[Event "WR Chess Masters 2023"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.02.22"] [Round "6"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E48"] [WhiteElo "2766"] [BlackElo "2736"] [Annotator "rafael"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 Nc6 7. O-O d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. a3 {A critical opening position.} c4 $5 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type; Interesting;persistent;true]} (9... cxd4 {is also possible.} 10. axb4 (10. Nb5 {To my utter surprise, I found a game of mine in this position, played last year on a Titled Tuesday.} Bc5 11. exd4 Be7 {with a more or less equal position in Al Hosani-Leitao, Titled Tuesday 2022.}) 10... dxc3 11. b5 Ne5 12. Nxc3 Nxd3 13. Qxd3 {White can fight for a small advantage here. Meskov-Barseghyan, Cannes 2022.}) (9... Bxc3 10. bxc3 {leads to a typical position from the Nimzo-Indian.}) 10. Bxh7+ (10. Bc2 Bd6 11. Ng3 $6 { [%c_effect g3;square;g3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (11. f3 $1 { [%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] is better, preparing to play e3-e4.}) 11... Rb8 12. Nb5 Be7 13. f3 a6 14. Nc3 b5 {Black was better in Sarana-Caruana, Airthings (rapid) 2023.}) 10... Nxh7 $1 {[%c_effect h7; square;h7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A new move, clearly prepared beforehand by Aronian. The merits of this way of capturing will become clear on the next move.} (10... Kxh7 11. axb4 Nxb4 12. f3 {This was Georgiev-Neimer, Chicago 2013.}) 11. axb4 Nxb4 12. b3 {The natural way of fighting for the initiative, breaking the pawn chain.} a5 $1 {[%c_effect a5;square;a5;type; GreatFind;persistent;true] A wonderful move that secures the knight on b4 and prepares the creative development of the rook by a6. This piece can lift to h6, and the knight might even help the attack by going to g5 in some cases. A clear case of chess harmony, when all the pieces of the puzzle come together. I'd praise Aronian even more if this was not the computer's first choice and if the position was not studied by him previously as I am almost sure it was.} 13. bxc4 dxc4 14. Rb1 (14. Ba3 $6 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;Inaccuracy; persistent;true] It's dangerous to remove the bishop from the diagonal, as the rook now gets an easy road to h6.} Ra6 $1 {[%c_effect a6;square;a6;type; GreatFind;persistent;true]}) (14. e4 {This is a natural move and similar to what will happen later in the game.} Ra6) 14... Ra6 $1 {[%c_effect a6;square; a6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The idea is revealed.} 15. e4 Re8 (15... Bd7 {is also very logical, preparing b7-b5.}) 16. d5 {A natural move, advancing the pawn mass, but the computer is not impressed.} (16. Ba3 {is again not very good, as the rook can go to h6.}) (16. f3 {is an improvement, reinforcing the center and freeing the f2-square in case the king needs to start running.}) 16... Bd7 17. Qd2 $6 {[%c_effect d2;square;d2;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] The intention of this strange-looking move is probably to bring the queen to the defense via the f4-square.} (17. Nd4 {is more natural.}) 17... b5 $1 { [%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 18. Ba3 $2 { [%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;Mistake;persistent;true] This move, surprisingly, loses.} Nf6 $2 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (18... Nd3 $1 {[%c_effect d3;square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This pawn sacrifice grants Black a decisive attack after} 19. Nxb5 Rh6 $1 {[%c_effect h6; square;h6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] White is helpless against the threat of 20...Qh4 followed by a piece sacrifice. For instance:} 20. Qe3 (20. Nd6 Qh4 21. h3 Ng5 22. Nxe8 Bxh3 {with mate soon to follow.