[Event "Bazna Kings 5th"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2011.06.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2776"]
[BlackElo "2776"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2011.06.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 143"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{I started the tournament with 4 unimpressive draws. Zakhar Efimenko, who was
also Kramnik's second in Kazan, at the same time had been playing in the
Ukraine championship. He started with a couple of draws too, but just one day
before managed to win a game! With Black against Ivanchuk I was not in an
aggressive mood, but somehow I got the feeling that my series of draws would
also finish soon...} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {Having Black versus Vasily
Mikhailovich is not an easy task but even more difficult is just to guess the
opening. This move was already a surprise for me!} Bc5 {It was my turn to
surprise him! Before I had played only 3...Nf6, and if 4.d3 then 4...Be7.} 4.
c3 Nf6 5. d3 {Here I knew the theory very fluently and that's why I decided to
make more moves off my own bat. The problem was that every move cost me a
couple of minutes and Vassily's time advantage started to increase.} O-O 6. O-O
d6 7. h3 Ne7 {Over the board I had the idea not to lose time for ...a6 and ...
Ba7 and instead transfer the knight to g6.} 8. Re1 (8. d4 Bb6 9. dxe5 Nxe4 {
looks fine for Black.}) 8... Ng6 9. Nbd2 c6 10. Nf1 {White is making his plan,
but Black is ready to start an operation in the centre.} d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 {
Exploiting the fact that the e5-pawn is untouchable.} ({I don't like} 11...
cxd5 12. Bb3 {and Black's pawns on d5 and e5 become a target for the white
pieces.}) 12. Ng3 ({Of course White can not play} 12. Nxe5 $2 Nxe5 13. Rxe5
Bxf2+ $1 {with Black's advantage!}) 12... h6 ({It was also possible to play
slowly} 12... Qc7 {but I wanted to prepare ...Be6.}) 13. Bb3 {Not very
ambitions.} ({Viorel Iordacescu offered a more interesting move:} 13. Nh5 $5 {
with the main idea} Re8 $2 (13... Qb6 $2 14. Qd2 $1 {is also dangerous for
Black.}) 14. d4 exd4 15. Rxe8+ Qxe8 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Bxh6 $1 $16 {So Black
should prefer 13...Qc7 with an about equal position.}) 13... Re8 $11 {Now I
think we can judge the result of the opening. Black has completely equalised
and has an easy game.} 14. Bd2 ({I expected more} 14. d4 exd4 15. Rxe8+ Qxe8
16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Nxd4 {with a balanced position where the weak pawn on d5 is
compensated for by the advantage of the two bishops.}) 14... Bb6 ({It was also
possible to start from} 14... Be6 {with good play for Black.}) 15. Qc2 $6 {
Starting a wrong plan.} ({It was time to think about equalising:} 15. d4 exd4
16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Nxd4 $11) 15... Be6 (15... Bxh3 $2 {was not
good:} 16. gxh3 Qf6 17. Qd1 Nh4 18. Nxh4 Qxf2+ 19. Kh1 Qxg3 20. Qg4 Qxg4 21.
hxg4 Bf2 22. Nf3 Bxe1 23. Rxe1 {with a slightly better endgame for White.}) 16.
Rad1 $2 {Continuing with a wrong plan which has a tactical refutation! White
had to try to equalise.} ({After} 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. cxd4 Ndf4 {
Black is a bit better.}) ({Probably the most presice was} 16. Re4 Nf6 17. Re2
Bxb3 18. axb3 Qd7 19. Rae1 {and White is close to equalising.}) 16... Bxh3 $1 {
A nice and unexpected blow! Mainly because Black has just played ...Be6 and is
now "losing" a tempo with Be6-h3! It was funny that I did not see this idea on
the previous move, but in this position, I noticed that White's queen is far
from the king's flank and I suddenly found this idea!} 17. c4 $2 {We both
thought that this move is the strongest, but after it, Black is clearly better!
} (17. d4 Bg4 18. c4 Rc8 $1 {Nice and the strongest move! Here White has a big
choice, but probably Black is better in all the lines!} 19. Qb1 (19. cxd5 cxd5
20. Qd3 e4 21. Nxe4 Bf5 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. Qg3 dxe4 24. dxe5 $15) (19. Nxe5 Nxe5
20. dxe5 Qh4 21. c5 Bxd1 22. Rxd1 Bc7 23. Nf5 Qg4 24. f3 Qg6 25. f4 Rcd8 $15) (
19. Bc1 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Nb4 21. Qf5 Bxd4 22. a3 Nh4 23. Qg4 Na6 24. Bc2 Qf6 25.
f4 exf4 26. Bxf4 Ng6 27. Bxg6 fxg6 28. Ne4 Qf5 29. Qxf5 gxf5 30. Rxd4 fxe4 31.
Rexe4 $15) (19. dxe5 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Qh4 21. c5 Qh3 22. Qf5 Qxf5 23. Nxf5 Bxc5
$15) 19... Bxf3 20. gxf3 Nh4 21. cxd5 Qd7 22. Re4 Nxf3+ 23. Kg2 cxd5 24. Kxf3
dxe4+ 25. Qxe4 exd4 26. Qf5 Red8 27. Qxd7 Rxd7 {This is probably the best that
White could achieve! Black is a little bit better, but not more.}) (17. gxh3 $4
{loses immediately:} Qf6 {Here compared with 15...Bxh3 White's rook is on d1
and White can not play Qd1!} 18. Kg2 Nh4+ 19. Nxh4 Qxf2+ 20. Kh1 Qxg3 $19)
17... Ndf4 18. c5 {Other moves were not better.} (18. Bxf4 exf4 19. Rxe8+ Qxe8
20. c5 fxg3 $17) (18. gxh3 Qd7 $19) 18... Nxg2 (18... Bxg2 19. Nxe5 {was not
so clear.}) 19. cxb6 Qf6 {Exploiting the fact that Black's knight is
controling e3; Black is forcing White to move the knight from its good
position.} 20. Nh2 Nxe1 21. Rxe1 axb6 $19 22. Bc3 {There was nothing better,
for example:} (22. Ne4 Qe7 23. Re3 Be6 24. Rg3 Nf4 $19) (22. Re4 Be6 23. Ng4
Qf3 24. Nh2 Bxb3 25. Qxb3 Qf6 $19 {With a technically winning position!}) 22...
Be6 23. Re3 Nf4 24. Rf3 ({Also losing is} 24. Rxe5 Bxb3 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. axb3
Qg5 $19) 24... Qh4 25. Bd2 Bg4 26. Qc4 ({White is also lost after} 26. Bxf4
Bxf3 27. Bxe5 Bd5 28. Bxd5 cxd5 29. Bxg7 Qh3 30. Bf6 (30. Bc3 d4 $19) 30...
Re1+ 31. Nhf1 Rc8 32. Qa4 d4 33. Bxd4 Rxf1+ 34. Nxf1 Qg4+ 35. Ng3 Rd8 $19)
26... Be6 {Having about 10 minutes on the clock I decided to play safe.} ({
Also winning was} 26... Bxf3 27. Qxf7+ Kh7 28. Nxf3 Qg4 29. Bxf4 Qxf4 $19) 27.
Qc2 Bxb3 28. Qxb3 Re6 {Bringing the rooks closer to White's king.} 29. a3 Rae8
30. Qb4 Rf6 31. Qe4 Ree6 $1 {The last clear move after which White is
defenceless against many threats!} 32. Ne2 {Losing immediately, but there was
nothing better.} Nxe2+ {Having not so much time I decided to go to a technical
position. Instead, almost anything was winning.} ({For example} 32... Rg6+ 33.
Kh1 f5 $19) 33. Qxe2 Rxf3 34. Qxf3 Rg6+ 35. Kh1 Rf6 36. Qg3 Qxg3 37. fxg3 Rd6 {
White is losing the 4th pawn and resigned!} 0-1

[Event "Bazna Kings 5th"]
[Site "Medias"]
[Date "2011.06.20"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B09"]
[WhiteElo "2776"]
[BlackElo "2776"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2011.06.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 143"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Before this game my driver who was bringing me to the playing hall and back
to to the hotel gave me a plan for the last 2 games "Ivanchuk-victoria,
Carlsen-remiza", wich I managed to fulfil:-)!} 1. e4 d6 {As usual, Vassily
Mihajlovich plays the first surprise. Preparing for the game we did not expect
the Pirc-Ufimtsev. However sometimes surprises can be pleasant...} 2. d4 Nf6 3.
Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 Na6 7. O-O c5 8. d5 Nc7 {A rare and in my
opinion not that good a move. In my recent practice this position has occurred
3 times. Chatalbashev played 8...Bg4 against me, and Kramnik twice played 8...
Rb8. Both moves look better to me.} 9. a4 b6 10. Qe1 {With the idea which is
typical for this line Qh4, f5, Bh6.} e6 $2 {This move is not connected with
Black's previous play. If he has played b6, it was more logical to continue
the plan with a6, Rb8... Although I think Black is under an unpleasant attack,
for example:} (10... a6 11. Qh4 Rb8 12. f5 b5 13. axb5 axb5 14. Bh6 {with a
strong attack!}) ({The computer suggests the strange move} 10... Qd7 {with the
idea of playing ...Qg4 in case of Qh4. Probably it was the lesser evil, but
also not very atractive for Black.}) 11. dxe6 fxe6 {There was no choice.} ({
After} 11... Nxe6 12. f5 Nd4 13. Qh4 {White has a crushing attack!}) 12. e5 $1
$16 {Not a very difficult blow, after which White has a clear advantage!} Nfd5
({The last chance was} 12... Ng4 {after which White is clearly better, but at
least there is no forced win.}) ({After} 12... Nh5 {there is the nice blow} 13.
f5 $1 gxf5 (13... exf5 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. exd6 Qxd6 16. Be7 $16 {with an exchange
up!}) 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. Qh4 $16) 13. Ne4 dxe5 $6 (13... Ne8 14. Neg5 {did not
save Black, but with the text move Black is aggravating his position!}) 14.
fxe5 $18 {Now Black is defenceless against Bg5 and his black squares are
catastrophically weak.} Bb7 (14... Nb4 {did not save him:} 15. Bg5 Nxd3 16.
cxd3 Qxd3 17. Rd1 Qc2 18. Be7 $18 {with a decisive advantage for White!}) 15.
Bg5 Qd7 16. Qh4 Nb4 17. Rad1 {White's play is simple and effortless.} Qc6 (
17... Nxd3 18. Rxd3 Qc6 19. Nf6+ Bxf6 20. exf6 {was also lost, but after the
text move, Black is losing by force!}) 18. Nf6+ Bxf6 19. Bxg6 $1 {Nice, but
not a very difficult intermediate move. White develops a decisive attack!} hxg6
20. Bxf6 Rxf6 ({Also lost is} 20... Nbd5 21. Nd4 $1 Rxf6 (21... cxd4 22. Qh8+
Kf7 23. Bg5+ $18) 22. Nxc6 Rxf1+ 23. Rxf1 Bxc6 24. Qf2 $18) 21. exf6 Rf8 22.
Qg5 {Because of many threats Black resigned. It was not Ivanchuk's day.} 1-0

[Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2011.11.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2744"]
[BlackElo "2763"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2011.11.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 146"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 {Boris is one of the biggest experts in the Catalan
and I was expecting this opening.} d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2
a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 ({Later in this tournament Kramnik played} 9. Rd1 {
against me, and in the press conference he said that this is the only move
after which there were noto a lot of my games to be found:-).}) 9... Bc6 10.
Bf4 a5 11. Nc3 Na6 12. Ne5 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nd5 14. Rad1 Nxf4+ 15. gxf4 Bd6 16.
Rd3 $146 {A new idea in a fresh position! White wants to bring the rook closer
to Black's king. In previous games White played 16.e3.} Qe8 $5 {As I did not
expect 16.Rd3 I did not want to play logical moves like 16...Qh4 or 16...Nb4,
and wanted to surprize Boris! The main idea of 16...Qe8 is to prepare ...f6.}
17. Rf3 {There are other options for White, but I think that basically Black
has a solid and good position.} Nb4 18. Nb5 f6 19. Nd3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Rd8 $11 {
I think it is time to evalute the position. Black has completely equalised and
White must already play carefully so as not to get into a slightly worse
position.} 21. Rh3 (21. e3 {was more precise:} c6 22. Nxd6 Rxd6 23. Rc1 $11)
21... f5 22. e3 Qc6+ 23. Kg1 Bb4 {Of course nothing serious for White happened,
but Black managed to keep his bishop and potentially after playing Qd7, c6, b5,
Black would be a bit better.} 24. Rg3 Qd7 25. Qb3 c6 26. Nc3 b5 27. Rc1 Rb8 ({
May be more precise was} 27... Kh8 {was more precise, to get off the a2-g8
diagonal and to prepare ...Rb8 and ...Rfc8, with a slighlity better position.})
28. axb5 cxb5 29. d5 Rfe8 30. dxe6 ({During the game I was expecting} 30. e4 $5
Rbc8 31. e5 Rc4 {with a very unclear and probably objectively equal position.})
30... Qxe6 31. Nd5 (31. Qxe6+ Rxe6 32. Ne2 Bf8 33. Nd4 Rf6 {following with a4,
b4 keeping a better position.}) 31... Kh8 32. Rc7 $6 {A logical attacking move,
but it has a tactical refutation!} ({White should have played} 32. e4 $1 Qxe4 (
32... Bf8 33. e5 {is probably fine for White.}) 33. Re3 Qd4 34. Rd3 Qa7 35.
Nxb4 axb4 36. Qd5 $11 {and it would probably be just a draw.}) 32... Rbd8 $1
33. e4 (33. Rgxg7 Rg8 $19 {and White cannot reach the h7-pawn!}) 33... Bf8 34.
Qc3 $6 ({It was better to play} 34. Qxb5 Qxe4 35. Re3 Qb1+ 36. Kg2 Rxe3 37.
Nxe3 Qe4+ 38. Kg1 Qxf4 39. Rc4 {White is worse, but with precise play he
should keep the balance.}) 34... b4 35. Qd4 Rd7 36. Qa7 (36. Rxd7 Qxd7 $17)
36... Rxc7 37. Nxc7 Qf7 ({There was the interesting alternative} 37... Qe7 38.
Qb6 Qd8 39. Qxa5 Re7 40. Qa8 Qxa8 41. Nxa8 Rxe4 {winning a pawn.}) 38. Qxa5 Rc8
39. Nd5 fxe4 40. Ne3 Qxf4 41. Qd5 (41. Qg5 $15 {was more stubborn where it is
not easy for Black to convert his extra pawn.}) 41... Bd6 $17 {Now Black has a
clear extra pawn and the position should be technically winning.} 42. Qb7 Qf8 (
42... Rg8 $17 {was also very strong!}) 43. Rh3 Re8 44. Rh5 Qf3 (44... Qf4 $1 {
was probably stronger.}) 45. Rg5 Rg8 46. Qc6 $6 (46. Qd5 Qf4 47. Kf1 {could
give White good drawing chances.}) 46... Qf4 (46... Qf6 $19 {was very strong,
but the text move is also good enough.}) 47. Rg2 Be5 48. Qc4 Rb8 49. b3 h6 50.
Rg3 Rf8 51. Rg2 Ra8 52. Qc6 Ra1+ 53. Nf1 Qf5 54. Qb6 {Here in a completely
winning position I thought that everything wins and lost concentration a litle
bit.} Rd1 $2 (54... Qd7 $19 {was a normal "human" win}) (54... Bxh2+ 55. Kxh2 (
55. Rxh2 Qg4+ 56. Rg2 Rxf1+ 57. Kxf1 Qd1#) 55... Qh5+ 56. Kg3 Qe5+ $19 {
was a computer win.}) 55. Qa6 Bd4 56. Qe2 Rd3 $6 (56... Rc1 $19) 57. Rg3 Rc3
58. Qd2 (58. Ne3 {is of course winning for Black, but White is at least in the
game.}) 58... Be5 59. Ne3 Qe6 {White resigned!} 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2012.01.24"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2835"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2012.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 147"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. Nc3 Bb7 4. d4 e6 5. a3 d5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1 {
Magnus chooses the rare moves of the Petrosian line and already here I started
to think... Magnus wählt die seltenen Züge der Petrosian-Variante, und bereits
hier begann ich zu überlegen...} h6 {Not the most common move, which was
evaluated differently!  Nicht der häufigste Zug, und er wird unterschiedlich
bewertet!} 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 c5 12. O-O {I heard different
evaluations of this position. Aronian told me that this is a famous position
from the Queen's Gambit with an extra tempo for White, but Magnus said that
the position is absolutely harmless for Black... Zu dieser Stellung hörte ich
unterschiedliche Einschätzungen. Aronian sagte mir, dies sei eine berühmte
Stellung aus dem Damengambit mit einem Extratempo für Weiß, dagegen meinte
Magnus, die Stellung sei absolut harmlos für Schwarz...} Na6 {Preparing Nc7-e6,
but later the knight went another way... Bereitet Nc7-e6 vor, doch später ging
der Springer einen anderen Weg...} 13. Ne5 {Interesting try, White is
preparing f2-f4. I expected more Ne2 and then Ng3 or Nf4. Also possible was
Bb1 with an unclear position. Interessanter Versuch, Weiß bereitet f2-f4 vor.
Ich erwartete eher Ne2 und dann Ng3 oder Nf4. Ebenfalls möglich war Bb1 mit
unklarer Stellung.} cxd4 14. exd4 Bxe5 ({The interesting alternative Die
interessante Alternative} 14... Nc5 {seemed quite risky to me in view of
schien mir ziemlich riskant angesichts von} 15. Nxf7 ({A quieter move is Ein
ruhigerer Zug ist} 15. f4) 15... Rxf7 16. dxc5 bxc5 17. Qh5 {and for the human
the position looks very dangerous with such a weak diagonal b1-h7. , und für
den Menschen sieht die Stellung mit einer derart schwachen Diagonale b1-h7
brandgefährlich aus.}) 15. dxe5 Nc5 16. Re1 $1 {The only one try to fight for
an advantage! Der einzige Versuch, um Vorteil zu kämpfen!} (16. Nb5 Nxd3 17.
Qxd3 Ba6 $11 {is fine for Black, for example: ist in Ordnung für Schwarz, zum
Beispiel:} 18. f4 Rc8 19. Rce1 $6 {Trying to play for a win. Versucht, auf
Gewinn zu spielen.} ({White should make a draw after Weiß sollte Remis machen
mit} 19. Rxc8 Qxc8 20. Qxd5 Qc5+ 21. Qxc5 bxc5 22. a4 Bxb5 23. axb5 Rb8 $11)
19... Qd7 20. a4 Rc4 $1 21. b3 Bxb5 22. axb5 Rb4 $15) 16... Re8 ({The most
logical move does not work: Der logischste Zug funktioniert nicht:} 16... d4
17. Ne4 Bxe4 (17... Qd5 $2 18. Bc4 $1 Qxe5 19. Nxc5 Qxc5 20. Bxf7+ $18) 18.
Bxe4 d3 19. Rxc5 bxc5 20. Bxa8 Qxa8 21. Qxd3 {with an extra pawn for White.
mit einem Mehrbauern für Weiß.}) 17. f4 $6 {After this move White is not
fighting for an advantage any longer! Nach diesem Zug kämpft Weiß nicht länger
um Vorteil!} ({White should have played Richtig für Weiß war} 17. Bf1 a6 {
Black should cover the b5-square. Schwarz sollte das b5-Feld decken} 18. Rc2 $1
{keeping a minimal advantage. , was minimalen Vorteil bewahrt.}) 17... d4 18.
Ne4 $2 {Almost the decisive mistake! After this move White gets a very bad
position... Fast schon der entscheidende Fehler! Nach diesem Zug erhält Weiß
eine sehr schlechte Stellung...} (18. Nb5 Qd5 19. Rc2 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Ba6 21. a4
Bxb5 22. axb5 Rac8 {with a draw. mit Remis.}) 18... Bxe4 19. Bxe4 d3 $1 {
Nice move, which because of the inclusion 16...Re8 17.f4 now works! Schöner
Zug, der jetzt wegen der Einschaltung von 16...Re8 17.f4 funktoniert!} 20. Rc4
{I also thought this is the strongest, but the lesser evil was 20.Re3. Dies
hielt ich auch für am stärksten, doch das geringere Übel war 20.Re3.} (20. Bxa8
d2 21. Bc6 Qd4+ 22. Kh1 dxe1=Q+ 23. Qxe1 Nd3 24. Qf1 Re6 25. Rc2 Nxf4 $17) (20.
Re3 $1 Qd4 21. Qf3 Rac8 22. Rd1 d2 23. Kf1 {and White is somehow holding...
und Weiß hält sich irgendwie...}) (20. Rxc5 Qd4+ $1 {Here we can understand
the importance of the inclusion 16...Re8 17.f4. Hier sehen wir die Tragweite
der Einschaltung von 16...Re8 17.f4.}) 20... Rc8 21. Bf5 Qd5 {Also strong was
21...b5, but I wanted my b6-pawn to support the knight on c5. Ebenfalls stark
war 21...b5, aber ich wollte meinen b6-Bauern stehenlassen, um den Springer
auf c5 zu stützten.} 22. Rc3 Rcd8 23. Qd2 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 (24. Kf1 a5 {was
equally bad for White. war ebenfalls schlecht für Weiß.}) 24... a5 $1 {Playing
against b4. Gegen b4 gerichtet.} 25. Rb1 {It was hard to suggest anything
instead... Es fiel schwer, etwas anderes vorzuschlagen...} a4 26. Rd1 Rd5 {
This is a bit too much! Of course Black's position was very good, but why not
just win an exchange by playing Dies ist ein bisschen zu viel! Natürlich war
die schwarze Stellung sehr gut, aber warum nicht einfach eine Qualität
gewinnen durch} (26... g6 $1 27. Bxd3 Ne4 28. Bxe4 Qxd2 29. Rxd2 Rxd2 $19 {
with an easy win! mit leichtem Sieg!}) 27. h4 g6 ({A stronger try was Ein
stärkerer Versuch war} 27... Red8 28. h5 f6 $19 {and White is defenceless! und
Weiß ist wehrlos.}) 28. Bxd3 Red8 29. Qe1 Qxf4 30. e6 $1 Nxe6 (30... Nxd3 $6
31. Rdxd3 Rxd3 32. e7 {with drawing chances. mit Remischancen.}) 31. Bc2 {
White is defending very well! Weiß verteidigt sich sehr gut!} b5 ({The
strongest was Am stärksten war} 31... Nd4 $1 32. Bxa4 Nf5 33. Rxd5 Rxd5 34.
Qe8+ Kg7 35. Bb3 Qxh4+ {and Black wins! But being down on time I decided to
play safer... und Schwarz gewinnt. Aber da ich weniger Zeit hatte, beschloss
ich, sicherer zu spielen...}) 32. Rxd5 Rxd5 33. Re3 Nd4 34. Bd3 (34. Bxg6 {
does not work: funktioniert nicht:} fxg6 35. Re8+ Kg7 36. Re7+ Kf6 $19) 34...
Kg7 35. Kg1 Qf6 36. Kh2 ({More stubborn was Hartnäckiger war} 36. Qf2 Nf5 (
36... Qd6 $5) 37. Bxf5 Rxf5 38. Rf3 Rxf3 39. gxf3 {and though the position
should be winning, still a lot of work is required. und obwohl die Stellung
gewonnen sein sollte, ist noch eine Menge Arbeit erforderliche.}) 36... Rh5 {
Playing in mutual time trouble. In beiderseitiger Zeitnot gespielt.} ({It was
even stronger to play Noch stärker war} 36... Rc5 $1 {and Black is dominating!
und Schwarz dominiert!}) 37. Rh3 ({There was the slightly more stubborn Hier
gab es das etwas hartnäckigere} 37. Re4) 37... Ne6 {Here Black had many ways,
but before the time control I chose the most human moves... An dieser Stelle
hatte Schwarz viele Möglichkeiten, aber vor der Zeitkontrolle wählte ich die
menschlichsten Züge...} (37... Qf4+ 38. Qg3 Nf3+ $1 39. gxf3 Qd2+ $19) 38. Rf3
Rxh4+ 39. Kg1 Qd4+ 40. Qf2 Qxf2+ 41. Kxf2 b4 {Starting from here Magnus
defended very well, but 2 pawns was enough even for me... Von hier an
verteidigte sich Magnus sehr gut, aber zwei Bauern waren selbst für mich genug.
..} 42. Re3 Rd4 43. Bb5 Kf6 44. Rf3+ (44. Bxa4 bxa3 45. Rxa3 Rd2+ $19) 44...
Ke7 45. Rd3 bxa3 46. bxa3 Rf4+ (46... Rxd3 47. Bxd3 Nc5 48. Bb5 f5 49. Ke3 g5
50. Kd4 Kd6 {should also be winning, but I wanted to keep the rooks. sollte
ebenfalls gewinnen, aber ich wollte die Türme behalten.}) 47. Ke3 f5 48. Rd7+
Kf6 49. Rd6 Re4+ 50. Kf2 Kg5 51. Be8 (51. Bc6 Nc5 $1 $19) 51... Nf4 52. Bb5 Re5
53. Bc4 (53. Bxa4 Re2+ $19) 53... Nh5 {The decisive knight manoeuvre! Black
gives up the a4-pawn, but creates a mating threat! Das entscheidende
Springermanöver! Schwarz gibt den a4-Bauern auf, stellt dafür aber eine
Mattdrohung auf!} 54. Ra6 Nf6 55. Rxa4 Ng4+ 56. Kf1 Kh4 $1 57. Be2 Kg3 58. Bxg4
fxg4 {Because Black's king will go to h2, the endgame is completely hopeless
for White! Da der schwarze König nach h2 gehen wird, ist das Endspiel komplett
hoffnungslos für Weiß!} 59. Rb4 h5 60. a4 Kh2 {White resigned! Weiß gab auf!}
0-1

[Event "Tashkent FIDE GP 2nd"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2012.11.29"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2748"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2012.11.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 152"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 {I
wanted to surprise Alexander by playing this line, as I had played it only
once before, in a rapid game, but I was mistaken...} Nf6 8. O-O Be7 9. f4 d6
10. a4 O-O 11. Kh1 Nxd4 {Of course he was first to surprise me! I did not
expect this rare line.} 12. Qxd4 Bd7 13. e5 Ne8 {I could not believe that
Black can easily put the knight to e8, but the more I thought the more I
understood that it is really hard to set problems, especially without home
preparation.} 14. Bf3 Bc6 {Here I was already upset, as Alexander was clearly
following his preparation, and also because Black is objectively fine.} 15. Qb6
{After the game I was very surprised to find that this line had been played a
few times by Vladimir Potkin, who was the ... second of my opponent in
Tashkent!} Bxf3 16. Rxf3 Rc8 17. a5 Qc6 18. Na4 ({It was probably a little bit
more precise to play} 18. Qb4) 18... f6 19. exd6 Nxd6 20. Qxc6 Rxc6 21. Bc5 {
Finally after natural moves, Black has got a slighlity better endgame. If
somebody had told me at this moment that I would win the game, I would have
been very surprised!} Re8 22. Rd1 Ne4 23. Bxe7 Rxe7 24. c3 e5 25. Kg1 exf4 26.
Rxf4 $11 {Probably Black did not play precisely for the last few moves, at
least I managed to equalise.} g6 27. Rf3 f5 28. Rfd3 Nc5 {Not necessary, but
possible.} 29. Nxc5 Rxc5 30. Rd5 Rxd5 ({An important moment! Here Black could
have forced a draw with the nice} 30... Re1+ $1 31. Rxe1 Rxd5 32. Re7 Rd1+ 33.
Kf2 Rd2+ 34. Re2 Rd5 35. Re7 Rd2+ 36. Re2 Rd5 $11) 31. Rxd5 {Now White at
least has some hopes to fight for a win. At least it is my best position in
the game;-)!} Kf7 32. Rd6 {With the idea to transfer the rook to b6.} Kg7 ({
This manoeuvre looks strange, but the problem is that after the natural} 32...
Re6 $2 {White has} 33. Rd7+ Re7 34. Rxe7+ $1 Kxe7 35. Kf2 Kd6 36. Ke3 Ke5 37.
g3 {It looks like with the kings in the centre and equal material the game
should be drawn, but strangely enough White is winning! For example:} g5 38. h4
h6 39. c4 Kd6 40. b4 Ke5 41. h5 Ke6 42. Kd4 Kd6 43. b5 Ke6 44. bxa6 bxa6 45. c5
$18) 33. Kf2 Kh6 34. Kf3 Kh5 {The endgame is of course drawn, but White has
slightly more active pieces, and some chances of success.} 35. Rb6 Kg5 36. g3
Rc7 37. h3 ({After} 37. c4 {the easiest is} Rxc4 $1 38. h4+ Kh5 39. Rxb7 h6 40.
