[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "2857"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Ponomariov,R"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[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"]

{The first game of the World Championship match in New York is over.
Personally I hope to learn something from the match and to see how modern
chess is developing.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 {In an interview with Norwegian TV
before the match I had predicted that both players will play 1.d4. In my
opinion nowadays 1.d4 gives White more options to reach complicated positions
and to create tension. But I didn't expect the Trompovsky though Carlsen had
played it before. Maybe Carlsen wants to force the team of Karjakin to study
each and every game he has ever played? At any rate, the next games will
reveal his strategy for the match.} d5 {Black's most solid response.} ({
If you want to complicate things you can go for} 2... g6) ({or} 2... e6 3. e4
h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 {which leads to asymmetrical positions. But in World
Championship matches the players usually play solidly with Black while trying
to press with White. Therefore 2.. . d5 is an understandable decision.}) 3. e3
c5 4. Bxf6 gxf6 5. dxc5 ({If White wants to keep more tension he can play} 5.
Nc3 {leading to a Chigorin Defence with colours reversed. The text move gives
Black more options to resolve the tension in the centre.}) 5... Nc6 {There is
nothing wrong with this natural development move. It seems as if Karjakin -
like everyone else - was a bit by surprised by his opponent's opening choice
and decided to calm down and to spend some time to find out where danger might
be lurking in his position.} ({I don't think that anything is wrong with} 5...
e6 {either.} 6. Nf3 (6. b4 a5) 6... Nd7 ({Here I once played} 6... Bxc5 7. c4
dxc4 8. Nbd2 Bd7 9. Bxc4 Bc6 10. O-O Nd7 {and I think in this position Black
has solved all of his problems.} 11. Qe2 Qe7 12. Rac1 O-O 13. Nb3 Bb6 14. Nfd4
Rac8 15. Qg4+ Kh8 16. Qh4 Ne5 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Be2 Rfc8 19. Qe4 Kg7 20. g3
Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 22. Nxc1 Qc7 23. Nb3 f5 24. Qb1 a5 25. Qd1 Qc6 26. Nd4 Qe4
27. Nb5 Bc5 28. Nc3 Qc6 29. Bb5 Qc7 30. Bf1 Be7 {1/2 (30) Andreikin,
D-Ponomariov,R Moscow blitz 2015}) 7. c4 dxc4 8. c6 Nb6 9. Nbd2 c3 10. bxc3
bxc6 11. Qc2 Bg7 12. Bd3 f5 13. e4 {1-0 (72) Carlsen,M (2864)-Kramnik,V (2803)
Moscow RUS 2013, and in this position Magnus somehow managed to complicate
things and to outplay Vladimir Kramnik. But I think this was not due to the
opening. Kramnik was in bad shape in that tournament, he played badly and
finished last. It is interesting that Karjakin also took part in this
tournament and with his good memory he probably remembered the Carlsen-Kramnik
game.}) 6. Bb5 e6 7. c4 dxc4 8. Nd2 Bxc5 9. Ngf3 O-O 10. O-O Na5 ({It's
interesting to consider} 10... c3 {to change the pawn structure. Yes, Black's
kingside is shattered as well, but Black has the two bishops which might give
some chances to play for an advantage. Instead, Karjakin decided to play
simpler and more solid chess. But after the game move White has less to worry
about.}) 11. Rc1 Be7 ({Black also had the option to play} 11... a6 12. Bxc4
Nxc4 13. Rxc4 Be7 {and now White needs to play actively, otherwise Black will
just finish his development and the two bishops will be very strong on the
long diagonals.}) 12. Qc2 Bd7 13. Bxd7 Qxd7 14. Qc3 Qd5 {Solid again! But
sometimes solid play and giving the initiative to your opponent backfires.} ({
A more principled try was} 14... b6 15. Ne4 (15. Nxc4 Rac8) 15... e5 16. Rfd1
Qe6 17. Ng3 {Obviously, White has some compensation but Black still has a
healthy extra pawn. One wonders what Carlsen would have done with Black in
such a position.}) 15. Nxc4 {Unfortunately White does not have much choice and
can hardly avoid mass exchanges. Therefore I think that 5.dxc5 was a really
committal move.} Nxc4 16. Qxc4 {A slight inaccuracy by the World Champion.} ({
There was the possible intermezzo} 16. Rfd1 Qb5 17. Qxc4 Qxc4 (17... Qxb2 18.
Rb1) 18. Rxc4 {and the white rook is already on d1 instead of f1. However,
after} Rfc8 {White probably has nothing better than} 19. Rdc1 Rxc4 20. Rxc4 {
which leads to the same position we reached in the game. But sometimes such
small nuances can be important.}) 16... Qxc4 17. Rxc4 Rfc8 18. Rfc1 Rxc4 19.
Rxc4 Rd8 20. g3 ({Again I think it's more accurate to play the king to the
centre first.} 20. Kf1 Rd7 21. Ke2 {is of course very similar to the game, but
maybe White can eventually grab some space with g2-g4, taking two steps at
once with g-pawn.}) 20... Rd7 21. Kf1 f5 22. Ke2 (22. Ne5 Rd5) 22... Bf6 23. b3
Kf8 {For the first time it may seem as if White has some advantage because
Black's pieces are so passive. White's pieces are indeed slightly more active
and Black's pawn structure on the kingside is a bit vulnerable. You can also
try to find some analogy with the famous game Ribli-Karpov, Amsterdam 1980,
which White managed to win. But it seems that these small advantages are
simply not enough to win the game for White unless he gets a lot of help from
Black.} 24. h3 h6 {This move is still a little bit of a mystery for me.} ({
Why not} 24... Ke7 {? Probably Karjakin wanted to nip active play from White
in the bud.}) 25. Ne1 Ke7 26. Nd3 Kd8 27. f4 ({In the event of} 27. g4 fxg4 28.
hxg4 Rc7 29. Rxc7 Kxc7 30. Kf3 Kd6 31. Ke4 Bc3 {It's difficult to see how
White can make progress.}) 27... h5 ({Now Black didn't like} 27... Rc7 28. Rxc7
Kxc7 {probably because of} 29. Kf3 Kd6 30. e4 fxe4+ 31. Kxe4 {and in this
position he might hit on some ideas to pose Black problems.}) 28. a4 {White
really has difficulties to make progress. But as always Carlsen tries till the
end.} (28. Ne5 Bxe5 29. fxe5 Rd5 30. Rh4 Rxe5 31. Rxh5 Rc5 $132) 28... Rd5 29.
Nc5 b6 30. Na6 Be7 (30... b5 $5) 31. Nb8 a5 32. Nc6+ Ke8 33. Ne5 (33. Nxe7 Kxe7
34. Rc7+ Rd7) 33... Bc5 34. Rc3 Ke7 35. Rd3 Rxd3 36. Kxd3 f6 37. Nc6+ Kd6 38.
Nd4 Kd5 39. Nb5 Kc6 40. Nd4+ Kd6 41. Nb5+ Kd7 42. Nd4 Kd6 {So, to be honest,
the first game of the match was not particularly exciting. I don't think we
will see this variation again. Even for Magnus it is difficult to squeeze
blood out of a stone. I expect that the Queen's Indian will be tested in the
next games unless Karjakin has prepared something else. But before that we
will see what Sergey will play with White.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2857"]
[Annotator "Ponomariov,R"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[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"]

1. e4 {The last time Sergey played with White against Magnus was at the
tournament in Bilbao this year. I was in Bilbao and commented on the game live.
Sergey played 1.d4 and Magnus chose a Ragozin, which led to a very short draw.
I also expected 1.d4 by Sergey in this game - after all, he has Shakriyar
Mamedyarov and Vladimir Potkin as seconds and both are 1.d4 players. So, I
thought they might have found one or two or even more improvements on the line
Sergey and Magnus tried in Bilbao. But no, Sergey decided to play 1.e4 - in
his childhood this was his main weapon. We might see Sergey switching to
closed openings in the next games - which would indicate how much they worked
before the match to be ready for 1. e4 and 1.d4.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 $5 {
No Berlin this time. The mind games have started....} 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6.
d3 {The main idea of this line is to avoid lots of theory in the Classical Ruy
Lopez. After 6.d3 you don't need to study the Marshall, the Breyer, Zaitzev,
Chigorin etc. However, most people thought that Carlsen and not Karjakin would
try to avoid the main lines.} ({Normally Sergey plays} 6. Re1 {in this
position. After e.g.} b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 Bb7 (8... d6 9. c3 Be6 10. d4 Bxb3
11. Qxb3 {also leads to an exchange of bishops but in contrast to the game
White has a pawn and not a knight on c3.}) 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12.
Nbd2 Bc8 {we reach a position that is similar to the position we had in the
game though there are differences: if you compare this line with the game
continuation you will see that Black here spent more time to exchange the
white-squared bishops.}) 6... b5 7. Bb3 d6 {Black has a number of options. If
you want to study this variation more deeply I would recommend you to use the
Reference button of your ChessBase program to see how the strongest players
have handled this position.} 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 Na5 10. Ba2 Be6 11. d4 Bxa2 12.
Rxa2 Re8 {If one compares this position with the lines I mentioned in the
comment to the 6th move, Black here is several tempi up and his position has
no weaknesses. With pawns on d4 and e4 White has a strong pawn centre which
gives him some space advantage but with each piece exchanged this factor is
less and less significant.} ({Earlier this year Magnus played} 12... Nc6 13. d5
Nb8 {However, 12...Re8 is also the move many engines want to play. So, I don't
know whether Carlsen's small refinement was really a surprise for Karjakin.})
13. Ra1 Nc4 14. Re1 Rc8 {The idea behind this move which puts the rook behind
the pawn on c7 remains a little bit of a mystery to me. Probably Carlsen
wanted to be ready meet d5 by White with ...c6.} ({Probably Black didn't want
to play} 14... Bf8 {immediately, because after} 15. b3 Nb6 {White can pin the
knight on f6 with} 16. Bg5) ({But there is nothing wrong with playing} 14... h6
{first, e.g.} 15. b3 Nb6 16. Bb2 Bf8 17. d5 Qc8 18. a4 c6 19. dxc6 Qxc6 {
with counterplay.}) 15. h3 h6 16. b3 Nb6 17. Bb2 Bf8 18. dxe5 {To me, this
looks like a silent draw offer. Modern chess is becoming more and more
pragmatic.} ({I think if White wanted to retain chances for a fight he had to
keep the tension in the centre.} 18. Qd3 c6 19. Rad1 Qc7 20. Ne2 d5 21. Ng3
exd4 (21... dxe4 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Qxe4 exd4 24. Qxe8 Rxe8 25. Rxe8 $13) 22. e5
Ne4 23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Qxe4 c5 {I think this position is still equal but the
pawn structure is asymmetrical and both players have chances for active play -
White on the kingside, Black on the queenside.}) 18... dxe5 19. a4 c6 20. Qxd8
Rcxd8 {As in game one we do see an early exchange of queens.} 21. axb5 axb5 22.
Ne2 Bb4 23. Bc3 Bxc3 24. Nxc3 Nbd7 25. Ra6 Rc8 26. b4 Re6 ({With} 26... c5 {
Carlsen could have posed more practical problems, e.g.} 27. Nxb5 cxb4 28. Nd6 {
and now the tactical trick} (28. Ra4 Rxc2 29. Rxb4 Rb8) 28... Re6 29. Nxc8 Rxa6
{gives White something to think about. But after White's 18th move Carlsen was
probably also happy with a draw.}) 27. Rb1 c5 28. Rxe6 fxe6 29. Nxb5 cxb4 30.
Rxb4 Rxc2 31. Nd6 Rc1+ 32. Kh2 Rc2 33. Kg1 {Well, as it turned out game two
was even less exciting than game one. But Carlsen's choice of opening was
smart.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.14"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2857"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Seirawan,Y"]
[PlyCount "156"]
[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"]

{Match play is all about the result. Would have, could have, should have,
explanations all fall before the final score. To get a result a player has to
first establish the real battleground: In which lines of opening play will the
match be decided? Match play competition is also an exchange of information.
The players start by making informed, educated guesses about their opponent's
primary defense, their secondary defense and so on. A player will play their
primary defense until a disaster before switching to a back-up defense. For
Game One Magnus chose the Trompovsky Opening and in the process learned
precisely nothing about Sergey's primary Queen Pawn defense. In a similar vein,
Sergey learned something about Magnus's primary defense to the king pawn
opening but by opting out with the safe: 6.d3, instead of 6.Re1, in a Ruy
Lopez, he didn't learn enough. The first pair of games were soft, two draws
where the balance was barely disturbed. The match was now reduced to a ten
game match. Would Game Three finally produce the clash that chess fans were
anxious for?} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {Amongst the elite king pawn
opening players the Berlin Defense has been a huge problem. How to get any
advantage as well as how to get play?} 4. O-O {The other main try is:} (4. d3 {
which can be well met by either the active:} Bc5 {as well as:} (4... d6 {
transposing into a Classical Ruy where White has committed himself with the
d2-d3, tempo.})) 4... Nxe4 5. Re1 {Disappointing. Okay the "Berlin Endgame"
that appears after:} (5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {
may not be everybody's cup of tea but the imbalances can lead to rich
strategic games.}) 5... Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10.
