London Candidates Tournament 2013

Radjabov
A very dynamic player





While the London tournament is well over but still fresh in our memory, one player stood out for his dynamic play!

Radjabov played very interesting chess,well off the beaten track, constantly favoring dynamic factors over static ones

 and although his results weren't,to put it mildly in this way, spectacular,he came real close to beating world number one Magnus Carlsen..

How did he almost succeeded in beating him?

How could he have accomplished that?

His way of playing remained in the dark owing to his bad results,but let's shed some light on this.

When this position arose


 

I was watching the game live with some friends at the club in Ioannina

I must admit that I was almost sure that Magnus would win.

It looks like as though Black is in real danger.His pawn structure is compromised and there are no targets for him.White has an ideal Nimzoindian position.

What is more,

Houdini proposed a very difficult solution for black in order to maintain the balance.A highly tactical one,almost inhuman for the player to find.





Nf4! with the idea that if White takes on c5 with the Knight then he remains pinned, because the Ba3 falls and if takes with the bishop then there is a tactic with Nd3.

I have analysed this moment extensively
in my analysis of the game below

there is also another solution
Ref8!?




and white cannot take on c5 because his d3 pawn hangs
but if he doesn't take then black plays e5-e4
and the position opens to his advantage!

And then Radja played f4.

Houdini also proposed f4 as a second choice but i didn't like it.
Black surrenders the e4 square and how is he going to find counterplay?

So while I was waiting for the advantage of Magnus to grow 

we witnessed some inexplicable events
 

Radja waiting for his chance played Kh8

 

and Carlsen unaware of the danger 

played Rad1 a move that looks right in general terms




 defending the d3 pawn 

but failing to the spectacular Bg4




white cannot take on c6 because of Nh4

and then Black plays Bf3, Nh4 and f3 

and his attack breaks through.

 

Instead Carlsen in my opinion 

would have secured 

a big advantage with Nc3 and not Rad1

 a move that is difficult to find

but looks very logical to me.

The Knight immediately comes to e4
now that this square exists for it and white will  threaten to take the Bd6
and then put pressure both on c5 and e5.

an ideal senario

 

White has an obvious advantage
e5 is very weak and will definetely fall


And if Black continues as in the game with Bg4 then White can take on c6
where White is again better

 

notice that White has the move Nd5 now

 

In the game after f3

 


 Radja found Ng2
i was enthrilled by this move!

Black threatens Qh3 and then some N -f4,-h4

so Carlsen had to give up an exchange and reach the following difficult position

  

and here Radja 

admitted that he had seen the continuations 

which kept the pawn f3 

but he couldn't understand 

how to make further progress

so he chose f2+
and sacrifice this pawn

 

but this allowed Carlsen to set up a fortress and save the game

I will try to show 

how Radja could have won






Black has to keep his pawn on f3, double the rooks on the f file
tie white's rook and knight in the defence of f3-f2+
and then prepare  with the Queen on c7 the breakthrough from the other flank with a5-a4!

I came up with this logical plan when i set up this position and started thinking without the maschine's help
because it cannot understand deep strategical plans


 

and with a5-a4 and the plan Qb7 and Qa6 Black will stretch White's defences to the maximum!