[Event "TePe Sigeman Chess"]
[Site "lichess.org"]
[Date "2026.05.05"]
[Round "5.3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Zhu, Jiner"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "carlc-ENG"]
[ECO "A08"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2546"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[GameId "2306142875435008"]
[EventDate "2026.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,81,13,8,11,-21,0,-5,3,3,0,-8,-9,-16,-6,-27,-16,-22,1,32767,1,0,3,11,20,-6,32767,32767,12,-8,13,3,13,32767,32767,32767,22,-13,-18,-8,-9,-36,32767,32767,38,37,45,24,80,18,17,21,-21,16,42,35,32,50,32767,32767,1,86,77,113,-1,1,138,32767,185,146,198,182,150,125,205,32767,203,220,226,269,207,283,563,596]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 {This move order is a practical way for White to steer the game into English/Catalan setups with c4 or d4, or - as in the game - into a King’s Indian Attack (KIA) with d3. Black has, more or less, tried just about every move under the sun here that doesn’t blunder.} c5 4. O-O g6 $5 {A modern, waiting move. Black makes a natural developing move and passes the ball back to White, asking him to define his setup. White has now run out of natural, general-purpose moves - it’s time to declare his intentions.} (4... Nc6 5. d4 {is a well-known way for White to enter a kind of Gruenfeld Defense with colors reversed, though transpositions to other openings lurk around every corner.} e6 6. c4 {, for instance, transposes to one of the Catalan main lines after} dxc4 {.}) 5. d3 {Magnus Carlsen opts for a King’s Indian setup from the outset: a non-critical system. It’s clear he wants to outplay Zhu Jiner in a complicated middlegame. A practical advantage of this kind of system is that you can play natural moves well into the game without having to think too much.} Bg7 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. e4 O-O {This is a position that could have arisen from a wide range of openings, for example the Sicilian Defense. It is often possible to draw direct comparisons with the principles and ideas from the Fianchetto Variation of the King’s Indian Defense.} 8. Re1 {All natural moves from either player.} d4 $5 {Not the most common, but logical. Black tries to keep the position closed and force White to play with less space. Since the e-file is now closed, the rook on e1 is slightly misplaced, though this comes at the cost of a tempo.} (8... e5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nc4 f6 11. Nfd2 Be6 12. Ne4 $132 {represents one of the many unusual types of positions that can arise in this variation. White’s extra tempo compared to the Fianchetto King’s Indian means the position should be close to equal.}) 9. e5 $5 {Opens the diagonal (and prevents Black from consolidating his space advantage with ...e5) at the cost of conceding the d5 square to the knight.} (9. Nc4 b5 10. e5 {is a curious line that leads to surprisingly many complications for such a “quiet” position. See, for example:} bxc4 11. exf6 Bxf6 12. Bh6 Bg7 13. Bxg7 Kxg7 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxa8 Bg4 16. f3 $132 {with a double-edged position.}) 9... Nd5 10. a4 $5 {Secures the c4 square for the knight at the cost of a bit of time and a weakening of the b4 square, which can now be exploited by one of Black’s knights.} (10. Nc4 b5 11. Ncd2 {was possible; the loss of time would have been compensated by the loosening of Black's queenside structure.}) 10... h6 $5 {Removing White's Ng5 option, securing e6 for the bishop.} (10... Ndb4 $5 {with the idea of Bc6-e6-d5 was an interesting option.}) 11. Nc4 Be6 12. Bd2 $5 $146 {The first new move of the game.} (12. Nfd2 $5 {Often it is the knight which is supposed to go here first, before moving on to e4 and providing room for Bd2.}) 12... Nb6 $6 {A knight rarely stands well on b6, as the saying goes. That’s also the case here, as White simply ignores the threat to the knight on c4.} (12... Ndb4 $5 $132 {remained a good option.}) 13. b3 (13. Na5 $5 $14 {and White trades off the better of Black's two knights, which pressures the e5 pawn, leaving Black with the misplaced one on b6.