[CHESS] World Championship 2021: Carlsen Vs. Nepomniachtchi

[Boristhecat]

The odds for today's (11th game in the series) are:

6.30
1.50
3.90

Nepo plays white, but his chances are estimated to be about twice as bad as Magnus, and the draw has an amazing odds of 1.5. In my opinion, a bet on either of the first two outcomes or both at once looks like super profitable. It seems to me that Nepo has already come to terms with the defeat in the match, calmed down and is now able to play some good games, at least he will not allow such catastrophes as after the first defeat.

[LUCKMCFLY]

for those interested on seeing the games in an interactive way, where you can go back and see comments on each move lichess has this published article with the 7 games and the interactive board
it's really usefull

https://lichess.org/blog/YaqhUBEAACIAu7T1/carlsen-versus-nepomniachtchi-fide-world-championship-round-6

example of Game6 moves + comments: (on the website it's a bit better because you have the board too)

Code:

1.d4No 1.e4 today. Magnus wasn't impressed by his play against the Petroff Defense and decides to return to 1.d4.1...Nf62.Nf3d53.g3e64.Bg2Be75.O-OO-O6.b3!?Catalan without
c4 being played? What is this? Is it even a challenging line? Frankly speaking,
it is not. But as Peter Heine Nielsen (the loyal member of Team Carlsen) said,
what they don't dare getting opening-edge with White. Their goal is simply to
avoid well-trodden lines and get into a fresh area where Magnus could try
proving why he is a number one player in the world.6.c4dxc47.Qc2b5is what happened in game 2.6...c5Of course! Black doesn't miss the
momentum to challenge the center!7.dxc5Bxc58.c4you don't see often a
position that been played only couple of times by move 8.8.Bb2is a more
natural follow up.8...dxc49.Qc2Nand here comes the novelty!9.bxc4was played in that single in the same year I was born - 1995!9...Nc6looks totally comfortable for Black.9...Qe710.Nbd2another game Magnus
is willing to sac a pawn in the opening!10...Nc6this time Nepo is not
interested in having 'extra' pawn! I guess it was the right call!
10...cxb3was however totally legit!11.Nxb3Bd611...Bb412.Nfd2bringing
Knight to -c412...Nc613.Nc4⇆White looks to have enough compensation for
sacrificed pawn and Black has some difficulties with the development.
11.Nxc4b5!?Ian meets Carlsen's novelty with enthusiasm!12.Nce5Nb4
12...Bb7is no good due to simple tactical nuance13.Nxc6Bxc614.b4!now Black is in trouble14...Bxf315.Bxf3Bd415...Bxb416.Bxa8Rxa817.Qc6+−16.Bxa8Bxa117.Bf3Qxb418.Bd2Qd419.Rb1+−White eventually will
return the pawn and yet remain with Bishop pair in an open position, whilst
all Black pieces being disharmonized.
13.Qb2Bb7Despite the fact Ian got
surprised in this game, he handled the position well and now Black seems to
have even easier play!14.a3Nc615.Nd3typical for Catalan - Knight
rethreat. In fact, more often we see the f3-Knight getting to to -e5 and then
to -d3.15.Bg5Nxe516.Qxe515...Bb616.Bg5Rfd817.Bxf617.Rac1Nd4looked good for Blackgxf6Interesting and ambitious decision!
Seems like Nepo tries to play for something more than equality!17...Qxf6is what I was expecting from the challenger, trading off the Queens and play
pleasant endgame with the Bishop pair.18.Qxf6gxf619.Rfc1Rac8looks
totally comfortable for Black18.Rac1Nd418...e5with the idea of
forking the Knights with ...-e4 leaves f5-square weak.19.Nh4⇆19.Nxd4Bxd420.Qa2the Queen is placed weird on -a2. Yet defending the a3-pawn is a
temporary task as White is planning to play either b4 or a4 with the next move
