[Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.04"] [Round "14"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Giri,Anish"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 209"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,111,43,26,12,-24,-12,-14,0,-16,45,24,24,-8,44,29,36,-22,27,21,21,44,44,59,59,35,37,2,15,15,15,-37,14,10,17,3,-17,-14,1,1,9,-13,35,39,36,36,35,32,37,29,37,21,41,19,24,1,40,6,41,34,34,31,47,34,40,28,11,11,21,20,56,26,63,67,86,60,61,53,63,47,25,1,24,14,40,40,40,58,94,81,126,130,156,157,172,181,208,156,225,231,236,233,242,230,250,257,257,193,257,255,244,265,283,259]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 {This was a very minor surprise, I feel, as Ding lately was going for a lot of Catalans and if in a more combative mood, then the Nimzo's with 3.Nc3. In this game, he was perhaps aiming at Hikaru's QGD with 4...Be7. Das war meiner Meinung nach eine kleine Überraschung, da Ding in letzter Zeit auf viele Katalanen und, wenn er in einer kämpferischeren Stimmung war, auf Nimzo mit 3.Sc3 setzte. In dieser Partie zielte er vielleicht auf Hikarus Abgelehntes Damengambit mit 4...Le7.} c5 {Hikaru jumps on the trendy Semi-Tarrasch. Hikaru springt auf den trendigen Semi-Tarrasch.} 5. e3 {Keeping all the pieces on the board, logical, given Ding was in a must win. Es war logisch, alle Figuren auf dem Brett zu behalten, da Ding in einer Muss-Situation war.} Nc6 6. a3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 {Hikaru following all the latest theoretical trends, but now Ding surprises him somewhat. Hikaru verfolgt die neuesten theoretischen Trends, aber jetzt überrascht ihn Ding etwas.} 8. Bd3 {Dropping the bishop back before castling short has some point and has been tried already by Wojtaszek against Gajewski in Polish Ch 2021. Den Läufer vor der kurzen Rochade zurückfallen zu lassen, hat einen gewissen Sinn und wurde bereits von Wojtaszek gegen Gajewski in der polnischen Meisterschaft 2021 ausprobiert.} b5 {Gajewski, instead, took on d4, which leads to a isolani type position. Gajewski nahm stattdessen auf d4, was zu einer Isolanistellung führt.} 9. dxc5 {The point of delaying the castle. Now White gets to trade the central pawns, while keeping the queens on the board. Der Sinn der Verzögerung der Rochade. Jetzt kann Weiß die zentralen Bauern tauschen, während die Damen auf dem Brett bleiben.} Bxc5 10. b4 Be7 11. O-O Bb7 12. Bb2 {Both sides continue natural development, but there were alternatives on the way. Beide Seiten setzten die natürliche Entwicklung fort, aber es gab Alternativen auf dem Weg.} O-O 13. Ne4 {I believe it's a common wisdom in these symmetrical structures, that the side that gets this Ne4/Ne5 move first is the one having all the fun. I think it's some classics of the Capablanca times, but unfortunately my memory is never well tuned when it comes to these kind of details. Ich glaube, es ist eine gängige Weisheit in diesen symmetrischen Strukturen, dass die Seite, die diesen Se4/Se5-Zug zuerst macht, den ganzen Spaß hat. Ich glaube, das ist ein Klassiker aus der Capablanca-Zeit, aber leider ist mein Gedächtnis nie gut, wenn es um diese Art von Details geht.} ({RR} 13. Qb1 h6 14. Ne4 Nd5 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. bxc5 Qe7 17. Rc1 Rac8 18. Qc2 Rc7 19. Nd2 f5 20. Bf1 Nf6 21. a4 b4 22. a5 Kh8 23. Nb3 Ne4 24. f3 Nf6 25. Re1 Qf7 26. Rad1 e5 27. Bc4 Qh5 {Seemann,J (2507)-Otsuka,S (2335) Stockholm SWE 2026 1-0 (40)}) 13... Nxe4 14. Bxe4 {White has the prettier bishops, but it seems that Black should be able to neutralize White's minor pressure here. Weiß hat die schöneren Läufer, aber es scheint, dass Schwarz in der Lage sein sollte, den leichten Druck von Weiß hier zu neutralisieren.} f5 $146 {This could prove to be a long term weakness, but Hikaru judged pretty well that after trading all the heavy pieces, it won't be too relevant. Dies könnte sich auf lange Sicht als Schwäche erweisen, aber Hikaru konnte gut einschätzen, dass dies nach dem Tausch aller Schwerfiguren nicht mehr allzu relevant sein würde.} (14... Na5 $5 {Is a cool alternative and a very nice tactical way to pretty much equalize the game, neutralizing White's e4 bishop. ist eine coole Alternative und ein sehr schöner taktischer Weg, um das Spiel so gut wie auszugleichen und den weißen Läufer auf e4 zu neutralisieren.}) ({RR} 14... Na5 15. Bxb7 Nxb7 16. Ne5 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Bd6 18. Nc6 Rfc8 19. Rac1 Rc7 20. Be5 Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Rac8 22. Rxc7 Rxc7 23. Nd7 f6 24. g3 a5 25. Nb8 a4 26. Kf1 Rc8 27. Na6 Rc6 28. Rd7 Rxa6 29. Rxb7 {Nguyen,Q (2367)-Song,E (2362) Budapest HUN 2024 ½-½ (32)}) 15. Bb1 {Deep, probably anticipating a5 in some of the lines, thinking that bishop on a2 is better placed than on b3. The engine disagrees somewhat, but those are nuances. Tief, nimmt wahrscheinlich a5 in einigen der Linien vorweg und denkt, dass der Läufer auf a2 besser platziert ist als auf b3. Die Engine ist da etwas anderer Meinung, aber das sind Nuancen.} Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Rfd8 17. Ba2 Kf7 18. h4 {Ding is trying his best to creat something out of nothing here. Ding tut hier sein Bestes, etwas aus dem Nichts zu schaffen.} h6 {An automatic response, though trading rooks right away was enough to equalize as well. Eine automatische Antwort, obwohl der sofortige Turmtausch ebenfalls zum Ausgleich reichte.} (18... Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Rd8 20. Rxd8 Bxd8 21. Ng5+ Bxg5 22. hxg5 Ne7 {Intending both Bd5-Be4 but also Nc8-Nd6-Nc4, after Which white will find it hard to break through. Beabsichtigt sowohl Ld5-Le4 als auch Sc8-Sd6-Sc4, wonach es für Weiß schwierig sein wird, durchzubrechen.}) 19. Rdc1 {A psychological attack. White has nothing, but by avoiding the trade of rooks he is trying to put some pressure. Ein psychologischer Angriff. Weiß hat nichts, aber indem er den Abtausch der Türme vermeidet, versucht er Druck auszuüben.} Bd6 $6 {This is the first real mistake. Black's position remains supersolid, but he could have pretty much forced the equality right away here with the natural Bf6. Dies ist der erste echte Fehler. Die Stellung von Schwarz bleibt supersolide, aber er hätte hier sofort mit dem natürlichen Lf6 mehr oder weniger Ausgleich erzwingen können.} (19... Bf6 20. Nd4 {Hikaru confessed on seeing ghosts here, but there really is nothing. Hikaru hat gestanden, dass er hier Geister gesehen hat, aber da ist wirklich nichts.} Nxd4 21. Rc7+ Kg6 22. Bxd4 Bxd4 {direct Bd5 is also fine. direktes Ld5 ist auch in Ordnung.} 23. exd4 Bd5 24. Bxd5 Rxd5 25. Re1 {This is so incredibly drawish, it's remarkable that Hikaru with his defensive skills didn't trust himself here. Apparently the pressure was getting to him. Das ist so unglaublich unentschieden, dass es bemerkenswert ist, dass Hikaru mit seinen Defensivfähigkeiten sich hier selbst nicht getraut hat. Offenbar hat ihm der Druck zugesetzt.}) 20. Rc2 {White starts doublin and adding the pressure, but Black still has plenty of defensive resources to equalize this position. Weiß beginnt zu verdoppeln und erhöht den Druck, aber Schwarz hat immer noch genügend Verteidigungsmittel, um diese Stellung auszugleichen.} Ne7 {Hikaru goes for the tempting trade of bishops, but more unpleasant for Ding, given his must-win situation would be the attempt to trade all the queenside with 20... a5!. Hikaru entscheidet sich für den verlockenden Läufertausch, aber unangenehmer für Ding wäre angesichts seiner Muss-Situation der Versuch, den gesamten Damenflügel mit 20... a5! zu tauschen.} 21. Nd4 Bd5 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Rac1 {White can now celebrate a few things. First of all, the queenside pawns remain on the board and at the same time, the c-file is under his control. The f5 pawn also provides a potential weakness of the e5 square. Weiß kann sich nun über einige Dinge freuen. Erstens bleiben die Bauern am Damenflügel auf dem Brett und gleichzeitig ist die c-Linie unter seiner Kontrolle. Der f5-Bauer bietet auch eine potenzielle Schwäche des e5-Feldes.} Rd7 24. Nb3 $1 {The knight is heading to a5 and the bishop is opened up. White's position starts to slowly look more and more threatening. Der Springer bewegt sich nach a5 und der Läufer wird freigelegt. Die Stellung von Weiß sieht langsam immer bedrohlicher aus.} Be7 25. h5 {I totally understand the temptation to create the second weakness, so to speak, but I believe stronger would have been the simple 25.g3!. It puts less pressure on Black, but White wouldn't have to deal with a weak h5 pawn, something that later on in this game becomes an issue. Ich verstehe vollkommen die Versuchung, sozusagen die zweite Schwäche zu schaffen, aber ich glaube, dass das einfache 25.g3! besser gewesen wäre. Es übt weniger Druck auf Schwarz aus, aber Weiß müsste sich nicht mit einem schwachen h5-Bauern auseinandersetzen, was später in dieser Partie zum Problem wird.} Bf6 {Hikaru offers another trade. Hikaru bietet einen weiteren Tausch an.} 26. Bd4 $6 {Understandbly, given a must win situation, Ding wants to keep more tension on board, but objectively speaking the way to keep the edge in the endgame was to just trade the bishop and penetrate on c6. The h5 pawn would be lost, but Black would be having issues with his a6 and e6 pawns as well. Es ist verständlich, dass Ding in einer Situation, in der er unbedingt gewinnen muss, mehr Spannung auf dem Brett halten will, aber objektiv gesehen wäre es der beste Weg, den Vorteil im Endspiel zu behalten, einfach den Läufer zu tauschen und auf c6 einzudringen. Der h5-Bauer wäre verloren, aber Schwarz hätte auch Probleme mit seinen Bauern auf a6 und e6.} e5 $1 {Hikaru abandons the idea of a bishop trade and grabs space in the center. Black is totally back in a comfortable position now. Hikaru gibt die Idee eines Läufertauschs auf und nimmt Raum im Zentrum ein. Schwarz befindet sich jetzt wieder in einer komfortablen Stellung.} 27. Bc5 Bd8 {This odd move is really the reason Hikaru had lost this game and he played it again later on, on move 35. Here it's still not so bad. Black intends Nf6. Dieser merkwürdige Zug ist wirklich der Grund, warum Hikaru diese Partie verloren hatte, und er spielte ihn später, im Zug 35, erneut. Hier ist es immer noch nicht so schlecht. Schwarz beabsichtigt Sf6.} (27... Rad8 {Black can just play natural moves and there is not much White can do. Schwarz kann einfach natürliche Züge spielen und Weiß kann nicht viel tun.} 28. g3 g6 29. hxg6+ Kxg6 {Intending h5-h4 next, when Black is not even worse. White's bishop on c5 is blocking his own play, as Rc6 and Nc5 ideas are gone now. Mit der Absicht, als nächstes h5-h4 zu spielen, wonach Schwarz nicht einmal schlechter steht. Der weiße Läufer auf c5 blockiert sein eigenes Spiel, da die Ideen für Tc6 und Sc5 jetzt weg sind.}) 28. Rd2 Nf6 29. Rxd7+ Nxd7 30. Rd1 Nf6 31. Bd6 Ng4 {Practical would have been to trade some pawns with 31...f4!? and simplify the position somewhat. The move in the game is not wrong either. Praktisch wäre es gewesen, mit 31...f4!? einige Bauern zu tauschen und die Stellung etwas zu vereinfachen. Der Zug in der Partie ist auch nicht falsch.} 32. Bc5 Bh4 {A good move. Black should be aiming for a trade of rooks. Ein guter Zug. Schwarz sollte einen Turmtausch anstreben.} 33. Rd7+ Kg8 34. g3 Bg5 {First step in the wrong direction. 34...Rd8! was strong here already. Der erste Schritt in die falsche Richtung. 34...Td8! war hier schon stark.} 35. Kf1 {White is improving his position somewhat, pretending that Rd8 is not an issue. Weiß verbessert seine Stellung etwas, indem er so tut, als wäre Td8 kein Problem.} Bd8 $2 {Hikaru was probably under the impression that the rook trade was bad. But it really wasn't. White's weak h5 pawn works in Black's favor. Hikaru hatte wahrscheinlich den Eindruck, dass der Turmtausch schlecht war. Aber das war er wirklich nicht. Der schwache h5-Bauer von Weiß wirkt sich zu Schwarz' Gunsten aus.} (35... Rd8 $1 {This is just completely fine actually. Das ist eigentlich völlig in Ordnung.} 36. Rxd8+ Bxd8 37. Bd6 Kf7 38. Nc5 Be7 39. Bxe7 Kxe7 40. Nxa6 Kd6 {Black takes care of the b5 pawn and with Nf6-Nxh5 incoming, the endgame is just completely drawn. Really an off-day for Hikaru. Schwarz kümmert sich um den b5-Bauern und mit Sf6-Sxh5 ist das Endspiel einfach komplett remis. Wirklich ein schlechter Tag für Hikaru.}) 36. Rb7 $1 {Taking out the idea of Nf6, which can now be met by Bd6!. Black is suddenly in big trouble, though Hikaru still tries a strong simplifying resource. Nimmt die Idee von Sf6 aus dem Spiel, was nun mit Ld6! begegnet werden kann. Schwarz ist plötzlich in großen Schwierigkeiten, obwohl Hikaru immer noch eine starke Vereinfachungsmöglichkeit versucht.} f4 $1 {The only way to fight on. Die einzige Möglichkeit, weiterzukämpfen.} 37. gxf4 exf4 38. e4 $2 {Understandble, as White is trying to play it in the most ambitious way possible. However this allows counterplay with 38...f3! locking up the White king on f1. Verständlich, denn Weiß versucht ja, auf die ehrgeizigste Weise zu spielen. Dies ermöglicht jedoch Gegenspiel mit 38...f3!, das den weißen König auf f1 einsperrt.} (38. exf4 $1 {though was stronger. war jedoch stärker.} Nf6 39. Kg2 Nxh5 40. Kf3 {White is dominating and Black is bound to passivity, having to watch his weak queenside pawns. Weiß dominiert und Schwarz ist zur Passivität gezwungen, da er auf seine schwachen Bauern am Damenflügel aufpassen muss.}) 38... Bf6 $2 {Hikaru lets Ding activate his pieces. Hikaru lässt Ding seine Figuren aktivieren.} (38... f3 $1 {Keeping the king in the cage. Hält den König im Käfig.} 39. Nd4 Ne5 40. Kg1 Bf6 {Black gets to mobilize his pieces and get counterplay against the e4 pawn. Schwarz kann seine Figuren mobilisieren und erhält Gegenspiel gegen den e4-Bauern.}) 39. Nd4 Re8 40. Kg2 $1 {Strong move, indirectly protecting the e4 pawn. Now it's game. Starker Zug, der indirekt den e4-Bauern schützt. Jetzt ist es eine Partie.} Ne5 41. Nf5 f3+ 42. Kg3 $1 {The king is superb here and Black's f3 pawn is falling, contrary to the variation in 38...f3!. The rest is easy conversion for Ding. Der König steht hier hervorragend und Schwarz' f3-Bauer fällt, im Gegensatz zur Variante 38...f3! Der Rest ist eine einfache Verwertung für Ding.} Nc4 43. Be7 Bb2 44. Kxf3 Bxa3 {Black wins a pawn back, but it's worth a lot less and best he can hope for on the queenside is that the pawns get traded, with White remaining a healthy pawn up on the other side of the board. Schwarz gewinnt einen Bauern zurück, aber der ist viel weniger wert, und das Beste, worauf er am Damenflügel hoffen kann, ist, dass die Bauern getauscht werden, während Weiß auf der anderen Seite des Brettes einen gesunden Bauern mehr hat.} 45. Kg3 Ne5 {Black needs to guard the g7 pawn, but now the a6 pawn is going to fall. Schwarz muss den g7-Bauern schützen, aber jetzt wird der a6-Bauer fallen.} 46. Bc5 Nf7 47. f3 Bc1 48. Ra7 Bd2 49. Rxa6 {Black is dead lost now, with the queenside situation not looking good either. Schwarz steht jetzt auf verlorenem Posten, und auch am Damenflügel sieht es nicht gut aus.} Be1+ 50. Kg2 Bc3 51. Ra7 {Ding finishes the game effectively, not letting Black any counterplay whatsoever. Ding bringt die Partie effektiv zu Ende und lässt Schwarz keinerlei Gegenspiel zu.} Ng5 52. Ne7+ Kh8 53. Ng6+ Kg8 54. Ne7+ Kh8 55. Nd5 Bb2 56. Ra2 Bc1 57. Rc2 Ba3 58. Be3 {It ends with the a3 bishop getting trapped. A lot of missed opportunities for Hikaru, in this very tense game. Es endet damit, dass der Läufer auf a3 gefangen wird. Viele verpasste Gelegenheiten für Hikaru, in dieser sehr spannenden Partie.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto, Canada"] [Date "2024.04.04"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Gukesh, Dommaraju"] [Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2743"] [BlackElo "2727"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "42"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 9. Ra2 {D40: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch with 5 e3.} Ne5 (9... O-O 10. Rd2 Qe7 11. Bb2 (11. cxd5 exd5 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Rxd5 Rd8 14. Be2 Bg4 15. O-O Rd7 16. Rd2 Rad8 17. Qc2 h5 18. Rfd1 Ne5 19. Nd4 Bxe2 20. Rxe2 Qh4 21. f4 Ng4 22. h3 Nxe3 23. Bxe3 Bxf4 24. Bxf4 {Stefanova,A (2435)-Calzetta Ruiz,M (2185) Petrovac MNE 2023 1-0 (33)}) 11... Rd8 12. c5 Bc7 13. Be2 Bd7 14. Qc2 Ne5 15. Nd4 Rdc8 16. O-O b6 17. f4 Neg4 18. c6 Nxe3 19. cxd7 Qxd7 20. Qb1 Nxf1 21. Qxf1 b5 22. Kh1 Bb6 23. Qf3 Ra7 24. Nb3 {Fedoseev,V (2696)-Nihal,S (2620) Belgrade SRB 2021 1/2-1/2 (36)}) 10. Rd2 Nxf3+ $146 (10... Qc7 11. c5 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 Be5 13. Bb2 d4 14. exd4 Bf4 15. Re2 O-O 16. d5 exd5 17. Qd4 Bh6 18. Rg1 Qxh2 19. Rg2 Qh1 20. Nxd5 Bh3 21. Nxf6+ Kh8 22. Qe4 Bd2+ 23. Kxd2 Bxg2 24. Bxg2 Qh6+ 25. Kc2 {Sambuev,B (2514)-Bacallao Alonso,Y (2590) Tornelo INT 2021 1-0 (31)}) 11. gxf3 O-O 12. Bb2 a5 13. cxd5 $6 {Inaccuracy. c5 was best.} (13. c5 {is more complex.} Be5 (13... axb4 14. axb4 Bb8 15. Rg1 g6 16. f4) 14. Bd3 axb4 15. axb4 b6 16. c6 d4 {[#]} (16... Qe7 {remains equal.}) 17. Bb1 (17. f4 $1 $16 {[%CAl Rf4e5]} g6 18. Be4) 17... Qe7 18. exd4 Bf4 19. b5 Bxd2+) 13... e5 $6 {Inaccuracy. axb4 was best.} (13... axb4 14. axb4) 14. Nb5 $146 {Qa1 is the strong threat.} ({RR} 14. bxa5 Bd7 15. Bb5 Rxa5 16. Qb3 Bh3 17. Rg1 Qe7 18. a4 Rd8 19. Ke2 Raa8 20. Bc4 Bb4 21. Rgd1 e4 22. fxe4 Bd6 23. Rg1 Qe5 24. f4 Qh5+ 25. Ke1 Ng4 26. Nb5 Be7 27. Re2 Qg6 28. Bd3 Bh4+ {Vogel,R (2546)-Deuer,M (2452) Ostfildern GER 2024 1-0 (33)}) 14... axb4 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. axb4 Qxb4 17. Qc2 Bg4 $6 {[#] Inaccuracy. Re8 was best. Threatens to win with ... Rfc8.} (17... Re8) 18. Bc3 {The position is equal.} (18. fxg4 $2 Rfc8 $19) 18... Qa3 $1 19. Bb2 Qb4 $1 {aiming for ...Rfc8.} 20. Bc3 (20. fxg4 $2 Rfc8 $19) 20... Qa3 $1 21. Bb2 Qb4 $1 {Precisão Chessbase: Brancas 65% Pretas 85%. Precisão Lichess.org: Brancas 96% Pretas 96%. Precisão Chess.com: Brancas 97.3% Pretas 97.9%.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Krasnaya Polyana"] [Date "2021.07.16"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Sargissian, Gabriel"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, Rameshbabu"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2682"] [BlackElo "2608"] [Annotator "Praggnanandhaa,Rameshbabu"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2021.07.12"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "8"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,84,80,5,63,-48,-17,-87,45,15,51,37,66,66,59,62,69,25,25,29,6,-5,-4,-4,47,58,69,45,47,-13,16,27,72,65,86,10,57,28,38,1,51,30,11,-5,11,10,8,-126,-126,-264,-246,-213,-221,-283,-295,-287,-185,-290,-262,-266,-250,-250,-123,-249,-106,-106,-70,-245,-75,-86,-134,-141,-142,-153,-136,-123,-128,-108,-113,-176,-176,-208,-170,-207,-216,-390,-450] This was second game of the second round. I had won the first game.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 {I had prepared this line for the World Cup.} 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bxc4 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O Nc6 {This is the latest trend.} 7. Nc3 a6 8. a3 (8. Ne5 {was played by Aronian in Bucharest: ½-½ (34) Aronian,L (2781)-Caruana,F (2820) Bucharest 2021.}) 8... b5 9. Ba2 Bb7 10. d5 {A common idea in these lines.} (10. Qe2 {is the main move.}) 10... exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 ({RR} 11... Bd6 12. e4 Nxd5 13. Qxd5 O-O 14. Qh5 Qf6 15. Bg5 Qxb2 16. Bd5 Na5 17. Ra2 Qc3 18. Bd2 Qd3 19. Bxa5 Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Qxd5 21. exd5 Rfe8 22. Re1 Kf8 23. Kf1 Rxe1+ 24. Nxe1 Ke8 25. g3 Kd7 26. Nd3 {Aronian,L (2782)-Ding,L (2799) chess24.com INT 2021 1-0 (39)}) 12. Bxd5 Bd6 13. e4 O-O 14. b4 $146 {This is the top choice of the computer.} ({RR} 14. a4 Qc7 15. Be3 Rad8 16. axb5 axb5 17. Qe2 Nb4 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Rad1 Be7 20. e5 Qc6 21. Bd2 Nd3 22. Ba5 Nf4 23. Qe3 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Ne6 25. Be1 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Qd3 Bc7 28. b3 c4 {Lintchevski,D (2569)-Shubin,K (2331) St Petersburg 2017 ½-½ (43)}) ({RR} 14. Bg5 Qc7 15. Qd2 Na5 16. Bxb7 Nxb7 17. Rad1 Rfe8 18. Rfe1 h6 19. Bh4 {½-½ (19) Mosesov,D (2447)-Kanyamarala,T (2398) Upplands Vasby SWE 2026}) 14... c4 15. Bb2 Qc7 16. Qc2 {[%CAl Gf3g5,Gc2c3]} Be7 {Stopping both Ng5 and Qc3.} 17. Rad1 (17. Qc3 $2 Bf6 18. e5 Nxe5 19. Bxb7 Nd3 $19) 17... Rad8 {I remembered my prep vaguely till this point ...} 18. h3 Rfe8 19. Nh2 $5 {This plan came as a surprise to me.} Nb8 {With a similar idea.} (19... Bf8 {This was better with the idea of Ne7 and exchanging the bishop on d5:} 20. Ng4 Ne7 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 $15 22. Qc3 $2 {[%CAl Gg4h6]} Ng6 $19 {Suprisingly the computer claims this is completely winning for black.}) 20. Ng4 Nd7 (20... Bxd5 $5 21. exd5 Nd7 22. Rfe1 $13) 21. Qc3 $6 (21. Rfe1 $13 {It was possible to just play like this.}) 21... Nf6 $8 (21... Bf6 $4 22. e5 Nxe5 23. Qg3 $18 {This was a nice trick.}) 22. Rfe1 h5 $1 {A very strong move, kicking the knight on g4.} 23. Nh6+ $2 (23. Ne3 {This was possible but after} Bf8 $15 {Black is just comfortable. Also my opponent was in a must-win situation, so he wanted to create some chances with Nh6+.}) 23... gxh6 24. Re3 (24. Rd3 {After the game while waiting for the PCR test me and my opponent were discussing this move.} Bxd5 25. Rg3+ (25. exd5 Bd6 $19 {Due to the back rank weakness black is winning here.} 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Qxf6 Re1#) 25... Kf8 26. exd5 Bd6 $1 {We missed this while analyzing blindfolded.} 27. Rxe8+ Rxe8 28. Qxf6 Re1+ 29. Kh2 Ke8 $19 {The king just runs.}) 24... h4 $1 {Stopping Rg3} 25. Rf3 Rd6 $1 $19 {A very powerful idea which completely stops the white attack.} 26. g4 Bd8 27. Kg2 Qe7 28. Rf4 Bxd5 29. Rxd5 Rxd5 30. exd5 Qd6 31. Qf3 Qxd5 {I just wanted to liquidate into winning rook ending.} 32. Bxf6 Qxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Bxf6 34. Rxf6 Re6 35. Rf5 Rd6 $19 36. Ke2 Kg7 37. a4 bxa4 38. Ra5 Rd3 39. Rxa4 Rxh3 40. Rxa6 Rb3 41. Rc6 h3 42. Rxc4 Rb1 {A final trick which seals the game. I was very happy to score a 2-0 victory against a very strong player.} 0-1 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 4th"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2017.04.27"] [Round "6"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2822"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "2017.04.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 178"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.05.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] {Moradiabadi,E: 'The Shamkir super tournament started with a 'hiccup' for the top seed, US champion and world No. 2, Wesley So. The Minnesota-based super GM went down at the hands of the host's best player Shakhriyar 'Shak' Mamedyarov with the white pieces which put an end to his streak of 67 undefeated rated games. However, after three solid draws Wesley took down Russia No. 1 Vladimir Kramnik, and today the world championship challenger Sergey Karjakin in smooth fashion. Coming back after such a painful defeat and winning back-to-back games against the No. 1 and No. 2 Russian players requires a 'Magnus-on-top' like spirit and Wesley shows us that he has the will and resilience to fight for the very top!'} 1. Nf3 {Huzman,Alexander Moradiabadi,E} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Ba7 ({RR} 8... Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O) 9. Bb2 O-O 10. h3 $5 {This continuation may look strange but White probably wanted to avoid main theoretical lines Moradiabadi,E: 'In the past Wesley opted for a different path against Caruana.'} (10. Qc2 {or}) (10. Be2) ({RR} 10. Bd3 Qe7 ({RR} 10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 Qe7 ({RR} 11... b5 12. Bb3 ({RR} 12. Bd3) 12... Bb7 13. O-O Qxd1 14. Rfxd1 Rfd8 15. Rxd8+ Rxd8 16. Rd1 Rxd1+ 17. Nxd1) 12. O-O b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Rac8) 11. O-O Rd8 12. Qe2 Bd7 13. Rac1 Rac8 14. cxd5 ({RR} 14. c5 e5 15. e4 d4 16. Nd5 Qe6 17. Bc4) 14... exd5 15. h3 h6 16. Rfd1 Be6 17. b5 ({RR} 17. Na4 d4 18. exd4 Bb3 19. Qxe7 Nxe7 20. Re1 Rxc1 21. Bxc1 Nc6 22. Nc5 Nxd4 23. Nxd4 Rxd4) 17... axb5 18. Nxb5 Bb8 19. Bb1 Ne4 20. Ba2 Ng5 21. Nfd4 ({RR} 21. Nbd4 Qd6 22. Nxe6 fxe6 ({RR} 22... Nxf3+ 23. Qxf3 fxe6 ({RR} 23... Qh2+ 24. Kf1 fxe6 25. Qg4) 24. g3) 23. g3 Ne4 ({RR} 23... Nxh3+ 24. Kg2 Ng5 25. Nxg5 hxg5 26. e4) 24. Bb1) 21... Nxd4 22. Bxd4 ({RR} 22. Nxd4 Qd6 23. f4) 22... Ne4 23. a4 ({RR} 23. Qh5 Rc6 24. Bb2 Rdc8) ({RR} 23. Qb2 Qg5) 23... Rc6 24. Ba7 Rdc8 {Ivanchuk,V (2740)-Topalov,V (2725) Linares 1997 CBM 057 [Huzman,Alexander] 0-1} {RR} 25. Rxc6 ({RR} 25. Qe1 Nxf2 26. Rxc6 ({RR} 26. Kxf2 Qh4+ 27. Kf3 Qe4+ 28. Kf2 Qxa4) 26... bxc6 27. Bxb8 ({RR} 27. Qxf2 Bxa7) 27... Nxd1 28. Na7 Rxb8 29. Nxc6 Qd6 30. Nxb8 Nb2) 25... bxc6 26. Bxb8 Rxb8 27. Nd4 ({RR} 27. f3 Ng3 ({RR} 27... cxb5 28. fxe4 dxe4 29. Bxe6 Qxe6 30. axb5 Qb3) 28. Qf2 cxb5 29. Qxg3 Qa7 30. Qf4 bxa4 31. Rd4 Ra8) 27... Qa3 28. Bb1 Nc3 29. Qc2 g6) ({RR} 10. Be2 Qe7 11. O-O Rd8 12. Qc2 d4 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Bf3) 10... h6 $146 {Black replies with a useful waiting move, too.} (10... dxc4 {looks a bit illogical but the difference from the 10.?e2 line (White's pawn is on h3 instead of h2) is hardly crucial:} 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Qe7 14. Rc1 Rfd8 15. Qe2 Rac8 16. Ne4 {0-1 (31) Wegerer,F (2218)-Keller,M (2148) Latschach 2013} Nd7 $5 {[%CAl Yc6e5]}) (10... Qe7 11. Qc2 (11. cxd5 Rd8 $1) 11... Rd8 12. Rd1 h6 (12... d4 $5) 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Ne2 Be6 15. Ned4 Rac8 16. Qb3 Ne4 $132 {1/2 (37) Hoang,T (2227)-Le,T (2331) Can Tho 2012}) (10... Re8 $5) ({RR} 10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Ba2 Bb7 13. O-O Rc8 14. Qb3 Qe7 15. Rad1 Bb8 16. Ba1 Qc7 17. Rfe1 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Qxe5 19. f4 Qh5 20. Qb2 e5 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. Bxd5 exf4 23. Bf3 Qg5 24. e4 Ba7+ 25. Kh1 {Hu,J (2120)-Hamilton,D (2229) Parramatta 2008 0-1 (38)}) ({RR} 10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Rc8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Qe7 16. Qe2 f5 17. Bc2 e5 18. Bb3+ Kh8 19. h4 Qf6 20. Rad1 Rc7 21. Rd5 Re7 22. Rfd1 Bb8 23. Ng5 Qg6 24. Rd7 h6 25. Rxb7 {Ioannidis,E (2480)-Patrelakis,E (2453) Aigio GRE 2025 0-1 (89)}) ({RR} 10... Qe7 11. cxd5 Rd8 12. Be2 exd5 13. Na2 Ne4 14. Nd4 Qg5 15. Bf3 Ne5 16. Rc1 b5 17. h4 Qe7 18. Nc3 Bb7 19. Nce2 Nc4 20. Rc2 Nxb2 21. Rxb2 Rac8 22. g3 Rc4 23. O-O Bc8 24. Rc2 Bb7 25. Qd3 {Gregor,J (2235)-Novak,P (2235) Czech Republic 2000 1-0 (42)}) 11. Rc1 Re8 {Moradiabadi,E: 'Karjakin played this after a long 'pause'. The idea is to take back on d5 with the e-pawn, so that the rook on e8 becomes useful.'} 12. Bd3 {Moradiabadi,E: 'Obviously White is not interested in that kind of isolated pawn! Wesley is still 'blitzing' his moves.'} dxc4 {Moradiabadi,E: 'Finally, Karjakin earned his tempo after stalling a while, but comparing ?c1 with ...?e8, White definitely got something to play now.'} 13. Bxc4 Qxd1+ {With the rook on e8, this simplifying move is more appropriate since Black's king can easily reach the centre (...?g8-f8-e7).} 14. Rxd1 {Moradiabadi,E: 'To decide between the three recaptures, Wesley spent 13:30 minutes.'} b5 15. Bd3 Bb7 16. Ke2 {Moradiabadi,E: 'In a symmetrical pawn structure of this kind, tempi are less valuable while piece placement becomes important as it might take a number of moves for each piece to reach its optimal square.'} (16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Red8 18. O-O (18. Rc1 Nxb4 19. Bxb7 Nd3+ 20. Ke2 Rab8 $11 {[%CAl Rb8b7,Rd3b2]}) 18... f6 $11 {[%CAl Yg8f7]}) 16... Kf8 17. Rhg1 {[%CAl Rg2g4,Rg4g5]} Rad8 $11 18. Bb1 Ne7 {Moradiabadi,E: 'The knight will land on d5, many pieces will be exchanged and Black has no weaknesses. I repeat that Black has no weaknesses!'} 19. Nd2 {Moradiabadi,E: 'Wesley opts for the same manoeuvre where he has an eye on the c5-square too.'} Bb6 (19... Rd7 $5 20. g4 Red8 $11) 20. g4 Ned5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 (21... Rxd5 {Moradiabadi,E} 22. h4 h5 23. g5 Ng4 24. Nb3 Red8 25. Rxd5 Bxd5 26. Nd2 Bb7 27. Bc3 Rc8 28. Rc1 Ne5 {seems like a better continuation than what Black played in the game but even in the game, Black's position was solid, if a bit passive compared to this line.}) 22. Nb3 f6 23. Bg6 Re7 24. Rc1 {Moradiabadi,E: 'Wesley is addressing the c5-square. It is interesting how he keeps creating problems in a dry position like this one!'} Red7 25. Rgd1 Ne7 26. Rxd7 Rxd7 27. Bb1 Rc7 $6 {This unnecessary exchange allows the activation of White's pieces and gives him some chances.} (27... Bd5 28. Nc5 Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Bc4+ 30. Ke1 Kf7 $11) 28. Rxc7 Bxc7 {[%mdl 4096]} 29. Nc5 Bc8 30. Ba2 Nd5 (30... Kf7 $5 {was a sufficient defence. After} 31. f4 Nc6 32. f5 Nd8 33. fxe6+ Ke7 {Black will play ...a6-a5 or ...?c7-d6xc5 and only later recapture White's e6-pawn. E.g.} 34. Bd5 Bd6 35. Bd4 {(preventing 35...?xc5)} Bxe6 {(now appropriate: White wins the a6 pawn but a drawish endgame with opposite-coloured bishops arises)} 36. Nxe6 Nxe6 37. Bb7 Nxd4+ 38. exd4 Kd7 39. Bxa6 Kc6 $11) 31. f4 Bd6 {Moradiabadi,E: 'Karjakin defends with resilience. Remember, this guy had defended for a month against Magnus Carlsen and held a draw. Therefore, he is not going to be an easy nut to crack. However, I believe that Karjakin is not defending at his best today.'} (31... a5 $1 {was still OK for Black:} 32. f5 (32. bxa5 Bxa5 33. f5 Ke7 34. Nxe6 Bxe6 35. fxe6 Nc3+ $11) 32... axb4 33. axb4 Bd6 34. Bxd5 exd5 {should be drawish.}) 32. Bd4 Kf7 33. Kd3 Ne7 $6 (33... Nc7 $14) 34. Ne4 Bc7 $2 (34... Bb8 $1 {was a better defence. After} 35. f5 Nc6 36. Bxe6+ Bxe6 37. fxe6+ Kxe6 38. Nc5+ Kd5 39. Nxa6 (39. e4+ Kd6 40. Nxa6 Nxd4 41. Kxd4 Ba7+ 42. Kd3 Kc6 $11) 39... Nxd4 40. Nxb8 (40. exd4 Bg3 {[%csl Ra6]}) 40... Ne6 {White can hardly convert his advantage due to the poor position of his knight.}) 35. f5 $1 Nc6 36. fxe6+ Bxe6 37. Bxe6+ Kxe6 38. Nc5+ Ke7 39. Nxa6 {White has won a pawn in a comfortable version.} Bd6 40. Bc5 Ne5+ 41. Ke4 Nc4 42. Kd5 Bxc5 43. Kxc5 Nxa3 44. Nc7 Kd7 45. Nxb5 Nc2 46. Nd4 Nxe3 47. Nf5 Nd1 48. Kb6 $2 {A sudden slip.} (48. Nxg7 Nf2 49. Nh5 $1 Nxh3 50. Nxf6+ Kc7 51. Ng8 $18) 48... g6 $1 49. Nxh6 Ne3 $2 {Amazingly, Black had a marvellous rescue indicated by the Chesspro.ru website:} (49... Ke6 $1 50. b5 Nc3 51. Kc6 Na4 52. b6 (52. h4 $144 f5 53. g5 f4 54. Ng4 f3 55. Nf2 Ke5 56. b6 Nxb6 57. Kxb6 Kf4) 52... Nxb6 53. Kxb6 f5 $1 54. g5 (54. Kc5 fxg4 55. Nxg4 Kf5 56. Kd4 Kf4 57. Nf2 Kg3 58. Ke3 g5 $11) 54... f4 55. h4 f3 56. Ng4 Kf5 57. Nf2 Kf4 58. Kc5 Kg3 {(White lacks one tempo to bring his king back)} 59. h5 $8 Kxf2 60. hxg6 Kg3 61. g7 f2 62. g8=Q f1=Q {- this queen endgame is drawish.}) 50. b5 f5 (50... Ke6 {is too late due to} 51. Kc5 $1 Nd5 52. h4 $18 {Black can't give up his knight for the b-pawn and obtain the position from the previous annotation.}) 51. Ka6 fxg4 52. hxg4 Nd5 53. b6 Kc6 (53... Nxb6 54. Kxb6 Ke6 55. g5 $18) 54. b7 Nc7+ 55. Ka7 Nb5+ 56. Ka8 Nc7+ 57. Kb8 Nb5 58. Ka8 Nc7+ 59. Kb8 Nb5 60. Nf7 $1 Kb6 61. g5 Ka6 62. Nd8 Kb6 63. Kc8 Nd6+ 64. Kd7 {Moradiabadi,E: 'Karjakin wins the passed pawn but his pawn on g6 falls and he loses the game. A great victory for Wesley and a bitter defeat for Sergey who lost this battle in his own territory: Defending a slightly uncomfortable situation!'} 1-0 [Event "FIDE Candidates 2024"] [Site "Toronto, Canada"] [Date "2024.04.10"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Praggnanandhaa R"] [Black "Abasov, Nijat"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2632"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2024.??.??"] 1. d4 {Gurevich,Mikhail} d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. a3 a6 7. b3 {[%CAl Bb2b3,Bb3b4][%mdl 32]} cxd4 (7... Be7 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Bd3 b6 10. O-O cxd4 11. exd4 Bb7 12. Re1 Rc8) ({RR} 7... Be7 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Bd3 b6 10. O-O cxd4 11. exd4 Bb7 12. Re1 Rc8) 8. exd4 Be7 9. c5 (9. Bb2 O-O 10. Bd3 Qc7 (10... b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Re1 dxc4 14. bxc4 Na5 15. Ne5 Bd6 16. Re3 g6 17. f4 Nh5 18. Qg4 f5 19. Qg5 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Nxc4 21. Bxc4 Rxc4 22. Qh6 Nxf4 23. Rd1 Qe7 {Sukhareva,E (2111)-Kovalevskaya,E (2281) Sochi RUS 2023 0-1 (34)}) 11. O-O Bd7 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. c5 b6 14. cxb6 Qxb6 15. Na4) ({RR} 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Bd3 Qc7 11. O-O Bd7 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. c5 b6 14. cxb6 Qxb6 15. Na4) ({RR} 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Bd3 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Re1 dxc4 14. bxc4 Na5 15. Ne5 Bd6 16. Re3 g6 17. f4 Nh5 18. Qg4 f5 19. Qg5 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Nxc4 21. Bxc4 Rxc4 22. Qh6 Nxf4 23. Rd1 Qe7 {Sukhareva,E (2111)-Kovalevskaya,E (2281) Sochi RUS 2023 0-1 (34)}) 9... b6 10. cxb6 Qxb6 {White has an edge.} (10... Nd7 11. Bd3 a5 12. Nb5 (12. O-O Ba6) ({RR} 12. O-O Ba6) 12... Qxb6 13. Bf4 O-O 14. O-O Na7 (14... Ba6 15. Nc7 Bxd3 16. Nxa8) ({RR} 14... Ba6 15. Nc7 Bxd3 16. Nxa8) 15. Nc7 Rb8 16. b4 Bb7 (16... axb4 17. axb4 Bxb4 18. Qc2 g6 19. Rfb1 Nc6 20. Na8 Qb7 21. Ba6 Qxa8 22. Bxc8) ({RR} 16... axb4 17. axb4 Bxb4 18. Qc2 g6 19. Rfb1 Nc6 20. Na8 Qb7 21. Ba6 Qxa8 22. Bxc8) 17. bxa5 Qxa5 18. Qe2 e5 (18... Rbc8 19. Nxe6 (19. Rfc1 Bc6 20. Na6 Bb5) ({RR} 19. Rfc1 Bc6 20. Na6 Bb5) 19... fxe6 20. Qxe6+) ({RR} 18... Rbc8 19. Nxe6 fxe6 20. Qxe6+) 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. Qxe5 Nc6 21. Qf4 Rbc8 22. Nb5 Ba6 23. a4 Nb4 24. Bf5 Rcd8 25. Rfe1 {Gelfand,B (2680)-Kramnik,V (2710) Sanghi Nagar 1994 CBM 042 [Gurevich,M] 1-0 (42)}) ({RR} 10... Nd7 11. Bd3 a5 12. Nb5 Qxb6 13. Bf4 O-O 14. O-O Na7 15. Nc7 Rb8 16. b4 Bb7 17. bxa5 Qxa5 18. Qe2 e5 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. Qxe5 Nc6 21. Qf4 Rbc8 22. Nb5 Ba6 23. a4 Nb4 24. Bf5 Rcd8 25. Rfe1 {Gelfand,B (2680)-Kramnik,V (2710) Sanghi Nagar 1994 CBM 042 [Gurevich,Mikhail] 1-0 (42)}) 11. b4 (11. Na4 Qa7 12. b4) ({RR} 11. Na4 Qa7 12. b4) 11... Ne4 $146 (11... O-O 12. Bd3 Qc7 13. Ne2 Bd6 14. Bb2 Bd7 15. O-O Rfc8 16. Qd2 Qb7 17. Ne5 Be8 18. Ng3 Ne7 19. Rfe1 Bb5 20. Bb1 a5 21. bxa5 Qc7 22. Qe3 Qxa5 23. h3 Be8 24. Bd3 Rab8 25. Re2 Qa4 26. Qd2 {Savon,V (2435)-Fakhretdinov, R (2350) Orel 1996 1/2-1/2}) ({RR} 11... O-O 12. Bd3 Qc7 13. Ne2 Bd6 14. Bb2 Bd7 15. O-O Rfc8 16. Qd2 Qb7 17. Ne5 Be8 18. Ng3 Ne7 19. Rfe1 Bb5 20. Bb1 a5 21. bxa5 Qc7 22. Qe3 Qxa5 23. h3 Be8 24. Bd3 Rab8 25. Re2 Qa4 26. Qd2 {Savon,V (2435)-Fakhretdinov,R (2350) Orel 1996 ½-½}) 12. Na4 $1 $16 {[%CAl Ra4b6]} Qb8 13. Be2 O-O 14. O-O Bf6 15. Be3 Ne7 16. Nc5 Nc3 17. Qd2 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Nf5 19. Rab1 e5 20. dxe5 Bxe5 21. Rfd1 d4 22. Bg5 $6 {Inaccuracy. Bxd4 was best.} (22. Bxd4 $16 Nxd4 23. Nxd4 Bxh2+ 24. Kh1 Bf4 25. Qf3 $1 h5 (25... Bg5 $16) 26. g3 Bg4 27. Qxf4 Qxf4 28. gxf4 Bxd1) 22... Bd6 $1 $14 23. g4 h6 24. Qe4 hxg5 25. gxf5 Ra7 $1 26. Rxd4 g4 $6 {Inaccuracy. Re7 was best.} (26... Re7 $1 27. Qd3 (27. Qc6 Be5 28. Nxe5 Qxe5) 27... Bf4 28. h3 Rfe8 29. Kg2 Qa8 30. Rd1 Qc6 31. h4 Re5 32. Rd6 Qa8 33. Ne6 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (33. Rd8 $14 g4 {[%mdl 64] Pin} 34. Ne6 gxf3+ 35. Kg1)) 27. Ng5 $16 {Hoping for Rbd1.} Bxh2+ 28. Kg2 Qe5 29. Rd5 Qxe4+ 30. Ngxe4 Bb8 $6 {Inaccuracy. Bf4 was best.} (30... Bf4 $14 31. f3 gxf3+ 32. Kxf3 Bh6 33. Rbd1 Rc7 34. a4 Bb7 35. Rd7 Rxd7 36. Rxd7 Ba8 37. Nxa6) 31. f6 $1 {[%CAl Rf6g7] And now fxg7 would win.} Bf4 32. Rbd1 $6 {Inaccuracy. Rh1 was best.} (32. Rh1 $16 Rc7 33. Rdh5 {[%csl Gh1][%CAl Rh5h8]} Bh6 34. Nc3 $1 Bb7+ 35. Nxb7 Rxc3 36. R1h4 Rc6 37. fxg7 Bxg7 38. Rxg4 Rb8) 32... Rc7 $14 33. R1d4 Rc6 $1 34. Nd6 $36 {[%mdl 2048] White is pushing.} g5 {White should prevent ...Be6.} 35. Nxc8 Rfxc8 {[#]} 36. Rd8+ $6 {Inaccuracy. Ne4 was best.} (36. Ne4 $1 $14 {should be considered.}) 36... Rxd8 37. Rxd8+ {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRB-KRN} Kh7 38. Ra8 Rxf6 $2 {Mistake. Rd6 was best.} (38... Rd6 $1 {remains equal.} 39. Rxa6) 39. Rxa6 $16 Rf5 (39... Kg7 $16 {was worth a try.}) 40. Nd7 {Strongly threatening Ra5.} Kg7 $4 {Blunder. Bc1 was best.} (40... Bc1 {[%eval 121,0] 40... Bd2} 41. Nf6+) (40... Bd2 $16) 41. Ra5 $18 {White is clearly winning.} Kg6 {[#]} 42. a4 $1 {[%CAl Ba3a4,Ba4a5,Ba5a6][%mdl 32]} g3 43. Rxf5 Kxf5 44. a5 gxf2 45. a6 {Precisão Chessbase: Brancas 81% Pretas 62%. Precisão Lichess. org: Brancas 96% Pretas 90%. Precisão Chess.com: Brancas 96.3% Pretas 90,5%.} 1-0 [Event "Bugojno"] [Site "Bugojno"] [Date "1978.03.16"] [Round "15"] [White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"] [Black "Tal, Mihail"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2605"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Bulletin"] [PlyCount "27"] [EventDate "1978.02.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Ba7 9. Bb2 O-O 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 (11. Na4 $2 d4 $1 12. exd4 Bg4 13. Nc5 Re8+ $17 {Pachman-Parma, Mannheim 1975}) 11... d4 12. exd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 14. O-O 1/2-1/2 [Event "USA-ch"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2016.04.16"] [Round "3"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2773"] [BlackElo "2795"] [Annotator "Besenthal,Klaus Guenter"] [PlyCount "184"] [EventDate "2016.04.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 172"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.05.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 Be6 12. O-O Qe7 13. Rc1 a5 14. Nb5 ({Die einzige Referenzpartie wurde vor mehr als hundert Jahren gespielt:} 14. b5 Ne5 15. Qa4 Ned7 16. Nb1 Bf5 17. Nh4 Be4 18. g3 Nc5 19. Qd1 a4 20. Nc3 Nb3 21. Nxe4 Nxc1 22. Nxf6+ gxf6 23. Qxc1 Rac8 24. Qd1 Bxa3 25. Nf5 Qb4 26. Bxf6 {1-0 (26) Lee,F-Sergeant,E Scarborough 1909}) 14... axb4 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. axb4 Qxb4 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Rb1 Qe7 19. Rb5 $146 ({RR} 19. Qd2 Ra7 20. Bd3 Rfa8 21. Bc2 Ra3 22. Nh4 Ne5 23. Nf5 Qd7 24. Nd4 Nc6 25. Nb5 Ra2 26. Nc3 R2a3 27. Rfd1 Rd8 28. Nb5 Raa8 29. Qd3 f5 30. Qe2 Qe7 31. Qf3 Qg5 32. Nd4 Nxd4 33. Rxd4 Ra2 {Vaibhav,S (2589)-Swapnil,S (2490) Jammu 2018 1-0 (73)}) 19... Rfd8 20. Nd4 Kg7 21. Re1 Nxd4 22. Qxd4 {Diagramm [#] Über Vorteil verfügt Schwarz hier trotz des Mehrbauern nicht. Dafür ist seine Struktur zu sehr zersplittert.} Bf5 23. Rxd5 Rxd5 24. Qxd5 Be4 25. Qd1 Qb4 26. Rf1 {Nach diesem passiven Zug entwickelt Schwarz eine gewisse Initiative.} Ra2 27. Qd7 Bg6 28. Bf3 b5 29. h4 {Diagramm [#]} Rd2 (29... h5 $1 30. Qh3 Qc3 31. g4 hxg4 32. Qxg4 {und jetzt wäre} b4 {möglich gewesen:} 33. h5 $2 Ra5) 30. Qh3 h5 31. Qg3 Qd6 32. Qxd6 Rxd6 33. Rd1 Rb6 34. e4 b4 35. Rd2 f5 36. exf5 Bxf5 37. Bxh5 b3 38. Rb2 Bc2 39. Bf3 Rb5 40. Be2 Rb4 41. Bf3 Rxh4 42. Bd5 Rb4 43. Kf1 f5 44. Ke2 Kf6 45. f4 Ke7 46. Bg8 Kf8 47. Bd5 Kg7 48. Ke3 Kg6 49. Bf3 Kf6 50. Bd5 Kg6 51. Bf3 Rc4 52. g4 Rc3+ 53. Kf2 Bd3 54. Bd1 Bc4 55. Ke1 Rg3 56. Kf2 Rh3 57. Ke1 Be6 58. Re2 Bc4 59. Rb2 Kf6 60. Kd2 Rd3+ 61. Kc1 Rc3+ 62. Kd2 Rg3 63. gxf5 Kxf5 64. Kc1 Kxf4 65. Rh2 Ke3 66. Kb2 Kd4 67. Rh4+ Kc5 68. Ka3 Bd5 69. Rh5 Kd4 70. Rxd5+ Kxd5 71. Bxb3+ Kd4 {Diagramm [#] Dieses Endspiel ist nicht zu gewinnen.} 72. Kb2 Rg2+ 73. Ka1 Kc3 74. Ba2 Rg7 75. Bb1 Rb7 76. Ba2 Kc2 77. Bd5 Re7 78. Bg8 Re1+ 79. Ka2 Rh1 80. Bd5 Rh4 81. Bb3+ Kc3 82. Be6 Rf4 83. Bg8 Rf2+ 84. Kb1 Rb2+ 85. Ka1 Kc2 86. Bh7+ Kc1 87. Bg8 Rb1+ 88. Ka2 Rb8 89. Bf7 Rb2+ 90. Ka1 Rb7 91. Bd5 Ra7+ 92. Ba2 Kc2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Beijing FIDE GP"] [Site "Beijing"] [Date "2013.07.14"] [Round "9"] [White "Wang, Hao"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2752"] [BlackElo "2773"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "166"] [EventDate "2013.07.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 156"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] 1. Nf3 {ChessBase II} c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Ba7 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qc2 Qe7 11. Rd1 Rd8 12. Be2 dxc4 13. Rxd8+ Nxd8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 c3 16. Bxc3 Bd7 17. O-O Rc8 18. Rc1 $146 ({RR} 18. Bb2 Bc6 19. Qb1 Ba4 20. Bd3 h6 21. Qa1 Qf8 22. g4 Bb8 23. g5 hxg5 24. Nxg5 f6 25. Ne4 Nf7 26. Qb1 Qe7 27. Rc1 Bc6 28. b5 axb5 29. Bxb5 f5 30. Ng3 Ng5 31. Bxc6 bxc6 32. Rd1 c5 {Giri,A (2776)-Caruana,F (2803) Khanty-Mansiysk 2015 CBM 167 [ChessBase II] ½-½ (37)}) 18... Ba4 19. h4 Bb8 20. Qb1 f5 21. g3 Nf7 22. Ba1 Rxc1+ 23. Qxc1 Bc6 24. Qc3 Nd6 25. Qc5 Bd5 26. Be5 Qd8 27. Qc2 Nf7 28. Bxb8 Qxb8 29. Nd4 Nd6 30. a4 Qc8 31. Qd1 $6 {Der Auftakt zu einem unglücklichen Manöver. Nach dem Damentausch sollte die Partie ohne größere Aufregung Remis enden.} Ne4 32. Bf1 Qc3 33. Bg2 Qxb4 34. Nxf5 $2 {Die Idee der vorherigen Züge von Weiß. Allerdings hat diese Abtauschkombination ein Loch.} Qf8 $2 ({Nach} 34... Nc3 {ist nicht zu sehen, wie Weiß den Figurenverlust verhindert, z.B.} 35. Qd2 Bxg2 36. Qd8+ Qf8 37. Ne7+ Kf7 {und Schwarz behält eine Figur mehr.}) 35. Bxe4 Bxe4 36. Nd4 Bd5 37. Qh5 h6 38. Qe5 Qb4 39. f3 Qxa4 40. e4 Bc4 41. Nxe6 Qd1+ 42. Kh2 Qd2+ 43. Kg1 Qe1+ 44. Kh2 Qd2+ 45. Kg1 Qd7 46. Qb8+ Kf7 47. Nf4 a5 48. h5 a4 49. g4 a3 50. Ng6 Qd1+ 51. Kh2 Qd2+ 52. Kg3 Qe1+ 53. Kh2 Qf2+ 54. Kh1 Qxf3+ 55. Kh2 Qe2+ 56. Kg3 Qe1+ 57. Kh2 Qf2+ 58. Kh1 Qf1+ 59. Kh2 Qe2+ 60. Kg3 Qe3+ 61. Kh2 Qc5 62. Ne5+ Ke7 63. Qxb7+ Ke6 64. Nxc4 Qxc4 65. Qxg7 Qe2+ 66. Kg3 Qe3+ 67. Kh2 Qg5 68. Qa7 Qh4+ 69. Kg2 Qxg4+ 70. Kf2 Qf4+ 71. Kg1 Qg3+ 72. Kf1 Qf3+ 73. Ke1 Kf6 74. Kd2 Kg5 75. Qg1+ Kxh5 76. Qh2+ Kg4 77. Qxh6 a2 78. Qg7+ Kh3 79. Qh8+ Kg2 80. Qg7+ Qg3 81. Qb2 Kh1 82. Kc2 Qg2+ 83. Kb3 Qxe4 {Gelfand hatte nur noch wenige Sekunden auf der Uhr. Mit mehr Zeit wäre ihm der Gewinnweg sicher nicht entgangen:} (83... Qg8+ 84. Kc2 (84. Ka3 Qa8+) 84... Qc4+ 85. Kd2 Qf1 86. Qh8+ Kg2 87. Qg7+ Kh2 88. Qe5+ Kg1 {und nach jedem Schach des Weißen erzwingt Schwarz den Damentausch und gewinnt.}) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bugojno"] [Site "Bugojno"] [Date "1978.03.01"] [Round "4"] [White "Hort, Vlastimil"] [Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2620"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "Bulletin"] [PlyCount "26"] [EventDate "1978.02.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 ({RR} 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. e3 c5 {½-½ (12) Kurajica,B (2495)-Ljubojevic,L (2605) Arandjelovac 1981}) 2... e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. e3 d5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 8. dxc5 (8. Bd3 cxd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Bc2 b6 12. Re1 Ra7 13. Qd3 Rd7 14. Be3 $14 {Waganian-Bronstein, USSR-ch 1973}) 8... Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Bxc5 10. b4 Be7 ({RR} 10... Bd6 11. Ke2 Ne5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Bb2 Bd7 14. Rac1 Rc8 15. Bb3 O-O 16. f3 Rc7 17. Rc2 Rfc8 18. Kd2 Bb5 19. Rd1 Bc4 20. Bxc4 Rxc4 21. Rdc1 Bxh2 22. Na4 Rxc2+ 23. Rxc2 Rxc2+ 24. Kxc2 Nd7 25. f4 {Gharibyan,M (2432)-Grischuk,A (2777) Chess.com INT 2020 0-1 (51)}) 11. Bb2 ({RR} 11. Ke2 O-O {½-½ (11) Balla,T (2325)-Pacher,M (2338) Budapest HUN 2026}) 11... b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Ke2 $146 O-O 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Berlin"] [Date "2018.03.23"] [Round "11"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2769"] [BlackElo "2767"] [Annotator "Postny,Evgeny"] [PlyCount "192"] [EventDate "2018.03.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 dxc4 ({Black can also continue to play symmetrically:} 6... a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Ba7 (8... Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 {White has got slight pressure against the isolated pawn.} Be6 12. O-O Qe7 13. Rc1 $14 {½-½ (27) Svidler,P (2768)-Anand,V (2767) Wijk aan Zee 2018}) 9. Bb2 O-O 10. h3 h6 11. Rc1 Re8 12. Bd3 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 14. Rxd1 b5 15. Bd3 Bb7 $11 {1-0 (64) So,W (2822)-Karjakin,S (2783) Shamkir 2017}) (6... cxd4 7. exd4 {can transpose to the Panov Attack of the Caro-Kann.}) 7. Bxc4 {The game has transposed to a kind of Queen's Gambit Accepted.} a6 8. O-O b5 9. Ba2 (9. Bd3 Bb7 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. b4 Bd6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 f5 14. Bxc6+ Bxc6 15. Bb2 O-O 16. Be5 Bxf3 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18. Bxd6 Rfd8 19. Bc5 Be2 20. Rfc1 Rd5 $11 {½-½ (34) Kamsky,G (2714)-Ivanchuk,V (2787) Moscow 2007}) 9... Bb7 10. Qe2 Qc7 (10... cxd4 $6 11. Rd1 {[%CAl Ge3d4,Gd4d5] and White might get a potentially dangerous "isolani", while Black's development is still incomplete.}) ({RR} 10... cxd4 11. Rd1 b4 12. exd4 bxc3 13. d5 Nxd5 14. Rxd5 Qc8 15. Rd3 Be7 16. Rxc3 Bf6 17. Rc2 O-O 18. Be3 Qb8 19. Rac1 Ne7 20. Bc5 Re8 21. b4 Nd5 22. g3 h6 23. Bc4 a5 24. b5 a4 25. Bd3 {Dubov,D (2711)-Grischuk,A (2742) Chess.com INT 2022 ½-½ (61)}) 11. Bd2 (11. d5 exd5 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Bd6 $11) ({RR} 11. Rd1 Rd8 12. h3 Be7 13. dxc5 Rxd1+ 14. Qxd1 Bxc5 15. b4 Bd6 16. Bb2 O-O 17. Rc1 Rd8 18. Qe2 Qe7 19. Ng5 Ne5 20. f4 Nd3 21. Qxd3 Bxf4 22. Nd5 Bxd5 23. exf4 Bxa2 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25. Qxh7+ Kf8 {Gupta,A (2506)-Singh,S (2342) Reykjavik ISL 2026 1-0 (42)}) 11... Be7 $146 (11... Rd8 12. Rfc1 cxd4 13. exd4 Be7 14. d5 exd5 15. Bg5 O-O 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxd5 Qd6 18. Re1 Nd4 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Nxd4 Rxd4 $11 {½-½ (37) Nepomniachtchi,I (2751)-Gelfand,B (2695) Moscow 2018}) ({RR} 11... Rd8 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Rac1 Bd6 14. Bb1 Qb8 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Ne7 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. Ba5 Rd7 19. Rfd1 Nc6 20. Bc3 O-O 21. Ng5 Be7 22. Qg4 Bxg5 23. Qxg5 f6 24. Qg4 Kf7 25. Qh5+ Kg8 26. Qg4 {Gelfand,B (2673)-Svidler,P (2737) St Petersburg 2018 ½-½ (67)}) ({RR} 11... Rd8 12. Rac1 Qb6 13. d5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. e4 d4 16. Ng5 Ne5 17. f4 c4 18. Qh5 Qh6 19. Qd1 Be7 20. Nh3 Nd3 21. Rc2 Bxe4 22. Ba5 Rd7 23. b3 Nc5 24. bxc4 Bxc2 25. Qxc2 O-O 26. cxb5 {Maltsevskaya,A (2318)-Cervantes Landeiro,T (2199) Moscow 2020 0-1 (36)}) 12. Rac1 (12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Rac1 Bd6 14. Bb1 O-O 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Rac8 {The structure is symmetrical and the position is equal. The following standard sacrifice doesn't really work:} 17. Bxh7+ $6 (17. Bc3 h6 18. Bb1 Rfd8 19. Qc2 g6 $11) 17... Kxh7 18. Ng5+ Kg6 (18... Kg8 $4 19. Qh5 Rfe8 20. f4 $1 {would lead Black to a disaster.}) 19. f4 f5 $1 20. Nxe6 Qf7 21. Nxf8+ Bxf8 {and Black's minor pieces might overcome White's rook plus a couple of pawns.}) 12... c4 $1 {Blocking the c-file and seizing space on the queenside. On the other hand White now gets more play in the centre.} 13. e4 Rd8 14. Be3 Ng4 15. e5 Na5 $2 {Opening the long diagonal for the light-squared bishop, but releasing the pressure from ?d4.} (15... O-O 16. Rcd1 Nxe3 17. fxe3 Nb8 $1 {I like this manoeuvre. Opening the diagonal for the bishop and transferring the knight to d7, then maybe to b6 and d5.} 18. Bb1 Nd7 {The position is double-edged. White has some attacking potential on the kingside, but at some point Black can play f7-f6, undermining White's central pawn chain.}) (15... f5 $1 {Looks risky at first sight, but probably the best.} 16. a4 (16. exf6 $4 {loses right away to} Nxd4 $1 17. Bxd4 Bxf3 $19 {[%CAl Gc7h2]}) 16... Nb4 17. b3 Nxa2 18. Nxa2 Nxe3 19. fxe3 O-O 20. bxc4 b4 {with great compensation for the pawn.}) 16. Bf4 {Of course. Now the knight on g4 looks ridiculous and soon will be kicked back to h6.} Qb6 17. Rcd1 h5 18. h3 Nh6 19. Bb1 Nb3 20. Be3 Qc7 21. Rfe1 {Black is in big trouble. He can't castle to the kingside, so his king is stuck in the centre. The seemingly strong knight on b3 is basically doing nothing.} Kf8 22. d5 {The Chinese grandmaster is going for the direct breakthrough.} ({It was also possible to improve the position even more by} 22. Bc2 {Actually it's difficult to propose even one sensible move for Black.}) 22... exd5 23. e6 $6 (23. Nd4 Qxe5 24. Nxb3 cxb3 25. Qd2 {with a huge advantage.}) 23... fxe6 (23... Ng4 $2 {is an interesting tactical chance.} 24. Bg5 $1 Bxg5 25. hxg4 hxg4 26. exf7 {[%CAl Ge2e8]} Be7 27. Ne5 Rd6 28. Qxg4 Rdh6 29. Ng6+ Rxg6 30. Bxg6 Qh2+ 31. Kf1 d4 32. Ne4 d3 33. f3 $18) 24. Ng5 Qd7 $2 (24... Qc6 $1 {[%CAl Gd5d4] was a great chance to create a counterplay. White is better, but the variations are really complicated:} 25. Qxh5 Bxg5 26. Bxg5 Nf7 27. Qg4 Re8 28. Bg6 d4 29. Ne4 e5 30. f4 $1 d3 $1 (30... Qxg6 $2 31. Be7+ $18 {[%CAl Gg4g6]}) 31. fxe5 Rxe5 32. Bxf7 Kxf7 33. Qf4+ Ke6 34. Bh4 $1 Re8 (34... Rxe4 35. Rxe4+ Qxe4 36. Re1 $16) (34... Rxh4 35. Qxh4 $16) 35. Qg4+ Kf7 36. Rf1+ Kg8 37. Nf6+ Kh8 38. Nxe8 Qxe8 39. Bf6 $1 gxf6 40. Rxf6 Re1+ 41. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 42. Kh2 Qe5+ 43. Rf4 Nd2 44. Qh4+ Kg8 45. Kh1 $1 Bxg2+ 46. Kxg2 Qe2+ 47. Qf2 $18) 25. Bg6 $1 Bf6 26. Bb6 $1 {Marvellous work by the bishops.} Rc8 (26... Bxg5 27. Bxd8 Bxd8 28. Qxe6 Qxe6 29. Rxe6 Be7 30. Nxd5 Bxd5 31. Rxd5 Nf7 32. Rd7 $18) 27. Nxe6+ Kg8 28. Nxd5 Bxd5 29. Nf4 ({The idea ?d8 was winning on the spot:} 29. Nd8 $1 $18 {[%CAl Ge2e8]}) (29. Rxd5 $1 Qxd5 30. Nd8 $1 {[%CAl Ge2e8] and mate is coming.}) 29... Nc1 $1 {This surprising move is the beginning of Grischuk's comeback to the game.} 30. Qxh5 ({Keeping the queen on the e-file was winning quickly:} 30. Qe3 Nd3 31. Nxd5 $18) (30. Rxc1 {would allow Black to save his bishop} Bf7 {though he is also lost here.}) 30... Nd3 31. Nxd5 Nf7 32. Qe2 $2 (32. Nxf6+ gxf6 33. Bxf7+ Qxf7 34. Qg4+ Kh7 35. Qf5+ Kg7 36. Re4 $18) 32... Nfe5 {Now the position is becoming less clear. White is still winning, but already has to deal with a couple of strong black knights.} (32... Qxd5 $4 33. Qe8+ Rxe8 34. Rxe8#) 33. Be4 Rh4 34. f4 Rxf4 $1 35. Nxf4 (35. Qe3 $1 Rxe4 36. Qxe4 {was a more precise way to take the exchange.}) 35... Nxf4 36. Bh7+ $1 Kh8 37. Qe4 Qc6 38. Bd4 $2 {Ding should have taken that annoying knight.} (38. Qxf4 Kxh7 39. Bd4 Nd3 40. Qf5+ Kg8 41. Bxf6 Nxe1 42. Rxe1 gxf6 43. Kf1 $1 {avoiding the exchange of queens after ...?c5. Now the material is equal, but Black's king is too vulnerable.}) 38... Nxh3+ $2 ({After} 38... Ned3 {Black would be already okay. His knights are powerful and compensate for the lack of the exchange.}) 39. Kh2 (39. gxh3 Nf3+ 40. Kh1 Nxe1 41. Bxf6 Qxe4+ 42. Bxe4 gxf6 43. Rxe1 c3 44. bxc3 Rxc3 45. Kg2 {I don't think that White can win this endgame against the best play.}) (39. Kf1 $1 Qxe4 (39... Ng5 40. Qxc6 Rxc6 41. Bc2 Ngf7 42. Bxe5 Nxe5 43. Rxe5 $18) 40. Bxe4 Nf4 41. Bf5 $18) 39... Ng5 40. Qxc6 Rxc6 41. Bc2 {So, the players have reached the time control and the dust has settled a bit. White still has a winning position, but it is by no means an easy win.} Ngf7 42. Bxe5 $2 (42. Bc3 Kg8 43. Rd5 Re6 44. Kg3 {Just to avoid any possible check on g4.} Kf8 45. a4 bxa4 46. Bxa4 Rb6 47. Rc5 $18) 42... Nxe5 43. Rd5 (43. Rxe5 $4 Bxe5+ {Check! That's the downside of 39.?h2. Probably Ding simply missed that?! Otherwise the exchange on e5 doesn't make even the slightest sense.}) 43... Re6 {The knight on e5 is well protected.} 44. Kh3 Kg8 45. b3 $6 {The whole idea is wrong. The exchange of pawns improves Black's chances.} ({The right plan would be to try to sneak into Black's camp via the light squares, namely:} 45. Bf5 Re8 46. Rd6 Ra8 47. Be4 Ra7 48. Bd5+ Kf8 49. Re6 {with good winning chances.}) 45... Kf7 46. bxc4 $6 (46. Re4 Ke7 47. a4 cxb3 48. Bxb3 Nc4 49. Rxe6+ Kxe6 50. Rh5 {was more troublesome for Black.}) 46... Nxc4 47. Rd7+ Be7 48. Rxe6 Kxe6 49. Ra7 Nxa3 {Now Black is fairly safe. Only one white pawn remains on the board.} 50. Rxa6+ Kd5 51. Bh7 Nc4 52. Kg4 Bf6 53. Ra7 Kd4 54. Bg8 Nd6 55. Kf3 Kc5 {Grischuk has managed to construct an ideal defensive setup. All his pieces are well protected. White can't win.} 56. Ra8 b4 57. Ke2 Bc3 58. Kd3 Kb6 59. Ke3 Kc6 60. Kf4 Nb7 61. Kf5 Nc5 62. g4 Kb5 63. g5 b3 {A reasonable stand-by move would also be okay, but there is no reason not to push the pawn forward.} 64. Kg6 Kb4 65. Bd5 Bd4 66. Kh7 Kc3 67. g6 b2 68. Ba2 Kc2 69. Rb8 Ne4 70. Rb4 Nc3 71. Be6 Kc1 72. Bf5 Be5 73. Rb7 b1=Q {An engine would indicate that this is a mistake, but it's not. The position remains drawish.} (73... Bd4 {was another path to split the point.} 74. Rxg7 Bxg7 75. Kxg7 Ne2 (75... Nd5 76. Kf7 Ne3 77. Be4 Nc2 78. Bxc2 Kxc2 79. g7 b1=Q 80. g8=Q $11) 76. Kf6 Nf4 77. g7 Nh5+ $11) 74. Bxb1 Nxb1 75. Rxg7 Nc3 76. Re7 Bd4 77. Rd7 Be5 78. Kh6 Kc2 79. Kg5 Kb3 80. Kf5 Bh8 81. Rb7+ Kc2 82. Rh7 Bd4 83. Ke6 Kb3 84. Rd7 Bh8 85. Rd8 Bg7 86. Kf7 Be5 87. Re8 Bd4 88. Rb8+ Kc2 89. Rb7 Be5 90. Rb6 Bd4 91. Rf6 Bxf6 92. Kxf6 Nd5+ 93. Kf7 Ne3 $1 94. Kf6 Nd5+ 95. Kf7 Ne3 96. g7 Nf5 {A miraculous escape for Grischuk!} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2015.05.26"] [Round "11"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2776"] [BlackElo "2803"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2015.05.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 167"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:01] ChessBase One of the results that needed to go Jakovenko's way for the Russian to qualify was for Caruana to lose. That did not come close to happening - even though Giri's position was slightly preferable from the opening, his attack on the kingside initiated with a quick g4 advance backfired badly. Caruana had the much better position, he decided to play it safe and draw the game, securing his place.} c5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 4. e3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 5. d4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 6. a3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 7. dxc5 {[%emt 0:00:38]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 8. b4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Ba7 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 9. Bb2 {[%emt 0:01:09]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:24]} 10. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:01:05]} 11. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 12. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:11]} dxc4 {[%emt 0:01:00]} 13. Rxd8+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nxd8 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 14. Ne4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 15. Qxe4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} c3 {[%emt 0:01:46]} 16. Bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 17. O-O {[%emt 0:00:14]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:03:02]} 18. Bb2 $146 {[%emt 0:00:29]} (18. Rc1 Ba4 19. h4 Bb8 20. Qb1 f5 21. g3 Nf7 22. Ba1 Rxc1+ 23. Qxc1 Bc6 24. Qc3 Nd6 25. Qc5 Bd5 26. Be5 Qd8 27. Qc2 Nf7 28. Bxb8 Qxb8 29. Nd4 Nd6 30. a4 Qc8 31. Qd1 Ne4 32. Bf1 Qc3 33. Bg2 Qxb4 34. Nxf5 Qf8 35. Bxe4 Bxe4 36. Nd4 Bd5 37. Qh5 h6 38. Qe5 Qb4 39. f3 Qxa4 40. e4 Bc4 41. Nxe6 Qd1+ 42. Kh2 Qd2+ 43. Kg1 Qe1+ 44. Kh2 Qd2+ 45. Kg1 Qd7 46. Qb8+ Kf7 47. Nf4 a5 {Wang,H (2752)-Gelfand,B (2773) Beijing 2013 ½-½ (83)}) ({RR} 18. Rc1 Ba4 19. h4 Bb8 20. Qb1 f5 21. g3 Nf7 22. Ba1 Rxc1+ 23. Qxc1 Bc6 24. Qc3 Nd6 25. Qc5 Bd5 26. Be5 Qd8 27. Qc2 Nf7 28. Bxb8 Qxb8 29. Nd4 Nd6 30. a4 Qc8 31. Qd1 Ne4 32. Bf1 Qc3 {Wang,H (2752)-Gelfand,B (2773) Beijing 2013 CBM 156 [ChessBase] ½-½ (83)}) 18... Bc6 {[%emt 0:17:27]} 19. Qb1 {[%emt 0:03:12]} Ba4 {[%emt 0:02:53]} 20. Bd3 {[%emt 0:03:59]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 21. Qa1 {[%emt 0:01:48]} Qf8 {[%emt 0:10:22]} 22. g4 $5 {[%emt 0:02:28]} Bb8 {[%emt 0:05:20]} 23. g5 {[%emt 0:06:35]} hxg5 {[%emt 0:17:47]} 24. Nxg5 {[%emt 0:01:29]} f6 {[%emt 0:04:09]} 25. Ne4 {[%emt 0:02:18]} Nf7 {[%emt 0:13:20]} 26. Qb1 {[%emt 0:05:02]} Qe7 {[%emt 0:07:52]} 27. Rc1 {[%emt 0:01:30]} Bc6 {[%emt 0:03:56]} 28. b5 {[%emt 0:03:42]} axb5 {[%emt 0:00:58]} 29. Bxb5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} f5 {[%emt 0:08:22]} 30. Ng3 {[%emt 0:01:50]} Ng5 {[%emt 0:02:38]} 31. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:30]} bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 32. Rd1 {[%emt 0:15:14]} c5 {[%emt 0:02:00]} 33. Ba1 {[%emt 0:02:23]} Be5 {[%emt 0:04:35]} 34. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:10:39]} Nf3+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 35. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Nxe5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 36. Qb5 {[%emt 0:04:56]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:02:46]} 37. Qa6 {[%emt 0:01:12]} Qc6+ {[%emt 0:01:30]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "chess.com SpeedChess 2025"] [Site "chess.com INT"] [Date "2025.10.27"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Ding Liren"] [Black "Niemann, Hans Moke"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2734"] [BlackElo "2738"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2025.10.13"] [EventType "k.o."] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. a3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 8. Bd3 cxd4 9. exd4 g6 10. Bg5 Bg7 11. Ne4 h6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. Be4 Bd7 15. O-O O-O 16. Rc1 Rfd8 17. Qd2 Kg7 18. Rfd1 ({RR} 18. Rc4 Be8 19. Qc3 Rd6 20. Ne5 h5 21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Bxc6 bxc6 23. Rxc6 Rxd4 24. b4 h4 25. h3 Qf4 26. Re1 Qd2 27. Qxd2 Rxd2 28. Rc7 Rad8 29. Rxe6 Ra2 30. Re4 Rd1+ 31. Kh2 g5 32. Rg4 Kg6 {Firouzja,A (2759)-Niemann,H (2728) Warsaw POL 2026 0-1 (44)}) 18... Be8 19. Qe3 $146 ({RR} 19. h3 Rd6 20. Qe3 Rad8 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Ne5 h5 23. b4 Qh4 24. Rc4 Rd5 25. Nxc6 bxc6 26. Rxc6 a5 27. Rc5 axb4 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. axb4 e5 30. b5 exd4 31. Qb3 Rd7 32. b6 Qe4 33. Qd3 Qxd3 {Cheng,B (2574)-Dragnev,V (2565) Vienna AUT 2023 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 19. h3 Rd6 20. Qe3 Rad8 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Ne5 h5 23. b4 Qh4 24. Rc4 Rd5 25. Nxc6 bxc6 26. Rxc6 a5 27. Rc5 axb4 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. axb4 e5 30. b5 exd4 31. Qb3 Rd7 32. b6 Qe4 33. Qd3 Qxd3 {Cheng,B (2574)-Dragnev,V (2565) Vienna AUT 2023 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 19. h3 Rd6 20. Qe3 Rad8 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Ne5 h5 23. b4 Qh4 24. Rc4 Rd5 25. Nxc6 bxc6 26. Rxc6 a5 27. Rc5 axb4 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. axb4 e5 30. b5 exd4 31. Qb3 Rd7 32. b6 Qe4 33. Qd3 Qxd3 {Cheng,B (2574)-Dragnev,V (2565) Vienna AUT 2023 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 19. h3 Rd6 20. Qe3 Rad8 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Ne5 h5 23. b4 Qh4 24. Rc4 Rd5 25. Nxc6 bxc6 26. Rxc6 a5 27. Rc5 axb4 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. axb4 e5 30. b5 exd4 31. Qb3 Rd7 32. b6 Qe4 33. Qd3 Qxd3 {Cheng,B (2574)-Dragnev,V (2565) Haus des Sports, Prinz-Eugen- 2023 ½-½ (35)}) 19... Rd6 20. Bxc6 Bxc6 21. Ne5 Rad8 22. Nxc6 bxc6 23. h3 e5 24. Rc5 Rxd4 25. Rdc1 Rd1+ 26. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 27. Kh2 Rd5 28. Rc2 Qd6 29. Qe4 c5 30. g3 Rd4 31. Qe3 c4 32. Re2 f6 33. Qc3 h5 34. h4 Qd5 35. Qb4 Kf7 36. f4 Rd1 37. Rg2 exf4 38. gxf4 Qe4 39. Qb8 Qe1 40. Qb7+ Kf8 41. Qb4+ Qxb4 42. axb4 Kf7 43. f5 gxf5 44. Rc2 Rd4 45. Kg3 Rg4+ 46. Kh3 Ke6 47. Rc1 Ke5 48. Ra1 f4 49. Rxa6 f3 50. Ra1 Kf4 51. b5 Rg3+ 52. Kh2 Rg2+ 53. Kh1 Rxb2 54. Rc1 c3 55. Kg1 Kg3 0-1 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "2022.07.04"] [Round "14"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2806"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Giri,Anish"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2022.06.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 209"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,111,43,26,12,-24,-12,-14,0,-16,45,24,24,-8,44,29,36,-22,27,21,21,44,44,59,59,35,37,2,15,15,15,-37,14,10,17,3,-17,-14,1,1,9,-13,35,39,36,36,35,32,37,29,37,21,41,19,24,1,40,6,41,34,34,31,47,34,40,28,11,11,21,20,56,26,63,67,86,60,61,53,63,47,25,1,24,14,40,40,40,58,94,81,126,130,156,157,172,181,208,156,225,231,236,233,242,230,250,257,257,193,257,255,244,265,283,259]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 {This was a very minor surprise, I feel, as Ding lately was going for a lot of Catalans and if in a more combative mood, then the Nimzo's with 3.Nc3. In this game, he was perhaps aiming at Hikaru's QGD with 4...Be7. Das war meiner Meinung nach eine kleine Überraschung, da Ding in letzter Zeit auf viele Katalanen und, wenn er in einer kämpferischeren Stimmung war, auf Nimzo mit 3.Sc3 setzte. In dieser Partie zielte er vielleicht auf Hikarus Abgelehntes Damengambit mit 4...Le7.} c5 {Hikaru jumps on the trendy Semi-Tarrasch. Hikaru springt auf den trendigen Semi-Tarrasch.} 5. e3 {Keeping all the pieces on the board, logical, given Ding was in a must win. Es war logisch, alle Figuren auf dem Brett zu behalten, da Ding in einer Muss-Situation war.} Nc6 6. a3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 {Hikaru following all the latest theoretical trends, but now Ding surprises him somewhat. Hikaru verfolgt die neuesten theoretischen Trends, aber jetzt überrascht ihn Ding etwas.} 8. Bd3 {Dropping the bishop back before castling short has some point and has been tried already by Wojtaszek against Gajewski in Polish Ch 2021. Den Läufer vor der kurzen Rochade zurückfallen zu lassen, hat einen gewissen Sinn und wurde bereits von Wojtaszek gegen Gajewski in der polnischen Meisterschaft 2021 ausprobiert.} b5 {Gajewski, instead, took on d4, which leads to a isolani type position. Gajewski nahm stattdessen auf d4, was zu einer Isolanistellung führt.} 9. dxc5 {The point of delaying the castle. Now White gets to trade the central pawns, while keeping the queens on the board. Der Sinn der Verzögerung der Rochade. Jetzt kann Weiß die zentralen Bauern tauschen, während die Damen auf dem Brett bleiben.} Bxc5 10. b4 Be7 11. O-O Bb7 12. Bb2 {Both sides continue natural development, but there were alternatives on the way. Beide Seiten setzten die natürliche Entwicklung fort, aber es gab Alternativen auf dem Weg.} O-O 13. Ne4 {I believe it's a common wisdom in these symmetrical structures, that the side that gets this Ne4/Ne5 move first is the one having all the fun. I think it's some classics of the Capablanca times, but unfortunately my memory is never well tuned when it comes to these kind of details. Ich glaube, es ist eine gängige Weisheit in diesen symmetrischen Strukturen, dass die Seite, die diesen Se4/Se5-Zug zuerst macht, den ganzen Spaß hat. Ich glaube, das ist ein Klassiker aus der Capablanca-Zeit, aber leider ist mein Gedächtnis nie gut, wenn es um diese Art von Details geht.} ({RR} 13. Qb1 h6 14. Ne4 Nd5 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. bxc5 Qe7 17. Rc1 Rac8 18. Qc2 Rc7 19. Nd2 f5 20. Bf1 Nf6 21. a4 b4 22. a5 Kh8 23. Nb3 Ne4 24. f3 Nf6 25. Re1 Qf7 26. Rad1 e5 27. Bc4 Qh5 {Seemann,J (2507)-Otsuka,S (2335) Stockholm SWE 2026 1-0 (40)}) 13... Nxe4 14. Bxe4 {White has the prettier bishops, but it seems that Black should be able to neutralize White's minor pressure here. Weiß hat die schöneren Läufer, aber es scheint, dass Schwarz in der Lage sein sollte, den leichten Druck von Weiß hier zu neutralisieren.} f5 $146 {This could prove to be a long term weakness, but Hikaru judged pretty well that after trading all the heavy pieces, it won't be too relevant. Dies könnte sich auf lange Sicht als Schwäche erweisen, aber Hikaru konnte gut einschätzen, dass dies nach dem Tausch aller Schwerfiguren nicht mehr allzu relevant sein würde.} (14... Na5 $5 {Is a cool alternative and a very nice tactical way to pretty much equalize the game, neutralizing White's e4 bishop. ist eine coole Alternative und ein sehr schöner taktischer Weg, um das Spiel so gut wie auszugleichen und den weißen Läufer auf e4 zu neutralisieren.}) ({RR} 14... Na5 15. Bxb7 Nxb7 16. Ne5 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Bd6 18. Nc6 Rfc8 19. Rac1 Rc7 20. Be5 Bxe5 21. Nxe5 Rac8 22. Rxc7 Rxc7 23. Nd7 f6 24. g3 a5 25. Nb8 a4 26. Kf1 Rc8 27. Na6 Rc6 28. Rd7 Rxa6 29. Rxb7 {Nguyen,Q (2367)-Song,E (2362) Budapest HUN 2024 ½-½ (32)}) 15. Bb1 {Deep, probably anticipating a5 in some of the lines, thinking that bishop on a2 is better placed than on b3. The engine disagrees somewhat, but those are nuances. Tief, nimmt wahrscheinlich a5 in einigen der Linien vorweg und denkt, dass der Läufer auf a2 besser platziert ist als auf b3. Die Engine ist da etwas anderer Meinung, aber das sind Nuancen.} Qxd1 16. Rxd1 Rfd8 17. Ba2 Kf7 18. h4 {Ding is trying his best to creat something out of nothing here. Ding tut hier sein Bestes, etwas aus dem Nichts zu schaffen.} h6 {An automatic response, though trading rooks right away was enough to equalize as well. Eine automatische Antwort, obwohl der sofortige Turmtausch ebenfalls zum Ausgleich reichte.} (18... Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Rd8 20. Rxd8 Bxd8 21. Ng5+ Bxg5 22. hxg5 Ne7 {Intending both Bd5-Be4 but also Nc8-Nd6-Nc4, after Which white will find it hard to break through. Beabsichtigt sowohl Ld5-Le4 als auch Sc8-Sd6-Sc4, wonach es für Weiß schwierig sein wird, durchzubrechen.}) 19. Rdc1 {A psychological attack. White has nothing, but by avoiding the trade of rooks he is trying to put some pressure. Ein psychologischer Angriff. Weiß hat nichts, aber indem er den Abtausch der Türme vermeidet, versucht er Druck auszuüben.} Bd6 $6 {This is the first real mistake. Black's position remains supersolid, but he could have pretty much forced the equality right away here with the natural Bf6. Dies ist der erste echte Fehler. Die Stellung von Schwarz bleibt supersolide, aber er hätte hier sofort mit dem natürlichen Lf6 mehr oder weniger Ausgleich erzwingen können.} (19... Bf6 20. Nd4 {Hikaru confessed on seeing ghosts here, but there really is nothing. Hikaru hat gestanden, dass er hier Geister gesehen hat, aber da ist wirklich nichts.} Nxd4 21. Rc7+ Kg6 22. Bxd4 Bxd4 {direct Bd5 is also fine. direktes Ld5 ist auch in Ordnung.} 23. exd4 Bd5 24. Bxd5 Rxd5 25. Re1 {This is so incredibly drawish, it's remarkable that Hikaru with his defensive skills didn't trust himself here. Apparently the pressure was getting to him. Das ist so unglaublich unentschieden, dass es bemerkenswert ist, dass Hikaru mit seinen Defensivfähigkeiten sich hier selbst nicht getraut hat. Offenbar hat ihm der Druck zugesetzt.}) 20. Rc2 {White starts doublin and adding the pressure, but Black still has plenty of defensive resources to equalize this position. Weiß beginnt zu verdoppeln und erhöht den Druck, aber Schwarz hat immer noch genügend Verteidigungsmittel, um diese Stellung auszugleichen.} Ne7 {Hikaru goes for the tempting trade of bishops, but more unpleasant for Ding, given his must-win situation would be the attempt to trade all the queenside with 20... a5!. Hikaru entscheidet sich für den verlockenden Läufertausch, aber unangenehmer für Ding wäre angesichts seiner Muss-Situation der Versuch, den gesamten Damenflügel mit 20... a5! zu tauschen.} 21. Nd4 Bd5 22. Bxd5 Nxd5 23. Rac1 {White can now celebrate a few things. First of all, the queenside pawns remain on the board and at the same time, the c-file is under his control. The f5 pawn also provides a potential weakness of the e5 square. Weiß kann sich nun über einige Dinge freuen. Erstens bleiben die Bauern am Damenflügel auf dem Brett und gleichzeitig ist die c-Linie unter seiner Kontrolle. Der f5-Bauer bietet auch eine potenzielle Schwäche des e5-Feldes.} Rd7 24. Nb3 $1 {The knight is heading to a5 and the bishop is opened up. White's position starts to slowly look more and more threatening. Der Springer bewegt sich nach a5 und der Läufer wird freigelegt. Die Stellung von Weiß sieht langsam immer bedrohlicher aus.} Be7 25. h5 {I totally understand the temptation to create the second weakness, so to speak, but I believe stronger would have been the simple 25.g3!. It puts less pressure on Black, but White wouldn't have to deal with a weak h5 pawn, something that later on in this game becomes an issue. Ich verstehe vollkommen die Versuchung, sozusagen die zweite Schwäche zu schaffen, aber ich glaube, dass das einfache 25.g3! besser gewesen wäre. Es übt weniger Druck auf Schwarz aus, aber Weiß müsste sich nicht mit einem schwachen h5-Bauern auseinandersetzen, was später in dieser Partie zum Problem wird.} Bf6 {Hikaru offers another trade. Hikaru bietet einen weiteren Tausch an.} 26. Bd4 $6 {Understandbly, given a must win situation, Ding wants to keep more tension on board, but objectively speaking the way to keep the edge in the endgame was to just trade the bishop and penetrate on c6. The h5 pawn would be lost, but Black would be having issues with his a6 and e6 pawns as well. Es ist verständlich, dass Ding in einer Situation, in der er unbedingt gewinnen muss, mehr Spannung auf dem Brett halten will, aber objektiv gesehen wäre es der beste Weg, den Vorteil im Endspiel zu behalten, einfach den Läufer zu tauschen und auf c6 einzudringen. Der h5-Bauer wäre verloren, aber Schwarz hätte auch Probleme mit seinen Bauern auf a6 und e6.} e5 $1 {Hikaru abandons the idea of a bishop trade and grabs space in the center. Black is totally back in a comfortable position now. Hikaru gibt die Idee eines Läufertauschs auf und nimmt Raum im Zentrum ein. Schwarz befindet sich jetzt wieder in einer komfortablen Stellung.} 27. Bc5 Bd8 {This odd move is really the reason Hikaru had lost this game and he played it again later on, on move 35. Here it's still not so bad. Black intends Nf6. Dieser merkwürdige Zug ist wirklich der Grund, warum Hikaru diese Partie verloren hatte, und er spielte ihn später, im Zug 35, erneut. Hier ist es immer noch nicht so schlecht. Schwarz beabsichtigt Sf6.} (27... Rad8 {Black can just play natural moves and there is not much White can do. Schwarz kann einfach natürliche Züge spielen und Weiß kann nicht viel tun.} 28. g3 g6 29. hxg6+ Kxg6 {Intending h5-h4 next, when Black is not even worse. White's bishop on c5 is blocking his own play, as Rc6 and Nc5 ideas are gone now. Mit der Absicht, als nächstes h5-h4 zu spielen, wonach Schwarz nicht einmal schlechter steht. Der weiße Läufer auf c5 blockiert sein eigenes Spiel, da die Ideen für Tc6 und Sc5 jetzt weg sind.}) 28. Rd2 Nf6 29. Rxd7+ Nxd7 30. Rd1 Nf6 31. Bd6 Ng4 {Practical would have been to trade some pawns with 31...f4!? and simplify the position somewhat. The move in the game is not wrong either. Praktisch wäre es gewesen, mit 31...f4!? einige Bauern zu tauschen und die Stellung etwas zu vereinfachen. Der Zug in der Partie ist auch nicht falsch.} 32. Bc5 Bh4 {A good move. Black should be aiming for a trade of rooks. Ein guter Zug. Schwarz sollte einen Turmtausch anstreben.} 33. Rd7+ Kg8 34. g3 Bg5 {First step in the wrong direction. 34...Rd8! was strong here already. Der erste Schritt in die falsche Richtung. 34...Td8! war hier schon stark.} 35. Kf1 {White is improving his position somewhat, pretending that Rd8 is not an issue. Weiß verbessert seine Stellung etwas, indem er so tut, als wäre Td8 kein Problem.} Bd8 $2 {Hikaru was probably under the impression that the rook trade was bad. But it really wasn't. White's weak h5 pawn works in Black's favor. Hikaru hatte wahrscheinlich den Eindruck, dass der Turmtausch schlecht war. Aber das war er wirklich nicht. Der schwache h5-Bauer von Weiß wirkt sich zu Schwarz' Gunsten aus.} (35... Rd8 $1 {This is just completely fine actually. Das ist eigentlich völlig in Ordnung.} 36. Rxd8+ Bxd8 37. Bd6 Kf7 38. Nc5 Be7 39. Bxe7 Kxe7 40. Nxa6 Kd6 {Black takes care of the b5 pawn and with Nf6-Nxh5 incoming, the endgame is just completely drawn. Really an off-day for Hikaru. Schwarz kümmert sich um den b5-Bauern und mit Sf6-Sxh5 ist das Endspiel einfach komplett remis. Wirklich ein schlechter Tag für Hikaru.}) 36. Rb7 $1 {Taking out the idea of Nf6, which can now be met by Bd6!. Black is suddenly in big trouble, though Hikaru still tries a strong simplifying resource. Nimmt die Idee von Sf6 aus dem Spiel, was nun mit Ld6! begegnet werden kann. Schwarz ist plötzlich in großen Schwierigkeiten, obwohl Hikaru immer noch eine starke Vereinfachungsmöglichkeit versucht.} f4 $1 {The only way to fight on. Die einzige Möglichkeit, weiterzukämpfen.} 37. gxf4 exf4 38. e4 $2 {Understandble, as White is trying to play it in the most ambitious way possible. However this allows counterplay with 38...f3! locking up the White king on f1. Verständlich, denn Weiß versucht ja, auf die ehrgeizigste Weise zu spielen. Dies ermöglicht jedoch Gegenspiel mit 38...f3!, das den weißen König auf f1 einsperrt.} (38. exf4 $1 {though was stronger. war jedoch stärker.} Nf6 39. Kg2 Nxh5 40. Kf3 {White is dominating and Black is bound to passivity, having to watch his weak queenside pawns. Weiß dominiert und Schwarz ist zur Passivität gezwungen, da er auf seine schwachen Bauern am Damenflügel aufpassen muss.}) 38... Bf6 $2 {Hikaru lets Ding activate his pieces. Hikaru lässt Ding seine Figuren aktivieren.} (38... f3 $1 {Keeping the king in the cage. Hält den König im Käfig.} 39. Nd4 Ne5 40. Kg1 Bf6 {Black gets to mobilize his pieces and get counterplay against the e4 pawn. Schwarz kann seine Figuren mobilisieren und erhält Gegenspiel gegen den e4-Bauern.}) 39. Nd4 Re8 40. Kg2 $1 {Strong move, indirectly protecting the e4 pawn. Now it's game. Starker Zug, der indirekt den e4-Bauern schützt. Jetzt ist es eine Partie.} Ne5 41. Nf5 f3+ 42. Kg3 $1 {The king is superb here and Black's f3 pawn is falling, contrary to the variation in 38...f3!. The rest is easy conversion for Ding. Der König steht hier hervorragend und Schwarz' f3-Bauer fällt, im Gegensatz zur Variante 38...f3! Der Rest ist eine einfache Verwertung für Ding.} Nc4 43. Be7 Bb2 44. Kxf3 Bxa3 {Black wins a pawn back, but it's worth a lot less and best he can hope for on the queenside is that the pawns get traded, with White remaining a healthy pawn up on the other side of the board. Schwarz gewinnt einen Bauern zurück, aber der ist viel weniger wert, und das Beste, worauf er am Damenflügel hoffen kann, ist, dass die Bauern getauscht werden, während Weiß auf der anderen Seite des Brettes einen gesunden Bauern mehr hat.} 45. Kg3 Ne5 {Black needs to guard the g7 pawn, but now the a6 pawn is going to fall. Schwarz muss den g7-Bauern schützen, aber jetzt wird der a6-Bauer fallen.} 46. Bc5 Nf7 47. f3 Bc1 48. Ra7 Bd2 49. Rxa6 {Black is dead lost now, with the queenside situation not looking good either. Schwarz steht jetzt auf verlorenem Posten, und auch am Damenflügel sieht es nicht gut aus.} Be1+ 50. Kg2 Bc3 51. Ra7 {Ding finishes the game effectively, not letting Black any counterplay whatsoever. Ding bringt die Partie effektiv zu Ende und lässt Schwarz keinerlei Gegenspiel zu.} Ng5 52. Ne7+ Kh8 53. Ng6+ Kg8 54. Ne7+ Kh8 55. Nd5 Bb2 56. Ra2 Bc1 57. Rc2 Ba3 58. Be3 {It ends with the a3 bishop getting trapped. A lot of missed opportunities for Hikaru, in this very tense game. Es endet damit, dass der Läufer auf a3 gefangen wird. Viele verpasste Gelegenheiten für Hikaru, in dieser sehr spannenden Partie.} 1-0 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Krasnaya Polyana"] [Date "2021.07.16"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Sargissian, Gabriel"] [Black "Praggnanandhaa, Rameshbabu"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2682"] [BlackElo "2608"] [Annotator "Praggnanandhaa,Rameshbabu"] [PlyCount "84"] [EventDate "2021.07.12"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "8"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 203"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.08.31"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,84,80,5,63,-48,-17,-87,45,15,51,37,66,66,59,62,69,25,25,29,6,-5,-4,-4,47,58,69,45,47,-13,16,27,72,65,86,10,57,28,38,1,51,30,11,-5,11,10,8,-126,-126,-264,-246,-213,-221,-283,-295,-287,-185,-290,-262,-266,-250,-250,-123,-249,-106,-106,-70,-245,-75,-86,-134,-141,-142,-153,-136,-123,-128,-108,-113,-176,-176,-208,-170,-207,-216,-390,-450] This was second game of the second round. I had won the first game.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 {I had prepared this line for the World Cup.} 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bxc4 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O Nc6 {This is the latest trend.} 7. Nc3 a6 8. a3 (8. Ne5 {was played by Aronian in Bucharest: ½-½ (34) Aronian,L (2781)-Caruana,F (2820) Bucharest 2021.}) 8... b5 9. Ba2 Bb7 10. d5 {A common idea in these lines.} (10. Qe2 {is the main move.}) 10... exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 ({RR} 11... Bd6 12. e4 Nxd5 13. Qxd5 O-O 14. Qh5 Qf6 15. Bg5 Qxb2 16. Bd5 Na5 17. Ra2 Qc3 18. Bd2 Qd3 19. Bxa5 Bxd5 20. Qxd5 Qxd5 21. exd5 Rfe8 22. Re1 Kf8 23. Kf1 Rxe1+ 24. Nxe1 Ke8 25. g3 Kd7 26. Nd3 {Aronian,L (2782)-Ding,L (2799) chess24.com INT 2021 1-0 (39)}) 12. Bxd5 Bd6 13. e4 O-O 14. b4 $146 {This is the top choice of the computer.} ({RR} 14. a4 Qc7 15. Be3 Rad8 16. axb5 axb5 17. Qe2 Nb4 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Rad1 Be7 20. e5 Qc6 21. Bd2 Nd3 22. Ba5 Nf4 23. Qe3 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Ne6 25. Be1 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Qd3 Bc7 28. b3 c4 {Lintchevski,D (2569)-Shubin,K (2331) St Petersburg 2017 ½-½ (43)}) ({RR} 14. Bg5 Qc7 15. Qd2 Na5 16. Bxb7 Nxb7 17. Rad1 Rfe8 18. Rfe1 h6 19. Bh4 {½-½ (19) Mosesov,D (2447)-Kanyamarala,T (2398) Upplands Vasby SWE 2026}) 14... c4 15. Bb2 Qc7 16. Qc2 {[%CAl Gf3g5,Gc2c3]} Be7 {Stopping both Ng5 and Qc3.} 17. Rad1 (17. Qc3 $2 Bf6 18. e5 Nxe5 19. Bxb7 Nd3 $19) 17... Rad8 {I remembered my prep vaguely till this point ...} 18. h3 Rfe8 19. Nh2 $5 {This plan came as a surprise to me.} Nb8 {With a similar idea.} (19... Bf8 {This was better with the idea of Ne7 and exchanging the bishop on d5:} 20. Ng4 Ne7 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 $15 22. Qc3 $2 {[%CAl Gg4h6]} Ng6 $19 {Suprisingly the computer claims this is completely winning for black.}) 20. Ng4 Nd7 (20... Bxd5 $5 21. exd5 Nd7 22. Rfe1 $13) 21. Qc3 $6 (21. Rfe1 $13 {It was possible to just play like this.}) 21... Nf6 $8 (21... Bf6 $4 22. e5 Nxe5 23. Qg3 $18 {This was a nice trick.}) 22. Rfe1 h5 $1 {A very strong move, kicking the knight on g4.} 23. Nh6+ $2 (23. Ne3 {This was possible but after} Bf8 $15 {Black is just comfortable. Also my opponent was in a must-win situation, so he wanted to create some chances with Nh6+.}) 23... gxh6 24. Re3 (24. Rd3 {After the game while waiting for the PCR test me and my opponent were discussing this move.} Bxd5 25. Rg3+ (25. exd5 Bd6 $19 {Due to the back rank weakness black is winning here.} 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Qxf6 Re1#) 25... Kf8 26. exd5 Bd6 $1 {We missed this while analyzing blindfolded.} 27. Rxe8+ Rxe8 28. Qxf6 Re1+ 29. Kh2 Ke8 $19 {The king just runs.}) 24... h4 $1 {Stopping Rg3} 25. Rf3 Rd6 $1 $19 {A very powerful idea which completely stops the white attack.} 26. g4 Bd8 27. Kg2 Qe7 28. Rf4 Bxd5 29. Rxd5 Rxd5 30. exd5 Qd6 31. Qf3 Qxd5 {I just wanted to liquidate into winning rook ending.} 32. Bxf6 Qxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Bxf6 34. Rxf6 Re6 35. Rf5 Rd6 $19 36. Ke2 Kg7 37. a4 bxa4 38. Ra5 Rd3 39. Rxa4 Rxh3 40. Rxa6 Rb3 41. Rc6 h3 42. Rxc4 Rb1 {A final trick which seals the game. I was very happy to score a 2-0 victory against a very strong player.} 0-1 [Event "Bucharest Kings 7th"] [Site "Bucharest"] [Date "2013.10.08"] [Round "2"] [White "Wang, Hao"] [Black "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2723"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2013.10.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 157"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] {The second round of the Kings Tournament finished with two draws. In both games Black didn't have opening problems and equalised rather comfortably. In Wang Hao-Radjabov White was trying to squeeze out an advantage in a typical middlegame position against an isolated queen's pawn, but Black's active knights always secured Black good play. The draw was agreed on move 36 in an equal rooks endgame. Having the black pieces Nisipeanu surprised Ponomariov in the opening by choosing the Petroff Defence. Black quickly achieved a comfortable position and in order to create some activity the former World Champion decided to launch an attack on the kingside. However, with his powerful centralised pieces Black's position was very solid and he never was in real danger. Both players showed good tactical skills and a forced play led to an equal endgame, where the draw was agreed also on move 36. Thus after two rounds Caruana had one point out of one game, Ponomariov and Radjabov had one point out of two games, Wang Hao and Nisipeanu had half a point, but the Chinese GM had played just one game, whereas Nisipeanu had played two games.} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 {From the English Opening the game has transposed to one of the quiet lines of the Tarrasch Defence. In a symmetrical position White hopes to use his extra tempo and achieve some advantage. Practice shows that Black doesn't have particular problems in this line.} 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bb2 O-O 11. Be2 Re8 12. O-O Bg4 13. b5 ({More often White plays} 13. Rc1) 13... Na5 ({It makes less sense for Black to play} 13... axb5 14. Nxb5 {and White achieves the desired regrouping of pieces, although even here the position is very close to equal.}) 14. bxa6 bxa6 15. Na4 Nc4 16. Bd4 $146 ({In two previous games with this position White took the pawn} 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxd5 {but then Black can try to use his piece activity with} Ne5 {(which wasn't played before), with good compensation.}) ({RR} 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxd5 Nxa3 18. Qd4 Qxd4 19. Nxd4 Bxe2 20. Nxe2 Rab8 21. Rfd1 Red8 22. Nd4 Bf8 23. Rdc1 Rd5 24. Kf1 g6 25. Nc3 Rd7 26. Ne4 Kg7 27. g4 h6 28. h4 Rb2 29. Rc8 Nb5 30. Nxb5 axb5 {Ftacnik,L (2579)-De Haan,E (2283) Netherlands 2000 1-0 (37)}) 16... Ne4 17. Nc3 {In this position Radjabov took almost 20 minutes to decide how to continue. Indeed, there are several options and many variations to calculate.} Qa5 $5 ({The tempting} 17... Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Ncd2 {leads to a position where only White can try to play for a win:} (18... Ned2 $2 19. Bxd5 {is bad for Black.}) 19. Bxe4 $1 (19. Re1 $4 {loses due to} Bxh2+ 20. Kxh2 Qh4+ 21. Kg1 Qxf2+ 22. Kh2 Re6) 19... Nxe4 20. Nxe4 dxe4 ({Also after} 20... Rxe4 21. h3 {White can claim an edge.}) 21. Qa4 {White has a small plus, but the most likely result is draw anyway.}) 18. Bxc4 dxc4 19. Nxe4 Rxe4 20. h3 ({After the immediate} 20. Bxg7 $2 {Black has} Bxh2+ ({or} 20... Rd8 21. Bd4 Qh5 {with a powerful attack}) 21. Kxh2 Kxg7 {with advantage for Black.}) 20... Bxf3 {The correct decision. As demonstrated by Radjabov after the game, the alternatives are in White's favour:} (20... Bxh3 21. gxh3 Qh5 (21... Qf5 22. Ne1 (22. Nh2 $2 Bxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Rh4 $19) 22... Qxh3 23. f4 Rxe3 24. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 25. Kg2) 22. Nh2 $1 Qxh3 23. f4 Rxe3 24. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 25. Kg2 $16) ({After} 20... Bh5 {White can already take the pawn} 21. Bxg7 Re6 (21... Rd8 22. Bd4) (21... Kxg7 22. Qxd6 Bxf3 23. gxf3 $16) 22. Bd4 Rg6 23. Re1) 21. Qxf3 Rae8 22. Rfc1 (22. Rac1 $5 Bxa3 23. Rxc4) 22... Qd5 $1 23. Rd1 Be5 24. Bc3 Qe6 25. Rac1 Bxc3 26. Rxc3 g6 27. Qg3 Qf6 28. Rc2 Rd8 29. Qf3 Rxd1+ 30. Qxd1 Qb6 31. Rc3 Qc5 32. Qc1 h5 33. f3 Re6 34. Rxc4 Qxe3+ 35. Qxe3 Rxe3 36. a4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates FIDE sf2"] [Site "Sanghi Nagar"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2680"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Gurevich,Mikhail"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "1994.07.??"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "8"] [EventCountry "IND"] [SourceTitle "CBM 042"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 a6 7. b3 cxd4 (7... Be7 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Bd3 b6 10. O-O cxd4 11. exd4 Bb7 12. Re1 Rc8 $10 {Zakharov,A-Dvoirys,S/Moscow Tal mem/1992/}) 8. exd4 Be7 9. c5 $5 (9. Bb2 O-O 10. Bd3 Qc7 11. O-O Bd7 12. Re1 Rfe8 13. c5 b6 14. cxb6 Qxb6 15. Na4 $14 {Hoi,C-Agustsson/Kobenhavn/1989/}) 9... b6 10. cxb6 Nd7 $146 (10... Qxb6 11. Na4 Qa7 12. b4 $14 {??a4-c5}) ({RR} 10... Qxb6 11. Na4 Qa7 12. b4 Ne4 13. Be2 Bd7 14. Be3 O-O 15. O-O Nd8 16. Ne5 Bb5 17. Rc1 Bd6 18. Nd3 Qb8 19. g3 a5 20. Nac5 axb4 21. axb4 Bxc5 22. bxc5 Nc6 23. Nf4 Na5 24. Nh5 Nc4 25. Bf4 {Belikov,V (2566)-Akshayraj,K (2416) Alushta 2007 1-0 (51)}) ({RR} 10... Qxb6 11. b4 Ne4 12. Na4 Qb8 13. Be2 O-O 14. O-O Bf6 15. Be3 Ne7 16. Nc5 Nc3 17. Qd2 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Nf5 19. Rab1 e5 20. dxe5 Bxe5 21. Rfd1 d4 22. Bg5 Bd6 23. g4 h6 24. Qe4 hxg5 25. gxf5 {Praggnanandhaa,R (2747)-Abasov,N (2632) Toronto CAN 2024 1-0 (45)}) ({RR} 10... Qxb6 11. b4 O-O 12. Bd3 Qc7 13. Ne2 Bd6 14. Bb2 Bd7 15. O-O Rfc8 16. Qd2 Qb7 17. Ne5 Be8 18. Ng3 Ne7 19. Rfe1 Bb5 20. Bb1 a5 21. bxa5 Qc7 22. Qe3 Qxa5 23. h3 Be8 24. Bd3 Rab8 25. Re2 {Savon,V (2435)-Fakhretdinov,R (2350) Orel 1996 ½-½}) 11. Bd3 a5 12. Nb5 $5 (12. O-O Ba6 $132) 12... Qxb6 13. Bf4 O-O 14. O-O Na7 (14... Ba6 $2 15. Nc7 Bxd3 16. Nxa8 $16) 15. Nc7 $5 Rb8 16. b4 $5 Bb7 $5 {? 17...e5} (16... axb4 17. axb4 $14 Bxb4 $6 18. Qc2 g6 19. Rfb1 Nc6 20. Na8 Qb7 21. Ba6 Qxa8 22. Bxc8 $16) 17. bxa5 Qxa5 18. Qe2 e5 $5 (18... Rbc8 $6 19. Nxe6 $1 (19. Rfc1 Bc6 20. Na6 Bb5 $132) 19... fxe6 20. Qxe6+ $16) 19. Bxe5 Nxe5 20. Qxe5 Nc6 21. Qf4 Rbc8 22. Nb5 Ba6 23. a4 Nb4 $132 24. Bf5 $1 Rcd8 25. Rfe1 Bf6 26. Ne5 Bxe5 (26... Bxb5 27. axb5 Qxb5 28. Rab1 $36) 27. dxe5 Bxb5 28. axb5 Qxb5 29. Ra3 $5 (29. Rab1 Rb8 30. Rb3 $36 Qc4 31. Bxh7+ (31. Qxc4 dxc4 32. Rc3 g6 33. Be4 Rfc8 $10) 31... Kxh7 32. Qf5+ Kg8 33. Rh3 Rfe8 34. Qh7+ Kf8 35. e6 Rxe6 $1 36. Qh8+ Ke7 37. Rxe6+ Kxe6 38. Re3+ Kd7 $17 39. Qxb8 Qc1+ 40. Re1 Qxe1#) (29. e6 fxe6 30. Bxe6+ Kh8 $10) 29... Qc4 $1 (29... g6 30. Rh3 $40) (29... h6 30. Rb3 Rb8 31. Reb1 $18) 30. Bxh7+ $6 (30. Qg5 h6 $132) 30... Kxh7 31. Qf5+ Kg8 (31... g6 32. Rh3+ Kg8 33. Qf6 $18) 32. Rh3 Rfe8 $8 (32... Qc2 33. Qh5 f6 34. e6 {? 