The three were the only undefeated players. World champ Anand had another so-so performance, finishing in a tie for fourth-fifth places with Aronian.
This elite event was then followed by a double round robin blitz tournament involving 22 of the world’s top players, including Carlsen, Kramnik, Anand, Karjakin, Aronian, Leko, Ivanchuk, Karpov and Judith Polgar.
The young GM from Norway was sick during the Tal tourney, but was definitely feeling better in the blitz event, which he won by an amazing three-point margin ahead of world champ Anand, the erstwhile king of blitz. Magnus beat Vishy in their two encounters.
Game of the week. “Five years ago,” writers our annotator GM Lubosh Kavalek, “the 14-year-old Carlsen amazed the chess world with brilliant combinations and splendid attacks. He was compared to the former world champion Mikhail Tal. Carlsen, soon to be 19, never lost his tactical skills. In [the Tal tourney], he defeated Ponomariov in the style of the former world champion. It was a seesaw battle in the English Attack of the Sicilian defense, but too many queen moves doomed black. Carlsen was able to cut the Gordian knot in most Sicilians — the pawn on e6.”
White: M. Carlsen (2801)
Black: R. Ponomariov (2739)
Tal Memorial, Moscow 2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.g4 h6 10.0-0-0 (The first 10 moves of the English Attack are easy to learn, easy to play. But it is the attacking velocity that attracted so many players.) 10…Ne5 (Bringing out the bishop, 10…Bb7, is played most often. Another popular move, 10…b4, was tried in the game Morozevich-Vachier Lagrave, Biel 2009. It continued 11.Nce2 Qc7 12.h4 d5 13.Nf4!? e5 and black was taken for a spin with the amazing 14.Nfe6!? fxe6 15.Nxe6 Qa5 16.exd5 Qxa2 17.Qd3 Kf7 18.g5 Nxd5 19.Bh3 Nxe3 20.Nd8+ Ke7 21.Nc6+ Kf7 and now instead of 22.g6+, white could have played the incredible 22.Be6+!! Kxe6 [On 22…Qxe6 23.Nd8+ wins.] 23.Qg6+ Nf6 24.gxf6 gxf6 25.Qe8+ Kf5 26.Nd4+ Kf4 27.Ne2+ Kf5 28.Rd4! and black has no good defense against several mating finishes.) 11.Qe1 (Carlsen took his time before playing this novelty, allowing the rook on the d-file to x-ray the queen on d8. The simple 11.a3 is a good choice, preventing b5-b4.) 11…Qc7 (Ponomariov was taken aback by Carlsen’s new move and thought for some time. The aggressive 11…b4 12.Nce2 Qa5 13.Kb1 Bb7 14.Nf4 Rc8 would activate the black pieces quickly.) 12.h4 b4 13.Nce2 Nc4 14.Nf4! (A sharp leap, provoking a fork. White tries to take advantage of his lead in development. The retreat 14.Bf2 is too slow, since black can hit with 14…e5 15.Nf5 Be6 16.Qxb4 d5 17.Qc3 Rb8 with dangerous initiative.) 14…Nxe3 (After 14…e5 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 exd4 17.Bxd4+ Be7 [On 17…Kd8 18.Qxb4 wins.] 18.Bxg7 Rg8 19.Bxh6 white has three pawns for a piece and the black king is not safe.) 15.Qxe3 Qb6?! (Ponomariov is trying to prepare 16…e5, but that was better done by playing 15…Be7.) 16.Bc4! (A witty reply, preventing 16…e5.) 