Carlsen plays the Modern, again

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Tiger

The World Champion has tried out the Modern Defence for the second time within a month and I feel it is my responibility to comment on this game since it follows my main line in “The Modern Tiger” up to move 8.

   [Event "GRENKE Chess Classic 2015"]  [Site "Baden-Baden"]  [Date "2015.02.04"]  [Round "3"]  [White "Naiditsch, Arkadij"]  [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "B06"]  [WhiteElo "2694"]  [BlackElo "2862"]  [Annotator "Tiger"]  [PlyCount "121"]  [EventDate "2015"]  [EventCountry "GER"]  [SourceDate "2011.03.24"]   1. e4 g6 {I'm happy to see Magnus try out less classical set-ups. Although the  evidence suggests that it is not his strong point at the moment, in the end it  will only make him stronger.} 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 $1 5. a4 Nf6 6. h3  O-O 7. g4 {This is a rather new and interesting idea. In my new book "The  Modern Tiger" (I blame the editors for that name. although I didn't resist it.  After "Tiger's Modern" I was on a slippery slope...) this line is dealt with  in game 42, page 236-240.} e5 $1 (7... c5 {is also possible, but Black is  fighting for equality after} 8. dxc5 Qa5 9. Bg2 dxc5 10. Nge2 Nc6 11. O-O Be6  12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Rad8 14. c4 h5 $5) 8. d5 {I did not mention this move in  my book and I cannot say that I see it as much of a miss (the book got pretty  heavy in the end anyway).} (8. dxe5 dxe5 9. g5 Nfd7 $1 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. h4 Nd4  12. h5 Nc5 13. f3 Qd6 $1 {is fine for Black.}) (8. Nge2 $6 exd4 9. Nxd4 d5 $1 {  was good for Black in Hirn - Hillarp Persson, Nürnberg 2006.}) 8... c6 $1 {It  is important to challenge White's center before he gets control of d5.} (8...  Ne8 $6 9. Nf3 f5 $6 10. gxf5 gxf5 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. Ng5 {and we have a classic  example of "White controlling the light squares". Black is at least clearly  worse here.}) 9. Nge2 $1 (9. Bg2 cxd5 10. exd5 Ne8 {, followed by f5, is at  least very comfortable for Black.}) 9... cxd5 ({Black has to play like this  since} 9... a5 10. Ng3 $1 (10. g5 Nh5 $1 11. Qd2 Na6 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. O-O-O  Be6 14. Qxd6 Qc8 {looks like decent compensation for the pawn.}) 10... Na6 11.  g5 Ne8 12. h4 f5 $1 13. gxf6 (13. dxc6 $6 f4 $1 (13... bxc6 14. Bc4+) 14. Qd5+  Rf7 15. Bc4 Qe7 16. cxb7 Bxb7 17. Qxf7+ Qxf7 18. Bxf7+ Kxf7 19. Nf1 fxe3 20.  Nxe3 {is rather unclear.}) 13... Nxf6 14. dxc6 bxc6 15. Bc4+ Kh8 16. h5 {looks  quite unpleasant for Black.}) 10. exd5 Bxg4 $2 {This move makes no sense  unless you either A) believe Black is worse, or B) believe it is a very good  sacrifice. I cannot really guess which one of these two misunderstandings that  haunted the World Champion. Maybe I should just claim "inscrutable are the  ways of the"... No, not going there.} ({I like the immediate} 10... Ne8 {, in  order to play a quick f5. After} 11. Ng3 f5 (11... Nd7 $1 {is the best move  and leads to the 10...Nd7-variation.}) 12. gxf5 gxf5 13. f4 Nd7 14. Nh5 Bh6 15.  Qe2 Qh4+ 16. Bf2 Qe7 {we have a mess that is hard to evaluate, but where Black  is certainly not without chances:} 17. O-O-O b5 $1) ({However, the most  reliable way to play is clearly:} 10... Nbd7 11. Ng3 (11. Bg2 {Is the most  flexible move.} Rb8 {isn't such a great idea in these positions. White has a  strong idea at his disposal:} (11... Ne8 12. Qd2 Rb8 13. b3 b5 14. axb5 axb5  15. Na2 f5 {and White has too much stuff going on at once.}) 12. O-O b5 $6 (  12... Ne8 {looks like a better idea, but then why not immediately?}) 13. axb5  axb5 14. Na2) 11... Ne8 {Apart from Rb8, this is the only move that sets some  kind of plan in motion here. It's good though. Now White must find a move is  good against f5. I can't see one...} (11... Qa5 {is generally speaking not a  good move here. White just castles and possibly yawns.}) 12. Qd2 (12. a5 f5 13.  