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Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Magnus Carlsen
Biel Chess Festival (2011), Biel SUI, rd 5, Jul-23
Sicilian Defense: Closed Sicilian. Anti-Sveshnikov Variation Kharlov-Kramnik Line (B30)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 23 OF 23 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jul-24-11  DrMAL: <scormus> How long did Rybka take to compute that? It will eventually find it, just wondering. Forgot to mention how fun it also was being able to sneer at it, this does not happen often and I imagine it does not feel hurt.
Jul-24-11  anandrulez: Ra8 then i.e after Rb7 would be a zugzwang . In other words its mandatory to have R on 8th file to have any chances to draw . Because white doesnt just grab the a pawn it also trades the black rook in the process as King cant go anywheree .but the 7th rank ...and that means enough tempo to queen to a pawn too . Hope that explanation is clear . Please correct me if I am missing anything .
Jul-24-11  hms123: In going through the game with some electronic help, I noticed this position (White to play at move 82):


click for larger view

with this line:

<82.Rxb8+ Rxb8 83.Ra7 Kg8 84.g5 f5 85.g6>


click for larger view

It may have been hard to see with so little time remaining for MVL.

Jul-24-11  DrMAL: <hms123> Look back on page 15: Jul-23-11
DrMAL: <ajile> type 82.Rxb8+ Rxb8 83.Ra7! into Rybka pls

sneer (at Rybka not you, cheers!)

Jul-24-11  arnaud1959: <anandrulez> I don't think you're missing something. In fact, the same position occured on the 84th move with a slight but important difference. The white king was on b3 and black could create problems by pushing f3. So black wasn't in zugzwang yet. And if white plays Rh8 while the rook is on e7, black can play Re8 and we reach a similar position as in the game.
Jul-24-11  znsprdx: Ironic that Magnus had recently stated the he sees "psychological warfare" as being a critical component of his Chess style. Maxime provided perhaps the ultimate proof of this dictum...watching his persistence, as he went one hour behind on the clock was phenomenal. BTW dumping on Qe6 is silly [Carlsen took nearly 20 minutes on it]...it seemed forced because g5 was coming...the point of f4 in the first place....although I would appreciate some analysis to support my intuitive view...thank-you. No doubt ths game will be the turning point on the road to the elite club for Vachier-Lagrave
Jul-24-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: <DrMaL> got it here now. I ran them for 2 h, average search at 50,000 N/s.

Found 78 Qd5 after 26 mins at d=24 and eval = +1.53, reached d=25 after 2 h. same line, eval up to +2.40. WQ penetrates and rips up the B Qside

After 78 f4 she took a few minutes to get to d=20 and find the line starting ... gxf4 79 Qh3 Kf7 80 Qh5+ etc. Prefers that to the game move (80 Ra8) giving eval ca. +0.8. After 2h it had reached d=24 and eval up to +1.53. Qs stay on, unlike the game, and WQ dominates the center.

I have the analysis but wont post unless someone really wants it!

Jul-24-11  OneArmedScissor: <znsprdx: Ironic that Magnus had recently stated the he sees "psychological warfare" as being a critical component of his Chess style.>

That's not ironic.

Jul-24-11  OneArmedScissor: This is absolutely a tremendous game by MVL. Possibly his best game yet?
Jul-24-11  bubuli55: It seems like towards the end, MLG was making all the moves. All pieces on the board are at the right place for f4 to happen. Kudos to MLG for the push:)
Jul-24-11  hms123: <DrMal> I did look back but missed that comment. Thanks for pointing it out. It was a terrific game and I am sorry I missed the live action.
Jul-24-11  David2009: M Vachier-Lagrave vs Carlsen, 2011 was a remarkable piece of successful risk-taking by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. At move 76, he had the guts to refuse a draw against the world No.1 and chance his arm with 76. Qb1 Rb7 to reach


click for larger view

Here MVL burnt his boats with 77.Qd3! in effect committing after 77...Kh6 to sacrificing a Pawn next move with 78.f4! Respect!

