Iron nerves

The game that clinched Magnus Carlsen’s victory in the Gashimov Memorial came, fittingly, in a last-round cliffhanger against his closest rival, Fabiano Caruana. Both players were on 5½ points out of 9 possible, hence a win for either grandmaster would determine the laurels in his favour. A draw, leaving them both tied on 6 points, would have been a reasonable solution, honourable to both sides, but Carlsen is at his most deadly in these tense situations — one of the attributes he has taken from the great psychologist Emanuel Lasker. As it was, Caruana, despite playing with the black pieces, also seemed determined to play for a win, repeating his exploit against Carlsen from the first half of the tournament. Caruana gambitted a pawn, threw caution to the winds and would probably have triumphed against an opponent with lesser defensive skills and more fragile nerves than the world champion.
 
Carlsen-Caruana: Vugar Gashimov Mem, Shamkir 2014; Reversed Grunfeld
 
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 c5 5 c3 d5 A bold decision indeed. If he wanted a draw then 5 …cxd4 6 cxd4 and only now 6 … d5 is a reliable continuation. 6 dxc5 The best way to hope for an advantage. White seizes the pawn and makes it clear that he does not fear Black’s ability to gain compensating ground in the centre and on the kingside. 6 … 0-0 7 0-0 a5 8 Be3 Nc6 Throwing down the gauntlet in irrevocable fashion. Black could grovel for a draw here with 8 … Ng4 9 Bd4 e5 10 h3 exd4 11 hxg4 dxc3 12 Nxc3 Bxg4 13 Qxd5 Qxd5 14 Nxd5 Na6. 9 Na3 a4 10 Qc1 e5 11 Rd1 Qe7 12 Nb5 Be6 13 Ng5 Bg4 14 Nd6 h6 Uncompromising battles have now been joined. Here 14 … Bxe2 fails to the counter-stroke 15 Rxd5 Nxd5 16 Bxd5 with a winning concentration of power against the pawn on f7. 15 Nf3 Kh7 16 h3 Be6 17 b4 axb3 18 axb3 Rxa1 19 Qxa1 Ne4 20 Nd2 (see diagram 1) 20 … f5 Creating such a mighty bulwark of pawns in the centre looks impressive but it was worth considering the alternative 20 … d4 21 Bxh6 Nxc3 22 Bxg7 Kxg7. In contrast 20 … Nxd6 fails to 21 cxd6 Qxd6 22 Nc4 Qd8 23 Bxd5 Bxd5 24 Bb6 Qd7 25 e4. 21 N2xe4 dxe4 22 Qb1 f4 23 Bd2 e3 24 Be1 Bf5 25 Qc1 h5 26 fxe3 fxg3 27 Bxg3 Qg5 28 e4 Black’s attack looks fearsome but this riposte annihilates his counterplay. 28 … Qxg3 29 Rd3 Qh4 30 exf5 gxf5 31 e4 fxe4 32 Bxe4+ Kh8 33 Qe3 Rf4 34 Bg2 Qe7 35 Qe2 Qh4 36 b4 e4 37 Nxe4 Ne5 38 Rd5 Kg8 39 b5 Rf5 40 c6 bxc6 41 bxc6 Qe7 42 Nd6 Rg5 43 Nb5 Qe6 44 Rd8+ Kh7 45 Qe4+ Rg6 46 c7 Qa6 47 c8Q Qa1+ (see diagram 2) 48 Kf2 The last trick to avoid was 48 Kh2?? when Black turns the tables with 48 … Nf3+! 49 Qxf3 Be5+ mating. 48 … Qb2+ 49 Ke1 Black resigns