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Glenn Gaasland vs Magnus Carlsen
Ostlandserien 01/02 div. 1, Follo - Asker (2001), Ski NOR, rd 1, Nov-09
Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation. Keres Defense (E32)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jun-29-06  baTALion: Lovely ending position!
Dec-16-06  technical draw: Incredible game by the 11 year old Carlsen. Moves like 14...d4 and 15...e5 show a profound understanding of the opening. Talent plus instruction=a lethal combination.
Dec-16-06  syracrophy: 25...♕c4+! <26.Qxc4 Rd1#; 26.Kb1 Rd1+ 27.Qxd1 Nxd1 >
May-18-08  charliechaffka: is he Capablanca?
Aug-13-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  egilarne: Beautiful game by the still 10 years old Carlsen - 20 days shy of his 11th birthday.
Oct-30-08  Sacsacmate: This boy really plays beyond his years...! Worthy candidate for WC post.. awesome game !!
Mar-20-09  mrriddler: Crushing. Considering white's still got two pieces at the starting gate, this seems almost an unfair match-up.
Dec-17-12  semivalue: Very Kasparov's style.
Jun-04-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  alexmagnus: <this seems almost an unfair match-up.>

Funnily, both were about equal on ratings, in the 1900s.

Jul-01-16  Sergash: Even in 2016, Glenn Gaasland is rated 2057. From Norway, he was born in 1978 and so was 22 or 23 years old when he played this game. Carlsen was rated 2072, according to Chessbase.

I checked the game with the program Komodo 10 - 64 bits and it was not a Carlsen's domination or an "almost unfair matchup", but simply a blunder in a completely equal position 2 moves before the end!

<7...Bb7> Carlsen goes back to this move. He had first played it in the game G Kacheishvili vs Carlsen, 2001 . Then he had switched to 7...Ba6 in C Braun vs Carlsen, 2001 and now he is back to 7...Bb7.

<8.f3> In the mentioned game agaisnt Giorgi Kacheishvili (G Kacheishvili vs Carlsen, 2001) White had played 8.e3 here. We are apparently now headed for something new for Carlsen in tournament play.

<10.Bd3?!> This is possibly the first weak move in the game. White should first exchange pawns before developing this bishop. The most played line goes as follow: 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Bd3 Re8 12.Ne2 h6 13.Bh4 c5 14.0-0 Qe7 15.Bf2 Rac8 Milan Drasko (2525) vs. Sanja Kalevitc (2270), Subotica-Palic (Yougoslavia) 1992, 1-0.

<11...Qe8?!N> This was the novelty of the game, which is dubious. 11...c5! 12.cxd5 cxd4 13.exd4 Rc8 14.Qd2 Bxd5 = Dao Thien Hai (2560) vs. Ivan Farago (2510), Budapest (Hungary) FS02 GM 1993, 0-1.

<12.Bg3?!> ...to which Gaasland did not respond in the best way! 12.Ne2! c5 (D. Glazar (2140) vs. E. Macura (2006), 15th IPCA (International Physically Disabled Chess Association) World Championship 2015, round 3, draw) 13.cxd5 e5 .

<12...Rc8?! 13.c5! > First the trade of pawns and then the defense of the c7 pawn. 12...dxc4 13.Bxc4 Rc8 =.

Jul-01-16  Sergash: <15.Qxd4? e5! = > Gaasland is losing his advantage! He had to recapture with the pawn: 15.exd4 Nd5 16.Qc2 / .

I agree with <technical draw: "Incredible game by the 11 year old Carlsen. Moves like 14...d4 and 15...e5 show a profound understanding of the opening."> 14.d4 freed the d5 square for a black knight!

<16.Qc3?! e4!> The position is still equal after 16.Qc4! e4! 17.Be2 =.

<17.c6? exd3! > A 2nd serious mistake by Gaasland... Black would have had only a small advantage after 17.Bb5 c6 (or 17...Nd5 18.Qc1! c6! 19.Be2 ) 18.Be2 .

<18.Bf2? > After this one, Gaasland was losing. He had to play the "obvious" 18.cxb7 Qxe3+ 19.Kf1 Rb8 20.Re1 (or 20.Bf2 Qe5! 21.Qxd3 Rxb7 22.Bd4 Qd5! 23.Rd1 ) Qb6! .


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DIAGRAM AFTER 18.Bf2?. Take a look at the diagram position. None of the white rooks, nor the knight on g1 ever moved and white's king hasn't castled. On the other hand, Black castled and all his pieces are developped.

<18...Nd5? 19.cxd7 Qxd7 > From the diagram position, Black retains a winning position like this: 18...d2!! 19.Kxd2 (the queen must support the c6-pawn!) Ba6! 20.cxd7 Qxd7+ 21.Kc2 Rfd8 .

Jul-01-16  Sergash: <20...Qe6?! 21.0-0-0 > with 18...Nd5? and the next few moves, Carlsen gradually loses all accumulated advantage... 20...Qc6 21.Ne2 Ba6! 22.Qd2 Rfd8 .

<22.Qc4?!> Why not develop a piece? 22.Ne2 c4! 23.Qc2! and now

A) 23...Nxe3 24.Nd4 (or 24.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 25.Kb1 = / ) Qe8! 25.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 26.Qd2! Qe5 = /

B) 23...c3! 24.Nxc3! .

<22...Rfd8?> Carlsen would have regained a huge advantage with 22...Qg6! 23.Nh3 Qxg2 24.Qg4 (or 24.Qh4 Qxf3 25.Rhg1! f6! ) Qxg4 25.fxg4 .

<23.e4?? Ne3! > This is the fatal blunder I was evocating in the introduction. After 23.Nh3! = the position is perfectly equal!

<25.Qe2 Qc4+ 0-1.> Sadly, if 25.Qxe6 Rd1#... After 25.Qe2, Black could call a mate in 12 moves.

As was put above <baTALion: "Lovely ending position!">.

The mate in 12 moves was going like this: 25...Qc4+ 26.Kb1 (if 26.Qxc4 Rd1#) Rd1+ 27.Qxd1 Nxd1 28.Nh3 Qb3! 29.Kc1 Nxb2 30.Re1 Qc3+ 31.Kb1 Nd3 etc. and mate 5 moves later.

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