Re2 {Stop the presses! Novelty of the year! Mmm, no. The text has been chosen
a few times over the "standard" move:} (10. Re1 {Presumably the difference
being that when Black readies a rook swap down the e-file, recapturing on the
e2-square is to be preferred. Hmm, such a nuanced difference strikes me as
insufficient for a pull.}) 10... b6 ({Instead, I'll surmise that against the
standard move} 10... Nf5 {Magnus had planned to advance his d-pawn:} 11. d5 $5
b6 12. c4 $5 Ba6 13. Na3 c6 14. Rd2 {is a line of play where the rook might
find a purpose along the second rank. Personally, I'm skeptical about White's
play as it feels artificial.}) 11. Re1 {Having coaxed Black into playing: ...
b7-b6, the e2-rook moves yet again, this time to avoid: ...Bc8-a6, which would
favor Black with a bishop trade.} Re8 12. Bf4 $1 Rxe1 13. Qxe1 Qe7 (13... Bxd4
$2 14. Bxd6 cxd6 15. Qe4 Bxb2 16. Qxa8 Qf8 17. Nc3 Bxa1 18. Nd5 Bf6 19. Nxf6+
gxf6 20. Qxa7 {would leave Black's structure in tatters.}) 14. Nc3 Bb7 15. Qxe7
Bxe7 16. a4 a6 {"Before the Endgame, the Gods have placed the Middle-game. And
I thank those Gods." So said Tal. The position at hand queries this adorable
quote. It feels as if the players have magically avoided a middle-game and
embraced an Ending. Perhaps White has a smidgen of something but it sure feels
balanced to me.} 17. g3 {Perhaps angling for an opportunity to play: Bf1-h3,
hitting the d7-pawn at an inconvenient moment.} g5 {An active rejoinder to be
sure that helps Black resolve the problem of his misplaced d6-knight. The
downside to this pleasant move is that the f5-square is weakened. Magnus was
quick to pounce.} 18. Bxd6 $1 Bxd6 19. Bg2 $1 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 {Imperceptibly
after these trades White does have something in the position. If he can
maneuver his knight to the f5-square, back it up with his g-pawn, he might yet
find a serious pull.} f5 $1 {Nipping the idea in the bud before it could take
shape. Not as convincing would be:} (20... Re8 21. Nd5 Re2 22. Ne3 $1 Rd2 23.
Rd1 Rxd1 24. Nxd1 {when White has the more agreeable play.}) 21. Nd5 Kf7 22.
Ne3 Kf6 {Sergey has "met" Magnus well and appears to be closing in on a boring
draw.} 23. Nc4 Bf8 24. Re1 Rd8 $6 {A "mysterious rook move" an echo of Game
Two where Magnus played: Ra8-c8, backing up a c7-pawn. I suppose the idea is
to discourage: Nc4-e5, by preemptively defending the d7-pawn. Very
sophisticated indeed. The brutes among us might not have been so caring:} (
24... d5 25. Ne5 Bd6 $11 {strikes me as just fine for Black.}) 25. f4 gxf4 26.
gxf4 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ne3 c6 29. Kf3 {It is easy to get lulled to sleep
and imagine that nothing is happening but the swap of four pawns has opened up
the a-file and the g-file ensuring play for the rooks. On closer inspection a
problem has crept into Black's position: The f5-pawn is a greater target than
any White pawn. White is ready to seize one of the open files and prepare an
invasion. White is now spoiled for choice.} Ra8 30. Rg1 Ra2 $5 {A highly
optimistic move to be sure. My concern is that it could be badly timed. The
threat of: Rg4-g5, picking off the f5-pawn needs to be taken seriously.} ({
Therefore} 30... Bh6 $1 31. Rg3 d5 $1 32. Rh3 Bg7 $1 {is a nice way to keep
White at bay. If White persists in his attempts to win the f5-pawn he could
well miss the mark:} 33. Rh5 Ra2 34. b3 (34. Rxf5+ Kg6 35. Rg5+ Kf7 {Black
will win back his pawn.}) 34... h6 35. Rxf5+ Kg6 {White has managed to tangle
up his own pieces.}) 31. b3 c5 $2 {Sergey cracks. Up to now, nothing has gone
seriously wrong but the text is born from excessive worry. The threat of:
Rg1-g5xf5+, is stronger than its execution. Upon cold reflection the best was
the simple:} (31... d5 $1 32. Rg5 Ke6 $1 33. Rxf5 Bg7 {with a variation
similar to the previous note. Black's counter-attack against the d4-pawn gives
sufficient counterplay for holding the draw:} 34. Rh5 Bxd4 35. Rh6+ Kd7 36.
Rxh7+ Ke6 {seems to be finely balanced.}) 32. Rg8 $1 Kf7 33. Rg2 cxd4 34. Nxf5
d3 35. cxd3 Ra1 $5 {When I don't understand a move I tend to reward it with a 
(!?) mark as a sign of respect for the player's sophistication. In truth this
one is a bit beyond my comprehension. Sergey has jettisoned a pawn for active
play or what the real cognoscenti would call "dynamic factors." Cool! So why
not play actively?} ({Direct, good and compelling was} 35... Ra3 $1 36. Rb2 Bb4
$1 37. Ne3 Bc3 38. Rb1 b4 {when thanks to Black's active pieces it would be a
real technical challenge to win this one.}) 36. Nd4 b4 37. Rg5 Rb1 38. Rf5+ Ke8
39. Rb5 {From an arid desert Magnus has managed to find an oasis. He has
consolidated his extra pawn, now, remarkably, he has created real winning
chances. Unlike the previous note, the f8-bishop is now passive as well as a
potential tactical target.} Rf1+ 40. Ke4 Re1+ 41. Kf5 Rd1 42. Re5+ {By no
means a bad move. But around these parts Magnus missed a more incisive
continuation:} (42. Rb8+ $1 Ke7 (42... Kf7 $6 43. Nf3 $1 $16) 43. Ke4 Re1+ 44.
Kd5 Rd1 45. Nf5+ Kf7 46. d4 Rd3 {when appearances can be deceiving. At first
blush it seems that there has been a lot of to-and-froing without much
happening. In truth, things are going great for White. All his pieces are
active and his once dormant d-pawn and f-pawns are playing fine supporting
roles. This is laid bare after:} 47. Rd8 $1 Rxb3 48. Rxd7+ Kg6 49. Ng3 Re3 50.
f5+ Kg5 (50... Kh6 51. Rf7 $1 {Did I mention the f8-bishop could become a
target?} Re8 52. Ne4 {White is close to winning now.}) 51. Ne4+ Kf4 52. Rxh7 b3
53. Nc5 {with good winning chances for White.}) 42... Kf7 43. Rd5 Rxd3 44.
Rxd7+ Ke8 45. Rd5 {Trading off the d-pawns has benefitted Black. With the
reduced material Black need only make a few more pawn swaps and he will be
home free to make a draw.} Rh3 46. Re5+ Kf7 {Natural. But likely wrong.
Black's king is more of a target on the kingside than a stern blockader. For
reasons as we will see in the game, there is less danger for Black's king on
the d7-square. In addition covering the c6-square is important.} (46... Kd7 47.
Re2 Bc5 48. Ne6 Be7 {when White has a hard task to convert ahead of him.}) 47.
Re2 Bg7 48. Nc6 $1 {This is the rub. White defends the b3-pawn indirectly by
creating a mating net against Black's king.} Rh5+ {Doubtlessly played with a
heavy heart. Sergey had covertly eyeballed the b3-pawn dreaming that it would
soon be his! Not so:} (48... Rxb3 $4 49. Nd8+ Kf8 50. Ne6+ Kf7 51. Ng5+ {
with a forced checkmate to follow.}) 49. Kg4 Rc5 50. Nd8+ $1 {Obviously, White
wants to keep the game alive.} ({Again, a trade of pawns} 50. Nxb4 $2 Rb5 51.
Re4 h5+ 52. Kf3 Bf8 53. Nd3 Rxb3 {is helpful to Black's cause.}) 50... Kg6 51.
Ne6 h5+ 52. Kf3 Rc3+ 53. Ke4 Bf6 54. Re3 h4 55. h3 $2 {A careless slip when
once again Magnus was close to tightenng the noose.} ({An opportunity was
present to include the king into the attack by forcibly vacating the f5-square:
} 55. Nf8+ $1 Kf7 56. Nd7 {threatening a winning king and pawn ending.} Rc2 (
56... Bd8 57. Ne5+ Ke6 58. Nd3 $1 Bb6 59. Rh3 $1) 57. Kf5 $1 Bg7 58. h3 {
is a superior version of the game.}) 55... Rc1 56. Nf8+ Kf7 57. Nd7 Ke6 $1 {
The difference between the two lines is now clear: White is prevented from
playing: Ke4-f5.} 58. Nb6 Rd1 59. f5+ Kf7 60. Nc4 Rd4+ 61. Kf3 Bg5 $2 {After
fighting so tenaciously Sergey makes an egregious slip which endangers all his
hard work. With the draw nearly in sight the simple method was also a direct
one, keep attacking the f5-pawn:} (61... Rd5 $1 62. Ke2 Kg7 $1 63. Rf3 {
and only now} Bg5 $1 {Black's king is ready to sweep away the f5-pawn and
secure the coveted draw.}) 62. Re4 Rd3+ 63. Kg4 {And just like that Magnus is
back in business.} Rg3+ {In such positions, there is the "human element" of
wanting to eliminate all of White's pawns at the cost of a bishop and to play
K&R versus a K,R&N position. Where possible, you calculate where such an
escape might lie. At first blush there appears to be an "easy" draw in view:} (
63... Bf6 64. Re6 Rg3+ 65. Kf4 Bg5+ 66. Ke4 Rxh3 67. Ne5+ Kf8 68. f6 Rxb3 {
Exactly at this moment, Black is a happy camper. Just one move away from the
goal!} 69. Kf5 (69. f7 $1 Be7 70. Rg6 $1 $18) 69... Bxf6 $1 70. Kxf6 Kg8 {
Mission accomplished. A draw is in the offing. How cruel is the scorpion's
sting. Go back to move sixty-nine and play: 69.f7! Be7 70.Rg6!, instead. When
Black is just lost. Yikes.}) 64. Kh5 Be7 65. Ne5+ Kf6 66. Ng4+ $1 {During the
time that this phase of the game was being played I was having dinner at the
Closing of the "Showdown" in Saint Louis tournament. In my nearest vicinity
was Fabiano, Hikaru and Vishy. We all scrunched around Fabi's smart-phone to
follow the cut and thrust. In rapid-fire succession, one defense after another
was defeated. The verdict of the table was clear: Magnus was now winning. Our
mirth attracted the attention of Veselin Topalov as well. I was beginning to
feel out-rated but followed their analysis closely.} Kf7 {The plausible
alternative:} (66... Kxf5 {was defeated by the important zwischenzug:} 67. Re5+
$1 Kf4 68. Rxe7 Rxh3 69. Rf7+ $1 {when Black's king is forced to go into the
path of his rook.} Kg3 70. Nf2 $1 ({while} 70. Rb7 {is also good, the text is
much stronger}) 70... Rh2 71. Ne4+ Kh3 72. Rf3+ Kg2 73. Rf2+ {forcing the
trade of rooks is the easiest win.}) 67. Re6 Rxh3 68. Ne5+ {Black is now
forced to part with his bishop.} Kg7 69. Rxe7+ Kf6 70. Nc6 Kxf5 $2 {A move the
dinner table had rejected. The conversation had centered on a study-like
position that arises after:} (70... Rc3 $3 71. Re6+ Kxf5 72. Nd4+ Kf4 73. Kxh4
Rd3 $1 {The "collective wisdom" of the table was having a devil of a time here.
The analysis continued:} 74. Ne2+ Kf3 $1 (74... Kf5 $4 75. Rb6 $18) 75. Nc1 Rd1
$3 (75... Rc3 76. Re1 Kf2 77. Rd1 {Black's king is cut-off from the queenside
and White's king will march to victory.}) 76. Rc6 Ke3 77. Rc2 {At this moment,
the table was reasonably sure that the game was won, as again, Black's king
appears to be cut-off and another victorious white king march was in the
offing. Vishy forced us away from our dinners with another offering:} Rd2 $1
78. Rc6 Rd1 {and no matter how we tried, the win, if it exists proved elusive.}
) 71. Na5 $6 {Missing a golden opportunity to clinch the game:} (71. Re1 $3 {
comes with splendid timing. The text renders any tricks based on: ...Rh3-h1,
and pushing the h4-pawn harmless. Secondly, White is ready to play: Ra1-b1,
and then collect the b4-pawn. Finally, the king on the h5-square is poised to
keep an eye on the h4-pawn. Play might continue:} Kf4 ({This time, the move} 
71... Rc3 $2 {has a cruel failing:} 72. Ne7+ $1 {and Black's king is forced to
move into a fatal fork.}) 72. Rf1+ $1 Ke4 73. Na5 $1 {winning. The key
difference is that in this line of play White has managed to bring his rook to
the first rank with gain of tempo. Black is unable to prevent future pawn
pluckings.}) 71... Rh1 72. Rb7 $4 {Tragedy after a supreme effort. With this,
the win definitely slipped away. Last chances were still to be had:} (72. Rf7+
$1 Ke6 73. Rf2 $1 h3 74. Kh4 Ra1 {The plausible alternative:} (74... h2 $2 75.
