Magnus Carlsen, World Champion

Table of Contents Prologue

1 Introduction

2 His beginnings Game 1 Game 2 Game 3

3 His first international performances Game 4 Game 5

4 Grand Master at 13 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Game 9

Game 10

5 Future World Champion Game 11 Game 12

6 In the elite

Game 13 Game 14 Game 15 Game 16 Game 17 Game 18

Game 19 Game 20 Game 21 Game 22 Game 23 Game 24

7 In the top ten Game 25 Game 26 Game 27 Game 28

Linares 2008 Interview Game 29 Game 30 Game 31 Game 32

8 World’s number one Game 33 Game 34 Game 35 Game 36 Game 37 Game 38 Game 39 Game 40

9 A record ELO rating

Game 41 Game 42 Game 43 Game 44 Game 45 Game 46 Game 47 Game 48 Game 49 Game 50 Game 51 Game 52

Game 53 Game 54 Game 55 Game 56 Game 57 Game 58 Game 59 Game 60 Game 61 Game 62 Game 63 Game 64 Game 65 Game 66

Game 67 Game 68 Game 69 Game 70 Game 71 Game 72

Bilbao 2012 Interview Game 73

Mexico 2012 Interview Game 74 Game 75 Game 76 Game 77 Game 78 Game 79 Game 80 Game 81

10 Candidate for the World Title Game 82 Game 83 Game 84 Game 85 Game 86

11 Leading up to the title Game 87 Game 88

Game 89 Game 90 Game 91

Game 92 Game 93 Game 94 Game 95 Game 96

12 New World Champion! Game 97 Game 98 Game 99

Game 100

ANNEX All the games of the World Championship Game 101 Game 102 Game 103 Game 104 Game 105 Game 106 Game 107 Game 108 Game 109 Game 110

Index Cover

Prologue 1 Introduction

2 His beginnings

3 His first international performances 4 Grand Master at 13

5 Future World Champion 6 In the elite

7 In the top ten

Linares 2008 Interview

8 World’s number one 9 A record ELO rating

Bilbao 2012 Interview

Mexico 2012 Interview

10 Candidate for the World Title 11 Leading up to the title

12 New World Champion!

Annex. All the games of the World Championship World Chess Champions

Main results in Tournaments Games index

Title Magnus Carlsen. World Champion Author Miguel Illescas and other authors

Photography Anastazia Karlovich, family archive Carlsen, tournaments and PDR archive Design and layout Pau Pascual Production Carlos J. Penín

Published by Chess Education and Technology, S.L.Francisco Giner 42, bajos. 08012 Barcelona (Spain) Tel.: +34 932385352 – Fax: +34 934154093 [email protected] - www.ajedrez21.com 1rst edition october 2015

Prologue

THIS BOOK reviews with great detail Magnus Carlsen's career, from his early chess

years to his World Champion title in late 2013. It includes his hundred best games fully annotated.

GM Miguel Illescas has edited this work, in which he offers his personal view of every game, and analyses deeply many of them, together with other experimented authors. But the most notable feature of this book is that it includes remarks of Magnus himself, made on the press conferences after the games, allowing us to penetrate in the chess thinking of the new World Champion. In addition to the explanatory texts and annotated games, the book includes many photographs, as well as several exclusive interviews with Carlsen. To top off the book, the ten games of the match for the world title are included, four of them extensively annotated. In short, this is certainly the most complete work on Magnus Carlsen.

1 Introduction By IM Ángel Martín

ALTHOUGH

he is still very young, Magnus Carlsen´s chess career is relatively extensive, as he started to compete in serious tournaments when he was barely ten years old. From the start some of his qualities stood out strongly. For example, his interest in chess and competition didn´t seem to have any limits. He was often playing blitz on the Internet, even during tournaments, while the other participants were resting and preparing their games.

Also fascinating was his interest in reading. Specifically in chess, he would read all kinds of books that he usually looked at without a board. One of his main coaches in the early years, GM Simen Agdestein, highlighted that Magnus was able to read an opening book that he didn´t know about, without using a chessboard, and then play it with great skill. Also, in his early years he had a great memory, that allowed him to remember the games and positions he had studied, including the dates and names of those who had played the games. His personality may seem rather reserved for people who are not part of his circle of acquaintances. For example, he doesn´t like interviews and he doesn´t have a good relationship with journalists and their questions, especially if they know nothing about chess. In an interview that he gave shortly after becoming a GM he mentioned that he was particularly bothered by three questions: "Why do you play chess?" "At what age did you start playing?" And "What do you have to do to become a grandmaster?" He doesn´t like music much, but instead he enjoys soccer and practices quite often.

Although he left school during the year that he traveled with his family, both him and his sisters received education from their parents during the trips. He believes that he learned much more this way than during class, which he though was rather boring.

One of the books that he enjoyed most was Kramnik´s games, but when he was asked if Kramnik was his favorite player, he said no. He said that he has no model, and that his favorite player was himself.

Magnus Carlsen was born on November 30th, 1990 in Bærum, a Norwegian town near Oslo. His father was a strong chess player who had previously taken part in club competitions in Norway. He taught him how to play when the child was 5.

Unlike many other champions, especially in the former USSR, who have had renowned coaches, often Grand Masters, guiding their chess career from the beginning, his father has been the most influential person in Magnus’ career. Even nowadays he still accompanies him frequently to tournaments because he has become his manager.

There was a Grand Master that helped Carlsen improve from the start. This person is Simen Agdestein, for many years the strongest player in Norway. He used to play in the same club as Magnus´s father. The training sessions were quite sporadic, but even so Agdestein managed to guide Carlsen in some important aspects when the boy was barely 10 years old, but had already shown great talent.

Carlsen achieved the IM title in 2003, when he was 12, but he finally established himself in early 2004 by winning the group "C" tournament in Wijk aan Zee, achieving the GM norm. In following events he achieved three more norms and finally the title with 13 years, 4 months and 27 days. He became the youngest grandmaster in the world at the time, but he wasn´t able to beat the absolute record that was set half a year before by Sergey Karjakin (also born in 1990, although in January) who achieved the title when he was 12 years and 7 months old.

However, Carlsen soon began to break records. Before he was 20 he had won the world's most prestigious tournaments, including Linares and Wijk aan Zee, in addition to the World Championship of Blitz chess (Moscow 2009, 3 points ahead of the main favorite, Anand). He also reached the top of the rating list before he was twenty. This occurred in January 2010, when he appeared with 2810, five points more than the second in the list, Veselin Topalov. Since then, he has virtually dominated the world rankings without interruption (Anand beat him by a narrow margin, only two points, in March and May 2011). And in the January 2013 list, Carlsen scored a record 2861, overcoming Kasparov´s January 2000

record by ten points. The next month Carlsen overcome his own record, reaching 2872 points, which he has maintained in December 2013.

No one doubted that Carlsen would be able to overcome his own record, even reaching 2900, as well as becoming World Champion. However, this moment was delayed by his own decision to decline participation in the 2011-12 cycle.

Magnus Carlsen with his family, walking in Bærum (Norway)

2 His beginnings By IM Ángel Martín

MAGNUS CARLSEN learned to play chess when he was 5. He was taught by his father,

a pretty strong amateur, but at first he wasn´t very interested. The young Norwegian truly became interested in chess when he was eight; his father also taught his younger sister and Magnus wanted to beat her. Magnus was 8 and a half, in July 1999, when he took part in his first competition, the under-11 Norwegian Championship. He had a pretty good performance, achieving 6.5 points out of 11.

By that time he already showed signs of great qualities, especially a prodigious memory, which allowed him to remember complete games and positions. He also showed great interest in chess, studying and playing regularly. Although Norway doesn´t have a great chess tradition, Carlsen was not without support as soon as he began to stand out. Mainly his family, who helped him a lot, and especially his father. When Magnus started to play really well, he quit his job and decided to work on his own to have more flexibility and accompany him to the tournaments. Carlsen has three other sisters, Ellen (a year and a half older than him) and Ingrid and Signe (3 and 6 years younger respectively). In January 2000, while he was participating in an open tournament at Gausdal, he impressed GM Agdestein. The Norwegian number one would play an important role in Magnus’ development in the following years, first as an adviser and then as a trainer. He actually suggested his first coach, Torbjorn Ringdal Hansen, with whom he had one session of two hours each week.

The Norwegian GM Simen Agdestein Six months later he participated again in the under-11 Norwegian Championship. This time, in his second participation, he crushed his opponent´s, scoring ten points out of eleven. Also in 2000 he played in some of his first tournaments with adults. Although at first his results were not extraordinary, we mustn´t forget that he was still just a 9-year old boy. In any case his results were much better than what was to be expected by his ranking, which was under 1000.

In 2001 his progress was already very obvious. In the April 2001 list he appeared with 2064 and was invited to an IM group at the Gausdal Classics. He finished with 2,5 out of 9 but against strong opponents (2237). Then he played in the under-20 Norwegian Championship (he was only 10) and finished 6th with 5,5 out of 9. Finally, he participated in the Nordic Countries Championship, held in Bergen with the participation of 7 GM’s. He scored 3,5/9 points, finishing 71st. He was always very tired during the last rounds. He was still very young and it wasn´t easy to play so many games against such strong players. A curious thing happened at the end of 2001, at a small tournament in Modum. His father Henrik Carlsen, ended up in front of his son. This would be the last time.

In January 2002, Magnus appeared with a 2148 FIDE rating. He also received the sponsorship of Computas, a computer consulting company, who offered him a grant to cover his tournament travel expenses. One of the first was the Marianske Lazne open in the Czech Republic. Magnus, who was seeded number 20, finished with 6/9, sharing fourth place with a 2350 performance.

Further on he played again in Gausdal (Troll Masters) but this time in the A group (average rating 2412, while Magnus barely had 2163). He finished with 2.5/9, but his performance was 2273. In July 2002 he took part in the elite group of the Norwegian championship, when he was 11 years and 7 months. A funny story occurred when one of the spectators, unaware of who Magnus was, told him that he should leave the area reserved for the players, that he could not be there. He achieved three points out of eight, but he gained some valuable experience.

In late 2002 he played two championships for under-12´s. First the European Under-12 Championship, held in Peniscola (Spain), where he finished sixth and then the World Championship in Crete. There he shared first place with Nepomniachtchi, though the tiebreak favored the Russian who took down the title. But Magnus's performance was more than 2500.

A very young Carlsen in one of his first adult competitions

Game 1 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key Carlsen was only ten years old when he won this very nice game. We can already see that he likes to gain the initiative as soon as possible, in this case by means of a pawn sacrifice that his opponent maybe shouldn’t have captured.

□ Gaasland, G NOR ■ Carlsen, M NOR 2084

Nimzo-Indian Defense [E32] NOR-chT qualifier, 2001

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8. f3 d5 9. e3 Nbd7 10. Bd3 h6 11. Bh4 Qe8 A strange way to unpin, although it works in this game. 12. Bg3 Rc8 13. c5 bxc5 14. dxc5 d4!? 15. Qxd4?!

Better was 15. exd4 and after 15... Nd5 16. Qc2 (16. Qc1!?) 16... e5 17. c6 exd4+ 18. Ne2 Ne3 19. Qc1 Black might not have enough compensation.

15... e5 16. Qc3 e4 17. c6 exd3 18. Bf2 Nd5 19. cxd7 Qxd7 20. Qxd3 Qe6 21. O-O-O c5 22. Qc4 Rfd8 Carlsen has achieved an attractive amount of compensation for the sacrificed pawn. White must play very carefully now. Maybe 22... Qg6 was objectively stronger. 23. e4?

A decisive mistake. White completely misses Black's move. He had to finish his development by means of 23. Nh3.

23... Ne3! 24. Rxd8+ Of course 24. Qxe6 Rxd1#. 24... Rxd8 25. Qe2

To avoid the mate on d1 but... 25... Qc4+!

And White resigned in view of 26. Kb1 Rd1+. 0-1

Game 2 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key One of young Carlsen's most notorious traits - which would become later one of his trademarks - is his preference for pawn sacrifices in exchange for the initiative. In the previous game he sacrificed the pawn at the end of the opening, while in this game he goes for a theoretical gambit.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2072 ■Gulbrandsen, G NOR French Defense [C06] NOR-chT qualifier, 2002

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Ngf3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Bd3 Qb6 8. O-O cxd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Nf3 Qb6 12.Qa4 Qb4 13. Qc2 Qc5 14. Qe2 Be7 15. Be3 Qa5 16. Bg5 Qd8 17. Qe3 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 Qe7 19. Rac1 h6? White has huge compensation for the sacrificed pawn but this mistake leaves Black in a completely lost position after Carlsen's excellent reply.

20. Qxa7! Rb8 If 20... Rxa7 21. Rxc8+ Qd8 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8 23. Nxf7+ winning.

21. Qxb8! Nxb8 22. Rxc8+ Kd7 23. Rxh8 Nc6 24. Nf3

White has two rooks and a bishop for a queen and he didn't have any trouble converting this material advantage.

24... f6 25. Bb5 fxe5 26. Bxc6+ bxc6 27. Nxe5+ Kd6 28. Re1 Kc7 29. g3 Qb4 30. Re2 d4 31. Rd8 Qb5 32. Rd7+ Kc8 33. Re4 c5 34.Rf4 Qxd7 35. Nxd7 Kxd7 1-0

Game 3 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key At the beginning of his career Magnus Carlsen was already trying to learn the main openings and defenses. In the following game his choice was the King’s Indian defence, which he plays aggressively, taking advantage of one of his opponent's mistakes to win the game very clearly.

□Ekeberg, C NOR 2227 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2315 King's Indian Defense [E94] NOR-ch U20, 2003

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nh5 8. g3 Bg4 9. Bg5 f6 10. Be3 Nc6 11. d5 Ne7 12. Qd2 Qd713. Ne1 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 f5 15. exf5 Nxf5 16. Ne4 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Nf6 18. Nd3 c6 19. dxc6 Qxc6 20. Nxf6+ Rxf6 21. Rac1 Rf3 22. Qe2Raf8 23. Nb4 Qc5 24. Nd5 e4 25. b4 Qd4 26. Ne3 h5 27. Rcd1 Qe5 28. Rd5 Qe6 29. Nd1 h4 30. Re1 hxg3 31. hxg3 Qh3 32. Qxe4? Black had achieved a very promising attacking position although not winning yet. But this mistake allows him to finish the game off instantly. White had to reinforce the defence of the g3 pawn with 32. Rg5.

32... Rxg3+! 33. fxg3 Qxg3+ 34. Kh1 Rf4 35. Qxf4 Qxf4 And Black ended up with a clear advantage, because of the exposed situation of White's king, which will fall under the check's of Black's queen. The game finishes quite quickly.

36. Re8+ Kf7 37. Rc8 Qf1+ 38. Kh2 Be5+ 39. Rxe5 dxe5 40. Rd8 Qf4+ 41. Kh3 Qf3+ 42. Kh2 Qh5+ 0-1

3 His first international performances By IM Ángel Martín

IN 2003 he began his first international performances, culminating with the IM title.

The previous year the Computas sponsorship was replaced by another more important one, none other than Microsoft, which would significate quite a bit of economic support to play in tournaments.

His performance in that year´s edition of the Troll Gausdal Masters earned him his first IM norm. He obtained the second one in a closed tournament in Stockholm. In this event his grandmother and his father took turns to accompany him. And the third and final norm was achieved in Copenhagen, half a point above the necessary score. At that moment he became the world's youngest IM.

In August, the Carlsen family took a crucial decision and decided to go on a real adventure. His parents sold their car and put their house on rent to spend a year touring Europe in a motor home with their four children, completing their education on a journey that was compatible with the tournaments that Magnus would be playing.

At the end of the month, coinciding with FIDE´s recognition of Magnus's status as a new IM, they began the journey. His first destination was an open chess tournament in Austria. There Carlsen came just short of his first GM norm (he failed to win in the final round and missed the norm by half a point). However, he finished third, which was not a bad start, alowing him to travel to his next appointment with a lot of hope. Just 12 days later he arrived at Budva (Montenegro) to compete in the under-14 group of the European Youth Championship. In that tournament Carlsen, with 6.5 out of 7, leading by two points with 2 rounds to go, he seemed to have the title within reach. But then something unexpected happened: he lost the last two games, despite having a decisive advantage in both of them. He had to settle for third place, and he left with a clear sense of failure.

Only six days later, Magnus was competing against adults in the European Team Championship in Crete, defending first board, even though he was ill during the trip. In thoses circumstances his result of 3.5/7, with a 2500 performance, must be considered very good, especially for a 12- year old boy who had just achieved his IM title. So for his next event, the World Junior Championships in Halkidiki (Greece), the Carlsen family had two weeks of rest, which they used for several cultural tours in Crete. But he was also ill during this tournament, and he had to play several games with a high fever. His defeat in the last round against his "old" rival Nepomnichtchi, left him in ninth place.

Then he played a closed tournament in Sicily and an open in Hungary to finish the first part of the tour. After that they returned to Norway for Christmas, where Magnus lived with his grandparents before facing what would be the first of his great successes, Wijk aan Zee.

Game 4 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key In the next game, which Magnus played when he was only twelve years old, he created a fantastic mating combination, one of the most beautiful of his career without a doubt whatsoever. White slowly cooked his attack in the kitchen of the Ruy Lopez opening. At the key moment, Carlsen’s opponent innocently captured a pawn, allowing White to unleash a powerful storm on Black's castled king, which the Norwegian culminated brilliantly.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2385 ■Harestad, H NOR 2249

Ruy Lopez Opening [C98] Politiken Cup - Copenhague, 2003

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. Re1 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. d5 Nd8 14. a4 Ra7 15. Nf1 g6 16. Bh6 Re8 17. Ng3 Nd7 18. Nh2 f6 19. Be3 Nb6 20. axb5 axb5 21. Bd3 Bd7 22. Qd2 Nf7 23. Rxa7Qxa7 24. Qe2 Qa6 25. Ng4 Kg7 26. Bc1 Na4 27. Bc2 Ra8 28. Qe3 c4 29. Rf1 Nc5 30. Nh6 Ng5 31. f4 exf4 32. Qxf4 Bxh3? Black's position is slightly worse but this launch is a huge mistake, as Carlsen will demonstrate.

Black should have tried to hold on with a series of specific moves, beginning with 32... Kxh6 33. h4 Rf8 34. hxg5+ fxg5 35. Qh4+ Kg7 36. Bxg5 Bxg5 37. Qxg5 Rxf1+ 38. Nxf1 Qb6.

33. Qh4!

Now the attack is unstoppable. 33... Bd7 34. e5!

Allowing reinforcements to join the party. Black's castled king will be devastated in a few moves by means of a beautiful attacking combination. 34... dxe5

35. Nh5+!! gxh5 36. Qxg5+!! fxg5 37. Rf7+ Kxh6 38. Rxh7# 1-0 A beautiful mate that does justice to Carlsen's ingenuity.

Game 5 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key Carlsen learned from an early age how to play both sides of the fearsome Sicilian Dragon, improving at the same time his tactical instinct and calculation skills throughout the complications that arise from this difficult variation. In this game he overcomes his opponent with energetic play, which he could have signed proudly ten years later, already as World Champion.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2450 ■Taylor, T USA 2386

Sicilian Defense [B76] First Saturday - Budapest, 2003

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O Bd7 10. g4 Qa5 11. Kb1 Rfc8 12. h4 Ne5 13. Be2 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4 15. h5 Rac8 16. Nb3 Qd8 17. hxg6 hxg6 White can now take advantage of Black's imprecise play by means of a tactical procedure that Carlsen will not miss. 18. e5! Nxg4

Trying to complicate the game.

If 18... dxe5 19. g5 winning a piece. And if 18... Ne8 White wins by means of a decisive attack with 19. Qh2 for example 19... Rxc3 20. Qh7+ Kf8 21. Bh6! winning.

19. fxg4 Bxg4 20. Qh2 Bxe5

After 20... Bh5 21. exd6 exd6 22. Rxd6 White's advantage is decisive.

21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Bd4 Rxd4 23. Rxd4!

White has achieved a decisive advantage. Black can only try to complicate the game but Magnus stays in control. 23... Bf5 24. Rd5 e6 25. Rxe5! dxe5 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qxe5 Qd6 28. Qe3

Carlsen demonstrates that the pawns don't compensate the piece, as Black's king is vulnerable in the middle of the board. 28... Kf6 29. Nd2 Qe5 30. Nde4+ Bxe4 31. Nxe4+ Ke7 32. Qa3+ Kd7 33. Rd1+ Kc6 34. Qa4+ Kb6 35. Qb4+ Ka6 36. Rd3 b6 37. Nd6 Rc5 38. Ra3+ Ra5 39. Qc4+ And mate on the next move. 1-0

4 Grand Master at 13 By IM Ángel Martín

2004 was the year in which of Carlsen finally exploded. It began with his participation at the Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee in January, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. It´s true that he only took part in the “C” tournament, the least important of the three closed events that are held simultaneously at the festival, but it was still a strong category IX tournament, in which Carlsen, based on his rating, was seeded 8th out of 14 participants. However, the young Norwegian began very well. In the first eight rounds he scored seven points, virtually ensuring his first GM norm. And although he suffered his only defeat in the next round against the Slovenian GM Pavasovic (2615), it did not affect his morale, as he won the next two games for a great final result of 9/11.

But nevertheless, his victory was still not assured. In the 12th round he had to face the Dutch player Spike Ernst, who also had the same score. He won the game brilliantly with a combination that was published worldwide (see game). After this victory the rest of the tournament was a formality and with a draw in the last round he finished with 11.5/ 13, exceeding the GM norm by half a point, and his nearest opponent (who in any case was S. Ernst) in one and a half points.

This victory had widespread repercussions and prompted the organizar of the Aeroflot Open, one of the strongest opens in the world, to extend an invitation for his tournament, which would be held in Moscow a few weeks later. The whole family traveled to Moscow, this time by plane. Magnus was received as a celebrity and although more than 150 GM´s were participating in the tournament, he was one of the great sensations. He attracted the interest of most of the spectators, especially when he started off with 3.5 points out of 4 , including a miniature against Dolmatov (see game), a player who years before had played in the Candidates tournament for the World Championship. And one round before the end he already had the second GM norm in his pocket.

The following tournament was Reykjavik, where Magnus participated in another strong open. But the blitz tournament held afterwards was a special attraction because Magnus faced none other than Kasparov and Karpov.

In Reykjavik things were not so easy for Magnus. Perhaps the pressure of achieving his third and final GM norm took its toll, and after four rounds he only had two points, having suffered two defeats. And the last part of the tournament was not very successful either, with two more defeats. He finished with 4.5/9 and a 2433 rating performance, somewhat disappointing after his previous results.

Then he played in the blitz tournament, where the stars were naturally Karpov and especially Kasparov. Magnus faced Karpov in the third round. He defeated the Russian, unleashing the interest of Nordic television. He made it to the final, where he played a series of two 25-minute KO games. He wasn´t expected to advance very far as his first opponent would be precisely Kasparov. The match with Kasparov aroused great interest, probably because the best player of all time was about to face a thirteen year old boy who wasn´t even a GM. Absolutely no one had any doubts about the outcome.

However, the doubts already began after the first game, in which Carlsen put his opponent into a tight spot, obtaining a winning position. Only the experience of the great champion and the Norwegian´s time trouble helped him save half a point. In the second game Kasparov managed to correct the situation and won convincingly, advancing in the KO. However, Magnus was not very happy with his own play. His statement after the game "I played like a child" is well-known.

A moment that went around the world: Carlsen, 13 years old, was close to win against legendary champion Garry Kasparov. In the end, the game was a draw. Although the result in Reykjavik was not very good, as Magnus didn´t achieve his main objective, which was to get the GM norm, his fame increased notably. His showdown with Kasparov was interpreted as a sign that the boy would soon become part of the world´s elite. The next scheduled tournament was a strong closed event, Siegeman & Co, to be held three weeks later in Malmö (Sweden) and Copenhagen in early May. But Henrik Carlsen previously accepted an invitation for his son to an open tournament in Dubai, where he travelled with the rest of his family.

Once there he defeated brilliantly one of the Kasparov´s old seconds, Vladimirov, who after the game predicted that Magnus would become the world´s number one player. One round before the end he had already achieved his third and final norm, making him the youngest GM at the time and the second youngest in history (although later he would be overtaken by Negi, and further on both of them by Karjakin). With 6.5/9 and a 2674 rating performance, he shared second place with 11 other players, half a point behind Mamedyarov, who won the tournament outright.

With the GM title in his pocket, Magnus travelled to the Siegeman tournament quite tired from the long trip. In the first two rounds he only scored half a point. But then he started to play well, eventually sharing second place, completing a new - unnecessary GM norm. In less than five months, Carlsen had scored four GM norms, with more points than were required. The young Norwegian was cleary prepared to enter the world´s elite group of players.

Magnus Carlsen, only a teenager but already a grandmaster.

Game 6 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key A good attacking game by young Carlsen, clearly overcoming his opponent's Sicilian Nadjorf. In a well-known variation the Norwegian sacrifices two pawns, leaving his opponent's king in the center, and after some weak moves he is able to open lines and finish his opponent off in good attacking style. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2484 ■Popov, V RUS 2580

Sicilian Defense [B97] Corus C - Wijk aan Zee, 2004

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 The old line 10. e5 has become popular again due to the fact that it has been deeply analyzed, and no clear winning line has been found for White. 10... Nc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. e5 Nd5

This line is well-known by theory, although it's less popular than 13... dxe5!? after which White has mainly tried 14. Bxf6 gxf615. Ne4 Be7 16. Be2 h5 without obtaining any advantage. 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bd3!?

Although this move is perfectly valid, White moves away from the most usual move 15. Be2 dxe5 16. O-O Bc5+ (16... Ra7!? was played by Popov in a previous game which continued 17. c4 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 d4 with unclear play in Grechihin, V-Popov,V. Cherepovets.) 17. Kh1 Rf8 18. c4 Rxf1+ 19. Rxf1 with advantage for White, according to the game Fischer,R-Geller,E. Monte Carlo 1967 which Fischer surprisingly ended up losing. 15... dxe5

15... Qc5 16. Be3 Qc7 17. O-O dxe5 18. Qf2 Bd6 19. Qh4 e4 20. Be2 Be5 21. Bb6 Qd6 22. c4 with good compensation for White in Bezgodov,A-Savon,V. Alushta.

16. O-O Be7 17. Kh1 e4 18. Be2 Rf8

18... Bxg5 19. Qxg5 Qe7 20. Qh5+ g6 21. Qe5 with a dangerous attack. 19. c4! dxc4

19... Rxf1+ 20. Rxf1 Qb4 21. Qf4 Bxg5 22. Qxg5 Qb2 23. Bd1 with the attack. 20. Rxf8+ Kxf8

If 20... Bxf8 21. Bh5+ g6 22. Qd8+ Kf7 23. Rf1+ Kg8 24. Qc7 with decisive threats. 21. Qf4+ Ke8

21... Kg8 22. Qxe4 Ra7 23. Rb8 and White wins. 22. Rf1

Black no longer has any defence.

In any case, more convincing was 22. Qxe4! 22... Ra7

22... Bxg5 23. Qf7+ Kd8 24. Rd1+ with a decisive advantage. 23. Qf7+ Kd7 24. Rd1+ Kc6 25. Qe8+ Kb6 25... Bd7 26. Qxe7 winning. 26. Qxc8 1-0

Game 7 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key It might seem that Black didn't do anything wrong in the opening but Carlsen demonstrated with energetic play - including a piece sacrifice - that White's Maroczy formation had been set up in a very favorable way. A clean game by young Carlsen. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2484 ■Werle, J NED 2407

Sicilian Defense [B41] Corus C - Wijk aan Zee, 2004

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 6... Bb4 or

6... Qc7 are the most common moves. Black sets up the "Hedgehog" structure, a solid but not very active system. 7. g3!?

Carlsen moves away from the most usual setups, in which White plays 7. f3 and develops his bishop to e2. 7... Qc7 8. Be3 b6 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7

10... Qxc4? is bad because of 11. Rc1 with the threat Nd5, against which 11... Qb4 12. a3 Qxb2 13. Na4 Qxa3 14. e5 with decisive threats. 11. Rc1 Be7

In view of what follows 11... Rc8 should have been preferred. 12. Nd5!?

This is a typical sacrifice which Black is forced to accept. 12... exd5 13. cxd5 Qb8

13... Nc5 isn't any better as after 14. b4 O-O 15. Nf5 White recovers the piece, with a clear advantage. 14. Nc6 Bxc6 15. dxc6 Ra7

Also after 15... Nc5 16. c7 followed by e5, White recovers the sacrificed material. 16. cxd7+ Nxd7

17. Bh3!? After recovering the piece, White has the advantage. Magnus exploits it in an original and energetic way. 17... O-O 18. Bxd7

A correct decision. The knight was Black's best piece. 18... Rxd7 19. Qd5 b5 20. Rc6 Qa8 21. Rfc1

21... Rfd8 22. Bb6 Re8 23. Qf5 Rb7 24. Bd4 Bf8 25. Rc8 Rb8

26. R8c7 White misses a nice conclusion with 26. R1c7! f6 (Now 26... Re7 is useless because of 27. Rxe7) 27. Rxg7+! Kxg7 28. Qxf6+ Kg829. Rc7 with an unstoppable mate. However, although the game move doesn't lose the advantage, it does extend the fight. 26... Re7 27. Rxe7 Bxe7 28. Rc7 Re8 29. Qd7 Qd8 30. Qc6 Bf8 31. Ra7 Qc8 32. Qd5 Qe6 33. Qxe6 Rxe6 34. f3 d5

This move accelerates the defeat, although there was no hope of saving the game anymore. 35. Ra8! Rc6 36. exd5 Rc7 37. Bc3 1-0

Game 8 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key A brilliant game by Carlsen, in which he conducts with avid determination a fierce attack on Black's castled king. The game emphasizes the young Norwegian's deep understanding of the opening, as he takes advantage of every opportunity offered by the dubious choice of his opponent. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2484 ■Ernst, S NED 2474

Caro-Kann Defense [B19] Corus C - Wijk aan Zee, 2004

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 There was a time when this move was considered necessary because if 7... Nf6 8. Ne5 Bh7 9. Bc4 e6 10. Qe2 with the threat Nxf7. But further analysis confirmed that this threat could be prevented satisfactorily with 10... Nd5 So Black started to use the move 7...Nf6 which at the end of the day leads to similar positions. 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bf4 Ngf6 11... Qa5+ 12. Bd2 Qc7 is another possibility. 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Ne4

The alternatives are 13. Kb1 which is a very useful move and 13. Ne5. 13... Qa5

This is not a good square for the queen in this type of positions. More usual is 13... Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qd3 (15. Qe2 is also possible. For example, the game Kasparov-Anand, Linares 2003 continued 15... Qd5 16. Kb1 O-O 17. Ne5 Qe4 18. Qxe4 Nxe419. Rhe1 and White was slightly better) 15... O-O and in this position Shirov, in his Dos Hermanas 2003 game against Dreev, introduced the interesting novelty 16. g4 Nxg4 17. Rhg1. 13... O-O which leads to the same position after 14. Nxf6+ Nxf6 15. g4

14. Kb1 O-O 15. Nxf6+

15. g4 Nxg4 16. Ne5 Ndxe5 17. dxe5 Rad8 18. Qg3 f5 was played a few days later in the game C. Sandipan-A. Dreev, Gibraltar Masters 2004, and Black achieved a reasonable game. 15... Nxf6 16. Ne5

Now the pawn sacrifice with 16. g4 is not so clear, as after 16... Nxg4 17. Rdg1 Black can make good use of his queen on d7 with17... Qf5 However 18. Qd2 leads to huge complications as in the game Polgar, J-Anand. Wijk Aan Zee 2003, that continued 18...g5 19. hxg6 fxg6 20. Bxh6 Qxf3 21. Bxf8 Rxf8 22. d5! cxd5 23. Qd4 Nf6 24. Rxg6+ Kf7 25. Rhg1 Rc8 and the game finally ended in a draw. 16... Rad8 17. Qe2

White normally continues with 17. Qg3 although recently Bareev has achieved good results with the simple 17... Kh8 Therefore, White decides to avoid blocking the way for his "g" pawn. At the same time he is preparing an interesting idea. 17... c5?!

Possibly, this move is the cause of all of Black's problems from now on. In the game Guerra-Magem, Mondariz 2002 17... Nd5 18.Bc1 c5 was played, but after 19. c4 Nf6 the knight had to return to f6, and White, instead of exchanging with 20. dxc5 could have played, as in this game, the sacrifice (20. Ng6The most interesting move seems to be 17... Qb6 which has been played in some games. 18. c3 (Now 18. Ng6 doesn't seem to work because of 18... Ba3! 19. Bc1 fxg6 20. Qxe6+ Kh8 21. hxg6 and Black made a mistake here with 21... Rde8? (he should have played 21... Ng8 with advantage) 22. Qh3 was Guerra Bastida-Franco Cazon. Aceimar) (The pawn sacrifice 18. Rd3 Rxd4 19. Ng6 fxg6 20. Qxe6+ Kh8 (Radovanovic,J - Prasad,D. Port Erin) doesn't give anything to White) 18... c5 (Now that White has put his pawn on c3 18... Nd5!? seems very interesting) 19. dxc5 (19. Be3 Nd5 20.Ka1 Qc7 21. g4 Nxe3 22. fxe3 Bf6 23. Nd3 b6 24. Rhf1 Rfe8 25. Qf3 e5 with equality in V.Anand-E.Bareev, ROW-Russia.) 19...Qxc5 20. g4

and White is attacking, although the position is far from clear in Thipsay,P-Prakash,G, Mumbai. 18. Ng6!

This theme is well-known, but in this position, with the black queen isolated far away, it's even stronger. 18... fxg6?

The following moves will demonstrate that this move is a fatal mistake, although it's not easy to see this right now.

Black had to play 18... Rfe8 19. Nxe7+ Rxe7 20. dxc5 Red7 21. Rxd7 Rxd7 22. Be3 with a small advantage for White. 19. Qxe6+ Kh8

Obviously the bishop can't be defended. If 19... Rf7?? 20. hxg6 but White's not thinking of capturing it. 20. hxg6!

The key move. White not only threatens to capture the bishop, but also several sacrifices on h6 leaving the black king undefended. 20... Ng8

20... Qb6 isn't good, for example 21. Qxe7 Rde8 22. dxc5

21. Bxh6! Defending the h6 square hasn't been of any use and White has a forced win. 21... gxh6 22. Rxh6+ Nxh6 23. Qxe7 Nf7 24. gxf7

Surprisingly, all of this had already been played before in the game Almagro,PGustafsson,J, Memorial Pablo Gorbea, Madrid 2003, which continued 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Rh1 Nh6 26. Qe7 Nf7 27. Qf6 Nh6 28. Qe7 Nf7 and White didn't find anything better than agreeing to a draw after 29. Qf6 Nh6 30. Qe7 Nf7 However, even this ending is very good for White after 29.Rh5. Did Carlsen know this game? Probably not, in any case but his 24th move is very strong. 24... Kg7

24... Qb6 wasn't better, as after 25. Qe5+ Kh7 26. Rh1+ Kg6 (26... Qh6 leads to a clearly lost ending) 27. Rh3 and Black has no defence, for example 27... Rxf7 28. Rg3+ Kh7 29. Qh5+ Qh6 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 31. Rh3 25. Rd3 Rd6

25... Qb6 26. Rg3+ Qg6 would have resisted more, but obviously with no real hopes of saving the game.

26. Rg3+ Rg6 27. Qe5+ Kxf7 27... Kh7 28. Qh5+ Rh6 29. Qf5+ also leads to mate. 28. Qf5+ Rf6

If 28... Ke7 29. Re3+ and White captures one of the rooks with check. 29. Qd7# 1-0

At just 13, and after his victory in the 2004 Corus C group, Carlsen won with 10.5 of 13 points his first Grandmaster norm.

Game 9 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key This is a miniature against a well-known Russian Grand Master, although Dolmatov was practically retired when this game was played. Carlsen's original opening play misguides his opponent, who is swept off the board. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2484 ■Dolmatov, S RUS 2591 Reti Opening [A04] Moscow Aeroflot, 2004

1. Nf3 f5 2. d3 d6 3. e4 e5 4. Nc3 Nc6 In view of how the game continued, this natural move may be a small mistake. Better was 4... Nf6!? with the idea of answering5. exf5 Bxf5 6. d4 with 6... e4 although White still has an edge after 7. Nh4. 5. exf5! Bxf5 6. d4 Nxd4 If 6... e4 7. d5

7. Nxd4 exd4 8. Qxd4 Nf6? Accepting the pawn with 8... Bxc2?! is dangerous because of 9. Bc4. However, 8... c6!? was interesting. 9. Bc4!

This move improves a previous game, in which White didn't achieve anything after 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 c6 11. O-O Be7 12.Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 O-O Romanishin-Malaniuk. Tallin. 9... c6 10. Bg5! b5

The natural 10... d5 is answered by 11. O-O-O! and Black is in serious trouble, for example: 11... Be7 (11... dxc4 12. Qe5+) (11...Kf7 12. Rhe1 Qd7 (12... h6 13. Nxd5! cxd5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Qf4) 13. g4 Nxg4 14. Nxd5) 12. Rhe1 O-O (12... dxc4 13. Bxf6) 13.Qe5.

11. Bb3 Be7?

This move loses. Preferable was 11... Qe7+ 12. Kf1 O-O-O 13. a4 b4!? 14. Qxb4 d5 where Black can activate his position in for just one pawn. In any case, the compensation wouldn't be enough. 12. O-O-O Qd7 13. Rhe1 Kd8 14. Rxe7! Qxe7 14... Kxe7 15. Re1+.

15. Qf4 Bd7 16. Ne4 d5 17. Nxf6 h6 18. Bh4 g5 19. Qd4 1-0

Game 10 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key A draw with Kasparov with only thirteen years old is quite an achievement. Magnus had lost a blitz game with the same opponent the previous day, and he also lost the second game of the match, when he declared to the astonished press reporters: "I lost like a child". But this draw made it clear that the Norwegian was not just any kind of prodigy: he was born to be a champion. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2484 ■Kasparov, G NED 2831 QGD [D52] Reykjavik ISL, 2004

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5 It seems that Kasparov is trying to move away from the most typical setups, to exploit his opponent's lack of experience and understanding of this type of position. 7. Nd2

But Carlsen isn't surprised and follows the strongest recommendation.

7... Bb4 8. Qc2 O-O 9. Be2 e5 10. O-O exd4 11. Nb3 Qb6 12. exd4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 a5 14. a4 If 14. Rad1 a4 15. Nc1 Qa5 16. Bd2 Nb6 17. Bd3 Be6 18. Rfe1 a3 19. Re5 Nbd5 Black is OK in E.Postny-P.Acs, Peristeri. But 14. Ne4 is a very interesting alternative which has been played successfully in several games. 14... Qc7 15. Rae1! h6

Premature is 15... Nb6 due to 16. Bd3. 16. Bh4 Bd6 17. h3

17. Bg3 doesn't offer anything after 17... Nb6 18. Bd3 Be6 and Black finishes his development. 17... Nb6

17... b6 was safer.

18. Bxf6! Nxc4 19. Ne4 Bh2+?! Kasparov goes for complications that might allow him to confuse his opponent.

Maybe the move 19... Be6 would have been better, for example: 20. Nbc5 Bd5 21. Nxd6 Nxd6 22. Re7 (after 22. Be7 Rfe8 23.Bxd6 Qxd6 24. Nxb7 Qb4 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. Nc5 Qxd4 Black is better.) 22... Qc8 23. Be5 Qf5 24. Qxf5 Nxf5 25. Rxb7 f6 with an acceptable ending. And of course, 19... gxf6? doesn't work because of 20. Nxf6+ Kg7 21. Qh7+ Kxf6 22. Qxh6+ Kf5 23. g4#. 20. Kh1 Nd6?

After this move Black is in big trouble.

Better was 20... Nb6 although White has the advantage after 21. g3 Bxh3 22. Be5 Qd8 23. Kxh2 Bxf1 24. Rxf1. 21. Kxh2! Nxe4+ 22. Be5 Nd6

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. a4 Bg4 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. h3Bh5 13. Qd3 exd4 14. Bg5 Bxf3 15. Bxf6 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 gxf6 17. Qxb5

Pavlovic has sacrificed a pawn for attacking possibilities against the black king. However, Carlsen demonstrates that the white king is in danger. 17... Ke7! 18. Kh2 Ne5 19. f4 This allows Carlsen to decide the game with a brilliant sacrifice. However 19. Bd5 fails again due to 19... Qg8! with the idea 20...Qg6 and 21... Rg8. Maybe the most resistant move was 19. Nd2 dxc3 20. bxc3 Qa5 but even here Black forces an ending with a clear advantage. 19... Qxe4!! 20. fxe5 Rg8! 21. exf6+ Kf8 22. Rf2 White can´t save the game with 22. Bd5 due to 22... Qe5+ 23. Kh1 Rg3! with a decisive attack. 22... d3! 23. Qh5 If 23. Rd2 Bg1# 23... Rg6 24. Qf3 Qe5+ 25. Kh1 Qe1+ 26. Rf1 Rg1+! 27. Kh2 Qe5+ 28. Qf4 Rxf1 Black has finally achieved a decisive material advantage and the rest of the game is easy. 29. Qxe5 dxe5 30. Nd2 Rf2+ 31. Kg3 Rxd2 32. Bxf7 Kxf7 33. b4 Rf2 0-1 23. Qc5

23. d5! was much stronger. For example 23... f6 (now 23... Qd7 doesn't work because of 24. dxc6 bxc6 25. Rd1 Qf5 26. Qxf5 Nxf527. Bc3 Ba6 28. Rfe1 and the a5 pawn falls.) 24. Bf4 Rd8 25. Nd4 Qb6 26. Qg6 with the threat Re7. 23... Rd8 24. d5 Qd7!

24... Bf5 fails to 25. Rd1 b6 26. Qxc6 Qxc6 27. dxc6 Nc4 28. Bc3 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 Rc8 (29... Bc2 30. Rd4 Bxb3 31. c7 Rf8 32. Rd8Nd6 33. Rxd6) 30. Nd4 Be4 31. b3! Nd6 32. Nb5 with a decisive advantage. 25. Nd4!

25. Rd1 is bad due to 25... Ne4. 25... Nf5

25... cxd5 26. Bxd6 Qxd6+ 27. Qxd6 Rxd6 28. Re8+ Kh7 29. Rc1. 26. dxc6 bxc6 27. Nxc6 Re8 28. Rd1

If 28. Bc3 Bb7 29. Rxe8+ Rxe8 30. Nxa5 Bxg2! 31. Kxg2 Nh4+ 32. Kh2 (32. Kg3 Qd3+ 33. Kxh4 Qf3) 32... Nf3+ with a draw. 28... Qe6

29. Rfe1?! In time trouble, Magnus is unable to calculate the complications of 29. Bc7! Bb7 30. Nd8! However, further analysis demonstrates that White's position is winning. 29... Bb7 30. Nd4 30. Nxa5 Bxg2! 30... Nxd4

Much better than 30... Qg6 31. f3 Nh4 32. Bg3 Rxe1 33. Rxe1. 31. Qxd4 Qg6

The game has equalized, although White still has a small advantage because of his extra pawn. But the opposite-colored bishops and the activity of Black rooks makes it very hard to win. 32. Qg4

32. f3 Rac8 isn't good for White

32... Qxg4 33. hxg4 Bc6 34. b3 f6! 35. Bc3 Rxe1 36. Rxe1

Maybe the variation 36. Bxe1 Rb8 37. Rd3 Be4 38. Rd4 was slightly better 36... Bd5 37. Rb1 Kf7 38. Kg3 Rb8 39. b4 axb4 40. Bxb4 Bc4 And now the draw is quite obvious.

