Carlsen the Great

I cannot conceal the feeling over the years of Magnus Carlsen’s leading position at the head of world chess, that his victories were to be ascribed to his powers of Sitzfleisch (endurance at the board) or opposing errors, rather than his own enterprise, dynamism and genius. The result of the London world championship last year tended, if anything, to reinforce this belief, with all the games in the classical section being drawn.
 
The Gashimov Memorial tournament, which ended earlier this month at Shamkir in Azerbaijan, has forced me to revise that opinion. Carlsen dominated the event, displaying huge energy, aggression and versatility. The scores (out of 9) were as follows: Carlsen 7; Ding Liren and Karjakin 5; Radjabov, Grischuk and Anand 4½; Topalov and Navara 4; Mamedyarov 3½; Giri 3.
 
This week, a selection of Carlsen’s impressive victories from his latest triumph.
 
Carlsen-Anand; Vugar Gashimov Memorial, Shamkir 2019 (diagram 1)
 
White has a small advantage here as the black a-pawn is vulnerable.