Game 3 of the ongoing FIDE World Chess Championship in Dubai between world champion Magnus Carlsen and challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi ended in a rather lackluster draw Sunday, November 28th.
Carlsen seemed content with holding the draw, which he did with relative ease after 41 moves of a Ruy Lopez Anti-Marshall System. The third game followed the first seven moves of Game 1, until Nepomniachtchi deviated with 8.h3 instead of repeating 8.a4 in their initial encounter. Carlsen , who apparently prepared the Marshall Attack for this match, wasn”t impressed by Nepo’s 8th move deviation, though, and simply went about gaining equality which he did by Move 22.
Neither tried to seriously disturb the equality and a draw was soon agreed upon.
Nepomniachtchi,I (2782)-Carlsen,M (2855) [C88]
Dubai (wch/3) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 Bb7 9.d3 d6 10.Nbd2 Re8 11.Nf1 h6 12.Bd2 Bf8 13.Ne3 Ne7 14.c4 bxc4 15.Nxc4 Nc6
Magnus fires off a novelty. Previously seen was 15…Rb8 and after 16.Ncxe5 dxe5 17.Nxe5 Kh7 18.Bxf7 Qd6 19.Bc3 Red8 20.Bc4 Nc6 21.Nf7, White won in 41 moves in Arakhamia Grant (2447)-Yildiz Kadioglu (2244), Rijeka 2010. Also here, 11…h6 12.Bd2 Bf8 13.Ne3 gives White a slightly better position.
16.Rc1 a5 17.Bc3 Bc8 18.d4 exd4 19.Nxd4 Nxd4 20.Qxd4 Be6 21.h3 c6 22.Bc2 d5 23.e5 dxc4 24.Qxd8 Rexd8 25.exf6 Bb4 26.fxg7 Bxc3 27.bxc3 Kxg7 28.Kf1 Rab8 29.Rb1 Kf6 30.Rxb8 Rxb8 31.Rb1 Rxb1+ 32.Bxb1 Ke5 33.Ke2 f5 34.Bc2 f4 35.Bb1 c5 36.Bc2 Bd7 37.f3 Kf6 38.h4 Ke5 39.Kf2 Kf6 40.Ke2 Ke5 41.Kf2 ½-½
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Ra6, and Black’s futile options are: 1…dxc4 2.Qd6#; 1…Rb6/e2 2.Q(x)b6#; 1…Ng4 2.Qxg4#.
