ALTIBOX NORWAY CHESS 2018 ROUND 3

Of the 15 games that constitute the opening three rounds of the Altibox Norway Chess 2018 we have 13 draws and only two decisive games. What makes this even more remarkable both of those games were won by Magnus Carlsen.

This second win also pushed Carlsen’s rating back up to 2851, equal to Kasparov’s highest ever rating.

Carlsen,Magnus (2843) - Aronian,Levon (2764)

6th Altibox Norway Chess 2018 Stavanger (3.3), 30.05.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0–0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Nf5 C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence: 4 0–0 Nxe4 

11.d5 Re8 12.Rxe8+ [12.Bd3 Rxe1+ 13.Qxe1 Qe7 14.Qxe7 Nxe7 15.d6 cxd6 16.Na3 d5 17.Nb5 d6 18.Nxd6 1/2–1/2 (32) Caruana,F (2784)-Aronian,L (2794) Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden 2018] 

12...Qxe8 The position is equal. 

13.Qd3 d6 

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14.Nd2N [14.Nc3 Bd7 15.Bd2 Qe5 16.Rb1 Qd4 17.Ne4 Be7 18.c4 Qxd3 19.Bxd3 1/2–1/2 (52) Nichols,S (2253)-Larwinski,P (2167) LSS email 2013] 

14...Bg5 15.Nf3 Bxc1 16.Rxc1 Bd7 17.Re1 Qd8 18.Qc4 g6 19.h3 Ng7 20.Re3 a5 21.a4 Ne8 22.Qd4 Ng7 

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Strongly threatening ...Nf5. 

23.g4 c6 24.c4 Ne8 25.Qf4ƒ Keeping Black busy. 

25...Kg7 26.Rb3 Rb8 27.Ng5 

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27...Nf6 [27...Qf6± 28.Qd2 h6]
28.Rf3!+- Hoping for Qd4. [28.Qxd6 cxd5 29.Rf3 (29.cxd5 h6=) 29...Bc6±]
28...h6? [28...Qe7 keeps fighting.]
29.Ne4 White is winning.
29...Nxe4 30.Qxf7+ [Not 30.Qxe4 c5²]
30...Kh8 ...Ng5 is the strong threat.
31.Qxg6 1–0