Norway Chess, Round 3: Caruana extends lead, Firouzja beats Abdusattorov

In the third round of the Norway Chess Tournament Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen, who have played countless rapid and blitz games in many online tournaments in the past, met.

The two top players played a classical game for the first time in four years and had time for a long game, but didn't use it.

The two grandmasters followed the moves of a line of the Spanish Marshall Attack, which they had both played before. There was a small innovation on move 20, but on move 31, after ten minutes of play, it was over. A draw. In the ensuing Armageddon, Nakamura tried to surprise Carlsen with the King's Gambit. He did not succeed. Carlsen knew what to do and won a lively game in which he quickly gained the upper hand.

Win or lose, Hikaru Nakamura comments his games at the Norway Chess Tournament on his stream GMHikaru. Here is what he had to say about his choice of the King's Gambit:

The game between Shakhriyar Mamedyarv and D. Gukeshalso also ended in a draw, but the two players needed a little more time to reach this result than Nakamura and Carlsen.

The Armageddon game was complicated and tense, with ups and downs, but in the end Gukesh forced Mamedyarov to give a perpetual, which was enough for Gukesh to win the game as he had Black.

The encounter between Wesley So and Anish Giri also ended without a winner, leading to an Armageddon game. Anish Giri won with the black pieces by holding So to a draw.

Fabiano Caruana celebrated a clear victory over Aryan Tari. Caruana had White and in a line of the Queen's Gambit Exchange Variation he soon put his Norwegian opponent under pressure, which he gradually increased to win with a nice combination.

Caruana, Fabiano2764

1–0

Tari, Aryan2642

11th Norway Chess 2023 Stavanger01.06.2023[Schulz,A]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 c6 6.Qc2 g6 6...Be7 7.Bg5 0-0 8.e3 Nbd7 leads to the more common lines of the Queen's Gambit Exchange Variation. 7.Bg5 Be7 7...Bg7 is also a popular move. 8.e3 Bf5 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 0-0 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.h4 The alternative is 12.b4 to start a minority attack. 12...Na6 Or 12...Nd7 e.g. 13.h5 Re8 14.0-0-0 a5 15.e4 dxe4 16.Nxe4 Nb6? 16...Bg7= 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.Ne5 Kg7 19.Qe3+- Kg8 20.Nxf6+ Qxf6 21.Ng4 Qg7 22.Qa3 Qf8 23.Nf6+ Kg7 24.Qf3 Qe7 25.Rh7+ Kf8 26.Rdh1 1-0 (26) Nguyen,A (2529)-Raja,R (2364) Abu Dhabi 2019 13.h5 c5 14.Rd1 White leaves his king in the center - at least for now. Nb4 15.Qe2 Re8 16.Kf1 Rc8 17.hxg6 hxg6 18.g3 Kg7 19.Kg2 cxd4 20.Nxd4 Nc6 21.Qf3 White is better and Black's d5 is vulnerable. Re5 21...Nxd4 22.exd4 Rc6 23.Nxd5 Rd6 24.Ne3 Rxd4 25.Qxb7± also gives White the better game. 22.Nde2 Rf5 23.Nf4 Bxc3 23...g5?? 24.Rxd5+- 24.bxc3

24...Qg5 More stubborn was 24...Ne5 e.g. 25.Qe2 Qc7 25...Rxc3 26.e4+- 26.Nxd5 Qc4 27.Qxc4 Rxc4 28.Rhe1 and Black is still in the game. 25.Qe2 More precise was 25.Rh4 Rh8 26.Rxh8 Kxh8 27.Rb1 Nd8 28.Rd1+- 25...Qe7? Black gives the pawn on d5, but does not get anything in return. Better was 25...Rh8± 26.Nxd5 Qe6 27.e4 Re8 28.Rhe1 28.Nc7? Qxe4+= 28...Qc8

28...Rh5 29.Nf4 28...Rg5 29.Nc7 29.exf5 Rxe2 30.f6+ A strong "zwischenzug". Kf8 31.Rxe2 White is winning. The white rooks can enter Black's position via the h- or the d-file. Qf5 32.c4 Ne5 33.Rde1 Qf3+ A last spite check. 34.Kg1 1–0

In the duel of the youngsters, Alireza Firouzja won against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Firouzja, who was black, opted for the Queen's Indian and for a long time the position was even. But then Firouzja went on the attack and outplayed his opponent.

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