Malcolm Pein follows up yesterday’s semi-final report on the New in Chess Classic with a summary of Carlsen’s final victory in today’s Daily Telegraph column.
Malcolm Pein on…Carlsen’s Final Victory
Magnus Carlsen won a Meltwater Tour event at the fifth attempt on Sunday, as he defeated Hikaru Nakamura in the final of the New In Chess Classic on Chess24.
The world champion took the third and fourth games of the first set and extinguished a fightback from the American speed chess expert in the return. Nakamura won the first game, before letting the world champion off the hook in game two.
Carlsen took the third game, below, and closed out the match by expertly steering the final game to a draw as Nakamura tried to complicate with the black pieces.
Carlsen’s form since he turned 30 in November has been patchy and this victory enabled him to overtake Wesley So and go to the top of the Meltwater Tour overall standings.
All the tour events involve the players competing from home and four remain to be played. Eight players can qualify for the Grand Final in San Francisco in October.
The Queen’s Gambit in Action
H. Nakamura – M. Carlsen
NIC Classic KO 2021 Chess24.com
Queen’s Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 Bd6 7.Bxd6 Qxd6 8.Bd3 Bg4 9.Qb3 Nc6 10.h3 (Uncharted territory, after 10.Qxb7 Rb8 11.Qxa6 Nb4 or 11…0–0 Black has compensation) 10…Bh5 11.Nge2 Bxe2 12.Nxe2 0–0 13.Rc1 Nd8 (Black takes measures to prevent c7 becoming a long-term weakness and prepares to send the knight to the kingside) 14.Qa3! Qd7 (After 14…Qxa3 15.bxa3 Black would come under pressure on the open files) 15.0–0 g6 16.Nf4 Re8 17.Bc2 c6 18.Nd3 Ne6 19.f4 Ng7 20.f5 (20.Ne5!?) 20…g5 21.Ne5 Qc7 22.h4!? (A bit hasty; White could play Rf1–f3 and Qa3–c3–e1 first) 22…g4 23.Qc3 Ngh5 24.Qe1
24…Rxe5! 25.dxe5 Qxe5 26.Qc3 Qg3 27.Qe1 Qd6 28.Qf2 Re8 (Black is better as e3 and h4 are vulnerable and the bishop on c2 a spectator. Carlsen gradually strengthens his position) 29.Rcd1 Qe5 30.Rd4 c5 31.Rd2 Ng3 32.Rfd1 Kf8! (White has no good moves) 33.Rd3 (If 33.Qf4 Ne2+ 34.Rxe2 Qxf4) 33…Nfe4 34.Qe1 Qf6 35.Rxd5 Qxh4 36.Bxe4
Test Your Strength
Black to play and win
Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.
36…Qh1+ 37.Kf2 Nxe4+ 38.Ke2 Qxg2+ 39.Kd3 0-1 After 39…b5 Nf2+ is one threat and if 40.b3 c4+ 41. bxc4 bxc4+ 42.Kxc4 Qc2+ 43.Kd4 Nd2 44.Qxd2 Re4#.
