World champion Magnus Carlsen had an easy time winning against compatriot Aryan Tari in Round 8 of the 8th Altibox Norway Chess Tournament in Stavanger, Norway, to seize solo leadership of the Category 21 (average Elo: 2762) even as erstwhile leader Aliresa Firouzja lost by Armageddon to Fabiano Caruana.
Carlsen crushed Tari in 45 moves of a Ruy Lopez Closed while Caruana dealt Firouzja the Armageddon beating in 49 moves using the Fantasy Variation against the Caro-Kann. Firouzja earlier managed to hold Caruana in regulation fighting the variation with effort.
Meanwhile, Jan-Krzysztof Duda got lucky against Levon Aronian dissolving Aronian’s advantage in regulation, and then winning on time in Armageddon after Aronian eschewed a draw that would cost him the game anyway.
Round 8 standings: 1. Carlsen, 16½; 2. Firouzja, 15½; 3. Aronian, 13; 4. Caruana, 12½; 5. Duda, 8½; 6. Tari, 1½. The Round 9 pairings on Thursday (Wednesday is a rest day) will be Firouzja vs Carlsen, Duda vs Caruana, and Tari vs Aronian.
Carlsen, M (2863)-Tari, A (2633) [C84]
Stavanger (8.1) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bd7 9.c3 Na5 10.Ba2 c5 11.Bg5 0-0 12.Nbd2 Rb8 13.axb5 axb5 14.Re1 b4 15.Nc4 Nxc4 16.Bxc4 bxc3 17.bxc3 Qc7 18.Qc2 Bb5 19.Bxb5 Rxb5 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Nd2 Qc6 22.Qa4 Rfb8 23.Nc4 Be7 24.g3 Qc8 25.Qd1 g6 26.Kg2 Bf8 27.Qf3 Rb3 28.Rec1 Qe6 29.Ra7 R8b7 30.Rxb7 Rxb7 31.Ra1 h5 32.Ra8 Kg7 33.Ne3 Rc7 34.Nd5 Rc8 35.Ra7 Rb8 36.h3 Rd8 37.g4 hxg4 38.hxg4 Rd7 39.Ra8 f6 40.g5 f5 41.Qh3 Rf7 42.Re8 Qxe8 43.Qh6+ Kg8 44.Qxg6+ Kh8 45.Nf6 1-0
Caruana, F (2828)-Firouzja, A (2728) [B12]
Stavanger (8.2) 2020
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 dxe4 4.fxe4 e5 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.c3 Nd7 7.Bd3 Ngf6 8.0-0 Bd6 9.Na3 b5 10.Nc2 Bh5 11.Ne3 0-0 12.Nf5 Qc7 13.Qc2 Bg6 14.Nxd6 Qxd6 15.Bg5 c5 16.dxe5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Qxe5 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Bxb5 Bxe4 20.Qf2 Rab8 21.Bd7 Rfd8 22.Rad1 Rb6 23.Rfe1 f5 24.Qh4 Qf6 25.Qxf6 Rxf6 26.Ba4 Rxd1 27.Rxd1 Rg6 28.Rd2 f4 29.Bd1 Kg7 30.Kf1 Rh6 31.Kg1 Rg6 32.Rf2 f5 33.Kf1 Kf6 34.Bf3 Ke5 35.Rd2 Rh6 36.Kg1 a5 37.b3 Rb6 38.Kf2 Ra6 39.Rd8 a4 40.Re8+ Kd5 41.Be2 Rg6 42.g3 axb3 43.axb3 fxg3+ 44.hxg3 Kd6 45.Bc4 Bc6 46.Rf8 Be4 47.Rb8 Kc7 48.Re8 Kd6 49.Rb8 Kc7 50.Rh8 Rh6 51.Ke3 Rh2 52.g4 Kd6 53.Re8 Rh3+ 54.Kf4 Rf3+ 55.Kg5 Bb1 56.Re6+ Kc7 57.Re5 fxg4 58.Rxc5+ Kb6 59.Rb5+ Kc6 60.Kxg4 Rxc3 ½-½
