[Event "Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Short, N."]
[Black "Carlsen, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B76"]
[WhiteElo "2707"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "John Saunders"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 {Magnus goes for the
Sicilian Dragon, virtually guaranteeing the spectators an entertaining game.
One imagines that his coach, Garry Kasparov, would have had some say in this
opening choice.} 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. Kb1 Nxd4 11.
e5 Nf5 12. exf6 exf6 13. Bc5 {Nigel can recapture the pawn more or less when
he wants and the priority is to preserve the e3 bishop.} d4 {Looks very daring
but the players are still following established theory.} 14. Bxf8 Qxf8 15. Nb5
Ne3 16. Rc1 (16. Re1 {has been played before in an obscure game and should
have continued} f5 17. Nxd4 f4 {when Black's powerful knight on e3 and
potential pressure against the c2 pawn would have given him some compensation
for the exchange sacrifice.}) 16... Bh6 17. Qxd4 {Giving back the exchange is
not quite forced but probably best.} Nf5 18. Qc3 Bxc1 19. Kxc1 Bd7 20. Bd3 Rc8
21. Qd2 (21. Qxf6 Qh6+ 22. Kb1 Bxb5 23. Bxb5 Qd2 {is probably about equal.})
21... Bxb5 22. Bxb5 Qc5 23. Bd3 Ne3 24. Re1 Re8 {#} 25. Qf2 {After the game,
Nigel berated himself for this move, though computers seem to think better of
it. The position is fairly balanced.} f5 26. f4 $6 ({Maybe this is some kind
of concession. Fritz advocates} 26. Be4 $5 fxe4 27. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 28. Rxe3 f5 29.
fxe4 fxe4 30. Kd2 {as being a little better for White.}) 26... Qd4 27. g3 Re6
28. Qd2 Ng4 29. h3 $6 ({White's position becomes difficult after this. One
neat path to a draw found by Fritz is} 29. Rxe6 fxe6 30. h3 Nf2 ({after} 30...
Nf6 {White has} 31. Be2 $5 Qg1+ 32. Qd1 Qxg3 33. Qd8+ {, also with perpetual
check.}) 31. Bc4 $5 Qxc4 32. Qd8+ {and it is drawn by perpetual check.}) 29...
Rxe1+ 30. Qxe1 Nf2 31. Bf1 Ne4 32. Bg2 b6 {White is now forced on the
defensive.} 33. c3 Qd3 34. g4 Ng3 35. b3 ({Not} 35. Qe8+ $4 {which loses after}
Kg7 36. Qe5+ Kh6 37. g5+ Kh5 38. b4 Ne2+ 39. Kb2 Qd2+ 40. Ka3 Nxf4 {, etc.})
