Sergei Karjakin stormed into an early lead with 4/4 in the elite tournament at Stavanger in Norway, which finishes on Saturday 18 May. Karjakin also triumphed in a blitz tournament (four minutes per player per game) preceding the main event, the results of which were used to determine pairings for the competition proper. Leading scores in this speed event were: Karjakin 61/2/9; Anand, Carlsen and Nakamura 6. Here is the game which Karjakin won against Carlsen in the blitz event.
Karjakin-Carlsen: Norway Masters Blitz 2013; Philidor Defence
1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e5 4 Nf3 Nbd7 5 Bc4 Be7 6 0-0 A tempting alternative is 6 Bxf7+ Kxf7 7 Ng5+ Kg8 8 Ne6 Qe8 9 Nxc7 Qg6 when White is well on top after 10 Nxa8. However, 7 … Kg6 8 Ne6 Qg8 9 Nxc7 Rb8 10 Qd3 h6 is much less clear. 6 … 0-0 7 a4 a6 8 a5 h6 9 h3 Re8 10 Re1 exd4 Black gives up his foothold in the centre but obtains plenty of open lines in compensation. 11 Nxd4 Ne5 12 Bf1 c5 13 Nf5 White’s strategy is to reroute this knight so as to augment his control over d5. 13 … Bf8 14 Ne3 Be6 15 Ned5 Nc6 16 Nxf6+ Qxf6 17 Nd5 Bxd5 18 Qxd5 Re5 19 Qb3 Rb8 20 c3 d5 Ironically the move White has done so much to restrain now occurs. White has wasted too much time trading his grip on d5 into acquisition of the bishop pair. 21 Rd1 (see diagram 1) 21 … c4 There is nothing wrong with 21 … dxe4 22 Bc4 Ree8 with … Ne5 coming. Instead Carlsen goes for an ambitious sacrifice. 22 Qc2 dxe4 23 Be3 Nxa5 24 Bd4 Nb3 25 Bxe5 Qxe5 If 25 … Nxa1 26 Qxe4 Re8 27 f4 is good for White.
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