[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McShane, Luke J"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "McShane, Luke"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Nh6 {[diagram] I was
aware Carlsen had played this somewhere but didn't realise it was as recently
as at the Olympiad. I had looked at it a little bit but it was one of ten
things I had considered as vaguely possible.} 7. d4 {Malcolm Pein thought this
gave White the edge as he had played this in the 1970s when Andersson showed
White was doing well. I certainly thought White was comfortable after this.} (
7. a3 O-O 8. Rb1 b6 9. d3 Bb7 10. Bd2 Nf5 {was the continuation in
Andreikin-Carlsen, at the World Blitz Championship in Moscow}) (7. b3 O-O 8.
Bb2 Rb8 9. e3 Nf5 10. d3 a6 {was played in Flores-Carlsen, Khanty Mansiysk
Olympiad 2010. Carlsen won both of these earlier games.}) 7... cxd4 8. Bxh6
Bxh6 9. Nxd4 Ne5 $5 {[diagram]I was happy to see this, it looks a little
over-ambitious and I don't think people will be itching to play it again. He
played it confidently. I could tell he was definitely trying to beat me with
Black. (Black should try and exchange pieces as he has less space so this is
risky - Pein)} (9... Nxd4 10. Qxd4 O-O {or}) (9... Bd7 {are the alternatives.})
10. Qb3 (10. e3 Nxc4 $4 11. Qa4+ {, but I thought I needed to create threats
or he could be a bit better with the bishops.}) 10... O-O 11. Rfd1 Nd7 12. Qa3
$1 {Anticipating Nc5. The moves e3 and Qe2 are natural but I was concerned
about Bg4 at some stage.} a5 {The standard a6 and b5 plan is not possible here.
[diagram]} 13. b4 ({Really important but I wonder if Na4 was a better move:} 
13. Na4 Ra6 14. c5 dxc5 15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. Qxc5 Rd6) ({But} 13. Na4 Ra6 14. c5
dxc5 15. Nb5 $5 {looks promising. Maybe 13 Na4 was the thing to do, but I was
quite pleased with b4 and it threatens c5.}) 13... Ra6 (13... Nb6 {was the
critical response, hitting c4 and protecting the rook on a8 so that axb4
becomes possible. Now, after} 14. c5 Nc4 15. Qb3 {, the move} Nd2 $5 {is a
surprising shot.  During the game I thought White had good chances in the
tactical melee which arises after 16 Qd5!?, but perhaps} 16. Qa4 {is the
correct follow-up after all.}) 14. b5 Ra8 15. e3 a4 (15... Nc5 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17.
Bxe4 {and c4-c5 comes and it's more potent with a pawn on b5 rather than b2.})
16. Rab1 Bg7 {[diagram]} 17. Ne4 $1 ({White has a space advantage and aims for
c4-c5.} 17. Nxa4 $2 {is answered by} Qa5 $1 18. Rb4 Nc5 19. Nb3 {when} Bb2 ({
and} 19... Qa7 {are good for Black.})) 17... Qb6 18. Nc6 $1 {Seen when playing
17 Ne4!} Re8 (18... bxc6 19. bxc6 Qa5 (19... Qxc6 $4 {loses the queen to} 20.
Nf6+) 20. cxd7 Bxd7 21. c5 {is good for White.}) 19. Nb4 $1 f5 {[diagram]} ({
Criticised by everyone but the players thought it was right. However,
computers give alternatives such as} 19... Qa5 20. Nd5 Nb6 {, etc.}) 20. Nc3 (
20. Nd5 $1 Qd8 21. Ng5 $1 {was the strongest continuation, threatening to hop
into the hole on e6. After} Nc5 22. b6 {... to tell the truth, I didn't really
calculate these lines and was worried he would play} e6 23. Nc7 Qxg5 24. Nxa8 {
, but this is nonsense as he has no real compensation.}) (20. Nd5 Qd8 21. Ng5
Nc5 22. b6 {If he plays} Rf8 {instead, then} 23. Nc7 Rb8 24. Rb5 $1 {. I
missed this, but I was playing quite quickly (because he always plays quickly
and I thought I'd better try and keep up).}) 20... Qc5 $2 ({Big mistake.} 20...
e6 $1 {was forced, when} 21. Na6 (21. Nc6 {and}) (21. Nxa4 {can happen, e.g.}
Qa5 22. Na6 {and the position remains messy.})) 21. Nxa4 $1 Qa7 {[diagram]} 22.
Na6 $1 {This looks ungainly but it can't be exploited and the threat is 23 Nc7
Rf8 24 c5!} bxa6 23. b6 Nxb6 24. Rxb6 {Much stronger than capturing with the
knight.} Rb8 25. c5 $1 Be6 ({One of the reasons I played 24 Rxb6 was that I
thought} 25... dxc5 26. Qb3+ {was almost winning but I had missed} c4 {, though
} 27. Qxc4+ {gives White an enduring initiative.}) (25... dxc5 26. Qxc5 {maybe
even better. Fortunately everything is still good}) 26. Rdb1 {[diagram]The
recurring theme now is checkmate to the queen! - Pein.} dxc5 (26... Qc7 27. c6
{is very strong, with Rb7 coming.}) 27. Rb7 Rxb7 28. Rxb7 Qa8 29. Nxc5 Qc8 (
29... Bf7 30. Rxe7 $1 {is winning comfortably, as the a6 pawn will also drop
off after the exchange of rooks.}) 30. Qxa6 Bf7 (30... Qxc5 31. Qxe6+ Kh8 32.
Bc6 {wins the e7 pawn as well.}) 31. Bc6 Rd8 {[diagram]} 32. Nd7 $1 ({An
important move. Against somebody like Carlsen, you don't want to give him any
chances so I tried to smother him. It completely knocks him out - he doesn't
have any moves. The intention is Qb6 and Rb8 to trap Black's queen. After} 32.
Rxe7 Qxa6 33. Nxa6 Bxa2 {, I can't lose. It's a tempting, lazy option, but I
had 15 minutes left - enough time to calculate everything.}) 32... Rxd7 (32...
Be6 33. Qb6 Bxd7 34. Bxd7 Qc1+ 35. Kg2 Rf8 36. Qe6+ {wins.}) 33. Bxd7 Qc1+ 34.
Qf1 Qxf1+ 35. Kxf1 Bc4+ 36. Kg1 Bxa2 37. Ba4 {Forcing off a pair of bishops
makes the technical task much simpler.} e5 38. f3 ({Good technique because} 38.
Bb3+ Bxb3 39. Rxb3 e4 {lets him struggle for a while, albeit without hope.
After exchanging bishops, White will play e3-e4 to fix a weakness on e5 before
advancing the king.}) 38... Bh6 39. Bb3+ {[diagram]He played quite quickly for
the first 15-20 moves but by the time the game was over I was ahead on the
clock.} 1-0

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 {[diagram]} ({The Berlin
Defence made five appearances at this year's Classic. In round five, Anand
opted for} 5. Re1 {against McShane. He secured a small edge and the pundits
despaired for McShane's chances for a while, but the defence held.}) 5... Be7 (
5... Nd6 {is 'the real Kramnik', as used to wrest the world title from Garry
Kasparov in 2000. It was played three times in London, in Anand-Nakamura 
(round one), McShane-Kramnik (round three) and Anand-Kramnik (round seven).
