The week of the World Chess Championship 2016, has arrived. There are only a few days to wait before Magnus Carlsen begins the defence of his title against Sergey Karjakin. Carrying on the countdown to the event, we look at another of their decisive games. In the first, we saw Karjakin being punished for a couple of untimely quiet moves; in this example, we see him doing the punishing.
The game took place at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Holland, in 2012. In the Accelerated Queen’s Indian, Carlsen, playing White, is the first to err, with his 18.Ne4(?). This allows his opponent to obtain a very advanced passed pawn. From here, the Russian plays extremely strongly, piling great pressure upon his Norwegian opponent. Carlsen does his best to defend, but the damage had already been done and in the end all resistance is hopeless.
[pgn height=auto layout=vertical showmoves=figurine initialgame=first initialHalfmove=][Event “Tata Steel”]
[Site “Wijk aan Zee NED”]
[Date “2012.01.24”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Magnus Carlsen”]
[Black “Sergey Karjakin”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “E12”]
[EventDate “2012.01.14”]{ Annotations by John Lee Shaw for www.hotoffthechess.com. } 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nc3 Bb7 4.d4 e6 5.a3 d5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.e3 O-O 8.Rc1 h6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Bd3 c5 12.O-O Na6 13.Ne5 { This was a new move by Carlsen, in the handful of games I found, …Nc7 was usual and had produced good results for Black. However, this was the line’s first super-GM outing. } 13…cxd4 14.exd4 Bxe5 15.dxe5 Nc5 { The exchanges have resulted in a fairly balanced position, equal bishops and a central pawn each. The question must be how much mischief the players can get up to with these, especially Black’s passed d-pawn. } 16.Re1 Re8 17.f4 { Nb5, aiming for d6, was also an option. But this results in exchanges and Carlsen obviously prefers to take another route. } ( 17.Nb5 { This would likely lead to the following line. } 17…Nxd3 18.Qxd3 Ba6 { Black should not allow the knight to get to d6, where it has a huge influence. } 19.Qb3 Bxb5 20.Qxb5 d4 { when White has a small pull, but has the passed d-pawn to deal with before achieving any real prospects. } ) 17…d4 { The classical response to the opponent’s flank activity, the central counter-strike. } 18.Ne4 { ? a lapse. Nb5 was correct, here, Carlsen’s choice allows the d-pawn mobility. } ( 18.Nb5 Nxd3 19.Qxd3 Qd5 { and Black is equal at worst here. } 20.Rc2 Ba6 21.a4 Bxb5 22.axb5 Rac8 { = } ) 18…Bxe4 19.Bxe4 d3 { Karjakin punishes the oversight, seizing the initiative — and it is not a small one. } 20.Rc4 { …Qd4+ was the threat. } 20…Rc8 21.Bf5 Qd5 { this is fine, …b5 also worked. } ( 21…b5 22.Rc3 Qd4+ 23.Kh1 d2 24.Re2 Rcd8 25.g3 { with a good advantage to Black. } ) 22.Rc3 Rcd8 23.Qd2 Qd4+ { The check is not the issue, here, Black’s Queen now eyes the f4-pawn and this prevents White from playing Re3 } 24.Kh1 a5 { Cementing the knight on c5, very nice play from Karjakin, who is not having to do anything spectacular here, good logical moves are keeping Magnus Carlsen under great pressure. } 25.Rb1 a4 26.Rd1 Rd5 { Karjakin prepares to double rooks along the