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Report and photos by Albert Silver
(click on images for high-res version)
The third game had shown that even a player as experienced as Sergey Karjakin can feel the heat in what is by all appearances a position with limited threats. Wishing to gain counterplay and play an ‘active’ defense, he had instead brought himself to the brink of defeat. Little by little, he then outplayed Magnus Carlsen and managed to staunch the bleeding until a moment of panic or misstep led him to once more seek the active path and face imminent regicide.
The question after such a game was: who gains the most? Who played the best? It is a question that many have answered differently depending on the perspective adopted. The dramatic fourth game made these questions doubly so, after what was easily the most exciting and fascinating of the match thus far.
Karjakin adjusts his pieces before the game starts
Play started similarly in spirit to the second game: Sergey Karjakin, playing white, invited a Berlin on the board, while Carlsen showed no fear of the Ruy Lopez with black, an opening that Kasparov had pounded out of Karpov’s repertoire two decades ago. There was a question left hanging though, and that was the World Champion’s refusal to commit himself to …d6, suggesting he planned to play the Marshall Gambit. Whether or not he would actually go through with it if allowed, or would then play the mainline Closed Ruy Lopez is unknown as yet, and Karjakin showed no desire to find out as he opted for an Anti-Marshall system in both game, albeit a different one each time.
Among the top players, Levon Aronian is without question the foremost practitioner of this line with black, and he has scored a few notable victories, but in spite of it tremendously theoretical background, he has more often used it as a line to secure a draw. Again, whether or not Carlsen has this in mind is as yet unknown. Perhaps as the match unfolds, the mystery will be unveiled.
Karjakin - Calrsen (New York 2016, Game Four)
Position before 18.Bxh6!?
Not deep into the game, Karjakin played the very tempting 18.Bxh6 which led to a significant number of very sharp lines and that he had diligently calculated at the board. In the post-game press conference he said he had at first thought his move was brilliant (with a hint of irony) but soon after regretted his decision as it led to a Pandora’s Box in which he was unsure what he had gotten himself into. The move itself was not wrong, but it also didn’t lead to what he had intended, and he soon panicked and made a genuine mistake right after.
The battle that ensued was nothing short of epic, and while many (this reporter included) thought this was finally going to be the first win by Carlsen, Karjakin once more showed that he had as much resilience as Carlsen had persistence.
Daniel Lucas, the director of publishing of Chess Life magazine, commented that he was staggered at the sheer stamina of both the young players who never wilted even after 6-7 hours of play.
As the game reached its climax and the endgame came, there was no consensus on the result and journalists and fans congregated around the many chess boards in the Café area to analyze the positions at leisure. The engines were no help either as they professed -2 scores in favor of Carlsen, but with no path to improve, rendering their evaluations highly suspect.
The press spilled out to the Café where there were boards to analyze on
IM Javier Ochoa de Echagüen Estibález, president of the Spanish Chess Federation was also eagerly studying the game with other in the Café
Sergey Karjakin - Magnus Carlsen (annotated by GM Dorian Rogozenco)
When they finally shook hands, it was another frowning Carlsen who arrived in the press conference, seemingly unsure what had gone wrong. The analysis was obviously fascinating, but even there emotions were strong.
This photo was a mirror image of the scene after game three
With a bit of braggadocio as if to shrug off the taste of failure, Carlsen explained that he did not believe in fortresses and that whenever Anand had been in trouble in their matches he had immediately sought to build one. However he had a talent for breaking them down. Even as he said this, forced to face reality, he acknowledged he had never even considered Karjakin’s plan, and was utterly forthcoming in saying it had never crossed his mind. However, like it or not, he could not question the fortress Karjakin had built and it had proven itself impenetrable.
Carlsen made no excuses and said he simply did not see the fortress idea Karjakin set up
Four games, and four draws. The last two having seemed clearly winning positions for Carlsen. Who gains the most from this? Magnus Carlsen understandably spun it in his favor, stating that it was always better to have been on the attacking side. Nigel Short tweeted agreement with this:
@UlrikSvensson Magnus will be irked at spoiling a great position in game 4. But it is better to hit the crossbar than to defend desperately.
— Nigel Short (@nigelshortchess) November 16, 2016
On the other hand, the nearly permanent frown and scowl on Carlsen's face did not look like that of a near-victor, while Sergey Karjakin’s huge smile also told the tale of the day. When asked how it felt to have drawn two nearly lost games, his instant reply with a large grin was, “Fantastic!”
Pro photographers abound at the venue
After the lengthy game and press conference, the few fans left trickled out and the journalists also began planning their dinners. I went out with Pia Petersen and IM Stefan Loeffler for a walk to Chinatown where we hoped to find some inexpensive yet tasty food.
During the previous rest day, I had enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in Chinatown, with pleasant weather and fascinating shops and foods on display all over.
No doubt a normal scene in New York, the geometry and sight of the birds tickeld my sense of aesthetics
One will find these fantastic murals around the city
There are also numerous free publications offered in the streets such as The Village Voice
In the entrance of a narrow alley, one found this makeshift food stall with octopus dumplings
Prepared with expert hands...
... they were served with a sauce and sprinkled with fish scales! Odd-sounding, but delicious.
You will also find many restaurants whose fare is so good they bring long lines of Chinese residents
Stores will also offer the oddest items (to non-Chinese a least) such as dried Sea Cucumbers
Now, however, it was quite late, and many restaurants had closed their doors or stopped serving. We walked into a normal (ground floor) restaurant, that immediately said "Sorry, closed! Closed!" My disheartened friends just left and began walking up the street, but I asked the owner for a recommendation. At first he refused, smiling, as if to say "are you kidding me?"
I persisted and said "Look, you're closed, right? So it is not as if you were an option. Plus surely you must eat out yourself sometimes." Along the way in the streets, are a large number of stairways heading into basement areas that are in fact full-fledged business and restaurants. He then pointed to one of those stairways to hell a couple of blocks away and said, "They aren't bad. The fish is ok."
The restaurant was one of the strangest sights you ever saw: Waiters in light blue jackets, handing out bright orange pens, and even selling t-shirts with just the restaurant's name printed on them with their phone in huge letters. It was hard to imagine anyone buying one. The walls were covered in badges, patches, and dollar bills. Truly bizarre, but the recommendation had been a good one as the food was quite good and very cheap.
Enjoying a late Chinese meal with Stefan Loeffler and Pia Petersen