Ra2 $1 {is a rather pretty picture}) 75. Nb7 Ra3 76. Rd2 $1 Ke5 77. Nc5 h2 78.
Rxh2 Kd5 79. Rc2 $1 {At long last, White is winning.}) 72... Ra1 $1 {Sergey
seizes his chance to save the game with a study-like finish:} 73. Rb5+ Kf4 $1 {
Otherwise the h4-pawn is removed from the board.} 74. Rxb4+ {What else? White
cannot capture the h4-pawn:} (74. Kxh4 $4 Rh1# {is spine chilling.}) 74... Kg3
$1 75. Rg4+ Kf2 76. Nc4 h3 77. Rh4 Kg3 78. Rg4+ Kf2 {Oh my what a game! The
collective wisdom of the table was that if Magnus had won this game 'out of
nothing' Sergey would have lost a lot of confidence, conversely thanks to this
incredible save we now have a great match in store.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2857"]
[Annotator "Rogozenco,D"]
[PlyCount "187"]
[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"]

{Another marathon game in the match, another triumph of defence and another
draw... At the beginning of game four it seemed as if Karjakin had not yet
recovered from the previous tiring encounter, as some of his decisions right
after the opening were doubtful, to say the least. But then, in a very
critical situation, where most of the specialists predicted a sure win for
Carlsen, the Russian grandmaster again displayed his fantastic skills in
defending inferior positions and succeeded in getting the desired draw after
almost 7 hours of play.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 {
In the second game of the match Karjakin went for 6.d3.} 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O
8. h3 {A popular Anti-Marshall system, which tends to lead to a complicated
strategical battle, with many theoretical subleties.} Bb7 9. d3 d6 ({Here
Black can still play in Marshall-style with} 9... d5 {but Karjakin has a lot
of experience with such positions which he plays with both colours. So Carlsen
decides to go for a positional game.} 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 (11. Nbd2 f6 12.
a3 Kh8 13. Ba2 Nf4 14. Ne4 Ng6 15. Be3 Nd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. h4 f5 18. Neg5
Nxh4 19. Ne6 Nxf3+ 20. gxf3 Qd6 21. Nxf8 Rxf8 22. Kf1 Bg5 23. Re6 Qf4 24. Qe2
Bxf3 25. Qe5 Qh4 26. Qg3 Qh1+ 27. Qg1 Qh5 {0-1 (27) Topalov,V (2752)-Karjakin,
S (2779) Astana 2012}) 11... Nd4 12. Bd2 c5 13. Nc3 Nxb3 14. axb3 Nb4 15. Ne4
f5 16. Ng3 Qd5 17. Nf3 Qd7 18. Ne5 Qd5 19. Nf3 Qd7 20. Bxb4 cxb4 21. d4 Rac8
22. Qd3 Bd6 23. Ne5 Qc7 24. Nxf5 Bxe5 25. Rxe5 {Karjakin,S (2747)-Onischuk,A 
(2688) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010, and White went on to win.}) 10. a3 Qd7 ({Both} 
10... Na5 11. Ba2 c5) ({and} 10... Nb8 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 {had been played by
Carlsen before. However, Karjakin's answer came instantly.}) 11. Nbd2 Rfe8 {
This move might have been a surprise for the contender. He thought for 12
minutes before coming up with a reply and also spent a lot of time on his next
moves. In previous games Karjakin had faced 11...Rae8 and 11...Nd8.} 12. c3 {
Why did it take Karjakin so long to play this natural move? First of all,
despite his huge experience in these types of position, Karjakin never had
this particular one in his practice before. Secondly, the position is quite
complicated strategically and it is not easy to figure out whether White needs
to play c2-c3 at all. For instance it looks logical to postpone it and start
with 12.Nf1. Generally speaking, modern theory considers this type of position
as slightly better for White. But again, with a lot of strategic subtleties.
As grandmaster Nigel Short put it: "In such positions, with White I always
feel I have no advantage, but with Black that I can't equalise".} Bf8 13. Nf1
h6 14. N3h2 {Preparing the typical action on the kingside, which is met by the
standard counterplay in the centre.} d5 15. Qf3 {White now threatens to take
on h6 and actually has a simple plan: he wants to play Ng3, Ng4 and so on.
Black must react very precisely and Carlsen is up to this task.} Na5 16. Ba2
dxe4 {Played after ten minutes.} ({Possibly the World Champion wondered
whether he had compensation in variations like} 16... c5 17. Bxh6 c4 18. Rad1 (
18. Bg5 {allows} dxe4 19. dxe4 Nxe4 20. Rxe4 f5 {which is very unlear}) 18...
dxe4 19. dxe4 Qc6 {but then decided to go for the more solid game continuation.
}) 17. dxe4 Nc4 18. Bxh6 {A curious moment. After a long think Karjakin makes
the most principled move, but soon ends up in a very unpleasant position.
Taking on h6 is not a mistake yet, but White must have missed something, as
his next move is clearly not the best way to continue.} (18. Ng4 {maintains
equality.}) 18... Qc6 $1 {Very precise play by Carlsen. Black had several
sharp alternatives, but the World Champion rightly rejected them.} (18... Nxb2
19. Bg5 Nh7 20. Bh4 c5 21. Re2 Nc4 22. Bxc4 bxc4 23. Rd2 {and White has an
advantage.}) (18... Nxe4 19. Rxe4 Bxe4 (19... f5 $2 {loses due to} 20. Rxc4
Bxf3 21. Rxc7+) 20. Qxe4 gxh6 21. Ng4 Bg7 22. Nfe3 {with good positional
compensation for White.}) 19. Bxc4 $6 {This doubtful move was played after 16
minutes of thinking! Maybe Karjakin already disliked his position so much,
that he decided to go for a clearly worse endgame, hoping to hold it.
Amazingly, this worked out in the end...} ({There was still nothing wrong with
White's position after} 19. Bc1 {For example:} Nxe4 20. Ne3 Ned6 21. Qxc6 Bxc6
22. Nhg4 {which is about equal.}) 19... bxc4 (19... Qxc4 20. Nd2 $1 {and White
keeps his extra pawn}) 20. Be3 Nxe4 21. Ng3 Nd6 ({Both} 21... Nxg3) ({and} 
21... Qg6 {were good alternatives as well. In all cases Black has the
advantage.}) 22. Rad1 Rab8 23. Bc1 f6 24. Qxc6 Bxc6 25. Ng4 Rb5 26. f3 {
Thanks to his bishop pair and the pressure on b2 Black has a clear advantage.
Basically there are two ways to treat the position: to play slowly with a move
like 26...Kf7, improving the pieces step by step, or take immediate action -
which is what Carlsen did in the game.} f5 {Black takes advantage of the fact
that the knight cannot go to e3, but slow play might have been more unpleasant
for Karjakin, who was already feeling some time pressure.} 27. Nf2 (27. Ne3 $2
f4) 27... Be7 ({Perhaps} 27... Kf7 {was more accurate, as now} 28. f4 {would
be a mistake due to} exf4 29. Ne2 Rbe5) 28. f4 $1 {As usual, in a difficult
situation Karjakin starts to defend extremely well. White needs to simplify
the position, as otherwise he will soon run out of air.} Bh4 ({Another
attractive option was} 28... exf4 29. Ne2 Ne4 (29... g5 30. Nd4 Rb6 31. Nxc6
Rxc6 32. Rd5 {followed by h4 gives White sufficient counterplay.}) 30. Nxe4
Bxe4 31. Nxf4 Rbb8 {In both cases Black is better and it is not easy to decide
which position leaves Black with more winning chances.}) 29. fxe5 Bxg3 (29...
Rbxe5 {is not convincing:} 30. Rxe5 Rxe5 31. Bf4 Rb5 32. Rd2 {and White has
good chances to escape.}) 30. exd6 Rxe1+ 31. Rxe1 cxd6 32. Rd1 Kf7 ({After the
principled} 32... Re5 33. Nh1 $1 (33. Kf1 Re6 {with ideas like ...Rg6}) 33...
f4 (33... Bh4 {leads nowhere:} 34. Rxd6 Re1+ 35. Kh2) ({but maybe} 33... Ba4
34. Rf1 Bh4 35. Bf4 Rd5 {is the best}) 34. Nxg3 fxg3 35. Kf1 Be4 {Black has a
clear advantage. However, the question remains the same: is it enough for a
win?}) 33. Rd4 Re5 34. Kf1 Rd5 35. Rxd5 Bxd5 36. Bg5 Kg6 37. h4 {A very
committal decision in time trouble, as the pawn on h4 will fall soon. In
return White gets the possibility to activate the knight via h3.} Kh5 38. Nh3
Bf7 39. Be7 Bxh4 40. Bxd6 Bd8 {The time trouble is over and we can reach some
conclusions: White has succeeded in avoiding the worst and simplified the
position. However, even if Black fails to increase his advantage, he still has
reasonable winning chances, as the bishop pair together with the chance to
create a passed pawn on the kingside are strong arguments in Black's favour.}
41. Ke2 g5 42. Nf2 Kg6 43. g4 {Another committal decision by Karjakin, which
again worked out well.} Bb6 44. Be5 a5 45. Nd1 f4 $2 {The decisive mistake, as
it considerably limits Black's winning ideas. Carlsen gets a nice passed pawn,
but closes the kingside and it will turn out that White can defend his
queenside weakness successfully.} ({After} 45... Be6 {Black must be winning.
The World Champion tries hard to win for another 50 moves, but his efforts are
in vain and Karjakin again achieves a very important draw.}) 46. Bd4 Bc7 47.
Nf2 Be6 48. Kf3 Bd5+ 49. Ke2 Bg2 50. Kd2 Kf7 51. Kc2 Bd5 52. Kd2 Bd8 53. Kc2
Ke6 54. Kd2 Kd7 55. Kc2 Kc6 56. Kd2 Kb5 57. Kc1 Ka4 58. Kc2 Bf7 59. Kc1 Bg6 60.
Kd2 Kb3 61. Kc1 Bd3 62. Nh3 Ka2 63. Bc5 Be2 64. Nf2 Bf3 65. Kc2 Bc6 66. Bd4 Bd7
67. Bc5 Bc7 68. Bd4 Be6 69. Bc5 f3 70. Be3 Bd7 71. Kc1 Bc8 72. Kc2 Bd7 73. Kc1
Bf4 74. Bxf4 gxf4 75. Kc2 Be6 76. Kc1 Bc8 77. Kc2 Be6 78. Kc1 Kb3 79. Kb1 Ka4
80. Kc2 Kb5 81. Kd2 Kc6 82. Ke1 Kd5 83. Kf1 Ke5 84. Kg1 Kf6 85. Ne4+ Kg6 86.
Kf2 Bxg4 87. Nd2 Be6 88. Kxf3 Kf5 89. a4 Bd5+ 90. Kf2 Kg4 91. Nf1 Kg5 92. Nd2
Kf5 93. Ke2 Kg4 94. Kf2 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.17"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Nunn,J"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[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"]

{Carlsen had pressed strongly in Games 3 and 4 so now, with the white pieces
in front of him, would this be the game for the champion's breakthrough in the
match?} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {So far Carlsen has adopted three different
openings in his three games with White. Gone are the days of
Alekhine-Capablanca when they played the Queen's Gambit Declined in almost
every one of the 34 games.} Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 {The quiet form of the Giuoco
Piano, often called the Giuoco Pianissimo. White aims for a slow build-up,
sometimes trying to gain space on the queenside with c3 and b4, or playing for
a delayed action in the centre after transferring the knight from b1 to d2, f1
and g3, much as in the Spanish. It's tempting to just comment that such quiet
methods are unlikely to bring White much of an objective advantage, but that
isn't the way Carlsen plays. Like another world champion, Emanuel Lasker, he
is often not so concerned with playing the most critical lines, but more in
reaching a position in which he can show his strengths. Quiet methods have
secured Carlsen many victories from positions that initially didn't appear to
offer many winning chances.} O-O 6. a4 {But this is really unusual.} ({White
generally prefers to prepare central expansion by} 6. c3 {or to pin the knight
by}) (6. Bg5 {The ChessBase online database gives a mere 22 games with this
move, with White scoring a respectable 66%.}) 6... d6 7. c3 {Now we have
transposed into a more standard line. Black has to take action against the
threat to trap his bishop.} a6 8. b4 Ba7 9. Re1 Ne7 {A standard plan in such
positions. Black transfers his knight to the kingside in order to generate
play there. With only one minor piece on that side of the board, White is
slightly vulnerable there especially if he does not undertake the knight
transfer to g3.} (9... Ng4 {can be met by} 10. Ra2 {a benefit of White's early
queenside pawn advance.}) 10. Nbd2 Ng6 11. d4 {I'm not very enthusiastic about
this move, even though my computer likes it. Is White playing on the queenside
or in the centre? True, the knight transfer to g6 has weakened Black's hold on
d4, allowing White to push in the centre, but it is better to wait for this
type of move until White is more prepared. Playing d3 and then d4 involves an
inevitable loss of tempo and White's development is not yet good enough to
give a central advance any real bite.} c6 {A good response by Karjakin. Noting
the slight fragility in White's position, he prepares to play actively in the
centre himself.} 12. h3 {It's unfortunate that White has to play another
non-developing move, but} (12. Nf1 {is strongly met by} Bg4 {White has not
achieved any advantage from the opening.}) 12... exd4 $6 {Karjakin plans to
break apart White's centre, but the results are not especially favourable. He
could have kept the balance by the simple} (12... Re8 {or, if he really wanted
some central action, by}) (12... d5) 13. cxd4 Nxe4 14. Bxf7+ $1 {A somewhat
surprising decision, but a good one.} (14. Nxe4 d5 15. Bd3 dxe4 16. Bxe4 Be6 {
doesn't give White anything, so Carlsen prefers to keep his knights, which are
effective despite the relatively open position.}) 14... Rxf7 15. Nxe4 d5 16.
