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Peter Heine Nielsen vs Magnus Carlsen
SmartFish Chess Masters (2004), Drammen NOR, rd 1, Dec-27
Slav Defense: Czech. Carlsbad Variation (D17)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Dec-28-04  iron maiden: I must be missing something major, but what's wrong with 55...Rxf5?
Dec-28-04  percyblakeney: Fritz says that Rh4+ would follow, with threats like e7 and Re4.
Dec-29-04  Gowe: If 55.Rxf5 56.Rh4+ Kc3 57.Re4 and the promote of the pawn on E is inevitable.
Dec-29-04  artemis: after 55. ... Rxf5 White wants to advance the e pawn. The question is can he? simple calculation of the most direct line shows 56. e7 Re5+ 57. K (any) Rxe7 wins two pawns.

However, since I assume that white knows the rule that rooks belong behind passed pawns, after 55. ... Rxf5? 56. Rh4+! Kc3 57. Re4!, white advances the unstoppable e pawn, queening in two, and black cannot queen quickly enough, e.g. 57. ... b4 58. e7 b3 59. e8=Q now there are several options,
a) ... b2?? 60 Qc8+ attacking king and rook

b) ... Rc5 (with the idea of moving the rook and blocking the check) 60. Qa4! threatens to win the rook with Qb4+ wins the pawns with 60. ... Rc8 61. Rb4 b2 62. Qb3+ etc.

c) ... Kb2 ( with the idea of moving the king from the Qc8+ to save the rook. This has the unfortunate quality of blocking the advance of the b3 pawn, which white quickly takes advantage of.) 60. Qa4 any 61. Rb4 Re5+ 62. Kf4 and the b pawn will fall and the f pawn is blockaded by the king.

d) other rook moves fall to the same tactics in (b), since the b3 pawn cannot be held.

Jan-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  EARNSKI: Much better to play the alternative 10...Nfd7 than to lose a piece with 10...Nfg4. I can't really imagine why CARLSEN move this...What he is thinking? Is there have a compensation?
Jan-11-05  artemis: the compensation for the knight is the mobile queenside pawns. These material imbalances are hard to judge, but I think that his idea was that his two kingside pawns will slow down white's so that the pawn imbalance becomes three vs. one on the queenside. Since white's king is out of the action, this isnt unreasonable, but He just doesn't quite get enough.
Jan-11-05  boger: ernski. Carlsen was expecting 11. h3 Qe7.
Jun-24-05  SADDAM: anyone know the link for analysis at chess cafe???
Mar-13-06  trumbull0042: This is an interesting piece sacrifice that was evidently home-prepped by Carlsen, which is impressive for a 14-year old--although he is where he is precisely because of this kind of hard work.

We should add to the list of compensations Black's mobile rooks vs. White's inability to castle.

It's too bad Carlsen didn't end up winning this game. White's counterplay, initiated with 40. Rc1, was just too strong in the end.

Feb-20-07  Tacticstudent: <trumbull0042: This is an interesting piece sacrifice that was evidently home-prepped by Carlsen, which is impressive for a 14-year old--although he is where he is precisely because of this kind of hard work.>

In fact, I think that home-prepared moves nowadays generally are made by computers, not humans. GMs just see the line they want to play in the opnening, they see what Fritz think about it, watch out for any improvemennt and then finally go to the tournaments.

Apr-30-15  whiteshark: Sixty-four revels in authority.
Nov-03-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: In playing 10..Nfg4? Carlsen was playing a move that Morozovich had played against him in an online game the previous day; 10 Nfd7 is the main line. 11 Nxe5 had been played in two obscure 1995 games; 11 f3! was new and pretty much refutes the line (note that 11 h3..Qe7 favors Black - 12 hxg?..Nf3#). Morozovich stopped playing the line in internet games due to the line 11 f3..Qe7 12 fxg..Nd3+ 13 Qxd3..Bxd3 14 Nd6+..Kd7 15 0-0-0. The game would have been shortened had White played 15 Qd3 and if 15..Bd4 then 16 gxf!; instead after 15 Qc2?!..0-0-0 Black had good play. Had Black played 18..Qf6! he would have had compensation for the piece.
Nov-03-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <plang>, I played the White side of this now and again in the 1990s, but the idea 10....Nfg4 never occurred to me and I certainly never faced it back in those days.

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