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Magnus Carlsen vs Levon Aronian
Grand Slam Chess Final (2011), Sao Paulo BRA, rd 2, Sep-27
Spanish Game: Closed. Martinez Variation (C78)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 9 OF 9 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Sep-27-11  JohnBoy: <Meatwad>: White is almost surely going to try moving the king to b1, then up the b-file to eliminate the black rook. Thus he needs to make sure that the black king can't help a pawn through once the white king is so far away from the king-side pawns.
Sep-27-11  Anatoly21: I really thought Magnus had a won endgame here. But after 43.Kh2?! and 45.Rh7?!, I just cannot see it anymore. Every time I try a new White idea, Black has just enough resources to stay it. I think Anand was right: Black will draw.
Sep-27-11  ajile: White threw away the easy win with 44.Kg1.
Sep-27-11  Anatoly21: Correction: "stay in it."
Sep-27-11  uscfratingmybyear: Looks to me that both sides have issues, black's rook is perfect where it is but can't move without letting the king or pawn loose, black's king is active and ready to invade if the white king hightails it for the Qside so I'd call it even.
Sep-27-11  Anatoly21: 52...g5 and the game should draw.
Sep-27-11  ajile: Black isn't out of the woods yet.


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Analysis by Rybka 3 32-bit : 23 ply

1. ² (0.65): 49.Kd1 Kd5 50.g4 hxg4 51.hxg4 Kc5 52.Rg7 Kc4 53.Rd7

2. ² (0.58): 49.Rg7 Kd5 50.Kd1 Kc4 51.Rd7 Kc5 52.Rb7 Kc6

Sep-27-11  vasto: To Ajile. White's King is not trapped on the back rank .The idea is to move along the rank to b1 when Black's rook must vacate a2 .Then White's king moves up the board to c7 and b8 covered by the Rook at b7. Problem is that Black's King may find a way to get amongst White's Kingside pawns when there is the possibility of sacrificing the rook for the Rook's pawn and running a pawn through for a queen.In that circumstance White's king may be too far away to help the rook to stop a Black passed pawn. Obviously white must calculate such the variations carefully if he continues to push for a win.
Sep-27-11  botvinnik64: Draw ski!
Sep-27-11  ajile: <vasto:> Yes that's true but White lost some time vs 44.Kg3. Can Black hold now though? Unclear.
Sep-27-11  theodor: remy martin
Sep-27-11  Ulhumbrus: After 53 Kd1 Kc3 White can't play 54 Kc1 as that walks into the mate 53...Ra1 and if he moves his Rook that allows ...Kd3 so he has to move his King back.
Sep-27-11  ajile: draw

bummer

: /

Sep-27-11
Premium Chessgames Member
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Sep-27-11  Ulhumbrus: If 32 Na4 leads to no more than a draw, this suggests that 32 Rb3 is better.
Sep-27-11  vasto: Really clever.I've never seen Black's King helping to cut off White's King from approaching b1 in this way. I suppose that's because White's Rook can clean up on the King's side when Black's King heads for the Rook's pawn, the usual reason for Black's King abandoning the King-side pawns. The manoeuvre is very instructive. Can anyone mention a game where they have seen it before?
Sep-27-11  crafty: 56. ... ♔c4 =   (eval -0.01; depth 25 ply; 1000M nodes)
Sep-27-11  MarkusKann: I don't got the move 30...h5, ??
Sep-27-11  lost in space: Just saw that it is only a draw. What a pity that white chucked away the win. Go Chucky!
Sep-28-11  anandrulez: <Vasto> I dont know what you mean but Anand vs Kramnik, 2007 is a bit like this one except that the Rook is behind the pawn .
Sep-28-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: Wasted 30 mins at move 31 ... waiting for moves that werent sent. I feel like someone who spent ages standing on a broken-down escalator.

Yes, after ... Re8 32 Na4 Magnus really needed to get his K of the back rank, then he could go after the B b-pawn wich wasnt going anywhere fast. I think he missed a trick there.

Sep-28-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: I remember that back in 2006 in our glorious CC game against GM Arno Nickel (see The World vs A Nickel, 2006) I was analyzing a few days a Rook ending (see diagram), which resembles me this one, though the differences in KS Pawn setup can be quite important here. But it is interesting material worth of reading. Analyses and discussion concerning this ending start around page 905.


click for larger view

Black to move.

Sep-29-11  frogbert: <White threw away the easy win with 44.Kg1.>

ajile, this <sounds> very much like an engine comment. you recommend instead 44. Kg3 with the idea to play Kf3 afterwards, but the fact is that white gets nowhere by doing that. as vasto pointed out, on the 1st rank the white king is <not> trapped, while on the 3rd it actually is (once you play g3).

here's my response to 44. Kg3:


click for larger view

44... Kg5 45. Kf3 (i suppose that's your move/idea). 45... f5 46. h4+ Kf6 47. g3 Ke6 48. Rg7 Kf6


click for larger view

now, as long as you don't take on f5, i intend to do nothing but playing Kf6-e6-f6-e6 etc.

Kh2-g1 is part of a standard plan, while Kh2-g3 simply says "i hope that my opponent is clueless and will help me get progress". btw, in the above position rybka still claims a +2 advantage for white. well, the position is drawn, as skillfully demonstrated by aronian (and carlsen).

Sep-30-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: Well, Pawn setup makes a big difference here. In above mentioned ending from The World vs A Nickel (a subvariation of famous "RookFile's Rook endgame", which could arise from an alternative continuation in the 36th move of the game) I have found a win for white based on combination of two threatening winning plans: a standard invasion of white King to the Queenside and (if black King tries to block the intrusion of his counterpart) winning of both black KS Pawns for Pa7 with easily won R+2P(h+g) vs R ending. Here the same idea simply doesn't work due to weak white Pawns e4+e3, as black King can win them creating thus black passed Pawn on e-file.
Jan-02-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Carlsen can't get a check in to push that pawn forward.
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