Magnus Carlsen-Wang Yue

8th round Pearl Spring

d17

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5

Although this sharp variation of the Slav Defence is mainly known from the games between Alekhine and Euwe, it was first (and successfully) introduced by Vidmar in his game against Capablanca, Karlsbad 1929 - the Slovene managed to draw against the great Cuban.

9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 g5

The modern way, as Morozevich introduced at top level against Kasparov, Wijk aan Zee 2000 (although a player named Ruiz Jesus Lopez de Lerma already tried it in 1986!). 11... f6 12. O-O Be6 ( 12... Rd8 was how Euwe and Alekhine played it) 13. Nxe5 fxe5 14. Be3 Bc5 15. Bxc5 Nxc5 16. b4 Nb3 17. Ra3 Rd8 18. Qc2 Nd4 19. Nb5 Nxc2 20. Nxc7+ Ke7 21. Nxe6 Nxa3 22. Nxd8 Rxd8 1/2-1/2 Capablanca,J-Vidmar,M/Karlsbad 1929

12. Ne3 gxf4 13. Nxf5 O-O-O 14. Qc2 Ng6

14... Ng4 15. a5 fxg3 16. hxg3 a6 17. Ra4 Ndf6 18. Ne4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 h5 20. Kf1 Kb8 21. Kg2 Be7 22. Nxe7 Qxe7 23. Bf3 Ne5 24. Bxh5 Qe6 25. Qc3 f6 26. Rah4 Qf5 27. Bf3 Rxh4 28. Rxh4 Qb1 29. Rh1 Rd1 30. Rxd1 Qxd1 31. b4 Kc7 32. Qc5 Qd6 33. Qxd6+ Kxd6 34. Be4 Nc4 35. Bd3 Nb2 36. f4 Nd1 37. g4 Ne3+ 38. Kf3 Nd5 39. Ke4 Nxb4 40. Bc4 c5 41. g5 fxg5 42. fxg5 Ke7 43. Kf5 Nc2 44. Ke5 Ne3 45. Be6 c4 1-0 Kasparov,G-Morozevich,A/Wijk aan Zee 2000

15. O-O Kb8 16. Rfc1

16. Rac1 a5 17. Rfd1 Bc5 18. Ne4 Bb4 19. e3 fxg3 20. hxg3 h5 21. Ng5 Nc5 22. Rd4 Rxd4 23. exd4 Ne6 24. Nf3 h4 25. d5 cxd5 26. Qxc7+ Nxc7 27. N5xh4 Nxh4 28. Nxh4 d4 29. Rd1 Rd8 30. Bf1 Ne6 31. Nf3 Nc5 32. Rxd4 1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B-Bu Xiangzhi/Yerevan 2008

16... a5 17. b4

17. Nd5 Qe5 18. Nxf4 Nxf4 19. gxf4 Qxf4 20. e3 Qc7 21. Rd1 Bb4 22. Rd4 Ne5 23. h3 Rhe8 24. Kh1 Rxd4 25. Nxd4 Ng6 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. Rd1 Rxd1+ 28. Qxd1 Qe5 29. Qc2 Qf6 30. Kg1 Nh4 31. Nxh4 Qxh4 32. b3 Qh5 33. Qc4 Qg6 34. Kh1 h6 35. Be4 Qf6 36. Kg2 Qg5+ 37. Kf1 Qh5 38. Kg2 Qg5+ 39. Kf1 Qh5 1/2-1/2 Banikas,H-Bratanov,Z/Plovdiv 2008

17... axb4

The recent game Caruana-Ni Hua, Russian Team Ch (Dagomys) 2009 went 17... Bxb4 18. Nd5 Qe5 19. Nxb4 axb4 20. Rab1 Qa5 21. Nd6 Nde5 22. Nc4 Nxc4 23. Qxc4 fxg3 24. hxg3 Ne5 25. Qf4 which was good for White.

18. Nb5 Qe5 19. Nbd4 Bc5 20. Nb3 h5

A novelty although we will soon transpose to Nguyen-Predojevic. Black protects his bishop indirectly because if White takes on c5 twice, he can resign after ...Rd1+. 20... fxg3 21. hxg3 h5 22. Rab1 Ba7 23. e3 was Nguyen-Predojevic, Moscow 2008 and now Black should probably try 23... Ne7! which looks quite playable.

21. Rab1

21. a5!? and 21. Bxc6!? will surely be analysed by many GMs.

21... Ba7

Not an easy position for White.

22. Bxc6!? fxg3 23. hxg3 Rc8?!

Surprisingly, Wang Yue misses 23... Ne7! and now White cannot take because g3 hangs, so he has to try 24. Nbd4 Bxd4 25. Rxb4 Nxc6 26. Qxc6 (The flashy 26. Rxb7+ Kxb7 27. Qxc6+ Ka7 is nothing, e.g. 28. Nxd4 Qxd4 29. Qc7+ Ka6 30. Rc6+ Nb6 ) 26... Bb6! and the queen has to go, when it's hard to believe that White has enough compensation.