}) 20... Nf6 $1 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} (20... Qh4 21. Qg3) 21. Nd6 Nxd5 $1 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 22. Qf3 Rf6 $1 { [%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 23. Qg3 Rg6 $1 { [%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 24. Qf3 Ne5 25. Qh5 Bg4 {The queen is lost.}) 19. Ng3 $6 {[%c_effect g3;square;g3;type;Inaccuracy; persistent;true]} (19. f3 {This is the best, but it certainly looks crazy to open the g1-a7 diagonal in the heat of the battle.} Qb6+ 20. Kh1 Nd3 21. Nxb5 $1 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nf2+ (21... Bxb5 $6 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} 22. Nc3 {The b5-bishop is lost, and White is better.}) 22. Rxf2 (22. Kg1 {The computer considers this move playable, too. That's too much for me.}) 22... Qxf2 23. Nd6 {Black is better in this complicated position.}) 19... Ng4 $6 {[%c_effect g4; square;g4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (19... Nd3 $1 {[%c_effect d3; square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 20. Nxb5 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Rxe4 { The monster knight on d3 gives Black a much better position.}) 20. Bxb4 axb4 21. Rxb4 Nxh2 {This was probably Aronian's intention when he played his 19th move, but now White manages to escape.} (21... Ne5 {still gives Black good pressure, with the idea of taking the knight to d3 again. The tactical justification is visible after} 22. Nxb5 $6 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type; Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} Qa5 $1 {[%c_effect a5;square;a5;type;GreatFind; persistent;true]} 23. Nd4 Nd3) 22. Kxh2 Qh4+ 23. Kg1 Rh6 24. Rfb1 Bg4 $1 { [%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This is the point of Aronian's play. The bishop avoids the white king's escape route and prepares mate.} 25. Qxh6 $1 {[%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The only move.} (25. Rxb5 $4 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Blunder;persistent; true]} Qh2+ 26. Kf1 Qh1+ 27. Nxh1 Rxh1#) (25. f3 $2 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3; type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Qxg3 26. fxg4 Qh2+ 27. Kf2 Rf6+ {The attack is decisive.} 28. Ke3 (28. Ke2 Qxg2+ 29. Kd1 Rf2 30. Qe1 Rf1 {The queen is lost.}) 28... Qf4+ 29. Ke2 Rxe4+ 30. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 31. Qe3 Qxg2+ 32. Kd1 Rf1+ 33. Qe1 c3 $1 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 34. Qxf1 Qd2#) 25... Qxh6 26. Nxb5 {White has a rook, knight, and the strong d5-pawn in exchange for the queen. Better than that, the attack is over. The position is now balanced.} Rc8 27. R4b2 $2 {[%c_effect b2;square;b2;type;Mistake; persistent;true]} (27. e5 $1 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;GreatFind; persistent;true] is necessary. The game ends in a draw after:} c3 28. Nxc3 $1 { [%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Rxc3 29. Rxg4 Rc1+ 30. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 31. Nf1 (31. Kh2 Qh6+ 32. Kg1 Qc1+ {with perpetual check.}) 31... Qd1 $1 {[%c_effect d1;square;d1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 32. Re4 Qxd5 33. Ng3) 27... Rb8 $6 {[%c_effect b8;square;b8;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] Black had a nice combination at his disposal.} (27... c3 28. Rc2 Qd2 $3 { [%c_effect d2;square;d2;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] What a sweet move $1} 29. Rbc1 (29. Rxd2 cxd2 {There is no defense against 30...Rc1.