Bilbao, Rd. 9: Carlsen beats Giri and wins tournament

by André Schulz
7/22/2016 – Before Bilbao 2016 Magnus Carlsen had never won a game with classical time-control against Anish Giri. But in round nine of the "Masters" in Bilbao he finally did. This win must have been particularly sweet because it helped Carlsen to win the tournament with one round to go. Hikaru Nakamura and Sergey Karjakin drew and so did Wei Yi and Wesley So. Before the last round Carlsen now has 16.0/9 and is full five points ahead of Nakamura.

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Anish Giri has always been a difficult opponent for Carlsen and before Bilbao the Dutch number one was one of the few players against whom Carlsen had a negative score in games with classical time-control. In the past Carlsen had lost one game against Giri and drew all the others. But in round nine of the "Masters" the World Champion finally won.

Carlsen had White and his opening choice of 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4!? did not show much aggression but in the middlegame he clearly indicated that he was willing and ready to mate Black's king. In the end Carlsen did not mate Giri but he put him under constant pressure which finally proved to be too much. One inaccuracy cost Giri material, another cost him the game.

The beginning of the end of a series

 
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1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Carlsen does not want a theoretical discussion - but this move, with which White avoids heavily analysed lines is becoming more and more popular. Bf5 2...Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.Nc3 cxd4 5.exd4 a6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 e6 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Nc6 10.Ne2 Bd6 11.Be3 0-0 12.0-0 Ne7 13.g3 Nf5 14.Bc1 Rc8 15.c3 b5= 1-0 (83) Nakamura,H (2767)-Giri,A (2776) London 2014 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 Bxd3 5.Qxd3 c6 6.Nd2 Nf6 7.Ngf3 Be7 7...Bd6 8.Bxd6 Qxd6 9.0-0 Nbd7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 Nbd7 10.a4 10.c4 c5 has been played in a couple of games. 10...c5 11.a5 c4 12.Qe2 b5 13.axb6 axb6 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nd7 16.Qg4 Indicating the wish to attack. Re8 17.h4 f5 18.Qh3 Rxa1 19.Rxa1 c3 Apparently considered 19...Bxh4 to be too risky: 20.g4 g5 20...fxg4 21.Qxg4 -- threatening 22.Nf3 Be7 21.gxf5 gxf4 22.exf4 exf5 23.Nf3 Be7 24.Ra7 Rf8 25.Nd4 and White has a strong attack. 20.bxc3 Qc7 21.c4
21...Nxe5?! This leads to difficulties. 21...dxc4 22.g4 Nxe5 23.gxf5 exf5 24.Qxf5∞ 22.Qg3 Bd6 23.cxd5 Carlsen plays the obvious move. The engines propose 23.c5!? bxc5 24.Ra6 and evaluate the position as clearly better for White - Black has no adequate defense against White's threat 25.Rxd6 followed by 26.Bxe5. 23...exd5 24.Nb3 Qxc2 25.Nd4 Qc8 26.h5
White is a pawn down but White's pieces are active, Black's pawns are weak and Black's king looks vulnerable. 26...Qd7 27.Rb1 Bc7 28.f3 Qf7 29.Ra1 Bd6 30.Ra6 White continues to give Black problems to solve. Qxh5? An error in a difficult situation. Correct was 30...Qb7 e.g. 31.Nxf5 Nxf3+ 32.gxf3 Bxf4 33.exf4 Rf8 34.Nxg7 Qxg7 35.Qxg7+ Kxg7 36.Rxb6= with a drawn rook ending. 31.Rxb6 Nc4
How did Carlsen now win material? 31...Bc7 32.Rb7 32.Rxd6 Nxd6 33.Bxd6 Rxe3 Now White has two pieces for the rook and Black has to be careful. 34.Be5 34.Qf4!? Re1+ 35.Kf2 Rb1 35...Qh1 36.Nxf5+- 36.Nxf5 might have been a bit better objectively. 34...Qg6 35.Qf4 Re1+ 36.Kf2 Ra1 37.Qd2 Otherwise ...Ra2 might be annoying. Ra8? But why is Black's last move a mistake? Correct was 37...f4 38.Bxf4 Qa6 39.Ne2 39.Kg3 Qg6+ 40.Kf2 40.Kh2 Qh5+ 40...Qa6 39...Qc4 and White cannot make progress. 38.Nxf5 Qe6 38...Qxf5 39.Qxd5++- The alternative 38...Re8 39.Qxd5+ Qe6 40.Qxe6+ Rxe6 41.Bxg7 neither offered Black much joy. 39.Qg5 g6 40.Nh6+ Kf8 41.Ng4 Ke8 42.Nf6+ Kf7 43.Nxh7 Ra4 43...Ra2+ 44.Kg1 Re2 45.Bd4+- 45.f4? Qb6+ 46.Kh2 Re1 with counterplay. 44.Qd8 Ra2+ 45.Kg1 45.Kg1 Qxe5 46.Qf8+ Ke6 47.Qe8+ Kd6 48.Qb8+ Ke6 49.Nf8+ Kf6 50.Nd7+
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2855Giri,A27851–02016D029th Masters Final 20169

