Fighting chess in CBM 179

by Nagesh Havanur
10/17/2017 – A detailed review from Prof. Nagesh Havanur. Among other things this issue includes all games from super tournaments, Altibox Norway Chess and FIDE Grand Prix tournaments with winners, Levon Aronian and Ding Liren annotating decisive battles. Our reviewer re-examines the Aronian-Carlsen encounter and also sets up a little test for young readers. The magazine offers a bonanza for lovers of rapid play. There are games from Norway, Paris and Leuven blitz events. 1968 games with 11 opening surveys from Spanish to Semi-Slav. Not to be missed.
Enjoy the best moments of recent top tournaments (Norway Chess, FIDE GP Moscow, WCh Teams) with analysis of top players. In addition you'll get lots of training material. For example 11 new suggestions for your opening repertoire.

A rich harvest in September

ChessBase Magazine 179

This issue of ChessBase Magazine offered a rich harvest of fighting chess from high class events, Altibox Norway, FIDE Grand Prix and World Team Championship among others.

Looking back, there are as many as 1968 games of which 83 are annotated. The annotators include Aronian, Anand, Ding Liren, not to mention regular commentators like Mihail Marin, Igor Stohl and Michal Krasenkow.

This time a major contribution is made by Alexander Yermolinsky who has annotated 49 games in depth.

From the sporting point of view the most important game is Aronian-Carlsen, Norway 2017. I was particularly intrigued by the following position:

 
Levon Aronian vs. Magnus Carlsen, position after 16.Be4
Black to move

Levon has just played 16.Be4. Magnus reflected for a long time before he replied 16... Rb8 abandoning the c-pawn to his fate. He could have easily defended the pawn with 16...Bb7. He chose not to. Levon in turn refused to accept the bait and chose a more adventurous course.