Nc5 (16. Neg5 $6 Rf6 {only puts the g5-knight in jeopardy.}) 16... h6 {Ruling
out any possible ideas involving Ng5 followed by Qh5.} 17. Ra3 {Thanks to
White's earlier queenside advance, White can save time by doubling rooks
without developing the c1-bishop first.} Bf5 18. Ne5 {This looks slightly
premature. White would have had more chances of an advantage with the natural}
(18. Rae3 Qf6 19. Ne5 Re7 20. Nxg6 Rxe3 21. Rxe3 Bxg6 22. Qe2 {with a solid
control of the open file, although admittedly any advantage is rather slight.})
18... Nxe5 19. dxe5 (19. Rxe5 {achieves nothing after} Bb8 20. Nxb7 Qf6 21.
Re8+ Kh7 {attacking the knight and threatening ...Bh2+.}) 19... Qh4 {Attacking
b4 and taking aim at f2.} 20. Rf3 {A good defensive move maintaining the
balance.} Bxc5 $6 ({The tactical justification for White's play is} 20... Qxb4
$2 21. Ba3 Qa5 22. e6 Rf6 23. Nxb7 Qb6 24. e7 {and wins, but Karjakin's
response is not the best.}) (20... Bg6 21. Rxf7 Bxf7 {would have been fine for
Black, since the e-pawn is not well enough supported to be a real danger.}) 21.
bxc5 {The exchange on c5 has altered the structure of the position. White's
queenside pawns are broken, but they are not really vulnerable, while Black's
b-pawn is now permanently backward. Perhaps the main worry for Black is that
White's 4 vs 2 kingside majority is far more mobile than Black's queenside
pawns. The outlines of real problems for Black are visible in the position and
it is surprising that Karjakin went in for a line which allowed Carlsen to
exercise his famous grinding skills when he had a reasonable alternative which
kept some active play.} Re8 {.} 22. Rf4 Qe7 23. Qd4 {White now a very safe
advantage. At the moment it may appear small, but it could easily increase.
The big question is whether White can advance his kingside pawns without
exposing his king too much.} Ref8 24. Rf3 Be4 25. Rxf7 Qxf7 26. f3 Bf5 27. Kh2
({It might appear that White can start pushing his pawns at once, but after} 
27. g4 Qg6 28. Kh2 Be6 29. f4 Qc2+ 30. Bd2 g6 31. Rg1 Kf7 {Black sets up a
line of defence which is hard to break through. Carlsen therefore manoeuvres
in the hope of finding a more favourable moment to start his pawn advance.
However, the extra time allows Black to improve his position and it becomes
more rather than less difficult to advance the pawns.}) 27... Be6 28. Re2 Qg6
29. Be3 Rf7 30. Rf2 Qb1 31. Rb2 Qf5 32. a5 Kf8 {An interesting plan. If White
does eventually push on the kingside, it could be that Black's king will be a
tactical weakness. Karjakin therefore decides to transfer his king to the
queenside, where his numerical superiority of pawns offers good shelter.
Additionally, the king can defend the b7-pawn, relieving his other pieces of a
rather menial job.} 33. Qc3 {Carlsen cannot see any way to make progress, and
for the moment just moves around without achieving very much.} Ke8 34. Rb4 g5
$1 {An interesting and highly committal decision. Black could have set up a
light-square blockade with ...g6, aiming to hold on to the f5-square at all
costs, but he decides instead to take pre-emptive action to prevent White's
pawns even getting as far as f4 and g4. The danger is that in any ending the
kingside pawns on dark squares will be vulnerable to attack by White's bishop,
especially if his king is far away on the queenside. In my view, Karjakin made
the right decision and, by taking action himself rather than simply waiting,
he has forced Carlsen to come up with a counterplan.} 35. Rb2 Kd8 36. Rf2 Kc8
37. Qd4 Qg6 {Black is now even ready to play ...h5 followed by ...g4, which
would completely kill any winning prospects for White, so Carlsen decides to
block Black's advance.} 38. g4 h5 39. Qd2 Rg7 {I don't see how White can make
progress here since any pawn advance of the kingside would expose the white
king too much. If White could swap off the major pieces the g5-pawn would fall,
but there is no way to achieve this.} 40. Kg3 Rg8 41. Kg2 $2 {This move, which
blocks the path of White's major pieces to the h-file is a serious error after
which White is even worse. Any normal move, such as} (41. Rh2 {would have
maintained the balance.}) 41... hxg4 42. hxg4 (42. fxg4 $2 Qe4+ 43. Kg1 Rh8 {
loses at least a pawn,.}) 42... d4 $1 {Karjakin strikes with a pawn sacrifice
allowing him to activate his bishop.} ({This is even stronger than} 42... Qh6
43. Qd4 {White must block the d-pawn since} (43. Kf1 d4 44. Bxd4 Qh1+ 45. Ke2
Rd8 {gives Black a very dangerous attack}) 43... Rh8 44. Kf1 Qh1+ 45. Ke2 Qb1
46. Bxg5 {when White can at least run with his king to f4.}) 43. Qxd4 (43. Bxd4
Qh7 44. Kg1 Qh3 45. Qe2 Rf8 46. Rh2 Qg3+ 47. Rg2 Qxf3 48. Qxf3 Rxf3 {is an
unpleasant ending for White, since all his pawns are weak, but this might
actually have been the lesser evil.}) 43... Bd5 $2 {Karjakin fails to make the
most of his chances. After} (43... Rh8 44. Qe4 Qh6 45. Kf1 Qh1+ 46. Ke2 Bd5 {
would have been deeply unpleasant for White. His king is floating around in
the middle of the board, while Black's piece press from all sides. After} 47.
Qd3 Qa1 48. Bxg5 Qxe5+ 49. Be3 Qa1 {it is unlikely that White will survive in
the long run. As is so often the case in opposite-coloured bishop positions
with major pieces, it's the initiative and attacking chances which count, and
not the odd pawn or two.}) 44. e6 {In an echo of Karjakin's ...d4, Carlsen
returns the pawn in order to gain space for his pieces. However, it would have
been even simpler to play} (44. Kg3 {allowing the rook to switch to h2, after
which I can see nothing for Black.}) 44... Qxe6 ({Or} 44... Qh7 45. e7 Qxe7 46.
Bd2 Qh7 47. Qf6 Rh8 48. Qf5+ Qxf5 49. gxf5 g4 50. Kg3 gxf3 {and with his king
active White should have no trouble holding the ending.}) 45. Kg3 {The crisis
is essentially over and the game is once more on course for a draw.} Qe7 46.
Rh2 Qf7 47. f4 {Further activating White's pieces and fully equalising.} gxf4+
48. Qxf4 (48. Bxf4 Qf5 49. g5 {was also safe for White.}) 48... Qe7 49. Rh5 Rf8
50. Rh7 Rxf4 51. Rxe7 Re4 {Forcing the draw.} ({After} 51... Re4 52. Rxe4 Bxe4
53. Kf4 Bd3 54. Ke5 Kd7 55. Kf6 Ke8 56. Bh6 Bc2 57. g5 Bd3 58. g6 Bc2 59. g7
Bb3 {Black is not in any danger.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Hillarp Persson,T"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[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"]

1. e4 e5 {I have spent my entire life as a chess player, trying to find
assymetry where I can find it. Magnus and Sergey operate from a more elevated
view-point than mine, and although they both occasionaly flirt with assymmetry,
I do not get the feeling that they believe it merits a proper relationship.} 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 ({In a sense the Ruy Lopez is a little more ambitious than the
G-whatever Piano (In Swedish we call it "the Italian", so I'm excused for not
acing the spelling bee). If we continue down the rabbit hole with} 3. Bc4 Bc5
4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O {, there is a big difference between... this position,
compared to the more easily spelled sibling; that Black has still not moved
the pawns on the queenside. This difference means that Black has fewer
weaknesses to take care of and it could turn out to be the whole difference
between a win and a big advantage (for White) later in the game.}) 3... a6 ({
I believe it was Julian Hodgson who said that the only problem with 1.e4,
compared to 1.d4, is that the e4-pawn is hanging. After} 3... Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 {
we reach one such position, the Berlin Defence. (The Petroff is another)} 5.
Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O {was seen in game three of the
match. Black argues that a reasonably symmetrical position makes White's extra
tempo less important. Time has told it is a decent argument.}) 4. Ba4 Nf6 5.
O-O Be7 6. Re1 (6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 {was played in the second game of the
match. The main difference here is that Black can play d6 before 0-0 without
having to fear a rapid c3/d4, which would lead to the one of the old main
lines.} (8. a4 {is also played frequently, but after} Bd7 {has been doing
quite well lately.})) 6... b5 7. Bb3 O-O {It sounds ridiculous to call such a
move "critical", but in a sense it is.} ({The reason is that} 7... d6 8. c3 O-O
9. h3 {leads to a one of the biggest theoretical tablelands in chess, whereas
the game move avoids that altogether by meeting 8.c3 with 8...d5. In days of
old, this line, the "Marshall Attack", led to slugfest bonanzas, but in the
age of engine-guided preparations it has a tendency to end in draws. This
explains why a defensively minded wielder of the dark forces is naturally
drawn to the Marshall Attack.}) 8. h3 {The consequence of Karjakin's last move
is that White is forced to play this move, unless he is happy to enter the
"old" lines after 8...d6 9.c3.} (8. a4 {After} Bb7 9. d3 Re8 (9... d6 {is more
popular.}) 10. Nc3 Nd4 11. axb5 Nxb3 12. cxb3 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8 14. Nxb5 d5 {
Dominguez Perez,L (2730)-Carlsen,M (2850) World Rapid 2015, Black equalised
with ease.}) (8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 {is the starting
position of the above mentioned Marshall Attack. I'm too old to try to get
familiar with it. Perhaps I would, if jailed by nazis and left with only a
monograph (written by Peter Svidler) to fend for my sanity, eventually be able
to say something sensible about this position. And although the likelihood of
this scenario has increased lately, I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until
some time next year, at least. (Seeing the draw looming twenty moves ahead,
you'll have to excuse me for trying to pump up the drama a bit.)}) 8... Bb7 {
The most natural move if Black wants to avoid} 9. d3 (9. c3 $6 d5 $1 {is nice
for Black. It is not recommended to play} 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 $2 (11. d4)
11... Nxe5 12. Rxe5 Nf4 {, when catastrophe strikes the white camp. Reading
the unfulfilled expectations of some kibitzers, I get the feeling that they
expect something like this, and nothing less. Sorry guys. You should stick
with risk.}) 9... d5 $5 {This Marshall Attack-inspired gambit can hardly have
come as a surprise for Karjakin, partly because it is a main line and partly
because it is played to draw. Especially the latter reason should have
appealed to Magnus after yesterday's rather wobbly performance.} ({In a rapid
game against Zhigalko last year, Magnus played} 9... d6 10. a3 Nb8 11. Nbd2
Nbd7 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ng3 Bf8 14. Ng5 d5 15. exd5 Nc5 16. c4 {and had to fight
to equalise.}) 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 ({Neither of the players has room to
deviate. Here} 11. a4 Nd4 $1 {equalises immediately.}) 11... Nd4 $1 {Compared
to the Marshall Attack, Black doesn't have as much of an attack here. The
compensation is of a more positional character. While the bishop on b7 roams
freely, Black's queenside pawns don't have to worry about a2-a4 (since Nxb3
would completely ruin White's pawn structure) and c7-c5 will take a lot of
space. From a White perspective, the c2-pawn has to be taken care of and the
knight on e5 turns out to be in a rather awkward position...} 12. Nc3 Nb4 ({
An instructive illustration of my last comment about the knight on e5:} 12...
Nxb3 13. axb3 Nb4 14. Bd2 f6 $1 15. Ng4 f5 $1 {The pawn is accelerated forward
as it attacks the knight.} 16. Ne5 Bd6 17. Na2 Bxe5 18. Rxe5 Nc6 19. Re1 f4 20.