41. a5 Ba6 42. f3 Kg6 43. Kf4 h5 44. gxh5+ Kxh5 45. Rh1+ Kg6 46. Bc5 Rb2 47. Kg3 Ra2 48. Bb6 Kf7 49. Rc1 g5 50. Rc7+ Kg651. Rc6 Bf1 52. Bf2 1/2-1/2

A moment of the game that went around the world, which Carlsen 13 years old had against the ropes legendary Garry Kasparov.

5 Future World Champion By IM Ángel Martín

AFTER achieving the GM title with only 13 years, many people began to see Magnus as a future world champion. But the opportunity to compete in that arena was going to arrive much sooner than he had imagined.

At the time, the 1993 FIDE vs players disagreement still lingered, with Kasparov and Short playing their World Championship match outside the auspices of FIDE. The International Chess Federation had taken away the title from the Russian and Kramnik had taken his place by defeating him in London 2000. The official title was going to be settled in a qualifying tournament in Libya in mid-June. In addition to all the players that had already qualified, FIDE gave some wild-cards to players that met some special criteria. A lot of people speculated on the possibility that one of the places would be for Carlsen, but until the last minute this was not a reality. Karjakin had been elected previously as the youngest GM, but there were some withdrawals and Magnus was invited to play.

However, his first opponent, Armenia’s Levon Aronian, who at that moment had a better rating and more experience, proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. Nonetheless, Magnus stood his ground and the two games were drawn. Both of the tiebreaks, two 25minute games with 10 seconds increment per move, were highly contested. After a draw in the first game, Magnus lost the second game on time, in a drawn ending that was quite difficult to defend. Thus ended his first attempt.

In the World Championship in Tripoli Magnus could not beat Aronian in the first round. The highlight for the rest of the year was Carlsen´s participation in the Calvia (Mallorca) Olympiad.

In early 2005, Magnus participated again in the Wijk aan Zee tournament, this time in the "B" group. The winner would qualify for the next year´s main event. But a bad result in the final rounds left him short of this goal, and he had to settle for seventh place. The winner was one of his main opponents, Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin, who was also trying to find his place among the world´s top players. This was the first time that both of them coincided in a tournament. His expectations were not completed in the following tournaments in which he took part, before facing a new event in the FIDE cycle leading to the world title. He was scheduled to play in the World Cup, to be held in the Siberian town of Khanty-Mansiysk, in which the top ten would qualify for the next Candidates tournament.

In the Candidates tournament the previous year, Carlsen was quickly eliminated by Aronian, albeit not without presenting a tough fight. However, this time his performance was much better. In the first round he faced a tough opponent, as Azmaiparashvili (2658) had 90 rating points more than him, but he defeated him clearly by 2-0. Then he beat Amonatov (2570) by 1.5 to 0.5 followed by Cheparinov (2618) 2-0. In six games Magnus had only conceded one draw. He wasn´t so fortunate in his next match against the experienced Russian GM Bareev (2675). After two draws, Magnus lost a favourable game in the rapid tiebreaks and he could only draw the next one.

He still had to play a series of knockout games for places 9th to 16th. First of all Magnus defeated Lautier (2679) and then Malakhov (2670), giving him one of the qualifying seats to the World Championship. In the last match, against Kamsky (2690), Magnus won the first game but then lost the next three. However, it must be said that having qualified previously this match was not so important.

There was still a year to go for the Candidates KO matches, but the pairings were not very good for Magnus: he had been paired in the first qualifier against Aronian, who had already defeated him in Lybia.

In early 2005 Carlsen participated for the first time in Wijk aan Zee, in the " B" group.

Game 11 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key Early in his career Carlsen often played critical attacking lines against the Sicilian defense. As an example the following game, which he wins with authority against his experienced opponent. A common element in all of these games is the way Carlsen keeps control by applying the required amount of energy. Comparatively, it should be remembered that Anatoli Karpov also used to play 1.e4 at the start of his career. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2552 ■Vladimirov, E RUS 2621 Sicilian Defense [B67] Dubai, 2004

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f3 Rc8 10. Be3 Ne5 10... h5 deserves to be considered, controlling once and for all the advance of the "g" and "h" pawns. However, it's obviously a dangerous decision. 11. g4 h6 12. h4 b5 13. Bd3 b4 14. Nce2 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nf4 Qa5

In the game I. Gazik-P.Popovic, Stary Smokovec 1991 Black eliminated the two bishops after 16... Nxd3+ 17. Qxd3 Nxe3 18.Qxe3 and after 18... Bc5 Black had an acceptable position. But Vladimirov's move also seems quite satisfactory and was recommended in the analysis of the mentioned game, connected to a very interesting idea. 17. Kb1

17... Nxf3!? This move was also recommended in the analysis. Magnus probably didn't know this sacrifice but he found the best answer. 18. Qf2

After 18. Nxf3? Nc3+! 19. bxc3 bxc3 20. Qc1 Ba3 White must sacrifice his queen, and in spite of getting three pieces in exchange, his position would be very bad. (Or also 20... Rb8+ 21. Ka1 Ba3. 18... Nxe3

Worse is 18... Nxd4 19. Bxd4 and 19... Nc3+ doesn't work anymore because of 20. bxc3 bxc3 21. Ka1 Ba3 22. Rb1 Bb2+ 23. Rxb2cxb2+ 24. Bxb2 with a decisive advantage. 19. Qxe3 Nxd4

The alternative 19... Ne5 is answered by 20. Ndxe6 Bxe6 (20... fxe6 21. Ng6 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Bb5 23. Qd2) 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Bg6+Ke7 23. Rhe1 with dangerous threats. 20. Qxd4 Qc5

21. Qe4! Much better than recovering the pawn with 21. Bxa6 Qxd4 22. Rxd4 Ra8 where Black's future options are better. 21... Qc6

White's idea can be seen in the spectacular variation 21... Bc6 22. Qe2 Bxh1 23. Nxe6! Qe7 (23... fxe6 24. Qxe6+ Kd8 25. Be4+Kc7 26. Rd7+ winning.) 24. Bf5!! and Black has no defence, for example 24... Bb7 25. Rd8+ Rxd8 26. Nc7#.

22. Qe2 a5?!

Slightly better was 22... Be7 although White keeps his advantage after 23. Nh5 O-O (Neither better was 23... Kf8 24. Rhf1) 24. g5. 23. Nh5 a4 24. Rhf1 Rc7

24... a3 is losing to 25. Qe5 axb2 26. Nxg7+. 25. Qf2 Bc8

Useless is 25... f6 26. Nxf6+.

26. Qd4

Enough to win but 26. Nf6+ gxf6 27. Qxf6 Rg8 28. Bb5! would have been quicker.

26... Rd7 27. Nxg7+ Bxg7 28. Qxg7 Rf8 29. Qxh6 b3

A desperate resource, but against any other move White wins easily.

30. cxb3 axb3 31. axb3 Ba6 32. Bxa6 Qxa6 33. Qf4 Ra7 34. Qb8+ Ke7 35. Qb4+ After 35...Ke8 36.Rd8+ White wins with a mating attack. 1-0

Game 12 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key A typical positional Carlsen game in which for the modest price of a pawn he achieves an excellent initiative, resolving the game explosively at the first opportunity, against a top-level player with a considerably higher elo rating. It seemed clear that the Norwegian was progressing very quickly. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2552 ■Nikolic, P BIH 2676 French Defense [C08] Corus B - Wijk aan Zee, 2005

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 c4 An unusual line.

Normally 5... Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O Nge7 is played. 6. b3 cxb3

The pawn chain can't be held as if 6... b5 7. a4. 7. axb3

Nikolic had already faced successfully 7. Bb5+ Bd7 8. Qe2+ Qe7 9. Bxd7+ Nxd7 10. axb3 Nh6 (10... f6 11. Nf1 Qxe2+ 12. Kxe2Bd6 13. Ne3 Ne7 14. Ba3 Bxa3 15. Rxa3 Kf7 16. Ne1 Nf8 17. Nd3 Ne6 18. c3 Rhd8 19. Kd2 Nc6 20. Rd1 Rac8 1/2-1/2 Adams, M-Nikolic,P. BIH t-ch Neum 2002) 11. Ra5 Nb6 12. Nf1 Qxe2+ 13. Kxe2 Nf5 14. c4 f6 15. c5 Nc8 16. Ne3 Nxe3 17. fxe3 a6 18. Kd3Na7 19. Bd2 g6 20. Ng1 Nb5 21. Ne2 Kd7 with equality in Beliavsky,A-Nikolic,P. Belgrade.

7... Bb4 8. Ne5

The alternative is 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. Qe2+ Qe7 (9... Ne7!? 10. O-O O-O 11. Ba3 Bxa3 12. Rxa3 Bxb5 13. Qxb5 Qc7 14. Re1 Qxc2 15.Qxb7 Nbc6 16. Raa1 Rab8 17. Qc7 Rfc8 18. Qf4 h6 19. h3 Ng6 20. Qg4 Nb4 21. Rxa7 Nd3 22. Rf1 Ndf4 with equality in Korneev,O-Garcia Martinez,S. Mislata op.) 10. Ne5 Nf6 11. O-O O-O 12. Bd3 Nc6 with only a small advantage for White in Sarakauskas,G-Alekseev,V. Pelaro op.

8... Ne7

But not 8... Bc3? 9. Qf3! Bxd2+ 10. Bxd2 with a clear advantage for White.

8... Nf6 9. Bd3 O-O 10. O-O Bc3 11. Ra4 Bd7 12. Nxd7 Nbxd7 13. Nb1 Ba5 14. Bd2 Bc7 15. Nc3 Re8 16. Qf3 Nb6 17. Raa1 h618. Rae1 Qd6 19. g3 a6 20. Re3 Qc6 21. Rfe1 Bd6 22. Nd1 Rxe3 23. Nxe3 with a clear advantage for White in the game Svidler,P-Kortchnoi,V. Groningen. 9. Bd3 Nbc6 10. O-O

10. Bb2!? was a natural alternative. 10... Bc3

This material win does involve some risks, as Black falls behind in development. Safer was 10... O-O 11. Bb2

11. Ra4!

11... Bxd4 Another option was 11... Nxe5 12. dxe5 Bd7 (12... Bxe5 13. Qh5 Bf6 14. Re1 with excellent compensation for the pawn.) 13. Rh4and the rook annoys Black's king. 11... Nxd4?? 12. Nb1

12. Nxc6 Nxc6 13. Ba3! Now Black has trouble castling. 13... Be6 14. Nf3 Bb6?!

14... Bf6 was better, to continue with ...Be7, for example 15. Re1 Be7 16. Bxe7 (16. Bb2!?) 16... Qxe7 17. Qc1 although Black's position would not be comfortable. 15. Qa1! Qc7

15... f6 16. Re1 Kf7 17. Rf4 with dangerous threats.

16. b4!? Of course 16. Qxg7 O-O-O 17. Qf6 with a clear advantage was also possible. But Carlsen doesn't want to give his opponent any chances of counterplay on the open "g" file.

16... f6?!

16... O-O was preferable, although after 17. b5 Ne7 18. Re1 White has better perspectives. 17. Re1 Kf7?!

Now White gets a very strong attack.

Black had to play 17... Ne5!? 18. Nxe5 fxe5 19. b5!? And if (19. Qxe5 Qxe5 20. Rxe5 Kd7 21. b5 claims a small advantage.) 19...Qf7 (19... d4 20. f4) 20. Qxe5! Bxf2+ 21. Kh1 Bxe1 22. b6! and there is no defence against 23.Bb5+. 18. b5 Na5?!

Here the knight is too far away from the defence of his king.

Better was 18... Nd8!? although 19. Qd1 is still clearly better for White. 19. Qd1!

19... Rae8 19... Nc4 20. Bf5! Ne5 21. Bxe6+ Kxe6 22. Nxe5 fxe5 23. Qg4+.

19... g6 20. Ng5+! fxg5 21. Qf3+ Kg7 22. Rxe6 Rhf8!? (22... Rhe8 23. Qf6+ Kg8 24. Bxg6!) 23. Bxf8+ Rxf8 24. Qxd5 Rxf2 25. Kh1. 20. Ng5+! fxg5 21. Qf3+! Kg8 22. Rxe6!

And Black resigned because against 22....Rxe6 then 23.Qf8# while if 22...Qf7 the answer would be 23.Bf5 threatening 24.Rxe8+ Qxe8 25.Be6+! winning.

1-0

6 In the elite By IM Ángel Martín

IN 2006, Carlsen appeared with a 2650 rating and qualified for the Candidates

tournament when he was only 15 years old. Only Bobby Fischer, nearly 50 years before, had been able to do this.

His first event was again Wijk aan Zee. He played in the “B” group with the clear goal of qualifying for the following year´s main event. He began very well, with 6 points out of 7, but then he lost his only game against Motylev, who would finally share first place with him. Although his tiebreak was worse, the organizers decided to invite both of them to the following years “A” group. In March, Carlsen participated in the Reykjavik open. He leaded the event all along but lost the last game and finished the tournament in shared 1st-3rd place. However, he was well rewarded in the blitz event that was held just after, with the presence of Anand. Magnus defeated the Indian in the semifinals by 2-0, although he was a bit lucky. In the final he faced local GM Stefansson, repeating the 2-0 score, winning the title.

In the Turin Olympiad, held in the Italian city at the end of May, Carlsen defended the first board of his country, scoring 6 points out of 8 games. Then he played in the strong Biel tournament (a double-round Category XVII with 6 players), won convincingly by Morozevich (with 7,5/ 10). But Magnus, who finished second, was satisfied with beating the champion in their two games.

First board at the Torino Olympiad in 2006 However, the toughest event in which Carlsen had played so far was the Tal Memorial, which was held in Moscow in November. It was a Category XX tournament, and all the players except Magnus had more than 2700. His result was not very good, 2 defeats and only 8 draws, for a shared 8th-9th place with Shirov.

He also failed to win any games in the Wijk aan Zee tournament in January 2007, this time in the "A" group. Four defeats led him to share last place, again with Shirov. But these tournaments were what Magnus needed to accumulate more experience against the top players.

This happened in Linares, one of the strongest and most prestigious tournaments in the world. The 2007 edition was played in two parts, the first half in Morelia (Mexico) and the second in Linares. Magnus had an excellent first half and returned from Morelia sharing the lead with Anand. Even though he was overtaken by the Indian and had to share second place with Morozevich, he proved that he could fight on equal terms with the best players the world.

The Candidates qualifying tournament, held in Elista, began in May. Aronian was the clear favorite against Carlsen because of his recent results, which included a clear victory in a training match against Kramnik.

Aronian confirmed this by winning the first game with Black. But Magnus evened the score by winning the third game. In a vibrant match, Aronian took the lead again in the next game, but the Norwegian rebalanced things by winning the fifth. The match ended in a tie with a draw in the sixth game and the qualifier was decided in a 4-game rapid match.

Aronian took the lead again by winning the first of these games and then they made two consecutive draws. But in the last game, which was decided in time trouble, Carlsen won the game at the last moment, forcing a new tie in the match. A new tiebreak match was announced, this time a 2-game blitz match. Aronian won the first game again, and this time he made no mistakes, winning the second game and ending all of Carlsen's aspirations in the Candidates tournament.

The Norwegian would still have a chance to participate in the World Championship by playing the World Cup in November, again in Khanty-Mansiysk. The winner would play a match against Topalov, and the winner if this match would be the official challenger to the World Champion, in contention between Anand and Kramnik.

However, Carlsen arrived at the tournament very tired after a tough participation in the Tal Memorial, where he shared third place. He won the first qualifier easily against a relatively unknown opponent. But then he needed the tiebreak to defeat Naiditsch (2639), followed by three close wins by 1.5 to 0.5 over Dominguez (2683), Adams (2714) and Cheparinov (2670). He eventually lost to Kamsky in the semifinals by the same score and the American would go on to win the 2007 World Cup.

Carlsen was defeated by Anand, but finished second in Morelia-Linares 2007.

Game 13 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key An easy win for Carlsen. He punishes harshly White's dubious setup. From move 17 onwards the Norwegian attacks without any resistance from his weak opponent. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Pavlovic, M SRB 2494 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2652 Ruy Lopez Opening [C78] Reykjavik, 2006

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. a4 Bg4 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. h3Bh5 13. Qd3 exd4 14. Bg5 Bxf3 15. Bxf6 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 gxf6 17. Qxb5 Pavlovic has sacrificed a pawn for attacking possibilities against the black king. However, Carlsen demonstrates that the white king is in danger. 17... Ke7! 18. Kh2 Ne5 19. f4

This allows Carlsen to decide the game with a brilliant sacrifice. However 19. Bd5 fails again due to 19... Qg8! with the idea 20...Qg6 and 21... Rg8. Maybe the most resistant move was 19. Nd2 dxc3 20. bxc3 Qa5 but even here Black forces an ending with a clear advantage.

19... Qxe4!! 20. fxe5 Rg8! 21. exf6+ Kf8 22. Rf2 White can´t save the game with 22. Bd5 due to 22... Qe5+ 23. Kh1 Rg3! with a decisive attack.

22... d3! 23. Qh5 If 23. Rd2 Bg1#.

23... Rg6 24. Qf3 Qe5+ 25. Kh1 Qe1+ 26. Rf1 Rg1+! 27. Kh2 Qe5+ 28. Qf4 Rxf1

Black has finally achieved a decisive material advantage and the rest of the game is easy. 29. Qxe5 dxe5 30. Nd2 Rf2+ 31. Kg3 Rxd2 32. Bxf7 Kxf7 33. b4 Rf2 0-1

Game 14 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key From the beginning of his career Carlsen has opened the game both with 1.e4 and 1.d4. In this game the Norwegian ace has no objections to battle in the rugged terrain of the King's Indian Defense against a formidable opponent like Morozevich. And again we see Carlsen fighting for the initiative, avoiding by all means a closed game or defensive position. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2675 ■Morozevich, A RUS 2731 King's Indian Defense [E97] Biel, 2006

1. d4

Magnus Carlsen became Morozevich's worst enemy at Biel, defeating him in the two games they played against each other. This one was the first of those two games. It's a very complicated struggle in which both players had to face difficult tactical and strategic problems. 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7

The basic position of the Classical Variation of the King's Indian, one of the most popular openings of all time. In this position there are 18 different moves for White. For those of you who enjoy statistics here are some numbers regarding the main alternatives, according to my database. Currently the most popular line is 9. Ne1, which has been played in 7174 games. Then 9.b4 (5.374) and 9.Nd2 (3.317). From there onwards all of the lines have under 500 games, including the variation that Carlsen chooses for this game, which only has 83 games. 9. a4

An odd move although it does have some logic. Remember that in this variation, as a general rule, White will play on the queenside and Black on the kingside. For Black, the question is whether to ignore this move or try to take advantage of it strategically. For the first case, Black can just move his knight to h5, d7 or e7, in order to advance with f5. Morozevich goes for the second option, also played years ago by Garry Kasparov. 9... a5

This move "paralyzes" the queenside and forces White to prepare the rupture on b4, after which Black's pawn structure will be superior. This is the optimistic view, because

Black will also be playing on his opponent's side of the board which will definitely help him a lot. 10. b3

The universal move is 10.Ne1.

I recall the classic game between two colossus 10. Ne1 Nd7 11. Be3 f5 12. f3 Nc5 13. Nd3 b6 14. b4 Nxd3 15. Qxd3 axb4 16. Nb5Kh8 17. Qb3 Ng8 18. Qxb4 Nf6 19. exf5 gxf5 with a complex position in Kortschnoi-Kasparov, Barcelona. 10... Nd7 11. Ba3 Bh6

Possibly, Morozevich felt uncomfortable after 11...f5 12.Ng5 and therefore he decides to put his bishop on this important diagonal. The bishop normally can't access this diagonal except in the variations with 9.Nd2. This move was a novelty, because previously 11... Nc5 had been played. 12. b4 axb4 13. Bxb4

This position occurs a lot in the variation that starts with 9.b4, when Black plays a5 and White answers with Ba3. The attentive reader will have noticed that in this case White is a tempo up, because instead of b3-b4, he had advanced the pawn two squares with just one move. If you look for this position in a database you will find 100 games and White now plays now a5 or Nd2. It's definitely bad news for players of the King's Indian if this position is also good a tempo down. 13... f5 14. Nd2 Kh8

Black wants to play Ng8-f6, leaving the other knight on d7 to stop the c5 advance. Due to obscure reasons, after making this move, Morozevich didn't carry on with this plan. The reader should pay attention to the move 14...Kh8, because the fact that the king is on h8 and not g8 will play a big role in the rest of the game. 15. a5 Rf7

It seems that Morozevich is somewhat unsecure and mixes up his plans. In view of the previous move 15... Ng8 was probably the best chance. 16. Nb5 Nf6

Black finally refuses to regroup the other knight through g8 and places this one on f6 directly. Carlsen takes advantage to play his rupture. 17. c5! dxc5

Here is the key. Apparently, the c5 rupture was impossible, because if now 18.Bxc5, Black simply plays 18...Bxd2 and then captures on e4 with his knight. However, with 18. Bc3

White makes this really nice move, attacking e5 immediately.

Surprisingly, he could have played 18. Bxc5! because after 18... Bxd2 19. Qxd2 Nxe4 White has 20. Qb2!! Nxc5 21. Qxe5+ Kg822. Nxc7 with a powerful attack in exchange for the piece. 18... c6 19. dxc6 bxc6

The most tempting capture, pushing back the knight.

19... Nxc6!? was a very important alternative when after 20. Nc4 Rd7 Black is back in the game. 20. Na3 fxe4

From here onwards, Morozevich gradually falls under the train.

A very important alternative was 20... Bxd2 21. Nc4! (21. Bxd2 Nxe4 22. Bc3 Qxd1 23. Bxe5+ Kg8 24. Rfxd1 Rxa5) 21... Nxe422. Bxe5+ Kg8 23. f3 Qd5 24. fxe4 Be3+ 25. Kh1 (More aggressive was 25. Nxe3 Qxe5 26. Ng4 fxg4 27. Qd8+ Kg7 28. Rxf7+Kxf7 29. Rf1+ Nf5 30. Bc4+ Kg7 31. Qg8+ Kh6 32. exf5 gxf5 33. Kh1 and White is better in spite of being two pawns down.) 25...Qxd1 26. Rfxd1 Ba6 27. Bf1 with a small advantage in the ending. 21. Nac4!

White's pieces start to dance around the pair of doubled pawns. 21... Ned5 22. Bxe5 Bg7 23. Nd6

The most immediate move although not necessarily the most effective.

23. Qa4 was also very interesting, attacking c6 and planning Qa3 to attack c5. 23... Re7 24. N2c4 Be6?

A mistake that allows White to play comfortably.

24... Ba6! would have controlled the situation better, forcing White to play very precisely to fulfill his positional advantage. 25. a6

25. Qb3 was also very strong. 25... Nb4 26. Qc1 Nd3

The pawn on a6 was hanging, but capturing it wouldn't have solved Black's problems. For instance 26... Nxa6 27. Qf4 Rea7 28. f3. Or 26... Rxa6 27. Rxa6 Nxa6 28. Qa1 Ra7 29. f3

27. Bxd3 exd3 28. Qc3 It seemed that 28. Rd1! would have put the screws on Black even more. 28... Bxc4 29. Qxc4 Qg8 30. Qxc5

30... d2? This move might have been the decisive mistake, although as we shall see, the game moves down a notch now and both players play irregularly.

30... Qd5! would have forced White to find some good moves to carry on the game, because the main line apparently leads to a forced draw after 31. Qc3 Nh5! 32. Bxg7+ Rxg7 The knight is under attack and 33...Nf4 is threatened. 33. Qb4 c5 34. Qe4 Nf6 35.Qf4 Nh5 36. Qe4 30... Rxe5 31. Qxe5 Nd5 32. Qe1 Bxa1 33. Qxa1+ is better for White but 31. Rad1?!

31. Nc4! Qe6 32. f4 would have consolidated White's advantage. 31... Rxa6?

31... Qd5! was much more tenacious, for example 32. Qc3 Rxe5!? 33. Qxe5 Rxa6 and if 34. Qxd5 cxd5 Black tries to sustain the pawn with moves such as Ra2 or Bh6 and things are not so clear. 32. Rxd2

Now the waters go back to their course. 32... Nd5 33. Bxg7+ Rxg7 34. h3

A modest move that doesn't damage anything. More ambitious were both 34. Rb1 and 34.Re2.

34... Qe6 35. Rb1 h6 36. Qc4 Rb6 36... Rga7 wasn't enough because of 37. Rdb2! Qxd6 38. Rb8+ Kg7 39. R1b7+ Kf6 40. Rxa7 Rxa7 41. Qd4+ 37. Rxb6 Qe1+ 38. Kh2 Nxb6?!

38... Qxd2 Forcing a long ending, because in any case White will have to defend a 3 against 2 ending. 39. Rxc6 (39. Rb8+ Rg8 40.Rxg8+ Kxg8 41. Qxc6) 39... Qf4+. 39. Qf4!

Now the game will soon conclude with a mating attack.

39... Nd5?

Allowing a nice conclusion.

39... Kg8 40. Rb2 Nd7 41. Qc4+ Kh7 42. Re2 and Black's position is unsustainable in any case. 40. Rxd5!! cxd5 41. Qf8+ Kh7 42. Ne8 1-0

Although Morozevich had just won the tournament, Carlsen defeated him in two games. The following year, Magnus win for the first time in Biel, with 16 years.

Game 15 Notes by IM Michael Rahal The key In this game Magnus Carlsen sacrifices a pawn again to develop "in crescendo" a strong initiative that explodes with a sudden hit on move 28. This is a typical game by Carlsen: he is very powerful in this type of positions that come about from semi-open openings. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2675 ■Morozevich, A RUS 2731 French Defense [C10] NH Hotels - Amsterdam, 2006

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bg5 This move leads to the Burn variation. Currently, the most popular moves are 6.Bd3 and above all 6.Nxf6+.

6... Be7

The main alternative for Black is to attack the bishop with 6... h6 7. Nxf6+ Nxf6 and now both 8.Bh4 and 8.Be3 are quite popular. 7. Nxf6+ Nxf6

This option is solid although quite passive. Veteran player Andersson knows it well enough, as he played it three times in the tournament!

The critical variation is 7... Bxf6 8. h4! provoking the weakening move ...h6 before exchanging bishops. 8. Bd3 c5 9. dxc5

In the ninth round Wang Hao tried unsuccessfully 9. Qe2 cxd4 10. O-O-O Bd7 11. Ne5 Bc6 12. h4 Nd7 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nxc6bxc6 15. Qe4 Qc5 16. Be2 e5 17. f4 O-O-O 18. Bg4 Kc7 19. Bxd7 Rxd7 20. fxe5 Re8 21. Rhe1 Qd5 22. Rd3 1/2-1/2 Wang Hao-Andersson,U. Amsterdam 2006 9... Qa5+ 10. c3 Qxc5 11. O-O

Another idea related to long castling was tried out by Smeets in the seventh round. 11. Qe2 Bd7 12. Ne5 Bc6 13. O-O-O Nd7 14.Bxe7 Qxe5?! (14... Qxe7 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Be4) 15. Ba3 O-O-O 16. f3 Qxe2 17. Bxe2 and White displayed great technique with the bishop pair 17... Nf6 18. c4 a6 19. b3 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Re1! Nd7 22. Kc2 f6 23.

Be7 Re8 24. Bd6 Nf8 25. Bd3 Kd7 26.c5 Ng6 27. Kc3 Nh4 28. Rd1 Kc8 29. Rd2 Nf5 30. Be4 Rd8 31. Kb4 h5 32. Ka5 Bxe4 33. fxe4 Ne7 34. Kb6 Nc6 35. Rb2 e5 36. b4g6 37. Rf2 f5 38. exf5 gxf5 39. Rxf5 e4 40. Rf7 Rd7 41. Rxd7 Kxd7 42. Kxb7 Nxb4 43. Bf4 a5 44. a4 Nc6 45. h3 1-0 Smeets,J-Andersson,U. Amsterdam 2006.

11... Bd7

12. Re1!? A novelty by Carlsen according to my database. At first sight it seems risky due to 12...Ng4 with a double attack on the g5 bishop and on the f2 pawn but the Norwegian star has it all under control. 12... Ng4?

Without doubt better is 12... Bc6 13. Ne5 O-O 14. Qc2 h6 15. Nxc6 Qxc6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 and White has a microscopic advantage. An experimented player like Ulf Andersson will never lose this game. We shall have to wait for a new game to see what Carlsen had in mind. 13. Bxe7! Qxf2+ 14. Kh1 Kxe7

If the queen retreats to give a check on f2 with the knight then 15.Bh4 is winning. 15. Re2 Qc516. Qe1!

This is the key idea that Andersson possibly missed when he analyzed 12...Ng4. The queen heads to g3 or h4 and the bad position of the king in the center is beginning to tell. 16...Rad8?!

Slightly better was 16... Nf6 17. Qh4 Kf8 18. Rf1 Qc7 19. Ne5 and the pressure of White's pieces totally compensates the sacrificed pawn.

17. Qh4+ Nf6 18. Nd4

18. Ne5 was also strong, transposing to similar positions mentioned in the previous variation. 18... Bc6

If Black tries to castle artificially, White has a classical sacrifice with 18... Rhe8 19. Nf5+ Kf8 20. Nxg7! Kxg7 21. Rf1 Nh5 22.Qg4+ Kf8 23. b4 Qxc3 24. Qxh5. 19. Rf1

Threatening Nf5+ y Nxg7. 19... Rhg8 20. Qg3

20... Kd7?! The black king heads over to the queenside to seek shelter, but this move allows White to recover the sacrificed material. At the same he is able to keep his positional advantage. Better was 20...Bd5. 21. Bxh7 Rh8

21... Nxh7? 22. Rxf7+ Ke8 23. Qg6 with a decisive advantage for White. 22. Bg6!

Very short on time, Andersson spent the 10 minutes that he had left and then decided to resign. Maybe this was premature although after 22...fxg6 23.Nxe6 Qb6 24.Nxd8 Rxd8 25. Qxg6 followed by 26.Qxg7 White's advantage seems clear. 1-0

Main facade of NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, traditional venue of tournament "Veterans" vs. "Young Stars".

Game 16 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key An original piece sacrifice allows Carlsen to pull ahead on the psychological duel, finally imposing his technique in a difficult ending with an extra pawn but with oppositecoloured bishops.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2690 ■Morozevich, A RUS 2741 King's Indian Defense [E66] Morelia-Linares, 2007

1. d4

The Norwegian phenomenon started the tournament quite well, defeating Morozevich in an original game. The Russian lost the game in what seems to be his Achilles heel: positions that demand passive defence.

1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Na5 9. Nd2 e5 10. b3 Ng4 11. h3 Nh6 12. Nde4?!

A novelty that compromises White's position due to the fact that he decides not to occupy the center with pawns. The threat is Nb5 that can be stopped quite easily.

Black took over the initiative after 12. Bb2 f5 13. Qc2 Nf7 14. Rae1 g5 15. e3 h5 16. f3 Bd7 17. Nd1 b6 Tatai,S-Quinteros,M. Ljubljana-Portoroz.

12... f6

With the idea Nf7 to continue with the advance f5. Now Carlsen played his next moves very bravely, which is very consequent with his plan. Bad was 12... f5?! because of 13. Ng5 followed by the invasion on e6. But 12... b6!? was worth trying, consolidating the queenside. If 13. Nb5 Black has 13... Nb7 13. Nxd6! Qxd6 14. Ne4

The idea of this piece sacrifice is two obtain two center pawns and the initiative. 14... Qd8

Both 14... Qb6?! 15. Ba3.

and 14... Qe7?! seem worse. 15. d6.

15. Nxc5

15... f5?! Now White can recover the piece.

It would be interesting to know what Carlsen was thinking of playing after 15... Qc7 16. Ba3 Rd8 controlling his opponent's queen pawn. I think that the compensation is not enough. 16. d6! e4 17. d7 Nf7

Bad was 17... Bxa1? as after 18. Bxh6 Black can't play 18... Bg7 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Ne6+ as he loses his queen. 18. Rb1 Qe7 19. dxc8=Q Raxc8 20. Na4

White has emerged from the tactical stage with an extra pawn on the queenside, although I am sure that Morozevich thought that he had enough compensation due to his active pieces and the temporarily passive bishop on g2. 20... Rfd8 21. Qe1 Nc6 22. Nc3 Nd4 23. Bb2 b5 24. Nd5

Capturing the second pawn seems too risky. After 24. Nxb5 Nxb5 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. cxb5 Rc2 Black penetrates the seventh rank with strength. 24... Qd6

Now Carlsen simplifies the position favorably. Maybe 24... Qc5!? was better. 25. Bxd4! Bxd4 26. Rd1! The precise move.

The direct 26. e3? didn't work because of 26... bxc4 27. bxc4 Rxc4 and Black is better.

26... Be5 27. Qa5 bxc4 28. Ne3 Qc7 29. Qxc7 Bxc7 30. Nxc4 Finally, the balance of the fight favours White, although Black has some drawing chances due to the presence of the opposite colored bishops. 30... Ne5 31. Rxd8+ Rxd8 32. Rc1 Nxc4 33. Rxc4 Rd1+ 34. Bf1 Bd6 35. e3 a5 36. Kg2

Beginning a slow stage in which both players try to improve their positions.

36... Kf7 37. Rc2 Ke7 38. Be2 Rd5 39. Bc4 Rd1 40. g4

The only way to progress. Now Morozevich sacrifices a second pawn to force the exchange of rooks. 40... f4 41. exf4 Bxf4 42. Re2 Rd4 43. Bd3 Kf6 44. Bxe4 Rd2 45. Rxd2 Bxd2 46. Kg3

With the idea f4. It must be said that if Black is able to play g5 in good conditions a draw would be the most likely result, but for the moment this is not possible. 46... Be1

46... Ke5!? seems more logical 47. Bc2 Bf4+ 48. Kf3 Bg5 preventing both f4 and h4 and keeping the enemy king at bay. 47. Kf3 Bb4

Now White starts to progress on the kingside.

48. h4 h6 49. Ke2 Bd6 50. Kd3 Bc5 51. f4 h5 52. g5+ Kg7 53. Kc4 Bd6

54. Kb5 Bxf4?? A big mistake. Black now loses without offering any resistance.

He had to keep his calm, and maintain a passive defence, which is not easy for someone like Morozevich. The correct move was54... Bb4! defending the pawn on a5. It's not easy to find a clear win, maybe it doesn't even exist. If the white king moves away from the queenside Black attacks the pawns on the kingside. If White creates a passed pawn Black will capture the h4 pawn on time and then he will sacrifice his bishop with a draw. Here are some illustrative variations: 55. a3 (55. Ka4 Be1 56. a3 Bd2 57.b4 axb4 58. axb4 Bxf4 59. b5 Bg3 60. b6 Bxh4 61. b7 Bg3) (55. f5 gxf5 56. Bxf5 Be1 57. Bd7 Kf7 58. Bc6 Bd2 59. Bf3 Kg6) 55...Bxa3 56. Kxa5 Bd6 57. b4 Bxf4 58. b5 Bg3 59. b6 Bxh4 60. b7 Bg3 61. Kb6 Kf7 62. Ka7 h4 63. b8=Q Bxb8+ 64. Kxb8 h3 65. Kc7Ke6 66. Bxg6 h2 67. Be4 h1=Q 68. Bxh1 Kf5. (Analisys diagram)

55. Kxa5 Bg3 56. Kb5 Bxh4 57. a4 In the pawn race White is several tempi ahead and his pieces are coordinated better. The rest is simple.

57... Bxg5 58. a5 Kf6 59. a6 Be3 60. Kc6 g5 61. b4 Ke5 62. b5 Kxe4 63. b6 g4 64. a7 g3 65. a8=Q Kf3 66. b7 Bf4 67. Qf8 Ke4 68.Qe8+ 1-0

Game 17 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key To those who say that Carlsen does not stand out in the openings I recommend a thorough examination of this game. After quickly playing almost fifteen theoretical moves the Norwegian demonstrates that he has done his homework and overcomes such a tough player like Ivanchuk with an elaborate strategy. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2690 ■Ivanchuk, V UKR 2750 Gruenfeld Defense [D88] Morelia-Linares, 2007

1. d4

The next game is noticeable because of the fact that Carlsen defeats a very qualified opponent with ease. It seems that after the opening, the young Norwegian already has the winning plan in his head; he will take advantage of the weakened dark-squares in his opponent's castled king position. Also surprising is the incapability of the great Ukrainian to find some way of offering more resistance. 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Na5 11. Bd3 b6

Ivanchuk steps away from the main line 11... cxd4 12. cxd4 Bg4 13. f3 Be6 that allows the exchange sacrifice 14. d5 Bxa1 15.Qxa1 with which Topalov defeated Shirov three months before in Wijk aan Zee 2007. In any case his choice couldn't have been a surprise, as one year before Ivanchuk had already chosen this move against Heine Nielsen, who was actually Carlsen's second when this game was played. 12. Rc1!

In the mentioned game Heine Nielsen-Ivanchuk, Monaco 2006 (Blindfold) play continued 12. Qd2 e5 13. d5 (13. dxc5 Be6!?) 13...f5 14. Bg5 Qd6 15. Bh6 f4 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. f3 c4 and Black had a good position. 12... cxd4

The plan 12... e5 suffered a serious setback in the game Topalov-Svidler, at Morelia/Linares (2006) that continued 13. dxc5 Be614. c4! where the idea 12.Rc1 seemed clear. However, in view of this game, maybe Black should go back to that continuation. 13. cxd4 e6

13... Bb7 14. d5! is unpleasant for Black as 14... e6? doesn't work because of 15. dxe6 fxe6 16. Nf4 Qd6 17. Qg4 Rae8 18. Bb5 Re719. Rfd1 with a clear advantage for White, as in the game Geller-Kapengut. Leningrad 1971. 14. Qd2 Bb7

15. h4! An idea by the German player Knaak. He has used it successfully on many occasions. It was also used later on by Kasparov in a clock simul against Lutz in 1986, and is considered to be the critical move against Black's setup 15... Qe7?!

It's well-known that the pawn capture 15... Qxh4? loses to 16. Bg5 Qg4 17. f3 Qh5 18. Ng3! Bxd4+ 19. Rf2 Bxf2+ 20. Kxf2 Qh221. Rh1. But the most common line is 15... Qd7 16. h5 Rfc8! 17. Bh6 Bh8 h8 played in KnaakKirov. Polanica Zdroj 1976, which was the first game in which White tried out this plan. At least, the queen on d7 doesn't allow White to win a tempo with Bg5, which is what happened in this game. 16. h5 Rfc8 17. e5!

A theoretical novelty, although in the game Lukacs,P-Schneider,A, Hungary 1984 White tried out a similar idea after 17. Bg5Qa3 (17... Qd7 was better) 18. e5 White's idea is simple: to exchange the dark-squared bishops and exploit the weaknesses in the castled king position. In the game Ivanchuk was unable to find a good defensive method. 17... Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Rc8 19. Rxc8+ Bxc8 20. Bg5

20... Qc7 Maybe 20... Qa3 would have been somewhat better, maintaining the attack on the d3 bishop so that the white queen has an inferior range of action. In any case White's attack is still very dangerous. The defence 20... f6 is clearly unsatisfactory and White can achieve a huge advantage by means of 21. exf6 Bxf6 22. Bxf6 Qxf623. Qc2 Bb7 24. Qc7. The attack on the d4 pawn 20... Qd7 21. Bf6 Nc6 isn't good either because White can sacrifice it with 22. Qg5! Nxd4 23. Bxg7Nxe2+ 24. Bxe2 Kxg7 25. h6+ with a big advantage. 21. Bf6 Nc6

Trying to keep the bishops with 21... Bf8 leaves Black with a very difficult position after 22. Qg5 followed by Nf4. Also, the alternative 21... Bb7 doesn't solve Black's problems after 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Qg5 Qc8 24. Nf4 It seems that Black's position had no good defence and I think that the line with 15...Qe7 should be cast aside. 22. Qg5 h6

Otherwise 23.Bxg7 followed by 24.Qf6+ and 25.h6 is winning. But the game move doesn't save Black either. 23. Qc1

There are other winning moves such as 23. Qg4, but Carlsen's choice is very simple. 23... g5?!

This move loses a piece, but unpinning the knight with 23... Qd7 would only extend the agony after 24. hxg6 fxg6 25. Bxg6 and Black's position doesn't offer any hope 24. Bb5 Bd7

25. d5! exd5 26. Nd4 The game could easily have finished here but Ivanchuk decides to continue for a few more moves. 26... Bxf6 27. exf6 Qd6 28. Bxc6 Qxf6 29. Bxd7 Qxd4 30. g3 Qc5 31. Qxc5 bxc5 32. Bc6 d4 33. Bb5 Kf8 34. f4 gxf4 35. gxf4 1-0

Game 18 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key In this game Carlsen uses a fashionable line to sacrifice a pawn for the initiative, one of his favourite game strategies. Ivanchuk responds by returning the pawn to free his position, but the result is disastrous for Black. With the board divided into two parts due to the huge pawn on d7 White had no trouble finishing off the game on the kingside.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2690 ■Ivanchuk, V UKR 2750

Queen's Indian Defense [E15] Melody Amber - Montecarlo, 2007

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 c5 6. d5 exd5 7. cxd5 Bb7 8. Bg2 Nxd5 9. O-O Be7 10. Rd1 Nc6 11. Qf5 Nf6 12. e4 g613. Qf4 O-O 14. e5 Nh5 15. Qg4 d5 16. exd6 Bf6 17. Nc3 Nd4 18. Nxd4 Bxg2 19. Nf5 Bc6

20. d7 Qc7 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5Rfd8 23. Be3 Bxb2 24. Nh6+ Kf8 25. Rad1 Bg7 White´s position is clearly better but nothing seems to indicate that the end of the game is so near.

26. Rxh5!! gxh5 27. Qf5 And Black resigned because after 27. Qf5 Bxh6 28. Bxh6+ Ke7 White wins in several ways. The most exact way is mate in six beginning with 29. Qe4+ Kf6 30. Re1 Rg8 31. Qe7+ Kf5 32. Qxf7+ Kg4 33. f3+ Kh3 34. Qxh5#.

1-0

Game 19 Notes by MI Michael Rahal The key The Catalan opening fits in perfectily with Carlsen's playing style. In this game he sacrifices a pawn in the opening to take the lead and finally penetrate into Black's position. After playing the opening imprecisely, his venerable opponent can't do anything to avoid losing. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2693 ■Portisch, L HUN 2512 Catalan Opening [E04] Gausdal, 2007

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nbd7 6. O-O Rb8 Portisch is trying to defend his pawn on c4, and at the same time he moves his rook away from the a8 square. However, by delaying his development he is taking some risks. The main alternatives are 6...c6 and 6...c5. 7. Qc2

7.a4 has also been played. 7... b5 8. b3!

Curiously, Norwegian GM Peter Nielsen, who is Carlsen's trainer, played 8. a4 a6 9. axb5 axb5 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Nd5 12.Rd1 Bd7 13. Nc3 c6 14. Ne4 Qc7 15. Nd6+ Bxd6 16. exd6 Qxd6 and now 17.e4 seems to be very interesting for White in Nielsen,P (2620)Babula,V (2590)/ Germany. 8... cxb3 9. axb3 a6

10. Ne5! A strong novelty, in line with the Nielsen game, that improves the previous play in this line. The threat Nc6 practically forces the exchange of knights on e5, opening more lines for White's pieces.

10. Bg5 had been played before 10... Be7 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. Qxc7 Qxc7 13. Rxc7 And White has recovered the pawn but his initiative has disappeared. 13... Nd5 14. Rc1 h6 15. Bxe7 Kxe7 16. Nbd2 Rhc8 1/2-1/2 Adrian,C (2315)-Lukov,V (2455)/St Lorrain

10... Nxe5 11. dxe5 Nd5 12. Rd1 Qe7

In view of the threat 13.e4 winning a piece. 13. Nc3 Qc5

If 13... Nxc3 14. Bc6+! winning.

