Carlsen reaches 2837 on the Elo scale

Steve Engelen of Oslo, Norway, writes: "If I am not mistaken, this was Carlsen's tenth tournament in a row with a performance well above 2800. It pushes him to a new all-time rating high at 2837 on the July FIDE list. Has such a winning streak above 2800 ever been recorded before? In the last two years and nine months Carlsen has won eleven tournaments: Nanjing 2009, London 2009, Wijk 2010, Bazna 2010, Nanjing 2010, London 2010, Bazna 2011, Biel 2011, Grand Slam final 2011, Tal Memorial 2011, Tal Memorial 2012.

Preempting the next official FIDE rating list we take a look at the top twenty in the Live Chess Ratings that are regularly calculated by IM Artiom Tsepotan and IA Dr. Christopher Wright. This list is updated to 18 June 2012, 15:24 GMT, i.e. it includes the results of the Tal Memorial.

# Name Rating +/- Gms Age 1 Carlsen 2837.1 +2.1 9 21 (30.11.1990) 2 Aronian 2816.4 -8.6 15 29 (06.10.1982) 3 Kramnik 2799.4 -1.6 15 36 (25.06.1975) 4 Radjabov 2788.0 +4.0 9 25 (12.03.1987) 5 Anand 2780.2 -10.8 12 42 (11.12.1969) 6 Karjakin 2779.0 0.0 0 22 (12.01.1990) 7 Nakamura 2777.7 +2.7 23 24 (09.12.1987) 8 Caruana 2775.7 +5.7 24 19 (30.07.1992) 9 Morozevich 2770.0 +1.0 9 34 (18.07.1977) 10 Ivanchuk 2769.3 +5.3 15 43 (18.03.1969) 11 Grischuk 2763.1 +2.1 9 28 (31.10.1983) 12 Topalov 2752.0 0.0 0 37 (15.03.1975) 13 Kamsky 2743.8 +2.8 11 38 (02.06.1974) 14 Svidler 2741.0 0.0 0 36 (17.06.1976) 15 Wang Hao 2739.1 +1.1 10 22 (04.08.1989) 16 Gelfand 2737.8 +10.8 12 43 (24.06.1968) 17 Gashimov 2737.0 0.0 0 25 (24.07.1986) 18 Jakovenko 2733.9 -2.1 3 28 (28.06.1983) 19 Tomashevsky 2733.2 -4.8 9 24 (01.07.1987) 20 Bologan 2732.4 +16.4 9 40 (14.12.1971)

And here is the Norwegian's prodigious rating progress over the last eleven years:

And here are his ratings over the past four years (the third column gives the number of games played):

May 2012 2835 0 Mar 2012 2835 13 Jan 2012 2835 17 Nov 2011 2826 10 Sep 2011 2823 10 Jul 2011 2821 10 May 2011 2815 0 Mar 2011 2815 13 Jan 2011 2814 17 Nov 2010 2802 14 Sep 2010 2826 0 Jul 2010 2826 10 May 2010 2813 0 Mar 2010 2813 13 Jan 2010 2810 16 Nov 2009 2801 10 Sep 2009 2772 10 Jul 2009 2772 12 Apr 2009 2770 27 Jan 2009 2776 17 Oct 2008 2786 31 Jul 2008 2775 16

We proceed to the endgame lessons by Karsten Müller. For anyone who missed it please check out his previous column "Carlsen in Capablanca's footsteps", where the young Norwegian's victory against Azeri GM Teimour Radjabov reminded him of Capablanca's famous win against Kan in Moscow 1936.