35.?h8 #}) 33. Qh7+ Kf8 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. Qxg7 $40 {? 36.e6} d4 $1 (35... Rg8 36. Qf6+ Ke8 37. e6 $18) (35... Kd7 36. e6+ $1 (36. Qxf7+ $6 Re7 37. e6+ Kd6 $13) 36... Kc8 (36... Rxe6 37. Qxf7+ $18) 37. Rc3 $16) 36. e6 Kd6 37. e7 $6 (37. Qxf7 $142 d3 $1 $15) 37... Rd7 $4 {and this is the reward for bravery} (37... Rxe7 $2 38. Qf6+ Re6 39. Qxd8+ $18) (37... Rc8 $1 {?38...?c6} 38. Rh6+ (38. Qe5+ Kd7 39. Rh6 Rc6 40. Qf5+ Re6 $17) (38. Rh4 Nc6 39. Qg3+ Kd7 40. Qh3+ Kc7 41. Qg3+ Kb7 42. Rb1+ Ka8 $17 {?43...?a7}) (38. Qf6+ Kd7 39. Qf5+ Kc7 40. Qa5+ Kb7 41. Rb3 (41. Rh6 Qc5 $17) 41... Qxb3 42. Qb5+ Kc7 $19) 38... Kd7 $5 $13 (38... Kc7 39. Qe5+ (39. Qf6 Qc5 $1 $13 (39... Nc6 40. Qd6+ Kb7 41. Rb1+ Ka8 42. Ra1+ Na7 (42... Kb7 43. Qd7+ Kb6 44. Rb1+ $40) 43. Rxa7+ Kxa7 44. Qb6+ Ka8 45. Qa5+ Kb7 46. Rb6+ Kc7 47. Qa7#)) 39... Kb7 40. Qa5 Qc5 $1 $17 (40... Rc6 $13 41. Qd8 $1 (41. Rb1 $4 Qc1+ $19) (41. Rxc6 Nxc6 42. Rb1+ Kc8 43. Qa8+ Kd7 44. Rb7+ Ke6 $17 45. Qxe8 $4 Qc1#) 41... Rxd8 (41... Qc1 $2 42. Rf1 (42. Qd7+ Kb6 43. Qxd4+ Kb5 44. Rh5+ Ka4 45. Qa7+ Kb3 46. Rh3+ Kb2 47. Qa3+ $18) 42... Rxd8 43. exd8=Q Qxh6 44. Qxd4 Qd6 $13) (41... Qe2 $2 42. Qd7+ $1 (42. Rb1 Qxe7 (42... Qd2 43. Qd7+ Rc7 44. Qb5+ $18) 43. Qxe7+ Rxe7 44. Rxb4+ Ka7 45. Ra4+ Kb7 46. Rb4+ $10) 42... Rc7 (42... Kb6 43. Rxc6+ Nxc6 44. Rxe2 $18) 43. Qxc7+ Kxc7 44. Rxe2 $18) 42. exd8=Q Rxh6 43. Qe7+ $1 (43. Qd7+ Qc7 44. Qb5+ (44. Qxd4 Qxh2+ 45. Kf1 Qh1+ 46. Ke2 Qxe1+ 47. Kxe1 Nc2+ $19) 44... Rb6 $17) (43. Re7+ Ka6 44. Qa8+ Kb5 45. Rb7+ Rb6 $17) 43... Kb6 (43... Ka6 44. Ra1+ Na2 45. Qa3+ Kb7 46. Qxa2 $14) 44. Qd8+ $10 Kb7 (44... Kb5 $4 45. Qg5+ $18) 45. Qe7+ $1 $10)) 39. Qg4+ (39. Qe5 Rc6 40. Qf5+ Re6 $17) 39... Kc7 $17) 38. Qe5+ Kc6 39. Rh6+ Kb7 40. Qa5 $1 $18 Rdxe7 (40... Nc6 41. Rb1+ Kc8 42. Qa8+ Kc7 43. Rb7#) (40... Rc7 41. Rb6+ Kc8 42. Rxb4 $18) 41. Rxe7+ Rxe7 42. Qb6+ (42. Qb6+ Kc8 43. Rh8+ Kd7 44. Rd8#) 1-0 [Event "Amsterdam NH Hotels 5th"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "2010.08.16"] [Round "5"] [White "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2739"] [Annotator "Gelfand,Boris"] [PlyCount "150"] [EventDate "2010.08.12"] [EventType "schev"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "CBM 138"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c6 {I was in the mood to play the Slav Defence. Ich war in der Stimmung, die slawische Verteidigung zu spielen.} 2. e4 {But White is transposing the game into a Panov Attack from the Caro-Kann. Aber Weiß leitet die Partie in einen Panov-Angriff aus dem Caro-Kann über.} d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 (4. cxd5 Nf6 {is another possibility. I had to face it in June vs Ponomariov in Bazna. ist eine andere Möglichkeit. Damit sah ich mich im Juni in Bazna gegen Ponomariov konfrontiert.}) 4... Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 (5... e6 {is more popular and it was a favorite choice of Anatoly Karpov. ist beliebter und war eine bevorzugte Wahl von Anatoly Karpov.}) 6. Bg5 (6. Nf3 Bg4 {is deeply analysed till the drawish ending. ist tief bis in das remisliche Endspiel analysiert.}) 6... e6 {Black has a choice on this move beetween the ultrasharp 6...?e6, Dreev's favorite 6...dxc4 and the move in the game. Hier hat Schwarz die Wahl zwischen dem ultrascharfen 6...?e6, Dreevs Favoritem 6...dxc4 und dem Partiezug.} (6... dxc4 7. Bxc4 e6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 a6 {This position had occurred many times in tournament practice. Alexey Dreev for example had defended Black's position successfully many times. I personally failed to get any advantage against him. Diese Stellung ist in der Turnierpraxis viele Male vorgekommen. Alexey Dreev beispielsweise hat die schwarze Stellung mehrfach erfolgreich verteidigt. Ich persönlich schaffte es nicht, irgendeinen Vorteil gegen ihn herauszuholen.} 11. a4 Bd7 12. Qe2 Nd5 13. Bxe7 Ncxe7 14. Bxd5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Ne5 f6 17. Nd3 Re8 18. Qd2 {½-½ Gelfand,B (2703)-Dreev,A (2683)/Wijk aan Zee 2002/CBM 87}) 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bd3 $2 {White is simply losing a tempo. If he was not ready to enter a theoretical discussion after the most principled 8.c5, then he had to prefer 8.?c1 0-0 9.a3 as Black would take on c4 anyway. Weiß verliert einfach ein Tempo. Wenn er nicht bereit war, sich auf eine theoretische Diskussion nach der prinzipiellsten Fortsetzung 8.c5 einzulassen, so musste er 8.?c1 0-0 9.a3 den Vorzug geben, da Schwarz sowieso auf c4 nehmen würde.} dxc4 9. Bxc4 O-O 10. O-O {Now we have a position from Dreev's (and others) games, but it is Black's turn to move. However, it slightly unbalanced me, as I spent a lot of time deciding if Black is ready to fight for an advantage. Without being able to determine it, I decided to play normally. Nun haben wir eine Stellung aus den Partien von Dreev (und anderen), aber Schwarz ist am Zug. Allerdings brachte mich das leicht aus dem Gleichgewicht, denn ich verbrauchte eine Menge Zeit zu entscheiden, ob Schwarz bereit ist, um Vorteil kämpfen. Ohne dies ermitteln zu können, beschloss ich, normal zu spielen.} a6 (10... b6 {was possible as well. war ebenfalls möglich.}) 11. Bd3 ({RR} 11. Rc1 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Bb1 Rc8 14. Re1 Re8 15. a3 Nb8 16. Ne5 Nbd7 17. Qe2 Nf8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Be4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Qb6 21. d5 exd5 22. Nxd5 Qe6 23. Nxf6+ Qxf6 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. g3 Qe6 {Yevseev,D (2529)-Goganov,A (2523) St Petersburg 2012 ½-½ (40)}) ({RR} 11. Rc1 Nb4 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 13. a3 Nc6 14. d5 exd5 15. Bxd5 Bf5 16. Qb3 Ne7 17. Rfd1 Qa5 18. Be4 Be6 19. Qc2 h5 20. Qe2 Rab8 21. Nd4 Qe5 22. Nxe6 Qxe6 23. Qxh5 g6 24. Qf3 b5 25. Re1 Qb6 {Webster,R (1973)-Kane,R (1851) England 2012 ½-½ (39)}) 11... b5 $146 ({RR} 11... Nb4 12. Bb1 b5 13. a3 Nbd5 14. Qd3 g6 15. Re1 Bb7 16. Ba2 Rc8 17. Rac1 Nxc3 18. Rxc3 Rxc3 19. Qxc3 Nd5 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. Qd2 Rc8 22. Qh6 Qf8 23. Qh4 Rc2 24. Ne5 Qe7 25. Qxe7 Nxe7 26. Nd3 {Steinhauser,A-Jenicek,M Czech Republic 2004 0-1 (58)}) ({RR} 11... h6 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Be5 Ng4 14. Re1 Ngxe5 15. dxe5 Bc5 16. Qd2 Qe7 17. a3 Rd8 18. Qe2 Nd4 19. Nxd4 Bxd4 20. Qe4 g6 21. Rac1 Qc5 22. Rc2 Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Bxe5 24. Be4 Rb8 25. Na4 b5 26. Nc5 {Tesik,C-Kovacs,L (2021) Hungary 2005 0-1 (73)}) 12. Qe2 $5 (12. Rc1 Bb7 {is harmless. ist harmlos.}) 12... Nxd4 $5 {I decided to spice things up. I felt that after the exchange sacrifice Black is not risking much and hoped to outplay my opponent in a position with uneven material balance. By the way, in this tournament I had sacrificed an exchange also against Caruana and Giri, but in those cases I had no decent alternative. Ich beschloss, Würze ins Spiel zu bringen. Ich spürte, dass Schwarz nach dem Qualitätsopfer nicht viel riskiert, und hoffte, meinen Gegner in einer Stellung mit materiellem Ungleichgewicht zu überspielen. Übrigens, in diesem Turnier hatte ich auch gegen Caruana und Giri eine Qualität geopfert, aber diesen Fällen hatte ich keine anständige Alternative.} ({Black is doing well after Gut steht Schwarz nach} 12... Bb7 13. Rad1 Rc8 {as he doesn't have to worry about , denn er braucht keine Sorgen zu haben vor} 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. d5 exd5 16. Nxd5 Re8 17. Be4 g6 $11) 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. Be4 ({White doesn't have sufficient compensation after Keine ausreichende Kompensation hat Weiß nach} 14. Rfd1 Qa7 15. Ne4 (15. Be3 Qb8) 15... Nd5 ({or even oder sogar} 15... Nxe4 16. Bxe7 Nxf2 $1 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Bc5 Qc7 20. Bxf2 Bb7)) 14... Rb8 ({I didn't even consider seriously Ich überlegte nicht mal ernsthaft an} 14... Nxe4 15. Bxe7 Re8 16. Nxe4 Rxe7 17. Rfd1 Qb6 {Here the strongest is Hier ist das Stärkste} 18. Qg4 $1 ({after nach} 18. Qe3 {the computer finds an amusing defence findet der Computer eine amüsante Verteidigung:} Qc7 19. Rac1 Rd7 $1) 18... Bb7 19. Nf6+ Kh8 20. Qh4 h6 21. Nd5 $18) 15. Bf4 (15. Be3 $5 {deserved serious attention. Black would have to choose between different versions of an exchange sac in all cases with approximately equal chances. For example kam ernsthaft in Betracht. Schwarz müsste wählten zwischen verschiedenen Versionen eines Qualitätsopfers, in allen Fällen mit etwa gleichen Chancen. Zum Beispiel} Qd8 ({or or} 15... Qc4 16. Ba7 Qxe2 17. Nxe2 Nxe4 18. Bxb8 Bf6) 16. Ba7 Nxe4 17. Bxb8 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Bb7) 15... Nxe4 (15... Bd6 $6 {The ? sacrifice is not so efficient: Das ?-Opfer ist nicht so wirksam:} 16. Rfd1 Qxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Bxf4 18. Bf3 $14) 16. Bxb8 Bb7 ({I was afraid of White's initiative after Ich hatte Angst vor der weißen Initiative nach} 16... Nxc3 17. bxc3 Qxc3 18. Be5 {when White gains some important tempi by attacking Black's ?. , wonach Weiß durch Angreifen der schwarzen ? ein paar wichtige Tempi gewinnt.} Qb4 19. Rab1 Qh4 20. Qf3 {and White retains an initiative. und Weiß behauptet eine Initiative.}) 17. Bg3 $6 ({The most natural idea was Die natürlichste Idee war} 17. Nxe4 Rxb8 18. Rfe1 (18. Nc3 $44 {with a balanced position as well , ebenfalls mit ausgewogener Stellung.}) 18... Bxe4 19. Rad1 Qf6 20. Qxe4 Qxb2 {and a draw is a very likely result. und ein Remis ist der sehr wahrscheinliche Ausgang.}) ({I was more afraid of the energetic Größere Angst hatte ich vor dem energischen} 17. Rfd1 $5 {Black has to avoid many dangers here: Hier muss Schwarz viele Gefahren umschiffen:} Nxc3 ({Black is in trouble after Schwarz ist in Schwierigkeiten nach} 17... Qxf2+ 18. Qxf2 Nxf2 19. Rd7 $1 Rxb8 ({the computer suggests der Computer schlägt vor} 19... Nh3+ 20. Kf1 Rxb8 21. Rxe7 {but it hardly solves Black's problems , aber dies kann die Probleme von Schwarz kaum lösen.}) 20. Rxe7 Ng4 21. Rd1 $1 Bxg2 (21... Bc6 22. Rd6 Ne5 23. b4 g5 24. Rc7) 22. Kxg2 (22. Red7 $5) 22... Ne3+ 23. Kf3 Nxd1 24. Nxd1 {and probably Black can save this position, but it is not fun to play it. und diese Stellung kann Schwarz wahrscheinlich halten, aber Spaß macht sie nicht.}) 18. bxc3 Qxc3 19. Be5 Qb4 $1 {and the position is dynamically balanced. I managed to calculate all these lines, but still was not completely sure if White wouldn't find something in this position. Home analysis showed that my fears were unsound. und die Stellung ist dynamisch ausgeglichen. Ich konnte all diese Abspiele berechnen, war aber dennoch nicht gänzlich sicher, ob Weiß in dieser Stellung nicht etwas finden würde. Die Heimanalyse zeigte, dass meine Befürchtungen unbegründet waren.} (19... Qc6 {is weaker: is weaker:} 20. Qg4 f6 21. Rac1 Qxg2+ 22. Qxg2 Bxg2 23. Rd7 $1 Ba3 24. Rcc7 $16) 20. Rab1 (20. Rd4 Qc5) 20... Qe4) 17... Nxc3 18. bxc3 Qd5 (18... Qxc3 19. Rac1 Qa3 {was also possible, but I liked to force f2-f3 as this move prevents any potential attack on my ?. war ebenfalls möglich, aber es gefiel mir, f2-f3 zu erzwingen, da dieser Zug jeglichen potentiellen Angriff auf meinen ? unterbindet.}) 19. f3 Qc5+ 20. Bf2 ({In the event of Im Fall von} 20. Kh1 {I intended to improve my pieces' positions before grabbing the c3-pawn: wollte ich erst meine Figurenstellung verbessern, bevor ich mir den c3-Bauern schnappe:} Bf6 (20... Qxc3 {is also fine ist ebenfalls gut.}) 21. Rac1 Bd5 $15) 20... Qxc3 {Now we can assess the position. Black has 2 pawns and full compensation for the exchange and only he can play for a win. However White's position is pretty solid. Nun können wir die Stellung einschätzen. Schwarz hat zwei Bauern und volle Kompensation für die Qualität, und nur er kann auf Gewinn spielen. Allerdings ist die Stellung von Weiß ziemlich fest.} 21. a4 $1 {The correct desicion. White is exchanging a 'weak pawn' and is opening lines for his ?s. Die richtige Entscheidung. Weiß tauscht einen 'schwachen Bauern' und öffnet Linien für seine Türme.} Bd5 ({I didn't believe that Black had any winning chances after Keinerlei Gewinnchancen für Schwarz sah ich nach} 21... Qc4 22. Qxc4 bxc4 23. Rfc1 Bf6 24. Rab1 Bd5 25. Be1 Rc8 26. Bc3 {but probably Black can try , aber wahrscheinlich kann Schwarz} Bd8 27. Kf2 Bc7 28. g3 f6 {followed by ?f7, h5, g5 etc. versuchen, gefolgt von ?f7, h5, g5 usw.}) (21... b4 22. Rac1 Qf6 23. Rc7) 22. Rfc1 (22. axb5 Bc4 23. Qe1 Qxe1 24. Rfxe1 axb5 {and Black keeps a minimal advantage. und Schwarz behauptet minimalen Vorteil.}) 22... Qb3 (22... Bc4 23. Qe4) (22... Qb4 $5 {was more precise, preventing the exchange of ?s. war genauer, da dies den Tausch der Läufer verhindert.}) 23. axb5 axb5 (23... Qxb5 24. Qd2 {and the a-pawn can never become dangerous. und der a-Bauern kann niemals gefährlich werden.}) 24. Bc5 $1 {Again a correct decision. Without the pair of ?s Black has no real chances. Wieder eine korrekte Entscheidung. Ohne das Läuferpaar hat Schwarz keine realen Chancen.} (24. Rcb1 Qc4 25. Qxc4 Bxc4) 24... Bxc5+ 25. Rxc5 Qb4 26. Qe3 Qb2 (26... Bc4 27. Qd4) 27. Rcc1 (27. Rac1 Bc4) 27... Bc4 28. Qc3 ({I would prefer to keep ?s on the board by Ich würde lieber die Damen auf dem Brett behalten mit} 28. Rd1 $11 {With all White's pieces being active a draw is unavoidable. Da alle weißen Figuren aktiv sind, ist ein Remis unausweichlich.}) 28... Qxc3 29. Rxc3 g5 $1 {A classical move, enabling a nice pawn formation. Ein klassischer Zug, der eine schöne Bauernformation ermöglicht.} 30. Rca3 Bd5 31. Rb1 Rb8 32. Rb4 Bc4 33. h4 $2 {An impatient move, which can be explained by White's eagerness to force a draw without much suffering. Ein ungeduldiger Zug, der erklärt werden kann durch den Eifer von Weiß, ohne großes Leiden ein Remis zu erzwingen.} ({The simplest solution would be to transpose into a theoretically drawn ending by Die einfachste Lösung gewesen wäre der Übergang in das theoretische Remisendspiel mit} 33. Rc3 Rd8 34. Rbxc4 bxc4 35. Rxc4 {Recently Jacob Aagaard had presented me with his book "Attacking manual". He correctly quotes his trainer Henrik Mortensen, that 'you only had a winning position if you knew how to win it'. The same maxim can apply here. The ending is drawn (especially if White exchanges 1 more pawn by playing h4). However, you would voluntary go for it only if you are 100% sure that you'll draw it. In some of his interviews my opponent hasn't rated the importance of endgame knowledge too highly and probably he had to pay a price for it in this game. Vor kurzem hatte mir Jacob Aagaard sein Buch "Attacking manual" überreicht. Darin zitiert er korrekt seinen Trainer Henrik Mortensen, dass 'man nur dann eine Gewinnstellung hat, wenn man auch weiß, wie man sie gewinnt'. Dieselbe Maxime kann auch hier gelten. Das Endspiel ist remis (vor allem, wenn Weiß mit h4 noch einen weiteren Bauern tauscht). Allerdings würde man es nur dann freiwillig anstreben, wenn man 100% sicher ist, dass man es auch remis hält. In manchen seiner Interviews hat mein Gegner die Bedeutung von Endspielwissen nicht allzu hoch angesiedelt, und womöglich musste er dafür in dieser Partie den Preis zahlen.}) ({White could simply wait by Weiß könnte einfach abwarten mit} 33. Kf2 Rd8 34. Rb2 Kg7 35. Ra7 {but of course, Black would advance the h-pawn and try to get his ? to c5 or c3 and White would have to defend carefully. , aber natürlich würde Schwarz den h-Bauern vorstoßen und versuchen, seinen ? nach c5 oder c3 zu bekommen, und Weiß würde sich sorgsam verteidigen müssen.}) 33... gxh4 34. Kh2 ({It turns out that in the case of Es stellt sich heraus, dass im Fall von} 34. Rc3 Rd8 35. Rbxc4 bxc4 36. Rxc4 h3 $1 37. gxh3 Rd2 {White's task is not so simple. die Aufgabe von Weiß nicht so einfach ist.}) 34... Rd8 35. Re3 {??e4 ??e4} f5 36. Re5 Kf7 37. Kh3 Kf6 38. Rc5 Kg5 39. Rcxc4 $2 {But this is just panic. Aber dies ist einfach Panik.} ({I didn't see a winning plan after Keinen Gewinnplan sah ich nach} 39. Rb1 {followed by ?c7. nebst ?c7.}) 39... bxc4 40. Rxc4 Rd1 $1 {White cannot regain the h4-pawn. Weiß kann den h4-Bauern nicht zurückerobern.} 41. Kh2 e5 42. Ra4 ({A curious endgame arises after Ein kurioses Endspiel entsteht nach} 42. f4+ exf4 {Black is 3 pawns up, but all of them are doubled. I guess that Black should win by playing ? d3, followed by h3. White cannot take because he'll be cut on the first rank and otherwise Black would win with 3 extra pawns. However,some technique would be required. Schwarz hat drei Bauern mehr, aber sie alle sind verdoppelt. Ich schätze, er sollte gewinnen, indem er ?d3 nebst h3 spielt. Weiß kann nicht nehmen, da er ansonsten auf der ersten Reihe abgeklemmt wird, und ansonsten würde Schwarz mit seinen drei Mehrbauern gewinnen. Allerdings wäre einiges an Technik erforderlich.}) 42... Rd6 ({The most direct path to victory would be Der direkteste Weg zum Sieg wäre} 42... Re1 43. Ra7 h6 44. Ra4 (44. Rg7+ Kf4 45. Rf7 (45. Rh7 h3) 45... h3 46. g4 Kxf3 47. gxf5 Kg4) 44... e4 45. fxe4 fxe4 46. g3 (46. Rb4 e3 47. Re4 Kf5) 46... hxg3+ 47. Kxg3 Re3+ {and this ending is theoretically won. und dieses Endspiel ist theoretisch gewonnen.}) (42... Rd4 43. Ra5 Kf4 44. Ra7 h6 {is also strong enough. ist ebenfalls stark genug.}) 43. Kg1 ({It was better to wait with Besser war das Abwarten mit} 43. Rb4 {as , da} Re6 ({Black would have to return to the above-mentioned plans by Schwarz müsste zu den oben genannten Plänen zurückkehren mit} 43... Rd4) (43... Rd1) 44. Kg1 e4 45. fxe4 fxe4 46. Kf2 Kf4 47. Rb7 e3+ 48. Kf1 h5 49. Rf7+ {is not enough for a win. nicht zum Sieg reicht.}) 43... Rd4 44. Ra7 h6 45. Rh7 ({Or Oder} 45. Kh2 e4 46. fxe4 fxe4) 45... h3 $1 46. g3 (46. gxh3 Kf4) 46... Rd3 (46... Rd2 $5) 47. Rg7+ (47. f4+ Kg6) 47... Kf6 48. Rh7 Rxf3 49. Kh2 Kg6 {The rest is simple. Der Rest ist einfach.} 50. Re7 Re3 51. Re8 e4 52. Rf8 Rf3 53. Kxh3 Rf2 54. Re8 Kf7 55. Ra8 e3 (55... Ke6 56. Ra6+ Kd5 {was probably even simpler. war womöglich noch einfacher.}) 56. Ra3 e2 57. Re3 f4 58. gxf4 Rf3+ $1 59. Rxf3 e1=Q 60. Kg2 Qe2+ 61. Rf2 Qg4+ 62. Kh2 h5 63. f5 Kf6 64. Rg2 Qh4+ 65. Kg1 Qe1+ 66. Kh2 Kxf5 67. Rg8 Qe5+ 68. Kh3 Qe6 69. Rg1 Kf4+ 70. Kh2 Qe4 71. Rg3 Qe2+ 72. Rg2 Qe1 73. Rg8 Kf3 74. Rg2 Qh4+ 75. Kg1 Qg4 0-1 [Event "London Classic 3rd"] [Site "London"] [Date "2011.12.10"] [Round "7"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Howell, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2800"] [BlackElo "2633"] [Annotator "Saunders,John C"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2011.12.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. a3 b5 9. Ba2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Rd1 Rd8 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 (13. Bxd5 {had been played before. Kramnik considered it but felt he couldn't make it work.}) 13... Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Be7 15. e4 O-O 16. g3 Na5 17. Bf4 Qc8 $146 ({Perhaps} 17... Qb6 {, defending the knight and the b-pawn, is a little safer.}) ({RR} 17... Qb6 18. Ne5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Qb7 20. Rad1 Rxd5 21. exd5 Bf6 22. d6 Nc6 23. Nxc6 Qxc6 24. d7 Qe6 25. Qxe6 fxe6 26. Bd6 Ra8 27. Bxc5 Kf7 28. b4 Bd8 29. Rd3 e5 30. Kg2 Bc7 31. Bd6 Bxd6 32. Rxd6 {Le,Q (2728)-Niemann,H (2688) chess24.com INT 2022 1-0 (44)}) ({RR} 17... Qb6 18. Rac1 c4 19. Nd4 Bxd5 20. exd5 Bf6 21. Nf5 Nb3 22. Rc2 Rfe8 23. Qg4 g6 24. Nh6+ Kf8 25. Be3 Qb7 26. d6 Re6 27. Nf5 h5 28. Bh6+ Kg8 29. Ne7+ Kh7 30. Qf4 Nd4 31. g4 hxg4 {0-1 (31) Batsiashvili,N (2482)-Xiong,J (2656) Douglas 2018}) 18. a4 $1 {[diag] Vlad was quite happy with his game here, once he had found this move, which undermines Black's queenside. Commentator Daniel King thought the queenside configuration had something in common with some positions in the Ruy Lopez where a similar strategy is appropriate.} b4 ({After} 18... Nc4 19. Bxc4 bxc4 20. Qxc4 {, Vlad thought Black had some play but not enough for the pawn.}) 19. Rac1 ({Now Vlad didn't like Black's position.} 19. Ne5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Nb3 21. Rad1 Nd4 22. Qc4 Qe6 23. Be3 {was one of the lines Vlad looked out but it is not so clear.}) 19... Bc6 $2 ({This might have been a mistake, Vlad thought. He tried to make 19...Qb7 work but wasn't convinced. The computer suggestion} 19... Rfe8 {doesn't look bad.}) 20. Bg5 $1 {Clever. White deflects the dark-squared bishop, thus removing a defender from the c5 pawn.} Bxg5 21. Rxc5 $1 {A cunning intermezzo move, exploiting the looseness of all Black's residual minor pieces. "Now it's basically over," said Vlad.} Bf6 ({Hikaru tried to make} 21... Bb5 $5 {work, but} 22. Qc2 {is a good move and the threats to the black minor pieces remain.}) 22. Rxa5 {By now Hikaru had lost faith in the position too. White is already one pawn up and on the brink of winning another. Black has no viable counterplay even though the a5 rook is slightly offside.} Bxd5 23. Raxd5 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 Qc1+ 25. Kg2 Bxb2 (25... Qxb2 26. Qxa6 Bc3 27. a5 {is similar to the game.}) 26. Qxa6 Qc2 27. Rd2 Qb3 ({Against} 27... b3 {, White has} 28. Qe2 Rc8 {and now} 29. Ne1 {resolves the position on c2.}) 28. a5 Bc3 29. Rd5 Qc2 30. Qb7 $1 b3 (30... Qxe4 {allows White to win the pawn race with} 31. a6 {and there is no way of exploiting Black's pin on the long diagonal.}) 31. a6 b2 32. Rb5 Qa4 33. a7 h6 34. e5 ({An uneasy stand-off has been reached. Not} 34. Qb8 $2 {when Black can reply} Qxe4 {and White's advantage has dissipated.}) 34... Kh7 (34... Qa1 35. Qe7 b1=Q 36. Rxb1 Qxb1 37. Qxf8+ Kxf8 38. a8=Q+ {should win.}) 35. Rb3 Qa2 36. h4 {Commentator Lawrence Trent was justly proud of predicting this squeezing plan.} Kg8 37. h5 {Vlad called this 'making a box' for the black king. More of a coffin, actually.} Qa5 38. Qb8 Qa2 39. Rxc3 $1 b1=Q 40. Rc8 $1 {[diag]} (40. Rc8 Rxc8 (40... Qf1+ $1 {is clever but after} 41. Kxf1 Qa6+ 42. Kg2 Rxc8 43. Nd4 {seems to win anyway.}) 41. Qxc8+ Kh7 42. a8=Q {and White's pair of queens proves more potent than Black's.}) 1-0 [Event "Linares 14th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1997.02.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2740"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Huzman,Alexander"] [PlyCount "58"] [EventDate "1997.02.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 057"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Krasenkow,Michal} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Ba7 (8... Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O $10) 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Bd3 (10. Be2 Qe7 11. O-O Rd8 12. Qc2 d4 13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Bf3 $14 {Gheorghiu,F-Parma,B/Ljubljana/1969/}) ({RR} 10. h3 h6 ({RR} 10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Qe7 14. Rc1 Rfd8 15. Qe2 Rac8 16. Ne4 Nd7) ({RR} 10... Qe7 11. Qc2 ({RR} 11. cxd5 Rd8) 11... Rd8 12. Rd1 h6 ({RR} 12... d4) 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Ne2 Be6 15. Ned4 Rac8 16. Qb3 Ne4) ({RR} 10... Re8) 11. Rc1 Re8 12. Bd3 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qxd1+ 14. Rxd1 b5 15. Bd3 Bb7 16. Ke2 ({RR} 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Red8 18. O-O ({RR} 18. Rc1 Nxb4 19. Bxb7 Nd3+ 20. Ke2 Rab8) 18... f6) 16... Kf8 17. Rhg1 Rad8 18. Bb1 Ne7 19. Nd2 Bb6 ({RR} 19... Rd7 20. g4 Red8) 20. g4 Ned5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 ({RR} 21... Rxd5 22. h4 h5 23. g5 Ng4 24. Nb3 Red8 25. Rxd5 Bxd5 26. Nd2 Bb7 27. Bc3 Rc8 28. Rc1 Ne5) 22. Nb3 f6 23. Bg6 Re7 24. Rc1 Red7 {So,W (2822)-Karjakin,S (2783) Shamkir 2017 CBM 178 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (64)}) ({RR} 10. Qc2) ({RR} 10. Be2) ({RR} 10. h3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bb3 Qxd1+ 13. Rxd1 Bb7 14. O-O Rfd8 15. Ne2 Rxd1 16. Rxd1 Rd8 17. Rc1 Rc8 18. Nf4 Kf8 19. Ng5 Nd8 20. Rd1 h6 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Nxf7 Kxf7 23. Bxe6+ Nxe6 24. Rd7+ Ke8 {Nedelcu,T (2320)-Berechet,O (1946) Craiova ROU 2025 ½-½ (38)}) 10... Qe7 (10... dxc4 11. Bxc4 Qe7 (11... b5 12. Bb3 $10 (12. Bd3) 12... Bb7 13. O-O Qxd1 14. Rfxd1 Rfd8 15. Rxd8+ Rxd8 16. Rd1 Rxd1+ 17. Nxd1 {½-½ Razuvaev,Y-Tukmakov,V/URS-FL Ashkhabad 1978}) 12. O-O b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 Rac8 {½-½ Zaltsman,V-Sosonko,G/Lone Pine op 1979}) 11. O-O Rd8 12. Qe2 $146 ({RR} 12. Qc2 Bd7 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Ne2 Rac8 15. Qb3 Bg4 16. Ned4 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 Bb8 18. Qb2 Ne4 19. Nd2 Rc6 20. f4 Rg6 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Be2 Rxd4 23. Bxg4 Rd8 24. Be2 Ba7 25. Qb3 Rd2 26. Rac1 h6 {Indjic,A (2430)-Perunovic,M (2582) Vrnjacka Banja 2012 0-1 (38)}) ({RR} 12. Qc2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Bd7 14. Rac1 Rac8 15. Bd3 h6 16. Qb1 e5 17. h3 Be6 18. Ne4 Nd7 19. Ng3 Bb8 20. Nf5 Qf8 21. Rfd1 Nf6 22. Bc2 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. e4 Nh7 25. Qa1 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 g6 {Aird,I (1738)-Barthel,A (2202) Plzen 2017 0-1 (41)}) 12... Bd7 13. Rac1 Rac8 14. cxd5 ({Another plan for the white leads to the "Merano" type position(by changing colour)after} 14. c5 $5 {?15.e4d416.e5} e5 15. e4 d4 16. Nd5 Qe6 17. Bc4 $16) 14... exd5 15. h3 h6 16. Rfd1 Be6 17. b5 (17. Na4 d4 $1 18. exd4 Bb3 19. Qxe7 Nxe7 20. Re1 Rxc1 21. Bxc1 Nc6 22. Nc5 Nxd4 23. Nxd4 Rxd4 $14 {\=}) 17... axb5 18. Nxb5 Bb8 19. Bb1 Ne4 $11 20. Ba2 Ng5 21. Nfd4 (21. Nbd4 $5 Qd6 22. Nxe6 fxe6 (22... Nxf3+ 23. Qxf3 fxe6 (23... Qh2+ $2 24. Kf1 fxe6 25. Qg4 $18) 24. g3 $14) 23. g3 Ne4 (23... Nxh3+ 24. Kg2 Ng5 25. Nxg5 hxg5 26. e4 $36) 24. Bb1) 21... Nxd4 22. Bxd4 (22. Nxd4 Qd6 23. f4 $11) 22... Ne4 23. a4 (23. Qh5 Rc6 24. Bb2 Rdc8 $132) (23. Qb2 Qg5 $40) 23... Rc6 $1 24. Ba7 $2 Rdc8 $1 25. Qb2 (25. Rxc6 bxc6 26. Bxb8 Rxb8 27. Nd4 (27. f3 Ng3 (27... cxb5 28. fxe4 dxe4 29. Bxe6 Qxe6 30. axb5 Qb3 $17) 28. Qf2 cxb5 29. Qxg3 Qa7 30. Qf4 bxa4 31. Rd4 Ra8 $17) 27... Qa3 28. Bb1 Nc3 29. Qc2 g6 $1 $17) (25. Qe1 Nxf2 $1 26. Rxc6 (26. Kxf2 Qh4+ 27. Kf3 Qe4+ 28. Kf2 Qxa4 $1 $19) 26... bxc6 27. Bxb8 (27. Qxf2 Bxa7 $19) 27... Nxd1 28. Na7 Rxb8 29. Nxc6 Qd6 30. Nxb8 Nb2 $19) 25... Qh4 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. Rc1 Nxf2 $1 28. Qxf2 Bh2+ 29. Kf1 Qxa4 0-1 [Event "Tilburg Fontys"] [Site "Tilburg"] [Date "1998.11.03"] [Round "10"] [White "Piket, Jeroen"] [Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D40"] [WhiteElo "2605"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Kortschnoj,Viktor Lvovich"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "1998.10.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "EXT 1999"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.11.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.11.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Postny,Evgeny Tsesarsky} d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 Nc6 7. Bc4 Nf6 {One of the best moves in this position.} 8. O-O a6 {The position resembles the queen´s gambit accepted, where ?c3 is not the most exact move.} 9. a3 (9. Qe2 {Interesting is} cxd4 (9... b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. d5 {with an edge to white.}) 10. Rd1 Na5 $5 {After} 11. Rxd4 Qc7 {it becomes obvious,that some white pieces are misplaced.}) 9... b5 10. Ba2 ({RR} 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 Bd6 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 f5 15. Bxc6+ Bxc6 16. Bb2 O-O 17. Be5 Bxf3 18. Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Bxd6 Rfd8 20. Bc5 Be2 21. Rfc1 Rd5) 10... Bb7 11. Qe2 Qc7 ({RR} 11... cxd4 12. Rd1) 12. h3 $1 (12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. b4 Bd6 14. Bb2 Ne5 $1 {with an advantage for black. The last move had not been played in the game Marshall-Wolf, 1906(!).} ({After} 14... O-O 15. Rac1 Rad8 16. Bb1 Ba8 17. Ne4 {white got a winning position.})) ({RR} 12. Bd2 Be7 ({RR} 12... Rd8 13. Rfc1 cxd4 14. exd4 Be7 15. d5 exd5 16. Bg5 O-O 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nxd5 Qd6 19. Re1 Nd4 20. Nxf6+ Qxf6 21. Nxd4 Rxd4) 13. Rac1 ({RR} 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Rac1 Bd6 15. Bb1 O-O 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Rac8 18. Bxh7+ ({RR} 18. Bc3 h6 19. Bb1 Rfd8 20. Qc2 g6) 18... Kxh7 19. Ng5+ Kg6 ({RR} 19... Kg8 20. Qh5 Rfe8 21. f4) 20. f4 f5 21. Nxe6 Qf7 22. Nxf8+ Bxf8) 13... c4 14. e4 Rd8 15. Be3 Ng4 16. e5 Na5 ({RR} 16... O-O 17. Rcd1 Nxe3 18. fxe3 Nb8 19. Bb1 Nd7) ({RR} 16... f5 17. a4 ({RR} 17. exf6 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Bxf3) 17... Nb4 18. b3 Nxa2 19. Nxa2 Nxe3 20. fxe3 O-O 21. bxc4 b4) 17. Bf4 Qb6 18. Rcd1 h5 19. h3 Nh6 20. Bb1 Nb3 21. Be3 Qc7 22. Rfe1 Kf8 23. d5 ({RR} 23. Bc2) 23... exd5 24. e6 ({RR} 24. Nd4 Qxe5 25. Nxb3 cxb3 26. Qd2) 24... fxe6 ({RR} 24... Ng4 25. Bg5 Bxg5 26. hxg4 hxg4 27. exf7 Be7 28. Ne5 Rd6 29. Qxg4 Rdh6 30. Ng6+ Rxg6 31. Bxg6 Qh2+ 32. Kf1 d4 33. Ne4 d3 34. f3) 25. Ng5 Qd7 ({RR} 25... Qc6 26. Qxh5 Bxg5 27. Bxg5 Nf7 28. Qg4 Re8 29. Bg6 d4 30. Ne4 e5 31. f4 d3 ({RR} 31... Qxg6 32. Be7+) 32. fxe5 Rxe5 33. Bxf7 Kxf7 34. Qf4+ Ke6 35. Bh4 Re8 ({RR} 35... Rxe4 36. Rxe4+ Qxe4 37. Re1) ({RR} 35... Rxh4 36. Qxh4) 36. Qg4+ Kf7 37. Rf1+ Kg8 38. Nf6+ Kh8 39. Nxe8 Qxe8 40. Bf6) 26. Bg6 Bf6 {Ding,L (2769)-Grischuk,A (2767) Berlin 2018 CBM 184 [Postny,Evgeny] ½-½ (96)}) ({RR} 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Bd6) ({RR} 12. Rd1 Rd8 13. h3 Be7 14. dxc5 Rxd1+ 15. Qxd1 Bxc5 16. b4 Bd6 17. Bb2 O-O 18. Rc1 Rd8 19. Qe2 Qe7 20. Ng5 Ne5 21. f4 Nd3 22. Qxd3 Bxf4 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. exf4 Bxa2 25. Bxf6 Qxf6 26. Qxh7+ Kf8 {Gupta,A (2506)-Singh,S (2342) Reykjavik ISL 2026 1-0 (42)}) 12... Be7 $146 (12... Rd8 $1 $15) (12... b4 $5) ({RR} 12... Rd8 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Bd6 15. Bb2 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Rac1 Qb8 18. a4 h5 19. axb5 Bh2+ 20. Kh1 Ng4 21. f4 Qa8 22. bxa6 Bxa6 23. b5 Bb7 24. Bc4 Bxg2+ 25. Qxg2 Qxg2+ 26. Kxg2 Rd2+ 27. Kf3 {Rodier,D (2176)-Hoareau,W (1818) Reunion 2006 1-0}) 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Bd6 15. Bb2 Rc8 $6 (15... O-O 16. Rac1 Qe7 $11) 16. Rac1 Qb8 17. Bb1 $14 Ne7 18. Ng5 (18. Nd2 $14) 18... Rc4 $5 19. Bd3 h6 20. Nf3 (20. Bxc4 hxg5 21. Bd3 Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Rxh3 $44) (20. Nxe6 $1 {Tsesarsky} fxe6 21. Bxc4 bxc4 22. Qxc4 Ned5 (22... e5 23. Rfd1 $16) 23. Na4 $1 O-O 24. Nc5 Bxc5 25. bxc5 Bc8 (25... Bc6 26. Qxa6 $16) 26. Bxf6 Rxf6 27. c6 Qb2 28. Qc5 $16) 20... Rc8 21. Nd2 Qa8 22. f3 Nf5 23. Nce4 Nxe4 24. Nxe4 O-O 25. Nxd6 Nxd6 26. Qf2 Rfd8 27. e4 $14 {In anticipation of approaching time trouble white offered a draw, what without a hesitation was accepted.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-ch 14th"] [Site "Legnica"] [Date "2013.05.13"] [Round "8"] [White "Moiseenko, Alexander"] [Black "Romanov, Evgeny"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2640"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2013.05.05"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "POL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 155"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Aronian,Levon} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 {The Tarrasch Defence is going through a renaissance, mainly in the form of logical pawn recapture towards centre with 5.. ed5. The strategically more simplified choice of a knight move suffers from one drawback in that it frees the opponent's hands in the centre.} (5... exd5 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2) 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ {Romanov is rightly rushing the exchange of the further minor piece as it diminishes White's attacking potential.} 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 Nc6 ({RR} 11... b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Nd7 14. Qe3 Rc8 ({RR} 14... Nf6 15. Ne5) 15. e5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qh4 17. Qe3 ({RR} 17. Bb5) 17... Rfd8 18. f4 Nf8 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. f5 exf5 ({RR} 20... Rd8 21. Rf4 Qg5 22. h4 Qh6) 21. Bxf5 Rd8 22. Rd1 Ng6 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. d5 Qc4 25. d6 Qe6 ({RR} 25... Qxa2 26. Qg5 f6 ({RR} 26... Rd7 27. Rc1) 27. exf6 Qf7 28. fxg7) 26. Qg3 {Aronian,L (2809)-Kramnik,V (2801) Paris/St Petersburg 2013 CBM 154 [Aronian,Levon] 1-0 (52)}) 12. Bc4 {The modern treatment of the line is connected with the speedy control of the only open file with the white rook. The further details are more fuzzy, Moiseenko's solution is very classical.} (12. Bb5 Bd7 13. O-O Ne5 14. Be2 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Bb5 (15... Rc8 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Qf6 18. d6 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 b6 20. h3 $14 {1/2 (48) Eljanov,P (2683)-Cyborowski,L (2543) Germany 2012}) 16. Rfd1 Qd7 17. d5 exd5 18. Qb4 Rac8 19. exd5 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Re8 21. h3 $14 {1-0 (31) Nakamura,H (2699)-Gyimesi,Z (2582) Austria 2009}) ({RR} 12. Be2) ({RR} 12. h4 Qb6 13. e5 Rd8 14. Rd1 Qb4 15. Bd3 Qxd2+ 16. Kxd2 b6 17. Be4 Bb7 18. Rc1 Rac8 19. Ke3 Na5 20. Bxb7 Nxb7 21. h5 h6 22. Nd2 Na5 23. g4 Rc6 24. Rxc6 Nxc6 25. Rc1 Nb4 26. a3 Nd5+ {Hammer,J (2596)-Korpa,B (2543) Hell NOR 2024 ½-½ (37)}) 12... Qd6 $146 ({RR} 12... Qa5 13. Qxa5 Nxa5 14. Bd3 Bd7 15. Kd2 Rfc8 16. Ke3 Kf8 17. e5 Bc6 18. Ng5 h6 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Nc4+ 21. Kd3 Nb2+ 22. Ke2 Rd8 23. Rb1 Na4 24. Ke3 Nb6 25. Rhc1 Rd7 26. Rb4 f5 27. exf6 {Froewis,G (2428)-Gaehwiler,G (2429) Bad Ragaz 2018 ½-½ (53)}) ({RR} 12... Na5 13. Bd3 b6 14. O-O Bb7 15. Qf4 Rc8 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Rc1 Qd8 {½-½ (17) Kislik,E (2352)-Cyborowski,L (2546) Rakovnik 2013}) 13. O-O Rd8 14. Rfd1 Bd7 15. Qe3 {White does not have any real reason to presume, that his chances are better. The defender has avoided any compromising of his position and the completion of his development is bogged down only by the fate of rook on a8. On the other hand, an initiative can be based on the dynamics of White's centre as well as reasonably weak defence of Black's king.} (15. e5 Qe7 16. Qf4 (16. Rb1 b6 17. Bd3 Na5 18. Qf4 Bc6 19. Ng5 h6 20. Ne4 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 Rac8 22. d5 exd5 23. Bxd5 Nc6 24. Bxc6 {1/2 (24) Tatai,S (2455)-Kierzek,M Dortmund 1978}) 16... Be8 17. h4 Rac8 18. d5 exd5 19. Rxd5 h6 20. Rcd1 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 Rd8 22. Qe4 {1/2 (22) Petrosian,T (2645)-Kortschnoj,V (2645) Ciocco 1977}) (15. Qe2 Rac8 16. d5 exd5 17. Bxd5 Be6 18. Bxc6 Rxc6 19. Rb1 Rb6 {1/2 (19) Portisch,L (2650)-Polugaevsky,L (2625) Portoroz 1973}) (15. d5 exd5 16. Bxd5 Be6 17. Bxc6 Qxd2 18. Rxd2 Rxd2 19. Nxd2 Rc8 20. f4 Rxc6 21. Rxc6 bxc6 22. a3 Kf8 23. Kf2 $11 {1/2 (43) Karpov,A (2750)-Pyhala,A (2385) Helsinki 1989}) 15... h6 {Any pawn advance in front of the king means additional weaknesses. Black is defending against the white knight move to g5, but he weakens the diagonal b1-h7.} (15... Rac8 16. Ng5 (16. d5 exd5 17. Bxd5 Be6 18. Ng5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Ne7 20. Ne4 Rxc1 21. Qxc1 Qd7 $11) 16... Nb4 (16... Na5 17. Qh3 h6 18. Nxf7 Kxf7 19. Qf5+ Kg8 20. Qxa5 $16) 17. e5 Qe7 18. Ne4 $14) 16. h3 Na5 17. Bd3 {White could not have reasonably hoped to achieve success in the event of an exchange of bishops. There is also the very important fact that the knight is far from perfectly placed on the a5-square.} (17. d5 Nxc4 18. Rxc4 Bb5 19. Rcc1 exd5 20. Rxd5 Qb4 $11) 17... Rac8 18. e5 (18. Rxc8 Rxc8 19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Ba4 21. Rc1 Rxc1+ 22. Qxc1 Bd7 $11) 18... Qd5 {The black defence has entered the phase of difficult choices. Queen centralisation is attractive, but the retreat to e7 was not without its plusses. The queen would have got a chance to contribute towards the defence against the kingside attack.} (18... Qe7 19. Qe4 g6 20. Qe3 Bc6 $11) 19. Rc5 Qxa2 $6 {[%mdl 128] Black is fascinated by the risk, but clearly he felt he was getting enough compensation in the pawn he has won. A similar effect was possibe in the event of the smarter exchange of the rooks on c5.} (19... Rxc5 $5 20. dxc5 Kf8 21. Bc2 Qxa2 22. Qd3 Nc6 23. Qh7 Bc8 24. Rb1 a5 $11) 20. Qe4 Rxc5 (20... g6 $2 21. Qh4 $1 Bc6 22. Rdc1 h5 23. Qg5 Rd7 24. d5 $18) 21. dxc5 Kf8 (21... g6 $2 22. Bb5 Nc6 23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Qh4 $18) 22. Bb5 Ke7 {At the end of the day Romanov is forced to contribute towards the defensive task with his own king. It can not be an ideal situation, since his majesty is by nature a very vulnerable piece.} (22... Ke8 $2 23. Qh7 a6 24. Bxd7+ Rxd7 25. Qg8+ Ke7 26. Rxd7+ Kxd7 27. Qxf7+ Kc6 28. Nd4+ Kxc5 29. Nxe6+ $16) 23. Qh4+ (23. Qb4 Bc6 (23... Bxb5 $2 24. c6+ Ke8 25. Rxd8+ Kxd8 26. Qd6+ $18) 24. Rxd8 Kxd8 25. Bxc6 bxc6 26. Qb8+ Ke7 27. Qxa7+ Kf8 28. Qb8+ Ke7 29. Qd6+ Ke8 30. Nd2 $14) 23... Ke8 (23... g5 $2 24. Qxh6 $18) 24. Qd4 Qd5 $6 {The old maxim about the very difficult nature of defence in chess is proven true for the umpteenth time. In retrospect it seems that better chances for survival were promised by the knight retreat 24...?c6.} (24... Nc6 25. Bxc6 bxc6 26. Qe4 Ke7 27. Qh7 Rb8 28. Nh4 $14) 25. Qa4 Qxd1+ (25... Bxb5 $2 26. Qxb5+ Qc6 27. Rxd8+ Kxd8 28. Qxa5+ $18) 26. Qxd1 Bxb5 27. Qb1 {The shoot-out on the board has not been so tragic for Black in the material sense. His curse remains the miserably located knight on a5 and the vulnerability of the pawn structure.} Bd3 (27... Bc6 28. Qb4 Rd1+ 29. Kh2 Ra1 30. Nd4 Ra4 31. Qb2 Bd7 32. Nb5 $16) 28. Qb4 Nc6 29. Qxb7 Be4 30. Qb2 {The queen retreat is definitely not a bad move, but quite probably also not the best one. It may seem that from the a6-square the queen might have been even more efficient in paralysing Black's forces.} (30. Qa6 $1 Rd1+ 31. Kh2 Bd5 32. Ng1 $1 Rc1 33. Ne2 Rxc5 34. Qc8+ Ke7 35. Nf4 Rc4 36. Qc7+ Ke8 37. Nh5 $18) 30... a5 (30... Rb8 $5 31. Qc3 Rb4 32. Nd2 Bd5 33. Nf1 Rb1 (33... Bc4 34. Ng3 Bd5 35. Nh5 $18) 34. Qc2 Ra1 35. f3 a5 36. Qb2 Rd1 37. Kf2 $16) 31. Nd2 Rb8 32. Qc3 Bd5 33. Nc4 $1 {The defender must be on the alert against activation of the white knight. Black is forced to part with the magnificent bishop on the d5-square.} Bxc4 (33... Rb4 34. Nxa5 Rb1+ 35. Kh2 Nxa5 36. Qxa5 Rc1 37. f3 $18) (33... Ra8 34. Nb6 Rd8 35. Qb2 Ne7 36. Nxd5 Nxd5 37. Qb5+ Rd7 38. Qxa5 $18) 34. Qxc4 Nxe5 $6 {The great rule of defence is the concept of building barriers for the opponent. If the enemy manages to achieve relative success the trenches should be moved and a new barrier built elsewhere. The demise of the e5-pawn will simplify for White the task of advancing his passed c-pawn.} (34... Ke7 $1 35. Qa6 Kd7 36. Qd3+ Ke8 37. Qh7 $16) 35. Qa6 $1 Rb1+ 36. Kh2 Rc1 37. Qd6 {The problems of the coordination of Black's forces are becoming visible even to the naked eye.} (37. Qa8+ Ke7 38. Qb7+ Kf6 39. f4 Nf3+ (39... Rxc5 40. fxe5+ Rxe5 41. Qb2 Kf5 42. Qd4 $18) 40. Qxf3 Rxc5 41. g4 $18) 37... Nd7 (37... Ng6 38. Qb8+ (38. c6 f6 39. Qxe6+ Ne7 40. Qd7+ Kf7 41. c7 a4 $16) 38... Ke7 39. Qb7+ Ke8 40. c6 f5 41. Qxg7 $18) 38. c6 Nf6 39. Qb8+ Ke7 40. c7 {As well as the danger of the pawn passing all the way to c8 Black is now under the threat of a simple mate on the d8-square.} 1-0 [Event "London Classic 7th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.12"] [Round "8"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2803"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "Bronznik,Valerij"] [PlyCount "193"] [EventDate "2015.12.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. a4 {Die Idee von Petrosian, deren Sinn im weiteren a4-a5 mit dem nachfolgenden Bauerntausch auf b6 besteht, wonach Schwarz am Damenflügel einen vereinzelten anfälligen Bauern bekommt, auch wenn dieser gleichzeitig ein Freibauer ist (manchmal kann übrigens anstatt des Tausches auf b6 der Vorstoß a5-a6 geschehen). Tauscht Schwarz auf a5 selbst, wird sein a-Bauer schwach. Stoppt der Nachziehende den weißen Bauer mit a7-a5, schwächt er das Feld b5 und bekommt einen schwachen Bauern auf b6. Spielt er nicht a7-a5, sondern a7-a6, bleibt das Feld b5 unter seiner Kontrolle, dafür aber wird nicht nur sein Bauer b6, sondern auch der Bauer a6 schutzbedürftig.} ({Als Hauptvariante gilt} 13. Rfe1 Bb7 14. Rad1 ({stattdessen kann man hier mit} 14. a4 {immer noch zu Petrosians Plan greifen, was dann nur eine kleine Zugumstellung bedeuten wird.})) 13... Bb7 14. Rfe1 Nf6 {Eine sehr seltene Fortsetzung. Schwarz greift den Bauern e4 ein weiteres Mal an und erhöht wesentlich seine Kontrolle über das Feld d5, andererseits aber wirkt er am Damenflügel nicht mehr mit; außerdem sollte sich Weiß für e4-e5 entscheiden, würde es jetzt mit Tempo passieren.} ({"Normal" ist} 14... Rc8 15. Bd3 {und nun sind die verbreitetsten Optionen} Qc7 (15... a5 $5) ({und} 15... e5 $5)) 15. Bd3 h6 {Eine sehr wichtige Prophylaxe gegen den Plan e4-e5, ?f3-g5-e4. Was passieren kann, wenn Schwarz darauf verzichtet, zeigt folgendes klassisches Beispiel:} (15... Rc8 $6 16. a5 (16. e5 $6 Bxf3 17. exf6 Bh5 {scheint für Schwarz durchaus akzeptabel zu sein}) 16... Qc7 17. axb6 axb6 18. Rac1 Qb8 19. Rb1 Qa8 20. Ra1 Qb8 21. e5 $1 Nd5 (21... Bxf3 22. exf6 Bh5 23. fxg7 Kxg7 24. d5 $5 exd5 25. Qg5+ Bg6 26. h4 Rc3 27. Rad1 Qd8 28. Re7 $16) 22. Ng5 h6 23. Ne4 Qc7 24. Nd6 Ra8 25. Rab1 $16 {Jussupow,A (2575) - Eslon,J (2440)/Can Picafort 1981.}) 16. a5 a6 $146 {Eine Neuerung, die aber am Charakter der Stellung und ihrer Bewertung nicht viel ändert.} (16... b5 $6 {ist zweifelhaft wegen} 17. a6 $1 Bc6 18. Ne5 {, z.B.} Qb6 (18... Be8 19. Qb4 $16) 19. Qb4 {mit klarem weißem Vorteil.}) (16... bxa5 17. Rxa5 Qc7 $14 {Rotstein,A (2540) - Remling,C(2345)/BL-2 2004}) 17. axb6 Qxb6 18. Rab1 {Eine natürliche, aber nicht die einzige gute Fortsetzung. In Frage kam auch die Idee, diesen Turm auf der a-Linie zu belassen, um den Druck auf den schwarzen a-Bauern aufrechtzuerhalten - aus dieser Sicht waren z.B. die Optionen} (18. Reb1 $5 Qa7 19. Qe3) ({und} 18. Ra4 {beachtenswert.}) 18... Qc7 ({Eine Alternative zum Textzug war die Fortsetzung} 18... Qa7 {[%CAl Ga7d4] , um den Bauern d4 nicht aus den Augen zu verlieren. Dabei aber entfernt sich die schwarze Dame zu weit weg vom Königsflügel, was den Anziehenden berechtigt, dort einen Angriff zu starten -} 19. g4 $5 (19. e5 Nd5 20. Re4 Rfc8 $13 {[%CAl Yg8f8]}) (19. Qa5 $5 $14 {[%csl Ra6]}) 19... Nxg4 (19... Rfc8 20. g5 hxg5 21. Qxg5 Bc6 22. Kh1 $40 {[%CAl Re1g1]}) (19... Rab8 20. g5 hxg5 21. Qxg5 $40) 20. Qf4 Nf6 21. Kh1 {[%CAl Re1g1] mit brandgefährlicher Kompensation für den geopferten Bauern.}) 19. Rbc1 $6 {Schwer zu sagen, mit welchem Plan Topalov diesen Zug verband. In jedem Fall wirkt sein Spiel auf mich ab diesem Moment recht kraftlos.