Former world champ Magnus Carlsen reclaimed a crown and settled a score on his way to winning his fourth world Speed Chess Championship over an elite field in Paris last week.
In his first over-the-board battle with American GM Hans Niemann since the Norwegian’s accusations two years ago ignited a massive cheating controversy that made front-page news around the world, Carlsen handily dismissed Niemann in their semifinal match, a mix of five-minute, three-minute and bullet chess games, by a 17½-12½ score.
The pugnacious Niemann, who upset French star GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and American No. 3 GM Wesley So earlier in the event, could take some consolation that he had kept it that close: Carlsen would go on to blow out French GM Alireza Firouzja in the finals by a score of 23½-7½.
Even at quicker time controls, Carlsen is a fan of the positional grind-out, using the tiniest of positional advantages to slowly wear down opponents. But when the opportunity presents itself, the former world champ is perfectly capable of going for the jugular tactically.
Case in point was Game 3 of the Niemann match: When Black appears to mix up his systems in this Neo-Catalan English (6…c5, challenging in the center, is more common than 6…a5!?), and with 7 Nc3 c6 8. e4!, White alertly switches to a kind of King’s Indian Attack set-up where he need hardly bother with Black’s traditional queenside counterplay. On the game’s 8…Na6 (d4 may have limited the downside for Niemann here, with a small push for White after 9. Nb1 c5 10. e5 Ne8 11. Re1) 9. e5 Nd7 10. h4!, anchoring the g5 square, it’s already clear Black will have trouble matching the assembling White army around his king.
Niemann’s laborious plan to create a queenside diversion is rudely brushed aside: 13. d4 Bc6 14. Ng5! b5 (plodding ahead, but White was also better after 14…h6 15. Nxe6!? (just 15. Nh3 b5 16. Qg4 is also good, here) fxe6 16. Qg4 Rf7 17. Bxh6, with a strong attack) 15. Qh5 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 Qe8 (f6?! 17. exf6 Nxf6 18. Rxe6 Nxh5 [Qd7 19. Rxf6! gxf6 20. Bh6 Rfe8 21. Bxd5+ Bxd5 22. Nxd5 Qf7 23. Qf5 Re6 24. Qg4+ Kh8 25. Bg7+ Qxg7 26. Qxe6, with total domination] 19. Bxd8 Rfxd8 20. Rxc6) 17. Qg4!, sidestepping Black’s hopes of trying to defend with 17. Rac1!? f5!.
By 20. Nf4 Nxa2 (see diagram), Black has succeeded in making a little noise with his counterattack, but it is quickly drowned out by the roar of White’s final assault: 21. Nh5! (ignoring the attack on the rook in the hunt for the Black king) Rg8 (avoiding one pitfall — 21…Nxc1? 22. Bf6! Rg8 23. Bxg7+ and mate next — but still going down) 22. Nf6! Qf8 23. Qh5 (also winning were 23. Rxc6 and even 23. Nxh7!) gxf6 (h6 24. Rxc6 gxf6 25. Bxh6 Qe8 26. Bf8 mate) 24. Bxf6+ Rg7 25. Rxc6 Nc4, and Niemann resigned before the hammer comes down for good.
One fun winning idea is 26. Rc7 Kg8 27. Bxd5! exd5 28. Bxg7 Qxg7 (Kxg7 29. e6 Nd6 30. exf7 Nxf7 31. Re5 Kg8 32. Rf5, and Black’s game collapses) 29. e6 Nd6 330. Re5 Kf8 31. Rg5 Qf6 32. Qh6+! Qxh6 33. e7+_ Ke8 34. Rg8+ Qf8 35. Rxf8 mate.
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The prodigy is growing up.
New Jersey GM Ahbimanyu Mishra entered the record books in 2021 when he became the youngest titled grandmaster in history at the tender age of 12 years, four months and 25 days. He’s had some mixed results since, though he did win the 2023 U.S. junior title and scored a surprise second place in the subsequent U.S. national championship tournament.
Still just a chess baby at 15, Mishra recently notched his first win in the annual Washington International Tournament, an increasingly strong Swiss event put on by the Maryland Chess Association.