and later bring back the Queen into the game.20...Bxg221.Kxg2Qb7+22.Kg1Qe4Centralization! How to evaluate this position? From one side Black pieces look
more active, on the hand White's totally safe and has better pawn structure.
If White manages to coordinate pieces, they can fight for something more than
a draw. At the moment I'd call it dynamical equality.23.Qc2a524.Rfd1Kg724...f5!?looks natural for Black, defending the Queen and extending the
a1-h8 long diagonal for the Bishop.25.Rd2Position seems to be dull and
empty. As often it happens in chess, engines shows trimple zeros. However,
spent 33 (!) minutes by Magnus on his last 2 moves (24.Rfd1 and 25.Rd2) tells
us how, in fact, the position is complex. These moves may seem slow, but they
are often very deep. With these two moves Magnus defends his e2-pawn and is
ready to trade the Queen on two Rooks in case of ...-Rc8Rac8And that's
what we see on the board. I'm a bit surprised with Ian's decision, I should
tell. Not that it's a bad move, no. In point of fact engines like and approve
this continuation, however, it felt like there was no reason for Black to
enter unbalanced position, whilst the solid play could maintain the equality.25...f5again looked good26.Qd1Rdc826.Qxc8Rxc827.Rxc8Qd5challenging White's queenside pawns.28.b4a4now a3-pawn is Black's
potential target29.e3Be5
29...Bb2immediately looked the easiest for
Black30.Rc5is only move for White to keep the balance in the position.30...Qd631.Rxb2Qxd332.Rbc2yet another only move!32...Qxa333.Rxb5Qa1+34.Kg2Qb1freeing the road for the a-pawn whilst attacking c2-Rook and eyeing
e4-square.35.Rc4a3looked like an easy draw for Black36.Ra5a237.Rg4+Kf838.Ra8+Ke739.Ra7+Kf8only but enough for a draw move.39...Kd6??loses due to40.Rd4+Kc641.b5+!an important nuance41...Kxb542.Rda4+−and White manages to hold the a-pawn. Black King is way too far from its
kingside pawns. White's winning.40.Ra8+Ke7and another game in the match
could have ended by three-fold repetition.
30.h4!in post-game commentry
Magnus said he won this blockbuster mostly because he was more patient in the
game. This is one of the moments where we can see how patiently and
masterfully handles extremely complicated position. White does not rush
anywhere, yet slightly improves his position.30...h5is again a move that is
approved by the engines, however, for a human eye -h5 looks a bit "weakening".
With other words, inclusion of h4-h5 in a long run is a concession for Ian.
The pawn on -h5 now (and seems like forever) is fixed on a light square. It
cannot be defended by the Bishop anymore.31.Kh2another slow, prophylactic
move, shows Magnus' titanic patience!31...Bb2??Black finally does this move,
but at the very wrong moment!32.Rc5Qd6
32...Qd7leads to a Bishop trap33.Rcc2!Bxa334.Ra2e5last try35.e4!35.Rxa3does not win due to35...e4Qc636.Rxa3Qxe437.Raa2+−
33.Rd1was played instantly,
meanwhile 33.Rc2 was very strong! But try figuring out without assistance of
the engine!
33.Rxb2Qxd334.Rbc2Qxa335.Rxb5
33.Rcc2!Bxa334.Nf4
34...Qxb435.Rd7!was out of Magnus' radar, is what
he admitted in the press conference after the game. White creates a powerful
attack on Black's King. Black needs to find a way how to defend from Nxe6 or
Rcc7, attacking the f7-pawn.35...Qb3is the only logical way to do so36.Rcc7e537.Nxh5+Kg638.Rc6!beautiful motif.38...Kxh539.Rxf6+−Black King
is in a mating net! Rdxf7 or Rd8 followed by bringing the Rook onto the h-file
with the final touch f3 is one of the main threats of White.
34...Qf835.Rc7Kg836.Rdc2Qxb437.Rc8+Kg738.Nxh5+Kg639.Nf4+Kg740.R2c7Qe441.Rd8
33...Bxa334.Rxb5Qd7is what Magnus overlooked! He believed he manages to hold the
