Magnus Carlsen vs Veselin Topalov (2018)

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Magnus Carlsen vs Veselin Topalov
Gashimov Memorial (2018), Shamkir AZE, rd 7, Apr-26
English Opening: King's English. Four Knights Variation Quiet Line (A28) · 1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 8 OF 9 · Later Kibitzing>
Apr-26-18		Ulhumbrus: <Willem Wallekers: <27...Bxe4 28 Rxd6 Qxd6 29> Re8+> It seems that Black can't avoid Re8+ by 27...Bxe4 and if he wants to avoid it he has to keep his bishop back on g6 by 26...Rxd3 instead of 26...Bxd3. On 26...Rxd3 27 Rxd3 Qxd3 28 Qxd3 Rxd3 29 Re7 Rxc3 30 Rxa7 Rxc4 31 Bxc6 Rc2 it may be that Black has the better of it. Perhaps Topalov wanted more than this.

Apr-26-18		dehanne: Going full AlphaZero.

Apr-26-18		Everett: This line is familiar to me from Mihai Suba’s interesting books.

Apr-26-18		morfishine: Topalov is a great tactician, so you really can't fault him here since nobody has ever survived the brutal X-ray/deflection/pin/decoy/fork/skewer/overload attack nobody *****

Apr-26-18		Justin796: Lol tune in tomorrow to watch Giri and Carlsen play to a draw...ahh the joys modern chess...from now on a draw means you get penalized a half point...it will revolutionize chess and stop players from being boring!

Apr-26-18		The Kings Domain: Good game, one wonders whether Topalov can bounce back from this.

Apr-26-18		perfidious: <The Kings Domain: Good game, one wonders whether Topalov can bounce back from this.> One strength of elite players is their resilience.

Apr-26-18		Everett: <Apr-26-18 Justin796: Lol tune in tomorrow to watch Giri and Carlsen play to a draw...ahh the joys modern chess...from now on a draw means you get penalized a half point...it will revolutionize chess and stop players from being boring!> LOL you’re post is so predictable and boring! Haha, keep posting drivel!

Apr-26-18		drleper: <NBZ: Why didn't Topalov play 51. ... Rxf5? Isn't rook+g-pawn vs queen generally a draw?> It's interesting to see what would have happened if Magnus had played 50.Qxc6? Rxf5 51. Qe4 g6 52. Kxg4 Kg7 click for larger view This is indeed drawn (although yes lost if the pawn is on one of the c, d, e, or f files, where it needs to be back on the starting square). But Magnus played the accurate 50.Qg6+! and now 50... Kh8 51. Qxc6 Rxf5 52. Qc8+ loses the rook (or just transposes to the actual game ending where white still has the f pawn, say with 51... Rf6). In the game line with 50... Kg8 black doesn't quite have time to reach Philidor's fortress setup. 51... Rxf5 52. Qe6+ Rf7 53. Kxg4 Kf8 54. Qc8+ Ke7 55. Kg5 and the king is kicked out: click for larger view Alternatively 53... g6 54. Kg5 Kf8 55. Qd6+ (not 55. Kxg6? Rg7+ 56. Kf6 Rg6+ 57. Kxg6 stalemate, or never-ending checks if the king moves away, even 56.Kh6 Rh7+!) 55... Ke8 56. Qxg6 with a won ending. click for larger view With the knight pawn, apparently the king can also defend in front of the pawn, but only with the pawn on the 4th or 5th rank.

Apr-26-18		Sally Simpson: Hi chessdgc2, I agree. "Time trouble is not an excuse." Alekhine. "Time trouble is not a viable excuse - the clock is your 17th piece. If you have misplaced time then it's the same as misplacing a piece." I said that. ---- Hi wharfrat, "Topalov undoubtedly saw all of this." I'm not sure if he 'saw' all of that but went the way he felt had the better chances. What Carlsen certainly saw (or envisaged is a better word) is this position a long time long time before it appeared on the board. click for larger view It's a must know stock in trade position. You either know it (technique) and win.... Wang Pin vs A M Galliamova, 1991 (found quite a few games with this win.) ....or you don't and draw. https://www.365chess.com/game.php?g... (just the one...so far.)