Bc3 $6 ({Black also has a strong attack after} 20. f3 Nd4 21. Rf1 Rf6) 20... f3
21. Re4 a5 $5 22. b4 {and now, instead of} axb4 {which was unclear, in
Timofeev,A (2658)-Sokolov,I (2655) Sarajevo 2007, Black should have played} (
22... Ne7 $1 {, with a very strong attack.})) 13. Bf4 {Perhaps there is
nothing better here, but this move doesn't feel right to me. Why? There is
something about putting the bishop in the line of fire (g5/Nd5) and striving
to tuck it in on h2 that rings false. I'd prefer to put it on c3. On the other
hand the bishop is not obstructing the queen and could come to e5. After
weighing the pros and cons, I must disagree with my first instinct. It does
indeed make sense.} ({I'd probably spend some time on} 13. Bd2 {according to
the principle "less is more" (and "don't put the bishop on a square where it
is likely to be attacked").}) (13. Ne4 {has been played a number of times and
the lines after} Nxb3 14. axb3 Qd5 15. Nf3 f5 {seem to hold no danger to Black.
}) 13... Nxb3 14. axb3 c5 15. Ne4 {Karjakin is trying to prove that the
inclusion of Bf4 and ...c5 somehow favours White.} f6 $1 {According to the
reports I read, Carlsen continued to blitz out the moves even now, so it's
pretty clear that this was all part of his preparations.} 16. Nf3 f5 $1 {
A recurring idea leaving White with little choice.} 17. Neg5 $1 (17. Ng3 Bxf3
$1 {and it becomes obvious why the attack on the c2-pawn is a problem for
White:} 18. gxf3 (18. Qxf3 Nxc2 $19) 18... Bf6 $36) (17. Ned2 {is the most
ambitious move, since it keeps some pieces on the board. After} Bf6 18. Be5 Re8
19. Rc1 h6 20. Re2 {What else?} Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Nd5 {White cannot let the knight
land on f4 and} 22. g3 f4 {gives Black a nasty initiative. So, it seems that
the most ambitious move was less than good.}) 17... Bxg5 18. Nxg5 h6 $1 19. Ne6
Qd5 20. f3 Rfe8 {The last five moves have basically been forced, but now White
has two alternatives; one human and one non human.} 21. Re5 (21. Nc7 Qd4+ 22.
Kh1 Rxe1+ 23. Qxe1 Qxf4 24. Nxa8 Nxc2 {looks like absolute disaster for White
from afar, but in fact White can get a draw in more than one way. One pretty
line is} 25. Qe8+ Kh7 26. Nb6 $3 Nxa1 27. Nd7 {and Black has no defence
against the Nf8/ Nd7-pendulum.}) 21... Qd6 22. c3 {The challenger goes for the
draw in the most solid manner.} ({The more complicated} 22. Re2 {also ends up
in equality after} Qd7 23. Nc7 (23. Nxc5 $2 Qd4+) 23... Rxe2 24. Qxe2 Rc8 25.
Re1 Qd4+ 26. Qe3 Nxc2 27. Qxd4 Nxd4 28. Re7 {Alas, how forced!} Nc6 29. Rd7 Rd8
30. Rxd8+ Nxd8 31. Bd6 Kf7 32. Bxc5 Ne6 33. Nxe6 Kxe6 {is a most drawish draw.}
) 22... Rxe6 23. Rxe6 Qxe6 24. cxb4 cxb4 {If White was allowed to play d4, Be5
and then put the queen or rook in such a place from where it would keep an eye
on g7; then White would be better.} 25. Rc1 Rc8 {But Carlsen will not let
White have three moves for free.} 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 27. Qe1 Qd7 28. Kh2 a5 29. Qe3
Bd5 30. Qb6 Bxb3 31. Qxa5 Qxd3 32. Qxb4 Be6 {Next Black will put the queen on
d7 and the position will reach a state of zero entropy. So, draw agreed.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2857"]
[Annotator "Hillarp Persson,T"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[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"]

1. d4 $5 {I had decided not to watch any of the news on the game, in order to
avoid reproducing what others had thought. Still, I couldn't keep away during
the first few moves and I felt a breeze of cautious optimism when I saw
Karjakin's first move. Could it be that he had deviated from his usual 1.e4 in
order to be more ambitious?} d5 $5 2. c4 c6 {Already the last move was a bit
of a surprise, but this is doubly surprising. Normally, both Carlsen and
Karjakin favour 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 as Black, but then they diverge. Carlsen
usually meets 3.Nf3 with 3...d5, whereas Karjakin slightly prefers 3...b6 over
3...d5. Considering how close their main repertoires are after 1.d4, it is not
that much of a surprise that Carlsen decides to spring a surprise.} 3. Nc3 Nf6
4. e3 a6 {This variation, named after the Moldovan master Chebanenko, was very
unusual before the early nineties. Although it looks weird to move both the c-
and the a-pawn to the sixth rank at such an early stage, it stands on a solid
strategical basis. We see a similar strategy in the Najdorf, the Modern Benoni
and the Modern, where Black plays a6 in order to disturb a knight on c3.
However, it is interesting to notice that this is one of the few instances
where a6 is a decent option even if the knight is not on c3. Suppose White has
played Nf3 instead of Nc3, then Black can still play a6. The point is that
White's knight really needs to go to c3, sooner or later, if White is to claim
any sort of advantage. In such a case one might say that a6 disturbs White's
natural development.} (4... e6 {leads to the Semi Slav, which has been seen in
numerous earlier WCh matches. Carlsen's choice of line is more solid and also
leads to lines that are slightly less analysed.}) 5. Bd3 {No! I couldn't
believe my eyes when I saw this. Now Black is able to enter a line from the
Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA), that I thought was completely toothless. Still,
after checking the facts I have come to the conclusion that my instincts are,
at least, dated. Since the main lines have become so heavily analysed, the
players try some of the old things anew and as will soon become obvious,
Karjakin is far from alone in seeking something new in the these lines.} ({
The main lines start with} 5. Nf3 b5 {and then White has a choice between the
very ambitious} 6. c5 {and the less ambitious 6.b3. It says a lot about
Karjakin's attitude that he chooses neither of these. He is either a) happy to
draw his way to the tie-breaks, or he b) expects Carlsen to become
over-ambitious, or c) has great belief in his technical abilities, or d) this
line is far more dangerous for Black than I thought (and still think).}) 5...
dxc4 $1 6. Bxc4 e6 7. Nf3 c5 {So, we arrive at a line from the QGA, via a
roundabout move order. This position used to be the main line, but then
players started to realise that the knight lacked flexibility on c3. Since
then White's main ideas in these positions all have one thing in common;
avoiding putting the knight on c3. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.
Bxc4 c5 5.0-0 a6, both 6.Bb3, 6.Qe2 and 6.dxc5 are more common than 6.Nc3.
Then again, "common" is not always a sign of quality.} 8. O-O ({Here White has
the option of playing} 8. a4 {, which is fairly dull, especially for Black.
After} Nc6 9. O-O Be7 10. Qe2 cxd4 11. Rd1 e5 12. exd4 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14.
Qe5 Qd6 {White is marginally better, although the results tend towards draws,
aplenty.}) 8... b5 9. Be2 {And here, when I put my hands to my face in similar
fashion to Munch's famous "peanut-face", I'm clearly out of line. This line
turns out to be as haute couture as anything chess related can be. It has been
played by Aronian, Wang Yue, Vitiugov and others. White is doing well. My
prejudices need to be updated.} (9. Bb3 Bb7 10. Qe2 ({I was hoping for} 10. e4
$5) 10... Nbd7 11. Rd1 Qb8 {has a solid reputation for Black and is the reason
why White started experimenting with not putting the knight on c3.}) 9... Bb7 (
9... Nbd7 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Bb7 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. a4 b4 {seems to be about
balanced, but White can set Black some problems with} 14. e4 {Aronian,L (2795)
-Ponomariov,R (2710) SportAccord Blitz 2014, continued:} Be7 15. Bc4 Rd8 $6 16.
Qe2 Qg6 17. Bf4 O-O 18. Bc7 (18. Rfe1 $5) 18... Rc8 19. Bg3 a5 20. Rfe1 {
with some initiative for White.}) 10. dxc5 $1 {Other moves make no sense.
Black would prefer to take back on c5 with a knight, but here 10...Nbd7 can be
met with 11.b4!} Nc6 $5 {Not exactly a novelty, but played at a 2700+ level
for the first time.} (10... Bxc5 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Nd2 {has been scoring well
for White among engines.}) ({Karjakin had to suffer this position himself once
as Black. That game went:} 10... Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Bxc5 12. Nd2 $1 {If we compare
this position to the "early" dxc5-lines in the QGA, Black has already
committed to b7-b5, which leaves the dark squares somewhat weaker and also
gives White something to chew on with the a-pawn.} Nbd7 (12... Nc6 13. Nce4
Nxe4 14. Nxe4 Be7 {would be similar to the game if the queens were still on.
But since they aren't White can play} 15. Nd6+ Bxd6 16. Rxd6 Ke7 17. Rd1 $14)
13. Nb3 Bb6 (13... Bb4) 14. a4 b4 15. a5 $1 Bd8 16. Na4 Be7 17. f3 g5 18. e4 g4
19. Be3 {Fressinet,L (2700)-Karjakin,S (2775) Beijing (blitz) 2012, when White
had a big advantage and eventually won.}) 11. Nd2 {As seen on the last move,
this is the standard reaction when the queens disappear from the board.
However, here it doesn't work as well.} ({Although I haven't seen what anyone
else says about the game, I have allowed myself the luxury of turning the
engine on now and then. I know I shouldn't, but the hour is late in Sweden and
what would happen if I got it all wrong? The prospect it frightful. So, the
most critical line seems to be} 11. Qxd8+ Rxd8 12. b4 $5 {It's very likely
that Karjakin tried to calculate the consequences of this move over the board
while sensing that it was surely part of his opponent's preparation. Not
finding a clear road to an advantage he then proceeded to play a "normal" move.
I'm just guessing though.} Nxb4 13. a4 $1 {One immediately spots that the
queenside pawns will disappear and then the question is: how much activity
does White have?} Bxc5 ({With some silicon-based help, it is possible to find
that} 13... Nc2 14. Ra2 Nb4 15. Rd2 (15. Ra3 Bxc5 16. axb5 Nd3 $1 17. Rb3 O-O
$132) 15... Bxc5 16. Rxd8+ Kxd8 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nxb5 Ke7 19. Ba3 Ra8 20. Rc1
Nd7 {is a long line that just holds, although one sure wouldn't like to
calculate and play it over the board.}) 14. axb5 axb5 15. Bxb5+ Bc6 (15... Ke7
16. Na4 Bd6 17. Nb6 {and White develops some quite nasty pressure.}) 16. Ba3
Bxb5 17. Nxb5 O-O 18. Rfc1 Be7 {and Black should be within drawing distance
since} 19. Rc7 {can be met with} Rd7 $11) (11. Qc2) 11... Bxc5 {It's not only
the Giuoco Piano that can lead to an asymmetrical pawn structure. ;)} 12. Nde4
({Here the idea from Fressinet-Karjakin (above) doesn't work:} 12. Nb3 Bd6 $1 {
and White is stuck with a passive bishop, a cramped position and with no way
to use the c5-square.} 13. e4 $2 b4 $1) 12... Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Be7 {Something has
gone wrong for White and Black's position is very comfortable. The pressure to
equalise is already on White.} 14. b3 Nb4 $1 15. Bf3 $1 O-O ({Perhaps Carlsen
was too happy with the draw, because here he wastes a chance to put more
pressure on Karjakin:} 15... f5 $1 {The point is to get the bishop to the
f6-a1-diagonal, when protecting a2 becomes very hard.} 16. Nd2 (16. Nd6+ Qxd6
17. Bxb7 Qxd1 18. Rxd1 Ra7 19. Bf3 Bf6 20. Rb1 Nxa2) 16... Bxf3 17. Nxf3 Qxd1
18. Rxd1 Bf6 19. Nd4 {Not a happy move for White to play, but there is nothing
else.} Kf7 {and Black has some pressure.}) 16. Ba3 $1 {Karjakin pulls the
brake just in time. With more exchanges Black has nothing more than a little
extra space, which is a very nominal advantage indeed.} Rc8 $6 (16... Rb8 {
or any other move that protects the bishop, would give Carlsen the kind of
position where he could have played on for some while. Instead he ends up at a
slight disadvantage.}) 17. Nf6+ Bxf6 18. Bxb7 Bxa1 19. Bxb4 Bf6 20. Bxf8 Qxd1
21. Rxd1 Rxf8 22. Bxa6 {Karjakin has won a pawn but needs one more move to
make it count (a2-a4).} b4 $1 {This pawn is easily protected and keeps White's
pawn majority in check. White's advantage is that there is one tactical trick
which Black can fall for, but that's it.} 23. Rc1 g6 24. Rc2 Ra8 ({The
tactical blunder I was referring to is} 24... Bc3 $6 25. Bc4 Kg7 $2 26. a4 $1 {
, when White's winning chances become very real.}) 25. Bd3 Rd8 26. Be2 Kf8 27.