gxf5 gxf5 14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Ne5 {and with Ng6 coming next, Black is clearly  better.}) (12. Bd3 $6) 12... f5 13. gxf5 gxf5 14. f4 Qh4 15. Qf2 exf4 16. Bxf4  Ne5 {with excellent counterplay.}) (10... h5 11. g5 {is good for White who  controls e4 and does not have to fear an attack on d5.}) {All in all I don't  see the downside to just continuing with normal moves...} 11. hxg4 Nxg4 12. Qd2  {Black has some compensation here, but hardly enough. Still, for someone like  me it would be really hard to handle this position as White; Black got rid of  his worst minor piece and has a dynamic pawn centre as compensation. Things  could clearly be worse.} Nd7 (12... f5 13. Bg5 Qb6 14. Nd1 Nd7 15. a5 {,  followed by Ra1-a3-h3, looks awkward for Black.}) 13. Ne4 f5 14. Bg5 (14. Nxd6  $2 f4) 14... Qb6 15. Bh3 Ndf6 16. Nxf6+ Nxf6 17. Nc3 $6 {This is somewhat  surprising. The b-pawn is not so much a pawn as an integral part of a chain of pawns,  that I - for one - would hold on to for as long as possible.} (17. b3 $1 Ne4  18. Be3 Qc7 19. Qd3 Nc5 20. Qc3 $1 e4 21. Bd4 {and Black is running out of  ideas.}) 17... Qxb2 18. Rb1 Qa3 19. Rxb7 Rf7 ({Why, why, why?? (see comment after the game) I cannot see  the shade of a trick for White after the natural} 19... Rab8 {(I mean, there  is nothing else, is there??)} {White can clearly not play} 20. Rxg7+ Kxg7 21.  Bh6+ {21.Bxf5 looks more tricky... I'm a bit of a patzer to have missed this idea at first.) Kf7 22. Bxf8 Kxf8 {, since this leaves Black with the best possible  position that Black could have asked for after the crazy 10...Bxg4. I have  absolutely no interest in following the games live or watching interviews, so  I don't know one bit about who looked this way and who looked that way; who  said this and who said that. But, I cannot help feeling that Magnus either  over-estimated his position, or did not like it at all. Otherwise the low  quality of this move makes no sense. A possible continuation from here would be  } 23. Bg2 Rb4 24. Rh3 {, but here} Rg4 25. Bf1 Kf7 {is even slightly awkward  for White, since} 26. Bxa6 $4 {does not work due to} Rg1+ 27. Bf1 Ne4 $1 {when  Black is winning.}) 20. Rb3 Qc5 21. Qe3 {Now White is just clearly better.} Qc7  22. Qb6 e4 23. Qc6 ({My engine prefers} 23. a5 $5) 23... Rc8 24. O-O Qxc6 25.  dxc6 Rxc6 26. Rfb1 {Here Black is almost OK, if it wasn't for the tactics  ahead:} h6 (26... h5 27. Bxf6 Bxf6 28. Nxe4 {is similar.}) 27. Bxf6 Bxf6 28.  Nxe4 Be5 (28... fxe4 29. Be6 Kg7 30. Bxf7 Kxf7 31. Rb6 {is pretty hopeless for  Black since there is no way to hold on to the a-pawn without turning the  c2-pawn into a passer:} Rxb6 32. Rxb6 a5 33. Rxd6) 29. Nd2 Rxc2 30. Nf3 Ra2 31.  Bg2 Bf6 32. Nh2 Kg7 33. Bd5 Re7 34. Rb4 Rd2 35. Bc4 a5 36. Rb7 Rd4 37. Rxe7+  Bxe7 38. Bb5 {The engine evaluates this position as close to equal, but I  suspect that the reality of it is closer to" lost for Black".} h5 39. Nf3 Rf4  40. Kg2 h4 41. Rd1 Rg4+ 42. Kf1 h3 43. Rd3 Bf6 (43... g5 44. Rd5 Rf4 45. Nd4 h2  46. Kg2 Rxf2+ 47. Kh1 Kf6 48. Bd3 g4 49. Rxf5+ Rxf5 50. Nxf5 {and since  White's a-pawn is the "right colour" (with respect to the bishop), it is  reasonable to expect White to win this eventually.}) 44. Nh2 Rh4 45. Kg1 ({  White should have played} 45. Rxd6 Be5 46. Rd7+ Kf6 47. Kg1 {with some winning  chances.}) 45... Bd4 46. Rf3 Kf6 47. Nf1 Be5 ({Here} 47... d5 $1 48. Ne3 Ke6  49. Bc6 Kd6 {would have kept the balance. I see no way forward for White.}) 48.  Ne3 Kg5 $2 {Is Magnus trying to win? In these days of information bonanza, I  guess I'm one of the few who doesn't know.} ({Here} 48... h2+ 49. Kh1 Rd4 {  intending} 50. Kg2 d5 {looks like a better chance to hold. Again it is hard to  see how White will make progress.} 51. Rh3 Bd6 52. Nf1 Rg4+ 53. Kf3 Rf4+) 49.  Kh1 Kf6 $6 (49... Rf4 $1) 50. Nc4 {From here it goes fast downwards...} g5 51.  Nxa5 g4 52. Rd3 f4 {Black's pawns look impressive, but they fail to deliver.}  53. Nc4 Rh7 54. Nxe5 dxe5 55. a5 Rc7 56. Ra3 Rc1+ 57. Kh2 Rc2 58. a6 Rxf2+ 59.  Kh1 g3 60. a7 Rd2 61. Ra1 {1-0}

