[Event "Dortmund SuperGM 37th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2009.07.10"] [Round "8"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2759"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2009.07.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 131"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 {Again no Catalan from Kramnik, just as in the previous rounds.} Be7 5. Bf4 {Kramnik plays this slightly more often than the other bishop move, Carlsen with White also alternates between the two main lines.} ({Currently the theoretical reputation of the solid line} 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 {remains intact. Although in a recent high-level game White was successful, this was not due to the opening itself:} 8. Be2 Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. b4 c5 12. bxc5 bxc5 13. Rb1 Bc6 14. O-O Nd7 15. Bb5 Qc7 16. Qd3 Rfc8 17. Rfd1 Rab8 18. a4 cxd4 19. exd4 Ba8 $6 (19... Bxb5 $142 $11 {Gelfand} 20. Nxb5 $140 Qa5 $1 21. Qf5 Qxa4 22. Qxd7 a6 23. Ne5 Bxe5 24. dxe5 Rd8 25. Qc6 Rxb5 26. e6 $1 $11) 20. Qf5 Qxc3 (20... Rd8 $5 21. Rbc1 $14) 21. Qxd7 Qc7 22. Qf5 Rb6 23. Ne5 $36 {Grischuk,A (2748)-Gelfand,B (2733)/Nalchik/2009/ Krasenkow's notes in CBM 130 show that White's minor pieces are stronger than Black's bishop pair, especially the ?a8.}) 5... O-O 6. e3 c5 ({The last time Kramnik had to face this line with Black, he opted for} 6... Nbd7 7. a3 ({More ambitious is} 7. c5 {, but even here Black can hold his own:} Nh5 (7... c6 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. O-O Qc8 12. h3 Qb7 13. Rb1 Bxd3 (13... axb4 14. axb4 Rfc8 15. Bxa6 Qxa6 16. Qc2 Bd8 17. Rb2 Qb7 18. Ne1 Bc7 19. Nd3 Ne8 20. Rc1 b5 21. Nb1 f6 22. Bxc7 Nxc7 23. Nd2 Ra6 24. e4 Nf8 25. e5 f5 26. Nb3 Ne8 27. Na5 Qf7 28. Qd2 h6 29. h4 $14 {?,Cheparinov,I (2679)-L'Ami,E (2603)/EU-ch Budva/2009/}) 14. Qxd3 axb4 15. axb4 Ra3 16. Qc2 Rfa8 17. Rfc1 b5 18. Nd2 Bd8 19. Nb3 Ne4 $1 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Qxe4 Nf6 22. Qf3 Nd5 $132 {/?,Lysyj,I (2593)-Zvjaginsev,V (2677)/Moscow op/2008/}) 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 (9... c6 10. O-O b6 11. b4 bxc5 12. bxc5 Qa5 13. Qc2 h6 14. Rfb1 Ba6 15. Bxa6 Qxa6 16. Ne2 Rfb8 17. Ne1 Bf6 18. Nd3 Qa5 19. g3 Bd8 20. Kg2 Bc7 21. Ng1 Rxb1 22. Rxb1 Rb8 23. Rxb8+ Nxb8 24. Nf3 Nd7 25. h4 Qb5 26. Nde5 {Sargissian,G (2678)-Ehlvest,J (2595)/Moscow Aeroflot op/2009/} Bxe5 $11) 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Re1 Bf6 15. Ne5 Bxe5 16. fxe5 Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Ra7 18. Reb1 b5 19. a4 axb4 20. Rxb4 f6 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Qe2 Re8 23. Re1 bxa4 24. Rxa4 Rxa4 25. Nxa4 Qa5 26. Nb6 e5 $1 $11 {Krasenkow,M (2620)-Riazantsev,A (2634)/Metz op/2009/}) 7... c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bf5 $5 (11... Bf6 {is played more often, but Kramnik's choice is no less natural.}) 12. Be2 Bf6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Nd4 Ne6 15. Nxf5 Qxf5 16. O-O Rfd8 17. Bg4 Qe5 18. Qb3 Nc5 19. Qb5 b6 20. Rfd1 Rd6 21. Rd4 a6 22. Qb4 h5 23. Bh3 Rad8 24. g3 g5 $5 25. Rad1 g4 26. Bg2 Ne6 27. R4d3 d4 28. exd4 Rxd4 29. Rxd4 Rxd4 $11 {1/2,Anand,V (2783)-Kramnik,V (2772)/WCh Bonn/ 2008/}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 {Aims for a more complex struggle.} ({The other topical continuation is} 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O {, here Black has to make an important choice:} {More enterprising is} d4 (12... Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 Re8 15. Rc1 a6 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. b5 Rxa3 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Rxc6 Ra7 20. Rd6 Rd7 21. Qxd5 Rxd6 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Bxd6 $11 {/? leads to an ?, in which White has at best only practical winning chances. Although he can push on without risk, ultimately he was successful only in the Leko-Kramnik game from WCh 2004.} Rd8 $5 (23... Bxf3 24. gxf3 Bd8 25. Rb1 Bf6 26. Kg2 g6 27. f4 Kg7 28. Rb7 Re6 29. Rd7 Re8 30. Ra7 Re6 31. Bc5 Rc6 32. Ra5 $14 {Leko,P (2741)-Kramnik,V (2770)/WCh Brissago/2004/}) 24. Bg3 Bc5 25. Rc1 Bf8 26. Nd4 Bg6 27. Rc7 h6 28. h4 Re8 29. Nb5 Rb8 30. Nc3 Re8 31. Kh2 Bf5 32. Nb5 Rc8 33. Ra7 Bc5 34. Ra1 Rd8 {??,Karpov,A (2687)-Anand,V (2755)/Moscow rpd/2002/}) 13. e4 Bg4 14. h3 Qf6 (14... Bh5 $5 15. g4 Bg6 16. Nd2 f6 $13 {is also playable}) 15. Bh2 (15. Bg3 Bh5 $1 16. Re1 Rfe8 17. Rc1 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Ne5 19. Qxf6 gxf6 20. Bxe5 fxe5 21. g3 Rac8 22. Kg2 Kg7 23. Kf3 Kf6 24. h4 Rg8 25. Ke2 Ke7 $11 {Christiansen,L (2524)-Onischuk,A (2638)/Minneapolis/2005/}) (15. hxg4 Qxf4 16. g5 Nd8 17. g3 Qg4 18. Kg2 Ne6 19. Rh1 Nf4+ 20. Kf1 Nh3 21. Qd2 Bd8 22. e5 g6 23. Be2 {Beliavsky,A (2641)-Meier,G (2560)/EU-ch Plovdiv/2008/} Nxg5 24. Kg2 Qe4 25. Rae1 Rc8 26. Bd1 Qc6 27. Qxd4 Ne6 28. Qg4 $13 {Beliavsky}) 15... Bxf3 {Here the swap is more justified, as the ? on h2 is placed worse, than on g3.} 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 Na5 18. Rac1 Nb3 19. Rc2 Rac8 20. Rd1 Nc5 21. Bb5 Rfd8 22. Kg2 Ne6 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. f4 Rc2 25. f5 Nc5 26. Rxd4 g6 27. Be5 Rxb2 28. Bc4 Rc2 29. Bd5 Kf8 30. Bg3 Ke7 31. Bh4+ f6 32. fxg6 hxg6 33. e5 g5 34. exf6+ Kxf6 35. Bg3 Ne6 36. Rc4 Nf4+ $11 {1/2,Portisch,L (2512)-Beliavsky,A (2648)/Bazna/2007/}) ({Too sterile is} 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 {due to} Nh5 $1 11. Qxd8 (11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O Rd8 14. Qe2 Bd7 15. e4 Nf4 16. Qe3 Ng6 17. e5 Nh4 $1 18. Nxh4 Qxh4 $11 {Nikolic,P (2600)-Georgiev,K (2535)/Dubai olm/1986/}) 11... Rxd8 12. Bc7 Rd7 13. Be5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Rd8 15. O-O Nf6 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Nxd7 Rxd7 18. Rxd7 Nxd7 19. Rd1 Nf6 20. Kf1 $11 {1/2,Topalov,V (2750)-Gelfand,B (2665)/Vienna/1996/}) ({After} 9. b4 {White must reckon with the sharp sacrifice} Nxb4 $5 (9... Be7 $132 {is fully playable as well.}) 10. axb4 Bxb4 11. Qb3 a5 12. O-O-O Bd7 13. Ne5 (13. Rd4 $2 Qe7 14. Be5 Rfc8 15. Kb1 b5 16. Nxb5 a4 17. Qa2 Bxb5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. cxb5 Rc3 20. Rd3 Rac8 $19 {?,Epishin,V (2606)-Short,N (2673)/Malmo/2002/}) (13. Kb1 $5 $13) 13... Rc8 14. Nxd7 (14. Kb1 $5) 14... Qxd7 15. Qc2 Bxc3 16. Qxc3 Ne4 17. Qb2 b5 18. f3 Nd6 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. Qxb5 Qa3+ 21. Qb2 Qxe3+ $44 {?, Denayer,W (2255)-Shishkin,V (2135)/corr/2007/}) 9... Qa5 10. Rd1 {The attention has again focused upon this older move.} ({Black has found means to disarm the sharp attempt} 10. O-O-O Be7 11. h4 (11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Ne7 $1 $132 {and the defence holds.}) 11... Rd8 12. Nd2 dxc4 (12... a6 $6 13. g4 $1 dxc4 14. Nxc4 Rxd1+ 15. Qxd1 Qd8 16. Qxd8+ Bxd8 17. Bg2 e5 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Nxg4 20. Bg3 Kf8 21. Rd1 Ke8 22. Na4 $16 {1-0 Nielsen,P (2625)-Glud,J (2486)/Silkeborg 2008/CBM 123 Extra (40)}) 13. Nxc4 Rxd1+ 14. Qxd1 Qd8 15. Qxd8+ Nxd8 (15... Bxd8 16. Be2 Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Nd6 Bc7 19. Rd1 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 $14 {Peng,Z (2400)-Maric,A (2460)/Groningen/1997/}) 16. Be2 Bd7 17. e4 Bc6 18. f3 Nh5 19. Bc7 Rc8 20. Be5 Bf6 21. Nd6 Ra8 (21... Rc7 $5 {Kramnik}) 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 23. Rd1 Kf8 24. Kd2 Ne8 25. Nc4 f6 26. Ke3 b6 27. f4 Nf7 28. g4 h6 $14 {/=,Topalov,V (2783)-Kramnik,V (2766)/Wijk aan Zee/2007/ In the resulting ? White has slight edge due to his space advantage, but the position is symmetrical and in the course of the game Black neutralized any winning attempts with careful defence.}) ({Some years ago Black faced a few problems after} 10. Nd2 {However, then Anand and Nielsen came up with the convincing} Bb4 (10... Be7 11. Bg3 Bd7 12. Be2 Rfc8 13. O-O (13. Rd1 Qd8 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb1 d4 17. O-O $5 $36 {is Agrest's untested suggestion, which also deserves attention.}) 13... Qd8 14. b4 $14 {?}) 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 Nh5 $1 13. Bg3 (13. Nb3 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 Qd8 $11) (13. Bxh7+ Kh8 14. Bd3 Nxf4 15. exf4 Re8+ $36) 13... h6 (13... d4 $5 14. Nb3 Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Qxc3+ 16. Qxc3 dxc3 17. Rc1 Nxg3 18. hxg3 h6 19. Rxc3 Be6 20. Nc5 Ne5 {Jankovic,A (2532)-Saravanan,V (2405)/Kalamaria/2008/ is also good enough, here White should have played the modest} 21. Nxe6 Nxd3+ 22. Rxd3 fxe6 23. Ke2 $11) 14. O-O Bxc3 15. Nb3 Qb6 16. Qxc3 Nxg3 17. hxg3 Rd8 18. Nc5 d4 19. exd4 Nxd4 20. Rfe1 Be6 21. Nxe6 Nxe6 22. Rac1 Rd6 23. b4 Rad8 24. Be4 Ng5 25. Bb1 Rc6 26. Qb2 Rxc1 27. Qxc1 g6 28. Qc3 Qd4 29. Qxd4 $11 {1/2,Gelfand,B (2727)-Nielsen,P (2646)/Turin olm/2006/}) 10... Be7 {The standard reaction, tested already in the Karpov-Korchnoi matches.} (10... Re8 $6 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 13. Qb1 Bf5 14. Bd3 e4 15. Bc2 (15. Bf1 $5 {is risky, but objectively even stronger.}) 15... Nxc2+ 16. Qxc2 Qa6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Nb3 Bd6 19. Rxd5 $16 {Kortschnoj,V (2665)-Karpov,A (2725)/WCh Baguio City/1978/}) 11. Be2 {Currently White's main try.} ({The older continuation} 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 d4 13. Nb3 {doesn't promise too much and Black even has a choice:} Qd8 (13... Qb6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Bd3 g6 17. exd4 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. Nxf6+ (19. O-O Bg7 $1 20. Rde1 Be6 21. Nf4 Bd7 22. Be4 Rb8 23. Nd3 Qc7 24. b3 Rfe8 25. Qd2 a5 $132 {Gelfand,B (2691)-Kramnik,V (2751)/Dos Hermanas/1999/}) 19... Qxf6 20. O-O Bg4 21. f3 Be6 22. f4 Bd7 23. Be4 Bc6 24. Bd5 Rfe8 25. Qd3 Bxd5 26. cxd5 Rac8 27. g3 Kf8 28. Rf2 Re3 29. Qxd4 Qxd4 30. Rxd4 Ke7 $44 {Hansen,C (2505)-Jussupow,A (2590)/Reykjavik/1985/}) 14. Be2 a5 15. Na4 g6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. O-O (17. c5 Be6 18. e4 Qe8 19. Nb6 a4 20. Nd2 Ra5 21. Bd3 Be7 22. Nxa4 $2 (22. Ndc4 $142) 22... Nb8 23. b3 Bxb3 24. Nxb3 Rxa4 25. Ra1 Qc6 26. O-O Nd7 27. Qe2 Nxc5 28. Rfc1 Ra7 29. Nxc5 Bxc5 $17 {Alterman,B (2615)-Kasparov,G (2825)/Tel Aviv sim/1998/}) 17... Qc7 (17... Bg7 $5 18. c5 Qh4 19. e4 Be6 20. Bd3 f5 $13 {Shneider,A (2495)-Kruppa,Y (2440)/Podolsk/1989/}) 18. c5 Be6 19. e4 Ne7 20. Nd2 Bg5 21. Nf3 Bh6 22. Bc4 Bg4 23. Rd3 Kh8 24. h3 f5 25. Rb3 d3 $1 26. Qxd3 Rad8 $44 {Ftacnik,L (2590)-Kotronias,V (2550)/Thessaloniki olm/1988/}) 11... dxc4 ({Inferior is} 11... Ne4 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 $5 (13. bxc3 exd5 14. O-O Be6 15. a4 Rac8 16. Rb1 Bf6 17. Rxb7 d4 18. exd4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Bxd4 20. Rb5 Qxc3 21. Qxc3 Rxc3 22. Rd1 Rc2 23. Rxd4 Rxe2 $11 {Vorobiov,E (2572)-Mikhalevski,A (2441)/Pardubice/2007/}) 13... Qxc3+ 14. bxc3 exd5 15. Rxd5 Bxa3 16. Nd4 a5 (16... Be7 17. Kd2 Rd8 18. Bf3 $14 Nxd4 $2 19. cxd4 Bb4+ 20. Kd3 Rxd5 21. Bxd5 Kf8 22. Rc1 Ba5 23. e4 Ke7 24. Bc7 $18 {Nyback,T (2655)-Dobrev,N (2366)/FRA-chT Chalons en Champagne/2009/}) 17. Rb5 a4 18. Kd2 Be7 19. Ra1 Ra7 20. Bg5 f6 21. Bf4 Rd8 22. Bc7 Re8 23. Bb6 Ra8 24. Bc4+ Kf8 25. Ne6+ Bxe6 26. Bxe6 Bd6 27. Bd5 Re7 28. Kc2 Rd7 29. Be6 Re7 30. Bd5 Rd7 31. f4 $36 {[%csl Gb6,Gd5] ?,Sokolov,I (2657)-Meier,G (2608)/EU-ch Budva/2009/}) ({However, a possibly viable idea is} 11... e5 $5 12. Nxe5 (12. Bxe5 $5 dxc4 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Bxc4 Bf5 15. Qb3 $14) 12... Nxe5 13. Bxe5 dxc4 14. Bd4 Bf5 15. Qc1 Rac8 16. O-O Rfd8 17. Rd2 Ne4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. f3 Bf5 20. Rfd1 b5 21. Bc3 Qc7 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Bd4 a6 25. Qc3 Bf8 26. e4 Be6 27. f4 f6 $11 {Mamedyarov,S (2646)-Nielsen,P (2668)/ESP-chT Sant Lluis/2005/}) 12. Bxc4 $32 {White had to invest a tempo with his ?, but Black still has some problems with his ? development.} Nh5 {A rare move.} ({However, even the more usual reaction isn't quite ideal:} 12... e5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. O-O Rac8 15. Nd5 (15. Rc1 $5 a6 16. Ng5 Bh5 17. Nd5 Bg6 18. Nxe7+ Nxe7 19. Qb3 b5 20. Be6 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Ne4 22. Nxe4 Bxe4 23. f3 Bb7 24. Bh3 Bd5 25. Qc3 Qxc3 26. Rxc3 f6 27. e4 $16 {Rychagov,A (2575)-Aveskulov,V (2495)/Saratov/2006/}) 15... b5 (15... Nxd5 16. Rxd5 (16. Bxd5 $142 $1 $14) 16... Qc7 17. Qe4 Be6 18. Rd2 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Bf6 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. h3 {Werner,D (2376)-Porat,D (2199)/Budapest/2005/} Qe7 $11) 16. Ba2 Nxd5 17. Bxd5 Nd4 18. Qb1 b4 19. Qe4 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Ne2+ 21. Kg2 Nxg3 $2 (21... bxa3 22. Qxe5 $14) 22. hxg3 bxa3 23. Rh1 g6 24. Rxh7 $1 Kxh7 25. Qxe5 Kg8 26. Rh1 {1-0,Mamedyarov,S (2646)-Moradiabadi,E (2485)/Abu Dhabi op/2005/}) 13. O-O (13. Bd3 g6 14. Bh6 Rd8 15. O-O Bd7 16. Be2 a6 17. Nd2 Nf6 18. Bf4 e5 19. Bg5 Be6 20. h3 Rac8 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Bg4 {Vallejo Pons,F (2702)-Short,N (2663)/Wijk aan Zee/2009/} Nd4 $5 $132 {?} 23. exd4 Bxg4 24. hxg4 exd4 25. Nde4 Bg7 26. Qa4 Qe5 27. f4 Qe7 28. f5 dxc3 29. f6 Qc7 $1 30. fxg7 c2 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Nc3 Qd2 $17) ({White can aspire for a minimal advantage with} 13. Bd6 Bxd6 14. Rxd6 Nf6 15. Qd2 $5 (15. Rd2 Rd8 16. Rxd8+ Qxd8 17. O-O Bd7 18. Rd1 Qe7 19. h3 Rd8 20. Rd2 Be8 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22. Qd2 Qxd2 23. Nxd2 Kf8 24. f4 Ke7 $11 {Mecking,H (2567)-Short,N (2663)/Wijk aan Zee/2009/}) 15... Rd8 16. Rxd8+ Qxd8 17. Qxd8+ Nxd8 18. Ke2 Kf8 19. e4 Bd7 20. e5 Ne8 21. Rd1 Ke7 22. Ng5 Rc8 23. Ba2 h6 24. Nge4 b6 25. f4 Nb7 26. Nd2 Nc5 27. Nc4 Bc6 28. g3 $14 {?,Eljanov,P (2693)-Chadaev,N (2557)/RUS-chT Dagomys/2009/}) 13... Nxf4 14. exf4 g6 {Frees g7 for the ?e7.} ({Another purpose for the text-move can be seen from the following example:} 14... Rd8 $6 15. Rxd8+ Qxd8 16. Rd1 Bd7 17. f5 $1 Qc8 (17... exf5 18. Qb3 $40) 18. Qd3 Be8 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. Nd5 Qd8 21. Qe2 $18 {Gupta,A (2569)-Kjartansson,G (2365)/Reykjavik/2009/}) 15. g3 {White makes a useful move and waits to see, how Black intends to unravel his ?forces.} Rd8 $146 {[%mdl 8] A reasonable novelty.} (15... Bf6 16. Rd3 Qf5 (16... Bg7 $142) 17. Re1 (17. Nb5 $1) 17... Na5 18. Ba2 Bd7 $2 (18... b6 19. Ne4 Ba6 $14) 19. Nh4 $1 Bxh4 20. Re5 Qg4 21. Rxd7 Nc6 22. Rb5 Bf6 23. Kg2 $1 $18 {Epishin,V (2600)-Atalik,S (2561)/Bratto /2005/}) ({Atalik suggests the interesting} 15... a6 $5 16. Be2 $5 (16. Ne4 b5 17. Be2 Bb7 18. Rd7 Qb6 19. Qc3 Rac8 20. Nf6+ Bxf6 21. Qxf6 Nb8 22. Rd2 Qc6 23. Rfd1 Qe4 $132 {Atalik}) (16. Bd3 Rd8 $11) (16. Ba2 Rd8 $132 {and compared with the game, the extra a6 move is useful for Black.} (16... b5 $6 17. f5 $1 gxf5 18. Nd5 exd5 19. Bxd5 $36)) 16... Rd8 (16... b5 17. Nxb5 axb5 18. Qxc6 b4 19. axb4 $14) (16... Bf6 17. Ne4 Bg7 18. Nd6 $36) 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Rd1 Bd7 {is similar to the game - White has a slight initiative, but Black retains chances to eventually achieve full equality.} (18... Qc7 19. Ne4 Bd7 20. Ne5 $36)) 16. Rxd8+ Qxd8 (16... Bxd8 $6 17. Rd1 Bf6 18. Ne4 Bg7 19. Nd6 $16 {Atalik}) 17. Rd1 Bd7 {Seemingly risky, but White has no immediate forcing way to exploit the pin on the ?d.} 18. f5 {[%mdl 512] An interesting pawn sacrifice, but for the time being Carlsen finds the way to hold the balance.} ({Possibly more promising was Shipov's suggestion} 18. Ng5 $5 Qc8 $142 (18... Rc8 $2 19. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 20. f5 gxf5 21. Qxf5+ Kg7 22. Qg4+ Kf7 23. Qe4 $1 Kg7 24. Rxd7 Qxd7 25. Bxe6 {??g4+-}) (18... Qe8 19. Nb5 Rd8 20. Nc7 (20. Nd6 Bxd6 21. Rxd6 Qe7 $14) 20... Qf8 21. Rxd7 $1 Rxd7 22. Ncxe6 Qh6 23. Kg2 $1 $40) 19. h4 $36) 18... gxf5 (18... exf5 $6 19. Qb3 Rb8 (19... Qe8 20. Bxf7+ Qxf7 21. Qxb7 Rb8 22. Qxd7 $18) 20. Bxf7+ Kg7 21. Kg2 $5 (21. Be6 Bxe6 22. Qxe6 Qg8 $14) 21... Qc8 22. Ne2 {[%csl Re6][%CAl Ye2f4] ??f4?,×e6}) 19. Qd2 Qb6 $5 {This tricky move is not forced.} (19... Be8 20. Qh6 Qa5 (20... Qb6 {-19...?b6!?}) 21. Nd5 $5 (21. Ng5 Qe5 $1 22. Qxh7+ Kf8 23. Nf3 Qg7 $11) 21... exd5 22. Rxd5 Qa4 $1 (22... Qc7 23. Rxf5 $40 Qd7 24. Rf4 Bd6 25. Qg5+ Kf8 $8 26. Re4 $1 {[%CAl Rg5h6,Rh2h3] ??h6,h3+-}) {and it seems that White doesn't have more than a perpetual with} 23. Ng5 Bxg5 24. Qxg5+ Kf8 $8 (24... Kh8 $2 25. Qxf5 $18 Qxc4 26. Qf6+ Kg8 27. Rg5+ Kf8 28. Qd6+ Ne7 29. Qh6#) 25. Qh6+ Kg8 26. Qg5+ $11) (19... Bc8 20. Qf4 $5 (20. Qh6 Qf8) 20... Bd7 (20... Qf8 21. Bb5 $32) 21. Qd2 (21. Qh6 a6 $5 {[%CAl Ya8c8,Yc8c7,Yd8f8] ??c8-c7, ?f8}) 21... Bc8 $11) 20. Qh6 {White avoids the traps.} (20. Qxd7 $2 Rd8 $19) (20. Na4 $6 Ne5 $1 (20... Nd4 $1 {can lead to the same position}) 21. Nxb6 (21. Nxe5 Bxa4 $17) 21... Nxf3+ 22. Kf1 (22. Kg2 $2 Nxd2 23. Nxa8 Bc6+ $19) 22... Nxd2+ 23. Rxd2 axb6 24. Rxd7 Bf6 $15 {/=}) 20... Be8 (20... Rd8 21. Ng5 (21. Rxd7 $6 Rxd7 22. Bxe6 Nd4 $1 23. Bxf7+ Kh8 $15) 21... Bxg5 $8 22. Qxg5+ Kf8 23. Qf6 Bc8 (23... Qxb2 $4 24. Qh8+ Ke7 25. Nd5+ $18) 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. Qh8+ Ke7 26. Qxh7 Qd4 $132 {is also possible, but the text-move is more solid.}) 21. Ng5 Bxg5 $8 22. Qxg5+ Kf8 (22... Kh8 $2 23. Rd6 {[%CAl Rd6e6,Rg5f6] ?,??f6,?e6} Qc7 24. Qf6+ Kg8 25. Rxe6 Qd8 $8 26. Qxf5 (26. Rd6 $16) 26... fxe6 27. Qxe6+ Bf7 (27... Kg7 28. Qg8+ Kh6 29. Qf8+ Kg6 30. Nd5 $18) 28. Qxf7+ Kh8 29. Qxb7 Na5 30. Qb5 $16) 23. Qh6+ {White repeats moves to gain time before the control.} (23. Rd6 {-25.?d6}) 23... Kg8 24. Qg5+ Kf8 25. Rd6 Qc7 $2 {[%mdl 8256] A serious error, which White exploits with a decisive piece of tactics.} (25... Rd8 26. Rxe6 $5 Qd4 $142 $1 (26... fxe6 $2 27. Qh6+ Kg8 (27... Ke7 $2 28. Qxe6+ Kf8 29. Qf6+) 28. Qxe6+ Kg7 29. Qg8+ Kf6 30. Qf8+ Ke5 (30... Kg6 31. Ne2 $1 $18) (30... Kg5 31. Ne4+ fxe4 32. h4+ Kg6 33. Qg8+ Kf5 34. Qg5#) 31. Nb5 $1 {[%CAl Rf8g7] ??g7+-}) 27. Rf6 (27. Qh6+ Kg8 28. Rf6 Qxc4 29. Qg5+ {-27.?f6}) 27... Qxc4 28. Rxc6 Qd4 29. Rc4 Qd2 30. Qxf5 Bc6 31. Rxc6 $5 (31. Ne4 Qd1+ 32. Kg2 Qd5 33. Qxd5 Bxd5 34. Rd4 f5 35. f3 fxe4 36. fxe4 Bxe4+ 37. Rxe4 Rd2+ $11) 31... bxc6 32. Qxh7 Rd6 $14 {White is somewhat better (safer ?), but the result of the game is far from decided.}) (25... Qc5 $5 {is safer and holds the balance:} 26. Ne4 $5 (26. Qh6+ Kg8 (26... Ke7 $2 27. Nd5+ $1 exd5 (27... Kxd6 28. Qf8+ $18) 28. Rxd5 $18 {?} Qxc4 29. Qd6#) 27. Rxe6 fxe6 (27... Qxc4 28. Qg5+ $11) 28. Bxe6+ Bf7 29. Nd5 Bxe6 30. Qxe6+ Kg7 $11) 26... Qxc4 27. Nf6 Ke7 $8 28. Rd1 (28. Ne4+ Kf8 $11) 28... Nd4 $8 29. Nxe8+ Kxe8 $1 (29... Kf8 30. Qg7+ Kxe8 31. Rxd4 Qc1+ 32. Kg2 Rc8 33. Rh4 $36) 30. Qg8+ Ke7 31. Qxa8 Ne2+ $5 (31... Qd5 32. Rxd4 Qxd4 33. Qxb7+ Kf6 34. Kg2 $11 {/?}) 32. Kg2 Qe4+ 33. f3 Nf4+ 34. gxf4 Qe2+ 35. Kg3 Qxd1 36. Qxb7+ Qd7 $11) (25... Qxb2 $2 26. Qf6 Qc1+ (26... Kg8 27. Rxe6 $18) 27. Rd1 Qxa3 28. Bxe6 Kg8 29. Bxf5 Qf8 30. Ne4 $18 {?}) 26. Qh6+ Ke7 $8 (26... Kg8 27. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 28. Bxe6+ Bf7 29. Nd5 $18 {[%CAl Rd5f6] ??f6}) 27. Qh4+ {White again repeats moves, here he wants to accurately calculate the winning line.} (27. Nb5 $1 {-29.?b5!}) 27... Kf8 (27... Kxd6 28. Nb5+ Kd7 29. Nxc7 $18 (29. Bxe6+ $5 fxe6 30. Qxh7+ $18)) 28. Qh6+ Ke7 29. Nb5 $1 Qa5 (29... Qxd6 30. Nxd6 Kxd6 31. Qxh7 Ne5 {was more resilient, but equally hopeless in the long run - the ?h2 will decide after} 32. Be2 $18 {[%csl Gh2]}) (29... Qc8 30. Qxh7 Nd8 (30... Kf8 31. Qh6+ Ke7 32. Qg5+ Kf8 33. Nd4 $1 Nxd4 34. Rxd4 $18) 31. Qh4+ f6 32. Rd1 Qc5 33. Nd4 $1 Bf7 34. Re1 {and White's ? will eventually break thorugh. A nice sample line is} Kd7 35. Bb5+ Ke7 $2 36. Nxf5+ $1 Qxf5 37. Qb4+ Qc5 38. Qxc5#) 30. b4 ({Similar is} 30. Rxe6+ $1 fxe6 31. Qxe6+ Kd8 32. b4 $18) 30... Nxb4 {The only reasonable way to postpone mate, but even now the ? breaks through.} (30... Qb6 31. Rxe6+ $1 fxe6 32. Qxe6+ Kd8 (32... Kf8 33. Qh6+ Ke7 34. Qd6#) 33. Qd6+ Bd7 34. Be6 Nb8 35. Qf8+ Be8 36. Qf6#) 31. Rxe6+ $1 (31. axb4 $2 Qa1+ 32. Kg2 Bxb5 33. Rxe6+ fxe6 34. Qxe6+ Kd8 35. Bxb5 Qd4 36. Qe8+ Kc7 37. Qxa8 Qd5+ $13) 31... fxe6 32. Qxe6+ Kd8 33. Qf6+ {An important move, protecting the a1-square.} Kc8 34. Qxf5+ $5 {Before taking the ?, White grabs a ?.} (34. axb4 $18) 34... Kd8 (34... Bd7 35. Nd6+ $18) (34... Kb8 35. Qe5+ $18) 35. Qf6+ Kc8 36. axb4 $1 {Now Black faces a quick mate, or immense material losses.} (36. axb4 Qd8 (36... Qxb4 37. Be6+ Bd7 38. Qh8+ {mates immediately.}) 37. Be6+ Bd7 38. Qc3+ Kb8 39. Qe5+ Kc8 40. Qc5+ Kb8 41. Bxd7 b6 42. Qd6+ Kb7 43. Bc6+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.23"] [Round "1"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2808"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 ({After the move-order} 1... d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. e3 O-O {, White has the tricky attempt} 6. a3 $5 {Maybe the best way to meet White's idea is} b6 $5 (6... Nbd7 7. Nb5 $1 Ne8 8. Nf3 $14 {Gelfand,B (2739)-Aronian,L (2805) Wijk aan Zee 2012/ Practice has proven this is pleasant for White, despite the result of the game - see the notes by Marin in CBM 147.}) ({The idea is to induce Black to go for the older} 6... c5 {line, which is nowadays under a cloud.} {A recent example:} 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Be2 Ne4 (11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nh5 13. O-O Nxf4 14. exf4 g6 15. g3 Rd8 16. Rxd8+ Qxd8 17. Rd1 $14 {Kramnik,V (2759)-Carlsen,M (2772) Dortmund 2009/ This was one of the most important games to cause the turn away from the ...c5 lines - for more detail see the notes in CBM 131.}) 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 (13. bxc3 {also deserves attention:} exd5 14. O-O Be6 (14... Bf6 15. c4 $5 $32 Be6 16. Bg5 dxc4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Bxc4 Qc5 19. Rc1 Qxc4 20. Qxc4 Bxc4 21. Rxc4 Rfd8 22. Rb1 Rd7 23. g3 a6 24. Kg2 $36 {[%csl Rf6,Rf7,Rh7] Giri,A (2752)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2700) Rosmalen rpd 2014}) 15. a4 b6 16. Bd3 g6 (16... h6 $142 $5 17. Rb1 $14 {/?}) 17. Qe2 Bf6 18. Bb5 Rac8 19. Ng5 $1 Bf5 20. g4 Be6 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Bd6 Rfd8 23. Ba6 Rxd6 24. Bxc8 Qxa4 25. e4 Ne7 26. f4 $16 {Paredes,C (2252)-Sage,F (2339) email 2011}) 13... Qxc3+ 14. bxc3 exd5 15. Rxd5 Bxa3 16. Nd4 Nxd4 (16... a5 $5 17. Kd2 a4 $132 {might well be better, in mail games Black has successfully defended this position.}) 17. exd4 b6 18. Kd2 Be6 $6 {is weaker, as now} (18... a6 $142 19. Bf3 (19. Ra1 Be6 20. Re5 Bd6 21. Re4 Bxf4+ 22. Rxf4 b5 23. Bf3 Ra7 24. d5 Bc8 25. c4 bxc4 26. Ra5 Bd7 27. Rxc4 Bb5 28. Rc5 Rd7 29. Ke3 $14 {/=, Bodiroga,P (2410)-Miranovic,R (2385) Sombor 2009}) 19... Be6 (19... Bb7 20. Rd7 Bxf3 21. gxf3 $14) 20. Rh5 Rac8 21. Rb1 (21. Bb7 $1 Bb2 22. Bxc8 Rxc8 23. Rb1 Bxc3+ 24. Kd3 $14) 21... g6 22. Rg5 Be7 23. Rg3 b5 24. Bb7 Rcd8 25. Rd3 b4 $1 $11 {Klemettinen,P (2428)-Glorstad,T (2362) email 2011}) 19. Rb5 Bd7 20. Rb3 Be7 21. Bf3 $36 {puts Black's queenside under heavy pressure:} Ba4 22. Rb2 Rad8 23. Ra1 b5 24. Bc6 a6 25. Bb7 Bd6 26. Be3 a5 27. Bc6 Rb8 28. d5 Rfd8 29. Kd3 Bf8 30. Bd4 f6 31. Ke4 Bd6 32. c4 Bb4 33. Ba7 (33. g4 $5 $16) 33... f5+ 34. Kf3 Rbc8 35. cxb5 Bxb5 36. Bxb5 Bc3 37. Rab1 Bxb2 38. Rxb2 Rxd5 {Carlsen,M (2853)-Nakamura,H (2814) Saint Louis 2015} 39. g3 $16) 7. Nb5 (7. g4 c5 $5 $146 8. dxc5 Bb7 9. Bg2 Nbd7 10. cxd5 bxc5 11. Nge2 Nb6 12. O-O Nfxd5 $132 13. Qc2 {½, Ivanchuk,V (2731)-Sargissian,G (2668) WChT Tsaghkadzor 2015}) 7... Na6 8. Nf3 Bb7 9. Qc2 c6 10. Nc3 c5 11. Rd1 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nc5 13. Be2 Qc8 14. O-O dxc4 15. Bxc4 a6 16. Rc1 b5 17. Ba2 Qe8 18. f3 Rc8 19. e4 Nfd7 20. Be3 Ne5 $11 {Jobava,B (2664)-Swiercz,D (2617) Abu Dhabi 2015}) 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Ne4 {This knight sortie has gradually become topical, not least due to Caruana's efforts. The former more popular alternatives are currently facing some problems:} (7... Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 (12... Ba6 13. Bxa6 Rxa6 14. Qe2 Ra8 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. fxe5 b5 17. Rab1 axb4 18. axb4 Qd7 19. Ra1 Ra7 20. Ra2 Rfa8 21. Rfa1 Qb7 22. Qb2 Ra6 23. g3 f5 24. exf6 Bxf6 25. Rxa6 Rxa6 26. Ne2 Qa8 27. Rxa6 Qxa6 28. Kg2 Qa8 29. Ng1 Qa4 30. Nf3 $14 {Ding Liren (2755)-Shankland,S (2661) WChT Tsaghkadzor 2015 See the notes to this game by Mokal in CBM 166.}) 13. g3 Ba6 14. Re1 (14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qe2 Rfa8 16. b5 cxb5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Qxe7 Rc8 (18... R6a7 19. Rfb1 bxc5 20. Rxb5 cxd4 21. Nxd4 Nf6 22. Qxc7 Rxc7 23. a4 Rc4 24. Nb3 h6 25. Nxa5 Rd4 26. f5 Kh7 27. f3 Ne8 28. Nc6 Rdxa4 29. Rxa4 Rxa4 30. Rxd5 Nf6 $14 {Bacrot,E (2694)-Istratescu,A (2619) Saint Quentin 2015/ White has some practical winning chances, but Black held the endgame with patient defence.}) 19. Rab1 (19. c6 Nf6 20. Qxc7 Rxc7 21. Rfb1 Ne4 22. Rxb5 Nc3 23. Rb2 {Maksimenko,A (2492)-Salvetti,A (2239) Lugano 2015} Rxc6 $11) 19... bxc5 20. Rxb5 Re6 21. Qg5 h6 22. Qxd5 Rd6 $132 {Ivanchuk,V (2731)-Kramnik,V (2784) WCup Tromsoe 2013}) 14... Bf6 15. Kg2 Rfb8 $5 (15... Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Rfb8 17. h4 Qa7 18. Ne2 g6 19. Rab1 axb4 20. axb4 Qa2 21. Rec1 bxc5 22. bxc5 h5 23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. fxe5 Bg7 25. Rb6 $16 {Anand,V (2797)-Nakamura,H (2776) Zuerich 2015 This was a big win for White, which negatively influenced the reputation of 7...?h5. Possibly undeservedly, as the notes by Krasenkow in CBM 165 indicate.}) 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. Qd3 Ra7 $1 18. Rab1 axb4 19. axb4 Rba8 20. Rb3 Rb7 21. Reb1 h6 $132 {/?, Sasikiran,K (2642)-Riazantsev,A (2671) Montpellier 2015}) ({Another big point for White was} 7... c6 8. Bd3 b6 (8... Nh5 $5 {can still transpose into the above line.}) 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 $1 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 a4 16. Rc1 Ne4 17. Ng5 Ndf6 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. f3 Ra5 20. fxe4 Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 23. exd5 Rxd5 24. Qxb6 $16 {Anand,V (2792)-Carlsen,M (2863) WCh Sochi 2014/ In his notes in CBM 164 Krasenkow explains the details of this complex line.}) 8. Rc1 {The text move scores well, but we'll check the alternatives as well:} (8. Nb5 $2 c6 9. Bc7 Qe8 10. Nd6 Nxd6 11. cxd6 Bd8 {[%csl Rd6] doesn't make much sense - the advanced pawn will fall in due course.}) (8. a3 $146 {is a profound novelty, but the point remains unclear:} Nxc3 9. bxc3 c6 $5 {[%CAl Yb7b6]} (9... b6 10. c6 Nb8 11. Qa4 (11. Bb5 a6 12. Qa4 Bd6 13. Bg3 Ra7 $1 {[%CAl Ra6b5]}) 11... a6 12. c4 Ra7 {[%CAl Yb8c6] liquidates the advanced ?c6, but White has fair compensation after} 13. Bd3 Nxc6 14. cxd5 Qxd5 15. O-O $44) 10. Qa4 $8 g5 11. Bg3 f5 12. h3 f4 13. Bh2 e5 14. Be2 e4 15. Nd2 Nxc5 $1 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. O-O {Here Grischuk was allegedly still following his preparation, this position is critical:} (17. exf4 gxf4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Qxe4 Qg5 $5 $13 {/?} (19... Bf5 20. Qc4+ Qd5 21. Qxd5+ cxd5 22. Bxf4 Be4 23. Be3 $11)) 17... b5 $2 (17... fxe3 $142 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. fxe3 (19. Qb3+ Kg7 20. Be5+ Kg6 21. fxe3 Qd5 $17) 19... Be6 20. Rxf8+ Qxf8 21. Rf1 Qe7 (21... Qe8 $5) 22. Qxe4 Re8 $36 {Black's activity fully compensates for the weakened g5.}) 18. Qb3 Qe7 19. Kh1 Be6 20. a4 d4 21. Qd1 d3 22. Bg4 Bd5 23. axb5 cxb5 24. Nb3 fxe3 25. Nxc5 Qxc5 26. fxe3 Qxe3 27. Re1 Qf2 28. Bg1 $40 {Grischuk,A (2771)-Caruana,F (2808) Saint Louis 2015/ Black's pawns are stopped and White's extra piece will tell, as the ?g8 is terminally vulnerable.}) (8. Qc2 f5 (8... g5 $143 9. Bg3 f5 10. Nxe4 $1 dxe4 11. Nd2 f4 12. Bc4 fxg3 13. hxg3 Rf6 14. Qxe4 Nf8 15. Nf3 Rg6 16. Ne5 Rg7 17. O-O-O Qe8 18. Rh6 Ng6 19. Rdh1 $40 {1-0 Steinitz,W-Lasker,E St Petersburg 1895/96 (4.2) Ehlvest,J (2627)-Saidy,A (2376) Los Angeles 2000/ For a similar piece sacrifice see already}) 9. Bd3 (9. h4 c6 10. O-O-O ({Very optimistic, solid is} 10. a3 $13) 10... Nxc3 11. Qxc3 b6 12. Ng5 (12. h5 $142 $5 bxc5 13. h6) 12... Rf6 13. b4 $2 a5 14. a3 axb4 15. axb4 bxc5 16. bxc5 Ra5 17. Kd2 e5 18. dxe5 Rg6 19. Bd3 Ra2+ 20. Ke1 Nxc5 $40 {[%csl Re1] Markos,J (2590)-Cvek,R (2520) Slovakia 2014}) (9. Ne5 Bf6 10. Nxd7 Bxd7 11. f3 Ng5 12. Bxg5 Bxg5 13. f4 Bf6 14. b4 g5 15. g3 Kh8 16. Be2 Rg8 17. O-O-O b6 18. Ba6 Rb8 19. Rhg1 Qe7 20. a3 Qg7 21. Ne2 c6 22. Qc3 gxf4 23. exf4 Bc8 $15 {Fressinet,L (2714)-Ponomariov,R (2734) Istanbul olm 2012}) (9. h3 c6 10. Be2 b6 11. cxb6 axb6 12. O-O Ba6 13. Rfc1 Nxc3 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qxc3 c5 16. a4 Qa8 17. b3 Rc8 18. Qb2 Qb7 19. Bg5 Bd6 20. Bf4 Be7 21. Bg5 Bd6 22. Bf4 Be7 {½, Khismatullin,D (2640)-Matlakov,M (2653) Loo 2013}) 9... c6 (9... g5 $5 10. Bg3 c6 11. Ne2 b6 12. b4 a5 13. b5 Bb7 14. bxc6 Bxc6 15. cxb6 Bb4+ 16. Kf1 Qxb6 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Nxg5 Rac8 19. Kg1 Bb5 20. Qd1 Bd3 21. Nf4 Bc3 22. Rc1 Bb2 23. Nxd3 Bxc1 24. Nc5 Bxe3 25. fxe3 Nxc5 26. dxc5 Rfd8 27. Qa1 Qxc5 {½-½, Lehnhoff,H (2174)-Harding,A (2143) email 2013} 28. h4 Qxe3+ 29. Kh2 Qc3 $11 (29... Rc3 $5)) 10. Ne5 Bf6 11. Nxd7 Bxd7 12. f3 Ng5 13. Bxg5 Bxg5 14. f4 Be7 15. a3 b6 16. b4 g5 17. g3 Kh8 $11 {/?, Topalov,V (2752)-Giri,A (2711) Istanbul olm 2012 The position is very similar to Fressinet-Ponomariov above. Krasenkow's notes in CBM 151 show Black has nothing to complain about.}) ({Perhaps the simplest and risk-free solution is} 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Ne5 (9. Nd2 $6 e5 10. Bxe5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Qd5 12. Qc2 Qxe5 13. Rc1 Bf5 14. Be2 b6 15. Nb3 a5 $36 {Volodin,A (2506)-Ehlvest,J (2605) Tallinn rpd 2013}) 9... Nxe5 10. Bxe5 Bd7 11. Bc4 (11. Be2 Bc6 12. O-O Bf6 13. Bg3 Bh4 14. Be5 Bf6 15. b4 Bxe5 16. dxe5 a6 17. a4 Qg5 18. b5 axb5 19. axb5 Bd5 20. Qd4 f6 21. exf6 Qxf6 22. Qxf6 gxf6 $11 {Giri,A (2745)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2700) Tromso olm 2014}) 11... Bc6 (11... Bf6 12. Bg3 Bc6 13. O-O (13. Qe2 $142 {transposes to Eljanov's game below.}) 13... Bh4 (13... b5 $5 14. Bb3 a5 $11) 14. Qh5 Bxg3 15. fxg3 Bd5 16. Bxd5 Qxd5 17. Qxd5 exd5 18. g4 f6 19. b4 a6 20. a4 Kf7 21. Kf2 Ke6 22. Kg3 Rf7 $11 {Salem,A (2595)-Harika,D (2509) Abu Dhabi 2015}) 12. Qe2 Bf6 13. Bg3 Rc8 (13... Qd7 $142 14. Rc1 b5 15. cxb6 axb6 16. O-O $11 {/?}) 14. b4 Qd7 15. a4 Rfd8 16. O-O Bd5 17. Rfc1 c6 18. Bd6 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Be7 {Eljanov,P (2718)-Andreikin,D (2718) Havana 2015} 20. Bg3 $14 {For more details see the notes by Eljanov in CBM 167.}) (8. Bd3 f5 9. h3 (9. Ne5 Bf6 10. Nxd7 Bxd7 11. O-O g5 12. Bxe4 gxf4 13. Bd3 fxe3 14. fxe3 Kh8 15. Ne2 c6 16. Kh1 Qe7 17. Qb3 Rab8 18. Qa4 a6 19. Qa5 Bg5 20. Qc7 Rfc8 21. Qg3 Rg8 $11 {Amanov,M (2516)-Topalov,V (2752) Istanbul olm 2012}) (9. Bxe4 $6 fxe4 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. Bxe5 b6 12. b4 a5 13. a3 bxc5 14. bxc5 {Esen,B (2587)-Ganguly,S (2629) Vlissingen 2012} Bf6 $1 $40 {[%CAl Rc8a6]}) 9... c6 10. O-O (10. Qa4 Bf6 11. Ne2 Nexc5 12. dxc5 e5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. O-O-O Qe7 15. Qc2 a5 (15... b6 $5 $36) 16. Nd4 g6 17. Kb1 a4 18. Rc1 Bd7 19. g4 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Qe4 $15 {Inarkiev,E (2672)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2706) Germany 2014}) 10... b6 11. cxb6 axb6 12. a4 Ba6 13. Rc1 Nxc3 14. Rxc3 c5 15. b3 Qc8 16. Ne5 Bf6 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Bxa6 Rxa6 $11 {Gajewski,G (2653)-Swiercz,D (2622) Chorzow 2013}) 8... Nxc3 9. Rxc3 b6 10. c6 {The principled push. In the first game White bailed out with} (10. b4 a5 11. a3 axb4 12. axb4 bxc5 13. bxc5 Nf6 14. Nd2 Nd7 {[%CAl Ye6e5]} 15. Nf3 Nf6 16. Nd2 Nd7 17. Nf3 {½-½, Anand,V (2793)-Caruana,F (2829) London 2014}) 10... Nf6 11. a3 a5 12. Bd3 (12. Rc1 Ne4 13. Qc2 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. O-O Bd6 16. Ne5 Bxe5 17. Bxe5 Ra8 18. a4 Nd6 19. h3 Rc8 20. b3 Nf5 21. Bf4 Qe7 22. Qd3 Rfd8 23. Rfd1 Re8 24. Rc3 Rcd8 25. Qc2 f6 26. e4 dxe4 27. Qxe4 Rd5 28. Rcd3 Nh4 29. Bh2 Ng6 $11 {Salzmann,S (2103)-Sacerdotali,S (2056) email 2014 Although White has more space, Black's set-up is very solid.}) (12. Rc2 Ba6 $6 (12... Ne4 $1 {transposes to the game, as White hardly has anything better than} 13. Bd3 {-12.?d3}) 13. Bxa6 Rxa6 14. Ne5 a4 15. g4 $1 Ne4 16. Nd7 Re8 17. Qd3 Ra5 18. O-O Nd6 19. Bxd6 Bxd6 20. f4 $36 {?} Re7 21. f5 e5 22. f6 Rxd7 23. Qf5 $1 $18 {Vitiugov,N (2735)-Raznikov,D (2494) Caleta 2015}) 12... Ne4 13. Rc2 f6 (13... Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Ne5 Bd6 16. Nd7 Bxf4 (16... Re8 $5) 17. Nxf8 Bxe3 18. Nd7 Bg5 19. Qd3 Ra8 20. a4 Nf6 21. h4 Bh6 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. h5 Bg5 24. O-O Qf4 25. Rd1 Bf6 26. g3 Qg4 27. Qe2 Qh3 28. Rc3 Be7 29. g4 Qh4 30. f4 $14 {/=, Giri,A (2784)-Caruana,F (2820) Wijk aan Zee 2015/ White's material advantage is minimal amd it's difficult to effectively open the position, see the notes by Sumets in CBM 165. In the end Caruana held a draw, but after almost 100 moves! It's not surprising he intends to deviate earlier.}) 14. Qe2 {Aronian naturally prevents ?a6, so now Black's hope to develop his ?c8 lies with the e5 push.} Bd6 15. O-O g5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] An double-edged push. Although Black will later pay for the weakening of his ?, we can't judge it solely by the result, as his play could have been improved upon (also Fabiano repeated 7...?e4 in Round 6 against Grischuk).} ({A less committal alternative is} 15... Qe7 {[%CAl Ye6e5]} 16. Bxd6 (16. Nd2 Nxd2 17. Bxd6 (17. Rxd2 e5 $132) 17... Qxd6 18. Rxd2 $5 (18. Qxd2 Ba6 $11 (18... e5 $5 $11)) 18... Qxc6 19. Rc2 Qd7 20. Rfc1 Ra7 21. Rc6 $44 {, but is this more than just compensation?}) ({It's not so easy to find an alternative to the simple swap on d6, perhaps} 16. h3 $5 e5 17. Bh2 $13 {is worth considering, Black's centre may come under pressure.}) 16... Nxd6 17. e4 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 ({I don't like this swap, a more natural way seems to be} 18... Ba6 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 Qf7 $14 {/?}) 19. Qxe4 Rd8 20. Re1 Qf7 21. b4 axb4 22. axb4 Ra4 23. Rb2 Rd5 24. Qc2 Ra3 25. Ra2 Rxa2 26. Qxa2 Rd6 27. Qa8 Qe8 28. b5 $36 {Petrosyan,T (2441)-Johannessen,L (2517) Sitges 2015/ This game was played roughly one month earlier, with some help from the opponent White managed to realise his plan in an ideal form - the ?c8 remains hemmed in.}) ({This is also why Black spurns} 15... Bxf4 $2 16. exf4 $16 {[%csl Ge5][%CAl Ge1e6] - a major positional concession, which greatly increases White's control of the centre in general, particularly the vital e5-square.}) 16. Bxd6 (16. Bg3 e5 $5 (16... Nxg3 17. fxg3 $5 f5 18. g4 Qf6 $132) 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Qc4+ Rf7 $8 19. dxe5 fxe5 20. Qxe4 (20. Nd2 $5 Ba6 21. Qxe4 $44) 20... Bf5 21. Qc4 Bxc2 22. Qxc2 Qf6 $13) 16... Nxd6 17. Re1 $5 (17. e4 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Ba6 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 g4 21. Ne1 (21. Nh4 f5 22. g3 Ne4 $13 {/?}) 21... Nf5 22. Qe4 Kh8 $132) (17. Nd2 e5 18. e4 f5 $132 {Aronian makes a useful preparatory move before the central confrontation.}) 17... a4 {Strategically useful in the long run, as it stops the b4-b5 squeeze. However, with a storm brewing in the centre this is hardly a critical consideration, moreover the follow-up in move 21 will cost Black the game.} ({Possible improvements are} 17... Re8 18. Nd2 e5 $132) ({, as well as} 17... g4 $5 18. Nd2 e5) 18. Nd2 {[%CAl Ye3e4,Yf2f4]} e5 {White is ready to expand in the centre, so Black should act first.} (18... f5 $2 19. f4 $16 {[%csl Rc8] is too static.}) 19. e4 f5 $5 {Increasing the tension.} (19... exd4 {Aronian intended} 20. Rcc1 $5 {and this deserves attention. A sample line is} (20. exd5 Re8 21. Qd1 Bf5 (21... Rxe1+ 22. Qxe1 Ra5 23. Nc4 Rxd5 24. Nxd6 Rxd6 25. f4 $1 gxf4 26. Re2 $44) 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Nf3 Qf7 24. Bxf5 Nxf5 25. h4 $1 h6 (25... Qxd5 26. hxg5 fxg5 27. Nxg5 Ng7 $5 $13) 26. g4 Nd6 27. Re2 (27. Qxd4 Re8 $44) 27... Qxd5 28. Qd3 Re8 $5 {and Black should hold - for example} 29. Qg6+ Kf8 30. Qxf6+ Nf7 31. Rxe8+ Kxe8 32. hxg5 hxg5 33. Nxd4 Ne5 34. Qe6+ Qxe6 35. Nxe6 Ke7 36. Nxg5 Nxg4 37. Ne4 Ne5 38. Nc3 Nc4 39. Nxa4 Kd6 40. f4 Kxc6 $11 {[%CAl Rb6b5]}) (20. e5 fxe5 21. Qxe5 Qf6 22. Nf3 Qxe5 23. Rxe5 Bf5 $132) 20... Re8 21. Qf3 Qe7 22. h3 Kg7 23. exd5 Qxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 25. Kh2 $32 {/?}) 20. f3 {As the struggle heats up, Aronian holds on to the centre.} (20. exd5 $6 e4 21. Bc4 Qf6 $36) (20. dxe5 Nxe4 (20... fxe4 21. exd6 exd3 22. Qxd3 Qxd6 23. Qe3 h6 24. Nf3 $36) 21. Nb1 (21. f3 Nc5 $132) 21... Be6 $13) 20... dxe4 $2 {Releasing the tension is a concession, in such a volatile situation this has dire consequences.} (20... Re8 $142 $1 21. Qf2 Ra5 (21... dxe4 22. fxe4 f4 23. Nf3 (23. dxe5 Nf7 24. Bc4 Be6 $11) 23... exd4 24. e5 Nf5 25. Rd2 $13 {/?}) 22. exf5 Bxf5 (22... exd4 23. g4 $16 {[%csl Rc8]}) 23. Bxf5 Nxf5 24. dxe5 d4 25. f4 gxf4 (25... Ne3 26. Ne4 $1 $14) 26. Nc4 Rc5 27. Qxf4 Qh4 {Black swaps queens and he should survive the resulting endgame after} 28. Qxh4 Nxh4 29. Re4 Ng6 30. Rxd4 Rxc6) 21. fxe4 Ra5 $6 {This is not ideal, but White already has an advantage:} (21... Re8 22. exf5 exd4 23. Qf2 $36) ({More testing was} 21... exd4 22. e5 Re8 23. Qh5 Nf7 24. Nf3 g4 {, when White has a choice:} {Perhaps even more promising is} 25. Bc4 (25. Nh4 Qg5 26. Qxg5+ Nxg5 27. Nxf5 (27. Rc4 $5) 27... Bxf5 28. Bxf5 Ra5 29. Rce2 g3 30. hxg3 Rd5 $14) 25... Be6 26. Bxe6 Rxe6 27. Qxf5 Rg6 28. e6 $1 (28. Nd2 Qh4 $132) 28... Nh6 29. Qe4 gxf3 30. e7 Qe8 31. Qxf3 $44 {[%csl Ge7] /? The powerful ?e7 paralyzes Black and even the engines are not too optimistic about his defensive prospects, with the evaluation gradually growing in White's favour. However, writing this sitting by the monitor and deciding for the piece sacrifice over the board are two very different things!}) 22. exf5 Nxf5 (22... exd4 23. g4 $16) 23. Bc4+ $1 (23. dxe5 $6 Nd4 24. Qh5 Bf5 {perhaps keeps an edge, but is definitely far less convincing.} 25. Rc3) 23... Kg7 24. d5 {[%csl Ra5,Re5,Rg7][%mdl 128] Shuts off the hapless rook and proceeds with his attack.} Re8 (24... Nd6 25. Qxe5+ Kh6 (25... Qf6 26. Qxf6+ Rxf6 27. Ne4 Nxe4 28. Rxe4 Bf5 29. Re7+ Kf8 30. Rce2 $16) 26. h4 $16 {is maybe more resilient, but still dreary enough.}) 25. Ne4 $1 $18 {[%mdl 512] The positionally desirable moves very often work even tactically! This sacrifice is fully correct and decides the game.} Nd4 (25... Nd6 26. Rf1 Rf8 (26... Nxc4 27. Qh5 $18) 27. Nxd6 Rxf1+ (27... Qxd6 28. Rxf8 Kxf8 29. Qf3+ Kg7 30. Rf2 $18) 28. Qxf1 cxd6 (28... Qxd6 29. Rf2 Qe7 30. d6 Qxd6 31. Rf7+ Kg6 32. Rf8 $18) 29. Rf2 $18 (29. Bd3 $5 {?} Rxd5 30. Rf2 $18 {[%CAl Rf2f7,Rd3c4]})) 26. Qh5 Nxc2 (26... Bf5 27. Rf2 Bg6 28. Qg4 $1 $40 (28. Qxg5 $2 Qxg5 29. Nxg5 Rc5 $132) 28... h6 (28... h5 29. Qg3 Bxe4 30. Rxe4 $18) 29. Nf6 $18 {is simply hopeless, therefore Caruana accepts the challenge and takes the rook.}) 27. Nxg5 Bf5 (27... Nxe1 28. Qxh7+ Kf6 29. Ne4#) (27... Rh8 28. Rf1 $18) 28. Rf1 $1 {Caruana possibly overlooked/underestimated this quiet move.} (28. Qf7+ $2 Kh6 29. Qxf5 Qxg5 30. Qxc2 Rf8 $13) 28... Qf6 (28... Bg6 29. Rf7+ $1 Bxf7 (29... Kh8 30. Rxh7+ $18) (29... Kg8 30. Qh6 $18 {[%CAl Rh6g7]}) 30. Qxh7+ Kf6 31. Ne4+ Ke7 32. d6+ $18) 29. Ne6+ ({White has already more than one way, even more incisive was} 29. Rxf5 $1 Qxf5 (29... Qg6 30. Rf7+ Kg8 31. Qh3 $18 {[%CAl Rd5d6,Rc4d3]}) 30. Ne6+ Rxe6 (30... Qxe6 31. dxe6 $18 {[%CAl Rh5f7,Rf7e8]}) (30... Kf6 31. Qxe8 e4 32. Qd8+ Kg6 (32... Ke5 33. Qxc7+ Kf6 34. Qg7#) 33. Qg8+ Kh6 34. Qg7+ Kh5 35. Be2+ $18) 31. Qxf5 $18 {[%csl Rc2,Re6]}) 29... Rxe6 30. Rxf5 Qg6 31. dxe6 ({Levon goes for the won endgame, but there was the even more powerful} 31. Rg5 $1 Re7 32. Bd3 $18) 31... Qxh5 32. Rxh5 Nd4 33. e7 Ra8 34. Rxe5 Re8 35. Re4 Nf5 (35... Nxc6 36. Bb5 Rxe7 37. Bxc6) 36. Be6 $1 Nd6 (36... Nxe7 37. Bd7 $18) 37. Bd7 Nxe4 38. Bxe8 Kf6 39. Bg6 {The final touch, winning a piece.} 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-41"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2014.08.08"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2014.08.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Uzbekistan"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UZB"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 {Korchnoi has once remarked, that 4...?bd7 move is played partly with an idea to take the sting from the ?f4 move. Kasimdzhanov plays it anyway as it has become quite popular in recent years.} dxc4 6. e3 {White sensibly decides, that 6.e4 exposes him too much and that Black will find a way to prove it. The modest move from the game introduces a moment of critical decision for Black, since the defender can choose between a plethora of ideas.} (6. e4 Bb4 7. Qc2 (7. e5 Nd5 8. Bd2 Bxc3 9. bxc3 b5) (7. Bxc4 Nxe4 8. O-O Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bd6 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bd2 O-O 12. Qe2 c5 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. cxd4 Nf6 15. Ne5 Nd5 16. Qh5 Bd7 17. Rdb1 Bc6 $11 {1/2 (50) Vescovi,G (2465)-Krasenkow,M (2575) Malmo 1995}) 7... b5 (7... Nb6 $5 8. Be2 (8. Bxc4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nxc4 10. Qa4+ c6 11. Qxc4 Nxe4 $17)) 8. e5 (8. a4 $6 Bb7 9. e5 Bxf3) (8. Nd2 c6 9. a3 Ba5 10. Bd6 Bc7 11. Bxc7 Qxc7 12. b3 e5 13. d5 cxd5 14. Nxb5 Qc6 15. a4 a6 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Qxc4 Bb7 18. Qxc6 Bxc6 19. Nd6+ Ke7 20. Nf5+ Kf6 21. Rc1 Nb4 $11 {1-0 (46) Boruchovsky,A (2472)-Brkic,A (2580) Warsaw 2013}) 8... Nd5 9. Bg5 f6 10. exf6 N7xf6 (10... gxf6 11. Bh6 Bb7 12. Be2 (12. Bg7 Rg8 13. Qxh7 Rxg7 $1 14. Qxg7 Nxc3 $17) 12... Qe7 13. O-O Bxc3 14. bxc3 $15) 11. a4 Bb7 $1 12. Be2 (12. axb5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Qxd4 $17) 12... a6 13. O-O c6 14. Ne5 O-O 15. Bg4 $5 {xe6} Qd6 16. Bh3 Bxc3 17. bxc3 c5 $1 18. axb5 axb5 19. Nf3 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Nf4 (20... cxd4 21. Nxd4 $132) 21. Bxf4 Qxf4 $15 {0-1 (32) Van Wely,L (2560)-Sokolov,I (2625) Tilburg 1994}) 6... Bd6 {The theory of the whole line is still in flux and comparison between different ideas is complicated enough. Kramnik shows respect for his opponent in the form of a solid, well referenced choice of move.} (6... Nd5 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 (7... Bb4 8. O-O Nxf4 9. exf4 Bxc3 10. bxc3 O-O 11. Qc2 Nf6 12. Ne5 b6 13. Rfe1 g6 14. Re3 Bb7 15. Rae1 Kg7 16. Rh3 c5 17. Qd2 Bd5 18. Ba6 Qc7 19. c4 Bb7 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. dxc5 bxc5 22. Rb3 $14 {0-1 (68) Aronian,L (2803)-Dominguez Perez,L (2754) Beijing 2013}) 8. exf4 Bd6 (8... Nb6 9. Bb3 Bd6 10. g3 Bd7 11. O-O (11. Qd3 Bc6 12. O-O-O $5 Bxf3 (12... O-O 13. Ng5 g6 14. d5) 13. Qxf3 c6 14. Kb1 (14. f5 Qg5+) 14... g6 (14... O-O 15. f5 exf5 16. Qxf5 $14) 15. f5 $1 exf5 16. Rhe1+ Kf8 17. g4 $40) 11... O-O 12. Qd3 Bc6 13. Rad1 Qf6 14. Ng5 g6 15. Nge4 Qf5 (15... Bxe4 16. Nxe4 Qe7 17. Rfe1 (17. d5 e5 18. f5 (18. Rfe1 exf4 19. Qc3 Nd7 20. Nxd6 Qxd6 21. Re6 Qc5 $11) 18... Nd7 $14) 17... c6 18. h4 a5 19. a3 a4 20. Ba2 Nd5 21. h5 $11) 16. d5 exd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Qxd5 20. Rxd5 $14 {1-0 (77) Gelfand,B (2739)-Adams,M (2727) Paris/St Petersburg 2013}) 9. Qd2 (9. g3 O-O 10. O-O Nf6 11. Qe2 b6 12. Rfd1 Bb7 13. Rac1 Qe7 14. a3 Rfd8 15. Ne5 c5 16. Nb5 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxe5 18. Qxe5 Qd6 19. Bb3 Qxe5 20. fxe5 $11 {1-0 (25) Botvinnik,M-Menchik,V/Hastings 1934/HCL}) (9. Ne5 O-O 10. O-O Nb6 11. Bb3 Bd7 12. Qg4 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Bc6 14. f5 exf5 15. Qxf5 Qe7 16. Rfe1 Rad8 17. Rad1 g6 18. Qf4 Kg7 $11 {Ibragimov,I-Smagin,S/Saint Petersburg 1998})) (6... a6 7. a4 (7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 (8. Bb3 $1) 8... Bb7 9. O-O c5 10. a4 b4 11. Nb1 Rc8 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. exd4 Nb6 14. a5 Nbd5 15. Bg3 Bd6 $11 {Saemisch,F-Sprecher,L/Berlin 1920}) 7... Bd6 (7... Nb6 $6 8. a5 Nbd5 9. Bxc4 Nxf4 10. exf4 Be7 (10... Bd6 11. Ne5 O-O 12. O-O Nd7 13. Qf3 Qe7 14. Rfe1 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Bb4 16. Re3 Bxc3 17. bxc3 $16 {Alekhine,A-Lancel,E/France 1923}) 11. O-O O-O 12. Ne5 Qd6 (12... c6 13. f5 $1 exf5 14. Qb3 Qxd4 (14... Qe8 15. Rfe1 $14) 15. Nxf7 Qh4 16. g3 Qh5 17. Rae1 $16) 13. Re1 c6 (13... g6 $1 14. Re3 $5 Rd8 15. Rd3 c6 16. Qf3 $14) 14. f5 $1 exf5 (14... Nd5 15. Qb3 Qb4 16. Qc2 Re8 17. Ne4 $36 {??d3}) 15. Nxf7 $1 (15. Qb3 Be6 16. Qxb7 Ng4 17. Bxe6 fxe6 18. Qxc6 Nxe5 19. Qxd6 Bxd6 20. dxe5 Bb4 $14) 15... Rxf7 16. Qb3 Nd5 17. Nxd5 cxd5 18. Bxd5 Qf6 19. Rac1 Bd7 20. Rc7 $5 (20. Bxf7+ Qxf7 21. Qxb7 Rd8 22. Qxa6 $16) 20... Rd8 21. Rxb7 Kf8 22. Rb6 Qxd4 23. Bxf7 Bc5 24. Rd1 Qxf2+ 25. Kh1 Be8 $1 (25... Bxb6 26. axb6 $18) 26. Bd5 $1 {1-0 (40) Gelfand,B (2703)-Graf,A (2646) Plovdiv 2003}) (7... c5 8. Bxc4 cxd4 9. exd4 Nb6 10. Bb3 Nbd5 11. Be5 $1 Be7 (11... Bb4 12. Qd3 $14) 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 $2 13. Bxg7 Rg8 14. Be5 Rxg2 15. Bg3 $16) 8. Bg3 (8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 c5 (9... b6 10. Bxc4 (10. e4 Be7 11. Bxc4 Bb7 12. e5 Ne4 13. Nxe4 Bxe4 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. O-O O-O 16. Re1 Bb7 17. Bd3 Rfd8 18. Be4 Bxe4 19. Rxe4 c5 20. Qe2 cxd4 21. Rxd4 {1/2 (21) Adhiban,B (2610)-Roiz,M (2572) Biel 2014}) 10... Bb7 11. O-O Qe7 12. d5 e5 13. Qe2 g5 14. Bg3 Nf8 15. Nd2 Ng6 16. f3 h5 17. Nde4 Nxe4 18. fxe4 Bc8 19. Be1 g4 20. Qd3 Qg5 {1/2 (32) Ding,L (2695)-Ipatov,A (2577) Athens 2012}) 10. Bxc4 O-O 11. O-O cxd4 12. exd4 Qc7 13. Bb3 b6 14. Rc1 Qb8 (14... Bf4 15. Rc2 Qd6 $5 (15... Qb8 16. d5) 16. Ne2 (16. d5 Nc5 17. Bxf6 Nxb3 18. Bh4 Bb7 19. g3 exd5 20. gxf4 d4 $132) 16... Bb7 17. Nxf4 Qxf4 18. Bg3 Qf5 19. Rc7 Be4 $11) 15. d5 $1 e5 16. Nd2 $1 e4 $2 (16... Bb7 17. Nde4 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Kh8 (18... Nc5 19. Rxc5 $1 bxc5 20. Nf6+ Kh8 21. Qd3 e4 (21... g6 22. Qe3 Kg7 23. Ng4 $18) 22. Qxe4 g6 23. Bg3 $16) 19. Rc6 $1 Bxc6 20. dxc6 Nc5 21. Nxd6 Nxb3 22. Be7 Nd4 23. f4 $1 Qc7 24. Bxf8 Rxf8 25. fxe5 Nxc6 $14) 17. Ncxe4 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 19. Kh1 Qf4 20. Be7 $1 Qxe4 21. Re1 Qf4 22. Rc4 $1 Qxf2 23. Kxh2 Bb7 24. Bc2 $1 {1-0 (97) Gelfand,B (2764)-Dominguez Perez,L (2757) Elancourt 2013}) 8... b6 (8... Bxg3 9. hxg3 c5 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Bb3 cxd4 12. exd4 Bd7 (12... Qd6 13. a5 Nbd5 14. Ne5 Bd7 15. Bxd5 Nxd5 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qf3 Qe7 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. O-O $14) 13. a5 Nbd5 14. Bxd5 (14. Ne5 Bc6 15. g4 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Bxg2 17. Rh2 Bc6) 14... Nxd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qe2+ Be6 {1/2 (86) Grischuk,A (2785)-Ponomariov,R (2756) Elancourt 2013} (16... Qe7 17. Rh5 Qxe2+ 18. Kxe2 Be6 19. Kd2 $14)) 9. Bxc4 Bb7 10. Bh4 (10. O-O Bxg3 11. hxg3 c5 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 O-O 14. Nf4 Qe7 15. Qc2 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Rfd1 Bc6 18. Qe2 g5 19. Nd3 Qe4 20. Ne1 $11 {1/2 (84) Fressinet,L (2710)-L'Ami,E (2645) Germany 2013}) 10... O-O 11. O-O Qb8 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Ne5 15. Rc1 Bxd5 16. Qxd5 c6 17. Qe4 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Bxh2+ 19. Kh1 Be5 20. Rxc6 b5 21. axb5 Qxb5 {1/2 (58) Carlsen,M (2786)-Ivanchuk,V (2786) Cap d'Agde 2008}) (6... Nb6 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 (7... Nfd5 8. O-O Nxf4 9. exf4 Bd6 10. Ne5 Bxe5 11. fxe5 Bd7 12. Bb3 Bc6 13. Qg4 g6 14. Rfd1 Qe7 15. Rac1 h5 16. Qh3 Rd8 17. Qe3 Bd5 18. Nb5 Rd7 19. Qc3 O-O {0-1 (50) Giri,A (2734)-Dominguez Perez,L (2754) Beijing 2013}) 8. Qa4+ Bd7 (8... c6 9. Qxc4 Nd5 10. Be5 f6 11. Bg3 Qb6 12. O-O Qxb2 13. Ne4 Nb6 14. Qd3 Qb5 15. Qc2 Qa4 16. Qd3 Qb5 17. Qc2 Qa4 18. Qd3 Qb5 {1/2 (18) Potkin,V (2626)-Zvjaginsev,V (2656) Irkutsk 2010}) 9. Qxc4 Bd6 10. Bg5 (10. O-O Bc6 11. Ne5 Bxe5 12. Bxe5 Nd7 (12... O-O 13. Bxf6 (13. Rac1 a6 14. Rfd1 Nd5 $5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qe2 f6 17. Bg3 Re8 18. Rc3 Re7 19. Rdc1 Qe8 $11 {1/2 Schandorff,L (2563)-Koneru,H (2496)/Esbjerg 2003/ (58)}) 13... Qxf6 14. e4 Rac8 $14) 13. Bg3 Nb6 $6 (13... O-O 14. e4 Nb6 15. Qc5 $14) 14. Qc5 Nd7 $2 15. Qa5 $1 b6 16. Qa3 $16 {1-0 (34) Bacrot,E (2653)-Jussupow,A (2633) Germany 2001}) (10. Bxd6 cxd6 11. d5 e5 12. Qb4 Qb6 13. Qxb6 axb6 14. Ke2 Ke7 15. Nd2 Rhc8 16. Rhc1 Rc5 17. e4 g6 18. f3 Nh5 19. Ke3 f5 {1/2 Nikolic,P (2635)-Andersson,U (2605)/Debrecen 1992/EU-chT}) (10. Bg3 Bc6 11. O-O Bxf3 12. gxf3 O-O 13. Nb5 Qd7 14. Rfc1 Rfc8 $11 {1/2 Gurevich,M (2625)-Andersson,U (2605)/Madrid 1988/EXT 1997 (80)})) (6... b5 7. Nxb5 Nd5 8. Bxc4 (8. Bg3 Bb4+ 9. Nd2 N7b6 10. Qc2 O-O 11. Be2 Ba6 12. Nc3 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. a3 Rc8 15. Nde4 Be7 16. Be5 f5 17. Nd2 Bf6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Rc1 Nxc3 20. Qxc3 Qxc3 21. Rxc3 $11 {1-0 (43) Lenic,L (2634)-Stern,R (2513) Germany 2014}) 8... Bb4+ 9. Kf1 Nxf4 10. exf4 O-O 11. g3 a6 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. Be2 Qe7 14. Kg2 c5 15. a3 Bxc3 16. bxc3 cxd4 17. cxd4 Nf6 18. Re1 Rfc8 19. Kg1 Ne4 $11 {1-0 (41) L'Ami,E (2645)-Rabiega,R (2507) Germany 2013}) 7. Bxd6 (7. Bg5 a6 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. O-O Be7 11. Qc2 c5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Be4 Bxe4 14. Nxe4 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Rc8 16. Qe2 f5 17. Ng3 O-O 18. a4 bxa4 19. Rxa4 Nc5 20. Rc4 a5 21. Rfc1 $14 {1/2 (49) Schandorff,L (2519)-Berkes,F (2619) Gothenburg 2005}) 7... cxd6 8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 d5 {A move like this deserves some explanation. Black is concerned about White's ability to expand in the centre with his pawns. In order to prevent it the defender is ready to live with a second-rate bishop on b7.} (9... Qa5 10. O-O O-O 11. Qd2 b6 12. Rab1 Qb4 13. Be2 Bb7 14. Ne1 Qa5 $11 {1/2 (14) Ruck,R (2540)-Portisch,L (2533) Szekesfehervar 2006}) 10. Bd3 b6 11. O-O O-O 12. Qb3 Qe7 {In this battle between two former world champions Kramnik would like to play close to perfection. With his timely control of the a3-f8 diagonal he is avoiding annoying moves like ?b4.} (12... Bb7 13. Qb4 Rc8 14. Rfc1 h6 15. Rc2 Rc6 16. Rac1 Qb8 17. Na2 Rxc2 18. Rxc2 Rc8 19. Qb3 Rxc2 20. Qxc2 Qc8 21. Qxc8+ Bxc8 22. Nb4 Nb8 {1/2 (27) Bluebaum,M (2519)-Mirzoev,A (2550) Lueneburg 2014}) 13. Rac1 Bb7 14. Rc2 Rfc8 15. Rfc1 Qd6 16. Ne5 $5 $146 {Kasimdzhanov surprises his adversary with a novelty which might hurt a bit. The current world champion had to face a challenge of more modest proportions in 16.?a2 move.} (16. Na2 Rxc2 17. Rxc2 Rc8 18. Rxc8+ Bxc8 19. Qc3 Bb7 20. b4 Ne4 21. Qc1 h6 22. h3 Kf8 23. b5 a5 24. Nc3 Qc7 25. Qa3+ Qd6 26. Qc1 Qc7 27. Qa3+ {1/2 (55) Gelfand,B (2755)-Carlsen,M (2864) Moscow 2013}) 16... Nxe5 {It might have been attractive to avoid complications, but the natural move 16...?c7 is fraught with some dangers.} (16... Rc7 17. Nxd7 (17. f4 Rac8 $11) 17... Rxd7 (17... Nxd7 18. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 19. Nb5 axb5 20. Rxc7 Nc5 21. R7xc5 bxc5 22. dxc5 Qb8 23. axb5 $14) 18. Na2 $14) 17. dxe5 Qxe5 18. Qxb6 Rcb8 {The choice of continuation was suddenly quite difficult, as many lines would simply fail to pass muster. The Russian star tries to minimise the danger.} (18... Ng4 $2 19. Qxb7 Qxh2+ 20. Kf1 Qh1+ 21. Ke2 Qxg2 22. Nd1 $18) (18... Rab8 19. Ne4 $5 (19. f4 Qh5 (19... Nd7 20. Qd4 (20. Qa7 Qd6 21. Qd4 f6 $11) 20... Qf6 21. b4 e5 22. fxe5 Qe6 23. Qf4 g6 24. b5 Nxe5 $11) 20. h3 $14) 19... Rxc2 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Rxc2 d4 22. Qxd4 Qxd4 23. exd4 Rd8 24. Rc7 Rxd4 25. Rxb7 Rxd3 26. g3 $14) (18... Qb8 $2 19. Nxd5 Rxc2 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Rxc2 $16) 19. Ne2 Nd7 (19... Ng4 $2 20. Qxb7 $1 Qxh2+ 21. Kf1 Qh1+ 22. Ng1 g6 23. Qc7 Nh2+ 24. Ke2 Qxg2 25. Qg3 $16) (19... d4 20. Qxd4 Qg5 21. Ng3 Rd8 22. Qb4 Rab8 (22... Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Rxd3 24. Rc5 Qg4 25. Rc8+ Rd8 26. Qb7 Raxc8 27. Rxc8 Rf8 28. Qxa6 $16) 23. Be2 Nd5 24. Qa5 f5 25. Rd2 $14) (19... Ne8 20. b4 Bc8 21. Qd8 Bb7 22. Qe7 Qd6 23. Qxd6 Nxd6 24. Nd4 $14) 20. Qd4 {In the era before computers it might have been quite difficult to find out, that the 20.?b4!? retreat was probably more exact. Black could not have claimed full equality in that case.} (20. Qb4 $5 Bc8 21. Qa3 Nf8 22. Nd4 $14) 20... Qd6 (20... Qxd4 21. Nxd4 Rc8 22. Rc7 Rab8 23. Nf3 Nb6 24. a5 Na8 25. R7c3 Rxc3 26. Rxc3 Rc8 27. Rb3 Rc7 28. Nd4 h6 29. f4 $14) 21. f4 (21. Rc7 e5 22. Qh4 e4 23. Bb1 Nf6 24. Qg3 Qb4 25. Qe5 a5 $11) 21... e5 {Those players who have not been world champions might have been scared to show activity for Black, when his pieces are so passive in the corner of the queenside. Kramnik knows better and it seems as if the equilibrium was not yet truly broken.} (21... Rc8 $1 22. b4 Rxc2 23. Rxc2 g6 $11) (21... f6 22. Rc7 $1 g6 (22... e5 23. fxe5 Nxe5 24. Ng3 Bc8 25. Be4 Be6 26. Nf5 Bxf5 27. Bxd5+ Kh8 28. Bxa8 $18) 23. a5 e5 24. Qa4 $16) 22. fxe5 Nxe5 23. Qf4 Qe7 $2 {It is painful to admit, but tactics decide too many games even on the highest level. One weaker moment can send any decent position into a tailspin and turn it into a difficult one. Black should have found the 24...g6! defence in the critical line with the promise of full equality.} (23... Rc8 $1 24. Qf5 g6 $1 (24... Nxd3 25. Rxc8+ Rxc8 26. Rxc8+ Bxc8 27. Qxc8+ Qf8 28. Qxa6 Nxb2 29. Qb5 Nc4 30. Qxd5 Qc8 (30... Nxe3 31. Qe4 Nd1 32. Qd4 $18) 31. Kf2 $16) 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Rxc8+ Kg7 27. Ng3 Rxc8 28. Qxc8 Nxd3 29. Qc3+ Ne5 30. Qd4 f6 31. e4 Kf7 32. exd5 Nc6 $11) 24. Rc7 $1 Qe8 (24... Nxd3 25. Rxe7 Nxf4 26. Nxf4 $18) (24... Qe6 25. Bf5 Qf6 26. Nd4 h6 (26... g6 27. Be6 $18) 27. b3 $16) 25. Bf5 Nc4 {[%mdl 2048] The defender is unable to untangle his bundle of paasive pieces on the a- and b-files. It has to be admitted that White is playing with five pieces against Black's two.} (25... g6 26. Nd4 gxf5 27. Nxf5 Rc8 28. Qg5+ Ng6 29. Qf6 Qf8 30. Rxf7 $3 Rxc1+ 31. Kf2 Rc2+ 32. Kf1 Rc1+ 33. Ke2 Nf4+ 34. exf4 Re8+ 35. Kf2 Rc2+ 36. Kg3 Rxg2+ 37. Kxg2 d4+ 38. Kf2 $18) (25... Bc6 26. R1xc6 Nxc6 27. Bd7 Qe5 28. Bxc6 Qxf4 29. Nxf4 Rc8 30. Bxa8 Rxc7 31. b4 $18) (25... Ng6 26. Bxg6 hxg6 27. Rf1 f6 28. Nd4 $18) 26. Bd7 $1 Qf8 {The tragedy is complete since grabbing the e3-pawn leaves Black in a completely hopeless position.} (26... Qxe3+ 27. Qxe3 Nxe3 28. Nd4 h5 (28... a5 29. b3 h5 30. h3 f5 31. Be6+ Kh7 32. Kf2 f4 33. g3 $18) 29. b3 g6 30. Re1 Ng4 31. Bxg4 hxg4 32. Ree7 Bc8 33. Rxf7 $18) 27. b3 Nb6 (27... Nd6 28. Nd4 $18) 28. Bf5 d4 (28... Bc8 29. Rxf7 $1 (29. a5 Bxf5 30. axb6 Bd3 31. Nc3 Rxb6 32. Qd4 Rxb3 33. Qxd3 $18) 29... Kxf7 30. Bxh7+ Ke7 31. Qb4+ Ke8 32. Bg6+ $18) 29. Rxf7 $1 {The final combination is a fine example of using huge superiority in numbers for a very swift and efficient attack. Please note, that four black pieces are very close to the edge of the board far away from their own king.} Kxf7 (29... Qxf7 30. Bxh7+ Kxh7 (30... Kf8 31. Qd6+ Ke8 32. Bg6 $18) 31. Qxf7 Bd5 32. Qf5+ Kg8 33. a5 Rf8 34. Qe5 $18) 30. Bxh7+ (30. Bxh7+ Ke8 (30... Ke6 31. Nxd4+ Kd5 32. Be4#) (30... Ke7 31. Qe5+ Kd7 32. Bf5+ Kd8 (32... Qxf5 33. Rc7+ Kd8 34. Qe7#) 33. Qc7+ Ke8 34. Bg6+ $18) 31. Bg6+ Kd7 32. Qc7+ Ke6 33. Qxb6+ Qd6 34. Nf4+ Ke7 35. Rc7+ Qxc7 36. Qxc7+ $18) 1-0 [Event "Rubinstein Memorial 35th"] [Site "Polanica Zdroj"] [Date "1998.08.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Krasenkow, Michal"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2655"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Donev,Ivo Hristov"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "1998.08.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "POL"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 067"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.11.30"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.11.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98). Ftacnik} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. b4 Be7 10. cxd5 Nxd5 $5 {Räumt das Feld f6 für den Läufer.} 11. Nxd5 exd5 {[%csl Rd5][%mdl 16] Auf dem Brett ensteht eine von den populärsten Mittelspiel Bauernstrukturen - Der isolierte Damenbauer! Es ist bemerkennswert zu sehen wie der Anziehende seine Figuren umgruppiert um die schwäche des Isolani auszunützen.} 12. Bd3 Bf6 (12... Bg4 {Ftacnik} 13. O-O Bf6 14. Ra2 Re8 15. Rd2 Qb6 16. Be2 Ne7 17. Nd4 Bxe2 18. Qxe2 Ng6 19. Qd3 Nxf4 20. exf4 a5 21. g3 axb4 22. axb4 Qxb4 23. Rb1 Qe7 24. Nf5 {Halldorsson,B-Schmidt Schaeffer,S/Hellir op/1997/1-0 (61)}) 13. Rc1 Bg4 $1 (13... Re8 {Ftacnik} 14. O-O Bg4 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Ne5 17. Bxe5 Rxe5 18. Rfd1 Qd6 19. Bc4 Rd8 20. Bb3 b6 21. Rd3 a5 22. Rcd1 Qf8 23. Bxd5 {1-0 Mikhalchishin,A-Nielsen,P/Copenhagen op/1991/ (29)}) (13... a6 {Ftacnik} 14. O-O g6 (14... Be6 15. Bb1 Qe7 16. e4 Qd7 (16... Qd8 17. Qd3 dxe4 18. Qxe4 g6 19. Rfd1 Qb6 20. Be3 Qc7 21. Ng5 Rfe8 22. Qh4 h5 23. Nxe6 Rxe6 24. Qc4 Qe7 25. Ba2 {1-0 Krasenkow,M-Van der Sterren,P/WCh FIDE k.o./1997 (43)}) 17. Ng5 Bxg5 18. Bxg5 d4 19. Rc5 f6 20. Bf4 b6 21. Rc1 Ne5 22. Bxe5 fxe5 23. Qh5 Qd6 24. Bd3 Bf7 {0-1 Dreev,A-Lutz,C/Dortmund/1994/ (42)}) (14... Re8 15. Bb1 g6 16. Ba2 Be6 17. Qd3 d4 18. Bxe6 Rxe6 19. e4 Qe7 20. Nd2 Be5 21. Bg3 Bxg3 22. hxg3 Ne5 23. Qb3 Rd8 24. Rc5 d3 {Beliavsky,A-Short,N/WCh FIDE k.o./1997/0-1 (53)}) 15. h3 Qe7 16. Qd2 Be6 17. Rc2 Qd7 18. Rd1 d4 19. Rcc1 dxe3 20. Qxe3 Rfd8 21. Bg5 Qe7 22. Be4 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Nxd8 25. Qf4 {1-0 Nielsen,P-Barkhagen,J/WchJM-U18/1991/ (37)}) 14. O-O (14. b5 Qa5+ 15. Qd2 (15. Ke2 Ne5) (15. Kf1 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxa3) 15... Qxd2+ 16. Kxd2 (16. Nxd2 Ne5) 16... Na5 $132) 14... Qe7 {Der Nachziehende will einen Turm auf d8 plazieren.} 15. h3 Bxf3 (15... Bh5 {Ftacnik} 16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Qxd5 $16) 16. Qxf3 {Ftacnik: 'White enjoys pleasant plus with bishops pair and only one weakness of his own-a3 pawn.'} Rfd8 17. Rfd1 g6 (17... Bb2 $2 18. Rc2 Bxa3 19. b5 Nb4 (19... Ne5 {[%tqu "De","Mit welche Kombination bekommt Weiß Vorteil?","","","d3h7","",10]} 20. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Bxe5 $16) 20. Rc7 Qf6 (20... Rd7 {Ftacnik} 21. Bg5 Qe6 22. Bf5 Rxc7 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. e4 $16) 21. Rxb7 $14) 18. Bb1 $1 {[%CAl Yb1a2,Ya2d5] Ftacnik: 'There is no satisfactory solution for the weak d5 pawn.'} Ne5 $6 (18... Bb2 $142 19. Rc2 Bxa3 20. b5 Ne5 21. Bxe5 Qxe5 22. Ba2 Qe7 (22... Qe4 {Ftacnik} 23. Rc7 Qxf3 24. gxf3 $16) 23. Bxd5 Rd7 $11 {??ad8}) (18... d4 {Ftacnik} 19. Be4 dxe3 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Qxe3 $14) 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Ba2 {[%csl Rd5][%CAl Yd1d5,Yf3d5,Ya2d5] Die schwarze Stellung hat sich nachdem Leichtfigurenabtausch im Mittelspiel verschlechtert. Jetzt kann Schwarz seinen schwachen Zentralbauer nicht mehr retten.} a5 {Karpov entschließt sich den isolierte ?d5 kampflos preiszugeben und öffnet dem Nachziehenden die a-Linie, um Gegenspiel aufziehen zu können.} (20... Bb2 21. Rb1 Bxa3 22. Rxd5 Rxd5 23. Qxd5 Rc8 (23... Bxb4 $2 24. Rxb4 Qxb4 25. Qxf7+ Kh8 26. Qf6#) 24. Qa5 Rc1+ 25. Rxc1 Bxc1 26. Qxa7 Qxb4 27. Qb8+ Qf8 $14) (20... d4 21. exd4 Rxd4 (21... Bxd4 22. Bd5 $16 {[%CAl Yd5b7,Yd1d4] ×b7} (22. Bd5 {Ftacnik} Bb2 23. Re1 Qf6 24. Qxf6 Bxf6 25. Bxb7 $16)) 22. Re1 Rf8 23. Rc5 $1 $16) 21. Bxd5 {Der Verlust eines Bauern hätte bei Karpov in früheren Jahren wegen der ungleichfarbigen Läufer und der Möglichkeit von Gegenspiel kaum Probleme ausgelöst.} Rd7 (21... axb4 {Ftacnik} 22. axb4 Rd7 23. Rc4 $16) 22. Rc4 {Ftacnik: 'Krasenkow has won a pawn and the bishop on d5 is a dominating piece.'} (22. bxa5 Kg7 $1 $14 (22... Rxa5 $2 23. Bxf7+ $1 Kg7 $16 (23... Qxf7 24. Rc8+ Kg7 25. Rxd7 Qxd7 26. Qf8#)) (22... Qxa3 {Ftacnik} 23. Bxb7 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Rxa5 $14)) 22... axb4 23. axb4 Kg7 (23... b5 $2 {Ftacnik} 24. Bxf7+ $18) 24. b5 Rad8 25. e4 (25. Rd3 Bb8 26. g3 f5 27. e4 Qe5 $1 {die Fesselung auf der d-Linie ist unangenehm für Weiß.}) 25... h5 $1 {Die Idee dieses Zuges ist einfach. Nach h5-h4 will Karpov die Stellung schwarzfeldrig blockieren.} 26. Qe3 (26. Rdc1 {Ftacnik} Ra8 $14) 26... Qf6 (26... Qh4 $5 {Ftacnik} 27. b6 $14) 27. g3 h4 $1 {Ftacnik: 'Karpov has to fight against the march of white pawns along the dark squares.' Karpov versucht die weiße Königsstellung abzuschwächen um Gegenspiel am Königsflügel zu bekommen.} (27... g5 {Ftacnik} 28. Rf1 Qg6 29. Kh1 g4 30. Kg2 $14) 28. Rf1 hxg3 (28... g5 {Ftacnik} 29. f4 Bb8 (29... gxf4 30. gxf4 Bc7 31. Kh1 $16) 30. fxg5 Qe5 31. Rf3 hxg3 32. Rc3 (32. Rc1 $2 Rxd5 33. exd5 Qxe3+ 34. Rxe3 Ba7 $19) 32... Re8 33. h4 $16) 29. f4 (29. fxg3 {Ftacnik} Qd6 $14) 29... Bc7 30. Qxg3 Qb6+ $6 (30... Bb6+ $142 31. Kh1 Rxd5 $1 32. exd5 Rxd5 33. Rb4 Qf5 {[%CAl Yd5d3,Yd5b5] Schwarz hat gute Remis Chancen.}) (30... Rh8 $5 {Ftacnik}) 31. Kg2 Qf6 32. Qc3 {Nach dem Damentausch hat Schwarz keine Drohungen mehr gegen den weißen Monarchen, sondern ein schwer zu verteidigendes Endspiel.} (32. Bxb7 $2 {Ftacnik} Rd2+ 33. Kh1 R8d3 $19) 32... Qxc3 33. Rxc3 {Ftacnik: 'The endgame is very unpleasant for black, but opposite coloured bishops are an important drawing factor.'} Bb6 34. Rfc1 Ra8 35. Kf3 (35. Rc8 {Ftacnik} Ra5 36. Rb1 f5 $14) 35... Ra5 36. Rb1 Ra4 37. h4 f5 {'?!' Ftacnik.} (37... Bd8 {Ftacnik} 38. Kg3 Kh6 39. Rd3 $14) 38. Rd3 (38. Rbc1 {Ftacnik} Bd8 39. Rh1 Bf6 40. Re3 $14) 38... fxe4+ 39. Bxe4 Rxd3+ $2 {Ein Zeitnotfehler, der die schlechte Verfassung des Fide-Weltmeisters zeigt. Gut genug für den halben Punkt war:} (39... Re7 $1 40. Re1 (40. Bxg6 Kxg6 41. Rd6+ Kf5 42. Rxb6 Rxf4+ 43. Kg3 Rg7+ 44. Kh3 Rh7 {Und nach dem unvermeidlichen Th4 ist das Remis gesichert.}) 40... Bc7 {??f7} (40... Bc5 {Ftacnik} 41. Re2 Rb4 42. Rd5 Rxb5 43. Rg5 $16) 41. b6 Bxb6 42. Rd6 Ra3+ 43. Kg2 Ra2+ 44. Kf3 (44. Kh1 Bf2 45. Rxg6+ Kf8 46. Rf6+ Kg7 47. Rg6+ $11) 44... Ra3+ $11) 40. Bxd3 {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98): ' '} Bc7 $6 {'?' Krasenkow (Schach 10/98). Krasenkow (Schach 10/98): 'Erlaubt es Weiß, seinen Läufer zu aktivieren. Richtig war:'} (40... Ra3 41. Rd1 Kf6 42. Kg4 Bf2 43. h5 gxh5+ 44. Kxh5 Rc3 $14 {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98): 'und Weiß kommt nicht weiter.'}) 41. Be4 Ra3+ $2 {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98): 'Ein zu schneller Zug in vermeintlicher Zeitnot, der den weißen König zum Leben verhilft und Schwarz auf Verlust stellt. '} (41... Kf6 42. Rd1 (42. b6 Bd6 43. Rd1 {'?' Ftacnik.} Ke7) 42... Ke6 43. Rg1 Ra3+ 44. Kg4 Ra4 $14 {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98): 'war vermutlich immer noch remis.'}) 42. Kg4 Ra4 43. Rd1 $1 {'+-!' Krasenkow (Schach 10/98). Ftacnik: 'At long last white rook can penetrate into black's camp with a decisive effect.'} (43. Rc1 Ba5 $1 44. Bxb7 Rxf4+ $1 {'=!' Krasenkow (Schach 10/98).} 45. Kxf4 Bd2+ $11 {[%CAl Yd2f4,Yd2c1]}) 43... Rc4 (43... Kf6 44. Rd7 Bb8 45. Rxb7 Bd6 46. Rb6 Ke6 47. Bxg6 $18 (47. Bxg6 {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98)} Rxf4+ 48. Kg5 Rf8 49. h5 Rb8 50. Rxb8 Bxb8 51. h6 Be5 52. h7 Z0 53. Bh5 Z0 54. Kg6 Z0 55. b6 Z0 56. b7 $18)) ({auch} 43... Kh6 {rettet die Partie nicht, wegen:} 44. Rd7 $1 Be5 45. Kf3 Ra3+ 46. Bd3 Bg7 47. Kg4 $1 $18) (43... Rxe4 {Ftacnik} 44. Rd7+ Kf6 45. Rxc7 Re1 46. Rxb7 Rg1+ 47. Kf3 $18) 44. Rd7+ Kf8 (44... Kf6 45. b6 $1 Bb8 (45... Bxb6 46. Bd5 $1 Rc7 47. Rd6+ {'+-' Krasenkow (Schach 10/98).}) (45... Rxe4 46. Rxc7 $18) 46. Rd8 $1 (46. Rxb7 {Ftacnik} Bd6 47. Rf7+ Kxf7 48. Bd5+ Kf6 49. Bxc4 Bc5 50. b7 Bd6 51. Bd3 Bc7 52. Bxg6 Kxg6 53. h5+ Kf6 54. f5 Kg7 55. Kg5 Kf7 (55... Bd8+ 56. f6+ Bxf6+ 57. Kf5 $18) 56. h6 $18) 46... Rxe4 47. Rf8+ $1 Kg7 48. Rxb8 Re7 49. Rc8 $18 {?50.?c7}) 45. Bxg6 Rxf4+ 46. Kg5 Rc4 (46... Be5 {Ftacnik} 47. Rd5 Bc7 48. b6 $18) 47. h5 Bf4+ (47... Rc5+ {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98)} 48. Kf6 Be5+ 49. Ke6 Rxb5 50. h6 Rb6+ 51. Kxe5 Rxg6 52. Rd8+ Ke7 53. h7 $18) 48. Kf6 Rc8 49. h6 $1 Kg8 (49... Bxh6 50. Rh7 $18 (50. Rh7 {Ftacnik} Kg8 51. Rxh6 $18)) 50. Bf5 $1 Re8 (50... Bxh6 {Ftacnik} 51. Be6+ Kh8 52. Kg6 $18) 51. Be6+ {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98): 'komplizierter und mit Fallenspiel verbunden wäre:'} (51. Rg7+ Kh8 52. Kf7 Rf8+ $1 53. Kg6 $1 Rg8 54. Be6 $1 $18) 51... Kh8 52. Bc4 {?53.?g6} (52. Bc4 Re4 (52... Bxh6 53. Kg6 $18) (52... Re3 {Ftacnik} 53. Rd8+ Kh7 54. Bd3+ Rxd3 (54... Kxh6 {Krasenkow (Schach 10/98)} 55. Rh8#) 55. Rxd3 $18) 53. Be6 $18) 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-39"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.10.01"] [Round "10.2"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Wang, Hao"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2724"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2010.09.21"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 139"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "China"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "CHN"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. b4 b6 9. h3 a5 10. a3 Bb7 11. Bd3 Qc8 {This line has gained popularity. It was examined in CBM 132, annotations to Kasimdzhanov - Jakovenko; a good deal of games played after that will be quoted here. Black doesn't hurry with ...?a6, first protecting the important c6 square and thus avoiding b4-b5 and c5-c6.} 12. O-O (12. Na4 $5 axb4 13. axb4 Ba6 14. O-O Qb7 15. cxb6 Bxd3 (15... Bxb4 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. Qb3 Be7 18. Ne5 Rfa8 19. Nxd7 Nxd7 20. Bc7 Ra5 21. Rfc1 Bd8 $2 (21... g6 {looks safe}) 22. Bxd8 Rxd8 23. Qc3 Rb5 24. Nc5 $16 {1-0 Edouard,R (2608)-Lemos,D (2556)/Cappelle la Grande FRA 2010/The Week in Chess 798 (33)}) 16. Qxd3 Nxb6 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. bxc5 Nc4 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Nd7 21. Bd6 Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Ra8 23. Rb1 Qc8 {, and White failed to find a breakthrough:} 24. Kh2 h6 25. Rb2 Ra7 26. f3 Qa8 27. Rb3 Qc8 28. e4 Qa6 29. exd5 exd5 30. Qe3 Qc8 31. Qe7 Ra8 32. Re3 Nf8 33. Qxf8+ {1/2 Riazantsev,A (2660)-Bologan,V (2684)/France 2010/CBM 135 Extra}) 12... Ba6 13. Rb1 {Avoiding simplifications.} (13. Bh2 Qb7 (13... Bxd3 14. Qxd3 axb4 15. axb4 Qb7 16. Rfb1 Rxa1 17. Rxa1 Ra8 18. Qb1 Bd8 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. Qa2 Qxa2 {1/2 Gagunashvili,M (2564)-Moradiabadi,E (2547)/Ravana 2009/EXT 2010}) 14. Qc2 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 {1-0 Evdokimov,A (2564)-Lekic,D (2396)/Rijeka 2010/CBM 136 (33)} axb4 16. axb4 Rxa1 17. Rxa1 Ra8 $11) (13. Bxa6 Qxa6 14. Rb1 Rfc8 15. Qc2 Bd8 16. Rfc1 axb4 17. axb4 Qb7 18. Nd2 Bc7 19. Bxc7 Qxc7 20. cxb6 Nxb6 21. Ne2 Ne8 22. Ra1 Rxa1 23. Rxa1 Nd6 $11 {1/2 Delchev,A (2625)-Svetushkin,D (2554)/Rijeka 2010/CBM 136 (54)}) (13. Qe2 Bxd3 (13... Ne4 14. Qc2 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 {1/2 Panarin,M (2532)-Elizarov,D (2341)/Armavir 2010/CBM 135 Extra}) 14. Qxd3 Qb7 15. Rfb1 (15. Nd2 axb4 (15... Ra7 16. Rab1 axb4 17. axb4 Rfa8 18. Nb3 Ra3 19. Qc2 Bd8 20. b5 Be7 21. Rfc1 h6 22. Qd1 bxc5 23. Nxc5 Nxc5 24. dxc5 R3a5 $11 {1/2 Eljanov,P (2751)-Jakovenko,D (2725)/Odessa 2010/CBM 136 Extra (50)}) 16. axb4 Rxa1 17. Rxa1 Ra8 18. Qb1 Rxa1 19. Qxa1 bxc5 20. bxc5 e5 $1 21. dxe5 Ne8 22. e4 Nxc5 23. exd5 cxd5 24. Nf3 Nc7 25. Be3 N5e6 $11 {1/2 Fier,A (2601)-Onischuk,A (2670)/Bursa 2010/CBM 134 (31)}) (15. Rfc1 Rfc8 16. Nd2 h6 17. Rcb1 axb4 18. axb4 Bd8 19. Na4 Bc7 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. cxb6 Nxb6 22. Nc5 Ne8 23. b5 Nd6 24. bxc6 Qxc6 $11 {1/2 Mozharov,M (2474)-Rychagov,A (2551)/Moscow 2010/CBM 137 (33)}) 15... axb4 (15... Ra7 16. Nd2 Rfa8 17. Qf1 h6 18. Qc1 Bd8 19. Nb3 axb4 20. axb4 Rxa1 21. Nxa1 Ne8 22. Nc2 Bc7 23. Bxc7 Nxc7 24. Ra1 Rxa1 25. Qxa1 bxc5 26. bxc5 e5 $11 {1/2 Riazantsev,A (2661)-Jakovenko,D (2736)/Moscow 2009/CBM 134 (30)}) 16. axb4 Rxa1 17. Rxa1 Ra8 18. Qb1 Bd8 (18... Rxa1 19. Qxa1 Ne4 $6 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Nd2 f5 22. Qa2 Kf7 23. f3 exf3 24. Nxf3 bxc5 25. bxc5 h6 26. g4 $36 {1-0 Postny,E (2595)-Hracek,Z (2633)/Sibenik CRO 2010/The Week in Chess 827 (51)}) 19. Ra2 Ne8 20. Qa1 Rxa2 21. Qxa2 Bc7 22. Bxc7 Nxc7 23. Qa4 {1/2 Khalifman,A (2612)-Karpov,A (2644)/Zuerich 2009/CBM 131 Extra}) 13... Bxd3 (13... Bd8 14. Bxa6 Qxa6 $6 15. b5 Qc8 16. bxc6 Qxc6 17. Qa4 Rc8 18. Bd6 Re8 19. Rfc1 bxc5 20. dxc5 Be7 21. Qxc6 Rxc6 22. Nd4 Rcc8 23. Ncb5 $16 Ne4 24. Bxe7 Rxe7 25. Nd6 $1 {1-0 Dreev,A (2649)-Kovachev,D (2305)/Plovdiv BUL 2010/The Week in Chess 833}) 14. Qxd3 Qb7 15. Qc2 {White choses to bring his knight to d3. The other plan was to bring it to b3:} (15. Nd2 Ra7 16. Rfc1 axb4 17. axb4 Rfa8 18. Nb3 b5 $6 (18... Bd8) (18... Ra3) 19. Na5 $1 Qc8 20. Nxc6 $1 {A typical piece sacrifice in this structure.} Qxc6 21. Nxb5 Rb7 22. Nc7 Rxc7 23. b5 Qb7 24. c6 Qc8 25. Bxc7 Qxc7 26. cxd7 Qxd7 27. b6 $16 {1-0 Zhou Weiqi (2563)-Ji Dan (2342)/Xinghua Jiangsu 2009/CBM 131 (32)}) 15... axb4 16. axb4 h6 17. Rfc1 Rfc8 18. Ne1 Ra3 (18... Bd8 19. Nd3 b5 20. g4 Ra6 21. f3 Rca8 (21... Bc7 $5) 22. h4 Nh7 23. Qh2 Ndf8 24. Bg3 {Van Wely is planning the advance g4-g5 and so he does not want to be provoked into the premature h4-h5. Van Wely plant den Vorstoß g4-g5, deswegen will er sich nicht zum frühzeitigen h4-h5 provozieren lassen.} Ra3 $11 {1-0 Van Wely,L (2654)-Halkias,S (2546)/Plovdiv 2003/CBM 098/[Dautov] (57)}) 19. Nd3 Qa8 $6 {A strange move, after which White can regain the a-file.} (19... Rca8 $142) 20. Qb2 {[%CAl Rb1a1]} Ne4 21. Ra1 $6 (21. Nxe4 $142 dxe4 22. Ne5 Nxe5 (22... Ra2 23. Qc3 Ra3 (23... Nf6 24. cxb6 Nd5 25. Qb3 Nxb6 26. Rxc6) 24. Qc2) 23. Bxe5 {[%csl Re4] , and the pawn structure changes in White's favour.}) 21... Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Qb7 23. Nd1 (23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Ne5 Nxe5 25. Bxe5 f6 26. Bg3 bxc5 27. dxc5 Bxc5 28. Qa2 Bxb4 29. Qxe6+ Kh8 30. Qxe4 Qe7 {, and Black should hold on.}) (23. cxb6 $5 Qxb6 24. Qa3 Nxc3 25. Qxc3 $14 {[%csl Rc6,Gd3]}) 23... Ra8 24. Ra2 Rxa2 25. Qxa2 bxc5 26. bxc5 Qb5 27. Qc2 {A typical position. It looks like Black has no problems but still he should be accurate in view of the potential weakness of his c6-pawn.} Bd8 $6 {Careless!} ({The curious tactical trick} 27... e5 $5 28. Nxe5 (28. Bxe5 Qc4 $1 29. Qxc4 dxc4 30. Nb4 Nxe5 31. dxe5 Bxc5 32. Nc2 $13) 28... Nxe5 29. Bxe5 Qa5 30. Qd3 (30. Qe2 Qa1 {[%CAl Re4c3,Re4c5]}) 30... Qe1+ 31. Qf1 Qd2 $44 {is probably beyond human imagination.}) (27... Bh4 $5 28. f3 (28. g3 Bf6 {[%csl Rf4]}) 28... Ng3) 28. f3 Nef6 29. N1b2 Ba5 30. Qa4 $1 {White's plan is to exchange queens and bishops. In the knight endgame the weakness on c6 will become visible.} Qxa4 31. Nxa4 {[%mdl 4096]} Kf8 32. Nc1 Ne8 33. Nb3 Bc7 (33... Bd8 34. Nb2 {[%CAl Yb2d3,Yd3b4] - Black will not be able to avoid the bishop exchange anyway.}) (33... Bb4 34. Nb6 $1 Ndf6 35. Kf2 $16 {[%CAl Yb3c1,Yc1d3,Yd3e5]}) 34. Bxc7 Nxc7 35. Na5 Nb8 36. Nb2 Ke7 37. Nd3 f6 38. Kf2 {White is now ready to open the "second front" in the centre and on the kingside. As Black's king and ?b8 are tied to the c6-pawn, and his only "free" piece (?c7) is badly restricted, it turns out that his defence is not so easy.} Kd7 39. e4 Nb5 40. Ke3 Na6 41. e5 $1 f5 42. g4 $1 fxg4 (42... g5 $5 43. f4 $5 (43. gxf5 exf5 44. e6+ Kxe6 45. Nxc6 $14 {[%csl Gc5]}) 43... gxf4+ 44. Nxf4 fxg4 45. hxg4 Nb4 $132) 43. hxg4 g5 44. Nb3 Na3 45. f4 Nc4+ $6 {The knight has nothing to do here.} (45... gxf4+ 46. Kxf4 Nc2 $1 {is apparently enough for a draw as after} 47. Kg3 Ke7 48. Kh4 Kf7 49. Kh5 Kg7 50. g5 hxg5 51. Kxg5 Kf7 52. Kh6 {Black is not in zugzwang:} Nc7) 46. Kf3 gxf4 47. Kxf4 Ke7 48. Kg3 Kf7 $6 {And now it's a different story. Now Black's ?c4 is a mere defender of the a5-square, and zugzwang is a real threat. The reciprocal zugzwang arises with ?h5 - ?g7, and, taking into account the other factors, h4-f7 is a pair of "mined" squares, too...} (48... Kf8 $1 {was right:} 49. Kh4 Kf7 $1 50. Kh5 Kg7 $22 51. Nf4 (51. g5 hxg5 52. Kxg5 Kf7 53. Kh6 Ne3 $1 54. Kh7 $6 Nf5) 51... Nc7 52. Ng6 Nb5 53. Ne7 Na7 {, and White can't make any progress}) (48... Ke8 $144 $1) 49. Kh4 Kg6 $2 (49... Kg7 50. Kh5 $22 Kh7 51. Nf4 Nc7 52. Ng6 $1 {[%CAl Rg6e7]} Nb5 53. Nf8+ $18 {[%csl Rh7]}) (49... Kg8 $1 {still gave Black drawing chances:} 50. Nf4 Nc7 51. Ng6 $1 {[%CAl Rg6e7]} (51. Kh5 $4 Kg7 $22) 51... Kf7 52. Kh5 Ne3 53. Na5 Nb5 (53... Nxg4 $5 54. Nh8+ (54. Nxc6 Nh2 55. Kxh6 Nf3) 54... Kg7 55. Kxg4 Kxh8 56. Nxc6 Kg7 {is not that clear, too.}) 54. Nxc6 Ke8 55. Kxh6 Nxg4+ 56. Kg5 Ne3 57. Kf6 Kd7 58. Nb4 Nxd4 59. Kf7 {- Black may manage to give up his two knights for the white pawns and avoid the "Troitzky line" in the resulting 2? vs ? ending.}) (49... Kf8 $144 $1 50. Nf4 Nc7 51. Ng6+ $1) 50. Nf4+ Kf7 51. Nd3 $2 (51. Kh5) 51... Kg6 $2 (51... Kg8 $1) 52. Nf4+ Kf7 53. Kh5 Ne3 $8 54. Nd3 $1 Nb8 (54... Kg7 55. Na5 Nb8 56. Nb4 $18) 55. Na5 {[%CAl Rd3b4]} Nc2 $8 56. Nb3 (56. Kxh6 $5 Nxd4 57. Nb4 $22 {but White finds a more convincing way.}) 56... Ne3 57. Nb4 $1 {[%CAl Rb3a5]} Ke7 58. Na5 Kd7 59. Nd3 $1 Ke7 60. Nb4 Kd7 61. Nd3 Ke7 62. Nf2 $1 {The h6-pawn falls, and the g4-pawn moves forward.} 1-0 [Event "EU-ch 13th"] [Site "Plovdiv"] [Date "2012.03.30"] [Round "10"] [White "L'Ami, Erwin"] [Black "Kryvoruchko, Yuriy"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2611"] [BlackElo "2666"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2012.03.20"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 148"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Nb6 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bd6 {This line, in which White gives up his light-squared bishop for a knight, should not be dangerous for Black.} 10. Bg5 (10. O-O {was analysed by GM Rustem Dautov in several CBM issues in 2001-2003. Black apparently has no problems after} Bc6 (10... Bxf4 11. exf4 O-O 12. Ne5 Be8 13. Rac1 c6 14. Rfe1 Nd5 15. g3 f6 16. Nf3 Bf7 17. Ne4 a5 18. Nc5 Qc8 $11 {0-1 Feletar,D (2402)-Blagojevic,D (2527)/Zadar 2004/CBM 103 ext (36)}) 11. Ne5 Bxe5 12. Bxe5 O-O 13. Rac1 a6 14. Rfd1 Nd5 $5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qe2 f6 17. Bg3 Re8 18. Rc3 Re7 19. Rdc1 Qe8 $11 {1/2 Schandorff,L (2563)-Koneru,H (2496)/Esbjerg 2003/CBM 096/[Dautov] (58)}) ({The other moves are absolutely harmless:} 10. Bxd6 cxd6 11. d5 e5 12. Qb4 Qb6 13. Qxb6 axb6 14. Ke2 Ke7 15. Nd2 Rhc8 16. Rhc1 Rc5 17. e4 g6 18. f3 Nh5 19. Ke3 f5 {1/2 Nikolic,P (2635)-Andersson,U (2605)/Debrecen 1992/EU-chT}) (10. Bg3 Bc6 11. O-O Bxf3 12. gxf3 O-O 13. Nb5 Qd7 14. Rfc1 Rfc8 $11 {1/2 Gurevich,M (2625)-Andersson,U (2605)/Madrid 1988/EXT 1997 (80)}) 10... h6 (10... O-O $6 11. Ne5) (10... Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Rfd1 (12. Ne5 $14) 12... Rc8 13. e4 h6 14. Bh4 Nh5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. b4 Rfd8 17. Qc5 {1/2 Agrest,E (2465)-Balashov,Y (2520)/Pinsk 1993/CBM 038}) 11. Bh4 (11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. e4 Qd8 13. O-O O-O 14. Rad1 c6 15. e5 Be7 16. Ne4 b6 17. Qc3 Qc7 18. Nfd2 Bc8 19. Rfe1 Ba6 20. Re3 Rad8 21. Rg3 Kh8 22. Re1 Qd7 23. Nb3 Qd5 24. Qe3 {1-0 Ruban,V (2560)-Kiriakov,P (2475)/Elista 1994/CBM 044 (39)} f6 $13) 11... g5 {The most energetic, although risky response. Other moves don't guarantee Black equal chances.} (11... Be7 {is very passive:} 12. O-O O-O 13. Rfd1 (13. Rac1 Rc8 14. Rfd1 c6 15. e4 b6 16. e5 Nd5 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Ne4 Rc7 19. a3 a5 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Nfd2 $14 {1/2 Korotylev,A (2415)-Balashov,Y (2510)/St Petersburg 1994/CBM 041 (36)}) (13. Ne5 c6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Ne4 Be8 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. Qb4 Rb8 18. Qa5 a6 19. Rac1 $14 {1/2 Nikcevic,N (2401)-Blagojevic,D (2519)/Herceg Novi 2008/CBM 126 Extra (77)}) 13... a6 14. Ne5 (14. Qb3 Rb8 15. Rac1 Nh5 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Ne5 Nf6 18. Ne2 Rfc8 19. Nf4 Qe8 20. Qa3 $14 {1-0 Ibragimov,I (2590)-Kiriakov,P (2495)/Maikop 1998/CBM 066 (41)}) 14... Rc8 15. Rac1 Qe8 (15... Ne8 $142 $14) 16. Qb3 Rb8 17. d5 $1 Bd6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Ne4 $16 {1/2 Iskusnyh,S (2478)-Kiriakov,P (2545)/Novokuznetsk 2008/CBM 123 Extra (81)}) (11... a6 12. Qe2 (12. Ne5 $14) 12... c5 $6 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. O-O Qb8 15. Rfd1 Bc6 {1/2 Bogdanovski,V (2435)-Jovicic,M (2385)/Tivat 1995/EXT 2002 (25)} 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nd4 $16) (11... Rc8 12. O-O O-O 13. Ne5 Be7 14. Rfd1 c6 15. Rac1 $14 {1-0 Malek,D (2193)-Brecht,A (2269)/Germany 2002/EXT 2004 (39)}) (11... Bc6 12. Ne5 $1 Bxe5 13. dxe5 g5 14. exf6 gxh4 15. Qxh4 (15. Nb5 Rb8 16. Qc5 Bxb5 17. Qxb5+ c6 18. Qe5 Rc8 19. Rd1 Qc7 20. Qc5 Rg8 21. O-O Rg6 22. Qxa7 h3 23. g3 c5 24. Qa4+ Qc6 25. Qxc6+ Rxc6 26. f4 Rxf6 27. Kf2 e5 $14 {1-0 Roiz,M (2658)-Blagojevic,D (2546)/Novi Sad 2009/CBM 133 (73)}) 15... Qd6 (15... Qd3 16. Rd1 Qg6 17. Rg1 $16) 16. Rd1 Qe5 17. e4 Qg5 18. Qxg5 hxg5 19. O-O $16 {1-0 Mamedyarov,S (2699)-Miroshnichenko,E (2608)/Baku 2006/CBM 112 ext (41)}) 12. Bg3 Bc6 13. O-O (13. Ne5 Bxg2 14. Rg1 Bd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb5+ Kf8 17. O-O-O Qc8 18. h4 c6 (18... a6 $5 19. Qd3 Qe6) 19. Qe2 Qe6 20. hxg5 hxg5 21. Nf3 Bxg3 22. Rxg3 g4 23. Ne5 c5 $132 {1/2 Wang Lei (2498)-Ioseliani,N (2499)/Shanghai 2001/CBM 082 ext (47)}) 13... Bxf3 14. gxf3 O-O (14... c6 $5 15. e4 Bf4) 15. Rac1 Qe7 (15... c6 $142 16. Ne4 (16. e4 Nh5) 16... Be7 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. Qxc5 (18. dxc5 Qd5 $11) 18... Qb6 19. Qe5 Nd7 20. Qd6 Nf6 $11 {[%CAl Yf8d8]}) 16. Ne4 (16. e4 $1 Bxg3 (16... e5 17. Nb5) 17. fxg3 $36 {[%CAl Yf3f4]}) 16... Nd5 $1 17. Nc5 (17. Nxd6 cxd6 18. e4 Nf4 19. Bxf4 gxf4 20. Kh1 Qh4 $132) 17... Bxc5 18. Qxc5 Qf6 19. Kg2 c6 $11 {[%csl Gd5]} 20. Qc2 Rad8 21. Rh1 Nf4+ $6 {A bit premature.} (21... Qf5 $5 22. Qb3 Rd7) 22. exf4 gxf4 23. Qc5 $6 {Unnecessarily giving up the d4-pawn.} (23. Qb3 $1 Rd7 24. Rc4 {[%CAl Rd4d5]} fxg3 25. hxg3 $36 {[%csl Rg8]}) 23... fxg3 24. hxg3 Qxd4 $6 {Losing time as this queen will be pushed away.} (24... Rxd4 $142 $13) 25. Qa3 $1 {[%CAl Rh1h4]} Qf6 26. Rc4 Rd5 27. Qxa7 b5 28. Rxc6 $6 (28. Rch4 $40 Kg7 29. Rxh6 Qxh6 30. Rxh6 Kxh6 31. Qb7 {gave White some winning chances. After the text move Black obtains strong counterplay.}) 28... Rd3 29. f4 Qf5 30. Qc5 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A terrible blunder.} (30. Rhc1 Qd5+ (30... Rfd8 31. Rc8 Qd5+ 32. Kh2 $11) 31. Kg1 (31. Kh2 $144) {, and Black has hardly anything better than a draw after} 31... Rd1+ 32. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 33. Kh2 Qh5+ 34. Kg1) 30... Qe4+ 31. Kh2 Rd5 0-1 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 4th"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2017.04.23"] [Round "3"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,Renato"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2017.04.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 178"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 a6 {This interesting variation is being played by many grandmasters, like Carlsen, Nakamura, Andreikin, and now Adams, among others. It is not exactly a new move, but just now Black is paying it serious attention. I faced this position three times recently, and couldn't get any advantage with White.} 5. cxd5 {The main move, trying to explore ...a6 in a traditional Queen's Gambit Exchange Variation, but Black has an interesting and original plan to develop his pieces and keep a solid position. White has a lot of options, and the practice of this variation in high-level games will show more to us, but for now is safe to say Black is ok.} (5. c5 $5 {was played recently, and I tried this in my third game against 4... a6} b6 6. cxb6 cxb6 7. Bf4 {White has transposed to a Slav Exchange structure, and this promises a long-term tiny advantage, and an easier position, but objectively speaking Black has a solid position also} Bd6 8. Ne5 (8. Bg5 Nbd7 9. e3 O-O 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. O-O Qb8 $5 {[%CAl Yf8c8,Yf6e4];½-½ Quintiliano Pinto,R (2494)-Gauche,C (2197) Florianopolis zt 2.4 2017 (5)}) (8. Bg3 Bb7 9. e3 O-O 10. Rc1 Nc6 11. Bd3 Rc8 12. O-O b5 $11 {½-½ Maghsoodloo,P (2576)-Mareco,S (2664) Sharjah Masters 1st 2017 (8)}) 8... Bb7 9. e3 Nc6 10. Rc1 O-O 11. Bd3 Bxe5 $1 12. Bxe5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Ne4 $11 {½-½ Jobava,B (2701)-Khismatullin,D (2639) Moscow Aeroflot op-A 16th 2017 (8)}) (5. g3 {is interesting, but White now has to analyse the typical ideas of the Catalan.}) (5. e3 dxc4 (5... c5 {is a very popular line in the Tarrasch Variation}) 6. Bxc4 b5 {[%CAl Yc8b7,Yc7c5] Black is developing very quickly with ?b7 and c5, in a sort of improved Queen's Gambit Accepted, and scores really well here}) (5. a4 {doesn't seems a good option, compared with Black's 4... a6, White just seriously weakens the b4-square} Nbd7 6. e3 b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O Bd6 10. b3 Qe7 $1 {0-1 Kantorik,M (2359)-Likavsky,T (2485) Liechtenstein op 25th 2007 (7) avoiding ?a3, and Black is fine, but looks equal. Still, Black has a clear plan here (c5 and play with hanging pawns), and we cannot say the same for White -}) 5... exd5 6. Bf4 (6. Bg5 {is the main move, and now Black plays} Be6 $5 {which should look strange, but it works very well} 7. e3 (7. Qb3 $6 {is tempting at first sight, but now Black shows how useful the move 4... a6 can be} b5 $1 {and ?bd7 is coming with a good position for Black} 8. e3 (8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Nxd5 $2 Qd8 $19 {[%csl Rd5]}) 8... Nbd7 9. Be2 c5 $1) 7... Nbd7 8. Bd3 h6 (8... Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 h6 11. Bf4 $1 (11. Bh4 Re8 12. Rad1 c6 13. Bh7+ Kh8 14. Bf5 Bxf5 15. Qxf5 g6 16. Qc2 Qe7 $11 {½-½ Quintiliano Pinto,R (2491)-Carneiro,V (2426) BRA-ch 83rd Rio de Janeiro 2017 (9)}) 11... Qe7 $1 (11... Bxf4 12. exf4 {[%CAl Gf4f5] is very annoying for Black}) 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. a3 Bg4 14. Nd2 c5 $5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. h3 Bd7 17. Nf3 Rac8 {0-1 Riazantsev,A (2671)-Carlsen,M (2840) Wch Rapid Doha 2016 (13) with enough activity for Black in return for the isolated pawn; he even managed to win -}) 9. Bh4 g5 $5 {this is probably the most risky option for Black, but still some strong players have played this} 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Be5 Ng7 12. h3 (12. Bg3 {leads to a repetition, and Black tried to change with} c6 13. h3 Nf5 14. Bh2 Bg7 15. Qc2 Ne7 {0-1 Quintiliano Pinto,R (2484)-Riazantsev,A (2671) Wch Blitz Doha 2016 (4)} 16. O-O $16) (12. O-O g4 13. Bxg7 $1 Bxg7 14. Ne1 h5 15. Qc2 Nb6 16. a4 $1 a5 17. Bf5 Qe7 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Nd3 O-O 20. Ne2 $14 {[%csl Gc5,Ge5,Gf4];1-0 Kuzubov,Y (2643)-Santos Ruiz,M (2480) Sharjah Masters 1st 2017 (8)}) 12... Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bd6 14. O-O h5 $2 15. f4 $1 $36 {½-½ Van Wely,L (2695)-Andreikin,D (2736) Tata Steel-A 79th 2017 (6) this strange line with 9... g5?! needs more tests, but Black has enough solid options to play like this -}) 6... Bd6 7. Bg3 O-O ({Earlier this year, Adams played} 7... Bf5 {but after} 8. e3 (8. Qb3 Nc6 $1 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. Qxb7 $2 O-O $19) 8... O-O 9. Qb3 Bxg3 10. hxg3 Nc6 {½-½ Anton Guijarro,D (2650)-Adams,M (2751) Gibraltar Masters 15th 2017 (10) the game merely transposed -}) 8. e3 ({Knowing how Black wants develop the pieces, the move} 8. Qc2 $146 {comes to mind, but after} Nc6 9. a3 Ne7 $1 {the bishop is coming anyway}) 8... Bf5 9. Qb3 Bxg3 10. hxg3 Nc6 {This is reminiscent of some of Ragozin's positions, where Black develops this ? to c6. The computer claims an advantage for White, but Black is developing all his pieces without making serious concessions, he only must be careful to not play c6, weakening the dark squares on the queenside.} (10... b6 $2 11. Be2 Qd6 12. Ne5 $1 {[%CAl Yg3g4,Yg4g5]} h6 13. g4 Bh7 14. Bf3 Rd8 15. g5 $1 hxg5 16. Rxh7 $1 $18 {1-0 Bu,X (2705)-Vitiugov,N (2726) Wch Blitz Doha 2016 (20)}) (10... Qd6 {was also played, for example} 11. Nh4 Bc8 $6 (11... Bg4 $142) 12. Bd3 g6 13. Nf3 Nc6 14. Rc1 Ne7 15. Na4 b6 {even in this position, we can see a little pressure for White, but there's no clear way to increase this advantage, as Black has a solid position} 16. Ne5 Be6 17. O-O Rfc8 $14 {½-½ Vitiugov,N (2724)-Deac,B (2572) Gibraltar Masters 15th 2017 (9) Black defended very well and White's advantage never was enough to win -}) 11. Be2 (11. Qxb7 $2 Qd6 12. Qb3 Rab8 13. Qd1 Rxb2 $17) 11... Qd6 12. O-O Ne7 {As in the Ragozin, Black struggles a little bit to find a good place for this knight.} 13. Ne5 h5 $1 {I like this move. Ok, Black is giving up some dark squares on the kingside, but on the other hand, if White is allowed to play g4, then he achieves a space advantage and can work with this. This sort of advantage is one of the main weapons of technical players like Carlsen, Karjakin, and also Adams! From a practical point of view, avoiding this plan was a good decision. Black has another interesting idea also, which is to disturb the strong white ?e5.} (13... b6 14. g4 Be6 15. Rac1 Nd7 (15... c5 16. Qa3 $1 Rfd8 17. f4 cxd4 18. Qxd6 Rxd6 19. exd4 $14 {with an easier endgame}) 16. f4 f6 17. Nd3 $1 {to keep pieces and avoid unecessary exchanges is a basic way to manage a space advantage. In general White has a slight advantage and an easier game, slowly improving his posicion. Black has to be careful, because in such positions active ideas are always dangerous, for example} c5 $2 18. Qa3 $1 Rfc8 19. Na4 {[%csl Rc5] just winning a pawn.}) 14. Rfc1 Ng4 $1 {[%csl Ge5] This was the other idea behind Black's h5. White has a slight advantage here, but Black is playing very well to fight against his opponent's positional advantage.} 15. Na4 $1 {White also plays to support his knight on e5.} (15. Nxg4 hxg4 {only helps Black}) (15. Bf3 $5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Qxe5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Rab8 $11) 15... b6 16. Qc3 {[%csl Ya4,Ge5] Protecting one of the knights, but the other can be misplaced for while.} ({but nowit could be interesting to change direction and play for the centre} 16. Nd3 Rfc8 17. Nf4 g6 18. Bf3 Nf6 19. Nc3 Rd8 20. Re1 {[%CAl Ya1d1,Ye3e4] Black's position is still solid, but after correct preparation, e4 can give some pressure for White.}) 16... Rfc8 17. Nd3 Bd7 18. b3 (18. Qb3 {seems better, keeping the possibility to play ?c3 and back to the right plan, playing in the centre.}) 18... Ng6 {Slowly, Black is transferring his pieces to the kingside and preparing an assault there with ...h4.} (18... Bxa4 $2 19. bxa4 a5 20. Bf3 {is simply better for White, as the doubled pawns never would be a weakness in this position.}) 19. Qb4 $1 {This move forces Black to abandon the d6-square, which is ideal for the queen.} (19. Nab2 a5 $1 (19... Nxe3 $2 {is too hasty} 20. fxe3 Qxg3 21. Qd2 Nh4 22. Bxh5 $18) 20. Nf4 Nxf4 21. exf4 c5 $5 {with a complicated position, for example} 22. Nd3 c4 23. Ne5 b5 24. bxc4 bxc4 (24... dxc4 $2 25. a4 $1) 25. Rab1 $13) 19... Qf6 20. Nc3 {Karjakin is a great defender, and probably everything is ok with White's position, but to leave the queen some moves away from the kingside looks dangerous, at least during the game.} (20. Qe1 {looks good, bringing the queen to help the defence of the kingside} Qg5 (20... h4 21. Bxg4 Bxg4 22. gxh4 Nxh4 23. Ne5 $11) 21. Nf4 $1 Nxf4 22. exf4 Qf6 23. Nc3 $1 {keeping White's position under control.}) 20... Qf5 (20... a5 21. Qa3 c6 {it was good to keep the queen on f6} 22. Bxg4 Bxg4 23. Qb2 h4 24. gxh4 Qxh4 25. Qd2 (25. Na4 Rab8) (25. f3 Bf5 26. Ne1) 25... f6 $1 $40 {[%CAl Gg8f7,Yc8h8]}) 21. a4 a5 (21... h4 22. gxh4 Nxh4 23. Nf4 g5 $2 24. Ncxd5 $1 {[%CAl Yd5e7]}) 22. Qa3 Nf6 $6 {This retreat enables White to have time to take the initiative on the queenside.} (22... Qg5 {it's not especially dangerous for White} 23. Bxg4 Bxg4 24. Nf4 c6 25. Nce2 h4 26. gxh4 Nxh4 27. Ng3 $11) ({but} 22... h4 {was principled} 23. gxh4 Nxh4 24. Nf4 Nf6 25. b4 g5 {leads to a funny repetition} 26. Bd3 (26. Nd3 Kg7 {[%CAl Gc8h8]}) 26... Qg4 27. Be2 Qf5 28. Bd3 $11) 23. Ra2 $6 {White is trying to set up a solid defence, but here it was about counterplay!} (23. Nb5 $1 Ne8 (23... h4 24. gxh4 Nxh4 25. Nxc7 Nxg2 $1 26. Qd6 $1 {[%CAl Yd6g3] this move is the difficult one} Qg5 27. Qg3 Qxg3 28. fxg3 Ra7 29. Nb5 Rxc1+ 30. Rxc1 Bxb5 31. Kxg2 Bd7 32. Ne5 $14 {and I'm sure that Karjakin would enjoy playing this endgame}) 24. Ra2 {and now White is more active than in the game, not allowing active ideas for Black, for example} Qg5 (24... h4 $2 25. gxh4 Nxh4 26. Ne5 $1 Bxb5 27. axb5 $14) 25. Nf4 $1 Nxf4 26. gxf4 Qh4 27. Bf3 c6 28. Nd6 Rd8 29. Nxe8 Rxe8 30. b4 $11) 23... Qg5 24. Ne1 (24. Nb5 {now could be more dangerous} h4 25. gxh4 (25. Nxc7 hxg3 26. Nxa8 gxf2+ 27. Nxf2 Rxa8 $44 {[%CAl Gg5e3,Gg6h4]}) 25... Nxh4 26. Nf4 Bf5 $5 {[%CAl Yf5e4]} 27. Nxc7 Rab8 {the fact that in this position the computer gives ?ac2 as one serious option, says a lot about the White's risks here: the bishop coming to e4 is a very annoying threat.}) 24... c5 $1 {This eliminates White's counterplay with ?b5, the ?d6-g3 manouvres, and Black starts to play actively also on the queenside, taking advantage of his better piece coordination.} 25. Nf3 Qh6 {It's a funny picture that both queens were pushed to a3 and h6.} 26. dxc5 Rxc5 (26... bxc5 $5 {would be interesting, but this pawn becomes a target now} 27. Nd1 {[%csl Gc5]}) 27. Nb5 (27. b4 $142 axb4 28. Qxb4 {[%CAl Yb4h4]} Rac8 (28... Ne4 29. Rac2 Rac8 30. Bd3 Nxg3 $2 31. Qxb6 $18) 29. a5 $1 bxa5 30. Rxa5 Rxa5 31. Qxa5 h4 32. gxh4 Nxh4 33. Nxh4 Qxh4 34. Rd1 $11) 27... Rac8 28. Rxc5 Rxc5 29. b4 $1 axb4 30. Qxb4 {Now the position is equal, and the game looks more calm and going for a draw, but Black still can try a little bit.} Ne4 (30... Rc1+ 31. Bf1 h4 $5 32. gxh4 (32. Nxh4 $4 Ng4 33. Nf3 Bxb5 $1 34. Qxb5 N6e5 $19) 32... Ng4 33. Qd6 $1 Nxh4 34. Qxh6 Nxf3+ 35. gxf3 Nxh6 36. Kg2 Nf5 $11) 31. Bf1 (31. Qe1 {for the second time in this game, this move was safer} h4 32. Nxh4 Nxh4 33. gxh4 Qxh4 34. Nd4 $11) 31... h4 $1 {Finally!} 32. gxh4 Bxb5 $6 {But this move helps White.} (32... Nxh4 33. Nxh4 (33. Nbd4 {is probably the move that Black wanted to avoid, but there now follows a very elegant attacking idea} Nxf3+ 34. Nxf3 d4 $3 {[%CAl Gc5h5]} 35. g3 Bh3 {[%CAl Gc5c1]} 36. Bxh3 Qxh3 37. Qe1 {too late!} Rh5 38. Nh4 Ng5 $19) 33... Qxh4 34. f3 Qg5 $1 35. Qe1 (35. fxe4 Qxe3+ 36. Rf2 Bxb5 {[%CAl Yc5c2]}) 35... Ng3 36. Nd4 Qh4 {probably White can hold, but not without a bit of a struggle.}) 33. axb5 Nxh4 34. Nxh4 Qxh4 35. Qd4 (35. f3 Qh6 $1) 35... Rc1 36. Qe5 (36. Qxd5 $2 Rxf1+ $1 37. Kxf1 Qh1+ 38. Ke2 Nc3+ $19) 36... Qd8 37. Qf5 $6 (37. Ra1 $11) 37... g6 38. Qe5 Qc8 39. g3 $4 {After have defended very well, with one move to complete the time control, White blunders.} (39. Ra1 Rxa1 (39... Nd2 40. Qb2 Rxa1 41. Qxa1 Nxf1 42. Qxf1 Qc4 43. g3 $11) 40. Qxa1 Qc2 41. Qe1 $15) 39... Rxf1+ $1 ({After} 39... Rxf1+ 40. Kxf1 Qc4+ 41. Re2 Nd2+ {White loses the queen or the rook by force.}) 0-1 [Event "Julian Borowski-A 3rd"] [Site "Essen"] [Date "2001.05.11"] [Round "9"] [White "Dautov, Rustem"] [Black "Lutz, Christopher"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2631"] [BlackElo "2614"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "154"] [EventDate "2001.05.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 083"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.07.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.07.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Qf6 13. b4 Bf5 14. Bxf5 ({Auf das meistgespielte} 14. b5 Nd4 15. Bxf5 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Qxf5 {war Christopher mit Sicherheit gut vorbereitet.}) 14... Qxf5 15. Qb1 {Dies ist eine alte Empfehlung von Lputian, die bisher in der Turnierpraxis nicht vorkam.} Qxb1 (15... Qe6 16. a4 a5 17. bxa5 Nxa5 18. Rd1 Rfd8 19. Be5 $14 {Lputian}) 16. Raxb1 {Hier erlaubte ich mir, von Lputians Empfehlung abzuweichen. Der weiße Turm f1 wird auf den Linien "c" oder "d" Anwendung finden.} (16. Rfxb1 $14 {Lputian}) 16... Rfd8 ({In Frage kam auch} 16... Rac8 $5) 17. a4 $1 $14 {Plötzlich ist der schwarze Läufer in Gefahr.} Rac8 ({In Frage kam} 17... a6 18. b5 Na5 $1 (18... axb5 19. Rxb5 Ra6 20. Rfb1 Ba7 21. Rxb7 Rxa4 22. Ng5 $16) 19. bxa6 Rxa6 $14) 18. a5 Bc7 19. Bxc7 Rxc7 20. Rfc1 Rdc8 21. Kf1 g6 $1 22. Rc5 Ne7 23. Nd4 $1 {Betont die Nutzlichkeit des Turms b1. Weiß soll die offene Linie "c" nicht aufgeben.} (23. Rxc7 $6 Rxc7 24. Nd4 Rc4 $11) 23... Rxc5 (23... a6 24. Ke2 $14) 24. bxc5 Rc7 {Die gegenseitigen Schwächen c5 und b7 prägen das weitere Geschehen.} 25. Ke2 ({Nichts brachte} 25. a6 $2 bxa6 26. c6 Rc8 $1 27. Rc1 Kf8 $11) 25... Kf8 {Schwarz bereitet das Schlagen auf c5 vor...} (25... Nf5 $2 26. a6 $1 (26. Nxf5 gxf5 27. Rc1 b6 28. c6 Kf8 $11) 26... bxa6 27. Nxf5 gxf5 28. Rc1 Kg7 29. Kd3 Kf6 30. Kd4 Ke6 31. Ra1 Rc6 $16 {, und Schwarz werden bald die Züge ausgehen.}) (25... Nc6 $2 26. Nxc6 bxc6 27. a6 $16) 26. Kf3 $1 {, und Weiß verhindert es erneut!} ({Falsch wäre die natürliche Zentralisierung des Königs} 26. Kd3 $2 Rxc5 27. Rxb7 Rxa5 {, und es geht nicht} 28. Rxe7 $4 {wegen} Ra3+ {Dagegen ist direkt nach dem Textzug und auch später die analogische Variante für Schwarz nicht spielbar.}) 26... Kg7 $6 {Dieser Zug, nach langem Nachdenken gespielt, sieht nicht überzeugend aus. Schwarz versucht, dem weißen König zu opponieren, anstatt seinen Königsmarsch zum Damenflügel fortzusetzen.} (26... Nc6 27. Nxc6 bxc6 28. g4 $14) (26... Ke8 27. g4 $1 (27. Kf4 f6 28. Ne6 Rc6 29. Ng7+ $2 Kf7 30. Rxb7 a6 $1 $17 {??c5}) 27... f6 28. h4 $14) ({Die beste Verteidigungsmöglichkeit war} 26... a6 $1 27. g4 Nc6 $1 28. Nxc6 Rxc6 29. Rc1 Ke7 30. Ke2 $14 {, und das Turmendspiel hat eine remisliche Tendenz.}) 27. h4 (27. g4 $5 $14) 27... h5 $138 28. Kf4 Nf5 $5 {Dieser Zug war eine Überraschung für mich. Schwarz strebt den Übergang in das Turmendspiel mit dem "Holz" h5, f5, f7 und d5!} ({Ich rechnete eher mit} 28... Kf6 29. Rb5 $1 {?a6} Nc6 (29... Nf5 30. a6 $1 bxa6 31. Ra5 Nxd4 32. exd4 Rc6 33. Ra2 Re6 34. f3 Ke7 35. Rb2 $14) 30. Nxc6 bxc6 31. Rb8 $16) 29. Nxf5+ gxf5 30. c6 $1 {Die einzige Möglichkeit, auf Gewinn zu spielen.} (30. Rc1 Kf6 $11) 30... bxc6 (30... Rxc6 $2 31. Rxb7 Ra6 32. Rb5 $18) 31. Kxf5 c5 $6 ({In Frage kam} 31... Re7 $5 32. a6 ({Besser ist} 32. Rc1 $5 Re6 33. Rc2 $14) 32... Re6 33. Rb7 c5 $1 (33... Rf6+ $2 34. Ke5 $16) 34. Rxa7 d4 35. exd4 cxd4 36. Ra8 d3 37. a7 Ra6 {, und Schwarz hält das Unentschieden.}) 32. Ke5 d4 33. Kd6 $1 $16 {Vor dem Bauerngewinn wird der schwarze Turm abgedrängt.} (33. exd4 $2 cxd4 34. Kxd4 Rc2 $14) 33... Rc8 34. Kd7 $1 Rg8 35. exd4 cxd4 36. Rb5 Kf6 (36... Kh6 $2 37. g3 Rg4 38. Rd5 $16) 37. g3 Rg4 38. Rxh5 d3 39. Rd5 Ra4 40. Kc6 Ke6 41. Rxd3 Rxa5 {Nach dem Erreichen der Zeitkontrolle behielt Weiß gute Gewinnchancen.} 42. Re3+ Kf6 43. Rf3+ Kg6 44. Rf4 f5 45. Rf3 Ra2 $2 {M.E. sollte Schwarz versuchen, den weißen Monarchen vom Königsflügel abgeschnitten zu halten.} (45... Kh5 $1 46. Kd6 Kg6 47. Ke6 Rb5 $16) 46. Kd5 Ra4 (46... a5 47. Kc4 Rb2 (47... a4 48. Kb4 a3 49. Kb3 Ra1 50. Rf4 $18) 48. Kc3 Rb6 49. Rf4 Ra6 50. Ra4 Rc6+ 51. Kd4 Ra6 52. Ke3 Kf6 53. Kf4 Kg6 54. h5+ Kxh5 55. Kxf5 $18) 47. Kc5 Ra2 48. Kc4 Ra4+ 49. Kb3 Rd4 50. Kc3 $18 {Nach der Rückkehr des weißen Königs ist die Stellung technisch gewonnen.} Ra4 51. Kb3 Rd4 52. Kc3 Ra4 {Die einzige Rettungschance von Schwarz besteht im Abtausch der f-Bauern, deswegen kontrolliert er die 4.Reihe.} 53. Kd2 ({Leicht gewann} 53. Rd3 $1 Ra2 (53... f4 54. Rd4 $18) 54. Rd2 Ra4 55. Rd6+ Kh5 56. Rd4 Ra2 57. Rf4 Kg6 58. Kd3 a5 59. Ke3 a4 60. Kf3 Ra1 61. Rb4 a3 62. Ra4 $18) 53... a5 54. Rd3 f4 55. Ke2 $2 {Dies erschwert die Gewinnführung.} ({In der 2. Zeitnot übersah ich die simple Möglichkeit, das Bauernpaar "f" und "g" zu behalten.} 55. g4 $1 f3 56. Rd6+ Kg7 57. Rd7+ $1 Kg8 (57... Kg6 58. h5+ Kg5 59. Rg7+ Kf4 60. h6 Ra2+ 61. Kd3 Rxf2 62. h7 Rh2 63. g5 $18) 58. g5 $1 Rxh4 59. Ke3 Rg4 60. Rd5 $18) 55... fxg3 56. fxg3 Re4+ 57. Re3 Rb4 58. Re5 Rb3 $1 59. Kf2 a4 60. Ra5 Ra3 $1 61. Kg2 Ra1 62. Kh3 $6 {Dieser falsche Plan kostet Weiß endgültig den Sieg. Der beste Platz für den König war das Feld h2, und das Bauernpaar solte sich in Bewegung setzen.} (62. g4 $1 {Ich sah diesen Gewinnplan, verwarf ihn aber, weil er mir "zu kompliziert" erschien.} a3 63. Ra6+ Kg7 64. g5 a2 (64... Ra2+ $2 65. Kg3 Ra1 66. Kg4 a2 67. Kh5 $18) 65. Kh2 $1 (65. h5 $2 Rb1 66. Rxa2 Rb5 67. Ra7+ Kg8 68. Ra8+ Kh7 $1 69. g6+ Kg7 70. Ra7+ Kg8 71. Rh7 Rb3 72. Kf2 Rh3 $1 $11 {führt zu einer bekannten remislichen Stellung von Kasparian.}) 65... Rb1 (65... Kh7 66. h5 Rb1 (66... Kg8 67. Ra8+ Kg7 68. Ra7+ Kg8 69. h6 Rb1 70. Rxa2 Rb5 71. Rg2 $18) 67. Rxa2 Rb5 68. Rg2 $18 {, deswegen muß der weiße König auf h2!}) 66. Rxa2 Kg6 67. Ra6+ Kf5 68. Kg3 Rb3+ 69. Kf2 $18 {mit einer theoretisch gewonnenen Stellung.}) 62... a3 63. Kg4 $2 (63. g4 $1 a2 64. Ra6+ Kg7 65. Kh2 $18) 63... a2 $11 64. Ra7 $1 (64. h5+ Kg7 65. Kg5 Rg1 $11) 64... Kf6 65. h5 {Ich war mir sicher, auf diese Art "einfacher" zu gewinnen, doch Schwarz kann sich retten.} Ke6 $1 (65... Ke5 $2 66. Ra6 $1 $18) 66. h6 Kf6 $1 67. h7 Rh1 68. Rxa2 Kg7 69. Ra5 (69. Kg5 Rb1 $1 (69... Kxh7 $2 70. Ra7+ Kg8 71. Kg6 $18) 70. Rh2 (70. Ra7+ Kh8 $11) 70... Kh8 71. g4 Rb5+ 72. Kf4 Rb7 $11) 69... Rb1 $1 {Diese einfache Verteidigungsidee übersah ich in meinen Vorausberechnungen. Schwarz nimmt nicht den Bauern h7!} 70. Rh5 Kh8 71. Kh4 (71. Rh6 Rb4+ 72. Kg5 Rb5+ 73. Kh4 Rb1 $11) 71... Rb6 72. g4 Ra6 73. Kg3 Ra3+ 74. Kh4 Ra6 75. g5 Ra4+ 76. Kg3 Ra5 77. Kf4 Ra4+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Geneva FIDE GP"] [Site "Geneva"] [Date "2017.07.09"] [Round "4"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "Sumets,Andrey"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2017.07.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. cxd5 ({Another interesting continuation is} 8. Rd1 cxd4 9. Rxd4 Qa5 10. Bg3 b5 $5 {Levon has found an interesting pawn sacrifice.} ({I don't think that White has any advantage after} 10... Nb6 11. Nd2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 (12. Nxc4 Nxc4 13. Bxc4 Bd7 14. O-O Rfd8 $11) 12... Nxc4 13. Nxc4 Qa6 14. O-O Rd8 15. Rxd8+ Bxd8 16. Ne5 Bd7 17. Nxd7 Nxd7 18. Rd1 Nf6 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2686)-Adams,M (2722) Istanbul 2012 1/2 (36), White's advantage is negligeable and Michael easily made a draw.}) 11. cxb5 Bb7 12. Bd3 (12. Be2 Rfc8 13. O-O Bb4 14. Qb1 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Ne4 16. c4 Nc3 17. Qc2 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Rxc4 19. Rxc4 dxc4 20. Qxc4 Nb6 $11) 12... Nc5 13. Ne5 (13. O-O {and the opponents agreed to a draw in Bacrot, E-Aronian,L 2011.}) 13... Rfc8 14. O-O Nxd3 15. Qxd3 a6 16. a4 Nh5 17. Bh4 Bc5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Qxa4 20. Rd8+ Rxd8 21. Bxd8 Qxb5 22. Qxb5 axb5 $11 {Inarkiev,E (2660)-Aronian,L (2784) Skopje MKD 2015 1/2 (58)}) 8... Nxd5 ({It would be interesting to know what Peter had in mind after} 8... cxd4 {I believe that it is the most reliable continuation and Black can easily get an equal position.} 9. exd4 (9. d6 {was played once. Despite the fact, that White won this game, I think that Black's chances are not worse.} dxc3 10. bxc3 (10. Rd1 Nd5 11. dxe7 Qxe7 12. Bg3 Qb4 13. bxc3 Qxc3+ 14. Qxc3 Nxc3 15. Rd4 Nb6 16. Kd2 Nxa2 17. Be2 a5 $15) 10... e5 11. dxe7 Qxe7 12. Bg3 Qc5 $6 (12... b6 $1 13. Be2 Bb7 14. O-O Ne4 $15) 13. Rb1 a6 14. Be2 b6 15. O-O Bb7 16. Qa4 Rfe8 $11 {Kempinski, R (2528)-Krainski,A (2271) Bydgoszcz 2000 1-0 (39)}) (9. Nxd4 $2 e5 10. Nf5 exf4 11. d6 Bxd6 12. Nxd6 fxe3 13. fxe3 Ng4 $17) (9. dxe6 $6 {My computer and I don't see full compensation for the sacrificed piece.} dxc3 10. exf7+ Rxf7 (10... Kh8 $5 11. bxc3 Nd5 12. Bg3 Qa5 {seems to be good for Black as well.}) 11. bxc3 Nd5 12. Bc4 N7b6 13. Bb3 Be6 14. Rd1 Qc8 15. Be5 Nc4 16. O-O Ndb6 17. Nd4 Bg4 18. f3 Bd7 $17 {Isigkeit,H (2421)-Sawiniec,D (2411) ICCF 2008 0-1 (61)}) 9... Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Be2 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 Nf6 14. O-O $11 {1/2 (14) Van Wely,L (2643)-Asrian,K (2566) New Delhi/ Teheran 2000} Bg4 15. Rfe1 Rc8 16. Ne5 Ne4 17. Qb4 Bxe2 18. Rxe2 Qc7 19. Rae1 Rfd8 20. Qb3 h6 21. h3 Ng5 22. f3 Ne4 {1/2 (22) Maiwald,J (2471)-Cyborowski,L (2510) Germany 2015}) 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Qa5+ (10... h6 11. dxc5 {This seems to be the strongest continuation} ({After} 11. O-O {Black could play} c4 $5 12. Be2 b5 13. Rad1 Bb7 $132) 11... Nxc5 12. O-O Bg4 13. Bf5 ({Vladimir could have played} 13. Bh7+ Kh8 14. Bf5 {probably he wants to win a tempo after possible moves ...?xf3 gxf3 and then ?h1, ?g1 attacking the h6-pawn}) 13... Bxf3 14. gxf3 Ne6 15. Bg3 Qb6 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Be5 Rac8 18. Qe2 Rc6 19. f4 Nc7 $6 (19... Nc5 20. Bh3 Bf6 21. Bxf6 Rxf6 22. Rd4 Ne6 $11) 20. Rd3 Bf6 21. Rb3 $14 {Fedoseev,V (2690)-Jakovenko,D (2718) Minsk BLR 2017 1-0 (45)}) 11. Qc3 Qb6 ({It seems to me that Black could equalise after} 11... Qxc3+ 12. bxc3 Nf6 (12... c4 $6 13. Bc2 f5 14. a4 Nf6 15. Ne5 Ne4 16. Bxe4 fxe4 17. Ke2 {White has better chances}) 13. O-O Ne4 14. Rfc1 Be6 15. Rab1 b6 16. h3 f6 17. a4 Bd6 $6 (17... g5 $5 18. Bh2 c4 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Nd2 Bd5 21. a5 Kf7 22. axb6 axb6 23. Rxb6 Ra2 24. Nf1 Rd8 $44) 18. Bxe4 Bxf4 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. exf4 $14 {Bruzon Batista,L (2643)-Oparin,G (2609) Linares ESP 2017 1/2 (38). Black has some small compensation for the sacrificed pawn.}) 12. a3 $146 {Now if Black plays ...c4 then White can answer ?c2.} (12. O-O c4 {Since Black traded knights and White doesn't have a plan, which is connected with ?e5, ?g5, f4, etc, Black can play ...c4.} 13. Be2 $6 (13. Bc2 $2 Bb4 14. Bc7 Bxc3 15. Bxb6 Bxb2 $17) (13. Bb1 $142) 13... Nf6 14. Qc2 g6 15. b3 Bf5 16. Qd1 Rac8 17. bxc4 dxc4 18. Rc1 c3 $17 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 Nd5 21. Bh6 Rfd8 22. Ne1 $2 g5 {0-1 (22) Mihajlov,S (2185)-Houska,J (2414) Caleta 2014}) 12... cxd4 ({Even here the computer recommends} 12... c4 13. Bc2 {It 's obvious that White's bishop should be placed on c2, but it is not clear if White has chances to get an advantage.} Nf6 14. O-O Be6 15. Ng5 (15. Ne5 Nh5 16. Bg3 Nxg3 17. hxg3 Rfd8 18. Rae1 Rac8 $11) 15... Bd7 16. Be5 (16. Rae1 Rfe8 17. Be5 h6 18. Nf3 Rac8 {Black has a plan connected with ...b5, ...a5, ...b4 and it is not easy to recommend a plan for White.}) 16... h6 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nh7 Rfe8 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 $11) 13. Qxd4 Nc5 14. Bc2 Qb5 (14... Qa6 15. Be5 f6 16. Bg3 Rd8 17. Bc7 Ne6 18. Qh4 Nxc7 19. Qxh7+ Kf8 (19... Kf7 $4 20. Rc1 Qb6 21. Bg6+ Ke6 22. Rxc7 Qxc7 23. Nd4+ Kd6 24. Nb5+ $18) 20. Qh8+ Kf7 21. Qh5+ Kf8 $11) 15. Be5 f6 16. Bg3 Qc4 $2 {After this mistake Black is in big danger.} ({I think that Black should have played} 16... Rd8 {and the position which has arisen is rather equal.} 17. Rd1 (17. Bc7 Rd7 18. Bg3 Rd8 $11) (17. Qd2 $6 Qxb2 18. Bxh7+ $4 (18. O-O Ne4 19. Bxe4 (19. Qc1 $142 Qxc1 20. Rfxc1 Bd7 21. Bb3 Bc6 $17) 19... Qxd2 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Nxd2 d4 $17) 18... Kxh7 19. Qxb2 Nd3+ $19) (17. b4 Ne6 18. Qd2 a5 19. Bd3 Qb6 20. Rb1 axb4 21. axb4 d4 $11) 17... g6 18. h4 (18. b4 $6 Ne6 19. Qd3 Qxd3 20. Bxd3 a5 $15 {and White has some problems}) 18... Be6 19. h5 Ne4) 17. Rc1 Qxd4 {This leads to a difficult endgame with an isolated pawn. I think that Michael should have kept queens on the board.} (17... g6 $5 18. Qd2 Qa6 19. Nd4 (19. Qxd5+ $2 Be6 20. Qd1 Bc4 21. b4 Rfd8 $17) 19... Bd7 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Kf2 $14) 18. Nxd4 a5 {Black prevents b4, but now White can play ?b5.} (18... a6 19. b4 Ne4 20. Bb3 Rd8 21. Bc7 $1 (21. Rc7 Kf8 22. Bf4 Nd6 23. Ke2 $16) 21... Rd7 22. Ba5 Bd8 23. f3 Ng5 24. Bxd8 Rxd8 25. Kf2 Kf8 26. Rc5 {White should win this endgame.}) 19. Nb5 Rd8 ({Probably Michael evaluated the position after} 19... Be6 $5 20. Nc7 Rac8 21. b4 Rxc7 22. Bxc7 Rc8 23. bxc5 Rxc7 24. Bb3 $16 {as hopeless but it seems to me that other continuations are even worse.}) 20. Nc7 Ra7 21. Rd1 Kf7 22. Nxd5 {White just won a pawn without any compensation.} b5 {In searching for counterplay.} 23. O-O Bf8 $6 (23... g6 24. Nxe7 Kxe7 25. Rxd8 Kxd8 {White should easily win it.}) 24. Bxh7 {White has gained a second pawn, Black's position is hopeless.} g5 ({Of course Black can't win the bishop due to} 24... g6 25. Bxg6+ Kxg6 26. Nf4+ $18) 25. h4 Be6 26. e4 gxh4 27. Bxh4 Bxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. exd5 $18 {White has 2 extra pawns and the bishop pair and despite the weakness of his b2-pawn, Peter easily won the game.} Na4 30. Rc1 Rd7 $1 {This is Black's best chance. Michael found a way to win the d5-pawn, but his position is still hopeless.} (30... Nxb2 31. Rc6 Bxa3 32. Bxf6 Nc4 33. Bd4 Rb7 34. g4 {Black can't stop the g4-pawn.}) 31. Rc6 $1 Rxd5 32. Rxf6+ Kg7 33. Bc2 $1 Nxb2 34. Rg6+ Kf7 35. Rf6+ Kg7 36. Rb6 $1 Bc5 (36... Bd6 37. Rb7+ Kf8 38. g3 Bxa3 39. Bf6 Nd3 40. Bb3 $18) (36... Bxa3 {Black can't take on a3 due to} 37. Bf6+ Kf8 38. Rb8+ Kf7 39. Bxb2 Bxb2 40. Bb3) 37. Rb7+ Kf8 38. Bg6 Bd4 39. Be7+ Kg8 40. Bf6 1-0 [Event "Paris FIDE GP"] [Site "Elancourt"] [Date "2013.09.24"] [Round "3"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2757"] [Annotator "Gelfand/Huzman"] [PlyCount "193"] [EventDate "2013.09.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 157"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 {I had to face this system for the 4th time this year.} 5. Bf4 (5. Bg5 c6 {was my choice against Magnus Carlsen in the candidates tournament in London.}) 5... dxc4 6. e3 a6 (6... Nd5 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 8. exf4 {was played by Michael Adams in the Alekhine memorial in April.}) 7. a4 Bd6 8. Bg5 {After some thoughts I decided to deviate from my game vs Carlsen in the Tal memorial, where I got a small but pleasant edge after 8.?xd6. Curiously, on the next board we had the same position in Grischuk-Ponomariov and Alexander had chosen the third path, but failed to get anything substantial.} (8. Bg3 Bxg3 9. hxg3 c5 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Bb3 cxd4 12. exd4 Bd7 13. a5 Nbd5 14. Bxd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qe2+ Be6 {1/2 Grischuk,A (2785)-Ponomariov,R (2756)/Elancourt FRA 2013 (86)}) (8. Bxd6 cxd6 9. Bxc4 O-O 10. O-O d5 11. Bd3 b6 12. Qb3 Qe7 13. Rfc1 Bb7 14. Rc2 Rfc8 15. Rac1 Qd6 16. Na2 Rxc2 17. Rxc2 Rc8 18. Rxc8+ Bxc8 19. Qc3 Bb7 20. b4 $14 {1/2 Gelfand,B (2755)-Carlsen,M (2864)/Moscow RUS 2013 (55)}) 8... h6 9. Bh4 c5 ({In practice} 9... b6 {has also been seen:} 10. Bxc4 Bb7 11. O-O Qe7 12. d5 e5 13. Qe2 g5 14. Bg3 Nf8 15. Nd2 Ng6 16. f3 h5 17. Nde4 Nxe4 18. fxe4 Bc8 19. Be1 g4 20. Qd3 Qg5 {Ding Liren-Ipatov,A/Athens GRE 2012}) 10. Bxc4 O-O 11. O-O cxd4 12. exd4 {White has got a position with an isolated pawn, as he intended. If the black bishop were on e7 it would be a position from the Queen's Gambit, while if on b4 from the Nimzo-Indian. But the bishop is on d6 and it gives White more chances for the breakthrough d4-d5. Note that White's loss of tempo ?f4-g5 is compensated for by their direct capture on c4, while in the Nimzo-Indian and Queen's Gambit White does it in 2 moves ?d3xc4. Moreover, White must do it, as otherwise Black would have good play.} Qc7 13. Bb3 {The right idea,} ({Butan even more precise move was} 13. Ba2 $5 Qb8 (13... b6 14. Rc1 Bf4 15. Rc2 Qd6 16. Bxf6 $5 (16. d5 $36) 16... Nxf6 17. g3 Bb7 18. d5 $16) 14. d5 e5 15. Nd2 b5 {I had preferred 13.?b3 in order to prevent b7-b5 in such a position, but here White is better after} 16. Qc2 $5 ({or} 16. Re1 $14 bxa4 17. Nc4 $36) 16... bxa4 17. Bb1 $36) ({Probably Lenier was counting on} 13. Qe2 b6 14. d5 exd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Bb7 {when he is in time to equalise.}) 13... b6 14. Rc1 Qb8 {Black is following a setup with the queen on b8 which was successfully used by Vladimir Kramnik against myself in the London Candidates. However here Black still didn't have time to develop his bishop on b7...} ({Black could minimise White's edge with the risky} 14... Bf4 15. Rc2 Qd6 $5 (15... Qb8 16. d5) 16. Ne2 (16. d5 Nc5 17. Bxf6 Nxb3 18. Bh4 Bb7 19. g3 exd5 20. gxf4 d4 $132) (16. g3 Qb4 {Here we note that the bishop would be better placed on a2}) 16... Bb7 17. Nxf4 Qxf4 18. Bg3 Qf5 19. Rc7 Be4) 15. d5 $1 {Just in time before Black developed his bishop.} e5 (15... exd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Bxd5 Ra7 18. Nd4 $18) 16. Nd2 $1 {Another energetic move.} e4 $2 {An attempt to get counterplay, but it is refuted by White's series of strong 20-22nd moves.} ({I spent a lot of time trying to choose the best reply against the most natural move} 16... Bb7 17. Nde4 ({I also considered the introductory move} 17. a5 $5 {with the idea to to away the c5-square from Black's knight} bxa5 (17... e4 18. Kh1 Bf4 19. axb6 $14) (17... b5 18. Nde4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Kh8 20. g4 $1 {and White's attack seems unstoppable}) 18. Nde4 (18. Nce4 $5) 18... Be7 (18... Ne8 19. Ba4 $1 Nc5 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Ne4) (18... Nxe4 19. Nxe4) 19. Re1 $5 {? ?g3, ?a4} Bd8 (19... Ra7 20. Ba4 Bd8 21. Bg3 $14 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 {cf7}) 20. Bg3 (20. Bxf6 $5 Nxf6 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. Ne4 Qd8 23. Rc3 $36) 20... Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Ra7 22. d6 {and Black's position looks horrible, but of course it is not easy to prove that to a computer.}) 17... Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Kh8 (18... Nc5 {is bad because of} 19. Rxc5 $1 bxc5 20. Nf6+ Kh8 21. Qd3 e4 (21... g6 22. Qe3 Kg7 23. Ng4 $18) 22. Qxe4 g6 23. Bg3 $16) 19. Rc6 $1 (19. g4 Nc5 20. Bc2 {with some initiative} (20. Rxc5 Bxc5 21. g5 Qd8 22. Qh5 Bxd5 {is ok for Black})) (19. a5 f5 20. Nxd6 Qxd6) 19... Bxc6 20. dxc6 Nc5 21. Nxd6 Nxb3 22. Be7 Nd4 23. f4 $1 Qc7 24. Bxf8 Rxf8 25. fxe5 Nxc6 {and Black's position looks dubious, but he has defensive chances} 26. Qc2 (26. Qd5 Nd8 $14) (26. e6 $5) 26... Qd7 27. Nxf7+ Rxf7 28. Rxf7 Qxf7 29. Qxc6 Qf4 30. Qxb6 (30. e6 Qd4+ 31. Kf1 Qf6+ 32. Ke2 Qxb2+ 33. Kd3 $14) 30... Qxe5 31. Qd8+ Kh7 32. Qd3+ Kh8 33. Qc3 $16 {with an extra pawn in the ending}) (16... Kh8 {is too provoctaive:} 17. Re1 (17. Nce4 Nxe4 18. Nxe4 Nc5 19. f3 f5 20. Nxd6 Qxd6 21. a5 $140 bxa5 {looks defendable}) (17. g4 Bb7 18. g5 hxg5 19. Bxg5 Nh7 {is not very impressive}) 17... Bb7 (17... b5 18. Nce4 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Bb4 20. Re3 f5 21. Rg3) (17... Ng8 18. Nc4) 18. a5 b5 19. Nde4 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 Bb4 21. Re3 f5 22. Rg3 {and the black king is in danger}) (16... Ra7 $5 17. Nc4 Bb4 18. Ne3 $36) 17. Ncxe4 Nxe4 (17... Bxh2+ 18. Kh1 Be5 19. Re1 $16) 18. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 19. Kh1 Qf4 {Other moves are also bad.} (19... Bf4 20. Rc3 $18) (19... Nc5 20. Nxc5 (20. Ng3 Bxg3 21. Bxg3 $16) 20... bxc5 21. Be7 $16) 20. Be7 $1 Qxe4 (20... Re8 21. d6 Bb7 (21... Rxe7 22. dxe7 Qh4 23. e8=Q+ Kh7 24. Ng5+) 22. Ng3 Bxg3 23. fxg3 Qxg3 24. Bxf7+ Kh8 25. Bd5 $18) (20... Ne5 21. Bxf8 Qh4 (21... Kxf8 22. Qh5) 22. Be7 f6 (22... Qxe7 23. Kxh2 Qh4+ 24. Kg1 Ng4 25. Re1) 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Qh5) 21. Re1 Qf4 22. Rc4 $1 Qxf2 ({Hopeless is} 22... Qb8 23. d6 Be5 24. Bxf8 Kxf8 25. Rc7) 23. Kxh2 Bb7 (23... Re8 24. Re2 Qf5 25. Bc2 Qh5+ 26. Rh4 $18) ({In case of} 23... Nf6 {I intended} 24. Rf1 $1 Qxb2 (24... Ng4+ 25. Rxg4 Bxg4 26. Rxf2 Bxd1 27. Bxd1 $18) 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Rf3 {with a mating attack} Kh8 27. Rh4 Rg8 28. Rxh6+ Kg7 29. Rhxf6 Qxf6 (29... Ra7 30. d6 $18) 30. Rxf6 Kxf6 31. Qd4+ $18) 24. Bc2 $1 {I had spent a lot of time on this move. I felt that White has a clear cut win and tried hard to find it. Of course I had realised that} (24. Bxf8 Rxf8 25. Re7 Nc5 26. Bc2 $16 {is also good enough, but here White still has to show some technique}) (24. Re2 $5 Qf5 25. Bc2 Qxd5 26. Rd4 Qh5+ 27. Kg1 $18 {was also winning, as the computer indicates, but during the game it was not so obvious to me} Bc6 (27... Ne5 28. Rh4 $18 Nf3+ 29. gxf3 Qxf3 30. Qd3 $18) (27... Nf6 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Qd3 f5 30. Re3 $1 $18) 28. Qd3) ({Also good enough was} 24. Rg4 $5 {? ?e2, ?d4} Rae8 25. Re2 Qf5 26. Qd4 f6 27. d6+ Kh8 28. Bc2 $18 Qh5+ 29. Kg1) 24... b5 {Otherwise the queen would be trapped.} 25. Re2 Qb6 (25... Qxe2 26. Qxe2 bxc4 27. Qe4 (27. Bf5) 27... g6 28. Qg4 Bc8 29. Bxf8 Nxf8 30. Qxc4 $18) 26. a5 $1 {A very stylish move in my opinion. White is winning another important tempo.} (26. Qd3 f5 27. Rf4 $18) 26... Qxa5 27. Qd3 f5 (27... g6 28. Rg4 $18) 28. Rf4 {I think I had played well so far and my friend Jacob Aagaard can include this piece of the game in his next "Attacking Manual" book!} Rf7 29. Rxf5 {I hurried up a bit.} ({A more precise move was} 29. d6 $1 $18 {and the queen cannot join the battle.}) 29... Qc7+ 30. d6 Qc4 {Here both of us were already in severe time trouble .} 31. Qe3 ({More practical was} 31. Rxf7 Qxd3 32. Bxd3 Kxf7 33. Bf5 Bc8 (33... Bc6 34. Be6+ Kg6 35. Rc2 $18) 34. Bh4 g5 35. Be1) 31... Bd5 32. b3 ({Or} 32. Bd3 Rxf5 (32... Qc6 33. Rc2 $18) 33. Bxf5 Nf8 34. Rc2 Qf1 35. Rf2 Qc4 36. Bxf8 Rxf8 37. Rf4 Qb3 38. Qxb3 Bxb3 39. Bh7+ $18) 32... Qxc2 33. Rxc2 Rxf5 34. Qd3 (34. Rc7 Ne5 35. Kg1 $1 $18) 34... Rh5+ 35. Kg1 Re5 36. Re2 (36. Rc7 $18) 36... Rh5 37. Qg6 Bf7 38. Qg4 Ne5 39. Qe4 $2 {With seconds left I lost control of the situation and almost spoiled such a game.} (39. Rxe5 $1 Rxe5 40. Bf6 $18 {would win immediately}) ({But the simplest was to repeat moves twice and easily find a win after the time control} 39. Qg3 Nd7 40. Qg4 (40. Rf2 $18) 40... Ne5) 39... Rc8 40. Rc2 $4 ({But} 40. Re1 $18 {was simple and strong}) ({It was impossible to calculate} 40. g4 Rc1+ 41. Kg2 Rd1 42. gxh5 Bd5 43. Qxd5+ Rxd5 44. Rxe5 Rxe5 45. d7 Rd5 46. d8=Q+ Rxd8 47. Bxd8 $18 {with seconds remaining.}) 40... Rxc2 41. Qxc2 Be6 {Now the fight starts again. I assessed my winning chances as 50%.} 42. Qe4 {I had decided for the following plan - activate my queen, transfer the bishop to the big diagonal and combine mating threats with attack on a6- and b5-pawns.} (42. Qa2 Ng4 43. Qxa6 Rc5 44. Kf1 Rf5+) ({It was possible to fix the pawn on a6 now or in the next move, but it would allow Black to regroup his pieces.} 42. b4 Kf7 43. Qc7 Nd7 44. Qb7 Rd5 45. Qxa6 Ne5) 42... Kf7 43. Bh4 Nd7 44. Qf3+ {An important intermediate check.} Kg6 ({The black pieces would be more compact after} 44... Rf5 45. Qa8 Rc5 (45... Bxb3 $140 $4 46. Qd8 $18) (45... Rd5 46. Qd8) 46. Qd8 $1 {at least separating Black's king from other pieces} (46. Bf2 Rd5 47. Qxa6 Nf6 48. Bd4 Bd7) 46... Bf5 47. Qe7+ Kg8 48. Qe8+ Kh7 49. Qf7 Re5 50. Bf2 Be6 51. Qe8 {with good winning chances.}) 45. Be1 Rd5 46. Bc3 h5 $2 {A serious mistake.} ({I was expecting} 46... Rg5 47. Qa8 Kf7 {when the strongest is} 48. b4 $1 {trying to win a tempo due to zugzwang} (48. Qd8 Nf8 49. Bb4 Bd7 50. Qa8 $16) 48... Rd5 49. Qxa6 Rd1+ 50. Kf2 Rd3 51. Qc6 {and Black is in trouble.}) (46... a5 47. Qg3+ Rg5 48. Qe3 Kf7 49. Bxa5) 47. Qe4+ {I jumped on the occasion to win the pawn on g7, but even stronger was} (47. b4 $1 {and Black is in zugzwang!} h4 $8 (47... Rg5 48. Qe3 {??g7}) (47... Nf6 48. Bxf6 gxf6 49. Qxd5 $18) 48. Qe4+ Kf7 49. Bxg7 Kxg7 (49... Rxd6 50. Qf4+ Ke7 51. Qxh4+ $18) 50. Qxe6 Rd1+ 51. Kh2 Nf6 52. Qe2 Rd5 53. Qe7+ Kg6 54. Kh3 $18) 47... Kf7 48. Bxg7 Nf6 $1 {I had missed this resource.} (48... Rxd6 49. Qf4+ Ke7 50. Bc3 $18) (48... Kxg7 49. Qxe6 Rd1+ 50. Kf2 Nf6 51. Ke2 Rd4 52. g3 Kg6 53. b4 Kg7 54. Qe5 $18) 49. Bxf6 Kxf6 50. Qf4+ Bf5 51. Qh4+ Ke5 52. Qxh5 Kxd6 53. b4 Be6 54. Qh8 Kc7 55. Qg7+ ({White could easily fall into a nice trap} 55. Qc3+ Kb7 56. Qe3 Rd6 57. g4 Bxg4 $1 58. Qe4+ Rc6 59. Qxg4 Rc4 {with a fortress. As we'll learn later, this ending is won if White's king had passed the 4th rank.}) 55... Rd7 56. Qe5+ Rd6 57. Kf2 Kc6 58. g4 (58. Ke3 $5) 58... Bc4 ({As I had discovered while doing this commentary, Black had a good practical chance} 58... Bxg4 59. Qe4+ Kc7 60. Qxg4 Rc6 61. Qd4 Kb7 62. Qd5 Kb6 63. Ke3 Rc4 {Black just needs one move to put his king on a7-b8 with a draw, but} 64. Qd7 Rc7 (64... Rxb4 65. Qd6+ Ka5 66. Qd2 Ka4 67. Qa2#) 65. Qd6+ Kb7 66. Kd4 Rc4+ 67. Kd5 Ka7 68. Ke6 Kb7 69. Kd7 Ka7 {and finally a triangular} 70. Qe7 Kb6 71. Qf8 Ka7 72. Qf2+ Kb7 73. Qc5 $1 {and White is winning.}) 59. Qe8+ Kc7 60. Qe7+ Rd7 ({Black could try to run with his king to f7, but it would hardly save him} 60... Kc6 61. Qa7 Kd5 62. Qc5+ Ke6 63. Ke3 Kd7 64. Qa7+ Ke8 65. Qb8+ Kd7 66. Qb7+ Ke8 67. Qc8+ Ke7 68. Qc7+ Rd7 69. Qe5+ Kf7 70. Qf5+ Ke8 71. g5) 61. Qe5+ $6 {An inaccurate move, which allows counterplay.} ({White could prevent it by} 61. Qc5+ Kb7 62. g5) 61... Kb7 62. g5 a5 $1 {Of course, Black is jumping at his chance.} 63. bxa5 Ka6 64. Qc3 (64. Qa1 Rf7+ 65. Ke3 Re7+ 66. Kf4 Re6 67. Qc3 {would make White's task simpler.}) 64... Rd3 65. Qb4 (65. Qa1 $5) 65... Rb3 66. Qe1 Ra3 67. g6 Rxa5 68. g7 (68. Ke3 Ra3+ 69. Kd4 $5) 68... Ra2+ 69. Kf3 Ra4 70. Qd2 (70. Kf4 {would allow the king to cross the 5th rank.}) 70... Kb6 ({Black could try his chance by} 70... Ba2 71. Qd6+ (71. Qxa2 Rxa2 72. g8=Q Ra4 {is a theoretical draw, as I was told}) 71... Kb7 72. Qc5 Ka6 73. Ke3 Ka5 74. Kd3 $1 Ka6 75. Qc6+ Ka5 76. Qb7 Bc4+ 77. Kd4 Kb4 78. Qh1) 71. Ke4 Ra8 72. Qd6+ Kb7 73. Qd7+ Kb6 74. Kd4 {The king has joined the action and Black is hopeless.} Ra4 (74... Rg8 75. Qd6+ Kb7 76. Qf8) (74... Ra6 75. Qe8 Kb7 76. Kc5) (74... Rb8 75. Ke5 Ra8 76. Kd6) 75. Qd6+ Kb7 76. Kc5 Ra6 77. Qe7+ Kb8 78. Qd7 Ka8 79. Qxb5 Bxb5 80. g8=Q+ Kb7 81. Qf7+ Kc8 82. Kxb5 {Now I kind of got nervous. Of course I was familiar with ideas of the ? vs ? ending, but in the 8th hour of play and with a lot of emotions involved it is possible to go wrong.} Rd6 83. Kc5 Ra6 84. Qe7 Kb8 85. Kb5 Ra7 86. Qf8+ (86. Qd8+ Kb7 87. Qd4 $1) 86... Kc7 87. Qf4+ Kc8 88. Kb6 Re7 89. Qf5+ Kd8 90. Kc5 Kc7 91. Qd5 Rd7 92. Qe5+ Kb7 93. Kb5 Rc7 94. Qd5+ Ka7 (94... Kc8 $1) 95. Ka5 Rb7 (95... Rh7 $1) 96. Qd4+ Kb8 97. Ka6 1-0 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 25th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "1997.07.07"] [Round "4"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Jussupow,Artur"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "1997.07.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 060"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.09.29"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.09.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Ftacnik Stohl} d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 ({Stohl: Two years ago in Dortmund Kramnik was successfull with} 5. Qc2 $5 {(wins against Beliavsky and Short).} O-O 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 8. Rd1 c5 $1 (8... g6 9. e3 c6 10. Bd3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nd7 12. h4 Bg7 13. a3 Qe7 14. Ba2 b6 15. Bb1 h5 16. O-O Bb7 17. Ng5 Rfd8 18. Ba2 Nf6 19. e4 Ng4 20. e5 Rd7 21. Ne2 Rad8 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Qxg6 Nxe5 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Nf4 {1-0,Kramnik,V-Short,N/Dortmund/1995/}) 9. dxc5 Qa5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Qd2 Bxc3 12. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 13. bxc3 Na6 14. e3 Nxc5 15. Rxd5 b6 16. Rd4 Bb7 17. Bc4 Rac8 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Rg1 Bh3 20. Ng6 Rfe8 21. Nf4 Be6 22. Nxe6 Nxe6 23. Bxe6 Rxe6 $17 {San Segundo,P-Van der Sterren,P/Linares zt/1995/}) 5... O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 {Stohl: The main move.} (8. a3 {Stohl} Nc6 {Earlier Kramnik experimented with} 9. Rc1 (9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 $1 (10... Qxd1+ $6 11. Rxd1 b6 12. e4 Bb7 13. e5 Ng4 14. Ne4 Rfd8 15. O-O Na5 16. Nxc5 Bxf3 17. Rxd8+ Rxd8 18. Nxe6 $1 Re8 19. Nc7 Rc8 20. e6 Nxc4 21. e7 Bc6 22. Rd1 Re8 23. Nxe8 Bxe8 24. Rd8 Nf6 25. Bg5 {1-0,Kramnik,V-Yusupov,A/Moscow PCA-Intel GP 25'/1995/}) 11. Bg5 Be7 $11 {equalizes reliably.}) 9... d4 $1 10. Nxd4 e5 11. Nb3 Bxa3 $1 12. bxa3 exf4 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. exf4 Be6 15. f3 b6 16. Kf2 Nd4 17. Nxd4 Rxd4 18. Ke3 Rd7 19. Be2 Re8 20. Kf2 Rc8 $44 {Kramnik,V-Beliavsky,A/Belgrade/1993/}) 8... Nc6 9. a3 Bd7 {Stohl: Yusupov's specialty, but it's dubious if this move is better than the ordinary} (9... Qa5 {Stohl} {once he already played} 10. Nd2 ({Kramnik is no fan of the sharp lines after} 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 (11. h4 $5)) 10... Bb4 (10... Be7 $5) 11. cxd5 Nxd5 (11... exd5 $142) 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Bd3 h6 14. Rc1 Be7 15. O-O Be6 16. Nb3 Qb6 17. Nc5 Rac8 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Qe2 Bf6 20. Qh5 Ne7 21. b4 $36 {Kramnik,V-Huebner,R/BL/1993/}) 10. Rd1 (10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 (11. Rd1 Be6 12. Be2 h6 (12... Rc8 $5 13. O-O Qe7 {-10.?d1}) 13. O-O Qe7 14. Na4 $14) 11... d4 $1 $10) 10... Rc8 11. Be2 {Stohl: The exchange on d5 gives Black space and eases the defence:} (11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Rxd5 Qe7 (14... Ne7 15. Rd2 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Qc7 17. Bd3 g6 18. O-O Qxc3 19. Bxg6 $1 Qg7 20. Qb1 Bh3 21. gxh3 Nxg6 22. Kh1 $16 {1-0 Forintos,G-Averkin,O/Hungary 1969 (37)}) 15. Bd3 g6 $44 16. O-O Be6 17. Rb5 Rfd8 18. Be4 a6 19. Rb6 Na5 20. Qa4 Qc5 21. Rb4 Qc7 22. Nd4 Bc4 $17 {0-1 Browne,W-Christiansen,L/Jacksonville ch-US m 1990 (37)}) (11. cxd5 exd5 12. Be2 (12. Nxd5 $2 Nxd5 13. Rxd5 (13. Qxc5 Ncb4 $40) 13... Nb4 $1 $17) 12... Qe7 (12... Be7 13. O-O Qb6 14. Qb1 Be6 15. Bd3 Na5 16. Be5 g6 17. Bd4 $14 {½-½ Yrjola,J-Dutreeuw,M/Debrecen EU-tch FIN-BEL 1992 (42)}) (12... Be6 13. O-O Be7 (13... h6 14. Nxd5 $16 Nxd5 15. Qxc5 Nxf4 16. exf4 Qf6 17. Qb5) 14. Ng5 $14) 13. O-O Be6 14. Rd2 (14. Ne5 Bd6 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Rd2 Qe5 18. Qa4 Rc7 19. Rc1 Rb8 20. Bf3 $14 {Van Der Sterren,P-Martens,M/Nederland ch 1993/1-0 (73)}) (14. Bg5 $5 Rfd8 15. Qa4 {? ?d1-d2,?f1-d1; ?a4-h4? d5} (15. Rd2 h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Rfd1 Ne7 $13) 15... h6 16. Bh4 a6 (16... g5 $5 17. Bg3 Bf5 $5) 17. Rd2 g5 $8 18. Bg3 (18. Nxg5 $6 hxg5 19. Bxg5 Kg7 $17) 18... Bf5 19. Rfd1 Be4 (19... Qe6 $5 20. b4 Ba7 21. b5 $1 $14) 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Nd2 $5 $14 {½-½ Banguiev,A-Jussupow,A/BL 1993 (31)} (22. Nd2 {Stohl} Bd6 $11 {Bangiev,A-Yusupov,A/BL/1993/})) 14... Rfd8 15. Rfd1 h6 16. Ne5 Bd6 17. Nxc6 bxc6 18. Bxd6 Rxd6 19. Bf3 Rcd8 20. Ne2 Ne4 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. Nd4 Qg5 23. Nxe6 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 Rxd2 25. Qxd2 fxe6 $14 {Martin-Dutreeuw/Haringey 1988/0-1 (68)}) 11... dxc4 (11... Be7 $5 {Stohl}) (11... Be7 {Ftacnik} 12. cxd5 (12. O-O Na5 $6 13. Ne5 $16) 12... Nxd5 $5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qb3 Qa5+ $13) 12. O-O $5 {Stohl: Black's main problem in this line is to escape from the dangerous X-ray on the d-file and find a good square for his ?.} (12. Bxc4 Qa5 13. O-O Rfd8 14. e4 $5 (14. Ne4 Be7 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Bxd6 b5 17. Ba2 Nd4 18. Qd2 Nxf3+ 19. gxf3 Qxd2 20. Rxd2 Bc6 $10 {Gelfand, Kapengut}) (14. Qb3 Bb6) (14. b4 Nxb4 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Ne4 b5) 14... Nh5 15. Bc1 (15. Bg5 Be7 $1 $10 {?} 16. Nd5 $2 exd5 17. exd5 Ne5 18. Bxe7 Rxc4 19. Bxd8 Qxd8 20. Qe2 Nxf3+ $17 {Gelfand, Kapengut}) 15... Qc7 $6 (15... Be7 $142 16. Qe2 $14 {Gelfand, Kapengut} (16. Qe2 {Stohl} Ne5 $5 $132)) 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. Bxe6 $1 $16 {½-½ Gelfand,B-Jussupow,A/Linares 1991 (59)} (17. Bxe6 $1 {Ftacnik} Bxf2+ 18. Qxf2 Bxe6 19. Rxd8+ Nxd8 20. Nxa7 {Gelfand,B-Yusupov,A/Linares (11)/1991/½-½ (60)})) 12... a6 $2 {Stohl: Now Black gets under strong pressure, which Kramnik will relentlessly increase.} (12... Be7 $142 13. Bxc4 Qb6 (13... Qa5 14. Qb3 Rfd8 15. Qxb7 e5 16. Bg3 Rb8 17. Qa6 Qxa6 18. Bxa6 e4 19. Ne5 Rxb2 20. Rxd7 Rxd7 21. Nxc6 $16 {½-½ Portisch,L-Westerinen,H/Nice ol 1974 (34)} (21. Nxc6 {Ftacnik} Bxa3 22. Ne5 Re7 23. Rd1 h5 {½-½ Portisch,L-Westerinen,H/Nice olm/1974 (35)})) (13... Nh5 14. Bd3 $5 g6 15. Bh6 $16) 14. Ng5 (14. Ba2 $5 Rfd8 15. Nd2 {? ?c4?}) 14... h6 (14... Rfd8 $6 15. Nce4 $16) 15. Nge4 (15. Rxd7 $2 hxg5 $19) 15... Na5 (15... Nxe4 16. Qxe4 Na5 $5 17. Rxd7 $1 Rxc4 18. Qf3 Bf6 19. Bd6 Rd8 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 21. Bb4 $14) 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Ba2 Bb5 (17... Bxc3 $5 18. Bb1 f5 $1 19. bxc3 Bb5 20. Rd6 $13) 18. Bb1 g6 19. Rd6 Qc5 20. Rxe6 Qc4 21. Nxb5 Qxc2 22. Bxc2 fxe6 23. Bxg6 Kg7 {½-½ Ruban,V-Geller,E/Sochi 1989}) (12... h6 $5 {Kramnik}) (12... Na5 $6 {Stohl} 13. Ne5 (13. Bg5 Qc7 $5) 13... Qe7 14. Ne4 $40) 13. Bxc4 Nh5 {Stohl: Confirms, that 12...a6?! was a loss of time.} (13... b5 {Stohl} 14. Bd3 Be7 15. Ne5 $36 (15. Ne4 $5 $36)) (13... Be7 {Ftacnik} 14. Bd3 $14) 14. Ng5 (14. Bg5 {Ftacnik} Be7) 14... g6 15. Nge4 $1 Be7 (15... Nxf4 $4 16. Rxd7 $1 $18 (16. Rxd7 $1 {Ftacnik} Nh3+ 17. gxh3 Qh4 18. Nxc5 $18)) 16. Bd6 $6 {Stohl: White avoids all the other tempting continuations} (16. Bh6 $142 Ng7 (16... Re8 $143 17. Nd6 $16) 17. Be2 (17. Rd2 {Stohl} Ne5 18. Ba2 Qc7 $132 {[%CAl Rf8d8] ??fd8}) 17... Qc7 18. Bf4 $16 {Kramnik}) (16. Nd6 {Stohl} Rc7 17. Bh6 Ng7 $13 {and follows a clear strategical plan, typical for this variation-play on the d-file, utilizing the d6 outpost (all White's pieces, except the ?, will find their way here!)}) 16... Bxd6 (16... f5 {Ftacnik} 17. Nc5 $18) 17. Rxd6 (17. Nxd6 {Ftacnik} Rc7 18. Rd2 $14) 17... Nb8 $1 (17... Ne5 $5 18. Be2 f5 19. Bxh5 gxh5 20. Ng3 $14) (17... Qe7 $143 $6 {Stohl} 18. Be2 (18. Rxd7 $2 Qxd7 19. g4 Ne5 20. gxh5 f5 $1 $15) 18... f5 19. Bxh5 gxh5 20. Rfd1 $16 {[%csl Rf5,Rg8,Rh5,Rh7] ?}) 18. Be2 Ng7 (18... Nf6 $143 {Stohl} 19. Rfd1 Nxe4 20. Qxe4 Qc7 21. Qd4 {[%csl Rf6,Rg7,Rh6][%CAl Gd1d7] ?d,?}) 19. Rd3 (19. Rd2 $14 {?b4, ?b2 Kramnik}) (19. Rfd1 {Stohl} Ne8 20. R6d3 $36 {is similar to the game.}) 19... Qe7 (19... f5 $2 {Ftacnik} 20. Nd6 $16) 20. Qd2 Bc6 (20... Rfd8 $2 {Stohl} 21. Rd1 $18 {with a deadly pin, so Black must cede the d-file.}) 21. Rd1 Rc7 (21... Bxe4 $5 {Stohl} 22. Nxe4 Rc7 23. Nd6 Nc6 24. f4 $5 $36) (21... Nf5 {Ftacnik} 22. Bg4 $14) 22. Nd6 Nd7 {??e5,?c5,?f5} (22... Rd8 $2 {Stohl} 23. Nf5 $18) (22... Rd7 $5 {Stohl} 23. e4 e5 {?} 24. Bg4 f5) 23. e4 $1 Ne8 (23... Ne5 24. Rh3 {??h6} (24. Rd4 {[%CAl Rf2f4,Re4e5] Stohl ?f4,e5?}) (24. Rd4 $14 {Ftacnik})) (23... Nc5 {Stohl} 24. Rh3 {[%CAl Rd2h6,Ye4e5] ??h6,e5}) (23... e5 $142 $5 {Stohl} 24. Nc4 Nf6 $14) 24. Nxe8 Rxe8 25. Rd6 Rec8 $2 $138 (25... Nf6 $142 {??d7} 26. e5 (26. Qf4 Rd7 27. e5 Nd5 $11) 26... Ne4 $11) (25... Ne5 {Ftacnik} 26. f4 $14) 26. Qf4 $1 $14 (26. f4 $5 $36 {Stohl}) 26... Qf6 $6 {Stohl: Black to his own disadvantage consistently ignores the e6-e5 advance. Now it was his last chance:} (26... Nf6 $142 {Kramnik}) (26... Nf8 $142 {Kramnik}) (26... e5 $1 {Stohl} 27. Qe3 Nf6 {with a playable position.}) 27. Qg3 $16 Nf8 {Stohl: Passive, but Black must take care of tactics:} (27... Qe5 $4 28. Rxd7 Qxg3 29. Rd8+ $18) (27... Qg7 $2 {Stohl} 28. Rxc6 $1 bxc6 29. Bxa6 {costs a pawn.}) 28. h4 $1 Rd7 $6 (28... b5 $142 $16) 29. e5 {Stohl: Crowns White's strategy.} Qg7 30. Bf3 $1 {[%csl Ge4]} Rxd6 $6 (30... Bxf3 $142 31. Qxf3 Rdc7 $16 (31... Rcc7 {Stohl} 32. Ne4 $16) (31... Rdc7 {Ftacnik} 32. Qe4 Rc6 33. g3 $14)) (30... Rdc7 {Stohl} 31. Bxc6 Rxc6 32. Rd8 $1 {[%CAl Rc3e4,Re4f6] ??e4-f6? paralyzes Black completely.} (32. Ne4 $143 Rxd6 33. exd6 Nd7)) 31. exd6 Nd7 32. Bxc6 Rxc6 (32... bxc6 {Ftacnik} 33. Qd3 $16) 33. Qg5 $1 Qf8 (33... f6 34. Qe3 $1 Qf7 (34... e5 {Ftacnik} 35. Ne4 $14) 35. Qa7 $18 (35. Ne4 $16 {Stohl}) (35. Qa7 Nb6 $2 36. Qxb6 $1 Rxb6 37. d7 $18)) 34. Qe7 $18 {Stohl: The decisive penetration. Kramnik now prepares an invasion by his ?.} Qc8 (34... Qxe7 {Ftacnik} 35. dxe7 Nf6 36. Ne4 $18) 35. Rd4 {??e4,?d7!} (35. h5 $1 $18) (35. Ne4 $143 $2 {Stohl} Rc1 $132) 35... Rc5 (35... h6 {Ftacnik} 36. h5 $40) 36. Ne4 Rf5 (36... Rc1+ {Ftacnik} 37. Kh2 e5 38. Rb4 Kh8 39. Ng5 $18) 37. Kh2 h5 $6 (37... Qc6 $142 $16) 38. f3 {Stohl: Useful prophylaxis before taking the ? to the c-file.} Qc6 (38... Kg7 {Ftacnik} 39. b3 b5 40. Rd3 $16) 39. Rd3 $1 Kg7 (39... Qb5 $142 40. Rc3 $40) (39... Rd5 {Ftacnik} 40. Rc3 Qb5 41. Rc8+ (41. Qxd7 Qxd7 42. Nf6+ Kg7 43. Nxd7 Rxd6 44. Rc7 $18) 41... Kg7 42. Qd8 $18) 40. Rc3 Qb5 41. Rc8 $18 {??d8-h8# ??e8(d8)?} Qxb2 (41... Qe5+ {Stohl} 42. Kh1 (42. Kh3 {Ftacnik} Rf4 43. Qd8 Kh6 44. Ng5 $18) 42... Rf4 (42... Qf4 43. Qd8) 43. Rd8 $18) 42. Qxd7 (42. Qd8 {Stohl} Kh6 43. Nc3 $1 Nf6 44. Qf8+ $18) 42... Rxf3 43. Qd8 Qe5+ 44. g3 (44. Kg1 {Ftacnik} Qd4+) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2017.01.20"] [Round "6"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2695"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2017.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 a6 4. Nc3 d5 {This leads to a Queen's Gambit side line.} (4... c5 5. d5 b5 {is the original idea of 3...a6 introduced by the Georgian GM Bukhuti Gurgenidze back in the 80s.}) 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be6 {A relatively new attempt to justify 3...a6. Black wants to do without ...c7-c6 in order to play ...c7-c5 at a later stage; ...a7-a6 is useful in that case. Still, it is quite an artificial setup.} 7. e3 (7. Qb3 {hardly makes sense due to} b5 $5) 7... Nbd7 8. Bd3 h6 {Black ousts White's bishop immediately but it is hardly the best idea.} ({In the event of} 8... Bd6 {White's bishop can later retreat to f4, and after the exchange ...?d6xf4 e3xf4 he will get formidable pressure on the kingside due to the ideas ?f3-e5 or f4-f5. However, Black is not forced to take on f4. Here are some examples:} 9. O-O (9. Bf4 {is too early:} Bxf4 10. exf4 Bg4 11. Qe2+ Kf8 12. O-O-O Qe8 13. Qd2 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Qe7 15. Ne2 c5 16. Ng3 g6 $13 {1/2 (27) Schlotterbeck,P (2152)-Jarabinsky,M (2152) Lechenicher SchachServer 2012}) (9. h3 $5 O-O 10. O-O h6 $6 (10... c6 $5 11. Bf4 Qc7) 11. Bf4 $1 (11. Bh4 Re8 12. Ne2 c6 13. Bg3 Ne4 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Nd2 Bxg3 16. Nxg3 f5 $11 {1/2 (47) Grischuk,A (2754)-Carlsen,M (2857) chess.com INT 2016}) 11... Qe7 12. Re1 Rac8 13. Ne5 c5 14. Qf3 $14 b5 $6 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. Bxh6 $16 {0-1 (49) Ragger,M (2672)-Nabaty,T (2580) Warsaw 2013}) 9... O-O (9... h6 10. Bf4 Qe7 11. Ne5 $14 (11. a3 $143 O-O 12. Re1 Bg4 13. Bg3 c6 14. Qc2 Rfe8 $11 {1/2 (75) Riazantsev,A (2651)-Rakhmanov,A (2662) Sochi RUS 2016})) (9... c6 $5 {[%CAl Yd8c7]} 10. Bf4 $5 (10. h3 Qc7 11. Qd2 Nh5 12. e4 h6 13. Be3 dxe4 14. Bxe4 Ndf6 15. Bc2 O-O-O 16. Qe2 {1/2 (16) Mekhitarian,K (2570)-Slipak,S (2433) Buenos Aires 2015}) (10. Qc2 Qc7 11. Bf5 Bxf5 12. Qxf5 O-O 13. h3 Rae8 $11 {1/2 (27) Nagy,G (2403)-Pap,G (2551) Hastings 2016}) 10... Qc7 {1/2 (10) Mareco,S (2581)-Flores,D (2567) Montevideo 2015} (10... Qc7 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 $11)) 10. Qc2 (10. h3 c6 $1 {- see above}) 10... h6 11. Bf4 Qe7 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. a3 Bg4 14. Nd2 c5 15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. h3 Bd7 17. Nf3 Rac8 18. Rac1 Qb6 19. b4 Nce4 20. Qb2 Nxc3 21. Rxc3 Rxc3 22. Qxc3 Rc8 23. Qa1 Qc7 $11 {0-1 (62) Riazantsev,A (2671)-Carlsen,M (2840) Doha 2016}) 9. Bh4 (9. Bf4 {looks more accurate since it doesn't allow 9.?h4 ?d6.} Be7 $5 (9... Nh5 10. O-O $5) (9... g5 10. Bg3 {- see game}) 10. O-O O-O {[%CAl Yc7c5]} 11. Ne5 $14 {[%CAl Yd1f3]}) 9... g5 (9... Bd6 $142 {, and Black gets quite a comfortable position; the exchange of the bishops on g3 is not dangerous for him:} 10. O-O (10. Qc2 c6 11. Bg3 Qe7 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. O-O O-O 14. Na4 Bg4 15. Nd2 a5 16. h3 Be6 17. f4 b5 18. Nc5 Nxc5 19. Qxc5 Qxc5 20. dxc5 Rfe8 $11 {1/2 (37) Smirnov,P (2595)-Timofeev,A (2584) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2016}) (10. Rc1 c6 11. Bg3 Bxg3 12. hxg3 O-O 13. O-O Qc7 14. Qc2 Rfe8 15. Rfe1 Qd6 16. Na4 Rac8 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Qc7 19. Ne5 Nd7 $11 {1/2 (91) Guo,Q (2447)-Ju,W (2559) Yangzhou 2016}) 10... O-O (10... c6 11. Qc2 O-O 12. Na4 Qc7 13. Bg3 Bxg3 14. hxg3 Rfe8 15. b4 Ne4 16. Nc5 Bf5 $11 {0-1 (49) Nguyen,T (2282)-Ni,H (2691) Ho Chi Minh City 2016}) 11. Rc1 Re8 (11... c6 12. h3 Re8 13. Ne2 Qb6 14. Qc2 Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Nd2 Bd5 17. Nc3 $14 {0-1 (80) Grischuk,A (2754)-Carlsen,M (2857) chess.com INT 2016}) 12. Qc2 c6 13. a3 Qb8 14. Bg3 Bxg3 15. hxg3 a5 16. Rfe1 Qd6 17. Rb1 Bg4 18. Nd2 Nb6 $11 {1/2 (24) Bu,X (2705)-Riazantsev,A (2671) Doha 2016}) 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Be5 {The right course: it is better for White to keep his kingside pawn structure intact.