}) 29... Qd3 $1 { [%c_effect d3;square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 30. Nxc3 Bd1 $1 { [%c_effect d1;square;d1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 31. Rxd1 Qxc2 32. Nge2 Rxc3 33. Nxc3 Qxc3 {After all these blows, we arrive at an interesting endgame. White will try to set up a fortress, but his position will probably break down at some point, for example:} 34. g3 (34. f3 {Maybe this is a better try.}) 34... Qc2 35. Re1 Kf8 36. Re3 Ke7 37. Kg2 Kd6 38. Kg1 Ke5 39. Kg2 g5 40. Kg1 Qd1+ 41. Kg2 g4 {White is in zugzwang and the e4-pawn falls.}) 28. Nf1 $1 { [%c_effect f1;square;f1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The only move, improving the knight's position.} Rb6 $6 {[%c_effect b6;square;b6;type; Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (28... Qf4 $1 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type; GreatFind;persistent;true] still gives Black a clear advantage.}) 29. Ne3 Qh5 30. d6 (30. Nxg4 Qxg4 31. d6 $1 {[%c_effect d6;square;d6;type;GreatFind; persistent;true]} Qxe4 32. Rd1 Qg4 33. Rbd2 $1 {[%c_effect d2;square;d2;type; GreatFind;persistent;true] This is enough for a draw.}) 30... Bd7 31. Nd5 (31. Na3 $5 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;Interesting;persistent;true]} Rxd6 32. Naxc4 Rh6 33. f3) 31... Rxb5 (31... Ra6 {This is the last chance to keep the game going.}) 32. Rxb5 Bxb5 33. Rxb5 Qd1+ 34. Kh2 Qh5+ 35. Kg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.02.22"] [Round "6"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, R.."] [Result "*"] [WhiteElo "2780"] [BlackElo "2690"] [PlyCount "137"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. d3 Nf6 4. Nf3 d6 5. Bd2 O-O 6. a3 $146 {This natural move has never been played before.} (6. e3 c6 7. Be2 Re8 8. a3 Ba5 9. b4 Bc7 10. e4 d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Bg5 dxe4 13. dxe4 Qxd1+ 14. Rxd1 Be6 $2 { [%c_effect e6;square;e6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (14... Nc6 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nd5 Bd8 {would have been equal.}) 15. Nb5 {White had an advantage in Xu,Y (2549)-Peng,H (2375) Fuling 2022.}) (6. g3 Re8 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. O-O a5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nd5 Qd8 {½-½ (11) Flatz,H (2329)-Chaika,L (2335) ICCF email 2017}) 6... Bxc3 7. Bxc3 e4 8. dxe4 Nxe4 9. Rc1 Re8 10. e3 Nc6 11. Be2 Bg4 12. O-O a5 13. b3 Nxc3 14. Rxc3 Qf6 15. Qd2 Qg6 16. Nh4 Qh5 17. Bxg4 Qxg4 18. Nf3 Ne5 19. Nd4 a4 $1 {[%c_effect a4;square;a4;type;GreatFind;persistent; true] An important inclusion.} (19... c5 $2 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type; Mistake;persistent;true]} 20. f3 Qd7 21. Nb5) 20. f3 Qd7 21. b4 c5 22. Nc2 { [%c_highlight c2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c2;persistent;false]} (22. Nb5 $2 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Nxc4) (22. Ne2 cxb4 23. axb4 {Praggnanandhaa felt the passed a-pawn would be very strong.}) 22... Rac8 23. Rb1 Qe6 {[%c_highlight c2;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c2; persistent;false] \"I was kind of happy with my position here because knight on c2 is completely misplaced.\" (Praggnanandhaa)} 24. Qe2 b6 25. e4 f5 $1 { [%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] White has several options that look similar but have vast consequences.} 26. bxc5 $6 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (26. exf5 Qxf5 27. Re3 Qg6 28. bxc5 {Same move as the game, but it's better timed here due to the followup on move 30.} bxc5 29. f4 Ng4 30. f5 $1 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind; persistent;true] was most precise, with equality.} Rxe3 31. Nxe3 Qe8 32. Re1) 26... bxc5 27. exf5 Qxf5 28. Rd1 $2 {[%c_effect d1;square;d1;type;Mistake; persistent;true]} (28. Re3 Rb8 {is an option Black would not have in the previous line given, although it should have been tried.