The Hundred and Thirty-Six Move Game

The game, move by move

A Catalan without c4

1. 1. d4 Queen’s pawn
2. 1… Nf6 Nf6
3. 2. Nf3 The knight out
4. 2… d5 d5
5. 3. g3 g3 — a Catalan without the c-pawn The bishop is coming to g2, but c4 is not played and will not be for five more moves. Carlsen keeps the move in hand, and the opening ends up with a name nobody agrees on.
6. 3… e6 e6
7. 4. Bg2 The bishop to g2
8. 4… Be7 Be7
9. 5. O-O White castles
10. 5… O-O And Black castles
11. 6. b3 b3
12. 6… c5 c5, at the centre
13. 7. dxc5 Taken
14. 7… Bxc5 The bishop recaptures
15. 8. c4 c4 at last
16. 8… dxc4 Taken
17. 9. Qc2 The queen to c2, to fetch it back
18. 9… Qe7 Qe7
19. 10. Nbd2 The knight to d2
20. 10… Nc6 Nc6
21. 11. Nxc4 The knight takes the pawn back
22. 11… b5 b5, chasing it
23. 12. Nce5 The knight to e5
24. 12… Nb4 Nb4, at the queen
25. 13. Qb2 The queen to b2
26. 13… Bb7 The bishop out to the long diagonal
27. 14. a3 a3, sending the knight back
28. 14… Nc6 Back to c6
29. 15. Nd3 The knight to d3
30. 15… Bb6 Bb6
31. 16. Bg5 The bishop to g5
32. 16… Rfd8 The rook to d8
33. 17. Bxf6 The bishop takes the knight
34. 17… gxf6 Recaptured with the g-pawn Black takes towards the centre and breaks his own king’s cover to do it. The doubled f-pawns are still on the board a hundred moves later, and one of them is what White finally takes on move 79.

The queen for two rooks

1. 18. Rac1 The rook to c1
2. 18… Nd4 The knight to d4
3. 19. Nxd4 Taken
4. 19… Bxd4 And recaptured
5. 20. Qa2 The queen to a2
6. 20… Bxg2 The bishop takes on g2
7. 21. Kxg2 The king recaptures
8. 21… Qb7+ Qb7, with check
9. 22. Kg1 Kg1
10. 22… Qe4 The queen to e4, in the middle
11. 23. Qc2 The queen back to c2
12. 23… a5 a5
13. 24. Rfd1 The second rook to d1
14. 24… Kg7 The king to g7
15. 25. Rd2 Rd2
16. 25… Rac8 The rook to c8 — and it can be taken
17. 26. Qxc8 The queen takes the rook Carlsen gives the queen for the two rooks. Nothing about it is forced and it is not a combination: he simply thinks two rooks and a knight are worth more in this position than a queen and a bishop, and he has a hundred and ten more moves to argue it.
18. 26… Rxc8 Taken
19. 27. Rxc8 And the second rook takes back
20. 27… Qd5 The queen to d5 Two rooks and a knight against a queen and a bishop, six pawns each. Fifty moves are played from this material.

Rooks against a queen

1. 28. b4 b4
2. 28… a4 a4, straight past it
3. 29. e3 e3
4. 29… Be5 The bishop to e5
5. 30. h4 h4
6. 30… h5 h5, stopping it
7. 31. Kh2 Kh2
8. 31… Bb2 The bishop to b2, at the a-pawn
9. 32. Rc5 Rc5
10. 32… Qd6 Qd6
11. 33. Rd1 The rook to d1
12. 33… Bxa3 The bishop takes a pawn
13. 34. Rxb5 And the rook takes one back
14. 34… Qd7 Qd7
15. 35. Rc5 The rook back to c5
16. 35… e5 e5
17. 36. Rc2 Rc2
18. 36… Qd5 Qd5
19. 37. Rdd2 The rook to d2, beside the other
20. 37… Qb3 Qb3
21. 38. Ra2 The rook onto the a-file
22. 38… e4 e4, at the knight
23. 39. Nc5 The knight to c5
24. 39… Qxb4 The queen takes on b4
25. 40. Nxe4 And the knight takes the pawn
26. 40… Qb3 Qb3
27. 41. Rac2 Rac2
28. 41… Bf8 The bishop back to f8
29. 42. Nc5 Nc5
30. 42… Qb5 Qb5
31. 43. Nd3 Nd3
32. 43… a3 a3 — the passed pawn goes One square from a3 to a2 and one more to a new queen. It never gets either: the next ten moves are Black holding it there and White working out how to take it.
33. 44. Nf4 Nf4
34. 44… Qa5 The queen behind the pawn
35. 45. Ra2 The rook onto the file too
36. 45… Bb4 Bb4, holding it as well
37. 46. Rd3 Rd3
38. 46… Kh6 Kh6
39. 47. Rd1 Rd1
40. 47… Qa4 Qa4
41. 48. Rda1 Both rooks stacked on the a-file
42. 48… Bd6 Bd6
43. 49. Kg1 Kg1
44. 49… Qb3 Qb3
45. 50. Ne2 The knight to e2
46. 50… Qd3 Qd3
47. 51. Nd4 The knight to d4
48. 51… Kh7 Kh7
49. 52. Kh2 Kh2
50. 52… Qe4 Qe4
51. 53. Rxa3 The rook takes the pawn at last
52. 53… Qxh4+ And the queen takes on h4, with check The passed pawn that cost Black ten moves of defending is gone, and a pawn comes back on the other wing. Three pawns each.

