CARLSEN vs CARUANA – GAME 9 WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

This is game 9 of the World Chess Championship Match 2018, fully annotated. It is between Magnus Carlsen with White against Fabiano Caruana with Black.

This game features an English Opening. To learn more about the English Opening, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Carlsen,Magnus (2835) - Caruana,Fabiano (2832)

World Chess Championship 2018 London (9), 21.11.2018

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 A29: English Opening: Four Knights Variation with 4 g3

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6...Bc5 [6...Be7 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.Nxd5 c6 9.Nxe7 Qxe7 10.d4 Ng4 11.0–0 h5 12.h3 Nf6 13.e4 Be6 14.d5 Bd7 15.Bg5 cxd5 16.exd5 0–0 17.Qxh5 Qe5 18.Qh4 Rfe8 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Qb4 Kg7 21.Rfe1 Iljin,A (2522)-Poobesh Anand,S (2367)/Kochin 2004/CBM 103 ext/1–0] 

7.0–0 0–0 

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8.d3 [8.Qb3 Be6 9.Qxb7 Nxc3 10.Qxc6 Nxe2+ 11.Kh1 Nxc1 12.Qxc5 Nd3 13.Qc3 e4 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.Qxe5 Qxd2 16.Bxe4 Rab8 17.b3 Bh3 18.Bg2 Rfe8 19.Qxc7 Bxg2+ 20.Kxg2 Qd5+ 21.Kg1 a5 22.Rad1 Qb5 Desboeufs,C (1599)-Ruetsch,J (1270)/St Chely d'Aubrac 2005/CBM 107 ext/0–1 (57)] 

8...Re8 9.Bg5 Nxc3 10.bxc3 f6 11.Bc1 Be6 12.Bb2 Bb6 13.d4 Bd5 14.Qc2 exd4 15.cxd4 Be4 16.Qb3+ 

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16...Bd5 Black threatens to win material: Bd5xb3 

17.Qd1 

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17...Bxf3 [¹17...Qd7!?³ might be a viable alternative] 

18.Qb3+ Kh8 19.Bxf3 Nxd4 20.Bxd4 

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20...Qxd4 Black has a new passed pawn: c7 [20...Bxd4? 21.Rad1+-] 

21.e3 White threatens to win material: e3xd4 

21...Qe5 22.Bxb7 Rad8 23.Rad1 Qe7 24.h4 g6 25.h5 gxh5 26.Qc4 f5 27.Bf3 h4 28.Rxd8 Rxd8 29.gxh4 Rg8+ 30.Kh1 Qf6 31.Qf4 Bc5 

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32.Rg1 [32.Qxc7?? the pawn of course cannot be captured 32...Bd6 33.Qc4 f4 34.Qxg8+ Kxg8–+] 

32...Rxg1+ 33.Kxg1 Bd6 34.Qa4 f4 35.Qxa7 fxe3 36.Qxe3 Qxh4 37.a4 Qf6 38.Bd1 Qe5 39.Qxe5+ Bxe5 40.a5 Kg7 

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41.a6 Is this a dangerous pawn? 

41...Bd4 42.Kg2 Kf6 43.f4 Bb6 44.Kf3 h6 45.Ke4 Ba7 46.Bg4 Bg1 47.Kd5 Bb6 48.Kc6 Be3 49.Kb7 Bb6 50.Bh3 

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50...Be3 Black threatens to win material: Be3xf4 

51.Kc6 Bb6 52.Kd5 Ba7 53.Ke4 Bb6 54.Bf1 Ke6 55.Bc4+ Kf6 56.Bd3 Ke6 ½–½