GM Magnus Carlsen – GM Alireza Firouzja
FTX Crypto Cup, (6.5)
English Opening
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bc5 4.d3 0-0 5.Nf3 d6 6.Nc3 c6 7.0-0 a5 It’s an easy English Opening, with Carlsen just opting for something simple rather than a heavy-theory line – and Firouzja responding with a very logical set-up. 8.d4 If Carlsen doesn’t do “something” now, then he risked seeing Firouzja taking control of the game. 8…exd4 9.Nxd4 a4 Not so much preventing Nb3 for now, but more going for the thematic …a3 push to take a grip of the queenside. 10.e3 a3 11.Qc2 Re8 12.Nb3 axb2 13.Bxb2 Be6 Slightly better was the alternatives of 13…Nbd7 or even 13…Ba3 – but regardless, Carlsen has come out of the opening with no advantage. 14.Nxc5 dxc5 15.Ne2 Nbd7 Intending …Nd7-b6 hitting the easy target of the undefended c4-pawn – and this forces Carlsen’s hand. 16.Nf4 Qe7 17.a4 Ra6 Firouzja clearly has his eyes on Carlsen’s two vulnerable queenside pawns, as …Ra6 opens the door for doubling rooks on the a-file, and/or the imaginative leap with …Ra6-b6-b4. Faced with this, Carlsen has to react now with some urgency. 18.Rfb1 Rea8 19.Bc3 R6a7 20.a5 Ne8 It’s an intriguing battle being fought out in a blitz game: Firouzja looking to fix Carlsen’s pawns to that he will be tied down defending them, while Carlsen is looking to break out of the bind to activate his bishop-pair. 21.Qd3 Intent on defending c4, Carlsen misses a shot with 21.a6! bxa6 22.Bxc6 and suddenly White is in the driving seat. 21…Ndf6 22.Nxe6 Qxe6 23.Rd1 Nc7 24.e4! Now Carlsen takes control of the game, as he systematically begins to push Firouzja off the board. 24…Na6 25.e5 Ne8 26.f4 With his bishop-pair, Carlsen’s space advantage should give him a big winning advantage. 26…Nb4 27.f5! Qe7 Forced, as 27…Nxd3? 28.fxe6 Nb4 29.exf7+ Kxf7 30.Rd7+ Kg8 31.Rf1! b5 32.Bxb4!! and all the tactics are winning quickly for White: 32…Rxd7 33.Bxc6 cxb4 34.Bxd7 Nf6 35.Bc6 Rxa5 36.cxb5 and Black can resign, as moving the attacked knights leads to mate after Bd5+ etc. 28.Qd7! Qg5 You are in a precarious position, but remember it is blitz, so your best bet is to gamble everything on finding a trick or two by keeping the queens on the board, rather than the tame though better alternative of 28…Qxd7 29.Rxd7 Rxa5 30.Rxa5 Rxa5 31.Rxb7 Ra4 32.e6! fxe6 33.fxe6 etc. 29.e6 fxe6 30.fxe6 Carlsen missed that he cut to the chase right away with the better 30.Qxe6+! Kh8 31.Rd7! Nc2 32.Re7! Nf6 33.Bxf6 gxf6 (Not 33…Qxf6?? 34.Re8+! winning on the spot.) 34.Rb1 and Firouzja would have been in dire straits – and not in a good way with Mark Knopfler hitting the riffs on lead guitar! 30…Qe3+ 31.Kh1 b6 32.axb6! Offering up the first queen sacrifice – but even more of a killer blow was 32.Bxb4!! cxb4 33.Bxc6 Rxd7 34.exd7 Rd8 35.Re1! and Black can resign. 32…Nd3? Firouzja is in a bad way, and what he plays only compounds his problems. As bad as it is, his only try was 32…Rxd7! 33.exd7 Nd3 but after 34.Rf1! Rb8 (Worse was 34…Rxa1 35.Bxa1 Qe7 36.b7 and one of the pawns queen.) 35.dxe8Q+ Rxe8 36.Bxc6 Qe2 37.b7 Nf2+ 38.Rxf2! Qxf2 39.Rb1 Rb8 40.Be5 and Black’s set to lose the rook, and soon with it, the game. 33.Qxd3 Qxd3 34.bxa7! [see diagram] It’s a second queen sacrifice from Carlsen – and all the more remarkable, as he’s having to calculate this with great accuracy with just seconds left on his clock! 34…Qxc3 35.Bxc6 Rxa7 36.Rxa7 Qxc4 37.Ra8 Carlsen pieces unite to come in for the kill – but he still has to play with great care with seconds on his clock. Not easy, as Firouzja is a very tricky opponent. 37…g6 38.Rxe8+ Kg7 39.e7 With the pawn close to queening, when it does, Firouzja can resign. 39…Qe2 40.Rg8+ Much easier for the nerves was 40.Red8! – but all easy to say from the comfort of my own seat and the engine going into a virtual meltdown with its hefty +20ish assessment. But here, most players, in the heat of battle, with seconds on their clocks, will have a fixed way they are looking to win. 40…Kh6 41.e8Q Qxd1+ Carlsen is winning – but in blitz, with flags metaphorically hanging on digital clocks, offering your opponent a flurry of checks can sometimes prove to be a game-saver! 42.Kg2 Qc2+ 43.Kf3 Qf5+ 44.Ke3 Qg5+ 45.Ke2 Qg4+ 46.Bf3! Carlsen doesn’t panic, and now retreats his bishop to provide the perfect shield from the checks. 46…Qc4+ 47.Kf2 Qa2+ 48.Be2 1-0 With no checks left, Firouzja resigns, as they only way he can delay being mated for a few moves is by playing 48…Qxg8.