b4-pawn, but now he is fated to lose it!35.Rc5
35.Rxh5??is in fact a
losing move as Rook gets trapped!35...Bxb4and Black wins.36.Nb2
36...Qc6+−wins easily
36...Qxd1could be a fun but totally unnecessary line where37.Nxd1a3White has two tempi to stop the a-pawn from promoting, but they
are unable to do it. Yet, they are not lost and saving the game with.38.Rb5a239.Rxb4a1=Q40.Rd4should be easily holdable.
35...e5!?Yet Ian doesn't take the pawn. He intends to win the game by playing ...-e4
next!
35...Bxb436.Rcc1Ba537.Nf4Qb5looked decent for Black, but I
bet Ian rejected playing it because of38.Rb1Qf5and39.Rb7now White
puts serious pressure along the 7th-rank. Especially in a time trouble
situation it's extremely difficult to assess position correctly. Black would
be totally fine after39...e5!40.Nh3Qe641.Ra7Qb3
36.Rc2
36.e4gives Black an opportunity of playing36...Qd4this doesn't look practically
great for White, despite the fact that engines say White is safe after37.Ra5Qc4!38.Rxa4Qb339.Rxa3Qxa340.b5Qb3and b5-pawn falls.41.Rd2Qxb5Can White hold this? I guess they have to. In this case Magnus would rather
believe in fortresses!
36...Qd5This move amazes me! Black is not into
capturing the b4-pawn!
36...e437.Nb2Qe638.Nc4Bxb439.Ra1Qd7looks like what happened in the game with one significant difference. Black's
e4-pawn is yet alive!
36...Bxb4is although something I'd play without
thinking!37.Rcc137.Nb2Qg4!Ba3!38.Ra138.Nxe5Qf5-+Qg4!Black Queen gets out of the x-ray attack, keeps an eye on
d1-Rook and yet defends a4-pawn. Next, Black is going to rethreat the Bishop
and play ...-a339.Rd2Bf8∓this doesn't look for for White!
37.Rdd237.Rcd2was an alternativeQb338.Ra2e4?Someone complained
about 'too-accurate' chess after game 3, huh? Here we got the blunderfest!
After this inaccuracy, White is totally winning. Accoding to engine.
38...Bxb439.Rdb2Qxd340.Rxb4a341.Ra4f542.R4xa3Qf1seems to be drawish
as Black keeps an eye on -f2 pawn and one of the Rooks of White should always
be defending the pawn.
38...f5was best according to engine39.Nc5Qxb440.Nxa4Qb3followed by ...-f4 and crushing White King's shield.
39.Nc5Qxb440.Nxe4?sad for Magnus, but he misses the winning
opportunity on critical, control move! Some say move 40 tends to be the most
error happening move. Leko once told, it's in fact move 41. The reason is, a
player is maximally concentrated and gives his all until gaining additional
move. Then, after 40-move control has passed and extra time been added on the
clock, players usually relax and sometimes way too much and lose the
concentration.
40.Rdc2!was nearly winning on the spot!40...f541.Nxa4Qxa441...Qb342.Nc3+−Knight is getting to -e2 and next hopefully -f4 or -d4.42.Rc3+−after the Bishop is taken, White will group the Rooks either
on the fifth or seventh rank, after what f5 or f7 pawn falls.
40...Qb3Control move was made by Ian too! What has just happened! We just witnessed
Big Big Drama! Despite numerous errors from both sides, position has again
stabilized! Now another phase in the game is starting. The question is, will
Magnus be able to attack Black's weak pawns, or the -a passed pawn is way too
strong?41.Rac2prepares Nc5 with the next move, from where it most
probably is being redeployed to f4.41...Bf842.Nc5Qb542...Bxc5??cannot be
played43.Rxc5a344.Rc1+−followed by Ra1; Rda2 and winning the a-pawn.43.Nd3a344.Nf4yes, Magnus does bring the Knight on f4. Still position
shouldn't be bad for Black.44...Qa545.Ra2Bb446.Rd3
46.Rd5might win a
pawn but worsen White's chances.46...Qa647.Nxh5+?!Kh648.Nf4Qc4now