Setting the position up in Crafty End Game Trainer http://www.chessvideos.tv/endgame-t... the EGT follows the game defence until move 80, when it plays 80...Qe8 instead of 80...Qe6 to leave


click for larger view

I now needed silicon help to find the following win against the EGT: 81.R1a7 Qc8 82.Qd3 Kg6 83.Qd5 Rxa8 84.Rxb7 Qf8 85.g5! to reach


click for larger view

and Black is lost after either 85...fxg5 86.Qe6+ Kh5 87.Qh3+ Kg6 88.Rg7+ or 85...Kxg5 86.Rxh7 Kg6 87.Rg7+ Kxh6 88.Rg1 Re8 89.Qd1 and the EGT gives up its Queen with 89...Qg8 to defer mate.

Jul-24-11  DrMAL: <scormus> Wow! LOL. Thanx for the details too, makes sense, considering how many were shouting Qd5 at the time. OTB in front of a crowd and cameras with one's own game at stake is a bit different from watching.
Jul-24-11  beenthere240: Added Big Pawn to ignore list. What a putz. (Apologies to all male members.)
Jul-25-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <Honza Cervenka: It seems to be that patient and passive defense is not exactly MC's cup of coffee.>

Very few players, even at the highest levels, can hold on in such positions after sitting there for hours without any winning chances.

White's opening variation, while it seems to be popular, doesn't really offer much, but frustrates his opponent's attempts to gain active play.

Vachier's play in the heavy-piece ending was an excellent example of 'massaging' one's opponent.

<arnaud1959: I don't understand 87.-Kg8. Why not Re7? White cannot exchange rooks and must bring the rook to a1 or a2 and then probably to the g-file. He should still win but Black can look at least for counterchances through a or g-files.>

White has no need to play this way, as the combined weakness of b6 and h7 doom Carlsen, despite his (temporary) extra pawn. He can play 88.Ra6 instead, after which the fall of either weakness is the end of Black's game.

Aug-19-11  znsprdx: BTW Stock'fish’ on Chessbomb(Chessdom ‘free’ live) gave f4 a red tag: weak move :0

... Rh1 Qe6 79. Qd5 Qxd5 80. cxd5 Kf7 81. c4 Ke7 82. Rha1 Kd7 83. Kc3 Kc7 84. Ra6 Rd8 85. Ra7 Rg8 86. Kd3 Rb8 87. R7a2 Rg8 88. Ra6

& 2nd:Rh2,3rd Rd2,4thRd1

also...
80. ... Kg8 81. Qd3 Kf7 82. Qh3
2nd ,,,,Rd8 81. Qh5+ Kg8 82. Qf5 Rd7 83. R1a6 Rxa8 84. Rxa8+ Rd8 85. Rxd8+ Qxd8 86. Qe6+ Kf8 87. Qf5 Kg8

Oct-03-11  newzild: <arnaud1959: I don't understand 87.-Kg8. Why not Re7? White cannot exchange rooks and must bring the rook to a1 or a2 and then probably to the g-file. He should still win but Black can look at least for counterchances through a or g-files.>

I wondered the same thing at first, but then I saw this:

87...Re7
88. Ra6 Rb7
89. Ra8

and now Black has no defence to the threat of 90. Rh8 and 91. Rxh7+, winning.

Oct-27-12  erniecohen: White missed a much easier win with
75. ♕d5 ♔xh6 76. ♖a8 ♖xa8 77. ♖xa8 ♖d8 78. ♖xd8 ♕xd8 79. ♕f7
Jan-14-13  Everett: The only game to my mind where Carlsen gets out Carlsened. So the score is something like +100 -1.

Congrats to MVL for an outstanding game, perhaps his immortal at the moment.

Mar-13-13  himadri: what a game by maxime
Aug-28-13  Garech: Carlsen got Carlsened :D

I remember watching this live, fantastic game from Maxime.

-Garech

Aug-27-14  independentthinker: I loved it when the computer shuffled its king back and forth aimlessly - typical computer. Oh, wait! ...
Dec-18-15  kamagong24: the grinder got grinded
Apr-15-17  Saniyat24: I absolutely loved and laughed at Vachier-Lagrave's 42nd move f3...!
Apr-15-17  Saniyat24: Carlsen played Kf7 13 times....!!
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