Karjakin is leading

The challenger GM Sergey Karjakin (RUS 2772) defeated defending champion Magnus Carlsen (NOR 2853) in the 8th game of their world championship match and now leads 4.5-3.5 with 4 games to go.

World Chess Championship New York, USA Nov. 11-30, 2016

Current Standings (8 of 12) Magnus Carlsen — Sergey Karjakin, Karjakin leads by one point, 3.5-4.5 Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, 50 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move 1.

Wow. This was a surprising turnabout. In game 8, Magnus Carlsen tried very hard to win and continued doing so even when he should have agreed to a draw already. Then he blundered in a time scramble and was forced to resign. Having said that, Karjakin had a lot of chances to blunder himself and overall showed a high level of defense. Let us do a quick review. Game 1. Carlsen played White. A Trompowsky Attack which petered out quickly into a draw (42 moves)

Game 2. Karjakin White. Ruy Lopez Center Attack. Boring draw in 33 moves.

Game 3. Carlsen White. Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense. True to his style Magnus managed to create winning chances out of nothing but could not bring it home amidst stiff resistance from his opponent in a complex KRN vs KRB endgame. Draw in 78 moves.

Game 4. Karjakin White. Ruy Lopez Anti-Marshall. With some precision chess Carlsen got the advantage and transposed into a two Bishops vs Bishop+Knight endgame which should have been won, albeit not without difficulty. Karjakin managed to construct a fortress which try as he might Carlsen could not break. Draw in 94 moves.

Game 5. Carlsen White. Guioco Pianissimo. The two fought to an equal position but towards the end of the first time control (40 moves) Carlsen started to drift which allowed Karjakin to get winning chances. The Russian GM could not switch from defensive to attacking mode well and the game was equalized and drawn on move 51.

Game 6. Karjakin White. Ruy Lopez Marshall Gambit (delayed). Carlsen gave up a pawn for active play and the game was drawn in 32 moves. Game only lasted two hours and it was revealed that much of it was opening preparation.

Game 7. Karjakin White. There is a day’s break after every two games, which means that Magnus Carlsen, who drew the white pieces for game 1, got to play for a win with the white pieces ( game 1, 3 and 5) after a day’s rest. The match rules call for a switch of colors starting game 7, meaning Karjakin gets to play White now in games 7, 9 and 11. Karjakin opened with 1.d4 and we saw the Slav Defense Chebanenko Variation unfold on the board. Magnus quickly got a slight advantage but, in a worrying moment of weakness, blundered away a pawn. Fortunately, his position was strong and Karjakin could not do anything but agree to a draw on the 33rd move.

And now we come to Game 8.

*** Carlsen,Magnus (2853) — Karjakin,Sergey (2772) [E14] Wch 2016 New York (8), 21.11.2016 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.b3

The Colle System. This has the virtue of keeping as many pieces on the board as possible. Magnus wants to win this game!

5...Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Bb2 b6 8.dxc5

If White wants to attack caveman style a good sequence would be 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. Ne5 Nbd7 10. f4 ( A pretty Bogolyubov game: 10.Qf3 Rc8 11.Rad1 Qc7 12.Qh3 Bd6 13. Nxd7! Black resigns ( Bogolyubov-Andersen Prague 1931) because 13...Qxd7 (13... Nxd7 14.Qxh7#) 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.Bxf6 forces mate) 10...Ne4 11.Nxe4! dxe4 12.Bc4 White has a nice attacking position. But I’m afraid no one plays caveman style in world championship matches.

8... Bxc5 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Nbd7 11.c4 dxc4 12.Nxc4 Qe7 13.a3 a5 14.Nd4 Rfd8 15.Rfd1 Rac8 16.Rac1 Nf8 17.Qe1 Ng6 18.Bf1 Ng4

Clearly Black has more than equalized. ...Qg5 or ...Qh4 is already looking threatening.