Rb6 Rc2 {and Black holds.}) 37... Rd7 38. c4 Rd3+ 39. Kf2 Rd7 ({My opponent
was in time-trouble and that is why I was hoping that he would not play} 39...
f4 40. gxf4+ Kxf4 41. Rxb7 Rxh3 {where Black has an easy draw.}) 40. Ke3 Re7+
41. Kf3 Rc7 42. b3 {White has got almost the maximum of what was possible to
get, but the rook endgame is always drawn, and Black is still very solid.} Kh5
43. Kf4 (43. b4 Rxc4 44. Rxb7 Kg5 45. h4+ Kf6 46. Kg2 f4 {was drawish.}) 43...
Rf7 {I could have started with 43.b4 and it was the same as in the game.} 44.
Kf3 ({Nothing is achieved by} 44. Ke5 g5 45. Ke6 Kg6 {followed by ...f4.})
44... g5 (44... Kg5 45. c5 {was a bit slow for Black and probably White is
already much better. That is why I started with 44.Kf4.}) 45. b4 g4+ 46. hxg4+
fxg4+ 47. Ke4 Kg5 48. b5 (48. c5 {but Black also holds here. For example} Re7+
49. Kd4 Rd7+ 50. Ke5 h5 51. b5 axb5 52. Rxb5 Rc7 53. Kd6 Rc6+ 54. Kd5 Rc7 55.
a6 bxa6 56. Rb8 h4 57. Rg8+ Kf5 58. gxh4 Rd7+ 59. Kc6 Rh7 $11) 48... axb5 49.
cxb5 h5 50. a6 Re7+ ({As the game shows it was safer to start with} 50... bxa6)
51. Kd3 Rd7+ 52. Kc4 ({An important line is} 52. Ke3 Re7+ 53. Kf2 Rf7+ 54. Kg2
bxa6 55. bxa6 Rf5 $3 (55... Ra7 56. Rb5+ Kg6 57. Ra5 {is probably lost for
Black}) 56. a7 Ra5 57. Rb5+ Rxb5 58. a8=Q Rf5 $11) 52... Rc7+ $2 {Of course it
is a piece of luck, but after the not so simple endgame Black loses his
concentration just for one move, and it costs him the game.} (52... bxa6 53.
bxa6 {was a simple draw:} Rc7+ 54. Kb4 (54. Kd3 {to go to the line with an
extra queen}) 54... h4 55. Rb5+ Kh6 56. gxh4 Ra7 57. Ka5 g3 58. Rg5 Rg7 $11)
53. Rc6 {Now Black is completely lost.} bxc6 54. b6 Rc8 55. b7 Rb8 56. Kc5 h4
57. a7 Rxb7 58. a8=Q Rh7 59. Qg8+ Kh6 60. gxh4 Rg7 61. Qh8+ Kg6 62. h5+ Kf7 63.
h6 Rg5+ 64. Kd6 g3 65. Qh7+ Kf6 66. Qe7+ Kf5 67. Qxg5+ Kxg5 68. h7 1-0

[Event "Tashkent FIDE GP 2nd"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2012.12.04"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "2012.11.22"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 152"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.01.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c4 {In the early days of the Sveshnikov
System, this resolute move was hardly taken seriously, mainly because White
irrevocably weakens the d4- and c5-squares. Practice of the past years has
shown that it is not that simple for Black to take advantage of his trumps. If
his blocking plan fails, he will find himself in a worse endgame, with just
another pawn (b4) on a dark square.} b4 12. Nc2 O-O 13. g3 Be6 {There are
several ways of dealing with the potentially "bad bishop".} ({Some players
prefer activating it at once with} 13... Bg5 {, thus freeing the queen from
the task of defending it.} 14. Bg2 Qa5 15. O-O Qc5 16. b3 Be6 $2 {This kind of
carelessness is typical for blitz chess.} ({Black should have prepared the
bishop's development with} 16... Rb8) 17. h4 $2 ({Missing his chance:} 17. Nc7
Ra7 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Qg4 Raf7 20. Qxe6 Kh8 21. Kh1 $1 $16 Rxf2 $2 22. Rxf2
Qxf2 23. Rf1 $18) 17... Bh6 18. Nde3 $6 {Allowing Black to solve all his
strategic problems.} Bxe3 $1 19. Nxe3 a5 {with excellent play, Balogh,C (2616)
-Wang Yue (2736)/Beijing (blitz) 2008/CBM 126 Extra (0-1, 50)}) 14. Bg2 ({
Alternatively, White can prevent ...Bg5 with:} 14. h4 a5 15. Bg2 Re8 16. Qd3
Rb8 17. Bh3 Be7 {Freeing the queen takes a bit more time than in the previous
example, which compensates for White's tempo spent on h2-h4.} 18. Kf1 Qc8 19.
Kg2 Bd8 20. Rad1 Qb7 21. b3 Bb6 $6 {In this concrete position, exchanging this
bishop does not work out well. White is better mobilised and the pressure
against d6 makes it difficult for Black to maintain the blockade on c5.} ({
Actually, the bishop stands well on d8, controlling the d5-knight and being
prepared to defend d6 if the knight retreats. Therefore, a neutral move such as
} 21... Ra8 $5 {preparing ...a5-a4 deserves attention.}) 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Nxb6
Qxb6 24. Rd2 $14 Rbd8 {A bit passive, since the threat against d6 is not real
yet.} (24... a4 $5 25. Qxd6 $2 Rbd8 $19) 25. Rhd1 Nb8 {Black is still dreaming
of installing the knight on c5, but this is not realistic. The temporary
knight retreat to a passive square allows White to develop his initiative.} (
25... Rd7 $5) 26. Qe3 ({The pawn break} 26. c5 $1 {which Nisipeanu will carry
out later was already possible.} Qxc5 27. Ne3 Nc6 28. Rc2 Qb6 29. Nc4 $16 {
[%cal Gc4d6]}) 26... Qc6 27. Ne1 Rd7 (27... Na6 28. Nd3 $16) 28. Nf3 Qc7 (28...
Red8 29. c5 Qxc5 30. Qxc5 dxc5 31. Rxd7 Rxd7 32. Rc1 Rc7 33. Nxe5 $16) 29. Qg5
Ree7 30. c5 $1 $18 dxc5 (30... Qxc5 31. Rxd6 $1 $18) 31. Rxd7 Rxd7 32. Rxd7
Nxd7 33. Qe7 $18 {Nisipeanu,L (2683)-Spasov,V (2621)/Baile Herculane 2010/CBM
138 Extra (1-0, 41)}) 14... Bg5 ({And here is another example from Nisipeanu's
recent practice:} 14... a5 15. O-O Rc8 16. Qd3 g6 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. b3 Qe7 19.
Rad1 Rfd8 20. h4 {Nisipeanu,L (2672)-Radjabov,T (2740)/Medias 2010/CBM 137/
[Nisipeanu] (1-0, 39)}) 15. O-O Qb8 (15... a5 {Anand,V (2791)-Gelfand,B (2727)/
Moscow 2012/CBM 149/[Krasenkow] (1/2, 27)}) 16. b3 a5 {So far, both sides have
manoeuvred in the spirit of existing theory, but now comes a surprise.} 17. f4
$5 $146 {Not only a new move, but also an unusual concept. White gains space
and obstructs the c1-h6 diagonal at the cost of allowing Black to get rid of
one of his pawns placed on a dark square.} (17. Nde3 Rd8 18. Nf5 g6 19. h4 Bf6
20. Nfe3 h5 21. Kh2 Bg7 22. Bh3 Qa7 23. Qe2 Nd4 24. Qd3 Qc5 $11 {Salgado Lopez,
I (2623)-Tregubov,P (2596)/Forni di Sopra 2012 (1/2, 68)}) 17... Bd8 {As we
can see from the next comment, Black does not need to consider exchanging on
f4 yet.} 18. Kh1 (18. f5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Nd4 20. Nxd4 Qa7 $1 {is at least fine
for Black.}) 18... Ra7 ({The merits of} 18... exf4 {largely depend on the
final evaluation of the next variation.}) 19. Qh5 (19. f5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Nd4 21.
Nxd4 exd4 22. f6 $1 {Otherwise, the bishop would return to f6 with better
chances for Black.} Bxf6 23. Rxf6 gxf6 24. Be4 f5 25. Bxf5 Qb6 26. Qh5 f6 27.
Re1 d3 $132 {[%cal Gb6d4] White's initiative looks dangerous, but Black is
kicking back.}) 19... f6 $6 {After this "ugly" move, ...exf4 becomes
unappealing, which allows White prepare the kingside attack based on f4-f5 at
his leisure.} ({There seems to be nothing wrong with} 19... exf4 20. gxf4 a4
$132 {Black has started some queenside counterplay already, while the kingside
attack does not look too promising:} 21. f5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Ne5 23. f6 Bxf6 24.
Rxf6 gxf6 25. Nd4 Ng6 26. Nc6 (26. Nf5 Kh8) 26... Qb6 27. Nxa7 Qxa7 $15) ({
Actually, the immediate} 19... a4 {is worth mentioning, since after} 20. f5 {
Black can reduce White's attacking potential with the intermediate} axb3 $1)
20. Rad1 Ne7 {Black relies too much on the solid character of his position and
does not care about starting his counterplay.} (20... a4 $5) 21. Nce3 Bb6 22.
Nxb6 Qxb6 23. Rd3 Qc5 24. Qd1 Rd8 25. f5 $1 Bf7 26. g4 $40 {After thorough
regrouping, White switches to the main plan: a massive kingside attack!
Black's position is critical already.} a4 27. g5 axb3 (27... fxg5 28. Qg4 h6
29. h4 $40) 28. axb3 Kf8 29. Qg4 ({The move order} 29. gxf6 gxf6 30. Qg4 {
was possible, but not necessary (see the next comment)}) 29... Rda8 (29... Ng8
{, hoping to capture on f6 with the knight fails to} 30. g6 $1 hxg6 31. fxg6
Be8 (31... Nh6 32. Qh4 Bxg6 33. Nd5 {[%csl Gf6][%cal Gd3g3]}) 32. Qh5 Bd7 33.
Bh3 $18) 30. gxf6 gxf6 31. Qh4 Ng8 32. Ng4 (32. Bf3 Ra1 33. Bd1 $18 {[%cal
Gf1g1,Gh4g3]}) 32... Ke7 33. Qxh7 $16 {White is a pawn up and the black king
is exposed. besides, the black knight has problems getting back into the game.
Black's control over the dark squares offers him just a feeble consolation.}
Ra1 34. Ne3 Kf8 35. Qh4 R8a2 36. Qg3 Qc6 37. h3 Rxf1+ 38. Nxf1 Ra1 39. Kh2 Ra2
40. Qe1 Bh5 (40... Qc5 41. Ne3 $18 {[%cal Gd3d2,Ge3c2]}) 41. Ng3 Be8 42. Qxb4
Qc5 43. Qe1 Bc6 44. Nf1 Nh6 45. Qh4 Nf7 46. Qe1 Ke7 47. h4 Nh6 48. Rd2 Qa5 49.
Kh3 Ra3 50. Qg3 Nf7 51. Rd3 Qa8 52. Ne3 Qh8 53. c5 Ra2 $6 (53... dxc5 54. Nc2 (
54. Nc4 Ra2 $14) 54... Ra5 (54... Ra2 55. Qf2 Ra5 56. b4 cxb4 57. Qb6 $18) (
54... Ng5+ 55. Kg4 $18) 55. Qe1 Qa8 56. Rg3 $16) 54. cxd6+ Nxd6 55. Nd5+ Bxd5
56. Rxd5 Qc8 57. b4 Rc2 58. Kh2 Qc4 59. Rc5 Qe2 60. Qg8 Nf7 61. Rxc2 Qxc2 62.
Qb8 Qd2 63. Qa7+ Kf8 64. Qc5+ Kg7 65. b5 Nh6 66. Qe7+ Nf7 67. Qa3 Nd6 68. b6
Nxe4 69. Qf3 Nd6 70. b7 Qb4 71. Qh5 Nf7 72. Bd5 Nh8 73. Kh3 Qb1 74. Qg4+ Kh6
75. Qf3 Qb6 76. Qb3 Qf2 77. b8=Q Qxf5+ 78. Kh2 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 75th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2013.01.14"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Wang, Hao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "Sumets,A"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2013.01.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 153"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nf6 $5 (5... Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7
7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O Ne5 {In this position Karjakin has chosen
between 10.h4 and 10.Kb1:} 10. h4 (10. Kb1 c6 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Bd3 Qa5 13. Qe2
Be6 14. c4 Rfe8 (14... Rad8 15. Bd2 Qc7 16. Bc3 Bd6 17. g4 b5 18. h4 b4 19. Bd2
Bc5 20. Rde1 Bd4 21. h5 $1 (21. Bxb4 Bxb2 22. Kxb2 Qb6 23. a3 c5 24. Qe3 cxb4
25. Qxb6 bxa3+ 26. Kxa3 axb6 $11) 21... a5 22. f4 f5 $6 (22... c5 23. fxe5 a4
24. Qe4 g6 25. Bh6 $16) 23. fxe5 fxg4 24. Rhf1 $16 {Karjakin,S-Frolyanov,D
Moscow RUS 2013 1-0 (35)}) 15. g4 e4 16. Bxe4 Bf6 17. g5 (17. a3 $5 Rab8 18. g5
Bxg5 19. Qh5 h6 20. Rhg1 Bf5 21. Bxf5 Qxf5 22. Bxg5 Rbd8 $1 23. f4 hxg5 24.
Qxg5 $14) 17... Bxb2 $11 18. Kxb2 Qb4+ 19. Kc1 Bxc4 20. Bd3 Qa3+ 21. Kd2 Qa5+
22. Kc1 Qa3+ 23. Kd2 Qa5+ 24. Kc1 {1/2-1/2 Karjakin,S-Mamedyarov,S/ Porto
Carras 2011/EXT 2012}) 10... c6 11. c4 Be6 12. Ng5 Bf5 13. Kb1 Re8 14. f3 h6
15. Be2 d5 16. g4 Bg6 $6 17. f4 dxc4 18. Qc3 $40 {[Ftacnik,L] Karjakin,
S-Kramnik,V Moscow 2010/CBM 139 1-0 (32)}) (5... Bf5 $4 {A terrible blunder} 6.
Qe2 {1-0 Zapata,A-Anand,V Biel-B 1988} Qe7 7. Nd5 Qd7 8. d3 $18) 6. d4 Be7 7.
Bd3 (7. Bf4 O-O 8. Bd3 Re8 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Re1 Nf8 11. h3 Be6 12. Ng5 h6 13.
Nge4 Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Bf5 $11 {Wang Hao-Bu Xiangzhi Ningbo 2012 1/2-1/2 (26)} (
14... Ng6 15. Bg3 Bh4 $11)) (7. h3 O-O 8. Bd3 Re8 9. O-O b6 10. Re1 Bb7 11. Bf4
a6 12. Ne4 Nbd7 13. Nfd2 Nd5 14. Bh2 f5 15. Ng3 g6 16. Qf3 b5 17. Nxf5 gxf5 18.
Bxf5 Nf8 19. c4 $16 {Vachier Lagrave,M-Giri,A Emsdetten GER 2012 1/2-1/2 (43)})
7... O-O 8. O-O Re8 9. Ne2 Nbd7 (9... Nc6 10. c3 d5 11. Ng3 Bd6 12. Nf5 Bf8 (
12... Bxf5 $5 13. Bxf5 Ne4 $13) 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Ne3 Qd6 16. Qb3 (
16. h4 $1 Be6 17. Bc2 Ne7 18. h5 $40) 16... Be6 17. Rfe1 a6 18. Re2 b5 19. Rae1
Re7 20. Bb1 (20. Qc2 $14) 20... g6 21. h4 h5 22. Ng5 Na5 23. Qd1 Rae8 $11 24.
Nxe6 Rxe6 25. g3 Nc4 26. Nxc4 bxc4 27. Rxe6 Rxe6 28. Rxe6 Qxe6 29. b3 cxb3 30.
axb3 a5 {1/2-1/2 Yu Yangyi-Bu Xiangzhi/Xinghua CHN 2012}) 10. Ng3 Nf8 11. c4 $6
(11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. Bxf5 Ng6 $6 (12... d5 13. c3 c6 14. Re1 Bd6 $11 {Black has a
very solid position}) 13. Qd3 d5 14. Re1 Bd6 $2 15. Bg5 $16 {Panarin,M-Rabiega,
R playchess.com INT 2004 1/2-1/2 (32)}) (11. c3 {I think that this ancient
move is the strongest one} Ng6 12. h3 d5 13. Ne5 c5 14. Be3 (14. Kh1 $6 {
Wolf, H-Burn,A Ostend 1905 HCL 1-0 (45)}) 14... Qc7 15. f4 $14) 11... d5 $1 12.
c5 {It is difficult to offer something better than 12.c5.} (12. h3 dxc4 13.
Bxc4 Be6 $11) 12... Bg4 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Ne6 15. Be3 g6 $1 {The key move
that Black needed to foresee in advance when he played 11... d5!} 16. Rae1 c6
17. b4 Nd7 18. Qd1 $6 (18. Qg4 $5 {trying to prevent Bg5} Nf6 (18... Bg5 $4 19.
Bxg5 Qxg5 20. Rxe6 $18) 19. Qd1 Nd7 20. Qg4 $11 (20. Qd2 Bg5 21. Bxg5 Qxg5 $11)
(20. Qc1 Bf6 21. Ne2 Bg7 {With the further ...Qh4, ... Nf6-e4 Black has very
good counterplay})) (18. b5 $6 Bf6 19. Qg4 Bg7 20. bxc6 bxc6 21. Bc2 Rb8 $15)
18... a6 19. Ne2 Bg5 20. Kh1 (20. Bxg5 Qxg5 21. f4 Qh4 $15) (20. f4 Bh4 21. Bf2
Bxf2+ 22. Rxf2 f5 $15) 20... Bxe3 21. fxe3 f5 $15 {It is difficult to believe
that Black eventually lost the game.} 22. Ng1 Qh4 23. Nf3 Qh6 24. Re2 Ng5 25.
Qe1 Nf6 $6 (25... Ne4 26. Bxe4 (26. Kh2 Ndf6 27. Ne5 Re7 28. a4 Rae8 29. Kg1 (
29. b5 $2 Nxc5) 29... Qg5 $15) 26... Rxe4 27. Nd2 (27. Qg3 $6 f4) 27... Re7 28.
Rf3 Rae8 29. Qf2 Nf8 $15) 26. Nxg5 Qxg5 27. g4 $1 Ne4 $2 {Black didn't feel
the danger. It was time to make a draw.} (27... Qh6 $1 28. Kg2 Qg5 29. Qg3 (29.
Kh1 Qh6 $11) 29... Ne4 30. Bxe4 Rxe4 31. gxf5 Qxg3+ 32. Kxg3 Rf8 33. Rf4 Rxf4
34. exf4 Rxf5 $11) 28. Bxe4 {The situation on the board has changed
drastically. Black should fight for a draw now.} fxe4 (28... Rxe4 $5 {is
probably Black's best chance to save the game.} 29. gxf5 Rh4 (29... gxf5 $4 30.
Rg1) 30. Rf3 Rf8 31. Kh2 Qg4 32. Rg3 Qxf5 33. Rxg6+ hxg6 34. Qxh4 Kg7 {with
some compensation for the pawn}) 29. Qg3 Rf8 30. Ref2 Qe7 31. Kg2 Rxf2+ 32.
Rxf2 Kg7 (32... Rf8 $5 33. g5 Rxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Qd8 35. h4 {Black has to avoid
the queen exchange. In a position of mutual zugzwang White has at least 3
tempi a3, a4, a5. If Black plays with computer precision, probably he will
make a draw.}) (32... g5 $6 33. Rf5 h6 (33... Rf8 34. Qd6 Qxd6 35. cxd6 Rd8 36.
Rxg5+ Kf7 37. Rf5+ Kg6 38. h4 Rxd6 39. h5+ Kg7 40. g5 $16 {I think that Black
cannot hold this endgame}) 34. h4 gxh4 35. Qf4 Rf8 36. Qxh6 $1 ({now due to
the weakness of pawn e3, the pawn endgame seems to be OK for Black. For example
} 36. Rxf8+ Qxf8 37. Qxf8+ Kxf8 38. Kh3 Kg7 39. Kxh4 Kf6 40. Kh5 Kg7 41. g5
hxg5 42. Kxg5 Kh7 $1 43. Kf6 Kh6 $11) 36... Rxf5 37. Qg6+ (37. gxf5 $4 Qg7+ 38.
Qxg7+ Kxg7 $11) 37... Kh8 38. Qxf5 $18) 33. g5 a5 {Trying to create some
counterplay.} 34. bxa5 Rxa5 35. h4 Ra8 36. Qd6 $1 Qxd6 37. cxd6 Rf8 (37... Rd8
38. Rf6 Rd7 39. Kg3 Rf7 40. Re6 b5 41. h5 gxh5 42. Kh4 $18) 38. Rf4 $1 Ra8 (
38... Rxf4 39. exf4 Kf8 40. f5 $18) 39. Kg3 Rxa2 40. Rf6 Ra8 (40... Ra7 $5 41.
Kf4 (41. d7 $4 Ra8 42. Rd6 Rd8) 41... Ra8 42. h5 (42. Ke5 $4 Re8+ 43. Kf4 (43.
Re6 $4 Kf7 $19) 43... Rf8 $11) 42... gxh5 43. Kf5 h4 44. d7 $18) 41. Re6 Rd8
42. Re7+ {Black's position is hopeless.} (42. Re7+ Kf8 (42... Kg8 43. d7 Kf8
44. Rxh7 Kg8 45. Re7 Kf8 46. Re6 $18) 43. Rxh7 Rxd6 44. Rxb7 Rd8 45. Rc7 Rd6
46. Kg4 Kg8 47. h5 $18) 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 1st"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2013.05.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2745"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2013.05.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 {A tricky move order.} ({Since Radjabov seem to be
well prepared after} 3. Bb5 e6 {, Karjakin induces ...g6 before playing his
bishop to b5.}) 3... g6 4. Bb5 Bg7 5. O-O e5 6. d3 Nge7 7. Bc4 {This may be a
preparation for either Bg5 or Ng5.} ({Yet,} 7. Bg5 f6 8. Be3 {Hansen,
C-Gruenberg,R Esbjerg 1980 (1-0, 39), looks pleasant for White all the same.})
7... h6 {Hard to say whether this is really necessary. What could Black had
feared after 7...0-0?} (7... O-O $5 8. Bg5 {This looks like the critical line.}
(8. Ne1 {Morozevich,A (2732)-Ivanchuk,V (2716)/Monaco 2004/CBM 099 ext (1-0,
41), does not look like a refutation of the last move.}) (8. Ng5 h6 9. Nh3 d6
10. f4 Na5 {Naumkin,I (2470)-Krasenkow,M (2380)/Norilsk 1987/EXT 97 (0-1, 29),
also is far from clear.}) 8... h6 {0-1 (32) Planinec,A (2475)-Parma,B (2540)
Belgrade 1978} 9. Bxe7 Nxe7 10. a4 {with nice play on the light squares.}) 8.
a3 $5 $146 O-O 9. b4 {Played in the spirit of the Evans Gambit!} d6 (9... cxb4
10. axb4 Nxb4 11. Ba3 Nbc6 (11... Nec6 12. Nb5 {[%csl Gf8][%cal Gc2c3]} Re8 13.
Nd6 $16) 12. Bd6 $16) 10. bxc5 dxc5 11. Re1 Kh7 12. Nd5 $14 {Starting with
this moment, White consistently increases his domination on the light squares.}
Be6 13. Nxe7 Qxe7 14. Bd5 Nd4 15. Nd2 Bxd5 16. exd5 Rad8 17. c3 Nb5 18. c4 Nd4
19. a4 Qd7 20. Rb1 b6 21. Bb2 Rfe8 22. a5 Qc7 23. Qa4 f5 24. axb6 axb6 25. Bxd4
cxd4 26. Qc6 Qxc6 27. dxc6 Rc8 28. Rxb6 Re6 29. f4 e4 30. dxe4 fxe4 31. Rxe4
Rexc6 32. Rxc6 Rxc6 33. Re7 Kg8 34. Rd7 Bf8 35. Ne4 d3 36. Kf2 Ba3 37. Rd4 Kf7
38. Ke3 Bc1+ 39. Nd2 Bxd2+ 40. Kxd2 Ra6 41. c5 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 1st"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2013.05.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Wang, Hao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B65"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Szabo,Kr"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2013.05.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. f4 Bd7 11. Bc4 Qa5 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Bc6 14. Bd2
Nd7 15. Nd5 Qc5 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. Rhe1 Nb6 18. Bf1 Rfd8 19. Qf4 {Karjakin's
favourite move.} (19. Qg4 {is the main line.}) 19... Rac8 20. Kb1 $146 {
The first novetly in the game. A very logical move, removing the king from the
c-file.} ({In 2007 Karjakin himself played} 20. Bb4 Rxd1+ (20... Qe8 21. Rxd8
Rxd8 22. c4 Nc8 23. Re3 Ne7 24. Ra3 a6 25. g3 Bh1 26. Rd3 Rc8 27. Rc3 Ng6 28.
Qd4 Qc6 29. h4 h6 30. b3 Bg2 31. Be2 Bh1 32. Kb2 $14 {and White is slightly
better, Alekseev-Cs.Balogh, Germany 2007.}) 21. Rxd1 Qe8 22. Qd4 Nd5 23. Bd6 b5
24. Bd3 Qd8 25. Kb1 a6 26. Rf1 Qd7 {(Karjakin-Miroshnichenko, Evpatoria 2007)}
27. g4 $14 {and White has a very comfortable position.}) 20... Ba4 $6 {An
inaccuracy. After this White gains some important tempi.} (20... Rd5 21. c4 Rd7
22. Bc1 {with a typical middlegame.}) 21. b3 Qc5 22. c4 Rd4 $2 {Black
continues the wrong plan.} (22... Bc6 23. Bc3 $14 {and White has a promising
position.}) 23. Be3 {Maybe not the best move, but White is also better after
this.} (23. Qf2 $1 {was the strongest answer, because of} Rcd8 24. Bc1 $1 Bc6
25. Rd2 $1 $18 {and the black Q can't go out from the pin, so the d4 R will be
lost.}) 23... Rxf4 24. Bxc5 Bc6 25. Kb2 $16 {In this endgame White has a clear
advantage, because he has the pair of B, his R controls the d-file and he
threatens a dangerous P advance on the Q side.} h5 {Threatens Bxg2.} ({The
immediate} 25... Bxg2 $2 {doesn't work, as Black gets mates on his back rank.}
26. Bxg2 Rxc5 27. Rd8#) 26. g3 Rg4 27. Be3 Bf3 28. Rd4 Rxd4 29. Bxd4 g5 30. a4
$1 {Karjakin starts with his P advance.} Rd8 31. Kc3 Nc8 32. b4 a6 33. Bc5 g4
34. b5 axb5 35. axb5 Kg7 36. Bd3 f5 37. exf6+ Kxf6 38. Bd4+ Kf7 39. h4 {
Black's position is completely hopeless, so he didn't want to continue the
game.} 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 1st"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2013.05.12"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Motylev,A"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2013.05.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 155"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{After starting with two wins in Stavanger, Sergey had to face a very tough
opponent. His personal score vs Levon was far from satisfactory. This win
helped Sergey to make an amazing start (4 out of 4) and become the winner of
the first Norwegian supertournament.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5.
b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg2 c6 9. e4 d5 10. exd5 cxd5 11. Ne5 {
Levon plays again the variation he himself introduced to modern chess theory
in the game with... Sergey Karjakin!} Bb7 (11... Nfd7 12. O-O $1 Nxe5 13. dxe5
Nd7 14. Re1 dxc4 15. Bxa8 Qxa8 16. Bh6 $1 Rd8 17. Qg4 Bf8 18. Rad1 {...1-0 (30)
Aronian,L (2816)-Karjakin,S (2778) Sao Paulo/Bilbao 2012}) 12. O-O Nc6 13. Bf4
Na5 14. Rc1 Ba3 15. Rb1 Bb4 16. Na4 ({Some days before Leko played} 16. Ne2 {
and got a big advantage quickly, but somehow neither Hammer nor Aronian later
had any intention of repeating this line.} Nc6 17. Bg5 Be7 18. Nf4 Ne4 19. cxd5
exd5 20. Nxc6 Bxc6 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. Re1 Qf6 23. Rc1 Bb7 24. Re2 Rae8 25. Rc7
Ba8 26. Rxa7 Bc6 27. Rc2 Qd6 28. Qc1 Qb8 29. Ra3 Bb7 30. b4 Qd6 31. Rb3 Qf6 32.
