Magnus Carlsen – Vishy Anand (Nanjing round 7)
White to move. Can you help Magnus find the winning plan? How should Magnus proceed?
Update: My first instinct is to play e6. However, Kg1 would also be very powerful.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar
October 27, 2010
Chess Improvement, Chess Puzzles, Daily News, General News, Major Tournaments
34 Comments
I am thinkig about plans involving 1.e6 and Rc7 (if needed, prepared by Qg3).
This plan looks good for white
My idea is 1.e6 with the idea of 2.Rc7 (ebentually prepared by Qg3)
Kg1. Unpin the bishop
Walter
The 1st move must be
1. e6 I think.
my first thought was Kg1. It still looks like a good move to me, with ideas like Bxg6 or Rh3, but I see that it isn’t the computer recommendation
1. e6 Qxe6 2. Rc7+ or 1. Kg1 with the idea of Bxg6 and Rg3
Too bad he didn’t win this. He was so close!
Watched the game live and could not believe that Magnus was not able to convert his clearly superior position. Not easy though against Vish, of course. In this very position I probably would have moved my king to g1, keeping all options open. If I remember correctly Magnus placed his majesty on g3, however, I did not like this move too much as it blocks the third row for white’s rook. Beelze
It looks like Rc5 would be the beginning of Anand’s problems. However, the pin of the bishop to Carlsen’s king helps Anand stay in the game. I am not surprised that this game ended up being a draw because there are probably too many complications to decide everything on the board.
Funny.. I was watching the game online and asked myself if Magnus could win here with 1. e6.
Thus, this is my suggestion here.
After 1. .. Qxe6 2. Rc7+ seems to deceisive. However, I don’t really see a sufficient defense for black.
The question is why Magnus didn’t play this. After all he was not in time trouble!?
e6
Yes, e6 wins. It shouldn’t have been so difficult to see for him…
1. Kg1 (to remove the rook pin and to prevent a Queen check on f1 square. White can then try to exert pressure on the h file by playing Rh3. For instance,
1. Kg1 Ra2
2. Rh3 Kg8
3. e6! Qg7
4. e7
Since I had already watched this game below, I know that Carlsen missed the strongest move of e6 (as suggested in the computer analysis provided) deflecting the black queen from the the seventh rank and allowing the rook to penetrate with check, forcing the black king back to the seventh rank and winning the knight at h7. Carlsen, instead, played Kg3, a move which the computer seemed to like less, but still evaluated as a winning position for white. It really fell apart for Carlsen a few moves later, again according to the computer analysis provided. I think maybe Carlsen dismissed e6 because he was afraid that black might get a perpetual check draw starting with move 4. …Qe2+ below. Visually, looking at this position on my board right now, I would not be confident at all that the king would escape the checks:
1. e6 Qe6
2. Rc7 Kf8
3. Qh6 Ke8
4. Qh7 Qe2
And this is the position I think that maybe Carlsen saw and decided to avoid.
However, let’s take a look at it and see if the king can escape. The king has four squares- g3, h3, g1, and h1. I think I can completely dismiss Kh1 and Kh3 because the queen then delivers a check from either f1 or f3 respectively, and the white king will never escape h-file as black delivers checks from opposition and the king can never cross the h5 square because of the pawn. As for playing 5.Kg1, this draws as well, I think:
5. Kg1 Qe3
And, here, we can dismiss Kh2 for the same reasons I stated above- black plays Qf2+ and the king is stuck forever on the h-file avoiding checks from the queen. The other options are 6.Kh1, 6.Kg2, and 6.Kf1:
6. Kh1 Qf3
7. Kg1 Qe3
8. Kf1 or accept the draw.
Here, after a few minutes, I think I can conclude that white wins if black plays Qf3+ as the white king can then reach the protection of his bishop with Ke1. So, black must play
8. ….Qc1 and white will lose his bishop and be forced to exchange the rooks as well eliminating any winning chances for white. So, we can also eliminate the move 6.Kf1 as well. This leaves 6.Kg2 in this variation, but this also draws with a neat tactical shot:
6. Kg2 Rc2!
7. Rc2 Qe4 with a double attack.
So, we are all the way back to white’s fifth move where we can now analyze 5.Kg3, which I will continue in my next comment due to problems of length:
In my previous comment, I had discussed the missed move of 1.e6 and speculated that Carlsen avoided it due to the problems that arise in trying to find a safe haven for the king after black plays 4. …Qe2+. I had effectively, I hope, eliminated all of white’s king move alternatives with the fifth move in this line but 5. Kg3. All the other moves allow black to escape with a draw. Continuing with
5.Kg3
Black has only two effective checking moves-Qe1 and Qe3. Taking them in order:
5. ….Qe1
6. Kf4 Qf2 (Qd2, Qc1, Qf1 same)
7. Ke5 Qe3 (Qg3 8.Ke6 Qg4 9.Kf6)
8. Kf6 Qf4 (what else?)
9. Kg6
And now we have reached a critical position. Black has checks from g3, g4, and d6. Taking them in order:
9. ….Qg3
10.Kf5 Qf3
11.Ke6
I must admit, I didn’t see this sort of position arising until a move before I reached it, but it is the critical one. Black cannot check, now, from e3 due to 12.Be4 as the exchanges at e4 leave black facing mate with Rc8. The check from e2 loses quickly, too:
11. ….Qe2
12. Kd6 and black is all out of checks. Or
11. ….Qg4
12. Kd5 Qg2 (what else?)
13. Be4 Qg5
14. Bf5 Qg2 (Qd8 15.Bd7 Kf8 16.Qh8)
15. Ke6 Re2 (Qe2 much the same)
16. Kf6 and, again, black is out of checks. Back at move 9, black also cannot draw with
9. ….Qg4
10.Kf6 Qd4
11.Kf5 Qf2
12.Ke6 and we have reached the same position above, but with the white d-pawn missing. The only difference the pawn made, that I could tell is this line:
12. ….Qe3
13. Be4 Qb6(Qe4 14.Qe4Qe4 15.Rc8#)
14. Ke5 and black is out of checks. Or, at move 9:
9. ….Qd6
10.Kg5 Qg3 (Qd8 11.Kf5; Kd8 11.Rb7)
11.Kf5 and we have seen this basic position already, twice, and it lost for black as the king is going to e6 after the next check.
