A narrow escape: Seirawan on Carlsen vs Karjakin (3/3)

by Yasser Seirawan
12/13/2016 – Magnus Carlsen won the World Championship match against Sergey Karjakin by winning the tie-break convincingly 3-1. The last move of the match was a stunning queen sacrifice. Carlsen retained his title and it is easy to forget how close Karjakin was to becoming new World Champion. Yasser Seirawan takes a look at the second part of the match and all its drama.
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Almost World Champion: Sergey Karjakin misses his chances

Beginning with Game 7, the players “switched colors” and Sergey would enjoy his second game in a row with the White pieces. This time he tried his hand with the Queen Pawn Opening. Magnus answered with the venerable Slav Defense, which quickly transposed into the channels of a Queen’s Gambit Accepted. Instead of trading Queens and going for an ultra-safe line of play with a potential plus, Sergey tricked himself with his eleventh move, Nf3-d2, and found himself with a slight disadvantage for his Opening efforts. Once more, the advantage of playing the White pieces had slipped to less than nothing. Magnus returned the favor with a slip of his own on move sixteen. Just at the very moment that I thought a vintage display by Magnus might be in the offing, he was worse. But not by much. Sergey managed to win a pawn but the presence of opposite colored Bishops meant an easy draw.

Game No. 7 - Notes by Tiger Hillarp Persson:

 
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Notes by Tiger Hillarp Persson - 1.d4!? I had decided not to watch any of the news on the game, in order to avoid reproducing what others have mused. Still, I couldn't keep away during the first few moves and I felt a breeze of cautious optimism when I saw Karjakin's first move. Could it be that he had deviated from his usual 1.e4 in order to be more ambitious? d5!? 2.c4 c6 Already the last move was a bit of a surprise, but this is twice surprise. Normally, both Carlsen and Karjakin favour 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 as Black, but then they diverge. Carlsen usually meets 3.Nf3 with d5, whereas Karjakin slightly prefers 3...b6 over d5. Considering how close their main repertoires are after 1.d4, it is not that big of a surprise that Carlsen decides to surprise. 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 This variation, named after the Moldovan master Chebanenko, was very unusual before the early nineties. Although it looks weird to move both the c- and the a-pawn to the sixth rank at such an early stage, it stands on a solid strategical basis. We see a similar strategy in the Najdorf, the Modern Benoni and the Modern, where Black plays a6 in order to disturb a knight on c3. However, it is interesting to notice that this is one of the few instances where a6 is a decent option even if the knight is not on c3. Suppose White has played Nf3 instead of Nc3, then Black can still play a6. The point is that White's knight really needs to go to c3, sooner or later, if White is to claim any sort of advantage. In such a case one might say that a6 disturbs White's natural development. 4...e6 leads to the Semi Slav, which has been seen in numerous earlier WCh matches. Carlsen's choice of line is more solid and also leads to lines that are slightly less analyzed. 5.Bd3 No! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. Now Black is able to enter a line from the Queens Gambit Accepted (QGA), that I thought was completely toothless. Still, after checking the facts I have come to the conclusion that my instincts are, at least, dated. Since the main lines have become so heavily analyzed, the players try some of the old things anew and as will soon become obvious, Karjakin is far from alone in seeking something new in the these lines. The main lines start with 5.Nf3 b5 and then White has a choice between the very ambitious 6.c5 and the less ambitious 6.b3. It says a lot about Karjakin's attitude that he chooses none of these. He is either a) happy to draw his way to the tie-breaks, or he b) expects Carlsen to become over-ambitious, or c) has great belief in his technical abilities, or d) this line is far more dangerous for Black than I thought (and still think). 5...dxc4! 6.Bxc4 e6 7.Nf3 c5 So, we arrive at a line from the QGA, via a roundabout move order. This position used to be the main line, but then players started to realize that the knight lacked flexibility on c3. Since then White's main ideas in these positions all have one thing in common; avoiding to put the knight on c3. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 5.0-0 a6, both 6.Bb3, 6.Qe2 and 6.dxc5 are more common than 6.Nc3. Then again, "common" is not always a sign of quality. 8.0-0 Here White has the option of playing 8.a4 , which is fairly dull, especially for Black. After Nc6 9.0-0 Be7 10.Qe2 cxd4 11.Rd1 e5 12.exd4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Qe5 Qd6 White is marginally better, although the results tend towards draws, aplenty. 8...b5 9.Be2 And here, when I put my hands to my face in similar fashion to Munch's famous "peanut-face", I'm clearly out of line. This line turns out to be as haute couture as anything chess related can be. It has been played by Aronian, Wang Yue, Vitiugov and others. White is doing well. My prejudices need to be updated. 9.Bb3 Bb7 10.Qe2 I was hoping for 10.e4!? 10...Nbd7 11.Rd1 Qb8 has a solid reputation for Black and is the reason why White started experimenting with not putting the knight on c3. 9...Bb7 9...Nbd7 10.d5 exd5 11.Nxd5 Bb7 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.a4 b4 seems to be about balanced, but White can set Black some problems with 14.e4 after which the game Aronian,L (2795)-Ponomariov,R (2710) SportAccord Blitz 2014, continued: Be7 15.Bc4 Rd8?! 16.Qe2 Qg6 17.Bf4 0-0 18.Bc7 18.Rfe1!? 18...Rc8 19.Bg3 a5 20.Rfe1 with some initiative for White. 10.dxc5! Other moves make no sense. Black would prefer to take back on c5 with a knight, but here 10...Nbd7 can be met with 11.b4! Nc6!? Not exactly a novelty, but played at a 2700+ level for the first time. 10...Bxc5 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.Nd2 has been scoring well for White among engines. Karjakin had to suffer this position himself once as Black. That game went: 10...Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Bxc5 12.Nd2! If we compare this position to the "early" dxc5-lines in the QGA, Black has already committed to b7-b5, which leaves the dark squares somewhat weaker and also gives White something to chew on with the a-pawn. Nbd7 12...Nc6 13.Nce4 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 Be7 would be similar to the game if the queens were still on. But since they aren't White can play 15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.Rxd6 Ke7 17.Rd1 13.Nb3 Bb6 13...Bb4 14.a4 b4 15.a5! Bd8 16.Na4 Be7 17.f3 g5 18.e4 g4 19.Be3 when White had a big advantage and eventually won, in Fressinet,L (2700)-Karjakin,S (2775) Beijing (blitz) 2012. 11.Nd2 As seen on the last move, this is the standard reaction when the queens go off the board. However, here it doesn't work as well. Although I haven't seen what anyone else says about the game, I have allowed myself the luxury of turning the engine on now and then. I know I shouldn't, but the hour is late in Sweden and what would happen if I got it all wrong? The prospect it frightful. So, the most critical line seems to be 11.Qxd8+ Rxd8 12.b4!? It's very likely that Karjakin tried to calculate the consequences of this move over the board while sensing that it was surely part of his opponents preparation. Not finding a clear road to an advantage he then proceeded to play a "normal" move. I'm just guessing though. Nxb4 13.a4! One immediately spots that the queenside pawns will disappear and then the question is: how much activity does White have? Bxc5 With some silicon-based help, it is possible to find that 13...Nc2 14.Ra2 Nb4 15.Rd2 15.Ra3 Bxc5 16.axb5 Nd3! 17.Rb3 0-0 15...Bxc5 16.Rxd8+ Kxd8 17.axb5 axb5 18.Nxb5 Ke7 19.Ba3 Ra8 20.Rc1 Nd7 is a long line that just holds, although one sure wouldn't like to calculate and play it over the board. 14.axb5 axb5 15.Bxb5+ Bc6 15...Ke7 16.Na4 Bd6 17.Nb6 and White develops some quite nasty pressure. 16.Ba3 Bxb5 17.Nxb5 0-0 18.Rfc1 Be7 and Black should be within drawing distance since 19.Rc7 can be met with Rd7= 11.Qc2 11...Bxc5 It's not only the Giuoco Piano that can lead to an asymmetrical pawn structure. ;) 12.Nde4 Here the idea from Fressinet-Karjakin (above) doesn't work: 12.Nb3 Bd6! and White is stuck with a passive bishop, a cramped position and with no way to use the c5-square. 13.e4? b4! 12...Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Be7 Something has gone wrong for White and Black's position is very comfortable. The pressure to equalize is already on White. 14.b3 Nb4! 15.Bf3! 0-0 Perhaps Carlsen was too happy with the draw, because here he wastes a chance to put more pressure on Karjakin: 15...f5! The point is to get the bishop to the f6-a1-diagonal, when protecting a2 becomes very hard. 16.Nd2 16.Nd6+ Qxd6 17.Bxb7 Qxd1 18.Rxd1 Ra7 19.Bf3 Bf6 20.Rb1 Nxa2 16...Bxf3 17.Nxf3 Qxd1 18.Rxd1 Bf6 19.Nd4 Not a happy move for White to play, but there is nothing else. Kf7 and Black has some pressure. 16.Ba3! Karjakin pulls the break just in time. With more exchanges Black's has nothing more than a little extra space, which is a very nominal advantage indeed. Rc8?! 16...Rb8 or any other move that protects the bishop, would give Carlsen the kind of position where he could have played on for some while. Instead he ends up at a slight disadvantage. 17.Nf6+ Bxf6 18.Bxb7 Bxa1 19.Bxb4 Bf6 20.Bxf8 Qxd1 21.Rxd1 Rxf8 22.Bxa6 Karjakin has won a pawn but needs one more move to make it count (a2-a4). b4! This pawn is easily protected and keeps White's pawn majority in check. White's advantage is that there is one tactical trick which Black can fall for, but that's it. 23.Rc1 g6 24.Rc2 Ra8 The tactical blunder I was referring to is 24...Bc3?! 25.Bc4 Kg7? 26.a4! , when White's winning chances become very real. 25.Bd3 Rd8 26.Be2 Kf8 27.Kf1 Ra8 28.Bc4 Rc8 29.Ke2 Ke7 30.f4 h6 31.Kf3 Rc7 32.g4 g5 33.Ke4 Rc8 White cannot make progress, so draw was agreed. ½–½
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Karjakin,S-Carlsen,M-½–½2016D27World Championship7

With five games remaining, with Magnus wielding the White pieces in three of them, the discussions amongst chess fans at various websites was quite furious. How certain was Magnus’ victory? Near absolute. ELO rating differentials multiplied by the statistics of White’s winning percentage, squared by the x-factors and the breakthrough fans long expected would happen in game 8. They were right. Only for the wrong player.