Kf1 Ra8 28. Bc4 Rc8 29. Ke2 Ke7 30. f4 h6 31. Kf3 Rc7 32. g4 g5 33. Ke4 Rc8 {
White cannot make progress, so the draw was agreed.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=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 "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Caruana,F"]
[PlyCount "148"]
[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"]

{The game after Carlsen's loss wasn't guaranteed to be exciting, but viewers
were in for a surprise. I had expected a fairly tame draw, but instead we were
treated to an extremely complex fighting game with an opening not usually seen
at the top level.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3
Bc5 {The Archangel variation was certainly not expected by most people, and
probably not by the Karjakin camp either. Playing it requires a tremendous
amount of knowledge, so it's likely that Carlsen prepared it before the match
as a backup to his main defenses. I have some experience playing this as Black
against Karjakin, as it was my mainstay opening for a time, and we played
several interesting games. As an attempt to win, it can work if the opponent
is poorly prepared or surprised, but Karjakin proved up to the task.} 7. a4 Rb8
8. c3 d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. axb5 axb5 11. Na3 {Karjakin decided to go for the main
and most principled line, immediately grabbing the b-pawn. It is what he
recently played against Svidler and the most forcing variation, so he probably
felt playing this way avoided the most amount of risk.} O-O 12. Nxb5 Bg4 13.
Bc2 exd4 14. Nbxd4 Nxd4 15. cxd4 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Nh5 17. Kh1 {I always felt that
this line was one of the most unpleasant for Black to face. White avoids any
risk and hopes to prove the advantage of the bishop pair after the center
opens up, usually when White sacrifices a pawn with e5 or f4. Meanwhile, Black
has to constantly be on the lookout for tactics.} Qf6 18. Be3 c5 $5 {Years ago,
as Rustam Kasimdzhanov was frying some plantains, he explained to me that this
move was the best chance for Black to equalize. After we analyzed it, he tried
it against Nakamura in the 2014 Tromso olympiad. Carlsen and his team also
must have felt this was the best way for Black to approach the position.} 19.
e5 Qe6 20. exd6 c4 $1 {This unusual move is the point behind 18...c5. Black
keeps the center closed, and plans on capturing d6 next and creating mating
threats after with ...Bc7.} 21. b3 cxb3 (21... c3 {was how Rustam approached
the position, and although it may be playable, he lost the game. Carlsen's
choice is perhaps a better way to equalize.} 22. d5 Qxd6 23. Ra6 Nf4 24. Ra4
Ng6 25. Qd3 Bc7 26. f4 {Nakamura-Kasimdzhanov, Tromso ol 2014, and Black was
outplayed.}) 22. Bxb3 Qxd6 23. Ra6 {After 23 moves, we have reached a critical
position, and one which was certainly analyzed by both players and their teams.
Magnus sank into thought here, which perhaps means that he forgot what he had
prepared, or that he was deciding between two roughly equivalent options.} Rfd8
({Another option was to play} 23... Qd7 {immediately, and considering the Bxf7
tactics which happened later in the game, keeping the rook on f8 for now was
worthy of consideration.} 24. Rg1 g6 {I have a feeling that this would have
offered Black better chances for equality.}) 24. Rg1 Qd7 25. Rg4 {I thought
that placing the rook on h4 was very strange, but there was no other
convenient way of defending the d4-pawn. The next dozen or so moves are very
difficult to explain. The position is highly concrete and it's likely both
players were creating and reacting to immediate threats; the end result being
very computeresque play.} ({The tempting sacrifice} 25. Rg5 g6 26. Rxh5 gxh5 {
seems to lead nowhere.}) ({The computer suggestion of} 25. Bc4 Bxd4 26. Bg5 {
would lead to a very drawish ending:} Rdc8 27. Ra4 Rc7 28. Bxf7+ Qxf7 29. Rxd4
Rf8 30. Rd8 Rc8 31. Rxc8 Rxc8 {, and White's winning chances are minimal})
25... Nf6 26. Rh4 Qb5 27. Ra1 g6 {This move is generally useful, providing
luft for Black's king.} 28. Rb1 Qd7 29. Qd3 Nd5 30. Rg1 {Now White's plans are
clear. Rooks on the open files and a bishop on b3 pave the way for an eventual
rook sacrifice on g6, h7 or a bishop sacrifice on f7. The immediate threat is
Bg5.} Bc7 31. Bg5 Re8 32. Qc4 Rb5 $1 {An excellent move, but I'm not sure it
was one which was accurately calculated by either player.} (32... Nb6 $4 33.
Qxf7+ Qxf7 34. Bxf7+ Kxf7 35. Rxh7+ {shows the tactics available at White's
disposal.}) 33. Qc2 (33. Ba4 {is of course critical. White seems to win a rook,
but Black has a sneaky response:} Qf5 $1 34. Qf1 $1 {Interposing with the
queen on g2 is the only way to save White. Now Black has only one move to stay
in the game:} Rb1 $3 (34... Qxf3+ 35. Qg2 Qxg2+ 36. Kxg2 {wins for White.}) 35.
Qxb1 Qxf3+ 36. Rg2 Nc3 37. Qf1 Nxa4 {, and Black has very decent compensation
for the exchange in the form of White's uncoordinated forces and a mighty
queen on f3. However, White could still try to regroup and play this for a win,
even though a draw is the most likely result.}) 33... Ra8 $6 {After this,
Black again experiences difficulties.} (33... Rb4 {is the machine
recommendation, the point being to keep the rook on the e-file for} 34. Bd2 Re2
$1) 34. Bc4 Rba5 35. Bd2 Ra4 36. Qd3 Ra1 37. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 38. Kg2 Ne7 $2 {
Almost the decisive mistake, but practically this move was difficult to punish.
} ({After something like} 38... Bd8 39. Re4 Nf6 {, Black is still clearly
worse, but he has decent chances to hold on due to counterplay against White's
king.}) 39. Bxf7+ {Very tempting, but not correct. After this sacrifice
everyone in the spectators' lounge got very excited and started predicting a
win for Karjakin. However, the whole line becomes very forcing and leads to a
drawish position.} (39. Qb3 $1 {was more critical:} Nf5 (39... Qf5 40. Re4 Bd6
41. Qb7 {just wins material - the knight is trapped.}) 40. Bxf7+ Kg7 (40...
Qxf7 41. Qxf7+ Kxf7 42. Rxh7+ Ke6 43. Rxc7 {, and this ending is most likely
lost or at least very difficult to hold.}) 41. Rh3 {It feels like Black should
have counterplay here, but there is no path to create threats to White's king.
It turns out Black's king is the terminally weak one.} Qe7 42. Bg8 h5 43. d5 {
, and Bc3 is coming. Of course, this would not guarantee a win, as the
position remains very complicated, especially in time trouble, but objectively
Karjakin would have good winning chances like this.}) 39... Kxf7 40. Qc4+ Kg7
41. d5 ({My first thought during the game was} 41. Rxh7+ Kxh7 42. Qf7+ Kh8 43.
Bh6 {, with mate I thought, but then I saw} Qxd4 {and the tables are turned.
Black wins.}) (41. Bh6+ Kf6 $1 {is surprisingly also bad for White, as the
attack leads nowhere.}) 41... Nf5 {Now everything is forced.} (41... Be5 $2 42.
Bc3 Qd6 43. Qf4 $1 {is a very study-like win, with a double pin on Black's
king and queen.}) 42. Bc3+ Kf8 43. Bxa1 Nxh4+ 44. Qxh4 Qxd5 {And here it
became clear that Carlsen would not lose the game. White is not winning h7 and
his pawn advantage is not enough to cause Black significant problems. Karjakin
tried hard to create progress here, but to no avail.} 45. Qf6+ Qf7 46. Qd4 Ke8
47. Qe4+ Qe7 48. Qd5 Bd8 49. Kf1 Qf7 50. Qe4+ Qe7 51. Be5 Qe6 52. Kg2 Be7 53.
Qa8+ Kf7 54. Qh8 h5 55. Qg7+ Ke8 56. Bf4 Qf7 57. Qh8+ Qf8 58. Qd4 Qf5 59. Qc4
Kd7 60. Bd2 Qe6 61. Qa4+ Qc6 62. Qa7+ Qc7 63. Qa2 Qd6 64. Be3 Qe6 65. Qa7+ Ke8
66. Bc5 Bd8 67. h3 Qd5 68. Be3 Be7 69. Qb8+ Kf7 70. Qh8 Qe6 71. Bf4 Qf6 72. Qb8
Qe6 73. Qb7 Kg8 74. Qb5 Bf6 {Finally Karjakin gave up trying to win. Magnus
survived a difficult position! If he had lost, the match would have been
practically decided, but now it is still a wide open contest. Tomorrow Carlsen
has a critical game with White to try and win; he hasn't managed to convert
his advantages so far in the match, so we'll see if he can pull through in the
crucial last games.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "So,Wesley"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[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"]

{Going into the World Championship matches, many people logically considered
Magnus to be the clear favorite against Sergey Karjakin. First of all the
difference in their rating was a bit wide, as was their most recent overall
performance.This year alone Magnus had won four big tournaments (Tata Steel,
Norway, Leuven and Bilbao), while Sergey had only won the (admittedly long and
tough) Candidates tournament which qualified him as the Challenger. Those
things carry weight in people's minds but rounds 1-9 showed a different and
very surprising story. The challenger's strong balanced attack, his ability to
find good moves and make plans, his outstanding defense, and resistance to
cracking under pressure, proved him to be an impregnable fortress. Magnus
could not find a way to break Sergey down until eventually, overextending
himself in Round 8, the Champion even had to accept defeat. At this point in
Game 10 with only 3 games to the finish he absolutely has to find a way to
even the score. He HAS to do it today.} 1. e4 {In Rounds 1 and 8 Magnus got
nowhere with 1.d4, after giving the Trompovsky and the Colle system a try.
Sergey Karjakin knew his stuff there. In fact he got nothing but trouble in
game 8. So today Magnus decides to go back to the "best by test move"
recommended by Fischer and Caruana. To be honest I'm kind of surprised that
Magnus does not try 1.c4 or 1.Nf3/1.g3 but maybe we will see that in Round 12.}
e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 (3. Bc4 Bc5 {Carlsen-Karjakin Round 5, but Magnus got
nothing there either and in the end he must have been happy to save that game.}
) 3... Nf6 {Sergey sticks to his guns and goes for the Berlin Opening. I
noticed that during the entire match so far, one of Sergey's strategies has
been simply to go for the main lines in the opening and play a normal game. He
does not overpush but maintains composure by playing objective, strong moves.}
4. d3 {Magnus' strategy seemed mostly aimed at surprises in the opening and
later on, hopes to exploit his opponent's mistakes over the board. It reminded
me of a quote by a famous chess player: "I will play 40 good moves. If my
opponent plays 40 good moves too, we will draw." The problem in this match is
Sergey is the opponent who finds all the good moves too.} (4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {
Carlsen-Karjakin Round 3, where White got very close to first blood, but later
on couldn't convert.}) 4... Bc5 {Putting the bishop on an active post while
also preparing to exchange the knights with ...Nd4.} 5. c3 ({Magnus has won
many games in the past with} 5. Bxc6 dxc6 {And here White has many moves, but
the latest innovation is} 6. Qe2 {threatening to take Nxe5.} Qe7 (6... Bg4 7.
h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 $14) 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. a3 Nd7 10. b4 Bd6 11. Nc4 f6 12.
Ne3 a5 13. Nf5 {The knight on f5 is very powerful and not easy to dislodge.}
Qf8 14. bxa5 Rxa5 15. O-O Qf7 16. a4 Nc5 (16... O-O $2 17. Bh6 $1 {is a really
nice combination.}) 17. Qe1 b6 18. Nd2 Rxa4 19. Nc4 Bf8 $2 20. Be3 {and White
won easily - Carlsen against a strong GM.}) 5... O-O 6. Bg5 {This is
unexpected, both for the spectators and I assume for Sergey too. Usually White
castles his king first with 6.O-O and then after 6...d6 7.Bg5, when Black no
longer has the option of ...Be7.} (6. Bxc6 {does not win a clean pawn, since
after} bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 {Black will get fast development in return.}) 6... h6 7.
Bh4 Be7 {This is the safe and natural approach. I like this move.} (7... g5 8.
