Luke McShane

Sorcery

issue 08 July 2023

Magnus Carlsen broke into a smile while pondering his 64th move. Vishy Anand grinned back at him, both players revelling in the tension and complexity of their game from the Global Chess League, held in Dubai last month. They were down to less than a minute each, and India’s five-time world champion had just pulled a rabbit out of a hat, with a sacrificial promotion which seemed to ensure a draw by stalemate. Carlsen paused before summoning some even more powerful sorcery, which left Anand only the narrowest chance of escape.

In the first diagram below, 59…b4 looks promising, but 60 Nf1+! wobbles the Black king off its ideal spot, and 60…Kd3 61 cxb4 c3+ 62 Kc1! is a dead end. Carlsen plays a tricky waiting move, eyeing up a role for the bishop in the complications which follow.

Viswanathan Anand-Magnus Carlsen

Global Chess League, Dubai 2023

Black to play, position after 59 a6-a7 (see left diagram).

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