Magnus Carlsen vs Boris Gelfand (2013) Magnus P.I.

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Magnus Carlsen vs Boris Gelfand
"Magnus P.I." (game of the day Apr-02-2013)
World Championship Candidates (2013), London ENG, rd 10, Mar-27
Sicilian Defense: Nezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack (B30) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Given 20 times; par: 70 [what's this?]

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 24 OF 27 · Later Kibitzing>
Mar-27-13		chancho: If Magnus continues to play like this in the next 4 rounds, there is no stopping him.

Mar-27-13		notyetagm: <Ezzy> Yes, I totally agree with your annotations: 21 ♗e5-d4! 22 ♖d1-d3! 23 b2-b4! 28 ♕h5-a5! A simply incredible plan that Carlsen devised to get the advantage during a long think. Check out all the variations that Carlsen had to calculate in executing this fantastic idea: http://www.theweekinchess.com/chess... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQGZ...

Mar-27-13		csmath: This is surely the strongest Rossolimo played by elite GM. The minimal advantage from the opening is almost winning by the move 31. And there are no obvious errors that Gelfand did. Up to move 32 I thought this is just darn machine-precision. It is rare to see such a strong play indeed. Unfortunately to be immortal game needs perfect opponent and with 39. ... Ra1? Gelfand made an error to make this game of a lesser value. Nevertheless the final winning setup is yet again machine precision by Magnus.

Mar-27-13		csmath: Just based on Magnus play this is perhaps his best game of the tournament. The strength of play he exhibited here is, even on this level, phenomenal. This is way better game than any other game in this round and it simply demonstrates the amazing strength of Magnus' chess. It will be a big surprise if anybody else wins this tournament. Anand has very good reasons to worry. I cannot see how would he be able to stop Magnus.

Mar-28-13		notyetagm: <csmath: Just based on Magnus play this is perhaps his best game of the tournament. The strength of play he exhibited here is, even on this level, phenomenal. This is way better game than any other game in this round and it simply demonstrates the amazing strength of Magnus' chess. It will be a big surprise if anybody else wins this tournament. Anand has very good reasons to worry. I cannot see how would he be able to stop Magnus.> I think people greatly underestimate World Champion Anand. He will be superbly prepared for a match with Carlsen, and we all know what Anand is capable of when well-prepared: Aronian vs Anand, 2013.

Mar-28-13		engineerX: Anybody thinks 44...Bxf1 45.Qxf7 Kh8 46.Qf6+ Kh7 47.Kh2 Qe8 48.Qf4 Qd7 49.Qf3 Bb5 50.b7 Qc7+ is equal? Then 43.b6 must have been an (uncharacteristic) error in a winning position by Carlsen.

Mar-28-13		csmath: I do like Anand as a person so I wish him the best. I am hoping for a great match. I guess they will both be well prepared. Assuming Magnus wins London.

Mar-28-13		RookFile: This was a dynamic and interesting game. White got there first.

Mar-28-13		LIFE Master AJ: Maybe Carlsen just got lucky ...

Mar-28-13		Just Another Master: 2879.....such haters....dont hate appreciate!

Mar-28-13		weisyschwarz: 20...Qb6 may look pretty, but it is deceiving. There is no real counter-play to follow. 20...Qf8 may seem passive by comparison, but there the K is protected. The b-pawn becomes a lure, and then the area behind the pawns, but it all becomes a trap for the wandering Q.

Mar-28-13		SatelliteDan: Just for the record, Magnus did not see losing his B, he admitted it was a mistake but not worried as he had the 2 passed pawns.

Mar-28-13		mrbasso: <Anybody thinks 44...Bxf1 45.Qxf7 Kh8 46.Qf6+ Kh7 47.Kh2 Qe8 48.Qf4 Qd7 49.Qf3 Bb5 50.b7 Qc7+ is equal?> White goes g3. Bb5 is forced. followed by Qe4 and f4. Bc6 is forced. then b8Q and white is 2 pawns up in a Qeen vs. Qeen endgame. I don't know how to win this. Maybe it's impossible.

Mar-28-13		Morten: I particularly like the white squared bishop. The brief outing to b5 defines the opening. It returns to f1 on move 6, stays there and ultimately dies in its nest. Meanwhile it secures the center, supports the decisive queen side advance, guards the king and kills black's counterplay - all without moving.

Mar-28-13		Stonehenge: I think the first mistake black made was 14...a5 instead of 0-0.

