‘I kind of played old man’s chess in that game,’ said Magnus Carlsen, after winning a game against S.L. Narayanan, a top Indian grandmaster, at the Tata Steel Rapid in Kolkata last week. ‘No long variations, just positional chess.’ None of his moves would have come as a great surprise to his opponent, while Narayanan’s mistakes were inconspicuous. Yet Carlsen steadily assumed control of the game, consistently sensing the optimal places for his pieces.
S.L. Narayanan-Magnus Carlsen
Tata Steel Chess India Rapid, November 2024
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7 6 Qe2 6 Re1 is more common, and one standard continuation is 6…b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 O-O 9 h3 Na5 10 Bc2 c5 11 d4. The move 9…Nc6-a5 signifies the popular Chigorin variation, named after Mikhail Chigorin, a Russian master from the 19th century. The strategies which Carlsen employs in this game would be adapted from his knowledge of that classic variation. d6 7 c3 O-O 8 Rd1 Bd7 9 Bb3 Na5 10 Bc2 c5 11 d4 Qc7 12 d5 b5 13 b3 g6 14 Nbd2 Nb7 15 Nf1 Nh5 16 Bh6 Ng7 17 Ng3 f6 Carlsen prepares Nb7-d8-f7, to improve his worst-placed piece. The f5 advance can wait. 18 a4 Rfb8 The immediate 18…Nb7-d8? 19 axb5! Bxb5 fractures the queenside pawns. 19 axb5 axb5 20 Bd3 Qb6 21 b4 Usually, this is a desirable advance to restrict the Nb7. Here it is a subtle mistake, for reasons which become clear at move 25. c4 22 Bc2 Nd8 23 Nd2 Qb7 24 Be3 Rxa1 25 Rxa1 Ra8 Were the pawns still on b3 and c5, the pressure against b5 from the Bd3 would forbid this move, which allows Carlsen to take control of the open file. 26 Rf1 Ra3 27 f4 Nf7 27…Rxc3? 28 Nb1 traps the rook. 28 fxe5 Narayanan perhaps hoped for 28…Nxe5 29 Bd4, when both sides gain useful squares. Carlsen’s recapture creates an important alternate square for his knight on d6, and maintains the latent possibility of an f6-f5 break. The passed d-pawn is nothing to fear. dxe5! 29 Nb1 Ra2 30 h3 Ne8 31 Bc5 Ned6 32 Kh2 Qa8 33 Rf2 Qd8 34 Qd1 Bf8 35 Be3 Bh6 36 Bxh6 Nxh6 37 Nd2 Kg7 38 Ndf1 Nhf7 39 Qf3 Ra3 40 Qe3 The aggressive 40 h4 is well met by 40…Nh6! to exploit the weaknesses. Qa8 41 Qf3 Ne8 42 Ne2 Qa7 43 Ne3 Ng5 44 Qg3 Nd6 (see left diagram)
All of a sudden, the e4 pawn is defenceless. 45 Nf4 A desperate lunge, hoping for counterplay after 45…exf4 46 Qxf4 Ne8 47 e5, or 45…Ndxe4 46 Bxe4 Nxe4 47 Nh5+. Carlsen ignores the bait. Rxc3 White resigns
Carlsen won both the rapid and blitz events in Kolkata, but not all his games went so smoothly. In the one below, Carlsen hoped to slowly trap the Nh1, but overlooked an elementary tactic.
Magnus Carlsen-Arjun Erigaisi
Tata Steel Chess India Blitz, November 2024 (see right diagram)
12 Qf4?? Qa5+ won the Nc5. Carlsen resigned a few moves later.
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