Magnus Carlsen was, as he said, ‘completely crushed’ in the second round of the Qatar Masters earlier this month. His opponent, 23-year-old Alisher Suleymenov from Kazakhstan, is a grandmaster, but on paper nowhere near to the level of the world elite. He played the game of his life, but his achievement was undermined by Carlsen’s intemperate comment (on X) that ‘as soon as I saw my opponent was wearing a watch early in the game, I lost my ability to concentrate’.
Predictably, this began a frenzy of gossip, though the world no. 1 soon clarified that he was not accusing his opponent of cheating. The sad truth is that a miasma of mistrust is encroaching year by year. That paranoia is not baseless – technology is getting smaller and cheaper, and there is a perception that the sporadic reports of busted miscreants represent only the tip of the iceberg.
In top-tier tournaments, players are familiar with a few standard measures. Airport-style metal detectors are prevalent, and watches and personal pens, which might conceal some receiving device, are forbidden. Smartphones are banned in the playing hall, even for spectators, and games are broadcast online with (say) a 15-minute delay, to make it harder for a remote assistant to transmit timely advice. Players broadly assent to these disruptions, although many (including me) believe a determined cheat could circumvent them.
Carlsen’s exasperation was aimed primarily at the organisers for not even taking care of the basics, although they took steps to address his concerns in subsequent rounds. Suleymenov’s splendid win is shown below.
Alisher Suleymenov-Magnus Carlsen
Qatar Masters, October 2023
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 Ba6 5 Qc2 Bb7 6 Nc3 c5 7 e4 cxd4 8 Nxd4 Bc5 8…Nc6 is a decent alternative, but the game Christiansen-Karpov, Wijk aan Zee 1993 ended abruptly: 9 Nxc6 Bxc6 10 Bf4 Nh5 11 Be3 Bd6?? 12 Qd1! forked knight and bishop so Karpov resigned. 9 Nf3 Nc6 10 b4 Be7 11 Bb2 Qb8 12 Rd1 O-O 13 Be2 d6 14 O-O Rc8 15 Rfe1 Bf8 16 Bf1 Ne7 17 Nb5 Ne8 17…Ng6 was much the lesser evil, though allowing 18 Bxf6 gxf6 was unattractive. 18 Ng5 This, combined with the previous knight lunge, is the star idea, though Suleymenov has not yet had to stake anything significant. He may well have seen that 18…h6 can be met by 19 Nxf7 Kxf7 20 e5, with a powerful, albeit complex attack. But any grandmaster would readily see that 19 e5 hxg5 20 exd6 will soon recover the knight, while retaining a safe edge. Ng6 19 e5 Now 19… dxe5 20 Bxe5 traps the queen, as capturing the bishop allows mate on h7. d5 20 Qb3 Be7 (see diagram) 21 Nxf7! Tearing into the light squares. Spectacular though this is, the sequence which follows is entirely findable for a player with strong tactical vision. Kxf7 22 cxd5 Bxd5 23 Rxd5 exd5 24 Qxd5+ Kf8 25 Nd4 Suleymenov has just two pawns for the rook, but neither of the knights on e8 or g6 contributes to the defence of the light squares, which are critically weak. The primary threat is 26 Ne6+ Kg8 27 Ng5+ Kh8 28 Nf7+ Kg8 29 Nh6+ Kh8 30 Qg8# A crucial detail is that 25…Nc7 26 Qf3+ Kg8 (26…Ke8 27 Bc4 is also decisive) 27 Nc6! Qb7 28 Nxe7+ wins the queen. Carlsen tries the only plausible alternative to cover e6. Nf4 26 Qf3 Kg8 27 Qxf4 The material balance is restored. Carlsen’s king remains in desperate trouble, and his clumsy pieces contribute little to the defence. Qb7 28 Nf5 b5 29 Bxb5 Bf8 30 Bc4+ Kh8 31 Nh6 Black resigns
Comments