Chess from Malcolm Pein Chess for Tuesday December 27th 2005

Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph

In yesterday's column we looked at the battle between 15 year old Magnus Carlsen and Gata Kamsky, two prodigies; one past, one present. They met at the recently concluded Fide World Cup in a match to decide ninth and tenth place. Carlsen won yesterday's game but was defeated in the return - given below - and in the resulting tie break.

However, the Norwegian youngster became the youngest player ever through to the Candidates matches. His progress in the later rounds was covered live on Norwegian television where he is already a big star and it will be fascinating to see how he gets on in September 2006.

Carlsen's trainer GM Simen Agdestein a former professional footballer has recently launched a new career and done something akin to cricketer Darren Gough, Agdestein is one of the stars in the soon to be screened Norwegian version of "Celebrity Come Dancing".

G Kamsky (2690) - M Carlsen (2570)
Fide World Cup Khanty Mansyisk (7.2)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 (The Sicilian Sveshnikov, a sharp line which did not exist 30 years ago) 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 (The game now revolves around White's attempts to exploit the d5 square and to attack Black's queenside pawns while Black must activate his bishop pair by preparing activity on the kingside with pawn f7-f5) 11.c3 (To reroute the badly placed knight) 11...Bg5 12.Nc2 Ne7 13.Ncb4 (As in the game between these players featured yesterday White delays castling because there are more important matters, here White wants to maintain a knight on the dominating square) 13...0-0 14.a4! bxa4 15.Qxa4 (At a stroke White gains a lead in development and opens up an attack on a6) 15...a5 16.Bb5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Be6 18.Bc6 (18.0-0? Bxd5 19.exd5 f5 with a counterattack) 18...Rb8 19.Ra2 Qc8 20.0-0

Position after 20.0-0

20....Bd8?! (20...f5 21.exf5 Bxf5 22.b3 would give White an edge because a5 is so weak and Qc4 is a threat) 21.b4! (Switching the focus of his play to the d6 pawn and creating a passed pawn) 21...Kh8 22.Rd2 Qa6? (22...f5) 23.b5 Qa7 24.Qa3! Bxd5 (24...Qc5 25.Qxc5 dxc5 26.Ra1 and Black could fight on, this allows a clever tactic) 25.Qxd6 Threatening mate in one 25...Be7 26.Qxd5 Rfd8 27.Qa2 Rxd2 28.Qxd2 a4 29.Qa2 a3 (29...Bc5 still offered some chances) 30.Qxf7 Rf8 31.b6! 1-0

Carlsen

Kamsky

Final position after 31.b6 - if 31....Rxf7 32.bxa7 and the pawn promotes. Any move of the queen loses the Be7.