} ({Viel stärker war} 19. Ne5 $1 {- Weiß aktiviert seinen Springer , ermöglicht f2-f3, lässt seinen Damenturm bei dem ?b7 weiterhin bleiben und lässt sich die Option ?e1-c1 offen. Folgende Varianten wären dann möglich:} Rfb8 $5 (19... Rfd8 20. Rec1 Qe7 21. f3 Ne8 (21... Rxd4 $4 22. Qb2 $18) (21... a5 22. Qb2 Qd6 23. Nxf7 $1 Qxd4+ 24. Qxd4 Rxd4 25. Ne5 Bc8 26. Bb5 $16) 22. Bf1 Nd6 23. Qa5 {mit starker Initiative am Damenflügel}) (19... a5 $6 {(hier wird der Bauer noch anfälliger)} 20. Rec1 Qe7 21. f3 Rfc8 22. Nc4 a4 23. Rb4 a3 24. Ra1 $16 {[%csl Ra3]}) 20. Qf4 $5 {[%csl Rf7][%CAl Rg2g5,Rh2h4]} (20. f3 $14 {??ec1}) 20... a5 21. g4 {mit sehr gefährlicher Initiative am Königsflügel.}) ({Das aggressive} 19. g4 $6 {führt zu einem spannenden Kampf, ist aber an dieser Stelle bestimmt nicht die stärkste Fortsetzung, z. B.} Nxg4 (19... a5 $5) 20. Rec1 Qe7 21. Qf4 f5 22. exf5 (22. Rc7 fxe4 23. Rxe7 Rxf4 24. Rbxb7 exd3 25. Rxg7+ Kh8 26. Nh4 Ne5 $1 27. dxe5 Rxh4 28. Rh7+ Kg8 $11) 22... Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Qg5 24. Qg3 exf5 25. h3 Nf6 26. Qxg5 hxg5 27. Bxf5 Rad8 {- nach Komplikationen entstand ein remisliches Endspiel.}) 19... Qe7 20. Qa5 Rfc8 $1 $11 {Hat Topalov früher übersehen, dass dieser Zug mit keinem Bauernverlust verbunden ist? Wie dem auch sei, hat ihm die Aktion 19.?fc1, 20.?a5 gar nichts gebracht, während der ganze schwarze Aufbau jetzt ganz harmonisch aussieht.} 21. Rxc8+ ({Auch nach} 21. Rb1 Qc7 {hat Schwarz keine Schwierigkeiten, z.B.} 22. Qa1 a5 23. Ne5 Ba6 24. Bxa6 Rxa6 $11) 21... Rxc8 22. Nd2 $6 ({Den Vorzug verdiente das viel aktivere} 22. Ne5 $1 {, z. B.} Qd6 23. Qa1 a5 (23... Rd8 24. d5 $1 exd5 25. Nxf7 Kxf7 26. e5 Qe7 27. exf6 Qxf6 28. Qb1 Bc8 (28... Rd7 $4 29. Re3 d4 30. Bc4+ Kf8 31. Re6 Qg5 32. Qb4+ Re7 33. Bf1 {[%CAl Rf2f4]} Bxg2 34. f4 $1 $18) (28... Ba8 29. Qa2 Kg8 30. Bxa6 $11) (28... Bc6 29. Bxa6 Kg8 $11) 29. Bh7 $1 $44 {?30.?e3} (29. Re3 Kg8)) 24. d5 (24. f3 Rd8 25. Bf1 Qxd4+ 26. Qxd4 Rxd4 27. Ra1 $11) 24... exd5 25. Nxf7 Qe6 26. e5 Ne8 (26... Qxf7 27. exf6 Qxf6 28. Qxa5 Qc3 29. Qxc3 Rxc3 $11) 27. Nd6 Nxd6 28. exd6 Qxd6 29. Qxa5 $11) 22... Qd7 {Ab jetzt und bis zum Schluss wird Initiative voll und ganz dem Schwarzen gehören.} 23. Qb6 $146 (23. Qa1 a5 $1 {[%CAl Ra5a4]}) ({RR} 23. Nb3 Rb8 24. Qb6 Qe8 25. Nc5 Bxe4 26. Qxa6 Bxd3 27. Qxd3 Qc6 28. h3 Rd8 29. Ne4 Nd5 30. Nd2 Nf4 31. Qe4 Qxe4 32. Rxe4 Rxd4 33. Rxd4 Ne2+ 34. Kf1 Nxd4 35. f3 f6 36. Kf2 Kf7 37. Nc4 e5 {Khurtsidze,N (2383)-Batsiashvili,N (2492) Teheran 2017 0-1 (66)}) 23... Rc3 24. Bxa6 {Topalov lässt sich auf eine Stellung mit allen Bauern am gleichen Flügel ein, in der aber der Gegner dank Aktivität seiner Figuren am Drücker sein wird.} ({Als Alternative gab es z.B. die Variante} 24. Bb1 Qb5 25. Qd8+ Ne8 26. Nf3 Rc8 27. Qe7 Rc7 28. Qd8 Qd7 29. Qxd7 Rxd7 30. Bd3 Nf6 31. Kf1 a5 $15) 24... Bxa6 25. Qxa6 Qxd4 26. Nf3 Qc5 27. e5 (27. h3 Rc1 28. Qf1 Rc2 $36) 27... Nd5 28. Qa8+ Kh7 29. Qb7 Rc1 30. Qb2 $6 ({Stärker ist} 30. h4 $1 {, um Raum zu gewinnen und später eventuell auch h4-h5 folgen zu lassen, z.B.} Rxe1+ (30... Rc2 31. Rf1 Qc7 32. Rb1 Rc1+ 33. Kh2 Rc4 34. Qxc7 Rxc7 35. g3 Kg6 36. Kg2 {, und dieses Endspiel kann man leicht halten} {(} Kf5 37. Rb8 g5 38. hxg5 hxg5 39. Rg8) 31. Nxe1 Qc1 32. Kf1 Qf4 33. Qb1+ g6 34. h5 $5 (34. Nf3 {soll auch reichen}) 34... Qxe5 35. hxg6+ fxg6 36. Nf3 {, und wegen der offenen Lage seines Königs hat Schwarz hier kaum Chancen, seinen Mehrbauern zu verwerten.}) 30... Rc2 31. Qd4 g5 $1 {Carlsen beginnt, den Gegner am Königsflügel einzuengen - gerade dieses Spielmuster hätte Topalov früher mit 30.h4! verhindern können.} 32. g3 Kg7 33. Qxc5 Rxc5 34. Re4 Kg6 35. h3 Ne7 {Schwarz fängt an zu manövrieren. Er plant, seinen Springer nach c6 und den König nach f5 zu bringen, um den Bauern e5 mit allen Kräften anzugreifen und den das Feld f4 schwächenden Zug g3-g4 zu provozieren.} 36. h4 Kf5 37. Ra4 ({Das Turmendspiel mit einem weißen Minusbauern, welches nach} 37. Re1 Nc6 38. hxg5 hxg5 39. Kg2 Nxe5 40. Nxe5 Rxe5 41. Ra1 (41. g4+ $2 Kf4) 41... g4 {entstehen könnte, ist trotz des weit vorgerückten und den Gegner hemmenden Bauern g4 objektiv gesehen Remis, aber es ist nicht ganz einfach, dieses Ergebnis in einer praktischen Partie zu erreichen - besonders gegen Carlsen!}) 37... Nc6 38. hxg5 hxg5 39. g4+ {Topalov trifft die Entscheidung, sich an den Bauern e5 weiterhin zu halten, und ist bereit, die Schwäche des Feldes f4, die dabei entsteht, in Kauf zu nehmen.} ({Eine würdige Alternative dazu war die Möglichkeit, diesen Bauern zu opfern, und zwar unter günstigeren Umständen, als in der vorherigen Anmerkung, z.B,.} 39. Kg2 {, und wenn} Nxe5 (39... g4 $2 40. Rf4+) 40. Nxe5 Rxe5 {, dann} 41. g4+ $1 Kf6 42. Kg3 {- bei dieser Bauernstruktur erreicht Weiß Remis ziemlich leicht.}) 39... Kg6 40. Re4 Ne7 41. Kg2 Nd5 {Ein schönes Feld für den Springer - hier ist er sowohl gedeckt und zentralisiert, als auch bereit, sofort auf f4 zu erscheinen, falls es sich dafür eine passende Möglichkeit ergibt. Objektiv gesehen ist die weiße Stellung zweifellos haltbar, aber am Brett ist es für den Anziehenden alles andere als leicht, das gewünschte Ergebnis zu erreichen, weil der Gegner immer wieder neue Drohungen aufstellt.} 42. Kg3 Rc3 (42... Nf4 $2 43. Nxg5 $1) 43. Re1 Ra3 (43... Nf4 {hätte hier noch nichts gebracht -} 44. Re3 (44. Re4)) 44. Re4 Ra8 45. Rc4 Rh8 {Mit dem Turm auf der h-Linie entsteht in einigen Varianten die Mattkonstruktion ?g3/?f4+?h3.} 46. Re4 Nc3 (46... Nf4 $2 47. Nxg5) 47. Re3 ({Nach} 47. Rc4 Ne2+ 48. Kg2 Nf4+ 49. Kg1 (49. Kg3 $4 Rh3#) 49... Ra8 {würde sich der weiße König sehr unwohl fühlen.}) 47... Rc8 48. Re1 Rc4 49. Re3 Ne4+ {Schwarz hat die Kontrolle über die vierte Reihe übernommen und beginnt jetzt mit der Überführung seines Springers nach d3 - von dort aus wird er nicht nur das Feld f4 im Auge behalten, sondern auch die Bauren e5 und f2 attackieren.} 50. Kg2 Ra4 51. Re1 Nc5 52. Kg3 Rf4 53. Nd2 Nd3 54. Re2 Ra4 55. Nf3 Ra8 56. Re3 Rd8 57. Re4 ({Es gab auch andere spielbare Möglichkeiten, z. B.} 57. Ne1 Nf4 58. Kf3 Rd2 59. Kg3) ({oder} 57. Ng1 Nf4 58. Nh3 Rd4 59. f3 {, aber natürlich hätte Carlsen auch dann seine Gewinnversuche nicht aufgegeben.}) 57... Rh8 58. Rc4 Ra8 (58... Nf4 $2 59. Nxg5) 59. Rc3 (59. Rd4 $2 Ra3 $1 60. Re4 (60. Kg2 $4 Nf4+ $19) 60... Ra2) (59. Re4 $2 Ra2 {- diese Varianten zeigen uns die Vorteile der Position des schwarzen Springers auf d3.}) 59... Nf4 60. Rc4 Ne2+ 61. Kg2 Rh8 62. Re4 $6 {Früher hat sich Topalov gut verteidigt, aber mit seinem letzten Zug erlaubt er dem Gegner, den weißen König in eine gefärdete Lage zu bringen.} ({Stärker ist} 62. Ne1 {(der Springer räumt das Feld f3 für seinen König), z.B.} Nf4+ 63. Kf3 Rh1 64. Rc1 Rh3+ 65. Ke4 Rb3 (65... Ra3 66. Rc4 Ra2 67. Nc2) 66. Rc4 Rb2 67. Nc2 Nh3 68. f3 Rb3 69. Ne1 {, und Schwarz hat nichts greifbares erreicht.}) 62... Nf4+ 63. Kg1 Ra8 64. Nh4+ Kh6 65. Ng2 (65. Nf3 $2 Ra2 {[%csl Rf2][%CAl Rf4h3] kostet den Bauern f2.}) 65... Nd3 66. Ne1 Ra1 67. Kf1 {Passiver geht gar nicht - dem Weißen stehen nur die Züge mit dem Turm nach e3 und zurück nach e4 zur Verfügung. Verloren ist seine Stellung aber immer noch nicht!} Kg6 68. Re3 Nf4 69. Re4 Kg7 70. Kg1 Nd3 71. Kf1 Kf8 72. Re3 Nf4 73. Kg1 Ra4 $1 {Mit diesem Zug nimmt Carlsen den Bauern g4 ins Visier und verbietet gleichzeitig dem gegnerischen Turm den Zugang zur vierten Reihe.} 74. Kh2 (74. f3 Ra1 75. Kf1 Rd1 {(Carlsen)} 76. Kf2 Rd2+ 77. Kf1 {sieht natürlich unschön aus, aber kann Schwarz in dieser Stellung wirklich etwas erreichen? Z.B. die Idee, hier den König zu aktivieren, erweist sich als nicht ausreichend:} Ke7 78. Rb3 Kd7 79. Rc3 Rd1 80. Re3 Kc6 81. Rc3+ Kd5 82. Rc7 Kxe5 83. Rxf7 Rd2 84. Rf8 Kd4 85. Rc8 $1 {mit Remis} {(} Ke3 86. Rc3+ Nd3 $140 87. f4 $1 {)}) 74... Nd5 75. Rg3 Kg7 76. Nd3 Rd4 77. Kg1 Nb6 $1 {[%csl Re5][%CAl Rb6c4] Jetzt wendet Schwarz seine Aufmerksamkeit wieder dem Bauern e5.} 78. Kf1 Re4 79. Kg2 Nc4 80. Kh3 Rd4 ({Leider kann Weiß im Turmendspeil nach} 80... Nxe5 81. Nxe5 Rxe5 {leicht Remis halten. Deshalb entscheidet sich Carlsen dafür, erst seinen König zu aktivieren - in der Hoffnung, sich später in einem günstigeren Moment des Bauern e5 zu bedienen. Übrigens musste er gleichzeitig auch weiteres, extrem unangenehmes Problem beachten: nach dem 39. Zug von Weiß gab es in dieser Partie weder Schläge noch weitere Bauernzüge - das hieß, er wurde gezwungen, wohl oder übel demnächst auf e5 zu schlagen, um der 50-Züge-Regel aus dem Weg zu gehen. Wozu er zuerst seinen Turm nach d4 brachte, kann wahrscheinlich nur er selbst erklären.}) (80... Kf8) 81. Kg2 Kf8 82. Kf1 Ke7 (82... Re4 83. Nc5 Nd2+ 84. Kg2 Rd4 {(so weit Carlsen)} 85. Nb3 $1 $11) 83. Ke2 Re4+ 84. Kd1 ({Auf} 84. Kf1 {plante Carlsen} Nd2+ ({wie es bereits erwähnt wurde, kann der Anziehende das Endspiel nach} 84... Nxe5 85. Nxe5 Rxe5 {trotz des schwarzen Mehrbauern ziemlich problemlos halten}) 85. Kg2 Re2 {, aber nach} 86. Rh3 {kommt Schwarz nicht weiter.}) 84... Nxe5 {Schwarz hatte bis zum Eintritt der besagten Regel nur fünf Züge, deshalb sah Carlsen keinen Sinn mehr, mit diesem Schalg zu warten - vielleicht hoffte er auch, die abgeschnittene Lage des weißen Königs doch irgendwie auszunützen.} ({Die Idee, vor dem Nehmen auf e5 seinen König wieder auf g6 zu bringen, um später nach f7-f5, g4xf5 mit dem Bauern zurückschzuschlagen, konnte leider nicht ausreichen:} 84... Kf8 85. Kc2 Kg7 86. Kc3 Nxe5 87. Nxe5 Rxe5 88. Kd3 Kg6 89. Rg1 f5 90. gxf5+ exf5 (90... Kxf5 91. Rg3 {mit Remis}) 91. f4 $1 {(Notkin)}) 85. Nxe5 Rxe5 86. Kd2 Kf6 87. Ra3 Kg6 88. Ra6 $1 {(damit Schwarz nach f7-f5, g4xf5 nicht mit dem Bauern zurücknehmen kann)} f5 89. gxf5+ Kxf5 90. Ra3 Kf4 91. Rb3 g4 92. Ra3 Re4 93. Rb3 e5 94. Ra3 Rb4 95. Ke2 Rb1 96. Ra4+ e4 97. Ra3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid Magistral 7th"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "1998.05.12"] [Round "2"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Krasenkow, Michal"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2660"] [Annotator "Hansen,Curt"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "1998.05.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 065"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.08.06"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {ChessBase Hecht Tsesarsky} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Ndb4 (8... Nxc3 {Tsesarsky} 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. cxd4 (10. Qxd4 Qxd4 (10... Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Rb1 Bf6 14. c4 Rd4 15. c5 a5 (15... Rc4 16. Be3 $16) 16. Be3 Rb4 17. a3 Rc4 18. Rfd1 $16 {1-0 Pilnik,H-Bolbochan,J/Mar del Plata 1945 (39)}) 11. cxd4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Kd8 $1 14. Rab1 (14. Rhc1 Re8 $14) 14... Rb8 15. Rhc1 b6 16. e4 Bb7 17. Ke3 $14) ({RR} 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Ke7) 10... Bb4+ 11. Bd2 (11. Kf1 O-O 12. Bb2 Qa5 13. Qb3 Rd8 14. h3 Bd7 15. a3 Bd2 16. Be4 Rac8 17. a4 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Rxc6 $15 {½-½ Tomaszewski,R-Plachetka,J/Polanica Zdrój 1980 (29)}) ({RR} 11. Bd2 Qxd4) 11... Qxd4 12. Rb1 a5 (12... Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 Rb8 15. Rhc1 Kd8 16. Rb3 $44) 13. Qc2 O-O 14. Bxb4 axb4 15. O-O Qc3 16. Rfc1 Qxc2 17. Rxc2 $11 {½-½ Georgiev,K-Portisch,L/Biel izt 1993 (20)}) ({RR} 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4+ 11. Kf1 O-O 12. Rb1 Bd6 13. h4 Rb8 14. h5 h6 15. e4 b6 16. Be3 e5 17. dxe5 ({RR} 17. d5 Bd7) 17... Bxe5 18. f4 Qxd1+ ({RR} 18... Qf6 19. Bf3 Rd8 20. Qe2 Bd4) 19. Rxd1 Bg4 20. Rd5 Bb2 21. Rb5 Ba3 22. Bh3 Bxh3+ ({RR} 22... Bd1 23. Kf2 Ba4 24. Rd5 Bc6 25. Rd4 Bc5 26. Rc4 f5 27. Bxc5 bxc5 28. Rxc5 Rb2+ 29. Ke3 Bxe4 30. Ra1) 23. Rxh3 {Aronian,L (2805)-Caruana,F (2801) Saint Louis 2014 CBM 162 [ChessBase] ½-½}) ({RR} 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bd7 10. O-O Be7 11. Rb1 Nxd4 12. cxd4 Bc6 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. Qc2 O-O 15. Qxc6 Qxd4 16. Be3 Qg4 17. f3 Qf5 18. Rb5 Rfc8 19. Qd7 Rd8 20. Qb7 Qf6 21. Rc1 h6 22. Qe4 a6 23. Rb7 {Rustemov,A (2525)-Nozdrachev,L (2239) chess.com INT 2026 1-0 (55)}) ({RR} 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. cxd4 Bb4+ 11. Kf1 O-O 12. Bb2 Qe7 13. f4 Rb8 14. Kf2 b5 15. Qb3 a5 16. Rac1 a4 17. Qd3 Rd8 18. Rc2 Bd6 19. Rhc1 b4 20. Qc4 Qa7 21. e3 Ba6 22. Qc6 b3 23. axb3 {Giri,A (2690)-Anand,V (2817) Monte Carlo 2011 0-1}) 9. Ndb5 $146 (9. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Nxc6 (10... bxc6 11. Be3 $14) 11. Bxc6+ (11. Nb5 {Tsesarsky} Kd8 12. Be3 Bd7 13. Rc1 Be7 $132) 11... bxc6 {?/= would be the thematic way to play. The game-continuation is more complicated.}) ({RR} 9. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Nxd1 Nxc6 11. Ne3 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Bd7 14. Rhd1 Ke7 15. h4 Rhd8 16. Ke1 Be8 17. Nc4 Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Rd8 19. Rxd8 Nxd8 20. Kd2 b6 21. Kc3 f6 22. f4 Nf7 23. Kd4 Nd6 {Lu,S (2570)-Zhao,J (2621) China 2015 ½-½ (31)}) ({RR} 9. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Nxc6 11. Nb5 Rb8 12. Be3 a6 13. Nd4 Bd7 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Bxc6+ bxc6 16. Kc2 Bd6 17. Rad1 Ke7 18. Rd3 Rb5 19. Rhd1 Rd5 20. Bd4 e5 21. Bc3 Rxd3 22. Kxd3 Ke6 23. Kc4 Rb8 {Ringwelski,M (1952)-Adamski,J (2207) Germany 2018 1-0 (34)}) 9... a6 (9... Qxd1+ {Tsesarsky} 10. Kxd1 Rb8 11. a3 (11. Ne4 Be7 12. Nbd6+ (12. Bf4 $6 e5 13. Bg5 f6 (13... O-O $11) 14. Be3 O-O $15) 12... Bxd6 13. Nxd6+ Ke7 14. Nxc8+ Rbxc8 $15) 11... Na6 12. Ne4 $1 (12. Be3 $6 Bc5 13. Nc7+ $1 Nxc7 14. Bxc5 $14) 12... e5 (12... Be7 13. Be3 O-O 14. Nxa7 Rd8+ 15. Kc2 $16) 13. Be3 f5 14. Nd2 Ra8 15. Rc1 Bd7 16. Nc4 $16) (9... Be7 {Tsesarsky} 10. Qxd8+ Bxd8 (10... Kxd8 11. O-O $16) 11. Nd6+ Ke7 12. Nxc8+ Rxc8 13. O-O $14 (13. Be4 Ba5 14. Bd2 f5 $132)) 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Na3 e5 (11... Bd7 {Tsesarsky} 12. O-O $14) 12. O-O (12. Be3 {Tsesarsky} Kc7 13. O-O Be6 {-This game}) 12... Be6 13. Be3 Kc7 14. b3 (14. Rfd1 {Tsesarsky} Rc8 15. Rac1 Nxa2 16. Nxa2 Bxa2 17. Nc4 Bxc4 18. Rxc4 $44) 14... Rc8 15. Rfc1 Kb8 16. Nc4 Nd4 (16... Bxc4 {Tsesarsky} 17. bxc4 Na5 18. Nd5 $1 (18. a3 Nbc6 19. Bh3 Rd8 20. Bb6 Rd2 21. Be3 Rd8 $11) 18... Nxc4 (18... Rxc4 19. Nb6 (19. Bb6 Nbc6 20. Bc7+ Ka7 21. Bb6+ Kb8 22. Bc7+ $11) (19. Nxb4 Bxb4 20. Bd5 Rxc1+ 21. Rxc1 f6 22. Rb1 Rd8 23. Be4 Bc3 $44) 19... Rxc1+ 20. Rxc1 Bd6 21. Nd7+ Ka8 22. Bb6 Nbc6 (22... Nac6 23. a3 $18) 23. Rd1 (23. Kf1 $5) 23... Nc4 24. Bd5 Nxb6 25. Nxb6+ Ka7 26. Nc4 Nd4 (26... Bc7 27. Bxc6 bxc6 28. Rd7 Kb7 29. Rxf7 $16) 27. Nxd6 Rd8 28. Bxf7 Rxd6 29. Kg2 $14) 19. Nxb4 Bxb4 (19... Nxe3 20. Nxa6+ $1 $18) 20. Rcb1 (20. Rab1 a5 $17) 20... a5 21. a3 Nxa3 22. Rxa3 Rc2 (22... Bxa3 23. Rxb7+ Ka8 24. Rb5+ $18) 23. Raa1 Rxe2 24. Be4 Rd8 25. Kf1 $18) 17. Rab1 (17. Nxe5 $6 {Tsesarsky} Ndc2 18. Bf4 Ka7 19. Be3+ Nxe3 20. fxe3 Bd6 $44) 17... Bxc4 (17... f6 {Tsesarsky} 18. Rb2 $1 $14 (18. a3 Nbc6 19. Kf1 (19. Bxd4 Nxd4 20. e3 Nb5 $15) 19... Nxb3 20. Rxb3 Bxc4 21. Rb6 Nd8 22. Rcb1 Rc7 23. Nd5 Rd7 24. Nb4 Bxb4 25. R6xb4 Bd5 26. Bh3 Rd6 27. Bc5 Rc6 28. Be7 $44)) 18. bxc4 Rxc4 19. Bd2 {White has ? and some play in the b-? for his ?. Maybe it is enough ?} (19. Kf1 {Tsesarsky} f5 $44) 19... b5 (19... Rxc3 {Tsesarsky} 20. Rxc3 Nxe2+ 21. Kf1 Nxc3 22. Bxc3 a5 23. a3 $16) (19... f5 {Tsesarsky} 20. e3 (20. Kf1 Bd6 21. e3 Ndc6 22. e4 Nd3 23. Rd1 g6 $15) 20... Nb5 21. Nxb5 Rxc1+ 22. Rxc1 axb5 23. Rb1 Nc6 24. Rxb5 $16) 20. Kf1 (20. e3 {Tsesarsky} Nxa2 $5 (20... Nd3 21. Rd1 Rxc3 22. exd4 (22. Bxc3 Ne2+ $19) 22... Ra3 23. Be3 $44) 21. Nxa2 (21. exd4 Nxc1 22. Rxc1 exd4 23. Ne4 Rxc1+ 24. Bxc1 h6 $19) 21... Ne2+ 22. Kf1 Nxc1 23. Nxc1 Bd6 24. Bd5 Rc2 25. Ke1 $132) 20... Be7 (20... Bd6 {Tsesarsky} 21. Ne4 Rxc1+ 22. Rxc1 Be7 23. e3 Ne6 24. Bc3 $1 f6 25. Bxb4 Bxb4 26. Rc6 Re8 (26... Nc7 27. Nxf6 $1 gxf6 28. Rb6+ Kc8 (28... Ka7 29. Rb7+ Ka8 30. Rxc7+ Kb8 31. Rb7+ Kc8 32. Rf7 $18) 29. Bh3+ Ne6 30. Rxe6 $18) 27. Rxa6 Nc7 28. Rb6+ Ka7 29. Rc6 Na6 30. h4 $14) 21. Rd1 (21. a3 {Tsesarsky} Nbc2 $17) (21. a4 {Tsesarsky} Rd8 $17) 21... Rd8 22. a4 Ndc2 (22... bxa4 {Tsesarsky} 23. Bd5 Rc7 24. Bxf7 Rcd7 (24... Ndc2 25. Nd5 Rb7 26. Bc3 Bf6 27. Nxb4 Rxd1+ 28. Rxd1 Nxb4 (28... Rxf7 29. Nxa6+ Ka7 30. Nc5 Ne3+ $1 31. fxe3 Be7+ 32. Ke1 Bxc5 33. Ra1 a3 34. Bxe5 $11) 29. Bg8 Rb5 $132 (29... a3 30. Ra1 (30. Bxh7 $132) 30... e4 31. Bxf6 gxf6 32. Rxa3 Ka7 33. Ra4 h6 34. h4 $14)) 25. Bc1 a5 26. Nxa4 $14) 23. axb5 Rcd4 (23... Na3 $1 {Tsesarsky} 24. Rbc1 (24. Ra1 Nbc2 25. Rac1 Rxd2 $1 $19) 24... Nxb5 25. Ne4 (25. Nxb5 Rxd2 $1 $19) (25. Nd5 Rxc1 26. Bxc1 a5 27. Bb2 f6 $17) 25... Rxc1 (25... Rcd4) 26. Rxc1 f5 27. Bg5 Rd7 28. Bxe7 Rxe7 $17) 24. Ne4 f5 (24... axb5 {Tsesarsky} 25. e3 Rd3 26. Ke2 f5 27. Bxb4 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Rxd1 29. Kxd1 Nxb4 30. Nc3 $11) 25. e3 R4d5 (25... Rd3 {Tsesarsky} 26. bxa6 fxe4 27. Ke2 Na3 28. Bxb4 Nxb1 29. Rxb1 Bxb4 30. Rxb4+ Ka7 31. Bxe4 Rd2+ 32. Ke1 $11) 26. bxa6 fxe4 27. Ke2 Na3 $6 (27... Ka7 {Tsesarsky} 28. Bxe4 Kxa6 29. Rb2 Rxd2+ 30. Rxd2 Rxd2+ 31. Kxd2 Na3 32. Rb3 $14) (27... Rb5 {Tsesarsky} 28. Rb2 $14) 28. Ra1 $2 {A gamble} (28. Bxb4 Nxb1 29. Rxb1 Bxb4 30. Rxb4+ Ka7 31. Rb2 $14 (31. Bxe4 {Tsesarsky} Rd2+ 32. Kf1 (32. Ke1 Rd1+ 33. Ke2 R8d2+ 34. Kf3 Rf1 35. Bb7 Rfxf2+ 36. Ke4 Rxh2 37. Kxe5 Rd3 $15) 32... Rf8 (32... Kxa6 $11) 33. f3 Kxa6 34. h4 Rc8 (34... h6 35. h5 Rc8 36. Bb7+ Ka5 37. Bxc8 Kxb4 38. Ke1 Ra2 39. g4 Kc3 40. Bf5 $11) 35. Rb1 (35. Bb7+ Ka5 36. Bxc8 Kxb4 37. h5 (37. Bf5 g6 38. Be4 Rh2 39. Ke1 Kc3 $17) 37... Rh2 38. g4 Kc3 39. Bf5 Kd2 40. Bxh7 Kxe3 41. Be4 Kf4 42. Kg1 Re2 (42... Kg3 43. Kf1 (43. Bb7 Rf2 44. Be4 Re2 45. Kf1 Rxe4 $19) 43... Rf2+ (43... Rh1+ 44. Ke2 $11) 44. Ke1 $11) 43. Bc6 $11) 35... Rc3 36. Bxh7 Rxe3 37. Be4 Ra3 38. h5 Raa2 39. g4 $11) (31. Rb7+ Kxa6 32. Rxg7 $4 Rd2+ 33. Ke1 Rd1+ 34. Ke2 R8d2#)) 28... Nbc2 (28... Nxa6 {Tsesarsky} 29. Bxe4 R5d6 30. Bc3 Rxd1 31. Bxe5+ R1d6 32. Rxa3 Ka7 33. Bxd6 Bxd6 34. Ra1 Kb6 (34... Be5 35. Ra5 Bc7 36. Ra1 h6 37. Bd3 Rd6 38. f4 Kb7 39. Rxa6 Rxa6 40. Bxa6+ Kxa6 41. Kd3 Kb5 42. Ke4 Bb6 43. g4 Kc6 44. h4 Kd6 45. Kf5 (45. h5 Ke6 46. g5 hxg5 47. fxg5 Bc7 48. h6 g6 49. Kd4 Kf5 50. e4+ Kf4 51. Kd5 Be5 52. Ke6 Kxe4 $19) 45... Bxe3 46. Kg6 $11 (46. g5 Kd5 47. gxh6 gxh6 48. Kg4 $11)) 35. Bxh7 $11) (28... Nb5 {Tsesarsky} 29. Bxb4 Bxb4 30. a7+ Nxa7 31. Rxd5 Rxd5 32. Bxe4 Rd2+ 33. Kf3 $15) 29. Rac1 Bb4 (29... Ka7 {Tsesarsky} 30. Bxe4 Rc5 31. Bb4 Rc4 32. Bxe7 Rxd1 33. Kxd1 Rxe4 34. Bxa3 (34. Rxc2 Nxc2 35. Kxc2 Ra4 $17) 34... Nxa3 35. Rc7+ Kxa6 36. Rxg7 $11) (29... Rc5 {Tsesarsky} 30. Bxe4 Rd6 $15) 30. Bxb4 Nxb4 31. Rxd5 Nxd5 (31... Rxd5 {Tsesarsky} 32. Bxe4 Ra5 33. Bxh7 Nxa6 $15) 32. Bxe4 Nb5 33. Bxh7 Ndc3+ (33... Rd6 {Tsesarsky} 34. Rc5 Ka7 35. Kf3 Kb6 36. Rc8 (36. Rxb5+ Kxb5 37. a7 Rd8 38. Be4 Kc5 $19) 36... Kxa6 37. Bd3 Nf6 38. Bf5 Kb6 $17) 34. Kf1 Ka7 (34... Rd6 $17 {Tsesarsky}) 35. Ra1 Rd6 36. Kg2 Rxa6 37. Rc1 {Of course black should never lose this position} (37. Rxa6+ {Tsesarsky} Kxa6 $17) 37... Rc6 $6 (37... Rd6 $15 {[%CAl Ya7b6,Yb6c7,Yc7d8,Yd8e7,Ye7f6] followed by bringing ?a7 to the ?-side}) 38. Bd3 Rc7 $4 (38... Kb6 $17 {Tsesarsky}) 39. Bxb5 Nxb5 40. Rxc7+ Nxc7 {Hecht The offside position of Black's king as well as the vulnerability of both Black pawns enable Anand to win easily with his active king. Die Abseitsstellung des schwarzen Königs sowie die Anfälligleit beider schwarzer Bauern ermöglichen dem mit einem aktiven König operierenden Anand einen leichten Sieg.} 41. Kf3 $18 Ne6 (41... Kb6 $4 {Tsesarsky} 42. Ke4 Kc6 (42... Kc5 43. Kxe5 Kc4 44. Kf5 Kd3 45. Kg6 Ne8 46. Kf7 Nf6 47. Kxg7 Ng4 48. h4 Nxf2 49. h5 $18) 43. Kxe5 Kd7 44. f4 (44. Kf5 Ke7 45. Kg6 Kf8 46. h4 Nd5 47. g4 Ne7+ 48. Kh7 (48. Kg5 Kf7) 48... Kf7) 44... Ne8 45. g4 Nd6 46. h4 Nc4+ 47. Kd4 Nd6 (47... Nd2 48. h5 Ke6 49. g5 (49. e4 Nf3+ 50. Ke3 Nh2 51. f5+ $1 (51. g5 Nf1+ 52. Kd4 Ng3 53. h6 gxh6 54. gxh6 Kf7 55. f5 Nh5 56. Ke5 Nf6 57. Kf4 Nh7 58. e5 Ke7 59. Kg4 (59. Ke4 Ng5+ 60. Kd5 Nh7 61. f6+ Nxf6+ $11) 59... Kf7 60. Kh5 (60. Kh4 Ke7 61. Kh5 Kf7 $11) 60... Nf8 $11) 51... Ke5 52. g5 Ng4+ 53. Kf3 Nh2+ 54. Kg2 Ng4 55. Kg3 Ne3 56. f6 $1 $18) 49... Kf5 50. Kd5 Ne4 51. h6 gxh6 52. gxh6 Nf6+ 53. Kd6 Kg6 54. Ke6 Ng4 55. e4 Nxh6 $11) 48. h5 Ke6 49. e4 Nb5+ 50. Ke3 Nd6 51. g5 Nf7 52. f5+ Ke5 53. h6 $1 $18) (41... Ne8 $1 {Tsesarsky} 42. Ke4 Nf6+ 43. Kxe5 Ng4+ 44. Kf5 Nxh2 (44... Nxf2 {Hecht} 45. Kg6 Ng4 46. h4 Nxe3 47. h5 Kb7 48. Kxg7 Nf5+ 49. Kg6 Nxg3 50. h6 $18) 45. Kg6 (45. e4 Kb7 $13) 45... Ng4 46. Kxg7 Nxf2 47. Kg6 Kb6 48. Kf5 Nd1 $11) 42. Ke4 Ng5+ (42... Kb6 {Tsesarsky} 43. Kxe5 Nf8 44. Kd6 $18) 43. Kf5 Nh3 (43... Nf3 {Tsesarsky} 44. h4 Kb6 45. Ke4 Nh2 46. Kxe5 Ng4+ 47. Kf5 Nxf2 48. Kg6 $18) 44. f4 (44. f4 {Tsesarsky} exf4 45. exf4 Kb6 46. Kg6 Kc6 47. Kxg7 Kd7 48. f5 $18) 1-0 [Event "Olympiad-41"] [Site "Tromsoe"] [Date "2014.08.12"] [Round "10.1"] [White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Wang, Yue"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2768"] [BlackElo "2718"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2014.08.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "France"] [BlackTeam "China"] [WhiteTeamCountry "FRA"] [BlackTeamCountry "CHN"] 1. d4 {Edouard,Romain} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 {This old system is considered insufficient for equality but GM Wang Yue and some other Chinese players apparently have a different opinion.} 7. e4 Nc6 8. Bb5 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Be6 (10... Ke8 11. O-O $36 {[%csl Re8]}) 11. O-O {White plays for a development advantage rather than for a better pawn structure. However, Black successfully parries his threats.} (11. Bf4 Bb4 12. Nxe6+ fxe6 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Ke2 Ke7 (14... Kc8 15. Na4 Nd5 16. Be5 Rf8 17. Rhc1 Rf5 18. Bg3 Kd7 19. Rc4 g5 20. Rxe4 $14 {1/2 (59) Kulaots,K (2572)-Sulskis,S (2550) Liepaja LAT 2014}) 15. Rac1 Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Nd5 17. Bg5+ Kd6 18. Rc4 Rhb8 19. Bc1 Rb4 20. Rxb4 Nxb4 21. Rd1+ Nd5 22. Rd4 Ke5 23. Rc4 Rc8 24. b4 h5 25. g3 Kf5 $11 {1/2 (45) Tomashevsky,E (2695)-Bukavshin,I (2607) Vladivostok RUS 2014}) (11. Nxe6+ {is probably the most solid path for White:} fxe6 12. Bxc6 (12. O-O Bb4 13. Ne2 Ke7 14. a3 Bd6 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Be3 Nd5 $11 {1/2 (39) Song,J (2417)-Louis,T (2217) Saint Paul Trois Chateaux 2013}) (12. Bg5 Bb4 13. O-O-O+ Kc7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nxe4 Rag8 (15... f5 16. Ng5 Rae8 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. f4 e5 19. Nf7 Rhg8 20. Nxe5 Bd6 21. g3 Bxe5 22. fxe5 Rxe5 23. Rhf1 h5 $1 24. Rf4 Rg4 $11 {1/2 (29) Demuth,A (2479)-Lysyj,I (2628) St Petersburg 2012}) 16. a3 Be7 17. g3 Rd8 $11 {1/2 (43) Sargissian,G (2676)-Borisek,J (2555) Warsaw POL 2013}) 12... bxc6 {Quite a dangerous position for Black due to his destroyed pawn structure but GM Wei Yi has managed to defend it a few times:} 13. Bg5 (13. Ke2 Bb4 14. Na4 Kc7 (14... Nd5 15. Rd1 e5 16. Be3 Kc7 17. Rac1 Rhd8 18. a3 Be7 19. g3 h5 20. Rc4 Nxe3 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. fxe3 $14 {1-0 (49) Rombaldoni,A (2530)-Arnaudov,G (2448) Warsaw POL 2013}) 15. Be3 Nd5 16. Rac1 Rad8 (16... Nxe3 17. fxe3 Rhd8 18. Rc2 Rac8 19. Rhc1 Kb7 20. a3 Bd6 21. h3 Rc7 22. Rc4 Rf8 23. Nc3 Rf5 24. Nxe4 $14 {1-0 (69) L'Ami,E (2626)-Svane,R (2425) Haarlem 2013}) 17. Rc2 Nxe3 18. Kxe3 Rhf8 19. Rhc1 Rd6 20. Ke2 Rf5 21. a3 Ra5 22. axb4 Rxa4 23. b5 Rb4 24. Rxc6+ Rxc6 25. Rxc6+ Kd8 26. Ra6 Rxb2+ 27. Ke3 Rxb5 28. Rxa7 Rg5 $11 {1/2 (35) Ding,L (2714)-Wei,Y (2634) Danzhou 2014}) 13... Bb4 14. O-O-O+ Kc7 15. Bxf6 (15. Rhe1 Nd5 16. Kc2 Rhf8 17. Bh4 e3 18. Bg3+ Kb7 19. fxe3 Rad8 20. Rd3 Ba5 21. a3 c5 $11 {1/2 (84) L'Ami,E (2627)-Sokolov,I (2663) Wijk aan Zee 2013}) 15... gxf6 16. Nxe4 Rhg8 17. Rd4 (17. a3 Be7 18. g3 Rad8 19. Rhe1 Rxd1+ 20. Kxd1 e5 21. Kc2 h5 $11 {1/2 (26) Bu Xiangzhi (2662)-Wei,Y (2530) Xinghua CHN 2013}) 17... Be7 18. Rhd1 Rad8 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Rxd8 Kxd8 $14 {- an unpleasant ending for Black although he held his ground in the following game:} 21. Nd2 Kd7 22. Nc4 e5 23. g4 Ke6 24. f3 f5 25. gxf5+ Kxf5 26. Kd1 e4 27. Ke2 Kf4 28. fxe4 Kxe4 29. Na5 c5 30. Nc6 Bd6 31. Nxa7 Bxh2 32. Nb5 Ke5 {1/2 (32) Vallejo Pons,F (2698)-Wei,Y (2634) Leon ESP 2014}) ({RR} 11. Nxe6+ fxe6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Bb4 14. O-O-O+ Kc7 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nxe4 Rhg8 17. a3 Be7 18. g3 Rad8 19. Rhe1 Rxd1+ 20. Kxd1 e5 21. Kc2 h5 22. Nd2 Bc5 23. Ne4 Be7 24. Nd2 Bc5 25. Ne4 Be7) 11... Bb4 (11... h6 12. Ngxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 a6 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Rd1+ Kc7 16. Bf4+ Kb6 17. Rac1 a5 18. a3 Be7 19. Be3+ Kc7 20. Rd2 Rhd8 21. Rdc2 Ra6 22. f3 Bd5 23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. Bxc5 $14 {1-0 (74) Fages,J (2195)-Sukhorskij,V (2096) Lechenicher SchachServer 2012}) 12. Ncxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Ke7 14. Be3 Rhd8 15. Ba4 (15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. a3 Bd6 {1/2-1/2 (16) Fier Takeda,A (2573)-Edouard,R (2686) SUI 2013}) (15. a3 Nd4 $1 16. Ba6 $5 Bxa3 17. Rxa3 bxa6 18. Ra4 Nb5 19. Bc5+ Ke8 20. Rxa6 Rd5 21. b4 Rad8 22. f3 Rd1 23. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 24. Kf2 Bd5 25. Nd6+ Nxd6 26. Rxd6 Bb3 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Bxa7 Kd7 $11 {?1/2 (43) Salgado Lopez,I (2622)-Wei,Y (2634) Leon ESP 2014}) (15. Nc5 Bxc5 (15... Nd4 16. Nxe6 Nxe6 17. Rad1 Bc5 18. Bd2 Rd5 19. Bc4 Rd4 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Be3 Rc4 22. Bg5+ Ke8 23. Rd2 h6 24. b3 Re4 25. Rc2 b6 26. Be3 Re5 27. Bxc5 Rxc5 28. Rxc5 bxc5 29. Rc1 $14 {1-0 (63) Tregubov,P (2601)-Wirig,A (2501) Paris FRA 2014}) 16. Bxc5+ Kf6 17. Rfd1 a6 18. Be2 Rxd1+ 19. Bxd1 Rd8 20. Bf3 Bd5 21. Bb6 Rd6 22. Bc5 Rd8 23. Bb6 Rd6 24. Rd1 Ke6 25. Bc5 Rd8 26. Bb6 Rd6 27. Be2 Ne5 28. Bc7 Rc6 29. Bxe5 Kxe5 30. f4+ Ke6 31. Bg4+ f5 32. Bxf5+ Kxf5 33. Rxd5+ Kxf4 $11 {1/2 (46) Antic,D (2479)-Swapnil,S (2421) Anogia GRE 2014}) ({RR} 15. a3 Nd4) ({RR} 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. a3 Bd6) 15... Kf8 16. a3 Be7 17. Nc5 Bxc5 {Black prefers a simple course to GM Romain Edouard's stoic} (17... Bc8 $5 {, which is probably enough for equality:} 18. Rad1 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Ne5 20. Bd4 Nc6 21. Be3 Ne5 22. Nd7+ Nxd7 23. Bxd7 Bf6 24. Bc5+ Kg8 25. Bxc8 Rxc8 26. Bxa7 Bxb2 $11 {1/2 (31) Bogner,S (2587)-Edouard,R (2670) Dubai UAE 2014}) ({RR} 17... Bc8 18. Rad1 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Ne5) 18. Bxc5+ Kg8 {A typical position, in which Black's centralised setup largely diminishes the advantage of White's bishop pair.} 19. Rfd1 f6 $146 (19... Na5 $5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 (21. Bxa7 Nc4 {[%CAl Rc4b2,Rd8a8]}) ({RR} 21. Bxa7 Nc4) 21... Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Nc4 23. Bd4 Bd5 24. f3 f6 25. Kf2 a6 ({RR} 25... Kf7 26. Bc2 h6 27. Bxa7 Nxb2 28. Ke3 Nc4+ 29. Kd4 Nxa3 30. Bd3 Bc6 31. Kc5 Ba4 32. Kb4 Bc2 33. Be2 Nb1) 26. Ke2 ({RR} 26. h4 Kf7 27. h5 Ke6 28. Bc2 h6) 26... Kf7 27. Bc2 h6 28. Kd3 Ke6 29. Bc3 Nd6 30. Kd4 b6 ({RR} 30... Nb5+ 31. Kc5 Nxc3 32. bxc3) 31. a4 Bc6 32. Ke3 ({RR} 32. Bb3+ Kd7) 32... Nf5+ 33. Kf2 Ne7 34. b3 Nd5 {1/2 (41) Lenic,L (2637)-Edouard,R (2653) Warsaw POL 2013 - Black hoeld this ending without major problems.}) ({RR} 19... Na5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Nc4 23. Bd4 Bd5 24. f3 f6 25. Kf2 a6 26. Ke2 Kf7 27. Bc2 h6 28. Kd3 Ke6 29. Bc3 Nd6 30. Kd4 b6 31. a4 Bc6 32. Ke3 Nf5+ 33. Kf2 Ne7 34. b3 {Lenic,L (2637)-Edouard,R (2653) Warsaw 2013 CBM 158 [Edouard,Romain] ½-½ (41)}) 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 (21. Bxc6 bxc6 22. Bxa7 Bb3 {[%CAl Yd8d1] - the endgame with opposite-coloured bishops should end in a draw.}) 21... Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 {[%mdl 4096] In this ending both players should be satisfied. White has obtained a small advantage after the opening battle, and Black has a safe way to neutralise it.} Bd5 $1 {Black follows the same path as GM Romain Edouard in the above-mentioned game. He centralises his own bishop and prevents the activation of White's.} 23. f3 Kf7 24. Kf2 a6 25. h4 Nd8 26. Ke3 Ne6 27. Bd6 h5 28. Bc2 g6 29. Bd3 Ng7 30. g4 {This just leads to an exchange of a couple of pawns.} (30. Kd4 Ke6 {[%CAl Yg7f5]}) 30... g5 $1 31. hxg5 fxg5 32. Be5 (32. gxh5 Nxh5 {[%CAl Yf7e6]}) 32... h4 33. f4 Ne6 34. fxg5 Nxg5 35. Kf4 Nh3+ 36. Ke3 Ng5 37. Kf4 Nh3+ 38. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates qf Kortschnoj-Petrosian +2-1"] [Site "Ciocco"] [Date "1977.??.??"] [Round "6"] [White "Petrosian, Tigran V"] [Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2645"] [BlackElo "2645"] [Annotator "Mednis,Edmar John"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "1977.02.28"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "12"] [EventCountry "ITA"] [SourceTitle "Candidates"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 ({Partie zu Variante 6.e3:} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O {Adams,M-Seirawan,Y/ Wijk aan Zee1991}) ({Partie zu Variante 6.e3:} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. Nc3 e6 4. e3 Nc6 5. d4 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd3 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. O-O O-O {Ivanov,I-Dlugy,M/ US National Open 1989}) ({Partie zu Variante 6.g3:} 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. d4 O-O {Sirotanovic-Ruban/ Bela Crkva 1989}) 1... Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 c5 {[%mdl 5] Schwarz führt diesen befreienden Vorstoss bereits im 4.Zug aus, doch das Damengambit ist eine sehr starke Eröffnung. Den Ausgleich hat Schwarz damit noch lange nicht erreicht.} 5. cxd5 {Das ist ganz klar die kritische Variante. Andere Fortsetzungen bereiten dem Nachziehenden wenig Schwierigkeiten.} ({Weiss kann natürlich auch eine Symmetriesituation anstreben, in der er am Zug ist, und} 5. e3 Nc6 6. a3 {spielen. Doch das bietet nicht so gute Aussichten auf Vorteil wie der Tausch auf d5.}) (5. Bg5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 (6. Nxd4 e5 7. Nf3 d4 8. Nd5 Be7) 6... Nc6 7. Bxf6 gxf6 8. Qh4 dxc4 9. Rd1 $1 Bd7 10. e3 Be7 $11 {Pachman}) 5... Nxd5 {Schwarz verfügt über drei Antworten. Jede von ihnen hat deutliche Schattenseiten. Zur Tarrasch-Verteidigung gelangen wir, wenn Schwarz mit dem Bauern wiedernimmt. Damit willigt er in einen Einzelbauern auf d5 ein und hofft, dass sein Einfluss im Zentrum dafür genügend Gegenchancen bietet. Nach 5...?xd5 sprechen wir von der "Halb-Tarrasch- oder Semi-Tarrasch-Verteidigung", weil Schwarz den von Tarrasch geforderten frühen Gegenstoss c7-c5 ausführt, aber dann von der Grundidee abweicht und den Einzelbauern vermeidet. Er nimmt dafür einen klaren Nachteil in Kauf: Schwarz hat deutlich weniger Einfluss in der Mitte als in der Tarrasch-Verteidigung. Schwarz ist nicht nur im Zentrum unterlegen, ihm fehlt dafür auch ein Gegenwert. In letzter Zeit (1995) hat die Halb-Tarrasch-Variante an Beliebtheit im internationalen Schachgeschehen langsam aber sicher eingebüßt. Grossmeister wählen bei der Suche nach einer soliden Methode im Abgelehnten Damengambit lieber die orthodoxen Varianten (ohne 3. oder 4...c5, mit 3...?f3 und baldigem ...?e7) als die Halb-Tarrasch-Spielweise. Die Orthodoxe Verteidigung gibt Schwarz mehr Kontrolle im Zentrum und bietet nicht geringere Ausgleichs- oder Gewinnchancen als Halb-Tarrasch.} ({Der Vollständigkeit halber erwähne ich, dass} 5... cxd4 {"spielbar", aber mit Vorsicht zu genießen ist. Die Stellungen nach} 6. Qxd4 Nxd5 ({oder} 6... exd5 7. e4 $1) 7. e4 {sind schwierig zu behandeln, und es gibt keinen besonderen Grund, warum Schwarz sie anstreben sollte.}) (5... exd5 {führt zur Tarrasch-Verteidigung.} 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bg5) 6. e4 {Warum nicht? Schwarz hat dem Gegner erlaubt, kostenlos ein starkes Bauernzentrum aufzubauen, und es gibt keinen theoretischen Grund, warum Weiss diesen Weg nicht einschlagen sollte. Dennoch hat dieser dem Thema am ehesten entsprechende Plan nie den Beliebtheitsgrad erreicht, den er verdient. Dafür gibt es zwei Gründe, einen schachlichen und einen, der den "Spielprozess" betrifft. Zum ersteren ist zu sagen, dass Weiss ausserordentlich genau und kraftvoll agieren muss, wenn er den vereinzelten d-Bauern, der sich bald auf d5 ergeben wird, zu einem Plusfaktor machen will. Offenbar wollen sich viele Spieler nicht gern freiwillig einer solchen Herausfordrung stellen. Die beiden vollgültigen Alternativen, die in der Spielpraxis häufiger vorkommen, sind:} (6. e3 {mit der gebräuchlichen Folge} Nc6 7. Bd3 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. O-O O-O {Damit ist eine typische Stellung mit dem vereinzelten d-Bauer auf der 4.Reihe und allen leichten Figuren noch auf dem Brett. Das erhöht die Elastizität des weissen Spiels und vermindert das Risiko: anders als in der 6.e4-Variante erhält Schwarz keine Bauernmehrheit am Damenflügel. Der zuvor erwähnte Grund, der mit dem "Spielprozess" zusammenhängt, betrifft die Zugreihenfolge. Was die Varianten nach 6.e3 angeht, so ergeben sich 50% der Stellungen aus dem Panow-Angriff gegen die Caro-Kann-Verteidigung (siehe oben Partie Adams-Seirawan). Ausserdem kommt eine beträchtliche Anzahl über die Englische Partie zustande, wenn Schwarz frühzeitig c7-c5 und Weiss e2-e3 gezogen haben (siehe oben Partie Ivanov-Dlugy).}) (6. g3 {wobei die thematische Stellung nach den Zügen} Nc6 ({oder} 6... cxd4 7. Nxd5 exd5 $5 {Pachman}) 7. Bg2 Be7 8. O-O O-O {entsteht. Weiss hat dann die Wahl, selbst gegen einen vereinzelten d-Bauern zu spielen mittels} 9. Nxd5 exd5 {oder eine starke Mitte anzustreben, indem er nun doch den Zentrumsvorstoss 9.e4 wagt. Auch diese beiden Pläne sind Spielern von geschlossenen Systemen durchaus geläufig. Die nach 6.g3 angegebene Stellung der Hauptvariante ergibt sich meistens aus einer anderen Zugfolge als der "offiziellen". Tatsächlich werden die Stellungen nach dem 8.Zug und nach 9.?xd5 exd5 üblicherweise erreicht, indem Weiss in der Englischen Eröffnung frühzeitig g2-g3 zieht und erst später (d2) d3-d4. Ein charakteristisches Beispiel ist die oben angegebene Partie Sirotanovic-Ruban.}) 6... Nxc3 {Der einzig richtige Zug. Obgleich damit das weisse Zentrum durch Überführung des Bauern b2 nach c3 gestärkt wird, sind die mit dem Tausch verbundenen Pluspunkte wichtiger: Schwarz verliert keine Zeit mit einem Rückzug, und der Abtausch der Leichtfiguren verringert die einengende Wirkung des breiten weissen Bauernzentrums.} 7. bxc3 cxd4 {Wieder mit dem thematischen Ziel, Leichtfiguren zu tauschen, hier die schwarzfeldrigen Läufer. Alles andere ist deutlich schwächer, zum Beispiel:} (7... Be7 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Nd7 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Rd1 a6 12. a4 b6 13. d5 {und Schwarz hat keinen Gegenwert für den beträchtlichen Zentrumsvorteil des Weissen in Gligoric,S-Sanchez,L/ Saltsjobaden Interzonal 1952}) 8. cxd4 Bb4+ {An dieser Stelle hat Schwarz eine echte Wahl.} ({Er kann zuerst} 8... Nc6 {spielen und nach} 9. Bc4 {das taktische} b5 {[%csl Rb5,Re1][%CAl Yd8a5] Vordringlich für Weiss ist, seinen d-Bauern beweglich zu lassen. Deshalb ist} 10. Be2 $1 {richtig (und nicht die Selbstverstellung 10.?d3).} ({In der 9.WM-Partie in Reykjavik 1972 erreichte Fischer gegen Spassky nach} 10. Bd3 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bxd2+ 12. Qxd2 a6 13. a4 O-O {leichten Ausgleich,denn} 14. axb5 {würde mit} Nxd4 {beantwortet werden.}) {Ein ausgezeichnetes Vorbild ist folgende Partie:} 10... Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Qa5 12. d5 $1 (12. Rb1 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 a6 $11 {Petrosian-Kortschnoj/ Candidates Ciocco (Rd 2) 1977}) 12... exd5 13. exd5 Ne7 14. O-O Bxd2 15. Nxd2 O-O 16. Nb3 Qd8 17. Bf3 Nf5 18. Rc1 Nd6 19. Qd4 Qb6 (19... Qf6 $5) 20. Qf4 $1 {Weiss hat beträchtlichen Raumvorteil, und sein d-Bauer ist weit gefährlicher als ein möglicher Freibauer von Schwarz am Damenflügel in Jussupow,A-Ribli,Z/ Kandidatenturnier Montpellier 1985}) 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O {[%mdl 32] Die Bauernformation im Zentrum ist geklärt und je zwei Leichtfiguren sind abgetauscht. Was Sie nun sehen ist das, womit beide Seiten fertig werden müssen: der Startpunkt der kritischen, wesentlichen Varianten des Halb-Tarrasch-Komplexes. Betrachten wir die strategischen Themen für beide Seiten. WEISS zielt darauf, den d-Bauern wirkungsvoll vorzurücken, zunächst nach d5. Dort wird er sich im schwarzen Lager befinden und die Rolle eines Freibauern bekleiden und - wie Weiss hofft - ein Ärgernis für Schwarz sein, weil er nur drei Schritte vom Umwandlungsfeld entfernt ist und ausserdem die Verbindung der schwarzen Streitkräfte stört. Hinter dem Rücken des d-Bauern wird Weiss seine Türme auf den zentralen d- und e-Linien aufmarschieren lassen. Er wird versuchen, mit Hilfe seines räumlichen Übergewichts einen Königsangriff einzuleiten. Bei Schwarz fehlen am Königsflügel die leichten Figuren als Helfer bei der Verteidigung, und deshalb sind die weissen Aussichten, erfolgreich durchzudringen, günstig. SCHWARZ hat mit zwei Zielen zu jonglieren: (1) den weissen d-Bauern als harmlos hinzustellen und seinen König in ausreichender Sicherheit zu lassen; (2) seine Bauernmehrheit am Damenflügel voranzubringen und einen verwendbaren Freibauern zu bilden. Voraussichtlich wird dies nur im Endspiel möglich sein. Daher muss Schwarz unbedingt das Mittelspiel unbeschadet überstehen. In einer praktischen Partie ist die Lage für einen erfahrenen Weissspieler die weit angenehmere: eine Ungenauigkeit, die er sich leistet, kann vielleicht bedeuten, dass sein Vorteil sich verflüchtigen wird; ein Schnitzer von Schwarz wird höchstwahrscheinlich seine Stellung ruinieren.} 11. Bc4 {Hier steht der Läufer am besten.} ({Unangebracht bescheiden ist} 11. Be2 $143 {Der Läufer könnte ausserdem später den Turm blockieren, der auf der e-Linie eingreifen soll.} b6 12. O-O Bb7 13. Qf4 Nc6 14. Rfd1 Qf6 $1 15. Qe3 Rfd8 16. Rd2 Rac8 17. Rad1 Na5 $1 18. Ne5 Rc7 19. f4 Qe7 $1 20. d5 $5 exd5 21. exd5 Qc5 $1 22. Kf2 Qxe3+ 23. Kxe3 f6 24. Nf3 Rd6 $1 $15 {Quinteros-Pachman, Nathanya 1983}) 11... Nc6 {Der Normalzug, der den Springer auf sein "bestes" Feld bringt und Druck auf den d-Bauern ausübt. Ein Mangel ist jedoch, dass das unvermeidliche d4-d5 des Gegners mit Zeitgewinn erfolgt wegen des Angriffs auf den Springer, und diese Figur wird auch nicht oder nur wenig hilfreich sein bei der Verteidigung des Königs.} (11... Nd7 12. O-O {Die Alternative} Nf6 {entspricht wohl eher den Erfordernissen. Ein wichtiges Beispiel:} (12... b6 13. Rfe1 Bb7 14. a4 Rc8 15. Bd3 Nb8 (15... Nf6 16. a5) 16. a5 Nc6 17. axb6 {mit weisser Initiative am Damenflügel in Petrosian,T-Tal,M/ URS 1972}) 13. Rfe1 b6 14. a4 Bb7 15. Bd3 Rc8 16. a5 Qc7 17. axb6 axb6 18. Rac1 Qb8 19. Rb1 Qa8 {Der weisse Raumvorteil besagt, dass Weiss ein wenig besser steht; aber der unverkennbare Druck des Nachziehenden gegen e4 macht es Weiss schwer, seinen kleinen Vorteil auszubauen in Jussupow,A-Eslon,J/ Mallorca 1981}) (11... b6 $1 12. O-O Ba6 $5 {Es ist die Frage, ob Schwarz zu diesem Abtausch greifen muss, er bekommt mit 12...?b7 ein zum Ausgleich ausreichendes Gegenspiel. (Pachman)} 13. Rac1 ({gar nichts verspricht} 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. Rac1 Rc8 {usw.}) 13... Bxc4 14. Rxc4 b5 $1 15. Rc5 a6 16. d5 Nd7 17. Rc6 exd5 18. Qxd5 $11 {Anikaev-Bronstein/ Minsk 1983}) 12. O-O b6 {Die Flankenentwicklung des Damenläufers hat sich am besten bewährt. Zwei beachtliche Alternativen sind:} (12... Qd6 {Schwarz hofft, den Druck gegen d4 mittels ? d8 zu verstärken. Das macht Schwarz am Königsflügel jedoch noch verwundbarer. Weiss erlangte mit dem energischen} 13. Rad1 (13. Rfd1 Rd8 14. Rac1 Bd7 15. e5 Qe7 16. Qf4 Be8 17. h4 Rac8 $14 {mit verteilten Chancen (Konikowski) in Petrosian-Kortschnoj/ Candidates Ciocco (Rd 4) 1977}) 13... Rd8 14. Rfe1 Bd7 15. d5 $1 exd5 16. exd5 Ne7 17. Ng5 $1 {einen sehr starkem Angriff in Browne,W-Olafsson,H/ Reykjavik 1980}) (12... Ne7 {Schwarz dirigiert den Springer in Erwartung des kommenden d4-d5 um. Das kostet jedoch Zeit und einen passiven Springer. Weiss nützte diese Gegebenheiten mit Könnerschaft aus und erreichte wie folgt einen erfreulichen Vorteil:} 13. a4 $1 b6 14. a5 Bb7 15. Bd3 bxa5 16. Rfb1 Rb8 17. Rxa5 Nc6 18. Rab5 Ba8 19. d5 $1 $16 {Seirawan,Y-Kortschnoj,V/ Skelleftea 1989}) 13. Rfe1 {Wie schon an anderer Stelle angedeutet, muss Weiss entschlossen auftreten und das wirkungsvolle Vorgehen des d-Bauern mit seinen Angriffsplänen am Königsflügel verbinden. Deshalb sind Pläne, die mit Zügen wie ? fd1 oder ? ac1 einhergehen, für Schwarz ungefährlich. Zum Beispiel:} (13. Rfd1 Na5 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. Qe3 Rc8 16. Rac1 Qe7 17. Rxc8 Rxc8 18. Rc1 Rxc1+ 19. Qxc1 $11 {mit gleichem Spiel (die Partie endete hier remis), Zaitsev,A-Polugaevsky,L/ URS-ch 1968}) 13... Bb7 14. Rad1 {Weiss hat seine Streitkräfte sorgfältig für den kommenden Vorstoss d4-d5 bereitgestellt. Schwarz kann ihn nicht vermeiden, muss sich also darauf einstellen. Die zwei Hauptwege sind: (1) 14...?e7 - siehe Partieverlauf und (2) 14...? c8.} Ne7 {Mit der vernünftigen Idee, den vorwärtsdrängenden d-Bauern zu blockieren. Doch Weiss wird, wenn er energisch vorgeht, infolge seiner kraftvollen Entwicklung und des schwachen Punktes c6 die Führung behaupten.} (14... Rc8 {Schwarz bereitet einen Abzugsangriff auf den Läufer vor und nimmt die c-Linie in Besitz. Führt Weiss seinen Plan aus und zieht} 15. d5 {so muss Schwarz wieder eine grundsätzliche Entscheidung treffen:} Na5 (15... exd5 16. Bxd5 Qc7 17. e5 $1 ({stark ist auch} 17. Qg5 $1 h6 18. Qg4 Rfd8 19. h3 Ne7 20. Nd4 {Swoboda-Plank/ Wien 1985}) 17... Ne7 {Nun empfiehlt Tal} 18. Bb3 $1 ({anstelle des einfallslosen} 18. Bxb7 $6 Qxb7 $11 {mit Ausgleich, Nogueiras,J-Tal,M/ Brüssel 1988}) 18... Bxf3 19. gxf3 Kh8 20. Qd6 $36 {in jedem Fall mit starker Initiative des Anziehenden.} ({oder} 20. Qd7)) 16. Bd3 Qd6 (16... exd5 17. e5 {führt zu einem tödlichen Angriff für Weiss in Polugaevsky,L-Tal,M/ URS-ch Moscow 1969}) 17. dxe6 Qxe6 $6 ({Ein geringeres Übel ist} 17... fxe6 {Weiss spielt danach auf die Schwäche e6 mit} 18. Bb5 $1 ({oder er greift an mittels} 18. e5 $1 Qe7 19. Ng5 {wie GM Juri Dochoian angegeben hat.})) 18. Nd4 Qe5 19. Nf5 {[%CAl Rf2f4,Ye4e5] Weiss hat einen äusserst gefährlichen Angriff, den er mit f2-f4 und e4-e5 weiterführen wird, Dochoian,J-Webb,S/ EU-Team Cup 1989}) 15. d5 $1 {Jetzt entsteht ein starker Freibauer im Zentrum.} exd5 16. exd5 Nf5 {Bisher folgten beide Kämpen der Vorgängerpartie Uhlmann-Kortschnoj, in der 17.?d3?! geschah. Logisches Nachdenken brachte jedoch Petrosian zu der Überzeugung, dass 17.?d3 nicht nur passiv, sondern auch unlogisch ist. Er wird sich gesagt haben: "Warum sollte Weiss zwei seiner schweren Figuren von dem vorgerückten Freibauern abschneiden?"} 17. Ne5 $1 {Weiss hat Türme, Dame, Läufer, Springer und den d-Bauern harmonisch und zentral aufgestellt. Darum ist es vollständig richtig, den Springer nach vorn zu bringen und damit ? 18.d6 zu drohen. Wie es oft geschieht, so fußt auch hier die logische Strategie des Weissen auf einer glänzenden taktischen Pointe.} ({Nach} 17. Bd3 $6 Nd6 {stand Schwarz beinahe ebenbürtig in Uhlmann,W-Kortschnoj,V/ Zagreb 1970}) ({Sofort} 17. d6 Bxf3 {sagte Petrosian nicht zu.