1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O The move that was advocated in the third edition of Beating the Sicilian, and also in the more recent 1.e4-player's Anti-Sicilian bible Experts vs. Sicilian. 9... d5 10. Qe1!? e5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. exd5 cxd5 Again, Car lsen choses a line where he quickly sacrifices a pawn to defend his position with active play. More common is 12... Nxd5 13. Bg5 Be6 14. Bc4 Qc7 15. Bxf6 dxc4 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Nd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Rfe8 18... f6!? 19. Qc3 Rad8 20. Rhd1 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 e4 22. fxe4 Qxh2 Nisipeanu & Stoica 19. Qc3 Kg8 19... Rad8 20. Rhd1 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 Kg8 22. b3 e4 23. Qxc4 Qxh2 24. Rd7 Nisipeanu & Stoica 20. Qa5! A strong move that came as a surprise for Carlsen, despite the fact that it was analysed in Informator 77 already. 20. Re1 e4! 21. fxe4 Qxh2 Nisipeanu & Stoica 20... Qe7 20... Qxa5 21. Rxa5 e4 22. f4 Nisipeanu & Stoica 21. Re1 Qh4 21... Qg5+ 22. Qd2 Qf6 23. Re4 Rac8?! 24. c3 Qa6 25. a3 Qb6 26. Qe3 Parligras-Milu, Romania 1999 (Inf 77). 22. Rdxe5 Rxe5 23. Qxe5 Rd8 24. h3 c3 25. Qxc3 Qg5+ 26. f4 Qxg2 27. b3 This position should be a technical win, but again Leko faces very tough opposition - Carlsen is one of the best defenders in the circuit these days! 27... Qf2 28. Re4 Qg2 29. Rc4 Qd5 30. Kb2 Qf5 31. a4 h5 32. Qe3 a6 33. Rc5 Qf6+ 34. Qe5 Kg7 35. Qxf6+ Kxf6 36. Rc4?! Very strong was 36. a5! and White is probably winning. But Leko will get another chance. 36... Kf5 37. b4 f6 38. Kc3 g5 39. fxg5 fxg5 40. Rc7 Rg8 41. Rh7 h4 42. b5 axb5 43. axb5 Kf4 44. Rd7 g4 45. hxg4 h3 46. Rh7 Kxg4? This loses. 46... Kg3! 47. Kb4 Rxg4+ 48. Kc5 Rh4 49. Rxh4 Kxh4 50. b6 h2 51. b7 h1=Q 52. b8=Q Qg1+ 53. Kc4 Qf1+ 54. Kc3 Qa1+ 55. Qb2 Qe1+ 56. Kb3 Qe6+ 57. c4 Qb6+= Gyimesi,Z 47. Kb4 Kg3 48. c4 Easier would have been 48. b6! h2 49. c4 48... Rg6 49. Ka5 Rg5 50. Kb4 Winning was 50. Kb6! Rg6+ 51. Kc7 h2 (51... Rg5 52. Kc6 Kg4 53. Rxh3 Kxh3 54. b6) 52. b6 Rg4 53. c5 Rh4 54. Rxh4 Kxh4 55. b7 h1=Q 56. b8=Q and according to the tablebase, White mates in 41. 50... Rg6 51. Rxh3+? The last possibility for Leko to equal the score in this game was, how ironic, to wait!. As Zoltan Gyimesi showed, 51. Rh8 wins: 51... h2 52. Rxh2 Kxh2 53. c5 Rg4+ 54. Kc3 Rg1 55. c6 Rc1+ 56. Kd4 Kg3 57. Kd5 51... Kxh3 52. c5 Now it's a draw and Magnus knows how. 52... Rg4+ 53. Ka5 Rc4 54. Kb6 Kg4 55. Kc6 Kf5 56. Kd5 Rc1 57. b6 Rd1+ 58. Kc6 Ke6 59. b7 Rb1 60. Kc7 Kd5 61. c6 Rb2 62. Kd7 Rb6 63. c7 Rxb7 64. Kd8 Rxc7 65. Kxc7 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Nc3 a6 7. Bg2 Qxc4 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nb3 d5 10. Bf4 Be7 11. Rc1 Qb4 12. e4 Nxe4 12... dxe4 13. Bc7 Nd5 14. a3 Nxc3 15. Rxc3 Qb5 16. Bxe4 O-O 17. Qc2 Qh5 18. f4 a5 19. Qf2 a4 20. Nc5 e5 21. Bf3 Bg4 22. Bxg4 Qxg4 23. fxe5 1/2-1/2, Gelfand-Alekseev, Dortmund 2007 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. a3 Qb5 15. Bxe4 O-O 16. Qc2 h6 17. Rfd1 e5 18. Be3 Be6 19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Rfd8 20... Qxb2 looks very dangerous but a clear refutation is hard to find: 21. Rb1 Qe2 22. Rd2 Qc4! 