CCT Finals: Carlsen and So on 4/4

Not a fan of the predictions

The commentators at the Champions Chess Tour Finals in Toronto often share their predictions before each match. A fierce competitor, Magnus Carlsen confessed that he pays attention to what the pundits predict before his games. The Norwegian jokingly pointed out that he takes notice, especially when they do not envision him as the winner!

Master advanced Tactics and Calculations like a super Grandmaster

The Indian chess grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi with an ELO of over 2700 (June 2023) is one of the best 20 players in the world. For the first time, the sympathetic top player presents himself in a video course. Let a world-class player show you tactical moti

For the time being, things are going great for Carlsen, though, as he defeated two of his strongest rivals on day 2 of the competition. First, he got a 1½-½ victory over Fabiano Caruana, and then he got the better of Hikaru Nakamura in the Armageddon decider. Carlsen thus has collected four wins in as many matches.

Also with a perfect score is Wesley So, who so far has defeated Nakamura, Denis Lazavik, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja.

Two players have won twice and lost twice so far in Toronto, Caruana and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while the remaining four participants have each collected a single win and three losses. The top two in the final standings of the single round-robin will advance directly to the semifinals, those placed third to sixth will move on to a ‘survival tage’, and the bottom two finishers will be knocked out of the competition.

Round 3: Naka bounces back, Abdusattorov beats Lazavik

Coming from consecutive losses in his first two matches on Saturday, Hikaru Nakamura bounced right back by scoring the first 2-0 victory of the event, against Alireza Firouzja. The other marquee match of the round saw Magnus Carlsen beating Fabiano Caruana with black and then drawing with white to collect his third match win of the tournament.

The remaining two matches went to Armageddon, with Wesley So holding a draw with black against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (to win the match), and Nodirbek Abdusattorov beating Denis Lazavik with white in a long, technical endgame — analysed below by GM Karsten Müller, with additions by the ever-helpful Wolfram Schön and Zoran Petronijevic.

Abdusattorov, Nodirbek2727

1–0

Lazavik, Denis2566

CCT Finals Advancement 2023 Toronto10.12.2023[Mueller,Karsten]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 Nf6 4.d3 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bg4 10.Rb1 Rb8 11.h3 Bh5 12.g4 Bg6 13.Nd2 f5 14.gxf5 Bxf5 15.Ne4 Qd7 16.Qh5 Be7 17.Ng3 Bg6 18.Qg4 Qxg4 19.hxg4 Nd8 20.Re1 Bd6 21.Ne4 Be7 22.Ng5 Bd6 23.Nf3 Nf7 24.Nh4 c6 25.Nxg6 hxg6 26.Be4 Bc5 27.Kg2 Nd6 28.f3 Kf7 29.Bd2 Rh8 30.Re2 Rh7 31.Be1 Re8 32.Bg3 Bb6 33.a4 Re6 34.c4 Bd4 35.Rb3 Rh8 36.Re1 Rd8 37.a5 a6 38.f4 exf4 39.Bxf4 Nxe4 40.Rxb7+ Kf6 41.Rxe4 Rxe4 42.dxe4 g5 43.Bc7 Re8 44.Kf3 Rh8 45.Bg3 Be5 46.Kg2 Bxg3 47.Kxg3 There is an old statement by Tarrasch that all rook endgames are drawn. However, rook endgame theory has improved a lot from Tarrasch's time, and now we know that very often this is not valid. This position is lost for black - not only due to having a pawn down: White has a more active rook, and the pawns on a6 and c6 are vulnerable. Re8 47...Rh1 seems more active, but still cannot save the game: 48.Rc7 Ke5 49.Rxg7 Rg1+ 50.Kf3 Rf1+ 51.Ke3 Re1+ 52.Kd3 Kf4 53.Rc7 Re3+ 54.Kd4 Rxe4+ 55.Kc5 Kxg4 56.Rxc6 Kf5 57.Rxa6 g4 58.Rd6 Re1 59.a6 g3 60.a7 g2 60...Ra1 61.Rd7 Kf6 62.Rd3 Rxa7 63.Rxg3+- 61.a8Q g1Q+ 62.Kc6 Re5 63.Rd5 Qg7 64.Rxe5+ Qxe5 65.Qf8++- 48.Kf3 Rh8 49.Ke3 49.Rc7 seems more simple. 49...c5 50.Rc7 Rh3+ 51.Kd2 Rh2+ 52.Kc3 Rh3+ 53.Kb2 Rg3 54.Rc6+ Ke5 55.Rxa6 55.Rxc5+ is easier: Kf4 56.Rc6 Kxg4 57.Rxa6+- 55...Rxg4 56.Ra8 Kd6 56...Rf4 is more stubborn, but still cannot help: 57.Re8+ Kd4 58.a6 Rf7 59.Kb3 g4 60.Ka4 g3 61.Re6 Kxc4 62.Rg6 Rf6 63.a7 Rxg6 64.a8Q g2 65.Qd5+ Kc3 66.Qxc5++- 57.e5+ Kc6 58.e6 Re4 59.Ra7 Wolfram Schoen: The text move is a mistake. Instead 59.Rc8+ wins. Kb7 60.Rxc5 Rxe6 61.Rxg5 Re1 62.Rxg7+ Ka6 63.Rg5+- 59...g6

