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Vassily Ivanchuk vs Magnus Carlsen
Euro Club Cup (2008)  ·  Gruenfeld Defense: Smyslov Defense (D94)  ·  1-0
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Given 14 times; par: 45 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Oct-23-08  chaarl: Good play by Ivanchuk, nice pawn promotion combination to finish.
Oct-23-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: 38 ... Qe5-e6


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39 Qb7xRc8! 1-0


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<chaarl: Good play by Ivanchuk, nice pawn promotion combination to finish.>

Carlsen (Black) resigns because of the game continuation 39 ... Qe6xQe8 40 Bg2-b7! Qc8xBb7 41 c7-c8=Q, leaving White ahead by an Exchange and a pawn.

(CONT) 39 ... Qe6xQe8 40 Bg2-b7! Qc8xBb7 41 c7-c8=Q


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Oct-24-08  karik: Yet again great job <notyet>! Still we might need some more camera angles for these slow motion captures. Black side or left side views?
Oct-24-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: <karik: ... Black side or left side views?>

Yes, I wish there was an option to display the diagram from the Black side, for when it is *Black* who plays the combination or good move.

Oct-24-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gilmoy: Full-game impressions:

1. <9..e6 10..Nbd7> Slav-ish, and Carlsen has already solved his bad-LSB problem.

2. <12.Rac1 Rc8> Shadowboxing! Mutual respect? They both fear the other guy's TN if they make any obvious center capture :)

3. <13.Be1 17.Bf1> GM Bishop thing! (A Rustemov vs D Skorchenko, 2008) Both still probing around for an unexpected breakout. Meanwhile, White cleverly exploits the little space he has for respectable waiting moves. Notice how Carlsen's Knights don't have the same luxury -- N moves are more commital. An unexpected benefit of the <bishop pair> -- they're better at pussyfooting!

4. <17..Bf8> Carlsen's grumble-I'm-in-dang-zugzwang-already Bishop thing of his own ...

<18.Qb1!!> ... is excellently trumped by Chucky's Queen thing!! <He who undevelops more pieces, wins!! :-O>

5. <19.g3 20.Bg2 21.Ne2> Now Ivanchuk's got some annoying hidden-pressure on the b7-c6-d5 pawn chain, whereas his own Q-side pawns have adroitly dodged Carlsen's Grun bishop. Who could blame Carlsen for arranging his pawns like that? Our opening analysis usually does not cover the fianchetto on move 20. Quoth erstwhile correspondent NN: <I didn't even know move numbers went that high -->

6. <25..dxc4 26.bxc4> Chucky's Qb1 yawns and stretches --

7. <27.c5!> I guess to freeze the b7-pawn? But it fits this game's uber-theme of making waiting moves and giving the other guy more rope than he's giving you ...

8. <27..Rcd8?!> Carlsen either cracks (unlikely), or outsmarts himself (possible), thinking that he's offering a "poisoned b7" for tempi + clearance to heavy-double on 2 and hunt sideways. Normally a deadly idea -- but Chucky peers through the ply-fog, and sees that his "deflected" Qb7 has back-rank mate threats of his own! Carlsen surely considered N(either)d7, and judged it blah -- it's probably drawish precisely because it holds everything. And he really wants his omelette ...

Objectively, Carlsen just unzipped his own protection-chain. Re8 is-chained-to Ne5, Qc7 is-chained-to b7, so who's protecting Rd8? Ergo, he's sacking for activity -- in fact, he's (will-be-)offering N+PP!! See above about avoiding the obvious center captures -- I think this qualifies ...

9. <32..Qb2> A critical position -- hanging Ne4 with counterthreat to Rc1 and Qb7. Now <33.Qxc2 Bxc2 34.Rf1 Nxc5> leaves White with terrible problems holding his a-pawn, so Black has compensation, and may even be winning. <34.Rc4? Rd1+ 35.Kh2 (Bf1?? Nd2 ) Nxf2> and White's N is-chained-to e5 (else Be5#).

10. <33.Ne7+ Kf8> I think Carlsen saw annoying complications in <33..Kh7 34.Qxe4! Qxc1+ 35.Kh2> and White has g5 with mate threats at h6. Nonetheless, Black probably escapes that line with a draw, e.g. <35..Bf8!> to settle the mate threat ASAP. Letting White trade Ns with check dissolved pressure, and Black is simply down PP. <35..Kf8 36.Qa8+ Ke7 37.Qb7+> forces a Q trade when Black's back-rank threat is gone -- now White can safely play <Rc4> and push the c-monster.

Oct-24-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: <Gilmoy: ... but Chucky peers through the ply-fog,>

Wow, great expression, <ply-fog>.

That's *exactly* the way it feels when you are playing, visualizing the position that will appear on the board many moves from nowlike, just like you are trying to see through a fog.

Oct-25-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eyal: <Gilmoy: 27.c5! I guess to freeze the b7-pawn?> After this move White indeed gets a strong grip on the Q-side and is clearly better; with 27...Rcd8? Carlsen loses patience or miscalculates (or both) and his position falls apart rather quickly, but things are already not looking so good for him. So apparently 26...Qc7? was a crucial mistake; a move like 26...b5 makes much more sense.

<32..Qb2 A critical position -- hanging Ne4 with counterthreat to Rc1 and Qb7. Now <33.Qxb2 Bxb2 34.Rf1 Nxc5> leaves White with terrible problems holding his a-pawn, so Black has compensation, and may even be winning. <34.Rc4? Rd1+ 35.Kh2 (Bf1?? Nd2 ) Nxf2> and White's N is-chained-to e5 (else Be5#).> In fact, after 36.Nd4 White is still much better; but it's true that Black has more fighting chances that way, and therefore 33.Ne7+! which wins by force is more accurate than 33.Qxb2.

<33.Ne7+ Kf8 I think Carlsen saw annoying complications in <33..Kh7 34.Qxe4! Qxc1+ 35.Kh2> and White has g5 with mate threats at h6. Nonetheless, Black probably escapes that line with a draw, e.g. <35..Bf8!> to settle the mate threat ASAP.>

33..Kh7 34.Qxe4?? Qxc1+ 35.Kh2 actually loses to 35...Qe1! and Black's attack arrives first; 35.Bf1 would hold on a little longer but is still clearly losing after 35...Rd1 Qg2 Qxc5. However, White has a clear-cut win with 34.Qxb2! Bxb2 35.Bxe4 Bxc1 36.c6 and Black would have to give up the rook for the c-pawn (note how in comparison with the 33.Qxb2 Bxb2 line, it makes a crucial difference that the knight is already on e7 instead of c6).


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