All hail King Magnus!

by Sagar Shah - 01/12/2016

A beautiful queen sacrifice crowned Magnus Carlsen's journey for the third World title in a row. It was Carlsen's 26th birthday and he treated his fans and supporters to some scinitillating chess. Sergey Karjakin defended with all his might but was unable to hold the mighty Norwegian, succumbing to a 3.0-1.0 defeat in the rapid tiebreaks. In this report we bring to you all the action from the four rapid games and explain to you how Magnus Carlsen became the World Champion.

Magnus Carlsen wins 3.0-1.0 in the rapid tiebreak

The stage was set. After 6.0-6.0 deadlock the battlefield had shifted into shorter time controls. Chess fans were surprised at Magnus' decision of quickly making a draw in the twelfth game even though he had the white pieces. But it was a well thought out plan. As Magnus said after he won the match, "The idea was to make Sergey prepare hard for the twelfth game, while I was already looking at the rapid tiebreak." This strategy worked wonders for Magnus as he won the tiebreak of rapid games (25 mins+ 10 sec increment) with a score of 3.0-1.0. Let's go over the games one by one.

Game one - draw

Sergey had the white pieces in the first game and opened with 1.e4 (picture by Albert Silver)

Magnus played his knight back to b8 in the style of the Ruy Lopez Breyer. However, when Karjakin went for Ne2, he pushed c5 as the knight was no longer threatening to enter the d5 square.

Sergey stuck to his 6.d3 in the Ruy Lopez and was not able to get much out of the opening

[Event "AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.30"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "1500+10"]

1. e4 {0} e5 {2} 2. Nf3 {0} Nc6 {1} 3. Bb5 {0} a6 {2 Magnus has stuck to the
closed variation of the Ruy Lopez throughout the match and sees no reason to
deviate.} 4. Ba4 {0} Nf6 {2} 5. O-O {0} Be7 {2} 6. d3 {0 This has been
Karjakin's main weapon in this match. Truth be told, in none of the classical
games he got an advantage.} b5 {2} 7. Bb3 {1} d6 {3} 8. a3 {2} O-O {3} 9. Nc3 {
1} Nb8 $5 {10 In the style of the Breyer. The knight will reroute itself to d7
and the bishop will go to b7. However, in the game when Karjakin moved his
knight from c3, Carlsen changed his idea to c5 followed by Nc6 as then the d5
square is not so weak.} (9... Na5 {was played by Carlsen in the third
classical game of the match which was easily drawn.}) 10. Ne2 {135 Karjakin
thought for two minutes here which meant that he was trying to recollect his
analysis.} c5 {13} 11. Ng3 {15} Nc6 {3} 12. c3 {30} Rb8 {48} 13. h3 {46} (13.
Nf5 $6 Bxf5 $1 14. exf5 d5 $15 {Black has a very comfortable position.}) 13...
a5 {10} 14. a4 {100} b4 {2} 15. Re1 {214} Be6 {101} 16. Bc4 {177} (16. Bxe6
fxe6 17. d4 bxc3 18. bxc3 cxd4 19. cxd4 exd4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. Qxd4 Rb4 $132 {
And Black has good counterplay.}) 16... h6 {128} 17. Be3 {117} Qc8 {184} 18.
Qe2 {110} Rd8 {52} 19. Bxe6 {92} fxe6 {83} 20. d4 {2 This leads to mass
exchanges and an equal position.} bxc3 {41} 21. bxc3 {1} cxd4 {14} 22. cxd4 {1}
exd4 {8} 23. Nxd4 {2} Nxd4 {7} 24. Bxd4 {1 Structurally White is slightly
better, but it is nothing much. Black has the activity beginning with Rb4. He
can also put pressure on the a4 pawn and hence, this shouldn't be much for
White.} Rb4 {3} 25. Rec1 {149} Qd7 {26} 26. Bc3 {9} Rxa4 {13} 27. Bxa5 {11}
Rxa1 {7} 28. Rxa1 {2 After this exchange of the queenside pawns and a pair of
rooks the game peters out to a draw.} Ra8 {9} 29. Bc3 {23} Rxa1+ {7} 30. Bxa1 {
1} Qc6 {7} 31. Kh2 {38} (31. Bxf6 Bxf6 {Black cannot be worse in such a
position as he always has the opportunity to create a passer with d5.}) 31...
Kf7 {284} 32. Bb2 {161} Qc5 {33} 33. f4 {44} Bd8 {77} 34. e5 {119} dxe5 {49}
35. Bxe5 {7} Bb6 {150} 36. Qd1 {1} Qd5 {26} 37. Qxd5 {49} Nxd5 {2 White seemed
ever so slightly better in this game, but the advantage never really went out
of proportion and Magnus was able to draw without too many difficulties.}
1/2-1/2