Aronian's Fortress

[Event "7th Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2825"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [Source "Chess Today"] [SourceDate "2012.06.14"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. b3 Be6 11. Bb2 Bb4 12. Ne2 Bd5 13. Ne1 h5 14. Nd3 Be7 15. Nef4 Rh6 16. c4 Be4 17. Rad1 g5 18. Rfe1 Bxd3 19. Nxd3 b5 20. c5 Ng7 21. b4 a5 22. a3 Ne6 23. g3 g4 24. Kg2 Rg6 25. Nf4 Rg5 26. Bc1 Rf5 27. h3 gxh3+ 28. Nxh3 axb4 29. axb4 Ra4 30. Bd2 Ra3 31. f4 h4 32. Re3 Rxe3 33. Bxe3 hxg3 34. Kxg3 Rh5 35. Bf2 f5 36. exf6 Bxf6 37. Kg4 Rxh3 38. Kxh3 Nxf4+ 39. Kg4 Nd5 40. Bd4 Kf7 41. Kf5 Ne7+ 42. Ke4 Bxd4 43. Kxd4 Ke6 44. Re1+ Kd7 45. Ke5 Nd5 46. Re4 Kc8 47. Ke6 Nc3 48. Rh4 Nd5 49. Rd4 Kd8 50. Rg4 Kc8 51. Rh4 Kb7 52. Kd7 Nf6+ 53. Kd8 Nd5 54. Rg4 Kb8 55. Rd4 Kb7 56. Kd7 {Aronian's Fortress When pawns are only on one wing the knight can often create a fortress against the rook:} Nc3 (56... Ne3 {draws as well.}) ({But not} 56... Nf6+ $2 57. Ke6 Nd5 (57... Ne8 58. Kf7 $18) 58. Rxd5 cxd5 59. Kxd5 Kc8 (59... c6+ 60. Kd6 $18) 60. Kc6 Kd8 61. Kb7 (61. Kxb5 Kd7 62. Ka6 Kc6 63. Ka7 $18 {is also playable.}) 61... Kd7 62. Kb8 Kc6 63. Kc8 Kd5 64. Kxc7 Kc4 65. c6 Kxb4 66. Kd6 $18) 57. Ke6 Kc8 58. Rd3 Nd5 ({Of course not} 58... Ne2 $4 {when} 59. Ke5 {seperates the knight from the rest of Black's forces and White wins:} Nc1 60. Rd2 Nb3 61. Rb2 Nc1 62. Kd4 Kd7 63. Ke3 Ke6 64. Kd2 $18) 59. Rd4 ({Now the pawn ending after} 59. Rxd5 cxd5 60. Kxd5 {is only drawn due to} Kd7 61. c6+ Ke7 62. Kc5 (62. Ke5 Kf7 63. Kf5 Ke7 64. Ke5 Kf7 65. Kd5 Ke7 $11) 62... Ke6 63. Kxb5 Kd5 $11) 59... Nc3 60. Rd3 Nd5 1/2-1/2 [Event "7th Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C67"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2825"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [Source "Chess Today"] [SourceDate "2012.06.14"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. b3 Be6 11. Bb2 Bb4 12. Ne2 Bd5 13. Ne1 h5 14. Nd3 Be7 15. Nef4 Rh6 16. c4 Be4 17. Rad1 g5 18. Rfe1 Bxd3 19. Nxd3 b5 20. c5 Ng7 21. b4 a5 22. a3 Ne6 23. g3 g4 24. Kg2 Rg6 25. Nf4 Rg5 26. Bc1 Rf5 27. h3 gxh3+ 28. Nxh3 axb4 29. axb4 Ra4 30. Bd2 Ra3 31. f4 h4 32. Re3 Rxe3 33. Bxe3 hxg3 34. Kxg3 Rh5 35. Bf2 f5 36. exf6 Bxf6 37. Kg4 Rxh3 38. Kxh3 Nxf4+ 39. Kg4 Nd5 40. Bd4 Kf7 41. Kf5 Ne7+ 42. Ke4 Bxd4 43. Kxd4 Ke6 44. Re1+ Kd7 45. Ke5 Nd5 46. Re4 Kc8 47. Ke6 Nc3 48. Rh4 Nd5 49. Rd4 Kd8 50. Rg4 Kc8 51. Rh4 Kb7 52. Kd7 Nf6+ 53. Kd8 Nd5 54. Rg4 Kb8 55. Rd4 Kb7 56. Kd7 {Aronian's Fortress When pawns are only on one wing the knight can often create a fortress against the rook:} Nc3 (56... Ne3 {draws as well.}) ({But not} 56... Nf6+ $2 57. Ke6 Nd5 (57... Ne8 58. Kf7 $18) 58. Rxd5 cxd5 59. Kxd5 Kc8 (59... c6+ 60. Kd6 $18) 60. Kc6 Kd8 61. Kb7 (61. Kxb5 Kd7 62. Ka6 Kc6 63. Ka7 $18 {is also playable.}) 61... Kd7 62. Kb8 Kc6 63. Kc8 Kd5 64. Kxc7 Kc4 65. c6 Kxb4 66. Kd6 $18) 57. Ke6 Kc8 58. Rd3 Nd5 ({Of course not} 58... Ne2 $4 {when} 59. Ke5 {seperates the knight from the rest of Black's forces and White wins:} Nc1 60. Rd2 Nb3 61. Rb2 Nc1 62. Kd4 Kd7 63. Ke3 Ke6 64. Kd2 $18) 59. Rd4 ({Now the pawn ending after} 59. Rxd5 cxd5 60. Kxd5 {is only drawn due to} Kd7 61. c6+ Ke7 62. Kc5 (62. Ke5 Kf7 63. Kf5 Ke7 64. Ke5 Kf7 65. Kd5 Ke7 $11) 62... Ke6 63. Kxb5 Kd5 $11) 59... Nc3 60. Rd3 Nd5 1/2-1/2