14. Rxd5! A strong exchange sacrifice that maintains the initiative. Carlsen probably used his intuition as it's very difficult to calculate the sacrifice to the end. Black will now lose his right to castle and will have to be on the defensive for many moves.

14... exd5 15. b4! Qxb4 16. Ba3 Also strong was 16. Nxd5 Qc4 17. Nxc7+ Kd8 18. Qd1+ Kxc7 19. Bf4! and the threats 20.e6 and 20. Rc1 guarantee the recovery of the material. However, maybe Black can sacrifice his queen with 19... Bc5 20. Rc1 Be6 21. Rxc4 bxc4 with certain resistance. 16... Qg4 17. Bxf8 Kxf8 18. Nxd5

There is a very concrete threat now, if Black develops his c8 bishop. A typical smothered mate that would begin with (for example) 18...Be6 19.Qc5+ Kg8 20.Ne7+ Kf8 21. Ng6+! Kg8 22.Qf8+!! Rxf8 23.Ne7 mate. 18... Qc4 19. Qd2!

Obviously White is not interested in the exchange of queens. 19... Be6 20. Rc1 Qb3 21. Nxc7

The compensation for the exchange is huge as Black can't develop his kingside. 21... Kg8 22. Qd6

Threatening 23.Nxe6 followed by Qxb8. 22. Nxa6 Re8 23. Nc5 isn't bad either. 22... Rc8

If 22... Rf8 then 23. Bd5! Bxd5 (23... Qb2 24. Nxe6 Qxc1+ 25. Kg2 Qc8 26. Nxf8 Qxf8 27. Qxa6 with a decisive advantage.) 24.Nxd5 and the threats are tremendous. (25.Ne7 mate or 25.Qxf8+ followed by 26. Rc8 mate. 23. Bb7

Recovering the exchange. Now there is a forced sequence of moves.

23... h6 24. Bxc8 Bxc8 25. Nxb5! axb5 26. Rxc8+ Kh7 27.Rc1!

Carlsen avoids the exchange of rooks, because the b-pawn would become dangerous.

27... Re8 28. Kg2!

White avoids an unpleasant check on the first rank before proceeding to incorporate the rook to the attack. 28... Kg8 29. Rc5

The centralization of White's pieces contrasts when comparing to Black's. The b5 pawn is an attacking objective, although a secondary idea would be to advance the pawns f4f5-f6. 29... Qa2? A mistake in a lost position. The b5 pawn falls and with it the game.

The best move was 29... b4 against which White could play 30. e4 Re6 31. Qd4 and now a possible variation would be 31... Kh732. Rb5 Qc3 33. Qxc3 bxc3 34. Rc5 c2 35. f4 and White wins. 30. Qc6 1-0

Game 20 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Carlsen achieves a nice positional advantage after the opening, and converts it with his usual elegance and precision, simplifying the position to a winning rook ending in which he masterfully takes advantage of the remote black king, which had hidden in the corner when there were still queens on the board. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2693 ■Aronian, L RUS 2759

English Opening [A30] Wch Candidates (3) - Elista, 2007

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Re1 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. d4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Be4 11. Ne5 Bxg2 12.Kxg2 O-O 13. e4 Qc8 14. Qg4 Bf6 15. Nf3 Kh8 16. h4 Nc6 17. Bg5 cxd4 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. cxd4 e5 20. Qxc8 Raxc8 21. d5 Na5 After a draw in the second game, Carlsen changed over to a queen´s pawn opening and the game led to the next ending. I have seen many strong players lose these types of positions with White. Black will put his knight on d6, keeping his supremacy on the open "c" file, and then advance his two vs one on the queenside. However, Carlsen now puts into practice a very powerful plan, exploiting his superior kingside structure and the distant location of Black´s king. 22. h5! Nc4

There was no time for 22... h6 23. Nh4 and the black knight can´t get to d6. 23. Nh4 Nd6 24. h6!

This pawn suffocates the black king, located on the same side of the board. 24... Rc3!?

Those of us who were following the game thought that Rc4 or Rc2 were better. Both of these moves are apparently more concrete, but the text move, apart from doubling rooks, has another hidden idea. 25. Rac1

25. Nf5 Nxf5 26. exf5 led to an unpleasant ending. However, it´s still more defendable than the ending that Black will face soon. 25... Rfc8?

Incredibly, Black changes his mind.

After 25... Nxe4! Black is able to breathe. Even though he is a pawn up and still objectively worse, the possibility of a draw is very real. For example after 26. Nf5 Rd8 27. Ne7 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 Nc5. 26. Rxc3 Rxc3 27. Nf5! Nxf5 28. exf5 Kg8 29. Re4!

The decisive move, after which I don´t think that Black can save the game.

29... Kf8 30. Rg4 Rc7 31. Rg7 b5 32. Rxh7 Kg8 33. Rg7+ Kh8 34. d6 Rd7 35. Kf3 b4 36. Ke4 Rxd6 37. Rxf7 Ra6 38. g4 Kg8 39.h7+ Kh8 40. g5 fxg5 41. f6 1-0

Game 21 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Black's bad opening setup allows Carlsen to organize a typical attacking plan against his opponent’s castled king. To avoid even greater damage Aronian accepts the loss of a pawn, but Carlsen's cold technique is once more relentless. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2693 ■Aronian, L RUS 2759

Queen's Indian Defense [E12] Wch Candidates (5) - Elista, 2007

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Qc2 Be7 8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Qc7 12.Qe2 Nd7 13. Bb2 c4 14. Bc2 b5 15. Bc1 a5 16. Rb1 Ba6 17. e5 b4 18. axb4 axb4

19. Bg5! After this move, Black´s position collapses completely. 19... Nb6

The alternatives were much worse.

19... Bxg5? 20. Bxh7+! (Of course, also 20. Nxg5) 20... Kxh7 21. Nxg5+ Kg6 (21... Kh6 22. Qe3) 22. Qg4 f5 23. Qg3 with a devastating attack. 19... Qd8 20. Qe4 g6 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. Rxb4. 20. Qe4 g6 21. Qh4 Ra7

and White has achieved an unstoppable attack. 22. Bf6

22. Qh6 Nd5 23. Be4 was also good. 22... Bxf6 23. exf6 Nd5 23... Qd8 24. Ne5. 24. Be4!?

A practical decision, forcing a sequence that will lead to a better ending.

Attacking with 24. Ne5 was very tempting, for example: 24... b3 25. Be4 Qd6 26. f4. 24... Qf4 25. Bxd5 Qxh4 26. Nxh4 exd5 27. Rxb4 Bc8 28. Rb6 Ra3 29. Rc1 Be6

Black is very active but his king is suffocating on the last rank. This will end badly for him. 30. Nf3 Rfa8 31. h4 h6 32. Ne5 Ra1 33. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 34. Kh2 Ra3 35. Rb8+ Kh7 36. f4 With this move and his next one Carlsen decides the game in his favour very elegantly.

36... Rxc3 37. h5 gxh5 38. Rf8 Ra3 39. f5 Bxf5 40. Rxf7+ Kg8 41. Rg7+ Kf8 42. Rb7 Ra8 43. Kg3 Rd8 44. Kf4 Be4 45. g3 c3 46.Rf7+ Kg8 47. Rg7+ Kf8 48. Nd7+ Rxd7 49. Rxd7 1-0

Game 22 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key What happened in this game seemed extraordinary in 2007, but over time it has become commonplace when we talk about Magnus Carlsen. He shows nothing in the opening and at times it seems that a draw will be signed at any moment. But the Norwegian keeps on fighting and finally he reaches an endgame with an extra pawn, around move 70, and then he demonstrates his legendary technique.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2710 ■Bu Xiangzhi CHN 2685 Gruenfeld Defense [D94] Biel, 2007

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O a6 8. b3 Ne4 9. Bb2 Nxc3 10. Bxc3 Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3e6 13. Qd2 Re8 14. Ba5 Qe7 15. Rac1 Nd7 16. Qb4 Qxb4 17. Bxb4 a5 18. Bd2 dxc4 19. bxc4 e5 20. d5 e4 21. Be2 Red8 22. Rfd1cxd5 23. cxd5 Nf6 24. Be1 Nxd5 25. Rc5 Nb4 26. Rxa5 Nc2 27. Bd2 Rxa5 28. Bxa5 Ra8 29. Rd5 Bf8 30. Bd1 Nb4 31. Bxb4 Bxb432. Bb3 b6 33. Rd7 Rf8 34. g4 g5 35. Rb7 Bc5 36. Bd5 Kg7 37. Kf1 h6 38. Ke2 Kf6 39. a4 Kg7 40. Rc7 Bb4 41. Bxe4 Rd8 42.Bd3 Kf8 43. Rb7 Rd6 44. Bc4 Rf6 45. Bd5 Be7 46. f3 Bb4 47. Kd3 Be1 48. Ke4 Bg3 49. Bc4 Be1 50. f4 gxf4 51. exf4 Bg3 52. f5Be1 53. Bd5 Kg7 54. Kd4 h5 55. Kc4 hxg4 56. hxg4 Bf2 57. Be6 Be3 58. Kd5 Kf8 59. Ke5 Kg7 60. Ke4 Bd2 61. Kd3 Bf4 62.Kc4 Kf8 63. Bd5 Be3 64. Kb5 Kg7 65. Be6 Kf8 66. Bc4 Bf2 67. Bd5 Kg7

68. Bc6! In spite of the extra pawn, it doesn´t seem easy for White to materialize his advantage, in view of the opposite coloured bishops. But Carlsen finds an elegant and effective manoeuvre, sacrificing the exchange on b6.

68... Kh6 If 68... Rd6 then 69. Rxb6 Bxb6 70. Kxb6 Rd4 71. a5 Kf6 72. a6 Rxg4 73. a7 Rg8 74. Kb7 Kxf5 75. Bd7+ Ke5 76. Bc8 and the pawn promotes.

69. Rxb6! Kg5

If 69... Bxb6 70. Kxb6 Kg5 71. a5 Kxg4 72. a6 Rh6 73. a7 Rh8 74. Bd7. 70. a5 Rd6

If 70... Kxg4 71. Be4 Kg5 (71... Bxb6 72. axb6 Rh6 73. b7 Rh3 74. Kb6 Rb3+ 75. Kc7 Rc3+ 76. Bc6 Rb3 77. Bd7 Rc3+ 78. Kb6 Rb3+79. Bb5) 72. Rxf6 Kxf6 73. Kc6.

71. Rb7 Kxg4 72. Rxf7 Kg5 73. Rd7 Rh6 74. Be4 Rh8 75. a6 Rb8+ 76. Kc4 Kf4 77. Re7 Rc8+ 78. Kd3 Rd8+ 79. Ke2 Bd4 80. Bd3Bc5 81. Re6 Rh8 82. f6 Rh2+ 83. Kd1 Rh6 84. f7 Rxe6 85. a7 1-0 And one of the pawns promotes.

Game 23 Notes by MI Ángel Martín The key A new example of how Carlsen converts to a win a good positional game. When his opponent weakens his castled king the Norwegian skilfully concentrates all his energies in the center and the kingsside, achieving a convincing win. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2710 ■Radjabov, T AZE 2746 Pirc Defense [B07] Biel, 2007

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 Giving up the idea of playing the Pirc Defence after 3... g6. 4. Nge2

White could have exchanged queens here with 4. dxe5 dxe5 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 but this was not something that Carlsen wanted to do, as he was forced to try and win to come first in the tournament. Also possible is a transposition to the Philidor Defence with 4.Cf3, although Carlsen decides for a similar option. 4... Nbd7 5. g3 c6 6. Bg2 b5

Black accelerates his counterplay on the queenside.

Another more natural option is 6... Be7 7. O-O O-O although White can then prevent this move with 8. a4 7. a3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. h3

A useful move, not only to continue with Be3, but mainly to initiate aggressive actions.

9... a5 10. g4 Ba6

10... Bb7 is another very interesting possibility. 11. Ng3

In a game between Beliavsky and Mokry, at Haifa 1989, White opposed Black's advance with the move 11. b4 But Carlsen wants to go directly to the kingside, without weakening the c4 square. 11... b4 12. Nce2 bxa3?!

This move is a novelty, probably a bad one in view of the development of the game. Previously 12... d5 had been played and Black had certainly achieved reasonable positions. 13. Rxa3 d5

14. Re3 The exchange on a3 has only activated White's rook. Black won't be able to justify his manoeuvre if he can't demonstrate that he can take advantage of the exposed rook on e3. 14... dxe4 15. Re1

There is no rush to capture on e4 as if 15. Nxe4 Nd5 and if 16. Rg3 Bh4. 15... Qc7?!

Maybe safer was 15... Re8 16. Nf5 Bf8 With the game move, White begins to create dangerous threats. 16. Nf5 Bd8 17. g5

Carlsen decides to play for the attack although 17. dxe5 Qxe5 (17... Nxe5 18. g5) 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. Qxd7. 17... Nd5 18. Rxe4 f6 19. Neg3 g6

19... fxg5 20. dxe5 g6 21. Nh6+ leads to the same position 20. Nh6+ Kg7 21. dxe5 fxg5

If 21... fxe5 22. c4 Nb4 23. f4 and White is better. 22. e6!

From this moment onwards Carlsen conducts the attack very accurately. White's idea is to check with his queen on d4. Black will never be able to capture Kxh6 due to Rh4 mate. 22... Kxh6

22... N7f6 23. e7 Bxe7 24. Rxe7+ Nxe7 25. Rxe7+ Qxe7 26. Nhf5+ wins immediately. And if 22... Nc5 23. e7 Bxe7 24. Rxe7+ Nxe7 25. Qd4+ Rf6 26. Bxg5 with similar consequences. 23. e7 Qb6

A desperate resource because if 23... Bxe7 24. Rxe7 Nxe7 25. Rxe7 Rad8 26. Qd4 with a double threat on g7 and h4. 24. exf8=Q+ Nxf8 25. c4 Nf4 26. Qd6!

The threat is, amongst other moves, 27. Nf5+ Kh5. 26... Kg7

26... Bc7 27. Nf5+ Kh5 28. Qd1+ mating. 27. Bxf4

27. Re8 was equally decisive. 27... gxf4 28. Re7+

And Black resigned as after 28. Re7+ Bxe7 then 29. Rxe7+ Kg8 30. Qf6 with unstoppable mate. 1-0

Game 24 Notes by MI Ángel Martín The key Carlsen tries to avoid on this occasion the most popular theoretical lines of the King's Indian, Cheparinov's favourite defence and for a while the game advances slowly. But soon the Norwegian's ambition awakens and with his move 19 he decides to risk for the win. But his opponent is a young GM who is not afraid of the complications. After a relentless struggle the game heads towards a complex ending, where Carlsen manages to impose his extraordinary class.. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2714 ■Cheparinov, I BUL 2670 King's Indian Defense [A48] Khanty-Mansiysk, 2007

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 d6 5. e4 O-O 6. c3 c5 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. O-O Qc7 10. Qe2 h6 11. Bh4 Nh5 12.Rfe1 Bg4 13. Qe3 g5 14. Bg3 Nxg3 15. hxg3 b6 16. Nh2 Bh5 17. g4 Bg6 18. g3 Rad8 19. f4 Nd4 20. Rac1 b5 21. Bf1 gxf4 22. gxf4Ne6 23. e5 f5 24. exf6 Rxf6 25. f5 Ng5 26. fxg6 Re6 27. Qf2 Be5 28. Rxe5 Qxe5 29. Ndf3 Nxf3+ 30. Nxf3 Qf4 31. Re1 Rxe1 32.Nxe1 Qxf2+ 33. Kxf2 Rd2+ 34. Ke3 Rd1 35. Ke2 Ra1 36. Bg2 c4 37. a3 Rb1 38. Be4 Rxb2+ 39. Nc2 Kg7 40. Ke3 Rb3 41. Kd2Kf6 42. Nd4 Rxa3 43. Nxb5 Ra5 44. Nc7 Kg7 45. Ne6+ Kh8 46. Ke3 Ra1 47. Kd4 a5

The first part of the next game was a tough fight. Then, Cheparinov´s ambitious middlegame play was equalized by Carlsen and eventually a difficult ending was reached. The material was unbalanced with two white minor pieces against an active rook, but a draw was the most likely result. Just after the time control, Cheparinov allowed Carlsen´s knight to come into play, reaching the following position, in which the young Norwegian is about to deliver the ´coup de grace´.

48. Bc6! a4 48... Rg1 allows 49. g5! hxg5 50. Be8! and Black has no defence. 49. Be8 Rg1 50. g5! a3!

50... hxg5 51. Bf7 and again the "g" pawn is unstoppable. 51. Bf7! Rxg5! 52. Nxg5 hxg5 53. Bxc4 Kg7

Black has defended as best as he can but his pawns are not really very dangerous. White´s victory should be simple. However, due to time pressure, the game turns around... 54. Kd3!

Carlsen wanted to play 54. Ke5! but he saw some ghosts after 54... Kxg6 55. Ba2 g4 56. Kf4 and he spent nearly all the rest of his time trying to find an alternative winning line. Actually, his original idea would have win for sure, for example 56... Kh5 57. c4Kh4 58. c5 g3 59. Kf3! Kh3 60. c6 and White promotes with check and then wins the black queen. 54... Kxg6 55. Kc2 g4 56. Kb3 Kf5 57. Kxa3

57... g3? Starting a comedy of mistakes with the "30 seconds" time control.

57... Ke4 is a draw as we shall soon see. Black can only save the game if his king can come near white´s "c" pawn. 58. Bf1? e5? 58... Ke4!

59. Kb3? 59. Bg2! Kf4 60. c4 e4 61. Kb3 was necessary, maintaining the king as far away as possible from the key square. 59... Kf4?

This was the last chance for 59... Ke4! 60. c4 and now both 60... Kd4 and 60... Kf3 draw comfortably. 60. Bg2! At last!

60... Ke3 61. Kc4! White could have still messed things up again with 61. Kc2? Kf2 62. Be4 g2 and White has nothing better than 63. Bxg2 Kxg264. Kd3 Kf3 65. Kd2 Kf2 66. Kd3 with a draw. 61... Kf2 62. Be4

After 62. Be4 both 62... g2 63. Bxg2 Kxg2 64. Kd5 and 62...Ke3 63.Kd5 are desperate for Black. 1-0

7 In the top ten By IM Ángel Martín

DESPITE his elimination in the 2007 Candidates tournament, it was clear that his next

goal would be to climb as high as possible in the world rankings, up to number one. This was going to be a very difficult task, because during the next year he would have to measure up precisely against the players who occupied these places. In the January 2008 rating list, he was 13th with 2733. But the Norwegian would be truly successful this year. The first test was again Wijk aan Zee, in January. The "A" group was even stronger than usual (Category XX) with 10 of the top 13 best players in the world. Magnus began very well, leading from the start. Despite some problems in the middle of the tournament when he lost to Leko and Anand, he finally tied with Aronian for first place, becoming the youngest player to win this prestigious event in the 70 years of its existence.

Then he played another even stronger event, Linares. Magnus, at 2733, was the lowest rated player. But, just as last year Carlsen finished second, behind Anand, with another remarkable result. Again, he only lost to the Indian; just as the previous year on the same stage, the Norwegian was defeated in one game and made a draw in the other.

The next important competition was held in Baku. The tournament was valid for the first FIDE Grand Prix. The winner would play against the winner of the World Cup, to decide who would face the 2010 World Champion (FIDE would change the format soon after). Carlsen achieved a new victory, sharing first place with Gashimov and Wang Yue. Then he continued his winning streak with a outright undefeated victory in the Foros Aerosvit tournament, scoring 8 points out of 11, ahead of Ivanchuk (7 points) and Karjakin (6).

This winning streak was partially interrupted in Mainz, a rapid game tournament where Carlsen was defeated in the final by Anand by 3-1. And then in Biel, when the Norwegian had to settle for third place after winning three games and losing one against Alekseev, who would eventually win the event. Note that in this tournament he wasn´t accompanied by his father, preferring to go with some friends instead. Maybe that had something to do with his result. Soon after he played a short tournament in Bilbao, the Grand Slam final. This event was a six-player double-round Category XXI event, using the football scoring system, with 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. The winner was Topalov, but Carlsen finished second, ahead of Aronian. The surprise was Anand who, worried by his upcoming match against Kramnik, finished last. Indeed, the rating differences were so small that in the sixth round, after beating Aronian in an interesting game, Carlsen became the world´s virtual number one. However, he was only able to maintain that position during a couple of rounds. Magnus finished the year defending Norway’s first board at the Dresden Olympiad. He scored 7,5/11.

Game 25 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Due to his poor play in the opening, Carlsen had to fish in choppy waters against Van Wely, with complications that were unfavorable for him. The Dutch GM, playing White, had several opportunities to win. This was his first chance. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Van Welly, L NED 2681 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2733

Benko gambit accepted [A58] Wijk aan Zee, 2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.Nf3 d6 8.g3 Bg7 9.Bg2 Nbd7 10.Rb1 Qa5 11.Bd2 Nb6 12.b3 Qa3 13.0-0 0-0 14.Ne1 Bb7 15.Nc2 Qa6 16.e4 Ne8 17.a4 Nc7 18.Re1 Rae8 19.b4 Nd7 20.Nb5 Rc8 21.Bh3 f5 22.Bg5 Ne5 23.bxc5 Qxa4 24.Nxc7 Rxc7 25.c6 Bc8 26.exf5 Rxf5 27.f4 Nc4 28.Rb4 Qa7+ 29.Kg2 Qc5 30.Rb8 Nb2 31.Qf3 Qxc2+ 32.Re2 Qb1 Poor play in the opening led Carlsen to have to fish in choppy waters against Van Wely, with complications that were unfavourable for him. The Dutch GM, playing White, had several opportunities to win. This was his first chance. 33. Bxf5

A good move, but even more convincing was

33. Bxe7! Bd4 34. Bxf5 Qxf5 35. g4 Qb1 36. Kg3! with an enormous advantage.

33... Qxf5 34. g4 Qf7 35. Bxe7 h5 36. Bxd6 hxg4 37. Qe4 Kh7 38. Bxc7 This move doesn´t spoil anything, but much stronger is 38. Rbxb2! winning easily. 38... Bf5 39. Qe3?

39. Qe7 Qxd5+ 40. Kg1 and although Black has several checks, as soon as he finishes then he will lose . 39. Rh8+! would lead to an easy win as there are only two variations that need to be calculated and in both of them the queens are exchanged immediately: 39... Bxh8 (39... Kxh8 40. Qe8+ Qxe8 41. Rxe8+ Kh7 42. Be5) 40. Qe7 Qxe7 41. Rxe7+ Kh6 42. Kg3. 39... Qxd5+

Things are complicated now and with only one move for the time control Black is clearly back in the fight. 40. Kg3??

Just as in many other famous games the fateful 40th move decides.

40. Kg1 still offers some far-off chances of winning because after 40... Bd4 there is 41. Rh8+! Kxh8 (41... Bxh8 42. Be5 Nd3 43.Bxh8 Kxh8 44. Qa7!? with a clear advantage) 42. Be5+ Qxe5 43. fxe5 Bxe3+ 44. Rxe3 Nc4 and the ending can be played for a long time.

40... Nc4

Black is already playing for a win and White pushes him further into the hole with his next move. 41. Qf2?

Giving Black the win in the plate.

A lot has been said on the Internet about 41. Qb3 a move that might have saved the game. However, I disagree because after41... Qh1! 42. Bd8 (42. Be5 Qg1+ 43. Rg2 (43. Kh4 Nxe5 44. fxe5 Qf1) 43... Qe1+ 44. Rf2 Nxe5) 42... Qg1+ 43. Kh4 (43. Rg2 Qe1+44. Rf2 Nd2) 43... Qf1! with a mating net. 41... Qd3+ 42. Kg2 Be4+ 43. Rxe4 Qxe4+ 44. Kf1 Qd3+ 45. Qe2 Nd2+ 46. Ke1 Nf3+ 47. Kf1 Nxh2+ 48. Ke1 Bc3+ 49. Kf2 g3+ 0-1

Game 26 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key An excellent victory for Magnus Carlsen, overcoming none other than Vladimir Kramnik in a strategic game. The Norwegian manages to transfer the burden of the fight to the kingside and Kramnik has to give up material to avoid being crushed by the attack. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Krámnik, V RUS 2799 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2733 English Opening [A30] Wijk aan Zee, 2008

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 d6 9. Rd1 a6 10. Ng5 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 Nc6 12.Qf4 O-O 13. Nce4 Ne8 14. b3 Ra7 15. Bb2 Rd7 16. Rac1 16. Nf3 is probably better. And also 16. h4.

16... Nc7 17. Nf3 f5! 18. Nc3 g5 19. Qd2 g4 20. Ne1 Bg5 21. e3 Rff7 22. Kg1 Ne8 23. Ne2 Nf6 24. Nf4 Qe8 25. Qc3 Rg7 26. b4Ne4 27. Qb3 Rge7 28. Qa4?! Kramnik launches his queen on a journey that will not end well. 28... Ne5 29. Qxa6? Ra7

30. Qb5 Kramnik offered a draw after making this move, which is a good sign that his position is quite bad.

30. Qxb6? Reb7 31. Qd4 Bf6! With a decisive advantage for Black. The white queen, with no square to go, will be at the mercy of Black's three minor pieces.

30... Qxb5 31. cxb5 Rxa2 32. Rc8+ Kf7 33. Nfd3 Bf6 34. Nxe5+ 34. Bxe5 dxe5 35. Rc6 Rb7 was a more tenacious defence.

34... dxe5 35. Rc2 Rea7 36. Kg2 Ng5 37. Rd6?! e4! 38. Bxf6 Kxf6 Threatening to penetrate with his knight on f3. Black's advantage is already decisive and Kramnik can't do anything to avoid losing.

39. Kf1 Ra1 40. Ke2 Rb1 41. Rd1 Rxb4 42. Ng2 Rxb5 43. Nf4 Rc5 44. Rb2 b5 45. Kf1 Rac7 46. Rbb1 Rb7 47. Rb4 Rc4 48. Rb2 b449. Rdb1 Nf3 50. Kg2 Rd7 51. h3 e5 52. Ne2 Rd2 53. hxg4 fxg4 54. Rxd2 Nxd2 55. Rb2 Nf3 56. Kf1 b3 57. Kg2 Rc2 0-1

Game 27 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key A good game by Carlsen in which he reveals one of his main virtues which he developed when he was still very young. In long games the Norwegian makes fewer errors than most of his opponents. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Ivanchuk, V UKR 2751 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2733 Ruy Lopez Opening [C67] Morelia - Linares, 2008

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 a6?! A strange move that tries to transpose into the Open variation. Black could have achieved that directly by playing 3...a6.

It seemed that Carlsen was going for the traditional and at the same time boring Berlin defence after 5... Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8. 6. Bxc6!?

Of course, White could go for the Open variation with 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 but Ivanchuk tries to exploit Black's unusual move order. 6... dxc6 7. Qe2 Bf5 8. Re1! Bb4!?

This is the move that Carlsen had prepared to improve Black's play.

The key game, Georgiev-Piket, Corfu 1991, continued 8... Be7 9. g4 Bg6 10. Nxe5 f5?! and now White could have claimed a huge advantage with (10... Nd6 is slightly better, although it doesn't solve Black's problems) 11. gxf5! Bxf5 12. Qf3 Nd6 13. Bg5! 9. c3 Bd6 10. Qc2!

Black loses material. Ivanchuk's only problem is that he had already used up 70 minutes. 10... Qd7 11. dxe5 Bc5 12. Rxe4 O-O-O 13. Nbd2 Qd5 14. Kf1! Rhe8 15. b3

Carlsen was more afraid of 15. Qa4 against which he was going to sacrifice more material with 15... g5!? However, 16. h3 h5 17.g4 doesn't seem to be especially promising for Black.

15... g5 16. Bb2 g4 17. Nd4 Bxd4!? Carlsen still tries to complicate the game, in view of the fact that Ivanchuk was very short on time. The alternative 17... Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Qxe4 19. Nxe4 Rxe5 20. Nxc5 Rxc5 21. f3 would have objectively been the lesser of two evils, but the position is still easier to play with White.

18. cxd4 c5 19. Rae1 cxd4

20. Qc4? A mistake with which White loses a big part of his advantage.

Better was 20. Qd1! where Black would have had nothing better than 20... Bxe4 21. Rxe4 (21. Qxg4+? f5 22. exf6+ Bf5) 21... h522. Rxd4 Qa5 23. Qc2 with a practically decisive advantage for White. 20... Bxe4 21. Rxe4 Rxe5 22. Rxg4?! 22. Qxd5! Rexd5 23. Rxg4 was safer.

22... Rde8! 23. Nf3 Qxc4+ 24. bxc4 Re2 25. Bxd4 Rxa2

Now the game is equal, but due to Ivanchuk's time trouble, Black has all the options. 26. Rg7 a5 27. Rxf7 Rc2 28. g4

Starting a race in which every tempo will be vital and the accuracy of each move is paramount. 28... a4 29. g5 a3 30. Rxh7

Ivanchuk had 29 seconds left to get to move 40. 30... a2 31. Rh8

Ivanchuk used up 20 seconds on this move.

31. g6 wasn't better, as after 31... Rxc4 the bishop doesn't have any good squares, even on the longest diagonal of the board. White can only choose between 32. Bg7 (32. Bf6 Rf4 and Black is winning.) (32. Bb2 Rb4 33. Be5 (33. Bc3 Rb3 with a decisive advantage for Black) 33... Rxe5 34. Rh8+ Kd7 35. Nxe5+ Ke6 36. Ra8 Rb1+ 37. Kg2 a1=Q 38. Rxa1 Rxa1 with a decisive advantage for Black) 32... Rg8 33. Be5 Rxg6 and Black is winning. Ivanchuk's move is even worse in view of the fact that the white bishop needs to cover a1, but from h8 it obstructs the advance of the g-pawn

31... Rxh8 32. Bxh8 Rxc4 33. h3?!

33. Ke2 was slightly better, but by now Ivanchuk didn't have any time left to find the precise moves. 33... c5

34. Ne1? 34. Nd2 was the last opportunity to save the game, although White will have to overcome many difficulties after 34... Rc2 35.Ke2 c4 36. g6 c3 37. Bxc3 Rxc3 38. g7 a1=Q 39. g8=Q+ Kc7 40. Qg7+ Kb8. 34... Rc1 35. g6

35. Ke2 c4 and 36. Kd2? loses to 36... c3+! 35... Kd7 36. Bb2

Three seconds left for Ivanchuk to make four moves.

36... Ke6! 37. h4 c4 38. h5 c3 39. Bxc1 a1=Q 40. Nd3 Ivanchuk lost on time when moving his knight. However, his position is totally lost. 0-1

Game 28 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key In his desire to win, first of all Magnus Carlsen sacrifices a pawn, which is quite natural for him. However, Topalov's precise play forces him to sacrifice a second pawn and then a third. Even so, it was never clear that the Norwegian was going to lose the game although certainly a draw would have been the most likely result with correct play. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2733 ■Topalov, V BUL 2780 English Opening [A28] Morelia - Linares, 2008

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nb6 7. Be2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a4 Be6 10. Be3 Nd7 11. d4 exd4 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 c6 14. a5 Nc5 15. Qe5 Nb3 16. Ra4 Bd6 17. Qh5 g6 18. Qh6 Be5 19. Bg5 Qc7 20. Be3 Nxa5 21. f4 Bg7 22.Qh4 Bb3 23. Rd4 Rad8 24. e5 Rxd4 25. Bxd4 c5 26. Be3 f6 27. Nb5 Qd8 28. f5 fxe5 29. Bg5 Qb6 30. f6 c4+ 31. Kh1 Qxb5 32. fxg7Rxf1+ 33. Bxf1 Kxg7 34. Bd8

With two pawn´s less than his opponent, Carlsen thought quite a lot before playing his bishop to d8. He was trying to find a forced win. 34... Nc6??

Topalov replied immediately with this losing move. He had been fully concentrated, using the reflection time of his opponent, and he arrived at the conclusion that this was the only move to avoid a forced draw.

34... Qd5! was the correct move, after which both players can sign the draw immediately, because White doesn´t have anything better than a perpetual check starting with 35.Qe7+. 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Qe6+ Kf8

White´s checks practically finish, because both 37.Qd6+ and 37.Qf6+ allow Black to escape to c8. The end of the checks was the sign of victory for Topalov, but he missed the simple. 37. Bg5!!

that threatens mate in one, forcing his opponent to resign, because if 37...Kg7 then 38.Qf6+ Kg8 39.Bh6 with unstoppable mate. 1-0

Linares 2008 Interview By GM Amador Rodríguez

MAGNUS achieved a brilliant second place in the Linares tournament, behind World

Champion Anand, repeating last year's standing’s in the event. Together with Carlsen´s fifth place in the 2008 April rating list, he was confirmed as a serious contender for the world title. GM Amador Rodriguez, at Linares for the tournament, interviewed Carlsen for the 74th issue of the Peon de Rey chess magazine. You normally seem quite relaxed. What do you think about between tournament games? Do you have a hobby that keeps you so calm?

My activities between each round are not so different from those of other kids at my age. I like to keep in touch with my friends via the Internet, read books, watch sports on TV and also some movies. I have been playing a tournament every month for a long time and I'm used to such a tight schedule, so now that I play less, I feel more relaxed when I play individual games. I should add that during the game, although I may seem to be distracted and watching the games of the other players, I try to keep focused on my own game.

Nearly all the other elite players are more than twice your age. Therefore it seems quite clear that most of them will be out of your way in a few years. Can you estimate when you will be ready to launch an attack on the World Championship title? It would be great to become World Champion during my career, earlier or later. At the moment I don´t have this estimation. This year I shall participate in the Grand Prix events and maybe even in the 2009 World Cup although I understand that it will be tough to qualify for the next World Championship, as there are so many good opponents. My immediate plans include the Baku tournament, from April 20th to May 6th. My father is currently evaluating several tournament proposals for the second half of the year, although none of them have been confirmed yet. Can you identify yourself with any chess idols among the best players in history that have inspired you?

Actually I don´t have any particularly favourite player. I always try to extract knowledge from all the great players, past and present. I have read books written by many of them and I recall that I was very impressed by Kramnik´s book when I read if 5 years back. We would like to know who is in your team of coaches.

Actually I don´t have a coach! When I am at home between tournaments I take advantage to carry out my school obligations, in the school for the best athletes, where chess is a relevant subject, teached by GM Simen Agdestein. I have also worked for a weak or two each year with Danish GM Peter Heine Nielsen and during the last few

years both him and Norwegian GM Kjetil Lie have helped me as seconds in some tournaments.

With Agdestein´s words during the recent Gibraltar open as a reference - "Carlsen improves, then he consolidates and then he improves again. Now it looks as if he is improving again" – can you explain to our readers if you have a calendar of preparation and tournaments, with expectations of certain results? It´s very difficult for me to explain how and when I improve, but tournament activity, specific preparation for each game, the game itself and post-game analysis is obviously what helps my game improve most. When I look back and analyse the games that I played the year before I always understand that my play was less mature. Therefore I sense that my progress curve has kept quite stable. Based on Korchnoi´s unpleasant statements at Wijk aan Zee "This boy doesn´t deserve to win such a tournament, there are still thousands of positions that he hasn´t seen", do you think that there is such a massive hole in your knowledge of classical chess? Do you actually dedicate most of your time to openings theory?

In the first place, I would like to say that I don´t consider Korchnoi´s words to be unpleasant! I think that he was partly joking and partly critizising my opponent´s for not being able to prevent me from accomplishing such a great result, in spite of my obvious lack of experience. There are certainly many important games and positions that I have not had time to look though, although actually I have already seen a lot! In fact I love to spend time thoroughly reviewing top-level games and not only fritter it away on opening theory

What has your relationship with Kasparov been? Is it true that you had several training sessions together or even that he still oversees your preparation? I had the pleasure to be with Kasparov for a few hours when he visited Oslo three years ago and soon after we had another training session in Moscow. Both of these stages were very interesting and challenging for me, and I realized that I still have a lot to learn. During your childhood you played in Oropesa del Mar, in one of the World Youth Championships, but at that time you didn´t make the news. Did these tournaments mean something to you or were they just mere steps for the future as any other event?

Having played well both at home and in some open events abroad, the Norwegian Federation changed its policy requiring a minimum of 13 years of age, and I was allowed to participate in the World Under-12 Championship in Peniscola. It was a great experience to attend this event with other young Norwegians, although but after a great start with 4/4 I wasn´t able to keep up the pace and finished sixth, if I remember correctly. The following year, in autumn, the Norwegian representative at the Championships decided not to go and I was able to take his place and finish second in Crete. By the way, the winner in both events was Russia’s Ian Nepomniaschi, who just won the strong 2008 Aeroflot Open.

Although you have mentioned it before, I would like to clarify if you go to school normally as any other young man at your age, or if you follow Polgar´s pattern, learning at home. In 2003 my parents took all of us out of school for a year to travel through Europe. With that one exception, I've been attending classes regularly every year, although it´s fair to point out that during 2007, when I was about 200 days in tournaments, I couldn’t go to school much.

Game 29 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key We don't usually see Magnus in defensive tasks but when he does he is a magnificent defender. In this game his opponent tries to get a game going with a typical Dragon attack but he sacrifices too much material and Magnus cold-bloodedly reaps the rewards. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Radjabov, T AZE 2751 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2765 Sicilian Defense [B78] GP FIDE Bakú, 2008

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 Nowadays, the Dragon variation is a rare bird in elite tournaments, because theory considers White to have several promising continuations to put his opponent under pressure. However, in practice things are not so clear and a few years back it was very popular. 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2

The attacking plan based on long castling is clearly the strongest line for White. But it does involve playing a sharp game, which is what Black is looking for. 8... O-O 9. Bc4

This has always been considered the main line, although during some years the alternative 9. O-O-O was very popular. White has achieved good results in the line 9... d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 e5 13. Bc5 Be6 which used to be considered harmless. 9... Bd7 10. Bb3 Rc8 11. h4

The fast attack with the "h" pawn is White's main idea, although for some time Black has had to defend against other problems that arise after Topalov's idea 11. O-O-O Ne5 12. Kb1 Nc4 (One of the ways to avoid this is the move 12... Re8 and then 13. h4 h514. Bg5 Rc5 arriving at the same position as in the game) 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 b5 15. b3 Rc8 16. Ndxb5 Qa5 17. a4 a6 18. Nd5. 11... h5

This continuation became popular when Britain's GM's Miles and Mestel used it with very good results 20 years ago.

The alternative is 11... Ne5 12. O-O-O Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. h5 Nxh5 15. g4 Nf6 leading to a very complicated position. No definite conclusion has been made yet. 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. Bg5 Rc5

An old idea by Sosonko that improves 13... Nc4 against which White has two good alternatives with 14. Qe2 (and 14. Bxc4 Rxc415. Nde2) 14. Kb1

A prophylactic move that is always useful and was mainly used by Karpov.

The alternative is 14. g4 directly which has also been analyzed extensively. 14... Re8

This continuation has become more important since it's being used as a method to avoid Topalov's idea, which we mentioned on move 11.

Previously 14... b5 was preferred, which is still considered to be playable. 15. g4

Radjabov decides to play this sharp advance that entails a material sacrifice. It isn't easy to know where his preparation ended, although he probably didn't expect Carlsen to defend this way.

In any case the main line is 15. Rhe1 to continue with f4 and e5, which was played in the 1995 World Championship match between Anand and Kasparov. 15... hxg4

16. h5 A few days before this game, in the Plovdiv European Championship, GM Motylev achieved a win with White with a less common continuation 16. f4 Nc4 17. Qe2 Qc8 18. f5 Black's answer wasn't correct 18... Na3+ (18... gxf5 is better) 19. bxa3 Rxc320. fxg6

Rxb3+ 21. axb3 fxg6 22. Qd3 Nh5 23. Rhf1 Be5 24. Ne2 g3 25. Nf4 Bg4 26. Nxg6 Bxd1 27. Qxd1 g2 28. Rg1 Bg7 29.Qxh5 Qc3 30. e5 dxe5 31. Bh6 Bxh6 32. Rxg2 Motylev,A Carlsson,P. Plovdiv. 16... Nxh5 17. Rxh5

All this is well-known and the exchange sacrifice is not considered to be the best option, as Black has enough defence. The alternatives 17. Nd5 Rxd5 18. exd5 Nxf3 19. Nxf3 gxf3.

and 17. Bh6 e6! 18. Rdg1 Nxf3 19. Nxf3 gxf3 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Qxd6 Rg5 are also not considered to be dangerous for Black. The critical line is probably 17. f4 Nc4 18. Qd3 b5 19. f5 Qb6 with an unclear position. Apparently, Radjabov's preparation was not up to his opponent's standards because he was unable to improve on the known theory. 17... gxh5 18. Qh2 Ng6! 19. Qxh5

In the game Enders-Cao, Budapest 1995 White played 19. Nd5 but after 19... Rxd5 20. Bxd5 Qb6 21. c3 e6 22. Bb3 a5 Black took over the initiative. 19... Qa5

Funnily enough, this natural move a novelty, although this position has certainly only been played in very few games.

The first was Glimbrandt-Pavlovic, Barberá del Valles 1994 that continued 19... Rxg5 20. Qxg5 e6 21. Qxg4 Qf6 22. Qg3 (22.Nd5 Qe5 23. c3 but as Carlsen demonstrates, this swap is not yet necessary.) 22... Qe5 and Black achieved satisfactory play. Later on White tried to improve the line. 20. f4

20. Nd5 e6 (20... Rxd5 21. Bxd5 e6 22. Qxg4 Ne5 23. Qg3 exd5 24. Bf6 Ng6 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Nf5+ Kg8 27. Nh6+ Kg7 28. Nf5+with a small advantage for White.) 21. Rh1 (21. Qxg4 Ne5) 21... Rxd5 22. exd5 Bxd4 23. c3. 20... Rxg5!

20... Rxc3 21. Bxf7+ Kxf7 22. f5 is dangerous for Black, although it seems that after 22... Rh3 23. Qxg6+ Kf8 24. f6 exf6 White has no more than a draw. 21. fxg5 e6

22. Nf5?! After this move Black's perspectives are already better.

Apparently Radjabov didn't like the continuation 22. Qxg4 Rc8 where Black solves all his problems and will soon take over the initiative However, this was probably the best way to go. 22... exf5 23. Qxg6

23. Rxd6 Rxe4 24. Bxf7+ Kxf7 25. Rxd7+ Ke8 26. Qxg6+ Kxd7 27. Qxg7+ Re7 is good for Black. 23... Be6 24. Qh5

If 24. Bxe6 Rxe6 25. Qxf5 Bxc3 26. bxc3 Qxc3 with a clear advantage. 24... fxe4 25. Rf1

If 25. Bxe6 Rxe6 26. Rf1 and Black has the ingenious defence 26... Rf6 and if 27. Rh1 Rf4. 25... Qe5!

In spite of White's attractive next move, this is the best option and confirms Black's advantage. 26. Rxf7!? Bxb3

Carlsen chooses the simplest line, although White can now forget about the mating problems on the first rank.

Therefore, probably better was 26... Rf8 to exchange rooks. Play could continue 27. Bxe6 (27. Rxf8+ Kxf8) 27... Qxe6 28. Rf6 e3!29. a3 Rxf6 30. gxf6 Bxf6 31. Qg6+ Kf8 and Black wins without any problems. 27. axb3 g3 28. Ka2

28. Rxb7 Rf8 29. Qe2 Rf2 is also very good for Black. 28... Rf8 29. Rxf8+

29. Rxb7 Qa5+ 30. Na4 Qf5 doesn't offer any hope of saving the game. 29... Kxf8 30. Qg4 e3 31. g6

31... e2?? A serious mistake that could have cost Black a well-earned victory.

After 31... Bf6 Black can reply 32. Qd7 with 32... Qe7 and should win quite easily, for example 33. Qc8+ Kg7 34. Ne2 Qe5Possibly, both players were in time trouble, and that is why White was also unable to take advantage of his opponent's mistake. The simple 31... Ke7 should also lead to an easy win. 32. Qf3+?

