Hat trick

For the second year running, 24-year-old Sergei Karjakin has won the Norway International, on both occasions ahead of Magnus Carlsen. The final scores, out of 9, were as follows: Karjakin 6; Carlsen 5½; Grischuk 5; Caruana and Topalov 4½; Aronian, Svidler, Kramnik and Giri 4; Agdestein 3½. Of the world elite, only Anand and Nakamura were absent. The former world champion Kramnik, now 38, was the early leader but faded towards the end. Karjakin, in contrast, achieved the feat of winning his last three games, against Giri, Kramnik and Caruana.
 
Giri-Karjakin: Norway Chess 2014
(see diagram 1)
 
With bishop against White’s rook, Karjakin had been defending tenaciously for many hours in this 100+ move marathon. Now, however, he seized his chance for a counterattack. 121 … c4 122 Rxc4 If 122 bxc4 Qxa4+ is perpetual check while 122 dxc4 d3 123 Rc1 Bd2 leads to a black win. 122 … Qg2+ 123 Kb1 Qf1+ 124 Rc1 Qxd3+ 125 Ka2 Qe2+ 126 Kb1 Qe4+ 127 Ka2 Qg2+ Black’s queen has broken through into White’s hinterland and is generating sufficient counterplay to assure himself of at least a draw. 128 Ka1 Qd5 129 Ka2 Qg2+ 130 Kb1 Qd5 131 Rc4 A blunder, losing at once. 131 Ka2 leads to a draw. 131 … Bc3 White resigns Now the black queen will invade on e4 or h1 and White will get mated.
 
Karjakin-Kramnik: Norway Chess 2014
(see diagram 2)
 
72 Qe4 Black resigns Although the advantage of queen against rook is colossal, it often occurs that technical difficulties arise in seeking to convert this advantage. The key methods are to centralise the queen and employ zugzwang, or compulsion to move. After White’s last move, Black is lost. Any sensible move of his rook along the third rank allows mate in one with 73 Qg2, while 72 … Rg4 73 Qf5 wins. Any other move of the rook along the g-file loses the rook or is mated in simple fashion.
 
It has now been announced by Fidé, the World Chess Federation, that this year’s world championship rematch between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand will take place in Sochi, scene of the recent Winter Olympics. The contest will run during November. It remains to be seen whether Carlsen can establish himself as champion in the same way as Karpov and Kasparov, or whether Anand will prove to be a second Botvinnik and emerge like a phoenix from the ashes of his last debacle to regain the world title.