The two players on the cover of the May 2011 ‘New in Chess’.
Six games gone in this twelve game match and it is 0-0 at halftime.
Will either side bring on a sub or will the same two finish the match?
Game 6 follows Game 2 with Karjakin again playing one of the
Anti-Marshall antidotes 8.h3. Carlsen and his crew decides this
is not an Anti-Marshall antidote and play 9...d5 anyway. Game on.
The path then follows Karjakin - A. Onischuk, Olympiad 2010 which Karjakin
won. However smelling some home brew, Karjakin deviates first with 12.Nc3.
Karjakin’s Knights take up impressive looking positions on e4 and e5 and
whilst everyone is looking at all the possible damage these two can get up
to Carlsen’s f-pawn does a one step - two step (moves 14 and 15) and the
brave Knights flee in the process taking a Bishop off the board leaving
us as they did in Game 5 with the dreaded opposite coloured Bishops.
For a brief moment it does look like White is winning an exchange but
Carlsen has it all under control and the game fizzles out to short draw.
S. Karjakin - M. Carlsen, World Championship 2016 Game 6.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 {With the e-pawn now protected White is threatening Bxc6 and Nxe5. So....} 6... b5 {Though over 100 RHP players have castled here, lost their e-pawn and turned it into a gambit (see 3rd game)} 7. Bb3 O-O {8 c3 9.d5 is the Marshall Gambit. The trend at the top seems to be avoid it. This cuts down the work load. But some hardy souls allow it.} 8. h3 Bb7 9. d3 {So far as in Game 2.} 9... d5 {Carlsen throws Karjakin a pawn. Karjakin catches it but can he hold onto it?} 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 Nd4 {Now Karjakin is thinking 'Hey Good Looking, What Have You Been Cooking?" and instead of 12.Nd2 which won him a game he plays.} 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. Bf4 {Typical Karjakin and good. Develop a piece, protecting the Knight and that Bishop is plugging the dark squares on the castled position.} 13... Nxb3 14. axb3 c5 {Robbing the e5 Knight of pawn protection, grabbing Queenside space. Are the pawns weak? Can anything be made of the unprotected squares left behind?} 15. Ne4 {Nice Knights but now comes the f-pawn.} 15... f6 16. Nf3 f5 {17.Ng3 Bxf3 and White has to take back with a pawn else lose the exchange and a pawn to Nxc2.} 17. Neg5 {The Knight is better than the e7 Bishop and Ne6 is a threat so.....} 17... Bxg5 {18.Bxg5 looks good for one move then you see 18...Bxf3 and variations favour Black.} 18. Nxg5 {The threat is Ne6 winning the exchange.} 18... h6 {Carlsen has missed it...infact Carlsen encourages it.} 19. Ne6 Qd5 {The mate on g2 saves the exchange but surely White is going to come out of this with the better position.} 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Re5 {This just looks good for White. But looks good and is good have to be clear when playing Carlsen.} 21... Qd6 {That is best and very good. What kind of mind walks into a discovered attack on the Queen and it had to be seen a few moves ago.} 22. c3 {The three White pieces all protect each other. All very nice but if one piece should move then it all goes wonky and Black is threatening Rxe6.} 22... Rxe6 23. Rxe6 Qxe6 24. cxb4 cxb4 25. Rc1 Rc8 {The White Rook has an entry point to the 7th on c7 me being me would not have been able to resist 25...g5, (see 2nd game).} 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 27. Qe1 Qd7 28. Kh2 {Offering the d3 pawn. 28...Qxd3 29.Qe6+ Kh7 30.Be5 an opposite coloured Bishop attack. the Queen will eventually be called to hold g7.} 28... a5 29. Qe3 Bd5 30. Qb6 {We now see some mutual pawn munching.} 30... Bxb3 31. Qxa5 Qxd3 32. Qxb4 Be6 {Neither side can do much. It was agreed a draw here.} 1/2-1/2
Variation One., my trap v Karjakin (success odds 1% but it has wee point.)
FEN
r5k1/1b4p1/p3q2p/1p3p2/1p3B2/1P1P1P1P/1P4P1/R2Q2K1 w - - 0 25
[FEN "r5k1/1b4p1/p3q2p/1p3p2/1p3B2/1P1P1P1P/1P4P1/R2Q2K1 w - - 0 25"] 25. Rc1 {As I said above a try here would be.....} 25... g5 {If White is tempted to go active then what I want you to see is...} 26. Rc7 {Our simple bread and butter tactics can and do appear in World Championship games. We have to dig them out but they are always there.} 26... gxf4 27. Rxb7 {Black to move. Is there an unprotected piece in the position. Yes. Is there a check in the position. Yes! can you join these two facts together.} 27... Qc6 {The Rook must move and there is only one safe square.} 28. Re7 {Now what, the Rook is still on the seventh.} 28... Qc5+ {OOPS! 0-1. Don’t be mesmerised by these games, absorbed them and look for sneaky shots. It’s your game as well as theirs. }
Black blunders away/losses/gambits/sacrifices the e5 pawn in the Ruy Lopez.
michall - ColinMatthews RHP 2012
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 O-O {I think Black did this on purpose. The following moves indicate he is a good player.} 7. Bxc6 {And why not. See a pawn and pick up, the rest of the day your will have good luck.} 7... dxc6 8. Nxe5 Re8 {A pawn down means you have a half open file. Use it.} 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. d3 {That's OK. Holds the extra pawn, the pin on the f3 is not too bad. maybe h3 next. See what happens.} 10... Nd7 {Clearly aiming for Ne5. There was a Black pawn here, now it's gone so use the square e5.} 11. Bf4 {Stops Ne5 but h3 first so you can break the pin with a well timed g2-g4 should Black play Bh4, The Bishop on f4 is also unprotected. This matters.} 11... Bf6 {Having a peek at the b2 pawn. Black is getting play for his pawn but play has a tendency to evaporate. White will still have his extra pawn.} 12. c3 {A tad clumsy. now the d3 pawn becomes a target. 12.Nc3. Develop!} 12... Nc5 {The d3 pawn is hit right away.} 13. h3 {White is going astray here. Give the pawn back with d4 was a better choice.} 13... Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Qxd3 15. Qxd3 {OOPS! The unprotected Bishop on f4 is the downfall of this hasty move.} 15... Nxd3 {A simple Knight fork and White resigned.} 0-1