16…Qc5 (After 16…e5 white strikes with 17.Bxf7+! Kxf7 [On 17…Kd7 18.Ng6 exd4 19.Qxd4 wins.] 18.Qb3+ Ke8 19.Ng6 exd4 20.Nxh8 with advantage.) 17.Qb3 (Black can’t stop the relentless pounding of the pawn on e6.) 17…d5? (A losing move. It could have been a nervous reaction, after Ponomariov realized that he is in trouble anyway. For example, after 17…Qe5 18.Nh3!?, white threatens 19.g5 Nd7 20.g6. And after 17…Be7 18.Bxe6! fxe6 19.Nfxe6 Bxe6 20.Nxe6 Qc6 21.Nxg7+ white has three pawns for a piece.) 18.exd5 Bd6 19.Nfxe6?! (Carlsen didn’t pick the best way of finishing his opponent. Sacrificing the other knight 19.Ndxe6! ends it more quickly, for example 19…Bxe6 20.Nd3 Qe3+ 21.Kb1; or 19…fxe6 20.Ng6 Rg8 [On 20…Rh7 21.dxe6 Bb7 22.e7 Kd7 23.Nf8+ wins.] 21.dxe6 Bb7 22.Rxd6! Qxd6 23.Rd1 Qc7 24.e7! and white wins.) 19…fxe6 20.dxe6 Be7 21.Qd3?! (Carlsen could have timed the attack better by playing first 21.g5! and only after 21…hxg5 22.Qd3! with devastating effect, for example 22…Rh6 23.Nf5 gxh4 24.Rhg1!; or 22…0-0 23.hxg5 Qxg5+ 24.Kb1 Ra7 25.Rdg1 Qe5 26.Qg6!, winning.) 21…0-0 (White has three pawns for a piece, and his e-pawn is an unpleasant thorn in black’s side.) 22.Bb3?! (The immediate strike 22.g5! destroys black’s kingside quickly, e.g. 22…Ne8 23.gxh6 Bb7 24.hxg7 Rf6 25.Rhg1 Nd6 26.Bb3, threatening 27.Rg5 Qc7 28.Rh5, white wins.) 22…Rd8? (Connecting the rooks with 22…Bb7!? was black’s best defense, although after 23.Qg6!, threatening 24.Nf5, black has to be careful. For example, after 23…Ne8 comes the surprising 24.g5!.hxg5 25.c3!, opening the diagonal b1-h7 and threatening 26.Bc2. Black now loses either in a spectacular way after 25…Rf6 26.Qf7+!! Rxf7 27.exf7+ Kh7 28.Bc2+ Kh6 29.hxg5+ Kxg5 30.Ne6+ Kf6 31.Nxc5 Bxc5 32.fxe8Q; or after 25…gxh4 26.Rdg1! bxc3 27.Bc2 cxb2+ 28.Kb1, threatening 29.Qh7 mate. After 23.Qg6! black has to play 23…Nd5 24.Nf5 Rxf5!, but after 25.Qxf5 Qe3+ 26.Kb1 Rf8 27.Qd3 Qxd3 28.Rxd3 Nb6 29.Rd6! Nc8 30.Rd4 Bxf3 31.Rf1 white still keeps the edge.) 23.g5! Nh7 (After 23…Qxd4 24.Qxd4 Rxd4 25.Rxd4 Ne8 26.gxh6 gxh6 27.Rg4+ Kh8 28.Bd5 Ra7 29.Rhg1 Nf6 30.Rg6 wins.) 24.gxh6 (24.Qg6! is more precise, for example 24…Rxd4 25.gxh6 Qe5 26.Qf7+ Kh8 27.Qxe7 and white wins.) 24…Qh5 25.Qe4! Qxh6+ 26.Kb1 Ra7 (After 26…Rb8 27.Nf5 Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Qf6 29.Rd8+! Nf8 30.Nxe7+ Qxe7 31.Qf5!, threatening 32.Qxf8+! Qxf8 33.e7+, wins.) 27.Nf5! Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Qf6 29.Rd7!! (A beautiful diagonal clearance, breaking the blockade.) 29…Bxd7 30.exd7+ Kf8 (On 30…Kh8 31.Nxe7 wins.) 31.Qd5! (Threatening 32.Qg8 mate, white triumphs on the light squares.) Black resigned.
Puzzler.
White — Ka4, Ba6, Nb8, Nc6, Qc1, pawns on e3 and h4
Black — Kd5, Nd6, Rf7, Bh7, Rh3, pawns on b3, c4, c7, d4, e6 and f3
White to play and mate in four.
Send your answers to “64” c/o Marianas Variety, P.O. Box 500231, Saipan MP 96950. Our fax no. is 670-234-9271. You can also e-mail idlasts @lycos.com or [email protected].