All three games were drawn, though Luke McShane came uncomfortably close to
losing against 'Mr Berlin'.}) 6. Qe2 Nd6 7. Bxc6 bxc6 (7... dxc6 $2 {is rarely
played as it leads to big trouble after} 8. dxe5 Nf5 9. Rd1 Bd7 {(only move)}
10. e6 $1 fxe6 11. Ne5 Bd6 12. Qh5+ {, etc.}) 8. dxe5 Nb7 9. c4 (9. Nc3 {is
more frequently seen.}) 9... O-O 10. Nc3 {[diagram]} f6 ({Nigel Short chose} 
10... Re8 {against Hou Yifan at Corus 2008 but lost quite quickly.}) 11. Re1
fxe5 12. Qxe5 Bf6 13. Qg3 {A new move, where 13 Qh5 had previously been
preferred.} Nc5 14. Bg5 {[diagram]} Nd3 $2 ({Black regretted this move, which
gets him into trouble.} 14... d6 {is perhaps a better alternative, keeping a
wary eye on White's kingside build-up and continuing with development.}) 15.
Re3 $1 {David Howell had originally expected 15 Re2 but when Black started to
spend a long time on his reply, he suddenly became aware of this more forceful
response.} Nxb2 {There is little else for it but to follow through with this
capture.} 16. Rae1 Bxg5 $6 ({Mickey Adams said he had expected} 16... Ba6 {
when he might have replied} 17. Ne4 {with some play for the pawn, though there
is chess left in the position.}) 17. Nxg5 Qf6 {[diagram] Anything else and 18
Re7 would be unanswerable.} 18. Rf3 Qd8 19. Nce4 ({White has a choice of good
moves. Another is} 19. Qe5 {, which craftily closes on the black knight, e.g.}
Nxc4 20. Rxf8+ Qxf8 21. Qe4 {with twin threats of Qxh7 mate and Qxc4.}) 19...
Ba6 {[diagram]} 20. Nxh7 $1 (20. Rxf8+ {is also very good, e.g.} Qxf8 21. Nxh7
$1 Kxh7 22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Qh3 $1 {and it's all over.}) 20... Rxf3 21. gxf3 Kxh7
22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Qh4 Bxc4 24. Qh7+ Kf8 {[diagram]} 25. Re5 (25. Qh8+ Bg8 26.
Re5 {is also lethal.}) 25... Be6 (25... Qf6 26. Qh8+ Bg8 27. Nh7+ Kf7 28. Nxf6
{also wins.}) 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qxg7+ Kd6 28. Ne4# 1-0

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Short, Nigel D"]
[Black "McShane, Luke J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B76"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. g4 Be6 10. Nxe6 ({White usually disdains this capture and plays} 10.
O-O-O {, thinking to get on with the traditional kingside offensive, but it is
interesting to see what happens if he does play the obvious move.}) 10... fxe6
11. O-O-O {[diagram]} Rc8 ({Rather unusual. Most Black players prefer to stop
White's next move with} 11... Ne5 {first, and this is probably better than the
text.}) 12. Bc4 {Completely logical. White seeks to exploit the weakness on
the a2-g8 diagonal.} Qd7 13. Bb3 Na5 14. h4 Nc4 ({Superficially,} 14... Nxb3+ {
to knock out the light-squared bishop in one, is tempting, but it is not clear
then where Black's queenside counterplay is coming from. If he cannot conjure
up something, he might simply get mated on the kingside. This is an
occupational hazard of playing the Dragon, of course. As Nigel Short put it in
the commentary room: "Dragon players don't really mind getting mated", though
one could hear Dragon expert GM Chris Ward in the background saying "oh yes,
they do!".}) 15. Qd3 {[diagram]} Qc6 ({You might find your computer gets
excited at the prospect of} 15... Nxb2 $5 {here, with the idea of} 16. Kxb2 Nd5
17. exd5 Rxc3 18. Qxc3 Bxc3+ 19. Kxc3 Rxf3 20. dxe6 Qc6+ 21. Kd2 a5 {, etc,
but the two players were dismissive of this line, feeling that White's rook
and two bishops were more than adequate compensation for the queen.}) 16. Ne2
Nd7 17. Nd4 Qa6 18. f4 (18. Nxe6 $2 Bxb2+ 19. Kb1 Rxf3 20. Ng5 Rxe3 $1 21. Qxe3
Bf6 {gives Black a very useful attack for the small material investment.
Besides which, White doesn't want pawns, he wants to give mate.}) 18... e5 19.
fxe5 Ndxe5 20. Qe2 {[diagram]} Kh8 ({It would all too easy to fill up the page
with  analysis here but let's look at just one alternative:} 20... d5 $5 21.
exd5 Nxg4 {is another try if Black is afraid of being mated. However, White
could continue with} 22. Bg5 $5 {, e.g.} Nf2 23. d6 $1 Nxd1 24. Qe6+ Kh8 25. d7
$1 {and White seems to emerge with an advantage.}) 21. h5 gxh5 {[diagram]} 22.
g5 $2 ({Both players were in severe time trouble by now. Here Nigel Short
thought he must be winning on the kingside but calculated that his likeliest
tries were flawed, e.g.} 22. Rxh5 $5 Nxe3 23. Qxe3 ({But perhaps} 23. Qh2 $1 {
would have won after all.}) 23... Rf1 $1 24. Rh1 {and now the implausible} (24.
Rxh7+ Kxh7 25. Qh3+ Bh6+ {- check! -} 26. g5 Nd3+ $3 {is another stunning 
(lucky?) resource for Black}) 24... Qd3 $3 {comes to Black's rescue.}) 22...
Ng4 $1 23. Bg1 ({An annoying necessity.} 23. Rxh5 Ncxe3 $1 24. Rxh7+ Kxh7 25.
Rh1+ {comes close but} Kg6 {and the black king is perfectly safe.}) 23... Nce3
$1 {Forcing the exchange of queens more or less guarantees that Black will not
be mated on the kingside.} 24. Qxa6 bxa6 25. Bxe3 Nxe3 26. Rd3 Bxd4 27. Rxd4
Rc5 $1 {The endgame is a very different story. Black is already a pawn up and
has further white pawn weaknesses to target.} 28. Rd3 Ng2 $1 ({Indirectly
defending the h-pawn with a fork on f4. Nigel had hoped for} 28... Rf1+ $4 29.