Mar-28-13		Eyal: Indeed, <44...Bxf1> instead of 44...Qxf1+ should have allowed at least much tougher resistance to Black: 45.Qxf7+ Kh8 46.Qf6+ (White needs to prevent Qe5+ after Kh2: 46.Kh2 Qe5+ 47.f4/g3? [47.Kg1 Qe1 repeats] 47...Qe4) 46...Kh7 47.Kh2 Qe8 48.Qf4 Qd7 49.Qf3 Bb5 50.b7 Qc7+ 51.g3 Kg7 52.Qe4 Kh7 53.f4 (there doesn't seem to be any other way of making progress) 53...Bc6 (now 53...Kg7 loses to 54.Qe5+) 54.b8Q Qxb8 55.Qxc6: click for larger view And White should probably be able to win this somehow, but it certainly isn't easy with the way his king is exposed to checks.

Mar-28-13		csmath: Eyal, that is a lost ending. Yes, king is exposed to checks but king will come out and if needed into help to promote. There is no way black queen can stop the promotion. You just need to keep white queen in protection of pawn and with open diagonals. The only way not to win here would be a blunder or to close white queen long diagonal with pawn which is a mistake Carlsen would not make.

Mar-28-13		Eyal: I didn't say it isn't winning; it's a tougher defense that makes White work harder for the win (and gives him more chances to go wrong - including the sequence that leads to the diagram position). But I'd definitely bet on Carlsen to eventually win this as well.

Mar-28-13		Bishoprick: LIFE Master AJ: Maybe Carlsen just got lucky ... In New York we used to say, "The better player is always lucky. . ."

Mar-28-13		Ulhumbrus: The move 15 Qd3!! can be called the first of a pair of moves of whioch the second is the manoeuvre 18 Qg3. On d3 the queen appears to do nothing, whereas on g3 the queen does something. This suggests that Carlsen finds a way to develop the queen not by using a single move but by using a pair of moves.

Mar-28-13		fgh: <Yes, if Carlsen wins the WC title, he will immediately join the all-time greats: Fischer, Kasparov, Capablanca, Carlsen.> Carlsen will join himself?

Mar-28-13		LIFE Master AJ: Actually, that (comment) was "tongue-in-cheek," Carlsen's play was pretty darn good. I also feel quite sure that Carlsen saw losing the ♗ well in advance, that is not a terribly difficult combination, even I can calculate that well ...

Mar-28-13		LIFE Master AJ: << Mar-28-13 <Ulhumbrus:> The move 15 Qd3!! can be called the first of a pair of moves ... <<<<>>>>> >> Good call, I wonder how much was done with the computer?

Mar-28-13		YouRang: As others have pointed out, Gelfand could have made this game much tougher for Carlsen had he played 44...Bxf1 (instead of ...Qxf1+). On the other hand, Carlsen could have avoided giving Gelfand the opportunity to make it tougher. On the previous move, Carlsen faced this position (after Gelfand played 42...Qe1 to pin the white bishop): click for larger view Black is obviously threatening ...Bc4 to hit the pinned Bf1, giving black hopes for counterplay. Carlsen evidently calculated that he could survive this counterplay (possibly not anticipating 44...Bxf1!), and so he played 43.b6?! However, he had a much stronger move: A counterpin on the black bishop with 43.Qe7! This stops the threat of ...Bc4, puts the Q in a better kingside position, and gets out of the way of his passed pawns. Black's best might be 43...Qb1 (maintaining the pin and renewing the ...Bc4 threat, while attacking a pawn) 44.b6 Bc4 45.b7 Qxf1+ 46.Kh2 Bd5 (threat ...Qxg2# and ...Bxb7) click for larger view 47.f3 Bxb7 48.Qxf7+ Kh8 49.Qxb7 click for larger view White is well-positioned to advance his c-pawn, and his king has some shelter from checks. It might continue, 49...Qc4 (threat ...Qxh4+ & perpetual =) 50.Qe7! (guards both Pc5 and Ph4, and position to attack exposed king) 50...Kg8 51.Kg3 (free Q from defense of Ph4) Qd5+ 54.f4 click for larger view The black Q can give check from d3 or a3, but then the white king finds shelter again at h2. Meanwhile, white threatens Qd7+ -- a winning queen exchange. This position is easily resignable.

Mar-28-13		PinnedPiece: Today after the early draw between Gelfand and Ivanchuk, in the post-mortem interview Gelfand declared this game to be the best of the tournament to date. It sure is a battle. Great game, I also say. .

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