Bg3 d6 9. Nbd2 {is not desirable for Black as with the rook still on h1, White
gets extra attacking options.}) 8. O-O (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxe5 {You think White
has won a pawn? Well...} Nxe4 $1 {No. Black is better.}) 8... d6 9. Nbd2 {
It's a little perplexing in general is Magnus' opening approach, as it's not
very clear here where White's advantage is.} ({Perhaps} 9. Bg3 {with a complex
position for example,} Nh5 ({If} 9... Bd7 {then} 10. h3 {which is a typical
Ruy Lopez subtlety, vacating the h2-square for the bishop to retreat into!} Nh5
11. Bh2 f5 $13) 10. Bxc6 bxc6 (10... Nxg3 11. Bxb7 $1 {Aha! The suicidal
bishop gives up its life so White wins a pawn.} Bxb7 12. hxg3 $16) 11. Nxe5
dxe5 12. Qxh5 Qxd3 13. Qxe5 Re8 {and Black has the bishop pair and some
compensation for the pawn.}) (9. Re1 Nh5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. d4 Nf4 $11) 9... Nh5
10. Bxe7 ({If} 10. Bg3 {Black just grabs the bishop pair:} Nxg3 11. hxg3 Bf6 {
with a happy position.} (11... Nb8 12. d4 c6 13. Bd3 Nd7 14. Nc4 Qc7 {should
also bring a smile to Sergey's face.})) 10... Qxe7 11. Nc4 (11. Bxc6 {to give
Black doubled pawns looks like a good option.} bxc6 12. d4 (12. g3 f5) 12...
Nf4 {But in fact White cannot really exploit it. In fact if anything, the
strong knight on f4 gives Black good chances. For example} 13. Qa4 Rb8 14. b3
Rb6 $17 {when Black seizes a strong initiative. I can already foresee a rook
swing (Rb6-g6) to the kingside later on.}) 11... Nf4 {Simple and strong.} (
11... f5 {is a more complicated way to equality.} 12. Ne3 fxe4 13. dxe4 Kh7 $11
) 12. Ne3 Qf6 (12... f5 {is always an option here, though after} 13. g3 fxe4
14. dxe4 Nh3+ 15. Kg2 {the knight on h3 still has to find a way to escape.})
13. g3 Nh3+ 14. Kh1 {A little too passive.} ({The king would be better placed
on g2.} 14. Kg2 Ne7 15. d4 {gives White a small advantage as he has more space
and seizes control over the center.} Ng6 16. Bd3 {the knight on h3 can be
kicked away later with Ng1.}) 14... Ne7 {Now comes the manoeuvring phase. Both
sides will now try to improve their position. The knight on h3 is very active,
and Black can always exchange it with ...Ng5. I think Black has no problems
here.} 15. Bc4 {Putting the bishop on the right diagonal.} (15. d4 {seems
natural but leads nowhere.} exd4 16. cxd4 c5 $11) 15... c6 (15... b5 {was
being cried out by the spectators online:} 16. Bb3 {But I am not sure where it
leads. Advancing pawns too far can lead to unnecessary weaknesses and as
everyone knows pawns cannot move backwards. In fact White is threatening a2-a4
so perhaps} (16. Bxb5 Rb8) 16... Rb8 {with an around equal position.}) 16. Bb3
Ng6 {Perhaps a small inaccuracy.} ({The knight was just fine on e7, to guard
the d5 and f5-squares. In fact Black has on his agenda an active option here
to try to seize the initiative:} 16... d5 $5 17. exd5 cxd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19.
Bxd5 Rd8 20. Be4 {and now comes The Pin:} Bg4 $1 {and White has to sacrifice
material to get rid of this dangerous pin.}) 17. Qe2 {I always think Magnus
excels in this kind of close to equal positions. So in fact his opening choice
has been quite successful despite its modest appearance. Now even if the
advantage is not much, White has chances to outplay his opponent.} a5 18. a4 {
Fighting for space on the queenside and fixing the pawn on a5. With the black
knights so far away on the kingside, later this a5 pawn will lack protection.}
({Watching the game live, I thought a stronger move was} 18. d4 {based on the
chess principle 'Attack on the flank is best met by a counter-attack in the
center'.} a4 19. Bc2 Ng5 20. Nxg5 hxg5 21. Rad1 {and White is a little better.
But now I like Magnus' choice too, as he wants to dominate the whole board,
and not just the center.}) 18... Be6 19. Bxe6 $5 {When I first saw this move I
thought Magnus had just made a small blunder. I thought that's it, he just
wasted one of his last White games, congrats to Sergey for making an easy draw
and getting one step closer to being a World Champion. However deeper
inspection shows that he is setting a trap!} (19. Nd2 $1 {is definitely the
best move. Black's knights on g6 and h3 look nice, but in fact they're
stepping on each other's toes as neither of them can really put a foot on f4,
while White is ready to consolidate his center with f3.} Bxb3 20. Nxb3 {
and in fact White is already threatening to win a pawn with Nc4, amongst other
threats.} Ng5 21. f3 {White has a much better coordination of pieces than his
opponent's.}) (19. Bc2 Ng5 20. Nxg5 hxg5 21. Rad1 {is possible too, though not
as forceful as 19.Nd2.}) 19... fxe6 20. Nd2 {Now White is threatening to block
the kingside with f3.} d5 ({I thought 19.Bxe6 was a blunder because at first
sight} 20... Nxf2+ {seems to finish the game with a clean draw. But Magnus
still has a final trick up his sleeve which I am sure he will go for.} 21. Kg1
$1 {is the prepared trick. Now White gets two knights for a rook and a couple
of pawns.} (21. Kg2 $2 Nh4+ 22. Kg1 (22. gxh4 $2 Qg6+ {would end the match
right here and right now.}) 22... Nh3+ 23. Kh1 Nf2+ {and a perpetual check is
undesirable for White, as he is trailing in the match.}) 21... Nh3+ 22. Kg2
Nhf4+ 23. gxf4 Nxf4+ 24. Rxf4 exf4 (24... Qxf4 25. Qf3 $1 {gives Black an
unpleasant choice. To trade queens or not to trade? Either way White will be
happy.} Qh4 26. Qg3) 25. Nc2 {In terms of material Black is fine, but with the
position being closed, the White knights get a lot of jumping potential.
Leading the match by one game, Sergey decides to avoid unbalanced positions
like this.} e5 ({Perhaps} 25... b5 {to open some files but then} 26. e5 $1 dxe5
27. Ne1 $5 {with the idea to blockade with the knights on e4 and f3. The
position is totally chaotic.}) 26. Qg4 {and White is preparing to improve his
kingside with h4 or Ne1-f3. At the very least he is not worse and could even
be better.}) 21. Qh5 $5 {Again a very daring try by Magnus. He goes for the
most risky but most rewarding continuation.} (21. f3 $1 {would be my
preference. White is well on his way to consolidation. Knight sacrifices on f4
do not work, while the doubled e-pawns give Black eternal problems.} Rad8 22.
Rae1 {I like White.}) 21... Ng5 {Sergey misses the draw! Just when he is close
to it, he chooses another way.} (21... Nxf2+ 22. Kg2 (22. Kg1 Qg5 {wins a pawn
with an easy tactic.} 23. Qxg5 Nh3+ {Check!} 24. Kg2 Nxg5 $17) 22... Qf7 $1 {
Threatening ...Nf4 check.} 23. Kg1 {White prevents the check, and now Black
has to find:} ({If White retreats with} 23. Qe2 {then} Nh4+ {and it's clear to
see that it leads to a perpetual.} 24. Kg1 (24. gxh4 $2 Qg6+) 24... Nh3+ 25.
Kh1 Nf2+) 23... Qf6 $1 {It's easy to miss this move. Black prepares ...Qg5
followed by ...Nh3 check, so White has nothing better than} 24. Kg2 (24. Ng4
Qg5) 24... Qf7 $11) 22. h4 {Magnus is so happy to be able to torture his
opponent in a long endgame that he just went for it. According to online
sources he spent less than half a minute on this move.} ({I don't blame him at
all for wanting to squeeze the life out of Sergey in the endgame but} 22. Rae1
$1 {preparing Ng4, is even stronger. For example} Nf3 23. Ng4 Qg5 24. Qxg5 hxg5
25. Nxf3 Rxf3 26. Rd1 $16 {You may ask, what is worse than doubled pawns? Well.
.. two sets of doubled pawns.}) 22... Nf3 23. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24. Qxf3 Rxf3 25. Kg2
{Magnus' daring play starting from 19.Bxe6 has paid off. White has a very
pleasant endgame advantage. The doubled e-pawns are a constant source of
problems. I don't like Black's position.} Rf7 26. Rfe1 {This leaves the
f2-pawn slightly vulnerable. Not that it matters though. White has an
abundance of plans here.} ({I like} 26. Ng4 {forcing h5.} h5 27. Nh2 Nf8 28.
Nf3 {Now White seizes the g5-square too.} Nd7 29. Rae1 {White is well on the
way to converting his advantage.}) 26... h5 (26... Raf8 {can be simply met by}
27. Nd1 (27. Re2 {gives birth to} Nf4+ {ideas.} 28. gxf4 exf4) 27... h5 28. Re2
$14) 27. Nf1 {Finding ideal squares for his pieces is a piece of cake for
Magnus.} Kf8 (27... Raf8 28. Re2 Rf3 29. Rd1 {with the queens off the board
any tries by Black to attack will not be successful. So instead he tries to
improve his king.}) 28. Nd2 Ke7 29. Re2 {Protecting f2. This is a very happy
position. I had no doubt that White would be able to convert this position
barring big blunders. It's got nothing to do with Sergey, Black's structure is
simply bad.} Kd6 30. Nf3 Raf8 31. Ng5 Re7 32. Rae1 Rfe8 33. Nf3 {Besides all
Black's problems, his knight is also a little misplaced on g6.} Nh8 $1 {
Improving the position of the knight. Despite being at a disadvantage, Sergey
hangs tough. The question for White now, is how to convert his advantage?} 34.
d4 {A conversion of advantages. Magnus decides the time is ripe to blast open
the center and endanger the position of the black king.} ({Personally I would
prefer to leave Black with his doubled pawns and choose} 34. b4 axb4 35. cxb4
Nf7 36. a5 {with a clear advantage too, but sooner or later White has to find
a way to break through.}) 34... exd4 35. Nxd4 g6 {Protecting the f5-square.} ({
A lesser wood pusher might go} 35... Nf7 {but then} 36. exd5 cxd5 37. c4 dxc4 {
and the black king is caught in the middle of the crossfire.}) 36. Re3 {
Threatening Rf3. Again White has an abundance of plans here. b2-b4 ideas are
always in the air.} ({I like the subtle} 36. Nb3 $5 b6 37. Nd4 {with the idea
of weakening c6 but perhaps it is too subtle for the most part.}) 36... Nf7 37.
e5+ (37. Rf3 Ne5 38. Rf6 Rf7 {allows Black to defend, no problemo. After the
exchange of his most active rook, White's chances to convert become much
harder.} 39. Rxf7 Nxf7) 37... Kd7 38. Rf3 {Perhaps not the best but it is a
normal move, especially when both players are relatively low in time.} (38. b4
{is more accurate, to prevent ...c5 ideas.}) 38... Nh6 $6 {Sergey also makes a
natural consolidating move. If he can block the f-file with ...Nf5, then all
well and good. However Black has better options here on move 38 though.} (38...
c5 {looks good, to set the queenside pawns into motion. After} 39. Nb3 b6 40.
Nd2 {Black still does not fully solve his problems however.} Nh8 $1 (40... Rg8
41. Rf6 {and the g6-h5 pawn chain will be quite vulnerable.}) 41. c4 (41. Rf6
Rf7 $1 {eliminates White's most active piece!}) 41... Rf7 {the programs show
that Black is fine but it's hard for me to believe with the knight on h8. Also,
it's almost impossible for a human to play ...Nh8 over the board.}) (38... g5
39. hxg5 Nxg5 40. Rf6) ({Or} 38... Rg8 39. Rf6 {but White still looks better
here.}) 39. Rf6 Rg7 40. b4 {Now White is back on track.} (40. c4 $5 {is the
complicated way to try to knock out Black. His king will be vulnerable in the
center even in the endgame.}) 40... axb4 41. cxb4 $16 {Both players have
finished the time trouble stage and now have an extra hour of thinking time.
Compared to a few moves back, White has now managed to increase his advantage
and gain firm control over the position. Black's dark-squares are very
vulnerable and at the same time he has to think of ways to regain control over
the f-file.} Ng8 ({If} 41... Nf5 {White simply retreats his knight to b3 or f3,
and the pressure becomes untenable in conjunction with a power rook on f6.})
42. Rf3 Nh6 43. a5 {Improving his position slowly but surely. Of course White
avoids the repetition of moves!} Nf5 {.} 44. Nb3 Kc7 45. Nc5 $6 {Magnus starts
to drift, probably because he has such a nice position.} ({White could have
sealed the win with} 45. Rc1 {threatening b5. And if} Kb8 46. a6 {if the b7-c6
pawn chain falls then the last of Black's bastions are fallen.} Rc7 47. Rfc3 {
A sample line of how the game can end:} bxa6 48. Rxc6 Rxc6 49. Rxc6 Kb7 50.
