[Event "FIDE Candidates"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Site "Yekaterinburg"] [Round "4"] [Annotator "Daniel Fernandez"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2020.03.21"] [PlyCount "110"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 ({In the previous round Giri opted for} 5. Bd2 {and obtained a slight edge after MVL responded in unorthodox fashion.} )Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 0-0 ({The text move is the majority choice but Black can also try and head for an endgame.} 8... Nc6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. cxd4 {Now this is the same structure as the Semi-Tarrasch and play evolves quite similarly.} Qa5+ 11. Bd2 $1 ({It is less advisable to play along:} 11. Qd2 0-0 12. Rd1 Bd7 13. 0-0 Qxd2 $1 {Only now, when White can't recapture with the king.} 14. Rxd2 Rac8 15. Rb1 Na5 16. Bd3 b6 17. Rb4 e6 $36 {Lagarde,M-Vachier Lagrave,M chess.com 2019} )Qd8 (11... Qh5 $5 )12. Bc3 (12. d5 Ne5 13. Bc3 Bd7 14. Bb3 Rc8 15. Rc1 Qb6 16. Ba4 0-0 17. Bxd7 Nxd7 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. 0-0 $14 {White probably has a very small advantage here,Topalov,V-Mamedyarov,S Heraklio 2007} )0-0 13. 0-0 (13. Qd2 Bd7 14. 0-0 Rc8 15. Rfc1 a6 16. a4 Na7 17. Bd3 b5 $5 {led to a chaotic game in Ivanchuk,V-Mamedyarov,S Wijk aan Zee 2008} )Bd7 14. Rb1 b6 15. Qd2 Rc8 16. Rbc1 e6 17. h3 $132 {Le,Q-Mamedyarov,S Khanty-Mansiysk 2013} )9. 0-0 Nc6 10. Be3 b6 11. Qd2 {White declines to take the pawn and makes one of several sensible moves. It doesn't, however, restrict Black from making any of the moves he might like on general grounds (...Qc7, ...Bb7 or ...e6.)} (11. dxc5 Qc7 {This is a major theoretical line where surely Black had done enough research to hold his own. It is a specialty of MVL from both sides of the board.} 12. Nd4 (12. f4 bxc5 13. Rb1 Rd8 14. Qa4 Na5 {Carlsen, M-Svidler, P Moscow 2011} )Ne5 13. Nb5 Qb8 14. Be2 ({When MVL was White he chose:} 14. Bd5 Ng4 15. g3 Nxe3 16. fxe3 a6 17. Bxf7+ $5 Kh8 18. Nd4 (18. Bd5 Rxf1+ 19. Qxf1 axb5 20. Bxa8 Qxa8 21. cxb6 Qc6 $11 )bxc5 19. Bd5 Rxf1+ 20. Qxf1 cxd4 21. Rb1 Qa7 $11 {Vachier Lagrave,M-Gelfand,B Tromsoe 2013} )bxc5 (14... a6 $5 15. Na3 bxc5 16. Bxc5 Qc7 17. Bd4 Rd8 18. Qc1 Ng4 19. Bxg4 Bxg4 20. Qe3 Rab8 $11 {Bacrot, E - Vachier-Lagrave, M Biel 2013} )15. Rb1 $5 {Now theory continues for a great many more moves, and I would refer you to the coverage by Glenn Flear on ChessPublishing.} (15. f4 Ng4 16. Bxc5 a6 17. Na3 Qc7 18. Bd4 e5 19. fxe5 Nxe5 {Black's compensation here has been demonstrated repeatedly, e.g. So,W-Vachier Lagrave,M Wijk aan Zee 2015} )(15. Bxc5 a6 16. Nd4 Qc7 17. Nb3 a5 18. Bd4 a4 19. Nc5 Rd8 20. Qc1 Ng4 $40 {Yakubboev,N-Le Quang Liem Sharjah 2019} ))(11. f3 $5 Bb7 12. Qd2 Rc8 13. Rac1 e6 14. Rfd1 cxd4 15. cxd4 Qd6 {The familiar semi-Tarrasch structure ultimately worked in Black's favour in Gaifullin,A -Kokarev,D Sochi 2017.} )({All of the major piece deployments end up being 'much of a muchness'. One of the more independent ideas is} 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. d5 {, but Black may react with} Ne5 13. Bb3 f5 $5 $13 )(11. Rb1 $5 Qc7 12. Bf4 e5 13. Bg3 Qe7 14. Bd5 Bb7 15. Qa4 Na5 16. Bxb7 Nxb7 $11 {Xu Yinglun - Xu Minghui, Harbin 2016} )Bb7 12. Rfd1 (12. Bh6 $6 Bxh6 13. Qxh6 cxd4 $15 )({Even defending the e4-pawn first may not be good enough:} 12. Rad1 Rc8 13. Bh6 cxd4 14. cxd4 Bxh6 15. Qxh6 Nb4 $1 $15 { and White still has some tactical issues.} )cxd4 (12... Rc8 $5 {is also playable and marginally less committal.} )13. cxd4 Rc8 14. Rac1 Na5 15. Bd3 Qd7 16. h4 {White wants to keep pieces on.