1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 6.Be2 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Esipenko, after the game, stated that he wanted to play solidly against the World Champion, but he soon gets provoked into attacking. </strong>} e6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The Scheveningen Variation. Here Carlsen normally plays 6…e5. Carlsen’s move must have come as something of a surprise. Curiously, I can find no games where Carlsen has played this before. There are some games where Carslen is White, but that is all. </strong>} 7.Be3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A tricky move. Normally White castles or plays f4. Esipenko’s move keeps the option of castling long.</strong>}
Be7 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Not the most precise move order according to the Romanian grandmaster Mikhail Suba – who is perhaps the world’s leading expert on the Scheveningen.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">Suba prefers the immediate </strong> } 7...Qc7$5{<strong style="color:black;">which should discourage </strong> } 8.g4 {<strong style="color:black;"> because of the blow</strong> } d5! 9.exd5 Bb4!{<strong style="color:black;">when Black is doing very well as some top level games have shown. </strong> } )
({<strong style="color:black;"> Weaker is</strong> } 7...b5$6 8.Bf3!{<strong style="color:black;"> when Black must be very careful </strong> } )
8.g4$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Esipenko senses that Carlsen is not so well prepared theoretically and so he immediately fights for the initative.</strong>} b5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">A: It was still possible to counter in the centre with </strong> } 8...d5$5 {<strong style="color:black;">but the position after </strong> } 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 Qxd5 11.Bf3 {<strong style="color:black;">was not to Carlsen’s taste. Black has no winning chances. (And probably White is better!)</strong> } )
({<strong style="color:black;">B: Some theoreticians recommend the finesse </strong> } 8...Nfd7$5 9.Qd2
b5 10.a3 Bb7 )
( {<strong style="color:black;">C: There are many old games with </strong> }8...Qc7 9.g5 Nfd7 10.Qd2 b5 11.a3{<strong style="color:black;">followed by castling long,but White’s results have been promising. </strong> } )
({<strong style="color:black;">D: There is nothing wrong with </strong> } 8...h6$5 {<strong style="color:black;">which leads to positions very similar to the Keres Attack </strong> } )
( {<strong style="color:black;">E: Classical development with </strong> }8...Nc6 9.g5 Nd7 10.Rg1 ( 10.h4$5 ) {<strong style="color:black;"> simply allows White to develop a strong initiative. I think most masters have abandoned this way to playing with Black </strong> } )
9.g5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Nfd7{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 10.a3!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A promising pawn sacrifice that I saw for the first time in a game of Ivanchuk’s.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;"> Opening books only give </strong> }10.f4 b4! 11.Na4 Bb7 12.Bf3 Nc6 {Byrne R – Polugaevsky L , Montilla 1975} {<strong style="color:black;">Byrne R – Polugaevsky L , Montilla 1975, when Black has very active play.</strong> })
Bxg5 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Carlsen bites. Courageous, but the real question is whether he would do the same thing in his next game given what happens to him in this game!</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">A: I think that the best way for Black to play is</strong> } 10...Qc7$5 11.Qd2 Nc6!{<strong style="color:black;">and concentrate on building up a counter attack on the Queenside, given that White has already indicated that he wants to castle long. </strong> } )
( {<strong style="color:black;">B: Praxis has shown that after </strong> }10...Bb7 11.Qd2 Nc5
12.f3! {<strong style="color:black;"> it is difficult for Black to prevent White from building up his attack (Casting long, h4-h5, etc </strong> })
11.Qd2{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White’s plan is very simple. Castling long and attack on the open g-file</strong>} Bxe3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">This move does not solve any of the problems in Black’s position. Perhaps it would be wiser to keep this Bishop, but where to place it? The answer is not clear</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;"> A: The Ivanchuk game saw </strong> }11...Bf6$5 12.O-O-O Bb7 13.Rhg1 Nc5? 14.e5!{<strong style="color:black;">Black is suddenly lost! </strong> }
Bxe5 15.Ndxb5 Nb3+ 16.cxb3 axb5 17.Bxb5+ Bc6 18.Bd4 Qc8 19.Bxe5
dxe5 20.Kb1 Rg8 21.Ne4 {1-0, Ivanchuk, V.. 2739 – Negi, P.. 2615 , Peristeri GRE 5/ 7/2010 38th TCh-GRE DivA}
)
( {<strong style="color:black;">B: More logical seems </strong> }11...Be7$5 12.O-O-O Bb7 13.Rhg1 {Ni Hua 2671 – Xu, Yinglun 2333 , Wuxi CHN 5/ 8/2013 Chinese Teams}{<strong style="color:black;">Ni Hua 2671 – Xu, Yinglun 2333 , Wuxi CHN 5/ 8/2013 Chinese Teams ,but it is clear that White has full compensation for the pawn sacrifice. Never the less, I think this is what Black must play. </strong> }
)
