[Event "Candidates 2020-21"] [Site "Yekaterinburg, Russia"] [Date "2021.04.21"] [Round "10"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C90"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2791"] [Annotator "Llewellyn,Alan"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 {These lines have been played for centuries, in the 19th Century they were playing something similar, but they went out of fashion recently after Vladimir Kramnik found lines in the Berlin Variation of this the Ruy Lopez which almost seemed to guarentee a draw for Black, Vladimir used those lines to defeat Garry Kasparov as World Champion in theyre London match in 2000. In desperation White avoided the Berlin Defence by first playing other openings then by differing the move order in the Ruy Lopez.} 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 {a pet line of Fabiano...} (8. c3 {this is the main line but he move played is perfectly playeable.}) 8... b4 9. a5 $1 {The idea behind this move is to target the a6 pawn and with it gain an attack on the queenside as the white pieces have greater scope there. There is no real advantage to either side, the evidence of results points to their being equal chances for both sides as white often has to jetison the a5 pawn to gain the a6. In this game though Fabiano does never get the a6 pawn, he makes such an attack Liren is tied down defending the material he has...} ( 9. Bd5 $2 {i might have been tempted by this line but it is a mistake} Bb7 10. Nxe5 Nxd5 (10... Nxe5 $4 11. Bxb7 Ra7 12. Bd5 $16) 11. Nxc6 dxc6 12. exd5 $17) 9... d6 10. d3 Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. c3 Rb8 13. Nbd2 Rb5 14. d4 bxc3 15. bxc3 exd4 16. cxd4 Qc8 (16... Nxa5 17. Qc2 Qd7 18. Ra4 Rfb8 19. Ba3 Ne8 20. Qa2 c5 21. dxc5 dxc5 22. Ne5 Qc8 23. Bc1 Bf6 24. Ndf3 Bxe5 25. Nxe5 Nc6 26. Nxc6 Qxc6 27. Rxa6 R5b6 28. Rxb6 Rxb6 29. Be3 $11 {This is how a line could go using the Book moves and the computer....}) 17. Ba3 $3 {I know its largerly theory but oh what a brilliant move!!!} (17. Nc4 d5 18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Qd3 Qd7 20. Qe4 Bb4 21. Bd2 Bxd2 22. Ncxd2 Re8 $11 {and we have a mexican stand-off}) 17... Nxa5 ( 17... Rxa5 $6 $14 18. Qc2 Na7 19. Nc4 Rb5 20. Rac1 Qd7 21. Ne3 Bd8 22. d5 exd5 23. e5 Nh5 24. Nd4 Ra5 25. Bb4 Ra4 26. e6 Qe8 27. Nxd5 c5 28. e7 Bxe7 29. Rxe7 Qa8 30. Qb3 Kh8 31. Qxa4 Qxd5 32. Re8 Qf7 33. Rxf8+ Qxf8 34. Qxa6 Qf4 35. Re1 Nf6 36. Qxa7 cxb4 37. g3 Qd2 38. Qa8+ Ng8 39. Re8 Qc1+ 40. Kg2 Qc4 41. Ne6 Qxe6 42. Rxe6 h5 43. Qf8 Kh7 44. Qf5+ g6 45. Qf7+ Kh8 46. Re8 b3 47. Qxg8#) 18. Qc2 c5 19. e5 dxe5 20. dxc5 (20. Rxe5 Nc6 21. Ree1 Nb4 22. Qb3 Re8 23. Qxe6+ Qxe6 24. Rxe6 Nc2 25. Ra2 Nxa3 26. Rxa3 cxd4 27. Raxa6 $13 {the impetus is with Black...