I am kind of hoping that this initial setback will not make Magnus abandon the Modern. I lost my first three games in this opening and it was only when I returned to it (a year later), that I got it right. Post Script: I now see (after having it pointed out to me by a friendly reader) that it was much more difficult to evaluate 19…Rab8, than I originally thought. It bears witness to how little we sometimes see from the side lines and how easily we… well, hrrm, I, fell into a false narrative. I shall try to do better next time.

Ignorance is bliss

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Tiger

This year’s Rilton Cup turned out well for me. It was not because I played very well, but rather due to the fact that I was a bit lucky and then didn’t make a mess of it in the later rounds. In the sixth round I managed to win a King’s Indian with the black colours against Maxim Turov and then in the seventh I got the chance to play the same side of the same opening against Mihail Krasenkow. It was clear to me that whatever happened I would always know less of what was going on than my opponent did. Maybe my real advantage was that I would not know how bad my position really was?

   [Event "Rilton-CUP"]  [Site "Stockholm"]  [Date "2015.01.03"]  [Round "7"]  [White "Krasenkow, Michal"]  [Black "Hillarp Persson, Tiger"]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "E90"]  [WhiteElo "2614"]  [BlackElo "2544"]  [Annotator "Tiger"]  [PlyCount "112"]  [EventDate "2015.01.02"]  [SourceDate "2011.03.24"]   1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 (6. h3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8.  g3 {and now} Qe8 (8... a5 9. Be2 {could lead to the game, but is a line I'd  rather avoid.}) 9. Be2 f5 {is critical. With the move order chosen by  Krasenkow, Black is unable to get into this line.}) 6... e5 7. d5 a5 8. h3 $5 {  I had pretty much prepared for everything but this before the game and only  just managed to realize that this unassuming move is much more dangerous than  it seems. The point is that White is striving for a position from the  h3-system (see move 6) where Black has been forced to play a5.} Na6 9. Bg5 h6  $5 {Probably not the best move in the position, but I remembered seeing Mark  Hebden play this move in similar positions, so I thought it could not be that  bad.} ({The main line here is} 9... Qe8 10. Nd2 Nd7 11. a3 {and apart from the  fact that I dislike this line I believe Krasenkow has forgotten more about  it than I have ever known (although this is probably true of  the line in the game too).}) 10. Be3 c6 (10... Nh5 {is usually a bad fit with  h6 and}) 11. Nd2 Bd7 $6 {This move leaves me just about ankle-high in  theoretical waters.} (11... Nd7 12. g4 Ndc5 13. Nb3 {was first played in  Krasenkow,M (2645)-Shirov,A (2700) Germany 1997, a fact that I was not aware  of. Not that it would have made any difference. I would probably have continued  with an avoid-theory attitude.}) 12. g4 $5 ({Considering that White has managed  to get a "perfect" classical setup with bishop on e3 and knight on d2, it is  probably best just to play} 12. O-O {after which Black has to play c6-c5  under unfavourable circumstances. Instead my opponent continued to blitz out  moves...}) (12. h4 $5 {is another interesting option that Krasenkow has played  himself.}) 12... Nc5 ({White has two strategical ideas. One can be seen in the  game and the other is best illustrated like this:} 12... Kh7 $6 13. h4 Ne8 14.  h5 g5 15. f3 {when the whole game hinges on whether Black can hold the  queenside. White can usually succeed in exchanging the light-squared bishop on  the a4-e8-diagonal and then put a knight on f5. This is a most depressing  scenario for Black.}) 13. h4 a4 14. g5 ({After} 14. h5 {Black can play} gxh5 (  14... Nh7 15. hxg6 $6 (15. b4 $1) 15... fxg6 16. Bxh6 $6 Bxh6 17. Rxh6 Kg7 18.  Rh2 Ng5 {and Black has excellent compensation for the pawn.}) (14... Qa5 $1 15.  f3 (15. Kf1 $2 a3 16. Qc2 Nxg4) 15... gxh5 16. gxh5 a3 17. Qc2 axb2 18. Qxb2  Nh7 $1 {is comfortable for Black.