A rook back for a bishop

1. 54. Kg1 Kg1
2. 54… Qe4 Qe4
3. 55. Ra4 Ra4
4. 55… Be5 Be5
5. 56. Ne2 The knight to e2
6. 56… Qc2 Qc2
7. 57. R1a2 The rook to a2
8. 57… Qb3 Qb3
9. 58. Kg2 Kg2
10. 58… Qd5+ Qd5, with check
11. 59. f3 f3, blocking the diagonal
12. 59… Qd1 Qd1
13. 60. f4 f4 — the pawns start to move
14. 60… Bc7 Bc7
15. 61. Kf2 Kf2
16. 61… Bb6 Bb6
17. 62. Ra1 Ra1
18. 62… Qb3 Qb3
19. 63. Re4 The rook to e4
20. 63… Kg7 Kg7
21. 64. Re8 The rook to the eighth
22. 64… f5 f5 — the doubled pawn goes forward
23. 65. Raa8 Both rooks on the eighth
24. 65… Qb4 Qb4
25. 66. Rac8 Rac8
26. 66… Ba5 Ba5
27. 67. Rc1 The rook back to c1
28. 67… Bb6 Bb6
29. 68. Re5 Re5
30. 68… Qb3 Qb3
31. 69. Re8 Re8
32. 69… Qd5 Qd5
33. 70. Rcc8 Rcc8
34. 70… Qh1 The queen to the corner
35. 71. Rc1 Rc1
36. 71… Qd5 Qd5 again
37. 72. Rb1 Rb1
38. 72… Ba7 Ba7 — and the bishop is nearly out of squares
39. 73. Re7 Re7
40. 73… Bc5 Bc5
41. 74. Re5 Re5
42. 74… Qd3 Qd3
43. 75. Rb7 Rb7
44. 75… Qc2 Qc2
45. 76. Rb5 Rb5
46. 76… Ba7 Back to a7
47. 77. Ra5 Ra5, at the bishop
48. 77… Bb6 Bb6
49. 78. Rab5 Rab5
50. 78… Ba7 And a7 for the third time The bishop has been to a7, b6, c5 and back twice. There is nowhere else on the diagonal that is not covered, and it is about to cost Black the piece.
51. 79. Rxf5 The rook takes the pawn on f5
52. 79… Qd3 Qd3
53. 80. Rxf7+ The rook takes f7 — and gives itself up This is what the last thirty moves were for. The rook goes for a pawn with check; the king takes it, though four other squares were legal, and the second rook then wins the bishop on a7 with a check of its own. Carlsen is buying rook and knight against a queen, on purpose.
54. 80… Kxf7 Taken
55. 81. Rb7+ The other rook checks
56. 81… Kg6 Kg6
57. 82. Rxa7 And it takes the bishop
58. 82… Qd5 Qd5 A rook, a knight and three pawns against a queen and one pawn. The tablebases call this a draw. It takes fifty-four more moves to find out.