}) 17... Nd6 18. Nc6 $1 {Weiss führte den Angriff im Zentrum sehr energisch. Die Partie geht jetzt in ein Endspiel mit ausschließlich schweren Figuren über, in dem Weiss über einen starken Freibauern auf c6 verfügen wird. (Suetin)} Bxc6 $146 {Der Tausch führt zu einer unhaltbaren Lage. Schwarz musste eine der beiden Alternativen wählen:} ({Ein unerfreuliches Mittelspiel nach} 18... Qf6 $142 19. Bb3) ({oder} 18... Qh4 $142 19. Bb3) (18... Nxc4 $143 {führt zu einem sehr schweren, wenn nicht gar verlorenen Endspiel nach} 19. Nxd8 Nxd2 20. Nxb7 Rab8 21. Re7 ({möglich ist auch} 21. Na5 bxa5 22. Rxd2 {Hier hat Weiss über 50% Gewinnchancen und Null Verlustrisiko - eine Lage, in der sich der Turnierspieler immer sehr wohl fühlt.}) 21... Ne4 22. d6 $18) ({RR} 18... Qf6 19. Bb3 g6 20. h3 Rfe8 21. Rxe8+ Nxe8 22. Re1 Nd6 23. Qb4 Kg7 24. Ne5 Re8 25. Nd7 Rxe1+ 26. Qxe1 Qf4 27. g3 Qe4 28. Qa1+ Kh6 29. Nf6 Qf3 30. Bd1 {1-0 (30) Welin,T (2400)-Pyhala,A (2385) Gausdal 1987}) 19. dxc6 Nxc4 20. Qf4 $1 ({Der Versuch einer "brillianten" Schlusskombination mittels} 20. Qxd8 $2 Raxd8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. c7 {würde nach} Rf8 $1 23. Rd1 b5 24. Rd8 Nb6 $19 {zu einer schmerzlichen Niederlage führen.}) 20... Nd6 {Auf Kosten einiger Tempoverluste gelingt es Schwarz, den raschen Vorstoss des c-Bauern auf die 7.Reihe zu verhindern.} (20... Qf6 21. Qxc4 Rac8 22. c7) 21. Rxd6 Qc7 22. g3 {Deckt die Dame und gibt zugleich dem König Luft. Skizzieren wir kurz das Ergebnis des bisherigen Kampfes: Weiss hat einen starken, weit vorgerückten Freibauern, seine Türme beherrschen die Mittellinien und die Dame steht wirkungsvoll. Der einzige Trumpf von Schwarz, die Bauernmehrheit am Damenflügel, ist ziemlich bedeutungslos, denn die schwarzen Schwerfiguren sind nicht in der Lage, die Bildung eines Freibauern zu unterstützen, weil sie sich auf den gegnerischen Freibauern und den Schutz des eigenen Königs konzentrieren müssen. Weiss beherrscht das ganze Brett, und Petrosian ist der richtige Mann, die Arbeit erfolgreich zu vollenden. Jeder seiner Züge vergrössert seinen Vorteil oder fördert die Sicherheit seiner eigenen Stellung. Weiss braucht sich nicht zu beeilen. Es kommt darauf an, ein mögliches Gegenspiel zu verhindern und in die richtige Richtung zu marschieren.} h6 {Der Textzug bedeutet eine kaum merkliche und doch ganz reale Schwächung der schwarzen Königsstellung, weil der weisse g-Bauer nun als Rammbock dienen kann, um Linien zu öffnen. Schwarz kommt jedoch ohne etwas Luft für seinen König nicht aus, er müsste sonst unaufhörlich auf verschiedene Grundreihenmatts achten.} ({Ein Zug wie} 22... Rad8 {trüge ebenfalls nicht zur Entlastung bei, weil nach dem Abtausch eines Turmpaars der Freibauer eine noch gefährlichere Wirkung entfaltet, zumal dann, wenn der König kein Luftloch hat. Zum Beispiel:} 23. Red1 Rxd6 $6 (23... Rde8 $142 24. Qf3 Rc8 25. Qf5) 24. Qxd6 Qxd6 (24... Qc8 25. c7 $18) 25. Rxd6 Rc8 26. c7 $18 {und gewinnt}) 23. Qe5 $1 {Mit diesem und dem nächsten Zug zentralisiert Weiss kraftvoll seine Dame.} Rac8 ({Falls} 23... Rae8 $2 {so gewinnt Weiss leicht nach} 24. Qxe8 Rxe8 (24... Qxd6 25. Qd7 $18 {gewinnt noch einfacher.}) 25. Rxe8+ Kh7 26. Red8 Qe7 27. Rd1 Qc7 28. R8d6 b5 29. Rc1 $1 {[%CAl Rd6d7]} Qxd6 30. c7 $18) 24. Qd5 $1 Kh7 {Schwarz tritt auf der Stelle.} (24... Rfd8 $4 {verliert sofort.} 25. Rd7 $1 $18) ({Oder} 24... Rcd8 25. Rd7 Qb8 26. Ree7 $18) 25. Re4 Kg8 26. Kg2 a6 27. h4 b5 28. g4 $1 {Ganz im Stil Alekhines. Nachdem Weiss an einem Brettabschnitt die Vorherrschaft errang, geht er am anderen zum Angriff über. Die weissen Schwerfiguren beherrschen die Zentrallinien und der König steht nicht mehr auf der Grundreihe: damit sind die Voraussetzungen für den erfolgreichen Angriff gegen den verwundbaren Punkt h6 geschaffen.} Kh7 29. Re2 Kh8 30. g5 h5 {Schwarz muss den Königsflügel so geschlossen wie möglich lassen.} ({Nach} 30... hxg5 $6 31. hxg5 {entscheidet die offene h-Linie.}) 31. Rd2 $1 {Das dient nicht nur der totalen Herrschaft über die d-Linie. Die Türme schützen sich jetzt gegenseitig, so dass die Dame auf Beute ausgehen kann. Im Visier hat sie den h-Bauern. Schwarz soll zu g7-g6 provoziert werden - eine weitere Schwächung der Königsstellung. Weiss wird dann beginnen, die neue Schwäche auszunützen. Unaufhaltsam zieht sich die Schlinge um den schwarzen König zusammen.} Rfe8 {Verzweifelte Suche nach Gegenspiel, doch Schwarz sollte besser abwarten.} (31... Qe7 $142 32. Qf3 (32. Rd7 {führt zu nichts.} Qb4) 32... Kg8 33. Qd5 (33. Rd7 Qc5) 33... Kh8) 32. Qf3 g6 $2 ({Mehr Widerstand leistete} 32... Kg8 $142 $1 33. Qxh5 Re5 34. Qg4 Rc5 35. g6 fxg6 36. f3 Rf8 $16 (36... Rxc6 $4 37. Qe6+ Kh8 38. Rxc6 Qxc6 39. Rd8+)) 33. R2d5 $1 {Indem er die schräge Linie von c6 aus nach f3 und g2 unterbricht, droht Weiss mittels 34.? d7 oder 34.?f6+ sofort zu gewinnen. Daher muss der schwarze Turm den f-Bauern decken.} Rf8 {Schwarz ist wie gelähmt. Das Finale spielt Petrosian überaus exakt.} (33... Re7 34. Rd7 Rxd7 35. cxd7 Rd8 36. Qxf7 Qc6 (36... Rg8 37. Qf6+ Kh7 38. d8=Q) 37. f3 Qc2+ 38. Kg3 Qc7+ 39. Kh3 Qc6 40. Qe7 Qc7 41. Rd6 $18) 34. Rf6 $1 {Dieses Feld ist für den Turm noch besser geeignet als für die Dame. Die Drohung 35.? d7 ist nun unparierbar.} Qe7 (34... Rcd8 35. Rxd8 Qxd8 36. Rxf7 {ist ebenfalls ganz aussichtslos.}) 35. Rd7 Qe8 $2 (35... Qc5 {ist besser, ändert aber nichts am Ausgang der Partie:} 36. Rfxf7 Rxf7 37. Qxf7 Qxc6+ 38. f3 Qxd7 39. Qxd7 $18) 36. Rxg6 $1 {Mit einem taktischen Witz zerstört Weiss den geschwächten Königsflügel.} Qe5 {In Zeitnot lässt Kortschnoj ein einzügiges Matt zu, welches aber nicht mehr zu verhindern war.} ({Oder} 36... fxg6 37. Qc3+ {nebst Matt auf g7.}) 37. Qxh5# 1-0 [Event "RUS-ch 68th"] [Site "Chita"] [Date "2015.08.11"] [Round "3"] [White "Tomashevsky, Evgeny"] [Black "Lysyj, Igor"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2747"] [BlackElo "2673"] [Annotator "Sagar,Shah"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2015.08.09"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 168"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This game shows perfectly well how a 2750 player - Tomashevsky is able to assess the value of initiative vis-à-vis material. Something which mere mortals always struggle to understand.} 1. c4 ({RR} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 {½-½ (21) Zakaryan,D (2338)-Pridorozhni,A (2599) Sochi 2019}) 1... Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 {The game now goes into a Semi-Tarrasch.} 6. e4 (6. e3 {is another way to play.}) 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nc6 12. O-O b6 {Placement of the rooks in this position for White is quite confusing for those players who are not well versed in classical games. But all classically inclined s5udents of the game would know the game between Polugaevsky-Tal from 1969 where Polugaevsky beat the eighth world champion in a beautiful game of attacking chess.} 13. Rad1 $1 {The rooks go to d1 and e1 in order to avoid exchanges as well as attack the black king and also support a central breakthrough by means of d4-d5.} Na5 ({The game between Polugaevsky and Tal continued in this manner.} 13... Bb7 14. Rfe1 Na5 15. Bd3 Rc8 16. d5 $1 exd5 17. e5 Nc4 18. Qf4 Nb2 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg6 21. h4 Rc4 22. h5+ Kh6 23. Nxf7+ Kh7 24. Qf5+ Kg8 25. e6 Qf6 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. Rd2 Rc6 28. Rxb2 Re8 29. Nh6+ Kh7 30. Nf5 Rexe6 31. Rxe6 Rxe6 32. Rc2 Rc6 33. Re2 Bc8 34. Re7+ Kh8 35. Nh4 f5 36. Ng6+ Kg8 37. Rxa7 {1-0 (37) Polugaevsky,L-Tal,M Moscow 1969}) 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. h4 $5 {The h-pawn push can have a lot of uses. First of all it does away with the back rank weakness. This would not mean much right now but it is always useful. More importantly the idea is to play h5-h6 and create weaknesses in the black camp. Also if Black plays h6, the h5-pawn cramps his position and the king on g8 feels uncomfortable to put it mildly.} (15. Rfe1 {is the normal way to play and has been tried in many games before but Tomashevsky begins with h4-h5 gaining space and later brings his rook to e1.}) 15... Rc8 16. h5 h6 17. Rfe1 Qe7 (17... Nc4 $5 {looks much better} 18. Qe2 $1 (18. Bxc4 Rxc4 19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Rc5 $17 {[%csl Rf3][%CAl Gb7f3]}) 18... Nd6 19. d5 $5 {A typical pawn sacrifice in this variation.} exd5 20. e5 Re8 21. Nd4 Nc4 $13 {The position remains complex and both sides have their trumps.}) 18. d5 {The central majority is White's main trump here and soon or later he has to go for this central break.} Nc4 {A move made after 25 minutes of thought.} 19. Bxc4 {And Tomashevsky played this extremely natural move after thinking for 29 minutes. He must have been really weighing up the pros and cons of this exchange.} (19. Qe2 exd5 20. exd5 Qxe2 21. Bxe2 Rfd8 $11 {gives Black nothing to worry about.}) (19. Qf4 Nb2 20. Rd2 Nxd3 21. Rxd3 {This must have been surely one of the candidate positions in Tomashevsky's mind.} Rfd8 22. d6 Qf6 23. Qg3 (23. Qxf6 gxf6 $15 {and the pawn on d6 looks more of a weakness than a strength to me.}) 23... Rc4 24. e5 Qf5 $11 {and in spite of facing this protected passed pawn, Black's chances are not bad as his pieces are playing well in the game.}) 19... Rxc4 20. Ne5 (20. d6 Qf6 21. e5 Qf5 $15) 20... Rc5 (20... Ra4 21. d6 Qh4 (21... Qf6 $2 22. Nd7 $18) 22. Nf3 Qd8 (22... Qxh5 $2 23. d7 Rd8 24. Qc2 $18 {[%CAl Gc2a4,Gc2c7]}) 23. d7 {It is always scary to play against such a pawn on d7.} Bxe4 24. Ne5 (24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25. Qd6 $44 {The knight will soon go to e5 to c6. In general White has excellent compensation and it is very difficult to defend as Black.}) 24... Bd5 25. Rc1 f6 26. Rc8 fxe5 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Rc1 Rxd7 29. Rc8+ Kf7 30. Qd3 $16) 21. d6 Qd8 $146 (21... Qh4 {looks more active but after} 22. d7 Rd8 23. Qd6 $14 {White is calling the shots.}) 22. Qf4 $16 {White already has a completely dominating position.} f6 23. Ng6 Rf7 24. e5 $5 (24. Qg4 {was much stronger as after} Qe8 (24... Qd7 25. e5 f5 (25... fxe5 26. Nxe5 Rxe5 27. Rxe5 $18) 26. Qg3 $18 {All that remains is to play ?c1 and exchange Black's only active piece.}) 25. d7 $1 Rxd7 26. Rxd7 Qxd7 27. Rd1 $1 Qe8 28. Qxe6+ $3 Qxe6 29. Rd8+ {it's game over! A very pretty variation.}) 24... fxe5 25. Ne7+ Kf8 (25... Rxe7 26. dxe7 Qxe7 27. Rxe5 $16) 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Ne7+ Kf8 28. Qg4 Bd5 (28... Rxe7 29. dxe7+ Qxe7 30. Rc1 $16) 29. Nxd5 $1 exd5 30. Rxe5 Qxd6 31. Rde1 {This is exactly the position that I want you to have a close look at. White is a pawn down but has the initiative. His rooks are perfectly placed on the open e-file and his queen is hovering around creating dangerous threats. The weak position of the black king also adds to his woes. All in all you can understand that for the investment of a pawn, White has a clear initiative.} Rf6 {The only logical move.} 32. Re8+ Kf7 33. Qa4 $1 {An irritating move to face, the a7-pawn is attacked. Should I play a5 or go back and defend with ...?c7? Lysyj prefers the latter.} Rc7 (33... a5 34. Qa3 $5 {with the idea of going to the d3-h7 diagonal is pretty interesting but atl east the position is playable for Black after} Rc7 35. Qd3 Qd7 $14) 34. Qb5 {Planning ?d3-h7 but more importantly aiming for ?f8+ ?xf8 ?xd5+ with a quick mate.} Qc6 35. Qe2 {What is the threat? Of course ?e7+ and mate in two!} Qc5 (35... Rf4 $1 {with the idea of ...?e4 was more accurate but under time pressure such moves are always very difficult to find.}) 36. g3 $3 {Two exclamation marks are a little bit too much but you can understand my enthusiasm, right? Lysyj is under time pressure and concretely there are no threats that White can make right now. So Tomashevsky takes just 28 seconds and improves his position in a very small way. Also he has thrown back the ball into Black's court and asks him to come up with a move.} Rd7 $2 {A bad blunder whose refutation is not at all easy to see.} (36... Qd6 {would have kept White's advantage to a minimum.}) 37. Re6 $1 {It's all over now.} Rd8 (37... Rf5 38. Rf6+ $3 {A very nice tactic just clearing the e8-square for the queen.} gxf6 (38... Rxf6 39. Qe8#) (38... Kxf6 39. Qe6+ Kg5 40. Qg6#) 39. Qe8+ Kg7 40. Qxd7+ $18) 38. Rxf6+ gxf6 (38... Kxf6 39. Qe6+ Kg5 40. Qg6#) 39. Qg4 $1 (39. Qe6+ {might look tempting but after} Kg7 40. Qg4+ Kh8 {Black is somehow clinging on.}) 39... Rg8 40. Qd7+ {Followed by ?e8#. I would say this was a brilliant demonstration of how having more active pieces and the initiative can be more important than a material advantage.} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-A 84th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2022.01.21"] [Round "6"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Duda, Jan Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Duda,Jan Krzysztof"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2022.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 206"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,72,25,14,21,6,6,6,14,14,39,22,72,63,68,52,68,60,56,59,59,46,46,52,52,52,52,22,22,9,11,6,27,11,9,0,0,0,36,-3,18,-13,39,39,39,39,17,22,30,27,19,19,48,31,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-12,-14,-55,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Re8 16. h3 ({In round 2, I had encountered} 16. Re3 Nf6 17. Qe1 (17. d5 $5 {is a serious line, predecessor being the following game:} exd5 18. e5 Ne4 19. Qe1 Qc7 20. Nd4 a6 21. h4 Rcd8 22. f3 Nc5 23. h5 Ne6 24. Nf5 d4 25. Red3 Nc5 26. Rxd4 Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Nxb3 28. Qg3 g6 29. axb3 Rd8 30. e6 Qc1+ 31. Kh2 Rxd4 32. e7 Qc8 33. Qe5 Rh4+ 34. Kg3 {1-0 (34) Carlsen,M (2863)-Giri,A (2764) chess24.com INT 2020}) 17... Ng4 $5 (17... Qc7 {is perfectly viable as well}) 18. Re2 Ba6 19. Red2 Bc4 20. Bxc4 (20. e5) (20. h3 Nf6 21. Ne5) 20... Rxc4 21. Qe2 Rc7 (21... Rc3 $142) 22. Qd3 (22. e5 $1 $36 {[%csl Rg4]}) 22... Nf6 $11 {with balanced game till the very end:} 23. d5 exd5 24. e5 Nd7 25. Qxd5 Qe7 26. Qb5 Nf8 27. h3 h6 28. Rd6 Rec8 29. Qd3 Rc3 30. Qf5 Rc1 31. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 32. Kh2 Rc5 33. Qd3 Qb7 34. h4 Qe7 35. Rd8 g6 36. Rb8 Kg7 37. Qe4 Nd7 38. Rb7 Qe6 39. Rxa7 Nxe5 40. Nxe5 Qxe5+ {1/2 (40) Praggnanandhaa,R (2612)-Duda,J (2760) Tata Steel Chess Masters 2022}) 16... Nf6 17. Qf4 Qc7 $5 (17... Nh5 18. Qh2 h6 {is sort of the main line, popularised among others by Ding Liren. I don't think it's the only playable way for black though.}) 18. Ne5 Re7 {OTB the line felt a bit risky, but it had been played by Grischuk and Dominguez before, and I was backed up with some decent knowledge, so at the end of the day I decided to give it a try in the present game. Here white has several plans, either going for a kingside attack, or playing in a positional manner, possibly looking for an endgame by means of ?g6 trick in various positions. What he played is, I suppose the most dangerous attempt to tear my position apart} 19. Qh4 b5 {Here for a second I couldn't recall whether 19...b5 or 19...a5 is a more precise move order, as it's all of very subtle nature. Finally I decided it made sense to keep momentum and move randomly asap :)} (19... a5 {here white may block the following b5 move by means of} 20. a4 (20. Ba4) ({or} 20. Bc4)) 20. Rd3 ({whereas here, there was an oppurtunity to jump on a new outpost} 20. Nd3 $5 {[%CAl Gd3c5]}) 20... a5 21. Rg3 Nxe4 $8 {Not a very topical idea, but in given circumstances it just slows down White's attack, and swaps material.} (21... Ne8 $2 {loses straight away due to} 22. Nxf7 $1 $18) 22. Rxe4 Bxe4 23. Qxe4 a4 $146 ({RR} 23... Qc1+ 24. Kh2 a4 25. Qg4 g6 26. Bd1 Rc3 27. Qh4 Rec7 28. Bf3 Qa3 29. Ng4 Qe7 30. Nf6+ Kg7 31. Qxh7+ Kxf6 32. Qh8+ Kf5 33. Qe5# {1-0 (33) Secheres,A (2342)-Eletskikh,A (2231) Timisoara ROU 2024}) 24. Bd1 (24. Qh4 {is the alternative, but yields no more than a draw}) 24... f6 25. Nd3 {A far more natural retreat.} (25. Ng4 $6 {just doesn't make any sense} f5 26. Nf6+ Kh8 27. Qh4 gxf6 28. Qxf6+ Rg7 $15) ({I remembered having analyzed with older engines the following sequance:} 25. Nf3 Qc1 26. Qe2 b4 (26... Qc4 $5 {is simple enough with a probable repetition}) 27. Ne1 b3 28. axb3 a3 {with a bizzare, yet another 0.00 position}) 25... Qd6 $1 $11 {The last move of my analyses, as I had never really believed to reach this position ever, so I hadn't bothered to prolong the lines from here onwards. The pleasant thing was that in this virtually new position, my opponent had to make a choice, while I was enjoying my 1 hour + advantage, and other people's games :)} 26. Nc5 $5 {Here White could have basically played anything (at least top 15 engine lines are ok for the first player, obviously not all of them coming in a human sense of logic). The game choice simplifies the position, which is understandable given the time difference} (26. Qh4 {would have been perhaps the most challenging, but} Rc3 {would be ok for black}) 26... Rxc5 {Not strictly necessary, but the best.} 27. Qa8+ Kf7 28. dxc5 Qxd1+ 29. Kh2 {Black is a pawn up, but his king is too weak to offer chances for an objective advantage. During the game it seemed as if there were some chances to squeeze this, with help of engines, the feeling is utterly opposite.} Qd4 (29... f5 30. c6 {doesn't differ that much}) 30. c6 (30. Qh8 f5 {is of course the idea behind 29...?d4} 31. Qxh7 Rc7 (31... b4 32. c6 {transposes to the game}) 32. Qh5+ (32. Qg6+ Kf8 33. Qxe6 Rxc5 34. Qb6 $11) 32... Ke7 33. Qh8 $11) 30... Rc7 (30... f5 31. Qb8 Qc5 32. Qh8 Qe5 (32... Qd4 33. Qb8 $11) 33. f4 Qd4 $8 34. Qb8 Qc5 35. Qh8 $11 {with repetition}) 31. Qh8 f5 32. Qxh7 b4 $6 (32... Rxc6 $1 {would have been more combatitive, but still dead-level according to the machine.} 33. Qh5+ Ke7 34. Qh8 Qe5 $5 {that was the idea we were discussing in post-mortem.} 35. Qxg7+ (35. f4 $2 {is the only move that doesn't work} Qxf4 36. Qxg7+ Kd8 $1 $17) (35. h4 {is not very intuitive, but fine nevertheless}) (35. a3 $5) 35... Qxg7 36. Rxg7+ Kd6 37. h4 $1 $11 {as shown by Vidit, the rook endgame might be a bit uncomfortable but is also drawn.}) 33. Qh5+ (33. Qg6+ Ke7 {was my idea.}) 33... Ke7 34. Qh8 {Now the draw is imminent, as 34...?f4 isn't a serious winning attempt.} Kf7 35. Qh5+ Ke7 36. Qh8 Kf7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Horgen"] [Site "Horgen"] [Date "1995.10.29"] [Round "8"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Lautier, Joel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2730"] [BlackElo "2645"] [Annotator "Kramnik,Vladimir"] [PlyCount "127"] [EventDate "1995.10.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 050"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.02.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.02.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 (5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nc7 7. O-O e5) 5... e6 (5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 dxc4 7. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 8. Nxd1 bxc6 9. Bg2 Nd5 10. Ne3 e6 11. Nxc4 Ba6 12. b3 Bb4+ 13. Bd2 Ke7 14. Rc1 Rac8 15. Bxb4+ Nxb4 16. a3 Nd5 17. Na5 $14 {Kramnik,V-Hjartarson,J/EU Cup Paris/1995/}) 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 (7... Be7 8. O-O O-O) 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 (10. cxd4 $2 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Qxd4 12. Qa4+ $2 Bd7 13. Qxb4 Qxa1+) 10... Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bd6 $6 (11... Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Kd8 14. Rhc1 (14. a4 Re8 15. a5 Rb8 16. Rhb1 Re7 17. Rb2 b5 18. axb6 axb6 19. Rab1 Rd7 20. Rb4 Rd6 21. e4 b5 22. Bf1 Bd7 23. Ra1 e5 24. d5 g5 25. Ke3 g4 26. Be2 Rh6 27. Rab1 Ke7 {½-½ Chernin,A-Farago,I/HUN-ch (01) ;CBM 34 1992}) 14... Re8 15. Rc5 Rb8 $14) 12. O-O (12. Rb1 Rb8 13. Bf4 Ke7 14. Bxd6+ Kxd6 15. Rb3 b6 16. Ra3 Bb7 17. e4 a6 18. Kd2 Ke7 19. Rb1 b5 20. Rd3 Ba8 21. Ra3 {½-½ Groszpeter,A-Karolyi,T/HUN-ch ;EXT 86ch 1986}) (12. Bf4 Ke7 (12... Bxf4 13. gxf4 Ke7 14. e3 Rb8 15. Kd2 b6 16. Rac1 Rd8 17. Rc7+ Rd7 18. Rhc1 Bb7 19. Bxb7 Rxb7 20. Rxb7 Rxb7 21. Kd3 Kd7 22. h4 {Loeffler,S-Van der Sterren,P/NLD-chT (04) ;EXT 93ch 1993/½-½ (36)}) 13. Bxd6+ Kxd6 14. Kd2 Rb8 15. Rab1 b6 16. Rhc1 Bd7 17. e4 Rhc8 18. e5+ Ke7 19. Ke3 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Rc8 21. Rxc8 Bxc8 {Dokhoian,Y-Nasibullin,V/Pavlodar ;EXT 87 1987/½-½ (46)}) ({RR} 12. a4 Rb8 13. a5 Bd7 14. Be3 a6 15. d5 Bb4+ 16. Bd2 Bxd2+ 17. Kxd2 exd5 18. Bxd5 Bc6 19. Bxc6+ bxc6 20. Rhc1 Kd7 21. Rc2 Rhe8 22. Ra4 Re6 23. Rd4+ Rd6 24. Kc3 Rb5 25. Rcd2 Rxd4 26. Rxd4+ Ke6 {Ding,L (2811)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2776) Chess.com INT 2019 ½-½ (31)}) ({RR} 12. a4 Rb8 13. a5 Bd7 14. Ba3 Ke7 15. Kd2 Rhc8 16. Rhb1 b5 17. axb6 Rxb6 18. Rxb6 axb6 19. e4 Bxa3 20. Rxa3 Rc4 21. Ke3 Ra4 22. Rb3 b5 23. Bf1 b4 24. Bc4 Ra3 25. Rxa3 bxa3 26. e5 Bb5 {Keymer,V (2743)-Svidler,P (2689) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (44)}) 12... Rb8 13. e4 $1 (13. Bd2 Bd7 14. Rfc1 O-O 15. Bf4 Bxf4 16. gxf4 Rfc8 17. Rxc8+ Bxc8 18. Rc1 Bd7 19. Rc7 Bb5 20. e3 Ba6 21. d5 Kf8 22. dxe6 fxe6 {Schmidt,Wl-Ernst,T/Poznan ;TD 87\06 1987/1-0 (45)}) 13... O-O $146 (13... b6 14. Bb2 $1 (14. Be3 Bb7 15. a4 Kd7 16. a5 bxa5 17. Rxa5 a6 18. Ra4 Ra8 19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Rhb8 21. Re1 Bc8 22. Bd2 g6 23. Ba5 h5 {Cebalo,M-Pachman,L/Palma de Mallorca GMA (07) ;TD 89\13 1989/½-½ (38)}) 14... Bb7 15. Rac1 Kd7 16. d5 $1) ({RR} 13... b6 14. Bb2 f6 15. f4 Bb7 16. e5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Be7 18. Rac1 Kd7 19. d5 exd5 20. e6+ Kxe6 21. Rc7 Bc5 22. Re1+ Kd6 23. Ree7 d4 24. Bxd4 Bxd4 25. Red7+ Ke6 26. Rxd4 Rbd8 27. Ra4 g5 28. fxg5 {Bu,X (2675)-Edouard,R (2587) Biel 2011 ½-½ (40)}) ({RR} 13... Bd7 14. Be3 b6 15. Rfc1 Rc8 16. Rxc8+ Bxc8 17. Rc1 Bd7 18. e5 Bb8 19. Bf1 Ke7 20. Ba6 Rd8 21. f4 f6 22. Kf2 Be8 23. Kf3 Bg6 24. Rc6 Bb1 25. Bc4 Kd7 26. Bb5 Ke7 27. Bc4 Kd7 28. Bb5 {Schleining,Z (2354)-Madl,I (2343) Reykjavik 2015 ½-½}) 14. e5 $1 Be7 (14... Bc7 15. Ba3 Rd8 16. Rac1 Rd7 17. Rxc7 Rxc7 18. Bd6 $18) 15. Be3 Bd7 (15... b6 16. Rfc1 Bd8 17. Bd2 {??b4-d6}) 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Rxc8+ Bxc8 18. Rc1 Kf8 19. Bh3 $5 (19. d5 exd5 20. Bxd5 (20. Bxa7 Ra8 21. Bxd5 Be6 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Bc5 $14) 20... Be6 21. Bxe6 fxe6 22. Rc7 $1 b5 23. Rxa7 b4 $14) 19... Ke8 20. d5 Bd7 21. d6 Bd8 22. Bg2 (22. Bxa7 $2 Ra8 23. Be3 Rxa2 $132) 22... b6 23. f4 Rc8 24. Kf2 (24. Rxc8 Bxc8 25. Kf2) 24... Rxc1 25. Bxc1 Bb5 26. Be4 h6 (26... g6 {xf7} 27. h4 h5) 27. Be3 Kd7 28. Ke1 Bc6 29. Bd3 (29. Bxc6+ $2 Kxc6) 29... Bd5 30. a3 f6 31. Kd2 fxe5 32. fxe5 Kc6 (32... Bg5 33. Bxg5 (33. Bf4 $5 Kc6 34. h4) 33... hxg5 $16) 33. Kc3 Bf3 34. Bc4 Bd5 35. Ba6 Bf3 36. Kd4 Bd5 (36... b5 $2 37. Kd3 Bb6 38. Bxb6 Kxb6 39. Bxb5 $1 $18) 37. a4 Bb3 (37... Kd7 38. Bb5+ Kc8 (38... Bc6 $2 39. Kc4 $1 $18)) 38. Bb5+ Kb7 39. Bd7 $1 Bd5 40. Kc3 Ba2 41. Kb4 Bd5 (41... g5 $5) 42. h4 $1 Ba2 43. Bd2 $1 (43. Bc1 Bd5 44. Ba3 Ba2 45. Kc3 Bd5 46. Be8 $2 Bc6) 43... Bd5 44. Bc1 Ba2 45. Kc3 Bd5 46. Ba3 Ba2 (46... a6 47. Bb4) 47. Be8 $1 Bd5 48. d7 Bc6 49. Bf8 Bxa4 50. Bxg7 Kc7 51. Bxh6 Bxd7 52. Bf7 Kc6 (52... Be7 53. h5 Kd8 54. Bg7 Be8 55. h6 $1 $18) 53. h5 (53. Bg5 Bc7 54. Kd4 $18) 53... Kd5 54. Bg7 Bg5 55. g4 Ke4 56. h6 Bxh6 57. Bxh6 Kxe5 58. g5 Kf5 59. g6 Kf6 60. Bg5+ Kg7 61. Kd4 Ba4 (61... b5 62. Ke5 a5 63. Bf6+ Kf8 64. Bxe6 Bxe6 65. Kxe6 b4 66. Kd5 $18) 62. Ke5 Bc2 63. Bf6+ Kf8 64. Kf4 1-0 [Event "Rubinstein Memorial 35th"] [Site "Polanica Zdroj"] [Date "1998.08.26"] [Round "9"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2730"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,Ilya"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "1998.08.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "POL"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 067"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.11.30"] [SourceVersion "2"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.11.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%mdl 4352]} 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 Nb6 (7... Ndb4 $1 8. e3 (8. a3 $6 cxd4 9. axb4 Bxb4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. O-O (11. Qa4+ $2 Bd7 12. Qxb4 $4 Nc2+ $19) 11... O-O 12. Bf4 a5 $15) (8. dxc5 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Bxc5 10. a3 Nd5 11. Nxd5 (11. Ne4 Bb6 $132) 11... exd5 12. e3 (12. Rf1 O-O $11) 12... O-O (12... d4 13. b4 Bb6 14. b5 Na5 15. Nxd4 $14) 13. b4 Bb6 14. Bb2 Bf5 $11 (14... Bd7 15. Rc1 Rac8 16. Re1 Rfe8 17. Re2 Bf5 $11)) 8... cxd4 9. exd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. O-O Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Be7 (12... Bc5 $6 13. Bf4 O-O 14. Nb5 $44 {½-½ Biriukov,O-Aseev,K/City-Ch, St Petersburg RUS 1998 (41)}) 13. Bf4 O-O $15) (7... Nxc3 8. bxc3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Be7 (10... Qa5 11. Rb1 Bxd2+ 12. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Ke7 14. Rhc1 $16) 11. Bc3 (11. O-O O-O 12. Rb1 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. Qc2 Qc5 15. Qxc5 {½-½ Petrosian,T-Spassky,B/Moskva (m6) 1966 (15)}) 11... O-O 12. O-O Bd7 $1 13. Qd2 $14 {1-0 Gulko,B-Vaganian,R/Yerevan 1996/Inf 66/ (30)}) (7... Nf6 8. e3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 Qa5 11. Bd2 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. exd4 Bb4 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxb4 Qxb4 16. Bxe4 Bd7 $11 {½-½ Shamkovich,L-Averbakh,Y/URS-ch21 Kiev 1954/URS-ch (30)}) 8. e3 $11 (8. Bg5 $5 f6 9. Be3 (9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. Ne4 Qxd1+ 11. Rxd1 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Nfxd2 (13. Rxd2 Ke7 14. O-O e5 15. Rfd1 Be6 16. b3 Rad8 17. Nc5 Bc8 $11) 13... Ke7 14. f4 a5 15. Nc5 a4 16. a3 Ra5 $132 {1-0 Agdestein,S-Chandler,M/Hastings 1991/CBM 27 (43)}) 9... Nc4 10. O-O (10. Qa4 Nxe3 11. fxe3 Bd7 $15) 10... Nxe3 11. fxe3 Be7 (11... Bd7 $5 $132) 12. Qb3 O-O (12... Qb6 13. Na4 $1 Qxb3 14. axb3 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. exd4 $14 {1-0 Ivanchuk,V-Seirawan,Y/Tilburg m rapid 1992 (39)}) 13. Rad1 Qb6 $11) 8... Be7 9. O-O (9. Ne5 $5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Qxd1+ 11. Kxd1 O-O 12. Ke2 Nc4 13. f4 Rb8 14. b3 Na5 15. Nb5 Bd7 16. Nd6 Bc6 17. Bxc6 Nxc6 $11 {1-0 Ehlvest,J-Chandler,M/Reykjavik WCup 1991/CBM 26 (35)}) 9... O-O 10. dxc5 (10. Re1 Bd7 11. Ne4 cxd4 12. exd4 Rc8 13. Bg5 (13. Qb3 Na5 $15) 13... Bxg5 (13... f6 14. Bd2 Nd5 15. Qb3 b6 $11) 14. Nexg5 h6 15. Ne4 Nb4 16. Nc5 $132) 10... Bxc5 11. b3 (11. Qe2 $5 Bd7 (11... e5 12. Rd1 Qe7 13. Ne4 Bf5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. e4 Bg4 16. Be3 Qc4 17. Rd2 Rfd8 (17... f5 18. Qe1 (18. exf5 Qxe2 19. Rxe2 e4 $19) 18... f4 19. gxf4 (19. Bxb6 axb6 20. Bf1 Qf7 21. Ng5 Qg6 22. h4 h6 23. Bc4+ Kh8 $19) 19... exf4 20. Bxb6 axb6 $11) 18. Qe1 (18. Bxb6 Qxe2 19. Rxe2 axb6 $17) 18... Qxe4 (18... Bxf3 19. Bxf3 Rxd2 20. Bxd2 (20. Qxd2 Rd8 21. Qc1 $11) 20... Nd4 21. Bd1 $132) 19. Nd4 Qg6 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Bxb6 axb6 23. Qxe5 $11) 12. Rd1 Rc8 13. a3 a5 14. Nd4 $14) 11... e5 12. Bb2 Bf5 13. Qxd8 $146 (13. Rc1 Rc8 $11 (13... Qe7 $11)) (13. e4 Bg4 $11) ({RR} 13. Rc1 Bb4 14. e4 Be6 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 Bxd5 17. Nxe5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Qa5 20. Qg4 Qxe5 21. Qxb4 Qd5+ 22. Kg1 Rad8 23. Rfe1 g6 24. Rc7 Rd7 25. Rxd7 Qxd7 26. h4 Qd5 27. Qc3 h5 {Petrov,J (2428)-Rade,M (2436) Sibenik 2008 ½-½}) ({RR} 13. e4 Be6 14. Rc1 Bb4 15. Nd5 Nxd5 {½-½ (15) Medak,B (2386)-Rade,M (2451) Sibenik 2016}) 13... Rfxd8 14. Rfd1 f6 15. Ne1 (15. Rac1 $11) 15... Rxd1 (15... Rac8 16. Ne4 Be7 $11) 16. Rxd1 Rd8 17. Rxd8+ Nxd8 18. Kf1 (18. Ne4 Be7 $11) 18... Bd7 (18... Kf7 $11) 19. Nd3 Be7 20. Ke2 (20. f4 exf4 21. exf4 Bf5 $11 (21... Bc6 $11)) 20... Kf7 21. f4 exf4 22. exf4 Bc6 23. Ne4 (23. Be4 g6 $11) 23... g6 24. Bd4 Nd7 $5 (24... Ne6 $11) (24... f5 25. Ne5+ Ke6 26. Nxc6 Nxc6 27. Nc5+ Bxc5 28. Bxc5 $16) 25. Bf3 (25. Bxa7 $5 b6 $1 (25... f5 $2 26. Nec5 Bxg2 (26... Nxc5 27. Bxc6 Nxc6 (27... Nxd3 28. Bd5+ Ke8 29. Kxd3 $16) 28. Bxc5 $16) 27. Nxd7 Ke6 28. N7c5+ (28. Kf2 Bh1 29. N7c5+ Kd5 30. Nb4+ Kd6 (30... Kd4 $4 31. Na4+ Ke4 32. Nc3#) 31. Bb6 Ne6 32. Nbd3 Kd5 33. Nxe6 Kxe6 34. Ke3 $16) 28... Kd5 29. Nb4+ (29. a4 Nc6 30. Bb6 Nd4+ 31. Kf2 Kc6 32. a5 Bxc5 33. Nxc5 Bd5 34. b4 Nc2 35. Nd3 Be4 36. Ke2 Kb5 (36... Bxd3+ 37. Kxd3 Nxb4+ 38. Kc4 Nd5 $11) 37. Nc5 Bd5 38. Nd7 Nxb4 $11) 29... Kd6 (29... Kd4 $4 30. Na4+ Ke4 31. Nc3#) 30. Bb6 $16) 26. Bf3 (26. Bh3 f5 27. Nd2 Bd5 28. Nb1 (28. Ne5+ Nxe5 29. fxe5 Bc5 30. Bb8 (30. b4 Bg1 $11 (30... Bxb4 31. Bxb6 Nc6 32. a4 Ke6 33. Nf3 Bb3 $11))) 28... Nc6 29. Nc3 Bxb3 30. axb3 (30. Bg2 Nxa7 31. axb3 $11) 30... Nxa7 $11) 26... f5 27. Nc3 Bxf3+ 28. Kxf3 Nc6 29. Nb5 Ke6 30. a4 Kd5 31. Ke3 Bf6 32. Nc1 Nd4 33. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 34. Ke2 (34. Kd3 Nc5+ 35. Kc2 Kc6 36. Ne2 Bg7 37. Bb8 Nd7 38. Be5 Nxe5 39. fxe5 Bxe5 40. b4 $11) 34... Bf6 (34... Kc6 35. a5 Bg1 36. h3 $16) 35. b4 Kc6 36. a5 bxa5 37. bxa5 Kb5 38. Kd3 Kxa5 39. Bd4 Kb5 40. Bxf6 Nxf6 41. Kd4 Kc6 42. Nd3 Kd6 $11) 25... f5 26. Ng5+ Bxg5 27. fxg5 Ke6 (27... Ne6 28. Bxa7 Bxf3+ 29. Kxf3 Nxg5+ 30. Kf4 h6 (30... Ne6+ 31. Ke3 Nf6 $132) 31. a4 Nf6 $132) 28. Bb2 (28. Bxa7 Bxf3+ (28... b6 29. Nb4 Bxf3+ 30. Kxf3 Kd6 31. a4 Nc6 32. Nxc6 Kxc6 33. a5 bxa5 34. Ke3 Nc5 35. Bxc5 Kxc5 36. Kd3 Kb4 (36... Kd5 37. Ke3 Ke5 38. Kd3 Kd5 $11 (38... f4 39. gxf4+ Kxf4 40. Kc4 $18)) 37. Kc2 $11) 29. Kxf3 Nc6 30. Nf4+ Kd6 31. Be3 $16) 28... Bxf3+ 29. Kxf3 Kd5 30. Nf4+ Kd6 31. Ba3+ Ke5 32. Bb2+ Kd6 33. Ba3+ Ke5 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup-B"] [Site "Shenyang"] [Date "2000.09.03"] [Round "3"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Xu, Jun"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2719"] [BlackElo "2668"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,Ilya"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2000.09.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "5"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 079"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.11.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.11.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 Be7 $6 $14 {Maybe V. Ivanchuk prepared something after 7... ?db4?} ({Very strong move here is} 7... Ndb4 $1 $11 {For example:} 8. e3 cxd4 9. exd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 (10. O-O Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 Be7 12. Rd1 $44 {½-½ Kramnik,V-Topalov,V/Linares 1999/CBM 70 (33)}) 10... Qxd4 11. O-O Qxd1 12. Rxd1 $44 {see comments to the game ½-½ Biriukov,O-Aseev,K/St Petersburg 1998/CBM 65/[Tsesarsky] (41)}) 8. O-O O-O 9. e4 Nb6 10. dxc5 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Bxc5 12. e5 (12. Bf4 {- another mainline}) 12... Nc4 13. Na4 Be7 (13... Bb4 $2 14. Bf4 Rb8 15. Rac1 $16 {1-0 Eberspaecher,M-Schlamp,R/Nuremberg Weilburg op 1996/EXT 96op2/ (56)}) 14. Bf4 f6 (14... Rb8 15. b3 Na3 (15... b5 16. Nc3 Na3 17. Ne1 Nb4 18. Be3 $16 {0-1 Loginov-Kaiumov/Tashkent 1982/ (45)}) (15... N4a5 {see comments to the game ½-½ Renet,O-Petursson,M/Thessaloniki olm 1988/Inf 46/[Petursson,M] (38)}) 16. Rac1 Nb4 17. Bd2 $14 {½-½ Huzman,A-Magerramov,E/Baku 1988/ (42)}) 15. Rac1 ({Also interesting is} 15. Re1 $5 N4xe5 16. Bxe5 fxe5 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Rxe5 Bf6 19. Re2 $14 {[%csl Rc8][%CAl Gg2b7] 1-0 Stean,M-Bjerke,R/Gausdal Jubilee 1982/ (38)}) (15. b3 $6 N4xe5 16. Nxe5 fxe5 17. Be3 Nd4 18. Nc3 Nc2 19. Rac1 Nxe3 20. fxe3 Bc5 21. Rd3 $44 {0-1 Vadasz,L-Hmadi,S/FSGM May Budapest HUN 1996/(33)}) 15... N4xe5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 (16... fxe5 17. Be3 Nd4 18. Bxd4 exd4 19. Rxd4 Rb8 20. Nc5 $14 {1-0 Heilemann,P-Steiner,X/cr Blass mem 1990/ (45)}) 17. Bxe5 $146 ({It is not so easy to equalize after} 17. Nc5 $5 Rb8 (17... Bxc5 18. Rxc5 $14) 18. Ne4 (18. Bxe5 fxe5 19. Nd7 Bxd7 20. Rxd7 Bd8 $11 {[%CAl Gd8b6]}) 18... Rd8 19. Rxd8+ Bxd8 20. Bxe5 $1 (20. Rd1 Be7 21. Nd6 Ng6 $1 (21... b6 $6 22. Nc4 $14 (22. Bh3 Bxd6 23. Rxd6 Nf7 $11 {0-1 Rotstein,A-Belkhodja,S/Warsaw Legion ,EXT 1989/ (61)})) 22. Be3 b6 $15) 20... fxe5 21. Nd6 Bd7 22. Nxb7 $14) ({RR} 17. Nc5 Rb8 18. Ne4 Rd8 19. Rxd8+ Bxd8 20. Rd1 Be7 21. Nd6 b6 22. Bh3 Bxd6 23. Rxd6 Nf7 24. Rc6 e5 25. Bxc8 exf4 26. gxf4 Kf8 27. Bf5 g6 28. Bc2 Nd8 29. Rc3 f5 30. Bb3 Rb7 31. Rc8 Rd7 {Rotstein,A (2420)-Belkhodja,S (2365) Warsaw 1989 0-1 (61)}) 17... fxe5 18. Nc5 Bg5 $5 (18... Rd8 19. Rxd8+ Bxd8 20. Nd3 Bf6 21. h4 a5 22. Re1 a4 23. Nxe5 Ra5 24. f4 $14) (18... Bxc5 $2 19. Rxc5 $16) 19. Rc2 Rb8 20. Bh3 $5 {[%csl Re6] White attack e6 weakness, but take on e6 will solve ?c8 development problem!} ({I should prefer} 20. Ne4 $5 Be7 21. h4 $14) 20... Rd8 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. Bxe6+ $6 $132 ({Another ? take} 22. Nxe6 {was promise to White a little advantage:} Bb6 23. Re2 Bd7 24. Rxe5 Rc8 25. Nf4 (25. Bf5 Kf7 26. Nf4 Rc1+ 27. Kg2 Bc6+ 28. Be4 Rc2 $1 $44 {[%csl Rb2,Rf2]}) 25... Bxh3 (25... Rc1+ 26. Bf1 $14) 26. Nxh3 Rc2 27. Rb5 h6 28. a4 g5 29. g4 Rc4 30. a5 $14) 22... Bxe6 23. Nxe6 Bb6 24. Ng5 {[%CAl Gg5e4,Gb6d4] White ? will placed well on e4, but Black ? placed on b6 also not bad and maybe will go to d4!} h6 25. Ne4 (25. Nf3 $6 e4 $15 {[%CAl Ge4e3]}) 25... Rd8 26. Kg2 Kf7 27. h4 Ke6 28. h5 (28. Kf3 $11) 28... Kf5 29. f3 Rd1 30. Re2 Rg1+ 31. Kh2 Rf1 32. Nd2 (32. Kg2 Rg1+ $11) 32... Rc1 33. g4+ Kf4 34. Re4+ (34. Re4+ Kg5 35. Kg3 $1 $11 (35. Rxe5+ $2 Kh4 $1 36. Re2 Rc2 $17)) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-42"] [Site "Baku"] [Date "2016.09.11"] [Round "9.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2761"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "148"] [EventDate "2016.09.02"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 175"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.11.10"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Azerbaijan"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 Nc6 8. Bb5 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Be6 11. O-O ({The position after} 11. Nxe6+ fxe6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 {proves defensible for Black; therefore, White looks for alternatives.}) 11... Bb4 12. Ncxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Ke7 (13... a6 14. Rd1+ Ke8 15. Bxc6+ bxc6 16. Bd2 $14) 14. Be3 (14. Bg5+ f6 15. Be3 (15. Bf4 Nd4 16. Bd3 {1/2 (43) Gunina,V (2496)-Ju,W (2558) Huaian 2016} Rhd8 $132) 15... Bd5 (15... Kf7 $5) 16. a3 Bxe4 17. axb4 Rhd8 18. Rfd1 Bd5 19. Bf1 b6 20. b5 Ne5 21. Rd4 g5 22. h3 Rd7 23. Bd2 Rc8 24. Bc3 $14 {1-0 (34) Fressinet,L (2707)-Delorme,A (2484) Helsingor 2015}) 14... Rhd8 15. Bxc6 {[%mdl 32] Shakhriyar Mamedyarov choses the simplest course. He will now try to exploit Black's weak c6-pawn. And indeed, this plan proves dangerous for Black.} (15. Nc5 Bxc5 (15... Nd4 16. Nxe6 Nxe6 17. Rad1 $14 {1-0 (63) Tregubov,P (2601)-Wirig,A (2501) Paris 2014}) 16. Bxc5+ Kf6 17. Rfc1 (17. Rfd1 {1/2 (46) Antic,D (2479)-Swapnil,S (2421) Anogia 2014} Rxd1+ 18. Rxd1 Bxa2 $11) 17... Nd4 18. Bf1 Rac8 19. b3 b6 (19... Bf5 20. Bxa7 Nc2 21. Rab1 Ra8 22. Bb6 Rd6 23. Bc7 Rc6 24. Bg3 Rxa2 25. h3 Re6 26. Bc4 Nd4 27. Ra1 Ne2+ {1/2 (27) Stefansson,H (2549)-Cornette,M (2548) Reykjavik 2014}) 20. Ba3 Nc2 21. Bb2+ Ke7 22. Rab1 f6 23. Rd1 a5 24. h4 h6 25. Be2 Nb4 $11 {1/2 (36) Van Wely,L (2674)-Zhigalko,A (2591) Baku AZE 2016}) (15. a3 Nd4 $1 16. Ba6 $5 (16. Ba4 Ba5 17. Nc5 {1-0 (84) Khurtsidze,N (2414)-Lomineishvili,M (2365) Tbilisi GEO 2016} Bb6 18. Nxe6 Nxe6 19. Bxb6 axb6 $11 {[%CAl Yd8d2]}) 16... Bxa3 17. Bxb7 (17. Rxa3 bxa6 18. Ra4 Nb5 19. Bc5+ Ke8 20. Rxa6 Rd5 21. b4 Rad8 22. f3 Rd1 23. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 24. Kf2 Bd5 25. Nd6+ Nxd6 26. Rxd6 Bb3 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Bxa7 Kd7 $11 {1/2 (43) Salgado Lopez,I (2622)-Wei,Y (2634) Leon 2014}) 17... Rab8 18. Rxa3 Rxb7 19. Ra4 (19. Nc5 Rxb2 20. Rxa7+ Kf8 $11 {1/2 (49) Dlugy,M (2516)-Edouard,R (2639) Montreal 2015}) 19... Nb3 20. Re1 a5 21. Nc5 Nxc5 22. Bxc5+ Ke8 23. Bd4 g6 24. Bc3 Ra8 25. f3 Rb5 26. Rea1 Kd7 $11 {1/2 (49) Buhmann,R (2597)-Cornette,M (2548) Germany 2015}) (15. Ba4 Kf8 (15... Nd4 16. Rfd1 Nf5 17. Rxd8 Rxd8 18. Bxa7 Ra8 19. Bc5+ Bxc5 20. Nxc5 b6 21. Nxe6 Rxa4 22. Ng5 $16 {1-0 (44) So,W (2755)-Xiong,J (2470) Las Vegas 2014}) (15... Bd5 16. a3 Bxe4 (16... Bxa3 17. Rxa3 Bxe4 18. Bc5+ Kf6 19. Re3 $44) 17. axb4 Kf6 18. Rfc1 Rac8 19. b5 Nb4 20. h4 h6 21. Bc5 $14 {1-0 (47) Batsiashvili,N (2500)-Kovalevskaya,E (2462) Skopje 2015}) 16. a3 (16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. Bxc5+ Kg8 18. a3 Nd4 19. Rfd1 b5 20. Bxd4 bxa4 21. Bxa7 Bb3 $11 {1/2 (30) Ni,H (2703)-Wang,Y (2716) Danzhou 2015}) 16... Be7 17. Nc5 Bc8 (17... Bxc5 18. Bxc5+ Kg8 19. Rfd1 f6 (19... Na5 $5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Nc4 23. Bd4 Bd5 24. f3 f6 25. Kf2 $14 {/= 1/2 (41) Lenic,L (2637)-Edouard,R (2653) Warsaw 2013 CBM 158 [Edouard,R]}) 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Bd5 $1 23. f3 Kf7 24. Kf2 a6 {/= 1/2 (38) Vachier Lagrave,M (2768)-Wang,Y (2718) Tromso 2014 CBM 162 [Krasenkow,M]}) 18. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Ne5 20. Bd4 $5 (20. Nd7+ Nxd7 21. Bxd7 Bf6 22. Bc5+ Kg8 23. b4 (23. Bxc8 Rxc8 24. Bxa7 Bxb2 $11 {1/2 (31) Bogner,S (2587)-Edouard,R (2670) Dubai 2014}) 23... Bxd7 24. Rxd7 b6 25. Be3 Rd8 $11 {1/2 (29) Matlakov,M (2693)-Ni,H (2704) China 2015}) (20. Bb3 b6 21. Ne4 Bb7 22. Nd6 Bc6 23. Bf4 Ng6 24. Bg3 Rd8 25. Rc1 Bxd6 26. Rxc6 Bxg3 27. hxg3 Ne5 28. Rc7 Rd2 $11 {1/2 (42) Pert,N (2562)-Ward,C (2423) Coventry 2015}) 20... Nc6 21. Bxc6 bxc6 22. f3 Bxc5 $6 23. Bxc5+ Ke8 24. Rc1 Bd7 25. b4 Kd8 26. Rd1 Kc8 27. Rd4 a5 28. Rh4 axb4 29. Bxb4 $1 Bf5 30. Rh5 Bg6 31. Re5 Kb7 32. h4 $14 {1-0 (60) Landa,K (2650)-Grover,S (2519) Cappelle-la-Grande 2015 EXT 2016 [RR]}) 15... bxc6 16. Rfc1 (16. a3 Ba5 (16... Bd6 17. Nxd6 Kxd6 18. Rfd1+ Kc7 19. Rxd8 Kxd8 20. f3 a5 21. Kf2 {1/2 (21) Saric,A (2563)-Brkic,A (2602) Opatija 2015}) 17. Nc5 Bd2 18. Nxe6 Kxe6 19. Bxd2 Rxd2 20. Rfe1+ Kd6 21. Rad1 Rxd1 22. Rxd1+ Ke6 $11 {1/2 (30) Ni Hua (2681)-Wei Yi (2700) China CHN 2016}) 16... Bd5 17. Bc5+ Bxc5 ({Perhaps it was better to go for opposite-coloured bishops:} 17... Kd7 18. Bxb4 (18. Nf6+ $5 gxf6 19. Bxb4) 18... Bxe4 19. Rc4 Bd5 20. Rh4 $5 $14) 18. Nxc5 Rab8 19. Rc2 $14 {It turns out that Black's position is quite unpleasant.} g5 $146 ({RR} 19... Bxa2 20. h3 Be6 21. Rxa7+ Kf6 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Rxc6 Rxb2 24. Rcc7 Rg8 25. h4 Rb5 26. g3 Kg6 27. Ra6 Kf6 28. Kg2 Rbb8 29. g4 Rbc8 30. g5+ Kf5 31. Re7 Rce8 32. Rea7 Kg4 33. Ra4+ Kh5 34. Kg3 {Mamedyarov,S (2768)-Wei,Y (2707) Doha 2016 ½-½ (51)}) 20. f3 h5 21. Re1+ Kf6 22. b3 h4 23. Kf2 Rb4 24. Rd2 a5 25. h3 Ra8 26. Re3 Rb5 27. Na4 Rb7 28. Nc3 Rd8 $6 (28... Be6 $2 29. Ne4+ Kg6 30. Nc5) (28... Rd7 $142 29. Re4 Rdd8 30. Ra4 Ke5 $14) 29. Re4 $1 Rb4 30. Rc4 $1 {[%CAl Rc4c5,Rc4c6]} Bxc4 31. Rxd8 Bb5 32. Ra8 a4 33. Nxa4 Bxa4 34. Rxa4 $18 {[%mdl 4096] This endgame is technically winning for White although it requires some work.} c5 35. Ra5 (35. Rxb4 $2 cxb4 $11) 35... Rd4 (35... c4 $2 36. Ra4) 36. Ke3 Rd5 37. Ra4 $2 (37. b4 Rd4 (37... Re5+ 38. Kd3 cxb4 39. Rxe5 Kxe5 40. Kc4 Kf4 41. Kxb4 Kg3 42. a4 Kxg2 43. a5 Kxh3 44. a6 Kg3 45. a7 h3 46. a8=Q h2 47. f4 $18) 38. a3 Rd1 39. Rxc5 $18) 37... Ke6 38. f4 f6 39. Rc4 Kd6 40. Ke2 Rf5 41. a4 gxf4 42. Kf2 Rd5 43. Rxf4 Rd2+ 44. Kg1 Rd1+ 45. Rf1 Rd3 46. Rxf6+ Ke5 47. Rf3 Rd1+ 48. Kh2 $2 (48. Rf1 Rd3 49. Rb1 $18 {e.g.} Kd5 50. a5 Kc6 51. b4 $1 c4 52. b5+ Kb7 53. Rb4 $1 c3 54. Rc4 {etc.}) 48... Rb1 49. Rc3 Kd5 {Now, despite White's two extra pawns, he can hardly win.} 50. a5 (50. g3 Kd4 51. Rf3 Ke4 52. Rf4+ Ke3 53. Rxh4 Rb2+ $11) 50... Ra1 51. g3 Ra2+ 52. Kg1 hxg3 53. Rxg3 Rxa5 54. h4 Ke4 55. Kg2 Kf4 56. Kh3 Ra1 57. Rc3 Rb1 58. Kg2 Rb2+ 59. Kf1 Kg4 60. Ke1 Kxh4 61. Kd1 Kg5 62. Kc1 Rh2 63. Rxc5+ Kf6 64. Rc2 Rh3 65. Kb2 Ke5 66. Rd2 Rh8 67. b4 Rh3 68. b5 Ke6 69. b6 Rh5 70. Rd3 Rb5+ 71. Rb3 Rxb3+ 72. Kxb3 Kd6 73. Kb4 Kc6 74. b7 Kxb7 1/2-1/2 [Event "London Classic 7th"] [Site "London"] [Date "2015.12.08"] [Round "5"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2788"] [BlackElo "2834"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2015.12.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. d4 cxd4 7. exd4 Nxc3 {A rare but solid continuation. Black usually plays} (7... Be7) ({or} 7... Bb4) 8. bxc3 Qc7 {This immediate attack on White's c3-pawn, preventing ?f1-d3, is the only way for Black to justify his previous move.} (8... Be7 9. Bd3 {is comfortable for White.}) 9. Bd2 {This move looks passive but other defences have their drawbacks, too:} (9. c4 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 b6 12. Be2 O-O 13. O-O Nd7 14. a4 Bb7 15. a5 Rfd8 16. Qe3 Rac8 17. Rfc1 bxa5 18. Nd2 Nb6 $11 {1/2 (93) Timman,J (2615)-Fressinet,L (2711) Malmo 2014}) (9. Bb5+ Nd7 10. O-O Bd6 11. d5 O-O 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. h3 Nf6 14. Re1 e5 15. Ba3 Bxa3 16. Qb3+ Kh8 17. Qxa3 Bd7 18. Rxe5 {1/2 (18) Ghaem Maghami,E (2596)-Kramnik,V (2777) Berlin 2015}) (9. Bb2 Nd7 (9... Bd6 10. Bd3 Nd7 11. O-O O-O 12. c4 Rd8 13. Qe2 Nf8 14. Qe4 Bd7 15. Qg4 Ng6 16. Qh5 Bf4 17. Rfe1 Bc6 18. Ng5 Bxg5 19. Qxg5 Qf4 $11 {1-0 (92) Khismatullin,D (2649)-Ghane Gardeh,S (2398) Moscow 2011}) 10. Bd3 Ba3 $5 11. Qb3 Bxb2 12. Qxb2 O-O 13. O-O b6 14. Be4 Rb8 15. Rac1 b5 16. Rfe1 Bb7 $11 {0-1 (44) Klimentov,E (2196)-Kharitonov,A (2553) Voronezh 2015}) (9. Qc2 Nd7 (9... b6 $5 10. Bb5+ Nd7 11. O-O a6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Ng5 $6 Bd6 14. f4 Nf6 15. Bd2 Rc8 16. Rae1 h6 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 O-O $11 {1/2 (63) Milov,V (2669)-Houska,J (2392) Gibraltar 2009}) 10. Bd3 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Ng5 (12. Re1 Bd6 13. Be4 Bxe4 14. Rxe4 Nf6 15. Rh4 Rc8 16. Bd2 h6 17. Re1 Nd5 18. Qe4 Nf6 19. Qb1 Nd5 20. Rg4 Kf8 $13 {1-0 (33) Adams,M (2724)-Houska,J (2401) London 2007}) (12. Be4 $11) 12... Bd6 13. h3 h6 (13... Bh2+ $6 14. Kh1 Bf4 15. Re1 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 h6 17. Bd2 Nf6 18. c4 O-O 19. a4 $14 {0-1 (36) Riazantsev,A (2646)-Kramnik,V (2777) Berlin GER 2015}) 14. Ne4 Be7 $11) 9... Nd7 10. Bd3 b6 {Black can develop his kingside bishop first:} (10... Be7 $5 11. O-O b6 12. Re1 Bb7 13. Ng5 Nf6 14. Re3 h6 15. Rh3 Bd6 16. Qe2 O-O 17. Ne4 Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Rfe8 $11 {0-1 (29) Dickenson,N (2250)-Levitt,J (2445) Maidstone 1994}) (10... Bd6 11. O-O b6 $5 (11... O-O 12. Qe2 Nf6 13. Ne5 Bxe5 14. dxe5 Nd7 15. Rfe1 $1 (15. Rae1 Nc5 16. Bb1 b6 17. Qh5 g6 18. Qh4 Ba6 19. c4 Nd7 $13 {0-1 (52) Hou,Y (2673)-Dimitrov,R (2445) Bastia 2014}) 15... Nc5 16. Bc2 $40) 12. Re1 (12. d5 Nc5 13. Bb5+ Bd7 14. Bxd7+ Qxd7 15. c4 O-O 16. Be3 Rac8 17. Qd4 Rfe8 18. Rad1 e5 $15 {0-1 (28) Bern,I (2345)-Ogaard,L (2395) Oslo 2006}) 12... Bb7 13. c4 O-O 14. Rc1 (14. Bc3 Rfe8 15. Ng5 $6 h6 16. Nf3 Rad8 $15 {0-1 (60) Rantanen,Y (2308)-Barbosa,O (2501) Pattaya 2015}) 14... Rac8 15. d5 Bf4 (15... Nc5 $5 16. Bxh7+ $140 Kxh7 17. Ng5+ Kg6) 16. Ng5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Nc5 18. Re3 f6 19. Rh3 Nxd3 20. Qxd3 {1-0 (25) Nurkic,S (2415)-Majeric,Z (2345) Tuzla 2007} g6 $13) 11. Ng5 {White tries to exploit Black's delay in the development of his kingside but doesn't gain anything.