Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Squeezing Water

This post is a collaboration with Mr Andrew Crosby who is an expert in chess gambits. Andrew usually plays them in his games with great success. He is also a member of our virtual Chess.com club taking active part in our online tournaments and matches.

Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Champion, is a Norwegian GM born in 1990. His prodigious talent has led him to being referred to as the “Mozart of Chess” by the experts in the game. Also, his extraordinary understanding led him to become the youngest player at the age of 18 to surpass the rating level of 2800. Only recently Alireza Firouzja reached the same achievement but at the age of 18 years and 6 months.

Carlsen’s versatile style of play enables him to accurately evaluate any type of position. His innate sense helps him to identify the slightest advantage and find ways to maintain and increase it. This tenacity is the reason why most of his games end because of his opponents’ mistakes.

In today’s game, which belongs to the World Rapid Chess Championship (Warshaw, 2021), his opponent showed tough resistance. He even chose one of Carlsen’s own lines employed in the previous World Championship against Nepomniachtchi. Despite holding Carlsen the whole game and achieving an objectively drawn endgame, he blundered a rook and the point.

It’s worth analysing the final part of the game:

Because of Carlsen’s playing style, commentators frequently mention that his trademark style is “to squeeze water from a stone”

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