Yesterday World Champion Magnus Carlsen drew a game against an unusual opponent: the whole of Norway, complete with help from the country’s three top-grandmasters-not-named-Magnus, the chess computer Houdini and a mysterious man in red. chess24 grandmaster Jan Gustafsson annotated the game, that bore more than a passing resemblance to Superman vs. Flash.
World Champion Magnus Carlsen trying very hard not to notice the red man in the room | photo: Tarjei Svensen
The match was hosted by VG – Norway’s most read newspaper and one of Carlsen’s sponsors – and took place in Oslo’s biggest shopping centre. The ground was prepared a day earlier, with VG setting up a studio there on Wednesday and broadcasting discussions and demonstration games. Norwegian model (and more) Linni Meister’s game against Hans Olav Lahlum caught the eye of none other than Kirsan Ilyumzhinov:
Linni had the honour of being only the 14th person the World Chess Federation President followed on Instagram.
Linni in good company... | courtesy of Tarjei Svensen
Thursday’s event was nevertheless the centerpiece of Magnus Carlsen’s latest PR blitz, with the match covered live on a fully-featured internet broadcast. Viewers from Norway (and anywhere, actually – sorry, Norway!) could choose from moves suggested by a panel of three grandmasters. There were five minutes per move for each group think, but only one for the World Champion.
Grandmaster Jan Gustafsson live-tweeted part of the game, before providing the following account of “a game of two halves”:
1. e4 c5 The World Champion is after a sharp game.
Just another game... | photo: Tarjei Svensen
2. ♘f3 d6 3. d4 Norway accepts the challenge and enters the Open Sicilian. The extent to which this was playing into Carlsen's hands can be seen from the fact that the World Champion himself pulled out his mobile phone at this point and voted for 3. d4.
Magnus votes... he is Norwegian, after all! | photo: Tarjei Svensen
His telephone was soon confiscated, but he got his wish. There would have been a calmer and therefore simpler game after the alternative
3. ♗b5+ , which is not only preferred by Carlsen himself, but was also played in one of the last such events: Kasparov chose this move against the world! 3... ♗d7 4. ♗xd7+ ♕xd7 5. c4 ♘f6 6. ♘c3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. ♘xd4 ♗g7 9. 0-0 ♘c6 10. ♘de2 ♕e6 11. ♘d5 ♕xe4 12. ♘c7+ ♔d7 13. ♘xa8 ♕xc4 14. ♘b6+ axb6 15. ♘c3 ♖a8 16. a4 ♘e4 17. ♘xe4 ♕xe4 18. ♕b3 f5 19. ♗g5 ♕b4 20. ♕f7 ♗e5 21. h3 ♖xa4 22. ♖xa4 ♕xa4 23. ♕xh7 ♗xb2 24. ♕xg6 ♕e4 25. ♕f7 ♗d4 26. ♕b3 f4 27. ♕f7 ♗e5 28. h4 b5 29. h5 ♕c4 30. ♕f5+ ♕e6 31. ♕xe6+ ♔xe6 32. g3 fxg3 33. fxg3 b4 34. ♗f4 ♗d4+ 35. ♔h1 b3 36. g4 ♔d5 37. g5 e6 38. h6 ♘e7 39. ♖d1 e5 40. ♗e3 ♔c4 41. ♗xd4 exd4 42. ♔g2 b2 43. ♔f3 ♔c3 44. h7 ♘g6 45. ♔e4 ♔c2 46. ♖h1 d3 47. ♔f5 b1Q 48. ♖xb1 ♔xb1 49. ♔xg6 d2 50. h8Q d1Q 51. ♕h7 b5 52. ♔f6+ ♔b2 53. ♕h2+ ♔a1 54. ♕f4 b4 55. ♕xb4 ♕f3+ 56. ♔g7 d5 57. ♕d4+ ♔b1 58. g6 ♕e4 59. ♕g1+ ♔b2 60. ♕f2+ ♔c1 61. ♔f6 d4 62. g7 1-0 Kasparov,G (2851)-The World, 1999
3... cxd4 4. ♘xd4 ♘f6 5. ♘c3 ♘c6 Carlsen chooses not the popular Najdorf Variation 5...a6 or his old love 5...g6 but the nowadays somewhat unfashionable Richter-Rauser Variation. The move does look more logical than 5...a6.
