There are two pieces of advice I want you all to take heed of.
Never take the QNP with the Queen and never walk past a second
hand shop. In the former you will end up regretting it and in the latter
you will never know what it is you are not regretting by not going in.
I walked into a 2nd hand shop the other day and look what I got.
A huge porcelain (a posh word for cheap china) Black King.
The World Chess Championship Game 11.
These two follow Game 2 (a dreary effort) this was better. It has more bite.
As in Game 10 there was a BxB on e6 opening an f-file except this time
Carlsen was Black. “Thanks for the Idea Sergey I’ll use that next game.”
Both sides lay out their stall, they are comfortable and I am comfortable
because I can feel the game. I’m not going to get lost in a maze of mush.
Then Karjakin’s 18.h3 stumped me. Everything was going along nicely
before that. I could have done the writers trick. (are paying attention you
budding bloggers and writers) if in doubt then you leave the note out.
But I jumped in. it’s either to protect the Queen or handy future luft.
(Which actually did come in quite handy some 15 moves later 33.Kh2.)
S. Karjakin - M. Carlsen, World Championship 2016 Game 11.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 {Yippee another game and no Berlin. I was dreading analysing a Berlin Defence game} 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 {No delayed Marshall either, they are following Game 2 which along with Game 7 was one of the dull draws.} 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 {Carlsen now deviates from Game 2 with} 9... Be6 10. Nd5 {This Knight cannot for the moment be dislodged. Our RHP lads would consider 10...Nxd5 here. See Game 2. The d5 Knight takes on e7 or f6 depending on how Black replies.} 10... Nd4 {The most common move in this position was 10...Na5 Carlsen plays the alternative.} 11. Nxd4 {The Knight cannot be allowed to stay there 11.Ba2 Bg4 is awkward.} 11... exd4 12. Nxf6+ {Karjakin decides to stay in the mainline of this variation which judges Black's f6 Knight has a better future than the e7 Bishop.} 12... Bxf6 13. Bxe6 {In Game 10 Carlsen played this captures allowing Black to open to open the f-file. White won. Karjakin returns the compliment.} 13... fxe6 14. f4 {A new move. 14.a4 and 14 Qg4 have been played in the past. This looks good and very playable.} 14... c5 {White has ambitions on the Kingside, Black the Centre and the Queenside. Now it's game on} 15. Qg4 {Hitting e6 and the Queen takes up a powerful station.} 15... Qd7 16. f5 {The idea here is to play Bg5 and swap off the f6 Bishop which on f6 will greatly influence Black's Queenside play, it is also a King defender so it is a swap off target.} 16... Rae8 {Not only covering the e6 pawn but the centralised Black pieces mean he can start hitting back in the centre.} 17. Bd2 {Not Bg5 yet. White regarding that idea is keeping his options opens. For now he connects the Rooks.} 17... c4 {Carlsen, never one to mess about, get things moving.} 18. h3 {I'd like to skip past this and leave no note. (A clear indication a writer is stuck) I'm guessing that somewhere in there the unprotected White Queen losses an important tempo. It could be luft.} 18... c3 {Karjakin must have expected this push but I wonder...did he see...} 19. bxc3 d5 {...this one. Carlsen sacs a pawn to get a good argument going. (more about what they will be arguing about in a minute.)} 20. Bg5 {Time to swap the better minor off the board.} 20... Bxg5 21. Qxg5 dxe4 {Both sides head for the position to start the argument. Both think they are in the right.} 22. fxe6 Rxf1+ 23. Rxf1 Qxe6 24. cxd4 e3 {The argument. Is the e3 pawn strong or a weakling.} 25. Re1 h6 {If Karjakin had played 26.Qg4 I could then claim a valid point for 18.h3. It's playable but Karjakin played...} 26. Qh5 e2 {27. Kf2 and three pieces are hitting the e2 pawn. So it's weak and Black losses the argument. No. 27.Kf2 Qe3 Checkmate. See Game 3} 27. Qf3 a5 {Carlsen in action. White is tied to the e2 pawn, so he starts sniffing around the Queenside.} 28. c3 Qa2 {Considering swapping the e2 pawn for a passed a-pawn.} 29. Qc6 {Karjakin is not going sit back and watch all Carlsen's plans unfold, activity is always the solution} 29... Re6 30. Qc8+ Kh7 31. c4 {Looks like White is trying to mix things but I suspect both players saw what was coming.} 31... Qd2 32. Qxe6 Qxe1+ 33. Kh2 {So 18.h3 was for luft after all. I'm glad I got that sorted,} 33... Qf2 34. Qe4+ {Black cannot escape the perpetual check - draw agreed.}
A couple of RHP examples of our lads (bless them all) falling for the trick mentioned.
Game Two. gevans - Robert1950 .RHP 2016 (Black to play)
Black resisted the temptation to play Nf6xd5....
...for three moves before finally playing 10...Nxd5 exd5
The pawn fork on d5. Many many more examples on RHP. White won quite easily.
Game 3. GEEK007 - greadman RHP 2009
FEN
r1b1r1k1/ppp1q2p/5p2/8/3Np3/P1P4P/1PP3P1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 17
[FEN "r1b1r1k1/ppp1q2p/5p2/8/3Np3/P1P4P/1PP3P1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 17"] 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. Rxf5 {And we see a position not all that far removed from the main game. Queens and Rooks and a passed Black e-pawn to argue about.} 18... Rad8 19. Qg4+ Kh8 20. Raf1 {Whoops! The Rook slide too far. It belongs on e1.} 20... e3 {Now White saw the intended Rxf6 meets e3-e2. So....} 21. Re1 {...the Rook should have gone here instead of f1.} 21... e2 {Time to gang up on the e-pawn.} 22. Kf2 {The move Karjakin avoided.} 22... Qe3 {Checkmate.}