35... Ne2+ 36. Kb2 Kf8 37. Bc6 fxg4 ({Around here, the commentators looked at} 
37... g5 $5 {with a view to forcing a passed f-pawn. They were working without
benefit of a computer engine. Fritz gives} 38. fxg5 f4 39. a4 a6 40. Bd5 $5 b5
41. axb5 axb5 42. Bg2 f3 43. Bf1 Kg7 {and Black certainly looks to have some
chances}) 38. hxg4 h5 39. gxh5 gxh5 40. a4 a6 {#Black cannot allow the killing
Bb5.} 41. f5 $1 {This maintains the balance. Though he stays tied to the
defence of his c3 pawn, White will have a few threats of his own once this
pawn comes to f6.} h4 (41... f6 {has some merit but White can play} 42. Bb7 {
and it is not entirely clear if White can make progress.}) 42. Bg2 Ng3 43. f6
Qd6 (43... Qe2+ $5 44. Qxe2 Nxe2 {looks quite promising for Black, but White
may be able to hold.}) 44. Qf2 Kg8 45. b4 a5 46. bxa5 bxa5 47. Kc2 Kh7 48. c4
Qa3 $1 {At this stage Black is in the ascendant and White has a difficult
defensive task.} 49. Be4+ Kg8 (49... Nxe4 $2 {would be very bad:} 50. Qxh4+ Kg6
51. Qxe4+ Kxf6 {and only White could win.}) 50. Qf4 Qxa4+ 51. Kd2 Nxe4+ 52.
Qxe4 Qa2+ 53. Kc3 Qa1+ 54. Kb3 {#} Qd1+ $2 ({What is wrong with} 54... Qxf6 {
, you ask? The answer is "nothing". Nigel was amazed that Magnus didn't play
this move, after which Black could well be winning.}) 55. Kb2 Qh5 $6 ({Magnus
is suffering a momentary wobble.} 55... Qd2+ {is the safe way to bale out for
a draw (which by now was all Magnus needed to secure a tournament victory).})
56. c5 $1 {Suddenly things are not so clear. Nigel only has two pawns to
Magnus' three, but the English duo are a couple of stops nearer their
destination than the Norwegian trio, and the f6 pawn provides the white queen
with some mating possibilities.} h3 57. c6 a4 58. Ka2 $1 {Nigel was rightly
pleased with this quiet little move, which sets Magnus a horribly difficult
puzzle to solve with only a few seconds left on his clock. Black to play and
find the only move to draw, secure a famous tournament victory and go to
number one in the world rankings. Imagine the pressure - would Magnus do it?#}
Qd1 $3 {Online commentator Daniel King was one of the many who were staggered
by the young man's ability to find this crucial move as his time ebbed away.}
59. Qe8+ Kh7 60. Qxf7+ Kh6 {#The time control. Now the players had 15 minutes
each, with 30-second increments. Perhaps I am too fanciful for my own good,
but it struck me that the pawn race was a sort of chessboard re-enactment of
the 1911 race to the South Pole between the great English hero Captain Scott
and the legendary Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.} 61. c7 {At the moment
the English horses seem to have the better of the Norwegian husky on h3.} Qc2+
62. Ka3 h2 $1 63. Qg7+ Kh5 64. Qh8+ Kg6 65. Qg8+ Kxf6 66. c8=Q Qxc8 67. Qxc8
h1=Q 68. Qa6+ Ke5 69. Qb5+ Qd5 70. Kxa4 Qxb5+ 71. Kxb5 {# "Scott-Amundsen: The
Rematch" ends in a draw. A goodly share of the credit for some fighting chess
goes to "Short of the Antarctic" but Carlsen wins the tournament and claims
the right to plant the Norwegian flag. A fitting conclusion to an historic
tournament in London.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Nakamura, Hi"]
[Black "Kramnik, V."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 d5 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 Re8 8. Bd2
Bf8 9. a3 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. O-O-O Nb6 13. Ne4 Nxf3 14. gxf3
Qh4 15. Bc3 Bf5 16. Bd3 Bg6 17. f4 Rad8 18. f5 Rxd3 19. Nf6+ gxf6 20. Qxd3 Qxf2
21. fxg6 hxg6 22. Bd4 Nd5 23. Kb1 c5 24. Rhf1 Qxh2 25. Bxf6 Nxf6 26. Rxf6 Bg7
27. Qb5 Bxf6 28. Qxe8+ Kg7 29. Qb5 Qg2 30. Rd7 Qe4+ 31. Ka2 Qe6+ 32. Kb1 Qe4+
33. Ka2 Qe6+ 34. Kb1 Qe4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Adams, Mi"]
[Black "McShane, L."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "John Saunders"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 c6 15.
a4 Qc7 16. Be3 Rad8 17. Qc1 h6 18. b3 Qb8 19. Rb1 Qc8 20. Qb2 ({You are
probably wondering why no comments have appeared until now. Because it has all
been played before (as both players were aware) by Michael Adams against
Alexander Morozevich in Lugo in 2007. That game continued with} 20. b4 Qc7 21.
Nd2 d5 22. dxe5 Nxe5 23. Bd4 Ned7 24. exd5 Nxd5 {and they then agreed a draw -
not an option for the players in London, of course.}) 20... Qc7 21. Rbd1 Bc8
22. c4 bxc4 23. bxc4 exd4 24. Bxd4 {#The Ruy Lopez is sometimes referred to as
the "Spanish Torture". Despite his mild-mannered appearance, Michael Adams is
one of the most skilled torturers in the business. He is in his element in
this sort of position, gradually creeping forward to exploit barely
perceptible weakness in the enemy camp.} c5 ({Black creates another weakness 
(on d5). An alternative may be} 24... Re6 {but it is getting uncomfortable for
Black.}) 25. Bc3 Bb7 26. Nf5 Re6 (26... Bxe4 $2 27. Bxe4 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 Nxe4 29.
Bxg7 {would be disastrous.}) 27. Nd2 Rde8 28. f3 Nh5 29. Nf1 Ne5 30. N1e3 Rg6
31. Kh1 Nf4 32. Qc1 Qc8 33. Ng4 {#} Nxg2 $6 ({Luke McShane feels he has to
make a game of it. He could play} 33... Nh5 {but one imagine the 'creeping
barrage' would continue slowly with} 34. a5 {followed by weaving the web
tighter with the knights on the kingside.}) 34. Kxg2 ({You may find your
computer suggests} 34. Rg1 $5 {which could be very good, but the super-GM
prefers to keep the amount of calculation required within bounds; he doesn't
want any nasty surprises.}) 34... h5 35. Kf2 Nxf3 $5 {#What was I saying about
avoiding complications? Sometimes, however hard you try to keep things under
control, the position gets messy anyway. Of course, when forced to play
tactically, as here, Michael Adams is well up to the task.} 36. Nfh6+ $1 ({The
point was that} 36. Kxf3 $2 {is answered by} Qxf5+ 37. Qf4 hxg4+ 38. hxg4 Qe6 {
. But Adams answers fire with fire.}) 36... Kh7 (36... gxh6 37. Nf6+ Rxf6 38.