e-file and will be targetting Carlsen’s bishop next, which is the only thing preventing …Ne4, forking Queen and Rook, right now. } 27.h4 g6 28.Bxd3 { The best option, but after this move White’s pieces are all tied up. } 28…Red8 29.Qe1 Qxf4 { The optimum way to proceed, obviously there is no hurry at all to take the bishop. } 30.e6 Nxe6 ( 30…fxe6 31.Bc2 Rxd1 32.Bxd1 Rd4 { and White’s situation has not improved. } ) 31.Bc2 b5 { there is nothing wrong with this move, only in that there was better on the board. …Rxd1 was more to the point, with the same kind of result as in the above variation. } 32.Rxd5 Rxd5 33.Re3 Nd4 34.Bd3 Kg7 35.Kg1 Qf6 36.Kh2 ( 36.Qf2 h5 37.Qxf6+ Kxf6 38.Kf2 Nb3 { and Black has the more positive stance here, his activity and Kingside pawn majority making White’s game quite untenable. } ) 36…Rh5 37.Rh3 { Re4 was perhaps a more active way to defend, White seems very much under the kosh here. } ( 37.Re4 Nc6 38.Qc3 Qxc3 39.bxc3 Rc5 40.Be2 f5 41.Re8 Ne5 { and Black’s superiority is clear to see. } ) 37…Ne6 38.Rf3 Rxh4+ 39.Kg1 Qd4+ 40.Qf2 Qxf2+ { two pawns up, Black has a very powerful endgame, so it makes sense to exchange Queens here. With accurate play, White is unlikely to survive such a deficit. } 41.Kxf2 b4 42.Re3 Rd4 43.Bb5 Kf6 44.Rf3+ Ke7 45.Rd3 bxa3 46.bxa3 Rf4+ 47.Ke3 f5 48.Rd7+ Kf6 { Karjakin has his i’s dotted and t’s crossed, here, it is just a matter of activating his King now. } 49.Rd6 Re4+ 50.Kf2 Kg5 { A very overwhelming situation on the Kingside, now, with Black preparing to simply overrun the White King. } 51.Be8 Nf4 52.Bb5 Re5 53.Bc4 Nh5 54.Ra6 Nf6 55.Rxa4 Ng4+ 56.Kf1 { obviously, not Kg3 or Kf3, which leaves …Re3 mate. } 56…Kh4 57.Be2 Kg3 58.Bxg4 fxg4 59.Rb4 h5 60.a4 Kh2 { And here, Magnus Carlsen resigned. It is hopeless to try to resist Black’s pressure on the Kingside and the g2-pawn is likely to fall as soon as Black achieves a check along the f-file. Black’s own pawns will gradually creap down the board and overwhelm the King. A very nice game from Sergey Karjakin, who was in control throughout after Carlsen’s error, 18.Ne4. } 0-1
[Site “Wijk aan Zee NED”]
[Date “2012.01.24”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Magnus Carlsen”]
[Black “Sergey Karjakin”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “E12”]
[EventDate “2012.01.14”]{ Annotations by John Lee Shaw for www.hotoffthechess.com. } 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nc3 Bb7 4.d4 e6 5.a3 d5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.e3 O-O 8.Rc1 h6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Bd3 c5 12.O-O Na6 13.Ne5 { This was a new move by Carlsen, in the handful of games I found, …Nc7 was usual and had produced good results for Black. However, this was the line’s first super-GM outing. } 13…cxd4 14.exd4 Bxe5 15.dxe5 Nc5 { The exchanges have resulted in a fairly balanced position, equal bishops and a central pawn each. The question must be how much mischief the players can get up to with these, especially Black’s passed d-pawn. } 16.Re1 Re8 17.f4 { Nb5, aiming for d6, was also an option. But this results in exchanges and Carlsen obviously prefers to take another route. } ( 17.Nb5 { This would likely lead to the following line. } 17…Nxd3 18.Qxd3 Ba6 { Black should not allow the knight to get