} (11. O-O Bb7 12. c4 Bd6 {- see above}) 11... Nf6 12. Qf3 Rb8 13. O-O Bd6 14. Qh3 h6 15. Rfe1 $146 (15. Nf3 $5 {is more logical, preventing castling. However, Black's position is solid enough in any case:} Bb7 (15... O-O $2 16. Bxh6 gxh6 17. Qxh6) (15... Bf4 {is less accurate in view of} 16. Bxf4 Qxf4 17. Ne5 {[%csl Rf4]} O-O 18. g3 Qd2 19. Rfc1 {[%CAl Rc1c2]}) 16. Rae1 Bxf3 $1 {(the simplest: White's strong knight should be eliminated)} 17. Qxf3 Bxh2+ 18. Kh1 Bd6 19. d5 O-O 20. dxe6 Rbe8 $11) ({RR} 15. f4 O-O 16. Qh4 Bb7 17. Rae1 Bd5 18. Nf3 Bc4 19. Bxc4 Qxc4 20. f5 exf5 21. Bxh6 Nh7 22. Ng5 Nf6 23. Rxf5 Rfe8 24. Ref1 Bf8 25. Rxf6 gxf6 26. Nh7 Kxh7 27. Bg5+ Kg6 28. Rxf6+ Kg7 29. Bh6+ Kg8 {Zubov,A (2606)-Swapnil,S (2500) Abu Dhabi 2016 1-0 (31)}) ({RR} 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 O-O 17. Bc2 Bf4 18. Qd3 g6 19. Rfe1 Bxh2+ 20. Kh1 Bf4 21. Re4 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 Kg7 23. Rae1 Bd7 24. Rg4 Rbc8 25. Re3 f5 26. Rh4 g5 27. Rhh3 Rf6 28. Re5 Qd6 29. Rhe3 b5 {So,W (2815)-Giri,A (2785) Chess.com INT 2017 ½-½ (51)}) 15... O-O 16. Nf3 Bf4 17. Bxf4 Qxf4 18. Ne5 Bb7 {Black's queen is safe here.} 19. Rad1 (19. g3 Qd2 20. Rec1 Qb2 21. a4 Rfc8 {etc. - Black's extra tempo is crucial}) 19... Qg5 20. c4 Rbd8 21. Qg3 $6 ({As usualwith hanging pawns, it was better for White to keep queens on the board:} 21. Bf1 $11) 21... Qxg3 22. hxg3 {A marginal plus now belongs to Black as White's hanging pawns are rather weak. Still, a draw is the most probable outcome.} Rfe8 ({The immediate} 22... Nd7 {is more accurate as the most appropriate position of Black's rooks is yet to be determined.}) 23. f3 Nd7 24. Kf2 Kf8 25. Bc2 Nxe5 26. Rxe5 Re7 27. Bb3 Red7 28. Ke3 {, and the World Champion failed to break down White's defences:} g6 29. g4 Bc6 30. d5 exd5 31. cxd5 Bb7 32. f4 f6 {(forcing a draw)} 33. Re6 Bxd5 34. Rxd5 Rxd5 35. Bxd5 Rxd5 36. Rxf6+ Kg7 37. Rc6 Ra5 38. Rc2 Kf6 39. Rc6+ Kg7 40. Rc2 Kf6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-34"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2000.11.12"] [Round "14.1"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Hansen, Curt"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2707"] [BlackElo "2613"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,Ilya"] [PlyCount "131"] [EventDate "2000.10.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2001"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2000.11.22"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Bulgaria"] [BlackTeam "Denmark"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BUL"] [BlackTeamCountry "DEN"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bg5 Qd7 ({Mainlines are:} 11... f6) (11... Qb6) 12. Ne1 ({Interesting also} 12. Rc1 Bb6 13. Bd2 Qe7 14. e3 Bf5 15. Bc3 Be4 16. Qa4 Rac8 17. Rcd1 $14 {[%csl Gd4] 1-0 Miles,A-Podlesnik,B/Nova Gorica 1999/CBM 68 ext (51)}) 12... d4 13. Nd3 Bb6 14. a4 (14. Bf3 {see comments to the game ½-½ Kalinin,A-Atalik,S/Wijk aan Zee 1997/CBM 57 (39)[Atalik,S, Tsesarsky,I]}) (14. Bd2 Qe7 15. Nf4 Be6 16. Qa4 $14 {½-½ Kramnik,V-Anand,V/Monte Carlo 1995/CBM 46 ext (51)}) 14... Qf5 ({RR} 14... Re8 15. b4 a6 16. Re1 Qf5 17. Bd2 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. e4 Qg6 20. Bf4 Re7 21. a5 Ba7 22. e5 Bg4 23. Qd2 Rae8 24. Rac1 h6 25. h3 Bd7 26. g4 h5 27. Be4 f5 28. Bd5+ Be6 29. Bxe6+ {Ippolito,D (2375)-Lima,D (2488) Charlotte 2022 ½-½ (64)}) 15. Bd2 Bd7 $146 ({RR} 15... Rd8 16. b4 a5 17. b5 Ne7 18. Rc1 Nd5 19. Nf4 Nf6 20. Qb3 h6 21. h4 Qe5 22. Rfd1 Qe7 23. e4 d3 24. Be1 g5 25. hxg5 hxg5 26. Nxd3 Nxe4 27. Nb2 Bg4 28. Rd3 Rdc8 29. Ra1 Nxf2 30. Bxf2 {Bocharov,D (2647)-Safarli,E (2564) Moscow 2009 ½-½ (38)}) ({RR} 15... Re8 16. a5 Bc7 17. a6 Bb6 18. Bf3 Bd7 19. axb7 Rab8 20. Rc1 Qb5 21. Qc2 Nd8 22. Bb4 Rxb7 23. Rfe1 g5 24. Bd6 Bf5 25. Bxb7 Nxb7 26. Ba3 h6 27. Qd2 Bh3 28. f3 Bf5 29. Kg2 a5 30. g4 {Ibrahimov,R (2527)-Mamedov,R (2583) Baku 2008 ½-½ (32)}) 16. b4 a6 17. Nf4 {[%CAl Gg2h3] Threatening ?h3} (17. Rb1 $14 {[%CAl Gb4b5]}) (17. Rc1 $14 {[%CAl Gd3c5]}) 17... Qe5 18. Nd5 Bd8 19. Bf4 Qe6 20. Re1 {[%csl Ge2] Good preventive move} Qg6 21. b5 axb5 22. axb5 Rxa1 23. Qxa1 Ne7 24. Qxd4 Bxb5 25. Nxe7+ Bxe7 26. Qe5 $2 $11 {[%csl Rb5,Re7] Dropping an advantage - based on tactical blunder.} ({Simply to take ? by} 26. Bxb7 $16 {was much better - White has serious chances to win.}) 26... Bb4 $8 27. Be4 Re8 $1 {This very strong unexpected move was probably missed by Topalov.} (27... Qb6 28. Bxh7+ $1 $18) (27... Bc3 28. Bxg6 Bxe5 29. Bxf7+ $16) 28. Qxb5 (28. Bxg6 Rxe5 29. Bxe5 Bxe1 30. Be4 Bxe2 31. Bxb7 $11) (28. Qxe8+ Bxe8 29. Bxg6 Bxe1 $11) 28... Qxe4 29. f3 Qe7 30. Rc1 {[%csl Rb4,Rb7,Re8][%CAl Gc1c7]} h6 $5 (30... Ba3 31. Rc7 $16 {[%csl Rb7]}) ({Equal position after} 30... b6 $1 31. Qxb6 (31. Rc7 Bc5+ 32. Kh1 Qe6 33. e4 $132) 31... g5 32. Rc7 Qxe2 {[%csl Rg1]} 33. Qxb4 Qxf3 (33... gxf4 34. Qxf4 $16) 34. Re7 $11 (34. Bxg5 Qd1+ 35. Kg2 Re2+ 36. Kh3 Qf1+ 37. Kg4 h5+ 38. Kxh5 Rxh2+ $19)) 31. Kf1 (31. Rc7 Qxe2 32. Qxe2 ({It is very dangerous to take a piece:} 32. Qxb4 Qd1+ 33. Kg2 Re2+ 34. Kh3 Qf1+ 35. Kg4 h5+ $1 36. Kh4 $8 (36. Kg5 Qxf3 $19 {[%csl Rg5]}) 36... Rxh2+ 37. Kg5 Qxf3 38. Rc8+ $8 Kh7 39. Qb1+ $8 g6 40. Re8 (40. Kf6 Qd5 41. Re8 Ra2 42. Qb4 Ra6+ 43. Ke7 Kg7 $1 $19 {[%csl Re7]}) 40... Re2 41. Rxe2 Qxe2 42. Qb6 Qg4+ 43. Kf6 Qf5+ 44. Ke7 h4 45. Qxb7 g5 $1 $17) 32... Rxe2 33. Rxb7 Bc5+ 34. Kh1 g5 35. Bb8 $11) 31... g5 32. Bc7 Qe3 33. Rc2 Bf8 34. Kg2 (34. Qxb7 $2 Bc5 $1) 34... Bg7 (34... Re6 $2 35. Qxb7 Bc5 36. Kh3 Qg1 37. Qd5 Qf1+ 38. Kg4 Be3 39. Be5 $1 $16) 35. Bb6 Qe6 36. Bf2 Rc8 37. Rd2 Qc6 38. Qf5 Re8 ({After} 38... b5 {also Black equalize:} 39. Rd7 Bf6 $1 40. Bd4 Rd8 $1 41. Rxd8+ Bxd8 42. Qe5 Kf8 $11) 39. e4 b5 40. Rd7 Qe6 $2 $16 ({Why not} 40... Bf6 $1 $11) 41. Qxb5 g4 42. Qd5 Qxd5 (42... gxf3+ 43. Kxf3 $16) 43. Rxd5 Re6 44. Be3 Kh7 45. h3 gxf3+ 46. Kxf3 Kg6 47. h4 $1 Bf6 $2 $18 {Positional mistake. Now White wins by force.} ({Necessary was} 47... h5 $1 48. Rg5+ Kh6 49. g4 (49. Re5+ $6 Kg6 50. Rxe6+ fxe6 51. g4 hxg4+ $1 ({After} 51... Bf6 52. g5 $1 {seems position of Black is hopeless:} Bc3 53. Bf4 Kf7 54. Ke2 Bd4 55. Bg3 Bb6 56. Kd3 Bg1 57. Kc4 Be3 58. Kb5 {White's plan is to bring ? to d7, to play g5-g6 and to take ?e6, then to push forward ?e4.} Bd4 59. Kc6 Be3 60. Kd7 Bd4 61. g6+ Kxg6 62. Kxe6 Bc3 63. e5 $18) 52. Kxg4 Bb2 53. h5+ Kf6 54. Bf4 Kg7 {and Black survives}) 49... hxg4+ 50. Rxg4+ Kh7 51. Rg5 $16 {This position much better for Black than position from the game after 59 move.}) 48. h5+ Kg7 49. Bf4 Be7 50. Rb5 Bd8 51. e5 Be7 52. Kg4 Bd8 53. Kf5 Be7 54. Rb7 Bd8 55. Rb8 Ba5 56. Ra8 Bc3 57. Rd8 Bb4 58. g4 Bc5 59. g5 hxg5 60. Bxg5 {Threatening ?f6+} Be7 61. h6+ Kh7 62. Bxe7 Rxe7 63. Rf8 Kxh6 (63... Ra7 64. Kf6 Ra1 65. Kxf7 Kxh6 66. e6 $18) 64. Kf6 Re6+ 65. Kxf7 $1 Rxe5 66. Kf6 {instructive endgame!} 1-0 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 2nd"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2015.04.21"] [Round "5"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2756"] [BlackElo "2783"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "151"] [EventDate "2015.04.17"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Aronian,Levon} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 b6 ({RR} 11... Nc6 12. Be2) 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O {This system was examined in CBM 136, annotations to Alekseev - Macieja. Some evaluations should be corrected, however. Here I mostly quote the newest games.} h6 {According to Levon Aronian - the main move, although it has been rarely seen in practice. It is useful, and Black waits for White's action to choose the place for his knight (c6 or d7).} (13... Nd7 {is a bit too passive. White's best reply is} 14. Qe3 $1 {strengthening the centre} (14. Qf4 {is less dangerous for Black. The most recent example:} Nf6 15. h4 Rc8 16. e5 Nh5 17. Qg4 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 Qxh4 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. d5 Qg5 21. Qe4 g6 22. d6 Nf4 23. Ba6 Qg4 24. Re1 Rc2 $132 {1/2 (36) Vovk,Y (2588)-Hammer,J (2651) Fagernes 2015}) 14... Nf6 (14... h6 15. e5 Rc8 16. Nd2 Qg5 {1/2 (41) Goganov,A (2569)-Socko,B (2654) Yerevan 2014} 17. Qxg5 hxg5 18. Nc4 $36) (14... Rc8 15. e5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qh4 17. Qe3 Rfd8 18. f4 Nf8 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. f5 $14 {1-0 (52) Aronian,L (2809)-Kramnik,V (2801) Paris/St Petersburg 2013 CBM 154 [Aronian,L]}) ({RR} 14... Nf6 15. Ne5) 15. Ne5 {[%CAl Yf2f3]} Rc8 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. f3 Rc8 19. Bb5 Rc7 20. Qa3 $14 h6 21. h3 Qc8 $2 22. Rxc7 Qxc7 23. Qxa7 Qc1+ 24. Bf1 Qe3+ 25. Kh2 $16 {1-0 (37) Gharamian,T (2655)-Saric,A (2565) Biel 2013}) (13... Nc6 {(logical once the d4-pawn is underprotected)} 14. d5 $1 {now quiet play is harmless, e.g.} (14. Bb1 Qd6 15. e5 Qd7 16. Qf4 Ne7 17. Ng5 Nf5 18. Rcd1 h6 19. Ne4 Qd5 20. g4 Ne7 21. f3 Ng6 22. Qg3 Qd8 {1/2 (22) Swapnil,S (2445)-Grigoryan,A (2581) Albena 2012}) (14. Qe3 Rc8 15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Bb1 Rfd8 17. a3 Na5 18. Ba2 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Rxc8+ {1/2 (20) Sumets,A (2628)-Kveinys,A (2530) Cappelle la Grande 2014}) 14... exd5 (14... Na5 15. dxe6 fxe6 16. Qe3 $1 (16. Ng5 Qe7 17. e5 h6 18. Ne4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Rad8 20. Qe2 Nb7 21. Rc3 Nc5 22. Bb1 Rd4 23. Rg3 g5 24. Rg4 Rxg4 25. Qxg4 Qg7 26. Qe2 Nd7 27. Re1 Rc8 28. Qa6 Rc7 $11 {1/2 (58) Onischuk,A (2674)-Hansen,E (2447) Richardson 2011}) 16... Qe7 17. Be2 Rac8 18. Nd4 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Rxc8+ Bxc8 21. Qc3 Qc5 22. Qxc5 bxc5 23. Nb5 $14 {1-0 (54) Sargissian,G (2671)-Rakhmanov,A (2602) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013}) 15. exd5 Ne7 $1 (15... Na5 16. d6 $1 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Nb7 18. Be4 Rb8 19. Rc6 Nc5 20. Rc7 Qf6 21. Rxa7 Rbd8 22. d7 Qe6 23. Rd1 Nxe4 24. fxe4 Qg4+ 25. Kf1 Qxe4 26. Qd5 Qxd5 27. Rxd5 $14 {1/2 (41) Matlakov,M (2689)-Kveinys,A (2547) Saint Quentin 2014}) 16. d6 Nd5 17. Ng5 $1 h6 $1 (17... Nf6 18. Bc4 Rc8 19. Rfe1 Rc7 20. Qd3 Rd7 21. Qb3 $16 {1-0 (54) Swiercz,D (2631)-Melia,S (2453) Yerevan 2014}) 18. Ne4 Rc8 19. Bc4 (19. Bb5 $5) 19... Nf6 20. Nxf6+ Qxf6 21. Bd5 Ba6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rd1 Bb5 24. g3 Bd7 25. Re1 Re8 $11 {1/2 (37) Espinosa Veloz,E (2494)-Martinez Romero,M (2408) La Libertad 2015}) ({RR} 13... Nd7 14. Qe3 Rc8 15. e5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qh4 17. Qe3 ({RR} 17. Bb5) 17... Rfd8 18. f4 Nf8 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. f5 exf5 ({RR} 20... Rd8 21. Rf4 Qg5 22. h4 Qh6) 21. Bxf5 Rd8 22. Rd1 Ng6 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. d5 Qc4 25. d6 Qe6 ({RR} 25... Qxa2 26. Qg5 f6 ({RR} 26... Rd7 27. Rc1) 27. exf6 Qf7 28. fxg7) 26. Qg3 b5 27. h3 a6 ({RR} 27... b4 28. Qg5 f6 29. exf6 Rxd6 30. f7+ Kxf7 31. Qf4+ Ke7 32. Qxb4) 28. Qe3 {Aronian,L (2809)-Kramnik,V (2801) Paris/St Petersburg 2013 CBM 154 [Aronian,Levon] 1-0 (52)} ({RR} 28. Kh1 Rd7 29. Rc1)) ({RR} 13... Nc6 14. d5 exd5 15. exd5 Na5 16. d6 Qf6 17. Ng5 g6 18. Be4 Rad8 19. Rfd1 Rfe8 20. f3 Re5 21. Bxb7 Nxb7 22. Ne4 Qe6 23. Rc7 Nc5 24. Ng5 Rxg5 25. Qxg5 Rxd6 26. Qc1 Rxd1+ 27. Qxd1 Qxa2 28. Qd8+ {Devnani,K (2210)-Kenneskog,T (2364) Stockholm SWE 2024 1-0 (36)}) ({RR} 13... Nd7 14. Qf4 h6 15. h4 Rc8 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. Qxb8 Rxb8 19. Rc7 Nf6 20. Ne5 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 Nxe4 22. Rxf7 a5 23. Rc7 b5 24. f3 Nd6 25. Ra7 a4 26. h5 Nf5 27. Nc6 Rc8 28. Ra6 {Gelfand,B (2724)-Kramnik,V (2811) Zuerich 2017 ½-½ (47)}) 14. Qe3 {Here are two correspondence games with 13...h6:} (14. Rfd1 Nd7 15. Qe3 Rc8 16. e5 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 {(so White has lost a tempo)} Nb8 18. Be4 Qd7 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Qc3 Na6 21. Nd2 Qd5 22. g3 Rd8 23. Nb3 Qb5 $11 {1/2 (32) Simal Moreira,L (2194)-Daurelle,H (2261) Lechenicher SchachServer 2011}) (14. Rfe1 Nc6 15. Bb1 Rc8 16. Qd3 Na5 17. h4 Qf6 18. d5 (18. e5 Qg6 $1) 18... Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Qb2 20. Rc7 Rc8 21. Rxc8+ Bxc8 22. d6 e5 23. Nxe5 Qxe5 24. d7 Bxd7 25. Qxd7 Qa1 26. Qc8+ Kh7 27. Qf5+ Kg8 28. e5 Qc3 $14 {/= 1/2 (39) Wimmer,J (2148)-Bubnov,V (2110) Lechenicher SchachServer 2010}) 14... Nc6 {White can't play d4-d5 so this move is appropriate.} 15. Rfd1 $146 ({RR} 15. Bb5 Ne7 16. Ne5 a6 17. Ba4 b5 18. Bb3 Qd6 19. f4 Rac8 20. Rcd1 b4 21. Nc4 Qc6 22. Rfe1 Rfd8 23. f5 exf5 24. d5 Qg6 25. Qa7 Rd7 26. Nb6 Rdc7 27. Nxc8 Nxc8 28. Qe3 fxe4 29. Qxe4 Qg5 {Goncharov,V (2077)-Rodriguez Santiago,J (2043) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (37)}) ({RR} 15. Bb5 Ne7 16. Ne5 a6 17. Ba4 b5 18. Bb3 Qd6 19. f4 Rac8 20. Rcd1 b4 21. Nc4 Qc6 22. Rfe1 Rfd8 23. f5 exf5 24. d5 Qg6 25. Qa7 Rd7 26. Nb6 Rdc7 27. Nxc8 Nxc8 28. Qe3 fxe4 29. Qxe4 Qg5 {Goncharov,V (2077)-Rodriguez Santiago,J (2043) chess.com INT 2023 1-0 (37)}) 15... Rc8 16. h4 $5 {[%mdl 32] It is useful to advance this pawn to h5, both to enable threats along the b1-h7 diagonal and to get a "qualitative pawn advantage" in a future endgame.} (16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Nb4 $11) 16... Ne7 17. h5 Qd6 18. d5 $5 {This break doesn't look dangerous now.} Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Re1 Rc3 21. Qd2 Rc5 22. Bb1 Kf8 {Anticipating a possible queen invasion on h7.} 23. Qd3 Rc8 24. a3 e5 {Hardly a good idea. Black's pieces are not properly placed to safely blockade the d5-pawn (his knight should be on d6 and not queen!); moreover, his bishop and knight are now extremely passive. Still, Black's position remains solid.} (24... Rd8 $11 {was simple and good}) 25. Qb3 Rc5 26. Qb2 f6 27. Ba2 Bc8 28. Nd2 Bg4 29. Nc4 Qd7 30. d6 Nc6 (30... Nc8 31. f4 $13) 31. Nxb6 axb6 $2 {[%mdl 64]} (31... Qxd6 $1 32. Na4 (32. Qb3 Be6 33. Qxe6 Qxe6 34. Bxe6 axb6 $11) 32... Ra5 33. Qb3 Be6 34. Qxe6 Qxe6 35. Bxe6 Rxa4 $11) 32. Qb3 Be6 33. Qxe6 Qxe6 34. Bxe6 {[%mdl 4096]} Nd4 35. Bg4 {White has kept an extra (and strong passed) pawn. The activity of Black's pieces can't compensate that.} Rc6 36. d7 Ke7 37. Rb1 Rd6 38. Kh2 b5 39. a4 bxa4 40. Rb8 f5 41. exf5 Nc6 42. Ra8 a3 43. Rxa3 Nb8 44. f6+ $1 {[%mdl 512] A typical deblockading pawn sacrifice.} gxf6 45. Ra7 $6 (45. d8=Q+ $5 {was probably even stronger as after} Rxd8 (45... Kxd8 46. Ra8 Rb6 47. Ra7) 46. Ra7+ Nd7 {Black's rook is completely passive.}) 45... Nxd7 {[%csl Rh6] Black has recaptured the pawn but his position remains difficult, mostly due to his weak h6-pawn.} 46. Bf5 Ke8 47. g3 Rd2 48. Kg2 Nc5 $6 {Passive defense was more appropriate here:} (48... Nf8) 49. Bg6+ (49. Rh7 $6 e4 {[%CAl Rc5d3]}) (49. Kf3 $5 e4+ $140 50. Ke3 Rd3+ 51. Ke2) 49... Kd8 50. Ra5 Ne6 51. Ra8+ Ke7 $2 {It was hardly possible to find the best chance:} (51... Kc7 $1 52. Rh8 Ng5 $1 53. Rxh6 e4 54. Kf1 Rd8 55. Bf5 Kd6 $1 {, and Black fights on.}) 52. Re8+ $1 Kd6 ({Here after} 52... Kd7 53. Rh8 Ng5 54. Rxh6 e4 55. Kf1 Ra2 56. Rh8 {White's h-pawn gets a free way forward. A further possible course:} Nf3 57. h6 $1 Ra1+ 58. Kg2 Rg1+ 59. Kh3 Rh1+ 60. Kg4 Ne5+ 61. Kf5 e3 $1 62. fxe3 $1 Rf1+ 63. Ke4 Nxg6 64. Rg8 $1 {regaining the knight and keeping two extra pawns.}) 53. Rh8 Nc5 54. Rd8+ (54. Rxh6 e4 55. Kf1 {was quite possible; however, White wants to prevent all kinds of counterplay.}) 54... Nd7 55. Kf3 Ke7 56. Re8+ Kd6 57. Bf5 e4+ 58. Ke3 $1 Rd3+ 59. Kxe4 Nc5+ 60. Kf4 Rd4+ 61. Kf3 Rb4 62. Rh8 Ke5 63. Bg6 Ne6 64. Rxh6 {White has comfortably captured a second pawn. The rest is easy.} f5 65. Rh8 Kf6 66. Ra8 Rb3+ 67. Kg2 f4 68. g4 Kg5 69. Bf7 Kh4 70. Bxe6 f3+ 71. Kh2 Rb2 72. Ra3 Rxf2+ 73. Kg1 Re2 74. Bd5 f2+ 75. Kf1 Rd2 76. Bf3 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Berlin"] [Date "2018.03.15"] [Round "5"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2799"] [BlackElo "2800"] [Annotator "Fernandez,Daniel Howard"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2018.03.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ {The pseudo-Grunfeld lines are always a little bit difficult for both sides to play, but when played correctly they are level.} 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 (11. Rc1 $5 {is a nice subtlety, the point being that ?d3 is good against ...?d7 but less so against ...?c6. Here, Black has to commit first.} b6 12. Bd3 $32) 11... Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 {We have arrived at a tabiya.} Re8 {Not a novelty, but a sign of preparation nevertheless.} (15... Qf6 {is the most common move - the idea is just to play down the long diagonal with ...?g6, intending maybe ...f5 under certain circumstances, and ...?f6 under others.} 16. d5 $5 {To my mind this is the only move worth being afraid of.} (16. Qe3 Rfd8 $11 {Wang,Y-Li,C China 201, isn't too troublesome,}) 16... Nc5 17. Nd4 Rfd8 (17... e5 18. Nf5 $1 Nxe4 19. Nh6+ $1 Qxh6 20. Qxh6 gxh6 21. Rxe4 Rfd8 22. f4 $1 $16 {Ruck,R-Korpa,B Zalakaros 2015}) 18. f4 $5 exd5 19. e5 Qe7 20. Nf5 $44) (15... h6 $5 {is one other move which makes total sense - against White's ?f4 Black will be able to play ...?f6 with tempo.}) 16. h3 Nf6 17. Qf4 Nh5 18. Qe5 Nf6 19. Qf4 Nh5 20. Qh2 ({RR} 20. Qg4 Nf6 {½-½ (21) Paragua,M (2408)-Chen,J (2371) New York 2025}) 20... h6 21. d5 $146 (21. Ne5 $5 {could actually be a better try for an edge. Depending on circumstances, White intends either ?c4-d6 or f4-f5.} Qd6 (21... Nf6 22. Qf4 Qc7 23. h4 $36) 22. Ng4 (22. f4 Rc3 {drums up too much counterplay}) 22... Qxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Kf8 $11 {White still has his space, and I think the odd dance of the knights at the edge of the board can only be to his benefit.}) ({RR} 21. Ne5 Nf6 22. Qf4 b5 23. Rd3 Rc7 24. g4 a5 25. h4 a4 26. Bd1 Nh7 27. Qg3 Nf6 28. Bf3 Nd7 29. g5 Nxe5 30. Qxe5 b4 31. gxh6 gxh6 32. Bh5 Kh7 33. Rg3 Rg8 34. Bg4 Rc3 35. Rg2 Qxh4 {Kobo,O (2449)-Ter Sahakyan,S (2640) Lichess.org INT 2020 0-1 (44)}) ({RR} 21. Ne5 Nf6 22. Qf4 b5 23. Rd3 Rc7 24. g4 a5 25. h4 a4 26. Bd1 Nh7 27. Qg3 Nf6 28. Bf3 Nd7 29. g5 Nxe5 30. Qxe5 b4 31. gxh6 gxh6 32. Bh5 Kh7 33. Rg3 Rg8 34. Bg4 Rc3 35. Rg2 Qxh4 {Kobo,O (2449)-Ter Sahakyan,S (2640) Lichess.org INT 2020 0-1 (44)}) 21... exd5 22. exd5 (22. e5 $5 {was a remarkable idea suggested on chess24. Black has to be quite careful his knight doesn't end up trapped.} g6 23. Nd4 Qd7 $1 {Black needs to blockade on e6.} (23... a6 {is too slow:} 24. Re3 {followed by e6 gives White really good compensation.}) 24. g4 Ng7 25. Qf4 Kh7 26. Qf6 Rc7 $1 $15 {Next Black comes to e6. It can't be stopped.}) 22... Rxe1+ 23. Nxe1 Qf6 24. Nd3 Ba6 {Right here the feeling was that Black was doing well, but a bit of sober computer-aided analysis indicates otherwise.} 25. Qe5 $1 Bxd3 26. Qxh5 (26. Qxf6 Nxf6 27. Rxd3 Kf8 $1 $15 {is a nasty squeeze.}) 26... Bc2 (26... Qf5 27. Qg4 Qxg4 28. hxg4 Bc4 $11 {is safer.}) 27. Rc1 (27. Qg4 $5 {requires some accurate play to defuse:} Qf5 (27... Bf5 28. Qf4 $14) 28. Rc1 $5 Qxg4 29. hxg4 Bf5 $1 30. Re1 $1 Bxg4 31. Re7 Kf8 $1 32. Rxa7 Bd1 $3 $11) 27... Bf5 28. Rxc8+ (28. Rc6 $5 {might just give White a tiny something:} Qa1+ (28... Rxc6 29. dxc6 g6 30. Qf3 $14) 29. Kh2 Qe5+ 30. g3 Rd8 $1 31. d6 $5 $36 {and Black will have to play some very precise chess to neutralise all the tricks.}) 28... Bxc8 29. d6 g5 {At this point, I realised that it was Kramnik pressing for the win, based on the purist's definition of a better bishop!} 30. Qd1 Bd7 31. Qd5 Kg7 32. Qb7 Qa1+ 33. Kh2 Qe5+ 34. Kg1 Qxd6 35. Qxa7 h5 36. Qb7 h4 37. Qf3 Qe7 38. Qc3+ f6 {Black has completed his mission and can install his queen on e5 in various ways to pretend that he's pressing.} 39. Qc4 Qe8 40. Qb4 b5 41. a3 Qe5 42. Bd1 Bc6 43. Bf3 Be8 44. Kf1 Bf7 45. Be2 Be8 46. Bf3 f5 {This was the only real try in the position - Black is going to try and arrange ...g4 by fair means or otherwise.} 47. Kg1 Bf7 48. Qd2 Kg6 49. Qc1 Be6 50. Qc6 Kf6 51. Qe8 (51. Qb6) 51... Qa1+ 52. Kh2 Qxa3 53. Qd8+ $1 (53. Qxb5 g4 $1 {was the point of all the maneouvring. Now Black is at least posing some questions to his opponent, e.g.} 54. hxg4 fxg4 55. Be2 g3+ 56. Kg1 Qa1+ 57. Bf1 Qd4 $15 {although it will be impossible to ever win against reasonable play.}) 53... Qe7 54. Qh8+ Qg7 55. Qd8+ Kg6 56. Qe8+ Qf7 57. Qxb5 Qc7+ {Here Kramnik offered a draw, having stretched the limits of human endurance in terms of how long he tried to conjure something out of thin air. Alternatively, maybe the patch of paint behind Wesley's head had finally finished drying.} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 40th"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2012.07.22"] [Round "9"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Meier, Georg"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2799"] [BlackElo "2644"] [Annotator "Kramnik,Vladimir"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2012.07.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 150"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.09.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.09.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 {No big theory today... Keine große Theorie heute...} Nc6 5. d4 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 (6... exd5 {is more common: ist geläufiger:} 7. Bb5 Bd6 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 Bg4 11. Bb2 Bd6 12. h3 Bh5 13. Be2 a6 14. Nh4 Bxe2 15. Nxe2 $14 {Kramnik-Polgar, Baku rapid 2010}) 7. Bc4 (7. Bd3 cxd4 8. exd4 {is a tabiya. ist eine Tabiya.}) 7... cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 {Here Georg was already on his own obviously, but managed to find over the board a very interesting way of playing. Hier war Georg offensichtlich bereits auf sich allein gestellt, schaffte es aber, am Brett eine sehr interessante Spielweise zu finden.} Bf6 {Threatening ...?b6, winning a pawn. Droht ...?b6, was einen Bauern gewinnt.} 11. Bb3 (11. Ne4 {is the main theoretical continuation, but in general I believe White should try to put pressure on Black's knight on d5 if he wants to fight for advantage in this structure. ist die theoretische Hauptfortsetzung, aber generell glaube ich, Weiß sollte versuchen, den schwarzen Springer auf d5 unter Druck zu setzen, wenn er in dieser Struktur um Vorteil kämpfen will.} b6 12. a3 Bb7 13. Qd3 Rc8 14. Bd2 Nce7 {with a very complicated position, but Black is perfectly fine in my opinion. mit einer sehr komplizierten Stellung, aber Schwarz steht meines Erachtens absolut ordentlich.}) ({RR} 11. h3 Nde7 12. Be3 b6 13. Ne4 Nd5 14. Nxf6+ Nxf6 15. Ne5 Bb7 16. Rc1 Na5 17. Bd3 h6 18. b4 Qd5 19. f3 Nc6 20. Nxc6 Bxc6 21. Qd2 Bb5 22. Bxb5 Qxb5 23. Bxh6 gxh6 24. Qxh6 Nh7 25. Re5 Qd3 {Asish Panda (1911)-Altynbek,A (2005) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (62)}) 11... Nde7 {A new and very unusual way of playing this type of position, but possibly the best, at least computer programs give it their approval. Eine neue und sehr ungewöhnliche Weise, diesen Stellungstyp zu behandeln, aber womöglich die beste, zumindest geben ihr Computerprogramme ihre Zustimmung.} (11... Nce7 12. Ne5 $5) (11... b6 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Ne5 $14) ({RR} 11... Nce7 12. Ne4 b6 13. Nxf6+ Nxf6 14. Bg5 Bb7 15. Ne5 Nf5 16. Ng4 Qxd4 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Qxd4 Nxd4 19. Bxf6 Nxb3 20. Re3 h5 21. axb3 Kh7 22. Rc3 Rfc8 23. Rg3 Rg8 24. b4 Rg4 25. f3 Rxg3 26. hxg3 {Kobalia,M (2630)-Nielsen,P (2628) Playchess.com INT 2004 0-1 (51)}) 12. Bf4 $146 {I was not sure that this continuation is entirely correct, but it seemed to me to be the only way to complicate matters and to play for a win. White has some play for the pawn, but objectively Black is fine, of course. Ich war nicht sicher, ob diese Fortsetzung vollauf korrekt ist, aber sie schien mir der einzige Weg zu sein, die Dinge zu komplizieren und auf Gewinn zu spielen. Weiß hat einiges Spiel für den Bauern, aber objektiv steht Schwarz natürlich ordentlich.} (12. Be3 {was "correct", but leading to simplifications and very likely to a draw. war "korrekt", führte aber zu Vereinfachung und sehr wahrscheinlich zum Remis.} Nf5 13. d5 {There is no decent way to protect this pawn. Es gibt keine ordentliche Möglichkeit, diesen Bauern zu decken.} Nxe3 14. Rxe3 exd5 $11) (12. Re4 {is too artificial and just can't be right - ist zu künstlich und kann einfach nicht richtig sein -} b6 $11) ({RR} 12. Re4 b6 13. g4 Nd5 14. g5 Be7 15. Rh4 Na5 16. Bc2 g6 17. Qf1 f5 18. Qh3 Rf7 19. Nxd5 Qxd5 20. Ne5 Bb7 21. f3 Rc8 22. Bd3 Rg7 23. Be3 Nc6 24. Bc4 Qd6 25. Nxg6 Bxg5 26. Kh1 Bxe3 {Valsecchi,A (2479)-Basso,P (2417) Rome 2016 0-1}) ({RR} 12. Be3 Nf5 13. d5 Nxe3 14. Rxe3 exd5 15. Bxd5 Bg4 16. h3 Bh5 17. a3 Rc8 18. Rd3 Qb6 19. Na4 Qb5 20. Rc1 Rcd8 21. Rc5 Qa6 22. Bc4 Rxd3 23. Bxd3 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Rd8 25. Bxa6 Rxd1+ 26. Kg2 bxa6 {Asish Panda (1911)-Injac,T (2411) chess.com INT 2024 1-0 (41)}) 12... Bxd4 {The simplest. Am einfachsten.} (12... Nxd4 {the computer likes even more. gefällt dem Computer sogar noch besser.} 13. Ne4 (13. Nxd4 Bxd4 {and Black is not worse, at a minimum, although the position is still very complicated. und Schwarz steht zumindest nicht schlechter, obwohl die Stellung noch immer sehr kompliziert ist.} 14. Qf3 (14. Nb5 Bb6) (14. Bg5 f6) 14... Ng6 15. Bg3 Qf6) 13... Nxb3 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. Qxb3 {is very unclear. ist sehr unklar.}) 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bc4 {At least White has two bishops now. Wenigstens hat Weiß jetzt die zwei Läufer.} Nec6 {By far not the only move, but the most "human". Bei weitem nicht der einzige Zug, aber der "menschlichste".} 15. Rc1 {A good move, keeping the tension. Ein guter Zug, die Spannung wird aufrechterhalten.} (15. Qh5 {was tempting, but I didn't like it because of war verlockend, missfiel mir aber wegen} Qa5 $1 {and White has to change queens. und Weiß muss die Damen tauschen.} 16. Qxa5 Nxa5 17. Bd3 Nac6 $11) 15... Qf6 16. Bc7 $1 (16. Bd6 Rd8 17. Ne4 Qg6) 16... e5 {My opponent, being seriously behind on the clock, is trying to clarify the position. A very logical and natural decision, but things are not so easy for Black here suddenly. Mein Gegner, auf der Uhr ernstlich im Hintertreffen, versucht, die Position zu klären. Eine sehr logische und natürliche Entscheidung, aber hier ist die Sache für Schwarz plötzlich nicht so einfach.} ({Probably it was better to play Besser war wahrscheinlich} 16... Qe7 17. Bg3 Rd8 18. Qh5 Nf5 19. Bf4 Bd7 {with an unclear complicated position, where Black is rather solid, but White has his play for the pawn also. mit einer unklaren komplizierten Stellung, wo Schwarz recht fest steht, aber auch Weiß sein Spiel für den Bauern hat.}) 17. Nd5 Qg5 18. f4 $1 {Now it gets tactical, and you need to calculate variations precisely. Nun wird es taktisch, und man muss Varianten genau berechnen.} exf4 19. Bxf4 Qh4 (19... Qg4 20. Be3 {- a choice of the computer - - eine Computerwahl -} (20. Bd6 $5) 20... Qxd1 21. Rexd1 Ne6 22. Bb5 {and White has more than enough play for the pawn. und Weiß hat mehr als genug Spiel für den Bauern.}) (19... Qg6 {is not an option: ist keine Option:} 20. Qxd4 $1 Nxd4 21. Ne7+ Kh8 22. Nxg6+ hxg6 23. Bd6 $16 Rd8 24. Be7) 20. Bg3 (20. Re4 $5 {I was trying to make this work during the game but it is not clear: Während der Partie versuchte ich, dies zum Funktionieren zu bringen, aber es ist nicht klar:} Bg4 (20... Ne6 $13 21. g3 Qd8 22. Be3) 21. Qd2 (21. Bd6 $13) 21... Nf3+ $1 22. gxf3 Bxf3 {with a total mess, for instance mit totalem Durcheinander, zum Beispiel} 23. Bd3 Qg4+ 24. Kf2 Qg2+ 25. Ke3 Qh3 $13) 20... Qd8 $2 {The only mistake of my opponent in this game, but in such a sharp position you pay the full price for it. Der einzige Fehler meines Gegners in dieser Partie, aber in einer solchen scharfen Stellung zahlt man den vollen Preis dafür.} (20... Qg5 {was obligatory, with a very sharp play which seems to end in a more or less equal position: war Pflicht, mit sehr scharfem Spiel, welches in eine mehr oder weniger ausgeglichene Stellung zu münden scheint:} 21. Re4 $1 (21. Bf4 {White has a draw if he wants, of course. Weiß hat ein natürlich ein Remis, wenn er will.} Qh4) 21... Nf5 $1 (21... Bf5 22. Rxd4 Nxd4 23. Bf4 $1) 22. Rg4 $1 Qh6 $8 (22... Qd8 23. Bc7) 23. Bf4 Qe6 $8 24. Nc7 (24. Qf1 $5 $13) 24... Qe4 $1 25. Nxa8 Ne3 26. Qf3 $1 Qxf3 27. gxf3 Nxc4 $1 28. Rg2 N4e5 29. Bxe5 Nxe5 {Not an easy line to calculate, I must admit. Ein nicht leicht zu berechnendes Abspiel, muss ich zugeben.}) 21. Nc7 Rb8 22. Nb5 Ra8 23. Bd6 $1 {That is what Georg has missed in his calculations. Now Black is in trouble all of a sudden. Dies ist, was Georg in seinen Berechnungen übersehen hatte. Urplötzlich ist Schwarz in Schwierigkeiten.} Re8 {Not seeing a nice combination which is winning by force. Anyway, there was nothing really satisfactory for Black already. Übersieht eine schöne Kombination, die forciert gewinnt. Allerdings gab es sowieso bereits nichts wirklich Befriedigendes für Schwarz mehr.} (23... Nxb5 $142 {was more stubborn, but White wins an exchange in all variations and later the game normally also: war hartnäckiger, aber Weiß gewinnt in allen Varianten eine Qualität und später normalerweise auch die Partie:} 24. Bxf8 Qb6+ 25. Kh1 Kxf8 26. Bxb5 Be6 (26... Qxb5 $2 27. Qd6+) 27. Bxc6) 24. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 25. Qh5+ g6 26. Qxh7+ Kf6 27. Nxd4 $1 {The best and the simplest. Das Besten und Einfachste.} Nxd4 (27... Rxe1+ 28. Rxe1 Qxd6 29. Rf1+ (29. Qh8+ {also wins - gewinnt auch -} Kf7 30. Nxc6) 29... Ke5 (29... Bf5 30. Nxf5 Qc5+ 31. Ne3+) 30. Nf3+ Kd5 31. Rd1+ Kc5 32. Rxd6) 28. Qh4+ Kf7 29. Rc7+ (29. Qxd4 {is also winning, of course, but the text is more precise. gewinnt ebenfalls, natürlich, aber der Text ist genauer.}) 29... Bd7 (29... Qxc7 30. Qh7+ Kf6 31. Rf1+ Bf5 32. Bxc7) 30. Qh7+ Kf6 31. Rf1+ Ke6 {A generous gesture from my opponent :) Eine großzügige Geste von meinem Gegner :)} (31... Nf5 32. Rxd7 Qb6+ 33. Kh1) 32. Qxg6+ Kd5 33. Rc5# 1-0 [Event "WchT 8th"] [Site "Ningbo"] [Date "2011.07.26"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Onischuk, Alexander"] [Black "Roiz, Michael"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2675"] [BlackElo "2669"] [Annotator "Roiz,Michael"] [PlyCount "105"] [EventDate "2011.07.17"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [SourceTitle "CBM 144"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.09.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "US of America"] [BlackTeam "Israel"] [WhiteTeamCountry "USA"] [BlackTeamCountry "ISR"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 {A little surprise, as I hadn't played it since 2004.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 (6. e3 {is what Alexander played 10-15 years ago...}) 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 {This way of development has become more and more popular recently. The knight is closer to the king side and may put some pressure on White's centre as well.} 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. d5 {The last round was played in the morning after a very tough tournament. Generally that choice was quite predictable, since it forces some simplifications which practically prevent any risk for White. Frankly speaking, it looks like Black shouldn't experience any problems now.} (14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bd3 {leads to a much more complex game.} ({or} 15. Bb3)) 14... exd5 {After some homework I came to the conclusion that this natural capture is the most solid.} ({Another possible continuation was:} 14... Nc5 15. Qf4 Qf6 16. Qxf6 gxf6 17. Nd4 Rfc8 18. dxe6 Nxe6 19. Bb3 Nxd4 20. Rxd4 Rc7 21. Rfd1 Re8 22. Rd7 {1/2 Giri,A (2588)-Naiditsch,A (2687)/Wijk aan Zee 2010/CBM 135}) 15. Bxd5 Nc5 16. Qf4 Qb8 $1 {Still following my preparation. White's queen should be removed from f4, as there it takes control of the important d6-spot and exerts unpleasant pressure on my king.} (16... Qe7 $143 17. Nd4 Bxd5 18. exd5 Qe4 19. Qxe4 Nxe4 20. Nc6 Nd6 21. Rfe1 Rfe8 22. f3 $14 {[%csl Gc6,Gd5] 1-0 Genov,P (2499)-Olivier,J (2374)/France 2004/EXT 2005 (56)}) ({RR} 16... Qe7 17. Rfe1 Rad8 18. h4 Bxd5 19. exd5 Qd6 20. Qe3 Nd7 21. Ng5 Nf6 22. Ne4 Nxe4 23. Qxe4 h6 24. Re3 Rd7 25. Qd4 Qc5 26. Qe5 Qd6 27. Qb2 h5 28. Re5 Qf6 29. Qd4 g6 30. Rd3 Rfd8 31. Rf3 {Le,Q (2737)-Kravtsiv,M (2672) Riadh 2017 1-0 (49)}) 17. Qg4 Qc8 18. Qh4 $146 ({RR} 18. Qf4) 18... Bxd5 $146 {I have decided to release the pressure immediately.} ({In my opinion, White's play could be improved in the following game:} 18... Qc7 19. Nd4 Rfe8 20. Nf5 (20. Nb5 Qe7 21. Qxe7 Rxe7 $11) (20. Rfe1 $5 Rad8 21. Nf5 $14) 20... Bxd5 21. Rxd5 f6 22. Nd6 Re6 23. Rfd1 Rd8 24. Nb5 Rxd5 25. exd5 Qd7 $11 {1/2 Moiseenko,A (2679)-Kryvoruchko,Y (2640)/Kiev UKR 2011 (37)}) 19. exd5 Re8 {Black has to fight for the open e-file in order to neutralise the strong passer.} 20. Nd4 ({White can hardly hope to get any advantage after} 20. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Qd7 22. Qc4 Re8 $11) 20... Qd7 21. Nc6 Re4 $1 {Activating the last piece.} 22. Qg3 Rae8 23. f3 Re2 {All the black pieces are very active, so White should simplify the position - otherwise he may be worse.} (23... Re3 $142 {was a bit more accurate, as White cannot swap all the rooks:} 24. Rde1 (24. Qg4 Qd6 25. Qg3 Qd7 $11) 24... Ne4 $1 25. Qg4 f5 26. Qf4 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Qxd5 28. Qc1 Re6 29. Nxa7 $11) 24. Rde1 $1 {It's necessary to exchange the rooks.} f6 25. Rxe2 Rxe2 26. Qb8+ ({After} 26. Rd1 Qe8 {Black has enough counterplay} 27. h4 h5 28. Nxa7 $140 Qa4) ({I would be quite satisfied with my position also after} 26. Re1 Rxe1+ 27. Qxe1 Kf7 28. Qd1 Na6 $1 $11) 26... Re8 ({Nor was there anything wrong with} 26... Kf7 27. Rd1 (27. Nd8+ Ke7 28. Nc6+ Kf7 $11) 27... Qe8 28. Qc7+ Kg8 $11) 27. Qxa7 Qxa7 28. Nxa7 Ra8 29. Nc6 (29. Nb5 Rxa2 $11) 29... Rxa2 30. Rb1 Nd7 $11 {The position is totally drawn. White's pieces are slightly more active, but Black has several ways to neutralise it.} 31. Re1 Ne5 $6 {I can hardly explain my decision. Of course, in the resulting ending White has no winning chances at all, but why should I give up a pawn?} ({Why not} 31... Kf8 32. Re7 Nc5 (32... Ne5 33. Rb7 Rd2 $11) 33. Rc7 Rd2 $11) ({Or} 31... Nc5 $11) 32. Nxe5 fxe5 33. Rxe5 Rd2 {White cannot hold his passed d-pawn.} 34. h4 b5 35. d6 Rxd6 36. Rxb5 Rd4 37. h5 h6 {White cannot make any progress. I believe in any other case Alexander would have accepted a draw much earlier, but it was a team competition.} 38. Rf5 Ra4 39. Kh2 Rb4 40. g4 Ra4 41. Kg3 Rb4 42. Rf4 Rb5 43. Kf2 Rb3 44. Ke2 Ra3 45. Rd4 Rb3 46. Rd3 Rb4 47. Ke3 Ra4 48. Rd4 Ra5 49. Ke4 Rb5 50. Rd5 Rb3 51. f4 Kh7 52. Kf5 Rf3 53. Ke4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-40"] [Site "Istanbul"] [Date "2012.09.06"] [Round "9.2"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Socko, Bartosz"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2729"] [BlackElo "2635"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2012.08.28"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "TUR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 151"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.11.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Azerbaijan"] [BlackTeam "Poland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "POL"] 1. d4 {Tsesarsky,Ilya Finkel,Alexander} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rfe1 (13. a4 {- see Leko-Naiditsch in CBM 146}) (13. d5 {and}) (13. Rad1 Bb7 14. d5 {are also quite common.}) 13... Bb7 14. Rad1 Rc8 15. Bd3 (15. Bb3 {is another alternative} {RR} Qf6 ({RR} 15... Re8 16. Qf4 ({RR} 16. d5 exd5 17. Bxd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Qf6 19. d6 h6) 16... Qf6 17. Qd6 Red8 18. Qa3 a5 19. Ba4 Qf4 20. Qe7 Qc7 21. d5 Qc5 22. d6) ({RR} 15... Qf6 16. h3 ({RR} 16. Qb4 Qf4 17. Qe7 Rc7 18. Qg5 Qxg5 19. Nxg5 h6 20. Nf3 Rcc8) ({RR} 16. Qe3 Rfd8 17. g3) 16... Rfd8 17. Qe3 h6 18. Nh2 Qe7 19. Nf1 b5 20. d5) ({RR} 15... Re8 16. Qf4 Qf6 17. Qd6 Red8 18. Qa3 a5 19. Ba4 Qf4 20. Qe7 Qc7 21. d5 Qc5 22. d6) 16. h3 Rfd8 17. Qe3 h6 18. Nh2 Qe7 19. Nf1 b5 20. d5) ({RR} 15. Bb3 Nf6 16. Qf4 ({RR} 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Rc5 ({RR} 17... Qd6 18. Nd4 Ng4 19. g3 Rfe8 20. Nb5 Qd7 21. Nxa7 Ra8 22. Nc6 Nf6 23. Ne5 Qd6 24. Qd4) 18. d6 Bd5 19. Qf4 ({RR} 19. Bxd5 Rxd5 20. Qf4 Qa8 21. Nd4 Qc8 ({RR} 21... Rd8 22. Nf5)) 19... Nh5 20. Qd4 Nf6 21. Qf4 Nh5 22. Qd4 Nf6 23. Re5 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Rxe5 25. Qxe5 Re8 26. Qf4 Rf8 27. Ba4 Qb8 28. Qe5 Rd8 29. Qe7 h6 30. Qc7 Rc8) 16... Qc7 17. Qh4 Rfd8 18. Re3 b5 19. Rde1 a5) ({RR} 15. Qd3 Qc7 16. Ba6) ({RR} 15. Bb3 Nf6 16. Qf4 Qc7 17. Qh4 Rfd8 18. Re3 b5 19. Rde1 a5 20. a4 b4 21. d5 exd5 22. e5 Nd7 ({RR} 22... Ne4) 23. Ng5 Nf8 24. Nxh7 Qb6 ({RR} 24... Nxh7 25. Rh3) 25. Rh3 Ng6 26. Qh5 Re8 27. Ng5 Rxe5 28. Rxe5 Rc1+ 29. Bd1 Rxd1+) 15... Re8 {A useful prophylactical move.} (15... Qc7) (15... Qf6) (15... Qe7 {RR} 16. a4) ({and} 15... h6 {were seen in GM practice, too.}) ({RR} 15... h6 16. Bb1 Re8 17. Re3 ({RR} 17. h3 Qc7 18. Nh2 Qc3 19. Qf4 e5 ({RR} 19... Nf8 20. Re3 Ng6 21. Qg4 Qc7 22. e5) 20. Qf5 Nf6 21. d5 Qb4) 17... Qc7 18. e5 ({RR} 18. d5 exd5 19. exd5 Qd6 20. Nh4 Nf6 21. Nf5 Qxd5 22. Nxh6+ Kf8 23. Qb4+ Qc5 24. Qh4 Qd5) 18... Nf8 ({RR} 18... Bd5 19. Ne1 Nf8 20. Rg3) 19. Ne1 Qe7 ({RR} 19... Red8 20. Rg3 Kh8 21. Qe2 ({RR} 21. Qf4 f5) 21... Qe7 22. Qg4 ({RR} 22. Qh5 Nh7 23. Nf3 b5 24. h4) 22... Qg5 23. Qxg5 hxg5 24. Rxg5) 20. Rg3 Qh4 ({RR} 20... Kh8 21. Qf4) 21. h3 f5 ({RR} 21... Red8 22. Rg4 Qh5 23. Qe3 Ng6 24. Qg3 Rc7 ({RR} 24... Nxe5 25. Rxg7+ Kf8 26. Rg8+ Ke7 27. Qa3+ Kd7) 25. Kh2) ({RR} 21... Kh8 22. Nf3 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Rc7 24. Rg3) ({RR} 21... h5 22. Qe3 Rc7 23. Nf3 Bxf3 24. Qxf3) 22. exf6 Qxf6 23. Nd3 Red8 ({RR} 23... Qxd4 24. Qxh6 Red8 25. Re1) 24. Nf4 Rc5 ({RR} 24... Rc7 25. Qe3 ({RR} 25. Nh5 Qh4) 25... e5 ({RR} 25... Rcd7 26. Nh5 Qh4 27. Qe5) 26. Nh5 Qd6 27. d5) 25. d5 ({RR} 25. Qe3 Rg5) 25... g5 ({RR} 25... Rc7 26. Be4 Rcd7 27. Rd3) 26. h4 Rc4 ({RR} 26... Nh7 27. Nh5 Qe5 28. Qd3 Nf8 29. hxg5 Rcxd5 30. Nf6+) ({RR} 26... exd5 27. hxg5 hxg5 28. Nh5) 27. Nh5 Qe5 28. hxg5 Rxd5 29. Nf6+ {1-0 (29) Radjabov,T (2704)-Van Wely,L (2648) Khanty-Mansiysk 2005 CBM 111 [Finkel,Alexander]}) ({RR} 15... Qe7 16. Qf4 Rc3 ({RR} 16... Rfd8 17. h3 Nf8 18. h4 f6 19. Re3 Kh8 20. Rde1 Rc3 21. Bb1 ({RR} 21. h5 e5) 21... Rxe3 22. Qxe3) 17. Re3 ({RR} 17. d5 Qa3 18. Bb1 exd5 19. e5 g6 20. h4 Nc5 21. h5 Ne6 22. Qg4 Rc4 23. Qg3) 17... Rfc8 18. h4 ({RR} 18. e5 Nf8 ({RR} 18... Bxf3 19. Rxf3) 19. Ng5 Bd5 20. Ne4 Ng6 21. Qg4 h5 22. Qe2 Rc1) 18... Nf6 19. Ne5) ({RR} 15... Qe7 16. Qf4 Rc3 17. Re3 Rfc8 18. h4 Nf6 19. Ne5) 16. h4 {GM Shakhriar Mamedyarov follows his old game against Cyril Marcelin. Obviously his opponent has prepared an improvement. The other moves don't pose serious problems to Black:} (16. h3 Nf8 17. h4 {A strange loss of time.} Re7 18. h5 h6 19. Qf4 Qc7 20. Qh4 Rd7 21. Bb5 Rdd8 22. Ne5 Nh7 23. Bc4 Nf6 $11 {1/2 Van Wely,L (2686)-Illescas Cordoba,M (2609)/Melilla 2011/CBM 146/[RR] (60)}) (16. Qe3 Rc3 17. e5 Qc7 18. Ng5 Nf8 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Rd8 21. h4 Qe7 $11 {1-0 Korchnoi V-Najdorf M/Wijk aan Zee 11/437 1971/[Ivkov,B] (40)}) (16. Qf4 Qf6 {A typical reply to ?f4} 17. Qg4 Qg6 $6 {[%CAl Gd3g6]} (17... Qh6) (17... Qe7) 18. Qh3 Nf6 19. e5 Qh5 20. Qg3 Nd7 (20... Nd5 21. Ng5 h6 $140 22. Ne4) 21. Ng5 (21. Nd2 $142 {[%CAl Rd2c4]} Bd5 22. Nf1 $14 {[%CAl Yf1e3]}) 21... Nf8 22. Be4 Bd5 23. f3 {1-0 Khmelniker,I (2443)-Prusikin,M (2538)/Bad Wiessee 2008/EXT 2009 (41)} h6 24. Nh3 Bxe4 25. fxe4 Rc2 $132) (16. Bb1 Nf8 (16... h6 17. h3 Qc7 18. Nh2 Qc3 19. Qf4 e5 (19... Nf8 20. Re3 Ng6 21. Qg4 Qc7 22. e5 $16 {1-0 Grooten,H (2340)-Horvath,C (2530)/Leeuwarden 1995/EXT 1997 (37)}) 20. Qf5 Nf6 21. d5 Qb4 $11 {I.Tsesarsky}) 17. Re3 Re7 (17... Qd6 18. Qb2 Red8 {1/2 Prusikin,M (2560)-Levin,F (2513)/Germany 2006/EXT 2007}) (17... Ng6 18. Ra3 a6 19. Rb3 Rc6 {1/2 Brunner,N (2429)-Eliet,N (2429)/Belgium 2009/EXT 2010}) 18. h4 Rec7 (18... Rd7 $143 19. h5 Qf6 20. Ra3 a6 21. Rb3 b5 22. Ne5 Rdd8 23. a4 $36 {1-0 Mahjoob,M (2479)-Moradiabadi,E (2540)/Cebu 2007/CBM 120 ext (35)}) 19. Ra3 Ba8 20. h5 h6 21. Nh2 Qg5 22. Qxg5 hxg5 23. Kf1 Rc1 24. Ke2 Rxd1 25. Kxd1 Rd8 26. Nf3 g4 27. Nd2 Rxd4 28. Rxa7 Bc6 $11 {1-0 Engqvist,T (2363)-Golod,V (2578)/Helsingor 2008/CBM 125 Extra (103)}) ({RR} 16. h3 h6 17. a4 Qc7 18. Rc1 Qd6 19. a5 Qa3 20. Ra1 Qc3 21. Qe3 bxa5 22. Rec1 Qb2 23. Rcb1 Qc3 24. Bb5 Qxe3 25. fxe3 Red8 26. Bd3 Ba8 27. Rxa5 Rc3 28. Ne1 Nf6 29. e5 Nd5 30. Kf2 Rc7 {Paravyan,D (2593)-Bukreev,S (2385) chess.com INT 2026 0-1 (78)}) ({RR} 16. Qe3 Rc3 17. e5 Qc7 18. Ng5 Nf8 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Rd8 21. h4 Qe7 22. Qg4 Ra3 23. Bc4 b5 24. Bb3 a5 25. d5 a4 ({RR} 25... exd5 26. Bxd5 Ra4 ({RR} 26... Ne6 27. Bxe6 Rxd1 28. Bxf7+) 27. Qe2 Rxh4 28. Qxb5 ({RR} 28. Bxf7+ Kxf7 29. e6+ Nxe6 30. Rxd8 Qxd8 31. Qxe6+ Kf8 32. Qf5+ Kg8 33. Qxb5 Rb4) 28... a4) 26. dxe6 axb3 27. exf7+ Kh8 28. Rxd8 Qxd8 29. axb3 Qe7 30. e6 Ra6) ({RR} 16. Bb1 h6 17. h3 Qc7 18. Nh2 Qc3 19. Qf4 e5 ({RR} 19... Nf8 20. Re3 Ng6 21. Qg4 Qc7 22. e5) 20. Qf5 Nf6 21. d5 Qb4) 16... Nf8 (16... h6 {was played by C.Marcelin, and he had no problems in the opening:} 17. Bb5 (17. a4 $5 {might be prepared for the present game but Black's position is very solid after, say,} Re7) 17... Re7 18. Bxd7 Rxd7 19. Ne5 Rdc7 ({RR} 19... Rd6 20. h5 Rc5 21. Qf4 Rc7) 20. Qf4 Qd6 21. Qg4 Rc2 $132 22. Qh5 $6 ({RR} 22. a4) 22... R8c7 23. Ng4 $2 ({RR} 23. Re2) 23... Rxa2 24. d5 {1-0 Mamedyarov,S (2607)-Marcelin,C (2503)/Istanbul 2003/CBM 096/[Tsesarsky] (50)} Kh7 $1 ({RR} 24... Kh7 25. e5 Qb4 26. d6 Rd7 27. Re3 Qf4) 25. e5 $140 Qb4 26. d6 Rd7 $19 {I.Tsesarsky}) ({RR} 16... h6 17. Bb5 Re7 18. Bxd7 Rxd7 19. Ne5 Rdc7 20. Qf4 Qd6 21. Qg4 Rc2) ({RR} 16... h6 17. Bb5 Re7 18. Bxd7 Rxd7 19. Ne5 Rdc7 20. Qf4 Qd6 21. Qg4 Rc2 22. Qh5 R8c7 23. Ng4 Rxa2 24. d5 exd5 25. exd5 Re7 ({RR} 25... Rc8 26. Ne5 Rf8 ({RR} 26... Rc7) 27. Qf5 a5 28. Qd7 Qc5 29. Nd3 Qc8 30. Qb5 Rd8) 26. Rxe7 Qxe7 27. d6 Qe4 28. Ne3 Rxf2 ({RR} 28... Bc6 29. d7 Bxd7 30. Rxd7 Ra1+ 31. Nf1 Qc4 32. Rd8+ Kh7 33. Rd1) 29. Kxf2 Qf4+ 30. Ke1 Qxe3+ 31. Qe2 {Mamedyarov,S (2607)-Marcelin,C (2503) Istanbul 2003 CBM 096 [Tsesarsky,Ilya] 1-0 (50)} {RR} Qg3+ 32. Kf1 Qh2 33. d7 Qh1+ 34. Kf2 Qxg2+ 35. Ke1 Qg1+ 36. Kd2 Qd4+ 37. Qd3) {The text move is a bit too passive.} 17. h5 (17. a4 $5 Re7 $5) 17... h6 18. a4 $146 ({RR} 18. Bb5 Re7 19. Ne5 Qd6 20. Ng4 f5 21. exf5 Qd5 22. Bf1 Qxf5 23. Qe2 Rec7 24. Ne3 Qg5 25. g3 Rd8 26. Rd2 Rf7 27. Bg2 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Rfd7 29. Red1 Nh7 30. d5 Qe5 31. Qc4 b5 32. Qb3 Ng5 {Lalith,B (2571)-Joshi,G (2158) Dharamshala 2014 1-0 (34)}) 18... Nh7 19. Qf4 Rc3 (19... Qc7 $5 20. e5 $140 Nf6 21. Nd2 Nd5 22. Qe4 f5 23. exf6 Nxf6) (19... Ng5 $5 $11) 20. Bb5 Rf8 (20... Re7 {looks risky due to} 21. d5 {but, in fact, Black holds his ground:} exd5 22. exd5 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Nf6 24. d6 Rc5 (24... Bxf3 $143 25. gxf3 Rc5 26. Bc4 Rc6 27. Re7) 25. Re7 (25. Bc4 Bd5) 25... Bxf3 26. Qxf3 Qxd6 27. Rxa7 Rc1+ 28. Bf1 Qe6 $11) 21. d5 $1 {[%mdl 512] Still! This is now a real pawn sacrifice but, with White's rooks powerfully centralised, Black will find it difficult to find the right defence.