Oslo Esports Cup, Day 4: Carlsen crushes Praggnanandhaa 3-0

by André Schulz
4/26/2022 – The 16-year-old Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa started the Oslo Esports Cup with a series of three won matches. But in his duel against Magnus Carlsen in round four he did not find his rhythm, and Carlsen outplayed his young opponent in all three games to win the match 3-0. After four rounds Carlsen and Pragg now both have 9.0/12 and share the lead in the tournament. | Photos and pictures: Play Magnus Group
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In contrast to the other online tournaments of the Meltwater Chess Champions Tour, all eight players who take part in the Esports Cup are on site and play in front of large screens in a studio in Oslo. Which makes you wonder why they play with mouse and computer and do not face each other in classical over-the-board chess...

In round four Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa faced each other in a crucial and prestigious duel. Carlsen is almost twice as old as Pragg and in a way this was a clash of generations. Which turned out to be rather one-sided.

Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.

In the first game the World Champion gained a clear advantage with White and this led to a better queen ending which Carlsen won with good technique.

Karsten Müller had a look at the endgame:

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,170,31954%2421---
1.d4949,86755%2434---
1.Nf3282,62856%2440---
1.c4182,73156%2442---
1.g319,74556%2427---
1.b314,34754%2427---
1.f45,91748%2377---
1.Nc33,81651%2384---
1.b41,75948%2379---
1.a31,22254%2404---
1.e31,07349%2409---
1.d395550%2378---
1.g466646%2361---
1.h444953%2374---
1.c343551%2426---
1.h328356%2419---
1.a411460%2465---
1.f39346%2435---
1.Nh39066%2505---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.d3 Nf6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Re1 0-0 8.h3 Qc7 9.e5 Nd5 10.Nbd2 Nf4 11.Ne4 Bxe5 12.Nxe5 Qxe5 13.Nc3 Qc7 14.Bxf4 Qxf4 15.Rxe7 Bxh3 16.Rxb7 Bc8 17.Re7 Be6 18.Qc1 Qh4 19.Rc7 c4 20.dxc4 Qxc4 21.Qe3 Bd5 22.Nxd5 Qxd5 23.Rxa7 Rae8 24.Re7 Rxe7 25.Qxe7 Qd4 26.c3 Qd2 27.Qb7 Re8 28.Qxc6 Re1+ 29.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 30.Kh2 Qxf2 31.Qe8+ Kg7 32.Qe5+ f6 33.Qe7+ Kh6 34.b4 Qf4+ 35.Kg1 Qc1+ 36.Kf2 Qd2+ 37.Qe2 Qf4+ 38.Qf3 Qd2+ 39.Kg3 Kg7 40.a4 Qg5+ 41.Kf2 Qd2+ 42.Qe2 Qxc3 43.Qe7+ Kg8 44.a5 Qd2+ 45.Kg3 g5 46.Qxf6 Qe1+ 47.Qf2 Qxb4 48.Qf5 Qe1+ 49.Kg4 The right queen road In queen endings a passed pawn and king safety often play crucial roles: Qb4+? The wrong check. Pragg misses the amazing defense 49...Qe2+! 50.Kxg5 Qxg2+ 51.Kf6 51.Qg4 Qc6= 51...Qb7‼ The only move 52.Qg5+ 52.Qe6+ Kf8 53.Qd6+ Ke8= 52...Kf8 53.Qc5+ Ke8= 53...Kg8? 54.Qb6 is mate in 99 moves. 49...Qh4+? 50.Kf3 Qh5+ 51.Ke4 Qe2+ 52.Kd4 Qd2+ 52...Qxg2?! 53.Qd5++- 53.Kc4 Qe2+ 54.Qd3+- 50.Kxg5 Qd2+ 50...Qe7+ 51.Kg4 Qe2+ 52.Kh3 Qe3+ 53.g3 Qh6+ 54.Kg4+- 51.Kh5 Qd6 51...Qxg2?! 52.Qg4++- 52.g3 Qc6 53.Kg5 Kg7 54.Qe5+ Kf7 55.Qf4+ Kg7 56.Qd4+ Kg8 57.Qb6 Qd5+ 58.Kf6 Qf3+ 59.Ke7 Qa3+ 60.Qd6 Qf3 60...Qxa5?! is met by 61.Qe6+ Kg7 62.Qf6+ Kg8 63.Qf8# 61.a6 Qf7+ 62.Kd8 Qa2 63.Kc7 Qf7+ 64.Kb6 Qb3+ 65.Ka7 Qf7+ 66.Ka8 Qf3+ 67.Kb8 Qb3+ 68.Kc8 Qc4+ 69.Kb7 Qb3+ 70.Qb6 Qf3+ 71.Ka7 Qa3 72.Ka8 Kg7 73.a7 Qf8+ 74.Kb7 Qf3+ 75.Qc6 Qb3+ 76.Kc8 76.Kc8 Qg8+ 77.Kc7 Qf7+ 78.Qd7+- 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2864Praggnanandhaa R26241–02022B31MCCT Oslo Esports Cup 20224.1