Qb2 g5 33. Nd3 Nd6 34. a4 Nf5 35. Ne5 Nxd4 36. Qxd4 Qxe5 37. Qxe5 Rxe5 38. Re3
Ree8 39. Rc7 Ba8 40. Ra7 Rc8 41. h3 d4 42. Re5 d3 43. Rxg5+ Kh8 44. Bxa8 Rxa8
45. Rd7 Rfd8 46. Rgd5 Rxd7 47. Rxd7 Rxa4 48. b5 Rb4 49. Kg2 Rxb5 50. Rxd3 Kg7
51. Rd6 Rb4 52. g4 Rb1 53. Kg3 b5 54. Rb6 b4 55. Kf4 Rh1 56. Rxb4 Rxh3 57. Ke4
{1/2 (57) Leko,P (2744)-Karjakin,S (2786) Zug SUI 2013}) 16... Ne4 17. a3 Be7
18. cxd5 {Levon deviates from the game of the second round Hammer-Karjakin,
which continues} (18. Qd3 f6 $1 19. Ng4 Re8 ({The engine suggests} 19... Ba6 $5
20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Qxe4 e5 $1 22. dxe5 f5 23. Nh6+ gxh6 24. Qe3 Qe8 {and Black
looks better}) 20. cxd5 exd5 21. f3 Nd6 22. Rfc1 Bf8 23. Ne3 Nf7 24. b4 Nc6 25.
b5 $2 Nce5 $1 26. dxe5 fxe5 27. Bxe5 Nxe5 28. Qd4 Qf6 {Black got the advantage
and Sergey managed to win in the end.} 29. Kh1 Nd7 30. Qd3 Nc5 31. Nxc5 Bxc5
32. Nxd5 Qf7 33. Nb4 Re3 34. Qd2 Rae8 35. Re1 Bxf3 36. Rxe3 Bxe3 37. Qd3 Bxg2+
38. Kxg2 Bc5 39. Rf1 Qe6 40. Nc6 a5 41. a4 Qe2+ 42. Qxe2 Rxe2+ 43. Kh3 Re4 44.
Rf5 Rc4 45. Rd5 Kf7 46. Rh5 Rxa4 47. Rxh7 Re4 48. Rh8 a4 49. Ra8 a3 50. Nd8+
Kf6 51. Nb7 Be7 52. Ra6 Ke5 53. Kg2 Rb4 54. Rxb6 Ra4 {0-1 (54) Hammer,J (2608)
-Karjakin,S (2767) Sandnes NOR 2013}) 18... exd5 19. b4 Nc6 20. Rc1 Rc8 21. Bh3
f5 22. f3 Nd6 {Black's position looks normal, so it's not clear what Levon
could have missed in his preparation.} 23. Qd3 Nxe5 $5 24. dxe5 (24. Bxe5 g6 {
and Black is slightly better, perhaps.}) 24... Rxc1 25. Bxc1 $6 ({Major
complications could follow} 25. Rxc1 Nc4 $8 26. Bxf5 Kh8 $1 {but it looks like
Black is all right since} 27. Bxh7 {doesn't work in view of} Bg5 $1) 25... Nc4
$1 {Now Black gains the initiative.} 26. f4 (26. Bxf5 Nxe5 27. Bxh7+ Kh8 $15)
26... b5 $1 27. Nc3 $6 (27. Nc5 {was bad too -} Bxc5+ 28. bxc5 d4 $1) ({
The ugly} 27. Nb2 {was perhaps better:} d4 28. Bg2 Bxg2 29. Kxg2 Qd5+ $15)
27... Qb6+ ({The immediate} 27... d4 $1 {was very strong too, perhaps even
better.} 28. Nxb5 Qd5 29. Nxd4 Bd8 $3 $19) 28. Rf2 d4 29. Ne2 (29. Nxb5 {
does not work:} Qxb5 30. Bf1 Rc8 31. Rc2 Bd5 32. Qxf5 Qb7) ({A more stubborn
try was probably} 29. Na4 $5 Qc7 30. Bf1 Qd7 $17) 29... Rd8 $1 {/\ ...Be4} 30.
Qxf5 d3 $1 31. Qe6+ Kf8 32. Qf5+ $6 ({It is very unlikely that White can save
the endgame after} 32. Qxb6 axb6 33. Nc3 d2 34. Bxd2 Nxd2 35. Bg2 Bc8 {but it
was a better try.}) 32... Ke8 $1 {The king easily escapes now.} 33. Qxh7 (33.
e6 Rd6 $1 34. Qxh7 Kd8 $19) 33... d2 $1 34. Bxd2 Rxd2 35. e6 Rd1+ 36. Bf1 Qxe6
37. Qh5+ Kf8 38. Nc3 Qc6 {A very important win with convincing play by Sergey
Karjakin.} 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel-A 76th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2014.01.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2759"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2014.01.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "20"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 159"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 {Before this game there was a rest day on which I spent
approximately five hours preparing 2...Nc6, and although I also thought about
preparing for the Najdorf I rejected the latter idea without much thought. 
Vor dieser Partie gab es einen Ruhetag, an dem ich ungefähr fünf Stunden auf
die Vorbereitung von 2...Nc6 verwendete, und obwohl ich auch daran dachte,
mich für Najdorf zu präparieren, verwarf ich diese Idee ohne größeres
Nachdenken.} 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 {Two years previously I
had tried 6.Be3 against Boris, but, to tell the truth, unsuccessfully. Zwei
Jahre zuvor hatte ich gegen Boris 6.Be3 ausprobiert, aber, ehrlich gesagt,
ohne Erfolg.} e5 7. Nde2 h5 {The most fashionable continuation! Black does not
allow his opponent to play g4 and ties in the white forces.  Die modischste
Erwiderung! Schwarz lässt den Gegner nicht zu g4 kommen und bindet die weißen
Kräfte.} 8. g3 b5 {This is by far not the most popular, but quite a serious
counter! Black would like to develop his pieces very comfortably and if White
wants to fight for a superiority he has to set about matters energetically! 
Das ist bei weitem nicht die populärste, aber eine ziemlich strenge
Entgegnung! Schwarz möchte mit allen Annehmlichkeiten die Figuren entwickeln
und wenn Weiß um Übergewicht kämpfen will, muss er energisch zu Werke gehen!}
9. Bg5 {Since this position has not been explored, only future practice will
show what the most precise setups are for both sides. Over the board it seemed
logical to me to fight for the d5-square. Da diese Position nicht erforscht
ist, wird erst die weitere Praxis zeigen, welche die genauesten Aufstellungen
für beide Seiten sind. Am Brett erschien es mir logisch, um den Punkt d5 zu
kämpfen.} Nbd7 10. Nd5 Bb7 11. Nec3 Rc8 12. Bg2 ({At the board, after Auf} 12.
h4 {I feared befürchtete ich am Brett} Qa5 $5 {intending to meet mit der Idee}
13. b4 {with mit} Nxd5 $5 14. bxa5 Nxc3 15. Qc1 Bxe4 16. Rh2 d5 {after which
the position seemed totally unclear to me. Black has two knights and a pawn
for the queen, but White's pieces are scattered, the h2-rook is out of play
and I was afraid of going in for this line. zu beantworten, wonach mir die
Position völlig unklar zu sein schien. Schwarz hat zwei Springer und einen
Bauern für die Dame, aber die weißen Figuren sind zerstreut, der Turm h2 ist
außer Spiel und mich darauf einzulassen, machte mir Angst.}) 12... Be7 13. Nxe7
Qxe7 14. h4 {Played with the intention of bringing the bishop to h3 at some
point or other. Mit der Idee gespielt, in irgendeinem Moment den Läufer nach
h3 zu bringen.} Nb6 {Fighting for the centre and preparing to ensconce the
knight on c4.  Kämpft um das Zentrum und bereitet die Einnistung des Springers
auf c4 vor.} 15. Qd3 {Here long castling seemed logical to me, in order to
take advantage of the vulnerability of the d6-pawn. Hier erschien mir die
lange Rochade logisch, um mir die Verwundbarkeit des Bauern d6 zunutze zu
machen.} Qc7 ({Perhaps it made sense to complete development with Vielleicht
war es sinnvoll, mit} 15... O-O {Then die Entwicklung zu vollenden. Es könnte}
16. O-O-O b4 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Rc5 {could follow with unclear play. mit
unklarem Spiel folgen.}) 16. Bh3 ({Serious consideration needed to be given to
Ernsthafte Aufmerksamkeit verdiente} 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. O-O $1 {By destroying
his opponent's structure and hiding hs own king in a safe place, White can
count on a slight advantage. For example, b4 could be simply met with Nd1 and
the transfer of the knight to e3. Indem er dem Gegner die Struktur zerrüttet
und seinen eigenen König an einem sicheren Ort versteckt, kann Weiß auf einen
kleinen Vorteil rechnen. Beispielsweise ließe sich b4 mit einfach Nd1 und
Überführung des Springers nach e3 beantworten.}) 16... Rb8 ({Here it made
sense to remove the king's knight from the threat: Hier war es sinnvoll, den
Königsspringer der Bedrohung zu entziehen:} 16... Nfd7 $1 17. O-O-O b4 18. Nd5
Bxd5 19. exd5 {with complicated play. mit kompliziertem Spiel.}) 17. Bxf6 gxf6
18. O-O-O {At this point I was satisfied with the results of the opening.
Boris was already starting to suffer from a slight lack of thinking time. The
black king can no longer find a safe refuge on either side of the board. Hier
war ich mit den Ergebnissen der Eröffnung zufrieden. Boris begann bereits,
unter einem leichten Mangel an Bedenkzeit zu leiden. Der schwarze König wird
an keinem Flügel mehr sicheren Unterschlupf finden.} b4 (18... Ke7 19. Kb1 {
does not get rid of Black's problems. entledigt den Schwarzen nicht seiner
Probleme.}) 19. Nd5 Nxd5 {The exchange of all the minor pieces in no way
brings any relief to Black, but rather increases his problems with his king.
Der Tausch sämtlicher Leichtfiguren verschafft Schwarz keineswegs
Erleichterung, sondern vertieft seine Probleme mit dem König eher noch.} ({
He had to play Notwendig war} 19... Bxd5 20. exd5 Qc4 {and White has the
pleasant choice between und Weiß hat die angenehme Wahl zwischen} 21. Kb1 $5 ({
and oder} 21. Qxc4 Nxc4 22. Rd3) 21... Qxd3 22. cxd3 Na4 (22... Nxd5 23. d4)
23. Bf5 {In both cases with a slight superiority. . In beiden Fällen mit
geringem Übergewicht.}) 20. exd5 Bc8 21. f4 Bxh3 $6 ({Perhaps Vielleicht war} 
21... a5 {was the lesser evil. There Black retains chances of a successful
defence. das kleinere Übel. Schwarz behält hier Chancen auf eine erfolgreiche
Verteidigung.}) 22. Rxh3 $14 {Here White is clearly better and has a rather
simple game. The rooks are transferred to f1 and f2. Then it is impossible to
see what Black can do about his exposed king. At the same time Boris had less
than 20 minutes left on his clock here. My mood was pretty optimistic at this
point. Hier steht Weiß klar besser und hat ein ziemlich einfaches Spiel. Die
Türme werden nach f1 und f2 überführt. Dann ist nicht zu sehen, was Schwarz
mit seinem offenen König machen soll. Zudem hatte Boris hier weniger als 20
Minuten auf der Uhr. Ich war hier schon ziemlich optimistisch gestimmt.} Kf8 {
Perhaps not the best but it is hard to suggest anything better for Black.
Vielleicht nicht das beste, aber es ist schwer, Schwarz etwas Klügeres
vorzuschlagen.} ({After Auf} 22... Rc8 {, for example, ist beispielsweise} 23.
Rh2 Qc4 24. Qf5 {with a major advantage is unpleasant. mit großem Vorteil
unangenehm.}) 23. fxe5 fxe5 24. Rh2 Kg7 25. Rf2 Rh6 26. Qxa6 $6 {In Boris'
time trouble I let myself be drawn into winning this pawn; I should have
simply followed my plan with Rfdf1 and I would have been able to achieve a
great advantage! In der Zeitnot von Boris ließ ich mich zu diesem Bauerngewinn
hinreißen, dabei hätte ich mit Rdf1 einfach meinem Plan folgen und damit
großen Vorteil erzielen können!} (26. Rdf1 $1) 26... b3 $1 {Boris finds the
best chance!  Boris findet die beste Chance!} 27. axb3 Rxb3 28. Qc6 {An
inaccuracy, but the position has already become sharper. Eine Ungenauigkeit,
aber die Stellung hat sich bereits verschärft.} Qa7 29. Rxf7+ Qxf7 30. cxb3 Rg6
$2 {An imperceptible error, after which White's superiority becomes
threatening. After the correct Ein unmerklicher Fehler, nach dem das
Übergewicht von Weiß bedrohliche Ausmaße annimmt. Nach dem korrekten} (30...
Rf6 $1 31. b4 Qg6 {White would have regretted his overweening greed for pawns!
Thanks to the activity of his pieces Black would have levelled the game. hätte
Weiß seinen überflüssigen Appetit auf Bauern bedauert! Denn dank der Aktivität
seiner Figuren hätte Schwarz das Spiel ausgeglichen.}) 31. b4 Qf3 ({The final
chance consisted of Die letzte Chance bestand in} 31... Qf2) 32. Qc3 Qf2 33.
Rd3 Rf6 34. Kb1 Qg1+ 35. Ka2 {The white king finds a comfortable hiding place
on b3 and all in all the remainder of the game is a matter of technique. Der
weiße König verbirgt sich komfortabel auf b3 und im Großen und Ganzen ist der
Rest der Partie eine Sache der Technik.} Qa7+ 36. Kb3 Rf1 {The last chance.
Black would like to get on to the a-file ith his rook. Fortunately, in time
trouble I managed to find a strong idea with which I forced the exchange of
queens.  Die letzte Chance: Schwarz möchte mit dem Turm auf die a-Linie
gelangen. Zum Glück gelang es mir in Zeitnot eine starke Idee zu finden, mit
der ich den Abtausch der Damen erzwinge.} 37. Rf3 Ra1 38. Qe3 $1 Qxe3+ (38...
Qa4+ 39. Kc3 $18 {and Black does not have a single check, whereas White moves
on to the decisive attack! und Schwarz hat kein einziges Schach, während Weiß
zum entscheidenden Angriff übergeht!}) 39. Rxe3 {The resulting endgame is
completely won for White. I missed out on the five forced wins, but at least
victory did not slip between my fingers! Das entstandene Endspiel ist
vollkommen gewonnen für Weiß. Ich vergab noch um die fünf forcierten Gewinne,
aber zumindest glitt mir der Sieg nicht aus der Hand!} Kg6 40. b5 Ra8 41. Kb4
Rb8 42. Rf3 (42. Ka5 $1 Kf5 43. b6 e4 44. Ka6 Ke5 45. Ka7 Rg8 46. b7 Kxd5 47.
b8=Q Rxb8 48. Kxb8 {was far simpler... war weitaus einfacher...}) 42... e4 43.
Rf1 e3 44. Kc4 (44. b3 {with zugzwang was simpler, for example: mit Zugzwang
war einfacher, zum Beispiel:} Re8 45. b6 e2 46. Re1 Kf5 47. Kb5 Kg4 48. b7 Kf3
49. Kc6 Kf2 50. Rxe2+ Kxe2 51. Kxd6 $18) 44... Rc8+ 45. Kd3 Rc5 46. b4 Rxd5+
47. Kxe3 Rxb5 48. Rf4 {Black was able to recover the pawn with my help, but
nevertheless White wins without any particular trouble in view of the black
king being cut off. Unter meiner Mithilfe konnte Schwarz den Bauern
zurückgewinnen, aber dennoch gewinnt Weiß im Hinblick auf den abgeschnittenen
schwarzen König ohne besondere Mühe.} d5 49. Kd3 Rb7 50. Kc2 Rb8 51. Kc3 Rb7
52. Rf8 Rc7+ 53. Kb3 Rd7 54. b5 d4 55. Kc2 d3+ ({The final subtlety was Die
letzte Feinheit bestand in} 55... Rb7 56. Rg8+ Kf5 57. Kd3 $1 {with an easy
win. mit leichtem Gewinn.}) 56. Kd2 Rd5 57. Rg8+ Kh6 58. Rg5 Rd4 59. Rc5 Kg6
60. b6 {Black resigned! Omitting the fact that Boris was clearly not in form
in this tournament, I take great satisfaction every time that I beat him. I am
certain that in the future he will entertain his fans more than once with his
striking play!   Schwarz gab auf! Ungeachtet der Tatsache, dass Boris in
diesem Turnier deutlich nicht in Form war, verschafft mir jeder Sieg über ihn
große Genugtuung. Ich bin mir sicher, dass er seine Anhänger auch in Zukunft
mehr als einmal mit seinem markanten Spiel erfreuen wird!} 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2014.03.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C00"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2766"]
[Annotator "Motylev,A"]
[PlyCount "164"]
[EventDate "2014.03.13"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 160"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d3 c5 (5... O-O 6. Nbd2 c5 7. e4
Nc6 8. Re1 b5 9. e5 Nd7 10. Nf1 b4 11. h4 a5 12. Bf4 a4 13. a3 bxa3 14. bxa3
Ba6 15. Ne3 Rb8 16. c4 dxc4 17. Nxc4 Nb6 18. Nd6 Nd5 19. Qxa4 Rb6 20. Rac1 Nxf4
21. Qxf4 Nxe5 22. Nxe5 Bxd6 23. Qe3 Rb3 24. a4 Qc7 25. Nc4 Be7 26. Ne5 Bd6 27.
Nc4 Be7 28. Ne5 {1/2 (28) Svidler,P (2756)-Karjakin,S (2772) Loo RUS 2014}) 6.
e4 $5 {Peter Svidler's team had managed to discover an error in the move order
chosen by Sergey! A more accurate move is 5...0-0, as he later played against
Svidler (see above); withut castling the advance 6.e4!? is simply possible.
Der Brigade von Peter Svidler war es gelungen, einen Fehler in der von Sergey
gewählten Zugfolge aufzudecken! Genauer ist eben 5...0-0, wie er danach gegen
Svidler spielte (s.o.); denn ohne Rochade ist der Vorstoß 6.e4!? halt möglich.}
Nc6 ({Accepting the pawn sacrifice is risky, since after Die Annahme des
Bauernopfers ist riskant, denn nach} 6... dxe4 7. dxe4 Qxd1 8. Rxd1 Nxe4 9. Ne5
Nd6 10. Na3 f6 11. Nec4 Nxc4 12. Nxc4 {White would have a decent initiative.
hätte Weiß eine ordentliche Initiative.}) 7. Qe2 O-O ({Interessant war} 7... b5
$5 {was intereting, but afterwards one had to reckon with the interesting
possibility of aber darauf musste man mit der interessanten Möglichkeit} 8.
exd5 exd5 9. d4 $5 {with sharp play. mit scharfem Spiel rechnen.}) 8. e5 Nd7 9.
c4 d4 10. h4 $5 {One has the impression that White has obtained the maximum
from the system he has chosen. There is no knight on d2 under his feet and he
can calmly go about developing an initiative on the kingside. After a longish
period of thought Black finds an interesting plan. Man hat den Eindruck, dass
Weiß das Maximum aus dem von ihm gewählten System herausgeholt hat. Ihm steht
kein Springer auf d2 auf den Füßen herum und er kann in Ruhe die Initiative am
Königsflügel entfalten. Nach längerem Nachdenken findet Schwarz einen
interessanten Plan.} Kh8 11. Bf4 f5 $5 ({After Auf} 11... f6 $6 {with the same
idea White did not have to react: mit derselben Idee brauchte Weiß nicht zu
reagieren:} 12. Nbd2 fxe5 13. Nxe5 Ndxe5 14. Bxe5 Nxe5 15. Qxe5 $14) 12. Ng5 $1
({Fragwürdig wäre} 12. exf6 $6 {would be dubious on account of wegen} gxf6 $1 {
and und} 13. Qxe6 $2 {then fails to scheitert dann an} Nde5) 12... Bxg5 ({
In the event of Im Falle von} 12... Ndb8 {White could continue with könnte
Weiß mit} 13. Qh5 {nachsetzen.}) 13. hxg5 Qc7 ({The immediate Möglich war auch
das unverzügliche} 13... Ne7 $5 {was also possible so as to transfer the
knight to g6. White is then slightly better, but Black's defensive reserves
are up to the task. Sergey obviously did not like that he would have given up
the control of the b4-square. um den Springer nach g6 zu überführen. Weiß
steht dann ein bisschen besser, aber die schwarzen Verteidigungsreserven
reichen aus. Sergey gefiel dann offensichtlich nicht, dass er die Kontrolle
über den Punkt b4 aufgegeben hätte.}) 14. g6 $5 {An interesting positional
pawn sacrifice. Ein interessantes positionelles Bauernopfer.} ({After Auf} 14.
Nd2 {both 14...Ne7 and war außer 14...Ne7 auch} Kg8 {were possible, which,
after möglich, was nach} 15. g6 hxg6 {, would have led to the text. zum Text
geführt hätte.}) 14... hxg6 15. Nd2 Kg8 16. Nf3 Re8 $1 {Black has to hurry
with the regrouping of hs knights, or else he will simply get mated on the
h-file. Schwarz muss sich mit der Umgruppierung der Springer beeilen, denn
anderenfalls wird er schlicht und einfach auf der h-Linie mattgesetzt.} 17. Ng5
Nf8 (17... Nd8 18. g4 $1) 18. g4 $1 Nd8 19. Kh2 $6 ({In my opinion, the
immediate Meiner Meinung nach war sofort} 19. gxf5 $1 {was stronger and would
have left Black facing a decision which was anything but simple: stärker, was
Schwarz vor eine nicht einfache Wahl gestellt hätte:} gxf5 ({after auf} 19...
exf5 {White plays spielt Weiß} 20. Bd5+ {and then puts the king on g2 or even
plays Bf4-d2 followed by f2-f4 and in both cases looks to have a hefty
advantage..  und stellt dann den König nach g2 oder spielt sogar Bf4-d2
gefolgt von f2-f4 und sein Vorteil sieht in beiden Fällen gewichtig aus.}) 20.
Kh2 Nf7 21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. Bf3 {and White is slightly better. und Weiß steht
etwas besser.}) 19... Bd7 $1 20. gxf5 exf5 21. Bd5+ Nde6 22. Rg1 Bc6 23. Qf3 $1
Rad8 24. Rae1 Qd7 25. Bxe6+ $2 ({Logically, a draw would have followed Zu
einem logischen Remis hätte} 25. Nxe6 {: geführt:} Nxe6 ({Peter had feared the
positional exchange sacrifice Peter hatte das positionelle Qualitätsopfer} 
25... Rxe6 $5 26. Bxe6+ Nxe6 27. Qg3 {- which in fact looks terrible for White,
but on account of the hanging pawn on g6 the black king cannot free the way
for his rook to get to h8 and White exploits the time to entrench himself
sufficiently beginning with f2-f3. Black then has compensation for the
exchange, but it should not sufficefor more than equality. befürchtet - das
sieht in der Tat furchtbar für Weiß aus, aber wegen des hängenden Bauern g6
kann der schwarze König seinem Turm nicht den Weg nach h8 ebnen und Weiß nutzt
die Zeit, sich beginnend mit f2-f3 hinreichend zu verschanzen. Schwarz hat
dann Kompensation für die Qualität, aber sie dürfte nicht zu mehr reichen als
zum Ausgleich.}) 26. Rxg6 Bxd5 27. cxd5 Qxd5 28. Qh5 Rd7 ({schlecht ist} 28...
Nxf4 $2 {is bad:} 29. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 30. Rg1+) 29. Rh6 $5 {and here und hier
führt} gxh6 ({and also the pretty aber auch das hübsche} 29... Qg2+ $5 30. Kxg2
Nxf4+ 31. Kg3 Nxh5+ 32. Rxh5 g6 33. Rh6 Re6 $11) 30. Qxe8+ Kh7 31. Bxh6 $1 Ng7
$1 32. Bxg7 Rxg7 33. Qh5+ $11 {leads to equality. zum Ausgleich.}) 25... Nxe6
26. Qg3 ({Actually Peter had here been long planning Peter hatte hier von
weitem eigentlich} 26. Qh3 $6 Nxg5 27. Bxg5 Rc8 28. Bf6 {geplant} ({A better
move is besser ist} 28. f3 {and a draw remains the most likely outcome of this
game und ein Remis bleibt der wahrscheinlichste Ausgang dieser Partie}) {
, but after , aber nach} 28... Qf7 $1 29. Rg3 {the winning move is there for
Black: findet sich für Schwarz der Gewinnzug} f4 $1) 26... Rc8 27. Nh3 ({
White had a fantastic variation at his disposal here: Weiß stand hier eine
phantastische Variante zu Gebote:} 27. Qh4 Nxg5 28. Rxg5 Kf7 ({In the event of
im Falle von} 28... Re6 29. Reg1 {it is hard for Black to reorganise his
position, since fällt Schwarz der Umbau der Stellung schwer, denn} Kf7 $4 {
fails to scheitert an} 30. Qh7 $18) 29. Rxg6 $3 Kxg6 (29... Rh8 $2 30. Bh6 $1 {
and White wins und Weiß gewinnt}) 30. Rg1+ Kf7 31. Qh7 $1 Rg8 32. Rg6 $1 {
with a draw after mit Remis nach} Qe6 (32... Qe8 33. Qh5 Rh8 34. Rh6+ Ke7 35.
Qg5+ Kf7 36. Qh5+ $11) 33. Rxe6 Rh8 34. Rf6+ Ke7 35. Rh6 Rxh7 36. Rxh7 $11)
27... Qf7 28. Qh4 $6 ({Here Peter forgot about the f3-square. There was a
better move: Peter vergaß hier das Feld f3. Besser war} 28. Ng5 Nxg5 29. Qxg5
Re6 30. Rg3 Qe8 31. Qh4 Kf7 32. Rh3 {with reasonable chances for a successful
defence. mit keinen schlechten Chancen auf eine erfolgreiche Verteidigung.})
28... Bf3 $1 {From here on Black need have no further worries about the
security of his king.  Von hier an muss sich Schwarz um die Sicherheit seines
Königs keine Sorgen mehr machen.} 29. Bd2 Bg4 30. Rg3 Qe7 $2 {There was
absolutely no need to go in for this exchange. Because the black bishop is
reliably shoring up the kingside. After Zu diesem Tausch bestand absolut keine
Notwendigkeit.  Denn der schwarze Läufer betoniert den Königsflügel doch
zuverlässig. Nach} (30... Qd7 {or even oder sogar}) (30... Rc6 {and then ...
Qc7 Black's position is almost a technical win. nebst ...Qc7 ist die schwarze
Stellung technisch fast gewonnen.}) 31. Qxe7 $1 {Of course! The exchange of
queens again brings White closer to a draw. Natürlich! Der Damentausch bringt
Weiß dem Remis wieder näher.} Rxe7 32. Ng5 Nxg5 33. Bxg5 Re6 34. f3 Bh5 35. b3
({It was worth considering the immediate In Betracht kam das unverzügliche} 35.
Rh3 {Black could here have seized the chance to advance his f-pawn, since this
option might never have been on offer in the later course of the game: Schwarz
hätte bereits hier die Chance ergreifen können, seinen f-Bauern vorzustoßen,
denn diese Möglichkeit hätte sich im weiteren Verlauf nicht mehr bieten können:
} Ra6 36. Ra1 $1 Re8 37. Bf4 Ree6 38. Kg3 Reb6 39. Rh2 {and White successfully
defends his weaknesses step by step. und Weiß verteidigt Schritt für Schritt
mit Erfolg seine Schwächen.} Kf7) {It was worth considering the immediate In
Betracht kam das unverzügliche} 35... Kf7 {Black could here have seized the
chance to advance his f-pawn, since this option might never have been on offer
in the later course of the game: Schwarz hätte bereits hier die Chance
ergreifen können, seinen f-Bauern vorzustoßen, denn diese Möglichkeit hätte
sich im weiteren Verlauf nicht mehr bieten können:} (35... f4 $5 36. Rh3 (36.
