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Ruy Lopez: Closed, Anti-Marshall 8.a4 — Part 1 of 2

Kasparov–Leko, Linares SuperGM 2001 · Ivanchuk–Carlsen, FIDE World Cup 2023 · 6:06 · ECO C88

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In this video

Game 1: Garry Kasparov (2849) vs Peter Leko (2745)

Linares SuperGM 2001, 1 March 2001 · White won (1-0) · 31 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 8...Bb7The first move after the opening line0:36
  2. 21...Qb4White stays more than two pawns ahead from here1:36
  3. 22...Qxb2The evaluation moves from +2.46 to +4.031:42
  4. 27.Nc5The evaluation moves from +5.34 to +6.522:04
  5. 31.Ng5+White wins after 31 moves2:24

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

Game 2: Vasyl Ivanchuk (2667) vs Magnus Carlsen (2835)

FIDE World Cup 2023, 12 August 2023 · Black won (0-1) · 44 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

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Key moments

  1. 8...Rb8The first move after the opening line3:00
  2. 32.Bxb3The queens come off4:52
  3. 44.Kd4Black wins after 44 moves5:52

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

About these games

Instead of the usual c3, which allows Black's Marshall Gambit with ...d5, White plays 8.a4 and attacks the b5-pawn at once. Black has to defend it, usually with ...Bb7 or ...Rb8, and White can choose when to open the a-file with axb5. The fight centres on the queenside pawns and the a-file, while the central pawns on e4 and e5 usually stay in place for some time.

Kasparov–Leko continued 8...Bb7 9.d3, a slow set-up in which White rerouted the knight with 10.Nbd2, 12.Nf1 and 13.Ne3 towards d5. Black answered on the queenside with 11...c5 and 14...c4. After 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 White already stood at +0.87, and 20.dxc4 opened the position. Black took pawns with 20...Qxa4 and 22...Qxb2, and the score rose from +2.46 to +4.03. White's d-pawn then ran forward: 23.cxd6 (+4.48), 25.d7 and 26.d6+. By 28.Nd3 the score was +6.41, and White won after 31.Ng5+.

Ivanchuk–Carlsen went 8...Rb8 9.axb5 axb5 10.c3. After 11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Black struck in the centre with 12...d5. The position stayed close to equal until Black doubled rooks on the a-file with 26...Ra7 and 27...Rfa8. After 28.Rxa7 (−0.86) all the rooks came off, and the queens followed with 31...Qxb3 32.Bxb3. In the bishop endgame Black won the f2-pawn with 41...Bxf2 and had a passed b-pawn, reaching −1.49 at 43.Kc4. Black won after 44.Kd4. Unlike Game 1, White opened the a-file at once and the game was decided by exchanges rather than an attack.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Kasparov vs Leko, Linares SuperGM 2001
  3. 2:33Game 2: Ivanchuk vs Carlsen, FIDE World Cup 2023

The opening line

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4

See every video from this position →