} (11. Qc2 Nxg3 (11... c6 12. Be5 $5 (12. Bf5 Bxf5 13. Qxf5 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Bg7 15. O-O-O Qe7 16. e4 Qe6 17. g4 Nf6 18. exd5 Qxf5 19. gxf5 cxd5 20. Rde1+ Kf8 21. Ne5 g4 22. a4 h5 $11 {0-1 (51) Dreev,A (2652)-Fedoseev,V (2667) Moscow RUS 2016})) 12. hxg3 c6 13. O-O-O Bg7 14. Kb1 Qe7 15. Nd2 O-O-O 16. Na4 Kb8 17. Rc1 Ka7 18. Qc3 Rc8 19. Nb3 Qd8 20. Nbc5 Bf8 21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22. Nc5 Qc7 $14 {/= 1/2 (40) Jakovenko,D (2714)-Fedoseev,V (2665) Novosibirsk 2016}) 11... Ng7 12. h3 ({A number of games ended in a draw after} 12. Bg3 Nh5 {etc. but Loek van Wely rightly plays for a win.}) 12... Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bd6 14. O-O {[%CAl Yf2f4]} h5 $6 {Instead of this pawn advance, Black should have rather prepared long castling:} (14... c6 $5 15. Rc1 $5 (15. f4 gxf4 16. exf4 Qb6 17. Bc2 O-O-O $13) 15... h5 $5 {is already possible} 16. f4 gxf4 17. exf4 Qb6 $13) 15. f4 $1 g4 (15... c6 {was still relatively better}) 16. f5 Bc8 17. f6 $6 (17. Qa4+ $1 Kf8 (17... c6 18. Nxc6 $1) (17... Bd7 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Qxd7+ Kxd7 20. Nxd5 $18) 18. Qa5 $1 $18 {[%csl Rd5]}) 17... Ne6 18. Bf5 $6 {Now it was time to take the pawn.} (18. hxg4 hxg4 19. Qxg4 $16) 18... c6 19. hxg4 Qc7 $6 (19... Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qb6 $1 $132) 20. gxh5 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qxe5 22. Qe2 $6 (22. e4 $1 d4 23. Na4 Qc7 24. Qf3 $36) 22... Nc5 $1 23. Bxc8 $6 {After this passive move Black seizes the initiative. White's pawn will be rather weak in a simplified position.} (23. e4 $1 d4 24. Bxc8 $13 {[%CAl Yf1f5] lead to big complications.}) 23... Rxc8 24. g4 $6 (24. e4 $142 Rxh5 25. exd5 Qxe2 26. Nxe2 Rxd5 $15) 24... Rg8 25. Kh1 (25. Qg2 Qg5 26. Rf4 $140 Nd3) 25... Ne4 26. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 27. Qf3 Qxg4 28. Qxg4 Rxg4 $17 {[%csl Re3,Rf6,Rh5][%mdl 4096]} 29. Rf4 Rg5 30. Rh4 Kd7 31. Rg1 Rcg8 $6 {This move just wastes time.} (31... Rxg1+ $142 32. Kxg1 Ke6) 32. Rxg5 Rxg5 33. h6 Rg8 34. e4 (34. h7 $5 Rh8 35. Kg2 Ke6 36. Rb4 $1 b5 37. Rh4 Kf5 38. Rh1 {[%CAl Yh1c1]}) 34... Ke6 35. exd5+ Kxd5 36. a4 $6 (36. h7 Rh8 37. Kg2 Ke5 38. Rh3 Kxf6 39. Rb3 $1 $11) 36... Ke6 37. a5 Kxf6 38. h7 Rh8 39. Rb4 Rxh7+ 40. Kg2 Rh5 41. Rxb7 Rxa5 42. Rb6 Rc5 43. Rxa6 Ke5 44. b4 Rc3 45. Rb6 f5 46. Rb8 (46. Rb7 $142 Kf4 47. b5 c5 48. Rc7) 46... Kf4 47. b5 Rc2+ 48. Kg1 Rb2 49. b6 Kg3 $1 50. Kf1 (50. Rg8+ Kf3 51. Rb8 f4 52. b7 Rg2+ $1 53. Kf1 Rg7 54. Ke1 Rd7 $19) 50... Kf3 51. Ke1 c5 $1 {White can't trade the queenside pawns as his king has been pushed to the "wrong" side of Black's f-pawn.} 52. Kd1 (52. Rc8 Rb1+ 53. Kd2 Rxb6 54. Rxc5 f4 $19) 52... c4 53. Kc1 c3 54. Rb7 f4 55. Rb8 $2 (55. Kd1 $1 Kf2 56. Rf7 f3 57. b7 {may be still enough for a draw. It is important for White's rook to stay on the 7th rank.}) 55... Kg3 $2 {Black returns the favour.} (55... Kf2 {Surprisingly, this is a reciprocal zugzwang!} 56. Rf8 (56. b7 f3 $22 57. Kd1 Rd2+ $1 58. Kc1 Rd7 59. Kc2 Rg7 $19 {[%CAl Yf2g2]}) (56. Rb7 f3 57. Kd1 Kf1 $19) 56... f3 57. Rf6 Kg2 58. Rg6+ Kf1 59. Rf6 f2 60. Re6 Kg2 61. Rg6+ Kf3 62. Rf6+ Ke2 $1 63. Re6+ Kf1 $22 64. Rf6 Ke1 65. Re6+ Re2 $19) 56. Rg8+ $2 (56. b7 $2 Kf3 57. Kd1 Rd2+ 58. Kc1 Rd7 59. Kc2 Rc7 60. Kd1 c2+ 61. Kc1 Re7 62. Kxc2 Ke2 63. Rf8 Rc7+ $19) (56. Rb7 $1 {was right.} Kf2 (56... Kf3 57. Kd1 $1) (56... f3 57. Rg7+ {[%CAl Yb6b7]}) 57. Rb8) 56... Kf2 $2 (56... Kf3 57. Rb8 (57. Rg6 Kf2 $19) 57... Kf2) 57. Rb8 Kf3 (57... f3 58. b7 $22) (57... Ke3 58. Rb7 $1) 58. b7 $22 Kf2 59. Rf8 Rxb7 60. Rxf4+ Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Alekhine Memorial"] [Site "Paris/St Petersburg"] [Date "2013.04.23"] [Round "3"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2739"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Gelfand,Boris"] [PlyCount "153"] [EventDate "2013.04.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] {It was an honour and pleasure for me to play in the Alekhine Memorial, which was held in the Louvre in Paris and the Russian Museum in St Petersburg. The event was perfectly organized and in the very centre of Paris people were standing in line to be able to watch chess games! Michael had started excellently, beating both Anand and Svidler in great style. So, this game was important from a sporting point of view. Es war eine Ehre und ein Vergnügen für mich, beim Aljechin-Memorial mitzuspielen, welches im Louvre in Paris und im Russischen Museum in St. Petersburg abgehalten wurde. Die Veranstaltung war perfekt organisiert, und mitten im Zentrum von Paris standen die Leute Schlange, um Schachpartien verfolgen zu können! Michael hatte ausgezeichnet begonnen und Anand wie auch Svidler in großem Stil geschlagen. Daher war diese Partie in sportlicher Sicht wichtig.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 (4... Be7 5. Bg5 (5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Nbd7 7. h3 O-O 8. Qc2 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nb6 10. Bb3 Nfd5 11. O-O Nxf4 12. exf4 Nd5 13. g3 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Qd6 15. Rac1 Bd7 16. Ne5 Rad8 17. Rfd1 Bc8 18. a3 Bf6 19. Qe3 Qe7 20. h4 Rd6 21. h5 Rfd8 22. Rc3 g6 23. Bc2 Qf8 24. hxg6 hxg6 25. g4 Qe8 26. g5 Bg7 27. Be4 {1-0 Rubinstein,A-Canal,E/Rogaska Slatina 1929/EXT 1999 (53)}) 5... Nbd7 6. e3 O-O 7. Rc1 c6 8. Qc2 a6 9. a4 Re8 10. Bd3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nd5 12. Bf4 Nxf4 13. exf4 c5 14. dxc5 Qc7 15. O-O Qxf4 16. Ne4 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Bxc5 18. Bd3 b6 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Be4 Ra7 21. b4 {1-0 Alekhine,A-Rubinstein,A/Karlsbad 1923/HCL/[Kasparov] (32)}) 5. Bf4 {For some reason this move is not very popular and we can see 5.?g5 more often. Aus irgendeinem Grund ist dieser Zug nicht sehr beliebt, und wir sehen 5.?g5 häufiger.} dxc4 ({If Falls} 5... Be7 $6 {now, then jetzt, so ist} 6. Nb5 {is very unpleasant. sehr unangenehm.}) 6. e3 Nd5 {Black is taking the opportunity to exchange the f4-bishop, but as the above mentioned games Alekhine-Rubinstein and Rubinstein-Canal show, it is not always in Black's favour. Schwarz nutzt die Gelegenheit, den f4-Läufer zu tauschen, aber wie die oben erwähnten Partien Aljechin-Rubinstein und Rubinstein-Canal zeigen, ist dies nicht immer zugunsten von Schwarz.} ({Ivanchuk had managed to equalise after Ivanchuk hatte ausgleichen können nach} 6... a6 7. a4 Bd6 (7... Nb6 $6 8. a5 Nbd5 9. Bxc4 Nxf4 10. exf4 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Ne5 Qd6 13. Re1 c6 14. f5 $1 exf5 15. Nxf7 $1 Rxf7 16. Qb3 {1-0 Gelfand,B (2703)-Graf,A (2646)/Plovdiv 2003/CBM 098/[Dautov] (40)}) 8. Bg3 b6 9. Bxc4 Bb7 10. Bh4 O-O 11. O-O Qb8 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Ne5 15. Rc1 Bxd5 16. Qxd5 c6 17. Qe4 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Bxh2+ 19. Kh1 Be5 20. Rxc6 b5 21. axb5 Qxb5 {1/2 Carlsen,M (2786)-Ivanchuk,V (2786)/Cap d'Agde 2008/EXT 2009 (58)}) (6... Nb6 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qxc4 $14 {also gives Black the pair of bishops, but White still holds some advantage according to modern theory. gibt Schwarz ebenfalls das Läuferpaar, aber dennoch hält Weiß laut moderner Theorie etwas Vorteil fest.}) 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 8. exf4 Nb6 ({Mikhail Botvinnik had also won games vs Ragozin and Menchik in this system: Mikhail Botwinnik hatte in diesem System auch Partien gegen Ragosin und Menchik gewonnen:} 8... Bd6 9. g3 O-O 10. O-O Nf6 11. Qe2 b6 12. Rfd1 Bb7 13. Rac1 Qe7 14. a3 Rfd8 15. Ne5 c5 16. Nb5 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxe5 18. Qxe5 Qd6 19. Bb3 Qxe5 20. fxe5 Ne8 21. f4 a6 22. Kf2 Kf8 23. f5 Bd5 24. fxe6 Bxb3 25. e7+ {1-0 Botvinnik,M-Menchik,V/Hastings 1934/HCL}) 9. Bb3 Bd6 10. g3 Bd7 {Black wants to exchange his light-squared bishop via c6, then play ...c6 and ...g6 and get a defendable position. Schwarz will seinen weißfeldrigen Läufer über c6 tauschen, dann ...c6 und ...g6 spielen und eine verteidigungsfähige Stellung erhalten.} 11. O-O ({Serious attention should be paid to the more ambitious Ernste Aufmerksamkeit zu zollen ist dem ehrgeizigeren} 11. Qd3 Bc6 12. O-O-O $5 Bxf3 (12... O-O 13. Ng5 g6 14. d5) 13. Qxf3 c6 14. Kb1 (14. f5 Qg5+) 14... g6 (14... O-O 15. f5 exf5 16. Qxf5 {gives White a pleasant edge due to his strong bishop on b3. gibt Weiß ein angenehmes Plus aufgrund seines starken Läufers auf b3.}) 15. f5 $1 {White had to foresee this move. Diesen Zug musste Weiß voraussehen.} (15. Rhe1 O-O 16. h4 Nd5 17. h5 Nxc3+ 18. bxc3 Qf6 {leaves Black with a solid position. überlässt Schwarz eine solide Position.}) (15. h4 Qd7 16. h5 O-O-O) 15... exf5 (15... gxf5 16. Rhe1 O-O (16... Kf8 17. Bxe6 fxe6 18. Rxe6 $18) 17. g4) 16. Rhe1+ Kf8 17. g4 $40 {with a strong attack. mit starkem Angriff.}) 11... O-O 12. Qd3 Bc6 13. Rad1 Qf6 (13... Bxf3 14. Qxf3 c6 15. f5 exf5 (15... Qf6 $140 $2 16. Ne4) 16. Qxf5 $14) 14. Ng5 (14. Ne5 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Qe7 {doesn't offer much. bietet nicht viel.}) ({Probably a stronger move was Ein stärkerer Zug war wahrscheinlich} 14. d5 $5 exd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Bxd5 ({or or} 16... Qxb2 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. Rd2) 17. Qxd5 b6 18. Rd2 $14 {and the bishop on d6 is passive. und der Läufer auf d6 ist passiv.}) 14... g6 ({The engine's suggestion Der Engine-Vorschlag} 14... Qf5 15. Qe2 Qa5 (15... h6 16. Nxe6 Rfe8 17. d5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Qxe6 20. Qd3) 16. Rfe1 h6 {seems to be a good way to equalise. scheint ein guter Weg zum Ausgleich zu sein.}) 15. Nge4 (15. d5 exd5 16. Bxd5 Bxd5 17. Nxd5 Qxb2 (17... Nxd5 18. Qxd5) 18. Rd2 Qg7 19. Ne4 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 b6 {would leave White with full compensation for the pawn, but it is unlikely that White would have any realistic winning chances. gäbe Weiß volle Kompensation für den Bauern, aber es ist unwahrscheinlich, dass er irgendwelche realistischen Gewinnchancen hätte.}) (15. Rfe1 Qf5 16. Qd2 Nd5) 15... Qf5 ({I was more worried about Größere Sorgen machte ich mir wegen} 15... Bxe4 16. Nxe4 Qe7 {So, I would have to make a choice. Also hatte ich eine Wahl treffen müssen.} 17. Rfe1 (17. d5 e5 18. f5 (18. Rfe1 exf4 19. Qc3 Nd7 20. Nxd6 (20. Ba4 Bb4 21. d6 Qxe4 22. Rxe4 Bxc3 23. Bxd7 Ba5 $11) 20... Qxd6 21. Re6 Qc5 {This is a line I couldn't make work. Dies ist ein Abspiel, das ich nicht zum Funktionieren bringen konnte.}) (18. fxe5 Qxe5 19. Rd2 Qf5) 18... Nd7 {and Black's position looks solid. und die schwarze Stellung wirkt fest.}) 17... c6 18. h4 a5 19. a3 a4 20. Ba2 Nd5 21. h5 {with some pressure. mit einigem Druck.}) 16. d5 {This is White's main idea, so I didn't hesitate much. Dies ist die Hauptidee von Weiß, daher zögerte ich nicht lange.} exd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Qxd5 20. Rxd5 {White has doubled pawns and the bishop is theoretically better than the knight. However, the strong pressure along open lines gives an advantage to White and forces Black to defend precisely. Weiß hat Doppelbauern, und der Läufer ist theoretisch stärker als der Springer. Doch der starke Druck auf den offenen Linien gibt Weiß Vorteil und zwingt Schwarz, sich genau zu verteidigen.} Rfd8 {Black had a tough choice to make. Schwarz musste eine schwierige Entscheidung treffen.} ({Probably stronger was Stärker war wahrscheinlich} 20... Rad8 $5 21. Nxd6 (21. Rc1 f5 $1 {A key move. Ein Schlüsselzug.} 22. Nxd6 cxd6 {and Black is doing well. und Schwarz geht es gut.}) (21. f5 gxf5 22. Rxf5 Be7) 21... cxd6 (21... Rxd6 22. Rxd6 cxd6 23. Re1 (23. Rc1 f5 24. Kf1 Kg7 25. Ke2 Re8+ 26. Kd3 Re7) 23... Rc8 24. Re7 {leaves White with winning chances. belässt Weiß mit Gewinnchancen.}) 22. Rfd1 Rfe8 23. Kf1 Re6 24. f5 {and despite some edge, I do believe that the drawing tendencies of the double rook ending would prevail. , und einigem Vorteil zum Trotz glaube ich doch, dass die Remistendenzen des Doppelturmendspiels überwiegen würden.}) 21. Rc1 Rac8 22. Rc3 {White had a lot of choices, and I decided to improve the rook position. Weiß hatte eine Reihe von Möglichkeiten, und ich beschloss, die Turmstellung zu verbessern.} (22. Kg2 Kg7) ({Also deserving attention is a great suggestion of an engine (I failed to notice the line): Aufmerksamkeit verdient auch ein großartiger Vorschlag einer Engine (das Abspiel war mir entgangen):} 22. Ra5 $5 a6 23. Rd5 $1 {Despite losing 2 tempi, it is very important to get Black's pawn to a6, as after Ungeachtet des Verlustes zweier Tempi ist es sehr wichtig, den schwarzen Bauern nach a6 zu locken, denn nach} Be7 24. Rxd8+ Bxd8 25. Nc5 b6 (25... Rb8 26. Re1) 26. Nxa6 {White is winning a pawn and keeping good winning chances. gewinnt Weiß einen Bauern und wahrt gute Gewinnchancen.} Ra8 (26... c5 27. Nb4 Ra8 28. Nc6 {is the same. ist dasselbe.}) 27. Nb4 c5 28. Nc6 Bf6 29. b4 Rxa2 30. bxc5 bxc5 31. Rxc5 Rd2 32. Rc4 {and Black should hold most probably, but White retains certain winning chances. und Schwarz sollte sich höchst wahrscheinlich halten, aber Weiß wahrt gewisse Gewinnchancen.}) (22. f5 gxf5 23. Rxf5 Be7) 22... Be7 (22... Kg7 23. f5 gxf5 24. Rxf5 Be7 25. Rcf3 {That's why I had put my ? on c3! Deshalb hatte ich meinen ? nach c3 gestellt!} Rd1+ 26. Kg2 Rf8 27. Ng5 Bxg5 28. Rxg5+ Kh8 29. Ra5 a6 30. Rb3 {winning a pawn. mit Bauerngewinn.}) 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 24. f5 Kg7 {It was not easy to make the right choice. Es war nicht leicht, die richtige Wahl zu treffen.} (24... gxf5 25. Nd6 Rb8 26. Nxf5 {also doesn't solve Black's problems löst die Probleme von Schwarz auch nicht}) ({The engine's suggestion looks strange, but probably is sufficient for a draw: Der Engine-Vorschlag sieht seltsam aus, reicht aber wahrscheinlich zum Remis:} 24... c6 25. Rd3 Bb6 $1 (25... b5 26. f6 (26. Rd7 Bb6 27. f6 Rd8) 26... Bb6 27. Kf1 h6 28. h4 {and Black's problems are not solved completely. und die Probleme von Schwarz sind nicht vollständig gelöst.}) 26. Rd7 Rd8 27. fxg6 Rxd7 ({also good enough is gut genug ist auch} 27... hxg6 28. Rxb7 Rd4 29. Nf6+ Kg7 30. Nd7 Rd2 31. Nxb6 Rxb2 32. Rxa7 Rxb6 {and soon we'll get a totally drawn ?+3 vs ?+2 pawn ending und bald erhalten wir ein total remises Endspiel ?+3 vs ?+2 Bauern.}) 28. Nf6+ Kg7 29. Nxd7 Bd4 $1 (29... fxg6 $2 30. Nxb6 axb6 31. Kg2 {The pawn ending seems to be lost: Das Bauernendspiel scheint verloren zu sein:} Kf6 32. f4 b5 33. a3 Kf5 34. Kf3 h5 35. h3 Ke6 36. Ke4 Kf6 37. g4 hxg4 38. hxg4 Ke6 39. f5+) 30. gxh7 Bxb2 {and Black should be able to hold. und Schwarz sollte sich halten können.}) (24... Be7 25. f6 Bf8 26. Kg2 {is pretty dangerous as the king cannot join the game. ist ziemlich gefährlich, da der König nicht ins Spiel eingreifen kann.}) 25. Nd6 Rb8 26. Ne8+ Kf8 27. fxg6 {I was not sure if I have to include this exchange or not, but probably it doesn't change the evaluation of the position, for example Ich war nicht sicher, ob ich diesen Tausch einschalten muss oder nicht, aber wahrscheinlich ändert er nichts an der Einschätzung der Stellung, zum Beispiel} (27. Nxc7 Bf6 28. Rb3 Rd8 $1 29. Rxb7 Rd2 30. Rxa7 Bd4 31. Ra8+ Kg7 32. Kh1 Rxf2 33. Ne8+ Kh6 34. Nd6 Kh5 $1 {retaining good drawing chances. mit guten Remischancen.}) 27... hxg6 (27... Kxe8 28. g7) 28. Nxc7 Bf6 29. Rb3 (29. Rc2 Rd8 30. Nb5 a6 31. Nc3 Bxc3 32. Rxc3 Rd2 {would soon transpose into ?+3vs ?+2. würde bald zu ?+3 vs ?+2 Bauern überleiten.}) 29... Be5 $2 {This is the decisive mistake. Black had to keep the ?c7 out of play by any means. Dies ist der entscheidende Fehler. Schwarz musste unbedingt den ?c7 aus dem Spiel halten.} (29... Rd8 $1 30. Kf1 (30. Rxb7 Rd2 31. Rb8+ Ke7 32. Kf1 Bxb2 {and Black's activity should be enough to hold. und die Aktivität von Schwarz sollte ausreichen, um sich zu halten.}) 30... Rd2 (30... b6 31. Ke1 Be5 32. Nb5 a6 33. Nc3 b5 34. h4 {??d1, ?e2, ?d3}) 31. Rxb7 Bxb2 (31... Bd4 32. Ke1 Rxf2 33. Rb4 Bc5 34. Na6 Be3 35. Re4 Bb6 36. Re2 $16) 32. Nb5 a6 33. Nd6 Ba1 (33... Rxd6 34. Rxb2 {retains winning chances. wahrt Gewinnchancen.}) 34. Rxf7+ Kg8 35. Ne4 Rxa2 36. Ra7 a5 {and it is hard to say if the extra pawn should be enough for victory. und es ist schwer zu sagen, ob der Mehrbauer zum Sieg reichen sollte.}) 30. Nd5 {Now White has to consolidate - bringing the ? to d3 to defend the b2 and f2-pawns and bringing the king into the centre. Nun muss sich Weiß konsolidieren - den ? nach d3 bringen, um die Bauern b2 und f2 zu verteidigen, und den König ins Zentrum führen.} b6 (30... Rd8 31. Ne3 Rd7 32. Kf1 {and White consolidates as well. und Weiß konsolidiert sich ebenfalls.}) 31. Nb4 Rc8 32. Nd3 Bf6 33. h4 Rc2 34. Kf1 Ke7 35. Ke1 Kd6 36. Rb4 Bg7 37. Kd1 Rc7 {Sooner or later White has to decide what to do with the extra pawn on the kingside - either play g4, h5 and get a passed pawn or to exchange it like I did in the game. I do believe I had made the right choice as both the h5 and f5-squares are very important for White's ?. Früher oder später muss Weiß entscheiden, was er mit dem Extrabauern am Königsflügel tun will - entweder g4, h5 spielen und einen Freibauern bilden, oder ihn tauschen, wie ich es in der Partie tat. Ich glaube schon, dass ich die richtige Wahl traf, denn beide Felder h5 und f5 sind sehr wichtig für den weißen ?.} 38. h5 $5 gxh5 39. Rb5 $6 (39. Rh4 $1 {was more precise, avoiding the possibility of h5-h4, however, I was reluctant to allow the activation of Black's king. war genauer, was die Möglichkeit h5-h4 vermeidet, aber es widerstrebte mir, die Aktivierung des schwarzen Königs zu erlauben.} Kd5 40. f3 (40. Rxh5+ Ke4) 40... Rd7 41. Rxh5+ Kc4 42. Kc2) 39... Rd7 ({A better chance was Eine bessere Chance war} 39... h4 $1 40. gxh4 Rc4 41. h5 Rh4 42. Ke2 Bh6 {and it is very difficult for White to advance. und es fällt Weiß sehr schwer, Fortschritte zu machen.}) 40. Rxh5 {Now White has a clear plan - to put the ? on b5 and advance the king and the kingside pawns, while paying attention so that Black doesn't get any counterplay. Nun hat Weiß einen klaren Plan - den ? nach b5 stellen und den König und die Königsflügelbauern vorrücken, wobei er aufpasst, dass Schwarz keinerlei Gegenspiel bekommt.} Ke7 41. Ke2 Rc7 42. Rb5 Rc4 43. Kf3 Ra4 44. a3 Rd4 45. Ke3 Rc4 46. b3 Rc2 47. a4 Rc6 (47... Bc3 48. g4) 48. g4 Re6+ 49. Kf3 Rc6 (49... Rd6 50. Nf4) 50. Ke4 Re6+ 51. Kf3 Rc6 52. Nb4 (52. Nf4 Bd4) 52... Rc1 53. Ke4 Kd6 54. Nd3 Rg1 (54... Rc2 55. Rd5+ Ke7 56. f4) 55. Kf5 {White has almost completed his plan, which was described in the comment after move 40. Weiß hat seinen Plan, welcher in dem Kommentar nach dem 40. Zug beschrieben wurde, fast vollendet.} Bc3 (55... Bd4 56. f4 (56. Rb4 Bg7 57. g5 Rd1)) 56. f4 ({I was not afraid of the following change of course of the game, but a simpler plan was Ich hatte keine Angst vor der folgenden Änderung des Partieverlaufs, aber ein einfacherer Plan war} 56. g5 Rd1 57. Ne5) 56... f6 57. Nf2 Kc6 {Now the ? is trapped, but White is sacrificing an exchange and the pawns are marching to the 8th rank. Nun ist der ? gefangen, aber Weiß opfert eine Qualität, und die Bauern marschieren zur 8. Reihe.} 58. Ne4 a6 59. Nxc3 ({For some reason the computer prefers Aus irgendeinem Grund bevorzugt der Computer} 59. Rxb6+ Kxb6 60. Nxc3 Kc6 61. Ne4) 59... axb5 60. axb5+ Kd6 ({The best practical chance was Die beste praktische Chance war} 60... Kc5 61. Ne4+ Kxb5 62. Nxf6 Kc5 63. g5 Kd6 64. Kg6 Rb1 65. f5 Rxb3 {when White has to choose between , wonach Weiß wählen muss zwischen} 66. Nh7 ({and the beautiful und dem schönen} 66. Ne4+ Ke5 67. f6 Kxe4 68. f7 Rf3 69. Kg7 b5 70. g6 b4 71. f8=Q Rxf8 72. Kxf8 b3 73. g7 b2 74. g8=Q b1=Q 75. Qg6+) 66... b5 67. f6 Rf3 68. f7 Ke7 (68... b4 69. Nf6) 69. f8=Q+ Rxf8 70. Nxf8 b4 (70... Kxf8 71. Kh7) 71. Nh7 b3 72. Nf6 b2 73. Nd5+ Kd6 74. Nc3) (60... Kd7 61. Nd5 (61. Ne4 Rb1 62. Nxf6+ Ke7 63. Kg6)) 61. Ne4+ Ke7 62. Nxf6 Rd1 (62... Kf7 63. Nd5) 63. Kg6 Rd3 64. f5 Rd6 65. g5 Kf8 66. b4 {This is a kind of mutual zugzwang. Dies ist eine Art beiderseitiger Zugzwang.} Rd4 67. Kh6 ({Or Oder} 67. Nh5 Rxb4 68. Ng7 Rxb5 69. Ne6+ Ke7 70. Nd4) 67... Rh4+ (67... Rd6 {was trickier: war trickreicher:} 68. Kh7 Rxf6 (68... Rd1 69. Nh5) 69. gxf6 Kf7 70. Kh8 Kf8 71. f7 $1 Kxf7 72. Kh7 Kf6 73. Kg8 Kxf5 74. Kf7) 68. Nh5 Rxb4 69. g6 Rg4 70. f6 Rg1 71. Nf4 Re1 72. Nd5 Rf1 73. Kg5 Rg1+ 74. Kf5 Rf1+ 75. Ke6 Re1+ 76. Kd6 Rf1 77. Kc6 {I was awarded the prize for the best technique in Alekhine's style for this game. Für diese Partie wurde mir der Preis für die beste Technik in Aljechins Stil verliehen.} 1-0 [Event "Hoogovens"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "1998.01.24"] [Round "7"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2605"] [BlackElo "2790"] [Annotator "Khalifman,Alexander"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "1998.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 063"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Kramnik's zweite Niederlage.} 1. d4 {Ftacnik} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. Kb1 a6 12. Nd2 Qb6 (12... b5 13. Nb3 Qb6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Bg5 Be6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Rac8 19. Bd3 Nb4 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. axb4 Rxc2 22. Bxc2 Rd8 23. Rhd1 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 {0-1 Van Wely,L-Huzman,A/NLD-ch op 1994/EXT 94ch (50)}) 13. Nb3 Na5 (13... dxc4 14. Bxc4 Qa7 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 g6 17. Bd6 $16 {Gelfand}) (13... Bd7 14. g4 {Gelfand}) 14. Nxa5 Qxa5 15. cxd5 (15. Qa4 Qb6 {Gelfand}) 15... exd5 (15... Nxd5 $2 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Bc7 b6 18. Qc6 {Gelfand}) 16. Be5 Be6 17. Bd3 (17. Qd2 Qb6 18. Bd4 Qb3 19. Qc2 Qxc2+ 20. Kxc2 Ne4 $10 {Gelfand}) 17... Rac8 18. Qd2 d4 $6 {Ftacnik: !? Very interesting novelty, that gives air to the ?e6 on the diagonal a2-g8. White will have to defend very carefully. Dieses Bauernopfer überzeugt mich nicht. Schwarz bekommt Spiel, aber ist es wirklich genug?} (18... Kh8 19. Ne4 (19. Bd4 b5 20. Ne4 Qxd2 21. Nxd2 Ng4 22. Rdf1 f6 $10) (19. f3 b5 $132 (19... Nd7 {Ftacnik} 20. Bd4 f6 21. Qc2 Bg8 22. Bf5 Rc7 23. Qc1 Ne5 24. b4 Bxb4 25. axb4 Qxb4+ 26. Qb2 Qe7 {Van Wely,L-Pigusov,E/ST Lee Cup 4th 1997/½-½ (55)})) 19... Qxd2 20. Nxd2 Nd7 21. Bd4 f6 22. Nf3 Nc5 (22... Bd6 $5) (22... Bd6 $5 {Ftacnik}) 23. Bxc5 $1 $14 {½-½ Gelfand,B-Short,N/Novgorod 1996/CBM 54/[Gelfand] (36)}) (18... Rfd8 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Ne4 Qb6 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Bc2 $5 $13 {Gelfand}) (18... Nd7 {Ftacnik} 19. Bd4 Nb8 20. Ne2 Qxd2 21. Rxd2 Nc6 22. Bc3 Rfd8 23. Rhd1 b5 24. Nf4 Bg5 25. Bc2 Bxf4 26. exf4 g6 27. Bb3 {1-0 Van Wely,L-Van der Sterren,P/Lost Boys 1997/(64)}) 19. Bxd4 Rfd8 20. Rc1 (20. f3 {Ftacnik} Ne8 (20... g6 $6 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Ne4 Qxd2 23. Nxf6+ $16) 21. Qc2 g6 $13) 20... g6 21. Rhd1 Ne8 22. f3 (22. Ne2 $6 {Ftacnik} Qd5 $11) 22... Nd6 23. e4 Nc4 24. Bxc4 (24. Qf2 {Ftacnik} Nxa3+ 25. bxa3 Bxa3 26. Nd5 Rxc1+ 27. Rxc1 Bxd5 $19) 24... Rxc4 25. Qf2 (25. Ne2 Qxd2 26. Rxd2 Bg5 27. f4 Bxf4 28. Nxf4 Rcxd4 29. Rxd4 Rxd4 30. Nxe6 fxe6 $13) 25... Rdxd4 (25... Rdc8 $1 {Ftacnik} 26. Ne2 (26. f4 Bxa3 27. bxa3 Qxa3 28. Rc2 (28. Rd2 $2 Rb4+ 29. Rb2 Rcc4 30. Bc5 (30. Ne2 Qd3+) 30... Rxc3 31. Bxb4 Ba2+ $1 $19) 28... Qb3+ 29. Kc1 (29. Rb2 Qxd1+ 30. Nxd1 Rc1#) 29... Qa3+ 30. Kd2 Rd8 $14) 26... Qa4 27. Rxc4 Bxc4 28. Nc3 Qb3 $14) 26. Rxd4 Bc5 27. Ne2 (27. Rcd1 {Ftacnik} Rxd4 28. Rxd4 Qb6 29. Rd8+ (29. Ne2 Bc4 $1 $19) 29... Qxd8 30. Qxc5 Qd3+ 31. Kc1 Qf1+ 32. Nd1 Qxg2 33. Qf2 $11) 27... Qb6 {Ftacnik: Even a brilliant player like Kramnik could not guess, that his attack will whiter away and white king could march to b6!} ({Vielleicht muß Schwarz dem Vorschlag von Fritz folgen:} 27... Bxd4 28. Nxd4 Rxc1+ 29. Kxc1 Qc7+ 30. Kd2 (30. Qc2 {Ftacnik} Qxh2 31. Nxe6 Qg1+ 32. Qd1 Qe3+ 33. Qd2 Qg1+ 34. Kc2 fxe6 $11) 30... Qxh2 $11 {Weiß steht minimal besser, aber die Partie sollte Remis enden.}) 28. Rcd1 (28. Rcxc4 $2 {Ftacnik} Bxc4 29. f4 Bxe2 $19) 28... Qb3 29. R1d2 Rxd4 30. Rxd4 {Ftacnik: White is fighting for the control of the center, the queen on d4 would be quite dominating.} (30. Nxd4 {Ftacnik} Qa2+ 31. Kc2 (31. Kc1 Bb3 32. Rd3 Qa1+ 33. Kd2 Qxb2+ 34. Ke3 Qxa3 $15) 31... Bxa3 32. Kd3 Bc4+ (32... Qc4+ 33. Ke3 Bc5 34. Qe2 $16) 33. Ke3 Bc5 $14) 30... Kg7 (30... Bxd4 {Ftacnik} 31. Qxd4 Qa2+ 32. Kc1 $16) 31. Nf4 (31. Kc1 $5 {Ftacnik} Qa2 32. Nc3 Qa1+ 33. Kc2 Qh1 34. Rd1 Qxd1+ 35. Nxd1 Bxf2 36. Nxf2 $18) 31... Qa2+ 32. Kc2 (32. Kc1 $5 {Ftacnik} Bb3 33. Nh5+ $3 (33. Nd3 Bb6 $1 34. f4 Ba5 35. Rb4 $13) 33... Kh6 (33... gxh5 34. Qg3+ Kf8 35. Qb8+ Kg7 36. Qe5+ $18) 34. Qd2+ g5 (34... Kxh5 35. g4+ Kh4 36. Qh6#) 35. Rd6+ Bxd6 36. Qxd6+ Be6 37. g4 $18) 32... Bb3+ 33. Kc3 Be6 {Ftacnik: It is a pitty for black, that his king can be attacked too. The danger lurking severely restrains his attacking potential.} (33... Ba4 {Ftacnik} 34. Nh5+ $1 gxh5 35. Qg3+ Kf8 36. Rxa4 $18) (33... Bb6 {Ftacnik} 34. Nd5 Ba5+ 35. Rb4 $1 (35. Nb4 Ba4 $17) 35... Bxd5 36. Qd4+ f6 37. Qxd5 Bxb4+ 38. axb4 $18) 34. Qc2 (34. Nxe6+ {Ftacnik} Qxe6 35. b4 $16) 34... Bxd4+ 35. Kxd4 Bd7 36. Kc5 $18 {Ftacnik: A horrific picture for black, his queen is trapped on a2 and the king is marching towards black pawns. Jetzt ist die Partie verloren.} Qa1 (36... f6 {Ftacnik} 37. Nd5 $16) 37. Nd5 Be6 (37... Qg1+ {Ftacnik} 38. Kd6 Bc6 39. Qc3+ Kh6 40. Qe3+ Qxe3 41. Nxe3 $18) 38. Qc3+ Kh6 (38... Kg8 {Ftacnik} 39. Ne7+ $1 Kf8 40. Kd6 Qd1+ 41. Nd5 Kg8 42. Ke7 Bxd5 43. Qc8+ $18) 39. Qe3+ Kg7 40. Qd4+ Kh6 41. Kb6 Qf1 (41... Bxd5 {Ftacnik} 42. exd5 Qf1 43. Qd2+ Kg7 44. d6 Qb5+ 45. Ka7 Qd7 46. Qc3+ Kg8 47. Qc7 $18) (41... Bc8 {Ftacnik} 42. Qd2+ g5 43. Qc3 $18) 42. Qd2+ Kg7 (42... g5 {Ftacnik} 43. Nc7 Kg6 44. Kxb7 $18) 43. Kxb7 {Ftacnik: White's triumph is complete, his king has done the "impossible".} (43. Nc7 {Ftacnik} Bc8 44. Ne8+ Kg8 45. Ka7 $19) 43... Qb5+ (43... Bxd5+ {Ftacnik} 44. exd5 Qb5+ 45. Ka7 $18) 44. Nb6 f6 45. Qd6 Bf7 46. b4 g5 47. a4 (47. a4 {Ftacnik} Qf1 48. Nd7 $18) 1-0 [Event "Sochi FIDE GP"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2008.08.13"] [Round "12"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2738"] [BlackElo "2709"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "159"] [EventDate "2008.07.31"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5 Nxc5 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Bd7 {The immediate development of the bishop is rare. Players nearly automatically play 10...a6 11.a4 weakening White's pawn structure.} (10... a6 11. a4 Bd7 (11... Nd5 12. Bxd5 exd5 13. O-O Be6 14. b4 (14. Be5 $5) 14... Nd7 15. Rab1 Rc8 16. Qd3 $2 d4 17. Nxd4 Bc4 $17 {Vescovi,G-Dorfman,J/Elista 1998}) (11... b6 12. b4 (12. O-O Bb7 13. Ne5 Qc8 14. Rac1 Nh5 15. Rfd1 Bf6 16. Bf1 Nxf4 17. exf4 Rd8 18. a5 Bxe5 19. fxe5 bxa5 20. Rd6 Qb8 21. Rcd1 Rc8 22. R1d4 Bc6 {0-1 Svetushkin,D (2546)-Georgiev,K (2626)/Aghia Pelagia 2004/}) 12... Ncd7 13. b5 axb5 14. Nxb5 $6 Bb4+ 15. Ke2 Bb7 16. Rhd1 Qe7 17. Qb3 Nd5 18. Bg5 f6 19. Bh4 Nc5 20. Qc2 Rfc8 $17 {Tregubov,P-Serafimov,T/Cergy Pontoise 2003}) 12. O-O Rc8 (12... Qa5 13. Ne5 (13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Bf1 Be8 15. Rxd8 Rxd8 16. Ne5 Qb4 17. Nc4 Nd5 $15 {Miralles,G-Spassky,B/FRA 1991}) (13. e4 Bc6 14. Rfe1 Rfd8 15. Bd2 Qc7 16. Rac1 Qd7 17. a5 Rac8 18. Bf4 Qe8 19. b3 Bb5 20. Red1 Bxc4 21. bxc4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rd8 $15 {Romanova,I-Krivonosov,O/Birstonas 2002}) 13... Rac8 14. Qe2 Rfd8 15. Rfb1 Nce4 $1 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Bd3 Qb4 $15 18. Qf3 Nf6 19. b3 (19. Nxd7 Rxd7 $15) 19... Be8 20. Bc4 Nd5 21. Nd3 Qa5 22. Be5 f6 {1/2 Illescas Cordoba,M (2595)-Vallejo Pons,F (2629)/Dos Hermanas 2003/ (56)}) 13. a5 Qe8 14. Nd2 Bc6 15. b4 Ncd7 16. Qb3 Nh5 17. Bg3 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Bf6 19. Rac1 Qe7 20. Be2 Rfd8 {1/2 Van Wely,L (2635)-Sokolov,I (2620)/Elista 1998/ (35)}) 11. O-O Qb6 (11... Nh5 12. Be5 Rc8 13. Rfd1 Qb6 14. Bd4 $14) 12. Rfd1 (12. a3 Rfc8 13. Rad1 Be8 14. Rd4 a6 15. Rfd1 Qa7 16. Ba2 b5 17. Be5 Na4 18. Rh4 Nxc3 19. Bxc3 g6 20. Ng5 a5 21. Qe2 b4 {0-1 Suba,M (2530)-Krogius,N (2475)/Berlin 1997 (37)}) 12... Rfd8 13. Be2 {In this symmetrical position Svidler's chances of getting a distinct advantage are rather modest.} (13. a3 Bc6 14. Nd4 Nce4 $11) 13... Be8 (13... Bc6 14. Ne5 Nd5 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Rac1 Rac8 $11) 14. Nd2 Nd5 15. Nc4 Nb4 $2 {Jakovenko guessed correctly which was the critical square, but he failed to choose the proper piece.} (15... Qb4 $1 16. Nxd5 (16. Be5 f6 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Bc3 Qa4 19. b3 Qc6 20. Nd2 Bg6 21. Qb2 Nd3 22. Bxd3 Bxd3 $11) 16... exd5 17. Ne5 Rac8 18. Rac1 (18. Nd3 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Bf6 $11) 18... f6 19. Nd3 (19. Nf3 Bg6 20. Qc3 Qxc3 21. Rxc3 Na4 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rxd5 Nxb2 $11) 19... Nxd3 20. Qxd3 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qxb2 22. Rb1 Qxa2 23. Rxb7 Bg6 24. Qd1 Bc5 $11) 16. Nxb6 Nxc2 17. Nxa8 Nxa1 18. Rxd8 (18. Nc7 $2 Rxd1+ 19. Bxd1 Bd7 $11) 18... Bxd8 {This position must have been evaluated by Black when playing the 15th move. White's chances are distinctly better due to his more active pieces.} 19. Bd6 (19. Nc7 $5 Bd7 (19... Bxc7 20. Bxc7 Nc2 21. Bb8 a5 22. Bc7 $16) 20. N7b5 a6 21. Nd4 Bf6 22. Bc7 $16) 19... Na4 20. Nd1 $6 (20. Nxa4 Bxa4 21. Nc7 Bc2 (21... Bc6 22. Bd3 Bf6 23. b3 $16) 22. Nb5 Bb1 23. Nc3 Bg6 24. Bf3 b6 25. Kf1 Nc2 26. Ke2 a5 27. Bc6 Nb4 28. Bb5 $16) 20... Bf6 $2 {The phase of weaker moves ends with Black's mistake. Better chances of eliminating his opponent's initiative were promised by the mirror move of the other bishop.} (20... Bc6 $1 21. b3 b6 22. Nc7 Nc5 23. Nb5 Bxb5 24. Bxb5 Nc2 25. Nc3 Nb4 $14) 21. b3 Nc3 22. Nxc3 Bxc3 23. Bf3 Bc6 (23... b5 24. Nc7 Bd7 25. Be2 b4 26. Bd3 a5 27. Nb5 $16) 24. Bxc6 bxc6 25. Bc5 {The very impressive location of both knights at the corners of the board differs by the potential each has to attack the enemy's pawns.} a6 (25... a5 26. Nb6 Nc2 27. Nc4 $16) 26. Nc7 a5 27. Na6 Nc2 28. Nb8 Nb4 (28... Bb4 29. Bb6 Bd6 30. Nxc6 Nb4 31. Nxb4 axb4 32. f4 $16) 29. Bxb4 axb4 30. Nxc6 {[%mdl 4096] Svidler has won a whole pawn; what is more the weakness on b4 promises success.} Kf8 31. Kf1 e5 (31... Ke8 32. Ke2 Kd7 33. Nd4 $18) 32. e4 Ke8 33. Ke2 Kd7 34. Na5 Bd4 35. f3 Bb6 36. Nc4 Bc7 37. Ne3 Kc6 38. Nf5 g6 39. Nh6 f6 40. Kd3 Kc5 41. Nf7 Bb6 42. h4 $1 {Black will have to passively watch White's attempts to weaken the pawn structure on the kingside.} (42. g4 g5) 42... Kb5 43. h5 $1 Bc5 (43... gxh5 44. Nd6+ Kc5 45. Ne8 Bd8 46. Ng7 Kb5 47. Nxh5 $18) 44. hxg6 hxg6 45. Nh8 $1 g5 46. Nf7 Bb6 47. Nd6+ Kc5 48. Nf5 Kb5 49. g3 $1 {This deep move is preparing the trip for the white king towards the h7-square.} Bc5 50. Kd2 Bf8 51. Ke2 Bc5 52. Kf1 Kc6 53. Kg2 Kd7 54. Kh3 Ke6 55. Kg4 Kf7 56. Kh5 Bf8 57. g4 Be7 58. Kh6 (58. Nxe7 $4 Kxe7 59. Kh6 Kd6 $1 $11) 58... Bc5 59. Kh7 Bf8 60. Kh8 Bc5 {Jakovenko has lost the right to offer the exchange of the bishop, since the pawn endgame would have been hopeless.} (60... Be7 $2 61. Nxe7 Kxe7 62. Kg7 Ke6 63. Kf8 $18) 61. Nh6+ Kg6 62. Nf5 Kf7 63. Kh7 Bf8 64. Ne3 Bc5 65. Nc4 Bf8 66. Na5 Bd6 67. Nc6 Bc5 68. Nd8+ Ke7 69. Nb7 $1 Bb6 70. Kg7 {The converting of the advantage took a long time. White was even forced to sacrifice the life of his knight for his opponent's pawns.} Ke6 (70... Be3 71. Na5 Bc5 72. Nc6+ Ke6 73. Nd8+ Ke7 74. Nf7 Ke6 75. Nh6 Be7 76. Ng8 Bd8 77. Kg6 $18) 71. Kf8 Kd7 72. Kf7 Kc7 73. Kxf6 Kxb7 74. Kxg5 {The tragedy for Black lies in the fact, that it is impossible to stop the advance of the g-pawn without the sacrifice of the bishop.} Kc6 75. Kf6 Kd6 76. g5 Bd8+ 77. Kf5 Bb6 (77... Kd7 78. g6 Ke7 79. Kxe5 $18) 78. Kg6 Bd8 79. Kh6 Ke7 80. Kg7 1-0 [Event "London Classic 8th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2016.12.17"] [Round "8"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2779"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2016.12.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 176"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 {Back to the classical main line.} ({One round earlier Topalov managed to get one of his not so numerous half points with the modern} 6... Nbd7 7. c5 c6 {Giri,A (2771)-Topalov,V (2760) London 2016 (½-½, 67)}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 {White is also returning to the classical approach. This was the move order advocated by Korchnoi in his 1978 match with Karpov, setting the fashion for many decades.} ({In the same tournament the rare} 8. Bd3 {was tried in Aronian,L (2785)-Anand,V (2779) London 2016 (½-½, 30)}) ({For quite some time Black's biggest headaches were caused by} 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 {but here, too, there seem to be a new trend:} Bg4 ({The old line went} 11... Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 {where White had worked out almost forced ways to a small but annoying advantage, for instance:} Re8 15. Rc1 a6 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. b5 Rxa3 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Rxc6 Ra7 20. Rd6 Rd7 21. Qxd5 Rxd6 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Bxd6 Bxf3 24. gxf3 {Leko,P (2741)-Kramnik,V (2770) Brissago 2004 CBM 103 [Lukacs] (1-0, 69)}) 12. Bxh7+ {This looks critical, but in a recent game Black proved it is not dangerous.} (12. O-O Bd6 13. h3 Bh5 14. g4 Bg6 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Qxd5 Bxf4 17. Qxd8 Nxd8 18. exf4 Ne6 {Potkin,V (2669)-Radulski,J (2552) Plovdiv 2012 (½-½, 36), and Black seems to be close to a draw despite the missing pawn.}) 12... Kxh7 13. Qc2+ Kg8 14. Qxc5 Rc8 15. Qb5 d4 16. O-O Bxf3 17. gxf3 dxe3 18. fxe3 Nd4 $36 {Ruck,R (2565)-Saric,A (2597) Germany 2016 (0-1, 35)}) 8... Nc6 9. Qc2 Re8 $5 {This came into the limelight during the second Carlsen-Anand match.} ({The old main line goes} 9... Qa5 {- Carlsen,M (2853)-Nakamura,H (2814) Saint Louis 2015 CBM 168 [Wagner,D] (½-½, 95)}) 10. O-O-O {The sharpest continuation. White speeds up his development, putting pressure on the d-file but also somewhat exposing his king.} (10. Rd1 {is less ambitious} e5 11. Bg5 d4 {Forintos,G (2425)-Sisniega,M (2390) Cienfuegos 1979 MCL [Notkin] (½-½, 41)}) ({In the aforementioned match White reacted with} 10. Bg5 Be7 {Anand,V (2792)-Carlsen,M (2863) Sochi 2014 CBM 164 [Postny,E] (½-½, 41)}) 10... e5 11. Bg5 (11. cxd5 {does not promise much:} exf4 12. dxc6 Qe7 $2 (12... Qc7 $1 {[%csl Gc6,Gf4]} 13. exf4 Qxf4+ 14. Kb1 bxc6 $15 {[%csl Rb1,Gc5,Gc8]}) 13. exf4 Bg4 14. Bb5 $16 {Murariu,A (2513)-Tomici,S (2259) Eforie Nord 2014 (1-0, 44)}) 11... d4 12. Nd5 b5 $5 $146 {Quite a puzzling novelty. The move is logical, as it is aimed at questioning the stability of the d5-knight and opening the c-file for the attack, but concretely it seems that it is mainly Black who must act accurately to maintain the equality. And still, as a surprize novelty it surely looks perfect, as White's play is not very obvious in the first phase.} ({By the way, Korchnoi's setup from the 1978 and Carlsen's 9...?e8 are not really brand new. Have a look at this game and check the year carefully:} 12... Be6 13. e4 $2 ({Actually} 13. Bd3 $5 {[%csl Gh7] seems to cause problems.}) 13... Rc8 14. Kb1 Be7 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Qa4 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. h3 a6 19. Bd3 Nb8 20. Rc1 Nd7 21. Qd1 Nc5 $17 {Showalter,J-Janowski,D New York,NY 1898 !! (0-1, 32). Actually, ...?f8-e8 was a common move in the ?g5 Queen's Gambit in those remote years, so 9...?e8 must not have caused such a sensation as it did in 2014.}) (12... Be7 {looks quite solid and even if it seems that White has some initiative Black seems to be holding his own:} 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. exd4 Bg4 15. d5 Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd1 17. Nf5 Bxc2 18. Nxe7+ Rxe7 19. Kxc2 Rc7 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. b4 $44 {Gagare,S (2486)-Arjun,K (2292) Noida 2016 (1-0, 38)}) 13. Bxf6 $6 {This is a typical move when the stability of the d5-knight is ensured, but this is not the case here. White should have kept ?xf6 in reserve, avoiding later problems of coordination.} (13. cxb5 {is critical.} {Anand might have planned} Na5 {similary with the game continuation.} (13... Qxd5 {does not seem to offer enough play:} 14. Bc4 $1 (14. Bxf6 $2 Na5 15. Bh4 Bb6 $5 $19 {[%CAl Gc8e6,Ga8c8,Gd5a2,Ga5b3]}) (14. bxc6 Ne4 15. Bd3 Nxf2 $1 {[%CAl Ge5e4]} 16. Bc4 Qxc6 17. Qxf2 Bf5 $36) 14... Qd6 15. bxc6 Qxc6 (15... Rb8 {[%CAl Gc5a3] looks very nice but it runs into a unexpected blow} 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Bf4 Re5 18. exd4 Bxd4 19. b4 {White will soon have a slight material advantage and his far advanced c-pawn will be very annoying.}) 16. exd4 exd4 17. b4 Bf5 18. Qxf5 Bxb4 19. Rxd4 Bxa3+ 20. Kd2 {and Black does not seem to have enough attack for the piece.}) 14. exd4 exd4 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Kb1 {[%CAl Gc2c5] White should first take preventive measures before moving away with the bishop.} (16. b4 Bd6 17. Bh6 Be6 $44) (16. Bh6 $2 Be6 $19) (16. Bd2 $6 Be6 17. Bxa5 Qxa5 18. Bc4 Bxa3 $132 {[%CAl Ga8c8]}) 16... Qd5 (16... fxg5 $2 17. Qxc5) 17. b4 (17. Bxf6 Be6 18. b3 (18. b4 Rac8 $132) 18... Qxb3+ 19. Qxb3 Bxb3 $13 {Black is a pawn down but his minor pieces have invaded the enemy queenside. He might retrieve the pawn soon.}) 17... Bb6 18. Bd3 fxg5 19. bxa5 g4 20. Bc4 Qh5 21. axb6 Bf5 22. Bd3 Rac8 23. Qa4 gxf3 24. b7 $1 (24. gxf3 Bxd3+ 25. Rxd3 Qg6 26. Rhd1 Re1 $1 $132) 24... Rb8 25. gxf3 Bxd3+ 26. Rxd3 Qg6 27. Qc4 Rxb7 {White's extra pawn is not too relevant and his king is somewhat exposed. The game could well simplify to a drawn rook ending.}) ({Another interesting but possibly not so challenging possibility is} 13. Bd3 bxc4 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. Be4 Qd6 16. Nxf6 (16. exd4 Nxd4 17. Nxf6 gxf6 18. Bxa8 fxg5 $44) 16... gxf6 17. Qxc4 Re6 $1 {[%csl Gc6,Gf6,Gf7]} 18. b4 (18. Rd2 Bxa3 19. bxa3 Rb8 20. Kd1 Na5 21. Qa2 Nb3 $40) 18... Bxb4 19. axb4 Rb8 $13 20. Qxc6 $2 Qxb4 $19) (13. b4 {is as risky as it looks} bxc4 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. bxc5 {and now the strongest may be} Be6 $1 {White is allowed to save his piece, but the strong central pawns would create unpleasant pressure against the enemy king.}) 13... gxf6 14. cxb5 Na5 15. exd4 exd4 {The position has calmed down slightly and White needs to find a good path for his knight.} 16. Nb4 $6 (16. Ne3 {may have been more solid even though over the board it may not be clear if the following fortress on the light squares is reliable enough:} Be6 17. Nc4 Rc8 18. Kb1 Bb6 19. Nfd2 $13) 16... Bxb4 17. axb4 Be6 18. Nxd4 $6 {In vain hoping to defend the c-file using the outpost on c6.} ({Once again White should have looked for some sort of fortress:} 18. Kb1 Qd5 19. Qa4 Nb3 20. Bd3 $15 {Black is very active but it is questionable whether he can make progress.}) 18... Rc8 19. Nc6 Nxc6 20. bxc6 Qb6 21. Qa4 ({Unfortunately} 21. b5 {fails to keep the queenside closed after} a6 22. Rd6 axb5 23. Bd3 Ra8 $19) 21... Rxc6+ $6 {Not a bad move but there is a much stronger one.} (21... Bg4 $1 {more or less wins an exchange as White cannot quit the first rank nor weaken the e3-square either:} 22. f3 (22. b5 Bxd1 23. Qxd1 a6 24. Bd3 axb5 25. Qg4+ Kf8 {does not offer compensation for the exchange.}) 22... Bf5 $19 {[%CAl Gc8c6,Gb6e3]} 23. Bd3 Qe3+ 24. Kc2 Qe2+ 25. Kc3 Re3 26. Qb5 Bxd3 27. Rxd3 Rxd3+ 28. Qxd3 Rxc6+) 22. Kb1 Rd8 {Black has "only" excellent attacking chances now.} 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Be2 (24. Qxc6 $2 Qd1+ 25. Qc1 Bf5+ 26. Bd3 Bxd3+ 27. Ka2 Qa4#) 24... Bf5+ 25. Ka2 Rc2 26. Rd1 Qb6 27. Bg4 Qe6+ (27... Bg6 28. Rd8+ Kg7 29. Qe8 Qxb4 30. Qg8+ Kh6 31. Qf8+ Qxf8 32. Rxf8 $15) 28. Ka3 Qe5 29. Qb3 Bg6 30. Bf3 Rxf2 31. h4 $6 {Wasting a tempo in a dangerous position.} (31. Qc3 $5) (31. Rd5 $5 Rf1 32. Rd1 $1) 31... Bc2 (31... a5 $5) 32. Rd8+ Kg7 33. Qc3 $2 {Topalov probably wanted to keep the third rank defended, overlooking that controlling b5 was more important.} ({True, his position would be anything other than milk and honey after} 33. Qc4 Qe3+ 34. Ka2 (34. Qc3 Rf1 $1 $19) 34... Bf5 $5 {[%CAl Gf5e6]}) 33... Qb5 34. Qc6 Rxf3+ $1 {An elegant, though not complicated, final trick.} (34... Rxf3+ 35. Qxf3 Qa4#) 0-1 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.08.05"] [Round "4"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2742"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Sumets,Andrey"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2017.08.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 (10. a3 {is the main line, but nowadays it is considered as the drawish line. For instance this game} Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 a6 (14... d4 $5 15. b5 Na5 16. exd4 Qd5 17. Re1 Rfe8 $6 (17... Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Qxf3 19. gxf3 Nb3 20. Rad1 Nxd4 21. Kg2 Rad8 {Black should equalise}) 18. Rxe8+ Rxe8 19. Rc1 (19. Rb1 $1 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Bxd4 22. Be4 $14) 19... Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Nb3 22. Rc3 Nxd4 $11 {Huebner,R (2583)-Prusikin,M (2528) Switzerland SUI 2016 1-0 (70)}) 15. Rb1 d4 16. b5 (16. exd4 Nxd4 17. g4 Bg6 18. Bxg6 hxg6 $11) (16. e4 Bc7 17. Bxc7 Qxc7 18. Rc1 Qe7 $11) 16... axb5 17. Rxb5 Bxf3 18. Qb1 $1 Bc7 $1 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. gxf3 Bxf4 21. exf4 Ne7 22. Rh5 (22. Be4 f5 23. Bxf5 (23. Bxb7 Rb8 24. Rd1 Ng6 25. Rxf5 Nxf4 26. Qe4 Qh4 27. a4 d3 $1 (27... Nxh3+ $6 28. Kg2 Nf4+ 29. Qxf4 Qxf4 30. Rxf4 Rxf4 31. Rh1+ Kg8 32. Bd5+ Rf7 (32... Kf8 $4 33. Rh8+ $18) 33. Ra1 $16) 28. Bc6 Rxf5 29. Qxf5 Nxh3+ 30. Kg2 Nf4+ 31. Kg1 $11) 23... Nd5 24. Rxb7 Nxf4 25. Kh2 Qf6 $11) 22... Ra5 23. Bf5+ (23. Rxa5 Qxa5 24. Re1 Qxa3 25. Qxb7 Kxh7 26. Qxe7 Qxe7 27. Rxe7 Rd8 28. Kf1 d3 29. Ke1 d2+ 30. Kd1 Kg6 $11) 23... Kg8 24. Bh7+ Kh8 25. Bf5+ Kg8 26. Bh7+ {1/2 (26) Inarkiev,E (2727) -Nakamura,H (2786) Moscow RUS 2017}) 10... Bb4+ 11. Nd2 (11. Ke2 Nc6 12. Qc2 h6 13. Rhd1 Be6 14. Kf1 Rc8 15. Qe2 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Kg1 Ne5 18. Nd4 Ng4 19. Nf3 Ne5 {Bacrot,E (2700)-Sokolov,A (2594) 1/2 (42) France 2008. Black has got a slightly worse but very solid position.}) (11. Kf1 {This is a risky continuation. White wants to play h4, ?g5 and if Black plays ...h6 to prevent ?g5 then he will play ?c2, ?d3. You can find more about this line if you check the game Jobava,B -Rustemov Aeroflot op, which is annotated by Rustam Dautov.} Nc6 12. h4 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. h5 Qf6 15. Rh4 Qxb2 16. Rb1 Qf6 17. Rf4 Qe7 18. h6 $6 g5 19. Ra4 (19. Rf5 Bxf5 20. Bxf5 Qf6 21. g4 Ne7 22. Nd4 Qxh6 $19 {Adianto,U (2615)-Mikhalevski,A (2485) Biel 1998 1/2 (57)}) 19... Qf6 20. Bb5 Rd8 {Black will gain the h6-pawn and White should try to prove that he has enough compensation for 2 pawns to equalise the game.}) 11... Nc6 12. O-O Be6 {I don't think that Black should hurry with ...?e6. After ?f3 he could have played ...?g4. Let's examine other continuations:} (12... Bd6 {leads to passive and worse positions. For example} 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Nb3 (14. Nf3 Ne5 (14... Bg4 $2 15. Bxh7+ $16) 15. Be2 Bd7 16. Qd4 Nc6 17. Qd2 Bg4 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. h3) 14... Be6 15. Bb5 Ne5 16. Be2 Rfd8 17. Nd4 Rac8 18. Qb3 b6 19. Rfd1 $14 {Pechac,J (2441) -Nowak,K (2318) Rymanow-Zdroj POL 2017 1-0 (49)}) (12... Be7 {I think that this is the strongest move. The bishop can achieve nothing on b4 and when compared with 12...?e6 13.?f3 ?e7 Black can meet ?f3 with ...?g4. Hikaru played 12...?e7 in his next game against Magnus Carlsen.} 13. Rc1 (13. a3 Bf6 14. Nf3 (14. Qc2 g6 (14... h6 {is possible as well}) 15. Rac1 Be6 16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Nc5 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. f4 Bg7 20. Nxe6 $11 {1/2 (20) Kortschnoj,V (2634)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2653) Bled 2002}) 14... Qe7 15. h3 g6 16. Qd2 Be6 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. b4 a6 19. Rc2 Qd7 20. Rfc1 Bf5 21. Bxf5 Qxf5 22. Bc7 Rd7 23. Bb6 Qe4 24. Rd1 $14 {Giri,A (2771) -Karjakin,S (2781) Stavanger NOR 2017 1/2 (76)}) 13... Bf6 14. Nf3 Qe7 15. h3 g6 (15... Be6 $5 16. Qe2 Rac8) 16. Bb5 Bd7 17. Qxd5 Be6 18. Qe4 Bxb2 19. Bxc6 f5 20. Bg5 fxe4 21. Bxe7 Bxc1 22. Bxb7 Bxe3 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. fxe3 exf3 25. Bxf3 $14 {Carlsen, M (2822)-Nakamura,H (2792) Saint Louis USA 2017 1/2 (94)}) 13. Nf3 Be7 $146 (13... Bg4 {Black can play ...?e6 and ...?g4, but everyone would try to play ...?g4 in one move.} 14. h3 Bh5 15. Be2 Re8 16. Rc1 Be7 17. Ne5 Bxe2 18. Qxe2 Qb6 19. Rfd1 Rad8 20. Qc2 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 $14 {Gabriel, R (2255)-Klovans,J (2440) Schwaebisch Gmuend 1993 1-0 (54)}) 14. Rc1 Bf6 15. a3 $5 (15. Qd2 {White could have finished the developing of his pieces after ?d2, ?d1:} a6 16. h3 Rc8 17. b4 Qe7 (17... d4 18. Rfd1 $1 (18. e4 Be7 19. a3 Qd7 20. Rfd1 $14) 18... dxe3 (18... Qd5 19. a3 Rfd8 20. exd4 Nxd4 21. Nxd4 Qxd4 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Bxh7+ Kxh7 24. Qxd4 Bxd4 25. Rxd4 {Black has good chances to make a draw.}) 19. Qxe3 Qe8 20. Qb6 Bd5 21. Ng5 Bxg5 22. Bxg5 $16) 18. a3 Rfd8 (18... d4 $2 19. Nxd4 Nxd4 20. exd4 Bxd4 21. Bxh7+ $16) 19. Rfe1 h6 20. Bb1 {White is slightly better.}) 15... Qe7 ({Of course Black shouldn't play} 15... d4 $6 {due to} 16. e4 Re8 17. e5 Be7 18. Nd2 $14) 16. b4 a6 17. h3 {Now Black is OK.} ({I'm not sure if Black can equalise after} 17. Nd4 $5 Nxd4 (17... Bxd4 18. exd4 Qf6 (18... Nxd4 $6 19. Be3 Nc6 20. Bc5 $16) 19. Be3 Bf5 20. Be2 Rfe8 21. Rc5 Rad8 22. Qd2 h6 23. Rfc1 $14) 18. Rc7 Qd8 19. exd4 b5 (19... Bxd4 $6 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Qxd4 b5 22. Rfc1 $16) 20. Qa1 Rc8 21. Rfc1 $14) 17... Rac8 18. Rc5 $5 {After 18.?d2 the most likely result is a draw. So Ian chose another move that provokes ...a5.} (18. Qd2 Rfd8 19. Rfd1 h6 {White is better but Black's position is very solid.}) 18... a5 $5 (18... h6 {was possible as well:} 19. Qd2 Rfd8 20. Rfc1 Qe8 21. Bb1 Be7 22. Qd3 $1 g6 (22... Bxc5 $6 23. Qh7+ Kf8 24. bxc5 f6 25. Bd6+ Ne7 26. Rd1 $16) 23. Bxh6 d4 24. exd4 Bxc5 25. bxc5 Bd5 26. Nd2 $13) 19. Qb1 axb4 20. axb4 b6 $2 {It is not easy to understand why Hikaru didn't play 20...h6:} (20... h6 21. Rfc1 Ra8 {Black's position is not worse, he is threatening ...?a1} 22. Qb3 (22. b5 Ra1 23. Qxa1 (23. Qc2 $4 Nb4 $19) 23... Bxa1 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Rxc6 Bb2 26. Bd6 Qb7 27. Bxf8 Bxc1 28. Rxc1 Kxf8 {White should make a draw.}) 22... d4 23. Bc4 dxe3 24. Bxe3 Bxc4 25. Qxc4 $11) 21. Rcc1 g6 $2 (21... Nxb4 22. Bxh7+ Kh8 23. Bf5 Rc4 24. Ne5 Bxe5 25. Bxe5 $14 {It is obvious that White's position is better but Black's position is not hopeless.}) 22. Ba6 {White wins an exchange and game is over.} Nxb4 (22... Bf5 23. Qb3 Ne5 24. Bxc8 Nxf3+ 25. gxf3 Bxc8 26. Qxd5 $18) (22... Ra8 23. Rxc6 Rxa6 24. Bd6 Qd7 25. Bxf8 Kxf8 (25... Qxc6 26. b5 $18) 26. b5 $18) 23. Bxc8 Rxc8 24. Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. Rc1 $18 ({or} 25. Be5 Bxe5 26. Nxe5 $18) 25... Bf5 26. Qb3 Nd3 27. Rc7 Qd8 28. Bg3 h5 29. Qxb6 h4 30. Bd6 Be4 31. Qc6 Kg7 32. Rc8 d4 33. Qxe4 1-0 [Event "World-ch Kramnik-Leko +2-2=10"] [Site "Brissago"] [Date "2004.10.02"] [Round "5"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2770"] [Annotator "Lukacs,Peter"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2004.09.25"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [SourceTitle "CBM 103"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 $1 {This is the first time that Leko plays 1.d4 and c4 in his life! His preparation for the match deserves credit.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 Re8 15. Rc1 a6 $142 {This is the main line these days.} (15... d4 $6 16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. b5 $1 Ne7 (18... dxe3 $2 {The tactical skirmish leads to White's favour:} 19. bxc6 e2 20. Qxd8 exf1=Q+ 21. Kxf1 Raxd8 22. cxb7 a6 (22... f6 $2 23. Rb1 $1 {?a4-a5} g5 24. Bg3 Rd7 (24... Rb8 25. Bxb8 Rxb8 26. a4 Kf7 27. Rb5 $18) 25. b8=Q Rxb8 26. Bxb8 $18 {Lima-Milos, Sao Paulo 1993 CBM 36}) 23. Nd2 $1 $16 {? ?c4 Dautov-P.Nielsen, GER-chT 2000}) 19. exd4 (19. Nxd4 Nd5 20. Qf3 $5 $14 {holding the extra ?.} (20. Ne2 $2 {runs into the tactical blow} g5 21. Bg3 Nxe3 $1 {and Black has solved all of his problems.} 22. Qxd8 Raxd8 23. Rfe1 (23. fxe3 $6 Rxe3 $36) 23... Nd5 $11 {Dreev-Geller, Helsinki 1992})) 19... Qd5 20. a4 (20. Qd3) 20... a6 21. Re1 $14 {and although Black successfully blockades the d ?, it is still an extra one, Gagunashvili-Sammalvuo, Plovdiv 2003.}) (15... a5 $6 16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. b5 Ne7 (18... Na7 19. Qd3 Qd7 20. Rfd1 {and the isolated ? is in a big worry.} Rad8 21. Bg5 f6 22. Qxg6 $1 Qe6 23. Bf4 Nxb5 24. Rb1 $16 {Lputian-Geller, New York op 1990}) 19. Be5 Qd7 20. Bd4 Bxd4 21. Nxd4 {White has blockaded the isolani, and has a small but durable advantage.} Nc8 22. Qc2 Re7 23. Qc5 Qd8 24. Rfd1 $14 {Tunik-Kharitonov, Elista 1995}) 16. Bxa6 $1 {This variation leads to a slightly better ?.} (16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Qd3 (18. Rc3 d4 19. Rd3 Qd5 20. exd4 Re4 $44 {and Black has a good compensation because of the weakened light squares, Van Wely-Kasparov, Wijk aan Zee 2001.}) 18... d4 19. e4 Bc7 (19... Qf6 20. Bg3 Rac8 21. Rfe1 {The d4 ? is blockaded by the ?, but still it is a good blockade.} Ba7 22. Kg2 Bb8 23. Bxb8 Rxb8 24. Rc5 Rbd8 25. e5 Qe7 26. e6 $14 {Timoshenko-Vanderstricht, Metz op 2002}) 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. Rfe1 Qf4 22. Kg2 Rad8 (22... Re7 23. Rc2 Rae8 24. Rce2 Qf6 $11 (24... Kh8 $2 {simply loses a ? after} 25. Nxd4 Ne5 26. Qe3 Qxe3 27. Rxe3 Nc4 28. Rc3 b5 29. f3 $16 {Gyimesi-Van den Doel, Tel Aviv 2001})) 23. Rc2 Kh7 24. Qd2 $1 {White still has some slight edge in the ? because of the blockade of the ? d4.} Qxd2 (24... Qf6 25. Ng5+ Kg8 26. f4 $14) 25. Nxd2 g5 $1 26. Rc5 f6 27. h4 {(Tregubov-San Segundo, Ohrid 2001 CBM 84)} gxh4 $1 28. Rh5+ Kg6 29. Rxh4 d3 30. f4 Nd4 $11 {Dautov}) (16. Rc2 d4 17. e4 (17. g4 Bg6 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Nxd4 Bxd4 20. exd4 Qxd4 $11 {is completely equal, Gyimesi-Lechtynsky, Pardubice op 2002.}) 17... Bc7 18. Bxc7 Qxc7 19. Rc5 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Qe7 $11) 16... Rxa6 17. b5 Rxa3 18. bxc6 bxc6 (18... Bxf3 19. Qxf3 (19. gxf3 $6 bxc6 20. Rxc6 Re6 21. Qc1 Rxc6 22. Qxc6 Ra8 23. Rb1 Ba5 24. Rd1 Rc8 25. Qxd5 Bc7 $11) 19... bxc6 20. Rxc6 Re6 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Be5 $14) 19. Rxc6 Ra7 $1 {Black has to sacrifice the d5 ?.} (19... Re6 $2 20. Rxe6 $1 (20. Qc1 $5 Rxc6 (20... Ra8 $2 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Qc6 Bf7 23. Ng5 $16) 21. Qxc6 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Ra8 (22... h6 23. Rb1 Ba7 24. Rb5 (24. Rb7 $14) 24... d4 25. Rd5 $36) 23. Rb1 Ba5 24. Rb5 $1 (24. Rd1 Rc8 25. Qxd5 Bc7 $1 26. Qb3 (26. Qxd8+ $2 Rxd8 27. Rxd8+ Bxd8 $11) 26... Qe8 27. Bg3 Bxg3 28. fxg3 g6 $14 {Dreev-Kir.Georgiev, Sarajevo 2001 CBM 84}) 24... Rc8 (24... d4 $4 25. Rd5 Qf8 26. Bd6 $18) 25. Qxd5 {and White has finally won the d ? reaching the critical ?.} Bc7 26. Qxd8+ Bxd8 $14 {Dautov}) 20... fxe6 21. Qc1 Ra6 (21... Qa8 $2 {founders on} 22. Ng5 $1 $16 {Atalik} (22. Qb2 Bxf3 23. Qxb6 Ra6 24. Qc7 Be4 25. Be5 Ra7 {and Black has parried all the threats.} 26. Qb6 Ra6 27. Qb5 Ra7 28. Rc1 h6 $11 {Atalik-Short, Ohrid 2001})) 22. Qc6 Qe8 23. Rc1 Qxc6 24. Rxc6 Bxf3 25. gxf3 d4 26. e4 $1 $16 {Atalik}) 20. Rd6 $1 (20. Qb3 {gives Black an easier play.} Bxf3 21. gxf3 (21. Rxb6 Be2 22. Rb8 Qd7 23. Rb1 Bc4 24. Rxe8+ Qxe8 25. Qb8 Ra8 $11) 21... Bc7 22. Rxc7 Rxc7 23. Bxc7 Qxc7 24. Qxd5 Qe5 25. Rd1 Qxd5 26. Rxd5 g6 {with a theoretically drawish ? ? 4 versus 3 on the same flank, Malakhatko-Pigusov, Ohrid 2001.}) 20... Rd7 21. Qxd5 Rxd6 $1 (21... Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rxd6 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Bxd6 $14) 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Bxd6 Bxf3 {Black gives up the ? in order to worsen White's ? formation.} (23... Rd8 {looks also possible defending the position with the ?.} 24. Bf4 (24. Bg3 Bc5 25. Rc1 Bf8 26. Nd4 Bg6 27. Rc7 h6 28. h4 Re8 29. Nb5 Rb8 30. Nc3 Re8 31. Kh2 Bf5 32. Nb5 Rc8 33. Ra7 Bc5 $14 {Karpov-Anand, Moscow rapid 2002 CBM 91}) 24... Bg6 25. Rc1 Be4 26. Rc4 Bd5 27. Rb4 Bc5 28. Rb5 Rc8 29. Nd2 Be6 30. Ne4 Bf8 31. Bd6 $1 {and White has exchanged the ?, after which his advantage became real.} f5 32. Bxf8 fxe4 33. Bc5 $16 {Istratescu-Malakhatko, Patras op 2002}) 24. gxf3 Bd8 {? ?f6 reaching the long ?.} 25. Rb1 Bf6 {[%mdl 4096]} 26. Kg2 $14 {Kramnik believed his technique will be enough to hold this position, but his nerves were not strong enough...By the way this is the first new move in the game!} (26. Rb5 g6 27. f4 Rd8 28. Bb4 h5 29. Kg2 Rd1 30. Ba5 Kg7 31. f5 gxf5 32. Rxf5 Kg6 33. e4 Bd8 34. Bc3 Rd3 35. Be5 Bh4 36. Bf4 $14 {Gritsak-Kruppa, UKR-chT Alushta 2002}) 26... g6 27. f4 Kg7 28. Rb7 Re6 29. Rd7 Re8 30. Ra7 (30. Kf3 Rd8) 30... Re6 31. Bc5 Rc6 32. Ra5 Bc3 33. Rb5 Ra6 $6 (33... Rc8 {was easier.}) 34. Rb3 $1 {Leko's ? technique is excellent, as usual.} Bf6 35. Rb8 $1 (35. e4 Rc6) 35... h5 (35... Bc3 36. Bf8+ Kf6 37. e4 $16) 36. Rb5 Bc3 (36... Ra8) 37. Rb3 Bf6 38. e4 Ra5 (38... Rc6) 39. Be3 Ra4 (39... Ra8 40. e5 Be7 41. Rb7 Kf8 42. Kf3 $16 {? f5,?f4}) 40. e5 Be7 41. Rb7 Kf8 42. Rb8+ Kg7 43. Kf3 Rc4 44. Ke2 Ra4 45. Kd3 Bh4 46. Bd4 $1 Ra3+ 47. Kc2 Ra2+ 48. Kd3 Ra3+ 49. Kc4 Ra4+ 50. Kd5 Ra5+ 51. Kc6 Ra4 52. Kc5 Be7+ 53. Kd5 Ra5+ 54. Ke4 Ra4 55. Rc8 {Finally all the white pieces have reached their best position. Now comes the breakthrough.} Bh4 56. e6+ Bf6 {?} (56... Rxd4+ 57. Kxd4 Bxf2+ 58. Ke5 fxe6 59. Kxe6 Bd4 60. f5 $18) 57. e7 $1 Rxd4+ 58. Ke3 Bxe7 (58... Rd1 $4 59. e8=N+ $18) 59. Kxd4 {White has won the exchange by a brilliant ? play, but the position is still not winning.} Bh4 $6 {The is the first step on the road for decline.} (59... f5 $1 {was the clear-cut solution and Black can build up an unbreakable wall.} 60. Rc7 (60. Ke5 Bf6+ 61. Ke6 Bb2 $11) 60... Kf6 $1 ({but not} 60... Kf7 $2 61. Ke5 $1 Kf8 62. Ke6 $18) 61. Rc6+ (61. Kd5 Bf8 62. f3 Be7 63. Rc6+ (63. Ra7 Bb4) (63. Rb7 Bf8) 63... Kf7 64. Ke5 Bd8 $11) (61. Rxe7 Kxe7 62. h4 (62. Ke5 h4) 62... Kd6 63. f3 Ke6 64. Kc5 Ke7 65. Kc6 Ke6) 61... Kf7 62. Ke5 Bd8 (62... Bf8 $4 63. Rf6+ Kg7 64. Rxf8 $1 $18) 63. f3 (63. Rd6 Bc7 $1 (63... Be7 64. Rd7 Kf8 65. Rxe7 Kxe7 66. h4 $1 Kf7 67. Kd6 Kf6 68. Kd7 Kf7 69. f3 $18) 64. Kd5 (64. h4 $4 Ke7) 64... Bxd6 65. Kxd6 h4 $1 66. Kd7 Kf6 $11 {? g5}) 63... h4 (63... Ba5 $11 {- 59...?h4}) 64. Kd6 Be7+ 65. Kd7 (65. Ke5 Bd8 $11) 65... Bf6 $11) 60. f3 f5 $1 (60... Bf6+ $2 61. Kd5 Bb2 62. Rc2 Ba1 63. f5 $1 gxf5 64. f4 $1 Kf6 65. Ra2 Bc3 66. Kc4 Be1 67. Kd4 Kg6 68. Rg2+ Kf6 69. Rc2 Kg6 70. Ke5 $18) 61. Rc7+ Kf6 (61... Kf8 $2 62. Ke5 $1 (62. Kd5 Bf6 63. Ke6 Bb2) 62... Kg8 (62... Be7 63. Ke6) 63. Ke6 Kf8 64. Rc8+ Kg7 65. Re8 $1 $18) 62. Kd5 Bg3 $4 {This is the losing move!} (62... Be1 $1 {was still enough for a draw, because the ? can reach the long ? again.} 63. Rc6+ Kf7 64. Ke5 Ba5 $1 65. Rf6+ (65. Rc8 Bb6) 65... Kg7 66. Ke6 Bc3 $1 (66... Bd8 67. Rf7+ Kg8 68. Rd7 Bh4) 67. Rf7+ Kg8 68. Rd7 (68. Ke7 Bb2 $11) (68. h4 Bd4 69. Rd7 Bc3 $11 (69... Bg7 $4 70. Rxg7+ $1 $18)) 68... Bb2 $11) 63. Rc6+ $18 Kg7 64. Ke5 h4 (64... Bh4 65. Ke6 $18) 65. Rc7+ Kh6 66. Rc4 $1 Kg7 67. Ke6 Bh2 68. Rc7+ Kh6 69. Kf7 1-0 [Event "FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss"] [Site "Douglas"] [Date "2019.10.12"] [Round "3"] [White "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2624"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Seyb,Alexander"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2019.10.10"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "IOM"] [SourceTitle "CBM 193"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.12.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.12.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 {So far, both sides played an opening known to be really solid. Now comes the move you should pay attention to:} 10. c6 $5 {Technically speaking not a new move, but connected with a new concept. White spent about two minutes for that, so it was clearly no over-the-board improvement.} (10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 {is the "normal way of life". Both sides continue to play solidly. You may say it is curious that the young Russian didn't choose this line as he shouldn't lose with normal play out of this position. But he clearly saw the chance to surprise his top-class opponent and smelled blood.} 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Kg2 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Ra7 16. Rfc1 Rfa8 17. Qd1 b5 18. Rab1 axb4 19. axb4 $11 {has been a recent draw from two of the world's most solid players.} Ra3 20. Rb3 R3a7 21. Qe2 Bf6 22. h4 h5 23. Rc2 g6 24. Ra2 Rxa2 25. Nxa2 Qa7 26. Rb2 Qa3 27. Qd2 Qa6 28. Nc1 Qb7 29. Nd3 Ra7 30. Nde5 Qa8 31. Qe3 Kg7 32. Rb3 Kg8 33. Ng5 Nxe5 34. fxe5 Bxg5 35. Qxg5 Ra3 36. Rxa3 Qxa3 37. Qd8+ Kg7 38. Qf6+ Kg8 39. Qd8+ Kg7 40. Qf6+ Kg8 {1/2-1/2 Giri,A (2797)-Radjabov,T (2756)/Shamkir 2019/CBM 190}) 10... Nb8 11. Ne5 (11. Qa4 $6 Qe8 (11... Qd6 $1 12. Ne5 f6 $17) 12. Rc1 Qxc6 13. Qc2 h6 14. Ne5 Qb7 (14... Qe8 $142) 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bg6 Kg8 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Bg6 Kg8 {1/2-1/2 Delithanasis,D (2211)-Tassopoulos,M (2238)/Heraklio 2007/EXT 2008}) (11. Qc2 {was seen in a game from another creative player. But the result was bad and no one has been following his footsteps so far.} g6 (11... Nxc6 {looks easier and more promising for Black} 12. Bxh7+ Kh8 {Now White has to justify his attack.} 13. h4 $1 {connected with some nasty mating threats, Ng5, Qe2-h5} (13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 (14. fxe5 c5 $17) 14... g6 15. Bxg6 fxg6 16. Qxg6 Qe8 $19 {and Black's defense is in time.} 17. Qh6+ Kg8 18. h4 Qf7 19. Rh3 Qh7) (13. a3 g6 14. Bxg6 fxg6 15. Qxg6 Rf6 $19) (13. Bd3 {This is computer's first choice, but no human would play this way.} Nb4 14. Qe2 c5 $15 (14... Nxd3+ $15)) 13... Bd6 {Eyeing e5 and preparing f5.} (13... Nb4 14. Qb1 c5 (14... f5 15. Bg6) 15. a3 cxd4 16. Ne2 Nc6 17. Ng5 $40) (13... f5 14. Bg6) 14. a3 (14. Ne2 Nb4 15. Qb1 c5) (14. O-O-O $4 Nb4) 14... f5 $1 (14... Bxf4 $4 15. Ne2 $16) 15. Ne2 (15. Bg6 Qf6 16. h5 Nxd4 $19) 15... Nxd4 16. Nexd4 Kxh7 $17) 12. Ne2 a5 13. Rc1 $6 {Not going for it!} (13. h4 $1 {and White should have good attacking perspectives.}) 13... Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. a4 Qd6 16. O-O Ra8 17. Ne5 Bf6 18. Qd1 Qb4 19. Rc3 Bg7 20. Qc2 Qd6 21. Rc1 Na6 22. Qb1 Nb4 23. h4 f6 24. Nd7 Rf7 25. g3 e5 26. f5 gxf5 27. Qxf5 Na2 28. f4 Nxc3 29. Rxc3 Re8 30. Qh5 Qb4 31. Re3 Qxa4 32. dxe5 Qxc6 33. Nd4 Qc1+ 34. Kf2 Qxb2+ 35. Ne2 fxe5 36. Nxe5 Rxe5 37. Rxe5 Bxe5 38. Qg5+ Bg7 {0-1 Adhiban,B (2627)-Fridman,D (2639)/Biel 2015/CBM 167 Extra}) 11... Bd6 (11... f6 12. Qh5 g6 $2 (12... f5 $16) 13. Bxg6 $1 hxg6 14. Qxg6+ Kh8 15. O-O-O Ba6 16. Rhe1 $18 {and the deadly rook shift is about to come.}) (11... Qe8 $2 12. Nb5 Bd8 13. Qc2 a6 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. Na3 Bf6 16. Bd3 Bxe5 17. fxe5 Nxc6 18. Rc1 Bb7 (18... Nxd4 19. Qxc7 $16) 19. Qe2 $16 {and White is clearly better. He will protect his d4-pawn with Na3-c2. Black will suffer from his "French" bishop.}) 12. a3 $1 {The really mysterious move, blitzed out by Esipenko! After examining it with the help of the computer for some time, I will try a first explanation: White will loose his c6-pawn, so it is obvious that he has to prove his compensation. But all of the "normal" attacking moves seem to backfire. White needs Black's exchange on e5 for setting out his attack in the perfect way. On the other hand he has to make sure that Black has no waiting move on his own.} (12. Qc2 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Nxc6 14. Bxh7+ (14. a3 $2 {Now the queen is on the wrong square.}) 14... Kh8 $15 {White won back his sacrificed pawn, but has to allow the exchange of his proud bishop.}) (12. Qh5 $5 {would have been the "human" attacking move} g6 $1 (12... h6 $6 13. O-O-O Bxe5 14. dxe5 Nxc6 (14... Qe7 15. g4) 15. g4 $40 {is exactly the kind of compensation White is aiming for.}) 13. Qh6 f6 {and it becomes clear that White would have done much better if Black had exchanged on e5 already.} 14. Nxg6 (14. Bxg6 Qe7 $19) (14. h4 fxe5 15. fxe5 Bxe5 16. dxe5 Nxc6 17. f4 (17. h5 Nxe5 18. hxg6 (18. Bc2 Ng4 $19) 18... Nxd3+ 19. Kd2 Qe7 $19) 17... Qe7 18. h5 g5 19. O-O-O (19. fxg5 Nxe5 $19) 19... Qg7 $17) 14... Rf7) (12. Rc1 {At first sight seems to be a better "waiting" move.} Bxe5 13. dxe5 Nxc6 14. Qh5 h6 15. g4 Nb4 $1 {But now it becomes clear that Black gets counterplay very soon, connected with d5-d4-d3. Also White lost the possibility of castling to the queenside.} 16. Bb1 d4) (12. h4 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Nxc6 14. Qh5 h6 15. g4 Nb4 16. Bb1 d4 17. Ne4 d3 18. Nf6+ Kh8 $19) 12... Bxe5 {Picking up the gauntlet.} (12... Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. b4 $1 {The point of a2-a3 comes clear: White will establish b4-b5 and technically be a piece up} (14. Rc1) 14... Nb8 15. b5 a6 16. a4 Bxe5 17. fxe5 f6 {is rated as equal by the computer. Ridiculous...}) (12... Qe8 $5 {is maybe an easier way to solve the problems:} 13. Rc1 Nxc6 14. Nb5 Bd7 15. Nxd6 cxd6 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qa4 Rfc8 18. Bb5 (18. O-O a6 19. Bxa6 Qe8 $1 20. Rfd1 Nxd4 $11) 18... Ne7 $1 {and due to this nice litte trick Black is absolutely fine.}) 13. dxe5 Nxc6 (13... Ba6 $2 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. Nb5 Nc5 16. b4 Ne4 17. O-O $16) 14. Qh5 g6 (14... h6 15. g4 {looks way to dangerous.}) 15. Qh6 {This is the point where Black has to show the best way of defence. Not an easy task if you don't know what the computer knows.} f5 $5 (15... Ne7 {seems also a reasonable defence:} 16. h4 (16. g4 f5) 16... Kh8 {threatening Ng8, after which White would be forced to exchange queens.} (16... Nf5 17. Bxf5 gxf5 (17... exf5 $4 18. h5 $18) 18. O-O-O Kh8 19. g4 $40) 17. h5 Nf5 (17... Ng8 $4 18. Qxh7+ Kxh7 19. hxg6+ Kg7 20. Rh7#) 18. Bxf5 gxf5 19. Nb5 (19. O-O-O f6) 19... Bd7 (19... Rg8 20. Nxc7 $1) (19... c5 {is the favourite move of the computer, but I believe White has always enough compensation establishing his knight on d6.}) 20. Nd4 (20. Nxc7 $2 Rc8 $1 (20... Qxc7 $4 21. Qf6+ Kg8 22. h6 $18)) 20... Rg8 (20... c5 21. Nf3) 21. Nf3 Qf8 22. Qf6+ Qg7 23. Qe7 f6 (23... Bb5 24. h6 Qg6 25. Ng5 $16) 24. Qxf6 $11) (15... Kh8 16. h4 Ne7 {is of course the same story.}) 16. h4 $1 Rf7 {The move that made Esipenko to start thinking on his own.} (16... Bd7 {is the first choice of my computer.}) (16... Qd7 {the idea of a queen shift looks normal.} 17. h5 (17. Bb5 $5 Bb7 18. Ne2 Rf7 $13 (18... Qg7 $2 19. Qxg7+ Kxg7 20. Rc1 $16)) 17... Qg7 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. O-O-O $44 {and White seems to have long-term compensation.}) 17. h5 (17. Ne2 Qf8 18. Qxf8+ Kxf8 19. Rc1 Nd8 20. h5 c5 $15) (17. O-O-O Qf8) 17... g5 $1 {This has been Aronian's idea.} 18. g4 $5 (18. fxg5 Nxe5 19. Be2 Qf8) (18. O-O-O gxf4 19. Qxf4 Qf8 $15 {and the attack also seems to be over.}) 18... Qf8 $6 (18... fxg4 19. O-O-O Qe7 {, and now there is an incredible strong move:} (19... gxf4 20. Bg6 Rg7 21. Ne4 $44) 20. Bg6 $3 {Pushing away the rook from the 7th rank.} (20. Rdg1 gxf4 21. Rxg4+ Kh8 22. Nxd5 (22. Rhg1 Bd7) 22... exd5 23. Qxc6 Qc5+ 24. Qxc5 bxc5 25. Rg5 $15) 20... Rf8 (20... Rg7 {to be fair I have to confess that Black also seems to hold after this. But he has to find some only-moves.} 21. f5 $1 (21. Rdg1 gxf4 22. Rxg4 Kh8 23. Rxf4 Bd7) 21... Nxe5 $8 22. Rhe1 d4 $8 (22... Nf3 23. f6 Qxf6 24. Nxd5) (22... hxg6 23. Rxe5 c6 24. hxg6 Qf6 25. Rh1 $40) 23. Rxd4 Nf3 $8 24. Nd5 Qc5+ 25. Kb1 hxg6 $8 26. f6 Qf8 27. Ne7+ (27. fxg7 Qxg7 28. Ne7+ Qxe7 29. Rd8+ Qxd8 30. Qxg6+ $11) 27... Rxe7 28. fxe7 Qxh6 (28... Qxe7 29. Rd8+ Qxd8 30. Qxg6+ Kh8 31. Qh6+ Kg8 $11)) 21. Rdg1 Qg7 (21... hxg6 22. hxg6 Qg7 23. Qxg5 $18) 22. Qxg5 $13) ({After} 18... gxf4 $1 {I wasn't able to make the story go on. Black's defence seems to hold:} 19. gxf5 (19. Qxf4 fxg4 20. Qxg4+ Rg7 $17) 19... Nxe5 20. fxe6 (20. O-O-O Nxd3+ 21. Rxd3 Qf6) 20... Qe7 $1 (20... Nxd3+ 21. Kd2 Rg7 22. Rag1 Qf8 23. Nxd5 $18) (20... Nf3+ 21. Kf1 Rg7 22. Qxf4 Qf8 23. Nxd5 Qxf4 24. Nxf4 Bb7 $15) 21. O-O-O Bxe6 22. Rhe1 Bd7 $17) 19. Qxg5+ Rg7 20. Qh4 $2 {After this, the game has gone. White will find himself in a passive position.} (20. Qf6 Qxf6 (20... Rf7 21. Qg5+ Rg7 22. Qf6 $11) 21. exf6 Rxg4 22. Ne2 {would have been far from clear as White manages to penetrate via the c-file.} Kf7 (22... Nd8 23. f3 Rg2 24. Kf1 {and suddenly Blacks rook is trapped on an open file!} Rxe2 25. Kxe2 $14) 23. Rc1 Bb7 24. Bb5 Nd8 25. Rxc7+ Kxf6 26. Kd2 $13) 20... Rxg4 21. Qh2 Qh6 22. Ne2 Bb7 $17 {The rest is a matter of technique. So you can trust Aronian} 23. Rc1 Rc8 24. b4 Kh8 25. f3 Rgg8 26. Kf2 Qf8 27. Bb5 Nb8 28. Nd4 c5 29. Nxe6 Qe7 30. Ng5 h6 31. e6 hxg5 32. fxg5 Qxg5 33. Qe5+ Qg7 34. Rhe1 Nc6 35. Bxc6 Rxc6 36. Qxg7+ Kxg7 37. Rg1+ Kh7 38. Rxg8 Kxg8 39. Rg1+ Kh7 {In summary, it can be said that the idea Esipenko showed on the tenth move will certainly not lead to a reassessment of the variation. Objectively, Black should even be better. White must be prepared to prove a somewhat dubious compensation. However, the variation is a comprehensible choice if you want to surprise your opponent and are willing to take risks. If you want to play with Black like this, you have to be prepared for 10.c6 in any case.} 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 6th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2018.06.07"] [Round "9"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2782"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2018.05.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 185"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Fernandez,D} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 (8. cxd5 {Fernandez,D} Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 {seems to me a completely logical question: Black has an IQP, and probably will do so for the rest of the game. It is a difficult problem to resolve by dynamic means, as White will simply meet ...d4 with e4 (even if there is no trick such as taking and then ?e3.) For instance, White was successful in the following encounter:} Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 a6 15. Rc1 d4 16. g4 Bg6 17. e4 Re8 18. Re1 Rc8 19. Bc4 $1 $14 {Svidler,P-Harikrishna,P Shenzhen 2017}) 8... Nc6 9. a3 {Fernandez,D: 'I do not believe that this move (if followed by the next) is White's most critical idea.'} ({Previously I commentated on a Tata Steel game for this site:} 9. Rd1 {Fernandez,D} Qa5 10. a3 Re8 (10... Be7 {is more common now, and then} 11. Be2 {has a huge score for White; indeed I suspect White is probably slightly better following} Ne4 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 exd5 14. O-O $14) 11. Nd2 (11. Be2 e5 $15 {is the point}) 11... e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 13. Qb1 $1 (13. Qc1 Bf5 {is liable to lead to a forced draw.} 14. Bxf6 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ $11 {Carlsen, M-Nakamura,H Douglas 2017}) 13... Bf5 14. Bd3 $14 {Mamedyarov,S-Anand,V Wijk aan Zee 2018}) 9... Qa5 10. O-O-O (10. Ra2 $5 {(Fernandez,D) was the move chosen in a Topalov game, and it might be a good try for an edge.} Be7 11. b4 Qd8 12. h3 b6 (12... d4 $1 $11) 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Be2 Be6 15. Ng5 Rc8 $6 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Ba6 $14 {Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Saint Louis 2017}) (10. Nd2 {Fernandez,D} Bb4 $5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nb3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Qd8 $132 {Topalov,V-Nakamura, H Paris 2017, could have been a decent try for an edge, notwithstanding that it ultimately failed}) 10... Ne4 $5 {A curious pawn sacrifice.} (10... Be7 {is the main move.}) 11. Nb5 {This move became topical after two important games played in 1992. Subsequently, it was considered nearly a refutation of 10...?e4 but the present game will certainly change that verdict.} (11. cxd5 $6 {is absolutely harmless:} Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 13. bxc3 Bxa3+ 14. Kc2 exd5 15. Rxd5 Be6 16. Rb5 {1-0 (43) Zoler,D (2548)-Kobrin,M (2291) Israel 2013} b6 $11) (11. Nb1 $6 {is dubious:} f5 12. Bd3 Bd7 13. Bxe4 fxe4 14. Nfd2 Rxf4 $1 15. Nb3 Rxf2 16. Qxf2 Qb6 17. Nxc5 Qxc5 18. Nc3 Rf8 19. Qe2 Ne5 20. cxd5 Nd3+ 21. Rxd3 Bb5 22. Qg4 Bxd3 23. Qxe6+ Kh8 24. Re1 h6 25. d6 Rd8 $17 {1/2 (41) Farago,I (2533)-Sibarevic,M (2363) Ljubljana 1999}) (11. Nxe4 {is the most principled continuation, of course, but after} dxe4 12. Qxe4 (12. Nd2 e5 13. Nb3 Qb6 $13 {Spasov S-Sergiev corr 1991}) 12... Bxa3 13. bxa3 Qxa3+ {it turns out that White can't successfully avoid the perpetual check:} 14. Kd2 Rd8+ 15. Ke2 (15. Bd3 $4 f5 $19) 15... Qb2+ 16. Rd2 (16. Ke1 Qc3+ 17. Ke2 (17. Nd2 $6 e5 18. Bg3 g6 {[%CAl Yc8f5,Yc6b4] is unpleasant for White}) 17... Qb2+ 18. Ke1 Qc3+ {1/2 (18) Quinn,M (2381)-Bruzon Batista,L (2534) Istanbul 2000}) 16... Rxd2+ 17. Nxd2 e5 18. Bg3 (18. Bg5 {1-0 (34) Timoscenko,G (2510)-Mateus,M (2255) Cappelle-la-Grande 1992} h6 19. Bh4 g5 20. Bg3 Bg4+ $1 21. Qxg4 Rd8 {is favorable for Black}) 18... Bg4+ $1 19. Qxg4 Rd8 20. Kf3 Qxd2 21. Bh4 $8 f5 $1 22. Qg5 $1 ({the rest loses, e.g.} 22. Qh5 Qd1+ 23. Be2 Nd4+ 24. exd4 Qb3+) 22... Rd4 $1 23. g3 (23. exd4 Qc3+ 24. Ke2 Nxd4+ 25. Kd1 Qc2+ 26. Ke1 Qb1+ $11) 23... Qc2 $1 24. Kg2 Qe4+ (24... Rd2 $5) 25. Kh3 Qxh1 26. Bg2 Rxh4+ $1 27. gxh4 Qb1 28. h5 (28. Bxc6 bxc6 29. Qd8+ $11) 28... h6 29. Qg6 Kf8 30. Qd6+ (30. Bd5 Qf1+) 30... Ne7 {, and White has nothing better than} 31. Qd8+ (31. Qxe5 Qd1 {, and Black is not worse}) 31... Kf7 32. Bd5+ Nxd5 33. Qxd5+ $11) 11... a6 $1 (11... e5 $6 12. Rxd5 $5) 12. Nc7 e5 $1 13. Rxd5 $1 {Garry Kasparov's improvement.} (13. Nxd5 {is met with} Nxf2 $1 {with a nearly forced draw:} (13... exf4 $6 14. Qxe4 {is favorable for White, e.g.} fxe3 15. fxe3 h6 16. Nd4 Qd8 17. Bd3 f5 18. Qf4 Bd6 19. Qf2 Be5 20. Bc2 $16 {1-0 (47) Ivanchuk,V (2729)-Karjakin,S (2760) Medias 2017}) (13... Bf5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Ng3 16. Bd3 Bxd3 17. Rxd3 Nxh1 18. b4 Qd8 19. Nf6+ gxf6 20. Rxd8 Rfxd8 21. Bxf6 Rd6 22. Be7 $18) 14. Ng5 Bf5 $1 15. Qxf2 (15. Qxf5 g6 $17) 15... exf4 16. Qxf4 Ne7 $1 17. Nxe7+ Bxe7 18. Rd5 $1 Qe1+ 19. Rd1 Qa5 20. Rd5 Qe1+ 21. Rd1 {1/2 (21) Gelfand Boris (2665)-Jussupow Artur (2655) Linares 1992 [Jussupow,A]}) 13... exf4 $146 {[%mdl 8] Wrong according to Kasparov but Anand has a different opinion, as we see - and he is probably right! Other options for Black:} (13... f5 $2 14. Rxe5 $1 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Ra7 $2 (15... Rb8 $142 $1 {G.Kasparov} 16. Nd5 Bd6 17. b4 $1 Qd8 18. c5 $16) 16. Nd5 $1 b6 17. Bd3 Bd7 18. b4 Qxa3+ 19. Bb2 Qa4 20. bxc5 bxc5 21. Ne5 Qxc2+ 22. Bxc2 Be6 23. Nf4 {1-0 (23) Kasparov,G (2780)-Vaganian,R (2590) Debrecen 1992 EU-chT [Bulletin]}) (13... Bf5 $6 14. Nxa8 Ng3 15. e4 $1 Bxe4 16. Bd2 $18) (13... Qxc7 14. Qxe4 f5 15. Bxe5 $1 fxe4 16. Bxc7 Ba7 17. Ng5 $16 {0-1 (60) Alonso Garcia,R (2380)-Diaz,J (2445) Cuba 1993}) (13... Nf6 $5 14. Rxe5 $1 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 $16 {G.Kasparov}) (13... Nxf2 {G.Kasparov} 14. Qxf2 (14. Ng5 $4 Qe1+) 14... Qxc7 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Qb6 17. Bd4 (17. Rxc5 $143 Qxc5 18. Qg3 g6 19. Bd6 Qc6 20. Bxf8 Kxf8 $44 {1-0 (51) Turzo,A (2300)-Zymberi,A (2150) Budapest 1996}) 17... Bxd4 18. Rxd4 $16) 14. Qxe4 Qxc7 15. Rxc5 fxe3 16. Bd3 g6 17. fxe3 ({Or} 17. Qxe3 b6 18. Rh5 $5 (18. Rg5 Be6 {, and White's rook is placed awkwardly;} 19. h4 {is too slow due to} Rfe8 {[%CAl Re6c4]}) 18... Bg4 $1 19. Rh4 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 (20. gxf3 Ne5 $132) 20... Rad8 $132) 17... Be6 $44 {White's extra pawn is not very important here. His pieces (especially the c5 rook) are not placed well, and his king is more vulnerable than Black's.} 18. Qh4 (18. Ng5 Qe7 19. Qh4 f5 {[%csl Rc5]} 20. Rd1 Rf7 $1 {, and Black wins an exchange since} 21. b4 $2 a5 $1 {is clearly bad for White.}) 18... Rae8 (18... Qd6 $5 19. Ng5 h5 20. Qe4 $1 (20. Nxe6 $2 Qxd3 {[%CAl Rd3e3]}) 20... Rae8 21. Nxe6 Rxe6 22. Rd5 Qe7 23. Qf4 Rxe3 $11) 19. Be4 (19. Rd1 $5 $13) 19... Qb6 20. Qh6 $1 f5 21. Ng5 Rf7 $1 22. Bd5 $1 (22. Nxf7 $2 Qxc5 23. Ng5 Re7 $17) 22... Bxd5 23. Rxd5 Qxe3+ 24. Kb1 Rfe7 $11 {As a result of complications, Black has regained the pawn, and the position is roughly balanced.} 25. Rhd1 Qe2 26. h4 $4 {[%mdl 16384] A crazy decision. Black has strong centralisation so such a flank "attack" has no chances of succeeding.} (26. Rd6 $5 Qxc4 27. Rxg6+ hxg6 28. Qxg6+ {with perpetual check would be a logical outcome.}) 26... Ne5 {[%CAl Re5g4]} 27. Nf3 Qe4+ 28. Ka2 (28. Ka1 Ng4 29. Qc1 Ne3 $19) 28... Qxc4+ 29. Ka1 Ng4 30. Qc1 Qxc1+ 31. Rxc1 Kg7 32. h5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Blundering a second pawn but Black is winning anyway, of course.} Nf6 0-1 [Event "WchT 8th"] [Site "Ningbo"] [Date "2011.07.25"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2744"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2011.07.17"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [SourceTitle "CBM 144"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "Azerbaijan"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "AZE"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 {Grischuk played this rare move against Kramnik but didn't get any advantage.} (8. cxd5) (8. dxc5) 8... cxd4 (8... Qa5 9. Nd2 (9. a3 Ne4 10. Bd3 cxd4 11. exd4 Ndf6 12. O-O Nxc3 13. bxc3 Bd7 14. Rb1 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Bc6 $11 {1-0 Shulman,Y (2568)-Saidy,A (2374)/Las Vegas 2001/EXT 2002 (35)}) 9... cxd4 10. exd4 dxc4 11. Nxc4 Qd8 12. Bd3 Nb6 13. O-O Bd7 14. Nxb6 Qxb6 15. d5 Kh8 16. dxe6 {1/2 Grischuk,A (2747)-Kramnik,V (2785)/Kazan 2011/CBM 143/[Marin]}) 9. Rxd4 (9. exd4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Bd3 (11. Bb3 Nbd5 12. Bg5 b6 13. O-O Bb7 14. Ne5 Rc8 15. Qd3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Ne4 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. c4 Rfd8 $11 {1/2 Caoili,A (2309)-Mkrtchian,L (2409)/Bled 2002/EXT 2003 (42)}) 11... Nbd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Ne5 Bb4+ 14. Bd2 Bxd2+ 15. Qxd2 Bg4 16. f3 Bh5 17. O-O Qb6 18. Bf5 Rfe8 19. Rfe1 Bg6 $11 {1/2 Bromberger,S (2491)-Heinzel,O (2401)/Augsburg 2007/CBM 122 Extra (43)}) 9... Qa5 10. Bg3 (10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Ra4 Qc5 12. Rc4 Qa5 13. Ra4 Qc5 $11 14. Bg5 $6 f6 15. Bh4 N7b6 $17 {0-1 Vanderhallen,N (2225)-Baert,A (2194)/Belgium 2007/CBM 120 ext (54)}) 10... Nb6 11. Nd2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nxc4 (12... Nfd5 13. O-O (13. Bd3 $5) 13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bf6 15. Nb3 Qh5 16. Be2 Qg6 17. Bd3 Qh6 18. Re4 Bd7 19. c4 Rac8 20. c5 Nd5 $11 {0-1 Kovacevic,A (2558)-Kovacs,A (2348)/Lechenicher SchachServer 2009/Telechess CBM 139 (38)}) 13. Nxc4 Qa6 14. O-O {White keeps some pressure in the centre so Black should play accurately.} Bd7 (14... Nd5 $5 15. e4 (15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Ne5 Be6 {[%csl Rd4]}) (15. Rxd5 exd5 16. Nxd5 Bd8) 15... Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxa2 (16... f6 17. Qb3 $1) 17. b4 Qa6 18. Rfd1 $44 {Black's extra pawn should enable him to equalise despite White's obvious compensation.}) 15. Rfd1 (15. Bd6 $142 Bxd6 16. Nxd6 Bc6 17. e4 $1 {[%csl Rc6]} Qb6 18. Rfd1 $14 {- game}) 15... Bc6 (15... Nd5 $6 {is dubious now due to} 16. Rxd5 $1 exd5 17. Nxd5 {e.g.} Bd8 18. Bd6 Re8 19. Nb4 Bf5 $1 (19... Qb5 $2 20. Rd5) 20. Qb3 Qb5 21. Rd5 Qd7 22. Bc5 Qe6 23. Nd6 a5 $1 24. Re5 $1 (24. Nxe8 $143 axb4 25. Nd6 Bc2 $1 26. Qc4 b3 $1) 24... axb4 $1 (24... Qxe5 25. Qxf7+ Kh8 26. Nxe8 $18) 25. Rxe6 Bxe6 26. Qxb4 Rxa2 27. f4 Re7 28. Nxb7 $16) 16. Bd6 Bxd6 17. Nxd6 Bd5 $1 ({If now} 17... Nd5 {then} 18. a3 $1 Rad8 (18... Nxc3 19. Qxc3 Bd5 20. Nf5) 19. Nce4 {, and White maintains the pressure.}) 18. Ndb5 Qb6 19. e4 $6 (19. Nxd5 $142 Nxd5 20. Nc3 $11) 19... Bc6 $6 {Missing} (19... Bxe4 $1 20. Rxe4 (20. Nxe4 Nxe4 21. Qxe4 (21. Nc7 Rac8) 21... Qxb5 22. Rb4 Rfd8 $1) 20... Nxe4 21. Qxe4 Rfd8 {, and it is White who must fight for equality.}) 20. Nd6 (20. e5 $5 Nd5 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. Nc7 Rac8 23. Nxd5 Rxc2 (23... exd5 24. Qd2 {[%csl Rd5]}) 24. Nxb6 axb6 25. Rb4 $14 {?}) 20... e5 (20... Rfd8 $5 {[%CAl Yf6e8]}) 21. R4d3 Rad8 22. h3 Rd7 23. Qd2 (23. Na4 $142 $1 Bxa4 24. Qxa4 Rfd8 25. Nc4 $1 Qe6 26. Nxe5 $1 Rxd3 27. Rxd3 {winning a pawn although it is not easy to convert.}) 23... h6 $6 (23... Rfd8 $142 24. Qg5 Bxe4 $1) 24. Nf5 Rfd8 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. exd5 $14 {[%csl Gd5]} Ne4 27. Qe2 $1 (27. Qe3 Nd6 28. Nxd6 Qxe3 29. Rxe3 Rxd6 30. Rxe5 Kf8 $11 {[%CAl Yg7g6,Yf7f6]}) 27... Nd6 28. Nxh6+ {[%mdl 640] This sacrifice is only enough for a draw.} (28. Qxe5 Nxf5 29. Qxf5 Qxb2 $11) (28. Rb3 $1 {was a useful intermediate move to push Black's queen from b6:} Qa5 (28... Qc5 $143 29. Nxh6+ gxh6 30. Rg3+ Kf8 31. Qxe5 Re8 32. Qf6 Re2 33. Qxh6+ Ke7 34. Qh4+ Kf8 35. Rc3 $1 $40) (28... Qc7 29. Nxh6+ gxh6 30. Rg3+ Kf8 31. Qxe5) (28... Qa6 29. Nxh6+ gxh6 30. Rg3+ Kf8 31. Qxe5 Re8 32. Qg7+ Ke7 33. Rc1 $40 Kd8 34. Qf6+ Rde7 (34... Ree7 35. Rg8+ Ne8 36. Rxe8+ Kxe8 37. Qh8#) 35. Rgc3 $18 {[%CAl Rc3c6]}) 29. Nxh6+ $1 (29. Nxd6 Rxd6 30. Ra3 Qc5 31. Qxe5 Rxd5 32. Rxd5 Rxd5 33. Qe8+ Kh7 34. Qxf7 Rf5 35. Qxb7 Qxf2+ 36. Kh2 Qf4+ 37. Rg3 Rg5 38. Qf3 Qb8 {should be a draw}) 29... gxh6 30. Rg3+ Kf8 31. Qxe5 Re8 32. Qf6 $40) 28... gxh6 29. Rg3+ Kf8 30. Qxe5 Re8 31. Qf6 (31. Qg7+ Ke7 32. Rb3 (32. Rc1 Rc7) 32... Qa6 {[%CAl Ye7d8]} 33. Rc1 Kd8 34. Qf6+ Ree7 {, and Black holds on}) (31. Qf4 $6 Ne4) 31... Ne4 $1 {That's the difference! The h6-pawn is protected, and White must give a perpetual.} 32. Qh8+ Ke7 33. Qe5+ Kd8 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Caruana"] [Site "London"] [Date "2018.11.18"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2832"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2018.11.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "GBR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 187"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 {Straight into one of the thematic battlegrounds of the world champions! This is an opening that seems to be very much beloved by Nakamura, Anand, and more recently Caruana himself.} 7. dxc5 (7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 {holds less venom and was the battleground for an encounter between a Topalov second and a Carlsen second... Edouard,R -Hammer,J Drancy 2016}) 7... Bxc5 8. Qc2 (8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 {To be honest, I am a little surprised Carlsen didn't choose this. He tends to like playing against the IQP, and while it might appear that Black can play ...d4, this is a mirage: either there will be some trick yielding an edge (like exd4 followed by Be3) or else White will simply push past with e4. The textbook encounter features a commentator from this match:} Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 a6 15. Rc1 d4 16. g4 Bg6 17. e4 Re8 18. Re1 Rc8 19. Bc4 $1 $14 {Svidler,P-Harikrishna,P Shenzhen 2017}) 8... Nc6 9. a3 {During Norway Chess 2018, when I last looked at this variation, I commented that I did not believe the present move to be White's most critical, but I am now revising this assessment.} Qa5 10. Nd2 {On this move, my only earlier comment was that it "might be an interesting try for an advantage, but that it ultimately fails"- giving 10...Bb4. The challenger, however, did not play that move, indicating that neither player reads the details on chessbase. com!} (10. O-O-O $5 {See my detailed notes on this in Karjakin-Anand, Norway Chess 2018.} Ne4 $1 11. Nxe4 (11. Nb5 a6 12. Nc7 e5 $1 $40 {Originally played by Karjakin, but ultimately used against him by Anand in the above-mentioned encounter.}) 11... dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bxa3 $1 {There follows a forced line.} 13. bxa3 Qxa3+ 14. Kd2 Rd8+ 15. Ke2 Qb2+ 16. Rd2 Rxd2+ 17. Nxd2 e5 18. Bg3 Bg4+ $3 {New and detailed analysis now reveals that White needs to accept first the bishop and then the perpetual check which results after best play.}) ({Of course,} 10. Rd1 {is also possible. It is impossible to annotate the present game without paying attention to what occurred in the 2nd match game, and also more generally one of the defining decisions White faces in such games is the choice between long-castling and playing Rd1.} Re8 $1 (10... Be7 {is more common, but mistaken. In January 2018 I wrote that White has an edge after} 11. Be2 Ne4 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 exd5 14. O-O $14 {and I see no reason to change this verdict.}) (10... Rd8 {was what happened in the 2nd game. I wonder what Fabi has in mind following 11.Nd2 here?} 11. Nd2 $5 (11. Be2 Ne4 12. O-O Nxc3 13. bxc3 h6 14. a4 Ne7 15. Ne5 Bd6 $1 $11 {Carlsen, M-Caruana,F London WC (2) 2018}) 11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 (12. Nxc4 $5 Rxd1+ 13. Qxd1 Qd8 14. Qxd8+ Nxd8 $14 {Caruana might have intended to defend this position, or a similar one, and make the structure into 'his Berlin'. Certainly, with the centre nearly bereft of pawns, it is difficult to turn the engine's '0.4' into something a human would recognise as a clear and lasting plus.}) 12... Be7 13. O-O Qh5 14. Nde4 Rxd1 15. Qxd1 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 e5 $1 $11 {Roiz,M-Khamrakulov,D Tashkent 2011}) 11. Nd2 (11. Be2 e5 $15 {is the point}) 11... e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 13. Qb1 $1 (13. Qc1 Bf5 {is liable to lead to a forced draw.} 14. Bxf6 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ $11 {Carlsen, M-Nakamura,H Douglas 2017}) 13... Bf5 14. Bd3 {White might have had a tiny something in Mamedyarov-Anand, Tata Steel 2018, but this was ultimately neutralised.}) (10. Ra2 $5 {This move is nice and experimental, but after the accurate retreats} Be7 11. b4 Qd8 12. h3 {Black should deviate from a Topalov game and play} d4 $1 $11) 10... Qd8 {Perhaps Caruana is getting some kind of thrill out of playing this kind of thing: personally I don't consider Nd2 anywhere near the size of concession Black needs to extract to merit the 2 tempi. 10.Ra2, on the other hand, would do. The question was asked by a perplexed Anna Rudolf of exactly what Black has gained by these perambulations, as White always seems to win at least one tempo during them.} (10... Bb4 $5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nb3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Qd8 $132 {This continuation was seen in Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Paris 2017, and perhaps slightly biased by the fact that Black won the game, I concluded it was unlikely anyone would play 10.Nd2 for an advantage. To be honest, I still don't know what White would do here.}) (10... Be7 {This move was the majority choice in the 'live commentary' room helmed by GM Judit Polgar, as well as among grandmasters who have reached this position.} 11. Rd1 {is main and now England's fast-rising talent Shreyas Royal opined, completely correctly, that Black has to go ...e5! and let the pawns take care of themselves!} (11. Bg3 $5 {is an interesting idea that may give chances}) 11... e5 12. Bg5 (12. Nb3 Qb6 {gives White an extra tempo, but there is still nothing after} 13. Bg5 d4 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Qd8 $11) 12... d4 $8 13. Nb3 Qd8 14. exd4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Nb5 {Now, in my considered opinion, Black has to know about, and play, the ultra-precise} Bd7 $1 {and only then does he stand equal.}) 11. Nb3 Bb6 (11... Be7 {is maybe just a little bit too easy for White to play, as there isn't any idea of ...d4 left.} 12. cxd5 (12. Rd1 e5 {should again be fine}) 12... Nxd5 13. Rd1 $14) 12. Be2 {Giving up on an opening advantage.} (12. Rd1 {This move springs to mind immediately for anyone with even a passing knowledge of the structure, and doesn't run the risks of castling. A process of logical elimination tells us that Carlsen must have seen, and disliked, the Black idea of} a5 $5 13. Bg5 a4 14. Nd2 d4 $5 $14 {when the battle for loss of frivolous tempi might actually be won by White. Certainly, over the board this could be difficult to assess.}) ({In this position, after} 12. O-O-O Bd7 $1 13. g4 $1 {the incredibly messy complications can be analysed almost to a forced draw.}) 12... Qe7 $11 {One last time: are you SURE you don't want me to have an IQP?} 13. Bg5 (13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 $11 {is nothing though; White's pieces are poorly placed to cope with Black's forthcoming ideas like ...Be6, ...Rac8, ...Rfd8.}) 13... dxc4 {This exchange made sense on the previous turn too, but here it is close to being forced.} 14. Nd2 ({Carlsen thought for some time about} 14. Bxc4 {,clearly wondering whether it was actually such an amazing idea to move the knight another 2 times. A bit of analysis, though, indicates that it is with the direct recapture that White risks becoming worse.} Bd7 15. O-O Ne5 16. Be2 Rfc8 $5 {Here, in a bizarre echo of the 6.Be3 Najdorf, Black is intending to put his opponent in a highly annoying double-pin with ...Ba4.} 17. Nd4 h6 $1 18. Bxf6 gxf6 $5 {and play is for 3 results.}) 14... Ne5 15. O-O (15. Nxc4 $2 Nxc4 16. Bxc4 Qc5 $1 $17 {simply gains the bishop pair for nothing.}) (15. Nce4 $5 {is a meaningful alternative, and Magnus said it was his 'main chance to play dynamically' but, as above, Black doesn't need to tremble in fear at the prospect of being left with doubled f-pawns. Indeed, neither player particularly believed it.} Bd7 16. Nxc4 (16. Qc3 $5 {was the move both players suggested in the press conference.} Nxe4 $1 17. Nxe4 f6 18. Qxe5 fxg5 19. Bxc4 Rac8 20. Bb3 h6 $132 {with a dynamically balanced game.}) 16... Nxc4 17. Bxc4 Rac8 18. O-O Bc6 $11 {The tactical issues faced by each side more or less balance each other out, and the most likely scenario is that all the pieces, save either 1 or 2 pairs of rooks, will be vacuumed off the board quite soon, leaving a draw.}) 15... Bd7 $1 16. Bf4 $1 {White should hurry to take back the pawn, in whichever way he chooses to do that.} (16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. Nde4 {is plausible, but without the engine around we don't actually know whether White will regain the pawn or not.} Bc6 (17... Bc7 $5 18. Bxc4 $1 Bc6 19. Bb5 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 a6 21. Be2 Nxe4 22. Bxe7 Nxc3 23. bxc3 Rfe8 $11 {and both sides play for a win. The position is reminiscent of my game against Gawain Jones in the British Championships 2018.}) 18. Nd6 Rcd8 19. Nce4 (19. Nxc4 Nxc4 20. Bxc4 Qc5 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Bd3 f5 $11 {Now White has to trade off light-squared bishops with some urgency, or else simply stand worse.}) 19... h6 $1 20. Bh4 g5 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Bg3 Bc7 23. Nxc4 Nxc4 $1 24. Bxc7 Rc8 25. Bxc4 Rxc7 $11 {The position is ever so slightly more comfortable for Black, but is still well within the 'equal' band in objective terms.}) (16. Nxc4 Nxc4 17. Bxc4 Qc5 18. Bxf6 Qxc4 19. Rfd1 Bc6 20. Bd4 $1 $11) 16... Ng6 $1 (16... Qc5 {is a hard move to make, because of all White's Ne4/b4 tactical ideas. Nevertheless, the computer sees it as best, and then obliges White to take the pawn back immediately:} 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. Nxc4 Qc7 19. b4 $5 (19. Rac1 Bc5 20. b4 Be7 $11 {is an equal position where Black might stand better after a few moves}) 19... Rac8 20. Rac1 Rfd8 21. Nxb6 Qxb6 22. Rfd1 $11) 17. Bg3 $1 {With their last moves, both players have shown that they appreciate the full value of the bishop pair in this position- even where the two flanks are largely distinct from each other and the engine doesn't mind White giving it up.} Bc6 {A correct response from Caruana, who understands that White's dark-squared bishop is better than his own, and takes steps to trade them off.} 18. Nxc4 Bc7 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Rxd8+ {This move smacks of boredom; surely normally Magnus would ask himself whether it's impossible to gain some other minor edge while Black is troubling himself with the exact mechanics of the double-rook trade?} Rxd8 21. Rd1 {Possibly, somewhere at the back of Magnus' mind, there might have been an idea of eventually making an edge like 'slightly better light-squared bishop' or 'slightly better knight' count; however, as it turned out there wasn't a concrete opportunity to play for a win. From this point onwards, the objective evaluation never veered from complete equality, but I have tried to point out marginally more ambitious ideas for each side.} Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1 Nd5 23. Qd4 Nxc3 24. Qxc3 Bxg3 {My own personal feeling about this move was that it gives White unnecessary chances. After all, White's pawn structure is improved and furthermore there's a possibility that Black's kingside could become very cramped indeed. The engine, of course, doesn't think this is a problem.} (24... Bb5 {seemed a lot more normal to me.}) 25. hxg3 Qd7 26. Bd3 {At this point, White decided his plan, which was to make it inconvenient for Black to play ...f6/...e5, and to go for Bxg6, f3, e4 himself.} ({Otherwise there is a chance he might have seen the idea of} 26. f4 {followed by g4-g5 (if allowed) as being more auspicious.}) 26... b6 ({This was Black's chance to play} 26... f6 {but possibly he just found ideas like} 27. Qc2 Kf7 28. Na5 {to be a little annoying.}) 27. f3 Bb7 (27... f6 $5 28. g4 Kf7 29. g5 Bd5 $11 {Black's construction looks a little loose, but there is nothing objectively wrong with it. I would personally think of it as a reasonable choice if Black wanted to retain the possibility of perhaps one day winning the game.}) 28. Bxg6 $5 {This had been coming for a while- White was hardly going to play e4 without it- but I do wonder if maybe it could have been delayed a further move.} (28. g4 Qc7 29. f4 $11 {is quite ambitious.}) 28... hxg6 29. e4 Qc7 $1 {From a human perspective, this looks clearly correct. Black needs to make the queen trade White seeks as inefficient as possible.} (29... f6 30. e5 $1 {has become, practically speaking, a little difficult.}) 30. e5 Qc5+ 31. Kh2 (31. Ne3 Qxc3 32. bxc3 Ba6 $11 {One of the hardest things for a human player to realise in this position (and related ones which we shall come to) is that if Black can come with his king to c6, then in spite of his awful bishop, which possesses a grand total of no targets to aim at, he is the one playing for a win!}) 31... Ba6 (31... f6 $5 {leads to the same thing:} 32. Nd6 Qxc3 33. bxc3 Ba6) 32. Nd6 Qxc3 33. bxc3 f6 34. f4 ({The next note is the move suggested by a friend with whom I was watching the games, live and in person. Around this time, we made a bet (which I won) about the sequence of moves that would finish the game...} 34. Kh3 $6 fxe5 35. Kg4 Kf8 36. Kg5 Bd3 {It is White treading on thin ice here (though the position is still a draw.) It is not clear to me how White regains a pawn without suffocating his own knight, and g2 is also weak.}) 34... Kf8 35. Kg1 Ke7 36. Kf2 Kd7 {With Black's king active, it is difficult to be ambitious.} 37. Ke3 Bf1 ({I did wonder whether Black could play for a win:} 37... fxe5 $5 38. fxe5 Kc6 39. c4 Kc5 40. Kd3 b5 41. Ne4+ Kc6 {Now White has a choice of ways to draw, which differ only in the multiplicity of the choice that he has thereafter.} 42. Kd4 $1 (42. cxb5+ Bxb5+ 43. Kd4 Be2 (43... Bf1) 44. Nc5 Bg4 $11 {Both sides have fortresses, despite the World Champion's skepticism about the concept, but it is still easier for White to go wrong.}) 42... bxc4 43. g4 c3 44. Nxc3 g5 45. g3 Bf1 46. Ne4 Be2 47. Nxg5 Bxg4 48. a4 $11) 38. Kf2 Ba6 39. Ke3 Bf1 40. Kf2 {Here Caruana claimed a draw, by the approved method.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sigeman & Co 10th"] [Site "Malmo"] [Date "2002.06.13"] [Round "8"] [White "Epishin, Vladimir"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2606"] [BlackElo "2673"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2002.06.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "SWE"] [EventCategory "13"] [SourceTitle "CBM 090"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.09.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.09.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Dautov. McShane} e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 {The most usual continuation. But recently especially due to Lputian and Vaganian another move has become popular:} (6... Nbd7 $5 {Black's idea is to play c5 and retake more actively with the ?, this works well after most neutral moves.} {The space advantage also doesn't promise White anything concrete:} 7. c5 (7. Bd3 {or}) (7. Be2 {allows Black to win a tempo with} dxc4 ({deserving attention is also} 7... c5 $5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. O-O a6 $1 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. Nd4 Bf6 13. Bf3 Ne6 14. Nxe6 Bxe6 15. Qb3 Qd7 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Rac1 Rac8 18. h3 Rc6 19. Rxc6 Qxc6 20. Rd2 Qc1+ 21. Rd1 Qxb2 22. Qxb2 Bxb2 23. Rb1 Bf6 24. Rxb7 g5 25. Bc7 Rd7 26. Rb8+ Kg7 27. Bb6 d4 28. exd4 Bxa2 29. Ra8 $11 {½,Tregubov,P-Karpov,A/Cap d'Agde/2000/}) 8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. O-O b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. h3 (14. Nd4 Rfc8 15. Bg3 Nf8 16. Bd3 Bb4 17. Na2 Bd6 18. e4 Bxg3 19. hxg3 N6d7 20. Qe3 Ne5 21. Be2 Nfd7 $11 {Epishin,V-Vaganian,R/BL 0102/2001/}) 14... Rfc8 15. Rac1 Bb4 $5 (15... Nf8 16. Ne5 Ng6 17. Nxg6 hxg6 18. Be5 Nh5 19. Bh2 Qg5 20. Qg4 Qxg4 21. hxg4 Nf6 22. Be2 Kf8 23. g5 Nd5 24. Nxd5 Bxd5 25. a5 $1 $36 {Gurevich,M-Vaganian,R/FIDE WCh Moscow/2001/}) 16. Na2 Bc5 $11) 7... c6 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. O-O Qc8 12. h3 Qb7 13. Qc2 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Ra7 $1 15. Rab1 axb4 16. axb4 Rfa8 17. Nd2 Ra3 18. Qc2 {Lautier,J-Lutz,C/EU-chT Leon/2001/} Bd8 $1 {??c7= Lautier}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 {The key position in this line, White's next move will decide the character of the game.} 9. b4 $5 {'?!' McShane. '?' Dautov. McShane: 'This move has been played numerous times before, and Black normally just retreats the bishop. Short tries an interesting sacrifice, which puts the status of 9.b4 in doubt.' Dautov: 'Die Turnierpraxis liefert uns den besten Beweis für die extreme Gefährlichkeit des folgenden Springeropfers. Ohne eine klare Widerlegung dessen sollte Weiß lieber die anderen Optionen wählen.'} ({Sharp, but balanced is} 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 $5 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rhg1+ Kh8 18. e4 b5 19. Bd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 b4 21. axb4 Qa1+ 22. Kd2 Qa6 23. Qc6 Rd8 $1 24. Kc3 (24. Qxa8 $2 Qc4 $19) 24... Bb7 25. Qxa6 Bxa6 26. Rd4 Rac8+ 27. Kd2 Bb7 28. Rc1 $11 {Anand,V-Kramnik,V/Advanced Chess Leon/2002/}) ({On the other hand} 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 Re8 15. Rc1 a6 {leads to very sedate positions. Although now White can win a pawn with} 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. b5 Rxa3 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Rxc6 Ra7 $5 20. Rd6 Rd7 21. Qxd5 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rxd6 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Bxd6 $11 {/? he will hardly be able to win this ?. Epishin wants to achieve a similar position, but plays b4 at a moment when the retreat to b6 is not ideal. However, due to Short's sharp reaction such positional considerations will soon be redundant.}) (9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 $1 $11 {is harmless.}) ({Another sideline is} 9. Rc1 {Black's best reaction is probably} a6 $5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Ba7 12. O-O d4 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. Be3 Qh4 16. Bxa7 Rxa7 17. Qa4 Qxa4 18. Nxa4 Be6 19. Be2 Re8 20. Rfe1 Kf8 21. h3 b5 22. Nc5 Bd5 {½,Ivanchuk,V-Kramnik,V/Linares/1999/}) 9... Nxb4 $5 {[%mdl 512] '!' McShane. '!' Dautov. Definitely home preparation, as Epishin has already played 9.b4 a few times in the past. Short completely chnges the character of the position, the sacrifice gives Black excellent practical chances.} ({We have mentioned} 9... Bb6 {is not ideal, White maintains the central tension and some initiative after} 10. Ra2 {or even} (10. Qc2) (10. Bg5 $5 $14)) ({Somewhat better is} 9... Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 {Although the exchange of dark-squared ? favours White, Black still has sufficient ? after} 11. cxd5 (11. Be2 Rd8 $5 $11) 11... exd5 12. Be2 Bg4 13. O-O Rfd8 14. Rc1 a5 15. Nb5 Qe7 16. bxa5 Rxa5 17. Qb3 Ne5 18. Rfd1 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 20. gxf3 h6 21. a4 Ra6 22. Kg2 Qe5 23. Nd4 Re8 24. Qxb7 Rxa4 $11 {Georgiev,K-Short,N/Sarajevo/2000/}) ({But more often than not Black has played} 9... Be7 10. Qb3 $5 (10. cxd5 exd5 $5 11. Be2 Be6 12. Nd4 (12. O-O Nh5 $1 $11) 12... Rc8 13. O-O a5 14. Nxc6 Rxc6 15. Qd4 Ne8 16. Rfd1 Bf6 17. Be5 Bxe5 18. Qxe5 Qf6 19. Qxf6 Nxf6 20. Nb5 Ra8 21. Nd4 Rc3 22. bxa5 Rxa5 23. a4 h6 24. Rdb1 Bd7 $132 {Ribli,Z-Portisch,L/HUN-chT/1999/}) ({Thus White should look for an advantage by trying some of the less tested alternatives as} 10. Ra2 {or})) 10. axb4 Bxb4 11. Qb3 {Natural, White meets the threat with tempo.} (11. Be5 $143 {More dangerous is} Ne4 $142 $1 (11... Nd7 $6 12. Bd4 Re8 {is analogous to one of the examples below, but instead of 13.?b3 White can play better:} (12... f6 13. Qb1 a5 14. Bd3 e5 15. O-O $1 $16 {?}) 13. Qa4 $1 (13. Ra4 $6 a5 14. Qa1 Nb6 15. Bxb6 Qxb6 $44) 13... a5 14. Rb1 {[%CAl Rb1b4] ??b4} Rb8 (14... b5 15. cxb5 Bb7 16. Be2 e5 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. O-O $36) (14... e5 $2 15. Rxb4 exd4 16. Nxd5 $16) 15. Ne5 f6 16. Rxb4 $5 axb4 (16... fxe5 17. Bb6 $1 $18 {retains the extra piece.}) 17. Nxd7 Bxd7 18. Qxb4 b6 19. Nb5 $14 {/?}) 12. Qb3 a5 {?} 13. cxd5 f6 $5 14. Bd4 (14. dxe6 Qe7 15. Bd4 Bxe6 {??fc8?} (15... Rd8 $6 16. Bc4 Rxd4 17. Nxd4 Bxc3+ 18. Ke2 $14)) 14... e5 15. Ke2 $8 {Otherwise Black wins the piece back immediately.} Bf5 $5 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 $44 {[%csl Re2] ??e2}) 11... a5 {McShane: 'The pin is surprisingly awkward after this calm move.'} 12. O-O-O $1 $146 {[%mdl 8] A logical novelty. Although the ? certainly isn't an ideal place for the ?, in the ? he fared even worse: Dautov: 'Eine Neuerung. Der weiße König entgeht der unangenehmen Fesselung, um den anderen Gefahren entgegenzusteuern. Der schwarze Angriff wird sich recht mühelos entwickeln.'} (12. Be5 $6 Nd7 13. Bd4 (13. Rc1 $2 f6 14. Bg3 Nc5 15. Qc2 Ne4 16. Qb2 e5 17. Ke2 Nxc3+ 18. Rxc3 Bg4 19. h3 Bh5 20. Rd3 Qc8 21. Qa2 dxc4 22. e4 Bf7 $19 {Lautier,J-Topalov,V/Monte Carlo blindfold/1999/}) 13... Re8 14. cxd5 e5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bb5 Nc6 $1 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. dxc6 Qd4 19. Rc1 Rxe3+ $1 20. fxe3 Qxe3+ 21. Kd1 Be6 22. Qb2 Rd8+ 23. Nd5+ Kg8 {0-1,Gretarsson,H-Ehlvest,J/Reykjavik op/2002/}) (12. Nd2 d4 $1 13. Ncb1 Ne4 $36 14. Qxb4 axb4 15. Rxa8 e5 16. Bg3 Nc3 17. e4 f5 18. Bxe5 fxe4 19. c5 Nxb1 20. Bc4+ Kh8 $19 {Sulypa,A-Heinis,V/FRA-chT/1999/}) (12. Bd3 $2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 b5 $1 14. Be2 (14. Bxb5 Qb6 $17 {??d5,?e4}) 14... Nd5 15. Be5 a4 16. Qb2 {Van Wely,L-Vaganian,R/Dordrecht 5'/2000/} a3 (16... Qa5 {Dautov} 17. Rc1 a3 $17 {Van Wely,L-Vaganian,R/Dordrecht 2000}) 17. Qb3 Qa5 18. Kd2 f6 19. Bd4 Rd8 $19) (12. Be2 {McShane} Ne4 13. Rc1 Bxc3+ 14. Rxc3 a4 15. Qb4 Nxc3 16. Qxc3 {[%csl Ga4] is hard to assess, but the a-pawn is a definite strength.}) 12... Bd7 {McShane: 'White's king is a long way from safety, so Short takes time to build up an attack.' Dautov: 'Mit der Absicht ?c8 nebst b7-b5.'} 13. Rd4 $2 {This mistake gives Short's attack a strong impulse, as not only it fails to evacuate the ? on time, but also the ? is exposed on d4. Dautov: 'Diese Verteidigung auf der 4. Reihe kann den gewaltigen schwarzen Angriff nicht stoppen. '} ({Intuitively one feels White should try} 13. Kb1 {?cd5 after} Rc8 (13... Qe7 $44 {Dautov}) 14. Rc1 $13 {[%CAl Gc1c8] White fights for the crucial ?c and the position remains unclear.}) (13. Be2 $6 Rc8 14. Kb1 dxc4 $17 {also isn't good, as recapturing on c4 costs a piece.}) ({Possibly} 13. Be5 {(McShane) immediately was more to the point.}) 13... Qe7 $40 {[%CAl Rf8c8][%mdl 128] Black now deploys his forces ideally, the ?f8 comes to c8 and soon the attack will be irresistible.} 14. Be5 (14. Kb1 Rfc8 $17 (14... a4 $5 15. Qb2 Rfc8 $40) 15. Na2 Bc5 16. Rd2 Ne4 $40) (14. cxd5 Rfc8 15. d6 Qe8 16. Rc4 Rxc4 $1 (16... b5 $143 17. Rc7) 17. Bxc4 b5 $17 {/-+} (17... Rc8 $17)) (14. Ne5 Rfc8 15. Kb1 b5 $1 $17 {? is very similar to the game.}) 14... Rfc8 {'?' Dautov.} 15. Kb1 b5 $1 $17 {'!' McShane. McShane: 'Opening more files in front of White's king.'} 16. Nxb5 a4 17. Qa2 (17. Bxf6 {Dautov} gxf6 18. Qc2 (18. Qb2 {Dautov} a3 19. Qa2 Rab8 $19 {?dxc4}) 18... Bxb5 19. Rg4+ Kh8 20. Rh4 f5 21. Qb2+ Kg8 22. cxb5 Ba3 23. Qe5 Rc1+ 24. Ka2 Qc5 $19) 17... Bxb5 $1 {Removes an important defender.} (17... Ne4 $6 18. cxd5 (18. Rd1 $2 dxc4 19. Bxc4 Bxb5 20. Bxb5 Bc3 $19 {je beznadejne}) 18... exd5 (18... Bxb5 $2 19. Rxe4 Qc5 20. Bxb5 Qxb5 21. Ka1 exd5 22. Rg4 $16) 19. Qxd5 Bc6 20. Qc4 $13) 18. Bxf6 $8 (18. cxb5 $2 Ne4 19. Rd1 Bc3 $19) 18... gxf6 {Black needs his ? on the ?} (18... Qxf6 $143 19. cxb5 Bc3 (19... Qg6+ $6 20. Bd3 Qxg2 21. Rg1 Qxf3 22. Rxb4 $14) 20. Rxa4 Qg6+ 21. e4 Rxa4 22. Qxa4 dxe4 23. Qc2 $1 $132 {is less convincing.}) 19. cxb5 Rc3 {[%CAl Rc3b3,Rb3a3] ??b3,?a3} 20. Rd3 (20. Rg4+ Kh8 21. Nd4 Ba3 $1 (21... Ra3 $2 22. Nc6) 22. Ne2 (22. Nc2 Rb3+ 23. Ka1 Qc7 24. Bc4 Qa5 $1 $19) 22... Rb3+ 23. Ka1 Bd6 $1 {[%CAl Rb3a3] and ?a3 can't be met satisfactorily.}) (20. Bd3 Ra3 {??c3} 21. Bxh7+ Kh8 $19) 20... Rac8 {'-+' Dautov. Dautov: 'Die Entscheidung.'} 21. Be2 (21. Rxc3 Rxc3 22. Qxa4 Ra3 {costs White the ?, as after} 23. Qd1 $2 Bc3 24. Kc2 Ra2+ $1 25. Kd3 Qb4 $19 {Black mates.}) (21. Qxa4 Rc1+ 22. Kb2 (22. Ka2 $2 R8c2+ 23. Kb3 Qc5 $19) 22... e5 $1 {paralyses White, his ? can't go to d4 anymore and} (22... Qc5 {Dautov} 23. Nd4 Qc4 $19) 23. Nd2 e4 24. Rxd5 Ba3+ $1 25. Ka2 R8c2+ $19 {loses quickly.}) 21... Ba3 22. Qd2 $2 {Now Black wins by force, necessary was} (22. Rxc3 $8 Rxc3 (22... Qb4+ $2 23. Qb3 $1 axb3 24. Rxc8+ Kg7 25. Rd1 $16) 23. Ka1 $142 (23. Qd2 {But simpler is} Rb3+ (23... Qb4+ 24. Ka1 Qc5 $1 (24... Bc1 25. Rxc1 Ra3+ 26. Qa2 Rxa2+ 27. Kxa2 Qb3+ 28. Ka1 a3 29. Rb1 Qc3+ 30. Ka2 Qc2+ 31. Ka1 Qxe2 32. b6 $11) (24... Bb2+ 25. Qxb2 Ra3+ 26. Kb1 (26. Qxa3 Qxa3+ 27. Kb1 Qb3+ 28. Ka1 {leads to the same position}) 26... Rb3 27. Qxb3 Qxb3+ 28. Ka1 Qc3+ 29. Ka2 Qc2+ 30. Ka1 Qxe2 31. Rb1 Qxf2 32. b6 Qxe3 33. Ka2 $132 {[%csl Gb6] ?b is not an ideal solution.}) 25. Nd4 (25. Rb1 Bc1 $19) (25. b6 Bc1 $19 26. b7 Ra3+ 27. Kb1 Rb3+ $19) 25... e5 (25... Bc1 $6 26. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 27. Kb2 a3+ 28. Ka2 e5 29. Bd3 $1 exd4 30. exd4 {??h6?}) 26. b6 (26. Bd3 Bb4 $1 27. Kb1 exd4 28. exd4 Rb3+ 29. Ka2 Qf8 $19) 26... Bc1 27. b7 Ra3+ 28. Kb1 Qb6+ 29. Kxc1 Ra1+ 30. Kc2 Ra2+ $19 {and Black should win, a nice finish would be} 31. Kc1 Rxd2 32. Kxd2 exd4 33. Ba6 Kg7 $1 34. Ra1 Qb2+ 35. Kd3 Qxa1 36. b8=Q Qd1#) 24. Ka2 Bb4 25. Qc1 Ra3+ {winning the ?, or mating after} 26. Kb1 (26. Kb2 Ba5 $1 27. Qc8+ Kg7 28. Rb1 Qb4+ $19) 26... Bc3 27. Kc2 Qc5 $19) (23. Nd4 $6 Qb4+ 24. Ka1 Rb3 $1 {[%CAl Rb4c3] ??c3} 25. Nxb3 axb3 $19) 23... Bb4 $1 (23... Qb4 $6 24. Rb1 (24. Nd2 $2 Rb3 $1 25. Qc2 Bb2+ 26. Kb1 Bc3+ 27. Nxb3 axb3 28. Qd3 Qa5 $19) 24... Rb3 25. Rxb3 axb3 26. Qd2 Qa4 27. Kb1 Bc1 28. Qc3 $1 b2 29. Nd2 $1 $11) 24. Qxa4 (24. Kb1 Rb3+ $19) 24... Ra3+ 25. Qxa3 Bxa3 $17 {/-+ and Black should gradually win, e.g.,} 26. Rb1 Qa7 $5 27. b6 Qb7 28. Rb5 Be7 {and the ?b6 falls.}) 22... Qb4+ 23. Ka1 Rc1+ 24. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 25. Ka2 (25. Qxc1 Bxc1 {[%CAl Rb4b2] ??b2#}) 25... Qc4+ $1 26. Kxa3 Ra1+ 27. Kb2 Qa2+ 28. Kc3 Qb3+ (28... Qb3+ 29. Kd4 Qc4#) 0-1 [Event "RUS-chT 19th"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2012.04.11"] [Round "3"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2744"] [BlackElo "2729"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2012.04.09"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 148"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "St Petersburg Chess Fed"] [BlackTeam "Khanty Mansyisk Yugra"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Qc2 {The early queen move is nothing special in different openings after 1.d4. In the Queen's Gambit it means the investment of a vital tempo and it gives Black the chance to try pointing out its drawbacks.} c5 6. dxc5 d4 7. Nb5 e5 $1 {Without the witty move 7..e5! the whole black setup would be rather pointless. The defender is ready to sacrifice some material in order to lure White's pieces on to unnatural squares.} (7... Nc6 8. Bf4 O-O 9. O-O-O Bd7 10. Nbxd4 Qa5 11. a3 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Qxc5 13. b4 Qc8 14. e4 a5 15. b5 Qc5 16. e5 Nh5 17. Be3 Qxe5 $15 {1-0 Vera Gonzalez Quevedo,R (2470)-Boensch,U (2530)/Portoroz 1987 (39)}) (7... Bxc5 8. Bf4 Qa5+ (8... e5 9. Bxe5 Bb4+ 10. Nd2 Nc6 11. Bxd4 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 O-O 13. e3 Bxd2+ 14. Qxd2 Ne4 15. Qb4 Qf6 16. Nf3 Bg4 17. Be2 Rad8 18. c5 Rfe8 19. Rd1 $16 {0-1 Galliamova,A (2445)-Geller,E (2515)/Vienna 1993 (30)}) (8... Na6 9. a3 Ng4 10. Qd2 O-O 11. b4 $16 Bb6 12. Bd6 Qf6 13. c5 Bd7 14. Nbxd4 Rfd8 15. h3 e5 16. hxg4 exd4 17. Be5 Qe6 18. cxb6 Bc6 19. Bxd4 $18 {1-0 Miles,A (2565)-Noble,M (2320)/Auckland 1992 (27)}) (8... O-O 9. O-O-O Qa5 10. a3 Nc6 11. b4 Bxb4 12. axb4 Nxb4 13. Bd2 $18 {Eingorn,V-Vaganian,R/URS (ch) 1988}) 9. Bd2 Qb6 10. b4 Be7 11. a3 e5 12. Nxe5 g6 13. c5 Qd8 14. Nd6+ Bxd6 15. cxd6 O-O 16. Rc1 Qxd6 17. Qxc8 Qxe5 18. Qxb7 $16 {0-1 Eingorn,V (2545)-Beliavsky,A (2630)/Minsk 1987 (35)}) 8. e3 {It is quite possible that this important game will trigger the reevaluation of the whole system with the move 5.?c2. The developing idea 8.e3 will not bring White much satisfaction, so it might be necessary to turn the attention towards the more courageous 8.?xe5.} (8. Nxe5 a6 9. Na3 (9. Nd6+ $2 Bxd6 10. cxd6 Qa5+ 11. Qd2 Qxe5 12. Qf4 Qc5 13. e3 Nc6 14. exd4 Nxd4 15. Bd3 Ne6 16. Qg3 Nh5 17. Qf3 Qxd6 $17 {½-½ Zhu Chen (2485)-Zatonskih,A (2522)/Hangzhou 2011 (53)}) (9. Qa4 O-O 10. Nd6 Bxd6 11. cxd6 Qxd6 12. Nd3 Bf5 13. Bf4 Qe6 14. Qa3 Qxc4 {½-½ Bogner,S (2522)-Naumann,A (2528)/Bad Liebenzell 2010}) 9... O-O $1 (9... Bxc5 10. Nd3 Bxa3 11. bxa3 O-O 12. g3 Re8 13. Bg2 Bg4 14. O-O (14. f3 $6 Bf5 15. O-O Nc6 $44) 14... Bxe2 (14... Rxe2 15. Qb3 $16) 15. Re1 Bxd3 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Qxd3 Qe1+ $2 (17... Nc6 18. Rb1 $14 (18. Bf4 $14)) 18. Qf1 Qc3 19. Rb1 $16 {1-0 Dreev,A (2645)-Vaganian,R (2595)/Budapest 1996 (47)}) 10. g3 (10. Nd3 $5 Bf5 $44 {??bd7}) 10... Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxc5 12. Nd3 (12. Nf3 Bf5 13. Qb3 Nc6 14. Bg2 Ne4 15. O-O Rac8 $44) 12... Qc6 13. Rg1 (13. f3 $6 Bxa3 14. bxa3 Re8 $36) 13... Bf5 14. Bg2 Qc8 15. c5 $2 (15. Qb3 Nc6 $44 {?} 16. O-O-O $2 (16. c5 Re8 17. Rc1 Bf8 18. Kf1 (18. Nc4 $2 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Bxc5 $15) 18... Ne4 19. Be1 Qd7 20. Bf3 Bh3+ 21. Bg2 Bf5 22. Bf3 {1-0 Markus,R (2481)-Benkovic,P (2469)/Subotica 2003 (62)}) 16... b5 $1 $40) 15... Nbd7 16. c6 (16. b4 a5 $36) 16... Bxa3 17. bxa3 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxc2 19. cxb7 Qe6 20. bxa8=Q Rxa8 21. Bxa8 Qxe5 22. Bf4 $2 (22. Rc1 d3 23. e3 Ne4 $40) (22. f4 $1 {??f3,?f2}) 22... Qa5+ $17 {0-1 Khalifman,A (2688)-Topalov,V (2739)/Dubai 2002 (32)}) 8... Nc6 {Jakovenko does not see the need to kick the knight from b5 and uses the tempo more usefully.} (8... a6 9. Nd6+ Bxd6 10. cxd6 Qxd6 11. exd4 exd4 12. Bd3 O-O 13. O-O Nc6 14. h3 Nb4 15. Qd1 Rd8 16. Re1 b5 17. Ne5 Bb7 18. Bf4 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 bxc4 20. Qxc4 Qd5 21. Qxd5 Nxd5 22. Bd2 $11 {1-0 Ovsejevitsch,S (2597)-Krivoborodov,E (2499)/Bad Wiessee 2010 (53)}) 9. exd4 exd4 10. Bf4 O-O 11. Bc7 {[%mdl 4] Svidler would badly need some success based on the control of the b8-h2 diagonal. Objectively his situation complicates the vulnerable position of his king.} (11. Nc7 Bxc5 (11... Nh5 12. Bd6 Bxd6 13. cxd6 Qxd6 14. Nxa8 Re8+ 15. Kd1 Bg4 $11) 12. Bd3 (12. Nxa8 $2 Re8+ 13. Kd2 Nb4 14. Qb3 Ne4+ 15. Kc1 Bd6 16. Bd2 Bf5 17. a3 (17. Bxb4 Bf4+ $19) 17... Nxd2 18. Kxd2 Qa5 19. Kd1 Bd7 $19) 12... Nb4 13. Qb1 Rb8 14. O-O Bg4 $15) 11... Qd7 (11... Qe8 12. O-O-O Bxc5 13. Bd6 Bxd6 14. Nxd6 Qe6 15. Nb5 $14) 12. Ne5 (12. Bd6 Bxd6 13. Nxd6 (13. cxd6 Re8+ 14. Kd1 Ne4 $17) 13... b6 14. O-O-O bxc5 $17) (12. O-O-O a6 $17) 12... Qe6 13. O-O-O Ne8 $1 {Jakovenko's modest move indicates, that White has exposed himself to the maximum without really gaining anything tangible.} (13... Nxe5 $2 14. Nxd4 Qa6 15. Bxe5 $16) 14. f4 (14. Re1 a6 15. Nd3 Qf6 16. Bg3 axb5 17. cxb5 Nd8 $17) 14... Qh6 {It would have been nearly unjust to criticise the unpleasant move by the black queen. The second player had to forego the tempting possibility of kicking the opponent away with the immediate blow 14...a6!?} (14... a6 $5 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Nxd4 Qe3+ 17. Qd2 Qxd2+ 18. Rxd2 Nxc7 $17) 15. Nxc6 (15. Qd2 Bxc5 16. Nd3 a6 17. Nxc5 axb5 $17) 15... bxc6 16. Qe4 Bxc5 17. Be5 $2 {The white position was not healthy any more, but the bishop centralisation will lead to utter catastrophe. His opponent's task would have been much more difficult after the clever retreat of the bishop 17.?a5!} (17. Ba5 $1 Bg4 18. Rd2 Bb6 (18... f5 $2 19. Qe5 $14) 19. Bxb6 axb6 20. a3 Rd8 21. Nxd4 Nf6 22. Qe5 Rde8 23. Qg5 (23. Qd6 c5 24. Nc6 Re1+ 25. Kc2 Rfe8 $17) 23... Qxg5 24. fxg5 Re1+ 25. Kc2 Ne4 $17) 17... Bg4 $1 18. b4 (18. Be2 $2 Bxe2 19. Qxe2 cxb5 $19) (18. Rd2 f5 19. Qc2 cxb5 $19) 18... Bxb4 19. Rxd4 f6 {A very rare situation as White is only seldom burdened with so many exposed pieces in the centre that are under fire.} (19... f5 20. Qc2 (20. Qb1 Bc5 $19) 20... Bc5 21. Rd3 cxb5 22. cxb5 Bb6 $19) 20. Bd6 (20. Qxc6 Rc8 21. Qa6 (21. Qd5+ Rf7 22. Bd6 Nxd6 23. Nxd6 Bxd6 24. Qxd6 Rd7 $19) 21... fxe5 $19) 20... Nxd6 21. Nxd6 Bxd6 22. Rxd6 Rae8 {The decisive motif turns out to be quite simple. Black will very elegantly prove that his opponent has not managed to complete his piece development. The consequences are usually quite painful...} 23. Qd4 (23. Qd3 Qxf4+ 24. Qd2 Re1+ 25. Kc2 Qe5 $19) (23. Qxc6 Qxf4+ 24. Kc2 Bf5+ 25. Kd1 Rb8 26. Bd3 Bg4+ $19) 23... Re1+ 24. Kc2 (24. Kb2 Rd1 25. Qc5 Qxf4 26. Rxd1 Bxd1 $19) 24... Rd1 $1 25. Qc5 Qxf4 {The charming piece sacrifice decides a briskly played game. Svidler does not lose with the white pieces in 25 moves all that often.} (25... Qxf4 26. Rxd1 Bxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Rd8+ 28. Kc2 (28. Bd3 Rxd3+ 29. Kc2 Qe4 $19) 28... Qd2+ 29. Kb3 Rb8+ 30. Ka4 Qc2+ 31. Ka3 Qb2+ 32. Ka4 a5 $19) 0-1 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2015.09.18"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Granda Zuniga, Julio E"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2667"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2015.09.11"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 169"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O ({M.Marin: The idea of the last move is to avoid exposing the king's bishop to ...?b6 in view of White's intention to meet ...c5 with d4-d5:} 8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. d5 $2 ({of course, White has other options like} 10. O-O) ({or} 10. dxc5 {- MK}) 10... Nb6) 8... a6 (8... c5 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bxc4 {- see Kasimdzhanov-Topalov in CBM 151.}) 9. a4 Nh5 $146 {Hardly a good novelty.} (9... c5 {is quite possible:} 10. d5 $5 {(a relatively new idea but not too dangerous)} (10. Bxc4 cxd4 11. Qxd4 Nb6 12. Bb3 Qxd4 13. Nxd4 Bd7 14. a5 Nbd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bg3 Bf6 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. e4 Nb4 19. Bc7 Rdc8 20. Bb6 Be8 21. Nxe6 fxe6 22. Bxe6+ Kf8 23. Bxc8 Rxc8 $13 {0-1 (42) Tregubov,P (2608)-Fridman,D (2629) Baden-Baden 2013}) (10. dxc5 {is less dangerous for Black than in the position without ...a7-a6 a2-a4 as he has the perfect b4-square at his disposal:} Nxc5 11. Bxc4 Bd7 (11... Nce4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Qc2 Nf6 14. Rfd1 Qa5 {1/2 (43) Smirnov,A (2440)-Solomon,S (2365) Cammeray 2015} 15. Qb3 $14) (11... Qa5 $5 12. Qe2 Bd7 $1 (12... Rd8 13. e4 Bd7 14. Rfb1 Qb4 15. Bd2 Be8 16. e5 Rxd2 17. Nxd2 Nfd7 18. a5 {1-0 (18) Kveinys,A (2512)-Kalvaitis,S (2258) Vilnius 2012}) 13. e4 $140 Bc6 $132) 12. Ne5 (12. Qc2 $5 {[%CAl Rb2b4,Yf3e5,Ye5f3]}) 12... Rc8 13. Nxd7 Ncxd7 14. Be2 Qb6 15. Qb1 Bb4 16. Bf3 Rfe8 17. Bg3 Nc5 $11 {1-0 (72) Atalik,E (2458)-Zatonskih,A (2512) Mamaia 2012}) 10... Nxd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Qxd5 Nf6 (12... Nb6 $2 13. Qxd8 Bxd8 (13... Rxd8 $2 14. Bc7 {, exploiting the insertion of ...a7-a6 a2-a4}) 14. Bd6 Re8 15. Bxc5 $16) 13. Qe5 $5 (13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Bxc4 Nd5 15. Be5 Be6 16. Rfc1 f6 17. Bg3 Kf7 18. Kf1 Nb4 19. Ke2 Bxc4+ 20. Rxc4 b5 21. Rc3 c4 $36 {0-1 (54) Pashikian,A (2618)-Kanmazalp,O (2389) Plovdiv 2012}) (13. Qxc4 Be6 14. Qc2 Qb6 15. a5 Qb3 16. Qxb3 Bxb3 17. Nd2 Be6 18. e4 Rad8 19. Rfc1 {1/2 (56) Vachier Lagrave,M (2722)-Jakovenko,D (2734) Loo 2013} Rd4 20. f3 Rfd8 $132) 13... Re8 (13... Ng4 14. Qc3 Be6 15. Bxc4 Bf6 16. Qb3 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 Qe7 18. Rad1 $14 {1/2 (34) Gupta,A (2606)-Neverov,V (2519) New Delhi 2014}) (13... Qe8 14. Bxc4 Bd7 15. a5 Bc6 16. b3 Ne4 17. Qb2 Nd6 18. Bd3 Bb5 19. Rfd1 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 Nb5 21. Rad1 Rd8 22. Qc2 $14 {1/2 (67) Gelfand,B (2748)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2706) Baku 2014 CBM 163 [Marin,M]}) (13... Bd7 {(recommended by M.Marin)} 14. Rfd1 Qe8 15. Nd2 $5) (13... Be6 $5 14. Ng5 Bd7 15. Bxc4 {1-0 (48) Gonzalez Garcia,J (2497)-Capo Vidal,U (2319) Mexico City 2012} Bc6 $13) 14. Bxc4 Bf8 15. Qc3 Be6 16. Rfd1 (16. Bxe6 Rxe6 17. Rfd1 Qe7) 16... Qe7 17. Bxe6 Qxe6 18. Ng5 Qc6 19. Qc4 Re7 20. Rd6 Qe8 $13 {[%CAl Rh7h6]} 21. Qc2 $2 Rxe3 $1 $17 {1/2 (67) Grandelius,N (2628)-Kravtsiv,M (2599) Abu Dhabi UAE 2015}) ({Other options:} 9... Bd6 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 b6 12. Bxc4 (12. Nd2 $5 {[%CAl Yd2c4]}) 12... Bb7 13. Qe2 c5 14. d5 exd5 15. Nxd5 g5 $1 16. Bg3 Bxg3 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. hxg3 Rfd8 19. Rad1 Kg7 20. Bd5 Bxd5 21. Rxd5 Nf8 22. Rfd1 Ne6 23. e4 $14 {1/2 (33) So,W (2755)-Zhou,J (2580) Las Vegas 2014}) (9... b6 $5 10. Nd2 ({with Black's bishop on e7 and not on d6,} 10. Bxc4 Bb7 11. Qe2 {looks more sensful}) 10... Bb7 11. Nxc4 Nd5 12. Bg3 N7f6 13. Qb3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Ne4 15. Bf4 g5 16. Be5 f6 17. Bg3 Qd5 18. f3 Nxg3 19. hxg3 b5 20. Na5 Qxb3 21. Nxb3 Bc6 $11 {1/2 (180) Gupta,A (2662)-Vaibhav,S (2494) Kolkata 2012}) (9... Nd5 10. Bxc4 (10. Bg3 b6 11. Bxc4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Bb7 13. Bd3 Bd6 14. Qc2 h6 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Be4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Nf6 18. Qd3 Bxg3 19. hxg3 c5 $11 {1/2 (65) Navara,D (2734)-Ivanchuk,V (2726) Berlin GER 2015}) 10... Nxf4 11. exf4 {- game}) 10. Bxc4 Nxf4 11. exf4 {[%mdl 32] This is a typical position in which White has a damaged pawn structure but controls the e-file and the e5-square; moreover, undermining with f4-f5 becomes a potential threat. Practice, since the classic games Alekhine - Rubinstein and Rubinstein - Canal, has proven that Black's task is not easy.} c6 (11... c5 12. d5 Nb6 13. Ba2 {keeping pressure.}) 12. Qe2 Qa5 13. Bb3 Rd8 14. Rfd1 g6 {Eliminating the f4-f5 threat but inviting h2-h4-h5.} 15. Ne4 Nf6 16. Neg5 Nd5 17. g3 Bd7 18. h4 $1 {[%mdl 128]} h5 $6 {The weakening of dark squares boosts White's attack.} (18... f6 {is realatively better but doesn't solve Black's problems after} 19. Ne4 {[%CAl Yh4h5]} ({but not} 19. Nxe6 $2 Re8)) 19. Ne5 Be8 20. Qf3 Bf8 21. g4 $5 hxg4 22. Nxg4 Bg7 $6 (22... Be7 $5 {was more stubborn but hardly helpful, too, after} 23. Ne5 {[%CAl Yh4h5]} ({rather than} 23. h5 Nxf4) {e.g.} 23... Nf6 24. f5 gxf5 25. Nxe6 fxe6 26. Qxf5) 23. h5 $1 gxh5 24. Ne5 {Black is helpless. If necessary, White's rook will join his attack via d3.} Nf6 25. f5 $1 Rxd4 26. Rxd4 $2 {After this obvious but wrong move the position becomes less clear although White keeps an attack.} (26. fxe6 $1 Qxe5 27. exf7+ Bxf7 28. Nxf7 Qf4 $1 29. Ne5+ Kh7 30. Rxd4 Qxe5 $8 31. Rad1 $18) 26... Qxe5 27. Rad1 Nd5 (27... Kf8 28. Rf4 $1 Bh6 29. Qg3 $36) 28. Bc2 exf5 (28... Bh6 $5 {forcing} 29. Nh3 (29. Qxh5 Qg7)) 29. Qxh5 Nf4 $2 {This nervous move helps White to break through.} (29... Qf6 $142 $1 30. Qh7+ (30. Bb3 Qg6 31. Qxg6 fxg6 {with good drawing chances in the endgame.}) 30... Kf8 31. Qh4 Kg8 32. R4d3 Bd7 33. Rg3 Re8 {tenaciously defending.}) 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Nf3 $1 Qe2 $2 (31... Qc7 $8 {although after} 32. R4d2 {Black's position is very bad.}) 32. Rxf4 Qxc2 33. Rd2 Qb1+ (33... Qc1+ 34. Kg2 Rd8 35. Rxd8 Qxf4 36. Rxe8+ Kxe8 37. Qxg7 {, and White should win.}) 34. Kg2 c5 35. Rxf5 1-0 [Event "Mundial FIDE 2024"] [Site "Singapore"] [Date "2024.12.07"] [Round "10"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Gukesh D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "GM Rafael Leitao e outros"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [EventCountry "SIN"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,72,21,17,29,27,17,17,29,34,59,38,22,15,50,41,38,38,38,42,38,19,77,67,72,45,45,28,28,26,26,26,34,20,31,31,39,27,27,20,13,9,23,0,0,0,-1,9,11,13,6,6,12,9,12,11,12,9,12,12,9,9,9,1,5,0,9,2,9,9,8,2,9,8,8] há muito o que escrever sobre esta partida. Ding parece ter ficado sem ideias com as peças brancas. Ambos os jogadores estavam ansiosos pela oportunidade de ter um dia extra de descanso.} 1. d4 {Lichess/Stockfish17} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 c5 5. Be2 {5.c3 foi jogado na sexta partida do match. 5.Cbd2 é muito popular.} Bd6 (5... Qb6 {Leva a um jogo mais agudo caso as Brancas decidam sacrificar o peão de b2. Ele também pode simplesmente jogar 6.b3.}) (5... Nc6 6. O-O Bd6 7. dxc5 {provavelmente se transporá para a partida.}) 6. dxc5 (6. Bxd6 Qxd6 {não oferece muito para as Brancas.}) 6... Bxc5 (6... Bxf4 {também é possível:} 7. exf4 Qa5+ 8. c3 Qxc5 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. O-O {Aqui, as Brancas tentarão demonstrar alguma iniciativa graças ao bom controle das casas escuras. O peão de f4 é útil, controlando e5. Em algum momento, as Brancas podem considerar avançar esse peão para f5 e, se as Negras impedirem isso com g7-g6, mais casas escuras serão enfraquecidas. Claro, a vantagem, se existir, é muito pequena.}) 7. c4 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nc3 {A abertura se transpôs para uma posição que normalmente ocorre na ordem de lances do Gambito da Dama Recusado.} dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 $5 {O quinto lance mais popular nesta posição, jogado apenas em um punhado de partidas. As Negras se preparam para capturar o bispo, aproveitando o fato de que as Brancas não tiveram tempo de jogar o profilático h2-h3. Crowther,Mark: 'Played after some thought.'} (10... a6 {é jogado com mais frequência. A ideia é impedir Cc3-b5 e preparar b7-b5.}) (10... Qxd1 {Lichess/Stockfish17 Crowther,Mark: 'can hardly be bad.'} 11. Rfxd1 Rd8 (11... b6 12. Ng5 Be7 13. Nge4 Rd8 14. Bb5 Bb7 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Bxd6 Rac8 17. f3 a6 18. Be2 b5 19. Kf2 e5 20. Rac1 (20. b4 Ne8 21. Bc5 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Ra1 Rd2 24. a4 bxa4 25. Nxa4) 20... h6 21. h4 (21. b4) 21... Ne8 22. Bc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nd8 24. a4 Ne6 25. Ba3 {Rapport,R (2700)-Aronian,L (2797) Caleta 2018 CBM 183 [Gupta,Abhijeet] 0-1 (47)}) 12. Ne5 Bd7 13. Nxd7 Rxd7) (10... h6 11. a3 Qe7 12. Qe2 e5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. Qc2 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Rac8 16. Bh4 g5 17. Qg6+ Kh8 18. Qxh6+ Nh7 19. Bg3 f5 20. b4 Bb6 21. Nd5 Qe8 22. Rac1 f4 23. exf4 exf4 24. Rfe1 Ne5 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Rxe8 Rcxe8 27. Nxb6 fxg3 28. hxg3 Nxc1 29. Nd5 Nd3 30. Qh5 Kg7 31. Ne3 Ne5 32. f4 gxf4 33. gxf4 Ng6 34. f5 Ne5 35. Kf1 Nf6 36. Qh4 Rh8 37. Qg3+ Kf7 38. Qg2 Rhg8 39. Qxb7+ Re7 40. Qa6 {1-0 Tang,A (2524)-Kantor,G (2537) Julius Baer GenCup Pl/In Chess.com INT rapid 2024 (4)}) 11. Bg5 {Uma continuação natural, mas as Brancas têm outras tentativas. David Howell - CB: 'N' Crowther,Mark: 'Ding in turn fell into thought.'} (11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Bc7 {Isso foi jogado em uma partida por duas lendas. As Negras não têm muitos problemas depois de} Rd7 13. Be5 Nf6 {embora ele tenha tido que sofrer para alcançar o empate: Portisch-Vaganian, Reggio Emilia 1991.} (13... a6 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Rac1 Nf6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rfd1 Kf8 19. Nd2 Ke7 20. Be2 Rd6 21. Ne4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Nb4 23. Nc3 Bd7 24. Rd4 Nc6 25. Rh4 Rh8 {Krstulovic,A (2375)-Geher,K (2295) Budapest 2021 1-0 (56)}) 14. Bg3 a6 15. Rac1 Ba7 16. Be2 h6 17. h3 Kf8 18. a3 Rd8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Bd7 21. Bf3 Bc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Na4 Rac8 24. Rc4 Rd5 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Rfc1 Ra5 27. Nc5 Ke7 28. Nd3 Kd6 29. R1c2 Rb5 30. Nb4 Rb6 31. Kf1 a5 32. Nd3 Rb5 33. Ke2 Rg5 34. g3 Rh5 35. h4 Rb5 36. Nc1 f5 37. Na2 Rc5 38. Rd2+ Rd5 39. Nc3 Rxd2+ 40. Kxd2 Rg8 41. Kd3 Bb6 42. Na4 {½-½ Portisch,L (2590)-Vaganian,R (2585) Reggio Emilia Top15 33rd 1991}) (11. Ne4 {é interessante:} Nxf4 (11... Be7 12. Bd6 {é ligeiramente melhor para as Brancas.}) 12. Nxc5 (12. Qxd8 {nunca foi tentado, mas provavelmente é a melhor maneira de lutar por uma vantagem.} Rxd8 13. Nxc5 Nd5 (13... b6 $5 14. Rfd1 {Lichess/Stockfish17} bxc5 15. Rxd8+ Nxd8) 14. Rfd1 b6 15. Ne4 {As Brancas podem continuar tentando vencer este final ligeiramente mais confortável.} (15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Nb3 Bg4 17. Rdc1 Rac8 18. Nfd4 Ne5 {As Negras não terão problemas para alcançar o empate.})) 12... Qe7 $1 (12... Ng6 $6 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Rfd1 {levou a uma vantagem para as Brancas em Sedlak-Kovacevic, BIH-chT Neum 2024.} Kf8 15. Bb5 Nge7 16. Ne5 Rd5 17. Bxc6 Nxc6 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Rdc1 Ke7 20. Rc2 Bd7 21. f3 Be8 22. e4 Rd4 23. Kf2 Rad8 24. Ke3 e5 25. Nb7 Rb8 {Sedlak,N (2401)-Kovacevic,A (2479) Neum BIH 2024 1-0 (41)}) 13. exf4 Qxc5 {com uma posição quase igual.}) 11... Be7 (11... Qxd1 {é uma alternativa:} 12. Rfxd1 h6 13. Ne4 Bb6 14. Bh4 g5 {A partida pode se complicar agora após} 15. g4 $5 (15. Bg3 {é sólido, e a partida está igual após} Nxg3 16. hxg3 Rd8) 15... f5 $1 16. Nd6 {O único lance.} fxg4 17. Nxc8 gxf3 18. Nxb6 axb6 19. Bxe6+ Kg7 20. Bg3 Nxg3 21. hxg3 Ne5 {Essa sequência estranha terminou em uma posição igual.}) 12. Ne4 (12. Qxd8 {é outra opção. As Brancas geralmente conseguem uma pequena vantagem em uma posição que as Negras deveriam segurar. Isso acontece novamente nesta linha: David Howell - CB: 'simplifies'} Rxd8 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. g4 $5 (14. Rfd1 Bd7 15. Ne5 Nf6 {é igual.}) 14... Nf6 15. g5 $1 Ne8 (15... Nfd5 {é ruim devido a} 16. Rfd1) 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Ne5 Bc6 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19. Bb5 Kf8 20. Bxc6 bxc6) 12... Nf6 {Crowther,Mark: '[#]'} 13. Nxf6+ {Crowther,Mark: 'N'} (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qc2 {foi tentado em uma partida de GM:} Be7 15. Rfd1 Bd7 $1 (15... Qa5 $6 16. a3 {e as Brancas tiveram chances de jogar por uma vantagem em Melkumyan-Saric, Bad Wiessee 2016.} Rd8 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Rd1 Qc7 19. Neg5 g6 20. Qd3 Ne5 21. Nxe5 Qxe5 22. h4 Qxb2 23. Qe4 Qf6 24. a4 Qf5 25. Qd4 b6 26. g4 Qc5 27. Qf4 Bxg5 28. hxg5 Qf8 29. Qc7 Qc5 30. Rd8+ Kg7 31. Qf4 f5 32. gxf6+ Kf7 33. Rh8 {1-0 Melkumyan,H (2653)-Saric,A (2540) Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 20th Bad Wiessee 2016 (6)}) 16. Neg5 Bxg5 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. Rxd7 Rac8 {e as Negras estão segurando.}) 13... Bxf6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Bxf6 {Ao trocar tudo, Ding deixa claro que está satisfeito com o empate.} gxf6 16. Rfd1 {Crowther,Mark: 'It's already hard to imagine anything other than a draw.'} Bd7 17. Rac1 Be8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Kf1 {Ninguém tinha dúvidas sobre o resultado da partida neste ponto. Os jogadores só precisavam chegar ao lance 40 (ou perto disso).} Kg7 20. a3 f5 21. Ke1 Kf6 22. Be2 Ne7 23. g3 Rc8 24. Rxc8 Nxc8 {David Howell - CB: 'Endgame. KBN-KBN'} 25. Nd2 Nd6 26. Nc4 Nxc4 27. Bxc4 {David Howell - CB: 'KB-KB'} Bc6 28. f4 b6 {David Howell - CB: 'The position is equal.'} 29. Kd2 Ke7 30. Kc3 Kd6 31. b4 (31. Kd4 {Lichess/Stockfish17} Bf3 32. Bb5 h6 33. Bd3 Bg4 34. Kc3 Kc5 35. Ba6 Bd1) 31... f6 32. Kd4 h6 33. Bb3 Bb7 34. Bc4 Bc6 35. Bb3 Bb7 36. Bc4 Bc6 {[%eval 9808,0] Lichess/Stockfish17: 'PRECISÃO LICHESS/STOCKFISH17: BRANCAS 99% PRETAS 99% PRECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 98.7 PRETAS' David Howell - CB: 'An even fight not without its subleties. Weighted Error Value: White=0.05 (flawless) /Black=0.01 (flawless) . Inaccurate: White=1 --- OK: White=10 Black=12' Crowther,Mark: '1/2-1/2 wins.'} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Vienna Millenium"] [Site "Vienna"] [Date "1996.08.10"] [Round "2"] [White "Ehlvest, Jaan"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2660"] [BlackElo "2665"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "1996.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AUT"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 055"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Qc2 dxc4 6. e4 (6. e3 a6 (6... c5 7. dxc5 Qa5 8. Bxc4 Qxc5 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O a6 11. a3 b5 12. b4 Qb6 13. a4 Bb7 14. axb5 axb5 15. Rxa8 Bxa8 16. Nxb5 Na6 17. Bb2 Be4 18. Qb3 Bd5 19. Qc2 Nxb4 {½-½ Kolev,At-Georgiev,Ki/Budapest zt-A (02)/1993/ (25)}) 7. a4 c5 (7... Nbd7 8. Bxc4 c5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O b6 11. Ne4 Bb7 $5 (11... Be7 12. Rd1 {×d6}) 12. Nxc5 Nxc5 13. b4 Ncd7 14. Bb2 O-O 15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Qd2 Rfc8 17. Rac1 Rc7 18. Be2 Rac8 19. Rxc7 Rxc7 20. Qd4 {Miles,A-Ubilava,E/Roma/1990/1-0 (51)}) 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Bxc4 Qc7 (9... Nc6 10. O-O O-O 11. Rd1 Qe7 12. Ne4 Nb4 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. Qe4 Qf5 15. Qxf5 exf5 16. Bd2 b6 17. Ne5 Be6 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Nd7 Rfd8 20. Nxb6 Rab8 21. Nc4 Nd5 22. Kf1 Rdc8 23. Rac1 {Miles,A-Dutreeuw,M/Forli op (09)/1991/1-0 (57)}) 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 Nd7 12. Bd2 Nf6 13. Qh4 Bd7 14. Rc1 Qd6 15. O-O Bxa4 16. Bxe6 Bc6 17. Bxf7+ Kxf7 18. Qc4+ Bd5 19. Qxc5 Qxc5 20. Rxc5 Rhc8 21. Rfc1 Rxc5 22. Rxc5 Bxf3 23. Rc7+ Ke6 24. gxf3 Rd8 {Miles,A-Vaganian,R/Wijk/1989/1-0 (45)}) 6... Nc6 (6... a6 7. e5 Nfd7 8. Bxc4 c5 9. d5 b5 10. dxe6 bxc4 11. exd7+ Qxd7 12. Qe4 Bb7 13. Qxc4 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nc6 15. Be3 O-O 16. Rd1 Qf5 17. Qe4 Qxe4 18. fxe4 Rfb8 19. Bc1 Nxe5 20. Nd5 Bg5 {½-½ Aseev,K-Kruppa,Y/Frunze/1988/ (24)}) 7. e5 (7. Bxc4 $6 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Qxd4 9. Nb5 Qe5 10. g3 O-O 11. Bf4 Qc5 $15) 7... Nb4 8. Qb1 Nfd5 (8... Nd7 9. Bxc4 c5 10. dxc5 Qc7 11. a3 $6 Qxc5 12. Bb3 $6 Nc6 13. Bf4 Ndxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Qe4 Nd7 16. O-O O-O 17. Rac1 Nf6 $2 (17... Qb6 18. Bc2 Nf6 $15) 18. Qf3 $44 {Itkis,B-Kruppa,Y/Nikolaev zt/1995/}) 9. Bxc4 Nb6 (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Nd5 11. Bd2 c5 12. O-O cxd4 13. cxd4 O-O 14. Qe4 Bd7 15. h4 Bc6 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Qd7 18. Qg4 Kh8 19. Rfe1 Nb6 20. Bb3 Bd5 {Lazarev,V-Korneev,O/Werfen op (08)/1993/½-½ (74)}) 10. Be2 Bd7 11. O-O Bc6 (11... c5 12. Ne4 $40) 12. a3 N4d5 13. Ne4 a6 $5 (13... O-O 14. Neg5 g6 15. Ne4 $14) 14. Re1 h6 15. Bd2 Qd7 16. Qc2 Bb5 (16... O-O $5) 17. Bd1 $1 (17. Bxb5 axb5 $13) 17... Bc6 18. Rc1 Rd8 19. Qb1 Kf8 $6 (19... O-O $5 20. h4 f5) 20. h4 g6 21. h5 $1 Kg7 (21... gxh5 22. Nh2 h4 23. Qd3 $40) 22. Nh2 Bb5 23. Ng4 g5 $2 {xg6} (23... gxh5 $5 24. Nh2 (24. Ngf6 Nxf6 25. exf6+ Bxf6 26. Nxf6 Kxf6 27. Qe4 Nd5 $13) 24... h4 25. Bb3 $40) 24. Bb3 Rdf8 25. Nef6 $1 Qd8 (25... Nxf6 26. exf6+ Bxf6 27. Bxe6 Qd8 28. Bxf7 Rxf7 29. Qg6+ Kf8 30. Bb4+ Be7 31. Bxe7+ Rxe7 32. Qf6+ $18) (25... Bxf6 26. exf6+ Kg8 27. Re5 Rd8 28. Nxh6+ Rxh6 29. Rxg5+ Kh8 30. Rxd5 Nxd5 31. Bxh6 $18) 26. Bxd5 Nxd5 (26... exd5 27. Bxg5 hxg5 28. h6+ Rxh6 29. Nxh6 Bxf6 30. Nf5+ $18) 27. Nxd5 exd5 28. Bb4 $1 Bxb4 (28... b6 29. Bxe7 Qxe7 30. Ne3 Qd8 31. e6 $18) 29. axb4 Re8 30. e6 Qd6 (30... fxe6 31. Qg6+ Kf8 32. Nxh6 Qe7 33. Rxc7 $1 $18) (30... Rxe6 31. Rxe6 fxe6 32. Qg6+ Kf8 33. Rc3 Be2 34. Nxh6 Qe7 35. Rxc7 Qxc7 36. Qf6+ Ke8 37. Qxh8+ $18) 31. Qf5 Rxe6 32. Rxe6 Qxe6 (32... fxe6 33. Qf6+ Kg8 34. Nxh6+ Rxh6 35. Qxh6 $18) 33. Qxe6 fxe6 34. Rxc7+ Kf8 35. Nf6 (35. Nf6 Bc6 36. Kh2 $22 $18) 1-0 [Event "Mundial FIDE 2024"] [Site "Singapore"] [Date "2024.12.07"] [Round "10"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Gukesh D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "GM Rafael Leitao e outros"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [EventCountry "SIN"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,72,21,17,29,27,17,17,29,34,59,38,22,15,50,41,38,38,38,42,38,19,77,67,72,45,45,28,28,26,26,26,34,20,31,31,39,27,27,20,13,9,23,0,0,0,-1,9,11,13,6,6,12,9,12,11,12,9,12,12,9,9,9,1,5,0,9,2,9,9,8,2,9,8,8] há muito o que escrever sobre esta partida. Ding parece ter ficado sem ideias com as peças brancas. Ambos os jogadores estavam ansiosos pela oportunidade de ter um dia extra de descanso.} 1. d4 {Lichess/Stockfish17} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 c5 5. Be2 {5.c3 foi jogado na sexta partida do match. 5.Cbd2 é muito popular.} Bd6 (5... Qb6 {Leva a um jogo mais agudo caso as Brancas decidam sacrificar o peão de b2. Ele também pode simplesmente jogar 6.b3.}) (5... Nc6 6. O-O Bd6 7. dxc5 {provavelmente se transporá para a partida.}) 6. dxc5 (6. Bxd6 Qxd6 {não oferece muito para as Brancas.}) 6... Bxc5 (6... Bxf4 {também é possível:} 7. exf4 Qa5+ 8. c3 Qxc5 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. O-O {Aqui, as Brancas tentarão demonstrar alguma iniciativa graças ao bom controle das casas escuras. O peão de f4 é útil, controlando e5. Em algum momento, as Brancas podem considerar avançar esse peão para f5 e, se as Negras impedirem isso com g7-g6, mais casas escuras serão enfraquecidas. Claro, a vantagem, se existir, é muito pequena.}) 7. c4 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nc3 {A abertura se transpôs para uma posição que normalmente ocorre na ordem de lances do Gambito da Dama Recusado.} dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 $5 {O quinto lance mais popular nesta posição, jogado apenas em um punhado de partidas. As Negras se preparam para capturar o bispo, aproveitando o fato de que as Brancas não tiveram tempo de jogar o profilático h2-h3. Crowther,Mark: 'Played after some thought.'} (10... a6 {é jogado com mais frequência. A ideia é impedir Cc3-b5 e preparar b7-b5.}) (10... Qxd1 {Lichess/Stockfish17 Crowther,Mark: 'can hardly be bad.'