} 29. Rb5 h6 30. h3 Kh7 {with better chances than what happened.}) 28... Rb8 $1 {[%c_effect b8;square; b8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Black controls the only open file now.} 29. Ne3 (29. Rxd6 $4 {[%c_effect d6;square;d6;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} Rb1+ 30. Kf2 Ng4+ {drops the queen.}) 29... Qg6 {Praggnanandhaa said this was a good move after the game, but there was a better option available.} (29... Nc6 $1 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] would have left Black with an immense advantage.} 30. Qd3 {Other moves are possible, but Black is better in all of them.} (30. Nxf5 Rxe2 31. f4 (31. Nxd6 $4 {[%c_effect d6; square;d6;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} Rbb2 {wins.}) 31... Nd4 32. Nxd4 cxd4 33. Rcd3 (33. Rxd4 Rb1+ {is mate.}) 33... Rbb2 34. Rg3 Kf7 {with a likely win for Black.}) 30... Qxd3 31. Rcxd3 Nd4 {with a tremendous position for Black.}) 30. Nd5 Nc6 31. Re3 Nd4 32. Qf2 Rxe3 33. Qxe3 Qc2 34. Re1 (34. Rc1 $4 { [%c_effect c1;square;c1;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} Qxc1+ 35. Qxc1 Ne2+) 34... Qxc4 {White wins the pawn, but the position is extremely dynamic due to the heavy pieces and knights on the board.} 35. Qe4 (35. Qg5 h6 {\"Black is winning.\" (Praggnanandhaa)} 36. Nf6+ (36. Ne7+ Kh8) 36... Kf7) 35... Qc2 36. Qe7 Qd2 37. Qe4 ({Praggnanandhaa said the following move bothered him.} 37. Nb6 h6 (37... Rxb6 $4 {[%c_effect b6;square;b6;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} 38. Qe8#) 38. Nd7 Rc8 39. Kh1 {And indeed White hangs in there, in practical terms. }) 37... Qc2 38. Qe7 Qd2 39. Qe4 Rf8 {Refusing to repeat.} 40. Nb6 $2 { [%c_effect b6;square;b6;type;Mistake;persistent;true] The Indian grandmaster was happy to see this move.} (40. h3 {would have kept White in the game, relatively speaking.}) 40... h6 $2 {[%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;Mistake; persistent;true] Black underestimates how much play White has in the game continuation.} (40... Nc2 $1 {[%c_effect c2;square;c2;type;GreatFind; persistent;true]} 41. Qe6+ Kh8 {White has an awkward choice to make with the rook now.} 42. Re4 h6 43. h3 Nd4 44. Qe7 Rg8 {He wasn't sure if this kind of position was winning (he saw it a move later with h6 included)., The engine confirms the connected passers do decide the game.}) 41. Nd7 Rf7 (41... Nc2 { After the game, Praggnanandhaa said this was the winning move.} 42. Rb1 Ne3 43. Qg6 Qd4 44. Kh1 Rd8 {He ended his line here, saying \"I think this wins.\"} 45. Qe6+ {The engine still finds plenty of play for White.} Kh7 46. Re1 Nd5 47. Qf5+ Kg8 48. Qe6+ Kh8 49. Qf7 {White still has very annoying play although Black is better.}) ({This was the other move Praggnanandhaa considered.} 41... Rf5 42. Kf1 $3 {[%c_effect f1;square;f1;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] He missed this move, which is also what was played in the game.} (42. Rb1 Kf7 $3 { [%c_effect f7;square;f7;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] He saw this move and indeed it wins, and he gave the following line:} 43. Rb7 (43. h4 Ne2+ 44. Kh2 Qf4+ {trades queens and wins.}) 43... Nxf3+ 44. gxf3 Rg5+ 45. Kf1 Qd1+ 46. Kf2 Qg1+ 47. Ke2 Rg2+ 48. Kd3 Qf1+ 49. Kc3 Qc1+ {with mate in two coming.})) 42. Kf1 $3 {[%c_effect f1;square;f1;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] The only move.} (42. Rb1 {was what Praggnanandhaa calculated.} Rxd7 43. Qe8+ Kh7 44. Qxd7 { And here White wins with} Qe3+ (44... c4 $2 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type; Mistake;persistent;true]} 45. Qe8 d5 46. Rb8 {White saves the game.