Magnus held the draw without sweating it out too much

Game two- draw

Magnus was completely winning game two but Karjakin put up a mighty resistance and drew the game

It was a complete heartbreak for Magnus. Firstly Carlsen played brilliantly to get winning chances. It is said that you have to take some risks in order to get your opponent out of the comfort zone. This is exactly what Magnus did. By sacrificing a pawn he brought Karjakin in a situation where he had to find the only moves to keep balance.

Rxe3 was the normal move in this position. However, Magnus took on e3 with his bishop. This allowed Black to win the pawn with ...Rxa4 Qxa4 and Nxe4. However the World Champion got some excellent compensation with Rc1 followed by b5.

Karjakin's cxb5 was clearly a mistake as Carlsen gained two pieces for a rook with Qxe4 Rxc1 Qxd5 +/-.

This position that was reached in the game is not so easy to win. But what is the theoretical evaluation of the position? GM Emil Sutovsky thinks that it is a draw:

Kf7 would have sealed the deal as Bf8 leads to a mating attack. Surprisingly Magnus missed this when he had three minutes on his clock.

Karjakin showed what an alert defender he is! ...h5! is an excellent pawn sacrifice. Once the h-pawns are doubled, the rook was sacrificed for the dark squared bishop and the game ended in a draw.

The look says it all. What a miss for Magnus Carlsen.(picture by Albert Silver)

[Event "AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.30"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "167"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "1500+10"]