Rxf1 Nxf1 30. Rf3 Nh2 31. Rf8+ Kg7 32. Rg8#) 29. Rg3 Nf4 30. Kd2 Re5 31. Re1
Kg7 32. Ke3 Kg6 33. c3 Rxg5 34. Rxg5+ Kxg5 35. Rg1+ Kh6 36. e5 dxe5 37. Ke4 {
[diagram]Though Black has three sets of doubled pawns, his endgame advantage
is secure.} Ng6 38. Bc4 a5 39. Kd5 Rf2 40. b4 axb4 41. cxb4 h4 42. a4 h3 43. a5
h2 44. Rh1 Kg5 {[diagram] I suspect Nigel might have resigned around here
ordinarily but he sportingly plays on to a more clear-cut conclusion for the
benefit of the big crowd watching.} 45. b5 Kg4 46. b6 axb6 47. a6 Kg3 48. a7
Rf8 49. Kc6 {Both advanced pawns can queen and 'buy' a rook but Black has a
back-up supply of potential new queens, of course.} Nf4 50. Ra1 e4 51. Ba6 Nh3
52. Bb7 Ng1 0-1

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2723"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 (4... Bb4 {and 4...d5 are more
frequently seen but this is respectable.}) 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 a6 (7...
h6 {, to prevent the pin of the f6 knight, is by far the commonest move here.})
8. a3 Ba7 9. b4 {[DIAGRAM]} Be6 ({Yasser Seirawan, in his video commentary on
the Internet Chess Club, thought} 9... Bf5 {was a useful alternative, with a
view to getting in e5-e4 for Black and, if} 10. e4 {to prevent it, then} Bg4 {
and Black will have a good home for his c6 knight on d4.}) 10. Nd2 Rb8 ({
Yasser Seirawan preferred the more direct} 10... d5 {here, but the choice is
not critical. This line of the English is quiet and strategic, contrasting
with the ultra-sharp Short-McShane game going on alongside.}) 11. Rb1 Ne7 12.
a4 Qd7 13. b5 Bh3 14. Ba3 h6 15. e3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 {[diagram]} Bc5 ({Very
committal, but still not really classifiable as an error.} 16... axb5 17. axb5
Bc5 {would ensure that the resultant doubled pawn on c5 could be defended by
the move b7-b6.}) 17. Bxc5 dxc5 18. Nf3 Qe6 {Black threatens to undermine
White's pawns with e5-e4 so Magnus decides he has to stop that happening with..
.} 19. e4 c6 20. Qb3 {[DIAGRAM]} Rbd8 ({Superficially,} 20... cxb5 {looks
attractive, to undouble the pawns, but} 21. cxb5 Qxb3 22. Rxb3 Ng6 23. Rc1 {
would leave Black's queenside pawns a little vulnerable to White's rooks. A
player of Magnus's stratospheric ability would be quite capable of
capitalising on such a small edge in the long run.}) 21. bxa6 bxa6 22. Qc2 {
Black's c5 pawn is now a long-term weakness but White's backward d3 pawn is a
compensatory factor from Black's point of view.} Ng6 {With the immediate
threat of ...Nf4+! but White can easily stop this.} 23. Ng1 {In a sharp,
tactical struggle this sort of retreat would be costly in terms of time but in
this quiet, manoeuvring game it does not count as a concession.} Rb8 24. a5 Nd7
25. Na4 Qd6 26. Ne2 Qc7 27. Qc3 {White has to defend a second pawn weakness.}
Rfd8 28. Rxb8 Rxb8 29. f4 {[diagram]} exf4 $5 ({Yasser Seirawan considered
this the critical point of the whole game. He thought the text move was an
error of judgement, preferring the idea} 29... Rb7 $5 {with the idea of Qb8
and an invasion along the b-file. But some analysis engines favour Adams's
plan.}) 30. gxf4 Qd6 31. Kh1 Rb4 32. Qc2 Nh4 ({Another turning point. Black
could try} 32... Qc7 {here, with the simple threat of taking the a5 pawn, but
perhaps he was afraid of a white kingside attack should he concentrate his
major pieces on the queen's flank.}) 33. Nac3 Qg6 34. Ng3 {[diagram]} Nf6 $2 ({
Perhaps this is the true turning point of the game. The text move allows White
to play e4-e5 with tempo and establish a knight on e4. But it looks better to
leave the knight where it is, defending the c-pawn, and play} 34... Qe6 $1 {
instead. Black seems quite handily placed then, with useful replies to pawn
pushes, e.g.} 35. f5 $2 Qd6 $1 {when White's progress stymied and Black is
significantly better.}) 35. e5 Nh5 $6 ({Black could admit his previous mistake
and play} 35... Nd7 {when he is not worse.}) 36. Nxh5 Qxh5 37. Ne4 Kh8 $2 ({
This is probably the fatal error. Black needs to play} 37... Qf5 {when} 38. Qf2
Qh3 39. Re1 Rb3 $1 {seems to hold things together, e.g.} 40. Nxc5 Rb2 $1 41.
Qxb2 Qf3+ 42. Kg1 Qg4+ 43. Kf1 Qh3+ {with perpetual check.}) 38. Qf2 Nf5 39.
Nxc5 ({Not} 39. Qxc5 $4 Qh3 $1 {and White suddenly has insoluble problems.})
39... Qh3 40. Re1 Nh4 {This makes things relatively easy for White but Black
was probably losing anyway.} 41. Qg3 Qxg3 42. hxg3 Nf3 {[DIAGRAM]} 43. Rf1 ({
Black's forlorn hope is} 43. Ra1 $4 Rb2 $1 {- a sneaky mating configuration
beloved of all competition chessplayers.}) 43... Nd4 44. Kg2 {Magnus's king is
on its way to e4 where it will be safe and ready to support pawn advances.} Ne6
45. Nxa6 Ra4 46. f5 Ng5 ({There is no time for} 46... Rxa5 {because of} 47.
fxe6 Rxa6 48. exf7 {and the pawn queens.}) 47. Nc7 Kg8 ({Black would like to
play} 47... Rxa5 {but} 48. e6 $1 fxe6 49. fxe6 Re5 50. d4 $1 {and White will
soon have two united passed pawns on their way to promotion.}) 48. a6 Kf8 49.
Kf2 (49. Kf2 Ke7 50. Rb1 Kd7 51. Rb7 Kc8 52. e6 {soon decides.}) 1-0

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd3 c6 {
[diagram] No surprise as we had reached this position three times already this
year, at Bilbao, Kristiansund Rapid and Nanjing. All three games were drawn.
At Bilbao I was winning but he was also better at some point.} 15. b4 Rc8 ({
New, and I should have been more careful.} 15... Nb6 {is theory: three games
of ours and Shirov-Carlsen from Bilbao.}) 16. axb5 $6 {Lack of concentration
and a silly move anyway because Rc8 is designed to prevent this.} cxb5 17. Bb2
d5 $1 {[diagram] Black now has a slight edge.} 18. exd5 ({I was feeling like a
wally allowing this to happen. I had a long think here as the position was
critical and I saw all the way to 30 Rd1.} 18. dxe5 Nxe5 ({or} 18... dxe4) 19.
Nxe5 Rxe5 20. Nf3 Re8 21. e5 Ne4 {is fine for Black. I didn't like any of
these lines.}) 18... exd4 19. Rxe8 Qxe8 {[diagram]} 20. c4 ({The only way to
try and liquidate a little bit. Not} 20. Nxd4 Nxd5 {, intending Ne5 and Nf4
with an awesome position.}) 20... bxc4 21. Nxc4 $2 (21. Bxc4 $1 Bxb4 22. Bxd4
a5 23. Qb3 Qd8 {and I didn't see a defence to Nc5 winning the d5 pawn, but the
computer finds} 24. d6 {which is equal.}) 21... Nxd5 22. Nxd4 Nxb4 23. Nf5 Nxd3
{[diagram]} 24. Qxd3 (24. Nh6+ Kh8 25. Nd6 {doesn't work:} Bxd6 26. Bxg7+ Kxg7
27. Nf5+ Kf8 28. Nxd6 Qe5 {wins for Black.}) 24... Be4 $2 ({The funny thing is
he doesn't have an obvious way to equality after this. The one thing I can say
is that, when I played 20 c4, I had seen all that follows:} 24... Qe6 25. Ncd6
Rb8 (25... Rc5 {is the computer's choice, with a big edge for Black}) 26. Nxb7
Rxb7 27. Rxa6 (27. Bd4 {and with} Rb5 {Black keeps his extra pawn}) {and I had
seen that} 27... Nc5 $1 {was winning.}) 25. Qd4 Bxf5 26. Nd6 {[diagram]} Qd8 ({
I had foreseen} 26... Qe6 27. Nxc8 Nc5 28. Ba3 Nb3 29. Qd8 Qxc8 30. Rd1 {when
thinking about 20 c4 and Magnus had missed this specific move, so I had gone
one ply further. I had used an hour to this point.}) 27. Nxf5 f6 (27... Nf6 28.