Sergey Karjakin after game eight

Oh my, what a nerve wracking game. To start the affair, again, expressing his own dissatisfaction with the White pieces, Magnus chose the Colle Opening. The Colle? Again, let me repeat myself, the Colle? Good grief. Isn’t this one a favorite of Club players the world over? Primarily because little to no preparation is needed… On his nineteenth move, Magnus slipped, trying again to press for an advantage that wasn’t there. Sergey was given a golden opportunity to initiate an attack leading to great complexity. He declined. On any other day, in any other event, he would have eagerly accepted such a challenge. Here I feel that he may have been conflicted.

Thus far, his match strategy of playing safe, defensive chess was working well. The match was tied, Magnus was being frustrated, a draw with Black is okay, why take a risk? The answer is: Because it was good. The attack, properly played would have seen an advantage too Black. Perhaps encouraged by his opponent’s safety first approach, Magnus kept pushing his luck, taking risks, first splitting his Queenside pawns and then in a time scramble sacrificing them both for what he thought was certain victory. Too late, there was a hidden defense, Magnus was busted! But time trouble reared its ugly head and Sergey allowed a great tactic that brought Magnus right back into the game and level. Again, I don’t know if Magnus was encouraged by the ups and downs of the struggle or simply doing what he has his whole career: playing out a position to its last full measure. In any case, Magnus kept pushing for a win when most would have pulled the chute and taken a draw. Amazingly, his gamble paid off. Showing remarkable fearlessness towards Sergey’s well advanced passed a3-pawn, Magnus played for a win. Suddenly, shockingly, there it was: Magnus had over-played his hand. Returning his extra pawn with a timely e4-e5, to unlock his g2-Bishop would have clinched a draw. Easily. When Black’s Knight landed on the e5-square and his Queen alongside to the c5-square, Sergey understood the situation clearly: he was winning. A final error by Magnus, 51.Qe6, sealed the deal, Challenger Sergey had broken through and now led the WCM.

Game No. 8 - Notes by Fabiano Caruana

 
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Notes by Fabio Caruana - So the eighth game of the match; now we all know how the story goes, but I think many people already had the feeling that this game would go down as a big one, before it happened. After seven draws and several missed chances, Carlsen was eager to make his move in the match. The last time a World Championship happened in New York, in 1995, the match also started with a string of draws. In the eighth game, the champion then, Garry Kasparov, chose a Scotch and was neutralized with accurate opening play in long theoretical lines by his challenger, Vishy Anand. Fast forward 21 years and the current World Champion chose an entirely different opening strategy to try to win. 1.d4 This was definitely not unexpected, and even the move I predicted before the game. Carlsen had had enough of trying to break down Karjakin's e4 e5 and decided to venture into the thick complex of closed systems. It was natural to assume he might try something involving an early Bf4 or Bg5, but instead something unexpected, or at least unexpected to me, happened: Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3!? After this surprise it became clear that we were unlikely to see any big theory or novel ideas in the opening. Magnus often plays slightly unusual but strategically based variations where his opponent has a wide choice of options and where there is a good chance of getting a playable position with chances to outplay the opposing side. e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.b3 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Bb2 b6 8.dxc5 While the last few moves have all been pretty standard, this strikes me as unusual. The normal tried and tested plan is to post a knight on e5 and continue with moves like f4, Qf3, aiming to gain space and start an attack on the kingside. Carlsen's choice is certainly not bad, however, and leads to play where he can count on a slight, perhaps very slight, edge. 8.Nbd2 Bb7 9.Ne5 is what I would normlly expect, to be followed up by f4 or perhaps Qf3 and then Qh3. This also doesn't guarantee an advantage, but would lead to a totally different type of position than what occured in the game. 8...Bxc5 8...bxc5 9.c4 would play into White's hands, most likely eventually leading to a hanging pawns position after White captures on d5 and black recaptures with the e-pawn. Karjakin's choice is more circumspect. 9.Nbd2 Bb7 Black continues with standard development. Karjakin took his decisions in the opening stage of the game with speed and ease, while Carlsen seemed less sure of his position. 10.Qe2 Nbd7 11.c4 One of the two plausible pawn breaks. The other one, e4, I saw was recommended for White, but it seems completely harmless to me, and would likely end in complete equality in a few moves. 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 Be7 The position remains very complicated here, but I believe in the inherent soundness of Black's structure and position. 12...Nxe4 13.Bxe4 Bxe4 14.Qxe4 Nf6 is safe and probably enough for equality. 13.Rad1 13.Neg5 looks threatening, but after Nc5 14.Rad1 Nxd3 15.Rxd3 Qc7 White's play appears to go nowhere. 13...Qc7 13...Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Bxe4 15.Qxe4 Qc7 bails out but is also enough for rough equality. 14.Neg5 , and here it looks scary, but Black can bite the bullet and come out ahead: Nc5! 15.Be5 Qc6 16.Bxf6 gxf6! 17.Bxh7+ Kg7 18.Be4 Nxe4 19.Nd4 fxg5 20.Nxc6 Bxc6 11.a3!? is a flexible move, but it also gives Black a lot of flexibility in his piece placement. Even the unusual looking Re8!? , planning ...e5 next, makes sense. 11...dxc4 I think this an example of good judgement. If Karjakin had allowed cxd5, he might have had to deal with a knight coming to e4. It's hard to prove that dxc4 is the correct move, but I suspect the knight is only superficially good-looking on c4 and would rather be more flexibly placed on d2. For example: 11...Qe7 12.cxd5 Nxd5 13.a3 a5 14.Ne4 N5f6 15.Nfd2 , and White can perhaps count on some slight pressure. 12.Nxc4 Qe7 13.a3 a5 Obviously the only move, as White shouldn't be allowed to win the bishop pair with b4. Now Magnus had to come up with a plan, but I don't think he successfully dealt with his task. His next few moves suggest he wasn't sure how to approach the position, and instead he mixed up inconsistent plans and ended up only putting himself in risk. 14.Nd4 14.e4 is of course a very direct way of playing it, aiming to attack with e5 and Ne4, but after Rfd8 15.e5 Nd5 16.g3 Nf8 the Black king looks very safe with a knight on f8. 14...Rfd8 I like this move, and the plan associated with it - to maneuver the knight from the awkward d7-square to the comfy g6-square, where it also disturbs White with schemes of attacking his bare king. 15.Rfd1 Rac8 15...Nf8 immediately would run into 16.Ne5 , and that is understandably not what Black is looking for. 16.Rac1 This strikes me as a lazy move, after which Black obtains a completely comfortable position. The rook might look well-placed on c1, but it does nothing to bother Black and loosens the defense of the a3-pawn. In general this decision demonstrates to me that Carlsen is far from his best in this match so far. 16.Nb5 Nf8 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 Bxb4 19.Nxb6 grants White a very temporary initiative, which will be neutralized after a couple of accurate moves. 16.Nc2!? feels like the right move to me, even if not objectively, then at least practically; it makes it difficult for Black to complete his plan of ...Nf8-g6, and anything which cuts into the opponent's plan must be seriously considered. I'm surprised Magnus didn't choose to play this way. e5 16...Nf8? 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 would hand White a serious initiative. 17.e4 , and because of the constant threat of b4 White can perhaps count on a slight pull here. 16...Nf8 17.Qe1 This idea, to bring the bishop to f1, is I think an admission things have not gone according to plan. White regroups in order to defend an underprotected king, but clearly he cannot hope for an advantage in this way, Ng6 18.Bf1 Ng4! An excellent move, and already White seems slightly on the back foot. 19.Nb5?! And this careless move allows Black to develop a strong initiative. However, even after 19.h3 N4e5 20.Nxe5 Nxe5 I would already slightly prefer to play Black. The bishop on b7 is mighty and unopposed, the knight on e5 is itching to jump places and a3 is under attack. 19...Bc6? Just strange - a completely useless move, putting the bishop on a bad square. It's like Karjakin, who has played excellently thus far, can't believe he has outplayed Magnus and is already just better. 19...Qg5! is crying out to be played. Just attack! Let White worry about how to hold his shaky kingside together. He would probably have to settle for the sad 20.h3 20.Nbd6 Bxd6 21.Nxd6 is met by many strong moves, for example N4e5 , and ...Nf3 is difficult to prevent. 20...N4e5 21.Nxe5 Nxe5 22.Bxe5 22.Kh1? Nd3! 23.Rxd3 Rxd3 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4 Rb3! 26.bxc5 Rxb5 wins an exchange and most likely the game as well. 22...Qxe5 It might not be so awful for White, but he is definitely worse and will have to defend for a long time. 20.a4 Bd5 Correcting his mistake on the previous move is a good idea. Black still has a decent position, but no longer a better one. 20...Qg5 just doesn't work now because of 21.h3 N4e5 22.Nxe5 Nxe5 23.Bxe5 Qxe5 24.Na7 , and we can see why the bishop is horribly misplaced on c6. 21.Bd4 Logical. Trading dark-square bishops leaves b6 unprotected. Bxc4 21...Bxd4 22.Rxd4 22.Nxd4 Qc7 and h2 is awkward to defend. 22...N6e5 might have been an even more accurate way of equalizing, because 23.Nxb6?? Rxc1 24.Qxc1 Qh4 is basically mate and game over. 22.Rxc4 Bxd4 23.Rdxd4 In the press conference Judit mentioned 23.exd4!? as an option. Anti-positional as it looks, I started to appreciate the benefits of the move - taking control of the e5-square - and even thought it might offer White an edge. However, after Nf6 24.g3 Qd7 25.Bg2 Ne7 Black is way too solid to be worse. 23...Rxc4 24.bxc4?! This move reminds me of Magnus' play in the fifth game of the match. The position is equal, but he refuses to accept the fact and starts playing risky, anti-positional moves to try to keep the game going. Why does he need to play this way? The match is equal and there's no need to overpress for a win. In this game his stubborn refusal to accept a draw finally backfired. 24.Rxc4 might not offer much, or nothing at all, but White doesn't risk losing and can perhaps press on for a little bit. I can't imagine Magnus opting out of this, and instead going for a strategically risky position, if he was in his usual frame of mind. 24...Nf6 24...N4e5 was my suggeston during the game, with the idea of playing ...Nc6 and trading rooks. Black should also be fine here, but Karjakin's way also worked out and led to far, far more interesting play. 25.Qd2 25.c5? is "almost" a trick: bxc5 26.Rxd8+ Qxd8 , and the a5-pawn is protected. 25...Rb8 25...Rd7? 26.c5! would be very bad for Black, so he had to surrender the d-file, but White has a hard time making use of his control of the d-file. 26.g3 Ne5 The knight is heading for c5 via d7. The a4-pawn is a serious weakness and White will have to compensate for that with piece activity. 27.Bg2 h6 28.f4 Ned7 29.Na7 Qa3 If it weren't for the weakness of e3, Black would actually be in serious trouble. But that was the cost for White of playing f4 to get the knight to c6. 30.Nc6 Rf8 31.h3?! Again, Magnus refuses to accept a safe position and keeps pushing his luck, even though it is obviously very risky to play this way, especially with approaching time trouble. 31.Rxd7 Nxd7 32.Qxd7 Qxe3+ 33.Kf1 Qc1+ 34.Kf2 , and most likely the position will end in a draw due to White's exposed king, but he risks absolutely nothing and perhaps can hope for some initiative in mutual time trouble. 31...Nc5 32.Kh2 Nxa4 The next few moves could easily be criticized, but the position is massively complex and very difficult to understand and play, especially in time trouble. 32...g6!? could be considered and might even transpose to the game after 33.Rd8 Nxa4 33.Rd8 33.e4 makes a lot of sense to me. The knight on f6 is going to have to move to a very awkward square after the upcoming e5. Nc5 34.e5 Nh5 The machine suggests the astonishing 34...Nfe4!? , which would never happen in a real, human game. 35.Qf2 This position is irrational and very difficult to assess. Black has the extra passed a-pawn and a dominant c5-knight and active queen. The knight on h5 is trapped on the edge of the board, but it also serves a purpose in creating counterplay against White's king. What would have happened in a game from this position is impossible to predict - the game could have gone either side's way. 33...g6 34.Qd4 Kg7 35.c5? Objectively a losing move, but I find it difficult to criticize the players for making mistakes in such a complex position, with so many options and limited time. White's situation was already difficult and this move practically worked out for Magnus. 35.Rd7 keeping the rooks on the board, was probably the best option for White. 35...Rxd8 35...bxc5?? 36.Qd6 Rxd8 37.Nxd8 with the unstoppable threat of Qe7 and Qxf7, was Carlsen's ingenious point. 36.Nxd8 Nxc5 37.Qd6 Qd3? Obviously Karjakin didn't miss White's next move, but in time trouble he probably didn't anticipate White's 41st. 37...Qa4! was the way to go, as many pointed out. It's natural Karjakin didn't want to give up b6 so easily, but after 38.Qxb6 Ncd7 the main point is the passed a-pawn. That will be enough for victory. 38.Nxe6+ fxe6 39.Qe7+ Kg8 40.Qxf6 a4 This pawn is a monster, but White creates quick counterplay against Black's king: 41.e4 At this point I started to believe Magnus might win! Black's king quickly becomes very vulnerable. Qd7! But this important defensive move made me realize Karjakin wasn't risking much. 41...a3 42.Qxg6+ Kf8 43.f5 would only be risky for Black, because his king is just so weak, and the threats of fxe6 and f6 are extremely dangerous. 42.Qxg6+ Qg7 43.Qe8+ Qf8 44.Qc6 44.Qg6+ doesn't necessarily lead to a draw, because Black can try Kh8 , and White still has to prove he is okay, which might not be so simple over the board. 44...Qd8 45.f5 White absoluely has to create counterplay, as otherwise the a-pawn will decide the game. I think special attention should be given to the beautiful knight on c5, which holds together Black's entire position: e6 and a4, as well as controlling the crucial e4 square in many lines. a3 46.fxe6 Kg7 46...Kh7 would force White to find a tough sequence of moves to draw: 47.e5! a2 48.Be4+! Nxe4 49.Qxe4+ Kg7 49...Kh8 50.e7 Qxe7 51.Qa8+ Kg7 52.Qxa2 is drawn. 50.Qb7+ Kg8 51.Qf7+ Kh8 52.Qf4 , and next Qxh6 leads to perpetual check. 47.e7 Qxe7 48.Qxb6 Nd3 49.Qa5? I think this is practically the decisive mistake from Magnus. As Alejandro Ramirez and I discussed during the game, 49.e5! should give White a relatively easy draw. The pawn is worthless - more important is for White to free the bishop on g2 from its cage. Nxe5 49...a2 50.Qd4! Nxe5 51.Bd5 wins the pawn. 50.Bd5 , and with the bishop actively controlling a2 I can't see how Black can ever win this position. 49...Qc5 50.Qa6 Ne5 This position looks horribly difficult for White to defend. It might even be objectively lost, but I don't think it matters over the board if there is a miracle draw somewhere. Practically, White's defensive task is impossible and I wasn't surprised to see the game end soon. 51.Qe6 h5 Now it's mathematically dead lost, and Carlsen's next just sped up his inevitable demise. 52.h4 a2 A huge win for Karjakin, to pull ahead in the match with Black and so close to the finish line. Carlsen's unimpressive play throughout the match might give added confidence to Karjakin, but as we've seen time and again, Carlsen has the unique ability to pull himelf together and bring tournaments and matches back in the eleventh hour, even when the odds are stacked against him. Perhaps this painful loss and the rest day before the ninth game will be enough of a wake-up for Carlsen to get his play together for the last four games. 52...a2 53.Qxa2 Ng4+ 54.Kh3 Qg1 55.Qb2+ Kg6! and the checks run out. White is mated or loses the queen after 56.Bf3 Nf2+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S27720–12016E14WCh 20168