Aronian and Carlsen from Norway Chess 2017

Aronian and Carlsen from Norway Chess 2017 | Photo: Tone Marie Haubrick

The following analysis relates to that question and much else that remained behind the scenes. Let it be noted that it is no substitute for the deeply personal commentary on the game by Aronin in this issue. It reveals the inner thoughts of a great player.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 The Semi-Slav. In the World Championship Match with Karjakin and Doha 2016 Carlsen had played the regular Slav, 4...dxc4 5.e3 a6 The Godena Variation named after the Italian GM who has consistently played it. 5...Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 leads to Meran. 6.b3 This move enables White to play Bd3 without worrying about ...dxc4. Besides, it keeps the position open and fluid. 6.c5 gaining space on the queenside is more usual. But the pawn chain comes under pressure after ...b6. 6...Bb4 7.Bd2 unpinning the knight for the control of e4 7.Bb2 is met by Ne4 7...Nbd7 8.Bd3 0-0 9.0-0 Qe7 In previous games Magnus had played 9...Bd6 In retrospect this appears preferable. 10.Bc2 Aronian's novelty. Among other things it clears the path for the queen and avoids the fork if at all Black succeeds in playing...e5-e4. 10.Qc2 h6!= 10...Rd8 Aronian prefers 10...b6 or 10...Re8, though they are also liable to meet a3 sacrifice. Now if 10...e5 11.Nxd5! cxd5 12.Bxb4 Qxb4 13.dxe5 Ng4 14.Qd4! This centralizing move is possible now that the bishop has retreated to c2. Nh6 15.cxd5 Qxd4 16.exd4 10...b6 11.a3 Bxa3 12.e4 10...Re8 11.a3 Bxa3 12.e4 11.a3! The idea is to snare the Black queen and keep her out of play. Bxa3 12.Rxa3! The sacrifice of the pawn is followed by the sacrifice of the exchange. Qxa3 13.c5 The whole point of giving up his material.This move shuts out the Black queen. b6! fighting every inch of the way to release himself from the stranglehold 14.b4 During the game Carlsen thought, White's play so far was "bluff" and it led only to repetition, 14.Nb1 Qa2 15.Nc3 After the game Aronian found 15.Qc1! bxc5 16.Nc3 Qa5 17.Nxd5 Qb5 18.Nc7 Qb7 19.Nxa8 Qxa8 20.Ba5 Re8 21.dxc5± 15...Qa3= 14...Ne4? trying to ease his position through exchanges Aronian gives 14...Qb2!= Curiously there is no way of trapping the queen. 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Bxe4 Here Magnus thought for a long time and played Rb8 offering the c-pawn in return for counterplay. If 16...Bb7 17.Qc2 not 17.Bxh7+? Kxh7 18.Ng5+ Kg6 19.Qg4 f5 20.Qg3 Nf6 21.Nxe6+ Kf7 22.Nxd8+ Rxd8 17...Nf6 18.cxb6 Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Rd5 20.Qc2± The threat of 21.Rb1 followed by 22.Bc1 forces Black to return the material. Subsequently commmentators suggested 16...bxc5! 17.dxc5 a5 18.Bxc6 Ra7∞ 17.Bxh7+!? Aronian thinks, this move is inadequate. "After 17.Bxc6 a5 things did not seem clear to me"-Aronian. However, 18.b5 bxc5 19.Qc1 might have retained control of the position-NSH Instead of these prosaic lines the Armenian talent found 17.Qc2 Nf6 17...f5 18.Bxc6 bxc5 19.dxc5± 18.Bxh7+! Nxh7 19.Ne5 and the queen is in trouble. For example, b5 20.Bc3 Qa4 21.Qb2 Bb7 22.Ra1± 17...Kxh7 18.Ng5+ Kg8 After 18...Kg6 19.Qg4 f5 20.Qg3 Kf6 Aronian gives 21.d5! If cxd5 or 21...exd5 22.Qd6+ Kxg5 23.e4+ and mates in a few moves. 22.c6 Re8 23.Nf3+- 19.Qh5 Nf6 20.Qxf7+ Kh8 21.Qc7 Bd7 22.Nf7+ Kh7 23.Nxd8 Rc8 24.Qxb6 Nd5 resourceful defence by Magnus 25.Qa7 Commentators gave 25.Qb7 when both sides have to tread on a minefield. Rxd8 26.e4 Bc8 27.Qf7 Nc3 28.Bg5 Rxd4 29.h3 Nxe4 30.Qh5+ Kg8 31.Qe8+ Kh7 32.Bc1 Qxb4 33.Qxc8 Nxc5 34.Qxc6± 25...Rxd8 26.e4 Qd3? During the game both Aronian and Carlsen thought, this was a good move. While calculating 17. Bxh7 sacrifice Aronian foresaw the position up to 26...Nf6! 27.Bg5 Qxb4 28.e5 Qxd4 29.exf6 gxf6 Thereafter he thought he would find his way. After the game he discovered, there was precious little for White. 30.Qc7 Re8 31.Be3 27.exd5 Qxd2 28.Qc7 Qg5 29.dxc6? looks obvious, but it's wrong. Aronian gives 29.d6! and it's a matter of time before the rook joins the invasion. If e5 30.dxe5 Bh3 31.Qxc6+- 29...Bc8 30.h3 Qd5 31.Rd1 e5 32.Rd3 exd4 33.Qe7 Bf5? a blunder in a bad position The resilient 33...Rg8 is met by 34.Qh4+ Kg6 35.Rxd4± 34.Rg3 Bg6 35.Qh4+ and Carlsen resigned. If Kg8 36.Rxg6 d3 37.Qf6 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Aronian,L2793Carlsen,M28321–02017D455th Norway Chess 2017

The Semi-Slav (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6) can arise via various move orders, has decided World Championships, and is one of Black's most fascinating replies to 1 d4. Magnus Carlsen's second, Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen explains in detail what this opening is all about.

