[Event "London 2018"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Site ""]
[Round "12"]
[Annotator "Wesley So"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Date "2018.11.26"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2835"]
[PlyCount "62"]
{The last game, where so much is at stake. If Fabiano wins he'll become the
17th world champion. All his tournaments, all the work of his life has been
aimed at reaching this point. After accomplishing everything necessary to
reach the goal of playing for the World Championship, Fabiano has survived
eleven tough rounds to get to this last game. I cannot think of any game where
there's so much to play for. Will we see Fabiano win the biggest game of his
life? Or will we see Carlsen defend his title once again?} 1. e4 $1 {In the
last few months and in tournaments before this one, Fabiano had been
experimenting with 1.d4 or 1.c4. Although he had great results with White in
some games in the Catalan or the Nimzo, that was just a distraction for Magnus
to ponder. In this match of all matches, Fabiano will stick to his main
opening 1.e4!} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {Shelving 3.Bb5, which has been played
three times in this tournament.} cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 {
As predicted by many people including myself, we see the Sveshnikov Sicilian
for the last game. I'm sure many people were pleased to see such a sharp
opening for the final game of the match. Magnus has strongh nerves. In order
to be able to play such a sharp opening you have to come very well prepared;
there are many pitfalls and traps that Black can easily fall into in the
Sveshnikov. You have to have complete trust in your ability to calculate and
assess the arising positions. Part of me wonders what would happen if Magnus
employed 1...e5 in a game in this match.} 7. Nd5 (7. Bg5 {is the main move
here by far. Fabiano has played this many times before, his most recent being
a big win against Gata Kamsky in the 2017 US Championships.} a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 {Now Black can play both 10...f5 or 10...Bg7. This complex
variation used to be very popular. Just a few years ago Boris Gelfand and
Teimour Radjabov were staunch defenders of this line. These days we'll
probably see 7.Nd5 grow into popularity since everyone copies the top player's
games.} )Nxd5 8. exd5 Ne7 {While annotating game 8 for ChessBase, I
wondered what would happen if Magnus chose 8...Ne7. Today we'll see exactly
that.} ({The usual move} 8... Nb8 {was played in games 8 and 10.} )9. c4 ({
Many years ago while reading Rogozenco's The Sveshnikov Reloaded book, I
remember that 9.c3 was considered White's best. It gives White some extra
options on the queenside.} 9. c3 {Now Black should probably play 9...Nf5 to
keep d6 defended. If he tries} Ng6 $2 {it's a mistake since} (9... f5 $5 10. Qa4 Kf7 {is playable too, though White might be a bit better after} 11. Qb4 )10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Qc4 {is unpleasant. Especially after} Rc8 12. Qb4 {hitting the
d6 and a7 pawns.} )Ng6 10. Qa4 Bd7 {is a quick way to decide the last
round game and head for the rapid playoffs. But if this happens we might see
protesters and rioters in London, and the fans who paid tickets would
definitely want a full refund. Playing top level chess is not easy, but
fortunately Fabiano comes well prepared and ready to fight for an advantage.} 11. Qb4 Bf5 {The best move, I'm sure Magnus is still following his prep.} ({
The most natural move is} 11... Qb8 {It has been played 13 times in the past
according to the ChessBase Live Book. Still it doesn't seem to equalize. White
just has too much space.} 12. h4 h5 13. Be2 a6 14. Nc3 Be7 15. g3 $14 {for
example here. I still like White, after making natural moves for both sides.
It seems to me that White has an easier game and the knight on g6 is misplaced.