1. e4 {0} e5 {1} 2. Nf3 {0} Nc6 {1} 3. Bc4 {0 Carlsen understands that going
for Bb5 would land into Berlin territory. Giuoco Piano seems to be the right
choice to play for a win.} Bc5 {2} 4. O-O {0} Nf6 {1} 5. d3 {2} O-O {3} 6. a4 {
2 Bg5, c3, Nc3 are the main moves in this position.} a6 {1} 7. c3 {9} d6 {24}
8. Re1 {24} Ba7 {23} 9. h3 {9} Ne7 {6 The knight is rerouted to g6 and is a
common manoeuvre in such positions.} 10. d4 {7} Ng6 {3} 11. Nbd2 {9} c6 {88}
12. Bf1 {24} a5 {236 This was perhaps not the smartest of moves as it now
allows White to exchange on e5 and plant his knight on c4.} (12... Re8 {
was better.}) 13. dxe5 {373} dxe5 {75} 14. Qc2 {15} Be6 {159} 15. Nc4 $14 {38}
Qc7 {49} 16. b4 $1 {73 Carlsen expands on the queenside and takes some space.}
(16. Be3 {is possible but pretty unamabitious.}) 16... axb4 {166} 17. cxb4 {2}
b5 {1} 18. Ne3 {116} (18. axb5 $6 Bxf2+ $1 19. Qxf2 Rxa1 20. b6 Qb8 21. Ncxe5
Nxe5 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 23. Bb2 Qxb2 $1 24. Qxb2 Rxe1 $19) 18... bxa4 {423} 19. Rxa4
{2} Bxe3 {14 Karjakin tries to simplify the position.} 20. Bxe3 $5 {233 It's
moves like these that confuse your opponent. By giving up the e4 pawn, Magnus
spiced up the game.} (20. Rxe3 Rxa4 21. Qxa4 $16 {White has an excellent
position and is better, but maybe Magnus was expecting more.}) 20... Rxa4 {6}
21. Qxa4 {2} Nxe4 {36} 22. Rc1 {3} (22. b5 Nc3 23. b6 Nxa4 24. bxc7 Rc8 $11 {
and Black can make a draw.}) 22... Bd5 {40} 23. b5 $1 {7} cxb5 $2 {140 This is
obviously a mistake.} (23... c5 {was the most obvious move but with the
outside passer, white has great compensation.} 24. Bc4 $14) (23... Nd6 24. b6
Qb7 25. Nd2 $14) 24. Qxe4 $1 {3} Qxc1 {2} 25. Qxd5 {1 White has two pieces for
a rook and a clearly preferable position.} Qc7 {73} 26. Qxb5 {30} Rb8 {4 If
Black can exchange the queens then it would be a clear draw. However Magnus
makes sure to keep them on the board.} 27. Qd5 {18} Rd8 {70} 28. Qb3 {8} Rb8 {
20} 29. Qa2 {13} h6 {17} 30. Qd5 {63} Qe7 {51} 31. Qe4 {44} Qf6 {49} 32. g3 {49
} Rc8 {6} 33. Bd3 {63} Qc6 {5} 34. Qf5 {4} Re8 {7} 35. Be4 {287} Qe6 {6} 36.
Qh5 {66} Ne7 {3} 37. Qxe5 $6 {65 This queen exchange eases Sergey's defensive
task. Objectively Magnus must still be winning but Black's moves are now
easier to make.} (37. Ng5 $5 {This move would have been tricky for Karjakin to
meet as he had very little time on his clock.} Qc4 $1 (37... hxg5 38. Qh7+ Kf8
39. Qh8+ Ng8 40. Bc5+ Re7 41. Bh7 $18) 38. Bh7+ Kf8 39. Ne4 Qe6 (39... Qd5 40.
Nf6 $1 $18) 40. Nc5 Qd5 41. Be4 $18) 37... Qxe5 {5} 38. Nxe5 {2} Ng6 $1 {9} 39.
Bxg6 {8} Rxe5 {1 Sergey who was very short of time was relieved to reach this
endgame. He now made a few quick rook moves and gained time on his clock.} 40.
Bd3 {5} f6 {63} 41. Kg2 {10} Kh8 {2} 42. Kf3 {22} Rd5 {1} 43. Bg6 {3} Ra5 {3}
44. Ke4 {9} Rb5 {3} 45. h4 {3} Re5+ {2} 46. Kd4 {2} Ra5 {1} 47. Kc4 {11} Re5 {
21} 48. Bd4 {3} Ra5 {9} 49. Bc5 {2} Kg8 {5} 50. Kd5 {1} Rb5 {3} 51. Kd6 {3} Ra5
{3} 52. Be3 {17} Re5 {8} 53. Bf4 {29} Ra5 {12} 54. Bd3 {38} Ra7 {8} 55. Ke6 {5}
Rb7 {5} 56. Kf5 {6} Rd7 {23} 57. Bc2 {13} Rb7 {9} 58. Kg6 {2} (58. Be4 $1 {
not losing the f2 pawn made more sense.}) 58... Rb2 {23 White loses the f2
pawn, but he is able to launch an attack on the Black king.} 59. Bf5 $1 {2}
Rxf2 {16} 60. Be6+ {1} Kh8 {2} 61. Bd6 {31 There is no easy way to prevent Bf8.
} Re2 {2} 62. Bg4 $2 {122} (62. Kf7 $1 {followed by Bf8 would have sealed the
game in white's favour.} Rb2 63. Bf8 Rb7+ 64. Kg6 $18 {with Bf7 coming up.} f5
65. Bc5 $1 (65. Bxf5 Rb6+ 66. Kh5 Rf6 $11) 65... h5 66. Bd4 Rc7 67. Bxf5 $18)
62... Re8 $1 {17 Now it is not so easy to win for White.} 63. Bf5 {25} Kg8 {7}
64. Bc2 {28} Re3 {19} 65. Bb1 {9} Kh8 {28} 66. Kf7 {17} Rb3 {15} 67. Be4 {3}
Re3 {27} 68. Bf5 {23} Rc3 {5} 69. g4 {17} Rc6 {16} 70. Bf8 {6} Rc7+ {3} 71. Kg6
{2} Kg8 {7} 72. Bb4 {8} Rb7 $2 {6} (72... Rc6 $1) 73. Bd6 {9} (73. Be6+ Kh8 74.
Bf8 $18) 73... Kh8 {6} 74. Bf8 {15} Kg8 {2} 75. Ba3 {3} Kh8 {2} 76. Be6 {24}
Rb6 {6} 77. Kf7 {16} Rb7+ {2} 78. Be7 {2} h5 {58 This is precisely the reason
why Sergey is considered to be one of the best defenders in the world. He
instantly spots the drawing fortress.} 79. gxh5 {39} f5 {3} (79... Rxe7+ $1 80.
Kxe7 f5 $11) 80. Bxf5 {5} Rxe7+ $1 {2} 81. Kxe7 {1} Kg8 {1 There is no way for
White to make progress.} 82. Bd3 {3} Kh8 {1} 83. Kf8 {2} g5 {5} 84. hxg6 {
A fantastic defensive effort by Sergey.} 1/2-1/2

Game three - Magnus wins

Magnus gave up his bishop on d5 but in return got the kingside pawn majority and good attacking chances

The f-pawn moved ahead and the queen joined into the battle. It was once again upto Sergey to keep finding the best defensive resources.

