Carlsen vs. Nepomniachtchi: World Championship – Game 5

Greetings chess players. My name is Chris Torres, and this is Daily Chess Musings’ Special Coverage of the 2021 FIDE World Championship Match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Game 5 was another Ruy Lopez, another anti-Marshall, and another draw. Yet, it certainly wasn’t a walk in the park for either player. It may be that Nepomniachtchi once again had Carlsen on the defensive, but Magnus rose to the occasion and managed to get out of the minefield.

Now, without further ado, let’s take a close look at game 5 of the Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi Match!

I hope you enjoyed today’s special presentation of round 5 from the 2021 FIDE World Championship Match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi. For more on the match please visit the official website at https://fideworldchampionship.com. Additionally, please take a moment to like this video and subscribe to my Daily Chess Musings YouTube channel. Finally, be sure to check out DailyChessMusings.com to find my notes to this video as well as thousands of other free learning resources. My name is Chris Torres, and I will see you Friday after their day off with a special presentation of round 6 from the Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi Match.

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Date: December 1, 2021
Location: Dubai UAE
Tournament: FIDE World Championship Match 2021
Round: 5
Opening:
Submitted by:
Published on: December 1, 2021
Tags: second game of the FIDE World Championship had plenty of drama and surprises, Game 5, Chris Torres, Petroff defense, GAME5-EricRosen, Match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, https://fideworldchampionship.com, Petroff variation, Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi match, Daily Chess Musings’ Special Coverage of the 2021 FIDE World Championship Match, FIDE, World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Daily Chess Musings, Daily Chess Musings’ Special Coverage of the 2021 FIDE World Championship Match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, Daily Chess Musings YouTube channel, Catalan, Ian Nepomniachtchi, 2021 FIDE World Championship Match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ruy Lopez, DailyChessMusings.com, Daily Chess Musings’ Special Coverage, Game 5 of the Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi match
Categories: FIDE Chess World Championship 2021, Daily Chess Musings, Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi

[Event "FIDE World Championship Match 2021"] [Site "Dubai UAE"] [Date "2021.12.01"] [Round "?"] [White "Nepomniachtchi Ian (RUS)"] [Black "Carlsen Magnus (NOR)"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "Chris Torres"] [ECO "C88"] [Eco "C88"] { [ RUY LOPEZ,C88] Nepomniachtchi Ian (RUS) +4 =1 -0 Carlsen Magnus (NOR) +3 =9 -1 } 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 { So the players embark on another Ruy Lopez adventure as they did already in games one and three of this match. } 3...a6 4.Ba4 { So rather than repeat information everytime the Ruy Lopez is played, I will instead refer the viewer to watch my videos on games 1 and 3 to learn more about the Ruy Lopez and the Marshall system. } 4...Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O { And as we've already seen in games 1 and 3 of this match, Carlsen invites Ian to have a theoretical discussion on the Marshall Gambit by playing d5 if white plays 8. c3. } 8.a4 { As he did in game 3, Ian plays the anti-Marshall move of 8. a4. Remeber, in game 1, Nepo chose the 8. h3 anti-Marshall variation. } 8...Rb8 { Magnus deals with the threat of white playing axb5 by moving his rook to a8. I've never been a huge fan of this reponse as it immediately gives white control of the a-file. Instead, my preference is for the Bb7 route as Magnus played in game 3. Magnus has also played 8... b4 which is something we may see later in this match. } 9.axb5 axb5 { So, as I said, white constrols the a-file with their rook. } 10.h3 { A thematic anti-Marshall move but there's plenty of room for white to deviate here should we see this again during the match. Other choices for move 10 include... } ( 10.c3 d6 11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Bg4 13.Nc3 Qd7 14.d5 Bxf3 15.gxf3 Ne5 16.f4 Qh3 17.Re3 Qh4 18.fxe5 Ng4 19.Qf3 Qxh2+ 20.Kf1 Nxe3+ 21.Bxe3 Qxe5 22.Rd1 Qf6 23.Qg2 Qh4 24.Rd4 b4 25.Na2 f5 26.exf5 Qh5 27.Rg4 Bf6 28.Nxb4 Bxb2 29.Bc2 Ra8 30.Nc6 Rfe8 31.Qf3 Kh8 32.Ke2 Bf6 33.Rc4 Qh2 34.Nd4 Ra1 35.Ne6 Qg1 36.Qh3 Qe1+ 37.Kf3 Ra2 38.Rxc7 Qa5 39.Be4 Qb5 40.Kg2 Ra1 41.Bc1 Ra4 42.Bg5 { 1-0, Volokitin Andrei (UKR) 2633 - Votava Jan (CZE) 2526 , Austria 1/17/2019 Bundesliga 2018/19 } ) ( 10.d3 d6 11.c3 Be6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.Bg5 Nd7 14.Be3 d5 15.Nbd2 Nc5 16.Nb3 Na4 17.Qe2 Bd6 18.d4 dxe4 19.Nxe5 Bxe5 20.dxe5 Nxe5 21.Ba7 Qg5 22.Nd4 Nf3+ 23.Nxf3 exf3 24.Qxe6+ Kh8 25.g3 Ra8 26.Bd4 c5 27.Be3 Qh5 28.h4 Nxb2 29.Rxa8 Rxa8 30.Qc6 Rg8 31.Qxb5 Qf5 32.Kh2 Nd3 33.Rd1 Ne5 34.Qxc5 h5 35.Bd4 Re8 36.Bxe5 Rxe5 37.Rd8+ Kh7 38.Qf8 Kg6 39.Rd6+ Kh7 40.Rd8 Kg6 41.Qg8 Qe6 42.Qxe6+ Rxe6 43.Rf8 { 1-0, Adams Michael (ENG) 2727 - Shirov Alexei (LAT) 2630 , Douglas 9/27/2017 It (open) } ) ( 10.Nc3 d6 11.h3 Re8 12.d3 h6 13.Bd2 Bf8 14.Nd5 Bb7 15.c3 Ra8 16.Rxa8 Bxa8 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.Nh2 Nd8 19.Re3 Kh8 20.Ng4 Qe7 21.Rg3 Ne6 22.Qf3 Rd8 23.Qf5 g6 24.Qf3 Kh7 25.h4 Bg7 26.h5 Rf8 27.Nxh6 Bxh6 28.Bxh6 Kxh6 29.Bxe6 Qxe6 30.hxg6 f5 31.Rh3+ Kg7 32.Rh7+ Kg8 33.Qh5 fxe4 34.Rh8+ { 1-0, Vovk Yuri (UKR) 2617 - Kriebel Tadeas (CZE) 2465 , Slovakia 11/22/2015 Ch Slovakia (team) 2015/16 } ) ( 10.d4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.e5 Ne8 13.c3 dxc3 14.Nxc3 d6 15.Nd5 Be6 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.Bf4 dxe5 18.Bxe5 Nd6 19.Bc2 Nc4 20.Bg3 f5 21.b3 f4 22.Qh5 g6 23.Bh4 Qf7 24.Qe2 Rbe8 25.bxc4 Bxc4 26.Qf3 Qg7 27.Bb3 Kh8 28.Bxc4 bxc4 29.Bg5 h6 30.Qh3 Kh7 31.Bxh6 Qxh6 32.Rxe8 Qxh3 33.Re7+ { 1-0, Rogulj Branko (CRO) 2420 - Matijevic Hrvoje (CRO) 2235 , Tucepi 1996 Ch Croatia (team) (1st league) } ) 10...d6 { Magnus supports his e5 pawn and opens another diagonal for his bishop. } 11.c3 { Ian prepares for a d4 pawn push. } 11...b4 { To which Carlsen responds by weaponizing his weak b-pawn. } 12.d3 { Ian decided against d4 now that black has a pawn threatening it's support. However, d4 was playable and continued... } ( 12.d4 