} )({Needless to say} 11... Bxb5 12. Qxb5+ Qd7 {has to be avoided. No one
should give up the bishop pair without getting someting concrete in return.} )12. h4 h5 $146 {Black pushes back and does not give White any more space to
work with. Fabiano likes playing with a lot of space and it's dangerous to
give him too much ground to work with. Coincidentally this is also a novelty
according to my database.} (12... Be7 13. h5 Nf4 14. Be3 a6 15. Nc3 Nd3+ 16. Bxd3 Bxd3 17. Rd1 )(12... a6 13. h5 )13. Qa4 {A provocative move and a typical
strategy. By repeating the position twice a player can move the game closer to
the time control on move 40. This allows him or her to have more time to think
on critical positions. This makes more sense in complicated or unfamiliar
openings like the Sveshnikov. In a Berlin 5.Re1 or a symmetrical Petroff it is
perhaps unnecessary. But in this game it could be beneficial as we are in
foreign territory at such an early stage of the game.} Bd7 14. Qb4 Bf5 15. Be3 {White gains time from creating threats on the queenside. I suppose he has to
act quickly or else Black comfortably finishes his development. Then the
construction of Black active pieces on the kingside guarantees counterplay. In
that regard 15.Bg5 looks interesting too.} ({A slow move like} 15. Be2 {
will not cut it, if White is looking for an advantage. After} Be7 16. g3 a6 17. Nc3 e4 {Black creates strong counterplay with Bf6 and Ne5 coming next.} )({
It is tempting to disrupt Black's development with} 15. Bg5 {and with
hindsight I would recommend this move. Black does not really want to play f6,
and Be7 loses so} Qb8 {has to be played.} (15... Be7 $2 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. c5 {
is bad for Black. Now his king is forced unto f6} dxc5 18. Qxc5+ Kf6 {And now
19.Nd6 leaves Black's king in a tough spot.} 19. Nd6 $16 )16. g3 (16. Qa5 $5 {
is a deep computer move. The fun idea is that} b6 17. Qa4 Bd7 18. Bd3 {White
wants to win quickly with Bf5 but} Be7 $1 {equalizes and takes out the fun.} (18... a6 19. Bf5 $1 {is tough to meet for Black.} )19. Bxg6 fxg6 20. Bxe7 Kxe7 21. Qc2 Kf7 $11 )a6 17. Nc3 Be7 18. Be2 Qc7 {now we get a line very
similar to the game, but Black has to spend two tempi moving his queen from b8
to c7. Also Fabiano avoids the possibility of 15...Be7 as could happen in his
game. It does not look like there is much difference to the untrained eye, but
in top level chess little things like this matter.} )a6 {I wonder where
both players preparation ended. I suspect it was a move ago. Here Black has
another seemingly better (albeit more risky) option.} ({I like here} 15... Be7 {Black is going to get fast development and piece play for his pawn.} 16. Nxa7 (16. Bxa7 0-0 17. g3 b6 {the bishop on a7 is in a tricky spot.} )(16. g3 {
Black can finish his development by castling or go 16...Be4 and 17...Bf3.} )0-0 {White has many possibilities now. It is not simple to defend over
the board against Black's initiative. Perhaps} 17. Bb6 (17. g3 Be4 18. Rh2 Bf3 19. Nb5 f5 $1 {with attack.} )(17. Qxb7 $2 Qa5+ 18. b4 Qa3 $19 )(17. Nb5 Nxh4 )(17. Be2 Nf4 )(17. a4 Nxh4 $13 )Qd7 18. Qb5 {is the safest in order to
trade queens. The position is very complex.} Bd8 19. Qxd7 Bxd7 20. Bxd8 Rfxd8 21. Nb5 Bxb5 22. cxb5 Ra4 23. g3 Rc8 $13 )16. Nc3 Qc7 {Solid and simple.} ({
There is no need to go for assymetrical positions} 16... Be7 17. Qxb7 0-0 18. 0-0-0 Nxh4 19. Qb6 $14 {it feels that the h4 pawn is not as important as
Black's b7 pawn.} )17. g3 (17. Qa4+ Bd7 18. Qd1 Ne7 )Be7 18. f3 (18. Qa4+ Bd7 19. Qd1 Bg4 20. Be2 Bxe2 21. Qxe2 )(18. Be2 Nf8 )Nf8 $1 {Optimal
rearrangement of the pieces. In these kinds of positions you want to delay
castling until White shows his hand. Castling short now will only tempt White
to go for a full frontal kingside attack with Be2, and g4/f4 etc.} (18... 0-0 19. Be2 Bd7 20. a4 $1 {With the queenside closed, White can focus on planning
his kingside attack.} f5 21. f4 exf4 22. gxf4 {the position is complex, but it
should be in White's favour.} )19. Ne4 Nd7 (19... Bxe4 20. fxe4 Nd7 21. Bh3 $14 )20. Bd3 0-0 ({Watching this game live I expected} 20... Bg6 {although
perhaps it does not make much difference since Black has to castle sooner or
later.} )21. Rh2 $2 {No doubt the enormous tension of the last round of the
World Championship match takes its toll on everyone. Both players start making
mistakes. This has a nice idea to it, but it's too ambitious and simply does
not work. White wants to play Rc2 and castle long, but this gives Magnus more
than enough time and options to meet this plan. Fabiano gives the impression
that he likes positions of opposite castled kings. Therefore this move does
not come as a big surprise from him. It's just too ambitious.} ({White has to
acquiesce and play the calmer} 21. 0-0 Bg6 22. Qd2 {when f5 is always met by
Ng5. White can still try to fight for an advantage if Magnus is not careful.} )(21. 0-0-0 b5 $15 {castling queenside is unrealistic at this point.} )Rac8 ({Or} 21... Bg6 )22. 0-0-0 Bg6 {Now f5 is coming and its unpleasant to
meet it as White has no good way to prevent it. His best option now is to play
calmly and brace for the coming storm.} 23. Rc2 ({I thought at first} 23. Kb1 {
was better to keep the rook on the h-file for now.} f5 24. Ng5 Bxg5 25. hxg5 e4 26. fxe4 Ne5 27. Be2 {but still both Ng4 or fxe4 now is in Black's favour.} )f5 24. Nf2 (24. Ng5 Bxg5 25. hxg5 e4 )Nc5 $17 {Black has seized a
powerful initiative and is slowly taking over.} 25. f4 {Desperation, but what
else? White hopes to at least keep the g6-bishop away from action.} (25. Bxc5 dxc5 26. Qe1 Rfe8 {as I said earlier no one really wants to give up the bishop
pair unless necessary.} )a5 {An automatic move in conjuction with a
piece outpost on c5. I wonder if Magnus thought of or even considered b5 ideas
here.} (25... exf4 26. Bxf4 b5 {looks powerful, and might be just close to
winning.} 27. Qd2 {is the sternest defence, when Black can go 27...Bf6, or 27..