Kramnik's Knight

[Event "7th Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Kramnik, V."] [Black "Tomashevsky, E."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D27"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "165"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 e6 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8. O-O b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. dxc5 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Bxc5 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nb3 Bb4 14. Bd2 Nbd7 15. a3 Nc5 16. Nc1 Bxc3 17. Bxc3 Rfc8 18. Bd4 Bd5 19. f3 Bc4 20. Kf2 Bxe2 21. Kxe2 Nd5 22. Rd2 f6 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. Nd3 Rc7 25. a4 bxa4 26. Rxa4 Kf7 27. Ra5 Raa7 28. Nc5 Nb4 29. Rd6 Rc8 30. f4 Rac7 31. Nxe6 Rc2+ 32. Kf3 Rxb2 33. Nd4 Rc7 34. Rb6 Nd3 35. Rxb2 Nxb2 36. Rxa6 Nc4 37. g4 Nd2+ 38. Ke2 Ne4 39. h4 Rb7 40. g5 Kg6 41. Kf3 Re7 {Kramnik's Knight Endings with rook and knight against rook and knight tend to be tactically tricky:} 42. h5+ $6 {Kramnik's solution probably wins in the long run as well, but makes it very complicated due to the reduced winning potential. He had two better options:} ({The direct simplification into a winning knight ending with} 42. Re6 Rxe6 43. f5+ Kh5 ( 43... Kf7 44. fxe6+ Ke7 45. Kxe4 $18) 44. fxe6 Nd6 45. gxf6 gxf6 46. Kf4 {and Black can not defend, e.g.} Kg6 47. Nf5 Ne8 (47... Nxf5 48. h5+ $18) 48. Ne7+ Kg7 49. Kg4 Kf8 50. Nf5 Nc7 51. e7+ Kf7 52. Kh5 Ne8 53. Kh6 Kg8 54. e4 Kh8 55. Nd4 Kg8 56. Nc6 Kh8 57. Nd8 Kg8 58. Kh5 Kg7 59. Kg4 Kg6 60. h5+ Kg7 61. Kf5 Kh6 62. Ke6 Kxh5 63. Kd7 Ng7 64. Ne6 $18) ({Or Oliver Reeh's suggestion to start a mating attack with} 42. f5+ Kh5 (42... Kf7 43. Ne6 $18) 43. Ne6 Nd2+ 44. Kf4 Kxh4 (44... Rb7 45. Nxg7+ Rxg7 46. Rxf6 $18) 45. gxf6 gxf6 46. Ra2 Rd7 47. Nd4 $18) 42... Kxh5 43. Nf5 Nd2+ 44. Ke2 Rd7 45. gxf6 gxf6 46. Rxf6 (46. Nd6 $2 { runs into the amazing} Kg4 $3 47. Kxd2 Kf3 $11 {as given in ChessToday 4237.}) 46... Kg4 47. Nh6+ Kg3 48. Rf8 $1 Ne4 49. Rg8+ Kh3 50. Ng4 $1 Kh4 51. Ne5 Ra7 52. Nf3+ $2 {Now White seems to be one tempo too slow in his advance.} ({The manover} 52. Kf3 $1 Nd2+ 53. Kg2 Ne4 54. Rg4+ Kh5 55. Kf3 Nd2+ 56. Ke2 Ne4 57. Rg1 $16 {gives him excellent winning chances.}) 52... Kh5 53. Kd3 (53. Rg1 { should be tenable for Black as well, e.g.} Ra2+ 54. Kd3 Nf2+ 55. Kd4 Ra4+ 56. Kd5 Nh3 57. Rh1 Ra5+ 58. Kd4 Ra4+ 59. Kc5 Kg4 60. Ne5+ Kg3 61. f5 Kg2 62. Rd1 Ng5 $11) 53... Nf2+ 54. Kd4 Ra4+ 55. Kd5 Ra5+ 56. Ke6 Ng4 57. e4 Ra6+ 58. Ke7 Ra7+ 59. Kd6 Ra6+ ({The stalemate trick} 59... Nf6 60. Rg5+ Kh6 61. Ke5 Nxe4 $3 62. Kxe4 Ra4+ $11 {is easier as given in ChessToday 4237.}) 60. Kc7 h6 61. e5 Nf6 $1 62. Rd8 (62. exf6 {can even be met by the beautiful} Rc6+ (62... Rxf6 { draws as well.