18... Re8 In the Noteboom Variation Black brings a novelty. It doesn't seem to change the verdict that White is slightly better. 19. Bb3 Qc7 20. Red1 Kh8 21. Ne1 The knight makes space to activate the central pawns. Not very clear is 21. d5!? Bxd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Rxd5 Ndxc5 (Golubev) although 24. Nd4 looks quite nice for White. 21... Nef6 22. Nd3 Bd5 23. f3 Nb8 24. Ba4 Nc6? At first sight this seems very natural but in reality it's the decisive mistake. The bishop on d5 has nowhere to go. 25. Nf2! The "positional" threat suddenly threatens to win by tactical means. What follows is desperation. 25... e5 26. dxe5 Nxe5 27. Bxe8 Rxe8 28. Qxf5 Bf7 29. Rd6 Bg6 30. Qf4 Nfd7 31. Rad1 Qxc5 32. Rxd7 Nxd7 33. Rxd7 Qxe3 34. Qxe3 Rxe3 35. Bxg7+ Kg8 36. Ng4 1-0

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Bf4 O-O 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O Nc5 10. Be3 Re8 11. Bc4 Be6 12. Bxe6 Nxe6 13. h4 Qd7 14. Qd3 Qc6 15. Qf5 Qc4 16. Kb1 g6 17. Qh3 h5 18. Nd2 Qe2 19. Rde1 Qg4 20. Qh2 d5 21. f3 Qa4 22. g4 Bd6 23. Qg1 Another piece of deep preparation by that other great player born in 1990. 23. Qf2 hxg4 24. fxg4 Qxg4 25. Reg1 Qh5 26. Nf3 Re7 was Anand-Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2008 23... Ng7 24. Nb3 Qd7 25. Rd1 hxg4 26. fxg4 Re4 27. Rd4 Rae8 28. Bc1 Be5 29. Rxe4 dxe4 30. h5 gxh5?! This looks dubious but White's attack was already terribly strong. 31. gxh5 Kh8 32. Qg5 f6? 33. Qh6+ Kg8 34. Rg1 Qf7 35. Nd4 f5 36. Bf4! Bxf4 Practically speaking 36... e3 37. Bxe3 f4 was the last chance. 37. Qxf4 Kh7 38. Rg6 Re7 39. Qh6+ Kg8 40. Qg5 Kh7 41. Nxf5! The killer move. 41... Nxf5 42. Rf6 1-0

A very difficult ending where Black is slightly better, OK, but it's very difficult to win of course.

44. Kg1 44. g4!? Brodsky. 44... Rxb4 45. Kh2 Ra4 46. Kxh3 Ra8 47. Nd4 b4 48. Kg4 Re8 49. Kf5 Re2 50. N4b3 Kf8 51. Ne4 Ke7 52. Ke5 Rg2 53. Kf4 Ke6 54. Kf3 Re2 55. Nec5+ Kd5 56. Nxd3 Re8 57. Na5 Rb8 58. Nc1 Kc5 59. Nd3+ Kd5 60. Nc1 Rc8 61. Ncb3 Ke5 62. Ke2 Rc2+ 63. Kf3 Rc3+ 64. Kg4 Ke4 65. Nb7 Kd3 66. N3a5 Kd4 67. Kf4 Kd5 67... b3 68. Nxb3+ Rxb3 als wins. 68. Nd8 Rc8 69. Ndb7 Rc3 70. Nd8 Ra3 70... Kc5! 71. Ndc6 b3 72. Nxb3 Rxb3 73. Ne5 This position can be found in the tablebase and it's theoretically winning. 73... Rb1 74. g4 Rf1+ 75. Nf3 Ke6 76. Kg3 Ra1 77. Kf4 Ra4+ 78. Kg3 Kd5 79. Nh4 Ke4 80. g5 Ke5 81. Kh3 Kf4 82. g6 Kg5 0-1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. O-O-O Be7 10. f4 Ng4 11. g3 Nxe3 12. Qxe3 b5 12... Nf6 13. Kb1 Qc7 14. Be2 h6 15. g4 exf4 16. Qxf4 Nd7 17. Nd4 Bf6 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Qxd6 Qxd6 20. Rxd6 Ke7 21. Rhd1 Rad8 Nisipeanu-Ivanchuk, Khanty-Mansiysk 2007 13. Kb1 Qb6 14. Qe1 b4 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 O-O 17. Bh3 Nc5 Black's position turns out to be quite difficult and he decides to sacrifice a pawn. 17... f5 18. Rf1! (or 18. Nd4!?) 18... g6 19. g4! and White still has the initiative. 18. fxe5 Nxb3 19. axb3 dxe5 20. Qxe5 Bf6 21. Qf4 Ra7 22. d6 Black hardly has compensation here - the White d-pawn is just too strong. 22... a5 23. d7 a4 24. Qd6 Qxd6 25. Rxd6 axb3 26. cxb3 Be7 27. Rd5 Rfa8 28. Kc2 Kf8 29. Re1 Rc7+ 30. Kd3 g6 31. Rde5 Bd8 32. Re8+ Kg7 33. R1e5 Rc1 34. Bg2 Rb8 35. Rd5 h5 36. Bf3 Rf1 37. Ke2 Rc1 38. Rb5 Rxb5 39. Rxd8 Rc2+ 40. Kd3 Rxb2 41. Rc8 Rxb3+ 42. Kc4 1-0

18. Nxd7!? An exchange even more subtle than Fischer's famous Nxd7 against Petrosian. Or are we giving the young Norwegian too much kudos now? 18... Nxd7 19. g3 Nf6 20. Qc5 Qxc5 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Rxc5 Ra8 23. Kg2 This shouldn't be enough, right? Well, Carlsen keeps on making little moves. Just making lots of little moves, that's it. In the end, Shirov collapses. 23... Bd6 24. Rc2 f5 25. Bc4 a4 26. Be2 Be7 27. Bf3 Ra5 28. Rc4 Bf6 29. Rdc1 e5!? An important decision, according to Golubev, or otherwise White would have grabbed the initiative with Bd1, h3, g4 and f4. 30. dxe5 Bxe5 31. Rb4 Rd7 32. Rc2 Kg7 33. Kf1 Bf6 34. Rcc4 Ra8 35. Rf4 Ra5 36. Ke2 Rc5 37. Rfc4 Rxc4 38. Rxc4 Bxb2 39. Rxa4 c5 40. Kf1 b6 41. Be2 Bc3 42. Bb5 Rd1+ 43. Kg2 Ba5 44. Rf4 Kg6 45. a4 Bc3 46. g4 fxg4 47. Be8 Be5 48. Bxf7+ Kg5 49. Re4 Kf5 50. Rc4 Rd7 51. Bh5 Rg7 52. a5 bxa5 53. Rxc5 Ra7 54. Rc4 Rg7 55. Rc5 Ra7 56. Rc4 Rg7 57. Rc6 Ra7 58. Bg6+ Kg5 59. Bc2 a4 60. Rg6+ Kh5 61. Re6 Bg7?? After 61... Bb8 Black is fine. But just like in Linares, after defending well for a long time Shirov blunders. 62. Kg3 The Black king finds himself in a mating net. 62... Ra5 63. Bg6+ Kg5 and Black resigned, as it's mate in two. White can choose which pawn will deliver the final blow. 1-0