majority on the queenside that might be problematic for
Black.} d5 16. Qd3 Qd6 17. Nd4 Qxb4 18. a4 {Both players are happy with this
exchange. b4 is lost, and the bishops gain a little more scope in the open
game, but for the other hand White will obtain a passed pawn on the a-file} Ne4
$5 {Nakamura spent 17 minutes in this move, a difficult position not only
because of the many variations, but because none of them are necessarily
clearly evaluated.} (18... bxa4 19. Rb1 Ba6 $1 20. Rxb4 Bxd3 21. Rxb8 Rxb8 22.
exd3 {leaves Black down a piece, and although he has a powerful passed pawn on
the a-file and a strong bishop supporting it from g7, it seems unlikely that
there is quite enough}) 19. Ndxb5 $5 (19. Nxd5 Nxf2 $1 (19... Qxd4 20. Qxd4 $1
Bxd4 21. Bxe4 {gives chances to retain the advantage with pressure on e7 and
c7.}) 20. Rxf2 Qxd4 21. Qxd4 Bxd4 {is nearly equal.}) 19... Nxc3 20. Nxc3 Bxc3
21. Rxc3 (21. Qxc3 Qxc3 22. Rxc3 e6 {gives Black some chances to win as
White's a-pawn is weaker than it is dangerous.}) 21... Bf5 22. Qxd5 Qxc3 23.
Qxf5 {A strange position. Neither side will be able to make much progress as
Black has more material but his king is permanently weak and the white bishop
will hold down the position comfortably.} Rfd8 24. Bf3 Ra8 25. Qe4 Qf6 26. Qb4
Ra7 27. Kg2 Rda8 28. Qg4+ Kf8 29. Qd7 e6 30. Rd1 Qe5 31. Rh1 Kg7 32. Rb1 Rxa4
33. Rb7 {Black has managed to round up the a pawn but now has to deal with the
weakness on c7. He in reality has made no progress.} R4a7 34. Qe7 Rxb7 {The
only way to continue, but allowing a pawn that is protected on b7 is sad.} 35.
cxb7 {White on the other hand can also make no progress as b8 will be
permanently defended.} Rb8 36. Qd7 c5 37. Qc6 Kf6 38. Kh2 Ke7 39. Kg2 f5 40.
Qc8 Qd6 41. e3 Kf6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c3 {A bizarre way of starting the game. This move
promises White no advantage, and at most he will get a reverse Slav in which
he has no problem developing his dark squared bishop. Interestingly Kamsky had
already used this in a few ocassions with good success.} c6 {Unambitious but
solid. Aronian won't be dragged into playing something risky for no reason and
is happy just equalizing with black.} 4. Bf4 Nh5 $5 {Not letting the bishop
develop easily.} 5. Be3 $5 {An awkward placement for the bishop, but Kamsky's
idea is that it is not as awkward as the knight on h5.} (5. Bxb8 Rxb8) (5. Bg3
g6 6. Nbd2 Bg7 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bh4 h6 9. g4 {was interestingly a game between
Zugic-Nakmaura in which the much lower rated player managed to win in Montreal,
2008}) 5... g6 6. g3 Bg7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. Qc1 Nd7 9. Bh6 Re8 10. Bxg7 Kxg7 11. O-O
e5 {White has gotten rid of his awkward bishop, but Black has broken thorough
in the center. Chances are about even.} 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Rxe5 14. e3 Nf6
15. Nd2 a5 {a baffling move. In Kamsky's spirit, it is now Aronian that plays
a strange rook pawn move!} (15... Bg4 16. h3 (16. c4 $2 d4 {is the point.