}) 63. Kd7 Rd6+ 64. Ke7 Re6+ 65. Kf7 Rxf6+ 66. Kxf6 {stalemate}) (62. Rf8 Nh7 63. Rh8 Nf6 64. f5 Nd5+ 65. Kd7 Kg4 66. Nd4 Kf4 67. e6 Ke5 $11) 62... Kg4 63. Nd4 Ra7+ 64. Kd6 (64. Kb8 Rd7 65. Kc8 Kxf4 66. exf6 Rf7 67. Rd6 Ke5 68. Re6+ $6 Kxd4 69. Kd8 Kd5 70. Ra6 Ke5 $11) 64... Ne4+ 65. Kd5 Nc3+ 66. Kc4 Kxf4 (66... Rc7+ $2 {is the wrong order of moves due to} 67. Kd3 Kxf4 68. Ne6+ $18) 67. e6 (67. Kxc3 {is met by} Rc7+ (67... Kxe5 $4 68. Nc6+ $18) 68. Kd3 Kxe5 $11) (67. Nc6 Rc7 68. Kxc3 Rxc6+ 69. Kd4 h5 $11) 67... Rc7+ 68. Kd3 Ke5 $2 {Exhausted from the long fight Tomashevsky blunders.} (68... Na4 {saves the day as the knight will return in time after} 69. Rf8+ (69. Rd5 Nc5+ $11) 69... Ke5 70. Rf7 Rxf7 71. exf7 Nc5+ 72. Ke3 Nd7 $11) 69. Rd7 $1 (69. e7 $2 Rxe7 70. Nc6+ Ke6 71. Nxe7 Kxe7 72. Kxc3 Kxd8 $11) 69... Nd5 (69... Rc8 70. e7 Kf6 71. Rd8 Kxe7 72. Rxc8 $18) 70. e7 Rc3+ (70... Nxe7 71. Rxc7 $18) 71. Kd2 Rc8 72. Nc6+ ({Of course not} 72. Rd8 $2 Nxe7 $11) 72... Ke6 73. Rxd5 Rxc6 ({ Everythings works out for White as} 73... Kxd5 {is met by} 74. Nd8 $1 $18) 74. e8=Q+ Kxd5 75. Kd3 Re6 76. Qb5+ Kd6 77. Kd4 Ke7 78. Qf5 Rf6 79. Qh7+ Kf8 80. Ke5 Ra6 81. Qb7 Rg6 82. Qh7 $1 {Necessary precision as Black is closer to the draw as it might seem, e.g.} (82. Qd7 $2 {leads to a known fortress after} Kg8 83. Kf5 Rg5+ 84. Kf6 Kh8 $11) 82... Ra6 83. Qd3 (83. Qd3 Ra7 (83... Rb6 84. Qd8+ $18) (83... Ra5+ 84. Kf6 $18)) 1-0 [Event "7th Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Kramnik, V."] [Black "Tomashevsky, E."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D27"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "165"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 e6 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8. O-O b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. dxc5 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Bxc5 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nb3 Bb4 14. Bd2 Nbd7 15. a3 Nc5 16. Nc1 Bxc3 17. Bxc3 Rfc8 18. Bd4 Bd5 19. f3 Bc4 20. Kf2 Bxe2 21. Kxe2 Nd5 22. Rd2 f6 23. Bxc5 Rxc5 24. Nd3 Rc7 25. a4 bxa4 26. Rxa4 Kf7 27. Ra5 Raa7 28. Nc5 Nb4 29. Rd6 Rc8 30. f4 Rac7 31. Nxe6 Rc2+ 32. Kf3 Rxb2 33. Nd4 Rc7 34. Rb6 Nd3 35. Rxb2 Nxb2 36. Rxa6 Nc4 37. g4 Nd2+ 38. Ke2 Ne4 39. h4 Rb7 40. g5 Kg6 41. Kf3 Re7 {Kramnik's Knight Endings with rook and knight against rook and knight tend to be tactically tricky:} 42. h5+ $6 {Kramnik's solution probably wins in the long run as well, but makes it very complicated due to the reduced winning potential. He had two better options:} ({The direct simplification into a winning knight ending with} 42. Re6 Rxe6 43. f5+ Kh5 ( 43... Kf7 44. fxe6+ Ke7 45. Kxe4 $18) 44. fxe6 Nd6 45. gxf6 gxf6 46. Kf4 {and Black can not defend, e.g.