Bxf6 {is another variation which is hard to evaluate.}) 37. Kxf3 f5 (37...
hxg4+ 38. Nxg4 f5 39. Ne3 {leaves White's king very exposed but Black only has
a pawn for the sacrificed piece and it may not be enough.}) 38. Kg3 $1 {
#Stepping into the line of the g6 rook's fire looks very risky but Michael has
subjected the position to some concrete analysis and worked out that he can
survive.} fxg4 39. e5 $1 {This opens up the b1-h7 diagonal and pins the rook
with deadly effect.} h4+ $5 40. Kxh4 $1 ({Luke gambles on some hesitation from
Michael (but is not rewarded). If White retreats with, for example,} 40. Kh2 $4
{he is lost:} g3+ 41. Kg1 Qxh3 {and Black wins.}) 40... Be7+ {#} 41. Kg3 ({You
may find your computer suggests} 41. Kh5 $5 {but it could be quite hard for a
human to figure out what is happening after, say,} Qe6 42. exd6 Bf3 {(although
a computer can find a couple of good moves easily enough). Instead, Michael
plays something more readily calculable.}) 41... Rf8 (41... gxh6 42. Qb1 Reg8
43. Rxd6 $1 Bxd6 44. exd6 {and now the threat of 45 Re7+ is very powerful.})
42. Rf1 gxh6 43. Qb1 h5 44. Bxg6+ Kh6 45. Bxh5 Rg8 (45... Kxh5 46. Qh7+ Kg5 47.
h4# {is mate.}) 46. Bd2+ (46. Bd2+ Bg5 47. Rf6+ {mates very soon.}) 1-0

[Event "Chess Classic"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Howell, D."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2597"]
[Annotator "John Saunders"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 {Not seen very often and
probably designed to dodge the more thoroughly analysed lines.} b5 6. Bb3 Be7
7. O-O O-O 8. a4 Bb7 9. Nc3 b4 10. Nd5 Na5 11. Ba2 Nxd5 12. exd5 (12. Bxd5 {
avoids some of the problems that accrue after the text.}) 12... b3 $1 {This
sacrifice of a pawn is designed to make a mess of White's pawn structure and
also hem the bishop in on a2.} 13. cxb3 Bxd5 14. Nxe5 Rb8 15. Nc4 Nc6 16. Bd2 (
{Theory in the much-analysed Ruy Lopez goes deep into the game and can be
quite antique. Here the moves} 16. d4 f5 17. Ne3 Bf7 18. Nxf5 Bf6 19. Be3 Kh8
20. Rc1 {, etc, were played in the game Leonhardt-Duras, Gothenburg 1909 -
that's exactly 100 years ago.}) 16... Be6 17. Rc1 Re8 18. Re1 Bc5 {#White is
still a pawn up but the extra pawn is worth less to him than the powerful
dark-square grip is to Black.} 19. Ne3 Ba7 20. Bc3 Nd4 {White had threatened
to play d3-d4 so Black quickly slams the door on that possible escape for the
entombed a2 bishop.} 21. Qh5 h6 22. Nc4 Qg5 23. Qxg5 hxg5 24. Nd2 Bf5 {#} 25.
Bxd4 $2 ({Faced with the attack on his d3 pawn, White should probably just play
} 25. Ne4 {when his position looks uncomfortable but playable. As played the
two bishops become too powerful and the d3 pawn remains under attack.}) 25...
Bxd4 26. Ne4 Bxb2 27. Rb1 Ba3 28. f3 $2 (28. Nxg5 Bxd3 29. Rbd1 Bc2 30. Rxe8+
Rxe8 31. Rf1 d5 {leaves White with a number of positional problems to solve
but the text, played in time trouble, was worse still.}) 28... d5 $1 29. g4 (
29. Nf2 Bb4 30. Rxe8+ Rxe8 31. Kf1 c5 32. Rd1 a5 33. Bb1 {leaves White very
tied up.}) 29... dxe4 30. gxf5 exd3 31. Rxe8+ ({The point is that a move such
as} 31. Red1 $2 {runs into} Re2 {when the a2 bishop is lost.}) 31... Rxe8 32.
Rd1 Re2 33. Bb1 d2 34. Bc2 (34. Kf1 Rxh2 {wins in easy stages.}) 34... Bc5+ 35.
Kh1 (35. Kf1 Rxh2 {is hopeless.}) 35... a5 36. Rf1 Kf8 37. Bd1 Re1 38. Kg2 Ke7
39. Bc2 Kf6 40. h3 Ke5 {All roads lead to zugzwang. David Howell exploited his
opponents weaknesses with great skill. This game was later adjudged the best
played in the round, though there was no monetary prize for this in the last
round.} 0-1

