Magnus Carlsen’s immortal chess game (and his birthday)!

First, let me remind you of the special offer we’re providing you with, in honour of the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin. You can get a really massive 40% discount on our comprehensive and middlegame courses till Friday, 2 December. Use the coupon “40off” when making your purchase. You can find more details here.
Today, 30 November 2016, the chess prodigy from Norway, Magnus Carlsen, is celebrating his 26^th birthday – the Remote Chess Academy (RCA) wishes this great player a very Happy Birthday! 
I’ve prepared a very interesting video lesson for you – it’s “Magnus Carlsen’s immortal chess game”! I’ve selected the best game ever played by Carlsen; at least, it has to be one of his best games. It’s a really beautiful and instructive game.

He played this game against Judit Polgar, which is interesting because it was played between, arguably, one of the best male and female chess players of all time. Moreover, it was a blindfold game; they were playing without a chessboard, which makes it even harder to play.

You can watch the video below:

VIDEO

Now let’s look at some of the interesting photos of Magnus Carlsen, because it’s ‘party time’! 

Little Magnus gets going. Here he is at nine months… (source: Hun on Chess)

and here he is at one and a half years old (source: Hun on Chess)

Magnus Carlsen vs Håvard Vederhus in 1999 (source: Hun on Chess) 

And he was determined at a very young age!   (source: Hun on Chess)

Let’s not forget his amazing talent at blindfold chess (source: Hun on Chess) 

He beat Vishy Anand in Chennai and became the World Chess Champion in 2013 …

And he successfully retained his title in 2014, in Sochi

Can he retain his title, on his birthday, against Sergey Karjakin?  You can watch the tie-break games LIVE here.

P.S. You’re welcome to send your own wishes to Magnus Carlsen in the comments below.  Also, don’t forget to grab our World Championship Special Offer here.

Special 40% discount in honour of the World Chess Championship

Let me remind you that we’re providing you with a really, really massive 40% discount on all the RCA comprehensive and middlegame courses, in honour of the World Chess Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin.

All you need to do is use the coupon “40off” when making your purchase. If you don’t know how to use a coupon, please see here.

• RCA Comprehensive courses
• RCA Middlegame courses

This offer is valid only till Friday, 2 December. You can save up to a huge USD $464, which is the total discount on all the courses belonging to these two categories! 

For your convenience (if you are new to RCA or are not aware of our courses), I’d like to list the best -selling courses (bought by most RCA students) in these two categories:

Comprehensive Chess Courses (best sellers)

<<Click here to browse all comprehensive courses>>

Middlegame Courses (best sellers)

<<Click here to browse all middlegame courses>>

Useful tip: if you’re planning to buy all three of our middlegame courses – “Calculate Till Mate”, “Your Winning Plan” and “Winning the Middlegame” – then I recommend to you the “Middlegame Expert Package”.

With this package, you will save a huge USD $78 and get all three middlegame courses for just USD $249 instead of the actual total price of USD $327! Additionally, you can also use the coupon “40off” to get a further 40% discount on the package. 

P.S. It’s Magnus Carlsen’s birthday today – check out our special article wishing him a Happy Birthday and containing “Carlsen’s immortal chess game”, here.

Carlsen-Karjakin Game-12: Fastest game of the Match

After eleven hard-fought games, the twelfth and final game of the World Chess Championship was a brief, dull draw. Only 30 moves and 35 minutes needed for the players to blitz out their game. The twelve classical games of the Match are tied, with the score 6-6 each, and they will go to a series of tie-break games on Wednesday, 30 November. One way or another, the World Champion will be determined on Wednesday.

Magnus Carlsen (2853) – Sergey Karjakin (2772) 
World Chess Championship New York NY USA (12), 28.11.2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 

Black to play

Carlsen chose not to take up a fight today and settled for a quick draw by playing one of the most solid variations against the Berlin Defense. Karjakin seemed to be happy with a draw as well.

Suggestion: Learn about the best chess openings and how to pick one for you.

5…Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Re8 11.Bf4 Rxe1 12.Qxe1

Black to play

This is the first interesting moment of the game. White sacrificed a pawn on d4 in order to double Black’s d-pawn. Karjakin, who immediately rejected the offer, played cautiously and easily neutralized Carlsen’s minute advantage. If Black had accepted the poisoned d4-pawn, then White will put huge pressure in Black’s position.

