<10.Bh6?!> was the first error. White should have completed his development with 10.0-0-0! Rc8 and now

A) 11.Be2 Ne5 12.Kb1 = / Charles Delboe (1803) vs Thierry Cardon, La Fere (France) 2007, round 5, 0-1;

B) 11.Kb1 Ne5 12.Nd4 (Enrique Marcos Pinto (1501) vs Jose Maria Perez Pardo, Fapa Oviedo Open (Spain) 2010, round 6, 0-1; 11.Be2 would transpose in A)) a6 13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.h4= Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

Then Carlsen played <10...a5?!>. 10...Bxh6! 11.Qh6 (Karel Kondraf (2100) vs Zdenek Housek (1845), Czech Republic Team Championship 2004, 1-0) Qb6! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<12.g4?!N> A new move, but dubious. 12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 Qc7 14.0-0-0 Rfc8 = Martha Lorena Fierro Baquero (2340) vs Luis Manuel Perez Rodriguez (2430), Guayaquil Zonal Tournament (Ecuador) 2005, round 3, draw.

To which Carlsen replied with the first mistake of the game: <12...Ne5?>, apparently unable to resist the temptation of threatening a king+queen fork... Instead, there was :

12...a4! 13.Nd4 a3! 14.b3 (or 14.g5 Nh5! 15.b3 Qa5 Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) Nxd4! 15.Qxd4 Qa5 16.0-0-0 = / Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

Flores had then the opportunity of gaining a clear advantage with 13.Nd4! followed with 0-0-0. Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

Instead, he played the insipid <13.Be2?!>.

Carlsen then made a decisive mistake with <13...Nc4??>

click for larger view

This should have been losing the game. In fact, il loses a piece : 14.Bxc4 Bxc4 and now Flores missed the rest : 15.g5! Nh5 (or N elsewhere) 16.Qd4+ and Qxc4 Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<17.Ndb5?!> There was 17.0-0-0! h5! (if 17...exd4 18.Qxd4 wins either the bishop on c4 or the pinned knight on f6 with g4-g5) 18.g5 Ne8! 19.f4! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<17...d5?!> Carlsen would get equality after 17...Bxb5! 18.Nxb5 Qb6! 19.c4 (19.Nxd6 Qxb2 20.Ke2 = or 20.Rd1 = Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) Rac8 = or 19...Qc5 = Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<18.g5?> 18.Na3! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<18...Nh5?> Too obvious? Carlsen misses a chance of getting the upper hand: 18...d4! 19.Na3! Ba6! 20.Nza4 (if 20.gxf6+?! Qxf6 21.Ncb5! Qxf3 22.Rh2 Rac8! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) 20.Nd7! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<19.exd5?> 19.Na3! d4! 20.Nxc4 Qc7 21.Nxe5! Qxe5 (only move) 22.Ne2 = / Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<19...Nf4?? 20.0-0-0! > For the second time, Carlsen gives up the game to Flores. 19...Bxb5! 20.Nxb5 Qb6 (only move) 21.c4! (if the knight moves, 21...Qxb2 leads to a bigger advantage for Black) Ng3! 22.Rf1 (if 22.Rh2?? Qd1#) Nxf1 23.Kxf1 f6! / Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<20...Ra5?!> Again, but with a lesser impact, there was 20...Bxb5! 21.Nxb5 Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<21.Na3> White is still winning but missed a better way: 21.Qe3! and now

A) 21...Re8 22.Na3 b5 (22...Ba6 23.d6! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT; also 22...Bxd5 23.Nc4! Kg8 24.Qd2! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) d6! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT

A new game had just started here...

<23...Rxd1+?! 24.Rxd1 >

A) 23...Re8 24.Nc4 (or 24.Nb5 Qd7 (or 24...Qe7 =) 25.Nc3 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 Qh3 = or 26...Qf5 = Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) Qc7 25.Rxd5! Nxd5 26.Qe4 Nf4 = Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

B) 23...f6 24.Rxd5! Qxd5 25.Rd1 Qe6 = or 25...Qc6 = Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<26.Qxb7?? Ne2+! > For the first time, this is Flores who gives up the game. As Anjyplayer said earlier, there was 26.Nc4 Re8! 27.Rd7 (or 27.a3 = Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT; also 27.Nd6 Re6! 28.Nxb7 Qf2 = Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) Qg1+ (27...b5 28.Nd6 (or 28.Ne3 =) Qg1+ 29.Kd2 Qf2+ = with perpetual check. Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT; or 27...Qf2 28.Nxe5 = with a probable draw by perpetual check. Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) 28.Kd2! = and a probable perpetual check by Black. Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

But 26.Nc4 is not necessarily the best move, as 26.Nb1 = followed by by Nb1-c3 seems about as good. Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<27.Kd2?> Better was 27.Kb1 Rd8! (idea: if 28.Rxd8? Qb1+ 29.Rd1 Qxd1#) 28.Re1 Qd4! (evident threat: 29...Qd1+ 30.Rxd1 Rxd1#) 29.Ka1 Qxh4 30.Rb1 Qxg5 Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<27...Qf2?> Much stronger was 27...Ng3! 28.Qd7 Rb8! 29.Qd3 Rb4 and we can "close the books" as there is no efficient way of countering the thereat of Rb4-d4... Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<28...e4? 29.fxe4 > Not too easy to see, there was 28...Kg8! 29.Qd7 (or 29.c4 Nd4+ 30.Kc1 Qe3+ 31.Kb1 Qxf3 32.Rc1 e4 Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) Qxf3! 30.Re1 Nd4 31.Kc1 Qf4+! 32.Kb1 Qxh4 33.Rd1 (or 33.Rf1 Nf3! this knight being taboo because of the back rank mate. Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT) Ne6! Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.

<30.e5? Qd4+ > Flores last chance was in 30.c3! Nd4+! 31.Kc1 Qe3+ 32.Rd2 (only move) Ne2+! 33.Kd1 (only move) Qg1+! 34.Kc2! Qc1+ 35.Kd3 Ng3 36.Rf2 (only move) Nf5! 37.Nc2! Qd1+ 38.Rd2 (only move) Qf3+! 39.Kc4 (only move) Qxe4 40.Kb5 (only move) Stockfish 7 - 64 bits POPCNT.