Champions Chess Tour: Setback for Carlsen

by André Schulz
9/29/2021 – In round four of the Meltwater Chess Champions Finals World Champion Magnus Carlsen suffered an outright 1-3 defeat against Vladislav Artemiev. Wesley So drew his rapid match against Hikaru Nakamura but then lost the blitz-playoff 0-2. In the overall standings Carlsen is still four points ahead of So. | Graphics: Meltwater Chess Champions Tour
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In the first round of the Meltwater Champions Chess Finals Carlsen won convincingly against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, but in rounds two and three he had some trouble before beating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the tiebreaks. But in round four Carlsen found no recipe against a strong and confident Artemiev.

The first game ended in a draw but in the second game Carlsen lost after avoiding a slightly worse, but still drawish endgame.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 a6 4.Bb2 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Qf6 7.Be2 Bc5 8.c3 e5 9.Nf3 Nge7 10.0-0 0-0 11.b4 Ba7 12.a4 Ng6 13.Bc1 h6 14.Na3 Rd8 15.Be3 d5 16.exd5 e4 17.Nd2 Rxd5 18.b5 Bxe3 19.fxe3 Qxc3 20.Nac4 Nce5 21.Nxe4 Rxd1 22.Nxc3 Rxa1 23.Rxa1 Nxc4 24.Bxc4 Ne5 25.Bd5 axb5 26.Nxb5 Ra6 27.Rc1 Bd7 28.Bb3 Be6
29.Nc7? Giving two pieces for the rook. After 29.Bxe6 Rxe6 a draw is the most likely result. 29...Bxb3 30.Nxa6 bxa6 31.Rc8+ Kh7 32.a5 Bc4 33.Kf2 Bb5 34.Rc2 Nc4 35.Ra2 White has to keep an eye on the weak pawn on a5 and that keeps the white rook busy. Black now advances on the kingside and wins without much trouble. Kg6 36.Kf3 Kf5 37.g4+ Ke5 38.h3 g5 39.Kf2 f5 40.gxf5 Kxf5 41.Ra1 Ke5 42.h4 g4 43.Rc1 h5 After the tempting 43...Nxa5 44.Rc5+ Kf6 45.Kg3 Black loses the pawn on g4 and White can hope again to save a draw. 44.Rd1 Nd6 Nxa5 was possible but this is easier. Black stops the rook from causing trouble. 45.Rc1 Bc4 46.Rb1 Nf5 47.Rb7 g3+ 48.Kg1 Nxh4 49.Rh7 Be2 50.Rg7 50.Rg7 Nf5 51.Rg8 Ke4 52.Re8+ Kf3 53.Rf8 Bd3 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2855Artemiev,V26990–12021B40Meltwater Tour Final 20214.2

After another draw in game three, Carlsen was in a must-win situation in game four. He had to win the game to equalise the match and to reach a tiebreak.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 d4 5.d3 Nc6 6.g3 Nge7 7.Bg2 g6 8.0-0 Bg7 9.Re1 0-0 10.c4 b6 11.Bf4 h6 12.h4 Bb7 13.Nbd2 Nf5 14.Ne4 Nb8 15.g4 Bxe4 16.Rxe4 Ne7 17.Re1 Nd7 18.Nd2 Rc8 19.Bg3 g5 20.h5 Qc7 21.Nf3 Nc6 22.Qe2 a6 23.Qe4 b5 24.b3 Qa5 25.Rec1 Qa3 26.Rc2 Rc7 27.Re1 bxc4 28.bxc4 Rb8 29.Qe2 Rb6 Black is more active on the queenside - but Carlsen was trailing in the match and had to win this game. 30.Rd2 Rc8 31.Nh2?! Preparing to push the f-pawn. If White manages to open lines on the kingside, he can hope to get chances. However, first White has to give the e-pawn and the ensuing complications turn out to be in Black's favour. Ncxe5 32.f4 Nxc4 A strong counter. If White takes on c4, Black takes on g3. 33.fxg5 Sacrificing material and hoping for the best. 33.dxc4 Qxg3 34.fxg5 Ne5 35.gxh6 Bxh6 is no serious alternative. 33...Nxd2 34.gxh6 Bxh6 35.g5 Bxg5 36.Qg4 f6 At the moment, Black is a rook and two pawns ahead. 37.Rxe6 Rxe6 38.Qxe6+ Kh8 39.Qxd7 White regained some material but his king is also seriously exposed. Be3+? The wrong move-order. After 39...Qc1+ 40.Nf1 Rg8 Black is winning. 40.Kh1 Qc1+ 41.Nf1 Rg8 42.Bh4 And White suddenly has dangerous counterplay. Bg5 43.Bxg5 Rxg5 43...fxg5 44.Qe6 Threatening mate! Kh7 45.Qf7+ Rg7 46.Qf5+ Kh6 If Black is not careful, he might even lose: 46...Kg8 47.h6 Rf7 48.Qe6+- 47.Qf6+ Kh7 with a perpetual. 44.Qd8+ Kh7 45.Qxf6 Rxh5+ 46.Kg1 Nxf1 47.Qf7+ Kh6 48.Qf6+ Kh7 49.Qf7+ Kh6 50.Qf8+ Kg5 White now tries a last trick, hoping to make use of Black's time pressure. 51.Qxc5+!? Qxc5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2855Artemiev,V26990–12021B40Meltwater Tour Final 20214.4

