[Event "FIDE World Championship"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/1NIB7sSp/OH72jiGS"] [Date "2021.12.10"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2782"] [BlackElo "2855"] [Annotator "Elshan"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C54"] [Opening "Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, with d6"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/1NIB7sSp/OH72jiGS"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 { As it turns out, I ended up annotating the first and last game of 2021 FIDE World Chess Championship match for Chess Life Online. Obviously, I am not even remotely close to the level of these players, but it doesn't take much for one to see how shattered Nepo was at this game. He was ready to go home long before this game had begun. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 { No King's Gambit! } 2... Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 { And no 4. Ng5 or anything sharp either. } 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O a5 7. Re1 Ba7!? { Magnus plays his opening cards properly. The Norwegian is not only a chess genius, but also a great sportsman who excels at reading his opponents' minds. Instead of letting Nepo lashing out moves, he decides to choose a somewhat unconventional road to the 'tabiya' position in Italian. } 8. Na3 { I honestly had no idea this move existed. } (8. Nbd2 O-O 9. Nf1 (9. h3 Be6 10. Bb5 Ne7 11. d4 Ng6 12. Ba4 Nh5 13. Nf1 exd4 14. cxd4 Nhf4 15. Bc2 d5 16. Bxf4 Nxf4 17. e5 f6 18. Qd2 fxe5 19. Rxe5 Bd7 20. Rae1 c6 21. N1h2 Bb8 22. R5e3 Bd6 23. a3 c5 24. Ne5 cxd4 25. Qxd4 Qg5 26. Nhg4 Bxg4 27. hxg4 Rac8 28. Bb3 Bxe5 29. Bxd5+ Kh8 30. Rxe5 Qxg4 31. Qe3 Nxd5 32. Rxd5 { 1/2-1/2 (32) Walter,G (2465) -Weldon,D (2452) ICCF 2020 }) 9... Be6 10. Bb5 Ne7 11. d4 c6 (11... exd4!? { Not a human's choice, hence its appearance in Corr chess. } 12. Nxd4 Ng6 13. Ba4 h6 14. Bc2 Bd7 15. a4 Re8 $13 { 1/2-1/2 (37) Kuhne,D (2393)-Crielesi,G (2326) ICCF 2018 }) 12. Bd3 Ng6 13. h3 Nh5 14. Be3 Nhf4 { with another rich and complex position. 1/2-1/2 (54) So,W (2770)-Carlsen,M (2862) chess24.com INT 2021 }) (8. a4 { This will lead to a massive transposition. } 8... O-O 9. h3 h6 10. Nbd2 (10. Na3!? Ne7 11. Bb3 (11. d4 exd4 12. cxd4 c6 13. Bd3 d5 14. e5 Ne4!? $132 { 1/2-1/2 (65) Miettinen,K (2415)-Landes,E (2420) ICCF 2019 }) 11... Ng6 12. d4 Re8 { With a rich position. 0-1 (60) Lobanov,S (2504)-Najer,E (2661) Moscow 2019 }) 10... Be6 { The move ...Ne7 is another usual option. } 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Nc4 Nh5 13. Be3 Nf4 { 1/2-1/2 (13) Marbourg,D (2491)-Gatterer,F (2402) ICCF 2020 } (13... Bxe3 { Nepo himself has employed this. } 14. Rxe3 Nf4 15. Ncd2 Qf6 (15... d5! $13) 16. Nh2 Kh8 17. Qf1 Rf7 18. Ndf3 Raf8 19. g3 Nh5 20. Rd1 { with a more pleasant play for White. 1-0 (57) Firouzja,A (2754)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2792) Stavanger 2021 })) (8. h3 O-O 9. Na3 { Nepo has unsuccessfully employed this move against Grischuk. } (9. Bb3 h6 10. Nbd2 Be6 11. Bc2 Re8 12. Nf1 d5 13. exd5 Qxd5 14. Ng3 Rad8 15. Qe2 Qb5 16. Nh2 Ne7 17. Qxe5 Bd5 18. Ne4 Ng6 19. Qf5 Re6 20. Ng4 Nxg4 21. hxg4 Re5 22. Qf3 Re7 23. Qf5 Qc6 24. g5 Re5 25. Qg4 Rde8 26. Bd2 Bxe4 27. Rxe4 Rxe4 28. dxe4 Qb6 29. Rf1 Qxb2 30. Qd7 Rf8 31. Bb3 hxg5 32. Rd1 c6 33. Qxb7 Bxf2+ 34. Kxf2 a4 35. Ke3 axb3 36. Qxb3 Qxb3 37. axb3 Re8 38. Kd3 Nf4+ 39. Bxf4 gxf4 40. Ra1 g5 { 1/2-1/2 (40) Parmet,D (2411)-Troia,M (2334) ICCF 2021 }) 9... h6 10. Nb5 Bb6 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. Rxe3 Re8 13. Qb3 (13. d4 exd4 14. cxd4 Rxe4 15. Rxe4 Nxe4 16. Qb3 Qd7 { With a barely sufficient compensation for White. 