} Kg6 47. Nf5 Ne8 (47... Nxf5 48. h5+ $18) 48. Ne7+ Kg7 49. Kg4 Kf8 50. Nf5 Nc7 51. e7+ Kf7 52. Kh5 Ne8 53. Kh6 Kg8 54. e4 Kh8 55. Nd4 Kg8 56. Nc6 Kh8 57. Nd8 Kg8 58. Kh5 Kg7 59. Kg4 Kg6 60. h5+ Kg7 61. Kf5 Kh6 62. Ke6 Kxh5 63. Kd7 Ng7 64. Ne6 $18) ({Or Oliver Reeh's suggestion to start a mating attack with} 42. f5+ Kh5 (42... Kf7 43. Ne6 $18) 43. Ne6 Nd2+ 44. Kf4 Kxh4 (44... Rb7 45. Nxg7+ Rxg7 46. Rxf6 $18) 45. gxf6 gxf6 46. Ra2 Rd7 47. Nd4 $18) 42... Kxh5 43. Nf5 Nd2+ 44. Ke2 Rd7 45. gxf6 gxf6 46. Rxf6 (46. Nd6 $2 { runs into the amazing} Kg4 $3 47. Kxd2 Kf3 $11 {as given in ChessToday 4237.}) 46... Kg4 47. Nh6+ Kg3 48. Rf8 $1 Ne4 49. Rg8+ Kh3 50. Ng4 $1 Kh4 51. Ne5 Ra7 52. Nf3+ $2 {Now White seems to be one tempo too slow in his advance.} ({The manover} 52. Kf3 $1 Nd2+ 53. Kg2 Ne4 54. Rg4+ Kh5 55. Kf3 Nd2+ 56. Ke2 Ne4 57. Rg1 $16 {gives him excellent winning chances.}) 52... Kh5 53. Kd3 (53. Rg1 { should be tenable for Black as well, e.g.} Ra2+ 54. Kd3 Nf2+ 55. Kd4 Ra4+ 56. Kd5 Nh3 57. Rh1 Ra5+ 58. Kd4 Ra4+ 59. Kc5 Kg4 60. Ne5+ Kg3 61. f5 Kg2 62. Rd1 Ng5 $11) 53... Nf2+ 54. Kd4 Ra4+ 55. Kd5 Ra5+ 56. Ke6 Ng4 57. e4 Ra6+ 58. Ke7 Ra7+ 59. Kd6 Ra6+ ({The stalemate trick} 59... Nf6 60. Rg5+ Kh6 61. Ke5 Nxe4 $3 62. Kxe4 Ra4+ $11 {is easier as given in ChessToday 4237.}) 60. Kc7 h6 61. e5 Nf6 $1 62. Rd8 (62. exf6 {can even be met by the beautiful} Rc6+ (62... Rxf6 { draws as well.}) 63. Kd7 Rd6+ 64. Ke7 Re6+ 65. Kf7 Rxf6+ 66. Kxf6 {stalemate}) (62. Rf8 Nh7 63. Rh8 Nf6 64. f5 Nd5+ 65. Kd7 Kg4 66. Nd4 Kf4 67. e6 Ke5 $11) 62... Kg4 63. Nd4 Ra7+ 64. Kd6 (64. Kb8 Rd7 65. Kc8 Kxf4 66. exf6 Rf7 67. Rd6 Ke5 68. Re6+ $6 Kxd4 69. Kd8 Kd5 70. Ra6 Ke5 $11) 64... Ne4+ 65. Kd5 Nc3+ 66. Kc4 Kxf4 (66... Rc7+ $2 {is the wrong order of moves due to} 67. Kd3 Kxf4 68. Ne6+ $18) 67. e6 (67. Kxc3 {is met by} Rc7+ (67... Kxe5 $4 68. Nc6+ $18) 68. Kd3 Kxe5 $11) (67. Nc6 Rc7 68. Kxc3 Rxc6+ 69. Kd4 h5 $11) 67... Rc7+ 68. Kd3 Ke5 $2 {Exhausted from the long fight Tomashevsky blunders.} (68... Na4 {saves the day as the knight will return in time after} 69. Rf8+ (69. Rd5 Nc5+ $11) 69... Ke5 70. Rf7 Rxf7 71. exf7 Nc5+ 72. Ke3 Nd7 $11) 69. Rd7 $1 (69. e7 $2 Rxe7 70. Nc6+ Ke6 71. Nxe7 Kxe7 72. Kxc3 Kxd8 $11) 69... Nd5 (69... Rc8 70. e7 Kf6 71. Rd8 Kxe7 72. Rxc8 $18) 70. e7 Rc3+ (70... Nxe7 71. Rxc7 $18) 71. Kd2 Rc8 72. Nc6+ ({Of course not} 72. Rd8 $2 Nxe7 $11) 72... Ke6 73. Rxd5 Rxc6 ({ Everythings works out for White as} 73... Kxd5 {is met by} 74. Nd8 $1 $18) 74. e8=Q+ Kxd5 75. Kd3 Re6 76. Qb5+ Kd6 77. Kd4 Ke7 78. Qf5 Rf6 79. Qh7+ Kf8 80. Ke5 Ra6 81. Qb7 Rg6 82. Qh7 $1 {Necessary precision as Black is closer to the draw as it might seem, e.g.} (82. Qd7 $2 {leads to a known fortress after} Kg8 83. Kf5 Rg5+ 84. Kf6 Kh8 $11) 82... Ra6 83. Qd3 (83. Qd3 Ra7 (83... Rb6 84. Qd8+ $18) (83... Ra5+ 84. Kf6 $18)) 1-0