One person’s dream is often another person’s nightmare. In this case it was too much for Magnus. Sitting for minutes for the post-game press conference to begin the excruciating wait for Sergey was too long, Magnus had enough and walked away. He would be slapped with a significant fine.

Really? I mean please. Come on. Is it necessary for the player who has just lost a long and cruel game to sit before the cameras and mumble a litany as follows, “My opponent played well.” “I missed some key moments.” “I feel terrible.” “Yes, I’m now behind in the match.” “Yes, I agree, I’ll have to try harder in the next games…”

Four games remained. For the first time in a WCM Magnus trailed. His career is an astonishing testament to his come-back abilities. With his back against the wall, could he pull it off again?

Lucky Magnus

For Game 9, Sergey returned to his King Pawn. Perhaps reflecting his precarious match situation and doubtlessly dissatisfied with the quiet strategic games played Magnus decided to enter the Archangelsk-System of the Ruy Lopez. For me this line is a real groaner. The position is fraught with sharp double edged lines of play at every turn. Lazy “general principles” grandmasters like myself, have to bear down and calculate. There is no escape with this line. Only hard work, good preparation and at the board calculating counts. In such lines chess engines are remarkably good. Both players were well versed playing the latest and greatest in modern Opening theory. At last Opening specialists were happy.

For me, it was in this game that Sergey’s fine play really stood out. He came up with a remarkable Rook maneuver: Rf1-g1-g4-h4, which appeared misplaced. Looking at such a Rook one is tempted to ask the question, “What are you doing there?” Confoundingly the answers are for all to see: White’s KS pawns are doubled, requiring that the King be further protected. The h4-Rook squashes all attempts by Black of launching a KS attack. The Rook protects the extra d4-pawn, covers the f4-square and h3-squares and as it occurred in the game, has the potential of aiding in an attack. It was in fact a brilliant maneuver that stumped the world champion. Before the time control everything was going Sergey’s way. He had continued to build up his advantages and on move thirty-nine, cashed in for the win of what he thought was a second pawn. With hindsight, he should have played, 39.Qb3, a move the engines prefer, claiming a big advantage for White. In that case, a victory for Sergey would have meant back to back wins and in practical terms sealing the match. As it was, Magnus bore down, kept the position and managed to draw the game. It was simply a huge reprieve. Norwegian fans could only breathe a sigh of relief.

