The Queen Given to Win a Title

The game, move by move

A rapid Sicilian, with the title at stake

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… c5 The Sicilian
3. 2. Nf3 The knight out
4. 2… d6 d6
5. 3. d4 d4
6. 3… cxd4 Taken
7. 4. Nxd4 The knight recaptures
8. 4… Nf6 Nf6
9. 5. f3 f3 — a rapid-game move Slow, solid and slightly odd, and at fifty minutes a game that is a reasonable way to play for a win with the match level.
10. 5… e5 e5
11. 6. Nb3 The knight to b3
12. 6… Be7 Be7
13. 7. c4 c4
14. 7… a5 a5
15. 8. Be3 The bishop to e3
16. 8… a4 a4, gaining space
17. 9. Nc1 The knight to c1
18. 9… O-O Black castles
19. 10. Nc3 The knight back out to c3
20. 10… Qa5 The queen to a5
21. 11. Qd2 The queen to d2
22. 11… Na6 Na6
23. 12. Be2 Be2
24. 12… Nc5 Nc5
25. 13. O-O White castles
26. 13… Bd7 Bd7
27. 14. Rb1 The rook to b1
28. 14… Rfc8 The rook to c8

Both sides on the a-file

1. 15. b4 b4, at the knight
2. 15… axb3 Taken
3. 16. axb3 And recaptured
4. 16… Qd8 The queen back to d8
5. 17. Nd3 The knight to d3
6. 17… Ne6 Ne6
7. 18. Nb4 The knight to b4
8. 18… Bc6 Bc6
9. 19. Rfd1 The rook to d1
10. 19… h5 h5 — the pawn Black is undone by It goes to h5 and h4 and is taken on move twenty-eight, and the h-file that it opens is the file the queen sacrifice happens on twenty-two moves later.
11. 20. Bf1 Bf1
12. 20… h4 h4
13. 21. Qf2 The queen to f2
14. 21… Nd7 Nd7
15. 22. g3 g3, at the pawn
16. 22… Ra3 The rook to a3
17. 23. Bh3 Bh3
18. 23… Rca8 The second rook to a8
19. 24. Nc2 The knight to c2
20. 24… R3a6 Ra6
21. 25. Nb4 The knight back to b4
22. 25… Ra5 Ra5
23. 26. Nc2 And back to c2
24. 26… b6 b6
25. 27. Rd2 The rook to d2
26. 27… Qc7 The queen to c7

Every piece traded but four

1. 28. Rbd1 The second rook to d1
2. 28… Bf8 Bf8
3. 29. gxh4 The pawns come off on h4 — the file opens
4. 29… Nf4 Nf4
5. 30. Bxf4 The bishop takes it
6. 30… exf4 Recaptured with the pawn
7. 31. Bxd7 The bishop takes d7
8. 31… Qxd7 The queen recaptures
9. 32. Nb4 The knight to b4
10. 32… Ra3 The rook to a3
11. 33. Nxc6 The knight takes c6
12. 33… Qxc6 And the queen takes back
13. 34. Nb5 The knight to b5
14. 34… Rxb3 The rook takes b3
15. 35. Nd4 The knight to d4
16. 35… Qxc4 The queen takes c4
17. 36. Nxb3 The knight takes the rook
18. 36… Qxb3 And the queen takes back Everything is off but a queen, two rooks and a bishop each, and Black’s king has an open h-file beside it.
19. 37. Qe2 The queen to e2
20. 37… Be7 Be7
21. 38. Kg2 Kg2
22. 38… Qe6 The queen to e6
23. 39. h5 h5 — the passed pawn
24. 39… Ra3 The rook to a3
25. 40. Rd3 The rook to d3
26. 40… Ra2 The rook to a2

The queen to h6

1. 41. R3d2 The rook back to d2
2. 41… Ra3 Ra3
3. 42. Rd3 Rd3
4. 42… Ra7 Ra7
5. 43. Rd5 The rook to d5
6. 43… Rc7 Rc7
7. 44. Qd2 The queen to d2
8. 44… Qf6 The queen to f6
9. 45. Rf5 The rook to f5, at the queen
10. 45… Qh4 The queen to h4 — off the defence Karjakin goes for counterplay with two minutes on the clock, and the queen leaves the side of the board her king is on.
11. 46. Rc1 The rook to c1
12. 46… Ra7 Ra7
13. 47. Qxf4 The queen takes f4
14. 47… Ra2+ The rook to a2, with check
15. 48. Kh1 Kh1
16. 48… Qf2 The queen to f2, at the rook and the mate
17. 49. Rc8+ The rook to c8, with check — the back rank The eighth rank, and it is what makes the next move a mate rather than a check.
18. 49… Kh7 Kh7 — the only square
19. 50. Qh6+ Qh6+ — and Black resigned The queen steps to h6 beside the king, where the pawn on g7 can take her. There are two legal moves in the position: gxh6 is answered by Rxh6 mate, and Kg8 by Qxg7 mate. Carlsen played it on his twenty-sixth birthday and it won him the match.