In the second game Carlsen had Black and opted for a currently popular line of the Queens Gambit Declined, in which Black tries an early ...c5. Pragg managed to gain a slight advantage after the opening but he then lost the thread and quickly collapsed.

 
Praggnanandhaa R26240–1Carlsen, Magnus2864
MCCT Oslo Esports Cup 2022
20.04.2022[André Schulz]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.Bg5 Also possible is 7.e4 e.g. Nc6 8.Bb5 dxe4 9.Qxd8+ Kxd8 10.Ng5 Be6 11.0-0 Bb4 12.Ncxe4 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Ke7 14.Be3 Rhd8 15.Nc5 Nd4 16.Nxe6 1/2-1/2 (16) Bluebaum,M (2646)-So,W (2810) Tbilisi 2017 7...Be7 8.e3 The game transposed into the Canal-Prins variation, a line of the Queens Gambit Declined. 0-0 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Qd3 h6 11.Bh4 Be6 12.0-0 Qb6 13.a3 Rfd8 Black solved all of his opening problems. The isolated pawn on d5 is well protected. 14.b4 a6 Here and one move later 14...d4!? was worth considering. 15.Rfd1 Rac8 16.h3 Qc7 16...d4 17.Na4 17.Rac1 Qd7 18.Qb1 Qe8 Black's queen fled from the white rooks but is now a bit out of play. 19.Bd3 a5 Searching for counterplay. 20.b5 Nb8 21.a4 Nbd7 22.Nd4 Now White is slightly better. Nb6 23.Bf5 23.Qa1!? with the idea -- 24.Nce2 23...Bd7!? An interesting move. Black does not want to exchange his bishop on e6 as this would have weakened his pawn structure. 24.Bxd7?! This exchange helps Black who has less space than White. 24.Qa1!? 24...Rxd7 25.Nf5 Bd8 26.Rd4? White gradually loses control of the game. 26.Ne2= 26...Qe6 27.Rf4 Rdc7 28.Ne2 Rxc1+ 29.Nxc1 Nh5
The white pieces are dependent on each other but they do not harmonize. The queen on b1 has to defend the knight on c1 and sometimes also the knight on f5. The bishop on h4 and the rook on f4 are attacked. The tables have turned. 30.Bxd8? A miscalculation. Still playable was 30.Rg4 g5 31.Ne2 31.Bg3? Rxc1+ 31...Ng7 32.Nxg7 Kxg7 33.Nf4 33.Bg3? h5 34.Rd4 Bf6 33...Qd6 34.Bg3 Kg8 though Black is better. 30...Nxf4 Now the game is practically over. 31.Nd4 31.Bxb6? Rxc1+ 32.Qxc1 Ne2+ 31...Qe4 32.Qxe4 dxe4 33.Bxb6 Rxc1+ 34.Kh2 Nd5 35.Bxa5 Ra1 36.Bd8 Rxa4 37.Nf5 b6 38.Nd6 f6 0–1

Carlsen only needed a draw in game three to win the match but he also won this game to defeat Pragg 3:0.

Magnus Carlsen during the post-game interview

Asked if he played with particular determination against Praggnanandhaa, Carlsen gave a clear answer:

Praggnanandhaa said in the post-game interview that the match was a useful experience for him and that he hoped to offer more resistance next time.

Le Quang Liem won his match against the Canadian streamer "Chessbrah" Eric Hansen with 2.5:0.5 but the matches between Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Jan-Krzysztof Duda and the Dutch duel between Anish Giri and Jorden van Foreest went into tiebreak.

Duda won a long duel against Mamedyarov, and van Foreest won against Giri. Giri lost the first game after a mouseslip and could not catch up in the second game.

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Translation from German: Johannes Fischer

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