} Qd1+ 47. Kf2 Qd2+ 48. Kg1) 45. Kh1 c4 {Now White is never in time to play Rb8 due to the back rank. White wins.}) 42... Rxd7 {Black sacrifices the exchange and isn't really at risk of losing, but neither is he at risk of winning.} (42... Nc2 43. Re2 Qd1+ 44. Kf2 Nd4 45. Re1 Qd2+ 46. Kf1 {with equality. This is similar to the game.}) 43. Qe8+ Kh7 44. Qxd7 Qd3+ 45. Kf2 c4 {Black has a draw in hand but tries to keep the game going.} (45... Qd2+ 46. Kf1 Qd3+ 47. Kg1 c4 {A possible draw is} 48. Re8 c3 49. Qd8 c2 50. Rh8+ Kg6 51. Qxd6+ Kh5 52. Qd5+ Kg6 53. Qd6+) 46. Qxa4 (46. Re7 {was perhaps more straightforward.} Nf5 47. Re4 ) 46... c3 47. Qd1 Qc4 $1 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type;GreatFind;persistent; true] Giri missed this move.} (47... Qxd1 $2 {[%c_effect d1;square;d1;type; Mistake;persistent;true]} 48. Rxd1 Nb3 49. Rxd6 c2 50. Rc6 c1=Q 51. Rxc1 Nxc1) 48. Ke3 $1 {[%c_effect e3;square;e3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nf5+ 49. Kf2 d5 {Again Black refuses to repeat.} (49... Qc5+ 50. Kf1 Ne3+ {would only draw.} 51. Rxe3 Qxe3 52. a4 d5 53. Qxd5 {and if c2 Qf5+ wins the pawn.}) 50. Qc2 g6 51. Kg1 h5 52. a4 Qc5+ 53. Kh1 d4 54. Qd3 h4 55. g4 $5 {[%c_effect g4; square;g4;type;Interesting;persistent;true] Clearing the back rank with tempo and also opening the h-file for the rook. This works objectively, but White's position is still hard to handle.} (55. Kg1 {Waiting with the king works too, but it's difficult to bring it onto the g1-a7 diagonal.} c2 56. Rc1 Ne3 57. h3 Kh6 58. Kf2 {with equality.}) (55. h3 $1 {[%c_effect h3;square;h3;type; GreatFind;persistent;true] This is probably the safest, relatively speaking.} Ng3+ 56. Kh2 c2 57. Rc1) 55... hxg3 56. hxg3 Nxg3+ 57. Kg2 {[%c_arrow h1h7; keyPressed;none;from;h1;opacity;0.8;to;h7;persistent;false]} Nf5 58. Kf2 $1 { [%c_effect f2;square;f2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} (58. f4 $3 { [%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] Funnily, the engine gives this move, but I don't think anyone would play it.} c2 59. Rh1+ Kg7 60. Rc1 Ne3+ 61. Kf2 Qd5 62. Rg1 {The engine claims equality, but this is extremely difficult to judge with little time.}) 58... Qc7 (58... Qd6 59. Rh1+ ({If White plays similarly to the game} 59. Ke2 $4 {[%c_effect e2;square;e2; type;Blunder;persistent;true]} Ng3+ 60. Kd1 Qa3 $1 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3; type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This move is available. The queen cannot reach this square from c7. Black wins with ...Qa1+ coming.}) 59... Kg7 60. Rg1 Qh2+ 61. Rg2 Qh4+ 62. Ke2 Qh1 {And here White needs to find the only move} 63. Rg5 $1 {[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Threatening Rxf5.} Qh2+ 64. Kd1 Ne3+ 65. Ke1 Nc2+ 66. Kd1 Ne3+ {and Black doesn't have more than a draw.}) 59. Ke2 {The engine gives Black a very slight advantage with ...Kg7, but it's not clear if it would have changed the result of the game.} Qh2+ { Praggnanandhaa regretted this move after the game.} 60. Kd1 Qa2 61. Qc2 Qa1+ 62. Ke2 Qa3 ({Praggnanandhaa also pointed out a trick that almost wins:} 62... d3+ 63. Qxd3 Qa2+ 64. Kd1 (64. Kf1 $4 {[%c_effect f1;square;f1;type;Blunder; persistent;true]} Qh2 {and ...Ng3 will win.}) 64... Qxa4+ 65. Ke2 Qa2+ 66. Kd1 {with a draw.}) 63. Kd3 Kg7 64. Re5 Qd6 65. f4 Qa6+ 66. Rb5 Nd6 {Now the players liquidate.} 67. Kxd4 Nxb5+ 68. axb5 Qxb5 69. Qc1 * [Event "Chess.com"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2023.02.22"] [Round "6"] [White "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Black "Keymer, Vincent"] [Result "*"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2690"] [PlyCount "148"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. c3 O-O 10. Bc2 Re8 11. Re1 h6 12. Nbd2 Bf8 13. Nf1 b4 14. a5 Rb8 15. Ne3 Rb5 $1 $146 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A very creative novelty.