24. Qd3 bxc6!

Better than 24... Rxc6 25. Rxc6 not 25. Qxd7?! Qxe2 with counterplay 25... bxc6 26. Qxd7 Qc7 27. Qd3 h4 28. Nbd4 c5 29. Qf3! Rc8 30. Nb5 although even here Black has good drawing chances after 30... Qc6 31. Nxh4 Qxf3 32. Nxf3 Rc6

25. Qxd7 Rc7 26. Qd3 h4 27. Nbd4!

After 27. Nd2 Rb7 28. Nf3 Black draws nicely with 28... hxg3! 29. Nxe5 Bxf2+ 30. Kg2 Rh2+ 31. Kf1 Rh1+ and perpetual check.

27... hxg3!?

Either way Black had to loose a pawn and Wang Yue wants to keep his bishop active. 27... c5 28. Nf3 Qe6 29. N5xh4 Nxh4 30. Nxh4 Rd7 31. Qf3 Re8 was the alternative.

28. Rxb4+ Ka8 29. Nxg3 Rd8?!

The knight manoeuvre 29... Ne7! 30. e3 Nd5 was probably best.

30. e3! Nh4

30... c5 31. Rbb1! and Black cannot take the knight because of 31... cxd4 32. Rxc7 Qxc7 33. Qe4+

31. Kf1! Qa5?

31... Qd5!

32. Rcb1?

32. Rxc6! wins on the spot because of 32... Rxd4 33. Rxd4 Rxc6 34. Rxh4

32... Nf3?!

32... Qd5! again looks better.

33. Nb3 Qd5 34. Qxd5 cxd5 35. Rd1 Rc2 36. Rf4 Ne5 37. Nd4 Rc4 38. Nde2 Rxf4 39. Nxf4 d4 40. Nge2 Nc6

The time control has been reached. The ending

cannot (and doesn't need to) be evaluated more clearly than "White has some winning chances."

41. e4 Rb8 42. Nd5 Rb2 43. Nef4 Kb7?!

43... Ne5 44. Nd3 Nxd3 45. Rxd3 Kb7 might have been slightly better.

44. Nd3

Now the knight blocks, but also controls two important squares of Nc6.

44... Rb3 45. Ke2 Ra3 46. f4!?

 

 

Carlsen gives back the pawn in return for active play. The problem of 46. Rb1+ Kc8 47. Rc1 Kb7 48. Rc4 was 48... Ra2+ and the White king cannot go to f3 because of 49...Ra3. But even with the king cut off, 49. Ke1 followed by 50.f4 looks like a healthy pawn.

46... Rxa4 47. Rb1+ Kc8 48. Rc1 Kb7

48... Kd7 49. Nf6+ Kd6 50. e5+ only helps White.

49. e5 Ra3 50. Rh1 Ra5 51. Nf6 Bb8 52. Rb1+ Kc8 53. Rc1 Kb7 54. Ne4

 

54. Nc5+!? Ka8 55. Nfd7 Ba7 56. Kd3 Ra3+ 57. Ke4 Rc3 58. Ra1 was the last serious winning attempt for White.

54... Ra3 55. Rh1 Bxe5!

Liquidating to a drawn ending.

56. fxe5 Nxe5 57. Nd6+

57. Nxe5 Re3+

57... Ka6 58. Nb4+

58. Nc5+ Kb6 59. Nd7+ Ka6! =

58... Kb6 59. Rc1 Re3+?

A losing check. 59... Ra5! draws.

60. Kd1 Rb3?!

 

60... Ka5 61. Nd5 attacks the rook and threatens mate, so Black has to go for 61... Re1+ ( 61... Ra3 62. Rc5+ followed by a knight check and taking on e5) 62. Kxe1 Nd3+ 63. Kd2 Nxc1 64. Kxc1 but this version of the famous two-knights-versus-pawn (after d4 has dropped) is lost, e.g. 64... f5 65. Nf4! blocking with a knight as soon as you can, as we learnt from e.g. the game between Anand and Wang Yue at Amber this year. Tablebase says mate in 37, but this would have been a better choice practically speaking.

61. Nd5+ Ka7

61... Ka5 and 61... Ka6 are answered by 62. Ra1+ and mate.

62. Ra1+ Kb8 63. Kc2! Rh3 64. Rb1+ Ka7

64... Ka8 65. Nc7+ Ka7 66. Rb7#

65. Rb7+ Ka6 66. Rb6+ Ka5

66... Ka7 67. Nb5+ Ka8 68. Ndc7#

67. Rb5+ Ka4

67... Ka6 68. Nc7+ Ka7 69. Nc8#

68. Nb6+ Ka3 69. Rxe5

A fantastic game by both players, and so a draw would have felt more justified, but on the other hand Carlsen was sort of awarded for his fighting spirit. 

1-0

source :chess vibes