to d6, where it has a huge influence. } 19.Qb3 Bxb5 20.Qxb5 d4 { when White has a small pull, but has the passed d-pawn to deal with before achieving any real prospects. } ) 17…d4 { The classical response to the opponent’s flank activity, the central counter-strike. } 18.Ne4 { ? a lapse. Nb5 was correct, here, Carlsen’s choice allows the d-pawn mobility. } ( 18.Nb5 Nxd3 19.Qxd3 Qd5 { and Black is equal at worst here. } 20.Rc2 Ba6 21.a4 Bxb5 22.axb5 Rac8 { = } ) 18…Bxe4 19.Bxe4 d3 { Karjakin punishes the oversight, seizing the initiative — and it is not a small one. } 20.Rc4 { …Qd4+ was the threat. } 20…Rc8 21.Bf5 Qd5 { this is fine, …b5 also worked. } ( 21…b5 22.Rc3 Qd4+ 23.Kh1 d2 24.Re2 Rcd8 25.g3 { with a good advantage to Black. } ) 22.Rc3 Rcd8 23.Qd2 Qd4+ { The check is not the issue, here, Black’s Queen now eyes the f4-pawn and this prevents White from playing Re3 } 24.Kh1 a5 { Cementing the knight on c5, very nice play from Karjakin, who is not having to do anything spectacular here, good logical moves are keeping Magnus Carlsen under great pressure. } 25.Rb1 a4 26.Rd1 Rd5 { Karjakin prepares to double rooks along the e-file and will be targetting Carlsen’s bishop next, which is the only thing preventing …Ne4, forking Queen and Rook, right now. } 27.h4 g6 28.Bxd3 { The best option, but after this move White’s pieces are all tied up. } 28…Red8 29.Qe1 Qxf4 { The optimum way to proceed, obviously there is no hurry at all to take the bishop. } 30.e6 Nxe6 ( 30…fxe6 31.Bc2 Rxd1 32.Bxd1 Rd4 { and White’s situation has not improved. } ) 31.Bc2 b5 { there is nothing wrong with this move, only in that there was better on the board. …Rxd1 was more to the point, with the same kind of result as in the above variation. } 32.Rxd5 Rxd5 33.Re3 Nd4 34.Bd3 Kg7 35.Kg1 Qf6 36.Kh2 ( 36.Qf2 h5 37.Qxf6+ Kxf6 38.Kf2 Nb3 { and Black has the more positive stance here, his activity and Kingside pawn majority making White’s game quite untenable. } ) 36…Rh5 37.Rh3 { Re4 was perhaps a more active way to defend, White seems very much under the kosh here. } ( 37.Re4 Nc6 38.Qc3 Qxc3 39.bxc3 Rc5 40.Be2 f5 41.Re8 Ne5 { and Black’s superiority is clear to see. } ) 37…Ne6 38.Rf3 Rxh4+ 39.Kg1 Qd4+ 40.Qf2 Qxf2+ { two pawns up, Black has a very powerful endgame, so it makes sense to exchange Queens here. With accurate play, White is unlikely to survive such a deficit. } 41.Kxf2 b4 42.Re3 Rd4 43.Bb5 Kf6 44.Rf3+ Ke7 45.Rd3 bxa3 46.bxa3 Rf4+ 47.Ke3 f5 48.Rd7+ Kf6 { Karjakin has his i’s dotted and t’s crossed, here, it is just a matter of activating his King now. } 49.Rd6 Re4+ 50.Kf2 Kg5 { A very overwhelming situation on the Kingside, now, with Black preparing to simply overrun the White King. } 51.Be8 Nf4 52.Bb5 Re5 53.Bc4 Nh5 54.Ra6 Nf6 55.Rxa4 Ng4+ 56.Kf1 { obviously, not Kg3 or Kf3, which leaves …Re3 mate. } 56…Kh4 57.Be2 Kg3 58.Bxg4 fxg4 59.Rb4 h5 60.a4 Kh2 { And here, Magnus Carlsen resigned. It is hopeless to try to resist Black’s pressure on the Kingside and the g2-pawn is likely to fall as soon as Black achieves a check along the f-file. Black’s own pawns will gradually creap down the board and overwhelm the King. A very nice game from Sergey Karjakin, who was in control throughout after Carlsen’s error, 18.Ne4. } 0-1
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