White's pieces are discoordinated.49.Ra1Qc350.Rdd1Qc251.Nd3Bf8↑followed by ..-a2
46...Kh6King comes to a defense of the h5-pawn so now
the Queen is free to move around.47.Rd1Qa448.Rda1Bd649.Kg1Qb350.Ne2Magnus decides his Knight has no longer any potential on -f4 and brings it to
-d4 and perhaps later c2-a3?50...Qd351.Nd4Kh7in order not to get any
unpleasant forks from f5.52.Kh2Qe4another controversial decision by Ian.
Perhaps another moment where we see Magnus' patience and endurance were
superior today.
52...Kg6A waiting move is what I'd consider doing. The
critical thing is, there's yet no direct plan for White how to improve the
position!53.Nc2might look annoying as White's got already three (!)
attacks on a3-pawn, but Black has got53...Be5!now54.Nd4is best what
White has got.54.Nxa3with the try of getting Rook+Knight+pawn against
the Queen, in fact might cost White the game.54...Qb3!and White's paralyzed.
Next, ...-Bxa1, Rxa1-Qb2 is the idea.
53.Rxa3!Now White gets some
hopes!Qxh4+53...Bxa354.Rxa3should be easy win for White as all Black
pawns are vulnerable and White has many54.Kg1Qe4
54...Bxg3?55.fxg3Qxg3+56.Kf1+−and it seems like Black has no eternal checks
54...Qh3
55.Ra7h456.Rxf7+Kg8!57.Raa7hxg358.Rg7+Kh859.Rh7+Qxh760.Rxh7+Kxh761.f4Kg662.Kg2f5leads to a drawish endgame.
55.Ra4!?would be quite a try55...h456.Nf3Bxg3!57.Rf1!now White threatens to capture the BIshop, since f3-Knight is defended already57...Qd7!58.Rd4Bd6!59.Rxh4+Kg7After numerous 'only moves', many pawns
been removed from the board. I believe Black should be able holding this
endgame rather easily.
55.Ra4!Only move for fighting for some edge. With such little annoying moves, Magnus puts serious pressure on his opponents! Usual Magnus stuff!Be555...Bxg356.Ne2+−56.Ne2Qc257.R1a2Qb358.Kg2Qd5+59.f3With last moves White was trying
to stabilyze and improve King's safety. Objectively such positions (with
perfect play) should end in a draw, however, the problem with Black's position
is, they have no much of counterplay. Usually, in such positions White's
strategy is to keep the tension and simply potter around. The longer game is,
the more Black's chances of going wrong are!59...Qd160.f4Bc761.Kf2Bb662.Ra1Qb3Black tries putting as much pressure as possible. White has to defend
-e3 pawn now.63.Re4That's what they do63...Kg764.Re8Now White's plan is
to play Raa8 and create mating threats!64...f5Ian opens an air for the King65.Raa8Qb466.Rac8Again, despite the fact that engines show triple zeros,
it's extremely hard to come up with some active plan for Black. Cause, it
simply does not exist. Black should instead be in a waiting mode and parry all
White's little ideas. That's one of the most difficult things to do in chess.
Especially for ambitious Ian.66...Ba5Black tries to get the Queen on e167.Rc1Prevented.67...Bb668.Re5now -f5 is being attacked.68...Qb3-f5 is defended by
attacking the -e3 pawn.69.Re8Rook return to the place where it came from.
Magnus repeats position (had Black played 69...-Qb4). Not because he accepts
the draw. It's done to extend the game and tire the opponent.69...Qd570.Rcc8Qh171.Rc1Qd571...Qh2+72.Kf3h4trying to weaken White's King73.gxh4+−only weakens Black's! Knight on -g3 will be defending White and attacking Black's King!72.Rb1as we can see, position hasn't been changed for at least
last ten moves. In such cases defender often gets the illusion that he holds
the position any way. This illusion may sometimes be misleading. With the next
move Ian does small inaccuracy after what Magnus gets a chance to transform
