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Informant at ChessCafe
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The Best of Chess Informant: Magnus Carlsen Zdenko Krnic It was in Chess Informant #76 that we introduced the feature "The Best of Chess Informant." It was our wish to present the best achievements of the leading players to our readers. That first column was devoted to Garry Kasparov, who was the number one player at that time. In Chess Informant #107, we present a selection of the creative output from the world's new number one, Magnus Carlsen. We are certain that he has begun his ascent to the world championship title. Among the examples offered for your enjoyment, I would like to draw your attention to the very instructive rook ending that Carlsen won versus Hracek. I recommend that all aspiring players study this example carefully, as it contains many of the motifs necessary for understanding how to play rook endgames a pawn up. With 1.b7! the pawn arrives at the seventh rank only when win is certain, though there is still a long way to go. Upon 2.g3! a path is opened for the white king to attack the black rook via the maneuver Kf1-e1-d1-c1. The final blow comes with 14.f4! when White creates a nice mating net. M. Carlsen (2625) – A. Beliavsky
(2626) [C78] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.d3 Bc5 8.Nc3 [8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 0-0 10.Nc3 Be7!] d6?! 9.a4 [9.Be3 0-0 10.a3 Nd4] Na5 10.Ba2 [10.ab5 Nb3 11.cb3 ab5 12.Ra8 Ba8 13.Nb5 h6 with compensation] b4 11.Ne2 Bc8!? [a novelty; 11...0-0!? 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bh4 a) 13...g5?! 14.Ng5 hg5 15.Bg5 d5 (15...b3? 16.Ng3! with attack) 16.Ng3 de4 17.Nh5 Be7 18.Bf6 Bf6 19.Qg4 Kh8 20.Qf5 Bc8! 21.Qf6 Qf6 22.Nf6 ed3 23.cd3 b3 24.Bb1 Nc6! with compensation; b) 13...Bc8!? M.Carlsen; 11...d5 see 69/319] 12.c3 [12.Be3 Be3 13.fe3 Be6! equal] bc3 13.bc3 Bb6 [13...Be6 14.d4 Ba2 15.Ra2 Bb6 16.Bg5 and White is slightly better] 14.Ng3 Be6?! [14...0-0 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bh4 Bg4 17.h3 Bf3 18.Qf3 g5 19.Nh5 Nh5 20.Qh5 Qf6 21.Bg3 Kg7 22.Rab1 Qg6 equal] 15.d4 Ba2 [better is 15...0-0 16.de5 de5 17.Ne5 Qd1 18.Rd1 Rad8 19.Re1 Rfe8 with compensation] 16.Ra2 0-0?! [16...Nc6 17.a5! Na5 (17...Ba5? 18.Qa4 Qd7 19.d5 and White is winning) 18.de5 de5 19.Rd2 and White is superior; 16...ed4!? 17.cd4 0-0 18.Re2 and White is slightly better] 17.Bg5 ed4? [17...h6 18.Bh4 ed4 19.cd4 Re8 20.Re2 and White is superior]
18.Nh5! (and White is winning) dc3 19.Nh4! [19.Bf6 gf6 20.Qc1 Kh8 21.Qc3 Rg8 22.Nf6 Rg6 23.e5! d5 24.Nh4 Rg7 25.Nf5 Rg6 26.Qh3 Rf6 27.ef6 Qf6 28.Re1] Kh8 20.Nf5 [20...Nc4 21.Nfg7 Nh5 22.Bd8 Ng7 23.Bf6] 1-0 [A. Beliavsky] M. Carlsen (2581) – N. Ibraev
(2476) [E38] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dc5 Bc5 6.Nf3 Qb6 7.e3 Qc7 8.b3 b6 9.Bb2 Bb7