The following variation is characteristic: 12…Bxd4?! 13.Bxd6 Bxb2? 14.Bxc7 Qf8 (14…Qxc7?? 15.Qe8#) 15.Nc3 Bxa1 16.Qxa1±

12…Ne8!

White has a big advantage here. He has two minor pieces for the Rook. Carlsen, who is able to generate more threats plays more actively with his White pieces.

13.c3 d5 14.Bd3 g6!?

White to play

Black’s plan is to place the Knight on g7 and after that the Bishop on f5. This will keep the symmetry and Black will manage to exchange more pieces. The practice has proven that the symmetry in the position is hard to crack.

15.Na3 c6 16.Nc2 Ng7 17.Qd2 Bf5 18.Bxf5 Nxf5 19.Ne3 Nxe3 20.Qxe3 Qe7

White to play

Karjakin is continuing to use his well-known strategy, exchanging pieces. This is the safest way for a draw. The board is almost empty. In the press conference afterward, Carlsen apologized to the fans and said that he felt no need to risk being too aggressive.

21.Qxe7 Bxe7 22.Re1 Bf8!

White to play

This is the final, good decision that secures the draw. Black will play f6, Kf7 and then they will exchange the Rooks. White has no chance to continue fighting, so the game ended up in a draw after a few moves.

23.Kf1 f6 24.g4 Kf7 25.h3 Re8 26.Rxe8 Kxe8 27.Ke2 Kd7 28.Kd3 Ke6 29.a4 a6 30.f3 Be7 ½-½

You can download the PGN of this game here.

The tie-breaks will go in the following manner:

• Rapid: First things first, players will play four rapid games, at the rate of 25 minutes per player per game, with 10 seconds added after each move. Karjakin will start with the White pieces and Carlsen with Black.
• Blitz: If the players are still tied after the rapid games, they will then play two blitz games, at the rate of 5 minutes per player per game, with 3 seconds added after each move. Ιf those blitz games do not produce a winner, they will play another set of two and continue that way up to a total of five sets of blitz games (a maximum of ten blitz games in total).
• Armageddon: If there is still no winner, they will play an Armageddon game in which White has five minutes and Black has four, but Black only has to draw to win the match.

Did you know?

This will be the third time the tie-break games have been used to decide a World Championship Match. The first time was in 2006, when Kramnik beat Topalov. The second was in 2012, when Anand beat Gelfand. Hence, much more interesting and fast games are ahead. And by the way, it’s Carlsen’s birthday on the 30th – can he make it his best birthday ever?   

<<Find more and grab the offer now>>

Carlsen-Karjakin Game-11: A fighting draw!

The eleventh game was a fighting one, but ended up in a draw after 34 moves. Sergey started with the move 1.e4 which gave him the best results in his previous games.

Sergey Karjakin (2772) – Magnus Carlsen (2853)
World Chess Championship New York NY USA (11), 26.11.2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a3

Black to play

White would like to keep the light-squared Bishop in the game and control the b4-square at the same time. White hopes for a long game and a closed setup, with plenty of maneuvering.

Suggestion: you may like to watch the video lesson “Piece coordination and maneuvering in chess” by GM Levan Aroshidze.

8…0-0 9.Nc3 Be6

White to play

Magnus, who played the move Na5 in Game-2, played Be6 in Game-11. Sergey was ready to face 9…Na5 again, so Black chooses a different move.
10.Nd5 Nd4

This move, which is well-known as Black’s best here, was first played by Peter Svidler of Russia back in 2013.

11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Nxf6+

Black to play

This move is harmless for Black. Magnus can develop his pieces and normally equalizes the game. It is more critical to capture on e7 and then to pin the Knight on f6. 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.Bg5

12…Bxf6 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.f4

Black to play

Sergey who made a natural move kept all of his options open. He had a lot of alternatives like the Qg4 or Rf3 and h3. White should focus on the kingside, while Black, on the queenside. Thus, the next move, c5-c4, is a very natural reply for Black.

14…c5 15.Qg4 Qd7 16.f5 Rae8 17.Bd2 c4 18.h3 c3!?

White to play

Karjakin released the tension with the move f5 and allowing trades. Perhaps he no longer believes that he has any advantage. Carlsen has more than equality, so he tries for positional unbalance.

19.bxc3 d5 20.Bg5!

Black to play

White should exchange the Bishops in order to keep the position as solid as he can. After this move, Black’s winning chances are not good.

20…Bxg5 21.Qxg5 dxe4 22.fxe6 Rxf1+ 23.Rxf1 Qxe6 24.cxd4 e3!?

