I loved the Knight on b3 and was surprised because I was expecting 36...f5 instead of 36...Nb1 but also the future was bright. For example on f2 it prevents 40.Bxb5 because of the reply Nxe4 with a fantastic placed Knight.

11 h3 spends a tempo on moving a pawn. Three alternatives are 11 Bg5 ,11 Be3 and 11 Qb3. The question is how White can gain the most from his right to move. Perhaps White can hope for no more than the opening initiative of the first move and is advised to play for no more unless Black gives him cause to play for more.

12 Qxd8+ gives Black's rook a tempo for development but it won't help Black much if a white knight on d5 obstructs the d file.

14 Kg2 spends a tempo. As White has the bishop pair he does not need to play for more than trying to complete his development. The only question is what to do about a black knight on d4. Perhaps 14 Ne2 will be sufficient.

17...Rd6 spends a tempo in one way as the rook is obstructed on the d file by White's knight. However it defends the bishop on f6, and 17...Kg7 would have spent a tempo as well. This suggests that so far Firouxja has kept his initiative.

19 Rfd1? loses time as the black N obstructs the d file and It is not justified in the way that 17...Rd6 is because White's king defends White's knight on f3. Instead of this 19 Rc4 or 19 Rd5 prepares to double rooks on the c file and Black is on the defensive. Perhaps this is the point at which Firouzja begins to let his advantage slip

After 24...Rc6 Carlsen has appropriated the initiative on the c file that should have belonged to Firouzja. Now it is Firouzja who has to defend.

https://youtu.be/UbIMyU3zn18

click for larger view

Sitting opposite Carlsen with a meagre 5 seconds on his clock Firouzja slips in Kc3 and and it's 0-1.

Even a slob like me knew Kc3 was wrong. No I'm not joining in the uncalled for Firouzja bashing. If a player of his class drops a clanger like this then it's pure human nerves. It happens.

I'll be perfectly honest and say my first reaction was 69.Kc2 ready to play Kc3 in answer to Kc5. 69.Kc2 does draw if Black plays 69...Kc5

I'm wrong. 69.Kc2 also losses. (OOPS!) The Black King has won the opposition battle, it runs around to the Kingside and it is an elementary win. (I had to check on my board why I was wrong. Even then I slightly screwed it up and had to recap....did I say: 'elementary win'...what a bozo.)

I too am in the glasshouse, I will not be throwing any stones at this one.

Although, as the great Alekhine said, time trouble is not an excuse. (Your clock is the 17th piece. ) it does offer an valid explanation. Firouzja will shrug it off knowing it was a finger slip in the teeth of T.T. and not through any lack of technique.

Unlike me who was under no pressure at all. (can 69 years old be offered.) I might just spend an hour or so beefing up on the dark art of King opposition...now where is that Keres book on endgames, I saw it under a film of dust a few years ago.

HI Messiah,

Obviously...yup..it's six and two threes ....it's not the only winning line after 69.Kc2. (why am I getting '??' you did not give to Alireza any after his 69.Kc3.)

Something must have twigged from the time I was keen and used to look at these things 69.Kc2 Ke6 and the King owning the Kingside is first the line I saw/recalled.

As I said my Kc2 was a first reaction, I was being honest. Perhaps trying to answer your <'unexplainable.'>

Hopefully with time I may have double checked it. (I did that sometimes) With 5 seconds it would have been a quick 69.Kc2 and a roll of the eyes.

Typical, I get two '??' for admitting I too would have blundered and yet Alireza gets nothing but it is 'unexplainable.' Huh!

Hi Williebob,

<Who never blundered once in a serious game?>

Jacob Aagaard once said my endgame play is just too good for words.

Well he never actually said that, he said it left him 'Speechless!'

Hi offramp,

I'm going with T.T. we have all been there, we know what it's like. The mind goes to jelly as all the potential blunders flash before your eyes. One stray thought and it's over.

see Williebob's post:

" Carlsen told ChessBase that he noticed Firouzja was getting nervous at the end, so he kept playing...."

I figured on T.T. nerves before seeing that post. All one can do when digging for an explanation is to give an honest opinion based on what ever experience you have.

With time on his clock I reckon Firouzja would have dodged the bullet.

Regarding GM's playing like beginners in some KP endings. No comment :)

Aronian vs Carlsen, 2006

Of course, this endgame that 17-year-old Firouzja needlessly lost is even more basic theory than the rook endgame Carlsen failed to defend accurately in 2006. Clearly, the explanation by Sally Simpson is correct – sheer nerves when playing on increment.

Well he never actually said that, he said it left him 'Speechless!>

Why? Basically three reasons. First is because of Carlsen's extra pawn, some calculation is necessary. Not only does Firouzja have to worry about opposition in one side but also the chance black's king can swing around with advantage. Or even exchange pawns with advantage. In fact, Polgar was looking at swinging black 's king around with potential at the end.

Second, you don't really want to have to rely on significant calculation with less than 30 seconds in the clock.

Third, and calculation is going to be very unreliable at the end of a long game at the end of a long tournament. Especially when it's also obvious that your opponent can easily torture you for at least an hour just waiting for a slip or time out.

<RadioBoy: Excuse me, 70. Kb4 f5..>

In the line that you give, <Radio Boy>, after 69. Kc4 if Black continues 69. … Kc6, he is still winning, but the move wastes time. After 69. Kc4, the correct winning plan for Black is to run his king over to the kingside, for example:

69.Kc4 Ke6 70.Kd3 Kf7 71.Ke3 Kg6 72.Kf3 Kh5 73.Kg3 Kg5

And now, Black has the opposition with his king one rank further advanced than with kings on c4 and c6. This makes all the difference, as Black will be able to outflank the white king and thereby win the pawn on e4.

Similarly, if White had played 69. Kc2, the correct winning plan for Black would have been to run his king to the kingside. In this line, the move 69. ... Kc6, described as "obvious" in one of the comments, does preserve the win, but simply wastes time.

Typical, I get two '??' for admitting I too would have blundered and yet Alireza gets nothing but it is 'unexplainable.' Huh! [...]>

I think you severely misunderstood me. Firouzja's move was equally '??', and there is nothing personal against you. These moves are simply losing, and - certainly - you understand and already understood it yourself, long before I commented.