Magnus is confident about his position, while Sergey is concentration personified

Great players always make use of the entire board! While Black's attack was building up on the kingside, Magnus played the move ...a5 on the other wing almost without thinking! And it was a great move.

Magnus' e5-e4 was a brilliant positional sacrifice. After a few moves White was left with the sick bishop on c4 while Black had this monster on e3.

Rxc7 was the final mistake by Karjakin. He could have continued the fight in an inferior position with Rb1. After Rxc7 Black went ...Ra1 and Karjakin resigned.

With this win Magnus lead the match 2.0-1.0

[Event "AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.30"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "1500+10"]

1. e4 {0} e5 {1} 2. Nf3 {0} Nc6 {1} 3. Bb5 {0} a6 {1} 4. Ba4 {0} Nf6 {2} 5. O-O
{0} Be7 {1} 6. d3 {0} b5 {2} 7. Bb3 d6 {1} 8. a3 {0} O-O {5} 9. Nc3 {2} Na5 {
2 After a brief stint with Nb8 in game one of the rapids, Magnus goes back to
Na5.} 10. Ba2 {2} Be6 {3} 11. b4 {8} Nc6 {24} 12. Nd5 {32} Nd4 {1} 13. Ng5 {196
} Bxd5 {248} 14. exd5 {3 Black has the kingside pawn majority in return for
giving up his bishop.} Nd7 {31} (14... Nxd5 $2 15. Nxf7 $18) 15. Ne4 {37} f5 {
38} 16. Nd2 {8} f4 {6 Magnus goes for a full throttle attack. True this looks
dangerous, but White has the bishop pair and can push away the knight from d4
with c3 and should be fine.} 17. c3 {136} Nf5 {18} 18. Ne4 {204} Qe8 $1 {
24 The queen makes its way to the kingside.} 19. Bb3 {170 This move prepares
ideas like a4 or even Ra2 defending the kingside along the second rank.} Qg6 {
90} 20. f3 {5} Bh4 {194} 21. a4 {90} Nf6 {11 The knight could jump to h5 and
later sacrifice itself on g3.} 22. Qe2 {149} a5 $1 {35 An excellent move by
Magnus made almost without thinking. He makes full use of the chess board. One
of the main reasons why this move works is because if the c3 pawn moves then
Nd4 is a strong move.} 23. axb5 {256} (23. bxa5 Rxa5 $1 $11 (23... b4 24. cxb4
Nd4 25. Qb2 $16)) 23... axb4 {15} 24. Bd2 {135} bxc3 {84} 25. Bxc3 {2 White's
pawns are ugly, but he has the bishop pair. Black should be slightly better
but nothing terrible.} Ne3 {42} 26. Rfc1 {8} Rxa1 {154} 27. Rxa1 {13} Qe8 {36}
28. Bc4 {29} Kh8 {73} (28... Nfxd5 29. Qa2 $44) 29. Nxf6 {134} Bxf6 {18} (29...
gxf6 $17 {would have been an excellent decision to get the open g-file for the
rook to attack.}) 30. Ra3 {23} e4 $1 {85 A superb positional pawn sacrifice by
Carlsen.} 31. dxe4 {24} Bxc3 {2} 32. Rxc3 {1} Qe5 {2 White has complete
domination on the dark squares and the bishop on c4 looks pretty silly.} 33.
Rc1 {11} Ra8 {20} 34. h3 {5} h6 {84} 35. Kh2 {13} Qd4 {28} 36. Qe1 $5 {72} Qb2
$1 {39} (36... Nxc4 37. Qb4 $16) 37. Bf1 {5} Ra2 {15 Black has tremendous
pressure on the position. The only way to defend here was Rb1 but Karjakin
didn't find it.} 38. Rxc7 $2 {94} (38. Rb1 Qf6 $17 {And Black has the
initiative and the attack but the game is not over yet.}) 38... Ra1 $1 {
20 The bishop is lost and so is the game. Karjakin resigned. Magnus leads 2.
0-1.0.} 0-1

Ironically Karjakin's 38.Rxc7?? was his second move beyond the 5th rank. You can't win the title playing like this #CarlsenKarjakin
— Grzegorz Gajewski (@GajuChess) November 30, 2016

Game four: Magnus wins the title

After playing solidly throughout the event, Sergey now had the uneviable task of winning with the black pieces. Sicilian it is!