Game No. 9 - Notes by Fabiano Caruana

 
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Notes by Fabiano Caruana - The game after Carlsen's loss wasn't guaranteed to be exciting, but viewers were in for a surprise. I had expected a fairly tame draw, but instead we were treated to an extremely complex fighting game with an opening not usually seen at the top level. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 The Archangel variation was certainly not expected from most people, and probably not from the Karjakin camp as well. Playing it requires a tremendous amount of knowledge, so it's likely that Carlsen prepared it before the match as a backup to his main defenses. I have some experience playing this as black against Karjakin, as it was my mainstay opening for a time, and we played several interesting games. As an attempt to win, it can work if the opponent is poorly prepared or surprised, but Karjakin proved up to the task. 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3 Karjakin decided to go for the main and most principled line, immediately grabbing the b-pawn. It is what he recently played against Svidler and the most forcing variation, so he probably felt playing this way avoided the most amount of risk. 0-0 12.Nxb5 Bg4 13.Bc2 exd4 14.Nbxd4 Nxd4 15.cxd4 Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nh5 17.Kh1 I always felt that this line was one of the most unpleasant for Black to face. White avoids any risk and hopes to prove the advantage of the bishop pair after the center opens up, usually when White sacrifices a pawn with e5 or f4. Meanwhile, Black has to constantly be on the lookout for tactics. Qf6 18.Be3 c5!? Years ago, as Rustam Kasimdzhanov was frying some plantains, he explained to me that this move was the best chance for Black to equalize. After we analyzed it, he tried it against Nakamura in the 2014 Tromso olympiad. Carlsen and his team also must have felt this was the best way for Black to approach the position. 19.e5 Qe6 20.exd6 c4! This unusual move is the point behind 18...c5. Black keeps the center closed, and plans on capturing d6 next and creating mating threats after with ...Bc7. 21.b3 cxb3 21...c3 was how Rustam approached the position, and although it may be playable, he lost the game. Carlsen's choice is perhaps a better way to equalize. 22.d5 Qxd6 23.Ra6 Nf4 24.Ra4 Ng6 25.Qd3 Bc7 26.f4 and Black was outplayed in Nakamura-Kasimdzhanov, Tromso ol 2014 22.Bxb3 Qxd6 23.Ra6 After 23 moves, we have reached a critical position, and one which was certainly analyzed by both players and their teams. Magnus sank into thought here, which perhaps means that he forgot what he had prepared, or that he was deciding between two roughly equivalent options. Rfd8 Another option was to play 23...Qd7 immediately, and considering the Bxf7 tactics which happened later in the game, keeping the rook on f8 for now was worthy of consideration. 24.Rg1 g6 I have a feeling that this would have offered Black better chances for equality. 24.Rg1 Qd7 25.Rg4 I thought that placing the rook on h4 was very strange, but there was no other convenient way of defending the d4-pawn. The next dozen or so moves are very difficult to explain. The position is highly concrete and it's likely both players were creating and reacting to immediate threats; the end result being very computeresque play. The tempting sacrifice 25.Rg5 g6 26.Rxh5 gxh5 seems to lead nowhere. The computer suggestion of 25.Bc4 Bxd4 26.Bg5 would lead to a very drawish ending: Rdc8 27.Ra4 Rc7 28.Bxf7+ Qxf7 29.Rxd4 Rf8 30.Rd8 Rc8 31.Rxc8 Rxc8 , and White's winning chances are minimal 25...Nf6 26.Rh4 Qb5 27.Ra1 g6 This move is generally useful, providing luft for Black's king. 28.Rb1 Qd7 29.Qd3 Nd5 30.Rg1 Now White's plans are clear. Rooks on the open files and a bishop on b3 pave the way for an eventual rook sacrifice on g6, h7 or a bishop sacrifice on f7. The immediate threat is Bg5. Bc7 31.Bg5 Re8 32.Qc4 Rb5! An excellent move, but I'm not sure it was one which was accurately calculated by either player. 32...Nb6?? 33.Qxf7+ Qxf7 34.Bxf7+ Kxf7 35.Rxh7+ shows the tactics available at White's disposal. 33.Qc2 33.Ba4 is of course critical. White seems to win a rook, but Black has a sneaky response: Qf5! 34.Qf1! Interposing with the queen on g2 is the only way to save White. Now Black has only one move to stay in the game: Rb1‼ 34...Qxf3+ 35.Qg2 Qxg2+ 36.Kxg2 wins for White. 35.Qxb1 Qxf3+ 36.Rg2 Nc3 37.Qf1 Nxa4 , and Black has very decent compensation for the exchange in the form of White's discordinated forces and a mighty queen on f3. However, White could still try to regroup and play this for a win, even though a draw is the most likely result. 33...Ra8?! After this, Black again experiences difficulties. 33...Rb4 is the machine recommendation, the point being to keep the rook on the e-file for 34.Bd2 Re2! 34.Bc4 Rba5 35.Bd2 Ra4 36.Qd3 Ra1 37.Rxa1 Rxa1+ 38.Kg2 Ne7? Almost the decisive mistake, but practically this move was difficult to punish. After something like 38...Bd8 39.Re4 Nf6 , Black is still clearly worse, but he has decent chances to hold on due to counterplay against White's king. 39.Bxf7+ Very tempting, but not correct. After this sacrifice everyone in the spectator's lounge got very excited and started predicting a win for Karjakin. However, the whole line becomes very forcing and leads to a drawish position. 39.Qb3! was more critical: Nf5 39...Qf5 40.Re4 Bd6 41.Qb7 just wins material - the knight is trapped. 40.Bxf7+ Kg7 40...Qxf7 41.Qxf7+ Kxf7 42.Rxh7+ Ke6 43.Rxc7 , and this ending is most likely lost or at least very difficult to hold. 41.Rh3 It feels like Black should have counterplay here, but there is no path to create threats to White's king. It turns out Black's king is the terminally weak one. Qe7 42.Bg8 h5 43.d5 , and Bc3 is coming. Of course, this would not guarantee a win, as the position remains very complicated, especially in time trouble, but objectively Karjakin would have good winning chances like this. 39...Kxf7 40.Qc4+ Kg7 41.d5 My first thought during the game was 41.Rxh7+ Kxh7 42.Qf7+ Kh8 43.Bh6 , with mate I thought, but then I saw Qxd4 and the tables are turned. Black wins. 41.Bh6+ Kf6! is surprisingly also bad for White, as the attack leads nowhere. 41...Nf5 Now everything is forced. 41...Be5? 42.Bc3 Qd6 43.Qf4! is a very study-like win, with a double pin on Black's king and queen. 42.Bc3+ Kf8 43.Bxa1 Nxh4+ 44.Qxh4 Qxd5 And here is became clear that Carlsen would not lose the game. White is not winning h7 and his pawn advantage is not enough to cause Black significant problems. Karjakin tried hard to create progress here, but to no avail. 45.Qf6+ Qf7 46.Qd4 Ke8 47.Qe4+ Qe7 48.Qd5 Bd8 49.Kf1 Qf7 50.Qe4+ Qe7 51.Be5 Qe6 52.Kg2 Be7 53.Qa8+ Kf7 54.Qh8 h5 55.Qg7+ Ke8 56.Bf4 Qf7 57.Qh8+ Qf8 58.Qd4 Qf5 59.Qc4 Kd7 60.Bd2 Qe6 61.Qa4+ Qc6 62.Qa7+ Qc7 63.Qa2 Qd6 64.Be3 Qe6 65.Qa7+ Ke8 66.Bc5 Bd8 67.h3 Qd5 68.Be3 Be7 69.Qb8+ Kf7 70.Qh8 Qe6 71.Bf4 Qf6 72.Qb8 Qe6 73.Qb7 Kg8 74.Qb5 Bf6 Finally Karjakin gave up trying to win. Magnus survived a difficult position! If he had lost the match would have been practically decided, but now it is still a wide open contest. Tomorrow Carlsen has a critical game with White to try and win; he hasn't managed to convert his advantages so far in the match, so we'll see if he can pull through in the crucial last games. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2772Carlsen,M2853½–½2016C78WCh 20169

Chess blindness and comeback

Game 10 was another of those, “what if,” affairs. This one featured a case of double-blindness all too common in big games between elite players. Magnus was back to the King pawn, the game was a Berlin Defense with: 4.d3, keeping all the pieces on the board. Magnus went with the off-beat: 6.Bg5, which was well met by Sergey. Finally, and for practically the first time in the match, I liked White’s position out of the Opening. With: 19.Nd2, White has a lot of opportunity. Magnus dismayed his fans by electing to trade Bishops on the e6-square, opening up the f-file and allowing Sergey an immediate opportunity to seize a draw. As Magnus sat realizing his error he reconciled himself to allowing a perpetual check to occur. The game would soon be over, he could go home and would likely have to “win on demand” the 12th and final round. Sergey missed the draw, allowing Magnus an Ending where he held a significant structural advantage. It was enough to bring out the best in the World Champion and he played in grand style to win a crucial game and tie the match.

