Magnus strikes again: Part 3

In my 3rd and final blogpost on Carlsen's tournament victory in the Gashimov Memorial we will have a look at the epic fight between Nakamura and Carlsen. I have expressed before that, despite the score being hugely in Magnus' favour, the feeling was Nakamura did well in their last few games. In the Sinquefield-cup they made two draws in which Nakamura surely was not the one suffering. It provoked him to post the following on twitter a few weeks later:

Starting to realize that I am the only person who is going to be able to stop Sauron in the context of chess history.

— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) November 19, 2013

Needless to say, this provoked a lot of attention and Carlsen is quoted as replying: 'I would have been more insulted if it would have come from a stronger player'. Not exactly the most subtle answer available!

Five months later, in the supertournament in Zurich, the two met again and Carlsen survived a completely lost position to even win the game. That brings us to their next two encounters in Shamkir, Azerbaijan.

Carlsen had the white pieces in their first encounter and the game turned out to be a rather one-sided affair. Having gained a slight advantage from the opening Carlsen -in trademark style- increased his advantage and won a very instructive game. But that was in the beginning of the tournament when Carlsen had looked like his usual invincible self.

Later on in the event though, Carlsen looked vulnerable when he lost two games in a row.. Would this enable Hikaru to strike back with the white pieces? 

Play through the game using the Game Viewer (up, blue button) or the video below!

Nakamura, Hikaru - Carlsen, Magnus

Vugar Gashimov Memorial 2014 2014.04.27

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 c5 

4...d5 (4...O-O 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nh5 7.Nh3 f5 8.e3 d6 9.Be2 c5 10.O-O Nc6 Karjakin-Carlsen, Shamkir 2014) 5.a3 Bxc3+ (5...Be7 6.e4 dxe4 7.fxe4 e5 8.d5 Bc5 Nakamura-Carlsen, Zurich 2014) 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.e3 c4 9.Ne2 Nc6 10.g4 O-O 11.Bg2 Na5 12.O-O Nb3 13.Ra2 b5 14.Ng3 Anand-Carlsen, Chennai 2013

5.d5 O-O 6.e4 d6 7.Bd2 Nbd7 

7...exd5 8.cxd5 Nh5 9.g4 Qh4+ 10.Ke2 Ng3+ 11.hxg3 Qxh1 12.Kf2 (1-0 49) Aronian-Efimenko, Warsaw 2005)

8.Nge2 Ne5 9.Ng3 exd5 10.cxd5 Bd7 

10...c4 11.Be3 Qc7 12.Be2 Bc5 13.Qd2

11.a3 Ba5 12.Be2 b5 13.O-O c4 14.Be3 Bb6 15.Qd2 Rb8 

15...h5 16.h3 h4 17.Nh1 Ng6 18.f4 a5 19.Nf2 Re8 20.Bf3 Qc7

16.Nd1 Bc8 17.Kh1 Nfd7 18.f4 Ng6 19.Bxb6 Rxb6 

19...Qxb6 20.f5 Nge5 21.f6 Nxf6 22.Rxf6 gxf6 23.Nh5 +-

20.Ne3 Nc5 21.Bd1 Nd3 22.f5 Ngf4 23.a4 a6 24.Ng4 h5 

24...Qg5 25.Nh5!

25.Nf2

25.Rxf4!? Nxf4 (25...hxg4 26.Rxg4 Ne5 27.a5 (27.Rg5 f6 28.Rh5 bxa4) 27... Nxg4 (27...Rb7 28.Rg5 f6 29.Rh5 +/-) 28.axb6 Nf6 29.Qd4 Nd7 30.Nh5 f6 31.Ra3 Qxb6 32.Qd2 +/-) 26.Nh6+ gxh6 27.Qxf4 Qg5 28.Qf2 Rb7 29.Nxh5 bxa4 30.Qd4 (30.Ra3!? Kh8 31.Rc3) 30... f6 31.g3! (31.Ra3 Rb3!) 31...Bxf5 32.exf5 Qxf5 33.Be2 +/-

25... Qf6 

25... h4 26.Nxd3 Nxd3 27.f6!