6. f3 For the first time in this game Norway parts with the mainstream and goes its own way. The main move is
6. ♗g5 , but the move in the game is also quite playable. White prepares to play Be3 without having to worry about Ng4.
6... e5
6... g6 was the last chance to saddle up the dragon, like many Vikings before him:
7. ♘b3 ♗e7 8. ♘d5? Norway's worst strategic mistake since imagining they could show the locals in a good light with the TV series Lilyhammer:
Nd5 doesn't go well with the previous moves f3 and Nb3. In this structure White's long-term plan is advancing with b4, c4 and c5, which is now hampered by the knight on b3. Black plans to get counterplay in the centre and on the kingside, where f3 can already serve as a hook for the attack. You can compare this position to the Sveshnikov Variation in which White can immediately win space with c4 and the knight takes up its ideal square on c3... but Black's position is still considered absolutely fine. Better was
8. ♗e3 , followed by Qd2, 0-0-0 and so on, when play might look something like 8... 0-0 9. ♕d2 a5⁉ 10. ♗b5 with complicated play.
8... ♘xd5 9. exd5 ♘b8 White's time advantage is no longer a factor as Black now has a simple plan: 0-0, f5, Nd7, Bg5 at the right moment to exchange off the bad bishop, and an attack on the kingside. The displaced knight will find a beautiful new home on either f6 or c5.
10. ♗d3 0-0 11. ♗e3 ♘d7 12. 0-0 f5 Both sides have developed their forces and now it's up to White to find a plan, which is anything but easy.
13. c4⁈ A logical move, since as we mentioned before expansion on the queenside is the main strategic idea. The unfortunately-placed knight hinders not only b4, but also allows Black to start his own operation on the queenside. Tarrasch long ago said that "a knight on b3/b6 is always bad". Not always, but here he's right. Instead of the move in the game I prefer
13. ♕d2 , which prevents Bg5 and makes it possible to meet 13... a5 with 14. a4 without weakening any more squares.
13... a5⁉ There was nothing wrong with the immediate
13... ♗g5 although Carlsen's idea of freeing up the c5-square for his knight is also appealing.
14. ♘d2
14. a4 is less tempting here. b3 and b4 would be weakened and it would undermine White's own plan of playing b4.
14... ♗g5 15. ♗xg5 ♕xg5 16. ♕e2 ♘c5 Black has achieved all he could possibly want: his bad bishop has been exchanged, his knight has a fine post on c5 and the white pieces are passive. He's well on top.
17. ♗c2 ♗d7 18. b3 Norway sticks to its plan of gaining space on the queenside and dethroning the c5-knight with a3 and b4. It all takes time, though. The immediate
18. a3? would be hit by 18... a4! , fixing the structure.
18... b5⁈ A very tempting move with which Carlsen initiates contact with the enemy. At the same time he allows his multi-headed opponent to radically alter the character of the struggle, which it gratefully accepts. Alternatives were quieter moves like
18... ♕h4⁉ with a view towards playing d4, or also
19. f4!
19. cxb5 ♗xb5 20. ♕xb5 ♕xd2 is huge for Black. White therefore first blocks the black queen's path to d2.
19... exf4 20. cxb5 Suddenly White also has his trumps - the b-pawn can turn into an annoying passed pawn, with the help of a4, while Black's f4-pawn can become weak. The initiative, however, is still in the hands of Norway's no. 1, and at first Carlsen remains unfazed:
20... ♖ae8 21. ♕c4 ♕e7! Using the threat of Qe3+ to keep White busy. The situation has grown critical and the Norwegians unleash their secret weapon: each of the three experts - Jon Ludvig Hammer, Simen Agdestein and Leif Erlend Johannesen - had the right to consult the omniscient chess engine Houdini three times during the game. Up to this point they hadn't made use of it, but in such a sharp situation it's of course a huge advantage to have a whole nine computer moves up your sleeve - especially as Carlsen only had a minute for each move. The following move is the first to be made with electronic assistance, and from this point on the worst is over for the Norwegians.