} 11. Rfxd1 Rd8 (11... b6 12. Ng5 Be7 13. Nge4 Rd8 14. Bb5 Bb7 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Bxd6 Rac8 17. f3 a6 18. Be2 b5 19. Kf2 e5 20. Rac1 (20. b4 Ne8 21. Bc5 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Ra1 Rd2 24. a4 bxa4 25. Nxa4) 20... h6 21. h4 (21. b4) 21... Ne8 22. Bc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nd8 24. a4 Ne6 25. Ba3 {Rapport,R (2700)-Aronian,L (2797) Caleta 2018 CBM 183 [Gupta,Abhijeet] 0-1 (47)}) 12. Ne5 Bd7 13. Nxd7 Rxd7) (10... h6 11. a3 Qe7 12. Qe2 e5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. Qc2 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Rac8 16. Bh4 g5 17. Qg6+ Kh8 18. Qxh6+ Nh7 19. Bg3 f5 20. b4 Bb6 21. Nd5 Qe8 22. Rac1 f4 23. exf4 exf4 24. Rfe1 Ne5 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Rxe8 Rcxe8 27. Nxb6 fxg3 28. hxg3 Nxc1 29. Nd5 Nd3 30. Qh5 Kg7 31. Ne3 Ne5 32. f4 gxf4 33. gxf4 Ng6 34. f5 Ne5 35. Kf1 Nf6 36. Qh4 Rh8 37. Qg3+ Kf7 38. Qg2 Rhg8 39. Qxb7+ Re7 40. Qa6 {1-0 Tang,A (2524)-Kantor,G (2537) Julius Baer GenCup Pl/In Chess.com INT rapid 2024 (4)}) 11. Bg5 {Uma continuação natural, mas as Brancas têm outras tentativas. David Howell - CB: 'N' Crowther,Mark: 'Ding in turn fell into thought.'} (11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Bc7 {Isso foi jogado em uma partida por duas lendas. As Negras não têm muitos problemas depois de} Rd7 13. Be5 Nf6 {embora ele tenha tido que sofrer para alcançar o empate: Portisch-Vaganian, Reggio Emilia 1991.} (13... a6 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Rac1 Nf6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rfd1 Kf8 19. Nd2 Ke7 20. Be2 Rd6 21. Ne4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Nb4 23. Nc3 Bd7 24. Rd4 Nc6 25. Rh4 Rh8 {Krstulovic,A (2375)-Geher,K (2295) Budapest 2021 1-0 (56)}) 14. Bg3 a6 15. Rac1 Ba7 16. Be2 h6 17. h3 Kf8 18. a3 Rd8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Bd7 21. Bf3 Bc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Na4 Rac8 24. Rc4 Rd5 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Rfc1 Ra5 27. Nc5 Ke7 28. Nd3 Kd6 29. R1c2 Rb5 30. Nb4 Rb6 31. Kf1 a5 32. Nd3 Rb5 33. Ke2 Rg5 34. g3 Rh5 35. h4 Rb5 36. Nc1 f5 37. Na2 Rc5 38. Rd2+ Rd5 39. Nc3 Rxd2+ 40. Kxd2 Rg8 41. Kd3 Bb6 42. Na4 {½-½ Portisch,L (2590)-Vaganian,R (2585) Reggio Emilia Top15 33rd 1991}) (11. Ne4 {é interessante:} Nxf4 (11... Be7 12. Bd6 {é ligeiramente melhor para as Brancas.}) 12. Nxc5 (12. Qxd8 {nunca foi tentado, mas provavelmente é a melhor maneira de lutar por uma vantagem.} Rxd8 13. Nxc5 Nd5 (13... b6 $5 14. Rfd1 {Lichess/Stockfish17} bxc5 15. Rxd8+ Nxd8) 14. Rfd1 b6 15. Ne4 {As Brancas podem continuar tentando vencer este final ligeiramente mais confortável.} (15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Nb3 Bg4 17. Rdc1 Rac8 18. Nfd4 Ne5 {As Negras não terão problemas para alcançar o empate.})) 12... Qe7 $1 (12... Ng6 $6 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Rfd1 {levou a uma vantagem para as Brancas em Sedlak-Kovacevic, BIH-chT Neum 2024.} Kf8 15. Bb5 Nge7 16. Ne5 Rd5 17. Bxc6 Nxc6 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Rdc1 Ke7 20. Rc2 Bd7 21. f3 Be8 22. e4 Rd4 23. Kf2 Rad8 24. Ke3 e5 25. Nb7 Rb8 {Sedlak,N (2401)-Kovacevic,A (2479) Neum BIH 2024 1-0 (41)}) 13. exf4 Qxc5 {com uma posição quase igual.}) 11... Be7 (11... Qxd1 {é uma alternativa:} 12. Rfxd1 h6 13. Ne4 Bb6 14. Bh4 g5 {A partida pode se complicar agora após} 15. g4 $5 (15. Bg3 {é sólido, e a partida está igual após} Nxg3 16. hxg3 Rd8) 15... f5 $1 16. Nd6 {O único lance.} fxg4 17. Nxc8 gxf3 18. Nxb6 axb6 19. Bxe6+ Kg7 20. Bg3 Nxg3 21. hxg3 Ne5 {Essa sequência estranha terminou em uma posição igual.}) 12. Ne4 (12. Qxd8 {é outra opção. As Brancas geralmente conseguem uma pequena vantagem em uma posição que as Negras deveriam segurar. Isso acontece novamente nesta linha: David Howell - CB: 'simplifies'} Rxd8 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. g4 $5 (14. Rfd1 Bd7 15. Ne5 Nf6 {é igual.}) 14... Nf6 15. g5 $1 Ne8 (15... Nfd5 {é ruim devido a} 16. Rfd1) 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Ne5 Bc6 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19. Bb5 Kf8 20. Bxc6 bxc6) 12... Nf6 {Crowther,Mark: '[#]'} 13. Nxf6+ {Crowther,Mark: 'N'} (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qc2 {foi tentado em uma partida de GM:} Be7 15. Rfd1 Bd7 $1 (15... Qa5 $6 16. a3 {e as Brancas tiveram chances de jogar por uma vantagem em Melkumyan-Saric, Bad Wiessee 2016.} Rd8 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Rd1 Qc7 19. Neg5 g6 20. Qd3 Ne5 21. Nxe5 Qxe5 22. h4 Qxb2 23. Qe4 Qf6 24. a4 Qf5 25. Qd4 b6 26. g4 Qc5 27. Qf4 Bxg5 28. hxg5 Qf8 29. Qc7 Qc5 30. Rd8+ Kg7 31. Qf4 f5 32. gxf6+ Kf7 33. Rh8 {1-0 Melkumyan,H (2653)-Saric,A (2540) Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 20th Bad Wiessee 2016 (6)}) 16. Neg5 Bxg5 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. Rxd7 Rac8 {e as Negras estão segurando.}) 13... Bxf6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Bxf6 {Ao trocar tudo, Ding deixa claro que está satisfeito com o empate.} gxf6 16. Rfd1 {Crowther,Mark: 'It's already hard to imagine anything other than a draw.'} Bd7 17. Rac1 Be8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Kf1 {Ninguém tinha dúvidas sobre o resultado da partida neste ponto. Os jogadores só precisavam chegar ao lance 40 (ou perto disso).} Kg7 20. a3 f5 21. Ke1 Kf6 22. Be2 Ne7 23. g3 Rc8 24. Rxc8 Nxc8 {David Howell - CB: 'Endgame. KBN-KBN'} 25. Nd2 Nd6 26. Nc4 Nxc4 27. Bxc4 {David Howell - CB: 'KB-KB'} Bc6 28. f4 b6 {David Howell - CB: 'The position is equal.'} 29. Kd2 Ke7 30. Kc3 Kd6 31. b4 (31. Kd4 {Lichess/Stockfish17} Bf3 32. Bb5 h6 33. Bd3 Bg4 34. Kc3 Kc5 35. Ba6 Bd1) 31... f6 32. Kd4 h6 33. Bb3 Bb7 34. Bc4 Bc6 35. Bb3 Bb7 36. Bc4 Bc6 {[%eval 9808,0] Lichess/Stockfish17: 'PRECISÃO LICHESS/STOCKFISH17: BRANCAS 99% PRETAS 99% PRECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 98.7 PRETAS' David Howell - CB: 'An even fight not without its subleties. Weighted Error Value: White=0.05 (flawless) /Black=0.01 (flawless) . Inaccurate: White=1 --- OK: White=10 Black=12' Crowther,Mark: '1/2-1/2 wins.'} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Mundial FIDE 2024"] [Site "Singapore"] [Date "2024.12.07"] [Round "10"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Gukesh D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "GM Rafael Leitao e outros"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [EventCountry "SIN"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {[%evp 0,72,21,17,29,27,17,17,29,34,59,38,22,15,50,41,38,38,38,42,38,19,77,67,72,45,45,28,28,26,26,26,34,20,31,31,39,27,27,20,13,9,23,0,0,0,-1,9,11,13,6,6,12,9,12,11,12,9,12,12,9,9,9,1,5,0,9,2,9,9,8,2,9,8,8] há muito o que escrever sobre esta partida. Ding parece ter ficado sem ideias com as peças brancas. Ambos os jogadores estavam ansiosos pela oportunidade de ter um dia extra de descanso.} 1. d4 {Lichess/Stockfish17} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 c5 5. Be2 {5.c3 foi jogado na sexta partida do match. 5.Cbd2 é muito popular.} Bd6 (5... Qb6 {Leva a um jogo mais agudo caso as Brancas decidam sacrificar o peão de b2. Ele também pode simplesmente jogar 6.b3.}) (5... Nc6 6. O-O Bd6 7. dxc5 {provavelmente se transporá para a partida.}) 6. dxc5 (6. Bxd6 Qxd6 {não oferece muito para as Brancas.}) 6... Bxc5 (6... Bxf4 {também é possível:} 7. exf4 Qa5+ 8. c3 Qxc5 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. O-O {Aqui, as Brancas tentarão demonstrar alguma iniciativa graças ao bom controle das casas escuras. O peão de f4 é útil, controlando e5. Em algum momento, as Brancas podem considerar avançar esse peão para f5 e, se as Negras impedirem isso com g7-g6, mais casas escuras serão enfraquecidas. Claro, a vantagem, se existir, é muito pequena.}) 7. c4 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. Nc3 {A abertura se transpôs para uma posição que normalmente ocorre na ordem de lances do Gambito da Dama Recusado.} dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 $5 {O quinto lance mais popular nesta posição, jogado apenas em um punhado de partidas. As Negras se preparam para capturar o bispo, aproveitando o fato de que as Brancas não tiveram tempo de jogar o profilático h2-h3. Crowther,Mark: 'Played after some thought.'} (10... a6 {é jogado com mais frequência. A ideia é impedir Cc3-b5 e preparar b7-b5.}) (10... Qxd1 {Lichess/Stockfish17 Crowther,Mark: 'can hardly be bad.'} 11. Rfxd1 Rd8 (11... b6 12. Ng5 Be7 13. Nge4 Rd8 14. Bb5 Bb7 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Bxd6 Rac8 17. f3 a6 18. Be2 b5 19. Kf2 e5 20. Rac1 (20. b4 Ne8 21. Bc5 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Ra1 Rd2 24. a4 bxa4 25. Nxa4) 20... h6 21. h4 (21. b4) 21... Ne8 22. Bc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Nd8 24. a4 Ne6 25. Ba3 {Rapport,R (2700)-Aronian,L (2797) Caleta 2018 CBM 183 [Gupta,Abhijeet] 0-1 (47)}) 12. Ne5 Bd7 13. Nxd7 Rxd7) (10... h6 11. a3 Qe7 12. Qe2 e5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. Qc2 Bxf3 15. gxf3 Rac8 16. Bh4 g5 17. Qg6+ Kh8 18. Qxh6+ Nh7 19. Bg3 f5 20. b4 Bb6 21. Nd5 Qe8 22. Rac1 f4 23. exf4 exf4 24. Rfe1 Ne5 25. Bd3 Nxd3 26. Rxe8 Rcxe8 27. Nxb6 fxg3 28. hxg3 Nxc1 29. Nd5 Nd3 30. Qh5 Kg7 31. Ne3 Ne5 32. f4 gxf4 33. gxf4 Ng6 34. f5 Ne5 35. Kf1 Nf6 36. Qh4 Rh8 37. Qg3+ Kf7 38. Qg2 Rhg8 39. Qxb7+ Re7 40. Qa6 {1-0 Tang,A (2524)-Kantor,G (2537) Julius Baer GenCup Pl/In Chess.com INT rapid 2024 (4)}) 11. Bg5 {Uma continuação natural, mas as Brancas têm outras tentativas. David Howell - CB: 'N' Crowther,Mark: 'Ding in turn fell into thought.'} (11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Bc7 {Isso foi jogado em uma partida por duas lendas. As Negras não têm muitos problemas depois de} Rd7 13. Be5 Nf6 {embora ele tenha tido que sofrer para alcançar o empate: Portisch-Vaganian, Reggio Emilia 1991.} (13... a6 14. Ne4 Be7 15. Rac1 Nf6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rfd1 Kf8 19. Nd2 Ke7 20. Be2 Rd6 21. Ne4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Nb4 23. Nc3 Bd7 24. Rd4 Nc6 25. Rh4 Rh8 {Krstulovic,A (2375)-Geher,K (2295) Budapest 2021 1-0 (56)}) 14. Bg3 a6 15. Rac1 Ba7 16. Be2 h6 17. h3 Kf8 18. a3 Rd8 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Bd7 21. Bf3 Bc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Na4 Rac8 24. Rc4 Rd5 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Rfc1 Ra5 27. Nc5 Ke7 28. Nd3 Kd6 29. R1c2 Rb5 30. Nb4 Rb6 31. Kf1 a5 32. Nd3 Rb5 33. Ke2 Rg5 34. g3 Rh5 35. h4 Rb5 36. Nc1 f5 37. Na2 Rc5 38. Rd2+ Rd5 39. Nc3 Rxd2+ 40. Kxd2 Rg8 41. Kd3 Bb6 42. Na4 {½-½ Portisch,L (2590)-Vaganian,R (2585) Reggio Emilia Top15 33rd 1991}) (11. Ne4 {é interessante:} Nxf4 (11... Be7 12. Bd6 {é ligeiramente melhor para as Brancas.}) 12. Nxc5 (12. Qxd8 {nunca foi tentado, mas provavelmente é a melhor maneira de lutar por uma vantagem.} Rxd8 13. Nxc5 Nd5 (13... b6 $5 14. Rfd1 {Lichess/Stockfish17} bxc5 15. Rxd8+ Nxd8) 14. Rfd1 b6 15. Ne4 {As Brancas podem continuar tentando vencer este final ligeiramente mais confortável.} (15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Nb3 Bg4 17. Rdc1 Rac8 18. Nfd4 Ne5 {As Negras não terão problemas para alcançar o empate.})) 12... Qe7 $1 (12... Ng6 $6 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Rfd1 {levou a uma vantagem para as Brancas em Sedlak-Kovacevic, BIH-chT Neum 2024.} Kf8 15. Bb5 Nge7 16. Ne5 Rd5 17. Bxc6 Nxc6 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Rdc1 Ke7 20. Rc2 Bd7 21. f3 Be8 22. e4 Rd4 23. Kf2 Rad8 24. Ke3 e5 25. Nb7 Rb8 {Sedlak,N (2401)-Kovacevic,A (2479) Neum BIH 2024 1-0 (41)}) 13. exf4 Qxc5 {com uma posição quase igual.}) 11... Be7 (11... Qxd1 {é uma alternativa:} 12. Rfxd1 h6 13. Ne4 Bb6 14. Bh4 g5 {A partida pode se complicar agora após} 15. g4 $5 (15. Bg3 {é sólido, e a partida está igual após} Nxg3 16. hxg3 Rd8) 15... f5 $1 16. Nd6 {O único lance.} fxg4 17. Nxc8 gxf3 18. Nxb6 axb6 19. Bxe6+ Kg7 20. Bg3 Nxg3 21. hxg3 Ne5 {Essa sequência estranha terminou em uma posição igual.}) 12. Ne4 (12. Qxd8 {é outra opção. As Brancas geralmente conseguem uma pequena vantagem em uma posição que as Negras deveriam segurar. Isso acontece novamente nesta linha: David Howell - CB: 'simplifies'} Rxd8 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. g4 $5 (14. Rfd1 Bd7 15. Ne5 Nf6 {é igual.}) 14... Nf6 15. g5 $1 Ne8 (15... Nfd5 {é ruim devido a} 16. Rfd1) 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Ne5 Bc6 18. Nxc6 Nxc6 19. Bb5 Kf8 20. Bxc6 bxc6) 12... Nf6 {Crowther,Mark: '[#]'} 13. Nxf6+ {Crowther,Mark: 'N'} (13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Qc2 {foi tentado em uma partida de GM:} Be7 15. Rfd1 Bd7 $1 (15... Qa5 $6 16. a3 {e as Brancas tiveram chances de jogar por uma vantagem em Melkumyan-Saric, Bad Wiessee 2016.} Rd8 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Rd1 Qc7 19. Neg5 g6 20. Qd3 Ne5 21. Nxe5 Qxe5 22. h4 Qxb2 23. Qe4 Qf6 24. a4 Qf5 25. Qd4 b6 26. g4 Qc5 27. Qf4 Bxg5 28. hxg5 Qf8 29. Qc7 Qc5 30. Rd8+ Kg7 31. Qf4 f5 32. gxf6+ Kf7 33. Rh8 {1-0 Melkumyan,H (2653)-Saric,A (2540) Bayern-chI Bank Hofmann 20th Bad Wiessee 2016 (6)}) 16. Neg5 Bxg5 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. Rxd7 Rac8 {e as Negras estão segurando.}) 13... Bxf6 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Bxf6 {Ao trocar tudo, Ding deixa claro que está satisfeito com o empate.} gxf6 16. Rfd1 {Crowther,Mark: 'It's already hard to imagine anything other than a draw.'} Bd7 17. Rac1 Be8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Kf1 {Ninguém tinha dúvidas sobre o resultado da partida neste ponto. Os jogadores só precisavam chegar ao lance 40 (ou perto disso).} Kg7 20. a3 f5 21. Ke1 Kf6 22. Be2 Ne7 23. g3 Rc8 24. Rxc8 Nxc8 {David Howell - CB: 'Endgame. KBN-KBN'} 25. Nd2 Nd6 26. Nc4 Nxc4 27. Bxc4 {David Howell - CB: 'KB-KB'} Bc6 28. f4 b6 {David Howell - CB: 'The position is equal.'} 29. Kd2 Ke7 30. Kc3 Kd6 31. b4 (31. Kd4 {Lichess/Stockfish17} Bf3 32. Bb5 h6 33. Bd3 Bg4 34. Kc3 Kc5 35. Ba6 Bd1) 31... f6 32. Kd4 h6 33. Bb3 Bb7 34. Bc4 Bc6 35. Bb3 Bb7 36. Bc4 Bc6 {[%eval 9808,0] Lichess/Stockfish17: 'PRECISÃO LICHESS/STOCKFISH17: BRANCAS 99% PRETAS 99% PRECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 98.7 PRETAS' David Howell - CB: 'An even fight not without its subleties. Weighted Error Value: White=0.05 (flawless) /Black=0.01 (flawless) . Inaccurate: White=1 --- OK: White=10 Black=12' Crowther,Mark: '1/2-1/2 wins.'} 1/2-1/2 [Event "WchT 10th"] [Site "Tsaghkadzor"] [Date "2015.04.19"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Shankland, Samuel L"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2755"] [BlackElo "2661"] [Annotator "Prathamesh,Sunil Mokal"] [PlyCount "149"] [EventDate "2015.04.19"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "China"] [BlackTeam "US of America"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"] [BlackTeamCountry "USA"] 1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 {This popular variation has been in the news during the last few months due to Vishy Anand's exploits at the highest level. His convincing victiories against Carlsen and Nakamura have left a strong impression on the mind.} O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 (6... c5 {is the other main line.}) 7. c5 Nh5 8. b4 ({Another move order to reach the popular position in the game is} 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 c6 {and so on.}) 8... Nxf4 9. exf4 c6 10. Bd3 b6 11. O-O a5 12. a3 Ba6 13. Bxa6 ({A top level game continued} 13. Na4 Bf6 14. Ne5 Bxe5 15. fxe5 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 axb4 17. axb4 bxc5 18. Nxc5 Nxc5 19. bxc5 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 f6 21. Qe3 fxe5 22. Qxe5 Qf6 $11 {½-½ Aronian,L vs Kramnik, Moscow 2014; and after all the simplifications White's advantage was too slight to bring the full point.}) 13... Rxa6 14. Qe2 Ra8 15. Ne5 $146 (15. g3 Bf6 16. Qc2 Qc8 17. Rfc1 Qa6 18. Rab1 axb4 19. axb4 Qc4 20. Nd2 (20. Qd1 $5) 20... Qa6 21. Nf3 bxc5 22. bxc5 Rfb8 23. Ne2 g6 $11 {1-0 Bryzgalin vs Schroeder, Dresden GER 2013}) 15... Nxe5 16. fxe5 b5 17. Rab1 {An interesting subtlety. Convincingly provoking Black to take ...axb4.} (17. Rfb1 $5 {may not be that effective as a provocation. For example} Qc7 18. a4 axb4 19. Rxb4 bxa4 20. Nxa4 (20. Raxa4 Rxa4 21. Rxa4 (21. Nxa4 Qa5 $11) 21... Rb8 $11) 20... Rfb8 $11 {[%CAl Ga8a1]}) 17... axb4 ({White has a nice idea up his sleeve if Black does not take} 17... Qc7 18. a4 $1 axb4 19. Rxb4 bxa4 20. Nxa4 $14 {[%csl Gb6][%CAl Ga4b6]}) 18. axb4 Qd7 19. Ra1 Ra7 20. Ra2 Rfa8 21. Rfa1 Qb7 22. Qb2 Ra6 23. g3 f5 {It would be interesting to see how the play would have developed without this move.} ({For example} 23... R8a7 24. Rxa6 (24. Kg2 Qa8 25. Rxa6 Rxa6 26. Rxa6 Qxa6 27. Ne2 Qa4 28. Ng1 Qd1 29. Nf3 h6 30. Qa3 Qa4 $11) 24... Rxa6 25. Rxa6 Qxa6 26. f4 g6 27. Qa2 Qxa2 28. Nxa2 g5 29. Nc1 Kf8 30. Nb3 Ke8 (30... Bd8 $4 31. Na5 $18) 31. fxg5 (31. Na5 Kd7 32. Nb7 f5 33. Kg2 (33. fxg5 Bxg5 {[%csl Rb4,Rd4][%CAl Gg5e3,Ge3d2]}) 33... g4 34. h3 h5 35. h4 Bd8 36. Nd6 Be7 37. Nf7 Bd8 38. Ng5 Be7 39. Nh7 Ke8 $11) 31... Bxg5 32. h4 Be3+ 33. Kg2 Kd7 34. Kf3 Bg1 $11 {White has too many pawns fixed on the dark squares.}) 24. exf6 Bxf6 ({It was worth considering to take on a2 first so that the White ?'s route gets predefined.} 24... Rxa2 25. Rxa2 Rxa2 26. Nxa2 (26. Qxa2 Bxf6 27. Ne2 e5 $11) 26... Bxf6 27. Nc1 {[%CAl Gc1b3] Instead of f3 as in the game, the White ? now has to come to b3. But still White has some chances to exert pressure, due to the possibility of a ? move to a5.}) 25. Rxa6 Rxa6 26. Ne2 Qa8 (26... Ra4 $6 {allows White to redirect his ? with} 27. Re1 $1 $14 {[%CAl Ge1e6]} (27. Rxa4 $6 bxa4 $15)) 27. Rxa6 Qxa6 28. Kg2 $1 {[%CAl Ge2g1,Gg1f3] ??g1-f3. White finds a nice way to improve the ?. Black must also beware the famous ?+? combination .} Qa8 ({Black cannot prevent the ? manoeuvre. For example} 28... g5 29. Ng1 g4 $2 30. Qe2 $18 {[%csl Re6,Rg4]}) 29. Ng1 $1 (29. Nf4 {allows Black to achieve the only respectable counterplay left for him} Qe8 {[%CAl Ge6e5] ?...e5.} 30. Qa1 (30. Qe2 Bxd4 31. Nxe6 (31. Qxe6+ Qxe6 32. Nxe6 Bc3 33. Nd8 Bxb4 34. Nxc6 Bxc5 $19) 31... Bc3 $17) 30... e5 31. dxe5 Bxe5 $36) 29... Qa4 30. Nf3 g5 $2 {This move is bad although it was hard to suggest anything for Black.} (30... Qd1 $2 31. Qa3 Qa4 32. Qe3 Kf7 33. Qf4 {[%CAl Gf3g5,Gf4c7]} Qa7 34. Ne5+ $18) ({If Black plays passive waiting moves, White does have constructive plans to push home his slight advantage. For example, let us have a look at an unforced variation} 30... Qa8 31. Qe2 Kf7 32. Qe3 Qb8 (32... h6 33. h4 Qc8 34. Ne5+ (34. g4 $2 e5) 34... Bxe5 35. Qxe5 $14) 33. g4 g6 (33... h6 $6 34. h4 {[%csl Ge5]} Qe8 35. g5 hxg5 36. hxg5 Bd8 37. Ne5+ Kg8 38. g6 Bf6 39. Qh3 Kf8 40. Qh8+ Ke7 41. Qxe8+ Kxe8 42. Nxc6 $18) 34. h4 Qc8 35. Qf4 $14) 31. Qe2 Kf7 32. Qd3 $6 {White misses a great opportunity.} (32. Ne5+ $142 Bxe5 (32... Kg7 33. Nxc6 $18) 33. dxe5 {[%CAl Ge2h5]} Qxb4 (33... Kg6 34. Qg4 $18 {[%CAl Gg4e6]}) 34. Qh5+ Kg7 (34... Kf8 35. Qh6+ $18 {[%CAl Gh6e6,Gh6h7,Gh6g5] White will decide which pawn to take first depending on where the Black ? moves.}) 35. Qxg5+ Kf8 36. Qf6+ Kg8 37. Qxe6+ Kf8 38. Qf6+ Ke8 (38... Kg8 39. e6 Qe4+ 40. Kh3 {The position somehow reminds me of the famous Botvinnik vs Capablanca duel from the year 1938.} Qg6 41. Qd8+ Kg7 42. Qd7+ Kf6 43. e7 $18) 39. Qxc6+ $18) 32... Kg7 33. Qe3 ({Ding Liren could have returned to the previous variation after} 33. Qe2 Kf7 (33... Qxb4 34. Qxe6 Qb1 35. Qxc6 $18) 34. Ne5+ $18) 33... Kf7 34. Nxg5+ Bxg5 35. Qxg5 $14 {White still holds an advantage but things are now much more complicated.} Qxb4 36. Qh5+ Kg7 37. Qe5+ Kf7 38. Qc7+ Kf6 39. Qe5+ (39. Qxc6 Qxd4 40. Qxb5 h6 41. h4 (41. c6 Qe4+ 42. Kg1 Qe1+ 43. Qf1 Qc3 $11) 41... Qe4+ 42. Kh2 Qc2 43. Kg1 d4 $11) 39... Kf7 40. g4 Qb1 41. Qc7+ Kf6 42. Qd8+ Kf7 43. Qd7+ Kf6 44. h4 Qe4+ 45. Kg3 h6 46. Qe8 Kg7 47. Qe7+ (47. Qxc6 Qd3+ 48. f3 Qxd4 49. Qxe6 Qg1+ 50. Kf4 Qxc5 $11) 47... Kg8 48. h5 b4 $2 (48... Qd3+ 49. Kh4 Qe4 50. Qe8+ Kg7 51. Qxc6 Qf4 $11 {[%CAl Gf4f2,Gf4h2]}) 49. Qd8+ Kg7 50. Qc7+ Kf6 51. Qb8 $1 {[%CAl Gb8b4,Gb8h8,Gh8d4]} Qd3+ 52. Kh4 ({A simpler way was} 52. f3 $142 {[%CAl Gb8f8] ??f8+ ?g5, ?e7#} Kg7 53. Qc7+ Kf6 (53... Kf8 54. Qd8+ Kf7 55. Qd7+ Kf8 (55... Kf6 56. g5+ $1 hxg5 57. h6 $18) 56. Qxe6 Qxd4 57. Qxh6+ Kf7 58. Qg6+ Ke7 59. Qd6+ Kf7 60. Qc7+ Kf8 61. h6 $18) 54. g5+ $1 {This is the key move.} hxg5 (54... Kxg5 55. Qg7+ Kxh5 (55... Kf5 56. Qg6#) 56. Qg4#) 55. h6 $1 $18) 52... Kg7 53. Qb7+ Kf6 54. Qb8 Kg7 55. Qxb4 {A safer try especially when one is short of time.} (55. Qc7+ Kf6 (55... Kf8 56. Qd8+ {is similar}) 56. Qd8+ Kf7 57. Qd7+ Kf6 (57... Kf8 58. Qxe6 Qxd4 59. Qxh6+ Ke7 60. Qd6+ Kf7 61. h6 Qxf2+ 62. Kh5 b3 63. h7 b2 64. Qd7+ $18 {[%CAl Gh7h8]}) 58. Qe8 $1 Kg7 59. Qe7+ Kh8 60. Qxe6 Qxd4 61. Qxh6+ Kg8 62. f4 $18 {Of course all this can be found in post-mortem analysis, but is not easy to see at the board. Black's main move does not work here so White is winning.} b3 $2 63. Qe6+ Kh8 64. Qc8+ Kg7 65. Qb7+ Kg8 66. Qb8+ Kg7 67. Qxb3 Qxf4 68. Qb7+ Kg8 69. Qxc6 d4 70. Qe8+ Kg7 71. Qd7+ Kh8 72. c6 Qf6+ 73. Kg3 Qe5+ 74. Kh3 Qe3+ 75. Kh4 Qe1+ 76. Kg5 Qe3+ 77. Kg6 Qe4+ 78. Kh6 Qf4+ 79. g5 Qf8+ 80. Kg6 Qg8+ 81. Kf5 Qf8+ 82. Ke4 $18) 55... Qe4 56. Kg3 Qd3+ 57. f3 Qe3 58. Qb1 Kf6 59. Qg6+ Ke7 60. Qg7+ Ke8 61. Qg8+ Ke7 62. Qg7+ Ke8 63. Qe5 Qg1+ 64. Kh3 Qh1+ 65. Kg3 Qg1+ 66. Kf4 Qh2+ (66... Qc1+ 67. Qe3 e5+ (67... Qxe3+ 68. Kxe3 Ke7 69. f4 $18) 68. dxe5 Qc2 (68... Qc4+ 69. Kf5 d4 70. Qxh6 $18) 69. g5 Qh2+ 70. Kg4 Qg2+ 71. Kf5 d4 72. Qf4 d3 (72... hxg5 73. Qe4 Ke7 74. Qxc6 Qc2+ 75. Kxg5 Qg2+ 76. Kh6 Qd2+ 77. Kh7 Qc2+ 78. Kg7 Qg2+ 79. Kh8 Qh2 80. Qd6+ Ke8 81. h6 Qh3 82. c6 Qf5 83. c7 $18) 73. e6 d2 74. Qb8+ Ke7 75. Qc7+ Ke8 76. Qd7+ Kf8 77. Qf7#) 67. Ke3 Qg1+ 68. Kd2 Qf2+ 69. Kc3 Qxf3+ $6 {If Black had not taken the pawn then the White ? would not have moved forward easily.} (69... Kf7 $142 70. Qc7+ (70. Kb4 Qb2+ 71. Ka4 Qa2+ $11) (70. f4 Qf1 71. Qc7+ Kf8 72. Qxc6 Qc4+ 73. Kb2 Qxd4+ $11) 70... Kf6 71. Qf4+ Kg7 72. Kb3 Qg1 $14) 70. Kb4 Qxg4 (70... Kf7 71. Ka5 Qb3 72. Ka6 Qb1 (72... Qb4 73. g5 hxg5 74. h6 $18) (72... Qb5+ 73. Ka7 Qa5+ 74. Kb7 Qd8 75. Kxc6 Qa8+ 76. Kc7 Qa7+ 77. Kc8 Qa8+ 78. Qb8 Qc6+ 79. Qc7+ $18) 73. Qc7+ Kf6 74. Qxc6 Qa1+ 75. Kb7 Qxd4 76. Qb5 Qe4 77. c6 d4 78. Kb8 d3 79. c7 d2 80. Qf1+ Kg5 81. c8=Q $18) 71. Ka5 Qf5 72. Qc7 Qxh5 73. Qxc6+ Ke7 74. Qd6+ Kf6 75. c6 1-0 [Event "Amsterdam NH Hotels 5th"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "2010.08.14"] [Round "3"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Nielsen, Peter Heine"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2700"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2010.08.12"] [EventType "schev"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "CBM 138"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 {This move lost a lot of its popularity after the famous game Bareev - Vaganian (2000) but now has almost regained it.} 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 {More flexible than the immediate} (12... Ba6 {, which is, however, not bad either as the following examples show:} 13. Bxa6 (13. Re1 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 g6 15. g3 Qc7 16. h4 Ra7 17. Rab1 axb4 18. axb4 Rfa8 19. h5 Ra3 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Qc2 Kg7 22. Kg2 Bf6 $11 {1/2 Brodsky,M (2564)-Konopka,M (2489)/Germany 2005/EXT 2007 (40)}) (13. g3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 b5 15. h4 Re8 16. Kg2 Qc7 17. Rfb1 Bf8 18. Ng5 Nf6 19. Nd1 h6 20. Nf3 axb4 21. axb4 Nd7 22. Ne3 Qb7 $11 {1/2 Vasiukov,E (2490)-Barua,D (2455)/Coimbatore 1987/EXT 1997 (61)}) (13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. fxe5 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 axb4 16. axb4 bxc5 17. bxc5 f6 18. Qh3 f5 19. Na4 Qa5 20. Qc3 Rfb8 21. Qxa5 Rxa5 22. Nb6 Rb5 23. Rfb1 {1/2 Edouard,R (2597)-Mirzoev,A (2559)/Pamplona 2009/CBM 131 Extra}) 13... Rxa6 14. Qd3 Qa8 15. b5 Ra7 16. cxb6 Nxb6 17. Ne5 cxb5 18. Nxb5 Rb7 19. Rfc1 Nc4 20. a4 Nd6 21. Nc6 Nc4 22. f5 Bf6 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Rxc4 dxc4 25. Qxc4 Rb6 $13 {1/2 Akobian,V (2533)-Ambartsoumian,A (2424)/Los Angeles 2003/CBM 097 (37)}) 13. g3 (13. Qc2 g6 14. g3 Bb7 (14... Ba6 $142) 15. h4 axb4 16. axb4 Rxa1 17. Rxa1 Ra8 18. Rxa8+ Bxa8 19. h5 Kg7 20. Qa2 Qb8 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. fxe5 bxc5 23. bxc5 Bb7 24. Ne2 Bc8 25. Qa3 Bd7 26. Kg2 Be8 27. Nf4 $14 {1-0 Melkumyan,H (2519)-Delgado Ramirez,N (2550)/ICC INT 2009/CBM 129 Extra (58)}) (13. Qd2 Ba6 14. Ne1 Bf6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 16. Nc2 Rfa8 17. Rab1 axb4 18. axb4 R6a7 19. g3 g6 20. Qd3 Rb7 $11 {1-0 Gupta,A (2578)-Sengupta,D (2488)/Mumbai 2009/CBM 133 Extra (36)}) 13... Ba6 $1 {The typical bishop exchange. Black can't equalise without it:} (13... axb4 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 Bb7 16. Qb2 Ra8 17. Ra1 Rxa1+ 18. Qxa1 g6 19. Ne5 Bf8 20. Bf1 bxc5 21. bxc5 f6 22. Nxd7 Qxd7 23. Na4 Qe7 24. Nb6 Kf7 25. Qa7 h6 26. Be2 Bg7 27. Ba6 $16 {1-0 Deforel,J (2375)-Lopez Ruiz,R (2435)/ICCF Email 2005/ICCF CBM 126 (41)}) (13... Bb7 14. Re1 Rfe8 15. Qc2 g6 16. h4 Ba6 $1 17. Bxa6 Rxa6 18. Rab1 axb4 19. axb4 b5 20. Kg2 Kg7 21. h5 Bf6 22. Rh1 Raa8 23. Qd2 $14 {1/2 Shchekachev,A (2561)-Feller,S (2424)/Bethune 2006/CBM 116 ext (63)}) 14. Re1 (14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qe2 Rfa8 (15... Ra7 16. Rab1 axb4 17. axb4 Bf6 18. Rb3 {1/2 Rychagov,A (2538)-Bakre,T (2509)/Kavala GRE 2010/The Week in Chess 822}) 16. b5 cxb5 17. Nxd5 (17. c6 Qxc6 18. Nxb5 Rc8 19. Nd6 Rca8 20. Nb5 Rc8 21. Nd6 {1/2 Miton,K (2620)-Doettling,F (2544)/Evry 2008/CBM 124 Extra}) 17... exd5 18. Qxe7 Rc8 19. c6 Nf6 20. Qxc7 Rxc7 21. Rfb1 Rxc6 22. Rxb5 a4 23. Ne5 Rc3 24. Rab1 h6 25. Rxb6 Rxb6 26. Rxb6 Rxa3 27. f5 Ne8 28. Rb8 Kf8 29. Rb7 Nd6 30. Rd7 Nb5 31. Rxd5 Rb3 32. Nc6 f6 33. Rd8+ Kf7 34. Rd7+ Kf8 35. Rd8+ Kf7 36. Rd7+ Kf8 37. Rd8+ {1/2 Rychagov,A (2528)-Azarov,S (2586)/Serpukhov 2007/EXT 2008}) (14. Qc2 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Ra7 $1 (15... Rfb8 16. Rfc1 Qb7 17. Kg2 g6 18. Qc2 b5 {Letzten Endes entscheidet sich Schwarz für diese geschlossene Struktur, die ihm so gut wie gar keine aktiven Möglichkeiten übrigläßt.} (18... Ra7 $5 19. Ne5 Nxe5 20. fxe5 $11 {Dautov}) 19. Rcb1 axb4 20. axb4 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 Ra8 22. Qb2 Ra6 23. Rxa6 Qxa6 24. Ne5 $1 $14 {1-0 Bareev,E (2702)-Vaganian,R (2623)/New Delhi/Teheran 2000/CBM 081/[Dautov] (51)}) 16. Qc2 Rfa8 17. Qb2 Qb7 18. Rfb1 axb4 19. axb4 bxc5 20. Rxa7 Rxa7 21. bxc5 Qxb2 22. Rxb2 Ra3 23. Rc2 Bf6 24. Ne5 Nxe5 25. fxe5 Bd8 26. Ne2 Bc7 27. Rb2 Ra7 28. g4 {1/2 Fier,A (2653)-Khalifman,A (2612)/Khanty Mansiysk 2009/EXT 2010}) 14... Bf6 (14... Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Ra7 16. Rac1 axb4 17. axb4 Bf6 18. h4 bxc5 19. bxc5 Rb8 $132 {1/2 Ivanchuk,V (2741)-Bruzon Batista,L (2668)/Havana CUB 2010/The Week in Chess 814 (34)}) 15. Bc2 $6 $146 {[%mdl 8] A dubious novelty as the black bishop now becomes extremely strong. However, White hopes to outplay his opponent in the resulting complex position.} (15. Ne5 $142 Bxd3 (15... Bxe5 $5 16. fxe5 Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Ra7 18. Reb1 b5 19. a4 axb4 20. Rxb4 f6 $1 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Qe2 Re8 23. Re1 (23. f4 $142) 23... bxa4 24. Rxa4 Rxa4 25. Nxa4 Qa5 $132 {1/2 Krasenkow,M (2620)-Riazantsev,A (2634)/France 2009/CBM 129 Extra (32)}) 16. Qxd3 Rfb8 $6 (16... b5 $1 $11) 17. Nxd7 $1 Qxd7 18. Na4 Bd8 19. f5 b5 20. Nb2 $1 Bf6 21. fxe6 fxe6 22. Qe3 Re8 23. Nd3 $14 {1-0 Pogorelov R (2401)-Bruzon L (2573)/Mondariz Balneario 2001//Inf 82/372[Pogorelov,R] (71)}) 15... Bc4 (15... bxc5 $5 16. bxc5 Nxc5 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. dxc5 Rab8 $132 {Black has swapped his h-pawn for White's central pawn and stands well.}) 16. Qd2 Ra7 17. Ne5 axb4 18. axb4 bxc5 19. bxc5 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Be7 21. Rab1 Rfa8 22. Rb4 Bd8 23. Ne4 Qe7 24. Nc3 Ra3 $6 {Too aggressive.} (24... Ba5 $11 25. Rb2 f5 $5) 25. Reb1 g6 $6 {Perhaps it was better for Black to admit his inaccuracy and bring his rook back to the 7th rank:} (25... R3a7) 26. Ne4 $1 {[%CAl Re4f6]} dxe4 {This pawn will now be simply lost but} (26... Qf8 27. Nf6+ Bxf6 28. exf6 Bb5 29. Qf4 {is quite unpleasant, too.}) 27. Rxc4 e3 $1 {Fortunately, Black obtains counterplay against the white king.} 28. fxe3 Qg5 29. Bd3 (29. Bb3 Qg4 $132 {[%CAl Yd8g5]}) 29... h5 (29... Qh6 $142 $132 {[%CAl Yd8g5]}) 30. Rcb4 $6 (30. Qe2 $142 h4 31. Kg2 $14) 30... h4 31. Kg2 Kg7 $2 {Missing the last, really study-like chance to escape:} (31... Ba5 $1 32. Rb8+ Rxb8 33. Rxb8+ Kg7 34. Qe2 hxg3 (34... Be1 $5 35. Qxe1 (35. g4 h3+ $1 36. Kf3 Bh4 {[%csl Rf3]}) 35... Rxd3 36. Qf2 Rxe3 37. Rb7 h3+ $1 38. Kg1 Kh6 39. Rxf7 Rd3 $1 $132) 35. hxg3 Be1 $1 36. Qxe1 Ra2+ $1 37. Kf1 $1 Qh6 38. Be2 Ra1 39. Qxa1 Qh1+ 40. Kf2 Qxa1 41. Rb6 Qa4 $11) 32. Rb7 Ra2 33. R1b2 Ba5 $6 (33... Rxb2 34. Rxb2 Ra3 35. Qe2 $16) 34. Qf2 Rxb2 35. Rxb2 Ra7 36. Qf4 Bd8 37. Be4 $18 {White has consolidated his position and should win easily.} h3+ $6 {Desperation.} 38. Kxh3 Qh5+ 39. Kg2 Qd1 40. Rf2 1-0 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 21st"] [Site "Heraklion"] [Date "2017.11.04"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Black "Bosiocic, Marin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2619"] [Annotator "Quintiliano,Renato"] [PlyCount "167"] [EventDate "2017.10.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 182"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Croatia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "CRO"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 a6 {Despite many efforts by White, this variation is establishing itself as a reliable option for Black.} 5. cxd5 (5. Bg5 $5 {is one sharp idea that White has tried in a couple of games, but the complicated positions arising from} dxc4 6. e4 b5 {are not clear yet. Other options for White were briefly shown in my annotations to the game Karjakin-Adams, Vugar Gashimov Mem 2017 for CBM 178.}) 5... exd5 6. Bg5 (6. Bf4 {0-1 Karjakin,S (2783)-Adams,M (2761) Vugar Gashimov Mem 2017 (3.5) was the move that I' analysed in CBM 178, and didn't bring any advantage for White -}) 6... Be6 {With this exotic move, Black is actually solving his problem of development.} 7. e3 (7. Qb3 $6 {is a typical reply when the bishop leaves c8 in QGD positions, but now} b5 $1 {proves how useful 4...a6 can be} 8. e3 (8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Nxd5 $2 Qd8 {[%csl Rd5]}) 8... Nbd7 9. Be2 c5 $36) 7... Nbd7 8. h3 $146 {This move has been played in some positions after ?d3 and 0-0, but by playing it now White keeps some ideas in mind which will be clear soon.} (8. Bd3 {isn't giving good results for White:} Bd6 (8... h6 9. Bf4 g5 $6 {Vitiugov played this risky continuation with Black recently} 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Be5 Ng7 12. h3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 c6 14. O-O Bd6 15. Rc1 h5 $6 {too risky, as Black is still too undeveloped to launch an attack on the kingside} 16. e4 $1 (16. f4 $5 {deseves attention also}) 16... g4 17. exd5 cxd5 18. g3 h4 $6 19. hxg4 hxg3 20. fxg3 Qg5 21. Qf3 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Qxe5 23. Qf4 $5 {White could had kept pieces on board, but instead he is aiming for an easier endgame} (23. Ne2 $1 {[%CAl Ge2f4]}) 23... Qxf4 24. gxf4 $6 {but this makes Black's life easier too} (24. Rxf4 $142 {[%CAl Yf4d4,Yd4b4]}) 24... Rh4 $1 25. Be2 Bxg4 26. Nxd5 Bxe2 27. Rfe1 Kf8 $15 {0-1 Bluebaum,M (2643)-Vitiugov,N (2728) 21st European Teams 2017 (9.2)}) 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 h6 11. Bf4 $1 (11. Bh4 Re8 12. Rad1 c6 13. Bh7+ Kh8 14. Bf5 Bxf5 15. Qxf5 g6 16. Qc2 Qe7 $11 {½-½ Quintiliano Pinto,R (2491)-Carneiro,V (2426) 83rd ch-BRA 2017 (9.2)}) 11... Qe7 {and Black is fine.} (11... Bxf4 12. exf4 {[%CAl Gf4f5] is very annoying for Black})) 8... c6 $6 {A bit careless.} ({This position was reached by transposition in another game and things continued} 8... h6 9. Bf4 Bb4 10. Bd3 c5 11. dxc5 Nxc5 {½-½ Volkov,S (2637)-Ponomariov,R (2692) ch-ESP Rapid 2017 (7.2)} (11... Bxc3+) 12. Rc1 Nfe4 13. Be5 $1 {[%csl Yd5]}) (8... Bd6 {looks safer} 9. Bd3 c6 {Transposing to common positions of this variation, I'm not sure how White can try to obtain an edge as Black's setup is very solid} (9... O-O)) 9. Bf4 $1 {[%csl Gd6] Vitiugov immediately shows the drawbacks of Black's last move.} Bf5 $1 (9... Be7 10. Bd3 {would leave Black in a passive situation}) 10. g4 $5 Bg6 11. Nh4 {White aims for the bishop pair and changes in the pawn structure, which creates an interesting position.} Ne4 {A better option for Black was to keep both knights on the board.} (11... Bb4 12. Qb3 Qe7 13. a3 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 (14. Qxc3 Ne4 $1 15. Nxg6 fxg6 $1 {[%CAl Gg6g5]}) 14... b5 15. a4 O-O {[%CAl Gd7b6,Gb6c4] Despite the weaknesses on the dark squares, Black is ok.}) 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. Qb3 {White missed a good chance to get a favourable position, although the complications that arise are difficult to calculate.} (13. Nxe4 $1 {would have created a target on e4:} dxe4 14. Qb3 Qa5+ (14... b5 $2 15. Bg2 Nf6 16. O-O Bd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Qc2 $16 {[%csl Gc6,Ge4]}) 15. Ke2 $1 {[%csl Re4][%CAl Yf1g2] The king is not disrupting White's development here, as the bishop belongs on g2} Qb5+ (15... O-O-O $5 {is an attempt to create some complications, probably Black's best practical option} 16. Bg2 f5 17. f3 $1 {opening the position in White's favour} exf3+ (17... Nf6 18. fxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 fxe4 20. Qe6+ Rd7 21. Qe8+ $1 Qd8 (21... Rd8 22. Qxe4 Qb5+ 23. Kf3 $1) 22. Qxg6 $14) 18. Bxf3 {[%csl Yf3,Yf4][%CAl Yf3a8,Yf4b8]} g5 $5 (18... Qb5+ {is much worse now} 19. Qxb5 axb5 20. gxf5 gxf5 21. Rag1 $16 {[%CAl Gg1g5]}) 19. Bxg5 fxg4 {[%CAl Ra5g5,Rg4f3]} 20. Bd5 $3 (20. Bxc6 $5 {is a human idea} bxc6 21. Bxd8 Kxd8 22. hxg4 Rxh1 23. Rxh1 Qg5 24. Qe6 $40) 20... Nf6 (20... cxd5 $2 21. Rac1+ Kb8 22. Bf4+ $1 Ka7 23. Bc7 {[%csl Ra5,Rd8]}) 21. Be6+ Kb8 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. hxg4 {and White is a pawn up in this complicated position}) 16. Qxb5 axb5 17. Bg2 f5 18. f3 $1 {again the same ideas give a better endgame for White} exf3+ 19. Bxf3 Nf6 (19... fxg4 20. Bxg4 $16 {White has a clear advantage due to the bishop pair, the central passed pawn and the weak pawns in the g-file}) 20. a3 $14 {[%CAl Ya1f1,Ya1g1,Gf4e5] White has the bishop pair and more than one possibility to exert pressure in this endgame, which gives him a much easier life.}) 13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 b5 {White's play now is directed to opening the centre and using the bishop pair, but Black's position is still solid.} 15. Bg2 Nb6 16. e4 dxe4 17. Bxe4 Rc8 18. Kf1 {[%CAl Ga1e1] The best way to finish the development quickly and keep the bishop pair, while leaving the rook on h1, White can consider ideas with h4-h5 on the kingside.} Bd6 19. Re1 O-O 20. Bc1 {Of course, to trade this bishop is a bad deal for White.} Nc4 {Black starts a plan to reorganise his pieces.} (20... Nd5 21. Kg2 Qa5 {was also good} 22. Bxd5 (22. Bd2 Bf4 $1) 22... cxd5 23. Qxd5 Rfd8 $11 {[%csl Rc3]}) 21. Kg2 Be7 {Bosiocic is trying to bring the knight closer to the kingside and deal with the potential threat of h4.} 22. Qd1 {Vitiugov's pieces are almost ready to start operations on the kingside.} Nd6 (22... c5 23. h4 $1 cxd4 (23... Bxh4 24. Rh3 {[%CAl Ye1h1] looks dangerous} Qf6 {[%CAl Gf6f2]} 25. Qf3 $1) 24. h5 $1 {and, despite the fact that Black has enough resources, this position looks pretty dangerous over the board} dxc3 $1 (24... g5 25. Qf3 $36) 25. hxg6 $1 (25. Qf3 Nd2 $1 26. Bxd2 cxd2 27. Rd1 gxh5 28. Rxh5 g6 $15) 25... Qxd1 26. Rxd1 Rfd8 27. gxf7+ Kxf7 28. Bd5+ Kf6 29. Rh5 $13 {the position remains unclear, but Black is at least ok.}) 23. Bf3 {Keeping the bishop on a good diagonal.} (23. Bd3 {follows the same idea} Bh4 (23... c5 $5)) 23... Bh4 {This way, Black stops the potential threats on the kingside, but at the price of getting his development slightly disturbed.} 24. Re5 $1 {[%CAl Ge5c5] Skillfully, Vitiugov now changes his focus to the other side of the board.} Nc4 {Passive defence would allow White to get a very comfortable position.} (24... Qd7 25. Ba3 Rfd8 26. Bc5 $1 Bf6 27. Re2 Nb7 28. Bb6 Re8 29. Rhe1 $14) 25. Rc5 Qd6 26. Be4 $1 {Tying Black's pieces to the defence of the c6-pawn.} Rfe8 27. Qf3 Re6 28. Bf4 (28. g5 $1 {[%csl Rh4] also looks very dangerous for Black, as now White has many tactical ideas and the best option is} Nb6 (28... f5 $2 29. Bd5 $1) ({all White's ideas work perfectly in the amazing variation} 28... Qe7 29. Bd5 $1 Re2 30. Bxf7+ $1 Kh8 31. Rf1 Rf8 32. Rf5 $3 Nd6 33. Ba3 $1 {and White is winning} Rxf7 34. Rxf7 Qxg5+ 35. Kh1 Nxf7 36. Qxe2 $18) 29. Qg4 Nd7 30. Qxh4 Nxc5 31. dxc5 Qxc5 32. Bf3 Qxc3 33. Qf4 $14 {[%CAl Gh3h5] although of course Black should have practical chances in this position.}) 28... Qe7 29. Bd3 $6 {White had a good idea.} (29. Bd5 $1 Re2 (29... Rf6 30. Bxc4 bxc4 31. g5 Rf5 32. Re5 $1 Rxe5 33. dxe5 Bxg5 34. Qg4 $1 {[%csl Rc8,Rg5]}) 30. Rf1 Nd2 (30... Rxa2 31. g5 $1 {[%csl Rh4]}) 31. Bxd2 Rxd2 32. Bb3 {[%csl Yc6,Yf7] and White is still pressing, for example} a5 33. Qf4 Re2 34. Bd5 $1) 29... Nb2 {Not the best, but Black wants to invade the second rank.} (29... Nb6 $142 $1 {[%CAl Yb6d5] would leave Black with an advantage.}) 30. Bc2 Re2 31. Re5 $1 {Exchanging Black's only active piece.} Rxe5 32. dxe5 $1 {The best recapture, keeping some problems for Black to solve.} Nc4 33. Re1 $14 Nb6 {The threat of g5 is pretty annoying.} ({For example} 33... Kh8 $4 34. g5 $1 Bxg5 35. Qg4 {[%csl Rc8,Rg5] The rook hanging on c8 is the problem.}) (33... Bg5 {is also bad} 34. Bxg5 Qxg5 35. e6 $1 {and White takes a strong initiative.}) 34. Bb3 {[%CAl Ye5e6] Black's decisions become more and more difficult.} c5 {Black rushes to close the diagonal to the light-squared bishop, but then another ideas are possible} (34... Nd5 {would had offered more chances} 35. Bc1 Rd8 36. c4 $1 bxc4 37. Bxc4 a5 $14) 35. Rd1 $1 {Now Black is unable to block the d-file.} c4 36. Bc2 Rd8 (36... Nd7 37. Qb7 Rd8 38. Rd6 $14) 37. Rd6 $1 {[%csl Gd6] Sooner or later Black should trade rooks on d6, and this will leave White with a powerful passed pawn.} Nd7 38. Qd5 Nf8 39. Be3 Rxd6 40. exd6 Qe6 41. Be4 {Vitiugov is ready to take all the pawns on the queenside, and material losses are unavoidable for Black.} Bf6 42. Qxe6 Nxe6 43. Bb7 Bxc3 44. Bxa6 Bb4 45. Bxb5 c3 (45... Bxd6 46. Bxc4 Nc5 47. Bb5 $18 {[%csl Ga2] and the distant passed pawn is decisive.}) 46. d7 Kf8 47. Ba4 Ke7 48. Bb6 $1 {A good preventive move. Now Black's pieces are paralysed.} (48. Kf3 $2 Nc5 $1) 48... g5 (48... Bc5 $2 49. d8=Q+ $18) 49. Kf3 f6 50. Ke2 c2 $8 {If the king comes to c2, it's over.} (50... Nf4+ 51. Kd1 Ne6 52. Kc2 Nd8 53. Bb5 Ne6 54. a4 $18) 51. d8=Q+ $1 {Vitiugov plays precisely to avoid any chances for Black.} (51. Bxc2 $2 Nf4+ $1 52. Kd1 Kxd7 {[%CAl Gf4h3]}) 51... Nxd8 52. Bxc2 {Despite the technical task, White is winning.} Ba3 53. Kd3 Ne6 54. Ke4 Kd6 (54... Nf4 55. h4 $1) 55. Bb3 Nf8 56. Kf5 {White should of course advance the a-pawn in order to win, but first he threats an invasion on the kingside to keep Black's pieces as passive as possible, making any chance of counterplay very difficult.} Kc6 57. Bd4 Kd6 58. f3 Kc6 59. Bf2 Kd6 60. Bg3+ Kc6 61. Bf7 Kd7 62. Bd5 Ke7 63. Bb3 {Do not hurry! The golden rule in such endgames, White has abusolutely no reason to rush.} Kd7 64. Be1 Kd6 65. h4 (65. f4 {was also strong, as after} gxf4 66. Kxf4 Ng6+ 67. Ke4 {[%CAl Gh3h5] in some positions White can create a distant passed pawn on the kingside also.}) 65... gxh4 66. Bxh4 Ke7 67. Ke4 Kd6 68. Bg3+ Kc6 69. Kd4 Kd7 70. Bd5 Ng6 71. Be4 Ne7 72. Kc4 g6 73. Kb3 Bc5 74. a4 {Finally, Vitiugov starts decisive action on the queenside.} f5 75. Bd3 fxg4 76. fxg4 g5 {Despite the simplifications, the remaining material is still enough to decide the game in favour of White.} 77. Bb5+ Ke6 78. Bc4+ Kd7 79. Bb5+ Ke6 80. Kc4 Bb6 81. Be8 $1 {[%CAl Yc4b5] The bishops are doing a good job keeping the Black's king and knight under control.} Bd8 82. Kc5 Nc8 83. Kc6 Ba5 $4 {Losing on the spot, but even the best defence would only prolong the game.} (83... Ne7+ 84. Kb7 Nd5 85. Bb5 Nf4 86. Be1 {[%CAl Ga4a5]} Ke5 87. a5 Bxa5 (87... Ne6 88. a6 Nc5+ 89. Kc8 Bb6 90. Bf2 Kd5 91. Bxc5 Kxc5 92. Bd7 $18 {[%CAl Gc8b7]}) 88. Bxa5 Ke4 89. Bc6+ Ke3 90. Bb6+ Ke2 91. Kc7 $18) 84. Bd7+ 1-0 [Event "Reggio Emilia 9596 38th"] [Site "Reggio Emilia"] [Date "1996.01.06"] [Round "9"] [White "Dautov, Rustem"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2620"] [BlackElo "2650"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "143"] [EventDate "1995.12.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "CBM 051"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 11. Qxd8 {N} (11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O Rd8 14. Qe2 Bd7 15. e4 Nf4 16. Qe3 Ng6 17. e5 Nh4 $1 18. Nxh4 Qxh4 19. f4 Ne7 20. Qf2 $2 Qxf2+ 21. Kxf2 Rac8 22. Bb3 Bc6 23. Rfd1 g5 $1 $15 {Nikolic,Pr-Georgiev,Kir/Dubai (ol) 1986}) 11... Rxd8 12. Bc7 Rd7 13. Be5 b6 (13... Nxe5 $6 14. Nxe5 Rd8 (14... Rc7 15. Nb5 Re7 16. Be2 Nf6 17. Rc1 Bb6 18. Nd6 $16) 15. Be2 Nf6 16. Bf3 Rb8 17. Ke2 $14) (13... Rd8 $5 {Beliavsky} 14. Ke2 (14. Ne4 Be7 (14... Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Be7 $10) 15. Bc3 Bd7 16. Ke2 Rac8 $10) 14... Bd7 15. Rhd1 (15. g4 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Nf6 17. g5 Bd6 $10) 15... Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Be8 $10) 14. Ne4 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Rc7 16. Be2 Nf6 $2 (16... Bb7 17. Nxc5 Rxc5 18. Nd3 Rd5 $1 19. O-O-O (19. Nb4 Rc5 $10) (19. Bf3 Rxd3 20. Bxb7 Rad8 21. Bf3 Nf6 22. Rd1 $10) 19... Rad8 $10) 17. Nxc5 bxc5 (17... Rxc5 18. Bf3 Nd5 (18... Rb8 $2 19. Nc6 Rb7 20. b4 Rc3 21. Kd2 Rc4 22. Ne5 $18) 19. Nd3 (19. b4 Rc2 20. Be4 Rb2 $13) 19... Rc2 20. Kd1 Rc7 21. Bxd5 exd5 22. Kd2 $14) 18. Bf3 $14 (18. O-O-O Bb7 19. f3 Nd5 $132) 18... Rb8 (18... Bb7 19. Bxb7 Rxb7 20. O-O-O $14) 19. O-O-O Ba6 20. Rd6 Bb5 21. Rhd1 Ne8 (21... Kf8 22. Rd8+ Rxd8 23. Rxd8+ Ke7 24. Rb8 Be8 25. Kc2 $14) 22. Rd8 Rcc8 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. b3 $1 {?a4} c4 (24... f6 25. a4 $1 (25. Bg4 Nc7 26. a4 Be8 27. Nc4 Rb8 $132 {×b3}) 25... Bxa4 26. bxa4 fxe5 27. Bg4 Nc7 (27... Rc6 28. Rd8 Kf8 29. Ra8 a6 30. Bf3 Rd6 31. Be2 $16) 28. Rd7 $36) (24... Nf6 25. Bb7 $5 (25. a4 Be8 26. Kc2 $14) 25... Rb8 26. Nc6 Bxc6 27. Bxc6 Ng4 28. Bf3 Ne5 29. Be2 Kf8 30. Kc2 $14) 25. b4 Kf8 26. Nd7+ $1 (26. Kb2 $2 Ke7 $10 {?f6}) 26... Ke7 27. Nc5 a5 28. Kb2 Nd6 29. Kc3 Be8 $1 {??b5} (29... axb4+ $2 30. axb4 $16 {?a}) 30. Ra1 $1 $8 (30. a4 $2 axb4+ 31. Kxb4 Rb8+ 32. Kc3 Rc8 33. Kb4 $10) 30... f6 31. a4 (31. Nb7 $1 Nb5+ 32. Kc2 Bg6+ 33. Kc1 axb4 34. axb4 {?a} c3 (34... Rc7 35. Ra5 Nd6 36. Nxd6 Kxd6 37. Ra6+ Kd7 38. b5 $16) 35. Ra5 Nd6 36. Nc5 Rc7 37. Ra6 e5 38. Bd5 $16) 31... Bg6 (31... g5 $1 {Beliavsky} 32. Na6 $2 (32. h3 $142 Bg6 $14) 32... axb4+ 33. Nxb4 g4 $1 34. Bxg4 Ne4+ 35. Kc2 Nxf2 36. Bf3 c3 37. a5 Bg6+ 38. Kb3 c2 39. a6 $2 (39. Rc1 $10) 39... c1=Q 40. Rxc1 Rxc1 41. a7 Rc8 42. Nc6+ Kd6 43. Nb8 Kc7 $19) 32. Na6 axb4+ 33. Nxb4 Be8 $2 (33... Be4 $1 34. Be2 (34. a5 Nb5+ 35. Kb2 Bxf3 36. gxf3 Kd6 $10) 34... Bg6 35. f3 Be8 $132) 34. a5 Nb5+ 35. Kb2 $16 Rc7 (35... Kd6 36. Rd1+ Kc5 $4 37. Na6#) (35... Na7 36. Rd1 (36. a6 $2 Kd6 $10) (36. Rc1 Kd6 37. Bb7 $1 (37. Be2 $2 Bb5 38. Kc3 Kc5 39. Rd1 Ba4 {??b5}) 37... Rc7 38. Rd1+ Ke7 39. a6 $16) 36... Nb5 37. a6 Rc7 38. Be2 g5 39. Rc1 Nd6 (39... c3+ $2 40. Kb3 {×c3}) 40. Ra1 Nb5 41. Nc2 $1 Kd6 42. Nd4 Nxd4 43. exd4 c3+ 44. Kc2 Bg6+ 45. Bd3 Bxd3+ 46. Kxd3 c2 47. Kd2 $1 $16) 36. Rd1 Na7 $2 $138 37. Kc3 $138 (37. Na6 $1 Rc8 38. Bb7 Rd8 39. Rxd8 Kxd8 40. Kc3 Nb5+ 41. Kb4 c3 42. Be4 Bg6 43. Bxg6 hxg6 44. Kb3 $18) 37... Nb5+ 38. Kb2 Bd7 39. Be2 Na7 $2 (39... Nd6 $142 40. a6 $16) 40. Rc1 Rb7 (40... Bb5 41. Kc3 Kd6 42. Rd1+ Kc5 43. Rd4 Nc6 44. Nxc6 Rxc6 45. Bxc4 Ra6 46. Bxb5 Kxb5 47. Rd7 $18) 41. Rxc4 $18 g5 (41... Bb5 42. Bf3 $18 (42. Rg4 $18)) (41... Nc6 42. Kc3 Nxa5 43. Rc5 Ra7 44. Ba6 Nb7 45. Rc7 $18) 42. a6 Rb6 43. Kc3 Kd6 44. Rd4+ Kc7 45. Rd2 Bc8 {??c6} 46. Ra2 h6 47. Ra1 Kb8 48. Bf3 Kc7 49. Kc4 Rd6 50. Ra2 Kb6 51. Rb2 Kc7 (51... Bxa6+ $2 52. Nxa6+ Kxa6 53. Kc5 $18) 52. Kc5 Rd8 (52... Bxa6 $2 53. Ra2 $18) 53. h3 $2 (53. Nc6 $1 Nxc6 54. Bxc6 Bxa6 (54... Rd1 55. a7 $18) 55. Ra2 Rd1 (55... Bc8 56. Ra7+ Kb8 57. Kb6 $18) 56. Rxa6 Rc1+ 57. Kb5 Rb1+ 58. Ka5 Ra1+ 59. Ba4 $18) 53... Rd6 54. g3 Rd8 55. Ra2 Rd6 56. Rb2 Rd8 57. h4 Rd6 58. hxg5 hxg5 59. g4 Rd8 60. Ra2 Rd6 61. Rb2 Rd8 62. Be2 Rd6 63. Ra2 Rd8 64. f4 gxf4 65. exf4 Rh8 66. Bc4 Bd7 67. Re2 Rc8 68. Bxe6 Kb8+ 69. Kb6 Bxe6 70. Rxe6 Rc4 71. Nc6+ Nxc6 72. Re8+ 1-0 [Event "Amsterdam Euwe Memorial"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "1996.03.27"] [Round "5"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Seirawan, Yasser"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2630"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1996.03.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 052"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Seirawan Kasparov Fritz} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Qc2 dxc4 6. e4 c5 7. dxc5 (7. d5 $5 exd5 8. e5 (8. exd5 $5 a6 9. a4 Bd6 10. Bxc4 O-O (10... Qe7+ $5) 11. O-O h6 $10) 8... Nxe5 $5 9. Nxe5 Bd6 10. Qa4+ Bd7 11. Nxd7 Qxd7 12. Qxd7+ Kxd7 13. Bg5 Rhe8+ 14. Kd2 Ne4+ $44) 7... Bxc5 8. Bxc4 a6 (8... Ng4 9. O-O a6 10. Bf4 Qf6 11. Qd2 Nge5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Be2 O-O 14. Bg5 Qg6 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Bd7 17. f4 Ng4 18. Qg3 Nh6 19. Qxg6 hxg6 20. Rad1 Rfd8 21. Rd2 Bc6 {½-½ Gulko,B-Ivanov,IV/New York op (08)/1994/ (26)}) 9. a4 Qc7 10. O-O Ng4 (10... Bxf2+ 11. Rxf2 (11. Qxf2 Qxc4 12. e5 Ng4 13. Nd2 Qc5 $1 14. Qxc5 Nxc5 15. Nc4 f6 $1) 11... Qxc4 12. b3 Qc6 13. Ba3 Ng4 14. Rd2 $40) 11. h3 $5 (11. Ne2 {Seirawan} Bd6 $5 12. h3 Nge5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. b3 $17) 11... Nxf2 (11... Nge5 $142 $1 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Be2 b6 (13... O-O $15) 14. Bf4 Bb7 $17 {Kasparov}) (11... h5 $5 {Seirawan} 12. b3 $2 Qg3 13. Ba3 $2 Nde5 $19) 12. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 13. Qxf2 Qxc4 14. Qg3 f6 (14... O-O 15. Bh6 g6 16. Bxf8 (16. Rd1 {Seirawan} Rd8 17. Rd4 Qc5 18. e5 $1 Nf8 (18... Nxe5 $2 19. Qxe5) 19. Ne4 $40) 16... Nxf8 17. e5 $44) (14... Rg8 $5 15. Be3 $13) (14... Qc5+ 15. Kh1 Qf8 16. e5 $1 (16. Bf4 $2 f6 17. Bd6 Qf7 18. Rf1 Qg6 19. Qf4 b6 $17) 16... f5 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Ne4 Rg8 19. Qc7 Kf7 20. Bg5 $5 fxg5 21. Nfxg5+ $40) 15. Qxg7 Qc5+ 16. Kh1 Qf8 17. Qg4 Qf7 (17... Nc5 $6 18. Qh5+ Kd8 19. Be3 $40) 18. e5 Rg8 (18... Nxe5 19. Nxe5 fxe5 20. Ne4 Qg6 (20... Qf1+ 21. Kh2 Rf8 22. Qg7 Qd3 23. Bg5 Qd7 24. Qxe5 $18) 21. Nd6+ Kf8 (21... Kd7 22. Bg5 $1 Kc7 (22... Rg8 23. Qd1 $16) (22... Kxd6 23. Qb4+ Kc7 24. Qc5+ $18) 23. Rc1+ Kb8 24. Qb4 $18) 22. Qh4 $40) 19. Qc4 {? ?c3-e4-d6} f5 (19... Nxe5 20. Nxe5 fxe5 21. Ne4 Qg6 22. Bg5 $40) 20. Bg5 h6 21. Bh4 (21. Bxh6 Qg6 22. Bg5 Nxe5 23. Qc5 Nc6 24. Re1 $40) 21... Qg6 $6 (21... Nf8 $5 {Kasparov} 22. Qb4 $44 (22. Rd1 Bd7 23. Qc7 $1 Ng6 24. Bf6)) (21... Kf8 $8 22. Ne2 Kg7 23. Nf4 Nf8 24. Rd1 b5 25. axb5 axb5 26. Qxb5 $44) 22. Rg1 Nf8 (22... Rg7 23. a5 Nf8 24. Na4 Bd7 25. Nb6 Bc6 26. Nxa8 Bxf3 27. Nb6 Bc6 28. Nc8 $40) (22... b5 23. Qc6 Rb8 24. Nd5 $1 exd5 25. e6 $18) 23. Qb4 Rg7 24. Ne2 b5 (24... a5 25. Qb5+ Rd7 26. Nf4 Qf7 27. Nd2 Ng6 28. Nc4 Ra6 29. Nd6+ Raxd6 30. exd6 Nxf4 31. Rc1 $18) (24... Bd7 25. Qxb7 Rc8 26. Nf4 Qf7 27. Rd1 $18) 25. axb5 (25. Nf4 $1 Qf7 26. Bf6 Rg8 27. axb5 $18) 25... Rd7 26. Nf4 Qf7 (26... Qg8 27. Nh5) 27. Rc1 Bb7 (27... axb5 28. Qxb5 Bb7 29. Rc7 Ra7 30. Kh2 $16) 28. bxa6 Bxf3 (28... Rxa6 29. Qb5 (29. Nd4 $2 Ng6 30. Nh5 $2 Nxh4 31. Nf6+ Kd8 32. Nxe6+ Rxe6 $1 33. Qa5+ Rc7) 29... Ra8 $1 (29... Ra7 30. Rc7 $16) 30. Rc7 Bxf3 31. gxf3 Qg8 $1 32. Kh2 Ra1 33. Bf2 Rad1 $1 34. Rc8+ $1 {Fritz} (34. Nh5 $5 {Seirawan} Kf7 $1 35. Nf6 Rxc7 36. Nxg8 Kxg8 $14) 34... Kf7 35. Nxe6 $1 Nxe6 (35... Kxe6 $2 36. Qb6+) 36. Rxg8 Kxg8 $16) (28... Bxa6 29. Ra1 (29. Qa4 Bb7 $4 30. Qxa8+) 29... Rb7 (29... Rda7 30. Bf2) 30. Qd6 Rba7 31. Bf2 $18) 29. gxf3 Rda7 30. Rg1 (30. Rc6 Qd7 31. Rd6 $18 (31. Rd6 Qc8 32. Rd8+ Qxd8 33. Bxd8 Rxd8 34. Qb6 Rd1+ 35. Kh2 Rg7 $132)) 30... Rxa6 (30... Qd7 31. Nh5 Qc6 32. Nf6+ Kf7 33. Qf4 Ng6 34. Qg3 $18) 31. Nh5 Qc7 (31... Qxh5 $2 32. Qe7#) 32. Rg7 Ra1+ 33. Kg2 Qc2+ 34. Bf2 (34. Bf2 R1a7 35. Nf6+ Kd8 36. Qxf8#) 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "Las Vegas"] [Date "1999.08.06"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Krasenkow, Michal"] [Black "Zvjaginsev, Vadim"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2647"] [BlackElo "2652"] [Annotator "Donev,Ivo Hristov"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "1999.07.31"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 072"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Kortschnoj} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 {Kortschnoj: 'Deviating from the main lines, beginning with 6...c5'} 7. a3 ({After} 7. cxd5 {Kortschnoj} Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 Bb4+ {white has"next to nothing".}) ({But} 7. Bd3 {Kortschnoj} c5 8. cxd5 {is something to talk about...}) 7... c5 8. dxc5 {'?!' Kortschnoj.} (8. cxd5 $11 {Kortschnoj}) 8... Nxc5 9. cxd5 ({Or} 9. Be2 {Kortschnoj} Nfe4 {and black has a "convenient equilibrium".}) 9... Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 {'!' Kortschnoj. Kortschnoj: 'Unexpected and strong!'} 11. Qxd5 (11. Be2 $1 {Kortschnoj was more subtle.}) 11... exd5 {[%mdl 16] '?' Kortschnoj. Es sind nur 11 Züge vorbei, aber die Stellung hat sich schon charakterisiert - Isolierter Damenbauer mit abgetauschten Damen. Weiß kann Zufrieden von seiner Stellung sein. Sein Springer kontrolliert den starken Zentralpunkt d4 und alle weissen Figuren können leicht entwickelt werden. Mit jedem Abtausch nähert sich die Partie dem Endspiel zu, dies wiederum ermöglicht es dem Anziehenden die Schwäche des Isolani auszunützen.} 12. Be5 {Kortschnoj: 'It is hard to believe, that white's position is lost, but black enjoys a big lead in development. White could castle long because of ?f5 and disliked 12.?d4 in regard to 12...?f6. The best move, I think, was 12.?e2 where white could, after all, complete his development. ' Hier steht der weiße Läufer noch besser - einerseits vermeidet er Lf6 andererseits kontrolliert er selber das Schlüsselfeld d4 und deckt den eigenen schwachen Bauer b2.} (12. Rd1 Be6 (12... Rd8 $6 13. Bc7 Rd7 14. Be5 Rd8 $14)) 12... Bf5 13. Rd1 Rac8 {'!' Kortschnoj.} 14. Nd4 (14. Rxd5 Be6 15. Rd1 (15. Rd4 Nd7 $1) 15... Bb3 16. Ra1 Rfd8 $44 {Kortschnoj: 'Well,it is better not to get passive positions, like this one, but if it nonetheless happens - to grab a material is the only consolation...'} (16... Bc2 {Kortschnoj Well,it is better not to get passive positions, like this one, but if it nonetheless happens - to grab a material is the only consolation...})) 14... Bg6 15. Be2 f6 16. Bg3 Na4 17. b3 (17. Ne6 Rfe8 18. Bb5 Nxb2 19. Bxe8 Bxe8 20. Ra1 $13) 17... Nc3 (17... Nb2 18. Ra1 Bxa3 19. Rxa3 (19. O-O $14) 19... Rc1+ 20. Kd2 Rxh1 21. Rxa7 $14 (21. Ra2 $6 Rb1 22. Bd6 Rc8 23. Ba3 {Der schwarze Springer ist gefangen.} Nc4+ 24. bxc4 dxc4 {Mit sehr gefährlicher Initiative des Nachziehenden am Damenflügel.})) 18. Ra1 Bc5 {'!' Kortschnoj.} (18... Nxe2 $5 19. Kxe2 (19. Nxe2 Rfe8 $1 20. b4 a5 21. bxa5 Bd8 $15) 19... Rc3 20. Rhd1 Rfc8 $15 {Die Beherrschung der einzig offenen Linie und des Läuferpaares, sind mehr als genug Kompensation für den schwachen Isolani auf d5.}) 19. Ne6 Rfe8 20. Nxc5 Rxc5 21. Rc1 $2 {Dieser auf den ersten Blick logische Zug (fesselt den Springer) ist nicht gut. Besser wäre:} (21. b4 $5 Rc6 22. Bg4 {[%CAl Yg4d7]} (22. Bf3 Be4 23. O-O Bxf3 24. gxf3 d4 $15) 22... Rc4 23. Bf3 Be4 $15) {[%tqu "De","Wie setzen Sie die schwarze Initiative fort?","","","d5d4","Richtig! Eine von der Pläne mit Isolani ist der Bauernvorstoß im Zentrum.Weiß hat keine Zeit gefunden zu rochieren und jetzt muss seine König unter Beschuß die schwarze Figuren im Zentrum leiden.",5]} 21... d4 $1 {Richtig! Einer von den Plänen mit Isolani ist der Bauernvorstoß im Zentrum. Weiß hat keine Zeit gefunden zu rouchieren dadurch muss jetzt sein König im Zentrum unter Beschuß von schwarzen Figuren leiden.} 22. Bd6 (22. exd4 $2 Rxe2+ 23. Kf1 Bd3 $1 $19) 22... Rcc8 23. Bb4 $2 $17 {Nach diesem Fehler verliert Weiß einen Bauer am Damenflügel. Trotz ungleichfarbiger Läufer könnte er seine Stellung nicht mehr retten.} (23. Bf4 Nxe2 24. Kxe2 Rc2+ 25. Rxc2 d3+ 26. Kd1 dxc2+ 27. Kc1 Rd8 28. Re1 Rd3 $17) (23. Bg4 f5 24. Bf3 Ne4 {[%CAl Ye4d6,Yc8c1]} 25. Rxc8 Rxc8 26. Bxe4 Rc1+ 27. Kd2 Rxh1 28. Bxb7 $15) 23... Nxe2 24. Kxe2 {Kortschnoj: 'Throughout many moves white has defended the best possible way, but here he had to exchange a pair of rooks. He would lose a pawn anyway, but still had some drawing chances.'} Bc2 {[%csl Rb3] '!' Kortschnoj.} 25. Rhe1 dxe3 26. fxe3 Bxb3 27. Bc5 Bd5 {[%CAl Yc5a7,Yd5g2]} 28. Bxa7 Bxg2 {[%mdl 4096] Jetzt kann Schwarz noch zufriedener sein. Außer der Bauernmehrheit hat er die viel bessere Bauernstruktur. Den Abtausch des Bauern a7 für g2 kann nur für Schwarz vorteilhaft sein, weil jetzt der richtige Plan auf der Hand liegt: a) Ein Turm zu tauschen b) Die Bauern am Königsflügel in Bewegung zu setzen. Es ist musterhaft wie der GM Zwjaginzev seinen Endspielvorteil realisiert.} 29. Bd4 Bc6 30. Rg1 {??f6} Kf7 31. Rg3 Be4 (31... Bf3+ 32. Kd2 Rxc1 33. Kxc1 Be4 {Führt zur Hauptvariante der Partie.}) 32. Rgg1 Bc6 {Der Nachziehende wiederholt die Stellung um vermutlich Zeit zu gewinnen..} 33. Rg3 Bf3+ $1 {[%CAl Yf3e2,Yc8c1]} 34. Kd2 Rxc1 35. Kxc1 Bc6 36. Rg4 {Um zu gewinnen muss der Nachziehende seine Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel in Bewegung setzen.} g5 {Kortschnoj: 'White position is bad. Black will soon create a passed bpawn on the king side. White has no counterplay and he will never be able to change rooks.'} 37. Rg1 Kg6 38. Rf1 Re6 39. Kd2 h5 40. Ke1 Be4 41. Rf2 h4 42. Rb2 Rc6 43. Ba7 g4 $1 {Jetzt stehen die schwarzen Bauern optimal. Der Läufer auf e4 kontrolliert einerseits zwei große Diagonalen und andererseits blockiert er den Bauer e3, dadurch wird der weiße Läufer vom Feld g1 abgeschnitten. Der Vorstoss g3 -g4 hängt in der Luft.} 44. Rb4 ({Auf lehrreiche Weise gewinnt Schwarz falls der weiße Turm den Bauern auf b7 nimmt:} 44. Rxb7 Rc1+ 45. Kd2 Rc2+ 46. Kd1 Bxb7 47. Kxc2 Be4+ 48. Kd2 g3 49. hxg3 h3 $19) 44... Bf3 45. Kd2 {Kortschnoj: 'Desperately looking for counterplay, white loses the second pawn.'} Rd6+ 46. Kc2 Ra6 {[%CAl Ya6a7,Ya6a3]} 0-1 [Event "Julian Borowski-A 2nd"] [Site "Essen"] [Date "2000.05.01"] [Round "5"] [White "Huebner, Robert"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2620"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Donev,Ivo Hristov"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2000.04.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 077"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Qf6 13. b4 a6 $6 {Beliavsky spielt diese Variante oft und jetzt versucht er abzuweichen von seiner Partie gegen Jussupow. Leider, wie der Partieverlauf zeigt, bekommt der Anziehende nach 13...a6 eine gefährliche Initiative} (13... Bg4 14. h3 Bf5 15. b5 Nd4 16. Bxf5 Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Qxf5 18. Rfd1 Rad8 19. Rac1 d4 20. Bc7 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Rd5 22. Bxb6 axb6 23. Rxd4 Rxb5 24. Rc7 Ra5 25. Rd3 h6 26. e4 Raa8 27. Rxb7 Rfb8 28. Rxb8+ Rxb8 29. Rb3 Ra8 30. Kf1 Kf8 31. Ke2 Ke7 32. f4 g6 33. f3 Ra4 34. Kf2 Kf8 35. Kg3 Kg7 36. Rxb6 Rxa3 37. Rb5 Ra1 38. h4 Rh1 39. h5 g5 40. fxg5 Rxh5 41. Kg4 Rh1 42. gxh6+ Rxh6 43. f4 Ra6 44. Rg5+ Kf8 45. e5 Ra4 46. Rh5 Kg7 47. Rg5+ Kf8 48. Rf5 Kg7 49. Rf6 Ra5 50. Rd6 Rb5 51. Rd7 Kf8 52. Kg5 Kg7 53. Kf5 Ra5 54. Ke4 Ra1 55. f5 Re1+ 56. Kd5 Rf1 57. f6+ Kg6 58. Kd6 Ra1 59. Rc7 Ra6+ 60. Rc6 Ra1 61. Rc8 Ra6+ 62. Kd7 Ra7+ {½-½ Jussupow,A-Beliavsky,A/Linares 1990/CBM 17 (62)}) 14. Qb1 $1 {[%CAl Yb1d3,Yd3h7,Yb2b4,Yb4b5][%mdl 8] Ein sehr gute neue Idee. Bereitet mit Kraft den Vorstoß b4-b5 vor.} (14. Bg5 Qd6 15. Ra2 h6 16. Bh4 g5 17. Bg3 Qf6 18. Rd2 Rd8 19. Bb1 d4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. exd4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Bxd4 23. Qd3 Bg4 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qe4 h5 26. Qxb7 Re8 27. Qc7 Kg7 28. Qd6 Re6 29. Qd5 h4 30. Bc7 {0-1 Arlandi,E-Van Dongen,P/Cannes 1993/TD (30)}) 14... h6 15. b5 $1 Nd4 $2 ({Auch} 15... axb5 16. Qxb5 Qd8 17. Bc2 $16 {nebst ?d3 war nicht gut für Schwarz.}) (15... Ne7 $142 16. Be5 Qe6 17. Qb2 f6 18. Bd4 $14) 16. exd4 Qxf4 17. bxa6 Qf6 18. Qb4 $1 {Droht nicht nur 19.?h7+ sondern auch19. ?b1.} bxa6 {[%tqu "De","Weiß am Zug hat einfache Kombination.","Thema: Ablenkung!","","d3h7","Ablenkung!",2]} 19. Bh7+ $1 {Ablenkung!} Kxh7 20. Qxf8 $18 {Musterhaft hat GM Hübner zwischen dem 14. und 20. Zug seine Stellung verstärkt und den positionellen Eröffnungsvorteil in materiellen Vorteil umgewandelt.} Bb7 21. Qb4 {Der Rest ist nur Technik.} a5 22. Qb5 Rd8 23. Rab1 Rd6 24. Qd3+ g6 25. Rfc1 Kg7 26. h3 Qd8 27. Ne5 Qe8 28. Qe3 Ba6 29. Nc6 Re6 30. Qc3 Bc7 31. Ne5 Bb6 32. Rxb6 ({Gewinnt auch:} 32. Nc6 Bc7 33. Nxa5 Bf4 34. Re1 $18) 32... Rxb6 33. Qxa5 Rf6 ({Das Endspiel nach:} 33... Qe6 34. Rc7 Rb7 35. Rxb7 Bxb7 36. Qc7 Ba6 37. a4 $18 {ist dür Schwarz verloren.}) 34. Qxd5 Qe7 35. Qa5 Qb7 36. Ng4 Rf5 37. Qc3 Rd5 38. Ne3 Rd6 39. d5+ Kh7 40. Qe5 Qd7 41. Ng4 {Ein sehr wichtige Partie mit theoretischer Bedeutung. Der deutsche Großmeister zeigt auf musterhafte Weise, wie man kleine Eröffnungsvorteile realisieren kann!} 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2000.01.25"] [Round "9"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Lputian, Smbat G"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "Donev,Ivo Hristov"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2000.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 075"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5 Nxc5 9. Be2 a6 ({Große Ausgleichschancen erhält Schwarz mit:} 9... dxc4 $5 10. Bxc4 a6 11. a4 Bd7 12. O-O Qa5 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Bf1 Be8 15. Rxd8 Rxd8 16. Ne5 Qb4 17. Nc4 Nd5 18. Be5 f6 19. Bd4 Qb3 $1 $17 20. Qc1 Nxc3 21. bxc3 Bg6 22. Ra3 Qc2 23. Qxc2 Bxc2 24. Ra2 Bb3 25. Ra3 Bc2 26. Ra2 Bb3 27. Ra3 {½-½ Miralles,G-Spassky,B/FRA-ch 1991/CBM 27 (27)}) 10. cxd5 exd5 11. O-O Be6 (11... Bg4 12. Nd4 Ne6 13. Be5 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Nd7 15. Bg3 Nxd4 16. exd4 Nf6 17. Qf3 Bb4 18. Bh4 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Rc8 20. Rae1 Rc6 21. Re5 Qa5 22. c4 Qxa2 23. Bxf6 Rxf6 24. Qxd5 h6 25. c5 Qd2 26. Re7 Rf4 27. Rd7 Re8 28. g3 Re1 29. gxf4 Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 Qd1+ 31. Kg2 Qg4+ 32. Kh1 Qd1+ {½-½ Parker,J-Hunt,H/Dundee 1993/TD (32)}) 12. Nd4 ({Zum Ausgleich führt:} 12. Rad1 Rc8 13. Qb1 b5 14. a3 Qb6 15. Bg5 Ncd7 16. Nd4 b4 $1 17. axb4 Bxb4 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 $11 {0-1 Stohl,I-Zvjaginsev,V/Portoroz 1999/CBM 72 (55)}) 12... Rc8 13. Rfc1 $1 Qd7 14. Qd1 b5 15. a3 Nfe4 16. Bf3 Rfd8 17. Nce2 Bf6 18. Rc2 {Offensichtlich bereitet Weiß mit diesem Zug die Verdoppelung der Türme auf der offenen c-Linie vor. Was soll der Nachziehende dagegen unternehmen? Interessant wäre die Möglichkeit 18...?a4 um Spiel am Damenflügel zu suchen.} Bf5 $2 {Nach diesem Fehler bekommt der Nachziehende große Schwierigkeiten.} (18... Na4 $5 19. Rac1 Rxc2 20. Qxc2 Rc8 21. Qxc8+ Qxc8 22. Rxc8+ Bxc8 $14) (18... g5 19. Nxe6 (19. Bg3 g4 20. Bxe4 (20. Nxe6 gxf3 21. Nxd8 fxe2 22. Qxe2 Rxd8 $44) 20... dxe4 {??b3} 21. Rd2 Nd3 $15) 19... fxe6 20. Bg3 Nxg3 21. hxg3 Na4 $13) {[%tqu "De","Wie kann der Anziehende Vorteil bekommen?","","","d4f5","",7]} 19. Nxf5 $1 Qxf5 {[%tqu "De","Und jetzt den Schlüsselzug bitte!","","","e2g3","",10]} 20. Ng3 $1 {[%CAl Yd1f3,Yf3g4] Der Springer räumt mit Tempo die Diagonale d1- h5. Jetzt plötzlich ist die schwarze Dame in großer Gefahr.} Nxg3 $8 (20... Qg6 21. Bh5 $18 {Die Dame ist gefangen.}) (20... Qe6 21. Bg4 $18) 21. Bg4 $1 {Diesen Zwischenzug hatte Schwarz zu spät gesehen. Jetzt muss er die Dame geben.} Qxc2 {Erzwungen .} (21... Qg6 22. Bxc8 $18) 22. Qxc2 Ne6 23. Qd1 Ne4 $16 24. Rb1 Rc4 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Qg4 Re8 27. f3 Nc5 28. b3 Rc3 29. Bg5 Bxg5 30. Qxg5 Nxb3 31. Qe5 Rd3 32. Qc7 $6 ({Ganz leicht gewonnen hätte:} 32. Qd6 $1 Rxe3 (32... Na5 33. Qxa6 Nc4 34. Qxb5 $18) (32... Nd2 33. Qc6 Rd8 34. Qc2 $18) 33. Qb4 $18) 32... Rxe3 33. Qc6 Rf8 34. Qxa6 $2 (34. Qb6 $1 {[%CAl Ye3b3,Ye3e6] Wäre für den ganzen Punkt gut genug gewesen.} {Jetzt ist der Turm e3 überlastet. Er muss gleichzeitig der Springer und das Bauer e6 decken.} Rd3 (34... d4 35. Rxb3 $1 Rxb3 36. Qxe6+ $18 {[%CAl Ye6g8,Ye6b3]}) 35. Qxe6+ Kh8 36. Qxa6 $18) 34... Nd4 35. Qb6 Rd3 36. Re1 h6 37. h4 Ra8 38. Kh2 Raxa3 39. h5 Ra2 40. Kh3 Kh7 {Offensichtlich ist die Zeitnotphase vorbei und Van Wely muss sich schnellstens um das Remis bemühen. Die schwarzen Figuren stehen im Zentrum sehr gut und die Drohung ?d3-d2 ist unangenehm.} 41. Rxe6 $1 Nxe6 42. Qxe6 Rdd2 43. Qg6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2011.11.22"] [Round "6"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2744"] [Annotator "Postny,Evgeny"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2011.11.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O {Levon repeats his idea that he performed against Anand few rounds ago.} (8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. O-O cxd4 11. Qxd4 Nb6 {and Black equalised in all games that were played on the theme.}) 8... c5 $1 $146 {Boris comes up with an improvement.} ({In the afore-mentioned game Aronian-Anand after} 8... Nd5 9. Bxc4 Nxf4 10. exf4 c5 11. dxc5 Qc7 12. g3 Qxc5 13. Qe2 {White achieved a long-term initiative.}) 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bxc4 a6 {In the next round the same position arose with Gelfand on the white side against Kramnik. Vladimir chose to swap queens by 10...?xd1.} 11. Ne5 Ncd7 (11... Qxd1 {is worth checking.} 12. Rfxd1 Rd8 (12... b5 $2 13. Nc6 bxc4 14. Nxe7+ Kh8 15. Bd6 $18) 13. Rxd8+ Bxd8 14. Rd1 Be7 15. a3 (15. b4 Nfe4 $1 16. bxc5 Nxc3 17. Rd4 Kf8) 15... b5 16. Nc6 Bf8 17. Bf1 Bb7 18. Na5 Nd5 19. Nxb7 Nxc3 20. bxc3 Nxb7 $11 {White's pair of bishops is compensated for by his pawn weaknesses on the queenside.}) 12. Be2 $1 {The bishop is going to f3 to put pressure on Black's queenside.} Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Qa5 14. Bg3 b5 (14... Bd7 15. Bf3 Bc6 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Qa4 $14) 15. Bf3 Ra7 {We reached a position that in fact has already appeared in practice through different move orders.} 16. Ne2 $1 {An improvement over the previous games. The knight is heading to c6.} (16. a3 Rd8 (16... Rd7 17. Qc2 Qb6 18. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 19. Nxd1 Bb7 20. Bxb7 {½-½ Flores,D (2628)-Leitao,R (2609)/Campinas 2011/Mega2011 Update 06}) 17. Qe2 Rad7 18. Rfd1 Qb6 19. Rxd7 Rxd7 20. Rd1 Bb7 21. Be5 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 Rxd1+ 23. Qxd1 Qc6 24. Ne2 Nd7 25. Bc3 Nb6 26. h3 Nd5 27. Bd4 Bf8 28. Nc3 f6 29. Nxd5 Qxd5 30. Qc2 e5 {½-½ Malakhatko,V (2524)-Short,N (2676)/Ohrid 2001/CBM 084}) 16... Bb7 17. Bxb7 ({Black would be happy to save his light-squared bishop from the exchange after} 17. Nd4 Nd5 {as now the c6-square is covered.}) 17... Rxb7 18. Nd4 {[%csl Gc6]} Rd7 19. Qc2 Bd6 20. Nc6 Qb6 21. Bxd6 Rxd6 22. Rac1 Kh8 {Moving the king away from the check on e7.} 23. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 {White has a slight, but long lasting pressure thanks to the mighty knight on c6.} h6 (24... Rc8 25. Ne5 Rxc1 26. Qxc1 Qb7 27. Qc5 Kg8 28. Qd6 $14) 25. g3 ({Perhaps} 25. h3 {was more precise to cover the g4-square against a possible knight move.} Rc8 26. Ne5 Rxc1 27. Qxc1 Qb8 28. Qc5 (28. Nxf7+ $2 Kg8 {[%csl Rf7]}) 28... Kg8 29. Kf1 $14) 25... Qc7 26. Rc2 Rc8 27. Qd3 Ng4 28. Rc3 Qb7 29. Qd6 Qa8 30. e4 $6 {Wasting time and creating a target for Black's knight.} (30. Rc5 Nf6 31. Ne5 {The main target is ?f7!} Rxc5 32. Qxc5 {White has winning chances thanks to more active pieces. The following fascinating lines show that Black should hold with precise play.} Kg8 33. Qe7 Qd5 (33... Qf8 34. Qa7 $16) (33... Qe8 34. Qa7 $16) (33... Qe4 34. Qxf7+ Kh7 35. Qxe6 Qb1+ 36. Kg2 Qe4+ 37. Kh3 Qb1 38. g4 $1 {The duo queen + knight is dangerous for both sides. If White wants to get winning chances, he has to risk a bit!} Qf1+ 39. Kg3 Ne4+ 40. Kf4 Nxf2 41. Qf5+ Kg8 42. Kg3 Qg1+ 43. Kf3 Qf1 $1 44. Qc8+ Kh7 45. Qc2+ Nd3+ 46. Kg3 Qg1+ 47. Kh4 Qf2+ 48. Qxf2 Nxf2 49. Kg3 Nd1 {Black returns the pawn, but even here White retains winning chances, as his king is more active.}) 34. Qxf7+ Kh7 35. Qg6+ Kg8 36. Nf7 Ne4 $1 37. Nxh6+ Kh8 38. Nf7+ Kg8 39. Kg2 $1 Ng5+ (39... Nd2+ 40. Kh3 Nf3 41. e4 Qc4 $8 42. Kg4 $1 Qe2 43. Kf4 $1 Qxf2 44. Nh6+ Kh8 45. Ng4 e5+ $1 46. Kf5 Nh4+ 47. Kg5 Nf3+ 48. Kh5 Qe2 $1 49. h4 Nh2 {White can't win here because of the pin.}) 40. e4 Nxe4 41. f3 Qd2+ 42. Kh3 Nf2+ 43. Kh4 {[%tqu "En","It won't be easy to spot the right move. You are invited to try.","","","f2h1","",10]} Nh1 $3 44. h3 (44. Ng5 Qxh2+ 45. Nh3 Nf2 46. Qxe6+ Kh7 $11) 44... Qd4+ 45. f4 Nxg3 $1 46. Nh6+ Kh8 47. Qxg3 Qf6+ 48. Qg5 Qxh6+ 49. Kg4 Qf6 $11 {Of course, all these lines can't be calculated by a human player, but show the potential of this seemingly calm position.}) 30... Nf6 {Now White has to protect the pawn and weaken the residence of his king.} 31. f3 a5 32. Qc5 b4 33. Rc4 Qa6 {Threatening 34...?d7. Black is okay.} 34. b3 $8 Kh7 35. Qd6 a4 36. Rc2 axb3 37. axb3 Qa1+ 38. Kg2 Qb1 39. Qd2 Qxb3 40. Nxb4 Rb8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gibraltar Masters 11th"] [Site "Caleta"] [Date "2013.01.29"] [Round "8"] [White "Le, Quang Liem"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2690"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "134"] [EventDate "2013.01.22"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GGB"] [SourceTitle "CBM 153"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Qc2 c5 7. dxc5 Na6 $5 {This system was examined in annotations to Karjakin - Kramnik by GM I.Stohl (see CBM 147). The development of the knight to c5 looks quite appropriate.} 8. e3 Nxc5 9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 a6 11. a4 Bd7 (11... b6 12. O-O Bb7 13. Rfd1 Qc8 14. Qe2 (14. Ne5 Ncd7 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Be2 Rd8 17. Rac1 Nf6 18. Rxd8+ Qxd8 19. Qb3 Nd5 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Qc3 Qe8 $11 {Rychagov,A (2556)-Azarov,S (2648)/St Petersburg/2011/}) 14... Qc6 15. Qf1 Rfc8 16. Ne5 Qe8 17. h3 Ncd7 18. Nxd7 Nxd7 {1/2 (27) Karjakin,S (2706)-Kramnik,V (2759) Nice 2009}) (11... Nd5 $5 12. Bxd5 exd5 13. O-O Be6 14. b4 Nd7 $5 15. Rab1 Rc8 $132 {Vescovi,G (2525)-Dorfman,J (2585)/Elista olm/1998/}) 12. O-O Bc6 (12... Rc8 13. a5 b5 14. axb6 Qxb6 15. Qe2 {Shahade,G (2463)-Collins,S (2426)/Freemont/2012/} Bc6 {[%CAl Yc6b7]} 16. Bxa6 Nxa6 17. Rxa6 Qb7 $44) (12... Qa5 $5 13. Rfb1 Qb4 14. Ne5 {0-1 (101) Kovalenko,I (2586)-Ehlvest,J (2613) Jurmala LAT 2013} Rfd8 $11) 13. Rfd1 Qa5 14. Nd4 Rfc8 15. Nxc6 Rxc6 $11 {Black's good development and the weakness of the b4 square in White's camp compensate for White's bishop pair.} 16. h3 $6 {A passive move, after which Black seizes the initiative.} (16. Be2 Nce4 17. Bf3 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Nd5 $11) 16... Rac8 17. Bb5 $5 Rb6 18. Be2 (18. Rab1 $1 axb5 19. b4 Qa8 20. bxc5 Rxc5 21. axb5 Qc8 22. Rdc1 $11) 18... Nce4 19. Bf3 Nxc3 20. bxc3 g5 21. Bg3 Rxc3 22. Qd2 Rbb3 {Black has won a pawn although he faces serious technical problems converting it.} 23. Rac1 b6 24. Rxc3 $6 (24. Bc7 $1 Nd5 25. Be5 Rxc1 26. Qxa5 Rxd1+ (26... bxa5 27. Rxc1 f6 28. Bd4) 27. Bxd1 bxa5 28. Bxb3 {with a probable draw}) 24... Qxc3 25. Qxc3 Rxc3 26. Be5 $6 (26. Be2 $5 {trying to force ...a6-a5}) 26... Rc4 27. Rd4 Rc5 28. Bxf6 Bxf6 $17 {[%mdl 4096] As a result of inaccurate play, White is just a pawn down without compensation, and even opposite-coloured bishops won't save him after all.} 29. Rd7 Kf8 30. Ra7 a5 31. Bh5 $6 (31. g3 $142 Rc4 32. Ra8+ Kg7 33. Ra7 Kg6 (33... Be5 34. Bh5 Bc7 35. Be2) 34. Bd1 Rc1 35. Rd7 b5 36. axb5 Rb1 (36... a4 37. Kg2 a3 38. Bb3 Rc3 39. Ba2 Rc2 $4 40. Bb1) 37. Kg2 Rxb5 38. Bc2+ Kg7 39. Bd1 Kf8 40. Ra7 {keeping drawing chances.}) 31... Be7 32. Ra8+ Kg7 33. Ra7 Kf6 34. g3 Rc4 35. Rb7 (35. Bd1 {doesn't help anymore:} Rc1 36. Rd7 b5 37. axb5 a4 38. Kg2 a3 39. Bb3 Rc3 40. Ba2 Rc2 41. Bb3 Rb2 42. Bc4 Bc5 $19 {[%CAl Rc5e3,Ra3a2]}) 35... Rxa4 36. Rxb6 Rc4 37. Ra6 a4 38. Kg2 a3 {With his pawn on the 3rd rank, Black wins quite easily.} 39. Be2 Rc3 40. Bf3 Bc5 41. Be4 h5 42. Kf3 Ke5 43. Bh7 Rb3 44. g4 h4 45. Ra4 Rb2 46. Ra5 Kd6 47. Bd3 Kd5 48. Bf1 a2 49. Bd3 Rd2 50. Ba6 e5 51. Bb7+ Kc4 52. Ke4 Kb3 53. Bd5+ Rxd5 $1 54. Rxa2 Rd6 55. Ra5 Kb4 56. Ra2 f6 57. Kf5 Kc4 58. Rc2+ Kb5 59. Rb2+ Kc6 60. Rc2 Kb6 61. Ke4 Kb5 62. Kf5 Bb4 63. Kg6 Be1 64. Kf5 Kb4 65. Re2 Bd2 66. f3 Kc3 67. Ke4 Rd3 0-1 [Event "Tata Steel-A 77th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2015.01.12"] [Round "3"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2820"] [Annotator "Sumets,Andrey"] [PlyCount "194"] [EventDate "2015.01.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 {A few month ago I read "New in Chess" magazine #8 and enjoyed Anish Giri's annotations to the game Anand-Carlsen, Wch 2014 game #3.} Ne4 {According to Anish, this is an ultra-modern way of playing this position. Yes, at least here you can hope to make a novelty earlier than on the 20th move.} ({Here is the aforementioned game:} 7... c6 {A. Giri confessed that he had nevertheless played this particular position.} 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 a4 16. Rc1 Ne4 17. Ng5 Ndf6 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. f3 Ra5 $2 20. fxe4 $1 $146 (20. Qe2 $6 Qd7 21. fxe4 Rc8 22. exd5 exd5 23. axb4 Rxb5 24. O-O Rxb4 $15 {Aronian,L (2795)-Adams,M (2753) Bilbao 2013 ½-½ (40). Due to the strong c7-pawn White has some compensation, but Black has the upper hand.}) 20... Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 23. exd5 Rxd5 24. Qxb6 Qd7 25. O-O Rc8 26. Rc6 $16 {1-0 (34) Anand,V (2792)-Carlsen,M (2863) Sochi RUS 2014}) 8. Rc1 ({Anish tried} 8. Nxe4 {but he didn't get an advantage after} dxe4 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. Bxe5 Bd7 $146 (10... b6 11. b4 f6 12. Bg3 a5 13. a3 axb4 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 Qd5 $1 16. Be2 bxc5 17. bxc5 e5 18. O-O (18. dxe5 f5) 18... Be6 19. dxe5 f5 $44 {Lenic,L (2633)-Grachev,B (2672) Germany 2012 ½-½ (28)}) 11. Be2 (11. Bc4 $5 {could be recommended as an improvement} Bf6 12. Qh5 g6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Qg4 {with some pressure}) 11... Bc6 12. O-O Bf6 13. Bg3 Bh4 14. Be5 Bf6 15. b4 Bxe5 16. dxe5 a6 $11 {Giri,A (2745)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2700) Tromso NOR 2014 ½-½ (34)}) (8. Qc2 {See the game Topalov,V-Giri,A/Istanbul ol 2012. The game is annotated by M. Krasenkow, who dislikes 7...?e4: 'This rare continuation will hardly gain new adherents'.}) 8... Nxc3 9. Rxc3 b6 10. c6 ({Anand has got nothing after} 10. b4 a5 11. a3 axb4 12. axb4 bxc5 13. bxc5 Nf6 14. Nd2 Nd7 {intending to play ...e5} 15. Nf3 {draw offer} Nf6 16. Nd2 Nd7 17. Nf3 {1/2-1/2 (17) Anand,V (2793)-Caruana,F (2829) London ENG 2014}) 10... Nf6 11. a3 a5 12. Rc2 Ne4 (12... Ba6 $6 $146 {Black needs to trade light-squared bishops but he should wait till after White has played ?d3.} 13. Bxa6 Rxa6 14. Ne5 a4 {It is not clear if Black really needs to play a4} 15. g4 $5 (15. f3 Re8 16. Bg3 Ra8 17. O-O $14) 15... Ne4 16. Nd7 Re8 17. Qd3 Ra5 18. O-O Nd6 19. Bxd6 Bxd6 20. f4 $14 {Vitiugov,N (2735)-Raznikov,D (2494) Caleta ENG 2015 1-0 (32)}) 13. Bd3 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Ne5 Bd6 16. Nd7 Bxf4 $5 {It wasn't necessary to sacrifice an exchange.} (16... Re8 17. O-O Bxf4 18. exf4 a4 19. Qe2 Ra8 20. g3 {Black's position is very solid.}) 17. Nxf8 Bxe3 {Due to the closed character of the position and the potential weakness of the d4-pawn, Black has some compensation for the exchange but it seems to me that 16...?e8 was stronger then 16...?f4.} 18. Nd7 Bg5 (18... Bh6 {intending ...g6, ...?g7} 19. Qh5) 19. Qd3 Ra8 20. a4 {I don't like this move. White could have tried to prepare b4, or if Black plays ...a4, then after b4 axb3 ?xb3 White could push his a-pawn. Another drawback of 20.a4 is the weak b4-square.} Nf6 21. h4 ({It would be good for White if he managed to open the e-file after f4, f5 but it is not obvious how to realise this plan.} 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. O-O g6 23. Rd1 (23. f4 Qd6 24. g4 $2 Qb4 $15) 23... Qd6 24. g3 h5) 21... Bh6 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. h5 {Intending g3, f4.} Bg5 24. O-O (24. g3 $1) 24... Qf4 $1 25. Rd1 Bf6 {Black's position is solid and it is not clear how White wants to profit from his extra exchange.} 26. g3 Qg4 27. Qe2 Qh3 $5 {Did Fabiano try to win the game?!} ({After} 27... Qxe2 28. Rxe2 Kf8 29. f4 Ke7 30. Kf2 Kd6 31. Rc2 g6 $5 {the position which has arisen is roughly equal.}) 28. Rc3 Be7 29. g4 Qh4 30. f4 Bd6 31. Rf1 Qf6 32. Qf2 Rb8 {Intending ...b5.} 33. Rb3 g6 {Black lacks space. That's why he opens the h-file.} 34. hxg6 hxg6 35. Kg2 {Anish prepares some activities on the h-file.} Kf8 $6 (35... Kg7 $5 36. Rh3 Rh8 37. Rxh8 Kxh8 {and due to the weak pawns White can't organise an invasion on the h-file.}) 36. Rh3 Ke7 37. b3 Rh8 38. g5 $5 {Anish gains space but he can't play f4-f5 anymore.} Qg7 39. Rxh8 Qxh8 40. Rh1 $14 Qg8 41. Rh3 (41. Kf3 Qa8 42. Qc2 Qg8 {and it is not obvious if White has something.}) 41... Qg7 42. Kf3 Qg8 43. Kg2 Kd8 44. Qh4 Qe8 45. Rc3 (45. Qh8 Qxh8 46. Rxh8+ Ke7 {is a draw because White needs to protect the f4-pawn. If he had the king on f3 then after ...?c8 White wins due to Zugzwang.}) 45... Kc8 46. Kf3 Kb8 47. Qh7 Qf8 48. Kg4 Ka7 49. Rf3 Qe8 50. Qg7 Qxc6 $11 51. Qxf7 Qc1 52. Qxe6 Qg1+ 53. Rg3 Qxd4 $5 {Fabiano doesn't want to finish the game.} (53... Qd1+ 54. Rf3 Qg1+ $11) 54. Qe3 Qh8 55. Rh3 Qc8+ 56. Kh4 Qf8 57. Rf3 Qh8+ 58. Kg3 Qh5 59. Kg2 $8 Qg4+ 60. Kf1 Bc5 61. Qd3 Qg1+ 62. Ke2 Bb4 63. Rf1 Qg4+ (63... Qg2+ 64. Rf2 Qh1 65. Qxg6 Qe1+ 66. Kf3 Qd1+ 67. Kg3 Qg1+ 68. Kf3 Qd1+ $11) 64. Qf3 Qf5 65. Rd1 c6 $8 {Fabiano protects the pawn however after 66.?h1 his king will be in danger.} 66. Rh1 $1 Bc5 67. Kf1 ({It is worth considering playing} 67. Rh7+ Ka8 68. Kf1 $1 {White wants to continue ?g2 and ?e2.} Bd6 69. Kg2 Bxf4 70. Qe2 Qc8 $8 (70... Qxg5+ 71. Kh1 $18) 71. Kf3 Bxg5 72. Qd3 Qf5+ $11) 67... Bd6 68. Rh7+ Kb8 69. Qe3 Qxf4+ 70. Qxf4 Bxf4 71. Rg7 Bxg5 72. Rxg6 Be7 73. Rxc6 Bc5 $11 {Black still has to play precisely but it is a fortress.} 74. Ke2 Kb7 75. Rg6 Kc7 76. Kf3 Kd7 77. Kf4 Bd4 $1 78. Kf5 Ke7 79. Rg4 Bc3 80. Rg3 Bb2 81. Rg2 Bc3 82. Rc2 Ba1 83. Rc6 Bd4 84. Rh6 Kd7 85. Re6 Kc7 86. Kf4 Kd7 87. Rh6 Kc7 88. Kf3 Kd7 89. Ke2 Bc5 90. Kf3 Bd4 91. Rh4 Bc5 92. Rg4 Kd6 93. Rg6+ Kd7 94. Rh6 Bd4 95. Kf4 Kc7 96. Kf5 Kd7 97. Rh4 Bc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 1st"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2013.02.08"] [Round "2"] [White "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2716"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "157"] [EventDate "2013.02.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 153"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. h3 Qe7 (10... a6 {was examined in CBM 149, annotations to Lahno - T.Kosintseva by GM A.Mikhalchishin. The text move, starting counterplay in the centre at once, is quite possible, too.}) 11. b3 (11. a3 Rd8 12. b4 Bb6 13. Na4 Bc7 14. Bb2 Ne5 15. Rc1 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Be5 17. Bd4 b6 18. Nc3 Bxd4 19. exd4 a5 $132 {1/2 (98) Dimakiling,O (2453)-Vignesh,N (2230) Chennai IND 2012}) 11... Rd8 12. Bb2 Ne4 {[%CAl Yc8f5] The most appropriate and active continuation.} (12... d4 {is a bit premature due to Black's insufficient development:} 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Na4 Nxf3+ 15. Qxf3 Bd4 16. Bxd4 Rxd4 17. Rad1 g6 18. Rfe1 Be6 19. Bc4 Rxd1 20. Qxd1 Rd8 21. Qf3 b6 22. Bxe6 fxe6 $14 {1/2 (79) Salem,A (2546)-Wei Yi (2418) Athens GRE 2012}) (12... a6 {is too slow:} 13. Ne2 Be6 14. Ng5 h6 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Rc1 Bb6 17. Bb1 Qd6 18. Qd3 Bc7 19. g3 Qe7 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Nd4 Be5 23. Nf5 Ne7 24. f4 $36 {1/2 (56) Eljanov,P (2683)-Leko,P (2728) Saratov 2011}) (12... Be6 13. Ne2 Rac8 14. Nfd4 Ne4 {0-1 (63) Demianjuk,A (2324)-Smirnov,P (2599) Vladivostok RUS 2012} 15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Nf4 $14) 13. Rc1 (13. Ne2 Nb4 14. Bb1 (14. Nfd4 Bd6 15. Nf4 Bxf4 16. exf4 {1/2 (37) Wojtaszek,R (2734)-Sasikiran,K (2676) New Delhi IND 2012} Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Qf6 $132) 14... Bf5 15. Nfd4 (15. Ned4 Bg6 16. a3 Nc6 17. b4 Bb6 18. Ba2 a5 $132 {0-1 (39) Mkrtchian,L (2450)-Hou Yifan (2617) Jermuk ARM 2012}) 15... Bg6 16. Nf4 Rac8 17. Qg4 Nf6 18. Qg5 Bxb1 19. Raxb1 h6 20. Qh4 Ne4 21. Qxe7 Bxe7 22. a3 {1/2 (22) Roiz,M (2651)-Fressinet,L (2700) Porto Carras 2011}) (13. Qe2 Bf5 14. Rad1 a6 15. Na4 Ba7 16. Nd4 Bxd4 17. Bxd4 Qg5 18. f4 Nxd4 19. exd4 Qg6 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Nc5 Re8 22. Qg4 b6 23. Qxg6 hxg6 24. Na4 Re6 25. Rc1 Rae8 {1/2 (25) Ghaem Maghami,E (2583)-Fressinet,L (2696) Germany 2011}) 13... Bf5 14. Ne2 {[%CAl Yf3d4,Ye2f4][%mdl 32]} Rac8 (14... Nxf2 15. Rxf2 Bxd3 {1/2 (52) Aleksandrov,A (2602)-Kravtsiv,M (2592) Nagpur IND 2012} {runs into a nice exchange sacrifice:} 16. Rxc5 $1 Bxe2 17. Qxe2 Qxc5 18. Ng5 {[%CAl Re2h5]} d4 $8 (18... h6 $2 19. Rxf7 $1 d4 20. Rxg7+ $1) (18... f6 $2 19. Qh5 $1) 19. Qh5 h6 20. Qxf7+ Kh8 21. Ne6 Qe5 22. Nxd8 Rxd8 23. exd4 Nxd4 24. Qxb7 $16 {- White ends up with an extra pawn}) 15. Nf4 (15. Bb1 $5 Bg6 (15... Ba3 16. Bxa3 Qxa3 17. Nfd4 Bg6 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Nf4 $14 {1-0 (40) Salem,A (2546)-Gundavaa,B (2519) Istanbul TUR 2012}) (15... h6 $5) (15... Bb6 $5) 16. Nf4 Ba3 17. Bxa3 Qxa3 18. Nd4 Qb2 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Qd4 Qxd4 22. exd4 $14 {1/2 (44) Nisipeanu,L (2647)-Grigoriants,S (2570) Moscow RUS 2012}) 15... Ba3 {I don't like this bishop exchange. Of course, the rule that the side with the isolated central pawn should not simplify the position has a lot of exceptions but I don't believe this is the case.} (15... Bb6 $142 16. Qe2 h6) 16. Qe2 Bg6 17. Rfd1 a6 18. Bb1 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 Nf6 20. Bxg6 hxg6 21. Rc2 {The isolani on d5 is becoming weaker with every exchange.} Rc7 22. Rcd2 (22. b4 $142 $1 {[%CAl Ya2a3]}) 22... Qc5 23. Nd3 {White aims to exchange another pair of minor pieces but this time it is not the best solution as he trades his active knight.} (23. Rc2 Qe7 24. b4 $36) 23... Qb6 24. Nde5 Nxe5 25. Qxe5 Re8 26. Qf4 Re4 $6 {But Black just blunders a pawn! On recapturing it, he will come under attack.} (26... Qc5 $142 $1 {If} 27. g4 {then Black holds his ground by means of} Qe7 {e.g.} 28. Kg2 (28. g5 $2 Ne4 29. Rxd5 $2 Nc3 {[%CAl Rc3e2]}) 28... Ne4 29. Rxd5 Rc2 30. Re5 Rxf2+ 31. Kg1 Qxe5 32. Qxe5 Rxe5 33. Nxe5 Rxa2 34. Rd8+ Kh7 35. Nxf7 g5 $11) 27. Rxd5 $1 {[%mdl 64]} Rc8 $8 (27... Rxf4 $2 28. Rd8+ Kh7 29. Ng5+ Kh6 30. exf4 {, and Black's king is in a mating net!}) 28. Rd6 $1 Qa5 29. Qg3 Ree8 30. Ng5 Qxa2 31. Qh4 $6 {White sacrifices his b3 pawn. It was probably better to keep it by means of} (31. b4 $36) 31... Qxb3 32. R1d3 Qc4 33. R3d4 Qc1+ 34. Kh2 Qc7 35. Kg1 Qc1+ 36. Rd1 Qc4 37. e4 $5 {White takes a risk playing for a win.} Rc5 38. Rd8 Rc8 (38... Rce5 $5 39. R8d4 Qe2 40. f4 Rc5 41. e5 Rc2 42. Qg3 Nh5 43. Qg4 $13) 39. R8d6 Rc5 40. Rd8 Rc8 41. R8d4 Qe2 42. Kh2 Rc5 43. Rd8 Rce5 44. f4 Rxd8 45. Rxd8+ Re8 46. Rd4 Qe3 {Black has simplified the game but White keeps initiative for the pawn anyway.} 47. Rb4 Nh5 (47... b5 48. e5 Nh5 49. Nf3 $13 {[%CAl Yf4f5]}) 48. e5 f6 (48... a5 49. Re4 Qd2 50. f5 $44) 49. Nf3 a5 50. Rd4 fxe5 (50... b5 $5 51. Qg4 $132) 51. fxe5 Rf8 52. Re4 Qb6 53. Qg4 Qc6 54. Rd4 Qe8 55. Qg5 Kh7 56. Qe3 Rxf3 $2 {Black loses patience. After} (56... a4 {the position remained unclear.} 57. Ng5+ (57. g4 $4 Rxf3 58. Qxf3 Qxe5+) 57... Kg8 58. g4 {was not killing because of} Nf6) 57. gxf3 {The fight is still very tense but finally White's rook prevails over Black's knight:} Qe6 58. Rd6 Qa2+ 59. Rd2 Qe6 60. Rd6 Qa2+ 61. Qd2 Qb3 (61... Qf7 $5) 62. e6 $6 (62. Kg2) 62... Qxf3 63. Rd3 Qc6 64. Qe3 a4 65. e7 Nf6 66. Kg1 b5 67. Rd4 Ne8 (67... Kg8 $142 68. Rd8+ Ne8) 68. Rf4 Qd5 69. Kf2 Qc6 70. Ke1 Qh1+ 71. Kd2 Qd5+ 72. Kc1 Qg5 73. h4 Qd5 74. Kb2 Nd6 75. h5 $1 Qxh5 76. Rd4 Ne8 77. Rf4 Qh2+ 78. Qf2 a3+ 79. Ka2 {The general impression is that Black has no safe equalising way in this line after all.} 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-43"] [Site "Batumi"] [Date "2018.09.28"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2678"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2018.09.24"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 187"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Poland"] [BlackTeam "France"] [WhiteTeamCountry "POL"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 c6 {This continuation is obviously less logical than the normal} (7... dxc4 {, gaining a tempo.}) 8. O-O Nh5 9. Rc1 {A typical idea: White allows Black to double his pawns but obtains the open e-file and control of the e5 square.} (9. Bg3 Nxg3 10. hxg3 {is harmless}) ({or} 9. Be5 f6 10. Bg3 Nxg3 ({simpler than} 10... f5 11. Be5 Nhf6 12. h3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Nd7 14. f4 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Bg5 16. Qd2 Bd7 $11 {1-0 (60) Gelfand,B (2740)-Aronian,L (2809) London 2013}) 11. hxg3 f5 12. Rb1 Rf6 13. b4 a6 14. a4 Rh6 15. b5 g5 $132 {1/2 (59) Svane,R (2555)-Merriman,J (2243) London 2016}) (9. Qc2 $5 Nxf4 10. exf4 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nb6 (11... Nf6 12. Rad1 (12. Qe2 Nd5 13. g3 Bf6 14. Ne4 b6 15. Rfd1 Bb7 16. Ne5 Rc8 17. Rac1 Rc7 18. Bd3 {1/2 (76) Deac,B (2543)-Radjabov,T (2710) Bastia 2016}) 12... Qc7 13. g3 c5 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Ne5 a6 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 $14 {1-0 (53) Artemiev,V (2650)-Golubov,S (2347) Baku 2014}) (11... b6 $5 12. Rfe1 g6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. g3 $6 (14. Ne4 $5) 14... Qc7 15. Ng5 Nf6 16. Qb3 Kh8 17. h4 Rad8 $132 {1/2 (39) Mchedlishvili,M (2619)-Nigalidze,G (2458) Tbilisi 2009}) 12. Bd3 g6 13. g3 Nd5 14. a3 Nxc3 (14... Bd7 15. Ne4 Rc8 16. Rac1 b6 17. Qe2 Rc7 18. Ne5 Be8 19. Rc2 f6 20. Nf3 Bf7 21. Rfc1 Qa8 22. h4 $14 {1/2 (53) Dorfman,J (2580)-Ivkov,B (2505) France 1993}) 15. Qxc3 Qd6 16. Rac1 Rd8 17. Be4 Bd7 18. Rfd1 Be8 19. Ne5 Bf8 20. Qb3 Qe7 21. Rd3 Bg7 22. Rcd1 Rac8 23. Bg2 Rc7 24. h4 $36 {1/2 (62) Tari,A (2450)-Oparin,G (2552) Pune 2014}) 9... Nxf4 10. exf4 b6 (10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 b6 {allows White to harmoniously arrange his pieces:} 12. Qe2 (12. Re1 Bb7 13. Qb3 Bd6 14. g3 Nf6 15. Ne5 Nd5 16. f5 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bxe5 18. Rxe5 exf5 19. Rce1 c5 20. dxc5 Be4 21. Bd5 Rc8 22. cxb6 Qxb6 23. Qxb6 axb6 24. c4 Rc5 $11 {1/2 (39) Sebenik,M (2549)-Spalir,J (2342) Maribor 2017}) 12... Bb7 13. Rfd1 Rc8 14. Ne5 Nf6 15. a3 Bd6 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Rc7 18. g3 Qc8 19. Qe2 $14 {1-0 (61) Gelfand,B (2731)-Oparin,G (2563) Moscow 2015}) 11. cxd5 {A common reaction to ...b7-b6.} cxd5 {This gives White a stable plus as he has initiative on both sides.} (11... exd5 {[%csl Rc6]} 12. Re1 Bb7 13. g3 $14 {etc. - White doesn't hurry with Nf3-e5 but is ready to play it at an appropriate moment.} f6 $6 14. Bd3 {is clearly favorable for White.}) 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Qe2 a6 14. Rfe1 Bd6 15. Ne5 b5 $6 {Probably a poor idea: White is able to use the weakness of dark squares in Black's position.} (15... g6 $142 $14) 16. Nb1 $1 {[%mdl 32]} Nf6 17. Nd2 {[%csl Gd2] From here White's knight is able to go to f3 (to support White's kingside attack) or to b3 to control and possibly invade c5 or a5.} Qb6 18. Ndf3 Rac8 19. Rxc8 Bxc8 20. Qe3 h6 $6 {A weakening move, making White's task easier.} (20... Qc7 $142 {[%CAl Yc7e7]}) 21. h4 $6 {An unnecessary "subtlety".} (21. g4 {[%CAl Yg4g5] was quite possible. If} Ne4 {then} 22. Rc1 {etc.}) 21... Ne4 22. Rc1 {Of course, White ignores Black's e4 knight. He can take it at any appropriate moment.} f6 $6 (22... Qa5 $142 $1 23. a3 Bb7 {[%CAl Yf8c8] with stubborn defense.}) 23. Ng6 Re8 24. Nd2 $1 f5 {[%csl Re5] Black must weaken his position even further.} (24... Nxd2 $2 25. Rxc8 $1 $18) 25. Nb3 (25. f3 $5 {was quite possible. If} Nxd2 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. Qxe6+ Kh7 {then} 28. Qxf5 $1 {, e.g.} Qxd4+ 29. Kh2 Nf1+ 30. Kh3 Ne3 31. Nf8+ Kg8 32. Qe6+ Kxf8 (32... Kh8 33. Ng6+ Kh7 34. Ne5+ $18) 33. Qxd6+ Kg8 34. Qe6+ $18) {However, even after the text move White keeps a decisive positional advantage.} 25... Qd8 26. h5 Bb7 27. Ne5 Qe7 28. Be2 Rc8 29. g3 Qe8 30. Kg2 {White is not hurrying.} Nf6 31. Nd3 Rxc1 32. Qxc1 Kh7 (32... Nxh5 $2 33. Na5 $18) 33. Qd1 Ne4 34. Ne5 Nf6 35. Nc5 Qc8 36. b4 Bc6 37. g4 $1 {Starting a final assault.} Be8 38. Bd3 Kh8 39. f3 a5 40. bxa5 Bxc5 41. Qc2 Qa8 42. Qxc5 Qxa5 43. Qf8+ Kh7 44. gxf5 Qd2+ 45. Kh3 Qe1 46. fxe6+ Ne4 47. Bxe4+ dxe4 48. Qxe8 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2001.12.01"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Dreev, Alexey"] [Black "Pigusov, Evgeny"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2676"] [BlackElo "2613"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "177"] [EventDate "2001.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 c5 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. e3 O-O 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 13. Qc2 $1 $146 {Eine wertvolle Neuerung. Üblich ist hier 13.e4.} (13. e4 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 (14... Qf6)) 13... h6 ({Schlecht wäre} 13... dxe3 $2 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. fxe3 g6 16. Ng5 Bf5 17. Qf2 Kg7 18. Qh4 Qe7 (18... Rh8 $2 19. g4 Bd7 20. Ne6+ $18) 19. Rf3 $40) 14. e4 Bg4 (14... Be6 $5 {sieht besser aus, da Weiß höchstwahrscheinlich später selbst ?f3-d2 spielen wird.}) 15. Nd2 {Weiß vermied geschickt die Fesselung durch ?g4 und geht zu seinem typischen Plan über, der Vorbereitung von f2-f4.} Rc8 16. Qa4 Be6 17. Bg3 Na5 ({In Frage kam} 17... Qe7 18. f4 (18. Nc4 Bc7) 18... f5 $5 {In der Hauptvariante 13.e4 ?g4 14.h3 ?h5 15.g4 ?g6 16.?d2, wo man ähnliche Stellungsbilder sieht ist f7-f5 nie möglich.} 19. Rae1 Qd7 $132) 18. Rac1 Bd7 19. Qb4 Re8 20. f4 Nc6 21. Qb3 Na5 22. Qb4 (22. Qd1 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 Qe7 24. b4 Nc6 25. f5 Ne5 26. Bxe5 Qxe5 27. Nc4 $14) 22... Nc6 23. Qd6 Re6 24. Qd5 Ne7 25. Rxc8 Qxc8 26. Qb3 Rc6 27. Qd1 Bg4 28. Nf3 (28. Qe1 $5 $14) 28... Bxf3 29. Qxf3 Rc1 30. Rd1 Qc6 31. Qf1 Rxd1 32. Qxd1 $14 {E.Pigusov tauschte eine Figur nach der anderen ab, erzielte aber dabei keinen Ausgleich. Das weiße Läuferpaar und die mobilen Bauern e4 und f4 sorgen für einen langfristigen Stellungsvorteil von Weiß.} Bc7 33. Qd2 {??f2} g5 $2 {Mit diesem Bauernopfer hofft Schwarz eine Blockadestellung mit großen Remischancen zu erreichen.} ({Objektiv gesehen war das passive Ausharren besser, z.B.} 33... Qd7 34. Bf2 Nc6 35. g3 $14) 34. fxg5 Bxg3 35. hxg3 Qg6 (35... hxg5 $5 36. Qxg5+ Kf8 37. Kf2 $16) 36. gxh6 Qxg3 {??c6-e5} 37. Bc4 Nc6 38. Kf1 ({Dreev verpaßt eine günstige Gelegenheit zum Damentausch:} 38. Qf2 $1 Qxf2+ (38... Qg6 39. Bd5 $16) 39. Kxf2 Ne5 40. Bd5 b5 $1 (40... Kh7 41. Bxb7 Nd3+ 42. Ke2 Nxb2 43. Bd5 f6 44. Bb3 $18) (40... b6 41. Kg3 Kh7 42. Kf4 Nd3+ 43. Kg5 Nxb2 44. Bxf7 d3 45. Bg6+ Kh8 46. e5 d2 47. Bc2 $18) 41. b4 $1 (41. Kg3 Nc4) 41... Kh7 42. Bb7 Nc4 43. Ke2 Kxh6 44. Kd3 $16) 38... Ne5 39. Qxd4 Qf4+ 40. Kg1 (40. Ke2 $5) 40... Kh7 41. Be2 b6 42. Qf2 Qc1+ 43. Bf1 Qg5 44. g3 Kxh6 45. Kg2 Kg7 46. Qf4 Qe7 {Pigusov hat sein Ziel erreicht und eine zuverlässige Blockade errichtet. Um diese Stellung zu halten darf er nur die Damen nicht tauschen. An diesen einfachen Grundsatz hält er sich lange Zeit...} 47. Be2 Qc5 48. Qg5+ Kf8 49. Qd8+ Kg7 50. Qd5 Qe7 51. b4 Kf6 52. Kf2 Qc7 53. Qd2 Kg6 54. Qd4 Kf6 55. Qb2 Qd6 56. Ke3 Ke7 57. Qd4 Qc7 58. Kd2 Nc6 59. Qd5 Ne5 60. Qd4 Nc6 61. Qc3 Qd6+ 62. Kc1 Nd4 63. Bc4 Qe5 64. Qd3 Nc6 65. Kb1 Qd4 $2 {Das Leichtfigurenendspiel ist defenitiv verloren.} ({Wie hoch die Gewinnchancen von Weiß nach z.B.} 65... Qc7 66. Bd5 Ne5 $16 {sind, läßt sich nicht leicht sagen.}) 66. Qxd4 Nxd4 67. Kb2 $18 Nf3 68. Kc3 f6 69. Be2 Ne5 70. Kd4 Kd6 71. Ke3 Ng6 72. Bh5 Ne5 73. Kf4 Nc4 74. Kf5 Ke7 75. Be2 Nd6+ (75... Nxa3 76. Bd3 a5 (76... b5 77. e5 fxe5 78. Kxe5 $18) 77. b5 $18) 76. Kf4 Nf7 77. g4 a5 78. b5 Ne5 79. Kf5 Nf7 80. e5 $1 {Der entscheidende Durchbruch der Blockade.} Nxe5 81. g5 Nd7 82. g6 Kf8 83. Ke6 Nc5+ 84. Kxf6 Ne4+ 85. Ke5 Nc3 86. Bd3 Ke7 87. Bc4 Kf8 88. Kd6 Nb1 89. a4 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup final"] [Site "Hyderabad"] [Date "2002.10.16"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Dreev, Alexey"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2673"] [BlackElo "2684"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2002.10.15"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "CBM 092"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.02.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.02.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 13. Qc2 $5 {Dreev bleibt seinem Zug treu.} ({Die Hauptfortsetzung ist} 13. e4 Bg4 14. h3) 13... h6 ({Recht riskant ist für Schwarz} 13... dxe3 $2 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. fxe3 g6 16. Ng5 Bf5 17. Qf2 Kg7 18. Qh4 Qe7 (18... Rh8 $2 19. g4 Bd7 20. Ne6+ $18) 19. Rf3 $40) 14. e4 Bg4 ({Auch} 14... Be6 $5 {kommt in Betracht.}) 15. Nd2 ({Neun Tage später versuchte Dreev gegen Onischuk} 15. Ne5 $5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Rc8 17. Qd2 Be6 18. Rac1 Qd7 19. h3 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Rc8 21. Rxc8+ Qxc8 22. Qf4 Qd8 23. Bd6 Qg5 24. Qxg5 hxg5 25. e5 f5 $14 {, konnte jedoch seinen Minivorteil nicht zum Gewinn umsetzen, Dreev,A-Onischuk,A/Cap d'Agde 2002}) 15... Rc8 16. Qa4 Qf6 $1 $146 {Nigel demonstriert eine Verbesserung des vorherigen Spiels von Schwarz. Der ?f4 wird abgetauscht, wonach die dunklen Felder im weißen Lager zu schwächeln beginnen.} (16... Be6 17. Bg3 Na5 18. Rac1 Bd7 19. Qb4 Re8 20. f4 Nc6 21. Qb3 Na5 22. Qb4 Nc6 23. Qd6 Re6 24. Qd5 Ne7 25. Rxc8 Qxc8 26. Qb3 $14 {Dreev,A-Pigusov,E/Moscow 2001}) 17. Bg3 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Nc4 $6 ({In Frage kommt} 19. f4 Qc7 {??e2} 20. Kh1 $11) 19... Qf4 $1 {Dieser starke Zug macht deutlich, wie schnell der weiße König in Gefahr geraten kann. Die Opferidee ?f3 (h3), verbunden mit dem Turmschwenk auf der 6.Reihe hängt nun in der Luft.} 20. Rfe1 (20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Qb4 Rc6 22. Qxd4 $2 Rd6 23. Qc3 Rc8 24. Qb3 Be6 25. Qb5 Bh3 $1 $17 (25... Bd7)) (20. g3 $5 Qf6 21. f4) 20... Rfd8 21. e5 Qg5 22. Nd6 Bf3 $15 23. g3 Rc7 24. h4 Qh5 ({Wahrscheinlich war} 24... Qg4 $1 {noch besser:} 25. Bf5 Qh5 $15 {??c5}) 25. Qb3 Bc5 26. Ne4 Qg4 (26... Qxe5 $4 27. Nd2 Qf6 28. Nxf3 $18) 27. Kh2 Be7 28. Nd2 Bd5 29. Qd1 {Die weiße Dame eilt ihrem König zur Hilfe, die Stellung ist ausgeglichen.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2001.11.30"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Gurevich, Mikhail"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2605"] [BlackElo "2650"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "135"] [EventDate "2001.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 {Ohne große Ansprüche gespielt. In einer Schnellschachpartie wollte Gurevich keine theoretische Diskussion (wie z.B. nach 7.c5) anfangen. Sicherer und chancenreicher ist es, mit Weiß eine übersichtliche Stellung mit leichter Initiative aufs Brett zu bekommen.} a6 8. a4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 ({Nicht weniger gut sieht für Schwarz} 10... Nxc5 {aus, z.B.} 11. Qxd8 (11. Qc2 Qa5 12. O-O Bd7 $11) 11... Rxd8 12. Ke2 Bd7 13. Ne5 Be8 $11) 11. O-O b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. h3 ({Vaganian hatte diese Stellung vor nicht einmal zwei Monaten auf dem Brett. Nach} 14. Nd4 Rfc8 15. Bg3 Nf8 16. Bd3 Bb4 17. Na2 Bd6 18. e4 Bxg3 19. hxg3 N6d7 20. Qe3 Ne5 21. Be2 Nfd7 $11 {glich er mühelos aus, Epishin,V-Vaganian,R/BL 2001-2002.}) 14... Rfc8 15. Rac1 Nf8 (15... e5 16. Bg5 $14 h6 $2 17. Rxd7 Qxd7 18. Nxe5 $16) 16. Ne5 Ng6 17. Nxg6 hxg6 18. Be5 {Das oben genannte Ziel ist erreicht- Weiß hat Dank der Schwäche a6 leichten Druck bekommen.} Nh5 (18... Bb4 $5 19. Bd4 Bc5 $11) 19. Bh2 Qg5 20. Qg4 {Mit dem Damentausch wird die gegnerische Aktivität rechtzeitig eingedämmt.} Qxg4 21. hxg4 Nf6 22. Be2 Kf8 23. g5 Nd5 $2 {Gurevichs umsichtige Taktik zahlt sich aus, Schwarz wähnt sich in Sicherheit und greift fehl.} ({Notwendig war} 23... Ne8 $1 24. Rd7 Bc6 $11) 24. Nxd5 Bxd5 25. a5 $1 $16 {Und plötzlich steckt der Nachziehende in großen Schwierigkeiten, es droht 26.b4.} Bb3 (25... Ke7 26. Rc3 $1 $16 {??dc1} (26. b4 Bxb4 27. axb6 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 Bd6 $11)) (25... Ke8 26. b4 Bxb4 27. Rxc8+ Rxc8 28. Bxa6 $16) 26. Rf1 (26. Rd3 $5 Bd5 27. Rdc3 Re8 28. Bc7 Bb4 29. axb6 Bxc3 30. Rxc3 $16 {??f3}) 26... Ke8 $2 {Danach wird die schwarze Stellung hoffnungslos.} ({Wohl oder übel, mußte Vaganian} 26... Bd5 27. b4 (27. Rc3 $5 $16) 27... Bxb4 28. axb6 {zulassen:} Re8 29. Bc7 {??f3} e5 30. Rfd1 Bb7 31. Rd7 Bc8 32. Rcd1 $1 Bxd7 33. Rxd7 $16) 27. Bf3 $18 Rab8 (27... Bd5 28. Bxd5 exd5 29. b4 Bxb4 30. axb6 $18) 28. Bxb8 Rxb8 29. Rc3 {Der Rest ist einfach.} Ba4 30. Ra1 Bd7 31. axb6 Bxb6 32. Rxa6 Bd8 33. b3 Bxg5 34. Ra8 Rxa8 35. Bxa8 Kd8 36. Bc6 Bc8 37. b4 Bf6 38. Rc2 Be5 39. b5 Bc7 40. Be8 f6 41. Bxg6 Bd7 42. Bd3 Bb6 43. Kf1 f5 44. Ke2 g5 45. Rc1 g4 46. Rh1 Kc7 47. Rh7 Kd6 48. Bc4 Bc5 49. Rg7 Bb6 50. Kf1 Bc5 51. e4 Bd4 52. Rg6 Kc5 53. b6 Kxc4 54. b7 Be5 55. exf5 exf5 56. Rg8 f4 57. b8=Q Bxb8 58. Rxb8 Kd5 59. Rb4 Ke5 60. g3 fxg3 61. fxg3 Kd5 62. Kf2 Kc5 63. Re4 Kd5 64. Ke3 Bf5 65. Re8 Bd7 66. Re7 Kd6 67. Rxd7+ Kxd7 68. Kf4 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2001.12.01"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Lautier, Joel"] [Black "Khalifman, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2653"] [BlackElo "2702"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2001.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Nd2 Be7 {Eine logische Reaktion auf die Drohung ?b3.} ({Dem letzten Stand der Theorie nach, führt das scharfe} 10... Bb4 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 d4 13. O-O Bxc3 14. Nc4 {zu leichtem Vorteil für Weiß.}) 11. Bg3 Bd7 12. Be2 Qb6 ({Besser ist m.E.} 12... Rfc8 {,z.B.} 13. O-O Qd8 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Nf3 Be6 16. Rfd1 Nh5 17. Qb3 Na5 $11 {Nielsen,P-Schandorff,L/Nyborg 2001}) 13. O-O ({Harmlos wirkt} 13. cxd5 exd5 14. O-O Rac8 15. Rfd1 Be6 16. Nb3 a6 17. Rac1 Ne4 $11 {Van Wely,L-San Segundo Carrillo,P/Buenos Aires 1995}) 13... d4 $6 {Dieser logisch aussehende Zug hat einige Nachteile. Zwar wird die weiße Bauernstruktur etwas verschlechtert, dafür bekommt der Anziehende freie Hand im Zentrum und auf dem Damenflügel.} 14. Na4 Qd8 15. b4 (15. e4 Rc8 16. e5 d3 17. Bxd3 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bxa4 19. b3 Bc6 20. Rad1 h6 21. Ne4 Nxe4 22. Bxe4 Qa5 $11 {Seul,G-Rabiega,R/Bundesliga 1991}) 15... dxe3 {Damit leitet Khalifman eine Stellungsvereinfachung ein, erreicht aber keinen Ausgleich.} ({In Frage kommt deswegen die "Computerfortsetzung"} 15... Rc8 $5 16. Nb2 (16. b5 Na5 {??b5}) 16... e5 17. Nb3 dxe3 18. fxe3 Qe8 19. Rad1 Ng4 20. Qc3 Bg5 21. Bxg4 Bxg4 $11 {Hansen,L-Comp Deep Blue/Copenhagen 1993}) 16. fxe3 Ne5 17. Bxe5 Bxa4 18. Qb2 $14 {Weiß hat das leichtere Spiel, seine Züge finden sich von selbst: c5, ?c4,?f3. Schwarz dagegen hat kein aktives Gegenspiel.} Ne8 19. Bf3 Bc6 (19... Qc8 $5 {??c6}) 20. Bxc6 bxc6 21. c5 {[%csl Rc6] ×c6} Qd3 22. Qd4 Qxd4 (22... Rd8 23. Qxd3 Rxd3 24. Nc4 $14) 23. Bxd4 Nf6 24. Nc4 Ne4 25. Rad1 Rfc8 $6 ({Vorsichtiger war} 25... f6) 26. Be5 $1 f6 27. Rd7 $1 $16 Kf8 (27... Bxc5 $2 28. bxc5 Nxc5 29. Re7 fxe5 30. Rff7 $18) 28. Rb7 Rd8 29. Bc7 $6 ({Einfacher und besser war} 29. Na5 $16 {, und Weiß gewinnt einen Bauern.}) 29... Rd5 (29... Rd3 $5) 30. Na5 Rd7 $1 31. Nxc6 $2 {Ein Fehler taktischer Natur.} (31. Rb8+ Rxb8 32. Bxb8 Rd3 33. Bxa7 Rxa3 34. Nxc6 Rxe3 35. Ra1 $16 {führte immer noch zu einem klaren Vorteil.}) 31... Rc8 32. Nd4 Bxc5 $1 $11 (32... Kf7 $2 33. Nb5 a6 34. c6 $16) 33. bxc5 (33. Nxe6+ Ke7 34. Nxc5 Nxc5 35. bxc5 Rcxc7 36. Rxc7 Rxc7 37. Rc1 Kd7 $11) 33... Nxc5 34. Bd6+ Rxd6 35. Rxa7 e5 36. Nf5 (36. Nf5 Rd7 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "New Delhi/Teheran"] [Date "2000.12.02"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Bareev, Evgeny"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2702"] [BlackElo "2623"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2000.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "CBM 081"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bg3 $6 {Aussichtsreicher ist 8.?d3, siehe z.B. die erste Partie des Matches. Der Unterschied besteht darin, daß Schwarz nach dem Tausch auf g3 viel leichter den Vorstoß e6-e5 durchsetzen kann.} c6 9. Bd3 g6 (9... f5 $6 10. Be5 $14 (10. Ng5 $2 Nxc5 $1 11. dxc5 Nxg3 12. Nxe6 Bxe6 13. hxg3 Bxc5 $17)) 10. b4 b6 11. O-O bxc5 12. bxc5 Nxg3 13. hxg3 e5 $1 $11 {Schwarz hat keinerlei Probleme.} 14. Qa4 Qc7 (14... e4 $6 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Bxe4 $14 {wäre nicht im Sinne des Nachziehenden.}) 15. Be2 exd4 16. exd4 Bf6 {??xc5} 17. Rac1 Rb8 {Durch die gegenseitigen Schwächen d4 und c6 bleibt die Stellung im Gleichgewicht.} 18. Bd3 Kg7 (18... Re8 $5 {??e7, ?f8} 19. Rb1 $6 (19. Ne2 $142) 19... Rxb1 20. Rxb1 Nxc5 21. Nxd5 Nxa4 22. Nxc7 Re7 $15) 19. Rfe1 h5 20. Ne2 Rh8 21. Rb1 Rxb1 22. Rxb1 Nf8 ({In Frage kam} 22... h4 $5 23. gxh4 (23. g4 h3 $13) 23... Bxh4 24. Nxh4 (24. Ba6 Bf6 $11) 24... Rxh4 25. g3 Rh8 26. Kg2 Nf6 27. Rh1 Rxh1 28. Kxh1 Bg4 $11 {, aber Vaganian will mehr als einen Ausgleich.}) 23. Ba6 Ne6 24. Bxc8 Rxc8 25. Qa6 Nd8 26. Nf4 Rb8 27. Qd3 Rxb1+ 28. Qxb1 h4 $1 {Schwarz schafft dem Gegner eine Schwäche auf g3 und übernimmt die Initiative.} 29. Kh2 hxg3+ 30. fxg3 Qc8 31. Qe1 Ne6 $6 {Dieser Springertausch kommt zu früh.} ({Chancenreicher war} 31... Kf8 $1 {??f5} 32. Qa5 Qb8 33. Qa6 Kg7 $15 {??c7,?e6}) 32. Qe3 Nxf4 33. Qxf4 $2 (33. gxf4 $1 Qf5 34. Kg3 $11) 33... Qh8+ $1 (33... Qe8 34. g4 Qe4 35. Kg3 $11) 34. Kg1 Qe8 35. Kf2 (35. Qc7 $5) 35... Qe4 $1 36. Qxe4 dxe4 37. Ne5 Bxe5 38. dxe5 {Das Bauernendspiel ist remislich, aber Weiß muß noch einige Klippen umschiffen.} f5 39. Ke3 Kf7 40. g4 Ke6 41. Kd4 $2 {Es handelt sich um eine Schnellschachpartie, und die Gegner hatten mit Sicherheit sehr wenig Zeit. Der Zwischentausch auf f5 war unentbehrlich.} (41. gxf5+ gxf5 (41... Kxf5 $2 42. e6 $11) 42. Kd4 Kf7 43. Ke3 Ke7 44. a3 a6 45. a4 a5 46. Kd4 Ke6 47. g3 Ke7 48. Kc4 $1 (48. Ke3 $2 Kd7 $19) 48... Kd7 49. Kc3 Ke6 50. Kd4 e3 51. Kxe3 Kxe5 52. Kf3 Kd5 53. Kf4 Kxc5 54. Kxf5 Kb4 55. g4 c5 56. g5 c4 57. Ke4 c3 58. Kd3 Kb3 59. g6 c2 60. g7 c1=Q 61. g8=Q+ Kxa4 62. Qc4+ $11) 41... e3 $17 42. Kxe3 Kxe5 43. gxf5 Kxf5 $1 44. Kf3 a5 45. a4 Ke5 46. Kg4 Kd5 47. Kg5 Kxc5 48. Kxg6 Kd4 $2 {Ein Gegenfehler. Schwarz konnte ein Damenendspiel mit dem a-Bauern erreichen.} (48... Kb4 $1 49. g4 c5 50. Kf5 c4 51. g5 c3 52. g6 c2 53. g7 c1=Q 54. g8=Q Kxa4 $17) 49. g4 $11 c5 50. g5 c4 51. Kf6 c3 52. g6 c2 53. g7 c1=Q 54. g8=Q Qf4+ 55. Ke6 Kc5 56. Qg1+ Kb4 57. Qd1 Qe3+ 58. Kd5 Qc5+ 59. Ke4 Qc6+ 60. Ke3 Qe6+ (60... Qxa4 61. Qd4+ Kb5 62. Qd7+ $11) 61. Kd2 Qa2+ 62. Ke3 Qa3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bundesliga 1920 final"] [Site "Karlsruhe"] [Date "2020.09.18"] [Round "4.1"] [White "L'Ami, Erwin"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2620"] [BlackElo "2835"] [Annotator "Edouard,Romain"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2020.09.16"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 201 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.05.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Solingen"] [BlackTeam "Baden-Baden"] [WhiteTeamCountry "GER"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 h6 $5 5. Bf4 ({Usually an interesting way to play against slow moves like ...h6 is} 5. g3 $5 {- at least that's what another GM told me once!}) 5... Bb4 (5... Bd6 {would be too much of an equalizer - so Caruana, who already showed his will to win by avoiding theory from move 4, went for a more aggressive approach.}) 6. cxd5 Nxd5 (6... exd5 7. e3 {would be a good Ragozin for White: in the Bf4 variation why should Black play ...h6¿}) 7. Bd2 O-O 8. g3 $5 (8. e4 {looks perfectly logical as well:} Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba5 10. Bc4 c5 11. O-O $14 {0-1 (38) Bok,B (2624)-Fedoseev,V (2678) lichess.org 2020}) 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba5 10. g4 $5 {Brave play again by L'Ami, who goes (after playing g3 two moves earlier) for a typical attempt of punishing ...h7-h6.} (10. Bg2 c5 11. O-O {would be very safe - and probably a bit better - for White.}) 10... c5 11. Rg1 Nc6 12. dxc5 $1 {Not a good positional move - but playing g3-g4 White clearly announced he's in there for a mating attack!} e5 {The most natural answer.} ({According to the engine,} 12... Qd5 {leads to unclear positions:} 13. g5 h5 (13... hxg5 14. Nxg5 f6 15. Bg2 Qxc5 16. Ne4 Qh5 $13) 14. Qb3 Qxc5 15. g6 f6 $13) 13. Qc2 Re8 14. g5 g6 $2 {A human move, but already a crucial mistake.} (14... h5 15. g6 f6 $1 {was required, although after 16.e4 or 16.0-0-0 Black's position is already unpleasant.}) 15. gxh6 e4 16. Ng5 Bf5 17. O-O-O Qf6 $2 {Agan a natural move by Black.} (17... e3 18. Bxe3 Bxc2 19. Rxd8 Bxd8 20. Kxc2 Bxg5 21. Bxg5 $16) 18. Bh3 $3 {What a refutation of Black's idea!} e3 {The logical follow-up.} (18... Bxh3 19. Nxh3 {is just winning for White: count the pawns!}) 19. Bxf5 $1 exd2+ 20. Rxd2 Re5 (20... Qxf5 $2 21. Qxf5 gxf5 22. h7+ {and Black gets mated:} Kh8 23. Nxf7+ Kxh7 24. Rd6 $18) (20... gxf5 $2 21. Ne4+) 21. Nxf7 $1 Qxf7 (21... Rxf5 22. Rd7 $18 (22. Nd6 $18)) 22. Bxg6 Qxf2 (22... Qf6 23. Qb3+) 23. Bf7+ $3 {The only winning move! What a game!} Kh8 24. Qg6 Rg5 25. Rxg5 (25. Qxg5 Bxc3 26. Rd7 {with the idea of Qg7+, was totally winning as well.}) 25... Bxc3 26. Kc2 (26. Bg8 $5 Bxd2+ 27. Kxd2 Rd8+ 28. Bd5 Qd4+ 29. Ke1 Ne7 30. Qg7+ Qxg7 31. hxg7+ Kh7 32. g8=Q+ {with a winning pawn ending.}) 26... Ne7 27. Qe4 Bf6 28. Re5 {The best move again! I stopped trying to understand what's going on: White is a lot of material up.} Rf8 29. e3 Qf1 30. Bc4 Qa1 31. Rxe7 $2 (31. Rd4 $5) 31... Qc3+ 32. Kd1 Qa1+ 33. Kc2 Qc3+ 34. Kd1 Qa1+ 35. Ke2 Bxe7 36. Qd4+ Qxd4 37. exd4 {Now White will need to pull up a bit of work again, but with three extra pawns and such a strong d-passer, he is totally winning.} Rf4 38. Bd5 Bf6 39. Ke3 Rh4 40. Rd3 Rh3+ 41. Kd2 Rxh2+ 42. Kc3 Kh7 43. Bxb7 Rxa2 44. Kb3 Ra1 45. c6 Bd8 46. d5 Ba5 47. d6 Rc1 48. Rd5 Bd8 49. Rd4 $1 {And Rc4 next. What a game by Erwin L'Ami!} 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "New Delhi/Teheran"] [Date "2000.12.02"] [Round "2.6"] [White "Bareev, Evgeny"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2702"] [BlackElo "2623"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "39"] [EventDate "2000.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "CBM 081"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 b6 $6 {Eine passive Fortsetzung. Vaganian mußte diese Partie unbedingt gewinnen, um das Match weiterspielen zu können, deswegen wohl die Entscheidung, forcierte Wege zu vermeiden.} ({Die beste Reaktion auf 7.?c2 ist 7...c5, z.B,} 7... c5 8. dxc5 (8. cxd5 cxd4 9. exd4 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Be2 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 Nf6 $11 {Van Wely,L-Asrian,K/New Delhi/Theran 2000}) 8... Nxc5 9. O-O-O Bd7 10. Ne5 Rc8 11. Kb1 Qe8 12. Nxd7 Ncxd7 13. Qa4 Nb6 14. Qxe8 Rfxe8 15. cxd5 Nfxd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 $11 {Stohl,I-Lputian,S/Istanbul 2000}) 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. O-O c5 11. Rad1 ({Zu früh ist} 11. dxc5 $6 {, vor 112 Jahren wußte man das noch nicht.} bxc5 12. Rad1 h6 13. Bf5 Nh5 $2 (13... Nb6 $1 $11) 14. Nxd5 $18 {Blackburne,J-Taubenhaus,J/New York 1889}) (11. Rac1 h6 12. h3 Rc8 13. Bf5 Re8 14. Ne5 Bf8 15. Qa4 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bc6 17. Qd1 Nd7 18. Nxd5 $16 {Ausmins,E-Danieli,E/Jesolo 1999}) 11... c4 $5 12. Bf5 g6 13. Bh3 a6 14. a4 (14. Ne5 b5 15. a3 $14) 14... Nh5 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Ne5 $2 {Ein für Schnellschach typischer Einsteller.} (16. b3 $5 $14) 16... Nf8 $2 {Schwarz glaubt dem Gegner aufs Wort und verpaßt eine gute Möglichkeit, auf Gewinn zu spielen.} (16... Nxe5 17. dxe5 Bc5 $1 18. Nxd5 (18. Ne4 Rxe5 19. Nxc5 bxc5 $15) 18... Bxd5 19. e4 Rxe5 20. Rxd5 Rxd5 21. exd5 Qxd5 22. Rd1 Re8 $1 $15) 17. f4 Ng7 $2 (17... f6 $1 {war ein absolutes Muß. Es konnte folgen:} 18. Bxf8 $1 Bxf8 19. Nxg6 Rxe3 (19... hxg6 20. Qxg6+ Ng7 21. Bf5 $40) 20. Nxf8 Qxf8 $14) 18. f5 $1 $16 g5 $2 (18... f6 19. fxg6 fxe5 20. gxh7+ Kh8 (20... Nxh7 21. Qg6 Bf6 22. Bxg7 Bxg7 23. Rf7 $18) 21. Rf7 $18) (18... Bf6 $8 19. fxg6 hxg6 $1 20. Qf2 (20. e4 $16) 20... Nh7 21. Nd7 Nh5 $16) 19. f6 $1 $18 Bxf6 20. Qf2 (20. Qf2 Nh5 21. Bg4 $18) 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2001.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Kasparov, Garry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2849"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2001.01.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 081"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 Re8 15. Rc1 a6 $1 {In letzter Zeit hatte Schwarz einige Probleme in dieser populären Variante, deswegen war es besonders interessant zu erfahren, welchen Weg zum Ausgleich Kasparov gefunden hatte. Schwarz sichert zuerst seinen Springer auf c6 und bereitet den thematischen Vorstoß d5-d4 vor. Interessanterweise wurde der Textzug bisher nur in zwei Partien gespielt. Weder 15..a5 noch 15...d4 konnte bisher überzeugen.} (15... a5 16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. b5 Na7 (18... Ne7 19. a4 $14) 19. Qd3 Qd7 20. Rfd1 Rad8 21. Bg5 f6 22. Qxg6 Qe6 23. Bf4 Nxb5 24. Rb1 Nc3 25. Rxb6 Qxb6 26. Ng5 $18 {Lputian,S-Geller,E/New York 1990}) (15... d4 16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. b5 dxe3 $2 (18... Ne7 $142 19. exd4 $14) 19. bxc6 e2 20. Qxd8 exf1=Q+ 21. Kxf1 Raxd8 22. cxb7 a6 23. Nd2 $1 $18 {Dautov,R-Nielsen, P_H/BL 9900}) 16. g4 {Prinzipiell gespielt.} ({Wenig erfolgversprechend sieht das verhaltene} 16. Rc2 {aus. (Weiß plant 17.?e2 und 18.?d2).} d4 $1 17. e4 Bc7 (17... Qf6 18. Bh2 $13) 18. Bxc7 Qxc7 19. Rc5 {, und jetzt nicht der Verlustzug 19...?e5?, sondern} Bxf3 $1 (19... Re5 $2 20. Rxc6 bxc6 21. g4 $16 {Lugovoi,A-Klimov,S/St Petersburg 1995}) 20. Qxf3 Qe7 $132 {, und dank der Drohungen 20...?e5 und 20...a5 gleicht der Schwarze mühelos aus.}) 16... Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Rc3 $146 {Ein neuer Versuch.} ({M.E. steht Weiß nach} 18. Qd3 d4 19. e4 {(½-½ Speelman,J-Geller,E/London 1982) immer noch einen Tick besser.}) 18... d4 $1 {Selbstverständlich opfert Kasparov gerne den Isolani für Initiative.} (18... Qd7 19. Rd3 Rad8 20. Qb3 $14) 19. Rd3 (19. exd4 Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Qxd4 21. Qxd4 Bxd4 22. Rc7 b5 $11) 19... Qd5 $1 (19... Re4 20. Nd2 Re6 21. Nc4 $14) 20. exd4 (20. Nxd4 Bxd4 (20... Nxd4 21. exd4 Rad8 22. Be3 $14) 21. exd4 Re4 22. Be3 Rd8 $44 {??e5}) 20... Re4 (20... Rad8 $5 21. Re1 Rxe1+ 22. Qxe1 Bxd4 {??xf2} (22... Nxd4 $2 23. Nxd4 Bxd4 24. Be3 $18) 23. Kg2 (23. Kh2 f6) 23... f6 24. Qd1 Qe4 25. Be3 Bb6 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 $11) 21. Be3 Rd8 22. Re1 f6 {Schwarz hat eine hervorragende Kompensation für den Bauern. Angesicht der weiteren Ressource f6-f5-f4 sollte Weiß vorsichtig agieren.} 23. Kg2 (23. Qb3 Qxb3 24. Rxb3 Bxd4 $11) 23... f5 24. gxf5 gxf5 25. Qb3 Qxb3 26. Rxb3 f4 27. d5 $1 (27. Bd2 Rxe1 28. Bxe1 Nxd4 29. Nxd4 (29. Rd3 Nc2 $15) 29... Rxd4 $15) 27... fxe3 28. dxc6 Re6 $1 29. fxe3 (29. cxb7 $2 Rg6+ 30. Kh1 exf2 $15 31. Rc1 Rb8 32. Rc8+ $2 Kh7 33. Rxb8 $2 Rg1+ 34. Kh2 f1=N#) 29... Rxc6 30. Kf2 (30. Ne5 Rc2+ 31. Kf3 Rf8+ 32. Ke4 Re8 $44) 30... Rf8 {Die schwarzen Türme sind zu aktiv, als daß Weiß seine Stellung konsolidieren konnte.} 31. Ke2 Rc2+ 32. Nd2 Rd8 33. Rd3 Ra2 34. Rxd8+ Bxd8 35. Rc1 Bf6 36. Rc7 $11 b5 37. Rc6 Rxa3 38. Ne4 Be7 39. Nc5 a5 40. Rb6 axb4 41. Rxb5 Ra2+ 42. Kd3 Rh2 43. Na6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Geneva FIDE GP"] [Site "Geneva"] [Date "2017.07.06"] [Round "1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2724"] [Annotator "Radjabov,Teimour"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2017.07.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Who would have thought that out of a so-called boring opening, we would get into very sharp play at some point, I managed to outcalculate my opponent in the sharp struggle. Anyway, let's look at the game!} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 c6 $5 {Not the most usual way to play this position, Black normally starts with ...b6. Here Anish started to think longer, remembering what was the difference and he remembered it right, but we considered the ensuing position as normal for Black.} 10. Qc2 {Came after a long think.} h6 11. O-O Qc7 12. Ne5 {This idea makes all the difference, otherwise the game would follow the normal path by g3.} Nxe5 13. fxe5 Bd7 (13... b6 {instead of the text move deserves attention, but we thought that it's a possible way for Black, not showing his cards earlier than needed.}) 14. a3 {White can start with f4, b4 and so on.} b6 15. b4 bxc5 16. bxc5 f6 17. f4 Rab8 {This was all going by my notes, Black should not rush with ...f5 or ...f6xe5 and keep the tension in the centre as much as he can. ...?a5 comes next and White should decide what he is doing, Anish spent a lot of time here, maybe around an hour!} 18. g3 Qa5 19. Ne2 {Here Anish offered a draw, which in normal circumstances and normal time, I would probably accept, but in these conditions where he had less time and probably felt uncomfortable playing this position, I decided that it was my chance and that I had to play on.} Be8 (19... Bc8 $5 {The computer's suggestion is probably even easier, Black goes for ...?a6 and the position is always good for Black.}) 20. Bg6 $2 {This is already a real mistake, which came quite fast from Giri, I did not expect this move. White should probably play calmly or go for exf6} (20. h3 {I was expecting this more, but maybe exf6 is the right way for White,}) (20. exf6 $1 Bxf6 21. g4 $1 {and even although the position is unclear of course, White is by no means worse.}) 20... Bxg6 21. Qxg6 Qd2 $1 {An important manoeuvre, the queen is very annoying on e3. Now Black has the upper hand: around 1 hour more on the clock and all the pleasures of deciding between the middlegame or pleasant endgames with the b-file occupied.} 22. Rf2 Qe3 {White is already in serious trouble practically; the centre is hanging totally.} 23. Qg4 {I would call it a mistake if practically this would be easy to face. I saw ...?f7 here as well as ...?f7, but I concentrated my calculations on ...?h8 and ...?h7 somehow. I was sure I had to keep the queens on, which is a mistake, but in the game it proved to be a crucial decision!} (23. Rc1 {Practically maybe the way, but a very hard move to play, a3 is hanging and even ...?e4 secures a stable advantage for Black.} Qe4 $1 $15 (23... Qxa3 24. Kg2 {with chances to save the game.})) 23... Kh7 $2 {This played out nicely in the game but objectively it's a mistake.} ({I miscalculated the line after} 23... Kf7 $5 {The most simple to play the position without risk and just press for the rest of the game with easy plans like ...?b2-?fb8 and ?d8-a5} 24. f5 (24. Qh5+ g6 $1 $17) (24. Qf3 Qxf3 25. Rxf3 Rb2 26. Nc1 Rfb8 $15) 24... fxe5 25. Qg6+ Kg8 $19) (23... Rf7 $5 {could have been even stronger, but when I saw the line over the board, I could not somehow believe it works. But it does!} 24. Qxe6 Rb2 25. Re1 Bd8 $1 {and here I told my self why? Why go for this when I am not sure if it works or not, if I have a stable advantage with ...?h7 and ...?f7.}) 24. Qxe6 Rbe8 25. a4 $4 {Blunder. This came as a complete surprise, but in time pressure it's not easy to make the right decisions. Anish probably missed the queen move that came later.} (25. Qxc6 fxe5 26. Qxd5 exd4 27. Rd1 {Here in my calculations I saw that I have ...?d8 but thought that ...d3 was good, when White can just take with the rook!!! and avoid the pin on the g1-a7 diagonal by ...?xc5!} Rd8 (27... d3 28. Rxd3 $1 {Of course!} (28. Qxd3+ Qxd3 29. Rxd3 Bxc5 $19)) 28. Qe5 Qxe5 29. fxe5 Bxc5 30. Rxf8 Bxf8 {Slightly better still, but it's not the kind of convertible advantage.}) (25. Qf5+ {was also much better than the move in the game:} Kh8 {I was planning this. I thought I was slightly better. But in fact I have to make a draw.} (25... g6 26. Qd7 fxe5 27. Raf1 exd4 28. f5 {and it ends in a draw, but Black should be accurate}) 26. e6 Bd8 27. Rd1 Rxe6 28. Rd3 Qe4 29. Qxe4 dxe4 30. Rb3 f5 $11) 25... fxe5 26. Qxe5 Qd3 $1 $19 {Now the white queen is trapped and the position is hopeless due to the fact that the knight on e2 and the d4-pawn together with White's king are extremely weak and impossible to defend. Also the queen is almost trapped.} 27. Qh5 Bf6 28. Raf1 {Here it was maybe easier to play simple moves, but I thought I was winning by force, which proved to be correct, otherwise ...?g8 or ...?e3 or some other move putting more pressure on White to make decisions, would be just winning calmly.} g6 29. Qg4 h5 30. Qd7+ Re7 31. Qd6 {This is all forced!} Kg7 $1 32. Nc1 Qf5 $1 {An important move, I was playing to trap the white queen, which in the end was not successful, but White had to weaken his king in order to protect the queen on d6.} 33. Rd1 {To play ?e2 next and try to rescue the queen.} Rfe8 $5 {But I was very excited by the idea of ...?xd4!!} (33... h4 $3 {The computer suggests this as easier, but probably any black move is enough to win the game. It is impossible to play this position as White, d4 hanging, the king weak, the queen almost trapped and the knight is completely out of play. There is nothing to do here with White, ...hxg3, ...?h3 are threatening.}) 34. Qxc6 Re1+ 35. Rf1 Bxd4+ $3 (35... Rxd1 36. Rxd1 Qc2 {Possible but hard to know if it's completely winning.}) (35... Rxf1+ $5 36. Rxf1 Bxd4+ 37. Kg2 Qe4+ 38. Kh3 Kh6 $3 $19 {and Black goes for ...?f5, ...?e3 and ...h4 with a winning position.}) 36. Rxd4 Rxf1+ 37. Kxf1 (37. Kg2 Ree1 $19 (37... Qc2+ 38. Kh3 (38. Kxf1 Qxc1+ 39. Kg2 Re2+ 40. Kh3 Kh6 $19) 38... Rh1 $19)) 37... Qh3+ 38. Kf2 Qxh2+ 39. Kf1 Qh1+ 40. Kf2 Re1 {White can't escape with the king, ...?f1 is threatening mate, or ...?g1, ...?e3. I was very happy about this game. Starting the tournament with a win is a great pleasure and for a long time I had not had such a start! It proved to be important for my overall result I think!} 0-1 [Event "Olympiad-34"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2000.11.05"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2620"] [BlackElo "2623"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2000.10.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2001"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Switzerland"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "SUI"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. h3 {Ein weiterer Versuch, die 6...?bd7- Verteidigung zu bekämpfen. Weiß schaut weit voraus und verhindert die später mögliche Fesselung durch ?c8-g4.} c5 8. dxc5 (8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Be2 {bringt dem Weißen nichts wegen} (10. Bd3 Qa5+ 11. Qd2 Qxd2+ 12. Nxd2 c4 13. Bc2 b5 14. O-O-O Nb6 15. e4 Be6 $11 {Hansen,C-Zvjaginsev,V/Essen 2000}) (10. dxc5 Nxc5 {-s.Partie.}) 10... c4 $1 11. O-O b5 {, und Schwarz behauptet seine Damenflügelüberlegenheit:} 12. Qc2 Bb7 13. Rad1 Rc8 14. Ne5 f6 15. Nf3 Nb6 $11 {Piket,J-Kramnik,V/Monaco 2000}) 8... Nxc5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 {Mit der Idee, 11...?e6 und 12..?b4+ folgen zu lassen.} (10... Qxd5 11. Qxd5 exd5 12. Rc1 $14 {führt zu einem leichten weißen Endspielvorteil.}) 11. Be5 $1 (11. Be2 Ne6 12. Be5 Bb4+ 13. Bc3 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 b6 $11) 11... Ne4 12. a3 ({Nach} 12. Bd3 $6 Qa5+ 13. Ke2 Bd7 $36 {Postniy,E-Golod,V/Tel Aviv 1999 bekommt Weiß bereits Probleme wegen der unsicheren Lage seines Königs.}) 12... Bh4 $1 {Brilliant gespielt. Vaganian nuzt seinen Entwicklungsvorteil um den weißen Königsflügel anzugreifen.} 13. Nxh4 (13. g3 Bf6 14. Bg2 (14. Bxf6 Qxf6 $36) 14... Bxe5 15. Nxe5 Qf6 16. Nd3 b6 $36 {??a6}) 13... Qxh4 14. g3 ({Mit} 14. Qf3 {bringt sich Weiß in Gefahr:} Re8 $1 ({Weniger klar ist das spektakuläre} 14... Bg4 $5 {wegen} 15. Qf4) 15. g3 (15. Bd4 $2 Nxf2 $19) 15... Qe7 16. Bd4 Ng5 $36 {, und Schwarz entwickelt eine gefährliche Initiative.}) 14... Qg5 15. Bd4 (15. Qxd5 $2 Bd7 {??c6} 16. Rc1 (16. Qxd7 Qxe5 $36) 16... Qf5 $36) 15... Qf5 16. Qe2 (16. Rh2 $6 {Selbstverständlich hat Weiß keine Lust, ohne Rochade zu spielen:} Qg6 17. Bd3 Bf5 $11) 16... Bd7 {??b5 Gegen die Drohung ?b5 hat Weiß nichts Besseres als den Übergang in ein ausgeglichenes Endspiel.} 17. h4 {??h3} (17. Bg2 $6 Bb5 $1 18. g4 Qd7 $36) 17... Bb5 18. g4 (18. Bh3 $6 Qxh3 19. Rxh3 Bxe2 20. Kxe2 Rfc8 $36) 18... Bxe2 19. gxf5 Bxf1 20. Rxf1 f6 $11 21. Rd1 Rfd8 {??d6} 22. Rg1 Kf7 23. Rg4 b6 24. f3 Nd6 25. Rf4 Rac8 26. Bc3 Nc4 27. Rd3 Ne5 28. Rd1 Nc4 29. Rd3 Ne5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-34"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2000.11.02"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Sakaev, Konstantin"] [Black "Lutz, Christopher"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2627"] [BlackElo "2606"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2000.10.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2001"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Germany"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Rc1 a6 (9... d4) 10. b4 (10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 (11. b4 Ba7 12. Be2 d4 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. Be3 Qxd1+ 16. Nxd1 Bd7 $11 {Kramnik,V-Ivanchuk,V/New York 1994}) (11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Rxc5 Nxf4 13. Qxd8 Nxg2+ 14. Bxg2 Rxd8 15. O-O h6 {? ?e6=}) 11... Bg4 12. O-O d4 13. Ne2 Ba7 14. Nfxd4 Bxd4 15. exd4 $11 {½-½ Horvath,C-Lutz,C/Elista 1998}) 10... Bd6 $1 {Christophers Patent.} (10... Be7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Be2 $14) (10... Ba7 11. c5 h6 12. Be2 Bb8 13. O-O e5 14. Bg3 $14 Be6 15. Bh4 g5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. Bxg5 $40 {Gelfand,B-Topalov,V/Monte Carlo 1999}) 11. Bg5 $1 $146 (11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. Be2 Rd8 13. cxd5 exd5 $11 14. O-O {½-½ Nielsen,P-Lutz,C/BL9900}) 11... Be7 (11... a5 $5) 12. c5 {Der Plan von Weiß in dieser Variante besteht in der Bauernexpansion am Damenflügel. Schwarz hat dagegen kaum eine Möglichkeit, bereits in der Eröffnung seine Zentrumsbauern in Bewegung zu bringen und muß deswegen zu Gegenmaßnahmen am Damenflügel greifen (b7-b6).} (12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Bxe7 Ncxe7 $11) 12... h6 13. Bh4 Nd7 $1 (13... b6 $2 {wäre verfrüht:} 14. cxb6 Qxb6 15. Na4 $16) 14. Bg3 (14. Bxe7 Qxe7 $132 {?b6,?a5}) 14... b6 15. cxb6 Nxb6 16. Be2 (16. Nxd5 $6 Qxd5 17. Qxd5 Nxd5 18. Rxc6 a5 $11) 16... Bb7 17. O-O {Die Eröffnung ist beendet, und Weiß hat einen leichten Vorteil. Sein Plan besteht in der Bildung eines Freibauern. Die Schwierigkeit ist dabei die Durchsetzung von a3-a4, da Schwarz den Bauern b4 ununterbrochen unter Kontrolle hat.} Qd7 18. Na4 ({Natürlicher sieht zwar} 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 {aus, Weiß kommt aber nach} Rfc8 $1 {zu keinem Vorteil. Die folgende hübsche Variante wurde beim Abendessen nach der Partie gefunden:} 20. Qd4 f6 21. Qxb6 fxe5 {??d8-+} 22. Na4 Bd8 23. Nc5 Rxc5 $1 {(Th. Pähtz)} 24. Qxc5 Rc8 25. Qa7 Ra8 $11) 18... Nxa4 19. Qxa4 Rfc8 20. Qb3 Qd8 $1 {??b6} (20... Bf6 $6 21. Rfd1 {?a4, b5}) 21. Ne5 $6 {Zu geradlinig gespielt. M.E. konnte sich Weiß mit dem Springertausch etwas Zeit lassen.} ({Nach} 21. Rfd1 $5 Bf6 (21... Qb6 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. Bxe5 $14 {?} Rxc1 $6 24. Rxc1 Rc8 $2 25. Rxc8+ Bxc8 26. Qc3 $16) 22. a4 Qb6 23. b5 axb5 24. axb5 $14 {behält Weiß nach wie vor etwas Vorteil, z.B} Na5 25. Qb4) 21... Nxe5 22. Bxe5 Rxc1 $1 {Nach dem Abtausch aller Schwerfiguren kann Schwarz das Vierläuferendspiel problemlos halten.} 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8 Qxc8 25. Qc3 f6 26. Qxc8+ Bxc8 27. Bc7 Kf7 $11 {Der König eilt zum Damenflügel.} 28. Kf1 Ke8 29. Ke1 Kd7 30. Ba5 Kc6 31. a4 Kb7 32. b5 axb5 33. Bxb5 Bd6 34. g3 Bc5 35. Kd2 e5 36. Kc2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-34"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2000.11.05"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Black "Hracek, Zbynek"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2611"] [BlackElo "2612"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "143"] [EventDate "2000.10.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2001"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Bosnia&Herzegovina"] [BlackTeam "Czech Republic"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BIH"] [BlackTeamCountry "CZE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 {Diese Nebenvariante erfreut sich in letzter Zeit großer Beliebtheit. In den entstehenden Isolani-Stellungen entwickelt Schwarz dank seinem Springer c5 ein aktives Gegenspiel.} 7. a3 c5 8. dxc5 (8. cxd5 Nxd5 (8... exd5 9. Be2 $14) 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 (11. Be2 Bf6 12. Be5 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Be6 14. Nf3 Qb6 15. Qd4 $14 {Gurevich,M-Golod,V/Cappelle la Grande 1999}) 11... Qb6 (11... Bf6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Rc1 $14) 12. Bd4 a5 13. Be2 Bf5 14. O-O Rfc8 15. Rc1 Qd8 16. Ne5 a4 $11 {Dautov,R-Zvjaginsev,V/Essen 2000}) 8... Nxc5 9. Rc1 $146 {Ein Verbesserungsversuch. Weiß entwickelt seinen Turm und bereitet den Abtausch auf d5 vor.} (9. cxd5 {ist voreilig und verhilft nur dem Gegner zu gutem Spiel:} Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 $1 11. Qxd5 exd5 12. Be5 Bf5 13. Rd1 Rac8 14. Nd4 Bg6 15. Be2 f6 16. Bg3 Na4 $15 {Krasenkow,M-Zvjaginsev,V/Las Vegas 1999}) 9... Nfe4 {Der kritische Moment. Mit dem Textzug erreicht Schwarz keinen vollständigen Ausgleich.} ({Als eine gute Alternative kam} 9... Nce4 $5 {in Betracht. Damit entkräftet Schwarz die Idee 10.cxd5 und bereitet den Ausfall seiner Dame auf a5 vor. Z.B.,} 10. Be5 (10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. cxd5 Qa5+ $132) 10... Ng4 (10... Qa5 11. Be2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. O-O $14) 11. Bg3 Ngf6 {??a5} 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. Rxc3 Nxd5 14. Rd3 Qb6 $132) 10. cxd5 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 exd5 (11... Qxd5 12. Qxd5 exd5 13. Be2 $14) 12. Be2 Ne4 13. Rd3 (13. Rc2 $6 Qa5+ 14. Nd2 Be6) 13... Qb6 (13... Qa5+ 14. b4 $14) 14. Be5 Qg6 15. O-O $14 {Weiß hat einen leichten Vorteil.} Bh3 16. Bg3 Be6 17. Nd4 Rac8 18. Bh5 Qf6 19. Bf3 Ng5 20. Bg4 g6 21. Nxe6 {Danach behält Weiß zwar einen dauerhaften Vorteil, kann aber die entstehende Stellung mit ungleichfarbigen Läufern kaum gewinnen.} ({Mit} 21. Bh4 $1 {konnte er den lästigen gegnerischen Springer abtauschen, um anschließend mit der Belagerung des Isolanis fortzufahren.} Bxg4 22. Qxg4 $14) 21... fxe6 22. Bh4 Qf7 23. Bxg5 Bxg5 24. Qe2 Rc4 25. b3 Rc6 26. e4 Rd8 27. Rfd1 Kg7 28. g3 Bf6 29. h4 Qc7 $5 {Schwarz opfert einen Bauern, um die Stellung zu vereinfachen.} 30. exd5 exd5 31. Rxd5 Rxd5 32. Rxd5 Rd6 33. Rxd6 Qxd6 34. a4 Bd4 35. Qf3 Qc6 36. Qf4 Qf6 37. Qc7+ Qf7 38. Qc2 {Die weiteren Gewinnversuche von Weiß bringen erwartungsgemäß nichts ein.} a5 39. Kg2 b6 40. Bf3 Bc5 41. Be4 Qf6 42. Qe2 Qe5 43. Qc2 Qf6 44. Bd5 Qf5 45. Qb2+ Qf6 46. Qe2 Qd4 47. Bc4 Qf6 48. f4 Qd4 49. Kh3 h5 50. Qe6 Kh6 51. Bd5 Qd3 52. Be4 Qf1+ 53. Bg2 Qd3 54. Qg8 Qd7+ 55. Kh2 Qg7 56. Qe8 Qf8 57. Qe5 Qe7 58. Qh8+ Qh7 59. Qe8 Qe7 60. Be4 Kg7 61. Qc6 Qf6 62. Qd7+ Qe7 63. Qd3 Qf6 64. Kh3 Qd6 65. Qc2 Qf6 66. f5 g5 67. hxg5 Qxg5 68. Qc3+ Qf6 69. Qd2 Be7 70. Qf4 Qg5 71. Qe5+ Qf6 72. Qxf6+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "New Delhi/Teheran"] [Date "2000.11.30"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Bareev, Evgeny"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2702"] [BlackElo "2623"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2000.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "CBM 081"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 {In dieser Variante hat Weiß Raumvorteil und den schönen Vorposten e5 für seine Springer. Deswegen hat er nichts gegen Leichtfigurenendspiele, wo diese Faktoren am ehesten zur Geltung kommen.} a5 ({Zwei Monate später bevorzugte Vaganian das Feld a5 für seine Dame:} 10... c6 11. O-O bxc5 12. bxc5 Qa5 13. Qc2 h6 (13... g6 14. Rab1 Ba6 15. Bxa6 Qxa6 16. Nd1 Rab8 17. Ne3 Rxb1 18. Rxb1 Rb8 19. Rxb8+ Nxb8 20. Qb3 Qb5 21. Nd2 Kg7 22. a4 Qxb3 23. Nxb3 Bd8 24. g3 Bc7 25. Kf1 $11 {Skalik,P-Ostrowski,L/Zakopane 2000}) 14. Rab1 Ba6 15. Bxa6 Qxa6 16. Rb4 (16. Nd1 $5) 16... Rfb8 17. Rfb1 Bd8 18. g3 Rxb4 19. Rxb4 Rb8 20. Rxb8 Nxb8 21. Kg2 Nd7 22. Qa4 Qxa4 23. Nxa4 g5 $11 {Schandorff,L-Vaganian,R/BL 00/01}) 11. a3 c6 (11... bxc5 12. bxc5 Ba6 13. Bxa6 Rxa6 14. O-O g6 15. Qe2 Ra8 16. Rab1 Bf6 17. Ne5 Bxe5 18. fxe5 Nb8 19. Qb5 Qe8 20. Qd3 Nc6 21. Rb7 Qd7 22. Rfb1 Rfb8 23. f4 $14 {Forintos,G-Kristiansen,E/La Habana 1966}) 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Qc2 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Rfb8 16. Rfc1 Qb7 17. Kg2 g6 18. Qc2 b5 {Letzten Endes entscheidet sich Schwarz für diese geschlossene Struktur, die ihm so gut wie gar keine aktiven Möglichkeiten übrigläßt.} (18... axb4 19. axb4 bxc5 (19... Rxa1 $5 20. Rxa1 Ra8) 20. bxc5 {hätte ihm zwar etwas mehr Gegenspielmöglichkeiten eingeräumt, würde aber die Schwäche c6 bloßlegen.}) 19. Rcb1 axb4 20. axb4 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 Ra8 22. Qb2 Ra6 23. Rxa6 Qxa6 24. Ne5 $1 $14 Nb8 $1 ({Natürlich nicht} 24... Nxe5 $2 25. dxe5 $1 {, und nach der Überführung ?e2-d4 wird die schwarze Dame zum Bodyguard des Bauern c6 degradiert.}) 25. g4 Bf6 (25... f6 26. Nf3 Nd7 27. g5 $14) 26. Kg3 {Weiß verbessert Zug um Zug seine Stellung, während Schwarz Wasser treten muß.} Bg7 {?f6, ?d7} 27. g5 $1 h6 28. gxh6 $1 {Es ist Zeit, die Stellung etwas zu öffnen.} ({Nach} 28. h4 $2 h5 {wäre die schwarze Festung undurchdringbar geworden.}) 28... Bxh6 29. Qa2 $1 {Gerade rechtzeitig! Nach dem Damentausch droht die Überführung eines Springers auf a5.} Qxa2 30. Nxa2 {??c1-b3-a5} Bf8 $6 ({Besser war} 30... Bg7 31. Kg4 (31. Nc1 Bxe5 32. fxe5 Na6 33. Nd3 Kg7 34. Kg4 Kh6 $11) 31... Bf6 (31... Bxe5 32. fxe5 Kg7 33. Kg5 $14) 32. Nc1 Kg7 33. Nf3 $1 (33. Ncd3 Bxe5 34. Nxe5 f6 35. Nd3 Na6 $11) 33... Na6 34. Nd3 Nb8 35. h4 $14) 31. Nc1 Kg7 32. Nb3 f6 33. Nd3 Be7 34. Na5 Kf7 35. h4 Kg7 (35... Bd8 36. Nb7 Bc7 37. Kg4 $14) 36. Nb7 Kh6 37. Nd6 Nd7 38. Kh3 Nb8 39. Nc8 Bd8 $2 (39... Bf8 $8) 40. Nd6 Be7 41. Nc8 Bd8 $2 42. f5 $3 $18 e5 (42... exf5 43. Nf4 Na6 44. Ne6 Bc7 45. Ne7 $18) (42... gxf5 43. Nf4 e5 44. Ne6 exd4 45. Kg2 $18) 43. dxe5 fxe5 44. Nxe5 Bf6 45. Ng4+ Kg7 46. fxg6 Kxg6 47. h5+ Kg7 48. h6+ Kg6 49. Nxf6 Kxf6 50. Ne7 d4 51. Kg3 1-0 [Event "Bundesliga 1920 final"] [Site "Karlsruhe"] [Date "2020.09.18"] [Round "4.1"] [White "L'Ami, Erwin"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2620"] [BlackElo "2835"] [Annotator "Edouard,Romain"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2020.09.16"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 201 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.05.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Solingen"] [BlackTeam "Baden-Baden"] [WhiteTeamCountry "GER"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 h6 $5 5. Bf4 ({Usually an interesting way to play against slow moves like ...h6 is} 5. g3 $5 {- at least that's what another GM told me once!}) 5... Bb4 (5... Bd6 {would be too much of an equalizer - so Caruana, who already showed his will to win by avoiding theory from move 4, went for a more aggressive approach.}) 6. cxd5 Nxd5 (6... exd5 7. e3 {would be a good Ragozin for White: in the Bf4 variation why should Black play ...h6¿}) 7. Bd2 O-O 8. g3 $5 (8. e4 {looks perfectly logical as well:} Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba5 10. Bc4 c5 11. O-O $14 {0-1 (38) Bok,B (2624)-Fedoseev,V (2678) lichess.org 2020}) 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ba5 10. g4 $5 {Brave play again by L'Ami, who goes (after playing g3 two moves earlier) for a typical attempt of punishing ...h7-h6.} (10. Bg2 c5 11. O-O {would be very safe - and probably a bit better - for White.}) 10... c5 11. Rg1 Nc6 12. dxc5 $1 {Not a good positional move - but playing g3-g4 White clearly announced he's in there for a mating attack!} e5 {The most natural answer.} ({According to the engine,} 12... Qd5 {leads to unclear positions:} 13. g5 h5 (13... hxg5 14. Nxg5 f6 15. Bg2 Qxc5 16. Ne4 Qh5 $13) 14. Qb3 Qxc5 15. g6 f6 $13) 13. Qc2 Re8 14. g5 g6 $2 {A human move, but already a crucial mistake.} (14... h5 15. g6 f6 $1 {was required, although after 16.e4 or 16.0-0-0 Black's position is already unpleasant.}) 15. gxh6 e4 16. Ng5 Bf5 17. O-O-O Qf6 $2 {Agan a natural move by Black.} (17... e3 18. Bxe3 Bxc2 19. Rxd8 Bxd8 20. Kxc2 Bxg5 21. Bxg5 $16) 18. Bh3 $3 {What a refutation of Black's idea!} e3 {The logical follow-up.} (18... Bxh3 19. Nxh3 {is just winning for White: count the pawns!}) 19. Bxf5 $1 exd2+ 20. Rxd2 Re5 (20... Qxf5 $2 21. Qxf5 gxf5 22. h7+ {and Black gets mated:} Kh8 23. Nxf7+ Kxh7 24. Rd6 $18) (20... gxf5 $2 21. Ne4+) 21. Nxf7 $1 Qxf7 (21... Rxf5 22. Rd7 $18 (22. Nd6 $18)) 22. Bxg6 Qxf2 (22... Qf6 23. Qb3+) 23. Bf7+ $3 {The only winning move! What a game!} Kh8 24. Qg6 Rg5 25. Rxg5 (25. Qxg5 Bxc3 26. Rd7 {with the idea of Qg7+, was totally winning as well.}) 25... Bxc3 26. Kc2 (26. Bg8 $5 Bxd2+ 27. Kxd2 Rd8+ 28. Bd5 Qd4+ 29. Ke1 Ne7 30. Qg7+ Qxg7 31. hxg7+ Kh7 32. g8=Q+ {with a winning pawn ending.}) 26... Ne7 27. Qe4 Bf6 28. Re5 {The best move again! I stopped trying to understand what's going on: White is a lot of material up.} Rf8 29. e3 Qf1 30. Bc4 Qa1 31. Rxe7 $2 (31. Rd4 $5) 31... Qc3+ 32. Kd1 Qa1+ 33. Kc2 Qc3+ 34. Kd1 Qa1+ 35. Ke2 Bxe7 36. Qd4+ Qxd4 37. exd4 {Now White will need to pull up a bit of work again, but with three extra pawns and such a strong d-passer, he is totally winning.} Rf4 38. Bd5 Bf6 39. Ke3 Rh4 40. Rd3 Rh3+ 41. Kd2 Rxh2+ 42. Kc3 Kh7 43. Bxb7 Rxa2 44. Kb3 Ra1 45. c6 Bd8 46. d5 Ba5 47. d6 Rc1 48. Rd5 Bd8 49. Rd4 $1 {And Rc4 next. What a game by Erwin L'Ami!} 1-0 [Event "Enghien les Bains 4th"] [Site "Enghien les Bains"] [Date "2001.04.17"] [Round "6"] [White "Akopian, Vladimir Eduardovic"] [Black "Bologan, Viktor"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2654"] [BlackElo "2676"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2001.04.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 083"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.07.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.07.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Qc2 {Die Hauptidee dieses etwas merkwürdig anmutenden Zuges ist der Übergang in die Abtauschvariante nach 5...0-0 6.cxd5 exd5 7.?g5.} ({Bekannterweise ergibt} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c6 7. Qc2 g6 $1 8. e3 Bf5 $11 {eine für Schwarz sehr günstige Version der Abtauschvariante.}) 5... dxc4 6. e4 ({Das bescheidene} 6. e3 a6 7. a4 c5 {wird von Weißspielern selten versucht.}) 6... Nc6 7. e5 Nb4 8. Qb1 Nfd5 9. Bxc4 Nxc3 $6 {Ein seltener Zug. Schwarz verhilft dem Gegner zur Befestigung seines Bauernzentrums.} ({Einen soliden Eindruck hinterläßt der schwarze Aufbau nach} 9... Nb6 10. Be2 Bd7 11. O-O Bc6 12. a3 N4d5 13. Ne4 Qd7 $1 (13... a6 14. Re1 h6 15. Bd2 Qd7 16. Qc2 Bb5 17. Bd1 Bc6 18. Rc1 Rd8 19. Qb1 Kf8 20. h4 $16 {Ehlvest-Jussupow/Wien 1996}) 14. Re1 Bb5 15. Bd1 a5 16. Ng3 h6 17. h4 a4 18. Qe4 O-O-O 19. h5 $13 {½-½ Khenkin,I-Jussupow,A/BL 1999}) ({Ebenfalls besser als der Textzug sieht eine weitere Alternative aus:} 9... c5 10. dxc5 Qa5 11. O-O Qxc5 12. Qe4 (12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Qe4 Bd7 14. Qg4 $5) 12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nd5 14. Qg4 g6 15. Bg5 Bxg5 (15... Bd7 $142) 16. Nxg5 Nb6 17. Qf4 O-O 18. Bb3 Nd7 19. Rfe1 h6 20. Nf3 Kg7 21. h4 Qe7 22. Rad1 Nc5 23. h5 $40 {Ivanov,S-Berg,E/Stockholm 2000}) 10. bxc3 Nd5 11. Bd2 c5 12. O-O ({Stärker ist wahrscheinlich} 12. Qe4 $5 Bd7 13. O-O Bc6 14. Qg4 $14 {, z.B} g6 15. a4 Qc7 16. Ng5 a6 17. Rfe1 Rd8 18. Qf3 Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Rd7 20. dxc5 $16 {Georgiev,K-Zvjaginsev,V/Poikovsky2001}) 12... Qc7 $1 {Schwarz verhindert die weiße Batterie ?e4+?d3 und bereitet die lange Rochade vor.