} (16. Bh6 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Rc8 18. Rxc8+ Bxc8 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Qc3 Qc6 21. f3 Qxc3 22. Nxc3 Nc6 23. d5 Nb4 24. Bb1 Bd7 25. Kf2 e5 26. Ke3 f6 {Typical of Black's strategy here was the encounter Molina,R-Fusco,L Santos 2011: the pawns on dark squares form an impenetrable barricade, and by trying something like f4 White will only risk losing.} )Rxc1 {With a series of individually fine, but collectively slightly compliant moves, Ian drifts into a worse position.} ({The slightly feistier} 16... e5 17. d5 f5 $13 {was also possible.} )17. Rxc1 Rc8 18. h5 {White gets to establish his 'alpha-zero' pawn on h6. As a corollary of this, he must keep queens on, or the pawn is more likely than not to end up a weakness.} Rxc1+ 19. Qxc1 Qc8 20. h6 {The (conventional) computer doesn't really understand why this is a big deal, but in about 10 moves the lines start favouring White for deep reasons related to mates on g7!} Bf8 21. d5 e6 ({A small exception to the last comment: after} 21... Qxc1+ 22. Bxc1 {Black isn't really in a position to mobilise his bishop on f8, and so it is White who probably has slightly better chances.} f6 (22... e6 23. dxe6 fxe6 $14 )23. Nd4 Bc8 ({Particularly worrying would be} 23... g5 24. Nf5 Bc8 25. e5 $1 Bxf5 26. Bxf5 Bxh6 27. e6 $16 { when Black might draw but White definitely has more than enough compensation for a pawn.} )24. Bd2 $36 )22. Nc3 Nc4 $6 {Weirdly, I think this trade is a bit counter-productive for Black. Scenarios now arise where the trade of dark-squared bishops would be nothing short of fatal for him.} (22... Ba6 $1 23. Qd1 Bxd3 24. Qxd3 Nc4 25. dxe6 fxe6 $11 )23. Bxc4 Qxc4 24. Qd2 exd5 25. Nxd5 Bxd5 26. exd5 {Caruana is conducting this phase of the game very well; the central passed pawn and the constant thorn in Black's side on h6 combine to give him excellent winning chances provided he stays calm.} Qb4 27. Qd3 Qa3 28. Qc2 $5 {White probably recognised the strength of placing his queen behind the d-pawn but then tried to finesse it.} (28. Qd1 $1 {The idea of this move is simply to play Bf4 and push the d-pawn. A trade of dark-squared bishops would not be good for Black here.} Qd6 (28... Bd6 29. Qd4 $1 Bf8 30. Bf4 Qb4 31. Qe5 Qb1+ 32. Kh2 Qxa2 33. f3 $18 {Clearing the f-file enables White to threaten Qf6 followed by Be5. There is practically no defense.} )29. g3 f6 30. Bf4 Qd7 $14 {Black's position is not yet so bad, but it's clear White has made progress.} )Qa5 29. Qd1 {Now Black can't play ...Qd6, and pushing d6 is a real threat, but there's a rather simple answer.} Bd6 30. g3 (30. Qd4 $4 { would now get mated:} Qe1# {and this fact buys Black a crucial tempo to organise a kingside defense.} )Kf8 31. Qf3 $6 {This lets the remaining attacking chances slip. Black can activate his queen and force a trade.} ({ White should still play} 31. Qd4 {despite Black having been able to block the d-pawn with the bishop.} Ke7 32. Qe4+ Kf8 $1 (32... Kd7 33. Qg4+ f5 34. Qd4 $18 )33. Bd4 Qb5 $1 {The queen comes back to d7 and Black holds.} )(31. Bf4 Bxf4 32. gxf4 Ke7 $11 {The blockade on the d-pawn is very firm and so Black probably has marginally better practical chances in this ending.} )Qe1+ 32. Kg2 f5 33. g4 Qb1 $11 {Black has fully equalized here. Since his kingside pawns are all on light squares there is very little to fear from any same-colored bishop endgame.} 34. Bd4 Kf7 35. Qe3 Qe4+ 36. Qxe4 fxe4 {White never threatened to do anything in the bishop ending that follows. Black is always on time creating a passed b-pawn and if White tries to take it, he will either lose the h6-pawn or (much worse) the d5-pawn.} 37. f3 exf3+ 38. Kxf3 Ke7 39. Ke4 Kd7 40. a4 Bc7 41. Be3 a6 42. Bd2 b5 43. axb5 axb5 44. Kd4 Bb6+ 45. Kd3 Bc5 46. Bc3 Ba3 47. Bg7 Bc5 48. Bc3 Bf8 49. Bg7 Be7 50. Kd4 Bd6 51. Bf6 Kc7 52. Bg5 Kb6 53. Bd8+ Ka6 54. Kd3 Bf8 55. Kd4 Bd6 $11 1/2-1/2