[Event "FIDE Candidates"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Site "Yekaterinburg"] [Round "7"] [Annotator "DF"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2020.03.25"] [PlyCount "80"] 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. Nf3 ({Another major line is} 3. d4 {.} )e4 4. Nd4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nc2 Nf6 7. Nc3 Qe5 8. Bg2 Na6 ({As Black Giri had chosen to try and bring the knight to c6.} 8... Be7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. f4 (10. Nxe4 $5 Nxe4 11. f4 Qe6 12. f5 Qd5 13. g4 Bc5+ 14. Kh1 Nd7 15. d3 Ndf6 $132 )exf3 11. Rxf3 c5 $1 12. Ne3 Nc6 13. Qf1 Nd4 14. Rf4 Be6 15. b3 Rab8 16. Nc4 Qc7 $15 { Grandelius,N-Giri,A Stavanger 2016} )9. 0-0 Be7 {Waiting for White to make another move before pushing on the kingside.} (9... h5 $6 {This move is tempting but premature. Black can get away with these ideas in the thematically similar 4...Nf6 Caro-Kann, but not here.} 10. d4 $1 Qe6 11. Bg5 h4 12. Bxh4 Rxh4 13. gxh4 Qg4 14. Nxe4 $1 Nxe4 15. f3 Qg6 16. fxe4 Bh3 17. Rf2 Bxg2 18. Rxg2 Qxe4 19. Qd3 $18 {Martinez Alcantara,J-Vitiugov,N Riga 2019} )10. Ne3 h5 {Like Giri himself a couple of days ago, Grischuk doesn't really want to deliver mate along the h-file, but rather just hint that such a thing is possible to encourage his opponent to simplify.} 11. d4 (11. h4 Bc5 $11 )exd3 12. exd3 Qd4 {Black plays in principled fashion. He intends ...Nc5 and the position is basically equal.} 13. Nc2 Qg4 14. Bf4 Qxd1 15. Raxd1 Bg4 16. Rd2 0-0-0 $11 17. d4 Nc7 18. Ne3 Be6 19. d5 {White recognised that this pawn was about to be blockaded, so after half an hour's thought decided to push (even at the possible cost of killing the game.)} ({After} 19. Bxc7 Kxc7 20. d5 {, unlike in the game, Grischuk could have very seriously considered playing} Bc5 $5 {forcing White to simplify on different terms.} (20... cxd5 21. Rfd1 Rd7 22. Ncxd5+ Nxd5 23. Nxd5+ Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxd5 h4 $11 )21. Rc2 (21. Rfd1 Bxe3 22. fxe3 Bxd5 23. Bxd5 cxd5 24. Nxd5+ Rxd5 25. Rxd5 Nxd5 26. Rxd5 h4 $11 { Black can play on a bit in this equal rook ending due to his better structure.} )Bxe3 22. dxe6 Rd2 23. Rxd2 Bxd2 24. exf7 Bxc3 $1 25. bxc3 Rf8 $11 { The position is imbalanced but dynamically equal.} )Ncxd5 {A sedate, sensible reply; Grischuk is happy to draw.} ({Black had the incredible option of} 19... Bc5 $5 {but it isn't even clear to me that he benefits if White gives the exchange.} 20. dxe6 Rxd2 21. exf7 $13 )20. Ncxd5 Nxd5 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 (22. Bxd5 {is the same. With two pairs of rooks on the board Black can't recapture with the pawn:} cxd5 $2 23. Rc1+ Kd7 24. Rc7+ Ke8 25. Rxb7 $16 )Rxd5 23. Bxd5 cxd5 24. Rc1+ Kd7 25. Rc7+ Ke6 26. Rxb7 Rc8 27. Rxa7 Rc2 28. Be3 Bf6 29. Ra4 Bxb2 30. Kg2 d4 {You could reasonably ask whether Black really had to destroy all the tension immediately. Was it possible to play for a later ...d4 instead, perhaps after preparing with ...g5? Well, I think it was possible, but Grischuk no longer felt it was conceivable that the game would leave the drawing margin, and so concluded things without spending too much energy.} (30... f6 $5 31. h4 Rc4 32. Ra7 d4 33. Bf4 $11 )(30... Rc4 31. Ra6+ Kf5 32. Ra7 $11 )31. Bxd4 Bxd4 32. Rxd4 Rxa2 {There follow some quite amusing non-moves to reach the point of allowed draw offers.} 33. Re4+ Kf6 34. Rf4+ Ke6 35. Re4+ Kf6 36. Rf4+ Ke6 37. Re4+ Kf6 38. Rf4+ Ke6 39. h4 g6 40. Re4+ Kf6 {A very correct draw.} 1/2-1/2