} (12... cxd4 13. cxd4 O-O 14. Qe4 Bd7 15. h4 (15. Bd3 $14) 15... Bc6 16. Ng5 $6 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Qd7 18. Qg4 Kh8 $11 {Lazarev,V-Korneev,O/Werfen 1993}) 13. Bd3 Bd7 $2 {Ein dubioser Zug.} (13... h6 $142 $13) 14. Bxh7 c4 $1 {Lieber ein Bauernopfer als ein heftiger gegnerischer Angriff!} (14... cxd4 15. cxd4 g6 16. Bxg6 fxg6 17. Qxg6+ Kd8 18. Ng5 $16) (14... g6 15. Bxg6 fxg6 16. Qxg6+ Kd8 17. c4 (17. Bg5 $5) (17. Ng5 $5) 17... Nb6 18. Bg5 $40) 15. Be4 Bc6 16. Bxd5 {Weiß strebt ein Endspiel an und tauscht dafür seinen starken Läufer ab.} (16. Qc2 $5 $16) 16... Bxd5 17. Qb5+ Qd7 18. a4 a6 19. Qxd7+ Kxd7 20. a5 $14 b5 21. axb6 Rhb8 22. Rfb1 Kc6 23. Ng5 f6 24. exf6 gxf6 25. Nh3 a5 26. Nf4 a4 27. h4 $16 {Im Laufe der letzten Züge hat Weiß seinen Vorteil vergrößert.} Rxb6 28. Rxb6+ Kxb6 29. h5 a3 30. h6 Be4 (30... Bd6 31. f3 Bxf4 32. Bxf4 $16) 31. f3 Bh7 32. Nxe6 a2 33. d5 Bb1 34. Be3+ Ka5 35. Bc5 $1 Bxc5+ 36. Nxc5 $18 f5 37. Ne6 Kb6 38. g4 fxg4 39. fxg4 Rg8 40. g5 Bf5 41. Rxa2 1-0 [Event "Zuerich Chess Challenge 4th"] [Site "Zuerich"] [Date "2015.02.17"] [Round "4"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2797"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2015.02.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 165"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.03.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Re1 (14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qe2 {, with ideas f4-f5 and b4-b5 c6xb5 ?c3xd5, is more common. The text move, renouncing tactical chances, leads to a standard position, generally considered satisfactory for Black.}) {The whole system was examined in CBM 138, annotations to Nakamura - Nielsen.} 14... Bf6 (14... Rfb8 15. h4 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 axb4 17. axb4 bxc5 18. bxc5 g6 19. h5 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Rb2 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. fxe5 $36 Qb7 $6 {1/2 (53) Malakhatko,V (2558)-Socko,B (2619) St Petersburg 2012} 23. Na4 $1 Qa7 24. Qf1 $16 {[%CAl Ya4b6]}) (14... Bxd3 15. Qxd3 g6 (15... Ra7 16. Rac1 axb4 17. axb4 Bf6 18. h4 bxc5 19. bxc5 Rb8 $132 {1/2 (34) Ivanchuk,V (2741)-Bruzon Batista,L (2668) Havana 2010}) 16. h4 Kg7 $11 17. Ng5 Bf6 18. h5 $6 axb4 19. axb4 bxc5 20. bxc5 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 {1-0 (59) Andreikin,D (2700)-Radjabov,T (2788) Astana 2012} e5 $3 $17) 15. Kg2 (15. Bc2 Bc4 16. Qd2 Ra7 17. Ne5 axb4 18. axb4 bxc5 19. bxc5 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Be7 21. Rab1 Rfa8 22. Rb4 Bd8 23. Ne4 Qe7 $132 {1-0 (40) Nakamura,H (2729)-Nielsen,P (2700) Amsterdam 2010 CBM 138 [Krasenkow,M]}) (15. h4 Qa7 16. b5 Bb7 17. cxb6 Nxb6 18. Ne5 Rac8 19. f5 exf5 20. Bxf5 Rc7 21. bxc6 {1/2 (21) Fier,A (2571)-So,W (2673) Moscow 2011}) (15. Ne5 Bxe5 $5 {(probably the simplest way to equality)} (15... Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Rfb8 $6 17. Nxd7 $1 Qxd7 18. Na4 Bd8 19. f5 b5 20. Nb2 $1 Bf6 21. fxe6 fxe6 22. Qe3 Re8 23. Nd3 $14 {1-0 (71) Pogorelov R (2401)-Bruzon L (2573) Mondariz Balneario 2001 Inf 82/372 [Pogorelov,R]}) 16. fxe5 Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Qb7 (17... Ra7 18. Reb1 b5 19. a4 axb4 20. Rxb4 f6 $1 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Qe2 Re8 23. Re1 (23. f4 $142) 23... bxa4 24. Rxa4 Rxa4 25. Nxa4 Qa5 $132 {1/2 (32) Krasenkow,M (2620)-Riazantsev,A (2634) France 2009}) 18. Reb1 (18. cxb6 axb4 19. axb4 Nxb6 20. b5 Nc4 21. bxc6 Qxc6 $11 {1/2 (54) Getz,N (2391)-Azarov,S (2648) Rogaska Slatina 2011}) (18. h4 $5) 18... axb4 19. axb4 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Ra8 21. Qd1 Rxa1 {1/2 (21) Michalik,P (2511)-Azarov,S (2648) Czechia 2012}) 15... Bxd3 (15... bxc5 $6 16. bxc5 Nxc5 17. dxc5 Bxc3 18. Bxh7+ $1 Kh8 (18... Kxh7 19. Qc2+ Kg8 20. Ng5 Rfe8 21. Qxc3) 19. Nh4 g6 (19... Kxh7 20. Qc2+ Kg8 21. Qxc3 {- in both bracketed lines White's knight is stronger than Black's bishop}) 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Nxg6+ Kg8 22. Nxf8 Rxf8 23. Rxe6 Bxa1 24. Qxa1 {, and White keeps a strong attack without material deficit.}) 16. Qxd3 Rfb8 {[%mdl 32]} (16... Ra7 $1 {[%CAl Yf8a8] is a typical and quite appropriate plan in this kind of positions. Instead, Black starts an unusual and slightly dubious plan.}) 17. h4 Qa7 18. Ne2 $5 (18. Rab1 axb4 19. axb4 bxc5 20. bxc5 Qa3 {[%CAl Rd7c5]}) 18... g6 $6 ({Black rejected} 18... axb4 19. axb4 Qxa1 20. Rxa1 Rxa1 {in view of} 21. b5 {but it was bearable:} bxc5 $1 (21... cxb5 22. Qxb5 Ra7 23. c6 Nf8 24. Ne5 Rc7 25. f5 $1 $36 {D.Kryakvin}) 22. bxc6 Nf8 23. dxc5 Ra5 $1 {, and Black must capture White's passed pawns, even at the cost of an exchange, e.g.} 24. Qe3 Rc8 25. Ned4 Rxc5 26. Ne5 Bxe5 27. Qxe5 R5xc6 28. Nxc6 Rxc6 {with a probable draw. After the text move White avoids simplifications and continues his kingside attack; meanwhile the invasion of Black's queen is harmless.}) 19. Rab1 axb4 20. axb4 Qa2 21. Rec1 bxc5 22. bxc5 h5 $6 {This is a loss of a crucial tempo. Preventing h4-h5 was not Black's top priority in this position.} (22... Ra3 {was probably insufficient for equality in view of} 23. Rxb8+ (23. Nc3 Rbb3 $1) 23... Nxb8 24. Qd1 $1 (24. Nc3 Qb2 25. Rb1 Rxc3 26. Rxb2 Rxd3 27. Rxb8+ Kg7 28. Rb6 Bxd4 29. Rxc6 h5 $1 {is satisfactory for Black}) 24... Na6 (24... Qb3 25. Qxb3 Rxb3 26. Ra1 $14 {[%csl Rb8]}) 25. Rb1 Qc4 26. f5 $3 (26. Rb6 Ra2) 26... exf5 27. Rb6 Ra2 (27... Nb4 28. h5 $40) 28. Nf4 Nxc5 29. Rb8+ Kg7 30. dxc5 Qxc5 31. Nd3 $16) (22... Rxb1 23. Rxb1 Rb8 24. Rxb8+ Nxb8 {was possible but even then the initiative belongs to White: Black has a weak c6-pawn and kingside and no objects of counterplay.}) 23. Ne5 $1 Nxe5 (23... Bxe5 24. fxe5 {was not pleasant either as White's knight was much more active than Black's, e.g.} Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Rb8 26. Rxb8+ Nxb8 27. Nf4 {etc.}) 24. fxe5 Bg7 $2 {An obvious mistake, after which Black's position becomes really grim.} (24... Bd8 $8 {covering the b6-square. Black's bishop doesn't protect his king anymore but that is a lesser evil. After} 25. Nf4 Kg7 26. Qd1 {[%CAl Yf4d3,Yd3b4] White is clearly better but what he has is far from a decisive advantage.}) 25. Rb6 $1 {[%csl Rc6]} Rc8 26. Nc3 Qa7 27. Rcb1 Qd7 28. R1b4 Bh6 29. Na4 Qd8 30. Ra6 Kg7 $2 (30... Rc7 {, preventing ?b4-b7, was more stubborn.}) 31. Rb7 Rxa6 32. Qxa6 g5 {Desperation.} 33. Qe2 $1 {[%csl Rh5]} g4 34. Qa6 Qg8 (34... Rc7 35. Qb6 Rc8 36. Qa7 Ra8 37. Rxf7+ Kg6 38. Qb7 {[%CAl Rf7f6]} Rb8 39. Qe7 Qxe7 40. Rxe7 Kf5 41. Nc3 $1 {, and White should win.}) 35. Nb6 Rf8 36. Nd7 Qh7 (36... Ra8 37. Ra7 $1 $18 ({but not} 37. Qxc6 $4 Ra2 $1 {[%CAl Rh6e3] V.Anand})) 37. Nxf8 Qe4+ 38. Kh2 Kxf8 39. Rb8+ Kg7 40. Qc8 Kg6 41. Qh8 1-0 [Event "Bundesliga 0102"] [Site "Germany"] [Date "2001.11.24"] [Round "3.3"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2653"] [BlackElo "2633"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2001.10.06"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 087"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Porz"] [BlackTeam "Solingen"] [WhiteTeamCountry "GER"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. d4 {Kortschnoj} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 {Kortschnoj: 'One of the purposes of this move is to impede 5.?f4...'} 5. Bf4 {'!?' Kortschnoj. Kortschnoj: 'Still,white has played it!'} dxc4 6. e3 Nb6 {Kortschnoj: 'It was played by the majority of people, 6...?d6 or 6...?d5 were alternatives.'} ({Gut spielbar ist für Schwarz} 6... Nd5 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 8. exf4 Bd6 9. Ne5 O-O 10. O-O Nb6 11. Bb3 Bd7 12. Qg4 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Bc6 14. f5 exf5 15. Qxf5 Qe7 16. Rfe1 Rad8 17. Rad1 g6 18. Qf4 Kg7 $11 {Ibragimov,I-Smagin,S/Saint Petersburg 1998}) 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bd6 10. O-O $146 {'!' Kortschnoj. Kortschnoj: 'It seems it is a novelty! 10.?g5, ?g3or ?d6 have been played instead.' Eine interessante Neuerung, Bacrot scheut nicht die Verschlechterung seiner Bauernstruktur.} ({Auch mit} 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 {behält Weiß einen leichten Druck:} Be7 12. O-O O-O 13. Rfd1 a6 14. Qb3 Rb8 15. Rac1 Nh5 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Ne5 $14 {Ibragimov,I-Kiriakov,P/Russia 1998}) (10. Bxd6 cxd6 $11) 10... Bc6 {'?!' Kortschnoj.} ({Die Stellung nach} 10... Bxf4 11. exf4 O-O 12. Ne5 {(Kortschnoj) white has somewhat better prospects. Still, it was better than the move made by black. behagte Artur nicht, sein Läufer ist recht passiv. Dennoch dürfte Schwarz nach 12...c6,13...?d5 und später eventuell f7-f6 und ?e8-f7 keine ernsthaften Sorgen haben.}) 11. Ne5 Bxe5 12. Bxe5 Nd7 (12... O-O 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. e4 Rac8 $14) 13. Bg3 Nb6 $6 {'?' Kortschnoj. Es war an der Zeit zu rochieren.} (13... O-O {was called for (Kortschnoj)} 14. e4 Nb6 15. Qc5 $14) 14. Qc5 Nd7 $2 ({Notwendig war} 14... Rc8 $14 {??e7} 15. a4) 15. Qa5 $1 {'?' Kortschnoj.} b6 (15... Rc8 $5 {Kortschnoj}) 16. Qa3 $16 {Nun steckt Schwarz in ernsthaften Schwierigkeiten: die Rochade ist unmöglich und der Bauer c7 empfindlich schwach. Außerdem droht Weiß mit baldiger Zentrumsöffnung nach e4 und d5.} {Dieser Versuch des Gegenspiels bleibt erfolglos.} h5 {Kortschnoj: 'Despair'} 17. Rac1 Rc8 (17... h4 $2 18. Bxc7 $1 Qxc7 19. Nb5 $18) 18. e4 h4 19. Bf4 Qe7 (19... Qf6 20. Bxc7 $1 h3 (20... Rxc7 21. Nb5 Bxb5 22. Rxc7 $18) 21. Bg3 $16) 20. Qxe7+ Kxe7 21. d5 Bb7 22. Bxc7 $1 $18 Ba6 (22... Rxc7 23. d6+ Kxd6 24. Nb5+ $18) 23. Rfd1 e5 24. b4 Bc4 25. a4 a6 26. a5 b5 27. d6+ Kf6 28. h3 Ra8 29. Na4 {Kortschnoj: 'The shortest way to win!'} Bb3 30. Nb6 Nxb6 31. axb6 Bxd1 32. b7 Rab8 33. Bxb8 Rxb8 34. d7 1-0 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 13th"] [Site "Leon"] [Date "2001.11.09"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Lutz, Christopher"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2714"] [BlackElo "2643"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2001.11.06"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Netherlands"] [BlackTeam "Germany"] [WhiteTeamCountry "NED"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Bd6 11. Bxd6 (11. Qa4 $2 Bd7 12. Qd4 Nc6 $17) 11... Qxd6 12. Be2 (12. Bd3 Nc6 13. O-O Qf6 14. Qb3 Rd8 15. Rac1 Rb8 16. Rfd1 Bg4 17. Be2 $14 {Sokolov,A-Mozny,M/Germany 1993}) 12... Nc6 13. O-O Bg4 14. h3 $1 $146 {Eine Verbesserung des früheren weißen Spiels.} ({Der Anziehende erreichte nichts nach} 14. Qa4 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Ne5 16. Be2 Qb6 17. Rab1 Rfd8 18. Rfd1 Rac8 $11 {Karpov,A-Short,N/Buenos Aires 2001}) (14. Qb3 $6 {ist verfrüht wegen} d4 $1 15. Rad1 Qe7) 14... Bxf3 ({Nach} 14... Bh5 $6 {ist} 15. Qb3 {bereits stark:} Rab8 (15... d4 $2 16. Rad1 Bxf3 (16... Qe7 17. g4 $16) 17. Bxf3 $16) 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Rd2 $14 {, und der weiße Druck gegen den Isolani d5 nimmt zu.}) 15. Bxf3 Rfd8 16. Qb3 $14 {[%CAl Rb3b7,Rb3d5] Wie so oft in dieser Variante ist das Feld b3 der beste Posten für die weiße Dame. Vergleichen Sie mit der Partie Karpov-Short.} Ne5 17. Be2 d4 $1 {Weg mit dem Isolani!} (17... Rab8 18. Rfd1 $14) 18. exd4 (18. Rfd1 $2 d3 $36) 18... Nc6 $6 {Eine Ungenauigkeit.} ({Nach dem richtigen} 18... Qxd4 19. Qxb7 ({Auch im Falle von} 19. Rfd1 Qe4 20. Bf1 b6 {gleicht Schwarz allmählich aus.)}) 19... Rab8 20. Qa6 Qxb2 $1 (20... Rxb2 $2 21. Rad1 Qh4 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Rc1 $16) 21. Rfd1 Qb6 {wird Schwarz den Remishafen erreichen können.}) 19. Qxb7 Rab8 20. Qa6 Rb6 21. Qa4 Nxd4 22. Rfe1 (22. Bc4 $5) 22... Rxb2 23. Bc4 h6 $2 {Nach diesem Zug wird Schwarz endgültig mit dem Rücken zur Wand stehen.} ({Christopher sollte} 23... Rf8 $1 {versuchen, z.B.} 24. Qxa7 Qf4 25. Rf1 Nf3+ 26. gxf3 Qxc4 {, mit guten Remischancen.}) 24. Re8+ Kh7 25. Bxf7 $2 {Dieser Fehler läßt Schwarz erneut hoffen.} ({Warum nicht} 25. Rxd8 Qxd8 26. Rd1 ({oder} 26. Qxa7 $18) 26... Qf6 27. Bd3+ g6 28. Qxd4 Qxd4 29. Bxg6+ Kxg6 30. Rxd4 Rb6 31. Ra4 a6 32. Ra5 $18 {, mit einem technisch gewonnenen Turmendspiel?}) 25... Qf4 $1 26. Bg8+ Kg6 {Plötzlich hat Schwarz Gegenspiel!} 27. Qa6+ Rd6 28. Qf1 Rf6 29. Qd3+ $2 (29. Rd1 $1 $16) 29... Kh5 30. Bd5 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 Rd2 32. Qe4 Qf4 33. Re1 Qxe4 34. R8xe4 g5 $2 {Schwarz ist alle seine Sorgen losgeworden außer einer - der Zeitnot.} (34... Nf3 $1 35. gxf3 Rxd5 $11) 35. Re7 Kg6 $2 36. Rxa7 $16 Ne2 37. Be4+ Kh5 38. Kh2 Nd4 39. Kg3 Ne2+ 40. Kh2 Nd4 41. Rd7 g4 42. Kg3 $1 Ne2+ 43. Rxe2 Rxd7 44. Rc2 1-0 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 13th"] [Site "Leon"] [Date "2001.11.15"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Lautier, Joel"] [Black "Lutz, Christopher"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2653"] [BlackElo "2643"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2001.11.06"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 086"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.02.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "France"] [BlackTeam "Germany"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. O-O Qc8 12. h3 Qb7 (12... Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Qb7 14. Rfc1 h6 15. Qc2 Rfc8 16. Rab1 axb4 17. axb4 Ra7 18. Na4 b5 19. Nc3 Rca8 20. Nd2 Bd8 21. Nb3 Bc7 22. Bxc7 Qxc7 23. f4 $2 (23. f3 $142) 23... Ne4 $1 24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. Qxe4 Nf6 26. Qe5 Nd5 $17 {Dautov,R-Kasimdzhanov,R/Essen2001}) 13. Qc2 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Ra7 15. Rab1 $146 {Lautier versucht, das frühere Spiel von Weiß zu verbessern.} (15. Rfc1 axb4 16. axb4 Rfa8 17. Rab1 b5 18. Qc2 $6 (18. Nd2 $1) 18... Bd8 19. Qd1 Bc7 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. Ra1 Ne4 $1 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Rxa7 Qxa7 $15 {Galego,L-Vaganian,R/Ohrid 2001}) (15. cxb6 Nxb6 16. bxa5 Rxa5 17. Rfb1 Qa7 18. Ne5 Rc8 $11) 15... axb4 16. axb4 Rfa8 17. Nd2 Ra3 (17... Bd8 $5) 18. Qc2 h6 19. Rb2 Bd8 20. Rc1 bxc5 $6 {Dieser Zug ist die Ursache für die späteren Probleme von Schwarz. Die Öffnung der b-Linie legt die Schwäche c6 bloß und erleichtert das weiße Spiel. Besser wäre die Schließung der Stellung mit b6-b5 mit dem weiteren Läufertausch von c7, siehe z.B. Dautov-Kasimdzhanov.} (20... Bc7 $2 21. Ncb1 {×c6} R3a6 22. b5 $16) (20... b5 21. Nb3 R3a7 $11 {??c7}) 21. bxc5 Qa6 22. Rb3 Ne8 23. Rxa3 Qxa3 24. Nb3 Qb4 25. Rb1 Bf6 ({Der Läuferabtausch vermag zwar nicht den weißen Druck abschütteln, hätte aber die schwarze Verteidigung einfacher gemacht:} 25... Bc7 $1 26. Bxc7 Nxc7 27. Nd2 (27. Nc1 $5 Qc4 28. Qd3 $14) 27... Qa5 28. Rb7 Ra7 29. Nb3 Qa6 30. Rxa7 Qxa7 31. Qa2 $1 Qxa2 (31... Qb7 32. Qa4 $14) 32. Nxa2 Na6 33. Na5 Ndb8 $14) 26. Ne2 h5 (26... e5 27. dxe5 Bxe5 28. Nbd4 $14) 27. Nd2 Qa5 28. Nf3 $14 Bd8 29. Bg5 Bc7 (29... Bxg5 30. Nxg5 Nef6 31. Nf4 $36 {??xh5}) 30. Bf4 Bd8 31. Nc1 Nc7 32. Rb7 Ra7 33. Rxa7 Qxa7 34. Nd3 Qb7 35. Qa4 Na6 (35... Qb5 36. Qxb5 Nxb5 37. Nfe5 Nxe5 38. Nxe5 Na7 39. Nd3 $14) 36. Nd2 g5 37. Bd6 h4 38. f3 Kg7 39. Kf2 Kh7 40. e4 Kg8 41. Ke2 Kg7 42. Ke3 Kg8 43. Nb3 $16 {??a5 Weiß hat seine Stellung nach und nach verbessern können. Mit den nächsten Springermanövern zwingt er den Gegner zu nahezu vollständiger Passivität.} Nab8 44. Nb4 Kg7 45. Nc1 $1 {??d3-e5} dxe4 46. fxe4 f5 47. e5 g4 $6 {Nun wird f4 zu einem Einbruchsfeld. Aber guter Rat war Schwarz teuer. So droht die Überführung des c1-Springers auf c4 mit dem folgenden ?xb8 und ?c4-d6.} 48. Ncd3 Bg5+ 49. Ke2 gxh3 (49... g3 50. Kf3 Kf7 51. Nf4 Bxf4 52. Kxf4 $16 Kg6 53. Qb3 Kf7 54. Kg5 Na6 55. Qd1 $18) 50. gxh3 Kh6 $2 (50... Kf7 $16) 51. Qa2 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 5th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2017.08.08"] [Round "6"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2822"] [BlackElo "2792"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "188"] [EventDate "2017.08.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 180"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb4+ 11. Nd2 {This doesn't look like a dangerous continuation. The knight will return to f3 losing precious time. Still, Black's isolated d5 pawn requires accurate play from him.} (11. Ke2 {is the main line.}) 11... Nc6 12. O-O Be7 (12... Be6 13. Nf3 (13. Nb3 Qf6 14. a3 Be7 15. Qd2 Rfd8 16. Nd4 Nxd4 17. exd4 Bf5 $11 {1/2 (21) Yu,Y (2738)-Nakamura,H (2785) Caleta 2017}) 13... Be7 (13... Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 15. Be2 Re8 16. Rc1 Be7 17. Ne5 Bxe2 18. Qxe2 Qb6 19. Rfd1 Rad8 20. Qc2 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 Rd7 22. Rd3 $14 {1-0 (54) Gabriel,R (2255)-Klovans,J (2440) Schwaebisch Gmuend 1993}) 14. Rc1 Bf6 15. a3 Qe7 16. b4 a6 17. h3 Rac8 18. Rc5 a5 19. Qb1 axb4 20. axb4 {1-0 (33) Nepomniachtchi,I (2742)-Nakamura,H (2792) Saint Louis 2017} h6 $11) 13. Rc1 (13. Nb3 Bf6 14. Qd2 Be6 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Nc5 Qe7 17. Rc2 Ne5 18. Nxe6 Qxe6 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Rfc1 Rxc2 21. Qxc2 g6 $11 {1/2 (34) Lputian,S (2495)-Timoscenko,G (2440) Irkutsk 1983}) (13. a3 Bf6 14. Nf3 (14. Rc1 g6 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Ne5 17. Be2 Be6 18. Nb3 Qe7 19. a4 Rfd8 20. Nd4 Nc4 21. b6 {1/2 (41) Kalinitschew,S (2426)-Meier,G (2644) Apolda 2017} Nb2 22. Qb3 Bxd4 23. exd4 Nc4 $11) (14. Qc2 g6 (14... h6 15. Nb3 Re8 16. Rab1 Qe7 17. Qc5 Ne5 18. Qxe7 Rxe7 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Rfc1 Be6 $11 {1/2 (24) Blagojevic,N (2300)-Abramovic,B (2500) Niksic 1997}) 15. Rac1 Be6 16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Nc5 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. f4 Bg7 20. Nxe6 {1/2 (20) Korchnoi V (2634)-Kasimdzhanov R (2653) Bled (ol) 2002 2003}) 14... Qe7 15. h3 g6 16. Qd2 Be6 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. b4 a6 19. Rc2 Qd7 20. Rfc1 Bf5 21. Bxf5 Qxf5 22. Bc7 Rd7 23. Bb6 Qe4 24. Rd1 Bd8 25. Bc5 Bc7 26. Qd3 Rad8 27. Rcd2 Qxd3 28. Rxd3 f6 $11 {1/2 (76) Giri,A (2771)-Karjakin,S (2781) Stavanger 2017}) 13... Bf6 14. Nf3 (14. Qb3 Qb6 15. Qxd5 Nb4 16. Qe4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Rd8 18. Qc2 Qxb2 19. Ne4 Qxc2 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Rxc2 Be6 22. Rfc1 {1/2 (22) Nyback,T (2639)-Solozhenkin,E (2511) Finland 2009}) 14... Qe7 (14... Bxb2 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7 16. Qc2+ Kg8 17. Qxb2 {is favourable for White: the isolani is still on the board, and the position of Black's king is now weak.}) ({but} 14... Re8 15. h3 Qb6 {was probably more active.}) (14... Be6 $5 {transposes to Nepomniachtchi - Nakamura (see above).}) 15. h3 g6 16. Bb5 $5 Bd7 (16... Bxb2 17. Bxc6 Bxc1 (17... bxc6 18. Rxc6 $14) 18. Bxd5 {[%CAl Rd1c1,Rf4d6]} Ba3 19. Bh6 {[%CAl Rd1d4]} Be6 20. Qd4 f6 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Bxe6 Qxe6 23. Rd1 $14 {[%csl Rf8]}) 17. Qxd5 Be6 (17... Bxb2 18. Rb1 Be6 19. Qd2 Ba3 20. Bh6 Rfc8 21. Ng5 $36) 18. Qe4 (18. Qc5 $5 Qxc5 19. Rxc5 Bxa2 (19... Bxb2 20. Ng5) 20. Bxc6 bxc6 21. Rxc6 $14 {, and Black should hold this ending with accurate defence.}) 18... Bxb2 (18... Bxa2 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Qxe7 Bxe7 21. Nd4 $16) 19. Bxc6 f5 $1 {An excellent defence.} (19... Bxc1 $2 20. Bxb7 $16) (19... bxc6 20. Rxc6 $16) 20. Bg5 (20. Qb1 Bxc1 21. Qxb7 (21. Bxb7 Bxe3 $1 22. fxe3 Rab8 $11) 21... Qxb7 22. Bxb7 Rac8 23. Bxc8 Rxc8 {, and Black should not lose.}) 20... fxe4 21. Bxe7 Bxc1 22. Bxb7 (22. Bxf8 bxc6 23. Nd4 Bxa2 24. Rxc1 Kxf8 25. Nxc6 Bd5 26. Nb4 Be6 27. Na6 Rc8 28. Rxc8+ Bxc8 29. Nc5 a5 $11) 22... Bxe3 $1 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. fxe3 exf3 25. Bxf3 Rb8 $14 {[%mdl 4096] White's extra e3-pawn (rather weak than passed) can hardly be converted but the World Champion manages to create good chances from nothing.} 26. a4 Rb4 27. Bc6 Rc4 28. Bb5 Re4 29. Rd1 a6 30. Bxa6 Rxa4 31. Bb7 Kf7 32. Kf2 Kf6 33. Bd5 Bf5 34. g4 Be6 35. Kf3 Ra5 36. Bxe6 Kxe6 37. h4 Ra2 (37... h5 $5 38. g5 Ra2 {[%CAl Ya2h2]}) 38. Rb1 Ra7 39. Kf4 Ra4+ $2 {It was necessary to prevent the invasion of White's king:} (39... h6) 40. e4 Ra7 (40... h6 {is too late now:} 41. Rb6+ Kf7 42. h5 gxh5 43. gxh5 Kg7 44. Rg6+ Kh7 45. Kf5 $18) 41. Rb6+ $2 {The time control is over so Magnus Carlsen's indecision is strange.} (41. Kg5 $1 Ke5 42. Rf1 $1 Kxe4 43. Kh6 $18 {[%CAl Yg4g5,Yf1f8,Yf8h8] (indicated by GM Sergey Grigoriants)}) 41... Kf7 42. Rc6 Rd7 43. g5 $2 {Closing the way for his own king, after which Black successfully defends without major problems.} ({According to various commentators,} 43. h5 $1 {was still winning - in a much more complicated way, though.}) 43... Ra7 44. Ke5 Re7+ 45. Kd5 Rd7+ 46. Rd6 Ra7 47. Rf6+ Ke7 48. Rc6 Rd7+ 49. Ke5 Ra7 50. Rc5 Rd7 51. Ra5 Kf7 52. Ra1 Re7+ 53. Kf4 Rb7 54. Ra6 Rc7 55. Kg4 Re7 56. Rf6+ Ke8 57. Kf4 Ra7 58. Rb6 Kf7 59. Ke5 Re7+ 60. Kd5 Rd7+ 61. Rd6 Ra7 62. Rd8 Ra5+ 63. Kd4 Ra4+ 64. Ke5 Ra5+ 65. Kf4 Ra7 66. Rd4 Ke6 67. Rb4 Rf7+ 68. Ke3 Ra7 69. Rb8 Re7 70. Rh8 Ra7 71. Re8+ Kf7 72. Rb8 Ke6 73. Rb6+ Kf7 74. Kf4 Re7 75. Rf6+ Ke8 76. h5 {The last attempt.} gxh5 77. e5 Rf7 $1 78. Ke4 (78. Kg3 Re7 79. e6 Ra7 80. Kh4 Ra1 81. Kxh5 Rh1+ 82. Kg4 Ke7 $11) 78... Rg7 79. Kf5 Rf7 80. Kf4 h4 81. Kg4 Re7 82. e6 Ra7 83. Rh6 (83. Kxh4 Ra1) 83... Kf8 84. Kxh4 Ra4+ 85. Kh5 (85. Kg3 Ke7) 85... Re4 86. Rf6+ Kg7 87. Rf7+ Kg8 88. Re7 Kf8 89. Rxh7 Rxe6 90. Rh6 Re1 91. Ra6 Kg7 92. Ra7+ Kg8 93. Kh6 Re6+ 94. g6 Re8 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup Europe Hybrid Qual"] [Site "Tornelo INT"] [Date "2021.05.29"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Sargsyan, Shant"] [Black "Kuzubov, Yuriy"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2618"] [BlackElo "2642"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "125"] [EventDate "2021.05.24"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "NET"] [SourceTitle "CBM 202 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.07.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,125,24,28,34,4,4,0,1,13,35,23,19,27,18,23,23,29,29,26,5,-18,7,10,18,-11,-3,11,32,10,71,57,56,52,86,73,74,57,49,49,64,60,61,63,61,31,32,-9,0,21,22,-1,54,62,62,61,61,33,66,59,72,54,61,71,66,35,88,96,89,93,95,104,104,109,112,105,93,94,106,94,106,106,106,96,101,98,98,102,102,175,172,133,155,129,137,150,164,118,121,121,110,98,106,106,97,97,192,96,257,138,138,138,164,198,181,164,271,540,589,150,144,145,145,158,655,1016,29987,29988]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Nd5 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 8. exf4 {[%mdl 36] This kind of position is quite deceptive. White controls the e-file and the e5-square, and that fully compensates for the loosening of his pawn structure (forget about the bishop pair, which is not an advantage here).} Nb6 9. Bd3 g6 (9... Bd6 {is another plan; White kept an edge in the following game:} 10. g3 Bd7 11. Be4 c6 12. O-O Nd5 13. Qe2 O-O 14. Rad1 g6 15. Bd3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Qc7 17. h4 {[%CAl Yh4h5] 1/2 (82) Esipenko,A (2593)-Geller,J (2518) St Petersburg 2018}) 10. h4 $1 {[%CAl Yh4h5] A standard, most promising plan. Other, less dangerous options:} (10. Qc2 Bg7 11. O-O-O Bd7 12. Ne5 Qe7 13. Ne4 Nd5 14. Nc5 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Bc6 16. Be4 O-O-O $15 {0-1 (61) Jarmula,L (2447)-Jakubowski,K (2563) Katowice 2016}) (10. O-O Bg7 11. Qe2 O-O 12. Rad1 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. f5 Re8 15. Qc2 Qd6 16. Rfe1 Bd7 $11 {0-1 (47) Balokas,D (2269)-Nikolaidis,I (2534) Heraklion 2018}) (10. Qe2 Bg7 11. Rd1 Nd5 (11... Bd7 12. Be4 c6 13. g3 Nd5 14. O-O O-O 15. Ne5 Qc7 16. Rc1 Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Rfd8 18. h4 Be8 19. Rd1 Rd6 20. h5 Rad8 $11 {1/2 (69) Cheparinov,I (2667)-Andreikin,D (2722) Hengshui 2019}) 12. g3 O-O 13. Ne4 (13. O-O c5 $1 14. Be4 {1/2 (47) Krstulovic,A (2375)-Bodi,T (2374) Budapest HUN 2021} cxd4 $15) 13... b6 14. a3 Bb7 15. Ba6 Bxa6 16. Qxa6 Ne7 17. Nc3 Qd6 $11 {1-0 (60) Rozum,I (2553)-Ziatdinov,R (2348) Samara 2014}) 10... Bg7 (10... Nd5 11. g3 Bg7 12. h5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 c5 14. Ne5 Qa5 15. Kf1 $16 {1-0 (29) Aravindh,C (2630)-Moroni,L (2536) Moscow 2020}) 11. h5 Qe7 (11... Bd7 12. Be4 $1 c6 13. Ne5 (13. h6 $142 Bf8 14. g3 {[%CAl Ye1f1,Yf1g2]}) 13... Qe7 (13... f6 $5) 14. h6 Bf6 15. a4 Nd5 16. g3 O-O-O 17. a5 Kb8 18. a6 b6 19. O-O $36 {1-0 (49) Sargsyan,S (2618)-Lupulescu,C (2656) Tornelo INT 2021}) 12. Be4 $6 {This move is inaccurate here.} (12. g3 $14) (12. Rc1 $14) 12... Nd5 $2 {But Black misses his chance:} (12... f5 $1 13. Bc2 Bd7 {[%CAl Yd7c6] with excellent play.}) 13. h6 Bf6 14. Ne5 (14. g3 {is simpler.}) 14... Nxc3 (14... Nxf4 {was possible although White obtained excellent compensation for the material after} 15. Qf3 Bxe5 16. dxe5 Nd5 17. Bxd5 exd5 18. Nxd5 $1 (18. Qxd5 $143 O-O) 18... Qxe5+ 19. Kf1 O-O 20. Re1 Qxb2 21. g3) 15. bxc3 O-O 16. Rb1 c6 17. Qb3 Rd8 18. Rh3 (18. g3 $5 c5 19. O-O cxd4 20. cxd4 Rxd4 21. Qe3 Rd6 22. Rfc1 $16) 18... Qc7 (18... c5 $5) 19. Re3 Rd6 20. Kf1 b6 21. Kg1 Bb7 22. a4 Rad8 23. Bf3 Ba6 {Black tries to push ...c6-c5, which is his only chance to get loose. However, White successfully prevents that.} 24. Rbe1 Kf8 ({Alas,} 24... c5 25. d5 $1 $16 c4 $140 26. Qb1 exd5 27. Bxd5 $1 Rxd5 28. Ng4 $18) 25. Qa3 (25. a5 $5 c5 $140 26. axb6 axb6 27. Ra1) 25... Kg8 (25... c5 26. a5 Bb5 (26... cxd4 27. cxd4 Kg8 28. Rc1) 27. Rb1 Be8 28. dxc5 Qxc5 29. Qxc5 bxc5 30. Rb7 $16) 26. a5 $1 Bb7 (26... c5 $2 27. axb6) 27. axb6 axb6 28. Qb3 Bxe5 {Black can't put up with this knight anymore.} 29. Rxe5 (29. dxe5 $5 Rd2 30. f5 gxf5 31. Qc4 Qe7 32. Bh5 {[%CAl Ye3g3]}) 29... Bc8 30. Ra1 R6d7 31. Qb4 Bb7 32. Qb2 c5 $2 {Finally but at a wrong moment!} 33. Ra7 Qc8 34. Rxb7 Rxb7 35. Bxb7 {Winning a pawn but} (35. dxc5 $1 {[%CAl Yc5b6] was even stronger:} b5 36. c4 $1 b4 37. Bxb7 Qxb7 38. Rd5 $1 $18) 35... Qxb7 36. Rxc5 Qe4 37. Qxb6 Rf8 38. g3 Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kh2 Qe2 41. Qb7 Qxf2+ 42. Qg2 Qe3 43. Qb2 Rd8 44. Re5 Qf3 45. c4 Rf8 46. d5 exd5 47. Rxd5 (47. c5 $1 f6 48. Re7 $18) 47... f6 48. Qd2 $6 (48. Qg2 $5) 48... Re8 49. Rd8 Kf7 50. Qd7+ Re7 51. Qd5+ Qxd5 52. cxd5 {[%mdl 4096]} g5 $2 {After getting some drawing chances, Black immediately stumbles.} (52... f5 $8 {, and only deep analysis can conclude whether White can win or not.}) 53. f5 $18 {[%csl Rf7,Rh7][%CAl Rd8h8]} Re5 54. g4 (54. d6 $5 Rxf5 55. Rh8 Ke6 56. Rxh7 Kxd6 57. Rh8 $18) 54... Re8 55. Rd6 $6 {Subtle play was now required:} (55. Rd7+ $1 Re7 56. Rd6 Ra7 57. Kg3 Ke7 58. Re6+ Kf7 59. d6 Ra3+ 60. Kf2 Rd3 61. Ke2 Rd4 62. Ke3 Rd1 63. Re7+ Kf8 64. Rxh7 Kg8 65. Re7 $1 Rxd6 66. Re6 $18) 55... Re4 $2 {Black had a miraculous way to prolong resistance:} (55... Ke7 $3 56. Re6+ Kf7 57. Ra6 (57. Kg3 $2 Rd8 58. d6 Re8 $3 59. d7 Rd8 $11) 57... Ke7 $1 {[%CAl Re8d8]} 58. Ra7+ Kd6 59. Rxh7 Kxd5 60. Rd7+ Ke5 61. Kg3 $1 Ra8 62. Re7+ $1 Kd5 63. Re6 Ra3+ 64. Kf2 Ra2+ 65. Ke3 Ra3+ 66. Kd2 Ra2+ 67. Kc3 Ra3+ 68. Kb2 Rg3 69. h7 $1 Rh3 70. Rxf6 Rxh7 71. Rg6 {, and finally White wins a second pawn and obtains a decisive advantage.}) 56. Kg3 Re3+ 57. Kf2 Re5 58. Rd7+ Kf8 ({The pawn endgame after} 58... Re7 {is a well-known classic:} 59. Rxe7+ Kxe7 60. Ke3 Kd6 61. Kd4 Kd7 62. Kc5 Kc7 63. d6+ Kd8 64. Kd4 $5 ({or simply} 64. d7 Kxd7 65. Kd5 $18) 64... Kc8 65. Kc4 Kd8 66. Kc5 Kc8 67. Kc6 $18) 59. Rxh7 Rxd5 60. Rh8+ Kf7 61. Ra8 Rd2+ 62. Ke3 Ra2 {Ha-ha!} (62... Rh2 63. h7 Rxh7 64. Ra7+ Kg8 65. Rxh7 Kxh7 66. Kd4 $18) 63. Rxa2 1-0 [Event "Jermuk FIDE GP"] [Site "Jermuk"] [Date "2009.08.11"] [Round "3"] [White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2672"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2009.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 132"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Bb7 {[%mdl 32] A quiet continuation, instead of} (10... Ba6 {. which after} 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 $1 {leads to very complicated, deeply analysed variations.}) 11. Bd3 Qc8 ({The straightforward} 11... axb4 12. axb4 Rxa1 13. Qxa1 Qa8 14. O-O Qxa1 15. Rxa1 Ra8 {runs into} 16. Rxa8+ Bxa8 17. Ba6 $1 {paralysing the black bishop, e.g.} Bd8 18. Bc8 Kf8 19. Na4 bxc5 20. dxc5 Ke8 21. Ne5 g6 22. Kf1 Nxe5 23. Bxe5 Nd7 24. Bd6 {1-0 Burnier,D (2320)-Vuilleumier,A (2402)/Lausanne 2006/CBM 114 ext - a picturesque zugzwang!}) 12. O-O (12. Rc1 {, renewing the possibility of b4-b5 and c5-c6 (in the event of ...Bb7-a6), is an interesting but insufficient alternative as Black gives up a piece for 3 pawns and obtains an excellent position:} axb4 (12... Ba6 $5 13. b5 cxb5 14. c6 Qxc6 $1 15. Ne4 (15. Ne2 Nc5 $13) 15... dxe4 16. Rxc6 exd3 $44 {G.Vescovi}) 13. axb4 Ba6 $1 (13... bxc5 14. bxc5 Ra3 15. O-O Ba6 16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Qc2 Ra8 18. Qb2 Ra7 19. Rb1 h6 20. Rfc1 Bd8 21. Ne1 Ne4 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Nc2 Ra2 24. Qb3 Qe2 25. Bg3 $14 {1-0 Carlsen,M (2543)-Ostenstad,B (2488)/Moss 2005/EXT 2007 (32)}) (13... Ra3 14. Qe2 Qa8 15. Qb2 Ra7 16. O-O Rc8 17. Ra1 Ba6 18. b5 cxb5 19. c6 Qxc6 20. Nxb5 Raa8 21. Rfc1 $16 {1-0 Flumbort,A (2467)-Buss,R (2267)/Zug 2003/CBM 096 ext (31)}) 14. b5 cxb5 $1 15. c6 Qxc6 16. Ne4 Nc5 (16... dxe4 {is now less favourable than without ...axb4 axb4}) 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. dxc5 bxc5 19. Ne5 (19. Qc2 b4 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Ne5 Qb7 $1 $36 {[%csl Gb4,Gc5,Re1]}) 19... Qc7 20. Ng4 Qa5+ 21. Qd2 Qxd2+ 22. Kxd2 Be7 23. Ne5 c4 24. Be2 Bb7 25. Ra1 Rfd8 26. Nf3 f6 27. Bc7 Rdc8 $17 {0-1 Milos,G (2563)-Vescovi,G (2619)/Sao Paulo 2006/CBM 114 ext (34)}) 12... Ba6 13. Qc2 (13. Rb1 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 axb4 15. axb4 Qb7 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 {An unnecessary loss of tempo. The immediate 16...?a6 is more exact. Ein unnötiger Tempoverlust, genauer ist das sofortige 16...?a6.} (16... Ra6 17. b5 cxb5 18. Qxb5 Qa8 $11 19. c6 $140 $2 Ra5 {R.Dautov}) 17. Qc2 h6 18. Ne1 $1 {Van Wely follows the well-known plan, recently demonstrated in the game Ponomariov-Vallejo Pons. Van Wely folgt dem bekannten Plan, der zuletzt in der Partie Ponomariov-Vallejo Pons demonstriert wurde.} Bd8 19. Nd3 b5 20. g4 Ra6 21. f3 Rca8 (21... Bc7 $5) 22. h4 Nh7 23. Qh2 Ndf8 $13 {1-0 Van Wely,L (2654)-Halkias,S (2546)/Plovdiv 2003/CBM 098/[Dautov] (57)}) (13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 15. Bg3 f5 16. Ne2 Re8 17. Nf4 Bf6 (17... Bd8 $5 {[%CAl Yd8c7]}) 18. Qc2 axb4 19. axb4 Bxd3 20. Nxd3 Qb7 21. Bd6 g6 22. Ne5 b5 23. f3 Rec8 $6 (23... Nxe5 24. dxe5 Bg5 $13 25. e4 $140 $6 dxe4 26. fxe4 Be3+ 27. Kh2 f4) 24. e4 Nxe5 25. dxe5 Bd8 $6 (25... Bg5) 26. Qd2 $36 {1-0 Krasenkow,M (2661)-Granda Zuniga,J (2612)/Lugo 2007/CBM 119 (36)}) 13... Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Qb7 15. Rfc1 (15. Rab1 $5 axb4 16. axb4 Ra3 17. Qc2 b5 {led to a typical position, in which Black's queenside counterplay is contained, and White can develop an initiative in the centre and on the kingside; however, it is not an easy task. In the following game White finally outplayed a weaker opponent but the position was not clear:} 18. Nd2 Rfa8 19. Nb3 Bd8 20. f3 Nf8 21. g4 Ng6 22. Bg3 Nd7 23. Qh2 e5 24. f4 exd4 25. exd4 f5 26. g5 Bc7 27. Qe2 Ngf8 28. Rfe1 Qb8 29. Qf3 Ng6 30. Ne2 R3a4 31. Nbc1 Ra3 32. Nd3 Ndf8 $13 {1-0 Shengelia,D (2421)-Ataman,A (2156)/Kocaeli 2002/CBM 089 ext (44)}) {In the present game White leaves his rook on a1 and agrees to exchange both pairs of rooks. This restricts both Black's counterplay along the a-file and White's attacking possibilities. However, practice has seen several remarkable victories of White in such positions (which arise in different lines of this system).} 15... axb4 16. axb4 Rxa1 17. Rxa1 Ra8 18. Qb1 Rxa1 19. Qxa1 Bd8 20. Qa4 b5 21. Qa2 Ne8 22. Ne1 g5 23. Bh2 Bc7 {A typical exchange of White's active bishop.} 24. Nd3 Bxh2+ 25. Kxh2 f6 26. Kg1 Kf7 27. e4 $1 {White must open up the position.} dxe4 28. Nxe4 Nf8 29. f4 $1 gxf4 30. Nxf4 Ke7 31. Nh5 Nd7 32. Nf4 Nf8 33. Nh5 Nd7 34. g4 $1 {Another pawn joins the attack.} Qb8 35. Kg2 Nc7 36. Nc3 $6 {A bit too passive. It was better to bring the h5- knight to control the d5-square:} (36. Nf4 $1 Qa8 37. Qf2 $36 {[%CAl Yf2h4,Yg4g5]}) 36... Qa8 37. Qc2 Qg8 38. Nf4 f5 $1 39. Qe2 fxg4 40. d5 {This break doesn't bring White any real benefit.} cxd5 41. Ncxd5+ Nxd5 42. Nxd5+ Kf7 ({Or} 42... Kf8 43. Nc7 gxh3+ 44. Kxh3 e5 45. Nxb5 Qd5 $132) 43. Qf2+ (43. Qxb5 {was more active but hardly enough for a real advantage, e.g.} Qd8 44. Nf4 (44. Ne3 gxh3+ 45. Kxh3 Nf6 {[%CAl Yd8d2]} 46. Qb7+ Ke8 $1) 44... Ne5 45. Qb7+ Ke8 $1 46. Kg3 $1 gxh3 {[%CAl Rd8g5]} 47. Qg7 Nf7 48. Qg8+ Ke7 49. Qxh7 Qd4 50. Ng6+ Kf6 51. Qh4+ Qxh4+ 52. Nxh4 Ke5 $11) 43... Ke8 44. Nc7+ Kd8 45. Nxb5 gxh3+ 46. Kxh3 Qg5 47. Qh4 {White could hardly avoid the exchange of queens anyway, and the knight endgame is drawn despite White's connected passed pawns.} (47. Qd4 Qe5 $1) 47... Qxh4+ 48. Kxh4 Ne5 49. Nd4 Nd3 50. Nxe6+ Ke7 51. Ng5 Nxb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 31st"] [Site "Sarajevo"] [Date "2001.05.16"] [Round "4"] [White "Dreev, Alexey"] [Black "Georgiev, Kiril"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2685"] [BlackElo "2676"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2001.05.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "BIH"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 084"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 Re8 15. Rc1 a6 16. Bxa6 $5 $146 {Ein neuer Versuch von Weiß. Innerhalb von vier Zügen verschwinden alle Damenflügelbauern vom Brett. Weiß gewinnt dann meistens den Isolani d5, aber nicht die Partie - zu begrenzt ist das restliche Material. Bei der Europa-Meisterschaft in Ohrid kam der Textzug dreimal vor, das Ergebnis war jedesmal das gleiche - Remis.} (16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Rc3 d4 19. Rd3 Qd5 20. exd4 Re4 $44 {Van Wely,L-Kasparov,G/Wijk aan Zee 2001}) (16. Rc2 d4 17. e4 Bc7 18. Bxc7 Qxc7 19. Rc5 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Qe7 $11) 16... Rxa6 17. b5 Rxa3 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Rxc6 Re6 ({Eine andere Möglichkeit ist} 19... Ra7 20. Qb3 ({besser war} 20. Rd6 $1 Rd7 21. Qxd5 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rxd6 23. Qxd6 Qxd6 24. Bxd6 $14) 20... Bxf3 21. gxf3 Bc7 22. Rxc7 Rxc7 23. Bxc7 Qxc7 24. Qxd5 Qe5 25. Rd1 Qxd5 26. Rxd5 g6 $14 {, und Weiß kann das Endspiel nicht gewinnen, Malakhatko,V-Pigusov,E/Ohrid 2001}) 20. Qc1 ({Wenig Gewinnaussichten bietet Weiß} 20. Rxe6 $6 fxe6 21. Qc1 Qa8 22. Qb2 Bxf3 23. Qxb6 Ra6 24. Qc7 Be4 25. Be5 Ra7 26. Qb6 Ra6 27. Qb5 Ra7 28. Rc1 h6 $11 {Atalik,S-Short,N/Ohrid 2001}) 20... Rxc6 ({Sehr schlecht wäre} 20... Ra8 $2 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Qc6 Bf7 23. Ng5 $16) 21. Qxc6 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Ra8 ({Das Eindringen des weißen Turms zuzulassen wäre für Schwarz gefährlich:} 22... h6 23. Rb1 Ba7 24. Rb5 (24. Rb7 $14) 24... d4 25. Rd5 $36) 23. Rb1 Ba5 24. Rd1 ({Genauer war} 24. Rb5 $1 Rc8 (24... d4 $4 25. Rd5 Qf8 26. Bd6 $18) 25. Qxd5 Bc7 26. Qxd8+ Bxd8 $14 {, und Schwarz konnte die Läufer nicht tauschen. Dennoch sollte für ihn das Endspiel problemlos haltbar sein.}) 24... Rc8 25. Qxd5 Bc7 $1 26. Qb3 (26. Qxd8+ $2 Rxd8 27. Rxd8+ Bxd8 $11) 26... Qe8 27. Bg3 Bxg3 28. fxg3 g6 29. Kf2 Qc6 {Schwarz tauscht die Damen und erreicht eine theoretisch remisliche Stellung.} 30. g4 h6 31. Qb4 Qc2+ 32. Qd2 g5 33. Qxc2 Rxc2+ 34. Kg3 Rc3 35. Rd8+ Kg7 36. Re8 Kg6 37. h4 Kg7 38. Re5 Kf6 39. Rf5+ Kg6 40. h5+ Kg7 41. Kf2 Rc2+ 42. Ke1 Ra2 43. Rd5 Rb2 44. Rd2 Rb3 45. Ke2 Ra3 46. Rc2 Rb3 47. Kd2 Ra3 48. Rc3 Ra6 49. Kd3 Rf6 50. Ke4 Re6+ 51. Kd5 Rf6 52. e4 Ra6 53. e5 Rb6 54. Rc7 Ra6 55. Rd7 Rb6 56. Ke4 Rb4+ 57. Rd4 Rb1 58. f4 gxf4 59. Kxf4 Rf1+ 60. Ke4 Re1+ 61. Kd5 Ra1 62. Kd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Najdorf Memorial 12th"] [Site "Buenos Aires"] [Date "2001.09.05"] [Round "2"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2692"] [BlackElo "2664"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2001.09.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ARG"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "CBM 085"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Bd6 $5 {Fast eine Neuerung- dieser Zug wurde bisher nur einmal gespielt. Short vermeidet damit die Variante 10...?c6 11.?d3 ?d6 12.?a4!, die in seiner Partie gegen Dreev vorkam.} (10... Nc6 11. Bd3 Bd6 12. Qa4 h6 13. O-O Be6 14. Rad1 Rc8 15. Rd2 Bxf4 16. Qxf4 g5 $132 {Dreev,A-Short,N/Beijing 2000}) 11. Bxd6 ({Harmlos wirkt} 11. Bg3 Bg4 12. Bd3 h6 13. Qa4 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nc6 15. Rg1 Qf6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Rg3 Ne5 $13 {Arencibia,W-Diaz,J/Holguin 1991}) (11. Qa4 $2 {wäre hier ein Fehler.} Bd7 12. Qd4 Nc6 13. Qxd5 Bxf4 14. exf4 Re8+ 15. Be2 Qe7 $17) 11... Qxd6 12. Be2 {Als eine kleine Entschädigung kann Weiß seinen Läufer auf e2 entwickeln. Aber steht er dort wirklich besser?} (12. Bd3 {führte mit Zugumstellung zu bekannten Stellungsbildern :} Nc6 13. O-O Qf6 (13... Bg4 $2 14. Bxh7+) 14. Qb3 Rd8 15. Rac1 Rb8 16. Rfd1 Bg4 17. Be2 $14 {Sokolov,A-Mozny,M/Germany 1993}) 12... Nc6 13. O-O Bg4 {Nun ist dieser Zug ohne Vorbereitung möglich.} 14. Qa4 (14. Qb3 $6 {bringt Weiß nichts wegen} d4 $1 15. Rad1 Qe7) 14... Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Ne5 16. Be2 Qb6 17. Rab1 {Zu passiv gespielt. Schwarz gleicht nun mühelos aus.} ({In Frage kam} 17. Qb4 $5 Qe6 (17... Qxb4 18. axb4 a6 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. Ra5 $16) 18. Rfd1 $14) 17... Rfd8 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. h3 g6 20. Rd2 Nc4 21. Rd3 (21. Bxc4 dxc4 (21... Rxc4 22. Qd1 Qc6 $14) 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Qxa7 Qd3 24. Rf1 b5 $44) 21... Nxb2 $11 22. Qd4 Rc2 23. Bf3 Qxd4 24. Rxd4 b6 25. Bxd5 Rdc8 26. g4 h6 27. h4 Kg7 28. g5 hxg5 29. hxg5 R8c5 30. Be4 Rc1+ 31. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 32. Kg2 Rc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-ch 10th"] [Site "Budva"] [Date "2009.03.15"] [Round "9"] [White "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Black "Meier, Georg"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2657"] [BlackElo "2608"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2009.03.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "MNE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 130"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.05.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.05.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Be7 11. Be2 Ne4 {This continuation was examined in CBM 109, annotations to Mamedyarov-Graf by GM R.Dautov. A lot of interesting games have been played since but Black has apparently failed to find equality so far.} (11... dxc4 {is the main line}) 12. cxd5 $8 (12. O-O $6 Nxc3 13. bxc3 dxc4 14. Bxc4 Bf6 15. Bd6 Rd8 16. Bd3 g6 17. Bb4 Nxb4 {1/2 Kargoll,B-Gschwendtner,M/Germany 1991/TD}) (12. Nd2 $2 Nxc3 13. Nb3 Qa4 14. Qxc3 Bf6 15. Qc2 Na5 16. Nd4 Qxc2 17. Nxc2 Nxc4 $19 {0-1 Elschner,A (2040)-Chuchelov,V (2490)/Dresden 1996/CBM 053 ext (25)}) 12... Nxc3 13. Qxc3 $1 (13. bxc3 exd5 14. O-O Be6 15. a4 (15. Rb1 Qxa3 16. Rxb7 Rfc8 17. Rc1 Bf5 18. Qd1 a5 19. Bb5 Nd8 20. Rc7 Rxc7 21. Bxc7 Ne6 {1/2 Miles,A (2610)-Van der Sterren,P (2475)/Wijk aan Zee 1984/MCL (74)}) 15... Rfc8 (15... Rac8 16. Rb1 Bf6 17. Rxb7 d4 18. exd4 (18. c4 $1 $14 {Atalik,S}) 18... Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Bxd4 20. Rb5 Qxc3 21. Qxc3 Rxc3 22. Rd1 Rc2 23. Rxd4 Rxe2 24. h4 a6 25. Rb6 Bc8 26. Rc4 Re6 27. Rb8 Bd7 28. Rb7 Rc6 29. Rd4 Be6 30. a5 h6 {1/2 Vorobiov,E (2572)-Mikhalevski,A (2441)/Pardubice 2007/CBM 119 ext}) (15... Bf6 16. Rb1 Rfc8 {- transposition} (16... Rac8)) 16. Rb1 Bf6 (16... Nd8 17. Be5 Nc6 18. Rb5 Qd8 19. Bf4 b6 20. Qd2 Na5 21. Nd4 Nc4 22. Qa2 Nd6 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Bxd6 Bxd6 25. c4 Kh8 26. cxd5 $16 {1/2 Maiorov,N (2481)-Aveskulov,V (2495)/Lvov 2006/CBM 114 ext (116)}) 17. Rxb7 Qxc3 18. Qxc3 Bxc3 19. Rc1 Bf6 20. h3 h6 21. Rc7 Na5 22. Ba6 Rxc7 23. Rxc7 Bd8 24. Rc1 (24. Rc3 Bd7 25. Bc7 (25. Bb5 Rc8 26. Rd3 Be6 27. Nd4 Rc1+ 28. Kh2 Bb6 $11) 25... Bxc7 26. Rxc7 Bxa4 27. Nd4 Rd8 28. Bd3 Nb3 $11 {1/2 Mamedyarov,S (2646)-Graf,A (2605)/Sant Lluis 2005/CBM 109/[Dautov] (52)}) 24... Bb6 (24... Bd7 25. Bb5 Rc8 26. Rd1 Be6 27. Nd4 $14 {Dautov}) 25. Nd4 Bd7 26. Bb5 Bxb5 (26... Rc8 $1 $14) 27. Nxb5 Nc4 $2 28. Nc3 Rd8 29. Nxd5 Rxd5 30. Rxc4 $16 {1-0 Conquest,S (2350)-Greenfeld,A (2490)/Hastings 1985/EXT 1999 (42)}) 13... Qxc3+ 14. bxc3 exd5 15. Rxd5 Bxa3 16. Nd4 $1 {[%mdl 4] It turns out that White's advantage in the centre is more important than Black's outside passed pawn.} a5 (16... Nxd4 17. exd4 b6 (17... a5 18. Kd2 a4 19. Rb5 Be7 20. Bf3 Ra7 21. Re1 a3 22. Kc2 $16 {Atalik,S}) 18. Kd2 Be6 (18... Bb7 19. Rd7 {Atalik,S}) 19. Rb5 Bd7 20. Rb3 Be7 21. Bf3 Rae8 $2 (21... Ba4 22. Rb2 Rac8 23. Ra1 b5 24. Bb7 Rcd8 25. Bc6 a6 26. Kd3 $16 {Atalik,S}) 22. Ra1 g5 23. Bg3 f5 24. Bd5+ Kh8 25. Rxa7 Rd8 26. Rxb6 $18 {1-0 Atalik,S (2584)-Lekic,D (2340)/Vogosca 2007/CBM 118 ext (28)}) (16... Be7 17. Kd2 Rd8 18. Bf3 Nxd4 19. cxd4 Bb4+ 20. Kd3 Rxd5 21. Bxd5 Kf8 22. Rc1 Ba5 23. e4 Ke7 24. Bc7 Bb4 25. Be5 Ba5 26. Bxg7 $18 {1-0 Nyback,T (2655)-Dobrev,N (2366)/Chalons en Champagne FRA 2009/The Week in Chess 756 (31)}) 17. Rb5 {[%csl Gb5,Rb7][%CAl Gb5b7]} a4 18. Kd2 Be7 19. Ra1 Ra7 (19... a3 20. Kc2) 20. Bg5 $5 {It is not easy to correctly judge here, which pieces to trade and which to leave on the board. Finally, as you will see, White will echange his knight for Black's light-squared bishop (with an excellent result); it was possible to do it at once:} (20. Nf5 Rd8+ 21. Kc2 Bxf5+ 22. Rxf5 {but then Black obtained counterplay:} Rc8 23. Rb5 Nb4+ 24. Kb2 a3+ 25. Kb3 Na6 {etc. Therefore White offers another favorable exchange: without dark-squared bishops he will get outposts on b6 and possibly c5; his king will be safer and Black's a-pawn weaker.}) 20... f6 $6 {Avoiding theexchange of bishops but weakening the light squares.} (20... Bd7 $5 21. Rd5 $5 (21. Bxe7 Nxe7 22. Rc5 $14)) 21. Bf4 (21. Bc4+ $5 Kh8 22. Bf4) 21... Rd8 {Just losing time as the white bishop is aiming for b6 anyway.} (21... g5 $5 22. Bc4+ Kg7 23. Bc7 Re8 24. Bb6 Ra8 25. Ne6+ Bxe6 26. Bxe6 Bd6 {is a slightly better version as White will need more time to prepare the advance of his kingside pawns.}) 22. Bc7 Re8 23. Bb6 Ra8 24. Bc4+ Kf8 25. Ne6+ {This exchange comes up in a favorable version for White - Black has no counterplay anymore.} Bxe6 26. Bxe6 Bd6 27. Bd5 Re7 28. Kc2 Rd7 29. Be6 Re7 30. Bd5 Rd7 31. f4 $1 {According to the principle of two weaknesses, White must open up a second front.} g6 32. g3 Ke8 33. e4 Re7 34. h4 $1 Rg7 {Black is absolutely passive and has to wait, and White needn't hurry.} 35. Kb2 Ra6 36. Ka2 {Safely blocking the a-pawn.} h6 37. Rd1 {[%csl Gd1]} g5 {Desperation.} 38. hxg5 hxg5 39. Bc4 Bb8 $2 (39... Bc7 40. Bxc7 Rxc7 41. Rxb7 Rxb7 42. Bxa6 {loses a pawn but the text move is even worse.}) 40. Rbb1 (40. Rh1 $5) 40... Ra8 (40... gxf4 $142 {, however, hopeless enough}) 41. Rh1 1-0 [Event "Linares 22nd"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2005.03.08"] [Round "12"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2757"] [BlackElo "2678"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2005.02.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 106"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.06.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.06.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. Nd2 Bb4 {Es ist zu vermuten, daß die Anzahl der Anhänger dieses Zuges bald schnell abnehmen wird, so überzeugend ist Topalovs Sieg ausgefallen. Eine gute Alternative zum Textzug stellt 10...?e7 dar.} (10... Be7) 11. cxd5 exd5 (11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Bd3 g6 14. Rc1 Be7 15. O-O Bf6 16. Nb3 Qb6 17. Nc5 (17. Bd6 $5 $14) 17... Qxb2 18. Qa4 Qb6 19. Bd6 Be7 20. Bxe7 Nxe7 21. Nd7 (21. Qf4 $5) 21... Bxd7 22. Qxd7 Qb3 $11 {Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Wijk aan Zee 2001}) 12. Bd3 d4 13. O-O Bxc3 14. Nc4 Qh5 15. bxc3 Nd5 (15... dxe3 16. Nxe3 $14) 16. Bg3 dxe3 17. Rae1 Be6 {Bisher hat sich keiner der Schwarzspieler getraut, den Bauern f2 zu nehmen. Zumindest wüßte Schwarz danach , wofür er gequält wird, in der Partie muß Rustam dagegen "umsonst" leiden.} (17... exf2+ $6 18. Rxf2 Be6 19. Nd6 (19. Re4 h6) 19... b6 $44) 18. fxe3 Nde7 (18... Rad8 19. Nd6 Ne5 $2 (19... b6 20. e4 $14) 20. Bxh7+ Qxh7 21. Qxh7+ Kxh7 22. Bxe5 f6 23. e4 Nb6 24. Bg3 Na4 25. e5 $16 {Topalov,V-Kramnik,V/Monte Carlo 2001}) 19. Nd6 b6 20. Rb1 $1 {Nun spielen alle weißen Figuren mit, während die schwarzen Türme bis zum Ende der Partie dem Kampf tatenlos zusehen werden.} f6 $146 {Eine Neuerung, die aus der Not geboren zu sein scheint. Das bereits gespielte 20...?d5 sieht auch nicht vertrauenerweckend aus.} (20... Nd5 21. Rb5 (21. Qd2 $5) 21... Qh6 22. Rxd5 $5 Bxd5 23. Nf5 Qg5 24. Bh4 Qh5 25. Rf4 $2 (25. Qa4 $1 $40) 25... f6 26. Ng3 Qe8 27. Bxh7+ Kh8 $17 {Nadanian,A-Dervishi,E/Panormo 1998}) 21. Rb5 (21. Rf4 $5) 21... Ne5 22. Rf4 N7g6 23. Rd4 Bd7 $2 {Die Läuferschaukel sieht einladend aus, und es ist nicht leicht, den starken weißen 25. Zug zu sehen. Besser wäre jedoch 23...?ad8, wonach Weiß eine schöne Stellung, aber keinen direkten Gewinnweg hätte.} (23... Rad8 $5 24. Be2 Qh6 25. Bf4 Nxf4 26. exf4 Nc6 $14) 24. Rbd5 Be6 25. Be2 $1 $18 {[%mdl 64]} Qh6 26. Bf4 $1 Nxf4 27. exf4 g6 {Schwarz ist verloren.} (27... Bxd5 $2 28. Nf5 $18) (27... Nc6 28. Rh5 Qg6 29. f5 Nxd4 30. cxd4 $18) (27... Rad8 28. Qd1 Nc6 29. Nf5 Bxf5 30. Rxd8 Nxd8 31. Rxd8 Be6 32. Qd6 Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kf7 34. Bb5 $18) (27... Kh8 28. Qe4 Bxd5 29. Rxd5 Ng6 (29... Nc6 30. Rd3 $1 $18) (29... Qg6 30. fxe5 Qxe4 31. Nxe4 Rae8 32. Nd6 $18) 30. g3 $1 Nxf4 31. Qxf4 Qxf4 32. gxf4 $18) 28. Qe4 $1 Bxd5 29. Qxd5+ Kh8 30. Re4 Nd7 31. Nf7+ Rxf7 32. Qxf7 (32. Qxf7 Nc5 33. Re8+ Rxe8 34. Qxe8+ Kg7 35. Qe7+ Kh8 36. Bc4 $18) 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2005.01.20"] [Round "5"] [White "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2652"] [BlackElo "2674"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2005.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 105"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. Be2 {Eine moderne Nebenvariante. Weiß verzichtet auf das traditionelle Springermanöver ?f3-d2-b3 und setzt auf schnelle Entwicklung.} (10. a3 Be7 11. Nd2 {führt zu der theoretischen Hauptvariante.}) 10... dxc4 (10... Nb4 11. Qb3 dxc4 (11... Ne4 12. O-O Nxc3 13. Qxc3 $14) 12. Bxc4 Nbd5 13. Be5 a6 14. O-O Nxc3 15. Bxc3 $14 {Korobkov,P-Severgin,V/Voronezh 2001}) ({Logisch sieht} 10... Bb4 $5 {aus, aber dazu gibt es nur wenig Partien.} 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 h6 (12... Ne4 $5) 13. Ne5 Re8 14. Bf3 Qc5 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Nd3 Qe7 17. Nc1 Rd8 18. h3 Ne5 $11 {Stocek,J-Cvek,R/Karlovy Vary 2005}) 11. Bxc4 Be7 (11... b6 $6 {ist verfrüht und bringt die schwarze Dame in Gefahr:} 12. O-O (12. a3 $1 Ba6 (12... Be7 $2 13. Bb5 Bb7 14. Nd2 $18) 13. Bxa6 Qxa6 14. b4 Nxb4 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Bd6 Bxd6 17. Rxd6 Rfc8 18. Qa2 $1 Qxa2 19. Nxa2 Ne4 20. Rd4 $16) 12... Ba6 (12... Be7 $1) 13. Bxa6 Qxa6 14. Ne4 Ne7 $2 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Qc3 $16 {Sokolov,I-Onischuk,A/Poikovsky 2004}) (11... a6 12. O-O Be7 13. a3 b5 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. Ne4 h6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Rd7 Bc8 $2 19. Rc7 Ne7 20. Be4 $16 {Sokolov,I-Bjornsson,S/Izmir 2004}) 12. O-O b6 $1 $146 {Eine logische Neuerung. Schwarz strebt den für ihn günstigen Abtausch der weißfeldrigen Läufer an.} (12... e5 13. Bg5 (13. Bg3 Bg4 14. Nd5 Rac8 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Qe4 Bh5 17. Rd5 Bg6 18. Qg4 Qb4 19. Rb5 Qe7 20. Nh4 a6 21. Nxg6 hxg6 22. Rd5 $14 {Kazhgaleyev,M-Dutreeuw,M/Gent 2004}) 13... Bg4 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Ne4 Qb4 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. a3 Qb6 18. Rd6 $14 {Dgebuadze,A-Kruppa,Y/Ubeda 1998}) 13. Qe2 $1 {Weiß verhindert den Läufertausch.} (13. a3 Ba6 14. b4 (14. Bxa6 Qxa6 $11) 14... Qxa3 15. Ra1 Qxa1 16. Rxa1 Bxc4 $11) (13. e4 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Qxa6 15. e5 Nb4 16. Qb1 Nfd5 $11) 13... Bb7 14. e4 {Konsequent gespielt. 14.?b5 nebst 15.?d6 würde Weiß das Läuferpaar, aber keinen nennenswerten Vorteil bringen.} (14. a3 Rfd8) (14. Nb5 $5 Rac8 (14... Rfd8 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Bxd6 Qh5 $132) 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Bxd6 Rfd8 17. e4 Qh5 18. e5 Ne8 $13) 14... Rad8 15. e5 Nd5 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Bb5 $6 {Besser war 17.?d3.} (17. Bd3 $1 Qb4 (17... Qxa2 $2 18. Qc2 $16) 18. Bg3 Qg4 $13) 17... Qb4 (17... Qxa2 $2 18. Ra1 Qb3 19. Bxc6 Bxc6 20. Nd4 $18) 18. Be3 (18. Bg3 Qe4 $11) 18... d4 {Short verteidigt sich aktiv, er opfert zuerst einen Bauern und dann die Qualität. Interessant war auch die Überführung der Dame zum Damenflügel mit 18...?g4.} (18... Qg4 $5 19. h3 Qh5 $132) 19. Bc1 $1 {Bruzon weicht dem remislichen Turmendspiel aus, das forciert nach 19.?xc6 entstanden wäre.} (19. Bxc6 d3 $1 20. Rxd3 Bxc6 (20... Ba6 $2 21. Nd4 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Bxe2 23. Rxb4 Bxb4 24. Rc1 $16) 21. Nd4 Bb5 22. Nxb5 Qxb5 23. Rd2 Qxe5 24. Bxb6 Qxe2 25. Rxe2 axb6 26. Rxe7 Rd2 27. b4 Ra8 28. Rb7 g6 29. Rxb6 Raxa2 $11) 19... Qc5 (19... Na5 20. Bd3 $14) 20. a3 Rd5 21. Bc4 Rxe5 $5 {[%mdl 512]} 22. Nxe5 Nxe5 23. Ba6 (23. Bd3 Qd5 24. f3 Nxd3 25. Qxd3 Bf6 $44) 23... Bc6 {Schwarz hat zweifellos Kompensation für die Qualität, obwohl Weiß mit seinen mobilen Figuren etwas besser stehen dürfte.} 24. Bf4 Ng6 25. Bg3 Qd5 26. f3 Ba4 $1 {[%mdl 2048]} (26... b5 27. Qd3 Bf6 28. Rfe1 h5 $44) 27. Rc1 b5 {?d3 Nun sind die beiden weißfeldrigen Läufer potentiell in Gefahr, aber der schwarze leistet deutlich mehr.} 28. Qd3 h5 $1 {Short spielt auf dem ganzen Brett! Sein h-Bauer sollte für die Aktivierung des ?g6 sorgen.} 29. f4 (29. Rfe1 h4 30. Bf2 (30. Bc7 Bg5 $36) 30... Bf6 (30... Nf4 31. Qxd4 Qg5 32. g3 hxg3 33. hxg3 Ne2+ 34. Rxe2 Qxc1+ 35. Re1 $16) 31. Rc8 Rxc8 32. Bxc8 Ne5 $44) (29. Bc7 Bd8 $1 30. Bxd8 Rxd8 {??f4} 31. f4 Qd6 32. Rc8 Rxc8 33. Bxc8 Nxf4 34. Qf5 d3 $1 35. Rxf4 Bb3 36. Qd7 Qxd7 37. Bxd7 d2 38. Rd4 d1=Q+ 39. Rxd1 Bxd1 40. Bxb5 Bb3 $11) 29... Bd6 (29... h4 30. Be1 $13) 30. Qf3 (30. b3 Qxb3 31. Qxb3 Bxb3 32. Bxb5 h4 33. Bf2 Bxf4 $15) 30... Qxf3 31. Rxf3 h4 32. Bf2 Bxf4 $2 {Wahrscheinlich hat das energische Spiel Nigel zu viel Kraft gekostet, mit dem Textzug schmeißt er die Partie weg. Nach dem naheliegenden 32...?xf4 hätte sich Weiß um Ausgleich bemühen müssen.} (32... Nxf4 $1 33. Rc6 Bb8 (33... Be5 34. Rc5 f6 35. g3 Ne6 36. Rc1 $11) 34. g3 (34. Bxh4 d3 35. Be1 Ne2+ 36. Kf1 Nd4 $17) 34... d3 35. gxf4 d2 36. Rd3 d1=Q+ 37. Rxd1 Bxd1 38. Bxb5 $11) 33. Rc8 $16 Rxc8 34. Bxc8 {Angesichts der Drohung 35.b3 muß Schwarz seinen Stolz, den Freibauern d4, abgeben und landet danach in einer verlorenen Stellung.} b4 35. Bxd4 a5 36. Bb7 Bd1 37. Rf1 Bc2 38. Bd5 bxa3 39. bxa3 $18 a4 40. Rf2 Bd1 41. Rf1 Bc2 42. Rf2 Bd1 43. Bxf7+ Kxf7 44. Be3 Kf6 45. Bxf4 Nxf4 46. Rxf4+ Kg5 47. Rd4 Bb3 48. Kf2 1-0 [Event "GER CupT final"] [Site "Baden-Baden"] [Date "2005.04.17"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Huebner, Robert"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2624"] [BlackElo "2670"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2005.04.17"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "1"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 107"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Baden Oos"] [BlackTeam "Porz"] [WhiteTeamCountry "GER"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be2 (11. Be5 Bf6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd4 {bringt Weiß nichts dank Vaganians Erfindung} Qd6 $1 14. Rd1 Rd8 15. b4 Ne6 16. Qh4 a5 17. Bd3 h6 18. O-O axb4 19. axb4 Ra4 20. Rb1 d4 $11 {Mamedyarov,S-Vaganian,R/Pamplona 2004}) 11... Bf6 12. Be5 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Re8 14. Nf3 Qb6 15. Rc1 Ne6 $1 {Mit 15...?e4 kann Schwarz der typischen Isolani-"Massage" nicht entgehen, deswegen strebt Vaganian den Vorstoß d5-d4 an.} (15... Ne4 16. Qd4 Qg6 (16... Qa5+ 17. Qb4) 17. O-O Bh3 18. Ne1 Rad8 19. Kh1 Bf5 20. Nf3 a6 21. Nh4 Qg5 22. Nxf5 Qxf5 23. Kg1 Rc8 24. Bf3 Nf6 25. h3 h6 26. b4 $14 {Gyimesi,Z-Portisch,L/Kazincbarcika 2005}) 16. Qd2 (16. Qa4 Rd8 17. Qb5 Qxb5 18. Bxb5 d4 $11) (16. b4 $5 {Auf diese Weise kann Weiß gegenüber der Partie ein Tempo b2-b4 gewinnen, was sich jedoch auf die Stellungseinschätzung kaum auswirkt.} Rd8 17. Nd4 Nxd4 18. Qxd4 Qxd4 (18... Bf5 19. Rc5 $14) 19. exd4 Be6 20. Rc7 Rdc8 21. Rxb7 Rc1+ 22. Bd1 Rc4 23. O-O (23. Ke2 Rxd4 24. Bc2 Re8 $11) 23... Rxd4 24. Bf3 Rd3 $11) 16... Rd8 17. Nd4 (17. O-O d4 18. Rfd1 dxe3 19. Qxe3 Qxe3 20. fxe3 Bd7 $11) (17. Rd1 Bd7 18. O-O Ba4 19. Rc1 d4 $11) 17... Nxd4 18. Qxd4 Qxd4 19. exd4 Be6 20. Rc7 {Der einzig mögliche Gewinnversuch.} (20. Kd2 Rac8 $11) 20... Rdc8 $1 (20... Rab8 $2 21. Kd2 Rdc8 22. Rhc1 $16) 21. Rxb7 Rc1+ 22. Bd1 Rc4 23. O-O (23. Ke2 Rxd4 24. Re1 a5 $11) 23... Rxd4 24. Bf3 a5 25. Rd1 Rc4 {Der Turmtausch war ein einfacherer Weg zum Remis.} (25... Rxd1+ $1 26. Bxd1 Kf8 27. Kf1 Bc8 $1 28. Rc7 (28. Rb6 Ke7 $11) 28... Rb8 $11) 26. h3 (26. Kf1 $5 Rc5 $1 (26... Rd8 27. Bxd5 h6 28. Bf3 Rxd1+ 29. Bxd1 $16) 27. b4 axb4 28. axb4 Rc2 $11) 26... Rd8 $1 (26... Rc5 $2 27. b4 axb4 28. axb4 Rcc8 29. Bxd5 $16) 27. Rb5 $1 (27. Bxd5 $2 h6 28. Rb5 Rc7 29. Bf3 $2 Rxd1+ 30. Bxd1 Rc1 $19) 27... a4 28. Be2 Rc2 $1 (28... Rcc8 29. Rd4 $14) 29. Bd3 Rcc8 30. Rb4 Rb8 31. Bb5 Rdc8 32. Rdd4 (32. Bxa4 Rxb4 33. axb4 Rc4 $11) 32... Rc2 $11 {Schwarz fand all die genauen Züge, das Unentschieden ist nicht zu vermeiden.} 33. Bxa4 Rxb2 34. Rxb2 Rxb2 35. Rb4 Rxb4 36. axb4 Kf8 37. Kf1 d4 38. Ke2 Bc4+ 39. Kd2 Bf1 40. g3 Ke7 41. h4 h6 42. Bc2 g5 43. hxg5 hxg5 44. f3 Bb5 45. Bd3 Bc6 46. Ke2 Kd6 47. Be4 Bb5+ 48. Bd3 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-ch 19th"] [Site "Batumi"] [Date "2018.03.26"] [Round "9"] [White "Matlakov, Maxim"] [Black "Nabaty, Tamir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2707"] [BlackElo "2690"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2018.03.17"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 {This line has recently gained some popularity.} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Be6 7. e3 h6 (7... Nbd7 {is played more often, and only after} 8. Bd3 h6 {- see, e.g. Van Wely - Andreikin in CBM 177.}) 8. Bxf6 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8] Black must now recapture with his queen, which is not very comfortable.} (8. Bh4 Nbd7 {etc. leads to positions usually arising after 7...?bd7.}) 8... Qxf6 9. Qb3 Ra7 10. Bd3 ({Fortunately for Black,} 10. Nxd5 {is not so dangerous due to} Qd8 11. Bc4 b5 12. Nxc7+ Rxc7 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Qxe6+ Qe7 {but even here Black is on the defensive after, say,} 15. Qg6+ Qf7 16. Qe4+ Be7 17. Ne5 {. Maxim Matlakov prefers to continue development assuming that the poor position of Black's rook on a7 will play its role.}) 10... Nd7 11. O-O (11. Nxd5 Qd8 {[%CAl Rc7c6]}) 11... Bd6 12. Rae1 (12. Nxd5 {is possible now, with the idea} Qd8 13. Qc3 $5 Bxd5 14. e4 {Still, Black survives after} Bc6 15. d5 Bb5 16. Bxb5 axb5 17. Qxg7 Qf6 18. Qxf6 Nxf6 19. e5 Bxe5 20. Nxe5 Nxd5) 12... O-O 13. Bb1 $1 {[%mdl 160] White prepares ?b3-c2 and e3-e4. A logical plan when one of Black's pieces (?a7) is stuck on the other flank.} Qd8 14. Qc2 g6 (14... f5 {weakens the light squares and allows} 15. Ne2 $36 {[%CAl Ye2f4,Yh2h4]}) 15. e4 dxe4 16. Nxe4 Bd5 17. Qc3 a5 (17... Re8 18. h4 $5) 18. Qe3 Kg7 19. Ne5 $1 Ra6 (19... b6 $5 20. Rd1 $5 {[%CAl Ye4c3]} (20. f4 f5 $1 21. Nc3 Nxe5 22. fxe5 Be7 $13)) 20. f4 $40 {?} Bb4 (20... f5 21. Nc3 Nxe5 {doesn't work now due to} 22. dxe5) 21. Nc3 Re8 (21... Bxc3 $5 22. bxc3 Nxe5 {(getting rid of White's dangerous knights)} 23. dxe5 $14) 22. Qg3 Nf8 $2 {Wrong! Black renounces simplifications, and White obtains a decisive attack. However, Black's position remained difficult in any case, e.g.} (22... Bxc3 23. bxc3 Nxe5 24. dxe5 Qe7 25. f5 Qg5 26. Qf2) ({or} 22... Nxe5 23. dxe5 Bc4 24. Rf3) 23. f5 g5 24. f6+ $1 Rxf6 25. Rxf6 Bxc3 26. Rxf7+ Bxf7 27. bxc3 $16 {[%csl Ge5] Black has survived the first assault but White's knight dominates the board.} Ng6 28. Qd3 Re6 (28... Qd6 $5 29. Rf1 Rxe5 30. dxe5 Qxd3 31. Bxd3 Nxe5 {but after} 32. Bc2 {[%CAl Yc2b3] White should win in the long term.}) 29. Rf1 Be8 30. Ng4 $1 {[%CAl Rd4d5]} Qe7 (30... Rd6 31. h4 $5 gxh4 $140 32. Qe3 {[%csl Rh6]}) 31. d5 Qc5+ $2 {This leads to a prompt defeat but after the relatively best} (31... Re1 32. Qd4+ Kg8 $1 33. Nxh6+ Kh7 34. Nf5 {White should convert his extra pawn without major problems.}) 32. Kh1 Re7 33. c4 $1 Kh8 34. Qc3+ Rg7 35. Nxh6 Qb4 36. Qd4 Qb6 37. Qc3 {White misses a simple tactical trick:} (37. Qe5 $1 $18 {[%CAl Re5e8,Re5g5]}) 37... Qb4 38. Qh3 (38. Qa1 $5 {[%CAl Rh6f5]} Kh7 (38... Qxc4 39. Bxg6 Bxg6 40. Rf7 $1 Bxf7 41. Nf5 $18) 39. Ng4 {[%CAl Rg4f6]} Qe7 40. Qc3 $18) 38... Qxc4 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Black blunders a nice mate.} (38... Nf4 {is the only way to continue resistance but White's position is winning anyway.} 39. d6 $1 {is the most beautiful continuation, e.g.} Qxc4 (39... Qxd6 40. Nf7+ Kg8 41. Nxd6 Nxh3 42. Nxe8) (39... cxd6 40. Qc8 Qa4 41. Qf5 Bg6 42. Qf8+ Kh7 43. Nf5 Rf7 44. Qh6+ Kg8 45. Qxg5 $18) 40. Re1 $1 Nxh3 41. Rxe8+ Rg8 42. Rxg8+ Qxg8 43. Nxg8 $18) 39. Nf7+ Kg8 40. Qh8+ $1 (40. Qh8+ Nxh8 41. Nh6#) 1-0 [Event "RUS-chT 12th"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2005.04.21"] [Round "3"] [White "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2608"] [BlackElo "2631"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2005.04.19"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2020"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.10.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.10.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Tomsk 400"] [BlackTeam "Sverdlovsk Ural region"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 dxc4 {Mit dieser Idee, die er auch gegen 7.?d3 anwendet, konnte Vaganian einige Punkte sammeln.} 8. Bxc4 Nb6 9. Bd3 Nbd5 10. Nxd5 (10. Bg3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 b6 12. e4 Bb7 13. Qc2 Nh5 14. O-O c5 15. d5 Nxg3 16. hxg3 exd5 17. exd5 g6 18. c4 Bf6 19. Rae1 Qd7 $11 {Schandorff,L-Vaganian,R/Germany 2002}) (10. Be5 Nxc3 11. bxc3 c5 12. O-O b6 13. Qb1 Kh8 14. a4 Bb7 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Be4 Qe7 $11 {Savchenko,S-Prusikin,M/Griesheim 2004}) 10... exd5 11. Qc2 Bd6 12. Be5 $5 $146 {Diese Neuerung ist mit einem agressiven Plan verbunden - Weiß will lang rochieren!} (12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. b4 Re8 14. O-O c6 15. b5 cxb5 16. Bxb5 Bd7 17. Bxd7 Qxd7 18. Ne5 Qe6 19. Qb2 Re7 20. a4 {½-½ Radjabov,T-Bologan,V/Dortmund 2003}) 12... h6 (12... Re8 $6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. Bd3 Bh3 16. O-O Bg4 17. Be2 $16) 13. h3 Re8 14. O-O-O $5 (14. O-O c6 15. b4 Ne4 $11) 14... Bd7 15. g4 Ne4 $1 {Dieser starke Springer wird den weißen Angriff auf dem Königsflügel bremsen.} 16. Kb1 Rc8 $1 {Vaganian läßt den Bauern auf c7 so lange wie möglich stehen, um im Falle von ?xd6 mit dem Bauern zurücknehmen zu können.} 17. Rhf1 Re6 $1 {Sehr schön gespielt! Schwarz bereitet ?e8 nebst ?a4 (b5) auf, außerdem kann der Turm auf der 6. Reihe aktiv werden.} 18. Qb3 {Endlich von der Verteidigung des ?f2 befreit, geht die weiße Dame auf die Jagd - und direkt in die von Vaganian vorbereitete Falle!} (18. Ka1 Qe8 $1 $15) 18... Bxe5 19. Bxe4 (19. Nxe5 $2 Rb6 20. Qc2 Ba4 $19) 19... Rb6 20. Qxd5 Bd6 21. Ne5 (21. Ka1 $2 Bc6 22. Qf5 g6 $19) 21... Be6 22. Qa5 c5 $1 $15 {Das war die Idee des Bauernopfers! Weiß kann den kommenden Angriff nur durch die Hergabe seiner Dame bremsen.} 23. Ka1 cxd4 (23... c4 $5 $15 {??a3}) 24. exd4 (24. Rxd4 Qe7 25. Qxa7 Rb3 $1 26. Nd3 Bxa3 $17) 24... Bxa3 $1 25. Qxa3 (25. bxa3 $2 Rb1+ $19) 25... Ra6 26. Qxa6 bxa6 27. d5 Bd7 28. Nc6 (28. Nxd7 $5 Qxd7 29. f3 g6 $15) 28... Qf6 29. f3 Qd6 $17 30. Rc1 $6 {Weiß sollte etwas gegen das kommende g6, f5 unternehmen.} (30. h4 $1 {?h5} g6 31. g5 $17) 30... g6 $1 {?f5} 31. f4 (31. Nd4 Rxc1+ 32. Rxc1 Qh2 $17) (31. Rfd1 $17) 31... Re8 32. Rc4 Kg7 $19 {??e4} 33. Rfc1 Qxf4 34. Bf5 Qd6 35. Bxd7 Qxd7 36. Rd1 Re2 37. d6 Qb7 38. Rb4 (38. Rb1 Qb5 39. Rd4 Rd2 $1 $19) (38. Nb4 Qb5 $19) 38... Qxc6 39. d7 a5 40. d8=Q (40. Rbd4 Qb6 $19) 40... axb4 41. Qd4+ Qf6 42. Qxb4 Rf2 43. Rd6 Rf4 44. Rxf6 (44. Qd2 Qe5 $19) 44... Rxb4 45. Rf3 Rb5 {Das Turmendspiel ist leicht gewonnen für Schwarz, da der weiße König zu weit entfernt ist.} 46. Ka2 h5 47. Ka3 hxg4 48. hxg4 a5 49. Rf4 g5 50. Rc4 f5 51. gxf5 Kf6 0-1 [Event "Pamplona 14th"] [Site "Pamplona"] [Date "2004.12.28"] [Round "6"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2660"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2004.12.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 105"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bf6 12. Bxf6 (12. Be2 $5) 12... Qxf6 13. Qd4 Qd6 $1 {Dies ist bereits die dritte Partie, die R. Vaganian mit seiner Erfindung 13..?d6 mühelos remisiert Es sieht so aus, als ob Schwarz das Problem der unangenehmen 7.a3- Variante gelöst hätte.} (13... Qxd4 14. Nxd4 Bd7 15. f3 Rfc8 16. Kd2 Ne6 17. Nxe6 Bxe6 18. Bd3 Kf8 19. g4 h6 20. h4 $14 {Zvjaginsev,V-Vescovi,G/Poikovsky 2003}) 14. Rd1 Rd8 15. b4 $146 (15. Bc4 $6 Bf5 16. O-O Bc2 17. Rc1 dxc4 18. Rxc2 b5 19. Qxd6 Rxd6 $15 {Onischuk,A-Vaganian,R/Togliatti 2003}) (15. Bd3 Nxd3+ 16. Rxd3 Bf5 17. Rc3 Be4 18. O-O Bxf3 19. gxf3 Qg6+ 20. Kh1 Qf5 $11 {Sokolov,I-Vaganian,R/Mainz 2003}) (15. Be2 Bf5 16. b4 {Die Drohung 16...?c2 zwang Weiß zu dieser Schwächung.} (16. O-O $6 Bc2 17. Rde1 Nb3 18. Qh4 d4 19. Bc4 b5 $36) 16... Ne6 17. Qb2 a5 18. O-O axb4 19. axb4 Ra4 20. b5 d4 21. Nxd4 Nxd4 22. exd4 Rxd4 23. Rxd4 Qxd4 24. Qxd4 Rxd4 $11 {Gyimesi,Z-Nielsen,P/Germany 2004}) 15... Ne6 16. Qh4 (16. Qe5 Qxe5 17. Nxe5 d4 18. Bc4 dxe3 19. fxe3 Rxd1+ 20. Kxd1 a5 $11) (16. Qb2 a5 17. Bd3 axb4 18. axb4 h6 19. O-O Ra4 $11) 16... a5 17. Bd3 h6 18. O-O axb4 19. axb4 Ra4 20. Rb1 d4 21. Rfd1 Rxb4 22. Rxb4 Qxb4 {Soweit verlief das Spiel forciert. Schwarz ist seinen Isolani losgeworden und steht nicht schlechter.} 23. Nxd4 (23. exd4 Qb3 24. Rd2 b5 $11) 23... Qa4 24. Rb1 Qa5 25. Qe4 (25. Qe7 Qg5 26. Qxg5 hxg5 $11) 25... Nxd4 26. Qh7+ (26. exd4 g6 $11) 26... Kf8 27. exd4 Qd5 28. Re1 (28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Qxg7 Qxd4 30. Qxd4 Rxd4 31. Bf1 $11) (28. Rb4 Qa5 $11) 28... Be6 29. Be4 Qxd4 30. Bxb7 Qb4 31. Qb1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 6th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2018.06.07"] [Round "9"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2018.05.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 185"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Re8 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 13. Qb1 Bf5 14. Bd3 {So far, nothing that interesting has happened. We have covered many of the subtleties in the annotated games Karjakin-Anand (this page) and Mamedyarov-Anand (Tata Steel 2018 round 13.) I believe White is slightly better in this position, but it is of course non-trivial to prove.} Bxd3 $1 (14... e4 $6 {is well met by} 15. Bf1 $1 {giving up a queen for three pieces.} (15. Bc2 {was nevertheless enough for a slight edge in one of the classics.} Nxc2+ 16. Qxc2 Qa6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Nb3 $14 {Kortschnoj,V-Karpov,A Baguio City 1978}) 15... Ng4 16. cxd5 $1 Ne5 17. exd4 Nf3+ 18. gxf3 exf3+ 19. Be3 Bxb1 20. Nc4 $1 Qc7 21. dxc5 $16) 15. Qxd3 Ne4 16. Nxd5 (16. Ndxe4 {Maybe not the most precise, but safe enough.} dxe4 17. Qd2 Ne6 18. Bh4 (18. Nxe4 Qxd2+ 19. Rxd2 f5 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 $13 {leads to an imbalance and likely quite a good one for Black, who is likely to recover the c4-pawn quite soon.}) 18... Qa6 19. Qe2 Rac8 20. O-O Bf8 21. Qg4 Qxc4 (21... Rxc4 $11 {equalised more reliably}) 22. Nxe4 Kh8 23. h3 Nc5 24. Nxc5 Qxg4 25. hxg4 Rxc5 26. Rd7 $14 {Mamedyarov,S-Anand,V Tata Steel Masters 2018. Now White could potentially have a small something again.}) (16. cxd5 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Qxc3 18. bxc3 Nc2+ 19. Ke2 f6 20. Bh4 Nxa3 21. Ne4 Rac8 $11) (16. Ncxe4 dxe4 17. Qxe4 Qb6 {could well become another theoretical battleground, because I believe White is probably a bit better.} 18. O-O (18. Qb1 Ne6 $1 19. Bh4 Bxe3 {Tarjan,J -Zumsande,M Douglas 2015. is a very dangerous sacrifice and indeed Black soon triumphed}) (18. Rb1 $5 h6 19. Bh4 g5 20. b4 Bf8 21. Bg3 Rad8 $1 22. exd4 (22. Rd1 f5 23. Qb1 f4 $11) 22... exd4 23. Be5 Bg7 24. O-O Rxe5 25. Qd3 Qg6 26. Rb3 g4 $132 {Ding, L-Nakamura,H Sharjah 2017, We had a three result positio though soon the players agreed a draw.}) 18... Ne2+ 19. Kh1 Qxb2 {Black lacks real alternatives. Now the hard move is:} 20. Nb1 $1 Nc3 21. Nxc3 Qxc3 22. Rd7 Bxa3 23. Qd5 Rf8 24. Rxb7 {White has extremely good compensation, probably more than is needed.}) 16... Nxg5 17. b4 Qd8 18. bxc5 Nde6 19. O-O Nxc5 20. Qb1 Nge6 (20... Qd6 {might improve slightly, but it is much of a muchness.}) 21. Nf3 Nf8 {In spite of White's activity, there isn't an advantage for him here, because of Black's amazing outpost on c5 for one or other knight.} 22. Rd2 Rc8 23. Rfd1 Qd6 (23... e4 24. Nd4 Ng6 {is ambitious, but this could just as easily backfire.}) 24. Nc3 Qg6 25. Rd5 Qxb1 26. Rxb1 f6 27. Nb5 Ne4 (27... Red8 $5 28. Nxa7 Rxd5 29. cxd5 Rd8 30. Rd1 Na4 $132 {is actually ambitious for Black, based on White's bad knights (especially f3) but I'm not sure how successful he will be.}) 28. Nd2 Nxd2 29. Rxd2 Re7 $11 {It is already clear that the game will be drawn, now it is just a question of how!} 30. Nxa7 Rxc4 31. Nb5 Rd7 32. Rxd7 Nxd7 33. Nd6 Rc3 34. Nxb7 Rxa3 35. h3 Ra8 36. Rd1 Nf8 37. Nc5 Rc8 38. Ne4 Rc7 39. Kf1 Ne6 40. Rd6 Kf7 41. Rb6 Nc5 42. Nxc5 Rxc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-36"] [Site "Mallorca"] [Date "2004.10.19"] [Round "5"] [White "Sasikiran, Krishnan"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2668"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2004.10.15"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 104"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "India"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "IND"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 (7. a3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nb6 9. Bd3 Nbd5 10. Bg3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 b6 12. e4 Bb7 13. Qc2 Nh5 14. O-O c5 15. d5 Nxg3 16. hxg3 exd5 17. exd5 g6 18. c4 Bf6 19. Rae1 Qd7 $11 {Schandorff,L-Vaganian,R/Germany 2002}) 7... dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nb6 {Vaganians Lieblingsvariante, die er auch gegen 7.a3 anwendet.} 9. Bd3 Nbd5 10. Bg3 (10. Be5 b6 11. O-O Nxc3 (11... Bb7 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. a3 Rc8 14. Qa4 a6 15. Rad1 $14 {Forintos,G-Sapi,L/Budapest 1964}) 12. bxc3 Bb7 13. a4 Bd6 14. Bxd6 cxd6 15. a5 bxa5 16. Qa4 Rc8 17. Rfc1 e5 18. Be2 Nd5 19. c4 Nb6 20. Qxa5 Bxf3 21. Bxf3 exd4 22. exd4 Nxc4 $11 {Huebner,R-Vaganian,R/Germany 2003}) 10... Nxc3 11. bxc3 b6 12. e4 Bb7 13. Qe2 c5 14. O-O Nh5 $1 {Der Tausch des ?g3 ist für Schwarz erstrebenswert weil 1) nach d4-d5 der weiße Freibauer leicht von d6 blockiert werden kann; 2) im Endspiel ist der ?e7 wichtiger als der ?f3.} 15. Be5 cxd4 16. cxd4 Rc8 (16... f6 $5 17. Bg3 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Rc8 $11) 17. Rfd1 {Alle Versuche, den ?e5 vor dem Abtausch zu retten, bringen Weiß keinen Vorteil.} (17. h3 f6 18. Bh2 Bd6 19. Qe3 Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Qd6+ 21. g3 $13) (17. Ne1 g6 18. Nc2 f6 19. Bg3 Nxg3 20. hxg3 Rc3 $15) (17. Nd2 g6 18. g4 f6 19. gxh5 fxe5 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. dxe5 Bc5 $44) 17... f6 18. Bg3 Nxg3 19. hxg3 Qc7 20. a4 Kh8 $6 {Dieser prophylaktische Zug war unnötig, 20...?fd8 gab Schwarz ein gutes Spiel.} (20... Rfd8 21. Ba6 (21. a5 bxa5 22. Qa2 Rd6 23. Qxa5 Qxa5 24. Rxa5 a6 $11) 21... Bb4 $1 22. Rab1 Bxa6 23. Qxa6 Ba5 24. d5 exd5 25. exd5 Qc4 $1 $15) 21. Ba6 Bb4 $6 (21... Rfd8 22. a5 Bxa6 23. Qxa6 Bb4 24. axb6 axb6 25. Rab1 Ba5 $11) 22. Rab1 Bxa6 23. Qxa6 Ba5 (23... Bd6 24. d5 exd5 25. Nd4 Qd7 26. exd5 $14) 24. d5 exd5 25. exd5 Rfd8 {Vgl. mit 20...?fd8.} 26. Qd3 $2 {Sasikiran nutzt seine Chance nicht, mit 26.d6! könnte er seinen Vorteil vergrößern.} (26. d6 $1 Qd7 (26... Qc4 $2 27. Qxa7 Qxa4 28. d7 $16) 27. Rd4 Rc5 (27... Bc3 28. Rc4 Rxc4 29. Qxc4 $16) 28. Rbd1 Re8 29. Qd3 $16 {Der Freibauer d6 ist sehr stark, und Schwarz wird es schwer haben, seine Blockade zu halten.}) 26... Qc4 27. Qxc4 $6 (27. Qd4 $1 $11) 27... Rxc4 $15 28. Rbc1 $2 Rxd5 $19 29. Rxc4 {Nach drei Fehlern in Folge und bereits in einer verlorenen Stellung beginnt Sasikiran eine heldenhafte Verteidigung, die am Ende von Erfolg gekrönt wird.} Rxd1+ 30. Kh2 h5 31. Nd4 Be1 32. f4 Bf2 33. Nf3 a5 34. f5 Kh7 35. Rh4 Kh6 36. Re4 Rb1 37. Re2 Bc5 38. Re8 Kh7 39. Nh4 Bg1+ 40. Kh3 Bf2 41. Kh2 Rb3 42. Nf3 Rb4 43. Nh4 Rxa4 44. Ng6 Kh6 45. Nf4 g6 $2 (45... Bc5 $1 46. Ne6 Kh7 $19) 46. fxg6 Rxf4 47. gxf4 Kxg6 48. g3 Bc5 49. Ra8 Kf5 50. Kh3 Ke4 51. Kh4 Bf2 52. Ra6 Kd5 53. Kxh5 Kc6 54. Ra7 Bxg3 55. Kg4 Be1 56. Kf5 Kb5 $2 (56... Bc3 57. Ke4 b5 58. Kd3 $17) 57. Kxf6 $11 Kb4 58. f5 a4 59. Ke6 Bc3 60. f6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-36"] [Site "Mallorca"] [Date "2004.10.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Kaidanov, Gregory S"] [Black "Lputian, Smbat G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2611"] [BlackElo "2634"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2004.10.15"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 104"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "US of America"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "USA"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Nd2 Be7 11. Bg3 Qb6 {Es folgt also die Fortsetzung der theoretischen Diskussion in dieser Nebenvariante. Die Hauptfortsetzung ist hier 11...?d7.} (11... Bd7) 12. Be2 d4 13. Na4 Qd8 14. O-O Bd6 (14... dxe3 15. fxe3 Bd6 16. Bxd6 (16. Bh4 Qc7 17. Kh1 {führt mit Zugumstellung zur Partie.}) 16... Qxd6 17. c5 Qc7 18. b4 Ne5 {??g4} 19. h3 Bd7 20. Nc3 Rad8 21. Rac1 Ng6 $11 {Lautier,J-Onischuk,A/Moscow 2002}) 15. Bh4 Qc7 16. Kh1 $1 dxe3 17. fxe3 Ne8 $2 $146 {Es drohte 18.?xf6 nebst 19.?e4, und der Springer tritt den Rückzug an. Wie die Partie zeigen wird, hätte er auf d7 weit bessere Aussichten.} (17... Bxh2 $2 18. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 19. g3 $16) (17... Be7 18. Bg3 (18. b4 $5 Ng4 19. Bg3 e5 20. Qc3 $14) 18... Bd6 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. c5 Qc7 21. b4 Ne5 22. Ne4 Nfg4 (22... Neg4 $6 23. Nxf6+ Nxf6 24. Nc3 $14 {Onischuk,A-Barsov,A/Montreal 2003}) 23. Qc3 Nxh2 24. Rf4 Nhg4 25. Bxg4 Nxg4 26. Rxg4 f5 $11) (17... Nd7 $5 18. Ne4 Be5 19. Ng5 g6 20. Nf3 Bg7 21. Nc3 $14) 18. Ne4 Be5 19. Ng5 $14 g6 {Die Analysemodule schlagen den unschönen Zug 19...f5!? vor, der von einem Menschen kaum in Betracht gezogen würde.} (19... f5 20. c5 $1 {Um die Schwäche e6 angreifen zu können.} (20. Nf3 Nf6 21. Nxe5 Nxe5 22. Nc3 Neg4 $132) 20... Nf6 21. Nc3 Nd5 (21... Bxh2 22. Bc4 $14) 22. Nxd5 exd5 23. Nf3 $14) 20. Nf3 Bg7 21. Nc3 {Weiß kam mit Vorteil aus der Eröffung, seine Initiative auf dem Damenflügel entwickelt sich rasch, während Schwarz aus seiner besseren Bauernstruktur und dem Vorposten e5 kaum Kapital schlagen kann.} b6 (21... Nd6 22. Nb5 Qb8 23. Nxd6 Qxd6 24. c5 Qc7 25. Rad1 $16) 22. Rad1 Bb7 23. Nb5 $16 Qc8 24. b4 a6 (24... a5 25. Qb3 axb4 26. axb4 $16) 25. Nc3 {×b6} a5 $2 (25... Nf6 $2 26. Na4 Qc7 27. b5 Na5 28. Bg3 $18) (25... Qc7 $16) 26. Qb3 {Noch stärker war der direkte Angriff auf b6, Schwarz wäre dagegen ziemlich hilflos.} (26. Na4 Qc7 27. b5 Ne5 28. Nxe5 Bxe5 29. c5 $18) (26. b5 Ne5 27. Nxe5 Bxe5 28. Na4 $18) 26... axb4 27. axb4 Nf6 {Ein klares Eingeständnis des Fehlers im 17. Zug. Schwarz bleibt stark unter Druck.} 28. Nd2 $1 {Visiert das Feld d6 an.} Nd7 29. Nde4 Qc7 $2 {Der entscheidende Fehler, Schwarz verliert Material. Nur mit 29...?ce5 konnte man Widerstand leisten.} (29... Nce5 30. Nd6 Qc6 31. Nxb7 Qxb7 32. Nb5 $16) 30. Nb5 $18 Qe5 (30... Qc8 31. Ned6 Qb8 32. Nxf7 $18) 31. Ned6 Rab8 32. Bg3 Qg5 33. Nxb7 Rxb7 34. Bf3 Nde5 35. Bxe5 Bxe5 36. Bxc6 Qh4 37. g3 Bxg3 38. Qc2 Rbb8 39. Qg2 Be5 40. Nd4 Qh6 41. Bf3 Rbd8 42. Qe2 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2007.01.27"] [Round "12"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2766"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2007.01.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 117"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.03.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.03.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. h4 Rd8 12. Nd2 (12. g4 {is more popular in this position.}) 12... dxc4 $5 {The simplest course. Black simplifies the game. The endgame is slightly inferior for him due to White's space advantage but quite defendable.} 13. Nxc4 (13. Bxc4 Ne5 14. Nb3 Qc7 15. Rxd8+ Bxd8 16. Rd1 Bd7 $11) 13... Rxd1+ 14. Qxd1 Qd8 15. Qxd8+ Nxd8 {[%mdl 4096]} (15... Bxd8 $5 16. Be2 Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Nd6 Bc7 19. Rd1 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 Be6 21. b4 f6 22. Kb2 Rd8 23. Bc5 b6 24. Bd4 Ne5 $14 {½-½ Peng,Z-Maric,A/Groningen 1997/CBM 062 ext (48)}) 16. Be2 Bd7 17. e4 {Similar positions, arising from Queen's Gambit Accepted, were often played by Kramnik as White (e.g. in his match vs. Kasparov). Here Black has an additional problem - his poorly placed ?d8} Bc6 18. f3 Nh5 19. Bc7 Rc8 20. Be5 (20. Bd6 $142) 20... Bf6 (20... f5 $3 {is a nice computer suggestion. After} 21. exf5 Nf7 $1 22. fxe6 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 Bd5 24. Kb1 Bxe6 {Black gets rid of his passive knight and obtains a good compensation for the missing pawn, due to his bishop pair.}) 21. Nd6 Ra8 $6 (21... Rc7 {was quite possible}) 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 23. Rd1 $14 {[%csl Rd8] Black has not solved his main problem (?d8), so he is worse.} Kf8 (23... Ne8 $5 24. Nc4 Nc7) 24. Kd2 (24. b4 $142 $1 {??, K.Sakaev}) 24... Ne8 25. Nc4 {Of course, a knight exchange would make Black's defense easier.} f6 26. Ke3 b6 27. f4 Nf7 {Uff... But the knight is still quite passive.} 28. g4 h6 29. g5 hxg5 30. hxg5 Ke7 31. gxf6+ Nxf6 {Black's pawn structure is now less compact but the f6 knight is active.} (31... gxf6 $143 32. Rh1) 32. Rg1 Rg8 33. Rg6 Bb7 ({An immediate} 33... Nh8 {was less accurate due to} 34. Rg5 $1 {(suggested by GM K.Sakaev)} (34. Rg3 $143 Nf7 {[%CAl Yg7g5]}) 34... Nf7 35. Ne5 $1 Nxe5 36. Rxe5 (36. fxe5 $6) 36... Rh8 37. Rg5 Kf7 38. f5 (38. Bc4 Rh4 $1 39. f5 Nxe4) 38... exf5 39. Bc4+ Ke8 40. Rxf5 $36 {[%csl Ge4]}) 34. a4 Nh8 35. Rg1 Nf7 36. a5 g5 $1 {Getting rid of his main weakness, Black equalizes the game.} 37. fxg5 Rxg5 38. Rxg5 Nxg5 {[%csl Re4]} 39. e5 Nd7 40. Nd6 Bf3 $1 {The last accuracy.} (40... Bh1 41. a6 $1 {[%csl Ga6] was dangerous for Black.}) 41. axb6 (41. a6 Bxe2 42. Kxe2 Nc5 $11) (41. Bxf3 Nxf3 42. a6 Nfxe5 43. Nc8+ Kd8 44. Nxa7 Nc5 $11) 41... axb6 42. Bxf3 Nxf3 43. Nc8+ Kd8 44. Kxf3 Nxe5+ 45. Ke4 Nc4 46. Kd4 Nxb2 47. Nxb6 Kc7 48. Nc4 Nxc4 49. Kxc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Paris FIDE GP"] [Site "Elancourt"] [Date "2013.09.24"] [Round "3"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2785"] [BlackElo "2756"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "171"] [EventDate "2013.09.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 157"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 {I examined this line in my recent article published with CBM 155. Therefore, I will not mention the early deviations now.} 6. e3 a6 7. a4 Bd6 8. Bg3 {Grischuk confessed that choosing this move was a bit casual.} ({Slightly earlier, while walking through the playing hall, he noticed that} 8. Bg5 {was played in the other game of the same round with this variation, Gelfand,B (2764)-Dominguez Perez,L (2757) Elancourt 2013 (1-0, 97) [Gelfand] Grischuk jokingly said that he did not wish to feel like playing against two players at the same time, so he decided to deviate.}) 8... Bxg3 $146 {Black releases the tension at once, in order to sped up his counterplay with ...c7-c5.} (8... b6 9. Bxc4 Bb7 {Carlsen,M (2786)-Ivanchuk,V (2786) Cap d'Agde 2008 EXT 2009 [Marin] (1/2, 58)}) 9. hxg3 c5 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Bb3 cxd4 12. exd4 {A typical isolani position, but with some small particularities. The dark-squared bishops are off the board, somewhat reducing White's attacking potential. But if Black later has to capture on d5 with the pawn, his other bishop may become "bad". At the same time, the early opening of the h-file offers White additional attacking ideas. Ponomariov must have taken all these aspects into account when choosing his next move.} Bd7 ({In principle, it would be desirable to maintain the complete control over the d5-square with} 12... Qd6 {, but it seems that it does not work properly, partly because of Black's delay in development.} 13. a5 Nbd5 14. Ne5 Bd7 (14... O-O {runs into} 15. g4 $36 Qb4 $6 16. Kf1 $16 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Qxc3 18. Rh3 Qb4 19. g5 $18) 15. Bxd5 Nxd5 (15... exd5 16. g4 $36) 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qf3 Qe7 ({Black has to give up the piece control over d5, since} 17... O-O 18. g4 $36 {would be too dangerous.}) 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. O-O $14 {This is an improved version of the game continuation from White's point of view, since Black has played the strategically undesirable move ...g7-g6, weakening the dark squares even more.}) 13. a5 Nbd5 14. Bxd5 {Grischuk settles for a minimal but stable advantage, hoping to get an ending with a good knight versus a bad bishop.} ({The similar plan to that from the previous comment does not work out so well:} 14. Ne5 Bc6 15. g4 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Bxg2 17. Rh2 Bc6 {White certainly has compensation for the pawn, but the position remains double-edged.}) 14... Nxd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qe2+ Be6 {Now and later when given a choice, Ponomariov decides to keep the queens on board. I assume he was right, after the queen exchange, the rooks would most surely disappear, too, leaving Black in a dangerous endgame, where the white king and knight could walk and jump freely on the dark squares.} (16... Qe7 17. Rh5 Qxe2+ 18. Kxe2 Be6 19. Kd2 $14) 17. Qd3 h6 18. Qa3 f6 $1 {Ever since Philidor, it has been known that this is the way to place the pawns: on squares of opposite colour with respect to the bishop's. Besides, the last move has the concrete purpose of connecting rooks without exchanging queens.} (18... Qe7 19. Ne5 Rc8 20. Kd2 $14) 19. O-O Kf7 20. Nd2 Bd7 21. Nb3 Re8 22. Nc5 Bc6 {White has obtained stable domination, but howcan he make progress? Grischuk could not answer this question within the next few moves, which he rightly called a waste of time.} 23. Qf3 (23. Rfe1 $5) 23... Kg8 24. Qg4 Qe7 25. Qf3 Qe2 $6 {Ponomariov offers the queen exchange under what would be favourable circumstances: the occupation of the second rank. White does not have to cooperate, though.} ({Grischuk recommended} 25... Qc7 {followed by ...?e7 and ...?ae8.}) 26. Qc3 Qb5 {Ponomariov admitted that at first he did not realise that the queen does not feel comfortable here.} ({However, after} 26... Qg4 27. Rfe1 {Her Majesty would also be somewhat out of play. However, the important thing is that queens are still on the board, preventing the radical activation of the white king.}) 27. Rfe1 Kf7 28. b3 Rac8 29. Qd2 Bd7 30. Rac1 Kg8 31. f3 {In the absence of an immediate active plan, White starts restricting the enemy bishop even more.} Rcd8 32. g4 Bc8 33. Qc3 Rxe1+ 34. Rxe1 Re8 35. Rxe8+ Qxe8 {The ending looks pleasant for White, but little more than that. Black should have no problems holding it.} 36. Kf2 Kf7 37. Qb4 Qc6 38. Qe1 b6 {Getting rid of one of the weaknesses.} 39. axb6 Qxb6 40. Qc3 Qc7 41. Qb4 a5 {Ponomariov was not sure whether this was a good idea. Optically, the pawn belongs on a5, but in the long run it could also become a weakness. Intuitively, I believe his last move is correct.} 42. Qc3 Bd7 43. Qe1 Bc8 44. Qc3 Bd7 45. Qd2 Bb5 46. Qe1 Qb6 47. Qh1 Kf8 48. Qh5 Qc6 49. Qf5 Kf7 50. Qh5+ Kf8 51. Qf5 Kf7 52. f4 {Not much has happened over the past ten moves. Still, White's pressure remains unpleasant and Ponomariov confessed that he started fearing that he would blunder because of tiredness if he did not force the events a bit.} g6 53. Qc2 Qc7 54. Qd2 g5 55. g3 gxf4 56. gxf4 f5 57. Qe3 Qe7 58. Qxe7+ Kxe7 59. g5 Kf7 $6 {Grischuk praised this move and confessed that he had overlooked it. The idea is correct, but its execution imperfect, though.} ({Clearing the f4-square with} 59... hxg5 $2 60. fxg5 Kf7 {would lead to disaster:} 61. Kg3 Kg6 62. Kf4 Bc6 (62... Be2 63. Nb7 $18 {[%CAl Gb7a5]}) 63. Nd3 Bb5 64. Ne5+ Kg7 65. Kxf5 $18) ({The correct way to reach a similar position as in the game was} 59... Bc6 $1 {, controlling b7, for instance} 60. Kg3 Kf7 61. Nd3 Be8 62. Kh4 Kg7 {and the fortress resists.}) 60. Nb7 Kg6 61. gxh6 $6 ({Black would have faced bigger practical difficulties after} 61. Nxa5 hxg5 62. fxg5 Kxg5 63. Nb7 Kf6 64. Ke3 Ke7 65. Kf4 Kf6 66. b4 $14 {There probably is no forced win here, but Ponomariov would have faced the worst of his fears: an unpleasant position in which he could easily blunder when confronted with real and illusory threats.}) 61... a4 62. bxa4 Bxa4 63. Nd6 Bd7 64. Kg3 Kxh6 $11 {White cannot force his way through now and a draw is inevitable.} 65. Nf7+ Kh5 66. Ne5 Bb5 67. Nf3 Bd3 68. Ng5 Bb5 69. Ne6 Bd7 70. Nc7 Bc6 71. Kh3 Bb7 72. Nb5 Bc6 73. Nc3 Bb7 74. Nd1 Bc6 75. Ne3 Kg6 76. Kh4 Bb7 77. Nc2 Bc8 78. Nb4 Bb7 79. Nd3 Kh6 80. Ne5 Ba8 81. Nf7+ Kg6 82. Nd6 Bc6 83. Nc8 Bb7 ({Grischuk said that he actually lost the knight with the previous move. Luckily for him, Black can only lose if he tries to get the knight:} 83... Kf6 84. Kh5 Ke6 85. Kg6 Kd7 86. Na7 Ba4 87. Kxf5 Kc7 88. Ke5 Kb7 89. f5 Kxa7 90. f6 Be8 91. Kxd5 $18) 84. Na7 Kh6 85. Nb5 Kg6 86. Nc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 19th"] [Site "Warsaw"] [Date "2013.11.16"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2749"] [BlackElo "2801"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2013.11.08"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "POL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 158"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.01.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.01.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "France"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 h6 {An interesting idea. Black waits for ?f1-d3 in order to play ...?c8-a6; in that case, if White takes on a6, ?f1-d3 will be just a wasted tempo. Meanwhile Black makes a useful move (an airhole for his king).} (10... Ba6) ({or} 10... Bb7 {[%CAl Yd8c8] are more "conventional" continuations.}) 11. Qc1 {White doesn't want to waste a tempo. He would like to take on a6 in one go.} (11. Bd3 Ba6 12. Bxa6 (12. O-O $5 Qc8 13. Rb1 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 axb4 15. axb4 {1-0 (62) Kunte,A (2561)-Kayumov,S (2400) Dubai 2005} Qb7 $11) 12... Rxa6 13. b5 (13. O-O Qa8 14. Qb1 axb4 15. axb4 Rxa1 16. Qxa1 Qb7 17. Rb1 Ra8 18. Qb2 Bd8 19. Ra1 bxc5 20. Rxa8 Qxa8 21. bxc5 Qa6 $11 {1/2 (44) Moiseenko,A (2709)-Sargissian,G (2676) Warsaw POL 2013}) 13... cxb5 14. c6 Qc8 15. c7 b4 (15... Bxa3 $5 16. Nxb5 Bb4+ 17. Ke2 Ra8 18. Qd3 (18. Qa4 $5) 18... Ne4 19. Rhc1 Qa6 $132 {[%CAl Ye4c5] 1/2 (72) Edouard,R (2620)-Ekstroem,R (2488) Novi Sad 2009}) 16. Nb5 a4 17. axb4 (17. Rc1 $5 {deserves attention, like in the 10...?a6 line, when Black's pawn is on h7; the difference is, however, in Black's favour}) 17... Bxb4+ 18. Ke2 Ra5 19. Qd3 Ne4 20. Rhc1 Qa8 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. Bxe5 Rc8 $15 {0-1 (46) Svetushkin, D (2571)-Kayumov, S (2479) Abu Dhabi 2003}) 11... Bb7 (11... Ba6 $6 12. Bxa6 Rxa6 13. b5 cxb5 14. c6 {is now clearly favourable for White.}) 12. Bd3 (12. Be2 Qc8 13. O-O Ba6 14. Re1 Qb7 15. Rb1 axb4 16. axb4 Rfc8 17. Nd2 Bxe2 18. Rxe2 Qa6 19. Qc2 Bd8 20. Ree1 Bc7 $11 {1/2 (28) Berkes,F (2679)-Adams,M (2720) Schwetzingen GER 2013}) 12... Qc8 13. O-O Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qc2 Qb7 16. Rab1 {An attempt to avoid exchanges on the a-file and complicate matters; however, Black gets good counterplay.} axb4 17. axb4 Ra3 18. Rfc1 bxc5 $6 {[%mdl 32]} (18... b5 {makes Black's counterplay more difficult as he has no squares for invasion on the a-file. A practical example:} 19. Nd2 Rfa8 20. Nb3 Bd8 {(a typical manoeuvre)} 21. Qb2 R3a6 22. Ra1 Ne8 (22... Bc7 {is more logical}) 23. Rxa6 Rxa6 24. Ra1 Qa8 25. Rxa6 Qxa6 26. g4 f6 27. Bg3 Kf7 28. Kg2 Qa7 29. Nc1 Bc7 30. Bxc7 Nxc7 31. Nb3 Nb8 32. Na5 $36 {1-0 (44) Stocek,J (2584)-Konopka,M (2447) Havlickuv Brod 2008}) ({But after the text move White obtains the b-file for his play. Perhaps the most accurate course was not to change the pawn structure at the moment:} 18... Rfa8) 19. bxc5 Qa6 20. Ne1 Ra8 21. Qb2 (21. Nd3 $5 Bd8 22. Nb4 Qc8 23. e4 $36) 21... Qc8 22. Qb7 (22. Nc2 $5 R3a7 23. Nb4 Bd8 24. f3 {[%CAl Ye3e4]}) 22... Qxb7 23. Rxb7 Bd8 24. Bc7 $1 Bxc7 25. Rxc7 R8a6 26. Nd3 {[%CAl Rd3b4]} Rb3 27. Ne5 $1 Nxe5 28. dxe5 Raa3 29. Ne2 $2 (29. exf6 Rxc3 30. Rxc3 Rxc3 31. Rc8+ Kh7 32. fxg7 Kxg7 33. Rxc6 Kf6 {is hardly winning but}) (29. Nd1 $1 Ne4 30. Rxc6 {gave White good chances to convert his extra pawn.}) 29... Ne4 $1 30. Rxc6 Rb2 {Everything is turned around - Black suddenly obtains strong counterplay.} 31. Rc8+ Kh7 32. Re1 Raa2 33. Kf1 $2 {After this self-paralysing move White's position becomes just bad.} (33. Nc1 $8 Ra5 (33... Ra1 34. f3 Ng3 35. Nd3 {holding on}) 34. c6 $1 Rxf2 (34... Nxf2 $2 35. c7 {[%CAl Rc8b8]}) 35. Re2 $1 Rxe2 36. Nxe2 {, and White should not lose. Well, it was far from easy to find this escape over the board.}) 33... Rc2 34. c6 $2 {This pawn doesn't help White.} (34. Rc7 Nxc5 {[%CAl Rc5d3]} 35. f4 {was the only chance to put up resistance.}) 34... Nc5 $1 35. c7 Nd3 36. Rd1 Rxe2 $1 37. Rh8+ Kxh8 38. c8=Q+ Kh7 {White is a queen up but his position is hopeless!} 39. Rxd3 Rxf2+ 40. Ke1 Rxg2 41. Kf1 Rgc2 {Regaining the queen with a decisive material advantage.} 0-1 [Event "WchT 6th"] [Site "Beersheba"] [Date "2005.11.03"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Bu, Xiangzhi"] [Black "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2637"] [BlackElo "2677"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2005.11.01"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ISR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 110"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.01.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "China"] [BlackTeam "Cuba"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"] [BlackTeamCountry "CUB"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 c5 6. dxc5 Na6 {Eine solide Variante, die bisher noch nicht sehr viel Theorie einschließt.} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. e3 Nxc5 10. Bb5+ (10. Be5 $5 O-O 11. Be2 Be6 12. O-O Rc8 13. Rc1 Qd7 14. Nd4 a6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Qd4 Bd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Rfd1 Nd7 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. e4 $14 {Ftacnik,L-Boensch,U/Jenbach 2004}) 10... Bd7 11. Bxd7+ Qxd7 12. O-O O-O 13. Qe2 {Die Praxis hat gezeigt, dass Weiß sich hier schwer tut, aus dem gegnerischen Isolani Kapital zu schlagen.} (13. Be5 Rac8 14. Rc1 (14. Bd4 a6 15. Rc1 Ne4 16. Qd3 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Rc8 18. Rxc8+ Qxc8 19. Qd1 {Atalik,S-Zvjaginsev,V/Istanbul 2003} f6 $11) 14... a6 15. h3 Rfd8 16. Qe2 Ne4 17. Rfd1 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Rc8 $11 {Aleksandrov,A (2679)-Zvjaginsev,V (2654)/Poikovsky 2004}) 13... Rac8 (13... Rfd8 14. Rfd1 Rac8 15. Be5 Ne4 $1 16. Rac1 Qa4 $132) (13... Bf6 $6 14. Be5 Bxe5 15. Nxe5 Qc7 16. Nf3 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. Nd4 $14 {Bielicki,C-Darga,K/Havana 1964}) 14. Be5 a6 15. Bd4 Ne4 16. Ne5 Qf5 17. Rac1 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Rc8 19. Rxc8+ Qxc8 20. Nd3 Bf6 {Bruzon setzt die Abtauschaktion fort. Nach dem Läufertausch wird sein Isolani gut geschützt sein, andererseits wird Schwarz kein aktives Gegenspiel haben. In Frage kam deswegen 20...?d6, um das Springermanöver ?e4-g5-e6 vorzubereiten.} (20... Bd6 $5) 21. Bxf6 (21. f3 Bxd4 22. exd4 Nf6 23. Nc5 h5 $11) 21... Nxf6 22. Qd2 h6 ({Besser war es, sofort} 22... h5 $1 {zu ziehen.}) 23. f3 Qc4 24. b3 Qc7 25. Nf4 Qe5 $6 {Es wäre besser, die Dame auf c5 zu platzieren, um die c-Linie dauerhaft unter Kontrolle zu haben.} (25... Qc5 $5 26. Kf2 h5) 26. h3 Qa1+ 27. Kf2 Qb1 $6 {Hier kann die schwarze Dame nichts angreifen, dafür wird Weiß bald die c-Linie übernehmen.} (27... Qe5 $14) 28. Ne2 h5 29. h4 Qh1 30. Kg3 Qb1 31. Nd4 $1 Nd7 32. Qc3 $1 Nf8 $2 {Der Springer wird hier passiv.} (32... Qxa2 $4 33. Nf5 Nf6 34. Qc8+ Kh7 35. Qf8 $18) (32... Kh7 $1 33. a4 Ne5 $14) 33. Kh2 g6 34. a4 $16 {Weiß kann nun die gegnerischen Bauern b7 und d5 angreifen, ohne dabei seine Schwächen e3 und h4 aus den Augen zu verlieren.} Qa2 35. Kg3 Qa3 36. Qc7 Qa1 37. Qe7 Qe1+ $2 {Dieses Schach kommt Weiß sehr gelegen, aber die schwarze Stellung war ohnehin kritisch.} (37... Ne6 $1 38. Qe8+ (38. Nxe6 Qe5+ $11) 38... Kg7 39. Nxe6+ fxe6 40. Qe7+ Kh6 41. Kf4 $16) 38. Kf4 $1 Qd2 $2 39. Kg5 $18 Qxg2+ (39... Kg7 40. Qf6+ Kg8 41. Kh6 Qxe3+ 42. f4 $18) 40. Kh6 Qb2 41. f4 1-0 [Event "London Classic 9th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2017.12.11"] [Round "9"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2781"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2017.12.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 182"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 (6... Nbd7 {is of course also played...}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 {Today will be one of those days: no massively special preparation, just a brief attempt to prove a static-based plus and if it doesn't work then agree a draw.} Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Qf6 (12... Bg4 {has been Nakamura's previous choice in this position.} 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 a6 15. Be2 $1 {The move the engines want, with the visually appealing idea of ?a2-d2. It also ties down the ?d8 and prevents d4. It is not unreasonable to suspect that this may have been a wrinkle Karjakin had in mind. It has been played in a smattering of 2500 or low 2600 games but no elite ones.} (15. Rc1 d4 16. g4 Bg6 17. e4 $13 {White eventually prevailed in a strategically extremely murky game in Svidler, P (2741)-Harikrishna,P (2758) Shenzhen 2017. At one point Black channelled his inner Petrosian and actively sacrificed an exchange on e6...}) (15. Rb1 d4 {was seen in the previous Nakamura game. This move initiates simplifications and equalises.} 16. b5 axb5 17. Rxb5 Bxf3 18. Qb1 Bc7 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. gxf3 Bxf4 21. exf4 Ne7 22. Rh5 Ra5 23. Bf5+ {½-½ Inarkiev,E-Nakamura,H Moscow 2017}) 15... d4 $6 16. exd4 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Qxd4 18. Be3 {Maximalism, trying to get the position with the weakened Black queenside structure without allowing ...?xf4.} ({If we're honest about it, even} 18. Bxc6 {leads to a slight plus.} Qxf4 (18... bxc6 19. Qxd4 Bxd4 20. Rac1 Rac8 21. Rfd1 $16) 19. Bxb7 Rad8 20. Qg4 $14 {and Black may have something for the pawn but 1) it's not enough and 2) a6 is also under attack.}) 18... Qxd1 19. Rfxd1 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Rfe8 (20... Rfd8 $14) 21. Kf2 Re7 (21... Kf8 $14) 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Rd6 $16 {Dreev,A -Chandler,M, Hastings 2000}) 13. b4 h6 (13... Bf5 {seems a bit more natural to me}) 14. b5 Nd4 {Notwithstanding the very last note, it is clear that this visually impressive move was preparation. I suspect from the reaction that White was not still in his preparation.} 15. h3 (15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. Rc1 {Critical.} Bb2 $8 (16... Bb6 17. Bb1 d4 18. Qd3 {and Black drops a pawn}) (16... Be5 17. Qa4 Bxf4 18. Qxf4 Qxf4 19. exf4 $14 {and Black's position looks nasty to have to defend in an actual game}) 17. Rc7 Bxa3 18. Bb1 (18. Qa4 $5 Bd6 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. Rfc1 $14 {Personally, I think White's compensation here is more than adequate, and so this ...?d4 idea is not an equaliser. There is of course room for debate.}) 18... Bd6 19. Qc2 g6 20. Bxd6 Qxd6 21. Ba2 Bf5 22. Qc5 Qxc5 23. Rxc5 $11 {Flores,D-Onischuk,A Khanty-Mansiysk 2009}) 15... g5 (15... Be6 $11) 16. Nxd4 {Notwithstanding minor evaluation shifts later, the game was now essentially guaranteed to be drawn. The weakness of the Black pawn structure is mitigated by ...?xd4 and then fully compensated for by the open g-file.} gxf4 17. Qf3 Bxd4 18. exd4 Be6 $11 19. Rfe1 Kh8 20. Re5 Rg8 (20... Rac8 21. Bf5 $14 {was the wrinkle White intended, but at 2700 level this is essentially a cheapo.}) 21. Rae1 Rg7 22. g4 Rag8 23. Kf1 Rg5 24. Bc2 Rc8 25. Qd3 Kg8 26. Bd1 Kg7 27. Bf3 b6 28. Kg2 Rh8 29. Qd2 Rc8 30. Qd3 Rh8 31. Qd2 Rc8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2014.03.19"] [Round "6"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2785"] [BlackElo "2787"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2014.03.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 160"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] [WhiteClock "1:26:36"] [BlackClock "1:03:45"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 5. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:11]} 6. e3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 7. c5 {[%emt 0:00:04] A very direct approach and the most popular one.} Nh5 {[%emt 0:00:14] The most principled way to question the effectiveness of the last move. Both players had had this position before, so they must have both known what they were doing.} (7... c6 8. h3 {0-1 (41) Bacrot,E (2749)-Aronian,L (2801) Warsaw 2013 CBM 158 [Krasenkow,M]}) (7... Ne4 8. Qc2 f5 {1-0 (48) Topalov,V (2752)-Giri,A (2711) Istanbul 2012 CBM 151 [Krasenkow,M]}) 8. Be5 $5 {[%emt 0:00:04] Following his own path and deviating from that which was supposedly the most familiar to Kramnik.} (8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qe2 Rfa8 16. b5 $1 (16. Rab1 {Radjabov,T (2744)-Kramnik,V (2785) Kazan 2011 CBM 143 [Marin,M] (½-½, 39)}) 16... cxb5 17. Nxd5 $1 {Aronian,L (2802)-Giri,A (2714) Porto Carras 2011 CBM 146 [Krasenkow,M] (1-0, 43)}) 8... c6 {[%emt 0:01:01]} 9. Bd3 {[%emt 0:02:09] Clearly the most active developing move.} (9. Be2 {is a bit too passive.} f6 10. Bg3 g6 ({The knight did not really need defending yet. Black should have started his counterplay without delay:} 10... e5 $1 11. b4 e4) 11. b4 e5 12. Qb3 Kh8 {Savchenko,B (2569)-Azarov,S (2585) Voronezh 2008 (0-1, 36)} 13. b5 $5) (9. h3 {simply gives away a tempo, since Black was going to take on e5 at some point anyway.} Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Nf6 11. Bd3 Nd7 12. Nxd7 Bxd7 13. O-O e5 $5 $132 {Krush,I (2472)-Zatonskih,A (2499) Saint Louis 2011 (1-0, 37)}) 9... g6 {[%emt 0:03:43]} ({An old game by Topalov saw the too straightforward} 9... f5 $6 10. b4 a6 11. h3 Nxe5 12. dxe5 f4 13. e4 $14 {Topalov,V (2707)-Campora,D (2526) Barcelona 2000 (1-0, 40)}) (9... f6 {was played in a historic match, a long, long time ago, but deserves closer investigation.} 10. Bg3 (10. Ng5 {is interesting but may well lead only to a draw:} fxe5 11. Qxh5 Bxg5 12. Qxh7+ Kf7 13. Qh5+ (13. Bg6+ Kf6 14. Bh5 Bh6 15. g4 Ke7 16. g5 Rh8 17. Qg6 Qf8 {parries the attack.}) 13... Kg8 $11 14. Bh7+ $2 Kh8 15. Bg6+ Bh6 $19) 10... f5 {In a way, Black won a tempo over Topalov-Camora above. But it could well turn that he has actually lost a tempo, depending on the ulterior course of the game.} 11. Ng5 $2 {Steinitz,W-Chigorin,M Nuremberg 1896 (1-0, 33)} (11. Be5 $5 {would really throw away a tempo.}) (11. b4 $5 Nxg3 12. hxg3 g6 {[%CAl Ge7f6,Ge6e5]} 13. b5 e5 $1) 11... Nxc5 $1 12. dxc5 Nxg3 13. Nxe6 Bxe6 14. hxg3 Bxc5 $17) (9... Nxe5 10. Nxe5 g6 ({If} 10... Nf6 11. Qc2 $14 {Black cannot free himself easily, since ...?d7 would require weakening the kingside with either ...h6 ot ...g6. This would be at least risky given that White can still castle long.}) 11. h4 $36 Bxh4 $2 12. Qg4 Bf6 13. Rxh5 $18) 10. h4 {[%emt 0:00:07] In some cases, this could prove an useful move for the attack, but clearing the h2-square for the bishop is at least as important.} f5 $6 {[%emt 0:13:01] Allowing White to keep his bishop is strategically risky.} ({True, embarking the following line against Topalov would imply risks of a different nature.} 10... Nxe5 11. Nxe5 f6 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. Qg4 f5 14. Qxg6+ Ng7 15. h5 {The engines are sceptical about this whole plan, but Topalov has more than once proven he deals well with positions offering unclear compensation. It was precisely this kind of anti-computer chess that, basically avoiding his opponent's preparation, yielded him the supreme crown in 2005.} Rf6 (15... Kh8 $5) 16. Qg5 Kf7 17. Ne2 Qh8 18. Nf4 Qh6 19. Qg3 Ke8 20. Be2 b6 21. Ng6 Bd7 22. b4 $44 {Black is under no immediate threats, but freeing himself is almost impossible.}) 11. Bh2 $1 $14 {[%emt 0:07:01]} b6 {[%emt 0:08:01]} (11... Bxh4 {is another form of risky material grabbing.} 12. Nxh4 Qxh4 13. Qd2 e5 14. O-O-O $36 {[%csl Gg8]}) 12. b4 {[%emt 0:04:03]} f4 {[%emt 0:03:44] Kramnik must have relied on this way of neutralising the bishop, but since the h5-knight is doomed to defend the f4-pawn, Black cannot really hope to be a piece up for practical reasons in any other area of the board.} 13. O-O {[%emt 0:11:15]} a5 $2 {[%emt 0:31:37] Playing with fire.} (13... bxc5 14. bxc5 e5 15. Qa4 Qc7 (15... Bb7 16. Rab1) 16. Rab1 $32 e4 $6 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Bxe4 $16) (13... Bb7 $5 $14) 14. b5 $1 $16 {[%emt 0:04:22] Kramnik surely saw this (it is just too thematic), but he must have overlooked something at a slightly later moment.} (14. a3 axb4 15. axb4 Rxa1 16. Qxa1 bxc5 17. bxc5 e5 $11) 14... bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:31]} (14... Bb7 15. bxc6 Bxc6 16. cxb6 Qxb6 17. Qe2 $16 {[%CAl Ga1b1,Gf1c1]}) 15. bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nb8 {[%emt 0:03:05]} 16. Bb5 {[%emt 0:04:10]} Ba6 {[%emt 0:07:48]} 17. a4 $16 {[%emt 0:05:06] Kramnik must have thought he would get the c6-pawn without any problems, underestimating White's dynamic potential.} Qc8 {[%emt 0:00:31]} (17... c4 18. exf4 Nxf4 19. Ne2 {[%CAl Gc6c7,Gh2c7]} Bd6 20. Nxf4 Bxf4 21. Bxf4 Rxf4 22. h5 gxh5 23. Ne5 $18 {[%csl Ga8,Gb8,Rg8]}) 18. dxc5 {[%emt 0:02:29]} Nxc6 {[%emt 0:13:23]} 19. Nxd5 $1 {[%emt 0:08:20] The point.} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 20. Qxd5+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:01:51]} 21. Qxc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Qxc6 {[%emt 0:01:58]} 22. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rac8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 23. Bb5 {[%emt 0:03:33]} Bxb5 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 24. axb5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 25. Rxa5 {[%emt 0:04:01]} fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 26. fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bxe3+ {[%emt 0:00:18]} 27. Kh1 $16 {[%emt 0:00:05] Black has limited the damage to the loss of just one pawn. Still, that pawn is quite dangerous.} Rc2 $2 {[%emt 0:11:36] This counterplay will fail.} ({It would have made sense to stop the pawn somehow.} 27... Nf6 28. Rb1 Nd5 $16) 28. Rb1 $18 {[%emt 0:05:31]} Rfc8 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 29. Raa1 {[%emt 0:05:52]} Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 30. Be5+ {[%emt 0:05:35]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 31. Ra6 $18 {[%emt 0:00:19] There is no way to stop the pawn now.} Be3 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 32. b6 {[%emt 0:04:22]} Rc1+ {[%emt 0:00:09]} 33. Rxc1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rxc1+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} 34. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rb1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 35. g4 $1 {[%emt 0:03:42] The start of a well-calculated execution.} Bf4+ {[%emt 0:03:10]} 36. Kg2 {[%emt 0:02:04]} Bxe5 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 37. Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nf4+ {[%emt 0:01:21]} 38. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:20]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:02:29]} (38... Nd5 39. Ra8+ Kg7 40. Ra7+ Kf6 41. Nd7+ Ke6 42. b7 $18) 39. b7 {[%emt 0:05:20]} Rb3+ {[%emt 0:01:23]} 40. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb2+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Ke3 {[%emt 0:02:01]} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2005.12.06"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Lautier, Joel"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2005.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 111"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.04.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Qc2 c5 {Ein gutes System gegen 5.?c2.} 6. cxd5 {Im Falle von 6.dxc5 hat Schwarz ein starkes Bauernopfer parat.} (6. dxc5 d4 7. Nb5 e5 8. Nxe5 a6 9. Na3 O-O $1 10. g3 (10. Nd3 $5 Bf5 $44 {??bd7}) (10. Bd2 Bxc5 11. b4 Re8 12. Nd3 Bf8 $15 {Bosboom,M (2440)-Dutreeuw,M (2315)/Germany 2003}) 10... Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxc5 12. Nd3 Qc6 13. Rg1 Bf5 14. Bg2 Qc8 {Khalifman,A (2688)-Topalov,V (2739)/Dubai 2002}) 6... cxd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. Bg5 Nxd5 {In Frage kommt der Einschub von 8...h6, denn der Tausch auf f6 ist für Schwarz günstig.} (8... h6 $5 9. Bxf6 (9. Bh4 Nxd5) 9... Bxf6 10. e3 exd5 11. Bb5 a6 12. Be2 Nc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. O-O Be5 $11 {Azmaiparashvili,Z (2666)-Miladinovic,I (2518)/Athens 2002}) 9. Bxe7 Nxe7 10. Rd1 Qb6 11. Qb3 {Weiß hofft auf einen Minivorteil im Endspiel.} (11. e3 e5 12. Nf3 Nbc6 13. Bc4 Bf5 14. Qb3 Qxb3 15. Bxb3 {Miles,A (2565)-Van der Sterren,P (2525)/London 1993} Rfd8 $11) 11... Qxb3 12. Nxb3 Nbc6 $146 (12... Bd7 13. e3 b6 14. Be2 a6 15. Rd6 Bc6 16. O-O Ra7 17. Rfd1 Nc8 18. R6d2 Rc7 19. e4 b5 20. a3 Nb6 21. f3 $14 {Chuchelov,V (2608)-Arduman,C (2336)/Rethymnon 2003}) 13. g3 b6 14. Bg2 Ba6 $6 {Eine Ungenauigkeit. Es macht wenig Sinn, das Eindringen des Springers nach d6 zu provozieren, mit 14...?b7 könnte Schwarz nach und nach ausgleichen.} (14... Bb7 15. Rd7 Rab8 16. O-O Rfd8 17. Rfd1 Kf8 18. Nb5 a5 $1 $11) 15. Nd4 Bb7 (15... Rac8 $2 16. Nxc6 Nxc6 17. Rd7 $16) 16. Ndb5 $14 Rab8 17. O-O a6 18. Nd6 Ba8 19. Rd2 Rfd8 20. Rfd1 Kf8 21. f4 Nc8 22. Nc4 $6 {Bisher hat Etienne alles richtig gemacht, aber hier sollte er die Springer abtauschen.} (22. Nxc8 Rdxc8 (22... Rbxc8 23. Na4 $16) (22... Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Rxc8 24. Na4 $16) 23. Na4 $14 {mit anhaltendem weißem Druck.}) 22... Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Ke7 $11 {Schwarz plant b6-b5 mit Ausgleich.} 24. Na4 (24. Kf2 b5 25. Bxc6 Bxc6 26. Ne5 Be8 $11) (24. e4 b5 25. Ne3 f6 $11) 24... Nb4 25. Bxa8 Rxa8 26. a3 (26. Ncxb6 Nxb6 27. Nxb6 Rb8 28. Nc4 Nxa2 29. Ne5 Rb7 30. Nc6+ Kf6 $11) 26... b5 $1 {Nun verflacht die Stellung ziemlich schnell.} 27. Nc5 bxc4 28. Rd7+ Ke8 29. axb4 a5 30. Rc7 axb4 31. Ne4 c3 32. bxc3 bxc3 33. Rxc3 Ne7 34. Rc7 Rd8 35. Rb7 h6 36. Kf2 Nf5 37. Nc5 Nd6 38. Ra7 Nb5 39. Ra5 Nd4 40. Nd3 Nc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bucharest m"] [Site "Bucharest"] [Date "2006.04.07"] [Round "2"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Nisipeanu, Liviu Dieter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2693"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2006.04.06"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "4"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [SourceTitle "CBM 111 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.05.09"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.05.09"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 {Nisipeanu refrains from his main weapon against 3.Nf3, the Queen's Indian, probably finding himself under the impression of Topalov's brilliant achievements in this opening during the past years.} 4. Nc3 Be7 {But only this was meant to be the real surprise for Topalov. Prior to this game, Nisipeanu had played the Orthodox Queen's Gambit only once in his life, at the youth Balkaniad back in 1993. As a coincidence, his opponent in that game was also Bulgarian: Vladimir Georgiev. Topalov might have expected the Vienna variation (4...dxc4) or the Semi-Slav (4...c6), which occured occasionally in the European Champion's games along the past years. For instance, he defeated Topalov's second, Silvio Danailov, in the Meran in the B-group of the Wijk aan Zee festival in 2000.} 5. Bf4 ({From strict strategic point of view, the classical} 5. Bg5 {might seem sounder, because it increases the pressure over the d5-square. By choosing 5.Bf4, White usually gives up any ambitions regarding the influence over the centre and aims for animated minor piece play instead. We can draw a similar parallel in the open games, between the Ruy Lopez and the Italian Game. The modern history of 5.Bf4 started in 1978, when Kortschnoj repeatedly employed it during his World Championship match against Karpov. In spite of the fact that Karpov generally managed to hold his own, it could be felt that there was a lot of potential behind White's setup.}) 5... c5 ({The counter-attack in the centre based on the advance of the c-pawn is a logical consequence of the lack of pressure against the d5-pawn. However, Black usually inserts the moves} 5... O-O 6. e3 {and only now plays} c5 {. Topalov had some recent experience against it:} 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. cxd5 $5 ({He also used the classical move} 9. Qc2 {, Kortschnoj's favourite, but after} Qa5 {he chose the modern} 10. Nd2 {instead of the more established 10.Rd1. The game soon took a very interesting course:} Bb4 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 d4 13. O-O Bxc3 14. Nc4 Qh5 15. bxc3 Nd5 16. Bg3 dxe3 17. Rae1 Be6 18. fxe3 Nde7 19. Nd6 b6 20. Rb1 {and White's numerous pawn weaknesses were compensated by his hyper-activity in Topalov-Kasimdzhanov, Linares 2005. Black's queen soon got into big trouble, causing him decisive material losses.}) 9... Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 13. e4 Bc7 14. Bxc7 Qxc7 15. h3 Qb6 16. b4 Be6 17. Rc1 h6 18. Qd2 {with a more pleasant position for White in Topalov-Morozevich, San Luis 2005. The early attack of the centre by means of 5...c5 chosen by Nisipeanu has never made part of the main stream of theory, but suddenly became popular in 2005. The European Champion might have relied on the fact that his mighty opponent had awarded this variation less time during his home preparation than to the main lines.}) 6. dxc5 Na6 {Black intends to capture the c-pawn without the loss of tempo implied by Be7xc5.} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. e4 $5 ({It appears that it is not so easy to surprise the World Champion in the opening! Topalov played this new move relatively quickly, leaving little doubt about the fact that he had prepared it at home. Previously,} 9. e3 {had been played, when after} Nxc5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Bxd7+ Qxd7 12. O-O O-O {White retains the more pleasant but not necessarily better position.}) 9... O-O {However, Nisipeanu had done his homework properly, too, since he played this move rather quickly. We could hardly dream for a more promising start of the game.} 10. exd5 Bxc5 {This looks like a deviation from Black's initial intentions, but, given the new circumstances, the capture with the knight might have put less pressure on White, allowing him to keep his strong central pawn without having to make any major concessions. After the text move, the white king is vulnerable along the e-file and the e1-a5 diagonal. White has to act carefully.} 11. Be2 ({Played solidly. The attempt to accelerate the rhythm of his development with} 11. Bxa6 $6 {would be a typical mistake, allowing} Qa5+ $1 12. Nd2 Qxa6 {when White would have serious problems getting castled, while his d5-pawn would lack satisfactory defence. In caseof} 13. Qe2 {, Black could maintain the tension with} b6 $5) ({The consolidation of the d5-pawn by means of} 11. Bc4 {would have allowed Black deprive his opponent from the right to castle in more economic way than in the game with} Re8+ {. After the apparently modest development of the bishop to e2, it is obvious that Black has compensation for the pawn in view of his slight lead in development. However, finding the right path through the jungle of variations is far from easy for both sides.}) 11... Bb4+ ({Instead of trying to win his pawn back, Nisipeanu forces White to give up the idea of castling, hoping that this would ensure him long term compensation. Black had several ways of striving for material equality, but apparently only one of them would have been satisfactory. In case of} 11... Nc7 $6 {White could safely give up his active bishop with} 12. Bxc7 (12. d6 {would not save the pawn after} Ne6 13. Bg3 Qa5+ 14. Nd2 Qb4 {eventually followed by ...Rd8 if for any reasons ...Bxd6 would not work.}) 12... Bb4+ 13. Nd2 Qxc7 14. O-O {and although Black can hope to hold on because of his firm blockade on d6, this looks like a rather one-sided affair.}) ({Going for the b2-pawn with} 11... Qb6 $6 12. O-O Qxb2 {looks pretty risky in view of} 13. Be5 {when the black king side starts looking vulnerable, while the d5-pawn considerably restricts Black's activity.}) ({The attempt to improve upon this last line with} 11... Qa5+ $6 12. Bd2 Qb6 13. O-O Qxb2 {would be refuted by} 14. Rc1 {followed by Bc3, with similar consequences.}) ({However, the simple} 11... Nb4 12. d6 Be6 {suggested by IM Mircea Pavlov looks a satisfactory way of solving the opening problems. Black threatens ...Nd5 followed by the capture on d6. It is not very clear whether White could retain even some symbolic advantage in the symmetrical ensuing position. IM Francisc Nemeth suggested} 13. Ng5 {as a possible refutation of Black's plan, but after} Qf6 {White risks losing stability. In a brief statement for the Radio made after the game, Nisipeanu mentioned that at some moment he deviated from his initial analysis because he thought that there would be a better possibility for him. Judging from the fact that he invested some time in taking the decision of giving check, we could assume that this was the moment he referred to.}) 12. Kf1 Bd6 {This pawn has to be safely blocked. Besides, the bishop was obviously misplaced on b4. White needs three whole tempi in order to get castled in artificial way, for instance h4, Kg1-h2. This strongly suggests that Black has at least adequate compensation for the sacrificed pawn. However, things are not that simple. First of all, White can do perfectly well without connecting his rooks yet, since he has the plan based on the advance of the h-pawn at his disposal. This could lead to the activation of the rook either directly (after h4-h5 and Rh4) or indirectly (in case of Black's ...h6, there would always be a possibility of a knight jump to g5 sustained by the h4-pawn, when the opening of the h-file would be dangerous for Black. Besides, Black's development is not that impressive yet, while his king's position is quite vulnerable. All these aspects make the position quite difficult to evaluate and, more important, to play over-the-board.} 13. Bg5 $5 ({White cannot afford to allow Black to develop naturally. With his last move, Topalov underlines the fact that the enemy queen has problems finding adequate squares. The neutral retreat} 13. Be3 {would have offered Black a good position after} Bf5 {followed by ...Rac8.}) 13... Qa5 ({Only ulterior analysis will reveal the objective merits of this move, but my personal feeling in this moment is that it is one of the main reasons for Black's ulterior problems. The queen will be very exposed on the queen side, allowing White the radical activation of his forces without loss of time. We can see a similar picture after} 13... Qb6 14. Nd2 Qxb2 15. Nc4 Qb4 16. Rc1 {eventually followed by Bd3 and Bd2-c3, when the black king would start feeling unsafe, while some of the other pieces are hanging.}) (13... f6 $6 {is hardly a solution either. The weakness of the e6-square would leave White with a permanent advantage in case of returning the pawn by means of Nd4-e6, followed by g3 and Kg2.}) ({However, the awkwardly looking} 13... Qd7 $5 {deserves serious attention. Black plans to concentrate his forces against the d5-pawn with ...b6, ...Bb7, ...Nc7 and, if allowed, ...Rad8. This looks like a rather slow course of events, but we should not forget that White is also several tempi away from completing his development.}) 14. a3 Nc7 ({With the queen on a5, this move has obvious drawbacks, by cutting HerMajesty's retreat. In the press centre the normal developing move} 14... Bd7 {suggested b y IM Andrei Cioara was considered to be a satisfactory continuation, and if} 15. b4 {then} Qa4 {followed by the occupation of the c-file. Abstractly speaking, this looks very logical. Indeed, Black intends to take advantage by the passivity of the h1-rook by initiating active operation on the opposite wing. However, after} 16. Nd2 {followed by Nc4 or Ne4 Black would face concrete problems because of his lack of stability on d6.}) 15. Bc4 b5 16. b4 Qb6 17. Bb3 {Generally speaking, Black should be content with the fact that White has made absolutely no progress with the development of his king side yet. However, the quality of development of all his other pieces is better than Black's. For instance, the g5-bishop denies the rooks access to d8, while his colleague exterts some potential pressure along the a2-g8 diagonal, which could count in certain tactical lines. Comparing with the similar position that could have arisen after 13...Qd7, Black's position looks less harmonious. His queen is vulnerable and actually not so active on the left wing.} a5 {A logical move, activating the a8-rook.} 18. Be3 ({Now that there is a point of tension on b4, White decides to transfer his bishop to the queen side. In the press centre, the main worries were connected with} 18. Rc1 {when after} Bb7 19. Be3 Qa6 20. Ng5 {the threat Qd3 with a strong attack would be very unpleasant. In case of} h6 {, besides jumping with the knight to e4, White could renew his initial threat with} 21. h4 {when Black's position looks critical. In certain cases, the intrusion of the rook to c6 would reveal the hidden force of the b3-bishop.}) 18... Qb7 19. Bc5 ({Topalov chooses a safe continuation, increasing his domination in the centre. The alternative would have been} 19. Ng5 {with the threat Qd3, when after} Bf5 20. g4 Bg6 21. h4 {Black could survive with} Rfe8 22. h5 Be4 {although after} 23. Nxe4 Rxe4 {White should be better. The only trap he has to avoid is} 24. Qf3 $2 Nxd5 25. Qxe4 Nxe3+ {winning tones of material for Black.}) 19... Bxc5 $3 ({Nisipeanu pl ayed this completely unexpected move after long thinking. The objective merits of the exchange on c5 are hard to judge without thorough analysis, but the double exclaim mark attached to the move refers to Black's courage of changing the generally unfavourable course of events by radical and apparently highly risky means. Consolidating the d6-square would leave White free hands on the opposite wing, for instance} 19... Rd8 20. Ng5 Bf5 21. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 22. Qf3 g6 23. g4 {and Black is in dire straits. The careless} Bxc5 $2 {only makes things worse because of the discovered check} 24. d6+ {, winning the queen.}) ({Or, similarly,} 19... Ra6 20. Qd3 h6 21. h4 axb4 22. Ng5 f5 23. Bxb4 Bxb4 24. d6+ Kh8 25. d7 Bxd7 26. Qxd7 {and now, in view of the threat Nf7+ followed by Qxf5+, Black has to play} Qc8 {defending the f5-square and hoping for survival, although his position still looks precarious because of the weakness of the light squares around his king.}) 20. bxc5 a4 21. Ba2 b4 22. axb4 Qxb4 {This is the position Nisipeanu was aiming for. White's pawns look impressive, but because of his delay in development they could become vulnerable, too. In the following phase of the game, the World Champion proved his ability of adapting himself to the new circumstances by returning one of the pawns at the right moment in order to complete his development and maintain an edge.} 23. Qd4 Na6 24. c6 Qxd4 25. Nxd4 Nb4 26. Ke2 $3 ({Even though we cannot draw any definitive conclusion about the concrete position on the board, I believe that it is safe to consider this to be the key move of the game. The d5-pawn will be lost, but for the first time in the game it will be White who will enjoy the better development, because of his more active king. Finding himself in slight time trouble already, Nisipeanu will fail to find satisfactory ways in what could be a defensible position. One of the merits of White's last move is that it refrains from "winning" a piece with} 26. d6 Rd8 27. d7 {. Indeed, after} Bxd7 28. cxd7 Rxd7 29. Nf3 Nxa2 30. Rxa2 Rd1+ 31. Ne1 Re8 32. Re2 Ra8 {White's devel oping problems would persist and Black would have little trouble forcing a draw, for instance} 33. f3 Ra1 34. Kf2 a3 35. Rf1 a2 36. Nc2 Rxf1+ 37. Kxf1 a1=Q+ {with complete equality.}) 26... Nxa2 27. Rxa2 Ba6+ 28. Kd2 Bc4 29. Ra3 Bxd5 30. c7 $1 {White needs to keep the d8-square under control, preventing Rfd8 in order to ensure the knight's stability in the centre. Besides, this pawn will be a permanent threat for Black. If White will manage to install his knight on d6, Black would be completely paralysed.} Be6 ({The regrouping initiated by this move fails to solve all Black's problems. Capturing the g2 pawn with} 30... Bxg2 {would have made some sense. Black would probably not be able to sacrifice the exchange for the c-pawn, but in certain cases giving up his bishop and starting a king side counter-attack might be just sufficient for a draw. The presence of the a-pawn would also cause White some loss of time during the process of defending his other wing. However, from a practical point of view it is rather difficult to take such a decision.}) 31. Nb5 Bd7 ({This move does not really cross White's plans. More stubborn seems to have been} 31... Ra5 32. Rb1 Bd7 33. Nd6 Ra6 {when the white king would be too far from the centre yet to ensure the stability of his knight.}) 32. Nd6 g6 ({Black deci des to activate his king and avoid any back rank problems at the same time. The counterplay initiated by} 32... Ra6 33. Rd3 a3 {would fail to the simple} 34. Nc4 Be6 35. Nxa3) 33. Rc1 Kg7 34. Rc4 $5 ({White intends to keep both wings under control. Just as after the opening, Black has to permanently watch the possibility of possible rapid king side attacks. However, the immediate activation of the white king was also possible, for instance} 34. Ke3 {(Avoiding the d-file in order to prevent ...Ra6, which could be answered now by the simple c8=Q)} Kf6 35. Kd4 Ke7 36. Kc5 Ra6 {and now the simple} 37. Re1+ {reduces Black's previous efforts of centralisation to nothing.}) 34... Ra6 35. Rd4 $5 ({Another interesting moment. Topalov probably rejected} 35. c8=N {because of} Rd8 {when Black could hope to give up one of his rooks for the enemy knights at the right moment and then defend his a4-pawn by placing his bishop on b3, which would lead to a draw.}) 35... Ra7 36. Ne8+ $1 {A simple tactical operation, leading to a very promising double-rook ending.} Rxe8 37. Rxd7 {With the simple threat of Rd8} Raa8 ({The most stubborn answer. In case of} 37... Rc8 {White would launch an irresistible attack with} 38. Rf3 a3 39. Rdxf7+ Kh6 (39... Kg8 {allows} 40. Rf8+ {when the c-pawn would promote.}) 40. Rh3+ Kg5 {and now} 41. f4+ Kg4 42. Rg3+ {followed by Rxh7 leads to mate.}) 38. Kc3 {The decisive centralisation.} Kf6 39. Kb4 Ke6 40. Rd4 ({From practical point of view, this looks like the safest method. White threatens Re3+, followed by the exchange on e8 and Rd8, ensuring the promotion of the pawn. However, the apparently double edged} 40. Rad3 {would have been sufficient for a win, too after} a3 41. Rd8 a2 42. Rxe8+ Rxe8 43. Re3+ Kf6 44. Rxe8 a1=Q 45. c8=Q {and the white king will hide from checks on the eighth or seventh rank of the queen side.}) 40... Ke5 $6 ({This last mov e in time trouble makes things easier for White. At some moment, it was considered to be the decisive mistake in a difficult position, but apparently other moves did not save the game either.} 40... Rec8 {would have given White the possibility of displaying impressive rook activity with} 41. Re3+ Kf6 42. Rf4+ Kg7 43. Re7 a3 ({or} 43... Rf8 44. Ka3 {followed by Rxa4, with a winning rook ending. Black's king would be just one step too far.}) 44. Rfxf7+ Kg8 (44... Kh6 {leads to a curious mating attack after} 45. Rxh7+ Kg5 46. h4+ Kg4 47. Re4+ Kf5 48. Rhe7 $3 {threatening g4 followed by R4e6 mate.}) 45. Rg7+ Kf8 46. Rxh7 Kg8 47. Reg7+ Kf8 48. Rd7 Kg8 49. Rhe7 a2 50. Re1 {when the least White will obtain would be a winning rook ending with two extra pawns.}) ({Or if} 40... f5 {, clearing the f7-square for the king, then} 41. Re3+ Kf7 42. Rd7+ Kf8 43. Rxe8+ Kxe8 44. Rxh7 {again with an obvious win.}) 41. Rc4 Rec8 ({IM Mircea Pavlov suggested} 41... Ke6 42. Kc5 Kd7 43. Kb6 Kc8 {in order to block the pawn with the king, as generally recommended in the endgame. However, this method would not have saved the game here because of Black's complete passivity. After} 44. Re3 $1 {suggested by IM Nemeth, Black cannot avoid mate on the eighth rank (either on e8 or d8). Remarkably, Black would have maintained chances to save the game in case of the absence of his a-pawn, which would have allowed starting efficient counterplay based on ...Ra1.}) 42. Kb5 Kd5 43. Rc2 {being reduced to complete passivity, Black resigned.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch"] [Site "San Luis"] [Date "2005.10.09"] [Round "10"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Morozevich, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2707"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "121"] [EventDate "2005.09.28"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ARG"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 110"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.01.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 13. e4 Bc7 $146 {Typisch Morozevich! Er bringt eine Neuerung in einer bekannten theoretischen Stellung, in der alle Welt 14...?g4 spielt.} 14. Bxc7 Qxc7 15. h3 Qb6 16. b4 Be6 17. Rc1 h6 18. Qd2 $14 {Weiß hat einen langfristigen Vorteil, da die gegnerischen Figuren an die Schwäche d4 gebunden und dementsprechend passiv sind.} Rfd8 19. Qf4 Ne7 20. Rc5 (20. e5 $5 $14) 20... Ng6 21. Qg3 $6 ({Besser scheint mir} 21. Qd2 $1 $14 {zu sein, was den folgenden Vorstoß verhindert hätte.}) 21... a5 $1 {Der richtige Zeitpunkt für das Gegenspiel ist gekommen, Schwarz darf nicht auf ?fc1 warten.} (21... Rac8 $2 22. Rfc1 Rxc5 23. Rxc5 $16) 22. Rb5 Qc6 23. e5 (23. bxa5 Qc3 24. Rd1 Rxa5 $132) 23... b6 (23... axb4 24. Rxb4 Rxa3 25. Bxg6 fxg6 26. Nxd4 $16) (23... Bf5 $5 24. Rc5 Qd7 25. Bxf5 Qxf5 26. bxa5 Nf4 $44) 24. bxa5 bxa5 25. Rfb1 Nf8 26. Nd2 Bd5 ({Besser war} 26... Qc3 $1 27. Nb3 (27. Ne4 Qxa3) 27... a4 28. Nc5 Bd5 $13) 27. f4 $5 {Risikofreudig und energisch gespielt. Für das Traumbauernduo e5, f5 ist Topalov ist gerne bereit, den Bauern a3 zu opfern und verschmäht den sicheren Weg 27.?b3.} (27. Nb3 $1 Ne6 28. Rc1 Qd7 29. Nc5 Qe7 30. Nxe6 Bxe6 31. Rc6 $1 $14) 27... Qc3 28. R1b2 (28. Rxd5 Qxd2 $1 $11) 28... Qc1+ (28... Ng6 29. Rc2 $1 (29. f5 $2 Nf4 30. Qxf4 Qxd3 $15) 29... Qxa3 30. Kh2 a4 31. Rc7 $40) 29. Kh2 Rac8 30. f5 Rc3 $2 {Angesichts des vermeidlich drohenden f5-f6 ein verständlicher Zug, es ist dennoch ein Fehler. Besser war das kaltblütige 30...a4!, um für den schwarzen Turm das Abzugsfeld b3 vorzubereiten.} (30... a4 $1 31. f6 g6 {??c3} 32. Qf4 Kh7 $15) 31. Nb1 $1 Rc5 $6 (31... Rxd3 $5 32. Qxd3 Qf4+ 33. Qg3 Qxf5 $44) 32. Rxc5 Qxc5 33. Rc2 Qb6 34. Nd2 $16 {Der Fehler im 30. Zug kam Schwarz teuer zu stehen - seine Dame wurde zurückgeworfen, vom Gegenspiel blieb keine Spur.} Re8 35. e6 $1 Nh7 36. Rc7 Rf8 37. Nc4 Bxc4 38. Bxc4 $18 Nf6 39. Qe5 d3 40. exf7+ (40. e7 Re8 41. Bxd3 $18) 40... Kh7 41. Bxd3 Qb3 42. Qd6 Qb8 43. Bc4 Ne4 44. Qe5 Nd2 45. Ba2 Qb6 46. Rc2 $2 {In einer total gewonnnenen Stellung läßt Topalov die Genauigkeit vermissen.} (46. Qc5 $1 Qb8 47. Qd6 Ne4 48. Qe5 Nd2 49. Re7 $18) 46... Qf2 $1 {Diesen Zug hat er wahrscheinlich übersehen. Weiß muß die Qualität geben, wonach sein Gewinn in Frage gestellt wird.} 47. Rxd2 Qxd2 48. Bd5 $16 Qg5 49. Qd6 Qd8 50. Qxd8 Rxd8 51. Bc6 g6 $1 $11 52. Be8 Kg7 53. fxg6 h5 $1 54. a4 h4 55. Kg1 Rd2 56. g3 hxg3 57. h4 Rh2 58. h5 Kf8 $1 (58... Rxh5 $4 59. f8=Q+ Kxf8 60. g7+ $18) 59. Kf1 Kg7 60. Kg1 Kf8 61. Kf1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Palma de Mallorca FIDE GP"] [Site "Palma de Mallorca"] [Date "2017.11.17"] [Round "2"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Inarkiev, Ernesto"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2683"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,Alex "] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2017.11.16"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 182"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.01.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Re8 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 {This whole line has been known since Korchnoi-Karpov, World Championship Match (21) Baguio City 1978} 13. Qb1 (13. Qc1 Bf5 14. Bxf6 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ {Carlsen-Nakamura, Isle of Man 2017, is a forced draw. White would pay dearly for his king's irresponsible walk in the event of} 16. exd4 exd4+ 17. Kf3 dxc3 18. Qxc3 (18. Bxc3 Qb6) 18... Qa4 19. b3 Qc6 $19) 13... Bf5 14. Bd3 Bxd3 ({In the above mentioned stem game Karpov reacted with} 14... e4 {and here, according to modern computer research White can win after} 15. Bf1 (15. Bc2 {was Victor's choice and he won anyway!}) 15... Ng4 16. cxd5 Ne5 17. exd4 Nf3+ 18. gxf3 exf3+ 19. Be3 Bxb1 20. Nc4 {He just has too much for the queen, and Black's attack is petering out soon.}) 15. Qxd3 Ne4 {All book up to this point, and we were all wondering why Levon Aronian would enter this seemingly exhausted line.} 16. Nxd5 $5 {That's why.} ({Previously known moves were} 16. Ncxe4 dxe4 17. Qxe4 Qb6) ({and} 16. cxd5 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Nb5 18. Ne4 Nd6 19. Nxd6 Bxd6 20. e4 Rec8 {In both case Black equalises.}) 16... Nxg5 17. b4 Qa6 {Facing new problems at the board Inarkiev opts to keep his queen on the queenside.} ({Actually,} 17... Qd8 18. bxc5 Nde6 {made sense, just to keep the other knight safe against harassment from the white queen.}) (17... Qxa3) 18. bxc5 Rad8 $1 {Hitting the knight thanks to the pin on the a6-f1 diagonal.} (18... Nde6 {was no longer sufficient, as} 19. Qf5 $1 h6 20. O-O Qc6 21. h4 Nh7 22. f4 $1 {gives White a powerful initiative.} ({Not too bad either is to snatch a pawn:} 22. Qxe5 Nxc5 23. Qb2) 22... exf4 23. Ne4 $1 fxe3 24. Rde1 f6 25. Rxe3 Kh8 26. Nd6 {etc.}) 19. Nb4 Qa4 20. Qb1 {White is operating strictly with 'only moves', which speaks highly of the quality of Aronian's preparation or the high level of confidence Levon has these days. No matter how you look at it, Levon is just playing great chess now.} a5 $6 {Very tempting. Who would resist a chance to send the white king on a journey away from home?} ({Objectively speaking, Black's best was} 20... Nc6 21. Qb3 Qa5 22. O-O Qxc5 23. h4 Ne6 24. Ne4 Qe7 $14) 21. Nd5 Nc2+ 22. Ke2 Ne4 (22... Ne6 23. Nb6) 23. Nxe4 Qxc4+ 24. Kf3 Rxd5 {A quick look at this position may be deceptive. No, Black has no attack, and his knight is stuck on c2. The picture became clear after Levon's next move.} 25. g4 $3 {It's amazing to see a standard positional move like this be more than sufficient to secure White's large advantage. It's all about stopping f7-f5.} f5 $2 {I think Ernesto was unable to come to terms with his failure to trouble Aronian's king. This nervous attempt only speeds up Black's demise.} (25... Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Rf8 27. Qxb7 $16) ({The most challenging try is} 25... h5 $5 26. h3 Rxc5 27. Nxc5 Qxc5 {[#] Now White has to be extra careful.} (27... e4+ {is also there.}) 28. Qb3 $1 (28. Qxb7 $2 {suddenly loses to} e4+ 29. Kg2 Nxe3+ $1 30. fxe3 Qc2+ 31. Kg3 h4+ $1 32. Kxh4 Qf2+ 33. Kh5 g6+ 34. Kg5 Re5+ 35. Kh6 Qh4#) 28... e4+ 29. Kg2 Nxa3 30. Qxb7 {Now everything has calmed down, and White should be able to convert.}) 26. gxf5 Rf8 27. Qxb7 Rxf5+ 28. Kg3 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 $18 Nd4 {Nothing helps.} ({White wins everywhere:} 29... h6 30. Rd7 Rf7 31. Nd6) ({or} 29... Rf7 30. Rd8+ Rf8 31. Qe7 Qf7 32. Qxf7+ Kxf7 33. Nd6+ Ke7 34. Rxf8 Kxf8 35. c6) 30. exd4 Rf7 31. Qb1 Rf4 32. f3 Qe6 33. Ng5 Qh6 34. Qb8+ {How does Levon do this?} 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Berlin"] [Date "2018.03.22"] [Round "10"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2799"] [Annotator "Sadorra,Julio"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2018.03.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Be2 $5 {During the interview, Ding said he had studied this move a few years ago while Wesley struggled to recall his lines.} ({More common moves are} 9. Bd3) ({And} 9. a3) 9... Bb7 ({Another possible move here is} 9... Bb4+ 10. Nd2 $1 (10. Kf1 Bd6 11. Ne5 (11. Bg3 Bb7 $36) 11... Ba6 12. Bxa6 Nxa6 13. Qa4 Nb4 {and Black has a strong initiative.} 14. a3 Bxe5 15. Bxe5 Nd3 16. Bxc7 Nxb2 17. Qa6 {In the game (42) Kozul,Z (2590)-Babula,V (2584) Austria 2013, Black should've continued simply with the natural} Rac8 $1 18. Bf4 (18. Bg3 Rc2) (18. Qxa7 Qc4+) 18... Rc2 $19 {followed by opening up lines with f6-e5!}) 10... Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Qxg2 12. O-O-O Ba6 13. Rhg1 Qc6+ 14. Kb1 {White clearly has compensation for the pawn but there is a dynamic struggle ahead. Recent games have shown that it is easier to play White.} Bxe2 15. Qxe2 f6 (15... g6 $6 16. Ka1 Rc8 17. h4 Qe8 18. h5 $40 Nd7 19. Qf3 (19. Qg4 Nf6 20. Qg5 Ne4 21. Qg2 $16) 19... a5 20. Rh1 Qe7 21. Bxc7 $14 {0-1 (24) Davtyan,A (2298)-Andersen,M (2586) Abu Dhabi 2017}) 16. e4 (16. Rc1 Qe4+ 17. Ka1 Rf7 18. Bxc7 Nc6 19. Bg3 Rd8 $11 (19... Nxd4 $4 20. Qc4)) 16... Qd7 17. Qc4 (17. d5 $5 e5 18. Be3 (18. Bh6 Rf7) 18... a5 19. Rc1 Na6 20. f3 $14) 17... Qc6 18. Qe2 Qd7 19. Rg3 Nc6 20. Qc4 Ne5 21. Qc2 Rad8 22. Rd2 Nc6 23. Qc4 {½-½ (23) Martinovic,S (2563)-Vetoshko,V (2485) Slovakia 2017}) 10. Bxc7 Qa5+ (10... Bb4+ $6 11. Kf1 {now the bishop on b4 looks silly.} Nc6 12. Bf4 Rac8 13. h4 $14 {Black has a worse version of what happened in the game.}) 11. Kf1 Nd7 12. h4 Rac8 13. Bf4 (13. Bg3 Nf6 14. Bd3 Ne4 15. Bf4 f6 $1 $36 {[%csl Rf1][%CAl Ge6e5,Rf8f2]}) 13... Rfd8 14. Kg1 {This allows Black to clarify the situation and equalise without problems.} ({During the game, Wes was worried about} 14. a3 $1 {which makes it difficult for Black to break in the centre after} Bxf3 ({Black will have to content himself with manoeuvring and preparing the break at the right time with:} 14... Nf6 15. Kg1 Ne4 16. Bd3 (16. Ne1 Ba6 17. Bf3 Nd2 $44) 16... f6 17. Qe2 {and the dynamic battle goes on.}) 15. gxf3 $1 (15. Bxf3 e5 16. Bg3 exd4 17. b4 Qa6+ 18. Be2 b5 19. exd4 Bf6 $36) 15... e5 16. b4 Qd5 17. dxe5 {and Black will have to go into the ending a pawn down.}) 14... Bxf3 $1 15. Bxf3 e5 16. Bg5 Bxg5 ({Wes also considered} 16... f6 17. Qb3+ Kh8 18. Qf7 {and thought it might be too risky.} Qb4 (18... Bf8 19. Bd5) 19. Be4 $1 {indeed after} exd4 (19... Nf8 20. h5 fxg5 21. h6 $40 {White will have at least a draw somewhere e.g.} Bf6 22. hxg7+ Bxg7 23. Bxh7 Nxh7 24. Qf5 Kg8 25. Qxh7+ Kf8 26. Qf5+) 20. exd4 $1 {White has unpleasant pressure} Qxd4 21. Bh6 Bf8 (21... f5 22. Bxf5 $36) 22. Bd5) 17. hxg5 exd4 18. Qxd4 (18. g6 $5 hxg6 $1 19. Qxd4 Qg5 20. Qh4 Qxh4 21. Rxh4 Ne5 $15) 18... Qxg5 ({During one live game commentary, I remember there was a suggestion to keep the game alive and fighting after} 18... Nf8 $5 19. Qe4 $1 (19. Qh4 Rd2 $1 20. b4 (20. b3 Qe5) 20... Qe5 $1 21. Rf1 Rxa2 {and White has an unpleasant defence ahead.}) 19... Rd2 $13 {with a complex game, but it's still not clear whether Black has enough to give White real problems.} (19... Qxg5 20. Rh5 Qf6 21. Rb1 {there's still not so much pressure from Black to work with.})) (18... Ne5 19. Qh4 Nxf3+ 20. gxf3 Qf5 $11) 19. Rh5 Qf6 20. Rd5 Qxd4 21. Rxd4 {Equilibrium is reached as Black gains back his pawn and White gains coordination among his pieces.} Ne5 22. Bd5 ({An attempt to create imbalance is} 22. Bb7 Rxd4 23. exd4 Rc7 24. Ba6 Ng4 $1 25. d5 Nf6 (25... Kf8 $2 26. d6 Rd7 27. Bc8 $18) 26. Rd1 (26. d6 Rd7) 26... Ne8 $11 {and it may be easier for Black to play this due to a blockade on d6 and a potential outside passed h-pawn.} (26... Rd7 $5)) 22... Nc6 23. Rdd1 Kf8 {Since neither side has any weaknesses and Black has a more active king, White cannot exploit his superior minor piece, Ding decides to simplify and the game inevitably fizzles out to a draw.} 24. Bxc6 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Rxc6 26. Rd7 Rc2 27. Rxa7 Rxb2 28. a4 Ra2 29. Rb7 Ra1+ 30. Kh2 Rxa4 31. Rxb6 1/2-1/2 [Event "ESP-chT Honor Gp2 49th"] [Site "Sant Lluis"] [Date "2005.09.03"] [Round "4"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Graf, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2005.08.31"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 109"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.11.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.11.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. Rd1 Be7 (10... Ne4 $6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rxd5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qxa3 14. Ng5 $1 $40) 11. Be2 {Mamedyarovs Lieblingszug. Bisher galt diese Fortsetzung als ziemlich harmlos.} (11. Nd2 {ist hier die Hauptfortsetzung.}) 11... Ne4 {Diese Antwort hat sich bisher bewährt, aber möglicherweise ist P.-H. Nielsens Neuerung 11...e5!? der beste Weg zum Ausgleich.} (11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. Bg3 Bg4 14. O-O Rac8 15. Nd5 b5 16. Ba2 Nxd5 17. Bxd5 $14 {Mamedyarov,S-Moradiabadi,E /Abu Dhabi 2005}) (11... e5 $5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 dxc4 14. Bd4 Bf5 15. Qc1 Rac8 16. O-O Rfd8 17. Rd2 Ne4 $11 {Mamedyarov,S-Nielsen,P /Sant Lluis 2005}) 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 exd5 14. O-O Be6 15. a4 (15. Rb1 Qxa3 16. Rxb7 Rfc8 17. Rc1 $6 Bf5 18. Qd1 a5 19. Bb5 Nd8 20. Rc7 Rxc7 21. Bxc7 Ne6 $11 {Miles,A-Van der Sterren,P /Wijk aan Zee 1984}) 15... Bf6 16. Rb1 (16. Nd4 Ne5 17. Rb1 Qc7 $13) 16... Rfc8 17. Rxb7 Qxc3 18. Qxc3 Bxc3 19. Rc1 Bf6 20. h3 h6 {Mehr oder weniger forciert ist ein Endspiel entstanden, in dem Weiß dank seiner aktiven Figuren besser steht, Schwarz aber sehr nah am Ausgleich ist.} 21. Ba6 Na5 22. Rbc7 Rxc7 23. Rxc7 Bd8 24. Rc3 $146 {Eine Neuerung nach 20 Jahren! Natürlicher sieht jedoch 24.?c1 aus.} (24. Rc1 Bb6 (24... Bd7 25. Bb5 Rc8 26. Rd1 Be6 27. Nd4 $14) 25. Nd4 Bd7 26. Bb5 Bxb5 (26... Rc8 $1 $14) 27. Nxb5 Nc4 $2 28. Nc3 Rd8 29. Nxd5 Rxd5 30. Rxc4 $16 {Conquest,S-Greenfeld,A /Hastings 1985}) 24... Bd7 25. Bc7 $6 {Nach der Abgabe des Bauern a4 kann Weiß nicht mehr als Unentschieden erreichen. Im Sinne des Spiels auf Gewinn war 25.?b5 eher geeignet.} (25. Bb5 Rc8 26. Rd3 Be6 27. Nd4 Rc1+ 28. Kh2 Bb6 $11) 25... Bxc7 26. Rxc7 Bxa4 $11 27. Nd4 Rd8 (27... Nb3 28. Nf5 Kf8 $11) 28. Bd3 Nb3 29. Nf5 d4 (29... a5 $6 30. Bc2 $1 $44) (29... Bd7 30. Nd6 Be6 31. Rxa7 Kf8 $11) 30. exd4 Bd7 31. d5 Bxf5 32. Bxf5 Kf8 33. Bd7 Nc5 34. Bc6 Nd3 35. Rxa7 Nb4 36. Ra1 Nxc6 37. dxc6 Rc8 38. Ra6 Ke7 {Das Turmendspiel ist remislich.} 39. Kh2 Kd6 40. Kg3 (40. c7+ Kd7 $11) 40... Rxc6 41. Rxc6+ Kxc6 42. Kf4 Kd5 43. Kf5 Kd4 44. h4 Kd5 45. h5 Kd6 46. g4 Ke7 47. Ke5 f6+ 48. Kf5 Kf7 49. f3 Ke7 50. Kg6 Kf8 51. f4 Kg8 52. g5 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-Cup 21st"] [Site "Saint Vincent"] [Date "2005.09.22"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Khenkin, Igor"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2610"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2005.09.18"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 110"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.01.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.01.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Istanbul"] [BlackTeam "Tegernsee"] [WhiteTeamCountry "TUR"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bf5 ({Populärer ist} 11... Bf6) 12. Be2 a5 (12... Qb6 13. O-O Be4 14. b4 Nd7 15. Bd4 Qg6 16. Rc1 Bd6 17. g3 Qe6 (17... h6 $1 $11) 18. Ng5 Qe7 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Qc2 a5 21. Rfd1 axb4 22. axb4 Rfd8 23. b5 Ba3 24. Ra1 Rac8 25. Qa4 Bc5 26. Bb2 $14 {Gustafsson,J (2570)-Zude,A (2382)/Germany 2003}) 13. O-O a4 14. Rc1 Be4 15. Nd4 $146 (15. Rc3 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Nd4 Rfd8 18. f3 Bg6 19. Qd2 h6 20. Rfc1 b6 21. Bf1 Qf6 22. Qf2 Bf5 23. Bb5 Bd7 $11 {Kohlweyer,B (2399)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2664)/Vlissingen 2003}) 15... Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Qd2 b6 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. Rc3 Qf6 20. f3 Bg6 $11 {Schwarz hat eine typische Verteidigungsaufstellung eingenommen, sein ?c5 ist nicht weniger stark als der weiße Springer. Es beginnt das Lavieren, beide Gegner suchen die besten Plätze für ihre Figuren.} 21. Qe1 $1 {Die weiße Dame strebt nach g3, denn auf d2 hat sie wenig Perspektiven.} Bf5 $1 22. Qg3 Bd7 {Hier steht der schwarze Läufer am besten: er verhindert ?e2-b5 und schützt den Bauern a4.} 23. Bd3 $1 {Auch Mamedyarov überführt seinen Läufer auf die bessere Position, auf a2.} Re8 24. Bb1 Re5 $6 {Eine Ungenauigkeit mit weitgehenden Folgen. Das Gleichgewicht ließ sich halten mit 24...?h6!} (24... Qh6 $1 25. Qf4 (25. Re1 Rad8 26. Ba2 Bc8 $11) 25... Qxf4 26. exf4 Rad8 27. Ba2 Ne6 $11) 25. Qf4 $1 Qe7 (25... Qxf4 26. exf4 Re7 27. Ba2 $16) 26. Ne2 $2 {Genauer war 26.?a2! - siehe die Stellung nach dem 29.Zug von Weiß.} (26. Ba2 $1 Rd8 (26... Re8 27. Nc2 $14) 27. Nc2 Bc6 28. Nb4 Bb7 $14) 26... Re8 27. Ba2 Bf5 $2 {I. Khenkin läßt eine günstige Möglichkeit aus - es war die richtige Zeit für den Abtausch im Zentrum. Später geschieht dieser Abtausch in der schlechteren Version für Schwarz.} (27... Rxe3 28. Rxe3 Qxe3+ 29. Qxe3 Rxe3 30. Nc3 Rd3 $11) (27... g5 28. Qd4 Rxe3 29. Rxe3 Qxe3+ 30. Qxe3 Rxe3 31. Nc3 Be6 $11) 28. Nd4 Bd7 29. Nc2 $1 Bf5 30. Nb4 g5 31. Qd4 Rxe3 32. Rxe3 Qxe3+ 33. Qxe3 Rxe3 34. Nxd5 $1 $14 {Möglicherweise hat Schwarz diesen Zug unterschätzt - Weiß bekommt ein besseres Endspiel.} (34. Rxd5 $6 Nd3 $1 35. Nxd3 (35. h4 Re1+ 36. Kh2 Nxb4 37. axb4 Be6 38. Rxg5+ Kf8 39. Bxe6 Rxe6 $11) 35... Bxd3 36. Rxg5+ Kf8 $11) 34... Re6 (34... Re2 $2 35. Bc4 Re6 36. Nxb6 Rxb6 37. Rd5 Bg6 38. Rxc5 Rxb2 39. Ra5 $16) 35. Nc3 Re5 36. Bc4 Be6 37. Bb5 Bb3 38. Rd2 {Weiß plant ?f2 nebst ?d4 - und es ist nicht leicht, eine Verteidigung dagegen zu finden.} Kg7 (38... Kf8 39. Kf2 Ke7 40. Rd4 $16) (38... Re1+ $1 39. Kf2 Rc1 40. Kg3 $14) 39. Kf2 h5 40. Rd6 $1 $16 Re6 41. Rd4 h4 $2 ({Genauer war} 41... f5 $1 42. Nxa4 Bxa4 43. Bxa4 Nxa4 44. Rxa4 Rc6 45. Rb4 {Weiß hat hier nicht 45.?e4 zur Verfügung.} h4 46. h3 f4 47. Rb5 Kg6 48. a4 Kh5 {mit guten Remischancen.}) 42. Nxa4 Bxa4 43. Bxa4 Nxa4 44. Rxa4 Rc6 45. Re4 $1 f5 46. Re2 f4 47. Ke1 $18 {?h3} h3 48. gxh3 Rh6 49. Kf2 Rxh3 50. Kg2 g4 (50... Rh6 51. Re5 Rg6 52. Kh3 $18) 51. Rf2 Rh4 52. fxg4 Rxg4+ 53. Kh3 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 80th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.28"] [Round "13"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2767"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "132"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 183"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:11]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:09]} 6. e3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:06] Black is fine to take a bit of risk, knowing that White will probably not want to do the same.} 7. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 8. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 9. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:10]} (9. a3 {is slightly more popular.} Qa5 10. O-O-O (10. Ra2 $5 {was the move chosen in a recent, random game.} Be7 11. b4 Qd8 12. h3 b6 (12... d4 $1 $11) 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Be2 Be6 15. Ng5 Rc8 $6 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Ba6 $14 {Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Saint Louis 2017}) (10. Nd2 Bb4 $5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nb3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Qd8 $132 {Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Paris 2017, could have been a decent try for an edge, notwithstanding that it ultimately failed}) 10... Ne4 $5 11. Nb5 (11. Nxe4 {leads to a long forced line:} dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bxa3 13. bxa3 Qxa3+ 14. Kd2 Rd8+ 15. Ke2 Qb2+ 16. Rd2 Rxd2+ 17. Nxd2 e5 18. Bg3 Bg4+ $3 19. f3 (19. Qxg4 Rd8 20. Kf3 Qxd2 21. Bh4 f5 22. Qg5 Rd4 $1 $11 {with perpetual check soon}) 19... Rd8 20. Be1 Bh5 $13 {The mess continues, and White has a few moves now, but I don't think there will be any way found for him to keep an edge.}) 11... a6 12. Nc7 e5 $1 {Not a new idea from Karjakin, merely an old one which had been forgotten.} 13. Rxd5 $1 (13. Nxd5 Nxf2 $1 (13... exf4 14. Qxe4 fxe3 15. fxe3 h6 16. Nd4 $16 {Ivanchuk,V-Karjakin, S Medias 2017}) 14. Ng5 $1 (14. Qxf2 exf4 15. Nxf4 b5 $40) 14... Bf5 $1 15. Qxf2 (15. Qxf5 g6 $17) 15... f6 16. Nh3 exf4 17. Nhxf4 Ne5 $44 {Black has full compensation for the pawn.}) 13... exf4 (13... Nxf2 14. Qxf2 Qxc7 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Qc6 17. Bd4 $1 $14) (13... f5 $2 14. Rxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Ra7 16. Nd5 $16 {Kasparov,G-Vaganian,R Debrecen 1992}) 14. Qxe4 Qxc7 15. Rxc5 fxe3 16. Bd3 $5 (16. Qxe3 b6 17. Rh5 Bg4 18. Rg5 Rfe8 $1 $11) 16... g6 17. Qxe3 b6 18. Rg5 (18. Rh5 Bg4 19. Rh4 Bxf3 20. gxf3 Ne5 $132) 18... Na5 $13 {From a brief investigation it doesn't seem like White has a convincing follow-up here, though there are, as usual, many complicated lines ending in perpetual check.}) 9... Qa5 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 10. a3 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:34] Treading another of the hallowed paths of chess history.} (10... Be7 {is more common now, and then} 11. Be2 {has a huge score for White; indeed I suspect White is probably slightly better following} Ne4 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 exd5 14. O-O Be6 15. a4 $14 {Mamedyarov,S-Graf,A Sant Lluis 2005, played by the same White player as the present encounter.}) 11. Nd2 {[%emt 0:00:31]} (11. Be2 e5 $15 {is the point.}) 11... e5 {[%emt 0:01:32]} 12. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 13. Qb1 {[%emt 0:00:10]} (13. Qc1 Bf5 {is liable to lead to a forced draw; two of the world's top players chose this route recently.} 14. Bxf6 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ $11 {Carlsen,M-Nakamura,H Douglas 2017} (15... gxf6 $6 {gets neutralised effortlessly:} 16. Nxd5 Qa6 17. g4 $1 Bg6 18. Bg2 $16)) 13... Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 14. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Bxd3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} (14... e4 $6 {is well met by} 15. Bf1 $1 {giving up a queen for three pieces.} (15. Bc2 {was nevertheless enough for a slight edge in one of the classics.} Nxc2+ 16. Qxc2 Qa6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Nb3 $14 {Kortschnoj,V-Karpov,A Baguio City 1978}) 15... Ng4 16. cxd5 $1 Ne5 17. exd4 Nf3+ 18. gxf3 exf3+ 19. Be3 Bxb1 20. Nc4 $1 Qc7 21. dxc5 $16) 15. Qxd3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 16. Ndxe4 {[%emt 0:00:07] Maybe not the most precise, but safe enough.} (16. cxd5 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Qxc3 18. bxc3 Nc2+ 19. Ke2 f6 20. Bh4 Nxa3 21. Ne4 Rac8 $11) (16. Ncxe4 dxe4 17. Qxe4 $14 {seems to me to get an advantage.}) 16... dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 17. Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ne6 {[%emt 0:05:12]} 18. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:45]} (18. Nxe4 Qxd2+ 19. Rxd2 f5 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 $13 {leads to an imbalance and likely quite a good one for Black, who is likely to recover the c4-pawn quite soon.}) 18... Qa6 {[%emt 0:09:59]} 19. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Rac8 {[%emt 0:07:46]} 20. O-O {[%emt 0:00:21]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:05:53]} 21. Qg4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Qxc4 {[%emt 0:17:32]} (21... Rxc4 $11 {equalised more reliably.}) 22. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 23. h3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nc5 {[%emt 0:06:46]} 24. Nxc5 {[%emt 0:00:38]} Qxg4 {[%emt 0:01:35]} 25. hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Rxc5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 26. Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:14] Now White could potentially have a small something again.} Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 27. b4 {[%emt 0:00:50]} f6 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 28. g5 {[%emt 0:04:10]} fxg5 {[%emt 0:04:10]} 29. Bxg5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} a5 {[%emt 0:01:36]} 30. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:05:05]} 31. Bd8 {[%emt 0:00:21]} axb4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 32. a4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Rc5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 33. Rxb7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:01:14]} 34. Ba5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Rc4 {[%emt 0:05:26]} 35. Rd5 {[%emt 0:12:43]} b3 {[%emt 0:06:35]} (35... Re6 $11 {is a hard move to make perhaps, but it gets Black some badly needed counterplay. For instance:} 36. Rb8 Rc1+ 37. Kh2 Rh6+ 38. Kg3 Rg6+ 39. Kf3 Rf6+ 40. Ke4 Rxf2 41. Kxe5 Rc4 $132) 36. Rxb3 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Rxa4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 37. Bc3 {[%emt 0:01:15]} e4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 38. Rb7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Ra6 {[%emt 0:02:04]} 39. Rdd7 $14 {[%emt 0:06:17] The position looks threatening, but it is not clear to me how White makes progress, and apparently it was not clear to Mamedyarov either. There are little things to try, but they end up being neutralised.} Rg6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 40. g3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:01:48]} 41. Bd4 {[%emt 0:02:22]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 42. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:03:12]} 43. Kh3 {[%emt 0:01:03]} Re8 {[%emt 0:04:40]} 44. Rf7 {[%emt 0:01:41]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:04:07]} 45. Rf4 {[%emt 0:05:45]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 46. Bc3 {[%emt 0:02:00]} (46. Rg4 Rxg4 47. Kxg4 g6 {is still very passive for Black, but this is probably a draw even without the rooks and e-pawn.}) 46... Rge6 {[%emt 0:07:24]} 47. Rff7 {[%emt 0:03:13]} Rg6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 48. Rfc7 {[%emt 0:01:51]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 49. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 50. Kf1 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 51. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 52. Kd1 {[%emt 0:00:15]} Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 53. Kc2 {[%emt 0:02:08]} Rf5 {[%emt 0:03:59]} 54. Bxg7 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:02:26]} 55. Rd7 {[%emt 0:00:52]} Rxf2+ {[%emt 0:00:12]} 56. Kb3 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Bxg3 {[%emt 0:00:43]} 57. Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Be5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 58. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:01:56]} Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:08] Soon White will run out of little things to try and the ? will collapse to =.} 59. Rg7+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 60. Rxh7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 61. Kc4 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Rg2 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 62. Rhe7 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Rxe7 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 63. Rxe7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 64. Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rg5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 65. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 66. Re5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rg1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-36"] [Site "Mallorca"] [Date "2004.10.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Moiseenko, Alexander"] [Black "Zvjaginsev, Vadim"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2653"] [BlackElo "2650"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2004.10.15"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 104"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be2 Bf5 $146 {V. Zvjaginsev ist bekannt für seine originellen theoretischen Ideen. Auch hier bringt er eine interessante Neuerung. Bisher wurde meistens 11...?g4 gespielt, und Schwarz mußte hart um den Ausgleich kämpfen.} (11... Bg4 12. Be5 Bf6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Qd4 Qxd4 15. Nxd4 Bxe2 16. Kxe2 Rfc8 17. Rac1 Ne6 18. Nf5 Kf8 19. Rhd1 g6 20. Nd6 $14 {Ponomariov,R-Vallejo Pons,F/Leon (m) 2003}) (11... Bf6 12. Be5 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Be6 14. Nf3 Qb6 15. Qd4 Nb3 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. Rd1 Rfc8 18. Bd3 $14 {Gurevich,M-Golod,V/Cappelle la Grande 1999}) (11... a5 $5 12. O-O a4 13. Rc1 Bf5 14. Bg5 Nb3 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Rc3 Be4 17. Nd4 Nc5 18. Qd2 Kh8 19. Rcc1 b6 $11 {Kallai,G-Kasimdzhanov,R/Belfort 2004}) 12. Nd4 (12. Be5 $5) 12... Be4 {Das ist die Idee des Zuges 11...?f5, der schwarze Läufer hat eine schöne Position eingenommen. Seine Vertreibung mittels f2-f3 würde den Bauern e3 empfindlich schwächen.} 13. O-O Bf6 14. Rc1 Qb6 15. b4 {Praktisch erzwungen, denn sonst sichert Schwarz die Position seines Springers mit 15...a5 ab.} (15. Rc3 $6 a5 (15... Bxd4 16. Qxd4 Qxb2 17. Bg4 Na4 18. Rc7 Qxd4 19. exd4 $44) 16. a4 Rac8 $11 17. f3 $6 Bg6 $15) 15... Bxd4 $1 16. exd4 (16. Qxd4 $2 Qg6 17. f3 Nb3 $17 {kostet Weiß die Qualität.}) 16... Ne6 17. Be3 Rfc8 $11 {In der entstandenen Stellung kann Weiß die Stärke seines Läuferpaares nicht zur Geltung bringen, da das Zentrum durch die Bauern d4 und d5 geschlossen ist, und der schwarze Springer hervorragend postiert ist.} 18. Qd2 Qd8 $1 {Die schwarze Dame hat ihre Aufgabe auf dem Damenflügel erfüllt und wird nun den gegnerischen König ins Visier nehmen.} 19. Bg4 (19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Rc1 h6 $11) 19... Qf6 $1 20. Rxc8+ Rxc8 21. Rc1 Rxc1+ 22. Qxc1 h6 23. Qc8+ Kh7 {Weiß hat das Geschehen forciert, erreichte aber nichts. Die konsequente Fortsetzung 24.?xb7 wäre für ihn zu riskant, so beschließt er, lieber ins Remis abzuwickeln.} 24. Bxe6 (24. Qxb7 Nxd4 25. Qxa7 Nc2 $1 26. h4 $8 (26. h3 $2 Qa1+ 27. Kh2 Qf1 28. f3 Ne1 $19) 26... Qa1+ 27. Kh2 Qe5+ 28. Kg1 $11 (28. g3 $6 f5 29. Bh3 Ne1 $40)) (24. Qc3 $6 Qg6 25. f3 Bf5 26. Bxf5 Qxf5 $15) 24... Qxe6 25. Qxe6 fxe6 26. f3 Bd3 27. Kf2 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-1=7"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2014.11.11"] [Round "3"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2792"] [BlackElo "2863"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2014.11.08"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:18]} 6. e3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 7. c5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 8. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:27]} (8. h3 {has gone out of fashion recently as after} b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 {Black can play} Bb7 ({or even} 10... h6) ({instead of the direct} 10... Ba6 {, which allows White to save a tempo by taking on a6 in one go}) 11. Bd3 Qc8 {- see Kasimdzhanov-Jakovenko in CBM 132 and Grischuk-Wang Hao in CBM 139.}) 8... b6 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 9. b4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} a5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 10. a3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Ba6 {[%emt 0:03:31]} 11. Bxa6 {[%emt 0:00:41] A principled continuation although the quiet} (11. O-O {is more common.}) 11... Rxa6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 12. b5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:34]} cxb5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 13. c6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qc8 $1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} (13... b4 $2 14. Nb5 bxa3 15. cxd7 Bb4+ 16. Ke2 Qxd7 17. Qd3 $16 {1-0 (33) Olafsson,H (2521)-Al Tamimi,H (2290) Turin 2006}) 14. c7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} (14. Nxb5 Qxc6 15. Nc7 Ra7 16. Rc1 Qb7 17. Qa4 (17. a4 Bb4+ 18. Ke2 Rc8 19. Qd3 Nh5 20. Nb5 Nxf4+ 21. exf4 Raa8 $17 {1-0 (47) Efimov,I (2520)-Costantini,R (2233) Reggio Emilia 2000}) 17... b5 (17... Rc8 $5 18. O-O Nf8 {[%CAl Yf8g6]}) 18. Nxb5 Nb6 19. Qb3 Nc4 20. a4 Bb4+ 21. Ke2 Raa8 22. Ne5 Rfc8 23. f3 Nxe5 24. Bxe5 Ne8 $11 {1/2 (29) Rojas Keim,L (2408)-Ryan,J (2263) Montcada i Reixac ESP 2014}) 14... b4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 15. Nb5 {[%emt 0:00:28] This sequence of moves has been analysed more deeply with White's pawn on h3 (8.h3 instead of 8.?d3), which is considered more favourable for White as his bishop can retreat to h2, avoiding an exchange if necessary. However, Vishy Anand and his team have proven that this version is not so harmless either.} a4 {[%emt 0:02:57]} (15... bxa3 16. O-O Nh5 (16... a4 17. Qc2 Ra5 $6 {1/2 (26) Kveinys,A (2510)-Halkias,S (2548) Gothenburg 2005} 18. Bd6 $1 Rxb5 19. Bxe7 Re8 20. Bxa3 $36 {[%csl Gc7]}) 17. Qc2 Nxf4 18. exf4 Qb7 19. Ne5 $36 Nc5 20. dxc5 bxc5 21. Rfb1 (21. Nd7 $5 Re8 22. Qa4 $16) 21... c4 22. Nd7 Rfa8 23. Qa4 h6 24. h3 Qc8 25. Nb8 Rb6 $13 {1/2 (32) Sedlak,N (2557)-Pavlovic,M (2534) Vrnjacka Banja 2010}) (15... Ne4 16. O-O (16. a4 Nc3 17. Qd3 Ra8 18. Nxc3 bxc3 19. O-O Bb4 20. Qb5 Ra7 21. Ne1 Nf6 22. Nd3 Nh5 $13 {1/2 (48) Rusev,K (2543)-Stoinev,M (2295) Albena 2010}) 16... bxa3 17. Qa4 (17. Qc2 $44 a4 $5 {??a5, R.Dautov}) 17... g5 18. Bg3 g4 $1 19. Ne1 Nd2 20. Qd1 Nxf1 21. Qxg4+ Kh8 22. Kxf1 Ra8 (22... a4 {[%CAl Ya6a5] R.Dautov} 23. Qe2 Ra5 24. Nd6 Bxd6 25. Bxd6 Rg8 26. Nd3 $44) 23. Nc2 Qa6 24. Qe2 Rg8 25. Ncxa3 $44 {1-0 (50) Karpov,A (2693)-Georgiev,K (2655) Dubai 2002 CBM 089 [Dautov]}) 16. Rc1 {[%emt 0:06:00]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:02:02]} 17. Ng5 $5 {[%emt 0:01:47] This tactical trick restricts Black's possibilities compared to} (17. Nd2 e5 (17... Nc3 18. Nxc3 bxc3 19. Rxc3 b5 20. O-O Nb6 {1/2 (67) Villuendas Valero,A (2176)-Labena Bernal,A (2003) Pamplona 2006} 21. Qg4 $5 $36) 18. Nxe4 (18. dxe5 Ndc5 {[%CAl Rc5d3]}) 18... dxe4 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Bc5 21. Qd5 bxa3 22. O-O {0-1 (36) Jendrichovsky,P (2147)-Goumas,G (2315) Fermo 2009} Ra5 $13) 17... Ndf6 {[%emt 0:32:33]} ({Here} 17... e5 18. dxe5 {is obviously senseless}) (17... Nxg5 $6 18. Bd6 $1 Ra5 $8 19. Bxe7 Rxb5 20. axb4 Re8 21. Qxa4 Rxe7 22. Qxb5 $16 {[%csl Gc7]}) (17... Bxg5 18. Bxg5 Ra5 {is a better version of the previous line for Black but White keeps the initiative anyway:} 19. Be7 Rxb5 20. Bxf8 Kxf8 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qxb4+ Ke8 23. O-O Ra7 24. f3 Nef6 25. Qd6 $14 {[%csl Gc7] A.Korotylev}) 18. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:06:58]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:45]} (18... dxe4 $142 $1 19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 b3 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 $44 {(A.Korotylev) , which is about to be the subject of further research.}) 19. f3 {[%emt 0:05:40]} Ra5 {[%emt 0:12:38]} 20. fxe4 $146 {[%emt 0:02:08][%mdl 8] This improvement on the following game is quite obvious, especially as it had been already played in the similar position of the 8.h3 line (with White's pawn on h3), e.g. in Gyimesi-Vaganian (Germany 2006).} (20. Qe2 $6 Qd7 21. fxe4 Rc8 22. exd5 exd5 23. axb4 Rxb5 24. O-O Rxb4 25. Qa6 h6 26. Rc6 Bg5 27. Bxg5 hxg5 28. Rfc1 Rc4 29. R1xc4 dxc4 30. Qxb6 a3 31. Rxc4 a2 32. Qa5 Qe6 33. Qxa2 Rxc7 34. Qa8+ Kh7 35. Rxc7 Qxe3+ 36. Kf1 Qf4+ 37. Qf3 Qxc7 $11 {1/2 (40) Aronian,L (2795)-Adams,M (2753) Bilbao 2013}) 20... Rxb5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 21. Qxa4 {[%emt 0:00:56]} Ra5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 22. Qc6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} bxa3 {[%emt 0:09:32] Black's a3-pawn looks formidable but it is far less dangerous than White's c7-pawn.} (22... dxe4 23. a4 $16 {[%csl Gc7]}) 23. exd5 {[%emt 0:03:43]} Rxd5 {[%emt 0:10:57]} (23... exd5 24. O-O {is hardly better. In some situations White can break in the centre by means of e3-e4.}) 24. Qxb6 {[%emt 0:08:48]} Qd7 {[%emt 0:06:37]} 25. O-O {[%emt 0:15:23]} (25. Qa6 $5 Qc8 (25... Rc8 26. Rb1 Rxc7 $8 27. Rb8+ Bd8 28. Bxc7 Qxc7 29. Rc8 Qe7 30. O-O $16) 26. Qc4 {A.Korotylev}) 25... Rc8 {[%emt 0:05:01] Black has blockaded White's passed pawn with a more appropriate piece but eliminating the "nail" is impossible.} 26. Rc6 $1 {[%emt 0:08:36]} g5 {[%emt 0:09:41] Perhaps it was better to do without this move:} (26... Bb4 27. Ra1 h6) 27. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:42]} (27. Be5 $5 {A.Korotylev} {e.g.} Bb4 28. Qxb4 $5 Qxc6 29. Qe7 Rxe5 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. dxe5 (32. Qxe5 $5 h6 33. Qf6 Rxc7 34. Qf8+ Kh7 35. Qxa3 {, and White should gradually win}) 32... Qxc7 33. Qxe6+ Kh8 34. Qf6+ Qg7 35. Qa6 Rg8 (35... Re8 36. Qxa3 Qxe5 37. Rf8+ Kg7 38. Rxe8 Qxe8) 36. Qxa3 Qxe5 37. h3 {, and Black is helpless as the queen endgame after the eventual exchange of rooks is winning for White.}) 27... Bb4 {[%emt 0:06:25]} 28. Ra1 {[%emt 0:13:45]} Ba5 $2 {[%emt 0:07:45] Black tries to get rid of the c7-pawn after all but this attempt fails. It was better to wait:} (28... g4 {In that case White could have continued weakening Black's position exploiting the e3-e4 threat, e.g.} 29. Be5 {etc. but his victory was still far away.}) 29. Qa6 {[%emt 0:01:23]} Bxc7 {[%emt 0:01:22]} (29... Bb4 $2 {was now hopeless due to} 30. Rb6 {[%CAl Rb6b4,Ra6c8] , and otherwise Black just loses his a3-pawn.}) 30. Qc4 $1 {[%emt 0:04:21] A decisive pin.} e5 {[%emt 0:01:59]} 31. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Rxe5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 32. dxe5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 33. e6 {[%emt 0:06:09]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:01:12]} 34. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:46]} 1-0 [Event "FRA-chT Gp-A"] [Site "France"] [Date "2003.02.02"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Black "Bologan, Viktor"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2688"] [BlackElo "2630"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2003.01.31"] [EventType "team"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 094"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Clichy"] [BlackTeam "Gonfreville"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 {Eine ruhige Gangart gegen 6...?bd7, Weiß begnügt sich mit einer fast ausgeglichenen Stellung.} dxc4 8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. O-O b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. Rad1 $146 (13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. h3 (14. Nd4 Rfc8 15. Bg3 Nf8 16. Bd3 Bb4 17. Na2 Bd6 18. e4 Bxg3 19. hxg3 N6d7 20. Qe3 Ne5 21. Be2 Nfd7 $11 {Epishin,V-Vaganian,R/BL 2001-2002.}) 14... Rfc8 15. Rac1 Nf8 16. Ne5 Ng6 17. Nxg6 hxg6 18. Be5 Nh5 19. Bh2 Qg5 20. Qg4 Qxg4 21. hxg4 Nf6 22. Be2 Kf8 23. g5 Nd5 $2 (23... Ne8 $1 24. Rd7 Bc6 $11) 24. Nxd5 Bxd5 25. a5 $16 {Gurevich,M-Vaganian,R/Moscow 2001}) 13... Qc8 ({Nach} 13... Qe7 {wäre wahrscheinlich} 14. e4 $5 {gefolgt.}) 14. Rc1 Bc6 15. e4 (15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Nd7 17. Bg3 Qb7 $11) 15... Qb7 16. Rfd1 Rfe8 {Plant die Überführung ?d7-f8-g6.} 17. e5 {Eine prinzipielle Fortsetzung, wie man es von I.Sokolov gewöhnt ist.} Nd5 18. Nxd5 exd5 {Erzwungen und stark zugleich.} (18... Bxd5 $2 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Qd3 $16) 19. Ba2 $6 {Im weiteren Verlauf der Partie wird man sehen, daß der Bauer a4 bald schutzbedürftig wird. M.E. war hier 19.?b3 angezeigt.} (19. Bb3 $1 Rad8 20. Qd3 $14) 19... a5 (19... Rad8 $5 20. Qd2 {?a4} a5 21. Bg5 Rc8 22. Bxd5 (22. Bf4 Rcd8 $11) 22... Nxe5 $11) 20. Qd3 Rad8 21. Ng5 $6 {Ivan überspannt den Bogen. Besser war es, mit 21.?b3 den Tempoverlust zuzugeben bzw. mit 21.?g5 Remis zu forcieren.} (21. Bxd5 $2 Nxe5 $15) (21. Bg5 Rc8 22. Bf4 Rcd8 $11) (21. Bb3 $5) 21... Nf8 22. Bb1 $2 (22. Bb3 Ng6 23. Qg3 (23. Bc2 h6 24. Nh3 d4 $17) 23... Nxf4 24. Qxf4 h6 25. Nf3 d4 $15) 22... h6 23. Nf3 (23. Nh7 $4 Ng6 $19) 23... Bxa4 24. b3 Bd7 {Der Bauer ist weg, und die Kompensation ist fraglich.} 25. Nh4 (25. Qxd5 Qxd5 26. Rxd5 Bg4 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 $17) 25... Be7 (25... Bg4 $5 26. Re1 g5 $17) 26. e6 $6 {Nur vorwärts! Diese nicht ganz korrekte, aber mutige Spielweise bleibt nicht ohne Wirkung auf den Gegner.} (26. Nf5 Bxf5 27. Qxf5 Qd7 $17) (26. Qg3 $142) 26... Bxe6 27. Rc7 Qa8 28. Qg3 Bxh4 29. Qxh4 Rc8 30. Qg3 Rxc7 31. Bxc7 f6 $2 {Bisher spielte Bologan vorzüglich, aber hier verliert er (möglicherweise in Zeitnot) den Faden. Es gab keinen Grund, einen Bauern zurückzugeben.} ({Nach} 31... Qb7 $1 32. Be5 f5 $17 {behielte er ausgezeichnete Gewinnchancen.}) 32. Bxb6 $15 {Nun sollte Weiß nicht mehr verlieren.} a4 33. Bd4 axb3 34. Bxf6 Qb7 35. Bb2 $44 Re7 36. h3 Rf7 37. Rd4 Bf5 38. Bxf5 Rxf5 39. Rb4 Qe7 40. Rxb3 Rg5 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Anand-Kramnik +3-1=8"] [Site "Bonn"] [Date "2008.10.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2772"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "2008.10.14"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceTitle "CBM 127"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 {In the late '70s, Korchnoi frequently resorted to this "rare" variation. He managed to put Karpov under serious pressure during their match in Baguio 1978 and even won a crucial game towards the end of the match. Nowadays, this has become White's main weapon against the Queen's Gambit Declined, at least in top level events.} O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 ({Kramnik had played several games with} 6... c5 {, two of them against Anand himself.} 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 (8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 {Leko,P (2741)-Kramnik,V (2770)/Brissago 2004/CBM 103/[Lukacs] (1-0, 69). This must have been a very painful defeat, in an "almost" drawn ending.}) 8... Nc6 9. Rc1 {1/2 Kramnik,V (2809)-Anand,V (2752)/Leon 2002/CBM 090/[Dautov] (33)} (9. Qc2 {1/2 Anand,V (2752)-Kramnik,V (2809)/Leon 2002/CBM 090/[Dautov] (48)})) 7. a3 {A generally useful move, inviting Black to capture on c4.} ({Another important line is} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 c5 10. O-O ({With the bishop on d3 already,} 10. dxc5 Nxc5 {is less appealing already.}) 10... c4 11. Bc2 b5 {with a very complicated position, offering chances for both sides.} 12. e4 Nb6 13. Re1 (13. Qe2 {Kempinski,R (2619)-Ogaard,L (2379)/Saint Vincent 2005/CBM 110/[Konikowski] (1-0, 23)}) 13... Be6 14. Qb1 Kh8 15. Be5 Bf6 $1 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. e5 Qh6 18. Re3 $132 {Kortschnoj,V (2659)-Lputian,S (2605)/Wijk aan Zee 2000/CBM 075/[Kortschnoj] (0-1, 47)}) 7... c5 {I have the feeling that part of the initial spirit of the Queen's Gambit has been lost. Our forefathers tried to maintain the tension in the centre for as long as possible, making a lot of useful moves in the meanwhile.} ({Even in the '60s, there was some theoretical dispute after} 7... c6 8. h3 {Not the only move, of course.} (8. Rc1) (8. Qc2) 8... a6 9. c5 b6 10. b4 a5 ({In a recent game, Black chose a much simpler plan and obtained full success, true, against a much weaker opponent.} 10... bxc5 11. bxc5 Ne4 12. Rc1 Qa5 13. Bd3 Nxc3 14. Qd2 f6 15. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 16. Rxc3 e5 $1 $19 {Simeonidis,I (2268)-Shneider,A (2543)/Corfu 2007/CBM 120 ext (0-1, 18)}) 11. Bd3 (11. b5 {Larsen,B} Bb7 $15) 11... Ba6 12. b5 $1 (12. O-O Qc8 13. Qc2 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Qb7 15. Rfb1 axb4 {1/2 Larsen,B-Spassky,B/Palma de Mallorca 1968/MCD}) (12. Bxa6 $2 {Larsen,B} Rxa6 13. b5 cxb5 14. c6 Qc8) 12... cxb5 (12... Bb7 {simply loses a tempo over Larsen's comment.} 13. cxb6 Qxb6 14. O-O c5 15. Na4 Qa7 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17. Nxc5 Nxc5 18. Be5 $14 {Portisch,L-Hartoch,R/Amsterdam 1969/MCL (1-0, 89)}) 13. c6 {Now, Black will have to sacrifice either an exchange or the queen, with unclear compensation.} Rc8 ({Maybe} 13... Qc8 14. Nxb5 Qxc6 15. Rc1 Bxb5 16. Rxc6 Bxc6 $44 {is slightly better.}) 14. Bxb5 Rxc6 $5 (14... Bxb5 15. c7 $1 $14) 15. Bxc6 Qc8 16. Qa4 Bb7 17. O-O Bxc6 $14) 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 {To me, this does not look like a reason not to play the ?f4 line. White has a comfortable form of the isolani and, at least for the time being, play is rather one-sided. True, in practice Black has lost relatively rarely and Kramnik himself had held this position against none other than Kasparov.} 11. Be5 {Otherwise, the bishop may well remain out of play and White may risk losing control of the d4-square.} Bf5 {Not a very frequent move. Before starting the fight for the d4-square, Black makes a natural developing move. Its concrete meaning will become clear later.} ({Kramnik did not seem keen to repeat the line he had employed in a blitz game at the highest thinkable level.} 11... Bf6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd4 Qxd4 14. Nxd4 Bd7 15. f3 Rfc8 (15... Rac8 {is less acurate because after} 16. Kd2 {Zvjaginsev,V (2664)-Lputian,S (2638)/Poikovsky 2003/CBM 095/[Dautov] (1-0, 35)} Ne6 17. Nf5 $14 {Black cannot play ...?f8.}) 16. Kd2 Ne6 17. Nxe6 $5 ({A better chance for an advantage than} 17. Bd3 Nxd4 18. exd4 $11 {Kasparov,G (2838)-Kramnik,V (2802)/Moscow 2001/CBM 087/[Dautov] (1/2, 24)}) 17... Bxe6 18. Bd3 Kf8 19. g4 h6 20. h4 Ke7 21. g5 Rh8 22. Kc3 $14 {Zvjaginsev,V-Vescovi,G/Poikovsky 2003 (1/2, 29)}) 12. Be2 Bf6 13. Bxf6 {The most logical continuation. In this case, White does not get anything by maintaining the tension.} (13. O-O Be4 $6 ({It looks more natural to drive the enemy knight away from the d4-square with} 13... Bxe5 14. Nxe5 Qd6 {, winning time for the development at the same time.}) 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qd4 Qd6 16. Nd2 Rfd8 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Qxd6 Rxd6 19. Rfd1 Rad8 20. Rxd6 Rxd6 21. Rc1 $14 {Tregubov,P (2609)-Goloshchapov,A (2563)/Germany 2008/CBM 123 (1-0, 60)}) 13... Qxf6 14. Nd4 ({The bishop proves useful on f5 in case of} 14. Qd4 Qc6 15. Rd1 $2 Bc2 $1 {[%CAl Gc5b3] and Black wins an exchange.}) (14. Qxd5 Qxb2 15. O-O Rac8 {is entirely acceptable for Black.}) 14... Ne6 $146 {At first sight, this looks like a risky novelty. Black immediately puts the enemy knight under pressure, without preserving his bishop from exchange.} ({Previously} 14... Be4 15. Rc1 Ne6 {had been played and Black did not face problems achieving a draw.} 16. f3 Bg6 17. O-O Rac8 18. Qd2 Nxd4 19. Qxd4 Qxd4 20. exd4 Bc2 21. Kf2 Rc7 {1/2 Flumbort,A (2516)-Goloshchapov,A (2555)/Germany 2007/CBM 123. Kramnik must have found a reason to deviate from this game, since his move really implies a high degree of responsibility.}) 15. Nxf5 (15. Nxe6 fxe6 $1 $36 {[%CAl Ga8d8,Ge6e5,Gd5d4]}) 15... Qxf5 16. O-O Rfd8 {The opening has come to an end and time has come to draw the first conclusions. Black's position looks very harmonious and his piece activity seems to compensate for the relatively weak d5-pawn. Botvinnik once wrote that if you have pawn weaknesses, you should keep at least one knight on board. However, the central break ...d4 will not be easy to carry out and the bishop's pressure will prove slightly more disturbing that Kramnik may have expected.} 17. Bg4 Qe5 18. Qb3 (18. Bxe6 fxe6 (18... Qxe6 {would lead to a typical isolani position without minor pieces, where Black is in great danger. One should study Karpov's games in order to get a full picture, especially Kortschnoj,V (2695)-Karpov,A (2700)/Merano m/9 1981/MainBase/[Hecht] (0-1, 43), where White had the isolani.}) 19. Qb3 {and the safer position of the white king is compensated for by Black's possibility of creating a passed pawn in the centre.}) 18... Nc5 ({Kramnik did not feel prepared to embark on such a sharp line as} 18... d4 19. Qxb7 (19. Bxe6 Qxe6 20. Qxe6 fxe6 21. exd4 Rxd4 22. Rfd1 Rad8 23. Rxd4 Rxd4 $11) 19... d3 {, where Black has to prove still that his far advanced pawn is strong enough to compensate for the material deficit.}) 19. Qb5 b6 {The knight enjoys some stability now, because b4 can be met by ...?e4, with further occupation of the c3-square. However, the pressure against the d4-square has been somewhat released.} 20. Rfd1 ({In many of his games, Karpov placed the queen's rook on d1 in such positions. Here, after} 20. Rad1 Rd6 21. Rd4 a6 {White can play the flexible} 22. Qe2) 20... Rd6 21. Rd4 (21. Rac1 {seems like a more logical complement of the previous move. After} Rad8 22. b4 Ne4 (22... Ne6 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. Rc7 $16) 23. Rd4 {White has better chances to maintain the tension for a longer time.}) 21... a6 $1 22. Qb4 {Because of the exposed position of the a1-rook, the queen has to retreat to this square, preventing a further b4, which increases the stability of the knight on c5.} (22. Qe2 Nb3 $17) 22... h5 23. Bh3 ({If Anand had foreseen Kramnik's plan, he may have preferred} 23. Be2 {However, after} Rad8 {followed by ...a5 and ...?e6, Blacks position looks entirely viable.}) 23... Rad8 24. g3 g5 $5 {Black decides to win space on the kingside massively, making the white king feel a bit insecure.} 25. Rad1 {Curiously, this strong concentration of forces around the d4-square does not prevent the thematic pawn break, because the bishop does not participate.} ({The only way to maintain the structure intact would have been} 25. Re1 g4 26. Bg2 Ne6 27. Rdd1 {, when ...d4 is impossible because of exd4, with a double attack against the queen. However, after a neutral move such as} Kg7 {White would have problems increasing his pressure, partly because his rooks are bound to stay on d1 and e1.}) 25... g4 26. Bg2 Ne6 27. R4d3 d4 $11 {The position simplifies now. The theoretical superiority of the bishop over the knight is compensated for by Black's advantage in space and his stability on the dark squares.} 28. exd4 Rxd4 29. Rxd4 Rxd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "RUS-ch Superfinal 61st"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2008.10.14"] [Round "10"] [White "Tomashevsky, Evgeny"] [Black "Riazantsev, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2646"] [BlackElo "2656"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2008.10.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2010"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.11.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.11.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 a4 {The fight in this sharp variation is dancing around the question, which advancing pawn is a heavier burden for the opponent. The praxis shows, that black must immediatelly activate his pieces.} (15... bxa3 16. O-O a4 (16... Ra8 17. Qc2 Ne4 18. Qc6 h6 19. Rfc1 Bb4 20. Rc2 Kh7 21. Ne1 Ndf6 $2 22. f3 Nd2 23. Rxd2 Bxd2 24. Qc2+ $18 {Gustafsson,J-Oms Pallise,J/Andorra 2002}) 17. Qc2 Ne4 18. Rfc1 h6 19. Bh2 g6 20. Ne1 Ra8 21. f3 Qa6 22. Rab1 Nef6 23. Bd6 {1-0 Schandorff,L (2546)-Iordachescu,V (2567)/Bled 2002 (67)}) 16. Rc1 (16. axb4 Bxb4+ 17. Ke2 Ra5 18. Qd3 Ne4 19. Rhc1 Qa6 $1 (19... Qb7 $2 20. Rab1 Be7 21. Nd2 Rc8 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Qc4 $44 {Sokolov,I-Bologan,V/Pamplona 2002}) 20. Nd6 Qxd3+ 21. Kxd3 Bxd6 22. c8=Q Rxc8 23. Rxc8+ Bf8 $11) 16... Ne4 (16... Ne8 17. Qc2 b3 18. Qc6 Nc5 19. Ne5 Nf6 20. O-O Nb7 21. f3 Re8 22. Bg5 Na5 23. Qc3 Bf8 24. e4 Ra8 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Ng4 {1-0 Farago,I (2504)-Cigan,S (2367)/Austria 2007 (40)}) (16... b3 $2 17. Bd6 $16) 17. Nd2 Ndf6 {Due to the failure of the black's defense in this game it can be presumed, that the future will belong to the knight jump to c3.} (17... Nc3 $5 18. Nxc3 bxc3 19. Rxc3 b5 20. Qe2 Qb7 (20... b4 21. axb4 Bxb4 22. Rc2 Nb6 (22... Ra7 23. O-O e5 24. dxe5 Rxc7 25. Rxc7 Qxc7 26. e6 Ne5 27. exf7+ Rxf7 28. Rb1 $14) 23. O-O {1-0 Miton,K (2530)-Vaganian,R (2623)/Belgium 2004 (51)}) 21. O-O Rc8 22. Rb1 Rb6 23. Nf3 b4 24. axb4 Bxb4 25. Rc2 Bd6 26. Rxb6 Qxb6 27. Bxd6 Qxd6 28. Qb5 Rxc7 29. Qxa4 {1/2 Van Wely,L (2676)-Jussupow,A (2600)/Wolvega 2006}) 18. f3 Ra5 19. Nxe4 $1 {Very important moment for the result of the fight. Tomashevsky sees the importance of changing all knights, as then the difference in impact of darksquared bishops can become visible.} (19. fxe4 $2 Rxb5 20. Bg5 b3 $1 (20... dxe4 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Nxe4 b3 $17) 21. e5 b2 $4 (21... Bxa3 $1 22. Ra1 (22. exf6 Bxc1 23. Qxc1 b2 $19) (22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. exf6 Kh8 $19) 22... Ne4 23. Nxe4 Bb4+ 24. Nd2 a3 $19) 22. Rc2 $18 {1-0 Leitao,R (2573)-Milos,G (2601)/Sao Paulo 2004/ (30)}) 19... Nxe4 20. fxe4 (20. Qe2 Bh4+ (20... Qd7 21. fxe4 Rc8 22. exd5 exd5 23. Nc3 bxc3 24. Rxc3 $11) 21. Kf1 Ng3+ 22. Bxg3 Bxg3 23. axb4 Ra8 24. f4 a3 25. h4 $11) 20... Rxb5 21. Qxa4 Ra5 22. Qc6 bxa3 (22... dxe4 23. a4 f5 24. O-O $16) 23. exd5 Rxd5 (23... exd5 24. O-O a2 25. Qxb6 Ra6 26. Qb3 Qe6 27. Ra1 $16) 24. Qxb6 Qd7 25. O-O Rc8 26. Rc6 $1 {[%mdl 4] White is improving on the Bundesliga game, which saw black's win after the less precise play by white. Now black pieces are failing to cope with enemy's activity, since the pawn on c7 is very restrictive.} (26. Qa6 Rb5 27. Rb1 Rb2 28. Rxb2 axb2 29. Qb7 Ba3 30. Rd1 g5 31. Bg3 Kg7 {0-1 Gyimesi,Z (2616)-Vaganian,R (2587)/Germany 2006 (78)}) 26... h6 (26... Bf6 27. Rfc1 e5 (27... Rxd4 28. Qa6 Rb4 29. Qxa3 $16) 28. dxe5 Rd1+ 29. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 30. Kh2 Be7 31. Rd6 $1 Bxd6 32. exd6 Qa4 33. Qb7 Qd7 34. Qa6 $18) 27. Rfc1 Kh7 28. Qa6 Rf5 (28... g6 29. R1c4 h5 30. Be5 $16) 29. Bd6 $1 {It seems the moment is perfect for elimination of the bishops and thus also dangerous a3 pawn.} Bh4 (29... Bxd6 30. Rxd6 Qe8 31. Qxc8 Qxc8 32. Rd8 $18) 30. Qxa3 Bf2+ 31. Kh1 Rd5 32. Bf4 f5 33. Qc3 {Riazantsev has no counterplay for the pawn c7, which the enemy now sports for free. After the transfer of the white rook to b8 the defense will simply collapse.} Bh4 (33... g5 34. Bh2 g4 35. hxg4 $18) 34. Rb6 Bg5 35. Be5 (35. Bxg5 hxg5 36. Rb8 Rb5 37. Rxc8 Qxc8 38. Qa3 $18) 35... Bd8 36. Rb8 1-0 [Event "Poikovsky Karpov 04th"] [Site "Poikovsky"] [Date "2003.04.23"] [Round "4"] [White "Zvjaginsev, Vadim"] [Black "Lputian, Smbat G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2664"] [BlackElo "2638"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2003.04.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 095"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.07.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.07.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Ftacnik} e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 {Beim Turnier im sibirischen Poikovsky wählte Vadim Zvjaginsev diesen Zug zweimal. Weiß will gegen den gegnerischen Isolani spielen und gibt sich mit einem minimalen Vorteil zufrieden.} c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bf6 (11... Bg4 12. Be2 Bf6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Qd4 Ne4 15. Qxf6 Nxf6 16. Nd4 Bxe2 17. Kxe2 Rfc8 18. Rac1 a6 19. f3 Kf8 20. g4 g6 21. Rhd1 $14 {Leitao,R-Bruzon,L/Havana 2003}) 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd4 (13. Rc1 Ne6 $11 {??d8,d4}) 13... Qxd4 (13... Qd6 $5 14. Rd1 Rd8 15. Bc4 Bf5 16. O-O Bc2 17. Rc1 dxc4 18. Rxc2 b5 $11 {Onischuk,A-Vaganian,R/Togliatti 2003}) 14. Nxd4 Bd7 $1 ({Ungenau ist} 14... Ne6 $6 15. Be2 (15. Rd1 $14) 15... Nxd4 16. exd4 Be6 17. Kd2 $14 {??f3, ?c1}) 15. f3 (15. Be2 Rac8 16. O-O Ne6 $11) (15. Kd2 Ne4+ $11) 15... Rac8 $6 $146 {Ftacnik: 'White has in the whole system only minimal advantage, but the endgame with the isolated pawn can be quite unpleasant.'} ({Logischer und besser ist} 15... Rfc8 $1 {, was zwei Runden später Vescovi gegen Vadim spielte. Der schwarze König bekommt einen freien Zugang zum Zentrum.} 16. Kd2 Ne6 17. Nxe6 $1 {Ein neuer Versuch.} (17. Bd3 Nxd4 $11 18. exd4 f6 19. h4 g6 20. Rac1 Kf7 21. Rc5 b6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. h5 Kg7 24. f4 Bf5 {½-½ Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/Moscow 2001}) 17... Bxe6 18. Bd3 Kf8 19. g4 h6 20. h4 Ke7 21. g5 Rh8 22. Kc3 $14 g6 23. Kd4 Kd6 24. f4 hxg5 25. hxg5 Rxh1 26. Rxh1 Rc8 {Weiß steht besser, aber wie kann er diese Stellung gewinnen?} 27. b4 Bd7 28. b5 b6 29. a4 Bf5 $11 {Zvjaginsev,V-Vescovi,G/Poikovsky 2003}) 16. Kd2 g6 (16... Ne6 17. Nf5 $1 $14 Kh8 {Ftacnik} 18. Bd3 Nc5 19. Nd4 Ne6 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rac1 e5 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. f4 $14) 17. Rc1 Ne6 18. Nxe6 fxe6 $6 {Obwohl Schwarz mit dem Textzug seine Bauern verbindet, war 18...?xe6 vorzuziehen. Früher oder später wird der Nachziehende nämlich zu e6-e5 greifen müssen, was Weiß nach f3-f4 die Bauernmajorität auf dem Königsflügel gibt.} (18... Bxe6 $1 19. Bd3 $14) 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 (19... Bxc8 {Ftacnik} 20. Bd3 e5 21. Rc1 Be6 22. e4 $14) 20. Bd3 e5 (20... Kf7 21. h4 (21. f4 $14) 21... e5 22. h5 Bf5 23. hxg6+ Bxg6 24. f4 $14) 21. f4 $14 {'!' Ftacnik.} Bc6 {'?' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Lputian has found it hard to believe, that black could face real problems. The way in which he solves the problems of the center is unfortunate, since white activates all his pieces. '} (21... Kf7 22. fxe5 Ke6 (22... Bf5 23. Rf1 Ke6 24. Bxf5+ gxf5 25. Rf4 Kxe5 26. Rh4 Rc7 27. Kd3 $14) 23. Rf1 $14 {, und der weiße Turm wird bald in das gegnerische Lager eindringen.}) (21... e4 {Ftacnik} 22. Be2 Kf7 23. Rc1 Rxc1 24. Kxc1 h6 25. h4 Kf6 26. Kd2 g5 27. g3 $14) (21... exf4 {Ftacnik} 22. exf4 Kf7 23. Re1 Be6 24. h3 d4 25. g4 $14) (21... d4 {Ftacnik} 22. fxe5 dxe3+ 23. Kxe3 Bc6 24. Rg1 Re8 25. Kf4 Rd8 26. Bc4+ Kf8 27. Ke3 $16) 22. fxe5 Re8 (22... Kf7 {Ftacnik} 23. h4 $1 Ke6 24. h5 $16) 23. Kc3 Rxe5 24. Kd4 Rg5 $2 {Hier steht der Turm sehr schlecht. Angezeigt war 24...?e8.} (24... Re8 $1 25. Rf1 $14 {?b4-b5}) (24... Re7 {Ftacnik} 25. Rc1 Kf7 26. b4 $16) 25. g3 $16 Rg4+ (25... Kf7 26. Rf1+ Ke7 27. Rf4 $16) 26. Ke5 Kf7 27. Kd6 $1 Kf6 {Mit einer Reihe ungenauer Züge hat sich Lputian in eine aüßerst unangenehme Stellung hineinmanövriert.} (27... d4 $2 28. Rf1+ Kg7 29. Rf4 Rxf4 30. exf4 $18) 28. Rf1+ Kg5 29. Ke5 Ra4 30. Rf4 {Ftacnik: 'This modest move effectively finishes the fight, since all white pieces (including pawns on the dark squares) occupy better squares than the opponent's.'} Rxf4 31. exf4+ Kg4 32. f5 $18 Be8 (32... gxf5 33. Bxf5+ Kf3 34. Bxh7 Ke3 35. h4 d4 36. h5 d3 37. Bxd3 Kxd3 38. g4 $18) 33. f6 Bf7 (33... Kh3 34. Ke6 g5 35. Ke7 Bh5 36. g4 $1 $18) 34. Bc2 Kh5 35. Bb3 g5 1-0 [Event "Pamplona"] [Site "Pamplona"] [Date "2002.12.23"] [Round "3"] [White "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Black "Bologan, Viktor"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2684"] [BlackElo "2627"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "133"] [EventDate "2002.12.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 093"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. b4 b6 9. h3 $5 {Ein Vorbereitungszug zu der folgenden taktischen Aktion.} ({Diese taktische Idee kam bereits nach 9.?d3 vor:} 9. Bd3 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 Ne4 (15... a4 $1) 16. O-O bxa3 17. Qa4 g5 18. Bg3 g4 19. Ne1 Nd2 20. Qd1 Nxf1 21. Qxg4+ Kh8 22. Kxf1 Ra8 23. Nc2 Qa6 24. Qe2 Rg8 25. Ncxa3 $13 {Karpov,A-Georgiev,K/Dubai 2002}) 9... a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. b5 cxb5 13. c6 Qc8 14. c7 b4 15. Nb5 a4 $1 $146 {Eine starke Erwiderung. Weiß wird vor die Wahl gestellt- das Rochaderecht zu verlieren oder dem Gegner einen gedeckten Freibauern b3 zu überlassen.} (15... bxa3 16. O-O a4 (16... Ra8 17. Qc2 Ne4 18. Qc6 h6 19. Rfc1 Bb4 20. Rc2 Kh7 21. Ne1 Ndf6 $2 22. f3 Nd2 23. Rxd2 Bxd2 24. Qc2+ $18 {Gustafsson,J-Oms Pallise,J/Andorra la Vella 2002}) 17. Qc2 Ne4 18. Rfc1 h6 19. Bh2 g6 20. Ne1 Ra8 21. f3 Qa6 22. Rab1 Nef6 23. Bd6 Bxd6 24. Nxd6 $16 {Schandorff,L-Iordachescu,V/Bled 2002}) 16. axb4 (16. O-O b3 $13) (16. Rc1 $5 {??d6} Ne8 (16... Ne4 17. Nd2 $1) 17. axb4 Bxb4+ 18. Ke2 $13) 16... Bxb4+ 17. Ke2 Ra5 18. Qd3 ({Nach} 18. Rxa4 $2 Rxb5 {endete die Partie Svirin-Bryzgalin/Smolensk 1997 remis. Allerdings sahen die Anfangszüge der Partie anders aus. In Wirklichkeit steht Schwarz hier auf Gewinn:} 19. Qd3 Ne4 20. Rc1 Rc5 $1 21. dxc5 Ndxc5 $19) 18... Ne4 {??b5} 19. Rhc1 Qb7 $2 ({Laut Bologan war hier 19...?a6! der beste Zug. Nach} 19... Qa6 $1 20. Nd6 Qxd3+ 21. Kxd3 Bxd6 22. c8=Q Rxc8 23. Rxc8+ Bf8 {steht Schwarz dank der Idee b5-b4 besser im Endspiel.}) 20. Rab1 $13 Be7 21. Nd2 Rc8 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Qc4 {??c6, ??d6} a3 ({In Frage kam 23...?f6:} 23... Nf6 $5 {??d5} 24. Bg5 Qa6 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Kd1 a3 27. Rb3 $13) 24. Rb3 $1 (24. Bd6 a2 25. Ra1 Rxb5 26. Bxe7 (26. Qxb5 Bxd6 27. Qxd7 Qa6+ $19) 26... Rb2+ 27. Kf1 b5 28. Qc3 Rb1 29. Raxb1 axb1=Q 30. Rxb1 Rxc7 31. Qa5 $11) 24... Qd5 (24... Nf6 $5 $13) 25. Qxd5 exd5 26. g4 (26. Bd6 $1 Kf8 $1 (26... Rxb5 27. Rxb5 Bxd6 28. Rxd5 $18) (26... a2 27. Bxe7 a1=Q 28. Rxa1 Rxa1 29. Rc3 $16) 27. Rxa3 $1 (27. Bxa3 Bxa3 28. Nxa3 Ke7 29. Nb5 Nf6 $11) 27... Rxa3 (27... Rxb5 $2 28. Ra8 $18) 28. Bxa3 Bxa3 29. Nxa3 Nf6 30. Nb5 Ne8 31. Rc6 Ke7 32. Rxb6 Nxc7 33. Rb7 Kd7 $11) 26... Nf6 27. Bd6 Kf8 28. Bxa3 Bxa3 29. Nxa3 Ke7 $11 30. Rc6 Kd7 31. Rcxb6 Rxc7 32. Kf1 Rc6 33. Rb8 Rc8 34. Rxc8 Kxc8 35. Nb5 Ne8 36. Rc3+ Kd7 37. Rc5 Nd6 38. Nxd6 Ra1+ 39. Kg2 Kxd6 40. Rc8 Ke6 41. Re8+ Kf6 42. Re5 Ra5 43. h4 h6 44. h5 g5 45. hxg6 fxg6 46. Kg3 Rb5 47. Re8 Kg5 48. Re6 Ra5 49. f4+ exf3 50. Re5+ Kf6 51. Kxf3 Rb5 52. Kf4 g5+ 53. Kf3 Kf7 54. Kg3 Ra5 55. Rf5+ Kg6 56. Rf8 Ra3 57. Kf3 h5 58. Rg8+ Kf7 59. Rxg5 hxg4+ 60. Kf4 Ke6 61. Rxg4 Rb3 62. Rg6+ Ke7 63. Ra6 Rc3 64. Ke5 Rxe3+ 65. Kxd5 Rh3 66. Rg6 Ra3 67. Rg7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 6th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2018.08.27"] [Round "9"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2842"] [BlackElo "2777"] [Annotator "Nielsen,Peter Heine"] [PlyCount "193"] [EventDate "2018.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 186"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 {A surprise. Nakamura was favouring 6...?bd7 until the candidates tournament of 2016 when he introduced 6...c5 into his repertoire and now in this game he gives Black's 3rd alternative a go.} 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Ba6 $5 {A popular move of recent, which I very much would like to criticise on general grounds. Why try exchanging pieces and leaving the c6-square weak, when putting the bishop on the beautiful long diagonal at b7 instead is possible? However the game-move was actually introduced by Magnus himself! Against Ding in Wijk 2015 leading to a not too eventful draw.} 9. Qe2 Bxc4 $5 {Magnus played 9...?c8, but Nakamura tries a more active approach.} 10. Qxc4 c5 11. dxc5 bxc5 $5 {An interesting and principled decision. Instead of accepting to be slightly worse in a symmetrical position, Black makes the bold statement: Sure I do have an isolated pawn and give you the c4-square, but my position is so robust that it's of insignificant value. To an extent the game confirms Nakamura's statement.} 12. O-O Nc6 13. Rac1 Rc8 14. Ne5 Qb6 15. Nxc6 (15. Na4 Qb7 16. Nxc6 Qxc6 17. Bg5 {followed by 18.?xf6 would lead to a very typical position very much in the spirit of this line. White will claim a strategic edge, Black that it is not relevant!}) 15... Rxc6 16. b3 h6 17. Rfd1 Qb7 (17... Qa6 {also was interesting, as while endgames in principle favour White due to his better structure, Black in most likelihood will manage to force through ...c4, equalising.}) 18. h3 Rfc8 19. Na4 Nd7 $6 {Somewhat too cautious. Overprotecting the c5-pawn really is unneccesary so using the more active d5-square en route to eventually b6 only has upsides compared to the game.} 20. Rd2 Nb6 21. Nxb6 Rxb6 22. Rcd1 {Very tempting, attacking as quickly as possible in the d-file, but as Black seems to have sufficient defensive resources the more positional 22.?e5!? might have been the better way of keeping long-term pressure.} Bf6 23. Rd7 Qa6 24. Qe4 {Playing for an attack.} ({If} 24. Qc2 {then} c4 {and Black starts liquidating his only weakness, equalising the position.}) 24... e5 $5 {At first looking like a tactical blunder, but in reality just a well-calculated sequence.} ({So would have been} 24... Qxa2 $5 25. Be5 Rb4 $1 26. Qf3 Bxe5 27. Qxf7+ Kh7 28. Qxe6 Rf8 $1 29. Qxe5 Qxf2+ {with a drawish position.}) 25. Bxh6 Re8 $5 (25... gxh6 $2 26. Rxf7 $1 {wins, as} Kxf7 27. Qh7+ {mates on the 7th rank.}) ({Not taking the bishop, but only a pawn however works, as after} 25... Qxa2 $5 26. Qg4 Qxb3 27. R7d6 {White does look winning, threatening to take on c8 and f6, but:} Rcb8 $1 {defends due to} 28. Rxf6 $2 Qxd1+ $1 29. Qxd1 Rb1 $1 $17) 26. Qg4 Qxa2 27. e4 Qxb3 28. Be3 Rb7 $1 {White's initiative is fading, Black is managing well to neutralise to a draw.} 29. R7d6 Be7 30. R6d5 Bf8 31. Bxc5 Bxc5 32. Rxc5 Qe6 33. Qe2 Rd7 34. Rxd7 Qxd7 35. Rd5 Qc7 {A good time to agree to a draw, was it not for the fact that Magnus desperately needed to win in order to catch up with the leaders, as well as the tournament is played after Corsican rules, meaning no draw-offers were allowed.} 36. Qd2 Ra8 37. Rd7 Qc4 38. f3 Qc5+ 39. Kh2 Qc6 ({A computer would happily have pushed} 39... a5 $1 {as after} 40. Qa2 Qf8 41. Qd5 a4 $1 42. Rxf7 Qxf7 43. Qxa8+ Kh7 44. Qxa4 Qf4+ $1 {Black gives perpetual check.}) 40. Rd6 Qc5 41. Ra6 Qe7 42. Qe3 Kh7 43. Kg3 Qb7 44. Qa3 f6 45. Kh2 $1 {Walking up the board with the king, or starting to push the pawns is only an attempt to lose, so magnus shows dicipline and retracts his steps.} Qc7 46. Qa1 Qb7 47. Qa5 Qd7 48. Qa2 Qe7 49. Qf2 Qb7 50. Qa2 Qe7 51. Qd5 $5 {An interesting idea. At first it looks like it allows black just to activate his passive rook, but it does have some hidden point.} Rb8 52. Qa5 Rb7 ({Nothing was wrong with} 52... Ra8 {but Nakamura wants to "punish" White's seeming inaccuracy.}) 53. Qe1 Qd7 54. Qh4+ Kg8 55. Qf2 Qf7 $6 56. Qa2 $5 {An interesting idea only made possible as the rook is now on b7 and not a8. At first it seems absurd to offer the trade of queens, but that does however allow White more freedom in activating his king as well as starting to push his kingside pawns. Having said that, even without the a7-pawn the ensuing ending would be considered a trivial draw.} Qxa2 57. Rxa2 {Had Black's rook been on a8, then...a5! would have been possible.} Kh7 58. Ra6 Kg6 59. h4 Kh5 60. Kh3 Rf7 61. g4+ Kh6 62. Kg3 {White has made some progress and starts "threatening" g5+. What should Black do about it?} g5 $6 ({The answer is: Absolutely nothing!, after} 62... Kg6 63. g5 {the threat of 64.?g4 is easily parried by} Kh5 $1 {when White can make no progress, meaning a trivial draw.}) 63. h5 Kg7 64. Kf2 Rb7 65. Ra3 Kh6 66. Ke3 {Nakamura starts feeling the pressure, as the draw no longer is as trivial as expected. Black's idea of a fortress just blocking the d-line, does not work, as due to the protected passed pawn on h5, a rook-exchange leads to a trivially won pawn ending for White.} a5 $4 (66... Rd7 $1 67. Rd3 Rb7 $1 {is still a relatively easy and concrete draw. If} 68. Kd2 a5 {Similarly} 69. Ra3 (69. Kc3 a4 70. Kc4 Kg7 71. Ra3 {then} Rd7 $1 {is a key point, as} 72. Rxa4 Rd4+ $1 {allows 73...?d3 next with an instant draw.}) 69... Rb5 70. Kc3 Kh7 71. Kc4 Rb4+ 72. Kc5 Rd4 $1 73. Rxa5 Rd3 74. Ra7+ Kh6 75. Rf7 Rxf3 76. Kd5 Rf4 $1 {is just in time to secure the draw. Still now we are analysing concrete varations with Black drawing by a tempo. Not what Black was expecting just a few moves back, and Nakamura has not made the mental shift yet, and still is under the impression he has an impregnable fortress.}) 67. Rxa5 {The idea of annotating this game, was to write a detailed analysis of the ensuing ending. However, all there is to say is that White is winning! Unknown to most of us, including me, but the plan was demonstrated already in the game Gajewski (who was present in St. Louis as Anands second) vs MVL (who sat next to this game, still playing vs. Karjakin!).} Rb3+ 68. Kf2 Rb2+ 69. Kg3 Kg7 {The intended fortress. But as all pawn endings are won for White, offering continuous rook-swaps will break down the black fortress.} 70. Ra7+ $6 {In principle perfectionism. As 70...?h6 71?f7! wins immediately, White now forces the black king to lose a tempo. However, much more relevantly Black gets 1 move closer to a draw by 50 moves without a pawn-push!} Kg8 71. Ra1 Kg7 72. Rf1 Ra2 73. Rf2 $1 {The principal idea, offering an exchange of rook to gain acces for White's king.} Ra3 74. Rd2 Ra7 75. Kf2 Kf7 76. Ke2 Rb7 77. Rd3 Ra7 78. Kd2 Ke6 79. Kc3 Ke7 80. Kc4 Rc7+ 81. Kb5 Rc1 82. Rb3 Kf7 83. Kb6 Rc2 84. Kb7 Rc1 85. Kb8 $1 {The target position. Now ?b7-c7 is the way of bridging the way for White's king.} Kg8 $5 86. Rb6 $1 {Forcing the king to defend the f-pawn, thus ensuring ?b7 will be with check.} Kg7 87. Rb7+ Kg8 ({If} 87... Kh6 {then} 88. Rf7 $1 Rc6 89. Kb7 {is a trivial win.}) 88. Rc7 $1 Rb1+ 89. Kc8 Rb3 90. Kd7 $1 {The only slightly complex moment, in an else very mechanical way to win this endgame. Black will win a couple of pawns but White's king will take a dominat position combining mating threats with creating another decisive passed pawn.} Rxf3 91. Ke6 Rf4 92. h6 Kh8 93. Rb7 Kg8 94. Rg7+ $1 {As 94...?f8 95.?g6+! followed by 96.h7 mates instantly, Black now has to allow the white king to access the g6-square.} Kh8 95. Kf7 Rxe4 96. Kg6 Ra4 97. Rh7+ {97.?e7 also was sufficient, but this makes sure that an eventual h7 will be with check and thus win a tempo in the ensuing positions where White has taken the f- and g-pawn with his king and will start advancing his own pawns. Nakamura had seen enough and resigned.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup final"] [Site "Hyderabad"] [Date "2002.10.16"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Dreev, Alexey"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2673"] [BlackElo "2684"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2002.10.15"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "CBM 092"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.02.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.02.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 32768]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 c5 6. dxc5 Na6 7. e3 Nxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 ({Ein ähnlicher Spielverlauf ergibt sich nach} 8... exd5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Be5 O-O 12. O-O Rfd8 13. Qe2 Rac8 14. Rfd1 $14) 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bb5+ $1 {Mit dem Abtausch der Läufer erreicht Weiß eine leicht vorteilhafte Isolani-Stellung. Der Sinn des Abtauschs besteht in der Anfälligkeit des Isolani d5, der von Schwarz sonst sicher mit ?c8-e6 geschützt würde.} Bd7 11. Bxd7+ Qxd7 12. O-O O-O 13. Qe2 (13. Be5 Rac8 14. Rc1 (14. Qd4 f6) 14... Rfd8 15. Qe2 Ne4 16. h3 f6 17. Bd4 Qa4 $1 18. b3 Qa5 $11 {Benko,P-Nikolac,J/Bad Woerishofen 1992}) 13... Rfd8 (13... Bf6 $6 14. Be5 Bxe5 15. Nxe5 Qc7 16. Nf3 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. Nd4 $14 {Bielicki,C-Darga,K/Havana 1964}) 14. Rfd1 Rac8 15. Be5 b5 $2 {Dieser Fehler wird von Dreev brilliant ausgenutzt.} (15... Qf5 16. Bd4 a6 17. Rac1 Ne4 18. Ne1 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 $14 {King,D-Begovac,F/SUI 1997}) ({Richtig war} 15... Ne4 16. Rac1 Qa4 $132) 16. Bc3 $1 {[%csl Ra5] ×a5} Qb7 (16... Ne4 17. Ba5 Re8 18. Qd3 {×d5} Bf6 19. Qxd5 Qxd5 20. Rxd5 Bxb2 21. Rb1 Ba3 22. Rdxb5 Rc2 23. Rb8 $16) 17. Ba5 $1 Rd7 18. Rac1 Bf6 19. Rc2 $16 {[%csl Rb5,Rd5][%CAl Gc1c8] Während Schwarz mit der Verteidigung seiner Schwächen volle Hände zu tun hat, übernimmt Weiß die offene c-Linie.} Na4 $2 {Diesem Springer steht ein schweres Schicksal bevor.} (19... Qa6 $142 20. Bb4 $16) 20. Rxc8+ Qxc8 21. b3 Nb2 22. Rf1 $1 {??d4+-} Qa6 23. Bb4 Qxa2 24. Nd4 {??c3} Rc7 25. Qxb5 Rc8 26. Qb7 Re8 27. Qc6 Rd8 28. Qc2 $1 {??c3} Bxd4 29. exd4 Rb8 30. Qc7 $1 Re8 31. Qc6 Rd8 32. Be7 Rb8 33. Bd6 Rd8 34. Bc7 Rf8 35. Bd6 Rd8 36. Bc7 Rf8 37. Qxd5 h6 38. h4 Nd3 39. Bg3 $18 {Als Folge seines beeindruckenden Spiels gewann Weiß einen Bauern. Sein Freibauer d4 entscheidet die Partie.} Re8 40. Qb5 Qe2 41. Ra1 Qe4 42. d5 Ne1 $2 43. f3 Qd4+ 44. Kh2 Nxf3+ 45. gxf3 Qb2+ 46. Kh3 Re3 47. Re1 Rxe1 48. Bxe1 Qe5 49. Bg3 Qf5+ 50. Kg2 Qc2+ 51. Bf2 Qg6+ 52. Kh2 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 6th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2018.08.26"] [Round "8"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2822"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2018.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 186"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 {Caruana decides that Wesley's opening choice against Anand was the right one, and deviates from that round 6 game only now.} Bb4+ 11. Nd2 (11. Ke2 $5 {deserves attention, and something tells me this would be Carlsen's choice.}) 11... Nc6 ({Anand does not feel like seeing where Caruana has improved upon his previous attempt to topple this system.} 11... d4 12. e4 Na6 13. O-O Nc5 14. Nb3 Be6 15. Nxc5 Bxc5 $14 {Caruana,F-Nakamura,H Saint Louis 2018; White was a little better, though he eventually lost.}) 12. O-O Be7 13. a3 ({Likewise, Caruana does not follow someone else's previous choice against Anand:} 13. Rc1 Qb6 14. Nb3 g6 15. Qd2 Be6 $11 {Caruana,F-Nakamura,H Saint Louis 2018; and the pieces were swiftly vacuumed off.}) 13... g6 {This move is primarily useful to cut out ideas of ?h5, especially in instances where this move meaningfully hits the d5-pawn.} 14. Rc1 Bf6 (14... a5 $5 {could be considered, but in general it isn't so good to commit pawns like this, and it could be that after} 15. Qa4 {and ?c2, ?f3, ?fc1, ?b5 etc, White stands a little better.}) 15. b4 Qe7 16. Nf3 (16. e4 Be6 $1 {Black is solid as a rock.}) 16... Rd8 {Maybe this is not most accurate, for instance if Black has no idea of playing ...d4 in the near future.} (16... a5 $5 17. b5 Nd8 $132) 17. h3 (17. Qd2 Bg4 18. b5 Ne5 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21. h3 Bd7 $14 {White should have a little something here, for instance with ?e2-f3.}) 17... Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Qd2 a5 {A reasonable attempt to liquidate as many pawns as possible, however maybe White achieved some advantage after this.} (19... Bxf4 20. exf4 Bd7 21. Rfe1 Qd6 $11) 20. bxa5 Bxf4 21. exf4 Qxa3 22. Ra1 Qd6 23. Rfb1 $1 Qf6 24. Ra2 Rd6 25. Rc2 Rc6 26. Rxc6 $2 (26. Rb5 $1 $14 {This move gave White a little something to play with. Consider the line:} Be6 (26... Qd4 27. Qe3 Qxe3 28. fxe3 Be6 29. g4 $14) 27. Rxb7 Rxc2 28. Bxc2 Qa1+ 29. Kh2 {and now it is absolutely critical that Black can't take on a5.} Qa2 (29... Qxa5 $6 30. Rb8+ Kg7 31. Qd4+ f6 32. Rb7+ Bf7 33. g4 $3 $16) 30. g4 Rc8 31. f5 Bxf5 $1 (31... Rxc2 32. f6 $18) (31... Qxc2 32. Qxc2 Rxc2 33. fxe6 fxe6 34. a6 $18) 32. gxf5 Qxc2 33. Qe3 Qa2 $8 34. Qf3 {White has very real, continuing threats against Black's king, and the a-pawn isn't getting any less far advanced.}) 26... bxc6 27. Qb4 Qd8 $1 {This move neutralises all White's ideas because of the reach of the black queen from this square.} 28. Ra1 Ba6 $1 {Now commentary isn't really required.} 29. Bxa6 Rxa6 30. f5 d4 31. fxg6 hxg6 32. Rd1 Rxa5 33. Rxd4 Rd5 34. Re4 Rd1+ 35. Kh2 Qd6+ 36. Qxd6 Rxd6 37. Re7 Rd2 38. Rc7 Rxf2 39. Rxc6 Ra2 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Anand +3-1=7"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2014.11.18"] [Round "8"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2792"] [BlackElo "2863"] [Annotator "Postny,Evgeny"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2014.11.08"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 5. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:13] Anand doesn't mind to repeat the same line that brought him success in game three.} O-O {[%emt 0:00:14]} 6. e3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:13] This used to be the main line years ago, but nowadays is out of fashion.} ({In game three there followed} 6... Nbd7 7. c5 {which is the main line nowadays.}) 7. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 8. a3 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 9. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:54]} Re8 $5 {[%emt 0:00:12] Here is what Magnus and his team unleashed. Black's idea is to prepare e6-e5. However, as long as Black's queen stays on d8, this gives White numerous options to press on the ?d5. The quiet rook move is very rare and has never really appeared on the top level so far. During and after the game there were speculations as to whether the idea 9...?e8 was a one-shot affair, or whether it may find followers and even become a new trend in the Queen's Gambit!? Hard to say. After a certain analysis I can conclude that White definitely can't refute Black's setup by force, but does have chances for a slight advantage.} (9... Qa5 {is the main move.}) 10. Bg5 $6 {[%emt 0:11:18] White has many logical options to consider. Anand's choice is one of them, but unfortunately for him, is not the most challenging. In future games White needs to seek for an advantage after 10.0-0-0 or 10.b4.} (10. b4 Bd6 ({A real mess may arise after} 10... e5 $6 11. Bg5 d4 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Nd5 e4 14. bxc5 exf3 15. O-O-O {which seems to be in White's favour.}) 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. c5 (12. Be2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 $140 Ne5 $1 $11) 12... Qe7 13. Rd1 Rd8 14. Be2 e5 15. O-O Bg4 16. Rfe1 {This position is slightly easier to handle as White.}) (10. O-O-O e5 (10... h6 $5 {This prophylaxics deserves more atttention. Before developing his counterplay on the queenside, Black covers the g5-square.} 11. Bg3 (11. Kb1 e5 12. cxd5 exf4 13. dxc6 Qc7 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. Qxc5 Nf6 16. exf4 Bg4 $132) (11. Nb5 e5 12. Bg3 a6 13. cxd5 Na5 $1 14. Nc3 Bg4 $44 {and now} 15. b4 $2 Bd6 16. bxa5 $2 Qxa5 {[%csl Rc1] leads to a disaster for White.}) 11... a6 $1 {Another useful prophylactic move.} ({After} 11... Qa5 $6 12. Nb5 {is unpleasant.}) 12. Kb1 Be7 13. Bh4 Bd7 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. cxd5 Na5 $1 16. dxe6 Rxe6 17. Rd5 Rc8 18. Nd4 Re5 19. Rxe5 Bxe5 {with decent compensation.}) 11. Bg5 (11. cxd5 $6 exf4 12. dxc6 Qc7 {is fine for Black.}) 11... d4 12. Nd5 Be7 13. Nxe7+ Qxe7 14. exd4 Nxd4 (14... Bg4 15. dxe5 (15. d5 $6 Nd4 16. Qd3 Bxf3 17. gxf3 b5 $1 $44) 15... Nxe5 16. Be2 b5 $5 (16... h6 17. Be3 $14) 17. Rhe1 bxc4 18. Bxc4 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Qc7 20. Be2 $14) 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Rxd4 (16. Kb1 h6 17. Bh4 $14) 16... Qe5 17. Be3 b5 18. c5 Bf5 19. Bd3 Rac8 20. b4 Bxd3 21. Rxd3 $14 {1-0 (39) Lalith,B (2569)-Thejkumar,M (2452) Jalgaon 2013}) (10. Rd1 e5 11. Bg5 d4 12. Nd5 Be7 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Bd3 g6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. O-O Bg4 $11 {½-½ (30) Romanov,S (2535)-Dibley,E (2463) ICCF email 2010}) ({In case of} 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 {Black can equalise by} d4 12. Rd1 Bg4 13. O-O Qe7 14. Na4 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 dxe3 $1 16. Nxc5 e2 17. Bxe2 Qxe2 $11) 10... Be7 $1 {[%emt 0:02:07] Magnus answered quickly, clearly showing that Anand's reply had also been under thorough investigation.} (10... d4 11. O-O-O e5 {would transpose to the line 10.0-0-0 e5 11.?g5 d4 mentioned above.}) 11. Rd1 {[%emt 0:07:43]} (11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 $11) (11. O-O-O Bd7 {is also perfectly playable for Black.} (11... Qa5 $6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. cxd5 {Here White's knight is not pinned, so White wins a pawn.}) {It is now very risky for White to grab the pawn:} 12. Bxf6 $6 Bxf6 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Rxd5 Rc8 $36) 11... Qa5 {[%emt 0:01:00] Pinning the knight, so now the ?d5 is protected.} 12. Bd3 {[%emt 0:06:50] Officially, only this is a novelty. At first sight it looks like an improvement, but Carlsen proves that Black has good grounds for keeping the balance.} (12. Be2 Ne4 13. cxd5 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 15. bxc3 exd5 16. Bxe7 Nxe7 17. Nd4 Bd7 $11 {0-1 (66) Correa de Almeida,C (1742)-Manheimer,G (1967) Lechenicher SchachServer 2010}) 12... h6 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 13. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:24]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:02:23]} (13... a6 {was also possible and after} 14. O-O (14. cxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxe7 Ncxe7 $11) 14... dxc4 15. Bxc4 {could lead to the same position by a different order of moves.}) 14. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} a6 {[%emt 0:02:32]} 15. O-O {[%emt 0:07:30]} b5 {[%emt 0:01:40]} 16. Ba2 {[%emt 0:07:59]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 17. Bb1 {[%emt 0:03:35]} (17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Ne4 (18. Rd7 Re7 $11) 18... Be7 19. Rd7 (19. Nc5 Bxc5 20. Qxc5 Red8 $11) 19... Qb6 20. Bb1 g6 {White doesn't have enough resources to create serious threats, his activity is temporary. For instance: after} 21. h4 Rac8 {Black has no problems.}) 17... Rad8 $1 {[%emt 0:01:09] A cold-blooded reply, showing that White's battery along the diagonal b1-h7 is not so frightening.} 18. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:09:36]} Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 19. Ne4 {[%emt 0:04:31]} (19. Qh7+ $6 {is just a single check.} Kf8 {Black's king has a safe shelter on e7. Meanwhile, White's queenside is under pressure.}) 19... Be7 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 20. Nc5 {[%emt 0:08:02]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 21. Qxc5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} b4 $1 {[%emt 0:05:00] After the exchange of queens the game peters out.} 22. Rc1 {[%emt 0:05:11]} (22. Qxa5 Nxa5 23. axb4 Nc4 24. b3 Bxf3 25. Rxd8 (25. gxf3 $4 Nd2 $19) 25... Rxd8 26. bxc4 Be2 27. Rc1 Bxc4 $11) 22... bxa3 {[%emt 0:03:27]} 23. bxa3 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Qxc5 {[%emt 0:01:36]} 24. Rxc5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:01:56]} 25. Rfc1 {[%emt 0:03:42]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:28]} (25... Bxf3 {is possible, but I wouldn't recommend it.} {After} 26. gxf3 {White's bishop is slightly superior to the knight and the ?a6 may become a target.}) 26. Bd3 {[%emt 0:01:57]} Red8 {[%emt 0:01:15]} 27. Rxc8 {[%emt 0:02:28]} Rxc8 {[%emt 0:01:53]} 28. Rxc8+ {[%emt 0:04:58]} Nxc8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 29. Nd2 {[%emt 0:01:41]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 30. Nb3 {[%emt 0:02:03]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:14] Covering the c5-square and parrying White's last attempt to squeeze something out of nothing.} 31. Na5 {[%emt 0:02:28]} Bc8 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 32. Kf1 {[%emt 0:01:27]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:01:11]} 33. Ke1 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Ke7 {[%emt 0:06:03]} 34. Kd2 {[%emt 0:01:31]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:03:16]} 35. Kc3 {[%emt 0:00:30]} Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 36. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:32]} Kc5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 37. f4 {[%emt 0:02:25]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:01:17]} 38. Nxc6 {[%emt 0:01:41]} Kxc6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 39. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:39]} f6 {[%emt 0:00:37] Black has a safe fortress.} 40. e4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. e5+ {[%emt 0:01:07] A success for Magnus neutralising one of Anand's last games as White in the match.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 6th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2018.08.24"] [Round "6"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2768"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2018.08.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 186"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 ({It barely needs stating that after} 8. Qc2 Nc6 {and either a3 or ?d1, we enter a theoretical battlefield in which I have annotated many games on this site, many of which featured either Anand or Nakamura.}) 8... Nxd5 (8... exd5 9. Rc1 {might be a marginally better version than the game for White, because the c3-knight often has chances to annoy the black dark-squared bishop.}) 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 {Wesley fancies his chances of impersonating Magnus today, and turning the IQP into (say) a bishop pair, and slowly constricting his opponent to death.} Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 (12... Qf6 13. b4 Bf5 {might seem principled, but actually any exchanges at all favour the side battling the IQP.} 14. Bxf5 Qxf5 15. Qb1 $14) 13. h3 Bh5 14. Bb1 {Clearly, Wesley would like the option to force the d-pawn forward with ?a2, but this may not be one that he actually wants. The position is now totally equal, because when Black ventures ...d4 there will be mass liquidations.} (14. b4 $5 a6 15. Re1 {is the most maximalist way to play the position, with e4 being the response to ...d4.}) 14... d4 15. Qd3 (15. e4 {would be the main way to try and claim an advantage, if this were appropriate; however it turns out not to be after} Bc7 $1 16. Bxc7 Qxc7 {and only Black can be better.}) 15... Bg6 (15... f5 $5 $11) 16. e4 Re8 17. Re1 Qe7 {Keeping the f3-knight and b1-bishop at home while preparing ...?ad8. As ...?c7 is firmly within Black's territory, White will find himself unable to stop it in the long run.} (17... Bc7 $11) 18. Qb5 f6 $6 {Black strives a little too hard for control.} (18... Bc7 19. Qxb7 Bxf4 20. Qxc6 Rab8 $44 {makes considerable sense to me as a pawn sacrifice.}) (18... Rac8 {is the machine suggestion, preparing ...?c7 yet again.}) 19. Nh4 (19. e5 $1 Bxb1 20. Raxb1 fxe5 21. Bxe5 $14 {gives White an advantage based on better co-ordination.}) 19... Bf7 20. Nf5 Qc5 21. Qe2 Ne5 22. Bxe5 Qxe5 23. Bd3 {The position is now level again, but as is often the way with the bishop pair, if Black can avoid making big concessions in the next 10 moves he has good chances of being better.} Bg6 (23... Kh8 24. Rac1 Bb3 25. Qf1 g6 26. f4 Qe6 27. Nh4 Rac8 28. Nf3 Ba5 {might be one sequence of moves after which Black begins taking more control of the game}) 24. Qd2 Bxf5 {Indicating contentment with a draw, but quite often playing too hard for a draw has adverse results.} (24... Rac8 $11) 25. exf5 Qd5 26. Qc2 (26. Re2 $14) 26... Kf8 27. Re6 Rxe6 28. fxe6 g6 29. Re1 Re8 $1 {The situation is back under control, and even though Black needs to sacrifice a pawn to get the queens off on the next move, there isn't such a big risk of losing anymore.} 30. Bc4 ({Having said that, something like} 30. h4 Qc5 31. Qe2 $14 {'hinting' at h5, was interesting from a practical perspective.}) 30... d3 31. Qxd3 Qxd3 32. Bxd3 Ke7 33. Bc4 Rd8 34. Re2 Ba5 35. b4 Rd1+ 36. Kh2 Bc7+ 37. g3 Rc1 38. Ba2 Rc3 39. a4 Bd6 $11 40. b5 Ra3 41. Bd5 b6 {Black is active enough that if the rooks stay on, all three results might occur. Therefore White bailed out, but played on, as is the way with such things:} 42. Ra2 Rxa2 43. Bxa2 f5 44. Kg2 Be5 45. g4 fxg4 46. hxg4 h5 47. gxh5 gxh5 48. Kh3 Bf6 49. Bc4 Kd6 50. Kg3 Ke7 {A interesting choice, but not a mistake. Black can defend actively, which is preferable to allowing a raid by White's king.} (50... Ke5 $1 51. f4+ Kf5 $11 {and neither of White's pieces has any prospects at all.}) 51. Kf4 h4 52. Kg4 Kd6 53. f3 Ke7 54. f4 Kd6 55. Kf5 Ke7 56. Bf1 Ba1 57. Bh3 Bf6 58. Bg4 Ba1 59. Ke4 Kd6 60. Bh3 (60. Kf5 Ke7 61. Kg5 Bf6+ 62. Kh5 Kd6 {The fortress holds firm.}) 60... Bb2 61. Kd3 Bf6 62. Kc4 Be7 63. Kd4 Bf6+ 64. Kc4 Be7 65. Kd4 Bf6+ 66. Kc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Grand Slam Final 1st"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2008.09.09"] [Round "7"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2775"] [BlackElo "2781"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2008.09.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 126"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. h4 Rd8 12. Nd2 a6 $6 {[%CAl Yb7b5] An interesting idea but still it appears too slow.} (12... dxc4 {- see CBM 117, annotations to Topalov-Kramnik.}) 13. Be2 $2 {Too passive. Two other moves seen in practice are more logical:} (13. Nb3 $5 Qb6 14. c5 Qa7 15. Bc7 {and Black didn't manage to consolidate his position in the following game:} Rf8 (15... Rd7 $5 16. Bb6 Qb8 {[%CAl Ye7d8,Ye6e5]}) 16. Na4 Ne8 17. Bh2 Bd8 18. Bd3 h6 19. g4 e5 20. g5 h5 21. g6 (21. Bh7+ $1 Kh8 22. Bf5 {[%csl Rd5]} Be6 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. Qg6 $18) 21... f5 22. Be2 Nf6 23. Rhg1 $6 Be6 24. Rg5 $2 Ng4 {0-1 Arnold,J (2320)-Ganaus,H (2340)/Austria 2000/EXT 2001 (53)}) (13. g4 $5 dxc4 (13... b5 14. g5 $1 Nh5 $140 15. cxd5) (13... Nxg4 $5 $13) 14. Nxc4 Rxd1+ 15. Qxd1 Qd8 16. Qxd8+ Bxd8 17. Bg2 e5 (17... Nxg4 18. Rd1 $1 Bxh4 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Nb6) 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Nxg4 20. Bg3 $16 {1-0 Nielsen,P (2625)-Glud,J (2486)/Silkeborg 2008/CBM 123 Extra (40)}) 13... b5 $1 {[%mdl 128] Black now seizes the initiative.} 14. cxd5 (14. cxb5 axb5 15. Bxb5 (15. Nxb5 e5) 15... Bd7 $40) 14... exd5 15. g4 Be6 16. Nb3 Qb6 17. g5 Ne4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Rxd8+ Nxd8 20. Kb1 Rc8 21. Qd1 Nc6 22. h5 a5 {Black's attack comes first.} 23. g6 $6 (23. h6 $142 a4 24. Nd4 Rd8 (24... Nxd4 25. Qxd4) 25. hxg7 Nxd4 (25... b4 26. axb4 Qxb4 27. Nxc6 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 {may be difficult to win}) 26. exd4 Rxd4 27. Qc1 {keeping chances for counterplay.}) 23... a4 24. Nd2 (24. Nd4 Nxd4 25. Qxd4 (25. exd4 Bb3) 25... Qc6 26. Qd2 Rd8 27. Qc2 Qd5 $19) 24... b4 {White's king is helpless.} 25. gxf7+ Bxf7 26. Nc4 Qb7 27. Qxa4 (27. Nd6 Bxd6 28. Qxd6 (28. Bxd6 Rd8 $19) 28... bxa3 29. Qxa3 Nb4 $19) 27... bxa3 28. Nxa3 Bxa3 29. Qxa3 Nb4 30. b3 Nd3 31. Bxd3 exd3 32. Rc1 d2 0-1 [Event "Poikovsky Karpov 05th"] [Site "Poikovsky"] [Date "2004.03.25"] [Round "8"] [White "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Black "Onischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2706"] [BlackElo "2652"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2004.03.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 100"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. Be2 $5 {Eine bemerkenswerte Idee, die erstaunlich selten in der Praxis vorkam. Weiß beschleunigt seine Entwicklung indem er auf den üblichen Zug a2-a3 verzichtet.} (10. a3 Be7 {??e4} 11. Nd2 {ist die theoretische Hauptvariante.}) 10... dxc4 {Eine logische Fortsetzung, denn der weiße Läufer wird erneut ziehen müssen. In Frage kam 10...?b4!?} (10... Nb4 11. Qb3 dxc4 (11... Ne4 12. O-O Nxc3 13. Qxc3 $14) 12. Bxc4 Nbd5 13. Be5 a6 14. O-O Nxc3 15. Bxc3 $14 {Korobkov,P-Severgin,V/Voronezh 2001}) (10... Ne4 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rxd5 $14) (10... Bb4 $5 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 Ne4 $5 (12... Qc5 $5)) 11. Bxc4 b6 $2 {Mit der Idee 12...?a6. Der Zug ist riskant, denn die schwarze Dame wird eingeklemmt. Solider war 11...?e7.} (11... a6 12. Nd2 $5 (12. O-O $5) 12... Be7 13. Nb3 Qh5 14. Be2 Nb4 15. Qb1 Qg6 16. Qxg6 hxg6 17. Bd6 Re8 18. Bf3 $14 {Portisch,L-Ostojic,P/Monte Carlo 1969}) (11... Be7 12. O-O e5 13. Bg5 Bg4 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Ne4 Qb4 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. a3 Qb6 18. Rd6 $14 {Dgebuadze,A-Kruppa,Y/Ubeda 1998}) 12. O-O {12.a3! versprach Weiß Materialgewinn, allerdings auf Kosten der Sicherheit des weißen Königs. Es ist nicht leicht, am Brett die Verwicklungen einzuschätzen, deswegen ist Sokolovs Entscheidung verständlich.} (12. a3 $1 Ba6 (12... Be7 13. Bb5 Bb7 14. Nd2 $16) 13. Bxa6 Qxa6 14. b4 Nxb4 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Bd6 Bxd6 (16... Ba5 17. Bxf8 Rxf8 18. Nd4 Nd5 19. Nde2 Nxc3 20. Nxc3 Qc4 21. Rd3 $18) 17. Rxd6 Rfc8 18. Qa2 $1 Qxa2 19. Nxa2 Ne4 20. Rd4 $16) 12... Ba6 13. Bxa6 Qxa6 14. Ne4 Ne7 $2 {Onischuk sollte sich wohl oder übel auf das gefährlich aussehende, aber spielbare 14...?xe4 einlassen, der Textzug führt forciert zum Bauernverlust.} (14... Nd5 15. Nxc5 bxc5 16. Ng5 g6 17. Qxc5 $16) (14... Nxe4 $1 15. Qxe4 Rac8 16. Ng5 g6 17. Rd7 $1 (17. Bd6 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Qb5 19. Qh4 h5 20. b3 Rcd8 $11) 17... Be7 $1 (17... Qxa2 18. Bc7 Ne7 19. Qh4 h5 20. Ne4 $16) 18. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 19. Qxe6+ Rf7 20. Bc7 Qb7 (20... Qb5 21. Rd5 Qxd5 22. Qxd5 Rxc7 $13) 21. Bd6 Qa8 22. Bxe7 Re8 23. Rc7 Nxe7 24. Rd1 $44) 15. Nxf6+ gxf6 16. Qc3 $16 e5 (16... Nd5 $2 17. Rxd5 exd5 18. Qxf6 $18) 17. Bh6 Rfd8 (17... Rfc8 18. Nxe5 $1 Bd6 19. Qd3 $16) 18. Nxe5 $1 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Qa4 20. b3 Qh4 21. Nd7 Qxh6 22. b4 Bxe3 23. Nxf6+ Kh8 24. Ng4+ {Die weiße Königsstellung ist sicherer, weswegen Sokolov die Damen auf dem Brett behalten sollte. Vorzuziehen war 24.fxe3.} (24. fxe3 $1 Qg7 25. e4 $16) 24... Qg7 25. Qxg7+ Kxg7 26. Nxe3 b5 27. g4 $2 {Dieser hastige Zug gibt Schwarz die Möglichkeit, das Material zu reduzieren. Besser war 27.g3.} (27. g3 a5 28. bxa5 Rxa5 29. Rd2 $16) 27... a5 28. bxa5 Rxa5 29. Rd2 h5 $1 30. Rd7 (30. gxh5 b4 31. Rd4 Rxa2 32. Rxb4 Ra5 33. Rb7 Nf5 $14) 30... Ng6 31. gxh5 Nh4 32. h6+ Kxh6 33. Rxf7 Rxa2 $14 {Nun hat Onischuk gute Rettungschancen, die er im Folgenden nicht nutzen kann.} 34. h3 Kg6 (34... Rb2 $142 $1 $14 {?b4-b3}) 35. Rf4 Ra4 36. Rf8 Kg5 37. Kh2 Rf4 38. Rg8+ Kh5 39. Ng4 b4 40. Rb8 Nf5 41. Rb5 Kg6 42. Kg2 Re4 (42... Kg7 43. Ne5 Nd6 44. Rb8 $16) 43. Ne5+ Kf6 44. Nd7+ Ke7 45. Nb8 Kf6 46. Nc6 $18 Nh4+ 47. Kh2 Re2 48. Rxb4 Kg5 49. Rg4+ Kh5 50. Rf4 Kg5 51. Rf7 Re4 52. Rg7+ Kh5 53. Re7 Rf4 54. Re5+ Kg6 55. Re2 Kg5 56. Nd8 Kf5 57. Ne6 Rb4 58. Kg3 1-0 [Event "Poikovsky Karpov 05th"] [Site "Poikovsky"] [Date "2004.03.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Aleksandrov, Aleksej"] [Black "Zvjaginsev, Vadim"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2679"] [BlackElo "2654"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2004.03.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 100"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 c5 6. dxc5 Na6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. e3 Nxc5 10. Bb5+ {Weiß tauscht die Läufer und erreicht eine komfortable Stellung. Dennoch hat Zvjaginsev bereits in mehreren Partien bewiesen, daß Schwarz mit seinem Isolani nichts zu befürchten hat. Vielleicht sollten sich diejenigen, die ein inhaltsreicheres Spiel suchen, Ftacniks Zug 10.?e5!? anschauen.} (10. Be5 $5 O-O 11. Be2 Be6 12. O-O Rc8 13. Rc1 Qd7 14. Nd4 a6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Qd4 Bd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Rfd1 Nd7 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. e4 $14 {Ftacnik,L-Boensch,U/Jenbach 2004}) 10... Bd7 11. Bxd7+ Qxd7 12. O-O O-O 13. Be5 (13. Qe2 Rfd8 (13... Bf6 $6 14. Be5 Bxe5 15. Nxe5 Qc7 16. Nf3 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. Nd4 $14 {Bielicki,C-Darga,K/Havana 1964}) 14. Rfd1 Rac8 15. Be5 b5 $2 (15... Ne4 $1 16. Rac1 Qa4 $132) 16. Bc3 $1 {×a5} Qb7 17. Ba5 $1 Rd7 18. Rac1 Bf6 19. Rc2 $16 {Dreev,A-Short,N/Hyderabad 2002}) 13... Rac8 14. Rc1 (14. Bd4 a6 15. Rc1 Ne4 16. Qd3 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Rc8 18. Rxc8+ Qxc8 19. Qd1 {Atalik,S-Zvjaginsev,V/Istanbul 2003} f6 $11) 14... a6 15. h3 Rfd8 16. Qe2 Ne4 17. Rfd1 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Rc8 19. Rd1 $5 {Aleksandrov will mehr als ein Remis und gibt die offene c-Linie freiwillig ab. Ein chancenreiches aber riskantes Unterfangen!} (19. Rxc8+ Qxc8 20. Qd1 Qc5 $11) 19... f6 20. Bd4 $2 {Befreit die gegnerische Dame von der lästigen Aufgabe, den Bauern d5 zu verteidigen. Richtig war 20.?f4.} (20. Bf4 $1 Bf8 $1 (20... Qa4 21. Nd4 $1 Qxa2 22. Qg4 $40) (20... g5 $6 21. Bh2 Qb5 $2 22. Qxb5 axb5 23. Nd4 b4 24. Nf5 Bf8 25. f3 $16) 21. Nd4 $13) 20... Qb5 {Der Damentausch führt zu einem interessanten und ausgeglichenen Endspiel, aber mit dem Zwischenzug 20...?a4 könnte Zvjaginsev mehr erreichen.} (20... Qa4 $1 21. b3 (21. Ne1 Qxa2 22. Qg4 Rc7 23. Qe6+ Kf8 $15) 21... Qb5 $1 22. Qxb5 (22. Qb2 Bb4 $36) 22... axb5 23. Ne1 b4 24. f3 Nc3 25. Rd2 Ra8 26. a4 b5 $15) 21. Qxb5 axb5 {??c2} 22. Ne1 $1 b4 $1 {[%csl Ra2] ×a2} 23. f3 Nd6 24. Nd3 Nb5 25. Rc1 (25. Nf4 Rc2 26. Nxd5 Bf8 27. Rb1 Rd2 $15) 25... Rc4 $1 {Stark aber auch erzwungen. Wegen der Drohung 26...?xd4 wird der weiße Läufer auf b6 verdrängt.} 26. Bb6 (26. Rxc4 dxc4 $17) 26... Kf7 27. Kf2 (27. b3 $5 Rc3 (27... Rc6 $11) 28. Rxc3 Nxc3 (28... bxc3 $2 29. Kf2 c2 30. Ke2 Bb4 31. Nc1 Ke6 32. Kd3 Na3 33. Bd4 $16 {??b2}) 29. Nc1 $11) 27... Ke6 28. Ba5 $5 (28. Nf4+ Kd7) (28. b3 Rc6 (28... Rc3) 29. Bd4 $11) (28. Ke2 Kd7 $11) 28... g5 29. g4 $6 {Wie immer ehrgeizig spielend, gerät Aleksandrov nach und nach in Gefahr. Es war langsam Zeit, nach 29.b3 Remis zu forcieren.} (29. b3 Rxc1 (29... Rc3 $2 30. Rxc3 Nxc3 31. a4 $1 $14) 30. Nxc1 Na7 $1 (30... d4 $2 31. e4 f5 32. exf5+ Kxf5 33. Nd3 $16) 31. Nd3 Nc6 32. Bb6 f5 $11) 29... Bd6 30. Ke2 f5 31. Kd1 h5 32. gxh5 $6 ({Es war noch nicht zu spät für} 32. b3 $1 $11) 32... Rh4 33. Nc5+ $2 Bxc5 34. Rxc5 Nd6 $17 {Dank seinem aktiven Turm bekommt Schwarz nun gute Gewinnchancen.} 35. Ke2 Rxh5 36. Bxb4 Rxh3 37. Rc2 $2 (37. Rc7 $142 $1 Rh2+ 38. Kd3 Rxb2 39. Bxd6 Kxd6 40. Rg7 $17) 37... Nc4 $1 38. Bc3 g4 39. fxg4 fxg4 $19 40. Rc1 Rxe3+ 41. Kf2 Rf3+ 42. Kg1 Kf5 43. b3 Ne5 44. Bd4 Rd3 45. Bxe5 Kxe5 46. Rc7 Rd2 47. a4 b6 48. Rc6 (48. Rc6 d4 49. Rxb6 d3 $19 {??b2, d2}) 0-1 [Event "Sigeman & Co 12th"] [Site "Malmo/Copenhagen"] [Date "2004.05.01"] [Round "2"] [White "Nielsen, Peter Heine"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2628"] [BlackElo "2667"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "111"] [EventDate "2004.04.30"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "SWE"] [EventCategory "13"] [SourceTitle "CBM 101"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Rc1 d4 $6 {Möglicherweise wird Schwarz nach der dieser Partie zu 10...a6 greifen müssen, denn Nielsen hat eine wichtige Neuerung parat.} (9... a6) 10. exd4 Nxd4 11. b4 $1 (11. Be2 Qe7 12. b4 Rd8 13. Bd2 Bb6 $1 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Qc2 b6 16. O-O Bb7 17. Rcd1 Bc6 $1 $11 {Epishin,V-Beliavsky,A/Deutschland 1999}) 11... Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Bd4 (12... e5 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Rd1 Qe8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Bd3 Bd8 17. Be4 Rb8 18. Qe3 b6 19. Qd3 Bg4 {Gausel,E-Ostenstad,B/Oslo 1998} 20. Bxh7+ $1 Kh8 21. Bf5 $16) 13. Nb5 $1 $146 {Die besagte Neuerung. Weiß will den starken ?d4 sofort abtauschen.} (13. Be2 e5 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qxf6 gxf6 17. O-O (17. Nb5 Rd8 18. c5 a5 19. Nxd4 exd4 20. Bd3 axb4 21. axb4 Ra2 22. O-O Be6 23. f3 f5 $11 {Zlochevskij,A-Kruppa,Y/Ohrid 2001}) 17... a5 18. Bf3 axb4 19. axb4 Kg7 20. Rfd1 Rd8 21. c5 Bd7 $11 {Kobalija,M-Neverov,V/Dubai 2001}) 13... e5 14. Bg5 e4 {Läßt den Läufer ohne ausreichenden Schutz, aber es fällt mir schwer, etwas Besseres vorzuschlagen.} (14... a5 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qxf6 gxf6 17. Nxd4 exd4 18. b5 Be6 19. Kd2 $16 {führt zu einem klaren Endspielvorteil von Weiß.}) ({Auch das trickreiche 14...?d7 kann die Probleme von Schwarz nicht lösen:} 14... Qd7 15. Be2 (15. Bxf6 $2 e4 $11) (15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Bxf6 Re8+ 17. Kd2 gxf6 18. Bd3 Qa4 19. Rhe1 Be6 $14) 15... Ng4 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. O-O Ne5 18. Qg3 $16) 15. Qg3 h6 (15... a6 16. Nxd4 Qxd4 17. Be2 a5 (17... Qb2 18. Qc3 Qxc3+ 19. Rxc3 $16) 18. O-O axb4 19. axb4 Qb2 20. Rfe1 $16) 16. Rd1 $1 ({Selbstverständlich nicht} 16. Bxh6 $2 Bxf2+ $1 17. Qxf2 Ng4 18. Qg3 Nxh6 $13) 16... hxg5 17. Rxd4 Bd7 18. Be2 (18. Qxg5 $2 a5 $132) 18... a5 19. O-O axb4 20. axb4 $16 {Weiß hat seine Entwicklung rechtzeitig beendet und genießt einen klaren Vorteil. Die Bauern e4 und g5 sind schwach, und auf dem Damenflügel wird bald ein weißer Freibauer entstehen.} Ra2 21. Qb3 $1 Qa8 (21... Rxe2 22. Nc3 Ba4 23. Rxd8 Bxb3 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8 25. Nxe2 Bxc4 26. Re1 $16) 22. Nc3 Ra3 23. Qb2 Re8 24. Rfd1 Bf5 25. Qc1 e3 $5 {Beliavsky sucht nach Gegenspiel, bevor seine Stellung nach und nach zerdrückt wird.} 26. fxe3 Rb3 27. Rf1 Bg6 28. c5 Qa3 29. Qxa3 Rxa3 30. Nb5 $1 {Nielsen gibt den Bauern gerne zurück und stürzt sich auf die Schwäche b7.} Raxe3 31. Bf3 Ne4 (31... Be4 32. Nd6 $18) (31... R8e7 32. Nd6 $18) 32. Rd7 Rb3 33. Rxb7 Rxb4 34. c6 $18 {Schwarz kann diesen Bauern nur mit großen materiellen Verlusten aufhalten. Die Partie ist entschieden.} Nc5 35. Nd6 $1 Nxb7 36. Nxe8 Na5 37. c7 Rc4 38. Ra1 Kf8 39. Nd6 Rxc7 40. Rxa5 Ke7 41. Nf5+ Bxf5 42. Rxf5 f6 43. Rb5 Rc1+ 44. Kf2 g6 45. Rb7+ Kf8 46. Ke3 Kg8 47. Bd5+ Kh8 48. Kd4 g4 49. Rf7 Rf1 50. Kc5 f5 51. Kd6 f4 52. Ke5 f3 53. g3 Rd1 54. Be6 Re1+ 55. Kd6 Rd1+ 56. Kc5 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-36"] [Site "Mallorca"] [Date "2004.10.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Aleksandrov, Aleksej"] [Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2659"] [BlackElo "2650"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2004.10.15"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 104"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Belarus"] [BlackTeam "Uzbekistan"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BLR"] [BlackTeamCountry "UZB"] 1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 13. e4 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 15. Re1 $5 $146 {Alexandrov verzichtet auf die gängige Fortsetzung 15.g4 und bringt stattdessen eine interessante Neuerung. Weiß plant 16.e5 nebst 17.g4 oder evtl. 17.?e4.} (15. g4 Bg6 16. Nd2 (16. Rc1 Rc8 17. Re1 f6 18. Bc4+ Bf7 19. Qd3 Bc7 20. Bxf7+ Rxf7 $11 {Navara,D-Kasimdzhanov,R/Calvia 2004})) 15... Rc8 $6 {Dieser Zug unternimmt nichts gegen den weißen Plan, es ist aber nicht leicht zu sagen, wie Schwarz fortsetzen soll. Möglicherweise war 15...f6 am besten.} (15... Qf6 16. Bg3 Rfe8 (16... Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Qxf3 18. gxf3 {führt zu einer bekannten Stellung mit Mehrtempo (?f1-e1) für Weiß.}) 17. e5 Qh6 18. Qd2 Qxd2 19. Nxd2 $14) (15... Bc7 16. e5 Re8 17. g4 Bg6 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Qb3 $14) (15... f6 $5 16. Bc4+ Kh8 17. Bd5 Qd7 $13) 16. e5 Bg6 17. Bxg6 fxg6 ({Nach} 17... hxg6 $2 {entwickelt Weiß aus dem Stegreif einen starken Angriff:} 18. Ng5 $1 Qd7 19. e6 fxe6 20. Qg4 d3 21. Re4 $1 (21. Qh4 $2 Bxf2+ 22. Qxf2 e5 23. Qh4 Rxf4 24. Qh7+ $40) 21... Rf5 22. Qh4 Rxg5 23. Bxg5 $16) 18. Qb3+ Kh8 19. Bg3 {Kein schlechter Zug, aber mit 19.?e4! könnte Weiß ohne Risiko einen klaren Vorteil erlangen.} (19. Re4 $1 Na5 (19... d3 $2 20. Rd1 $18) 20. Qd3 Qd5 21. e6 Nc6 22. Rae1 $16) 19... d3 $6 {Kasimdzhanov startet eine Rettungskombination, die sich als inkorrekt herausstellt. Andererseits war die schwarze Stellung bei ruhigem Spiel alles andere als beneidenswert.} (19... Na5 20. Qd3 Nc4 21. e6 $1 $16) 20. Red1 $1 (20. Rad1 $2 Rxf3 21. gxf3 d2 22. Re4 (22. Rf1 Nxe5 23. Bxe5 Qg5+ 24. Kh1 Qxe5 $17) 22... Nd4 $40) 20... Rxf3 $1 21. gxf3 Nxe5 $1 22. Kg2 $1 $16 (22. Bxe5 $2 Qg5+ 23. Kh1 Qxe5 24. Qxd3 (24. Rxd3 Bc7 25. f4 Qxf4 26. Rg3 Qf5 27. Rg2 Bb6 $44) 24... Qxb2 $44) 22... Bxf2 $5 {Die Pointe der Kombination. Der weiße König wird entblößt, und das Dauerschach scheint sehr nah zu sein...} (22... Qf6 23. Qd5 $16) 23. Bxe5 $2 {Alexandrov greift fehl. Die Widerlegung war allerdings nicht leicht zu finden.} (23. Bxf2 $1 Qg5+ 24. Bg3 $8 (24. Kf1 $4 Qf5 $19) (24. Kh1 $4 Qf5 $19) 24... Rc2+ 25. Kf1 $1 {, und Weiß gewinnt dank der Schwäche der 8. Reihe, z.B.,} (25. Kh1 $1 $18) 25... Qxg3 (25... h6 26. Rxd3 Nxd3 27. Qxc2 $18) 26. Qxc2 Qxf3+ 27. Kg1 Qxh3 28. Rf1 $18) 23... Qg5+ 24. Kxf2 Qxe5 $11 {Das Dauerschach ist nicht zu vermeiden.} 25. Qxd3 Qh2+ 26. Kf1 Qxh3+ 27. Kg1 Qg3+ 28. Kh1 Qh3+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2014.09.03"] [Round "7"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2805"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2014.08.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "23"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. g3 dxc4 6. Bg2 {A rare move order. Now we have an "unusual Catalan" with 5...?bd7?! 6.?c3?!} Rb8 {[%CAl Yb7b5]} 7. a4 (7. Qa4 a6 {leads to a harmless line of the Catalan (with 5.?a4+).}) 7... Bb4 (7... b6 8. Nd2 Bb7 9. Bxb7 Rxb7 10. Nxc4 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. e4 $14 {1-0 (41) Kallio,H (2410)-Berkes,F (2393) Budapest 2001}) (7... a6 8. O-O (8. e4 Bb4 9. e5 Nd5 10. Bd2 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Be7 12. O-O b5 13. axb5 axb5 14. d5 $6 exd5 15. e6 fxe6 16. Nd4 Rb6 $17 {0-1 (30) Sokolsky,A-Goldberg,G Kiev 1957}) 8... Be7 9. Nd2 (9. e4 O-O {again leads to a theoretical Catalan position}) 9... b5 10. axb5 axb5 11. Bc6 b4 12. Nb5 Rb6 13. Ra8 Rxc6 14. Na7 Nb6 15. Nxc6 Qd5 {1/2 (15) Razuvaev,Y (2570)-Cvetkovic,S (2430) Stary Smokovec 1990} 16. Rxc8+ Nxc8 17. Nxb4 $11) 8. O-O O-O 9. Nd2 e5 $1 {This break solves Black's problems.} 10. Nxc4 exd4 11. Qxd4 Nc5 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Bf4 Ne6 (13... Be6 {was even simpler:} 14. Na2 Bxc4 15. Nxb4 Ne6 {[%CAl Rc4e2] , and White must play} 16. Bxc7 Nxc7 17. Rfc1 Bxe2 18. Rxc7 a5 19. Nc2 Rd2 $11) 14. Be3 $6 (14. Rfd1 $5 Rxd1+ 15. Rxd1 Bd7 $11) 14... a6 ({Black could have seized the initiative by means of} 14... Nd4 $5 {, although White should hold his ground after} 15. Rfd1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Nxe2+ 17. Kf1 Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Be6 19. Kxe2 Bxc4+ 20. Ke1 Bb3 21. Rb1 Bxa4 22. Rxb7 Rxb7 23. Bxb7 {Levon Aronian is playing too cautiously and misses a lot of chances.}) 15. Ne5 Bd6 16. Nc4 Bb4 17. Rfc1 $6 (17. Rfd1 $11) 17... Nd4 18. Bxd4 Rxd4 19. b3 $6 (19. Na2 $142 Be7 20. e3 {M.Notkin}) 19... c6 20. h3 $6 (20. Na2 {[%CAl Yc1d1]}) 20... Be6 {Black has already obtained serious pressure.} 21. e3 $6 (21. Na2 $5 Be7 22. Nc3) 21... Rdd8 $6 {Another excessive "accuracy", instead of just winning a pawn:} (21... Rd3 22. Na2 (22. Ne2 Rxb3 23. Nd4 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 Ra3 {was probably what Black missed}) 22... Rxb3 23. Nxb4 Rxb4 $17) 22. Ne2 g6 23. Nd4 {Black is still slightly better but White defends tenaciously.} Bd5 24. a5 h5 25. Ra4 Bc5 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. Ne2 Be7 28. Nc3 Rb5 $5 (28... Rd3 29. Ne5 Rd2 30. Nc4) 29. Nd2 Rb4 30. Rxb4 Bxb4 31. Nc4 Rd8 32. Na2 Be7 33. Nc3 Nd5 34. Na4 Nb4 35. Kf1 Rd3 36. Rb1 Na2 37. Ra1 Nb4 38. Rb1 Na2 39. Ra1 Nb4 40. Rb1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Baku FIDE GP"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2014.10.02"] [Round "1"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2767"] [BlackElo "2844"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2014.10.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Rc1 Nbd7 7. cxd5 exd5 {Black can't take with the knight - that's the idea of White's move order. However, c1 is not the appropriate place for White's rook in the resulting so-called Karlsbad structure.} 8. e3 c6 9. h3 ({After} 9. Bd3 {Black can play} Nh5 {getting rid of White's dark-squared bishop.} 10. Qc2 Nxf4 11. Bxh7+ $6 {doesn't work:} Kh8 12. exf4 Bd6 (12... g6 13. Bxg6 fxg6 14. Qxg6 Rf6 {is possible, too, albeit it looks more risky}) 13. Ne5 Qh4 14. Bf5 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Qxd4 16. exd6 Qe5+ 17. Be4 f5 $17 {0-1 (37) Jorgensen,B (2248)-Antonsen,M (2456) Horsens 2013}) 9... Ne4 (9... Re8 10. Bd3 Nf8 11. O-O {leads to a position arising from various move orders. It was examined by GM Igor Stohl in his annotations to the blitz game Kasparov-Karpov (CBM 147). Here are some more recent examples:} Ng6 (11... Bd6 $5 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Qc2 Qe7 14. Rb1 a5 15. a3 Ne4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Nd2 f5 18. Nc4 Be6 19. Ne5 Ng6 $11 {0-1 (52) Colpe,M (2343)-Grabarczyk,M (2476) Lueneburg 2014}) 12. Bh2 Bd6 13. Bxd6 Qxd6 14. Qc2 Qe7 (14... Bd7 15. b4 $1 b6 16. b5 c5 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Bc4 Be6 21. e4 Qf4 22. Bxd5 Bxh3 23. Ne1 Be6 24. Bc6 Re7 25. Nd3 Qf6 26. Nxc5 $16 {1/2 (40) Molner,M (2528)-Aravindh,C (2395) Reykjavik 2014}) (14... Re7 15. Rb1 Bd7 16. b4 b6 17. b5 cxb5 18. Bxb5 Bc8 19. Bd3 Bb7 20. Rfc1 Ne4 21. Qa4 f5 22. Nb5 Qd8 23. g3 a6 24. Nc3 b5 25. Qb3 Rc8 26. Ne2 Rc4 $5 27. h4 Rec7 $13 {1/2 (54) Giri,A (2701)-Nakamura,H (2770) Dortmund 2011}) 15. Rfe1 (15. a3 Ne4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Nd2 f5 18. Ne2 Be6 19. Qc5 Qh4 20. Qd6 Rad8 21. Qg3 Qh6 22. Nc4 Rf8 23. Ne5 f4 24. exf4 Nxf4 25. Nxf4 Rxf4 $132 {1/2 (37) Bischoff,K (2547)-Baramidze,D (2591) Germany 2011}) (15. Rb1 Ne4 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Nd2 Bf5 18. f4 h5 19. b4 Rad8 20. b5 Nh4 21. bxc6 bxc6 22. Kh2 Be6 $1 $132 {[%CAl Yh4f5,Yc6c5]} (22... Qe6 23. Nb3 Rb8 24. Qf2 Qf6 25. Nc5 $16 {0-1 (47) Dragun,K (2546)-Narayanan,S (2420) Pune IND 2014})) 15... Ne4 16. b4 a6 17. a4 Nh4 18. Nxh4 Qxh4 19. Bf1 Bf5 20. Nxe4 Bxe4 21. Qd2 Re6 22. f3 Bf5 23. Qf2 {1/2 (23) Banikas,H (2609)-Rychagov,A (2544) Paleochora 2013}) {You see that Black obtains quite decent play after 9...?e8; however, the text move is even simpler.} 10. Bd3 (10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Nd2 Nf6 {[%CAl Yc8e6]} 12. Bc4 Bf5 {also looks comfortable for Black}) 10... Ndf6 (10... f5 $6 {weakens the dark squares too much:} 11. O-O Ndf6 12. Ne5 Nd6 13. b4 Nfe4 14. a4 Nxc3 15. Rxc3 a5 16. b5 cxb5 17. axb5 Be6 18. Qc2 Rc8 19. Rxc8 Nxc8 20. Rc1 Bd6 21. Nf3 $14 {1-0 (30) Krajic,K (2072)-Stastny,P (2072) Czechia 2011}) 11. O-O Bf5 {[%mdl 4] An important development: Black has solved the problem of his light-squared bishop, which is his common headache in the Karlsbad structure.} 12. Ne2 {[%mdl 32] An attempt to apply the concept of "excessive piece", formulated by Mark Dvoretzky (too many black pieces control the e4-square and get in each other's way when White removes his pieces).} Nd7 {Fabiano Caruana has also read Dvoretzky's books so he removes his "excessive" knight :-). Besides, his knight now controls the e5-square.} 13. Qb3 Qb6 14. Qc2 {A small trick: Black's queen is a bit misplaced on b6. However, it doesn't change the evaluation: the position remains equal.} Bg6 15. Bh2 Rfe8 (15... Ng5 $5 {(M.Notkin) allows} 16. Nxg5 Bxg5 17. b4 $5) 16. Nf4 Bd6 17. Nxg6 Bxh2+ 18. Kxh2 hxg6 19. g3 Qd8 20. Kg2 ({IM Maxim Notkin recommends} 20. h4 {, preventing ...g6-g5. Then White could try ?h2-g2, ?f1-h1 and h4-h5, although Black could reply ...g6-g5 at the end. The position remained equal.}) 20... g5 $1 21. Rh1 Qe7 22. b4 {This allows Black to sharpen the game.} (22. h4 g4 23. Ng5 {is harmless due to} Ndf6 {(S.Zagrebelny)}) (22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. Nd2 Rad8 $11) 22... a5 $5 {Still, this plan is a bit risky since White's position in the centre is quite strong.} (22... a6 {is more solid}) 23. b5 c5 24. h4 $5 {An unusual example: a flank action in reply to an attack in the centre! Quite a possible strategy when your centre is solid!} (24. dxc5 Ndxc5 $132) 24... g4 25. Ng5 Rac8 (25... cxd4 26. exd4 Ndf6 27. Qc7 $14 {S.Zagrebelny}) 26. Bxe4 dxe4 27. Qb3 (27. Rhd1 {, recommended by various commentators, is more appropriate. After, say,} Qf6 (27... g6 28. dxc5 Nxc5 29. Rd4 {threatening 30.?xe4 ?xe4 31.?xe4! ?xc2 32.?xe7}) 28. a4 g6 29. Qb3 {White keeps some initiative.}) 27... g6 {Black has noticed an idea of trapping White's g5-knight by means of ...f7-f6. However,} (27... a4 {is premature due to} 28. Qd5 c4 $2 29. Qxb7 f6 $2 30. Qd5+) (27... cxd4 28. exd4 Nb6 $11 {S.Zagrebelny} 29. Rc5 a4 $1) 28. Rc4 (28. Rhd1 a4 $1 29. Qxa4 $140 ({or} 29. Qd5 c4 $1 {[%CAl Rd7b6]} 30. Qxb7 f6 31. Qd5+ Kg7) 29... f6 {winning the g5-knight}) (28. a4 $5 Kg7 {[%CAl Rf7f6]} 29. Qc3 f6 30. d5 Nf8 31. Rhd1 Rcd8 32. b6 $1 Qe5 $1 33. Ne6+ Nxe6 34. Qxe5 fxe5 35. dxe6 $11 {?}) 28... b6 (28... a4 $5 {(S.Zagrebelny)} 29. Rxa4 Nb6 30. Ra7 c4 31. Qc2 f6 32. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 33. Qxe4 Rxe4 34. Rxb7 Re6 $15) 29. Rhc1 Rcd8 30. dxc5 Nxc5 31. Rxc5 {White must sacrifice the exchange to save his knight. His active position and passed pawn give him decent compensation, though.} bxc5 32. Rxc5 Rc8 33. Re5 Qf6 34. Rd5 (34. Rxe8+ $142 Rxe8 35. Qd1 Qf5 36. a4 $44 {[%csl Gb5]}) 34... Red8 35. a4 $4 {[%mdl 8192] A terrible blunder.} ({However, after} 35. Rxd8+ Rxd8 36. Qc2 a4 $5 {it is Black who can play for a win.}) 35... Rxd5 36. Qxd5 Rc2 37. Kh1 (37. Nxe4 Qf3+ $19 {was what White had overlooked}) 37... Rxf2 0-1 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Tbilisi"] [Date "2017.09.08"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Kuzubov, Yuriy"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2797"] [BlackElo "2652"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2017.09.03"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 181"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 b5 {This looks like the most aggressive answer, but in fact it leads to a position where Black is just suffering a pawn down in the hope Black's imperfect structure will prevent him from finding a winning plan.} 7. Nxb5 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 ({By far more popular than} 8. Nd2 Nd5 9. Bg3 N7b6 10. Qc2 O-O 11. Be2 Ba6 12. Nc3 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 (13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bxc5 {Aronian,L (2786)-Anand,V (2762) Moscow 2016 CBM 172 [Marin,M] (½-½, 31)}) 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxc4 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Rc8 {Gelfand,B (2735)-Grachev,B (2639) Moscow 2016 CBM 171 [Besenthal,K] (1-0, 119)}) 8... Nd5 9. a3 $5 {This simple move forces Black into releasing the tension without having beneffited from the pin too much.} (9. Rc1 {offers Black the time to get coordinated.} N7b6 (9... Nxf4 $6 10. exf4 Nb6 11. Bxc4 $1 {This is why the exchange is premature! The black bishop is hanging to ?a4+.} O-O 12. Be2 {Mamedyarov,S (2761)-Aronian,L (2795) Moscow 2016 (1-0, 61)}) {But now the threat ...?xf4 is real.} 10. Bg3 (10. Bg5 f6 11. Bh4 O-O 12. Nd2 Ba6 13. Be2 c5 $132 {Kempinski,R (2615)-Kryvoruchko,Y (2682) Poland 2016 (0-1, 38)}) 10... O-O 11. Be2 c5 $11 {Wojtaszek,R (2727)-Grandelius,N (2635) Gibraltar 2016 (½-½, 30)}) 9... Nxc3 10. Qd2 $1 Nd5 11. axb4 Nxf4 12. exf4 Bb7 13. Be2 Nb6 ({It makes sense to delay castling, in order to place the other pieces on optiimal positions. If} 13... O-O 14. O-O Nb6 15. Ne5 Qd6 16. Rfd1 Rfb8 17. Rac1 Qd5 18. Bf1 h6 19. Nxc4 Nxc4 20. Rxc4 $16 {Nakamura,H (2787)-Carlsen,M (2855) Paris (blitz) 2016 CBM 173 [Besenthal,K] (0-1, 59)}) 14. O-O Qd6 15. Ra5 (15. Rfc1 O-O 16. Ne5 Rfd8 17. Nxc4 Nxc4 18. Bxc4 Qxd4 19. Qxd4 Rxd4 20. f5 Bc8 (20... exf5 21. Bxf7+ Kxf7 22. Rxc7+ Kf6 23. Rxb7 Rad8 24. g3 Rd1+ 25. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 26. Kg2 Rd4 27. h4 $14) 21. fxe6 Bxe6 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Rxc7 Rxb4 24. Rd1 Rxb2 25. f3 Kh8 26. Rdd7 Rb1+ 27. Kf2 Rb2+ 28. Kg3 Rg8 29. Rxa7 Rbb8 30. h4 h6 31. Re7 Rbe8 {Gustafsson,J (2630)-Naiditsch,A (2685) Linares 2015 (½-½, 47) with a drawn ending.}) ({One important point is that with Black's pieces well placed already} 15. Ne5 {is premature due to} f6 16. Nxc4 $2 Nxc4 17. Bxc4 Qc6 $19) 15... O-O 16. Rc5 (16. Ne5 {is still premature due to} f6) 16... Rfd8 ({Another game on the same theme went} 16... Rfb8 17. Ne5 Bd5 18. Bxc4 Nxc4 19. Nxc4 Bxc4 20. Rxc4 Rb7 21. Rfc1 Rab8 22. g3 h5 23. Qd1 g6 {Rambaldi,F (2544)-Studer,N (2462) Biel 2016 (½-½, 41)}) 17. Rd1 Na4 {Offering a draw by repetition. This does not really lose two tempi, as the rook also returns to a5, but under the new circumstances ?e5 will be possible and good.} ({Therefore} 17... f6 $5 {deserves mentioning} 18. Ne1 Bd5 19. Ra1 {[%CAl Ge1c2,Gg2g3,Gc2e3]}) 18. Ra5 Nb6 19. Ne5 Bd5 (19... f6 $6 {weakens the kingside without preventing the pawn capture:} 20. Nxc4 Nxc4 21. Bxc4 Qc6 22. Bf1 $1) 20. Rc5 Rab8 21. Ra1 Rb7 22. h4 {White can win the pawn whenever he wants, but this does not guarantee a win. Mamedyarov decides on gaining kingside space first, but this is not one-sided.} (22. Nxc4 $6 Bxc4 23. Bxc4 Qxd4 $11) (22. Bxc4 Nxc4 (22... Bxc4 23. Nxc4 Qxd4 $2 24. Qxd4 Rxd4 25. Na5 Rb8 26. Nc6 $18) 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 Rdb8 25. Ra4 h6 26. g3 Rb6 27. Qc3 (27. Rxa7 Rxb4 28. Rxb4 Qxb4 29. Qxb4 Rxb4 30. Rxc7 Rxb2 31. Kg2 Rb4 32. Rd7 Kf8 33. d5 exd5 34. Rxd5 {is just drawn.}) 27... R8b7 28. h4 a6 $14 {The typical position where playing with Black is not fun, but it may bring half a point home...}) 22... h6 23. Ra6 Qe7 24. h5 Nd7 25. Nxd7 Rxd7 26. Ra3 ({The h5-pawn can easily turn into a weakness after, for instance,} 26. Bxc4 Bxc4 27. Rxc4 Rd5 28. Ra5 Qh4 29. Rxd5 exd5 30. Rc5 Qxh5 31. b5 Qf5 $14 {White still has has the more pleasant position, but this time with equal pawns.}) 26... Rd6 (26... Qd8 $5 $11 {seems to solve all Black's problems at once.} 27. Bxc4 $2 Be4 $15) 27. Bxc4 Bxc4 28. Rxc4 Rdb6 29. Ra4 Qd7 {Finally the typical major piece position with an extra pawn has arisen.} 30. Ra5 Rb5 31. Qc3 $6 {Typical rapid chess carelessness.} (31. g3 Qd6 32. Rxb5 Rxb5 33. Rc5 $14) 31... Qd6 $1 {[%csl Gb4,Gf4]} 32. Rxb5 (32. g3 Rxb4) 32... Rxb5 33. Rxc7 Qxf4 34. Rc5 Rb8 {The worst is behind already for Black.} 35. b5 (35. d5 {is a better try, but Black has a foced draw after the accurate} Rd8 $1 (35... exd5 36. Rxd5 Re8 37. g3 $14) 36. Rc8 Rxc8 37. Qxc8+ Kh7 38. dxe6 Qxb4 39. Qc2+ Kh8 40. exf7 Qe1+ 41. Kh2 Qe5+ 42. g3 Qxh5+ 43. Kg1 Qxf7 $11) 35... Qe4 36. Re5 Qb1+ 37. Kh2 Qf1 (37... Qd1 $11) 38. Qc2 Rxb5 $4 (38... Rd8 $5) 39. Rc5 $4 (39. Qc8+ $1 Kh7 40. Qa6 {pins and wins the rook!!}) 39... Rb8 40. d5 exd5 41. Rxd5 $11 {As sometimes happens, insisting on playing for a win in a dead draw position will backfire painfully.} Re8 42. Qf5 Qe2 43. g3 (43. b4 Qe4 $11) 43... Qxb2 {Why not?? It is for free!!} (43... Qe4 $11) 44. Rd7 Qa2 45. Kg2 a6 46. Rd6 Qc4 47. Kh2 Qb5 48. Qf3 (48. Qxb5 axb5 49. Rb6 Re5 50. g4 Kf8 51. Rb7 $15 {should draw.}) 48... a5 49. Rd5 Qc6 50. Qd3 a4 51. Rd6 $2 Qc5 $1 {A decisive double attack, winning the second pawn.} 52. Kg2 Qxh5 53. Ra6 Qg4 54. Qb5 Qe4+ 55. Kg1 Ra8 0-1 [Event "FIDE World Cup Europe Hybrid Qual"] [Site "Tornelo INT"] [Date "2021.05.29"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Sargsyan, Shant"] [Black "Kuzubov, Yuriy"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2618"] [BlackElo "2642"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "125"] [EventDate "2021.05.24"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "NET"] [SourceTitle "CBM 202 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.07.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,125,24,28,34,4,4,0,1,13,35,23,19,27,18,23,23,29,29,26,5,-18,7,10,18,-11,-3,11,32,10,71,57,56,52,86,73,74,57,49,49,64,60,61,63,61,31,32,-9,0,21,22,-1,54,62,62,61,61,33,66,59,72,54,61,71,66,35,88,96,89,93,95,104,104,109,112,105,93,94,106,94,106,106,106,96,101,98,98,102,102,175,172,133,155,129,137,150,164,118,121,121,110,98,106,106,97,97,192,96,257,138,138,138,164,198,181,164,271,540,589,150,144,145,145,158,655,1016,29987,29988]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Nd5 7. Bxc4 Nxf4 8. exf4 {[%mdl 36] This kind of position is quite deceptive. White controls the e-file and the e5-square, and that fully compensates for the loosening of his pawn structure (forget about the bishop pair, which is not an advantage here).} Nb6 9. Bd3 g6 (9... Bd6 {is another plan; White kept an edge in the following game:} 10. g3 Bd7 11. Be4 c6 12. O-O Nd5 13. Qe2 O-O 14. Rad1 g6 15. Bd3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Qc7 17. h4 {[%CAl Yh4h5] 1/2 (82) Esipenko,A (2593)-Geller,J (2518) St Petersburg 2018}) 10. h4 $1 {[%CAl Yh4h5] A standard, most promising plan. Other, less dangerous options:} (10. Qc2 Bg7 11. O-O-O Bd7 12. Ne5 Qe7 13. Ne4 Nd5 14. Nc5 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Bc6 16. Be4 O-O-O $15 {0-1 (61) Jarmula,L (2447)-Jakubowski,K (2563) Katowice 2016}) (10. O-O Bg7 11. Qe2 O-O 12. Rad1 Nd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. f5 Re8 15. Qc2 Qd6 16. Rfe1 Bd7 $11 {0-1 (47) Balokas,D (2269)-Nikolaidis,I (2534) Heraklion 2018}) (10. Qe2 Bg7 11. Rd1 Nd5 (11... Bd7 12. Be4 c6 13. g3 Nd5 14. O-O O-O 15. Ne5 Qc7 16. Rc1 Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Rfd8 18. h4 Be8 19. Rd1 Rd6 20. h5 Rad8 $11 {1/2 (69) Cheparinov,I (2667)-Andreikin,D (2722) Hengshui 2019}) 12. g3 O-O 13. Ne4 (13. O-O c5 $1 14. Be4 {1/2 (47) Krstulovic,A (2375)-Bodi,T (2374) Budapest HUN 2021} cxd4 $15) 13... b6 14. a3 Bb7 15. Ba6 Bxa6 16. Qxa6 Ne7 17. Nc3 Qd6 $11 {1-0 (60) Rozum,I (2553)-Ziatdinov,R (2348) Samara 2014}) 10... Bg7 (10... Nd5 11. g3 Bg7 12. h5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 c5 14. Ne5 Qa5 15. Kf1 $16 {1-0 (29) Aravindh,C (2630)-Moroni,L (2536) Moscow 2020}) 11. h5 Qe7 (11... Bd7 12. Be4 $1 c6 13. Ne5 (13. h6 $142 Bf8 14. g3 {[%CAl Ye1f1,Yf1g2]}) 13... Qe7 (13... f6 $5) 14. h6 Bf6 15. a4 Nd5 16. g3 O-O-O 17. a5 Kb8 18. a6 b6 19. O-O $36 {1-0 (49) Sargsyan,S (2618)-Lupulescu,C (2656) Tornelo INT 2021}) 12. Be4 $6 {This move is inaccurate here.} (12. g3 $14) (12. Rc1 $14) 12... Nd5 $2 {But Black misses his chance:} (12... f5 $1 13. Bc2 Bd7 {[%CAl Yd7c6] with excellent play.}) 13. h6 Bf6 14. Ne5 (14. g3 {is simpler.}) 14... Nxc3 (14... Nxf4 {was possible although White obtained excellent compensation for the material after} 15. Qf3 Bxe5 16. dxe5 Nd5 17. Bxd5 exd5 18. Nxd5 $1 (18. Qxd5 $143 O-O) 18... Qxe5+ 19. Kf1 O-O 20. Re1 Qxb2 21. g3) 15. bxc3 O-O 16. Rb1 c6 17. Qb3 Rd8 18. Rh3 (18. g3 $5 c5 19. O-O cxd4 20. cxd4 Rxd4 21. Qe3 Rd6 22. Rfc1 $16) 18... Qc7 (18... c5 $5) 19. Re3 Rd6 20. Kf1 b6 21. Kg1 Bb7 22. a4 Rad8 23. Bf3 Ba6 {Black tries to push ...c6-c5, which is his only chance to get loose. However, White successfully prevents that.} 24. Rbe1 Kf8 ({Alas,} 24... c5 25. d5 $1 $16 c4 $140 26. Qb1 exd5 27. Bxd5 $1 Rxd5 28. Ng4 $18) 25. Qa3 (25. a5 $5 c5 $140 26. axb6 axb6 27. Ra1) 25... Kg8 (25... c5 26. a5 Bb5 (26... cxd4 27. cxd4 Kg8 28. Rc1) 27. Rb1 Be8 28. dxc5 Qxc5 29. Qxc5 bxc5 30. Rb7 $16) 26. a5 $1 Bb7 (26... c5 $2 27. axb6) 27. axb6 axb6 28. Qb3 Bxe5 {Black can't put up with this knight anymore.} 29. Rxe5 (29. dxe5 $5 Rd2 30. f5 gxf5 31. Qc4 Qe7 32. Bh5 {[%CAl Ye3g3]}) 29... Bc8 30. Ra1 R6d7 31. Qb4 Bb7 32. Qb2 c5 $2 {Finally but at a wrong moment!} 33. Ra7 Qc8 34. Rxb7 Rxb7 35. Bxb7 {Winning a pawn but} (35. dxc5 $1 {[%CAl Yc5b6] was even stronger:} b5 36. c4 $1 b4 37. Bxb7 Qxb7 38. Rd5 $1 $18) 35... Qxb7 36. Rxc5 Qe4 37. Qxb6 Rf8 38. g3 Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kh2 Qe2 41. Qb7 Qxf2+ 42. Qg2 Qe3 43. Qb2 Rd8 44. Re5 Qf3 45. c4 Rf8 46. d5 exd5 47. Rxd5 (47. c5 $1 f6 48. Re7 $18) 47... f6 48. Qd2 $6 (48. Qg2 $5) 48... Re8 49. Rd8 Kf7 50. Qd7+ Re7 51. Qd5+ Qxd5 52. cxd5 {[%mdl 4096]} g5 $2 {After getting some drawing chances, Black immediately stumbles.} (52... f5 $8 {, and only deep analysis can conclude whether White can win or not.}) 53. f5 $18 {[%csl Rf7,Rh7][%CAl Rd8h8]} Re5 54. g4 (54. d6 $5 Rxf5 55. Rh8 Ke6 56. Rxh7 Kxd6 57. Rh8 $18) 54... Re8 55. Rd6 $6 {Subtle play was now required:} (55. Rd7+ $1 Re7 56. Rd6 Ra7 57. Kg3 Ke7 58. Re6+ Kf7 59. d6 Ra3+ 60. Kf2 Rd3 61. Ke2 Rd4 62. Ke3 Rd1 63. Re7+ Kf8 64. Rxh7 Kg8 65. Re7 $1 Rxd6 66. Re6 $18) 55... Re4 $2 {Black had a miraculous way to prolong resistance:} (55... Ke7 $3 56. Re6+ Kf7 57. Ra6 (57. Kg3 $2 Rd8 58. d6 Re8 $3 59. d7 Rd8 $11) 57... Ke7 $1 {[%CAl Re8d8]} 58. Ra7+ Kd6 59. Rxh7 Kxd5 60. Rd7+ Ke5 61. Kg3 $1 Ra8 62. Re7+ $1 Kd5 63. Re6 Ra3+ 64. Kf2 Ra2+ 65. Ke3 Ra3+ 66. Kd2 Ra2+ 67. Kc3 Ra3+ 68. Kb2 Rg3 69. h7 $1 Rh3 70. Rxf6 Rxh7 71. Rg6 {, and finally White wins a second pawn and obtains a decisive advantage.}) 56. Kg3 Re3+ 57. Kf2 Re5 58. Rd7+ Kf8 ({The pawn endgame after} 58... Re7 {is a well-known classic:} 59. Rxe7+ Kxe7 60. Ke3 Kd6 61. Kd4 Kd7 62. Kc5 Kc7 63. d6+ Kd8 64. Kd4 $5 ({or simply} 64. d7 Kxd7 65. Kd5 $18) 64... Kc8 65. Kc4 Kd8 66. Kc5 Kc8 67. Kc6 $18) 59. Rxh7 Rxd5 60. Rh8+ Kf7 61. Ra8 Rd2+ 62. Ke3 Ra2 {Ha-ha!} (62... Rh2 63. h7 Rxh7 64. Ra7+ Kg8 65. Rxh7 Kxh7 66. Kd4 $18) 63. Rxa2 1-0 [Event "Foros Aerosvit 3rd"] [Site "Foros"] [Date "2008.06.19"] [Round "11"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2687"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2008.06.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UKR"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 125"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.07.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Nbd7 5. Qc2 $5 dxc4 6. e4 a6 $5 {After 6 moves we have an almost fresh position!} (6... Nb6 {and}) (6... c5 {have been played several times here.}) 7. e5 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (7. Bxc4 c5 $132 ({or} 7... b5 8. Bd3 c5)) (7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Be7 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 b4 11. Na4 Bb7 12. e5 Nd5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nc5 Nxc5 15. dxc5 a5 16. c6 Ba6 $13 {½-½ Kuzmin,G-Terentiev,V/Voronezh 2000/EXT 2001 (26)}) 7... Nd5 8. Bxc4 Nxc3 (8... N7b6 9. Bg5 $1 {doesn't change much.}) 9. Qxc3 (9. bxc3 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 {[%CAl Yb7f3]}) 9... Nb6 (9... c5 $6 10. d5) (9... b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. Bg5 $1 Be7 $140 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Qxc7) 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Bb3 Nd5 $6 {This move will be necessary but Black should prevent the closure of the queenside:} (12... a5 13. a3 Nd5) 13. Bxd5 exd5 14. O-O O-O $6 (14... a5 $1) 15. b4 {[%mdl 32]} Bf5 16. a4 c6 17. a5 $1 {Black's queenside pawn majority is now neutralized and White will start exploiting his kingside pawn majority.} Bg4 18. Nd2 Be2 $6 19. Rfe1 Bc4 $6 {A wrong manoeuvre. This bishop will be completely out of play here.} 20. h3 (20. Nxc4 $143 dxc4 21. Qxc4 Rad8 {and weaknesses on d4 and b4 make the conversion of White's extra pawn extremely difficult.}) 20... Rfd8 21. f4 Rab8 22. Kh2 Qe6 23. Rac1 h6 24. Re3 Qf5 25. Rf3 b6 {Black has no other counterplay but...} 26. Nxc4 {It's time to take the pawn now as Black has his own weaknesses on the queenside.} dxc4 27. Qxc4 bxa5 28. bxa5 Rb5 29. Qxc6 Rxa5 30. g4 Qd7 31. Qxd7 Rxd7 {[%mdl 4096]} 32. Rd3 {White's pawn chain guarantees him a decisive advantage.} g5 (32... Ra4 33. Rcd1 {[%CAl Yh2g3,Yg3f3,Yf3e4]} (33. Rc8+ $143 Kh7 34. d5 Rxf4 35. d6 a5)) 33. Kg3 Rad5 34. Rc4 a5 35. Kf3 Kf8 (35... gxf4 36. Kxf4 {[%CAl Yh3h4,Yh4h5] was hardly better.}) 36. fxg5 hxg5 37. Ke4 Ke7 38. Rc6 $1 (38. Rb3 $143 f6) 38... Rb5 $6 {Allowing the d4 pawn to move forward. However, Black hardly had a satisfactory defence anyway:} (38... Ke8 39. Rc8+ Ke7 40. Rg8) (38... Kf8 39. Rc8+ Kg7 40. Rc4 Kf8 (40... f6 41. e6 R7d6 42. Rc8 $18) 41. Rb3 $18) 39. d5 Ra7 40. Rdc3 (40. Rc8 $1 a4 $140 41. d6+ Kd7 42. Rf8 $18) 40... Rbb7 (40... Rd7 41. Rd3 (41. R3c5 $6 Rxc5 42. Rxc5 Ra7) 41... Ra7 42. Rc8 $1 $18) 41. R6c4 (41. Rc8 $1 $18) 41... f6 {This leads to a hopeless pawn endgame.} (41... Rb4 {looks more stubborn but it was also lost for Black:} 42. Rxb4 axb4 43. Rb3 Rb7 44. Kd4 (44. Kf5 Rb5 45. Kxg5 Rxd5 46. Rxb4 Rxe5+ 47. Kh6 {is probably winning, too.}) 44... f6 $8 45. exf6+ Kxf6 46. d6 (46. Kc5 $143 Rc7+ 47. Kd6 Rc4 48. Kd7 {is also good}) 46... Ke6 47. Kc5 Kd7 48. Re3 $1 Kd8 (48... Rb8 49. Re7+ Kd8 50. Rg7 $18) 49. Kc6 Ra7 50. Re4 $1 Ra6+ (50... Ra4 51. Kc5 Ra5+ 52. Kxb4 Rd5 53. Kc4 Rxd6 54. Rd4 $18) (50... b3 51. Rb4 Ra6+ 52. Kd5 $18) 51. Kd5 $1 (51. Kc5 $143 b3 52. Rb4 Kd7 53. Rb7+ Ke6 $1 54. Re7+ Kf6) 51... Kd7 (51... Ra5+ 52. Ke6 Rb5 53. Re1 Rb6 54. Rf1 Ke8 55. Ra1 Rb8 56. Ra7 $18) 52. Re7+ Kc8 53. Rc7+ Kd8 54. Rb7 Ra3 55. Rxb4 Rxh3 56. Rb8+ Kd7 57. Rb7+ Kd8 58. Rg7 Ra3 59. Ke6 Re3+ 60. Kf6 Rd3 61. Kxg5 Rxd6 62. Rf7 $18) 42. Rc7+ $1 Rxc7 43. d6+ Kd8 44. dxc7+ Rxc7 45. Rxc7 Kxc7 46. exf6 Kd7 47. Kf5 Ke8 (47... a4 48. Kg6 $18) 48. Kxg5 a4 49. Kh6 (49. Kg6 $144 Kf8 50. g5 a3 51. Kh7 a2 52. g6 a1=Q 53. g7+) 49... a3 (49... Kf7 50. g5 $18) (49... Kf8 50. g5 a3 51. g6 a2 52. g7+ Kf7 53. Kh7 $18) 50. Kg7 a2 51. f7+ Kd7 52. f8=Q a1=Q+ 53. Qf6 Qh1 54. h4 Qh3 55. Qd4+ Ke6 56. g5 Qh1 57. Qf6+ Kd5 58. h5 Kc5 59. h6 Qb7+ 60. Kg6 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 2nd"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2007.11.11"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Alekseev, Evgeny V"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2714"] [BlackElo "2716"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2007.11.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 122"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2008.01.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. Be2 Bb4+ $1 {An important move, that lures the white knight on to the lesser square d2.} 10. Nd2 Nf6 11. O-O Bd6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 c6 14. Qc2 Re8 (14... g6 15. f3 Bf5 16. e4 g5 17. Bf2 Bg6 18. Bd3 dxe4 19. fxe4 Ng4 20. Nf3 Nxf2 21. Rxf2 Bf4 22. Kh1 Be3 23. Re2 Bxd4 24. e5 Bxd3 25. Qxd3 c5 26. e6 Bg7 27. Qc4 {1/2 Tregubov,P (2609)-Gonzalez Garcia,J (2541)/Merida 2007}) 15. Rab1 g6 16. Bxf6 $6 {The eternal optimism of youth! The exchange of the bishop for the knight f6 is typical for this pawn structure, but usually White has more minor pieces left supporting the queenside attack.} (16. Bd3 Kg7 17. Bg3 Bxg3 18. hxg3 $11) 16... Qxf6 17. b4 a6 18. a4 h5 19. b5 (19. Bd3 Kg7 20. Qc3 h4 21. h3 Bc7 $15) 19... Bf5 20. Bd3 Bxd3 21. Qxd3 cxb5 $1 {Brave, but absolutely the correct solution. The passed pawn on the a-file is strong and the d5 weakness defendable.} (21... axb5 22. axb5 Ra3 23. Rb3 Rea8 24. Nf3 $11) 22. axb5 a5 23. Qb3 Qf5 (23... a4 $2 24. Qxd5 Qe7 25. Nc4 $14) 24. Qa4 Rec8 (24... Qd3 25. Nf3 (25. Rfd1 Rec8 26. b6 Qc2 27. Qd7 Qc6 28. Qxc6 Rxc6 29. e4 $15) 25... Qc4 26. Qxc4 dxc4 27. Rfc1 Rec8 28. e4 a4 $15) 25. b6 Qc2 26. Nb3 $1 {Carlsen deserves full praise for composing his mind enough for the difficult defensive task.} (26. Qxc2 Rxc2 27. Nb3 a4 $17) 26... Qc6 (26... Qc4 $5 27. Qa1 (27. Ra1 $6 Qxa4 28. Rxa4 Bb4 29. Rfa1 Rc4 30. g3 Bc3 31. R1a2 Rxa4 32. Rxa4 Ra6 $17) 27... Qa6 (27... a4 28. Rfc1 axb3 29. Rxc4 dxc4 30. Qc3 Ra2 31. g3 Bf8 $15) 28. Qa4 Rc6 29. g3 Bb4 (29... Qc4 30. Qa1 Rxb6 31. Rfc1 Qe2 32. Nc5 $13) 30. Rfc1 Rxb6 31. Nc5 Bxc5 32. dxc5 Rxb1 33. Rxb1 Qc6 $17) 27. Qa1 Bb4 (27... a4 28. Rfc1 Bxh2+ 29. Kxh2 Qd6+ 30. Kg1 axb3 31. Rxc8+ Rxc8 32. Rxb3 Rc2 $15) 28. Nc5 $5 Qxb6 (28... Bxc5 29. dxc5 a4 (29... Qxc5 30. Rfc1 Qd6 31. Rxc8+ Rxc8 32. Qxa5 $11) 30. Rfc1 Re8 31. Qa3 Re4 $17) 29. Nd3 Qd6 {Alekseev must have been satisfied with the progress he has made. A better position and an extra pawn promise him fair winning chances.} 30. Qa2 Ra6 31. g3 Rc3 32. Rb3 $1 (32. Nf4 Rc4 33. Qa4 Qc6 $17) 32... Rxb3 33. Qxb3 Rc6 34. Qa4 (34. Nf4 Rc4 35. Ra1 Qc6 $17) 34... Kg7 (34... Rc4 35. Nxb4 axb4 36. Qa8+ Kg7 37. Qxb7 $15) 35. Rb1 {[%mdl 256] Amazingly enough White has managed to organize his resistance on the queenside so flexibly, that Black will find it very challenging to make progress.} Rc4 (35... Rb6 36. Rc1 f6 37. Rc8 Rc6 38. Ra8 $15) 36. Ne5 Rc7 (36... Rc3 37. Qb5 Rc7 38. Qa4 $1 (38. Kg2 f6 39. Nd3 Qc6 40. Qxc6 bxc6 $17) 38... f6 39. Nd3 $14) 37. Nd3 Qc6 38. Qa2 {White's queen has to stay on the board to create tension against the black pawns.} (38. Qxc6 bxc6 $17) 38... Qb5 (38... Qc4 39. Nxb4 axb4 40. Qa5 $11) 39. Qb3 Rc6 (39... Rc4 40. Ne5 Rc7 41. Nd3) 40. Kg2 (40. Nxb4 axb4 41. Qxb4 $2 Rc1+ $19) 40... Qc4 41. Qd1 {White is not dreaming about activity, as his defensive set up is ideal.} (41. Nxb4 Qxb3 42. Rxb3 Rb6 43. Rc3 axb4 44. Rb3 Kf6 $17) 41... Qb5 (41... Rb6 42. Ne5 Qa2 43. Nd3 Rf6 44. Rb2) 42. Qb3 Rc4 43. Ne5 Rc7 44. Nd3 Rc4 45. Ne5 Rc7 {Frustrating for Alekseev, but ideas for improvement are simply lacking.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 14th"] [Site "Plovdiv"] [Date "2003.10.13"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Graf, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2703"] [BlackElo "2646"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2003.10.10"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 098"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2004.02.03"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2004.02.03"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Israel"] [BlackTeam "Germany"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ISR"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 a6 {In der Variante 6...?b6 hat Schwarz in der letzten Zeit eine schlechte Statistik.} (6... Nb6 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qxc4 $14) 7. a4 $1 {Dies ist deutlich stärker als das automatische Schlagen auf c4.} (7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 (8. Bb3 $1) 8... Bb7 9. O-O c5 10. a4 b4 11. Nb1 Rc8 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. exd4 Nb6 14. a5 Nbd5 15. Bg3 Bd6 $11 {Saemisch,F-Sprecher,L/Berlin 1920}) 7... Nb6 $2 {Eine falsche Entscheidung, denn die entstehende Stellung ist sehr unangenehm für Schwarz. Gut spielbar war dagegen 7...c5.} (7... c5 8. Bxc4 cxd4 9. exd4 Nb6 10. Bb3 Nbd5 (10... Be7 $1) 11. Be5 $1 Be7 (11... Bb4 12. Qd3 $14) 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 $2 13. Bxg7 Rg8 14. Be5 Rxg2 15. Bg3 $16) 8. a5 Nbd5 9. Bxc4 Nxf4 10. exf4 Be7 (10... Bd6 11. Ne5 O-O 12. O-O Nd7 13. Qf3 Qe7 14. Rfe1 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Bb4 16. Re3 Bxc3 17. bxc3 $16 {Alekhine,A-Lancel,E/France 1923}) 11. O-O O-O 12. Ne5 {Weiß steht besser: sein Springer e5 dominiert die Stellung, die halboffene e-Linie kann von Türmen genutzt werden, und die Gefahr des Vorstoßes f4-f5 hängt in der Luft. Schwarz sollte die Aufstellung ?d6, ?d8, ?d7-e8 anstreben.} Qd6 (12... c6 $5 13. Re1 (13. f5 exf5 14. Qb3 Qxd4 15. Nxf7 Qh4 $13) 13... g6 $1 (13... Nd5 14. f5 $1 exf5 15. Qb3 $16) 14. g3 Qd6 (14... Nd5 15. Qb3 $14 {?h4-h5}) 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Rxe4 Rd8 $14) 13. Re1 c6 $2 {[%mdl 128] Alexander unterschätzte die Gefährlichkeit des weißen Angriffs. Notwendig war 13...g6.} (13... g6 $1 14. Re3 $5 (14. d5 exd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Qxd5 Qxd5 17. Bxd5 c6 18. Bc4 Bd6 $11) 14... Rd8 15. Rd3 c6 16. Qf3 $14) 14. f5 $1 exf5 $6 {Die schwarze Stellung ist in Gefahr, aber 14...?d5 ermöglichte eine zähere Verteidigung.} (14... Nd5 15. Qb3 Qb4 16. Qc2 Re8 17. Ne4 $36 {??d3}) 15. Nxf7 $1 {Dieser Einschlag ist deutlich effektiver als das naheliegende 15.?b3.} (15. Qb3 Be6 16. Qxb7 Ng4 17. Bxe6 fxe6 18. Qxc6 Nxe5 19. Qxd6 Bxd6 20. dxe5 Bb4 $14) 15... Rxf7 16. Qb3 $16 Nd5 17. Nxd5 cxd5 18. Bxd5 Qf6 19. Rac1 Bd7 {Der einzige Zug, es drohte ?c7.} 20. Rc7 $5 {Schwer zu sagen, ob das einfache 20.?xf7+ besser war. Der Textzug war für Alexander sicherlich unangenehmer, denn er befand sich bereits in Zeitnot.} (20. Bxf7+ Qxf7 21. Qxb7 Rd8 22. Qxa6 $16) 20... Rd8 21. Rxb7 Kf8 (21... Bd6 $2 22. Rb6 Bb5 23. Rxd6 $1 Rxd6 24. Qxb5 $1 axb5 25. Re8#) 22. Rb6 Qxd4 23. Bxf7 Bc5 24. Rd1 Qxf2+ 25. Kh1 Be8 $1 {Eine schöne Resource, aber sie reicht leider nicht aus, um die Partie zu retten.} (25... Bxb6 26. axb6 $18) 26. Bd5 $1 {Gelfand ist auf der Hut und findet den besten Weg.} (26. Bxe8 $2 Rxd1+ 27. Qxd1 Bxb6 28. axb6 Kxe8 $15) 26... Bh5 27. Ra1 $1 $18 {Dieser starke Rückzug entscheidet die Partie.} Qf4 (27... Bxb6 28. axb6 Qc5 29. b7 Rb8 30. Qg3 $18) 28. Rxa6 Bd6 29. Rxd6 (29. Qg3 $5 $18) 29... Rxd6 30. Qa3 Qe5 31. a6 Qxd5 32. a7 Kf7 33. Qxd6 Qxd6 34. a8=Q Be2 35. Qa7+ Kf6 36. Qa3 Qd5 37. Qe3 Bb5 38. Re1 Bc6 39. Qe7+ Kg6 40. Qe6+ 1-0 [Event "Linares 13th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1995.03.11"] [Round "9"] [White "Dreev, Alexey"] [Black "Khalifman, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2650"] [BlackElo "2635"] [Annotator "Notkin,Maksim"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1995.03.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 046"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Be2 Ne4 $6 (9... Re8 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Qc2 h6 12. Bh4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Nd5 14. Bxe7 Ncxe7 15. O-O Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Qc7 17. Nd4 Bd7 $10 {Sokolov,I-Lobron,E/Debrecen/1992/1:0/41/}) (9... dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 (10... Qxd1+ 11. Rxd1 b6 12. e4 Rd8 13. Rxd8+ Nxd8 14. e5 Ne8 15. Ke2 Bb7 16. Rd1 h6 17. Be3 Bxe3 18. Kxe3 Kf8 $10 {Dreev,A-Vaganian,R/Tilburg/1993/0,5/34/}) 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bxe7 (12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Ke2 Bd7 15. Ne5 Be8 16. Rhd1 Nf6 $10 {Agzamov,G-Zaitsev,I/Erevan(zt)/1982/0,5/46/}) 12... Qxe7 13. O-O Rd8 14. Qe2 Bd7 $10 {Nikolic,P-Georgiev,Kir/Dubai(ol)/1986/0:1/32/}) 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Ne5 Qf6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qc2 e5 (13... a5 14. O-O $2 (14. Qxe4 Qxb2 15. Be5 $16) 14... e5 15. Bg3 Re8 $1 16. b3 (16. Qxe4 Bf5 17. Qf3 $2 (17. Qh4 Qe6 $15) 17... e4 18. Qf4 g5 19. Qc7 Re7 $19) 16... Bf5 17. Qb2 Qe7 18. Rfb1 f6 $15 {Muse,M-Van der Sterren,P/Altensteig/1991/0:1/50/}) 14. Bg3 Bf5 15. O-O $16 Qe7 (15... a5 16. Qc3 Rfe8 17. b4 $16) 16. b4 Bb6 17. c5 Bc7 18. Rfd1 Bg6 (18... Rfd8 19. a4 Bg6 20. b5 f5 (20... cxb5 21. axb5 f5 22. b6 axb6 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. cxb6 Bd6 25. Qc6 Rd8 26. Bh4 $18) 21. b6 axb6 22. cxb6 Bd6 23. a5 $1 f4 24. a6 fxg3 25. hxg3 $16) 19. Qa4 $1 Qe8 (19... Rad8 20. Qxc6 f5 21. Bh4 $18) 20. b5 f5 (20... cxb5 $32 21. Bxb5 Qe7 22. c6 $16) 21. bxc6 f4 22. Bh4 Bf5 23. Rd7 $1 Bxd7 24. cxd7 Qg6 25. Be7 Kh8 (25... Rfb8 26. Bc4+ Kh8 27. Bd5) 26. Bxf8 Rxf8 27. Qb3 Bd8 (27... f3 28. Bf1 fxg2 29. Bxg2 Qf5 30. Kh1 $18) (27... Qc6 28. Qb5) 28. Rd1 h6 29. Rd6 Qg5 30. Re6 f3 31. Bf1 fxg2 32. Bxg2 Qf5 33. Qa2 Qg4 34. Rd6 Rf5 35. Qe6 Kh7 36. h3 Qg5 37. Kf1 $1 Rf8 38. Bxe4+ Kh8 39. Qe8 Be7 (39... Qe7 40. Qg6) 40. Qxf8+ $1 1-0 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 38th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2010.07.24"] [Round "9"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2761"] [BlackElo "2734"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2010.07.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 138"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. g4 {g2-g4 has been apparently tried in every possible opening, in every possible position. But here it is still relatively new, especially at the top GM level!} O-O {Alternatives seen in practice:} (5... h6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. h3 c6 (7... c5 $5 {looks more logical}) 8. Ne5 Nfd7 9. Nd3 Nf8 10. Bg2 Ng6 11. Rg1 Nd7 12. Qc2 h5 13. Nf4 Nxf4 14. Bxf4 hxg4 15. hxg4 Nf8 16. O-O-O Ng6 17. Bd2 Bf6 18. e4 Bxg4 19. Rde1 Bxd4 20. exd5+ Kf8 21. Qe4 $44 {1-0 Tikkanen,H (2417)-Grabarczyk,M (2510)/Borup 2008/CBM 126 Extra (37)}) (5... dxc4 6. e4 Bb4 7. Qc2 c5 8. a3 Qa5 9. axb4 $1 Qxa1 10. Bxc4 Nc6 11. bxc5 Nb4 12. Qd1 O-O 13. g5 Nd7 14. O-O Qa5 15. e5 $44 {1-0 Eklund,L (2434)-Walker,G (2384)/ICCF Email 2003/ICCF CBM 120 (57)}) (5... c5 $5 {(a very logical counter-attack in the centre)} 6. g5 (6. dxc5 $5) 6... Ne4 7. cxd5 Nxc3 (7... exd5 $5) 8. bxc3 Qxd5 9. Rg1 $6 (9. Bg2) 9... cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc6 11. Bg2 O-O 12. h4 Rd8 13. e3 Qf5 14. Qe2 Nb4 $17 {0-1 Rosenberg,E (2182)-Gaillard,E (2153)/New York 2008/EXT 2010 (40)}) 6. g5 (6. Rg1 $6 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. e3 Ne4 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Qxd8 Rxd8 11. a3 exf3 {0-1 Eklund,L (2434)-Cranbourne,C (2455)/ICCF Email 2003/ICCF CBM 120}) (6. Qc2 $6 dxc4 $1 (6... Nc6 7. g5 Nh5 8. e3 Bxg5 9. Rg1 Be7 10. a3 Kh8 11. Bd2 f5 12. O-O-O Nf6 13. Ng5 a6 14. f4 $44 {1-0 Quaranta,C-Bellanger,M/LSS 2007/Telechess CBM 129 (36)}) (6... Nxg4 7. Rg1 f5 8. h3 Nf6 9. Bh6 Nh5 10. e3 Kh8 11. Bg5 Nf6 12. O-O-O Nc6 13. Ne5 Ne4 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. f4 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 $44 {1/2 Richard,A (1149)-Helfrich,C (1707)/IECC 2009/Telechess CBM 133 (30)}) 7. e4 Nc6 8. g5 Nd7 9. Bxc4 Nb6 10. Ne2 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Kxd2 Nxd4 13. Nexd4 e5 14. Bd3 exd4 15. Rag1 Qe7 16. h4 c5 17. e5 g6 18. h5 c4 $19 {1/2 Bergez,L (2413)-Shchekachev,A (2503)/Creon 2000/EXT 2001 (34)}) 6... Ne4 7. Qc2 $5 $146 {[%mdl 512] White just sacrifices the pawn to open up the g-file! Was the idea evoked by computer-GM games with pawn odds?} (7. h4 c5 $1 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nc6 10. e3 f5 11. cxd5 Qxd5 12. Bg2 cxd4 13. exd4 e5 14. Qb3 Be6 15. Qxd5 Bxd5 16. O-O {1/2 Thier,J (2058)-Strzelczyk,A (1819)/Liberec 2009/EXT 2010}) 7... Nxg5 8. Bxg5 Bxg5 9. h4 $5 {White even leaves this bishop alive!} (9. Nxg5 $5 Qxg5 10. h4) 9... Bh6 {It is hard to say whether} (9... Be7 {or}) (9... Bf6 {is better. White's plan is the same: queenside castling and attack along the g- and h-files, with the main idea ?f3-g5. If Black chooses the same plan as in the game (...f7-f5) then the bishop would better stay on e7.}) (9... Be7 10. Ng5 f5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. e4 $6 fxe4 13. Nxd5 Kh8 $1 {is favourable for Black.}) 10. e3 c6 11. Ng5 $1 f5 {It is now rather impossible for White to break through on the kingside but the position is closed, which makes it very difficult for Black to convert his extra pawn, too.} (11... g6 $5 12. f4 Nd7 {[%CAl Yd7f6]}) 12. Rg1 Qe7 13. O-O-O Nd7 14. f3 Nf6 15. Kb1 Kh8 16. Bd3 e5 $6 {Rather unfortunate as Black is still underdeveloped.} (16... Bd7 $142 $5 17. e4 $140 fxe4 18. fxe4 dxc4 19. Bxc4 b5 20. Bb3 e5 $1 21. dxe5 Qxe5 22. Nf7+ Rxf7 23. Bxf7 Bg4 {Black gives back material but obtains a positional advantage.}) 17. cxd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 cxd5 19. dxe5 Qxe5 20. Qc5 Be6 21. f4 Qf6 22. Nxe6 Qxe6 23. Bc2 {[%csl Rd5]} b6 24. Qxd5 (24. Qd4 $142 Rae8 25. Rd3 {, and the d5-pawn will finally fall.}) 24... Qxe3 25. Bxf5 Qc5 {In the resulting endgame Black's chances to win are slim due to the opposite-coloured bishops and active position of White's pieces. Besides, the black king gets trapped on h8.} (25... Qxf4 26. Bc2 Rac8 27. Qd3 g6 28. h5 $132) (25... Rae8 $5 $15) 26. Qxc5 bxc5 27. Rd5 Bxf4 28. Rg4 (28. h5 Be3 29. Rf1 $5) 28... Be3 29. h5 Bd4 30. Kc2 a5 31. a4 Rf6 32. Rg2 Raf8 33. Bd3 g6 {Black has no other way to make progress but this leads to further simplifications.} 34. hxg6 Rf2+ 35. Rxf2 Rxf2+ 36. Kd1 hxg6 37. Bxg6 Kg7 (37... Rxb2 38. Rd7) 38. Bc2 Kf6 39. b3 Rf1+ 40. Ke2 Rf2+ 41. Kd1 Rf1+ 42. Ke2 Rf2+ 43. Kd1 {White had to fight for a draw without any prospects for more. Therefore I don't see any room for further development of this bizarre line.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Novgorod"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1995.05.31"] [Round "5"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "1995.05.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 048"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Baburin King Dolmatov} e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O {[%csl Ya3] Well established line, but with pawn on a3 defender can reasonably hope to strike back.} Be7 11. h4 $5 (11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg3 $5 d4 13. Nb3 Qb6 14. c5 Qd8 15. exd4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Nb5 Bd7 $1 18. Rxd4 Rc8 19. Nd6 Bxd6 20. Bxd6 Re8 21. Bc4 b6 22. b4 bxc5 23. Bxc5 Qc7 24. Rhd1 {Ftacnik,L-Klovans,J/Erfurt/1993/1-0 (34)}) (11. Nb5 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Bd7 13. Bc7 b6 14. Rxd7 Nxd7 15. Qe4 a6 16. Qxc6 axb5 17. Qxd7 Bxa3 18. Qxb5 Rfc8 19. bxa3 Rxc7 20. Kb1 Qxa3 21. Rc1 Rac8 22. Nd2 Qd6 23. Nb3 {Deak,S-Bauer,T/HUN-chT 9293/1993/0-1 (23)}) (11. Bg5 Rd8 12. Bd3 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Bd7 14. Kb1 Rac8 15. h4 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Rd4 Bc6 18. Rhd1 Rxd4 19. exd4 Qc7 20. Bd3 h6 21. Be3 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Qxc7 Rxc7 {Kveinis,A-Klovan,Y/Groningen op (3)/1991/0.5 (24)}) (11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 (12... a6 {Dolmatov} 13. Bd3 Kh8 14. g5 {Ivanchuk,V-Ehlvest,J/Novgorod super(05)/1995/}) 13. g5) 11... dxc4 (11... Rd8 12. g4 Bd7 13. Kb1 dxc4 14. Bxc4 Rac8 15. g5 Nh5 16. Bd6 g6 17. Be2 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Ne7 19. Qb3 Bc6 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 Qf5+ 22. Ka1 Rf8 23. e4 Qc5 24. Qb4 $14 {Kasparov,G-Ehlvest,J/Novgorod PCA (7)/1995/0.5 (43)}) 12. Bxc4 b6 (12... e5 13. Bg5 Bg4 14. Nd5 $14) 13. Ng5 Ba6 (13... h6 14. Nge4 $36) 14. Nce4 g6 (14... Nxe4 15. Qxe4 g6 (15... Bxg5 $2 16. hxg5 g6 17. Bxa6 Qxa6 18. Qxc6 Rac8 19. Bc7 Rxc7 20. Qxc7 Rc8 21. Rd8+ $18) 16. Nxf7 $5 (16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Qxc6 Rac8 18. Bc7 Rxc7 19. Qxc7 Rc8) (16. Bxe6 {Dolmatov} fxe6 17. Qxe6+ Kh8 18. Rd5 Qa4 19. Be5+ Nxe5 20. Qxe7 $40) 16... Rxf7 (16... Bxc4 17. Nh6+ Kg7 18. Qxc4 e5 19. Bg5 $16) (16... Qc5 17. Nd6 Bxc4 18. b4 Bd5+ 19. bxc5 Bxe4 20. Nxe4 $16) 17. Qxe6 Bxc4 18. Qxc6 $18) 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Ne4 (16. Bxa6 Qxa6 17. Qxc6 Rac8 18. Bc7 Rxc7 19. Qxc7 Rc8 20. Qxc8+ Qxc8+ 21. Kb1 $13) 16... Be7 (16... Bg7 17. Bxa6 Qxa6 18. Qxc6 e5 (18... Rac8 19. Bc7 $18 (19. Bc7 Rxc7 20. Qxc7 Rc8 21. Rd8+ $18)) 19. Bxe5 (19. Nf6+ $16 {Dolmatov}) 19... Bxe5 20. Kb1 $16) 17. Bxa6 Qxa6 18. Kb1 (18. Qxc6 Rfc8 19. Bc7 Rxc7 20. Qxc7 Rc8 $13) 18... Qb7 $6 {Baburin The g6? invites White to open the h-file by h4-h5xg6, while the same idea of a pawn storm is not that easy for Black. White starts first, which is very important in such situations.} (18... Rac8 19. h5 (19. Qc3 {Dolmatov} Na5 20. Nf6+ Kh8 21. Qe5 Nc6) (19. Bd6 Na5 $132) 19... Nb4 (19... Nd4 20. Qd2 Nb5 $132) 20. Qb3 Nd5 21. hxg6 hxg6 22. Be5 $16) 19. h5 $1 {King Kasparov's strategy has worked perfectly. A target was created (...g6) which enables a file to be opened. Compare with Ivanchuk - Ehlvest where Black refused to commit the kingside pawns. Ftacnik ? on the opposite sides force both players into resolute actions.} Rac8 (19... e5 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Rh6 $40) 20. hxg6 Nb4 $2 (20... hxg6 21. Qc3 f6 22. Qb3 Nd8 23. f3 $16) 21. gxh7+ Kh8 (21... Kg7 22. Be5+ f6 (22... Kg6 23. Nc5+ Nxc2 24. Nxb7 $18) 23. Nxf6 Nxc2 (23... Bxf6 24. Bxf6+ Rxf6 25. Qxc8 $1 Qxc8 26. h8=Q+ Qxh8 27. Rd7+ $18) (23... Rxf6 24. axb4 $18) 24. Rd7 Qxg2 25. Ng8+ Kg6 26. h8=Q $18) 22. Be5+ f6 23. Nxf6 $1 {[%csl Yd8,Ye8,Yf8,Yg8,Yh8] Combination, that pleases the eye, is based on the weakness of the back rank.} Bxf6 (23... Nxc2 24. Nd5+ Bf6 (24... Rf6 25. Nxf6 $18) 25. Nxf6 Qg7 26. Ng4 $18) (23... Rxf6 {Dolmatov} 24. Qg6 $18) 24. Bxf6+ (24. Bxf6+ Rxf6 25. axb4 $18 (25. Qc3 $3 {Dolmatov} Qe4+ 26. Ka1 Nc2+ 27. Ka2 $18)) 1-0 [Event "Linares 13th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1995.03.09"] [Round "7"] [White "Dreev, Alexey"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2650"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "1995.03.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 046"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Rc1 a6 (9... dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 11. Kxd1 b6 12. Ke2 Bb7 13. Rhd1 Rfd8 14. Nb5 Ne8 15. Bd3 a5 16. Ng5 Nf6 17. Bg3 Ba6 18. a4 Nb4 19. Bc4 h6 20. Nf3 Ne4 21. Bc7 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rc8 23. Rd8+ {Dreev,A-Vaganian,R (3)/Tilburg (4) 20'/1993/0.5 (23)}) (9... Be7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 Be6 12. Nd4 Rc8 13. O-O a6 14. Nxc6 Rxc6 15. Be5 Nd7 16. Bd4 Nb6 17. Bd3 Bf6 18. Bb1 g6 19. b3 Qe7 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Ne2 Rxc1 22. Qxc1 Rc8 23. Qd2 Bf5 24. Bxf5 {Ehlvest,J-Short,N (1)/Moscow PCA 25' (01)/1994/0.5 (47)}) (9... d4 10. Nxd4 e5 $1 11. Nb3 Bxa3 12. bxa3 exf4 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. exf4 Be6 15. f3 b6 $2 16. Kf2 $1 Nd4 17. Nxd4 Rxd4 18. Ke3 Rd7 19. Be2 Re8 20. Kf2 Rc8 21. Rhd1 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 $6 Kf8 23. Rd4 Ke7 24. g4 $14 {Kramnik,V-Beliavsky,A/Beograd/1993/0.5 (33)}) 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bg5 (11. b4 Ba7 12. Be2 d4 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. Be3 Qxd1+ 16. Nxd1 Bd7 17. Bf3 a5 18. Bxb7 Bxe3 19. Nxe3 Rab8 {Kramnik,V-Ivanchuk,V (02)/New York PCA 25' (3)/1994/0.5 (20)}) (11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Rxc5 Nxf4 13. Qxd8 (13. exf4 $2 Qe7+ $19) 13... Nxg2+ 14. Bxg2 Rxd8 $10) 11... d4 $1 $146 (11... Be7 12. Be2 Be6 13. O-O h6 14. Bh4 Rc8 15. Nd4 Ne5 16. Qb3 Qd7 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Bg3 Nf7 20. e4 Kf8 21. e5 Ng8 22. Bh5 Nh8 23. Na4 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 $16 {Hamann,S-Filip,M/Lugano olm/1968/1-0 (37)}) 12. Nb5 $6 (12. Ne4 Qa5+ 13. b4 Nxb4 14. axb4 Bxb4+ 15. Ned2 Ne4 16. Bf4 dxe3 17. Bxe3 Rd8 $40) (12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Ne4 Bb6 $36) (12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Ne4 Bb6) 12... dxe3 $1 13. Qxd8 (13. Rxc5 exf2+ 14. Ke2 Qe7+ $19) 13... exf2+ 14. Ke2 Rxd8 15. Bxf6 (15. Rxc5 $5 Re8+ 16. Kd1 axb5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Bxb5 Bg4 $17) 15... Re8+ 16. Kd1 gxf6 17. Rxc5 Bg4 $1 (17... axb5 18. Bxb5 Bg4) 18. Nc3 (18. Nd6 Rad8 19. Rd5 Re6 $19) (18. Nc7 Rad8+ 19. Rd5 (19. Kc2 Re1 $1 (19... Bxf3 20. gxf3 Nd4+ 21. Kc3 Re3+ 22. Kb4 $13 (22. Kd2 Re1 $19)) 20. Nd5 Bf5+ 21. Kd2 (21. Kb3 Be6 $19) 21... b6 22. Nxe1 bxc5 23. Bc4 Be4 $19) 19... Rxd5+ 20. Nxd5 Rd8 21. Bc4 Ne5 22. Ke2 Bxf3+ 23. gxf3 Nxc4 24. Nxf6+ (24. Rd1 Rxd5 25. Rxd5 f1=Q+ 26. Kxf1 Ne3+ $19) 24... Kg7 25. Ne4 f5 26. Nxf2 Rd2+ 27. Ke1 Rxb2 $17) 18... Nd4 19. Bc4 (19. h3 Bxf3+ 20. gxf3 Re1+ 21. Kd2 Nb3+ $19) (19. Be2 Nxe2 20. Nxe2 Rad8+ 21. Ned4 Bxf3+ 22. gxf3 Rxd4+ 23. Kc2 Re1 $19) (19. Rc4 Re1+ 20. Kd2 Nxf3+ 21. gxf3 Bxf3 $19) 19... Nxf3 20. Kc2 (20. Be2 Ng1 $1 $19) 20... Bf5+ 21. Kb3 (21. Rxf5 Nd4+ $19) 21... Nd2+ 22. Ka2 Be6 $1 (22... Be6 $1 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. Bxd5 Re1 $19) 0-1 [Event "Sharjah FIDE GP"] [Site "Sharjah"] [Date "2017.02.25"] [Round "7"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2760"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,Alex "] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2017.02.18"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "UAE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 {An old Karpov line.} ({Nakamura used to uphold Black's colours in the closed formation of the} 6... Nbd7 7. c5 {line.}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. Rd1 {The most popular these days.} ({The last word hasn't been spoken yet on Kasparov's favourite} 10. O-O-O) 10... Re8 ({Hikaru had a hard time defending a worse endgame after} 10... Be7 11. Be2 Ne4 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 14. bxc3 exd5 15. Rxd5 Bxa3 16. Nd4 Nxd4 17. exd4 {against Carlsen in the Sinquefield Cup, 2015.}) 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 $1 {First played in Game 21 of the Korchnoi-Karpov World Championship Match in 1978.} 13. Qb1 $1 ({The knight cannot be taken:} 13. exd4 exd4+ 14. Ne2 Ng4 {and Black wins.}) ({The panicky} 13. Qa4 {led to a quick draw in Karjakin-Nakamura, Bilbao 2016:} Qxa4 14. Nxa4 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ 16. Ke1 (16. exd4 exd4+ 17. Kd3 Bf5+) 16... Nc2+ {etc.}) 13... Bf5 14. Bd3 Bxd3 {This improvement came up a couple of years ago to rehabilitate the entire line.} ({The stem game Korchnoi-Karpov game went} 14... e4 15. Bc2 ({Possibly, even} 15. Bf1 $5 {can be tried. Facing a total collapse of his position due to the threats to the ?d4, the ?c5 and the d5-pawn, Black has no choice but to push forward. However, after} Ng4 16. cxd5 Ne5 {White has a defence} 17. exd4 $1 Nf3+ 18. gxf3 exf3+ 19. Nde4 Bxe4 (19... Rxe4+ 20. Qxe4 Bxe4 21. dxc5 Re8 22. Bb5) 20. Qc1 Bxd5+ 21. Be3 {and the extra piece should prevail.}) 15... Nxc2+ 16. Qxc2 Qa6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Nb3 Bd6 19. Rxd5 {White emerged with a solid extra pawn, which Korchnoi successfully converted into a win.}) 15. Qxd3 Ne4 16. Ncxe4 ({The American star of the 1980's GM James Tarjan picked up this line after suffering a quick defeat as White (game mentioned later), but his opponent, GM Lalith (Isle of Man, 2016) surprised him with a new move,} 16. cxd5 Nxc3 ({The point is, Black loses a piece after} 16... Nxg5 17. b4 Bxb4 18. axb4 Qxb4 19. h4 $1) 17. bxc3 Nb5 18. Ne4 Nd6 19. Nxd6 Bxd6 20. e4 {and White retained something of an edge.}) ({But} 16. Ndxe4 {is insufficient:} dxe4 17. Qxe4 Bxa3 $1 18. O-O Bxb2 19. Nd5 Ne2+ 20. Kh1 Nc3 21. Nxc3 Qxc3 22. Rd7 {although Babula-Sebenik, 2016 went 1-0.}) 16... dxe4 17. Qxe4 Qb6 (17... Nb3 {leads nowhere after} 18. Qc2) 18. Rb1 (18. Qb1 {was seen in Tarjan-Zumsande, 2015:} Ne6 19. Bh4 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Qxe3+ 21. Kf1 Qf4+ 22. Bf2 Rad8 {Black has massive compensation, and it took only one error from Tarjan to lose the game:} 23. g3 Qh6 24. Ne4 Qh3+ 25. Kg1 $4 Nf4 $1) 18... h6 ({The same player, unfortunately unknown to me, had another game worthy of mention:} 18... f6 $1 19. O-O (19. b4 Bf8 20. Bh4 Rad8 {may improve on Nakamura's idea of trapping the white bishop, e.g.} 21. Rb2 g5 22. Qg4 h5 23. Qxh5 gxh4 24. exd4 exd4+ 25. Kd1 Qe6 $13) 19... Ne2+ 20. Kh1 fxg5 21. Qd3 Nf4 22. exf4 Rad8 23. Qc2 exf4 {Ruecker-Zumsande, Rilton Cup 2016-17, evaluation .}) 19. Bh4 g5 20. b4 Bf8 21. Bg3 Rad8 $1 {Now the threat of f5-f4 forces White's hand.} 22. exd4 exd4 23. Be5 Bg7 24. O-O ({The same result would seem inevitable after} 24. Nf3 Bxe5 25. Nxe5 Qc7 {e.g.} 26. f4 gxf4 27. O-O Qxe5 28. Qxf4 Qxf4 29. Rxf4 d3 30. Rd1 Re2 31. Rf3 d2 32. Rf2 Re1+ 33. Rf1 Re2 34. Rf2 $11) 24... Rxe5 25. Qd3 Qg6 $1 26. Rb3 g4 27. c5 b6 28. cxb6 (28. Nc4 Re6 29. Qxg6 fxg6 30. Nb2 {is hardly worth bothering with.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2011.11.23"] [Round "7"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2744"] [BlackElo "2800"] [Annotator "Postny,Evgeny"] [PlyCount "96"] [EventDate "2011.11.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O {This is already the third game in the current tournament in which this position has appeared.} (8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. O-O cxd4 11. Qxd4 Nb6 {proved to be okay for Black.}) 8... c5 ({Anand vs Aronian tried} 8... Nd5 {but after} 9. Bxc4 Nxf4 10. exf4 {found himself in certain difficulties.}) 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bxc4 Qxd1 $146 {Kramnik continues to develop modern theory.} ({In the previous round Gelfand chose} 10... a6 {being on the black side against Aronian.}) 11. Rfxd1 b6 (11... a6 $6 12. Ne5 $14 b5 $2 13. Nc6 {[%csl Re7]}) 12. Nd4 (12. Bd6 Bxd6 13. Rxd6 Bb7 14. Ne5 Rfd8 15. Rad1 Rxd6 16. Rxd6 Kf8 17. b4 Nce4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 $11 {[%CAl Gf8e7]}) 12... Bb7 13. Rac1 (13. Ndb5 a6 14. Nd6 Bc6 $11) 13... a6 {Covering the b5-square.} 14. b4 {White has to play actively if he wants to make something out of his temporary advantage in development.} Nce4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 (15... Nxe4 $4 16. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 17. Bxe6+ Kh8 18. Rd7 $18 {[%csl Rb7,Re7]}) 16. a3 Rfc8 17. f3 (17. Nxe6 $2 b5 18. Nc7 bxc4 19. Nxa8 Bxa8 $15) 17... Bb7 18. e4 {[%csl Yb7,Ge4,Gf3] Creating a barrier against the black light-squared bishop, as well as covering the important square d5.} (18. Nxe6 b5 19. Nc7 bxc4 20. Nxa8 Bxa8 21. e4 {is a better version than on the previous move, and actually very similar to what occurred in the game later.}) 18... a5 $5 {Somewhat provocative.} ({After} 18... Kf8 19. Bf1 a5 {Black is very close to full equality.}) 19. Nxe6 $1 {Accepting the challenge.} (19. Nb5 axb4 20. Bd6 Kf8 21. axb4 Bc6 22. e5 Ne8 23. Bf1 Bd5 $11) 19... axb4 20. axb4 (20. Nc7 Rxa3 (20... Ra5 $2 21. Bd5 $1 Bxd5 22. Nxd5 Bc5+ 23. Rxc5 Raxc5 24. Ne7+ Kf8 25. Nxc8 Rxc8 26. axb4 $16) 21. Nb5 Bc5+ 22. Kh1 Ra5 23. Nd6 Bxd6 24. Rxd6 g5 (24... Rac5 25. Rxb6 Rxc4 26. Rxc4 Rxc4 27. Rxb7 h6 28. h3 Nd5 $1 29. Bxh6 gxh6 30. exd5 Rd4 31. d6 Rxd6 32. Rxb4 {leads to a drawish endame through some suffering for Black.}) 25. Be3 Ba6 26. Bxa6 Rxc1+ 27. Bxc1 Rxa6 28. Rd8+ Kg7 29. Bb2 b5 $8 30. Rd5 Kg6 31. Rxb5 Rd6 32. h3 $14) 20... b5 $1 {Distracting the bishop.} 21. Nc7 (21. Bb3 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 fxe6 23. Rc7 Bxe4 $1 24. Bxe6+ Kf8 25. fxe4 Ra1+ 26. Kf2 Nxe4+ 27. Kf3 Rf1+ $1 28. Kxe4 Rxf4+ 29. Kxf4 (29. Ke5 g5 $11) 29... Bd6+ 30. Ke4 Bxc7 $11) 21... bxc4 22. Nxa8 Bxa8 23. Bd6 {The exchange of bishops favours White.} Kf8 24. Bxe7+ Kxe7 25. Rd4 c3 26. Rd3 c2 27. Rd2 {It looks like Black loses his passed pawn without any compensation, but...} Nxe4 $1 {The key idea of Black's defence.} 28. Rdxc2 (28. fxe4 $6 Bxe4 29. Rd4 f5 {Only Black can be better here.}) 28... Rxc2 29. Rxc2 Nd6 30. Kf2 {There is a sort of dynamic equality in this endgame. White's passed pawn will be safely blocked.} Kd7 31. Ke3 Nb5 32. Rc5 Bc6 33. Kd3 f6 {This is the right way to place pawns so that they cover dark squares, while the bishop covers the light squares.} 34. Rh5 h6 35. Kc4 Nc7 36. Ra5 Kd6 37. Kd4 g5 38. Ra1 {Neither side can make any progress.} f5 39. h4 f4 40. hxg5 hxg5 41. Rh1 g4 {Massive pawn exchanges lead to a simple draw.} 42. fxg4 Bxg2 43. Rh6+ Ne6+ 44. Kd3 Bf3 45. Rf6 Bxg4 46. Ke4 f3 47. Ke3 Ke5 48. Rxf3 Bxf3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Isle of Lewis"] [Site "Isle of Lewis"] [Date "1995.??.??"] [Round "2"] [White "Agdestein, Simen"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2600"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1995.??.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "SCO"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "CBM 049"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Kortschnoj} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. h4 $5 {Kasparov} Rd8 (11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 b6 (12... e5 {Kortschnoj} 13. Bg5 Bg4 $13) 13. Ng5 Ba6 14. Nce4 $1 g6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Ne4 Be7 17. Bxa6 Qxa6 18. Kb1 Qb7 19. h5 $40 {Kasparov,G-Vaganian,R/Novgorod/1995/1-0/ CBM 48}) 12. Nd2 (12. g4 Bd7 13. Kb1 dxc4 14. Bxc4 Rac8 15. g5 Nh5 16. Bd6 g6 17. Be2 {Kasparov,G-Ehlvest,J/Novgorod/1995/1-0( CBM48}) 12... Rd7 $5 {? Kortschnoj} (12... dxc4 13. Nxc4 Rxd1+ 14. Qxd1 Qc5) (12... e5 {? Kortschnoj} 13. Bg5 (13. Nb3 {Kortschnoj} Qb6 $13) 13... d4 14. Nb3 Qb6 15. c5 Qc7 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. exd4 a6 18. Nd6 Bxd6 19. cxd6 Qxd6 20. dxe5 Qxd1+ 21. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 22. Kxd1 Nxe5 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Nd4 Bd7 {Cifuentes Parada,R-Van der Sterren,P/NLD-ch ;CBM 48 1995/½-½ (50)}) 13. Bd3 Qd8 (13... d4 14. Nb3 Qd8 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. exd4 Rxd4 17. Be5 $36) 14. cxd5 exd5 (14... Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Rxd5 16. Bxh7+ $16) 15. Nf3 (15. Bf5 d4 16. Bxd7 dxc3 (16... Bxd7 17. exd4 Nxd4 18. Qd3 Bf5 $132) 17. Bxc6 cxb2+ 18. Qxb2 bxc6 19. Nc4 $16) 15... Qf8 16. g4 Ne4 (16... Nxg4 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Bf5 Rd8 19. Bxg4 Bxg4 20. Ng5 Qg8 21. Rxd5 $16) (16... g6 17. g5 Nh5 18. Bh2) 17. Ne5 (17. Nxd5 $2 Rxd5 18. Bxe4 Rc5 $19) (17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Bxg4 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Be4 Rc8) 17... Nxe5 (17... Rd8 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 $16) (17... Nxc3 {Kortschnoj} 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. Qxc3 Bxg4 20. Rdg1 Rc8 $132) 18. Bxe5 f6 $2 {?b1-h7} (18... g6 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1 Bxa3 $1 22. bxa3 $140 Qc5+) 19. Bd4 Rc7 (19... g6 20. Nxd5 $1 Rxd5 21. Bc4 (21. Bxe4 Rd8 22. Qb3+ Kh8 23. h5 $16) 21... Be6 22. Qxe4 Qc8 23. Kb1 Qxc4 24. Qxe6+ $16) 20. f3 $1 Nxc3 21. Bxh7+ Kh8 22. Bxc3 Bxa3 {?! Kortschnoj} (22... Bc5 23. Rhe1 Qe7 24. Kb1 $16) (22... Be6 $5 {Kortschnoj}) 23. Rxd5 (23. bxa3 Bxg4 $1 (23... Qxa3+ $2 24. Kd2 Bxg4 (24... Rxc3 25. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 26. Kxc3 Kxh7 27. Rxd5 $18) 25. fxg4 (25. Ra1 Qe7 26. fxg4 Rac8 $132) 25... Rac8 26. Rc1 Rxc3 27. Qxc3 Rxc3 28. Rxc3 Qb4 29. Bf5 $18) 24. fxg4 Rxc3 25. Qxc3 Rc8 $132) 23... Bxg4 24. fxg4 Rxc3 25. Qxc3 Rc8 26. Qxc8 Qxc8+ 27. Bc2 Be7 (27... Qc3 $2 28. Rd8+) 28. Rhd1 Kg8 29. Rd7 Kf8 30. Kb1 a5 (30... Qc6 31. Bf5 $18) 31. h5 Qc6 32. Bf5 a4 (32... Qb6 33. R1d4 $18) 33. Rc1 $1 (33. Rc1 $1 Qb6 (33... Bc5 34. Rd8+ Kf7 35. Rc8 $18) 34. Rc8+ Kf7 35. Rcc7 $18) 1-0 [Event "Shenzhen Du Te Cup"] [Site "Shenzhen"] [Date "2017.03.29"] [Round "6"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2017.03.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 178"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. e3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 a6 15. Rc1 d4 (15... Re8 {is more accurate, and a forced line} 16. Bxa6 (16. g4 Bg6 17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Qd3 d4 19. e4 Bc7 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. Kg2 Qf4 $11 {1-0 (44) Gyimesi,Z (2571)-Van den Doel,E (2574) Tel Aviv 2001}) 16... Rxa6 17. b5 Rxa3 18. bxc6 bxc6 19. Rxc6 {, seen in a number of games, leads to a position close to drawish, although Black needs to display accuracy.} Qh4) 16. g4 $1 Bg6 17. e4 {A well-known old line, rather pleasant for White.} Re8 (17... Rc8 $144 18. Re1 Re8) 18. Re1 (18. Nd2 $5 Rc8 (18... Bc7 19. Bxc7 Qxc7 20. f4 f6 21. Qf3 $14 {1/2 (42) Kveinys,A (2600)-Ogaard,L (2372) Norway 2008}) 19. Bg3 (19. Qb3 $5 {L.Ftacnik}) 19... f6 (19... Qd7 20. f4 f6 21. Qf3 Bf7 22. Kg2 Ne7 23. Bc4 Bxc4 24. Nxc4 Bc7 25. Qd3 $14 {0-1 (33) Sakalauskas,V (2423)-Vouldis,A (2528) Plovdiv 2003}) 20. b5 $6 (20. f4 $5 {A.Beliavsky}) (20. Bc4+ $5 Kh8 21. Bd5 $14 {L.Ftacnik}) 20... axb5 21. Qb3+ Kh8 22. Qxb5 Bc7 $1 23. Qxb7 Bxg3 24. Rxc6 $1 Rb8 25. Qa7 Bf4 26. Nf3 Bxe4 $1 27. Bxe4 Rxe4 28. Rd1 Qe8 $132 {1/2 (33) Beliavsky,A (2595)-Georgiev,K (2610) Biel 1992 CBM 031 [Ftacnik,L]}) 18... Rc8 19. Bc4 $146 {A new continuation, which is hardly better than the others.} (19. e5 $5 Ne7 20. Bc4 Nd5 (20... Rxc4 $2 21. Rxc4 Qd5 22. Nd2 Bd3 23. Rc1 Bb5 24. Qb3 Bc6 25. Qxd5 Nxd5 26. Bg3 $16 {1/2 (57) Dorfman,J (2607)-Vaisser,A (2571) Aix les Bains 2003 CBM 097 [Dautov]}) 21. Bg5 Qd7 {[%CAl Yd5c3]} 22. e6 $1 fxe6 23. Ne5 Qd6 24. Bh4 Rf8 25. Nxg6 hxg6 26. Bg3 Qd7 27. Qe2 Kh7 28. Qe4 Qf7 29. Bd3 $44 {1-0 (55) Lima,D (2486)-Hobaica,J (2405) Brasilia 2010}) (19. Kg2 {is even more solid:} Bc7 20. Qd2 Bxf4 21. Qxf4 $14 Na7 $6 22. Rxc8 Nxc8 23. Rd1 Na7 24. Bc4 Rxe4 25. Bxf7+ Kf8 26. Qg5 $1 $16 {1-0 (33) Epishin,V (2620)-Van der Sterren,P (2535) Ter Apel 1992 CBM 030 [Ftacnik,L]}) 19... Qf6 $6 (19... Bxe4 $1 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21. Ng5+ Kg8 22. Rxe4 Qd5 23. Qd3 Rxe4 24. Qxe4 Qxe4 25. Nxe4 Rf8 {, and Black should not lose.}) 20. Bg5 Qd6 21. e5 $1 {Probably missed by Black.} Qd7 (21... Qf8 {is too ugly.}) 22. Qb3 {[%CAl Re5e6]} h6 (22... Nd8 23. Bxd8 $1 Qxd8 24. e6 $16) 23. Bh4 (23. Bf4 $142 $1 Re6 $140 (23... Nd8 $2 24. e6 Nxe6 25. Ne5) 24. Nh4 Bh7 25. Nf5 $16) 23... Re6 $1 {[%mdl 768] An excellent defence. If White accepts this exchange sacrifice Black obtains an excellent blockading position.} 24. Rcd1 Bh7 25. Rd2 g5 $2 {[%mdl 16384] An unnecessary weakening; besides, White's bishop is pushed to a better square.} (25... Ba7 $142 {[%CAl Yb7b5]}) 26. Bg3 {[%CAl Yh3h4]} Nd8 27. Red1 Qc7 28. Bd3 Bxd3 29. Rxd3 Nc6 30. a4 Qe7 31. b5 axb5 32. axb5 Nxe5 (32... Na5 33. Qa2 {[%CAl Rf3d4]}) (32... Nb4 33. Rxd4 $1 Bxd4 34. Nxd4 Rd8 35. Kg2 $1 $16) 33. Nxe5 Rxe5 34. Bxe5 Qxe5 {White has won the exchange in a much better version and gradually brings his advantage home.} 35. Rf3 Qe7 36. Kg2 Rc7 37. Qd5 Kg7 38. Rh1 $1 {[%CAl Yh3h4]} Rd7 39. Re1 $1 Qd8 40. Qe5+ f6 41. Qf5 Bc7 42. Re6 Rf7 43. h4 $1 gxh4 44. Kh3 $18 Be5 $4 (44... Be5 $4 45. Rxe5) 1-0 [Event "87th Tata Steel Masters 2025"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2025.01.21"] [Round "4.7"] [White "Erigaisi, Arjun Kumar"] [Black "Fedoseev, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2717"] [Annotator "Chessbase - Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [EventCountry "NED"] {[%evp 9,78,14,16,0,21,0,11,25,16,9,16,-17,13,16,7,8,11,0,30,22,0,-108,-127,-112,-122,-148,-144,-171,-66,-62,0,0,103,111,142,116,79,75,214,216,205,181,180,22,18,-303,-312,-311,-314,-298,-353,-361,-366,-341,-308,-351,-322,-351,-343,-377,-371,-368,-361,-514,-518,-526,-519,-737,-723,-960,-1118]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 Bd6 (6... Nh5 7. Bd2 c6 (7... Nf6 8. h3 c6 9. Bf4 Bf5 10. g4 Bg6 11. Ne5 Nbd7 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. e3 Nb6 14. Bd3 Bd6 15. Qf3 Bxf4 16. Qxf4 Qe7 17. Kf1 Qb4 18. Rb1 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Qxc4+ 20. Kg2 Qb4 21. h4 {Prraneeth,V (2450)-Gasparyan,E (2394) Yerevan ARM 2025 ½-½ (67)}) 8. Qc2 Nf6 9. e3 Bd6 10. Bd3 Nbd7 11. O-O O-O 12. h3 h6 13. Rfe1 Re8 14. Rad1 Re7 15. Re2 Nf8 16. e4 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Be6 19. Bc3 Bc4 20. Ree1 Qc7 21. d5 {Gukesh,D (2730)-Yu Yangyi (2729) Berlin GER 2023 ½-½ (109)}) 7. e3 $146 (7. Qd2 O-O 8. Nb5 Ne4 9. Qc1 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 c6 12. Nc3 Bf5 13. g3 Qf6 14. a3 Ba5 15. Nf3 Be4 16. Qf4 Qxf4 17. gxf4 Bxf3 18. exf3 Re8+ 19. Kd2 c5 20. Bb5 Nc6 21. Bxc6 bxc6 {Csermely,Z (1656)-Bartok,D (1492) Budapest 2014 ½-½ (45)}) (7. Bxd6 Qxd6 8. e3 c6 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Be6 11. Rc1 Re8 12. Ne5 Nbd7 13. Nxd7 Bxd7 14. Rc2 Rac8 15. Bd3 Ng4 16. g3 Qh6 17. h4 Qd6 18. Re1 Re7 19. Bf1 Nf6 20. Bg2 Rce8 21. Rce2 Bg4 {Pilte,N (1240)-Doare,C (1640) Hyeres 2002 0-1 (53)}) 7... Bxf4 8. exf4 O-O 9. Ne5 {Prevents Bg4} Nc6 10. f3 Be6 11. Qd2 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. O-O-O (13. Nxd5 Nxe5 14. fxe5 Qxd5 $17 (14... Bxd5 15. Bd3 $15)) 13... c6 14. g4 f5 15. Ne2 $2 {Mistake. Rg1 was best.} (15. Rg1 Qa5) 15... fxg4 $17 16. Nd4 Qe7 $1 17. Rg1 gxf3 18. Bd3 {[%CAl Bf4f5]} Kh8 $6 {Inaccuracy. Nc5 was best.} (18... Nc5 19. f5 Nxd3+ 20. Qxd3 f2 21. Nxe6 (21. fxe6 $2 fxg1=N 22. Rxg1 Rf2 $19) 21... fxg1=B 22. Rxg1 Rf7) 19. Bc2 $15 {[%CAl Bd1f1]} c5 $6 {Inaccuracy. Rae8 was best.} (19... Rae8 20. Rdf1) 20. Nxf3 (20. Nxe6 Qxe6 21. Kb1 (21. Qxd5 Qxd5 22. Rxd5 Nb6 $17) 21... Rae8 $17) 20... Nb6 $6 {Inaccuracy. d4 was best.} (20... d4 21. Rg5 g6 22. h4 d3 23. Bxd3 c4 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Rxg6 c3 26. Qd4) 21. Rg5 $1 $16 {[%mdl 1024] White has strong compensation.} Nc4 $6 {Inaccuracy. g6 was best.} (21... g6 22. Nh4 Bf7 23. Qg2 Rg8 24. Rd3 Nd7 25. Rdg3 d4 26. Be4 Qe6 27. Nxg6+) 22. Qd3 {[%csl Gc2][%CAl Rd3h7]} g6 (22... Rxf4 23. Qxh7#) 23. Nh4 $1 {[%CAl Bh4g6]} Qf7 {[#]} (23... Rxf4 24. Nxg6+ hxg6 25. Qxg6 Rh4 26. Rh5+ Rxh5 27. Qxh5+ Kg7 28. Rg1+) (23... Rg8 $16) 24. Rf1 $1 $18 Rg8 {[#]} 25. Qg3 $1 {[%CAl Rh4g6] and Nxg6+! would now be decisive} Bf5 26. Bxf5 $2 {Mistake. Nxf5 was best.} (26. Nxf5 gxf5 27. b3 (27. Bxf5 $2 {is the wrong capture.} Qxf5 28. Rxf5 Rxg3 $19)) 26... gxf5 27. Nxf5 $4 {[%mdl 8192] Blunder. Re1 was best. [#]} (27. Re1) 27... Qxf5 $1 $19 {[%mdl 512]} 28. Rxf5 {Intending Rg5 and mate.} Rxg3 29. hxg3 $18 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRR-KRN} Ne3 $1 {[%csl Bf1,Bf5]} 30. Rg5 Nxf1 $19 {KRN-KR} 31. e6 Ne3 32. Re5 d4 33. Rxc5 b6 34. Rh5 Kg7 35. Kd2 Re8 36. f5 (36. Kd3) 36... Kf6 37. Rxh7 Nxf5 38. Rxa7 Rxe6 39. g4 Nh4 {0-1 Black wins. Precisão Lichess~Stockfish 17: Brancas 87% Pretas 93% Precisão Chess.com: Brancas 88.3% pretas 93.8%} 0-1 [Event "EU-ch 11th"] [Site "Rijeka"] [Date "2010.03.11"] [Round "6"] [White "Fressinet, Laurent"] [Black "Aleksandrov, Aleksej"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2670"] [BlackElo "2601"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2010.03.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 136"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 {The main idea of this move was explained by GM G. Meier in annotations to his game against LD. Nisipeanu (see CBM 133). That is - to prevent 6...?bd7.} Nbd7 {And still!} (6... c5) (6... c6) (6... b6 {are more common options.}) ({Meier himself prefered} 6... dxc4) 7. Nb5 $1 Ne8 8. e3 Ndf6 $146 {Practice has seen:} (8... a6 9. Nc3 c6 10. Qc2 b5 11. c5 g5 12. Bg3 f5 13. Bd3 Rf7 14. h4 g4 15. Ng5 Bxg5 16. hxg5 Qxg5 17. Ne2 $16 {1-0 Williams,S (2550)-Addison,B (2258)/Hastings ENG 2009/The Week in Chess 790 (35)}) (8... dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd6 10. Rc1 a6 11. Nxd6 cxd6 12. Bd3 Nf6 13. e4 Bd7 14. O-O Bb5 15. Bxb5 axb5 16. Qd3 Qd7 17. Nd2 Rfc8 18. f3 d5 19. e5 Ne8 20. Be3 b4 21. axb4 Bxb4 22. Nb3 $14 {1-0 Riazantsev,A (2647)-Nezad,H (2406)/Biel 2009/CBM 131 Extra (34)}) (8... c6 9. Nc3 Nef6 10. Qc2 b6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Re8 14. Ne5 Nf8 15. Bg3 Nh5 16. e4 Nxg3 17. hxg3 Bf6 18. Nf3 g6 19. e5 Bg7 20. Ne2 Rc8 21. Nf4 $14 {1/2 Bartel,M (2634)-Lekic,D (2396)/Rijeka CRO 2010/The Week in Chess 801 (50)}) 9. Rc1 Nh5 10. Bg3 g6 11. Be2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd6 13. Qe2 Bd7 14. O-O a6 15. Nc3 Rc8 16. b4 Nxc4 17. Qxc4 Qe8 18. Rfd1 $14 {White finally keeps a small positional advantage due to his greater space. Black's bishop pair doesn't fully compensate for that.} f6 19. Ne4 Nxg3 20. hxg3 Qf7 21. Nc5 Bxc5 22. Qxc5 Ba4 23. Rd2 Rfd8 24. e4 g5 $6 {Just weakening his kingside. It was definitely better to remain patient:} (24... Bc6) 25. Nh2 h5 26. Nf1 Qh7 27. f3 Qd7 28. d5 $1 {Breaking down Black's centre.} Qe8 (28... e5 29. Ne3 {[%csl Gf5] - the consequence of 24...g5.}) (28... Qd6 29. Qf2 $5 {[%CAl Yf1e3]} c6 30. dxe6 Qxe6 31. Ne3 $16) 29. Ne3 Kg7 30. Qc3 exd5 31. Rxd5 Bc6 $4 {[%mdl 8192]} ({The endgame after} 31... Rxd5 32. Nxd5 Qe6 33. Nxc7 Qb6+ 34. Qc5 {was hopeless enough.}) 32. Rxg5+ Kh7 33. Qxf6 1-0 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2011.11.19"] [Round "4"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "Postny,Evgeny"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2011.11.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O $1 $146 {[%mdl 8] Surprisingly, this hasn't appeared before. I wouldn't claim that this novelty is overwhelming, but it definitely expands the room for theoretical discussion in this topical line.} (8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. O-O cxd4 11. Qxd4 Nb6 12. Bb3 Qxd4 13. Nxd4 Bd7 14. Bc7 Nbd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 exd5 17. Rfd1 Bf6 18. Ba5 Rfc8 $11 {½-½ Short,N (2658)-Fridman,D (2655)/Caleta 2011/CB05_2011 (32)}) 8... Nd5 $6 (8... a6 $5 {is worth being checked in practice.} 9. a4 c5 10. d5 {The best way to fight for an initiative.} (10. dxc5 Nh5 11. Bd6 Nxc5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Ne5 Nf6 14. Nxc4 a5 $11) 10... exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Qxd5 Nf6 13. Qe5 $1 (13. Qxc4 Be6 14. Qc2 Qb6 $11) 13... Qe8 (13... Be6 14. Ng5 $14) 14. Bxc4 $14) (8... c5 {is the best continuation, Anand adopted this as well in the London Chess Classic.}) 9. Bxc4 $1 {White doesn't mind exchanging his bishop and spoiling the pawn structure. The advantage in development and space will yield him a long-lasting initiative.} Nxf4 10. exf4 c5 (10... Nb6 11. Bb3 c6 {would be too passive. The control over the square d5 is Black's only trump. All his pieces are on last three ranks and the light-squared bishop has no prospects.}) 11. dxc5 (11. d5 $6 Nb6 12. b3 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxc4 14. bxc4 Be6 $11) 11... Qc7 {[%csl Rf4]} (11... Nxc5 12. Qe2 Bd7 13. Rfd1 Qb6 14. Ne5 $14) (11... Bxc5 12. Bd3 b6 13. Qc2 (13. Bxh7+ $2 {doesn't work} Kxh7 14. Ng5+ Kg8 {and the knight will cover from f6.}) 13... g6 14. Be4 Rb8 15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Rd2 Nf6 17. Ne5 Bb7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Rad1 $14) 12. g3 Qxc5 13. Qe2 Nb6 (13... a6 14. Rac1 b5 15. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 16. Qxe6+ Rf7 17. Nd5 Qd6 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Qc6 Rb8 20. Rfe1 Qf6 21. Re6 Qd8 22. Ng5 Bb7 23. Nxf7 Kxf7 24. Qd6 Nf8 25. Qxd8 Rxd8 {Black holds, but the whole variation is frightening for him along the way.}) 14. Bd3 Qh5 (14... Bd7 15. Ne5 Bc6 16. Rac1 $16 {Black's queen is vulnerable.}) 15. Qe3 Bf6 16. Ng5 $1 Bxc3 {This is a human decision. An engine prefers the other knight.} (16... Bxg5 $5 17. fxg5 Bd7 18. Be2 Qg6 19. Rad1 Bc6 20. Rd4 {Threatening 21.?d3 ?h5 22.?h4.} h6 21. f4 Rfd8 22. Bd3 Qh5 23. Bh7+ $1 (23. g6 fxg6 24. Qxe6+ Kh7 25. g4 Qh3 26. Qxg6+ Kg8 27. Qh7+ Kf8 (27... Kf7 $4 28. Bg6+ Kf6 29. g5+ Ke6 30. Re1+ {mating.}) 28. Qf5+ Kg8 $11) 23... Kh8 (23... Kxh7 24. Qd3+ $16 {[%csl Rd8,Rh7]}) 24. Be4 $14) 17. bxc3 h6 18. Be2 Qg6 19. Nf3 Qf6 20. Ne5 Bd7 21. c4 Qe7 {Finally the queen has found a safe shelter.} 22. Qe4 Bc6 $5 {Anand is ready to sacrifice a pawn to release the pressure and complete the development.} (22... Rab8 23. Bd3 g6 24. h4 Na4 25. h5 Nc5 26. Qf3 $16) 23. Nxc6 bxc6 24. Qxc6 Rac8 25. Qe4 Rc7 26. Rfd1 Rfc8 27. Rd4 g6 {Black has a good blockade against the c-pawn. However, the evaluation is clear - White is much better, the only question is whether he can win it or not.} 28. Rad1 Qf6 29. Qc2 Rc5 30. Qb3 Qe7 31. Bf1 R5c7 32. Qb5 Rc5 33. Qb4 R5c7 $6 {I don't think that Black should allow the exchange of queens, at least under these circumstances.} (33... Kg7 {was a good stand-by move.} {If White insists on a queen swap by} 34. Rd8 R8c7 35. Qc3+ e5 36. fxe5 Qxe5 37. Qxe5+ Rxe5 {then the c-pawn will never go forward.}) 34. Qxe7 Rxe7 35. Rd8+ Rxd8 36. Rxd8+ Kg7 37. c5 {Now the passed pawn becomes dangerous.} Nd5 38. Bc4 Nf6 39. Rc8 Rd7 40. Bb5 $2 {Wasting time.} (40. c6 Rd1+ 41. Kg2 Rc1 42. Bb5 Nd5 43. a4 Nb4 44. Ra8 {White can't promote the c-passer, so has to exchange it for the a-pawn.} a5 45. Rxa5 Nxc6 46. Ra8 Nd4 47. Be8 {This must be winning for White. Black's knight on d4 is harmless.}) 40... Rd1+ 41. Kg2 Ra1 42. a4 a6 43. Bc6 (43. Bxa6 Rxa4 44. Bb7 Rc4 {makes Black's defensive task easier.}) 43... Rc1 44. Ra8 Rxc5 45. Rxa6 Rc2 46. a5 (46. h3 Nd5 47. Bxd5 exd5 {This endgame would end in a draw as the a- and d-pawns will be exchanged.}) (46. Bf3 {will be met by the same idea} Nd5) 46... Ng4 47. Be8 Kf8 48. Ra8 Rxf2+ 49. Kg1 Ra2 50. Bb5+ Kg7 51. a6 Nxh2 52. Rc8 Nf3+ 53. Kf1 Nd4 54. Bc4 Ra3 55. Rc7 Nf5 {[%CAl Gf5e3]} 56. Bxe6 {Admitting that the all the advantage faded away.} Rxa6 57. Bxf7 Kf6 58. Bc4 Ne3+ 59. Kf2 Nxc4 60. Rxc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Novgorod"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1995.06.03"] [Round "7"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Ehlvest, Jaan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2615"] [Annotator "Dolmatov,Sergey"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1995.05.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 048"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {King} e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. h4 (11. g4 Rd8 (11... dxc4 $5) 12. h3 Bd7 13. Nd2 a6 14. Be2 $132 {Gurevich,M-Kharitonov,A/URS/1988/}) 11... Rd8 {King Ehlvest's reply is more solid than Vaganian's. I have a feeling that the popularity of Kasparov's 11.h4 is going to be short-lived.} (11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 b6 13. Ng5 $40 {Kasparov,G-Vaganian,R/Novgorod super(05)/1995/}) 12. g4 Bd7 13. Kb1 (13. g5 $6 Nh5 (13... Ne4 {King} 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Qxe4 Bxa3 $1) 14. cxd5 Nxf4 15. exf4 exd5 16. Rxd5 Qc7 $44) 13... dxc4 (13... Rac8 $5 14. g5 Nh5 15. cxd5 Nxf4 16. exf4 exd5 17. Rxd5 Qc7 18. f5 $40) 14. Bxc4 Rac8 (14... Be8 $5 15. g5 Nh5 (15... Nd5 $2 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Bd3 g6 18. h5 $16) 16. Bh2 a6) (14... Nxg4 $6 15. Rhg1 Nf6 16. Rg5 $1 $40) 15. g5 Nh5 16. Bd6 g6 (16... Bxd6 $5 17. Rxd6 Ne5 (17... Qc5 $2 18. Ne4) 18. Nxe5 (18. Be2 $6 Bc6 19. Nxe5 Bxh1 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Nc4 Qc7 $17) 18... Qxe5 19. Rd4 (19. Rhd1 Rxc4 20. Rxd7 Rxd7 21. Rxd7 g6 $132) 19... Be8 20. Rhd1 $14) 17. Be2 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Ne7 19. Qb3 (19. Rhd1 $2 Nd5) 19... Bc6 20. Rxd8+ (20. Rhd1 $2 Rxd6 21. Rxd6 Qf5+ 22. Qc2 Bxf3 $19) 20... Rxd8 21. Rd1 Qf5+ 22. Ka1 Rf8 (22... Rxd1+ 23. Qxd1 $16) 23. e4 Qc5 (23... Bxe4 $2 24. Nd4 Qe5 (24... Qf4 25. Bxh5 gxh5 26. Nxe6 fxe6 27. Qxe6+ $16) 25. Bxh5 gxh5 26. Re1 Qxd4 27. Nxe4 $40) 24. Qb4 $1 Qxb4 25. axb4 Nf4 26. Bf1 $16 (26. b5 $2 Nxe2 27. bxc6 Nxc3 $15) 26... a6 27. Ne5 Rc8 28. Ka2 Kg7 29. Kb3 Be8 {?30...h6} 30. Ng4 Ng8 31. Rd4 Bc6 (31... h6 32. e5 hxg5 33. hxg5 $16) (31... h5 32. e5 $16) 32. b5 axb5 33. Bxb5 h5 34. Bxc6 (34. Ne5 $2 f6 35. gxf6+ Kxf6) 34... Rxc6 35. Ne5 Rc7 36. Kb4 (36. Nb5 $2 Rc5) 36... Ne7 37. Nb5 Rc2 38. Rd7 Nc6+ 39. Nxc6 bxc6 40. Nd6 Nd3+ 41. Ka5 $2 (41. Kb3 Nc5+ (41... Rxf2 $5) 42. Kxc2 Nxd7 43. Kc3 Kf8 44. f4) (41. Ka3 $1 $16 Ne5 42. Rd8 Nc4+ 43. Kb3 $18) 41... Ne5 42. Rd8 Nc4+ $10 43. Nxc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Novgorod 3rd"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1996.07.21"] [Round "2"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2665"] [BlackElo "2695"] [Annotator "Gelfand,Boris"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "1996.07.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 054"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. Kb1 a6 12. Nd2 Qb6 $1 $146 (12... b5 13. Nb3 Qb6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Bg5 Be6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rxd5 Rac8 {van Wely-Khuzman,95,Amsterdam,Donner mem}) 13. Nb3 Na5 $1 (13... dxc4 14. Bxc4 Qa7 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 g6 17. Bd6 $16 (17. Ka1)) (13... Bd7 14. g4) 14. Nxa5 Qxa5 15. cxd5 (15. Qa4 Qb6 (15... Qxa4 16. Nxa4 Ne4)) 15... exd5 (15... Nxd5 $2 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Bc7 b6 18. Qc6) 16. Be5 Be6 {So,there is typical position with isolated pawn on the board.It is easier to play it with White,but Black has enough counterchances} 17. Bd3 (17. Qd2 Qb6 18. Bd4 Qb3 19. Qc2 Qxc2+ 20. Kxc2 Ne4 $10) 17... Rac8 18. Qd2 Kh8 (18... Rfd8 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Ne4 Qb6 21. Nxf6+ gxf6 22. Bc2 $5 $13 (22. Qb4 Qxb4 23. axb4 d4 24. exd4 Rc6 $10)) (18... d4 $5 $13 19. Bxd4 Rfd8 20. Rc1) 19. Ne4 (19. Bd4 b5 20. Ne4 Qxd2 21. Nxd2 Ng4 22. Rdf1 f6 $10) (19. f3 b5 $132) 19... Qxd2 20. Nxd2 Nd7 21. Bd4 f6 22. Nf3 Nc5 (22... Bd6 $5) 23. Bxc5 $1 $14 {It is very useful to exchange Black s Knight and leave my opponent without counterplay} Bxc5 24. Bc2 Rfd8 25. Nd4 Bf7 26. Bf5 (26. g4 Rd6 $1) 26... Rc7 27. Rd2 (27. Rc1 $5 g6 28. Be6 Kg7 29. Rc2 Bb6 30. Rxc7 Bxc7 31. Rc1 Bb6 32. Rc8 Rd6 33. Bxf7 Kxf7 34. Rh8 Bxd4 35. exd4 Kg7 36. Rb8 Rd7 37. Kc2 $14) 27... g6 28. Bh3 f5 29. Rc1 Kg7 30. g3 $6 (30. Rdc2 Rdc8 31. g4 $5 (31. Nxf5+ $4 gxf5 32. Bxf5 Bg6 33. Bxc8 Rxc8 34. b4 Bd6 $19) 31... Bd6 $1 32. gxf5 (32. f4 Rxc2 33. Rxc2 Rxc2 34. Kxc2 fxg4 35. Bxg4 b6 $10) 32... Rxc2 33. Nxc2 Re8 $14) 30... Bb6 31. Rxc7 Bxc7 32. Bg2 Kf6 $10 33. Ne2 Ba5 (33... Bb6) 34. Rd1 (34. Rd3 g5 (34... Be1 $5)) 34... g5 35. b4 Bb6 36. Rd2 h6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 38th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2010.07.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2761"] [BlackElo "2790"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2010.07.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 138"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 {At the present state of theory, the most reliable continuation.} ({Practice of the past years, partly based on Kramnik's games, has proved that after} 6... c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 {Black faces an unpleasant fight for equality. By dveeloping the knight, Black does not discard his intentions yet and certainly avoids losing a tempo with ...?e7xc5, at a moment when his dveelopment is incomplete yet.}) 7. a3 {This is considered the most refined continuation.} ({The apparently more refined} 7. Rc1 {leaves the a5-e1 diagonal and the a2-pawn poorly defended after} c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 {The threat of ...?a5+ forces White to spend a tempo on} 11. a3 {anyway. Compared with the main game, the move ?c1 may be regarded as a relative loss of tempo, which delays castling. In the following game, Black managed to take advantage of the king's delayed presence in the centre.} Bg4 12. Be2 Ne6 13. Be5 Bf6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qd2 Rad8 16. Nd4 Bxe2 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. Qxe2 Rfe8 19. O-O d4 20. Rfd1 Qb6 21. Rd3 dxe3 22. Rxe3 Rxe3 23. fxe3 g6 $15 {Acs,P (2544)-Berkes,F (2645)/Paks 2008/CBM 126 (0-1, 58)}) (7. Bd3 {has the drawback of defining the bishop's position too soon. Apart from the natural capture on c4, which wins a tempo for Black, there also is the ambitious continuation} c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. O-O ({White has nothing better than allowing Black build up a dangerous queenside majority, since after} 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. O-O Bg4 {he practically would have to lose a tempo with} 12. Be2) 10... c4 11. Bc2 b5 12. e4 Nb6 13. Re1 Be6 {Kortschnoj,V (2659)-Lputian,S (2605)/Wijk aan Zee 2000/CBM 075/[Kortschnoj] (0-1, 47). The whole line based on 6...?bd7 started becoming popular after this game.}) 7... c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 {We can see that Black has opened the centre without losing time with his bishop. The knight manoeuvre has not been completed yet. The plan involves ...?g4 followed by ...?e6, depriving White of the control of the important d4-square.} 11. Be5 Bg4 ({During his match against Anand, Kramnik preferred} 11... Bf5 {, which eventually led to the exchange of the light-squared bishop for the white knight under slightly different circumstances:} 12. Be2 Bf6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Nd4 Ne6 15. Nxf5 Qxf5 16. O-O Rfd8 17. Bg4 Qe5 18. Qb3 Nc5 19. Qb5 b6 20. Rfd1 Rd6 21. Rd4 a6 22. Qb4 h5 23. Bh3 Rad8 {Anand,V (2783)-Kramnik,V (2772)/Bonn 2008/CBM 127/[Marin,M] (1/2, 29). With a comfortable regrouping for Black.}) 12. Be2 Bxf3 $5 {The latest trend. Giving up the bishop without being forced to is justified by a series of concrete details.} ({The natural} 12... Ne6 {is met by} 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 {, forcing Black to give up a pawn with} d4 15. Bxd4 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 Qxd4 17. exd4 Rac8 18. O-O Rc7 19. Rad1 Rd8 {Kramnik,V (2772)-Adams,M (2698)/London 2009/CBM 134/[Krasenkow] (1/2, 46). True, this ending looks very difficult if not impossible to win.}) ({After} 12... Bf6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 {White can take advantage of the presence of his knight on board with} 14. Qd4 $1 $14 {, maintaining chances for a small advantage, see for instance Atalik,S (2599)-Doettling,F (2503)/Baden-Baden 2003/CBM 096/[Atalik] (1/2, 42)}) 13. Bxf3 Bf6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. O-O {After the white castle, the threat of capturing on d5 becomes real.} Rfd8 $5 $146 (15... Qxb2 {offers White some initiative.} 16. Qxd5 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Qf6 18. Qd4 Qe7 19. Qb4 Rfd8 20. h3 b6 21. a4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Rd4 {1/2 Erdos,V (2591)-Nielsen,P (2687)/Germany 2009/CBM 133 Extra. This game is only partly rleevant. Maybe White can find a form of speeding up a4-a5, weakening the enemy queenside and keeping a dangerous kingside majority.}) (15... Rad8 {is inferior to the text move.} 16. Rc1 $1 (16. Qd4 $6 Qxd4 17. exd4 Ne4 18. Rfd1 f5 {1/2 Kunte,A (2513)-Mas,H (2421)/Parramatta 2009/CBM 129 Extra}) 16... Ne6 17. Qb3 d4 18. Qxb7 {If compared to the game, Black does not have the move ...?ab8.}) 16. Rc1 Ne6 17. Qb3 d4 18. Qxb7 Rab8 19. Qxa7 Rxb2 {We have reached an interesting situation. White has a potentially dangerous passed pawn, but his coordination is far from perfect. Black has strong pressure in the centre, keeping two main positional threats in reserve: ...d3 or ...dxe3. The latter should be handled with care, because the f-file is opened for the f1-rook. At the same time, White cannot think seriously about releasing the tension, because after ed4, ...?xd4, the black knight would ensure Black at least equal play.} 20. Qa6 (20. exd4 Nxd4 21. Bg4 g6 $44) 20... g6 {Kramnik decides to improve his position systematically, maintaining the tension in the centre.} (20... dxe3 $5 21. fxe3 Qe5 $132) 21. a4 Kg7 22. a5 $6 {Too optimistic. White spends two whole tempos on pawn moves, without improving the coordination of his pieces in any way.} (22. Qc4 $1 {looks like the critical continuation, returning with the queen into the game.}) 22... Qe5 $1 {After this accurate move, the white queen is tied up to the defence of the a-pawn.} 23. Qa7 {Who said "A"...} (23. exd4 Nxd4 24. Bd1 Rd5 25. Ra1 Rbb5 $15 {or}) (23. Qc4 Qxa5 $15 {leave Black with the more active piece placement in conditions of material equality.}) 23... d3 24. Rb1 $6 {This attempt to easen the position by simplifications will be crowned by success, but only with Black's cooperation.} ({The consequent continuation would have been} 24. Ra1 {, sustaining the passed pawn. Black would have maintained excellent play, nevertheless.} Ng5 25. Bd1 Ne4 {?...?xf2, ?...?xf2} 26. f4 $8 Qf6 $44) 24... Rxb1 $6 (24... Ra2 $1 {would have put White in an unpleasant situation.} 25. a6 ({The countreplay based on} 25. Rb7 {fails to} Ng5) 25... Rd6 26. Bb7 Nc5 $15 {There is no way to save the a6-pawn. For instance:} 27. h3 (27. Qa8 Nxa6) (27. Rfd1 $6 Nxb7 28. Rxb7 Rdxa6 29. Rxf7+ Kg8 30. Qc7 Ra1 $19) 27... Nxb7 28. Rxb7 (28. axb7 Rxa7 29. b8=Q Ra2 $17) 28... Qf6 $15) 25. Rxb1 Ng5 26. Qb6 (26. Bd1 Ne4) 26... Nxf3+ 27. gxf3 Qd5 28. Qd4+ {Not a nice move to make with White, just few moves away from the opening, but a draw is a draw irrespective of the way it is achieved.} Qxd4 29. exd4 Rxd4 30. Rd1 Ra4 31. Rxd3 Rxa5 1/2-1/2 [Event "13th Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger NOR"] [Date "2025.05.31"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Erigaisi, Arjun"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2782"] [BlackElo "2804"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 7.0"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2025.05.26"] {[%evp 0,95,19,16,18,-4,-4,-4,4,4,14,1,-2,-5,78,62,51,52,34,0,56,42,45,49,51,26,38,24,24,16,18,18,24,11,48,46,81,58,105,56,183,230,230,181,99,56,59,19,85,67,90,17,17,17,43,-44,-100,-137,-72,-122,-120,-131,-129,-134,-31,-32,-32,-169,-172,-180,-162,-170,-131,-162,-150,-203,-181,-162,-86,-81,-81,-97,-82,-227,-25,92,92,28,184,77,77,92,140,103,1002,1002,969,969]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 {D37: Queen's Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4.} c6 7. e3 Bd6 8. Bxd6 {White has an edge.} Qxd6 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. Rab1 a5 13. h3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 13. a3 Nf8 14. Rfc1 Ng6 15. h3 Bd7 16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 Rac8 18. Qb2 Ne4 19. b5 Nxc3 20. Rxc3 cxb5 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Bxb5 Bxb5 23. Qxb5 {1-0 Kryakvin,D (2459)-Sahib,S (2430) Titled Tuesday intern op 14th Jan Early Chess.com INT blitz 2025 (8)}) ({RR} 13. a3 b5 14. h3 Nb6 15. Ne2 a4 16. Nf4 Nc4 17. Bxc4 bxc4 18. Ne2 Ne4 19. Nc3 Bf5 20. Nh4 Bd7 21. Nxa4 Qf6 22. Nb6 Bxh3 23. Nxa8 Qxh4 24. Nc7 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qg4+ 26. Kh2 Qh4+ 27. Kg2 Qg4+ {Kavutskiy,K (2414)-Gulamali,K (2243) chess.com INT 2023 ½-½}) ({RR} 13. a3 b5 14. h3 Nb6 15. Ne2 a4 16. Nf4 Nc4 17. Bxc4 bxc4 18. Ne2 Ne4 19. Nc3 Bf5 20. Nh4 Bd7 21. Nxa4 Qf6 22. Nb6 Bxh3 23. Nxa8 Qxh4 24. Nc7 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qg4+ 26. Kh2 Qh4+ 27. Kg2 Qg4+ {Kavutskiy,K (2414)-Gulamali,K (2243) chess.com INT 2023 ½-½}) 13... b6 14. Rfc1 Bb7 15. a3 c5 16. Bb5 Rec8 17. Rd1 Nf8 18. Qf5 Qe7 19. Na4 {White has more active pieces.} Bc6 {[%eval 168,31] [%wdl 951,49,0] [#]} (19... Qd8 $14 {[%eval 63,29] [%wdl 170,829,1]}) 20. Nxb6 {[%eval 35,29] [%wdl 53,944,3]} ({White has to play} 20. Bxc6 $1 $18 {[%eval 168,31] [%wdl 951,49,0]} Rxc6 21. dxc5 bxc5 22. Nc3) 20... Bxb5 $14 21. Nxc8 Qc7 {[#]} 22. dxc5 Rxc8 23. Rdc1 a4 24. Nd4 Bc4 {[%mdl 1024] Black has compensation.} 25. c6 {Against N6d7} Ng6 26. Qc2 {Some like it hot} Qa7 27. Qc3 $1 Ne7 {[%CAl Of6e4] Hoping for ...Ne4!.} 28. Rd1 $2 {[%eval -240,24] [%wdl 0,1,999]} (28. b4 $11 {[%eval -15,32] [%wdl 2,988,10]}) 28... h6 {[%CAl Of6e4]} (28... Nxc6 29. Nf5 $17) 29. Rbc1 {[%eval -240,23] [%wdl 0,1,999]} (29. b4 $142 {[%eval -166,29] [%wdl 0,28,972]} axb3 {[%csl Oa3][%mdl 64] Discovered Attack} (29... Nxc6 30. Nf5 $11) 30. Nxb3) 29... Ne4 $19 (29... Nxc6 30. Nf5 $15) 30. Qe1 Nxc6 31. Nf5 Ne7 $2 {[%eval 0,30] [%wdl 3,994,3]} (31... g6 $19 {[%eval -183,28] [%wdl 0,11,989]} 32. Nxh6+ Kg7) 32. Nxe7+ $11 Qxe7 33. Rd4 $2 {[%eval -344,21] [%wdl 0,0,1000][%mdl 8192] White is weak on the light squares} (33. Rxd5 $11 {[%eval 0,30] [%wdl 3,994,3] and White has nothing to worry.} Bxd5 34. Rxc8+ Kh7 35. f3) 33... Rb8 $19 34. Rc2 Rb6 35. Qa5 Ra6 36. Qe1 Rg6 37. Qd1 Qg5 {[%csl Gg6][%CAl Rg5g2]} 38. Qf3 {and Rcxc4 would now be decisive} Bb3 39. Rc8+ Kh7 {[%CAl Bg8h7,Bh7g6,Bg6h5][%mdl 32]} 40. h4 Qxh4 41. Qxf7 {[%csl Gc8][%CAl Rf7g8]} Rf6 $4 {[%eval 596,27] [%wdl 1000,0,0][%mdl 8192]} (41... Rxg2+ $1 $19 {[%eval -542,29] [%wdl 0,0,1000]} 42. Kxg2 Qg4+ 43. Kh2 Qxc8) 42. Qg8+ $18 Kg6 {[#]} 43. g3 $1 {[%CAl Bg2g3,Bg3g4][%mdl 32]} Qg4 44. Rc7 {[%CAl Bc8c7,Bc7g7,Bg7g6][%mdl 32]} (44. Qe8+ $2 Kg5 (44... Kh7 $2 45. Qg8+ Kg6 46. Rc7 $18) 45. Rc7 (45. f4+ $2 Kf5 $19) 45... g6 $19) 44... Kh5 45. Rxg7 (45. Qxg7 $2 Qf3 $19 (45... Rxf2 $2 {perishes.} 46. Qxg4+ {[%mdl 64] Remove Defender} Kxg4 47. Rxe4+ Kf5 48. Kxf2 $18)) 45... Rg6 46. Qf7 {White wants to mate with Rxg6.} Bc4 47. Rxg6 {[%mdl 64] Remove Defender} Qxg6 {[#] White used his chance. Artfully played by Erigaisi. Weighted Error Value: White=0.35/Black=0.40} 48. g4+ $1 {[%mdl 512] PRECISÃO LICHESS: BRANCAS 90% PRETAS 73% PRECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 87.3% PRETAS 84.5%} 1-0 [Event "Reggio Emilia 54th"] [Site "Reggio Emilia"] [Date "2011.12.27"] [Round "1"] [White "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2758"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2011.12.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 {A harmless continuation.} c5 (7... dxc4 {(the most common move) looks more logical to me. There is no need for Black to suffer with an isolated pawn.}) 8. cxd5 (8. dxc5 Nxc5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 {gives Black an additional option of} Qxd5 $5 11. Qxd5 exd5 {, e.g.} 12. O-O Be6 13. Be5 Rac8 14. Rfc1 Ne4 15. Nd4 Nd6 16. b3 a6 17. Bf3 Ne4 18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. g4 Ba3 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rd1 Rc1 $11 {1/2 Malakhatko,V (2557)-Del Rio Angelis,S (2489)/Leon 2001/CBM 086 (54)}) 8... Nxd5 (8... exd5 9. O-O a6 10. Ne5 cxd4 11. Nxd7 Bxd7 12. Qxd4 Be6 13. Rfd1 Rc8 14. a3 Qd7 15. Be5 Rfd8 16. h3 b5 17. Qf4 Qb7 18. Qg3 $14 {1/2 Ibragimov,I (2554)-Shabalov,A (2566)/Bad Wiessee 1999/EXT 2001 (36)}) 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. O-O (10. dxc5 $142 Nxc5 11. Be5 {This position usually arises in the 5...c5 6.dxc5 ?a6 7.e3 ?xc5 line. White keeps a small plus. Here is a recent example:} Be6 12. O-O Bf6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Qd4 Qxd4 15. Nxd4 Rfc8 16. Rad1 Kf8 17. g4 a6 18. f3 Rc7 19. Rd2 Rac8 20. Bd1 Bd7 21. Re1 g6 22. Kf2 a5 23. h3 Na4 24. Be2 Nb6 25. b3 a4 26. Red1 axb3 27. axb3 Ra8 28. f4 Nc8 29. Bf3 Ne7 30. Rb2 Ra6 31. Rdd2 Rb6 32. Ra2 Rc3 33. Ra8+ Kg7 34. Rd8 Be6 35. Re8 Rc7 36. Ra2 $14 {1/2 Nisipeanu,L (2659)-Le Roux,J (2523)/Mulhouse FRA 2011/The Week in Chess 864 (65)}) 10... c4 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8] Black immediately takes a chance to avoid the position with the isolated pawn.} (10... Qb6 11. Qc2 Nf6 12. Rfc1 c4 13. b3 cxb3 14. Qxb3 Qxb3 15. axb3 Ne4 16. Bd3 f6 17. Rc7 (17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Nd2 $14 Bf5 $140 19. Rc7 Bb4 20. Nc4) 17... Bd8 18. Rc2 Be6 19. b4 g5 20. Bc7 Be7 21. b5 Rfc8 $132 {0-1 Diamant,A (2497)-Akobian,V (2628)/Bursa 2010/CBM 134 (38)}) (10... a6 11. dxc5 (11. Qc2 c4 12. a4 Bb4 13. Ng5 Nf6 14. Be5 g6 15. e4 h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Nf3 Be6 18. Ne5 Rfd8 $11 {1/2 Yermolinsky,A (2617)-Zilberstein,D (2424)/Reno 2004/EXT 2009 (51)}) 11... Nxc5 12. Nd4 (12. Be5 $142) 12... Bf6 13. Bf3 Ne6 14. Nxe6 Bxe6 15. Qb3 Qd7 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Rac1 Rac8 18. h3 Rc6 19. Rxc6 Qxc6 $11 {1/2 Tregubov,P (2620)-Karpov,A (2699)/Cap d'Agde 2000/CBM 080 (29)}) 11. b3 Nb6 12. bxc4 dxc4 {[%mdl 32] A typical question in such positions: is the c4-pawn strong or weak? I think, rather strong as it is not being successfully blockaded.} 13. Qc2 Be6 14. Rab1 Rc8 15. a4 a5 16. Ng5 $1 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 f6 18. Bh4 c3 19. Bd3 h6 20. Bb5 $2 {White underestimates the danger created by Black's passed pawn. Black now prepares its further advance, with great effect.} (20. Rfc1 $142 {although Black has good counterchances after, say,} Nd5 (20... Rf7 $5) 21. Rxb7 Nb4 22. Qb1 Qd5 23. Be4 Qa2) 20... Nd5 {[%CAl Yd5b4,Yc3c2]} 21. Qe4 Qd6 {This strange loss of a tempo doesn't harm Black too much.} (21... Qe7 $142 $17 {[%CAl Yd5b4]}) 22. Bg3 Qe7 23. Rbc1 Nb4 24. d5 {White tries to activate his rooks at the cost of this pawn.} Nxd5 25. Rfd1 Rfd8 26. Rd4 f5 27. Qe5 Qf6 28. Qxf6 gxf6 29. h3 Kf7 30. Bc4 Ke7 31. e4 $6 {Leads to a hopeless endgame but Black should win anyway, e.g.} (31. Kh2 c2 $1 32. Rxc2 Nb4 33. Rxd8 Rxd8 34. Bxe6 Nxc2 35. Bxf5 Rd2 36. Be4 Nb4 37. Bxb7 Ra2 {etc.}) 31... Nf4 $1 {[%mdl 64]} 32. Rxd8 Rxc4 $1 {[%CAl Rf4e2,Re7d8]} 33. Bxf4 Kxd8 34. exf5 Bxf5 35. Be3 (35. Bxh6 c2 {[%CAl Yc4a4] , and Black's queenside pawns decide the game.}) 35... c2 36. g4 Be4 37. Bb6+ Kd7 38. Bxa5 Rd4 0-1 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.12"] [Round "2"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2762"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2016.03.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 b5 $5 {This seems to be the latest trend. In my article for CBM 155 I only examined three other continuations:} (6... Nd5) (6... Nb6) (6... a6) 7. Nxb5 {White has to pick up the gauntlet. Even though in most of the lines Black will manage to keep material equality, the control over the c3-square and the relative vulnerability of the c4-pawn offer him at least a theoretical advantage. But in practice Black has usually managed to neutralise the slight pressure.} Bb4+ (7... Nd5 {sacrifices a pawn for certain compensation:} 8. Bxc4 Bb4+ 9. Kf1 Nxf4 10. exf4 O-O {White has lost the right to castle and his structure is imperfect. But as long as he does not lose his extra pawn, he can hope for a global regrouping leading to an advantage.} 11. g3 a6 12. Nc3 Bb7 (12... c5 13. a3 $6 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Bb7 15. Kg2 Qa5 $44) 13. Be2 Qe7 {Defining the queen's intentions a bit too early.} (13... c5 $5) 14. Kg2 c5 15. a3 Bxc3 16. bxc3 cxd4 17. cxd4 Nf6 18. Re1 Rfc8 19. Kg1 Ne4 20. Bf1 Rc3 21. Bg2 $14 {L'Ami,E (2645)-Rabiega,R (2507) Germany 2013 (1-0, 41), White has completed his regrouping and can hope to convert his extra pawn.}) 8. Nd2 ({The main alternative is} 8. Nc3 Nd5 9. Qc2 (9. Rc1 N7b6 10. Bg3 O-O 11. Be2 c5 12. O-O cxd4 13. Nxd4 Bb7 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Bf3 Qd7 {Wojtaszek,R (2727)-Grandelius,N (2635) Gibraltar 2016 (½-½, 30)}) (9. a3 Nxc3 10. Qd2 Nd5 11. axb4 Nxf4 12. exf4 Bb7 13. Be2 Nb6 14. O-O Qd6 15. Rfc1 O-O 16. Ne5 Rfd8 $132 {Gustafsson,J (2630)-Naiditsch,A (2685) Linares 2015 (½-½, 47)}) 9... N7b6 $6 (9... Nxf4 10. exf4 Bb7 11. Be2 Nb6 12. O-O O-O 13. Ng5 g6 14. Rad1 Qf6 15. g3 Qf5 $132) 10. Bg3 O-O 11. Be2 c5 12. O-O cxd4 13. Nxd4 Bb7 14. Bf3 Qd7 {½-½ Karjakin,S (2762)-Mamedyarov,S (2736) Baku 2015. The draw agreement is premature as White keeps strong pressure with, say,} 15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. a4 a5 17. Ndb5 $16) 8... Nd5 9. Bg3 (9. a3 {wastes an important tempo:} Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 Nxf4 11. exf4 Nb6 12. a4 Qd7 $1 {[%csl Ga4,Gb5]} (12... a6 $2 {This returns the offered tempo and loses the c4-pawn.} 13. Na3 a5 14. Nxc4 Nxc4 15. Bxc4 $16 {Andersen,M (2504)-Thorsteinsson,T (2258) Reykjavik 2016 (1-0, 34)}) 13. Be2 Bb7 14. O-O O-O 15. Na3 a5 16. Rfd1 (16. Nxc4 $2 Nxc4 17. Bxc4 Qc6 $19) 16... Bd5 {[%csl Ga4]}) 9... N7b6 10. Qc2 O-O 11. Be2 Ba6 {A solid move consolidating the c4-pawn but dooming the bishop to at least temporary passivity.} ({The more active alternative is} 11... Bd7 12. Nc3 c5 13. dxc5 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Ba4 15. Qb2 Bxc5 16. O-O (16. Nxc4 Nxc4 17. Bxc4 h5 $5) 16... Qe7 17. Nxc4 Rfd8 {[%CAl Ga8c8] Black's activity, combined with the weakness of the c3- and a2-pawns and the relative uselessnes of the g3-bishop leave White without an obvious plan of converting his minimal material advantage.}) 12. Nc3 c5 13. dxc5 Nxc3 $146 (13... Bxc5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxc4 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Rc8 (16... Bb4+ 17. Ke2 Rc8 {looks like a better or at least more restrictive move order}) 17. Qb3 (17. O-O $5 {could have led to a position with a curious material balance:} Bxe3 18. fxe3 Nxe3 19. Nxe3 Rxc2 20. Nxc2 Qb6+ 21. Bf2 Qxb2 22. Nd4 {Strictly speaking the material is equal, but the position remains very interesting. Even though they do not have active squares defended by pawns, White's well coordinated pieces may cause Black some problems.}) 17... Bb4+ 18. Ke2 Qg5 19. Rhc1 h5 20. Ne5 Rxc1 (20... h4 {is a better try, weakening White's structure:} 21. Nf3 Qg4 22. Bxh4 Qxg2 23. Bg3 $14) 21. Rxc1 Bd6 22. h4 Qd8 23. e4 $16 {Gelfand,B (2735)-Grachev,B (2639) Moscow 2016 (1-0, 119)}) 14. bxc3 Bxc5 15. O-O Rc8 16. Rfd1 Qg5 {Both sides have completed their development but despite his space advantage Black has some problems of coordination as his minor pieces are far from optimally placed.} 17. Nf3 $6 {This defines the knight's intentions too early. White should have kept the possibility of invading the d6-square.} ({True,} 17. Ne4 Qg6 18. Rd2 Ba3 {looks alright for Black}) ({but} 17. a4 {would have gained the control over the a4- and a3-squares with chances for retaining some initiative:} Qg6 (17... Be7 18. a5 Nd5 19. Nf3 $36) (17... Nd5 18. Ne4 Qg6 19. Rd2 Be7 20. Nd6 Qxc2 21. Rxc2 Rc5 22. e4 $14) 18. Qxg6 hxg6 19. Ne4 Be7 20. Bd6 $14) 17... Qg6 $11 {Black will manage now to either weaken the defence of the c3-pawn or get the control over a4.} 18. Qd2 (18. Qxg6 hxg6 19. a4 Nd5 20. Rac1 Rfd8 21. Ne5 Bb6 $11 {[%csl Rc3][%CAl Gb6a5]}) (18. Qb2 Na4 19. Qd2 f6 {[%csl Gf3]}) 18... Bb5 19. Qe1 Ba4 {The character of the position has changed a lot and White has very little space left for his pieces. But since he does not have any significant weakness, the position remains within the drawing zone.} 20. Ne5 (20. Rd2 f6 21. Bd6 Bxd6 22. Rxd6 Qf7 23. Rb1 (23. Nd4 Bd7 24. Rd1 Qe7 25. Nf3 Ba4 26. R1d2 Nd5 {wins an exchange}) 23... Qe7 24. Rd2 e5 {[%csl Gf3]}) 20... Qg5 (20... Qe4 $5 {[%csl Gc4]} 21. Bf3 Qf5 22. Rd2 Rcd8) 21. Rd2 Rfd8 {This leads to global exchanges and an obvious draw.} 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Nxc4 Nxc4 24. Bxc4 Bxe3 25. Qxe3 Rxc4 26. Rb1 Rc8 27. h3 a6 28. c4 Rxc4 29. Rb8 Rc8 30. Qb6 Rxb8 31. Qxb8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.20"] [Round "8"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2762"] [Annotator "Sagar,Shah"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2016.03.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 {Such is Anand's faith on his opening,... he tried it against Aronian, then against Giri and now once again against Topalov. That's the thing with Anand: once he believes in his opening preparation he is not afraid of his opponents' novelties.} 5. Qc2 {Topalov made this move that was played by Giri as well. He got up from his chair and Anand replied instantly.} Bb4 {A combination of QGD, Ragozin and Nimzo Indian.} 6. cxd5 (6. a3 {was Anish's choice.}) 6... exd5 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Qxc3 Ne4 9. Qc2 {Up till here the players have been following the game between Sakaev and Eljanov from Dagomys 2009. But now Anand deviates.} O-O (9... Ndf6 10. Ne5 Bf5 11. f3 Nd6 12. Qc3 Nd7 13. Bf4 O-O 14. g4 Be6 15. e3 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 h5 17. gxh5 Qh4+ 18. Bg3 Qxh5 $11 {0-1 (50) Sakaev,K (2627)-Eljanov,P (2693) Dagomys 2009}) 10. e3 Re8 11. b3 $5 {[%CAl Gb2b3] This doesn't seem to be too ambitious. After that Black can equalise without too many difficulties.} (11. b4 {If you wanted to develop the bishop on b2 then why not b4? Well, then the b4-pawn could become a weakness after} a5 12. Bb2 axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1+ 14. Bxa1 Qe7 $15) 11... c6 12. Bd3 Nf8 13. Bb2 Bf5 14. O-O (14. Nd2 Qg5 $15) 14... Qf6 15. Ne5 Nd6 {By exchanging the light-squared bishops, Vishy is mainly aiming for a position where he would have a knight against the b2-bishop. That would give Black an excellent position.} 16. Rae1 Bxd3 17. Nxd3 Qg6 18. f3 $5 {The thing about Topalov is that he always likes to play actively. Here he is looking for the right moment when he can break in the centre with e4 and at the same time take that square away from the d6-knight. But Black is just too solid and well developed.} f6 19. a4 Ne6 20. Qd2 (20. Ba3 Nf5 $11) 20... h5 $5 {In some ways securing the f5-square for the knight.} 21. Ba3 Nf5 22. Nf4 $6 {This move is completely illogical. White exchanges the knights and leaves himself with some weaknesses. Why would White voluntarily want to defend an inferior endgame when he has an equal position?} Nxf4 23. exf4 {The resulting position looks mildly in Black's favour. The main reason being that the knight is better than the bishop and Black's pawn structure is better than White's.} Rxe1 (23... h4 $1 {Securing the f5-knight was also possible.}) 24. Rxe1 Re8 25. Rxe8+ Qxe8 26. Kf2 {Anand with his micro edge has the right to keep trying.} Nh6 27. Qd3 b6 {This is a very responsible decision. On one hand Black is weakening the c6 pawn but on the other he is preventing the move a5 followed by ?c5 which would paralyse his queenside majority. It is always a trade-off and Vishy chose the move b6. It turns out that the c6-pawn was the reason why he couldn't really make much progress. What would have happened if Vishy had not played b6 is a completely different story.} 28. Bb4 Qe6 29. Qc2 Kf7 30. Ba3 Qd7 31. Bb4 Nf5 32. Qd3 g6 33. g3 Ng7 {White doesn't have too many active possibilities. Black on the other hand can try to use his queenside majority by having the knight on e6 at some point. Right now it doesn't seem possible because ?e6 is met with f4-f5, but whether Black can prepare it is the question.} 34. Qe3 Kg8 (34... h4 35. g4 $11) (34... Qe6 {might have been the best move.} 35. Qxe6+ (35. Qc3 h4 $17 36. g4 f5 37. g5 Qd7 {and the position has changed in Black's favour.}) 35... Nxe6 36. Ke3 c5 37. dxc5 bxc5 38. Ba3 f5 $15) (34... Ne6) 35. Qd3 Kh7 36. Kg2 Qf5 37. Qc3 (37. Qxf5 Nxf5 {would definitely be some progress for Black.}) 37... Qe6 (37... Qb1 {was possible, but as Vishy said in the press conference with three moves to go until the time control he didn't want to let things spiral out of control. In any case it was just a draw.} 38. Qxc6 Qb2+ 39. Kh3 Qxb3 40. Bf8 Qxf3 41. Qxf6 (41. Qc7 $2 Qf1+ 42. Kh4 g5+ $1 43. fxg5 fxg5+ 44. Kxg5 Qf5+ 45. Kh4 Qg4#) 41... Nf5 42. Qf7+ Kh8 43. Qf6+ $11) 38. Qd3 a5 39. Bd2 Qf5 40. Qc3 Qe6 41. Qd3 Qf5 42. Qc3 h4 {Vishy shuns the draw and tries to play for a win.} 43. g4 Qb1 {The queen has made its way into the enemy camp, but without the knight it cannot do much.} 44. Be3 (44. Qxc6 Qd3 $19 {The bishop on d2 will drop.}) 44... Qd1 45. Bf2 Qe2 46. Qe3 Qxe3 47. Bxe3 Ne6 48. Kh3 g5 49. f5 $1 (49. fxg5 fxg5 {might be a tad better for Black, although a draw here looks most likely.}) 49... Nf4+ (49... Nc7 {being over-ambitious might make things completely bad for Black.} 50. f4 $1 $16 {It's White who has the chances to play for a win now.}) 50. Bxf4 gxf4 51. Kg2 {There is no way to break through and hence the players agreed to a draw.} (51. Kxh4 $2 c5 52. dxc5 bxc5 53. Kh3 c4 $19) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Kazan"] [Date "2011.05.19"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2011.05.05"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Rc1 {Evading the main discussion after} (6. e3 Nbd7 {, which was yet to appear on the stage in the fifth game of the match.}) 6... c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. e3 Nc6 9. a3 d4 {Alternatives:} (9... dxc4) (9... a6) 10. exd4 (10. Nxd4 e5 $1 (10... Nxd4 $143 11. b4) 11. Nb3 Bxa3 $1 12. bxa3 exf4 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. exf4 Be6 15. f3 {1/2 Kramnik,V (2710)-Beliavsky,A (2635)/Belgrade 1993/CBM 039/[Chekhov](33)} Nd4 16. Nc5 Rac8 17. Nxe6 Nxe6 18. g3 g6 $44) 10... Nxd4 11. b4 (11. Ne5 {is harmless, e.g.} b6 (11... Nc6 $5) 12. b4 Be7 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. O-O a5 15. Be3 axb4 16. axb4 Nc6 17. Nxc6 Bxc6 18. b5 Bb7 19. Bc2 Qc7 20. Na4 Nd7 21. Qe2 Nc5 $11 {1-0 Agrest,E (2554)-Berg,E (2348)/Stockholm 2000/CBM 074 ext (56)}) (11. Be2 Qe7 $1 12. b4 (12. Nxd4 Rd8 13. Qc2 Bxd4 14. Nb5 e5 15. Nxd4 exf4 16. Rd1 Qe5 17. Nf3 Bf5 18. Nxe5 Bxc2 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Nf3 {1/2 Landa,K (2591)-Vaganian,R (2617)/Bugojno 1999/CBM 074/[Donev] (41)} Ne4 $132) 12... Rd8 13. Bd2 Bb6 $1 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Qc2 b6 16. O-O Bb7 17. Rcd1 Bc6 $11 {1/2 Epishin,V (2657)-Beliavsky,A (2618)/Germany 1999/EXT 2000 (49)}) 11... Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Bd4 (12... e5 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Rd1 Qe8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Bd3 Bd8 17. Be4 $14 {0-1 Gausel,E (2555)-Ostenstad,B (2460)/Oslo 1998/EXT 1999 (31)}) 13. Nb5 (13. Be2 e5 (13... a5 $5 14. Nb5 (14. O-O e5 15. Bg5 h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 gxf6 $11) 14... e5 15. Bg5 axb4 16. axb4 Ra2 17. Bxf6 {1/2 Shulman,Y (2566)-Onischuk,Al (2649)/USA 2002/[Onischuk,Al; Shulman,Y]}) 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Qxf6 gxf6 17. Nb5 Rd8 18. c5 a5 19. Nxd4 exd4 20. Bd3 (20. b5 d3 21. Rd1 Bf5 22. Bf3 Rac8 23. c6 bxc6 24. Bxc6 Bd7 25. Rxd3 Re8+ $11) 20... axb4 21. axb4 Ra2 22. O-O Be6 23. f3 f5 24. Rf2 Rda8 $11 {1/2 Zlochevskij,A (2469)-Kruppa,Y (2572)/Ohrid 2001/CBM 084 (31)}) 13... e5 (13... Re8 $5 {needs further tests:} 14. Bc7 {1/2 Steingrimsson,H (2569)-Meier,G (2650)/Baden Baden GER 2011/The Week in Chess 863}) 14. Bg5 Re8 $146 {This novelty doesn't solve all the problems.} (14... e4 15. Qg3 h6 (15... Nh5 16. Bxd8 $1 (16. Qh4 Bf6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. c5 $14) 16... Nxg3 17. Bg5 $1 Nxh1 18. Nxd4 $16 {[%csl Rh1] S.Zagrebelny}) 16. Rd1 $1 hxg5 17. Rxd4 Bd7 18. Be2 a5 19. O-O $16 {1-0 Nielsen,P (2628)-Beliavsky,A (2667)/Malmo/Copenhagen 2004/CBM 101/[Dautov] (56)}) 15. Bxf6 e4 $1 {The point but the resulting ending is favourable for White.} 16. Bxd8 exf3+ 17. Kd2 Rxd8 18. Nxd4 Rxd4+ 19. Kc3 ({White rejected} 19. Ke3 {due to} Rd6 (19... fxg2 20. Bxg2 $14) {. Still, after} 20. c5 $1 {his chances are preferable. His king finally finds a safe haven, and his queenside pawn advantage becomes the main factor, e.g.} Rg6 (20... Re6+ 21. Kxf3 Rf6+ (21... Bd7 22. Bd3 Bc6+ 23. Kg3) 22. Ke3 Re6+ 23. Kd4 $16) (20... Rf6 21. g3 $1 Bd7 22. Bc4 $14) 21. g3 Bg4 22. Bd3 $14) 19... fxg2 20. Bxg2 Rg4 21. Rhd1 (21. Bf3 Rf4 {- that's the difference!}) 21... Be6 22. Bxb7 Rxc4+ 23. Kb2 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 {[%mdl 4096]} (24. Kxc1 Rb8 25. Rd6 Kf8 26. Bg2 Ke7 27. Ra6 Rc8+ 28. Kd2 Rc7 {, and Black should hold on.}) 24... Rd8 25. Kc3 (25. Rc5 $5 Kf8 (25... Rd2+ $6 26. Kc3 Rxf2 27. Ra5 Rxh2 28. Rxa7 {, and White's pawns are stronger}) 26. Kc3 $14 {[%CAl Yc5a5] was a better but hardly sufficient attempt.}) 25... Kf8 26. b5 Ke7 27. a4 Rd6 28. a5 Kd8 29. b6 Bc8 $1 30. Bxc8 Kxc8 31. Kb4+ Kb8 32. bxa7+ Ka8 33. Rc8+ Kxa7 34. Rc7+ Ka6 35. Rxf7 {Despite White's extra pawn, the endgame is drawn.} Rg6 (35... g5 {was even simpler} 36. Rxh7 $140 Rf6) 36. h3 Rg2 37. f4 Rg3 38. f5 h5 39. h4 Rg4+ 40. Kc5 Rxh4 41. Rxg7 Rf4 42. Rg6+ (42. Rg5 $144 h4 43. Kd6 h3 44. Rh5 h2 45. Ke6 Rf2 {. It is essential that Black's pawn reaches h2.}) 42... Kxa5 43. Rg5 h4 44. Rh5 h3 45. Kd6 h2 46. f6+ Kb6 47. Ke6 Rf2 48. f7 Re2+ 49. Kf6 (49. Kf6 Rf2+ 50. Kg7 Rg2+ 51. Kh7 Rf2 $11 {- White's rook, tied to Black's h2-pawn, can't help his king.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.11"] [Round "1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2786"] [Annotator "Sagar,Shah"] [PlyCount "130"] [EventDate "2016.03.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] {In this game I will avoid commenting too much about the opening as it is all well known and many games have been played in this line. But the middlegame and the late endgame are particularly interesting.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 (8. Bd3 {is the other main move in this position.}) 8... b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 h6 {Just to give you an example of what quick learners these top players are: in Zurich Chess Challenge just a month before this game, Nakamura played this move against Aronian. Now Aronian tries the same idea with the black pieces.} 11. Bd3 Ba6 12. O-O Qc8 13. Rb1 axb4 14. axb4 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Qb7 {This position had been reached, just 15 days previously in the game of Sargissian with the black pieces against Ding Liren. Sargissian is one of Levon's seconds and there is a high possibility that Aronian and Sarigissian worked on this line together.} 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Ne1 $146 {Giri's novelty, not an earth shattering one but just improving his f3-knight.} (17. Nd2 {Aronian with the white pieces tried to put his knight on b3 and it wasn't too successful. Giri aims for the d3-square.}) 17... Bd8 18. Qd1 Bc7 {Black tries to exchange a few pieces, which is the right thing to do when you are short of space.} 19. Nd3 Bxf4 20. exf4 Ne4 21. Ne2 (21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Ne5 b5 $1 {with ?f6-d5 coming up, Black shouldn't have any problems.}) 21... Ra2 22. Rc2 {As Anish mentioned after the game, Black is comfortable here. He should only be careful not to allow b4-b5. Aronian misses this threat and ends up with a very difficult position.} Rca8 $6 (22... Rxc2 23. Qxc2 Nef6 (23... Ra8 $6 24. b5 $1) (23... b5 24. Ra1 Ra8 25. Ra5 Rxa5 26. bxa5 b4 27. Qa4 b3 28. a6 b2 29. axb7 b1=Q+ 30. Kh2 Qxb7 {is just an illustrative variation of how complicated things can get.}) 24. Ra1 Ra8 25. Rxa8+ Qxa8 {also seems pretty fine until you notice the queenside breakthrough!} 26. b5 $1 cxb5 27. c6 Nf8 28. c7 Qc8 29. Nb4 Ne8 30. Na6 Ng6 31. Qc6 {White is dominating and Black will have to be extremely accurate if he wants to hold this position.}) (22... Ra4 {it seems better if you keep the rooks on the board.} 23. Rcb2 b5 {Followed by ?ca8 and Black should be completely fine.}) 23. f3 Rxc2 (23... Nef6 {is also met with} 24. b5 $1 bxc5 25. dxc5 cxb5 26. Nd4 $1 {White has quite some pressure.} (26. c6 Qb6+ $13)) 24. Qxc2 Nef6 25. b5 $1 {Aronian is now under a lot of pressure.} Rc8 (25... bxc5 26. dxc5 cxb5 27. Nd4 $36 (27. c6 Qb6+ $11)) 26. Qa4 $1 {An extremely strong move by Anish who threatens to play his queen to a6 here. This idea was missed by Levon. Anish mentions that he found this idea after much deliberation and his thoughts were mainly concerned with breaking on the kingside with f5. But when that didn't work he turned his attention on the other wing and found this idea.} Qc7 (26... bxc5 27. dxc5 cxb5 28. Rxb5 Qc7 29. Nd4 $16) (26... cxb5 27. Qxb5 $16 {it is not at all easy for Black to untangle.}) 27. bxc6 Qxc6 28. Qxc6 Rxc6 29. Rc1 {While this move isn't bad, White had a way to increase the pressure with ?b4.} (29. Nb4 $1 Rc7 30. c6 Nb8 31. Nc3 $1 {The absolute star move and hats off to Aronian for having seen this for his opponent. It just shows how good these guys are, always looking out for opponent's threats.} (31. Ra1 Nxc6 32. Rc1 Nxd4 33. Rxc7 Nxe2+ 34. Kf2 Nxf4 $11) (31. Rc1 Ne8 32. Nc3 Nd6 {Stopping ?b5.} 33. Ncxd5 exd5 34. Nxd5 Na6 $1 35. Nxc7 (35. Ra1 Ra7 36. Nb4 Nxb4 37. Rxa7 Nxc6 $11) 35... Nxc7 36. Ra1 Kf8 37. Ra7 Nde8 $1 38. d5 Ke7 $17) 31... Nxc6 32. Nb5 Rc8 33. Nd6 Rd8 (33... Rc7 34. Rc1 $18) 34. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 35. Nxc6 $16 {The knight comes to e5. The position might not be 100% lost, but it is really unpleasant to be Black here.}) 29... Rc7 (29... Rc8 30. c6 Nb8 31. Nb4 Ne8 32. f5 $1 {Once again Aronian suggested this move. One gets the feeling that the Armenian wanted to get up from the board and switch sides! He was seeing some really excellent winning resources for his opponent.} Nd6 33. fxe6 fxe6 34. Nf4 $16 Kf7 $2 35. c7 $1 Nd7 36. Rc6 $18) 30. Nc3 bxc5 31. dxc5 Ne8 (31... Nxc5 32. Nb5 {Anish thought that he was winning at this point, but the computer shows an excellent defensive resource for Black.} Nfd7 $3 {Even 2800 players can miss such moves!} (32... Nxd3 33. Rxc7 Nxf4 34. Nd6 d4 35. Rc8+ Kh7 36. Nxf7 d3 37. Rh8+ Kg6 38. Ne5+ Kf5 39. Nc4 $18 {The pawn is caught.}) 33. Nxc7 Nxd3 $11 {The f4-pawn is lost and the rook cannot enter with the same force as it did in the previous variation.}) 32. Nb5 Rc8 33. Kf2 $1 {Giri brings his last resource into the game.} Nc7 34. Nxc7 (34. Nd6 Rd8 {threatening ...?xc5 if the rook moves from c1.}) 34... Rxc7 35. Ke3 {White is better here, but Black can cling on by quickly bringing his king to the centre.} Kf8 36. Kd4 {Optically White's position looks completely dominating but Levon's next move is pretty strong.} (36. f5 $5 Ke7 (36... e5 $2 37. f4 $1 e4 38. Ne5 $1 Nxc5 39. Rxc5 Rxc5 40. Nd7+ $18) 37. fxe6 fxe6 38. Kd4 Nb8 39. Ne5 Nd7 40. c6 Nxe5 41. Kxe5 d4 $1 42. Kxd4 Kd6 $11) 36... Nb8 $1 {A nice move! Knights are always the best blockaders of passed pawns. Suddenly it is not easy to make progress.} 37. Nb4 Rb7 (37... Nc6+ 38. Nxc6 Rxc6 39. f5 $16) 38. Kc3 Ke7 39. Ra1 Kd7 40. Nd3 f6 {Aronian offered a draw at this point, but Giri saw that he will always have some chances with the f5-break or the kingside pawn storm and hence decided to continue the battle.} 41. Ra8 Kc6 42. h4 Kb5 43. Ra1 Nc6 44. Rb1+ Ka6 45. Re1 Re7 46. Ra1+ Kb7 47. Nb4 {The knight exchange would give White some chances in the rook endgame because his king is active and he has a passed pawn on c5.} g5 $5 {Aronian defends actively in this position.} (47... Nxb4 $6 48. Kxb4 e5 {Trying to create counterplay.} 49. fxe5 Rxe5 50. Kb5 d4 51. Rd1 Rd5 52. Rb1 Kc7 53. Kc4 Rh5 54. Ra1 {White has some chances in this position but with accurate defence it should end in a draw.}) 48. fxg5 fxg5 49. h5 Rf7 {Trying to fix the h6-weakness.} ({A very interesting variation showed by both the players was} 49... Re8 50. Ra6 Nxb4 51. Rb6+ Kc7 52. Kxb4 Rb8 53. Kb5 {Both the players thought this was lost for Black, but as always the computer begs to differ!} Kc8 $1 {A passive, backward retreat and a difficult move for humans to see.} (53... e5 {Aronian and Giri showed this line and this is really nice.} 54. Rxb8 Kxb8 55. Kc6 $1 d4 56. Kd7 d3 57. c6 d2 58. c7+ Ka7 59. c8=Q d1=Q+ 60. Ke7 {and this endgame is completely winning for White}) 54. Rxb8+ (54. Kc6 $2 Rxb6+ 55. cxb6 d4 $19) 54... Kxb8 55. Kc6 Kc8 $11 {and miraculously Black holds the draw.}) 50. Ra6 (50. Nxc6 Kxc6 51. Ra6+ (51. Kd4 Rf4+ 52. Ke5 Kxc5 53. Kxe6 d4 $17 {starts to become risky for White.}) 51... Kxc5 52. Rxe6 g4 $1 {A key point that had to be seen beforehand.} 53. fxg4 Rf2 $11) 50... Nxb4 51. Rb6+ Kc8 (51... Kc7 $2 {is losing. The point is that Black doesn't have ...?b7 now.} 52. Kxb4 $1 g4 53. fxg4 Rf4+ 54. Kb5 Rxg4 55. Rxe6 Rxg2 56. Re7+ Kd8 57. Rh7 $18 {[%CAl Gh7h6,Gc5c6]}) 52. Rxb4 (52. Kxb4 Rb7 $1 {This pawn ending is drawn.} 53. Kb5 Rxb6+ 54. cxb6 d4 55. Kc4 e5 56. g3 Kb7 57. f4 exf4 58. gxf4 gxf4 59. Kxd4 $11) 52... Rf4 $1 {The king and pawn ending is drawn. But it is not so trivial. Aronian calculated all the details pretty well.} 53. Rxf4 gxf4 54. Kd4 Kd7 55. Ke5 Kc6 56. Kxf4 Kxc5 57. g4 {Threatening g5.} (57. Ke5 $2 d4 58. Ke4 Kc4 $19) 57... Kd6 $1 {The king rushes back to take measures against the g5-break. Aronian knows that g6-h5 versus h6 is a theoretical draw. Hence all he has to do is exchange his e6- and d5-pawns for the guy on f3.} 58. Ke3 (58. g5 hxg5+ (58... Ke7 {is also a draw.}) 59. Kxg5 Ke7 (59... d4 $2 60. h6 d3 61. h7 d2 62. h8=Q d1=Q 63. Qd8+ $18) 60. h6 Kf8 61. Kg6 Kg8 $11) 58... e5 $1 (58... Ke7 $2 59. Kd4 $1 Kf6 60. f4 Kg7 61. Ke5 Kf7 62. f5 exf5 63. gxf5 $1 $18 (63. Kxf5 $2 d4 64. Ke4 Kf6 65. Kxd4 Kg5 $11)) 59. g5 Ke7 $1 60. g6 Kf6 61. Kd3 e4+ $1 {Aronian knows his endgame fortresses!} (61... Kg7 {was the less dramatic way to draw.}) 62. fxe4 dxe4+ 63. Kxe4 Kg7 64. Kf5 Kg8 65. Kf6 Kf8 {A superb game with some very nice resources found by both players. An entire chapter on how to keep pressing your opponent and finding small nuances in simplified positions can be written on this very game.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Tal Memorial 6th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2011.11.25"] [Round "9"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2730"] [BlackElo "2802"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "169"] [EventDate "2011.11.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 {This line was examined in CBM 144, annotations to Aronian - Radjabov. GM Levon Aronian now tries it as Black.} (8. cxd5 {and}) (8. dxc5 {are more popular.}) 8... Qa5 (8... cxd4 {is another option - see the above-mentioned game.}) 9. Nd2 (9. a3 Ne4 10. Bd3 cxd4 11. exd4 Ndf6 12. O-O Nxc3 13. bxc3 Bd7 14. Rb1 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Bc6 16. Ne5 Be4 $11 {1-0 Shulman,Y (2568)-Saidy,A (2374)/Las Vegas 2001/EXT 2002 (35)}) 9... cxd4 10. exd4 dxc4 (10... Nh5 $6 11. Be3 Ndf6 12. Be2 g6 13. O-O Ng7 14. Bf4 dxc4 15. Nxc4 Qf5 16. Qc1 Nd5 17. Be5 Qg5 18. f4 Qh6 19. Rd3 $16 {1/2 Kovalenko,I (2584)-Zvjaginsev,V (2680)/Magnitogorsk RUS 2011/The Week in Chess 889 (77)}) 11. Nxc4 Qd8 12. Bd3 Nb6 13. O-O Bd7 14. Nxb6 Qxb6 15. d5 Rfd8 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (15... Kh8 16. Qe2 Rae8 $1 (16... Rfe8 17. Be5 $1 exd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qe4 f5 (19... Qh6 20. Qxd5 Bc6 21. Qxf7) 20. Qxd5 Rad8 21. Qf7 Qg6 (21... Bf6 $142 $14) 22. Qxg6 hxg6 23. Bc4 Ba4 24. b3 Bc6 25. Bf7 Rf8 26. Bxg6 $16 {1-0 Sargissian,G (2658)-Dambacher,M (2496)/Rogaska Slatina SLO 2011/The Week in Chess 822 (38)}) 17. d6 {1/2 Svidler,P (2755)-Giri,A (2714)/Porto Carras 2011} (17. Be5 exd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qe4 Qh6 20. Qxd5 Bc6 $132 {- the f7-pawn is not hanging!})) 16. Qe2 (16. d6 Bf8 {is double-edged as the d6-pawn can become weak. A possible line is:} 17. Be5 Bc6 18. Rfe1 Qc5 $1 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bxh7+ Kg7 21. Be4 Bxd6 $11) (16. Be5 $5 {[%CAl Yd5d6]} Kh8 $5) 16... Rac8 17. Bb1 Bb4 $1 18. Be3 (18. Be5 $6 Bxc3 $1 19. bxc3 exd5 (19... Bb5 20. Qc2 Bxf1 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Qxh7+ Kf8 23. Bg6 $1 fxg6 24. dxe6 $1 Qxe6 25. Qh6+ Ke8 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qg7+ Ke8 28. Qh8+ Kf7 29. Qh7+ Kf8 30. Qh6+ Kg8 31. Qxg6+ Kf8 32. Qh6+ $11) 20. Qc2 g6 $15) 18... Qc7 19. Bd4 Bxc3 20. Bxc3 (20. d6 $5 Qc4 21. Qxc4 Rxc4 22. Bxc3 Nd5 $11) 20... Nxd5 21. Rxd5 $1 {[%mdl 512]} (21. Qh5 $6 g6 22. Rxd5 Qxc3 $1 23. bxc3 gxh5 $15 {K.Sakaev}) 21... exd5 22. Qd3 f5 23. Qxd5+ Kh8 24. Qf7 Rg8 25. Rd1 Be8 26. Qxc7 Rxc7 27. Bxf5 {White's compensation for the exchange should only be enough for equality.} Bg6 28. Bg4 Re8 29. h4 Kg8 30. Bd7 Re7 31. Ba4 h6 32. f3 Kh7 33. Kf2 a6 34. Rd6 $11 b5 35. Bb3 Bf7 36. Bc2+ {White rightly evades the bishop exchange keeping his bishop pair and tension in the position.} (36. Bxf7 Rxf7 37. Rxa6 b4 38. Bxb4 Rc2+ 39. Kg3 Rxb2 40. a3 Rc7 {[%CAl Rc7c2]}) 36... Kg8 37. Bf5 (37. a3 Re6) 37... Ra7 $6 {A passive move, after which White seizes the initiative.} (37... Bxa2 38. Rxa6 (38. Rd8+ $6 Kf7 39. Bb4 (39. h5 Rxc3 $1 40. bxc3 Ra7) 39... g6 $1 40. Be4 Red7) 38... Bf7 $11) 38. a3 Re8 39. g4 Bc4 (39... a5 $1 {K.Sakaev}) 40. g5 (40. Bd4 $1 Rae7 (40... Raa8 41. Rd7 Bf7 42. Bg6 $1 Rf8 43. Kg3 $16 {K.Sakaev}) 41. Rxa6 Rd8 $1 42. Be3 $16) 40... hxg5 41. hxg5 Rf8 42. Bg4 a5 $1 {Black finally gets rid of this weakness.} 43. Kg3 Re8 44. Bd7 Rea8 45. Be5 Kf8 46. Bg4 (46. f4 $36 {K.Sakaev} Rd8 $2 47. Bxb5 $1) 46... Re7 47. Bd4 Ke8 $2 (47... a4 48. f4 $36) 48. Rg6 Bd3 49. Rb6 $2 {Strange indecision.} (49. Rxg7 $1 Rxg7 50. Bxg7 Kf7 51. Bc3 Kg6 52. f4 {[%CAl Ye3d4,Yd4c5,Yg3f2,Yf2e3] , and White keeps good winning chances despite Black's kingside blockade.}) 49... Rd8 50. Bc3 Rd5 51. Bh5+ (51. Be6 $5 Rxg5+ 52. Kf4 Rxe6 53. Rxe6+ Kd7 54. Re3 {, and White wins the a5-pawn (although hardly the game, due to the opposite-coloured bishops).}) 51... Kd8 52. Kh4 (52. Bxa5 Rxg5+ 53. Kh4 Rxh5+ 54. Kxh5 Kc8 {with a similar outcome.}) (52. f4 $5 {K.Sakaev}) 52... b4 (52... a4 $5 53. Rb8+ Kc7 54. Rg8 Rdd7 55. Bg4 Bc4 56. Bxd7 (56. Ra8 Kb7) 56... Kxd7 (56... Bxg8 57. Bxb5 Bb3 58. Bd3) 57. Rxg7 Rxg7 58. Bxg7 Bd3 59. Kh5 Be2 60. Kg4 Bd3 {, and White can't win.}) {However, Black confidently holds the position after the text move, too.} 53. axb4 axb4 54. Rxb4 Kc7 55. f4 g6 56. Bf3 Rb5 57. Ra4 Re6 58. Kg3 Bf5 59. Ra7+ Kd8 60. Ra4 Ke8 61. Rd4 Rb8 62. Kf2 Reb6 63. Rd2 Rc8 64. Bd5 Rd6 65. Re2+ Kd7 66. Bb3 Ra6 67. Rd2+ Ke8 68. Ke3 Rb6 69. Ba4+ Kf7 70. Bd7 Bxd7 71. Rxd7+ Ke8 72. Rh7 Rc4 73. Rh6 Re6+ 74. Be5 Rb4 75. Kd3 Kd7 76. Rh7+ Kc6 77. Kc3 Re4 78. Rc7+ Kd5 79. Kd3 R6xe5 80. fxe5 Rxe5 81. Ra7 Ke6 82. Ra6+ Kf5 83. b4 Kxg5 84. Ra5 Kf4 85. Rxe5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Kazan"] [Date "2011.05.24"] [Round "3.5"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2733"] [Annotator "Moradiabadi,Elshan"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2011.05.05"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {After two timid days, our deserved finalists decided to show us some aspects of their strength! This game is a very rich positional game and contains everything one would expect of a high-level game.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 {Alas! We will never know what Gelfand had in mind against the Catalan!} Be7 {The QGD seems to be one of Gelfand's main black weapons prepared for this event. A very classical approach which is mostly explored in the 1927 WC match between legendary Capablanca and Alekhine. Funnily enough, Grischuk has not had enough of it in this cycle!} 5. Bf4 {An interesting choice which one would expect from Grischuk. The question many asked themselves here is how many moves it would take before he offered a draw! At least the previous ones were not very combative except his first game against Gelfand.} (5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Qb3 dxc4 8. Qxc4 O-O 9. g3 b5 $1 $146 10. Qxb5 Nd7 11. Bg2 c5 12. O-O Rb8 13. Qa4 a5 14. dxc5 {1/2-1/2 Grischuk,A (2747) -Gelfand,B (2733)/Kazan RUS 2011}) 5... O-O 6. e3 (6. Rc1 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. e3 Nc6 9. a3 d4 10. exd4 Nxd4 11. b4 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Bd4 13. Nb5 e5 14. Bg5 Re8 15. Bxf6 e4 16. Bxd8 exf3+ 17. Kd2 Rxd8 18. Nxd4 Rxd4+ 19. Kc3 fxg2 20. Bxg2 Rg4 21. Rhd1 Be6 22. Bxb7 Rxc4+ 23. Kb2 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 {1/2-1/2 Grischuk,A (2747) -Gelfand,B (2733)/Kazan RUS 2011 (49)}) 6... Nbd7 {This move skips the activity with 6..c5 in favor of a rock solid but slightly cramped position for Black.} 7. c5 {This is the most radical approach. White neutralises the tension in the centre in order to obtain a spatial advantage on the queenside.} (7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 Qa5 9. Nd2 cxd4 10. exd4 dxc4 11. Nxc4 Qd8 12. Bd3 Nb6 13. O-O Bd7 14. Nxb6 Qxb6 15. d5 Kh8 16. dxe6 {1/2-1/2 Grischuk,A (2747)-Kramnik,V (2785)/Kazan 2011/CB19_2011}) 7... Nh5 8. Be2 $5 $146 {No more draw offers! A good sign for me and the spectators!} (8. Bd3 {used to be the "Tabiya" in this line, which has been played thousands of times. Did Grsichuk have something special up his sleeves? The continuation proved that he did!}) (8. b4 Nxf4 9. exf4 c6 10. Bd3 b6 11. O-O a5 12. a3 Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Bxa6 {1/2-1/2 Grischuk,A (2747)-Kramnik,V (2785)/Kazan 2011/CB19_2011}) 8... c6 9. O-O Nxf4 10. exf4 {To be perfectly honest, I have trouble seeing the special appeal of Grischuk's idea. The bishop on d3 seemed more appealing to me!} f6 {The right decision at the wrong time. Gelfand believes that he can play e5, and he is right, except that...this is exactly what Grischuk is waiting for!} 11. b4 Qc7 12. Qd2 Rf7 $6 {Why does Gelfand avoid e5 and instead accept a slightly worse position? Let us examine the following lines:} ({For better or for worse Black had to go for} 12... e5 $1 13. Rfd1 $2 (13. Rfe1 $1 {is a good move, because it keeps both ?f1 and ?d3 as possible choices.} Kh8 14. Bf1 {was the alternative.} (14. Bd3 a5 $1 (14... e4 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Rxe4 Bd8 17. Rae1 a5 18. Re8 $1 axb4 19. Rxf8+ Nxf8 20. Re8 g6 21. Rxf8+ Kg7 22. Re8 {and White is clearly better.}) 15. b5 e4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Rxe4 Nxc5 $1 18. dxc5 cxb5 19. Nd4 Bxc5 20. Nxb5 Qf7 {The dust has settled and Black seems to have the better prospects.}) 14... a5 (14... e4 $2 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Rxe4 Bd8 17. Rae1 $36) 15. b5 (15. fxe5 $2 fxe5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Rxe5 axb4 $17) 15... e4 16. Qe3 (16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Rxe4 Nxc5 18. dxc5 Bxc5 $15) 16... Bd8 17. b6 Qb8 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Qxe4 f5 20. Qe3 Nf6 21. Ne5 g6 22. Bc4 Kg7 23. Rad1 $44 {and White enjoys fine compensation. This is probably what Gelfand tried to avoid, but instead he ended up in a clearly worse position!}) (13. Rae1 $5 {This or the other rook to e1 is probably what Grischuk had in mind.} Kh8 $1 {A very strong prophylactic move confirmed by the silicon mind!} (13... e4 $2 14. Nxe4 $1 dxe4 15. Bc4+ Kh8 16. Rxe4 $14 {[%csl Re7]}) 14. Bd3 $1 {What is this? A blunder?} a5 $1 ({Hardly. If} 14... e4 $2 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Rxe4 {White obtains a strong initiative! Deep preparation by Grischuk?!}) 15. fxe5 axb4 $1 (15... fxe5 16. b5 e4 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Rxe4 Bf6 19. Rfe1 Qd8 20. h4 $1 {and once again White has a dangerous initiative.}) 16. exf6 Nxf6 17. Nd1 {with unclear play.}) (13. fxe5 $2 fxe5 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxd5 $4 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 cxd5 $19) 13... a5 $1 14. a3 Re8 {and Black is very well prepared to open up the game after which he can enjoy his pair of bishops.}) 13. Rae1 Nf8 14. Bd3 {This is the right moment for the bishop to come to d3...Do you understand? Yes Mr. Grischuk! We understand!} Bd7 15. g3 Re8 16. Re3 Bd8 17. Rfe1 {White is clearly better at this point, however Gelfand stays calm and prepares a trap.} Qb8 18. Na4 $1 Bc7 19. Nb2 {A typical manoeuvre for the knight!} Rfe7 20. Qc3 Rd8 $1 {Gelfand is trying to get free his bishop from the pawn chain via e8-h5.} 21. Bf5 {This is too hasty, yet it does not harm White. He remains in full control! Still, he should go for} (21. a4 $5 Be8 22. a5 Bh5 23. Nh4 $1 {Black has just one weakness but is left with no counter play and is running out of space!} Qc8 (23... g5 $6 24. fxg5 fxg5 25. Nf5 Ree8 26. Nd6 $1 {Black's position is becoming like Swiss cheese on the dark squares!} Bxd6 27. cxd6 Qxd6 28. Qd2 Qe7 29. a6 b6 30. Bc2 $1 {White's knight will head to e5 and Black has to defence against an annoying attack despite his material advantage.}) 24. Be2 Bf7 25. Nf3 Bh5 (25... Rde8 26. b5 $16) (25... Ng6 26. Bf1 Rde8 27. Nd3 a6 28. h4 Qd7 29. Bh3 Nh8 $1 {This is a position rich in strong positional manoeuvres...Black has to bring his knight to d8.} 30. Qd2 Bh5 31. Qe2 Kf8 32. Nb2 Nf7 33. Kg2 Nd8 34. Na4 Bg6 {White is better, nevertheless it is not easy to crack Black's position. White has to exploit a drastic plan sooner or later.}) 26. Nd3 Rde8 27. Nh4 Bf7 28. Qb2 a6 29. Bg4 {and White is clearly better.}) 21... Rf7 $5 {This is the trap Gelfand had prepared!} 22. Bg4 $6 {Grischuk goes astray. He had to retreat the bishop back to d3.} e5 $1 {Well calculated by Gelfand!} 23. Bxd7 exf4 24. Be8 fxe3 25. Qxe3 Ng6 26. Bxf7+ Kxf7 27. Qe6+ Kf8 28. Qh3 (28. Nd1 Re8 29. Qf5 {is also equal.}) 28... Qc8 $1 {This strong move seals the game's fate. Grischuk has to concede a draw!} 29. Qxc8 (29. Qxh7 $2 {loses an exchange to} Kf7 30. Qh5 Rh8 31. Re7+ Kxe7 32. Qxg6 Kf8) 29... Rxc8 30. Kf1 Re8 31. Rb1 Ke7 32. Nd3 a6 33. a4 Kd7 34. b5 axb5 35. axb5 cxb5 36. Rxb5 Rb8 37. Nb4 Ne7 38. Ne1 Nc6 39. Nxc6 {A nice fighting game! I believe that all the spectators must have enjoyed it a lot!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 39th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2011.07.28"] [Round "7"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2701"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2011.07.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 144"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bg4 12. Be2 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Bf6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 {This line was examined in CBM 138, annotations to Mamedyarov-Kramnik by GM M.Marin.} 15. Qc2 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] This simple idea - just to capture the d5 pawn avoiding the pin along the d-file - is surprisingly new!} (15. O-O {was usually played:} Rfd8 $5 (15... Qxb2 16. Qxd5 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Qf6 18. Qd4 Qe7 19. Qb4 Rfd8 20. h3 (20. Rd4 $5) (20. a4 $5) 20... b6 21. a4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Rd4 {1/2 Erdos,V (2591)-Nielsen,P (2687)/Germany 2009/CBM 133 Extra.}) (15... Rad8 16. Rc1 $1 (16. Qd4 $6 Qxd4 17. exd4 Ne4 18. Rfd1 f5 {1/2 Kunte,A (2513)-Mas,H (2421)/Parramatta 2009/CBM 129 Extra}) 16... Ne6 17. Qb3 d4 18. Qxb7 $14 {M.Marin}) 16. Rc1 Ne6 17. Qb3 d4 18. Qxb7 Rab8 19. Qxa7 Rxb2 20. Qa6 g6 21. a4 Kg7 $44 {1/2 Mamedyarov,S (2761)-Kramnik,V (2790)/Dortmund 2010/CBM 138/[Marin,M] (31)}) ({The other moves are harmless:} 15. Rc1 Rac8 16. Rc2 Ne4 17. O-O Qe5 18. Qc1 Rxc2 19. Qxc2 Ng5 20. Be2 Ne6 21. Bd3 g6 22. Rc1 Rd8 $11 {1/2 Vorobiov,E (2592)-Grover,S (2411)/Kavala 2010/CBM 137 Extra (33)}) (15. Rb1 Rad8 16. O-O d4 17. Qc2 b6 18. exd4 Rxd4 19. Rbd1 Rfd8 20. Rxd4 Rxd4 21. Rd1 g6 {1/2 Kunte,A (2527)-Maheswaran,P (2297)/Gurgon 2009/CBM 128 Extra}) 15... Rac8 (15... Qxb2 $6 16. Qxb2 Nd3+ 17. Ke2 Nxb2 18. Bxd5 $16 {[%csl Rb7,Gd5]}) 16. Bxd5 Rfd8 {After this White eventually keeps his extra pawn.} (16... Ne6 17. Qa4 $1 (17. Qe2 $6 Nd4 $1 18. exd4 Rfe8 19. Be4 Qxd4 20. f3 f5) (17. Qd2 Rfd8 18. O-O Nc7 19. e4 Nxd5 20. exd5 Rc5 21. Rad1 Qd6 22. Rfe1 g6 $11 {[%CAl Yc5d5]}) 17... Nc5 18. Qb5 Qf5 19. Rd1 Rfd8 20. e4 Nxe4 21. O-O $14) 17. Rd1 Qe5 18. Qc4 b5 (18... Qxb2 19. Bxf7+ Kh8 20. O-O Qxa3 21. Ra1 $16) (18... Ne6 19. Qb3 Nc5 20. Qa2) 19. Qa2 Rd7 20. O-O Na4 21. Bb3 (21. Be6 $1 {was probably even better as after} Rxd1 22. Bxf7+ Kh8 23. Rxd1 Nxb2 24. Rb1 Na4 25. Qe6 {White's kingside two-pawn advantage increases the importance of his bishop and therefore his winning chances.}) 21... Rdc7 {Of course, evading} (21... Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Nxb2 23. Bxf7+ Kh8 {, which leads to the line from the previous annotation.}) 22. Rd4 (22. Rd5 $143 Qxb2 23. Qxb2 Nxb2 24. Rxb5 Nc4) 22... Nb6 23. Rfd1 g6 24. Qb1 Kg7 25. g3 Nc4 26. Kg2 Qf6 27. Bxc4 {Of course, is it difficult to convert White's extra pawn without minor pieces on the board but Black's knight was too strong.} bxc4 28. Qe4 Re7 29. Qd5 c3 30. bxc3 Rxc3 31. Rf4 Qc6 32. Qxc6 Rxc6 {[%mdl 4096]} 33. Rdd4 Rc2 34. Rd5 h5 35. Ra5 Rb7 36. h3 Ra2 37. Rfa4 Rbb2 38. Rf4 Rb7 39. g4 hxg4 40. hxg4 Rc7 41. Kg3 Rb2 42. g5 Rb1 43. Kg2 Rb2 44. Rfa4 Rcc2 45. Rf4 Rb7 46. Kg3 Rc1 47. Rd4 Rb2 48. Rf4 Rb7 49. Rd4 Rb2 50. f3 a6 {Black must use tactical means to stay in the game.} (50... Rb7 $5 51. Rda4 Rg1+ 52. Kf4 Rb2 53. Rb4 $1 (53. Rxa7 Rf2 {[%CAl Yg1f1]}) 53... Rh2 54. Ke4 Rc2) 51. Rxa6 Rb5 $2 (51... Rg1+ $8 52. Kf4 Rb5 {regaining the g5-pawn and keeping some chances to survive, e.g.} 53. e4 Rgxg5 54. Ra7 Rg2 $1 55. Rdd7 $140 g5+ 56. Ke3 Rb3+) 52. f4 Rb3 53. Re4 Rcc3 54. a4 Rxe3+ 55. Rxe3 Rxe3+ {This way Black has regained one of the missing pawns as well but the resulting endgame is lost for him as his king is caged in the corner.} 56. Kf2 Ra3 57. Ra7 Kf8 58. a5 Ke8 59. a6 Kf8 60. Ke2 Ke8 (60... Kg7 61. Kd2 Ra4 62. Kc3 Rxf4 63. Rd7 Ra4 64. a7 $18 {- Black has no moves on the kingside, and White's king goes forward.}) 61. Ra8+ Kd7 62. a7 Kc6 63. Rc8+ Kb7 64. Rf8 1-0 [Event "Linares 11th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [Round "12"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2670"] [BlackElo "2645"] [Annotator "Jussupow,Artur"] [PlyCount "109"] [EventDate "1993.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 034"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1993.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1993.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rhg1+ (17. Nd4 Bf5 (17... Bd7 18. Nb3 Qa4 19. Rhg1+ Kh8 20. Qc3 $13) (17... Qe5 18. Kb1 fxe3 $142 (18... b5 $2 19. Bd3 $16 {Shabalov-Kruppa, Minsk 1990}) 19. fxe3 Kh8) 18. Nxf5 Qxf5 $13) 17... Kh8 18. Qe4 Ng6 (18... Qc5 $6 19. Qxf4 Bf5 20. b4 Qc6 {Ambarcumjan-Magomedov, Frunze 1989} 21. Kb2 $1 $16 {Khalifman}) 19. Qd4 $5 (19. Rd5 $6 Qc7 20. Qd4 Be6 $1 21. Rc5 Qe7 $17 {Shabalov - Kruppa, Nab.Chelni 1988}) 19... Qb6 20. Qxb6 (20. exf4 $6 {Gulko-J.Rodriguez, Sevilla 1992}) 20... axb6 21. Rd6 Bh3 $5 $146 (21... fxe3 22. fxe3 Ra5 $1 (22... Ne5 $6 23. Nxe5 fxe5 24. Rxb6 $16 {S.Ivanov-I.Alexandrov, Leningrad 1989}) (22... Bf5 23. Rxf6 $1 Rac8 24. Rxf5 Rxc4+ 25. Kd2 $14 {Khalifman}) (22... Ra4 23. Bd3 $1 {Gelfand,Kapengut NIC YB/26-93}) 23. Kd2 (23. Bd5 b5 $1 24. Kd2 (24. Rxf6 b4 $15 {Khalifman}) (24. Nd4 b4 25. Nb3 Rxd5 $1 $15 {Khalifman}) 24... Ra6 $1 $10 {Khalifman}) (23. Rxb6 Rc5 24. b3 Be6 25. Nd2 Ne5 $10 {Khalifman}) 23... Rf5 (23... Rc5 24. Bd5 $14 (24. Bd3 {Ftacnik} Rc6 $10) 24... Kg7 (24... Ne7 $6 25. Bxf7 $1 $16 {Khalifman}) 25. Nd4 Re8 26. e4 Re5 27. Rf1 Ne7 28. Rdxf6 $14 {Lputian - Van der Sterren, Wijk an Zee 1993}) 24. Rf1 (24. Be2 Ne5 25. Nxe5 Rxe5 $10 {Khalifman}) (24. Bd5 Ne5 $1 (24... Ne7 25. Be4 Rb5 26. b4 f5 27. Nd4 Re5 28. Bf3 $16 {Khalifman}) 25. Nxe5 (25. Rg3 b5 $10) 25... fxe5 (25... Rxe5 26. Bxf7 $1 $16) 26. Rxb6 Rf2+ 27. Kc3 Rxh2 28. Bxb7 f5 $1 $13 {Khalifman}) (24. Rg3 Rc5 $1 25. Bd5 Ne7 26. Bxf7 $2 Nf5 {Khalifman}) 24... Rc5 $1 25. Bd3 (25. Bd5 Ne7 $10 {Khalifman}) 25... Rc6 $1 $10 {Kasparov - Khalifman, Reggio Emilia 1991 -53/394}) 22. Kb1 (22. Bd5 $5 Rac8+ 23. Kb1 Rfd8 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Bxb7 fxe3 26. fxe3 $10) 22... Bf5+ $1 (22... fxe3 $6 23. fxe3 Rae8 24. Rxf6 Rxe3 $14) 23. Ka1 (23. Bd3 Bxd3+ 24. Rxd3 Rfd8 $15) 23... Be4 24. Nd4 $1 (24. Nd2 Bc6 25. Rxf6 b5 $17 {?b4}) 24... Ne5 25. Bb5 $5 (25. Bb3 Rg8 $17) 25... fxe3 (25... f3 26. Rxf6 Rg8 27. Rg3 Rac8 28. b4 $13) 26. fxe3 Rg8 $15 27. Rf1 Rg6 28. Rdxf6 (28. Rxb6 $2 f5 $17) 28... Rxf6 29. Rxf6 Rg8 30. Bf1 Rg6 31. Rf4 Rg4 32. Nb5 f5 33. Nd6 Rxf4 34. exf4 Ng6 $2 (34... Ng4 $15) 35. Bh3 Nh4 36. b4 $14 Nf3 37. Nxf5 Nxh2 38. Nd6 Bf3 39. Kb2 h5 40. Kc3 Ng4 41. Kd4 Kg7 42. Nf5+ Kf6 43. Nh4 Bc6 44. Bf1 Ke6 45. Bc4+ Kf6 46. Bd3 Ke6 47. Bf5+ Kd6 (47... Kf6 $2 48. Bg6) 48. Bg6 Nf6 49. Nf5+ Kd7 50. Ke5 Ng4+ $1 51. Kd4 Nf6 52. Bf7 Kc7 53. Ke5 Ng4+ 54. Kd4 (54. Ke6 $4 Bd7+ $19) 54... Nf6 $10 55. Ke5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2011.09.10"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Navara, David"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2722"] [BlackElo "2746"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "107"] [EventDate "2011.08.28"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 145"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Rc1 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. e3 Nc6 9. a3 a6 (9... d4 {- see Grischuk-Gelfand in CBM 143.}) 10. cxd5 (10. b4 {is another option.}) 10... exd5 11. Be2 {An absolutely harmless move. Other possibilities:} (11. Bg5) (11. b4) (11. Bd3 {is probably the most appropriate} d4 $140 12. Ne2) 11... d4 {A typical equalising break.} (11... Ba7 $5 12. O-O d4 13. exd4 Bxd4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Bf3 Re8 16. h3 h6 17. Be3 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Qd3 19. Na4 Bf5 20. Rfd1 Qe4 21. Qxe4 Bxe4 22. Nc5 Bc6 23. Bd4 {1/2 Kallai,G (2495)-Kovacs,G (2447)/Hungary 2007/EXT 2008}) 12. Na4 (12. exd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 (13... Qxd4 $144 14. Qxd4 Bxd4 15. O-O Bg4 16. Bxg4 Nxg4 17. h3 Nf6 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 $11 {1/2 Julia,E (2387)-Strayer,G (2317)/Dos Hermanas 2004/CBM 099 ext (73)}) 14. O-O Be6 15. Bf3 (15. Qd2 Qb6 16. Na4 Qa7 17. Rcd1 Rad8 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Qxd8 Bb3 $1 20. Qd3 Bxd1 21. Bxd1 Bd4 $15 {0-1 Botvinnik,M (2274)-Mikhalevski,A (2479)/Tel Aviv 2000/CBM 077 (60)}) 15... Qd7 {1/2 Bodiroga,P (2439)-Petronijevic,Z (2387)/Yugoslavia 2000/EXT 2005}) (12. Nb5 axb5 13. Rxc5 b4 (13... dxe3 14. Bxe3 b4 15. O-O bxa3 16. bxa3 Qxd1 17. Rxd1 Rxa3 18. Nd4 Ne4 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Rxc6 Nc3 21. Re1 {1/2 Banikas,H (2526)-San Segundo Carrillo,P (2528)/Leon 2001/CBM 086}) 14. Nxd4 bxa3 15. bxa3 Ne4 16. Rc1 Qa5+ 17. Kf1 Nxd4 18. exd4 Qxa3 19. Qd3 Qe7 20. f3 Nf6 $11 {1-0 Barsov,A (2509)-Gerzhoy,L (2485)/Khanty Mansiysk 2010/CBM 139 (78)}) 12... Ba7 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. Qxd4 Bxd4 $11 16. O-O Bd7 17. b3 Bb5 $6 {Underestimating the danger.} (17... Bc6 $1 $11 18. Rfd1 Rad8 19. Bc7 Rd7 20. Bb6 Bxa4 21. Rxd4 Bxb3 22. Rxd7 Nxd7 {In this typical position White has a full compensation for the pawn but it should be only enough for a draw.}) 18. Rfd1 Bxe2 19. Rxd4 Bb5 (19... Rfe8 $5) 20. Nc3 Bc6 {If Black allows ?c3xb5, White will keep up the pressure as his bishop will be stronger than Black's knight but now White destroys Black's pawn structure, and then his knight will be stronger than Black's bishop despite the fact that the position is quite open!} 21. Bg5 $1 {[%mdl 32]} Rfe8 (21... Nh5 22. Nd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 $16 {[%csl Rh5]}) 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. f3 {[%csl Rf6,Rf7] Black fails to organise his defence and is gradually outplayed.} Re5 24. Kf2 Rae8 25. b4 Kg7 26. Rc2 a5 27. Rcd2 Rc8 28. Rd8 Rxd8 29. Rxd8 {[%mdl 4096]} axb4 30. axb4 f5 31. Ne2 Rb5 32. Rd4 Kf6 33. Nc3 Re5 34. Rh4 Kg7 35. Kg3 Re1 36. Rd4 Rc1 37. Nd1 Kf6 38. Kf4 {[%CAl Rd1e3]} Ke7 39. Kxf5 (39. Ne3 $143 Bd7 {aiming for a rook ending}) 39... Bd7+ 40. Kf4 Be6 41. g4 h6 42. h4 Rb1 43. Nc3 Rb2 44. h5 Rc2 45. Ne4 Rc6 46. b5 Rc2 47. Rd6 Rb2 48. Rb6 Bd5 49. Ke5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Overlooking Black's reply and letting the victory slip.} (49. Nc3 Rb4+ (49... Bc6 50. bxc6 Rxb6 51. Nd5+) 50. Kg3 $18) 49... Bc6 $1 50. g5 {The last attempt} Rxb5+ 51. Rxb5 Bxb5 52. g6 $6 (52. gxh6 $142 {but after} Kf8 53. Nf6 Be2 54. f4 b5 {White has no way to win.}) (52. Nd6 $145 $5 Be2 $1 (52... Bc6 53. Nf5+ Kf8 54. f4 hxg5 (54... Bf3 55. g6 $18) 55. fxg5 Bf3 56. h6 Kg8 57. Kf6 Bh5 58. Nd6 b6 59. Nxf7 $18) 53. g6 $1 f6+ 54. Kd4 Bd1 $1 (54... Kf8 55. Ke3 Ba6 56. Nf5 b5 57. Nxh6 Bc8 58. Nf7 Kg7 59. Nd6 Bd7 60. f4 $18) 55. Nf5+ Kf8 56. Ke3 Bc2 57. Nxh6 b5 58. Kd2 Bb1 59. Ng4 Kg7 60. Kc3 Ba2 $11) 52... fxg6 53. hxg6 Bd3 54. Nc5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2710"] [BlackElo "2635"] [Annotator "Chekhov,Valery A"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1993.??.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 039"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 (8. Be2 dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Qe2 b5 11. Bd3 Bb7 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Rfd1 Qb6 14. Bg3 Be7 15. a4 b4 16. a5 Qc5 17. Nb1 Qh5 18. Nbd2 Nc5 19. Bc4 $14 {Gurevich,M-Geller,E/Helsinki/1992/1-0/34}) (8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4 a6 15. Rc1 d4 16. g4 Bg6 17. e4 Re8 18. Nd2 $14 {Beliavsky,A-Georgiev,Kir/Biel/1992/ 0,5 (33) Inf 55/414/}) 8... Nc6 9. Rc1 $5 $146 (9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Ne4 11. Nb5 a6 12. Nc7 e5 13. Nxd5 Nxf2 14. Ng5 Bf5 15. Qxf2 exf4 16. Qxf4 Ne7 $1 17. Nxe7+ Bxe7 18. Rd5 $1 $10 {Gelfand,B-Yusupov,A/Linares/1992/ 0,5 (21) Inf 54/406/}) (9. Be2 Re8 $5 (9... dxc4 10. Bxc4 a6 11. Qc2 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Ne4 Qa5+ 14. Ke2 Be7 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. Bxh7+ Kh8 17. Rac1 $1 Rac8 18. Qb1 b4 19. Be4 $16 {Sokolov,I-Cifuentes Parada,R/Oviedo/1992/ Inf 56/450/}) 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Qc2 h6 12. Bh4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Nd5 $1 14. Bxe7 Ncxe7 15. O-O Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Qc7 17. Nd4 Bd7 $10 {Sokolov,I-Lobron,E/Debrecen/1992/ 1:0 (41) Inf 56/450/}) 9... d4 10. Nxd4 (10. Na4 $2 Qa5+ 11. b4 Nxb4 12. axb4 Bxb4+ 13. Ke2 d3+ 14. Kxd3 Rd8+ 15. Nd4 e5) (10. exd4 $5 Nxd4 11. Nxd4 Qxd4 12. Qxd4 Bxd4 $10) 10... e5 $1 (10... Nxd4 11. b4 $1 Bb6 (11... Nc6 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. bxc5 $14) 12. exd4 Qxd4 13. Qxd4 Bxd4 14. Nb5 $16) 11. Nb3 (11. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 exf4 13. Nd4 fxe3 14. fxe3 Re8 $44) 11... Bxa3 (11... exf4 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Nxc5 fxe3 14. fxe3 Re8 15. Nd5) 12. bxa3 exf4 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. exf4 Be6 15. f3 $14 b6 16. Kf2 Nd4 (16... Rd7 $5) 17. Nxd4 Rxd4 18. Ke3 Rd7 (18... Rad8 19. Nd5 $1) 19. Be2 Re8 20. Kf2 Rc8 21. Rhd1 (21. Ne4 Nxe4+ 22. fxe4 Rdc7 23. Rc3 Bxc4 24. Rhc1 b5 25. Bxc4 bxc4) 21... Rxd1 (21... Rdc7 22. Nb5 $14) 22. Rxd1 Kf8 23. Rd4 Ke7 24. g4 g6 25. Bd3 Rc5 26. Ke3 Ne8 27. f5 (27. Nd5+ Bxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. cxd5 Kd6 30. Kd4 Nc7 31. Bc4 $14) 27... gxf5 28. gxf5 Bxf5 29. Nd5+ Ke6 30. Bxf5+ Kxf5 31. Rf4+ Kg6 (31... Ke6 $2 32. Re4+ Kd7 33. Re7+ Kd8 34. Rxa7 $18) 32. Kd4 Kg7 33. Rg4+ (33. Rg4+ Kf8 34. Rh4 Kg7 35. Rg4+ $10) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 6th"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2019.04.06"] [Round "6"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2779"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2019.03.31"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 190"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,103,40,11,23,0,-3,-3,1,-6,24,20,6,12,46,51,60,11,17,9,31,11,52,42,82,84,134,134,134,92,92,135,131,135,114,147,109,103,93,48,42,70,56,57,57,47,26,22,34,29,32,16,16,-7,29,37,61,53,72,70,72,66,96,73,78,71,60,67,79,70,46,63,53,55,68,36,76,69,72,51,71,70,103,86,84,97,88,93,98,107,111,115,115,54,102,101,144,129,150,136,150,150,144,145,137,137]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Rd8 {One of the lines which became popular after the World Championship match Carlsen-Caruana.} 11. Nd2 {A principled reply.} (11. Be2 {(played by Carlsen) is rather harmless.}) 11... d4 (11... e5 12. Bg5 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Be7 14. O-O Bg4 15. f3 Bh5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 {0-1 (38) Chekhov,V (2520)-Bondar,I (2280) Orel 1997} 17. Nde4 $16 Be7 $140 18. Nd5) (11... dxc4 12. Nxc4 (12. Bxc4 Be7 13. O-O Qf5 $1 (13... Qh5 14. Bc7 (14. Nde4 Rxd1 15. Qxd1 Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 e5 18. Bg3 Kf8 19. f3 Bf5 20. Nc3 Rd8 21. Bd5 Bc5 $11 {1/2 (36) Roiz,M (2661)-Khamrakulov,D (2479) Tashkent 2011}) 14... Rd7 (14... Rf8 15. Be2 Qg6 16. Qxg6 hxg6 17. Bf3 Bd8 18. Bg3 Nh5 19. Bd6 Be7 20. Nc4 $16 {1-0 (30) Forintos,G (2435)-Schneider,L (2430) Esbjerg 1978}) 15. Bg3 Qg6 16. Qa4 Nh5 17. Bb5 Nxg3 18. hxg3 e5 19. Nc4 $16 {1-0 (25) Doroshkievich,V-Kozlov,V Briansk 1975}) 14. Nde4 Nd5 15. Bg3 (15. Qc1 Nxf4 16. exf4 Bd7 17. Nd6 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Be8 19. Rfd1 Rxd6 20. Rxd6 Rd8 $11 {1/2 (23) Raznikov,D (2494)-Nakar,E (2456) Dallas 2018}) 15... Nxc3 16. bxc3 Ne5 $6 (16... b6 $1 $11) 17. Rxd8+ Bxd8 18. Qd1 $1 Bb6 19. Nd6 Qf6 20. Bb5 $16 {1-0 (34) Graf,A (2610)-Dobrev,N (2440) Leipzig 2007}) 12... Rxd1+ 13. Qxd1 Qd8 14. Qxd8+ Nxd8 15. Be2 (15. Na4 Bf8 16. Nab6 axb6 17. Nxb6 Ra5 18. Nxc8 Rc5 19. Nb6 Rc2 $44 {1/2 (57) Euwe,M-Kupper,J Zuerich 1954}) 15... Nd5 (15... Nc6 16. Bf3 Bd7 17. Ne5 $14 {1-0 (53) Serper,G (2507)-Bruno,R (2219) Las Vegas 2007}) 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Bd6 (17. Nd6 $14) 17... b6 18. Bxc5 (18. b4 $5 {[%csl Rc8,Rd5]} Bxb4+ 19. Bxb4 dxc4 20. Bxc4 $14 {[%csl Gb4,Gc4]}) 18... bxc5 $11 {1/2 (27) Bagirov,V-Matanovic,A Yerevan 1971}) 12. Nb3 Qb6 13. Na4 $1 Bb4+ 14. axb4 (14. Ke2 Qa6 15. Nxd4 Be7 16. Nxc6 Qxc6 17. Rxd8+ Bxd8 18. Kd1 b6 19. Nc3 Ba6 $44 {1/2 (22) Petrosian,T-Lutikov,A Moscow 1966}) 14... Qxb4+ 15. Nd2 e5 (15... Qa5 $5 16. b3 (16. Qb3 $5) 16... Nb4 17. Qb1 b5 (17... d3 18. f3 Nh5 19. Bg3 Qg5 20. Kf2 $16 {1-0 (32) Gheorghiu,F-Ostojic,P Monte Carlo 1969}) (17... e5 $1 18. Bg5 Bf5 $1 19. e4 $8 (19. Qxf5 $4 e4 $3 20. Qxa5 Nc2+ 21. Ke2 d3#) 19... Nxe4 20. Bxd8 Rxd8 21. Nxe4 Nc2+ 22. Ke2 Bxe4 23. f3 Bg6 24. Kf2 d3 $44) 18. Nb2 Bb7 19. f3 e5 20. Bg5 dxe3 21. Bxe3 e4 22. Be2 {1-0 (57) Doroshkievich,V-Gipslis,A Tbilisi 1967} Na2 $1 $44) 16. Bg5 Qa5 17. Qb3 $1 (17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. b3 Nb4 19. Qb1 e4 $44 {1/2 (19) Ivkov,B-Musil,V Maribor 1967}) 17... Nb4 $1 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Be2 Bd7 20. Ra1 dxe3 21. fxe3 b5 22. O-O $1 (22. cxb5 $2 Be6 {[%CAl Ya8c8]}) 22... bxa4 23. Qc3 $44 {The outcome of complications is rather favorable for White as Black's king is unsafe.} f5 24. Nf3 f6 25. Nh4 $36 {?} Nc6 26. Qa3 $1 (26. Qxa5 Nxa5 27. Nxf5 Nb3 $132) 26... e4 {Perhaps it was better not to put this pawn on a square of the bishop's colour.} (26... Qd2 $5 27. Rf2 Rab8 28. Bf1 Qb4 29. Qxa4 Qxa4 30. Rxa4 Kf7 31. Ra6 Rb6 32. Rxb6 axb6 33. Nxf5 Be6 34. g4 Na5 35. Rc2 h5 $14 {1/2 (50) Janosi,E (2042)-Koehler,J (1966) Lechenicher SchachServer 2011}) 27. Bd1 Ne5 28. Bxa4 Qxa4 29. Qxa4 Bxa4 30. Rxa4 f4 31. c5 $5 $146 {[%mdl 8] It is only here that the game deviates from the following predecessor:} (31. Rxf4 Rd1+ 32. Rf1 Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Rb8 34. b4 Nxc4 35. Nf5 Rb5 36. g4 h5 37. h3 hxg4 38. hxg4 Ne5 39. Rxa7 Rxb4 $11 {1/2 (46) Aronian,L (2765)-Caruana,F (2832) London 2018}) 31... fxe3 32. Rxe4 Rab8 33. Rxe3 Rxb2 34. h3 Rc2 35. Rxf6 Rxc5 {The position looks drawish but in fact, Black should defend accurately as his king is exposed.} 36. Ra6 Nc6 37. Nf3 Rc8 38. Re6 Rc7 39. Kh2 Kg7 40. Ra4 h5 $6 {Rather a bad idea. This pawn becomes vulnerable.} (40... Kf7 41. Rd6 $5) 41. Ra6 Ne7 42. Nd4 Nf5 43. Ne2 Rc4 $6 (43... h4 $142 {but Black is under strong pressure anyway.}) 44. Rg6+ Kf8 45. Rg5 Ng7 46. Rf6+ $1 Rf7 47. Rh6 Ke7 $2 (47... Rfc7 {was more stubborn but the h5 pawn is doomed anyway.}) 48. Ra5 Ke8 49. Rh8+ Rf8 50. Rh7 Rf7 51. Re5+ Kd8 52. Rexh5 {Vishy Anand (a bit surprisingly) decided not to continue resistance.} (52. Rexh5 Nxh5 53. Rxf7 a6 {- White is yet to display winning technique.}) 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2012.01.25"] [Round "10"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2714"] [BlackElo "2805"] [Annotator "Aronian,Levon"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2012.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 147"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Before this game, I had only played Giri once. At the European Team Championship in 2011, I succeeded in winning a good game against him.} d5 {On the advice of my wise friend Hao, I decided for the time to move into a Queen's Gambit.} 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 {The line 4.cxd5 exd5 5.?f4 usually leads to sharper play.} Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 {Recently, a few new ideas have appeared in this position.} 7. Be2 {The other new line, 7.?c2 c5 8.?d1 also leads to interesting play.} dxc4 8. O-O {This comparatively new idea was thought up by me, and I used it first against Anand at the Tal Memorial in 2011. It is a bit strange to have to fight against one's own weapons. Krasenkow: 'A fashionable line deeply analysed by GM Evgeny Postny in CBM 146. GM Levon Aronian (who used to play it as White!) now comes up with a fresh idea.'} Nb6 {I decided to choose a variation that does not look all that great, hoping that Anish would not be familiar with it.} (8... c5 {(Krasenkow) is very logical but has not brought Black full equality in recent games:} 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bxc4 a6 (10... Qxd1 11. Rfxd1 b6 12. Nd4 Bb7 13. f3 (13. Rac1 a6 14. b4 Nce4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. a3 Rfc8 17. f3 Bb7 18. e4 {1/2 Gelfand,B (2744)-Kramnik,V (2800)/Moscow 2011/CBM 146/[Postny,E] (48)} Kf8 19. Bf1 a5 $11 {E.Postny}) 13... Rfc8 14. Rac1 a6 15. a3 Nh5 16. Be5 Nf6 17. Bg3 Kf8 18. e4 Ke8 19. Bf1 g6 20. Bf2 (20. Rc2 $142 $14 {E.Postny}) 20... e5 21. Nc2 Nb3 22. Rb1 b5 23. Ne3 Rd8 24. a4 Nd2 25. axb5 Nxb1 26. Rxb1 Bc5 $13 {1/2 Anand,V (2811)-Kramnik,V (2800)/London 2011/CBM 146/[Postny,E] (39)}) 11. Ne5 (11. Nd4 Bd7 12. a3 Rc8 13. Rc1 Nce4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bd3 Rxc1 16. Qxc1 Nf6 17. Rd1 Qb6 18. Bc2 Rc8 19. Qb1 h6 $11 {1/2 Aronian,L (2802)-Anand,V (2811)/London 2011/CBM 146/[Postny,E] (25)}) 11... Ncd7 12. Be2 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Qa5 14. Bg3 b5 15. Bf3 Ra7 16. Ne2 Bb7 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Nd4 Rd7 19. Qc2 Bd6 20. Nc6 Qb6 21. Bxd6 Rxd6 22. Rac1 $14 {[%csl Gc6] 1/2 Aronian,L (2802)-Gelfand,B (2744)/Moscow 2011/CBM 146/[Postny,E] (40)}) 9. Qc2 {This move followed immediately. In my heart of hearts, I was hoping to get a variation looked at by Pashikyan, where Black sacrifices the exchange. Instead of the text move, White has a wide choice.} ({A complicated battle results from the possible line} 9. e4 c5 (9... Ne8 {with the idea of strengthening the pawn on c4, also deserves attention.}) 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Qc2) 9... Nh5 {This is the principled move.} ({After} 9... Nfd5 10. Bg3 {White plays ?e5 next move and retains slight pressure.}) 10. Be5 {Both here and on the next move, ?g3 gives White a solid position, but he cannot fight for a significant advantage.} f6 11. Ng5 fxg5 12. Bxh5 {By means of this exchange, White damages the black pawn structure. In compensation, Black keeps the extra pawn on c4 permanently.} Bd7 ({The possible} 12... Bd6 {turned out to be extremely modest, in analysis with Arman.}) 13. Bf3 {This move is important for the assessment of the whole variation with 8...?b6. A very complicated battle results from 13.?g4.} (13. Rad1 $5 {Krasenkow} Bd6 $1) 13... Rxf3 14. gxf3 Bd6 {Analysing this position during the 2011 Tal Memorial, Arman Pashikyan considered it pleasant for Black to play in practice. His play is simple, whilst White has to think about how to activate his rooks.} (14... Bc6 $5 {(Krasenkow) appears good, too.}) 15. Qe4 {It seems to me that the transfer of the queen to g4 does not improve Black's position, and merely gives Black a tempo for the development of his initiative. I would prefer to bring the bishop to g3, put the knight on e4 and exchange the c4-pawn by means of b3. In this case, White's position would also have its plusses.} (15. Bxd6 $5 {Krasenkow} cxd6 16. Qe4 Qf6 $1 17. Qxb7 Rc8 {[%CAl Rd7c6]} 18. Qxa7 Qxf3 19. Qxb6 {, and Black has hardly more than a perpetual.}) 15... Bc6 16. Qg4 Qe7 17. Bxd6 ({On} 17. Ne4 {I was planning to play} h6 {White cannot keep the bishop on e5, because after ...?e5 dxe5 ?d7, the pawn on e5 becomes very weak.}) (17. Bg3 $142 {Krasenkow} h6 18. Ne4 $13 Nd5 $140 19. Rfc1) 17... cxd6 18. Ne4 {It seems to me that White could maintain the dynamic balance with 18.e4, with the idea of transferring the rook to e3. Not finding this idea, Anish starts to play without any special plan.} h6 19. Qg3 {It looks as though, with this plan, White has blunted the bishop on c6, but as Botvinnik showed several times, this bishop always has its uses.} d5 20. Nc3 {This move shows that my opponent was already dissatisfied with the course of the game.} ({It looks very dangerous to play} 20. Nc5 {because the knight is in a very restricted position, but in this situation, it was already essential. After} Rf8 21. b3 {White is still in the game.}) 20... Rf8 {Now White's position is devoid of any active ideas.} 21. Ne2 Rf5 {Preventing the advance f4.} 22. Kg2 ({On} 22. Qb8+ {as well as other moves, Black has the interesting resource} Nc8) 22... Nd7 {Not the only good move in the position, but the most logical. When the opponent has a cramped position, prophylaxis is often stronger than direct tactical blows.} 23. Rh1 {After this mistake, one can boldly say that Black has a winning position.} (23. b3 {was more stubborn.}) 23... Nf8 {The knight goes to h4, after which White does not have to suffer much longer.} 24. h4 {Desperation.} Ng6 {The rest does not require much commentary, of course. The fact that the game lasted until move 40 only reflects my lack of hurriedness.} 25. f4 Nxh4+ 26. Kf1 {Of course, in this situation, many moves lead to a win, but I wanted to play without calculating variations.} Qb4 27. Rb1 Be8 {Here, I decided to transfer the bishop to d3, via g6.} ({A quicker win was} 27... Ba4) 28. Nc3 Qe7 {Tranferring the queen to f6. At the same time, the threat appears of pushing the queenside pawns with b5.} 29. b4 Rf8 30. Rb2 Bg6 31. Ke1 {Trying to evacuate the king to the queenside.} Bd3 32. fxg5 Nf3+ 33. Kd1 hxg5 {Of course, it was also possible to exchange queens, but I wanted to end the game with an attack.} 34. Qh3 Qf6 35. Kc1 {It might seem that White's position has improved, but this impression is deceptive. After some thought, I decided to expose White's weaknesses by means of e5.} Bg6 {It was also possible to begin with ...?d8.} 36. a4 {On 36.b5 the reply ...?e7, with the idea of ...?a3, is very unpleasant.} Rd8 37. Ne2 e5 {After the exchange on d4, White has to take with the pawn, so as not to allow the knight into d3.} 38. Qg4 exd4 39. exd4 Re8 40. Qd7 {Allowing a beautiful finish.} c3 41. Ra2 ({On} 41. Rc2 {the simplest win of all is} Rd8) 41... Ne1 42. Rxe1 ({After} 42. Rh3 Qxf2 43. Nxc3 Qf4+ 44. Kd1 Nc2 {White loses a lot of material.}) 42... Qf4+ 43. Kd1 Qe4 {Since after 44.?xe8+ ?xe8 White loses at least a rook, whilst other moves lead to mate, my opponent resigned.} 0-1 [Event "RUS-ch 72nd"] [Site "Izhevsk"] [Date "2019.08.22"] [Round "11"] [White "Fedoseev, Vladimir1"] [Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2671"] [BlackElo "2704"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2019.08.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 192"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2019.10.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.10.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,101,16,17,17,4,11,9,9,10,13,21,26,16,46,34,24,29,39,23,52,28,32,15,63,60,66,35,66,44,44,22,18,23,23,19,18,9,8,8,5,8,20,-3,7,0,0,-1,0,4,8,4,8,10,17,17,8,20,37,45,63,50,62,56,69,26,36,36,16,31,34,34,39,44,40,45,172,153,168,145,146,173,185,176,167,170,170,170,170,170,272,284,301,296,297,266,336,297,414,329,340,375,403,399]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. dxc5 {A quiet continuation leading to a simple position. However, this game shows that there is still a lot of fight ahead.} (10. O-O {is more popular.}) 10... Nxc5 (10... Bxc5 11. O-O b6 12. Qe2 (12. Qd2 Bb7 13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Rfd8 16. Qe2 a5 17. h3 h6 18. Qc2 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 {1/2 (19) Korobov,A (2656)-Jakovenko,D (2712) Poikovsky 2016}) 12... Bb7 13. Rad1 $1 {[%CAl Ye3e4]} (13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. Rac1 (14. h3 Rfc8 15. Rac1 Nf8 $11 {1-0 (68) Gurevich,M (2605)-Vaganian,R (2650) Moscow 2001 CBM 086 [Dautov,R]}) (14. Nd4 Rfc8 15. Bg3 Nf8 $11 {0-1 (39) Epishin,V (2583)-Vaganian,R (2650) Germany 2001}) 14... h6 15. h3 Rfc8 16. Bg3 Qe8 17. Bd6 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Rc5 $11 {1/2 (42) Gagunashvili,M (2547)-Karthikeyan,M (2472) New Delhi 2014}) 13... Qc8 14. Rc1 Bc6 15. e4 Qb7 16. Rfd1 Rfe8 17. e5 Nd5 18. Nxd5 exd5 $14 {1/2 (40) Sokolov,I (2688)-Bologan,V (2630) France 2003 CBM 094 [Dautov,R]}) 11. O-O (11. Qc2 Qa5 $11 {R.Dautov}) 11... Qxd1 (11... Qa5 $5 12. Qb1 Qb4 13. Qa2 Bd7 14. Rfd1 Nxa4 15. Nxa4 Bxa4 16. Qxa4 Qxa4 17. Rxa4 b5 18. Bxb5 {1/2 (18) Papin,V (2466)-Cheng,B (2446) Melbourne 2016}) 12. Rfxd1 Rd8 (12... Bd7 13. Ne5 Rfc8 14. Be2 Bc6 15. Nxc6 Rxc6 16. Rab1 Nb3 17. Bf3 Rb6 {1/2 (27) Iturrizaga Bonelli,E (2658)-Fridman,D (2626) Germany 2018} 18. Be5 $14) 13. Ne5 Ncd7 (13... Nh5 $6 14. Rxd8+ Bxd8 15. b4 Nd7 16. Rd1 g5 17. Be2 $1 gxf4 18. Bxh5 Nxe5 19. Rxd8+ Kg7 20. exf4 Nc6 21. Re8 Nxb4 22. Re7 $18 {1-0 (35) Sokolov,I (2645)-Le Roux,J (2523) Mulhouse 2011}) 14. Be2 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Bd7 16. Bf3 Bc6 17. Bxc6 bxc6 $11 {Both sides have weaknesses: White's b2 pawn vs Black's c6 pawn. Therefore the position is roughly equal.} 18. Kf1 Nd5 (18... Rxd1+ $5 19. Rxd1 Ra7 {[%CAl Ya7b7]}) 19. e4 Nxc3 20. bxc3 {And now the position is almost symmetrical. However, the struggle continues. White's bishop is more active so he keeps some initiative.} f6 21. Bf4 Kf7 22. Ke2 e5 23. Be3 Rab8 24. Rdb1 {[%mdl 32] White's king controls the d-file; therefore White concentrates on the fight for the b-file.} Ke6 25. Ba7 Ra8 26. Bb6 (26. Rb7 Rd7 27. Rxd7 Kxd7 $11) 26... Rd7 (26... Rdb8 27. Bc7 $1 Rc8 28. Rb7) (26... Rdc8 {is too passive.}) 27. Be3 {A typical trick securing the b-file for White. However, Black has enough counterplay.} Bd8 28. Rb3 Rc8 $6 {An obvious but wrong move!} (28... Ba5 29. Rab1 Rad8 {was correct, and it is difficult for White to make progress. If} 30. Bb6 (30. R1b2 {[%CAl Ye3b6]} Rd3 31. Rc2 R3d7) {then} 30... Rd2+ 31. Ke1 Bxb6 32. Rxb6 Ra2 33. Rxc6+ Kf7 {[%CAl Rd8d2]} 34. Rc7+ Kg6 35. Rbb7 Kg5 36. Rxg7+ Kf4 $11 {[%CAl Ya2a1]}) 29. Rab1 c5 (29... Ba5 {is now ineffective due to} 30. Bb6 Bxb6 31. Rxb6 Ra7 32. Kd3 {etc.}) 30. Rb8 Rc6 31. c4 Ba5 32. Rh8 h6 33. Rbb8 {Activating another rook.} Bc3 34. h4 Bd4 35. Bd2 Rcc7 {A desperate attempt to activate Black's rooks (...?c7-b7).} ({If} 35... Bxf2 {then} 36. Rbe8+ $1 Kf7 37. h5 g5 $8 38. Ra8 Kg7 ({or} 38... Ke6 39. Rxh6) 39. Rag8+ Kf7 40. Rg6 Rcd6 41. Bc1 Bg3 42. Rh7+ Kf8 43. Rhxh6 {, and the h5 pawn decides the game}) 36. Rb6+ Kf7 (36... Rd6 37. a5 $5) 37. Be1 f5 {A senseless sacrifice but what to do?} (37... Rb7 38. a5 {followed by ?h8-a8xa6}) 38. exf5 e4 39. Rbb8 Kf6 40. g4 Rb7 41. f3 exf3+ 42. Kxf3 Ba1 43. Bf2 Rxb8 44. Rxb8 Rd1 45. Bxc5 Rc1 46. Ke4 $5 g5 (46... Rxc4+ 47. Kd5 $18) 47. hxg5+ hxg5 48. Rb4 Rh1 49. Bf2 a5 50. Rb6+ Kf7 51. c5 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "Groningen"] [Date "1997.12.18"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Krasenkow, Michal"] [Black "Azmaiparashvili, Zurab"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2645"] [BlackElo "2645"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "159"] [EventDate "1997.12.09"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "CBM 208"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.06.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.06.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,159,19,31,19,0,-3,-3,-5,18,18,7,43,57,48,39,32,29,59,47,47,39,37,42,32,45,28,11,19,30,45,45,35,35,51,58,68,55,66,45,58,69,58,42,79,83,82,92,50,64,83,91,83,91,48,49,49,4,158,75,89,44,30,30,41,17,44,0,22,22,22,22,-11,-12,38,-12,33,32,-12,44,108,84,102,109,111,95,106,105,112,104,107,106,115,112,131,130,135,127,119,128,119,117,117,117,140,110,111,107,107,102,106,102,104,100,96,86,88,97,98,97,102,99,99,99,98,68,81,54,59,63,67,40,40,50,50,0,0,0,0,0,0,21,16,21,16,24,48,45,45,45,45,45,45,0,1,0,0,0,10,0,0,-18]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 c5 6. dxc5 Na6 7. e3 Nxc5 8. cxd5 exd5 {Black has opted for a passive line, in which he has no positional compensation for his isolated pawn. Schwarz hat sich für eine passive Variante entschieden, in der er keine positionelle Kompensation für seinen isolierten Bauern hat.} 9. Bb5+ (9. Be2 {is less ambitious. ist weniger ehrgeizig.}) 9... Bd7 10. Bxd7+ (10. O-O $5 Bxb5 11. Nxb5 O-O 12. Qe2 a6 13. Nbd4 Re8 14. h3 Bf8 15. Rac1 Qb6 16. Rc2 $14 {1-0 (45) Demidov,M (2520)-Petkidis,A (2375) Skopje 2018}) 10... Qxd7 11. Be5 O-O 12. O-O Rfd8 13. Qe2 Rac8 ({or oder} 13... a6 14. Rfd1 Qf5 (14... Qe6 15. Bc7 Rdc8 16. Nd4 Qd7 17. Be5 Nce4 18. Nb3 Nxc3 19. Bxc3 Ne4 20. Bd4 $14 {1/2 (27) Drozdovskij,Y (2603)-Babu,N (2341) Bhubaneswar 2009}) 15. Bc7 $1 Rd7 16. Nd4 Qg6 17. Be5 Nfe4 18. Rac1 Re8 19. Nf3 Qe6 20. b3 Bf8 21. Qc2 h6 22. Ne2 Ng5 23. Ned4 Nxf3+ 24. Nxf3 Ne4 25. Bb2 $14 {1-0 (58) Gheorghiu,F-Rubinetti,J Mar del Plata 1971}) 14. Rfd1 Nce4 (14... Qf5 15. h3 Nce4 16. Qb5 Nxc3 17. Bxc3 Rd7 18. Be5 a6 19. Qb3 h6 20. Rdc1 Rxc1+ 21. Rxc1 Ne4 22. Qc2 $16 {1/2 (44) Chirila,I (2542)-Ghatti,S (2255) Chicago 2015}) 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. e4 $1 {[%mdl 32] White's pawn now reaches e5, which is a big achievement. Der weiße Bauer erreicht nun e5, was ein großer Erfolg ist.} Qe6 (16... Rxc3 $6 17. bxc3 Nxe4 {is too desperate. ist zu verzweifelt.}) 17. e5 Ne8 18. Nd4 Qg6 (18... Qb6 $5 19. Nf5 Bf8 {, just giving up the d5 pawn, is not what Black is ready for but it might be a lesser evil. ist nicht das, wozu Schwarz bereit ist, aber es könnte das kleinere Übel sein.}) 19. Rd3 Bb4 20. Rg3 (20. Rad1 $5 Bxc3 21. bxc3 $16) 20... Qa6 21. Qg4 Rc4 22. Nce2 Rdc8 {Black can't make use of the c-file. Schwarz kann die c-Linie nicht ausnutzen.} (22... Bf8 $142) 23. b3 R4c7 24. e6 (24. a4 $5 {[%CAl Ya1d1,Rd4b5]}) 24... fxe6 25. Nxe6 Rc2 26. N6d4 R2c7 27. Ne6 Rc2 28. Re3 Bf8 29. N6d4 R2c7 30. g3 Nf6 31. Qg5 Rf7 32. Nf4 {White slowly mounts pressure. Black's d5 pawn is doomed in a long term. Weiß baut langsam Druck auf. Der schwarze d5-Bauer ist auf lange Sicht zum Scheitern verurteilt.} Bc5 33. Re6 Qa5 34. Nf5 Kh8 (34... Qc3 $142) 35. Rf1 $2 {[%mdl 64] Missing a brilliant resource: Verpasst eine brillante Ressource:} (35. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 36. Qh5 Rfc7 37. Qh6 Bf8 (37... Rf7 38. Ng6+ Kg8 39. Qg7+ $3 Rxg7 40. Nh6#) 38. Qxf6+ Bg7 39. Nxg7 Rxg7 40. Ne6 $18) ({In any case, Auf jeden Fall,} 35. Rc1 {was better than the text move. If war besser als der Textumzug. Wenn} Bxf2+ {then dann} 36. Kg2 $1 Bc5 (36... Rxc1 37. Qxf6 $1 $18) 37. Nd6 Qxa2+ 38. Kh3 $18) {Tactics is often the right way to convert positional advantage. When you notoriously avoid calculation and tactical decisions, you can easily let your advantage slip. Taktik ist oft der richtige Weg, um einen positionellen Vorteil umzusetzen. Wenn man notorisch Berechnungen und taktische Entscheidungen vermeidet, kann man sich leicht einen Vorteil entgehen lassen.} 35... Rcf8 36. Qh4 Kg8 37. Qg5 Kh8 38. Qh4 Kg8 39. Re2 {An inglorious retreat. Ein unrühmlicher Rückzug.} Ne4 $2 {Black wronly decides that it is time for a counter-attack. Not yet! Schwarz entscheidet fälschlicherweise, dass es Zeit für einen Gegenangriff ist. Noch nicht!} (39... Qb5 $142 {, preventing 40.Ne6, with a solid position. If verhindert 40.Se6, mit einer soliden Stellung. Wenn} 40. Rfe1 {then dann funktioniert} Ne4 {perfectly works: perfekt:} 41. Nxd5 Rxf5 42. Qxe4 Bxf2+) 40. Nxd5 Nd2 (40... Rxf5 41. Qxe4 Bxf2+ $2 42. Rexf2 $18) 41. Nde7+ Bxe7 42. Nxe7+ Kh8 43. Rxd2 Qxd2 44. Ng6+ Kg8 45. Nxf8 Rxf8 $16 {As a result, White has a healthy extra pawn. The rest should be a matter of technique... Im Ergebnis hat Weiß einen gesunden Mehrbauern. Der Rest sollte eine Frage der Technik sein...} 46. Qc4+ Rf7 47. f4 Qd8 (47... Qxa2 48. Rd1 g6 49. Rd7 $18) 48. Re1 g6 49. Re6 Qd1+ 50. Kg2 Qd2+ 51. Kh3 Kg7 52. Qc5 Qd7 53. Qe5+ Kg8 {So far, so good. White has activated his pieces. What now? So weit, so gut. Weiß hat seine Figuren aktiviert. Was nun?} 54. Qd6 {Quite enough. The rook endgame should be winning. Das reicht völlig aus. Das Turmendspiel sollte gewonnen sein.} Qxd6 (54... Qb5 55. Kg2 {etc. - Black can't avoid the exchange of queens after all. usw. - Schwarz kann den Damentausch schließlich nicht vermeiden.}) 55. Rxd6 {[%mdl 4096]} Rc7 56. a4 Kf7 57. a5 Ke7 58. Rd4 Ke6 59. Rb4 h6 60. Kg4 $2 {White has manoeuvred well so far but now I simply miss the idea of Black's last move. Weiß hat bisher gut manövriert, aber jetzt übersehe ich einfach die Idee beim letzten Zug von Schwarz.} ({Prophylaxy was required: Prophylaktische Maßnahmen waren erforderlich:} 60. Rb5 $1) 60... Rc5 $1 {[%mdl 256] Zurab Azmaiparashvili used to be an excellent endgame player and a great defender. In our first encounter (Vani 1985) he saved a seemingly hopeless bishop ending, and now we have a deja vu. Zurab Azmaiparashvili war ein ausgezeichneter Endspielspieler und ein großartiger Verteidiger. In unserer ersten Begegnung (Vani 1985) rettete er ein scheinbar hoffnungsloses Läuferendspiel, und jetzt haben wir ein Déjà-vu.} 61. Re4+ (61. Rxb7 Rxa5 62. b4 Ra2 63. h4 Kf6 {brings nothing. The text move is better as White keeps more pawns on the board for a while. bringt nichts. Der Textzug ist besser, da Weiß eine Zeit lang mehr Bauern auf dem Brett behält.}) 61... Kf6 62. b4 Rc2 63. h3 Rb2 64. Rd4 $1 {[%CAl Rd4d6]} Ke6 65. Kh4 $2 {A wrong plan. Ein falscher Plan.} (65. h4 {[%CAl Yh4h5] was correct, e.g. war richtig, z.B.} Rb3 (65... Rh2 66. Rd8 Rb2 67. h5 $1 gxh5+ 68. Kxh5 Rxb4 69. Kxh6 $18) 66. h5 $1 gxh5+ 67. Kh4 b6 (67... Ke7 68. Rd5 Rxb4 69. Rxh5) 68. axb6 axb6 69. Rd8 $1 Rxb4 70. Kxh5 Rb3 71. Rg8 Kf7 72. Rg6 {, then Kh5xh6 with a winning endgame. , dann Kh5xh6 mit einem gewonnenen Endspiel.}) 65... Rb1 66. g4 ({It is too late for a correction: Für eine Korrektur ist es zu spät:} 66. Kg4 Rb3 67. h4 h5+ $1) 66... Rb3 67. Rc4 Kf6 {[%CAl Rg6g5] Suddenly threatening mate! Droht plötzlich Matt!} 68. g5+ hxg5+ 69. fxg5+ Ke5 70. Kg4 {Still hoping to create a passed pawn by h3-h4-h5 but Black's king is now very active, and he easily reaches a draw. Hofft immer noch, mit h3-h4-h5 einen Freibauern zu schaffen, aber der König von Schwarz ist jetzt sehr aktiv, und er erreicht leicht ein Remis.} Kd5 71. Rf4 Ke5 72. h4 Rb1 {[%CAl Rb1g1]} 73. Rc4 Kd5 74. Rf4 Ke5 75. Rc4 Kd5 76. Rc7 Rxb4+ 77. Kg3 Rb3+ 78. Kf2 Rb4 79. Rh7 Ke5 80. h5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2016.08.13"] [Round "8"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2792"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "173"] [EventDate "2016.08.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Bd3 {A seemingly harmless continuation leading to simplifications. However, White keeps a small development advantage, and Black should be very careful.} dxc4 (8... Nc6 9. O-O a6 10. Rc1 Ba7 11. Bg5 (11. a3 $5) 11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Qe2 h6 15. Bh4 $14 {1/2 (26) Karlsson,L (2505)-Rantanen,Y (2420) Stockholm 1983}) 9. Bxc4 {This position often arises when White plays 8.?e2.} a6 10. Bd3 {Other options:} (10. Qe2) (10. O-O) 10... Nc6 (10... b5 {is a bit premature due to} 11. a4 (11. O-O Bb7 12. Qe2 b4 13. Na4 Be7 14. Rac1 Nd5 15. Bg3 Qa5 16. b3 Nd7 17. Rc4 Rfc8 18. Rfc1 $14 {0-1 (32) Wedberg,T (2475)-Van der Wiel,J (2550) Stockholm 1987}) 11... bxa4 (11... Bb7 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8 14. Bxb5 Nd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. O-O Qb6 17. Qe2 $16 {1-0 (32) Tregubov,P (2556)-Kujovic,M (2344) Reykjavik 2006}) (11... b4 12. Ne4 Nbd7 13. Rc1 $36) 12. O-O $1 (12. Rxa4 Nbd7 13. O-O Bb7 14. Qe2 a5 15. Rd1 h6 16. Ne5 Qe7 17. Nxd7 Nxd7 18. Bc2 Nf6 19. Be5 Bb4 $11 {1/2 (30) De Firmian,N (2520)-Hansen,C (2510) Reykjavik 1986}) 12... Bb7 13. Nxa4 Bb4 14. Rc1 Nc6 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Rxc5 Qb6 17. Rc3 Rac8 18. Rb3 Qa7 19. Qe2 a5 20. Ra1 $14 {1-0 (41) Efimov,I (2460)-Lanzani,M (2330) Formia 1995}) (10... Nbd7 {is probably more solid than the text move:} 11. O-O (11. Qc2 b5 12. Rd1 Qe7 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 h6 15. O-O Bb7 16. a4 bxa4 17. Nxa4 {1-0 (18) Janosi,E (2138)-Zielinski,S (2147) Lechenicher SchachServer 2012} Rfc8 $11) 11... b5 (11... Qe7 12. Rc1 b6 13. Ne4 e5 14. Nxf6+ Qxf6 15. Bg5 Qe6 16. Qc2 $16 {1-0 (33) Roiz,M (2600)-Babula,V (2554) Skopje 2015}) 12. a4 (12. Ne4 Bb7 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 14. Be2 Nd5 15. Be5 f6 16. Bd4 Na4 17. b3 Nac3 $132 {1/2 (32) Tregubov,P (2620)-Rustemov,A (2534) New Delhi/Teheran 2000}) (12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Be4 Bxe4 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. Nxe4 Be7 16. Qf3 Rc8 $11 {1/2 (33) Khan,V (2131)-Sacerdotali,S (2100) Lechenicher SchachServer 2013}) (12. e4 Nh5 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. e5 Nc5 16. Ne4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Nf4 18. Qd6 Qa7 $11 {1/2 (25) Sargissian,G (2679)-Hess,R (2635) Wheeling 2012}) 12... b4 13. Ne4 Bb7 $1 14. Nxf6+ Nxf6 15. Qe2 Qe7 16. Rac1 Rfd8 17. Rfd1 Bd6 18. Ne5 g6 $11 {1/2 (28) Keevil,P (2136)-Koehler,J (2132) Lechenicher SchachServer 2012}) 11. O-O (11. a3 h6 12. Qc2 Qe7 13. Rd1 Rd8 14. Na4 Ba7 15. O-O Nd5 16. Bg3 Bd7 17. Nc3 Nxc3 18. Qxc3 Rac8 19. Bd6 Qf6 $11 {1/2 (22) Gildred,T (2300)-Kovacs,A (2443) Lechenicher SchachServer 2010}) 11... Nb4 (11... Qe7 12. Bg5 $5) 12. Bb1 (12. Be2 $5 {may be good, too:} Qe7 (12... Qxd1 13. Rfxd1 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Be5 b6 16. Nd2 $14) (12... Nbd5 $5) 13. Bg5 Rd8 14. Qb3 e5 $6 15. Qc4 Bf5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nh4 Bg6 18. a3 Nc6 19. Rfd1 $16 {1-0 (42) Bichik,A (2035)-Van Rooijen,P (1708) Lechenicher SchachServer 2012}) 12... Qxd1 (12... b5 $5 13. Ne4 (13. a4 $5) (13. Qe2 $5 {[%CAl Ye3e4]}) 13... Be7 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Bd6 Be7 16. Be4 Ra7 17. Bxb4 Qxd1 18. Rfxd1 Bxb4 19. Rac1 Rd7 20. Rxd7 Bxd7 21. Kf1 Rd8 22. Bb7 a5 23. Ne5 Be8 $11 {1/2 (28) Buzas,G (2196)-Girardot,P (2251) Lechenicher SchachServer 2010}) 13. Rxd1 Nbd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Be4 $5 Nf6 $2 {This obvious move turns out to be a serious mistake.} (15... Nxf4 16. exf4 Ra7 {[%CAl Yb7b6,Ya6a5] should be enough for equality.}) 16. Nd2 $1 {[%mdl 32] Now it is difficult for Black to complete his development.} Re8 (16... Nxe4 17. Nxe4 $16 {[%CAl Ya1c1]}) 17. Bf3 e5 18. Bg3 (18. Bg5 $5) 18... Ra7 (18... Bg4 {loses a pawn after} 19. Bxb7 Rab8 20. Bf3 Rxb2 21. Nc4 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rc2 23. Nxe5) 19. Rac1 b6 20. a3 (20. Nb3 $5) 20... Bd7 (20... a5 21. Nb3 $1 e4 22. Be2 Bf8 23. Rc6 $16) 21. Nc4 e4 22. Be2 a5 23. Nd6 Re7 24. Nb5 Bxb5 25. Bxb5 $16 {White's strong bishop pair guarantees him a clear advantage.} Ra8 26. Kf1 Re6 27. Ke2 g5 28. Bc4 Ree8 29. h4 {It turned out later that the opening of the h-file was not helpful for White.} (29. Bd6 $142 $1 Kg7 30. Bxc5 bxc5 31. Bb5 $16) 29... h6 30. hxg5 hxg5 31. Bd6 Kg7 32. Bb5 (32. Bxc5 bxc5 33. Bb5 Re5 34. Rd6 Ng4 $5 $132) 32... Bxd6 33. Rxd6 Re5 34. Rxb6 {White has won a pawn but still faces some technical difficulties.} Rh8 $1 35. Rb7 Rf5 36. Rf1 Rh2 (36... Rc5 $1 37. Ba4 Rh2 {is more stubborn although White keeps good winning chances after} 38. Rg1 $16 ({but not} 38. Bb3 Rxg2 39. Bxf7 Rc2+)) 37. Bc4 Ne8 (37... Rxg2 38. Bxf7 $1 Rc5 39. Bc4+ Kh6 40. Rh1+ $1 Kg6 41. Rc1 $18 {[%CAl Ye2f1]}) 38. Rb5 Rxb5 39. Bxb5 {[%mdl 4096]} Nd6 40. Bd7 Kf6 41. Rc1 Rh8 42. b3 Ke7 43. Rc7 Rh1 44. Ra7 Ra1 45. g4 {Creating a safeheaven for the king on g2.} Rxa3 46. Ba4+ Kf8 47. Rxa5 Ra2+ 48. Kf1 f6 49. Ra8+ Ke7 50. Bc6 Rb2 51. Ra7+ Ke6 52. Bd7+ Ke7 53. Bf5+ Ke8 54. Be6 Rb1+ 55. Kg2 Rb2 56. Bd5 Rb1 (56... Rc2 $142 {preventing ?d5-c6+. In that case White can play} 57. Ra4 {[%CAl Ya4d4,Yb3b4]}) 57. Bc6+ Kf8 58. Rd7 Nf7 59. Bxe4 {White's task becomes easier with two extra pawns.} Rb2 (59... Rxb3 $2 60. Rxf7+) 60. Rb7 (60. Kg3 $142 $22 Ne5 61. Rb7) 60... Nd6 61. Rb8+ Kg7 (61... Ke7 $142) 62. Bd5 {[%csl Rg7]} Rd2 63. e4 f5 {Desperation.} 64. gxf5 Nxf5 65. Rb7+ Kh6 66. Rb6+ Kh7 67. Rb7+ Kh6 68. exf5 Rxd5 69. f6 Rd4 70. Kg3 Kg6 71. f7 Kg7 72. b4 Kf8 73. b5 Rb4 74. b6 Kg7 75. f3 Kf8 76. Kf2 Rb3 77. Ke2 Kg7 78. Kd2 Kf8 (78... Rxf3 79. Rc7 $18 {[%CAl Yb6b7,Yf7f8]}) 79. Kc2 Rb5 80. Kc3 Kg7 81. Kc4 Rb1 82. Kc5 Rc1+ 83. Kd6 Rb1 84. Ke7 Re1+ 85. Kd8 Re6 86. Kc7 Re3 87. Ra7 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2000.01.18"] [Round "3"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2758"] [BlackElo "2683"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2000.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 075"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Be7 12. O-O Bf6 13. Qb3 Qb6 $6 14. Qxd5 $1 {White opens up an attacking plan against black king in which both white bishops play a prominent role.} Rd8 (14... Qxb2 15. Rab1 Qc3 16. Rfc1 Qxa3 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. Bd6 $18) 15. Qe4 g6 (15... h6 16. Qh7+ Kf8 17. Rab1 $16) 16. Bg5 $1 Qxb2 (16... Bf5 $2 17. Qh4 Bxd3 (17... Bxg5 18. Nxg5 $18) 18. Bxf6 Rd6 19. Rfd1 $18) 17. Bc4 Kg7 (17... Bf5 $2 18. Qh4 Rd6 (18... Kg7 19. e4 $18) 19. e4 Bc8 20. Rab1 $18) 18. Qh4 h5 (18... Rd6 19. Qf4 Rd7 20. Bh6+ Kg8 21. Rab1 $18) 19. Bxf7 $1 {[%mdl 128] It is no secret, that f7 square is rather vulnerable for black. White's combination is rather refreshing, black defences are falling to pieces.} Bxg5 (19... Kxf7 20. Rab1 Qxa3 21. Bxf6 Rd6 22. Be5 $18) 20. Nxg5 Qf6 (20... Ne5 21. Be6 $18) 21. e4 Rd4 (21... Nd4 22. f4 Nc2 23. e5 Qf5 24. Ra2 Ne3 25. Re1 $18) 22. Rae1 (22. f4 $2 Rxe4 $1) 22... Bd7 (22... Bf5 23. Qg3 Bxe4 24. Nxe4 Qxf7 25. Ng5 $18) 23. f4 Rf8 24. Ba2 (24. e5 Qe7 25. e6 Bc8 $18) 24... Qd6 (24... Rd2 25. Bd5 $18) 25. Kh1 (25. Bd5 Qxa3 26. f5 Qd6 $16) 25... Qxa3 26. Bb1 Qe7 27. Qg3 Kh6 (27... Rh8 28. e5 h4 29. Qe3 $16) 28. Nf3 Rb4 29. Nh4 $1 {Despite Short's best efforts kingside structure remains as weak as ever. Black king is very insecure and black has no defense.} Be8 (29... Qf7 30. e5 $18) (29... Rg8 30. Nf5+ Bxf5 31. exf5 $18) 30. e5 Rxb1 31. Rxb1 Nd4 32. Qg5+ $1 (32. Qg5+ $1 Qxg5 33. fxg5+ Kg7 34. Rxb7+ Kg8 35. Rf6 $18) 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-42"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2016.09.06"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Adhiban, Baskaran"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2671"] [BlackElo "2722"] [Annotator "Adhiban,Baskaran"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2016.09.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 175"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "India"] [BlackTeam "Azerbaijan"] [WhiteTeamCountry "IND"] [BlackTeamCountry "AZE"] {This game will remain memorable for me as I was facing off against one of my KID idols!} 1. d4 d5 ({After the game I told Radja, "You should play KID more :), I was inspired to take up the mantle thanks to your spectacular results!"} 1... Nf6) 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Rc1 $5 {An interesting and safe line, perfect for team events :).} c5 7. dxc5 dxc4 8. e3 (8. Qxd8 Rxd8 {is another line which also should be fine for Black.}) 8... Qxd1+ 9. Rxd1 Bxc5 10. Bxc4 Bb4 $5 {An interesting concept which more or less fixes the line for Black.} 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 b6 {White can't hope to get an advantage due to the slightly weakened pawn structure.