Qxd8 Rxd8 29. Bxf6 gxf6 30. Rxa6 {followed by 31 g4 gives good winning chances.
If} Rd5 31. Rxf6 {Black cannot play} Bg7 {because of} 32. Ne7+ {. If Black's
rook had been on c8, this would have been a defence as he could have played
Rc8-c5 and h7-h5 exchanging a pair of pawns. After 27...Nf6 White would
probably win in the long run. Carlsen did not like this at all - Pein.}) 28.
Rd1 Rc2 (28... Rc7 29. Qd5+ Kh8 30. Qf7 Qc8 31. Nh6 Bc5 32. Qe6 $1 {Magnus saw
this before me.}) 29. Nh6+ gxh6 30. Qg4+ Bg7 31. Qe6+ Kh8 32. Rxd7 Qf8 33. Ba3
(33. Re7 Rxb2 34. Re8 Rb8 {is a fortress}) ({but} 33. Rf7 $1 Qc8 34. Qe7 Rxb2
35. Rxg7 Qc1+ 36. Kh2 Qf4+ {and now} 37. Rg3 $1 {was the point I missed. 
[diagram]}) 33... Qg8 34. Qxa6 Qe8 35. Qa7 Qg8 36. Be7 (36. Bc5 {is an
improvement.}) 36... Rc8 37. Qa6 Qe8 38. Ra7 Kg8 39. Qe6+ Kh8 40. Qa6 Kg8 {
[diagram] I felt I could torture him for a while and I thought: "well, if
Magnus had this position against me, he would play for 170 moves."} 41. Qe6+
Kh8 42. Kh2 Rc6 43. Qb3 Rc8 44. Bd6 Qg6 45. Qb7 Rd8 46. Bg3 Rg8 47. h4 Qf5 48.
Qc7 Qd5 49. Ra5 Qe4 50. Qd7 Qc4 51. Qf5 Qc8 52. Qf3 Qd7 53. Bf4 {[diagram]He
can't liquidate anything so I can just organise - I don't know the evaluation
but it's just very unpleasant. Eventually I can re-route the bishop onto the
long diagonal.} Qf7 54. g3 Re8 55. Be3 Rg8 56. Ra6 Re8 57. Ra7 Re7 58. Qa8+ Qf8
59. Ra6 Re8 60. Qc6 Rc8 61. Qf3 Qf7 62. Ra7 Qe6 63. Qb7 Qg8 64. Bf4 Rd8 65. Qa6
{[diagram] There are various endgames to consider. The rook ending is a draw
but he has to put  his rook on c5 so I cannot play  Re5 and then f4. After Re5
and f4 I can get my king to h5 and win. If he can play his pawn to h5 or his
king to g6, he holds. So I did not head for this. The bishop ending is also
drawn. Only the queen endgame is won.} Re8 (65... h5 66. Bh6 $1 Bxh6 67. Qxf6+
Bg7 68. Rxg7 Qxg7 69. Qxd8+ {wins.}) 66. Rc7 Ra8 67. Qc6 Re8 68. Be3 Rb8 69.
Bd4 Qf8 70. Qc3 Re8 {[diagram] But there was no defence.} 71. Rc6 Qf7 72. Bxf6
Rf8 73. Bxg7+ Qxg7 74. Qe3 Qb2 75. Kg2 Qb7 76. Qxh6 Qf7 77. Rc2 {[diagram]} (
77. Rc2 Qf3+ 78. Kh2 {and the two extra pawns will decide eventually.}) 1-0

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Short, Nigel D"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r2r1k1/p1n3bp/1p4p1/3q1p2/3p1P1P/P2P2Q1/1P1BR1P1/3NR2K w - - 0 28"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

{[diagram] White has slightly the worst of it here, so he reacts aggressively,
trying to open up lines to the black king.} 28. h5 gxh5 $6 (28... Qc6 {or the
same move after exchanging on e2 would be better moves for Black.}) 29. Re7 $1
{The mate threat gives White a glimmer of hope.} Rxe7 30. Rxe7 Ne6 31. Rxa7 ({
Prefacing the pawn capture with} 31. Qe1 {may be a tad better since it forces
the black knight to retreat to a passive square.}) 31... Kh8 32. Nf2 Bf6 33.
Nh3 h4 34. Qf2 h6 {[diagram]Objectively the position is now approximately
equal but White is still focused on the black king and thinks he sees a tactic
to (at least) draw.} 35. Ng5 $2 Nxg5 $1 ({White is half-right:} 35... hxg5 36.
fxg5 {forces} Bg7 37. Qxh4+ Kg8 38. g6 Nf8 39. Qe7 Qe5 40. Qf7+ Kh8 41. Bf4 $1
{when Black has to settle for perpetual check with} Qe1+ 42. Kh2 Qh4+ 43. Kg1 {
, etc.}) 36. fxg5 hxg5 37. Bxg5 $2 ({White could limp on a pawn down with
something like} 37. a4 {but he is still set upon his tactic.}) 37... Bxg5 38.
Qe2 {[diagram]} Qd6 $1 ({The one and only move for Black, and quite conclusive.
If} 38... Bh6 $2 39. Qe7 $1 Qg8 40. Qe5+ Bg7 41. Rxg7 {and White regains the
piece with advantage.}) 39. Qh5+ Qh6 40. Qf3 (40. Qf7 {achieves nothing: Black
simply counterattacks with} h3 {and wins.}) 40... Rc8 41. Qxf5 Rc1+ 42. Kh2
Qd6+ $1 ({White's last hope was} 42... Bf4+ $2 43. Kh3 {and Black cannot avoid
a perpetual check with the rook, while} Rh1+ 44. Kg4 {might even lose.}) 43.
Kh3 Qg3# 0-1

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. c4 {Magnus is now a confirmed 'anglophile' when it comes to his choice of
opening for White...} f5 {... while Hikaru favours the Netherlands with Black.
Of course it is not a true Dutch as White does not play d4 at any stage.} 2. g3
Nf6 3. Bg2 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Nge2 O-O 7. O-O e5 8. b3 Nbd7 9. d3 c6 10.
Ba3 Qc7 11. Qd2 Re8 12. Rae1 Nc5 13. h3 e4 {[diagram]} 14. dxe4 (14. d4 {isn't
really an option because of} Nd3 {and the knight makes a nuisance of itself.})
14... Nfxe4 15. Qc2 Nxc3 16. Nxc3 Be6 17. Rd1 Rad8 18. Bb2 Bf7 19. Rd2 a5 20.