Even with a half-point bye in the final round, Mishra, now 15, tied for first at the Rockville tournament last month with Chinese GM Zhou Jianchou, both at 7-2, with the young GM claiming the title on better tiebreaks.
Mishra scored a critical win in a Round 6 Queen’s Gambit against Minnesota GM Andrew Tang. Many positional players like the early exchange 4. cxd5 exd5 since it clarifies the center early on and allows for more complex maneuvering. After the tricky sequence 9. a3 (Nge2 is also fine here) Bxc3+ (Nxc3!? 10. Qb3 Bxa3 11. bxc3 Be7 12. Nf3 gives nice compensation for the pawn) 10. bxc3 h5 (and now White’s just better after 10…Nxc3?! 11. Qc1 Ne4 12. Bxc7 Qe7 13. Be5) 11. f3 Nxg3 12. hxg3 Qe7 13. Kf2, Black is doing fine except for one small detail — his king.
Castling queenside is out, and castling short for now just hangs the h-pawn. But, as the game proves, keeping the Black king in the center has its drawbacks, too. On 18. Ne2 (White can’t castle either, but his king rests snugly behind the nest of pawns) Nf6 19. Qb4!, the proffered queen trade would only focus the spotlight on Tang’s vulnerable queenside, but keeping the queens on the board only increases the dangers for his unfortunate king.
With 24. Bxd7 Nxd7!? (this might be the last chance for 24…Qxb4 25. axb4 Kxd7 26. b5, though White still has all the play) 25. Qb5!, Mishra retracts the queen trade offer and targets Black’s increasingly jumbled force in front of his king. The noose tightens after 25…Rc8 26. Rac1 Rxc3 27. Rxc3 Qd6 (trying to give the king an escape hatch, but it’s already too late) 28. Qa4! (hitting the Black a-pawn but also planning to get behind the rook on the c-file) a5 29. Rc6 Qe7 (Qb8 30. Qb5 and the Black d-pawn falls), and White has one more housecleaning chore before the knockout blow.
Thus: 30. e4! (ending any Black ideas of getting in …Qxe3+, with real counterplay) dxe4 31. Qc2!, and Black’s boxed-up forces are helpless. Tang resigned ahead of lines like 31…e3+ 32. Kg1 Qf8 (fun would be 32…Nb8 33. Rc8+ Kd7 34. Qc7+ Ke6 35. Qxb6+ Kf5 36. g4+ hxg4 37. Ng3+ Kf4 38. Nh5+ Kf5 39. Rc5+! Qxc5 40. Qf6 mate) 33. Rc8+ K7 34. Qe4+ Kf6 35. Rxe8 and wins.
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
Carlsen-Niemann, Speed Chess Championship semifinals, Game 3, Paris, September 2024
1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 a5 7. Nc3 c6 8. e4 Na6 9. e5 Nd7 10. h4 b6 11. Re1 Bb7 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. d4 Bc6 14. Ng5 b5 15. Qh5 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 Qe8 17. Qg4 Kh8 18. Rac1 Nb6 19. Ne2 Nb4 20. Nf4 Nxa2 21. Nh5 Rg8 22. Nf6 Qf8 23. Qh5 gxf6 24. Bxf6+ Rg7 25. Rxc6 Nc4 and Black resigns.
Mishra-Tang, 11th Washington International Tournament, Rockville, Md, August 2024
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Bb4 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Ne4 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 h5 11. f3 Nxg3 12. hxg3 Qe7 13. Kf2 Be6 14. Qb3 b6 15. Bd3 c6 16. c4 Nd7 17. cxd5 cxd5 18. Ne2 Nf6 19. Qb4 Bd7 20. Rhc1 Kd8 21. Ba6 Re8 22. Rc3 Bc8 23. Bb5 Bd7 24. Bxd7 Nxd7 25. Qb5 Rc8 26. Rac1 Rxc3 27. Rxc3 Qd6 28. Qa4 a5 29. Rc6 Qe7 30. e4 dxe4 31. Qc2 Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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