Game No 10 - Notes by Wesley So

 
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Notes by Wesley So - Going into the World Championship matches, many people logically considered Magnus to be the clear favorite against Sergey Karjakin. First of all the difference in their rating was a bit wide, as was their most recent overall performance.This year alone Magnus has won four big tournaments (Tata Steel, Norway, Leuven and Bilbao), while Sergey had only won the (admittedly long and tough) Candidates tournament which qualified him as the Challenger. Those things carry weight in people's minds but rounds 1-9 showed a different and very surprising story. The Challenger's strong balanced attack, his ability to find good moves and make plans, his outstanding defense, and resistance to cracking under pressure, proved him to be an impregnable fortress. Magnus could not find a way to break Sergey down until eventually, overextending himself in Round 8, the Champion even had to accept defeat. At this point in Game 10 with only 3 games to the finish he absolutely has to find a way to even the score. He HAS to do it today. 1.e4 In Rounds 1 and 8 Magnus got nowhere with 1.d4, after giving the Trompovsky and the Colle system a try. Sergey Karjakin knew his stuff there. In fact he got nothing but trouble in game 8. So today Magnus decides to go back to the "best by test move" recommended by Fischer and Caruana. To be honest I'm kind of surprised that Magnus does not try 1.c4 or 1.Nf3/1.g3 but maybe we will see that in Round 12. e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 3.Bc4 Bc5 was Carlsen-Karjakin Round 5, but Magnus got nothing there either and in the end he must have been happy to save that game. 3...Nf6 Sergey sticks to his guns and goes for the Berlin Opening. I noticed that during the entire match so far, one of Sergey's strategies has been simply to go for the main lines in the opening and play a normal game. He does not overpush but maintains composure by playing objective, strong moves. 4.d3 Magnus' strategy seemed mostly aimed at surprises in the opening and later on, hopes to exploit his opponent's mistakes over the board. It reminded me of a quote by a famous chess player: "I will play 40 good moves. If my opponent plays 40 good moves too, we will draw." The problem in this match is Sergey is the opponent who finds all the good moves too. 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 was Carlsen-Karjakin Round 3, where White got very close to first blood, but later on couldn't convert. 4...Bc5 Putting the bishop on an active post while also preparing to exchange the knights with Nd4. 5.c3 Magnus has won many games in the past with 5.Bxc6 dxc6 And here White has many moves, but the latest innovation is 6.Qe2 threatening to take Nxe5. Qe7 6...Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 7.Nbd2 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.a3 Nd7 10.b4 Bd6 11.Nc4 f6 12.Ne3 a5 13.Nf5 The knight on f5 is very powerful and not easy to dislodge. Qf8 14.bxa5 Rxa5 15.0-0 Qf7 16.a4 Nc5 16...0-0? 17.Bh6! is a really nice combination. 17.Qe1 b6 18.Nd2 Rxa4 19.Nc4 Bf8? 20.Be3 And White won easily Carlsen- against strong GM 1-0. 5...0-0 6.Bg5 This is unexpected, both for the spectators and I assume for Sergey too. Usually White castles his king first with 6.O-O and then after 6...d6 7.Bg5, when Black no longer has the option of Be7. 6.Bxc6 does not win a clean pawn, since after bxc6 7.Nxe5 d5 Black will get fast development in return. 6...h6 7.Bh4 Be7 This is the safe and natural approach. I like this move. 7...g5 8.Bg3 d6 9.Nbd2 is not desirable for Black as with the rook still on h1, White gets extra attacking options. 8.0-0 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxe5 You think White has won a pawn? Well... Nxe4! No. Black is better. 8...d6 9.Nbd2 It's a little perplexing in general Magnus' opening approach, as its not very clear here where White's advantage is. Perhaps 9.Bg3 with a complex position for example, Nh5 If 9...Bd7 then 10.h3 which is a typical Ruy Lopez subtlety, vacating the h2-square for the bishop to retreat into! Nh5 11.Bh2 f5∞ 10.Bxc6 bxc6 10...Nxg3 11.Bxb7! Aha! The suicidal bishop gives up it's life so White wins a pawn. Bxb7 12.hxg3± 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Qxh5 Qxd3 13.Qxe5 Re8 and Black has the bishop pair and some compensation for the pawn. 9.Re1 Nh5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.d4 Nf4= 9...Nh5 10.Bxe7 If 10.Bg3 Black just grabs the bishop pair: Nxg3 11.hxg3 Bf6 with a happy position. 11...Nb8 12.d4 c6 13.Bd3 Nd7 14.Nc4 Qc7 should also bring a smile to Sergey's face. 10...Qxe7 11.Nc4 11.Bxc6 to give Black doubled pawns looks like a good option. bxc6 12.d4 12.g3 f5 12...Nf4 But in fact White cannot really exploit it. In fact if anything, the strong knight on f4 gives Black good chances. For example 13.Qa4 Rb8 14.b3 Rb6 when Black seizes a strong initiative. I can already foresee a rook swing (Rb6-g6) to the kingside later on. 11...Nf4 Simple and strong. 11...f5 is a more complicated way to equality. 12.Ne3 fxe4 13.dxe4 Kh7= 12.Ne3 Qf6 12...f5 is always an option here, though after 13.g3 fxe4 14.dxe4 Nh3+ 15.Kg2 the knight on h3 still has to find a way to escape. 13.g3 Nh3+ 14.Kh1 A little too passive. The king would be better placed on g2. 14.Kg2 Ne7 15.d4 gives White a small advantage as he has more space and seizes control over the center. Ng6 16.Bd3 the knight on h3 can be kicked later with Ng1. 14...Ne7 Now comes the manoevering phase. Both sides will now try to improve their position. The knight on h3 is very active, and Black can always exchange it with Ng5. I think Black has no problems here. 15.Bc4 Putting the bishop on the right diagonal. 15.d4 seems natural but leads nowhere. exd4 16.cxd4 c5= 15...c6 15...b5 was being cried out by the spectators online: 16.Bb3 But I am not sure where it leads. Advancing pawns too far can lead to unnecessary weaknesses and as everyone knows pawns cannot move backwards. In fact White is threatening a2-a4 so perhaps 16.Bxb5 Rb8 16...Rb8 with around equal position. 16.Bb3 Ng6 Perhaps a small inaccuracy. The knight was just fine on e7, to guard the d5 and f5-squares. In fact Black has on his agenda an active option here to try to seize the initiative: 16...d5!? 17.exd5 cxd5 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Bxd5 Rd8 20.Be4 and now comes The Pin: Bg4! And White has to sacrifice material to get rid of this dangerous pin. 17.Qe2 I always think Magnus excels in this kind of close to equal positions. So in fact his opening choice has been quite successful despite its modest appearance. Now even if the advantage is not much, White has chances to outplay his opponent. a5 18.a4 Fighting for space on the queenside and fixing the pawn on a5. With the black knights so far away on the kingside, later this a5 pawn will lack protection. Watching the game live, I thought stronger was 18.d4 based on the chess principle 'Attack on the flank is best met by a counter-attack in the center'. a4 19.Bc2 Ng5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Rad1 and White is a little better. But now I like Magnus choice too, as he wants to dominate the whole board, and not just the center. 18...Be6 19.Bxe6!? When I first saw this move I thought Magnus just made a small blunder. I thought that's it, he just wasted one of his last White games, congrats to Sergey for making an easy draw and getting one step closer to being a World Champion. However deeper inspection shows that he sets up a trap! 19.Nd2! is definitely the best move. Black's knights on g6 and h3 look nice, but in fact they're stepping on each other's shoes as none of them can really put a foot on f4, while White is ready to consolidate his center with f3. Bxb3 20.Nxb3 and in fact White is already threatening to win a pawn with Nc4, amongst other threats. Ng5 21.f3 White has a much better coordination of pieces than his opponent's. 19.Bc2 Ng5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Rad1 is possible too, though not as forceful as 19.Nd2. 19...fxe6 20.Nd2 Now White is threatening to block the kingside with f3. d5 I thought 19.Bxe6 was a blunder because at first sight 20...Nxf2+ seems to finish the game with a clean draw. But Magnus still has a final trick up his sleeve which I am sure he will go for. 21.Kg1! is the prepared trick. Now White gets two knights for a rook and a couple of pawns. 21.Kg2? Nh4+ 22.Kg1 22.gxh4? Qg6+ will end the match right here and right there. 22...Nh3+ 23.Kh1 Nf2+ and a perpetual check is undesirable for White, as he trails the match. 21...Nh3+ 22.Kg2 Nhf4+ 23.gxf4 Nxf4+ 24.Rxf4 exf4 24...Qxf4 25.Qf3! gives Black an unpleasant choice. To trade queens or not to trade? Either way White will be happy. Qh4 26.Qg3 25.Nc2 In terms of material Black is fine, but with the position being closed, the White knights get a lot of jumping potential. Leading the match by one game, Sergey decides to avoid unbalanced positions like this. e5 Perhaps 25...b5 to open some files but then 26.e5! dxe5 27.Ne1!? with the idea to blockade with the knights on e4 and f3. The position is totally chaotic. 26.Qg4 and White is preparing to improve his kingside with h4 or Ne1-f3. At the very least he is not worse and could even be better. 21.Qh5!? Again a very daring try by Magnus. He goes for the most risky but most rewarding continuation. 21.f3! would be my preference. White is well on his way to consolidation. Knight sacrifices on f4 do not work, while the doubled e-pawns give Black eternal problems. Rad8 22.Rae1 I like White. 21...Ng5 Sergey misses the draw! Just when he is close to it, he chooses another way. 21...Nxf2+ 22.Kg2 22.Kg1 Qg5 wins a pawn with an easy tactic. 23.Qxg5 Nh3+ Check! 24.Kg2 Nxg5 22...Qf7! Threatening Nf4 check. 23.Kg1 White prevents the check, and now Black has to find: If White retreats with 23.Qe2 then Nh4+ and its clear to see that it leads to a perpetual. 