World Cup: Carlsen and Shankland strike

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
7/28/2021 – Magnus Carlsen and Sam Shankland made a big step towards reaching the semifinals of the 2021 FIDE World Cup in Sochi, as they kicked off their matches against Etienne Bacrot and Sergey Karjakin with victories. While Carlsen displayed excellent dynamic feel for the position to win with the black pieces, it was Shankland’s endgame technique which allowed him to make the most of an unlikely blunder by his opponent. | Expert analysis by GM Karsten Müller. | Photo: Eric Rosen

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Inspired

Barely making it past Andrey Esipenko in Tuesday’s tiebreakers seems to only have inspired Magnus Carlsen on his fourth attempt at winning the World Cup — he got his best result in 2007, when he lost in semis against Gata Kamsky. In the first game of the quarterfinals, the world champion beat Etienne Bacrot with the black pieces, showcasing excellent dynamic feel for the position in a double-edged struggle.

Bacrot did not shy away from entering a deep strategic battle, as he played the flexible 10.Bd2 instead of a more forcing line.

 
Bacrot vs. Carlsen - Game 1

After thinking for almost a half hour, Carlsen responded with 10...Qd7, which demonstrates the richness of possibilities emerging from such a setup in the early middlegame.

The world champion later gave up a pawn, as he correctly assessed that he had more than enough compensation in a setup that resembled a position emerging from the Marshall Gambit. Bacrot had a far-from-comfortable position by move 26:

 

26.Qh3 was a mistake, as it allowed 26...c4, and White will need to make concessions in order to coordinate his pieces — it should be noted that, by then, it was already difficult to find moves for the Frenchman.  

There followed 27.d4 Rde8 28.d5 (giving back the pawn to untangle) Qxd5 29.Rad1

 

And here Carlsen went for it with 29...Rxe4 30.Rxd5 Rxe1+ 31.Kf2 Rfe8 32.Re5 (only move) Bxe5 33.Kxe1 Bxc3+

 

Capturing with the bishop on move 32 was not optimal, but Black still has the upper hand in this position.

We let GM Karsten Müller take over at this point. In his annotations below, he shows that both contenders played imprecise moves shortly before the time control, although it was always going to be difficult to defend with white against Carlsen’s pair of bishops (see Jon Speelman’s column praising the Norwegian’s ability to handle this very strategic trump!).

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 Bb7 9.d3 d6 10.Bd2 Qd7 11.Nc3 Na5 12.Ba2 c5 13.Ne2 Nc6 14.Ng3 d5 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.c3 Rad8 17.axb5 axb5 18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.Rxe5 Bd6 20.Re1 Nf4 21.Bxf4 Bxf4 22.Ne4 Qc7 23.g3 Be5 24.f4 Bd6 25.Qh5 Qc6 26.Qh3 c4 27.d4 Rde8 28.d5 Qxd5 29.Rad1 Rxe4 30.Rxd5 Rxe1+ 31.Kf2 Rfe8 32.Re5 Bxe5 33.Kxe1 Bxc3+ 34.Kf1 Bc8 "Magnus mighty midges". The pair of bishops is often compared to a swarm of midges. Nobody is really safe. In the game even Bacrot's queen has problems with the midges: 35.Qg2? This runs into a strong attack. 35.g4! was called for, e.g. Bxb2 36.Qg2 Bf6 37.Qc6 Rd8 38.g5 Bd7 39.Qc7 Be7 40.Bb1 g6 41.Bc2= 35...Bf5? This allows Bacrot's queen to destroy Black's attacking harmony. The direct 35...Rd8! wins, e.g. 36.Qe2 36.bxc3?! Rd1+ 37.Kf2 Rd2+ 38.Kf1 Rxg2 39.Kxg2 Bf5 40.Kf3 Kf8 41.Ke3 Ke7 42.Kd4 Kd6-+ 36...Bf5 37.Kg1 Bd4+ White is nowhere save from the midges. 38.Kg2 h5 39.Qxh5 g6 40.Qf3 Bxb2 41.g4 Be6 42.Qe2 Bc3-+ 36.Qd5! Be6 37.Qc5 Bxb2 38.Kg2 Bd7 39.Qd5? Bacrot allows Black to coordinate again. 39.Qc7! uses the moment and draws, e.g. Bf5 39...Bg4 40.h3= 40.Qc5 Be4+ 41.Kh3 g6 42.Qxb5 Bf5+ 43.g4 Re3+ 44.Kh4?? 44.Kg2 Be4+ 45.Kf2 Bd4 46.Qxc4 Rd3+ 47.Ke2 Re3+= 44...Bf6+ 45.g5 Rh3# 39...Rd8 40.Qc5? This gives Magnus mighty army complete control. 40.g4 was called for, and after Bf6 41.Kg3 g6 42.Qc5 White still has practical drawing chances. 40...Bf6 41.Bb1 g6 42.g4 Desperation, but White is lost in any case. Bxg4 43.Qxb5 c3 44.f5 g5 44...g5 45.Ba2 c2 46.Qc4 Rd2+ 47.Kf1 Bh5-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Bacrot,E2678Carlsen,M28470–12021C88FIDE World Cup 20216.1

