CARLSEN vs POTKIN – EUROPEAN CLUB CUP 2018 ROUND 2

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 European Club Cup. It features Magnus Carlsen with White against Vladimir Potkin with Black.

This game features a Giuoco Piano. To learn more about beating the Giuoco Piano, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Carlsen,Magnus (2839) - Potkin,Vladimir (2597)

34th European Club Cup 2018 Halkidiki (2), 13.10.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.Nbd2 0–0 7.b4 C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3 [7.h3 a6 8.Bb3 Re8 9.Nf1 Be6 10.Ng3 Bxb3 11.axb3 h6 12.b4 Bb6 13.0–0 Ne7 14.Nh4 Qd7 15.Qf3 Qe6 16.Nhf5 1–0 (31) Duda,J (2737)-Grischuk,A (2766) chess.com INT 2018] 

7...Bb6 8.Bb3 Ne7 9.Nc4 The position is equal. 

9...Ng6 10.0–0 c6 11.Nxb6 axb6 

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12.a4N [12.h3 h6 13.Qe2 Re8 14.Nh2 d5 15.Rd1 1/2–1/2 (59) Li,E (1822)-Xu,D (1621) Pocos de Caldas 2017] 

12...Re8 13.Be3 Be6 14.Bc2 d5 15.h3 Qc7 16.Re1 h6 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Bd2 Bf5 19.d4 Bxc2 20.Qxc2 exd4 21.Nxd4 c5 22.bxc5 bxc5 23.Nf5 Qc6 24.c4 Ndf4 25.Rxe8+ Rxe8 26.Bxf4! Nxf4 27.Ne3‚ White is up to no good. 

27...Rd8 28.Rb1 h5 29.a5 

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29...h4 30.Rb6 [30.Qf5!? Qc7 31.Rb5±] 

30...Qd7 31.Qb2 Nd3 32.Qb1 Nb4 [32...Qa4!=] 

33.Qe4!± Qd4 34.Qxd4 cxd4 35.Rxb4 And now Nd5 would win. 

35...dxe3 36.fxe3 Endgame KR-KR 

36...Rd1+ 37.Kf2! Ra1 

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38.Rb5! [But not 38.Rxb7 Rxa5 39.Rb8+ Kh7±] 

38...Ra2+ [¹38...Kf8 39.Kf3 (39.Rxb7 Rxa5 40.Kf3 Rf5+ 41.Ke4 Rg5±) 39...Ra4] 

39.Kf3+- g6? [39...Kf8 40.Ke4 (40.Rxb7 Rxa5 41.Rb8+ Ke7±) 40...Ke8] 

40.c5 Kg7 41.Ke4 Rxg2 

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42.Rxb7 Hoping for c6. 

42...g5 [42...Ra2+- 43.Rb5 Kf6] 

43.c6 White mates. 

43...g4 44.c7 Rc2 45.Kd3 Rc1 46.Kd2 Rc6 47.a6! gxh3 48.a7 h2 49.Rb1 1–0