The f3 system against the Sicilian was Carlsen's choice

White has such a solid position that it was impossible for Karjakin to breakthrough

Time to finish off the game in style. White to play and become World Champion! Isn't it pretty?

The final handshake of the game!

[Event "AGON FWCM 2016-Tiebreak"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "2016.11.30"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B55"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "1500+10"]

1. e4 {0} c5 {1 Finally a Sicilian! Well in a must win situation Berlin
wouldn't be the ideal choice, would it?} 2. Nf3 {0} d6 {1} 3. d4 {0} cxd4 {1}
4. Nxd4 {0} Nf6 {1} 5. f3 $5 {0 Sergey was ready to go for a Najdorf, but
Magnus decides to take the game into a Maroczy bind territory.} e5 {25} 6. Nb3
{6} Be7 {40} (6... d5 7. Bg5 $1) 7. c4 {9} a5 {18} 8. Be3 {9} a4 {3} 9. Nc1 {4}
O-O {64} 10. Nc3 {26} Qa5 {85} 11. Qd2 {99 This is just the kind of position
Magnus needs in the last game.} Na6 {296} 12. Be2 {55} Nc5 {28} 13. O-O {56}
Bd7 {37} 14. Rb1 {56} (14. Nd3 $14) 14... Rfc8 {113} 15. b4 $1 {29} axb3 {2}
16. axb3 {2} (16. Nxb3 $5 {looks ugly but is clearly possible.} Qa3 17. Nxc5
dxc5 18. Rxb7 $16) 16... Qd8 {55} 17. Nd3 {30} Ne6 {19 Karjakin has to retain
pieces in order to play for a win.} 18. Nb4 {4} Bc6 {24} 19. Rfd1 {27} h5 {
27 This is practically the only active plan that Black has at his disposal -
h5-h4 and Nh5-f4.} 20. Bf1 {258} h4 {3} 21. Qf2 {12} Nd7 {30} 22. g3 {136} Ra3
{286} 23. Bh3 {58} Rca8 {4} 24. Nc2 {57} R3a6 {13} 25. Nb4 {5} Ra5 {6} 26. Nc2
{53 Magnus enjoys this little knight dance as Karjakin is in a must win
situation.} b6 {35} 27. Rd2 {136} Qc7 {383} 28. Rbd1 {21} Bf8 {71} 29. gxh4 {64
} Nf4 {47} 30. Bxf4 {6} exf4 {1} 31. Bxd7 {28} Qxd7 {3} 32. Nb4 {91} Ra3 {80} (
32... Bb7 33. Nbd5 $18) 33. Nxc6 {239} Qxc6 {1} 34. Nb5 {14 Black has
overstretched and White has a clear advantage.} Rxb3 {5} 35. Nd4 {2} Qxc4 {1}
36. Nxb3 {2} Qxb3 {1} 37. Qe2 $16 {25 A very pleasant position to be in for
Magnus. Absolutely no chances to lose the game.} Be7 {28} 38. Kg2 {50} Qe6 {38}
39. h5 {8} Ra3 {6} 40. Rd3 {49} Ra2 {1} 41. R3d2 {5} Ra3 {1} 42. Rd3 {2} Ra7 {
12} 43. Rd5 {7} Rc7 {14} 44. Qd2 {28} Qf6 {27} 45. Rf5 {6} Qh4 {1} 46. Rc1 {21}
Ra7 {18} 47. Qxf4 {61} Ra2+ {10} 48. Kh1 {3} Qf2 {7} 49. Rc8+ {29} Kh7 {
2 How should White finish off the game?} 50. Qh6+ $3 {2 What a nice way to
become the World Champion!} 1-0

Magnus agreed that this had been a very tough match. One of the best qualities of Karjakin was that even after losing the match he was in good spirits. He wished Magnus a happy birthday and promised his fans that he would be back fighting for the highest title by winning the next Candidates.

Judit Polgar did a fantastic job as the official commentator at the event

AGON CEO Ilya Merenzon (left) was very happy with the number of people who followed the World Championship not only at the venue, but also online. 10 million online viewers was his estimate.

Albert Silver from ChessBase provided some wonderful coverage in the form of stories, anecdotes, and high quality of pictures. A huge thanks to him.

Three times in a row! World Champion Magnus Carlsen! In a league of his own.

Download all annotated games in one PGN file

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