[Event "FIDE World Championship 2016"] [Site "New York, USA"] [Date "2016.11.15"] [Round "4"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2853"] [Annotator "Llewellyn,Alan"] [PlyCount "187"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] {This was the closest anyone can get to a win without actually winning but atleast Magnus didn't lose as far as hes concerned and many of we Westerners support him and are cheering him on. Not that we want to see Sergey lose but it seems the Russians use many tactics on the board and away from it in their search for chess success. Here Sergey plays a sacrifice of a Bishop but Magnus not only sees it coming he prepares like a Tiger waiting for his prey. Fortunately for Sergey the position is recoverable and recover from it he does, but only after 80 moves of pressure.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 {unusually it is not a Berlin defence -Magnus must have been warned against it by someone in his team, it is instead a Closed Ruy Lopez (also known as the closed Spanish Opening) Anti-Marshall systems.} Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 {In this line 10.a3 is the most popular line probably because Be6 is no longer available unlike the second game.} Qd7 11. Nbd2 {Vagor Gashimov, the Azerbaijani was a top grandmaster who liked this line.} Rfe8 $6 {this has a very poor record, especially after 12.Nf1 but after the quieter 12.c3 (ie what was actually played) it has a 50% record.} 12. c3 $6 Bf8 13. Nf1 h6 14. N3h2 d5 15. Qf3 {16.Bxh6!! is the threat as after 16...gh?? comes 17.Qxf6 and Magnus would have been busted. At the time I saw the solution which the World Champion comes up with.} Na5 $3 16. Ba2 $6 (16. Bc2 $15) 16... dxe4 17. dxe4 Nc4 $3 18. Bxh6 $2 {falling for it hook line and sinker...} Qc6 $3 {I saw this move coming. Now 19...Nxe4 is threatened.} 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. Be3 Nxe4 21. Ng3 Nd6 (21... f5 $2 22. Qxf5 $4 Nxg3 23. fxg3 $4 Qxg2#) 22. Rad1 Rab8 23. Bc1 f6 (23... e4 $2 24. Qf4 e3 25. f3 Qb6 26. Rxe3 Rxe3 27. Qxe3 Qb3 $14) 24. Qxc6 Bxc6 25. Ng4 Rb5 26. f3 f5 27. Nf2 Be7 28. f4 Bh4 29. fxe5 Bxg3 30. exd6 Rxe1+ 31. Rxe1 cxd6 $1 32. Rd1 Kf7 33. Rd4 Re5 34. Kf1 $1 {lucky or not Sergey has this only saving move to avoid 34...Re2 or 34.. .Re1 which would cause an early resignation.} Rd5 35. Rxd5 Bxd5 36. Bg5 Kg6 37. h4 $3 Kh5 38. Nh3 Bf7 (38... Bxh4 $6 39. Nf4+ Kxg5 40. Nxd5 Kg4 41. Ne3+ Kf4 42. Ke2 $44) 39. Be7 Bxh4 $6 (39... d5 $1 40. Ke2 Bxh4 41. Nf4+ Kg4 42. Bxh4 Kxh4 43. Kf3 $17) 40. Bxd6 Bd8 41. Ke2 g5 42. Nf2 Kg6 43. g4 $3 Bb6 44. Be5 a5 45. Nd1 f4 $5 {a controversial move with the expert people I was chatting to online.} 46. Bd4 Bc7 47. Nf2 Be6 48. Kf3 Bd5+ 49. Ke2 Bg2 50. Kd2 Kf7 {Magnus' King goes on a long journey and actually lands up trapped on the a2 square, believe it or not.} 51. Kc2 Bd5 52. Kd2 Bd8 53. Kc2 Ke6 54. Kd2 Kd7 55. Kc2 Kc6 56. Kd2 Kb5 57. Kc1 Ka4 58. Kc2 Bf7 59. Kc1 Bg6 60. Kd2 Kb3 (60... Be7 $6 61. Bb6 $3 Bxa3 $4 (61... Kb3 62. Bxa5 $15) 62. bxa3 Kxa3 63. Bxa5 $18) 61. Kc1 Bd3 $3 62. Nh3 $2 (62. Nxd3 $3 cxd3 63. Kd2 Kxb2 64. Bc5 f3 65. Kxd3 f2 66. Bxf2 Kxa3 67. Kc2 $13) 62... Ka2 (62... Be7 63. Ng1 Be4 64. Nh3 a4 65. Nf2 Bg6 66. Be5 Bxa3 67. bxa3 Kxa3 68. Nh3 f3 69. Bd4 Kb3 70. Nxg5 f2 71. Bxf2 a3 72. Ne6 a2 73. Nd4+ Ka3 74. Nb5+ $1 (74. Nc2+ $4 Bxc2 75. Kxc2 a1=Q $19 {with win for Black...}) 74... Ka4 75. Kb2 Kxb5 76. Kxa2 $11 {and although White is pawn up he has no chance of winning.}) 63. Bc5 Be2 64. Nf2 Bf3 65. Kc2 Bc6 66. Bd4 Bd7 67. Bc5 Bc7 68. Bd4 Be6 69. Bc5 f3 70. Be3 Bd7 71. Kc1 $3 (71. Bxg5 Bb6 72. Bh4 Be3 $3 {and White is in Zugzwang which means he really does not want to move.} 73. Kd1 Kxb2 74. Ke1 Kxa3 $19) 71... Bc8 72. Kc2 Bd7 73. Kc1 Bf4 $6 (73... Bg3 74. Kc2 Bxf2 75. Bxf2 Bxg4 76. Kc1 Bh5 77. Be3 Be8 78. Bf2 Ba4 79. Bc5 g4 80. Bf2 Kb3 81. Bg3 Bc6 82. Bf2 Ka4 83. Kd2 Kb5 84. Ke3 Kc5 85. Kf4+ Kb5 86. Kxg4 Ka4 87. Kg3 Kb3 88. Bb6 a4 89. Bc5 Kxb2 90. Bb4 $11 {and the Bishop just stays there on b4 while the King can attack both pawns and the position is a dead draw.}) 74. Bxf4 gxf4 75. Kc2 Be6 76. Kc1 Bc8 77. Kc2 Be6 78. Kc1 Kb3 79. Kb1 Ka4 80. Kc2 Kb5 81. Kd2 Kc6 82. Ke1 Kd5 83. Kf1 Ke5 84. Kg1 Kf6 ({This is an example how Magnus could have gone wrong:-} 84... Bd5 85. Nh3 Ke4 86. Nf2+ Ke3 87. g5 Bf7 88. Kf1 Kd2 89. Ne4+ Kc2 90. Nd6 Bg6 91. Kf2 Bd3 92. Kxf3 Kxb2 93. Ne4 $3 Kxa3 94. g6 Kb2 95. g7 a4 96. g8=Q a3 97. Nc5 a2 98. Na4+ Kc1 99. Qg1+ Kc2 100. Qa1 $18) 85. Ne4+ $5 Kg6 86. Kf2 Bxg4 87. Nd2 $5 {Its a choice of losing the f3 pawn or c4, by allowing for 88.Nxc4 and then White might even be winning.} Be6 $5 88. Kxf3 Kf5 89. a4 Bd5+ 90. Kf2 Kg4 91. Nf1 Kg5 (91... Bf3 $4 92. Nh2+ Kg5 93. Nxf3+ $18) 92. Nd2 Kf5 93. Ke2 Kg4 94. Kf2 {and so after another tense game the match remains without a win at 2 - 2 with all 4 games draws.} 1/2-1/2