Skilling Open Final: White wins

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
11/30/2020 – Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So go into the last day of the Skilling Open with the score tied after trading wins with white in the first four games of the final match. It all comes down to the second 4-game mini-match, while another tied score will lead to a blitz tiebreaker. The deciding confrontation will be played on Carlsen’s 30th birthday. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

All ready for the birthday celebration?

It almost looks as it was scripted, as everything is set up for an exciting final day at the Skilling Open. Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So go into the last mini-match of the tournament with the score tied after having traded blows in the first 4-game confrontation. Moreover, the deciding matchup will be played on the world champion’s 30th birthday.

All four games on Sunday favoured the player with the white pieces. So was the last one to get a win, and later talked to the commentators — as humble as ever, he acknowledged the fact that he is not the favourite to win the event:

My goal in this match is to make it interesting, to try to put up a good fight at least, because Magnus is clearly the better player, and he’s the best player in the world right now, so just to compete with him is a very good feeling. He’s better in all parts of the game, so I have to do my best or try to catch him on an off day.

Of course, we all know that So can beat Carlsen on any given day, but will he manage to do it on the champ’s birthday? After seeing the fierce fight on the first mini-match of the finals, we can safely anticipate another exciting day of online chess.

Skilling Open 2020

Click to enlarge

Game 1

So kicked off the day by entering a line which Le Quang Liem used twice in the preliminary stage of the tournament — the Vietnamese lost to Anish Giri and drew Jan-Krzysztof Duda with this setup. Black avoids entering sharp continuations, but needs to defend against White’s initiative from the get go:

 
Carlsen vs. So
Position after 18...e5

Black needs to continue to be precise after 19.f4, when the central pawn is going to fall but he will get a pair of active rooks — 19...Bg7 20.Rae1 Rf8 21.fxe5 Rf5 22.e6 Bxb2 23.Rd1 Rc7:

 
Position after 23...Rc7

White kept putting pressure starting with 24.g4, but So continued to find precise defensive resources at every turn. Until disaster struck on move 33:

 
Position after 33.Rxb5+

Correct here was 33...Kf6, when all simplifications only lead to a draw, albeit with precise play by Black. So’s 33...Rf5, on the other hand, was duly punished by Carlsen, who noticed that entering an endgame with new queens for both sides was favourable to him — 34.Rxb3 axb3 35.e7 bxa2 36.e8Q a1Q:

 
Position after 36...e1Q

Getting to give the first check is key in these open positions with heavy pieces on the board. There followed 37.Qe7+ Kh6 38.Rh4+ Rh5 39.Qf8+ Qg7:

 
Position after 39...Qg7

Carlsen knew he had the win by this point, as everything is forced — 40.Qf4+ g5 41.Qd6+ Qg6 42.Qf8+ Qg7 43.Rxh5+:

 
Position after 43.Rxh5+

Game over. 

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.e4 dxe4 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Ng5 Be6 10.Nxe6+ fxe6 11.Bc4 Ke7 12.0-0 Nbd7 13.Be3 Rc8 14.Bb3 Nc5 15.Bxc5+ Rxc5 16.Rfe1 g6 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Rxe4 e5 19.f4 Bg7 20.Rae1 Rf8 21.fxe5 Rf5 22.e6 Bxb2 23.Rd1 Rc7 24.g4 Rf8 25.Kg2 b5 26.Re2 Bc3 27.Re3 Bb4 28.Red3 a5 29.Rd7+ Rxd7 30.Rxd7+ Kf6 31.Rb7 a4 32.g5+ Kxg5 33.Rxb5+ Rf5 33...Kf6 34.Rxb4 34.Bxa4 Be7 34...Bd6 35.Bb3 Rb8 35.Bb3 is probably what So wanted to avoid. 34...axb3 35.Rf4+ Ke7 36.Rxf8 Kxf8 37.axb3 Ke7 is a draw. 34.Rxb4 axb3 35.e7 bxa2 36.e8Q a1Q 37.Qe7+ Kh6 38.Rh4+ Rh5 39.Qf8+ Qg7 40.Qf4+ g5 41.Qd6+ Qg6 42.Qf8+ Qg7 43.Rxh5+ 1–0
  • 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
Carlsen,M2881So,W27411–02020D41Skilling Open CCT KO 20213.1