The powerful passed pawn

[Event "7th Mikhail Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.16"] [Round "7"] [White "Aronian, L."] [Black "Grischuk, A."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E15"] [WhiteElo "2825"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Ba6 7. b3 c6 8. Nc3 d5 9. e4 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Ng5 c5 12. Bg2 Nc6 13. dxc5 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 f5 15. Nxe6 Kf7 16. Nf4 bxc5 17. f3 Rad8+ 18. Kc3 {The powerful passed pawn A far advanced passed pawn is a dangerous weapon in the endgame:} e3 $1 {White has great problems to deal with the well supported pawn.} (18... g5 $2 19. Nd5 exf3 20. Bxf3 {plays into White's hand due to his better pawn structure and strong knight d5.}) 19. Nd3 ({Now} 19. Nd5 $2 Nb4 20. f4 Bb7 21. Rhe1 Rhe8 {is dangerous only for White.}) 19... Rhe8 $1 {Grischuk puts all his money on his passed e-pawn.} 20. Nxc5 $2 {Now Grischuk's counterplay gives him a direct draw.} (20. f4 $1 {was the last chance to fight for the full point, but Black's strong passed pawn and his activity should save him after} e2 21. Bd5+ (21. Bxc6 $2 {is less precise due to} Re3 22. Bd5+ Rxd5 23. cxd5 Rxd3+ $11) 21... Rxd5 22. cxd5 Re3 23. dxc6 Rxd3+ 24. Kc2 Ke6 25. Rae1 Rd5 26. Rhf1 Kd6 27. Rf3 Kxc6 28. Re3 {but White can still play for a win of course.}) 20... e2 21. Nxa6 Re3+ 22. Kc2 $1 {The right retreat as} (22. Kb2 $2 {runs into} Rd2+ 23. Ka3 Nd4 24. Nb4 a5 25. Nd5 Nc2+ 26. Ka4 e1=Q 27. Rhxe1 Rxe1 28. Rxe1 Nxe1 29. Bf1 Rxa2+ $19) 22... Red3 23. Rae1 Rd2+ 24. Kc1 $1 {Aronian chooses the right retreat again.} ({Of course not} 24. Kc3 $4 R8d3#) ({And} 24. Kb1 $2 { runs into} Rd1+ 25. Kb2 R8d2+ 26. Kc3 Rd3+ 27. Kb2 Nd4 28. Nc5 (28. f4 $2 R1d2+ 29. Kb1 (29. Ka3 Nc2+ 30. Ka4 Nxe1 31. Rxe1 Rxa2+ 32. Kb5 Rxb3+ 33. Kc5 Rab2 $19) (29. Kc1 Rc2+ 30. Kb1 Rdd2 $19) 29... Nc2 30. Rc1 Na3+ 31. Ka1 Rd1 32. Kb2 Rxh1 33. Bxh1 Rd1 34. Bf3 Rxc1 35. Bxe2 Rc2+ 36. Kxa3 Rxe2 $19) 28... R3d2+ 29. Kc3 f4 30. a4 Rc2+ 31. Kb4 Rcc1 32. Rxe2 Nxe2 33. Rxd1 Rxd1 {when the extra exchange is worth more than White's queenside majority.}) 24... Rxa2 ({Even} 24... f4 {is playable, e.g.} 25. Nc5 Nb4 26. Bh3 Nxa2+ 27. Kb1 Nc3+ 28. Kc1 Na2+ $11) 25. f4 Rdd2 $1 {Grischuk forces the draw as} (25... Nd4 $6 {can be met by} 26. Nb4 $1 Nxb3+ 27. Kb1 Rad2 28. Nc6 Re8 29. Ne5+ {when only White can play for a win.}) 26. Bxc6 Rac2+ 27. Kb1 Rb2+ 28. Ka1 Ra2+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "7th Mikhail Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.16"] [Round "7"] [White "Aronian, L."] [Black "Grischuk, A."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E15"] [WhiteElo "2825"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Ba6 7. b3 c6 8. Nc3 d5 9. e4 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Ng5 c5 12. Bg2 Nc6 13. dxc5 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 f5 15. Nxe6 Kf7 16. Nf4 bxc5 17. f3 Rad8+ 18. Kc3 {The powerful passed pawn A far advanced passed pawn is a dangerous weapon in the endgame:} e3 $1 {White has great problems to deal with the well supported pawn.} (18... g5 $2 19. Nd5 exf3 20. Bxf3 {plays into White's hand due to his better pawn structure and strong knight d5.}) 19. Nd3 ({Now} 19. Nd5 $2 Nb4 20. f4 Bb7 21. Rhe1 Rhe8 {is dangerous only for White.}) 19... Rhe8 $1 {Grischuk puts all his money on his passed e-pawn.} 20. Nxc5 $2 {Now Grischuk's counterplay gives him a direct draw.} (20. f4 $1 {was the last chance to fight for the full point, but Black's strong passed pawn and his activity should save him after} e2 21. Bd5+ (21. Bxc6 $2 {is less precise due to} Re3 22. Bd5+ Rxd5 23. cxd5 Rxd3+ $11) 21... Rxd5 22. cxd5 Re3 23. dxc6 Rxd3+ 24. Kc2 Ke6 25. Rae1 Rd5 26. Rhf1 Kd6 27. Rf3 Kxc6 28. Re3 {but White can still play for a win of course.}) 20... e2 21. Nxa6 Re3+ 22. Kc2 $1 {The right retreat as} (22. Kb2 $2 {runs into} Rd2+ 23. Ka3 Nd4 24. Nb4 a5 25. Nd5 Nc2+ 26. Ka4 e1=Q 27. Rhxe1 Rxe1 28. Rxe1 Nxe1 29. Bf1 Rxa2+ $19) 22... Red3 23. Rae1 Rd2+ 24. Kc1 $1 {Aronian chooses the right retreat again.} ({Of course not} 24. Kc3 $4 R8d3#) ({And} 24. Kb1 $2 { runs into} Rd1+ 25. Kb2 R8d2+ 26. Kc3 Rd3+ 27. Kb2 Nd4 28. Nc5 (28. f4 $2 R1d2+ 29. Kb1 (29. Ka3 Nc2+ 30. Ka4 Nxe1 31. Rxe1 Rxa2+ 32. Kb5 Rxb3+ 33. Kc5 Rab2 $19) (29. Kc1 Rc2+ 30. Kb1 Rdd2 $19) 29... Nc2 30. Rc1 Na3+ 31. Ka1 Rd1 32. Kb2 Rxh1 33. Bxh1 Rd1 34. Bf3 Rxc1 35. Bxe2 Rc2+ 36. Kxa3 Rxe2 $19) 28... R3d2+ 29. Kc3 f4 30. a4 Rc2+ 31. Kb4 Rcc1 32. Rxe2 Nxe2 33. Rxd1 Rxd1 {when the extra exchange is worth more than White's queenside majority.}) 24... Rxa2 ({Even} 24... f4 {is playable, e.g.} 25. Nc5 Nb4 26. Bh3 Nxa2+ 27. Kb1 Nc3+ 28. Kc1 Na2+ $11) 25. f4 Rdd2 $1 {Grischuk forces the draw as} (25... Nd4 $6 {can be met by} 26. Nb4 $1 Nxb3+ 27. Kb1 Rad2 28. Nc6 Re8 29. Ne5+ {when only White can play for a win.}) 26. Bxc6 Rac2+ 27. Kb1 Rb2+ 28. Ka1 Ra2+ 1/2-1/2