Etienne Bacrot, Magnus Carlsen

It is never easy against the champ — Etienne Bacrot | Photo: Anastasiia Korolkova

Post-game analysis with Almira Skripchenko and Magnus Carlsen

Shankland beats Karjakin

Seeded 31st in the 206-player field, Sam Shankland arrived in Sochi shortly after winning a strong 8-player single round robin in Prague (ahead of Radoslaw Wojaszek and fellow quarterfinalist Jan-Krzysztof Duda). The American is still undefeated in the event, having needed tiebreaks only once while knocking out Baadur Jobava, Alexader Areshchenko, Rinat Jumabayev and Peter Svidler.

The Californian’s good form continues in the quarterfinals, as he made the most of Sergey Karjakin’s unexpected mistake on move 38.

 
Shankland vs. Karjakin - Game 1

After the unsightly 38...f5, White gets a decisive grip on the position thanks to his space advantage, as GM Müller demonstrates in his annotations below. Shankland showed great technique in conversion, correctly calculating that simplifying into a pawn endgame at the right time was winning for him.

 
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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.c4 e5 2.g3 c6 3.Nf3 e4 4.Nd4 d5 5.cxd5 Qxd5 6.e3 Bc5 7.Nc3 Qe5 8.d3 exd3 9.Qxd3 Nf6 10.Bg2 0-0 11.0-0 Rd8 12.Nf3 Rxd3 13.Nxe5 Rd8 14.b3 Be6 15.Bb2 Na6 16.Rad1 Be7 17.Ne2 Nb4 18.Nd4 Bd5 19.a3 Na6 20.b4 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 c5 22.Nf5 Bf8 23.b5 Nc7 24.a4 Nfd5 25.Nc4 g6 26.Nh4 Nb6 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.Nxb6 axb6 29.Nf3 Ra8 30.Be5 Ne8 31.Ra1 f6 32.Bc3 Kf7 33.Nd2 Bd6 34.Kf1 Ke6 35.Ke2 h5 36.Kd3 Bc7 37.f4 Nd6 38.e4 "Shankland's space advantage". Even in the endgame a space advantage can be very valuable: f5? Now White has a powerplay for free. Black must start counterplay with 38...g5! for example 39.e5 Nf5 40.exf6 gxf4 41.gxf4 Bxf4 42.Re1+ Kf7 43.Nc4 Bxh2 44.Nxb6 Rd8+ 45.Ke4 Ng3+ 46.Kf3 Nf5= 39.e5! Nf7 40.Kc4 Ke7? Now White is winning as Black has no active trumps. 40...g5! was still called for, e.g. 41.Nf3 Bd8 42.Kb3 Be7 43.Nd2 Bd8 44.Nc4 Bc7 45.Ne3 Rd8 and White is much better, but matters are not completely clear. 41.Nf1! The knight will destroy Black's burg as is often the case. Nd8 42.Ne3 Ne6 43.a5!? Shankland opens inroads in typical fashion. bxa5 44.b6 Bd8 44...Bxb6?! runs into 45.Nd5++- 45.Rd1 Nd4 45...a4 is met by 46.Rd6 a3 47.Nd5+ Kf7 48.Rd7+ Ke8 49.Rxb7 a2 50.Ra7 Rb8 51.Rxa2 Bxb6 52.Ra6+- 46.Nd5+ Kf7 47.Bxd4 cxd4 48.Rxd4 Rc8+ 48...a4 49.Nc7 Bxc7 50.bxc7 Rc8 50...a3 51.Rd8+- 51.Rd7+ Ke6 52.Rg7 b5+ 53.Kxb5 a3 54.Rxg6+ Kd7 55.Kb6 a2 56.Rd6+ Ke7 57.Rd1+- 49.Nc7! Finally the knight has reached the destination. Bxc7 49...Be7 is met by 50.Kb5 Bb4 51.Rd7+ Be7 52.Nd5+- 50.Rd7+ Ke6 51.Rxc7 Rxc7+ 51...Rb8 52.Rg7+- 52.bxc7 Kd7 53.Kb5 Kxc7 53...b6 54.Kxb6 a4 55.Kb7+- 54.Kxa5 And White wins due to the protected passed pawn: Kc6 55.Kb4 Kb6 56.Kc4 Kc6 57.Kd4 b5 58.h3 A very instructive technical demonstration by Sam Shankland! 58.h3 Kb6 59.Kd5 b4 60.Kc4 Ka5 61.e6 Ka4 62.e7 b3 63.e8Q++- 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Shankland,S2709Karjakin,S27571–02021A20FIDE World Cup 20216.2