Game 2

It was a dramatic day throughout, but certainly the most dramatic game of the day was the second one. So, playing white, obtained a winning position in a sharp setup with queens and bishops of opposite colours on the board:

 
So vs. Carlsen
Position after 35...Kh7

The key feature of the position is the weakness of the black king, but if White gives his opponent a couple of tempi he will be able to push his dangerous c-pawn and create threats along the dark squares. 

So needed to be precise to convert his advantage, by going for 36.Bd3 here, when after 36...Qd1 there is 37.Qxd6, protecting the bishop and threatening to go ahead with the discovered attack. As the engines point out, White wins in every line (even after 37...e5, which is not the strongest). Of course, seeing all this in a rapid game is very difficult, and So opted for 36.e5 instead. 

The evaluation was now balanced, but precise calculation was still needed to avoid falling for a deadly attack with each side controlling either the light or the dark squares. So could have gone for a perpetual, but continued to put pressure. Carlsen defended accurately for quite a while — until he faltered on move 89:

 
Position after 89.Qe3

89...Be5 would have kept things going, while 89...Kf8 loses on the spot. White now has mate in five: 90.Qe8+ Kg7 91.Qf7+ Kh6 92.Qh7+ Kg5 93.Qh5+ and Carlsen resigned without allowing 93...Kf4 94.Qf5#.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 h6 6...a6 is the modern continuation. 7.Re1 0-0       C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3. 7...a6 8.a4 0-0 9.h3 Re8 10.Nbd2 Ba7 11.b4 Be6 12.Bxe6 Rxe6 13.Bb2 Ne7 14.d4 Ng6 15.c4 a5 16.b5 exd4 17.Nxd4 Re8 18.Ra3 Bxd4 19.Bxd4 Re6 20.Rae3 b6 21.g3 Nd7 22.f4 Re8 23.Qg4 1-0 (40) So,W (2770)-Carlsen,M (2863) chess24.com INT 2020 8.Nbd2 a5 9.Nf1 Be6 The position is equal. 10.Bb5 Ne7 11.d4 Ba7 12.Ng3 Ng6 13.h3 c6 14.Bd3 a4 15.Be3 Re8 16.Qc2 b5