}) 15. gxh5 Nh7 16. Nf3 {is not as good for  Black as the line where White first has to play f3.}) 14... hxg5 15. hxg5 Nh7 {  Now we are back swimming in theoretical waters.} 16. Rg1 ({I was more worried  about} 16. Nf3 {during the game, because I did not see how I would manage  without f6 in the long run (when the knight will be excellently placed on f3).  Because of this I was vaguely aware that I had to act dynamically with} cxd5 {  intending} 17. Bxc5 dxc5 18. Qxd5 Bg4 {with a balanced game.}) 16... Qa5 17.  Qc2 {My opponent continued to play a tempo. In this well known position White  has tried a number of other moves too:} (17. a3 cxd5 18. Nxd5 $5 Rfe8 19. Qc2  Nf8 20. Qc3 Qd8 $6 (20... Nfe6 $1 21. Qxa5 Rxa5 {followed by Nd4 looks like a  better way to get counterplay.}) 21. Bg4 {and with no good way to avoid the  exchange of the light-squared bishops Black was struggling in Korobov,A (2713)  -Ezat,M (2454) Antalya 2013.}) (17. Qb1 {intending to meet a3 with b4, is  hardly any better than a3 after} Rfe8 $1 (17... cxd5 18. Nxd5 Rfe8 19. Bxc5  dxc5 20. Qd3 $1 Nf8 21. Bg4 {looks nice for White.}) 18. f3 cxd5 19. cxd5 (19.  Nxd5 Nf8 {and f3 has blocked the bishop from going to g4!}) 19... b5 {when  White will have to waste a tempo on a3 anyway.}) (17. Rc1 $5) 17... a3 ({The  game Krasenkow,M (2635)-Hebden,M (2532) Porz Erin IOM 2006 went} 17... cxd5 18.  Nxd5 Rfe8 19. Qc3 $5 Bc6 20. Bxc5 Qxc5 21. Nc7 {with a big advantage for White.  Another game that underlines the vast practice my opponent has in this line.})  18. b4 $1 {Another move that was played within seconds from me making my move.}  ({I expected} 18. b3 Na6 19. Rc1 Nb4 20. Qb1 {when I would have to reroute the  bishop to e7 before starting counterplay on the queenside, or I would end up  creating more weaknesses in my own position than actual counterplay. On  the other hand, with my bishop on e7, White would have to protect g5 while  simultaneously keeping the situation on the queenside in check. I was hoping  this would be a more tricky undertaking.}) 18... Qxb4 19. Rb1 Qa5 20. Bxc5 dxc5  21. Rxb7 Qd8 $1 {So far I had used approximately forty minutes while my  opponent had a few minutes more than he had started out with. This was the  first moment of the game that he slowed down and took his time.} (21... Bc8 22.  Rb3 Qd8 23. dxc6 f6 24. Nd5 {and Black was losing, in Markos,J (2596)  -Wiedermann,D (2220) 2012.}) 22. Nf3 {There is nothing wrong with this move,  but} (22. Qd3 $1 {looks even stronger. The point is that it forces Black's  hand in the center, while threatening to move the queen over to the kingside.  Still, it is quite possible that Krasenkow knows more about this than any  other living creature in the galaxy and just decided to avoid my preparation...  } Bc8 23. Rb3 Nxg5 (23... cxd5 $1 {looks like an improvement, with the  intention} 24. Nxd5 Re8 25. Qg3 Nf8 26. Rd3 Ne6 27. Nf6+ Bxf6 28. Rxd8 Bxd8 29.  Qxe5 (29. Qh4 Nf4 30. Bf1 Ba5 31. Rh1 Bh3 $3 {(these damned engines...)} 32.  Bxh3 Reb8 33. Kf1 Bxd2 34. Kg1 Rb2 35. Bf1 Nh5 {and Black is on top.}) 29...  Bc7 30. Qf6 Bd8 {with a draw.}) 24. dxc6 Qxd3 25. Bxd3 Bh6 26. Nd5 {was quite  unpleasant for Black, in Schroeder,C (2149)-Gonzaga Grego,L (1980) LSS email  2009.}) 22... Re8 $1 {Sooner or later I will have to move either the knight or  the bishop to f8 and then it is also a good idea to have some extra protection  to the e-pawn.} 23. Qd2 {There are plenty of good moves here for White. It is  hard for me to break out with my pieces without taking on d5, which would give  White excellent play on the light squares.} ({Both} 23. Rg3 {intending  Ke1-f1-g2 and Rg3-b3/a3, or}) (23. Qc1 $5 {keeping an eye on a3 and g5,  waiting for Black's next move, are good alternatives.}) 23... Rb8 $5 {The  rook seemed too strong on b7 to be tolerated.} 24. Rxb8 ({After} 24. Ra7 Ra8  25. Rxa8 Qxa8 {my other rook can join the fight on the b-file.}) 24... Qxb8 25.  Bd1 $6 ({It was better to play} 25. Rg3 {, to clear the way for the king to g2  and simultaneously keep an eye on the queenside on the third rank.