26.Nxd3 

26.Nxh5 Nxh5 27.Nxd3 cxd3 28.a5! Rb7 29.Bxh5 Rc7 (29...Qd4 30.Be2 Qxe4 31.Bxd3 Qxd5 32.f6 +-) 30.Rac1 Rxc1 31.Rxc1 +/-

26... Nxd3 27.Qe3 

27.Nxh5 Qxb2 28.Qg5 Qe5!

27... Rb7

27... h4 28.Nh5 Qxb2 29.f6 +-

28.Nxh5 

28.axb5 axb5 29.Nxh5 Qh6 30.Qd4 +/-

28... Qh6 29.Qxh6

 29.Qd4 bxa4!

29... gxh6 30.axb5 axb5 31.Bc2 Ne5 

31...Nxb2! 32.Ra3 b4 33.Rg3+ Kh8 34.Nf6 Ra7! (34...b3 35.Bb1 Ra7?

Diagram #1

36.Rf4 Ra1 37.h3 Rxb1+ 38.Kh2 +-)

32.Ra6 

32.Kg1 (32.b4 cxb3 33.Bxb3 Rb6 (33...Nd3 (33...Rd8 34.Ra8 Nd3 35.Kg1 Nc5 36.Rc1 +/-) 34.Rf3 Nc5 35.Rg3+ Kh8 36.Nf6 +/-) 34.Kg1 b4 35.Rfc1 +/-) 32...b4 33.Kf2 b3 34.Bb1 Rb6! 35.Rc1 Ra6 36.Rxa6 Bxa6 37.Ke3 Rc8 38.Kd4 Kf8

32... Rd8 33.Ng3?!

Diagram #2

33...Rb8 34.Ra7 b4 35.Ne2 Bd7 36.Rfa1 (36.Nd4 Ra8 37.Rfa1 Rxa7 38.Rxa7 b3 39.Bb1 Rc8! 40.Ne2 Be8 41.Nc3 Nd3)

36... Bb5 -/+ 37.h3 Rdc8 38.Kh2 c3 39.Nd4 cxb2 40.Rb1 Rc4 41.Nxb5 Rxc2 42.Nd4

42.Nxd6 Rd8 43.Nb5 Nf3+ 44.Kg3 Nd2 -+ 

42... Rd2?

Diagram #3

42... b3 43.Nc6 Nf3+ 44.Kg3 Nd2 -+

43.Nc6 Re8 44.Ra4 

(44.Nxe5 Rxe5 45.Ra2 Rxe4 46.Raxb2 Rxb2 47.Rxb2 Kg7 48.g4 Kf6 (48...Rc4 49.Kg3 Rc3+ 50.Kf4 (50.Kh4 b3 51.Rb1 Kf6 52.Rb2 Ke5 -+)50... b3 51.h4 (51.g5 hxg5+ 52.Kxg5 f6+ 53.Kg4 Kh6 -+) 51... h5! 52.Kg5 (52.g5 Rh3!) 52... hxg4 53.f6+ Kh7 54.Kxg4 Kh6 -+) 49.Kg3 Kg5!? ( 49...Ke5 (49...h5 50.Kh4 hxg4 51.hxg4 Rc4 52.Rb1 Ke5 53.Kg5 =) 50.Kh4 Kxd5 51.Kh5 Kc4 52.Kxh6 Kc3 53.Rb1 b3 54.Kg7 =) 50.Kf3 (50.h4+ Kf6 -+) 50...Rf4+ 51.Ke3 h5 52.gxh5 Kxf5 53.h6 Ke5 54.h7 Rh4 55.Rxb4 Rxh3+ 56.Kf2 Rxh7 -+ )

44... Nd3 45.Nxb4 Nf2 46.Ra2 Nd1 47.Rxd1 Rxd1 48.Rxb2 Rxe4 49.Nc6 Kg7 50.f6+ Kxf6 51.Rf2+ Kg6 52.Nd8 Re8

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