Rfd1 Be5 21. Ne2 {[diagram]So far, a lot of cautious jockeying for position
has ensued, but now Hikaru makes a committal move.} a4 22. b4 Nd7 23. Bd4 ({
Note that the immediate capture of the a-pawn with} 23. Qxa4 {would be a very
bad idea because of} Nb6 $1 24. Qb3 Nxc4 {and White is actually losing
material. However, the a-pawn remains a liability in the long term as it is
awkward to defend.}) 23... Nb6 (23... Bxd4 {is not a good idea as Black would
be giving up a key defender of the d6 pawn.}) 24. Bxb6 $1 Qxb6 25. Rb1 Qc7 26.
Nd4 Rc8 27. Rc1 Qe7 {[diagram]} 28. Rd3 ({The a-pawn is still indirectly
defended:} 28. Qxa4 $2 Bxg3 $1 {is good for Black.}) 28... c5 29. bxc5 Rxc5 30.
Qxa4 Rec8 31. Rb1 Rxc4 32. Qd1 $1 {[diagram] White was quite brave to
surrender bishop for knight on move 24 but his positional plan appears to be
to target Black's loose pawns on b7 and d6.} b6 ({After this White takes a
firm grip of the position. Perhaps} 32... R4c5 $5 {was worth a try, e.g.} 33.
Rxb7 R8c7 34. Rxc7 Qxc7 35. Qd2 Rc1+ 36. Kh2 Bxd4 37. Rxd4 Rc2) 33. Nb5 R4c5 ({
Hikaru was short of time. He looked at} 33... Rd8 34. f4 Bf6 35. Nxd6 Rc3 36.
Rxb6 Qc7 37. Rxc3 Qxc3 38. Qe2 Bd4 $5 {but didn't have time to check all the
implications.}) 34. Nxd6 Bxd6 35. Rxd6 Bxa2 36. Ra1 Rc1 37. Rxc1 Rxc1 38. Rxg6+
{[diagram] A desperado move to secure the extra pawn.} hxg6 39. Qxc1 Qd6 40. h4
Bf7 41. h5 Kh7 (41... gxh5 42. Qc8+ Kg7 43. Qxf5 {is worse.}) 42. hxg6+ Kxg6
43. Qc2 b5 44. g4 Qe5 (44... Be6 $2 45. gxf5+ Bxf5 46. e4 $1 {wins a piece}) ({
but} 44... b4 $5 {seems worth a try since it is quite hard for White to
restrain the b-pawn and Black's f-pawn is lost anyway.}) 45. gxf5+ Kg7 (45...
Kf6 46. Qc6+ $1 Kxf5 $2 47. Bh3+ Kg5 48. f4+ {wins the queen.}) 46. Qe4 Qd6 {
[diagram] The exchange of queens leads to a win for White as we shall see
shortly.} 47. Qh4 Bc4 48. Bf3 Qf6 49. Qxf6+ Kxf6 50. Be4 Ba2 (50... b4 51. f4
b3 52. Kf2 b2 53. Bb1 {wins.}) 51. f4 b4 52. Kf2 b3 53. Bd5 Kxf5 54. Kf3 Kf6
55. e4 Kg6 {[diagram]} 56. Ke3 ({It's now a straightforward technical win
though those of us less skilled at the game could easily mess it up. For
example,} 56. Kg4 $2 Bb1 $1 {is a draw.}) 56... Kh5 57. Kd4 Kg4 58. f5 Kg5 59.
Ke5 1-0

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 {The Marshall. Nigel has played this a handful of times over the years but
Hikaru was probably not expecting it.} 9. exd5 e4 $5 {[diagram]The Steiner
variation. It may be that, after GMs have analysed this game thoroughly, that
the exclamation and question marks shown here swap places. "This is the sort
of recklessness that happens when you've got 1/2/4" (Short). "I had an idea
Nigel would play something a little bit crazy" (Nakamura). Nigel pointed out
that Malcolm Pein plays this line and jokingly suggested that he played it in
his honour.} 10. dxc6 exf3 11. g3 ({This logical continuation, simply aiming
at emerging from the opening with an extra pawn, was more or less improvised
by Hikaru at the board. It has been played before but barely mentioned in
books on this line. "The book recommendation is} 11. d4 {- maybe there will be
a new book recommendation after this game" (Short)}) (11. Qxf3 {is another way
to play and one chosen by Bobby Fischer a couple of times.}) 11... Re8 12. d4 (
{Black's innocuous-looking last move actually carried a payload of venom. If} 
12. Qxf3 $2 Bc5 $1 {and White is suddenly vulnerable to tricks against his
rook and back rank, e.g.} 13. Rf1 Bg4 $1 14. Qg2 Qc8 {, etc.}) 12... Bg4 13.
Bg5 h6 (13... Qd6 14. Qd3 h6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nd2 Qxc6 17. Qg6 $5 Be6 18. Qh5
{rounds up the f3 pawn and ensures White keeps his one-pawn advantage.}) 14.
Bxf6 Bxf6 {[diagram]White's decision to give up his dark-squared bishop wasn't
too problematic as the residual black dark-squared bishop doesn't have much of
a future against White's preponderance of pawns on black squares.} 15. Nd2 Qd6
16. h3 $1 Bh5 (16... Rxe1+ 17. Qxe1 Bxh3 18. Qe4 {and White will soon be a
pawn up once again, with an enhanced positional advantage.}) 17. Qc2 $1 {With
the threat of Qf5, embarrassing the h5 bishop.} Bg5 18. Ne4 Qxc6 ({If} 18...
Qg6 {White can step up the pressure with} 19. Qd3 {and then 11 Bc2, while
Black has only succeeded in bottling up his own pieces on the kingside.}) 19.
Nxg5 hxg5 20. Qf5 {[diagram]Nigel told us that, paradoxically, he still had
some belief in his position while he was a pawn down, but now the material was
level, he completely despaired of it.} Rxe1+ (20... Qg6 21. Qxg6 Bxg6 22. Bd5 {
wins the f3 pawn, leading to a comfortable technical win.}) 21. Rxe1 Re8 22.
Re5 ({Not} 22. Rxe8+ $2 Qxe8 {when the back rank threat would necessitate} 23.
Qe5 Qxe5 24. dxe5 {and White has endangered his winning chances.}) 22... Rxe5
23. dxe5 Bg6 ({Once again} 23... Qg6 {allows} 24. Qxg6 Bxg6 25. Bd5 {and the
f3 pawn drops off.}) 24. Qxg5 Qe4 25. Qd8+ Kh7 26. Qh4+ Qxh4 27. gxh4 {
[diagram]} f6 ({Annoyingly for Black, the doubled h-pawns almost help White's
cause. If he tries to defend his f-pawn with} 27... Bh5 {the white king can
now march out to attack it via h2 and g3 and then play Bd1 to win it.}) 28.
exf6 gxf6 29. Bd5 a5 30. b4 axb4 31. cxb4 Bd3 32. Kh2 Bc4 {[diagram]} 33. Be4+
(33. Bxc4 $4 {we can discount}) (33. Bxf3 $2 {is also sub-optimal as after}
Bxa2 {Black might have a few tricks based on driving the b-pawn through (on a
very good day, anyway).}) 33... Kh6 34. a3 (34. a3 {[diagram]Black is right to
quit at this point:} Be6 35. Bxf3 Kg6 36. Kg3 f5 37. Kf4 Bd7 38. h5+ Kf6 39.
