The 4th game of the FIDE World Chess Championship Match in Dubai, United Arab Emirates between world champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi was drawn and the score remains thus tied at 2-2 with 10 games to go.
Nepomniachtchi essayed the Petroff Defense against Carlsen’s 1.e4, and Nepo apparently was familiar with the line the world champion played and held the draw comfortably after 33 moves. All told, in the first four games of the match, this stands out as the most unexciting so far.
Carlsen,M (2855)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2782) [C42]
Dubai (wch/4) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 c6 9.Re1 Bf5 10.Qb3 Qd7 11.Nc3
In the recent Tata Steel India Blitz in Kolkata, Levon Aronian played 11. c5 against Arjun Erigaisi, and the game continued 11…Bc7 12. Nbd2 Be6 13. Nf1 Na6 14. Ng3 Ba5 15. Re2 Rae8 16. Ne5 Qc8 17. Qa4 Bc7 18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. Nxe4 Bd5 20. Nc3 Nxc5 21. Qxa7 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Qg4 23. f3 Bxf3 24. Rf2 Rxe5 25. Rxf3 Qd4+ 26. Kf1 Qc4+ 27. Kf2 Qd4+ 28. Kf1 Qc4+ 29. Kf2 Qh4+ 30. Kg1 Re1+ 31. Rf1 Qd4+ 32. Be3 Qxe3+ 33. Kh1 Rxa1 34. Rxa1 Re8 35. Rf1 h5 36. h3 Qe7 37. Qa5 g6 38. Qb4 Ne4 39. Qxe4 Qxe4 40. Nxe4 Rxe4 and a draw was agreed upon after Move 81.
11…Nxc3 12.Bxf5 Qxf5 13.bxc3 b6 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.Qb5 Qd7 16.a4 Qxb5 17.axb5 a5 18.Nh4 g6 19.g4 Nd7 20.Ng2 Rfc8 21.Bf4 Bxf4 22.Nxf4 Rxc3 23.Nxd5 Rd3 24.Re7 Nf8 25.Nf6+ Kg7 26.Ne8+ Kg8 27.d5 a4 28.Nf6+
Here, Carlsen can go into complicaations with 28.d6, but decided against the move and opted instead for a draw by repetition.
28…Kg7 29.g5 a3 30.Ne8+ Kg8 31.Nf6+ Kg7 32.Ne8+ Kg8 33.Nf6+ ½-½
******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rd2!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Ne5 2.Rf4#; 1…Ne3 2.Rd4#; 1…Rc5/d3 2.Q(x)d3#; 1…Qxd2 2.Nxd2#.
