Aimchess Rapid: Arjun beats Carlsen, Abdusattorov leads

A first for Arjun

In March 2020, just before the start of the pandemic, Arjun Erigaisi had a 2559 Elo rating. Two and a half years later, he finds himself as the 21st highest-rated player in the world with 2728 rating points to his name. What is more, he has now achieved his first-ever win over world champion Magnus Carlsen — albeit in an online rapid game. 

Strike like the world champions

88 times, IM Oliver Reeh leads you step by step through the most brillant game conclusions of the world champions - in interactive Fritztrainer format, enabling you to enter the winning moves yourself.

The 19-year-old comes from reaching the final of the previous event of the tour, when he was quickly dispatched by an inspired Carlsen. Arjun had played phenomenally before that match, but that does not take away from the fact that he must have felt disappointed with his showing in the final. He has quickly bounced back, though, as his win against Carlsen was one of the three he collected on Saturday to climb to shared fourth place in the Aimchess Rapid.

Magnus Carlsen is playing from a log cabin in Åre, a Swedish ski resort

In the second set of the Generation Cup final, Carlsen had employed the Pirc Defence to beat his young opponent with the black pieces, and he went for the same system in round 7. The Norwegian got good play in a double-edged middlegame position, but began to lose the thread at around move 24. 

Despite Black’s dangerous-looking threats along the b-file, Arjun correctly calculated that he could go for a counterattack on the other flank of the board.

27.Qf7+ was responded by 27...Be7, which is not the strongest defensive try. Better was 27...Kd8, but Carlsen surely foresaw that White had 28.Bxh6 in that case — the threat of a queen check from f6 is key here. Importantly, in this line, White should not fear the scary-looking 28...Ba3, as the rook on h2 (!) plays an important defensive role (see diagram below).

The continuation seen in the game was only the start of a complex tactical scrimmage. Arjun showed nerves of steel, as he managed to keep his advantage and eventually simplified into a winning endgame with opposite-coloured bishops and four rooks still on the board.

Carlsen’s 44...Rc4, allowing a pair of rooks to leave the board, was a decisive mistake. Of course, defending the position would have been nearly impossible in the alternative lines as well, with the connected passers on the kingside a real menace for Black.

Abdusattorov leads, Carlsen and Shakh close behind

After grabbing the sole lead on day 1 with a 10/12 performance, Nodirbek Abdusattorov kicked off the second day of action with a loss against Vidit Gujrathi. Back-to-back wins over Gukesh Dommaraju and Pentala Harikrishna, followed by a draw against Anish Giri, allowed him to retake the sole lead, however.

Similarly, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov started the day with a loss, against Vincent Keymer, but collected three wins in a row to end the day a point behind the young leader. Shakh is tied for second place with Carlsen. Before losing to Arjun, the world champion had defeated Richard Rapport and David Anton.

GM Karsten Müller analysed the world champion’s endgame against Anton. Carlsen’s wave of pawns on the kingside proved impossible to stop for the Spaniard.

 

Carlsen, Magnus2856

1–0

Anton Guijarro, David2655

MCCT Aimchess Prelims 2022 Online11.10.2022[Mueller,Karsten]

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 4.0-0 e6 5.d3 Nc6 6.e4 dxe4 7.dxe4 Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Nxe4 9.Na3 Be7 10.Bf4 f6 11.Nb5 Kf7 12.Ne1 f5 13.Nd3 Rd8 14.a4 b6 15.f3 Nf6 16.Bc7 Rd7 17.f4 Ne4 18.Nf2 a6 19.Nxe4 fxe4 20.Rxd7 Bxd7 21.Nc3 Rc8 22.Bxb6 e3 23.Nd1 e2 24.Ne3 Nd4 25.c3 Nb3 26.Re1 Bxa4 27.Nc4 Rb8 28.Rxe2 Bb5 29.Ne5+ Ke8 30.Ba7 Rd8 31.Re1 Rd2 32.Bh3 Rxb2 33.Bxe6 Nd2 34.c4 Ba4 35.Ra1 Rb1+ 36.Rxb1 Nxb1 37.Bc8 a5 38.Bb6 Bd8 39.Bxc5 Bc7 40.Bf5 Nd2 41.Bxh7

White's wave of pawns. A mobile pawn majority is often a strong trump in an endgame: 41...Bb3? Now White's kingside pawn majority will win sooner or later. 41...Bxe5 was forced, to reduce White's winning potential, e.g. 42.fxe5 42.Bg6+ Kd7 43.fxe5 Ke6 44.Bf8 Nxc4 45.Bxg7 Nxe5= 42...Kf7 43.e6+ Kxe6 44.Bb6 44.Bg8+ Kf5 45.Bb6 Bb3 46.Bxa5 Nxc4= 44...Be8 45.Bxa5 Nxc4= 42.Bg6+ Kd8 43.Kf2 a4 44.Ke3 44.h4!?+- wins as well. 44...Nxc4+ 44...Nf1+ 45.Kd4 Nxh2 46.Bd3 Bd1 47.Bb4 Nf3+ 48.Nxf3 Bxf3 49.Bc2 Bc6 50.Kc5 Bd7 51.Bc3+- 44...Bxe5 45.Kxd2 Bf6 46.Bd3+- 45.Nxc4 Bxc4 46.Bd4

This wins the pawn on g7, and then White's wave of pawns will just roll down the board. 46...a3 46...Ke7 47.Bxg7 Bf7 48.Bxf7 Kxf7 49.Bb2 Bd6 50.g4 a3 51.Bc3 a2 52.g5 Bf8 53.f5 Bg7 54.g6+ Kg8 55.f6+- 47.Bxg7 a2 48.h4 Bd6 49.h5 Bf8 50.Ba1 Bc5+ 50...Be6 51.f5 Bh6+ 52.Ke4 Bb3 53.f6 Kd7 54.Ke5 Bc4 55.Bf5+ Ke8 56.Be6+- 51.Ke4 Bb3 52.Kd3 Bf8 53.g4 Ke7 54.g5 Bf7 55.Bxf7 Kxf7 56.Kc2 56.Kc2 Ke6 57.h6 Kf7 58.h7 Bg7 59.h8Q+- 1–0

Standings after round 8 (win = 3 pts; draw = 1 pt)

All games

Winning Chess Strategies Vol.1 and 2

Throughout this video course, we will study how to master sacrifices and the initiative in several aspects: opposite-coloured bishops, the bishop pair, the exchange sacrifice, launching an attack, and the good moment to sacrifice will be covered.

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