Inspiring play reminiscent of Alexander Alekhine! For Magnus, though, it came as a terrible disappointment. He had won the inaugural blitz event of this tournament with an impressive score of 7½ /9. One of his victims was Aronian whom he had beaten in elegant style. Here it was not to be.

A challenge for young readers

The World Team Championship was won by China ahead of Russia and their rising star Ding Liren also won the strong FIDE Grand Prix Tournament in Moscow (he came close to winning the recent World Cup, only losing to Aronian in the Finals). In this issue he annotates his game with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in depth.

I was intrigued to see his praise of his opponent until I looked at the following position:

 
Ding Liren vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, position after 29...Nh2+
White to move

Black has just played 29…Nh2+. With the Black queen tied to the defence of g7 and the rook on d2 still under attack, repulsing this check is no big deal...or, so it appears...

Here is a challenge for our young readers. How should the White monarch deal with the impudent knight? (Solution below)

The issue brings a bonanza for lovers of lightning play. There are games from Norway, Paris and Leuven blitz events. Happily, they are unannotated and one can see how much can happen in 5-minute chess.

Opening Novelties Galore

This brings me to other sections of this magazine. Apart from trademark sections on strategy, tactics and the endgame, there are 11 opening surveys ranging from the Spanish to the Semi-Slav. Among them I would single out the analyses of Queen’s Gambit Accepted by Evgeny Postny and the Open Variation of Ruy Lopez by Alexey Kuzmin.

Kuzmin: Ruy Lopez C83 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 Be7 11.Bc2 d4 12.Nb3 d3

In games amongst the world elite, whenever the Open Ruy Lopez is played you can almost certainly count on the position in the diagram appearing. Alexey Kuzmin investigates and comes to the conclusion that Black has good chances of equalising but that there is a great amount he needs to know.

As I write these lines, Carlsen is on come back trail, having won the Chess.com Isle of Man Tournament. Meanwhile others are not resting on their laurels and the field is open. More about it in the next review.

ChessBase Magazine 179: recommended

Enjoy the best moments of recent top tournaments (Norway Chess, FIDE GP Moscow, WCh Teams) with analysis of top players. In addition you'll get lots of training material. For example 11 new suggestions for your opening repertoire.

• Languages: English, German
• Delivery: Download, Post
• Level: Any
• Price: €19.95. €16.76/$18.10 without VAT (for customers outside the EU)

Quiz Solution

 
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1.Kg1 Seeking safety, the wrong way. As Ding points out, 1.Ke1 Rd7 2.Qc6 followed by Be2 would have consolidated his position. 1...Rxf4 2.Qxg7+ 2.Qxd2 Qg5+ 3.Kh1 Qxh5 4.Qd8+ Kh7 5.exf4 Qh3-+ 2.exf4 Qe1+ 3.Kxh2 Rxf2+ 4.Kh3 Qh1+ 5.Kg4 Rg2+ 6.Kf5 Qxh5+ 7.Ke6 Qe8+ 8.Kd5 Rd2+ 9.Qxd2 Qd7+ 10.Kc4 Qxd2-+ Finally, 2.Kxh2 Qh4+ leads to mate in three. 2...Qxg7+ 3.Bxg7+ Kxg7 4.exf4 Kh6 5.Kxh2 Kxh5 6.Rxc7 Kg4 6...Rxf2+ 7.Kg3 Ra2 8.Rc5++- 7.Kg2 Rd3 and the game was drawn after a hard-fought ending. ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ding,L2773Vachier Lagrave,M2795½–½2017FIDE Grand Prix 2017

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Prof. Nagesh Havanur (otherwise known as "chessbibliophile") is a senior academic and research scholar. He taught English in Mumbai for three decades and has now settled in Bangalore, India. His interests include chess history, biography and opening theory. He has been writing on the Royal Game for more than three decades. His articles and reviews have appeared on several web sites and magazines.

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