White to play

Magnus tried to push for the win with the passed-pawn, but Sergey finds a forcing way, perpetual check, to get the draw. Thus, the game ended in a draw.

25.Re1 h6 26.Qh5 e2 27.Qf3 a5 28.c3 Qa2 29.Qc6 Re6 30.Qc8+ Kh7 31.c4 Qd2 32.Qxe6 Qxe1+ 33.Kh2 Qf2 34.Qe4+ ½-½

You can download the PGN of this game here.

Grandmaster Maurice Ashley was dreaming to sit in the Championship chair. We wish you to be the next challenger! 

Don’t miss the twelfth and the final game of the World Chess Championship match. You can watch it LIVE here. Magnus’s sister stated that Magnus will win. We will have to wait and see if she is right or not. 

What if the score is 6-6 after 12 games?

The player who wins the final game, wins the title! If the game is drawn, the match will go to a series of tie-break games on Wednesday, starting with four rapid games played at a time control of 25 minutes per player per game, with 10 seconds added after each move.

If that does not produce a winner, the players will play four blitz games. And if the players are tied after that, they will play an “Armageddon” game, in which White will have five minutes and Black only four, but Black will only have to draw to win the title.

What do you think? Can Carlsen retain his title and continue his reign, or can we see a new World Champion being crowned?  Feel free to comment your predictions below.

Recommended

We’re providing a huge 40% discount on the RCA comprehensive and middlegame courses, in honour of the World Championship Match. Use coupon “40off” now and enjoy the offer!  Find more details here.

Improve your middlegame and comprehensive knowledge in chess

The World Chess Championship 2016 between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin is really a spectacle, as we have witnessed some amazing games where the players have shown off their great army of skills.

For instance, we’ve seen some impressive defending skills of Karjakin in games three and four; while in several other games, the players had to work very hard, use their positional understanding of the game to gain an advantage and then to convert that advantage into a win.
The opening preparation was about equal for them and the usual brilliant endgame technique by Carlsen has not been displayed. In the first decisive moment of the match, Game-8, Carlsen pushed too hard by making both strategical and tactical concessions.

While in the second decisive game, Game-10, Karjakin failed to calculate well at a critical point, where he could have practically forced a repetition with the tactical idea of playing Nxf2+.

So we can see that these skills are very, very important (and necessary) for a chess player to play at GM level, or to become a World Champion – after all, that’s ultimately what these two are fighting for! 

Therefore, I’d like to help you enrich your chess knowledge and skills to become a strong player. That’s why I’m going to provide you with a really massive 40% discount on the Comprehensive courses and Middlegame courses of RCA, in honour of the World Championship Match!
You can use the coupon “40off” and get as much as a huge $464 USD discount (total discount on all the courses belonging to these two categories).  This is a limited-period offer – it will be valid from today (27 Nov.) until Friday, 2 December (inclusive).

Note: If you don’t know how to use a discount code, please see here.

Additionally, I’d like to say that these courses are of HIGH QUALITY – you can find numerous feedback comments from our students who have already studied them and made great progress in their chess career. For some of them, you can find the star ratings (giving by the students) below the image of the course.

So hurry up and grab the offer now – get 40% discount on:

• RCA Comprehensive courses

• RCA Middlegame courses

P.S. We’ve one more game left in the World Championship match. The score is 5.5-5.5 after eleven games. You can check our blog page for complete analysis of all the games.

Carlsen-Karjakin Game-10: Magnus Carlsen makes a comeback!

The tenth game of the World Chess Championship in New York was crucial. Magnus Carlsen scored his first win, after 10 games, so he comes back into the match. The score is equal, 5-5 and anything can happen in the last two games.

The smile is back on the World Champion’s face! (photo: Vladimir Barsky, Russian Chess Federation)

Carlsen played with the White pieces and started with the move e4. This game really was a marathon. In the opening, Black managed to equalize, but then White established a good advantage and finally managed to convert it into a win.

Magnus Carlsen (2853) – Sergey Karjakin (2772) [C65]
World Chess Championship New York NY USA (10), 24.11.2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3

Black to play

This is a try to avoid the long theoretical Berlin variation. White developed the Bishop from f1 and only after that, he is closing the pawn chain. This is not very aggressive opening, but it is very logical. White has a lot of ideas. The main idea is to play c3 and d4. Of course, he will push the pawns only if all the pieces are in good positions and well-coordinated.

Suggestion: Learn about the best chess openings and how to pick one for you now!