}) 25... cxd5  26. Nxd5 ({Not} 26. cxd5 c4 $1 {, when - with Bf8 coming next - White is worse.  }) 26... Bc6 27. Rg3 Bf8 28. Nh2 $6 {This is a move with a plan, but it  disregards the fact that Black also has threats. Better was} (28. Qd3 Qb2 29.  Nc3 {although I can keep some pressure with} Re6 $1 {intending Bd6-c7-a5.})  28... Bxd5 29. exd5 (29. cxd5 c4 {is even worse now, than it was on move 26.})  29... Qb4 $6 {I was a bit short on time here and decided to play a move "after  which I can not be worse". Yes, that is what I thought and I'm not proud of it.  It is extremely silly not to dare play the best move when you know what it is:}  ({Both} 29... e4 30. Ng4 Be7 {and}) (29... Be7 $1 {is better for me.}) 30. Qxb4  cxb4 31. Ba4 $6 {A pleasant surprise. This move hands the initaitive back to  me.} ({After} 31. Nf3 {I have no advantage whatsoever and one might even  question my evaluation on move 29. since} e4 32. Nd2 {forces me to play very  exact in order not to be worse:} Kg7 33. Rg4 e3 34. Nb3 exf2+ 35. Kxf2 Re5 {  and all three results are possible.}) 31... Rc8 32. Bb3 e4 33. Rg4 Re8 34. Kd2  $6 (34. Ke2 Re5 35. Nf1 Nxg5 36. Nd2 Kg7 {is clearly better for Black,  although still very messy.}) 34... Bd6 $1 {I read somewhere that the kibitzers  could not believe that neither I nor Michal didn't see that White's  last move blunders a pawn. Let me assure those guys: we both saw it, but we  are not engines and had a hard a hard time evaluating:} (34... Nxg5 35. Rxg5  Bh6 36. f4 $1 exf3 37. Nxf3 f6 38. c5 {This is as far as I got in my  calculations before I stopped. Yes, Black wins the exchange, but then White  gets two very dangerous passed pawns. I was not even sure that I would not  lose. For a modern engine however it is a piece of cake to continue and find:}  Bxg5+ (38... fxg5 $6 39. d6+ Kf8 40. Nd4 g4+ 41. Kc2 Re3 42. c6 {leads to a  draw.}) 39. Nxg5 fxg5 40. d6+ Kf8 41. Kd3 Rc8 $1 42. Kd4 (42. Kc4 g4) 42... g4  43. Bd5 g3 44. d7 Rd8 45. c6 g2 46. Bxg2 Ke7 47. Kc4 Rf8 $1 {and after} 48.  Kxb4 Rf2 {indeed Black wins. However, it is hardly human to see this line in  time trouble. All this considered, I believe my move was the best human  move under the circumstances.}) 35. f4 f5 $1 36. gxf6 (36. Rh4 Nf8 37. Nf1 Nd7  38. Ne3 Nc5 39. Nc2 Ra8 40. Ke3 Nxb3 41. axb3 Bc5+ 42. Ke2 Kg7 {, followed by  Rh8, is hopeless for White.}) 36... Nxf6 37. Rxg6+ Kf7 38. Rg2 e3+ $1 (38...  Bxf4+ 39. Ke2 Rh8 40. Ng4 {and White defends.}) 39. Ke1 ({Just as bad was} 39.  Kd1 Nh5 40. Nf3 Nxf4 41. Rg4 Nd3 {, but the best chance for survival was}) (39.  Ke2 Nh5 40. Rg4 Nxf4+ 41. Rxf4+ $1 Bxf4 42. Nf3 {although Black should  eventually win after} Kf6 43. c5 Rc8 44. c6 Rh8) 39... Nh5 $1 {Now my pieces  are cooperating perfectly.} 40. Nf3 Nxf4 41. Rg1 (41. Rg4 $2 {loses on the  spot to} Nd3+ 42. Ke2 Nc1+ 43. Ke1 Nxb3 44. axb3 a2) 41... e2 42. Ng5+ $6 ({  This makes thing easy for me. I was expecting} 42. Kd2 Kf6 43. Rh1 Bc5 {, after which  I didn't see a clear win for me, but still felt that it should be impossible  for White to defend. Indeed, after} 44. Bc2 b3 $1 45. Bxb3 Bb4+ 46. Kc2 Re3 47.  Ne1 Rh3 48. Rxh3 Nxh3 49. c5 Bxe1 50. Bc4 Nf4 {Black gets an endgame with  bishop and knight against king.}) 42... Kf6 43. Ne6 Be5 $1 ({I spent some time  trying to figure out whether there was no win for me after} 43... Rxe6 44. dxe6  Be5 45. Rg3 Bc3+ 46. Rxc3 bxc3 47. c5 {, but in the end I came to the (correct)  conclusion that White can draw with} Ke7 48. Kf2 $1 Nxe6 49. Kxe2 Nxc5 50. Kd1  $1 Nxb3 51. Kc2 Nc5 52. Kxc3 {and Black has no way of defending the a3-pawn.})  44. Nxf4 Bc3+ 45. Kf2 Bd4+ 46. Ke1 Bc3+ 47. Kf2 Bd4+ 48. Ke1 Bxg1 49. Ne6 (49.  Nxe2 {loses to} Re3 $1 50. Bc2 b3 51. Bb1 Bh2 52. Kd2 Rh3 {followed by Be5 and  Rh1.}) 49... Rh8 50. Nf4 Be3 $1 51. Ng2 (51. Nxe2 $2 Rh1+) 51... Bc5 52. Kxe2  Rh2 53. Kf1 (53. Kf3 $2 Rh3+ 54. Ke2 Rxb3 {and the a-pawn queens.}) 53... Ke5  $1 (53... Rh1+ 54. Ke2 Rb1 55. Ne1 $1 {is somewhat less clear.}) 54. Bc2 Kd4  55. Bb3 Kc3 56. d6 Kd2 {and my opponent resigned.} 0-1