the position into R+N+2p vs Q, where he will have better chancesBa772...Bc7was keeping position as it is.73.Re7Bc574.Re5Qd375.Rb7now
White Rooks found ideal setup. How to defend the Bishop?Qc275...Bd676.Rd7+−76.Rb5seems like Black is totally lost now. But tactical nuance
keeps them in the game76...Ba777.Ra5Bb678.Rab5Ba779.Rxf5Qd3!Both
Rooks are loaded by defending each other. Any Rook coming to e5 in fact
doesn't defend the e3-pawn.80.Rxf7+!
80.Rfe5Bxe3+81.Rxe3Qxb5
80.Rbe5Bxe3+81.Rxe3Qxf5
80...Kxf781.Rb7+Kg682.Rxa7AbasovThat's the position we were talking about in our comments to move 72. With the given material on the board Black should still be able to hold the position, however, some precision is already being required from them!AbasovThat's the
position we were talking about on move 72. With given material on the board
Black should still be able to hold the endgame, however, some precision is
already being required now!82...Qd583.Ra6+I remembered one more beautiful game with a similar material balance (R+N+p vs Q) by Carlsen. For those who are interested in studying more of such an unbalanced endgame, I'd recommend seeing Carlsen,M - Navara,D game from Biel, 2018.83...Kh784.Ra1Kg685.Nd4Qb786.Ra2Qh187.Ra6+Kf788.Nf3Qb189.Rd6Kg790.Rd5Qa2+91.Rd2Qb192.Re2Qb693.Rc2Qb194.Nd4Qh195.Rc7+Kf696.Rc6+Kf797.Nf3Qb198.Ng5+Kg799.Ne6+Kf7100.Nd4Qh1First 'Century' of the match! You don't see it in chess as often as in snooker!101.Rc7+Kf6102.Nf3Qb1103.Rd7Qb2+104.Rd2Qb1105.Ng1Qb4106.Rd1Qb3107.Rd6+Kg7108.Rd4Qb2+109.Ne2Qb1110.e4with last nearly 40 moves Magnus did nothing much on the board but exhaust his
opponent. Ian most probably has to defend for another 50 moves, until Magnus
advanced the pawn again.110...Qh1111.Rd7+Kg8112.Rd4Qh2+113.Ke3h4Ian
takes some actions first. By trading off his last pawn he wants to open up the
position of the White King, so he can check it from the flanks as well.114.gxh4Qh3+115.Kd2Qxh4116.Rd3Kf8117.Rf3Qd8+118.Ke3Qa5119.Kf2Qa7+120.Re3Qd7121.Ng3Knight stands great on g3. It defends the -e4 pawn and
guards the King from checks121...Qd2+122.Kf3Qd1+123.Re2Qb3+124.Kg2Qb7125.Rd2Qb3126.Rd5The Rook is activated. Seems like White managed to improve
the position significantly. Yet, this position is a draw, according to endgame
databases.126...Ke7127.Re5+Kf7128.Rf5+Ke8129.e5As it's said in a well
known quote: 'Once your all pieces stand well, push your passed pawn!"129...Qa2+130.Kh3Qe6?RIght it's past midnight in Dubai, after 7 hours and 35
minutes of battling, Nepo makes a crutial mistake! Now, according to
Lomonosov's 7-piece endgame tablebase White's winning.
130...Qb1was one
of the two moves that keeps Black in the game. Idea is to get the Queen to -d1.131.Rf6Qd1132.Kh4132.Rd6Qf3!and Black is safeQe1!again strictly the only move!133.Kg4Qg1and Black is safe. But it's
unhuman way of defending!
130...Qc2with the same idea
131.Kh4Qh6+132.Nh5Qh7problem with this move is that it's not even threatening
anything!133.e6!the most precise133...Qg6
133...Qxf5loses to elementary134.Ng7++−
133...Qe7+134.Kg4134.Rf6??Qa7Qb7135.Rd5!beautiful way of killing all Black's hopes
133...Qa7134.Kg5only!134...Qg1+135.Kf6activity of the King decides the game!
134.Rf7Kd8
134...Qh6in one of the live broadcasts a very strong GM suggested135.Rh7?it shows how tiring a chess game can be and how difficult it is to keep the
concentration for the duration of 7-8 hours! It's never late to make a mistake
and lose a game...135...Qxh7and there's no Nf6 fork due to the pin. Black wins!
134...Qxe6135.Ng7+Kxf7136.Nxe6Kxe6137.Kg5leads to a winning pawn
endgame137...Kf7138.Kf5!+−Last touch! Opposition!
135.f5Qg1136.Ng7!

