Games
[Event "FIDE World Championship 2016"]
[Site "New York, USA"]
[Date "2016.11.26"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Llewellyn,Alan"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
{I predicted a couple of boring draws in the remaining tight World
Championship match because there is so much at stake and so little room for
manouver. And it seemed like this game was going to be a non-event as the
pieces quickly got whisked back into the box, but Magnus gave us a double
edged position by sacrificing a pawn and proceeded to march a passed pawn
straight down the centre, but he just didnt have time to Queen it. So the
result was a draw.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 (3... Nf6 {This is the
Berlin Defence and Magnus has done his best to avoid it-probably best for him.
It is infamous because many have used it to get a draw as Black since Vladimir
Kramnik used it to remain undefeated in wrestling the title of World Champion
from Gary Kasparovs hands in the WCh. Match 2000. These days a way to avoid
its poisonous main line as White is to play 4.d3 as 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 is
the old line.}) 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 $1 {
The point of playing this is to avoid the early swap off of light squared
Bishops. Because Sergey knows Magnus wants to play 9...Be6 to swap off but
this plan of playing 10.Nd5 in reply is not too inspirational as the Bishops
come off any way a little later.} Be6 $3 {This points out the whole problem
for Sergey in getting an advantage in these systems. In the old main line the
light squared Bishop is redeployed to the c2 square but after White plays d3
instead of d4, in that old line, it is severly hampered there. This plays into
Magnus' hands as he can then safely play for an endgame, in which he has shown
he can play for a win with either colour, such is his overwhelming skill in
these doubled pawns endgames.} 10. Nd5 Nd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.
Bxe6 fxe6 14. f4 (14. Qg4 {played by ex-world championship challenger Leko
this is the most popular continuation but admitedly amongst a small number of
games it has a poor record.}) (14. a4 {Vishy Anand the last world champion
2007-2014 played this coincidentally and it has a much better record than the
move played or Lekos move.}) 14... c5 (14... e5 15. f5 c5 16. Rf3 Rc8 17. Rh3
Qe8 18. Bd2 c4 19. Kh1 Qf7 20. g4 Qe7 21. Qe2 Bg5 22. c3 Bxd2 23. Qxd2 Qb7 24.
Re1 dxc3 25. bxc3 d5 26. dxc4 dxe4 27. Qd5+ Qxd5 28. cxd5 Rfd8 29. Rxe4 Rxd5
30. Rhe3 Rdc5 31. a4 Rxc3 {1/2-1/2 (31) Gopal,G (2575)-Milliet,S (2377)
Jakarta 2015}) 15. Qg4 Qd7 16. f5 Rae8 17. Bd2 (17. Bg5 c4 18. fxe6 Rxe6 $4 19.
Bxf6 Rfxf6 20. Rxf6 Rxf6 21. Qxd7 $18) 17... c4 18. h3 c3 $1 19. bxc3 d5 $3 $44
{Sacrificing a pawn, a couple of games from a tied match. What gutts. Magnus
is going for a win which would almost certainly help him keep his title. My
computer I have at home looks 20 moves (40 half moves) ahead and it tells me
nothing that I can fully trust about this position. My own instincts- looking
about 8 moves (16 half moves) ahead usually are overwhelmed by the complexity
of the position.} 20. Bg5 $1 (20. cxd4 $4 Bxd4+ 21. Kh1 Bxa1 22. Rxa1 exf5 23.
exf5 $19) 20... Bxg5 21. Qxg5 dxe4 (21... exf5 22. Rxf5 dxe4 23. Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.
Qc5+ Kg8 25. Qxd4 Qxd4+ 26. cxd4 exd3 27. cxd3 Rd8 $11 {this line just ends
are some minor fireworks in a draw.}) 22. fxe6 Rxf1+ 23. Rxf1 Qxe6 24. cxd4 e3
$3 {In for a penny, in for a pound.} (24... exd3 25. cxd3 Qe3+ 26. Qxe3 Rxe3
27. Rd1 Kf7 28. Kf2 Re7 29. Rc1 Rd7 30. Ke3 Ke6 31. Rc6+ Kd5 32. Rxa6 Re7+ 33.
Kd2 Kxd4 $14) 25. Re1 h6 26. Qh5 (26. Qf4 a5 27. d5 Qxd5 28. Rxe3 Rxe3 29. Qxe3
b4 $4 30. axb4 axb4 31. Qe8+ Kh7 32. Qe4+ Qxe4 33. dxe4 $18 {trust me this
endgame is completely won for White.}) 26... e2 $3 27. Qf3 a5 28. c3 Qa2 29.
Qc6 Re6 $3 30. Qc8+ Kh7 31. c4 $3 Qd2 (31... bxc4 $4 32. Qxe6 $18) 32. Qxe6 $1
Qxe1+ 33. Kh2 Qf2 34. Qe4+ {you may wonder why they agreed a draw here? Well
the Black King is trapped moves such as 34...Kg8 35.Qe8+ Kh7 46.Qe4 [if then
g6 to get out] g6 47.Qe7+ Kg8 48.Qe8+ Kg7 49.Qe7+ [then Black is either forced
to repeat moves= a draw or bring his Queen back and possibly lose] 49...Qf7 50.
Qxe2!! and not the disasterous 50.Qxf7+?? So the position is one draw away
from being a tied match- see notes to game 10 for details of the tie-break. 5.
5pts - 5.5pts.} 1/2-1/2