19.Nb5 Bc6

Karjakin can’t get himself to play aggressively. 19...Qg5! is what Black should play if he is going for a win. One sample: 20.b4? (20.h3 N4e5 21.Nxe5 Nxe5 is correct, but even here Black is doing fine.) 20... Nf4! 21.exf4 (21.g3 Nxh2!; 21.bxc5 Nh3+ 22.Kh1 Ngxf2+) 21...Qxf4 and it is no longer a question of whether White can hold this but rather whether he can prevent mate.

20.a4 Bd5

[20...Qg5 does not work anymore: 21.h3 N4e5 22.Nxe5 Nxe5 23.Bxe5 Qxe5 24.Na7 Black has to give up some material]

21.Bd4

Forcing a series of trades after which the position is dead equal.

21... Bxc4 22. Rxc4 Bxd4 23. Rdxd4 Rxc4 24.bxc4

White didn’t want to give up control of the d-file but it appears that 24.Rxc4 is objectively better.

24...Nf6 25.Qd2 Rb8 26.g3 Ne5 27.Bg2 h6 28.f4 Ned7 29.Na7 Qa3 30.Nc6

[ 30. Rxd7 Nxd7 31. Qxd7 Qxe3+ 32. Kf1 Qc1+ 33. Kf2 Qxc4 White’s exposed king ensures that Black has at least a draw]

30...Rf8 31.h3

Hereabouts both players were starting to get short on time.

31... Nc5 32. Kh2 Nxa4 33. Rd8 g6 34.Qd4 Kg7 <D> POSITION AFTER 34...KG7 35.c5?

Played with minutes remaining on the players’ clocks. If Black takes the pawn with the queen then 35... Qxc5 36. Qxa4. If Black takes with the knight then 35... Nxc5 36.Rxf8 Kxf8 37.Qxf6. Taking with the pawn is also bad, there will follow 35...bxc5 36.Qd6 Rxd8 37.Nxd8 followed by Qe7 and Qxf7. Karjakin keeps his head and finds a good defence.

35...Rxd8! 36.Nxd8 Nxc5 37.Qd6

Threatening Qe7.

37...Qd3?

The correct move was 37...Qa4 followed by 38...Qd7. Karjakin’s move looks powerful but has a flaw...

38.Nxe6+! fxe6

[38...Nxe6?? 39.Qxd3]

39.Qe7+ Kg8 40.Qxf6 a4

[40...Qf5 41.Qd8+ Qf8 42.Qxb6 the position is equal]

41.e4! Qd7!

Right on time. White should now take the draw by perpetual check.

42.Qxg6+ Qg7 43.Qe8+ Qf8 44.Qc6

Carlsen continues playing for a win! Black should be careful — once White’s bishop is activated there will be mating threats.

44...Qd8 45.f5 a3

Not 45...exf5? 46.exf5 and my warning comes true — White’s bishop comes into the game with deadly force and Black is in danger of being mated.

46.fxe6 Kg7 47.e7 Qxe7 48.Qxb6 Nd3 49.Qa5?

A step in the wrong direction. Correct was 49.e5 activating his bishop — this leads to an easy draw.

49...Qc5 50.Qa6 Ne5 51.Qe6?

[51.Qb7+ Nf7 52.Qa6 draws, keeping his eye on Black’s passed pawn. We will see later on what Magnus missed]

51...h5!

The winning move. The threat is 52... h4 53.gxh4 Qc7! with a deadly discovered check. If now 54.Kg1 Qc1+ 55.Kh2 Qb2 the game is over.

52.h4 a2 0–1

Carlsen resigned when he realized that 53.Qxa2 Ng4+ 54.Kh3 (54.Kh1 Qc1+ 55.Bf1 Qxf1#) 54...Qg1 55.Bf3 (55.Qb2+ Kg6 and there are no more checks) 55...Nf2+ is the end of the line.

The match is far from over — there are four more games. We are expecting an explosive finish.