Apr-26-18		drleper: <Sally Simpson> Nice finds! 👍 Carlsen's endgame abilities really are phenomenal, in the chess960 match he held a crazy draw playing off of the increment (in the double castling on move one game): https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/201...

Apr-27-18		Stanley Yee: <Ulhumbrus Willem Wallekers: 27...Bxe4 28 Rxd6 Qxd6 29 Re8+> Interesting analysis guys. Yes, 26... Bd3 is a big mistake, and neither 27. Be4 Bc4? or 27. Be4 Be4 are sufficient to escape. Slightly better is 26...Rd3 27. Bd5! cd5 28. Rd3 Bd3 29. Rd5 Qe8 30. Rd3 and white is a pawn up. In hindsight it is even better to ... not take the pawn.

Apr-27-18		mike1: this endgame shows why they all are that much better than me... I would have big troubles to find all the 30!! (thirty!) moves that SF advises after 51 Rxf5 by black. +132... fine with me. But the triangle and Zugzwang it takes to win the g7 pawn....not sure to find it without the engines.

Apr-27-18		tea4twonty: 38...Rf1! get that dangerous pawn .... these endings are very difficult even with computers

Apr-27-18		keypusher: <Ulhumbrus: <Willem Wallekers: <27...Bxe4 28 Rxd6 Qxd6 29> Re8+> It seems that Black can't avoid Re8+ by 27...Bxe4 and if he wants to avoid it he has to keep his bishop back on g6 by 26...Rxd3 instead of 26...Bxd3. On 26...Rxd3 27 Rxd3 Qxd3 28 Qxd3 Rxd3 29 Re7 Rxc3 30 Rxa7 Rxc4 31 Bxc6 Rc2 it may be that Black has the better of it. Perhaps Topalov wanted more than this.> 26....Rxd3 27.Bd5+ cxd5 28.Rxd3 Bxd3 29.Rxd5 Qe8 30.Qxd3 and White is a pawn up (though far from a win).

Apr-27-18		Justin796: Everett just learned the word drivel so he decided to put it in a post....ur post is so...oh right i have no idea who you are...thanks for trolling me

Apr-27-18		cormier: click for larger view Analysis by Houdini 4: d 28 dpa done 1. = (-0.08): 8...Be6 9.d3 h6 10.Bg2 Qd7 11.0-0 Rad8 12.Rb1 b6 13.Re1 Bh3 14.Nh4 Rfe8 15.Bh1 Na5 16.Ng2 Nb7 17.Ne3 Ng4 18.Nxg4 Bxg4 19.Bg2 Nc5 20.d4 Ne6 21.f3 Bh5 22.Qd3 c5 23.d5 2. = (-0.08): 8...h6 9.Bg2 Be6 10.d3 Qd7 11.0-0 Rad8 12.Rb1 b6 13.Re1 Bh3 14.Nh4 Rfe8 15.Bh1 Na5 16.Ng2 Nb7 17.Ne3 Ng4 18.Nxg4 Bxg4 19.Bg2 Nc5 20.d4 Ne6 21.f3 Bh5 22.Qd3 c5 23.d5 3. = (-0.06): 8...Rb8 9.Bg2 Be6 10.d3 h6 11.0-0 Qd7 12.Rb1 b6 13.Nh4 Rfe8 14.f4 exf4 15.Bxf4 Ng4 16.Nf5 Rbd8 17.Bc1 Ne7 18.Nd4 c5 19.Nxe6 Qxe6 20.Qe2 Ne5 21.Bf4 N7c6