Black is better as White doesn't have Nf3 in this position.}) 16... Be2 17. Re1
Bd3 {was interesting.}) 16. c4 Re8 17. cxd5 Nxd5 18. a3 Kg8 19. Re1 Nf6 20. Qc3
Be6 {Neither side has played with any strong ambition, but somehow White's
position seems to be becoming slightly better move by move. The eventual power
of the bishop on g2 should not be underestimated, especially if coupled with a
knight that could come to c5.} 21. e4 Nd7 22. Rac1 f6 23. Nf3 a4 24. Nd4 Bf7
25. Red1 Qe7 26. h4 $5 {Switching gears a little. Now that Black has dedicated
all his defensive resources to preventing any queenside intiative, Kamsky
decides to open play in both sides. This decision might have been aided by the
fact that Kamsky was now significantly up on the clock.} Ne5 27. h5 Nc4 28. Bf1
Nd6 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. f3 Qe5 31. Kf2 Rad8 32. Qb4 f5 $1 {Aronian wastes no
time! Kamsky hasn't achieved much in his last moves and he sees it is the time
to strike.} 33. exf5 gxf5 (33... Qe3+ 34. Kg2 Nxf5 35. Nxf5 gxf5 {seemed
slightly more accurate as now White must somehow defend his position.}) 34. Qd2
{Although the knight on d4 can be dislodged, it proves to  be a powerful
defensive piece on e2.} Qg7 35. Qc3 Qh6 36. Qd2 Qg7 37. Qc3 Bd5 {Aronian
refuses a three-fold repetition since he senses he is better.} 38. Ne2 Bb3 39.
Qxg7+ Kxg7 40. Rd4 Kf6 {With time pressure over, Kamsky is still slightly
worse, but it is a negligible edge that black possesses.} 41. Rc5 Nb5 42. Rxd8
Rxd8 43. Ke3 {Black could try to play a knight to d5 and maybe push his
queenside pawns, but with correct play White should hold without too many
problems.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E71"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Bg5 {Aronian quickly
played this move. Maybe sensing that Hikaru was out for blood, the Armenian
prepared something against Nakamura's King's Indian Defense.} c5 {The most
common reply, transposing back into Benoni waters.} 7. d5 a6 8. Bd3 $5 (8. a4 {
preventing b5 is by far the most common idea. Levon has the notion that the b5
advance is not dangerous in itself, and White can allow it as long as he
obtains quick development.}) 8... b5 9. Nf3 Nbd7 10. O-O h6 {This move isn't
something black wants to play as it is a weakness and it makes the e6 break
harder as a swap of pawns on that square will severely weaken g6. However the
bishop on the g5-d8 diagonal can prove to be very annoying.} (10... b4 {
closing the queenside is always possible, but never desirable.} 11. Ne2 a5 12.
Re1 $14 {and White will slowly but surely work on getting the e5 break in.})
11. Be3 bxc4 12. Bxc4 a5 13. a4 Nb6 14. Bd3 Ne8 $5 {A typical maneouver in the
Benko Gambit - which is very similar to the position on the board. If someone
asked an experienced grandmaster which opening this position originated from,
a b6 Benko is definitely one of the possible answers.} 15. Re1 Nc7 16. Rc1 Na6
$6 {The knight marches towards b4, its perfect outpost - though it is possible
that on c7 the knight was already well placed as it controlled b5 and allowed
Black to take on e6 with the knight.} (16... Ba6 $1 {It is known that
exchanging bishops is good for Black in these setups.} 17. Bb1 $2 (17. b3 Bxd3
18. Qxd3 Na6 {and no h4-h5 will really be as dangerous.}) 17... Nc4 $15) 17. b3
Nb4 18. Bb1 Bb7 {Probably the beginning of some problems.} (18... e6 $2 19.
dxe6 Bxe6 20. Nb5 $16 {its impossible to defend d6.}) 19. Ne2 Rc8 20. h4 c4 $2
{This is just asking for trouble.} (20... h5 21. Ng5 $5 Bb2 $6 (21... Nd7 $1 {
regrouping the knight, is far more solid and to the point.}) 22. Nf4 {gives
White a huge initiative with sacrifice possibilities; however maybe Black can
somehow complicate the issue.}) 21. h5 cxb3 22. Qxb3 {White's plan is very
simple: attack on Black's weakened lightsquares on the kingside.} g5 23. Ng3 {
obviously the knight is headed to f5. Black cannot allow this, once the knight
gets there the game is over as the pressure would become unbearable.} N6xd5 {
desperation. Aronian from now on sweeps the game without any issues.} 24. exd5
Bxd5 25. Rxc8 Bxb3 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Nf5 {if Black had time to regoup, to take
a4, and maybe set up his pawns on e6 and d5 he would be ok, but that's not
going to happen.} Bf8 28. Bb6 Rb8 29. Bc7 Rc8 {Nakamura plays in the most
cunning way, always placing his opponent little traps that he might fall for.