10.Nb5!? [a novelty; 10.Rd1 see 52/564] Qd8 [10...Qc8 11.0-0-0 a) 11...0-0 12.Ng5 (12.Bd3?! a6 with counterplay) h6 (only move) 13.Bf6 hg5 14.Bg5 a6 15.Nc3 b5 with counterplay; 14.Be5! and White is slightly better, weak point d6; b) 11...a6!? with the idea 12.Nd6 Bd6 13.Rd6 Qc7] 11.0-0-0 [weak point d6] 0-0 [11...a6 12.Nd6 (12.Bf6 gf6 13.Nd6 Bd6 14.Rd6 Qc7 unclear) Bd6 13.Rd6 Ne4 14.Rd1 0-0 15.Bd3 f5 and White is slightly better] 12.Ng5 [with the idea Bf6, weak point h7] Re8! [12...h6?? 13.Bf6 with the idea 13...Qf6 14.Qh7#; 12...g6? 13.Qc3 Be7 14.Nd6 Qc7 (14...Bc6? 15.Nde4 Be4 16.Ne4 Kg7 17.g4! h6 18.f4 and White is winning, with the idea g5) 15.Nge4 and White is superior] 13.h4 [13.Bf6!? Qf6 a) 14.Nc7? Qg5 15.Ne8 Qe5! (weak point Ne8) 16.Qb2 (16.Kb1 Nc6 with initiative) Ba3! 17.Qa3 Qc3 18.Kb1 Be4 19.Bd3 Bd3 20.Rd3 Qd3 21.Kc1 Nc6 and Black is slightly better; b) 14.Qh7 Kf8 15.Nc7 Na6!? unclear] e5!? [13...h6?! 14.Nc7!! and White is winning; P. H. Nielsen - S. Collas, France 2005] 14.Nd6 Bd6 15.Rd6 h6 16.Qf5!? Nc6?? [16...hg5? 17.hg5 Ne4 (17...Be4 18.Qh3 Nh7 19.Bd3 and White is winning) 18.Qh7 Kf8 19.Ba3 Nc5 (only move) 20.Qf5! Kg8 21.Rh7! Be4 (21...Ne6 22.Qh3 f5 23.g6 and White is winning) 22.Rdh6!! f6 (22...Bf5 23.Rh8#) 23.gf6 Qf6 (23...Bf5 24.Rg7 Kf8 25.Rh8#) 24.Rh8 Kf7 25.Rf6 gf6 26.Qh5 Bg6 27.Rh7 and White is winning; 16...Qe7! 17.Rd2 (17.Ba3?! Na6 with the idea Nc5) g6 18.Qh3 hg5 19.hg5 Nh5 20.Rh2 with compensation, with the idea g4]
17.Rf6!! [17...gf6? 18.Qh7 Kf8 19.Qf7#; 17...hg5 18.hg5 gf6 19.gf6 and White is winning; 17... Qf6 18.Qh7 Kf8 19.Ne4! and White is winning] 1-0 [V. Golod] M. Carlsen (2776) – A. Grischuk
(2733)
1.Rf6! gf6 2.Nd7 f5 3.c4 a5 [3...Bg7 4.Nb8 Rb8 5.c5 Bf6 6.Ba6 and White is winning] 4.c5 Bg7 5.Nb8 Rb8 6.Ba6!! Bf6 7.Bb7 Rb7 8.c6 Rb6 9.Rc1 Bb2 10.d7 1-0 [A. Giri] M. Carlsen (2698) – Z. Hracek
(2614)
1.b7! (and White is winning) Kf6 [1...Kd7 2.Rf8 Rb7 3.Rf7 Kc8 4.Rb7 Kb7 5.Kf2 Kc6 6.g5 h5 (6...hg5 7.Kg3 and White is winning) 7.g3 Kc5 8.f4 and White is winning] 2.g3! g5 [2...h5 3.gh5 gh5 4.f4 ef4 5.e5 Kg7 6.gf4 and White is winning, with the idea 6...h4 7.f5 h3 8.f6 Kh7 9.e6] 3.Kf1 Rb1 4.Ke2 Rb2 [4...Ke7 5.Kd3 Kd7 (5...Kf6 6.Kc4 Rc1 7.Kd5 Rd1 8.Kc6 Rc1 9.Kd7 Rb1 10.Ke8 Kg7 11.Ke7 and White is winning) 6.Rf8 Rb7 7.Rf7 Kc6 8.Rb7 Kb7 9.f4 and White is winning, with the idea 9...ef4 10.gf4 gf4 11.Ke2 with the idea Kf3-f4] 5.Kd3 Rb3 6.Kc4 Rb1 7.Kc5 Rc1 8.Kd6 Rd1 9.Kc6 Rc1 10.Kd7 Rb1 11.Ke8 Kg7 [11...Rb2 12.Kf8 Kg6 (12...Rb3 13.Rc8 Rb7 14.Rc6#) 13.Ke7 Kg7 see 11...Kg7] 12.Ke7 Rb2 13.Kd6 Kf6 [13...f6 14.Re8 (14.Rd8 Rb7 15.Rd7 Rd7 16.Kd7 Kh7 17.Kd6 and White is winning; 14.Rc8 Rb7 15.Rc7 Rc7 16.Kc7 and White is winning) Rb7 15.Re7 Re7 16.Ke7 and White is winning] 14.f4! ef4 [14...Rd2 15.Kc6 Rc2 16.Kd5 Rd2 17.Kc4 Rc2 18.Kd3 Rb2 19.fe5 Kg7 20.Kc4 and White is winning; 18.Kb3 and White is winning] 15.gf4 gf4 16.Rg8! (and White is winning) Rb6 17.Kc7 Rb7 18.Kb7 f3 19.Kc6 Ke5 [19...f2 20.Kd6 f1Q 21.e5] 20.Re8 Kf4 21.Kd5 f6 [21...Kg4 22.Rf8] 22.Rf8 1-0 [C. D. Meyer] Comment on this month's column via our Contact Page! Pertinent responses will be posted below daily. |
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