12.Qxe3{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White’s plan is clear. But how should Black develop his pieces? </strong>} Qh4 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">This looks like a blitz move. It is difficult to call this a mistake, but the Queen soon retreats. I assume that Carlsen had some concrete idea in mind, like playing …g5 followed by …Qf4, but Esipenko’s next move puts an end to that idea.</strong>}
13.Rg1!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} g6{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} ({<strong style="color:black;">A good way to lose quickly would be </strong> } 13...Qxh2? 14.Rxg7 Qh1+ 15.Kd2! Qxa1
16.Nxe6!{<strong style="color:black;"> with a winning attack</strong> } ) 14.O-O-O{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Qe7 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">Black has difficulty in finding a plan. He does not want to castle kingside because it looks dangerous with White having an open g-file.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;"> Even the normall looking</strong> }14...Bb7{<strong style="color:black;"> has its problems:</strong> } 15.Nb3! Qe7 16.Na5!$16 )
15.f4{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White’s play is very natural, and strong. He just builds up his position while waiting for Black to decide where to put his King</strong>} ( 15.Nb3$5 ) Bb7 16.Kb1{[#] <strong style="color:red;">White has an ideal attacking position, all for the cost of one little pawn.</strong>}
Nc6? {[#] <strong style="color:red;">This lemon ate up 12 minutes of Carlsen’s time.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">Perhaps he should consider </strong> }16...O-O {<strong style="color:black;"> and try to defend</strong> })
( {<strong style="color:black;"> More solid is</strong> }16...e5 17.Nb3 exf4 18.Qxf4 Ne5 ( 18...Qe5 19.Qd2 )
19.Na5!{<strong style="color:black;">but White is always better </strong> } )
( {<strong style="color:black;"> After</strong> }16...Nc5 17.e5 d5 18.Bf3{<strong style="color:black;"> you can just sense that a sacrifice is coming, but you are not sure whether it will be on b5 or d5 (or both!)</strong> } )
17.Ncxb5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A well known theme in the Sicilian. It is difficult to believe that Carlsen overlooked it. Esipenko needed 5 minutes to play it.</strong>} axb5 18.Nxc6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} Bxc6
19.Qc3!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">The whole point! White recovers all of his material and Black’s game is shattered.</strong>} O-O 20.Qxc6 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} d5$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Despite the bad fortune, Carlsen does not give up and looks for a counter attack.</strong>}
( {<strong style="color:black;">Carlsen can get an endgame with </strong> } 20...Nc5 21.Qxd6 Qxd6 ( 21...Qa7 22.Bxb5
Rfb8 23.c4 Nxe4 24.Qd4 ) 22.Rxd6 Nxe4 23.Rd4 Ra4 24.Rgd1{<strong style="color:black;"> But the ending is lost. White’s pawns on the Queenside will win easily.</strong> } )
21.exd5{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
Rfc8 22.d6!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Ouch!The Black Queen is forced into a very bad position.</strong>} Qd8 23.Qxb5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Esipenko is not afraid of ghosts: he realizes that Black’s play on the open files on the Queenside is not dangerous.</strong>}
({<strong style="color:black;">Also good enough is </strong> } 23.Qe4{<strong style="color:black;">according to some annotators. </strong> } )
Rcb8 {[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>} 24.Qc4$5{[#] <strong style="color:red;">This move was praised by some very strong grandmasters. In some lines White wants to play Qc7.</strong>}
( 24.Qd3$5 Qb6
( 24...Ra4 25.Qc3 ) 25.Qc3 Nc5 26.Bf3 Na4 27.Qb3 Qd8 28.Bxa8$18 )
Rxa3 {[#] <strong style="color:red;">There is nothing better, but Esipenko has everything under control</strong>}
( 24...Qb6$5 25.Qb3 Qa5 26.Rg5! )
25.Qc7!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A nice point!</strong>} Qe8
( {<strong style="color:black;"> If Carlsen was planning</strong> } 25...Qf6 {<strong style="color:black;"> then White wins simply with the pretty</strong> } 26.Qxb8+!
Nxb8 27.bxa3 Nd7 28.Bb5{<strong style="color:black;">and White’s pawn is going to win even more material </strong> } )
26.Rg5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
Ra4 27.Ra5!{[#] <strong style="color:red;">A not very difficult manoeuvre to find. Carlsen should now consider about throwing in the towel, but he plays on for the spectators..</strong>}
Rab4{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 27...Rxa5
28.Qxa5 ) 28.b3{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
R4b7 29.Qc3 Qd8 30.Bf3 Rb4 31.Qc7{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
Qf6{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Never say die!</strong>}
32.Ra8{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 32.Qxd7? Rxb3+ ) Rxa8 33.Bxa8 Qf5 34.Kb2{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
( 34.Qc8+ Nf8 35.d7
Rxb3+ 36.Ka2 Rb6 37.Qxf8+ Kxf8 38.d8=Q+ Kg7 39.Qxb6 Qxc2+ 40.Qb2+ )
Rb5 ( 34...Nf8 35.d7 ) 35.Qxd7{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
Rc5 36.Rc1{[#] <strong style="color:red;"></strong>}
Qxf4 ( 36...Qf6+ 37.c3 )
37.Qe8+ Kg7 38.d7{[#] <strong style="color:red;">Carlsen resigns. Finally!</strong>}
1-0
