2023 FIDE World Cup Sun 30th Jul 2023 - Thu 24th Aug 2023

[Matt Mackenzie]

Salimova a pawn up in the one undecided game, but looking drawish now.

[LawrenceCooper]

Salimova did look well placed to win game 2, the world cup and achieve the gm title but now finds herself defending rook against rook & knight.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Great attempt by Abasov to conjure up a winning attempt in that ending v Carlsen. Against a less alert opponent his idea would have worked.

You mean the 57.Bg4 move? Taking the Bishop is obviously bad, but the intermezzo 57...Bc6+ is needed before taking the a4 pawn. Is that the trap you mean (the immediate 57...Bxa4 being much worse than the game continuation of 57...Bc6+)?

[Matt Mackenzie]

Salimova did look well placed to win game 2, the world cup and achieve the gm title but now finds herself defending rook against rook & knight.

Though that is usually a draw, and turned out to be so this time as well.

[LawrenceCooper]

Salimova did look well placed to win game 2, the world cup and achieve the gm title but now finds herself defending rook against rook & knight.

Though that is usually a draw, and turned out to be so this time as well.

Yes, it was more a case of you think you are winning and then you have to adjust your mind set to making sure you don't allow a point swing.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Chris,

Yes, the 57.Bg4 move. I was looking for a shot like that quite a while before it appeared but fail. Then got it when d6 was played. Nothing pleases an old two trick pony like me more than seeing the good guys setting cheapo's v each other. I knew Carlsen would not take it but the sheer cheek of it was pleasing.

Re Abasov missing 34...Qf1 in the previous game. No way I'd have even considered that move. I note other players are saying the same. It does not light up the board as a threat, there has no danger signal (that is why both players missed it. Carlsen spent 5 minutes on 34.Qh2 ) I think if that game was played in the 1950's that move would have lay buried until Clive Sinclair came along.

Edit: Sir Clive Sinclair. (added in the forlorn hope I escape a nit-picker. )

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Re Abasov missing 34...Qf1 in the previous game. No way I'd have even considered that move. I note other players are saying the same. It does not light up the board as a threat, there has no danger signal (that is why both players missed it. Carlsen spent 5 minutes on 34.Qh2 ) I think if that game was played in the 1950's that move would have lay buried until Clive Sinclair came along.

Edit: Sir Clive Sinclair. (added in the forlorn hope I escape a nit-picker. )

Here is that Carlsen-Abasov game in full:

[Event "FIDE World Cup 2023"] [Site "Baku AZE"] [Date "2023.08.19"] [EventDate "2023.07.30"] [Round "7.1"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Magnus Carlsen"] [Black "Nijat Abasov"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2632"] [PlyCount "86"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. b3 d6 6. e5 dxe5 7. d3 f6 8. Nbd2 Nh6 9. Rg1 Ba6 10. g4 Nf7 11. Qe2 Be7 12. Bb2 Qa5 13. c4 g5 14. h4 h6 15. Rh1 O-O-O 16. O-O-O Qc7 17. Ne4 gxh4 18. Nxh4 Rhg8 19. f4 exf4 20. Nxf6 Bxf6 21. Qxe6+ Kb8 22. Qxf6 Bc8 23. Rde1 Rd6 24. Qxf4 Rxg4 25. Qe3 Re6 26. Qd2 Ne5 27. Kc2 Kb7 28. Re3 Qe7 29. Nf5 Qg5 30. Bxe5 Rg2 31. Re2 Rxe2 32. Qxe2 Qxf5 33. Rh5 Qf7 34. Qh2 Rg6 35. Bf4 Rf6 36. Be3 Bf5 37. Bxc5 Qg6 38. Kc3 Re6 39. Rh4 Bg4 40. Bxa7 Qf6+ 41. Kb4 Re5 42. d4 Qe7+ 43. c5 1-0

The position where Abasov missed 34...Qf1 is this one:

2b5/pk3q2/2p1r2p/2p1B2R/2P5/1P1P4/P1K4Q/8

Black to move. It is worth analysing to understand why White is so helpless after 34...Qf1, unable to prevent the follow-up of 35...Rg6 and then 36...Rg2 or Rg1, with material loss to follow (the minimum loss is of the bishop on e5 if White uses queen and rook to defend the second rank). It seems obvious once found, but very difficult to spot over the board if you are not looking for something like that.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Chris,

I think what makes it tough to spot is in a standard attack v a Black Castled King with an open h-file Moves like Qh5 followed by Rh1 are easy to see coming. Here after Qf1 the Rook takes two moves to get to g1 for the Qf1 to idea to bear fruit. It just not gel.

BTW I've found the opening variation you want named after you. It is in the The Petrov.

rnbqkb1r/pppp1ppp/5n2/4p3/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 3
You as White play 3.Ng5 and after 3...h6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 you play the rest of the game as if you were playing on the Black side of the Petrov, your task is to prove that 3..h6 is a weakness. Good Luck.

[LawrenceCooper]

Another miraculous escape for Goryachkina in the first tie-break game with white's 33rd and 35th move perhaps being the crucial moments.

[LawrenceCooper]

Pragg also manages a great escape to keep the score level.

[LawrenceCooper]

Goryachkina wins the second rapid tie-break game in 105 moves to win the women's world cup.

[LawrenceCooper]

Praggnanandhaa wins the first rapid 10/10 game so Caruana will need to win the next game to keep the match going.

[Matt Mackenzie]

And as things stand Fab is significantly worse, it is likely only time issues can win it for him now.

[LawrenceCooper]

And as things stand Fab is significantly worse, it is likely only time issues can win it for him now.

Drawn in 80 moves so Praggnanandhaa into the final.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Stating the obvious I know, but a pretty remarkable achievement from Pragg already - regardless of what happens in the final.