Carlsen now has everything under control.

However, after 32. Qd7! White could have saved the game, for example 32... Qe7 (32... Kg8 33. Qc8+ Bf8 34. Qxb7 Be7 35.Qh1) (and if 32... Qe8 33. Qxd6+ Kg8 34. Nxe2! and White is already better, as 34... Qxe2 35. Qd5+ leads to mate) 33. Qc8+ Qe834. Qf5+ Kg8 35. Qd5+. 32... Ke8 33. Qf7+

Of course 33. Qxe2 Qxe2 34. Nxe2 g2. 33... Kd8 34. Qg8+ Kd7 34... Qe8 also wins.

35. Qf7+ Qe7 36. Qf5+ Kd8 37. Qa5+ b6 38. Qd5 e1=Q 39. Qa8+ Kd7 40. Qb7+ Ke8 0-1

Game 30 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key A good win by Carlsen that combines some exquisite opening play in this difficult variation of the Dragon, with deep strategic vision that includes a typical positional exchange sacrifice, topped up with his impeccable tecnique. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Nisipeanu, L ROM 2684 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2765 Sicilian Defense [B70] Aerosvit - Foros, 2008

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Nb3 Of course, 8. Be3 is a normal move that has been played in hundreds of old games. 8... O-O 9. Kh1

White enters a dubious line. 9.Re1 and 9.Bg5 used to be much more popular. Both of these moves have a similar idea: to omit out the advance f2-f4 and play with Nd5 to pressure on the semi-open e-file after the exchange of knights on d5.

9... a6 10. f4 b5 11. Bf3 Bb7

How some Grand Masters choose their openings is often a mystery. In this specific variation I have 50 games in my database in which White won 14 and lost 18. The worse thing is that not one GM has incorporated the line into his repertoire.

12. a4?! b4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Na5 15. c3 bxc3 16. bxc3 Rc8 17. Rb1 Ba8 18. Nd2 Nc4 19. Nxc4 Rxc4 20. Bd2?! 20. f5 with a small advantage for Black. 20... Qa5

It's now quite clear why no one plays this with White. The position is quite poor. 21. Qe1 Bxd5 22. Be2

22. Qxe7 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Qd5 followed by Rxa4 and Black has a clear advantage. 22... Qxa4! 23. Bxc4 Bxc4 24. Rf2 e6

White has won the exchange, but his position is very bad.

25. Be3 Bd5 26. Rfb2 Qe4 27. Qd2 h5 28. Bd4

28... Bh6! 29. Be3 a5 30. Rb8 Kh7 31. h3 Rxb8 32. Rxb8 Bg7 33. Bd4?! Bxd4 34. cxd4 a4 The duo queen and bishop applies a great deal of pressure against White's king! This guarantees that the pawn can advance by itself. 35. Kh2 a3 36. Rb4 a2 37. Ra4 Qb1

White correctly decided to stop the fight.

After 37... Qb1 38. Qc3 Qf1 39. Qb2 h4 and White's position collapses. The f4 pawn falls and after that Black will launch a pawn storm on the kingside. White can't do anything about it. 0-1

Game 31 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key Again and again, even in really high-level games, Carlsen resorts to a pawn sacrifice to take over the initiative and unbalance the fight. On this occasion his idea 15.d5 leaves a deep impresion, besides the fact that it is more or less correct after detailed analysis. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2787 ■Aronian, L NOR 2751

QGD Semi-Slav [D47] Bilbao Grand Slam Final, 2008

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 The main alternatives in this position are 9. O-O and 9. e4 9... b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 bxa3 12. O-O

A pawn sacrifice that Topalov popularized in his match against Kramnik (Elista 2006) to unify the World Championship. 12... Nf6 13. Bd3 axb2 14. Bxb2 a5

This is how Kramnik played in a game against Gelfand in 2007. The idea is to prepare 15...Bb4. 14... Be7 or directly 14... Bb4 are acceptable alternatives. 15. d5!?

After thinking for a while Carlsen played this pawn sacrifice, which is not entirely sound.

15. e4 was played successfully a few days before in the Spanish Team Championship in a game between Moiseenko and Illescas that continued 15... Bb4 16. Qc2 Nd7 17. Rfd1 Rc8 18. Qb1 O-O 19. d5!? cxd5 (19... exd5!? 20. exd5 g6) 20. exd5 Nf6 21. dxe6 Qe722. Ng5 h6? (22... fxe6) 23. Bh7+ Kh8 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25. Nxf7+. 15... Nxd5

15... exd5 doesn't seem bad either 16. Nd4 Qb6 (but not 16... Be7?! 17. Nf5 O-O 18. Nxg7!! Kxg7 19. Qg4+ Kh8 20. Bxf6+ Bxf621. Qf5Even 15... Qxd5 seems acceptable, for example 16. Qc2 Bb4 followed by castling. 16. Ne5!

16... Nf6?! After this, is seems that White can take over the initiative.

Neither better is 16... Bd6 17. Qg4 while 16... Nb4 17. Qh5 g6 18. Bxg6! gives White a dangerous attack. 16... Qc7 seems to be the safest alternative. 17. Qa4 Bb4 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Qxc6+ Ke7 20. Rfd1 Rc8 21. Qf3 Qb6

White has good compensation for the pawn, thanks to his superior piece activity and bishop pair. However, it's still probably not enough to talk about an advantage. 22. Bd4 Qb8 23. Ba6 Rcd8

24. Bb7!? Very artificial, but 24. Rab1 with the idea 25.Bc5 probably isn't enough for anything positive. Black always has the resource of sacrificing his queen for a rook and a bishop, resulting in an ending that is probably a draw. 24... h5?!

After the game Aronian recognized that he had been too optimistic assessing his position. Therefore, he rejected the natural 24... e5 25. Bb6 Rd6 26. Rxd6 Qxd6 27. Bxa5 Bxa5 28. Rxa5 leading to a ending which is drawn. 25. h3 h4?! 26. Rab1! e5 27. Rxb4! axb4?

27... exd4 28. Rbxd4 would probably be more resistant, but Black's perspectives would not be very good. 28. Bc5+ Ke6 29. Ra1!

Simple and decisive. Aronian accepted that he had not considered this move.

29... Rd6 30. Bxd6 Kxd6 31. Qc6+ Ke7 32. Ra8 Qd6 33. Qxd6+ Kxd6 34. Rxh8 b3 35. Ba6 Nd7 36. Rxh4 Nc5 By winning this game, Carlsen became number one in the 'live ratings' for the first time an honour that only lasted three days! 1-0

Carlsen and Aronian shared second place, but the two victories by the Norwegian against the Armenian Norwegian,was given to Magnus the runner-up Grand Slam Final 2008, which was won by Topalov.

Game 32 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Carlsen has always been an ambitious player, ready to take huge risks to to try and win. This can be seen in the following game, in which his king dangerously travels across the board. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Huzman, A ISR 2590 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2786 Queen's Indian Defense [E15] Kallithea, 2008

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. e4 d5 8. cxd5 Bxf1 9. Kxf1 exd5 10. e5 Ne4 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Qd7 13. Kg2 Nc6 14. c4 Nd8 A theoretical position in which White has tried several alternatives, from the violent 15.e6 to the calm 15.Qb3 and 15.Be3.

15.cxd5

This is a novelty, which doesn't actually impress much because the black queen is perfect on d5. 15... Qxd5 16. Qa4+ c6 17. Rhc1 Kd7!?

A move that White was probably not expecting at all. The analysis engines don't understand it either, and they even suggest 18...Ke8 as Black's next move. 18. Bb4

18. Rc3 Ne6 19. Rac1 Rhc8 with a complicated position. 18... b5 19. Qa3 Bxb4 20. Qxb4 a5 21. Qb3 A relevant moment. 21... Ne6?!

Black could have calmly played 21... Qxb3 22. axb3 Ne6 23. Rc2 Ra6 reaching a comfortable ending. 22. Rxc6!?

Now the game becomes incredibly dangerous tactically.

22... Qxc6 22... Kxc6? 23. Rc1+ winning. 23. d5 Qc4 24. dxe6+ Kxe6

Carlsen's king now embarks on a forced journey, with no fear.

Two interesting alternatives were 24... Ke7!? 25. Qe3 Rhc8 26. Rd1 Qxe6 27. Qe4 Qg6.

and 24... fxe6!? 25. Rd1+ Ke8 and in both cases it seems that Black is defending well, although White isn't completely without resources.

25. Nd4+

Interesting was 25. Qe3! and White has some interesting tactical resources, for example 25... Rhc8 (25... Rhd8? 26. Rc1 Qd5 27.Rc5) 26. Rd1 Ke7 27. Rd4 Qe6 (27... Qc2 28. e6) 28. Qd3 with a small advantage for Black.

25. Ng5+ wasn't good because of 25... Kf5! (25... Ke7 26. Qf3 Rab8 (26... Rhd8 27. Rc1 Qd5 28. Rc7+ Ke8 29. Nxf7 Qxf3+ 30. Kxf3Rd7 31. Nd6+ Kd8 32. Rc5 b4 33. Rb5 Rc7 34. Ke4 Ke7 with a clear advantage for Black.)) 26. Qe3 Rhd8 with a clear advantage for Black.

27. Qe3+? Tempting, but Black will be able to overcome the attack quite easily.

Very interesting was 27. Re1!? and it's unclear how Black can win as the forced line with 27... Kc5 28. Qe3+ Qd4 (28... Kd5 29.e6! with the idea Rd1+ and Rc1) 29. Rc1+ Kd5 30. Qb3+ Kxe5 31. Re1+ Kf6 32. Qf3+ Kg6 33. Re4 leads to a position in which White is about to achieve a draw.

27... Kd5 28. Rd1+ Ke6 29. Rd6+ Ke7 30. Qg5+ Ke8 31. e6 Rc8 32. exf7+ Qxf7 32... Kf8 was also good after 33. Rd8+ Rxd8 34. Qxd8+ Kxf7 35. Qxh8 Qd5+ 36. Kg1 Qxa2 winning.

33. Rd3 Qb7+ 34. Kh3 Rf8 35. Qh5+ Ke7 36. Re3+ Kd8 37. Rd3+ Kc7 38. Rd5 Rce8 39. Rc5+ Kd6 40. Rxb5 Qc8+ 41. Kh4 Qc4+42. g4 Qd4 0-1

8 World’s number one By IM Ángel Martín

MAGNUS began 2009 as world number four with 2776 rating points. His goal to reach number one didn´t seem unreasonable, as he was only 20 points away from Topalov.

As usual, his first event was Wijk aan Zee. The tournament, although not as strong as the previous year, was harder for him. Perhaps his rivals were playing more cautiously when facing the Norwegian, but this time it was harder to win and he made many more draws. But he still had chances until the last round, where he suffered his only loss against Wang Yue and had to settle for fifth place. The winner was Karjakin. Linares, right after Wijk, didn´t go well either, unless finishing third (half a point from the winners Ivanchuk and Grischuk) is considered a success. He did have the satisfaction of defeating Anand for the first time in a classical chess game. The Indian came fourth.

Therefore, in the next rating list, published in April, Carlsen was already 3rd in the world ranking, although he had actually lost 6 points. But Ivanchuk had dropped even more and now only Topalov and Anand were above him.

A couple of months later, Magnus won the Leon rapid chess tournament, defeating Ivanchuk in the final. He then took part in the strong M-Tel Masters tournament, played in Sofia, which reached the Category XXI. After a close fight, Magnus went into the final round half a point ahead of Topalov and Shirov, but was defeated by the former Spanish player after making a serious mistake. Shirov achieved one of the biggest successes of his career.

Carlsen had to get to the "Armageddon" to beat Ivanchuk in Leon 2009. Above, we see him picking up the trophy from a local authority. His next super tournament was the Dortmund Sparkassen (Category XX) where he was defeated by Kramnik and had to settle for second place.

Around this time Carlsen announced his decision to not compete in the World Championship cycle, in disagreement with the changes in the Grand Prix system decided by FIDE. The lack of sponsorship resulted in the cancellation of several tournaments and the federation changed the qualification rules for the World Championship. Adams and Carlsen publicly announced that they were withdrawing from the Grand Prix events. Despite these relative failures, Carlsen maintained his status of world´s number three. But the Norwegian seemed to lack something to make the final step and at the end of the summer he began to train with none other than Kasparov. These sessions were held in several places such as Croatia and Morocco, but also on the Internet.

The results came immediately and he made a real exhibition in October at the Nanjing (China) Category XXI tournament. He scored 8/10, two and a half points more than Topalov, who finished second. Thus, in the November 2009 rating list, Carlsen surpassed the 2800 mark and became the new number two, just behind Topalov. He finished the year with two competitions of the highest level, the Tal Memorial and the London Chess Classic. In the first one, a Category XXI held in Moscow, Kramnik was the winner. However, Carlsen, who was ill during the the first games, shared second place with Ivanchuk, undefeated and only half a point behind the winner.

Immediately afterwards, in the same place, the Blitz world Championship was held (5minute games). Carlsen destroyed his opponents, achieving 31/42, 3 points ahead of Anand and 6 ahead of Karjakin, who finished third.

The London tournament was a new demonstration. In the first round he defeated his main opponent, Kramnik, and again finished undefeated. With this win, Carlsen became number one, appearing on the January 2010 list with 2810, five points more then Topalov. He only was 19.

Game 33 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key Carlsen produces an authentic masterpiece that doesn't require many annotations. He creates winning chances from nothing and around move 60 he plays some really highlevel chess to prevent his opponent from achieving the draw. His opponent, World Champion Vishy Anand, fights tooth and nail until the end but eventually has to resign in view of the Norwegian's tenacity.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2776 ■Anand, V IND 2791 QGD Semi-Slav [D45] Linares, 2009

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 Nxg4 8. Rg1 Qf6 9. Rxg4 Qxf3 10. Rxg7 Nf6 11. h3 Qf5 12.Qxf5 exf5 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Nb5 Bb4+ 15. Bd2 Bxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Ke7 17. Bd3 Be6 18. Nc7 Rag8 19. Nxe6 Kxe6 20. Rxg8 Nxg8 21.Ke2 Ne7 22. Kf3 Rc8 23. a4 Rc7 24. a5 h6 25. h4 Kf6 26. h5 Nc8 27. Kf4 Nd6 28. Rg1 Rc8 29. f3 Ke6 30. Rg7 Rh8 31. Bc2 Rc8 32.Bb3 Rh8 33. Rg1 Rc8 34. Rg7 Rh8 35. Rg2 Rc8 36. Rg1 Ne8 37. e4 fxe4 38. fxe4 Nf6 39. e5 Ne4 40. Ke3 b6 41. axb6 axb6 42. Kd3Nf2+ 43. Ke2 Ne4 44. Ke3 f6 45. Rg6 Rc1 46. Rxh6 Rh1 47. Bc2 Rh3+ 48. Kf4 Rh4+ 49. Kf3 Nd2+ 50. Ke2 Rh2+ 51. Kd1 Nc4 52.Rxf6+ Ke7 53. Bg6 Rd2+ 54. Kc1 Rxd4 55. b3 Nxe5 56. Rxb6 Rh4 57. Bf5 Nf3 58. h6!

Carlsen had played an excellent positional game up to here, but he practically hasn´t got any pawns left.

As 58. Bg6 Ne5 would go nowhere, he needs to find something special to finish-off the World Champion.

58... Nd4 59. h7!

59. Bd3 Nxb3+! would lead to a draw, but Carlsen has something very different in mind... 59... Nxf5 60. Rb8! Nd4 61. Kb2!

The key move. White conserves his last pawn, after which the win will be slow but sure.

61... Kd6 62. h8=Q Rxh8 63. Rxh8 Kc5 64. Rh5 Nc6 65. Rh4 Nb4 66. Ka3 d4 67. Rh5+ Nd5 68. Kb2 Kc6 69. Ka3 Kc5 70. Rh4 Nb471. Rh8 Nc6?! 71... Nd5 would have offered more resistance, although with the 30 seconds of added time per move, Carlsen would have definitely broken down Anand´s defenses.

72. Rh5+ Kd6 73. b4 d3 74. Rh3 Ne5 75. Kb3 d2 76. Kc2 Nc6 77. Rh4 1-0

Game 34 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Against an opponent that is technically really very good such as Leinier Domínguez, Carlsen is forced to play a very complete but also tense game in all its stages. As usual, the Norwegian doesn't make any forced mistakes but relentlessly takes advantage of those made by his opponent. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Domínguez, L CUB 2717 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2776 Sicilian Defense [B78] Linares, 2009

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rb8 The "Chinese Dragon" variation is a very popular line with many games but none between strong players.

10... Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. Kb1 a6 was played by Carlsen, first against Leinier, and then several times against Anand. Finally he dropped this variation after suffering a tough loss against Topalov in Bilbao. 11. Bb3 Na5

Curiously, before playing this line with Black, Magnus played it with White against Radjabov in Bilbao. It was a very exciting game that Magnus won. 12. Bh6

Personally, during my long career, I have never enjoyed swapping bishops before launching my pawns. 12. g4 looks like the most dangerous move according to the following example by a young Cuban GM. 12... b5 13. Bh6 e5?! (13...Bxh6! ! looks like the best move, transposing after ! looks like the best move, transposing after 14. Qxh6 Nxb3+ to the current game) 14. Nf5 gxf5?! 15. gxf5 Nxb3+ 16. axb3 Ne8 17. Bxg7 Nxg7 18. Qxd6 Rb7 19. Rhg1 Kh8 20. Qh6 Rg8 21. Nd5 Bxf5 22. Nf6Qa5 23. Kb1 Negi- Fidel Corrales, Sabadell.

12. Kb1 was played in the game between the highest rated players up to now. In fact, Kb1 is good against nearly all the Dragon variations. 12... b5 13. h4 Nc4 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. Ka1 h5 16. Rb1 Qa5 with a complex position in Carlsen-Radjabov, Bilbao.

12... Bxh6 13. Qxh6 b5 14. g4 Nxb3+ 15. Nxb3 b4 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Rb6

18. Rhe1 A natural move, placing the rook on the only semi-open file in the center. However, more incisive was 18. h4 This move is analyzed in Book 11 of the former World Champions Alexander Khalifman´s series "Opening for White according to Anand" 18... e5 Forced, in view of the threat of h5 with an unstoppable attack 19. dxe6fxe6 Now instead of 20.Rd3 played in Maslak-Porat, Pardubice 2008, Khalifman says that the queen no longer has anything to do on h6 and should go back to fight against Black´s weakened pawns. Therefore, he recommends 20. Qe3 e5 21. h5 g5 22. Nd2!Bc6 23. Rh3 Rf4 24. Qb3+ d5 25. Nc4! with a small advantage for White. 18... e5 19. dxe6 fxe6 20. Re3?!

The beginning of a mistaken strategy. Against Khalifman´s advice, White is going to leave his queen on h6 for another 17 moves, far away from the main battlefield, with nothing to do. 20... Rf7 21. Nd2 d5 22. Nb3

Losing two tempi with the knight seems a high price to force Black to advance his pawn to d5. 22... Qc7 23. Kb1

Normal, but too slow. The other option was 23. h4 defining the position as soon as possible. Black would have had to exchange queens on f4 to delay the attack. 23... Rb8!

Black regroups conveniently. The rook has accomplished its mission on the sixth rank and now heads to c8 from where the threats will be more concrete. 24. Rde1 Rc8 25. R1e2

Great chess players also have their bad days and this was one of Lenier´s. The location of his major pieces inspires serious doubts. We have already mentioned the queen on h6, but also the two doubled rooks which are attacking a blank target on e6. Black totally controls the two semi-open c and f files, and has tremendous potential for his bishop and center pawns. Something will obviously happen very soon. 25... Qb6

26. h4? Unaware of the tremendous danger that approaches. 26... d4! 27. Re5 d3! 28. cxd3 Rxf3 29. d4?

29. Qd2 would have kept the danger under reasonable control 29... Bb5

After this move White could have easily resigned. Black´s pieces are all over the board and play at ease. 30. R2e3 Bd3+

30... Rf2! was even stronger but Carlsen decides to play naturally. 31. Ka1 Qxd4

Elegant and simple although I must say that 31... Rf2! was a very fast way to win. 32. Rxe6 Rf1+ 33. Re1 Qxg4 34. Rxf1 Qxe6

Although the game is decided Leinier finds some resources to fight on. 35. Nc5 Qe2 36. Rc1 Bf5 37. Qf4 a5

Carlsen decides to keep the queens on the board. 37... Qg4 would have won without risk. 38. h5 Qe7?!

38... Qg4

38... Rd8

39. Qc4+? By inserting 39. hxg6 White could have put up more resistance, for example 39... hxg6 (39... Rxc5? 40. gxh7+ Kxh7 (40... Bxh7 41.Rg1+) 41. Qh2+) 40. Qc4+ and Black will end up winning but he still has to negotiate some difficulties. 39... Be6! 40. Qc2

40. Qe4 Rxc5 41. Rxc5 Qxc5 42. Qxe6+ Kg7. 40... Qg5! 41. hxg6 hxg6

White has arrived at the time control but he is practically in Zugswang.

42. a3 bxa3 43. Qc3 axb2+ 44. Kxb2 Qd5 45. Rc2 a4 46. Ka1 a3 47. Qe3 Bf7 48. Qc3 g5 49. Qe3 Re8 50. Qc3 Re2 50... Qd4!

51. Nb3 Rxc2 51... Qd1+ 52. Rc1 Qxb3. 52. Qxc2

52... Qe5+! Avoiding the stalemate trick that would occur after the naive 52... Qxb3?? 53. Qg6+! and the queen would start to chase the white king, giving up her life in exchange for the draw. 53. Kb1 Kg7! 54. Qd2 Bxb3 0-1

Game 35 Notes by GM Andrés Rodríguez The key Already when he was 18 Carlsen was used to making things really easy when they are actually quite difficult and this game is a good example. It might seem that Black was playing a sharp Sicilian quite well but he will be slowly overcome by the Norwegian's deep strategic anticipation. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2776 ■Grischuk, A RUS 2733 Sicilian Defense [B84] Linares, 2009

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. f4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 Kasparov´s preferred move, vacating f8 for the bishop.

12. Bf3 Bf8 13. Qd2 Rb8

Black is trying to avoid playing Bd7. He hopes that White will withdraw his knight to b3, in which case he will be able to develop the bishop to b7 after the useful move b6. 14. Qf2 e5

A typical Sicilian center reaction. Black weakens the d5 square to gain some space in the center and force the white knight to make a decision. 15. fxe5

Carlsen moves away from the main precedents in this position, in which White generally continued with

15. Nde2 exf4 (15... b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. f5 (17. fxe5) (17. Nd5) 17... Nb4 18. Ng3 1/21/2 Grischuk,A (2717)-Rublevsky,S (2680). Elista (m) 2007)) 16. Bb6 Qe7 17. Nxf4 Be6 18. Rad1 g6 19. Qd2 Ne5 20. Be2 Rbc8 21. Bf2 h6 22. h3 Rc6 23. Bh4 g5 24. Nxe6Qxe6 25. Bg3 Nc4 26. Qd4 Bg7 27. Bxc4 Rxc4 28. Qxd6 Qxd6 1/2-1/2 Adams,M (2741)Anand,V (2786). Linares 2005. 15... dxe5 16. Nb3 Nb4

A typical move, once White has played a4. The knight is placed very well here, pressuring c2 and controlling the d5 square. But to get to this position Grischuk had already thought a lot and he had less than an hour to reach move 40.

17. Ba7 Ra8 18. Bb6 Qe7 19. Rad1 Be6

20. Nd5! 20. Nc5!? Bc4 21. Be2 Bxe2 22. Qxe2. 20... Bxd5 21. exd5 e4

22. d6! An important in-between move, before Black blocks the advance of this pawn. This is what would have happened if White had moved his attacked bishop. 22... Qe6?!

Grischuk only had 11 minutes for 18 moves, but his problems increase with this move.

Preferable was 22... Qe5 23. d7 Nxd7 24. Rxd7 exf3 25. Qxf3 with a small advantage for White, although nothing serious. 23. Nc5 Qf5 24. Be2 Qxf2 25. Rxf2

With simple moves Carlsen has consolidated his advantage and now the passed pawn along with the bishop on b6 completely restrict Black´s game. 25... Nbd5 26. a5

Good enough, although the exchange sacrifice on f6 was also very promising.

26. Rxf6!? Nxf6 (26... Nxb6 27. Rf4 winning) 27. a5 and White´s compensation is obvious 26... Nxb6

But not 26... Bxd6? 27. Rxf6 27. axb6 Rab8

27... Rac8?! 28. b4 Rc6 29. Rxf6! gxf6 30. d7 winning 28. Rxf6!?

Carlsen now sacrifices the exchange, which is also very promising. However, there were other ways to continue such as 28. g4. 28... gxf6 29. Nd7 f5 30. c4

Naturally White is not interested in capturing any of Black´s passive rooks and therefore prepares the advance of his pawns. 30... a5 31. c5 Bg7 32. Nxb8 Rxb8 33. Ba6!!

An elegant conclusion. By deviating the pawn on b7 White obtains three unstoppable pawns. Black no longer has any defence. 33... Bf6

33... bxa6 34. c6 Rxb6 35. c7 Rc6 36. d7 with a decisive advantage 34. Bxb7! Rxb7 35. c6 Rxb6 36. Rc1 Bxb2 37. d7 1-0

Game 36 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key Carlsen starts off the game by solidly controlling the center in order to be able to play on both sides of the board, something that he enjoys a lot. Taking advantage of the slight discoordination of his opponent's army and his superiority in the center, he shows his hand on the kingside, finishing off the game on the attack. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2770 ■Topalov, V BUL 2812 QGD Semi-Slav [D43] MTEL - Sofia, 2009

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 This is one of Topalov´s favourite lines in the Semi-Slav defence. He tries to improve Black´s perspectives in comparison with the sharp Botvinnik variation, after 5... dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 where White continues with 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5. 6. Bxf6

However, if White plays now 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 Black can change the move order with 7... g5 8. Bg3 b5. 6... Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3

Last year, in the same tournament, Ivanchuk played 8. Rc1 against Topalov and after 8... Bd6 9. Bd3 O-O 10. O-O Qe7 White had a small advantage, although Black could have improved his play at several moments. Carlsen´s move is more common. 8... dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6

The alternative is 9... Bd6 10. O-O Qe7 although 11. Ne4 is annoying.

10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 O-O

Topalov allows the advance e4-e5 after which his bishops will be passive. This would definitely have been part of his preparation for this game. He must have taken into account the game Carlsen-Karjakin, played two months before in the Melody Amber tournament, in which Black played the most usual 11... e5 12. d5 Nb6 13. Bb3 Bg4 and after 14. Rc1 O-O 15. h3Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 Rfd8 with a more or less equal ending, although Carlsen cooked up some problems for his opponent and gradually grinded him down.

12. e5 Qe7 13. Qe2 b5 The alternative is 13... Rd8 to continue with ...b6, Bb7 and play ...c5 later, although it´s slightly passive for a player like Topalov. Also, White can answer the advance ...c5 with d4-d5. 14. Bd3 Bb7

After 14... b4 15. Na4 c5 16. Rac1 cxd4 17. Qe4 Rb8 18. Rc7 White exerts strong pressure on Black´s position, as in Graf-Kraemer, Bundesliga 2007.

15... Rfd8 Black had tried to liberate his position in a couple of games with 15... Rab8 16. Rac1 c5 although after 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. d5 (18.dxc5 should also be considered) 18... exd5 19. Nxd5 Qe6 20. Qe4 Black´s results have not been very good. 16. Rac1 Rab8 17. Rfd1 a6 18. h4 Ba8

Topalov decides not to force things and adopts waiting tactics. However, there doesn´t seem to be anything wrong with 18... c519. Bxb7 Rxb7 20. d5 exd5 21. Nxd5 Qe6 where White still keeps a small advantage but nothing serious. 19. Rc2 Rdc8 20. Rdc1 Qf8 21. a4 c5?!

But this doesn´t seem the best moment for a center rupture. Preferable was 21... b4 22. Nb1 and only then 22... c5 and if 23. Bxa8Rxa8 24. dxc5 Rxc5 Black is OK. 22. axb5 cxd4 23. Nxd4 Bxe4

Now White´s knight will occupy a good center square. To be considered was 23... axb5 and if 24. Bxa8 Rxa8 25. f4 Qd8. 24. Nxe4 Rxc2 25. Rxc2 axb5 26. Nc6 Rb6 27. f4

White has consolidated his advantage. However, Topalov thought that his next move would give him enough counterplay. 27... Qa8 28. Ne7+ Kh7 29. h5! Ra6?

This loses although Black´s position was also very unpleasant after 29... Qf8 30. Rc7 Qxe7 31. hxg6+ fxg6 32. Qd2. 30. hxg6+ fxg6 31. Rc7 Ra1+

Also after 31... Ra7 the shot 32. Qd3! Rxc7 33. Ng5+ is decisive. 32. Kf2 Qd8

32... Ra4 33. Nc6 and Black is lost.

33. Qd3! Qxe7 33... Qxc7 leads to mate after 34. Ng5+ Kh8 35. Nf7+. 34. Rxd7

Of course 34. Nf6+ also wins.

34... Qh4+ 35. Kf3 Qh5+ 36. Kg3 1-0

Game 37 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key This game is an impressive technical exhibition by White, specially taking into account that it was played under a rapid time control. Carlsen's play is skillful from start to end. I should also highlight the fact that Ivanchuk defends really well, without any important mistakes but he is still defeated.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2770 ■Ivanchuk V UKR 2746 QGD [D52] León, 2009

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 Ivanchuk surprised us with his opening election. Bearing in mind that he only needed a draw, the Indo-Benoni might be considered a very risky weapon. However, unlike the Dutch defence which Ivanchuk tried in the fourth game, this time the Ukrainian comes out of the opening quite well. 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 a6!?

A popular way to oppose White´s main plan.

The normal move is 7... Bg7 after which White plays 8. h3 the development of the 'c8' bishop.

The direct 7... Bg4 is considered imprecise because of 8. Qa4+ and theory has established that Black has no satisfactory answer. 8. Qe2!?

If 8. a4 is able to complete his idea with 8... Bg4 9. Be2 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nbd7 11. O-O Bg7 12. Bf4 Qe7 13. Re1 O-O controlling 'e5' efficiently.

8... Bg4

Black would be quite uncomfortable after 8... Bg7 9. e5 dxe5 10. Qxe5+ 9. e5 dxe5

Inserting 9... Bxf3!? before capturing on 'e5' was an interesting alternative. 10. Qxe5+ Qe7 11. Qxe7+ Bxe7

Ivanchuk has been able to exchange queens, forcing his opponent to perform on a more strategic level, in which Carlsen might be less effective. The subsequent development seems to confirm that the experienced Ukrainian might be right, as he slowly starts to control the game.

12. Ne5! A good novelty that questions Black´s setup.

The harmless 12. Bh6 had been played 12... Nbd7 13. O-O-O O-O-O 14. Be2 Bd6 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 donde tras 16... Kc7 17. a4Rhe8 18. Rhe1 Rxe1 19. Rxe1 Ne5! Black took over the initiative. Play continued 20. Be2 Re8 21. Rd1 Ned7 22. Be3 Ne4 23. Nxe4Rxe4 24. b3 Bf4 25. Bxf4+ Rxf4 26. d6+ Kd8 27. Bf3 b6 28. Re1 c4 29. b4 Rf6 30. Bb7 a5 31. bxa5 bxa5 32. Bc6 Rxd6 33. Bb5 Rd4and after winning a pawn Black won after a long ending in the game Mecking,H (2567)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2687)/Wijk aan Zee 2009.

12... Nbd7 13. Nxg4 Nxg4

Black gives up the bishop pair in order to blockade the dark-squares. 14. Bf4

More precise seemed 14. h3! as after the forced 14... Ngf6 15. Bf4 White takes control of this important diagonal without losing time. 14... Nge5 15. O-O-O Bd6

Now the threat is Nd3 after which Black will play 'f5' in time, consolidating the blockade of the passed pawn. 16. Kb1?!

After this routine move, White loses all hope of achieving an advantage in the opening.

He should have played 16. Bd2! and after 16... f5 , which seems necessary to prevent the enemy knight jumping to 'e4', White could continue energetically with 17. f4! Ng4 18. Re1+ Kd8 19. Re6 Kc7 20. h3 Ngf6 21. g4! with the initiative.

16... f5 17. h3 O-O-O 18. Be2 Nf7 19. Bc1 White must avoid the exchange of bishops because he would lose control over the darksquares. 19... Rhe8 20. Rhe1 Be5!

Excellent concept, swapping the blockading piece. Thanks to White´s timid play, Ivanchuk has achieved the ideal setup against his opponent´s passed pawn. 21. Bf1 Nd6 22. Bg5 Bf6 23. Be3 b5

A good move: Black mobilizes his queenside majority.

The ingenious 23... Bd4!? was enough for a draw as after 24. Bxd4 Rxe1 25. Rxe1 cxd4 26. Ne2 Nf6 the position has simplified a lot. 24. a4 c4!

Restricting White´s light-squared bishop.

25. axb5 axb5 26. Na2! Kb7 27. Nb4 Ra8 Carlsen is trying to get the most out of his position, but even so Black has a very comfortable game. Maybe 27... Nb6!? was more precise 28. Nc6 Rd7 maintaining control over White´s passed pawn. 28. Nc6 Ne4 29. g4 Nb6 30. gxf5 gxf5 31. Bg2

31... Na4?! From this moment onwards Carlsen played very energetically, improving his position with each one of Ivanchuk´s mistakes.

Time trouble was looming and Black missed a good opportunity to open up the queenside in his favor with 31... c3! after which White can´t really fight for the advantage. After the natural sequence 32. Bd4 Nxd5! 33. Bxe4 Rxe4 34. Bxf6 Kxc6! 35. Bxc3Nxc3+ 36. bxc3 Rae8 Ivanchuk would have probably won the tournament. 32. Bd4 Bxd4 33. Nxd4 Kb6!

Worse was 33... Nd6 34. Nxf5! Nxf5 35. d6+ Kb6 36. Bxa8 Rxa8 37. d7 Rd8 38. Rd5 Nh4 39. Re8 Kc7 40. Rxb5 Rxd7 41. Re4 winning. 34. d6! Rad8

Vasily was probably assessing 34... Nac3+!? After the more or less forced sequence 35. bxc3 Nxc3+ 36. Kb2 Nxd1+ 37. Rxd1 Rad8it seems that Black will be able to keep the balance. Here are some example variations: 38. Bc6 (38. Nxf5 Re2+ 39. Kc3 Rxf2 40.Be4 Re2 with equality) (38. Nc6 Re2+! 39. Kc3 Rd7 is equal) 38... Re5! 39. f4 Rc5!? 40. Ne6 Rxd6 41. Rxd6 Rxc6 42. Rxc6+ Kxc6 is equal. 35. Nxf5 Nxf2?!

A serious mistake that allows White to pull ahead.

Era un buen momento para aclarar la posición con 35... Nac3+! Now was a good time to clarify the position with 36. bxc3Nxc3+ 37. Kc2 Nxd1 38. Rxd1 Re2+ 39. Kc3 Rxf2 40. Be4 Re2 and Black obtains a very active game, more than enough to maintain dynamic equilibrium. 36. Rxe8 Rxe8 37. d7 Rd8 38. Rd6+ Kc7 39. Bc6!

As we have mentioned before, Magnus conducted this stage of the game very accurately. Black needs to eliminate the 'd7' pawn, but in exchange he will lose his pair of queenside pawns. 39... Nc5 40. Bxb5 Nxd7 41. Rc6+!

Mucho más fuerte que 41. Bxc4 Much stronger than 41... Rf8 42. Rd5 Nxh3 and Black equalizes. 41... Kb8 42. Rxc4

42... Nxh3? Trying to restore the material balance as soon as possible Ivanchuk makes a huge mistake. Better was 42... Ne5 43. Rc3 and, in view of the lack of material, it wouldn´t be easy to convert White´s extra pawn. However, Magnus had a big advantage on the clock, nearly 2 minutes against 30 seconds, which would prove to be decisive. 43. Ne7! Ne5 44. Re4!

Now Black loses a piece. 44... Nf3 45. Nc6+ Kc7

45... Kc8 doesn´t help as after 46. Re7 Rd1+ 47. Ka2 Black must defend the bishop mate with 47... Rd7 48. Rxd7 Kxd7 49. Ne5+with a similar result as in the game. 46. Re7+! Rd7 47. Rxd7+ Kxd7 48. Ne5+ Kd6 49. Nxf3 Nf4 50. Kc1 h5 51. Bf1 Kc5 52. Kc2 Kb4 53. Ne5 Nd5 54. Nd3+ Ka5 55.Kb3 h4 56. Bg2 Ne3 57. Bh3

57... Nd5

Ivanchuk could have tried 57... Nd1 to sacrifice his knight for the pawn and force his opponent to mate with bishop and knight with not much time. The problem is that the player with less time was Ivanchuk, with only ten seconds left against one minute. 58. Kc4 Nb6+ 59. Kd4 Na4?

A final mistake in a desperate situation. 60. b4+ Kb6 61. Bd7

Losing the knight. Ivanchuk resigned, handing over his crown to Magnus Carlsen. 1-0

Game 38 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key A tense and difficult game. Carlsen starts off very well but Ivanchuk reacts decently and for the most part the result is uncertain. In the end Magnus gets the best of it and takes advantage of a mistake by his opponent to win the game.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2770 ■Ivanchuk V UKR 2746 QGD Semi-Slav [D31] León, 2009

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Bd6 5. Bd3 f5 6. Nge2 Nf6 7. Qc2 O-O 8. f3 Kh8 9. Bd2 a6?! This move seems to be a strategic mistake. 10. c5! Bc7 11. O-O-O!

A logical move with which Carlsen prepares to attack on the kingside. Ivanchuk takes some measures in the center but he won´t be able to stop his opponent´s attack.

11... e5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. f4!? Bc7 14. Nd4 Ne4 15. Nxe4 fxe4 16. Be2 b6 17. cxb6 Bxb6 18. Bb4 Rf6 19. Kb1 a5 20. Bc3 Ba6 21.g4 Bxe2 22. Qxe2 Nd7 23. g5 White´s advantage is clear in any case, but I would have started with 23. Nf5

23... Bxd4! 24. Bxd4 Rd6 25. h4 Qf8 26. h5 Kg8 27. Qg4 Re8 28. Rhf1 c5 29. Be5 Rde6 30. Bc3

30... d4!

With this counterplay Ivanchuk complicates the game. 31. exd4 e3 32. d5?! A weak move.

Better was 32. Rfe1 e2 33. Rd2 with advantage.

32... Re4 33. Rfe1 Ne5?! Too elaborate.

Could have been tried 33... Nb6!?

34. Bxe5 R8xe5 35. Rxe3 Rxf4 36. Qe2 Qf5+ 37. Ka1 Rd4 38. Re1 Rxe3 39. Qxe3 Rxd5 40. a3 White´s advantage is very clear as black´s king has nowhere to hide. Carlsen misses some opportunities and Ivanchuk could have nearly saved the game.

40... Qd7 41. Qb3 a4 42. Qc4 Kf8

43. Ka2 Carlsen doesn´t want black´s king to escape to the queenside but it turns out that with a series of very precise checks he could have achieved the victory: 43. Rf1+! Ke7 44. Qe4+ Kd8 45. Rf8+ Kc7 46. Qf4+ Kb6 47. Qb8+ Ka5 48. Qa8+ Kb5 49. Rb8+ Kc4 50.Qa6+ Kd4 51. Rb7 Qe8 52. Rxg7 winning easily. 43... Rf5! 44. Ka1 Rd5 45. Rc1?!

As we have mentioned earlier the best move was 45. Rf1+! 45... Ke7 46. g6 hxg6 47. hxg6 Kf6 48. Qc2

48... Rf5 Difícil lo habría tenido el noruego si Ivanchuk acierta con 48... Qg4! the Norwegian would have had some difficulties. For example after 49. Rf1+ Ke6 50. Re1+ Kd6 51. Qh2+ Kc6 the black king escapes. 49. Rd1 Qc6 50. Rg1 Qd7 51. Rd1 Qc6 52. Rg1 Qd7 53. Qc4 Re5 54. Qh4+ Ke6 55. Qg4+ Ke7 56. Qh4+ Kd6?

A decisive mistake low on time. More resistant was 56... Ke6 and it´s not easy to find a line in which White wins material. 57. Rd1+ Rd5 58. Qf4+!

Black missed this check. Now there is no defence.

58... Kc6 59. Qxa4+ Kc7 60. Qa7+ Kc6 61. Qa8+ 1-0

Ivanchuk vs Carlsen fought out a thrilling final of Magistral de León 2009. After a 2-2 draw in the semi-rapid and blitz, the Norwegian won the "Armageddon".

Game 39 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key They say that there is no sure bet. But in chess, nowadays you can put your money on the table with a high degree of confidence. First of all, when you see a Sicilian Najdorf on the board; and in second place when one of the two players is Magnus Carlsen. Based on these two premises, a vibrant game is very possible. On this occasion Carlsen has White against Ponomariov in a majestic event, the tournament that pays homage to Mijail Tahl in Moscow. The Ukrainian GM plays the opening dubiously and allows Carlsen to organize a fast attack with decisive threats. A sudden hesitation allows Ponomariov to organize his defense, but he misses the opportunity. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2801 ■Ponomariov, R UKR 2739 Sicilian Defense [B90] Tal Memorial - Moscow, 2009

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. g4 h6 10. O-O-O Ne5 Ponomariov assumes that his opponent will be well prepared against the main line 10...Bb7 which has been player in more than 500 games. 11. Qe1

Carlsen is caught by surprise and goes for this rare move, which is a novelty even though only 11 moves have been played. 11... Qc7 12. h4 b4 13. Nce2 Nc4 14. Nf4 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 Qb6?!

A natural move such as 15...Be7 was preferable. The queen was well-placed on c7, controlling the c4 square. 16. Bc4!

White doesn´t miss the opportunity to place his bishop on such a convenient square, aiming at e6. 16... Qc5?

Ponomariov moves his queen again... 17. Qb3!

White takes advantage of this opportunity to increase the pressure on e6. I sense that a sacrifice is imminent. 17... d5?

This is already a serious provocation. 18. exd5 Bd6

19. Nfxe6 19. Ndxe6 fxe6 20. Ng6 was another tempting way of sacrificing the knight.

19... fxe6 20. dxe6 Be7 21. Qd3

21. g5!? hxg5 22. Qd3 was a possible improvement on Carlsen´s continuation. 21... O-O 22. Bb3

A preparation move that surprised all the Internet followers who thought that 22.g5 was the correct move. By retreating with the bishop White wants to play Qg6 and Nf5. 22... Rd8?! 23. g5

The attack goes into the defining stage.

23... Nh7 24. gxh6 Qh5 25. Qe4 Qxh6+ 26. Kb1 Ra7 White now starts a forced variation that leads to victory.

27. Nf5 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Qf6 29. Rd7 Bxd7 30. exd7+ Kf8 31. Qd5 1-0

Game 40 Notes by GM Magnus Carlsen The key Carlsen analyses this important victory briefly but in a juicy way, revealing some aspects of the game that we would only know because of his sincerity. A magnificent win over one of his most difficult opponent's, Vladimir Kramnik (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2801 ■Krámnik, V RUS 2772 English Opening [A29] London Chess Classic, 2009

1. c4!?

I wasn´t trying to make a tribute to England, as it was the first time that I was playing there. Actually, I only thought about it around the middle of the game. Garry, who helped me a lot psychologically, told me that he thought that Kramnik might be uncomfortable in this type of positions.

1... Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 a5 This position has many interesting plans, which is what I was trying to achieve when I played 1.c4. In recent games 11... Nd4 has been more popular. 12. b5 Nd4 13. Nd2 Qc8

I knew that 13... Nd5? loses a piece after 14. Bxd5! Bxd5 15. e3 but I was unable to recall the concrete theory, so I just made logical moves. 14. e3 Nf5 15. Qc2 Rd8 16. Bb2 a4

A correct move. Black needs to create some counterplay.