Aronian, L (2767)-Duda, J-K (2757) [B36]
Stavanger (8.3) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 8.Be3 Bg7 9.f3 0-0 10.Qd2 Be6 11.Rc1 Qa5 12.b3 Rfc8 13.Be2 a6 14.Na4 Qxd2+ 15.Kxd2 Nd7 16.g4 Rcb8 17.Nc3 b5 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.cxd5 Nc5 20.g5 Bb2 21.Rc2 Ba3 22.Rb1 a5 23.Kd1 Na6 24.Bf1 Nb4 25.Rd2 Rb7 26.f4 Na6 27.Rc2 Nb4 28.Rd2 Na6 29.Rc2 Nb4 30.Rd2 ½-½
Caruana, F (2828)-Firouzja, A (2728) [B12]
Stavanger (8.2) 2020
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e5 c5 6.f4 cxd4 7.Qxd4 Be6 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Bb5 Nh6 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qc5 Bd7 12.Be3 e6 13.Na4 Nf5 14.Bf2 h5 15.Qc3 c5 16.Nxc5 0-0 17.0-0 Bb5 18.Rfe1 Qe7 19.a4 Bc6 20.b4 Rfc8 21.Qd2 Be8 22.c3 a5 23.h3 Bf8 24.Kh2 Qc7 25.g4 Ng7 26.Rg1 axb4 27.cxb4 d4 28.Bxd4 Rd8 29.Ne4 Bc6 30.Rac1 Qb7 31.Nf6+ Kh8 32.f5 Ne8 33.fxg6 Bxf3 34.gxh5 fxg6 35.hxg6 Bg7 36.Qf4 Rxd4 37.Qxd4 Bh6 38.Qh4 Qg7 39.Rcf1 Be2 40.Rf2 Bd3 41.Ng4 Bxg6 42.Nxh6 Qxe5+ 43.Rg3 Qh5 44.Qxh5 Bxh5 45.Rf8+ Kh7 46.Nf7 Bxf7 47.Rxf7+ Kh6 48.Rf8 Kh7 49.Rgg8 1-0
Aronian, L (2767)-Duda, J-K (2757) [C10]
Stavanger (8.3) 2020
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.0-0 Ngf6 8.Ng3 g6 9.b3 Bg7 10.Ba3 Bf8 11.Bxf8 Kxf8 12.Re1 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 c6 14.c3 Kg7 15.Rad1 a5 16.Nf1 Qc7 17.Ne3 Rhe8 18.g4 Nd5 19.c4 Qf4 20.Qg3 Qxg3+ 21.hxg3 Nxe3 22.Rxe3 h6 23.Be2 Nf6 24.f4 Red8 25.Kf2 Rd6 26.Bf3 Rad8 27.Red3 b6 28.Ke3 c5 29.a3 Kf8 30.b4 axb4 31.axb4 cxd4+ 32.Rxd4 Rxd4 33.Rxd4 Ke7 34.Rxd8 Kxd8 35.Kd4 g5 36.Ke5 Ke7 37.f5 Nd7+ 38.Kd4 Kd6 39.fxe6 fxe6 40.Bd1 e5+ 41.Ke4 Ke6 42.Bc2 Nf6+ 43.Kf3 Kd6 44.Be4 Nd7 45.Bf5 Nf6 46.Ke3 Kc6 47.Kd3 Kd6 48.Ke3 Kc6 49.Be4+ Kd6 50.Bf3 Nd7 51.Ke4 Ke6 52.Kd3 Kd6 53.Bb7 Nf6 54.Bc8 Kc7 55.Bf5 Kd6 56.Kc3 Kc6 57.Kc2 h5 58.gxh5 Nxh5 59.g4 Nf6 60.Kb3 Kd6 61.Ka4 Kc6 62.Kb3 Kd6 63.Ka3 Kc6 64.Ka4 Kc7 65.Kb5 e4 66.Ka6 e3 67.Bd3 Nxg4 68.Be2 Ne5 69.c5 bxc5 70.b5 Nd7 71.Bg4 Nb6 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qa7!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…c5 2.Qxc7#; 1…Ke5 2.Bxc7#; 1…d4 2.Qxd4#./PN