} 13. Bd6 Re8 14. Bb5 (14. Ne5 Ba6 $11) (14. Nd4 Ba6 15. Nb5 Rc8 16. Be2 Bxb5 17. Bxb5 Nbd7 $11) 14... Bd7 15. Be2 $1 {The key idea, now the bishop is misplaced on d7.} Nc6 16. Rc1 $5 {Since the direct way didn't work I had to switch gear.} ({Another option was} 16. Ne5 Red8 $5 {looked like the simplest.} ({Also possible is} 16... Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Bc6 (17... Red8 18. Rd4 Bc6 19. c4 $36) 18. Rd6 Rac8 19. Ba6 Ne4 $1 20. Rd4 Rcd8 $11) 17. Nxd7 (17. Bf3 Rac8) 17... Rxd7 18. Bg3 Na5 $11) (16. c4 Ne4 $11) 16... Ne4 17. Ba3 (17. Rfd1 {was my first intention but after} Nxd6 18. Rxd6 Re7 $1 {[%CAl Gd7e8,Ge7c7] Black gets fantastic coordination and ideal piece locations and has chances to take over since White will not be in time to get rid of the c-pawn.} 19. c4 Na5 $132) 17... Rec8 (17... Rac8 18. Bd3 (18. Rfd1 Nb8 $1 $11) 18... f5 {A necessary evil.} (18... Nf6 19. Ba6) 19. c4 {White's position looks more comfortable but after} Na5 20. Ne5 Red8 21. Bxe4 fxe4 22. c5 Bb5 23. Rfe1 Nc6 $11 {Black liquidates.}) 18. Rfd1 Be8 19. Bd3 Nc5 20. Bxc5 bxc5 {I was under the impression that I had a slight pull but it is really tiny.} 21. Rb1 (21. Ng5 h6 22. Ne4 Ne5 23. Ba6 Rc7 24. Rb1 Ba4 $1 {Black looked totally fine here.}) (21. Be4 Rab8 $11) 21... h6 (21... Rab8 {looked much easier.} 22. Kf1 {and only now} (22. Ba6 Rd8 $11) 22... h6 $11) 22. Ba6 ({White's best chance lay in} 22. Rb5 $1 Nd8 23. Rb2 {with a slight initiative due to more active pieces.}) 22... Rd8 23. Nd2 Ne5 24. Ne4 c4 (24... Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 Ba4 26. Rd2 Rb8 27. h3 {looked more comfortable for White, but Black has} Nd7 $1 {with equality.}) (24... Rab8 25. Nxc5) 25. Nd6 Rab8 $1 {A strong retort, equalising easily.} (25... Ba4 26. Rd4 Bc2 27. Rb7 Nc6 28. Rd2 $14) 26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. Nxe8 (27. Nxc4 Ba4 $1 28. Ra1 (28. Rc1 $2 Nd3 {[%csl Ra6]}) 28... Nxc4 29. Bxc4 Rc8 30. Bb3 Bxb3 31. axb3 Rxc3 $11) 27... Rxe8 28. h3 (28. f4 Ng4 29. e4 e5 $11) 28... Rb8 29. Rd4 (29. f4 Rb6 30. Rd8+ Kh7 31. Bc8 {This was my intention but looked little bit risky, I was running bit short of time and we were already on 2-0 so I decided to stay solid.}) 29... Rb1+ 30. Kh2 Rb2 31. Kg3 Rxa2 32. Bxc4 Rc2 (32... Ra3 $5 33. f4 (33. Rd8+ Kh7 34. Rc8 g5 {with an interesting endgame.}) 33... Ng6 (33... Nc6 34. Rd6) 34. Rd8+ Kh7 35. f5 $1 (35. Bd3 Rxc3) 35... exf5 36. Bxf7 h5 $11) 33. Bd3 Nxd3 34. Rxd3 a5 35. Rd8+ Kh7 36. Ra8 Rxc3 37. Rxa5 {Thanks to the stunning victories on Board 1 & 3 by Hari and Vidit, we won the match convincingly.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 4th"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2016.08.08"] [Round "4"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2791"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Schulz,Andre"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2016.08.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. Qc2 {Den Zug sieht man an dieser Stelle nicht so oft.} ({Beim Kandidatenturnier in Moskau geschah mit vertauschten Farben.} 6. a3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. e3 Nc6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. b4 d4 11. exd4 Bxd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Be3 Nf5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Be2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 Ng4 17. e4 Be6 18. O-O Ne3 19. Rfc1 Rd2 20. Bf3 Rad8 21. e5 b6 22. Ne4 Rb2 23. Re1 Nc4 24. Ng5 h6 25. Nxe6 fxe6 26. Rac1 Rd4 27. h3 b5 28. Rc3 Rdd2 29. a4 a6 30. Bb7 Nb6 31. axb5 axb5 32. Be4 Nc4 33. Rg3 Re2 34. Ra1 Nxe5 35. Ra8+ Kf7 36. Bh7 g5 37. Bg8+ Kf6 38. Rf8+ Kg7 39. Re8 Ng6 40. Bxe6 Nf4 {0-1 (40) Topalov,V (2780)-Nakamura,H (2790) Moscow 2016}) ({Die Hauptvariante beginnt mit} 6. e3) 6... c5 7. dxc5 Na6 {Danach erhält die Partie einen eigenen Charakter.} ({Nach} 7... Bxc5 8. e3 Nc6 {wäre durch Zugumstellung wieder die Hauptvariante auf dem Brett.}) 8. Rd1 Nxc5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 $5 {(#) Einladung zu einer Tauschoperation.} (9... exd5 10. e3 {mit einer typischen Isolanistellung.}) 10. e4 {Nimmt die Einladung an.} ({Im Falle von} 10. Nxd5 exd5 {wäre} 11. e3 $2 {nicht so gut:} (11. a3 Be6 12. e3 Rc8 {mit deutlichem schwarzem Entwicklungsvorsprung.}) 11... Qa5+ {und falls} 12. Qd2 $2 {so} (12. Nd2 Bg4 $17) 12... Nd3+ 13. Bxd3 (13. Ke2 Nxf4+ 14. exf4 Bb4 $19) 13... Bb4 $19) 10... Nxf4 11. Rxd8 Rxd8 {Schwarz hat Läufer und Turm für die Dame bekommen und steht mit seinen Springern recht aktiv.} 12. Ne5 (12. g3 Nfd3+ 13. Bxd3 Nxd3+ 14. Kf1 b6 15. Kg2 Bb7 16. Rd1 Nc5 {kam ebenfalls in Betracht.}) 12... Bf6 13. Nb5 b6 14. b4 (14. Nc6 Rd7 15. e5 {funktioniert nicht wegen} Bb7 (15... Bd8 $2 16. Nd6 {wäre natürlich schön für Weiß.})) 14... Bxe5 ({Nicht} 14... Na6 $2 15. Nc6 Rf8 16. e5 Bd8 17. Nd6 {mit unangenehmen weißen Vorposten.}) 15. bxc5 a6 (15... bxc5 16. g3 Ng6 17. f4 a6 $11) 16. Nd6 bxc5 (16... Bd4 $5 {mit der Idee} 17. Nxc8 Bxc5) 17. Nc4 Bd4 {Mit diesem Anker erhält die schwarze Stellung große Stabilität, während Weiß seine Entwicklung immer noch nicht abgeschlossen hat.} 18. g3 Ng6 19. Be2 Bd7 20. O-O Bb5 21. Na5 Ne5 22. Rd1 Rab8 23. Kg2 Bxe2 24. Qxe2 Rb5 25. Nb3 h6 26. Rd2 Nc6 27. Qc4 e5 28. a4 Rb4 29. Qxa6 {Ein kleiner, aber sehr flüchtiger Erfolg. Der weiße a-Freibauer wird durch den schwarzen c-Bauern neutralisiert.} Rxb3 30. Qxc6 Ra3 31. Qa6 Rb8 32. a5 c4 33. Qxc4 Rxa5 34. Kh3 Rc5 35. Qe2 Rcb5 36. f4 Rb4 37. Qd1 Rb1 38. Qh5 R1b5 39. Qe2 Rb4 40. Qd1 Rb1 41. Qh5 R1b5 42. Qd1 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-ch 18th"] [Site "Minsk"] [Date "2017.06.10"] [Round "11"] [White "Fedoseev, Vladimir1"] [Black "Jakovenko, Dmitrij"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2690"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2017.05.30"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "BLR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 {A very simple system; however, Black must know how to equalise.} h6 (10... Qa5+ 11. Nd2 h6 12. O-O cxd4 (12... c4 13. Be2 Nf6 14. h3 b5 15. Bf3 Bb7 $6 16. a4 $36 {1-0 (112) Ushenina,A (2474)-Mkrtchian,L (2413) Plovdiv 2008}) 13. Nb3 Qb6 14. Nxd4 Nc5 15. Rfc1 (15. Be5 Nxd3 16. Qxd3 Bd7 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. Qxf5 Qe6 19. Qxe6 {1/2 (19) Roeder,M (2478)-Timoscenko,G (2513) Saint Vincent 2002}) 15... Nxd3 16. Qxd3 $14 Qxb2 $140 $6 17. Rcb1 Qa3 18. Qxa3 Bxa3 19. Nb5 Bc5 20. Nc7) (10... g6 {is probably the easiest way:} 11. dxc5 Qa5+ $1 12. Nd2 Nxc5 13. Bh6 $6 (13. O-O $11) 13... Rd8 14. O-O Qb6 15. Nf3 Bd7 16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. Qe2 Bg4 $36 {1/2 (86) Galliamova,A (2556)-Spassky,B (2549) Marbella 1999}) 11. dxc5 Nxc5 $6 ({Here, too,} 11... Qa5+ $1 12. Nd2 Nxc5 {is more accurate although lack of the idea ...?c5xd3 ?c2xd3 ?c8-f5 (possible in the 10...g6 line) diminishes Black's possibilities.}) 12. O-O Bg4 (12... b6 13. Nd4 Bb7 14. Bf5 Bg5 15. Bxg5 Qxg5 16. b4 Ne4 17. Qc7 Bc8 18. f4 Qf6 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Rfc1 $16 {1-0 (33) Ftacnik,L (2544)-De Nacimiento Montano,A (2099) Evora 2008}) (12... Nxd3 13. Qxd3 Be6 14. Be5 $14) 13. Bf5 $5 {Interesting. White allows Black to double his pawns but obtains the advantage of the bishop pair.} ({It is not quite clear whether} 13. Bh7+ Kh8 14. Bf5 {is more accurate.}) 13... Bxf3 14. gxf3 Ne6 15. Bg3 Qb6 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Be5 Rac8 18. Qe2 Rc6 (18... g6 $5 19. Bh3 Bf8 {[%CAl Yf8g7]}) 19. f4 Nc7 $6 {[%mdl 32] This passive move marks the beginning of Black's problems.} (19... Nc5 $142 {[%CAl Ye7f6] Black was certainly concerned about his d5-pawn but it was a perfect occasion to sacrifice it:} 20. Qf3 Bf6 $1 21. Rxd5 Bxe5 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. fxe5 g6 24. Bc2 Qc7 $132 25. Qg3 $6 Qb6 $36) 20. Rd3 $1 {[%CAl Rd3b3]} Bf6 {Alas, at this moment the exchange of bishops doesn't quite work.} (20... Qa6 {was relatively better but White kept an edge after} 21. Qg4 $36 {?}) 21. Rb3 Qa6 {Black must damage his pawn structure or just lose his b7-pawn.} 22. Qxa6 bxa6 23. Rb7 Nb5 24. Rd7 Rxd7 25. Bxd7 Rc5 (25... Rc2 26. Bf5 $16 Rd2 $2 27. Rc1) 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Rd1 $16 {[%csl Ra6,Ra7,Rf6,Rf7][%mdl 4096]} Nc7 28. Ba4 a5 29. Rd2 Kf8 30. Kg2 Ke7 31. Kf3 f5 32. Kg3 Rc1 33. Bb3 Ke6 34. Kh4 Rg1 35. h3 Rg2 36. Bd1 Kd6 37. Bf3 Rg6 38. Rc2 Rg1 39. Bh5 Rg7 40. Be2 Ne6 41. Bd3 d4 42. Bxf5 dxe3 43. fxe3 Nc5 44. Rd2+ Kc6 45. e4 1-0 [Event "London Classic 10th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2018.12.11"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2832"] [BlackElo "2746"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2018.12.11"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 188"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. Qc2 {Not the most popular continuation here. This queen development is considered appropriate after Black's ...c7-c6. However, White tries to leave main theoretical roads as soon as possible.} Bb7 8. Rd1 Bd6 (8... Nbd7 {is more natural but White obtained an edge in the following game:} 9. cxd5 (9. Be2 dxc4 10. Bxc4 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. O-O a6 13. Ne5 Qc8 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. Be2 Be7 16. Qb1 Nf6 17. Rc1 Qe8 18. e4 b5 $11 {1-0 (43) Zoler,D (2498)-Griffith,K (2320) Biel 2015}) 9... exd5 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Rc8 12. dxc5 Rxc5 13. Nd4 {[%csl Rb7,Gd4,Rd5]} g6 14. Qa4 (14. Qe2 $5) 14... a6 15. Bxa6 Ra5 16. Bxb7 (16. Qxa5 $1 bxa5 17. Bxb7 $16 {[%csl Rd5]}) 16... Rxa4 17. Nc6 Qe8 18. Nxa4 Nc5 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Nxc5 Qxc5 21. Bg5 $14 {1/2 (68) Zherebukh,Y (2614)-Goldin,A (2553) Fort Myers 2016}) (8... Na6 9. Be2 $6 (9. a3 $5) 9... Nb4 10. Qb1 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nbd5 $11 12. Bg5 $6 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Ne4 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Rc1 Ng5 16. Be2 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Bxf3 18. gxf3 c5 $15 {1/2 (39) Edouard,R (2680)-Fressinet,L (2708) Nimes 2014}) (8... a6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Be2 (10. Bd3 c5 $5) 10... Nbd7 11. Ne5 (11. O-O Re8 12. h3 {1/2 (33) Goldin,A (2585)-Meijers,V (2418) Geneve 1999} c5 $5) 11... Bd6 12. Qf5 g6 13. Qg5 Ne4 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Qg3 $14 {1-0 (34) Bindrich,F (2605)-Mohota,N (2269) Caleta 2018}) (8... c5 {may be possible but needs more tests:} 9. dxc5 bxc5 10. Be2 Nbd7 11. O-O Qb6 12. Ne5 Rfd8 13. b3 Bd6 $6 (13... Rac8 $5) (13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 $5 15. Bf4 Nf6) 14. Nxd7 Rxd7 15. Na4 Qc7 16. Bxd6 Rxd6 17. cxd5 Nxd5 18. Qxc5 $16 {1/2 (44) Toolin,C (2220)-Morrison,W (2281) Philadelphia 2016}) 9. Bg3 (9. Bg5 Nbd7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 h6 12. Bh4 a6 13. Bf5 Qe8 14. Qb3 b5 $6 (14... g6 $5 15. Bxd7 (15. Bh3 Ne4 16. Nxd5 $140 $2 g5 17. Bg3 Bxd5 18. Qxd5 Ndf6 19. Qf5 Bb4+ 20. Ke2 Qa4 $40) 15... Nxd7 16. Nxd5 Qe6 17. Nc3 Qxb3 18. axb3 f5 $44) 15. O-O Be7 16. Rfe1 Nb6 17. e4 dxe4 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Bxe4 Qc8 20. Ne5 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 $14 {1/2 (98) Kveinys,A (2545)-Xu,Y (2518) Reykjavik 2017}) 9... Nbd7 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. e4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Bxg3 $6 {Risky and at least premature: White can now create an attack along the h-file.} (12... h6 $5) (12... Rc8 $5) 13. hxg3 e5 $6 {Preparation of ...c7-c5 was a better plan.} ({And now the prophylactical} 13... h6 {was the most appropriate. If} 14. g4 {then} Nf6 $5 {[%CAl Rf6g4,Rb7e4]}) 14. Bb5 c6 15. Be2 Qc7 16. g4 (16. Nh4 $5 $36 {[%CAl Yh4f5] was probably a better plan here.} g6 {is poor due to} 17. Qc1 $1 {[%CAl Yc1h6]}) 16... Rfe8 17. g5 Rad8 18. Kf1 b5 (18... exd4 19. cxd4 Nf8 {was possible, with a solid position.}) 19. Rh4 a6 20. a4 Qa5 21. g6 $5 {White has no other ways to destroy Black's kingside; however, the position is far from clear.} hxg6 22. Ng5 Nf8 (22... c5 $1 {was correct. If} 23. Qd3 (23. Rd3 f6 {is even worse}) {then} 23... f6 24. Qh3 fxg5 25. Rh8+ Kf7 26. Rxe8 Rxe8 $1 (26... Kxe8 $2 27. Qe6+ Kf8 28. Rd3) 27. Qxd7+ Re7 28. Qd6 cxd4 29. cxd4 Bxe4 {, and Black holds on.}) 23. Rd3 Bc8 24. Qb3 Qc7 25. axb5 axb5 26. Rf3 $6 {White fails to find the right way:} (26. g4 $1 {[%CAl Rd3h3]} Ne6 $8 27. Rdh3 Kf8 28. Nxe6+ Rxe6 (28... Bxe6 29. d5 $1 cxd5 30. Bxb5 $16) (28... fxe6 29. Rh7 $16) 29. Qa3+ Qd6 (29... c5 30. Bxb5 $16) 30. Qa7 Qd7 31. Qb6 $16) 26... Be6 27. d5 cxd5 28. exd5 Rxd5 $1 29. Nxe6 fxe6 {Black's pawn structure is destroyed but he is two pawns up! Giving up his material advantage, Black parries White's attack and equalizes the game.} 30. Rfh3 e4 31. Rxe4 Ra8 32. g3 (32. Bxb5 $142 Ra1+ 33. Re1 $11) 32... Qc5 33. Re3 Ra3 34. Qb2 Qd6 (34... g5 $5) 35. Rh4 Ra4 36. Rhe4 Qa3 37. Qxa3 Rxa3 38. Bg4 Rc5 39. Bxe6+ Nxe6 40. Rxe6 Raxc3 41. Rxc3 Rxc3 42. Rxg6 b4 43. Rb6 b3 44. Kg2 Kf7 45. f4 g5 46. fxg5 Rc2+ 47. Kf3 b2 48. Kg4 Kg7 49. Rb7+ Kg6 50. Rb6+ Kg7 51. Rb7+ Kg6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Capablanca Memorial Elite 50th"] [Site "Havana"] [Date "2015.06.17"] [Round "3"] [White "Eljanov, Pavel"] [Black "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2718"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "Eljanov,Pavel"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2015.06.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "CUB"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 167"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Ne4 $5 {In this particular game it was a surprise for me as Dmitry had previously played 7...?h5 only.} 8. Nxe4 $5 {I had some analysis and some choice as well in this very important theoretical line and decided to stick to a more quiet line with a space advantage on the queenside.} dxe4 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. Bxe5 Bd7 11. Bc4 {Before and during this game I thought that it's a novelty. But now I found the game from 2013 between little-known German players. Not a big surprise as it's very well known that German chessplayers (including amateurs) are very thorough and very well prepared mostly.} ({The idea of move 11.?c4 is quite obvious: to fight for the very important d5-square. In the only top game in this position White continued} 11. Be2 {but didn't achieve anything at all} Bc6 12. O-O Bf6 13. Bg3 Bh4 14. Be5 Bf6 15. b4 Bxe5 16. dxe5 a6 17. a4 Qg5 18. b5 axb5 19. axb5 Bd5 20. Qd4 f6 21. exf6 Qxf6 22. Qxf6 gxf6 23. Rfc1 Kf7 24. Kf1 Ke7 25. Ke1 b6 26. Ra6 bxc5 27. Rxc5 Kd7 28. Bd1 f5 29. Ba4 Bb7 30. b6+ c6 31. Raa5 Kd6 32. Kd2 Rfb8 33. Kc3 h6 34. h4 {1/2 (34) Giri,A (2745)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2700) Tromso 2014}) 11... Bc6 12. Qe2 $5 $146 {And this is a real novelty. The main idea is to interfere with the b5 move.} ({The move} 12. Qb3 $5 {which was played by a German player is also not without venom although I can't say that the queen is so well placed on b3 as it's interfering with the advance of the b-pawn.} Qd7 (12... Bf6 $5) 13. O-O b6 14. cxb6 (14. Rac1 $5) 14... cxb6 15. Rfc1 b5 16. Be2 Rac8 17. a3 a6 18. Qd1 Qb7 19. Bf1 {1/2 (19) Floeter,F (2173)-Poenisch,E (2205) Germany 2013}) ({After the most obvious} 12. O-O {black has} b5 $1 13. Bb3 Bf6 {with very solid position}) 12... Bf6 13. Bg3 Rc8 $6 {This is clearly the wrong way.} (13... Qd7 {was the most logical way to renew the b5 idea.} 14. Rc1 b5 15. cxb6 axb6 (15... cxb6 16. Ba6 $14) 16. O-O Bb7 17. a3 {and White has some minimal pressure due to the better pawn structure on the queenside but it's hardly sufficient for something real.}) 14. b4 Qd7 {Too late now.} 15. a4 $1 $14 Rfd8 16. O-O Bd5 17. Rfc1 c6 18. Bd6 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Be7 20. Be5 $6 {My idea was to force ...f6 and to not let Black's bishop to occupy this square. But it turns out that it's just too subtle and a waste of tempo objectively.} (20. Bg3 $1 {it looks like Black is unable to push ...e5 anyway and his position becomes rather unpleasant.} Qd5 (20... a6 21. Rab1 Ra8 22. h3 $36) 21. Rab1 Bf6 22. Bd6 $1 (22. b5 e5) 22... Rd7 23. Qxd5 exd5 24. b5 $36) 20... Qd5 21. Rab1 f6 22. Bg3 Qxc4 23. Rxc4 Kf7 24. Kf1 e5 $5 {A very strong idea.} (24... Rd7 $5 {it could be even better to double rooks on the d-file first:} 25. Ke2 Rcd8 26. Rc2 e5 $1 27. dxe5 f5 {and Black has enough compensation}) 25. dxe5 f5 26. Ke2 Ke6 27. f3 Rd3 28. fxe4 fxe4 29. Rxe4 Rcd8 30. b5 $5 {I decided to force matters. Objectively it wouldn't be the strongest continuation but I didn't believe that I could win such a position with quiet play.} (30. Rb2 {my engine gives about 0.50 here but I believe that Black should hold this one surely} Ra3 31. a5 a6 32. Be1 (32. Rd4 Rxd4 $5 33. exd4 Bg5 $44) 32... h5 33. Rd2 Rxd2+ 34. Bxd2 Ra2 {very close to a draw.}) 30... Rd2+ 31. Kf3 g5 $1 {Very strong and also contains a very nice trick.} 32. bxc6 bxc6 33. Reb4 (33. Rb7 {could lead to a very nice and aesthetic draw by perpetual:} Rf8+ 34. Kg4 h5+ $1 35. Kxh5 Kf5 36. Kh6 $8 Rh8+ 37. Kg7 Rdd8 38. Rxe7 Rdg8+ 39. Kf7 Rf8+ $11) 33... h5 34. R4b2 Kf5 35. e4+ Ke6 36. Rxd2 Rxd2 37. Rb7 g4+ 38. Ke3 {I decided to simplify matters.} ({It was not easy to calculate the more complicated lines after} 38. Kf4 {with a few minutes left on the clock. Objectively it should be drawn anyway} h4 39. Be1 Re2 40. Ba5 Rxg2 (40... Rf2+ $5 {the same} 41. Kxg4 Rxg2+ 42. Kf3 Rxh2 43. Rc7 Rh3+ 44. Kf4 Rg3 45. Rxc6+) 41. Rc7 g3 42. Rxc6+ Kd7 43. Rc7+ Ke6 44. hxg3 Rxg3 45. Rc6+ Kd7 46. Ra6 Bxc5 $11) 38... Rxg2 (38... Bg5+ $5 39. Bf4 Bxf4+ 40. Kxf4 Rxg2 41. Rxa7 (41. Rc7 Rf2+ 42. Kg3 Rf3+ 43. Kg2 Kxe5 44. Rxc6 $11) 41... Rxh2 42. Rc7 Rf2+ 43. Ke3 Rf1 44. Rxc6+ Kxe5 45. Rh6 $11) 39. Rc7 h4 40. Bf4 Bxc5+ 41. Kd3 Rf2 42. Rxc6+ Kd7 43. Rf6 Rf3+ 44. Kc4 Bg1 45. Rf7+ (45. Rd6+ Kc7 46. Bg5 Bxh2 47. Bd8+ Kb7 48. Bxh4 Rf4 (48... Bxe5 49. Rg6 Ra3 $11) 49. Kd5 g3 50. Bxg3 Bxg3 51. Rd7+ Kc8 52. Rxa7 Rf1 $11) 45... Ke6 46. Rf6+ Kd7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-40"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2012.09.07"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2684"] [BlackElo "2752"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "2012.08.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 151"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Uzbekistan"] [BlackTeam "Bulgaria"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UZB"] [BlackTeamCountry "BUL"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O {For this line - see the survey by GM E.Postny in CBM 146 and annotations to Giri - Aronian in CBM 147.} c5 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bxc4 Bd7 $146 {This novelty didn't work well in the present game.} ({GM Veselin Topalov did better in two later games, in which he played} 10... Qxd1 11. Rfxd1 b6 12. Nd4 Bb7 13. Rac1 (13. Be2 a6 14. Bf3 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 b5 16. Rd4 Rfd8 17. Rad1 Rxd4 18. Rxd4 Rc8 $11 {1/2 Grachev,B (2672)-Harikrishna,P (2688)/Muelheim GER 2012/The Week in Chess 937 (24)}) 13... a6 14. b4 Nce4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. a3 a5 (16... Rfc8 17. f3 Bd5 18. Be2 Bb7 19. e4 h6 20. Be3 a5 21. Rxc8+ Rxc8 22. bxa5 bxa5 23. Rb1 Ba8 24. a4 Bb4 25. Kf1 e5 26. Nb3 Nd7 27. Rd1 Bc6 28. Rc1 Kf8 29. Ba6 Rc7 30. Bb7 Bb5+ 31. axb5 Rxb7 $11 {1/2 Gelfand,B (2738)-Topalov,V (2752)/London ENG 2012/The Week in Chess 933 (36)}) 17. f3 Bd5 18. e4 Bxc4 19. Rxc4 axb4 20. axb4 Rfc8 21. Rdc1 Rxc4 22. Rxc4 h6 23. Kf1 Kf8 24. Nc6 b5 25. Rd4 Ra6 26. Nxe7 Kxe7 $11 {0-1 Giri,A (2730)-Topalov,V (2752)/London ENG 2012/The Week in Chess 935 (52)}) (10... a6 {continues to be an important topic. White apparently keeps some pressure. Here are some of this year's games:} 11. Ne5 (11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Bc7 Re8 13. b4 Nce4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Bd3 Nc3 16. a3 Nd5 17. Rac1 Nxc7 18. Rxc7 Bd6 19. Rc3 Rd8 20. Rd1 Kf8 21. Bc2 Ke7 $11 {1/2 Rajlich,I (2412)-Pokorna,R (2353)/Istanbul TUR 2012/The Week in Chess 930 (52)}) 11... Ncd7 (11... Qxd1 12. Rfxd1 Rd8 13. Be2 Nd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Nf3 Bg4 16. Bc7 Rdc8 17. Be5 f6 18. Bd4 Ne4 19. h3 Bh5 20. g4 Bf7 21. Ne1 Rc6 22. Rac1 Rac8 23. Rxc6 Rxc6 24. Bd3 h5 25. Bb1 hxg4 26. hxg4 Nd6 27. a3 Nb5 $11 {1/2 Mista,A (2538)-Grabarczyk,M (2445)/Warsaw POL 2012/The Week in Chess 913 (54)}) 12. Be2 Nxe5 13. Qxd8 (13. Bxe5 Qa5 14. Bg3 Bd7 15. Bf3 Rad8 16. Qb3 b5 17. Rfc1 Rc8 18. Ne2 Rxc1+ 19. Rxc1 Rc8 $11 {1/2 Fressinet,L (2693)-Matlakov,M (2632)/Plovdiv 2012/CBM 148 (60)}) 13... Rxd8 14. Bxe5 Nd5 (14... b5 $5 15. Bf3 Ra7) 15. Bf3 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 a5 17. Rfd1 f6 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 19. Rd1 Bc7 20. h4 Kf8 21. h5 $14 {1-0 Wojtaszek,R (2706)-Mista,A (2587)/Warsaw POL 2012/The Week in Chess 902 (46)}) 11. Ne5 Be8 12. Be2 {[%CAl Ye2f3][%mdl 32]} Rc8 (12... Nfe4 $5 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qc2 Nd6 15. Rfd1 Qb6) 13. Rc1 h6 $6 ({Here, too, Black should have tried to release pressure by means of} 13... Nce4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 {as} 15. Rxc8 Qxc8 16. Qd4 f5 17. Qxa7 $2 {doesn't work due to} g5 18. Bg3 Bc5 19. Rc1 f4) 14. h3 Qxd1 {In the endgame Black quickly gets out of moves but it is hard to give him good advice.} ({in the event of} 14... Nce4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Qd4 {is already strong for White.}) 15. Rfxd1 g5 16. Bg3 Kg7 17. Bf3 b6 ({Maybe something like} 17... h5 {but after} 18. Ne2 (18. b4 {is not deadly yet due to} Na4 19. Nxa4 Bxa4 20. Bxb7 $2 Rb8) 18... h4 19. Bh2 Bb5 20. Nd4 a6 21. b3 {Black's position is quite poor.}) 18. Ne2 $1 {[%CAl Ye2d4,Rb2b4]} Rd8 (18... Bb5 {now allows an invasion of c6:} 19. Nd4 a6 20. Nxb5 axb5 21. Nc6) (18... h5 {was equally hopeless due to} 19. b4 (19. Nd4 g4 20. hxg4 hxg4 21. Bxg4 Nxg4 22. Nxg4 a5 23. Ne5) 19... Ba4 20. bxc5 Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Rxc5 22. Nd4) 19. Nd4 a5 20. Nc4 $1 {[%csl Rb6,Gc4,Gd4]} Nfe4 21. Be5+ Bf6 (21... Kg8 22. Bc7) 22. Bxe4 Nxe4 23. Nxe6+ {A classic positional game by Rustam Kasimdzhanov!} 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-40"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2012.09.07"] [Round "10.3"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Onischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2695"] [BlackElo "2666"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2012.08.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 151"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "China"] [BlackTeam "US of America"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"] [BlackTeamCountry "USA"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 b6 7. Be2 {This quiet continuation should not be dangerous for Black.} (7. cxd5 {is the main move}) 7... Bb7 8. O-O c5 {Very aggressive.} (8... Nbd7 {is a good alternative}) 9. dxc5 (9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Bxd5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 {should be OK for Black, e.g.} 12. Rc1 Nc6 13. a3 a5 14. Qc2 Qf6 15. Rfd1 h6) (9. Nb5 {is harmless due to} Nc6) (9. Rc1 Nbd7 $11 {leads to the 8...?bd7 line, e.g.} 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Bc4 Bxc4 13. Rxc4 b5 14. Rc2 c4 15. d5 exd5 16. Qxd5 a6 17. a4 Nf6 18. Qb7 Qd3 19. Rfc1 Rfd8 20. h3 Qe4 {1/2 Stocek,J (2567)-Azarov,S (2601)/Slovakia 2011/EXT 2012}) 9... bxc5 {More active and risky than} (9... Bxc5 10. a3 $5 (10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 {- see above}) 10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 Qxd1 12. Rfxd1 Nbd7 13. Nb5 {1-0 Donchenko,A (2401)-Kiese,M (2246)/Griesheim 2003/EXT 2004 (37)} Rfc8 14. Bf1 (14. Nc7 $6 Bxf3 15. gxf3 e5) 14... Bf8 {. White keeps some pressure but Black should hold on.}) 10. Qb3 (10. Qc2 Nbd7 11. Rfd1 Qb6 12. Rd2 Rac8 13. Rad1 Rfd8 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Ne5 {1-0 Feletar,D (2441)-Orgovan,S (2318)/Hungary 2002/EXT 2004 (34)} Nf8 $132 {[%CAl Yf8e6]}) (10. Ne5 $5 Nc6 11. Bf3 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 Nd7 13. Bg3 Nb6 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Qb3 {1-0 Shemeakin,A (2373)-Vdovichenko,V/Alushta 2004/CBM 100 ext (40)} Bd6 $5 16. Rfd1 Rb8 17. Nxd5 Bxg3 18. hxg3 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 Qxd5 21. Rxd5 Rxb2 22. Rxc5 g6 {[%CAl Yf8d8,Yd8d2]}) 10... Qb6 (10... Qc8 11. Rfd1 $5 $14) 11. Ne5 Nc6 12. Bf3 Qxb3 (12... Nxe5 $142 13. Bxe5 Ba6 $1 14. cxd5 Bxf1 15. d6 Bxd6 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. Bxd6 Bd3 18. Bxf8 Rxf8 $11) 13. axb3 Nb4 14. Ra5 $14 Rfc8 (14... a6 $142 15. Na4 Rac8) 15. Rfa1 a6 16. Na4 Nc6 $6 (16... Ra7 {looks ugly but that move allowed Black to firmly defend. After the text continuation he suffers material losses although a draw is still attainable.}) 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Bg5 $1 Rc7 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. cxd5 Bxd5 21. Bxd5 exd5 22. Nb6 Rd8 23. Rxa6 {A pawn is a pawn although it looks rather useless at the moment.} Rc6 24. g3 Kg7 (24... Bf8 $5 25. Ra8 Rxa8 26. Nxa8 f5) 25. Kf1 Rdd6 $6 {This leads to a difficult rook ending.} (25... h5 $5 26. h3 (26. Na8 Rxa6 27. Rxa6 Rc8 28. Ke2 Bd8) 26... Re6 {, and White can hardly make progress.}) 26. Ra7 Rxb6 27. Rxe7 {[%mdl 4096]} Rxb3 28. Raa7 Kg6 29. Rxf7 h5 30. Rfb7 $6 (30. Rh7 $5 Rxb2 31. Rag7+ Kf5 32. Rxh5+ Ke4 33. Rc7) (30. Rg7+ $1 Kf5 31. Rgb7 Rdb6 32. Rxb6 Rxb6 33. Ra5 {, and Black can't exchange pawns by means of} d4) 30... Rdb6 31. Rxb6 Rxb6 32. Rc7 (32. Ra5 $5 d4 33. e4 c4 34. Ra4 Rc6 35. Ke2 h4 $1 {, and Black should survive} ({or} 35... f5 $5)) 32... Rb5 33. b3 Kf5 34. Ke2 d4 35. exd4 cxd4 36. Rc4 Rxb3 37. Rxd4 {This endgame is an easy technical draw but...} Ra3 38. Kf1 Kg6 39. Kg2 Rb3 40. Kh3 Rb2 41. Kg2 Rb3 42. Re4 Ra3 43. Re3 Ra4 44. Kf3 Kg5 45. h3 Kg6 46. Re4 Ra3+ 47. Re3 Ra4 48. h4 Kf5 49. Rb3 Kg6 50. Ke3 Rc4 51. Rd3 Ra4 52. Rd4 Ra2 53. f3 Ra5 54. g4 Ra1 $6 (54... hxg4 {is good enough.}) 55. g5 $1 {A move missed by Black. In panic he commits a real mistake.} Rh1 $4 (55... fxg5 56. Rd6+ Kf5 57. Rd5+ Kg6 58. hxg5 h4 {, and this passed pawn saves Black:} 59. f4 h3 60. Rd6+ Kf5 61. Rf6+ Kg4 62. g6 {, and now even} Kh5 63. g7 Rg1 $11) 56. Rd6 Rxh4 57. f4 $1 {, and White's connected passed pawns decide the game:} Rh1 58. Rxf6+ Kg7 59. Rh6 Re1+ 60. Kf2 Rh1 61. Kg2 Rh4 62. Kf3 Rh1 63. Ke4 h4 64. Kf5 h3 65. Kg4 h2 66. Kg3 1-0 [Event "EU-Cup 16th"] [Site "Neum"] [Date "2000.09.25"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Khalifman, Alexander"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2667"] [BlackElo "2654"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2000.09.24"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "BIH"] [SourceTitle "CBM 080"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.01.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.01.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "St Petersburg"] [BlackTeam "Graz Merkur"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "AUT"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 {Ein geradliniger Versuch auszugleichen. Die anderen plausiblen Fortsetzungen sind 12...?g4 und 12...?f6.} 13. e4 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5 ({Nach} 14... Qf6 15. hxg4 Qxf4 16. Nh2 Ne5 17. g3 Qf6 18. f4 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 {erreicht Weiß eine angenehm zu spielende Blockadestellung.} Rac8 20. Kg2 Rfe8 21. Rfe1 Qe6 22. Re2 f6 23. Rd1 h6 24. Kh3 Qc4 25. Nf3 $14 {Van Wely,L-Doettling,F/BL 00/01}) 15. g4 Bg6 16. Nd2 $1 {Die weißen Leichtfiguren räumen den Weg für den f-Bauern.} Re8 (16... Bc7 17. Bxc7 Qxc7 18. f4 f6 19. h4 Rae8 20. Qf3 $14 {Krasenkow,M-Skalik,P/Suwalki 1999}) (16... f6 17. Nc4 Bc7 18. Bxc7 Qxc7 19. f4 Rac8 20. Rc1 Rfe8 21. Qf3 b5 22. Nd2 Qb6 23. h4 $14 {Gurevich,M-Lutz,C/Forchheim 2000}) 17. Bg3 Kh8 $6 $146 {Eine Neuerung, die wie ein Tempoverlust aussieht. Auch im weiteren Spielverlauf handelt Beliavsky sehr zögernd und läßt Weiß die Königsflügelbauern aufrollen. Besser gefällt mir die energische Stellungsbehandlung von Gomez Esteban.} (17... f6 18. f4 Qd7 19. Qf3 Bf7 20. Kg2 Na5 21. Rac1 Rac8 22. h4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Qxc8 {??c1} 25. Qd1 Qd7 26. Qe2 Qc6 27. f5 Bc7 $132 {Oms Pallise,J-Gomez Esteban,J/Barcelona 2000}) 18. f4 f6 19. Kh2 Rc8 20. Rc1 Bf7 21. Qf3 Bg8 (21... Qd7 $5 {??a5}) 22. h4 Rf8 23. Qe2 $1 ({Khalifman ist auf der Hut. Zu früh wäre} 23. g5 $6 fxg5 24. hxg5 Ne5 25. Qe2 Nxd3 26. Qxd3 Qe8 $5 $132 {, und Schwarz kann mit seinem Läuferpaar auf Gegenspiel hoffen.}) 23... Na5 {Diese Aktion kommt um einige Tempi verspätet und kann dem Schwarzen bereits zu keinem vollwertigen Gegenspiel verhelfen.} 24. Rxc8 Qxc8 25. g5 Nb3 26. Nxb3 Bxb3 27. h5 $1 {?h6} fxg5 28. fxg5 Rxf1 29. Qxf1 $16 {?h6} Bc7 {Trotz des reduzierten Materials hat Schwarz erhebliche Probleme mit der Verteidigung seines Königs, die weit vorgerückten weißen Bauern sind sehr gefährlich.} (29... Qe8 30. h6 $1 Qh5+ (30... gxh6 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. gxh6 $16) 31. Kg2 Qxg5 32. Qf8+ Bg8 33. Bc4 Qd2+ 34. Kf3 Qd1+ 35. Kf4 $18) 30. h6 $1 (30. e5 Qe8 $132) 30... Bxg3+ 31. Kxg3 Qd8 32. Qf5 $18 {Die schwarze Stellung ist verloren, da alle Läuferendspiele hoffnungslos sind.} gxh6 33. Qe5+ Kg8 34. gxh6 Qd7 35. Qf6 Qf7 36. Qd8+ Qf8 37. Qxf8+ Kxf8 38. Kf4 Bf7 39. e5 b6 40. Bxh7 Bd5 41. Be4 Bc4 42. Bf5 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-40"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2012.09.04"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2711"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2012.08.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 151"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Bulgaria"] [BlackTeam "Netherlands"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BUL"] [BlackTeamCountry "NED"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Ne4 {This rare continuation will hardly gain new adherents.} 8. Qc2 (8. Bd3 f5 9. Bxe4 (9. Ne5 Bf6 10. Nxd7 Bxd7 11. O-O g5 12. Bxe4 gxf4 13. Bd3 fxe3 14. fxe3 Kh8 15. Ne2 c6 16. Kh1 Qe7 17. Qb3 Rab8 18. Qa4 a6 19. Qa5 Bg5 20. Qc7 Rfc8 21. Qg3 Rg8 $132 {0-1 Amanov,M (2516)-Topalov,V (2752)/Istanbul TUR 2012/The Week in Chess 931 (56)}) 9... fxe4 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. Bxe5 b6 12. b4 a5 13. a3 bxc5 14. bxc5 Rf5 15. Bg3 Bh4 16. Qa4 Bd7 17. Qc2 Qg5 $13 {1/2 Esen,B (2587)-Ganguly,S (2629)/Vlissingen NED 2012/The Week in Chess 927 (27)}) (8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Ne5 (9. Nd2 e5 10. Bxe5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Qd5 12. Qc2 Rd8 13. Bc4 Qxe5 14. Rc1 Bf5 $15 {1/2 Socko,M (2490)-Halkias,S (2600)/Kavala 2011/CBM 143 Extra (27)}) 9... Nxe5 10. Bxe5 b6 11. b4 f6 12. Bg3 a5 13. a3 axb4 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 Qd5 16. Be2 bxc5 17. bxc5 e5 18. dxe5 f5 19. O-O Be6 20. Rc1 Ra8 21. Qc3 (21. Qb1 Qd2 22. Bc4 Bxc4 23. Rxc4 Qd3 24. Rc1 Qxb1 25. Rxb1 Bxc5 $11 {1/2 Lenic,L (2633)-Grachev,B (2672)/Muelheim GER 2012/The Week in Chess 937 (28)}) 21... Ra2 22. Bf1 Rd2 23. h3 Rd1 {1/2 Gagunashvili,M (2577)-Halkias,S (2593)/Porto Carras 2011/EXT 2012}) (8. Rc1 c6 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. Bxe5 b6 12. Qa4 bxc5 13. dxc5 Qd5 14. Bd4 Bd7 15. Be2 Qf5 16. O-O e5 17. Bc3 Bxc5 18. Qa5 Bb6 19. Qxe5 Qxe5 20. Bxe5 Rfe8 21. Rfd1 Be6 22. Rxc6 Bxa2 $11 {1/2 Ding Liren (2702)-So,W (2677)/St Louis USA 2012/The Week in Chess 936 (46)}) (8. h4 $5 Nxc3 9. bxc3 c6 10. Bd3 f5 11. g4 fxg4 12. Ng5 Nf6 13. Qc2 h6 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. Bg6 {1-0 Bellaiche,A (2435)-Reshetov,V (2126)/St Petersburg 2009/CBM 132 Extra (24)} b6 $132) 8... f5 (8... g5 {is crucial:} 9. Bg3 f5 10. Nxe4 (10. h3 $6 Nxg3 11. fxg3 Nf6 12. Bd3 (12. Nxg5 Nh5 $1) 12... Ne4 13. g4 Ng3 14. Rh2 c6 $15 {1-0 Forintos Gy-Csom I/Magyarorszag Inf.7/479 1969/[Florian,T] (39)}) (10. Bd3 $5) 10... dxe4 11. Nd2 f4 12. Bc4 (12. Nxe4 Rf7 13. O-O-O Nf8 14. Be2 fxg3 15. hxg3 Bd7 16. d5 exd5 17. Rxd5 c6 $13 {1/2 Lenderman,A (2525)-Sarkar,J (2376)/Orlando 2011/CBM 143 Extra (38)}) 12... fxg3 13. hxg3 Qe8 $1 (13... Rf6 14. Qxe4 Nf8 15. Nf3 Rg6 16. Ne5 Rg7 17. O-O-O $16 {1-0 Ehlvest,J (2627)-Saidy,A (2376)/Los Angeles 2000/EXT 2001 (25)}) 14. Nxe4 Qg6 15. Bd3 Qg7 16. f4 $44) 9. Bd3 (9. Ne5 Bf6 10. Nxd7 Bxd7 11. f3 Ng5 12. Bxg5 Bxg5 13. f4 Bf6 14. b4 g5 15. g3 Kh8 16. Be2 Rg8 $11 {1/2 Fressinet,L (2714)-Ponomariov,R (2734)/Istanbul TUR 2012/The Week in Chess 931 (30)}) (9. h3 {is too slow:} c6 10. Bd3 (10. Be2 Bf6 11. g4 $6 b6 12. cxb6 axb6 13. Rg1 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 $15 {0-1 Kazimova,N (2209)-Batsiashvili,N (2434)/Baku AZE 2012 (28)}) 10... Bf6 11. g4 b6 12. cxb6 Qxb6 13. g5 Be7 14. g6 hxg6 15. Rg1 Kh7 16. h4 c5 17. Qe2 a5 18. h5 gxh5 19. Ne5 Ndf6 $17 {0-1 Blanco Gramajo,C (2577)-Gerbich,V (2477)/Rochade 5171-Jub15 bd03 2005/CBM 118 (50)}) 9... c6 (9... g5 $5 10. Bg3 c6 {needs checking, e.g.} 11. Ne2 $5) 10. Ne5 Bf6 11. Nxd7 Bxd7 12. f3 Ng5 13. Bxg5 {White leads to a closed setup like in Fressinet-Ponomariov.} (13. Bd6 Re8 14. f4 Nf7 15. Be5 Bxe5 16. fxe5 b6 $132 {0-1 Krivobokov,S-Goltsov,D/Tula 2002/EXT 2010 (30)}) 13... Bxg5 14. f4 Be7 15. a3 b6 16. b4 g5 17. g3 Kh8 18. Be2 gxf4 {There was no need to open the g-file at once.} (18... Rg8 $11) 19. gxf4 Rg8 20. Kd2 Qf8 21. Rag1 bxc5 $6 {And the opening of the b-file is wrong. It will serve White.} (21... Rg6 $5) 22. bxc5 Rb8 23. Rb1 $6 {It was probably better to trade both pairs of rooks:} (23. Rxg8+ Qxg8 24. Rb1 {Still, breaking down Black's defence would be very difficult for White.}) 23... Rxb1 24. Rxb1 e5 $1 {The right reaction.} (24... Rg2 {is senseless. White's queenside attack after} 25. Qa4 {comes first.}) 25. dxe5 $6 (25. fxe5 f4 $1 $40) (25. Rb7 {was logical. The position remained dynamically balanced.}) 25... Bxc5 26. Rb7 Bc8 27. Rb8 d4 $6 (27... Bb6 $142 {[%CAl Yb6c7,Yf8h6] with an excellent position for Black}) 28. exd4 Qh6 (28... Bxd4 $142 29. Ba6 Be3+ $3 (29... Qh6 30. Rxc8 Qxf4+ 31. Kd3 Qe3+ 32. Kc4 {, and White's king escapes}) 30. Kxe3 Qc5+ 31. Kf3 Bxa6 32. Rxg8+ Kxg8 33. Qd2 $14) 29. Qa4 $1 {[%mdl 64] Black probably missed this strong move.} (29. dxc5 $4 Qxf4+ $19) 29... Bb6 (29... Qxf4+ 30. Kc2 Qxd4 (30... Bxd4 31. Qxc6 $18) 31. Qxc6 $18) 30. Kc2 Be6 31. Rb7 (31. Rxg8+ Bxg8 32. h3 $1 $18) 31... Qxf4 32. Rxb6 $1 axb6 33. Qxc6 Rg6 34. d5 Bg8 $6 (34... Qxe5 {may be a relatively better choice. White's strong connected pawns are quite worth a piece.}) 35. e6 Qe5 36. Qxb6 Rg2 37. Kd3 $1 Rxh2 38. Qd4 {The endgame is clearly winning for White. His king will support his pawns.} Rh3+ 39. Kc4 Qxd4+ 40. Kxd4 {[%mdl 4096]} Kg7 41. e7 Bf7 42. d6 Rh4+ (42... Be8 43. Bb5) 43. Ke5 Be8 44. Bb5 Bxb5 45. Nxb5 Kf7 46. Nc7 Re4+ 47. Kxf5 Re1 48. a4 1-0 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 17th"] [Site "Novi Sad"] [Date "2009.10.30"] [Round "9"] [White "Nisipeanu, Liviu Dieter"] [Black "Meier, Georg"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2664"] [BlackElo "2664"] [Annotator "Meier,Georg"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2009.10.22"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 133"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2009.11.19"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Romania"] [BlackTeam "Germany"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ROU"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] {For some time the tournament seemed to be screwed up for us and we were playing in the "wrong" half of the arena against Italy. But after fighting our way back upwards with two victories, we were actually in with a chance of a top placing. "All" we had to do was to overcome the resistance of the Romanians. My thought was that if I could hold Nisipeanu in check, then victory would be assured by a win on one of the other boards... Zwischenzeitlich schien das Turnier schon verkorkst, als wir auf der "falschen" Seite der Halle gegen Italien spielten, aber nachdem wir uns mit zwei Siegen wieder hochgearbeitet hatten, bekamen wir tatsächlich die Chance auf eine vordere Platzierung. Es galt "nur noch" den Widerstand der Rumänen zu überwinden. Sollte ich Nisipeanu bändigen, würde der Sieg schon an einem der anderen Bretter klappen, war meine Überlegung...} 1. d4 {Nisipeanu is a 1.e4 player, but the prospect of a Rubinstein French is encouraging more of my opponents to try something else. Nisipeanu ist 1.e4 -Spieler,aber die Aussicht auf Rubinstein-Französisch animiert immer mehr meiner Gegner etwas Anderes zu probieren.} e6 {Quite simply, I always offer a second chance for e4... Aus purer Naivität gebe ich gerne noch eine Chance zu e4...} 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 {Those who want to prevent ...?bd7, turn to this move. Wer ...?bd7 verhindern will, greift zu diesem Zug.} dxc4 $5 {Since Nisipeanu would not be all that well prepared, I decided on a provocative, little-known variation. To tell the truth, I sometimes get tired with playing the role of a "goalkeeper". A little more excitement does no harm! Da Nisipeanu nicht allzu gut vorbereitet sein sollte, entschied ich mich für eine provokative, kaum bekannte Variante. Ehrlich gesagt, werde ich der Rolle des "Torwarts" mit Schwarz auch manchmal müde. Etwas mehr Spannung schadet da nicht!} (6... Nbd7 7. Nb5 $1 Ne8 8. e3 $14) (6... b6 {is the best. ist am besten.}) 7. e3 Nd5 8. Bxc4 Nxf4 9. exf4 Bf6 10. Qd3 $6 {Very obvious, but above all White had to be careful to render difficult the move ...c7-c5. Sehr naheliegend, aber Weiß musste in erster Linie darauf achten, c7-c5 zu erschweren.} (10. Qd2 $1 $14 c5 $6 11. dxc5 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2) 10... c5 11. Ne4 {Very speculative play, because otherwise the game would rapidly get bogged down in a level endgame. Sehr spekulativ gespielt, denn sonst würde die Partie schnell in einem gleichen Endspiel versanden.} (11. dxc5 Qxd3 12. Bxd3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Nd7 14. c6 $11) 11... Nc6 $5 {There was nothing wrong with 11...?xd4, but I wanted to get on with my development quickly and fight for the initiative. Nichts sprach gegen 11...?xd4, aber ich wollte schnell mit der Entwicklung fortfahren und um die Initiative kämpfen.} (11... cxd4 $2 12. Nfg5 g6 13. h4 $36 {In practice, the d4-pawn closes off the centre and so makes possible White's attack on the wing. Der Bauer d4 schließt praktisch das Zentrum und ermöglicht damit den weißen Flügelangriff.}) 12. Nfg5 {Finally burning his bridges. Bricht die Brücken endgültig hinter sich ab.} (12. Nxf6+ {is objectively correct, but that is not why he played ?e4... ist objektiv richtig, aber dafür hat er nicht ?e4 gespielt...} Qxf6 13. dxc5 Qxf4 14. O-O b6 (14... e5 $6 {Nisipeanu thought he was somewhat worse off here. Nisipeanu glaubte hier eher schlechter zu stehen.} 15. Bd5 Rd8 16. Qb3 $1 {allows White strong pressure, however. gibt aber dem Weißen starken Druck.} e4 $140 17. Rad1 $1 exf3 18. Bxc6 $18) 15. Bb5 Bb7 {with approximate equality, would have been my choice. mit ungefährem Ausgleich, wäre meine Wahl gewesen.}) 12... g6 13. O-O-O Nxd4 14. h4 b5 $1 {Black seizes the initiative. Schwarz ergreift die Initiative.} 15. Bxb5 {Accompanied with the offer of a draw. On the neighbouring boards, things already looked very good for Daniel and Arkadij, but you can't give up a position like this as a draw! Mit Remisangebot. An den Nebenbrettern sah es bereits sehr gut für Daniel und Arkadij aus, aber so eine Stellung kann man nicht remis geben!} (15. h5 bxc4 16. Qh3 Bg7 17. hxg6 h6 18. gxf7+ Rxf7 19. Nxf7 Kxf7 $19) (15. Nxh7 Kxh7 16. h5 Kg7 $1 $19 (16... bxc4 $2 17. hxg6+ Kg7 18. Rh7+ Kg8 19. Qh3 fxg6 20. Qh6 Nb3+ 21. Kc2 Na1+ 22. Kc1 Nb3+ $11)) 15... Rb8 16. Bc4 Bg7 $17 {The bishop on g7 firms up Black's king position and decisively supports the queenside attack. Together with the dominating knight on d4 that should be enough for victory for a good player... Der Läufer g7 betoniert die schwarze Königsstellung und unterstützt maßgeblich den Angriff am Damenflügel. Zusammen mit dem dominierenden Springer d4 sollte das für einen guten Spieler zum Sieg reichen...} 17. Rd2 Qc7 18. h5 Rd8 (18... h6 {seemed more pragmatic to Nisipeanu, since it deprives White of any attacking chances. After, for example, erschien Nisipeanu pragmatischer, da Weiß jegliche Angriffschancen genommen werden. Nach beispielsweise} 19. hxg6 fxg6 20. Nf3 Rxf4 21. Nxd4 cxd4 22. Rc2 {White would however achieve some stability. würde Weiß aber etwas Stabilität erlangen.}) 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. Qh3 {I had played a series of natural moves to continue with my development. Now it seemed to me that the moment had come to look for a concrete solution. In fact, however, all Black should now be concerned with is smothering any counterplay for White. Then White's king position can no longer be held. Ich hatte eine Reihe natürlicher Züge ausgeführt, um die Entwicklung fortzusetzen. Jetzt schien mir der Moment gekommen, eine konkrete Lösung zu suchen. Tatsächlich soll sich Schwarz jedoch nur darum bemühen, das weiße Gegenspiel zu ersticken. Die weiße Königsstellung ist dann nicht mehr zu halten.} Ba6 $4 {This is what my hand itched to play, convinced that it was now time to finish things off. At this moment, I especially overlooked that in the follow-up the bishop on a6 would be left hanging. So I missed the chance to dig deeper into the position... Meine Hand wollte einfach so spielen, vom Gefühl geleitet, dass es jetzt Zeit wäre, "Schluss zu machen". Insbesondere übersah ich in diesem Moment, dass der Läufer auf a6 im weiteren Verlauf hängen wird. So versäumte ich es, mich weiter in die Stellung zu vertiefen...} ({...and to understand how helpless White would be after ...und zu begreifen, wie hilflos Weiß nach} 20... Bb7 $1 {. wäre} 21. Nxf7 (21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Qh4 Bxe4 23. Nxe4 Nf5 $19) (21. f5 gxf5) 21... Qxf7 22. Rxd4 (22. Ng5 Qxf4 23. Bxe6+ Kf8) 22... Rxd4 23. Bxe6 Bxe4 $19) (20... Qxf4 {need not be rejected either, but it prolongs the game: war natürlich auch nicht von der Hand zu weisen, verlängert aber die Partie:} 21. Qh7+ (21. g3 Qf5 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh4 Bb7) 21... Kf8 22. Qh4 (22. Rh4 Ne2+ 23. Bxe2 Bxb2+) 22... Qxh4 23. Rxh4 Kg8 24. Nxc5 Rd6 25. b4 a5 $17) 21. Bxe6 {Nisipeanu had only 6 minutes left compared to my 26, so he quickly played ?xe6 and neither of us noticed that Nisipeanu hatte nur noch 6 min gegen meine 26, sodass er schnell ?xe6 ausführte und wir beide nicht bemerkten, dass} (21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Qh4 $1 {is an immediate draw: sofort remis wird} Bxc4 23. Nh7+ Ke8 24. Nhf6+ $11) (21. Bxa6 $4 Nb3+ $19) 21... Nxe6 {I let my time run down quite a bit till I had come to terms with the fact that I now had to liquidate to a level endgame. Ich ließ meine Zeit ziemlich weit ablaufen, bis ich mich damit abgefunden hatte, dass ich nun in ein ausgeglichenes Endspiel abwickeln muss.} ({Fortunately, I began to pay a bit more attention and noticed that Glücklicherweise fing ich an wieder aufzupassen und merkte, dass} 21... fxe6 $4 {is not a transposition of moves... keine Zugumstellung ist...} 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh8+ $1 Bxh8 24. Rxh8+ Kg7 25. Rh7+) 22. Nxe6 ({The striking Das effektvolle} 22. Nf6+ Kf8 23. Qxe6 fxe6 24. Nxe6+ Kf7 25. Nxc7 Rxd2 26. Kxd2 Rxb2+ 27. Kc1 Rxf2 28. Nxa6 Bxf6 29. Nxc5 Rxg2 $15 {is really not the sort of line to embark on in time trouble! ist wirklich keine Variante, auf die man sich in Zeitnot einlässt!}) 22... fxe6 23. Qxe6+ Qf7 (23... Kf8 24. Qxa6 Rxd2 25. Nxd2 Bxb2+ 26. Kc2 Qxf4 27. Rh4) 24. Qxa6 Rxd2 (24... Qa2 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Nf6+ Kf7 27. Qxa7+ Kxf6 28. Qb6+ Kf5 $11) 25. Nxd2 Bxb2+ 26. Kc2 {From here on we were both in time trouble and playing essentially by instinct. Von nun an waren wir beide in Zeitnot und spielten überwiegend "mit der Hand".} Bg7 $5 (26... Bd4 {would allow relief with würde die Entlastung mit} 27. Rb1 Qa2+ 28. Kd3 {. erlauben} Rxb1 29. Qc8+ Kh7 30. Qh3+ $11) 27. Qc4 $2 {Nisipeanu was too afraid about his king. Nisipeanu hatte zuviel Angst um seinen König.} ({After Nach} 27. Rh3 $1 {White would have everything under control. hätte Weiß alles unter Kontrolle.}) 27... Rb2+ 28. Kc1 Qxc4+ 29. Nxc4 Rxf2 30. g3 Rf3 31. Kd2 Rxg3 {Once more I have excellent winning chances, but instinct led me astray again. Wieder habe ich vorzügliche Gewinnchancen, aber die "Hand" wird wieder daneben greifen.} 32. Rb1 (32. a4 $5) 32... Rc3 $2 {Very obvious, but at the same time not very easy to see one's way through in time trouble, to the fact that the ensuing rook ending is a dead draw. Sehr naheliegend, zumal man in Zeitnot nicht so schnell durschaut, dass das entstehende Turm-Endspiel tot remis ist.} (32... Bh6 $1 {is something which I also looked quickly, of course, but it did not seem certain to me because of the heavy reduction in material whether it was sufficient. betrachtete ich natürlich auch kurz, war mir angesichts des sich reduzierenden Materials aber nicht ganz sicher, ob das ausreicht.} 33. Rb5 (33. Rb8+ Kf7 34. Rb7+ Ke6 35. Rxa7 Bxf4+ 36. Kc2 Kd5) 33... Bxf4+ 34. Kc2 g5 35. Rxc5 g4 36. Rc8+ Kf7 37. Ra8 Ke6 38. Rxa7 Rf3 39. Rg7 g3 $19 {On this subject, after the game Igor told me that "in the endgame a rook and bishop are better than a rook and a knight"... :) Passend dazu belehrte mich Igor nach der Partie, dass "Läufer und Turm im Endspiel besser sind als Turm und Springer"... :)}) 33. Ne5 Bxe5 $6 (33... Rxa3 34. Nxg6 Kf7 35. Ne5+ Ke6 36. Nc4 {looks defensible. erscheint haltbar.}) 34. fxe5 Rxa3 35. Rc1 $1 Ra5 {Other attempts certainly promised better chances, unfortunately I was not ashamed enough about this move not to play it. Andere Versuche versprachen sicherlich bessere praktische Chancen, leider schämte ich mich nicht genug bei diesem Zug, um ihn mir zu verbieten.} (35... g5 36. Rf1 Ra6 37. Rf5 $11) (35... Kf8 $5 36. Rxc5 g5 37. Ke2 g4 38. Kf2 a5 39. Kg2 $11) (35... Ra6 36. Rxc5 Kf7 37. Ke3 Ke6 38. Kf4 Ra4+ 39. Kg5 Re4 40. Rc6+ Kxe5 41. Ra6 $11) 36. Kd3 Kf7 37. Kc4 Ke6 38. Rg1 Kf5 39. Re1 Ke6 40. Rg1 Kf5 {In the tournament my performance had almost as many ups and downs as it had in this game. Embarrassingly bad time management led me to throw away half points in the very first two games. Two good victories which followed meant that I had an acceptable result, but on the whole I cannot be satisfied with my performance. On the other hand, the team results were good enough, because we were fortunate enough to have an effective distibution of our points... Meine Leistung bei diesem Turnier war fast so durchwachsen wie diese Partie. Peinlich schlechte Zeiteinteilung führte dazu, dass ich schon in den ersten beiden Partien halbe Punkte wegwarf. Zwei gute Gewinnpartien, die später folgten, führten zwar zu einem akzeptablen Resultat, aber insgesamt kann ich nicht mit mir zufrieden sein. Im Gegensatz dazu kann das Abschneiden der Mannschaft nur erfreuen, auch weil wir das Glück hatten, unsere Punkte denkbar effizient zu verteilen...} 1/2-1/2 [Event "World-ch Carlsen-Caruana"] [Site "London"] [Date "2018.11.10"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2835"] [BlackElo "2832"] [Annotator "Duda,Jan Krzysztof"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2018.11.09"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "GBR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 187"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 {The ever solid Queen's Gambit Declined. Even though the challenger recently played a lot of games in the Vienna Game, the QGD must have been one of the top piorities of Magnus' team.} 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 {This is a small surprise. It's the first time, when Fabiano chooses this line in his life. In that way Nakamura drew quite recently 2 games against Carlsen, so it was kind of expected though. The real surprise will come later.} (6... Nbd7 {is the most common move, and the way Caruana played before this game. Perhaps he wasn't keen facing} 7. c5 {where White is enjoying some space advantage, and it might be kind of Carlsen-type position. Of course it's just a beginning of far-advanced theory.}) 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 {This is the main move, but White also may wish to play against the isolani with} (8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb4+ 11. Nd2 Nc6 {This is one of the tabiyas in the QGD with 6...c5. Usually Black gets enough counterplay for his isolani, for example Vishy Anand drew all three of his games with Black in this position in the Sinquefield Cup this year. In 2017, Carlsen was about outplaying Nakamura in this line, but the American managed to save himself. Now it's obvious to everyone that Caruana had some improvements, awaiting their hour.}) 8... Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Rd1 {Again, one of the tabiyas, known since the infamous '78 Karpov-Korchnoi match. In contrast to the} (10. O-O-O {line which is slightly more popular, but can lead to an amazing mess, where either side can collapse easily, White is playing purely positionally. He just wants to develop with Be2 and 0-0, and is asking Black what he is going to do with his poor c8-bishop. Now Black has many choices, but what Caruana played was hardly predictible.}) 10... Rd8 $5 {Some time ago, this was considered dubious, because it isn't in any way preparing the freeing move e5. But of course computers change modern opening theory, also the effect of surprise these days is something everyone is trying for. The other lines are:} (10... Re8 $5 {is having a boost of popularity, the position can quickly become quite complicated:} 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 13. Qb1 (13. Qc1 {was basically a draw offer:} Bf5 14. Bxf6 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ 16. Ke1 Nc2+ 17. Ke2 Nd4+ 18. Ke1 Nc2+ {1/2 (18) Carlsen,M (2827)-Nakamura,H (2781) Douglas ENG 2017}) 13... Bf5 14. Bd3 Bxd3 (14... e4 $2 {was played in the famous 21st game in aforementioned K-K match. White is better after both} 15. Bc2 {(the game continuation. Even stronger is} (15. Bf1 $1 {where objectively Black is lost.}) 15... Nxc2+ 16. Qxc2 Qa6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Nb3 Bd6 19. Rxd5 $1 $16 {1-0 (60) Kortschnoj,V (2665)-Karpov,A (2725) Baguio City 1978}) 15. Qxd3 Ne4 {where as far as I am concerned Black is doing fine after both} 16. Nxd5 ({and} 16. Ncxe4)) (10... Ne4 $6 {is probably wrong. After} 11. cxd5 Nxc3 12. bxc3 exd5 13. Ng5 $1 g6 14. Rxd5 Qxa3 15. Bc4 $36 {White develops dangerous initiative}) (10... Be7 {is the classical main line. After} 11. Be2 Ne4 (11... dxc4) 12. cxd5 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 14. bxc3 exd5 15. Rxd5 Bxa3 16. Nd4 $36 {White has initiative 1/2 (95) Carlsen,M (2853)-Nakamura,H (2814) Saint Louis USA 2015}) 11. Be2 (11. Nd2 {is the most popular, with the idea to harass Black's queen. But this is the first thing Fabiano's team had a look at, so the Norwegian decides to deviate.} d4 {might be something like what the American prepared. The position is a mess after} (11... dxc4 12. Nxc4 Rxd1+ 13. Qxd1 Qd8 14. Qxd8+ Nxd8 15. Be2 $14) 12. Nb3 Qb6 13. Na4 Bb4+ 14. axb4 Qxb4+ 15. Nd2 $13 {but the computer not surprisingly is keen on White.}) 11... Ne4 {Now, where the d5-pawn is not hanging, this exchange maneouvre should gradually equalise the position} 12. O-O (12. Nd2 $5 Nxc3 13. Nb3 Qa4 14. Qxc3 Be7 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Be6 18. O-O Rac8) 12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 h6 {Defending against any Ng5.} 14. a4 Ne7 $11 {I think Black equalised. Now not to become worse with his shaky queenside, the World Champion has to play actively.} 15. Ne5 Bd6 (15... f6 16. Ng6 e5 17. Bg3 Be6 {is one of the favourites of the engine, but in such cases, when the game is at stake, players tend to avoid such committal decisions. The move Caruana played is fine.}) 16. cxd5 {From now on, there will be many exchanges, when Black gets developed finally, but White is too active to have any real issues} Nxd5 17. Bf3 {White goes the route of an interesting possibility, which looks risky but gets my approval.} (17. Nxf7 $5 Kxf7 18. Bxd6 (18. Bh5+ Kg8 19. Bxd6 Rxd6 {is the same thing}) 18... Rxd6 19. Bh5+ Kg8 20. e4 (20. c4 {It seems that White has to play precisely to hold the position.} Bd7 (20... Rc6) (20... Nb4) (20... Qc7) 21. cxd5 Bxa4 22. Qa2 $8 Rxd5 23. Bg4 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Qb4 25. Bxe6+ Kh8 26. Rb1 Rd8 $13) 20... Bd7 (20... Nf4 $5 {is a winning try.} 21. Rxd6 Qxh5 22. Rd8+ Kf7 23. Rfd1 e5 $13 {with an unclear, but roughly equal position.}) 21. exd5 Qxa4 {One of many possibilities.} 22. Qb1 Rxd5 23. Qxb7 Qc6 $11) 17... Nxf4 {The simplest.} (17... Qc7 18. c4 Nxf4 19. exf4 {can only create difficulties for Black.}) 18. exf4 Bxe5 19. Rxd8+ Qxd8 20. fxe5 Qc7 (20... Bd7 $5 {Black has the luxury of not being afraid of losing the b7-pawn.} 21. Bxb7 Rb8 22. Bf3 Qa5 {and Black recaptures the missing pawn with equality.}) 21. Rb1 Rb8 22. Qd3 Bd7 (22... b6 $5 {was a nice try for Black, I think.} 23. a5 $1 {otherwise White may be worse with his bad pawn structure.} Bb7 (23... Qxe5 24. a6 $1 $44 {is a key White must have foreseen beforehand.}) 24. axb6 axb6 25. Bxb7 Rxb7 26. Qd4 $11 {with a drawn position.}) 23. a5 Bc6 24. Qd6 {White knows that the best he can do is exchange everything and make a draw - not very pleasing when the onus is on White to score, but that's life.} Qxd6 25. exd6 Bxf3 26. gxf3 Kf8 27. c4 Ke8 28. a6 $1 {From the human viewpoint the simplest. White exchanges all pawns on the queenside, and defends in a 3 vs 4 on the same wing rook endgame.} b6 29. c5 Kd7 30. cxb6 axb6 31. a7 Ra8 32. Rxb6 Rxa7 33. Kg2 e5 34. Rb4 f5 35. Rb6 Ke6 36. d7+ Kxd7 37. Rb5 $11 {The endgame is dead drawn. The doubled pawns are actually a strengh here, because Black is unable to create a passed pawn. Now White can just do nothing and marks time. Black has no meaningful plan available.} Ke6 38. Rb6+ Kf7 39. Rb5 Kf6 40. Rb6+ Kg5 41. Rb5 Kf4 42. Rb4+ e4 43. fxe4 fxe4 44. h3 {Funny, another 3 vs 2 rook endgame, but now Fabiano is the one with the pawn up. This means the game will last 60 moves shorter :)} Ra5 45. Rb7 Rg5+ 46. Kf1 Rg6 47. Rb4 Rg5 48. Rb7 Rg6 49. Rb4 {So, a relatively easy draw today by Fabiano Caruana. Perhaps the World Champion was frustrated a bit with yesterday's game, and decided to play a simple game today. My guess is that the day after tomorrow we will have quite a tense game in the 'Spanish torture', unless the challenger changes his first move. Of course, it's just a shot in the dark, but sometimes you are happy when you guess the right opening.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 18th"] [Site "Porto Carras"] [Date "2011.11.10"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2714"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2011.11.03"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "Netherlands"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "NED"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 {For this line - see CBM 138, annotations to Nakamura - Nielsen. However, a lot of games have been played since then.} 14. Bxa6 (14. Re1 Bf6 15. Ne5 (15. h4 Qa7 16. b5 Bb7 17. cxb6 Nxb6 18. Ne5 Rac8 19. f5 exf5 20. Bxf5 Rc7 21. bxc6 {1/2 Fier,A (2571)-So,W (2673)/Moscow 2011/CBM 141}) 15... Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Bxe5 17. fxe5 Qb7 18. cxb6 axb4 19. axb4 Nxb6 20. b5 Nc4 21. bxc6 Qxc6 $11 {1/2 Getz,N (2391)-Azarov,S (2648)/Rogaska Slatina SLO 2011/The Week in Chess 882 (54)}) (14. Rb1 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 axb4 16. axb4 {1/2 Ding,L (2654)-Wang Yue (2709)/Hefei 2011/CBM 143 Extra}) (14. Qc2 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Bf6 16. Rfc1 axb4 17. axb4 bxc5 18. bxc5 Rfb8 19. Kg2 h6 20. h4 h5 21. Rxa8 Rxa8 22. Rb1 Ra3 23. Nxd5 Rxd3 24. Nxc7 Bxd4 25. Na6 Bxc5 26. Nxc5 Nxc5 27. Rb8+ Kh7 28. Rc8 Ne4 29. Rxc6 Rc3 $11 {1/2 Gonzalez Garcia,J (2522)-Ryan,J (2267)/Barbera del Valles 2011/CBM 143 Extra (46)}) (14. Kg2 Bf6 15. Bxa6 Rxa6 16. Qc2 Rfa8 17. Rab1 axb4 18. axb4 Ra3 19. Rb3 Rxb3 20. Qxb3 Qb7 21. Rb1 h6 22. h4 h5 23. Ne5 {1/2 Radjabov,T (2744)-Kramnik,V (2790)/Kazan 2011/CBM 143}) 14... Rxa6 15. Qe2 (15. Qd3 Rfa8 16. Rab1 axb4 17. axb4 Ra3 18. Rfc1 Bf6 19. h4 h6 20. Kg2 bxc5 21. bxc5 Qa5 22. Ne5 Nxe5 23. fxe5 Bd8 24. Rb2 Bc7 25. Qc2 Rb8 26. Rxb8+ Bxb8 27. Qb2 Bc7 28. Rc2 Qa6 29. Rc1 Qa5 30. Rc2 Qa6 31. Rc1 {1/2 Henrichs,T (2469)-Doettling,F (2585)/Baden Baden GER 2011/The Week in Chess 863}) 15... Rfa8 $6 {This move is put under doubt in the present game.} (15... Ra7 16. f5 e5 17. dxe5 bxc5 18. bxc5 Re8 (18... Bxc5 19. Na4 Re8 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 21. Qe3 d4 $2 (21... Ne4 22. Nd4 $13) 22. Qxd4 Nb3 23. Qg4 Qc8 (23... Nxa1 24. f6 g6 25. Qg5 $18) 24. Rad1 $18 {1-0 Adhiban,B (2530)-Kjartansson,G (2379)/Chennai 2011/CBM 140 Extra (29)}) 19. Qc2 $6 (19. e6 $13) 19... Bxc5 20. Na4 Bf8 21. e6 fxe6 22. fxe6 Rxe6 23. Ng5 Rg6 24. h4 Ne5 $17 {0-1 Fier,A (2583)-Ganguly,S (2631)/Jakarta INA 2011/The Week in Chess 885 (31)}) (15... Raa8 16. Rfc1 axb4 17. axb4 Bf6 18. Rab1 bxc5 19. bxc5 Ra3 20. Qb2 Rfa8 21. Kg2 g6 22. Ra1 Qa5 23. Rxa3 Qxa3 24. Qxa3 Rxa3 25. Ne2 Kf8 $11 {1/2 Dearing,E (2412)-Berry,N (2346)/Daventry ENG 2011/The Week in Chess 855 (48)}) 16. b5 (16. Rab1 axb4 17. axb4 Bf6 18. Rfc1 Ra3 19. Qe1 bxc5 20. bxc5 Qa5 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. fxe5 Bg5 23. Rc2 Bd8 $11 {1/2 Radjabov,T (2744)-Kramnik,V (2785)/Kazan 2011/CBM 143/[Marin] (39)}) 16... cxb5 17. Nxd5 $146 {[%mdl 8]} (17. c6 Qxc6 18. Nxb5 Qb7 19. Rfc1 Rc8 20. Rxc8+ Qxc8 21. Qb2 Ra8 22. Rc1 Qd8 23. Qc2 a4 24. Qc6 Nf8 25. Ne5 f6 26. Nd3 Ra5 27. Rb1 Ra8 28. Rc1 Ra5 29. Rb1 Ra8 30. Rc1 {1/2 Paikidze,N (2416)-Bulmaga,I (2293)/Chennai 2011/CBM 143 Extra}) 17... exd5 18. Qxe7 Rc8 19. Rfb1 (19. c6 Nf6 $1 (19... Qxc6 $2 20. Rac1 $18) 20. Qxc7 Rxc7 21. Rfc1 Ne4 $11 {[%CAl Ye4d6,Yd6c4]}) 19... bxc5 20. Rxb5 $14 {[%mdl 32] It looks like Black should not have any problems due to his "better" pawn structure; however, it is not better as his pawns are weak! White retains unpleasant pressure.} Re6 21. Qg5 Rb6 22. a4 $1 Rxb5 23. axb5 Nf6 24. Qf5 Ra8 25. Qb1 Qb6 (25... c4 {[%csl Gc4] may be the right option.}) 26. dxc5 Qxc5 27. Qb2 Qb6 28. Nd4 Rc8 {It was better to keep the rook on a8, behind the a-pawn.} (28... h5 $5) 29. Ra2 $1 Rc4 (29... Ra8 $142 {"taking the wrong move back"}) 30. Nc6 a4 31. Ne5 Re4 32. Kg2 Qc5 (32... h5 33. f3 $1 Re1 34. Qf2 Qxf2+ 35. Kxf2 Rb1 36. Rxa4 Rxb5 37. Ra8+ Kh7 38. Nxf7 $16) 33. Qb1 Rb4 $6 {Surprisingly, a losing move but, even more surprisingly, Black had no good defence anyway, e.g.} (33... h6 34. Rc2 Rb4 35. Qc1 Qxb5 36. Rc8+ Kh7 37. Qc2+ Re4 38. Nxf7 Ne8 $8 39. Ne5 Nf6 40. Rc7 $18 {[%csl Rh7]}) 34. Qf5 {[%CAl Ra2c2]} Qe7 (34... Rxb5 35. Rc2 Qe7 36. Rc8+ Ne8 37. Nc6 Qe1 38. Ne5 $18) (34... Rb3 35. Rc2 Rc3 36. Rxc3 Qxc3 37. b6 $18) 35. Nc6 Qe4+ 36. Qxe4 Rxe4 37. b6 Nd7 38. b7 f6 39. b8=Q+ Nxb8 40. Nxb8 Rb4 41. Nd7 Rb5 42. Rxa4 Kf7 43. Ra6 1-0 [Event "World-ch29 Karpov-Kortschnoj +6-2=10"] [Site "Merano"] [Date "1981.10.31"] [Round "11"] [White "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2650"] [BlackElo "2690"] [Annotator "Kavalek,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "1981.10.01"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "18"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [SourceTitle "MainBase"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 {Plötzlich kehrt Kortschnoj zu seiner Lieblingsfortsetzung zurück. Diese ist weniger als üblich analysiert worden, auch das ist etwas wert.} O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 {Der Zug 8.c4xd5 kann als eine rein positionelle Fortsetzung betrachtet werden, die ein Manövergefecht einleitet (Karpov-Beliavski Moskau 1981), während 8.Dc2 der Partie mehr taktischen Charakter verleiht.} Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Be7 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 d4 13. Nb3 {Alles schon dagewesen in Baguio 1978.} Qd8 {Der Rückzug 13...Db6 gibt Schwarz nicht so viele Möglichkeiten zum Gegenspiel.} 14. Be2 {Weiß droht nun mit 15.ed4: ed4: 16.Le3 den Bd4 zu gewinnen.} (14. exd4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Nb5 Bc5 17. Be3 dxe3 $5 18. Rxd8 exf2+ 19. Kd1 Rxd8+ 20. Kc1 Be3+ 21. Kb1 Rd7 {Mit guter Kompensation.}) (14. exd4 exd4 15. Be3 Qe8 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Rxd4 (17. Bxd4 {Scheint besser zu sein.}) 17... Bc5 18. Rd3 $2 Bf5) 14... a5 {Gellers Idee, um die Kontrolle über das Feld d4 durch Angriff auf den Sb3 mittels a5-a4 zu behaupten.} 15. exd4 (15. O-O a4 16. Nc1 Be6 {Faragó-Geller, Novi Sad 1979, Schwarz hatte keine Probleme .}) (15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. O-O a4 17. Nc5 Qa5 18. N3xa4 Be7 19. b4 Qc7 {Schwarz gewann den Bauern bald zurück (Kortschnoj-Hûebner Meran (6) 1980/81).}) 15... a4 $5 {Dieser Bauer wird geopfert, um das Zusammenspiel der weißen Figuren zu stören.} 16. Nxa4 {Portischs Verbesserung von Gellers Analyse, der nur die Fortsetzung 16.de5: s. Var. angab.} (16. dxe5 axb3 17. Rxd8 (17. Qxb3 $2 Nd7 {Mit Figurengewinn.}) 17... bxc2 {Mit gutem Spiel für Schwarz.}) 16... Nxd4 {Erzwungen, denn nach 16...Ta4: s. Var. steht Weiß klar besser.} (16... Rxa4 17. d5 $1 Nb8 (17... Na5 18. d6 Bxd6 19. Nc5) 18. d6 Bxd6 19. c5) 17. Nxd4 exd4 18. b3 {Kämpft um die Initiative.} (18. Nc3 Qa5 {Greift den Sc3 und den Lg5 gleichzeitig an.} 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. b4 Qe5 21. Nd5 Bf5 {Gefolgt von 22...d4-d3, jetzt gewinnt Schwarz Material.}) (18. O-O Qa5 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. b3 Bd7 {Schwarz hat keine Probleme.}) 18... Qa5+ 19. Qd2 (19. Bd2 $5 Bf5 $1 20. Qb2 Qe5 21. Bb4 Bxb4+ 22. axb4 Rfe8 23. Rxd4 Bc2 $1 {Portisch-Beljawski, Moskau 1981, Schwarz hat die besseren Aussichten. Auf 19.Dd2 wollte Beljawski 19...Df5 spielen...}) 19... Bxa3 {Aber dies war der Zug den Portisch fürchtete.} 20. Qxa5 (20. Bxf6 Bb4 $1) 20... Rxa5 21. Bxf6 Bb4+ {Dieser Zwischenzug ist sehr wichtig: Schwarz verlangsamt die Koordination der weißen Figuren am Königsflügel.} 22. Kf1 gxf6 23. Rxd4 Re5 $1 24. g4 b5 $1 25. cxb5 Bb7 26. f3 (26. Rg1 $2 Rfe8) 26... Rfe8 27. Bd1 Rxb5 28. Kg2 Kg7 29. Kf2 Ba5 30. Rf1 Re7 31. h3 h6 32. Bc2 Rc7 33. Rc4 Rxc4 34. bxc4 Rb4 35. c5 Bc6 1/2-1/2 [Event "87th Tata Steel Masters 2025"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2025.01.21"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Sarana, Alexey"] [Black "Gukesh, Dommaraju"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2677"] [BlackElo "2777"] [Annotator "Chessbase - Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "139"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [EventCountry "NED"] {[%evp 53,139,-35,-13,-40,-46,-64,0,0,-19,-15,-16,-16,-16,-22,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20,16,26,16,14,0,27,28,90,90,143,135,139,95,123,70,105,47,59,60,60,60,60,59,80,0,0,0,68,68,68,19,68,68,68,68,125,148,66,0,187,68,68,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,8,0,0,0]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. Ne5 Nxe5 8. dxe5 Nd7 9. cxd5 Nxe5 10. dxe6 $146 (10. O-O exd5 11. Nxd5 c6 (11... Bd6 12. b3 (12. Qc2 c6 13. Nc3 Qe7 14. Ne4 (14. Rd1 Rd8 15. Bf4 Be6 16. Ne4 Bf5 17. Qb3 Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Bc5 19. Qc2 Ng4 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. e3 g5 22. Bf5 gxf4 23. Bxg4 fxe3 24. Qc3+ Kg8 {Dudin,G (2533)-Hakobyan,A (2616) McAllen, TX USA 2024 ½-½ (37)}) 14... Bf5 15. Qb3 Be6 16. Qc3 Bc7 17. Bf4 Bd5 18. Rfd1 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Ng6 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. Rd4 Rad8 22. Rad1 Rfe8 23. e3 a5 24. Kg2 Nf8 {Visakh,N (2501)-Lu,M (2429) Schwaebisch Gmuend GER 2025 1-0 (45)}) 12... c6 13. Ne3 Bc5 14. Qc2 Bd4 15. Bb2 Bxb2 16. Qxb2 Qf6 17. Qc2 Ng4 18. Nc4 Rd8 19. h3 Ne5 20. Ne3 Be6 21. f4 Nd7 22. Rad1 Nb6 23. Qc5 Re8 24. Rd2 Qe7 {Wojtaszek,R (2668)-Aronian,L (2742) Douglas IOM 2023 ½-½ (66)}) 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. Bf4 Rd8 14. Qc2 Ng6 15. Be3 Be6 16. Bc5 Qc7 17. e4 b6 18. Be3 Ne5 19. b3 c5 20. Rad1 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 {½-½ (21) Lehtioksa,J (2181)-Kytoniemi,J (2204) Finland 2017}) 10... Bxe6 11. Bxb7 Rb8 12. Bg2 Qxd1+ 13. Nxd1 Nc4 14. O-O Bf6 15. Nc3 Rfd8 16. Ne4 Bxb2 17. Bxb2 Rxb2 18. Rfc1 f6 19. e3 h6 20. a4 a5 21. Rab1 Rb6 22. Nc5 Bf7 23. Rd1 Rdd6 24. h3 Kf8 25. Rdc1 Ke7 26. Ra1 Rb4 27. Rc2 Rdb6 28. Rac1 Rb1 29. Bf1 Ne5 $6 {Inaccuracy. R6b4 was best.} (29... R6b4) 30. f4 Nf3+ 31. Kf2 Rxc1 32. Rxc1 Nd2 33. Be2 c6 34. Rd1 Rb2 35. Ke1 Rc2 $1 36. Rxd2 Rxc5 37. Rb2 Be6 38. Rb7+ Kf8 39. g4 f5 40. Kd2 Rd5+ 41. Kc3 Rc5+ 42. Kd2 g5 43. Rh7 gxf4 (43... Rd5+ 44. Kc3 Rc5+ 45. Kb2 fxg4 46. hxg4 (46. Bxg4 Bxg4 47. hxg4 gxf4) (46. Rxh6 g3 $17) 46... Bc4) 44. exf4 $16 fxg4 (44... Bb3) 45. hxg4 Bb3 46. Rxh6 Bxa4 47. Rh8+ (47. Bf3 $16) 47... Ke7 48. Rh7+ (48. Ra8 $16) 48... Kd6 49. g5 Bb3 50. Bd3 a4 51. Ra7 Rd5 $6 {Inaccuracy. Kd5 was best.} (51... Kd5 52. Ke3 Rc3 53. f5 Bc4 54. Rd7+ Ke5 55. f6 a3 56. f7 Rxd3+ 57. Rxd3) 52. Kc3 $6 {Inaccuracy. Ke3 was best.} (52. Ke3) 52... Rc5+ 53. Kd2 (53. Kd4) 53... Rd5 $14 54. Ke3 Kc5 55. g6 (55. f5 $1 $14) 55... Kb6 (55... Rd8 $1) 56. Ra6+ $1 $14 Kb7 $1 57. f5 Re5+ (57... Rxd3+ $2 58. Kxd3 Kxa6 59. f6 $18) (57... Rd8 $1 $14) 58. Kf4 Rd5 59. Ke3 (59. Be2 $14) 59... Rd8 $2 {[#]} (59... Rxd3+ 60. Kxd3 Ba2 (60... Kxa6 $2 {loses.} 61. f6 $18) 61. Ra5 $18 (61. Rxa4 Bb1+ 62. Kd4 Bxf5 $18)) (59... Re5+ $1 {and Black has nothing to worry.} 60. Kf4 Rd5) 60. f6 (60. Ke4 $1 $18) 60... Rf8 $1 $14 (60... Rxd3+ 61. Kxd3 Kxa6 62. f7 $18) 61. g7 (61. f7 $14) 61... Rxf6 62. Rxa4 Bg8 $1 63. Rf4 Rxf4 64. Kxf4 c5 65. Ke5 Kc7 66. Be4 (66. Bf5 $5 c4 67. Bh3) 66... c4 $1 67. Bd5 c3 $1 68. Bxg8 c2 69. Bb3 c1=Q 70. g8=Q {1/2-1/2 wins. Precisão Lichess~Stockfish 17: Brancas 97% Pretas 97% Precisão Chess.com: Brancas 96.9% pretas 99.8%} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 81st"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2019.01.14"] [Round "3"] [White "Shankland, Samuel L"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2019.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 188"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 {The main interesting thing about this move is that it isn't ...c5.} 7. Bd3 (7. cxd5 {This appears natural, but it transpires that ...b6 isn't that much of a concession in and of itself.} Nxd5 (7... exd5 {is also played, but I believe the knight on c3 to do more work than its equivalent on f6, not least because of the a5-e1 diagonal.} 8. Ne5 $14) 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 ({Perhaps cleaner than} 8... exd5 9. Bd3 c5 {when White can choose his structure: sensible seems} 10. Ne5 {with slightly better co-ordination.}) 9. a3 Bd6 10. Bxd6 cxd6 11. Rc1 $11) 7... dxc4 8. Bxc4 Ba6 9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Qa4 {At this point, White decided to control c6 rather than e4 with the queen- it isn't feasible to do both.} (10. Qe2 $5 Qc8 11. O-O c5 12. e4 cxd4 13. Nxd4 {probably peters out after a timely minor-piece exchange from Black, but he has to set it up first.} Qb7 $6 (13... Rd8 {seems a better way to prepare ...Nd5}) 14. Rad1 (14. e5 Nd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16. Nb5 $14) 14... Rfd8 15. Bg5 h6 16. Bh4 Rd7 17. Ndb5 Rad8 18. Rxd7 Rxd7 19. e5 Ne8 20. Bxe7 Rxe7 $11 {Kuljasevic,D-Dragnev,V Le Castella 2018}) 10... Qc8 (10... Nb4 11. O-O Qe8 $1 $11 {is the computer's suggestion, when it is plausible that Black is trying to be better as well.}) 11. O-O c5 12. Rac1 Qb7 13. a3 {Preparing to restrict the a6-knight further.} Rfc8 (13... Nd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Qb5 $14 {isn't the minor-piece trade Black is looking for: the hanging pawns are a little clunky right now.}) (13... Nc7 $5 {seems a good bet for equality, setting up ...Ncd5 unless White ventures} 14. e4 $5 a6 $1 {when White's centre is under enough pressure from ...b5-b4 and ...Nb5 ideas to nearly necessitate} 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Bxc7 Qxc7 $132) 14. Nb5 {Now it seems to me that White has a small something.} Nb8 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Ne5 (16. Nd6 Bxd6 17. Bxd6 Nbd7 18. Ne5 {White's bishop is, by a small margin, the best minor piece on the board; it seems to me that he can probably press.}) 16... Nbd7 17. Nxd7 ({Now on} 17. Nd6 Bxd6 18. Nxd7 {there follows} Bxf4 (18... Be7 $6 19. Bg5 Qxb2 20. Bxf6 $14) 19. Nxf6+ gxf6 20. Qxf4 Qxb2 $1 {and White has no more than a draw.}) 17... Qxd7 18. Rfd1 Qc6 $6 (18... Qb7 {maintained equality because after} 19. Bd6 $2 {there is} a6 $1 $17) 19. Bd6 Qb7 (19... a6 20. Rxc5 $1 axb5 21. Rxc6 bxa4 22. Rxc8+ Rxc8 23. Bxe7 Nd5 24. Bd6 $14 {is an unlosable endgame for White, and a slightly treacherous one for Black.}) 20. Be5 (20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. h3 $14 {kept a slight plus due to pawn structure.}) 20... Nd5 21. Qg4 g6 22. e4 {Now the pieces are sucked off the board as if by magic.} Qxb5 (22... Ne3 23. fxe3 Qxb5 {was mildly ambitious and maybe worth a punt if Black was very keen to play a game.}) 23. exd5 exd5 24. Rxd5 Rd8 25. Rcd1 Rxd5 26. Rxd5 Qc6 27. Qd1 Re8 28. Bc3 Bf6 29. Rd6 Qxd6 30. Qxd6 Rd8 31. Qa6 (31. Qxd8+ Bxd8 32. Kf1 {is only optically better: with the king on c6 Black holds with ease.}) 31... Rd1+ 32. Qf1 Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Bxc3 34. bxc3 Kf8 35. Ke2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 26th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "1998.07.04"] [Round "8"] [White "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2690"] [BlackElo "2630"] [Annotator "Donev,Ivo Hristov"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "1998.06.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 066"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.09.30"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.09.30"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rhg1+ (17. Nd4 Qe5 18. Rhg1+ Kh8 19. exf4 Qxf4+ 20. Kb1 Rd8 $15) 17... Kh8 18. Qe4 Ng6 19. Qd4 Qb6 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Rd6 Bh3 22. Bd5 (22. Kb1 Bf5+ 23. Ka1 Be4 24. Nd2 Bc6 $13) (22. Rxb6 $6 Rfc8 23. b3 (23. Nd2 fxe3 24. fxe3 Be6 25. b3 Rxa3 $15) 23... Rxa3 24. Kb2 $15) 22... fxe3 $146 (22... Rac8+ 23. Kb1 Rcd8 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Bxb7 Bf5+ 26. Ka1 fxe3 27. fxe3 Rd3 28. Nd4 Bd7 29. Re1 f5 30. Ba6 Rd2 31. Nf3 Rf2 32. Rf1 {Vera,R-Lputian,S/Luzern WchT (CUB-ARM) 1993/[Ftacnik]/1-0 (51)}) 23. fxe3 Rac8+ 24. Kb1 Rcd8 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Bxf7 Bf5+ 27. Ka2 Be4 28. Nd4 Ne5 29. Be6 Re8 30. Bb3 Nc6 31. Nb5 Bg6 32. Re1 Na5 33. Bd5 Re5 34. Nc3 f5 35. b4 Nc6 36. Kb2 (36. Re2 Rxd5 37. Nxd5 Bf7 {[%CAl Yf7a2] Der Springer ist toedlich gefesselt.} 38. Rd2 Ne7 $19) 36... f4 $1 37. e4 Rh5 38. Bxc6 $2 {In Zeitnotphase macht der Anziehende schwere strategische Fehler. Einerseits tauscht er seinen starken Läufer fuer den gegnerischen Springer, andererseits verbessert er die gegnerische Bauernstruktur am Damenfluegel.} (38. Re2 $142 Ne5 39. Kb3 Ng4 40. Rg2 Nxh2 41. Rf2 f3 42. Bxb7 Rh3 43. Bc8 $1 $14 {Vermeidet ?g4.}) 38... Rxh2+ 39. Kb3 bxc6 $19 {Es ist offensichtlich, dass die schwarzen Figuren viel aktiver als die Weissen sind. Ausserdem ist der f-Freibauer viel gefährlicher als der weisse e-Bauer.} 40. Kc4 Bf7+ 41. Kd3 Rh3+ 42. Kd2 (42. Kd4 $4 c5+ 43. bxc5 bxc5+ $19 {und der Springer ist verloren.}) 42... Bc4 43. Na4 Rd3+ 44. Kc2 Rxa3 45. Nxb6 Bb5 {[%csl Rb6] der f- Freibauer entscheidet das Spiel.} 0-1 [Event "Grenke Chess Classic 4th"] [Site "Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden"] [Date "2017.04.21"] [Round "6"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2774"] [BlackElo "2649"] [Annotator "Mekhitarian,Krikor Sevag"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2017.04.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 178"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 {One of the many possible moves in this position. It has a solid reputation and was used repeatedly last year by Vishy Anand.} 5. Qc2 {White may play almost any move here, like ?f4, ?g5, cxd5, e3, g3. Levon chooses a flexible ?c2, keeping all the possible developments available.} ({For example} 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 (6. Bf4 $5 {also possible}) 6... c6 7. e3 Be7 {transposes to a standard QGD} 8. Qc2 Nh5 {this idea, forcing the exchange of the bishops, and preparing a further O-O-O for Black (after ...?b6), has acquired a good reputation. It's playable in many similar positions} (8... O-O 9. Bd3 Re8 10. h3 Nf8 11. g4 $5 a5 12. O-O-O $40 {1-0 (41) Yu,Y (2738)-Wang,Y (2718) China 2016}) 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. O-O-O Nb6 11. Kb1 g6 12. Bd3 Be6 {is the classical setup} (12... Bg4 $5 {Ivanchuk proves in every game why he's known as one of the most creative players in the world} 13. Rc1 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Qh4 15. Ka1 f5 16. Rhg1 Nf6 17. f4 Kf7 18. Rg2 Rae8 $13 {0-1 (40) Buhmann,R (2633)-Ivanchuk,V (2722) Germany 2016}) 13. h3 O-O-O 14. Na4 Ng7 15. Rc1 Kb8 $13 {1/2-1/2 (78) Tomashevsky,E (2722)-Inarkiev,E (2686) Sochi 2016, with a balanced position.}) 5... dxc4 $5 (5... c6 {was more solid, inviting White once again to take on d5 and enter typical QGD positions.}) 6. e4 c5 7. Bxc4 a6 $146 (7... cxd4 {until now they were following a recent Giri-Anand game from the Tal Memorial, in last October. White managed to keep a very small advantage in that game, but it wasn't enough for much:} 8. Nxd4 Bc5 9. Nb3 Bb6 10. O-O (10. Bf4 $5 O-O 11. Rd1 {was another way to try something}) 10... O-O 11. Be2 Qc7 12. Bg5 Ne5 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Rac1 Rd8 15. Na4 Qxc2 16. Rxc2 Bd7 17. Nxb6 axb6 18. Rd1 Kf8 19. a3 {?/=, ½-½ (52) Giri,A (2755)-Anand,V (2776) Moscow 2016}) 8. d5 $1 Nb6 9. Be2 exd5 10. e5 $1 {A very energetic way to try to punish Black's 7...a6.} Ne4 (10... Ng8 $5 {mentioned in the post-mortem, was the critical move. It is very counter-intuitive, but Black tries to keep his pawn up, hold his centre and doesn't concede an advantage to White right away (as in the game, after 10...?e4)} 11. a4 $1 Be6 (11... a5 $2 12. Nb5 $1 $16 {and Black has trouble developing his knight to e7 (because of ?d6+)}) 12. Ng5 (12. a5 Nd7 13. O-O Ne7 $13) 12... Ne7 13. O-O Nc6 $13 {White's position is attractive, but the outcome remains unclear, ...?d4 is coming}) 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 $14 Qd5 (12... Be7 {standard development for Black is not enough anymore, White has real pressure on the kingside} 13. O-O O-O $2 14. Rd1 Qc7 15. Ng5 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 $16 {it will be hard to defend against ?d3 (forcing g6, to weaken the dark squares).}) 13. Qf4 Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. Rd1 Qe6 16. Ng5 Qf5 17. Bf3 $5 {The bishop stands well in this diagonal when Black has already moved the pawn to c5.} (17. Ne4 $5 {was another option} Qxf4 18. Bxf4 Be6 19. Be3 $16 {followed by ?ac1.}) 17... Qxf4 18. Bxf4 Nc4 $1 {Hou finds a good way to defend actively - she will give away the bishop pair to win a pawn.} 19. b3 Bxg5 20. Bxg5 Nxe5 21. Be4 $44 Re8 22. f3 h6 23. Bh4 c4 24. bxc4 $6 (24. Bg3 $1 {threatening ?xe5 and ?d8 with mate} Nd3 25. bxc4 Nc5 26. Bd5 Be6 {White keeps the advantage, but Black develops all his pieces at least} 27. Rab1 $14) 24... Nxc4 25. Rac1 Be6 $6 (25... Ne3 $1 {as mentioned by Aronian in the post-mortem, was a great chance for Black} 26. Rd2 (26. Re1 Nf5 27. Rxc8 {is not something Black should be scared of:} (27. Bf2 Nd6 $1 $15 {Black solves the b7 problem and could even claim an advantage after ...?e6 or ...?f5}) 27... Raxc8 28. Bxf5 Rxe1+ 29. Bxe1 Rc1 30. Kf1 Ra1 31. Be4 {threatening ?d5 to hold the a2-pawn} Rxa2 32. Bxb7 a5 $11 {which should be a draw}) 26... f5 $1 {followed by ...?e6.}) 26. Bxb7 Ra7 27. Be4 $16 {With the bishop pair in this open position, White is guaranteed a big advantage. Black also has a problem on where to place his knight.} a5 28. Rd4 Ne5 29. Bg3 f6 30. a3 {Threatening moves like ?c5.} Rd7 $2 {Makes it easier for White, but the position was very unpleasant already.} (30... Bf7 31. Rc5 $16 {and most likely the a5-pawn will fall.}) 31. Bxe5 $1 {This is one of the advantages of having the bishop pair - normally you can choose the right time to give the pair away in exchange for some other strategic advantage (in this case, the creation of a serious weakness on e5).} fxe5 32. Rxd7 Bxd7 33. Rc7 Bb5 34. Rc5 Rb8 35. Rxe5 $18 {This should be hopeless, because Black's a-pawn is also problematic.} a4 36. h4 Kf7 37. Rc5 Be8 38. Bc2 Rb2 {in time trouble, Hou loses the a4-pawn, but it doesn't make much of a difference.} (38... Ra8 {is needed to defend the pawn, but it is too passive, and after slowly improving his king, White should easily win the endgame.}) 39. Rc4 Ra2 40. Bxa4 Ra1+ 41. Kh2 Bxa4 42. Rxa4 {Another great win by Levon Aronian, that guarantees him the title of the Grenke Chess Classic 2017, since he goes into the last round 1.5 points ahead of the 2nd place! He has scored two draws followed by an amazing sequence of four wins to reach 1st!} 1-0 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.31"] [Round "8"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2853"] [BlackElo "2814"] [Annotator "Wagner,Dennis"] [PlyCount "190"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200:3600+30"] {The day before Carlsen had lost an unbelievable game against Grischuk. After losing his objectivity in a completely equal position he had to suffer for a long time in an ending a pawn down. Nakamura on the other hand was outplayed by Aronian after unconvincing preparation in a Spanish line.} 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:10] I was following the live commentary where former World Champion Garry Kasparov joined Yasser Seirawan and Jennifer Shahade in the commentary room. When asked which opening he would have recommended Nakamura against Carlsen he immediately responded: King's Indian, of course!} (1... Nf6 $1 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 $1) 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:04] But instead Nakamura goes for the solid Queen's Gambit, a decent opening of course, but in the specific tournament situation I would tend to agree with Kasparov. After his loss on the previous day it would have been more unpleasant for Carlsen to face concrete problems in a sharp line, where on top of that it's easier for Nakamura to unfold his full potential.} 4. Bf4 {[%emt 0:01:23]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 5. e3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:29]} 6. a3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:22] The main point of this line is to prevent 6...?bd7, so 6...b6 is considered the right reply now, because a3 is not that useful in the b6-setup.} c5 {[%emt 0:08:20] A risky choice, because Carlsen has lots of experience in this line with both colours.} (6... b6 $1) (6... Nbd7 $6 7. Nb5 $1) 7. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 8. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:56]} 9. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Qa5 {[%emt 0:21:02]} (9... Re8 {was played by Carlsen himself in his last World Championship match with Anand.} 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Rd1 Qa5 12. Bd3 h6 13. Bh4 dxc4 14. Bxc4 a6 15. O-O b5 16. Ba2 Bb7 17. Bb1 Rad8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Ne4 Be7 20. Nc5 Bxc5 21. Qxc5 b4 $11 {1/2 (41)-1/2 (41) Anand, V (2792)-Carlsen,M (2863) Sochi 2014}) 10. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Be7 {[%emt 0:01:43]} 11. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:02:11] I wonder what went wrong with Nakamura's preparation, because this line is considered dubious already for quite a long time.} (11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nh5 {is another line, where White gets a small plus.}) 12. cxd5 {[%emt 0:01:39]} Nxc3 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 13. Qxc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (13. bxc3 $5 {seems also pleasant for White.} exd5 14. O-O Bf6 15. c4 Be6 16. Bg5 dxc4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Bxc4 Qc5 19. Rc1 Qxc4 20. Qxc4 Bxc4 21. Rxc4 $16 {1-0 (37) Giri,A (2752)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2700) Rosmalen 2014}) 13... Qxc3+ {[%emt 0:00:15]} 14. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 15. Rxd5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bxa3 {[%emt 0:04:29]} 16. Nd4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:52] A strong centralization move} Nxd4 {[%emt 0:03:50]} (16... a5 {is the other move that has been played here.} 17. Rb5 (17. Kd2 $5 a4 18. Kc2 Be7 19. Bf3 $14) 17... a4 18. Kd2 Be7 19. Ra1 Ra7 20. Bg5 f6 21. Bf4 Rd8 22. Bc7 Re8 23. Bb6 Ra8 24. Bc4+ Kf8 25. Ne6+ Bxe6 26. Bxe6 Bd6 27. Bd5 $16 {1-0 (41) Sokolov,I (2657)-Meier,G (2608) Budva 2009}) 17. exd4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} b6 {[%emt 0:05:32]} 18. Kd2 $14 {[%emt 0:03:18] It's time to make a cut and evaluate the position that has arisen. White has a protected passed pawn in the centre, while Black has one on the a-file. The White king is centralized and his other pieces are also active. Black on the other hand has an awkward piece placement. Especially his bishops are struggling to find good spots, as will also be demonstrated by the game later on. All in all White has a pretty decent and riskfree advantage, normally a dream position for our World Champion.} Be6 {[%emt 0:10:29]} 19. Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 20. Rb3 {[%emt 0:03:19]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 21. Bf3 {[%emt 0:05:04]} Ba4 {[%emt 0:06:33] The other bishop has emerged to the edge of the board.} (21... Rac8 22. Ra1 $18 {loses already a pawn!}) 22. Rb2 {[%emt 0:00:49]} Rad8 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 23. Ra1 {[%emt 0:07:42]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:06] The only way to prevent losing material, but now Black has built a cage for his own bishop.} 24. Bc6 {[%emt 0:12:46]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 25. Bb7 {[%emt 0:09:42]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 26. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:23]} a5 {[%emt 0:01:30]} 27. Bc6 {[%emt 0:00:37] logical and efficient play so far. The weak pawns are attacked and become even weaker by advancing.} Rb8 {[%emt 0:01:07]} 28. d5 $18 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Rfd8 {[%emt 0:07:30]} (28... Be5 {[%CAl Gb5b4]} 29. f4 Bf6 30. Kd3 $18 {is no better.}) 29. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:34] White is in full control!} Bf8 {[%emt 0:03:41]} 30. Bd4 {[%emt 0:01:35]} f6 {[%emt 0:01:47]} 31. Ke4 {[%emt 0:07:14]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:09:18]} 32. c4 $6 {[%emt 0:01:49] This is not the kind of technical play to which we are accustomed from Magnus. Although this is winning there was no need to hurry.} ({Instead the position could have been improved slowly but surely with e.g.} 32. g3 $5 $18 {[%CAl Gf2f4] intending to improve the position to the maximum, before c4 is carried out. Black can't do anything.}) 32... Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 33. Ba7 {[%emt 0:04:40]} f5+ $1 {[%emt 0:06:37] Nakamura is always capable of finding some tricks to create problems for his opponent.} 34. Kf3 {[%emt 0:01:41]} Rbc8 {[%emt 0:02:42]} 35. cxb5 {[%emt 0:05:04]} Bxb5 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 36. Bxb5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 37. Rab1 {[%emt 0:01:20]} (37. Rba2 Bxa1 38. Rxa1 Rxd5 39. Rxa5 $1 Kf8 40. Bb6 Rb8 41. Bc4 Rxa5 42. Bxa5 $18 {should be winning for White, but there is still some technical work ahead of him. I give a sample line to illustrate how play may continue. White has to display some accuracy to break down Black's defence.} g6 43. Bd2 Kg7 44. Bc3+ Kf8 45. Ke3 Rc8 46. Kd4 Re8 47. g3 Kg7 48. h4 Kh6 49. Bb5 Re6 50. Kd5 Re7 51. Kd6 Rb7 (51... Re4 52. f3 $1 $18 {pretty domination!}) 52. Be2 Ra7 53. Bd4 Ra4 54. Be3+ Kg7 55. Bb5 Re4 56. Bc6 Rb4 57. Ke7 Rc4 58. Bd5 Ra4 59. Bd2 Ra3 60. Bb4 Ra7+ 61. Ke8 h5 (61... Ra6 62. Bc3+ Kh6 63. Kf8 $18) 62. Bc3+ Kh6 63. Kf8 Rc7 64. Bd4 Rc8+ 65. Kf7 Kh7 66. Be3 Rc3 67. Kf6 Ra3 68. Kg5 Ra6 69. Bf4 Rb6 70. Bf7 Kg7 71. Bc4 Kh7 72. Be5 Rb7 73. f3 Ra7 74. Kf6 Kh6 (74... Rb7 75. Bf7 Rb6+ 76. Kg5 $18) 75. Bc3 Rc7 76. Bd2+ Kh7 77. Bf7 Rc6+ 78. Kg5 Kg7 (78... f4 79. Bxf4 (79. g4 $5 $18) 79... Kg7 80. Bxg6 Rxg6+ 81. Kxh5 $18) 79. Be8 $18 Ra6 80. Bc3+ Kh7 81. Bf6 $18) 37... Bxb2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 38. Rxb2 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Rxd5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 39. Be3 $2 {[%emt 0:00:40] This doesn't make any sense. Maybe Magnus just blundered 39...?b8, because afterwards I saw him shaking his head in frustration on the livestream.} (39. Ba4 $1 $18 {It's obvious that White should prevent a rook exchange.} Rc3+ 40. Ke2 Re5+ 41. Kd2 Rc8 42. Rb7 Kf8 43. Be3 Rc4 44. Bb3 Rb4 45. Rxb4 axb4 46. Kd3 $18) 39... Rb8 {[%emt 0:01:21]} 40. Bc4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxb2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Bxd5+ {[%emt 0:00:12]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:00] White could have achieved the same position without the black a-pawn! Although he has still winning chances this makes quite a huge difference. Especially from a psychological point of view White's chances of success have dramatically decreased.} 42. Bd4 {[%emt 0:05:06]} Rb1 {[%emt 0:05:54]} 43. Ke2 {[%emt 0:12:22]} a4 {[%emt 0:02:20]} 44. g3 {[%emt 0:00:56]} a3 {[%emt 0:08:56]} 45. Kd2 {[%emt 0:01:21]} h5 {[%emt 0:02:29]} 46. h4 {[%emt 0:06:57]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:01:18]} 47. Bc4 {[%emt 0:09:31]} g6 {[%emt 0:09:32]} 48. Kc2 {[%emt 0:04:30]} Re1 {[%emt 0:05:08]} (48... Rb8 $5 {It's not clear how White makes progress against this setup either. The rook cuts the king from the a-pawn.}) 49. Be3 {[%emt 0:02:43]} (49. Kb3 $2 a2 $19) (49. Bc5 f4 $1 50. Bxa3 (50. gxf4 Re4) 50... fxg3 51. fxg3 Re8 {is like the game.}) 49... f4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:33] a good pawn exchange!} 50. Bxf4 {[%emt 0:07:23]} (50. gxf4 Rh1 $132) 50... a2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 51. Bxa2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Re2+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} 52. Kb3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Rxf2 {[%emt 0:00:04] This is already a convincing fortress! A major problem for White is that Black sometimes has the possibility to sacfrice his rook for the dark-squared bishop if he manages to exchange g-pawns afterwards.} 53. Bb1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Re2 {[%emt 0:01:01]} 54. Kc4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 55. Kd5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Re1 {[%emt 0:04:59]} 56. Bc2 {[%emt 0:01:14]} Re2 {[%emt 0:01:53]} 57. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Re1 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 58. Be4 {[%emt 0:02:03]} (58. Be5+ Kh7 59. Ke6 {White cannot make progress this way, because Black can solve his problems radically:} Kh6 $1 60. Kf6 Rxe5 $1 61. Kxe5 g5 $1 $11 62. hxg5+ Kxg5 63. Be2 h4 64. g4 h3 $11) 58... Rd1+ {[%emt 0:01:31]} 59. Ke5 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Re1 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 60. Bd2 {[%emt 0:01:04]} Re2 {[%emt 0:02:01]} 61. Bc3 {[%emt 0:01:04]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:01:01]} 62. Bb4 {[%emt 0:01:57]} Rf2 {[%emt 0:01:25] White is unable to cross the f-file.} 63. Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 64. Bb4 {[%emt 0:01:29]} Rf2 {[%emt 0:01:16]} 65. Be7 {[%emt 0:02:02]} Rf1 {[%emt 0:01:21]} 66. Bf6 {[%emt 0:04:15]} Rg1 {[%emt 0:01:52]} 67. Bg5+ {[%emt 0:02:29]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 68. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:45]} Re1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 69. Kd5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Rd1+ {[%emt 0:01:22]} 70. Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Re1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 71. Ke5 {[%emt 0:00:07] I think about here Nakamura claimed a draw on a three-fold-repetition. The position has indeed been reached for a third time, but while now it's Black´s turn to move, in the earlier versions it was White to move. So after adding some extra time to Magnus' clock the game continued.} Re2 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 72. Kd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Re1 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 73. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:02:41]} 74. Kd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 75. Be3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra1 {[%emt 0:03:14]} 76. Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra4+ {[%emt 0:03:16]} 77. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Ra3 {[%emt 0:00:34]} 78. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Rb3 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 79. Be8 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Rb1 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 80. Bc6 {[%emt 0:02:12]} Rb4 {[%emt 0:01:10]} 81. Bd2 {[%emt 0:02:24]} Rb6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 82. Bc3+ {[%emt 0:00:20]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 83. Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rb1 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 84. Kf4 {[%emt 0:01:26]} Rf1+ {[%emt 0:02:44]} 85. Ke5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Rg1 {[%emt 0:04:57]} 86. Bd2+ {[%emt 0:04:47]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 87. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Re1+ {[%emt 0:00:23]} 88. Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:20]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 89. Bf3 {[%emt 0:04:34] This allows Black to end his suffering:} (89. Bc6 Rd1+ $11) 89... Kf5 $1 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 90. Kd5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Rf1 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 91. Be4+ {[%emt 0:01:04]} Kg4 {[%emt 0:00:50]} 92. Bxg6 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Rxf4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 93. gxf4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kxf4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 94. Bxh5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 95. Bd1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kxh4 {Very tenacious defence by Nakamura and another disappointment for Carlsen. In my opinion it's only a matter of time, till Carlsen finds back his form. In an interview during this game Garry Kasparov was asked whom he saw as the biggest threat to Carlsen recently. His answer was telling: Magnus Carlsen!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1981.04.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2690"] [BlackElo "2620"] [Annotator "Belov,Igor"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1981.04.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "URS"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Nc6 (7... Bxc5 $142 8. cxd5 (8. Be2 $5) 8... Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 $10) 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Be2 Bxc5 10. O-O Be6 11. Rc1 (11. Ne5 Bd6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Qa4 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 c5 15. b3 $14 {Mikhalchishin,A-Beliavsky,A/URS/1981/1:0 (37) Inf 31/452/}) (11. Bg5 Be7 12. Nd4 h6 13. Bh4 Rc8 14. Rc1 $14) (11. Nb5 a6 12. Nbd4 Qb6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Qc2 $14 {Meduna,E-Abramovic,B/Moscow/1982/}) 11... Bb6 12. Qa4 $5 (12. Ne5 d4 $5 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. exd4 Qxd4 15. Qxd4 Bxd4 $10 {Knezevic,M-Rukavina,J/YUG(ch)/1981/}) 12... Bd7 (12... Qe7 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 Rac8 16. Nb5 $14 {Seirawan,Y-Byrne,R/USA(ch)/1981/}) 13. Rfd1 Nd4 (13... d4 $2 14. exd4 Nxd4 15. Rxd4 $18) 14. Qb4 Nxe2+ (14... a5 15. Qa3 Nxe2+ 16. Nxe2 Bg4 17. Ned4 $14 {Gheorghiu,F-Soylu,S/Athens/1981/1:0 (34) Inf 32/500/}) 15. Nxe2 Bg4 16. Ned4 Ne4 (16... Bxd4 17. Qxd4 (17. Rxd4) 17... Bxf3 18. gxf3 $16) 17. h3 Be6 18. Rc2 $1 $14 {? ?dc1/} Rc8 19. Rdc1 Rxc2 20. Rxc2 h6 $6 (20... Re8 $142) 21. a4 $1 {× b7/} Re8 $6 (21... a5 $5 22. Qb5 Nd6 23. Qd3 Ne4 $14) 22. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 (22... Rxe6 23. a5) 23. a5 $1 Bxa5 24. Qxb7 $16 Bb6 25. Ne5 Nd6 (25... Re7 26. Qa6 Rc7 27. Nc6 $18) 26. Qc6 Re7 27. Qa4 $1 Rc7 28. Rxc7 Qxc7 29. Nd3 $1 Qe7 (29... Qc4 30. Qd7 $1 Qxd3 31. Qxe6+ Nf7 32. Qe8+ $18) 30. Bxd6 $1 Qxd6 31. Qe8+ Kh7 32. Nf4 $18 e5 (32... d4 33. Qg6+ Kg8 34. Nxe6 Qd7 35. Nxd4 $1 Bxd4 36. Qd3 $18) 33. Ne6 Bc5 34. Qf7 (34. Qf7 Qe7 35. Qf5+ Kg8 36. Qxe5 $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "Groningen"] [Date "1997.12.19"] [Round "4.3"] [White "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2710"] [BlackElo "2660"] [Annotator "Short,Nigel D"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "1997.12.09"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "CBM 063"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Donev} e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 {In the first game of the match I had been somewhat over-exuberant in my choice of opening. Although my defeat in that wild encounter was not directly attributable to the initial moves, I was unable to solve the difficult problems which my opponent continually threw in my direction. Fortunately, my victory in the second game had given me another breath. It was natural, therefore, that here I should prefer something more solid and familiar.} 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. b4 Be7 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 {Donev: Auf dem Brett ensteht eine von die Populerste Mittelspiel Bauernstrukturen - Der Isolierte Damenbauer! Die dynamische Kraft des isolierten Damenbauern besteht aus folgenden Faktoren: a) Die offenen oder halboffenen Linien c und e und die Beherrschung der Zentralfelder und (c4 und e4 für Schwarz) sichern mehr Raum und eine bequemere und etwas schnellere Entwicklung. (Weiß hat noch nicht rochiert) b) Kontrolle über das starke Feld e4, daß von einem Springer besetzt werden kann, und das Raumübergewicht schaffen gute Königsangriffsmöglichkeiten im Mittelspiel. c) Der Isolani hat eine innere ?Expansionslust? (Nimzowitsch). Sein Vorrücken im passenden Augenblick kann sehr günstige taktische Möglichkeiten schaffen,oder eine Freibauern besorgen.Genau diese Plan wird von Short in dieser Partie Musterhaft benützt.} 12. Bd3 {Beliavsky is aiming for a pull. Black's main difficulty is to decide where to put his pieces and in particular what to do with the potentially vulnerable d-pawn. I think that I found a satisfactory set-up.} Bf6 13. Rc1 a6 {b5 must be prevented. Donev: Verhindert b4-b5 und befestigt damit den ?c6.} 14. O-O Re8 {Flexible, preserving the option the bishop on g4 or e6. Schwarz spielt sehr schlau. Der Turm ist sowieso auf der e Linie nützlich, und für den Läufer c8 sind noch offen die Optionen ?g4 oder ?e6.} 15. Bb1 g6 16. Ba2 Be6 17. Qd3 {Donev: Bereitet ?fd1 vor.} d4 {Equalising comfortably.} 18. Bxe6 Rxe6 19. e4 {The only way to keep some tension in the position. Donev: Die einzige Möglichkeit, daß die Stellung nicht zu verflachen droht. Die anderen Fortsetzungen führen glatt zu Ausgleich.} (19. Rfd1 {Donev} dxe3 20. Bxe3 $11) (19. exd4 {Donev} Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Qxd4 21. Qxd4 Bxd4 $11) 19... Qe7 20. Nd2 {White's plan is 21.Bg3 followed by f4. Had I been more ambitiously inclined I would have given greater consideration here to 20...g5!? After 21.Bg3 Rd8 black is nicely situated. Donev: Der Plan des Anziehenden besteht nun in ?g3 nebst f2-f4 um seine Bauernmehrheit am Königsflügel auszunützen.} Be5 21. Bg3 (21. Bxe5 Nxe5 22. Qxd4 Rd8 23. Qe3 Rd3 {Only led to dull equality which Beliavsky was striving to avoid. White must be careful not to fall for} 24. Qh6 $4 (24. Qe2 {Donev} Rxa3 $11) 24... g5 $1 {after which he loses a piece.}) 21... Bxg3 22. hxg3 Ne5 23. Qb3 $2 {[%csl Yd4] A very risky decision. It should be remembered that the d-pawn can be immensely strong when supported by active black pieces. Donev: Ein sehr riskanter Zug. Besser wäre den gefährlichen d-Bauern zu nehmen, wir werden später sehen, was für eine wichtige Rolle der d4 Bauer in dieser Partie spielen wird.} (23. Qxd4 $142 {Donev} Rd8 24. Qc3 Rc6 25. Qe3 Rd3 $11) 23... Rd8 24. Rc5 d3 25. Rfc1 Nc6 26. Kf1 {Avoiding a potentially nasty fork on e2.} Red6 27. Qc3 R6d7 28. Re1 Qe6 29. Qc4 {Heading for an endgame which I could have avoided had I chose (29...Qg4 30.e5 Rd4). However black has no need to fear anything due to the presence of rooks.} Qxc4 30. Rxc4 Nd4 {Donev: Die beiden Springer haben unterschiedliche Bedeutungen. Der Weiße steht passiv und muß den starken d3 Bauer blockieren, der Schwarze ist ausgezeichnet im Zentrum plaziert und droht mit ?c2.} 31. Rb1 ({Donev: Weiß hat keine Zeit für} 31. g4 {Donev weil nach} Nc2 32. Rc1 Nxa3 $19 {einen Bauer ohne Kompensation verlieren würde.}) 31... h5 $1 32. a4 b5 33. axb5 axb5 34. Rc3 Nc2 {The knight proves to be a real nuisance on this square.} 35. f3 Rd4 $6 (35... Ra7 $1 {was probably already decisive. The penetration down on a2 is impossible to prevent.}) 36. Kf2 Ra8 37. Rb2 Ra4 $6 (37... Ra1 $1) 38. Rc5 Ra1 $1 (38... Raxb4 {Donev} 39. Rxb5 Rxb2 40. Rxb2 Kg7 $11) 39. Rd5 (39. Rxb5 Re1 {is crushing.}) 39... Rd1 $2 (39... Re1 $1 40. Rxd4 Re2+ 41. Kg1 Nxd4 {would have left white without hope of survival.} (41... Nxd4 {Donev} 42. Ra2 Kg7 $19)) 40. Nb1 $1 Rxb4 {} 41. Rxb4 $2 {The final mistake. White had to play} (41. Rxb5 $1 {when} d2 {is met strongly by} 42. Nc3 $1 {A draw would then be in prospect.} ({not} 42. Ke2 $2 Rxb1) (42. Nc3 $1 {Donev} Rxb5 43. Rxb5 Rc1 44. Rb8+ Kg7 45. Ke2 Rg1 $15)) 41... Nxb4 42. Rd8+ (42. Nc3 {Donev} Rd2+ 43. Ke3 Rxg2 44. Rxb5 Nc2+ 45. Kxd3 (45. Kf4 d2 $19) 45... Ne1+ 46. Ke3 Rxg3 $19) 42... Kg7 43. Nc3 Rd2+ 44. Ke3 (44. Kg1 Nc2 45. Nxb5 Ne3 $19 {[%csl Yg2] would not have helped.}) 44... Rxg2 45. Nxb5 Rxg3 46. Nd6 Nc6 $6 (46... Rg2 {would have ended the excitement.}) 47. Ne8+ Kf8 48. Rc8 Ne5 49. Kf4 $6 (49. Nc7+ $1 Kg7 50. Kf4 {[%csl Ye5,Yg3]} Rg1 (50... Rxf3+ $3 {Donev} 51. Kxe5 h4 $19) 51. Ne8+ $1 Kh6 52. Rd8 {and the resistence continues.}) 49... d2 50. Rd8 d1=Q 51. Rxd1 Rxf3+ 52. Kxe5 Kxe8 53. Ra1 Kf8 0-1 [Event "Czerniak Memorial 15th"] [Site "Tel Aviv"] [Date "1999.04.04"] [Round "5"] [White "Alterman, Boris"] [Black "Lutz, Christopher"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2615"] [BlackElo "2610"] [Annotator "Alterman,Boris"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "1999.03.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ISR"] [EventCategory "10"] [SourceTitle "CBM 071"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 d4 13. Nb3 Qd8 14. Be2 a5 15. Na4 g6 16. Bxf6 (16. exd4 Bf5 17. Qc1 exd4 18. O-O Re8 19. Rfe1 {N} (19. Bf3) (19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 Ng4 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. Rg3 Qh4 23. Rh3 Qf6 24. Nb6 Rad8 25. Nd5 Qe5 26. Nc5 $16 {Giorgadze,G-Levin,F/Naleczow op 1989/EXT 89op2/1-0 (62)}) 19... Rc8 20. Be3 $2 dxe3 21. Rxd8 exf2+ 22. Kxf2 Bxd8 23. Kg1 Ne5 $17 {0-1 Huebner,R-Short,N/Tilburg 1988/Inf 46}) 16... Bxf6 17. c5 {[%csl Gb6]} (17. O-O Qc7 (17... Bg7 {N} 18. c5 Qh4 19. e4 Be6 20. Bd3 f5 21. Nd2 Rf7 22. Rde1 Raf8 23. Nc4 fxe4 24. Rxe4 Qg5 25. h4 Qe7 26. Nd6 Rf4 27. Bc4 Bxc4 28. Qxc4+ Kh8 29. g3 Rf3 30. Nb6 Bh6 31. Nd5 Qe6 32. Kg2 b5 $40 {0-1 Shneider,A-Kruppa,Y/Podolsk GMA-qual 1989/EXT 89 (38)}) 18. c5 Be6 (18... dxe3 $5 $13) 19. e4 Bg5 (19... Ne7 $8 20. Nd2 (20. Bc4 $5 Bxc4 21. Qxc4 Qc6 22. Nb6 Ra6 23. Nd5 Rd8 $8 24. Nxf6+ Qxf6 25. f4 exf4 26. Nxd4 $14) 20... Bg5 $1 21. Nf3 Bh6 22. Bc4 $6 (22. Nb6 Rad8 23. b4 axb4 24. axb4 Kh8 25. h3 $1 {? ?c4?}) 22... Bg4 $1 23. Rd3 Kh8 $132 { ½-½ Ftacnik,L-Kotronias,V/Thessaloniki (ol) 1988/Inf 46/[Kotronias,V] (30)}) 20. Bc4 Rac8 21. Rfe1 Kh8 22. Nd2 Bxd2 {½-½ Ftacnik,L-Ubilava,E/Belgrade GMA 1988/TD 88\07}) 17... Bf5 $6 (17... Be6 18. e4 Qe8 19. Nb6 a4 20. Nd2 Ra5 21. Bd3 Be7 22. Nxa4 Nb8 23. b3 Bxb3 24. Nxb3 Rxa4 25. Ra1 Qc6 26. O-O Nd7 27. Qe2 Nxc5 28. Rfc1 Ra7 29. Nxc5 Bxc5 30. a4 Qd6 31. Qa2 b6 32. Qb3 $17 {0-1 Alterman,B-Kasparov,G/ISR vs Kasparov sim, Tel Aviv ISR (2.1) 1998 (50)}) (17... Bg7 18. O-O Qh4 19. e4 Be6 20. Nb6 (20. Bd3) (20. Bd3 Bh6 21. Nd2 Bg4 22. Rde1 Bf4 23. g3 Qh5 24. gxf4 Bf3 25. Nxf3 Qg4+ $11 {Shneider,A; Gurevich,V}) 20... Rad8 21. Bc4 Bh6 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Qd3 Rf7 24. Nc4 Rdf8 25. g3 Qh5 26. Qc2 {} Rxf2 $1 $19 {0-1 Ostenstad,B-Boensch,U/Novi Sad olm 1990/TD 90\06 (40)}) 18. e4 Be6 19. O-O Qe8 20. Nc1 {[%CAl Gc1d3][%mdl 52]} (20. Nb6 a4 21. Nd2 Ra5 22. Ndc4 (22. Nbc4 Bxc4) 22... Bxc4 (22... Rxc5 23. Nxa4) 23. Bxc4 Nd8 $14) 20... Bd8 (20... d3 21. Qxd3 (21. Bxd3 Nd4) 21... Nd4 22. Nc3 Rd8 $44 {[%csl Gb3][%CAl Gd8d1,Ge8c6,Rd4e2]}) 21. Bc4 Bg4 22. Rde1 Bc7 23. Nd3 Kg7 24. Bd5 Rb8 25. Nb6 $1 Qe7 (25... Bxb6 26. cxb6 Rc8 27. Qd2 $16) 26. Qa4 $6 (26. Qd2 $1 {[%CAl Gd2h6,Gd2a5,Rf2f4]} Bxb6 27. cxb6 Bd7 28. f4 $16) 26... Bxb6 27. cxb6 Bd7 28. Bxc6 Bxc6 29. Qxa5 Ra8 $1 30. Qd2 (30. Qxe5+ Qxe5 31. Nxe5 Bb5 32. Rd1 Bxf1 33. Kxf1 $44) 30... Bb5 31. f4 Bxd3 32. Qxd3 Rac8 33. Rc1 Rxc1 34. Rxc1 Qf6 35. fxe5 Qxb6 36. b4 Rd8 37. h3 Qe6 38. Rc5 b6 39. Rb5 Qc6 40. a4 Rd7 41. a5 (41. Kh2 $14) 41... bxa5 42. bxa5 Qa6 43. Kh2 Rb7 44. Rb3 Qxd3 45. Rxd3 Ra7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 3rd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2015.08.28"] [Round "6"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2771"] [BlackElo "2808"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2015.08.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Ne4 {Not the most common move here but still seen in dozens of games and recently gaining popularity. It was examined in detail in my annotations to Topalov-Giri (CBM 151) but a number of games have been played and annotated since then.} 8. a3 $146 {This new move is hardly dangerous for Black but at least spoils his preparation.} (8. Nxe4 {- see Eljanov-Andreikin in CBM 167}) (8. Rc1 {- Giri-Caruana, CBM 166}) (8. Qc2 f5 {- Sjugirov-Jojua, CBM 166} {It is essential that} 9. Nb5 c6 10. Nc7 $2 {doesn't work due to} e5 $1 11. Ne6 Qa5+) 8... Nxc3 {An obvious exchange, after which 8.a3 is just a loss of a tempo. However, White's b-pawn moves towards the centre, ready to undermine it with c3-c4.} ({White's main idea is that after} 8... f5 9. Nb5 c6 10. Nc7 {is quite possible as} e5 {doesn't work due to} 11. Ne6 Qa5+ 12. b4) ({Black has a lot of other moves, which may be tested in future:} 8... b6) (8... c6 {etc.}) 9. bxc3 c6 (9... b6 10. c6 Nb8 (10... Nf6 {is hardly good as White's c6 pawn can't be easily eliminated after, say,} 11. Bd3) 11. Qa4 Bd6 {deserves attention, with mutual chances, e.g.} 12. Bg3 Bxg3 13. hxg3 Qd6 14. Bd3 h6 15. g4 Nxc6 16. g5 $44) 10. Qa4 {Preventing 10...b6.} g5 $1 {White's queen has moved to the queenside so Black starts counterplay on the kingside and in the centre.} 11. Bg3 f5 12. h3 f4 13. Bh2 e5 $1 14. Be2 e4 15. Nd2 Nxc5 $1 {[%mdl 512]} 16. dxc5 Bxc5 $44 {Black has sacrificed a piece to support his pawn avalanche. However, the main drawback of his position is poor development (?a8 and ?c8).} 17. O-O $6 {This is risky but awkward moves like} (17. Bg1 {are hardly promising.}) 17... b5 $2 (17... fxe3 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Qb3+ (19. Qc4+ Qd5) 19... Kg7 20. Be5+ Kg6 {, and White's compensation for the material advantage is under doubt. It is unclear what Alexander Grischuk had in mind in that case.}) 18. Qb3 Qe7 (18... fxe3 19. Nxe4 $16) 19. Kh1 $16 {[%csl Rg8][%mdl 32] Black's king is weak so he has no sufficient compensation for the piece.} Be6 (19... fxe3 20. fxe3 Be6 $1 (20... Bxe3 21. Rxf8+ Kxf8 (21... Qxf8 22. Nxe4) 22. Rf1+ Kg8 23. c4 $1 Bxd2 24. cxd5 $18 {?}) 21. a4 $16 {- below}) 20. a4 (20. exf4 $5 gxf4 21. Qb2 {[%CAl Yd2b3]}) 20... d4 (20... fxe3 21. fxe3 Bxe3 22. Rxf8+ Rxf8 23. Nf1 {[%CAl Rf1e3,Ra4b5]} bxa4 (23... d4 24. Qd1 Bf2 25. cxd4) 24. Qxa4 Bb6 25. Qxc6 Rc8 26. Qb5 Rxc3 27. Rd1 $16 {[%CAl Ye2g4] Due to the unsafe position of his king, Black can't make use of his central pawns.}) 21. Qd1 (21. Qb2 d3 22. Bh5 {[%CAl Rd2e4,Ra4b5] was even stronger.}) 21... d3 22. Bg4 Bd5 (22... Bxg4 23. Qxg4 fxe3 24. fxe3 Bxe3 25. Qxe4 Qxe4 26. Nxe4 Rxf1+ 27. Rxf1 bxa4 28. Rd1 a3 29. Rxd3 Rf8 30. Rd1 $18) 23. axb5 cxb5 24. Nb3 fxe3 (24... Bb6 25. Nd4) 25. Nxc5 Qxc5 {?} 26. fxe3 Qxe3 27. Re1 ({Of course, finding something like} 27. Bd6 Rf2 28. Bc8 $3 Rxc8 (28... Rxf1+ 29. Qxf1 Rxc8 30. Qf5) 29. Rxf2 Qxf2 30. Qg4 {is impossible over the board but the line brilliantly demonstrates the strength of White's bishops.}) 27... Qf2 28. Bg1 Qf7 (28... Qf6 29. Bc5 $1) 29. Qd2 Qg6 (29... h6 30. Ra6 Kh7 {is hopeless enough but the text move allows a nice finale.}) 30. Ra6 $1 Rf6 (30... Qxa6 31. Qxg5+ Qg6 32. Qxd5+ Kg7 33. Bd4+ Kh6 34. Rxe4 $18) 31. Rea1 {It is a pity that White misses} (31. Rxf6 Qxf6 32. Rf1 $1 ({or} 32. Rxe4 $1 Bxe4 33. Qa2+ Kf8 34. Bc5+ Kg7 35. Bd4 $18) 32... Qxf1 {(to queen retreats White plays 33.?f5)} 33. Qxg5+ Kf8 34. Qxd5 Re8 35. Bh5 {with a decisive attack. The text move doesn't spoil anything, though.}) 31... Re8 (31... h6 32. Rxa7 Rxa7 33. Rxa7 $18) 32. Rxf6 Qxf6 33. Rxa7 h6 34. Be3 Qe5 35. Qe1 Bc4 36. Bd4 Qf4 37. Be3 Qe5 38. Bd4 Qf4 39. Rg7+ Kf8 40. Qa1 b4 (40... b4 41. cxb4 $18 {[%CAl Rd4c5]}) 1-0 [Event "London Classic 11th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2019.12.04"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2775"] [Annotator "Edouard,Romain"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2019.12.02"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "2"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "CBM 194"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2020.01.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O {The best move order.} a6 (8... c5 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bxc4 Qxd1 11. Rfxd1 b6 12. Bd6 Bxd6 13. Rxd6 Bb7 14. Rad1 $36 {1-0 (67) Ding Liren (2811)-Firouzja,A (2702) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) (8... Nb6 9. Ne5 (9. e4 $5) 9... Nfd5 10. Bg3 $14) 9. a4 Nd5 (9... c5 10. d5 $1 {This explains why White starts with 8.0-0.} exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Qxd5 Nf6 13. Qxd8 (13. Qe5 $5) 13... Rxd8 14. Bc7 Rd7 15. Ba5 {That endgame is known to be a little unpleasant for Black.} Rd6 (15... b5 16. Ne5 Rd5 17. Bf3 Be6 18. Bxd5 Nxd5 19. Nc6 Bf8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rfd1 $16 {0-1 (37) Jumabayev,R (2630)-Andreikin,D (2741) Khanty-Mansiysk 2019}) (15... Bd8 $5 $146 {might be a good novelty.}) 16. Ne5 b6 17. Bc3 Bb7 18. Nxc4 Re6 19. Rfd1 Ne4 20. Be1 Nf6 21. Bc3 Ne4 22. Be5 $1 b5 23. Bg4 Rg6 24. Rd7 Rxg4 25. Rxb7 bxc4 26. Rxe7 $16 {1-0 (31) Cheparinov,I (2670)-Bacrot,E (2671) Linares 2019}) 10. Bxc4 Nxf4 11. exf4 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 (12... Nxc5 13. Ne5 (13. Qe2 $5) 13... Nd7 14. Nxf7 $1 $146 (14. Qe2 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Bd7 16. Bd3 Bc6 17. Rfd1 Qc7 18. Be4 Rfd8 19. Bxc6 {½-½ (19) Fedorovsky,M (2478)-Feldmann,J (2208) Munich 2017}) 14... Rxf7 (14... Kxf7 $2 15. Bxe6+ $1 Kxe6 16. Qd5+ Kf6 17. Qh5 $3 $18 {Without this last move, Black wins!}) 15. Bxe6 Nf6 16. Bxf7+ Kxf7 17. Qb3+ Be6 18. Qxb7 {and Black's position is unpleasant.}) 13. Qe2 b6 14. Rad1 Qe7 15. Rfe1 g6 16. Nd5 Qd8 17. Ng5 $1 {How inspired!} exd5 $5 (17... Nf6 $1 {was the best and most solid option. For example:} 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. g3 Bb7 20. Rd7 Bc6 21. Rc7 Bxa4 22. b3 Bb5 23. Bxb5 axb5 24. Ne4 Qg7 25. Nxc5 bxc5 26. Rxc5 b4 {and Black is close to making a draw.}) 18. Bxd5 Ra7 $2 {Tough decision - wrong choice!} (18... Rb8 $1 19. b4 $1 Bxb4 20. Bxf7+ Rxf7 21. Nxf7 Qf8 22. Ng5 ({If} 22. Nd6 {as in the game, after} Bxe1 {the c8-bishop is no longer hanging! And this makes all the difference.}) 22... Bxe1 23. Qe6+ Kh8 24. Rxd7 Bxd7 25. Qe5+ ({Funnily,} 25. Qxd7 {also holds:} Bxf2+ 26. Kf1 $8 (26. Kh1 $4 Qg7 27. Nf7+ Kg8 28. Nh6+ Kf8 $1 29. Qd6+ Qe7 30. Qxb8+ Kg7 $19) 26... Qg7 27. Nf7+ Kg8 28. Nh6+ Qxh6 29. Qe6+ Kh8 30. Qe5+ $11) 25... Kg8 26. Qd5+ {and White has a perpetual check.}) 19. b4 $1 Bxb4 20. Bxf7+ Rxf7 21. Nxf7 Qf8 (21... Kxf7 22. Qc4+ $18) 22. Nd6 $3 {Pure brillancy.} (22. Qc4 {would allow} b5 $1 $13) (22. Ng5 $2 Bxe1 23. Qc4+ Kh8 $17) 22... Bxd6 $2 (22... Bxe1 {was necessary:} 23. Qc4+ Kg7 24. Nxc8 Bxf2+ ({or} 24... Ne5 25. Qd4 Bxf2+ 26. Kxf2 {transposing}) 25. Kxf2 Ne5 26. Qd4 Qxc8 27. Qxe5+ Kh6 $1 {and Black may survive.}) 23. Qe6+ Kg7 $6 (23... Qf7 24. Qxd6 Nf8 25. Qxb6 $16) 24. Rxd6 Rc7 25. g3 $5 (25. Rc6 Rxc6 26. Qxc6 Nf6 27. Qxb6 $16) 25... Qf7 $4 (25... b5 $1 26. axb5 axb5 27. Rc6 Rxc6 28. Qxc6 Nf6 29. Qxb5 {and Black will suffer but does have drawing chances.}) 26. Rc6 $1 {Cool, beautiful and brilliant! White wins.} Rxc6 (26... Qxe6 27. Rexe6 Rxc6 28. Rxc6 Bb7 29. Rc7 $18) 27. Qxc6 Qf8 28. Rc1 Nc5 29. Qxb6 Ne6 30. Qc6 Nd4 31. Qc7+ (31. Qxc8 Ne2+ 32. Kf1 {would also win, but Ding's move is stronger.}) 31... Kh6 (31... Qf7 32. Qe5+ $18) 32. Qxc8 Qe7 33. Rd1 Nf3+ 34. Kg2 Qe4 35. Kh3 Nd4 ({Black lost on time playing his last move, but it's mate in two anyway:} 35... Nd4 36. Qf8+ Kh5 37. g4#) 1-0 [Event "Belgrade Investbank"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Gurevich, Mikhail"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2630"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Gurevich,Mikhail"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1991.11.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 027"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1992.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1992.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Qf6 13. b4 Bf5 14. b5 Nd4 15. Bxf5 Nxf3+ 16. Qxf3 Qxf5 17. a4 $1 {TN} (17. Rfd1 d4 $1 18. exd4 Qxb5 19. Qxb7 Rad8 $10) 17... Rfd8 $6 (17... Rac8 $32 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. a5 Bc5 20. Rac1 $14) 18. a5 Bc5 19. Bc7 $1 Qxf3 20. gxf3 Rd7 21. b6 $16 {[? 22.a6]} a6 (21... axb6 22. axb6 Rc8 (22... Rxa1 23. Rxa1 d4 24. Ra8+ Bf8 25. Kf1 $1 $16) 23. Rfc1 $16 {?24.Ra7}) 22. Rfd1 f5 $1 {[?Kg8-f7-e6]} 23. Rac1 Be7 (23... Bb4 $2 24. Rd4 Bxa5 $2 25. Rc5 Be1 26. Kf1 $18) 24. Rd3 Kf7 25. e4 $6 (25. Rcd1 Ke6 26. e4 d4 27. Rxd4 Rxd4 28. Rxd4 Rf8 29. Kg2 $16) 25... d4 26. Rc4 Bf6 $1 27. Rc5 (27. e5 Be7 28. Rdxd4 Rxd4 29. Rxd4 Ke6 $10) 27... g6 $1 28. Bf4 {[?29.ef]} (28. exf5 gxf5 29. Rxf5 Rg8+ 30. Kf1 Rg5 31. Rxg5 Bxg5 32. Be5 Bf6 $10) 28... Re8 29. exf5 Red8 $1 {[?30...Rd5?]} 30. Bc7 Re8 (30... Rd5 31. Bxd8 Rxc5 32. Bxf6 Kxf6 33. fxg6 hxg6 34. Rxd4 Rxa5 35. Rd7 Rb5 36. Rxb7 a5 37. Kg2 $14) 31. f4 $5 {[?Kg1-g2-f3,Be5?]} Be7 $1 $10 32. fxg6+ hxg6 33. Rc4 Bf6 {[?34...Rd5?]} 34. Be5 Bxe5 35. fxe5 Rxe5 36. Rdxd4 Rxd4 37. Rxd4 Rxa5 38. Rd7+ Kf6 39. Rxb7 Rb5 40. Kg2 a5 41. Rb8 a4 42. b7 Kg7 43. Ra8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 09th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "11"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "Gelfand,Boris"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "1991.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 022"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1991.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1991.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Bd7 $6 10. Rd1 Rc8 11. Be2 (11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Rxd5 Qe7 {Browne - Christiansen,L USA(ch)1990}) 11... dxc4 12. Bxc4 Qa5 13. O-O Rfd8 14. e4 $5 (14. Ne4 Be7 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Rxd6 b5 17. Ba2 Nd4 18. Qd2 Nxf3+ 19. gxf3 Qxd2 20. Rxd2 Bc6 $10) 14... Nh5 15. Bc1 (15. Bg5 Be7 $1 $10 {} 16. Nd5 $2 exd5 17. exd5 (17. Rxd5 Qc7) 17... Ne5 18. Bxe7 Rxc4 19. Bxd8 Qxd8 20. Qe2 Nxf3+ $17) 15... Qc7 $6 (15... Be7 16. Qe2 $14 {} Bxa3 $6 17. Nd5 $1 Bb4 18. Bg5 $5 $40 (18. Ng5 $6 g6 $2 (18... Nf6 $1 $13) 19. g4 $16)) 16. Nb5 Qb8 $8 17. Bxe6 $1 Bxf2+ (17... Bxe6 $2 18. Qxc5 $18) 18. Qxf2 Bxe6 19. Rxd8+ (19. Qh4 $5 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 g6 (20... Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Qxd8 22. Qxd8+ Nxd8 23. Nxa7 Bd7 24. Ne5 $18) 21. g4 $1 Ng7 (21... Ne5 $2 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 23. gxh5 Qxb5 24. Rd8+ Rxd8 25. Qxd8+ Kg7 26. h6#) 22. Ng5 h5 23. gxh5 Nxh5 24. Nxe6 fxe6 25. Qg4 $16) 19... Nxd8 (19... Rxd8 20. Qh4 Nf6 21. Bf4 Qc8 22. Bg5 Bc4 23. Bxf6 gxf6 (23... Bxf1 24. Qg5 $18) 24. Nd6 $1 Rxd6 25. Qg3+ Kh8 26. Qxd6 Bxf1 27. Qxf6+ Kg8 28. Kxf1 $16) 20. Nxa7 Rc4 $8 21. Ng5 Nf6 22. Bf4 Qa8 23. Nb5 $6 (23. b3 $1 Rc3 (23... Nxe4 24. Qb6 $18) 24. e5 (24. Qd4 Rxb3 25. Rd1 Nd7) 24... Ng4 (24... Nd5 25. Bd2 $16) 25. Qd4 h6 (25... Nc6 26. Nxc6 Rxc6 27. Nxe6 Rxe6 28. h3 $18) 26. Nxe6 Nxe6 27. Qxc3 Qxa7+ 28. Kh1 Nf2+ 29. Rxf2 Qxf2 30. Be3 $16) 23... Nxe4 24. Nxe4 Rxe4 25. Nd6 (25. Nc7 Qc8 26. Nxe6 Nxe6 $10) 25... Ra4 26. Be5 Qa7 $10 27. Qxa7 Rxa7 28. Rd1 Nc6 29. Bc3 b6 30. Ne4 Rd7 31. Rxd7 Bxd7 32. Nd6 Kf8 33. Nc4 b5 34. Nd6 Ne7 35. Bb4 Nd5 36. Bc5 Kg8 37. g3 f5 38. Kf2 g5 39. Ke2 Kg7 40. Kd3 f4 41. Kd4 fxg3 42. hxg3 Ne7 43. Ne4 (43. Nxb5 Nf5+ 44. Ke5 Nxg3 $132) 43... Nf5+ 44. Ke5 Kg6 45. Bf2 h5 46. Nf6 Bc8 47. Nd5 Bd7 48. Nc7 h4 49. gxh4 gxh4 50. Bxh4 $5 Nxh4 51. Kd6 Bf5 52. Nxb5 Bc2 $1 53. b4 Nf5+ 54. Kc7 Kf6 55. Nc3 Ne3 56. b5 Nc4 57. a4 Ke5 58. b6 Nxb6 59. a5 Nd5+ 60. Nxd5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-32"] [Site "Yerevan"] [Date "1996.09.17"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Akopian, Vladimir Eduardovic"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2630"] [BlackElo "2620"] [Annotator "Dolmatov,Sergey"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "1996.09.15"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [SourceTitle "CBM 055"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "Slovenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "SLO"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 a6 $5 (12... e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rhg1+ Kh8 18. Nd4 Bf5 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 20. Bd3 Qe5 21. Kb1 fxe3 22. fxe3 f5 $13 {Akopian,V-Pigusov,E/Tilburg/1994/}) 13. g5 Nh5 14. Bd6 Bxd6 15. Rxd6 Ne5 16. Be2 Nxf3 17. Bxf3 Qxg5 18. Ne4 Qf5 19. Bxh5 Qxh5 20. Rg1 (20. Rg1 {Gelfand,B-Beliavsky,A/URS/1989/0,5/35/}) 20... f5 (20... Kh8 21. Qc3 Qh6 (21... f6 22. Nxf6 gxf6 23. Qxf6+ $18) 22. Ng5 $40) 21. Nf6+ Rxf6 22. Qc7 Qh6 23. Rd8+ Rf8 24. Rxf8+ (24. Rgd1 Bd7) 24... Kxf8 25. Rd1 Bd7 26. Rxd7 (26. Qxb7 $2 Rd8 27. Rxd7 Rxd7 28. Qxd7 Qxh2 $10) 26... b5 27. Kb1 Re8 28. Qe5 $2 (28. Rf7+ Kg8 29. Qd7 Rf8 (29... Rd8 $2 30. Rxg7+ Qxg7 31. Qxd8+ $16) 30. Re7 $40) 28... Re7 29. Rd6 $6 (29. Qd6 Qh4 $1 (29... Qf6 30. Ra7 e5 31. Rxa6 $16) 30. Rxe7 Qxe7 31. Qxa6 Qd7 $10) 29... Qh4 $1 30. Rxe6 (30. f4 Qe1+ 31. Ka2 Qe2 $10) 30... Rxe6 31. Qxe6 Qxf2 $10 32. Qxa6 Qf1+ 33. Ka2 Qc4+ 34. Ka1 Kf7 35. Qb7+ Kg6 36. Qe7 Qd5 37. h4 Qd3 38. Qe8+ Kh6 39. Qe7 Qf1+ 40. Ka2 Qc4+ 41. Ka1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 09th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "7"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1991.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 022"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1991.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1991.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Anand} d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Bd7 11. g4 Rfc8 12. Kb1 b5 $5 {N} (12... dxc4 13. Nd2 Ne7 14. Nxc4 $14 {Khalifman,A-Kotronias/Sochi/1989/ ?CBM 16}) (12... Bf8 13. g5 Nh5 14. Bg3 Ne7 15. Ne5 Be8 16. Be2 f6 $14 {Gelfand,B-Beliavsky,A/Linares/1990/ ?CBM 17}) 13. cxb5 $5 (13. cxd5 b4 $1 14. dxc6 Bxc6 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Be2 Bxc3 17. bxc3 Be4 18. Rd3 Rab8+ $19) (13. b4 Bxb4 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. Qb2 bxc4 $19) (13. Nxb5 Ne7 $1) 13... Ne7 14. Nd2 (14. h3 {Anand} Bxa3) 14... Qd8 (14... Bxa3 $2 15. g5 Ng4 16. Nc4 $1 dxc4 17. Rxd7 Bb4 18. Bg2 $16) 15. Nb3 $2 (15. Be2 $5 $13) (15. Be2 {Anand} d4 $132) 15... Ne4 $1 16. Nxc5 (16. Nxe4 Bxe3 17. Nec5 Bxf4 $17) 16... Rxc5 17. Be5 Nxc3+ 18. Bxc3 Bxb5 19. Bxb5 Rxb5 20. h4 Rc8 21. h5 (21. Rc1 $5 $17) 21... Qd6 $1 22. Qa4 (22. Ka1 $13 {Anand}) 22... Qb8 23. Be5 Qb7 24. g5 (24. Rc1 $1 {Anand} Nc6 25. Rc2 $13) 24... Nc6 25. Rc1 (25. Bc3 {Anand}) 25... d4 $1 26. Bxd4 Rb8 $1 27. Bc3 Rxb2+ 28. Ka1 Rb6 29. g6 Ra6 30. gxf7+ Kxf7 (30... Kh8 31. h6) 31. Qf4+ Kg8 32. Qd6 Nd4 $1 {Ftacnik,L} 0-1 [Event "Montreal International"] [Site "Montreal"] [Date "1979.04.14"] [Round "4"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Spassky, Boris Vasilievich"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "1979.04.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "18"] [EventCountry "CAN"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Nc6 8. Qc2 Qa5 9. a3 Bxc5 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nd2 Bd7 (11... e5 $13 {main line}) 12. Be2 (12. Nb3 Qb6 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Rxd5 Be6 (15... Bb4+ 16. Nd2 (16. axb4 Nxb4 17. Qd2 Nxd5 18. Qxd5 Be6 $19) 16... Rac8 $13) 16. Rb5) 12... Rfc8 13. O-O (13. Nb3 Qb6 14. c5 $6 Bxc5 15. Na4 Nb4 $1 (15... Bb4+ 16. Kf1 $1 (16. axb4 Nxb4 17. Nxb6 Nxc2+ 18. Kd2 axb6 $17)) 16. axb4 (16. Qxc5 Bxa4) (16. Nxb6 Nxc2+ 17. Kd2 axb6 18. Kxc2 Ba4 $1 19. Rd3 Ne4 $17) 16... Bxa4 $17) 13... Qd8 14. cxd5 exd5 (14... Nxd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qb3 Qb6 $6 17. Qxd5 Be6 18. Qb5) 15. Nf3 $1 h6 16. Ne5 Be6 (16... Qe8 17. Nxc6 Bxc6 18. Qb3 Rd8 19. Bf3 Ne4 20. Nxd5 {? Tal} Ba4 {-+ Tal} 21. Nxe7+ Kf8 22. Rxd8 Bxb3 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Bxe4 $18) 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Bf3 Qb6 19. Be5 $1 Ne4 20. Qe2 (20. Bd4 Bc5 21. Bxc5 Rxc5 22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. Qxe4 Qxb2 24. Na4 Re5 25. Qf4 Qb5) (20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Qxe4 Qxb2 22. Nd5 Bxd5) 20... Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Rd8 (21... Bxa3 22. Bxg7 $1) (21... Rxc3 $5 22. bxc3 Qa5) 22. Rd3 $1 Rcd6 23. Rfd1 R6d7 24. R1d2 Qb5 25. Qd1 b6 26. g3 Bf8 27. Bg2 Be7 28. Qh5 $1 a6 29. h3 Qc6 30. Kh2 a5 31. f4 f6 (31... f5 32. Qg6 Bf8 33. Be5 {?g3-g4}) 32. Qd1 Qb5 33. g4 g5 34. Kh1 Qc6 35. f5 Bf7 36. e4 Kg7 37. exd5 Qc7 38. Re2 b5 39. Rxe7 Rxe7 40. d6 Qc4 41. b3 1-0 [Event "Amsterdam Euwe Memorial"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "1992.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Seirawan, Yasser"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2600"] [BlackElo "2685"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "1992.05.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 030"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1992.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1992.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Dautov} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Rd1 Be7 11. Nd2 e5 12. Nb3 Qb6 13. Bg5 Be6 $6 (13... Bg4 14. f3 Be6 $5 (14... dxc4 {Dautov} 15. Bxc4 Be6 16. Bxe6 (16. Na4 Nb4 $1 17. Qc3 Na2 18. Qc2 Nb4 19. Qe2 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 Qa6 $10 {Gulko}) 16... fxe6 17. Nd2 Nd5 18. Nc4 Qc7 19. Nb5 Qd7 $10 {Kamsky,G-Short,N Tilburg,1991,Inf.53/395}) (14... Be6 $1 {Dautov} 15. c5 (15. Bxf6 dxc4 $1) (15. Na4 Qc7 16. Bxf6 dxc4 17. Bxc4 Bxc4 18. Qxc4 Bxf6 19. O-O Bg5 20. e4 Rac8 $10 {ECO}) 15... Qd8 16. Bd3 d4 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. exd4 exd4 19. Ne4 Bh4+ 20. g3 Be7 21. O-O Qd5 $15 {Yurtaev,L-Lputjan,S Tbilisi,1980})) (13... d4 {Dautov} 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Bd3 g6 17. exd4 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. O-O Bg4 21. f3 Be6 22. f4 Bd7 23. Be4 Bc6 $13 {Hansen,Cu-Yusupov,A Reykjavik,1985}) 14. Na4 $1 (14. Bxf6 dxc4 15. Bxe7 (15. Nd2 Bxf6 16. Bxc4 $14) 15... cxb3 16. Qe4 Nxe7 17. Qxe5 $14) (14. cxd5 $142 {Dautov} Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Bxd5 16. Rxd5 Bxg5 $10) 14... Qa6 $1 (14... Qc7 15. Bxf6 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 Bxf6 18. Nc3 $14) 15. cxd5 $4 (15. Nac5 $1 Bxc5 16. cxd5 $1 (16. Nxc5 {Dautov} Qa5+ 17. b4 Nxb4 $17) 16... Bb4+ (16... Qa4 17. dxe6 Bb4+ 18. axb4 Nxb4 19. exf7+ Kh8 20. Qf5 Qxb3 21. Bxf6 Qxf7 22. Bxg7+ Qxg7 23. Qe4 $16) 17. Nd2 Bxd2+ 18. Rxd2 Qa5 19. dxe6 Rad8 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. exf7+ Kg7 22. Bc4 $18) (15. Bxf6 {Dautov} Qxa4 16. Bxe7 Nxe7 $17) 15... Qxa4 16. Bxf6 (16. dxe6 {Dautov} Nb4 $1 17. exf7+ Kh8 18. axb4 Bxb4+ 19. Ke2 Rac8 20. Qd3 e4 21. Qd4 Qxb3 $19) 16... Nb4 $3 (16... Bxd5 17. Rxd5 Bxf6 18. Bd3 g6 19. O-O $16) 17. Qe4 $2 (17. axb4 Bxb4+ 18. Ke2 Rac8 19. Qd3 e4 $1 (19... Bd7 20. Ra1 $1 (20. Kf3 {Dautov} Be7 $17)) 20. Qxe4 Qxb3 21. Rd4 $5 $13 (21. dxe6 fxe6 $40)) 17... Rac8 $1 (17... Qxb3 $2 {Dautov} 18. Bxe7 Nc2+ 19. Kd2 $16) 18. axb4 $2 (18. Bd3 Nxd3+ (18... g6 $2 19. Bxe7 $18) 19. Qxd3 Bxf6 20. dxe6 Rfd8 $19) (18. f3 $8) 18... Bxb4+ 19. Ke2 Qxb3 20. Bxe5 (20. dxe6 fxe6 $1 $19) 20... Rc4 $1 21. Rd4 (21. Bd4 {Dautov} Bxd5 $19) 21... Rxd4 22. Qxd4 Bxd5 {Ftacnik,L} 0-1 [Event "Vlissingen HZ op 03rd"] [Site "Vlissingen"] [Date "1999.08.14"] [Round "6"] [White "Gurevich, Mikhail"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2643"] [BlackElo "2617"] [Annotator "Gurevich,Mikhail"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "1999.08.09"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2000"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.11.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.11.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Hansen,LB} e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Rc1 d4 10. exd4 Nxd4 11. Be2 (11. Ne5 b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O h6 14. b4 Be7 15. Nb5 Nc6 $11 {½-½ Gurevich,M-Barsov,A/Antwerp BEL 1998 (64)}) 11... e5 {TN} (11... Qe7 {Hansen,LB} 12. b4 Rd8 13. Bd2 (13. bxc5 $4 {Hansen,LB} Nxf3+ $19) 13... Nxf3+ (13... Nxe2 {Hansen,LB} 14. Qxe2 $14) 14. Bxf3 Bd4 15. O-O e5 16. Qc2 Be6 17. c5 $14 {1-0 Epishin,V-Ziatdinov,R/New York 1998/CBM 64/[Hansen,LB] (45)}) 12. Nxe5 (12. Bxe5 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 Qxd1+ (13... Qe7 14. Qe2 $14) 14. Kxd1 Ng4 $132) 12... Re8 13. O-O Nxe2+ (13... Nd7 14. Nd3 $16) 14. Qxe2 Bd4 (14... Ng4 15. Ne4 Nxe5 16. Nxc5 Nd7 17. Qh5 Qa5 18. Bd6 $14) (14... Bg4 15. Qc2 Nh5 16. Nxg4 Nxf4 17. Qf5 $36) 15. Qd2 $1 (15. Rcd1 Bg4 16. Nxg4 Rxe2 17. Nxe2 Nxg4 18. Rxd4 Qb6 $13) 15... Be6 16. Nf3 (16. Rfd1 Bxe5 17. Qxd8 (17. Bxe5 Qxd2 18. Rxd2 Bxc4 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rd7 $14) 17... Raxd8 18. Bxe5 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Bxc4 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. f3 $14) 16... Bb6 17. Qxd8 Raxd8 18. Nb5 $1 {[?19.?c7, 19.?d6, 19.c5]} Ne4 19. Bc7 Rd3 (19... Bxc7 20. Nxc7 Re7 21. Rfd1 $16) 20. Bxb6 axb6 21. Nc7 Rc8 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Rfe1 Nc5 $1 24. Rc2 (24. b4 Rxf3 $1 25. gxf3 Nd3 $14) (24. Rcd1 Rb3 25. Re2 Nd3 $14) 24... Nb3 $1 25. h3 (25. Rxe6 Nd4 $17) (25. Rce2 Rxf3 26. gxf3 Nd4 27. Re3 Nc2 $14) 25... b5 26. Ne5 Rd4 27. Rc3 bxc4 28. Nxc4 Nd2 $1 (28... Rdxc4 29. Rxb3 Rc1 30. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 31. Kh2 Rc7 32. Rb6 $16) 29. Nxd2 Rxc3 30. bxc3 Rxd2 31. Rxe6 {?} b5 $1 (31... Rc2 32. Re8+ Kf7 33. Rb8 Rb2 34. a4 $18) 32. Re5 (32. Rb6 Rd5 {(?33...?c5)} 33. Rc6 Rd1+ 34. Kh2 Ra1) (32. Kf1 Ra2 33. Ra6 Rc2 34. Ra5 Rxc3 35. Ke2 Rb3 $13) 32... Rd1+ 33. Kh2 Rb1 34. Rc5 Rb3 35. Kg3 $5 Rxa3 36. Kf4 Ra4+ 37. Ke3 (37. Ke5 b4 38. c4 b3 $11 39. Kd4 $2 Rb4 $19) 37... b4 38. c4 b3 39. Kd3 (39. Rb5 Rxc4 40. Rxb3 $11) 39... Ra2 40. Rb5 (40. Rf5 g6 41. Rf6 (41. Rf3 Ra4 42. Kc3 b2 $11) 41... Kg7 42. Rb6 Rxf2 43. Rxb3 Rxg2 $11) 40... Rxf2 41. Rxb3 Rxg2 42. Kd4 (42. c5 Rg3+ 43. Kc4 Rxb3 44. Kxb3 Kf7 $11) 42... Kf7 43. Re3 (43. c5 Ke6 $11) 43... Rd2+ $1 44. Ke5 Ke7 $11 45. Ra3 Re2+ 46. Kd5 Rd2+ 47. Kc6 h5 48. c5 g5 49. Rb3 g4 50. Kb6 Rd8 (50... gxh3 51. Rxh3 Kd7 52. Rb3 h4 53. Kb7 Rc2 54. Rd3+ Ke6 $11) 51. Kb7 Rd7+ 52. Ka6 Rc7 53. Kb6 Rc8 54. Rd3 Kf6 55. hxg4 hxg4 56. Rd5 Rb8+ 57. Ka7 Rb1 58. c6 g3 59. Rd2 Rc1 60. Kb7 Kf5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1981.04.??"] [Round "7"] [White "Portisch, Lajos"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2650"] [BlackElo "2620"] [Annotator "Belov,Igor"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "1981.04.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "URS"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. a3 Be7 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 d4 13. Nb3 Qd8 14. Be2 a5 15. exd4 (15. Na4 g6 (15... h6 $5 16. Bh4 Bd7 $10) 16. exd4 Bf5 17. Qc1 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. O-O Rc8 $10) (15. Bxf6 $5 Bxf6 16. O-O a4 17. Nc5 Qa5 18. N3xa4 Be7 19. b4 {Korchnoi,V-Huebner,R/Merano (m/6)/1980/0,5 (88) Inf 30/523/} Qc7 $44 {Beliavsky/}) 15... a4 16. Nxa4 (16. dxe5 $6 Nd7 17. Bxe7 axb3 18. Qxb3 Qxe7 $17) 16... Nxd4 (16... Rxa4 $6 17. d5 $1 $16) 17. Nxd4 exd4 18. b3 (18. O-O Qa5 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 $10) 18... Qa5+ 19. Bd2 (19. Qd2 Bxa3 (19... Qf5 $5 {Beliavsky/}) 20. Qxa5 Rxa5 21. Bxf6 Bb4+ 22. Kf1 gxf6 23. Rxd4 Re5 24. g4 b5 $1 $44 {Korchnoi,V-Karpov,A/Merano (m/11)/1981/0,5 (35) Inf 32/498/}) 19... Bf5 $1 (19... Qe5 20. f4 Qe6 21. Bc1 $13) 20. Qb2 Qe5 21. Bb4 (21. Be3 Qa5+ (21... Bxa3 $5 22. Qxd4 Bb4+ 23. Kf1 Qe7 $44) 22. Bd2 Qe5 $10) 21... Bxb4+ 22. axb4 Rfe8 23. Rxd4 Bc2 $1 (23... b5 24. cxb5 Rac8 25. Rd1 $1 $13) 24. Rd2 $1 (24. Qxc2 Qxd4 25. O-O Rad8 26. Bf3 Ne4 27. Bxe4 Rxe4 28. Nc5 Re7 $17) 24... Bxb3 25. Qxb3 Qa1+ 26. Qd1 (26. Rd1 Qxa4) 26... Qxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxa4 28. f3 (28. g3 $5 {Portisch/}) 28... Rxb4 29. Kf2 Rb2 30. Rhe1 g6 31. Kf1 $6 (31. Rd3 $5 {? ?e3/}) 31... Nh5 32. g3 Ng7 $1 33. Rd7 (33. g4 Ne6 {? ?f4/}) 33... Ne6 34. Red1 Nd4 $1 $17 (34... Nf4 35. Rd8 $10) (34... Nc5 35. R7d2 $10) 35. R1xd4 (35. Rxb7 Rxb7 36. Rxd4 Rb2 $19) 35... Rexe2 36. Rxb7 Rf2+ $19 37. Kg1 Rg2+ 38. Kh1 Rxh2+ 39. Kg1 Rbg2+ 40. Kf1 Rc2 41. Kg1 Rhg2+ 42. Kf1 Rgf2+ (42... Rgf2+ 43. Kg1 Rxf3 44. g4 Ra3 45. Rb1 Ra4) 0-1 [Event "Hilversum KRO m"] [Site "Hilversum"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "1"] [White "Timman, Jan H"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2630"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "1991.12.??"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "CBM 028"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1992.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1992.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Kortschnoj} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Bd7 11. g4 Rfc8 12. h3 {N} (12. Kb1 b5 $1 13. cxb5 Ne7 14. Nd2 Qd8 15. Nb3 $6 Ne4 $1 16. Nxc5 Rxc5 17. Be5 Nxc3+ 18. Bxc3 Bxb5 19. Bxb5 Rxb5 20. h4 {Gelfand,B-Beliavsky,A/Linares/1991/} Nc8 $1 $17 {Mikhailchishin,A}) (12. g5 $2 {Kortschnoj} Nh5 $1) (12. Kb1 $1 {Kortschnoj}) 12... Be8 (12... b5 $5 13. cxb5 (13. cxd5 exd5 14. Nxd5 $2 Nxd5 15. Rxd5 Nb4 16. axb4 Bxb4 $19) 13... Ne7 14. Be5 $13) 13. Nd2 Bf8 14. Be2 Ne7 15. h4 $6 (15. g5 $5 Nd7 16. Nb3 Qd8 $13) (15. Kb1 $5) (15. Kb1 $1 {Kortschnoj more solid}) 15... b5 $1 16. g5 (16. cxb5 $2 Ng6 17. Bg3 Bxa3 $17) 16... Ne4 (16... Nd7 $5 17. Nb3 (17. cxb5 Rxc3 18. bxc3 Ng6 $1) 17... Qd8 18. cxb5 Nb6 $40) 17. Ncxe4 $6 (17. Ndxe4 $5 dxe4 18. Bd6 bxc4 19. Bb4 Qb6 20. Nxe4 a5 $1 $40 (20... Nd5 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Nc3 $15)) (17. Nb3 Qb6 18. Nxe4 bxc4 (18... dxe4 19. c5) 19. Nbd2 dxe4 20. Nxe4 Nd5 $17) 17... dxe4 18. Bd6 (18. Nxe4 Nd5 $1 $40) 18... Nd5 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 20. Nxe4 (20. Qxe4 bxc4 21. Nxc4 (21. Qxh7 c3 $19) 21... Bb5 22. Rd4 Qa6 $17 (22... Nb6 $2 23. Rd8+ $1 Ke7 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Qb7+ Kf8 26. Qxc8+ Nxc8 27. Nxa5 $18)) (20. Kb1 Rab8 $40) (20. Nb3 Qa4) 20... bxc4 21. Rxd5 $6 (21. Nc3 Nxc3 (21... Rab8 22. Rxd5 $1 exd5 23. Rd1 $132) 22. Qxc3 Qxc3+ 23. bxc3 Rab8 24. e4 $1 (24. Rd4 Rb3 25. Kc2 Rxa3 (25... Ba4 $5 26. Bxc4 Rb4+ 27. Kd3 Rbxc4 28. Rxc4 Bb5 $19) 26. Rxc4 (26. Bxc4 e5 27. Rg4 Bd7 $19) 26... Ba4+ 27. Kb2 Rb3+ 28. Ka1 Rxc4 29. Bxc4 Rxc3 $19) 24... Rb3 25. Kd2 Rxa3 26. Rc1 $17) (21. Nd6 c3 $1) 21... Qxd5 22. f3 (22. Rd1 Ba4 $1) 22... Rab8 23. Rd1 c3 $5 (23... Qe5 24. Qc3 Qh2 $5) 24. b4 $6 (24. Nxc3 Qe5 25. Qd2 (25. e4 {Kortschnoj} Ba4 $1 26. Qxa4 Rxc3+ $19) 25... Rd8 26. Qxd8 Rxd8 27. Rxd8 Qxe3+ 28. Kc2 $17) 24... Qf5 (24... Ba4 $1 25. Rxd5 (25. Qxa4 Qa2 26. Qc2 Qxa3+ 27. Kb1 Rxb4+) 25... Bxc2 26. Ra5 Bxe4 27. fxe4 Rc7 $19) 25. Rd4 a5 26. Nd6 Qxc2+ 27. Kxc2 axb4 28. axb4 (28. Nxc8 bxa3 $1 $19 (28... b3+ 29. Kxc3 b2 30. Bd3)) (28. Nxe8 {Kortschnoj} bxa3 $19) 28... Ba4+ 29. Kc1 e5 $1 30. Re4 Rd8 31. b5 Rxd6 32. Rxa4 Rd2 33. Bc4 Rc8 34. Ba2 (34. b6 Rb2 35. b7 Rxb7 36. Ba6 Ra8 $19) 34... Rb8 (34... c2 35. Bc4 $1) 35. Bc4 Rb2 36. Ra7 Rc8 37. Rxf7+ $2 (37. Ba2) 37... Ke8 38. Be6 Ra8 {Ftacnik,L} 0-1 [Event "Division I"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2024.05.10"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Keymer, Vincent"] [Black "Sarana, Alexey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2801"] [BlackElo "2722"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "GER"] [BlackTeam "SRB"] [WhiteClock "0:00:08"] [BlackClock "0:00:10"] {[%evp 10,105,32,16,14,11,53,-3,4,11,11,-53,-56,-53,-17,-19,-16,-36,-21,-35,-41,-38,-26,-30,0,0,5,-28,-26,-29,-13,-18,-19,-13,-13,-32,-31,-37,80,82,87,80,96,87,144,118,112,110,123,123,212,192,245,89,94,95,105,105,251,253,256,233,258,245,254,223,224,229,226,238,239,218,222,221,291,270,323,302,346,241,328,328,329,265,277,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,3,0,5,5,206,180]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 Bb4 6. e3 c5 7. Rc1 Qa5 8. Qb3 dxc4 {The position is equal.} 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 (10. Bxe6 $5 O-O 11. Bxd7 Bxd7 12. O-O $16) 10... c4 11. Qc2 Bb7 (11... Qxa2 $5 12. O-O Qa5 $11) 12. O-O O-O 13. Ne5 Nb6 14. Bg3 Rac8 15. Bh4 Nfd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. a3 Bd6 18. Bg3 {[%CAl Re5c4] And now Nxc4 would win.} Rfd8 19. Bh5 g6 {[#] aiming for ...Bxe5.} (19... Rc7 {is interesting.} 20. Rfd1 Qb6 21. e4 Nf6 22. Bf3 h6) 20. Bf3 Qc7 21. Ng4 Bxg3 22. hxg3 Kg7 23. e4 Nf6 (23... h5 $15 {stays ahead.} 24. exd5 hxg4 25. Bxg4 Bxd5) 24. Nxf6 $16 Kxf6 25. Qc3 Kg7 26. d5+ e5 27. Bg4 Rb8 28. f4 Re8 29. Rf2 Re7 (29... Bc8 $16) 30. Rcf1 $18 {Black must now prevent fxe5.} Rf8 31. fxe5 $2 (31. Kh2 $18 {is more deadly.}) 31... Qxe5 $16 32. d6 Qxc3 33. bxc3 Rxe4 (33... Re5 $16) 34. Bf3 $18 f5 35. Rb2 ({Weaker is} 35. Bxe4 Bxe4 36. Rd1 Bd3 $16) 35... a6 36. a4 ({Less strong is} 36. Bxe4 Bxe4 37. a4 Rd8 $14) 36... Rd8 37. axb5 Rxd6 38. bxa6 Bxa6 39. Bxe4 fxe4 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRR-KRB} 40. Rb8 e3 41. Ra1 Re6 42. Kf1 h5 43. Ke2 Kh6 44. Ra5 Kg7 45. Ra8 Bb7 46. R5a7 Re7 {[#]} 47. Rc8 $2 ({White must play} 47. Ke1 $1 $18 {Strongly threatening Rb8.} Kf7 48. Rh8) 47... Bf3+ $11 {[%mdl 64] Discovered Attack} 48. gxf3 Rxa7 49. Rxc4 Re7 50. Re4 Rc7 51. c4 Kf6 52. Kxe3 Kf5 $2 (52... g5 $11) 53. Rf4+ {Accuracy: White = 74%, Black = 57%.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 80th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.20"] [Round "7"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2811"] [Annotator "Golubev,Mikhail"] [PlyCount "91"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 183"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a6 $5 {[%emt 0:00:06] Until recently, it was not possible to see this move in top level chess (with several notable exceptions such as Staunton's 1843 game). But times change! Today's top guys can play, generally, just anything that is not refuted by their computers during home preparation.} 5. cxd5 {[%emt 0:01:22]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 6. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 7. e3 {[%emt 0:01:02]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 8. Bd3 {[%emt 0:07:37]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 9. Bh4 {[%emt 0:00:52]} g5 {[%emt 0:00:06] This is a topical line, first played with Black by GM Fedoseev in 2016.