9️⃣ on the 10 best games of 2018 list is this chaotic game between Vladimir Kramnik and Fabiano Caruana at the Candidates. 👏⚔️👏

magnus_carlsen:
Ready to turn St.Petersburg upside down world rapid-blitz

🏁✅ GM Short - FM Murzin Friendly blitz with a ringing GAME 4

@UnityChess

VG: Magnus Carlsen is Norway's 2nd biggest sports athlete in 2018.

https://www.vg.no/spesial/2018/topp-100-sport/

Happy Holidays from all of us at Play Magnus. Here's your Christmas Greeting from the man himself, Magnus Carlsen .

🔴 Today is birthday of Emanuel Lasker!!
♦️ German chess master and second world chess champion

Born: December 24, 1868, Barlinek, Poland
Died: January 11, 1941, New York City, NY
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

🛑 Today also birthday of:
♻️ Richard Teichmann (1868-15.06.1925), a German Master known as “Richard the Fifth” because he often finished in fifth place in tournaments.
♻️ Aage Vestol (1922-30.03.2008) a Norwegian Master who was Nordic Champion in 1939 and Norwegian Champion in 1949.
♻️ Irina Krush (1983), an American Grandmaster born in Ukraine who won 7 titles of U.S. Women’s Champion. At age 14, after winning her first U.S. title, she became the youngest U.S. Women’s Champion ever.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
@unitychess

🔸chess.com IoM Masters Douglas ENG 2018
🔸Round 3
⚪️Bellaiche,Anthony (2453)
⚫️Short,Nigel D (2652)
🔸0-1

28...Qg6! [Provoking White to play g3 or place his rook in a vulnerable position.]

29.Rg3 [29.g4? Qe4 30.Qe3 Qxc4 31.Bc7 Ke7 32.b3 Qb4–+; 29.g3 Nxh3+ 30.Kh2 Qh5 31.Re3 Nxf2+ 32.Kg1 Ng4–+]

29...Qe4! [White must give up either c4– pawn or an exchange.]

30.b3? [30.Re1! Qxc4 31.Bc7 Ra6 32.a5 Qxd5 33.Rd1 Rc8 34.Bb6 Qxd2 35.Rxd2³]

30...Ne2+ 31.Kh2 Nxg3 32.fxg3–+

0–1

⚪️#103 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Morris,James (2494)
🔸Poulsen,Martin (2239)
🔸Olympiad 2018 Batumi

14.g5 [14.Nxd6+! It would have been better for White to take the opportunity to gain the two bishops advantage. Then he would try to increase his advantage by opening up the game. 14...Qxd6 15.h4 N7b6 16.h5 a5 17.g5 a4 18.a3 Qe7 19.Rg1 Nc4 20.Bxc4 bxc4 21.Qe2 c3 22.Qc4 Rb8 23.Bxc3 Qxa3 24.Qxc6+ Ke7 25.Rd3 Nxc3+ 26.Qxc3 Qxc3 27.Rxc3²; 14.Ba5 Qb8 15.Nxd6+ Qxd6 16.Bd3 N7b6 17.Bd2 a5 18.h4 Nc4 19.Bc1 Nb4 20.Be4²]

14...Bf4 15.Be1 Rb8 16.h4 h5 17.g6 f5 18.Ng5 Bxg5 19.hxg5 Qf4 20.Qe2 Nf8 21.Rxh5 Rg8 22.a4 Qd6 23.axb5! Nf4 24.Qf3 Nxh5 25.Qxh5 cxb5 26.d5 exd5 27.Bxb5+! Ke7 [27...Rxb5 28.Qe2+ Qe6 29.Qxb5+]

28.Qf3 d4 29.Qxf5 Nxg6 30.Qe4+ Qe5 31.Bb4+ Kf7 32.Bc4+ Ke8 33.Qxg6+ Kd7 34.Rxd4+ Qxd4 35.Qe6+ Kc7 36.Ba5+ Rb6 37.Bxb6+ axb6 38.Qxg8 Qd1+ 39.Ka2 Qxc2 40.Qxg7+ Kd8 41.Qf6+ Kc7 42.Bb3 Qe2 43.Qf4+

1–0

⚫️#103 (Endgame-‌Black to Move)
🔸Oboladze,Luka (2340)
🔸L'Ami,Erwin (2639)
🔸World Chess Olympiad 2018 Batumi

26...Bxe5! [26...h5 27.Qc3 Qb6 28.Kg2 Bf6 29.b3 Bxe5 30.fxe5 R8d7=/+) 26...Bf8 27.Nf3 Bb4 28.Rc1 h5 29.Rcd1³]

27.fxe5 b6!? [27...Qd7 28.Qc3 Rxe5µ]

28.Qc2 c5 29.Qd1 Qd7 30.Qb3 Qc6 31.Qc2 h5 32.Qc3 Kg7 33.Qc2 R8d7 34.Rd1 Qa8! 35.Qe4 Qd8 36.Kf1 b5! 37.axb5 Qb6 38.Qe2 Qxb5 39.Rcc1 cxd4 40.Qxb5 Rxb5 41.Rc4 d3 42.Rc3 Rxb2 43.Rdxd3 Rxd3 44.Rxd3 Rb5 45.f4 a4 46.Ke2 Rb3 47.Rxb3 axb3 48.Kd3 f6 49.Kc3 fxe5 50.fxe5 g5 51.Kxb3 gxh4 52.gxh4 Kg6 53.Kc4 Kf5 54.Kd4 Kf4

0–1

⚪️#104 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Astaneh Lopez,Alex (2433)
🔸Hague,Ben (2405)
🔸Olympiad 2018 Batumi

Unity Chess Strategy Multiple Choice 104
public poll

B) Ng5 – 9
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 75%
future, Nikhil, Jayden, Ali, @Sophia_Peng, @RichardPeng, shayan, @WataxPin, Michael

A) Bg5 – 2
👍👍 17%
@SteveWongso, George

C) Nd6 – 1
👍 8%
@mahyarebrahimi1983

👥 12 people voted so far.

⚫️#104 (Endgame-‌Black to Move)
🔸Tari,Aryan (2618)
🔸Saric,Ivan (2689)
🔸World Chess Olympiad 2018 Batumi

Unity Chess Endgame Multiple Choice 104
public poll

B) Bf6 – 6
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 60%
Nikhil, Jayden, @SteveWongso, Vincent, Ali, George

A) h4 – 4
👍👍👍👍👍 40%
future, @Sophia_Peng, @RichardPeng, @WataxPin

C) Rh8
▫️ 0%

👥 10 people voted so far.