Results of round nine

  Title Name Country ELO Res. Title Name Country ELO
1 GM Hikaru Nakamura
 
2787 1 - 1 GM Sergey Karjakin
 
2779
2 GM Magnus Carlsen
 
2851 3 - 0 GM Anish Giri
 
2790
3 GM Yi Wei
 
2694 1 - 1 GM Wesley So
 
2775

Games - Rounds 1 to 9

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.h3 Ne7 8.d4 Bb6 9.Bd3 Ng6 10.Re1 Re8 11.Nbd2 c6 12.Nf1 d5 13.Bg5 dxe4 14.Rxe4 h6 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Re3 Bf5 17.Bxf5 Qxf5 18.Ng3 Qd7 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Rxe5 Rxe5 21.dxe5 Qe7 22.Qh5 g6 23.Qe2 Qg5 24.Kf1 Kf8 25.Re1 Re8 26.Qd3 Rxe5 27.Qd6+ Re7 28.Ne4 Qf5 29.Re2 Bc7 30.Qd4 Qe5 31.Qxa7 Qh2 32.Ng3 Bxg3 33.Rxe7 Qh1+ 34.Ke2 Kxe7 35.Qe3+ Kf6 36.Qxg3 Qb1 37.Qf4+ Kg7 38.Qd4+ Kg8 39.Qb4 Qxa2 40.Qxb7 Qc4+ 41.Ke3 Qc5+ 42.Kf3 Qd5+ 43.Kg3 Qg5+ 44.Kh2 Qf4+ 45.Kg1 Qc1+ 46.Kh2 Qf4+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2773So,W2770½–½2016C659th Masters Final 20161
Carlsen,M2855Nakamura,H27870–12016B209th Masters Final 20161
Giri,A2785Wei Yi2696½–½2016C509th Masters Final 20161
So,W2770Nakamura,H2787½–½2016E329th Masters Final 20162
Wei Yi2696Carlsen,M28550–12016B069th Masters Final 20162
Karjakin,S2773Giri,A2785½–½2016C509th Masters Final 20162
Giri,A2785So,W2770½–½2016C509th Masters Final 20163
Carlsen,M2855Karjakin,S27731–02016B509th Masters Final 20163
Nakamura,H2787Wei Yi2696½–½2016D419th Masters Final 20163
Wei Yi2696Karjakin,S2773½–½2016E009th Masters Final 20164
Carlsen,M2855So,W27701–02016C659th Masters Final 20164
Nakamura,H2787Giri,A2785½–½2016D459th Masters Final 20164
Karjakin,S2773Nakamura,H2787½–½2016D379th Masters Final 20165
Giri,A2785Carlsen,M2855½–½2016D229th Masters Final 20165
So,W2770Wei Yi2696½–½2016C429th Masters Final 20165
Wei Yi2696Giri,A27851–02016C679th Masters Final 20166
Nakamura,H2787Carlsen,M2855½–½2016E069th Masters Final 20166
So,W2770Karjakin,S2773½–½2016E469th Masters Final 20166
Giri,A2785Karjakin,S2773½–½2016E009th Masters Final 20167
Carlsen,M2855Wei Yi2696½–½2016D769th Masters Final 20167
Nakamura,H2787So,W2770½–½2016D029th Masters Final 20167
So,W2770Giri,A27851–02016C509th Masters Final 20168
Karjakin,S2773Carlsen,M2855½–½2016D389th Masters Final 20168
Wei Yi2696Nakamura,H2787½–½2016E069th Masters Final 20168
Nakamura,H2787Karjakin,S2773½–½2016D379th Masters Final 20169
Carlsen,M2855Giri,A27851–02016D009th Masters Final 20169
Wei Yi2696So,W2770½–½2016E069th Masters Final 20169

Standings after nine rounds

  Title Name Country ELO 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pts. TB
1 GM Magnus Carlsen
 
2851   01 31 31 13 16.0 / 9  
2 GM Hikaru Nakamura
 
2787 31   11 11 11 11.0 / 9  
3 GM Yi Wei
 
2694 01 11   11 13 10.0 / 9 42.00
4 GM Wesley So
 
2775 11 11   11 13 10.0 / 9 38.00
5 GM Sergey Karjakin
 
2779 01 11 11   11 8.0 / 9  
6 GM Anish Giri
 
2790 10 10 10 11   6.0 / 9  

Tournament page...


André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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