chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
Sergey Karjakin vs Fabiano Caruana
Gashimov Memorial (2016), Shamkir AZE, rd 9, Jun-04
Spanish Game: Open. Bernstein Variation (C80)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

explore this opening
find similar games 74 more Karjakin/Caruana games
PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: If you register a free account you will be able to create game collections and add games and notes to them. For more information on game collections, see our Help Page.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.
PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

Kibitzer's Corner
Jun-04-16  Nova: I'm a bit surprised that Karjakin didn't get more out of the endgame. After 21…axb5, Black has an isolated e6 pawn, and a backwards c7 pawn that one White rook already bears down on. And Black hasn't activated his h8 rook yet!

Shouldn't White be better here after 21…axb5? Why not instead of 22. a4, which allows Black to trade off a pawn, playing 22. Rc6, and then following up with Rac1? Or what about the immediate 22. Rac1?How does Black get counter play to draw? Thoughts from any strong players?

Jun-05-16  greed and death: I'm not particularly strong (around 1900), but it seems to me that after 22. Rc6 Kf7 23. Rac1 Bd6 White can make little further progress on the pawns and Black's h8-rook is easily activated. The same applies to 22. Rac1 Bd6, when Black can again quickly activate the rook with ..0-0 or ...Kf7.

In both cases, the resulting position appears to me to be drawn, so Karjakin likely opted for a quick and easy draw over a longer and possibly more difficult draw by playing 22. a4.

Hope this helps! :)

Jun-07-16  Nova: Ah, I underestimated the importance of having …Bd6. I thought a subsequent Bc5 trying to trade it off would make it weak, but Black can easily defend with his king, and the back-rank mates against White give Black plenty of activity.

Thanks for the input! :)

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.

Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC