Superbet Poland: Rusty Carlsen plays Polish Defence, loses

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
5/22/2023 – Magnus Carlsen played his first three over-the-board (rapid) games after giving up the world champion title on Sunday. In his first outing as a ‘former world champion’, Carlsen replied to Radoslaw Wojtaszek’s 1.d4 with 1...b5, going for the questionable Polish Defence — in Warsaw! Carlsen lost that game and drew the next two to end the day with a 2/6 score. Three points ahead stand co-leaders Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

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So, Duda and Aronian share the lead


Find expert commentary — video and game annotations — by well-known coach and author IM Robert Ris at the end of the article.


Wesley So, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Levon Aronian all scored two wins and a draw to end the first day of action at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz tournament sharing the lead on 5/6 points (a win is worth 2 points in the rapid section). So and Duda faced — and drew — world number one Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian is playing his first over-the-board tournament after giving up his title as world champion in classical chess.

Despite not being the classical champion any more, Carlsen continues to hold the world title in rapid and blitz. In fact, he still has a whopping 59-point advantage over Ian Nepomniachtchi in the official (classical) ratings list published by FIDE.

Further cementing Carlsen’s status as the best-known international chess star, PUMA recently launched a personalized sneaker model together with the Norwegian.

At the Superbet Poland event, the now former world champion made sure to leave his mark right off the bat. Playing black against Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Carlsen replied to 1.d4 with 1...b5 — the Polish Defence! His experienced opponent was surely as shocked as the spectators, but he had no trouble refuting the audacious — rather reckless — proposition.

The final position shows how fun it must have been for Wojtaszek to harass his famed opponent’s king stuck in the centre of the board.

Wojtaszek vs. Carlsen

Black resigned. The Polish Defence could not prevent the accomplished Polish grandmaster from defeating one of the strongest players in history. 

After drawing his remaining two games, against So and Duda respectively, Carlsen confessed

I haven’t really played or studied chess much recently. [...] But at least I steadied the ship a little bit in the last couple of rounds. So it’s not a disater, but overall it was just really rusty.

Coincidentally, the two players who drew Carlsen in rounds 2 and 3 finished the day sharing the lead with plus-two scores. So and Duda are joined by Aronian atop the standings. The latter is replacing world champion Ding Liren in Warsaw, as the Chinese grandmaster decided to withdraw due to the fatigue induced by the gruelling match in Astana and the subsequent elite tournament he played in Bucharest.

Superbet Chess Poland 2023

Chess fever in Poland! | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Wojtaszek 1 - 0 Carlsen

Wesley So

Co-leader Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes


Expert analysis by IM Robert Ris

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,166,62354%2421---
1.d4947,29855%2434---
1.Nf3281,60256%2441---
1.c4182,10256%2442---
1.g319,70256%2427---
1.b314,26554%2427---
1.f45,89748%2377---
1.Nc33,80151%2384---
1.b41,75648%2380---
1.a31,20654%2404---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d395450%2378---
1.g466446%2360---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c343351%2426---
1.h328056%2418---
1.a411060%2466---
1.f39246%2436---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.d4 b5 2.e4 Bb7 2...a6 0-1 (46) Karpov,A (2725)-Miles,A (2545) Skara 1980 3.Bd3 3.Bxb5 Bxe4 3.Nd2 3...Nf6 4.Nd2 c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e6 7.Ngf3 Nc6 8.0-0 8.Bxb5 Qb6 8...a6 8...Be7 9.Re1 Be7 10.d5!? exd5 11.e5 11.exd5 11...Nh5 11...Ne4 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Bxe4 11...Ng4 12.h3 Nh6 13.Nb3 12.Nb3 g6 12...0-0 13.g4 13.Bh6 Rg8 13...Bf8 14.Bxf8 Kxf8 15.Nc5 14.Be3 Ng7 15.Nc5 Qc7 15...Bxc5 16.Bxc5 Ne6 17.Bd6 16.Rc1 Ne6 17.Nxb7 17.Bf1 17...Qxb7 18.Bf1 Bb4 19.Re2 Ne7 19...d4 20.Bxd4 Ncxd4 21.Nxd4 20.Rec2 Nf5 21.Bg5 Be7 21...Nxg5 22.Nxg5 22.Bf6 Nfg7 22...Bxf6 23.exf6 23.Qd3?! 23.Ng5! Nxg5 23...h6 24.Nxe6 Nxe6 25.g3+- 23...Bxf6 24.exf6 Nxg5 25.Qxd5 Qxd5 26.Rc8+ Rxc8 27.Rxc8# 24.Rc7 Qb6 25.Rc8+ Rxc8 26.Rxc8+ Bd8 27.Rxd8+ Qxd8 28.Bxd8 Kxd8 29.Qxd5 23...Bxf6 23...Nh5!? 24.Bxe7 Kxe7 24.exf6 Nh5 25.Qc3! Rd8 25...d4 26.Nxd4 b4 26...Nxf6 27.Nxe6 dxe6 28.Qxf6 27.Qe3 Nxf6 28.Qe5 Ke7 29.Rc7 Qd5 30.Nc6+ Kf8 31.Qxd5 Nxd5 32.Rxd7 Nf6 33.Rb7+- 26.a3?! 26.Qe5! Qb8 26...d6 27.Qe3 Nxf6 28.Rc7 Qb8 29.Ng5+- 27.Rc7+- 26...Qb8! 27.g3 g5? 27...Qd6! 28.Re1 Kf8 28.Re1 g4 28...Qd6 29.Nd4 28...Rg6 29.Bd3 Rxf6 30.Nxg5 29.Nd4 Rg5 29...Nxf6 30.Nxe6 30.Bd3 Re5 30...h6 31.Nf5 31.Nf5? 31.Bxh7?? Nxd4 31.Rce2! Rxe2 32.Rxe2 Qc8 33.Qb4 Nxf6 33...d6 34.Nxe6 fxe6 35.Qxg4 34.Nf5 d6 34...Ng8 35.Ng7# 35.Nxd6+ Rxd6 36.Qxd6 31...Rxe1+ 31...d4! 32.Qb4 32.Nxd4?? Nxd4 32...Rxe1+ 33.Qxe1 Nxf6± 34.Qb4 Nd5! 32.Qxe1 Nxf6 32...Rc8 33.Rxc8+ Qxc8 34.Nd6+ 33.Qb4! d6 33...Ng8 34.Re2 d6 35.Qxg4+- 34.Qc3! Nd7 34...d4 35.Nxd4 Nxd4 36.Qxd4+- 35.Qh8+ Ndf8 36.Qf6 Ng6 36...Qb7 37.a4 bxa4 38.Bxa6 Qd7 39.Bb5+- 36...Rd7 37.Re2 37.Re2 Qc7 37...Kf8 38.Rxe6 37...Kd7 38.Qxf7+ 38.Ng7+ 38.Ng7+ Kf8 38...Kd7 39.Qxf7+ Kc8 40.Qxe6+ 39.Nxe6+
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Wojtaszek,R2670Carlsen,M28532023A40Superbet Rapid 20231.2

Standings - Round 3 (win = 2 pts; draw = 1 pt)

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  • 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.
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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.

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