The game isn't won just yet, but it is a huge advantage for White.} 30. Bxa5 (
30. Nxe7+ Bxe7 31. Rxe7 Nd5 {and suddenly it is White who is against the ropes.
}) 30... Nc6 31. Bc3 Bxa4 32. Ba2 Rc7 33. Nh2 $6 (33. Ne3 {was another
interesting regrouping, probably stronger than the one in the game. Aronian is
focused on the h6 pawn though.}) 33... Ne5 $1 {Probably the best practical
chance. Nakamura will try to defend a position in which he is down a piece for
a pawn, but he will have a solid pawn structure and will simply try to build
an impenetrable position.} 34. Bxe5 dxe5 35. Ng4 e6 36. Ng3 (36. Nfxh6+ Kg7 37.
Rxe5 $2 (37. Nxf7 $5 Kxf7 38. Nxe5+ Kg7 39. Bxe6 {is a healthy two pawns, but
the reduced amount of material might give Black some hope.}) 37... Rc1+ 38. Kh2
Bd6 {is Hikaru's "point"}) 36... Kg7 37. Nxe5 Ba3 {The issue for Aronian now
is to create a clear plan of making progress. The pawns are creating a perfect
barrier against the knights, so its likely that a sacrifice at some point will
be necessary.} 38. Ne4 Rc2 39. Bb1 Rc1 40. Rxc1 Bxc1 41. Nd6 $1 {Forcing the
f-pawn to advance is a key part of this endgame. With this weakness it becomes
hard for Black to hold his kingside.} f5 42. Ndc4 Bf4 43. Nd3 $1 {The easiest
solution. Aronian shows remarkable technique.} Be8 44. Nxf4 gxf4 45. g3 fxg3
46. f4 Bxh5 47. Kg2 Kf6 48. Kxg3 Be8 49. Kh4 Bb5 50. Ne5 Be8 51. Bc2 Ke7 52.
Bd1 Kf6 53. Bf3 Ba4 54. Bc6 Bd1 55. Bd7 $1 {Beautiful. It is the transfer of
the bishop to d7 that will win the game thanks to a clever set of zugzwangs
and knight maneouvers.} Be2 56. Ba4 $1 {At the right time. The bishop comes
back to b3 when Black doesn't have the time to protect h5 and bring his bishop
to e8.} Ke7 57. Bb3 Kd6 (57... Kf6 58. Bc4 Bd1 59. Nd7+ Ke7 60. Nc5 {loses
immediately.}) 58. Kg3 $6 {Transfering the king is slow and clumsy, much
better was:} (58. Ba2 Bd1 59. Bc4 $1 {With this Zugzwang the bishop cannot
move because of Kh5.} Ke7 60. Bb5 Kd6 61. Bc6 $1 Ke7 62. Bf3 $1 {With a
winning advantage.}) 58... Bh5 59. Kf2 Bg4 $2 {Returning the favor} (59... Be8
{would've forced Levon to show exactly where his king was going.}) 60. Ke3 (60.
Nxg4 fxg4 61. Kg3 h5 62. Bc2 {was easily winning, but requires some
calculation. Levon is still confident in his plan.}) 60... h5 $2 {Making
things easy for White.} 61. Nf7+ {with Ng5 wrapping up the pawn and the game.}
1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C69"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2862"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 {Kamsky seemed to have not expected Carlsen to
go for this variation specifically. He thought for a few minutes before
deciding that the best course of action was to go into the quiet waters of the
exchange Spanish.} 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 Bg4 7. dxe5 (7. c3 {was
Fischer's favorite, but neither this move nor the move in the game are
considered dangerous for Black nowadays.}) 7... Qxd1 8. Rxd1 fxe5 9. Rd3 {a
common rook lift, the idea being that if White had played instead} (9. Nbd2
O-O-O {it becomes difficult to develop his pieces.}) 9... Bd6 10. Nbd2 Nf6 11.