Bxf4 Rf8 37. Re4 g5 38. Bxg5 Rxf3 39. Rxf3 Bxf3 40. Re1 Bh5 41. Bf4 Kf7 $15)
36... Rf8 37. Re4 Rf5 38. Bxf4 Bxf3 39. Rxf3 g5 $15) 36. Rh3 Rce8 37. Bf4 Ra6
38. Re2 Ke6 39. Kg3 Rb8 40. Bg5 $2 {On the final move before the time control
White goes wrong. Im letzten Zug vor der Zeitkontrolle greift Weiß fehl.} ({
If he had come up with something like Wenn er mit etwa} 40. Rh1 {on the spot,
it would have been hard to suggest a winning plan for Black. auf der Stelle
getreten wäre, hätte man Schwarz schwerlich einen Gewinnplan vorschlagen
können.}) 40... f4+ $1 {This opens a new chapter in this battle, which would
no longer have been am option after Kf4.  Damit wird ein neues Kapitel dieses
Kampfes eröffnet, wovon nach Kf4 nicht mehr die Rede hätte sein können.} 41.
Bxf4 Rf8 42. Rf2 Rf5 43. Bc1 ({White wuld sooner or later have had to give up
the e5-pawn, for example: Vom Bauern e5 hätte sich Weiß früher oder später
sowieso trennen müssen, zum Beispiel:} 43. Rh1 Rc6 44. Re1 Rc7 45. Bd2 Rcf7 46.
Ref1 g5) (43. Rhh2 Rc6) 43... Rxe5 44. Rh1 ({Besser sah} 44. Rh4 Kd7 45. Re4
$15 {looked better aus}) 44... Kf7 45. Bf4 Rf5 46. Bb8 $6 ({He would have been
better sticking to passive defence with Er hätte sich lieber mit} 46. Rhf1 g5
47. Bc1 {even if the d3-pawn is weak. an eine passive Verteidigung halten
sollen, auch wenn der Bauer d3 schwach ist.} Raf6 {etc. usw.}) 46... Re6 $1 47.
Rh4 Re3 48. Rf4 a6 49. Bd6 $6 ({There was the stronger move Stärker war} 49.
Ba7 $1 Ke6 50. b4 $17) 49... Rxf4 $2 ({Here Hier hätte} 49... Ke6 $1 50. Rxf5 (
50. Bf8 b6 51. Bxg7 g5) 50... gxf5 51. Bxc5 Ke5 $19 {would have led to a
simple win for Black. zu einem einfachen Sieg für Schwarz geführt.}) 50. Kxf4
Kf6 $17 51. Bxc5 g5+ 52. Kg3 Rxd3 53. Kg2 Be8 ({After Nach} 53... Kf5 {White
would have played a waiting move hätte Weiß mit} 54. Bb6 {and whether
abgewartet und ob dann} g4 (54... Be8 55. Kf1 $1) 55. fxg4+ Kxg4 {would then
have sufficed for Black to win is not clear. für Schwarz zum Sieg ausgereicht
hätte, ist nicht klar.}) 54. Kf1 $1 Bh5 55. Ke2 $5 Re3+ 56. Kd2 Ke5 57. Rg2 ({
Here White could have played Hier konnte Weiß mit} 57. Re2 $5 {to go into a
pure opposite coloured bishops endgame: in ein reines Endspiel mit
ungleichfarbigen Läufern übergehen:} Rxe2+ 58. Kxe2 g4 59. fxg4 Bxg4+ 60. Kd2 {
. Without the pawns on the a-, b- and c-files it would be a draw. The presence
of these pawns increases Black's chances, but it is hard to say whether there
is enough there for a win.}) 57... Kf4 58. Bxd4 Re7 59. Re2 Rd7 60. Kc3 Bxf3
61. Re8 $2 ({It was better to set up a defensive wall along the third rank
with Es war besser, mit} 61. Be5+ $1 Kf5 62. Re3 g4 63. Bg3 {I think that a
Mitja Jakovenko would not have lost this position. einen Verteidigungswall
entlang der dritten Reihe zu errichten. Ich denke, ein Mitja Jakovenko hätte
diese Stellung nicht verloren.}) 61... Be4 $1 {Now the white rook will no
longer find its way back.  Jetzt kommt der weiße Turm schon nicht mehr zurück.}
62. Rf8+ Bf5 $1 63. Rg8 g6 64. Rg7 {I think that White had pinned his hopes on
this exchange of rooks. But he is in for a bitter disappointment. Ich denke,
dass Weiß seine Hoffnungen in diesen Turmtausch gelegt hatte. Aber ihn
erwartet eine bittere Enttäuschung.} Rxd4 $3 {This is a really unexpected
exchange sacrifice. Especially when linked to Black's next move!  Das ist ein
wirklich unerwartetes Qualitätsopfer. Insbesondere in Verbindung mit dem
nächsten Zug von Schwarz!} 65. Kxd4 b6 $1 {The only way! Nur so!} ({After Nach
} 65... g4 $2 66. Rxb7 g3 67. Re7 g2 68. Re1 {White would have saved the game.
hätte Weiß sich gerettet.}) 66. Kc3 $5 Ke3 $1 {This move too is the only one
which leads to the win.  Auch dieser Zug ist der einzige, der zum Gewinn führt.
} 67. Rb7 g4 68. Rxb6 g3 69. Rd6 g2 70. Rd1 g5 $6 ({There was a simpler way to
win: Einfacher gewann} 70... Bg4 $1 {, for example: , zum Beispiel:} 71. Rg1 (
71. Rc1 Be2 72. Re1 Kf2) 71... Kf2 72. Rxg2+ Kxg2 73. b4 g5 74. b5 axb5 75.
cxb5 Kf2 76. a4 Bc8) 71. b4 (71. c5 Kf2 72. Rd2+ Kg3 73. Rd1 Kh2 74. b4 g1=Q
75. Rxg1 Kxg1 $19) 71... Kf2 72. a4 g1=Q 73. Rxg1 Kxg1 74. b5 axb5 75. axb5 g4
$1 ({Not Nicht} 75... Bd7 76. Kb4 g4 77. c5 g3 78. c6 Be8 79. Kc5 g2 {since
White saves the day after the surprising denn Weiß rettet sich nach dem
überraschenden} 80. Kd6 $3 Bh5 (80... Kf1 81. c7 g1=Q 82. c8=Q {is a draw ist
remis}) 81. c7 Bg4 82. b6 Bc8 83. Kc6 $11) 76. c5 g3 77. c6 g2 78. b6 Kf2 79.
b7 g1=Q 80. b8=Q {The pawns have promoted simultaneously, but Black starts
with checks... Die Bauern haben sich gleichzeitig verwandelt, aber Schwarz
fängt mit den Schachs an...} Qc1+ $1 81. Kd4 Qe3+ $1 82. Kc4 (82. Kd5 Be6+ 83.
Kd6 Qf4+ 84. Kxe6 Qxb8 85. Kd7 Qb5 $1 $19) 82... Be6+ $1 {White resigns
because he loses his queen. The game had its mistakes, but it was a very
eventful encounter! Weiß gab auf, denn er verliert die Dame. Keine fehlerlose,
aber eine sehr ereignisreiche Partie!} 0-1

[Event "Norway Chess 2nd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2014.06.07"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2792"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2014.06.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8.
Rc1 Qa5 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. Ng5 Na6 $5 {A rare but interesting
continuation.} (11... cxd4 12. cxd4 Qxd2+ ({or} 12... Nc6) 13. Kxd2 Nc6 {
is usually played - see e.g. Yermolinsky-Svidler in CBM 69. Here is a more
recent example:} 14. h3 Bd7 15. d5 Na5 16. Bd3 h6 17. Nf3 e6 18. Bc5 Rfc8 19.
Bb4 b6 20. d6 e5 21. Ba6 Rxc1 (21... Rc6 $1) 22. Rxc1 Rd8 23. Ke2 (23. Rc7 $142
) 23... Be6 24. Rc7 Bf8 25. Nxe5 Bxd6 26. Bxd6 Rxd6 27. a3 Rd4 28. Bd3 Ra4 29.
Rxa7 Rxa3 $11 {1/2 (39) Kuljasevic,D (2564)-Sivuk,V (2467) Paleochora 2012})
12. h3 (12. d5 c4 $5) 12... Bd7 13. Bd3 (13. Be2 Rac8 14. d5 c4 15. Bd4 Bxd4 (
15... Bh6 $1 {[%cal Rf7f6] is even stronger}) 16. Qxd4 {0-1 (57) Danner,G 
(2435)-Boros,D (2402) Budapest 2005} Qb6 $5 $11) 13... Rac8 14. d5 c4 {[%mdl 4]
A typical continuation after d4-d5, not allowing White to strengthen his pawn
chain with c3-c4. At the same time Black frees the c5-square for his knight.}
15. Bb1 Nc5 {Black has fully solved his opening problems.} 16. Bd4 (16. O-O
Rfd8 (16... Nd3 $5 17. Bxd3 cxd3 18. Qxd3 Bxc3 {[%cal Rd7b5] is even stronger,
with an excellent position for Black}) 17. f4 f6 18. Nf3 f5 19. Bd4 Nxe4 20.
Bxe4 fxe4 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qd4+ Kg8 23. Qxe4 {1/2 (23) Jacimovic,D (2487)
-Sakaev,K (2648) Paide 1999}) 16... Bxd4 (16... Bh6 $5 17. Be3 (17. f4 f6 18.
Nf3 e5 19. dxe6 Nxe6 $36) 17... f6 $5 18. Nf3 Bxe3 {0-1 (44) Moussa,A (2196)
-Kaufman,L (2413) Irvine 2010} 19. Qxe3 e5 $13) 17. cxd4 $6 (17. Qxd4 Nd3+ 18.
Bxd3 cxd3 19. O-O Bb5 20. c4 Qa4 21. Qxd3 Bxc4 22. Qd4 $11) 17... c3 $1 18.
Rxc3 Nd3+ $1 19. Rxd3 Rc1+ 20. Ke2 Qxd2+ 21. Kxd2 Rxh1 {Black has won an
exchange. White's pawn centre doesn't fully compensate for his material
deficit.} 22. Rb3 b5 $6 {Premature. Black wants to make use of his queenside
pawn advantage but doesn't succeed and only weakens the c5-square.} (22... b6
$142) 23. Nf3 {[%cal Rf3e5]} f6 24. Ne1 $1 a5 25. Rc3 $1 Rc8 26. Rc5 b4 $6 {
Another premature advance but Black has already lost most of his advantage, e.
g.} (26... Kf8 27. Bd3 Rb8 28. Rc7 Be8 29. e5 f5 30. Be2 $132 {[%cal Ye1d3]})
27. Bd3 a4 28. Ra5 b3 29. axb3 axb3 30. Ra7 Rd8 (30... b2 31. Rxd7 Rc1 32. Rb7
Rhxe1 33. Rxb2 Red1+ 34. Ke2 Re1+ $11) 31. Rb7 {Instead of queening his pawn,
Black just loses it.} Ra8 32. Rxd7 (32. Rxb3 Ra2+ 33. Nc2 {was quite possible.
Well, after} Ba4 {Black's counterplay should be enough for a draw.}) 32... Ra2+
33. Kc3 Rxe1 34. Kxb3 Rxf2 (34... Rd2 {is more accurate; White has to force a
draw with a few exact moves:} 35. Bc4 (35. Kc3 $143 Rxf2 36. Rxe7 Rc1+ 37. Kb3
Rd2) 35... Kf8 (35... Rxe4 36. d6+ e6 37. d5 $1 Rxc4 $1 (37... exd5 38. Kc3 $3
Rd1 39. Bb3) 38. Kxc4 Rxd5 $11) 36. Kc3 Rxf2 37. Rd8+ Kg7 38. Rd7 $11 Rxe4 $2
39. d6) 35. Rxe7 {[%csl Gd5] The position has sharpened. Now all three results
are possible. Still, it is easier to play for White, who has a formidable
passed pawn.} Re3 36. Kc4 Rd2 37. Bb1 Rb2 $2 {An obvious move... and a
decisive mistake! Black has no time to capture White's bishop.} (37... Re1 $142
38. d6 (38. Kc3 Rxg2 39. d6 Rc1+ 40. Kd3 Rd1+ $11 41. Ke3 $2 Rxb1 42. d7 $4
Rb3+ 43. Kf4 Rf2+ 44. Kg4 h5+ 45. Kh4 Rf4#) 38... Red1 $1 39. Kc5 Rxb1 (39...
Rxd4 $2 40. Ba2+ Kf8 41. Bd5) 40. d7 Rc2+ 41. Kd6 Rb6+ 42. Kd5 Rb5+ $11) 38. d6
Kf8 $8 39. Bd3 (39. Rxh7 Ke8 40. Bd3 {was even stronger:} Rxg2 (40... Rd2 41.
Bf1 Re1 42. Kc3 $18) (40... Kd8 41. Kd5 $1 Rxd3 42. Ke6 $18) 41. Bf1 Rg5 42. h4
Rh5 43. Rxh5 gxh5 44. Kd5 {, and White should win}) 39... Rd2 40. Bf1 Ra3 (
40... Re1 $142 $1 {keeping some practical drawing chances. Here is a possible
line indicated by GM Vitaly Golod:} 41. Kc3 (41. Rxh7 Rc1+ 42. Kd5 Rcd1) 41...
Rdd1 42. Bb5 Rc1+ 43. Kb4 Red1 44. d5 Rc8 $1 45. Rc7 Rb8 46. Kc5 Rc1+ 47. Kd4
Rd1+ 48. Ke3 Rd8 49. d7 Rb1 50. Rc8 Ke7 51. d6+ Kxd6 52. Rxd8 Rxb5 53. Rf8 Kxd7
54. Rxf6 {- this rook ending should be winning for White after all.}) 41. Kb4 (
41. e5 $142 $1 {The point is that} Ra4+ 42. Kc3 Raxd4 ({or} 42... Rdxd4 43. Bb5
fxe5 44. Re8+ Kf7 45. Bxa4 Rxa4 46. d7) {doesn't work due to} 43. e6 $1 Rxd6
44. Rf7+ Kg8 45. Rxf6 {, and Black can't stop e6-e7}) 41... Ra1 42. Bc4 Rc1 (
42... Rxd4 43. Kc5 Rdd1 44. Rf7+ Ke8 45. Rxf6 Rac1 46. e5 $18 {[%csl Gd6,Ge5]})
43. Rf7+ Ke8 44. d7+ Kd8 45. Kc5 {[%cal Rc5d6] Threatening 46.Kd6 Rxd4+ 47.Bd5.
} Kc7 (45... Rb2 46. e5) 46. Rxh7 Rcd1 47. d5 Rc1 48. g4 g5 49. d8=Q+ $1 Kxd8
50. Kd6 {White's king, rook, bishop and d-pawn, acting cohesively, easily
decide the game.} Ke8 51. Bb5+ Kf8 52. Ke6 Re1 53. Kxf6 Rf2+ 54. Kg6 (54. Kg6
Rxe4 55. Rh8+ Ke7 56. Re8+ $18) 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 2nd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2014.06.12"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "143"]
[EventDate "2014.06.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This game was played on the day after the rest day and I wanted to surprise
my opponent in the opening. But - as usually happens - I was the one to be
surprised. Diese Partie wurde nach dem Ruhetag gespielt und ich wollte meinen
Gegner in der Eröffnung überraschen. Aber – wie es gewöhnlich passiert – am
Ende wurde ich selbst überrascht.} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5.
Bg5 c6 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 {Black has played a rare variation and somewhere
about here I was floundering and having to improvise over the board. Schwarz
hat eine seltene Variante gespielt und irgendwo hier war ich bereits im
Schwimmen und musste am Brett improvisieren.} 8. Bd3 O-O 9. Qc2 Nh5 {This is
quite a rare move. But the position has practically not yet been seen at the
highest level. Das ist bereits ein ganz seltener Zug. Diese Stellung ist aber
auf höchstem Niveau praktisch noch nicht anzutreffen gewesen.} 10. Bxe7 Qxe7
11. Nf3 {It was safer to develop the knight to e2 but I had the idea of
bringing the bishop back to f1 and following up by long castling. Sicherer war
es, den Springer nach e2 zu entwickeln, aber mir kam die Idee, den Läufer
zurück nach f1 zu bringen und die lange Rochade folgen zu lassen.} Nf4 12. Bf1
Nd7 {The move is logical, but now the f4-knight no longer returns to h5. Der
Zug ist logisch, aber jetzt kehrt der Springer f4 schon nicht mehr nach h5
zurück.} 13. O-O-O Ng6 ({The mistaken Das verfehlte} 13... Nh5 {allows erlaubt}
14. g4) 14. h4 Qf6 15. Bd3 Nb6 {At this point I had already used up a heap of
thinking time and finally decided to simplify matters. Hier hatte ich schon
eine Masse Bedenkzeit verbraucht und traf schließlich die Entscheidung, das
Spiel zu vereinfachen.} 16. h5 ({The correct way was to maintain the tension
with Richtig war, die Spannung mit} 16. Kb1 {White then retains some pressure.
aufrechtzuerhalten. Weiß behält dann etwas Druckspiel.}) 16... Ne7 17. Rh4 Bf5
$1 {Everything would be splendid for White, if not for this move! Black
manages to exchange bishops and immediately equalises. Alles wäre prächtig für
Weiß, wenn dieser Zug nicht wäre! Schwarz kommt zum Läufertausch und gleicht
unverzüglich aus.} 18. Bxf5 ({Zu nichts führt} 18. Rf4 {leads nowhere.} Bxd3
19. Qxd3 Qe6 20. g4 f6 $11) 18... Qxf5 19. Qxf5 Nxf5 20. Rf4 Nd6 $11 {If the
Sofia rules had not been in force in this tournament, then we would soon have
agreed on a draw. In the meantime this result appears the most likely... Wenn
bei diesem Turnier nicht die Sofia-Regel gegolten hätte, dann wäre hier wohl
bald der Remisschluss erfolgt. Einstweilen bleibt dieses Resultat aber am
wahrscheinlichsten...} 21. Ne5 Rae8 22. Rh1 Re7 23. Kc2 Rfe8 24. b3 a5 25. a4
Na8 $1 {A good resource! Black transfers the knight to an active position.
Eine gute Ressource! Schwarz überführt den Springer in eine aktive Position.}
26. Nd3 Nc7 27. Rg4 Na6 28. Rf4 Ne4 29. Kb2 {At this point I already had less
than fifteen minutes on my clock and Black's wish to sharpen the play is
understandable. But it is Black who has to go over to the defensive. In diesem
Moment hatte ich schon weniger als fünfzehn Minuten auf der Uhr und der Wunsch
von Schwarz, das Spiel zu verschärfen, ist verständlich. Aber Schwarz ist es,
der zur Verteidigung übergehen muss.} Kh7 30. Nxe4 $1 {I am very satisfied
with the way I handled the part of the game from here to the time control.
Despite being short on time I managed to find some precise moves and force
Black to move on to the defensive. Ich bin sehr zufrieden damit, wie ich den
Abschnitt von hier an bis zur Zeitkontrolle behandelt habe. Ungeachtet meiner
Zeitknappheit konnte ich einige genaue Züge finden und Schwarz zwingen, zur
Verteidigung überzugehen.} dxe4 31. Ne5 Nb4 32. Rf5 c5 33. Rd1 {The ideal
square for the rook! Das ideale Feld für den Turm!} cxd4 ({Schlecht ist} 33...
Rd8 {is bad:} 34. Nc4 Nd3+ 35. Rxd3 $1 exd3 36. Rxc5 $16 {with total
domination! mit völliger Dominanz!}) 34. exd4 Rd8 35. Nc4 Nd3+ 36. Kc3 g6 37.
Rxa5 Nxf2 38. Re1 gxh5 {Taking the pawn is tempting, but he should advance his
pawns. Den Bauern zu schlagen ist verlockend, aber er sollte seine Bauern
vorrücken.} (38... f5 $1 {Although here White can also lay claim to a slight
superiority, the game in this case would most likely have finished a draw.
Obwohl Weiß auch hier ein geringes Übergewicht behauptet, wäre die Partie in
diesem Falle am ehesten remis ausgegangen.}) 39. d5 $1 {White uses the time to
push forward the d-pawn! Weiß nutzt die Zeit, um den d-Bauern vorzustoßen!} e3
$6 {Another tempting move, especially when both sides are in time trouble. But
Black absolutely had to bring his knight back into the game. Wieder ein
verlockender Zug, insbesondere in beiderseitiger Zeitnot. Aber Schwarz musste
unbedingt seinen Springer zurück ins Spiel bringen.} ({For example Zum Beispiel
} 39... Nd3 40. Rf1 Kg6 41. d6 Re6 42. Rb5 Rd7 43. Kd4 {is better for White,
but the whole struggle lies ahead of him. ist besser für Weiß, aber der
gesamte Kampf steht noch bevor.}) 40. Kc2 $1 {The last precise move before the
time control. White attacks the e3-pawn! As a result of disdvantageous
sharpening of the game, Black is now facing unpleasant tasks but my opponent
did not manage to change his way of thinking in time. He did not sense the
danger... Der letzte genaue Zug vor der Zeitkontrolle. Weiß greift den Bauern
e3 an! Im Ergebnis unvorteilhafter Verschärfungen steht Schwarz vor
unangenehmen Aufgaben, aber mein Gegner schaffte es nicht, sich rechtzeitig
umzustellen. Er fühlte die Gefahr nicht...} Ng4 $2 (40... Ne4 41. Rxe3 f5 42.
Rb5 $14 {was the best chance, but here too White has the pressure. war die
beste Chance, aber auch hier drückt Weiß.}) 41. d6 Re6 $6 {The transition to
passivity was his best chance. Der Übergang zur Passivität war die beste
Chance.} (41... Red7 {But here too Black's position would have been highly
unpleasant. Aber auch hier wäre die Lage von Schwarz höchst unangenehm gewesen.
} 42. Rxh5 $14) 42. Ra7 $1 $18 {Simple and strong! Black can no longer hold
the b7-pawn and White unexpectedly finds himself winning! Einfach und stark!
Schwarz hält jetzt den Bauern b7 nicht und unerwartet steht Weiß einfach auf
Gewinn!} Rf6 43. Re2 {Here it would have been possible to go in for a
sharpening of the play. But White's desire to play more safely is
understandable. Hier wäre es möglich gewesen, sich auf eine Verschärfung
einzulassen. Aber der Wunsch von Weiß, etwas sicherer zu spielen, ist
verständlich.} (43. Rxb7 $1 Rf2+ 44. Kc3 Rxg2 45. a5 h4 46. a6 Ra2 47. a7 h3
48. b4 h2 49. b5 $18) 43... b6 ({There was no saving grace with Keine Rettung
bedeutete} 43... Rd7 {for example: zum Beispiel:} 44. a5 Rf2 45. Kd3 Rf4 46. a6
Rxc4 47. Kxc4 b5+ 48. Kxb5 Rxa7 49. Kb6 Rd7 50. a7 Rxd6+ 51. Kc7 Rd2 52. Re1
Ra2 53. Kb7 f5 54. a8=Q Rxa8 55. Kxa8 f4 56. b4 Ne5 57. b5 $18) 44. Rb7 Rdxd6 {
Black has nothing better than conceding the exchange. But here of course White
must win.  Schwarz hat nichts Besseres als die Qualität zu geben. Aber hier
muss Weiß natürlich gewinnen.} 45. Nxd6 Rxd6 46. Rxf7+ Kg6 47. Rf1 Kg5 48. b4
h4 49. Kc3 $6 {This move does not give away the win but it does make it more
complicated. Dieser Zug vergibt den Sieg nicht, aber er verkompliziert ihn
gehörig!} (49. a5 bxa5 50. bxa5 Ra6 51. Ra1 Kf4 52. Kc3 {must be won for White.
muss gewonnen für Weiß sein.}) 49... Nf2 $1 {An unexpected resource!
Fortunately I was able to compose myself and find a forced way to the win. 
Eine unerwartete Ressource! Zum Glück konnte ich mich sammeln und einen
forcierten Gewinnweg finden.} 50. Rxe3 Nd1+ 51. Rxd1 Rxd1 52. Re5+ $1 {An
important check! Ein wichtiges Schach!} Kg4 {Nor do other moves save him, for
example: Auch andere Züge retteten nicht, zum Beispiel:} (52... Kg6 53. Re6+
Kg7 54. Rxb6 Rc1+ 55. Kb3 Rb1+ 56. Kc4 Rb2 57. Re6 Rxg2 58. Re3 $18) (52... Kf6
53. Rh5 $18) (52... Kf4 53. Re6 $18) 53. Re6 Rc1+ 54. Kb3 Kh5 55. Rxb6 {
Here White is already totally winning. Although I now started making a few
silly moves, I did not give away the win. There is simply too much leeway.
Hier steht Weiß bereits total auf Gewinn. Obwohl ich jetzt anfing, ein paar
komische Züge zu machen, vergab ich den Gewinn nicht mehr. Die Stellung hatte
einfach zu viel Luft nach oben.} Rg1 56. a5 Rxg2 57. a6 ({Einfacher war} 57.
Rb5+ {was simpler:} Kg4 58. a6 h3 59. a7 h2 60. a8=Q h1=Q 61. Qe4+ Kg3 62. Qg6+
Kf2 63. Rf5+ Ke1 64. Re5+ $18) 57... Rg3+ 58. Kc4 Rg4+ 59. Kd3 Rg8 60. Rb5+ Kg4
61. Ra5 h3 62. Ra2 Ra8 63. b5 h5 64. Ke3 Kg3 65. a7 h2 66. Rxh2 Kxh2 (66...
Rxa7 67. Rxh5 $18 {and the black king is too far away. und der schwarze König
ist zu weit weg.}) 67. b6 Kh3 (67... Kg2 68. b7 Rxa7 69. b8=Q Ra3+ {was
slightly more resilient, but here too White must win. war etwas hartnäckiger,
aber auch hier muss Weiß gewinnen.}) 68. b7 Rxa7 69. b8=Q Rg7 70. Qe5 Rg3+ 71.
Kf2 h4 72. Qe4 {Black resigned! It was pleasing to defeat such a technically
gifted player especially in the phase of the game which he is used to handling
best of all! Schwarz gab auf! Es war angenehm, einen so technisch beschlagenen
Spieler ausgerechnet in dem Stadium der Partie zu besiegen, das er am besten
zu behandeln pflegt!} 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 2nd"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2014.06.13"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2771"]
[Annotator "Negi,P"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "2014.06.03"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 161"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nc7 7. a3 g6 8. h4
h6 9. d3 Bg7 10. O-O ({I prefer the move order of} 10. Be3 {just to make Black
commit to ...Ne6 or ...Nd4.} Ne6 (10... b6 {isn't possible due to} 11. h5 $1 g5
12. Nxg5 $16) (10... Nd4 11. Rc1 $5 O-O 12. b4 $14) 11. O-O {was the move
order preferred by Anish. I think Karjakin probably planned to go 11...Bd7
here anyway, therefore transposing to this game.}) 10... Bd7 $5 {Anish had
managed to put Karjakin under serious pressure in round 7, so this time
Karjakin tries to make a logical change. Black's idea is to defend the
c6-knight, so Black can easily meet h5 with ...g5 without the constant worry
of Nxg5.} (10... O-O 11. Be3 Nd4 $5 {seems an interesting improvement allowed
by the 10. 0-0 move order. But perhaps I'm missing some subtlety?} (11... Ne6 {
would transpose to the Giri-Karjakin game}) 12. Rc1 Bg4 13. Nd2 Qd7 $13) 11.
