[Event "Carlsen - Karjakin World Championship"] [Site "0:25:33-0:13:33"] [Date "2016.11.17"] [Round "5"] [White "Magnus Carlsen"] [Black "Sergey Karjakin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C54"] [Opening "Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo"] [StudyName "World Chess Championship 2016 Carlsen vs Karjakin - Post-mortem Analysis"] [ChapterName "Game 5 - 17th Nov - Analysis"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/vENPCM25/pHVQYIVs"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Kingscrusher-YouTube"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 { A deviation from the Ruy Lopez. The "Italian game". Annotations by Kingscrusher - video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCcMvROwxVc&t=496s } { [%cal Yf1c4] } 3... Bc5 { The classic Giuoco Piano - Italian for "Quiet game". } { [%csl Bc5,Bc4] } 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. a4 { Quite a rare move here. More frequently played moves include: c3, Nbd2, Bb3, Re1 or Bg5 } 6... d6 7. c3 { Transposing into more normal lines } 7... a6 8. b4 Ba7 9. Re1 Ne7 10. Nbd2 Ng6 11. d4 c6 { [%cal Gc4b3] } 12. h3 (12. Bb3!? { This is an interesting alternative to stop the tactics with Nxe4 } 12... exd4 13. cxd4 $14 { White has a small edge here }) (12. Bd3) 12... exd4 13. cxd4 Nxe4 { A little tactic relying on d5 } 14. Bxf7+ (14. Nxe4!? d5 15. Bd3 dxe4 16. Bxe4 { White has an isolated Queens pawn here and black has a comfortable blockade with the immediate Be6 } 16... Be6 $10) 14... Rxf7 15. Nxe4 d5 { Preventing d5 from White, but inviting Nca5 } 16. Nc5 h6 { Prevening Ng5 } 17. Ra3 Bf5 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Qh4 { Indirectly preventing e6 because of the tactics on f2 } 20. Rf3 { Renewing the threat of e6 } (20. e6? Bxe6 21. Nxe6 (21. Rxe6 Qxf2+ 22. Kh1 Qf1+ 23. Qxf1 Rxf1+ 24. Kh2 Rxc1 $19 { Black is winning here }) 21... Bxf2+ 22. Kh2 Bxe1) 20... Bxc5 21. bxc5 Re8 { The scene is set. Black has a light square blockade. White can try and set up a dark square blockade in return. } 22. Rf4 Qe7 23. Qd4 { With opposite coloured bishops, the position here seems about equal right now. } 23... Ref8 24. Rf3 Be4 25. Rxf7 Qxf7 { Black has the annoying threat of Qg6 here } 26. f3 Bf5 27. Kh2 Be6 28. Re2 Qg6 29. Be3 Rf7 30. Rf2 Qb1 31. Rb2 Qf5 32. a5 { Locking down b7 and getting another pawn on a dark square away from Sergey's light squared bishop. } 32... Kf8 33. Qc3 Ke8 34. Rb4 g5 { Sergey is pursuing a kind of minority attack potentially with g4. But right now g4 is firmly under White's control. } 35. Rb2 Kd8 36. Rf2 Kc8 37. Qd4 Qg6 38. g4 { White potentially can play f4 now without having to be concerned about g4 from black. } (38. f4?! g4 39. hxg4 Qxg4 { Black is slightly better here }) 38... h5 39. Qd2 { This queen move has a slight downside in that black's d pawn could be potentially sacrificed with d4 now to try and liberate blacks bishop. } { [%csl Bg5][%cal Yd2g5,Yd5d4] } 39... Rg7 40. Kg3 Rg8 41. Kg2 hxg4 42. hxg4 d4 { A very interesting pawn to activate black's bishop on a great central square. } 43. Qxd4 Bd5 (43... Rh8! { This may be blacks best practical chance to try and win. However with the best defence, it should be possible for White to hold - so maybe Karjakin does not need to lose too much sleep over not playing this. } 44. Qe4 Qh6 { Threatening Qh3 and mating on h1 } 45. Kf1 Qh1+ 46. Ke2 Qa1!? (46... Rd8!? { Threatening Qd1 mate } 47. Rf1 { This seems safe enough for White } 47... Qg2+ (47... Qh4 48. Rf2 { White remains solid enough here }) 48. Rf2 Qg1 49. Rf1 { White can perpetually defend with RF2 and Rf1 here }) (46... Bd5!? 47. Qf5+ Kb8 48. Qd3! { To prevent Bc4+ } (48. e6?? Bc4+ 49. Kd2 Rd8+ 50. Kc3 Qe1+ 51. Kxc4 Qxe3 52. Qe4 (52. Rc2 Rd4#) 52... Qxf2 53. e7 Qa2+ 54. Kc3 Qxa5+ 55. Kb3 Qb5+ 56. Qb4 Qxb4+ 57. Kxb4 Re8) 48... Qa1 { Here is an interesting scenario where black tries to win a5. It is just an example variation of what might happen. } 49. Bd4 Qxa5 50. e6 Re8 51. Kf1 Rxe6 52. Qd2 Qxd2 53. Rxd2 Bxf3 54. Bc3 { Here White is threatening a mating net based on Ba5 Rd8 and Bb6 } 54... Bxg4 55. Rd8+ Ka7 56. Ba5 Rf6+ 57. Ke1 b5 58. cxb6+ Kb7 59. Rg8 Re6+ 60. Kf2 Re7 61. Rxg5 { Position is stable - no side can make progress }) 47. Bxg5 { This actually gives White's king the f4 square which may be critically needed } 47... Rh1 { Although this position looks very scary for White, it seems that Bd2 holds } (47... Bd5!? 48. Qf4 Qb2+ 49. Ke1 Rh1+ 50. Rf1 Qa1+ 51. Qc1 Qxe5+ 52. Qe3 { White is again stubbornly holding here }) 48. Bd2! { [%cal Gd2e1] } 48... Qd1+ 49. Ke3 $10 { White's king is safe enough here }) 44. e6 { A counter pawn sac - which ensures White immediately controls the h8 square and also opens up dangers for black on the g3-b8 diagonal potentially. } { [%csl Bh8][%cal Bd4h8] } 44... Qxe6 45. Kg3 { A very interesting move - and provides Rh2 in the case of Qh6 } { [%cal Ge6h6,Gf2h2] } (45. Re2?? { Although this move might seem plausible, it seems black is getting a winning advantage from the temporary pin } 45... Re8! 46. Kf2 Qh6 47. Ke1 (47. Kg2 Rh8 48. Bg1 Qh1+ 49. Kf2 Bxf3 { And black is winning } 50. Rd2 Qg2+ 51. Ke3 Qxg1+ 52. Kxf3 Rf8+ 53. Ke4 Rf4+ { This is an example of what can go disastrously wrong if White is not careful }) 47... Bxf3) 45... Qe7 (45... Qh6?! 46. Rh2 Qf8 47. f4 gxf4+ 48. Bxf4 { This position is about equal }) 46. Rh2 Qf7 { Threatening Qxf3+ } 47. f4 gxf4+ 48. Qxf4 Qe7 49. Rh5 Rf8 50. Rh7! (50. Qd4 Rf3+ { [%csl Ge3][%cal Gf3g3] } 51. Kh2 Rxe3 { And black wins }) 50... Rxf4 51. Rxe7 Re4 { Game agreed drawn here. After an exchange of rooks, even if White's king tries to win the b7 pawn in the resulting endgame by saccing the g-pawn, black can safely blockade by putting his bishop on b5. } 1/2-1/2