24.Kg1 24.gxh4? Qg6+ 24...Nh3+ 25.Kh1 Nf2+ 23...Qf6! It's easy to miss this move. Black prepares Qg5 followed by Nh3 check, so White has nothing better than 24.Kg2 24.Ng4 Qg5 24...Qf7= 22.h4 Magnus is so happy to be able to torture his opponent in a long endgame that he just went for it. According to online sources he spent less than half a minute on this move. I don't blame him at all for wanting to squeeze the life out of Sergey in the endgame but 22.Rae1! preparing Ng4, is even stronger. For example Nf3 23.Ng4 Qg5 24.Qxg5 hxg5 25.Nxf3 Rxf3 26.Rd1± You may ask, what is worse than doubled pawns? Well... four doubled-pawns. 22...Nf3 23.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24.Qxf3 Rxf3 25.Kg2 Magnus daring play starting from 19.Bxe6 has paid off. White has a very pleasant endgame advantage. The doubled e-pawns are a constant source of problems. I don't like Black's position. Rf7 26.Rfe1 This leaves the f2-pawn slightly vulnerable. Not that it matters though. White has an abundance of plans here. I like 26.Ng4 Forcing h5. h5 27.Nh2 Nf8 28.Nf3 Now White seizes the g5-square too. Nd7 29.Rae1 White is well on the way to converting his advantage. 26...h5 26...Raf8 can be simply met by 27.Nd1 27.Re2 gives birth to Nf4+ ideas. 28.gxf4 exf4 27...h5 28.Re2 27.Nf1 Finding ideal squares for his pieces is a piece of cake for Magnus. Kf8 27...Raf8 28.Re2 Rf3 29.Rd1 with the queens off the board any tries by Black to attack will not be successful. So instead he tries to improve his king. 28.Nd2 Ke7 29.Re2 Protecting f2. This is a very happy position. I had no doubt that White would be able to convert this position barring big blunders. It's got nothing to do with Sergey, the Black structure is simply bad. Kd6 30.Nf3 Raf8 31.Ng5 Re7 32.Rae1 Rfe8 33.Nf3 Besides all Black problems, his knight is also a little misplaced on g6. Nh8! Improving the position of the knight. Despite being at a disadvantage, Sergey hangs tough. The question for White now, is how to convert his advantage? 34.d4 A conversion of advantages. Magnus decides the time is ripe to blast open the center and endanger the position of the Black king. Personally I would prefer to leave Black with his doubled pawns and choose 34.b4 axb4 35.cxb4 Nf7 36.a5 with a clear advantage too, but sooner or later White has to find a way to break through. 34...exd4 35.Nxd4 g6 Protecting the f5-square. A lesser wood pusher might go 35...Nf7 but then 36.exd5 cxd5 37.c4 dxc4 and the Black king is caught in the middle of the crossfire. 36.Re3 Threatening Rf3. Again White has an abundance of plans here. b2-b4 ideas are always in the air. I like the subtle 36.Nb3!? b6 37.Nd4 with the idea of weakening c6 but perhaps its too subtle for the most part. 36...Nf7 37.e5+ 37.Rf3 Ne5 38.Rf6 Rf7 allows Black to defend no problemo. After the exchange of his most active rook, White's chances to convert become much harder. 39.Rxf7 Nxf7 37...Kd7 38.Rf3 Perhaps not the best but it is a normal move, especially when both players are relatively low in time. 38.b4 is more acurate, to prevent c5 ideas. 38...Nh6?! Sergey also makes a natural consolidating move. If he can block the f-file with Nf5, then all well and good. However Black has better options here on move 38 though. 38...c5 looks good, to set the queenside pawns into motion. After 39.Nb3 b6 40.Nd2 Black still does not fully solve his problems however. Nh8! 40...Rg8 41.Rf6 and the g6-h5 pawn chain will be quite vulnerable. 41.c4 41.Rf6 Rf7! eliminates White's most active piece! 41...Rf7 the programs show that Black is fine but it's hard for me to believe with the knight on h8. Also, it's almost impossible for a human to play Nh8 over the board. 38...g5 39.hxg5 Nxg5 40.Rf6 Or 38...Rg8 39.Rf6 but White still looks better here. 39.Rf6 Rg7 40.b4 Now White is back on track. 40.c4!? is the complicated way to try to knock out Black. His king will be vulnerable in the center even in the endgame. 40...axb4 41.cxb4± Both players have finished the time trouble stage and now have an extra hour of thinking time. Compared to a few moves back, White has now managed to increase his advantage and gain firm control over the position. Black's dark-squares are very vulnerable and at the same time he has to think of ways to regain control over the f-file. Ng8 If 41...Nf5 White simply retreats his knight to b3 or f3, and the pressure becomes untenable in conjunction with a power rook on f6. 42.Rf3 Nh6 43.a5 Improving his position slowly but surely. Of course White avoids the repetition of moves! Nf5 44.Nb3 Kc7 45.Nc5?! Magnus starts to drift, probably because he has such a nice position. White could have sealed the win with 45.Rc1 threatening b5. And if Kb8 46.a6 if the b7-c6 pawn chain falls then the last of Black's bastions are fallen. Rc7 47.Rfc3 A sample line of how the game can end: bxa6 48.Rxc6 Rxc6 49.Rxc6 Kb7 50.Na5+ Ka7 51.Rc7+ Kb8 52.Rf7+- Seventh rank, active pieces, later on active king, White has all the Trumps that he needs. Black's position is crumbling. 45...Kb8 46.Rb1 Ka7 Now there is no clean finish. However White is still clearly ahead. 47.Rd3 Rc7 Trying to counter with a punch is too slow 47...g5 48.hxg5 Rxg5 After 49.b5+- Black cannot defend all his weaknesses (b7 and e6). 47...b6 can be met simply by 48.Na4 Or even better: 48.axb6+ Kxb6 49.Ra3 Ra7 50.Rxa7 Kxa7 51.Kf3± when the White king is really fast. 48.Ra3 Nd4 49.Rd1 Nf5 50.Kh3 Nh6 51.f3 White has improved the position of his king in the past few moves and is now introducing the possibility of opening up the kingside with g4. Black can do nothing but sit and wait. Rf7 52.Rd4 Nf5 53.Rd2 I like 53.Rf4 but then Rh7! preventing g4, leaves the White rook immobile on f4. 53...Rh7 54.Rb3 Ree7 55.Rdd3 This is one of Magnus' favorite strategies. He likes to wait patiently for his opponent to crack while slowly improving his own position. This worked well for him today. But objectively now is the time to strike. 55.b5! cxb5 56.Rxb5 Black cannot hold on to his b7 and e6-pawn for long. Perhaps Black can try Ne3 but then 57.Rd3 Nc4 58.f4 gives White all the time he needs to improve his position. Black rooks are stuck defending pawns, which is never a good sign. Rooks are made for offense, not defense! 55...Rh8 56.Rb1 Again waiting for the right moment. Just wait, just wait... Patience is a virtue. Rhh7 57.b5! NOW! cxb5 58.Rxb5 Compared to move 55, the only change is White rook is on d3. Notice the difference? Black does not have Ne3-c4 now and his position crumbles quickly. d4 59.Rb6 Rc7 60.Nxe6 Rc3 61.Nf4 Rhc7 62.Nd5! Simplification makes White's job easier. The rule of thumb is that when you are ahead in material you aim for trades and exchanges. Like in soccer, 11 players vs 10 players is harder than 5 players vs 4 players, and a 3 vs 2 game is a piece of cake. Chess is no different. When you are ahead in material, exchanges usually mean less complications = cleaner win. 62.Rxg6 Rxd3 62...Rc1 gives White a choice between five different moves that win. 63.Nxd3 Rc3 64.Rf6 Ne3 65.Nf4 and White's win should be easy. Contrary to appearances there is never any mate on h1, as White can always free his king with g3-g4. Meanwhile White is two pawns up. 62...Rxd3 63.Nxc7 Some people didn't understand it at first, however if you put this position in a super computer it just gives +- 5. 36, meaning White is more than five pawns up in a mathematical scale. Kb8 64.Nb5 Kc8 64...Rxf3 65.a6 promotes the passed a-pawn. 65.Rxg6 Rxf3 66.Kg2! Activating the king. From here Magnus does not give Sergey any chance to escape. Rb3 67.Nd6+ Another exchange. Now it is 6 vs 5. Nxd6 68.Rxd6 Re3 69.e6 Not 69.Rxd4? Rxe5 70.Ra4 Kd7 when the Black king goes over to the kingside and secures the draw. The rook on a4 has become a mere spectator protecting the a-pawn. 69...Kc7 69...d3 70.Kf2+- 70.Rxd4 Rxe6 70...Re5!? 71.e7!? Rxe7 72.Rd5 does not change anything. 71.Rd5! The White rook attacks h5 while at the same time protecting his a-pawn. Rh6 72.Kf3 Sergey could safely have resigned here, but it does not hurt to make a few more moves. After all its not over until the king is mated. Kb8 72...b6 73.axb6+ Kxb6 74.Kf4 Kc6 75.Rd8 White need not even calculate rook and single pawn endings because he can win the enemy pawn by force. Kc7 76.Rg8 Kd6 77.Kg5 Rh7 78.Kg6+- 72...Kc6 73.Rf5 Kd6 74.g4 hxg4+ 75.Kxg4+- also wins easily. 73.Kf4 73.g4 hxg4+ 74.Kxg4+- easy win. 73...Ka7 74.Kg5 Rh8 75.Kf6 Magnus finally levels the match! This has been a great game and a great fight by both players. After choosing a modest line against the Berlin Opening, Magnus slowly improved his position and kept the game going. Black's knight looked a little shaky on h3 (perhaps 11...f5!?) and White managed to take advantage of this. The sequence from move 19-21 seems to me a little strange as Black allowed doubled-pawns and White gladly went for it and both sides developed interesting options. Perhaps 21...Ng5 was a crucial mistake as Sergey could maybe have made a draw with 21...Nxf2. But of course sitting at home, its much easier to calculate than it was for the two fighters in New York. Having played nine long games in two weeks with all the attendant pressure, tension and drama, most certainly took a toll on both players. A World Championship match definitely requires levels of extraordinary endurance for anyone. Looking ahead with the score 5-5 I feel Magnus has good chances now in the match. He absolutely had to win today and he did. Tomorrow is a rest day, so both players can relax and prepare new ideas. I'm sure Sergey will try to put on the pressure in Round 11 and fight for a win with the White pieces (in Round 9 he got close!) In case the match ends with two draws and a tie of 6-6 ensues, both players go to the tiebreaks with a shorter time control. Magnus may have the edge there although Sergey never fails to impress and surprise his fans.
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Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S27722016C65AGON FWCM 201610

