CHESS#1228

The title match is tied 1-1 and headed into a photo-finish with just two classical games left at the time of writing. Sergey Karjakin won an error-filled fight in Game 8. Magnus Carlsen equalised by winning an equally error-filled  Game 10. There must be fair chances of a rapid/ blitz playoff. 

Game Seven marked the halfway stage and colours switched over. Karjakin was on the white side of a Queens Gambit Accepted. He got nothing, until Carlsen played mildly inaccurately to drop a pawn and bail out into a drawn opposite bishops endgame. 

Game Eight was one of those epics best described as being won by the man who made the second-last mistake. It was a closed Queens Pawn. Carlsen was determined to keep things un-balanced and he lost a pawn in mutual time trouble.  However, Karjakin could not play accurately and the position reached dynamic balance again. 

Carlsen actually ended up with a pawn advantage (3-2) with Q+B versus Q+Kt but black had a huge outside passed pawn and some winning chances. Indeed, Karjakin finally converted after Carlsen failed to find a draw. Carlsen made things worse for himself in PR terms by walking out of the Press Conference (He arrived and then left before any questions were asked). 

Game Nine was another messy epic. Karjakin's Spanish was met with an Archangel Defence (named after the Russian city)  and a very sharp middlegame resulted as is normal White has the bishop pair and an extra pawn. Black has chances of a mating attack. White kept an edge and Karjakin had 25 minutes left on move 39 when he had to calculate an absolutely critical option. He spend most of that time and chose a forcing line that burnt out to a draw. He could have picked something else, which would probably have left him 2-0 up. 

Game Ten was another mess. But this time Karjakin played badly. Carlsen tried the Spanish Berlin and on move 20, Karjakin could deliver perpetual check. He chose to play on and his position went downhill. By move 30 or so, white was clearly better in an ending with two rooks+ Kt. Carlsen played with perfect technique, probing both flanks before he broke through to tie the match. 

The diagram, White to Play (White: Karjakin Vs Black: Carlsen Game #9 World Chp 2016)  is the critical moment. Karjakin played 39.Bxf7+ Kxf7 40.Qc4+ Kg7 41.d5! Nf5! [ Not 41...Be5? 42.Bc3 Qd6 43.Qf4!! ] and 42.Bc3+ Kf8 43.Bxa1 Nxh4+ 44.Qxh4 Qxd5 and 1/2-1/2 (74 moves).

Karjakin saw 39.Qb3! Nf5 40.Bxf7+ Kg7! [40...Qxf7 41.Qxf7+ Kxf7 42.Rxh7+ Ke6 43.Rxc7 Nxd4? 44. Rg7 Kf6 45. Bc3 loses easily]. 41. Rh3 Qe7 and assumed black's counter-play with Nh4+ but after 42. Bg8! h5 43. d5! white is winning. 

Devangshu Datta is an  internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player.