17. Rfc1 Nd6 18. Nde4 Ne8

Again the best move, as c7 must be protected. 19. Qe2!

I was pleased with this move. I would have liked to play 19. Ne2 but then 19... Bb3 is very unpleasant. 19... Bf8

Now after 19... Bg4 I can play 20. Qf1 later on h3. Meanwhile, if 19... Bh3 then I can just reply 20. Bf3. 20. f4

20... exf4?! Capturing on f4 is risky, but it´s also the critical move. My king is weak and if I am not able to create some play in the center this factor may be annoying. After 20... Qd7! I would have played 21. fxe5 but I won´t say that Black is not OK after 21... Qxd3 21. gxf4 Qd7 22. d4 c6

This is what I was expecting. After 22... Nc4 23. d5! is winning while if 22... Bc4 23. Qf2 Bd3 I would be happy as I have 24. Nc5!! Bxc5 25. dxc5 Bxb1 26. Rxb1 with huge compensation for the exchange. 23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. dxc5 Nc4 25. Rd1 Qc7 26. Bc1 Na5

It´s tough to suggest another good move for Black. If 26... f5 27. bxc6 bxc6 28. Rd4 must be good. 27. bxc6 bxc6 28. Nxa4

At the beginning I wasn´t sure that I could capture on a4 without losing too much piece coordination. However, at least his knight will remain immobile on e8 for some time, and that gave me hope. 28... Rxd1+?!

I don´t like this move. I was expecting 28... Nb3 29. Nb6 Nxc1 30. Rbxc1 Rxd1+ 31. Qxd1 Rxa3 32. Qd4! and I think that White has a comfortable advantage. The queen is situated very well on d4 and I can play 33.Ra1 afterwards. His pawn on c6 will probably be lost soon. 29. Qxd1 Rd8 30. Qc2 Qf7 31. Nc3

31... Qh5?! Not such a good move. I think that he missed something simple.

32. Ne2! Bf5 33. e4 Bg4

Black should have played 33... Bh3 against which I would have played 34. Bxh3 Qxh3 35. Bd2 34. Ng3 Qf7

I suppose that when he played 31...Qh5 his idea was to continue with 34... Rd1+ but then after 35. Bf1! my next move would be 36.Be3 and White wins. But not 35. Qxd1? Qxc5+!

35. Bf1!

Now I was really enjoying my position. Although both of my bishops have returned to their starting positions, they are very well placed. 35... Be6 36. Qc3 Ra8 37. Rb4!

At this point I started to look for a forced winning line. By his demeanor I didn´t think he was going to put up much resistance.

37... Qd7 38. f5 Bf7 39. Bf4 Qd1 Against 39... Nb7 I was thinking of 40. e5! fxe5 41. Bxe5 followed by 42.Rg4 with a huge attack. 40. Kf2! Nb3

40... Qd8 necessary, but I think that he wanted to finish quickly. 41. Be2 Qb1 42. Bc4 Rxa3 43. Ne2

Black receives mate or loses material. 1-0

9 A record ELO rating By IM Ángel Martín

MAGNUS began 2010 as number one and since then he virtually hasn´t abandoned

that position. Wijk aan Zee in January finished with another victory, this time unchallenged. He scored 8.5 points out of 13, half a point ahead of Kramnik and Shirov, although this time he suffered a loss to Kramnik.

He also won the Melody Amber tournament, tied with Ivanchuk. This is a competition played for prestige, but with special rules: a blindfold and a rapid game against each opponent. Then he participated in the Tournament of Kings in Bazna (Romania), which reached the Category XX. Carlsen dominated the event with 7.5 points out of 10, two points ahead of Radjabov and Gelfand, the winner of the World Cup, who had earned the right to play for the world title against Anand. By the way, Magnus managed to defeat Anand in the final of a rapid chess tournament, the Artic Stars Rapid. He defeated him in the first game and tied the second.

Magnus acknowledged that during this period he played less events, due to advertising commitments. Maybe that was the reason that his participation in the Olympiads, held in Khanty-Mansiysk, not too so good. He won four games and lost three. He wasn´t able to improve his performance either in the Grand Slam Final in Bilbao, where he finished third out of four players, with two defeats, one win and three draws. In the November 2010 rating list, Carlsen had lost 24 points, and Anand overtook him, although only by a scarce margin of 2 points.

However, he managed to finish 2010 succesfully, with two great tournaments at the end of the year, precisely the same ones that had helped him reach the top of the world rankings the previous year.

The first event was Nanjing, which he won with 7 points out of 10, one point ahead of Anand, followed by the the London Chess Classic, in which he scored 13 points out of 21 (the victories were worth 3 points). However, it wasn´t easy since he suffered two defeats precisely against the players who shared second position, Anand and the local star Luke McShane.

These wins allowed the Norwegian to recover the first position in the rating list and he appeared in 2011 with 2814, four points more than Anand. The tournament in Wijk aan Zee, now under the sponsorship of the Tata Steel company, ended with the surprising, although deserved, triumph by the American GM Hikaru Nakamura. With two defeats against Giri and Nepomniachtchi (his former opponent in youth events), Carlsen had to settle for third place. Maybe he did find some comfort in his victory over the champion. Several months of chess inactivity seemed to stimulate his desire to win. In June he participated in the Kings Tournament in Romania, held in Medias this time, where he won again although on this ocasion tied with Karjakin.

Afterwards he took part in the Biel Festival. Carlsen naturally played the main event, but curiously his sisters Ellen and Ingrid also took part in one of the open tournaments. Magnus won the event unchallenged, despite suffering a defeat against the French player Vachier-Lagrave. Then he had a tough win at the Grand Slam final. The first half was played in Sao Paulo and then they flew to Bilbao for the second stage of the event. Magnus started badly and after the fourth round he had only managed to draw three games with one loss, while Ivanchuk was leading the tournament with three wins and one draw. By defeating precisely Ivanchuk in the fifth round, in the last game of the first half, Carlsen left Sao Paulo with a discreet 50%, one point behind Ivanchuk. In Bilbao, Carlsen managed to improve his chances, although the leader held on to his advantage until the last-but-one round, when they played against each other. Magnus won the game with a beautiful attack and caught up with him.

According to the classical scoring system Carlsen had won, as the Norwegian had scored three wins, six draws and just one loss, which traditionally would be 6 points, while Ivanchuk had lost three games, won four and drew three, or 5,5 points. However, the scoring system of the Grand Slam (three points per win and only one for a draw) left both players tied for first place with 15 points. The title was decided by two 5-minute games. Carlsen won the second game with Black, taking home the winner´s “txapela”.

Carlsen got a difficult victory in Bilbao 2011. Above, pictured with the trophy and topped with the winner’s“txapela”, a typical Basque beret. Then Magnus flew to Moscow to participate in the Botvinnik Memorial, a small four player 25-minute double round-robin tournament. The other three players were Anand, Kramnik and Aronian, the four best players in the world. His result was very bad. He finished last with two defeats and with no wins. The tournament was won by Anand, who has confirmed many times that he has no opponent with this time schedule.

He ended the year by participating again in the two tournaments which are always scheduled in his agenda: the Tal Memorial and the "London Chess Classic", which also included the three other players who complete the world's best quartet, all of them with +2800 ratings. The Tal Memorial, held in mid-November, reached the Category XXII with an average rating of 2776. The draw percentage was quite high and therefore the distances between the players in the final standings were minimal. However, Carlsen beat Aronian in the tiebreak because he played one game more with Black.

Although Magnus had a good result in London (+3=5-0), it wasn´t enough to win the tournament. He had to settle for third place behind Kramnik and Nakamura who played very well.

In the January 2012 list Carlsen appeared with 2835, 30 points more than his nearest rival, Aronian. Under these conditions he played as usual in Wijk aan Zee. Aronian played incredibly well, scoring 9/13 (+7 = 4-2) while Carlsen finished second with one point less (+4 = 8-1), tied with Radjabov. He only lost one game to Karjakin, a player that has been in his shadow since the beginning of his career After an unusually long five-month break, Carlsen returned to compete in another major tournament, the Moscow Tal Memorial, which had changed its usual dates. However, it was still very strong, reaching Category XXII with the same rating average than in the previous editions (2776). Magnus was victorious once again, aunque this time he had to sweat it out, by defeating McShane in the last round combined with Caruana´s loss against Aronian.

Then he played the Biel tournament, where the scoring system of three points for a win favored China´s Wang Hao (+6 = 1-2). Magnus scored (+4 = 6-0) although the Norwegian won both the games they played against each other. At least Magnus added another 5 points to his rating, which allowed him to approach Kasparov´s historical 2851 record.

The two championships that were held in Astana (Kazakhstan) shortly before Biel were not rated. The first one was the World Rapid Chess Championships (15 min +10 sec/move games) and the next was the World Bitz Championship (3 min +2 sec/move) but in view of the strength of the players they were very important events.

In both tournaments Carlsen took second place, behind Karjakin in the rapid event and Grischuk in blitz.

Carlsen won the Grand Slam final again, played like the previous year in two stages in different cities, Sao Paulo and Bilbao. As in the previous edition, the Norwegian started badly and already in the first round he lost against Caruana. The young Italo-American remained on top of the standings until Magnus had his revenge by beating him in the second half of the event. Finally, both players tied for first place, but Carlsen won both of the tiebreak blitz games, taking down the event and winning a new “txapela”.

In November, Carlsen was the main attraction at the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) festival where he participated in several events, but especially in a rapid tournament, in which he defeated Judit Polgar in the final by 3-1.

Carlsen dominated the tournament held in 2012 in Mexico. In the photo, you see him with Judit Polgar playing a blindfold game. In the background, Alexandrova and Guramishvili reproduce the moves on the electronic board. In the December 2012 rating list, Carlsen extended his lead to 2845 points, compared to Aronian´s 2815, very near Kasparov ´s 2851 record, dating from 2000. At his usual "London Chess Classic" tournament, a Category XXI held in December, Carlsen faced the task of not only winning, but also trying to to beat that record. Bearing in mind that the

tournament traditionally includes the top English players, it was clear that this figure would be very hard to reach. Carlsen play was overwhelming. Despite Kramnik´s good performance, who had won the previous tournament with +4 = 4 -0, with five wins and three draws he claimed victory unchallenged. His rating rose to 2861, an absolute record. His nearest opponent, Vladimir Kramnik, appeared 51 points below, a superiority that no one had seen since Kasparov´s best times. Immediately after Carlsen won the Wijk event, Kasparov published the following highly favourable words on Facebook:

"¡Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen for his great victory in the Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee chess tournament! He has equalised my record score of 10/13 and without losing a game, and has increased his rating even more. I would like to say that his success is due to his last year when I was his coach, but it was already clear then and even more now that Magnus is a very special talent. There are no limits to what he can acheive." Carlsen´s next step is obvious, but simple: to win the Candidates tournament in London in March and become the challenger to Vishy Anand for the World Championship title at the end of this year. I support good chess and fighting spirit, before certain players, but of course it would be difficult for me not to support my three russian countrymen in London: Kramnik, Svidler, and Grischuk. How could the World Chess Championship title go from hot India to cold Norway without stopping by in its traditional home, Russia?

Some say that the match for the World Championshop are not fashionable any more, or that a sport with a rating list and top-level tournaments doesn’t need a World Champion. But I still think that face-to-face combat is the most exciting and fair way to decide the title, and that our legacy of great champions is one of the most powerful elements for chess as a global sport. Magnus is destined to be united to those ranks. He only need to win when it´s most important, a real test for a champion. 2013 started off very well for Carlsen, contining his excellent performance in London, at the end of 2012, confirming that he is still capable of achieving new goals and keep improving.

In fact, after his win in the Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee tournament, his rating increased 11 points, arriving at an incredible 2872, a 62-point advantage over second place Kramnik.

Opening ceremony of the 75th edition of the Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee. At Wijk aan Zee, Carlsen had no rival. His victory began to take shape already in the first rounds, although at some point it seemed that Anand, the World Champion, might overshadow him. But while the Indian failed in the last rounds, Magnus continued to score, and finished the tournament undefeated with a point and a half more than the runner-up, Aronian, who overcame a bad start. His level of play was so high that GM Amador Rodríguez wrote in his Peón de Rey nº 103 report:

“Carlsen is becoming a kind of human robot, designed to win. Unlike his closest pursuers, he wasts no excessive time in opening preparation, he play apparently unambitious classical lines, which are not intended to trap his opponents in a deep theoretical network and in which therefore he runs very little risk of being caught himself, which is what happened to Aronian when he fell into an exquisite piece of preparation with White against Anand in the last world championship”. “In the middle game Magnus plays very constantly and he plays the endgame outstandingly due to his great sense of direction and precise technique".

Game 41 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key Carlsen's risky opening play induces his opponent to cross over the safe attacking line and the Norwegian wins the game due to his material advantage. As usual, Carlsen assesses correctly the psicological aspects of the game, adopting his opening election based on his opponent. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Karjakin, S RUS 2720 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2810 French Defense [C11] Wijk aan Zee, 2010

1. e4 e6

This was already a surprise for Karjakin. "I had never played the French Defence in top level games" said Carlsen.

2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Be2 a6 10. O-O b5 11. Kh1 More common is 11. a3 but in the end it´s just a move transposition, as Black now decides not to play ...b4. 11... Qc7 12. a3 Bb7 13. Rad1

13. Rae1 is also possible, although Karjakin has another idea.

13... Rac8 14. Qe1!? cxd4 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 Bc5 17. Qh4 Bxd4 18. Rxd4 f6! 19. Bd3

This leaves the rook on d4 in a delicate position. But in any case White has lost his opening advantage and should already be thinking of equalizing the game with a swap on f6. 19... h6 20. exf6 Rxf6 21. f5?!

Consequent with activating the rook on d4, but really not very effective. 21... Rcf8 22. Rg1 Nc5! 23. fxe6 Nxe6 24. Rg4

24. Rxd5 allows 24... Nf4! 25. Rd4 Nxg2 26. Qg3 Nh4+ 27. Be4 Qxg3 28. hxg3 Nf3

24. Nxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 should have been the lesser of two evils, although 25... Nf4 26. Rd4 Qb6 gives Black a huge advantage. 24... Nf4 25. Qg3 Qe7!

The threat 26...d4 followed by 27...Bc8, trapping the white rook, can´t be defended satisfactorily. 26. Rxf4 Rxf4 27. Ne2 Rf1 28. Nd4 Rxg1+ 29. Kxg1

29... Re8! "A precise way to force the exchange of queens after which the ending is easily won," explained Carlsen.

30. h4 Qe1+ 31. Kh2 Qxg3+ 32. Kxg3 Kf7 33. Kf2 Kf6 34. g3 Bc8 35. c3 Bg4 36. Bc2 g5 37. hxg5+ hxg5 38. Bb3 Ke5 39. Bc2Rf8+ 40. Kg2 Bd7 41. Nf3+ Kf6 42. Bb3 g4 43. Nd4 Ke5 44. Bc2 a5 45. Bd1?! Allowing the Black king to penetrate, but in any case there was no solution to ...b4. 45... Ke4 0-1

Game 42 Notes by IM Michael Rahal The key The winner of the tournament, Magnus Carlsen, played some really nice games. In the following production, he punishes Levon Aronian harshly when he tries to fight against the King´s Indian with a variation that, although theoretical, in my modest opinion is not very good. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Aronian, L ARM 2782 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2813

King's Indian Defense [E98] Melody Amber - Nice, 2010

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O The King´s Indian defence, very popular during many years thanks to Fischer and Kasparov, but currently a bit forgotten. This is probably due to fashion, because every now and then it makes a comeback with good results for Black. 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1

The Classical Variation. The knight heads to d3 from where it supports the advance c4c5 and allows the defensive option f2-f3. They say that Kasparov stopped playing this defence because of the 9.b4 variation that Kramnik made popular, a variation that "refuted" the defence during many years. 9... Nd7 10. Nd3 f5 11. Bd2 Nf6 12. f3 Kh8!?

A flexible option before defining the game plan.

12... f4 13. c5 g5 is the classical way of playing, with violent attacks on both sides of the board. Some convincing wins by Kasparov in this line with Black (with his plan ... Rf7 Bf8) were the reason that many chess fans took up this defence. 13. g4?!

Although this line is theoretical, I have assigned a question mark to the move because I think that it is dubious. Taking into account general opening principles, it can´t be right to advance a pawn in front of our king. What would Steinitz have to say about such a move! The idea is to force Black to play ...f5-f4, blocking the kingside, leaving White with a free hand on the queenside. In some old games this idea worked but Carlsen applies modern criteria (lateral advance - counterattack in the center) and runs over Aronian. 13.Rc1 or 13.b4 are more correct moves.

13... c6!

14. Kg2?! An unfortunate novelty.

An old game continued 14. Kh1 b5 15. b3 Rb8 16. a3 a5 17. Nf2 b4 18. axb4 axb4 19. Na2 fxe4 20. fxe4 and now with 20... c5 Black had a very acceptable position in Polugaevsky,L (2610)-Gufeld,E (2520). Sochi.

14... b5!

Carlsen applies the concept of pawn tension in advanced fashion. The attack on the base of the pawn chain is a very old strategy. 15. b3

But not 15. cxb5 fxe4 16. fxe4 cxd5 17. exd5 Bb7 18. Nb4 Nfxd5 with a small advantage for Black. 15... a5 16. Nf2 b4 17. Na4 Bb7 18. Rc1 fxe4 19. fxe4 cxd5 20. exd5

And now that White´s pieces are located in bad positions (Kg2, Na4, Nf2) Black convincingly sacrifices a piece to go for the attack. 20... Nexd5! 21. cxd5 Nxd5

The threat is...Nc3+ with a discovered check that wins the queen. 22. Kg1

In the case of 22. Bf3 the correct move is clearly 22... Rxf3! 23. Qxf3 Nf4+ winning

22... e4!

Another good move that threatens ...e3 and also ...Bd4 incorporating another piece to the attack.

23. Nxe4 Bd4+ 24. Rf2 Neither 24. Nf2 Qh4 25. Bc3 (25. Be1 Be5) 25... Bxc3 26. Nxc3 Nxc3 27. Qd4+ Qf6 28. Qxf6+ Rxf6 winning. Nor 24. Kh1 Rxf1+ 25. Bxf1 Ne3 26. Bxe3 Bxe4+ 27. Bg2 Bxg2+ 28. Kxg2 Bxe3 winning, were better. 24... Rxf2!

25. Nxf2?? Losing directly. Although it may seem incredible Aronian had a "last resort" move that would have forced Carlsen to work hard to find the solution.

This only move was 25. Bg5! attacking the black queen and at the same time the bishop on d4 with the white queen. The best line for Black is 25... Bf6 26. Bxf6+ Rxf6 27. Qd4 Nf4!! 28. Bf1 (28. Qxf6+ Qxf6 29. Nxf6 Nxe2+ 30. Kf2 Nxc1) 28... Bxe4 29. g5!Ne6 30. Qxf6+ Qxf6 31. gxf6 Rf8 32. Rd1 d5 33. Nb6 Nf4 34. Nd7 Rf7 35. Rc1 h5 winning, but it would have been really hard to calculate this whole variation blindfold. 25... Qh4

The inclusion of the queen decides the game. 26. Qe1 Rf8

Everyone to the party!

27. Bf3 Rxf3 28. Qe4 Qxf2+

28... Qxf2+ 29. Kh1 Qxd2 30. Qxf3 Qxc1+ 31. Kg2 Nf4+ and Black wins. 0-1

Game 43 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key During a period of his career Carlsen wanted to try out all types of openings and on this ocasion he decided to play the King's Gambit. The Norwegian was able to achieve a passed pawn in the center which, combined with his usual technique, he converts into an extra exchange and then the full point. (GM Miguel Illescas)

"In the fourth round I faced Wang Yue from China, the second highest rated player in the event. I chose the King´s Gambit with White for the first time in my life and, as expected, Wang was surprised. He decided against trying to keep the pawn that I had sacrificed. I left the opening with a small advantage and in the middlegame I created a passed pawn on the d-file, in a balanced but very open position. At one point he allowed me to advance the pawn to d7 and just before the time control he sacrificed the exchange to eliminate my pawn and try to draw. The ending was quite complex and interesting but a few moves later he made a mistake and allowed me to create a passed pawn on the h-file, which brought me my first win in the tournament." (Magnus Carlsen)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2813 ■Wang Yue CHN 2752

KGA, Abbazia defense [C36] 4th Kings Tournament - Medias, 2010

1. e4 e5 2. f4

What a surprise! Very few elite players have used the King´s Gambit in their careers. Boris Spassky played it regularly and some +2600 have tried it out occasionally. Why should this opening be investigated if nowadays it doesn´t have a good reputation? To avoid the Petrov, which in the hands of some players such as Wang, is a wall that can´t be assaulted easily. It also says a lot about Carlsen´s confidence. He already has more than enough reasons to think that against these players he can explore any opening. 2... d5

2... exf4 is another big alternative of course, but generally choosing between one and the other is just a matter of taste. Certainly both variations are completely different. 3. exd5 exf4 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bc4 Nxd5 6. O-O Be7

An important moment There are 160 games in this position and White can choose between different moves, amongst which 7.d4 is of course a main option. 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3

It seems strange to give away the good bishop so soon, but in exchange White plans to accelerate his development and recover the pawn on f4. 8... Qd8 9. d4 O-O 10. Bxf4 Bf5

Now this position looks like anything but the King´s Gambit. Material is equal and Black has a good pair of bishops. Nothing indicates that he will start having some problems very soon. 11. Qe2

Now Carlsen starts to excel.

11. Qd2 had been played several times. An excellent example for Black was the game Fedorov-Svidler, Smolensk 2000 that continued 11... c6 12. Kh1 Bb4 13. a3 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 Qd5 15. Qd2 Nd7 16. b3 b5 and Black has a comfortable position. Maybe this game was the reason that very few players wanted to continue to explore this line for White. 11... Bd6?

A suspicions move, because it doesn´t simply exchange one bishop for the other. Now Black will lose his bishop pair and White´s knights will have a dominant role. 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Nb5 Qd8 14. c4 a6 15. Nc3 Nd7 16. Rad1 Bg6 17. Qf2

White is better because he controls the center of the board. Black´s bishop shoots into an empty diagonal and is not cooperating at the moment. 17... Re8 18. h3 Rc8 19. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 20. Rxe1 c6 21. d5 Nf6 22. Qd4 cxd5 23. Nxd5 Nxd5 24. cxd5

White has created a passed pawn and the game will revolve around it. For the moment Black must prevent the pawn from advancing. 24... Qd6 25. Ne5 Re8

White´s advantage is minimal, but in these positions the most difficult task is the defence For example, the Chinese player had to decide now between this move and 25... f6 forcing the exchange 26. Nxg6 hxg6 and after the exchange of queens it´s unclear if White can win. It´s a difficult position to assess. 26. Re3 Rd8 27. Nc4 Qf6 28. Re5

White manoeuvres with his three pieces, while only two black pieces cooperate to stop the pawn. The support of the bishop is obviously needed. 28... h6?

28... b5 29. Na5 (29. Qe3 h6) 29... h6 was the correct move order. Black continues to suffer but his options of hanging on are quite big. 29. d6!

Finally the pawn is able to advance. 29... Bf5

and Black brings his bishop to control d7, but it´s too late. 30. Nb6!

A strong tactical shot. White advances one more square towards promotion. 30... Be6

30... Qxd6? 31. Rd5 wins for White. 30... Rxd6? 31. Nd5 winning.

31. d7 Kh8 32. a4 g6 33. Qc3 Kg7 34. a5 h5 35. h4

Black can´t breathe any more. White can try and exchange queens with Rc5 and then take his rook to c7 to run over Black´s queenside. 35... Rxd7 36. Nxd7 Bxd7 37. Qd4 Bc6 38. b4 Bb5 39. Kh2 Ba4

Black is trying to create a fortress and actually it already is constructed while the queens are on the board. 40. Rd5 Bc6 41. Qxf6+ Kxf6 42. Rc5

Now, without queens, we have a different ending in which White has some winning chances. 42... Ke6 43. Kg3 f6 44. Kf2 Bd5 45. g3

Is this ending won? Possibly, but it will be very difficult. Black makes things easy now. 45... g5?

46. g4!! With the obvious idea of creating a distant passed pawn on the h-file.

46... hxg4 47. h5 Already threatening Rxd5. 47... Be4 48. Rc7!

And with his king cut-off Black will have to sacrifice his bishop when the pawn reaches h7. Therefore he decides to die with his boots on. 48... f5 49. h6 f4 50. h7 g3+ 51. Ke1 f3 52. h8=Q f2+ 53. Ke2 Bd3+ 54. Ke3!

And Black resigned because once he promotes the pawn with 54... f1=Q the relentless machinery Q + R comes in with55. Qe8+ and the computer indicates a forced mate in 10 moves. The longest line is 55... Kf5 56. Qd7+ Ke5 57. Qe7+ Kf5 58.Rc5+ Kg4 59. Rxg5+ Kh4 60. Rg8+ Kh3 61. Rh8+ Kg4 62. Rh4+ Kf5 63. Rh5+ Kg6 64. Rg5+ Kh6 65. Qg7#. 1-0

Game 44 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key In this game Carlsen demonstrates his excellent capacity for calculation, dominating his opponent in a tactical fight which is quite typical of this variation of the Sicilian Dragon. (GM Miguel Illescas) "Every game won in a tournament is quite enjoyable, but winning a game in which every piece coordinates harmonically with the others is very special. My opponent today, LiviuDieter Nisipeanu, plays 1.e4 consistently and I decided to repeat the Dragon that we played two years ago. The game went into an unusual line with 10...Rb8 and I soon sacrificed a pawn, after which he started to use up a lot of time. It´s not easy to point out exactly where he made his mistake, but after a few imprecision´s I was able to improve my position a lot. After I captured his pawn on g5, White´s position became very difficult. It became more and more damaged until he made a huge mistake with 31.Bb6 (with only 5 minutes left for 10 moves) allowing me to penetrate on the eighth rank. He was forced to resign in view of the imminent loss of material." (Magnus Carlsen)

□Nisipeanu, L ROM 2672 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2813

Sicilian Defense [B76] 4th Kings Tournament - Medias, 2010

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5 A very common Dragon position. White has been playing nearly exclusively 10.exd5. However, during the past few years other interesting continuations have been explored, such as 10.Qe1 and 10.Kb1, which is the line chosen by Nisipeanu. 10. Kb1 Rb8

A slightly unusual line, if we compare it to the much more popular 10...Nxd4. 11. Ndb5

A direct move, favored by enterprising players such as Fabiano Caruana and Julio Becerra 11... a6 12. Na7 e6

A hyper-complex position in which White has tried 13.g4, 13.exd5 and 13.Nxc8 with similar results. Nisipeanu goes for the first move.

13. g4 And Carlsen answers with a move that only the Brazilian player Fier had played before. 13... Re8

A quite natural move in these positions. The new idea will come on the next move. 14. g5 Nh5

Which is actually forced because after 14... Nd7? 15. exd5 exd5 16. Nxd5 Nde5 17. Bb6 Qd7 18. f4 Black´s position falls down, as in Balogh-Fier, Beijing. 15. Bf2

15. exd5 exd5 16. Nxd5 was a critical continuation although not devastating as in the previous example. Thanks to the fact that the knight is not on d7, the bishop can develop with 16... Be6 and Black has immediate counterplay

15. Nxc8 was an option to prevent the knight being shut-in, which will happen later in the game, but Black answers with 15...d4! 16. Bf2 Rxc8 17. Ne2 Qc7 with a very nice position 15... Bd7

Very cold-blooded! 16. exd5 exd5

The loose pawn on d5 offers the false impression that Black´s position is weak. Also, we must look at the knight on a7. If it escapes Black will join his pawns and open the file for his rook. The bishop on f2 doesn´t impress either and worst of all, White has absolutely no chance of attacking the black king, which is very bad in the Dragon. 17. Qxd5

The alternative was 17. Nxd5 Be6 18. c4 Bf5+ 19. Kc1 (19. Bd3 Bxd3+ 20. Qxd3 Qxg5 with advantage for Black) (19. Ka1 Ra8!With the initiative) 19... Ne5 but with the knight on a7 and the king on c1 White naturally doesn´t want to play this. 17... Ne5

And White´s knight is shut-in on a7, where it will stay until the end of the game. 18. Qb3?!

It was difficult to suggest a better move, because the alternatives 18. Qc5 Qxg5 19. Rxd7 b6

18. h4 Qc7 both look good for Black 18... Qxg5

In his blog, Magnus said that it wasn´t easy to specify the exact moment in which White chose the wrong road, but after capturing this pawn Black has a clear way to increase his advantage and win the game.

19. Ne4 Qf4 20. Be2 Be6 21. Qa3 Nc4 22. Bxc4 Bxc4 23. Nd6 Bf8! 24. Rd4 Qe5 25. Rxc4 Bxd6 26. Qd3 Bf8 27. a4 Rbd8 28.Qb3 Qd5 29. Rc3 Qd2 30. Be3? Better was 30. Rc7 Re6 31. Bb6 although after the simple 31... Rb8 Black keeps a clear advantage 30... Qe2 31. Bb6??

With only 5 minutes for his next 10 moves, Nisipeanu makes this big mistake and allows a fulminating penetration on the eighth rank. Even so, his position was already very difficult. 31. Bc1 Rd1 32. Rxd1 Qxd1

31. Bb6 Rd1+ 32. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33. Ka2 Re1 34. Qc4 Qa1+ 35. Kb3 Rb1

31... Rd1+ And White resigned in view of 31... Rd1+ 32. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33. Ka2 Re1 34. Qc4 Qa1+ 35. Kb3 Rb1 winning. 0-1

Game 45 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key The Norwegian takes advantage of the King's Indian defence to unbalance the fight against Ponomariov. In a well-known line the Ukrainian demonstrates that he doesn't understand the deep subtleties of the chosen variation and Carlsen's positional judgment definitely prevails again. (GM Miguel Illescas)

Today I decided to repeat the King´s Indian because Ponomariov had already lost against this opening in the tournament. Something went wrong in the opening and I was quite unhappy with my position. Therefore I decided to risk and I chose a variation in which I could sacrifice the exchange. My opponent allowed me to do that and soon after he had to decide between a very sharp line in which I would have to sacrifice more material to attack his king, or to return the exchange, which is what he finally did. However, he missed my subtle queen move with which I attacked his pawns on a4 and e4 simultaneously, and I was able to recover the pawn. Later on he had some trouble adjusting to the fact that he needed to start defending. My position gradually improved and just before the time control I forced the exchange of queens with a winning ending." (Magnus Carlsen)

□Ponomariov, R UKR 2733 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2813

King's Indian Defense [E81] 4th Kings Tournament - Medias, 2010

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Nge2 Nbd7 7. Be3 c5 8. d5 Ne5 9. Ng3 h5 10. Be2 h4 11. Nf1 e6 12. Nd2 exd513. cxd5 Bd7 14. O-O b5 15. Nxb5 Bxb5 16. Bxb5 Rb8 17. a4 Nh5 18. f4 Nd7 19. Qg4 a6

White must now choose between three good continuations.

20. Bxa6 Natural. Your opponent sacrifices a pawn and you capture it. But it might be the worst of the options.

20. Bc6 would have kept the bishop in a dominating position, conserving all the middle game options. 20. Bxd7 Nf6 21. Qxh4 Nxd7 (21... Qxd7 22. f5) 22. Qg3 Rxb2 and now both Nc4 and f5 seem to offer White a clear superiority. 20... Rxb2 21. Rab1 Rxd2 22. Bxd2 Bd4+

23. Rf2? The position demanded the critical line after 23. Kh1 Ndf6 (23... Kg7 24. Rfe1 in order to answer 24... Ng3+ 25. hxg3 hxg3 with the simple 26. Be3 winning) 24. Qf3 One must admit that the position is very intimidating, although there is no clear decisive line for Black. One main line continues 24... Ng3+ (24... Nxe4 25. Qxe4 Ng3+ 26. hxg3 hxg3 27. f5 Kg7 28. f6+) 25. hxg3 hxg3 26.Be1 Kg7 (26... Nxe4 27. Bxg3 Nxg3+ 28. Qxg3 Kg7 29. Rf2) 27. Bxg3 Rh8+ 28. Bh2 Rh6 (28... Nxe4 29. g3!) 29. g4 Qh8 and there is a lot of game still to be played. If you want to imagine, a possible continuation could be 30. Rf2 Bxf2 31. Qxf2 Qe8 (31... Nxg432. Qb2+) 32. Re1 Nxg4 33. Qb2+ Kg8 34. Bb5 Qe7 35. Re2 Nxh2 36. Rxh2 Qxe4+ 37. Kg1 and Black can put up a fierce resistance but he is worse. 23... Bxf2+ 24. Kxf2 Ndf6 25. Qf3 Qe8!

The key move, which White possibly missed when he was calculating his 23rd move.

26. e5?! Maybe playing calmly with 26. Bd3 Qxa4 27. Rc1 was better. 26... Qxa4 27. exf6 Qxa6

Black takes over the initiative and will not let it go until the end of the game.

28. Bc3 Qc8 29. Kg1 Qf5 30. Rf1 Re8 31. Ba1 Ra8 32. Qe3 Kh7 33. Bb2 Rb8 34. Bc1 Rb1 35. Qe8 Qxd5 36. f5 gxf5 37. Qe3Qd4 38. Qxd4 cxd4 39. Bg5 Rxf1+ 40. Kxf1 h3 41. gxh3 Kg6 42. Bh4 Nf4 43. Bg3 Kg5 44. Bf2 Ne6 45. Ke2 f4 46. Kf3 d3 47.h4+ Kf5 48. Bb6 Nc5 49. h5 d2 50. Ke2 Ne4 0-1

Game 46 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Carlsen was pitched against the "Rest of the World" in an advertising stunt by a jeans company. In the middle of this circus the Norwegian was still able to maintain a high level of concentration to win the game authoritively after obtaining the advantage from the always difficult King's Indian defence. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2813 ■The World

King's Indian Defense [E62] Carlsen vs. World - New York RAW World CC, 2010

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6

This move defeated 2...e6 by a very narrow margin, only 51% of the votes. 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. d5 Ne7 9. e4

For this game, the audience were helped by GM's Nakamura, Vachier Lagrave and Judit Polgar, who would suggest three moves and then the most voted move of the three would be played. At this point the proposed moves were c6, Nd7 and Ne8 in that order for each GM. 9... c6

Surprisingly, the chosen move was Nakamura's proposal, even though the knight jumps to d7 and e8 are much more popular. 10. a4 Bg4 11. a5

Should Black exchange pawns now or wait? This was a critical question and each player had a different answer. Specifically, Nakamura though that the pawn exchange was a mistake. However, this was the move chosen by the participants, suggested by both Judit and Vachier. 11... cxd5 12. cxd5 Qd7 13. Be3 Rfc8

Magnus was very happy with his position. Certainly, there are no better alternatives. 13... Bh3 14. Qa4.

13... Nxe4 14. Nxe4 f5 15. Neg5 e4 16. Qb3

14. Qa4 Ne8 15. Nd2 Qd8?! Again, Judit and Vachier agreed with this retreat in order to avoid the exchange of queens but things are getting worse for Black. 15... Qxa4 16. Rxa4 Bd7 17. Rb4 Rc7 18. Nc4 f5. 16. Qb4 Nc7?! 16... Bd7. 17. Nc4

Also strong was 17. f3 Bd7 18. Qxd6. 17... Na6 18. Qxb7 Rxc4

Things didn't improve by 18... Nc5 19. Bxc5 Rxc5 20. Nxd6 Rb8 21. Qa6 with a huge advantage. 19. Qxa6 Rb4 20. f3 Bc8 21. Qe2 f5 22. Qd2 Ba6 23. Rfc1 Qb8 24. Na4 Rb3 25. Rc3 Rb4 26. Rca3 f4 27. Bf2 Bh6 28. Nb6!?

With this move, with which Magnus made use of one of the two extra tempi that he was allowed, the game comes alive and the audience were having a great time. The official commentator, Garry Kasparov, preferred 28.g4, a solid intermediate move that would condemn Black to a slow but sure defeat. 28... fxg3 29. Qxb4 gxf2+ 30. Kxf2 Bc8

Nakamura's move 30... axb6 was Polgar's suggestion but after 31. axb6 Bb7 32. Rxa8 Bxa8 33. Bh3 with enormous advantage.

30... Bf4 recommended by Vachier Lagrave was the move that Carlsen feared the most but White would continue with 31. Bh3and he has a big advantage.

31. Rb3! axb6 32. Qxb6 Qa7 33. a6 Kf7 34. Qxa7 Rxa7 35. Rb6 Ke8 36. Rxd6 Bf8 37. Rb6 Nxd5 This move was suggested unanimously by the three Grand Masters. The idea is to try to aleviate the growing problems by means of tactics.

38. Rb8! Bc5+ 39. Kg3 Ne7 40. Bh3 Kd8 41. Bxc8 Nxc8 42. Rc1 Kasparov was already suggesting to resign but the game continues. 42... Rc7 43. Rxc5! Rxc5 44. a7

And after a quick look at each other, Nakamura, Vachier and Judit suggested to resign. After sacrificing the rook for the pawn on a8 Black would be an exchange down with a very poor position. 1-0

Game 47 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key A typical Carlsen game, rich in content in each one of its stages, especially in the middle game. The Norwegian is able to orientate his efforts towards the kingside, organizing an attack to elegantly defeat Alexei Shirov, always a very dangerous opponent. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2826 ■Shirov, A LAT 2749

Ruy Lopez Opening [C78] Bilbao Grand Slam Final, 2010

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. axb5 axb5 9. c3 d6 10. d4 Bb6 Shirov has set-up the well-known Arkhangel variation of the Ruy Lopez and now, instead of the normal 11.Na3 which has been played in nearly 200 games, Carlsen decides on the modest. 11. h3

Which has only been played in 30. A calm day? Something fishy? We shall see. 11... O-O 12. Re1 h6 13. Na3 exd4 14. cxd4 Na5 15. Bc2 b4 16. Nb5

This is the novelty, although the real surprise of the game will be seen on the next move.

16. Nb1 c5 17. dxc5 dxc5 18. Bf4 Qxd1 19. Rxd1 1/2-1/2 Istratescu(2602)-Sofronie (2436), Niort. 16... Ba6

Black attacks the intrepid knight which has jumped to b5 without any protection or future.

17. Na7!! Here comes the surprise; instead of running away the knight plunges into black´s position with concrete threats, for example 18.Rxa5 Bxa5 19.Nc6 winning a piece. The worst thing for Shirov is that the manoeuvre was clearly prepared by Carlsen, maybe with Garry Kasparov, because he played these 17 moves instantly. 17... Bb7

A natural answer as 17... Bxa7 18. Rxa5 wouldn´t be convenient.

18. d5 Ra8 19. Nb5 Nc4 20. Rxa8 Qxa8 21. Nbd4 Qa7 22. b3 Ne5 23. Bb2 Shirov thought out these moves a lot and as a consequence fell behind on the clock.

23... Nxf3+ 24. gxf3 Qa2 Black´s position might be considered to be reasonable, but it hides a big danger. His only active piece, the queen, is causing this danger because it´s too far away from her king, the same as the two bishops on the queenside. Only the knight protects it and obviously the king needs more protection, especially now that White is going to mobilize all his pieces for the attack.

25. Qc1! Bxd4 Sad, but the strong 26.Nf5 was being threatened. 26. Bxd4 Nd7 27. Kh1

White proceeds naturally. Also very strong was 27.Qd2. 27... f6 28. Rg1 Rf7

Giving up the h6 pawn but the way to avoid it with 28... Kh8 29. Be3 g5 was worse because after 30. f4 the attack goes alone.

29. Qd2!

A very important multipurpose move that practically decides the game. Ra1 is threatened and also e5, forcing back the black queen and the important h6 pawn falls.

29... Qa8 30. Qxh6 Ne5 31. Bd1 Qe8 32. Qe3 c5 33. Bb2 Re7 34. f4 Nd7 35. Qg3 Qf7 36. Bf3 Ba6 37. Bg4 Nf8 38. Bf5 c4 39.bxc4 Bxc4 40. Qh4 I would have preferred 40.Kh2 to avoid the following continuation and go for a safe conclusion, but Carlsen plays the most direct line which objectively is the best.

40... Bxd5 41. f3 Be6 42. Bxf6 Bxf5 43. exf5 Rc7 44. Rxg7+ Qxg7 45. Bxg7 Rxg7 46. f6 Rd7 However, he must be careful to avoid any type of fortress that may lead to a draw.

47. Qe1 d5 48. Qxb4 d4 49. Qc4+ Kh7 50. Qd3+ Kg8 51. f5 Kf7 52. Kg2 Kxf6 53. Kg3 Kg7 54. h4 Nh7 55. Kf2 Nf6 56. Qd2Nh7 57. Ke1 d3 58. Qg2+ Kh8 59. Kd2 Nf8 60. Qg5 Kh7 61. h5 Kh8 62. f6 Kh7 63. f4 Kh8 64. h6! Kh7 65. f5 And Black resigned after 65. f5 because against 65... Kh8 he would continue 66. Qg7+ Rxg7 67. fxg7+ Kg8 68. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 69.Kxd3. 1-0

Game 48 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key A notable production by Carlsen, who overcomes his strong opponent with original play in the opening, energetic middle game action and brilliant endgame technique. Magnus, just about to turn 20, is already a chess playing machine, defeating acclaimed opponent's with apparent ease. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2826 ■Bacrot, E FRA 2716 Scotch game [C45] Nanjing, 2010

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Qe2 After working with Kasparov, Carlsen incorporated the Scotch Opening to his repertoire with good results. With the text he moves away from the theoretical line which contemplates 7.Bg5 as the main line. 7... O-O

When White played his queen to e2 he clearly expressed his intention to castle queenside. Therefore it seems wiser to delay castling by playing first 7... d6 The idea is that against 8. Bg5 Black can answer with 8... h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Qe7 eliminating the pressure of the pin. In fact this was played in the game Rublevsky-Grischuk, Elista 2007 after which 11. h4 Rg8 12. hxg5 hxg513. O-O-O Be6 14. Rh6 O-O-O Black equalized comfortably and eventually won the game. 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4

This natural retreat will be the cause of problems for Black in his following moves. Bacrot has a dilemma; or he suffers the pin for a long time or he weakens his castled king position to avoid it. Both options are unpleasant.

9. h4? d6 10. f3 hxg5! 11. hxg5 Ng4! 12. fxg4 Qxg5 with a decisive advantage for Black in Rublevsky-Anand, Bastia 2004. 9... a5 10. a4 Nd4

This natural move is new although the experience in this position is practically insignificant.

11. Qd3! A new and very imaginative idea. We shall soon see why. 11... Nxb3 12. cxb3 Re8 13. O-O-O d6 14. Qc2

This queen was developed on e2, went to d3 and back to c2. This is difficult to explain to a beginner, as White has also moved his pawn to a4, he has doubled the "b" pawns and his king has castled behind these pawns. All of this is in theory, but in practice the pawns b2-b3-a4 defend the king very well, while the bishop on b6 has been cut off from the rest of the board. 14... Bd7 15. Bc4

With this move the opening stage is over. Both players have developed all their minor pieces and have castled their kings. Now the position must be assessed and measures must be taken to improve. From White´s point of view things are much easier. The next move is Rhe1, and then f4 and from then on White will threat of advance of the pawn to e5. From Black´s point of view things are much more difficult because the knight is still pinned and the bishop can´t defend his king.

