GM Arjun Erigaisi - GM Magnus Carlsen

Tata Steel Masters, (13)

Double Fianchetto/King’s Indian Defence 

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b6 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.0-0 g6 The Double Fianchetto Defence is a rare bird at the elite-level - but perfectly playable nevertheless. I would image that Carlsen didn't want to get into the sort of Queen's Indian agony that he suffered earlier in the tournament to eventual winner Anish Giri. 5.c4 Bg7 6.d4 0-0 7.d5 Na6 8.Nc3 Nc5 9.Nd4 e5 10.Nc2 a5 11.b3 d6 Although the game started off as a Double Fianchetto Defence, it quickly transposes - as can often happen in the DFD - into more familiar territory of the King's Indian Defence. 12.e4 Bc8 13.Na3 Ne8 14.Nab5 Bd7 15.Rb1 f5 16.f3 f4 17.a3 g5 18.b4 Nb7 19.g4 h5 20.h3 Rf7 21.Kf2 Bf8 We're seeing all the motifs now of the KID - and I imagine that Carlsen would have been the more happier here, as his lower-rated opponent seems to be in unfamiliar territory. 22.Rg1 Rh7 23.Bf1 Nf6 24.Ke1 Qc8 A bold move looking to ratchet up the pressure on white's kingside - but more crucially, the queen vacates her home square to allow the b7 knight to come into the game. 25.Rb2 Nd8 26.Qd3 Nf7 27.Kd1 Sensing the potential dangers on the kingside, Erigaisi looks to run his king to safety on the queenside. 27...Be7 28.Kc2 axb4 You can run, but you can't hide, as Carlsen releases the tension on both wings to bring his rooks into the game. 29.axb4 hxg4 30.hxg4 Ra1 31.Rb1 Rh2+ Forcing a wholesale trade of rooks - not that that stops Carlsen's intentions of finding a breakthrough. 32.Rg2 Rxg2+ 33.Bxg2 Rxb1 34.Kxb1 Nxg4!?! Of course, the engine doesn't believe in this sacrifice for a couple of pawns and the threat from the pawn phalanx - but for a human, seeing such a speculative sacrifice on the board can come as a psychological blow that you react wrongly to. 35.fxg4 Bxg4 36.Bf3 Bh3?! Carlsen opts to continue to roll the dice with his gamble. If you wanted to play it safer, then you could go for 36...Bxf3 37.Qxf3 g4 38.Qh1 g3 and good "chances" of the pawns weighing heavily in the opponent's mind. 37.Bh5 g4 This is a fantastic final round street-fight, as the engine is all over the shop with the assessment bar going up and down like a wild rollercoaster ride - but for a human, the visuals don't look good as there's a great fear that the pawns will simply prove to be unstoppable. 38.Ne2 Bf1 Also good and worthy of a punt was the immediate 38...Ng5!?. 39.Qd1 Bg2 40.Bg6 Ng5 41.Nbc3 Bf3 The engine still believes White is better here - but, if anything, all that has happened is that Carlsen has been given the time to better co-ordinate his pieces. 42.Qf1 Kg7 43.Bf5 Qh8! And with this move, Carlsen now takes control of this double-edged position. 44.Nxf4 Under a lot of pressure, Erigaisi decides to return the sacrificed material, looking to get some activity for his pieces rather than being rolled over by the phalanx of pawns storming down the board. Understandable, when you consider that stopping the queen invasion on h2 with 44.Qg1 Qh4! with the plan of ...g3 and the inevitable invasion anyway on h2. 44...exf4 45.Bxf4 Bf6 46.Qc1 Nf7 Erigaisi at least has some activity now - but stronger and better for Carlsen, according to the engines, was 46...Qh4! but the human gut-instinct will worry that White might find some game-saving breakthrough on the queenside, hence his hesitation. 47.Nb5 Qa8! Carlsen's hesitation has paid-off, as the queen switch over to the queenside very suddenly puts the white king in grave danger now. 48.e5?! You worry about the queens being exchanged and the g-pawn running down the board, but the engine - rightly - points out that this was White last hope, and after 48.Qa3!? Qxa3 49.Nxa3 Be5 50.Be3 g3 51.Nb5! suddenly we are getting into a scenario where White can possibly sacrifice the bishop to liquidate all of the Black pawns that will leave nothing more than a technically drawing position, such as 51...g2 52.Nxc7 Kf6 53.Kc2 Nh6 54.Bxb6 Nxf5 55.exf5 Bh2 56.Nb5 Be2 57.Kb3 Ke5 58.Bf2 g1Q 59.Bxg1 Bxg1 60.f6! Bh5 (If 60...Kxf6 61.Nxd6 will easily draw.) 61.Ka4 Bf2 (If 61...Bb6 62.Nxd6! Kxd6 63.c5+ and a draw.) 62.Ka5 given the opportunity, the king is heading to c7. 62...Bg6 63.Ka6 Be1 64.c5! Bxb4 65.c6 Kxf6 66.c7 Bf5 67.Kb7 and a draw. 48...dxe5 49.Bd2 Nd6! 50.Bh6+ There's no time for 50.Nxc7 as 50...Qa4! 51.Bc2 Be4! 52.Bxe4 Nxe4 53.Ne6+ Kf7 54.Be1 Qb3+ 55.Qb2 Qxc4 and Black easily wins. 50...Kf7 51.Nxd6+ cxd6 52.Bg5 Looking for a possible game-saver with the queen coming to h6 - but Carlsen soon see through that. 52...Qh8! [see diagram] And now the sudden switch of the queen back to the kingside proves decisive, as Erigaisi, being pummelled by the relentless pressure, can't defend both his king and the looming threat from the g-pawn running down the board. 53.Be3 If 53.Bxf6 Kxf6! 54.Be6 g3 55.Qe3 Qh1+ 56.Kb2 Kg6! and g2-g1 is unstoppable. 53...e4 Now there's not only two passed pawns for Erigaisi to worry about, there also remains a threat to his king. 54.Bxb6 Qh2 55.Bg1 Qe2 56.b5 Qd3+ 0-1 And Erigaisi resigns in view of the mating net with 57.Ka2 [Also mating was 57.Qc2 Qa3 58.Qa2 Qb4+ 59.Kc2 Qc3+ 60.Kb1 Qe1+ 61.Kc2 Qd1#] 57...Bd1! 58.Be6+ Kg6 59.Qb1 Qxc4+ 60.Ka3 Qa4#.