.Qb6. White's position is tough to defend and his consolation (asleep bishop
on g6) is not enough to save him objectively. His pieces are just badly placed
especially the knight on f2. Not to mention shaky king safety.} (27. Kb1 a5 {
when taking on b5 will lead to a queen trap after Be8.} 28. Qxb5 $2 Be8 )Bf6 )(25... b5 {is perfectly good too with the same ideas.} )26. Qd2 {I
expected Bf6 now to keep the tension on the kingside open for a while, but
Magnus has no qualms about closing it right away.} e4 (26... Bf6 27. Be2 {
is possible, and now Black can think whether to take on f4 or play like Magnus
with e4. The computer gives a large advantage for Black after taking on f4,
but it is definitely far from clear over the board.} exf4 28. gxf4 Rfe8 29. Rg1 (29. Bd4 Qe7 )Bf7 30. Kb1 a4 {Black has Nb3 ideas and even positional
exchange sacrifices on e3.} 31. Bf3 Rxe3 32. Qxe3 Re8 33. Qa3 Bd4 {these are
computer lines of course. I cannot imagine anyone finding any of these in a
tournament game.} )27. Be2 Be8 {Still even after not playing the best way on
move 25 Magnus keeps hopes alive by maintaining a stable advantage. White has
to solve the small issue of his vulnerable king.} 28. Kb1 Bf6 (28... Ba4 {
is possible, White can sac the exchange with} 29. Bxh5 {now} b5 {is an out of
this world move. Black is clearly better here by the way.} )29. Re1 ({White's
best defense is} 29. Nh3 $1 {posting the knight on g5. From there it always
has the option to jump on e6 and create distraction.} Ba4 $5 30. b3 {looks
scary for White, though he probably just survives the onslaught.} Bxb3 31. axb3 Nxb3 32. Qe1 b5 33. c5 )a4 {Magnus misses a great opportunity to try to
seal the deal.} (29... Ba4 $1 {is incredibly powerful. Black's attack is
simply much faster in all lines. Here are some ChessBase engine analysis:} 30. Rcc1 (30. b3 Bxb3 31. axb3 Nxb3 32. Qd1 a4 $1 {Is a steady but sure way to win
as White cannot defend against all the threats. Qa5 is Black's main idea.} 33. Bxh5 (33. Ka2 Qa5 34. Qb1 b5 )Qa5 34. Bg6 Qb4 {Now a possible line is} 35. Qh5 (35. Ka2 Nc1+ )Rfd8 36. Bxf5 Nd4+ 37. Rb2 Qxe1+ 38. Ka2 Nxf5 39. Qxf5 Bxb2 {when White loses all his pieces.} )(30. Bxh5 Bxc2+ 31. Qxc2 b5 32. cxb5 Qd7 33. Qe2 Na4 $19 )b5 $1 {An important follow up.} 31. cxb5 (31. Bxh5 Qb7 )(31. Bd4 Bxd4 32. Qxd4 bxc4 33. Rxc4 Rb8 )Qb6 32. Bd4 Bxd4 33. Qxd4 Bxb5 34. Bxh5 a4 {basically Black is almost winning after 29...Ba4. I
think though it is unrealistic to expect a person to find it over the board.
Just reading the reports on ChessBase I can only imagine how much tension the
players are going through to perform well. Pressure, pressure pressure from
every side.} )30. Qb4 g6 31. Rd1 {When I first saw this move I thought it was
an internet glitch. I expected Fabiano to improve the position of his knight
with 31.Nd1.} (31. Nd1 {White will hopefully unravel and take a solid stance
with Qd2 and Nc3.} )Ra8 {Draw agreed. A big surprise, considering that
Black still had a stable advantage in the position and on the clock. (If I
remember correctly Magnus had 50 minutes left here compared to Fabiano's 20
minutes.) I guess Nh3 followed by Ng5 gives White a solid position, so Magnus
decided to call it a day. Magnus must be really looking forward to the rapid
tiebreaks, as he did two years ago against Sergey Karjakin. He missed great
winning opportunities on move 25 and move 29 and I sort of suspect he came
into the game with an eye on the tiebreaks. It's also posisble that he just
wnated to make a lot of people happy (including myself). As two years ago we
again get to see a four game rapid playoff! I am very excited to watch this
match live. My prediction is that Fabiano will give Magnus a run for his money.
That said, rapid games are a totally different kind of chess. Usually the
player with the better nerves wins. Let's see what happens.} 1/2-1/2
und
ICCF - Correspondence Chess
Computerunterstütztes Fernschach
