2011 FIDE World Cup: Judit's R3, G1 Win Against Karjakin Analyzed

Thanks to The Week in Chess for this, which also contains analyses of three other interesting games from R3, G1:

Judit Polgar won a pawn on the white side of a Berlin and converted it. As she said in the press conference if you make a small mistake in this line it can be fatal.

Polgar,Judit (2699) - Karjakin,Sergey (2788) [C67]
FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (3.1), 03.09.2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ke8 10.h3 h5 11.Rd1 Be7 12.Ne4

A rare sideline in the Berlin.

12...Bd7

[12...Be6; 12...Nh4]

13.b3 h4

A very commital decision with all sorts of ramifications. Black restricts white's options to expand on the Kingside but the h-pawn is in danger of being weak and maybe ties to the rook to h8.

14.Bg5

White doesn't fianchetto her bishop.

14...Rd8 15.c4 b6 16.Rd2 Bc8 17.Rxd8+ Kxd8 18.Rd1+ Ke8 19.Bf4 c5

Another commital move, black will have to watch out for a knight landing on d5.

20.e6 Bxe6 21.Bxc7 f6

[21...Rh6]

22.Bb8 a6 23.Ba7 Bd8 24.Nc3

Polgar thought that Karjakin missed this and perhaps collapsed psychologically. She felt that he played far too quickly following this move.

24...Kf7 25.Na4 b5 26.Nxc5 Bc8 27.cxb5 axb5 28.a4 bxa4 29.bxa4 Re8 30.Rb1

White is a pawn up with very good winning chances.

30...g5 31.Bb6 Be7 32.a5 Bxc5 33.Bxc5

Setting up the potential defence of bishops of opposite colour. The fact his pawns are on dark squares however means this defence may be harder the usual to set up.

33...Re6 34.Rb6 Ng7 35.Be3 Nf5 36.Rb8 Re8 37.Ra8 Bb7

This loses quickly but there no longer seems a defence.

[37...Nxe3 38.fxe3 Bf5 39.Rxe8 Kxe8 40.a6 Kd7 41.a7 Be4 42.Nh2 Kc7 43.Ng4 f5 44.Ne5 Kb6 45.Nf7 g4 46.Nd6 just wins.]

38.Ra7 Re7 39.Bc5 Rd7 40.a6 Bc6 41.Rxd7+ Bxd7 42.Nd2 Ke6 43.Nc4 Bc6 44.Nb6 Nd6 45.Bxd6

The simplest, Polgar has it all worked out.

45...Kxd6 46.a7 Kc7 47.a8Q Bxa8 48.Nxa8+ Kb7 49.f4

The black king cannot return in time.

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