} (15... bxc3 16. bxc3 Na7 17. Bb3 Be6 18. Ba4 Bd7 19. Bb3 Be6 20. Ba4 Bd7 21. Bd2 Bxa4 22. Qxa4 Nd7 23. Qc4 Nc5 24. Nd5 c6 {Black was fine in Baklan,V (2610)-Iordachescu,V (2641) Mamaia 2012.}) 16. Ba4 Rxa5 17. Nc4 { Black wins a pawn, but the rook is trapped. Black planned for all this though.} Rc5 18. Be3 Rb5 {[%c_arrow b8b5;keyPressed;none;from;b8;opacity;0.8;to;b5; persistent;false,b5a5;keyPressed;none;from;b5;opacity;0.8;to;a5;persistent; false,a5c5;keyPressed;none;from;a5;opacity;0.8;to;c5;persistent;false,c5b5; keyPressed;none;from;c5;opacity;0.8;to;b5;persistent;false]} 19. Bxb5 axb5 20. Ncd2 d5 $1 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 21. Qc2 ( 21. exd5 Nxd5 {There are many ways the game can develop.} 22. c4 (22. Qb3) 22... bxc4 23. Nxc4 (23. dxc4 Nxe3) 23... Bg4 {Black is fine in all of them, with a complicated game.}) 21... bxc3 22. bxc3 b4 23. Ba7 $1 {[%c_effect a7; square;a7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A strange move, but the bishop was in danger of getting trapped after ...d4.} bxc3 (23... Nxa7 24. Rxa7 {would only activate White's pieces.}) 24. Qxc3 d4 25. Qb3 Bb4 26. Rec1 $1 { [%c_effect c1;square;c1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Threatening Rxc6 and Qxb4.} Bc3 {[%c_highlight c3;keyPressed;none;opacity;0.8;square;c3;persistent; false] \"I forgot about this move,\" said Keymer after the game. Now White sacrifices the exchange to get rid of the \"bone in the throat\" bishop. It's no less valuable than the rooks.} 27. Rxc3 dxc3 28. Qxc3 Qe7 {The queen intends to go to e6, but this square might better be used by the f6-knight.} ({ The following maneuver seems to be the clearest way to equalize.} 28... Nh7 $1 {[%c_effect h7;square;h7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true][%c_arrow f6h7; keyPressed;none;from;f6;opacity;0.8;to;h7;persistent;false,h7f8;keyPressed; none;from;h7;opacity;0.8;to;f8;persistent;false,f8e6;keyPressed;none;from;f8; opacity;0.8;to;e6;persistent;false]} 29. Be3 Nf8 30. Rc1 Qf6 {with ...Ne6 next. } 31. d4 exd4 32. Nxd4 Nxd4 33. Bxd4 Qg6 {with equality as ...Ne6 is coming. Note that Qxc7 doesn't work here due to Rc8.}) 29. Bc5 Qe6 30. h3 Bc8 31. Be3 { White has some pressure against Black's isolated c-pawn.} Bb7 32. Qb2 (32. Nc4 Nd7 33. Na5 Nxa5 34. Rxa5 {was another plan, with pressure on c7.} Ra8 $5 { [%c_effect a8;square;a8;type;Interesting;persistent;true] The engine even recommends sacrificing the pawn.} 35. Qxc7 Rxa5 36. Qxa5 Kh7 {and even this ideal scenario is difficult to convert, with all the pawns being on the same side of the board. Notice also the factor of opposite-colored bishops.}) 32... Bc8 33. Ra3 Nd7 34. Qb5 (34. Nf1 Rd8 35. Ng3 Nf8 36. Rc3 Ng6 37. Qc1 Bd7 38. Ra3 {with Ra6 coming. Black is more passive, but it's not clear that White can objectively break through this.}) 34... Nf8 35. Kh2 f6 36. Nb3 {There many plans and subtleties in this middlegame, but White was unable to achieve more than a slight, ephemeral advantage at several points of the game.} Qd6 37. Nc5 Ne6 38. Nh4 Nxc5 39. Bxc5 Qd7 40. Nf5 Nd8 41. Qc4+ Qe6 42. Ne7+ Kh7 43. Nd5 c6 44. Nb6 Qxc4 45. Nxc4 Nb7 46. Be3 Be6 47. Nb6 Re7 48. Kg3 Kg6 49. Kf3 Kf7 50. Ke2 h5 51. Rc3 Nd8 52. Na4 Bc8 53. Rb3 Ne6 54. Rb6 Rc7 55. Nc5 Nxc5 56. Bxc5 { The opposite-color bishops brought the game to a draw.} Bd7 57. Rb8 Be6 58. h4 Rc8 59. Rb7+ Kg8 60. Ke3 Ra8 61. Re7 Bb3 62. Rc7 Ba4 63. f3 Bb5 64. g4 hxg4 65. fxg4 Re8 66. Rd7 Kh7 67. Kf3 Ba4 68. h5 Kg8 69. Kg3 Bb3 70. Kh4 Be6 71. Rd6 Kf7 72. g5 fxg5+ 73. Kxg5 Rb8 74. Rxc6 Rc8 {With the rooks traded, the game is drawn due to opposite-color bishops.} *