The World Blitz Championship Tournament concluded last week in New York shortly before the ball fell in Times Square. After a hard-fought finals match that went deep into the tiebreaking rules, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi (“Nepo”) agreed to share the title as World Co-Champions.
Carlsen won the first two games of the four-game match. Under pressure, Nepo won the next two games and forced a tiebreaker. The first sudden-death game was a hard-fought draw. That’s when Carlsen made the unusual offer to Nepo that they share the title, which the tournament officials accepted.
This week’s position is from Nepo’s win over Carlsen in the third blitz game. Nepo is black; Carlsen, white. White’s queen and rook on the seventh rank are ominous. Nepo fired back with a sacrifice that created an overwhelming attack and ended in checkmate. With this hint in mind, please try to find Nepo’s winning attack.
Two potential open lines of fire on the white king are the “g” file and the c6-g2 diagonal. The black rook thus eyes g8 and the black bishop eyes the move pawn to d4, opening the diagonal with check. This positional strength allows the black knight to hop to e3 with check.
If white’s queen takes the knight, then black’s pawn moves to d4 and the white queen is lost (see next diagram).
Carlsen took the knight with his f2 pawn. Nepo’s rook indeed checked black from g8, forcing the white king back to h1 – fleeing to h3 permits black’s queen to mate from g3. Nepo next checked white’s king from f3, which led to mate with queen to g2 (see next diagram).
During the World Rapid Chess Championship a few days earlier Carlsen had withdrawn from the Rapid and upcoming Blitz Tournaments. It was ostensibly about the tournament rules not allowing jeans to be worn by the players. Carslen refused to change clothes and stormed out of the tournament. Former World Chess Champion Vishy Anand persuaded Carlsen to reenter the Blitz Tournament and persuaded tournament officials to modify their rules permitting jeans but still requiring a professional level of attire.
On the first day of the Rapid Tournament, Carlsen played poorly and had only an average score. Almost unheard-of. He arrived late for Day 2 and then was angry and used expletives. Also unheard-of. On Jan. 4, he married his girlfriend, Ella, who was with him at the tournament. A reasonable inference is that it was not about jeans but about a woman. But then again Carlsen as of Jan. 4. is the face of G-Star jeans. He moves fast on and off the board.
Reach Eric Morrow at ericmorrowlaw@gmail.com or (505) 327-7121.