The last loose thread I can see is the move at 5 where black checks from e3, but I now know this will make no difference as it will quickly interpolate into one of the positions already described above:
5. ….Qe3
6. Kg4 Qd4
7. Kf3
Ok, I was wrong above, white has a better plan than I saw just a minute ago, but one I had outlined earlier in one of the inferior lines for white. 7.Kg5 wins, I am sure, but I think it interesting to see this line played out:
7. ….Qf6 (the only queen check)
8. Ke2 Qe5 (or Qe6)
9. Kd1 and black cannot stop the white king from reaching the safety of c1/b1/b2/a2.
All in all, this isn’t easy to see as a win for white, especially when you are on a clock and playing the world champion.
If any know what Carlsen had to say about this position after the game, I would be interested in hearing about, or getting a link to the after-game discussion.
e6 is a completely in human move allowing a million checks to be given with the idea of hiding the white king away from perpetuals.
John Speelman on ICC commentary mentioned that “even a machine should not play that”
1. e6 Qb7
(the black queen needs to prevent Rc7+)
2. Qf4 Kg8
3. Rc7
wins
On 1. e6, if 1…Qxe6
2. Rc7+ Kf8
3. Qd8+ Qe8
4. Qd6+ Kg8
5. Qxg6+
1-0
Don’t understand Harish’s comments — how does Black’s perpetual attack on the king take off?
hi susan , is there a way i can see the “puzzle image” on this page too?
i have to do this “blind” otherwise 🙂
1.e6! Qb7?
2.e7!
1.e6! Qxe6
2.Rc7+ Kf8
3.Qxh7? -+: draw or lose…no way to get out of queen cheks w/o losing rook on c7..this is difficult to see…
3.Qh6+ Kd8
4.Qxh7 Ke8
5.Rc5 Qe2+
6.Kg3 Qe3+
7.Kg4 Qxd4+
8.Kg5 Qe5+ ( so, if the white rook was on c7 it would have got caught now)
9. Kxg6 Qe6+
..so now i don’t know what black should do…
Anyone tell me the refutation of 64. Qf4 with the idea of trapping the rook e.g. 64…Nd7 65. Qc1. I’m at work with no engine…
during the game…I kept looking at e6. and assumed such a eyepulling move must be wrong as Mr Carlsen didn’t play it,,,and I’m pretty much a duffer, but I still think it would at least make black nervous and put the pressure on. Anyone have a definitive answer to this move? Seems so natural.
perhaps Kg1 with the idea of Bxg6
yo Harish , Vishy nice but he in the wrong country! and kasparov sound like an Apologist, and UM just coasting!!! Now u know the U.S. dominates, so this really shouldnt be a surprise Harish, its always like this.
I believe King to g1 is the move that wins.
Mikhail Golubev pointed out in his live analysis for ChessPro.ru that
61.e6: after 61…Qxe6 62.Rc7+ Kf8 nothing is given by 63.Qxh7? Qe2+ 64.Kg3 Rb3+!! 65.Bxb3 Qe3+ with draw by perpetual because White Kh6 gets mated on h5.
He goes on to say that 63.Qh6+ (to make room for White’s King on g7!) 63…Ke8 64.Qxh7 Kd8 65.Rc5 might be winning. I don’t have time to analyze myself, but I would bet Carlsen saw thru to 64…Rb3+!!
Instead, Golubev says that his continuation 61. Kg3 Nf8 62. Rf3 Qe6 63. Qd8 (given “?” at ChessBase) Nd7 was fine, but then 64.Bd3! was needed. However, that doesn’t look clear to this human either… Chess not easy game!
Kg1
I would really want to know what the winning plan is.
As usual Susan will expect us not to post computer lines (but, hey, the best chess player in the world could not find it, so one exception should be allowed here). I did not want to post computer lines here, but do so in response to Harish, and I am sure he knows this, Rybka’s first choice was indeed e6. Here is Rybka’s plan 61. e6 {!} {} 61… Qxe6 62. Rc7+ Kf8 63. Qh6+ Ke8 64. Qxh7 Kd8 and until then all the moves from black are forced, and if you can see, black is just lost!
What exactly in e6 is the problem, can you list the moves, Harish?
e6 if you are man enough
Well, I can see that most of the people posting on this site can’t think without computer analysis. I seriously doubt most people would come up with e6 if they didn’t have the evaluation of Rybka or Stockfish staring in front of them while watching the game.
Playing in a tournament without the aid of a computer is totally different…. The game looks dead drawn from a human perspective, although e6 does look logical. You must realize that different factors other than just calculation affect human play, and probably Carlsen wanted to err on the side of caution. I am surprised however that Anand let his king get so exposed while playing Carlsen.
My computer wavers between e6 and Kg1
but ultimately prefers Kg1 (but not by much).
You guys don’t understand Magnus. Now that he is ahead he is coasting to victory a la Kramnik.
The kid is a genius.
Rook to c6
rook to c 6
king to g1
scratch rook to c6 that’s just bad move sorry