GRENKE Rd2: Carlsen early leader

[Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2797"] [BlackElo "2706"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. d4 {0} Nf6 {0} 2. c4 {0} e6 {0} 3. Nf3 {0} d5 {0} 4. Nc3 {0} c5 {2} 5. cxd5 {14} Nxd5 {10} 6. e4 {6} Nxc3 {7} 7. bxc3 {6} cxd4 {7} 8. cxd4 {6} Bb4+ {6} 9. Bd2 {5} Bxd2+ {8} 10. Qxd2 {5} O-O {9} 11. Rc1 {44} Nc6 {38} 12. Bc4 {189} Qa5 {50} 13. d5 {118} exd5 {650} 14. Qxa5 Nxa5 {8} 15. Bxd5 {648} Be6 {156} 16. Bxe6 {33} fxe6 {7} 17. Ne5 {13} Rfd8 {1139} 18. Ke2 {274} Rd4 {122} 19. Ke3 { 1089} Ra4 {842} 20. Rhd1 {669} Nc6 {371} 21. Nxc6 {43} bxc6 {6} 22. Rd2 {372} Rc8 {497} 23. Rc5 {12} Kf8 {222} 24. h4 {464} h6 {382} 25. Kf4 {203} Ke7 {15} 26. Ke5 {256 Anand is squeezing his advantage against his opponent. The rook endgame is very unpleasant as White is both better placed and has the better structure. It is not far from trivial though.} Rb8 $1 {291 An impotant endgame lesson: activity is usually worth more than material.} 27. Rxc6 {125} Rb5+ {39} 28. Kf4 {11} Rba5 {347} 29. f3 {674} g5+ {334} 30. hxg5 {53} hxg5+ {5} 31. Kg3 {145 Protecting the g2 pawn in certain variations.} Rxa2 {20} 32. Rc7+ $6 {97 Perhaps not the most testing.} (32. Rdd6 $1 {This was more testing. Black cannot afford to lose this pawn for free, so he must defend it.} Re5 $1 33. Ra6 Rxa6 34. Rxa6 Kf6 $1 35. Rxa7 {This edngame should be drawn somehow. The 3v2 on the kingside should not have enough pawns to force a win.}) 32... Kf6 {68} 33. Rdd7 {28} Ke5 {424} 34. Rg7 {44} Kd6 {344} 35. Rcd7+ {238} Kc6 {6} 36. Rd1 {31} a6 {151} 37. Rgd7 {247} Re5 {40} 38. Rd8 {25} a5 {187 Black kept his extra pawn and White is running out of resources to try to win.} 39. Rc1+ {169} Kb7 {171} 40. Rdc8 {103} Rb2 {120} 41. R1c6 {3601} a4 {712} 42. R6c7+ {0} Kb6 { 97} 43. Rc4 {0} Kb5 {588} 44. Rd4 {0} a3 {429} 45. Ra8 {0} Rc5 {10} 46. Rxa3 {0 } Rcc2 {7} 47. Kg4 {0} Rxg2+ {30} 48. Kh5 {0} Rg3 {81} 49. Rdd3 {0} Rh2+ {207} 50. Kg6 {0} Rhh3 {55} 51. Rab3+ {0} Kc4 {72} 52. Rbc3+ {0} Kb4 {91} 53. Rb3+ {0 } 1/2-1/2

[Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2865"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. c4 {0} e5 {0} 2. Nc3 {0} Nf6 {0} 3. Nf3 {0} Nc6 {0} 4. g3 {1} Bb4 {45} 5. Nd5 {18} Bc5 {46} 6. Bg2 {50} d6 {55} 7. O-O {118} O-O {62} 8. d3 {478} Nxd5 { 252} 9. cxd5 {5} Nd4 {6} 10. Nxd4 {203} exd4 {64 Taking with the bishop is more common, there is an old rapid between Karpov and Anand in this line.} 11. Bd2 {159} a5 {177} 12. e4 {615} dxe3 {495} 13. fxe3 {41} Qg5 {613} 14. Rf4 {360 } Bd7 {23} 15. a4 {699} Rae8 {1701 The position is not easy to evaluate. White's pawn structure is strange but it controls a lot of central squares and it will lock out the dark-squared bishop once d4 is achieved. Also, b4 is coming opening up some important lines in the queenside. For this reason maybe 15...Rfe8 was better as White doesn't have real pressure on the kingside.} 16. d4 {65} Bb6 {138} 17. Qb3 {903} Qd8 {292} 18. Qc4 {27} Re7 {364} 19. b4 {109} axb4 {98} 20. a5 {10} Ba7 {14} 21. Qxb4 {164 Black's queenside is very vulnerable.} c5 {138} (21... Qc8 {is just a sad move to make.}) 22. dxc6 {281} Bxc6 {94} 23. Qb3 {199} (23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Qc4 $14 {was also possible.}) 23... Bxg2 {373} 24. Kxg2 {2} Qd7 {37} 25. Raf1 {269 White is without a doubt a little better. His pressure on f7 is slightly annoying, as is his pressure on b7. Black doesn't have a particularly useful plan, his only plus is his pressure on the e3 weakness.} Rc8 {180} 26. Rf5 {119} h6 {236} 27. R1f2 {134} Bb8 {312} 28. Bb4 {442} Qc6+ {355} 29. R2f3 {134} Rcc7 {92} 30. Be1 {389} (30. Qd5 $1 $14) 30... Qe8 {250} (30... g6 $1 31. Rf6 Qc2+ 32. Qxc2 Rxc2+ $11) 31. g4 {80} Re4 {148} 32. h3 {55} Rce7 {72} 33. Bf2 {9 Black's tripling on the e-file seems counterintuitive. The pressure on e3 will always be sustained by a bishop either on f2 or d2, so it begs the question of what these major pieces are doing exactly.} R4e6 {61} 34. Rb5 {120} Bc7 {18} 35. Rxb7 {160} Qa8 $2 {19 This simply lets Carlsen stay up a pawn. Even though it isn't pretty, Adams had to take on a5.} (35... Bxa5 36. Rb8 Bd8 37. Bh4 Rd7 {Black's pinned in every direction, but nothing is hanging and nothing can be attacked. Black might just be holding this.}) 36. Rb5 {36} Re8 {81} 37. Qd5 {31} Qxd5 {73} 38. Rxd5 $16 {1 It's very uncomfortable to play almost equal endgames against Carlsen. It's almost impossible to play pawn down endgames against Carlsen.} Rb8 {14} 39. Bg3 {500} g6 {36} 40. h4 {122} Ra8 {117} 41. Be1 {98} Re4 {848} 42. g5 {159} h5 {121} 43. Rb5 {65} Ra7 {10} 44. Kf1 {119} Re8 {261} 45. Ke2 { 343} Rea8 {79} 46. Rf6 {192} Ra6 {53} 47. Bb4 {199} Bxa5 {58} 48. Rxa5 {32} Rxa5 {5} 49. Bxa5 {4} Rxa5 {5} 50. Rxd6 {6} Kf8 {38} 51. Rf6 {13 This position is already lost. White's plan is very simple; push the pawns with the support of the king. Black can't do anything about it.} Ra3 {74} 52. Kf3 {15} Ke7 {36} 53. Ke4 {22} Ra5 {9} 54. Rf4 {25} Rb5 {202} 55. d5 {12} Rb3 {104} 56. Kd4 {12} Ra3 {4} 57. e4 {10} Rb3 {52} 58. Ke5 {12} Rd3 {6} 59. Rf1 {33} Rh3 {8 Black's counterplay is too weak, too slow.} 60. Ra1 {84} Rxh4 {17} 61. d6+ {917} Kd7 { 918} 62. Ra7+ {7} Ke8 {6} 63. Ra8+ {23} Kd7 {5} 64. Rf8 {6} 1-0

[Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2015.02.03"] [Round "2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E60"] [WhiteElo "2811"] [BlackElo "2711"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. d4 {0} Nf6 {0} 2. c4 {0} g6 {0} 3. f3 {0} d6 {351} 4. e4 {0} Bg7 {5} 5. Ne2 {5} O-O {10} 6. Be3 {10} c5 {714} 7. Qd2 {8} Nc6 {386} 8. d5 {25} Ne5 {23} 9. Nec3 {87} Nh5 {601} 10. Be2 {614} f5 {113} 11. Na3 {124} f4 {180} 12. Bf2 {8} Bd7 {143} 13. Nc2 {527} a6 {268} 14. a4 {725} g5 {375} 15. a5 {468} Qe8 {80} 16. Rb1 {271} b5 {486} 17. axb6 {279} a5 {6} 18. Na3 {347} Qb8 {177} 19. Nab5 { 400} Qxb6 {146} 20. Ra1 {14} Rfb8 {1236} 21. Ra3 {89} Qd8 {70} 22. Kd1 {545} h6 {606} 23. Kc2 {77} Nf6 {10} 24. h4 {393} Be8 {223} 25. hxg5 {257} hxg5 {2} 26. g3 {145} Nh5 {42} 27. Rg1 {142} Rb7 {206} 28. gxf4 {145} gxf4 {2} 29. Bh4 {558} a4 {153} 30. Bg5 {115} Ng6 {64} 31. Rga1 {131} Qc8 {154 The only way to describe this position is as strange. Everything is going well for White: the queenside is locked and a4 is about to fall. He has evacuated the kingside and his king will not die on that side of the board... but, unfortunately, his bishop on g5 is trapped!} 32. Bf1 {283} (32. Rxa4 Rxa4 33. Rxa4 Bxb5 34. Nxb5 Qh3 {actually gives Black too much counterplay. The bishop ends up trapped on g5.}) 32... Ng3 {13} 33. Bd3 {125} Bxb5 {102} 34. Nxb5 {39} Qh3 {15} 35. Bxf4 { 57} Nxf4 {6} 36. Qxf4 {2} Rf8 {16 The bishop was rescued, but now the rook comes in to attack.} 37. Qd2 {32} Rxf3 {27} 38. Rxa4 {55} Bh6 {13} (38... Qh4 $1 {taking control of f2 and preparing Qf6, would have put White in some problems.}) 39. Ra8+ {21} Kf7 {5} 40. Rh8 {30} Bxd2 {133} 41. Rxh3 {3014} Bf4 { 94} 42. Rh7+ {0} Kg6 {1270} 43. Rh2 {0} Be5 {34 The dust has cleared. White is up a pawn, but it is useless in this opposite colored bishop situation.} 44. Ra8 {0} Kg5 {398} 45. Be2 {0} Rf7 {467} 46. Rg8+ {0} Rg7 {46} 47. Rf8 {0} Rg6 { 327} 48. Bd3 {0} Rf6 {66} 49. Rf2 {0} Rxf2+ {275} 50. Rxf2 {0} Rb8 {4} 51. Kb3 {0} Bd4 {185} 52. Rf3 {0} Kg4 {62} 53. Rf7 {0} Bf6 {8} 54. Kc2 {200} 1/2-1/2