 

Carlsen's defeat gave Wesley So the chance to close the gap to Carlsen. But So had to play against Hikaru Nakamura, and after four draws in the rapid match, Nakamura won the blitz-playoff 2-0.

In the second game of the playoffs, So and Nakamura discussed a line of the Scotch that is currently popular. It leads to difficult and messy positions that even top players find hard to handle, especially with a few minutes on the clock.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.h4 Currently fashionable in this line of the Scotch. White wants to stop Black from playing ...g6. Black now has tried almost every possible move. a5 Popular alternatives are 8...d6 8...Qe6 and 8...f6 9.c4 Nb6 10.Nd2 10.Nc3 has been played more often. 10...g6 Black usually refrains from this move after White's 8.h4. 10...Qe6 11.h5 Bg7 12.Nf3 Qb4+ 13.Kd1?! White decides to leave his king in the middle - a risky idea. 13.Bd2 Qxb2 14.Rc1 was an alternative, e.g. 0-0 15.hxg6 fxg6 16.Qe4 threatening c5 followed by Bc4(+). After d5 the position is still complicated and both sides have chances. 13...Ba6 13...0-0!? 14.h6 Bh8 14.b3 14.h6!? Bxc4 15.Qc2 Bf8 16.Rh4 with complicated tactics. 14...0-0-0 15.h6 Bf8 16.Ng5 16.Qd3!? 16...Qe7 16...d5!? 17.Nxf7 Be7 18.Nxd8 Rxd8 was a serious alternative - Black has a strong attack against White's king. 17.Rh3 After 17.Kc2!? Nd5 18.f4 Nb4+ 19.Kb1 White's king would have been a bit more secure. 17...d5 18.exd6 Qd7 The position is a highly tactical and complicated, and hard to play correctly - much more so in a blitz game. 19.Kc2 Bxd6 20.Rd3 In this position the engines prefer White. Rhe8 21.Qf3 21.Ne4!? with the idea f5 22.Nxd6+ cxd6 23.Qd2 Kb7 24.Qxa5+- 21...f5 22.Be3? Putting the bishop on a rather vulnerable square. 22.Bf4!? Nd5 22...Kb8 23.Rad1+- 23.cxd5 Bxd3+ 24.Bxd3 Bxf4 25.Qxf4 Qxd5+- 22...c5 23.Be2? 23.g3= 23...Qe7? 23...Bb7-+ 24.Qh3 Kb8 25.g3 Bc8? 25...Qf6 26.Rad1 Rxe3 27.Rxe3 Qxg5-+ 26.Qh1? f4 27.gxf4 Bxf4 A complicated, messy game, until the very end. 27...Bxf4 28.Nf3 Bf5-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2778Nakamura,H27360–12021C45Meltwater Tour Final 20214.6

The match between Anish Giri and Levon Aronian ended in a clear 3-1 win for Aronian – Aronian lost the first game, but then won all the remaining three games. Shakrhiyar Mamedyarov defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2.5-0.5, and Teimour Radjabov won by the same score against Duda.

 

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

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