15... Be6 16. Rhe1 Qe7

Maybe Black should have courageously played g7-g5 to eliminate the pin. His king would have been seriously weakened but now it´s worse. 17. e5! dxe5 18. Rxe5

White´s rooks are exactly where they should be, dominating the two open files. Now the threat is 19.Nd5, which would be crushing, and to avoid it Black must play a very sad move. 18... Qf8 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Re2 Qg7 21. Bxe6 Rxe6 22. Rxe6 fxe6

It may seem that Black has alleviated his position with all these exchanges but it´s not true. Carlsen has wisely exchanged all the pieces that were helping with the defence and with his next move he will launch an attack with his queen + rook + knight against a king which is only defended by a queen. 23. Rd3! Kh8 24. Rg3 Qh7 25. Qd2 Bc5 26. Ne4! Be7 26... Qxe4 27. Qxh6+ Qh7 28. Qxf6+ mating. 27. Rh3 Kg7 28. Qd7 Kf7

Black has done all he can by bringing the bishop to the defence. The main unbalance in the position is the white rook, much stronger than his opponent´s rook. The decisive moment has arrived. 29. Ng5+!!

A sacrifice that Black is forced to accept. From now on Black will be playing only moves. 29... fxg5 30. Rf3+ Kg8 31. Qxe6+ Kh8 32. Rf7

After this move Black could have easily resigned. The queen has only two moves, g8 and d3. And 33.Qe5+ is mate against the two of them. 32... Bd6 33. Rxh7+ Kxh7 34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. g3 Ra6 36. Kb1 Bb4 37. f4 gxf4 38. gxf4!

In this type of situation, queen against rook and minor piece, the only way to save the game is constructing a fortress, which is impossible here. Also, White threatens f5 and f6 mating, so Bacrot resigned. 1-0

Game 49 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key Even though it is not very long, the following game was quite tough. It starts off slowly and it seems as if Black has no problems at all. After a skirmish, Carlsen obtains the bishop pair and opens up the position energetically. Topalov doesn't react well and his kingside quickly falls under pressure along the diagonals. Fearing an impending attack the Bulgarian allows a cool sacrifice that ends the fight. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2826 ■Topalov, V BUL 2803 Ruy Lopez Opening [C84] Nanjing, 2010

1. e4 e5

"My last seven games have started with 1.e4 e5" said Carlsen. "Just like the old days!"

2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3!?

One of the benefits of having trained with Garry Kasparov is that Carlsen feels at home in the positional battles of the Ruy Lopez, with both colours. In this game Carlsen avoids the main lines and he goes for a complicated fight in a type of position that Topalov has had trouble with in the past. 6... b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Rb8 9. axb5 axb5 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. Re1 Bd7

A strangely dull plan for such an active player. "My opening choice was quite bad" admitted Topalov later.

11... Be6 would have been less obliging. 12. c3 Ra8 13. Rxa8 Qxa8 14. d4

The game is very similar to Kasparov-Topalov, Linares 2004, although that game emerged from an anti-Marshall variation. In 2004, Topalov was slowly grinded down by Kasparov, but he was unable to find the final blow in Topalov´s time trouble. This game is a "deja vu" for Topalov, although without the happy ending. 14... h6 15. Nf1 Re8 16. Ng3 Qc8 17. Nh4 Bf8 18. Ng6

This manoeuvre would definitely receive the approval of Kasparov, who used the same idea to defeat Nigel Short in the third game of his World Championship title in 1993.

"After the exchange of his dark-squared bishop I think that I have a real advantage" said Carlsen. "Afterwards I can play f4 with a strong attack."

18... Na5 19. Nxf8 Rxf8 20. Bc2 Re8?!

"He played a series of weak moves" said Carlsen.

He really had to play 20... c5 21. f4 Bg4

"This plan of ...Bg4 and ...Nc4 doesn´t work" said Carlsen

22. Qd3 exf4 23. Bxf4 Nc4 24. Bc1! c5 25. Rf1! cxd4 26. cxd4 Qd8

27. h3 "I could have won a pawn with 27. b3 and then capture on b5, but I thought it would be better to conclude with a mating attack" admitted Carlsen. "With all my pieces targeting his king there is really no possible defence."

27... Be6 28. b3 Qa5!? 29. Kh2

Showing superhuman calm. Again Carlsen could have captured the pawn on h6 but he has other things to take care of. 29... Nh7 30. e5! g6 31. d5! Nxe5 32. dxe6!

Topalov has seen enough. After 32. dxe6 Nxd3 33. exf7+ Kf8 34. Bxh6+ Ke7 35. fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 36. Bxd3 Black will soon lose the knight on h7.

1-0

Game 50 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key The following game was played under a rapid time control, 3 minutes for the whole game with 2 seconds added after each move. Even so, the game is technically excellent and is only decided when Black heads the wrong direction a few moves before the end. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2802 ■Mamedov, R AZE 2660 Sicilian Defense [B38] WCC Blitz - Moscow, 2010

1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 The Maroczy bind is a very solid variation. A strong player can slowly strangulate Black´s position. 5... Bg7

Another popular variation is 5... Nf6 6. Nc3 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 d6.

6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be2 d6 9. O-O Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Bd7 This is the modern way of playing this opening. Years ago the plan with Be6, Qa5, Rfc8, etc, was preferred. 11. Qd2 Bc6 12. f3 a5 13. b3 Nd7 14. Be3! Nc5

15. Rab1

The move 15. Rac1 is also correct. In fact, this is the natural square for this rook, leaving the d1 square for the other rook. I won an excellent game with this plan against Cuban IM, currently living in New York, Guillermo Estevez, that went 15... b6 16. Rc2Ra7 17. Rb1 Qa8 18. Bf1 Rb8 Black has taken his precautions against the rupture on b4 by protecting his pawn on b7 and doubling rooks to take over the 'a' file. However, all these measures will not be enough. 19. Qf2 e6 20. a3 Rab7 21. b4 Na4 22.Nxa4 Bxa4 23. Rd2 Bf8 24. b5! Qa7 25. Rd4! e5 26. Rd5 1-0 Am. Rodriguez-Estevez, Cuba Championship.

15... Qb6 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Kh1 h5

To sum it up in a few words, this move is hard to explain. All that I can say to avoid complicating these annotations is that White normally plays Qe1-f2 and then Black replies with Qd8-f8 and Bh6.

18. Rc2 Qd8 19. Bf1 Qf8 20. a3 Kh7

21. Qe1 White is prepared to break open with b4 but he wants to wait for the best moment. In a previous game Mamedov was OK after his opponent tried this move.

21. b4 axb4 22. axb4 Na4 23. Nd5 e6 24. Nf4 Rd8 25. Rb3 Bh6 26. Ra3 d5 27. exd5 exd5 28. cxd5 Bxf4 29. Bxf4 Rxd5 30. Qe1Rad8 and Black is OK in Rodshtein-Mamedov, Bursa. 21... Ne6 22. Qf2 f5! 23. exf5 Qxf5 24. Rd1

Angling for Bd3-e4 which would be very strong. 24... Nf4 25. b4?!

At last White makes the advance that he was yearning for. Is it good? Probably not. It would have been good a few moves ago, with the black queen on b6 and the knight on c5, but Black prepared his defence. White advances his pawn at the worst moment. 25... axb4 26. axb4 Ra3 27. Bd4 Bxd4 28. Rxd4 Ra1

Now White has weakened his first rank and he has to be careful.

29. Rcd2 b6 30. Rd1 Rca8 31. Qe3 Ne6 32. R4d2 Qf6 33. Kg1 Ng7 34. Ne2 Nf5 Interesting was 34... R8a2

Contrary, defending with the passive 34... Rxd1 35. Rxd1 Rb8 would imply the failure of Black´s strategy. 35. Qxb6

35... Ba4? Black had to play 35... R8a2! maintaining some initiative, because if White confidently plays 36. Qxc6? he loses after 36... Rxd2 37. Rxd2 Ne3 with a mortal attack. 36. Rxa1 Qxa1 37. Ng3! Nxg3 38. hxg3 Qf6?

Black was already in bad shape, but now he definitely falls below the action of White´s pieces. Better was 38... Bb3, communicating the queen and the rook.

39. Ra2! h4 40. gxh4 Qxh4 41. b5!

The game is decided. White has an extra pawn and superior position. 41... Qf4 42. Qf2 1-0

Game 51 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key In this game Carlsen is able to combine attack and defence prophylactically at a very high level to overcome Nakamura, who at the time was playing very well. Defeating Nakamura in this edition of Wijk aan Zee was an impossible feat for everyone except one player. In view of the form of the American GM, defeating him would require playing at God´s level and that is why the following game is so good. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2814 ■Nakamura, H USA 2751 Sicilian Defense [B92] Wijk aan Zee, 2011

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 Due to his excellent position in the tournament Nakamura doesn´t fear playing the Najdorf against Carlsen. In addition to this, the day before Carlsen had played poorly against Anand´s Najdorf. He tried 6.g3 and got nothing from the opening. 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3

It seems that Carlsen is going for one of the slow positional lines that Karpov glorified when suddenly Nakamura castles, which is a move that theory considers to be very dubious. 8... O-O?!

It has always been known that the correct move order is 8... Be6 because now against 9. g4 Black would react strongly with 9...d5 and after 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 the attack would be ridiculous. 9. g4!

Carlsen doesn´t miss his opportunity and accepts the challenge! 9... Be6 10. g5

Anyone could ask, why is this line considered to be dubious when in the famous 6.Be3 variation Black also castles and White always advances his pawn to g5? Well, here is the answer. If the current position was the English Attack, the bishop would be on f1 and the pawn on f3 and this would imply two big differences; first of all, the black knight could go to h5, from where it can accomplish the important defensive task of paralyzing

white´s pawns, and secondly, as White has not played f2-f3, Carlsen will be able to advance his pawn to f4 in one move. Sicilian players always enjoy saving a tempo. 10... Nfd7 11. h4 Nb6

It may seem strange moving the knight here without having advanced the pawn to b5 first, but this is played quite frequently; it´s just one of many lines. 12. Qd2 N8d7 13. f4

This was thought to be the novelty, although after painstaking scrutiny we have found out that it isn´t. But when Carlsen decides to advance his pawn to f4 before castling he is definitely at one of the most important moments of the game. In most of the games in which White already has his pawns on g5 and h5, the attack continues with g5-g6, without playing f4, not allowing the knight to get to the important e5 square.

A relatively recent example of this same position is the game Gunnarsson-Adly, Reykjavik 2008 that continued 13. O-O-O a5 14.a4 Qc7 15. Kb1 Rfc8 16. h5 Nc4 17. Bxc4 Qxc4 18. Qd3 f5 and Black solved his opening problems quite well. 13... exf4 14. Bxf4 Ne5 15. O-O-O Rc8 16. Kb1 Qc7 17. h5

This is the theoretical novelty, although it´s nothing more than a natural advance. It is definitely an indication that instead of spending so many hours trying to innovate in a certain position it´s more important to spend this time discovering which the most dangerous variations are and which should be chosen for the game.

17. Nd4 Nbc4 18. Bxc4 Nxc4 19. Qd3 Qb6 20. Bc1? Na3+ 21. Ka1 Qxd4! And White lost a pawn fair and square in Arizmendi-Ferrer, Torrevieja. 17... Rfe8?!

Nakamura should have played 17... Nbc4 directly, although after 18. Bxc4 Nxc4 19. Qd3 White maintains a small initiative and against 19... Na3+ he can play 20. Kc1 or even Ka1. 18. Ka1!?

Although the engines prefer a more aggressive disposition, this human move was praised after the game. White anticipates all the tactical themes on the queenside before launching his attack. 18... Bf8 19. Nd4 Qc5

After all the previous preparations White is ready to answer 19... Nec4 20. Bxc4 Nxc4 21. Qd3 Qb6 with 22. b3 Ne5 23. Qg3 and his king is very safe. However, note that by continuously avoiding these variations Nakamura is delaying his counterattack unnecessarily. Carlsen completely takes over the initiative now. 20. g6! Nec4 21. Bxc4 Nxc4 22. Qd3 fxg6 22... Qb4 23. Bc1

23. hxg6 h6 24. Qg3! An amazing move. We shall see the effect during the game. For the moment White prevents the knight from reaching e5, an important defensive resource in the Sicilian. 24... Qb6 25. Bc1 Qa5 26. Rdf1!

In addition to being a very useful move it directly threatens 27.Rxf8! 26... Ne5 27. Nd5 Bxd5 28. exd5 Qxd5

The time to conclude the game has arrived. Carlsen finishes off in an exemplary and spectacular way.

29. Bxh6!! gxh6 Against 29... Qxd4 then 30. Be3 and if Black moves his queen then 31.Rh8+. wins. 30. g7 Be7

30... Bxg7 31. Nf5. 31. Rxh6

And White´s attack sweeps through.

31... Nf7 32. Qg6 Nxh6 33. Qxh6 Bf6 34. Qh8+ Kf7 35. g8=Q+ Rxg8 36. Qxf6+ Ke8 37. Re1+ 1-0

Game 52 Notes by IM Michael Rahal The key A battle between colossus in which Carlsen demonstrates once more his universal play and his skill to combine attack and defence. His capability to calculate accurately and objectively in tense and long battles such as this one has been crucial to his success. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2815 ■Nakamura, N USA 2776 QGD [D31] Medias, 2011

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. Qc2 Bg4 This move was new for Carlsen. He was too young to remember the days when Lajos Portisch used this move successfully. Black´s idea is to exchange the light-squared bishop on g6. This idea is normally a good recipe to equalize in the Exchange Variation of the Queen´s Gambit. 7. e3 Bh5 8. Bd3 Bg6 9. Bxg6 hxg6 10. O-O-O Nf6 11. f3 Nbd7 12. Nge2

"I can´t play 12. e4 immediately because 12... Nh5 is unpleasant and if 13. Be3 Ng3!" Carlsen explained. 12... b5!?

Played after half a hour of thought. "It seemed that he hadn´t analyzed plans involving long castling" said Carlsen. "Black´s move is logical - he has to create some activity." 13. e4 b4 14. Na4 dxe4 15. fxe4 Qa5 16. Kb1 "It´s important not to rush" said Carlsen.

"I wasn´t sure at all of the lines with 16. e5 Nd5 17. e6 and I thought that I could play 17... fxe6 18. Qxc6 Kf7! And if 19. Qxd7 he has 19...Rhd8" 16... O-O

16... Nb6 17. Qxc6+ Kf8 18. Nc5 17. h4!

"I was very pleased with this move" said Carlsen. "That is why it was very important to exchange on g6 - now I have an objective." 17... Rfe8

"Very provocative" thought Carlsen. 18. e5! Nd5 19. h5 g5

20. h6! "I really wanted to play 20. e6!?" said Carlsen "but 20... gxf4! 21. exd7 (If 21. exf7+ Kxf7 22. Qg6+ Kf8 23. h6 Bf6 24. hxg7+ Bxg7 25.Rh7 Re7 and I couldn´t see a mate.) 21... Red8 22. Qxc6 Ne3 didn´t seem clear to me." 20... g6 21. Bc1

"I also considered 21. Bd2" said Carlsen "and now he doesn´t have the trick ...b3 but after 21... N5b6 22. Nxb6 axb6 23. Nc1 Qd5 , White is obviously better but I didn´t see a clear way to continue." 21... N7b6?

"I thought that I had to play 21... N5b6" said Carlsen "although now it´s better for me to have the d-file open [compared with the position with the bishop on d2] in the line 22. Nc5!? Nxc5 23. dxc5 Qxc5 24. Qe4 when the move 25.e6 has to be taken into account." However, this line seems to be adequate for Black after 24... Qc4

22. Nc5! Bxc5 23. dxc5 b3 24. Qxb3 Qxc5 25. Nd4

"I was very surprised when my opponent played this way as I was sure that my position here was favorable" explained Carlsen. 25... Rxe5 26. Nf3 Re2?!

"This seems active but the rook is hanging in many variations" said Carlsen.

"I thought 26... Re7 was the best move."

27. Nxg5 Qe7 28. Qd3! Rf8 29. Rdf1 f5 "A very ugly move but forced" said Carlsen. "30.Rxf7! is the big threat." 30. g4! Na4!? 31. Qd4?!

Allowing some unnecessary tricks.

After 31. Ka1! 32.Qd4 becomes a strong threat and if 31...Qe5 32.Qa3! wins. 31... Qe5!

32. Qxe5 "I missed that after 32. Qxa4? Nc3+! 33. bxc3 Rb8+ 34. Qb3+ Rxb3+ 35. axb3 Black has 35... Qd5! covering f7 and attacking b3" admitted Carlsen. "But I was happy anyway - the ending with the pawn on h6 and the knight on g5 must be winning."

32... Rxe5 33. gxf5 gxf5

By now Nakamura had less than two minutes left and avoids 33... Rexf5 34. Rxf5 Rxf5 (34... gxf5 35. b3! Nac3+ 36. Kc2 followed by Bb2 and White wins.) 35. Re1! and White must be winning easily. 34. Nf3 Re7

"A mistake, but I was low on time and the position is very difficult" explained Carlsen. In any case 34... Re6 35. Nd4 Ref6 36. h7+ Kh8 37. Bh6! doesn´t help much. 35. Rfg1+ Kh7

Now Nakamura moved his head from one side to the other angrily while his clock run down to zero.

35... Kh8 loses even faster to 36. Nh4!

36. Rg7+! Kh8 37. Rhg1! Rfe8 38. Nh4 Rxg7 Played with two seconds on his clock but Nakamura resigned before Carlsen could answer. After 39.Rxg7 Ne7 40.Rxe7+ ends the fight. 1-0

Game 53 Notes by IM Michael Rahal The key Over time Magnus Carlsen has developed a sharp instinct to assess correctly each of his opponent's and detect their weak points, and then adapt his way of playing. This seems to happen in this game: with a relatively unoffensive opening variation he achieves a easy win against an experimented grand master. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2815 ■Nisipeanu, L ROM 2659 QGA [D27] Medias, 2011

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bxc4 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O a6 7. dxc5!? Bxc5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Be2 At first sight the opening doesn´t seem as boring as a Petroff defence but Carlsen doesn´t agree; "I don´t know if White is objectively better - actually I doubt it - but I think that on many occasions White has demonstrated that he can fight for an advantage in the ending." 9... Ke7 10. Nbd2 Bd7 11. Nb3 Bd6?! "I didn´t know this move 11... Bb6 or 11... Ba7 are more normal" said Carlsen. 12. Na5! Ra7?!

"He started to think here for a long time" said Carlsen. "Now I get the bishop pair and a very pleasant position."

Black had two more promising options 12... b5!? with the intention of playing 13. Nb7 Bb4! 14. a3 Bc6 15. axb4 Bxb7 , and White´s pawn structure makes it difficult to exploit the bishop pair, or the more passive 12... Bc6

13. Nc4 Bb5 14. b3 Rd8 15. Bb2 Bxc4

"It was still not necessary to capture" said Carlsen "but I think that after 15... Nc6 16. Rfd1 he will still have to capture, as if 16... Raa8 I have 17. Rxd6! Rxd6 18. Nxd6 Kxd6 19. Bd1! and his pieces are uncoordinated and I have the pair of bishops. Particularly, my bishop on b2 doesn´t have any opposition and eventually it will be very strong." 16. Bxc4 Nc6 17. Rfd1 Raa8 18. h3

18... g6?! "I was very happy when he allowed me to play g4" said Carlsen. "However, after 18... h5 I was about to play 19. g3 and 20. Rg2, with the idea of playing g4 later on. He doesn´t have any active play so I don´t have to rush." 19. g4! h6 "If 19... h5 I thought 20. g5 Nd7 21. Bd3! was strong, and my bishop will have a very strong square on e4" explained Carlsen.

20. Bf1!

"My bishop wasn´t doing much on c4" said Carlsen.

20... Rac8 21. Rac1 Nd5 22. h4 Ke8 23. g5 hxg5?! "He should play 23... h5 keeping the h-file closed" said Carlsen. "After 24. Bd3 White doesn´t have a decisive advantage but the position is very unpleasant for Black because he doesn´t have any objectives." 24. hxg5 Be7 25. Kg2 Nb6

26. Bd3! Nb4 27. Be4! The bishop finally reaches its preferred square - "I think that my opponent is more or less lost here" said Carlsen. 27... Nxa2 28. Rxd8+ Kxd8

28... Rxd8 isn´t better than 29. Rh1 29. Rh1

"There is no way of stopping White´s penetration on the h-file" said Carlsen.

29... Nd5 30. Ne5! f5 31. Bxd5

A surprisingly quick defeat but after 31. Bxd5 exd5 32. Rh8+ Kc7 33. Rh7 Kd8 (33... Kd6 34. Ba3+ Kxe5 35. Rxe7# is even faster) 34. Nxg6 Bxg5 35. Rh5 loses a piece and the game. 1-0

Participants in the Tournament of Kings 2011, held in Medias (Romania). From left to right: Carlsen, Karjakin, Nakamura, Radjabov and local player, Nisipeanu.

Game 54 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key We don't frequenty see Magnus Carlsen playing well-worn positions such as an isolated pawn. The Norwegian tries to create his own apparently innocuous battlegrounds, but as we know he doesn't need much to win a game of chess. However, in this case Carlsen demonstrates that he can play at a really high level in standard positions and overcome none less than Vasily Ivanchuk. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2815 ■Ivanchuk, V UKR 2776 QGA [D27] Medias, 2011

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5 This move has been reestablished as the main line against the Ragozin variation, replacing the usual 8. e3. However, I should mention that 8. g3 has also scored very well. 8... h6 9. Bd2 O-O 10. e3 Bxc5 11. Rc1!?

A new move, but hardly more threatening than the usual 11. Bd3 and 11. Be2 Carlsen doesn´t seem particularly worried about achieving an opening advantage. He simply tries to achieve a reasonable position where he can play at ease.

11... Qe7 12. Be2 a6 13. Qd3 Nb6 14. O-O Bg4 15. Nd4 Bd7 16. Bf3 Rfe8 17. b3 Ba3 18. Rc2 Rac8

Ivanchuk has came out of the opening with a perfectly safe position, but he is already playing too fast. This habit was emphasized in the second half of the tournament and it seemed to indicate that the Ukrainian, normally a deep thinker with time trouble problems, was not very concentrated. 19. Nce2 Rxc2 20. Qxc2 Be6 21. Bc1 Rc8 22. Bxa3 Qxa3 23. Qd2 Bg4

"Simplifying with the exchange of all the bishops is normal, but here it´s a bit risky because he is able to get a knight to f5" said Carlsen. 24. Bxg4 Nxg4 25. Nf5 Nf6 26. h3

"I spent a lot of time here thinking how to continue my attack" said Carlsen, "but 26. Qd4 Nbd7 27. Nf4 Qc5 and now I can win a pawn with 28. Nxd5!? although after 28... Qxd4 29. Nfe7+ Kf8 30. exd4 Rc2 it isn´t very promising." 26... Kh7 27. Qd4 Nbd7 28. Qf4!? 28... Nf8 "I thought that this was a good move, at least psychologically" explained Carlsen. "If 28... Qxa2 I play 29. Ned4 with the double threat 30.Nxg7 and 30.Nd6 which seems very dangerous for Black." In fact, Black can probably hold his own after 29... Qa3! although Ivanchuk would have had to find the right continuation between the dark complications of 30. Nxg7! Kxg7 31. Nf5+ Kg6! 32. b4! and now the natural 32... Rc1? loses in view of the ingenious (32... Qc3!holds) 33. Qg3+! Kxf5 34. e4+! 29. Neg3

"I calculated 29. Nxh6!? a long time" admitted Carlsen," but after 29... Ne6! (if 29... Ng6 is good 30. Qf5) 30. Qf5+ (If 30. Qh4? g5!wins a piece) 30... Kxh6 31. g4 threatening mate on h4 and Ng3 but he can play 31... Qb2! 32. Ng3 g6! and after 33. g5+ Kg7 34. gxf6+Qxf6 and Black is very solid and with such an exposed king I don´t think that I can stand better here. Therefore, with only 10 minutes left to get to move 40, I decided to play it safe." Carlsen was right - after 35. Qxd5 Rc2 Black has a lot of counterplay for the pawn.

29... Ng6 30. Qd4 Qc5

Now 30... Qxa2? 31. Nxg7! Kxg7 32. Nh5+ would be disastrous for Black.

31. f3 Qxd4 32. Nxd4 Ne5 33. Rd1 g6 34. Kf2 Kg7 35. Nge2 Kf8 36. g4 Nc6 37. Rc1 Ke7 "If 37... Ne7 then 38. Rd1 . I played 37. Rc1 simply to repeat moves and reach the time control and then decide what to do" admitted Carlsen frankly." It´s clear that the position is nearer to a draw than to a win." 38. h4 Kd6 39. h5 Ne7?!

Played quickly. "39... gxh5 40. gxh5 Nxh5 41. Rh1 Ng7 42. Rxh6+ Ne6 was also good for him" said Carlsen.

40. Rh1 gxh5 41. gxh5 Rg8 42. Ng3 Rg5 43. b4 Kd7 44. Rh4 Ne8 45. Rf4 Nd6 46. a4 b6?! "Unnecessary" said Carlsen. "I thought that Ivanchuk could simply play 46... Kc7 but maybe he didn´t like 47. Rg4!? against which I can´t reply 47... f6 because of 48. Ne6+" 47. a5 bxa5 48. bxa5 f5

"Again I thought about 48... Kc7 because if 49. Rg4 I would have to watch out for my queenside" said Carlsen. "47.a5 is always double-edged because this pawn could end up being a weakness. Maybe Ivanchuk thought that he didn´t have to calculate this line, but after my next move he will be in serious trouble." 49. Rh4 Nc4?!

Maybe this is the decisive mistake in a position which has gradually deteriorated. After 49... Rg8 50. Rh1 Rb8 Black still resists. 50. f4! Rg4 51. Rh3!

51. Rh1!? "I calculated 51... Nxe3! 52. Kf3 Rg8 53. Rb1 Nc4 but I didn´t think it was totally clear" admitted Carlsen, an opinion which is justified by the variation 54. Rb7+ Kd6 55. Ngxf5+ Nxf5 56. Nxf5+ Kc5 57. Rc7+ Kb5 58. Rd7 Kc5 59. Rxd5+ Kxd5 60. Ne7+Ke6 61. Nxg8 Nxa5 62. Nxh6 Nc4 and Black should be able to hold in this knight ending. 51... Nd6 52. Rh1 Rg8 53. Rb1 Ra8 54. Kf3 Kc7 55. Ne6+ Kc8

Against 55... Kd7 Carlsen was considering repeating moves with 56. Nd4 although (56. Nc5+ Kc6 57. Nd3! looks very strong, for example: 57... Nc4 58. Ne5+ Nxe5+ 59. fxe5 and the White king advances. 56. Nc5 Rb8 "This loses directly" said Carlsen, although even the most resistant 56... Nc6 loses to 57. Rb6 Kc7 58. Nxa6+ Kd7 59. Nc5+ Kc7 60.Ne6+ Kd7 61. a6!

57. Rxb8+ Kxb8 58. Nxa6+ Kb7 59. Nb4 Nc4 60. a6+ Kb6 61. Ke2 Nd6 62. Kd3 Nb5 63. Ne2 Ka5 64. Nc3! Nc7 65. Nbxd5! The final touch. Tactics, as usual, decide a model positional game.

65... Nexd5 66. Nxd5 Nxd5 67. a7 Nc7 68. Kd4 Kb6 69. Ke5 Kxa7 70. Kxf5 Nd5 71. Kg6 Nxe3 72. Kxh6 1-0

Game 55 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key In this game Alexei Shirov plays one of his favourite variations in the Merano and he energetically prepares to attack his opponent's castled king. But Carlsen cold-bloodily opens up the game on the queenside, and afterwards in the center, fulminating Black's king. A huge strategic lesson, making Shirov appear to be a very easy opponent for Magnus. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2821 ■Shirov, A LAT 2714 QGD Semi-Slav [D47] Biel, 2011

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O 9. e4 wasn´t so effective because of 9... b4! 10. Na4 c5 and Black frees his position without losing time with...a6, which is what happens in the game. 9... a6 10. e4 c5

10... b4 11. Na4 c5 12. e5 Nd5 13. Ng5 is another possible alternative. 11. d5!

The move that puts Black´s setup to the test.

After 11. e5 cxd4 12. Nxb5 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nd5 14. Nxd4 Nxe5 Black is OK. 11... c4

11... Qc7 is the most popular line but Carlsen just said that "this move will usually transpose to the same lines", without mentioning any more details 11... e5 is worse because of 12. b3! with the idea to continue with a2-a4.

It´s also dangerous to capture the pawn with 11... exd5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Bxb5 axb5 15. Qxd5 Be7 16. Rd1 Ra717. Be3 and the threat 18.b4 gives White a clear advantage. 12. Bc2 Qc7

12... e5 is answered by 13. Ne2 followed by b3

13. Nd4 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Nd4 is the most usual line but after 14... Nc5 ´s not easy to fight for the advantage. 13... e5

With this infrequent move, Shirov tries to surprise his opponent.

13... Nc5 is the normal move. Nearly everyone knows the brilliant game in which Kramnik defeated Kasparov in 1996 at Dos Hermanas, which continued 14. b4 (14. Qe2 has been played successfully in recent years.) 14... cxb3 15. axb3 b4 16. Na4 Ncxe417. Bxe4 Nxe4 18. dxe6 Bd6 19. exf7+ Qxf7 20. f3 Qh5 21. g3 O-O 22. fxe4 Qh3 and Black won brilliantly. 14. Nf5 g6 15. Nh6! Nh5 16. g3!

"Here I started to like my position", said Carlsen. He explained that he knew a game between Gelfand and Dreev that continued 16.Qf3 Nf4 17. Nxf7 Kxf7 18. g3 g5 19. gxf4 gxf4 and Black was more or less OK. 16... Bc5 17. Qf3 Rf8 18. Bd2!

"His last two moves were logical, but even so Black is up against a tremendous danger" said Carlsen, "Now 19.b4 is a serious threat". 18... Bd4

Shirov thought a long time but he was unable to achieve anything decent. If 18... Qd6 I planned to play 19. b4! in any case, for example 19... Bxb4 20. a4 and against 20... Bxc3 21. Qxc3! not allowing ...b4, and White has excellent compensation for the pawn. 19. b4! cxb3 20. Bxb3 Qd6

Carlsen explained that 20... b4 21. Ne2! Bxa1 wasn´t good because of 22. Bxb4 for example 22... Bb2 23. Bxf8 Nxf8 24. d6 Qd725. Ba4!

21. Rac1 Ng7 22. a4 f5 Black is worse but this move doesn´t solve anything.

But Carlsen explained that against 22... b4 he was thinking of answering with 23. Ne2 Bc5 24. a5 followed by Ba4. 23. axb5 f4 24. Ne2 Bb6 25. bxa6 If 25. Ba4 a5

25... Bxa6 26. Bc4 "26. Rc6?! was very tempting, but Black has the reply 26... Qa3!" said Carlsen. 26... g5 27. Bxa6 Rxa6

If 27... Qxh6 28. Bb5 Qh3 29. Kh1 g4 30. Ng1! Qxf1 31. Bxd7+ Kd8 32. Qxg4 with a winning position. 28. Rc8+!

The direct 28. Rc6 Bxf2+ 29. Qxf2 Rxc6 30. dxc6 Qxc6 is less clear, as Carlsen explained, as Black gets two pawns for the piece. 28... Bd8

The key of the check on c8 is that after

28... Ke7 29. Rc6 is much more stronger, because against 29... Bxf2+ 30. Qxf2 Rxc6 31. dxc6 Qxc6 White has 32. Bb4+. 29. Nf5 Nxf5 30. exf5 Nf6

30... Rxf5 doesn´t work in view of 31. Qd3 Rf7 (31... Rf6 32. Nc3) 32. Bb4! 31. Qd3 Ra7

As Carlsen indicated, if 31... Rb6 32. Ba5 Rb8 33. Bc7! White wins. 32. Qb5+ Qd7

If 32... Rd7 33. Bb4 Qxd5 34. Rxd8+! Kxd8 35. Qb8#! 33. Rxd8+! 1-0

Game 56 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key In the following game, each player goes for the type of positions that are most uncomfortable for his opponent, but Magnus judges the position excellently. The positional exchange sacrifice works perfectly against Caruana, who collapses after a few moves. Minutes after finishing the game, Carlsen mentioned the fact that Caruana had never played against the Scotch, which is quite curious as it is a very popular defence. It reflects the fact that top players have very deep preparation; they delve into their opponent´s games and try to lead them into less-known grounds. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2821 ■Caruana, F ITA 2711 Scotch game [C45] Biel, 2011

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 The most theoretical move here is 5...Qf6 but it´s understandable that Caruana prefers a traditional, less theoretical, path. 6. Bd3 Qh4 7. Qe2 Ne7

Along with the fact that Caruana had never played against the Scotch, it is also incredible that this natural knight move had never been played before.

The move 7... Nf6 is always played here 8. h3 d5 9. g3 Qh5 10. Qxh5 Nxh5 11. Nc3 Nf6 12. Bf4 Bb4 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Bd2Nxc3 15. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 Be6 and the position doesn´t offer anything at all in Ivanchuk-Malakhov, Warsaw.

8. Nc3 O-O 9. Be3 Bb6 10. O-O d5 11. exd5 Nxd5

Against 11... cxd5 Carlsen planned to continue 12. Bxb6 axb6 13. Rae1 with a strong initiative, for example 13... Ng6 14. Nxd5Rxa2 15. f4 and the position is unpleasant for Black. 12. Bd2 Bd4

A sensible answer.

Worse was 12... Bg4 13. Qe4! Rae8 14. Qc4 and Black suffers.

13. Rae1 Nb4

Trying to simplify with 13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bb6 15. Qf3! Bd7 16. Re4 Qd8 17. Qh5 wouldn´t have been good as White now launches a tremendous attack on Black´s castled king. 14. Qe4! Qxe4 15. Bxe4 Ba6 16. Ne2 Bc5 17. a3

White could have won a pawn with 17. Bxb4 Bxb4 18. c3 Bd6 19. Bxc6 Rab8 but Black would have achieved excellent compensation. 17... Nd5

Another reasonable option was 17... Rae8 18. axb4 Rxe4 19. bxc5 Bxe2 20. f3 although in this ending with opposite-coloured bishops Black will have to suffer a lot because of his awful pawn structure. 18. b4 Bd6

Against 18... Rfe8 White was planning to continue in the same way as in the game with 19. Bf3 Bd6 20. Nd4 Bxf1 21. Rxf1. 19. Nd4!

This exchange sacrifice injects some dynamism to the game. 19... Bxf1 20. Kxf1 Nb6 21. Nxc6 Rfe8 22. a4! Kf8

Black reacts in the best possible way.

The ending after 22... Nxa4 23. Ne7+ Rxe7 24. Bxa8 Rxe1+ 25. Kxe1 c5 may be sustainable, but Black would have to play very carefully because the bishop pair is always capable of unbalancing any ending. 23. a5 Nc4 24. Bc1

The game is near the end, even though no commentator could anticipate it. Basically because Caruana now moves his pawn to a6, a reasonable move although apparently absent-minded.

24... a6

The idea of playing a7-a6 can be justified with the following variation: 24... f5 25. Bxf5 Rxe1+ 26. Kxe1 Re8+ 27. Kf1 Ne5 28. Be4Nxc6 29. Bxc6 Bxb4 30. Bxe8 Kxe8 31. a6! in which White keeps his extra pawn. Caruana will try to reach this ending but with the pawn on a6, which would prevent White from advancing and therefore defending his pawn on a5. 25. f4?

When he saw that his opponent replied with 24... a6 instantly, Carlsen sensed that it was a big mistake. He thought that his opponent had forgotten that his knight on c4 could be trapped and he quickly advanced his pawn to f4. The idea is logical; he takes away the only retreat square for the knight and he prepares to attack it on his next move. But in chess, logic gives way many times to tactics and only after advancing his pawn did Carlsen realize that he had just made a big mistake. Luckily for him, Caruana didn´t notice either and he missed a good chance. Against the natural move 25. g3 Black would react in the way that we have mentioned before with 25... f5! 26. Bxf5 Rxe1+ 27.Kxe1 Re8+ 28. Kf1 Ne5 29. Be4 Nxc6 30. Bxc6 Bxb4 31. Bxe8 Kxe8. Worse is 25. Bd5 Rxe1+ 26. Kxe1 Re8+ 27. Kf1 Ne5 28. c3 Ng4! and Black is better.

25... Re6?? This is a blackout. His 2.711 rating points were not enough for Caruana to see that he had an elegant knight jump to e3, not that his knight was in big danger.

25... Ne3+! would have saved the game with no problems. The forced sequence 26. Rxe3 Bxf4 27. Rf3 Bxc1 28. Bd5 f6 leads to a position in which neither of the two players can find a win, for example 29. Kf2 Bd2 30. c3 Be1+ 31. Kf1 Bd2. 26. Bd5 Rf6 27. Re4

And Black resigned, as the knight is trapped. A really surprising conclusion for a game which was meant to have been quite long. 1-0

Game 57 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Severely punished in earlier games against Carlsen, Shirov goes for a solid setup. But time has demonstrated that this strategy doesn't work against the Norwegian, who feels like a fish in the water in this type of games. Magnus sacrifices a pawn to keep his good bishop and achieves an impeccable win, conquering the board step by step in his own unique style. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Shirov, A LAT 2714 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2821

Ruy Lopez, Berlin defense [C65] Biel, 2011

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Bg5 In this position everyone castles but Shirov chooses a slow setup. 6... h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. Nbd2 d6

And now he decides again not to castle, and instead plays directly. 9. Nf1 Nb8 10. Ne3 Ng4 11. Bg3 Nxe3 12. fxe3 Nd7

For the third time he delays castling in order to play as soon as possible. 13. d4

And therefore avoid additional preparations to advance his pawn to d4 after 13. O-O Nf6. 13... Nf6 14. Bd3

White threatens to construct a strong center and achieve a significant advantage. Therefore Carlsen reacts immediately. 14... Ng4 15. Qe2 Bg5

The game reaches an important moment as White must choose between a large group of alternatives. 16. dxe5

None of the following variations stands out particularly

16. Bf2 Nxf2 17. Qxf2 Bf6.

16. Nxg5 Qxg5 17. Kd2 exd4 18. cxd4 Re8.

16. h3 Nxe3 17. h4 Bf4 (17... exd4 18. cxd4) 18. Bf2 exd4 19. cxd4 Nf5.

16... dxe5 17. Bxe5 Bh4+ 18. g3 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Bf6 20. Nf3 Qe7 21. O-O-O c6?! 22. Nd4 a6 23. Rhf1 c5 24. Nf5 Bxf5 25. Rxf5 b526. Bc2 c4 A difficult position to evaluate has been reached. White has an insignificant extra doubled pawn, but he does control the f and d files, and can create action on the diagonal c2-h7 or even d5-f7 with his bishop.

27. Rfd5

Nothing was to be achieved by 27. e5 Bxe5 28. Be4 Rad8 (28... Bxc3 29. Bd5) 29. Bd5 g6 30. Rff1 Kg7. 27... Be5

A very important move. Black needs to maintain an iron blockade on this square, to prevent White from activating his bishop. 28. Qh5 Rae8 29. a3 Qa7 30. Kd2

30. Rxe5 didn´t work due to 30... Qxe3+ 31. Kb1 g6. 30. R1d4 is nice but doesn´t have any practical use.

30... Qb8 31. Ke2 Re6 32. Qh4 Qb6 33. Rd8 Ree8 34. Rxe8 Rxe8 35. Rd5 Qc7

The game is quite equal. In any case White doesn´t stand worse but there are reasons to lose the game. However, Shirov wants to win, and true to his enterprising style he gives his colleagues an example with his ambition in this game. And if one player wants to win he can always lose, that is chess. 36. a4!? Qb6 37. axb5 axb5 38. Qh5

Also interesting is 38. Rd7 b4 39. Re7. 38... Qb8 39. Rd7

It seems that Black is in a crisis, but Carlsen finds some resources. 39... g6 40. Qf3

40. Qxh6 b4 with attack.

40... Rf8 41. Kf2 b4 42. Qe2 bxc3 43. bxc3 Qc8! 43... Qb2 44. Bd3! Qb5 45. Rd5. 44. Qd2 Bxc3 45. Qd5 Threatening e5. 45... Qa6

46. e5? The decisive mistake

46. Bd1! would have eliminate all of White´s problems 46... Qf6+ 47. Kg2 Rc8 (47... Be1 48. Qxc4 Qf2+ 49. Kh3) 48. Be2 Qe6 49.Rd8+ Rxd8 50. Qxd8+ Kg7 51. Qd5. 46... Qa2 47. Qe4 Bxe5 48. h4 Re8 49. Kg2 h5 50. Kh3

Against 50. g4 hxg4 51. h5 the safest line seems to be 51... Qa8 52. hxg6 fxg6 53. Rd5 Bg7! 54. Qxc4 Rc8 55. Qb3 Rxc2+ 56. Kg3Qa2. 50... c3 51. Rd5 Qa6 52. Bd3

52. Rxe5 Qf1+ 53. Kh2 Rxe5 54. Qxe5 Qf2+ 55. Kh3 Qxc2 56. Qe8+ Kg7 57. Qe5+ Kh7. 52... Qc8+ 53. Kg2 Bg7 54. Rc5 Qd7 55. Qc4 Rxe3 56. Rc7 56. Bxg6 Be5 57. Rd5 Qe6 58. Rd8+ Kg7 59. Qxe6 fxe6.

56... Rxg3+ 57. Kxg3 Be5+ 58. Kf2 Qxc7 59. Qxc7 Bxc7 60. Kf3 0-1

Game 58 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key A great game by Magnus Carlsen, overcoming Ivanchuk with original play full of dynamics. (GM Miguel Illescas)

One of the most dramatic games of the tournament was Carlsen against Ivanchuk in the second-to-last game. Back from Brazil, Ivanchuk consolidated his leadership with his sixth round win against Nakamura, but in the seventh he lost against Paco Vallejo and drew with Anand in the eighth round. These results allowed Carlsen to place himself only three points away, according to the special point system in this event. He had to win to catch up with him. The game between these two great players was extraordinary and we are pleased to be able to offer it to our readers with some notes by Magnus Carlsen.

□Shirov, A LAT 2714 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2821

Ruy Lopez, Berlin defense [C65] Biel, 2011

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 Ne4 8. Qc2 f5 9. g3 Nf6?! Obviously, his intention was to reach the position after 9... O-O 10. Bg2 Nf6 11. O-O Be4 but White has another option. (Carlsen) 10. Bh3!?

I am really not sure if 10.Bh3 is a great move, but at least it´s interesting. (Carlsen)

10... O-O 11. O-O a5?!