Sam Shankland

Dreaming with the Candidates? He certainly has reasons to do so! — Sam Shankland | Photo: Eric Rosen

Two draws

The first game to finish on Wednesday was Vidit vs Duda, as the players handled a Catalan Opening grandmasterly until reaching a 33-move draw. Already two well-known faces in the elite circuit, it would certainly be fitting to see either of the contenders in the next edition of the Candidates!

Not long after Vidit and Duda agreed to split the point, Amin Tabataei and Vladimir Fedoseev also signed a draw. Out of an Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit, both players castled long and entered a complex middlegame. As chess historian Olimpiu G. Urcan captured on his tweet, both the game and the potential continuations in the final position were far from simple to discern.

The semifinalists of the women’s tournament had a rest day on Wednesday, but they will join the 8 quarterfinalists of the open section tomorrow, when Bacrot and Karjakin will need to win on demand to remain in contention.

 
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1.d4 24 Nf6 5 2.c4 11 e6 0 3.g3 9 d5 35 4.Bg2 13 Be7 7 5.Nf3 17 0-0 7 6.0-0 0 c6 4 7.Qc2 2:01 b6 35 8.Rd1 11:15 Bb7 33 9.Bf4 8:30 Nbd7 0 10.Ne5 9 Nh5 7:04 11.Bd2 26 Nhf6 33 12.cxd5 13 cxd5 20 13.Nc6 5 Bxc6 15 14.Qxc6 2 Rc8 0 15.Qa4 6 Qc7 2:51 16.Nc3 33 Qb7 1:10 17.e3 32 a6 10 18.Qb3 33 Rc7 3:34 19.Rdc1 8:21 b5 0 20.Ne2 4:50 Nb6 4:50 21.Rxc7 5:07 Qxc7 25 22.Rc1 15 Nc4 6 23.Bb4 3:27 Rb8 8:56 24.Nf4 2:20 Bxb4 0 25.Qxb4 3 a5 8 26.Qe1 5:17 Qb6 4:04 27.Nd3 5:07 b4 1:10 28.b3 0 Nd6 57 29.Nc5 20 Rc8 6:29 30.Na4 5:35 Qd8 1:05 31.Bf1 3:26 Rxc1 2:23 32.Qxc1 2:20 g5 7 33.a3 0 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vidit,S2726Duda,J2738½–½2021FIDE World Cup 20216.4
Tabatabaei,M2613Fedoseev,V2696½–½2021FIDE World Cup 20216.3

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Vidit Gujrathi

Fan favourite Vidit Gujrathi | Photo: Eric Rosen



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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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