How the World reacted to Karjakin’s victory over Carlsen (Game-8)?

The 26-year-old challenger from Russia, Sergey Karjakin, draws everyone’s attention after defeating the World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the eighth game of the World Chess Championship 2016, in New York.

Magnus wanted to score a win too badly that he had to take chances with White pieces. The players were in time trouble at critical positions (between moves 30 to 45), and Carlsen’s blunder helped Karjakin take the driver seat.

Suggestion: You may like to see the video analysis of Game-8 by FM Marko Makaj here.

Today I’ll share with you the reactions of other top GMs for the result of Game-8, along with some interesting and ‘funny’ photos.

That’s how moves 35-37 looked like….

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown….”

I think that’s how Carlsen’s fans would have reacted..

Magnus Carlsen was really frustrated after Game-8 that he didn’t attend the press conference! First, he skipped the individual interviews immediately after the game, and then while he sat waiting for his opponent at the press conference, with hundreds of fans and photographers focused on him, he cracked.

There could be potential consequences for the World Champion for not appearing at the press conference. The following tweet explains it in a better way:

But this is probably not what will be on the top of Carlsen’s head, as he would be focusing on making a comeback.

The tweets of Nakamura, Howell, Giri and Short says it all!

Moreover, one of the most interesting things is that 7-year old Sergey Karjakin said he´ll become World Champion. He said that in one of the Russian interviews. You can watch the clip on our RCA Facebook page by clicking the image below:

Now, he´s got the chance! Can he make it? 

Finally, in the press conference, a kid asked “How many games do you play a day to practise?”. And guess what Karjakin replied!

“At this tournament, one.”

He also met with a question about winning with Black, and he said “It’s much better to play well than to play White!”

If you want to see more such interesting images and funny memes, you can “Like” our RCA Facebook page and follow the updates.

P.S. What are your thoughts after Game-8? Do you think Magnus can make a comeback and level the score? Feel free to write your thoughts in the comments below. 

Interesting games from the Sinquefield Cup 2016

Today, we analyze the most interesting games from the recent Sinquefield Cup 2016. This tournament took place in St Louis, and the most interesting point about it is that we could see ten of the strongest chess players in the world in action.

(photo from the official site)

They were fighting for $300,000 in prize money over the nine-round competition. Of course, the winner would also be the Sinquefield Cup Champion for 2016.

Seven of these players were:

• Peter Svidler (2751)

• Ding Liren (2755)

• Veselin Topalov (2761)

• Anish Giri (2769)

• Viswanathan Anand (2770)

• Levon Aronian (2784)

• Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2819)

By the way, Maxime (or MVL as he is known) is the second-highest rated player in the world after World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Nearly all the brightest and extremely powerful grandmasters were competing in this tournament, so we can see a lot of interesting, entertaining and incredible games.

Another very interesting element is that we also had three of the best American chess players, Hikaru Nakamura (2791), Fabiano Caruana (2807) and Wesley So (2771), present.

Let’s discuss it!

Who do you think the best American player is? Who do you think is the strongest or the best player, or who do you like most? You can add your thoughts in the comments below this article. 
Wesley So is an incredibly prepared and tactical player (and he won this tournament), Caruana an extremely talented player with a great imagination and, of course, Nakamura is just exciting to watch because he is original!

Now let’s head to the lesson and check out some interesting games and positions.

Topalov, Veselin (2761) – Svidler, Peter (2751) [C88]

White to play

Here is the first question for you. In this diagram, Svidler with the Black pieces played 25…Rb4. What do you think of this move? It seems that Black is attacking the d4-pawn but the knight on c6 is shaky and not protected very well. Hence, is it a good move or does Black have any tactical problems?

Suggestion: learn about the strategy behind an open file, how to obtain an open file OR how to use it effectively from our lesson here.

Anand, Viswanathan (2770) – Caruana, Fabiano (2807) [C15]

Black to play

This was an exciting game between young Caruana and Anand, who seemed to be in great shape in this tournament. White didn’t get any opening advantage. He gave up the bishop pair in order to make the position unbalanced and try for the win; but a little later he gave up his activity by exchanging some of his active pieces, in order to win a pawn.

Right now, White is a pawn up and would like to exchange the queens. What should Black do? If he doesn’t find a precise plan, then White can invade his position or exchange the queens. If the queens are exchanged, then White will have seriouswinning chances. So what do you think – what is the best chance for Black?

Caruana, Fabiano (2807) – Topalov, Veselin (2761) [C84]

Black to play

White didn’t play too precisely or go back and forward with his pieces, so Black got a very good opportunity for a strong blow. Can you see it? What is the best move for Black?

Suggestion: you can watch recent chess battles between Candidate players 2016 (Anand, Karjakin, Aronian, Nakamura, Caruana, Giri and so on) here.

Vachier Lagrave, Maxime (2819) – Anand, Viswanathan (2770)

White to play

This final example is absolutely brilliant. I have to tell you that this is one of the best games and is highly instructive. The problem with delay in development is that it has long-term effects on your position.

Move 30, as we can see in the diagram, is really interesting because White has a lot of options. This is the critical moment for White. Can you work out what to do? 

Please be careful because “whatever shines is not gold”, as the Greeks used to say. White’s most obvious move here is not the best one. For that reason, please take a really close look at this position. It is White’s turn.

I must admit that not all of these positions are really hard but some are. From these games, you can learn and practice your calculation skills.

To analyze these interesting games, IM Valery Lilov has prepared a very nice video for RCA (and for you) and we thank him for that. You can watch the video below:

WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO LESSON NOW!!

Note: you may like to check the solutions and complete games here.