I’ll be back soon.

The day before the Day

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Tiger

Tomorrow sees the start of the World Chess Championship Final between Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand. Every nook of chess media has filled up with tips and touts as to how the match will go. I decline to offer any such tips and prefer to be surprised whatever happens. I hope Magnus will win, but will be almost equally happy if Vishy takes the title. It’s a clear win-win, for me. What I do hope for is a more equal struggle than the one we witnessed last year. And I believe there is reason for hope. Vishy Anand has a good year behind him and seems to have more “bite” than last year. The margins in our game have become increasingly small and a good start will mean a lot to any one of the two players. Last year the match was decided in the ninth game when Anand managed to get the kind of position that he will have to score from if he is going to have a chance in this match:

   [Event "WCh 2013"]  [Site "Chennai IND"]  [Date "2013.11.21"]  [Round "9"]  [White "Anand, Viswanathan"]  [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "E25"]  [WhiteElo "2775"]  [BlackElo "2870"]  [Annotator "Tiger"]  [PlyCount "56"]  [EventDate "2013.11.09"]  [EventType "match"]  [EventRounds "12"]  [EventCountry "IND"]  [SourceDate "2011.03.24"]   1. d4 ({Neither Anand nor Carlsen has played a lot of classical games this  year and it is almost impossible to guess what they will play. However,  considering that Carlsen seems to get better positions as Black after} 1. e4 e5  2. Nf3 Nc6 {, than after 1.d4, there is a fair chance that Anand will try his  luck with the latter or some other first move. So, we might get to see more  Indian games.}) 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 $5 {Anand had some chances  in game 3 and 4 of last years match to take the lead, but after two losses in  a row he now found himself in a desperate situation where a win was absolutely  necessary in order to keep the match "alive". The fourth move is one the best  ways to mix things up against the Nimzo Indian.} d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7.  cxd5 exd5 ({Every time I spend a few hours analyzing} 7... Nxd5 {I come to the  conclusion that Black can equalize without too much effort. I guess I must be  wrong.}) 8. e3 c4 $5 ({The idea behind this move is to make it more difficult  for White to develop the bishop on f1. A similar idea is} 8... Bf5 {, but then  White will be able to play g2-g4 with a tempo on the bishop.}) (8... O-O 9. Bd3  {is well known to be more comfortable for White.}) 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. g4 O-O ({  Apart from} 10... Na5 {- which is similar to the game - other moves are  inflexible and make no sense.}) 11. Bg2 {This natural developing move looks  like a good idea considering that it is hard to come up with a better place  for the bishop. For instance:} (11. Nf4 Na5 12. h4 Ne8 {and White will  probably have to develop the bishop to g2 anyway.}) 11... Na5 12. O-O ({There  is something to be said for} 12. a4 {in order to slow Black down on the  queenside. After} Nb3 13. Ra2 Re8 14. O-O h6 ({not} 14... Qe7 $6 15. g5 Nh5 16.  e4 {with an initiative for White.}) 15. Ng3 Qa5 16. Qe1 Nxc1 (16... b5) 17.  Qxc1 b5 18. e4 {I kind of like White's position as e5, f4 and f5 will put the  Black king under huge pressure. Also, the d5-pawn might turn out to be weak.})  12... Nb3 13. Ra2 b5 {This is a key moment of the game since it is the last  moment where White can ruin Black's structure on the queenside with a3-a4. I  believe this is quite important since this avoids scenarios where White plays  e3-e-somewhere, Black's b-pawn is exchanged for the c3-pawn and, thus, the  d4-pawn becomes weak. If White can get in e3-e4-e5 without weakening d4, then  Black will have his hands full trying to defend the king.} 14. Ng3 {I really  would like to add a "?!" to this move, but my respect for Anand is of such a  nature that I believe he had some reason not to do it, a reason beyond my  horizon.} ({I agree with Mikhail Krasenkow's recommendation at www.chesspro.ru  } 14. a4 $5 {, looks like a better way to continue in order to halt Black's  plan on the queenside.[%cal Gc1a3]}) 14... a5 {Now Black is set to meet a4  with b4 and the rook can help defending the kingside via a6, so I believe  Black has every reason to be happy with the opening.} 15. g5 ({Krasenkow  suggests the natural} 15. e4 $5 {when Alex Baburin gives the line} dxe4 (15...  Nxc1 16. Qxc1 dxe4 $6 17. g5 Nd5 18. fxe4 {is just what White is dreaming of.