A bare queen holds out

1. 83. Ra6+ Ra6, with check
2. 83… Kh7 Kh7
3. 84. Ra1 The rook back to a1
4. 84… Kg6 Kg6
5. 85. Nd4 Nd4
6. 85… Qb7 Qb7
7. 86. Ra2 Ra2
8. 86… Qh1 The queen to h1
9. 87. Ra6+ Ra6, check
10. 87… Kf7 Kf7
11. 88. Nf3 Nf3
12. 88… Qb1 Qb1
13. 89. Rd6 Rd6
14. 89… Kg7 Kg7
15. 90. Rd5 Rd5
16. 90… Qa2+ Qa2, check
17. 91. Rd2 The rook drops back to block
18. 91… Qb1 Qb1
19. 92. Re2 Re2
20. 92… Qb6 Qb6
21. 93. Rc2 Rc2
22. 93… Qb1 Qb1 again
23. 94. Nd4 Nd4
24. 94… Qh1 Qh1
25. 95. Rc7+ Rc7, check
26. 95… Kf6 Kf6
27. 96. Rc6+ Rc6, check
28. 96… Kf7 Kf7
29. 97. Nf3 Nf3
30. 97… Qb1 Qb1
31. 98. Ng5+ The knight checks from g5
32. 98… Kg7 Kg7
33. 99. Ne6+ And again from e6
34. 99… Kf7 Kf7
35. 100. Nd4 Back to d4
36. 100… Qh1 Qh1
37. 101. Rc7+ Rc7, check
38. 101… Kf6 Kf6
39. 102. Nf3 Nf3
40. 102… Qb1 Qb1
41. 103. Rd7 Rd7
42. 103… Qb2+ Qb2, check
43. 104. Rd2 The rook blocks on d2
44. 104… Qb1 Qb1
45. 105. Ng1 The knight all the way home to g1
46. 105… Qb4 Qb4
47. 106. Rd1 Rd1
48. 106… Qb3 Qb3
49. 107. Rd6+ Rd6, check
50. 107… Kg7 Kg7
51. 108. Rd4 Rd4
52. 108… Qb2+ Qb2, check
53. 109. Ne2 The knight back out to e2 — the rook is guarded
54. 109… Qb1 Qb1
55. 110. e4 e4 — a pawn moves, for the first time in fifty moves No white pawn had moved since move 60. The knight on e2 and the rook on d4 finally cover enough that a pawn can be let go of, and from here the game is about these two pawns.
56. 110… Qh1 Qh1
57. 111. Rd7+ Rd7, check
58. 111… Kg8 Kg8
59. 112. Rd4 Rd4
60. 112… Qh2+ Qh2, check
61. 113. Ke3 The king walks up the board
62. 113… h4 h4 — Black’s last pawn
63. 114. gxh4 Taken
64. 114… Qh3+ Qh3, check
65. 115. Kd2 Kd2
66. 115… Qxh4 And the queen takes it back A bare queen against a rook, a knight and two pawns. Nothing else is left on the board, and there are twenty-one moves to go.

The knight to g3

1. 116. Rd3 Rd3
2. 116… Kf8 Kf8
3. 117. Rf3 Rf3
4. 117… Qd8+ Qd8, check
5. 118. Ke3 Ke3
6. 118… Qa5 Qa5
7. 119. Kf2 Kf2
8. 119… Qa7+ Qa7, check
9. 120. Re3 The rook blocks on e3
10. 120… Qd7 Qd7
11. 121. Ng3 The knight to g3 Carlsen said afterwards that this was the square that mattered. From g3 the knight covers e4, f5 and h5, the king can stand on f3 behind it, and the two pawns can finally start walking.
12. 121… Qd2+ Qd2, check
13. 122. Kf3 Kf3
14. 122… Qd1+ Qd1, check
15. 123. Re2 The rook back to e2
16. 123… Qb3+ Qb3, check
17. 124. Kg2 Kg2
18. 124… Qb7 Qb7
19. 125. Rd2 Rd2
20. 125… Qb3 Qb3
21. 126. Rd5 The rook to d5
22. 126… Ke7 The king has to come out
23. 127. Re5+ Re5, check
24. 127… Kf7 Kf7
25. 128. Rf5+ Rf5, check
26. 128… Ke8 Ke8
27. 129. e5 e5 — the pawn goes
28. 129… Qa2+ Qa2, check
29. 130. Kh3 Kh3
30. 130… Qe6 Qe6 — and this is the move that loses it Seven pieces are left, which means the tablebases have the answer rather than an engine having an opinion: up to here the game is a draw, and Qb1 or Qc2 holds it. After Qe6 White wins, and exactly two moves win.
31. 131. Kh4 Kh4 — one of the two
32. 131… Qh6+ The queen checks from h6
33. 132. Nh5 The knight blocks on h5
34. 132… Qh7 Qh7
35. 133. e6 e6 — and the rook cannot be taken The pawn steps up and leaves the rook on f5 hanging. Qxf5 loses to Ng7+, a knight check that forks the king and the queen.
36. 133… Qg6 Qg6
37. 134. Rf7 The rook to f7
38. 134… Kd8 Kd8
39. 135. f5 f5, the second pawn
40. 135… Qg1 Qg1
41. 136. Ng7 Ng7 — and Nepomniachtchi resigned The knight takes e8 away, so the checks run out, and the white king can head up the board towards g8, where the queen can no longer get at him. The pawn on e6 is two squares from a new queen. A hundred and thirty-six moves, seven hours and forty-five minutes, and the longest game ever played for the world championship.