23. Qxc4 Bxc4 24. Rxb7 Rac8 21. Qxb5 axb5 22. Bb6 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Ra4 23... f5 24. Bxc6 bxc6 25. Rd8+ is an immediate draw so Black manoeuvres a bit further. 24. Bc2 Ra6 25. Bc5 Ra8 26. Be4 f5 27. Bxc6 bxc6 28. Rd6 Bd5 29. Rd7 Bf3 30. Kf1 Ra4 31. Bb4 c5 32. b3 Ra6 32... Ra6 33. Bxc5 Rc6 34. b4 Ra6 35. Ra7= 1/2-1/2

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd2 Nbd7 9. Qc2 Be7 10. Be2 dxc4 11. Bxc4 O-O 11... a6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Nf6 14. Qf3 Rc8 15. Bb3 Qb6 16. O-O-O c5 17. Ba4+ Kf8 18. dxc5 Rxc5+ 19. Kb1 Rf5 20. Qe2 Ne4 21. f3 Bf6 22. Bb3 Nxd2+ 23. Rxd2 Rc5 24. f4 g5 25. g3 g6 26. e4 gxf4 1/2-1/2 Eljanov-Huzman, Fuegen 2006 12. O-O c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Rfd1 Rc8 15. Be1 Qc7 16. Be2 Nce4 17. Qa4 Nxc3 18. Bxc3 Nd5 19. Bd4 a6 20. Bf3 Rfd8 21. Qb3 Bf6 22. g3 22. Bxf6!? gxf6 (22... Nxf6 23. Qxb7) 23. g3 Kg7 22... b6 23. Be2 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 a5 25. Ba6 Rb8 26. Be2 Rbc8 27. Rc4 Qb8 28. Rac1 Rxc4 29. Qxc4 Ne7 30. Qb5 Kf8 31. b4 Rd5 32. Qa4 axb4 33. Qxb4 Qd6 34. Qb3 Qd8 35. Rb1 Rd6 36. h4 Kg8 37. Bf3 Nf5 38. Rc1 Ne7 39. Kg2 Rd2 40. Rc4 Nf5 41. Kg1 Qf6 42. Qxb6?? A desperate attempt to win, probably with not much more than the 10-seconds increment on the clock, but this loses instantly. 42. Qc3 Qxc3 43. Rxc3 Rxa2 44. Rb3 Ra6 45. Be2 Ra2 46. Kf1= 42... Qa1+ 43. Kg2 Qe1 44. Rc8+ Kh7 45. Qb8 Rxf2+ Funnily, although winning, this is the worst of three checks! 45... Qxf2+ is mate in 9 and 45... Nxe3+ is mate in 4! 46. Kh3 Qf1+ 47. Kg4 Nh6+ 48. Kf4 Rxf3+ 49. Ke4 f5+ 50. Ke5 Rxe3+ 51. Kd6 Qa6+ 52. Ke7 Qa3+ 53. Kd7 Rd3+ Here the match was decided in Carlsen's favour. 0-1

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 7. e3 O-O 8. Bd3 c5 9. O-O cxd4 10. exd4 Nc6 11. Bc2 11. Re1 Rc8 12. Rc1 Na5 (12... d5 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Bg3 Jovanic-Macieja, Kusadasi 2006) 13. b3 Re8 14. Bg3 d5 15. Ne5 Nc6 16. Nb5 dxc4 17. Nxc6 Bxc6 18. Nxa7 cxd3 19. Nxc6 1/2-1/2, Nikolaidis-Graf, Fuerth 2002 11... d5 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. cxd5 Nb4 14. dxe6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Nxc2 16. Qxc2 Qxd4 17. Rad1 Qh4 18. Qe4 fxe6 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 20. Qg4 Rac8 21. Rd7 Qxg4+ 22. fxg4 Bxc3 23. bxc3 Rxc3 24. Rxa7 Rf4 25. f3 Rcxf3 26. Rxf3 Rxf3 27. Kg2 1/2-1/2