Be3 Ne6 12. Rb1 {This seems to be a bit slow - White doesn't make take
advantage of Black's awkward pieces and incomplete development...} (12. Ne4 $5
$146 b6 (12... Ncd4 13. Nxc5 $1 Nxc5 14. Bxd4 Ba4 15. Qd2 Bxd4 16. Qb4 $1 $16 {
winning back the piece}) 13. b4 $1 {The critical position. Of course, there's
a lot more to explore here... but it doesn't seem to be an easy task for Black
at first:} O-O $5 (13... f5 14. Ned2 O-O 15. Rc1 f4 16. gxf4 Nxf4 17. Bxf4 Rxf4
18. bxc5 $14) (13... Bxa1 14. Qxa1 {should always be very dangerous.} f6 15.
bxc5 bxc5 16. Rc1 $44) (13... cxb4 14. d4 (14. axb4) 14... Nc7 (14... b3 15. d5
$16) 15. h5 $1 g5 16. d5 Bf5 17. Nd4 $16) 14. bxc5 (14. Qd2 $5) (14. Rc1 cxb4
15. axb4 (15. d4 bxa3 16. d5 Na5 $13) 15... Ncd4 $132 (15... Nxb4 16. Qd2 $14))
14... f5 15. Ned2 f4 16. gxf4 Bxa1 17. Qxa1 Nxf4 18. Bxf4 Rxf4 19. Ne5 $44)
12... Rc8 13. Ne4 b6 14. b4 cxb4 15. axb4 Ncd4 $1 {Now Black gets an ideal
setup.} 16. Bxd4 $5 {An interesting idea. Giving up the bishop doesn't seem a
nice decision, but White tries to blockade the dark-squared bishop and
continue with slow manoeuvring...} Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. e3 Bg7 19. b5 O-O 20.
d4 Rc7 (20... e5 {seems a fairly simple way to maintain the equality but Black
was possibly worried about} 21. dxe5 (21. h5 $5) 21... Bxe5 22. h5 {When he
might have to allow hxg6 - fxg6 which doesn't look nice from a human
perspective.} g5 23. f4 $14) 21. f4 $5 {White's structure looks extrememly
unusual... but he's at least creating a lot of fight.} Qc8 22. Rb2 {Another
unusual, but interesting way to fight for the c-file.} (22. h5 Bg4 23. Bf3 gxh5
$15) 22... Rd8 (22... Bh3 {exchanging these bishops seems to be in Black's
favour, although it's hard to say what's going on after} 23. Bxh3 Qxh3 24. Qf3
Rfc8 25. Nf2 {/\ kingside advances, although Black should be ok of course.})
23. Kh2 Be6 24. Rff2 {White continues to follow his plan.} Bf5 {I'm not really
sure about the idea behind this move... it seems like Black was struggling to
find a proper plan... while White's unusual regrouping seems to be working!}
25. Rbc2 a5 $5 {Finally, creating some counterplay... but surprisingly, after
a few aimless moves, it's Black who has to struggle to equalise:} 26. Qc1 {
Being ambitious} (26. bxa6 Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Qxa6 {Black should be able to
equalise due to his activity.}) 26... Rxc2 27. Rxc2 Qb8 28. Rc6 $1 {/\ Nc3.
Black's position is almost on the edge... but he has:} Bd7 $1 29. Nc3 $1 e6 {
Just in time.} 30. Rc4 {White still continues to manoeuvre around with a
rather pleasant bind on the position.} Bf8 31. Bc6 $14 Qd6 (31... Be7 32. Bxd7
Rxd7 33. Rc6 $14 {will be continuous suffering.}) 32. Na4 $2 {A careless
mistake... White was just ready to start squeezing in the efforts of his
excellent play, instead, he gives it all away:} (32. Bxd7 Qxd7 33. Rc6 Bb4 $1
34. Rxb6 Qc7 35. Rc6 Qb7 {would give Black enough play to equalise.}) (32. Ne4
$1 Qe7 33. Bxd7 Rxd7 34. Rc6 {Caruana probably did not want to allow} a4 {
but it's not such a big deal.} 35. Rxb6 Rc7 (35... Ra7 36. Rb8 a3 37. b6 $1 $18
) (35... a3 36. Ra6 $16) 36. Rc6 $14) 32... Bxc6 33. Rxc6 Qb4 $1 {The sudden
turning of the tables couldn't have been easy to deal with... and Caruana
fails to hold on to his position.} 34. Nc3 (34. Nxb6 Qxb5 $15 {is pretty
one-sided. Now the open white king is a real liability.}) 34... a4 $1 35. Qc2
a3 36. Rxb6 Rc8 37. Rc6 Rxc6 38. bxc6 Qc4 $1 {It is not so easy to realise
that White is just lost here.} 39. c7 Qxc7 40. Qb3 Qa5 {All that enterprising
play in the early part of the game now comes back to haunt White... these
pawns will be just too easy to pick up.} 41. Qc2 Qb4 42. Na4 Qe1 43. Nc5 Qxe3
44. Nd7 Qxd4 45. Qc8 Qb4 46. Nf6+ Kg7 47. Ne8+ Kh8 48. Qc7 Qe7 49. Qe5+ f6 50.
Nxf6 Bg7 51. Qb8+ Qf8 0-1

[Event "Baku FIDE GP"]
[Site "Baku"]
[Date "2014.10.09"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D01"]
[WhiteElo "2764"]
[BlackElo "2767"]
[Annotator "Postny,E"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2014.10.02"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 Nbd7 4. Qd3 $6 {Weird stuff in my opinion, but
Nakamura has already played it before, and not without success.} ({If White is
looking for some creative play, then} 4. f3 {[%cal Ge2e4] is more promising.})
4... c5 (4... h6 5. Bh4 e6 (5... c5 {is more challenging.}) 6. e4 dxe4 7. Nxe4
Be7 8. Nxf6+ Bxf6 9. Bxf6 Nxf6 (9... Qxf6 10. Nf3 O-O 11. Qe3 c5 12. O-O-O cxd4
13. Rxd4 $14 {1-0 (52) Nakamura,H (2784)-Caruana,F (2774) Moscow 2013}) 10.
O-O-O O-O 11. Nf3 b6 12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Rg1 c5 14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Qxd8 Rfxd8 16.
Re1 Kf8 $11 {1/2-1/2 (49) Nakamura,H (2775)-Ponomariov,R (2742) Thessaloniki
2013}) 5. O-O-O {Castling to the queenside on move five, that's really rare!} (
5. e4 cxd4 6. Qxd4 (6. Bxf6 Nxf6 7. Qxd4 dxe4 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. O-O-O Bxb5 10.
Nxb5 Qxd4 11. Rxd4 Rc8 12. Nxa7 e5 $1 13. Nxc8 exd4 $15) 6... e5 7. Qa4 d4 8.
Nd5 Be7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qa3 Be7 11. Qxe7+ Qxe7 12. Nxe7 Kxe7 $15 {0-1 (47)
Karagiannis,A (2387)-Banikas,H (2548) Ermioni Argolidas 2005}) 5... c4 $1 {
To close the centre is a committal decision, but Karjakin knows what he is
doing.} 6. Qg3 Qa5 7. e4 b5 $1 {Boldly continuing the offensive on the
queenside. The threat of b5-b4 is very unpleasant.} 8. Kb1 (8. e5 b4 $1 9. exf6
gxf6 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Be3 Nb6 $15) 8... dxe4 {Now Black can take, as the Pc4
is now protected.} (8... Nxe4 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. f3 Bb7 11. d5 e3 12. d6 Qb6 13.
Qe1 e6 14. Bxe3 Qa6 15. Bf4 O-O-O 16. Nh3 h6 17. Qb4 Bd5 18. Bg3 Qc6 $15 {
1/2-1/2 (53) Zoll,D (2218)-Eilmes,D (2247) ICCF email 2011}) 9. Bxf6 gxf6 (9...
Nxf6 $6 10. Qe5 a6 11. Bxc4 {is a trick Black shouldn't overlook.}) 10. Nxe4
Bb7 11. Nc5 $5 (11. d5 f5 $15) (11. Qe3 {was more solid, but Nakamura went for
the more adventurous idea.}) 11... Nxc5 12. dxc5 Rc8 {Now White must develop
some initiative, as it's clear that he is going to lose the Pc5.} 13. Be2 Qc7 (
13... Rxc5 14. Bf3 (14. Qb8+ $2 {is not frightening.} Bc8 15. Bg4 e6 $17) 14...
Qc7 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. Nh3 $44 {It's not easy for Black to complete his
development, the king is stuck in the centre.}) 14. Qh3 Bg7 15. Bf3 Bxf3 16.
Nxf3 $2 (16. gxf3 $1 {was the only way to justify White's previous play. He is
in no position to worry about the structure, but must open the g-file.} O-O 17.
Ne2 Qxc5 18. Rdg1 Kh8 19. Rg4 Rfd8 20. Qg3 Bh6 21. Qh3 $11) 16... e6 17. Rhe1
O-O $17 18. Rd4 {Now it takes more time to bring the rook to the g-file.} Qxc5
19. Rg4 Rfd8 $6 (19... f5 $6 {would allow a nice practical chance:} 20. Rxg7+
$1 Kxg7 21. Ng5 Qxf2 (21... h6 $2 22. Qg3 $1 Kf6 23. Nh7+ Ke7 24. Qh4+ f6 25.
Nxf8 Rxf8 26. Qxh6 $44) (21... Rh8 $2 22. Qc3+ Kg8 23. Qf6 Qc7 24. Nxe6 $1 fxe6
25. Re3 $16) 22. Qxh7+ Kf6 23. Qh6+ Ke7 24. Rxe6+ Kd7 25. Rd6+ Kc7 {The king
escapes, but to calculate all this is quite a task!}) (19... h5 $1 {was the
most precise.} 20. Rd4 (20. Rh4 c3 21. Rxh5 Qb4 $19) 20... Rfd8 $19) 20. Qh6
Qf8 21. Qxf6 Kh8 22. Qf4 {White has got back the pawn, but is still in serious
trouble. The powerful bishop both protects the black king and attacks its
counterpart. The same can't be said about White's knight.} Rd5 (22... c3 23.
Qb4 Qxb4 24. Rxb4 cxb2 25. Rxb5 {with chances to survive.}) 23. Ng5 Rf5 24. Qe3
Rd8 (24... c3 {was called for, but Sergey is handling it very positionally.})
25. Rh4 Kg8 26. Rg4 (26. Nxh7 Qd6 {The knight can't cause any damage, while
Black's threats prevail.}) (26. Nf3 {would be the lesser evil, but still not
much of a hope for White.}) 26... h5 27. Re4 Qb4 28. c3 Bxc3 $1 {Winning a
pawn and forcing simplifications.} 29. Qxc3 Qxc3 30. bxc3 Rxg5 31. g3 Kg7 32.
Kc2 Rd3 33. f4 Rgd5 {Black has a pawn and domination.} 34. R1e2 Kf6 35. a4 a6
36. Rf2 Kf5 $6 (36... h4 {was a quicker way, ruining White's structure.}) 37.
Re5+ $1 {That's the best chance, though insufficient.} Rxe5 ({Why not} 37...
Kg4 {?}) 38. fxe5+ {Now Black has to go back with the king, which will make
the winning process way longer.} Kg6 39. a5 {This pawn will be White's last
hope.} Rd5 40. Re2 Kf5 41. Rf2+ Kg6 42. Re2 Rd3 43. Re4 $6 (43. Rf2 $1 {
would repeat the position after move 39 and force Karjakin to show some
technique.} Re3 44. Rd2 Kf5 45. Rd6 (45. Rf2+ Kxe5 46. Rxf7 Re2+ 47. Kb1 Ke4 {
[%cal Ge4d3]} 48. Rd7 Rxh2 49. Rd6 e5 50. Rxa6 Kd3 $19) 45... Ke4 ({I don't
see a clear win for Black after} 45... Re2+ $6 46. Kb1 Kxe5 47. Rxa6) 46. Rxa6
Re2+ 47. Kb1 Kd3 48. Rb6 b4 $1 49. Rxb4 Rxe5 50. Ra4 Kxc3 51. Ka2 $1 Kd3 52. a6
c3 53. a7 c2 54. a8=Q c1=Q 55. Qa6+ Ke3 $19) 43... Rf3 $19 44. Rd4 (44. Re2 Kf5
{Now White doesn't have the check from f2 anymore.} 45. Kb2 Rf1 46. Kc2 Kg4 47.
Re4+ Kf3 48. Rf4+ Kg2 49. Rh4 Rf5 50. g4 hxg4 51. Rxg4+ Kf3 $19) 44... Rf2+ 45.
Kb1 Rxh2 46. Rd6 Rg2 {Black is in time to capture most of White's remaining
pawns.} 47. Rxa6 Rxg3 48. Kb2 b4 $1 49. cxb4 Rb3+ 50. Ka2 Rxb4 51. Ka3 Rb5 52.
Ka4 (52. Ra8 c3 53. a6 c2 54. Rc8 Ra5+ $19) 52... Rc5 $1 53. Rb6 c3 54. Rb1 c2
55. Rc1 h4 56. a6 {The race is in full swing, but Black is two pawns up!} h3
57. a7 Rc8 58. Kb5 (58. Rxc2 Rxc2 59. a8=Q Ra2+ $19) 58... h2 59. Kb6 (59. Rxc2
h1=Q 60. Rxc8 Qb7+ $19) 59... Rh8 60. Rh1 Kf5 (60... Kf5 61. Kb7 Kxe5 62. a8=Q
Rxa8 63. Kxa8 Kd4 $19) 0-1

[Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"]
[Site "Tashkent"]
[Date "2014.10.28"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B48"]
[WhiteElo "2767"]
[BlackElo "2768"]
[Annotator "Havasi,G"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2014.10.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 163"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. Nf3 c5 {This move order gives White the chance of transposing to the
Sicilian.} 2. e4 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Qf3 {
Nowadays players want to avoid the well-analysed theoretical lines and play
less analysed lines. Karjakin has had many games in the usual lines, so he
decides to try something new. This Q move has been tried by many top players
like Caruana and Grischuk. White will follow up with 0-0-0 and will have ideas
in connection with Qg3, which puts pressure on the g7-pawn.} Ne5 {Black wants
to disturb White's queen and plays this typical move. This move is a novelty
at the highest level.} ({Wang Yue preferred to play} 7... b5 {and had a good
position after} 8. Nxc6 Qxc6 9. O-O-O Bb7 10. Bd3 Nf6 11. Bd4 b4 12. Bxf6 gxf6
13. Ne2 f5 (13... Rg8 $5 $15) 14. Ng3 Bg7 15. Kb1 Qc5 $36 {Grischuk-Wang Yue,
Beijing 2013}) (7... Nf6 {is the most popular move, Caruana won a nice game
against Rublevsky in 2011} 8. O-O-O Bb4 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Bd4 Bd6 11. Na4 O-O
12. g3 (12. Bxf6 $5 {was also good, but Caruana preferred to keep the bishop
pair} gxf6 13. Qxf6 Be5 14. Qg5+ Bg7 15. Bd3 $14) 12... Be5 13. Bb6 Qb8 14. Qe3
$1 d5 15. f4 Bc7 16. e5 Nd7 17. Bd4 $1 $14 {Caruana-Rublevsky, Olginka 2011})
8. Qg3 h5 {Giri said "I played the worst line possible." However this move
isn't so bad. Black continues disturbing the queen and wants to chase the
queen away from its active position on g3. On the other hand 8...b5 seems more
natural, but it's hard to tell which move is better.} (8... b5 {would be the
most natural move, which has never been played, but in my opinion future
tournament practice will soon tell us a lot about the evaluation of this
position.}) 9. f3 $146 {White wants to prepare Qf2 after ...h4.} (9. O-O-O {
was played before} h4 10. Qh3 Bb4 11. f4 Ng6 12. f5 Ne5 $13 {Vucinic-To,
Kavala 2014}) 9... b5 (9... h4 {was also possible to try to be consistent and
make use of the P on h5. White's Q is active on g3, as it prevents Bb4.} 10.
Qf2 Bb4 11. Bd2 Nf6 {with unclear play.}) 10. O-O-O d6 (10... h4 {was again
possible with the same idea.}) 11. f4 $5 {White decides to start an attack in
the centre.} ({In the event of a normal move like} 11. Kb1 {Black can play} b4
12. Nce2 Nc4 {with good counterplay.}) 11... Ng4 12. e5 dxe5 $2 {This move is
a serious mistake.} (12... Nxe3 $1 {was better} 13. Qxe3 d5 {and the game is
very unclear, both sides have chances. Black will try to make use of his
strong P structure and start an attack on the queenside, while white will try
to get some initiative on the kingside.}) 13. fxe5 {White recaptures, but
there was a stronger move.} (13. Ndxb5 $1 {was even better} axb5 14. Bxb5+ Ke7
{and there is the strong} 15. fxe5 $1 $40) 13... Nxe3 14. Qxe3 Bd7 {Black has
survived so far, but his position is full of weaknesses.} 15. Be2 g6 {Black
defends the h5-pawn and prepares a trick.} ({In the event of} 15... b4 {
White can play} 16. Rhf1 $1 (16. Ndb5 {is also possible, but 16.Rhf1 is
stronger} axb5 17. Nxb5 Qc6 $1 18. Rxd7 Bc5 $1 19. Qf3 Qxf3 20. Bxf3 Kxd7 21.
Bxa8 $14) 16... Nh6 (16... bxc3 17. Qf3 $18) 17. Nd5 $1 exd5 18. e6 $40) ({
If Black gives up the h5 P, White is better after} 15... Be7 16. Bxh5 $1 Nh6
17. Kb1 $16) 16. Qf3 $1 {A very strong move by Karjakin.} Rc8 17. Rhf1 Rh7 18.
Kb1 $1 {This move is always useful.} (18. a4 $5 {was also good despite being a
bit strange} Qxe5 (18... b4 19. Ne4 Qxe5 20. Bxa6 $40) 19. axb5 Bc5 (19... axb5
20. Bxb5 $18) (19... Bb4 20. b6 $18 (20. Qb7 Bxc3 21. bxc3 $16)) 20. Qe4 Qxe4
21. Nxe4 axb5 22. Bxb5 Bxb5 23. Nxb5 $36) 18... Bb4 $1 {Black develops with
tempo.} (18... Qxe5 $2 {loses to} 19. Qb7 $1 $40) 19. Ne4 Qxe5 20. h4 {A very
interesting idea by Karjakin. He wants to place the knight on g5, where it
would be very strong, but Black has a way to prevent it.} (20. Qd3 $1 {was
better; White wants to play Nf3-g5, which would destroy Black's position.})
20... f5 $2 {This move is a serious mistake; it's hard to tell why Giri played
this move.} (20... Be7 $1 {was the only move to prevent Ng5, after which the
most of White's advantage evaporates} 21. Qd3 Qc7 22. Nf3 Bc6 23. Neg5 Bxf3 $1
24. Rxf3 Bxg5 25. hxg5 Ne7 $13) 21. Ng5 Re7 22. Qb7 $1 (22. c3 {was also
possible} Bc5 23. Rfe1 $36 {with great pressure against the Ps, but the move
played by Karjakin is even stronger.}) 22... Bc5 23. Ngf3 (23. Nxf5 $1 {
was also good} exf5 24. Rxd7 $40) (23. Ndf3 $5 {was also a very nice way of
developing a serious attack} Qc7 (23... Qxe2 24. Rfe1 Qc4 25. Ne5 $18) 24. Qxc7
Rxc7 25. Ne5 $40) 23... Qc7 24. Qxa6 Bxd4 $1 25. Nxd4 Kf8 $1 {At first glance
the black position is under serious pressure, but the position isn't quite so
simple. Black should have enough counterchances in the event of accurate play.
White threatened to play Nxb5, this move was directed against it.} 26. c3 Nf6
$6 {A logical move, but this move simply gives up the b5-pawn.} (26... Rb8 $1 {
was a very strong move to defend the pawn, because if White takes the pawn,
the rook will attack White's piece on b5 and will have serious threats with ...
Qc5.} 27. Nxb5 (27. Bxb5 Bxb5 28. Nxb5 Qc4 $132) 27... Qc5 $1 28. c4 Bc6 $44)
27. Bxb5 Bxb5 28. Qxb5 e5 $2 {This move would be good positionally, but there
is a refutation.} (28... Ne4 {was better and White is better, but he will have
to work hard to convert his advantage into a win.}) 29. Qa6 $1 {This is the
move missed by Giri.} Kg7 (29... Kf7 30. Nb5 $18) 30. Ne6+ Rxe6 31. Qxe6 {
White is winning, the rest is a matter of technique.} Re8 32. Qd6 Qb7 33. Rfe1
$1 Re7 34. g3 (34. a4 {was also good} Ne4 35. Qb4 $18) 34... Ne4 35. Qb4 Qxb4
36. cxb4 Nxg3 37. b5 f4 38. b6 f3 39. Rg1 (39. a4 f2 40. a5 $18) 39... Ne2 40.
Rgf1 e4 41. a4 Ng3 42. Rf2 1-0

[Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"]
[Date "2015.05.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2754"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "Illingworth,M"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2015.05.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 167"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:04]} 3. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 4. d3 {[%emt 0:00:
03]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. c3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:13]} 6. O-O {
[%emt 0:00:12]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 7. Nbd2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} ({The previous
game between the two players in this variation went} 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3
Nh5 10. d4 Bb6 11. Na3 Nxg3 12. hxg3 exd4 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Nxd4 Qf6 15. Nc4
Ba6 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. Re1 c5 18. Nf5 Bc8 19. Ne3 Be6 $11 {1/2-1/2 (66) Vachier
Lagrave,M (2703)-Karjakin,S (2760) Moscow 2010}) 7... Ne7 $5 {[%emt 0:00:15]
This is clearly Black's trendiest continuation, avoiding any damage to his
pawn structure with Bxc6 (a very common theme in this anti-Berlin) and luring
White's centre forward.} 8. d4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} exd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 9. cxd4 {
[%emt 0:00:02]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 10. Re1 {[%emt 0:00:07] This is White's
main move at present, supporting the centre in a standard fashion.} ({For} 10.
b3 {see 1-0 (53) Caruana,F (2775)-Kramnik,V (2799) Dortmund 2012 CBM 150 
[Caruana,F]}) (10. Bd3 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5 12. Qb3 d5 (12... Nc6 $5 13. d5 Ne7 $132)
13. e5 Nd7 14. Qc2 h6 $13 {0-1 (39) Durarbayli,V (2584)-Bacrot,E (2722)
Shamkir 2014 led to a very complicated position, though} 15. Re1 $5 {might be
an improvement.}) (10. h3 {is the main alternative, but after} d5 11. e5 Ne4
12. Bd3 Bf5 (12... f5 $5 13. exf6 Nxf6 $132 {also deserves attention.}) 13. Qe2
Nc6 14. Rd1 Bxd4 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxe4 17. Nxd4 Qd5 18. Nxc6 Qxc6 19. f3
Bd5 $11 {½-½ (30) Andreikin,D (2709)-Karjakin,S (2766) Khanty-Mansiysk 2014
CBM 160 [ChessBase Website]  and the opposite-coloured bishops made the
position quite dry.}) 10... Bg4 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 11. h3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bh5 {
[%emt 0:00:06]} 12. a3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:07] This is the latest try, essentially
waiting for Black to show his cards.} ({A recent high-level game went} 12. Qb3
d5 13. e5 Nd7 14. a4 $5 a6 (14... a5 15. Qd1 Nb8 16. Nb3 Nbc6 17. Bg5 Nb4 18.
Rc1 h6 $11 {1-0 (61) Vachier Lagrave,M (2758)-Leko,P (2723) Beijing 2014,
offered chances for both sides.}) 15. Bd3 c5 16. g4 {1-0 (32) Svidler,P (2732)
-Ragger,M (2658) Germany 2015, , and Black had the opportunity for} (16. Qc2
$142) 16... Bg6 $1 17. Bxg6 fxg6 18. e6 Nf6 19. Ne5 c4 20. Qe3 Qc7 {when Black
obtains a strong initiative; the e6 and d4 pawns are weak and White's king is
really very exposed.}) 12... a6 {[%emt 0:33:31]} 13. Bf1 {[%emt 0:00:20]} ({
Also possible is} 13. Ba4 Kh8 ({I'd prefer to secure the bishop's future with} 
13... h6 $142 14. e5 Nfd5 $132) 14. g4 Bg6 15. Bc2 d5 16. e5 $14 {1/2-1/2 (66)
Bok,B (2587)-Kovalenko,I (2661) Moscow 2015}) 13... Re8 {[%emt 0:06:04]} (13...
Nc6 $5 14. e5 dxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. g4 Bg6 17. Nc4 Ba7 18. b4 $13 {leads to
very sharp play; White has the initiative but if he ever loses control he will
have some serious kingside weaknesses. Practical tests are required to draw a
final conclusion.}) 14. e5 {[%emt 0:01:59] This is the logical continuation of
White's play.} (14. Nc4 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Ng6 16. Nxb6 cxb6 $132 {is hard to
assess, but Black has an easy plan of ...Nh5-f4 and should be doing well.}) (
14. Qc2 $6 Nc6 $1 15. d5 Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 $15 {is even more comfortable for
Black who has no problem pieces in this structure. Especially the d4-bishop is
a monster.}) 14... Nfd5 {[%emt 0:03:11]} (14... dxe5 15. dxe5 Nfd5 16. Nc4 Ba7
{is also possible, e.g.} 17. Bd3 h6 (17... Bg6 18. e6 $1 fxe6 19. Bg5 Nc3 20.
bxc3 Qxd3 21. Nce5 Qxd1 22. Raxd1 $11 {gives White enough compensation for the
pawn as e6 is very weak.}) 18. Be4 Bg6 19. e6 $5 fxe6 20. Qc2 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 $44
{and once again White has good compensation, this time because of the exposed
position of Black's king.}) 15. Nc4 {[%emt 0:03:35]} (15. exd6 $6 {is
suggested by the engine at a high depth, but it would admit that something
already went wrong.} cxd6 {and I even prefer Black's game marginally because
of his more harmonious minor pieces.}) 15... Ba7 {[%emt 0:04:53]} 16. g4 $1 {
[%emt 0:17:55] I think White has to be aggressive like this, as half-measures
such as} (16. Bd3 b5 17. Na5 h6 18. Be4 dxe5 19. dxe5 Qd7 {could see White
easily lose the initiative, though} 20. e6 $1 fxe6 21. Ne5 Bxd1 22. Nxd7 Bh5
23. Nb3 {just about keeps the balance.}) 16... Bg6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 17. Bg5 {
[%emt 0:00:05] White should maintain the pressure as} (17. Bg2 b5 18. Na5 Bb6 {
is pretty comfortable for Black who has an iron grip over d5.}) 17... dxe5 {
[%emt 0:20:43] There's nothing wrong with releasing the tension, but} (17... b5
18. Na5 Qd7 {(as given by Karjakin) was also possible as usual.}) (17... h6 18.
Bh4 b5 19. Na5 Qd7 {may be the most accurate move order so the f4-square
beckons for the black knight, though White does get the option of} 20. Bg3 {
now to cover it. The position should be dynamically balanced after} Bb6 21. Nb3
Rad8 22. Rc1 Bh7 $5 $13 {with a very rich and complex position.}) 18. dxe5 {
[%emt 0:00:39]} h6 {[%emt 0:04:48]} 19. Bh4 {[%emt 0:02:17]} (19. Bxe7 $6 Nxe7
$15 {would only serve to leave f4 as a permanent hole in White's camp.}) 19...
b5 $1 {[%emt 0:10:28] Both sides continue to fight tooth and nail for the
initiative.} 20. Na5 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Qc8 {[%emt 0:01:57]} 21. Rc1 $6 {[%emt 0:
11:51] It's hard to think of a more natural move than placing the rook
opposite the opponent's queen. However, in my opinion it is the beginning of
White's problems.} (21. e6 $5 {is natural when Black can't block the pawn with
...f6:} Bb6 (21... f6 $2 22. Nc6 $1 Nxc6 23. Qxd5 $16) (21... fxe6 $6 22. Ne5
Bh7 23. Bg2 {also gives White a very strong grip over the position.}) 22. exf7+
(22. Nb3 $6 f6 {is over-rated by the machines - the e6-pawn is under control
whereas Black is ready to advance his queenside majority, with the much easier
game.}) 22... Bxf7 23. Qd2 Ng6 24. Bg3 Qd7 {and the position is close to equal,
but White has to be more careful because of his less safe king.}) (21. Nc6 Nxc6
22. Qxd5 {might be best of all, when} Ne7 (22... Re6 $5) 23. Bxe7 Rxe7 24. Nh4
Bh7 25. Nf5 Rd7 26. Qc6 Bxf5 27. gxf5 Rd2 28. Re2 Rxe2 29. Bxe2 Qe8 $1 $11 {
equalises the position.}) 21... c5 {[%emt 0:02:14] Suddenly Black has taken
the initiative with his more flexible majority.} 22. b4 $1 {[%emt 0:19:50]
Probably best under the circumstances.} ({I can entirely understand why White
avoided} 22. e6 $6 f6 {as the pawn is very safely blockaded, and after} 23. Bg3
Bb6 24. b4 Rd8 $1 (24... c4 25. Nh4 Bh7 26. Bxc4 $1 bxc4 27. Rxc4 Bc7 28. Bxc7
Nxc7 29. Qd7 $1 Ned5 30. Rec1 Qxd7 31. exd7 Re7 32. d8=Q+ Rxd8 33. Nc6 Rdd7 34.