Thank you very much again, in some plays it is sometimes difficult to understand their origin, but as the game unleashes it is where each play begins to mesh that sometimes when analyzing it at the beginning you do not understand the reason for the movement, the best all is that these chess players have a very high vision of the game, I know they are good at predicting many possible scenarios and if there are 4 or 5 possible scenarios according to the other's play, they are filtering the best option to play, some people They only focus on making the best intro, or the best defense, perhaps some seek as a strategy to position themselves well to attack, but these people sometimes do not even use those theories.

[eaLiTy]

So the tournament is finally over at Game 11 and we do not see the rest of the matches because Magnus Carlsen won comprehensively with 7½ points and i did not expect much from Ian Nepomniachtchi as he made blunders in this match which gave Magnus Carlsen the opportunity to finish him and it was a great game, but i missed some of the matches and i need to see those game play and replicate that to understand the game.

[bekti3]

So the tournament is finally over at Game 11 and we do not see the rest of the matches because Magnus Carlsen won comprehensively with 7½ points and i did not expect much from Ian Nepomniachtchi as he made blunders in this match which gave Magnus Carlsen the opportunity to finish him and it was a great game, but i missed some of the matches and i need to see those game play and replicate that to understand the game.

Nepo played pretty badly and I think this is a pretty fatal blunder.
Actually in the previous matches I still expected a new champion here but after this match I feel Magnus will still be in control and hold the record as a chess master who has successfully defended his title in recent years.
I am now completely on Magnus' side

[babygun]

In the end, it was an easy win for Carlsen (7.5 vs 3.5). Nepo made some blunders in 3 games and this has proven to be fatal for him. I did expect that Carlsen would retain his world title but couldn't really imagine that it would be so simple for him to do it.

[Kemarit]

In the end, it was an easy win for Carlsen (7.5 vs 3.5). Nepo made some blunders in 3 games and this has proven to be fatal for him. I did expect that Carlsen would retain his world title but couldn't really imagine that it would be so simple for him to do it.

Yes mate, I thought it will go down the wire or even a draw. But Carlsen took the advantage of every Nepo blunders in their game.

It was one of the lopsided match and it was a complete meltdown for Nepo.

So now, we have no doubt that we is the best chess player in the world in the last couple of years.

[Obito]

In the end, it was an easy win for Carlsen (7.5 vs 3.5). Nepo made some blunders in 3 games and this has proven to be fatal for him. I did expect that Carlsen would retain his world title but couldn't really imagine that it would be so simple for him to do it.

You can't make any blunders when you're up against the World Champion, Carlsen will have a way to exploit that weakness and capitalize on it. At the least, he played like a contender for world champion. Carlsen would probably hold the title for a long time because I think that he is still unparalleled when it comes to chess so far.

[Boristhecat]

So the tournament is finally over at Game 11 and we do not see the rest of the matches because Magnus Carlsen won comprehensively with 7½ points and i did not expect much from Ian Nepomniachtchi as he made blunders in this match which gave Magnus Carlsen the opportunity to finish him and it was a great game, but i missed some of the matches and i need to see those game play and replicate that to understand the game.

This confrontation reminded me of some boxing fights when, before the first knockout, there is complete equality in the ring, and after one of the boxers is knocked out, he can no longer recover and the remaining rounds become a formality. After the first defeat, Nepo disintegrated and ceased resistance. It's a pity. Apparently Magnus has a few more years before a new generation of players like Firouja gain strength and dethrone him.

[Davidvictorson]

In the end, it was an easy win for Carlsen (7.5 vs 3.5). Nepo made some blunders in 3 games and this has proven to be fatal for him. I did expect that Carlsen would retain his world title but couldn't really imagine that it would be so simple for him to do it.

Yes mate, I thought it will go down the wire or even a draw. But Carlsen took the advantage of every Nepo blunders in their game.

It was one of the lopsided match and it was a complete meltdown for Nepo.

So now, we have no doubt that we is the best chess player in the world in the last couple of years.

Carlsen really took his time to calculate everything when he had a winning position. Meanwhile, Nepo blitzed out moves in critical moments. Before c5, there was the option to play b4 instead of bxa3, but Nepo just instantly grabbed the pawn. He played c5 with some 50 mins on the clock vs 15 for Carlsen.

[qwertyup23]

In the end, it was an easy win for Carlsen (7.5 vs 3.5). Nepo made some blunders in 3 games and this has proven to be fatal for him. I did expect that Carlsen would retain his world title but couldn't really imagine that it would be so simple for him to do it.

Yes mate, I thought it will go down the wire or even a draw. But Carlsen took the advantage of every Nepo blunders in their game.

It was one of the lopsided match and it was a complete meltdown for Nepo.

So now, we have no doubt that we is the best chess player in the world in the last couple of years.

Carlsen really took his time to calculate everything when he had a winning position. Meanwhile, Nepo blitzed out moves in critical moments. Before c5, there was the option to play b4 instead of bxa3, but Nepo just instantly grabbed the pawn. He played c5 with some 50 mins on the clock vs 15 for Carlsen.

As someone who is a big fan of Magnus, I am personally saddened by the state of Nepo in the WC 2021. After game 6, he somehow went downhill especially that in yesterday's games, he blundered which gave Magnus a +4.6 advantage which he slowly raked through the game and converted it to a win!

Magnus retained his 5th WC title but props to Nepo for the brilliant games he played. He definitely challenged Magnus and put up a good fight but at the end, the champion still reigned.

[aoluain]

In the end, it was an easy win for Carlsen (7.5 vs 3.5). Nepo made some blunders in 3 games and this has proven to be fatal for him. I did expect that Carlsen would retain his world title but couldn't really imagine that it would be so simple for him to do it.

Yes mate, I thought it will go down the wire or even a draw. But Carlsen took the advantage of every Nepo blunders in their game.