}) 13... Nd5 {Admitting and reversing the mistake.} 14. Nh4 $2 {A strange decision; Carlsen had probably underestimated …g5, which is more or less Black’s only move.} (14. Qc1 $1 {first, with the idea of forcing the king to h7, was better, allowing} Kh7 15. Nh4 g5 $4 16. Be4+ $1 $16 {with a borderline-winning position.}) 14... g5 $1 $15 {Besides forcing White to retreat, it is necessary to prevent White’s f4. If White is allowed to play that followed by Rf1, a kingside attack suddenly becomes a real possibility.} 15. Nf3 Qd7 {The dynamic of the position has changed 180 degrees; White is back in an overcrowded, confined structure, lacking clear and constructive plans.} 16. h4 $5 g4 $1 17. Nh2 h5 {Zhu Jiner naturally continues immuring Carlsen alive.} 18. Qc1 f6 {With better development, it is also natural to open up the position.} (18... f5 $1 $17 {, however, more or less forces White to take on f6, and was therefore slightly more exact. After} 19. exf6 exf6 {Black has many possible active ideas, such as Rae8 and f5-f4.}) 19. Bh6 {Carlsen naturally aims to make room for his pieces.} Rf7 20. f3 $2 {This was however not the right way to proceed. After a bishop trade on g7, the g-file may now be opened to a rook on g7 staring down at the weak g3 point.} Bh8 $2 {According to the above logic, Black need not have feared the bishop trade, but rather have welcomed it.} (20... Kh7 $1 $17 {was therefore the most poignant option, trying to directly force the trade.}) 21. exf6 Bxf6 $2 (21... exf6 $1 $15 {, returning to the immurement strategy was now the best option. The pawn will have more active prospects on the f-file than the e-file.}) 22. fxg4 $1 hxg4 23. Bg5 $6 (23. Be4 $1 $16 {, threatening to win the exchange with Bg6, was here best. Note the compactness of White's structure now after the trade on g4. He will now be able to finish his development safely behind this impenetrable shield with e.g. Qd2, Rf1 and Rae1.}) 23... Bh8 24. Nf1 $6 {A natural but flawed plan; the knight ironically stands better on h2, from where it covers the f3 square and pressures g4 without being in the way of the other pieces.} (24. Bh6 $5 {, attempting to return to the above Be4 variation was best. Another point is that it frees the g5 square for the queen in many variations.}) 24... Nc3 25. Nfd2 $2 ({Admitting the mistake and returning with} 25. Nh2 $1 {was best, but inhuman in character. After} Bd5 {as in the game,} 26. Bxd5 $1 Nxd5 27. Qd2 Ne3 28. Rac1 $14 {White is on the cusp of finishing his development, and can count on a small edge.}) 25... Bd5 $1 {Zhu Jiner takes her chance and fights for the light squares in the center and on the kingside (f3!).} 26. Ne4 Bxe4 $2 (26... Rf3 $1 $17 {was a wonderful exchange sac, highlighting the difference in quality between the White and Black pieces.}) 27. Bxe4 Raf8 28. Bh6 Qc7 $1 29. Qg5+ Rg7 $1 (29... Bg7 30. Qxg4 $18 {is simply painful.}) 30. Bxg7 $5 Qxg3+ 31. Bg2 Bxg7 32. Kh1 $5 (32. Rf1 Ne2+ 33. Kh1 Nf4 34. Rg1 $13 {leads to a complicated position in which White's play seems slightly more difficult in practice.}) 32... Rf2 33. Rg1 e6 $2 ({Here the unnatural} 33... Kf8 $1 {, with the idea of unpinning the bishop on g7, allowing it to go to e5 in many lines, was the best option.} 34. Raf1 Ne2 35. Rxf2+ Qxf2 36. Rb1 Ne5 $1 37. Nxe5 Bxe5 38. Qxe5 Qxh4+ 39. Qh2 Ng3+ 40. Kg1 Ne2+ 41. Kh1 Ng3+ $11 {leads to a repetition.}) 34. Raf1 $1 $16 Ne2 35. Rxf2 $1 Qxf2 36. Ra1 Ng3+ $4 (36... Kf8 $1 {here with the idea of Bf6, was the last chance. Note that Rf1 does not work due to Ng3+, but who would play it (or even register that this line is possible) in time trouble?}) 37. Kh2 Nf5 38. Qxg4 $18 {Holds everything, and with the bishop on g7 pinned, the game is practically over.} Qxc2 39. Re1 Nd8 40. Re2 Qxd3 41. Be4 {The house of cards falls apart. Zhu Jiner put Carlsen under clear pressure, and might very well have caused him a second defeat in a row if she had realized that either the possible bishop trade around move 20 or the exchange sac on move 26 would had been in her favor.} 1-0
