1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {Now 3...Nf6 is the Berlin Defence. Death Chess.} 3... a6 {Hooray, we might get a Marshall Attack or any one of the other interesting lines this opening offers.} 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 {Boo! 6.d4 is good fun..... Infact the game was boring. I simply cannot taint this page with such awful crap. (full game is in the thread link at the bottom of this page.)}
Karjakin’ s game plan is to tempt Magnus out to into open warfare.
Magnus as yet is having none of it. He will succumb when he is ready.
Till then the shadow boxing may continue for another game or two.
The players now have a rest day(!) and the fun(!) continues on Monday.
I mentioned that here instead of the normal 6.Re1 that 6.d4 is fun.
Which gives us a chance to say hello to Karoly Honfi (1930-1996)
G. Negyesy - K. Honfi, Budapest 1955
FEN
2rr2k1/pp2ppbp/4q3/6pb/1n1P4/2N1PPB1/PP2Q1PP/1K1R1B1R w - - 0 16
[FEN "2rr2k1/pp2ppbp/4q3/6pb/1n1P4/2N1PPB1/PP2Q1PP/1K1R1B1R w - - 0 16"] 16. Bf2 Bxd4 {Black exploits the pin on the e-pawn.} 17. e4 Bxf2 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Qxf2 Qxa2+ {That's a good move. 5.Nxa2 Rd1 checkmate because the b4 Knight covers c2. White resigned. 0-1. Wait a minute.....} 20. Nxa2 Rd1+ 21. Nc1 {OOPS! both players missed this Knight retreat, White did resign after 5...Qxa2+}
Staying with Honfi and onto the 6 d4 move I mentioned.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d4 {A promising method of avoiding the well trodden paths of the Lopez, while still playing a variation with some teeth in it. Leonard Barden in his 1963 book on the Lopez.} 6... exd4 7. Re1 b5 8. e5 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 bxa4 10. Qxd4 O-O 11. Bg5 {This looks more like it. A game with potential.} 11... Rb8 12. Nc3 Rb4 13. Qd2 Rxb2 {That's White 2 pawns down. White reacts with venom.} 14. Nc4 Rb8 15. Rxe7 Qxe7 16. Nd5 {Black now thought he had to give up his Queen with 16...Nxd5 and he eventually lost. Both players thought that....} 16... Qe6 {Lost to...} 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Re1 {Even Leonard Barden in the above mentioned book thought this won the Black Queen....it does. Qf5, Qg4 Qc6 all lose to a Knight check fork. However the players (and Mr. Barden) missed....} 18... Re8 {And the game still goes on because if...} 19. Rxe6 Rb1+ 20. Re1 Rexe1+ 21. Qxe1 Rxe1 {Checkmate.}
As I said earlier if you really want to see Game 2 then it’s in the link below.
Apparently at the press conference Magnus Carlsen apologised for the game.
I am not alone. Here is another players take on Game 2.
\" class="btn btn-sm btn-std">The Game 2 Rant
Keep it running because another lad actually tries to look at it.