Na5+ Ka7 51. Rc7+ Kb8 52. Rf7 $18 {Seventh rank, active pieces, later on
active king, White has all the trumps that he needs. Black's position is
crumbling.}) 45... Kb8 46. Rb1 Ka7 {Now there is no clean finish. However
White is still clearly ahead.} 47. Rd3 Rc7 ({Trying to counter with a punch is
too slow} 47... g5 48. hxg5 Rxg5 {After} 49. b5 $18 {Black cannot defend all
his weaknesses (b7 and e6).}) (47... b6 {can be met simply by} 48. Na4 ({
Or even better:} 48. axb6+ Kxb6 49. Ra3 Ra7 50. Rxa7 Kxa7 51. Kf3 $16 {when
the White king is really fast.})) 48. Ra3 Nd4 49. Rd1 Nf5 50. Kh3 Nh6 51. f3 {
White has improved the position of his king in the past few moves and is now
introducing the possibility of opening up the kingside with g4. Black can do
nothing but sit and wait.} Rf7 52. Rd4 Nf5 53. Rd2 ({I like} 53. Rf4 {but then}
Rh7 $1 {preventing g4, leaves the White rook immobile on f4.}) 53... Rh7 54.
Rb3 Ree7 55. Rdd3 {This is one of Magnus' favorite strategies. He likes to
wait patiently for his opponent to crack while slowly improving his own
position. This worked well for him today.} ({But objectively now is the time
to strike.} 55. b5 $1 cxb5 56. Rxb5 {Black cannot hold on to his b7 and
e6-pawn for long. Perhaps Black can try} Ne3 {but then} 57. Rd3 Nc4 58. f4 {
gives White all the time he needs to improve his position. Black's rooks are
stuck defending pawns, which is never a good sign. Rooks are made for offense,
not defense!}) 55... Rh8 56. Rb1 {Again waiting for the right moment. Just
wait, just wait... Patience is a virtue.} Rhh7 57. b5 $1 {NOW!} cxb5 {.} 58.
Rxb5 {Compared to move 55, the only change is that White's rook is on d3.
Notice the difference? Black does not have Ne3-c4 now and his position
crumbles quickly.} d4 59. Rb6 Rc7 60. Nxe6 Rc3 61. Nf4 Rhc7 62. Nd5 $1 {
Simplification makes White's job easier. The rule of thumb is that when you
are ahead in material you aim for trades and exchanges. Like in soccer, 11
players vs 10 players is harder than 5 players vs 4 players, and a 3 vs 2 game
is a piece of cake. Chess is no different. When you are ahead in material,
exchanges usually mean less complications = cleaner win.} (62. Rxg6 Rxd3 (62...
Rc1 {gives White a choice between five different moves that win.}) 63. Nxd3 Rc3
64. Rf6 Ne3 65. Nf4 {and White's win should be easy. Contrary to appearances
there is never any mate on h1, as White can always free his king with g3-g4.
Meanwhile White is two pawns up.}) 62... Rxd3 63. Nxc7 {Some people didn't
understand it at first, however if you put this position in a super computer
it just gives +- 5.36, meaning White is more than five pawns up in a
mathematical scale.} Kb8 64. Nb5 Kc8 (64... Rxf3 65. a6 {promotes the passed
a-pawn.}) 65. Rxg6 Rxf3 66. Kg2 $1 {Activating the king. From here Magnus does
not give Sergey any chance to escape.} Rb3 67. Nd6+ {Another exchange. Now it
is 6 vs 5.} Nxd6 68. Rxd6 Re3 69. e6 ({Not} 69. Rxd4 $2 Rxe5 70. Ra4 Kd7 {
when the Black king goes over to the kingside and secures the draw. The rook
on a4 has become a mere spectator protecting the a-pawn.}) 69... Kc7 (69... d3
70. Kf2 $18) 70. Rxd4 Rxe6 (70... Re5 $5 71. e7 $5 Rxe7 72. Rd5 {does not
change anything.}) 71. Rd5 $1 {The White rook attacks h5 while at the same
time protecting his a-pawn.} Rh6 72. Kf3 {Sergey could safely have resigned
here, but it does not hurt to make a few more moves. After all its not over
until the king is mated.} Kb8 (72... b6 73. axb6+ Kxb6 74. Kf4 Kc6 75. Rd8 {
White need not even calculate rook and single pawn endings because he can win
the enemy pawn by force.} Kc7 76. Rg8 Kd6 77. Kg5 Rh7 78. Kg6 $18) (72... Kc6
73. Rf5 Kd6 74. g4 hxg4+ 75. Kxg4 $18 {also wins easily.}) 73. Kf4 (73. g4
hxg4+ 74. Kxg4 $18 {easy win.}) 73... Ka7 74. Kg5 Rh8 75. Kf6 {Magnus finally
levels the match! This has been a great game and a great fight by both players.
After choosing a modest line against the Berlin Opening, Magnus slowly
improved his position and kept the game going. Black's knight looked a little
shaky on h3 (perhaps 11...f5!?) and White managed to take advantage of this.
The sequence from move 19-21 seems to me a little strange as Black allowed
doubled-pawns and White gladly went for it and both sides developed
interesting options. Perhaps 21...Ng5 was a crucial mistake as Sergey could
maybe have made a draw with 21...Nxf2. But of course sitting at home, it is
much easier to calculate than it was for the two fighters in New York. Having
played nine long games in two weeks with all the attendant pressure, tension
and drama, most certainly took a toll on both players. A World Championship
match definitely requires levels of extraordinary endurance for anyone.
Looking ahead with the score 5-5 I feel Magnus has good chances now in the
match. He absolutely had to win today and he did. Tomorrow is a rest day, so
both players can relax and prepare new ideas. I'm sure Sergey will try to put
on the pressure in Round 11 and fight for a win with the white pieces (in
Round 9 he got close!) If the match ends with two draws and a tie of 6-6
ensues, both players go to the tiebreaks with a shorter time control. Magnus
may have the edge there although Sergey never fails to impress and surprise
his fans.} 1-0

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.26"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "So,Wesley"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[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"]

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

[Event "World-ch Carlsen-Karjakin +2-2=10"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.28"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2857"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Seirawan,Y"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[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"]

{While both players have much to lament, each receiving a sympathetic ear,
let's face it: The arbiters have been brilliant. They have been out of sight
and nary a word about them has been spoken. Out of the spotlight they have
treble checked that bane of all chess players - the clock. The battery is
functioning (good), the time control has been set to the right one (very good),
the board and pieces have been set up correctly (most excellent).  And so it
all comes down to this: After eleven hard fought games the twelfth and final
game would be played for all the marbles. I wanted to describe the situation
as high drama. But my 'Spidey sense' began to tingle as I considered the word.
Blessed with a heightened sense of caution I decided to look up the current
definition of the word. You see the English language changes. Nearly every day
in fact. Just like the FIDE rules committee that loves to change the rules of
chess, so to do the committees that define words in the English language. It
can get pretty confusing.  To assuage my internal warnings I double-checked
and learned something new while bringing myself up-to-date: drama: Top
definition: "Something women and especially teenage girls thrive on.
Consisting of any number of situations that have an easy solution, which would
bring a fairly good outcome, but these girls choose another, shitty, bad way
to deal with it, again consisting of backstabbing, blackmailing/gossiping/
betraying their friends, or the all-too-common, "I want to break up with him
but I still love him!" It drives men and what I like to call "normal" girls
nuts." Urban Dictionary. Hmm. Right. Just as expected a surprising change. Oh
boy, I'm already in trouble and this is before annotating move one. Somehow, I
can't quite put my finger on it but the (for me) new definition just feels a
tiny bit to be politically incorrect. I confess I'm not the most astute in
such matters. Therefore, let us put high drama aside for a moment and instead
set up the situation from a different point of view...  Many fans and even
non-fans have asked me the question, "What makes one grandmaster stronger than
another?" A fair question. Once when describing himself against his colleagues
World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik saw himself, "As first amongst equals." It
seems the top grandmasters know all the various chess skills and instead to
find an answer to such a question we should consider the intangibles:
Confidence; ambition; determination; good health; a supportive team; good food;
a strong stomach; a working internet connection; staying regular and other key
factors.  The twelfth game would require a supreme effort by both players
featuring nerves of steel coupled with boundless energy. They would before the
gong imagine a long, hard fought game where conquering their nerves and
remaining calm at those crucial moments is vital. They would review their
preparation to the best of their abilities while hoping to out-calculate their
opponent in the heat of battle. Doing all the things that grandmasters do so
well. But there is another intangible to consider as well: At such a moment
are you capable of getting a good night's sleep? Don't laugh. It is an
important question. Imagine yourself in the role of Challenger Sergey Karjakin.
You are to have a career defining moment. An opportunity to become World Chess
Champion. A dream come true. With so many thoughts and emotions racing through
your mind, will you be able to recharge your battery for the biggest contest
of your life?  But which player is carrying the bigger pressure? Same
questions for Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion. Experts, pollsters and fans
had all been unanimous predicting an easy match win. They were stone-cold
wrong. Lucky to be at a level score, what risks should Magnus take to try to
clinch the match? To go all in as White in the final game? As did Veselin
Topalov with White against Viswanathan Anand in 2010? A decision which cost
him the match... So many questions. So many worries and all you really want is
to rest and recharge your battery. To sleep peacefully with pleasant dreams of
victory. Perhaps such an ability, that one, to cast aside your concerns and
get a good night sleep, is what makes one grandmaster stronger than another?
Before the battle commenced, I wondered, would we see a real drama? Wait, now
I'm certain that's not the word I want to use. In this preamble I've got it
all wrong entangling myself in knots. I think National Basketball Association
legend Michael Jordan said it best at such moments, "Go out and just enjoy the
game. Don't think about the consequences. If you do, you'll freeze."} 1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O {A first indication that perhaps the "decisive"
final Classical game in the match might not be all that decisive after all.} ({
For Game 10, Magnus played} 4. d3 {keeping all the pieces on the board.}) 4...
Nxe4 5. Re1 {Uh oh. The second indication the game is about to fizzle out.} Nd6
6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 {Not repeating Game 3,
where Magnus tried:} (10. Re2 $5 {A move that didn't promise much but almost
brought him great success.}) 10... Re8 {All according to modern theory as well
as strategic principles. The e-file is open and therefore the chopping block
for the major pieces.} 11. Bf4 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 {The first moment of
"excitement" quickly passes. I'm a notorious pawn-grabber but the d4-bait is
poisonous:} (12... Bxd4 $6 13. Bxd6 cxd6 (13... Bxb2 $4 14. Bxc7 {simply wins
for White}) 14. Nc3 {When I much prefer White's position. Black has
difficulties developing while White's moves play themselves:} Rb8 15. Rd1 Be5
16. Nd5 {White's initiative is getting serious.}) 13. c3 d5 14. Bd3 g6 {
Practice has proven that the symmetry in the position is hard to crack. With a
draw being the most likely result.} 15. Na3 $6 {A confounding move. After all,
where is the knight heading? I will certainly not claim that after the
standard:} (15. Nd2 Ng7 16. Qe2 c6 17. Re1 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Nb3 {It is
all "blue sky" for White. Truly, there is not much in the position but the
chances for a pull lay in this direction.}) 15... c6 16. Nc2 Ng7 17. Qd2 {
This one also had me perplexed. Trying my best to channel my "inner Magnus" I
wrongly thought his knight maneuver was designed to cover the f5-square:} (17.
Ne3 {seemed to be his intended follow-up. True, it does stop Black's ...Bc8-f5
plan but allows another in its stead:} Nh5 $1 18. Bh6 Bg5 19. Bxg5 Qxg5 {
with a knight coming to the f4-square Black has solved all his opening
problems.}) 17... Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Ne3 Nxe3 20. Qxe3 Qe7 21. Qxe7 Bxe7 {
The mutual hacking continues. The board is nearly empty. Just one last trade
along the chopping block remains.} 22. Re1 Bf8 {I'm sorely tempted to give
this move an exclamation mark. After all I'm a paid commentator and I have to
earn my keep. That would make one for the whole game. In truth Black had a
perfectly decent alternative as well.} (22... Re8 {Grandmasters do not make
such moves: Walking into a "self-pin." However, there is no way for White to
exploit the moment:} 23. Bg5 Kf8 24. Bh6+ Kg8 {Black is ready to play: ...
f7-f6, and ...Kg8-f7, releasing the pin, with the time honored ritual of
signing the scoresheets to follow.}) 23. Kf1 f6 24. g4 {This bold thrust does
not hold the promise of a vicious attack, so hold the trumpets. Actually it is
actually quite safe.} Kf7 25. h3 $1 {At last, I'm in a generous mood, "Give
the man an exclam!" The text shows "understanding." In a bishop ending, pawns
should be on the opposite colored squares from the bishop. The text also
insures against adversity: The possibility of blundering a pawn is greatly
reduced.} Re8 26. Rxe8 Kxe8 {The tasks along the chopping block have all been
completed. The play must continue until move thirty. At least.} 27. Ke2 Kd7 28.
Kd3 Ke6 29. a4 a6 30. f3 Be7 {Draw agreed. Oh boy. My preamble was longer than
my notes to the game. Likely for good reasons. I'll leave it to other more
gifted writers to share their thoughts on this downer. Instead, I'll just
boldly state the obvious: A very disappointing conclusion to an intense World
Championship match. Such games do not kindle interest in our glorious sport.
Maybe I pegged it right after all? Perhaps Magnus did not get enough sleep?
Now another rest day follows and on Wednesday the tension will be at its
zenith as the title of who will be World Chess Champion will be decided by
tiebreaks.} 1/2-1/2