}) 20... Nc6 21. Ne4 $6 $15 {I thought this move looks good but the computer says its dubious...} Nxe4 22. Rxe4 Rd8 (22... Bxc5 $3 {I came up with this move while watching the game, just by analysing the position like in a game...} 23. Rc4 (23. Bxc5 $2 Nd4 24. Nxd4 Rxc5 (24... exd4 25. Re5 Qc7 26. f4 Rxf4 27. Rae1 d3 28. Qc3 d2 (28... Rf8 29. Qd4 Rc8 30. Bd6 Qb6 31. Qxb6 Rxb6 32. Be7 $4 (32. Rxe6 d2 33. Rf1 Rb1 34. Rxb1 Rc1+ 35. Kf2 Rxb1 36. Re8+ Kf7 37. Re7+ Kf6 38. Rd7 d1=Q 39. Be7+ Ke6 40. Rxd1 Rxd1 $19) 32... d2 33. Rd1 Rb1 34. Rxb1 Rc1+ 35. Kf2 Rxb1 36. Rxe6 d1=Q $19) 29. Qxd2) 25. Qd1 exd4 26. Rxd4 $17) 23... Bxa3 24. Rxc6 Qb8 25. Rxa6 Bc5 $11) 23. Rae1 Bf6 24. h4 h6 25. R4e3 Rd5 26. g4 Qe8 {The Queen like a hurried washer-woman trying to do too many jobs at once is trying to defend the a6 e6 and g6 weak light squares...} (26... Nb4 27. Qg6 Nc6 28. g5 hxg5 29. Nxg5 Bxg5 30. hxg5 Ne7 31. Qh5 Qc6 32. g6 e4 33. Qh7+ Kf8 34. Qh8+ Ng8 35. Rxe4 Rg5+ 36. Kf1 Rb3 37. Rf4+ Rf5 38. Rxf5+ exf5 39. Qh4 Nf6 40. Rd1 Rb8 41. Qh2 f4 42. Qh8+ Ng8 43. Qh4 Nf6 44. Kg1 Kg8 45. Qxf4 Qe8 46. Qf5 Qc8 47. Qxc8+ Rxc8 48. Rd6 a5 49. Ra6 Kf8 50. Rxa5 $18 {and white is won here...}) 27. Kg2 h5 28. g5 Be7 29. Nxe5 Bxc5 30. Bxc5 Rbxc5 31. Qg6 Qxg6 32. Nxg6 e5 33. f4 $1 {the queenside attack has turned into a kingside one as so often happens...} Rd2+ 34. R3e2 Rxe2+ 35. Rxe2 Nd4 (35... exf4 36. Re4 a5 37. Nxf4 Rb5 38. Re8+ Kf7 39. Rc8 Ne7 40. Rc7 g6 41. Nxg6 Kxg6 42. Rxe7 $18 {according to the tablebases this is won for White}) 36. Re4 Rc2+ 37. Kf1 Rc1+ 38. Kf2 Rc2+ 39. Kf1 (39. Ke3 Nf5+ 40. Kd3 Rc5 41. Rxe5 $4 $19 { transposes into a lost endgame} Rxe5 42. fxe5 Kf7 43. Nf4 g6 44. Ng2 a5 45. Ke4 a4 46. Kd3 Ng7 47. Nf4 Ne6 48. Ne2 Nc5+ 49. Kc4 a3 50. Nd4 a2 51. Nc2 Ne6 52. Kb3 Nd4+ 53. Kxa2 Nxc2 $19) (39. Ke1 Nf3+ 40. Kd1 Rd2+ 41. Kc1 Rd4 42. Re3 e4 43. f5 Rc4+ 44. Kd1 a5 45. Rb3 Rb4 46. Rc3 Rb1+ 47. Ke2 Nd4+ 48. Ke3 Nxf5+ 49. Kxe4 Nd6+ 50. Kd5 Nb5 51. Rf3 Kh7 52. Nf8+ Kg8 53. Ng6 Nc7+ 54. Kc6 Ne6 55. Ne7+ Kh8 56. Kd6 Rb6+ 57. Ke5 g6 58. Nxg6+ Kg7 59. Rf6 Nc5 60. Rxb6 Nd7+ 61. Kf5 Nxb6 62. Nf4 a4 63. Ne6+ Kf7 64. g6+ Ke7 65. Nd8 Kf8 66. Ne6+ Kg8 67. Kg5 a3 68. Nd4 a2 69. Nc2 Nd5 70. Kxh5 Kg7 71. Kg5 Ne7 72. h5 Ng8 $11) 39... Rc1+ 40. Kf2 Rc2+ 1/2-1/2