0-1 (59) Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Grischuk,A (2777) chess24.com INT 2020 }) 13... Qd7 14. a4 Nd8 15. Rae1 c6 16. Na3 Ne6 17. d4 Qc7 18. Bf1 Ng5 $132 { 1/2-1/2 (31) Kraft,D (2484)-Höppenstein,M (2451) ICCF 2021 }) 8... h6 9. Nc2 O-O 10. Be3 $146 { A toothless novelty. } (10. a4 { This is what has been played before but to play for a win is more about White's pieces player mindset that the absolute evaluation of this position. } 10... Ne7 11. d4 d5!? $132 { 1-0 (39) Saric,I (2646)-Yankelevich,L (2461) Skalica 2020 } (11... Ng6!?)) 10... Bxe3 11. Nxe3 Re8 12. a4 Be6 13. Bxe6 Rxe6 { Now we have yet another transposition. The position has merely anything to offer for White because he even cannot start rolling his pawns on the queenside. However, what follows next is even more painful to watch. } 14. Qb3 b6 15. Rad1?! { Too slow for a player in desperate need for a win. } (15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ (16. c4?! Ng6 (16... Nd7! { And Black is doing well. }) 17. d4 Nd7 18. Rad1 $14 { 1-0 (41) Ostrovskiy,A (2439)-Nagarajan,P (2206) Burlingame 2019 }) 16... Rxf6 17. Re3! (17. d4 Rxf3 18. gxf3 Ng6 19. Kh1 Qf6 20. Qd1 Nf4 $44 { With enough compensation for Black. } 21. Rg1 Nh3 22. Rg2 c5 23. d5 c4 { The position is closed and White cannot make anything out of his extra exchange. } 24. Qe2) 17... Ng6 18. d4 Re6 19. g3 $14 { White has at least something to play for. }) 15... Ne7 16. h3 Qd7 17. Nh2 Rd8 18. Nhg4 Nxg4 19. hxg4 d5 { OK, we should expect a quick draw... } 20. d4 exd4 21. exd5 (21. Rxd4 Rxe4 22. Rxe4 dxe4 23. Rd1 Qe8 24. Rxd8 Qxd8 25. Qc4 Ng6 26. Qxe4) 21... Re4 22. Qc2 Rf4 { [#] } 23. g3?? { An attempt for a win? I am not sure what was going on in Nepo's head. } 23... dxe3 24. gxf4 Qxg4+ 25. Kf1 Qh3+ 26. Kg1 { I don't understand, is Nepo trying to make a draw now? } (26. Ke2 exf2 27. Rf1 Nf5 28. Qd3 Re8+ 29. Kd2 Ng3 30. Rxf2 Ne4+ { is completely dead. }) 26... Nf5! { Not the strongest move but Magnus is eager to wrap up the match from a clearly winning position. } 27. d6 Nh4 28. fxe3 Qg3+ (28... cxd6! { and there is no defense against Re8-Re6-Rg6 plan. Sadly this is not a good tactical training position as there are more than a half dozen ways to win this. }) 29. Kf1 Nf3 30. Qf2 Qh3+ 31. Qg2 Qxg2+ 32. Kxg2 Nxe1+ 33. Rxe1 Rxd6 { Up a pawn, with fewer weaknesses, and with the h-pawn that will run, this is an easy win for the World Champion. } 34. Kf3 Rd2 35. Rb1 g6 36. b4 axb4 37. Rxb4 (37. cxb4 Ra2 { is hopeless. }) 37... Ra2 38. Ke4 h5! { Well passed pawns must be pushed, I never thought I would make such a prosaic comment about a world chess championship game. } 39. Kd5 Rc2 40. Rb3 h4 41. Kc6 h3 42. Kxc7 h2 43. Rb1 Rxc3+ 44. Kxb6 Rb3+! { "It is elementary ,my dear Watson." } 45. Rxb3 h1=Q 46. a5 Qe4 47. Ka7 Qe7+ 48. Ka8 Kg7 49. Rb6 Qc5 { The nightmare is over for Nepo, and many congratulations to Magnus Carlsen in his pursue of becoming the "greatest of all time." But one should not forget that there are wounds to be healed for Nepo. } 0-1