} 10. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Nh5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 11. Be5 {[%emt 0:01:22] But now Caruana comes up with something unusual.} Nhf6 $5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} ({Instead,} 11... Ng7 {was tested in many games last year.}) 12. Bg3 {[%emt 0:00:35]} ({White also had more active moves around here. After} 12. Qb3 {curious is} g4 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qxe5 16. Qxb7 Rd8 17. Qc6+ Ke7 18. O-O {where Black can even consider} Kf6 $5 {planning to hide his king on g7.}) 12... Nh5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 13. Nd2 {[%emt 0:20:30]} Nxg3 {[%emt 0:00:57]} 14. hxg3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:20:31]} ({Other ideas were} 14... c5 $5 {and 14...c6.}) 15. Qc2 {[%emt 0:05:08]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:14:55]} ({Better could have been} 15... c6 {after which} 16. e4 {is premature because of} dxe4 {and the d4-pawn falls.}) 16. e4 $1 {[%emt 0:11:05] Now White develops the initiative.} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:54]} ({Possibly preferable was} 16... Qd7 $5 {, and if} 17. e5 Be7 {.}) 17. Bxe4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Qe7 $2 {[%emt 0:04:29]} ({Black had to play} 17... c6 {with a surely somewhat worse position. (Karjakin intended to continue} 18. O-O-O $1 {). But instead Caruana blunders a pawn.}) 18. Bxb7 $3 {[%emt 0:02:14]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:05:46]} ({It turns that all discovered checks lead Black nowhere. For example,} 18... Bd5+ 19. Kf1 Bxb7 20. Re1 $18) 19. Bc6+ {[%emt 0:12:46]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 20. O-O {[%emt 0:12:31]} Qf6 {[%emt 0:03:57]} 21. Nf3 {[%emt 0:03:09]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:05:45]} 22. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:02:24]} Rhd8 {[%emt 0:12:10]} 23. Ne4 {[%emt 0:06:35]} Qg6 {[%emt 0:04:09]} 24. d5 $1 {[%emt 0:02:23] An energetic way of converting the advantage. White gives his extra pawn back, but prevents ...?d5 and develops a crushing intiative.} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 25. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 26. Qc3+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} f6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 27. Nxd6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} cxd6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 28. Nd4 $1 $18 {[%emt 0:03:20] Black simply has too many weaknesses, including the vulnerable king.} Rd7 {[%emt 0:11:57]} 29. Qa5 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Bf7 {[%emt 0:02:32]} 30. b3 {[%emt 0:01:09]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:02:13]} 31. Rac1 {[%emt 0:01:03]} d5 {[%emt 0:02:59]} 32. Rc7 {[%emt 0:01:22]} Rxc7 {[%emt 0:02:52]} 33. Qxc7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Qd3 {[%emt 0:02:19]} 34. Ne6+ {[%emt 0:01:39]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:01:02]} 35. Nd8 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rxd8 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 36. Qxd8 {[%emt 0:00:05] And White converts his extra exchange.} Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 37. Qe7 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Qxa2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 38. Re3 {[%emt 0:11:52]} Qb1+ {[%emt 0:05:44]} 39. Kh2 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Qf5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 40. Qc7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d4 {[%emt 0:05:22]} 41. Re7 {[%emt 0:04:14]} Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 42. b4 {[%emt 0:02:43]} Be6 {[%emt 0:12:48]} 43. Qb6 {[%emt 0:15:35]} Bf7 {[%emt 0:23:00]} 44. Qxa6 {[%emt 0:00:59]} d3 {[%emt 0:03:42]} 45. Re3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Qc4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 46. Qa3 {[%emt 0:00:08] Black's d3-pawn falls; there's nothing to play for anymore.} 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.27"] [Round "13"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2790"] [Annotator "Sagar,Shah/CB Website"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2016.03.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 {The idea of playing a3 before e3 is to discourage the Nbd7 move. Nbd7 now can be met with Nb5.} c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. e3 Nc6 9. cxd5 (9. Qc2 {is the main line of this variation.}) 9... exd5 (9... Nxd5 {is played more often by Black. Play might continue something like} 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 {which has already been played by Topalov against Morozevich in San Luis 2005.}) 10. b4 (10. Be2 {looks normal but allows Black to break in the centre with} d4 11. Na4 Bb6 12. exd4 (12. Nxb6 Qxb6 $11) 12... Bxd4 {This might not be such a huge edge for White.}) 10... d4 $1 {Nakamura is extremely alert and breaks right away in the centre.} 11. exd4 Bxd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Be3 Nf5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 $15 {Even though White has the bishop pair, this position is completely favourable for Black thanks to his developmental advantage. a7-a5 break looks strong and also Be6 followed by Rac8 is not so easy to meet.} 15. Be2 Nxe3 16. fxe3 {Hikaru sank into deep thought as to how he should use this small advantage that he has got out of the opening. It is definitely an edge but not so huge and hence accurate play is of paramount importance.} Ng4 $5 17. e4 (17. Bxg4 Bxg4 {is a pretty sad position. The bishop is definitely superior to the knight and 0-0 is met with Rd3.} 18. O-O Rd3 $17) 17... Be6 (17... Ne3 18. Kf2 $11) 18. O-O Ne3 19. Rfc1 Rd2 20. Bf3 (20. Kf2 Nc4 21. Ke1 Rd4 $15) 20... Rad8 21. e5 b6 22. Ne4 Rb2 23. Re1 Nc4 (23... Nc2 24. Re2 $13) (23... Rb3 $5 {renewing the threat of Nc2 is pretty strong.} 24. Re2 g6 $17) 24. Ng5 h6 25. Nxe6 fxe6 {Once the e6 bishop is exchanged Black doesn't really have so much of an edge.} 26. Rac1 Rd4 27. h3 b5 28. Rc3 Rdd2 29. a4 a6 30. Bb7 Nb6 31. axb5 axb5 32. Be4 Nc4 33. Rg3 Re2 $15 34. Ra1 $2 (34. Rxe2 Rxe2 35. Bc6 Rxe5 36. Rc3 {Black has better defensive chances here.}) 34... Nxe5 35. Ra8+ Kf7 36. Bh7 g5 37. Bg8+ Kf6 38. Rf8+ Kg7 39. Re8 Ng6 40. Bxe6 Nf4 {The bad tournament for Veselin continues.} 0-1 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2013.08.31"] [Round "7.2"] [White "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2716"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Negi,Parimarjan"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2013.08.11"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 156"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] {As in the previous rounds, Andreikin avoided mainstream theory - and it can be said successfully, but then he failed to make a tough decision that could have put the Kramnik under pressure.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 {Kramnik sticks to his favourite Queen's Gambit Declined.} 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 $5 {Much less played than the ultra theoretical 6.e3, this move has been gaining popularity recently as it 'avoids' the typical solid lines with Nbd7-c5 that black employs after e3.} b6 {Andreikin spent some time trying to choose between going into a typical structure with cxd5-?xd5-?xd5-exd5, or continue to try and maintain the tension in the centre.} (6... Nbd7 7. Nb5 $1 {is the point - and now the use of a3, preventing ...?b4+ is clear.}) ({In the previous game Kramnik had continued:} 6... dxc4 {which is probably what Andreikin had mainly prepared against.}) 7. e3 {Eventually Dmitry avoids the typical Queen's Gambit Declined structure, possiby because of Kramnik's vast experience in such structures.} c5 {Instant reply, and once again Andreikin is in a difficult situation: how to avoid the former World Champion's impressive preparation, and yet maintain tension in the game.} 8. Qc2 {An offbeat move. I believe Andreikin had some idea about it, but considering the amount of time he took, he had definitely not prepared it for this game. But he achieved his aim of avoiding any forcing preparation - and now an interesting battle over the board begins.} cxd4 {Black decides against maintaining the tension in the centre, and bringing more tactical options into focus.} 9. Nxd4 (9. exd4 {will just leave White with an eventual isolated pawn.}) 9... Bb7 10. Rd1 Nbd7 11. cxd5 {A critical moment. Black can just make the obivious recapture with ...?xd5, and hope to equalise in the ensuing symmetrical position. Or, he could try to win a piece with the pawn fork - e5.} e5 {Kramnik chooses to take the challenge! Unfortunately things aren't as easy for Black - and he possibly underestimated either White's 14th or 15th move.} (11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Bxd5 13. Bb5 $1 {Despite the drawish nature of such structures, White's considerably more active pieces, along with a glaring weakeness on c6, and uncomfortable ?d8, don't make Black's life easy yet.}) 12. Nc6 (12. Nf5 exf4 13. d6 Bxd6 14. Nxd6 Qc7 15. exf4 {White wins a pawn, but the king stuck on e1 makes it look only dangerous for him.}) 12... Bxc6 13. dxc6 exf4 14. exf4 $1 {A nice intermediate move! At first sight the suddenly naked king on e1, along with the tantalizing possibility of checks on the e file make it look dangerous for White. But there is no clear way to make use of this temporary weakeness, while White wins back his piece in the next move, followed by a quick consolidation with ?e2 and 0-0.} Bxa3 $5 {A nice tactical idea - which can explain Kramnik's e5. Now White needs to make an important decision.} (14... Bd6 15. cxd7 Qxd7 16. Be2 Qc7 17. g3 $14) 15. bxa3 $2 {Andreikin may have missed the nice equalising trick 18...?ce4 - or perhaps he wanted to avoid the murky looking complications after cxd7.} (15. cxd7 $1 {Having computers assisting us, it's easy to point out cxd7 as a much stronger move - but during a tense match, it's not that easy to understand that the dangerous looking pawn on d7 will not actually fall!} Bb4 (15... Bd6 16. Bb5 $1 {is an important resource!}) 16. Be2 Qc7 17. Qb3 $1 {A typical, highly effective move of the machine that is hard to find a few moves before. With the concrete trick of 0-0, ?d5 White manages to keep his formidable pawn, and maintain serious winning chances.} ({An obvious} 17. O-O {simply drops the pawn.} Rad8) 17... a5 18. O-O Rad8 19. Nd5 $1 $16) 15... Qe8+ 16. Be2 Nc5 17. O-O Qxc6 18. Bf3 Nce4 $1 {A nice little tactic that saves Black by a Whisker. Despite an ominous pin along f3-a8 diagonal, white is unable to avoid the threatened simplifications.} 19. Rc1 (19. Bxe4 Nxe4 20. Qxe4 Qxc3 $11 {was the key point.}) 19... Qxc3 20. Qxc3 Nxc3 21. Rxc3 Rac8 {Now the game enters much calmer waters, and Kramnik easily steers his position to safety.} 22. Rfc1 Rxc3 23. Rxc3 Re8 24. g4 Kf8 25. g5 Ng8 {Despite the temporary passivity of Black's pieces, he is in no real danger. The knight will soon regroup to f5.} 26. Kg2 g6 27. h4 Ne7 28. Rc7 Nf5 29. h5 Re7 30. Rc8+ Re8 31. Rc7 Re7 32. Rc8+ Re8 33. Rc7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Ekaterinburg"] [Date "2021.04.24"] [Round "12"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2777"] [Annotator "Edouard,Romain"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2020.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 202"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.05.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Ba6 13. Ne2 {We are heading to a long positional game where White is going to try to take advantage of his extra space.} Qc7 14. h4 h6 15. g3 (15. Qc2 {would have been my choice as White generally doesn't allow Black o play ...Bc4 and ...b5 is these positions. However, it seems Ding's choice as fine as eventually Black took on d3 a few moves later.}) 15... Bc4 16. Qc2 b5 17. Rfe1 Ra7 18. Nc3 Rfa8 19. Rab1 axb4 20. axb4 Bxd3 {Surely Black saw ideas like Bxc4 dxc4 f5/d5 cooming and thought he needs to exchange bishops anyway.} 21. Qxd3 {A great setup for White. The engine only gives him a symbolic advantage, but Black lacks space and doesn't have a way to use the a-file efficiently.} Bf6 $6 {A useless move - on the other hand apart from sitting and waiting, what can Black do?} (21... Nf6 22. Ne5 h5 {trying to block everything was the engines recommendation. In case of} 23. f5 exf5 24. Qxf5 {it seems that after} Bd8 $1 {Black is just fine.}) 22. h5 Ra3 23. Qc2 Be7 24. Kg2 Bf6 25. Rec1 ({White could have gone} 25. Ne5 {but why not to take his time in such a pleasant one-sided position?}) 25... Bd8 26. Qe2 Bf6 27. Rc2 Qb8 28. Rbb2 Bd8 {A brilliant plan. The c3-knight will travel trough d2 and the white rooks will prevent ...Ra2. For now it is crucial for White to keep all rooks on the board: as he is in full control of the positiion and Black has too many rooks he doesn't know what to do with! If rooks disappear, then the black queen could get in!} 29. Nb1 R3a6 30. Ne5 Nf6 31. Nd2 Bc7 32. Nb3 Qe8 33. Nc1 Ra4 34. Ncd3 Ne4 35. g4 $5 {An interesting move order. It's always been the question when is White going to finally push his kingside pawns!} (35. f3 Nf6 36. g4 {would give Black time to play} Nh7 {with the idea of ...Nf8 and ...f6.}) 35... R8a6 (35... Bxe5 $1 {seemed to be Black's chance to fully equalize:} 36. Nxe5 (36. fxe5 R8a7 {foollowed by ...Qa8, ...Ra2, when the black knight has an escape on g5.}) (36. dxe5 Ra3 $1 $15 {granting the black knight an extra square on c3.}) 36... Qd8 {and with the black useless bishop exchanged against one of the white powerful knights, Black has nothing to worry about. The last move ...Qd8! could be pretty annoying as} 37. Nxc6 $2 Qh4 {followed by ...Ra1 or ...Ra3 just loses for White. An idea that Black could have tried to apply through different move orders, but 35...Be5 seems to me like the cleanest path.}) 36. f3 Nf6 {It is true: because of the white pawn on f3, White is lacking an efficient plan, as in case of g4-g5, the h5-pawn would be hanging.} 37. Kf2 (37. Ra2 Qa8 38. Rxa4 Rxa4 $11) 37... Ra1 $6 (37... Nd7 $142) 38. Ra2 Qa8 39. Nc1 $1 {The right timing for White to try to obtain a favourable rooks exchange, so that c6 remains a huge target at the end of the day.} R1xa2 40. Rxa2 Ra3 $2 (40... Ra4 {was the only good quare to exchange rooks and keep the game unclear:} 41. Rxa4 bxa4 42. b5 cxb5 43. Qxb5 a3 44. Na2 Bxe5 45. fxe5 Ne8 $13) 41. Rxa3 Qxa3 42. Qd2 Bxe5 ({Perhaps Black should have played} 42... Qa6 {- but who wants to play such passive moves?}) 43. dxe5 {One danger has been eliminated, but now the other knight is heading for d4.} Nd7 44. Ne2 f6 {Seeing his position collapse, Grischuk tries to go for some desperate counterplay. But the game is already over.} 45. exf6 e5 46. fxg7 e4 47. Qc3 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2000.01.23"] [Round "7"] [White "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"] [Black "Lputian, Smbat G"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2659"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "Kortschnoj,Viktor Lvovich"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2000.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 075"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.04.05"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. cxd5 (7. h3) (7. a3) 7... Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 c5 10. O-O (10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. O-O $14) 10... c4 11. Bc2 b5 (11... Nf6 12. Ne5 $14) 12. e4 Nb6 (12... Bb7 13. e5 $14) 13. Re1 Be6 (13... Bg4 {with an idea to place the bishop to g6 was interesting. But black's plan is clear - first to force white to play e4-e5 and then to blocade white's king-side pawns.}) 14. Qb1 Kh8 15. Be5 Bf6 $1 {Remarkable: it is impossible to force black to move any pawn on the king side!} 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. e5 Qh6 18. Re3 $132 {Due to the awkward location of white pieces he has problems - how to create threats on the king side?} b4 19. Qe1 a5 20. g3 {20.h4!? with an idea ?g5.} Nc8 $6 ({Black could play now} 20... c3 21. bxc3 Nc4 22. Rd3 Bf5 23. cxb4 axb4 24. Qxb4 Bxd3 (24... Rfb8 $5 25. Qxb8+ $1 Rxb8 26. Rb3 Rxb3 27. axb3 {also with roughly equal chances.}) 25. Bxd3 {with about equal play.}) 21. Nh4 Ne7 22. f4 g6 23. Qd2 Rfb8 24. Ba4 $1 {Black will also have difficulties to carry out his plan!} Rb7 25. Nf3 Rc8 26. Ng5 Qf8 27. Rf1 Nf5 28. Ref3 c3 29. Qf2 Ne7 (29... Rc4 30. bxc3 bxc3 31. Bb3 Rxd4 32. Rxc3 $14) 30. Nxe6 (30. f5 $2 gxf5 31. g4 Qg7 $17) 30... fxe6 31. g4 Rbc7 32. bxc3 Rxc3 33. Bd7 Rxf3 34. Qxf3 Rc3 35. Qe2 (35. Qf2 $6 Qf7 36. Qh4 Kg7 $15) 35... Nc6 $1 $11 36. Bxc6 Rxc6 37. Qb5 Rc4 38. Qd7 $2 $138 (38. Qxa5 Rxd4 39. Qb6 $11) 38... Rxd4 39. Qxe6 Rxf4 40. Rc1 $4 (40. Rxf4 Qxf4 41. Qe8+ Kg7 42. Qe7+ Qf7 43. Qd6 $11) 40... Kg7 41. g5 Qf7 $1 42. Qc8 {After exchange of queens black could take back either way with a good advantage. Still, it was a lesser evil.} Qa7+ 43. Kh1 Qf2 $19 44. Qd7+ Rf7 45. Qxd5 Qe2 46. h4 Qg4 47. e6 Qh3+ 0-1 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 43rd"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2015.06.30"] [Round "3"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2722"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2015.06.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 167"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 b6 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Qc2 c5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. O-O a6 12. Rfd1 Re8 13. Rac1 Bd6 14. Bf5 Rc8 15. dxc5 bxc5 16. Qd3 Rc7 17. Na4 Qe7 18. Qc3 d4 19. exd4 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 cxd4 21. Ra1 $2 {A move that is too mysterious to understand. So clearly is being ambitious and wants to take on d4, but he grossly underestimates Black's initiative.} (21. Rxc7 Qe1+ {is not playable either.}) (21. g3 Rxc1 22. Bxc1 Ne5 23. Qg2 $11 {is still rather unclear.}) 21... Ne5 22. Qh3 g6 $1 23. Bd3 Nd5 $1 {Black's knights start swarming the position. So regrets having such inactive pieces, like the knight on a4 and the rook on a1. Naiditschs's attack strikes at the right time.} 24. Bxd4 $2 {A clear oversight.} (24. Bf1 {is passive, ugly, but holds for now.}) 24... Nxd3 $2 (24... Nf4 {seems to simply win material.} 25. Qh6 Qf6 $1 {A very difficult move to find, but one that would have ended the game immediately. The point is that Bf8 is a very difficult move to defend against!} (25... Nfxd3 $4 26. Rxd3 $14) 26. Bxe5 (26. h4 Bf8 27. Qg5 Qxg5 28. hxg5 Nexd3 {is over.}) 26... Rxe5 $19 {Bf8, Rh5... too many threats.}) 25. Qxd3 Nf4 {Black's attack is strong regardless.} 26. Qxa6 $2 {Grabbing this pawn seems suicidal, though. A hard move to understand.} (26. Qf3 Ne2+ 27. Kf1 Nxd4 28. Rxd4 Be5 29. Re4 {is ugly for White, but was best case scenario.}) 26... Qg5 27. g3 Ne2+ 28. Kf1 Qg4 29. Be3 Rxe3 {Other moves also won.} 30. Qa8+ Kg7 31. Rxd6 Re4 {White's king is simply getting mated here. Qh3 is a big threat.} 32. Kg2 Nf4+ 33. Kg1 Nh3+ 34. Kg2 Rc2 35. Rf1 Nf4+ 36. Kg1 Qf3 {A very bad game from So, who completely underestimated his opponent's chances.} 0-1 [Event "Moscow Aeroflot op-A"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2003.02.17"] [Round "7"] [White "Zvjaginsev, Vadim"] [Black "Aleksandrov, Aleksej"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2671"] [BlackElo "2633"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "40"] [EventDate "2003.02.10"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 094"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2003.05.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. e3 Nbd7 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 $6 {Eine anspruchslose Behandlung der ohnehin recht harmlosen Variante. Kein Wunder, daß Schwarz die Stellung mühelos ausgleicht.} ({Logischer erscheint} 6. b3) 6... dxc4 7. a4 ({Nach} 7. Bxc4 $6 b5 8. Bd3 c5 {spielt Schwarz die Meraner-Variante mit einem Mehrtempo.}) 7... b6 8. e4 (8. Bxc4 Bb7 9. O-O Bd6 $11) 8... Bb7 9. e5 Nd5 10. Bxc4 Be7 11. h4 $2 {In der Hoffnung auf einen Königsangriff vernachlässigt Zvjaginsev vollends das Zentrum.} ({Den Anforderungen der Stellung mehr entsprach} 11. Nxd5 exd5 (11... Bxd5 12. Bxd5 exd5 13. O-O O-O 14. Qb3 c6 15. Be3 $11) 12. Bd3 c5 13. O-O O-O $11) 11... c5 12. Ng5 $2 {vollzieht konsequent das Harakiri.} Nxc3 13. bxc3 cxd4 14. cxd4 (14. Qxd4 Qc7 15. Bf4 Bc5 16. Qd2 Nxe5 $19) 14... Qc7 $19 15. Qd3 {Die Strafe für das falsche Spiel kommt auf schnellen Füßen, plötzlich gibt es keine Rettung für Weiß.} (15. Be2 Qc3+ 16. Bd2 Qxd4 $19) (15. Qe2 Rc8 $19) (15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Nxe6 Qc6 17. Nxg7+ Kf8 18. Nf5 Bb4+ 19. Bd2 Qe4+ 20. Ne3 Qxd4 $19) 15... Nxe5 $1 16. dxe5 Qxe5+ 17. Qe3 Qxa1 18. Nxf7 O-O 19. Bxe6 Bc5 20. Ne5+ Kh8 0-1 [Event "Poikovsky Karpov 02nd"] [Site "Poikovsky"] [Date "2001.05.02"] [Round "2"] [White "Zvjaginsev, Vadim"] [Black "Bologan, Viktor"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2627"] [BlackElo "2676"] [Annotator "Dautov,Rustem"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2001.05.05"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 084"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 13. e4 Bg4 14. h3 Qf6 $6 {Die Ergebnisse der letzten Partien sprechen eine klare Sprache - auf diese Weise erreicht Schwarz keinen Ausgleich.} ({Besser ist} 14... Bh5 15. g4 Bg6) 15. hxg4 Qxf4 16. Nh2 $1 {Dieser starke Zug bereitet Schwarz Schwierigkeiten. Die Blockadestrategie des Weißen ist einfach, aber sehr effektiv: seine Läufer und Dame blockieren den Bauern d4, der f-Bauer auf f4 verhindert die Aktivierung des schwarzen Läufers, und das Einbruchsfeld c2 wird von dem ?f2 kontrolliert.} Rac8 $146 {Eine Neuerung, aber keine Verbesserung.} ({Natürlicher sieht} 16... Ne5 17. g3 Qf6 {aus:} 18. f4 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Rac8 20. Rf2 Rfe8 21. Rd1 Qe6 22. Re2 f6 23. Kg2 $14 {Van Wely,L-Doettling,F/Germany 2000}) 17. g3 Qb8 18. g5 $5 (18. f4 $14) 18... Ne5 19. Kg2 Rfd8 20. f4 Nc4 21. Bxc4 Rxc4 22. Qd3 Qc8 23. Nf3 $14 {Die weißen Figuren bewegen sich langsam, aber unaufhaltsam nach vorne. Der gegnerische Läufer ist sehr passiv, und die schwarze Kontrolle über die c-Linie spielt kaum eine Rolle. Man merke, wie wichtig für die Blockade die Position des weißen Bauern auf b2 ist.} Rc2+ 24. Rf2 Rxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Qh3 $1 ({Der taktische Trick} 25... Qc2+ $2 26. Qxc2 d3+ {führte lediglich zum Verlust des schwarzen Freibauern:} 27. Kg2 dxc2 28. Rc1 Rc8 29. Ne1 Bd4 30. b3 $16) 26. Rc1 h6 $2 {Schwarz beginnt, an seinem Untergang zu basteln.} ({Wesentlich stärker war} 26... Rc8 27. Rxc8+ Qxc8 28. Kg2 Qc1 {, und Schwarz bekommt Gegenspiel:} 29. Qb3 $1 (29. b4 Qc3 $132) 29... d3 30. Qxd3 Qxb2+ 31. Kh3 $14) 27. gxh6 Qxh6 28. Kg2 $1 Qg6 29. Ne5 Qe6 30. Kf3 f6 $2 {Eine derart krasse Schwächung der weißen Felder verträgt die schwarze Stellung nicht mehr.} (30... Rc8 $142 31. Rxc8+ Qxc8 32. Qc4 Qe8 33. Qd5 $16) 31. Ng6 Qh3 32. f5 $18 Qh5+ $2 (32... Qh2 33. Nf4 $18) 33. Kg2 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Ekaterinburg"] [Date "2021.04.24"] [Round "12"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2777"] [Annotator "Edouard,Romain"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2020.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 202"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.05.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.05.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Ba6 13. Ne2 {We are heading to a long positional game where White is going to try to take advantage of his extra space.} Qc7 14. h4 h6 15. g3 (15. Qc2 {would have been my choice as White generally doesn't allow Black o play ...Bc4 and ...b5 is these positions. However, it seems Ding's choice as fine as eventually Black took on d3 a few moves later.}) 15... Bc4 16. Qc2 b5 17. Rfe1 Ra7 18. Nc3 Rfa8 19. Rab1 axb4 20. axb4 Bxd3 {Surely Black saw ideas like Bxc4 dxc4 f5/d5 cooming and thought he needs to exchange bishops anyway.} 21. Qxd3 {A great setup for White. The engine only gives him a symbolic advantage, but Black lacks space and doesn't have a way to use the a-file efficiently.} Bf6 $6 {A useless move - on the other hand apart from sitting and waiting, what can Black do?} (21... Nf6 22. Ne5 h5 {trying to block everything was the engines recommendation. In case of} 23. f5 exf5 24. Qxf5 {it seems that after} Bd8 $1 {Black is just fine.}) 22. h5 Ra3 23. Qc2 Be7 24. Kg2 Bf6 25. Rec1 ({White could have gone} 25. Ne5 {but why not to take his time in such a pleasant one-sided position?}) 25... Bd8 26. Qe2 Bf6 27. Rc2 Qb8 28. Rbb2 Bd8 {A brilliant plan. The c3-knight will travel trough d2 and the white rooks will prevent ...Ra2. For now it is crucial for White to keep all rooks on the board: as he is in full control of the positiion and Black has too many rooks he doesn't know what to do with! If rooks disappear, then the black queen could get in!} 29. Nb1 R3a6 30. Ne5 Nf6 31. Nd2 Bc7 32. Nb3 Qe8 33. Nc1 Ra4 34. Ncd3 Ne4 35. g4 $5 {An interesting move order. It's always been the question when is White going to finally push his kingside pawns!} (35. f3 Nf6 36. g4 {would give Black time to play} Nh7 {with the idea of ...Nf8 and ...f6.}) 35... R8a6 (35... Bxe5 $1 {seemed to be Black's chance to fully equalize:} 36. Nxe5 (36. fxe5 R8a7 {foollowed by ...Qa8, ...Ra2, when the black knight has an escape on g5.}) (36. dxe5 Ra3 $1 $15 {granting the black knight an extra square on c3.}) 36... Qd8 {and with the black useless bishop exchanged against one of the white powerful knights, Black has nothing to worry about. The last move ...Qd8! could be pretty annoying as} 37. Nxc6 $2 Qh4 {followed by ...Ra1 or ...Ra3 just loses for White. An idea that Black could have tried to apply through different move orders, but 35...Be5 seems to me like the cleanest path.}) 36. f3 Nf6 {It is true: because of the white pawn on f3, White is lacking an efficient plan, as in case of g4-g5, the h5-pawn would be hanging.} 37. Kf2 (37. Ra2 Qa8 38. Rxa4 Rxa4 $11) 37... Ra1 $6 (37... Nd7 $142) 38. Ra2 Qa8 39. Nc1 $1 {The right timing for White to try to obtain a favourable rooks exchange, so that c6 remains a huge target at the end of the day.} R1xa2 40. Rxa2 Ra3 $2 (40... Ra4 {was the only good quare to exchange rooks and keep the game unclear:} 41. Rxa4 bxa4 42. b5 cxb5 43. Qxb5 a3 44. Na2 Bxe5 45. fxe5 Ne8 $13) 41. Rxa3 Qxa3 42. Qd2 Bxe5 ({Perhaps Black should have played} 42... Qa6 {- but who wants to play such passive moves?}) 43. dxe5 {One danger has been eliminated, but now the other knight is heading for d4.} Nd7 44. Ne2 f6 {Seeing his position collapse, Grischuk tries to go for some desperate counterplay. But the game is already over.} 45. exf6 e5 46. fxg7 e4 47. Qc3 1-0 [Event "Linares 08th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1990.??.??"] [Round "7"] [White "Jussupow, Artur"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2615"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "1990.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 017"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1990.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1990.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Qf6 {N} (12... Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. b4) 13. b4 Bg4 14. h3 Bf5 $5 (14... Bh5) 15. b5 Nd4 $3 16. Bxf5 (16. Nxd4 Bxd4 17. exd4 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Qxf4 $10) 16... Nxf3+ 17. Qxf3 Qxf5 18. Rfd1 Rad8 19. Rac1 d4 $1 20. Bc7 (20. Qxb7 dxe3 21. Bxe3 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Qxb5 $10) 20... Qxf3 21. gxf3 Rd5 $1 (21... Bxc7 22. Rxc7 dxe3 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 (23... exf2+ 24. Kxf2 Rxd8 25. Rxb7 $16) 24. fxe3 $16) 22. Bxb6 axb6 23. Rxd4 Rxb5 24. Rc7 Ra5 25. Rd3 h6 26. e4 Raa8 (26... Rfa8 27. Rdd7) 27. Rxb7 Rfb8 28. Rxb8+ Rxb8 $14 29. Rb3 Ra8 30. Kf1 Kf8 31. Ke2 Ke7 32. f4 g6 33. f3 Ra4 34. Kf2 Kf8 35. Kg3 Kg7 36. Rxb6 Rxa3 37. Rb5 Ra1 38. h4 Rh1 39. h5 g5 $1 40. fxg5 Rxh5 41. Kg4 Rh1 42. gxh6+ Rxh6 43. f4 Ra6 44. Rg5+ Kf8 45. e5 Ra4 46. Rh5 Kg7 47. Rg5+ Kf8 48. Rf5 Kg7 49. Rf6 Ra5 50. Rd6 Rb5 51. Rd7 Kf8 52. Kg5 Kg7 53. Kf5 Ra5 54. Ke4 Ra1 55. f5 Re1+ 56. Kd5 Rf1 57. f6+ Kg6 58. Kd6 Ra1 59. Rc7 Ra6+ 60. Rc6 Ra1 61. Rc8 Ra6+ 62. Kd7 Ra7+ {Ftacnik,L} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Linares 08th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1990.??.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2615"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "1990.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 017"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1990.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1990.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Bd7 11. g4 Rfc8 12. Kb1 Bf8 {N} (12... dxc4 13. Nd2 Ne7 14. Nxc4 Qd8 15. e4 Ng6 16. Bg3 Qe7 17. h4 h5 18. g5 Ne8 19. e5 Bc6 $13 {Khalifman,A-Kotronias,V/Sochi-A/1989/ ?CBM 16}) 13. g5 Nh5 14. Bg3 (14. cxd5 Nxf4 15. exf4 Ne7 $132) 14... Ne7 15. Ne5 Be8 16. Be2 f6 $1 17. gxf6 gxf6 18. Nf3 Bg6 19. e4 (19. Bd3 $2 Rxc4 $17) 19... dxe4 (19... dxc4 20. Nh4 $40) 20. Nh4 Nxg3 21. hxg3 f5 22. g4 $1 Bg7 23. gxf5 exf5 24. Nxg6 hxg6 25. Nb5 Qb6 26. Qb3 Kf8 (26... Qc5 27. Rd7) 27. Rh7 Rd8 28. Rdh1 Qf6 (28... Rd2 $2 29. Rxg7 Kxg7 30. Qc3+) 29. c5 Rd2 30. Rxg7 Kxg7 (30... Qxg7 31. Nc7 Qg8 32. Ne6+ $40) 31. Nc7 Qe5 (31... Rxe2 32. Ne6+ Kg8 33. Ng5+ Kg7 34. Rh7+ Kf8 35. Rf7+ $18) 32. Nxa8 Rxe2 33. Nc7 Qxc7 34. Qc3+ Kf7 (34... Kf8 35. Qf6+ Ke8 36. Rh8+ Kd7 37. Qd4+ Kc6 38. Rd8 $40) 35. Qc4+ Kf6 36. Qxe2 Qxc5 37. Rc1 $16 Qd5 38. Rd1 Qc5 39. Rd7 Qc6 40. Qd1 Ke6 41. Rd8 Nd5 42. Qb3 a5 43. Qg3 Ne7 44. Qb8 Qb6 45. Rd2 Qc6 46. Qd8 b6 47. a4 g5 48. Qd4 g4 49. Rd1 Qc5 50. Qd7+ Ke5 51. Qe8 Kf4 52. Qb8+ Kg5 53. Qd8 Kf4 54. Rc1 Qb4 55. Rc3 Ng6 56. Qf6 Ne7 57. Qe6 Kg5 58. Rc7 {Ftacnik,L} 1-0 [Event "Linares 10th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1992.??.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2665"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "1992.02.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 028"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1992.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1992.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Ne4 {N} 11. Nb5 (11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bxa3 13. bxa3 Qxa3+ 14. Kd2 Rd8+ $22 15. Bd3 f5 $19) 11... a6 12. Nc7 (12. Bc7 b6 $13) 12... e5 13. Nxd5 $1 (13. Nxa8 exf4 14. cxd5 Nxf2 $40) (13. Bxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxa8 Ng4 $17) 13... Nxf2 $1 (13... exf4 14. Qxe4 $36) 14. Ng5 (14. Qxf2 exf4 15. Nxf4 Re8 $40) 14... Bf5 $1 15. Qxf2 (15. Qxf5 g6 16. Qc2 Nxd1 $17) 15... exf4 16. Qxf4 Ne7 $1 17. Nxe7+ Bxe7 18. Rd5 Qe1+ 19. Rd1 Qa5 20. Rd5 Qe1+ 21. Rd1 {Ftacnik,L} 1/2-1/2 [Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.09"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Shevchenko, Kirill"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2622"] [BlackElo "2828"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,M} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb4+ 11. Nd2 ({RR} 11. Ke2) 11... Nc6 12. O-O Be7 13. Rc1 ({RR} 13. Nb3 Bf6 14. Qd2 Be6 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Nc5 Qe7 17. Rc2 Ne5 18. Nxe6 Qxe6 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Rfc1 Rxc2 21. Qxc2 g6) ({RR} 13. a3 Bf6 14. Nf3 ({RR} 14. Qc2 g6 ({RR} 14... h6 15. Nb3 Re8 16. Rab1 Qe7 17. Qc5 Ne5 18. Qxe7 Rxe7 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Rfc1 Be6) 15. Rac1 Be6 16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Nc5 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. f4 Bg7 20. Nxe6) 14... Qe7 15. h3 g6 16. Qd2 Be6 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. b4 a6 19. Rc2 Qd7 20. Rfc1 Bf5 21. Bxf5 Qxf5 22. Bc7 Rd7 23. Bb6 Qe4 24. Rd1 Bd8 25. Bc5 Bc7 26. Qd3 Rad8 27. Rcd2 Qxd3) 13... Bf6 14. a3 ({RR} 14. Nf3 Qe7 ({RR} 14... Bxb2 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7 16. Qc2+ Kg8 17. Qxb2) ({RR} 14... Re8 15. h3 Qb6) ({RR} 14... Be6 {RR} 15. a3 Qe7 16. b4 a6 17. h3 Rac8 18. Rc5 a5 19. Qb1 axb4 20. axb4 h6) 15. h3 g6 16. Bb5 Bd7 ({RR} 16... Bxb2 17. Bxc6 Bxc1 ({RR} 17... bxc6 18. Rxc6) 18. Bxd5 Ba3 19. Bh6 Be6 20. Qd4 f6 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Bxe6 Qxe6 23. Rd1) 17. Qxd5 Be6 ({RR} 17... Bxb2 18. Rb1 Be6 19. Qd2 Ba3 20. Bh6 Rfc8 21. Ng5) 18. Qe4 ({RR} 18. Qc5 Qxc5 19. Rxc5 Bxa2 ({RR} 19... Bxb2 20. Ng5) 20. Bxc6 bxc6 21. Rxc6) 18... Bxb2 ({RR} 18... Bxa2 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Qxe7 Bxe7 21. Nd4) 19. Bxc6 f5 ({RR} 19... Bxc1 20. Bxb7) ({RR} 19... bxc6 20. Rxc6) 20. Bg5 ({RR} 20. Qb1 Bxc1 21. Qxb7 ({RR} 21. Bxb7 Bxe3 22. fxe3 Rab8) 21... Qxb7 22. Bxb7 Rac8 23. Bxc8 Rxc8) 20... fxe4 21. Bxe7 Bxc1 22. Bxb7 ({RR} 22. Bxf8 bxc6 23. Nd4 Bxa2 24. Rxc1 Kxf8 25. Nxc6 Bd5 26. Nb4 Be6 27. Na6 Rc8 28. Rxc8+ Bxc8 29. Nc5 a5) 22... Bxe3 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. fxe3 exf3 25. Bxf3 Rb8 26. a4 Rb4 27. Bc6 Rc4 28. Bb5 Re4 {Carlsen,M (2822)-Nakamura,H (2792) Saint Louis 2017 CBM 180 [Krasenkow,M] ½-½ (94)}) ({RR} 14. Qb3 Qb6 15. Qxd5 Nb4 16. Qe4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Rd8 18. Qc2 Qxb2 19. Ne4 Qxc2 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Rxc2 Be6 22. Rfc1) 14... g6 ({RR} 14... Be6 15. b4 Qb6 16. b5 Ne5 17. Bxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. Qh5+ Kg8 20. Qxe5 d4 21. Qxd4 Qxb5 22. Qa1 Rfd8 23. Nf3 Bd5 24. Nd4 Qd7 25. Rfd1 Rac8 26. h3 b6 27. Qb2 Bb7 28. Qe2 Rc5 29. Qg4 {Yilmaz,M (2626)-Nogerbek,K (2356) chess.com INT 2021 1-0 (48)}) 15. Qb3 $146 ({RR} 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Ne5 17. Be2 Be6 18. Nb3 Qe7 19. a4 Rfd8 20. Nd4 Nc4 21. b6 Be5 22. Rxc4 Bxf4 23. Nxe6 dxc4 24. Nxd8 Rxd8 25. Qc2 Bd6 26. Bxc4 Bc5 27. Rb1 Bb4 28. Rd1 Rxd1+ 29. Qxd1 Kg7 {Kalinitschew,S (2426)-Meier,G (2644) Apolda 2017 ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Ne5 17. Be2 Be6 18. Nb3 Qe7 19. a4 Rfd8 20. Nd4 Nc4 21. b6 Nb2 22. Qb3 Bxd4 23. exd4 Nc4) ({RR} 15. b4 Qe7 16. Nf3 Rd8 17. h3 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Qd2 a5 20. bxa5 Bxf4 21. exf4 Qxa3 22. Ra1 Qd6 23. Rfb1 Qf6 24. Ra2 Rd6 25. Rc2 Rc6 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. Qb4 Qd8 28. Ra1 Ba6 29. Bxa6 Rxa6 {Caruana,F (2822)-Anand,V (2768) Saint Louis USA 2018 ½-½ (39)}) ({RR} 15. b4 Qe7 16. Bb5 Ne5 17. Nb3 Bg4 18. f3 Be6 19. Nd4 Rac8 20. Bxe5 Bxe5 21. Qd2 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Be2 Qf6 25. f4 Bxd4 26. Qxd4 Qxd4 27. exd4 f6 28. Bf3 Be6 29. f5 gxf5 {Bindrich,F (2598)-Zatonskih,A (2424) Douglas 2017 ½-½ (63)}) 15... a5 16. Bb5 Be6 17. Rfd1 Rc8 18. Bf1 Qe7 19. Qb5 Rfd8 20. h3 a4 21. b3 Qxa3 22. bxa4 Nd4 23. Qd3 Qxd3 24. Bxd3 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Nc6 26. Nb3 g5 27. Bg3 d4 28. Nc5 dxe3 29. fxe3 Bb2 30. Rc2 Be5 31. Bxe5 Nxe5 32. Nxe6 fxe6 33. Be4 b6 34. a5 bxa5 35. Rc5 Nf7 36. Rxa5 Kg7 37. Ra6 Re8 38. Ra7 h5 39. Bf3 Rh8 40. Ra6 Kf6 41. Bd5 Re8 42. Bf3 Rh8 43. Bd5 Nd8 44. Bc4 h4 45. Ra8 Nf7 46. Rxh8 Nxh8 47. g3 Nf7 48. Kg2 Ne5 49. Bb3 Ke7 50. Ba2 Kf6 51. Bb3 Ke7 52. Ba2 Kf7 53. Bb3 Kf6 54. Ba2 Kf5 55. Bb1+ Kf6 56. Ba2 Kf5 57. Bb1+ Kf6 1/2-1/2 [Event "GCT Warsaw 2024"] [Site "Warsaw, Poland"] [Date "2024.05.09"] [Round "4.2"] [White "Shevchenko, Kirill"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2622"] [BlackElo "2828"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,M} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb4+ 11. Nd2 ({RR} 11. Ke2) 11... Nc6 12. O-O Be7 13. Rc1 ({RR} 13. Nb3 Bf6 14. Qd2 Be6 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Nc5 Qe7 17. Rc2 Ne5 18. Nxe6 Qxe6 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Rfc1 Rxc2 21. Qxc2 g6) ({RR} 13. a3 Bf6 14. Nf3 ({RR} 14. Qc2 g6 ({RR} 14... h6 15. Nb3 Re8 16. Rab1 Qe7 17. Qc5 Ne5 18. Qxe7 Rxe7 19. Bxe5 Bxe5 20. Rfc1 Be6) 15. Rac1 Be6 16. Nb3 Rc8 17. Nc5 Ne5 18. Bxe5 Bxe5 19. f4 Bg7 20. Nxe6) 14... Qe7 15. h3 g6 16. Qd2 Be6 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. b4 a6 19. Rc2 Qd7 20. Rfc1 Bf5 21. Bxf5 Qxf5 22. Bc7 Rd7 23. Bb6 Qe4 24. Rd1 Bd8 25. Bc5 Bc7 26. Qd3 Rad8 27. Rcd2 Qxd3) 13... Bf6 14. a3 ({RR} 14. Nf3 Qe7 ({RR} 14... Bxb2 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7 16. Qc2+ Kg8 17. Qxb2) ({RR} 14... Re8 15. h3 Qb6) ({RR} 14... Be6 {RR} 15. a3 Qe7 16. b4 a6 17. h3 Rac8 18. Rc5 a5 19. Qb1 axb4 20. axb4 h6) 15. h3 g6 16. Bb5 Bd7 ({RR} 16... Bxb2 17. Bxc6 Bxc1 ({RR} 17... bxc6 18. Rxc6) 18. Bxd5 Ba3 19. Bh6 Be6 20. Qd4 f6 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. Bxe6 Qxe6 23. Rd1) 17. Qxd5 Be6 ({RR} 17... Bxb2 18. Rb1 Be6 19. Qd2 Ba3 20. Bh6 Rfc8 21. Ng5) 18. Qe4 ({RR} 18. Qc5 Qxc5 19. Rxc5 Bxa2 ({RR} 19... Bxb2 20. Ng5) 20. Bxc6 bxc6 21. Rxc6) 18... Bxb2 ({RR} 18... Bxa2 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Qxe7 Bxe7 21. Nd4) 19. Bxc6 f5 ({RR} 19... Bxc1 20. Bxb7) ({RR} 19... bxc6 20. Rxc6) 20. Bg5 ({RR} 20. Qb1 Bxc1 21. Qxb7 ({RR} 21. Bxb7 Bxe3 22. fxe3 Rab8) 21... Qxb7 22. Bxb7 Rac8 23. Bxc8 Rxc8) 20... fxe4 21. Bxe7 Bxc1 22. Bxb7 ({RR} 22. Bxf8 bxc6 23. Nd4 Bxa2 24. Rxc1 Kxf8 25. Nxc6 Bd5 26. Nb4 Be6 27. Na6 Rc8 28. Rxc8+ Bxc8 29. Nc5 a5) 22... Bxe3 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. fxe3 exf3 25. Bxf3 Rb8 26. a4 Rb4 27. Bc6 Rc4 28. Bb5 Re4 {Carlsen,M (2822)-Nakamura,H (2792) Saint Louis 2017 CBM 180 [Krasenkow,M] ½-½ (94)}) ({RR} 14. Qb3 Qb6 15. Qxd5 Nb4 16. Qe4 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Rd8 18. Qc2 Qxb2 19. Ne4 Qxc2 20. Nxf6+ gxf6 21. Rxc2 Be6 22. Rfc1) 14... g6 ({RR} 14... Be6 15. b4 Qb6 16. b5 Ne5 17. Bxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. Qh5+ Kg8 20. Qxe5 d4 21. Qxd4 Qxb5 22. Qa1 Rfd8 23. Nf3 Bd5 24. Nd4 Qd7 25. Rfd1 Rac8 26. h3 b6 27. Qb2 Bb7 28. Qe2 Rc5 29. Qg4 {Yilmaz,M (2626)-Nogerbek,K (2356) chess.com INT 2021 1-0 (48)}) 15. Qb3 $146 ({RR} 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Ne5 17. Be2 Be6 18. Nb3 Qe7 19. a4 Rfd8 20. Nd4 Nc4 21. b6 Be5 22. Rxc4 Bxf4 23. Nxe6 dxc4 24. Nxd8 Rxd8 25. Qc2 Bd6 26. Bxc4 Bc5 27. Rb1 Bb4 28. Rd1 Rxd1+ 29. Qxd1 Kg7 {Kalinitschew,S (2426)-Meier,G (2644) Apolda 2017 ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Ne5 17. Be2 Be6 18. Nb3 Qe7 19. a4 Rfd8 20. Nd4 Nc4 21. b6 Nb2 22. Qb3 Bxd4 23. exd4 Nc4) ({RR} 15. b4 Qe7 16. Nf3 Rd8 17. h3 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Qd2 a5 20. bxa5 Bxf4 21. exf4 Qxa3 22. Ra1 Qd6 23. Rfb1 Qf6 24. Ra2 Rd6 25. Rc2 Rc6 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. Qb4 Qd8 28. Ra1 Ba6 29. Bxa6 Rxa6 {Caruana,F (2822)-Anand,V (2768) Saint Louis USA 2018 ½-½ (39)}) ({RR} 15. b4 Qe7 16. Bb5 Ne5 17. Nb3 Bg4 18. f3 Be6 19. Nd4 Rac8 20. Bxe5 Bxe5 21. Qd2 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Be2 Qf6 25. f4 Bxd4 26. Qxd4 Qxd4 27. exd4 f6 28. Bf3 Be6 29. f5 gxf5 {Bindrich,F (2598)-Zatonskih,A (2424) Douglas 2017 ½-½ (63)}) 15... a5 16. Bb5 Be6 17. Rfd1 Rc8 18. Bf1 Qe7 19. Qb5 Rfd8 20. h3 a4 21. b3 Qxa3 22. bxa4 Nd4 23. Qd3 Qxd3 24. Bxd3 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Nc6 26. Nb3 g5 27. Bg3 d4 28. Nc5 dxe3 29. fxe3 Bb2 30. Rc2 Be5 31. Bxe5 Nxe5 32. Nxe6 fxe6 33. Be4 b6 34. a5 bxa5 35. Rc5 Nf7 36. Rxa5 Kg7 37. Ra6 Re8 38. Ra7 h5 39. Bf3 Rh8 40. Ra6 Kf6 41. Bd5 Re8 42. Bf3 Rh8 43. Bd5 Nd8 44. Bc4 h4 45. Ra8 Nf7 46. Rxh8 Nxh8 47. g3 Nf7 48. Kg2 Ne5 49. Bb3 Ke7 50. Ba2 Kf6 51. Bb3 Ke7 52. Ba2 Kf7 53. Bb3 Kf6 54. Ba2 Kf5 55. Bb1+ Kf6 56. Ba2 Kf5 57. Bb1+ Kf6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bazna Kings 5th"] [Site "Medias"] [Date "2011.06.19"] [Round "8"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2744"] [BlackElo "2815"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2011.06.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 {This continuation is less popular than 6...c5 and 6...?bd7.} 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Bd3 Qa5+ 10. Ke2 (10. Nd2 Ba6 {is equal.}) 10... Ba6 11. a3 c5 12. b4 Bxd3+ 13. Qxd3 Qa4 (13... cxb4 14. axb4 Qd5 (14... Qxb4 $2 15. Rhb1) 15. b5 {gives White an advantage.}) 14. bxc5 (14. Rhc1 {has been played before. Then Black keeps equal chances with 14...?d7, but not} cxb4 $2 15. axb4 Qxb4 $2 16. Rcb1 {and White traps the queen.}) ({At the press conference Radjabov revealed that during the game he was calculating sharp variations starting with} 14. h4 Nd7 15. Ng5 Nf6 16. Be5 c4 17. Qb1 g6 18. h5 Nd5 19. hxg6 {when Black should continue} f6 {and now probably the strongest move for White is} (19... Nc3+ {can lead to a nice mate:} 20. Kf1 Nxb1 21. gxh7#) 20. Kf1 {defending from the fork on c3. My computer says the position is .... equal. Here is why:} fxe5 21. Nf7 Bf6 22. Qe4 Bg7 23. Nh6+ Kh8 24. Nf7+ Kg8 {with a draw by repetition. When seeing such variations one can hardly avoid thinking about the draw death for chess.}) 14... bxc5 15. Rhc1 Nd7 16. Qc4 Qa5 {Carlsen keeps the queens on, trying to exploit the fact that the opponent's king is in the centre. But the position is very close to equal anyway.} (16... Qxc4+ 17. Rxc4 Nb6 18. Rc2 Rfc8 19. dxc5 Rxc5 20. Rxc5 Bxc5 {is equal.}) 17. dxc5 ({After} 17. Qc3 Qa6+ 18. Qc4 {Black might consider} Qc6) 17... Nxc5 18. Nd4 Rac8 19. Qb5 ({Another possibility was} 19. Kf1 Rfd8 {and only now} 20. Qb5 {when Black cannot avoid the exchange of queens, with an equal endgame.}) 19... Qd8 (19... Qxb5+ 20. Nxb5 a6 {would be just bad in view of} 21. Na7 Ra8 22. Nc6 Bf6 23. Rab1 {and White is clearly better.}) 20. Nc6 Qd7 21. Nxe7+ Qxe7 22. Be5 (22. Rc4 {is somewhat better, preparing to double the rooks on the c-file.}) 22... Ne4 $1 23. f3 (23. Qb4 Qh4 24. Bg3 Qg4+ 25. Kf1 {is also about equal.}) 23... Qg5 24. fxe4 {Black has many ways to force a draw.} Rcd8 (24... f6 25. Rxc8 Rxc8 26. Qd7 Qxg2+ 27. Ke1 Qg1+ 28. Ke2 Qg2+ $11) (24... Qxg2+ 25. Ke1 (25. Kd3 $2 Rfd8+ 26. Bd4 Rb8 {leads to troubles for White.}) 25... Qg1+ 26. Kd2 Rfd8+ 27. Bd4 Rxd4+ 28. exd4 Qf2+ 29. Qe2 Qxd4+ 30. Qd3 Qf2+ 31. Kd1 Qg1+ $11) (24... Rxc1 25. Rxc1 f6 26. Qd7 Qxe5 27. Rc7 f5 28. exf5 Rxf5 29. Rc8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 $11) 25. Qb2 Qxg2+ 26. Ke1 Qg1+ 27. Ke2 Qg2+ 28. Ke1 Qg1+ ({Both players came to the conclusion that} 28... Qxe4 {does not offer Black real winning chances.}) 29. Ke2 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-ch 12th"] [Site "Aix les Bains"] [Date "2011.04.02"] [Round "11"] [White "Gustafsson, Jan"] [Black "Azarov, Sergei Nikolaevich"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2647"] [BlackElo "2615"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2011.03.22"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 142 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.06.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.06.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. a3 dxc4 ({RR} 9... Be7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 h6 12. O-O Be6 13. Nd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 a6 15. Bf3 Qa5 16. Rfd1 Rfc8 17. h3 Rc4 18. Qd3 Rac8 19. Rb1 Rd8 20. Ne2 Ne4 21. Nd4 Bf6 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Bxe4 Rxe4 24. f3 {Cmilyte,V (2526)-Getz,N (2333)/Aix-les-Bains 2011/CBM 142/½-½ (55)}) 10. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 11. Kxd1 b6 ({RR} 11... Bd7 12. Ke2 Rfd8 13. Rhd1 Ne7 14. Nb5 Ned5 15. Bxd5 Bxb5+ 16. Bc4 Rxd1 17. Kxd1 Bxc4 18. Rxc4 Bb6 19. Ke2 Nd5 20. Be5 f6 21. Bd4 Bd8 22. b3 {½-½ Gelfand,B (2691)-Kramnik,V (2751)/Monte Carlo 1999/CBM 069 ext}) 12. Bb5 $146 ({RR} 12. Ke2 Bb7 13. Nb5 Rfd8 14. Rhd1 Ne8 15. Bd3 h6 ({RR} 15... a5 16. Ng5 Nf6 17. Bg3 Ba6 18. a4 Nb4 19. Bc4 h6 20. Nf3 Ne4 21. Bc7 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rc8 23. Rd8+ Rxd8 {½-½ Dreev,A (2570)-Vaganian,R (2615)/Tilburg 1993/CBM 039}) 16. b4 Be7 17. Be4 Rxd1 18. Kxd1 Nd8 19. Bxb7 Nxb7 20. Nfd4 Bd6 21. Nxd6 Nbxd6 22. Bxd6 Nxd6 23. Ke2 Kf8 24. Rc7 Ke8 25. a4 Kd8 26. Rxa7 Rxa7 {Kramnik,V (2710)-Vaganian,R (2615)/Luzern 1993/CBM 038/½-½ (40)}) 12... Bd7 13. h3 a6 14. Bd3 Be7 15. Ke2 $5 Rfc8 16. Rhd1 Be8 17. Nd2 b5 18. Nce4 (18. Nde4) 18... Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Na5 20. Nd6 Bxd6 21. Bxd6 Bc6 22. Bb4 Nc4 23. Bc3 $14 {[%csl Gc3,Gd3]} f6 24. f3 Nb6 25. Ba5 Nc4 26. Bc3 Nb6 27. Bd4 Nc4 28. a4 Na5 29. axb5 Bxb5 30. Rxc8+ Rxc8 31. Bc3 Nc6 32. Bxb5 axb5 33. Rd6 e5 34. Rd7 h5 35. Kd3 Kh7 36. Ke4 (36. Rd5) 36... b4 37. Be1 Na5 38. Ra7 Rc5 39. Kd3 Rd5+ 40. Ke2 Rb5 41. Rc7 Kg6 42. g4 hxg4 43. hxg4 Rb8 44. Rc5 Nb3 45. Rc4 Rh8 46. Rxb4 Rh2+ 47. Kd1 Nc5 48. Bc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "London Classic"] [Site "London"] [Date "2009.12.12"] [Round "4"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2772"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "2009.12.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 134"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bg4 (11... Bf6 {is the main move examined in some of the previous CBM issues by GM Rustem Dautov - most recently in CBM 111, annotations to Doettling - Senff. The text continuation starts a different plan.}) 12. Be2 Ne6 (12... Bf6 {transposes to 11...?f6.}) (12... Bxf3 $5 13. Bxf3 Bf6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 {deserves attention. Black easily equalised in the following games:} 15. O-O (15. Rb1 Rad8 16. O-O d4 17. Qc2 b6 18. exd4 Rxd4 19. Rbd1 Rfd8 20. Rxd4 Rxd4 21. Rd1 g6 {1/2 Kunte,A (2527)-Maheswaran,P (2297)/Gurgon 2009/CBM 128 Extra}) 15... Rad8 ({or} 15... Qxb2 16. Qxd5 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Qf6 18. Qd4 Qe7 19. Qb4 Rfd8 20. h3 b6 21. a4 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Rd4 {1/2 Erdos,V (2591)-Nielsen,P (2687)/Heidelberg GER 2009/The Week in Chess 788}) 16. Qd4 Qxd4 17. exd4 Ne4 18. Rfd1 f5 {1/2 Kunte,A (2513)-Mas,H (2421)/Parramatta 2009/CBM 129 Extra}) 13. h3 (13. O-O Bf6 $5 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Qxd5 Qxb2 16. Ra2 Qb6 17. h3 Rad8 18. Qe5 Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Qc5 20. Qxc5 Nxc5 21. Rb1 b6 22. a4 Rd6 23. a5 Rfd8 24. axb6 axb6 25. Rb5 Kf8 26. Rab2 Nd7 27. Bg4 Nf6 28. Rxb6 Nxg4 29. hxg4 Rxb6 30. Rxb6 g5 {1/2 Ibrahimov,R (2541)-Dambacher,M (2429)/Hoogeveen 2006/EXT 2007 (61) - Black confidently hold this ending.}) 13... Bxf3 14. Bxf3 d4 $5 {[%mdl 512]} (14... Bf6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Bxd5 Qxb2 17. O-O Rad8 {etc. was possible here, too.}) 15. Bxd4 (15. exd4 Bf6 $1 16. O-O (16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. d5 Nd4 $44) (16. Bxb7 $6 Bxe5 17. Bxa8 (17. dxe5 Qa5+ 18. Qd2 Qxe5+) 17... Qxa8 18. dxe5 Qxg2 19. Rf1 Rd8 $44) 16... Nxd4 17. Bxd4 Qxd4 18. Bxb7 Rab8 $11) 15... Nxd4 16. Qxd4 Qxd4 17. exd4 Rac8 18. O-O (18. Bxb7 Rb8 19. Bf3 Rxb2 {is hardly more favourable for White.}) 18... Rc7 {A well-known kind of position has arisen. White has kept his extra pawn but it is impossible to convert due to the opposite-coloured bishops. Black forces its advance to d5, then safely blockades it.} 19. Rad1 Rd8 20. Rfe1 Kf8 21. Re2 g6 22. g3 Bf6 23. d5 Be7 24. Kg2 Bd6 25. Rde1 Rc5 26. Be4 Rdc8 27. f4 Rc1 28. Kf3 Rxe1 29. Rxe1 Rc5 30. g4 a5 31. a4 Rc4 32. b3 Rc3+ 33. Re3 Rxe3+ 34. Kxe3 h6 35. f5 gxf5 36. Bxf5 Ke7 37. h4 f6 38. Bc8 b6 39. Ke4 Bg3 40. h5 Bh4 41. Kf5 Bg5 42. Kg6 Kd6 43. Be6 Ke7 44. Bc8 Kd6 45. Be6 Ke7 46. Bc8 Kd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dos Hermanas 10th"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1999.04.07"] [Round "2"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Donev,Ivo Hristov"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "1999.04.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 071"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Qc2 Na6 (5... Nc6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bg5 Be6 8. e3 a6 9. a3 h6 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O Ne7 13. Rac1 c6 14. Na4 Qd6 15. Nc5 Bc8 16. Rfe1 b6 17. e4 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Qf4 19. Bc4 Ra7 20. Re3 Rc7 21. Ba2 Rd7 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rce1 Nf5 24. Re8 Nxd4 25. Nxd4 Rxd4 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Qh7 Be6 28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Qb8 Rd2 30. Qxb6 Qxb2 31. Qc5+ Kd7 32. Bxe6+ fxe6 33. Qa7+ Kd6 34. h3 Qd4 35. Qb8+ Ke7 36. Qc7+ Kf6 37. Qg3 Rd3 38. Qb8 Rd1 39. Qf8+ Kg6 40. Qe8+ Kh7 41. Qxe6 Rxe1+ 42. Qxe1 Qd3 43. Qc1 Qb5 44. Qc2+ Kh8 45. Qe4 c5 46. a4 Qb4 47. Qa8+ Kh7 48. Qxa6 c4 49. a5 Qb1+ 50. Kh2 c3 51. Qc4 {½-½ Miles,A-Barua,D/New York 1987/CBM 02 (51)}) 6. a3 (6. Bg5 Nb4 7. Qb1 c5 8. dxc5 d4 9. a3 Nc6 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Qxe4 Qxc5 13. e3 dxe3 14. fxe3 O-O 15. b4 Qe7 16. Be2 f5 17. Qc2 e5 18. O-O e4 19. Nd2 Be6 20. Qc3 Qc7 21. Rac1 Rad8 22. Nb3 Qe5 23. b5 Qxc3 24. Rxc3 Ne5 25. Nd4 Bc8 26. c5 g5 27. c6 f4 28. Rc5 Rfe8 29. cxb7 Bxb7 30. Nc6 f3 31. Nxd8 fxe2 32. Nxb7 exf1=Q+ 33. Kxf1 h6 34. Nd6 Re6 35. Rc8+ Kh7 36. Rc7+ Kg8 37. Nxe4 Ng4 38. Nc5 Nxe3+ 39. Ke2 Re8 40. Rxa7 Nxg2+ 41. Kf2 Nh4 42. b6 Rf8+ 43. Ke2 Re8+ 44. Kd1 {1-0 Ivanov,S-Bezgodov,A/Elista 1997/CBM 59 (44)}) 6... c5 7. e3 cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nc7 {[%csl Rd5][%CAl Yc7d5] Der schlecht am Rand stehende Springer strebt zum wichtigen Zentralfeld d5.} 10. O-O O-O 11. Rd1 {Das einzige Problem des Nachziehenden ist, die Entwicklung des Läufers c8. Karpov findet ganz einfach die Lösung, die zum Ausgleich genügend.} b6 12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Rd3 $5 {[%CAl Yd3h3,Yc1g5,Yg5f6,Yc2d3] Der junge bulgarische Supergroßmeister zeigt seine Ambitionen die Partie mittels Angriff am Königsflügel zu gewinnen. Sein Plan ist ?g5, ?h3 nebst ?xf6 und damit starke Drohungen gegen den schwarzen Monarchen.} (13. Ba2 Ncd5 14. Qd3 Rc8 15. Qh3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 b5 17. a4 bxa4 18. Bd2 Bd5 19. c4 Be4 20. Bf4 Qa5 21. Bg5 Rfd8 22. d5 Bf5 23. Qh4 h6 24. Bd2 Qc7 25. Nc6 Nxd5 26. Nxe7+ Nxe7 27. Bf4 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Rd8 29. Rc1 Qd7 30. Qh5 Ng6 31. Be3 Ne5 32. h3 Nd3 33. Rd1 Qc7 34. c5 Rc8 35. Qh4 Qa5 36. Qe7 Nb4 37. Rd7 Rf8 38. Bd2 Qb5 39. Rb7 Qe2 40. Bxb4 a5 41. Ba3 Qxa2 42. c6 Qa1+ 43. Kh2 Qe5+ 44. Kg1 Qe1+ {½-½ Wallace,J-Saw,G/Gold Coast 1999/CBM 69 ext (44)}) 13... b5 {Karpov sucht Gegenspiel am Damenflügel.} 14. Ba2 a5 15. Bg5 b4 {Raumgewinn} 16. Rh3 {[%CAl Yh3h7,Yc2h7]} Nce8 17. Nb5 (17. Ng4 g6 (17... h6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. Bb1 Re8 20. Ne2) 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Ne2 $15) 17... Rc8 18. Qe2 (18. Qa4 $5) 18... Ne4 (18... Nd6 $5 {bedarf näherer Analyse}) 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 {Nach jedem Abtausch werden die weissen Angriffschancen vermindert. Dies würde im Endspiel zu einer besseren Stellung des Nachziehenden führen. Jetzt schon steht die weisse Stellung schlechter (Schauen sie wie die Figuren vereinzelt stehen ?a1, ?h3, ?b5, ?a2...). Es ist keine Überraschung, dass Topalov sofort mit folgender Zugwiederholung Remis erzwingt.} 20. Na7 Rc7 (20... Ra8 $2 21. Nac6 Bxc6 22. Nxc6 Qd6 23. Qxe4 $18) 21. Nb5 Rc8 22. Na7 Rc7 23. Nb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bazna Kings 5th"] [Site "Medias"] [Date "2011.06.13"] [Round "3"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2815"] [BlackElo "2744"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2011.06.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 {After the first round loss in the King's Indian Radjabov decides the change openings in favour of the solid Queen's Gambit Declined.} 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 {Carlsen also changes the variation he used in the first round.} ({Against Nakamura Magnus played} 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4) 4... Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bf6 12. Bxf6 ({One month ago Kramnik didn't achieve much against Radjabov either:} 12. Be2 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Be6 14. Nf3 Qb6 15. Qd4 Rfc8 16. O-O Nb3 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Rab1 Bf5 19. Rbd1 Rc2 20. Rxd5 Rxb2 21. Re1 Be6 22. Rb5 Rxa3 23. Rxb6 Raa2 24. Rxb7 g5 25. Bf1 h6 26. Nd4 Nxd4 27. Rxb2 Rxb2 28. exd4 {1/2-1/2 Kramnik,V (2788)-Radjabov,T (2744)/Kazan 2011.}) 12... Qxf6 13. Qd4 Qe7 {Possibly this caught Magnus a bit by surprise.} ({More often Black continues} 13... Qd6) 14. Qf4 Qe4 15. Qxe4 dxe4 16. Nd4 {White's dominating knight looks very strong, but Black will quickly develop pieces and then either exchange White's knight, or drive it away from d4. Radjabov shows that Black can achieve a draw without many difficulties.} Be6 {A new move. Radjabov prepares to exchange knights via b3.} (16... Bd7 17. Bc4 Rac8 {has been played before.}) 17. Be2 Rfd8 18. O-O Nb3 $1 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Rad1 Kf7 {White cannot exploit the isolated doubled pawns, which means that the better pawn structure is not an important factor in the evaluation of the position. What matters is that the knight on b3 is very annoying for White, while the black king is more active.} 21. f4 $5 {An interesting attempt to gain more space and change the pawn structure.} ({The alternative was} 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rd1) 21... Kf6 22. Kf2 ({Radjabov was concerned about} 22. g4 {but Black has sufficient counterplay after} Rac8 23. g5+ Ke7 24. f5 Rxd1 25. Bxd1 Nd2) 22... Nd2 23. Rfe1 Rac8 24. Rc1 Nb3 25. Rc4 Rxc4 26. Bxc4 Nc5 27. Ke2 (27. b4 Nd3+) 27... b5 $5 28. Ba2 ({After} 28. Bxb5 Rb8 29. a4 a6 {it is rather White who must play precisely to achieve a draw.}) 28... Nd3 {Black's domination forces White to play accurately to maintain the balance.} 29. Rd1 (29. Rb1 Rc8 30. Kd2 Rd8 31. Ke2 {was a reasonable alternative} ({but not} 31. Kc3 Rc8+ 32. Kd4 Nc1 $1 33. Ra1 Nxa2 34. Rxa2 Rc4# {with a sudden mate})) 29... Rc8 30. Bb1 Nxb2 31. Rd7 Na4 32. Bxe4 ({Ater the game both players established that after} 32. Kd2 a5 33. g4 Nc5 34. Ra7 b4 35. axb4 axb4 36. g5+ Kg6 {Black has strong counterplay.}) 32... Nc5 33. Rd4 Nxe4 34. Rxe4 Rc2+ 35. Kf3 Ra2 36. Rb4 a6 37. Rb3 Ke7 38. Rd3 Rb2 39. h3 a5 40. g4 a4 41. Ke4 b4 42. Rd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bazna Kings 4th"] [Site "Medias"] [Date "2010.06.22"] [Round "8"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2813"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2010.06.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 137"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 {Magnus shows a mature approach: considering the tournament situation, the Norwegian chooses the solid Queen's Gambit Accepted.} 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 {One of the main moves. Nevertheless the main theoretical direction is 6...c5.} 7. c5 c6 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. b5 Bb7 ({After} 10... cxb5 11. c6 {White gets a strong passed pawn. In this concrete situation Black can use the fact that the white king is on e1 and continue} Bb4 12. Rc1 Ne4 {but still the strong c-pawn should secure White better chances after} 13. Bxe4 dxe4 14. Nd2) 11. cxb6 Qxb6 12. O-O Rfc8 13. bxc6 Bxc6 14. Rb1 Qd8 15. Qe2 Ne4 16. Rfc1 {It seems that the game will reach a draw without any complications.} Ndf6 {This move invites Gelfand to start a forced play.} (16... Bb4 {was objectively better, with equality.}) 17. Ba6 Ba3 (17... Bb7 18. Bxb7 Nxc3 19. Qc2 {favours White.}) ({A possible alternative to the game was} 17... Nxc3 18. Rxc3 Bb7 19. Rxc8 Bxc8 20. Bd3 Bd7 {and Black is only slightly worse.}) 18. Rc2 Rxa6 19. Qxa6 Ba4 20. Nxa4 Rxc2 {After a more or less forced sequence of moves we reach the critical position where in spite of multiple attractive possibilities, there is no clear way for White to achieve advantage.} 21. h3 ({The alternatives were:} 21. Qd3 Rc1+ 22. Rxc1 Bxc1 {with a small plus for White}) ({Or} 21. Ne1 Rc8 22. Nb6 Rc3 23. Qxa5 Bf8 {and Black has compensation due to the lack of coordination between white pieces.}) 21... Bf8 22. Nc5 h6 (22... Rxf2 {loses due to} 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Qxe6+ Kh8 25. Rb8) 23. Qa7 (23. a4 Qe7 24. Qxa5 Nxc5 25. dxc5 Qxc5 26. Qxc5 Bxc5 {is also not problematic for Black.}) 23... Bxc5 $1 ({Both players came to the conclusion that after} 23... Nxc5 24. Rb8 Qd7 25. Qa8 Qe7 ({Not} 25... Nce4 $2 26. Rxf8+ Kh7 27. Ne5) 26. dxc5 Qxc5 27. Ne5 {White's initiative is worth more than a pawn.}) 24. dxc5 Rxc5 25. Rb8 Rc8 26. Bc7 ({Here White had a nice way to make a draw, which was objectively the best continuation:} 26. Ne5 Rxb8 27. Qxf7+ Kh8 ({or} 27... Kh7 28. Qg6+) 28. Ng6+ Kh7 29. Bxb8 Qxb8 30. Nf8+ Kh8 31. Ng6+ Kh7 $11) 26... Qe8 27. Rxc8 Qxc8 28. Bxa5 (28. Qxa5 Ne8 {is also slightly better for Black}) 28... Qc1+ 29. Be1 Nd2 $1 ({Gelfand considered only} 29... Ng5 {which is equal after} 30. Qb8+ Kh7 31. Nxg5+ hxg5 32. Qb4) 30. Nxd2 Qxe1+ 31. Nf1 Ne4 32. Qb8+ Kh7 33. Qb2 ({In fact Carlsen could have continued the game with} 33. Qb2 Qd1 {and White still must play accurately before reaching the draw. But Carlsen didn't think that Black has any advantage and therefore after a relatively long thought he accepted the draw offer.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "87th Tata Steel Masters 2025"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2025.01.28"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Van Foreest, Jorden"] [Black "Warmerdam, Max"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2680"] [BlackElo "2646"] [Annotator "Chessbase - Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [EventCountry "NED"] {[%evp 9,59,8,25,18,26,17,35,33,32,7,30,30,23,39,52,60,46,36,43,50,55,43,51,55,59,67,70,59,53,53,68,65,79,84,68,93,87,78,115,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Qc2 dxc4 6. e4 {D37: Queen's Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4.} c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 {[%CAl Yb7b5]} 8. Bxc4 {White is slightly better.} a6 9. O-O Qc7 10. Qe2 Bd6 {[%CAl Yc5d6,Yd6h2,Yh2e5][%mdl 32]} 11. Rd1 $146 {[%CAl Yd1d6][%mdl 8] [#] New and interesting.} (11. Bb3 b5 12. Bg5 O-O 13. Rac1 Qb8 14. Rfd1 Bb7 15. a3 h6 16. Bh4 Bf4 17. Bg3 Bxg3 18. hxg3 Ne5 19. Nxe5 Qxe5 20. f4 Qh5 21. Qxh5 Nxh5 22. Rd3 g5 23. Bd1 Nf6 24. e5 {½-½ (24) Bluebaum,M (2670)-Bjerre,J (2627) Lublin POL 2023}) (11. a4 O-O 12. Bg5 b6 13. Rac1 Bb7 14. Ba2 Qb8 15. Rfd1 Bf4 16. Bxf4 Qxf4 17. g3 Qg4 18. Qe3 Rfd8 19. Rd4 Nc5 20. Rcd1 Rxd4 21. Rxd4 h6 22. Nd2 Qh5 23. f3 Ncd7 24. Nc4 Qc5 25. Kg2 Qc7 {Moksh,A (2358)-Ramoutar,A (2357) Budapest HUN 2024 1-0 (80)}) 11... Ng4 $6 {Inaccuracy. Ne5 was best.} (11... Ne5 12. Bb5+ Nfd7 13. Kh1 Nxf3 14. Qxf3 Be5 15. Be2 b5 16. Bd2 O-O 17. Qe3) 12. h3 Nge5 {A sharp opening} 13. Bb3 Nxf3+ 14. Qxf3 O-O 15. Be3 Bh2+ 16. Kh1 Be5 {[%CAl Yb7b5]} 17. Rac1 {[%CAl Yc3d5]} Qb8 18. Qg4 Nf6 19. Qh4 b5 20. f4 $1 Bxc3 21. Rxc3 {Bd4 would now be deadly.} Bb7 {Black is weak on the dark squares} 22. Bd4 {White is much more active.} Nxe4 {[%CAl Yb8d8]} 23. Be5 Nxc3 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qe8 was best. [#]} (23... Qe8 24. Rc7) 24. bxc3 $4 {Blunder. Rd7 was best.} (24. Bxb8 $6 Nxd1 25. Be5 Ne3) (24. Rd7 Bxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Qb6 26. Qg5 Qf2+ 27. Kxf2 Ne4+ 28. Ke3 Nxg5 29. fxg5 Rad8) 24... Qe8 {The position is equal.} 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Qg5+ Kh8 27. Qf6+ Kg8 28. Qg5+ Kh8 29. Qf6+ Kg8 {Strongly threatening ...Be4.} 30. Qg5+ {Weighted Error Value: White=0.07 (flawless) /Black=0.07 (flawless) Mistake: White=1 --- Inaccurate: --- Black=1 OK: White=10 Black=10 Best: White=3 Black=1 Strong: White=1 --- Precisão Stockfish 17: Brancas 94% Pretas 96% Precisão Chess.com: Brancas 94.6% Pretas 93.4%} 1/2-1/2 [Event "87th Tata Steel Masters 2025"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2025.01.31"] [Round "11.6"] [White "Sarana, Alexey"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2677"] [BlackElo "2695"] [Annotator "Chessbase - Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [EventCountry "NED"] {[%evp 0,80,21,23,30,-11,-3,-1,-1,18,20,23,38,27,34,33,11,12,33,-11,-19,-30,-19,-20,-21,-4,-20,-22,-11,-32,-26,-37,-5,-12,-14,-12,-15,-58,-58,-51,-43,-54,-51,-81,-64,-94,-43,-25,-13,-31,-30,-24,-64,-44,-44,-53,-53,-34,-52,-99,-37,-37,-39,-51,-64,-54,-53,-87,-91,-124,-104,-134,-149,-144,-190,-202,-227,-234,-259,-244,-255,-331,-359]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 h6 5. e3 a6 6. b3 c5 7. cxd5 (7. Bb2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Be7 (8... dxc4 9. Bxc4 Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. h3 Qe7 12. Qc2 b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Rac1 Rc8 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Qb1 Nd7 18. Bh7+ Kh8 19. Be4 Rab8 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Rc1 Qf8 {Gevorgyan,D (2254)-Stopa,J (2298) Paracin SRB 2025 0-1 (32)}) 9. Nf3 Qa5 10. a3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Be2 Bb7 13. O-O O-O 14. Nd4 Nbd7 15. Bf3 Qb6 16. a4 b4 17. a5 Qa7 18. Na4 Rac8 19. Qe2 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Nd5 21. Rac1 Bf6 {Artemiev,V (2708)-Carlsen,M (2862) Chess.com INT 2020 0-1 (46)}) 7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd5 $146 9. Bd2 Nf6 10. Qc2 Bd7 11. Be2 Nc6 12. Nf3 Rc8 13. O-O Be7 14. Rfd1 O-O 15. a3 Bd6 16. b4 Qe7 17. Be1 Rfd8 18. Qb1 Ne5 19. Qb3 b5 20. h3 Nc4 21. Rac1 e5 22. e4 $6 {Inaccuracy. Bxc4 was best.} (22. Bxc4 bxc4) 22... Be6 23. Nd5 Nxd5 24. exd5 Bd7 25. Bxc4 $6 {Inaccuracy. Nd2 was best.} (25. Nd2 Nxd2 26. Bxd2 e4 27. Qe3 Rxc1 28. Bxc1 f5 29. g3 Rc8 30. Bb2 Qg5) 25... bxc4 26. Rxc4 Ba4 27. Qxa4 Rxc4 28. Qxa6 Qc7 29. b5 $6 {Inaccuracy. Kf1 was best.} (29. Kf1 Rc8) 29... Qc8 $6 {Inaccuracy. e4 was best.} (29... e4 30. Nd4 Rc1 31. Qa4 Rxd1 32. Qxd1 Bh2+ 33. Kh1 Rxd5 34. Qa4 Qc5 35. Kxh2) 30. Qa5 Qa8 31. b6 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qxa8 was best.} (31. Qxa8) 31... Qxa5 32. Bxa5 Ra8 33. Bb4 Bxb4 34. b7 Re8 35. d6 Bxd6 36. Rxd6 f6 37. Rd7 Rb8 38. Nd2 Rd4 39. Rxd4 exd4 40. Nb3 d3 {0-1 Black wins. Precisão Stockfish 17: Brancas 93% Pretas 98% Precisão Chess.com: Brancas 88.3% Pretas 95.1%} 0-1 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.21"] [Round "10.7"] [White "Shevchenko, Kirill"] [Black "Tabatabaei, M. Amin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2673"] [BlackElo "2714"] [PlyCount "130"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Romania"] [BlackTeam "Iran"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ROU"] [BlackTeamCountry "IRI"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 h6 11. Bd3 Ba6 12. Bxa6 Rxa6 13. O-O Qc8 14. Qc2 Qb7 15. Rab1 axb4 16. axb4 Rfa8 17. Rb2 $146 ({RR} 17. Nd2 b5 18. Nb3 Bd8 19. Qb2 Ne4 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Qc2 f5 22. d5 exd5 23. Nd4 Bf6 24. Nxf5 Ne5 25. Qd1 Qf7 26. f3 exf3 27. Bxe5 Bxe5 28. Qxf3 Qe6 29. Nd4 Bxd4 30. exd4 Ra3 31. Rbe1 Rxf3 {½-½ Siddharth,J (2340)-Bardone,L (2130) Cattolica Vergani Cup 2021 (5)}) ({RR} 17. Rfc1 b5 18. Qb2 Ne4 19. Ra1 Qa7 20. Rxa6 Qxa6 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Nd2 f5 23. Nb3 Nf6 24. Bd6 Bd8 25. Ra1 Qb7 26. Ra3 Ra4 27. Qa2 Qa7 28. Rxa4 Qxa4 29. Qxa4 bxa4 30. Nc1 Nd5 31. Na2 g5 {½-½ Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Nakamura,H (2736) Carlsen Inv Prelim rapid 2020 (4.2)}) 17... Bd8 18. Rc1 Bc7 19. b5 Ra1 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. cxb6 Rxc1+ 22. Qxc1 Nxb6 23. bxc6 Nc4 24. Ra2 Qxc6 25. Rxa8+ Qxa8 26. Nd2 Nd6 27. Nb3 g5 28. Qa1 Qb8 29. Nc5 Kg7 30. Qa3 h5 31. g3 Nf5 32. Qb3 Qa7 33. Qa4 Qc7 34. Nb5 Qb8 35. Na6 Qc8 36. Nc5 Ne4 37. Qa7 Qc6 38. Qb7 Qxb7 39. Nxb7 g4 40. hxg4 hxg4 41. Kf1 Kf6 42. Na5 Ne7 43. Ke2 Kg6 44. Nb7 Nc6 45. N7d6 Ng5 46. Nc3 Kf6 47. Nb7 Ke7 48. Nc5 f6 49. Nb3 Nb4 50. Nd2 Nc6 51. Nb3 Nb4 52. Nd2 Nc2 53. Kd1 Na3 54. Ke2 Nc4 55. f4 gxf3+ 56. Nxf3 Nf7 57. e4 dxe4 58. Nxe4 Nh6 59. Nc3 Nd6 60. Ke3 Kf7 61. Kf4 Nc4 62. g4 e5+ 63. dxe5 fxe5+ 64. Nxe5+ Nxe5 65. Kxe5 Nxg4+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.20"] [Round "9.6"] [White "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Black "Le, Quang Liem"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2676"] [BlackElo "2741"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "England"] [BlackTeam "Vietnam"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"] [BlackTeamCountry "VIE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Nb6 7. Bxc4 Bd6 8. Bxd6 cxd6 9. Bd3 Nbd5 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. O-O Bd7 $146 ({RR} 11... Qb6 12. Qd2 Bd7 13. Rac1 O-O 14. e4 Ne7 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Bb1 Rfc8 17. h3 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Rd8 19. Rc3 Ng6 20. Rb3 Qc7 21. Rc3 Qb8 22. Bc2 Be8 23. Bb3 a5 24. g3 Ne7 25. Kg2 b5 26. Qc1 {0-1 Arkadan,A (2181)-L'Ami,E (2628) 45th Olympiad 2024 (1.6)}) ({RR} 11... O-O 12. Qd2 b6 13. e4 Ne7 14. Rac1 Bb7 15. Qe2 Rc8 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Qa8 19. Nd2 Nc6 20. Qa4 Rc8 21. Rc3 h6 22. Qa6 Rc7 23. h3 Qd8 24. Nf3 Ne7 25. Qb5 Kf8 26. Qd3 {½-½ Xu Jun (2471)-Xu,M (2388) TCh-CHN DivA Standard 2024 (3.2)}) 12. Qd2 O-O 13. Rfe1 Rc8 14. Rac1 Qb6 15. a3 h6 16. h3 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Bc6 18. e4 Nf6 19. Qe2 Re8 20. b4 e5 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Rc5 Nd7 23. Rc3 a6 24. Qc2 a5 25. Qb3 axb4 26. axb4 Nf6 27. Rc5 Nxe4 28. Bxe4 Bxe4 29. Rxe5 Rxe5 30. Nxe5 Qc7 31. Qb2 f6 32. Ng4 Qc4 33. Qd2 h5 34. Ne3 Qd3 35. Qxd3 Bxd3 36. h4 Kf7 37. f4 g5 38. g3 gxf4 39. gxf4 Ke6 40. Kf2 Kd6 41. Ke1 Kc6 42. Kd2 Bg6 43. Kc3 Bf7 44. f5 Be8 45. Kc4 Kd6 46. Kd4 Bd7 47. Ke4 Kc6 48. Nd5 Bxf5+ 49. Kxf5 Kxd5 50. Kxf6 Kc4 51. Kg6 Kxb4 52. Kxh5 b5 53. Kg5 Kc4 54. h5 b4 55. h6 b3 56. h7 b2 57. h8=Q b1=Q 58. Qc8+ Kb3 59. Qb7+ Kc2 60. Qxb1+ Kxb1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sharjah Master 2024"] [Site "Shsrjah - Abu Dhabi"] [Date "2024.05.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Black "Murzin, Volodar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2761"] [BlackElo "2631"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "88"] [EventDate "2024.05.14"] [EventCountry "UAE"] 1. d4 {[%eval 14,0]} d5 {[%eval 24,0]} 2. c4 {[%eval 3,0]} e6 {[%eval 24,0]} 3. Nf3 {[%eval 16,0]} Nf6 {[%eval 19,0]} 4. Nc3 {[%eval 13,0]} Be7 {[%eval 16,0]} 5. cxd5 {[%eval 9,0]} exd5 {[%eval 13,0]} 6. Bf4 {[%eval 6,0]} O-O {[%eval 21,0]} 7. e3 {[%eval 17,0]} c5 {[%eval 37,0]} 8. dxc5 {[%eval 42,0]} Bxc5 {[%eval 37,0]} 9. Be2 {[%eval 28,0]} Nc6 {[%eval 27,0]} 10. O-O {[%eval 31,0]} a6 $146 {[%eval 55,0]} ({RR} 10... Bg4 11. Rc1 Rc8 12. h3 Bh5 13. Nb5 Qb6 14. a3 a6 15. Nd6 Bxd6 16. Bxd6 Rfd8 17. Bc5 Qc7 18. b4 Ne4 19. Bd4 Qe7 20. Bb2 h6 21. Nd4 Bxe2 22. Nxe2 Ne5 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Qxd5 Nc4 25. Qd4 {Bogaudinov,R (1912)-Kunz,A (2183) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (61)}) ({RR} 10... Bf5 11. Rc1 Bb6 12. Nb5 Ne4 13. Nbd4 Bd7 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Ne5 Qe8 16. h3 f6 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Qa4 Nc5 19. Qc2 a5 20. Rfd1 Qe6 21. b3 f5 22. a3 Rfc8 23. b4 axb4 24. axb4 Ne4 25. Qb3 {Manolache,M (2387)-Veneteanu,M (2026) Bucharest ROU 2024 1-0 (45)}) 11. Rc1 {[%eval 5,0]} Be6 {[%eval 57,0]} 12. Ne5 {[%eval 58,0]} d4 {[%eval 91,0]} 13. Na4 {[%eval 87,0]} Ba7 {[%eval 94,0]} 14. Nxc6 {[%eval 82,0]} bxc6 {[%eval 91,0]} 15. exd4 {[%eval 81,0]} Qxd4 {[%eval 86,0]} 16. Qxd4 {[%eval 86,0]} Bxd4 {[%eval 96,0]} 17. b3 {[%eval 69,0]} Bd5 {[%eval 118,0]} 18. Rfd1 {[%eval 127,0]} Ba7 {[%eval 129,0]} 19. Kf1 {[%eval 123,0]} a5 {[%eval 128,0]} 20. Bc4 $6 {[%eval 62,0] Inaccuracy. Nc3 was best.} (20. Nc3 Be6 21. h3 Rfe8 22. Bf3 Rec8 23. Bd2 h6 24. Be1 Nd7 25. Na4 Ne5) 20... Rfe8 {[%eval 8,0]} 21. h3 {[%eval 56,0]} Re6 {[%eval 48,0]} 22. Bc7 {[%eval 28,0]} Rae8 {[%eval 78,0]} 23. Rc2 {[%eval 5,0]} Ne4 {[%eval 85,0]} 24. Bxd5 {[%eval 4,0]} cxd5 {[%eval 38,0]} 25. Bxa5 {[%eval 0,0]} Ng3+ {[%eval 0,0]} 26. Kg1 {[%eval 0,0]} Ne2+ {[%eval 0,0]} 27. Kh1 {[%eval 0,0]} Bxf2 {[%eval 0,0]} 28. Bc7 {[%eval 38,0]} h5 {[%eval 37,0]} 29. g4 $2 {[%eval -36,0] Mistake. Nc3 was best.} (29. Nc3) 29... h4 $2 {[%eval 25,0] Mistake. hxg4 was best.} (29... hxg4 30. hxg4 d4 31. Kg2 Bh4 32. Rdd2 Re3 33. Nc5 g5 34. Nd3 R8e4 35. Nf2) 30. Kg2 {[%eval 34,0]} Bg3 {[%eval 9,0]} 31. Bxg3 {[%eval 1,0]} hxg3 {[%eval 0,0]} 32. Nc3 {[%eval 5,0]} Nxc3 {[%eval 0,0]} 33. Rxc3 {[%eval 3,0]} Re2+ {[%eval 0,0]} 34. Kxg3 {[%eval 6,0]} Rxa2 {[%eval 1,0]} 35. Rdd3 {[%eval 0,0]} d4 {[%eval 0,0]} 36. Rxd4 {[%eval 0,0]} Rb8 {[%eval 0,0]} 37. Rd5 {[%eval 0,0]} Kh7 {[%eval 3,0]} 38. Rf3 {[%eval 0,0]} (38. Rcd3) 38... Rb2 {[%eval 0,0]} 39. Rdd3 {[%eval 4,0]} Rb4 {[%eval 2,0]} 40. Kh4 {[%eval 0,0]} f6 {[%eval 0,0]} 41. Kg3 {[%eval 0,0]} Kg6 {[%eval 0,0]} 42. Rc3 {[%eval 0,0]} Kh7 {[%eval 0,0]} 43. Rfe3 {[%eval 0,0]} Kg6 {[%eval 0,0]} 44. Red3 {[%eval 0,0]} Kh6 {[%eval 0,0]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Prague International Chess Festival 202"] [Site "Hotel Don Giovanni Prague, Pr"] [Date "2023.06.21"] [Round "1.1"] [White "BARTEL, Mateusz"] [Black "GLEDURA, Benjamin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2609"] [BlackElo "2645"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2023.06.21"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "CZE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 Bb4 6. e3 Ne4 7. Nd2 ({RR} 7. Qc2 g5 8. Bg3 h5 9. h3 Nxg3 10. fxg3 c6 11. Bd3 Qe7 12. O-O-O dxc4 13. Bxc4 Nb6 14. Bd3 Bd7 15. Ne5 O-O-O 16. Rhf1 Be8 17. a3 Bd6 18. Ne4 Nd5 19. Nxd6+ Rxd6 20. Nc4 Rd8 21. e4 Nb6 {Nguyen,N (2641)-Sjugirov,S (2661) Chess.com INT 2021 0-1 (35)}) ({RR} 7. Qb3 Bxc3+ ({RR} 7... c5 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Ndf6 10. Rfd1 Bd7 11. cxd5 Bxc3 12. bxc3 exd5 13. Qxb7 Nxc3 14. Rdc1 c4 15. Rxc3 Qa5 16. Qb2 cxd3 17. Rxd3 Rfc8 18. Ra3 Qd8 19. h3 Bf5 20. Rc1 Rxc1+ 21. Qxc1 Qb6 22. Qc5) 8. bxc3 c6 9. Bd3 f5 10. cxd5 ({RR} 10. Ne5 Qa5 11. Rc1 Nb6 12. f3 Nf6 13. O-O O-O 14. Rfe1 dxc4 15. Nxc4 Nxc4 16. Bxc4 Nd5 17. Bd6 b5 18. Bxd5 cxd5 19. Bxf8 Kxf8 20. Qb4+ Qxb4 21. cxb4 Bd7 22. Kf2 Ke8 23. a3 Kd8 24. h4 a5) 10... cxd5 11. Bxe4 fxe4 12. Ng5 Nb6 13. Qb5+ Bd7 14. Qe2 O-O 15. Qh5 h6 16. h4 Qf6 17. Nh3 Nc4 18. g4 Be8 19. g5 Bxh5 20. gxf6 Rxf6 21. Rb1 b6 {Aditya,T (1590)-Dhadge,Y (1525) Ahmednagar, India 2025 ½-½ (71)}) 7... Nxc3 $146 ({RR} 7... g5 8. Bg3 Nxg3 9. hxg3 c6 10. Bd3 Nf6 11. a3 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bd7 13. Nf3 Qa5 14. Qc2 h6 15. Rb1 O-O-O 16. Ne5 Be8 17. Qb2 Qc7 18. cxd5 exd5 19. c4 dxc4 20. Bxc4 h5 21. Qc2 Kb8 22. Qf5 {Mekhitarian,K (2537)-Supi,L (2582) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (71)}) 8. bxc3 Bxc3 9. Rc1 Ba5 10. Bd3 e5 11. Bg3 e4 12. Be2 Nb6 13. O-O Bxd2 14. Qxd2 dxc4 15. Bxc4 O-O 16. d5 c6 17. d6 Nxc4 18. Rxc4 f5 19. f3 exf3 20. Rxf3 Be6 21. Rb4 Rf7 22. Be5 Qa5 23. Qb2 Qxa2 24. Rxb7 Qxb2 25. Rxb2 a5 26. e4 Re8 27. Bc3 a4 28. exf5 Bxf5 29. Rb4 Bc2 30. Rxf7 Kxf7 31. Rb7+ Ke6 32. Bb4 Rd8 33. Rxg7 Kd5 34. Kf2 Bf5 35. Ba3 Rd7 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.21"] [Round "10.7"] [White "Shevchenko, Kirill"] [Black "Tabatabaei, M. Amin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2673"] [BlackElo "2714"] [PlyCount "130"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Romania"] [BlackTeam "Iran"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ROU"] [BlackTeamCountry "IRI"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 h6 11. Bd3 Ba6 12. Bxa6 Rxa6 13. O-O Qc8 14. Qc2 Qb7 15. Rab1 axb4 16. axb4 Rfa8 17. Rb2 $146 ({RR} 17. Nd2 b5 18. Nb3 Bd8 19. Qb2 Ne4 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Qc2 f5 22. d5 exd5 23. Nd4 Bf6 24. Nxf5 Ne5 25. Qd1 Qf7 26. f3 exf3 27. Bxe5 Bxe5 28. Qxf3 Qe6 29. Nd4 Bxd4 30. exd4 Ra3 31. Rbe1 Rxf3 {½-½ Siddharth,J (2340)-Bardone,L (2130) Cattolica Vergani Cup 2021 (5)}) ({RR} 17. Rfc1 b5 18. Qb2 Ne4 19. Ra1 Qa7 20. Rxa6 Qxa6 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Nd2 f5 23. Nb3 Nf6 24. Bd6 Bd8 25. Ra1 Qb7 26. Ra3 Ra4 27. Qa2 Qa7 28. Rxa4 Qxa4 29. Qxa4 bxa4 30. Nc1 Nd5 31. Na2 g5 {½-½ Nepomniachtchi,I (2784)-Nakamura,H (2736) Carlsen Inv Prelim rapid 2020 (4.2)}) 17... Bd8 18. Rc1 Bc7 19. b5 Ra1 20. Bxc7 Qxc7 21. cxb6 Rxc1+ 22. Qxc1 Nxb6 23. bxc6 Nc4 24. Ra2 Qxc6 25. Rxa8+ Qxa8 26. Nd2 Nd6 27. Nb3 g5 28. Qa1 Qb8 29. Nc5 Kg7 30. Qa3 h5 31. g3 Nf5 32. Qb3 Qa7 33. Qa4 Qc7 34. Nb5 Qb8 35. Na6 Qc8 36. Nc5 Ne4 37. Qa7 Qc6 38. Qb7 Qxb7 39. Nxb7 g4 40. hxg4 hxg4 41. Kf1 Kf6 42. Na5 Ne7 43. Ke2 Kg6 44. Nb7 Nc6 45. N7d6 Ng5 46. Nc3 Kf6 47. Nb7 Ke7 48. Nc5 f6 49. Nb3 Nb4 50. Nd2 Nc6 51. Nb3 Nb4 52. Nd2 Nc2 53. Kd1 Na3 54. Ke2 Nc4 55. f4 gxf3+ 56. Nxf3 Nf7 57. e4 dxe4 58. Nxe4 Nh6 59. Nc3 Nd6 60. Ke3 Kf7 61. Kf4 Nc4 62. g4 e5+ 63. dxe5 fxe5+ 64. Nxe5+ Nxe5 65. Kxe5 Nxg4+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.20"] [Round "9.6"] [White "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Black "Le, Quang Liem"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2676"] [BlackElo "2741"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "England"] [BlackTeam "Vietnam"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"] [BlackTeamCountry "VIE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Nb6 7. Bxc4 Bd6 8. Bxd6 cxd6 9. Bd3 Nbd5 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. O-O Bd7 $146 ({RR} 11... Qb6 12. Qd2 Bd7 13. Rac1 O-O 14. e4 Ne7 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Bb1 Rfc8 17. h3 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Rd8 19. Rc3 Ng6 20. Rb3 Qc7 21. Rc3 Qb8 22. Bc2 Be8 23. Bb3 a5 24. g3 Ne7 25. Kg2 b5 26. Qc1 {0-1 Arkadan,A (2181)-L'Ami,E (2628) 45th Olympiad 2024 (1.6)}) ({RR} 11... O-O 12. Qd2 b6 13. e4 Ne7 14. Rac1 Bb7 15. Qe2 Rc8 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Qa8 19. Nd2 Nc6 20. Qa4 Rc8 21. Rc3 h6 22. Qa6 Rc7 23. h3 Qd8 24. Nf3 Ne7 25. Qb5 Kf8 26. Qd3 {½-½ Xu Jun (2471)-Xu,M (2388) TCh-CHN DivA Standard 2024 (3.2)}) 12. Qd2 O-O 13. Rfe1 Rc8 14. Rac1 Qb6 15. a3 h6 16. h3 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Bc6 18. e4 Nf6 19. Qe2 Re8 20. b4 e5 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Rc5 Nd7 23. Rc3 a6 24. Qc2 a5 25. Qb3 axb4 26. axb4 Nf6 27. Rc5 Nxe4 28. Bxe4 Bxe4 29. Rxe5 Rxe5 30. Nxe5 Qc7 31. Qb2 f6 32. Ng4 Qc4 33. Qd2 h5 34. Ne3 Qd3 35. Qxd3 Bxd3 36. h4 Kf7 37. f4 g5 38. g3 gxf4 39. gxf4 Ke6 40. Kf2 Kd6 41. Ke1 Kc6 42. Kd2 Bg6 43. Kc3 Bf7 44. f5 Be8 45. Kc4 Kd6 46. Kd4 Bd7 47. Ke4 Kc6 48. Nd5 Bxf5+ 49. Kxf5 Kxd5 50. Kxf6 Kc4 51. Kg6 Kxb4 52. Kxh5 b5 53. Kg5 Kc4 54. h5 b4 55. h6 b3 56. h7 b2 57. h8=Q b1=Q 58. Qc8+ Kb3 59. Qb7+ Kc2 60. Qxb1+ Kxb1 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.20"] [Round "9.6"] [White "Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2633"] [BlackElo "2661"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Vietnam"] [BlackTeam "England"] [WhiteTeamCountry "VIE"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. d4 {Marin,Mihail} Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 ({RR} 6. Qc2 c5 ({RR} 6... c6 7. Bg5 g6 8. e4) 7. Bg5 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. Rd1 ({RR} 9. Nxc6) 9... O-O ({RR} 9... h6 10. Bh4 Qa5 11. e3 O-O 12. Be2 Be6 13. Nb3 Qb4) 10. e3 Be6 11. Be2 Rc8 12. Nf5 h6 13. Bh4 Re8 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. O-O g5 16. Bg3 Ne4 17. Qb1 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Red8 19. Nb5 d4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 {½-½ Grischuk,A (2747)-Aronian,L (2808) Candidates Tournament 2011 (1.2)} {RR} 21. Rxd4 Rxd4 22. exd4 Bxa2) ({RR} 6. Qc2 c6 7. h3 a5 8. Bf4 g6 9. e3 Bf5 10. Qd1 Nbd7 11. Be2 Ne4 12. O-O O-O 13. Bh2 Re8 14. Nxe4 Bxe4 15. Ne1 Nb6 16. Bg4 h5 17. Be2 Bd6 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. Qb3 Nd7 20. Rc1 Ra7 {0-1 Navara,D (2724)-Adams,M (2734) EU-chT (Men) 18th 2011 (6.1)}) 6... Nh5 7. Be5 Nc6 8. Bg3 $146 ({RR} 8. e3 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 Nf6 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O c6 12. Qc2 Bd6 13. f4 c5 14. Rad1 cxd4 15. exd4 a6 16. Qb3 b5 17. Be2 Bb7 18. Bf3 Be7 19. a3 {½-½ Polak,T (2445)-Cicak,S (2445) Banicky Kahanec 1996 (3)}) ({RR} 8. h3 Nxe5 9. dxe5 c6 10. e3 g6 11. Qc2 Ng7 12. O-O-O Qa5 13. Nd4 Ne6 14. Nb3 Qb6 15. g4 a5 16. Na4 Qa7 17. Nd4 Nxd4 18. exd4 h5 19. Rg1 hxg4 20. hxg4 Bg5+ 21. Kb1 Bd7 22. Qb3 O-O-O {0-1 Guo Qi (2362)-Du,Y (1960) TCh-CHN DivA Standard 2024 (7.5)}) ({RR} 8. h3 Nxe5 9. dxe5 c6 10. e3 g6 11. Be2 f6 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. O-O O-O 14. Qc2 Qe8 15. Rad1 Bd8 16. Bd3 Nh5 17. Nd4 Qe5 18. Rfe1 Bc7 19. g3 Bxh3 20. f4 Qg7 21. Qh2 Bg4 22. Be2 Bxe2 {0-1 Matlakov,M (2651)-Fedoseev,V (2687) Crunchlabs Play-In Match D1 2024 (1.1)}) 8... Be6 9. e3 O-O 10. Bd3 g6 11. O-O Nxg3 12. hxg3 Nb4 13. Be2 c5 14. dxc5 Bxc5 15. Rc1 Bb6 16. Qb3 Qe7 17. Nd4 Bxd4 18. exd4 Nc6 19. Rfd1 Qf6 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Rad8 22. Qf3 Qxf3 23. Bxf3 Nxd4 24. Kf1 Nxf3 25. gxf3 b6 26. b4 Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rc8 28. Rd7 Rc4 29. Rxa7 Rxb4 30. a4 h5 31. a5 bxa5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FRA-chT Top 12"] [Site "Montpellier"] [Date "2015.06.07"] [Round "9.3"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2746"] [BlackElo "2623"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2015.05.30"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Mulhouse Philidor"] [BlackTeam "Chalons-en-champagne"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 a6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 (7... exd5 8. Bd3 Bg4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 c6 11. g4 Bd6 12. g5 Ne8 13. h4 Bxf4 14. Qxf4 Nd6 15. O-O-O f5 16. gxf6 Rxf6 17. Qg3 Nd7 18. Rdg1 Qe7 19. Rg2 Raf8 20. Rhg1 Ne8 21. Qg5 Kh8 22. Ne2 R8f7 23. Nf4 Nf8 24. h5 Ne6 25. Ng6+ Rxg6 26. Qxe7 Rxe7 27. hxg6 h6 28. b4 Nd6 29. Kd2 Kg8 30. a4 Nc7 31. f3 Kf8 32. Re1 Ne6 33. Rb1 Ke8 34. b5 axb5 35. axb5 c5 36. dxc5 Nxc5 37. Rg4 {Moiseenko,A (2713)-Dubov,D (2629) Warsaw 2013 ½-½ (65)}) 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 Bb4+ 10. Nd2 Nc6 11. a3 $146 (11. O-O Bd6 12. Qf3 Be6 13. Rac1 Ne7 14. Rfd1 c6 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6 Bf5 18. Nf3 f6 19. Qh4 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 Nf5 21. Qg4 Rae8 22. Nd2 Qb4 23. Qd1 Rf7 24. Qb3 Qe7 25. g3 h5 26. Qd1 Kg7 27. Qf3 h4 28. Kg2 Nd6 29. Rb3 Qe6 30. g4 Qe7 31. Kh1 f5 32. Rg1 fxg4 33. Qxg4 Qf6 34. h3 Re6 35. Rg2 Nf5 36. Kg1 Qd8 37. Nf3 Re4 38. Qxg6+ Kf8 39. Qg8+ Ke7 40. Rxb7+ {1-0 (40) Paikidze,N (2292)-Kostic,F (2298) Moscow 2008}) 11... Bd6 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Qc2 g6 14. Rc1 Bd7 15. O-O Rfc8 16. Qc5 Qxc5 17. Rxc5 Ne7 18. Rfc1 c6 19. R5c3 a5 20. Nb3 b6 21. Nd2 f6 22. f3 Kf7 23. Kf2 a4 $132 {[%csl Rb2]} 24. R3c2 Be6 25. Nb1 Ra5 26. Nc3 Kg7 27. Rd2 g5 28. Bc2 Rca8 29. Re1 Bf7 30. e4 dxe4 31. fxe4 R8a7 32. g3 h6 33. Re3 b5 34. e5 Nd5 35. Nxd5 Bxd5 36. Be4 b4 37. axb4 Rb5 38. Bxd5 cxd5 39. exf6+ Kxf6 40. Re5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FRA-chT Top 12"] [Site "Montpellier"] [Date "2015.06.06"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Krasenkow, Michal"] [Black "Feller, Sebastien"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2610"] [BlackElo "2626"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "44"] [EventDate "2015.05.30"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Chalons-en-champagne"] [BlackTeam "Evry Grand Roque"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. e3 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. a3 Nbd7 7. b4 a5 8. b5 c5 9. dxc5 $146 (9. bxc6 bxc6 10. c5 e5 11. Be2 exd4 12. exd4 Ne4 13. Na4 Bf6 14. Rb1 Re8 15. O-O Nf8 16. Ne5 Bxe5 17. dxe5 Ne6 18. Be3 d4 19. Qc2 dxe3 20. Qxe4 Qd4 21. Bd3 Qxe4 22. Bxe4 e2 23. Rfe1 Nd4 24. Nb6 Rb8 25. Nxc8 Rbxc8 26. f4 f6 27. Bd3 fxe5 28. Bc4+ Kf8 29. Rb7 Re7 30. Rxe7 Kxe7 31. Bxe2 Nc2 32. Rc1 Nxa3 33. fxe5 Nb5 34. Bg4 Ra8 35. Rd1 Ra7 36. Bf3 a4 37. Bxc6 Nc3 38. Ra1 a3 {Gajewski,G (2650)-Almasi,Z (2692) Budapest 2014 ½-½}) 9... Nxc5 10. Bb2 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 Nfd7 13. O-O Nb6 14. Be2 Bd7 15. Ne5 Rfc8 16. Nxd7 Ncxd7 17. Bf3 $14 {[%csl Rb7]} Nc5 18. Nb1 Bf6 19. Bd4 (19. Bxf6 gxf6 $11 {[%csl Ra3][%CAl Gb6c4,Gg8f8]}) 19... Rab8 20. Nd2 Bxd4 21. exd4 Nca4 22. Nb3 Nc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FRA-chT Top 12"] [Site "Montpellier"] [Date "2015.05.30"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Riazantsev, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2704"] [BlackElo "2671"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "43"] [EventDate "2015.05.30"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Bischwiller"] [BlackTeam "Metz Fischer"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bxd6 cxd6 8. Bxc4 O-O 9. O-O a6 10. a4 b6 11. d5 $146 (11. Qb3 Bb7 12. Be2 Qe7 13. Rfc1 Rfc8 14. Nd2 h6 15. Nc4 Rab8 16. Qb4 Ne8 17. e4 Kf8 18. Ne3 Nef6 19. f3 Ne8 20. Ncd1 Kg8 21. Qd2 Qd8 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rc1 Rc7 24. Rxc7 Qxc7 25. b3 Nef6 26. Qc3 Qxc3 27. Nxc3 Kf8 28. Kf2 g6 29. Na2 e5 30. Nc4 Ke7 31. d5 Ne8 32. b4 Kd8 33. Nc3 Kc7 34. g3 Bc8 35. f4 f6 36. h4 Ng7 37. Ke3 Nf8 38. Kf2 g5 39. f5 Nh7 40. Ne3 h5 {Karjakin,S (2777)-Grachev,B (2673) Moscow 2014 1-0 (68)}) 11... e5 12. Nd2 Bb7 13. Qe2 Qe7 14. e4 g6 15. Rfc1 Nh5 16. g3 Ng7 17. Na2 a5 18. b4 axb4 19. Nxb4 Nc5 $132 {[%csl Ra4]} 20. Bb5 f5 21. f3 h5 22. Nd3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FRA-chT Top 12"] [Site "Montpellier"] [Date "2015.06.08"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Sasikiran, Krishnan"] [Black "Riazantsev, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2642"] [BlackElo "2671"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2015.05.30"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Grasse Echecs"] [BlackTeam "Metz Fischer"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 (12... Ba6 13. Bxa6 Rxa6 14. Qe2 Ra8 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. fxe5 b5 17. Rab1 axb4 18. axb4 Qd7 19. Ra1 Ra7 20. Ra2 Rfa8 21. Rfa1 Qb7 22. Qb2 Ra6 23. g3 f5 24. exf6 Bxf6 25. Rxa6 Rxa6 26. Ne2 Qa8 27. Rxa6 Qxa6 28. Kg2 Qa8 29. Ng1 Qa4 30. Nf3 g5 31. Qe2 Kf7 32. Qd3 Kg7 33. Qe3 Kf7 34. Nxg5+ Bxg5 35. Qxg5 Qxb4 36. Qh5+ Kg7 37. Qe5+ Kf7 38. Qc7+ Kf6 39. Qe5+ Kf7 40. g4 Qb1 41. Qc7+ Kf6 42. Qd8+ {Ding,L (2755)-Shankland,S (2661) Tsaghkadzor 2015 1-0 (75)}) 13. g3 Ba6 14. Re1 Bf6 15. Kg2 Rfb8 $146 (15... Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Rfb8 17. h4 Qa7 18. Ne2 g6 19. Rab1 axb4 20. axb4 Qa2 21. Rec1 bxc5 22. bxc5 h5 23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. fxe5 Bg7 25. Rb6 Rc8 26. Nc3 Qa7 27. Rcb1 Qd7 28. R1b4 Bh6 29. Na4 Qd8 30. Ra6 Kg7 31. Rb7 Rxa6 32. Qxa6 g5 33. Qe2 g4 34. Qa6 Qg8 35. Nb6 Rf8 36. Nd7 Qh7 37. Nxf8 Qe4+ 38. Kh2 Kxf8 39. Rb8+ Kg7 40. Qc8 Kg6 41. Qh8 {1-0 (41) Anand,V (2797)-Nakamura,H (2776) Zuerich 2015}) 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. Qd3 Ra7 18. Rab1 axb4 19. axb4 Rba8 20. Rb3 Rb7 21. Reb1 h6 22. h4 Rbb8 23. Qc2 Rb7 24. R1b2 Rba7 25. Ra2 (25. Qb1 Ra1 $11) 25... Rxa2 26. Nxa2 Qa7 27. Nc1 Qa4 28. Ne2 Qb5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FRA-chT Top 12"] [Site "Montpellier"] [Date "2015.06.07"] [Round "9.1"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Sasikiran, Krishnan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2642"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "98"] [EventDate "2015.05.30"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.06.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Clichy-Echecs 92"] [BlackTeam "Grasse Echecs"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 (7. c5 Ne4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. Bxe5 Bd7 11. Bc4 Bc6 12. Qe2 Bf6 13. Bg3 Rc8 14. b4 Qd7 15. a4 Rfd8 16. O-O Bd5 17. Rfc1 c6 18. Bd6 Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Be7 20. Be5 Qd5 21. Rab1 f6 22. Bg3 Qxc4 23. Rxc4 Kf7 24. Kf1 e5 25. dxe5 f5 26. Ke2 Ke6 27. f3 Rd3 28. fxe4 fxe4 29. Rxe4 Rcd8 30. b5 Rd2+ 31. Kf3 g5 32. bxc6 bxc6 33. Reb4 h5 34. R4b2 Kf5 35. e4+ Ke6 36. Rxd2 Rxd2 {Eljanov,P (2718)-Andreikin,D (2718) Havana 2015 ½-½}) 7... a6 8. c5 Ne4 9. Rc1 $146 (9. Bd3 f5 10. Ne5 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 b6 13. cxb6 cxb6 14. O-O Bd7 15. c4 Bc6 16. Qb3 b5 17. cxb5 Bxb5 18. Rfc1 Ra7 19. Bxb5 axb5 20. Qxb5 Rxa3 21. Qc6 Kf7 22. Rxa3 Bxa3 23. Qb7+ Be7 24. Rc7 Re8 25. g3 Kf8 26. Kg2 Kf7 27. Rd7 Qa5 28. Bd6 {1-0 (28) Agrest,E (2545)-Gouret,T (2275) Bastia 1998}) 9... f5 (9... g5 $5) 10. h3 c6 (10... Nxc3 11. Rxc3 Nf6) 11. Bd3 Bf6 12. Na4 Ng5 13. Nxg5 Bxg5 14. b4 Bf6 15. Bd6 Be7 16. Bh2 Rf7 17. O-O g6 18. Kh1 Bf6 19. f3 Bg7 20. Qd2 e5 (20... Bh6) 21. e4 $1 {Pour profiter de l'avance de développement, les Blancs doivent ouvrir le centre} f4 22. exd5 cxd5 23. Bc2 exd4 24. Bb3 Ne5 25. Nb6 Be6 26. Nxa8 Qxa8 27. Qxd4 Nxf3 28. Qd3 Nxh2 29. Kxh2 Rf5 30. Rcd1 Bf7 31. Qf3 Qd8 32. Rd3 Qd7 33. Kh1 h5 34. Rfd1 d4 35. Re1 Bxb3 36. Rxb3 Kh7 37. Re4 Qf7 38. Rb1 g5 $6 39. Rbe1 g4 40. Qd3 Kh6 41. Re6+ Kg5 42. Re7 Qf8 43. Re8 Qf7 44. R1e7 Qf6 45. Re6 Qf7 46. R8e7 Qf8 47. Rxg7+ Qxg7 48. h4+ Kxh4 49. Qxf5 Kg3 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 5th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2017.06.16"] [Round "9"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2812"] [BlackElo "2793"] [Annotator "Yermolinsky,Alex "] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "2017.06.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 {It seems White has totally hit the wall in this line.} ({Perhaps, it's time to switch back to} 5. Bg5 {particularly with the idea of meeting the popular Lasker Defence,} O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 {with} 10. g4 $1 ({or} 10. h4 {first}) 10... Nd7 11. h4 {- Aronian-Harikrishna, 2011, and Matlakov-Howell, Euro Individual Ch 2017}) 5... O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 $1 {It's mainly about this move.} 7. a3 ({The only way to stop c7-c5 is, well,} 7. c5 {which brought Anand success in a World Championship match game against Carlsen in 2014, but since then White has had precious little success with it. Wesley himself scored only 0.5-1.5 in two tries against Nakamura a year ago.} c6) 7... c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 {The point of Black's play. Instead of directly challenging White's stronghold on d4, the black knight prefers to stay active.} 11. Be5 Bf6 {The simplest.} (11... Bf5 {Mamedyarov-Kramnik, 2016, is a nice developing move, but the game showed us how White benefits from his own complete development more than Black. After} 12. Be2 Bf6 13. O-O $5 Bxe5 14. Nxe5 Qf6 {Shak played the energetic} 15. b4 $1 {and was able to obtain something of an edge.}) 12. Bxf6 (12. Be2 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Qd6 14. Nf3 Bd7 $1 {is very similar to the game.} 15. O-O (15. Nd4 Ba4 16. Qd2 Nb3 17. Nxb3 Bxb3 18. Rc1 Rfd8) 15... Ba4 16. Qd4 Rac8 {The black bishop deprives the white rooks of their birthright d1-square, effectively neutralising the pressure against the isolated pawn.}) 12... Qxf6 13. Qd4 Qe7 14. Rd1 Rd8 15. Be2 Bf5 16. Qb4 a5 17. Qc3 Ne4 18. Qd4 Nc5 19. Qc3 Ne4 20. Qe5 Qxe5 21. Nxe5 Rac8 22. Nf3 Nc5 23. Nd4 Bd7 $1 {The key manoeuvre.} 24. f3 Ba4 25. Rd2 Nb3 26. Nxb3 Bxb3 27. Kf2 Rd6 28. f4 g6 {If White could only airlift his ?h1 to d4, then the pressure on d5 would give him fair chances. In the real world, it is not going to happen.} 29. e4 {Wesley knows it and decides to change the pawn structure.} Rf6 30. exd5 Rxf4+ 31. Bf3 Rd8 32. Kg3 Rf6 33. Rc1 Rfd6 {Rock solid again, and I will leave the rest of the game without notes.} 34. Rd4 a4 35. h4 Kg7 36. Rc3 h6 37. Rc7 Bxd5 38. Rxa4 Bxf3 39. gxf3 b5 40. Rf4 R8d7 41. Rxd7 Rxd7 42. Rb4 Rd5 43. Kf4 f5 44. Ke3 Kf6 45. Rd4 Rxd4 46. Kxd4 g5 47. hxg5+ hxg5 48. b3 Ke6 49. a4 bxa4 50. bxa4 Kd6 51. a5 g4 52. fxg4 fxg4 53. a6 Kc7 54. a7 Kb7 55. a8=Q+ Kxa8 56. Kd3 g3 57. Ke2 g2 58. Kf2 g1=Q+ 59. Kxg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Baku FIDE GP"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2014.10.09"] [Round "7"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2748"] [BlackElo "2706"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "133"] [EventDate "2014.10.02"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O ({The idea of the last move is to avoid exposing the king's bishop to ...?b6 in view of White's intention to meet ...c5 with d4-d5:} 8. Bxc4 a6 9. a4 c5 10. d5 $2 Nb6) 8... a6 9. a4 c5 10. d5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Qxd5 Nf6 13. Qe5 Qe8 $146 (13... Ng4 14. Qc3 Be6 15. Bxc4 Bf6 16. Qb3 Bxc4 17. Qxc4 {Gupta,A (2606)-Neverov,V (2519) New Delhi 2014 (½-½, 34)}) ({Frankly speaking, I do not understand why Black started with the queen move since his intention was to play ...?d7 anyway.} 13... Bd7 {looks more natural and only if} 14. Rfd1 {then} Qe8) 14. Bxc4 Bd7 15. a5 Bc6 16. b3 Ne4 17. Qb2 Nd6 18. Bd3 Bb5 19. Rfd1 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 Nb5 21. Rad1 Rd8 22. Qc2 Rxd3 23. Rxd3 Bd8 24. Qd2 Bf6 25. Bg5 Bxg5 26. Nxg5 h6 27. Nf3 Qe6 28. Qc2 Rc8 29. Nd2 Nd6 30. g3 g6 31. Nc4 Nxc4 32. Qxc4 Qxc4 33. bxc4 Rc6 34. Rb3 Rd6 35. Rxb7 Rd1+ 36. Kg2 Ra1 37. Kf3 Rxa5 38. Rc7 Kf8 39. Ke4 Ra2 40. f4 Rxh2 41. Ke5 Kg7 42. Rxc5 Rg2 43. Rd5 Rxg3 44. c5 Rxe3+ 45. Kd6 Re6+ 46. Kd7 Re4 47. f5 g5 48. c6 Rc4 49. c7 g4 50. Rd6 g3 51. Rd3 Kf6 52. Rxg3 Kxf5 53. Rf3+ Kg4 54. Rxf7 h5 55. Rg7+ Kf3 56. Rh7 Kg4 57. Rh6 Rxc7+ 58. Kxc7 h4 59. Kd6 h3 60. Ke5 Kg3 61. Ke4 h2 62. Ke3 Kg2 63. Rg6+ Kf1 64. Rxa6 h1=Q 65. Ra1+ Kg2 66. Rxh1 Kxh1 67. Ke4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sarajevo Bosnia 30th"] [Site "Sarajevo"] [Date "2000.05.20"] [Round "4"] [White "Gurevich, Mikhail"] [Black "Georgiev, Kiril"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2690"] [BlackElo "2675"] [Annotator "Hansen,Curt"] [PlyCount "123"] [EventDate "2000.05.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "BIH"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 077"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.07.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O Bg4 13. h3 Bh5 14. Rc1 d4 15. e4 Re8 16. g4 Bg6 17. Re1 Rc8 18. e5 Qd5 19. b4 Ne7 20. Nh4 Rxc1 21. Bxc1 Bxd3 22. Qxd3 Ng6 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. Bf4 a5 25. bxa5 Bxa5 26. Rb1 b6 27. Qb5 Qe6 28. Rd1 Rd8 29. Kg2 Rd5 30. Qd3 Bc3 31. Bd2 Kh7 32. f4 Rc5 33. Bc1 Ba5 34. Bd2 Qa2 35. Kg3 Bc3 36. h4 Qb3 37. Rb1 Qd5 38. h5 Bxd2 39. hxg6+ fxg6 40. Qxd2 Rc3+ 41. Kh4 {I find the the last part of this game remarkable. Partly because black does not win, but especially because he is not playing very practical in my opinion. Clearly whites ? is in a mess on h4. At the moment however it can in principle escape both by running back - if black tries to attack by moving his ? to the first or second rank - and forward - to g5. In the game black attacks whites ? from behind and always has to watch out that it does not run to g5. Now why not close the door to g5 and then attack from behind, in that case the white ? is trapped on h4:} Rxa3 (41... Qd8+ 42. g5 Qh8 {[%CAl Rh7g8]} 43. Qa2 $8 {and now that ?h4 cannot run forward black can choose between different ways to attack the white ?:} Qa8 {[%CAl Ra8e4,Ra8f3]} 44. Qf2 (44. Qe2 Re3 45. Qf1 Qe4 $19) 44... Qe4 45. Re1 Re3 $1 {and white is helpless}) 42. Qh2 Kg8 (42... Qd8+ $1) 43. Qc2 Qe6 44. Qc7 Qa2 45. Rh1 Qd5 46. Qc8+ Kh7 47. Rh2 Ra2 48. Rh3 Qg2 49. Qc1 g5+ 50. fxg5 Qf2+ 51. Rg3 Qh2+ 52. Rh3 Qf2+ 53. Rg3 Re2 54. Qb1+ Kh8 55. Qxb6 Re3 56. Qd8+ Kh7 57. g6+ Kxg6 58. Qe8+ Kh7 59. Qh5+ Kg8 60. Qe8+ Kh7 61. Qh5+ Kg8 62. Qe8+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2012.01.19"] [Round "5"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2692"] [BlackElo "2805"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2012.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 147"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. Bd3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. O-O Qc8 12. h3 h6 $5 {A rare continuation. Black makes a useful move, taking advantage of the fact that White is busy with the tension between the bishops.} (12... Qb7 {Nakamura,H (2571)-Bruzon Bautista,L (2603)/Wijk aan Zee 2004/CBM 099/[Dautov] (1-0, 37)}) (12... Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Qb7 {Kasimdzhanov,R (2672)-Jakovenko,D (2760)/Jermuk 2009/CBM 132/[Krasenkow] (1/2, 50)}) 13. Rb1 (13. Qc2 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Qb7 15. Nd2 Rfc8 16. Rfc1 Bd8 17. Rab1 axb4 18. axb4 Bc7 {Van Wely,L (2697)-Topalov,V (2739)/Monaco 2002/CBM 087 ext (0-1, 76). In this position, we see that White cannot avoid the bishop exchange with ?g5, only because of Black's extra move ...h6.}) 13... axb4 14. axb4 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Qb7 16. Rfc1 Ra3 17. Qc2 Rfa8 $146 ({Blocking the position is likely to offer White chances for an advantage:} 17... b5 18. Nd2 Rfa8 19. Nb3 Bd8 20. Qb2 R3a6 21. Ra1 $14 {Stocek,J (2584)-Konopka,M (2447)/Havlickuv Brod 2008/CBM 123 (1-0, 44)}) 18. Nd2 bxc5 19. bxc5 Qc8 20. Rb3 Rxb3 21. Nxb3 Bd8 22. Rb1 Bc7 $11 23. Bxc7 Qxc7 24. Ra1 Rxa1+ 25. Nxa1 Qa5 26. Nb3 Qb4 27. Nc1 e5 28. Nd3 Qc4 29. Nb2 Qb4 30. Nd3 Qc4 31. Nb2 Qb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Petrosian Memorial"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2014.11.10"] [Round "6"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Inarkiev, Ernesto"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2731"] [BlackElo "2688"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2014.11.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Be2 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 {We have seen this opening too many times in this tournament for my taste.} 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 axb4 {Ba6 is the normal move; if Black can afford to open the a-file so early and still retain equal chances then White will really have to figure out something against this move order.} 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 bxc5 16. bxc5 f6 17. Re1 e5 18. Ba6 Rf7 19. Ne2 exd4 20. Nexd4 Nxc5 21. Bxc8 Qxc8 22. Rc1 Bd6 23. Qa5 Nb7 24. Qxd5 cxd5 25. Rxc8+ Rf8 26. Rc6 Rd8 {The computer prefers White, and it is even possible he wins the d5 pawn, but winning is a completely different matter.} 27. Ne6 Rd7 28. Nfd4 Kf7 29. Rb6 Be7 30. f5 (30. Rb5 $1 {Kept some advantage, but surely not as much as the clear advantage the computer claims.}) 30... g6 31. g4 Nd6 32. Kg2 gxf5 33. gxf5 Ra7 34. Nd8+ Ke8 35. N8c6 Rb7 36. Ra6 Kd7 37. Ra8 Nb5 38. Rh8 Nxd4 39. Nxd4 Rb4 40. Ne6 Rh4 {Now there should be no more progress for White.} 41. Kg3 Rh5 42. f4 Bd6 43. Rd8+ Ke7 44. h4 Rxf5 45. Rxd6 Kxd6 46. Ng7 {As clever as this was, it is insufficient to win.} Re5 47. fxe5+ Kxe5 48. Kf3 d4 49. Nh5 d3 50. Nf4 d2 51. Nd3+ Kf5 52. Nf2 Kg6 53. Kg4 f5+ 54. Kf4 Kh5 55. Kg3 Kh6 56. Nd1 Kh5 57. Kh3 Kh6 58. Kg2 Kh5 59. Kg3 Kh6 60. Ne3 Kg6 61. Kh3 Kh5 62. Nd1 Kg6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Kazan"] [Date "2011.05.08"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2785"] [BlackElo "2744"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2011.05.05"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 {In order to get a stable blockade on d4 White needs to spend time on relocating his bishop.} Bf6 12. Be2 Bxe5 13. Nxe5 Be6 14. Nf3 Qb6 15. Qd4 Rfc8 16. O-O $146 (16. Rd1 Rc6 $5 (16... Nb3 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Nd4 Nxd4 19. Rxd4 Rc1+ 20. Bd1 $14 {Wojtaszek,R (2721)-Berkes,F (2693)/Paks 2011/ (1-0, 39)}) 17. O-O Nb3 18. Qh4 (18. Qxb6 Rxb6 $132) 18... h6 19. Bd3 Rac8 20. h3 a5 $11 {Georgiev,K (2672)-Meier,G (2653)/Pamplona 2009/CBM 134 (1/2, 25)}) 16... Nb3 (16... Rc6 17. Rac1 Nb3 18. Qxb6 axb6 (18... Rxb6 $6 19. Rc7 $14) 19. Rb1 Rac8 $132) 17. Qxb6 axb6 {In view of the unstoppable invasion on c2, Black has entirely adequate counterplay, compensating for the structural defects.} 18. Rab1 (18. Rad1 Rc2) 18... Bf5 19. Rbd1 Rc2 20. Rxd5 Rxb2 21. Re1 Be6 22. Rb5 Rxa3 23. Rxb6 Raa2 24. Rxb7 g5 25. Bf1 h6 26. Nd4 Nxd4 27. Rxb2 Rxb2 28. exd4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Petrosian Memorial"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2014.11.06"] [Round "3"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2731"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2014.11.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. b4 a5 11. a3 c6 12. O-O Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qe2 Rfa8 16. b5 cxb5 17. c6 (17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Qxe7 Rc8 {led to a Kramnik victory in a very important game between Ivanchuk-Kramnik, Tromso World Cup 2013.}) 17... Qxc6 18. Nxb5 Rc8 19. Rac1 {A new idea that was certainly prepared at home. White is trying to prove that the lack of coordination of the two rooks can lead to problems for Black.} (19. Nd6 Raa8 20. Nb5 {was a draw in Miton-Doettling, 2008}) 19... Qxc1 20. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 21. Kg2 Ra8 22. f5 {Of course White has to use the little itme he has before Black consolidates his position to create serious threats.} Rc6 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Ne1 a4 25. Nd3 Ra5 26. Nf4 Nf8 27. h4 $1 {A strange gridlock. White cannot put further pressure in the position as his pieces are basically maximized. Black, on the other hand, cannot improve either.} (27. Nxd5 Bxa3 {looks dangerous for White, though maybe he has some resources involving Nf4 and d5.}) 27... Bf6 28. Kh3 g6 29. Kg2 Bg7 30. g4 h6 31. g5 h5 32. f3 Kh7 33. Kg3 Kg8 34. Kg2 Kh7 35. Kg3 Kh8 36. Kh3 Kg8 1/2-1/2 [Event "London Classic 7th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.10"] [Round "6"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2744"] [Annotator "Sagar,Shah/CB Website"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2015.12.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 b6 9. b4 a5 10. a3 h6 11. Bd3 Ba6 12. Bxa6 Rxa6 13. O-O Qc8 14. Rb1 axb4 15. axb4 Qb7 16. Ne1 Rfa8 17. Nc2 R6a7 18. f3 Qc8 19. Qd3 bxc5 20. bxc5 e5 21. dxe5 Nxc5 22. Qd2 Nfd7 23. Nd4 Ne6 24. Rfc1 Nxf4 25. exf4 Bc5 26. Kh2 Bxd4 27. Qxd4 Nf8 28. Qd2 Ng6 29. Rb2 Qd7 30. Ne2 Ra4 31. Rbc2 R8a6 32. Nd4 {White already has the much more pleasant position here. He is attacking the c6-pawn and Black doesn't have many ways to defend it.} Ne7 $2 {Adams forgot about the move ?b3 here: it sets up a deadly threat of a ?c5 fork and this cannot be stopped.} (32... Rc4 {was relatively best giving up a pawn but retaining decent chances.} 33. Rxc4 dxc4 34. Rxc4 c5 35. Rxc5 Ra4 36. Nb3 Qxd2 37. Nxd2 Nxf4 $16 {It will be touch and go between White winning this one and a draw.}) 33. Nb3 $1 Qf5 34. Nc5 Ra8 35. Nxa4 Rxa4 {White can win in a variety of ways from here and that could well be the reason why Topalov went wrong after a few moves. Maybe he thought he could play the way he liked.} 36. g3 (36. g4 $5 Qxf4+ 37. Qxf4 Rxf4 38. Kg3 g5 39. Ra2 $18 {would have lead to a winning position for White.}) 36... g5 37. fxg5 hxg5 38. Re1 $6 Ng6 39. e6 $6 {At this point Topalov thought that he could play just about anything and win the game. However that is not the case as we shall see in the game.} fxe6 40. Rxc6 Ne5 41. Rc8+ Kf7 42. Rf1 Nxf3+ 43. Rxf3 Qxf3 44. Qc2 {This looks extremely dangerous for Black but surprisingly he can defend the position with the only move here.} Kg7 $1 45. Qxa4 (45. Rc7+ Kf6 $11) 45... Qf2+ 46. Kh1 Qf1+ 47. Kh2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 74th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2012.01.22"] [Round "8"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2805"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2012.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 147"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 b6 $5 {This actually transposes to the 5.a3 Queen's Indian.} 7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 (8. e3 Bb7 9. dxc5 bxc5 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. h4 Qb6 12. Ng5 d4 $36 {Williams,S (2504)-Adams,M (2724)/Bunratty 2012/ (0-1, 24)}) 8... Nc6 $146 (8... Bb7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. e3 Nbd7 11. Bd3 a6 12. O-O Re8 {Grandelius,N (2536)-Goloshchapov,A (2580)/Remagen 2012 (1/2, 44)}) 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. e3 ({Aronian carried out several positional sacrifices in this tournament, so I assume that he was not afraid of} 11. e4 Nxf4 12. Rxd8 Rxd8 {with nice control on dark squares.}) 11... Qa5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Rd8 14. Bd3 Ba6 15. O-O (15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Bd3 Bxd3 17. Rxd3 c4 18. Rd4 Nxe3 $1) 15... Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Qxc3 18. Bxc3 Kf8 $11 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Rc1 g6 21. Kf1 Ke8 22. Ke2 a6 23. g4 Rd6 24. Be5 Rd5 25. f4 f6 26. Bc3 f5 27. h3 Kd7 28. a4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Aeroflot op-A 15th"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2016.03.06"] [Round "6"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Grachev, Boris V"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2735"] [BlackElo "2639"] [Annotator "Besenthal,Klaus Guenter"] [PlyCount "237"] [EventDate "2016.03.01"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 171"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.03.14"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 b5 7. Nxb5 Bb4+ {Diagramm [#]} 8. Nd2 {Gelfands Neuerung, die es ihm erlaubt, den Lf4 zu behalten.} ({Bislang wurde nur} 8. Nc3 Nd5 {erprobt.}) 8... Nd5 9. Bg3 N7b6 10. Qc2 O-O 11. Be2 Ba6 12. Nc3 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Nxd5 {Diagramm [#]} Nxd5 ({Schaut man sich den Verlauf der Partie an, dann war} 14... exd5 {vielleicht vorzuziehen. Aber auch dann wären die schwarzen Bauern wohl mehr Schwäche als Stärke und die Verteidigung entsprechend schwer zu führen. Weiß hingegen könnte das starke Feld d4 für seine Figuren nutzen und einfach mit den Schwerfiguren in der c- bzw. d-Linie gegen das schwarze Zentrum drücken.}) 15. Bxc4 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Rc8 17. Qb3 Bb4+ 18. Ke2 Qg5 19. Rhc1 h5 20. Ne5 Rxc1 (20... h4 $2 21. Nf3) 21. Rxc1 Bd6 22. h4 Qd8 23. e4 Bxe5 24. Bxe5 Ne7 25. Rc5 Ng6 26. Bg3 Qd4 27. Rc4 Qd7 28. Rc7 Qd4 29. Qc2 Rd8 30. Rc8 Rxc8 31. Qxc8+ Kh7 32. Qc2 e5 33. Kf1 Qd8 34. Qe2 Kg8 35. Kg1 Nxh4 36. Bxe5 Qa5 37. Bg3 Ng6 38. a3 h4 39. Bd6 Qb6 40. Qd2 Qb3 41. Kh2 h3 42. gxh3 Nh4 43. Qe3 Qd1 44. Bb4 f6 45. Qg3 Nf3+ 46. Kg2 Ng5 47. Qe3 Qc2 48. h4 Nxe4 49. Qxa7 Qc8 50. Qe3 Qg4+ 51. Kf1 Qxh4 52. Be1 Ng5 53. Ke2 Qg4+ 54. Kd3 Qf5+ 55. Kc4 Qc2+ 56. Bc3 Qa4+ 57. Bb4 Qa6+ 58. Kb3 Ne6 59. Qe4 Qb6 60. Qd5 Qa6 61. a4 Qe2 62. a5 Kh8 63. Bc3 Nf4 64. Qc4 Qd1+ 65. Kb4 Qd6+ 66. Ka4 Nd5 67. Bd4 Nc7 68. Bb6 Qd1+ 69. Ka3 Qa1+ 70. Kb3 Qd1+ 71. Ka2 Na6 72. b3 Qd2+ 73. Ka3 Qd6+ 74. b4 Qd2 75. b5 Qd6+ 76. Kb3 Qd1+ 77. Qc2 Qd5+ 78. Ka4 Qd7 79. f4 f5 80. Qh2+ Kg8 81. Qe2 Kh8 82. Kb3 Qd5+ 83. Ka4 Qd7 84. Qh2+ Kg8 85. Qa2+ Kh7 86. Qb3 Kh8 87. Be3 Nc7 88. Bc5 Na6 89. Bb6 Kh7 90. Qc2 Kh8 91. Qe2 Kh7 92. Kb3 Qd5+ 93. Kc3 Nc5 94. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 95. Kb3 Qd5+ 96. Kb4 Qd6+ 97. Kc4 Qc7+ 98. Kb3 Qxa5 99. Qh5+ Kg8 100. Qxf5 Qe1 101. Qe5 Qd1+ 102. Kb4 Qd2+ 103. Kc5 Qc1+ 104. Kb6 Kh8 105. Kb7 Qh1+ 106. Kb8 Qb1 107. Qc5 Qe4 108. Qh5+ Kg8 109. Qe5 Qb4 110. Kb7 Kh7 111. b6 g6 112. Kc7 Qc4+ 113. Kd8 Qd3+ 114. Kc8 Qh3+ 115. Kb8 Qd3 116. b7 g5 117. Kc7 Qc4+ 118. Kd8 Qd3+ 119. Ke8 {Diagramm [#] Es ist geschafft! Bewundernswerte Technik und großer Kampfgeist!} 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2025.05.31"] [Round "5.1"] [White "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2738"] [BlackElo "2837"] [Annotator "Chess.com"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] {[%evp 0,95,19,18,19,-10,-10,0,-11,4,13,20,20,-2,55,55,55,49,55,15,53,45,51,35,43,30,32,29,25,18,12,17,33,33,44,37,55,44,71,66,89,58,46,46,108,32,41,37,97,-60,-55,-62,-70,-38,-62,-120,-115,-107,-80,-120,-138,-107,-97,-89,-5,39,42,-183,-181,-180,-88,-172,-114,-166,-149,-170,-101,-122,-133,-110,-171,-163,-192,-222,0,237,254,259,279,273,273,273,269,260,1024,1024,1426,1426]} {Armagedom} 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 c6 7. e3 Bd6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. Rab1 a5 13. h3 b6 14. Rfc1 Bb7 15. a3 c5 16. Bb5 Rec8 17. Rd1 Nf8 18. Qf5 Qe7 19. Na4 Bc6 20. Nxb6 Bxb5 21. Nxc8 Qc7 22. dxc5 Rxc8 23. Rdc1 a4 24. Nd4 Bc4 25. c6 Ng6 26. Qc2 Qa7 27. Qc3 Ne7 28. Rd1 h6 29. Rbc1 Ne4 30. Qe1 Nxc6 31. Nf5 Ne7 32. Nxe7+ Qxe7 33. Rd4 Rb8 34. Rc2 Rb6 35. Qa5 Ra6 36. Qe1 Rg6 37. Qd1 Qg5 38. Qf3 Bb3 39. Rc8+ Kh7 40. h4 {A last-ditch effort that works. Arjun distracts the queen from mating on g2.} Qxh4 41. Qxf7 Rf6 $4 (41... Rxg2+ $1 42. Kxg2 Qg4+ 43. Kf1 Qxc8 {is winning. White is material down and has no checks. Plus Black needs just to draw.}) 42. Qg8+ Kg6 43. g3 $1 {The only winning move.} Qg4 44. Rc7 {And there's no defense for the king.} Kh5 45. Rxg7 Rg6 46. Qf7 Bc4 {Arjun finishes it with a Puzzle Rush tactic.} 47. Rxg6 Qxg6 48. g4+ (48. g4+ Kg5 49. f4+ {wins the queen.}) 1-0 [Event "EU-ch 11th"] [Site "Rijeka"] [Date "2010.03.12"] [Round "7"] [White "Jobava, Baadur"] [Black "Riazantsev, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2695"] [BlackElo "2660"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2010.03.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 136"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 dxc4 ({To tell the truth, once White has spent a tempo on a2-a3,} 6... b6 {may become the safest answer, transposing to a 5.a3 Queen's Indian, where (after cxd5, ...exd5) White usually prefers the development based on g3 and ?g2, rather than ?f4 or ?g5.}) 7. e3 a6 $146 {Black chooses a system that is similar to the so-called extended fianchetto from the lines with ?g5. The lack of pressure along the h4-d8 diagonal makes Black's life somewhat easier here, but I cannot help thinking that allowing ?xc4 without loss of time is a small concession. As for the move a2-a3, it tends to be useful in these structures anyway.} (7... Nd5 {Nisipeanu,L (2664)-Meier,G (2664)/Novi Sad 2009/CBM 133/[Meier,G] (1/2, 40)}) 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Bd3 ({I would be more worried about} 9. Ba2 $5 {, taking full advantage of the move a2-a3.} Bb7 10. Qc2 Nbd7 11. Rd1 $40 {[%CAl Ga2b1,Gf3g5,Gh2h4,Gf4e5]}) 9... Bb7 10. Qc2 Nbd7 11. Rd1 h6 12. O-O c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Ne5 Rc8 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Be4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Qe7 19. Qf3 Nf6 20. Be5 Rfd8 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Qc6 Qa7 23. Bxf6 gxf6 {We have reached a structure that is characteristic for certain lines of the Catalan (the fact that the g-pawn is on the initial square is not relevant). White has the better structure, but the control of the d-file offers Black chances to keep the balance even.} 24. Ne4 Be7 25. g4 Qb8 26. Rc1 Qe5 27. Qb7 Qxb2 28. Rc7 Qe2 29. Ng3 Qd1+ 30. Kg2 Bxa3 31. Qxa6 Bd6 32. Rxf7 Bxg3 33. Qa7 Bc7 34. Qxc7 Qxg4+ 35. Qg3 Qe4+ 36. f3 Qc2+ 37. Kh3 Qf5+ 38. Kh4 Rg8 39. Qf4 Qxf4+ 40. exf4 Rb8 1/2-1/2 [Event "13th Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger NOR"] [Date "2025.05.31"] [Round "5"] [White "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2738"] [BlackElo "2837"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2025.05.26"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 c6 7. e3 Bd6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. Bd3 O-O 11. O-O Re8 12. Rab1 a5 13. h3 b6 14. Rfc1 Bb7 15. a3 c5 16. Bb5 Rec8 17. Rd1 Nf8 18. Qf5 Qe7 19. Na4 Bc6 20. Nxb6 Bxb5 21. Nxc8 Qc7 22. dxc5 Rxc8 23. Rdc1 a4 24. Nd4 Bc4 25. c6 Ng6 26. Qc2 Qa7 27. Qc3 Ne7 28. Rd1 h6 29. Rbc1 Ne4 30. Qe1 Nxc6 31. Nf5 Ne7 32. Nxe7+ Qxe7 33. Rd4 Rb8 34. Rc2 Rb6 35. Qa5 Ra6 36. Qe1 Rg6 37. Qd1 Qg5 38. Qf3 Bb3 39. Rc8+ Kh7 40. h4 {A last-ditch effort that works. Arjun distracts the queen from mating on g2.} Qxh4 41. Qxf7 Rf6 $4 (41... Rxg2+ $1 42. Kxg2 Qg4+ 43. Kf1 Qxc8 {is winning. White is material down and has no checks. Plus Black needs just to draw.}) 42. Qg8+ Kg6 43. g3 $1 {The only winning move.} Qg4 44. Rc7 {And there's no defense for the king.} Kh5 45. Rxg7 Rg6 46. Qf7 Bc4 {Arjun finishes it with a Puzzle Rush tactic.} 47. Rxg6 Qxg6 48. g4+ (48. g4+ Kg5 49. f4+ {wins the queen.}) 1-0 [Event "Hoogeveen Unive Crown 17th"] [Site "Hoogeveen"] [Date "2013.10.22"] [Round "3"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Van Kampen, Robin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2706"] [BlackElo "2607"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2013.10.20"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 157"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 {completely playable, but definitely not fashionable. Defining the knight so early in the opening has lost ground to the other Black options, mainly playing a quicker Be7, playing a Semi-Slav with c6 or a Ragozin with Bb4.} 5. e3 {So chooses a line that is not the most topical, but simply wants to play chess. With the knight on d7 certain c5 breaks are not as strong, and White retains some pressure in most lines.} Be7 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 b6 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Qc2 c5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. O-O {This position is more commonly reached with Black to play in White to play in Semi-Slav formations with a quick c6-c5. However Black didn't have to waste time on the c6 move first.} Rc8 12. Rac1 Bd6 13. Qe2 Qe7 14. Ba6 Bxa6 15. Qxa6 {it's not entirely clear that the queen wants to be on a6. After all, a7 is untouchable.} Nb8 (15... Qe6 16. Rfd1 (16. Qxa7 $4 Ra8 17. Qb7 Rfb8 18. Qc6 Bxh2+ {is the point of Qe6.}) 16... Rfe8 $11) 16. Qd3 Rfd8 17. Nb5 {This truly exploits the awkwardness of Nb7. With the dark squared bishop captured it will be easy for White to determine a good time to liquidate the center and force favorable trades.} Nc6 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. dxc5 bxc5 20. Bxf6 {White exploits the fact that the queen es tied down to the defense of the c5 pawn.} gxf6 (20... Qxf6 21. Qb5 $1 {wins a pawn.} (21. Rxc5 $2 Ne5 22. Qd4 Nxf3+ 23. gxf3 Qxf3 $11 {and Black has nothing to fear.})) 21. Rfd1 Ne5 22. Qe2 Nxf3+ 23. Qxf3 {Black's position is probably acceptable if his pawns on the kingside weren't crippled, but as it stands his king is too weak. White will use a combination of threats on the pawns and threats against the king to make progress.} Qe6 24. g3 Kg7 25. Rd3 d4 26. Rc4 dxe3 27. Rxe3 Qd6 28. b4 $1 {A timely transition.} Qd1+ (28... cxb4 $2 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. Qg4+ {picks up the rook on c8.}) 29. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 30. Kg2 Rd4 31. Rxc5 Rxc5 32. bxc5 Rc4 33. Ra3 Rxc5 34. Rxa7 {This endgame should be a draw in most scenarios, but with Black's pawans being crippled the draw is at least harder to achieve.} Rc2 35. Kf3 Kg6 36. a4 Ra2 37. a5 h6 38. a6 Kf5 39. Ra8 Kg6 40. Ke4 Kg7 41. Kd5 {beautiful timing.} Rxf2 42. Rb8 Ra2 43. Rb6 {The king simply marches to b7 and pushes the pawn forward. Black's crippled pawns means that there is no hope for counterplay in the other wing. A clean game by Wesley So.} 1-0 [Event "Hoogovens"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "1997.01.19"] [Round "2"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Short, Nigel D"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2645"] [BlackElo "2690"] [Annotator "Hecht,Hans Joachim"] [PlyCount "142"] [EventDate "1997.01.18"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 057"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rhg1+ Kh8 18. e4 b5 19. Bd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 b4 21. axb4 Qa1+ 22. Kd2 Qa6 23. Qc6 Rd8 24. Kc3 Bb7 25. Qxa6 Bxa6 26. Rd4 Rac8+ 27. Kd2 Bb7 28. Rc1 Rxc1 29. Kxc1 Kg7 30. Ne1 Rxd5 31. Rxd5 Bxd5 { Doppel- gegen Tripelbauer; starker Läufer bei offener Stellung; unklarer Spielverlauf. Analyse erforderlich. Interssantes Schlußspiel mit S+B gegen L+B Deshalb eine Endspielmedaille} 32. Nd3 f3 33. Kd2 Bc6 34. Nf4 f5 35. h4 Kf6 36. Ke3 Ke5 37. Nd3+ Kd5 38. Kf4 Ba4 39. Ne5 f6 40. Nxf3 Bc2 41. Nd2 Bd3 (41... Kd4 $5) 42. Ke3 Bc2 43. f3 Ke5 44. Nc4+ Kd5 45. Na5 (45. Nd2) 45... Ba4 46. b3 Bb5 47. Kf4 Kd4 48. Kxf5 Kc3 49. f4 Kxb4 50. Nb7 Bc6 51. Nd8 Bd5 52. Kxf6 Kxb3 53. Ke5 Kc4 54. f5 a5 55. f6 a4 56. Nc6 (56. Ne6 a3 57. f7 a2 58. f8=Q a1=Q+ 59. Kf5 (59. Kd6 Qa6+ $19) 59... Qb1+ 60. Kf6 Qg6+ $19) 56... Bg8 57. Ne7 Bf7 58. Nf5 a3 59. Nd6+ Kc5 60. Nxf7 a2 61. Ng5 a1=Q+ 62. Ke6 Qa6+ 63. Ke7 Qb7+ 64. Ke6 h6 65. f7 Qc8+ 66. Ke7 hxg5 67. hxg5 Qb7+ 68. Kf8 (68. Kf6 Qb2+ (68... Qb8 $2 69. Kg7 Qe5+ 70. Kg8 Qxg5+ 71. Kh8 Qh6+ 72. Kg8 Qg6+ 73. Kh8 $11) 69. Ke7 Qg7 70. g6 Kd5 71. Ke8 Ke6 $19) 68... Kd6 69. Kg8 Qd5 70. g6 Ke7 71. Kh7 Qd8 0-1 [Event "Division I"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2024.05.10"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Lazavik, Denis"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2815"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "BLR"] [BlackTeam "RUS"] [WhiteClock "0:05:46"] [BlackClock "0:03:25"] {[%evp 10,49,35,33,33,35,42,24,19,22,35,16,16,4,43,36,40,38,45,44,62,0,46,44,86,80,144,137,296,293,426,420,412,405,594,582,614,606,753,745,29996,562]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 c5 6. dxc5 Bxc5 {Black wants to play ...Qb6.} 7. e3 Nc6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 {White has an edge.} 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Bb4+ 11. Nd2 g5 12. Bg3 h5 {[#] White must now prevent ...h4.} 13. h3 h4 14. Bh2 d4 {...dxe3 is the strong threat.} 15. Qe2 Be6 16. O-O dxe3 17. Qxe3 Bxd2 18. Qxd2 Qd5 $2 (18... Qf6 $16) 19. Qe3 $18 O-O-O (19... Rd8 $142) 20. Be4 Qd4 21. Qf3 Ne5 (21... Bd5 $142) 22. Rac1+ Kd7 23. Qf6 {[%mdl 64] [#] Double Attack} Qxe4 24. Bxe5 {Threatening mate with Rc7+.} Bc4 25. Rfe1 {Accuracy: White = 77%, Black = 32%.} (25. Rfd1+ $142 Qd5 26. Rxd5+ Bxd5 27. Rc7+ Ke8 28. Qxh8#) 1-0 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.18"] [Round "7.6"] [White "Martirosyan, Haik M."] [Black "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2667"] [BlackElo "2676"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "England"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Nd2 Bb4 12. Be2 Na5 13. Rb1 Bd7 14. Na2 Be7 15. b4 Nc6 16. Nc4 Nd5 17. e4 $146 ({RR} 17. a5 Ncxb4 18. Nxb4 Nc3 19. Bd3 Nxb1 20. Na2 Ba4 21. Re1 Bb3 22. Nb6 Bxa2 23. Nxa8 O-O 24. Nb6 Bb4 25. Rf1 Bxa5 26. Bxb1 Bxb1 27. Ba3 Bd3 28. Rd1 Bc2 29. Rc1 Rd8 30. Nc4 Bc3 31. Nb2 Bxb2 {0-1 Brito Garcia,A (2360)-Lantini,R Le Fonti op 1989}) 17... Nf6 18. Nb6 Rd8 19. b5 axb5 20. axb5 Ne5 21. Nc3 Bc8 22. Bf4 Ng6 23. Bc7 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 O-O 25. e5 Nd5 26. Ncxd5 exd5 27. Nxc8 Rxc8 28. b6 Bc5 29. g3 Ne7 30. Bf3 Kf8 31. Ra1 f5 32. Ra5 Bd4 33. Bxd5 Bc3 34. Rc5 Bb4 35. Rc4 1-0 [Event "Hoogovens"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "1998.01.18"] [Round "3"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2675"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Khalifman,Alexander"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "1998.01.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 063"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. h4 a6 12. Ng5 Rd8 13. cxd5 exd5 14. e4 Nxe4 15. Ngxe4 dxe4 16. Rxd8+ Qxd8 17. Qxe4 g6 18. Bc4 Bf5 19. Qe3 Qd4 {Etwas ängstlich gespielt.} ({Kritisch war} 19... Bxh4 $5 {und nun ist nicht klar, ob Weiß genug Kompensation für den Bauern hat.}) 20. Qxd4 Nxd4 21. Rd1 Ne6 22. Bxe6 Bxe6 23. g3 Rc8 24. Kb1 f6 25. Nd5 Bd8 26. Be3 Bg4 27. Rd2 Bf5+ 28. Ka2 Rc2 29. Rd1 Kf7 30. Nc3 Ba5 31. Kb3 Bxc3 32. bxc3 Re2 33. Rd6 g5 34. hxg5 Be6+ 35. c4 fxg5 36. Rb6 Bc8 37. a4 Kg7 38. c5 h5 39. c6 bxc6 40. Rxc6 Bf5 41. Bxg5 Rxf2 42. Kb4 1/2-1/2 [Event "OHRA-A"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "1990.??.??"] [Round "10"] [White "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2630"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1990.07.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "CBM 020"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1991.02.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1991.02.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. Nd2 Bb4 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 $1 {N} (12. Nb3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Qa4 14. Bd3 b6 15. f3 Ba6 $10) 12... d4 13. O-O Bxc3 (13... dxc3 14. axb4 Qxb4 15. bxc3 $16) 14. Nc4 Qh5 15. bxc3 dxe3 (15... dxc3 16. e4 Nd4 17. Qxc3 Ne2+ 18. Bxe2 Qxe2 19. f3 Be6 20. Nd6 $16) 16. Nxe3 Be6 17. Rab1 Nd5 18. Rb5 $1 Rfd8 (18... Nxe3 19. Rxh5 Nxc2 20. Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Bxc2+ Kg8 22. Bh7+ Kh8 23. Bf5+ Kg8 24. Bxe6 fxe6 25. Be3 $18) 19. c4 Nd4 (19... Nxe3 20. fxe3 Qh4 21. Rxb7 $16) 20. Qb2 Nxb5 21. cxd5 Bxd5 22. Bxb5 (22. Qxb5 a6 23. Qc5 b6 24. Qxb6 Bxg2 $132) 22... Be4 23. Bc7 Rdc8 24. Rc1 Qg6 25. Bd7 Rf8 26. h4 $1 Kh8 27. Bf4 Rad8 28. Rc7 f6 29. Qb4 Rf7 30. h5 {Ftacnik,L} 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Kazan"] [Date "2011.05.12"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2785"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "31"] [EventDate "2011.05.05"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "3"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 {A relatively rare move.} (8. cxd5 {and}) (8. dxc5 {are more popular.}) 8... Qa5 9. Nd2 cxd4 10. exd4 dxc4 $146 (10... Bb4 {Weiss,A (2318)-Ivanov,V (2447)/IECG Email 2000/Corr 2002 (1-0, 45)}) 11. Nxc4 Qd8 12. Bd3 Nb6 13. O-O Bd7 14. Nxb6 Qxb6 15. d5 Kh8 16. dxe6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "London"] [Date "2013.03.25"] [Round "9"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2809"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2013.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 c6 8. O-O Nh5 9. Be5 f6 10. Bg3 f5 11. Be5 Nhf6 12. h3 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Nd7 14. f4 Nxe5 15. fxe5 Bg5 16. Qd2 Bd7 17. Rac1 Rc8 18. a3 Kh8 19. b4 Be8 20. Bd3 Rc7 21. Ne2 Bh5 22. Nf4 Bxf4 23. exf4 Rd7 24. Qe3 dxc4 25. Bxc4 Rxd4 $2 (25... Re8 $13) 26. Bxe6 Bf7 $2 27. Bxf5 Bc4 28. e6 $1 Qd6 29. Rfe1 Re8 30. e7 Bf7 31. Rc5 g6 32. Bg4 h5 33. f5 Kg7 34. fxg6 Bxg6 35. Bxh5 Rd3 36. Qe5+ Qxe5 37. Rcxe5 Bxh5 38. Rxh5 Rxa3 39. Rf5 Rd3 40. Re4 Rd7 41. Rg4+ Kh6 42. Rf6+ Kh7 43. Rf7+ Kh6 44. Rgg7 Rd1+ 45. Kh2 Rf1 46. Rh7+ Kg6 47. Rhg7+ Kh6 48. Rh7+ Kg6 49. Rfg7+ Kf6 50. h4 Ke6 51. Rg4 Kf5 52. Kg3 Re1 53. Rf4+ Ke6 54. h5 Rxe7 55. Rxe7+ Kxe7 56. Kh4 b6 57. h6 Rh1+ 58. Kg5 Ke6 59. Kg6 Ke5 60. Rf5+ 1-0 [Event "Reggio Emilia-A 9192 34th"] [Site "Reggio Emilia"] [Date "1992.??.??"] [Round "9"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Khalifman, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2630"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1991.12.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 027"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1992.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1992.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5 13. g5 exf4 14. gxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Ne7 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rhg1+ Kh8 18. Qe4 Ng6 (18... Qc5 19. Qxf4 Bf5 20. b4 Qc6 21. Rd6 Qa4 22. Bd3 Qxa3+ 23. Kd1 Rfd8 $17 {Ambarcumjan-Magomedov/Frunze op/1989/}) 19. Qd4 $5 {N} (19. Rd5 Qc7 20. Qd4 Be6 21. Rc5 Qe7 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Kb1 e5 $15 {Shabalov-Kruppa/Nabereznie Chelni/1988/}) 19... Qb6 $1 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Rd6 fxe3 22. fxe3 Ra5 $1 23. Kd2 (23. Rxb6 Rc5 24. b3 Be6 $10) 23... Rf5 (23... Rc5 24. Bd3 Rc6 $10) 24. Rf1 Rc5 25. Bd3 Rc6 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. b4 Rd8 28. Rc1 Ne5 (28... Bf5 29. Nd4 Bxd3 30. Kxd3 Ne5+ 31. Ke4 $10) 29. Nd4 Nxd3 30. Kxd3 Bd7 31. Ke4 Re8+ 32. Kf4 Rc8 33. Nf5 {Ftacnik,L} 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-chT 25th"] [Site "Batumi"] [Date "2025.10.12"] [Round "7.25"] [White "Sargsyan, Shant"] [Black "Chigaev, Maksim"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2667"] [BlackElo "2634"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2025.10.05"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "Mega2025 Update 50"] [Source "Chessbase"] [SourceDate "2025.10.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.10.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Armenia"] [BlackTeam "Spain"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"] [BlackTeamCountry "ESP"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Ne4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. Bxe5 b6 11. b4 {was the old line (11.Qc2). war die alte Variante (11.Dc2).} a5 12. a3 Qd5 13. Rc1 $146 (13. Bxc7 axb4 14. axb4 Rxa1 15. Qxa1 Qb3 16. Bxb6 Qxb4+ 17. Kd1 Bd7 18. Be2 Ba4+ 19. Kc1 {0-1 Shuvalov,E (1996)-Boraso,A (2204) Titled Tuesday intern op 14th Jan Early blitz 2025 (5)}) 13... Qa2 14. Bxc7 Qxa3 15. Bxb6 axb4 16. Bc4 Bd8 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. O-O Bd7 19. Rb1 Ba4 20. Qe2 Rdb8 21. h4 b3 22. Rb2 Rb4 23. Rfb1 Rab8 24. d5 Bb5 25. Bxb5 R4xb5 26. c6 Qd6 27. dxe6 Qxc6 28. e7 Qe8 29. Qc4 Qxe7 30. Rxb3 Rxb3 31. Rxb3 Rxb3 32. Qxb3 g6 1/2-1/2 [Event "TUR-chT"] [Site "Ankara"] [Date "2025.08.11"] [Round "10.37"] [White "Andreikin, Dmitry"] [Black "Esipenko, Andrey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2695"] [BlackElo "2682"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2025.08.04"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "Mega2025 Update 47"] [Source "Chessbase"] [SourceDate "2025.09.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.09.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Hukukcu Fenerbahceliler"] [BlackTeam "Pamukkale Universiteli"] [WhiteTeamCountry "TUR"] [BlackTeamCountry "TUR"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. Bd3 Ba6 {7...Ba6 is the recent fashion. 7...La6 ist aktuell in Mode.} 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. O-O Rc8 11. Re1 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Nd7 13. e4 Qb7 14. Rad1 Re8 15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Bd6 17. Qb5 Nf6 18. Bxd6 $146 (18. Be5 a6 19. Qb3 Nd7 20. Bxd6 cxd6 21. Nd4 Nf6 22. Nc6 Qd7 23. h3 b5 24. a4 bxa4 25. Qxa4 {½-½ Cheparinov,I (2679)-Bacrot,E (2669) Zagreb Peace 2019 (5)}) 18... cxd6 19. Qc6 Qa6 20. a3 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Rc8 22. Qxd6 Qb7 23. Rd1 Nxd5 24. h3 Nf6 25. Qd8+ Ne8 26. Rd7 Rxd8 27. Rxb7 Ra8 28. Ne5 Nd6 29. Rd7 f6 30. Nd3 Nf7 31. Nf4 a6 32. a4 Rd8 33. Ra7 a5 34. Ne6 Rd1+ 35. Kh2 h5 36. Ra8+ Kh7 37. Ra7 Kg8 38. f4 Rd2 39. Ra8+ Kh7 40. Ra7 Kg8 41. b3 Rd3 42. Ra8+ Kh7 43. Ra7 Kg8 44. Ra8+ Kh7 45. Nf8+ Kh6 46. Ra7 Nd8 47. Rd7 Rxd7 48. Nxd7 Ne6 49. Nxb6 Nd4 50. Kg3 Kg6 51. Nc4 Nxb3 52. Kf3 Nc5 53. g4 hxg4+ 54. hxg4 Nxa4 55. Nxa5 f5 56. Nc4 fxg4+ 57. Kxg4 Nc5 58. Ne3 Ne6 59. f5+ Kf7 60. fxe6+ Kxe6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-B 79th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2017.01.28"] [Round "12"] [White "Bok, Benjamin"] [Black "L'Ami, Erwin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2608"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2017.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:39]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 4. d4 {[%emt 0:01:08]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 5. Bf4 {[%emt 0:02:38]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:17]} 6. e3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} c5 {[%emt 0:02:07]} 7. dxc5 {[%emt 0:03:44]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:33]} 8. Qc2 {[%emt 0:02:35]} Qa5 {[%emt 0:05:24]} 9. Be2 {[%emt 0:15:58]} Bb4 $146 {[%emt 0:05:15]} (9... Nc6 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 a6 12. a3 Be7 13. b4 Qh5 14. Be2 Qf5 15. Bd3 Qh5 16. Ne2 e5 17. Ng3 Qg4 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 g6 20. Rad1 Be6 21. Be2 Qh4 22. Rd4 Qh6 23. Qc7 Nd5 24. Rxd5 Bxd5 25. Qxe7 f6 26. Bxf6 Rae8 27. Qc5 Rxf6 28. Qxd5+ Kh8 29. Ne4 Rf5 30. Qd4+ {1-0 (30) Pert,R (2455)-Zakarian,D (2379) England 2011}) 10. O-O {[%emt 0:03:02]} Bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:52]} 11. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:06:57]} 12. Qb2 {[%emt 0:24:11]} Bc6 {[%emt 0:04:56]} 13. Qb4 {[%emt 0:04:03]} Qxb4 {[%emt 0:09:27]} 14. cxb4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 15. Bxc4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:04:19]} 16. Rfc1 {[%emt 0:07:55]} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:01:43]} 17. Be2 {[%emt 0:05:20]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:07:27]} 18. a4 {[%emt 0:02:32]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:02:41]} 19. Ne5 {[%emt 0:04:41]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:03:19]} 20. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} f6 {[%emt 0:01:09]} 21. Bd4 {[%emt 0:08:46]} a6 {[%emt 0:04:21]} 22. f3 {[%emt 0:10:18]} Nd2 {[%emt 0:02:35]} 23. Bb6 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bc4 {[%emt 0:04:38]} 24. Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:29]} Bxe2 {[%emt 0:04:38]} 25. Rxd2 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Bc4 {[%emt 0:02:16]} 26. e4 {[%emt 0:04:27]} Rc6 {[%emt 0:01:50]} 27. a5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 28. Bc5 {[%emt 0:02:36]} e5 {[%emt 0:02:08]} 29. Rad1 {[%emt 0:03:27]} Rc7 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 30. Rd6 {[%emt 0:03:35]} h5 {[%emt 0:02:15]} 31. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:42]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 32. g3 {[%emt 0:01:04]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:35]} 33. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:53]} Ree7 {[%emt 0:02:58]} 34. R1d2 {[%emt 0:01:01]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Rubinstein Memorial 61st"] [Site "Polanica Zdroj"] [Date "2025.08.19"] [Round "4"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2648"] [BlackElo "2663"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2025.08.16"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "POL"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "Mega2025 Update 43"] [Source "Chessbase"] [SourceDate "2025.08.29"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.08.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 b6 {6...Nbd7 is the modern continuation. 6...Sbd7 ist die moderne Fortsetzung.} 7. Qc2 c5 8. Rd1 Bb7 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. dxc5 Qc8 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. e4 Bb7 13. Bd3 bxc5 $146 (13... Qxc5 14. Qxc5 Bxc5 15. O-O Nd7 16. e5 Bd5 17. Bb5 Rad8 18. Bg5 f6 19. exf6 gxf6 {1-0 Giri,A (2764)-Karjakin,S (2752) Skilling op Prelim rapid 2020 (2)}) 14. O-O Nd7 15. Ne5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Rd8 17. Bb5 a6 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 19. Bc4 Bc7 20. Bc3 Bc6 21. Qe2 Qb8 22. f4 Bb5 23. g3 Qb7 24. Qg4 g6 25. Bxe6 Bxf1 26. Bxf7+ Kxf7 27. Qd7+ Kf8 28. Bg7+ Kg8 29. Bf6 1-0 [Event "Biel GM 43rd"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2010.07.20"] [Round "2"] [White "Tomashevsky, Evgeny"] [Black "Negi, Parimarjan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2708"] [BlackElo "2615"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "187"] [EventDate "2010.07.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 138"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Be7 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 g6 14. O-O Bf6 15. Rab1 Qa5 16. Rb3 a6 17. c4 Be6 18. Rxb7 Rfc8 19. cxd5 Bxd5 20. Qd1 Nd4 21. Rb4 Nxf3+ 22. gxf3 Qxa3 23. Ra4 Qc5 24. e4 Bb7 25. Qb3 Qc3 26. Qxb7 Qxd3 27. e5 Bg7 28. Rf4 Rf8 29. Rxf7 Rxf7 30. Qxa8+ Rf8 31. Qc6 Qxf3 32. Qxa6 Qe4 33. Qa5 h5 34. Re1 Qf5 35. Qa2+ Kh7 36. e6 Re8 37. Qc4 Bf6 38. Kg2 g5 39. Qc6 h4 40. Qxe8 h3+ 41. Kg1 Qf3 42. Qd7+ Kh6 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qe4+ 45. Kf1 Qh1+ 46. Ke2 Qe4+ 47. Kd2 Qb4+ 48. Kd3 Qxe1 49. Kc4 Qc3+ 50. Kb5 Qb3+ 51. Kc6 Qc4+ 52. Kb7 Qb4+ 53. Kc8 Qf8+ 54. Kc7 Qc5+ 55. Qc6 Qe7+ 56. Kc8 Qf8+ 57. Kb7 Qb4+ 58. Kc7 Qe7+ 59. Kb6 Qb4+ 60. Qb5 Qe4 61. Qb3 Kg6 62. Kc7 Be5+ 63. Bxe5 Qxe5+ 64. Kc6 Qe4+ ({Better was} 64... Kf6 $1 {after which the e6 pawn must fall, ending any hopes by White.}) 65. Qd5 Qa4+ 66. Kd6 Qa6+ 67. Qc6 Qa3+ 68. Qc5 Qa6+ 69. Kd7 Qa4+ 70. Kd8 Qa8+ 71. Kd7 Qa4+ 72. Ke7 g4 73. Kd8 Qd1+ 74. Ke8 Qa4+ 75. Ke7 Qe4 76. Qb5 Kh6 77. Kd6 Qf4+ 78. Qe5 Qxf2 $4 (78... Qb4+ 79. Qc5 Qb8+ 80. Qc7 Qb4+ 81. Ke5 Qb2+ {etc.}) 79. e7 Qb6+ 80. Kd7 Qb7+ 81. Ke6 Qb3+ 82. Kf5 Qc2+ 83. Kxg4 Qg2+ 84. Kh4 Qf2+ 85. Kxh3 Qf3+ 86. Kh4 Qf2+ 87. Kg4 Qg2+ 88. Kf5 Qg6+ 89. Kf4 Qf7+ 90. Kg3 Qe8 91. h4 Kg6 92. h5+ Kh6 93. Qf6+ Kxh5 94. Qf5+ 1-0 [Event "World-ch33-KK4 Kasparov-Karpov +4-4=16"] [Site "Seville"] [Date "1987.12.11"] [Round "22"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2700"] [Annotator "Bulletin"] [PlyCount "37"] [EventDate "1987.10.12"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "24"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "MainBase"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Rc1 Nc6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Be2 d4 {N; 10...?e6 - 42/531} 11. exd4 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 13. Qxd4 Bxd4 14. Nb5 Bb6 15. O-O (15. Nc7 $2 Bxc7 16. Bxc7 Re8 $17) 15... Be6 16. a3 Rfd8 17. Nd6 Rd7 18. Bb5 Re7 19. Rfe1 1/2-1/2 [Event "87th Tata Steel Masters 2025"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2025.01.19"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Fedoseev, Vladimir"] [Black "Gukesh D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2717"] [BlackElo "2777"] [Annotator "Chessbase - Stockfish 17"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [EventCountry "NED"] {[%evp 9,86,24,55,55,35,34,47,34,45,47,41,39,23,7,22,8,22,23,24,12,15,18,17,24,14,24,25,28,22,37,39,44,37,19,20,29,52,43,49,46,41,37,43,27,50,15,43,0,0,0,16,28,25,25,8,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 {[%CAl Be2e4,Be4e5][%mdl 32]} b5 6. e5 $1 Nd5 7. Nxb5 Nb6 8. Nc3 Nc6 {[%CAl Bb8c6,Bc6e7,Be7f5][%mdl 32]} 9. Be3 Bb7 10. Be2 Ne7 11. b3 cxb3 12. Qxb3 Nf5 13. Bb5+ c6 14. Bd3 Be7 15. O-O Nxe3 16. fxe3 O-O 17. Ne4 Rb8 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. dxc5 Nd5 $1 20. Qa3 {Prevents Ba6} a5 {[%CAl Bd5b4]} 21. Rad1 Qc7 22. Bc4 Nb4 23. Rd6 Ba6 24. Bxa6 Nxa6 25. Rc1 Nb4 {Prevents Qd3} 26. h3 Qa7 27. e4 Qa6 28. Kf2 {Dodges Qe2+} (28. Nd4 $5) 28... h6 29. Rc3 a4 30. Rd4 Qb5 $1 31. Rcc4 Na6 32. Kg3 {[%CAl Bc4c2]} Rfd8 33. Rxa4 Rxd4 (33... Nxc5 $2 {too greedy.} 34. Ra5 Nxe4+ 35. Rxe4 $18) 34. Nxd4 Qxc5 35. Qxc5 Nxc5 36. Nxc6 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRN-KRN. White is a pawn up.} Rb6 37. Ne7+ Kf8 38. Rc4 Nxe4+ 39. Rxe4 Kxe7 40. Rg4 g6 41. Re4 Rb1 42. h4 Kf8 43. Kf3 Ke7 {1/2-1/2 wins. PRECISÃO LICHESS/STOCKFISH 17: BRANCAS 98% PRETAS 99% PRECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 98.0% PRETAS 98.3%} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Novgorod"] [Site "Novgorod"] [Date "1995.05.31"] [Round "5"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Ehlvest, Jaan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2615"] [Annotator "King,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "27"] [EventDate "1995.05.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 048"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 a6 13. Bd3 (13. g5 Nh5 14. Bd6 Bxd6 15. Rxd6 Ne5 16. Be2 Nxf3 17. Bxf3 Qxg5 18. Ne4 Qf5 19. Bxh5 Qxh5 20. Rg1 {draw agreed, Gelfand,B-Beliavsky,A/URS-ch/1989/}) 13... Kh8 {Instead of playing a pawn forward to defend against the threat to h7, which could create a target for White, Black nudges the ? to the side.} 14. g5 {The position is completely unclear. If 14...?h5 15.?h7 Black has a choice between 15...g6 16.?g6 (which I'm not so keen on); or 15...?a3!?} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tashkent FIDE GP"] [Site "Tashkent"] [Date "2014.10.28"] [Round "7"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D37"] [WhiteElo "2726"] [BlackElo "2764"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "2014.10.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "UZB"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 {This strange looking move actually transposes to a position usually reached with another move order.} b6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. e3 c5 10. Ne5 Bf5 11. Bb5 a6 (11... cxd4 {Gustafsson-Adams, 2010}) 12. Bc6 Nxc6 13. Nxc6 Qd7 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. O-O {White has a minimal edge, but with the opposite colored bishops this is obviously going to a draw.} Rac8 17. Rc1 Qxc1 18. Qxc1 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Rxc8+ Bxc8 21. Kf1 f6 22. Ke2 Bf5 23. Kd2 Kf7 24. Bc7 b5 25. Kc3 Ke6 26. Kd4 h5 27. Kc5 Be4 28. f3 Bd3 29. Kb6 b4 30. axb4 Bf1 31. g3 1/2-1/2