The Telegraph

Malcolm Pein on….Carlsen vs. Dubov

Malcolm Pein

January 14, 2021

Malcolm Pein reports on the big clash of Carlsen vs. Dubov in today’s Daily Telegraph chess column.

Daniil Dubov is featured in this column with increasing regularity. Indeed, we saw a game of his yesterday. Nobody is complaining though, as the young star’s games are always entertaining and in today’s encounter he gives a fine demonstration of the power of the Tarrasch Defense.

Over to Malcolm…

Malcolm Pein on….Carlsen vs. Dubov

Daniil Dubov again proved he can match Magnus Carlsen at Rapid Chess as he came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at the Airthings Masters on Chess24.com. Carlsen won the first of the four games with some virtuoso endgame play, before Dubov missed winning chances in game two after Carlsen mistakenly turned down a repetition of moves.

Dubov took his chances in game three when Carlsen again spurned opportunities to simplify.

M. Carlsen – D. Dubov
Tarrasch Defense 15+10

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.e3 a6 5.d4 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3 (Not very challenging in combination with 4.e3. 7.Be2 is standard) 7…Nc6 8.Bg2 c4 9.0–0 Bb4 10.Ne5 0–0 11.Bd2 Re8 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.b3 (Fighting for queenside squares. After 13.Re1 Bf5 Black is very comfortable and 14.b3 Ba3 15.Bc1 Bb4 16.Bd2 repeats moves) 13…Bxc3 (Improving on 13…a5 14.Qc2 cxb3 15.axb3 g6 16.Rfc1 Carlsen-Mamedyarov, Shamkir 2019, which was a draw) 14.Bxc3 Ne4 15.Rc1 a5! 16.bxc4 Ba6! (Regaining the pawn after which Black is already the more active) 17.f3 Nxc3 18.Rxc3 Bxc4 19.Rf2 Qg5

Meek Reply

20.Qc1 (Rather meek and most unlike Carlsen. There was no objection to 20.e4 Qe7 21.e5 c5 22. f4) 20…h5 21.Bf1 Bxf1 22.Kxf1 Rab8 23.Rxc6 h4 24.Kg2 (24.e4 Qh5!? 25.g4 Qh7) 24…Rxe3 25.Rc8+ Rxc8 26.Qxc8+ Kh7 27.Qd7 f6 (Black has some initiative and gets his pawn to h3. It’s hard for White to simplify now) 28.Qb5 Qf5 29.g4 h3+ 30.Kg3 (30.Kg1?? Re1+ 31.Rf1 Qxf3) 30…Qe4! 31.Qxa5 (31.Qf1 Qxd4 32.Qxh3+ Kg8 33.Qh5 Qe5+ 34.Qxe5 fxe5 35.h4 should be a draw, although Black has the active rook; 31.Qd7 Kg6 32.Kh4! Rxf3 33.Rxf3 Qxf3 34.Qe8+ Kh7 (34…Kh6?? 35.Qh5#) 35.Qh5+ = is also a draw) 31…f5! (Threatening Qxg4# and opening up the white king)

Carlsen vs. Dubov

32.gxf5 Qxf5 33.Qb5 Re6 34.Re2 Rg6+ 35.Kf2 Qf4 36.Qb1 Kh6 37.Qd3 Qxh2+ 38.Ke3 Re6+ 0–1

Test Your Strength

Today’s puzzle is from the So– Vachier-Lagrave quarter-final first leg which MVL won 3-1.

Simplify to a won endgame

How did Black simplify to a won endgame?

Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.

44…Rxg2+!! 45.Kxg2 Rxg3+ 0-1 In view of 46.Kxg3 Qg6+ winning the rook.

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Malcolm Pein

Malcolm Pein is a British International Master, chess organizer, author and journalist. He was a child prodigy and a former British Junior Champion. He qualified for the International Master title in 1985. Malcolm is a distinguished writer, journalist and editor. He has been a chess correspondent of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph for over 30 years, has written numerous chess books and is the Executive Editor of CHESS Magazine. In 1992, he founded the London Chess Centre, a games store in central London and the UK's only chess shop. He is also the founder and CEO of Chess in Schools and Communities, a UK charity whose aim is to introduce chess to state schools and has taught the game to over 250,000 children since its inception in 2009. Malcolm is also well-known for his chess event management. He was responsible for the pre-planning of the World Chess Championship match between Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik in London 2000. In 2002 he was appointed as Technical Director of the 'Brains in Bahrain' match between Vladimir Kramnik and the computer program Fritz. In 2009, Malcolm devised and organized the 1st London Chess Classic - the UK's first world-class elite all-play-all tournament since the 1980s which ran annually until 2019. Malcolm is also very active with the English Chess Federation. In 2016, he was appointed as the Manager and Captain of the England national team. He was also appointed as English Chess Federation delegate to the European Chess Union and FIDE and is the Director of International Chess. In 2018, he also stood for the post of Deputy President of FIDE. In 2021, Malcolm joined the ranks of Chessable authors by bringing the highlights of his column in the Daily Telegraph in the form of an interactive Chessable course, titled Telegraph Tuesday. Profile photograph © Lennart Ootes