World Chess Champion and World No 1 Magnus Carsen added one more feather to his cap when he won the two-week Meltwater Champions Chess Tour that ended on October 4.
The Tour was organised in various legs and leagues with accumulation of cumulative points on the basis of performance in each part of it. The tour gave exposure to several talented youngsters to match their wits against the topmost legends from the International Chess.
Wesley So of the USA created a flutter by defeating Mangus Carlsen on some occasions but the latter still topped the score board from the start till the end.
Here is an interesting game from the tour ( Carlsen M vs Vachier Lagrave.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.h3 e5 7.Nxc6!? [Carlsen tries a “Patzer’s idea” as Fischer would call it. In fact, Fischer often did the same! This this capture isn’t in keeping with principles of modern Chess as it strengthens Black centre and allows back the ‘d5’ square. Such a capture can be justified positionally only if White can break the Black’s central pawn mass with f2-f4, before Black is able to get d6-d5. Let’s see how the games progresses now.]
7...bxc6 8.Bc4 [White ‘d5’ wants to keep ....d6-d5 under check.] [8.f4!? looks like a strategic follow up but the complications starting with 8...Be7! 9.fxe5 Nd7! 10.Qg4 Nxe5 could expose the serious weaknesses in White’s camp.] 8...Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3
[10.f4 looks like the established strategic way of playing against Black’s Central Pawn mass, but Carlsen’s moves and plans always remain a mystery to the Chess world. 10...Qb6+ 11.Kh1 exf4 12.Bxf4 Qxb2 13.Qd3 Qb4 14.e5 could have been a logical follow-up of 10.f4.] 10...Nd7 11.Na4 Nf6 12.Nc3 Nd7 [Black is offering a draw indirectly.] 13.Ba3?! [13.f4 or; 13.Bb2 looked more obvious.] 13...Nb6! 14.Bd3 d5 [looks good but the Soviet school might have preferred] [14...f5!] 15.Bxe7 Qxe7
[The opening hasn’t been a success for the world champion. Black seems to have all the trumps.] 16.Re1?! d4 17.Nb1 c5 18.Nd2 Be6 19.Qe2 f6? [An unnecessary ‘safeguarding’ move which loses time. Black had two better and very interesting options.] [19...a5! In style of Capablanca or Reti, or even; 19...Rfc8 intending an eventual ....c5-c4 sacrifice.] 20.Rec1 Rac8 [20...a5! was still called for.
The wise lessons of Masters in the past shouldn’t be disregarded. Unfortunately, Black follows the modern trend of discarding the old strategy as ‘out of fashion’, only to find himself in trouble very soon.] 21.c3 Qf7?! [Black is on the wrong track, he fails to sense that opening of ‘c’ file is likely to change the path of the game from static to dynamic.] 22.Rc2! a5 [Too late and also after placing the wrong Rook at ‘c8’.] [22...c4? fails to the following pretty variaton. 23.bxc4 Nxc4? 24.cxd4 Nxd2 25.d5! Rxc2 26.Bxc2 Bxd5? 27.exd5 Qxd5 28.Rd1 Rd8 29.Bb3!] 23.Rac1 a4 24.cxd4 axb3 25.Nxb3! [This unexpected recapture must have come as a surprise as Black now fails to judge the tactical element in the position.] 25...cxd4?? [This ‘Positional’ move meets with a stunning and unbelievable refutation.
Over a hundred years ago, German Grandmaster Richard Teichmann opined “Chess is 99% tactics” and the Chess playing engines seem to support it. The world seems to be getting back to Paul Morphy’s ‘Golden era of Chess.’] [25...c4! would have maintained equilibrium.] 26.Nc5! Rc7 [26...Bd7 wouldn’t have halted White’s offensive. For example, 27.a4! Kh8 (27...Rxc5?! 28.Rxc5 Nxa4 29.Rc7 winning more material.) 28.a5 Na8 29.Nxd7 Qxd7 30.a6 h6 31.Rb1 Rb8 32.Rcb2 with fatal penetration at ‘b7’.] 27.Nxe6! [White has a ‘Bad’ Bishop, Black has a ‘Powerful’ ‘Protected Passed Pawn’. What more could you want? But Carlsen proves all strategic concepts wrong as now it is the initiative which decides the oucome!] 27...Rxc2 28.Qxc2 [This wins very convincingly but surprisingly World Champion misses the simple] [28.Bxc2! Rc8! 29.Rb1 Qxe6 30.Bb3 Rc4 (30...Nc4 31.Rc1) 31.a4!] 28...Qxe6
[The position seems to be fine for Black except the position of the misplaced Knight. Had the Knight been on ‘c3’, Black might have been better here. But Znesko-Borovsky’s “Knights need Pawn-support” becomes the deciding factor now.] 29.a4 Ra8?! XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+-+k+( 7+-+-+-zpp’ 6-sn-+qzp-+& 5+-+-zp-+-% 4P+-zpP+-+$ 3+-+L+-+P# 2-+Q+-zPP+” 1+-tR-+-mK-! xabcdefghy [29...Rc8 30.Qb2 Rxc1+ 31.Qxc1 Qc8 32.Qb1 Qc3 33.Qb5 h6 34.Bf1 would have been a lesser evil but that, too,wouldn’t have changed the outcome.] 30.a5! Rxa5 31.Qc7! [The finale takes place in style of Paul Morphy, unexpected and elegent! Black can’t save the unsupported Knight.] 31...h5 [31...Ra8 32.Rc6 Rc8 (32...Qb3 33.Rxb6 Qxd3 34.Rb7 is similar to the game.) 33.Rxe6 Rxc7 34.Rxb6] 32.Rc6 Qb3 33.Rxb6! [White doesn’t even halt to retreat the Bishop.] 33...Ra1+ 34.Kh2 Qxd3 35.Rb7--1-0
[The game emphasises on the importance of the concept of ‘safety of King’ which is wrongly considered ‘out of fashion’ by some ‘modern’ players. Carlsen’s “Tactical judgement” reigns supreme as it clearly prevailed over his ‘anti-positional’ play such as permitting protected passed pawn to opponent, using Bishop as a blockader and surrendering central superiority to his opponent. A remarkable game indeed!]
Pravin Thipsay is Grandmaster and Former national Chess champion