It was one of the lopsided match and it was a complete meltdown for Nepo.

So now, we have no doubt that we is the best chess player in the world in the last couple of years.

Carlsen really took his time to calculate everything when he had a winning position. Meanwhile, Nepo blitzed out moves in critical moments. Before c5, there was the option to play b4 instead of bxa3, but Nepo just instantly grabbed the pawn. He played c5 with some 50 mins on the clock vs 15 for Carlsen.

As someone who is a big fan of Magnus, I am personally saddened by the state of Nepo in the WC 2021. After game 6, he somehow went downhill especially that in yesterday's games, he blundered which gave Magnus a +4.6 advantage which he slowly raked through the game and converted it to a win!

Magnus retained his 5th WC title but props to Nepo for the brilliant games he played. He definitely challenged Magnus and put up a good fight but at the end, the champion still reigned.

Yes it seemed that in the early games it was going to be very close between them
with the title possible to go to either oponent but when Carlsen won that 6th game
it seems that he broke the deadlock and was able to beat Nepo's game plans.

Thinking back to the first 5 games, Carlsen arguably learned more about Nepo's
play than the other way around. would that be a fair assesment?

https://en.chessbase.com/post/world-championship-2021-g11

Then came game 6, the turning point of the confrontation. In a marathon game, which will
be repeatedly analysed in the near future, Carlsen came out on top after a rollercoaster battle.
The game lasted almost 8 hours and, in hindsight, had a major impact in Nepo’s psychological shape.
What followed was nothing short of a disaster for the Russian, who lost three games after horribly
blundering simple tactical tricks — especially for players of the highest level.

[Boristhecat]

At the moment, a scandal has erupted in Russia due to the fact that Magnus published the list of his team members and there was a grandmaster from Russia - Daniil Dubov. Dubov has been cooperating with Magnus for a long time and in fact it was expected, but for some reason many Russian grandmasters (and officials) assessed this as a "betrayal" and attacked Dubov with criticism.
An interesting situation, but it seems to me that the main reason is that they are only dissatisfied with the result of the Magnus-Nepo match and this is just a way to pour out their emotions.

[aoluain]

That seems a bit bizzare, who wouldnt given the chance want to work with Carlsen
after all he is the number 1. This happens all the time in all sports, there is a mix of nationalities
in any team even national teams the manager might be from a different country and
ends up playing against his or hers native country.

Was this an issue before the tournament started?

I agree that the Russians are just venting their emotions.

[coco23]

That seems a bit bizzare, who wouldnt given the chance want to work with Carlsen
after all he is the number 1. This happens all the time in all sports, there is a mix of nationalities
in any team even national teams the manager might be from a different country and
ends up playing against his or hers native country.

Was this an issue before the tournament started?

I agree that the Russians are just venting their emotions.

Yea I also find this weird. I didn't know nationality is such a big thing in chess. It is mostly pictured as a competition between individuals, at least more so than other sports....

Was this "complaining of the loser" such an issue in the past? Seems to happen more frequently nowadays...

[qwertyup23]

At the moment, a scandal has erupted in Russia due to the fact that Magnus published the list of his team members and there was a grandmaster from Russia - Daniil Dubov. Dubov has been cooperating with Magnus for a long time and in fact it was expected, but for some reason many Russian grandmasters (and officials) assessed this as a "betrayal" and attacked Dubov with criticism.
An interesting situation, but it seems to me that the main reason is that they are only dissatisfied with the result of the Magnus-Nepo match and this is just a way to pour out their emotions.

Sergey Karjakin tweeted a jab against Dubov for supporting Carlsen but he forgot about the fact that he used to train in the UK and later on pledged his loyalty to Putin. Again, this is not an issue about patriotism as chess is an international sport with two people fighting for the world title. It should not be political (although the history depicts it as such) and should only focus on talent of the players.

If that were the case also, then Kasparov should be under scandal when he trained Magnus when he was young, also Karpov. I really do think that the Russians are going too overboard on this issue especially that they tackled on the topic about 'patriotism' when such is not the case.

[Boristhecat]

At the moment, a scandal has erupted in Russia due to the fact that Magnus published the list of his team members and there was a grandmaster from Russia - Daniil Dubov. Dubov has been cooperating with Magnus for a long time and in fact it was expected, but for some reason many Russian grandmasters (and officials) assessed this as a "betrayal" and attacked Dubov with criticism.
An interesting situation, but it seems to me that the main reason is that they are only dissatisfied with the result of the Magnus-Nepo match and this is just a way to pour out their emotions.