bxc3 13.bxc3 exd4 14.Nxd4 Bd7 15.Ra6 Nxd4 16.cxd4 Qc8 17.Ra7 c6 18.Nc3 d5 19.e5 Ne8 20.Ba3 Bxa3 21.Rxa3 Nc7 22.Bc2 Bf5 23.Ne2 Rb2 24.Rc3 Bxc2 25.Rxc2 Rxc2 26.Qxc2 Ne6 27.Rc1 Qa6 28.Qd2 Qb6 29.Ra1 Rb8 30.g3 h6 31.h4 Qb2 32.Qxb2 Rxb2 33.Kf1 g5 34.Rc1 gxh4 35.gxh4 Rb6 36.Rc3 Kh7 37.Kg2 Rb4 38.Rxc6 Nxd4 39.Nxd4 Rxd4 40.Kg3 h5 { 1/2-1/2, Pantaleev Dimitar (BUL) 2192 - Pelitov Dimitar (BUL) 1995 , Sofia 3/ 2/1964 Ch Bulgaria } ) 12...bxc3 { Magnus trades his b-pawn which increases the scope of his rook. } 13.bxc3 { and Ian, of course, takes with a pawn so as not to have an isolated b-pawn. } 13...d5 { Carlsen plays an aggressive move challenging white's control of d5 while temporarily giving him more space in the center. } ( 13...Nd7 14.Be3 Nb6 15.Nbd2 Kh8 16.Bd5 Qd7 17.Bxb6 Rxb6 18.Nc4 Ra6 19.Qb3 Nd8 20.Rxa6 Bxa6 21.Ra1 Bxc4 22.Bxc4 Ne6 23.Ra7 Nf4 24.Kh2 f5 25.Qb5 Qc8 26.Qc6 fxe4 27.Rxc7 Qf5 28.Qxe4 Qf6 29.g3 Ng6 30.Kg2 Bd8 31.Rd7 Bb6 32.Rb7 Bc5 33.Rb3 Ba7 34.d4 Rb8 35.Rxb8+ Bxb8 36.Qb7 Qf8 37.Ng5 h6 38.Ne6 Qg8 39.Bd5 exd4 40.cxd4 Kh7 41.Ng5+ { 1-0, Balashov Yuri S (RUS) 2565 - Janocha Wieslaw (POL) 2243 , Wisla 1992 It (open) } ) 14.Nbd2 { Ian develops a piece and starts his knight's thematic Ruy Lopez journey of Nd2-Nf1-Ng3. 14. exd5 was also playable and creates some interesting imbalances. } ( 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Rxe5 Be6 17.Bxd5 Bxd5 18.d4 Bf6 19.Re3 Re8 { And black would have compensation in force at play for the sacrificed pawn while white is one pawn up and controls the center. } ) 14...dxe4 { Carlsen can't hold onto the the tension on d5 for much longer so he trades off his advantage in space. } 15.dxe4 Bd6 { Carlsen opts for a defensive approach. } 16.Qc2 { Develops a piece and guards e4 so that the knight on d2 can continue it's journey. } 16...h6 { An important move which stops white's knight from advancing to g5. } 17.Nf1 { As expected. } 17...Ne7 { Ian's knight maneuver gives Carlsen tempi to also bring his knight over to the kingside. } 18.Ng3 Ng6 { A unique position in that both knights of each color are playing similar roles. } 19.Be3 { My students will recognize that Ian completedthe three opening goals. For those new to this channel, the three opening goals are: 1. maintain a center pawn, 2. castle and 3. unify your rooks. } 19...Qe8 { Carlsen prepares Be6 to address white's bishop superiority. } 20.Red1 { Moving his second rook to an open file. } 20...Be6 { Threatening to win or trade away white's powerful bishop on b3. } 21.Ba4 { Neop finds a safe square for his threatened bishop and indeed one that also threatens Carlsen's queen. } 21...Bd7 { So Carlsen attempts the trade again. } 22.Nd2 { In anticipation of the trade of queens, Ian moves his knight to where it can defend his center pawn. } 22...Bxa4 23.Qxa4 Qxa4 24.Rxa4 { and after the trades, white only holds a small advantage in piece placement. } 24...Ra8 { so Carlsen will attempt to exchange pieces to eliminate his opponent's tiny advantage. } 25.Rda1 { Ian wants control of the a-file after the first exchange of rooks. } 25...Rxa4 26.Rxa4 { and he gets it. } 26...Rb8 { So Carlsen activates his other rook into the, also open, b-file. } 27.Ra6 { Nepomniachtchi begins operations for targeting