As Magnus stated in his post-game press conference, “After ten games, I managed to win one. That doesn’t happen to me very often.” Quite so. Self-doubts had begun to creep in and Sergey’s match-strategy had nearly earned him a huge upset surprise.

Before Game 11 Magnus had foreseen the most likely course of events: two draws and take the match into tie-breaks. However, he couldn’t help himself. After achieving comfortable equality as Black, he decided to press a little bit. Eschewing safe draws, he sacrificed a pawn to put Sergey under pressure. Sergey was equal to the task and a well-played hard-fought draw was the result. Everyone was happy. The stage was set for a dramatic final game of the match.

Game No 11 - Notes by Wesley So

 
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Notes by Wesley So - After wining Round 10 both players are tied now 5-5 but I have a sneaking suspicion that Magnus is gaining in control. If he achieves two more draws and they end tied, it's clear he won't be unhappy with rapid playoffs. Sergey just hasn't played as much Rapid and Blitz recently ... but then again ... this is the powerful Sergey Karjakin ... so we could be very surprised. Okay two games left to go and this is Number 11. 1.e4 This first move is expected, as Sergey sticks to the type of positions that he knows the best - 1.e4 gives him the best results based on his previous games. At least here he achieves playable and fighting positions, which are not easy to get against a well-prepared Magnus. A good idea I'm sure, as Sergey tried serving with 1.d4 back in Round 7, but was worse as early as move 11. e5 Did you expect something else? Magnus replies with this almost 90% of the time lately, so obviously he feels at home with it. Garry Kasparov once advised that in important games it's best to stick to the opening in which you have the most experience. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 The Ruy Lopez may be the most classical opening in chess history, with references to it going all the way back to the year 1490. a6 Magnus' preference. 3...Nf6 was Sergey's choice in Rounds 3 and 10. 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 The main line. Black wants to keep the tension. Magnus has already played like this in Rounds 2, 4, and 6 of the match, so I guess this is what I expected him to play today. Naturally he is hoping to outplay White again like he did in Round 4 and in general his results with Black here are very good. (Which is why I was surprised he went for 5...b5 in Round 9.) 5...Nxe4 leads to very forcing variations, where prepration and memory play a huge part. However, the problem is that Black has to play very exact moves, and chances to win are almost non existent. 5...b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 was played in Round 9. But why is there a need for this when 5.. .Be7 is serving him well? 6.d3 Aiming for a closed setup, White hopes for a long game and plenty of manuevering and the reason White aims for the Closed Ruy Lopez these days, is because it has become increasingly difficult to gain anything in the Marshall Attack. 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 is the starting position of the Marshall Attack. Black goes ...Bd6 and ..Qh4 next, gaining compensation for the sacrificed pawn based on the fact that White's queenside pieces are still undeveloped. 6...b5 7.Bb3 d6 I always thought that 7...0-0 is slightly more accurate to keep open options of playing d7-d5 in one move, but still after 8.Nc3 d6 9.a3 it just transposes to the game anyway. 8.a3 Reserving the a2-square for the bishop and controlling the b4-square. 8.a4 is an active alternative here and it leads to a slightly unusual position. I think the main difference is b4 is not controlled and Black may consider gaining space with b4 8...0-0 9.Nc3 Be6 Clever Magnus! He never plays the exact same line twice in a row. Just when Sergey is ready to face 9...Na5 again, as in Round 2, Black chooses a different move. 10.Nd5 10.Bxe6 fxe6 is an interesting possibility. Black has firm control of the center, but at the same time he has permanent doubled-pawns. Now I like the regrouping 11.Ne2 with the idea of preventing any kingside attacks by posting a knight on g3. Not sure if going for quiet positions like this is enough to beat the World Champion though. 10...Nd4 This move is well-known as Black's best here. It was first played by Peter Svidler of Russia back in 2013. I myself remember spending many, many hours of analysis work on this move back in 2014 (how fast time flies) however, not ever really being able to use it. After that, I decided not to waste so much time on lines that have a low chance of appearing in my games. I sometimes think perhaps that's what Magnus does as well. He knows how to be time-efficient. In this regard Anatoly Karpov is a good example, as he is well-known for being the most practical of the World Champions. He didn't really spend hundreds of hours researching the openings, but instead focused on the skill of selecting and absorbing new ideas. Anyway let's go back to the game. 10...Bxd5 is not recommended as in general you shouldn't give up your bishop pair at an early stage of the game. After 11.exd5 Nd4 12.Nxd4 exd4 13.Bd2 White is slightly better. If 10...Na5 White does not retreat his bishop, but instead goes 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 when the doubled e-pawns give him a head start. 13.b4 Nc6 14.c3 White is much better. 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Nxf6+ I was a little surprised to see this move, which is thought to be harmless, appear in this game. In my notes I had 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.Bg5 as the most critical and the only way to trouble Black. For example: Bxb3 13...c5 14.f4 14.cxb3 h6 14...Rac8 15.b4 c5 16.f4 15.Bh4 The pin is highly unpleasant and after Qe6 16.f4 White has chances for an attack on the kingside. c5 16...Nd7 17.f5 Qe5 18.b4 17.b4 Rfe8 17...Rac8 18.Rc1 18.f5!? 18.Rc1 Rac8 19.Re1 c4∞ 18...Qe5 19.Bg3 Qe7 20.bxc5 dxc5 21.e5 Nd5 22.f6 Qe6 23.fxg7 Ne3 24.Qd2 Nxf1 25.Rxf1∞ with a really complicated position. It's very possible though that my notes are outdated. However it seems to me that Black still has to play extremely accurately to equalize. 12...Bxf6 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.f4 Sergey makes a natural move, while keeping all of his options open. Options such as Qg4, g4-g5, or Rf3-h3. White is basically up a pawn on the kingside right now (3 vs 2), so it is clear he should focus his attention there. But I thought that Black showed the way to equalize after two top level games played in 2013, when everyone was still using the chess engine 'Houdini' and computers and the Internet were significantly slower. In those two games, Black made easy draws. 14.a4 c5 15.Qg4 Qd7 16.axb5 axb5 17.Bd2 c4 18.Bb4 Ra4! The best way to force exchanges. 19.Rxa4 bxa4 20.dxc4 Rc8 21.Qg3 21.Qe2 Qc6= 21...Rxc4 22.Bxd6 Rxc2= and the game ended in a draw soon in Anand-Svidler, Alekhine Memorial 2013. 14.Qg4 Qc8 15.f4 e5 16.f5 c5 Black has a 'pawn diamond' in the center and quick counterplay along the c-file. His king's position is quite shaky but White does not have enough time to exploit this. 17.Bg5 17.Rf3 c4 18.Rh3 Qe8∞ prevents Qh5, and prepares Rc8-c2. 17...Kh8 17...c4 18.Bxf6 Rxf6= might be easier. 18.Rf3 c4 19.Rh3 19.Raf1 might be a possible improvement to allow defence of the 2nd rank later in some cases with R1f2. 19...Bxg5 20.Qxg5 Rf6 21.g4 cxd3 22.cxd3 Qc2 23.Rc1 Qe2! 24.Rc7 Qe1+ 25.Kg2 Qe2+ 26.Kg1 Qe1+ 27.Kg2 Qe2+ 28.Kg1 ½-½ Leko -Caruana, Dortmund 2013. 14...c5 Preparing queenside counterplay later with c5-c4. 14...e5 is an alternative, but perhaps Magnus didn't want to close the center right away. After 15.f5 c5 16.Rf3 c4 17.Rh3 looks quite scary for Black, and if Qe8 18.g4!? with some attacking chances. 14...Qd7 15.Qg4 c5 just transposes to the game. 15.Qg4 15.Rf3 c4 16.Rh3 can simply be met by Rf7 to meet Or 16...Qd7 17.Qh5 with g6 15...Qd7 15...Qc8!? like in Leko-Caruana was a good option. Later after the opening of the c-file, a quick Qc2 is in the agenda. After 16.Bd2 16.f5 exf5 17.exf5 Be5 18.Qf3 Ra7∞ 16...e5 17.f5 c4 Black has sufficient counterplay. 16.f5 Releasing the tension and allowing trades. I feel that Sergey no longer believes that White has much going on and decides to loosen up the position. After all, in the event of an endgame Black still has his doubled d-pawns to worry about (though it's hard for White to make use of his better pawn structure). If White wants to keep fighting chances then perhaps he should go for 16.Bd2 or 16.Rf3. So here I can recommend for White 16.Bd2 c4 And now 17.b3 17.Rf3 c3! 18.bxc3 dxc3 19.Be3 d5 20.e5 Be7 21.Rh3 Rf7 17...Rac8 18.h3 cxb3 19.cxb3 Rc2 20.Bb4 Be7 21.a4 with a small advantage. 16.Rf3 c4 Or 16.b3 c4 and the overall position of the picture does not change. 16...Rae8 Already, Black has more than one way to equality. 16...exf5 Is just fine, to clarify the situation right away. 17.exf5 17.Rxf5 Rf7 18.Bd2 g6= 17...Rae8 17...Rf7 18.Bd2 Re8 18...c4 19.Rae1 Be5 20.Rf2 c4= 18.Bd2 And now g6 to eliminate White's spearhead. 19.h3 19.Bh6 Bg7 20.Bxg7 Rxf5 21.Rxf5 gxf5 22.Qg3 Qxg7= 19...Be5 20.fxg6 Qxg4 21.gxh7+ Kxh7 22.hxg4 Bg3! And with control over the open file, Black should be able to play ...Re2 in the near future. Control of the 2nd rank should give him enough compensation for the pawn. Even 16...e5 although it's no longer necessary to go for a complicated middlegame. 17.Bd2 c4 18.h3 Protecting the queen on g4 so he can take on f5 later with the rook. It also puts a pawn on a light-square to ensure that in case they go into some deep endgame, Black cannot capture this h-pawn with his bishop. 18.fxe6 Qxe6 19.Qxe6+ Rxe6 20.Bb4 Rd8 followed by posting a bishop on e5, hence guarding his doubled-pawns. The endgame is level. 18.b3 exf5 19.exf5 Be5 19...cxb3 20.cxb3 Re5= 20.Rf2 cxb3 21.cxb3 Rc8= in general, Black's play is quite easy and he has many options to choose from in each move. 18...c3!? The most unbalanced continuation. Black disrupts the coordination of White's queenside before he has the time to consolidate with b3 and a4. Many paths lead to equality. A normal continuation would be 18...Be5 19.fxe6 Rxf1+ 20.Rxf1 Qxe6= 18...exf5 19.Rxf5 and now Black just has to avoid g6? 20.Rxf6 when the White queen is protected. 18...e5∞ also gives an unclear position, but as I said, there is no more point to keeping the center closed, when Black has easier alternatives. 19.bxc3 d5!? Perhaps trying to confuse White, but as usual, Sergey keeps his nerve. 19...dxc3 20.Be3 d5 21.Bc5 Rf7= 20.Bg5 What follows now is another series of exchanges, where each side takes away material from the board consecutively. The most obvious continuation is 20.fxe6 but after Qxe6 21.Qxe6+ Rxe6 22.exd5 Re2 White has some tricky problems to solve. 23.Rf2 Rxf2 24.Kxf2 Bg5+ 24...dxc3 25.Be1 Rd8= is perhaps just equal too. 25.Ke2 Bxd2 26.Kxd2 Rf2+ 27.Ke1 Rxc2 White's position looks scary, but according to the calculator, White holds the balance with: 28.c4! 28.cxd4? Rxg2 29.Kf1 Rh2 30.d6 Kf7-+ looks like a typical Carlsen grind. 28.d6 Kf7 and the difference in the activity of the kings will be crucial. 20.c4!? is fine, since the pawn on c3 was lost anyway. White now gets some stability in the center and after dxc4 20...dxe4 21.Bb4 21.Bb4 Rf7 22.fxe6 Qxe6 23.Qxe6 Rxe6 24.Rf5= the ending is just equal. Though not 20.exd5 exf5 21.Qf3 dxc3 22.Be3 when White is slightly worse, as now it is he who has the doubled-pawns. Re5 20...Bxg5 20...dxc3 21.Bxf6 Rxf6 22.exd5 exd5 23.a4= 21.Qxg5 dxe4 22.fxe6 Rxf1+ 23.Rxf1 Qxe6 24.cxd4 e3!? Perhaps trying to put psychological stress on the opponent. There is always pressure when you have to make a draw from a defensive point of view. Now instead of making natural moves, White has to remain alert that the passed e-pawn does not become unstoppable. Instead of 24...e3, Black has at least three ways to make a relatively easy draw. 24...exd3 25.cxd3 Qe3+ 25...h6 26.Qc5 Qe3+ 27.Kh2 Qxd3= is another way. 26.Qxe3 Rxe3 27.Rd1 Re2! And because of the control of the 2nd rank and counterplay on the a3-pawn, Black makes a draw by straightforward moves. 28.Rc1 28.d5 Kf7 29.Rc1 Ra2= 28...Ra2 29.Rc3 Kf7= Or 24...Qd6 25.Qc5 25.Qe3 Qxa3 25...Rd8 26.Qxd6 Rxd6 27.dxe4 Rxd4 28.e5 Re4 29.Rf5 Re3= as they say, all rook endings are drawn. 25.Re1 25.Qg4 Qe7 26.Qf3= 25.d5?! is an example of how things can go wrong for White. Qb6 26.Re1 e2+ 27.Kh1 Qf2 28.Qd2 Re3 29.d6 Kf7 and there is some problems with the White king immobile in the corner. 25...h6 25...e2 26.Qd2 g6 27.Qf4 27.d5= 27...Qe7 28.Qd2= 26.Qh5 e2 27.Qf3 a5!? Pushing the a-pawn one step closer to promotion, just in case a pawn race happens down the line. Is Magnus still trying to win? Surely he's hoping for Sergey to make a small mistake or better, a major blunder, but really that doesn't happen often. Also, Black's problem is that his king lacks a fortress, meaning it is going to be hard to escape from queen checks later on. Almost all moves lead to a draw now. 27...Qd6 28.Rxe2 Qxd4+ 29.Kh1 Rxe2 30.Qxe2 Qa1+ 31.Kh2 Qxa3= 28.c3 28.d5 Qe5 28...Qe7 29.d6 Qxd6 30.Rxe2= 29.d6= 28...Qa2 Protecting the e2-pawn while at the same time threatening to take the guy on a3, or play Qd2, attacking the rook on e1. 29.Qc6! But Black's queen escapade has left his rook and king a little vulnerable too. Re6 29...Re7 30.Qc8+ Kh7 31.Qf5+ Hoping for perpetual check. g6 32.Qf8= There is no way for Black to make progress, as he cannot attack and defend at the same time. 30.Qc8+ Now is not the time to grab pawns: 30.Qxb5? Qd2 31.Qb1 Qxc3 32.d5 Qd4+ 33.Kh2 Qxd5 and White's greed has got him nothing but trouble. 30...Kh7 31.c4 Qd2 32.Qxe6 Qxe1+ 33.Kh2 Qf2 34.Qe4+ Draw. A quiet but well-played game by two experienced players. Today they decided to go for the Closed Ruy Lopez with 6. d3. Sergey played the same moves as in Round 2, but Magnus decided to deviate with 9...Be6 just in case his opponent prepared something viscious against his pet line with 9...Na5. What followed after 9...Be6 was a series of liquidations, with each player trading three minor pieces each, though Black had to accept doubled d-pawns. Moves 14-16 were critical to see if White can prove an advantage, but in the end Sergey decided to release the tension with 16.f5. What followed was a series of exchanges and with even Magnus trying to spice up the game a bit with 18...c3!? and 19...d5!? Sergey held fast, exchanged a few more pieces, and in the end the game never really left the boundaries of equality. Tomorrow is the last Round and let's see if Magnus' sister's prediction that he will win his last two White games comes true. Maybe this game is just the deep breath before the explosion. ½–½
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Karjakin,S2772Carlsen,M2853½–½2016C77AGON FWCM 201611