Nxe7+ Rxe7 35. Nf5 Bxf5 36. gxf5 Kf7 $11 {is about equal, though not entirely
settled.}) 25. Nh4 Bh7 26. Qf3 Bxa5 27. bxa5 c4 28. Nf5 Bxf5 29. gxf5 Qc5 $17 {
Black's superior majority gives him the advantage.}) 22... c4 {[%emt 0:02:55]
The obvious move, but} (22... Bb6 $5 {deserved attention, intending} 23. e6
fxe6 24. Ne5 Ra7 25. Bg2 c4 26. Naxc4 $1 bxc4 27. Nxc4 Bc7 28. Nd6 Bxd6 29.
Rxc8 Nxc8 30. Bxd5 exd5 31. Qxd5+ Kh8 32. Rxe8+ Bxe8 $13 {with a completely
unclear position. The machine helpfully gives '0.00'...}) 23. Nd4 $2 {[%emt 0:
03:01] Perhaps the first real mistake of the game, but one that proves very
costly in such a sharp position.} (23. Nd2 $1 Rd8 (23... Qe6 24. Ndxc4 $1 bxc4
25. Bxc4 {gives White a lot of compensation as it's hard to get out of the
a2-g8 diagonal pin.}) 24. Qf3 Qe6 25. Nb7 {was the way to maintain the balance:
} Rd7 26. Nd6 Rf8 27. N2xc4 $1 Rc7 $1 28. Na5 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Qxe5 30. Bg3 $13 {
and it's anyone's guess as to who is better here...I'll say it is equal.})
23... Qc7 $1 {[%emt 0:03:24] Now White isn't in time to coordinate his pieces
and Black takes control.} 24. Nab3 {[%emt 0:05:37]} (24. Nxc4 bxc4 25. Rxc4 Qb6
26. Qf3 {is given by the machine, but it's fairly clear that White is just
down a piece after} Rad8 $17) (24. e6 Rad8 {however makes it very hard to
defend the d4-knight in the near future, and again White has to make an
unsound sacrifice in} 25. Nxc4 bxc4 26. Bxc4 Qb7 27. exf7+ Bxf7 $17) 24... Rad8
{[%emt 0:03:14]} 25. Qf3 {[%emt 0:05:04] Clearly White had to escape the
d-file pin.} Nxb4 $1 {[%emt 0:02:20] Not a particularly hard tactic to find.}
26. axb4 {[%emt 0:01:17]} (26. Nxb5 axb5 27. axb4 Nc6 $1 28. Bxd8 Rxd8 $19 {
is a decisive exchange sacrifice; Black will take on b4 and then the connected
passers supported by the bishops will decide.}) 26... Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 27.
Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Rxd4 $19 {[%emt 0:00:02] It's all over for White; he is
a pawn down, b4 will soon fall, and Black has the initiative to boot.} 28. e6 {
[%emt 0:00:11]} (28. Bg3 Qb6 $19) 28... f6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 29. Rcd1 {[%emt 0:
10:39]} Rxd1 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 30. Rxd1 {[%emt 0:00:25]} c3 {[%emt 0:00:57] The
c-pawn will wrap up the proceedings in no time.} 31. Bg3 {[%emt 0:05:04]} Qc6 {
[%emt 0:00:03]} 32. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:49]} c2 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 33. Rc1 {[%emt 0:
00:02]} Qc3 {[%emt 0:03:40]} 34. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Qxb4 {[%emt 0:01:44]} 35.
Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 36. Qf3 {[%emt 0:02:50]} Qc4 {
[%emt 0:00:51]} 37. Qb7 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Qxe6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 38. f4 {[%emt 0:
00:03]} Qe3 {[%emt 0:01:08]} 0-1

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "Roiz,M"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 d5 (7... c6
{is the most common continuation here.}) 8. cxd5 exd5 {This pawn structure was
seen in many games of Sergey in this tournament.} 9. O-O O-O 10. Nc3 Nbd7 ({
Sergey was able to prove, that Black's position is very solid after} 10... Re8
{, which might be more flexible.}) 11. Qc2 {The most common setup - the
d1-spot is now vacant for one of White's rooks.} ({The ambitious transfer of
the knight to f5 doesn't offer White any advantage:} 11. Nh4 Re8 12. Nf5 Bb4
13. Re1 Nf8 $11) ({Another possible plan is based on leaving the Qd1 on its
initial spot, but after something like} 11. Ne5 Bb7 12. Rc1 Re8 13. Nb5 c5 $132
{Black's position seems perfectly playable.}) 11... Re8 12. Rfd1 ({In the
following recent game Black didn't pose any problems:} 12. Bf4 Nf8 13. Rfd1 Ne6
14. Be5 Bb7 15. a3 Ne4 16. b4 $6 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 c6 18. Rab1 a5 $15 {1/2 Gelfand,
B (2735)-Martirosyan,H (2425)/Moscow RUS 2016 (25)}) (12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Rfd1 Bd6
14. Nc4 Bf8 15. Bf4 Rc8 16. Qb2 Ba8 17. Ne5 c5 $132 {1/2 Spassov,L (2475)
-Georgiev,K (2430)/Plovdiv 1984/MCD (19)}) 12... Nf8 $146 {A novelty. This is
a standard manoeuvre - the knight is heading to e6, where it will put more
pressure on White's centre, whereas the Qd8 becomes more mobile.} ({In one
preceding game Black was able to solve all the problems after} 12... Bd6 13.
Bc1 (13. Nh4 $5 c6 14. Nf5 Bf8 15. Bf4 $14) 13... c6 14. Bb2 Qe7 15. Rac1 Rac8
16. Nh4 g6 $11 {1-0 Pashikian,A (2617)-Hayrapetyan,H (2441)/Al-Ain UAE 2014/
The Week in Chess 1051 (66)}) 13. Ne5 (13. e4 {leads only to simplifications:}
dxe4 14. Nxe4 Bb7 15. Ne5 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Bd6 $11) 13... Bb7 {
Of course, Black has to cover the vulnerable c6-spot.} 14. Bc1 $1 {An
excellent move! White gets more control over the centre now.} ({Once again,} 
14. e4 {would be harmless:} dxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Bxe4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 Bd6 18.
Qf3 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Qe7 20. Bc3 Rad8 $11) 14... Ne6 15. Bb2 Bd6 ({After} 15... c5
16. dxc5 bxc5 17. Rac1 Bf8 18. e3 $36 {the pressure on both hanging pawns is
very annoying.}) ({The modest} 15... c6 $5 16. Rac1 Rc8 17. e3 Bd6 {would lead
to a passive, but solid position.}) 16. e3 a6 {A somewhat inaccurate move,
which makes Black's queenside pawn structure less flexible.} (16... c5 {
would be premature:} 17. Nb5 Bb8 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Nc4 $36) ({However,} 16...
c6 $5 {was a safer option.}) 17. Ne2 c5 {It looks like Hikaru has
underestimated the consquences of creating 2 hanging central pawns.} ({
Otherwise, he would have continued} 17... Rc8 18. Rac1 c6 $14) 18. dxc5 {
GM Karjakin dosn't see a reason for delaying this exchange.} ({Indeed,
something like} 18. Nc4 Bf8 19. dxc5 Nxc5 20. Nf4 Rc8 21. Qe2 Ne6 $14 {would
hardly offer him more.}) 18... Nxc5 $1 {A correct choice - the isolated Pd5 is
under strong pressure, but Black's pieces are becoming more active now.} (18...
bxc5 19. Qf5 Qc7 20. Nd3 Ne4 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. Ndf4 $16) 19. Nd3 Nce4 $1 {
Hikaru sensibly deviates from the exchange of knights.} (19... Rc8 20. Nxc5
Bxc5 21. Qd3 Ne4 22. Rac1 $16) 20. Rac1 ({Possibly,} 20. Bd4 $5 Rc8 21. Qb2 $14
{would be more annoying for Black.}) 20... Rc8 21. Qb1 Qe7 22. Bd4 Rxc1 $6 {
There was no reason for losing control over open c-file.} (22... Bc5 $142 23.
Qa1 a5 $14) 23. Rxc1 b5 24. b4 $1 {Now, when Black's knight is far from
reaching the stable c4-spot, it makes sense to fix the favourable pawn
structure.} Nd7 25. a3 {This move gives Black time for regrouping his forces.}
({A more energetic way was} 25. Nef4 h6 26. Qb3 $16) 25... Nf8 26. Ba1 {
At this stage of game Sergey avoids any ''drastic'' measures.} (26. Nc5 $5 Bxc5
27. bxc5 Bc6 28. Qb2 Ne6 29. f3 Nf6 30. Bxf6 gxf6 31. Qb4 $16) 26... Ne6 27.
Qa2 Bc7 28. Nd4 Bb6 {Black has been able to improve the placement of his minor
pieces, but the position is still quite unpleasant.} 29. h4 {[%mdl 8192]} Nxg3
$2 {A terrible tactical blunder.} (29... Nxd4 30. Bxd4 Bxd4 31. exd4 Qf6 32.
Qb2 h6 33. Nc5 Ba8 $14 {would have kept a worse, but solid position.}) 30. fxg3
Nxd4 {Hikaru's calculations were based on the vulnerablity of Nd3, but he had
missed an important detail...} 31. Bxd4 Bxd4 32. exd4 Qe3+ 33. Qf2 $1 Qxd3 34.
Rc7 $18 {That's it! The double attack immediately decides the battle. The
remaining few moves were just an agony.} f5 35. Rxb7 h6 36. Bxd5+ Kh7 37. Bg2
Re2 38. Bf1 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.25"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "Stohl,I"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 {The Sicilian occurred in the Candidates only twice! Apart from this
game Caruana used it in the last round in a must win situation. Karjakin
scored two crucial points against the Sicilian, indicating why the elite
considers 1...e5 safer in such a significant event.} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 {Karjakin lost the lead in the previous round, now he
wants to get back to the top and goes for a popular and complex system.} e6 {
No wonder Topalov goes for the Scheveningen setup.} ({Last December in London
he lost 2 games after} 6... e5 7. Nde2 h5 8. Bg5 (8. g3 Nbd7 9. Bg2 b5 10. Nd5
Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Rb8 12. Be3 Be7 13. Qd2 Nf6 14. O-O O-O 15. Kh2 Bb7 16. Nc3 Rc8
17. a4 b4 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. exd5 a5 20. Qe2 Bg5 21. Bxg5 Qxg5 22. h4 (22. Qb5
Ba8 23. Qxa5 h4 $1 $44) 22... Qf6 (22... Qe7 23. Qxh5 f5 $44 (23... Rc5 $132))
23. Qb5 Qe7 24. Qxa5 Rxc2 25. Rac1 Rxb2 26. Rb1 Ra2 27. Qxb4 Ba6 28. Qb3 Bxf1
29. Qxa2 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 $14 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2765)-Topalov,V (2803) London
2015}) 8... Be6 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Nd5 Qd8 11. Qd3 g6 ({Earlier Black preferred} 
11... Nc6 12. O-O-O g6 {with mixed success.}) 12. O-O-O Nd7 13. Kb1 {only
appeared later} Nc5 $142 $5 (13... Rc8 14. Nec3 Rc5 15. Be2 b5 16. a3 Nb6 17.
g4 hxg4 18. Nxb6 Qxb6 19. hxg4 Rxh1 20. Rxh1 Bg7 21. Qe3 Qb7 22. Rd1 Qc7 23. g5
Qc6 24. Rg1 (24. Qg3 $1 {/\} a5 25. Bg4 b4 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. Qh3 $1 $36) 24...
Qd7 (24... a5 $1 $132) 25. Qg3 $36 {[%cal Ye2g4] Anand,V (2803)-Topalov,V 
(2803) London 2015}) 14. Qf3 Bg7 15. Nec3 b5 16. Be2 Rb8 17. a3 Bd7 $5 18. Qe3
a5 19. b4 (19. Na2 $5 {is maybe safer, but can hardly give White an advantage
after} Bh6 20. Qf3 Kf8 $13) 19... Ne6 20. g3 Nd4 21. Bd3 Be6 22. f4 axb4 23.
axb4 Ra8 $132 24. f5 gxf5 25. exf5 Nxf5 26. Bxf5 Bxf5 27. g4 $6 (27. Nxb5 O-O
28. g4 $13) 27... hxg4 28. hxg4 Rxh1 29. Rxh1 Be6 $15 {Ganguly,S (2648)-Giri,A
(2784) Doha 2015}) 7. g4 Nfd7 {We'll check the more popular reactions:} (7...
b5 8. Bg2 ({Karjakin would maybe continue as in the game} 8. g5 $5 Nfd7 9. a3
$13) 8... Bb7 9. O-O Nfd7 ({Black avoids the tactics} 9... b4 10. Nd5 $1 $44 {
, or}) (9... Nc6 10. e5 $36) 10. a4 $5 (10. Re1 Nc6 11. e5 d5 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13.
Ne2 Bb7 14. Nd4 Bc5 15. Be3 O-O 16. f4 Qc7 17. c3 Rae8 18. g5 Bb6 19. Kh1 Nc5
20. Rg1 Rc8 21. Rc1 Rfd8 22. h4 Ne4 23. Bf3 Qe7 24. Rg2 b4 $132 {Bruzon
Batista,L (2669)-Bu,X (2695) Danzhou 2015}) 10... b4 11. Na2 a5 12. c3 bxc3 13.
Nxc3 Nc5 14. Ndb5 Be7 15. Be3 Nba6 16. Qe2 O-O 17. Rad1 Qb8 18. f4 Bc6 19. b3
Nb4 20. f5 Re8 21. f6 $1 Bxf6 22. Rxf6 gxf6 23. Nxd6 Nd7 24. Nxe8 Qxe8 25. Qf2
Qf8 26. Rd2 Rc8 27. Ne2 Na6 28. Ng3 $36 {Schnabel,M (2439)-Horvat,M (2456)
email 2013}) (7... h6 8. Bg2 Be7 9. f4 Nc6 10. Be3 Nd7 11. O-O {To avoid these
problems, Black should prefer the safer} O-O (11... Nxd4 12. Qxd4 O-O 13. Qd2
Rb8 14. Ne2 b5 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. f5 Nf6 17. Ng3 Bb7 (17... Re8 18. Bd4 (18. Kh1
$5 {could have been Anand's intention in 2015, according to M.Pavlovic.}) 18...
e5 19. Be3 Bb7 20. Bxh6 gxh6 21. Qxh6 Nh7 22. f6 Bf8 23. Qh5 Qc5+ 24. Kh2 Qe3
25. h4 Qh6 26. Qxh6 Bxh6 27. g5 $16 {Navara,D (2716)-Grischuk,A (2795) Tromso
olm 2014/ For details see the notes to this game in CBM 162.}) 18. Kh1 $5 Rbd8
$2 (18... d5 19. Bf4 (19. e5 Qxe5 20. Bf4 Qxb2 $132) 19... e5 20. Bxh6 gxh6 21.
Qxh6 Rfd8 22. g5 Bf8 23. Qh4 Nxe4 24. Nh5 Rd6 25. Bf3 $1 $44 {[%cal Yf1g1,
Yh5f6]}) 19. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 20. Qxh6 d5 21. g5 Qxg3 22. Rd3 $1 Nh5 23. g6 $18 {
Anand,V (2804)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2723) Stavanger 2015 For more details see
the notes to this game in CBM 167 by M.Pavlovic.}) 12. Nce2 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 (13.
Nxd4 e5 14. Nf5 exf4 15. Bxf4 Ne5 16. Qd2 (16. Qd5 Bxf5 17. exf5 b5 18. Qxa8 $2
(18. Rad1 $11) 18... Qb6+ 19. Kh1 Rxa8 20. Bxa8 Bg5 21. Bxg5 hxg5 22. b3 Qc5
$36 {[%csl Ra8,Ge5,Rh1] Shirov,A (2712)-Korobov,A (2700) Poikovsky 2015}) 16...
Bxf5 17. exf5 Rc8 18. b3 b5 19. Rfe1 Bf6 20. Rad1 Re8 21. Kh1 Rc7 22. c3 Rce7
$132 {Kruse,H (2374)-Riccio,E (2477) email 2010}) 13... b5 14. Ng3 e5 $5 15.
Qd2 exf4 16. Bxf4 Ne5 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. exf5 Rc8 19. Rad1 Nc4 20. Qc1 Bf6 21. b3
Ne5 22. Qd2 Qb6+ 23. Be3 Qc7 24. Qxd6 Qxc2 25. Qd2 Qc7 26. Qd6 Qa5 27. Qd2 Qc7
$11 {½, Shirov,A (2684)-Anand,V (2784) Zuerich blitz 2016}) ({Black should
gradually equalise after} 7... d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nde2 Bb4 10. Bg2 O-O 11. O-O
Nxc3 12. Nxc3 Qc7 13. Qd4 Bd6 14. Be3 Bd7 15. Rad1 Bh2+ 16. Kh1 Be5 17. Qb6
Qxb6 18. Bxb6 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Bc6 20. Rd4 Bxg2+ 21. Kxg2 Nc6 22. Rd7 Rab8 23. Rb1
Ne5 24. Rdd1 Rbc8 25. Bd4 Nc6 26. Rxb7 Nxd4 27. Rxd4 Rxc3 $11 {Evtushenko,S 
(2522)-Teichmann,C (2394) email 2013 However, I have a feeling Topalov
probably wanted to win at least one game in Moscow! Instead of gradual
equality, Black goes for a full-blooded fight.}) 8. Be3 {Karjakin develops his
queenside first, intending to hide his king there.} ({Two years ago we examined
} 8. Bg2 Be7 9. Be3 Nc6 10. h4 $5 (10. Qd2 O-O 11. O-O-O Nde5 12. Qe2 (12. b3
$5) 12... Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Nc6 14. Be3 b5 15. f4 Bb7 16. Kb1 Rc8 17. g5 Na5 $1 18.
Qe1 Qc7 19. Rc1 Nc4 20. Nd1 d5 21. exd5 Rfd8 $36 {Radjabov,T (2738)-Duda,J 
(2658) Berlin rpd 2015}) 10... Nde5 11. g5 Nc4 $5 ({More concrete and better
than} 11... Bd7 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. b3 f5 14. f4 Ng4 15. Qe2 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 fxe4
17. O-O-O d5 18. Nxe4 Ba3+ 19. Kb1 Qe7 20. Nf2 Bc5 21. Qg3 Bxf2 22. Qxf2 O-O
23. Qd4 Rf5 24. Rde1 $14 {Anand,V (2770)-Topalov,V (2785)/Candidates
Khanty-Mansiysk/2014/ See the notes to this game by Anand in CBM 160.}) 12. Bc1
O-O 13. b3 (13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. b3 Nb6 15. Bb2 a5 16. Ne2 Ba6 17. Ng3 d5 18. Qd4
Bb4+ 19. Kd1 {Stevic,H (2613)-Yilmaz,M (2564)/Sarajevo/2014/} f6 $5 $13 {/=/+})
13... Qa5 14. Nde2 N4e5 $5 (14... Na3 15. O-O b5 16. Bd2 Qc7 17. Qc1 b4 18. Na4
{Nestorovic,N (2461)-Hajbok,R (2367)/Kazan/2013/} Nb5 $11) 15. f4 (15. h5 $5)
15... Ng4 $1 16. Bf3 h5 17. Bxg4 hxg4 18. Qd2 d5 19. exd5 Rd8 20. a3 exd5 21.
Na4 Qc7 22. h5 b5 23. h6 gxh6 24. Bb2 d4 $17 {Stevic,H (2619)-Tadic,B (2505)/
Neum/2014/}) (8. g5 b5 9. a3 Bb7 10. h4 ({We will consider} 10. Be3 $5 {
in the following note.}) 10... Nb6 11. h5 N8d7 {leads to a line from the Keres
Attack, but with a tempo up for White. As he has played h2-h4, his bishop is
already on e3 and this enables the powerful temporary rook sacrifice 12.g6!
hxg6 13.hxg6. Here he needs the preparatory} 12. Rh3 Nc5 (12... d5 $142 $5 13.
g6 e5 $13) 13. g6 (13. Qg4 e5 14. Nf5 g6 15. hxg6 fxg6 16. Be3 Rc8 17. O-O-O
Qd7 18. Nh6 Bxh6 19. Qxd7+ Nbxd7 20. Rxh6 Nxe4 21. Bg2 Nxc3 22. Bxb7 Nxd1 23.
Bxc8 Nxe3 24. fxe3 Nc5 25. b4 O-O 26. bxc5 Rxc8 27. cxd6 Rd8 $15 {Gopal,G 
(2580)-Areshchenko,A (2666) Al Ain 2014}) 13... hxg6 14. hxg6 Rxh3 15. gxf7+
Kxf7 16. Bxh3 e5 17. Qh5+ g6 18. Qh7+ Bg7 19. Ne6 Qh8 20. Ng5+ Kf6 21. b3 Qxh7
22. Nxh7+ Kf7 23. Be3 Rh8 24. Ng5+ Ke7 25. O-O-O $14 {Volokitin,A (2628)
-Kuzubov,Y (2640) Lvov 2015}) 8... Be7 ({Black usually plays the immediate} 
8... b5 {and now:} 9. a3 (9. a4 $6 b4 10. Na2 Bb7 11. Bg2 {allows} Nc5 $1 {
Contrary to the note to move 7 here White hasn't castled yet and has no
comfortable way to protect the Pe4, Black had an edge after} 12. Nxb4 Nxe4 13.
O-O d5 14. c3 Be7 15. f3 Nd6 16. f4 Nc4 17. Bf2 a5 18. Nd3 Nd7 19. Qe2 O-O 20.
f5 e5 21. Nb5 e4 22. Nf4 Bg5 23. Bd4 Qb8 $36 {Potkin,V (2585)-Artemiev,V (2674)
Moscow 2016}) (9. Bg2 Bb7 10. Qd2 Nb6 11. b3 N8d7 12. O-O Rc8 (12... Be7 13. f4
O-O 14. f5 $1 b4 15. Nce2 e5 16. f6 Bxf6 17. Nf5 $36 a5 18. Neg3 g6 19. Nh6+ $5
Kg7 20. g5 Be7 21. Ngf5+ $1 gxf5 22. exf5 Bxg2 23. Qxg2 Rc8 24. f6+ Kh8 {
Horvath,A (2536)-Kuzubov,Y (2667) Abu Dhabi 2014} 25. fxe7 Qxe7 26. Bxb6 Nxb6
27. Rf6 $40) 13. f4 Qc7 14. Nce2 e5 15. Nf5 g6 16. Nfg3 Qxc2 17. Qa5 exf4 $6 (
17... Qc7 $142 $1 $13 {is unclear.}) 18. Nxf4 Bg7 19. Rac1 Qb2 20. Nd3 $6 (20.
Nfe2 $1 {[%cal Re3b6] practically forces Black to play} Rc5 $16) 20... Bc3 $1
21. Nxb2 Bxa5 22. Nd3 Bc3 23. Ne2 Bg7 24. Rxc8+ Nxc8 25. Rc1 Kd8 26. Nd4 Bxd4
27. Bxd4 Re8 $15 {Andriasian,Z (2612)-Raznikov,D (2494) Jerusalem 2015}) 9...
Bb7 10. g5 {once again resembles the Keres without h6:} Nb6 11. Qg4 (11. h4
N8d7 12. Bg2 Rc8 13. Nde2 Be7 14. b3 h6 15. Qd2 Qc7 16. Bd4 e5 17. Be3 hxg5 18.
hxg5 Rxh1+ 19. Bxh1 f5 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bg2 Nbd7 22. O-O-O Nc5 23. Bxc5 Qxc5
24. Kb2 a5 $132 {Adams,M (2742)-Ragger,M (2695) Germany 2016}) 11... N8d7 12.
O-O-O Ne5 (12... g6 13. h4 Rc8 14. h5 Ne5 15. Qh3 Rxc3 16. bxc3 Bxe4 17. hxg6
Bxg6 18. f4 Nd5 19. Nxe6 $1 $16 Qa5 20. Rxd5 Qxc3 {Shirov,A (2708)-Al Sayed,M 
(2507) Caleta 2013} 21. Nd4 $18) 13. Qg3 Nec4 14. f4 Rc8 15. Bxc4 Nxc4 16. Rd3
(16. f5 $5) 16... g6 17. Rhd1 Bg7 18. e5 d5 19. Kb1 Qc7 20. Bc1 Bf8 $132 {
Milde,L (2061)-Huerga,A (2174) LSS email 2013}) 9. g5 b5 (9... Bxg5 $2 {
fails to} 10. Nxe6 fxe6 11. Qh5+ $16) (9... Nc6 10. h4 {is again a Keres
Attack with an extra tempo. While the position is probably unclear, in
practice it's easier to handle with White.}) 10. a3 Bb7 11. h4 O-O {
Provocative.} ({Black usually postpones castling with} 11... Nc6 12. Qd2 (12.
Nxc6 Bxc6 13. Qd4 O-O 14. O-O-O Rb8 $132 {[%cal Ya6a5,Yb5b4]}) 12... Rc8 13.
Nxc6 (13. O-O-O b4 $1 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. Nb3 Bxe4 16. Nxe4 Rxc2+ 17. Qxc2 Nxc2
18. Kxc2 O-O 19. Nc3 Qa8 20. Be2 Qb7 21. Na5 Qc7 22. Ra1 d5 23. Nb3 e5 $15 {
Hovhannisyan,R (2623)-Zhigalko,S (2664) Martuni 2013}) (13. Rh3 b4 14. axb4
Nxb4 15. Nce2 a5 16. c3 Nc6 17. Nb5 Nc5 18. Bxc5 dxc5 19. Rd3 Qb6 20. Nd6+ Bxd6
21. Rxd6 O-O 22. f4 Rcd8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Qc2 c4 $36 {[%csl Re1] Demchenko,A 
(2583)-Gelfand,B (2735) Moscow 2016}) 13... Rxc6 14. O-O-O O-O 15. h5 Qa5 ({
Not even} 15... Ne5 16. h6 g6 17. Qd4 f6 18. f4 Nc4 19. f5 Nxe3 20. Qxe3 Rc5
21. fxg6 hxg6 $13 {Pichot,A (2517)-Cheparinov,I (2682) Antofagasta 2016}) 16.
Kb1 Rxc3 $5 17. Qxc3 Qxc3 18. bxc3 Bxe4 19. Rh4 Bf3 20. Re1 Ne5 $44 {
Bromberger,S (2532)-Cheparinov,I (2684) Reykjavik 2016 Isn't Cheparinov
Topalov's second anymore?}) 12. Qd2 {Development first.} (12. f4 Nc6 13. Rh3
Rc8 14. f5 Nxd4 (14... Nce5 $5 {/\} 15. fxe6 Rxc3 $1 16. bxc3 Nc5 $36 {[%csl
Re1]}) 15. Qxd4 Nc5 16. Bd2 Re8 17. O-O-O Qc7 18. f6 Bf8 19. Bd3 Qb6 20. Kb1
Na4 21. Qxb6 Nxb6 22. Ne2 Nd7 23. Rf1 Ne5 24. Nf4 Nd7 25. Nh5 $36 {Grischuk,A 
(2797)-Dominguez Perez,L (2751) Baku 2014 Although White won, the notes by
Havasi in CBM 163 show Black missed several improvements on the way.}) 12...
Nb6 $146 {[%mdl 8]} ({Veselin had bad memories of} 12... Nc6 13. O-O-O Nxd4 14.
Bxd4 Rc8 (14... Bc6 15. f4 Rb8 16. f5 exf5 17. Bg2 f4 18. Nd5 a5 19. Qxf4 Bxd5
20. exd5 b4 21. a4 Qc7 22. b3 Rbc8 23. Rd2 Ne5 24. Kb1 f6 25. Qf5 Qd7 26. Qxd7
Nxd7 27. Bh3 $16 {Demchenko,A (2589)-Gabrielian,A (2576) Iasi 2015}) 15. Rg1
Ne5 16. Qe3 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Rxc4 18. f4 Re8 19. f5 Bf8 20. f6 e5 21. Bb6 $40 {
Vallejo Pons,F (2697)-Topalov,V (2752) Leon rpd 2012 White has a lead in his
attack and went on to win.}) ({Postal games saw Black successfully adopting
the central counter} 12... d5 $5 13. exd5 (13. h5 dxe4 14. g6 Ne5 15. O-O-O
Nbc6 16. h6 fxg6 17. hxg7 Rf7 18. Bh3 Nc4 19. Nxc6 Qxd2+ 20. Bxd2 Bxc6 21. Bxe6
e3 22. fxe3 Bxh1 23. Rxh1 Bf6 24. Rf1 Kxg7 25. Bxf7 Nxd2 26. Kxd2 Bxc3+ 27.
bxc3 Rf8 28. c4 Rxf7 29. Rxf7+ Kxf7 {½, Lovakovic,F (2272)-Ilyin,P (2255)
email 2012}) 13... Nb6 14. Rg1 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. h5 (16. O-O-O Nc6 17.