})  16. Bg5 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. fxe4 Qg5 {when} 19. Qe1 Qxg4 20. e5 {is quite  messy and hard to evaluate. Considering the strong White initiative on the  kingside, I'd rather be White in such a position. Anand is a "natural" 1.e4  player, but if he finds himself getting positions like this one in the  upcoming match, then he definitely needs to score from them in order to have a  chance. Otherwise he will have to rely on Magnus being overly aggressive with  the white colours.}) 15... Ne8 16. e4 {Now, when g5 has already been played,  e4 does not have the same punch.} Nxc1 $1 {The knight is about to soon find  itself out of play and is also a bit problematic from a tactical point of view:  if Black wants to push the c-pawn later in the game then Nb3 will lack  protection and this seems like a good time to get rid of it (before White  plays Bf4 or Be3). On the other hand one might argue that the knight will pose  a threat to the d-pawn further on, but that should be easily remedied by  posting  the bishop on e3.} 17. Qxc1 Ra6 18. e5 $6 {Now, however, I cannot  help myself. This move releases the tension in the center and goes "all in" on  the kingside, which is the right thing to do. However, the timing is not right.  White ought to close the center at a moment when the Black queen cannot go to  b6.} ({Instead} 18. f4 Nc7 19. Rb2 Rb6 20. e5 $1 {is a better way to get the  kind of position that Anand is looking for.}) 18... Nc7 $6 {Carlsen misses a  chance to take the initiative with} (18... b4 $1 19. axb4 axb4 20. Rxa6 Bxa6  21. cxb4 Qb6 $1 {a line that is mentioned by Baburin, who evaluates it "with  compensation". Indeed this seems to be something of an understatement as} 22.  Nf5 Nc7 23. Qd2 c3 24. Qxc3 Bxf1 25. Bxf1 Ne6 26. b5 Kh8 {is at least a bit  better for Black.}) ({My engine comes up with} 18... h6 {as its first choice.  It makes no sense what-so-ever.} 19. f4 $1 {and now h6-h7 might be the best  move.}) 19. f4 b4 20. axb4 $6 {This move seems to speed up Black's counterplay,  so it was probably better to burn the bridges with Mikhail Golubev's} (20. f5  $5 {One point is that} Nb5 $2 (20... b3 21. Raf2 $40) (20... bxc3 $5) 21. axb4  axb4 22. Rxa6 Bxa6 23. f6 g6 24. Qf4 Qb6 25. Qh4 h5 26. Nxh5 bxc3 27. Kh1 $1  Nxd4 28. Ng3 Ne6 29. Nf5 $1 gxf5 30. Qh5 $1 Qb7 31. Bh3 (31. g6) 31... d4+ 32.  Bg2 {, with a winning advantage for White. This line is given by Baburin and  Golubev at http://www.chesstoday.net/.}) ({Another move that aims to slow down  Black on the queenside is} 20. a4 $5 {when all Black has to do in order to win  is to defend the king. Might turn out to be quite a challenge though.}) 20...  axb4 21. Rxa6 Nxa6 {I presume that Anand entered this variation because he  sensed that the knight got somewhat misplaced on a6, when it is really best  off on b5.} 22. f5 b3 $1 (22... bxc3 $6 23. Qxc3 (23. f6 g6 24. Qf4 c2 25. Qh4  Kh8 {and with no mate in sight, White is in trouble.}) 23... Nc7 24. f6 g6 25.  Rb1 Ne6 26. Ne2 {and the weak d-pawn is troublesome for Black.}) 23. Qf4 ({  Baburin mentions} 23. f6 g6 24. Qf4 Kh8 $5 25. Qh4 b2 26. Qh6 Rg8 27. Rf4 b1=Q+  28. Bf1 Qd1 $1 29. Rh4 Qh5 30. Nxh5 gxh5 31. Qxh5 Bf5 32. Qxf7 Nc7 $1 {when  Black has managed to defend and get a solid blockade. It is unlikely that  White will be able to draw this.}) (23. Nh5 Nc7 24. Qf4 $140 (24. Nxg7 Kxg7)  24... Nb5 25. Qh4 Bxf5 $1 26. Rxf5 b2 27. Rf1 Nxc3) 23... Nc7 24. f6 $5 ({My  engine does not list} 24. Nh5 {among the top seven moves, but I quite like it.  The idea is that} Nb5 25. Qe3 Kh8 26. f6 g6 27. Nf4 {almost forces Black to  retreat with the knight, thus losing two tempi:} Nc7 (27... Be6 28. h4 Qd7 29.  h5 {is very dangerous for Black.}) 28. h4 Bf5 29. h5 gxh5 30. g6 fxg6 31. Bh3 {  with crazy complications.}) 24... g6 25. Qh4 Ne8 26. Qh6 ({Here it seems  better to play} 26. Ne2 {, intending to put some more pressure on d5, before  deciding how to proceed with the attack.}) 26... b2 27. Rf4 ({B} 27. Ne2 Be6  28. Nf4 Qa5 29. Nxe6 fxe6 30. Bh3 Qa6 $1 31. Bg4 Rf7 32. Qh3 Nc7) 27... b1=Q+  28. Nf1 $4 {Anand blunders.} ({Baburin writes: "After} 28. Bf1 Qd1 $1 29. Rh4  Qh5 30. Nxh5 gxh5 31. Rxh5 Bf5 32. g6 $1 (32. Bh3 Bg6 33. e6 Nxf6 34. gxf6 Qxf6  $15) 32... Bxg6 33. Rg5 Qa5 34. Rg3 Qa3 35. h4 Kh8 {chances would be equal."  Yes, the knight on e8 has almost exactly the same value as the pawns on e5 and  f6 and none of the combatants can improve on their forces further.}) 28... Qe1  $1 ({and Anand resigned. Possibly Anand missed something in the line beginning  with 28.Bf1 and just went for the alternative in time trouble. I find it hard  to believe that he only considered} 28... Qd1 $4 {which is indeed winning for  White after} 29. Rh4 Qh5 30. Rxh5 gxh5 31. Ne3 Be6 32. Bxd5 $1 {The point being  } Bxd5 (32... Qxd5 33. Nxd5 Bxd5 34. h4 {and White will win with Qxh5, Qh6, h5,  g6.}) 33. Nf5 Be4 34. Ne7+ Qxe7 35. fxe7 {and Black not only loses the queen.})  0-1