22. ♘f3!
22. ♕xf4? ♗xb5 23. ♘c4 ♗xc4 24. bxc4 g6 again leads to a dream position for Black, with a good knight against a bad bishop.
22... ♕e3+ 23. ♔h1 ♘e4! Due to the threat of Nf2+ Black still seems to have the upper hand, but the white resources are yet to be exhausted.
24. ♗d3!
24. ♗xe4 ♖xe4 25. ♕c7 ♗xb5 leaves Carlsen with active pieces and a better king i.e. a clear advantage. The move in the game admittedly gives up the exchange, but it allows the Norwegians to generate serious counterplay.
24. ♖ae1 ♕b6! (24... ♘f2+ 25. ♔g1 ♘h3+ 26. ♔h1 ♕g1+ doesn't mate, as I was able to prove in a long Twitter discussion.)
24... ♘f2+ Of course he snaps off the rook.
25. ♖xf2 ♕xf2 26. ♕c7! This move shows the point of 24. Bd3. The bishop defends the pawn on b5 and simultaneously eludes the grasp of the black queen. That allows White's own majesty to wreak havoc in the enemy ranks. The position is suddenly very complicated.
26... ♖e7 With this move Carlsen essentially takes the draw. Naturally he'd foreseen the following sequence, but considering his opponent's computer doping his panic is understandable. It was as if the red masked man, who in the beginning was still struggling with the rules, now finally transformed into Flash. And getting involved in a race with Flash isn't a good idea.
Objectively it's also by no means clear if there's anything better, as the all-seeing computer gives
26... ♕e3⁉ 27. ♗f1 ♕e7 as the only way for Black to continue the struggle. 28. a4 With a lot of compensation.
27. ♕xd6 ♖fe8 28. h3 Creating a reasonably quiet spot for the king on h2 and parrying the Re1+ mating threat. The alternative
28. ♖g1 ♖e1 29. ♕xd7 ♖xg1+ 30. ♘xg1 ♖e1 also led to a draw, although this time it's the white queen who gets the pleasure of giving perpetual check. 31. ♕d8+ ♔f7 32. ♕d7+ ♔g8=
28... ♖e1+ Finally fixing the draw.
28... g5⁉
29. ♘xe1 ♖xe1+ 30. ♖xe1 ♕xe1+ 31. ♔h2 ♕g3+ 32. ♔g1 ♕e3+ The very last nuance. It's perpetual check. A game of two halves. In the first period Norway was utterly outplayed, but in the second half starting with 19. f4! it played powerfully and managed to extricate its head from the noose. Or the man from the straightjacket. Houdini-style. But entertaining, nevertheless!
32... ♕e1+? 33. ♗f1 ♗xb5 34. ♕b8+
1/2-1/2
Norway's command centre... | photo: Tarjei Svensen
In the traditional post-game press conference Magnus was his traditional combative self (VG reported here and here). He explained why he took a draw:
At some point, I had the choice between drawing or playing a complicated position against Houdini.
Then he rounded on Houdini:
The position of Norway was pretty rotten positionally so you had to use Houdini to have a chance… I don’t like Houdini. I’ve said before that I don’t want to play against Houdini, and this game didn’t increase that desire.
Carlsen’s manager Espen Agdestein couldn’t resist putting in the boot as well:
It’s like having a quiz-master using Google if he needs help.
One of the resident grandmasters, Jon Ludvig Hammer, admitted the cyborg situation may have made a difference…
We would have lost without its help.
One mystery remained, however – who was the man beneath the red body suit!? It provoked Glen Tickle at Geekosystem into coming up with a headline that’s hard to beat (even if Stephen Keefe tried pretty hard):
And yes, as you no doubt spotted, the man in red was 16-time Norwegian cross-country ski champion Oddvar Brå:
Screenshot via Geekosystem - you can watch the unveiling here on VG
See also:
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