Nxc6 Bxc6 18. Bg2 Bxg2 19. Rxg2 Qxd2+ 20. Rxd2 Rad8 $11 {½, Korzh,L (2089)
-Lubas,J (2061) email 2014}) 16... Qc7 17. Nf5 Nc6 18. Bf4 Qb7 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7
20. O-O-O b4 21. Qe3 bxa3 22. bxa3 Rac8 $132 {Zolochevsky,V (2349)-Baldin,V 
(2332) email 2012}) 13. h5 {Natural enough, but the more energetic} (13. g6 $5
{also deserved attention:} {/\} hxg6 14. h5 $36) 13... N8d7 14. g6 Ne5 {
The knight aims for c4, while e6 is indirectly protected due to the fork on f3.
} ({However, the typical} 14... Bf6 $132 {was also interesting.}) ({, or the
more concrete} 14... Nc5 $5 15. Rg1 (15. O-O-O Nxe4 $1 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. gxf7+
Rxf7 18. Nxe6 Qc8 $17) 15... Bf6 $13) 15. O-O-O {Karjakin finishes his
development, contrary to Caruana-Nakamura, Moscow 2016 White's major pieces
will be able to support his bayonet attack.} ({The direct} 15. h6 fxg6 16. Bh3
(16. hxg7 Re8 $5) 16... Rf6 17. O-O-O (17. Bxe6+ Rxe6 18. Nxe6 Nf3+ 19. Kd1 Qc8
$36) 17... Nbc4 18. Qe1 Qa5 $13 {leads to immense complications, which are
almost impossible to evaluate correctly over the board. One plausible
follow-up is} {/\} 19. Bxe6+ (19. Bg5 $5) 19... Rxe6 20. Nxe6 Nxb2 21. Kxb2
Nc4+ 22. Kb1 Nxa3+ $1 (22... Qxa3 23. Bc1 Qb4+ $11) 23. Kc1 Rc8 24. Rd3 b4 $40)
15... Nbc4 16. Bxc4 ({Swaps a potential attacking unit, but after} 16. Qe2 Bf6
17. Bh3 Bc8 {Black's knights are alive and dangerous, e.g.} 18. gxf7+ Rxf7 19.
Bxe6 $6 Bxe6 20. Nxe6 Qa5 $44 {[%cal Rc4b2] /\Nb2}) 16... Nxc4 17. Qe2 Rc8 $2 {
The Sicilian is often about one mistake, which can often be irredeemable.} (
17... Nxe3 $6 18. fxe3 $1 (18. Qxe3 Bg5 19. f4 Bh6 20. Kb1 Qe7 $132) {opens
the <->f and also isn't ideal:} 18... Bf6 19. h6 hxg6 20. Qh2 {-> /\} Re8 21.
hxg7 Bxg7 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Rhg1 {[%cal Rg1g6]} Bxd4 24. exd4 Qf6 25. Rdf1 Qg7
26. Qxg6 Qxg6 27. Rxg6 $16) (17... Bf6 $142 $1 {Adams,M (2741)-Kasparov,G 
(2804) Linares 22nd 2005 (12) 0-1 retains the tension and is a typical move in
similar situations - see} 18. Qg4 (18. h6 {gives Black a choice between} fxg6
$5 (18... hxg6 19. hxg7 Bxg7 $13) 19. Nxe6 Qe7 20. Nxf8 Bxc3 $132) 18... Qe7 $5
$13 {/\} ({The Pe6 still requires protection:} 18... Rc8 $2 19. h6 hxg6 20.
Nxe6 Nxe3 21. fxe3 Qd7 22. hxg7 Bxg7 23. Qh3 fxe6 24. Qh7+ Kf7 25. Rdg1 Ke8 26.
Qxg6+ Rf7 27. Rh7 Kf8 28. Qh5 $1 {[%cal Rh7g7]} Rf6 (28... Bxc3 29. Qh6+ Ke7
30. Rxf7+ Kxf7 31. Rf1+ Kg8 32. bxc3 $18) 29. Qh4 $1 Rc7 30. Rhxg7 Qxg7 31.
Rxg7 Kxg7 32. Qg3+ $18) 19. Rdg1 h6) 18. h6 $1 $40 {[%mdl 128] This break
comes at the exactly right moment. White's Q and rooks are ready to pounce on
the hapless enemy king; the attack is simply too powerful.} fxg6 {loses
material without compensation.} ({However,} 18... hxg6 {is hopeless:} 19. hxg7
Re8 (19... Kxg7 20. Bh6+ Kg8 21. Rdg1 {[%cal Re2h5,Rd4e6]}) 20. Qf3 $40 (20.
Nxe6 $5 fxe6 21. Rdg1 $18 {[%csl Rg8]})) 19. Nxe6 Qd7 (19... Qa5 20. hxg7 Rfe8
21. Rxh7 $1 $18 {and taking the R leads to a quick mate after} Kxh7 22. Rh1+
Kg8 23. Qg4 Kf7 (23... Ne5 24. Qf4) 24. Rh7 Rg8 25. Nf4 $18) 20. Nxf8 (20. hxg7
Rf7 21. Nc5 $16 {is good for White, but the text move is far simpler. Topalov
allegedly overlooked it, a definite sign he was totally out of form in Moscow.}
) 20... Bxf8 21. hxg7 Bxg7 22. Bd4 a5 ({After} 22... Bxd4 23. Rxd4 Nxa3 {
the computer solution is} 24. bxa3 $5 Rxc3 25. Rhd1 $18 {White's win is a
matter of technique.}) 23. Bxg7 Qxg7 24. Qg4 Re8 25. Qg5 Bc6 26. Qh6 Qh8 (26...
Bxe4 27. Qxg7+ Kxg7 28. Rhe1 Bc6 29. Rxe8 Bxe8 30. Rd4 $18 {[%cal Ra3a4]}) 27.
b3 $5 ({With an extra exchange White sees no need for} 27. Rh4 b4 28. Rd4 $1
$18 {and first of all strives to stop any meaningful counterplay.}) 27... Nxa3
{Endgames are hopeless:} (27... Qxc3 28. Qxh7+ Kf8 29. Qh8+ {as well as} Qxh8
30. Rxh8+ Ke7 31. Rxe8+ Bxe8 32. bxc4 $18) (27... Bxe4 28. bxc4 (28. Rh3 $5)
28... Bxh1 29. Rxh1 {/\} Qxc3 30. Qxh7+ Kf8 31. Qh8+ Qxh8 32. Rxh8+ Ke7 33.
Rxe8+ Kxe8 34. cxb5 $18) 28. Rh3 (28. Qh3 $5 $18) 28... Bd7 29. Rg3 Qf6 30. Rh1
(30. Rdg1 $142 $1 Re6 31. f4 $18 {[%cal Rf4f5]}) 30... Re7 31. Qh4 Qg7 {
This loses by force.} ({A more resilient try was} 31... Qxh4 32. Rxh4 Bc6 {
, but in the endgame White should gradually convert his extra exchange in the
long run.}) 32. Nd5 Rf7 (32... Qa1+ 33. Kd2 Qd4+ 34. Rd3 $18) 33. Qd8+ Qf8 (
33... Rf8 34. Ne7+ $18 {so Black can't avoid the queen swap anyway. But now
White already has a better choice...}) 34. Qxa5 Nxc2 35. Qc3 (35. Qc3 Rxf2 36.
Rxg6+ hxg6 37. Rh8+ Kf7 38. Rh7+ $5 (38. Rxf8+ Kxf8 39. Qh8+ Kf7 40. Qh7+)
38... Ke8 39. Qc7 Rf1+ 40. Kb2 {and White mates after the checks run out.}) 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2016.03.28"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B67"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Karjakin,S"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2016.03.11"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 172"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{In the final encounter I quite simply wanted to concentrate on my game and to
play well.  In der letzten Begegnung wollte ich mich schlicht und einfach auf
meine Partie konzentrieren und gutes Spiel zeigen.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 {Fabiano puts his trust in the complicated Rauzer
Variation, which is not particularly popular nowadays. . Fabiano setzt auf die
komplizierte Rauser-Variante, die heutzutage nicht besonders populär ist.} 6.
Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 {Black has several options here. Hier
verfügt Schwarz über mehrere Möglichkeiten.} h6 {As I learned later, one
great fan of this move order is the Chinese grandmaster Li Chao.  Wie ich
später erfahren habe, ist ein großer Anhänger dieser Zugfolge der
chinesische Großmeister Li Chao.} 10. Bh4 b5 (10... Nxe4 {would on account of
wäre für so eine wichtige Partie wegen} 11. Qe1 Nf6 12. Nf5 $1 {have been
too challenging for such an important game. zu herausfordernd gewesen.}) 11.
Bxf6 gxf6 12. f5 {The idea of weakening the light squares of the opponent's
king's residence seemed very tempting to me. All the more so that in
comparison with the variation with the pawn on h7, Black no longer has
available to him the manoeuvre Bf8-h6-f4. Die Idee, die weißen Felder der
gegnerischen Königsresidenz zu schwächen, schien mit sehr verlockend. Umso
mehr, dass dem Schwarzen im Vergleich mit der Variante mit dem Bauern auf h7
das Manöver Lf8-h6-f4 jetzt nicht mehr zur Verfügung steht.} Qb6 13. fxe6 ({
A more accurate move would be Genauer wäre} 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. Bd3 {, which
would offer White additional options compared to the game. , was im dem
Weißen im Vergleich zur Partie zusätzliche Möglichkeiten anbieten würde.})
13... fxe6 14. Nxc6 Qxc6 $1 {Black continues to leave the e6-pawn protected..
Schwarz läßt den Bauern e6 weiterhin gedeckt.} ({In the event of Im Falle von
} 14... Bxc6 15. Bd3 {the plan h6-h5, b5-b4, Qb6-c5, Bf8-h6, a6-a5 looks less
convincing than it does in the game: sieht der Plan h6-h5, b5-b4, Qb6-c5,
Bf8-h6, a6-a5 weniger überzeugend aus, als in der Partie:} h5 16. Kb1 b4 17.
Ne2 Qc5 18. Rhf1 Bh6 19. Qe1 a5 20. b3 {[%csl Re6][%cal Rd3c4,Rf1f6] , and
Black must take defensive measures which will cost him time. , und der
Nachziehende muss Verteidigungmaßnahmen treffen, was ihn Zeit kosten wird.})
15. Bd3 h5 16. Kb1 b4 (16... Bh6 {would be inaccurate - after wäre ungenau -
nach} 17. Qf2 {White would obtain a better piece setup than will be the case
in the game. würde Weiß eine bessere Figurenauftsellung erreichen, als es in
der Partie der Fall sein wird.}) 17. Ne2 Qc5 18. Rhf1 ({THe typical central
breakthrough Stärker wäre der typische zentrale Durchbruch} 18. e5 $1 {
would be stronger, and after the rather forced variation , und nach der
ziemlich forcierten Variante} fxe5 19. Qg5 Be7 20. Qg7 Rf8 21. Rhf1 Rxf1 22.
Rxf1 Bc6 23. Rf7 d5 24. Bg6 Kd8 25. Qxe5 Be8 26. Rg7 Qf2 27. a3 $1 ({though
nicht so klar ist} 27. Qxh5 {is not so clear: .} Bxg6 28. Rxg6 Kd7) 27... Qf6
28. Qd4 $5 Qxd4 29. Nxd4 Kd7 30. axb4 Bxg6 31. Rxg6 e5 32. Nf3 e4 33. Ne5+ Kc7
34. c3 {White obtains an advantageous endgame. But that would be another story.
.. erhält Weiß ein vorteilhaftes Endspiel. Aber das wäre eine andere
Geschichte...}) 18... Bh6 19. Qe1 a5 20. b3 $1 {I like this move, which
obtains a better square for the bishop. Mit gefällt dieser Zug, der dem
Läufer einen besseren Platz besorgt.} Rg8 ({Opening the file with Die
Linienöffnung} 20... a4 21. Bc4 axb3 {does not pay dividends for Black; after
bringt dem Schwarzen keine Dividenden - nach} 22. Bxb3 {the white king feels
safe enough. fühlt sich der weiße König sicher genug.}) 21. g3 Ke7 22. Bc4
Be3 {as one might say in hockey, "cleverly sending the puck into the
opponent's zone". Wie man es beim Hockey sagen würde, "der geschickte Einwurf
in die Zone des Gegners".} ({After Nach} 22... Rg4 23. Nd4 a4 24. Rf3 {White
keeps everything under control and Black is short of ideas. hält Weiß alles
unter Kontrolle und dem Nachzienden mangelt an aktiven Ideen.}) 23. Rf3 ({
It was also worth considering Beachtung verdiente auch} 23. Nf4 {, which would
lead to more concrete play. , was zu einem konkreteren Spiel führen würde.})
23... Rg4 24. Qf1 Rf8 25. Nf4 Bxf4 ({The attempt to retain the bishop by means
of Der Versuch, mittels} 25... Bd4 {would on account of den Läufer zu
behalten, wäre wegen} 26. Rfd3 Be5 27. Nxh5 {have been too risky. zu riskant
gewesen.}) 26. Rxf4 a4 ({After the game Caruana thought it would have been
better to play Nach der Partie meinte Caruana, dass es besser wäre, mit} 26...
Bc6 {to maintain the tension. die Spannung aufechtzuerhalten.} {After Auf} 27.
Qd3 {Black plays spielt Schwarz} Rf7 {, and White cannot become active quickly.
I agree with him. , und dem Anziehenden gelingt nicht, schnell aktiv zu werden.
Ich bin mit ihm einverstanden.}) 27. bxa4 Bxa4 28. Qd3 {Now the idea of the
pawn sacrifice e4-e5 is in the air. Nun hängt die Idee des Bauernopfers e4-e5
in der Luft.} ({But Frühzeitig wäre} 28. Bb3 {would be premature - after -
nach} Bxb3 29. axb3 Rgg8 {Black has the initiative. besitzt Schwarz die
Initiative.}) 28... Bc6 29. Bb3 Rg5 30. e5 $1 {Even if I did not see how Black
could seriously defend his position I preferred to bring some clarity to the
situation. Auch wenn ich nicht sah, wie Schwarz seine Stellung ernsthaft
verstärken könnte, wollte ich die Lage lieber klären.} Rxe5 31. Rc4 ({
It was also worth considering Beachtenswert war auch} 31. Qh7+ Rf7 32. Qh8 {
with dynamic equality. mit dynamischem Gleichgewicht.}) 31... Rd5 32. Qe2 Qb6
33. Rh4 Re5 ({There was the interesting Interessant war} 33... Rxd1+ 34. Qxd1
Qe3 {(Nepomniachtchi), which, after (Nepomniachtchi), was nach} 35. Rxb4 Be4
36. a3 {, would lead to a complicated position. zu einer komplizierten
Stellung führen würde.}) 34. Qd3 Bg2 ({After Nach} 34... d5 35. Qh7+ Rf7 36.
Qh8 {Black has problems with the coordination of his pieces. hat Schwarz
Probleme mit Figurenkoordination.}) 35. Rd4 $1 {A useful centralisation.
Nützliche Zentralisierung.} d5 36. Qd2 Re4 $2 ({I was expecting the variation
with Ich erwartete die Variante} 36... Be4 37. Rxb4 Qc6 38. Kb2 {with
approximate equality. mit ungefährem Gleichgewicht.}) 37. Rxd5 $1 {I spotted
this decisive nove relatively quickly. But there was too much depending on the
game to play it quickly without first checking the variations. Dieser
entscheidende Zug ist mir relativ schnell eingefallen. Aber auf dem Spiel
stand zu viel, um ihn zu machen, ohne zuerst die Varianten zu überprüfen.}
exd5 38. Qxd5 {The black pieces are unharmoniously distributed and cannot
protect their king. Die schwarzen Figuren stehen unharmonisch und können
ihren König nicht beschützen.} Qc7 ({More resistance could have been offered
with Mehr Widerstand bot} 38... Rd4 39. Qxd4 Qxd4 40. Rxd4 Rb8 {, but it is
hard to believe that it would save him in the end. , aber es ist schwer zu
glauben, dass es am Ende die Rettung bringen würde.}) 39. Qf5 $1 Rf7 {Fabiano
offered me a draw here. Let us put that down to the nervous tension and the
high stakes...  Hier hat mir Fabiano Remis angeboten. Schreiben wir es der
Nervenanspannung und dem hohen Wetteinsatz zu...} 40. Bxf7 Qe5 41. Rd7+ Kf8 42.
Rd8+ 1-0

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +1-1=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E14"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Caruana,F"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2016.11.11"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 176"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{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 $5 {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. O-O O-O 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 occurred 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 $1 15. Be5 Qc6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 $1 17. Bxh7+ Kg7 18. Be4
Nxe4 19. Nd4 fxg5 20. Nxc6 Bxc6 $17) (11. a3 $5 {is a flexible move, but it
also gives Black a lot of flexibility in his piece placement. Even the unusual
looking} Re8 $5 {, 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 at
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 being at 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 $5 {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 across the opponent's
plan must be seriously considered. I'm surprised Magnus didn't choose to play
this way.} e5 (16... Nf8 $2 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 $1 {An excellent
move, and already White seems slightly on the back foot.} 19. Nb5 $6 {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 $2 {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 $1 {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 $2 Nd3 $1 23. Rxd3 Rxd3
24. b4 axb4 25. axb4 Rb3 $1 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-squared 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 $4 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 Qh4 {
is basically mate and game over.}) 22. Rxc4 Bxd4 23. Rdxd4 ({In the press
conference Judit mentioned} 23. exd4 $5 {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 $6 {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 $2 {is "almost" a
trick:} bxc5 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 {, and the a5-pawn is protected.}) 25... Rb8 (25...
Rd7 $2 26. c5 $1 {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 $6 {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 $5 {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 $5 {, 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 $2 {
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 $4 36. Qd6
Rxd8 37. Nxd8 {with the unstoppable threat of Qe7 and Qxf7, was Carlsen's
ingenious point.}) 36. Nxd8 Nxc5 37. Qd6 Qd3 $2 {Obviously Karjakin didn't
miss White's next move, but in time trouble he probably didn't anticipate
White's 41st.} (37... Qa4 $1 {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 $1
{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 absolutely 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 $1 a2 48.
Be4+ $1 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 $2 {I think this is
practically the decisive mistake from Magnus.} ({As Alejandro Ramirez and I
discussed during the game,} 49. e5 $1 {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 $1 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 move 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 call for Carlsen to get his play together for the last four games.} (
52... a2 53. Qxa2 Ng4+ 54. Kh3 Qg1 55. Qb2+ Kg6 $1 {and the checks run out.
White is mated or loses the queen after} 56. Bf3 Nf2+) 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "ChessBase II"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 177"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {
[%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. O-O {[%emt 0:
00:06]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 5. d3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:07]} 6. h3
{[%emt 0:00:04]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 7. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:
04]} 8. Re1 {[%emt 0:01:29]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 9. c3 {[%emt 0:04:20]} (9.
Nbd2 f6 10. Nb3 Bb6 11. d4 Bf7 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 fxe5 14. Bxd5 Bxd5 15.
Be3 c6 16. Qe2 Qh4 17. Nd2 Rf6 18. Qg4 Qxg4 19. hxg4 Ba5 20. a3 Bxd2 21. Bxd2
e4 22. Be3 a5 23. a4 h6 24. Reb1 Rg6 25. b4 axb4 26. Rxb4 c5 27. Bxc5 Rxg4 28.
Be3 Rg6 29. a5 Rc8 30. Rd1 Rc4 31. Rxc4 Bxc4 32. Rd7 Ba6 33. Bd4 Rg5 34. c4
Bxc4 35. Rxb7 e3 36. Bxe3 Rxg2+ 37. Kxg2 Bd5+ 38. Kg3 Bxb7 {Van Foreest,J 
(2578)-Bachmann,A (2642) Teplice 2016 1/2-1/2}) 9... Bb6 {[%emt 0:04:09]} 10.
Bb3 {[%emt 0:08:40]} f6 {[%emt 0:13:31]} 11. d4 {[%emt 0:09:21]} Bf7 {[%emt 0:
00:26]} 12. dxe5 {[%emt 0:08:39]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 13. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:02:
59]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:03:42]} 14. Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:52]} 15.
Be3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bc6 {[%emt 0:08:05]} 16. Nd2 {[%emt 0:01:38]} Qf6 {
[%emt 0:04:18]} 17. Qe2 {[%emt 0:02:22]} Qg6 {[%emt 0:02:13]} 18. f3 {[%emt 0:
02:35]} Rad8 {[%emt 0:02:57]} 19. Bxb6 {[%emt 0:03:36]} axb6 {[%emt 0:02:32]}
20. Ne4 {[%emt 0:02:03]} Rf4 {[%emt 0:03:37]} 21. Rad1 {[%emt 0:02:03]} Rdf8 {
[%emt 0:04:24]} 22. Qc4+ {[%emt 0:01:25]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:01:25]} 23. Kh2 {
[%emt 0:00:19]} h6 {[%emt 0:01:22]} 24. Rd2 {[%emt 0:01:15]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:02:
03]} 25. Qd3 {[%emt 0:03:52]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:16:12]} 26. Rde2 {[%emt 0:04:52]}
Qe6 {[%emt 0:13:26]} 27. b3 {[%emt 0:03:33]} R4f7 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 28. Qe3 {
[%emt 0:10:48]} Re7 {[%emt 0:02:25]} 29. Qf2 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:12:
22]} 30. Re3 {[%emt 0:03:45]} Qa5 {[%emt 0:01:20]} 31. Qb2 {[%emt 0:02:09]}
Rfe8 {[%emt 0:03:15]} 32. c4 {[%emt 0:03:39]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:07:39]} 33. Nc3 {
[%emt 0:08:38]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 34. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Re6 {[%emt 0:00:
40]} 35. Rd1 {[%emt 0:03:25]} Bc8 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 36. b4 {[%emt 0:01:12]} Qa8
{[%emt 0:00:21]} 37. Nd6 {[%emt 0:00:53]} R8e7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 38. Red3 {
[%emt 0:02:06]} Rd7 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 39. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Ree7 {[%emt 0:00:
29]} 40. Qf2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Qb8 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 41. Qxb6 {[%emt 0:03:00]} e4
{[%emt 0:00:50]} 42. fxe4 {[%emt 0:01:13]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 43. Qf2 {
[%emt 0:04:08]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 44. Qg3 {[%emt 0:04:14]} Ree7 {[%emt 0:00:
15]} 45. c5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 46. Nf5 {[%emt 0:04:12]}
Qxg3+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} 47. Rxg3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rf7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 48. Nxh6+
{[%emt 0:00:10]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:02:15]} 49. Nxf7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rxd1 {[%emt 0:
00:04]} 50. Re3 {[%emt 0:01:24]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 51. Nd6 {[%emt 0:02:05]}
Bb1 {[%emt 0:01:33]} 52. a4 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Bc2 {[%emt 0:03:31]} 53. a5 {
[%emt 0:02:24]} Rb1 {[%emt 0:01:16]} 54. Rc3 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Bb3 {[%emt 0:02:
34]} 55. Nxb7 {[%emt 0:01:03]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 56. a6 {[%emt 0:00:23]}
Rxb4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 57. Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Rb2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 58. h4 {
[%emt 0:00:47]} 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.25"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2785"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "Pavlovic,M"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2017.01.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 177"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 a5 $5 {Once when I
was on the black side of an Italian Game against Efimenko I opted for the
usual ...a6; it was only later in the game that I discovered that an
additional push of the a-pawn once more to a5 was necessary in order to gain
space. Therefore I am familiar with such a positional idea and it's worth
investigating further.} 7. Re1 h6 {I found one similar example:} (7... O-O 8.
Nbd2 h6 9. Nf1 Be6 10. Ng3 Bxc4 11. dxc4 Ne7 12. h3 Qc8 13. Nh4 Qe6 14. Qf3 Kh7
15. Nhf5 Nfg8 16. Nxe7 Nxe7 {1/2-1/2 (44) Fercec,N (2473)-Kuljasevic,D (2580)
Bosnjaci 2014. Black is fine}) 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. h3 Ba7 10. Nf1 Be6 11. Ng3 Bxc4
12. dxc4 Ne7 13. Nh2 Qd7 14. Qf3 Qe6 15. b3 a4 16. Bd2 Kh7 {We can say that
Black is ok here.} 17. Nhf1 {The idea will be seen on the next move.} (17. Ng4
Nxe4 $5 18. Qxe4+ f5 19. Qc2 Qg6 {Black has the initiative.}) 17... c6 18. Be3
$1 {If Black trades bishops then at least White can take back with the knight
which is good.} Bb8 19. Nd2 axb3 20. axb3 Bc7 {Neither side can do much but
somehow Karjakin finds a better plan.} 21. Nh5 Nd7 (21... Nxh5 22. Qxh5 f5 23.
exf5 Nxf5 24. Ne4 Kg8 {looks ok for Black.}) 22. Qg4 $1 Qxg4 (22... g6 23. Qxe6
fxe6 24. Ng3 c5 {with the idea ...Nc6 next would give Black some kind of
interesting fortress.}) 23. hxg4 b5 (23... Bb6 24. Bxb6 Nxb6 25. Ng3 g6 26. f3
Kg7 27. Nh1 $5 Ng8 28. Nf2 Nf6 29. Nd3 Nfd7 30. Kf2 {with an interesting
endgame ahead of us, surely it's balanced.}) 24. cxb5 cxb5 25. Ng3 Bb6 (25...
g6 26. b4 Rfc8 27. Red1 Bb6 28. Rxa8 Rxa8 29. Ngf1 Kg7 {Here too Black is
doing OK.}) 26. Bxb6 Nxb6 27. Nf5 Nxf5 28. exf5 f6 29. Ne4 {White has achieved
some pressure here.} d5 30. Nd6 b4 31. cxb4 d4 (31... Rab8 $1 32. Nb5 Nc8 33.
Nc7 Rxb4 34. Nxd5 Rxb3 35. Ra8 Rg8 36. Rc1 Nb6 37. Rxg8 Kxg8 38. Ne7+ Kh7 39.
f3 Ra3 $11) 32. Ra5 $1 Rab8 33. Ne4 Rfd8 34. b5 Nd5 (34... Nc8 $1 35. Kf1 Nd6
36. Nxd6 Rxd6 37. Ke2 Rd5 38. Kd3 Rbxb5 39. Rxb5 Rxb5 40. Kc4 Rb8 41. Rb1 Kg8
42. b4 Kf7 43. b5 Ke7 44. b6 Kd6 45. Kb5 d3 $11) 35. Rc1 Rbc8 36. Rc6 Nc3 37.
Nd2 e4 38. Rxc8 Rxc8 39. Nc4 d3 40. b6 Ne2+ $4 (40... h5 $1 {great idea!} 41.
g5 $1 {White doesn't have to be cooperative...} (41. gxh5 Rxc4 $1 42. bxc4 d2
43. Ra1 Ne2+ 44. Kh2 Nc1 45. b7 d1=Q 46. b8=Q Qxh5+ 47. Kg1 Qd1+ $11) 41...
fxg5 42. Ra7 Nd5 (42... Ne2+ 43. Kf1 $18) (42... Rxc4 43. bxc4 d2 44. Rd7 $18)
43. Rd7 Nf6 44. Rd4 g4 {White is still better but the game is not over.}) 41.
Kf1 Nd4 42. b7 d2 43. Ra1 Rb8 44. Na5 Nb5 45. Rd1 Nd6 46. Rxd2 Nxb7 47. Nxb7
Rxb7 48. Rb2 h5 {Doesn't help...} (48... Rb4 49. Ke2 h5 50. gxh5 Kh6 51. Kd2
Kxh5 52. Kc3 Rb7 53. Kd4 Kg4 54. Kxe4 Rb4+ 55. Kd5 Kxf5 56. Kc5 $18) 49. b4 $1
hxg4 50. Ke2 g6 51. fxg6+ Kxg6 52. Ke3 g3 53. fxg3 Kf5 54. b5 Rb6 (54... Ke5
55. b6 f5 56. Rb5+ Ke6 57. Kf4 $18) 55. g4+ $18 Ke5 56. Rf2 Re6 57. Rc2 Re7 58.
b6 Rb7 59. Rb2 Kd5 60. g3 Kc6 61. Kxe4 1-0

[Event "Candidates Tournament"]
[Site "Berlin"]
[Date "2018.03.18"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E51"]
[WhiteElo "2763"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "Yermolinsky,Alex "]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2018.03.10"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "14"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 184"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nf3 d5 6. Bd2 c5 $6 {With this move
Black accepts a slightly worse position.} ({Most prefer} 6... b6) 7. a3 cxd4 8.
axb4 dxc3 9. Bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 11. Kxd1 Bd7 12. Ke2 Rc8 13. Bd3 Nd5 14.