Finally, I’d like to inform you that we’ve decided to provide you with more such “entertaining” lessons/content. I hope you really like this “new strategy”, and you are very welcome to leave your comments below – that would be very helpful for us. 

If you enjoy watching the best moments of the TOP chess tournaments and would like to continue to watch similar videos, then you are very welcome to express your opinion with a comment.

P.S. As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, it is very useful to observe three of the best American players in play – Nakamura, Caruana and So. What do you think of them? Who is the best?

Recommended

How do Grandmasters actually think during a chess game? Get “Unlocking the Grandmaster’s Mind” now HERE.

This course summarizes how Grandmasters actually think while playing the game of chess and you will get the extraordinary skills a Grandmaster possesses!

Magnus Carlsen wins a very important game against Anish Giri

My good friend and experienced chess coach Aggelos Kesaris (from Greece) has prepared a nice article for you. This is a review of the great victory by Magnus Carlsen in the recent super tournament in Bilbao (Spain).
Even the strongest players in the world have an Achilles heel – a weak point. It can be a player whom they find difficult to beat. Carlsen’s Achilles heel was Giri. There was always some tension between the two players since they have played 15 games in classic time control and all ended in a draw apart from the first one, which Giri won with the Black pieces. Thus, Giri had an important psychological advantage.

On another occasion, the World Champion won a super-tournament. His loss in the first round, against Hikaru Nakamura, motivated him to play fantastic chess. He managed to beat the rest of his opponents and won the tournament afterwards.

Carlsen, M (2855) – Giri, A (2785)

Bilbao ESP Bilbao ESP, 22.07.2016

White to play

Can you find the strongest move for White?

21.c4!

Carlsen is happy to sacrifice back the pawn in order to place his knight on the solid d4. He can transfer it there via f3.

21…Nxe5 22.Qg3 Bd6 23.cxd5 exd5 24.Nb3 Qxc2 

White to play

25.Nd4 Qc8 26.h5

White gains additional space and is cramping Black’s kingside more and more. Black is a pawn up but should pay the price for a lot of weaknesses – on b6, d5, f5 and g7. Please note that the White rook cannot abandon the 1st rank because of Qc1+ and Ng4+.

Suggested: The advantage of space in chess enlarges your influence over the board and provides options that can be exploited tactically and strategically. You may like to learn about the “Space Factor” by clicking here.

26…Qd7 27.Rb1 Bc7 28.f3!

Black to play

How many moves ahead do you think one top grandmaster can see? Do you have a clear answer to that question? No one, even the super-grandmasters themselves, can reply clearly to this question.

Prophylaxis is an action, a technique, that strong players use in order to prevent something bad. We use prophylaxis when we clean our teeth. There is no need to wait until they start to rot before going to the dentist, am I right?

Carlsen can see Black’s next moves. Black queen would like to go on f7 and then capture the pawn on h5. Meanwhile, White would like to activate his rook. Perhaps he would like to place it back on a rank and go to a6. After this brilliant f3 move, the Black queen on h5 cannot give check on d1. Please note that the knight on e5 doesn’t have access to the g4-square.

28…Qf7 29.Ra1 Bd6 30.Ra6 Qxh5 31.Rxb6! Nc4

White to play

Suddenly, all Black pieces are misplaced. Observe how Black’s queen and knight are restricted. White is threatening the bishop on d6. It cannot go to c7 because the rook can continue to threaten it.

32.Rxd6 Nxd6 33.Bxd6 Rxe3 34.Be5 Qg6 35.Qf4 Re1+ 36.Kf2 Ra1 37.Qd2!

Black to play

Note: you can see this position on the board in the starting picture of Carlsen and Giri

This is another cool, multi-purpose move by White. First things first, White is preventing Ra2+. At the same time, the rook cannot retreat to a5. White’s next moves are Ne2 and Nf4. White would like to regroup, reorganize his pieces and start attacking the weak center pawn on d5. Black has material superiority but White has more active pieces and potential targets on d5, f7 and g7.

Suggested: You may like to learn about the piece coordination and maneuvering from our lesson here.

37…Ra8?

Black is in time trouble and in difficult positional choices. Yes, even the strongest players in the world can crack under heavy pressure.

38.Nxf5! Qe6 [38...Qxf5 39.Qxd5+ Kf8 40.Qxa8++-]

39.Qg5!

White has total domination in the center and more active pieces, so he can start the direct attack. Right now, White is threatening checkmate. The Black pieces are not well placed, so tactics help White. The bishop is taboo because of the discovered attack.

39…g6 40.Nh6+ Kf8 41.Ng4 Ke8 

White to play

42.Nf6+ Kf7 43.Nxh7 Ra4 44.Qd8!

This is the final, killing blow by White. White is threatening checkmate on f8. Again, Black cannot capture the bishop on e5 because White will play queen f8; and after Ke6, he can create a double threat on e8, winning the rook on a4.

44…Ra2+ 45.Kg1
1–0

The checks are over. Black cannot give check on a1 because the bishop controls this square. Black cannot capture the bishop because White can win the queen after a long and forcing continuation. Can you find it? 

Please think actively about the last diagram (if Black plays 45…Qxe5). When you are ready, you may like to check the answer by downloading the game with detailed comments from here.
Finally, if you don’t know about the author of this lesson, Aggelos Kesaris, you can find his photo below:
Currently, he is preparing some cool chess lessons for you as he is the Academy Manager of RCA.  He is from Greece and he has helped me a lot in creating our upcoming course “Winning the Middlegame”. Feel free to write in the comments below about this article and share your views.

Talking about the new course, don’t forget to pre-register now so that you will be notified a few hours before the course launch, and you will get BETTER SPECIAL OFFERS than those who don’t pre-register! 

PRE-REGISTER NOW!