Apr-27-18		cormier: click for larger view Analysis by Houdini 4: d 24 dpa done 1. = (0.09): 25...Re8 26.Qe1 Bf7 27.Kh2 Bxc4 28.Bxc6 Qxc6 29.dxc4 Rxd2 30.Qxd2 Kf7 31.a4 e4 32.Qd5+ Qxd5 33.cxd5 c4 34.Re2 h5 35.Kh3 Re7 36.Rd2 e3 37.Re2 exf2 38.Rxf2+ Ke8 39.Rf4 Kd7 40.Rxc4 Kd6 41.Rd4 Re5 42.c4 Re3 43.Rf4 2. = (0.23): 25...Qd8 26.a4 Qf6 27.Qe2 Qd8 28.h5 Bf5 29.a5 bxa5 30.Rxe5 Rxd3 31.Rxd3 Bxd3 32.Qe3 Bxc4 33.Qxc5 Qd1+ 34.Kh2 Bd5 35.Bxd5+ cxd5 36.f4 a4 37.Qxd5+ Qxd5 38.Rxd5 Rc8 39.Ra5 Rxc3 40.Rxa4 Rc5 41.Rxa7 Rxh5+ 42.Kg2 Rc5 43.Rd7 Kh7 44.g4 Rc1 45.Kf3 Kg6 46.Ke4 Re1+ 47.Kd5 <i will check more for if 25...Qd8>

Apr-27-18		cormier: ah, i won't after all .....

Apr-27-18		keypusher: <Justin796: Everett just learned the word drivel so he decided to put it in a post....ur post is so...oh right i have no idea who you are...thanks for trolling me> I have no idea who you are either, but drivel describes what you write. Your post predicting Giri-Carlsen was stupid.

Apr-27-18		Justin796: Keep pushing keys because thats all you have a talent for...it wasnt my prediction...tune in tomorrow was someone elses prediction...trolls come in packs now i see

Apr-28-18		offramp: <Justin796: ...it wasnt my prediction...tune in tomorrow was someone elses prediction.> It was a prediction of the anarchic <TheGoodAnarchist>: Carlsen vs Topalov, 2018 (kibitz #184).

Apr-28-18		keypusher: The stupidity did not lie in the prediction.

Apr-29-18		Ulhumbrus: < Stanley Yee: <Ulhumbrus Willem Wallekers: 27...Bxe4 28 Rxd6 Qxd6 29 Re8+> Interesting analysis guys. Yes, 26... Bd3 is a big mistake, and neither 27. Be4 Bc4? or 27. Be4 Be4 are sufficient to escape. Slightly better is 26...Rd3 27. Bd5! cd5 28. Rd3 Bd3 29. Rd5 Qe8 30. Rd3 and white is a pawn up. In hindsight it is even better to ... not take the pawn.> It seems so. This suggests that instead of 22...dxc5 it is better for Black to play 22...bxc5! and to allow the attack 23 d4 eg 22...bxc5 23 d4 exd4 24 Rxe8 Qxe8 25 cxd4 cxd4 26 Rxd4 Rxf2 27 Rxd6 Be4! 28 Rd2 Rxg2+ 29 Rxg2 Bxg2 30 Kxg2 Qe4+ 31 Kh2 Qxc4 and Black has won a pawn

Apr-29-18		keypusher: <Ulhumbrus> <This suggests that instead of 22...dxc5 it is better for Black to play 22...bxc5! and to allow the attack 23 d4 eg 22...bxc5 23 d4 exd4 24 Rxe8 Qxe8 25 cxd4 cxd4 26 Rxd4 Rxf2 27 Rxd6 Be4! 28 Rd2 Rxg2+ 29 Rxg2 Bxg2 30 Kxg2 Qe4+ 31 Kh2 Qxc4 and Black has won a pawn> 26.Rxd4 is a bad move. 26.Re2 Qd7 27.Qxd4 is ok. Both 27.Rxd6 and 27....Be4 are blunders: instead 27....Qe4 28.Qg1 Rxa2 and White is getting crushed. 23.d4 seems pointless, unless White wants to liquidate to a draw. So I doubt Carlsen would have played it.

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