The idea behind 10.Bh3 is clear in the variation 11... Be4 when after moving my queen I will soon expel his bishop with Nd2. However, I wasn´t expecting the move 10...a4 and instead I thought that he had to play 11... Qe8 immediately. (Carlsen)

12. Rd1

Usually when Black plays a5 in this type of position White answers with b3 to prevent a4, but in this specific position I thought that as my development was better he would not have time to advance his pawn to a4. (Carlsen) 12... Qe8 13. d5 Na6 14. Bf4

After this move I liked my position quite a lot. All my pieces are developed very well. (Carlsen)

This was the move that Carlsen´s father predicted correctly while he was observing the game through the glass box. 14... exd5

My opponent thought quite a long time before playing this move. I don´t think that it´s very healthy because it opens the position for my bishops. (Carlsen) 15. Bxf5 dxc4

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Be3 Qe7 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Bxc5 Qxc5 8. Nc3 O-O 9. O-O Rb8 10. Qd2 Qe7 11. b3 c512. h3 d6 13. Nh2 Nh5 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Rae1 Be6 16. Nc3 f5 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. f3 Bg6 19. Rf2 Qh4 20. Nd5 Rf7 21. Qc3 c6 22.Ne3 Nf4 23. Qd2 Rbf8 24. Nd1 h5 25. Nc3 Bf5 26. Ne2 Ne6 27. Qe3 Rf6 28. Kh1 Rg6 29. Rg1 Nc7 30. Rgf1 Nd5 31. Qd2 The tournament rules stipulated a rapid game match in the case of a tie for first place. In front of exceptional media coverage, which included live broadcast by the Basque TV, Carlsen and Ivanchuk played two 5-minute games in the glass box. In the first game both players had their chances, but in the second game Black had the advantage right from the opening. Carlsen wanted to attack no matter what while Ivanchuk defended passively, but playing at the speed of light. His strategy was to hang on at all costs and then win on time. 31... Rgf6 This move leads to the decisive stage of the game. The move is not very precise; Black should have taken back the bishop first, for example to d7. 32. Nc3?! No one realized, but Ivanchuk could have taken advantage to get rid of some of his problems by playing 32. f4! which would have also been a tough psychological blow because Black must play on the defensive. 32... e4 33. dxe4 Bxe4 34. Nf3 Bxf3 35.Rxf3. 32... Nf4 The game continues as before. 33. Ne4 Rg6 34. Rg1 Qd8 35. Nf1? Ivanchuk keeps playing very fast and makes this mistake, because it allows 35...d5! that increases Black´s advantage considerably. Carlsen missed it for the moment. 35... Qe7 36. Nfg3? But he finally ended up spotting the possibility when his opponent insisted. 36... d5 37. Nxf5 Rxf5 38. Nc3 Qh4 White is now completely defenseless faced with the aggressive piece disposition of his opponent. At last the tournament came to its end. 39. Kh2 Qg3+ 39... Qg3+ And White resigned in view of 40. Kh1 Nxh3. 0-1 16. Ng5! Qh5

The position has become very dangerous for Black, for example 16... h6 would have allowed 17. Bxd7! Qe7 18. Qxc4+ Kh8 19. Qe6 and White wins. (Carlsen) 17. Rxd7!!

I had foreseen this sacrifice a few moves back and I was very excited. In fact, I thought I was going to win very quickly. (Carlsen)

The computer suggests another very interesting plan 17.Rd4 with the idea of retreating with the bishop and transferring the rook to h4. None of us in the press room contemplated this possibility. 17... Kh8!

But after this good defence I was unable to find anything concrete to conclude the game. Accepting the offer was quickly losing after 17...Nxd7? 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Bg6! because the queen has no useful squares; for example against 19... Qg4 then simply 20. f3 (Carlsen)

18. Re7?!

I also considered 18. Rad1! but I thought that 18.Re7 was better. I really got lost in the calculation of all the variations and I missed something. (Carlsen)

18... Nd5 19. Bg4 Qg6 20. Nf7+ Kg8 21. Bf5 Qxf5!

When I played 21.Bf5 I understood that I had missed something very simple because I had foreseen this queen sacrifice previously in my calculations. Luckily my position is still good. Black has enough material in exchange for the queen, but the situation of his king is the only reason that White keeps his options open. (Carlsen)

22. Qxf5 Nxe7 23. Nh6+! gxh6 24. Qg4+ Ng6 25. Bxh6 Rf7 26. Rd1 Re8 27. h4 I must react quickly because if not I can even end up worse. Maybe he should have played c4-c3 in his previous move, to give his pieces more stability. (Carlsen) 27... Nc5 28. h5 Bc8 29. Qxc4

29... Ne5 This move surprised me, because I thought that the knight would be more exposed on this square. Ivanchuk meditated for a long time before he moved. One alternative was 29... Nf8 after which I can play 30. Rd5!? but even then things are not totally clear. I was happy that even after making a mistake in my calculations I still conserved some winning chances. 29... Ne7? seemed to be the best defence but White has the unexpected 30. Qb5! and Black loses material. (Carlsen) 30. Qh4! Nc6?!

Played instantly, but I should have waited for the advance f4 before retreating my knight and instead play 30... Ne6 but by then my opponent would have used up all his time. (Carlsen) 31. Rd5! Ne6 32. Qc4 Ncd8?

A huge mistake. He could still have resisted with 32... Ne7 33. Re5 Nf5 but he was under tremendous pressure both on the clock and on the board. (Carlsen) 33. Qg4+ Ng7

Hanging a piece but Ivanchuk had seen that against 33... Kh8 34. Bd2! to give a strong check on c3, which is another good reason for Black to have played 26... c3. (Carlsen) 34. Qxc8

Ivanchuk was very surprised when I captured his bishop, but he is lost in any case. (Carlsen) 1-0

Game 59 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Carlsen equalized the game comfortably after Ivanchuk played the opening very passively. The Norwegian then started to consider playing for a win so he began to transfer his pieces to the kingside. His opponent wasn't able to react neither on the queenside nor in the center. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Ivanchuk, V UKR 2765 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2823

Ruy Lopez, Berlin defense [C65] Sao Paulo-Bilbao, 2011

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Be3 Qe7 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Bxc5 Qxc5 8. Nc3 O-O 9. O-O Rb8 10. Qd2 Qe7 11. b3 c512. h3 d6 13. Nh2 Nh5 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Rae1 Be6 16. Nc3 f5 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. f3 Bg6 19. Rf2 Qh4 20. Nd5 Rf7 21. Qc3 c6 22.Ne3 Nf4 23. Qd2 Rbf8 24. Nd1 h5 25. Nc3 Bf5 26. Ne2 Ne6 27. Qe3 Rf6 28. Kh1 Rg6 29. Rg1 Nc7 30. Rgf1 Nd5 31. Qd2 The tournament rules stipulated a rapid game match in the case of a tie for first place. In front of exceptional media coverage, which included live broadcast by the Basque TV, Carlsen and Ivanchuk played two 5-minute games in the glass box. In the first game both players had their chances, but in the second game Black had the advantage right from the opening. Carlsen wanted to attack no matter what while Ivanchuk defended passively, but playing at the speed of light. His strategy was to hang on at all costs and then win on time. 31... Rgf6

This move leads to the decisive stage of the game. The move is not very precise; Black should have taken back the bishop first, for example to d7. 32. Nc3?!

No one realized, but Ivanchuk could have taken advantage to get rid of some of his problems by playing 32. f4! which would have also been a tough psychological blow because Black must play on the defensive. 32... e4 33. dxe4 Bxe4 34. Nf3 Bxf3 35.Rxf3. 32... Nf4

The game continues as before.

33. Ne4 Rg6 34. Rg1 Qd8 35. Nf1?

Ivanchuk keeps playing very fast and makes this mistake, because it allows 35...d5! that increases Black´s advantage considerably. Carlsen missed it for the moment. 35... Qe7 36. Nfg3?

But he finally ended up spotting the possibility when his opponent insisted. 36... d5 37. Nxf5 Rxf5 38. Nc3 Qh4

White is now completely defenseless faced with the aggressive piece disposition of his opponent. At last the tournament came to its end. 39. Kh2 Qg3+

39... Qg3+ And White resigned in view of 40. Kh1 Nxh3. 0-1

Game 60 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key True to his style, Carlsen applies the recipe that he believes is most appropriate against each opponent. In this game, he brings Gelfand out of his comfort zone by playing a crazy game in which the Norwegian, with huge risks, takes the upper hand in a complicated tactical battle, triggered by his provocative play. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2826 ■Gelfand, B ISR 2744

QGD Slav [D12] Tal Memorial - Moscow, 2011

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd3 Nbd7 A solid move. Gelfand played a more open game against Kramnik in Saint Vincent 8... c5 9. Qb3 Qd7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Qb5Qxb5 13. Nxb5 Kd7 14. O-O Nc6 15. Rd1 Ke7 16. Bd2 Bb4 and it turned out well for him because a few moves later they agreed a draw. 9. O-O Bd6 10. h3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nb6 12. Bb3 e5 13. Qc2 Qe7 14. Bd2 O-O-O

White has a wide range of options such as Nb5, Rfe1, Rae1, etc, but Carlsen is looking for something more specific. 15. d5

And he finds an inspired Gelfand who immediately begins a promising attack on White´s king. 15... e4! 16. dxc6 Qe5 17. f4 exf3 18. Rxf3

18... Ng4! 19. cxb7+ 19. hxg4 Rh1+ 20. Kf2 Rxa1 21. Ne2 Bc5 22. Rxf7 bxc6 and Black looks great. 19... Kb8 20. hxg4

20. Ne2? Qh2+ 21. Kf1 Qh1+ 22. Ng1 Bh2

20... Rh1+! 21. Kf2 Rxa1 22. Ne2 Bc5 23. Bc3 Qe7 Anyone would say that Black is better. That is what it seems. How shall White reconstruct his position, and create threats against his opponent?

24. g5 Rdd1 25. Ng3 Bd6 Each move things are looking worse, as Black´s pieces look very threatening while his king is completely safe. 26. Qe2

26. Ne4? Rac1 27. Qe2 Rf1+ 26... Rg1?

26... Bxg3+ 27. Rxg3 Rf1+ 28. Qxf1 Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Nd7 30. Rf3 Ne5 31. Rf4 Qxg5 or Kxb7 and Black is better and also out of danger. 27. Qd3

27. Qb5! looks even more intimidating. 27... Bc7

27... Nd7 28. Ne4 Bc7 29. Qd5!

27... Bxg3+ 28. Rxg3 Raf1+ 29. Ke2 and the position is very complicated. 28. Ne4

Black´s position faces a cloud of threats. There is nothing specific yet, but I would like to draw the reader´s attention to the fact that while Black has doubled his rooks on the first rank, in front of them White has his queen, rook, two bishops and a knight. Such a concentration of pieces can generate threats at any specific moment. 28... Raf1+

Black rushes to exchange a pair of rooks, to reduce the potential of his opponent, but it´s unclear that this is a good decision. 29. Ke2 Rxf3 30. gxf3 f5

30... Be5!? 31. Bxf7 Bxc3 32. bxc3 Rg2+ 33. Kf1 and White is better. 31. gxf6 gxf6 32. Bxf6 Qh7 33. Qb5! Rg2+ 33... Nd7 34. Bd4 Qh3 35. Nd2. 34. Kd3 Qd7+

The only move to avoid even stronger threats but the ending is unfavourable for Black.

35. Qxd7 Nxd7 36. Bd5! Be5 36... Nxf6 37. Nxf6 a5 38. Nd7+ Ka7 39. e4 Rxb2 40. e5.

37. f4? 37. Bxe5+ Nxe5+ 38. Kd4 Nd7 (38... Nxf3+ 39. Kc3) 39. Bc6 Rg1 40. Nf2 Nf8 41. Bd5 Nd7 42. Nd3. 37... Bc7?

He should have defended with 37... Bxf6 38. Nxf6 Nc5+! 39. Kd4 Rc2 40. b4 Nxb7 41. Nd7+ Kc7 42. Nf8 although White should still be winning. 38. Bc6

This was one of those games in which you really don´t understand how one of the players lost and the other one won. It was all very dark and complicated. At the very least we can categorically confirm that Carlsen saw more than his opponent. 1-0

Game 61 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Rarely do we see Carlsen, and even more in recent years, playing in an unnatural way, as in this game. The main reason is that the Norwegian wanted to defeat Kramnik and did not know how to achieve a position that would offer him some prospects, given the Russian's encyclopedic knowledge in the opening stage. In fact, years later Magnus joked about it: "Against Kramnik, I am happy and satisfied with an equal position after the opening, even with the white pieces!" (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Kramnik, V 2800 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2826

English Opening [A20] Tal Memorial - Moscow, 2011

This is an extraordinary game, although at the start it seems like a joke. Black plays h6 on his third move without White even having prepared to move his dark-squared bishop. Then he moves his bishop to b4, and two moves later he retreats to c5. Soon after he begins a manoeuvre with his knight to get it to d4, costing him 4 tempi. And what to say about the rest of his pieces? They stay on or near their original squares and the king remains in the center, tempting White´s pieces that quickly move closer.

On moves 17 and 18 Carlsen retreats even more and a strange position appears, in which 6 of his 8 pieces remain exactly on their original squares. Meanwhile White is still playing very aggressive moves, both on the kingside and on the queenside.

Most incredibly, at the end of the game, when both players appeared before the press, no forced win could be found for White. Even more, not even the computer can find a win. White is better during the whole game, that is clear. Kramnik could have probably improved his play and increased his advantage, but he is missing that fatal blow that frequently escapes the human eye, and which the computer usually finds by just pressing a button. The huge difficulties that Carlsen faced in this game, along with his heroic defence, probably justify that at the end, just when he achieved the happy result of a draw, he missed the fact that in reality he was the player with the advantage, and that he could play on with some winning chances. 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 h6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. e4 Nc6 6. Nge2 Bc5 7. d3 d6 8. h3 Nh7

If Black plays the natural 8... O-O 9. O-O Nd4 10. Kh2 c6 then White hits first with 11. f4.

9. a3 a6 10. O-O Ng5 Also bad is 10... O-O 11. Kh2 f5 12. b4 Ba7 13. f4 because the player with superior development is usually favoured when the game opens up. 11. Kh2 Ne6 12. f4 Bd7 13. b4 Ba7 14. Nd5 Ned4 Worse is 14... Ncd4 15. f5 Nxe2? 16. fxe6! 15. Nec3 Be6?

This move must be bad. Carlsen takes the liberty to assume this flagrant provocation.

The natural move was 15... O-O but Carlsen didn´t want to face the storm. However, it´s not clear how White will mate the black king once he has castled. There are many alternatives, for example:

a) 16. f5!? 16... f6 followed by Ne7, c6 and there is a lot of play ahead. b) 16. fxe5 Nxe5 17. Qh5 c6

c) 16. Qh5 f6 17. fxe5 Nxe518. Bxh6 Be8)

d) 16. b5 axb5 17. cxb5 Ne7 18. fxe5 (18. f5 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 f6) 18... Nxd5 19. Nxd5 dxe5 20. Bxh6 gxh6 21. Rf6 Kg722. Qh5 Qxf6 23. Nxf6 Kxf6 16. f5 Bd7

Black retreats after losing two tempi, facilitating the advance of the f5 pawn. Black is in big trouble: the f pawn is advancing at any moment and he can´t castle. The spectators thought that it was just a question of waiting for a while until Kramnik found the way to penetrate. 16... Bxd5 17. exd5.

17. Rb1

Very positional and correct.

17. Qg4 Kf8.

17. Qh5 Nb3.

17. b5 axb5 18. cxb5 Na5 19. b6!? 17... Nb8

It´s incredible that such a move can work, but it´s a good defence.

Against 17... f6 there was a convincing reply 18. Nxf6+!! Qxf6 (18... gxf6? 19. Qh5+ Kf8 20. Bxh6+ Rxh6 21. Qxh6+ Kf7 22. Qh7+Kf8 23. Nd5 Be8 24. Qh6+ Kf7 25. Nxc7) 19. Nd5 Qf7 (19... Qd8 20. Qh5+ Kf8 21. f6 Be8 22. f7 Bd7 23. Rf6!) 20. Nxc7+ Ke7 21.f6+ gxf6 22. b5 with a strong attack. 18. c5!?

18. Be3 also possible was 18... c6 19. f6 g6 20. Ne7 Be6 21. c5 with a strong initiative. 18... dxc5 19. bxc5 Bc8

Another incredible defensive move. The position should be studied carefully.

20. Qh5

An interesting refinement was first 20. Qg4 Kf8 and only then 21. Qh5 reinforcing the threat f5-f6. 20... Nd7 21. Na4

21. Bg5 This alternative is very important and must be examined deeply in future analysis. 21... Qxg5 22. Nxc7+ Kd8 23. Qxg5+(23. Qxf7 It would be great if White could play this way but it´s just not tactically possible. 23... Kxc7 24. f6 gxf6 25. Nd5+ Kb826. c6 (26. Rxb7+ Kxb7 27. Rb1+ Nb5) 26... Nxc6 27. Qe6 Bg1+ 28. Rxg1 Ka7 29. Rgc1 Rb8 and Black resists well.) 23... hxg5 24.Nxa8 Bxc5 25. Na4 (25. a4) 25... Bxa3 26. N8b6 The

ending is microscopically better for White and therefore it didn´t seem such a great idea to go for this variation. 21. h4 Bxc5 (21... c6!?) 22. Bg5 Nf6 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Qg4 Bf8. 21... c6 22. Ndb6 Nxc5! 23. f6 g5!

23... gxf6 was losing immediately to 24. Bg5! hxg5 25. Qxh8+. 24. Bxg5?!

Kramnik possibly loses the thread of the game from now onward.

The most promising continuation was 24. Nxc8! Qxc8 25. Nxc5 Bxc5 26. h4 and in exchange for a miserable pawn White has tremendous attacking options against Black´s king. The bishop on h3 will bring along new offensive ideas. 24... Nxa4 25. Nxa8

25. Nxa4? b5 26. Nc3 Qd6 27. Bxh6 Be6. 25... b5 26. Be3

Against Bxh6 Black can choose between Be6, Ne6 and Qd6. With any of them he would be better because the knight on a8 would fall. 26... Bb8

26... Qd6 27. Rbc1 Bb7 28. Qg4 and the position is dynamically balanced. 27. g4 Rg8 28. Qxh6

The move order 28. Bxd4!? Qxd4 (28... exd4+ 29. e5! Qd7 30. Kg1) 29. Qxh6 seemed better taking advantage of the fact that Black can´t capture the pawn on d4. 28... Be6 29. Rbc1?!

29. Kh1? c5.

29. Bxd4 exd4+ 30. e5 Bxe5+ 31. Kh1 Kd7 32. Rbe1 would lead to an improved version of the game in which White would obtain the draw comfortably. 29... Kd7! 30. Bxd4 exd4+ 31. e5 Nc3

Dangerous is 31... Bxe5+ 32. Kh1 Qxa8 33. Rfe1 Qb8 34. Qh5 with attack 32. Rxc3

32. Qf4 Ba7 33. g5 Qxa8 favours Black. 32... Bxe5+

32... dxc3?! 33. Qe3!

33. Kh1 dxc3 34. Qe3 Qb8! 35. Qc5?! Due to his lack of precision, Kramnik is slowly worse.

35. d4!? Bd6 36. d5 cxd5 37. Nb6+ Kd8 38. Nxd5 Bxd5 39. Bxd5 Qc7 40. Rc1. 35... Qd6 36. Qa7+ Kd8 37. Qxa6 Bd4! 38. Qa5+ Kc8 39. Qa6+ 39. Nb6+? Kb7 40. Nc4 Qc5! 39... Kd8 40. Qa5+ Kc8

41. Qa6+ And Carlsen accepted the draw by move repetition. That night he published in his blog that "I must have been very relaxed when I arrived at move 40 because I missed a simple line that would have given me chances to continue to play for a win" 41... Kb8! This is the correct move and after 42. Nb6 Black has 42... Bc8! 43. Nxc8 Rxc8 leaving White in a precarious position.

1/2-1/2

Game 62 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Also in this game Carlsen is willing to take huge risks to try to win. The way that he opens his kingside in order to win a pawn demonstrates his ambition. Then as usual, he handles the position with precision and iron nerves, emerging into an advantageous endgame and the rest is child's play in his hands. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Nakamura, H USA 2758 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2826

Queen's Indian Defense [E15] Tal Memorial - Moscow, 2011

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb4+ This move prevents the sacrifice 5...c5 6.d5! which has given White several wins in important games. 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. O-O d5 9. Ne5

More popular is 9. b3 O-O 10. Rd1 Nbd7 11. Bf4 Rc8 12. Nc3 gradually building up the position. A good example is the game Grischuk-Tomashevsky,E (2646) Moscow 2007 that continued 12... h6 13. h3 Nh5 14. Bc1 f5 15. a4 Bd6 16. a5 bxa5 17. Ba3 Bxa318. Rxa3 dxc4 19. Rda1 c5 20. Rxa5 and White maintains a small superiority. 9... Nfd7 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Bf4 Nxe5 12. dxe5?!

Dubious and unnecessary. Why not Bxe5 and follow the same line as in the game? Nakamura wants to give the game a tactical approach, in accordance to his enterprising style, but these Queen´s Indian lines are not the best ones for these things. 12... O-O

Black already has a comfortable position. 13. Rd1

In the post mortem both players analysed lines such as 13. Nc3 Nc6 14. Nxd5 Nd4 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Qa4 Nxe2+ 17. Kh1 Nxf418. Bxa8 Bxf1 19. Qxf4 Rxa8 20. Rxf1 Rd8 and Black is OK. Maybe even better is 13...Nd7 to avoid the massive simplification. 13... Bb7 14. Nd2

14. e4? d4 15. Nd2 g5

14. Nc3 Nc6 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Bxd5 Qe8 17. Qe4 Rd8 Feller-Palac, Cap d'Agde. 14... Nc6 15. Nf3?

Nakamura should have played 15. h4 although after 15... Rc8 the position is slightly worse for White. 15... g5

After this unexpected movement White´s e5 pawn can´t be sustained. It´s not the end of the game, because Black must weaken his kingside and that is always troublesome, but certainly it´s an important pawn. 16. Be3 g4 17. Nd4 Nxe5 18. Bh6 Re8 19. e4?!

The most aggressive move. 19.Qd2 deserved attention, to transfer the queen to f4 19... Bc5 20. Nb3

20. exd5 Qf6! 21. Bf4 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 exd5.

20... Rc8 21. Nxc5?

The line 21. exd5 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Qf5 Rc6 24. Bf4 Rf6 25. Qg5+ Rg6 26. Qxd8 Nf3+ 27. Kg2 Rxd8 28. Rac1 offered superior defensive possibilities. 21... Rxc5 22. Qa4 Bc6 23. Qd4 Qf6 24. Bf4 dxe4 25. Bxe4 Nf3+ Another way of playing was 25... Bxe4 26. Qxe4 Nf3+ 27. Kg2 Qf5. 26. Bxf3 Qxd4 27. Rxd4 Bxf3 28. Rd7 Rd5

Also playable was 28... e5 29. Be3 Rd5 30. Rxd5 Bxd5. 29. Rxd5 exd5 30. Be3 Re4

White´s hopes are based on an opposite-coloured bishop ending, after simplification, in which his drawing options will be big.

31. Re1 d4 32. Bd2 Rxe1+ 33. Bxe1 Be2!

Carlsen doesn´t fear the drastic material reduction and has accepted this ending, which doesn´t admit any more simplifications. White´s king is trapped, so therefore he must sacrifice a pawn to avoid losing quickly.

34. f4 gxf3 35. Bf2 d3 36. Be1 Kg7 37. Kf2 Kf6 38. Ke3 Kf5 39. h3 39. h4 loses instructively. 39... Kg4 40. Kf2 Bd1 41. Bd2 Bc2 42. Bf4 Bb1! 43. a3 b5 44. Bd2 Bc2 45. Be3 a6 46. Bd2 Bb3 47. Be3Bd5 48. Bd2 Be4 49. Be3 Kf5 and once the square b3 has been weakened Black marches through with his king. 39... h5 40. Bd2 Bf1 41. Be1

41. Kxf3 Bxh3 42. Ke3 Bf1 43. Kf2 Be2 44. Ke3 Kg4 45. Kf2 f5 with the unstoppable threat f4 and h4. 41... Bxh3 42. Kxd3 Bf1+ 43. Ke3 Kg4 44. Kf2 Bb5 45. Bc3 Bc6 46. Be5 b5 47. Bb8 a6 48. Bc7 f5 49. b3

49. a3 Bd7 50. Bd6 f4 51. gxf4 Bf5 52. Bc5 h4 53. Kg1 Kxf4 54. Bf2 h3 55. Kh2 Ke4 56. Kg3 Bg4! And Black´s king has a free walk. 49... Bd5 50. Bd6 f4! 51. gxf4 h4 52. f5 Kxf5

53. Ke3 53. a4 Bxb3 54. axb5 axb5 55. Kxf3 Bd5+ and the pawns are too far away. Normally two files between them is enough and here there are five. 53... Kg4 54. Kf2 h3 55. Ke3 Be4 56. Kf2 Bb1 57. a3

57. a4 b4 58. a5 Be4 59. Kg1 Bd5 60. Bc5 Kf5 61. Kh2 (61. Bxb4 f2+ 62. Kxf2 h2) 61... Bxb3 62. Kg3 Bd5 63. Bxb4 f2 64. Kxf2 h2. 57... Ba2 58. b4 Bf7 White resigned.

The game could have finished the following way. 58... Bf7 59. Bh2 Bh5 60. Bg3 Kf5 61. Bh2 Bg4 62. Kg3 Ke4 63. Kf2 Kd3 64.Bc7 Kc4 65. Kg3 Kb3 66. Bb6 Kxa3. 0-1

Game 63 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Carlsen doesn't hesitate to sacrifice two pawns to organize a strong attack against his opponent's castled king. Then he handles the position with a delicate balance of patience and determination, which only a very select few are capable of doing. With his proverbial perseverance, he breaks the resistance of his adversary, but ultimately, perhaps overconfidently, he nearly ruins it all. At the end of the day, Carlsen must be human. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2826 ■Howell, D ENG 2633

Ruy Lopez, Berlin defense [C65] London Chess Classic, 2011

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 Nearly everyone advances their d-pawn now, mainly to d6, although a lot of players play d5 straight away. Magnus had to play this position with Black in the recent Botvinnik Memorial.

The game went: 6... d6 7. Nbd2 Bb6 8. Nc4 Ne7 9. Nxb6 axb6 10. Ba4 Ng6 11. h3 Nh5 12. Bg5 f6 13. Be3 Nhf4 14. Bb3+ Kh8 15.Bxf4?! Nxf4 16. Nh4 f5! and Black had a great position in Anand-Carlsen, Moscow.

7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Bf8 9. Nbd2 d6 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd3 Be7 14. f4 With the advance e4-e5 in his head, Carlsen doesn´t hesitate to make this move that fills the game with dynamism. 14... Qb8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5!? After the game Howell confessed that he had missed this idea, attributing it to his lack of confidence and bad form. This is one of the problems that non-professional Grand Masters have when they play against one of the big ones like Magnus Carlsen. Actually, Howell shouldn´t feel bad; very few Grand Masters would have dared to play 16.e5 sacrificing one pawn after another so early in the game. 16... dxe5 17. Ne4 Qxb2 18. f5

When I saw this position on the board I stayed very quiet, in deep concentration, as if it was me playing the game. I tried to work out the sacrifice, assessing the attacking possibilities and, in general, the compensation. I was thinking of what I would say if I had to annotate this game. It´s really very difficult. Luckily for us, thanks to the new technologies, nowadays this uncertainty doesn´t last very long. I soon heard Carlsen say that the evaluation of the position is very complicated, and that the only thing he could say was that it was easier to play with White. The monster knight on e4 and soon another monster bishop on c4 will keep Black´s position motionless.

18... Red8 19. Bc4 Be8 20. Qh5 Rd6 21. Rab1 The rook on d6 is untouchable, but it also doesn´t create any trouble for White, it´s just a defensive wall. 21... Qc2 22. Qg4 Kf8 23. h3 Rad8 24. Kh2

As the position is very static and Black can´t do anything, Carlsen has taken advantage to play two useful moves, putting his king into safety before he sets out on significant actions. The question is, what can White do to improve his position? 24... Qa4 25. Rb4 Qa3 26. Rb7 R6d7 27. Qf3 Qa4 28. Qe2

For the moment White has made a step in front, placing his rook on the seventh rank, from where it pressurizes the weak pawns on a7 and c7, which may become vulnerable if the rook returns to his "wall" position on d6. Meanwhile Black, with his queen on a4, pressurizes the bishop and prevents White´s queen from going to e3, attacking a7. Black is hanging on a thread. Howell, low on time, yields to the enormous pressure. 28... Re7? 29. Nxf6 gxf6 30. Qe3!

Great games are always decided by a small detail, which in this case is that Black can´t capture the white bishop on c4. 30... Red7

30... Qxc4?? loses to 31. Qxh6+ Kg8 32. Rb4 and the queen can´t retreat because of the mate on g4. Here we can see how useful it was to move the king to h2. Otherwise, Black could have checked on c5 followed by the advance of his pawn to e4 cutting off the rook. 31. Qc5+ Rd6

31... Kg8 32. Rb4 Qa3 33. Be6! was quickly losing. 32. Rxc7

Carlsen indicated that he was considering the possibility 32. Rc1 when White is about to trap the black queen, but he can´t achieve it after 32... Kg7 33. Rxa7 Rd5! 32... Qc2 33. Rc8 R8d7

33... Rxc8 34. Qxd6+ Kg7 35. Rf3 and Black has no defence. 34. Be6!

After this elegant move the game goes into the conclusion stage and should be finished soon. 34... Ke7 35. Bxd7 Bxd7

36. Rh8?! Carlsen was very unhappy about the way he played from now onward, spoiling everything that he had done before. 36. Qxa7! ! was the correct continuation, which would have forced Black to resign soon. The threat is Qc7 and if Black plays Rd2, then simply Rg8 defending g2 and insisting on the mating themes on the eighth rank. 36... Qd3 37. Rf3 Qd5 38. Qxa7 e4! 39. Qb8?

A serious mistake, that could have forced White to start all over again.

White wins quickly after 39. Rf1! Qe5+ 40. Kh1 Rd3 (40... Qb5 41. Kg1) 41. c4! and the attack is overwhelming. 39... Qe5+ 40. Rg3

With just two seconds to make his move 40 Howell thought that he was being mated and resigned. Actually, these last moves arrived very quickly on the ICC and everyone thought the same thing. However, Black can calmly play 40... Qxf5 and there is no mate as Black has a solid escape route through e6. What would of happened here? White is still better, but things are not so clear. He would have to try and win by advancing the pawn to a4 but Black has a center pawn mass that will have to be controlled. 1-0

Game 64 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key In the calm structures that appear in the Ruy Lopez opening - in this case arising from the Italian - Carlsen is one of the best players of all time and it's really dangerous to fight with him in this area. In this game, although he begins with a slight disadvantage, he eventually overwhelms his opponent, who appeared to have a strong position. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2826 ■Nakamura, H USA 2758 Ruy Lopez Opening [C54] London Chess Classic, 2011

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. Bb3 a6 7. Nbd2 Ba7 8. Nf1 h6 9. Ng3 O-O 10. O-O Be6 11. h3 Qd7 12. Be3 In this natural position Nakamura used up half an hour on his clock and then decided not to exchange his dark-squared bishops. He didn´t want to help White open the 'f' file as that could eventually be very dangerous for his king.

12... Ne7 13. Nh4 Ng6 The post-mortem revealed that both players had calculated the variation 13... Bxh3 The continuation would be 14. Bxa7 Rxa715. gxh3 Qxh3 16. Ng2! (16. Nf3? loses to 16... Ng6!) 16... Ng4 17. Re1 Qh2+ 18. Kf1 Qh3 and now 19. f3! allows White to reject the attack. 14. Nhf5 Ne7 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Bxa7 Rxa7 17. f4 c5 18. Bc2!?

A move that few people were able to anticipate. Not even the official daily commentator, Vladimir Kramnik, who was very surprised by the voluntary retreat from the b3-e6 diagonal. Carlsen just wants to avoid simplifications and get something out of the position. 18... b5 19. Qd2 Rb7 20. a3 a5 21. Rf2

In the analysis room Nakamura confessed that he thought that he was OK in this position, but he couldn´t explain what had happened. This opinion coincides with what Carlsen said later. He thought that the position was easier to play with White but that Black had enough counterplay and a draw would be the normal result after correct play.

21... b4 22. axb4 axb4 23. Raf1 bxc3 24. bxc3 exf4 25. Rxf4 Nh7 26. d4 cxd4 27. cxd4 After this center advance Black needs to keep his concentration. In this type of positions the threats are sometimes hidden, but they appear at the last moment. 27... Qg5

Nakamura plays optimistically and with this and his next two moves, he places his pieces in very dangerous squares.

28. Kh2 Nf6 29. Bd1 Rfb8 30. h4 Qg6

And we arrive at the position in which Black is lost, even though he hasn´t made any obvious mistakes. That is how Nakamura expressed it when he arrived at the press room. He was unable to explain where he had made his mistakes.

31. Rxf6! gxf6 32. Qf4 As easy as that. The threats are coming. 32... Rb2 33. Bh5 Qg7 34. Bf3 Ra8?!

This move helps things although after 34... Rd8 35. Rc1 Black is under enormous pressure.

35. d5 Bc8 36. Nh5 Qf8 37. Nxf6+ Kh8 38. Rc1! With multiple intentions, the most elegant of them all Rc7-Rxf7 mating on h6. 38... Kg7 39. e5! dxe5 40. Nh5+ Kh7 41. Be4+

And Black resigned as after 41. Be4+ Kg8 42. Qg3+ Kh8 43. Qxe5+ the rook on b2 falls. 1-0

Game 65 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key A seemingly innocuous opening allows Carlsen to enforce his best virtues. With patience, technique and strategic vision the Norwegian once again wins the fight in his favor, using even the smallest mistake of his opponent, which finally comes on move 51. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2835 ■Gashimov, V AZE 2761

English Opening [A30] Tata Steel - Wijk aan Zee, 2012

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 d6 9. Bg5 a6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qf4 O-O 12.Rfd1 Be7 13. Ne4 Bxe4 14. Qxe4 Ra7 15. Nd4 Rc7 This line has been played in hundreds of games and generally Black chooses this move. He keeps his queen behind the rook on the semi-open file.

The following game was an exception 15... Qc8 16. b3 Re8 17. a4 Qc5 18. Ra2 Qh5 19. Bf3 Qe5 20. e3 Rc8 in which the queen played in front of the rook and Black didn´t have any problems, in Kramnik-Aronian, Yerevan. Black even ended up winning the game.

16. Rd2!? This is not a new move, because it had already been played once in 1994, but it´s the beginning of a new strategy. In the other 50 known games White was invariably playing b3, a4, e3, Rac1 or Ra2 and Qb1.

16... Rc5 16... Qc8 17. b3 Re8 18. Rad1 Bf8 19. e3 Nd7 20. a4 Nf6 21. Qb1 with a small advantage for White in Norri,J (2421)-Rantanen,Y (2356) Finland.

17. Rad1 Qc7 18. b3 Kh8 19. Qb1 Nd7 20. e3 Qc8 21. Rc2 Rc7 22. a4 Rd8 23. Qa2 Ne5 24. h3 Bf6 25. Rcd2 Rc5 26. f4 Ng6 27.Rd3 h6 28. Qd2

White pressures the d-pawn strongly. It will soon be attacked when the knight retreats. Black can´t wait anymore and goes for a desperate counterattack. 28... e5 29. Nc2 b5 30. axb5 axb5 31. Na3 bxc4 32. Nxc4 d5

The only move to escape alive from such an unpleasant situation. Magnus was expecting this move. However, in his personal blog he said that after a few minutes he was surprised that the move was stronger than he had initially thought. 33. Bxd5 Qxh3 34. Qg2 Qxg2+ 35. Kxg2 exf4 36. exf4 Rc7

Apparently the advantage has been reduced to minimums, due to the abundant simplification and the presence of opposite-coloured bishops. But White still keeps some advantage; he has a passed pawn on b3 that will gain in strength and White´s pieces are also placed much better.

37. Ne3 Rcd7 38. Ng4 Bb2 39. Nf2 f6?! 40. Be4! Nf8 41. b4 Rxd3 42. Nxd3 Bc3 43. Rc1 Bd4 44. Nc5 Be3 45. Rc3 Rd2+ 46. Kf3Bd4 47. Rc4 g6 47... h5? 48. Nd3. 48. Nd3 Bg1

The position has simplified even more, but White has increased his superiority. 49. Rc8

49. Rc1!?

49... Kg7 50. Rc7+ Kg8 51. f5

51... g5? Black loses the game here.

He should have played first 51... h5! 52. b5 (52. fxg6 Ne6) 52... g5 and things would be quite different. 52. g4!

Now the pawn structure has been fixed and Black has no counterplay at all. The rest of the game doesn´t offer any technical difficulties. 52... Bh2 53. Rb7 Rc2 54. Nc5 Rc3+ 55. Ke2 h5 56. gxh5 g4 57. Ne6 Rc8 58. b5 Rb8 59. Rxb8

59. Rg7+ Kh8 60. h6 was even more conclusive, but Carlsen´s move wins easily.

59... Bxb8 60. Bd5 Ba7 61. Kf1 Be3 62. Kg2 Kf7 63. Nxf8+ Kxf8 64. Kg3 Ke7 65. Kxg4 Kd6 66. Kf3 Bd2 67. b6 Black resigned because once the pawn gets to b7 he will have to go back with his king to c7 and then the white king will have a free pass to penetrate to g6 through d5 and support the advance of the h-pawn, which will cost him his bishop. 1-0

Game 66 Notes by IM Michael Rahal The key The game between world´s number one and number two didn´t disappoint any of the spectators. It could easily have been decisive for the final result of the tournament. It was an extraordinarily powerful battle in which Magnus had to raise his game to the highest limits and beyond to break the resistance offered by a tremendous Aronian. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2835 ■Aronian, L ARM 2805

QGD [D31] Tata Steel - Wijk aan Zee, 2012

1. c4

During the last two years Magnus has cast aside some of his more risky openings. Now he chooses between a selection of solid lines where he can impose a combination of his strong positional style and excellent endgame technique. 1... e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7

The Armenian Chess School (with Vaganian in first place) prefers this move order, which prevents the exchange variation combined with Bg5 and Nge2 (a plan popularized by Gary Kasparov). 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. Qc2

Preventing the development of the black bishop on f5 that favours the development of black´s pieces.

Another alternative is 6. e3 Bf5 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 Nf6 9. Nge2 Nh5 10. Bxb8 Rxb8 11. f3 O-O 12. O-O f5 as in the game Nakamura,H (2774)-Ponomariov,R (2754)/Saint Louis 2011 that ended in a draw. 6... Nf6 7. h3

Carlsen prepares an escape route for his bishop. He also opens the option for an eventual g4.

If 7. e3 Nh5 8. Be5 Nd7 9. Be2 Nxe5! 10. dxe5 g6 11. Bxh5 gxh5 that seems bad for Black (deteriorated pawn structure, no castling), but another great Armenian player demonstrated in the following game that the bishop pair is more important, 0-1 in 36 moves in Arizmendi Martinez,J (2568)-Sargissian,G (2671)/Porto Carras 2011.

7... g6 8. e3 Bf5 9. Qd2 White keeps open the option of playing 10.g4 (that is why he avoids playing 9.Bd3 immediately).

9... h5 The first critical moment of the game. This pawn move was not forced (9...Bd6 was reasonable) and Aronian will suffer the consequences the whole game. 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. Qxd3

The exchange of light-squares bishops is normally good for Black in all these Queen´s Gambit structures but certainly the pawn on h5 weakens Black´s castled king. Obviously, this is an important concession. 11... Nbd7 12. Nge2 a5

With this move Aronian tries to prevent Carlsen from castling on the queenside, and at the same time he avoids the b4-b5 minority attack. However, there was certain merit in the more reticent 12...a6, with the idea of reacting with c6-c5 if White castles on the kingside and plays the game plan with f3 and e4. 13. O-O O-O 14. f3 b5 15. e4 dxe4 16. fxe4 Nc5 17. Qf3 Ne6 18. Be3

With his energetic play in the center White has achieved a significant advantage. GM Yermolinsky was of the opinion that the best move here for Black was 16...h5-h7! which says a lot about Black´s difficulties; in fact, one of White´s ideas is e5-e6. Both players regroup their pieces during the following moves. It´s clear that, for Black, playing without any control of the center is quite difficult.

18... b4 19. Nb1 Nh7 20. Nd2 Rc8 21. Rad1 Bh4 22. g3 Bf6 23. Nc4 Bg7 24. b3 Qe7 From a practical point of view maybe 24... f5 25. e5 Nhg5 26. Qg2 Ne4 was better, solving the problem of the knight on h7 but Aronian probably dismissed this because of 27. g4!? 25. Qg2!

Prophylaxis, anticipating ...Ng5. 25... Nc7

Low on time Aronian ventures on a pawn sacrifice that at least forces White to advance his e4 pawn, giving up the control of the light-squares.

26. Nxa5 Rfe8 27. e5 Nd5 28. Bd2

28. Nxc6? Qd7! Attacking the knight and the bishop was a trick that White had to avoid.

28... Red8 29. Nf4

29... Qa7?

The second critical moment of the game. This is the definite mistake that loses even more material. He had to play 29... Qd7 and just try to hold. 30. Nxc6! Rxc6 31. Nxd5 Rc2 32. Kh1!

But not 32. Nxb4 Rxd4! And now the tables are turned! That is why it´s important to maintain the attention and focus during the game, especially when there are tactical complications. 33. Qf2 (33. Kh1 Rxb4) 33... Ng5. 32... Bf8 33. e6!

Once Black defends the pawn on b4 Magnus opens new attacking lines. In this case he has Qe4 in mind, attacking g6 and c2. With little time on the clock and a very bad position, Aronian´s resistance from now onwards is very commendable. During the ICC broadcast that I was hosting we thought that the game was about to end. 33... Qa8

The third critical moment of the game. After the game, Magnus said in his blog that he calculated far ahead but he missed 46...g5. Of course, he had a simple and very good alternative here.

34. exf7+ 34. e7 Rxd5 35. e8=Q Qxe8 36. Qxd5 Rxa2 37. Rde1 Qa8 38. Qxa8 Rxa8 39. Kg2 with a clear extra exchange and an easy win. 34... Kh8 35. Nf4 Qxg2+ 36. Kxg2 Rxd4 37. Rf2 Rd6

White has two extra pawns and a passer on f7. With his next spectacular move Carlsen forces a winning ending.

38. Bc1!! Rxf2+ 39. Kxf2 Rxd1 Carlsen also had to calculate 39... Kg7 40. Rxd6 Bxd6 41. Nd5 Kxf7 (41... Nf6 42. Bb2) 42. Bd2 Nf6 43. Bxb4 Bxg3+ (43... Nxd544. Bxd6 Nc3 45. Bb4! Nxa2 46. Bd2) 44. Kxg3 Nxd5 45. Bd2 Kf6 46. a4 g5 47. a5 g4 48. h4! and soon there will be a zugzwang on the queenside. Note that the h-pawn promotes on the correct square.

40. Bb2+ Nf6

40... Bg7?? 41. Nxg6#.

41. Bxf6+ Kh7 42. Ne6 Bd6 43. Be5 Be7 44. f8=Q Bxf8 45. Nxf8+ Kh6 46. Ne6 g5!

Carlsen thought that with two pieces and a pawn for a rook, combined with his king in the center, that it was an easy win but his move 46...g5 opens a line for the king to access the center via g6 and f5, complicating the result. Less strong is 46... Rd2+ 47. Ke3 Rxa2 48. h4! 47. h4 gxh4 48. gxh4 Kg6 49. Nd4 Rd3!

After 20 minutes of thought Carlsen chooses the winning plan.

50. Nc6 The following variation illustrates the difficulty in this ending: 50. Ke2 Rh3 51. Nf3 Kf5 52. Bd6 Kg4 53. Nd2 Rxh4 54. Bxb4Rh2+ 55. Kd3 h4 56. a4 h3 57. Bd6 Rg2 58. a5 h2 59. Bxh2 Rxh2 60. b4 Kf5 and according to the online Nalimov databases consulted during the broadcast the game would have ended in a draw - or not - based on very small details! 50... Rd2+ 51. Ke3 Rxa2 52. Bd6!

Carlsen´s following moves have the idea of capturing the pawn on b4 but at the same time making sure that the h4 pawn survives enough time to advance his own pawn to b3. Also, he must prevent the Black king from going to the kingside easily. A titanic task! 52. Nxb4? Ra3.

52... Ra1 53. Kd4! Rg1 53... Rh1 54. Be7 Rh3 55. Ne5+ (55. Kc4 Rc3+) 55... Kf5 56. Nd3 Rg3 57. Kc4 Rg4+ 58. Kb5 Rg3 59. Nc5 Rg4 60. Bd8 Re4 61. Na6. 54. Kc5 Kf5

In the end all the positions have a common motive: Black has to sacrifice his rook for the h-pawn quickly.