Be2 Bc6 40. Bd3 Bd7 41. h6 {is hopeless. At the end of the session in the
commentary room, Nigel concluded the session with a short snatch of song with
the first line "What do you get when you sac a pawn?" to the tune of the 1960s
hit "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" by Bobbie Gentry. You can hear it for
yourself on video 5.3 at the website. Nigel graciously attributed the libretto
to former British champion and joker extraordinaire GM Jonathan Mestel.}) 1-0

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2611"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 {White takes the
game off the beaten track.} e6 7. g4 Be7 8. Bg2 Nfd7 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd2 O-O (
10... Nde5 11. b3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 {was played in Dominguez-Topalov, Sofia 2009,
and eventually drawn.}) 11. O-O Nde5 12. b3 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Ng6 14. Be3 Qc7 15.
Ne2 b5 16. c4 bxc4 17. Rac1 Bb7 18. Rxc4 Qd7 19. Rfc1 Rac8 {[diagram]Black has
achieved a fairly easy equality out of the opening but, against an opponent
rated 200 points lower, Carlsen wants to win.} 20. Bb6 Rxc4 21. Rxc4 Rc8 22.
Qc2 Rxc4 23. Qxc4 Qe8 24. a4 Qa8 25. f4 {White tries to stay active and think
in terms of aggression but the long-term effect might be to weaken his
position slightly.} h6 26. Bf2 Bh4 {[diagram]} 27. Be3 ({If} 27. Bxh4 Nxh4 28.
Bh1 {then} d5 $5 {becomes a possibility, e.g.} 29. exd5 $6 Bxd5 30. Bxd5 exd5
31. Qd3 d4 32. Qg3 g5 $1 {and all the tactics favour Black.}) 27... Bf6 28. Qd3
Bc6 29. Ng3 Be7 30. Nh5 Bf8 31. Bf2 Qb7 32. Qc4 Ne7 33. Qd3 d5 {[diagram]With
seven moves to the time control and his opponent short of time, Carlsen
ratchets up the complexity a tad.} 34. e5 (34. exd5 Bxd5 35. Bxd5 Nxd5 {leaves
White's position a little too open for safety.}) 34... d4 {A hint of
impatience, perhaps. Carlsen sets a minor trap.} 35. Bf1 $1 (35. Bxc6 Nxc6 36.
Ng3 Nb4 $5 37. Qxd4 Qf3 38. Qe3 Qd1+ 39. Kh2 Nd3 {and Black will regain his
pawn and perhaps win a second one.}) 35... Bd5 36. Qxa6 Qxb3 37. Qd3 Qxa4 38.
Qxd4 Qa8 39. Qa7 Qc8 40. Qc5 {Time control reached.} Nc6 41. Qc3 Qa8 {[diagram]
Black has the safer king and other small advantages but it doesn't add up to
much.} 42. g5 $2 {David prefers to seek counterplay but he should have been
content to sit and suffer as this has a tactical flaw.} Qa4 $1 {Black's
immediate threat is now Qe4 and Qh1 mate. White could defend with Ng3 but that
would cost him his f-pawn and his position would collapse.} 43. Qg3 $2 ({This
loses a piece. White's best might have been} 43. Qe3 {when} Qd1 44. Qe2 Qxe2
45. Bxe2 hxg5 46. fxg5 Nxe5 {would probably win for Black.}) 43... Qd1 $1 {
[diagram]} 44. Nf6+ ({Desperation. White could do nothing to defend his knight
on h5. If} 44. Qh4 Bc4 45. Ng3 {Black plays} Nd4 $1 {and all the tactics work
for Black. For example,} 46. Bxd4 Qxd4+ 47. Kh1 Bd5+ 48. Bg2 Bc5 49. Ne2 Qd1+ {
and wins.}) 44... gxf6 45. gxf6+ Kh8 46. Qd3 Qxd3 47. Bxd3 Nb4 48. Bb1 Ba2 49.
Be4 Nd5 50. f5 Nf4 51. Kh2 exf5 52. Bxf5 Be6 53. Bg4 Bxg4 54. hxg4 Ne6 55. Kg3
Bc5 0-1

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.14"]
[Round "6"]
[White "McShane, Luke J"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. g3 e5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8.
a3 O-O 9. b4 Re8 10. d3 Bf8 11. Bb2 a5 12. b5 Nd4 13. Nd2 c6 14. bxc6 Nxc6 {
[diagram]} 15. Nc4 $5 (15. Nb5 {, 15 Rb1 and some other moves have been played
here before but this is new.}) 15... Be6 (15... Nxc4 16. dxc4 {leaves White
with an isolated c-pawn but gives him firm control of the d5 square by way of
compensation.}) 16. Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Rb1 Qa6 18. Bc1 Rac8 {[diagram]} 19. Re1 $2 (
19. Qa4 {is better, preventing Black's b-pawn advance and keeping it as a
target along the file and long diagonal. After the text, the advantage passes
over to Black.}) 19... b6 20. Bd2 ({If} 20. Qa4 {now, Black has simply} Nd4 {
with a pleasant game.}) 20... Red8 (20... Bxa3 $4 21. Bxc6 Rxc6 22. Qa4 {forks
two pieces.}) 21. a4 Nd4 22. Nb5 Bc5 ({Another possibility is} 22... Bb4 $5 {
when} 23. Bxb4 axb4 {is quite promising since} 24. Rxb4 $2 {loses to} Nc2 {
forking the rooks.}) 23. Nxd4 Bxd4 24. Be3 Rc5 (24... Bxe3 25. fxe3 Rc5 {
brings only a minimal edge for Black.}) 25. Bxd4 exd4 26. Rc1 Qc8 27. Rxc5 Qxc5
28. Qa1 Rc8 29. h4 Qc3 30. Bb7 Rc7 31. Be4 f5 32. Bf3 Bb3 33. Kf1 Kf8 {
[diagram]} ({The a4 pawn looks vulnerable but if} 33... Qb4 34. Rb1 {and White
will get the b6 pawn in exchange if Black captures on a4.}) 34. e3 $6 {A high
risk move in mutual time trouble.} Qxd3+ (34... dxe3 {turns out to be better:}
35. Qa3+ Qb4 36. Qxb4+ axb4 37. Rxe3 Rc1+ 38. Re1 Rxe1+ 39. Kxe1 Bxa4 {and
Black is a clear pawn up, though there is still chess left in the position.})
35. Kg2 Qc3 36. Qa3+ Ke8 (36... Qb4 37. Qxb4+ axb4 38. Rb1 Rc3 39. exd4 Ke7 {
might have been worth a try, though it is not clear how Black untangles his
pieces in order to make progress.}) 37. Qd6 {White had about a minute left for
four moves here, while Black had about three.} (37. exd4+ $5 Qxe1 38. Qxb3 {
also looks quite good. White's king is safe but it seems unlikely that Black's
king can escape a barrage of checks.}) 37... Rd7 38. Qe5+ Re7 39. Qb5+ Kf8 40.
Qxf5+ Rf7 {[diagram]} 41. Qe5 (41. Qg5 $6 {, threatening mate in one with Qd8,
is tempting but Black replies as in the game and could be winning}) ({some
analysis engines plump for} 41. Qb1 {but human players would be worried by}
Rxf3 42. Kxf3 Bd5+ 43. Kf4 d3 {when it would be easy to overlook various
threats to the exposed white king.}) 41... Rxf3 ({The immediate} 41... Qxe1 $2
{would be much too dangerous with a 'live' white bishop on the board, e.g.} 42.
