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First the answers from last weeks Chess Trivia Quiz. There were four questions but due to some glitch (see below) only three had valid answers.
1) Karpov, Reggae and Crocodile Shoes. 2) The missing word was ‘faradisation.’ 3) ‘No’ however you can on a Thursday.
Question 4 was set up all wrong. There were no Kings in the diagram, which was in fact round the wrong way and Black had twelve pawns.
The last two games, games one and two, had us on tenterhooks, though I’ve no idea what a tenterhook is, probably a hook used for putting up tents but as I was never a boy scout or a camper or run away to join a circus I’ve never actually put up a tent.
I got the word ‘tenterhooks’ from some blogger writing a report about game two in Chess34. He has a grade off the 24 hour clock (over 2359) so it must be relevant. ( it might have something to do with computers.)
In game one Magnus sacced a gambit pawn for loads of active play but that game was drawn. In Game two Magnus sacced a pawn and the exchange, it looked lost for both players (hence the tenterhooks) but that was also abandoned as a draw.
We are now onto game three. Games one and two ended in a three fold repetition. Will this game go the same way. Will the arbiter then declare the match drawn?
I. Nepomniachtchi - M. Carlsen Game 3, Chess World Champion 2021.
Header
PGN
1. e4 {1...c5 and a Morra Gambit.} 1... e5 {2.Qh5 and 3.Bc4} 2. Nf3 {OK then how about an Elephant 2...d5} 2... Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O {This time a Marshall. In Game one Nepo played 8...h3} 8. a4 {The most common way of avoiding the Marshall Gambit.} 8... Bb7 {Both players would have been prep'd up to their eyeballs for the coming positions.} 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Nf1 h6 12. Bd2 Bf8 13. Ne3 Ne7 14. c4 {All this is very well known the popular choice here is 14...c6} 14... bxc4 15. Nxc4 {Got a good game to show after this one if Black now plays 15...Rb8.} 15... Nc6 {If 15...Rb8 16. Ncxe5 dxe5 17.Nxe5 with a big hit on f7 - see the next game.} 16. Rc1 {With 17.Na5 Nxa5 18.Bxa5 and c7 is under attack ideas.} 16... a5 {Stops Na5 but that a5 pawn will need constant piece protection.} 17. Bc3 Bc8 {One of them backward Carlsen moves. Black is going to centralise his Bishop.(hindsight) } 18. d4 {Nepo strikes whilst Carlsen is regrouping.} 18... exd4 19. Nxd4 Nxd4 20. Qxd4 {I do not know about Carlsen but with me as Black all kinds of alarms would be ringing.} 20... Be6 {The ‘not originally seen by me’ idea, from move 17.} 21. h3 {An old saying I recall from years ago. Set up an attack, play h3, then go for it.} 21... c6 {Black is preparing for d5} 22. Bc2 {The Bishop moves to a more dangerous diagonal. White is planning to shift the f6 Knight.} 22... d5 23. e5 dxc4 24. Qxd8 {And this has happened. Queens off just I was preparing to sac all of White pieces.} 24... Rexd8 25. exf6 Bb4 {The wood chopping continues. Who has assessed the coming endgame better.} 26. fxg7 Bxc3 27. bxc3 Kxg7 {Due to the pawns structure one must give a nod to White but it looks drawish.} 28. Kf1 Rab8 29. Rb1 Kf6 30. Rxb8 Rxb8 31. Rb1 {Nepo agrees, no winning chances.} 31... Rxb1+ 32. Bxb1 Ke5 33. Ke2 f5 34. Bc2 f4 35. Bb1 c5 {With that diagonal open the Bishop will be tied down holding the a3 pawn.} 36. Bc2 Bd7 {And this Bishop will be tied down attacking it! } 37. f3 Kf6 {Carlsen has a dream of playing Kg5-h4 and g3.} 38. h4 {Not going to happen.} 38... Ke5 39. Kf2 Kf6 40. Ke2 Ke5 41. Kf2 {Draw agreed.}
I mention a Knight sac on e5. Here is a game with that idea.
K. Arakhamia-Grant - B. Cemre Yildiz, Women’s European Ch 2010.
I did Keti’s section of best games in ‘Rampant Chess’ this one did not make it but it was a case of picking 5 from 105 good games so a few tactical gems had to left out.