Activate the king. This is usually good in an endgame: WS: Also here the textmove is wrong. Instead 59...Rxc4 draws. 60.Rxg7 Re4 61.e7 Kb5= 60.e7? Now White's rook is too clumsy. The direct 60.Kb3 wins, e.g. g4 60...Re1 61.Ra6+ Kb7 62.Rb6+ Ka7 63.Rc6 g4 64.Rxc5 Rxe6 65.Rg5 Ka6 66.Kb4+- 61.Re7 Re1 62.Kb2 Rh1 63.Rg7 g3 63...Rh8 64.Rxg6 Ra8 65.Rxg4 Rxa5 66.Re4+- 64.e7 Kd7 65.Rxg6 Kxe7 66.a6 Rh8 67.a7 Kd7 68.Rxg3 Kc7 69.Ra3 Kb7 70.a8Q+ Rxa8 71.Rxa8 Kxa8 72.Kc3 Kb7 73.Kd3 Kc6 74.Ke4 Kd6 75.Kf5+- 60...g4 61.Kb3 g3?! The wrong g-pawn advance. Now it is very close. WS: Actually, the SF16 considers this to be losing. 61...g5 62.Ra6+ Kb7 63.Rg6 Rxe7 64.Rxg5 Re4= draws easier. 62.Ra6+ Kb7 63.Rxg6 Rxe7 64.Rxg3 Re1? Now White's king can invade. After 64...Re2 theoretically it is drawn, e.g. 65.Rg5 Kc6 66.c3 Re3 67.Rg6+ Kb7 68.Ka4 WS: Instead 68.Rb6+ wins in the long run. Kc7 68...Ka7 69.Rc6 Re5 70.Ka4 Kb7 71.Kb5 Re1 72.a6+ Ka7 73.Rc7+ Kb8 74.Rxc5+- 69.Rb5 Kc6 70.a6 Re1 70...Re7 71.Ka4 Re1 72.Rb3+- 71.Ra5 Rb1+ 72.Kc2 Rb8 73.a7 Ra8 74.Ra2 Kb6 75.Kd3

The extra c3-pawn helps White, as Black cannot go for the pawn ending. 75...Kb7 76.Ke4 Kc6 77.Ke5 Re8+ 78.Kf6 Ra8 79.Ke6 Re8+ 80.Kf7 Ra8 81.Ra6+ Kc7 82.Re6 Kd7 83.Kf6 Rc8 84.Ra6 Ra8 85.Ke5 Kc7 86.Kd5 Kb7 87.Ra4 Rd8+ 88.Kxc5+- 68...Rxc3 69.Kb5 Rb3+= 65.Ka4 Ra1+ 65...Rb1 66.Rb3++- 66.Kb5 Rb1+ 67.Kxc5

With two c-pawns this constellation is won. 67...Ka6 68.Rg6+ Kxa5 69.Rg3 Ka4 69...Ka6 is met by 70.Ra3+ Kb7 71.Rb3++- 70.Rg8 1–0

All games - Round 3

How to attack - principles of training

Most players prefer to attack rather than defend. But what is the correct way to do it? GM Dr Karsten Müller has compiled many rules and motifs to guide you, along with sharpening your intuition for the exceptions.

Denis Lazavik and Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio

Round 4: Carlsen chooses white

The fourth round saw 17-year-old Denis Lazavik getting his first win of the event, as he beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with white in the Armageddon decider. Similarly, Magnus Carlsen got the white pieces in the sudden-death game against Hikaru Nakamura and obtained the win he needed to take down the famous streamer. Carlsen did not risk not getting the white pieces.

Wesley So, coincidentally, also played white and won in Armageddon, as he inflicted Alireza Firouzja’s second loss of the day.

In the one match that was decided ‘in regulation’ — i.e. after two games — Nodirbek Abdusattorov scored back-to-back wins to beat Fabiano Caruana, who had entered the second day of action sharing the lead with Carlsen and So.

All games - Round 4

A Repertoire against the Italian Game

The repertoire against the Giuoco Pianissimo examined on this video course, provides Black with methods of evading this slightly one-sided pattern, yielding sound play in double-edged positions.

Alireza Firouzja | Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio

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