This other variation isn´t enough either: 54... Rc1+ 55. Kb5 Rc3 56. Na5 (Winning, as in the game, is 56. Nd4 Re3! 57. Kxb4 Re458. Kc5 Rxh4 59. b4) 56... Rh3 57. Be7 Re3 58. Bg5 Rg3 59. Kxb4 Rxg5 60. hxg5 Kxg5 61. Nc4 Kf4 and according to GM Speelman (specialist in endings) this position is a draw as the knight can´t capture the rook pawn. 55. Nxb4 Rc1+ 56. Kd4 Re1

With this trick controlling e7, Black wins the h4 pawn but it´s already too late to save the game.

57. Nc6 Re4+ 58. Kd5 Rxh4 59. b4 Rh1 60. b5 Rb1 61. Nd4+ Kg4 62. Kc6 Rc1+ 63. Kd7 Rb1 64. Kc7 h4 Other variations that had to be calculated were 64... Rc1+ 65. Nc6 h4 66. b6 h3 67. b7 Rb1 68. b8=Q Rxb8 69. Kxb8 Kf3 70. Ne5+Kg3 (70... Kg2 71. Ng4) 71. Ng6+. Even this one! 64... Rd1 65. b6 Rxd4 66. b7.

65. b6 Kh3 66. b7 Kg2 67. Nf5! h3 68. Nh4+ 1-0

For example: 68. Nh4+ Kf1 (68... Kg1 69. b8=Q Rxb8 70. Kxb8 h2 71. Nf3+) (68... Kh1 69. b8=Q Rxb8 70. Kxb8 h2 71. Kb7 Kg172. Nf3+) 69. b8=Q Rxb8 70. Kxb8 Kf2 71. Bh2 and White is in time to return with his king. And we are completely sure that the World Champion is capable of mating with bishop and knight!

Game 67 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Magnus Carlsen clearly dominates Topalov in their particular result, in their overall match game score, but for some reason, against Veselin, Carlsen has achieved many of his victories only after taking huge risks. This game was no exception, despite its quiet beginning. It could even be argued that the Norwegian "lost his control" and only got away with it when Topalov went into panic mode. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2835 ■Topalov, V BUL 2770

Sicilian Defense [B51] Tata Steel - Wijk aan Zee, 2012

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. c3 Ngf6 5. Qe2 a6 6. Ba4 Qc7 7. O-O e5 8. d4 b5 9. Bc2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Be7 11. Nc3 O-O 12.Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Bb7 14. Rad1 Rac8 It seems that White is slightly better and that is the impression that Magnus had during the game. However, this evaluation is misleading. The bishop on h4 doesn´t contribute much to White´s position while Black is already very well prepared to start his counterplay on the queenside. 15. Bb3 Rfe8

It´s quite startling that against Bb3, Black moves his rook away from the defence of the f7 square, but modern chess has these things. 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Bg3 Bf8 18. h3?! This move is certainly quite passive. Did Magnus want to play Nh2-g4? His next move was Nh4, which he could have played now. 18... Nb6 19. Nh4 Nc4

Black threatens to capture on b2. How will White prevent this? Surprisingly, Carlsen admitted after the game that he didn´t even consider this threat. 20. Nf5 Nxb2!

A devastating blow. White should play Rc1 now and Black would return to c4 with his knight and an extra pawn in his pocket.

21. Bh4?

Magnus launches his attack on Black´s king, although it´s based on fantasies. As he wrote afterwards in his personal blog, in all the critical variations the king has a very healthy square on h7, 21... Nxd1 22. Bxf6 Nxc3 23. Qg4

With an extra rook and pawn, Black must now defend his king, which is under attack by his opponent´s queen, two bishops and knight. Carlsen impression during the game was that Kh7 practically forced him to resign, but White has a very accurate line that keeps him in the game. The bad news is that Black has other moves to win comfortably. 23... Bxe4

This is the move that allows Carlsen to stay in the game, but deep analysis confirms that it´s the correct one.

Against 23... Kh7 then 24. Nxg7 Bxe4 25. Nxe8 Rxe8 and when everything seems lost White has the ingenious 26. Rd1! and it seems that Black doesn´t have anything better than 26... Bg6 27. Rd7 Ne2+ 28. Kf1 Ng3+ 29. fxg3 Qc1+ 30. Ke2 h5. 23... Re6 is a computer suggestion that cold-bloodily refutes both Nxh6+, Nxg7 and Bxe6. I leave out the variations because they are both long and irrelevant, and also because the attack can be refuted later on in a more simple way. 24. Nxh6+

Better was 24. Nxg7 Kh7 25. Nxe8 Rxe8 26. Rd1 transposing to the previous line, but Magnus missed it. This is a very relevant variation because in the first place Black could have used it by playing Kh7, and now White could have used it to try and save the game. 24... Kh7 25. Bxf7

And now, unbelievably, Topalov had a panic attack and plays: 25... Qxf7??

When there was no need of resorting to such a radical sacrifice.

Black could have played, for example, 25... Bd3! preparing to transfer his knight to e3 via f4 and White has no mating themes. The game would have been an easy win for Black as the variations are quite simple, for example 26. Qh5 (26. Re1 Ne2+ 27. Kh2(27. Rxe2 Bxe2 or Qc1+) 27... Nf4 28. Re3 Qc6) 26... Ne2+ 27. Kh2 Nf4 28. Bg8+ Kh8 29. Qh4 Qc6.

26. Nxf7 gxf6 27. f4 Bg6 28. Qh4+ Kg7 29. fxe5 Ne4 30. Rxf6 Bc5+ 31. Kh2 Nxf6 32. Qxf6+ Kh7 33. Ng5+ Kh6 White has a perpetual at hand with the knight check on f7, but Carlsen goes for the kill. 34. Ne6 Rxe6 35. Qxe6 Re8 36. Qf6 Be7?!

Topalov is still in fear and he retreats, sacrificing the a6 pawn. He was by no means forced to do so. 37. Qxa6 b4 38. Qc4 Bf8 39. g4 Kh7 40. e6 Bd6+

Both players have reached the time control and Black is slightly worse. However, Black shouldn´t lose this position because the coordination of the three coordinated minor pieces will be very dangerous.

41. Kg2 Be7 42. Qc7 Kg8 43. Kg3 Kf8 44. Qf4+ Kg7 45. Qd4+ Kg8 46. h4 Rd8 47. Qc4 47... Bd3? Better was 47... Rd3+ 48. Kg2 Rd2+ 49. Kf3 Bxh4 and although the b4 pawn falls White won´t be able to create threats by advancing his h-pawn.

48. Qc6 Bb1??

A terrible mistake. It´s clear to see that the advance of White´s pawns will be very dangerous. By going after the a2 pawn Black ignores this danger. 49. h5 Bxa2 50. Qe4

Now White wins easily. 50... Kh8 51. h6! Bf6

51... Rg8 52. Qd4+ Kh7 53. Qa7

52. e7 Re8 53. Qf4 Bg7 54. hxg7+ Kxg7 55. g5 Kg8 56. Qf6 1-0

Game 68 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key Radjabov plays the opening with great caution and after massive exchanges it looks as if the game will be a quick draw. But as usual, that's when Magnus begins his personal crusade for victory, with earnestness and great faith in his ability and with devastating results for many of his rivals. In this case, the Norwegian manages to win an instructive rook and bishop ending, with accurate manoeuvres and timely pawn ruptures. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Radjabov, T AZE 2784 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2835

Scotch game [C45] Tal Memorial - Moscow, 2012

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qf3 bxc6 7. Qg3 d6 8. Nc3 Qg6 9. Bd3 An important continuation here is 9. Bd2 Qxg3 10. hxg3 Ne7 11. f3 Ng6 12. Rh5 Bd4 13. O-O-O h6 14. Na4 Bf2 15. g4 with a small advantage for White in Wang HaoTomashevsky, Sochi. 9... Nf6 10. Na4 Bd4 11. c3 Bb6

12. O-O A dubious novelty as Carlsen will demonstrate. Known was 12. f3 Nd7 13. Bf4 f6 14. Bc4 Ne5 15. Qxg6+ and a draw was agreed here in Radjabov-Aronian, Wijk aan Zee.

12... Qxg3 13. hxg3 Ng4 14. Bf4 f6 15. Rad1 h5

Black´s position is very comfortable.

16. Be2 Be6 17. Nxb6 axb6 18. a3 Ke7 19. f3 Ne5 20. Kf2

20... b5 Carlsen wasn´t very pleased with this move after the game. Black has a good position, the position is equal and the natural continuation is to play for a win. This will not be easy at all. 21. Bxe5 fxe5 22. Ke3 h4 23. gxh4 Rxh4 24. Rh1

It´s really tough to imagine that White is about to lose such a position.

24... Rah8 25. Rxh4 Rxh4 26. Rc1 Rh2 27. Kf2 Rh8 28. Ke3

28. c4 Bxc4 29. Bxc4 bxc4 30. Rxc4 Kd7 and Black is OK but, can he play for a win here? 28... g5 29. Bd3

Instead of opening up the game with c4 Radjabov tries to construct a fortress and his play becomes passive and cowardly.

29... Kd7 30. Ra1 Bb3 31. Rc1 Kc8 32. Kf2 Kb7 33. Kg3 Be6 34. Ra1 Kb6 35. Rc1 c5 36. Ra1 c4 37. Bc2 Kc5 38. Re1 c6!

Black manouevres at his pleasure and now he plans to return with his king to f6 to support the advance d5.

39. Bb1 Kb6 40. Bc2 Kc7 41. Kf2 Kd7 42. a4 bxa4 43. Ra1 Rb8 44. Ra2 d5 45. exd5 cxd5 46. Bxa4+ Kd6 47. Bc2 d4 48. Be4 Rb649. Ke2 g4

50. fxg4? A questionable decision, that leaves Black with a passed e-pawn. In addition to this, Black´s pieces will penetrate into White´s position through these open lines.

50... Bxg4+ 51. Kd2 Be6 52. Kc2?

This mistake advances the end of the game and now White loses with hardly any resistance. There were two alternatives that would have offered tenacious resistance.

52. Ke2 Bd5 53. Kf3.

52. Kc1 Bd5 53. Bxd5 Kxd5 54. cxd4 exd4 55. Ra5+ Ke4 56. Rh5. 52... Bd5 53. Bxd5 d3+!

A fine in-between move that reveals the problem of the king on c2. Now White has no time to exchange pawns and Black ends up with two passers in the center.

54. Kd2 Kxd5 55. Ke3 Rg6 56. Ra5+ Ke6 57. Ke4 Rg4+ 58. Kf3 Rf4+ 59. Ke3 Rf1 0-1

Game 69 Notes by GM Amador Rodríguez The key White's solid opening guarantees equality but not a draw. Carlsen maneuvers with his knight, causing weaknesses in White's position and the rest seems easy for the great Norwegian. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□McShane, L ENG 2706 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2835

Ruy Lopez Opening [C85] Tal Memorial - Moscow, 2012

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Bxc6 The English player decides to play this solid continuation that leads to a differed exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez, a line that he has played in the past.

6... dxc6 7. d3 Nd7 8. b3 O-O 9. Bb2 f6 10. Nc3

More common is the development of the knight on d2.

10... Re8 11. Kh1 Nf8 12. Ne2 c5 13. Nh4 Ne6 14. Nf5 Bf8 The opening has been played thematically by both players. White is looking for activity on the kingside, and Black wants the same thing in the center and on the queenside. The position is balanced. 15. Ne3

Black is comfortable after 15. f4?! Nxf4 16. Nxf4 Bxf5 17. exf5 exf4 18. Rxf4 Bd6. 15... Nd4 16. f4 Be6 17. fxe5

17. f5 Bf7 doesn´t give Black any problems. With his bishop on b2, White would take quite a while to organize a pawn storm on the kingside. 17... fxe5 18. Ng1 g6! 19. c3 Nc6 20. Nf3 Bg7 21. Qe1

White could have kept the position solid with 21. Qc2 followed by Rad1, and if Black then advances a6-a5, then he has a2-a4. Instead, McShane moves his queen over to the kingside and offers a pawn sacrifice which Carlsen will not accept. 21... a5!

21... Qxd3? 22. Rd1 Qb5 23. Nd5 would be excellent for White.

22. Rd1 a4 With good criteria Carlsen takes advantage to destroy White´s queenside. Now McShane will have to go all-in on the kingside. 23. bxa4 Rxa4 24. a3 Rf8 25. Bc1 Ra8 26. Qg3 Bb3 27. Rde1?!

27... Qxd3! Carlsen captures the pawn with no fear. White, in serious time trouble, has to play for mate. 28. Ng4 Be6 29. Nh6+ Kh8 30. Qh4 Bf6! 31. Bg5 Bxg5 32. Qxg5 Kg7 33. Qc1 Rf4 34. Rd1? 34. Ng5 was the last chance to find some initiative in exchange for material.

34... Qc4 35. Rfe1 Raf8 36. Ng5?! Bc8 37. g3 Rf2! 38. Nf5+ gxf5 39. Nh3 Re2 40. Qg5+ Kh8 0-1

Game 70 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key We attend a balanced fight, with some specific errors by both players, which is not uncommon for a game played at a fast pace. When the draw seems imminent, Carlsen demonstrates his superiority in the ending. As Kasparov put it on Twitter: "After the opening, the gods placed the middle game but in the ending, the gods put Carlsen". (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2837 ■Karjakin, S RUS 2779

Ruy Lopez, Berlin defense [C65] WCC Blitz - Astaná, 2012

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 Carlsen played the Berlin defence in several games in this tournament. Karjakin decides to give him a taste of his own medicine but Carlsen has his own recipe. 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O a6

5... Nxe4 is obviously very dangerous because of 6. Re1. Alternatively 5... d6 6. Nxd4 leads to a Steinitz defence, which is considered to be slightly better for White. But 5... Be7 deserved consideration. 6. Bxc6

With this move Carlsen avoids the main lines, and goes for a relatively unknown line of the Exchange Variation. 6. Ba4 is the main alternative. 6... dxc6 7. Nxd4 Bc5

A month before, in the Tal Memorial blitz tournament, Aronian had played 7... Be7 against Carlsen and after 8. f3 O-O 9. Be3Nd7 10. Nc3 Ne5 11. Qe2 White reached a similar position to the game, although he ended up losing.

8. c3 O-O 9. f3 Nd7 10. Be3 Ne5 11. Qe2 Qe7 12. Nd2 f6 13. Kh1 Bd6 14. Rae1 c5 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. exf5 Qd7 Black has had to give up the pair of bishops, but he has also weakened the kingside pawn structure. The position can be considered equal. 17. f4 Nf7 18. g4 Rfe8 19. Qf3 Bf8 20. Ne4 Qd3

Was an interesting option. Meanwhile 20... Qc6 21. Nd2 Qxf3+ 22. Nxf3 b6 Black has no problems. 21. Nf2 Qb5 22. g5! Qxb2?!

Safer was 22... Be7 23. Ne4 Kh8 24. Qh5 Nd6.

23. gxf6 Qxc3 24. fxg7 Bxg7 25. Rg1 Kh8 26. Qxb7 26. Ng4 would give Black more problems, in view of the threat Rc1 and an eventual f5f6.

26... Nd6 27. Qd5 Nxf5? A mistake. Correct was 27... Bd4 with a satisfactory position for Black. 28. Bxc5?

Both players missed that 28. Qxf5 Rxe3 29. Ne4! was winning, in view of the threat Ng5. Maybe Carlsen saw 29... Qxe1 but 30.Ng5 Qh4 31. Nf7+ Kg8 32. Qd5 that leaves Black without any defence, as if 32... Kf8 33. Ng5 followed by Qxa8.

28... Rad8 29. Rxe8+ Rxe8 30. Nd3 Qf6 31. Rg5 Rd8 32. Qxf5 Qxf5 33. Rxf5 Rxd3 34. Rf7 Rd1+ 35. Kg2 Rd2+ 36. Kf3 Rxa2 37.Rxc7 Kg8 38. h4 Now a draw would be the normal result, but in rapid games the clock is always decisive. 38... Rc2 39. Rc8+ Kf7 40. Ke4 Rc4+ 41. Kf5 Bd4 42. Rf8+ Kg7 43. Bd6 Rc6 44. Rd8 Bc5 45. Be5+ Kf7 46. Rd7+ Be7 47. h5 Ke8 48. Ra7 Karjakin has been slowly grinded into a delicate position. 48... Rh6 49. Bg7 Rc6

Naturally 49... Rxh5+ doesn´t work because of 50. Ke6.

50. h6 Kf7 51. Ke4 Ke8 52. Ra8+ Kf7 53. Rh8

53... Rc4+? The decisive mistake. 53... Kg6 is better, although Black is still in trouble after 54. f5+

Contrary 53... Bf6 ensures an easy draw, for example 54. Bxf6 (54. Rxh7 Kg6) 54... Kxf6 55. Rxh7 Kg6 56. Rh8 Rc4+ 57. Ke5Rc5+. 54. Kf5 Rc5+ 55. Be5 Bf8 56. Rxh7+ Kg8 56... Ke8 isn´t better in view of 57. Rh8. 57. Rh8+ Kf7 58. Rxf8+ 1-0

Game 71 Notes by IM Michael Rahal The key This game reminds me of a younger Carlsen, who practiced a much more direct game, especially with White. Much has to do with the Chinese player's poor opening setup, which allows Magnus to develop a nice, clean attacking game. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2837 ■Wang Hao CHN 2739

Nimzo-Indian Defense [E32] Biel, 2012

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. Nf3 b6? After the game, Carlsen stated that he has known for the last 10 years that Wang´s move was a mistake. At first he thought that maybe the Chinese player had developed a new idea, but then he realized that Wang had just mixed up his move order, as ...b6 is a typical move in many Nimzo-Indian variations. Possible moves are 5...d5, 5...c5 and 5...d6 or even 5..Nc6. 6. e4! c5 7. e5 Ne8 8. d5

Alternatively 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 also seems possible. 8... exd5 9. cxd5 d6 10. Bg5

Or 10. Ng5!? g6 11. h4 dxe5 (11... Qe7!?) 12. h5 was proposed by Carlsen in the postmortem as an interesting move but maybe it´s too risky. 10... f6 11. exf6 Nxf6 12. O-O-O Bxc3 13. bxc3 Bg4 14. Re1 Bxf3

Curiously, in the first round Nakamura also exchanged his bishop for the knight on f3 without any provocation so Carlsen was probably expecting it. Actually, Magnus thought that 14... Nbd7 was the normal move, and then 15. Bd3 h6 16. Bf4 and now16... Bxf3 would transpose to the game while (16... c4 17. Bxc4 would be complicated). 15. gxf3 Nbd7 16. Bd3 h6

17. Bf4 Carlsen couldn´t believe that 17. Bxh6 wasn´t winning immediately but his analysis seem to indicate that it doesn´t. 17... gxh618. Rhg1+ Kh8 19. Qd2 Rf7 20. Qxh6+ Nh7 and in this position Carlsen couldn´t find a direct win. He considered 21. Re6 in order to increase the pressure, but after the precise 21... Qf8 there is no forced win for White. Clearly, this isn´t the way to proceed. (But not 21... Ne5?? 22. Bxh7 Rxh7 23. Re8+! Qxe8 24. Qf6+ winning.)

17... c4 18. Bf5

There is no reason to accept the pawn and misplace the pieces, for example 18. Bxc4 Qc7 19. Bb3 Nc5 and Black´s pieces coordinate again. 18... Nc5 19. Rhg1 Kh8 20. Rg6

20. Bxh6 doesn´t work this time because of 20... gxh6 21. Qd2 Qc7! The only move (21... Rf7? loses to 22. Qxh6+ Nh7 23. Bxh7Rxh7 24. Re8+! Qxe8 25. Qf6+ winning, while) (21... Ng8? also loses to 22. Rxg8+ Kxg8 23. Qxh6 Rxf5 24. Rg1+ Kf7 25. Rg7+with a decisive advantage for White.) 22. Qxh6+ Nh7 and again there is no direct win. 20... Rf7

At the postmortem Carlsen proposed 20... Nfe4 as Black´s best defence, but after 21. Rxe4 (21. fxe4 also seems good, then 21...Nd3+ 22. Kb1 Nxf4 (22... Nxe1 23. Qd2 Nf3 24. Qe3 Nh4 25. Rxh6+ gxh6 26. Be5+! winning) 23. Rg4 Nd3 24. Reg1 with an attack.) 21... Nd3+ 22. Kb1 Rxf5 23. Rxc4 Nxf4 24. Qxf5 Nxg6 25. Qxg6 and White maintains the advantage but he has lost his attacking options. 21. Reg1 Qf8 22. Be3

22... Nxd5? Probably the decisive mistake, but both players were in time trouble.

Magnus also indicated another variation: 22... Nh5 23. Be6 Nd3+ 24. Kb1 Rf6 25. Bd4 Rxg6 26. Rxg6 Kh7 27. Rg1 Qf4 and it seems that Black can hold this position. 23. Bd4! Nf6 24. Qd2 Re8 25. Rxg7 Qxg7

Wang possibly missed that if he captures the rook with 25... Rxg7 26. Qxh6+ Kg8(26... Nh7 27. Qxh7#) then the definitive blow comes after 27. Bh7+! Kh8 (27... Kf7 28. Qxf6#) (27... Nxh7 28. Rxg7+ Qxg7 29. Qxg7#) 28. Bxf6. 26. Rxg7 Kxg7 27. Qf4

Maybe the game is not technically won, but there is no doubt that it´s much easier to play with White, especially in time trouble. 27... Nd3+ 28. Bxd3 cxd3 29. Kd2 Kg6 29... Re6? 30. Qg4+

29... Re2+? 30. Kxd3 Rxa2 31. Qg4+ Kf8 32. Qe6. 30. Kxd3 Re6 31. h4 Rfe7

The only move to stay alive was 31... Rh7 although after 32. h5+ Kf7 33. Qf5 Rg7 34. f4 White should win by means of the plan a4-a5 combined with the invasion of the queen on d7 (after the exchange on f6) at the right moment. 32. h5+ Kf7 33. Qf5 Re5

34. Qg6+! 34. Bxe5?! Rxe5 35. Qg6+ Ke6 36. Qxh6 Rxh5 only complicates things.

34... Ke6 35. f4

And Wang resigned in view of 35. f4 Rf5 36. Bxf6 Rxf6 37. f5+ Ke5 38. f4+ Kxf4 39. Qxf6. 1-0

Game 72 Notes by IM Ángel Martín The key Carlsen has been compared to a crocodile. The Norwegian waits patiently for his opponent's mistake in the opening, in the strategic middle game or during complicated move calculations. And, as in this game, especially in the ending when his opponent is tired. After a boring technical game, which seemed to inevitably lead to a draw, the crocodile, attentive to the opportunity, opens his mouth and... (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Wang Hao CHN 2739 ■Carlsen, M NOR 2837

Queen's Indian Defense [E15] Biel, 2012

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb7 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 c5 8. O-O O-O 9. Bc3 Na6 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Nxc3 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Nc5 14. Rc1 Qc7 15. b4 Nb7 16. Ncb5 Qb8 17. Qd3 Rc8 18. Rfd1 h6 19. f3 a6 20. Nc3 Nd6 21. Nb1 Nde822. Nd2 Qb7 23. c5 bxc5 24. bxc5 Qa7 25. N2b3 Nd5 26. c6 dxc6 27. e4 Ne7 28. Nc5 Nf6 29. Ndb3 Ng6 30. Qc3 Nf8 31. Na5Rab8 32. a4 Kh8 33. Rb1 Rb6 34. Rxb6 Qxb6 35. Nab7 Rb8 36. Nd6 Kg8 37. Rd2 a5 38. Nd3 N8d7 39. Nc4 Qa6 40. Rc2 c5 41.Rb2 Rb7 42. Rxb7 Qxb7 43. Qb2 Qa6 44. Qb5 Qxb5 45. axb5

The seventh round game seemed to be the one that would decide the tournament. Wang had played excellently and everything indicated that Carlsen would have to face a depressing knight ending. So, when the Norwegian played the forced move 45... a4

Wang lowered his guard and quickly replied with the obvious

46. Ndb2? 46. b6 a3 47. Nxa3 (47. Nc1 Kf8 48. b7 Ke7 49. e5 Nd5 50. Nxa3 Nb4 51. Nb5 Nc6 52. f4 Kd8 53. Kf3 Nd4+ 54. Nxd4 cxd4 55.Ke4 Kc7 56. Kxd4 Kxb7) 47... Nxb6 48. Nxc5 would only draw - but the Chinese player forgot about the next trick.

46... Nb6!! And in view of the fact that 47.Nxb6 loses to 47...a3! Black keeps his extra pawn. Carlsen went on to win with impeccable technique in 14 moves.

47. Kf2 Nfd7 48. Ke3 Kf8 49. f4 f5 50. exf5 exf5 51. Kd3 Ke7 52. Na3 Nf6! 53. Nbc4 Nxc4 54. Nxc4 Ne4 55. Ne5?! Totally demoralized, Wang Hao wasn´t able to offer any serious resistance.

Instead 55. Kc2 Nd6! 56. b6 Kd7 57. Na5 setting up a barrier, was much more stubborn.

55... Kd8 56. g4 fxg4 57. Nxg4 Nd6 58. b6 Kc8 59. Ne3 Kb7 60. Nd5 Kc6 0-1

Bilbao 2012 Interview By GM Amador Rodríguez

THE FOLLOWING interview was conducted by the Peon de Rey chess magazine

director, GM Amador Rodriguez, during the Grand Slam Final in Bilbao, just after Magnus was proclaimed winner by defeating Caruana in a playoff match, during an informal party with which the tournament organization entertained players and personalities invited to the event.

Amador Rodriguez: Let’s go back to the end of September 2009, at Nanjing. You achieved 8/10 in Category XXI tournament, two and a half points ahead of the runner-up. Was this the tournament that consolidated Magnus Carlsen in the world´s elite? Magnus Carlsen: No, Nanjing was a huge step forward, because it was my first really strong win. But I think that my victories in London at the end of that same year and Wijk aan Zee in early 2010 established me as one of the top players in the world or perhaps already the best.

The fans watch Magnus through the glass which is separating the players from the public in Bilbao. Many fans are concerned that in your recent games you are avoiding opening theory, turning to secondary lines. Perhaps you're getting a bit lazy and dedicating fewer hours to study? I don´t think it´s just to avoid theory. Sometimes, for example in my game against Caruana, I was sure that he would play the Ruy Lopez, so when he played the French I realized that he could have prepared something special. In other games, such as against Anand, it wasn’t just to avoid the theory of the Najdorf. I think that 3.Bb5+ is a legitimate way to play, that offers a slight advantage in almost every line, so that you can play this variation. Overall I think that it´s not necessary to go into more complex lines in order to win: for me it´s more important to be able to take the battle into positions

that fit well with my style and my way of seeing chess. So for me, the middlegame stage still remains more important than the opening.

Although your career is still very brief, can you highlight some games that you remember in a special way? You will be surprised by my answer, but I am not usually very happy with my games. It´s difficult for me point out some games above others and I hope that my best games have still to be played. Who are you training with now, do you plan to repeat your experience with Kasparov? I don’t have a coach at the moment, I study by myself. I have had coaches of course, but at the moment things are going well and although I don’t rule out the possibility of working with some other player in the future, I will be by myself got the time being.

During many decades chess has been dominated by Russian players and chess fanatics, such as Karpov and Kasparov. My fellow countryman Capablanca approached tournaments in a different way, in fact it was said that he enjoyed being surrounded by beautiful women. Which of these philosophies to you make use of? I think that the best solution is to take some of both. I am very happy with my lifestyle. In general terms I can see a lot of similarities in my game style with Capablanca, above all because both of us look for the most simple way to win the game.

At 21 you have nearly achieved a tangible superiority with all your persuers. Is there no danger of you becoming bored and dissapearing, a brief carreer such as Bobby Fischer’s? Right now I can´t anticipate my future, but I am sure that I will be playing chess for many years. I think that I still have a lot to learn to become as good as I would like to. The battle for the top is very interesting now. Are you ready for match against Anand?

I think that a match against Anand would be interesting, of course, but at the moment I think that Aronian and myself have seperated ourselves from the rest of the worl’s best players. When Aronian is in top form, he more or less plays at the same level as me.

It has been said that Anand would have the advantage in match-play because of his experience, which you don´t have, do you think that is true? There is no particular reason to indicate that I am not as strong in matches, therefore I prefer no to take much notice of these statements. I think that in a match generally the best player wins. In particular, I think that Anand is a great player, but it´s been a long time since he has publically demonstrated his qualities in a high-level tournament

Do you still think that it was a good idea to decline to participate in the previous FIDE cycle? Do you regret yor decision? That's part of the past and the truth is I don’t spend any time thinking about it, except at the time when I made my decision. It's something that I prefer to leave behind and not comment, as I'm very pleased with how things are going now

I see that there are some tournaments that always resist you, such as Biel, while at others you always win. Does the venue of the tournament influence your play? Did you get used to playing in one city like another? Not in my case and in general I think that professional chess players should perform at the same level anywhere. Right here in Bilbao things were not going well for me in the past but both last year and this year I have achieved important victories against strong opponents. I would like to finish this interview by asking how do you forsee the future?

I should only talk about the short term and my immediate goal is Wijk aan Zee, because I didn´t play all that well in my last two participations. I think that it will be a very important tournament for me.

Game 73 Notes by IM Michael Rahal The key An important game from an emotional point of view as the World Championship match was to be played the following year. Carlsen had won very few games against Anand, especially at classical time controls. However, at Bilbao, a somewhat unmotivated Anand was defeated by the Norwegian. (GM Miguel Illescas)

□Carlsen, M NOR 2843 ■Anand, V IND 2780 Sicilian Defense [B52] Sao Paulo - Bilbao, 2012

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ A clever psychological decision. Anand had already had some trouble with this variation against Caruana in a previous round of the tournament (he even lost a game against Tiviakov in the 2011/2012 Bundesliga season. 3... Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nf6

5... Qg4 6. O-O Qxe4 7. d4! is known to be very risky for Black since the spectacular miniature between Browne and Quinteros, 1974. 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. f3 Qc7!?

A very unusual move order - instead of the nearly automatic...0-0 and ...Nc6 - that prevents White from setting up his standard layout with (Be3, Nde2, Qd2, etc). 10. b3 Qa5 11. Bb2 Nc6 12. O-O O-O 13. Nce2!?

13. Nde2 would be more natural but after 13... Nd7 Black is very comfortable. 13... Rfd8! 14. Bc3?!

The immediate 14. Kh1! would have prevented Black´s liberating manoeuvre. 14... Qb6! 15. Kh1 15... d5! The key move behind Anand´s strange queen manoeuvres. "Now I have no problems at all" said Anand. 16. Nxc6!

Carlsen tried to make a queen sacrifice work with 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Rxd5 18. Nxc6 Rxd1 19. Nxe7+ but then he saw that19... Kh8! (and not 19... Kf8?! 20. Raxd1 Qe6 (20... Bxc3 21. Nd5) 21. Bb4 Qxe2 22. Rfe1! Qxa2 23. Nc8+! and White wins) 20.Raxd1 Qe6 and Black recovers the piece with advantage. 16... bxc6 17. Qe1! Rdc8?

"Sometimes you lose control because of just one mistake and then it´s really difficult to get back into the game" said Anand, indicating that after 17... Re8 18. e5 Nd7 19. e6 fxe6 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Nf4 e5 "Black is perfect."

17... a5 was even more accurate, with the idea of answering 18. e5 with 18... Nd7 19. e6 d4! 18. e5 Ne8 19. e6!

"Now Black must be careful" said Carlsen. 19... fxe6 20. Nf4 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 d4

Anand is trying to confuse Carlsen by returning the pawn as, in any case, after 21... Ng7 22. Rae1 Black doesn´t have anything better than 22... d4 22. Qd2!

Anand was expecting 22. Qe1 c5 when 23. Nxe6 Rc6 24. Nf4 Nf6! leaves Black some space to breathe.

22... c5 23. Rae1 Ng7 24. g4!

24... Rc6?! Anand missed White´s next move that ends all resistance.

After the game both 24... Rf8 and 24... Qd6 were proposed by some commentators as possible options to save the game. However, both players were quite pessimistic about Black´s long-term perspectives, as White can double rooks on the e-file, play Nd3, Kg2 and gradually advance on the kingside. Black´s only active plan is to play... a5-a4 but it doesn´t seem to amount to much and also it comes too late. 25. Nh3!

"Now the game is over" said Carlsen, and Anand agreed. 25... Ne8 26. Qh6 Nf6 27. Ng5 d3

Black can avoid being mated with 27... Qa6 28. Re5 Qc8 but after 29. Rfe1 Qf8 30. Qxf8+ Kxf8 31. Nxe6+ White wins two pawns and the game.

28. Re5! Kh8 Otherwise 29.Nxh7! wins 29. Rd1 Qa6 30. a4

After only two hours of play Anand resigned in view of the plan Rxd3, Rde3 and Nxe6, which he can´t avoid. "This game was very entertaining!" said Carlsen to the Norwegian press after the game; "A huge disappointment" said Anand, after his second defeat in a classical game against Carlsen (the first one was at Linares in 2009) "Sometimes you feel like a scientist, sometimes like an artist and other times like an idiot!" 1-0

Mexico 2012 Interview By Leontxo Garcia and Mario Diaz

THE FOLLOWING interview with Magnus Carlsen, was conducted by Spanish journalist Leontxo Garcia and Mexican actor Mario Diaz, on Sunday November 26th, 2012, just a few hours before the world's number one would cross arms with Judit Polgar in the final stage of the UNAM tournament. An summary of the interview was published in the November 102 issue of the Peon de Rey Magazine, and is reproduced here.

Before a large audience and with a lot of media attention, the young 22-year-old Norwegian showed his more personal side and declared that if he could vote in the U.S. elections he would have chosen Barack Obama. He also declared being a Real Madrid fan although he doen´t lose sleep with football and also that even when playing poker he tries to demonstrate that he is the best.

Will you be so nice and friendly now that you know that Real Madrid lost tonight? Being here in this country with a different time zone causes one to disconnect from what is happening in Europe, where I live usually. Actually, I don´t really have to follow football always. Why do you prefer Real Madrid and not Barcelona?

Everyone has their preferences and I have been a fan of that team for a long time. Also, I like Zidane as a player. Even if tried, I couldn’t be a fan of Barcelona

Do you consider yourself a genius? No, I don´t think so. I feel that I am a very lucky person; I'm good at what I do and I've found something in which I can be brillian, excellent. I understand that a certain level of intelligence is needed, but not genius, which is a very strong word.

We know that as a child your parents took a sabbatical year in Europe playing chess. Do you think that was a good school of life? I'm thrilled with that trip with my family. I feel that both my sisters and I learned many things about the world, things that are very useful and important to know. I think that we learned much more than if we had stayed at school, and I also really improved my chess. When you travel to a tournament, what are you interested in the places you visit?

When I travel to a country for a tournament I prefer to concentrate on the event, but I try to take on some knowledge about the place I visit. I think that compensates for not going to the museums.

If the Europeans could vote in the United States elections, would Obama have definitely won? There was a survey in Norway saying that 93.8 percent of Norwegians would have voted for Obama and I would definitely have voted for him. In any case, I think that Europeans have a system that works pretty well, but we are somewhat arrogant when analysing other societies. Do you see yourself as a polititian in the future?

No, I don´t really see how I can become a politician. I feel much more comfortable giving my opinions, which are very personal, and don´t necessarily have to coincide with the views of others. You are not obsessed with chess…

For me it´s a game. I enjoy playing, and I am still playing after so many tears because I still enjoy it a lot. We have been told that you also play poker, do you usually win?

I play with my friends and it´s not really about winning money, it´s more about defeating your opponent´s. That is what we enjoy, to try and demonstrate that we are the best. Do you always win?

No, I am too impatient.

Game 74 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key The next game was played during the UNAM Festival (Mexico), in the Nezahualcoyotl hall in front of 2000 people. Carlsen played two games simultaneously, one against the audience and another against players from all over the world, who were sending in their suggestions on the Internet. This one is the following game.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2848 ■The World Sicilian Defense [B90] UNAM-México, 2012

1. e4 c5

The participants chose the Sicilian instead of 1... e5 or 1... Nf6 , which were the other two alternatives that were suggested. 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6

Of all the possible variations the Internet audience chose the most popular, the Najdorf. Carlsen replied with an unusual but interesting movement. 6. h3!?

This move goes back to the Fischer period, and even before, but it´s not as popular as the main lines such as 6. Bg5 or 6. Be3 or6. Bc4. 6... e5

The Internet users opted for this movement, that leads to positions that are similar to the Boleslavsky variation (that appears when White plays 6.Be2), with the difference that White has the option of taking advantage of h3 to play g4 and achieve a superior square for the bishop on g2.

I personally prefer the setup with 6... e6 for Black, so that I can answer 7. g4 with 7... h6 trying to make h3 a useless move. One of my games continued with 8. Bg2 g5!? with a double-edged game in Anton,David - Illescas,Miguel, El Sauzal 2010.

7. Nde2 Be7

A standard movement that allows White to enforce his plan with no obstacles.

Liberating his game by means of 7... Be6 8. g4 d5 doesn´t guarantee equality for Black, as after 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Bg2 Nxc3 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Nxc3 Nc6 13. Be3 White achieves a comfortable advantage, because of the bad position of Black´s king

the correct move, according to modern theory, is 7... h5! which I proposed as one of the three candidates, but the audience didn´t appreciate it enough. By means of the aggressive advance of the h-pawn Black slows down White´s kingside expansion. The move has recently achieved good results at the highest level.

8. g4! O-O 9. Ng3! Magnus plays naturally and efficiently.

In an old game, White tried to dominate both sides of the board and his ambitious strategy backfired: 9. Be3 Nbd7 10. a4 Nb6!11. Bg2 Be6 12. O-O Nc4 with good play for Black in Lombardy, W-Fischer,R, New York. 9... Nbd7

The theory of the line finishes here.

An interesting alternative was 9... Ne8!? 10. Nd5 Bh4 Kupreichik,V (2535)-Dvoirys,S (2590)/Leeuwarden. 10. Nf5 Nc5 11. Bg2 Be6 12. O-O Magnus wants to attack, but without taking unnecessary risks. During their next moves both sides continue with their respective plans; White plays on the kingside and Black on the queenside, until the critical moment comes on move 20.

A player such as Shirov would have surely tried 12. g5!? Ne8 13. h4

12... b5 13. a3 Rc8 14. f4 Na4!? 15. Nxa4 bxa4 16. g5 Nd7 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. f5 Bc4 19. Rf2 f6 20. g6

20... h6?! This move won the voting, but I must say that during the game I didn´t like it at all and I still don´t: the white pawn on g6 is a monster with which White has to live for the rest of the game. Black must constantly control the sacrifices on h6 and the weakness of his first rank. Also, all the endings are lost because of the strength of the passer on g6.

Black had to have iron nerves to follow up with the correct 20... hxg6! 21. fxg6 Rfd8 and although the dangers of Black´s position are obvious, it isn´t easy for White to progress in the attack as the obvious 22. Qh5 is answered well enough by 22... Nf8 21. Be3 Nc5 22. Rd2 Rfd8 23. Qe1 Qb7 24. Rad1 Qxb2?! This move is probably a mistake.

It was probably better to sacrifice the pawn closing the file. After 24... d5!? 25. exd5 Qxb2 White´s position is preferable but not as much as in the game. 25. Rxd6 Rxd6 26. Rxd6 Qxa3 27. Qd2

Threatening Rd8+ or Bxh6. Now White´s position seems winning, but there are tactical resources that Black can pin his hopes on. 27... Nd3!

A fantastic jump that hinders White´s task. But just now, Magnus opens the lid of the jar of essences with a high-precision, formidable rook manoeuvre.

28. Rd7! Black´s move is justified after 28. Rxd3? Bxd3 29. cxd3 Qc3 30. Qa2+ Qb3 and the force of the passed pawn tilts the balance towards Black. 28... Bb5! 29. Rd5!

Magnus is playing with astonishing precision and keeps his rook on the best square.

The natural 29. Ra7 is not so good, as after an eventual exchange of queens White´s rook is left out of play, for example: 29...Qb4! 30. cxd3 Qxd2 31. Bxd2 a3 32. Bc3 a2 followed by Kf8 and Black´s rook plays on the c-file. In these variations, the pawn on a2 is a pain in the neck for White. 29... Nf4

Now, however, 29... Qa1+ 30. Kh2 Qe1 doesn´t work as after 31. cxd3 Qxd2 32. Bxd2 a3 33. Bc3 a2 34. d4! Kf8 35. Rc5! White ends up winning, as the enemy rook can´t get back into play. 30. Rc5!

And again, this is another splendid move, pushing his opponent´s rook away from his privileged location on the c-file.

30. Rd8+ Rxd8 31. Qxd8+ Qf8 would have been a mistake as Black breathes with relief.

30... Re8

Slightly better was 30... Rb8 although with the prophylactic 31. Kh2! White stays better. (White must avoid the tempting 31. Rc7Kh8 32. c4 Be8) (or the direct 31. c4 Bd7! 32. Rc7 Rb2!) 31... Kh8 32. c4 Be8 33. Qd6 which would win thanks to the multiple threats.

31. Rc7 Magnus continues naturally, transferring his rook to its ideal position on the seventh rank.

However, the computer proposes a direct way to win material by means of 31. c4! Nd3 32. Rc7 replying 32... Qd6 with a very difficult move to find, 33. Qa5! and after 33... Bd7 34. c5 Qe7 35. c6 White wins. 31... Qa1+?

After this useless move Black´s queen remains out of play and his position collapses quickly.

The move that offered most resistance was 31... Ne2+! against which White, in order to win, must reply with the very difficult - and illogical - move 32. Kh1!! It appears that after 32... Nd4 33. c3 Qd6 34. Ra7 Qb8 the king is safer on h1, as White can win with 35. Bxd4 exd4 36. Qa2+ Kh8 37. Rxg7 mating in a few moves. Obviously, this variation can only be found quickly with the help of a computer. Any human player would move his king to h2 when checked by the knight. 32. Kh2 Kh8

This move saves the king but loses a piece.

Alternatives such as 32... Nxg2 33. Qd5+ Kh8 34. Qf7 Rg8 35. Qxg8+ or 32... a3 33. Bxf4 exf4 34. Qd5+ Kh8 35. Rxg7 and Black will be mated in a few moves. 33. c4 a3

If 33... Nxg2 then 34. Bxh6! is strong. 34. cxb5 Qb2 35. bxa6

The die is cast. Black´s passed pawn is not enough to continue fighting. I proposed to resign here but the Internet audience chose to carry on playing.

35... Qxd2 36. Bxd2 Ne2 37. Rc4 a2 38. Ra4 And at last I decided to force the rest of the world to resign. 1-0

Game 75 Notes by GM Miguel Illescas The key I can´t confirm definitely that Black´s seventh move is a mistake, but the way that Magnus Carlsen replies is simply brilliant, even more so taking into account that this is a rapid game. A deep analysis would be necessary to determine exactly at what moment Black went wrong. Bruzon defended well but his opponent was very inspired.

□Carlsen, M NOR 2848 ■Bruzón, L CUB 2706 Sicilian Defense [B40] UNAM-México, 2012

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d3!? Carlsen prefers to avoid a theoretical debate in the Open Variation of the Sicilian. 3... Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. Qe2!?

The Norwegian insists on leaving the theoretical paths as soon as possible. The normal 5. Nbd2 would have led to a classical King´s Indian Attack position. 5... Nf6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O b5?!

Bruzon tries to accelerate the attack on the queenside before castling, with variations such as 7... O-O 8. e5 Nd7 9. h4 b5 10. Bf4a5 11. Nbd2 in mind, while White keeps accumulating pieces on the kingside, preparing the attack in this sector with the wellknown manoeuvre Re1 followed by Nf1-h2-g4.

8. exd5!

A good decision: by opening the center White wants to take advantage of his development. He also takes over the initiative from a psychological point of view, as after the pawn exchange Black´s advance on the queenside loses all justification. 8... exd5

Weak is 8... Nxd5 as after 9. c4 Black would ruin