Bishop sacrifice on g4 – part 2.

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Tiger

As mentioned it the last entry I played a tournament in Isle of Man at the beginning of October, that was sponsored by PokerStars. It was a well arranged and strong tournament where I had a bad start and struggled to get my game to an acceptable level. I had every intention of publishing a game while I was playing, but in the end I spent so much energy on trying to get myself in shape that there was simply no energy left for anything else. The upside is that I played a King’s Indian game where I got to sacrifice the bishop on g4:

   [Event "Isle of Man (Major)"]  [Site "Douglas"]  [Date "2014.10.09"]  [Round "6"]  [White "Wallis, Christopher"]   [Black "Hillarp Persson, Tiger"]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "E81"]  [WhiteElo "2370"]  [BlackElo "2552"]  [Annotator "Tiger"]  [PlyCount "74"]  [SourceDate "2011.03.24"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 c5 7. Nge2 ({The only  downside to Black's choice of variation, is that} 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. Qxd8 Rxd8 9.  Bxc5 {leads to a position where Black can get a draw without too much effort,  but where winning is not on the table.}) 7... Nc6 8. d5 Ne5 9. Ng3 {I find  this to be the critical continuation.} h5 ({After} 9... e6 10. Be2 exd5 11.  cxd5 {we get a pawn structure where White would not normally place the bishop  on e3, but where Black's knight on e5 is vulnerable to a future h3/f4, so the  ups and downs are balanced.}) 10. Be2 h4 11. Nf1 e6 12. Nd2 ({After} 12. f4 h3  $5 13. gxh3 Nxc4 14. Bxc4 b5 {we get a position from the game Sriram-Adhiban,  that can be found in the archive (late summer 2013).}) 12... exd5 13. cxd5 {  This position is given as one of the main lines in Svetushkins excellent "The  Ultimate Anti-Grünfeld", but he fails to (as far as I can see) to mention the  possibility of playing 13...h3. Since Svetushkin seems not to be the kind of guy who  miss stuff, I just presumed that 13...h3 had never been played and I  did not bother to check my database for examples. Behold my surprise when I  checked the database after the game and discovered that my friend Emanuel Berg  already had played this move with the same idea in mind as I had!} h3 $1 ({  This is clearly to be preferred over} 13... a6 14. a4 Bd7 15. O-O h3 {when  White has no qualms about playing} 16. g4 $1 {, since the sacrifice on g4 does  not work anymore.}) 14. g4 $6 ({White should be content to play} 14. g3 {  although Black can be happy with this since White has been forced to play g3  instead of g4 (see comment to the last move). If I was White I would never  play g4 unless I first made sure that Bxg4 is no good for Black.}) 14... Bxg4  $1 {There it is again. This is not one of those cases where Black just gets a  good game. This is more than just "good".} 15. fxg4 Nfxg4 16. Bf4 ({White must  steer clear of} 16. Bxg4 $6 Qh4+ 17. Bf2 $2 Nd3+ 18. Ke2 Nxf2 19. Qe1 Qxg4+ 20.  Kxf2 Bd4+ 21. Kf1 Qg2#) 16... Bh6 $1 17. Bxe5 Nxe5 18. Nf3 ({After} 18. Nf1 Qg5  19. Ng3 f5 $1 20. exf5 Qe3 $1 21. Nce4 gxf5 22. Nf2 Nf3+ 23. Kf1 Nd2+ 24. Ke1 (  24. Kg1 Ne4) 24... Rae8 {White will be massacred.}) 18... Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 Qh4+  20. Ke2 {It is ironic that I had not prepared against this move and that it  had been played before.} ({Against} 20. Kf1 {I had prepared} f5 {,when} 21. e5  $1 dxe5 22. Qe1 Qf4 23. Qg3 e4 24. Qxf4 Bxf4 25. Be2 Rf6 {looks very promising  for Black. I will continue with Rd8, Rb6 and g6-g5-g4.}) 20... b5 $1 21. Kd3 $2  {My opponents reasoning was similar to mine: if the knight have to go to a4  after b5-b4, then Black will surely be better since the knight is not  participating in the game. So, he evacuates the e2-square for the knight.  However, there is a tactical problem with answering b4 with Ne2...} ({In A.  Istratescu - E.Berg, Eretria 2011, White played the strongest move} 21. Rg1 $1  {and after} b4 $1 22. Rg4 $1 {Black could have gotten a clear advantage with}  Qe7 $1 23. Na4 Kg7 {, intending f5, Rae8 and Rh8. It will not be possible for  White to protect either the center nor the h2-pawn. The game continued 22...  Qf6 and eventually ended in a draw.}) 21... b4 22. Ne2 Qf6 $1 {The double  threat on the bishop and the b2-pawn gives Black a clear advantage.} 23. Rf1  Qxb2 24. Qb3 Qe5 ({Here I missed that} 24... c4+ $1 25. Kxc4 Rfc8+ 26. Kb5 Qe5  {wins easily since Qe5-e8, is a terrible threat.}) 25. Qc4 Rab8 26. Rab1 a5 $5  {I'm planning to a4 and b3. White does not have the time to defend.} 27. Bg4  Qg5 $6 ({Slightly materialistic of me. Instead} 27... a4 {, followed by b3  wins easily.}) 28. Rf4 Qh4 {I thought I was winning immediately here, but had  missed White's next move. Ah well, a few more extra moves don't hurt.} 29. Rg1  Bxf4 30. Nxf4 Qf2 31. Nxh3 Qxh2 32. e5 Qxe5 33. Nf4 Kg7 34. Be6 Rh8 35. Rg2 Rh1  36. Kc2 b3+ 37. axb3 Rb4 {0-1}

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Bishop sacrifice on g4 – part 2.