Nc4 {White's play revolves around the weakened e5 pawn - taking it and playing
with the remaining passed pawn while Black has no chance at creating one
himself on the queenside. However Black's piece activity has been considered
for some time to give him a perfetly good game.} O-O 12. Nfxe5 Be2 13. Re3 Bxc4
14. Nxc4 Ng4 $1 {More accurate than the other move. At least here White has
some chances of going wrong.} (14... Bc5 {is a known draw:} 15. Re1 Rae8 16.
Be3 Bxe3 17. Rxe3 Rxe4 18. Rxe4 Nxe4 19. f3 Nd6 {and although White should be
minimally better becaues of the structure, no one has been able to win this
position.}) 15. Re2 Bxh2+ 16. Kf1 $6 {and he starts doing so almost
immediately. The king is safer and better placed on h1.} Rae8 17. Nd2 $6 {It's
going to become incredibly hard to develop because of the self-pin.} (17. c3 {
just passing and allowing some breathing room on the second rank was much
better.}) 17... Rd8 $1 {The World number one shows that he is in a class of
his own. With the rook going back and forth, he has now secured a pin on the
d-file that causes White's development to stall almost completely.} 18. f3 Bg3
19. Kg1 Ne5 20. b3 Ng6 $1 {Magnus moves are all precise, with the goal of not
allowing White easily development.} 21. Nf1 Be5 22. c3 $2 {Panic.} (22. Rb1 Rd1
23. Rd2 Bd4+ 24. Kh2 Rxf1 25. Rxd4 Nf4 26. Rd7 Rf6 27. Bxf4 $1 Rxb1 28. Be5 {
is unpleasant, but White's activity gives him excellent chances to draw.})
22... Bxc3 23. Bb2 Nf4 24. Rc2 Ba5 {The Norwegian wants to keep as many pieces
on the board as possible, especially with the somewhat exposed king, but there
was nothing wrong with simplifying the position and exploiting the material
advantage.} 25. Ng3 g6 26. Rf1 Rd3 27. Kh2 Bb4 28. Ne2 Ne6 29. Nc1 Rd7 30. g3
Rfd8 31. Kg2 Kf7 32. f4 h5 33. Kh3 a5 34. Kg2 Nc5 35. Kf3 Nd3 36. Re2 Be7 $2 {
Allowing White some hope.} (36... Nxb2 37. Rxb2 Ba3 38. Rc2 Rd2 {and it will
be very hard for White to hold this position as a2 will soon fall as well.})
37. Nxd3 Rxd3+ 38. Kg2 Bc5 $6 {The extra pawn still gives Black excellent
chances to win, but the advantage is slipping move by move. The bishop is not
well placed on c5 as it might be forced back to b6 in a defensive position.}
39. Rc1 $6 (39. Be5 $1 {Would have at least forced Black to find an active
idea to defend c7.} Bd6 40. Bb2 {and now any move by the bishop will be met
with be5 again.}) 39... Rd2 40. Rce1 Rxe2+ (40... Bb4 {was also more accurate.}
) 41. Rxe2 {Time control has been reached. Black is still up a pawn, but will
have a tough technical job ahead of him after missing many ways of finishing
his opponent off.} Rd3 42. Rc2 Bd6 43. Bc1 Be7 44. Kf2 a4 45. Rd2 Rxd2+ $2 {A
strange decision. The bishop endgame looks less promising than the rook
endgame.} (45... Bc5+ $1 46. Kg2 Rc3 47. Bb2 Re3 48. Bd4 Bxd4 49. Rxd4 a3 $1 {
Gives black great winning chances.}) 46. Bxd2 axb3 47. axb3 c5 48. g4 $6 {Not
necessarily losing, but why create a free passed pawn for Black? Much more
tenacious was to simply wait and keep the king on e2-d3, forcing Black to
figure out a plan of action.} b5 49. gxh5 gxh5 50. Bc3 $2 {The final blunder.}
(50. Kf3 b4 51. Be3 {should still be somehow winning for Black, but it's much
more difficult to figure out.}) 50... b4 51. Bb2 Bh4+ {not the most precise
but also winning.} 52. Ke2 Bg3 {the combined action between the passed pawn on
h4 and the threats of breaking on c4 and exchanging bishops gives Carlsen the
win. Here he is pushing the f-pawn forward so he will be able to easily trade
bishops later.} 53. f5 h4 54. e5 h3 55. e6+ (55. Kf3 Bh4 56. Ba1 Be1 $19) 55...