black's bishop on d6. Additional maneuvers twoard this goal include Nc4 and Nf5. } 27...Ne8 { Carlsen understands white's plan and immediately adds another defender to d6. Another way to respond to Ian's threat would have been playing 27... Nd7. } ( 27...Nd7 { !? } 28.Nf5 Bc5 29.Rc6 Bxe3 30.Nxe3 Rb7 { which leads to a roughly equal position in which black is still playing a defensive role in the game. } ) 28.Kf1 { Ian begins activating his king. } 28...Nf8 { While Carlsen prepares to place a knight onto e6. } 29.Nf5 Ne6 { both sides improve a knight. } 30.Nc4 { But Ian does one better. In fact, remember this method of mounting pressure on d6 was predicted after 27. Ra6. } 30...Rd8 { To which Carlsen must respond with Rd8 in order to add the all important third defender to his bishop on d6. Perhaps you are wondering why Magnus is content with defending rather than counter-attacking with Rb3. } ( 30...Rb3 { ? Well the easy answer is, because Rb3 leaves the eigth rank undefended. } 31.Ra8 Kf8 32.Rc8 { and now black would need to remove their bishop from its defensive post. } 32...Ba3 ( 32...Rxc3 { is far worse even because... } 33.Ncxd6 { black's c7 pawn is pinned and white is threatening checkmate by capturing black's pinned knight on e8. } ) 33.Nxe5 { but then black loses their center pawn and likely the game. } ) 31.f3 { in support of the e4 pawn. } 31...f6 { in support of the e5 pawn while creating a means for his king to activate. } 32.g4 { Ian stops black from playing h5 and gains free space on the kingside. } 32...Kf7 { To which Carlsen moves his king a little closer to the action. } 33.h4 { and Ian takes even more kingside space. } 33...Bf8 { This bishop retreat opens up the possibility for black to play Rd3 or Rd1+. } 34.Ke2 { Which Ian immediately puts a stop to. } 34...Nd6 { This is a really nice move as it will force white to exchange one of his knights. } 35.Ncxd6+ Bxd6 { If Carlsen could hold his fortress with Ian having two knights, now that Nepo is down to just one Carlsen must be feeling more confident. } 36.h5 { Nepo takes away black's ability to move the g-pawn. } 36...Bf8 { But Carlsen must now know that, even though white's position is better, Ian has no way to win. } 37.Ra5 { But Ian wasn't ready to call it a day and tries placing his rook into the fifth rank in route to d5. } 37...Ke8 { Carlsen see's his opponent's intentions and moves his king to defend d7. } 38.Rd5 { Nepo still moves his rook to d5 which shields the kings path toward greater activity ie: Kd3, Kcf, etc. } 38...Ra8 { So Magnus moves his rook to the open a-file where it will be at a safe checking distance from white's exposed king. Additionally, there is always the threat of Magnus playing Ra1 in ordeer to target white's weak pawns. } 39.Rd1 { Nepomniachtchi brings his rook back to guard against those threats. } 39...Ra2+ { Which means that Carlsen can harass white's king with a check. } 40.Rd2 { check blocked but now the first rank isn't defended. } 40...Ra1 { Carlsen, of course, takes this opportunity. } 41.Rd1 { To which Ian responds with Rd1. } 41...Ra2+ { and } 42.Rd2 { we } 42...Ra1 { have } 43.Rd1 $10 { a draw through repition to end game 5 of the 2021 FIDE World Chess Championship Match. } 1/2-1/2