The blockade

[Event "7th Mikhail Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.17"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "Tomashevsky, E."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "169"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a3 O-O 8. b4 Ba7 9. d3 h6 10. Bb2 Rb8 11. Rc1 Be6 12. Nd2 Ne7 13. e3 Qd7 14. Ne2 Bg4 15. Re1 Ng6 16. Qc2 c6 17. d4 Rbe8 18. c5 Bb8 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. Nc4 Bh3 21. Rcd1 Qe6 22. Na5 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Re7 24. e4 Qg4 25. Ng1 Nh4+ 26. Kh1 Nf3 27. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 28. Kg1 Qg4 29. Rd3 Qc8 30. Nc4 Qe6 31. f3 Bc7 32. Red1 Rd7 33. Nd6 Bxd6 34. Rxd6 Rxd6 35. Rxd6 Qa2 36. Kg2 Re8 37. Qc3 Nh7 38. Rd2 Nf8 39. Bc1 Qe6 40. Rd6 Qa2+ 41. Qb2 Qxb2+ 42. Bxb2 f6 43. Kh3 Re7 44. Kg4 Kf7 45. Bc1 Rd7 46. Be3 Rxd6 47. cxd6 {The blockade In the fight bishop against knight blockade often plays a major role, if the defender does not fall into zugzwang:} Nd7 $1 48. a4 b6 $1 {Black correctly seeks counterplay as he should not play only passivly as for example} (48... Ke6 $6 49. Kh5 Kf7 $6 50. a5 Nf8 51. f4 $16 {is dangerous for him.}) 49. a5 bxa5 50. bxa5 c5 ({The alternative} 50... Ke6 $5 { might draw a bit easier, e.g.} 51. Kh5 Nf8 ({The greedy} 51... Kxd6 $2 52. Kg6 $18 {even loses as the White's play on the kingside is much quicker.}) 52. Bc5 Kd7 53. f4 Ne6 54. Be3 Nf8 55. Bc5 Ne6 $11) 51. Kh5 $1 {The right approach} ({ as} 51. Kf5 $4 {runs into} h5 $19) 51... Kg8 52. f4 exf4 53. gxf4 Kf7 54. Bd2 Nf8 55. Be3 (55. e5 $6 f5 56. Bc3 Ne6 {plays into Black's hand. Magnus wants to put his pawns on light squares to complement his bishop.}) 55... Nd7 56. f5 c4 57. Bd4 Ke8 58. Kg6 Kf8 59. Bc3 Kg8 60. Bd4 Kf8 61. h3 Kg8 62. Bc3 Kf8 63. h4 Kg8 64. e5 $5 {Magnus really tries hard to open roads for his king and bishop to create winning chances.} fxe5 (64... Nf8+ {draws as well, e.g.} 65. Kh5 fxe5 66. Bxe5 Kf7 67. Bb2 Nd7 68. Kg4 Nf6+ 69. Kf3 Ke8 70. Ke3 Kd7 71. Kd4 Ne8 72. Kxc4 Nxd6+ $11) 65. f6 $1 {This second pawn sacrifice is the point. But Black can defend:} gxf6 66. h5 f5 $5 ({The alternative} 66... e4 $6 {draws as well, but is more complicated, e.g.} 67. Bd2 c3 68. Bxc3 e3 69. Bxf6 e2 70. Bh4 (70. Bc3 Kf8 71. Kxh6 Kf7 72. Kg5 Nf6 73. Bb4 Ne4+ 74. Kf4 Nxd6 $11) 70... Kf8 71. Kxh6 Kf7 72. Kg5 Nf6 73. h6 Ne4+ 74. Kf4 Nxd6 $11) 67. Kxf5 ({Of course not} 67. Kxh6 $4 f4 68. Kg6 f3 $19) 67... Kf7 68. Bb4 $5 {Magnus uses the sharp endgame weapon zugzwang again, but Black can defend actively.} (68. Bd2 {can be met by} Nf6 69. Kxe5 Nxh5 70. Bxh6 c3 71. Bg5 c2 72. d7 c1=Q 73. d8=N+ Ke8 74. Bxc1 Kxd8 $11) 68... e4 $1 {Tomashevsky continues his strategy to give the pawns back to get more space for his king.} ({Passive defense with } 68... Ke8 $2 {loses as the bishop is much stronger in this fight on both wings, e.g.} 69. Bd2 Kf7 70. Bxh6 Nf6 (70... c3 71. Bg5 c2 72. h6 Nc5 73. Kxe5 Kg6 74. Be3 Nb3 75. d7 Nxa5 76. Kd5 Nb7 77. Kc4 Nd8 78. Kc3 Nf7 79. Kxc2 Kf6 80. Bg5+ $18) 71. Bg5 Nxh5 72. d7 Ng7+ 73. Kxe5 Ne6 74. Kd6 c3 75. d8=Q Nxd8 76. Bxd8 Ke8 77. Kc7 c2 78. Bg5 Kf7 79. Kb6 Ke8 80. Kxa6 Kd7 81. Kb7 $18) ( 68... Nf6 $2 69. Kxe5 Nxh5 70. d7 $18 {reveals the point of 68.Bb4!?.}) 69. Kxe4 Ke6 $1 {Strengthening the light square blockade is the order of the day.} ({The direct} 69... Nf6+ $2 {loses to} 70. Ke5 c3 (70... Nxh5 71. d7 $18) ( 70... Nd7+ 71. Kd5 Kf6 72. Bc3+ Kf5 73. Kc6 Ke6 74. Bd2 $18) 71. Bxc3 Nxh5 72. Kd5 Nf4+ 73. Kc6 Ne6 74. Kb6 Ke8 75. Kxa6 Kd7 76. Kb6 Kc8 77. a6 Kb8 78. d7 h5 79. Be5+ Ka8 80. Bf6 Kb8 81. a7+ Ka8 82. Bh4 Nd8 83. Bxd8 h4 84. Bc7 h3 85. d8=Q#) 70. Kd4 Nf6 71. Kxc4 Nxh5 72. Kc5 Nf6 73. Kc6 Nd7 74. Be1 h5 75. Bg3 Nf8 76. Kb7 h4 77. Bh2 (77. Bxh4 Kxd6 78. Kxa6 Kc6 79. Ka7 Nd7 $11) 77... Kd5 78. Kxa6 Kc6 79. Ka7 Nd7 {Tomashevsky has installed a barrier.} 80. a6 Nc5 81. Bf4 h3 82. Bg3 Kb5 83. Bh2 Kc6 84. Bg3 Kb5 85. Bh2 (85. Bh2 {and a draw was agreed as White can make no progress after} Kc6 ({Even} 85... Nxa6 {is playable due to } 86. d7 Nb4 $11)) 1/2-1/2 [Event "7th Mikhail Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2012.06.17"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "Tomashevsky, E."