Qb8+ Ke7 43. Qc7+ Kf6 44. Qd6+ Be6 45. Bd5 Re7 46. Qf4+ Bf5 47. g4 {, etc.})
42. Kxf3 Qxe1 43. Qb8+ Ke7 44. Qc7+ Kf6 45. Qd8+ (45. Qxb6+ $6 Be6 46. Qxd4+
Kf7 {leaves a few winning chances for Black.}) 45... Kf7 46. Qd7+ Kf8 47. Qd8+
Kf7 48. Qc7+ Kf6 49. Qd8+ Kf7 50. Qc7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.14"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D07"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "169"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 {The Chigorin Defence. An unusual choice at super-GM level,
though Morozevich is a regular user and Ivanchuk and Short occasional dabblers.
} 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bf4 ({Kramnik preferred} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 {
against Nigel Short at the 2008 Dresden Olympiad and went on to win.}) 5... Bd6
6. Bg3 Nf6 (6... Bxg3 7. hxg3 {would open up the h-file and make kingside
castling problematic for Black.}) 7. e3 O-O 8. a3 Ne7 9. Qb3 b6 10. Ne5 c5 11.
Nxg4 Nxg4 12. Rd1 Bxg3 13. hxg3 Nf6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Be2 Qd6 16. Qc2 h6 17.
O-O {[diagram]So far, quite a successful opening experiment for Black as White
has responded quietly. But things now take a turn for the worse.} c4 $6 {
"Never poke a sleeping bear with a stick". I've no idea if that is a Russian
proverb but, if it isn't, it should be (the Hogwart's motto 'draco dormiens
nunquam titillandus' means something very similar, of course). Kramnik has
been comatose to this point but after this naive thrust he springs into
immediate action.} 18. b3 $1 Qxa3 (18... cxb3 19. Qxb3 {promises White a small
but persistent edge. Not the sort of thing you want against the likes of
Kramnik, but even so, perhaps preferable to the text.}) 19. bxc4 dxc4 20. Bf3 (
20. Bxc4 Qd6 21. Ra1 {is also quite good for White but Kramnik wants his
bishop where it controls the board.}) 20... Rab8 21. Ra1 Qd6 22. Nb5 Qd7 23.
Qxc4 {[diagram]Club players might be worried about gifting their opponent two
connected passed pawns but Kramnik has the confidence to know (and the
technique to ensure) that those pawns are going nowhere.} a5 24. e4 Rfc8 25.
Qe2 Rc6 26. Rab1 Rd8 27. Rfd1 Rdc8 28. d5 Rc2 {[diagram]Allowing a rook onto
the seventh rank would also worry those of us who cling to our book-learned
'basic principles'. Super-GMs prefer to rely on concrete analysis and Kramnik
has judged correctly that this inroad into his position doesn't lead anywhere
and that he can simply continue with his plan of pressurising the queenside
and seeking the opportunity to push his central pawns forward.} 29. Qe3 R2c5 (
29... R8c5 30. Nd4 R2c3 31. Qf4 {and Black has no adequate defence for his
b-pawn.}) 30. Nd4 Re8 31. Qd3 Qd6 32. Qa6 Rb8 33. Nb3 Rc2 {[diagram]} 34. Nd4 (
{Analysis engines suggest} 34. Nxa5 $5 {but this looks far too messy:} Qc5 35.
Rf1 Ra2 36. Rb5 Qc7 {and White is still some way from resolving the pin along
the a-file.}) 34... Rc5 35. Nb3 Rc2 36. Qd3 Rcc8 37. Nd2 Ng6 38. Be2 Qc5 39.
Rb5 Qc3 40. f4 a4 {Carlsen tries to stay positive. Remarkably this pawn
survives to the very end of the game.} 41. e5 Nd7 42. Qxc3 Rxc3 43. Ne4 Rc7 44.
Ra1 Ra7 {[diagram]} 45. d6 ({Material is still equal but White's dynamic
central pawns give him a big advantage against Black's two static targets on
the queenside.} 45. Ra3 {looks a very good alternative here, planning to play
Nc3 and eliminate the a4 pawn. Instead Kramnik goes for the b-pawn.}) 45...
Ngf8 46. Nc3 Nc5 47. Nd5 Ra5 48. Rxb6 Rxb6 49. Nxb6 Nfe6 50. Bc4 Kf8 51. f5 Nd8
52. Rf1 Ncb7 53. Re1 ({Another plan here is} 53. Rd1 Nc5 54. Rd5 {which looks
close to terminal.}) 53... a3 {[diagram]} 54. e6 $6 ({Surprising - the world's
most patient chessplayer suddenly gets impulsive. The pawn advance can wait -} 
54. Ba2 {first looks better:} Nc6 55. Rc1 Ncd8 56. Rc3 Ke8 57. d7+ Kf8 58. Re3
Ke7 59. e6 fxe6 60. fxe6 Nc6 61. Rf3 {wins.}) 54... fxe6 55. fxe6 Nxd6 56. e7+
Ke8 57. exd8=R+ Kxd8 58. Rd1 Kc7 59. Ba2 {[diagram]White has won a piece but
the shortage of pawns makes the win slightly problematic.} Rg5 $5 (59... Rc5 {
is better but loses eventually after} 60. Nd5+ Kc6 61. Nc3 {. Carlsen heads
for a position with practical chances.}) 60. Nd5+ Kc6 61. Nc3 (61. Rd3 $5 Ne4 (
61... Nb5 62. Nb4+ Kc5 63. Nc2 {also wins}) 62. Rxa3 Nxg3 63. Ne3 {also looks
a solid way of winning.}) 61... Rc5 (61... Rxg3 $4 62. Rxd6+ {followed by Ne4+
and Nxg3.}) 62. Rxd6+ $6 (62. Rd3 $1 {would probably have been answered by
Carlsen's resignation.}) 62... Kxd6 63. Ne4+ Kc6 64. Nxc5 Kxc5 65. Kf2 Kd4 {
[diagram]} 66. Kf3 ({Garry Kasparov, watching from Warsaw Airport, called
Malcolm Pein on arrival at Heathrow. He proposed} 66. Ke2 Kc3 67. Ke3 Kc2 68.
Bf7 Kc3 69. g4 Kc2 70. Kd4 Kd2 71. Bb3 $1 Ke2 72. Kc3 Kf2 73. Bd5 {which wins,
for example} g6 74. g5 h5 {.}) 66... Kd3 {Kramnik thought for about ten
minutes, perhaps realising that the win was more difficult than he had thought.
} 67. g4 Kd2 68. Be6 {[diagram]} Kd3 69. Kg3 $2 (69. g5 $1 {on this (or the
previous) move wins, e.g.} hxg5 {and now the very important} 70. g3 $1 Kd4 71.
Kg4 Ke5 72. Ba2 Ke4 73. Kxg5 Kf3 {and now} 74. Kh4 $1 {is the killer, e.g.} g5+
75. Kh3 Ke3 76. Kg4 Kf2 77. Bd5 $1 {and wins.}) 69... Ke3 70. Kh4 Kf2 71. Bd5
g6 $1 72. Kh3 g5 {[diagram]White's king is now boxed in and his winning
chances have evaporated.} 73. Kh2 Kf1 74. Be6 Kf2 75. Bc4 Ke3 76. Kg3 Kd4 77.
