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

ALTIBOX NORWAY CHESS 2018 ROUND 2

Round 2 was bad news for any fan that decided to tune in after the first three hours of play.

The last of the five draws barely made it to two hours and forty minutes. Carlsen chose the Moller Defense in the Ruy Lopez and took the dull draw as a sort of recovery day after his long win against Caruana in round one.

Caruana in turn made his second blunder in as many days. This time, however, he was lucky to have Mamedyarov as an opponent. During the press briefing Mamedyarov indicated that he believed that he was better: “But then I thought, I have to go to the dentist tomorrow, so a draw is good.” Wednesday will be Mamedyarov’s second dentist visit for a severe toothache. Each day he has needed to wait till after the round to have any pain killers – so it is understandable that he was not keen on trying to grind out his advantage for another six hours or more.

Not much can be said of Ding’s game, but for the fact that his streak of unbeaten games continues.

Caruana,Fabiano (2822) - Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar (2808)

6th Altibox Norway Chess 2018 Stavanger (2.2), 29.05.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 0–0 8.Qd2 C42: Petroff Defence: 3 Nxe5 and unusual White 3rd moves 

8...b6 [8...Nd7 9.0–0–0 c6 10.Kb1 d5 11.c4 Nb6 12.cxd5 Nxd5 13.Bc4 Bf5 14.Bxd5 cxd5 15.Qxd5 Qc8 0–1 (39) Robson,R (2660)-Caruana,F (2804) Saint Louis 2018] 

9.0–0–0 Bb7 10.h4 Nd7 11.Bd3 Re8 

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12.Kb1N [12.h5 Bf6 13.Nd4 Ne5 14.Bb5 1–0 (14) Tiemann,H (2361)-Torres,C (2388) GER email 2016] 

12...Bf6 13.Rh3 Nc5 14.Bxc5 bxc5 15.g4 c4 16.Bxc4 Re4 17.Qd3 

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Black must now prevent g5. 

17...d5 [17...Rxg4 looks sharper. 18.Ng5 Bxg5 19.hxg5 Be4 20.Qe2 Bf5] 

18.Bxd5 Qxd5 19.Qxd5 Bxd5 20.Rxd5 Rxg4 

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21.Ra5 Rg2 22.a4 [22.a3 is more complex. 22...Rxf2 23.Rc5 Rc8 24.h5 Rf1+ 25.Ka2] 

22...Rxf2 The position is equal. 

23.h5 Rf1+ 24.Ka2 Rf2 25.Kb1 Rf1+ 26.Ka2 Rf2  ½–½

ALTIBOX NORWAY CHESS 2018 ROUND 1

Early on in the round it looked almost as if Nakamura would end Ding’s 72 game unbeaten streak, but somehow the Chinese GM held it together for the draw.

On the flip side World Champion Magnus Carlsen has a reputation for starting tournaments slowly. This was the fifth time in the past 18 months that Carlsen and Caruana have faced off in the opening round after St Louis 2017; London 2017; Wijk 2018; and Baden-Baden 2018. The previous four encounters were all draws. Not this time… See below.

Carlsen,Magnus (2843) - Caruana,Fabiano (2822)

6th Altibox Norway Chess 2018 Stavanger (1.4), 28.05.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Bxd2+ 7.Nbxd2 a5 Strongly threatening ...a4. C24: Bishop's Opening: 2...Nf6 

8.c3 [8.a3 a4 9.Ba2 Nbd7 10.0–0 0–0 11.Re1 Re8 12.h3 h6 13.Nf1 Qb6 14.Ne3 d4 15.Nf5 0–1 (42) Adhiban,B (2655)-Ding,L (2777) Riadh 2017] 

8...Nbd7 9.exd5 cxd5 The position is equal. 