17.b4N Predecessor: 17.c4 bxc4 18.Bxc4 Bxc4 19.Qxc4 d5 20.Qxc6 exd4 21.Bxd4 Bxd4 22.Nxd4 Ne5 23.Qc3 1-0 (69) Karjakin,S (2773)-Le,Q (2739) Saint Louis 2017 17...axb3 18.axb3 Qc7 19.Ra6 Threatens to win with Rea1. Qb7! 20.Rea1 Bb6 20...exd4! 21.cxd4 Bb6 22.Rxa8 Rxa8 23.Rxa8+ Qxa8 21.Rxa8± Rxa8 22.Rxa8+ Qxa8 23.dxe5 Qa1+ 24.Bf1! Bxe3 25.exf6 Bb6 25...Bf4 26.fxg7+- Ne5
With the idea ...Nxf3+. 27.Qd2 27.Nd4!+- is the precise move to win. 27...Nxf3+± 28.gxf3 Kxg7 29.Kg2 29.Qxd6?! Qxc3 30.Kg2 Qc5= 29...b4 30.Nh5+ 30.Qxd6?! Qe1= White should try 30.cxb4 Qd4 31.Qxd4+ Bxd4 32.b5 cxb5 33.Bxb5 30...Kg6 Better is 30...Kh7 31.Bd3 31.Qxd6 Bxh3+ 32.Kh2 Qxf1= 31...Kg6 31.Nf4+ Kh7 31...Kf6± 32.Nxe6+- 32.cxb4 Qg7+ 33.Kh1 Bxb3= Worse is 32.Qxd6 Qe1 32...bxc3? 32...fxe6+- Double Attack 33.Qxd6 Double Attack Qxc3 33.Qf4 fxe6 34.Qf7+ Kh8 35.Qf8+ Kh7 36.e5? White has to play 36.Bd3+- Qd1 Double Attack 37.Qxd6 Double Attack 36...Qd1= 37.Qf7+ Kh8 38.Qe8+ Kh7 39.Qd7+ Kh8 40.Qc8+ Kg7 41.Qd7+ Kh8 42.Qe8+ Kg7 43.Qe7+ Kh8 44.Qxe6 Qd4 45.Qe8+
45...Kg7! 46.Qe7+ Kg8 47.Qe6+ Kg7 48.Qf6+ Kh7 49.Qe7+
49...Kg8! 50.Qe6+ Kg7 51.Qd7+
51...Kf8! 52.Qf5+ Ke8 53.Qc8+
53...Ke7! 54.exd6+ Qxd6 55.Qf5 Qd4 56.Qc2 Qg7+ 57.Kh1 Qe5 58.Bd3 Bc7 59.Kg2 Qh2+ 60.Kf1 Qxh3+ 61.Ke2 Cut Off at move 61 Qe6+ 62.Be4 Be5 63.Qa2 Qd6 64.Qa7+ Kf6 Strongly threatening ...Qd2+. 65.Qh7 Qd2+ 66.Kf1 And now Qf5+ would win. Bd4 67.Qg6+! Ke7 68.Qg3! Bf6 69.Qc7+ Qd7 70.Qf4 h5 71.Qe3 Hoping for Bf5+. Qd4 72.Qf4 Qd6 73.Qe3 c5 74.Bg6+ Kd8 75.Qe8+ Kc7 76.Be4 h4 77.Kg2 Qd7 78.Qh5 Kb6 79.f4 Qe6 80.Qg6 Ka5 81.Bf5 Qd6 Black should play 81...Qc6+ 82.Be4 Qa6 82.Qe8 Kb6 White should prevent ...Qc6+. 83.Be4 Kc7 84.Qa8 Qxf4 85.Qc6+ Kd8 86.Qd5+ Ke8 87.Bg6+ Ke7 White must now prevent ...Qg4+. 88.Qxc5+ Qd6 89.Qe3+ This move loses the game for Black. Kf8? This move loses the game for Black. 89...Be5= 90.Bd3 Kd8 90.Qe8+ White mates. Kg7 91.Qf7+ Kh6 92.Qh7+ Kg5 93.Qh5+ Weighted Error Value: White=0.16/Black=0.26
1–0
  • 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
So,W2741Carlsen,M28811–02020Skilling Open CCT KO 20213.2