} exd5 22. exd5 Bxd5 {Black must accept the offer; otherwise White's d-pawn will be too powerful.} (22... Nf6 23. d6) (22... a6 23. Bd3 $1 Nf6 24. d6) 23. Ne5 Nf6 24. Bc4 $5 (24. Nc6 Qa8 25. Ne7+ Kh8 26. Nxd5 Nxd5 27. Qd4 Rc5 28. Re5 Nc7 $1 {with probable simplifications and a draw}) 24... Qa8 25. Bxd5 Nxd5 26. Qd2 (26. Qd4 $5 Rd8 27. Re3 $1 Rc7 28. Rg3 f6 29. Ng6 {with a dangerous initiative}) 26... Rd8 27. Re4 Qb8 $2 (27... Qc8 {was correct:} 28. Rd4 (28. Ng4 Rd6 29. Qe1 (29. Qe2 Nf4 30. Re8+ Kh7 31. Qe4+ f5) (29. Rd4 Rc4) 29... Kf8 30. Red4 Rc5 {[%CAl Yc8e6]}) 28... Rc5 (28... Rc2 $5 29. Qd3 Rc3 30. Qe4 Rc1 $11) 29. Ng4 Re8 30. Nxh6+ gxh6 31. Rxd5 Qg4 $11) ({Or} 27... Rc5 $5 {, which leads to the same line after} 28. Rd4 Qc8) 28. Ng4 $1 {[%CAl Rg4e3,Rg4h6,Re4d4] This knight now creates deadly threats.} f5 (28... Rd6 {now loses a piece after} 29. Rd4 ({but not} 29. Ne3 Nf6 $1) 29... Rc5 30. Ne3) 29. Rd4 fxg4 (29... Rdc8 30. Nxh6+ gxh6 31. Rxd5 R3c6 32. Rd7 $18 {[%csl Rg8]}) 30. Qxc3 Nxc3 31. Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Rxd8+ {White converts his material advantage without major problems.} Kh7 33. Kh2 Nxa4 34. Kg3 Nc3 35. Kxg4 a5 36. Kf5 b5 37. f4 {Just setting up a mating net.} b4 (37... Ne2 38. g4 Ng3+ 39. Ke5 b4 40. Ra8 $18) 38. g4 b3 39. g5 hxg5 40. fxg5 g6+ 41. hxg6+ Kg7 42. Rd7+ Kg8 43. g7 Kh7 44. g6+ Kg8 45. Kg5 {[%CAl Rg5h6]} 1-0 [Event "Gibraltar Masters 12th"] [Site "Caleta"] [Date "2014.02.04"] [Round "8"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Ganguly, Surya Shekhar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2739"] [BlackElo "2619"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2014.01.28"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "GGB"] [SourceTitle "CBM 159"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.03.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.03.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 {Die ehrwürdige Semi-Tarraschvariante ist in jüngster Zeit wieder recht populär geworden, auch weil man mit Sxd5 die Abtauschvariante vermeiden kann.} 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 Nc6 12. Be2 Qb6 13. O-O Rd8 14. Rc4 Bd7 (14... e5 15. d5 f6 16. Rfc1 Ne7 17. Qc3 Qd6 18. Rc7 a6 19. Ne1 f5 20. Qc5 Qxc5 21. R1xc5 Kf7 22. f3 f4 23. g3 g5 24. Nd3 Kf6 25. Nxe5 Nxd5 26. Rxh7 Kxe5 27. gxf4+ Kxf4 28. exd5 b5 29. Bd3 Rf8 30. Kf2 Bf5 31. Bxf5 Rxf5 32. Re7 Re5 33. Rf7+ Rf5 34. Rxf5+ Kxf5 35. d6+ Kf6 36. Kg3 b4 37. d7 Rd8 38. Rd5 Ke6 39. Rxg5 Rxd7 40. h4 Kf6 41. Ra5 Rd6 42. f4 Rb6 43. Kg4 Kg6 44. h5+ Kh6 45. Rc5 Re6 46. Rc8 Rb6 47. Rh8+ Kg7 48. Ra8 Kh6 49. Ra7 Rd6 50. Rb7 a5 51. Ra7 Rd5 52. Ra6+ Kg7 53. f5 Rd1 54. Rxa5 Rg1+ 55. Kf4 Ra1 56. Ra6 Rf1+ 57. Ke5 Re1+ 58. Kd5 Rf1 59. h6+ Kh7 60. Ke5 Re1+ 61. Kf6 Kxh6 62. Rb6 Re4 63. Kf7+ Kh7 64. f6 Kh6 65. Kf8 {1-0 (65) Pereira,A (2135)-Buchaillot,L (2218) ICCF email 2005}) 15. Bd3 ({RR} 15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Be6 17. Bd3 Bxd5 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. Rh4+ Kg8 20. Qc2 Bxf3 21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Qh8+ Ke7 23. Qxg7 Bd5 24. Re1+ Be6 25. Rh6 Nd4 26. h3 Nf3+ 27. Kh1 Nxe1 28. Qf6+ Kd7 29. Rh4 Nc2 {Yilmaz,M (2630)-Ganguly,S (2635) chess24.com INT 2020 0-1}) 15... Qa5 16. Qb2 Rac8 $146 ({RR} 16... Be8 17. Rfc1 Rab8 18. R1c3 Qh5 19. Rc5 Qh6 20. d5 exd5 21. exd5 Ne7 22. R3c4 Rxd5 23. Rxd5 Nxd5 24. Rh4 Qf6 25. Bxh7+ Kf8 26. Qa3+ Qe7 27. Qxa7 Rc8 28. g3 g6 29. Qd4 Nf6 30. Rf4 Kg7 31. g4 {Vyprachticky,D (2301)-Straka,V (2379) Klatovy 2018 ½-½ (72)}) 17. Rfc1 Nb4 18. Bf1 Nc6 19. Rc5 Qb4 20. Qa1 (20. Qxb4 Nxb4 21. Rb1 $14) 20... Na5 (20... Ne7 $5) 21. a3 Qb6 22. Rb1 Nb3 23. Qa2 Ba4 24. Rc4 Qa5 (24... Rxc4 25. Bxc4 Rc8 26. Nd2 Rxc4 27. Nxc4 Qxd4 28. Qe2 $16) 25. Rxb3 Bxb3 26. Qxb3 b5 $2 ({Besser war} 26... Rxc4 27. Bxc4 b5 28. Qxb5 (28. Bxb5 $4 Rb8 $17) 28... Qxa3 $16 {Im Unterschied zur Partiefolge hat Schwarz hier ein Tempo mehr.}) 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. d5 (28. Bxb5 $2 Rb8 $17) 28... Qa4 (28... exd5 29. exd5 $18 {Der Freibauer entscheidet.}) 29. Qe3 exd5 30. exd5 Qd1 31. Nd4 Kf8 32. d6 Re8 33. d7 Rd8 34. Qe5 Rxd7 {Danach folgt ein hübsches Matt in 10 Zügen:} 35. Qb8+ Ke7 36. Nc6+ Kf6 37. Qf4+ Ke6 (37... Kg6 38. Ne5+ Kh5 39. h4 h6 40. Qf5+ g5 41. Nxd7 Qa1 42. Nf6+ Qxf6 43. Be2+ Kxh4 44. Qh3#) 38. Qe5# 1-0 [Event "Dortmund SuperGM 41st"] [Site "Dortmund"] [Date "2013.08.03"] [Round "8"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2737"] [BlackElo "2710"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2013.07.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 156"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 Nc6 12. Bb5 {An old move. White wants to provoke ...?c8-d7 and then retreat to d3. This is a bit artificial and should not be too dangerous for Black. However, the line is certainly playable for White.} Bd7 (12... Na5 {is less logical here than with White's bishop on c4. It can just lead to a transposition if White plays ?b5-d3 but he is not forced to do so:} 13. O-O b6 14. Rfd1 Bb7 15. Qf4 $14 {1-0 (61) Tikhomirov,A-Davidov,E Yaroslavl 1995}) 13. O-O Ne5 (13... h6 14. Rfe1 Ne7 15. Bd3 Bc6 16. Qb4 Ng6 17. g3 Qd7 18. Bf1 Rfd8 19. Qb3 Ba4 20. Qa3 Bc6 21. Qb2 Rab8 22. Bh3 Qd6 23. d5 exd5 24. e5 Qe7 25. e6 Nf8 26. exf7+ Qxf7 27. Nd4 $44 {1/2 (32) Szabo,V (2356)-Manso Gil,A (2470) Lechenicher SchachServer 2010}) (13... Ne7 $5 14. Bd3 (14. Qb4 Qb6 15. a4 Nc6 16. Qc5 Qxc5 17. Rxc5 a6 18. Be2 Rac8 19. Rfc1 f6 20. Kf1 b6 21. R5c3 Nb4 $11 {1/2 (58) Pomar Salamanca,A-Kortschnoj,V Palma de Mallorca 1969}) 14... Bc6 15. Qb4 Ng6 16. g3 Rc8 17. Qa3 a6 18. Rfd1 Qf6 19. Bc2 Rfd8 20. Qe3 b5 21. Bd3 Qe7 22. Nd2 Qa3 $132 {1/2 (38) Avellan,G (2048)-Bulgarini Torres,M (1942) Lechenicher SchachServer 2011}) 14. Be2 (14. Nxe5 Bxb5 15. Rfd1 f6 16. Nf3 Qd7 17. h3 Rac8 18. Qb2 Ba4 19. Re1 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Bc6 $15 {0-1 (54) Lundin,E-Pachman,L Saltsjobaden 1948}) 14... Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Rc8 {Black should aim for simplifications.} (15... Bb5 {is rather senseless:} 16. Rfd1 Qd7 17. d5 $1 exd5 18. Qb4 Rac8 19. exd5 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Re8 21. h3 g6 22. Qf4 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Qxc8 24. d6 $16 {1-0 (31) Nakamura,H (2699)-Gyimesi,Z (2582) Austria 2009}) 16. d5 {[%csl Gd5][%mdl 32]} Qf6 (16... exd5 17. exd5 Qf6 18. d6 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 b6 20. h3 (20. Bc6 $5 {(M.Golubev)} Bxc6 21. Rxc6 Rd8 {[%CAl Yf6e6] , and it is not easy for White to break through}) 20... Rd8 21. Rc7 Qa1+ 22. Rc1 Qf6 23. Bb7 g6 24. Rc4 Be6 25. Rc1 Qe5 26. Rd1 Qc5 27. Bf3 b5 $11 {1/2 (48) Eljanov,P (2683)-Cyborowski,L (2543) Germany 2012}) 17. Qa5 (17. d6 Qe5 $1) 17... exd5 18. exd5 a6 19. Qa3 {Of course, White should not allow the blockading ...?f6-d6.} b5 $146 {[%csl Ra6]} (19... Rxc1 $5 20. Rxc1 Rc8 21. Rxc8+ Bxc8 {, and Black should hold on}) ({RR} 19... Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Rc8 21. Rxc8+ Bxc8 22. h3 g6 23. Qc5 Qa1+ 24. Kh2 Qe5+ 25. g3 Bf5 26. a4 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Qxb5 Qd4 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Qe8 h5 31. Qe7 Qf6 32. Qe3 Qd6 33. Qd4+ Kf8 34. g4 {Peralta,F (2574)-Negi,P (2645) Tromsoe 2014 ½-½ (70)}) 20. d6 a5 $1 {The right course. Black moves his queenside pawns forward.} 21. h3 g6 (21... b4 $6 22. Qxa5 Qxd6 23. Rcd1) (21... Qe5 $5 {[%CAl Yb5b4]}) 22. Rfd1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Qf4 $6 {Black misses another chance to prepare the equalising ...b5-b4:} (23... Qg5 $1 24. h4 (24. Rc5 Qd2 $132) 24... Qf4 25. g3 Qf5 {[%CAl Yb5b4] etc.}) 24. Rd1 a4 25. g3 (25. Qc5 $1 b4 $140 $2 26. Rd4) 25... Qe5 (25... Qc4 $1 26. Rc1 Qd4 $11) 26. Qb4 Rc8 27. Bg4 f5 28. Bf3 Rc3 $6 {This doesn't contribute to counterplay. Black should have pushed White's queen to the kingside:} (28... Qc3 $142 29. Qf4 Kg7 {[%CAl Yb5b4]}) 29. Qa5 $1 Kg7 (29... Rc8 30. Qa7 Qg7 31. Bd5+ Kh8 32. Re1 $18) 30. Qa7 (30. Qd8 $142 $1 Qe6 31. Bd5 $1 Qxd6 32. Re1 Rxg3+ (32... Qxd5 33. Re7+ Kh6 34. Qf8+ Kg5 35. f4+ Kh5 36. Rxh7#) 33. fxg3 Qxg3+ 34. Kf1 Qf4+ 35. Ke2 Qe5+ 36. Kf2 $1 Qd4+ $1 37. Re3 f4 38. Qxd7+ Kh6 39. Qe6 b4 40. Kf3 Qxe3+ 41. Qxe3 fxe3 42. Kxe3 Kg5 43. Bc6 $1 a3 (43... b3 44. a3 b2 45. Be4 Kh4 46. Kd4 Kxh3 47. Kc3 Kg3 48. Kxb2 Kf4 49. Bc2 $18) 44. Bd5 Kh4 45. Be6 Kg3 46. Kd2 b3 47. Bxb3 Kxh3 48. Bc2 {, and White should win.}) 30... Rxf3 $4 {[%mdl 16384] After this bishop exchange White's passed pawn becomes unstoppable.} ({Here} 30... Qe6 {enabled Black to hold his ground for the time being although after} 31. Bg2 {his defence remained difficult.}) 31. Qxd7+ Kh6 32. Qc6 Qe2 33. Qc1+ f4 34. Qd2 (34. Qd2 Qe8 35. d7 Qd8 36. Rc1 $18) 1-0 [Event "Biel GM"] [Site "Biel"] [Date "2007.07.25"] [Round "3"] [White "Bu, Xiangzhi"] [Black "Polgar, Judit"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2685"] [BlackElo "2707"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2007.07.23"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 120"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2007.10.02"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 e6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. d4 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bg5 $6 {This is not too promising for White, compared to} (11. Qc2 Bb6 12. Ng5 g6 13. Qd2) 11... Qd7 {This move may look strange but Black avoids creating weaknesses in her position after the "main"} (11... f6) {And the white g5 bishop will have to retreat anyway.} 12. Ne1 {Too "academic" but} (12. Rc1 Bb6 {[%CAl Yd5d4] doesn't promise too much either.}) 12... Re8 $1 $146 {[%mdl 8] A novelty in a well-known theoretical position! This move was recommended by GM Alon Greenfeld but not tested in practice before the present game.} (12... d4 {is the main theoretical move but White keeps an edge:} 13. Nd3 Bb6 14. a4 $5 {The most dangerous plan in such positions.} (14. Bd2 Qe7 (14... Re8 15. Re1 Qd6 16. a4 a6 17. Qb3 Na5 18. Qd5 Qxd5 19. Bxd5 Bf5 20. b4 Nc6 21. a5 Ba7 22. b5 axb5 23. a6 Rad8 24. Bg2 Be4 25. Bxe4 Rxe4 26. axb7 Bb8 27. Rec1 Re6 28. Ra8 {1-0 Schandorff,L-Greenfeld,A/Saint Vincent 2005/CBM 110}) 15. Nf4 Be6 16. Qa4 Rac8 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. Rfe1 h6 19. a3 Qd7 20. Nxe6 Qxe6 21. Qc4 $14 {½-½ Kramnik,V-Anand,V/Monte Carlo 1995/CBM 046 ext (50)}) (14. Bf3 Qf5 15. Bd2 Rd8 16. a4 $1 Be6 17. Nf4 a5 18. Nxe6 Qxe6 19. Bf4 h6 20. h4 Rac8 21. Rc1 Ne5 $1 22. Bxe5 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 Qxe5 24. Kg2 Qe7 $1 $11 {½-½ Kalinin,A-Atalik,S/Wijk aan Zee 1997/CBM 057/[Atalik] (39)}) (14. Rc1 Re8 (14... Qf5 15. Bd2 Rd8 16. a4 Ne5 17. b4 a5 18. Nc5 axb4 19. Nxb7 Bxb7 20. Bxb7 Ra7 21. Bg2 Qd7 22. Bxb4 Qxa4 23. Qxa4 Rxa4 24. Be7 Re8 25. Bd6 $14 {1-0 Utemov,V-Titenko,V/Moscow 1990/EXT 2004 (39)}) 15. Re1 Qf5 16. Bd2 Be6 17. Qa4 Rad8 18. Nf4 Bc8 19. Bh3 Qe5 20. Nd3 Qh5 21. Nf4 Qg5 22. Bxc8 Rxc8 23. Qc2 Qg4 $132 {0-1 Cherniak,L-Magerramov,E/Moscow 1991/TD (50)}) 14... Qf5 15. Bd2 Bd7 16. b4 a6 17. Nf4 Qe5 18. Nd5 Bd8 19. Bf4 Qe6 20. Re1 Qg6 21. b5 axb5 22. axb5 Rxa1 23. Qxa1 Ne7 24. Qxd4 $16 {1-0 Topalov,V-Hansen,C/Istanbul 2000/EXT 2001/[Tsesarsky] (65)}) (12... h6 $5 {is quite good, in order to keep the isolated central pawn on d5 for a while, leaving the a7-g1 diagonal and d4 square free:} 13. Bd2 (13. Bf4 Rd8 14. Nd3 Bb6 15. Bd2 Qe7 16. Nf4 Be6 (16... Qe5 17. a4 Bf5 18. a5 Bc7 19. a6 bxa6 20. Rc1 Ne7 21. Bc3 d4 22. Bb4 Rac8 23. Bb7 Bb6 24. Bxc8 Nxc8 25. Nd3 $14 {½-½ Lie,K-Hansen,L/Copenhagen 2004/CBM 101 ext (45)}) 17. Qa4 Rd7 18. Rfd1 Rad8 19. Be1 Qf6 20. Bc3 d4 21. Be1 Bg4 22. h3 g5 23. Nd5 Rxd5 24. hxg4 Re5 25. Qc4 Rde8 $132 {½-½ Hauchard,A-Kinsman,A/France 1998/EXT 2001 (33)}) 13... Bb6 14. Nd3 Qd6 $1 (14... Rd8 15. a4 a5 16. Nf4 d4 17. Nd5 Ra6 18. Rc1 Ba7 19. Bf4 Kh7 20. Nc7 Rb6 21. Nb5 Bb8 22. Bxb8 Nxb8 23. Rc4 Qe8 24. Rxd4 Rxd4 25. Qxd4 Rg6 26. Nd6 Nc6 27. Qd3 {1-0 Gustafsson,J-Hertneck,G/Germany 2002/EXT 2003}) 15. Bf4 Qf6 16. Bxd5 Bg4 $132 17. Kh1 Rad8 18. Bg2 Nb4 19. Qb3 $1 Nxd3 20. exd3 Be2 21. Rfe1 Bxd3 22. Be3 Bxe3 23. Rxe3 Ba6 $11 {0-1 Schmidt,W-Greenfeld,A/Moscow 1994/CBM 045 (29)}) 13. Nd3 (13. Bxd5 $6 Re5 14. Bxc6 Qxc6 15. Bf4 Re8 $17) (13. Rc1 Bb6 14. Bxd5 Re5 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Nf3 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Rxe2 $15) 13... Bb6 14. Bd2 Qd6 {The same idea as after 12...h6 but Black's rook is already on e8, which is, of course, favorable for her.} 15. Nf4 Bg4 16. a4 Rad8 $146 ({RR} 16... Nd4 17. Be3 Nxe2+ 18. Nxe2 d4 19. a5 Bc5 20. b4 dxe3 21. bxc5 Qxd1 22. Rfxd1 exf2+ 23. Kxf2 Rxe2+ 24. Kg1 Rxg2+ {½-½ (24) Chelushkina,I (2221)-Miladinovic,L (2164) Kragujevac 2016}) 17. a5 Bc5 (17... Bd4 $15 {was even stronger.}) 18. Re1 a6 $6 {An unnecessary move, after which White consolidates his position and Black's d5 pawn becomes weak.} (18... Bf5 $142 {[%CAl Yf5e4] , e.g.} 19. Rc1 (19. Qb3 $2 Nd4) (19. Nxd5 $2 Be4) (19. Bxd5 $2 g5 20. Nh5 Bg4) 19... Be4 20. e3 d4 $1 $36) 19. Rc1 Ne5 $2 (19... Bf5 {was still possible, e.g.} 20. Bxd5 Ne5 $44 (20... g5 21. Nh5 Bg4 {is not good now due to} 22. Rxc5 $1 Qxc5 23. Nf6+ Kf8 24. Bxc6 bxc6 25. Nxe8)) 20. h3 Bf5 (20... Be6 $142 $14) 21. Qb3 {[%csl Rb7,Rd5] Suddenly Black is in trouble.} Nc4 22. Red1 Be6 (22... Be4 {is too late due to} 23. Bxe4 Rxe4 24. Bb4 $1 Bxb4 25. Rxd5 $16) (22... b5 23. axb6 Qxb6 24. Qxb6 Bxb6 25. Bb4 $16) 23. Be1 (23. Nxd5 $1 {was even simpler:} Bxd5 24. Bxd5 Qxd5 25. Qxc4 $16) 23... b5 24. axb6 Nxb6 25. Qa2 Bb4 26. Bxb4 Qxb4 27. Qxa6 {and White gradually converted his extra pawn:} Nc4 28. Nxd5 Bxd5 29. Rxd5 Rxd5 30. Bxd5 Nb6 31. Ba2 h6 32. Rc7 Rd8 33. Rxf7 Kh8 34. Qa3 1-0 [Event "Khanty-Mansiysk FIDE GP"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2015.05.24"] [Round "9"] [White "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2753"] [BlackElo "2803"] [Annotator "Prathamesh,Sunil Mokal"] [PlyCount "170"] [EventDate "2015.05.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 167"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.07.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 4. g3 {[%emt 0:00:22]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 5. d4 {[%emt 0:00:16]} e6 {[%emt 0:05:59]} 6. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:27]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 7. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 8. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nxc3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 9. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 10. Qxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qxd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 11. cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:05] This comparatively rare move and the variation in general has been famous for the classic game Kramnik - Lautier, 1995. Caruana, armed with modern analysis, wants to have his own say on it.} ({A more common line is} 11... Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 $14 {which leads to another well known endgame where White enjoys a slight advantage with no risk.}) 12. O-O {[%emt 0:10:09]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 13. e4 {[%emt 0:09:49]} b6 {[%emt 0:01:28]} ({The above mentioned game went} 13... O-O 14. e5 $1 Be7 (14... Bc7 15. Ba3 Rd8 16. Rac1 Rd7 17. Rxc7 Rxc7 18. Bd6 $18) 15. Be3 Bd7 (15... b6 16. Rfc1 Bd8 17. Bd2 {??b4-d6}) 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Rxc8+ Bxc8 18. Rc1 {1-0 Kramnik,V (2730)-Lautier,J (2645)/Horgen 1995/CBM 050/[Kramnik] (64), and Kramnik went on to score a fine technical victory in the resulting endgame.}) 14. Bb2 {[%emt 0:02:02]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:08:54]} 15. Rac1 {[%emt 0:22:34] The question of 'which ??' has been answered differently before.} ({A high level blitz game went} 15. Rfc1 {[%CAl Gf1c1,Gb7g2]} f6 (15... Kd7 $5 16. d5 $13) 16. a4 (16. e5 $5 Bxg2 17. exd6 Bd5 18. Rc7 $14) 16... Kd7 17. d5 exd5 18. exd5 Bc5 $11 {1-0 Radjabov,T (2734)-Leko,P (2723)/Beijing 2014/CBM 163 Extra (33). Black had comforably equalised although White went on to win later.}) (15. d5 $5 exd5 16. Bxg7 Rg8 17. Bf6 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Rfe1 {White's edge will be too small.}) 15... f6 {[%emt 0:15:51]} (15... Kd7 16. d5 $5 $14 {is supposed to be good for White according to some old analysis.}) 16. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:15:44]} Ke7 $146 {[%emt 0:18:30]} ({RR} 16... Kd7 17. d5 exd5 18. exd5 Ke7 19. Rc3 Rhd8 20. Ba3 Rbc8 21. Re1+ Kf8 22. Rxc8 Bxc8 23. Bxd6+ Rxd6 24. Rc1 Bb7 25. Rc7 Bxd5 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. Rxa7 b5 28. Kg2 b4 29. Rb7 Ra5 30. Rxb4 Rxa2 31. Rb8+ {Wang,Y (2724)-Radjabov,T (2738) Skopje 2015 ½-½ (35)}) ({RR} 16... Kd7 17. e5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Be7 19. d5 Rhc8 20. exf6 gxf6 21. dxe6+ Kxe6 22. Re1+ Kf7 23. Red1 Ke6 24. Re1+ Kf7 25. Red1 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Rb7 27. a4 b5 28. axb5 Rxb5 29. Bd4 a5 30. Rc6 a4 31. Ra6 {Rakhmanov,A (2620)-Dominguez Perez,L (2736) Linares 2015 ½-½ (90)}) 17. f4 {[%emt 0:00:59]} Rhc8 {[%emt 0:02:25]} 18. e5 {[%emt 0:01:02]} fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:37]} 19. fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:01:47]} 20. Rxc8 {[%emt 0:06:53]} Bxc8 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 21. Be4 {[%emt 0:00:20]} g6 {[%emt 0:18:56]} 22. Rc1 {[%emt 0:04:53]} (22. a3 $5 Ba5 23. Rc1 b5 (23... Kd8 $5) 24. Bc3 Bxc3 (24... Bb6 25. Bb4+ Kd8 26. Bd6 Bxd4+ 27. Kf1 Rb6 28. Bc7+ $18) 25. Rxc3 Kd7 $11 {White cannot really take advantage of Black's temporary coordination problems.}) 22... Kd8 {[%emt 0:05:08] After some logical moves a critical moment has arisen.} 23. Kf2 {[%emt 0:01:20]} ({Caruana was expecting} 23. Rf1 $5 {but even here Black has good defensive resources.} Bb7 24. Bd3 {[%CAl Gb2c1,Gc1h6]} Ke7 (24... Rc8 25. a3 Bd2 26. Rf7 Rc7 27. Rf8+ Kd7 28. Rh8 $14) (24... Bd5 25. a3 Bd2 26. Rf8+ Kc7 27. Rf7+ Kc6 28. a4 $16 (28. Rxh7 $2 Rf8 $19)) 25. a3 (25. Rf6 Rc8) 25... Bd2 26. Bc1 Bxc1 27. Rxc1 Rd8 $11) 23... Bb7 {[%emt 0:01:15]} 24. Kf3 {[%emt 0:01:16]} (24. Bxb7 Rxb7 25. Ke3 Rf7 $11 {[%CAl Gd8d7]}) 24... Bd5 {[%emt 0:06:18]} 25. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:02:09]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:38] Caruana: "I already thought that I had completely equalised."} 26. Ke3 {[%emt 0:04:48]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:03:27]} 27. a4 {[%emt 0:03:37]} Rxc1 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 28. Bxc1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 29. Bd2 {[%emt 0:01:22]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:30]} ({The ?? is clearly equal} 29... Bxd2+ 30. Kxd2 a6 $11) 30. Kd3 {[%emt 0:02:57]} h5 {[%emt 0:00:51]} 31. a5 $6 {[%emt 0:04:00] Unnecessarily giving Black practical chances, with a passed pawn on the a-file. On top of that, it is now Black who gets to put his pawn on the light square (g4) rather than White.} ({A simple draw could be achieved by} 31. h3 {[%CAl Gg3g4] for example} a6 32. Kc2 b5 (32... Ke6 33. g4 $11) 33. axb5 axb5 34. Kb3 Ke6 35. g4 $11) 31... bxa5 {[%emt 0:10:23]} 32. Bxa5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} g5 {[%emt 0:03:40]} 33. h3 {[%emt 0:01:40]} g4 {[%emt 0:01:27]} 34. hxg4 {[%emt 0:05:04]} hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:52][%csl Ga7,Rd4,Gd5,Rg3,Gg4] Once the pawn reached g4 I felt like I had seen the position somewhere before (with the name Kramnik in mind). After some digging I found that it is very similar to Van Wely - Kramnik, 1990 except that in that game, the white pawn was on b3 instead of e5. Readers may well look for it to get an idea. Some principles of that classic ending do apply here too.} 35. Ke3 {[%emt 0:05:30]} Bg5+ {[%emt 0:00:18]} 36. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kc6 {[%emt 0:05:42]} 37. Bd2 {[%emt 0:03:36]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} (37... Bd8 {does not achieve anything at this moment.} 38. Ke3 {[%CAl Ge3f4]} Bg5+ 39. Kd3 {back to the game.}) 38. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bg5+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} 39. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 40. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Ba5 {[%emt 0:04:42]} Bh6+ {[%emt 0:16:49]} 42. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 43. Bd2 {[%emt 0:04:35]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 44. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 45. Ba5 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 46. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 47. Ke3 {[%emt 0:01:51]} Bg5+ {[%emt 0:00:10]} 48. Kd3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 49. Bd2 $6 {Helping Black achieve what he wanted. A strange thing happened here. Karjakin claimed a draw by threefold repetition. According to him this position had arisen on move 37 and 39. The arbiter accepted the claim and Caruana signed the scoresheets. (Caruana mentioned in the press conference that he was annoyed that he had to sign the score sheets. Probably by intuition, he did not feel that it was a draw.) But then Karjakin asked Caruana if he wanted to play on. Caruana of course replied "Yes" and then he thought again and realised that on those moves (37 and 39) the black king was on c6. So there actually had not been a threefold repitition. Both players just mentioned in passing their error and also the professional lapse on part of the Arbiter. Although it was not mentioned, it seems very likely that Karjakin played this risky move with the erroneous expectation of a threefold repetition.} ({Otherwise he would have chosen the simple} 49. Ke2 $11) 49... Bd8 50. Ke3 Kf5 51. Bb4 $6 {White could have been more accurate in this position.} (51. Kd3 $142 a5 52. Bc3 Ke6 (52... a4 53. Bb4 Bg5 54. Ba3 Ke6 55. Ke2 Kd7 56. Kd3 Kc6 57. e6 Kc7 58. e7 Kd7 59. Kc3 Bxe7 60. Bxe7 Kxe7 61. Kb4 Kf6 62. Kxa4 Kf5 63. Kb5 Ke4 64. Kc5 Kf3 65. Kxd5 Kxg3 66. Ke4 Kf2 $11) 53. Bd2 (53. Bb2 Be7 $17) 53... Kd7 54. Ke3 $1 a4 (54... Bg5+ 55. Kd3 Bd8 (55... Bxd2 $4 56. Kxd2 $18 {[%csl Ge5]}) 56. Ke3 $11) (54... Bb6 $6 55. Bc3) 55. Kf4 a3 56. Kxg4 Kc6 57. Kf5 Kb5 58. Bc3 Kc4 59. Ba1 Kb3 60. e6 Ka2 61. Bc3 Kb3 62. Ba1 Ka2 $11) 51... a5 52. Ba3 a4 {[%CAl Gd8a5]} 53. Bb4 $8 (53. Kd3 Ba5 $19 {[%CAl Ga5e1]}) 53... Bg5+ 54. Kd3 Bc1 55. Bd2 (55. Kc2 Be3 56. Kd3 Bf2 $19) (55. Bc3 a3 56. Ba1 a2 57. Bc3 (57. Kc2 Bf4 $19) 57... Ba3 58. Ba1 Bb4 {[%CAl Gb4e1]} 59. Ke2 Ke4 60. Bb2 Ba5 61. Ba1 Bb6 62. e6 Bd8 63. Kd2 Kf3 $19) 55... Ba3 56. Kc3 Be7 57. Bh6 a3 (57... Ke4 58. Bg7 a3 59. Bh6 (59. Bf6 Bb4+ $19) 59... Bb4+ 60. Kb3 Kf5 {transposes to the game.} (60... Be1 61. e6)) 58. Kb3 Bb4 59. Bf4 $2 (59. Be3 $142 Be1 60. Kxa3 Bxg3 61. Kb4 Be1+ 62. Kc5 Ke6 {transposing to game.}) 59... Ke6 $2 {Missing a very important chance.} (59... Be1 $142 60. Kxa3 Bf2 61. e6 Bxd4 {simplest} (61... Kxe6 62. Be5 Kf5 63. Kb4 Ke4 64. Kc5 Be3 65. Bf6 (65. Bg7 Bf4 $19) 65... Bc1 66. Be5 (66. Kc6 Bd2 67. Be5 Be3 68. Kc5 Bf2 $19) 66... Ba3+ 67. Kc6 Bb2 68. Kc5 Bc3 69. Bf6 Be1 70. Be5 Bf2 $19) 62. e7 Bc5+ $19) 60. Bc1 Be1 61. Be3 Bxg3 62. Kxa3 Kf5 (62... Bh4 63. Kb4 Be7+ 64. Kb5 g3 65. Bf4 g2 66. Bh2 Ba3 67. Bg1 Bf8 68. Kc6 $11) 63. Kb4 Be1+ (63... Bh4 64. Kc5 Ke4 65. Bg1 $11) 64. Kc5 Ke6 65. Bf4 g3 {Caruana: "I thought I was winning but I realised after I played this move that I had missed some chance of putting my opponent in zugzwang. Now it was too late."} ({But it is not really easy to achieve a zugzwang. For example} 65... Bf2 66. Bg5 Kf5 67. Kc6 $8 {This is the most important move to hold this ending and it was also found by Karjakin in the post-mortem analysis.} (67. Kd6 Kxg5 68. e6 Be1 $19) (67. Bf6 g3 68. Bh4 Ke6 {[%CAl Gf2e1]} 69. Kc6 Be1 70. Bg5 Kf5 $19) (67. Kxd5 Kxg5 68. Ke4 Be1 69. d5 g3 70. Kf3 Kh4 $19) 67... Bxd4 (67... g3 68. Bh4 Ke6 69. Kc5 Be1 70. Bg5 {transposes to the game.}) (67... Kxg5 68. e6 Kf6 69. Kd7 g3 70. e7 $11) (67... Be1 68. Be3 Ke6 69. Kc5 g3 70. Bg5 {also transposes to the game.}) 68. Kxd5 Bxe5 69. Bh4 Kf4 70. Ke6 Bd4 71. Be1 Kf3 72. Kf5 $11 {Therefore, going into the ?+? ending of the game was objectively the best progress available.}) 66. Bg5 Kf5 67. Bf4 Ke6 68. Bg5 Kf5 69. Bf4 Kxf4 (69... g2 70. Be3 $11) 70. e6 g2 71. e7 Bb4+ 72. Kxb4 g1=Q 73. e8=Q Qxd4+ {With the central pawn the tablebases give this position as mate in 59.} 74. Ka5 (74. Ka3 $4 Qe3+ $19) 74... Qe5 $2 {This move takes the game towards a draw, although Black still keeps practical chances.} (74... Kf3 $5) (74... Qc3+ $142 $19 {[%CAl Gd5d4] is an endgame tablebase win. Whether it would win practically in the game or not is a different question.}) 75. Qc8 d4+ 76. Kb4 d3 77. Qh3 Ke4 $2 (77... Qd4+ $142 {with a lot of practical chances.}) 78. Qh1+ Kd4 79. Qa1+ Kd5 80. Qxe5+ Kxe5 81. Kc3 Ke4 82. Kd2 Kd4 83. Kd1 Kc3 84. Kc1 d2+ 85. Kd1 Kd3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2005.01.18"] [Round "4"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Polgar, Judit"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2679"] [BlackElo "2728"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2005.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 105"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2005.04.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bb4+ {Further simplification helps the defender. A beutiful technical display was} (11... Bd6 $143 12. O-O Rb8 13. e4 O-O 14. e5 Be7 15. Be3 Bd7 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Rxc8+ Bxc8 18. Rc1 Kf8 19. Bh3 $5 (19. d5 $14) 19... Ke8 20. d5 Bd7 21. d6 Bd8 22. Bg2 b6 23. f4 Rc8 24. Kf2 Rxc1 25. Bxc1 Bb5 26. Be4 h6 27. Be3 Kd7 28. Ke1 Bc6 29. Bd3 Bd5 30. a3 $16 {and White gradually converted his permanent advantage:} f6 31. Kd2 fxe5 32. fxe5 Kc6 33. Kc3 Bf3 34. Bc4 Bd5 35. Ba6 Bf3 36. Kd4 Bd5 37. a4 Bb3 38. Bb5+ Kb7 39. Bd7 Bd5 40. Kc3 Ba2 41. Kb4 Bd5 42. h4 Ba2 43. Bd2 Bd5 44. Bc1 Ba2 45. Kc3 Bd5 46. Ba3 Ba2 47. Be8 Bd5 48. d7 Bc6 49. Bf8 Bxa4 50. Bxg7 Kc7 51. Bxh6 Bxd7 52. Bf7 Kc6 53. h5 Kd5 54. Bg7 Bg5 55. g4 Ke4 56. h6 Bxh6 57. Bxh6 Kxe5 58. g5 Kf5 59. g6 Kf6 60. Bg5+ Kg7 61. Kd4 Ba4 62. Ke5 Bc2 63. Bf6+ Kf8 64. Kf4 {Kramnik,V-Lautier,J/Horgen/1995/}) 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Ke7 {[%mdl 4352] Black has managed to reach an ? as early as move 13, but still has to defend carefully - White has more ?? and a lead in development. On the other hand his edge is very small and due to the simplified nature of the position most games in this line result in draws.} ({The alternatives are} 13... Kd8 14. Rab1 $5 (14. Rhc1 Re8 15. Rc5 (15. Rc3 Re7 16. Rac1 Rb8 17. f4 b6 18. g4 h6 19. g5 hxg5 20. fxg5 Bb7 21. Bxb7 Rexb7 22. h4 g6 23. h5 gxh5 24. Rh1 Ke7 25. Rxh5 {Navara,D-Alekseev,E/Lausanne YM/2004/} Rd7 26. e3 e5 $132 {/=}) 15... Rb8 (15... Re7 16. Rac1 Rb8 17. g4 h6 18. Rh5 Bd7 19. h4 b6 20. g5 hxg5 21. hxg5 g6 22. Rh8+ Re8 23. Rh7 Re7 24. Ke3 Rc8 25. Rxc8+ Kxc8 26. Kf4 $16 {Nielsen,P-Golod,V/EU-ch 5' Panormo/2002/}) 16. Ra5 a6 17. Rb1 b6 18. g4 h6 19. h4 Re7 20. e3 (20. f4 $1 $14) 20... Kc7 21. Ra3 e5 22. Rc1+ Kd8 23. dxe5 Rxe5 24. Rd3+ {½-½ Christiansen,L-Ribli,Z/Germany 1994/GER-chT (41)} Ke8 $5 $11 {Ribli}) 14... Rb8 15. Rb3 b6 16. Ra3 Bb7 17. e4 Ra8 18. g4 h6 19. h4 Ke7 20. Rc1 Rhd8 21. Ke3 Rd7 22. Bf1 (22. f4 $5 {?} f5 23. gxf5 exf5 24. d5 $1 fxe4 25. Bh3 $16) 22... Rc8 23. Rxc8 Bxc8 24. Rc3 Kd8 25. f4 Bb7 26. f5 $36 {Tukmakov,V-Sax,G/Pula op/1999/}) ({Probably a more accurate version of this defensive set-up is} 13... Rb8 $5 {[%CAl Yb7b6,Yc8b7] ?b6,?b7} 14. Rhc1 Kd8 15. Rc3 Re8 16. Ra3 a6 17. f4 Re7 18. g4 Rd7 19. Ke3 b5 20. g5 Rb6 21. Be4 Rbd6 22. Rc1 Bb7 23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. Ke4 Rbd7 25. Rd1 Rc6 26. Rd2 h6 $1 27. h4 (27. gxh6 f5+ $11) 27... hxg5 $11 {Chernin,A-Sax,G/HUN-ch Budapest/1997/}) ({RR} 13... Rb8 14. Rhc1 Kd8 15. Rc3 Re8 16. Ra3 a6 17. Rb1 b5 18. Rc3 Re7 19. a4 b4 20. Rc5 Rc7 21. Ra5 b3 22. Rc5 Bd7 23. Rxc7 Kxc7 24. a5 Rb5 25. Be4 Rxa5 {½-½ (25) Vachier Lagrave,M (2775)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2775) Paris 2019}) ({RR} 13... Rb8 14. Rhc1 Kd8 15. Rc3 Re8 16. Ra3 a6 17. Rb1 b5 18. Rab3 e5 19. a4 Bd7 20. d5 Kc7 21. e4 Rb6 22. Bf1 Reb8 23. Rc1+ Kd6 24. a5 R6b7 25. f4 Rc8 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. Rc3 Bd7 {½-½ (27) Petr,M (2482)-Kraus,T (2401) Czech Republic CZE 2025}) 14. Rhc1 Rd8 15. Rc4 {A rare move, White mostly played} (15. Rc7+ Rd7 16. Rac1 Kd8 17. Rxd7+ Kxd7 18. g4 (18. f4 Rb8 19. d5 (19. e4 b6 20. Ke3 Bb7 21. Bh3 Kd8 $1 (21... Rc8 $2 22. Rxc8 Bxc8 23. d5 Kc7 24. e5 $1 $16 {Benko,P-Donner,J/Wijk aan Zee/1970/}) 22. f5 Rc8 $11) 19... exd5 20. Bxd5 f6 21. e4 Kd6 22. Ke3 Bd7 23. Kd4 Rc8 24. e5+ fxe5+ 25. fxe5+ Ke7 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. Kc5 Be6 $11 {Huzman,A-Psakhis,L/Haifa act/2000/}) 18... h6 19. f4 Rb8 20. g5 hxg5 (20... b6 $5 21. gxh6 gxh6 22. Rc3 Bb7 23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. Rh3 Rc7 25. Rxh6 Rc4 26. Rh3 Rxd4+ $2 (26... Ra4 $1 27. a3 Rxd4+ $11) 27. Rd3 $1 $18 {Kramnik,V-Lautier,J/Beograd/1995/}) 21. fxg5 b6 22. h4 g6 23. Ke3 (23. Bc6+ Kd6 24. Be8 Ke7 25. Bb5 a6 26. Bd3 Kd6 27. Rf1 Ke7 28. Rc1 Kd6 {½-½ Volke,K-Farago,I/Budapest 2004/CBM 100 ext (28)}) 23... Ba6 24. Bf3 Rh8 25. Rh1 Bc4 26. Kf4 b5 $132 {Psakhis,L-Zilberman,Y/Ramat Aviv/1998/}) 15... Rd7 $146 ({Black could have saved tempi with} 15... Rd6 $5 16. Rac1 Kd8 17. Ke3 Rb8 18. g4 h6 19. h4 Bd7 20. g5 Ra6 21. gxh6 gxh6 22. R1c2 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Kf4 Ra5 25. e4 f6 26. e5 fxe5+ 27. dxe5 Ra4+ 28. Kg3 b6 $11 {Vaganian,R-Bauer,C/Bundesliga 9798/1998/}) ({RR} 15... Rd6 16. Rac1 Kd8 17. Ke3 Rb8 18. g4 h6 19. h4 Bd7 20. g5 Ra6 21. gxh6 gxh6 22. R1c2 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Kf4 Ra5 25. e4 f6 26. e5 fxe5+ 27. dxe5 Ra4+ 28. Kg3 b6 29. Bc6 Rd4 30. f4 {Vaganian,R (2640)-Bauer,C (2525) Germany 1998 ½-½ (49)}) ({RR} 15... Rd6 16. Rac1 Kd8 17. Ke3 Rb8 18. g4 h6 19. h4 f6 20. g5 Bd7 21. gxh6 gxh6 22. Bf3 b5 23. Rc5 Ra6 24. Bc6 Ra3+ {½-½ (24) Rapport,R (2547)-Teske,H (2547) Germany 2012}) 16. a4 Rb8 17. a5 Kd8 $1 18. Rac1 Rd6 19. f4 Ra6 20. Rc5 b6 21. axb6 (21. Rc7 Bd7 22. axb6 axb6 $11 {[%CAl Yb8c8] ??c8}) 21... axb6 22. Rh5 {Just as in the previous examples, White can't achieve progress solely on the ?, so he tries to create some targets on the other flank. However, Polgar remains alert.} h6 23. g4 Ra2+ 24. Ke3 (24. Rc2 Rxc2+ 25. Kxc2 Ba6 $132) 24... Bb7 $11 {Forces the exchange of ? and finally achieves equality.} 25. Bxb7 Rxb7 26. g5 hxg5 27. fxg5 g6 28. Rh8+ Ke7 29. Rcc8 Rd7 30. Rhe8+ Kd6 31. Rb8 Rb2 32. Kd3 Rb3+ 33. Ke4 (33. Kc4 Rb2 34. e4 Rc7+ $11) 33... Rb2 34. e3 Kc6 (34... Rxh2 $6 35. Rxb6+ Kc7 36. Reb8 $36 {needlessly gives White extra chances.}) 35. h4 Rh2 36. Rec8+ Kb5 $5 (36... Rc7 37. Rxc7+ Kxc7 38. Rf8 (38. Rh8 Kd6 $11) 38... Rxh4+ 39. Ke5 Rh7 40. e4 $44) 37. Rd8 (37. Rh8 $5 {keeps more tension in the position, although a draw is the most likely result after} Rh3) 37... Rxh4+ 38. Ke5 Rxd8 39. Rxd8 Kc4 {Now Black's ? will be passive and the defence requires some accuracy.} (39... Rh3 $142 $5 40. e4 Kc6 $11) 40. Kf6 Rh7 (40... Re4 41. Kxf7 Rxe3 42. Kxg6 $16) 41. e4 b5 42. d5 exd5 43. exd5 Kc5 44. d6 Kc6 45. Ke7 (45. d7 Rh1 $1 (45... Kc7 $2 46. Rb8 Kxd7 47. Rxb5 $16 {/+- Black's ? remains passive and this gives White winning chances.}) 46. Kxf7 (46. Rb8 Kxd7 47. Rxb5 Rf1+) 46... Rd1 47. Ke6 Re1+ 48. Kf6 Rd1 49. Kxg6 Rxd7 $11) 45... Kd5 $1 (45... f5+ $2 46. Ke6 $18) 46. Kf6 (46. d7 f5+ 47. Kf6 Kd6 48. Kxg6 Rxd7 $11) 46... Kc6 47. Ke5 b4 48. Rc8+ Kd7 49. Rc7+ Kd8 50. Kd5 (50. Rb7 $4 f6+ $19) 50... Rh2 $1 {Once again activating the ? saves the day.} (50... b3 51. Rb7 Rh3 $11) 51. Rxf7 b3 52. Rb7 b2 53. Ke6 Re2+ 54. Kf6 Rd2 55. d7 Rd6+ $1 (55... Rxd7 $2 56. Rb8+ $1 Kc7 57. Rxb2 Rd6+ 58. Kf7 $18) 56. Ke5 $8 Rxd7 57. Rxb2 Ke7 58. Rb6 (58. Rh2 Rd1 59. Rh7+ Kf8 $11) (58. Rb6 Kf7 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-43"] [Site "Batumi"] [Date "2018.09.30"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Navara, David"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2740"] [Annotator "Ganguly,Surya Shekhar"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2018.09.24"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 187"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Azerbaijan"] [BlackTeam "Czech Republic"] [WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "CZE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 {Once again Mamedyarov is facing the same line which Adams played against him on 3rd round.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O {The main tabiya of this line. In 2015 Mamedyarov played a fine game and defeated Kramnik. Since then he didn't face this line at the top level until Ding Liren beat him in the Berlin Candidates.} 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Re8 {Adams started with h6 here but it eventually transposed after h3-?e8} 16. h3 h6 (16... Nf6 {was started by Kramnik and then Ding used this to beat Mamedyarov in Candidates.} 17. Qf4 Nh5 18. Qh2 h6 19. Ne5 Nf6 20. Qf4 b5 $1 $132 {0-1 (43) Mamedyarov,S (2809)-Ding,L (2769) Berlin 2018 Mega2018 Update 23 [Ding Liren] Black was fine.}) 17. Qf4 {Both players were making their moves instantly following the Mamedyarov - Adams game from round 3. Now finally Mamedyarov deviates by ?f4 which was also played instantly.} (17. Re3 {was the Adams game}) 17... Qc7 (17... Qf6 {is also equally doable and it's a matter of taste where Black would like to put his queen.}) 18. e5 {The computer's top choice is 18.?c7 but of course this will lead nowhere and practically it would be much easier for Black to play once the queens are off.} Nf8 {After 15min of thought. It is always difficult to make a choice when different options are available and all of them are of similar strength. Right here Black had at least three decent options... 1. Keeping the knight on d7 flexible and advancing the queenside pawns with a5-b5. 2. Playing ?f6-?d5 immediately 3. To play ?f8-?g6 as happened in the game. All of these moves are equally good and once again it's a matter of taste how one will play.} (18... Nf6 $5 {[%CAl Gf6d5]} 19. Rc1 Qb8 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Nd2 a5 22. Qh4 {Almost every knight retreat is possible and keeps the balance.}) (18... a5 $5 {I like this. For now, Black simply keeps the d7-knight flexible and starts advancing on the queenside which is a very typical idea in this line.} 19. d5 (19. Ba4 Red8) (19. Qg4 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 b5 21. a3 Nb6 {the advantage of keeping the knight flexible!}) 19... Bxd5 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Rxd5 Nc5 {Once again the knight on d7 came in handy}) 19. Nd2 Ng6 20. Qg4 $146 ({RR} 20. Qe3 Ne7 21. Ne4 Nf5 22. Qf4 Qd7 23. d5 Bxd5 24. g4 Nh4 25. Bxd5 exd5 26. Nd6 Rc3 27. Nxe8 Nf3+ 28. Kf1 Nxe1 29. Nxg7 Rxh3 30. Rxe1 Rh1+ 31. Kg2 Rxe1 32. Nf5 Re4 33. Nxh6+ Kh7 34. Qg5 Rxe5 {Sargsyan,S (2596)-Alavi Moghaddam,S (2445) Lichess.org INT 2020 0-1 (63)}) ({RR} 20. Qe3 Ne7 21. Ne4 Nf5 22. Qf4 Qd7 23. d5 Bxd5 24. g4 Nh4 25. Bxd5 exd5 26. Nd6 Rc3 27. Nxe8 Nf3+ 28. Kf1 Nxe1 29. Nxg7 Rxh3 30. Rxe1 Rh1+ 31. Kg2 Rxe1 32. Nf5 Re4 33. Nxh6+ Kh7 34. Qg5 Rxe5 {Sargsyan,S (2596)-Alavi Moghaddam,S (2445) Lichess.org INT 2020 0-1 (63)}) 20... b5 {Natural follow-up} 21. Ne4 Bxe4 $8 22. Qxe4 a5 $5 (22... Ne7 {This was quite a simple solution. Bringing the knight back to e7 from where it not only controls d5 but also ready to meet ?e3-?g3 with ?f5.} 23. Re2 (23. Re3 Red8 {There is no attack on the kingside so Black can focus on the centre}) (23. d5 Nxd5 24. Bxd5 exd5 25. Rxd5 Qc4 $11) 23... Red8 24. Rc2 (24. Bc2 g6) 24... Qd7 $11) 23. d5 exd5 24. Rxd5 a4 25. Bd1 {With the bishop on d1 it is hard to imagine that White can hope for any advantage.} Qb7 $6 {Now White gets to activate his bishop and finally can hope to get a slight edge.} (25... Rcd8 $1 {A little tactical solution was available to liquidate further.} 26. Rxb5 Nxe5 27. Rf1 Nc4 $1 28. Qc2 {or else White loses!} Re7 $132 {Black is active enough to hold the balance here.}) 26. Bf3 Ne7 27. Rd6 Qxe4 28. Bxe4 {With pawns on both wings and having an active bishop on e4 White is definitely psychologically feeling better to have reached this position from what he had a few moves back.} Ng6 $2 {An immediate mistake based on miscalculation.} (28... Rb8 $14 {It would have been wiser to try and exchange queenside pawns somehow and then play ?g6 at the right moment to get into some sort of pawn down drawish rook & pawn endgame.}) 29. e6 $1 {Not that this move was missed, rather it was expected and Navara played his next move instantly....} Nf4 30. exf7+ Kxf7 31. g3 $1 {This is the move which was missed or perhaps somehow Navara thought it won’t work due to ?c4 but then White has the cool f3 which is the only move but sufficient to win the game.} Ke7 (31... Nxh3+ 32. Kg2 {[%CAl Ge4g6]}) (31... Rc4 32. f3 $1 {Otherwise White is in trouble!} Nxh3+ 33. Kg2 {[%CAl Ge4g6]}) 32. Rd2 Ne6 33. Rd5 $1 {Mamedyarov now starts playing with utmost precision.} b4 34. f4 b3 $6 (34... Kf6 35. Rf5+) (34... Red8 35. Rb5 b3 36. axb3 axb3 37. Rxb3 {would have been the lesser evil although it won’t be fun to defend this position either.}) 35. axb3 axb3 36. Bg6 $1 Rf8 (36... Red8 37. Rxd8 Rxd8 38. f5 $18) 37. f5 Rf6 38. Rxe6+ (38. Rb5 $18) 38... Rxe6 39. fxe6 b2 $2 {Expedites things} (39... Rb8 40. Kf2 Kxe6 {White will win eventually just that it would take longer now.}) 40. Rb5 Kf6 41. Bh7 1-0 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 19th"] [Site "Warsaw"] [Date "2013.11.08"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Lenic, Luka"] [Black "Edouard, Romain"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2637"] [BlackElo "2653"] [Annotator "Edouard,Romain"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2013.11.08"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "POL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 158"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.01.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.01.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Slovenia"] [BlackTeam "France"] [WhiteTeamCountry "SLO"] [BlackTeamCountry "FRA"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 $5 {A forcing line in which White has problems finding a real advantage.} 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 {The only critical line.} Nc6 8. Bb5 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Be6 ({RR} 10... Ke8 11. O-O) 11. O-O (11. Nxe6+ fxe6 12. Bxc6 ({RR} 12. O-O Bb4 13. Ne2 Ke7 14. a3 Bd6 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Be3 Nd5) ({RR} 12. Bg5 Bb4 13. O-O-O+ Kc7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nxe4 Rag8 ({RR} 15... f5 16. Ng5 Rae8 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. f4 e5 19. Nf7 Rhg8 20. Nxe5 Bd6 21. g3 Bxe5 22. fxe5 Rxe5 23. Rhf1 h5 24. Rf4 Rg4) 16. a3 Be7 17. g3 Rd8) 12... bxc6 13. Bg5 ({RR} 13. Ke2 Bb4 14. Na4 Kc7 ({RR} 14... Nd5 15. Rd1 e5 16. Be3 Kc7 17. Rac1 Rhd8 18. a3 Be7 19. g3 h5 20. Rc4 Nxe3 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. fxe3) 15. Be3 Nd5 16. Rac1 Rad8 ({RR} 16... Nxe3 17. fxe3 Rhd8 18. Rc2 Rac8 19. Rhc1 Kb7 20. a3 Bd6 21. h3 Rc7 22. Rc4 Rf8 23. Nc3 Rf5 24. Nxe4) 17. Rc2 Nxe3 18. Kxe3 Rhf8 19. Rhc1 Rd6 20. Ke2 Rf5 21. a3 Ra5 22. axb4 Rxa4 23. b5 Rb4 24. Rxc6+ Rxc6 25. Rxc6+ Kd8 26. Ra6 Rxb2+ 27. Ke3 Rxb5) 13... Bb4 14. O-O-O+ Kc7 15. Bxf6 ({RR} 15. Rhe1 Nd5 16. Kc2 Rhf8 17. Bh4 e3 18. Bg3+ Kb7 19. fxe3 Rad8 20. Rd3 Ba5 21. a3 c5) 15... gxf6 16. Nxe4 Rhg8 17. a3 ({RR} 17. a3 Be7 18. g3 Rad8 19. Rhe1 Rxd1+ 20. Kxd1 e5 21. Kc2 h5) 17... Be7 18. g3 Rad8 19. Rhe1 Rxd1+ 20. Kxd1 e5 21. Kc2 h5 22. Nd2 Bc5 23. Ne4 Be7 24. Nd2 Bc5 25. Ne4 Be7 26. Nd2 {1/2-1/2 (26) Bu Xiangzhi,- (2662)-Wei,Y (2530) Xinghua CHN 2013}) ({RR} 11. Bf4 Bb4 12. Nxe6+ fxe6 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Ke2 Ke7 ({RR} 14... Kc8 15. Na4 Nd5 16. Be5 Rf8 17. Rhc1 Rf5 18. Bg3 Kd7 19. Rc4 g5 20. Rxe4) 15. Rac1 Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Nd5 17. Bg5+ Kd6 18. Rc4 Rhb8 19. Bc1 Rb4 20. Rxb4 Nxb4 21. Rd1+ Nd5 22. Rd4 Ke5 23. Rc4 Rc8 24. b4 h5 25. g3 Kf5) ({RR} 11. Nxe6+ fxe6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Bb4 14. O-O-O+ Kc7 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Nxe4 Rhg8 17. Rd4 Be7 18. Rhd1 Rad8 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Rxd8 Kxd8 21. Nd2 Kd7 22. Nc4 e5 23. g4 Ke6 24. f3 f5 25. gxf5+ Kxf5) 11... Bb4 ({RR} 11... h6 12. Ngxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 a6 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Rd1+ Kc7 16. Bf4+ Kb6 17. Rac1 a5 18. a3 Be7 19. Be3+ Kc7 20. Rd2 Rhd8 21. Rdc2 Ra6 22. f3 Bd5 23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. Bxc5) 12. Ncxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Ke7 14. Be3 Rhd8 15. Ba4 $5 $146 (15. a3 $146 {is met by} Nd4 $1 $11) (15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. a3 Bd6 {1/2-1/2 (16) Fier Takeda,A (2573)-Edouard,R (2686) SUI 2013}) ({RR} 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. a3 Bd6) ({RR} 15. a3 Nd4 16. Ba6 Bxa3 17. Rxa3 bxa6 18. Ra4 Nb5 19. Bc5+ Ke8 20. Rxa6 Rd5 21. b4 Rad8 22. f3 Rd1 23. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 24. Kf2 Bd5 25. Nd6+ Nxd6 26. Rxd6 Bb3 27. Rxd1 Bxd1 28. Bxa7 Kd7) ({RR} 15. Nc5 Bxc5 ({RR} 15... Nd4 16. Nxe6 Nxe6 17. Rad1 Bc5 18. Bd2 Rd5 19. Bc4 Rd4 20. Bxe6 fxe6 21. Be3 Rc4 22. Bg5+ Ke8 23. Rd2 h6 24. b3 Re4 25. Rc2 b6 26. Be3 Re5 27. Bxc5 Rxc5 28. Rxc5 bxc5 29. Rc1) 16. Bxc5+ Kf6 17. Rfd1 a6 18. Be2 Rxd1+ 19. Bxd1 Rd8 20. Bf3 Bd5 21. Bb6 Rd6 22. Bc5 Rd8 23. Bb6 Rd6 24. Rd1 Ke6 25. Bc5 Rd8 26. Bb6 Rd6 27. Be2 Ne5 28. Bc7 Rc6 29. Bxe5 Kxe5) 15... Kf8 16. a3 Be7 17. Nc5 Bxc5 (17... Bc8 $5 $146 18. Rad1 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Ne5 $1 {might be the clearest way to equalise.}) ({RR} 17... Bc8 18. Rad1 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Ne5 20. Bd4 Nc6 21. Be3 Ne5 22. Nd7+ Nxd7 23. Bxd7 Bf6 24. Bc5+ Kg8 25. Bxc8 Rxc8 26. Bxa7 Bxb2) 18. Bxc5+ Kg8 19. Rfd1 Na5 $146 ({RR} 19... f6 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 ({RR} 21. Bxc6 bxc6 22. Bxa7 Bb3) 21... Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Bd5 23. f3 Kf7 24. Kf2 a6 25. h4 Nd8 26. Ke3 Ne6 27. Bd6 h5 28. Bc2 g6 29. Bd3 Ng7 30. g4 ({RR} 30. Kd4 Ke6) 30... g5 31. hxg5 fxg5 32. Be5 ({RR} 32. gxh5 Nxh5) 32... h4 33. f4 Ne6 34. fxg5 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2768)-Wang,Y (2718) Tromsoe 2014 CBM 162 [Krasenkow,Michal] ½-½ (38)}) 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 {The best try.} ({After} 21. Bxa7 Nc4 {Black will be able to simplify the position even more, with an easy draw.}) ({RR} 21. Bxa7 Nc4) 21... Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Nc4 23. Bd4 Bd5 {An important square for the bishop.} 24. f3 f6 25. Kf2 a6 ({I was considering playing} 25... Kf7 {but after} 26. Bc2 {I thought I would have to move a pawn on the queenside anyway since after} h6 27. Bxa7 $1 Nxb2 28. Ke3 $1 {I thought Black has big problems. For example after} Nc4+ 29. Kd4 Nxa3 30. Bd3 Bc6 $8 31. Kc5 Ba4 $8 32. Kb4 Bc2 $8 33. Be2 Nb1 $8 {I cannot find a forced win for White but the position is highly suspicious.