Be6 Ke3 78. Kh2 Kf2 79. Bc4 Ke3 80. Kg1 Kf4 81. Be6 (81. Kf2 Kxg4 82. g3 Kf5
83. Kf3 g4+ {is also drawn.}) 81... Ke5 82. Bb3 Kf4 83. Be6 Ke5 84. Bb3 Kf4 85.
Be6 1/2-1/2

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Be7 ({"I was surprised by
this. Usually they play} 5... Ngf6 {. I had to stop myself playing Nf6+!" 
(Carlsen)}) 6. Bc4 Ngf6 7. Nxf6+ Nxf6 8. O-O O-O 9. Ne5 c5 10. dxc5 Qxd1 $2 (
10... Qc7 11. Qe2 Bxc5 {is a normal position in this line.}) 11. Rxd1 Bxc5 12.
Be2 {[diagram]Too obvious to deserve an exclamation mark.The bishop prepares
to go to f3 and paralyse the queenside.} Ne4 (12... b6 13. Bf3 Rb8 14. Nc6 Rb7
15. b4 Be7 16. Bf4 {and only the awful} Ne8 {avoids immediate material loss.})
13. Nd3 Be7 14. Be3 h6 $6 (14... b6 $1 15. Ne5 {or 15 a4 would restrict
White's advantage.}) 15. a4 a5 $6 (15... Rd8 16. a5 a6 17. Bb6 {would also be
weakening. 15...Nd6 may be slightly better.}) 16. g3 Rd8 17. Ne5 Nf6 18. Nc4
Rxd1+ (18... Nd5 19. Nb6 Nxb6 20. Bxb6 Rd7 21. Bb5 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 {leaves
White with a dominating position.}) 19. Rxd1 Nd5 20. Nb6 {[diagram]Effectively
winning the game despite material being equal.} Nxe3 21. fxe3 Rb8 22. Kf2 e5 {
Losing a pawn but what else?} 23. Rd5 Be6 24. Rxa5 Rd8 25. Bd3 Bf6 (25... e4
26. Bxe4 Rd2+ 27. Kf3 g5 28. Bf5 {wins.}) 26. e4 Rd4 {[diagram]At this point,
Garry Kasparov in the VIP Room correctly predicted Magnus Carlsen's next two
moves, pronounced Black technically dead and urged the commentators to look at
a different game.} 27. Rb5 g6 28. a5 Kg7 29. Ke2 Bg4+ 30. Kf2 Be6 31. Kf3 h5
32. Nd5 Bd8 33. b4 Bc8 34. Ke2 Bg4+ 35. Ke1 f5 (35... Bc8 36. a6 $1 bxa6 37.
Rb8 {wins material.}) 36. Rxb7+ Kh6 37. Ne3 Bf3 38. a6 fxe4 39. Be2 Bg5 40. a7
1-0

[Event "London Chess Classic 2nd"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "McShane, Luke J"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B76"]
[WhiteElo "2611"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "Saunders, John"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "1"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Bxd4 (12... e5 13. Bc5 Be6
14. Ne4 Re8 15. h4 {is a sharp line which has had more outings than the text.})
13. Qxd4 Qb6 14. Na4 {[diagram]} Qa5 (14... Qxd4 {is not so good as it
concedes the c5 square to White's knight, which will then control several
squares where Black would like to locate his knight}) ({Magnus Carlsen
experimented with} 14... Qc7 {in 2009 and it has subsequently been taken up by
other players, with variable results.}) 15. b3 Qc7 ({Having provoked the
weakening b3 move, Black is content to retreat.} 15... Bf5 {has been tried
here when, after} 16. g4 Be6 17. Qe5 Qb4 18. c4 Nf6 {, White could press ahead
with} 19. h4 {.}) 16. h4 Bf5 (16... h5 {has been played in a couple of GM
games, with respectable results. McShane prefers to be provocative.}) 17. g4 {
[diagram]} Be6 ({The intermezzo move} 17... e5 {was played in the game
Blehm-Charbonneau, USA 2006, which ended in a draw.}) 18. Nc5 Rad8 19. Bc4 {
This developing move is preferable to giving up the well-placed knight for
Black's less favoured bishop.} Bc8 20. h5 {White has secured an edge from the
opening.} e5 21. Qf2 (21. Qd2 $5 Nf4 22. Qe3 {also seems to maintain strong
pressure against Black's position, e.g.} Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 gxh5 24. Nd3 $5 Nxd3+
25. Bxd3 {and the black kingside is vulnerable.}) 21... Qe7 22. Ne4 g5 ({It
would take a strong nerve to try} 22... f5 $5 {here, though that is one
silicon-assisted suggestion. McShane decides he has no option but to block the
kingside lines against his king.}) 23. h6 Kh8 24. Qc5 $5 {[diagram]Now Black
has blocked the kingside, Howell decides to prosecute his plan without the
queens.} Qxc5 25. Nxc5 f5 26. gxf5 Rxf5 27. Rhe1 Rxf3 28. Rxe5 g4 29. Ne4 ({
White could gain a pawn here with} 29. Bxd5 cxd5 30. Rdxd5 Rdf8 31. Re7 Rh3 32.
Rxa7 Rxh6 {but the advanced black g-pawn, assisted by menacing rooks, might
prove a handful, particularly since both players were running short of time.})
29... Rdf8 30. Bxd5 cxd5 31. Ng5 R3f6 32. Re7 {Indirectly defending the h6
pawn.} Rg6 $2 (32... Rxh6 $2 33. Nf7+ {wins material}) (32... Bf5 {is a more
accurate defence.}) 33. Rxd5 g3 {[diagram]} 34. Rf7 $2 ({In time trouble White
misses} 34. Rxh7+ $1 Kg8 35. Rf7 $3 {and White wins, e.g.} Rxf7 (35... Rxg5 $2
36. Rxf8+ {is a killing intermezzo}) (35... Rxh6 {is the best of a bad job:}
36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. Rd8+ Kg7 38. Rxc8 g2 39. Nf3 Rf6 40. Rc4 Rxf3 41. Rg4+ {and
White will be two pawns up in the endgame}) 36. Rd8+ Rf8 37. h7+ Kg7 38. Rxf8 {
and wins.}) 34... Re8 35. Re5 $6 (35. Rxh7+ Kg8 36. Re7 $1 Rf8 37. h7+ Kh8 38.
Rf7 $1 {transposes to the line above.}) 35... Rd8 36. Rd5 $2 (36. Rxh7+ Kg8 37.
Rhe7 Rxh6 38. Re8+ Rxe8 39. Rxe8+ Kg7 40. Rxc8 g2 41. Nf3 Rf6 42. Rc4 {and
we're back at a line given in the above notes.}) 36... Re8 37. Re5 Rd8 38. Rd5
{Black can now effect a threefold repetition with 38...Re8. Around here
Kasparov made his joke about David Howell being a 'member of Amnesty
International'. Easy to say if you're the strongest player of all time - or
indeed sitting on your favourite sofa at home looking at a computer running
Ultra-Deep Rybka, but not so easy in the heat of battle. A definite let-off
for 'Lucky Luke' McShane.} 1/2-1/2