4…Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 Be7 8.0-0 d6 9.Nbd2 Nh5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.Nc4 Nf4 12.Ne3 Qf6

White to play

Black pieces are very actively placed in the Kingside. Something had gone wrong for White. Black equalized in the opening. Carlsen is very creative and a competitive player, and he found a way to make progress in the game. He was able to make a play and create problems for his opponent. On the other hand, it is nice to have good and active opening positions. I think that Magnus should consider changing his team or he should read openings more deeply.

13.g3 Nh3+ 14.Kh1 Ne7 15.Bc4 c6 16.Bb3 Ng6 17.Qe2 a5 18.a4 Be6 19.Bxe6 fxe6 20.Nd2 d5 21.Qh5

Black to play

Here is the critical moment for Black. The only chance which gives equality to Black is Nxf2. Karjakin had about 20 minutes to find it, but he didn’t manage to do it. The idea is to play: 21… Nxf2+ 22. Kg2 Qf7!! Now Black is threatening a discovered check. The Knight can move to f4 and check the King, the Queen on h5 is unprotected.

Another possibility is to make a draw by playing 20…Nxf2+ (instead of 20…d5) 21.Kg2 Nh4+ 22.Kg1

Black to play

22…Nh3+ 23.Kh1 and now Black can force a repetition of moves with 23…Nf2+ 24.Kg1 Nh3+.

21…Ng5 22.h4 Nf3 23.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24.Qxf3 Rxf3 25.Kg2 Rf7 26.Rfe1 h5

This move is necessary because it stopped White from playing h4-h5 himself. The good news for While is the fact that the g5-square can never be covered. This gives a very big positional advantage to White. Black’s e-pawn is weak, so Black should defend in the rest of the game.

26…Raf8 27.Re2 Nf4+!?

White to play

28.gxf4 exf4 29.Nf5

27.Nf1 Kf8 28.Nd2 Ke7 29.Re2 Kd6 30.Nf3 Raf8 31.Ng5 Re7 32.Rae1 Rfe8 33.Nf3 Nh8 34.d4 exd4 35.Nxd4 g6 36.Re3 Nf7 37.e5+ Kd7 38.Rf3 Nh6 39.Rf6 Rg7

White to play

White has a clear and stable advantage. The Knight is in a perfect location in the center, and the Rooks are active; White has two pawn breaks, one on the queenside with b4, and another one on the kingside with g4. White can take time and maneuver his pieces in the best positions. After that, he will be able to make the breakthrough with the pawns. Only White can improve his position.

40.b4 axb4 41.cxb4 Ng8 42.Rf3 Nh6 43.a5 Nf5 44.Nb3 Kc7 45.Nc5 Kb8 46.Rb1 Ka7 47.Rd3 Rc7 48.Ra3 Nd4 49.Rd1 Nf5 50.Kh3 Nh6 51.f3 Rf7 52.Rd4 Nf5 53.Rd2 Rh7 54.Rb3 Ree7 55.Rdd3 Rh8 56.Rb1 Rhh7

Black to play

Carlsen had placed his pieces perfectly, so now it is time for the breakthrough. He felt the moment very well and he went for it.

57.b5! cxb5 58.Rxb5 d4 59.Rb6 Rc7 60.Nxe6

Black to play

Carlsen manages to transfer his positional advantage into material advantage. He has a winning position, but he needs to work hard in order to get the full point, because winning positions cannot win on their own.

60…Rc3 61.Nf4 Rhc7 62.Nd5 Rxd3 63.Nxc7 Kb8 64.Nb5 Kc8 65.Rxg6 Rxf3 66.Kg2 Rb3 67.Nd6+

Black to play

White simplified the position to Rook endgame. White has a more advanced passed pawn and more active pieces. Black has a very weak pawn on h5 and after some exchanges, Black should protect it passively with the Rook.

67…Nxd6 68.Rxd6 Re3 69.e6 Kc7 70.Rxd4 Rxe6 71.Rd5 Rh6 72.Kf3 Kb8 73.Kf4 Ka7 74.Kg5 Rh8 75.Kf6 1-0

You can download the PGN of this game here.

It is very difficult to make predictions on who will win the Match, but it has very much turned into Carlsen’s favour for sure. What do you think? What are your thoughts about the match? You are very welcome to write your comments below. 

Recommended

Don’t know what to do in a middlegame? Get “Winning the Middlegame” now – it is a clear practical guide to the middlegame play, and you will also learn everything about pawn structures!