When You Come At The King, You Better Not Miss...

Hello, my dear, sweet Chess.companions -

In my first "blitz review" from the 2019 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz, I covered GM Anish Giri's game vs. GM Alireza Firouzja, and for blog #2, we have GM Maxim Matlakov vs. GM Magnus Carlsen.

As the title suggests: It was a close call for the world champion! It was an interesting game where Matlakov gained a large advantage out of the opening, with Magnus playing into a variation of the Cambridge Springs that he probably should have avoided. However, Carlsen's tricky defense put Maxim in a "must find" position that he did not deliver on a crucial, albeit super difficult to see bishop retreat! 

So in the end, Magnus works his magic again and ultimately converts with his practical and brilliantly timed exchange sacrifice. I hope you enjoy the video and the written analysis (thanks to NM Jeremy Kane again for the support):

Peace, peeps!