Ne5 Be8 15. Bd2 f6 16. Nc4 Rd8 17. Rhc1 Nc6 18. Be4 Ndxb4 19. Bxb4 Nxb4 20.
Bxb7 Rab8 21. Rxa7 Rd7 22. Na5 Nd3 23. Rd1 Nxb2 24. Rxd7 Bxd7 25. Bc6 Bxc6 26.
Nxc6 {It may seem that having regained his pawn Black is out of danger, but
the remote position of his knight and a 7th rank weakness still pose problems.}
Re8 ({Staying active with} 26... Rb6 27. Nd4 Nc4 28. f4 h5 {appears to be a
better choice.}) 27. e4 Nc4 28. Kd3 Nd6 29. f4 Kf8 $6 (29... h5 $5) 30. e5 fxe5
31. fxe5 Nf5 32. g4 Nh4 ({This position is already quite dangerous for Black,
and it can only be held by precise play:} 32... Rc8 $1 {was a good start.}) 33.
Kc4 $1 Nf3 34. Ra2 Rc8 35. Kb5 Ke8 $2 {The decisive error.} (35... Rc7 36. Kb6
Rd7 37. Rf2 Rd3 {This is what Wesley missed.} (37... Rf7 38. Nd8 {is, indeed,
lost for Black.})) 36. Kb6 g5 37. h3 {Quite a situation: Black cannot save his
rook without stepping back with the king to the f-file, which will cost him
the knight.} Nxe5 38. Nxe5 Rc3 39. Rh2 Ke7 40. Kb5 Re3 1-0

[Event "Norway Chess 6th"]
[Site "Stavanger"]
[Date "2018.06.01"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2782"]
[BlackElo "2789"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2018.05.28"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "NOR"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 185"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2018.07.13"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2018.07.13"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. dxc5 Qc7 12. Nd4 Ne5 13. Nb5 Qb8 {This
forced line was examined by Fabiano Caruana in the annotations to his game
against Levon Aronian (CBM 143).} (13... Qc6 14. Bd5 Qxb5 15. Bxa8 (15. Rb1 Qa5
16. Bxa8 Ba6 17. cxb6 axb6 18. Bxb6 Qxc3 19. Bd5 Bxf1 20. Qxf1 e6 21. Rc1 Qd3
22. Bb7 Qd2 23. a4 Rb8 24. Rc7 Qd6 25. a5 Nd7 26. Rc8+ Rxc8 27. Bxc8 Nxb6 28.
axb6 Qxb6 $11 {1/2 (38) Peralta,F (2603)-Alsina Leal,D (2531) Barcelona 2011})
15... Ba6 16. Bd5 e6 17. Bb3 Qxf1+ 18. Qxf1 Bxf1 19. Kxf1 Ng4 20. Bd2 bxc5 21.
h3 Rd8 22. Rd1 Ne5 23. Ke2 $14 {F.Caruana}) 14. Be2 (14. Bf4 bxc5 15. Rb1 a6 (
15... Bb7 16. Qe2 Qc8 17. Bd5 Bc6 18. Rfd1 a6 19. Na3 e6 20. Bxc6 Qxc6 21. Nc4
Nxc4 22. Qxc4 Rfd8 23. a4 $14 {1/2 (44) Postny,E (2654)-Ragger,M (2658)
Austria 2014}) 16. Nd4 (16. Na3 Qc7 17. Bd5 {0-1 (61) Ristic,N (2290)-Jansa,V 
(2475) Smederevska Palanka 1984} Rb8 $11) 16... Qd6 17. Bd5 Ra7 (17... Rb8 $5)
18. Nc6 Rc7 19. Na5 Rd7 20. Nc4 Qc7 21. Nb6 Rd6 $13 {0-1 (83) Paunovic,D (2320)
-Jansa,V (2495) Vrnjacka Banja 1983}) (14. Bd5 $5 {wins an exchange but Black
obtains compensation:} Ng4 15. g3 Nxe3 ({or immediately} 15... a6 $5 {, which
usually leads to a transposition}) 16. fxe3 a6 (16... Bh3 17. Rf2 bxc5 18. Rb1
Bh6 19. Qf3 Qe5 20. Bxa8 Rxa8 21. Qxf7+ Kh8 22. Qd5 Qxd5 23. exd5 Bxe3 24. Re1
Bxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Rf8+ 26. Ke3 $14 {1/2 (65) Laghetti,G (2402)-Mueller,K (2411)
Lechenicher SchachServer 2011}) 17. Nd4 (17. Bxa8 axb5 18. Bd5 Qc7 19. cxb6
Qxb6 20. Qe2 e6 21. Bb3 b4 $44 {0-1 (29) Noire,E (2242)-Perez,B (2403)
Lechenicher SchachServer 2012}) (17. Bxf7+ Kh8 18. Nd4 bxc5 19. Bd5 Rxf1+ 20.
Qxf1 cxd4 21. Rb1 Qa7 22. Qf7 Be6 23. Qxe6 dxc3 24. Bxa8 Qxe3+ 25. Kg2 Qe2+ 26.
Kh3 Qh5+ 27. Kg2 Qe2+ {1/2 (27) Vachier Lagrave,M (2719)-Gelfand,B (2764)
Tromsoe 2013}) 17... bxc5 (17... Bh3 18. Nc6 $1) 18. Rb1 Qc7 19. Bxa8 cxd4 20.
cxd4 Bh3 21. Bd5 Bxf1 22. Qxf1 ({after} 22. Kxf1 {, too, White can hardly
convert his extra pawn}) 22... e6 23. Bc4 Bh6 24. Rb3 a5 25. Kg2 Rc8 26. Rc3
Qb7 27. Qd3 Qb4 28. a3 {1/2 (28) Bluebaum,M (2413)-Colpe,M (2208) playchess.
com INT 2012}) 14... bxc5 (14... a6 $6 15. Na3 b5 (15... bxc5 16. f4 (16. Bxc5
Qc7 17. Bd4 Rd8 18. Qc1 Ng4 19. Bxg4 Bxg4 20. Qe3 Rab8 $44 {1/2 (66) Bacrot,E 
(2714)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2719) Biel 2013}) 16... Nd7 17. e5 $16 {[%csl Rg7]
[%cal Ya3c4] F.Caruana}) 16. Nc2 (16. Rb1 Bb7 17. Qc2 Nc6 18. Rfd1 {1-0 (42)
Knaak,R (2505)-Ftacnik,L (2560) Bratislava 1983} Qc7 $44) 16... Nc6 17. Nd4 Bb7
18. Qc2 $14 (18. f3 $6 Rd8 19. Qc1 Nxd4 20. cxd4 Bxd4 21. Bxd4 Rxd4 22. c6 Bc8
23. Qc5 {1/2 (27) Kulaots,K (2592)-So,W (2668) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010} Qa7 $11))
15. Rb1 (15. f4 Ng4 $1 16. Bxc5 a6 17. Na3 Qc7 18. Bd4 e5 19. fxe5 Nxe5 $44 {
[%csl Ge5] 1/2 (31) Jakovenko,D (2733)-Svidler,P (2739) Tbilisi 2015}) (15.
Bxc5 a6 16. Nd4 Qc7 17. Bb4 a5 18. Nb5 Qb7 19. Bc5 Qxe4 $13 {0-1 (42) Zeynalli,
M (2166)-Jarmula,L (2261) Moscow 2013}) 15... a6 (15... Bb7 16. Bxc5 (16. Qc2
$5) 16... a6 17. Nd4 Qc7 (17... Qc8 $5) 18. Bb6 Qxc3 19. Rb3 Qc8 20. Qb1 Nd7
21. Rc1 Bxe4 22. Rxc8 Bxb1 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Rxb1 Nxb6 25. Nc6 Na4 26. Nxe7+
Kf8 $11 {0-1 (66) Javanbakht,N (2427)-Maghsoodloo,P (2569) Sari 2017}) 16. Na3
$1 $146 {[%mdl 8] A new move, albeit examined by Fabiano Caruana in his
annotations.} (16. Nd4 Qc7 17. Nb3 Rd8 18. Qc2 c4 19. Nc5 Nd3 20. Nxd3 cxd3 21.
Bxd3 Qxc3 22. Qxc3 Bxc3 23. Bc4 Bd7 24. Rfc1 Bf6 25. Kf1 Bb5 $11 {0-1 (70)
Ganguly,S (2619)-Giri,A (2715) Leon 2012}) 16... Qc7 17. f4 Rd8 18. Qc2 Ng4 {
Caruana didn't see any problems for Black here but Sergey Karjakin continues
fighting for an advantage.} 19. Bxg4 Bxg4 20. f5 $1 {White tries to make use
of the unfortunate position of Black's g4-bishop.} gxf5 21. Nc4 $1 (21. exf5
Qe5 {[%cal Re5c3,Re5e3]}) 21... e6 (21... fxe4 $6 22. Qxe4 {[%cal Rb1b7]}) (
21... Rab8 $5) 22. h3 Bh5 23. exf5 exf5 24. Bg5 {Black has a bishop pair and 
(temporarily) an extra pawn but all his pawns are weak.} f4 $6 {[%mdl 512]
Black doesn't want to defend passively but it was probably a better option:} (
24... Re8 25. Nb6 Ra7 26. Nd5 $14) (24... Rf8 $1 25. Ne3 Qe5 26. Nxf5 Bg6 {
with a solid position} ({but not} 26... Qxc3 $6 27. Qf2 $36)) 25. Qf2 (25. Bxd8
Rxd8 $44 {e.g.} 26. Qf2 Bxc3 27. Qxf4 Qxf4 28. Rxf4 Bg6 {, and Black should
not lose.}) 25... f3 $2 {Too aggressive. In this version Black doesn't obtain
compensation for the exchange.} ({but after} 25... Re8 26. Nb6 ({or} 26. Bxf4
Qc6 27. Nd6 Re6 28. Nf5) 26... Ra7 27. Nd5 {his position is quite unpleasant,
too.}) 26. Bxd8 Rxd8 27. Qh4 $1 fxg2 28. Rfe1 Bf3 (28... Bg6 $2 29. Rb7 Qxb7 (
29... Qc8 30. Nb6) 30. Qxd8+ Bf8 31. Nb6 $1 {[%cal Re1e8]} Kg7 32. Nd7 $18) 29.
Re3 Bc6 30. Rbe1 {White centralises his pieces and creates an attack on
Black's king - in addition to his material advantage!} Rf8 31. Ne5 Bd5 32. Rg3
{[%mdl 128]} f6 33. Nd3 Bxa2 $2 {This bishop will be out of play now.} ({
but after} 33... Kh8 34. Nf4 Bf7 35. Rxg2 {White should win, too.}) 34. c4 $18
Qd6 35. Nf4 Qd4+ 36. Kh2 Bxc4 37. Qh6 f5 38. Nh5 {It is now up to Black to
find the safest reply to Karjakin's idea.} 1-0

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 6th"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2019.04.01"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2797"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2019.03.31"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 190"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,60,19,28,17,13,8,17,17,-18,1,-2,5,-1,23,21,32,6,6,-1,10,24,24,11,10,
-10,6,-39,20,5,11,-24,-17,-37,-13,-10,-8,-5,11,36,43,26,51,71,0,-14,20,-15,-19,
-117,-147,-182,-121,-95,-52,-15,-15,-15,-13,-216,-216,-233,-253]} 1. e4 e5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a4 h6 8. Re1 O-O 9. h3 a5 $5
{An unexpected move, which became popular recently. Black prevents b2-b4 and
a4-a5. In case of d3-d4 he gets an option to play ...e5xd4 c3xd4 and gain the
b4 square for his pieces (knight, first of all).} 10. d4 {This is a rare
continuation in the present position. Other options:} (10. Bb5 Na7 11. d4 exd4
12. cxd4 Bb4 13. Bd2 Nxb5 14. axb5 Bd7 15. Qb3 Bxb5 16. Bxb4 axb4 17. Rxa8 Qxa8
18. Qxb4 Qa4 $11 {1/2 (30) Grandelius,N (2694)-Karjakin,S (2753) Astana KAZ
2019}) (10. Na3 Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Nc2 Ba7 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Nxe3 Qd7 15. Qb3
b6 16. Qb5 Rf7 17. Nd2 Raf8 18. Re2 Qe8 19. g3 Qa8 $11 {1/2 (53) Aronian,L 
(2767)-Karjakin,S (2773) Saint Louis 2018}) (10. Nbd2 Be6 (10... Ne7 11. Nf1
Ng6 12. Ng3 c6 13. Bb3 Re8 14. d4 Bb6 15. Be3 exd4 16. Bxd4 Be6 17. Bxe6 Rxe6
18. Qb3 Bxd4 {0-1 (41) Fressinet,L (2657)-Anand,V (2794) Douglas 2017} 19. Nxd4
$14) 11. Bb5 {(tested by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave several times)} (11. Qb3 Qd7
12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Nf1 Nh5 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Rxe3 b6 16. g3 Kh8 17. N1h2 Nf6 18.
Rd1 Qf7 19. Qc4 Qd7 20. Kg2 Rae8 $11 {1/2 (43) Nepomniachtchi,I (2757)
-Grischuk,A (2766) chess.com INT 2018}) (11. b3 d5 (11... Bxc4 12. bxc4 Nd7 13.
Nb3 (13. Nf1 $5) 13... Bb6 14. d4 Re8 15. Rb1 Qf6 16. Qd3 exd4 17. cxd4 Nb4 18.
Qd1 Qe6 19. Nbd2 f5 20. Rb3 fxe4 21. Rxe4 Qf7 $13 {0-1 (36) Jumabayev,R (2612)
-Grischuk,A (2772) Riadh 2017}) (11... Re8 12. Nf1 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bd2 Nf4
$6 (14... Nb6 $5) 15. Bxf4 Bxc4 16. bxc4 exf4 17. d4 Bf8 18. N1d2 $16 {1-0 (42)
Chigaev,M (2599)-Paravyan,D (2629) Sochi RUS 2018}) 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Ne4 Bb6
14. Ra2 f5 15. Ng3 Qf6 16. Nxe5 $5 Nxe5 17. Nh5 Qf7 18. Rxe5 Nxc3 19. Rxe6 Nxd1
20. Re7 Rad8 21. Rae2 Nc3 22. R2e5 c6 23. Rxb7 Nd5 24. Rxf7 Rxf7 25. Re6 {
1/2 (40) Ding Liren (2813)-Anand,V (2773) Wijk aan Zee NED 2019} Rc8 $11) 11...
Na7 (11... Ne7 12. d4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Bd7 (13... Ng6 14. N2f3 (14. Nxe6 fxe6 15.
Nb3 Bb6 16. Nd4 $14) 14... c6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Bc4 d5 17. exd5 exd5 18. Bd3
Ne4 19. Be3 $14 {1/2 (26) Vachier Lagrave,M (2804)-Grischuk,A (2783) Tbilisi
2017}) 14. Nf1 Re8 15. Ng3 Ng6 16. f4 (16. Bc4 c6 17. Be3 Qc7 18. Ba2 Re5 19.
Qc2 Rae8 20. Nf3 R5e7 21. Bxc5 dxc5 22. Rad1 Bc8 $11 {1-0 (44) Vachier Lagrave,
M (2804)-Grischuk,A (2783) Tbilisi 2017}) 16... Bxb5 17. axb5 Qd7 18. Kh2 Re7
19. Ndf5 Re6 20. Nd4 Re7 21. b4 Bxd4 22. cxd4 Qxb5 $13 {1/2 (27) Vachier
Lagrave,M (2804)-Svidler,P (2751) Tbilisi 2017}) 12. d4 Nxb5 (12... exd4 13.
cxd4 Bb4 14. Bd3 d5 15. e5 Nd7 16. Re2 c5 17. Nf1 cxd4 18. Bc2 Nc5 19. Nxd4 Nc6
$1 $13 {1/2 (76) Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)-Svidler,P (2751) Tbilisi 2017 CBM
181 [Sagar Shah]}) 13. dxc5 (13. axb5 exd4 14. Nxd4 Re8 (14... Bd7 15. Nf1 Bxd4
16. cxd4 Bxb5 17. Ng3 d5 18. e5 Ne4 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Rxe4 Qd5 21. Rh4 Ra6 $11
{1/2 (46) Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)-Grischuk,A (2766) Leuven 2018}) 15. Nf1 Bc4
(15... Bd7 16. Ng3 c6 17. bxc6 Bxc6 18. Qf3 (18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Bf4 Qb6 20. Qc2
Rab8 21. Re2 Re6 22. Rae1 Rbe8 23. Qd3 Qb5 24. Qxb5 cxb5 25. Kf1 a4 $11 {
1/2 (104) Vachier Lagrave,M (2789)-Karjakin,S (2782) Leuven 2018}) 18... d5 19.
e5 Ne4 20. Bf4 Qb6 21. Qg4 g6 22. Re2 Kh7 23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Nxc6 Qxc6 25. Bg3
$16 {1-0 (33) Leko,P (2690)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2662) Batumi 2018}) 16. Ng3 d5 17.
e5 Ne4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Rxe4 Qd5 20. Qf3 $6 (20. Qg4 $1 h5 $1 21. Qf4 Bd3 22.
Re3 Bxb5 23. Rg3 Rxe5 $13) 20... Bxd4 21. cxd4 Re6 $1 22. Rf4 {1/2 (22) Giri,A
(2783)-Anand,V (2773) Wijk aan Zee NED 2019}) 13... Na7 14. b3 $1 Re8 15. cxd6
Qxd6 16. Ba3 Qa6 (16... c5 17. Qe2 b6 18. Nc4 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Rad8 20. Re3 Nc6
21. Rae1 Rd7 22. Bc1 Red8 23. g3 Ne7 24. Nd2 Nc8 25. Qf1 Qe6 26. Nc4 Ne8 27. f4
$14 {1-0 (49) Vachier Lagrave,M (2779)-Karjakin,S (2773) Saint Louis 2018}) 17.
b4 axb4 18. cxb4 b5 19. Bb2 Nc6 20. Nxe5 Nxb4 $13 {1/2 (56) Vachier Lagrave,M 
(2789)-Grischuk,A (2783) Tbilisi 2017}) 10... Ba7 11. Bb3 Re8 12. Bc2 Bd7 13.
Na3 Qc8 {Black probably planned ...Bd7xh3 but later abandoned that idea.} (
13... exd4 $5 14. cxd4 Nb4 {[%csl Gb4] was more to the point.}) 14. Nb5 Bb6 15.
Bb1 exd4 $6 (15... Bxh3 16. gxh3 Qxh3 17. Nh2 Qh4 18. Kg2 $1 exd4 19. cxd4 Nxe4
20. Ng4 $1 {is rather favorable for White.}) (15... Na7 $5 16. Na3 Nc6 17. Nc4
Ba7 18. Be3 $14) 16. cxd4 Nb4 17. Ra3 Re7 $6 {It was better to admit his
mistake:} (17... Qd8) 18. e5 dxe5 19. dxe5 Nfd5 20. Nh4 $2 {A wrong move order.
} (20. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 21. Nh4 {[%cal Ra3g3,Rd1h5] with a formidable attack.})
20... Qe8 21. Qe2 (21. Bxh6 $2 Rxe5) (21. Qh5 $142 Nf6 $1 22. Qe2 $36) 21...
Nc6 22. Nf3 Rd8 23. Kh2 f5 $15 {Black has parried all threats and has a
comfortable position, with a blockade on e6 and centralization. The rest of
the game was played under time pressure on both opponents.} 24. g4 $2 {A
desperate, completely wrong attack.} (24. Rd3 Be6 25. Nbd4 Nxd4 26. Nxd4 Bxd4
27. Rxd4 Red7 $15) 24... fxg4 25. Qd3 g6 $2 {Too humble.} (25... g5 $1 26.
Qxd5+ Be6 27. Qe4 gxf3 $19) 26. Qxd5+ Be6 27. Qe4 gxf3 (27... Bxf2 $1 $13) 28.
Rg1 $6 (28. Qh4 $13) 28... Bf7 (28... Rg7 $1 29. Bxh6 Bd5 30. Qe1 Qxe5+ 31.
Qxe5 Nxe5 32. Bxg7 Kxg7 $44) 29. Ba2 $2 {A final mistake but it was difficult
to find a narrow right path in complications:} (29. Qh4 $1 Nxe5 30. Bxh6 Rdd7
31. Qf6 Bd5 32. Bxg6 Nxg6 33. Rxg6+ Kh7 $13) 29... Bxa2 30. Rxg6+ Qxg6 31.
Qxg6+ Rg7 32. Qxg7+ Kxg7 33. Rxa2 Rd1 34. Ra1 Kf7 {The deadly pin decides the
game.} 0-1

[Event "Gashimov Memorial 6th"]
[Site "Shamkir"]
[Date "2019.04.06"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "Krasenkow,M"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2019.03.31"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "AZE"]
[EventCategory "22"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 190"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,103,40,11,23,0,-3,-3,1,-6,24,20,6,12,46,51,60,11,17,9,31,11,52,42,82,
84,134,134,134,92,92,135,131,135,114,147,109,103,93,48,42,70,56,57,57,47,26,22,
34,29,32,16,16,-7,29,37,61,53,72,70,72,66,96,73,78,71,60,67,79,70,46,63,53,55,
68,36,76,69,72,51,71,70,103,86,84,97,88,93,98,107,111,115,115,54,102,101,144,
129,150,136,150,150,144,145,137,137]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7
5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Rd8 {One of the
lines which became popular after the World Championship match Carlsen-Caruana.}
11. Nd2 {A principled reply.} (11. Be2 {(played by Carlsen) is rather harmless.
}) 11... d4 (11... e5 12. Bg5 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Be7 14. O-O Bg4 15. f3 Bh5 16. Bxf6
Bxf6 {0-1 (38) Chekhov,V (2520)-Bondar,I (2280) Orel 1997} 17. Nde4 $16 Be7
$140 18. Nd5) (11... dxc4 12. Nxc4 (12. Bxc4 Be7 13. O-O Qf5 $1 (13... Qh5 14.
Bc7 (14. Nde4 Rxd1 15. Qxd1 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 e5 18. Bg3 Kf8 19. f3
Bf5 20. Nc3 Rd8 21. Bd5 Bc5 $11 {1/2 (36) Roiz,M (2661)-Khamrakulov,D (2479)
Tashkent 2011}) 14... Rd7 (14... Rf8 15. Be2 Qg6 16. Qxg6 hxg6 17. Bf3 Bd8 18.
Bg3 Nh5 19. Bd6 Be7 20. Nc4 $16 {1-0 (30) Forintos,G (2435)-Schneider,L (2430)
Esbjerg 1978}) 15. Bg3 Qg6 16. Qa4 Nh5 17. Bb5 Nxg3 18. hxg3 e5 19. Nc4 $16 {
1-0 (25) Doroshkievich,V-Kozlov,V Briansk 1975}) 14. Nde4 Nd5 15. Bg3 (15. Qc1
Nxf4 16. exf4 Bd7 17. Nd6 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Be8 19. Rfd1 Rxd6 20. Rxd6 Rd8 $11 {
1/2 (23) Raznikov,D (2494)-Nakar,E (2456) Dallas 2018}) 15... Nxc3 16. bxc3 Ne5
$6 (16... b6 $1 $11) 17. Rxd8+ Bxd8 18. Qd1 $1 Bb6 19. Nd6 Qf6 20. Bb5 $16 {
1-0 (34) Graf,A (2610)-Dobrev,N (2440) Leipzig 2007}) 12... Rxd1+ 13. Qxd1 Qd8
14. Qxd8+ Nxd8 15. Be2 (15. Na4 Bf8 16. Nab6 axb6 17. Nxb6 Ra5 18. Nxc8 Rc5 19.
Nb6 Rc2 $44 {1/2 (57) Euwe,M-Kupper,J Zuerich 1954}) 15... Nd5 (15... Nc6 16.
Bf3 Bd7 17. Ne5 $14 {1-0 (53) Serper,G (2507)-Bruno,R (2219) Las Vegas 2007})
16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Bd6 (17. Nd6 $14) 17... b6 18. Bxc5 (18. b4 $5 {[%csl Rc8,
Rd5]} Bxb4+ 19. Bxb4 dxc4 20. Bxc4 $14 {[%csl Gb4,Gc4]}) 18... bxc5 $11 {
1/2 (27) Bagirov,V-Matanovic,A Yerevan 1971}) 12. Nb3 Qb6 13. Na4 $1 Bb4+ 14.
axb4 (14. Ke2 Qa6 15. Nxd4 Be7 16. Nxc6 Qxc6 17. Rxd8+ Bxd8 18. Kd1 b6 19. Nc3
Ba6 $44 {1/2 (22) Petrosian,T-Lutikov,A Moscow 1966}) 14... Qxb4+ 15. Nd2 e5 (
15... Qa5 $5 16. b3 (16. Qb3 $5) 16... Nb4 17. Qb1 b5 (17... d3 18. f3 Nh5 19.
Bg3 Qg5 20. Kf2 $16 {1-0 (32) Gheorghiu,F-Ostojic,P Monte Carlo 1969}) (17...
e5 $1 18. Bg5 Bf5 $1 19. e4 $8 (19. Qxf5 $4 e4 $3 20. Qxa5 Nc2+ 21. Ke2 d3#)
19... Nxe4 20. Bxd8 Rxd8 21. Nxe4 Nc2+ 22. Ke2 Bxe4 23. f3 Bg6 24. Kf2 d3 $44)
18. Nb2 Bb7 19. f3 e5 20. Bg5 dxe3 21. Bxe3 e4 22. Be2 {1-0 (57) Doroshkievich,
V-Gipslis,A Tbilisi 1967} Na2 $1 $44) 16. Bg5 Qa5 17. Qb3 $1 (17. Bxf6 gxf6 18.
b3 Nb4 19. Qb1 e4 $44 {1/2 (19) Ivkov,B-Musil,V Maribor 1967}) 17... Nb4 $1 18.
Bxf6 gxf6 19. Be2 Bd7 20. Ra1 dxe3 21. fxe3 b5 22. O-O $1 (22. cxb5 $2 Be6 {
[%cal Ya8c8]}) 22... bxa4 23. Qc3 $44 {The outcome of complications is rather
favorable for White as Black's king is unsafe.} f5 24. Nf3 f6 25. Nh4 $36 {>>}
Nc6 26. Qa3 $1 (26. Qxa5 Nxa5 27. Nxf5 Nb3 $132) 26... e4 {Perhaps it was
better not to put this pawn on a square of the bishop's colour.} (26... Qd2 $5
27. Rf2 Rab8 28. Bf1 Qb4 29. Qxa4 Qxa4 30. Rxa4 Kf7 31. Ra6 Rb6 32. Rxb6 axb6
33. Nxf5 Be6 34. g4 Na5 35. Rc2 h5 $14 {1/2 (50) Janosi,E (2042)-Koehler,J 
(1966) Lechenicher SchachServer 2011}) 27. Bd1 Ne5 28. Bxa4 Qxa4 29. Qxa4 Bxa4
30. Rxa4 f4 31. c5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] It is only here that the game deviates
from the following predecessor:} (31. Rxf4 Rd1+ 32. Rf1 Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Rb8 34.
b4 Nxc4 35. Nf5 Rb5 36. g4 h5 37. h3 hxg4 38. hxg4 Ne5 39. Rxa7 Rxb4 $11 {
1/2 (46) Aronian,L (2765)-Caruana,F (2832) London 2018}) 31... fxe3 32. Rxe4
Rab8 33. Rxe3 Rxb2 34. h3 Rc2 35. Rxf6 Rxc5 {The position looks drawish but in
fact, Black should defend accurately as his king is exposed.} 36. Ra6 Nc6 37.
Nf3 Rc8 38. Re6 Rc7 39. Kh2 Kg7 40. Ra4 h5 $6 {Rather a bad idea. This pawn
becomes vulnerable.} (40... Kf7 41. Rd6 $5) 41. Ra6 Ne7 42. Nd4 Nf5 43. Ne2 Rc4
$6 (43... h4 $142 {but Black is under strong pressure anyway.}) 44. Rg6+ Kf8
45. Rg5 Ng7 46. Rf6+ $1 Rf7 47. Rh6 Ke7 $2 (47... Rfc7 {was more stubborn but
the h5 pawn is doomed anyway.}) 48. Ra5 Ke8 49. Rh8+ Rf8 50. Rh7 Rf7 51. Re5+
Kd8 52. Rexh5 {Vishy Anand (a bit surprisingly) decided not to continue
resistance.} (52. Rexh5 Nxh5 53. Rxf7 a6 {- White is yet to display winning
technique.}) 1-0