Sergey Karjakin tweeted a jab against Dubov for supporting Carlsen but he forgot about the fact that he used to train in the UK and later on pledged his loyalty to Putin. Again, this is not an issue about patriotism as chess is an international sport with two people fighting for the world title. It should not be political (although the history depicts it as such) and should only focus on talent of the players.

If that were the case also, then Kasparov should be under scandal when he trained Magnus when he was young, also Karpov. I really do think that the Russians are going too overboard on this issue especially that they tackled on the topic about 'patriotism' when such is not the case.

I am from Russia myself, so I can say that this scandal has many layers and is actively developing - a large part of the Russian-speaking chess community has already been drawn into it. In fact, I am shocked by the opinions of many respected chess players who are now showing aggression towards Dubov, demanding his exclusion from the national team, etc. This is not patriotism, but some kind of cave-like emotions, I am surprised that intellectual people show them so clearly.

[aoluain]

At the moment, a scandal has erupted in Russia due to the fact that Magnus published the list of his team members and there was a grandmaster from Russia - Daniil Dubov. Dubov has been cooperating with Magnus for a long time and in fact it was expected, but for some reason many Russian grandmasters (and officials) assessed this as a "betrayal" and attacked Dubov with criticism.
An interesting situation, but it seems to me that the main reason is that they are only dissatisfied with the result of the Magnus-Nepo match and this is just a way to pour out their emotions.

Sergey Karjakin tweeted a jab against Dubov for supporting Carlsen but he forgot about the fact that he used to train in the UK and later on pledged his loyalty to Putin. Again, this is not an issue about patriotism as chess is an international sport with two people fighting for the world title. It should not be political (although the history depicts it as such) and should only focus on talent of the players.

If that were the case also, then Kasparov should be under scandal when he trained Magnus when he was young, also Karpov. I really do think that the Russians are going too overboard on this issue especially that they tackled on the topic about 'patriotism' when such is not the case.

I am from Russia myself, so I can say that this scandal has many layers and is actively developing - a large part of the Russian-speaking chess community has already been drawn into it. In fact, I am shocked by the opinions of many respected chess players who are now showing aggression towards Dubov, demanding his exclusion from the national team, etc. This is not patriotism, but some kind of cave-like emotions, I am surprised that intellectual people show them so clearly.

OMG some people need to relax, its just a sport, it isnt actually war games,
it isnt Russia against some other power. Indeed its two players pitting their
skills against each other with a team of their choosing. Actually its similar
to tennis in that its an individual sport but a big supporting team in the background,
usually of different nationalities.

This thing now is very idealistic

[l3pox]

<..>
This is not patriotism, but some kind of cave-like emotions, I am surprised that intellectual people show them so clearly.

well, maybe we can go deeper on the subject and realize that patriotism is in reality a cave-like emotion that after all doesn't make a lot of sense...

I agree with @aoluain that people need to relax

[South Park]

So the tournament is finally over at Game 11 and we do not see the rest of the matches because Magnus Carlsen won comprehensively with 7½ points and i did not expect much from Ian Nepomniachtchi as he made blunders in this match which gave Magnus Carlsen the opportunity to finish him and it was a great game, but i missed some of the matches and i need to see those game play and replicate that to understand the game.

This confrontation reminded me of some boxing fights when, before the first knockout, there is complete equality in the ring, and after one of the boxers is knocked out, he can no longer recover and the remaining rounds become a formality. After the first defeat, Nepo disintegrated and ceased resistance. It's a pity. Apparently Magnus has a few more years before a new generation of players like Firouja gain strength and dethrone him.

I agree completely with this, the first loss of Nepomniachtchi was without a doubt a crushing blow from which he never recovered, after all we must remember that even if they are great players they are also human and this was a loss that demoralized him to the point he made all of those mistakes and then lost the match relatively easily, on the other hand it was a masterful move by Carlsen as he was able to read his opponent to perfection and was able to deliver such a crushing blow that eventually gave him an easy victory over him.

[qwertyup23]

Did you guys learn about the recent news on Magnus, announcing that he would not participate in the next WC championship if his opponent is not Firouzja? What are your thoughts on his statement about it?

In my opinion, the preparation of the WC title is too demanding especially that it takes around months of preparation and focus needed. Maybe Carlsen does not have to prove anything as he is considered the best player in today's generation.