Game 3

In the third game of the day, Carlsen played a novelty on move 11, to which So responded with a pawn push that left him struggling to restore equality from the early stages of the game:

 
Carlsen vs. So
Position after 11.g4

11.g4 was Carlsen’s novelty. So responded symmetrically, with 11...g5, and after 12.Bg3 Ne4 the world champion spent over 4 minutes deciding on the strong 13.h4, not fearing 13...Nxg3 14.fxg3. White kept his pawns doubled and the h-file opened up by responding to 14...gxh4 with 15.Rxh4:

 
Position after 15.Rxh4

White has the worse structure, but also better dynamic chances. It was not all smooth sailing for Carlsen from this point on, but he ended up getting the win in a double rook endgame in which he had the more active pieces:

 
Position after 35.Rd1

So resigned in this position.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 0-0 is more profitable than 7... Ne4 at the moment. D38: Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defence (4 Nf3 Bb4). 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 Bd7 White must now prevent ...Nxd4!The position is equal. 10.Qc2 Na5
11.g4N Predecessor: 11.cxd5 exd5 12.e3 c5 13.dxc5 Rc8 14.Bd3 Rxc5 15.0-0 Qe7 16.Qb2 Rfc8 17.Qb4 1-0 (42) Krstulovic,A (2368) -Prraneeth,V (2264) Balatonlelle 2019 11...g5 Better is 11...dxc4= 12.Ne5 c5! 12.Bg3 Ne4 13.h4! Nxg3 13...Nxc4 14.hxg5 hxg5 14.fxg3± Hoping for hxg5. gxh4 Don't blunder 14...dxc4? 15.hxg5 f5 16.Rxh6+- 15.Rxh4 Kg7 16.g5 White should play 16.e4± 16...Rh8
16...Nxc4= 17.Rxh6 Rh8 17.Ne5! Nxc4 Black should try 17...Qe7 18.gxh6+ Kf8 19.Nxc4 Qg5 20.Kf2 And now Ne5 would win. 20.Ne5!? Qxg3+ 21.Kd2 Qxh4 22.Nxd7+ Kg8 23.Qb1= 20...dxc4 21.Qc1 Qf6+ 22.Qf4 Ke7 22...Qxf4+= 23.gxf4 Bc6 23.Qxf6+ Kxf6 24.Bg2 Rab8 25.Rh5 Kg6 White is in control. 26.Rah1 White is in control. f5
27.g4! Rh7 27...fxg4 28.Be4+ 28.g5? 28.Ke3+- 28...Bc6= 29.Bf3 Bxf3 30.Kxf3 KRR-KRR Rd8 30...c5!= 31.Kf4± Rd5 31...c5± might work better. 32.R5h3+- c5? 32...Rd8 33.Re3 Re8 33.Re3 White is clearly winning. Rd6 34.dxc5 Ra6 35.Rd1 Weighted Error Value: White=0.18/Black=0.37
1–0
  • 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
Carlsen,M2881So,W27411–02020Skilling Open CCT KO 20213.3

Game 4

Carlsen went for a Sicilian against So’s 1.e4 in game 4. The American got a better position out of the opening as he seemed to be better prepared in the chosen variation. The world champion equalized in the middlegame, but a tactical oversight ended up costing him the game:

 
Position after 29.Rxh4

29...Bf5 was not the best alternative in the position (29...Qc5 was better), but it was not the decisive mistake either. The blunder came after 30.Rh5 Qc8 31.Qxb6:

 
Position after 31.Qxb6

Carlsen’s 32...Ng4 was a miscalculation. Now White has 33.Ba6, when Black cannot keep everything defended — after 33...Qd7, for example, there follows 34.Bb5 and the queen is overloaded. The game continued 33...Re1+ 34.Ka2 Qe8 35.Rxf5 Ne3 36.Bb5 Qe7 and Carlsen resigned.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 9.Qf3 9.a4 is becoming the main line. a6 B33: Sicilian: Pelikan and Sveshnikov Variations. 10.Qa3 b6 11.Bg5 Be7 11...f6= 12.Be3 Be7 12.Bxe7! Kxe7
13.0-0-0N Hoping for Re1. Predecessor: 13.c4 Bb7 14.Nc3 Nd7 15.Be2 Re8 16.0-0 Qc7 17.Ne4 Nf6 18.Qe3 Nd7 19.f4 1-0 (30) Perpinya Rofes,L (2408)-Jose Abril,R (2335) Barcelona 2015 13...Bb7! 14.Nc3 Nd7 15.f4 Qc7 16.fxe5 Nxe5 17.Qb4 17.Bd3!? 17...h5 18.Be2 Kf8 19.Rhf1 Re8 20.Rf5 h4 21.Rf4 Qd8 22.Kb1 Rh6       23.Rdd4 h3 24.g3 Bc8 25.a4 Kg8 26.Rde4 Qc7 27.Rh4 a5 28.Qd4 Threatens to win with Rxh6. Rxh4 29.Rxh4 Bf5 29...Qc5= 30.Rh5 Qc8 31.Qxb6
Strongly threatening Ba6. Loses the game. 31...Ng4? Loses the game. 31...Bg4± 32.Ba6+- White is clearly winning. Re1+ 32...Qd7 33.Bb5 33.Ka2 Qe8 34.Rxf5 Ne3 35.Bb5 Qe7 Weighted Error Value: White=0.09/Black=0.53
1–0
  • 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
So,W2741Carlsen,M28811–02020B33Skilling Open CCT KO 20213.4

Links


Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.