[Event "WCh 2024 "] [White "Gukesh,D"] [Black "Ding,Liren"] [Site ""] [Round ""] [Annotator "Havanur,Nagesh"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2024.11.30"] [WhiteElo "2783"] [BlackElo "2728"] [PlyCount "80"] 1. e4 ({The position in the game could be reached via c3 Sicilian Variation,} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 e6 3. d4 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bd3 {as pointed out by John Watson on Chesspublishing.com.} )e6 {The French Defence that had brought success to Ding Liren in Game 1 of the Match.} ({It was reached through Petroff Defence in Nakamura-Abasov, Candidates' 2024.} 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 Nf6 6. d4 d5 7. Bd3 c5 8. c3 c4 9. Bc2 Bd6 10. O-O O-O )2. d4 d5 3. exd5 {Sidestepping Ding Liren's opening preparation in the Main Lines with this Exchange Variation.} ({The Classical Variation,} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 {was seen in two games of the Match. Ding Liren won Game 1 and drew Game 13.} )exd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 c5 {Breaking the symmetry and declaring his aggressive intentions. Ding does not mind the isolated queen pawn.} (5... Bd6 {maintains symmetry.} )6. c3 c4 {A committal move, fixing the pawn position. If Black has to make something out of this advance, he has to prepare a breakthrough with...b5 and..b4 in the long run.} ({The more flexible } 6... Nc6 {keeps the tension and offers Black more options.} )7. Bc2 Bd6 8. Qe2+ (8. O-O O-O {was reached in the aforesaid Nakamura-Abasov, Candidates' 2024. Black had a playable position and overreached himself in the middlegame (1-0, 58 moves).} )Qe7 9. Qxe7+ Kxe7 {This move allows the bishop to remain active on d6 and prepares...Re8 as pointed out by John Watson in his annotations to the game at ChessPublishing.com.} ({Otherwise} 9... Bxe7 10. O-O O-O {has also been played here.} )10. O-O (10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 Be6 {is possible. Black has to see what he has to do about the pin on his knight.} )Re8 11. Re1+ ({After} 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Be6 {we have a similar position seen in the last line. But after ...Nbd7 and...Kf8, the knight on f6 is unpinned and the bishop on h4 would be doing nothing.} )Kf8 12. Rxe8+ Kxe8 13. Bg5 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 h6 15. Bh4 Nh5 $1 {A fine move preparing to occupy f5 and it appears that the bishop has to retreat to g3.} 16. Re1+ Kf8 17. g4 $5 {Gukesh begins a hand-to-hand combat.} ({The obvious move} 17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 {is met by} Bc5 $1 19. Nf3 g5 20. Bg3 b5 $17 )({The positional course was} 17. Nf1 {preparing to put the knight on e3, eyeing both the d5 pawn and the f5 square as pointed out by Carlsen. However, he also indicates counterplay by Black with exchange of the White bishop on h4 with one of his knights through a "weakening" move like ...g5. Black can avoid it by} Ndf6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. a4 Be6 $11 {with a solid, but passive position.} )Nf4 18. Bg3 Nb6 (18... Nh3+ 19. Kg2 Nf4+ { can lead to a repetition of moves as pointed out by Aleksandar Colovic in BCM Jan. 2025. Ding Liren is looking for more.} )19. g5 {"A move that surprised Ding"- Colovic} ({He was expecting} 19. Ne5 {and calculated} Bxe5 20. dxe5 ({ The engine gives} 20. Rxe5 Nd3 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. f3 Nc4 23. Nxc4 dxc4 24. Kf2 Be6 $11 )Nd3 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. Re3 Nc4 23. Rxd3 Nxb2 24. Rxd5 Bxg4 25. Rb5 Nd1 26. Rxb7 Nxc3 27. a3 {Now} Be6 $11 {It is still level as Black can play ...a7-a5 and there is not much that the rook can do on b7-NSH} )hxg5 20. Nxg5 Bd7 21. Ngf3 (21. Ndf3 f6 22. Bxf4 Bxf4 23. Ne6+ Bxe6 24. Rxe6 Bc1 25. b3 ({Or he can simplify with} 25. Nh4 Bxb2 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Ne7+ Kf8 $11 { Draw by perpetual check.} )Re8 26. Rxe8+ Kxe8 $11 )Re8 22. Ne5 Bxe5 23. dxe5 $2 ({Probably Gukesh rejected} 23. Rxe5 $1 Rxe5 24. dxe5 Ne2+ 25. Kf1 {on account of the threat to his queenside pawns with} Nc1 {However, after} 26. Bf4 $1 Nxa2 27. Nf3 $44 {White has sufficient compenstion as for now the Black knight on a2 is out of play.} )Nd3 $1 {Gukesh had underestimated this move.} 24. Bxd3 cxd3 25. f3 ({The young challenger had calculated only} 25. b3 $2 {restraining the knight on b6. Now he saw, it failed against} Rc8 26. Rc1 d4 27. c4 Nd5 $17 {followed by...Nc3.} )Nc4 {This looks obvious.} ({ Probably more chances were offered by} 25... Na4 26. Rb1 f6 $1 {Aronian's idea as mentioned by John Watson.} (26... Re6 $5 {is also possible.} )27. Kf2 ({Or} 27. f4 b5 {(Colovic's isuggestion)} 28. Kf2 Rc8 $17 )fxe5 28. c4 e4 29. fxe4 dxe4 30. Ke3 Bf5 $15 )26. Nxc4 dxc4 27. Re4 Bc6 {with latent pressure on the diagonal and also the pawn on e5. Ding Liren is playing for a win.} ({ He missed} 27... Be6 $1 28. Rd4 Rc8 {Gukesh saw it, though. Now follows a long line of analysis by Yannick Pelletier in this CBM 223 Issue.} 29. Bf2 Kg8 ({ The immediate} 29... Rc6 30. Rd8+ Ke7 31. Rd6 Rxd6 32. exd6+ Kxd6 33. Be3 f6 34. a3 a6 $15 {does not yield much- NSH} )30. Be3 Kh7 31. Kf2 Kg6 32. h4 Kh5 33. Kg3 Rc5 34. f4 Ra5 35. a3 Rb5 36. Bc1 Kg6 $17 )28. Rd4 (28. Rxc4 $4 Rd8 $1 $19 )Bxf3 29. Kf2 Bc6 $2 ({Ding Liren saw} 29... Bh5 $1 30. Ke3 (30. Rxc4 $4 Rd8 $19 )b5 {In the press conference after the game he said, he was concerned about the dominant position of the White rook. But he need not have worried.} 31. Rd5 ({White has real chances of holding the game with} 31. b3 Rc8 32. Rh4 g6 33. Rd4 g5 34. h4 g4 35. bxc4 bxc4 36. a4 Ke7 $15 {as pointed out by Yannick Pelletier in this CBM 223 issue.} )a6 32. Rd6 Ra8 $17 { and Black is ready for ...a6-a5 followed by...b5-b4.} )30. Rxc4 Rd8 31. Rd4 Rxd4 32. cxd4 Bd5 33. b3 Ke7 {Playing for a draw.} ({He could have tried to save the pawn with} 33... Be4 34. Ke3 Ke7 35. Be1 (35. Kxe4 $4 d2 $19 )Bg6 {But after} 36. d5 {White has counter chances.} )34. Ke3 Ke6 35. Kxd3 { Now Black is a pawn down. But with opposite-coloured bishops it's a draw.} g6 36. Kc3 a6 37. Kd3 Kf5 38. Ke3 Ke6 39. Kd3 Kf5 40. Ke3 Ke6 1/2-1/2