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Magnus Carlsen vs Radoslaw Wojtaszek
European Team Championship (2015), Reykjavik ISL, rd 9, Nov-22
Formation: Queen Pawn Game: London System (D02)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-22-15  Justin Flint: http://previews.123rf.com/images/dt...
Nov-22-15  EhsanBalani: 38.Ne8!! (How many exclamation mark does enough?)
Nov-22-15  devere: After 26 moves Carlsen has all of his pieces on the back rank, and he has the better position! I'd like to put Morphy in a time-travel-machine and get his comment on this.
Nov-22-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: One would think that, having reached an apparently harmless line of the Exchange Caro-Kann, that White has no more than equality (cf Spielmann vs Nimzowitsch, 1923 where Black played 7....Qd7), but as usual, Carlsen finds ways to set a strong GM fresh problems.
Nov-22-15  Mehem: <devere> In contrast, I'd say the Black pieces suffer from a some kind of ADHD. And after 28... Qf4? White Queen cured them quickly.
Nov-22-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  JointheArmy: Vintage Carlsen.
Nov-22-15  Ulhumbrus: If after 14...0-0-0 Black can advance neither his queen side pawns not his king side pawns this suggests 14...g6 getting ready to castle on the king side
Nov-22-15  thegoodanarchist: At first I thought 38.Ne8! threatened only 39.Qc7#, and that 38...Qf7 defends. It took me a moment to see that 39.Qd6# is mate too.

So why not 38...a6, I wondered for a moment, until I realized that 39.Qd6+ Ka7 loses a piece.

Nov-22-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: 39.Qd6 is not mate.

(The Black Knight can interpose on c6.)

Black loses at any rate...

38...Qf7 39.Qd6+ Nc6 40.bxc6 Qxe8 41.c7+ Ka5 42.Qxc5+

Nov-22-15  thegoodanarchist: <chancho: 39.Qd6 is not mate. >

LOL, of course! OMG, what a funny thing tequila can do to the brain.

I didn't even bother to suggest the defensive move 38...Nc6 for Black because it obviously loses.

Yet, I completely forgot the same move when thinking of 39.Qd6 "#"

Oh wow, what a blunder on my part!

Nov-22-15  Karposian: <perfidious: One would think that, having reached an apparently harmless line of the Exchange Caro-Kann, that White has no more than equality (cf Spielmann vs Nimzowitsch, 1923 where Black played 7....Qd7), but as usual, Carlsen finds ways to set a strong GM fresh problems.>

Yeah, the Exchange Caro-Kann doesn't usually pose to many problems for Black (because you're absolutely right, even though this game can be classified as Queen's Pawn Game. London System, after 6.exd4 it is effectively the Exchange C-K).

But, in this game there is one big difference from a typical Exchange Caro-Kann game, and that is opposite castling. This makes it a little less harmless than usual.

In the Exchange C-K, both sides usually castle Kingside.

Nov-22-15  Bruce Graham: Lovely last move. It reminded me of the finish in this one: L Lenic vs Le Quang Liem, 2011
Nov-23-15  Sokrates: <thegoodanarchist: ... Oh wow, what a blunder on my part!> Don't be so hard on yourself. I'd forgive any man with a passion for tequila. The cocktail "Malcolm Lowry" is one of my favourites. :-)

As for the game, the end position is a beauty in the symmetry of pieces around the black king. The phalanx of two knights doesn't help the king. Finally, the world champ shows his talent.

Nov-23-15  kamagong24: white's Q and Knight dances around black's K while the lone white pawn shuts any escape route for black's king! another instructive mating attack by Magnus...
Nov-23-15  JohnDMaster: The game between Lenic and Le Quang Liem is more reminiscent of Piket vs Kasparov, that game was amazing!
Nov-23-15  FairyPromotion: Here's another game that ends with a flashy Ne8 move: A Haik vs Skembris, 1981
Nov-24-15  Ulhumbrus: My previous message contained a typing error so here it is again:

If after 14...0-0-0 Black can advance neither his queen side pawns nor his king side pawns this suggests 14...g6 getting ready to castle on the king side

Nov-24-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <EhsanBalani: 38.Ne8!! (How many exclamation mark does enough?)>

Omigod spoilers!! :-)

Nice to see a great game from the champ.

Nov-24-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <So why not 38...a6, I wondered for a moment, until I realized that 39.Qd6+ Ka7 loses a piece.>

39.Qd6+?? Qxd6.

Instead 39.Qc7+ Ka7 40.b6+ Ka8 41.Qc8#.

Nov-26-15  thegoodanarchist: <Sokrates: <thegoodanarchist: ... Oh wow, what a blunder on my part!> Don't be so hard on yourself. I'd forgive any man with a passion for tequila. The cocktail "Malcolm Lowry" is one of my favourites. :-)>

Thanks for the suggestion! I will look it up and perhaps try it.

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