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A29"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2738"] [Annotator "Müller,Karsten"] [PlyCount "169"] [EventDate "2012.06.08"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O a6 7. a3 O-O 8. b4 Ba7 9. d3 h6 10. Bb2 Rb8 11. Rc1 Be6 12. Nd2 Ne7 13. e3 Qd7 14. Ne2 Bg4 15. Re1 Ng6 16. Qc2 c6 17. d4 Rbe8 18. c5 Bb8 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. Nc4 Bh3 21. Rcd1 Qe6 22. Na5 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Re7 24. e4 Qg4 25. Ng1 Nh4+ 26. Kh1 Nf3 27. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 28. Kg1 Qg4 29. Rd3 Qc8 30. Nc4 Qe6 31. f3 Bc7 32. Red1 Rd7 33. Nd6 Bxd6 34. Rxd6 Rxd6 35. Rxd6 Qa2 36. Kg2 Re8 37. Qc3 Nh7 38. Rd2 Nf8 39. Bc1 Qe6 40. Rd6 Qa2+ 41. Qb2 Qxb2+ 42. Bxb2 f6 43. Kh3 Re7 44. Kg4 Kf7 45. Bc1 Rd7 46. Be3 Rxd6 47. cxd6 {The blockade In the fight bishop against knight blockade often plays a major role, if the defender does not fall into zugzwang:} Nd7 $1 48. a4 b6 $1 {Black correctly seeks counterplay as he should not play only passivly as for example} (48... Ke6 $6 49. Kh5 Kf7 $6 50. a5 Nf8 51. f4 $16 {is dangerous for him.}) 49. a5 bxa5 50. bxa5 c5 ({The alternative} 50... Ke6 $5 { might draw a bit easier, e.g.} 51. Kh5 Nf8 ({The greedy} 51... Kxd6 $2 52. Kg6 $18 {even loses as the White's play on the kingside is much quicker.}) 52. Bc5 Kd7 53. f4 Ne6 54. Be3 Nf8 55. Bc5 Ne6 $11) 51. Kh5 $1 {The right approach} ({ as} 51. Kf5 $4 {runs into} h5 $19) 51... Kg8 52. f4 exf4 53. gxf4 Kf7 54. Bd2 Nf8 55. Be3 (55. e5 $6 f5 56. Bc3 Ne6 {plays into Black's hand. Magnus wants to put his pawns on light squares to complement his bishop.}) 55... Nd7 56. f5 c4 57. Bd4 Ke8 58. Kg6 Kf8 59. Bc3 Kg8 60. Bd4 Kf8 61. h3 Kg8 62. Bc3 Kf8 63. h4 Kg8 64. e5 $5 {Magnus really tries hard to open roads for his king and bishop to create winning chances.} fxe5 (64... Nf8+ {draws as well, e.g.} 65. Kh5 fxe5 66. Bxe5 Kf7 67. Bb2 Nd7 68. Kg4 Nf6+ 69. Kf3 Ke8 70. Ke3 Kd7 71. Kd4 Ne8 72. Kxc4 Nxd6+ $11) 65. f6 $1 {This second pawn sacrifice is the point. But Black can defend:} gxf6 66. h5 f5 $5 ({The alternative} 66... e4 $6 {draws as well, but is more complicated, e.g.} 67. Bd2 c3 68. Bxc3 e3 69. Bxf6 e2 70. Bh4 (70. Bc3 Kf8 71. Kxh6 Kf7 72. Kg5 Nf6 73. Bb4 Ne4+ 74. Kf4 Nxd6 $11) 70... Kf8 71. Kxh6 Kf7 72. Kg5 Nf6 73. h6 Ne4+ 74. Kf4 Nxd6 $11) 67. Kxf5 ({Of course not} 67. Kxh6 $4 f4 68. Kg6 f3 $19) 67... Kf7 68. Bb4 $5 {Magnus uses the sharp endgame weapon zugzwang again, but Black can defend actively.} (68. Bd2 {can be met by} Nf6 69. Kxe5 Nxh5 70. Bxh6 c3 71. Bg5 c2 72. d7 c1=Q 73. d8=N+ Ke8 74. Bxc1 Kxd8 $11) 68... e4 $1 {Tomashevsky continues his strategy to give the pawns back to get more space for his king.} ({Passive defense with } 68... Ke8 $2 {loses as the bishop is much stronger in this fight on both wings, e.g.} 69. Bd2 Kf7 70. Bxh6 Nf6 (70... c3 71. Bg5 c2 72. h6 Nc5 73. Kxe5 Kg6 74. Be3 Nb3 75. d7 Nxa5 76. Kd5 Nb7 77. Kc4 Nd8 78. Kc3 Nf7 79. Kxc2 Kf6 80. Bg5+ $18) 71. Bg5 Nxh5 72. d7 Ng7+ 73. Kxe5 Ne6 74. Kd6 c3 75. d8=Q Nxd8 76. Bxd8 Ke8 77. Kc7 c2 78. Bg5 Kf7 79. Kb6 Ke8 80. Kxa6 Kd7 81. Kb7 $18) ( 68... Nf6 $2 69. Kxe5 Nxh5 70. d7 $18 {reveals the point of 68.Bb4!?.}) 69. Kxe4 Ke6 $1 {Strengthening the light square blockade is the order of the day.} ({The direct} 69... Nf6+ $2 {loses to} 70. Ke5 c3 (70... Nxh5 71. d7 $18) ( 70... Nd7+ 71. Kd5 Kf6 72. Bc3+ Kf5 73. Kc6 Ke6 74. Bd2 $18) 71. Bxc3 Nxh5 72. Kd5 Nf4+ 73. Kc6 Ne6 74. Kb6 Ke8 75. Kxa6 Kd7 76. Kb6 Kc8 77. a6 Kb8 78. d7 h5 79. Be5+ Ka8 80. Bf6 Kb8 81. a7+ Ka8 82. Bh4 Nd8 83. Bxd8 h4 84. Bc7 h3 85. d8=Q#) 70. Kd4 Nf6 71. Kxc4 Nxh5 72. Kc5 Nf6 73. Kc6 Nd7 74. Be1 h5 75. Bg3 Nf8 76. Kb7 h4 77. Bh2 (77. Bxh4 Kxd6 78. Kxa6 Kc6 79. Ka7 Nd7 $11) 77... Kd5 78. Kxa6 Kc6 79. Ka7 Nd7 {Tomashevsky has installed a barrier.} 80. a6 Nc5 81. Bf4 h3 82. Bg3 Kb5 83. Bh2 Kc6 84. Bg3 Kb5 85. Bh2 (85. Bh2 {and a draw was agreed as White can make no progress after} Kc6 ({Even} 85... Nxa6 {is playable due to } 86. d7 Nb4 $11)) 1/2-1/2

When pawns are only on one wing the knight can often create a fortress against the rook:Endings with rook and knight against rook and knight tend to be tactically tricky:A far advanced passed pawn is a dangerous weapon in the endgame:In the fight bishop against knight blockade often plays a major role, if the defender does not fall into zugzwang:

Karsten Müller in ChessBase Magazine

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