10.0–0 0–0 11.Re1 Re8 12.Nf1 

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12...b5N [12...Qc7 13.Ne3 Nb6 14.a4 Bg4 15.Nxg4 Nxg4 1/2–1/2 (41) Pirs,M (2552) -Akdag,M (2535) ICCF email 2011] 

13.a4 b4 14.cxb4 axb4 15.Ne3 Bb7 16.d4 e4 17.Ne5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Rxe5 19.Qd4 Re7 20.Rac1 Rd7 21.Red1 h6 22.Rc5 Ra5 23.Rxa5 Qxa5 24.h3 Kh7 25.Rc1 Rc7 [25...Qa6= keeps the balance.] 

26.Rxc7!± Qxc7 27.Qxb4 Qc1+ 28.Bd1 Ba6 29.Qd4 Be2 30.Kh2 [30.b4 seems wilder. 30...Bd3 31.Kh2 Qc7+ 32.g3 Qc1 33.Bg4] 

30...Bxd1 [30...Qc7+± 31.g3 Bxd1 32.Nxd1 Qc2] 

31.Nxd1+- Qc7+ 32.Kg1 Qc1 

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33.b4! e3 34.fxe3 Ne4 35.Qxd5 Nd2 36.Qf5+ Kh8 37.Qg4 f5 38.Qe2 Ne4 

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and the idea ...Nc3 leaves Black hopeful. 

39.Qe1! Qa1 [39...h5 is a better defense. 40.a5 Qc4] 

40.a5 Nd6 41.Qd2 Nc4 42.Qd4 Qc1 intending ...Nd2. 

43.Kf1 Nxe3+ 44.Qxe3 Qxd1+ Endgame KQ-KQ 

45.Kf2 Qc2+ 46.Kg3 g5 [¹46...Kg8 47.Qd4 Qc7+ 48.Qf4 Qc2] 

47.Qe5+ Kh7 48.Kh2 f4 49.Qd5 Qa4 50.Qf7+ Kh8 51.Qg6 Qxb4 52.Qxh6+ Kg8 53.Qxg5+ Kh7 54.Qh5+ Kg7 55.Qg5+ Kh7! 56.h4 Qd6 57.Qh5+ [¹57.h5 f3+ 58.g3 Qd1 59.Qg6+ Kh8 60.h6 Qe2+ 61.Kh3 Qf1+ 62.Kh4] 

57...Kg7 Now ...f3+ and Black clings on. 

58.Qg5+ [58.Kh3+-] 

58...Kh7! 59.h5 f3+ 60.g3 [¹60.Qg3 Qc5 61.a6 fxg2 62.Qd3+ (62.Qxg2 Qd6+ 63.Kh3 Qxa6=; 62.Kxg2 Qc6+ 63.Kf2 Qxa6=) 62...Kh8 63.Kxg2] 

60...f2 

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[60...Qd4+- 61.Qg6+ Kh8] 

61.Qg6+! Kh8 [61...Qxg6 62.hxg6+] 

62.Qxd6 f1Q KQ-KQ 

63.Qh6+ Kg8 64.Qe6+ Kh8 65.Qe3 Qb5 66.Qc3+ Kh7 67.g4 Qd5 68.Qc7+ Kg8 69.Kg3 Qe6 

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70.Qd8+ [¹70.Qc5 Qe1+ 71.Kf4 Qd2+ 72.Ke4 Qe2+ 73.Kf5 Qd3+ 74.Kf6 Qd8+ 75.Kf5 Qd7+ 76.Kf4 Qd2+ 77.Ke4 Qe2+ 78.Kf5 Qd3+ 79.Kf6 Qd8+ 80.Qe7 Qd4+ 81.Qe5 Qf2+ 82.Ke6 Qf7+ 83.Kd6 Qf8+ 84.Kd7] 

70...Kh7 71.Qd3+ White mates. 

71...Kh8 72.a6 Qe5+ 73.Kh3 Qa1 74.Qd8+ Kh7 75.Qe7+ Kh6 76.Qe3+ Kh7 77.a7  1–0