Asked about his former student’s disappointing performance in the Olympiad, Kasparov said “Magnus is a brilliant player, but he really has to want to work hard. Otherwise he won’t succeed…. [H]e’s nineteen and [when one’s] nineteen there are… temptations in life. I felt strongly that he needed more guidance…. I worked with him and I promised to bring him at the top, so I did. He should be responsible for the rest…. I also felt Magnus wanted more freedom. I always gave him advice about openings and it seemed that he sometimes didn’t like it when I pressed him to make certain choices.”
Asked about Carlsen’sfashion model career, Garik replied: “I have to be honest. I think he did very well, because it’s fantastic promotion for chess. But at the same time, if you want to beat players like Kramnik and Anand, you have to be focused 100 percent. Otherwise it won’t work, especially at important tournaments. So it has a downside and I hope he won’t forget that his chess career will suffer when he doesn’t prepare sufficiently.”
Kasparov said he’s willing to work again with the Norwegian superstar but, he added, Magnus “has to change his attitude. It depends on whether he’s willing to work hard, and whether I will have enough time. Obviously I would like to provide some more advice because advice, you know, it’s not a tip. It’s really hard work. It needs full dedication. He was dedicated in the spring and summer of 2009. We had a great session in Croatia for almost two weeks so that was a big, big contribution. Then we had a good session in Marrakech, so… it helped, you know. Unless he wants to go back from the fashion world to hard work…. My advice is not like giving advice to a kid you know, it involves work for hours. Unless you work five, six hours a day on a regular basis it doesn’t work. In Croatia we worked with him at least five hours a day, this was the minimum. When you have five hours a day for almost two weeks that’s a lot of work. Plus, it’s not only working hours, but then you do more work, you think about it, so it puts you very much inside the problem.”
Carlsen is now in Shanghai, China for another elite event. This time, besides Anand, he’s up against Topalov, Wang, Bacrot and Gashimov. The games between Anand and his former challenger Toppy should be extremely interesting.
In the first round, Magnus faced the six-time French champion Bacrot and essayed the Scotch (one of Kasparov’s favorite openings). According to American FM Dennis Monokroussos, “Carlsen used a sideline, and Bacrot was quickly adrift. By move 16 Black was already in trouble, and Carlsen won quite cleanly.”
Game of the week. FrenchGM Romain Edouard annotates.
White: M. Carlsen (2826)
Black: A. Shirov (2749)
Ruy Lopez, Bilbao 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5. Arkhangelsk Variation. 7.a4 Rb8. 7…Bb7!? is the other option here. 8.axb5 axb5 9.c3. 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.d4 Bxd4 11.Qxd4 d6 12.f4 Nc6 is the other critical option, known as okay for Black, which occured in Naiditsch-Leko this year in Dortmund and ended in a draw. 9…d6 10.d4 Bb6 11.h3!? 11.Na3 and 11.Qd3 are the two most popular moves here. 11…0-0 12.Re1 h6. 12…Bb7 was played many times by Shirov himself, whose most recent games included: 13.Na3 exd4 14.cxd4 Na5 15.Bc2 b4 16.Nb1 c5 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bh4 cxd4 19.Qd3 b3 20.Bxb3 Nxb3 21.Qxb3 g5 22.Nxg5 hxg5 23.Bxg5 d3 24.Nd2 Bxf2+ 25.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 26.Rxe4 Bxe4 27.Bxd8 Rxb3 28.Nxb3 Rxd8 29.Nd2 f5 30.b4 Rc8 31.g4 Rc2 32.Ke3 d5 33.gxf5 Bxf5 34.Ra5 Bxh3 35.Rxd5 Rb2 36.b5 Be6 37.Re5 Bd7 1/2-1/2 Navara-Shirov, Carlsbad 2007. 13.Na3 exd4 14.cxd4 Na5 15.Bc2 b4 16.Nb5. 16.Nb1!? was played by Istratescu in 2004. 16…Ba6 17.Na7. Spectacular move! 17…Bb7 18.d5 Ra8 19.Nb5 Nc4 20.Rxa8 Qxa8 21.Nbd4 Qa7 22.b3 Ne5. 22…Na3?! 23.Bb2 is just good for White. 23.Bb2. Now White has reached a quite pleasant setup. Black seems to be active thanks to his pressure on dark squares (Qa7+Bb6) but somehow, if there is nothing concrete, those pieces are just out of play! 23…Nxf3+ 24.gxf3 Qa2. 24…Nh5 25.Qd2+/-. 25.Qc1+/- Now White wants to go Kh1/h2, Rg1, with the idea of Nf5, etc.. 25…Bxd4 The need to play this move is rather bad news! 26.Bxd4 Nd7 27.Kh1 Logical but not best, but anyway Black’s position is terrible (impossible?) to hold. 27.Qd2! (threatening Ra1 and creating problems on the b4-pawn) was winning instantly: 27…Ne5 28.Kg2 followed by f4+-. For instance: 28…Qa5 29.f4 c5 (29…Nd7 30.Ra1+-) 30.Bxe5 dxe5 31.fxe5+-. 27…f6 28.Rg1 Rf7 29.Qd2! And Carlsen kept on playing convincingly. 29…Qa8 30.Qxh6 Ne5 31.Bd1 Qe8 32.Qe3 c5 33.Bb2 Re7 34.f4 Nd7 35.Qg3 Qf7 36.Bf3 Ba6 37.Bg4 Nf8 38.Bf5 c4 39.bxc4 Bxc4 40.Qh4 Bxd5 41.f3! Be6 42.Bxf6 Bxf5 43.exf5 Rc7 44.Rxg7+ Qxg7 45.Bxg7 Rxg7 46.f6 Rd7 47.Qe1 d5 48.Qxb4 d4 49.Qc4+ Kh7 50.Qd3+ Kg8 No fortress despite White’s pawn structure! 51.f5 Kf7 52.Kg2 Kxf6 53.Kg3 Kg7 54.h4 Nh7 55.Kf2 Nf6 56.Qd2 Nh7 57.Ke1 d3 58.Qg2+ Kh8 59.Kd2 Nf8 60.Qg5 Kh7 61.h5 Kh8 62.f6 Kh7 63.f4 Kh8 64.h6 Kh7 65.f5 Black has no more waiting move: …Kh8 will be met by Qg7+! An important and comforting victory for Magnus! 1-0.
Puzzler.
White: Qa8, Nd5, Bg5, Kh7
Black: Ke5
White to play and mate in three.
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