With the whole world watching, Game 12 was a dud. A thirty-five-minute punch. The less said the better.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Re8 11.Bf4 Rxe1 12.Qxe1 Ne8 13.c3 d5 14.Bd3 g6 15.Na3 c6 16.Nc2 Ng7 17.Qd2 Bf5 18.Bxf5 Nxf5 19.Ne3 Nxe3 20.Qxe3 Qe7 21.Qxe7 Bxe7 22.Re1 Bf8 23.Kf1 f6 24.g4 Kf7 25.h3 Re8 26.Rxe8 Kxe8 27.Ke2 Kd7 28.Kd3 Ke6 29.a4 a6 30.f3 Be7 ½–½
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Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S2772½–½2016C67WCh 201612

The tie-break

After a free day – there sure seemed to be a lot of free days – the players came to play the first set of potential tie-break games: four games of Rapid Chess. Magnus played fantastic. He was in an incredible zone.

Magnus Carlsen before game three of the tie-break

Playing virtually flawless chess, he won decisively: 3 – 1. It might have been even worse. And so the curtain closes on an unexpectedly close and hard fought match. It was marvelous to watch and commentate upon. I’d like to thank Chess Base for asking me to annotate a game or two and to commend my colleagues for their annotations to the match games as well. A fan need only print out the annotations to create a very decent match book of their own. Sorry, I’m not available for signatures.

The tie-break games - Notes by David Navara

 
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Notes by David Navara - The match has been very tense. Many people including me expected Magnus to be a clear favourite, but Sergey and his team prepared excellently. The tie-break was eagerly awaited by the chess world. 1.e4 0 e5 2 2.Nf3 0 Nc6 1 3.Bb5 0 a6 2 4.Ba4 0 Nf6 2 5.0-0 0 Be7 2 6.d3 0 b5 2 7.Bb3 1 d6 3 8.a3 2 0-0 3 9.Nc3 1 Nb8 0 On the other hand, the knight retreat has already been played many times. Wesley So adopted it twice. The idea resembles the Breyer line in Classical Ruy Lopez. In both lines Black retreats the knight to enable the advance of his c-pawn. On the other hand, there are some differences as well. In Breyer, Black's knight might be better placed on d7 and its removal from e4 increases the pressure against e4 and forces White to make some concessions like removing his bishop from the a2-g8 diagonal by playing Bb3-c2. Here the knight mostly comes back to c6, preventing the advance d3-d4 and getting space in the centre. This is also often the main idea behind the Nc6-a5 sortie in various anti-Marshall lines. 9...Na5 10.Ba2 Be6 and 9...Be6 in the previous games of the match, both times equalizing without too many problems. 10.Ne2 135 The remarkable game Anand - So saw 10.Ng5 Nc6! 11.Ba2 Nd4 12.Ne2 Nxe2+ 13.Qxe2 h6 14.f4!? hxg5 14...exf4 15.Nf3 g5 16.g3 fxg3 17.h4 Anand 15.fxg5 Ng4 16.g6 1-0 (45) Anand,V (2791)-So,W (2788) Shamkir 2015 CBM 166 [Anand,V] White went on to win, but Black could have equalized in the opening. 10.a4 b4 11.Nd5 also looks logical, but Black should be able to equalize after Nxd5 12.Bxd5 c6 13.Bb3 Nd7 14.d4 14.Be3!? 14...a5 15.dxe5 dxe5 ½-½ (31) Caruana,F (2820)-So,W (2762) Wijk aan Zee 2015 10...c5 13 11.Ng3 15 Nc6 3 12.c3 0 The advance d3-d4 hardly could bring White anything tangible, but this little move is useful anyway. Taking the d4-square under control might enable the manoeuvre Nf3-h4-f5 later on. True, this often fails to Nxe4 and Bxh4, but Black must be ready to meet White's activity on various parts of the board. Rb8 48 Nimzowitsch would probably like this mysterious rook move. Black slightly improves his rook, foreseeing the opening of the b-file. The Rf8 and Bc8 are placed well, protecting f7 and f5 respectively. 12...Be6 was also an option, but 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.b4 leaves the White's pawn structure somewhat more flexible. 13.h3 46 13.d4 was not a great idea in view of cxd4 14.cxd4 Bg4 . On the other hand, now it becomes a serious option. 13...a5 10 Black would like to play a5-a4, fixing White's queenside pawns. The advance 13...d5?! is hardly recommendable, as it creates too many weaknesses after 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Re1 f6 16.Nh4 g6 17.Bh6 Re8 18.Nf3 . 14.a4 100 The advance 14.d4 a4 15.Ba2 not only generates some pressure in the centre, but also weakens the c4-square. 14...b4 2 Black weakened the c4-square, but White can hardly exploit it. 15.Re1 214 Nimzowitsch would be pleased again. It looked tempting to prepare the f2-f4 advance by means of 15.Nh2 , but this enables bxc3 16.bxc3 d5 White can play 17.Ng4 , but it does not give him an edge. 15.Nh4?! Nxe4 15...Be6 101 16.Bc4 177 The opening has been a moderate success for White, who has more prospects of an active play. Both d3-d4 and Nf3-h4-f5 might be unpleasant for Black later on, though not now. After 16.Bxe6 fxe6 White's pawns structure would remain a bit more flexible, but there is a big question where to play. As the game showed, Black is ready for the d3-d4 advance. On the other hand, White can hardly create an active play on the kingside. 16...h6 128 16...Bxc4?! 17.dxc4 would weaken the f5 and d5 squares. 17.Be3 117 Komodo suggests 17.Bb5 , e.g. Qc7?! 17...Na7 18.c4 18.Nh4 Na7 19.Bc4 with White's edge. The control of the f5-square might indeed be important. The text is simple and good. 17...Qc8 Black keeps an eye on f5 and can occasionally push d6-d5. 18.Qe2 110 The pawn sacrifice 18.Nh4!? Nxe4 19.Bxe6! Qxe6 20.dxe4 Bxh4 21.Nf5 Be7 22.Qd5 Rbc8 would bring White compensation for the pawn, but not more. 18...Rd8 52 19.Bxe6 92 fxe6?! 83 19...Qxe6 was entirely playable, but Magnus prefered to protect the f5-square. 20.d4 2 White could also prepare the pawn advance by means of 20.Rad1 . 20...bxc3 41 21.bxc3 1 cxd4 14 22.cxd4 1 exd4 8 23.Nxd4?! 2 Komodo rightly prefers 23.Bxd4! , when Black could have problems with his exposed pawn structure. He can hardly exchange the minor pieces, as Nxd4?! 24.Nxd4 would leave his pawns on a5 and e6 rather vulnerable. 23...Nxd4 7 24.Bxd4 1 Rb4 3 Now Black gets enough counterplay. 25.Rec1 149 Qd7 26 26.Bc3 9 Rxa4 13 27.Bxa5 11 The position is drawish after the elimination of the queenside pawns. Rxa1 7 28.Rxa1 2 Ra8 0 29.Bc3 23 Rxa1+ 7 30.Bxa1 0 Qc6 7 31.Kh2 38 Kf7 284 32.Bb2 161 Qc5 33 33.f4 44 Bd8 77 34.e5 119 34.Qd1 was a bit more tricky, as Bb6 34...Qb4 is safer 35.Bxf6 Kxf6 allows 36.e5+! Ke7 37.Ne4 Still, Qe3 38.Qxd6+ 38.exd6+ Kd8= 38...Kf7 39.Qd7+ Kf8 gives Black sufficient counterplay. 34...dxe5 49 35.Bxe5 7 Bb6 150 36.Qd1 1 Qd5 26 37.Qxd5 49 Nxd5 2 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2772Carlsen,M2853½–½2016C77AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak
Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S2772½–½2016C54AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak
Karjakin,S2772Carlsen,M28530–12016C77AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak
Carlsen,M2853Karjakin,S27721–02016B55AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak

In closing, I think it is fair to say that the world’s top ten players cheered Magnus’ victory. He will not be in the next Candidate’s tournament…

Carlsen vs Karjakin: Missed Opportunities (1/3)

Surprises and Frustrations: Carlsen vs Karjakin (2/3)

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