Ke7 56. Kf3 Bf4 57. Bg7 Bg5 58. Be5 c4 59. bxc4 Bf6 {White has two passed
pawns, but they are worth nothing compared to the outside passed pawns of
Black, which will soon promote.} 0-1

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.14"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2862"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5
8. Rxe5 {Nakamura uses a line that has given Carlsen some problems in the past,
both sides seemed to have been very well prepared.} O-O 9. Nc3 Ne8 10. Nd5 Bd6
11. Re1 c6 12. Ne3 Bc7 13. Nf5 d5 14. Ne7+ Kh8 15. Nxc8 Rxc8 16. g3 {only this
move is actually new. Moving the bishop to the h3-f5 diagonal can cause Black
some problems, or at least that was the American's original plan. Carlsen
ignores this and obtains an acceptable position.} Nd6 (16... Qd7 17. d3 Nf6 18.
Qf3 {is slightly more pleasant for White due to the pair of bishops, without
it being anything special.}) 17. Bh3 f5 18. d3 (18. d4 $6 {takes control of e5,
but is not as important as the fact that it loses control of e4.}) 18... Qf6
19. c3 (19. Bf4 Qxb2 20. Be5 Qa3 21. Qh5 Kg8 22. Qg5 {gives White some
compensation, but of course Black doesn't have to take on b2.}) 19... Rce8 20.
Bd2 Nf7 21. Rxe8 Rxe8 22. Qf1 f4 23. Re1 Rf8 24. Qe2 h6 25. Kh1 Ng5 26. Bg4 Bd6
{Black has solved most of his problems because White has to consistently pay
attention to his kingside. The only way of kicking the knight out of g5 is
with h4, which will weaken g3 and increase the power of the d6 bishop.} 27. h4
Nh7 28. Kg2 Qg6 29. Bh5 Qf5 30. Bg4 Qg6 31. Bh5 Qf5 32. Bg4 Qg6 {neither side
is really playing for anything, and with White's kingside weaknesses it's
fully understandable that he immediately agreed to a draw. With this important
results Carlsen goes into the last round with an extra half a point.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.14"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A85"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez, Alejandro"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 f5 {Kamsky has used the Dutch many times before, and Levon has a bad
score against it and lost to Carlsen, so this comes as no surprise.} 2. c4 Nf6
3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bf4 $5 {Aronian repeats the line that fared so poorly
against Carlsen.} Bg7 6. e3 O-O 7. Be2 Nc6 8. Bg3 {This is the point. White is
preparing d5, and Black doesn't have time to play e5 just yet.} h6 9. O-O Nh5
10. d5 (10. Bh4 $1 g5 11. d5 $1 {Seemed better, forcing some weakenings on the
kingside and opening the d4 square for the knight, so for example after} Na5
12. Nd4 $14) 10... Nxg3 11. hxg3 Ne5 {Now the game is approximately balanced.}
12. Rc1 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 e5 14. dxe6 c6 15. b4 (15. Bd5 {is not a completely
ridiculous move, but that doesn't mean it's a good one.}) 15... g5 {aggressive!
} 16. b5 (16. Qd3 {with more patience, was better} g4 17. Bd1 $1 {and now the
bishop quickly repositions to b3 while e2 is still avialable for the white
knight.}) 16... g4 17. Be2 Bxe6 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Qa4 c5 20. Bd3 Be5 {White's
structural advantage is significant, but Black has a strong bishop on e5 and
he is about to push h5-h4.} 21. Ne2 Bd7 22. Qd1 h5 23. Bc2 Qe8 24. Nf4 Bc6 25.
