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Good day everyone, welcome to the Chessdom Live coverage of the Baku Grand Prix. Games between Radjabov and Carlsen are always exciting to watch, the two have already played three games this year: draw at Corus 2008, Radjabov wins in Morelia and another draw in Linares. Radjabov is flexible enough to open with both 1. e4 and 1. d4, while Carlsen is playing a variety of defences. Enjoy the game!
1.e4 c5!? Carlsen is playing different variations against Ruy Lopez, but Radjabov can surprise sometimes with Scotch game. Is this going to be Sveshnikov? Radjabov is renowned expert for this opening with black pieces.
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6!? Now this was unexpected!! Last time Carlsen played Sicilian Dragon back in 2004!
6.Be3 Bg7 Radjabov is certainly surprised with the opening and he will carefully consider next step. Most likely he will search for a rare/quiet but playable line, as Azeri players are masters of improvisation. All this can be double-edged for Carlsen too, depending on how deep he studied Dragon before diving into this sharp opening.
7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 O-O 9.Bc4 ( Another popular line is 9.O-O-O d5)
9... Bd7 10.Bb3!? Radjabov was thinking when "everyone" automatically go with the 0-0-0, obviously he was up to something. Kasparov, Ivanchuk and Karpov also experimented with 10. h4.
10... Rc8 Black is going "by the book", idea is same as in the main line, Ne5-c4.
11.h4!? 10. Bb3 might have had significant meaning had white decided go castle short, but now this is ruled out, we are moving into the main lines of the Sicilian Dragon.
11... h5 12.O-O-O Ne5 13.Bg5 (13.g4 is over-aggressive 13... hxg4 14.h5 Nxh5 15.Bh6 e6 gave better score for black, for example Ljubojevic-Miles, 1986.)
13... Rc5 ( Toni Miles tried 13... Nc4 as well, but now that Bishop has stepped from e3, white can simply move 14.Qe2)
14.Kb1 Re8!? (14... b5 15.g4 is far more popular, now both 15...a5 and 15...hxg4 give extremely sharp play.)
15.g4!? Radjabov is playing as if Carlsen is advancing queenside pawns. (15.Rhe1 Qa5 16.a3 b5 17.Bxf6 exf6 18.Nde2 Rc6 was played in Anand-Kasparov 1995 match, while Ponomariov preferred 15. Bh6.)
15... hxg4 16.h5! Radjabov probably looked at 16. f4 Nc4 17. Qe2 as well, but finally decided for sharper option! Carlsen prepared this opening, but as it is not in his regular repertoire, there are many nuances that he has to find over the board. Now both players have to calculate concrete variations, 16...Nxh5 is critical but there are other moves as well.
16... Nxh5 ( Interesting alternative was 16... gxh5 and then something along the line 17.f4 Nc4 18.Bxc4 Rxc4 19.e5!? Rxc3! 20.Qxc3 Ne4)
17.Rxh5!? Adventurous to say the least...17. f4 Nc4 18. Qd3
17... gxh5 18.Qh2 Now after black exchanges Knights with Nxf3 and opens a long Bg7 diagonal, it is unclear how could Radjabov add more force to his attack. 18...Nc4 where Bb3 is denied from the diagonal should be also good.
18... Ng6!? Still following Enders-Sang, 1995. We're curious if any of the players if familiar with that game. Rc5 is now endangering Bg5, but black might have problems with the Bb3 and its influence on the diagonal. Returning exchange sacrifice (on g5, or after 19. Nd5 Rxd5 as Enders played) is something that should be taken into account. (18... Nxf3!? 19.Nxf3 gxf3 20.Qf4!?)
19.Qxh5 Probably the best. Now black has multiple choice, 19...Qa5 20. f4, cool 19...Rxg5 20. Qxg5 e6 21. Qxg4 with equal material, pair of bishops for black and safer white king, or even immediate 19. ..e6!? ( Enders-Sang was 19.Nd5 Rxd5 20.Bxd5 Qb6 and Black gets to say something.)
19... Qa5!? Now 20. Qxg6? e6! is bad for white, but 20. f4 e6 21. Qg4 or 20. f4 Rxc3 21. Bxf7+! might turn into drawish position. (19... Rxg5!? 20.Qxg5 e6 21.Qxg4 Qf6 was pleasant endgame for black.) (19... e6!? 20.Nf5 forced ( as 20.Bxd8? Rxh5 21.Bc7 Bxd4! 22.Rxd4 Rh1+ 23.Rd1 Rxd1+ 24.Nxd1 gxf3 is hopeless. ) 20... Qa5 21.fxg4!? with extremely sharp position.)
20.f4 Rxg5!? (20... Rxc3!? 21.bxc3 Qxc3 22.Bxf7+ Kxf7 23.f5 was probably leading to a perpetual check.)
21.fxg5 e6 After 22. Qxg4 we have an equal position.
22.Nf5! Radjabov was thinking for awhile, so obviously he calculated other moves beside automatic Qg4. Exclamation mark goes for bravery more than for move strength. Idea is 22... exf5 23. Qxg6 and then black covers with 23...Be6. Some of the lines are leading to massive exchanges and better rook endgame for black. (22.Qxg4 Rc8 23.Nce2 Rc5 24.Nf3)
22... exf5 23.Qxg6 Be6! The simplest defence.
24.Qh5!? (24.Bxe6 Rxe6 25.Qxf5 Bxc3! 26.bxc3 Qxf5 27.exf5 Re5 is better ending for black)
24... fxe4 Now the problem for white is how to reinforce the attack, since he already refused to bail out into equal position with 22. Qxg4. Black pair of bishops is exceptionally strong.
25.Rf1 (25.Nd5 with idea g6 was interesting. Black shouldn't take on d5, because then g6 is crushing. Probably 25...Kf8 or advance one of the passed pawns, just for distraction...)
25... Qe5! Carlsen finds the best move and Radjabov is now in trouble. On 26. Bxe6 simply Qxe6, everything is protected and g6 ruled out. On Rxf7 goes cool Rf8, white is missing the important g5-g6, but unfortunately Qh5 is pinned.
26.Rxf7 Bxb3!? (26... Rf8! 27.Rxf8+ Kxf8)
27.axb3 g3 Hard to stop the pawns now... attempting to infiltrate on the 7th rank with 28. Rxb7 is met by Rf8!
28.Ka2 Rf8 29.Rxf8+ Kxf8 30.Qg4 Radjabov is also in severe time trouble. 30...e3 should finish this adventure.
30... e3 31.g6 e2?! 32.Qf3+?! Carlsen probably believed that everything is over since white can't take e2 pawn because ending is lost after Queens trade. But being in time trouble, Radjabov misses a fantastic draw with (32.Qd7! Kg8 33.Qc8+ Bf8 34.Qxb7 and white Queen is constantly harassing black King over the light squares.)
32... Ke8 it is all over now...
33.Qf7+ Kd8 34.Qg8+ Kd7 35.Qf7+ Qe7 36.Qf5+ Kd8 37.Qa5+ b6 38.Qd5 e1=Q 39.Qa8+ Kd7 40.Qb7+ Ke8 Having reached the time control, Radjabov immediately resigned. He should be congratulated though, for bravely searching the complications even when equal endgames were at hand. Carlsen played Sicilian Dragon after many years, but he defended flawlessly and scored a very important win. We have truly enjoyed this game, thank you everyone for following. Join us again tomorrow at 12:00 CET/6:00 EST for the live coverage of Baku Grand Prix.
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