Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Watching his rival Fabiano Caruana losing in the last round of the Tata Steel Chess tournament, the world chess champion Magnus Carlsen had to wait a few moments before he could celebrate yet another first place.
What does Carlsen have in common with sport superstars Lionel Messi, Jaromir Jagr or Stephen Curry? They all seem unstoppable. Everybody knows they are going to score, but not many are able to prevent it.
Carlsen went undefeated in the first major tournament of the year that ended in Wijk aan Zee at the end of January. It was his fifth victory in the traditional Dutch tournament, a record he now shares with the former world champion Vishy Anand.
The tournament started in the 1930s and 78 tournaments have been played since under different names and in different locations. In 1967 we played the last time in Beverwijk, in a movie theater, and the winner was Boris Spassky. Next year the event moved a few kilometers towards the sea to Wijk aan Zee. Lately, some rounds were played in the Rijksmuseum and the NEMO Science Center in Amsterdam, in the International Press Center in the Hague and in a railway museum in Utrecht.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The Tata Steel tournament must be one of Carlsen's favorite events. Here he played his signature game against Sipke Ernst in 2004 that earned him the moniker "Mozart of Chess" by The Washington Post. The Norwegian grandmaster now won the last three times he played there. This year, he combined patience, grit, gamble, endurance, high technique, creative attacks and calm defenses to score five wins.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![2016-02-02-1454442062-4069593-crossmastersdraw.png]()
His last win against the world's top-rated woman Hou Yifan came in a pawn endgame that the Chinese GM should have drawn, but it was not as easy as one may have thought. She would have to find a precise defense during the battle of the squares.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![2016-02-06-1454794483-6335411-CarlsenHou12657983_1168600486484266_6252931010205890282_o.jpg]()
Magnus Carlsen - Hou Yifan
Wijk aan Zee 2016
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![2016-02-06-1454796332-3574465-CARHOU.jpg]()
This was a critical position and the game continued: 45...h5? Hou played this blunder rather quickly, allowing the white king to sneak to the square b6. 46.Kb4 Kc8 47.Ka5 Kc7 48.h4 Kb8 49.Kb6 Kc8 50.b4 Kb8 51.b5 cxb5 52.axb5 axb5 53.Kxb5 Kc7 54.c3 and Hou resigned. She is in zugzwang and has to surrender the square b6. White wins the pawn d5 after 54...Kd7 55.Kb6 Kc8 56.c6.
Instead of the faulty 45...h5?, Hou Yifan could have blocked the entrance to the square b6 with 45...a5! 46.b4. The only way to open the queenside. [46.h4 h5 47.b4 will transpose]
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![2016-02-06-1454799618-3771355-CARHOU1.jpg]()
It seems that Black now has two ways to make a draw but only one solves it with precise play.
A. 46...axb4+?!
This comes deceptively close to a draw, but White can continue playing.
47.Kxb4 Kd8!
Black's defense is based on a stalemate and zugzwang.
Here again 47...h5? loses to 48.Ka5 Kc7 49.h4 Kc8 50.Kb6 Kb8 51.a5 Ka8 52.a6
Clik here to view.
Watching his rival Fabiano Caruana losing in the last round of the Tata Steel Chess tournament, the world chess champion Magnus Carlsen had to wait a few moments before he could celebrate yet another first place.
What does Carlsen have in common with sport superstars Lionel Messi, Jaromir Jagr or Stephen Curry? They all seem unstoppable. Everybody knows they are going to score, but not many are able to prevent it.
Carlsen went undefeated in the first major tournament of the year that ended in Wijk aan Zee at the end of January. It was his fifth victory in the traditional Dutch tournament, a record he now shares with the former world champion Vishy Anand.
The tournament started in the 1930s and 78 tournaments have been played since under different names and in different locations. In 1967 we played the last time in Beverwijk, in a movie theater, and the winner was Boris Spassky. Next year the event moved a few kilometers towards the sea to Wijk aan Zee. Lately, some rounds were played in the Rijksmuseum and the NEMO Science Center in Amsterdam, in the International Press Center in the Hague and in a railway museum in Utrecht.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The Tata Steel tournament must be one of Carlsen's favorite events. Here he played his signature game against Sipke Ernst in 2004 that earned him the moniker "Mozart of Chess" by The Washington Post. The Norwegian grandmaster now won the last three times he played there. This year, he combined patience, grit, gamble, endurance, high technique, creative attacks and calm defenses to score five wins.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
His last win against the world's top-rated woman Hou Yifan came in a pawn endgame that the Chinese GM should have drawn, but it was not as easy as one may have thought. She would have to find a precise defense during the battle of the squares.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
This was a critical position and the game continued: 45...h5? Hou played this blunder rather quickly, allowing the white king to sneak to the square b6. 46.Kb4 Kc8 47.Ka5 Kc7 48.h4 Kb8 49.Kb6 Kc8 50.b4 Kb8 51.b5 cxb5 52.axb5 axb5 53.Kxb5 Kc7 54.c3 and Hou resigned. She is in zugzwang and has to surrender the square b6. White wins the pawn d5 after 54...Kd7 55.Kb6 Kc8 56.c6.
Instead of the faulty 45...h5?, Hou Yifan could have blocked the entrance to the square b6 with 45...a5! 46.b4. The only way to open the queenside. [46.h4 h5 47.b4 will transpose]
Clik here to view.
It seems that Black now has two ways to make a draw but only one solves it with precise play.
A. 46...axb4+?!
This comes deceptively close to a draw, but White can continue playing.
47.Kxb4 Kd8!
Black's defense is based on a stalemate and zugzwang.
Here again 47...h5? loses to 48.Ka5 Kc7 49.h4 Kc8 50.Kb6 Kb8 51.a5 Ka8 52.a6