Re1 Rd8 26. Rb1 Qf7 27. Qd2 Qf6 28. Nxh5 $6 {Very optimistic. The opening of
the h-file is very strong for Black.} (28. Rb3 {keeping the status quo was
preferable.}) 28... Qh6 29. Nf4 Rd7 30. Nd5 Rh7 {Aronian must have
underestimated how quickly this rook swung to the h-file.} 31. Kf1 Qh1+ 32. Ke2
Qxg2 33. Rg1 Qf3+ 34. Kf1 Kg7 (34... Rh2 {immediately put more pressure on
White.} 35. Ne7+ Kg7 36. Nxc6 Qxc6 {the opposite colored bishops should favor
Black in this position.}) 35. Qd1 {The trade of queens simplifies White's task
but Black must still have an edge.} Bxd5 36. Qxd5 Qxd5 37. cxd5 {The passed
pawn is all that Black really has going for him, as the g1 rook won't be
locked up forever.} Kf6 38. Kg2 Rfh8 (38... c4 39. Rh1 Rxh1 40. Rxh1 {is an
endgame in which only Black can be better, but it will surely be a draw
nonetheless.}) 39. Rh1 Rxh1 40. Rxh1 Rxh1 41. Kxh1 {without rooks there is no
chance at all to win this.} c4 42. Kg2 Bb2 43. Kf1 Ke5 44. Ke2 Kxd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.15"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2862"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
b4 9. d4 d6 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Nbd2 h6 13. a5 Bc5 14. Bc4 Ng4 15.
Re2 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. h3 Nf6 18. Re1 Rab8 19. Nc4 Rb5 20. b3 Bd4 21. Bb2
Rc5 22. Ra2 Bxb2 23. Rxb2 Ne8 24. Ra2 Nd6 25. Nfd2 Nb7 26. Nf3 Kf7 27. Kf1 Kf6
28. Ra4 Nbxa5 29. Ne3 h5 30. Rea1 Rd4 31. Ne1 Ke7 32. f3 Rd2 33. Rd1 Rd6 34.
Rda1 Kd7 35. Nd1 Rd2 36. Nf2 Kc8 37. Nfd3 Rb5 38. h4 Kb7 39. R1a2 Ka7 40. Kg1
Kb6 41. Kf1 g6 42. Kg1 Kb7 43. Kf1 Kc8 44. Nf2 Rd8 45. Ned3 Kb7 46. Ke2 Kb6 47.
Ke3 Kb7 48. Nd1 Kc8 49. N1b2 Rd6 50. Ra1 Kd8 51. Nc4 Nxc4+ 52. bxc4 Rb8 53. c5
Rd7 54. Rxa6 b3 55. Rxc6 bxc2 56. Ne1 Ke7 57. Nxc2 Rb3+ 58. Ke2 Rb2 59. Rc1 Ra2
60. Ke3 Kf7 61. f4 Kf6 62. fxe5+ Kxe5 63. Ne1 Ra3+ 64. Kf2 Rd2+ 65. Kf1 Rd7 66.
Nf3+ Kf4 67. Rxe6 g5 68. hxg5 Kg3 69. Rf6 Ra2 70. Ne5 1-0

[Event "Sinquefield Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2013.09.15"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Robot 3"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Nf6 11. Bc4 Qb6 12. Bb3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. O-O g4 15.
hxg4 Bxg4 16. Qd2 Nd7 17. Nd5 Bxb2 18. Rab1 Be5 19. f4 Bg7 20. e5 Nc5 21. Bh4
dxe5 22. fxe5 Be6 23. Nxe7 Nxb3 24. cxb3 Qb6+ 25. Kh1 Rd8 26. Qe1 Rd4 27. Bf6
Bxf6 28. exf6 Kd7 29. Rd1 Rd8 30. Qg3 Ke8 31. Qg8+ Kd7 32. Qg3 Ke8 33. Qg8+ Kd7
34. Qg3 1/2-1/2