}) 26. Ke2 (26. h4 {first is also possible but after} Kf7 27. h5 Ke6 28. Bc2 h6 {I don't think it changes the position much.}) 26... Kf7 27. Bc2 h6 28. Kd3 Ke6 29. Bc3 Nd6 30. Kd4 b6 (30... Nb5+ $2 31. Kc5 Nxc3 32. bxc3 {should be totally losing for Black.}) 31. a4 Bc6 32. Ke3 (32. Bb3+ Kd7 {does not help White very much: ...?f5+ is coming, and White should be careful about ...?h4.}) 32... Nf5+ 33. Kf2 Ne7 34. b3 Nd5 {Now the position is very stable for Black and there is nothing more to really worry about.} 35. Bd2 Ke5 36. Be4 Bd7 $5 37. h4 Bf5 38. Bxd5 (38. Bxf5 Kxf5 39. h5 Ke5 {should be a draw but White is definitely not playing for a win.}) 38... Kxd5 39. b4 Bd7 40. a5 bxa5 41. bxa5 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 18th"] [Site "Porto Carras"] [Date "2011.11.05"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Leko, Peter"] [Black "Naiditsch, Arkadij"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2720"] [BlackElo "2712"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2011.11.03"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "GRE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Hungary"] [BlackTeam "Germany"] [WhiteTeamCountry "HUN"] [BlackTeamCountry "GER"] 1. d4 {Sadorra,Julio} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 ({RR} 11... b6 12. O-O Bb7 13. Rfe1 Nc6 14. Rad1) 12. O-O b6 13. a4 Bb7 14. Bd3 (14. Qe2 Rc8 15. Ba6 Qc7 16. a5 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Nf6 18. Rfe1 Qc2 19. Re2 Qb3 20. h3 (20. Qxa7 Ra8 21. Qc7 Rfc8 22. Qe5 Qb4 23. a6 Rxa6 $15 {V.Golod}) 20... Rc2 $11 {0-1 Kunin,V (2507)-Golod,V (2589)/Port Erin 2007/CBM 120 ext (50)}) (14. Rfe1 {is very natural but this is not necessarily the best square for the rook:} Rc8 (14... Qf6 $5 15. a5 Rfd8 16. axb6 axb6 17. Rxa8 Rxa8 18. h3 h6 19. Bd3 Qe7 20. Qf4 Nf6 21. Rb1 Qa3 22. Rd1 {1/2 Dreev,A (2676)-Kortschnoj,V (2626)/Biel 2002/CBM 091}) 15. Bd3 (15. Bf1 Qc7 16. a5 Nf6 17. Bd3 Qc3 18. axb6 Qxd2 19. Nxd2 axb6 20. Ra7 Rfd8 $11 {1/2 Krasenkow,M (2632)-Cyborowski,L (2576)/Dzwirzyno 2004/CBM 102 ext (26)}) 15... Qe7 (15... Nb8 16. a5 Nc6 $6 (16... bxa5 17. Rxa5 Nc6 $14 {T.Petrosian}) 17. axb6 Nxd4 $6 (17... axb6 18. Qb2 $14) 18. Nxd4 Qxd4 19. bxa7 Rfd8 20. Ra3 $18 {1-0 Petrosian,T (2645)-Tal,M (2625)/Moscow 1972/MCD (38)}) (15... Qc7 16. a5 Rfd8 17. axb6 axb6 18. Qe3 Qd6 19. Ra7 Qb8 20. Ra3 Qd6 21. Rb3 Rc7 22. e5 Qe7 23. Ng5 $14 {1/2 Saric,A (2489)-Zelcic,R (2556)/Zadar 2006/CBM 115 ext (27)}) (15... a6 16. Qe2 (16. Rab1 $142 $14) 16... Nb8 17. Rab1 Rc3 18. Rec1 Rxc1+ 19. Rxc1 Nc6 20. Bxa6 Bxa6 21. Qxa6 Nxd4 22. Nxd4 Qxd4 $11 {1/2 Schroll,G (2260)-Baumgartner,H (2350)/Finkenstein 1990/EXT 1997 (38)}) (15... a5 {Surprisingly, this self-blockade is not so bad as White's a4-pawn becomes weak!} 16. h3 Qe7 17. Rab1 Rfd8 18. Bb5 Nf6 19. Qd3 Qc7 20. Rb3 h6 21. Qb1 Bc6 22. Bxc6 Qxc6 23. Rb5 Qc2 24. Qxc2 Rxc2 25. Rxb6 Rc4 $11 {1/2 Beliavsky,A (2649)-Magem Badals,J (2502)/Linares 2002/CBM 087 ext (60)}) (15... e5 16. d5 Nc5 17. Ra3 (17. Bc4 $142 $1) 17... Qd6 18. Qb2 f5 $132 {0-1 Agdestein,S (2610)-Hansen,C (2590)/Groningen 1993/CBM 039 (37)}) 16. a5 h6 17. axb6 axb6 18. Ra7 Rc7 19. Qf4 Qd8 20. Qd6 Qb8 21. Bb5 Rfc8 22. Bxd7 Qxa7 23. d5 exd5 24. e5 Rc6 25. Qe7 Qb8 26. e6 fxe6 27. Bxe6+ Kh8 28. Bxc8 Qxc8 29. h4 Rc1 30. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 31. Kh2 Qf4+ 32. Kg1 Qc1+ 33. Kh2 Qf4+ 34. Kg1 {1/2 Stellwagen,D (2625)-Gyimesi,Z (2646)/Muelheim GER 2011/The Week in Chess 884}) 14... e5 $146 {[%mdl 8] A novelty but in fact, a standard reply to ?c4-d3. Practice has seen the following alternatives:} (14... f5 $6 15. Ng5 Qf6 16. Bc4 Rae8 17. exf5 Qxf5 18. Bd3 Qf4 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. Qe3 $16 {1/2 David,A (2574)-Bagheri,A (2491)/Paris 2004/CBM 101 ext (62)}) (14... Qe7 15. a5 (15. Rfc1 Rac8 16. Rxc8 Rxc8 17. Rc1 Rxc1+ 18. Qxc1 Qd6 19. Qc3 h6 $11 {0-1 Tarnopolsky,A (2312)-Golod,V (2591)/Israel 2010/EXT 2011 (58)}) 15... Rfd8 16. Rfb1 Nf6 17. Qe2 bxa5 18. Rxa5 Qc7 19. Rc5 Qe7 20. Qc2 Ne8 21. Qb2 Nd6 22. Qc2 Ne8 23. h3 Rac8 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Qa4 Ba8 26. Ne5 Nd6 27. f3 f6 28. Ng4 f5 29. exf5 Nxf5 30. Bxf5 exf5 31. Ne5 $14 {1/2 Ruck,R (2561)-Pilgaard,K (2440)/Kemer 2007/CBM 121 (72)}) (14... Rc8 15. a5 Qc7 (15... Rc7 16. axb6 axb6 17. Qb4 f5 18. Rfe1 Nf6 19. Ng5 $16 {1-0 Jovanic,O (2469)-Saric,A (2437)/Omis 2005/CBM 108 ext (24)}) 16. Ra3 Rfd8 17. Rb1 h6 18. h3 Qd6 19. Rab3 Rc7 20. Qe3 Rdc8 21. axb6 axb6 22. d5 Rc3 $2 (22... exd5 23. e5 Qe7 24. Bf5 Re8 25. Bxd7 d4 $1 26. Nxd4 Rxd7 27. e6 fxe6 28. Rxb6 Bd5 $11 {B.Macieja}) 23. e5 $1 Qc5 24. Rxc3 Qxc3 25. dxe6 (25. Bb5 $1 $14 {B.Macieja}) 25... fxe6 26. Nd4 Bd5 $11 {1/2 Macieja,B (2617)-Gyimesi,Z (2605)/Maalot-Tarshiha 2008/CBM 122 (37)}) ({RR} 14... Rb8 15. Rfe1 h6 16. a5 b5 17. Rac1 a6 18. Qb4 Rc8 19. Nd2 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Ne5 ({RR} 20... Nb8) 21. Bxb5 axb5 22. dxe5 Qd3 23. h3 Rd8 24. Rc7 Ba8 25. Qe7 Rf8 26. Qd6 Qe2 27. f3 Qe3+ 28. Kh2 Qf4+ 29. Kh1) ({RR} 14... a6 15. Rfb1 Qe7 16. Qe3 Rfd8 17. e5 h6 18. Nd2 Qg5 19. Qxg5 hxg5 20. Nc4 Ra7 21. h3 Kf8 22. Nd6 Bd5 23. g3 Rda8 24. Rc1 g6 25. Nc8 Rb7 26. Nd6 Rba7 27. Nc8 Rb7 28. Kf1 Kg7 29. Ke2 {Licznerski,L (2511)-Negrean,A (2366) Valencia ESP 2026 1-0 (60)}) ({RR} 14... a5 15. Rfc1 e5 16. d5 Nc5 17. Qe3 f5 18. Bc4 Qd6 19. exf5 Rxf5 20. Ng5 Rf4 21. Rab1 Qg6 22. Ba2 Qxg5 23. Rxb6 Raf8 24. f3 Nd3 25. Rd1 Nb4 26. Rxb7 Nxa2 27. d6 Nb4 28. Rb5 Nc6 29. d7 {Kramnik,V (2783)-Naiditsch,A (2722) Dortmund 2015 0-1 (57)}) 15. d5 ({RR} 15. Qe3 exd4 16. Nxd4 Nc5 17. Bc2 Re8 18. f3 Qf6 19. a5 Rad8 20. Rfd1 Ba6 21. axb6 axb6 22. Ba4 ({RR} 22. Nb3 Nxb3 23. Bxb3 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Rd8 25. Rxd8+ ({RR} 25. Bd5 Bc4) 25... Qxd8 26. Bd5 Qc7) 22... Nxa4 23. Rxa4 b5 ({RR} 23... Bb7 24. Rb4) ({RR} 23... Bc8 24. Rb4) 24. Rb4 Rd7 25. Rc1 Red8 ({RR} 25... h6 26. Rc6 Re6 27. Nxe6 ({RR} 27. Rc5 Re5) 27... Rd1+ 28. Kf2 Qh4+) ({RR} 25... Rc8) 26. e5 Qb6 27. Rc6 Qa7 28. Nf5 Qxe3+ ({RR} 28... Rd1+ 29. Kf2 R1d2+ 30. Kg3) 29. Nxe3 Ra8 {Carlsen,M (2855)-Kramnik,V (2812) Paris 2016 CBM 173 [Sadorra,Julio] 1-0 (63)}) 15... Nc5 16. Qe3 ({RR} 16. Bc2 f5) 16... f5 $1 17. Bc4 $146 ({RR} 17. Nxe5 fxe4 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Qxd5 20. Qxd5+ Bxd5 21. Rfd1 Rfd8 22. f4 Bb3 23. Rdb1 Bc2 24. Rb4 a5 25. Rb2 Be4 26. Kf2 Rac8 27. Kg1 Ra8 28. Nc4 {½-½ (28) Deepan Chakkravarthy,J (2462)-Negi,P (2671) Jalgaon 2013}) 17... Qd6 18. exf5 Rxf5 19. a5 Raf8 20. axb6 axb6 $11 {Black's pieces are well-placed so he has no problems.} 21. Rad1 h6 22. Rd2 Rh5 23. h3 Rf4 24. Be2 Re4 25. Qa3 Qg6 (25... Rxe2 26. Rxe2 Ba6 $11) 26. Bd3 (26. Bd1 Rxh3 27. Bc2 Qh5 28. gxh3 Qxh3 29. Bxe4 Qg4+ 30. Kh2 Qh5+ $11) 26... Nxd3 27. Rxd3 Kh7 28. Rfd1 Bc8 $6 {An unobvious inaccuracy allowing White to take aim at Black's e5-pawn.} (28... Re2 $1 $132 {[%CAl Ye5e4]}) 29. Ne1 Rg5 30. Re3 Rd4 31. Qa1 Bb7 $6 32. Rxd4 exd4 33. Qxd4 $6 {Missing an opportunity to gain a pawn and get some winning chances:} (33. Re6 Qf5 34. Rxb6 Bxd5 (34... Qxd5 $4 35. Qb1+) 35. Qxd4 $14) 33... Rxd5 34. Qa1 Rb5 35. Qc3 Rg5 36. f3 Qd6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Petrosian Memorial"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2014.11.11"] [Round "7"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2759"] [BlackElo "2731"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2014.11.04"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 164"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 {This well-known theoretical variation has been examined in several CBM issues - see e.g. CBM 105, annotations to Van Wely - Polgar by GM Igor Stohl. White's strong g2-bishop guarantees him some edge but Black's position is quite solid.} Ke7 {Black's defensive plan includes ...?h8-d8-d6 or d7, ...?e7-d8 (if necessary), ...?a8-b8, ...b7-b6 and ...?c8-b7. It looks quite slow but surprisingly, it is not easy for White to prevent it or gain something in the meantime. Alternatives:} (13... Kd8) (13... Rb8) 14. Rhc1 (14. a4 Rd8 15. Ke3 Rb8 16. a5 Bd7 17. Rhb1 Bc6 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Kd3 Rb5 $11 {1-0 (51) Berkes,F (2617)-Horvath,A (2555) Kazincbarcika 2005}) 14... Rd8 15. Rc7+ {White trades Black's active rook.} (15. Ke3 Rb8 $1) (15. Rc4 Rd6 (15... Rd7 16. a4 Rb8 17. a5 Kd8 $1 18. Rac1 Rd6 19. f4 Ra6 20. Rc5 b6 21. axb6 axb6 22. Rh5 h6 23. g4 Ra2+ 24. Ke3 Bb7 $11 {1/2 (58) Van Wely,L (2679)-Polgar,J (2728) Wijk aan Zee 2005 CBM 105 [Stohl,I]}) 16. Rac1 Kd8 17. Ke3 (17. e3 Rb8 18. Rc7 Rd7 19. Rxd7+ Bxd7 20. f4 b6 21. Be4 h6 22. h4 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 {1/2 (31) Salgado Lopez,I (2622)-Hansen,E (2577) Doha QAT 2014}) 17... Rb8 18. g4 h6 19. h4 Bd7 20. g5 Ra6 21. gxh6 gxh6 22. R1c2 Rc8 $11 {1/2 (49) Vaganian,R (2640)-Bauer,C (2525) Germany 1998}) 15... Rd7 16. Rac1 Kd8 17. Rxd7+ (17. R7c4 {is now just a loss of a tempo, and Black easily equalizes:} Rb8 18. a4 b6 19. Bc6 Rc7 20. e4 {1/2 (20) Hillarp Persson,T (2443)-Psakhis,L (2575) Ohrid 2001}) 17... Kxd7 {[%mdl 4096]} 18. g4 {[%CAl Yg4g5] White starts some kingside action. Practice has seen some other moves, too:} (18. Be4 h6 19. h4 Rb8 20. g4 Kd6 21. f4 Bd7 22. Bf3 b6 23. e4 Rc8 24. e5+ Ke7 25. Rxc8 Bxc8 26. Kc3 g6 {1/2 (26) Zoler,D (2541)-Zilberman,Y (2423) Israel 2011}) (18. e4 b6 (18... Rb8 19. e5 Kd8 20. Be4 h6 21. Ke3 b6 22. f4 Bb7 {1/2 Benko,P-Farago,I/Szolnok 1975 (22)}) 19. e5 Rb8 20. Bc6+ Kd8 21. d5 exd5 22. Bxd5 Be6 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. Rc4 Rb7 25. Rh4 h6 26. Rg4 Ke8 27. Rc4 Rd7+ 28. Ke3 Rd5 29. f4 Ra5 $11 {1/2 (38) Ftacnik,L (2546)-Rapport,R (2444) Szentgotthard 2010}) (18. f4 Rb8 19. d5 (19. e4 b6 20. Ke3 Bb7 21. Bh3 Kd8 $5 (21... Rc8 22. Rxc8 Bxc8 23. d5 Kc7 24. e5 b5 25. Kd4 Kb6 26. d6 $16 {1-0 (61) Benko,P-Donner,J Wijk aan Zee 1970}) 22. d5 exd5 23. exd5 Bc8 24. Bg2 Bf5 25. Kd4 f6 $11 {I.Tsesarsky}) 19... exd5 (19... Kd6 $5 20. e4 f6 21. Bh3 $140 Bd7 22. Bxe6 Bxe6 23. dxe6 Kxe6 24. Rc7 Rd8+ 25. Ke3 Rd7) 20. Bxd5 f6 21. e4 Kd6 22. Ke3 Bd7 23. Kd4 {[%CAl Ge4e5]} Rc8 $8 24. e5+ fxe5+ 25. fxe5+ Ke7 26. Rxc8 Bxc8 27. Kc5 Be6 $1 $11 {0-1 (39) Huzman,A (2574)-Psakhis,L (2599) Haifa 2000 CBM 074 ext [Psakhis,L]}) 18... h6 (18... Rb8 $143 19. g5 $1 {[%CAl Yc1c3,Yc3h3]} b5 $1 20. Rc5 $14 (20. Rc3 $143 b4 21. Rh3 Rb5 22. d5 Ra5 23. Rxh7 Rxa2+ 24. Kc1 Rxe2 25. Rxg7 Rxf2 26. dxe6+ Kxe6 27. Bh3+ f5 28. Rxa7 Rxh2 29. Rh7 Rh1+ 30. Kb2 Rg1 31. Rc7 Bd7 32. Bxf5+ Kxf5 33. Rxd7 Rxg5 {1/2 (33) Werle,J (2443)-Sax,G (2511) Fuerth 2002})) 19. h4 (19. f4 Rb8 20. g5 (20. e4 b6 21. h4 Bb7 22. Ke3 g6 23. Bf1 {1/2 (23) Ruck,R (2551)-Horvath,A (2555) Kazincbarcika 2005}) 20... hxg5 $1 (20... b6 $6 21. gxh6 gxh6 22. Rc3 Bb7 23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. Rh3 $14 {1-0 (42) Kramnik,V (2730)-Lautier,J (2645) Belgrade 1995 CBM 051 [Kortschnoj]}) 21. fxg5 b6 22. g6 (22. h4 {[%CAl Rh4h5]} g6 23. Ke3 (23. Bc6+ Kd6 24. Be8 Ke7 25. Bb5 a6 26. Bd3 Kd6 27. Rf1 Ke7 28. Rc1 Kd6 {1/2 (28) Volke,K (2458)-Farago,I (2507) Budapest 2004}) 23... Ba6 24. Bf3 Rh8 25. Rh1 Bc4 26. Kf4 b5 $132 {1/2 (33) Psakhis,L-Zilberman,Y/ISR-ch Tel Aviv 1998}) 22... fxg6 23. Be4 Kd6 24. Rc6+ Kd7 25. Rc1 Kd6 26. Bxg6 Bd7 27. h4 Rf8 28. h5 Rf2 29. Rg1 {1/2 (50) Jakovenko,D (2747)-Radjabov,T (2726) Tashkent UZB 2014} Rh2 $11) (19. Rc5 Rb8 20. Ra5 $5 a6 21. Rh5 {is an interesting attempt, Black needs accurate play to defend:} Kd6 22. g5 hxg5 23. Rh8 (23. Rh7 Bd7 24. Rxg7 f6 25. e4 Bc6 26. Rf7 Rh8 27. Rxf6 Rxh2 28. e5+ Ke7 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. Kc3 a5 31. Kc4 Rh1 32. Rg6 Rc1+ 33. Kb3 Rf1 34. Rxg5 Rxf2 $11 {1/2 (52) Fridman,D (2629)-Meier,G (2610) Dortmund 2013}) 23... g4 $5 24. Rg8 g6 25. f3 gxf3 26. Bxf3 b5 27. h4 Kc7 28. Rg7 Bd7 29. Rxf7 Rh8 30. Rf4 Kd6 $11 {1/2 (39) Gelfand,B (2773)-Leko,P (2737) Beijing 2013}) 19... Rb8 20. f4 (20. g5 hxg5 ({even} 20... b6 {is now playable since White can't bring his rook to h3 attacking the h6-pawn:} 21. Bc6+ Kd6 22. Be8 hxg5 23. hxg5 f6 {1/2 (23) Krivoshey,S (2504)-Sax,G (2535) Balatonlelle 2004}) 21. hxg5 b6 22. Rh1 Ba6 23. Rh7 Rg8 24. e4 Bc4 25. a3 b5 26. Kc3 a5 27. d5 Kd6 28. Kd4 e5+ 29. Kc3 Kc5 $132 {1/2 (46) Buss,R (2270)-Miniboeck,G (2348) St Poelten 2002}) 20... b6 21. Bc6+ Kd8 (21... Ke7 22. e4 Bd7 23. h5 f6 24. Bxd7 Kxd7 25. e5 {(a similar ending happened in the game under examination, but GM T.Radjabov defends more successfully - the question is whether his opponent could have posed more problems to him)} b5 26. Rc5 Rb6 27. Kd3 fxe5 28. dxe5 a5 29. f5 a4 30. Kc2 b4 31. Ra5 b3+ 32. axb3 axb3+ 33. Kb2 exf5 34. gxf5 Ke7 35. Ra7+ (35. e6 Kf6 36. Ra8 Rb5 37. Rf8+ Ke7 38. Rf7+ Ke8) 35... Kf8 36. Ra8+ Ke7 37. Ra7+ Kf8 38. Ra8+ Ke7 39. Ra7+ {1/2 (39) Fressinet,L (2712)-Radjabov,T (2717) Bilbao ESP 2014}) ({There is apparently nothing wrong with} 21... Kd6 {, e.g.} 22. e4 (22. Be8 Bb7 $1 23. Bxf7 Rf8) 22... Ba6 23. e5+ Ke7 {[%CAl Yb8c8]} 24. Rc3 Rc8 25. Ra3 Rxc6 26. Rxa6 Rc7 {but White can try the same plan as in the game:} 27. h5 Kd7 28. Ra3 {[%CAl Ya3c3]}) 22. e4 Bd7 {Surprisingly, the bishop exchange might be wrong!} (22... Ba6) 23. h5 $146 ({RR} 23. Bxd7 Kxd7 24. h5 Rb7 25. f5 Rb8 26. e5 b5 27. Rc5 Rb6 28. Kd3 f6 29. fxe6+ Kxe6 30. Rc7 g6 31. Rh7 gxh5 32. Rxh6 Ke7 33. Rxf6 {1-0 (33) Ribli,Z (2560)-Szabo,B (2414) Hungary 2014}) 23... b5 ({The key to the position is that the pawn endgame after} 23... Rc8 24. Bxd7 Rxc1 25. Kxc1 Kxd7 26. e5 {is probably winning for White: Black's king will have to protect his kingside from the threat of a pawn break; meanwhile White's king will find its way to Black's queenside pawns. The full analysis of this ending is quite extensive; here are some lines:} Ke7 27. Kd2 Kf8 $5 (27... g6 $2 28. g5 hxg5 29. h6 Kf8 30. fxg5 $18) (27... Kd7 28. Kd3 Ke7 (28... Kc6 29. f5 {[%CAl Rf5f6]}) 29. Kc4 a6 30. d5) 28. f5 $1 (28. Kd3 g6 29. Kc4 gxh5 30. gxh5 a6 31. d5 Ke7 32. Kd4 Kd7 33. Ke4 Ke7 34. f5 Kd7 {with a fortress}) 28... Ke7 (28... g6 29. fxg6 fxg6 30. g5 $1 {, and White wins by getting a second passed pawn with a d4-d5 break}) 29. Kd3 Kd7 (29... b5 30. Ke4 a5 31. d5 {[%CAl Ye4d4]}) 30. Ke4 Ke7 31. d5 exf5+ (31... Kd7 32. g5 $1 exf5+ 33. Kxf5 hxg5 34. e6+ Ke7 35. Kxg5 b5 36. exf7 Kxf7 37. d6 Ke6 38. Kg6 $18) 32. gxf5 Kd7 33. e6+ Ke7 34. Ke5 f6+ 35. Kd4 Kd6 36. a4 a6 37. Kc4 Ke7 38. a5 b5+ 39. Kc5 $18) (23... Bxc6 $5 24. Rxc6 Kd7 25. Rc3 f6 {deserved serious attention - see Fressinet-Radjabov above}) ({or an immediate} 23... f6 $5 {I guess this ending is going to be the subject of the most extensive analysis by... opening specialists!}) 24. Bxd7 Kxd7 25. Rc5 Rb6 $6 ({Probably the last moment to play} 25... f6 $5) 26. Kc3 a5 27. e5 g6 {This move allows White to create connected passed pawns in the centre but, amazingly, I don't see a good defence any more!} (27... Rc6 {was still hopeless due to} 28. Rxc6 Kxc6 29. f5 Kd7 30. d5 exd5 31. Kd4) ({It was probably too late to try Radjabov's plan:} 27... f6 28. exf6 $1 gxf6 29. g5 $1 fxg5 30. fxg5 hxg5 31. Rxg5 Rb8 32. h6 Rh8 33. Rg7+ $1 (33. Rh5 Rh7 34. Kd3 Ke7 35. Rxb5 (35. Ke4 b4 36. Kd3 a4 37. Kc4 b3 38. axb3 axb3 39. Kxb3 Kf6) 35... Rxh6 36. Rxa5 Rh1 {, and White should not win}) 33... Kd6 34. h7 Kd5 35. Kd3 e5 36. dxe5 Kxe5 37. Rb7 Rd8+ 38. Kc3 Kf6 39. Rxb5 Kg7 40. Rxa5 Kxh7 41. a4 {- this endgame is winning}) ({Passive defence like} 27... Rb8 {was hardly enough either.}) 28. hxg6 fxg6 29. a4 $2 {But this move probably lets White's advantage slip.} (29. d5 $1 exd5 30. Kd4 Ke6 31. Rc8 {[%CAl Yd4c5] was very strong.}) 29... b4+ $6 (29... bxa4 {was probably even simpler: after} 30. Rxa5 Rb3+ 31. Kc4 Rf3 {I don't see a win for White, e.g.} 32. Rxa4 (32. f5 gxf5 33. gxf5 Rxf5 34. Kc5 Rf7) 32... Rxf4 33. Kc5 Ke7 34. Ra7+ Kf8 35. d5 exd5 36. Kd6 d4 37. e6 d3 38. e7+ Kf7 39. Ra8 Re4 40. Rf8+ Kg7 {, and White's e-pawn can't queen.}) 30. Kb3 Ra6 31. f5 gxf5 32. gxf5 exf5 33. d5 h5 $2 {According to GM A.Tukhaev, Black could have held his ground by means of} (33... f4 34. Rc4 h5 35. Rxf4 Rh6) ({or} 33... Ra7 34. Rc6 f4 35. Rxh6 Rc7) 34. e6+ Kd6 35. Kc4 Ke5 $4 {This blunder ends the game at once but after} (35... h4 36. Rb5 {[%CAl Yc4d4,Yb5b7] Black's blockade would be lifted very soon, e.g.} f4 (36... h3 37. Rb7 Ke5 38. e7 Ra8 39. Rb6 h2 40. Re6+ Kf4 41. Re1 {[%CAl Yd5d6]} Kg5 42. d6 Kf6 43. Kd4 Rb8 44. d7 h1=Q 45. e8=Q) 37. Kd4 {[%CAl Rb5b7]} Ra8 38. Rb6+ Kc7 39. Kc5 {[%CAl Yd5d6] etc.}) 36. e7 Ra8 37. Rc6 {[%CAl Rc6e6]} 1-0 [Event "EU-ch 11th"] [Site "Rijeka"] [Date "2010.03.16"] [Round "10"] [White "Alekseev, Evgeny V"] [Black "Macieja, Bartlomiej"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2700"] [BlackElo "2625"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2010.03.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 136"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O {For this rare line - see annotations to Av. Bykhovsky - Golod by GM V. Golod in CBM 66.} Nc6 ({As usual in this system, Black's main (and probably safer) alternative is} 13... Nd7 $5 14. Qf4 Nf6 15. h3 (15. Rfd1 h6 16. Bb1 Rc8 17. h4 Qe7 18. g4 Rfd8 19. g5 hxg5 20. Nxg5 Rxc1 21. Qxc1 e5 22. dxe5 Rxd1+ 23. Qxd1 Qxe5 24. Qd8+ Qe8 $11 {1/2 Lindberg,B (2481)-Svensk,I (2292)/Sweden 2005/EXT 2006 (83)}) (15. h4 h6 16. Qe3 (16. g4 e5 $1) 16... Qe7 (16... Ng4 $5) 17. Ne5 Rac8 18. Nc4 Rfd8 19. e5 Ne8 20. Qf4 Qd7 21. Rfd1 Rc7 22. Qd2 Rdc8 $17 {1/2 Byrne,R (2560)-Salo,T/Helsinki 1952/MCD (37)}) 15... h6 16. Rc3 Rc8 17. Ra3 a6 18. Rb3 Nd7 19. Rfb1 Qc7 20. Ne5 f6 21. Ng6 Qxf4 22. Nxf4 Kf7 23. d5 exd5 24. exd5 g5 $1 25. Bg6+ Kg7 26. Bf5 gxf4 27. Bxd7 Bxd5 $1 $11 {1/2 Stefanova,A (2527)-Socko,B (2637)/Antwerp 2009/CBM 133 (57)}) 14. d5 $1 {This central break is the only way to justify White's strategy.} (14. Bb1 $6 Qd7 (14... Ne7 15. Rc3 Rc8 16. Rfc1 Rxc3 17. Rxc3 Qb8 18. Ne5 Rc8 19. h3 Rxc3 20. Qxc3 Qc8 21. Qxc8+ Nxc8 $11 {1/2 Wood,G-Thomas,G/London 1946/MCL (34)}) (14... Na5 15. Qf4 Qf6 16. Qg3 Qg6 17. Qh3 Rac8 18. Ne5 Qg5 19. f4 Qe7 20. Rcd1 Nc4 $132 {1/2 Dobrov,V (2443)-Golod,V (2538)/Pardubice 2002/CBM 089 ext (45)}) (14... Qe7 15. Rfd1 {1/2 Carnic,S (2339)-Andrijevic,M (2383)/Belgrade 2004/CBM 102 ext}) 15. e5 Rfd8 16. Rfd1 h6 17. Rc3 Rac8 18. Qd3 g6 $11 {1/2 Dambravaite,R (2145)-Sarakauskiene,Z (2020)/Marijampole 1996/EXT 1997 (57)}) (14. Qe3 Qe7 15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. Bb1 Rac8 17. h4 Na5 (17... e5 $6 18. d5 Na5 19. Bd3 $1 h6 20. g3 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Bc8 22. Bf1 $1 Bg4 23. Nh2 Bc8 24. Nf3 Bg4 25. Ba6 $5 $14 {1-0 Bykhovsky,A (2455)-Golod,V (2555)/Kfar Sava 1998/CBM 066/[Golod] (66)}) (17... h6 $5 {Golod}) 18. h5 Nc4 19. Qe2 b5 20. Bd3 Na3 $6 (20... Qa3 {[%CAl Rc4b2]}) 21. h6 gxh6 22. Qe3 Kg7 23. d5 $1 exd5 24. Nd4 $16 {1-0 Rivas Pastor,M (2420)-Jimenez Villena,F (2233)/Alicante 2000/EXT 2002 (37)}) 14... Na5 (14... exd5 15. exd5 Ne7 16. d6 $1 Nd5 17. Ng5 Qxd6 18. Bxh7+ Kh8 19. Bb1 Kg8 20. Rc4 f6 21. Nf3 f5 22. Rd4 Rac8 23. a3 Rc5 24. Re1 Qc6 25. Ba2 {1-0 Meszaros,A (2321)-Grotnes,N (2256)/LSS 2007/Telechess CBM 131}) 15. dxe6 fxe6 16. Ng5 $1 Qe7 17. e5 h6 18. Ne4 Bxe4 $1 {[%mdl 256] Not a pleasant decision, taking into consideration the weakness of the light squares on the kingside. However, it is absolutely correct as otherwise White plays either ?e4-d6 or ?d2-e3-g3, consolidating his advantage:} (18... Bd5 19. Qe3 Nb7 20. Qg3 {[%CAl Re4f6,Rg3g6] , and it is too late to take on e4.}) (18... Rad8 19. Qe3 Nc6 20. f4 Nb4 21. Nd6 $1 (21. Bb1 $143 Ba6 {[%CAl Yb4d3]}) 21... Nxd3 22. Qxd3 $16 {[%csl Gd6]}) {After the exchange on e4 Black organizes the co-ordination of his pieces and parries all threats.} 19. Bxe4 Rad8 20. Qe2 Nb7 21. Bb1 (21. Qg4 Nc5 22. Bb1 Qf7 {creating counterplay in time} ({or even} 22... Rd2 23. Qg6 $140 Qg5 $1) ({or} 22... Qg5)) 21... Nc5 22. Rc3 Rd4 23. Rg3 g5 (23... Qh4 $132 {was simpler. However, after the text move White has nothing better than a symbolic edge in the endgame.}) 24. Rh3 $146 ({RR} 24. Rg4 Rxg4 25. Qxg4 Qg7 26. Qe2 Nd7 27. Re1 Rc8 28. Qa6 Rc7 29. Qa3 Nc5 30. Qe3 Rd7 31. Rf1 Rf7 32. h3 Nd7 33. Re1 Nc5 34. Qe2 Rd7 35. Rf1 Rd4 36. Qh5 Rh4 37. Qe8+ Qf8 38. Qg6+ Qg7 {Onischuk,A (2674)-Hansen,E (2447) Richardson 2011 ½-½ (58)}) 24... Qg7 25. Qh5 Rd5 26. Qxh6 (26. Re1 Rxe5 27. Rxe5 Qxe5 28. Qg6+ Qg7 29. Rxh6 Rd8 $132) 26... Qxh6 27. Rxh6 Rxe5 28. Rd1 Rf7 29. Kf1 Kg7 30. Rh7+ Kf6 31. Rxf7+ Kxf7 32. f4 gxf4 33. Rd4 Re3 34. Rxf4+ Kg7 35. Rc4 a5 36. Kf2 Ra3 37. h4 Ra4 38. Rxa4 Nxa4 39. Bd3 Nc3 1/2-1/2 [Event "FIDE World Cup"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2005.12.04"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Van Wely, Loek"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2704"] [BlackElo "2648"] [Annotator "Finkel,Alexander"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2005.11.27"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 111"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.04.04"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.04.04"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Ftacnik} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bd3 ({Another popular continuation is} 15. Bb3 {but since White's main goal is kingside attack the bishop could me more useful on d3.} Nf6 (15... Qf6 16. h3 Rfd8 17. Qe3 h6 18. Nh2 Qe7 19. Nf1 b5 20. d5 $132 {Illescas Cordoba,M-Ivanchuk,V/Bled 2002}) (15... Re8 16. Qf4 Qf6 17. Qd6 Red8 18. Qa3 a5 19. Ba4 Qf4 20. Qe7 Qc7 21. d5 Qc5 22. d6 $16 {Van Wely,L-Hansen,C/Ter Apel 1993}) 16. Qf4 Qc7 17. Qh4 Rfd8 18. Re3 b5 19. Rde1 a5 {Keres,P-Fine,R/Ostende 1937}) 15... h6 {Usually Black prefers to refrain from this move when White is attacking on the kingside as his king becomes more vulnerable when the pawn is on h6, but in this particular position it's important to take square g5 under control.} (15... Re8 16. h4 h6 17. Bb5 $6 Re7 18. Bxd7 Rxd7 19. Ne5 Rdc7 20. Qf4 Qd6 $132 {Mamedyarov,S-Marcelin,C/Istanbul 2003} 21. Qg4 {Ftacnik} Rc2 $15 {1-0 Mamedyarov,S-Marcelin,C /Istanbul 2003/ (50)}) (15... Qe7 16. Qf4 Rc3 17. Re3 Rfc8 18. h4 Nf6 19. Ne5 $36) 16. Bb1 ({RR} 16. h3 Re8 17. Qf4 Qf6 18. Qd6 Qe7 19. Qf4 Qf6 20. Qd6 Qe7 21. Qf4 Qf6 {½-½ (21) Dreev,A (2649)-Lenic,L (2656) Chess.com INT 2018}) ({RR} 16. h3 Qc7 17. Bb1 Nf6 18. Ne5 Qc3 19. Qf4 Rfd8 20. Nf3 Qc7 21. Ne5 Qc3 22. Re3 Rxd4 23. Rf1 Qc7 24. Rfe1 Rcd8 25. Qg3 Rd1 26. Kh2 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Rd2 28. Re3 Nh5 29. Rc3 Qb8 30. Nc6 Nxg3 {Plotnikov,B (2320)-Jyotshnav Talukdar (2268) chess.com INT 2026 1-0 (80)}) 16... Re8 17. Re3 $146 {[%CAl Gf3e1,Ge3g3,Ge4e5] '!' Ftacnik. Ftacnik: 'Radjabov is choosing a very natural idea, that nobody was trying in this very position.'} (17. h3 $6 Qc7 18. Nh2 Qc3 19. Qf4 e5 (19... Nf8 20. Re3 Ng6 21. Qg4 Qc7 22. e5 $14 {Grooten,H-Horvath,C/Leeuwarden 1995}) 20. Qf5 Nf6 21. d5 Qb4 $11) ({RR} 17. h3 Qc7 18. Re3 b5 19. Rde1 Nb6 20. Qe2 Nc4 21. Rc3 Qa5 22. Rcc1 Red8 23. d5 exd5 24. e5 d4 25. e6 Bxf3 26. exf7+ Kxf7 27. Qxf3+ Kg8 28. Qf5 Qd2 29. Qh7+ Kf7 30. Qg6+ Kg8 31. Qh7+ Kf7 {Djaparov,M (1691)-Seemann,J (2288) Chess.com INT 2021 ½-½ (34)}) ({RR} 17. Qd3 Qc7 18. Qa3 Nf6 19. Ne5 Qb8 20. f3 Red8 21. Qb4 Rc7 22. Rc1 Rdc8 23. Qb2 Nd7 24. Nd3 Rc4 25. Rxc4 Rxc4 26. Rc1 Qc7 27. Rxc4 Qxc4 28. Qb4 Qxb4 29. Nxb4 Kf8 30. Bd3 Ke7 31. Kf2 a5 {Miletic,V (2007)-Konaplev,A (2292) Veliko Gradiste 2019 ½-½ (34)}) 17... Qc7 18. e5 ({After the natural} 18. d5 exd5 19. exd5 Qd6 {Fritz suggests a very interesting continuation, which seems to lead to equality.} 20. Nh4 Nf6 21. Nf5 Qxd5 22. Nxh6+ Kf8 23. Qb4+ Qc5 24. Qh4 Qd5 $11) 18... Nf8 (18... Bd5 {Ftacnik} 19. Ne1 Nf8 20. Rg3 $14) 19. Ne1 Qe7 {Bringing the queen to the kingside.} (19... Red8 {Ftacnik} 20. Rg3 Kh8 21. Qe2 (21. Qf4 f5) 21... Qe7 22. Qg4 (22. Qh5 Nh7 23. Nf3 b5 24. h4 $14) 22... Qg5 23. Qxg5 hxg5 24. Rxg5 $14) 20. Rg3 Qh4 (20... Kh8 {Ftacnik} 21. Qf4 $14) 21. h3 f5 $6 {One of the drawbacks of 15...h6 is that the knight is vulnerable on g6, but it's not so easy for White to take advantage of this fact. After the move in the game White gets more chances to get to the black king. Ftacnik: 'It was not easy to correctly judge the merit of this weakening advance. The situation of the defender is not easy and the advance of f pawn could belong to the more promissing solutions.'} (21... Red8 $142 22. Rg4 Qh5 23. Qe3 Ng6 24. Qg3 Rc7 ({A move like} 24... Nxe5 $5 {could be made only by a program:-)} 25. Rxg7+ Kf8 26. Rg8+ Ke7 27. Qa3+ Kd7 $13) 25. Kh2 $14) (21... Kh8 {Ftacnik} 22. Nf3 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Rc7 24. Rg3 $16) (21... h5 {Ftacnik} 22. Qe3 Rc7 23. Nf3 Bxf3 24. Qxf3 $16) 22. exf6 Qxf6 23. Nd3 $1 {[%csl Rg7][%CAl Gd3f4,Gf4h5] The knight is heading for h5 to attack g7.} Red8 (23... Qxd4 24. Qxh6 Red8 25. Re1 $40) 24. Nf4 Rc5 {Covering the square h5. It was better to play} (24... Rc7 25. Qe3 (25. Nh5 $6 {Ftacnik} Qh4) 25... e5 (25... Rcd7 $2 26. Nh5 Qh4 27. Qe5 $18) 26. Nh5 Qd6 $132 27. d5 $14 {Ftacnik}) 25. d5 $1 (25. Qe3 {Ftacnik} Rg5 $14) 25... g5 $2 {Desperation for no objective reason. It wasn't too late for Ftacnik: 'Van Wely was unable to withstand the pressure and played the move that is as weak at it seems to be at a first glance. The best 25...?c7! would care for the toughest resistance.'} (25... Rc7 {with defendable position.} 26. Be4 {Ftacnik} Rcd7 27. Rd3 $14) 26. h4 $1 $18 Rc4 (26... Nh7 27. Nh5 Qe5 28. Qd3 Nf8 29. hxg5 Rcxd5 30. Nf6+ $18) (26... exd5 {Ftacnik} 27. hxg5 hxg5 28. Nh5 $18) 27. Nh5 Qe5 28. hxg5 Rxd5 29. Nf6+ 1-0 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "Berlin"] [Date "2018.03.24"] [Round "12"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2809"] [BlackElo "2769"] [Annotator "Ding,Liren"] [PlyCount "86"] [EventDate "2018.03.10"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "GER"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 184"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This game was played at the 12th round of the Candidates tournament. I had just spoiled a winning position against Alexander Grischuk in the previous round and scored my 11th continuous draw. So I didn't have much in the way of expectations this time.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 {I deviated from 4...c6 which was played in the 4th round and went for a line which became popular thanks to the influence of Vladimir Kramnik.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 (13. a4 {is considered as the main line, but hard to get any advantage also.}) 13... Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Re8 {The idea behind this quiet rook move is simple, to control the e-file in case of d4-d5.} (15... Nf6 $2 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Qd6 18. Nd4) 16. h3 (16. d5 $5 exd5 17. exd5 Nc5 18. d6 Bxf3 19. Rxe8+ (19. gxf3 Qd7) 19... Qxe8 20. gxf3 Qd7 (20... Qc6 $5) 21. Re1 Ne6 22. f4 Rc5 $13) 16... Nf6 {Now ...?f6 is possible.} 17. Qf4 (17. d5 exd5 18. exd5 Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Qd6 (19... Nxd5 $2 20. Qe5 Rc5 21. Ng5) 20. Nd4 g6 (20... Re8) 21. Nb5 Qc5 22. Nxa7 Re8 23. Qd2 Bxd5 24. Bxd5 Nxd5 25. Qxd5 Re1+ 26. Kh2 Rxd1 27. Qxd1 Qc7+ 28. g3 Qxa7 $11) 17... Nh5 {It's important to prevent the idea d4-d5 followed by e4-e5.} (17... h6 $6 18. d5 exd5 19. e5 $1 Nd7 20. Nd4 Nc5 21. Nf5 Rc7 22. Nd6 Rf8 23. Qe3 $36) 18. Qh2 (18. Qe5 Nf6) 18... h6 {Until now I'm still following in the footsteps of Kramnik. Here my opponent came up with a new move over the board.} 19. Ne5 {White is threatening d4-d5 or ?c4 now.} (19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Rxe1+ 21. Nxe1 Qf6 22. Nd3 Ba6 $1 23. Qe5 Bxd3 24. Qxh5 $11 {So,W-Kramnik,V}) 19... Nf6 {The knight can do little at the edge of the board, so after some thought I decide to bring it back.} 20. Qf4 b5 $1 {Depriving his knight of the c4-square and at the same time threatening ...a5...a4.} 21. Re3 (21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. e5 a5 23. exf6 Qxf6 24. Qd6 Rc6 25. Qd7+ Qe7 26. Qxe7+ Kxe7 $11) 21... Rc7 {To prevent ?g3.} (21... a5 $5 22. Rg3 Kf8 $13) 22. Nd3 (22. Rg3 $2 Nh5) 22... Rc3 $146 {I want to exchange a pair of rooks to release the pressure on the kingside.} (22... a5 23. Nc5 a4 24. Bc2) ({RR} 22... Ba8 23. Nc5 Qe7 24. Qe5 Rc6 25. a4 b4 26. a5 Qc7 27. f4 Rc8 28. Ba4 Rd6 29. Rb1 Qd8 30. Rg3 Kh8 31. Rxb4 {½-½ (31) Sargsyan,S (2601)-Ter Sahakyan,S (2617) Yerevan 2020}) ({RR} 22... Ba8 23. Nc5 Qe7 24. Qe5 Rc6 25. a4 b4 26. a5 Qc7 27. f4 Rc8 28. Ba4 Rd6 29. Rb1 Qd8 30. Rg3 Kh8 31. Rxb4 {½-½ (31) Sargsyan,S (2601)-Ter Sahakyan,S (2617) Yerevan 2020}) 23. Nc5 ({I was a bit worried about} 23. e5 Nd5 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Rg3 {but after} Kf8 $1 {Black stands well.}) 23... Rxe3 24. Qxe3 (24. Nxb7 $2 Rxe4) (24. fxe3 Qe7 $11) 24... Bc6 $11 {Now with the knight on c5, I have to beware of the potential e4-e5 followed by ?e4.} 25. Rc1 Qb6 26. f3 {With the text it's clear that White will no longer play e5.} (26. e5 $5 Nd5 27. Qg3 Ne7 $1 {clears the way for the bishop} 28. Qg4 Kh8 $13) 26... Rd8 {Improving my position slowly.} 27. Kf2 a5 28. g4 (28. Nxe6 $5 {leads to a drawish ending} fxe6 29. Bxe6+ Kf8 30. d5 Qxe3+ 31. Kxe3 Bd7 (31... Bxd5 32. Rd1 $14) 32. Bxd7 Nxd7 33. Rc7 Ke8 34. Kd4 a4 35. Rb7 Rc8 36. Rxb5 Rc2 37. e5 Rd2+ 38. Ke3 Rxa2 39. e6 Rxg2 40. exd7+ Kxd7 $11) 28... a4 29. Bc2 $6 {A step in the wrong direction. e2 is the better square for the bishop.} (29. Bd1 Nd7 30. Nd3 Bb7 (30... Nb8 31. Be2 Be8 32. d5) 31. Be2 Qd6 32. Kg2 $13) 29... Nd7 $1 30. Bd3 (30. Nd3 Bb7 31. Bb1 Rc8 $15) 30... Nxc5 31. Rxc5 b4 {After the exchange of knights, the pawns start pushing. Also my opponent was in time trouble, he had around 15 minutes at that point, while I had 40.} 32. Bc4 {It's understandable that my opponent doesn't want to stay passive, but after the text I have many decisive plans to support the pawns, for example ...?b8, ...b3 or ...b3 followed by ...a3.} (32. h4 $142 Be8 33. Bb1 b3 34. axb3 axb3 35. Qc3 b2 36. e5 Rb8 37. h5 Kf8 $1 38. Rc7 Ba4 39. Ke2 Ke8 40. Kd2 Bd7 $17) 32... Bd7 (32... Be8 {is also possible:} 33. d5 b3 34. axb3 a3 35. dxe6 a2 36. exf7+ Bxf7 37. Bxf7+ Kh8 $1 38. Qc3 a1=Q 39. Qxa1 Qxc5+ 40. Kg3 Qc7+ $19) 33. g5 (33. h4 {is also hopeless:} Rb8 34. g5 hxg5 35. Qxg5 b3 36. axb3 axb3 37. h5 Qd6 $1) 33... hxg5 34. Qxg5 Be8 $1 (34... Rb8 {is less clear:} 35. Qe7 Be8 36. Qc7 b3 37. Qxb6 Rxb6 38. axb3 axb3 39. Bd3 b2 40. Bb1) 35. Qe7 b3 36. axb3 a3 {That's the point behind my 34th move. Maybe this idea was missed by my opponent.} 37. b4 Ra8 38. d5 {A nice try, unluckily loses to the most straight forward way.} (38. Ra5 Qxd4+ 39. Kg2 Rxa5 40. Qxe8+ Kh7 41. bxa5 Qxc4 42. Qxf7 Qe2+ 43. Kg3 Qe1+ 44. Kg2 Qxa5 $19) (38. Ba2 Qxb4 $19) 38... a2 39. dxe6 a1=Q 40. exf7+ Bxf7 41. Bxf7+ Kh7 {It's important that the c5-rook gets pinned.} 42. Qh4+ Qh6 43. Rh5 Qa7+ {The only winning move, but it's simple enough,so White resigned. Finally I scored a win after the long drawing streak in classical time control (20 games...), I was relieved.} (43... Qd4+ $4 44. Kg2 Qdd2+ 45. Qf2 $11) 0-1 [Event "Norway Chess 5th"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2017.06.12"] [Round "6"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2793"] [BlackElo "2808"] [Annotator "Stohl,Igor"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2017.06.06"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 179"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 (5. e3 {gives Black a wider choice:} Nc6 ({Plausible alternatives are} 5... dxc4 6. Bxc4 a6 7. O-O b5 8. Be2 Bb7 9. dxc5 Qxd1 (9... Bxc5 10. Qxd8+ Kxd8 11. Nd2 Nbd7 12. Nb3 Bb6 13. a4 b4 14. a5 Ba7 15. Na2 Bd5 16. Nd4 e5 17. Nf5 Bc5 18. Bd2 Ne4 19. Rfd1 Bxa2 20. Rxa2 g6 21. Ng3 Nxd2 22. Rxd2 Ke7 23. Ra1 Rhc8 24. Rad1 Nf6 25. b3 h5 26. Bf3 Rab8 27. Ne4 Rb5 $11 {Wojtaszek,R (2749)-Bu,X (2705) Doha rpd 2016}) 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Nd2 Be7 12. Nb3 Nc6 13. e4 O-O 14. Be3 Rfd8 15. Bb6 Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Kf8 17. Nc5 Bc8 18. a3 Ke8 19. Nxb5 axb5 20. Bxb5 Bxc5 21. Bxc6+ Bd7 22. Bxa8 Bxb6 23. h3 e5 24. b3 Ke7 $13 {½-½ (55) Li,C (2720)-Xiong,J (2658) Khanty-Mansiysk 2017}) ({and also} 5... a6 $5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. g3 (7. Be2 Nc6 8. O-O Bd6 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. b3 ({or} 10. a3 {is the more usual follow-up})) 7... Nc6 8. Bg2 Bd6 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O O-O 11. Nd4 Nxd4 12. exd4 Ba7 13. Bg5 Be6 14. Rc1 Rc8 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Bxd5 Rxc1 18. Qxc1 b5 19. Qc6 Bxd4 20. Qxf6 Bxf6 21. b3 Rd8 22. Rd1 Kf8 $11 {Aronian,L (2792)-Caruana,F (2807) Saint Louis 2016}) 6. cxd5 (6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Ba7 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qc2 Bd7 11. Be2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Rc8 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nd4 15. Ne5 Bb5 16. Bxb5 Nxb5 17. O-O Qe7 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. Nc4 Bd4 $1 20. Bxd4 Rxc4 21. Bc5 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rxe4 23. Bxe7 h5 $11 {Bu,X (2712)-Wei,Y (2728) Beijing 2017}) 6... Nxd5 7. Bd3 {and now:} Be7 (7... cxd4 8. exd4 Bb4 $6 9. O-O $1 {is extremely risky for Black:} O-O 10. Bc2 Bd7 11. a3 Bxc3 12. Qd3 f5 13. bxc3 b5 14. a4 a6 15. Re1 Qc7 16. Ng5 (16. Bb3 $5) 16... Qd6 {Grischuk,A (2742)-Mamedyarov,S (2766) Sharjah 2017} 17. Bb3 $1 $16 {Grischuk For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 177 by Hillarp Persson}) 8. O-O O-O {is the more flexible continuation - after} 9. Re1 {Black can retain the tension with} b6 $5 $132) 5... Nxd5 (5... exd5 $2 6. Bg5 $16 {is out of the question.}) ({However, especially Chinese players have successfully employed} 5... cxd4 6. Qxd4 (6. Qa4+ Bd7 7. Qxd4 exd5 8. Nxd5 Qa5+ 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Qd1 Ne4 $44) 6... exd5 7. e4 ({White has recently tried the less forcing} 7. Bg5 $5 Be7 8. e3) 7... Nc6 8. Bb5 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Be6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxe6+ fxe6 13. Ke2 Bb4 14. Na4 Kc7 15. Bf4+ Bd6 16. Be3 Nd5 17. Rac1 Rhf8 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. Rxc5 Nf4+ 20. Bxf4+ Rxf4 21. Ke3 Raf8 22. Rc2 Rg4 23. g3 Rf3+ 24. Ke2 Rg6 25. Rhc1 Rgf6 26. Rxc6+ Kd7 27. Rc7+ Kd6 28. R1c6+ Kd5 29. Rc5+ {½, So,W (2808)-Wei,Y (2706) Wijk aan Zee 2017}) 6. e4 {The principled main line.} ({The more modest} 6. e3 {has at least in comparison with 5.e3 the advantage of limiting Black's options (for example White has already avoided positions, in which he would face the isolated ?d5). This line already arose in a very important game between the same opponents:} Nc6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. Qc2 ({After the standard} 9. O-O {Black can again consider} b6 $5 10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. bxc3 g6 12. Rd1 Qc7 13. Bb2 Bb7 14. dxc5 bxc5 15. c4 f5 16. Rab1 Rad8 17. Be2 Rxd1+ 18. Bxd1 Ba8 19. Qd2 Rd8 20. Qc3 e5 21. Ne1 Qa5 22. f3 Kf7 $11 {Wang,H (2733)-Ponomariov,R (2751) Bucharest 2013 See the notes to this game in CBM 157 by Wang Hao.}) 9... cxd4 10. exd4 f5 $5 11. O-O Bf6 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Be3 b5 $1 14. Qe2 Bb7 15. Rac1 a6 16. Rfd1 f4 17. Rc5 Qd6 {Aronian,L (2809)-Kramnik,V (2810) London Candidates 2013} 18. Bxf4 Qxf4 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 20. Rh5 h6 21. Nh4 $1 $132 {For more details see the notes to this game in CBM 154 by Postny.}) 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O {The starting position of a line, which has been around since the 1930s (e.g. in the Alekhine-Euwe match). It has quite a solid reputation for Black and even 2 high-calibre wins by White in 1969 didn't discourage Black, who subsequently found ways to sidestep the danger and hold the balance. Although White has a mobile pawn centre, his chances for a successful attack are lessened by the swap of two pairs of minor pieces. Further simplification may give Black a pleasant endgame with the prospect of building a distant passed pawn on the queenside.} 11. Bc4 {Kramnik has played the Semi-Tarrasch quite a few times since 2013 and his games are good examples of the modern development of the line. He played also it against Aronian, in their earlier encounters (including the blitz event in Norway 2017) when Levon preferred the other main move:} (11. Rc1 {and now:} {Currently the more usual reaction is} b6 $142 (11... Nc6 12. Bc4 {makes it more difficult for Black to fianchetto his ?, but matters are still not too clear:} (12. Bb5 $5 Bd7 13. O-O Ne5 14. Be2 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Rc8 16. d5 Qf6 17. Qa5 exd5 18. exd5 a6 19. Qa3 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Rc8 21. Rxc8+ Bxc8 22. h3 g6 23. Qc5 Qa1+ 24. Kh2 Qe5+ 25. g3 Bf5 26. a4 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Qxb5 Qd4 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Qe8 h5 31. Qe7 Qf6 32. Qe3 Qd6 $14 {Peralta,F (2574)-Negi,P (2645) Tromsoe olm 2014 In the end Black managed to hold his fortress.}) 12... Na5 (12... Qa5 13. d5 $1 (13. Qxa5 Nxa5 14. Bd3 Rd8 15. Ke2 Nc6 16. Ke3 Bd7 17. Rc3 Kf8 18. Rb1 Rab8 19. Bb5 f6 20. Ra3 Ke8 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Ne1 Ra8 23. Nd3 b6 24. Rc1 Rdc8 $11 {Tikkanen,H (2360)-Aagaard,J (2445) Sweden 2002}) 13... exd5 14. Qxa5 Nxa5 15. Bxd5 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Ne5 Rfd8 18. Ke2 Rd4 19. Ke3 Ra4 20. Rhd1 Nc6 21. Nxc6 bxc6 22. Rd2 Rc8 23. Rc5 $36 {½-½ (53) Anand,V (2797)-Naiditsch,A (2706) Baden-Baden 2015}) (12... Qd6 13. O-O Rd8 14. Rfd1 Bd7 15. Qe3 h6 16. h3 Na5 17. Bd3 Rac8 18. e5 Qd5 19. Rc5 Qxa2 20. Qe4 Rxc5 21. dxc5 Kf8 (21... Ba4 $142 $1 22. Qh7+ Kf8 {?} 23. Re1 $1 Bc6 24. Be2 Qa4 25. Qh8+ Ke7 26. Qxg7 Qf4 $13 {Houdini}) 22. Bb5 Ke7 23. Qh4+ Ke8 24. Qd4 Qd5 25. Qa4 Qxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Bxb5 27. Qb1 $16 {Moiseenko,A (2698)-Romanov,E (2640) Legnica 2013 See the notes to this game in CBM 155 by Ftacnik.}) 13. Bd3 b6 $5 (13... h6 14. O-O b6 15. h4 Bb7 16. Bb1 Rc8 17. d5 exd5 18. e5 Ba6 19. Rxc8 Bxc8 20. h5 Nb7 21. Qd3 f5 22. Rd1 (22. exf6 {seems extremely dangerous, but the engine survives the onslaught after} Qxf6 23. Qh7+ Kf7 24. Re1 Be6 25. Ne5+ Ke8 26. Ng4 Qe7 $13) 22... Qe7 23. Qxd5+ Be6 24. Qc6 Rd8 25. Nd4 Bf7 26. Bxf5 Nc5 27. f4 Qh4 28. Qf3 Bxh5 29. g4 Be8 30. Kg2 g6 31. Bc2 Bf7 $132 {Eilmes,D (2276)-Vecek,M (2210) email 2011}) 14. h4 $5 (14. O-O Bb7 15. Qf4 Rc8 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. Rc7 f6 19. d5 Rf7 20. d6 e5 21. Qc1 Rxc7 22. dxc7 Qe8 23. Bc4+ Nxc4 24. Qxc4+ Kf8 25. Qd3 Ke7 26. Qa3+ {½, Kucherov,D (2122)-Popov,V (2216) email 2011}) 14... Bb7 15. Rh3 f5 16. exf5 exf5 17. Qf4 Rc8 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. Kf1 Qe6 20. Kg1 Qxa2 21. Ne5 Qe6 22. Rg3 Be4 $132 {Nyzhnyk,I (2629)-Macieja,B (2583) Dallas 2014}) 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Nd7 (13... h6 14. Qe3 Nc6 15. h4 $1 (15. Rfd1 Rc8 16. h4 Ne7 17. h5 Qd6 18. d5 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Re1 Rc3 21. Qd2 Rc5 22. Bb1 Kf8 23. Qd3 Rc8 24. a3 e5 (24... Rd8 $5 $11) 25. Qb3 Rc5 26. Qb2 f6 27. Ba2 Bc8 28. Nd2 Bg4 29. Nc4 Qd7 30. d6 Nc6 31. Nxb6 {Mamedyarov,S (2756)-Kramnik,V (2783) Shamkir 2015} Qxd6 $1 32. Qb3 Be6 $11) 15... Rc8 16. h5 Qe7 17. Bb1 Rfd8 18. d5 exd5 19. e5 Ba6 20. Rfe1 Qd7 21. Qf4 Ne7 22. Nd4 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 $36 {Giri,A (2790)-Harikrishna,P (2763) Shamkir 2016 See the notes to this game in CBM 173 by Iotov.}) 14. Qe3 (14. Qf4 h6 (14... Nf6 15. h3 Rc8 (15... h6 16. Rc3 Rc8 17. Ra3 a6 18. Rb3 Nd7 19. Rfb1 Qc7 20. Ne5 f6 21. Ng6 Qxf4 22. Nxf4 Kf7 23. d5 (23. Be2 $5 Bxe4 24. Re1 $36) 23... exd5 24. exd5 g5 25. Bg6+ Kg7 26. Bf5 gxf4 27. Bxd7 Bxd5 28. Rxb6 Bxa2 29. Bxc8 Bxb1 30. Bxa6 Bf5 $11 {Stefanova,A (2527)-Socko,B (2637) Antwerp 2009}) 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. Qh4 h6 19. e5 Nd5 20. Qe4 g6 21. Qg4 Rc8 22. Re1 Ne7 23. Nh4 Qc7 24. Bxg6 Nxg6 25. Nxg6 fxg6 26. Qxg6+ Qg7 27. Qxe6+ Kh8 $13 {/?, Dragun,K (2614)-Rausis,I (2617) Teplice 2017}) 15. h4 $5 (15. e5 Rc8 16. Nd2 Rxc1 (16... Qg5 17. Qxg5 hxg5 18. Ne4 (18. Nc4 $142 $1 Ba6 19. Nxb6 $14) 18... Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Rfd8 20. g3 b5 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rb1 Rc4 $11 {Gharamian,T (2672)-Gyimesi,Z (2651) Belfort 2012}) 17. Rxc1 f6 18. Qg4 Nxe5 19. Qxe6+ Rf7 20. Bf5 g6 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Bxg6 Nd6 23. d5 Kf8 24. Bxf7 Nxf7 25. Rd1 Qd6 $13 {Nakamura,H (2787)-Kramnik,V (2812) Paris rpd 2016}) 15... Rc8 16. Rxc8 Qxc8 17. Rc1 Qb8 (17... Qa8 $5) 18. Qxb8 Rxb8 19. Rc7 Nf6 20. Ne5 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 Nxe4 22. Rxf7 (22. f3 Ng3 23. Nxf7 Ne2+ 24. Kh2 Nxd4 25. Rxa7 Rc8 $11 {Gupta,A (2643)-Golod,V (2561) New Delhi 2012}) 22... a5 23. Rc7 {Gelfand,B (2724)-Kramnik,V (2811) Zuerich rpd 2017} Rd8 $132) {Later games featured} 14... Nf6 (14... Rc8 15. e5 $5 Bxf3 (15... h6 16. Nd2 Bd5 17. Ne4 Bxa2 18. Ra1 Bc4 19. Bxc4 Rxc4 20. Rxa7 Rc7 21. Ra3 f5 {Collas,S (2287)-Cosma,E (2335) Porto Carras 2011} 22. Nc3 $36 {[%CAl Yd4d5,Yc3b5,Yb5d6]}) 16. Qxf3 Qh4 17. Qe3 Rfd8 18. f4 Nf8 (18... g6 $5) 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. f5 exf5 21. Bxf5 Rd8 22. Rd1 Ng6 23. Bxg6 hxg6 24. d5 Qc4 25. d6 Qe6 26. Qg3 b5 27. h3 $16 {Aronian,L (2809)-Kramnik,V (2801) Paris/St Petersburg 2013 See the notes to this game in CBM 154 by Aronian.}) 15. Ne5 Qe7 16. f3 Rfd8 17. Bb5 (17. Rc2 Rac8 18. Rfc1 h6 19. Be2 Qd6 20. a3 Rxc2 21. Rxc2 Nd7 22. Nc4 Qc7 23. Bd3 b5 24. Nd2 {½, Hammer,J (2628)-Vallejo Pons,F (2709) Sharjah 2017} Qb6 $11) 17... Rac8 18. Bc6 (18. a4 h6 19. h3 Ne8 20. Nc6 Bxc6 21. Bxc6 Nd6 22. d5 e5 23. Qa3 Qg5 24. a5 b5 25. Qc5 Rc7 26. a6 f5 27. Rce1 fxe4 28. fxe4 Qd2 29. Qf2 Qxf2+ 30. Kxf2 Rb8 31. Ke3 Rb6 32. Ra1 b4 $36 {Aronian,L (2793)-Kramnik,V (2808) Stavanger blitz 2017}) 18... Ne8 19. Ba4 Nd6 20. Qa3 Nf5 $6 (20... Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qg5 22. Rd1 $14) (20... f6 $5 21. Nd3 Ba6 $132) 21. Qxe7 Nxe7 22. Bd7 Rb8 23. Rc7 Ng6 24. Nxf7 $6 (24. Nxg6 hxg6 25. Rd1 $36) 24... Kxf7 25. Bc8+ Ne7 26. Bxb7 Rxd4 27. f4 Rbd8 $11 {Aronian,L (2792)-Kramnik,V (2812) Leuven blitz 2016}) 11... Nd7 {Currently the attention is focussed on the text move.} (11... Nc6 {is the older line, here after} 12. O-O b6 {the dominant continuation is} 13. Rad1 (13. Rfd1 Bb7 14. Qf4 Rc8 15. d5 exd5 16. Bxd5 Qe7 17. Ng5 Ne5 $1 18. Bxb7 Ng6 19. Qf5 Qxb7 20. Rd7 Qa6 $132 {[%CAl Ra6a2] Alekhine,A-Euwe,M WCh Netherlands 1937}) ({Interesting is} 13. Rfe1 $5 Bb7 14. d5 Na5 15. Bd3 {?} exd5 16. e5 $1 $44 {Declining the offer can lead to positions mentioned below.}) 13... Bb7 14. Rfe1 (14. Qf4 Qf6 15. Qe3 Rac8 16. e5 $6 Qh6 $1 17. Qxh6 gxh6 18. Rfe1 Nb4 19. Bb3 Rfd8 20. Re3 Nd5 21. Re4 Nc3 22. Rg4+ Kh8 23. Re1 a5 24. Nd2 b5 $36 {Gschnitzer,O (2427)-Ribli,Z (2585) Germany 2005 This game highlights one of Black's strategic goals - an advantageous endgame.}) 14... Rc8 15. d5 Na5 (15... exd5 16. Bxd5 Na5 $6 (16... Qe7 $142 $14) (16... Qc7 $5 $14) 17. Qf4 Qc7 18. Qf5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Qc2 20. Qf4 Qxa2 21. d6 Rcd8 22. d7 $36 {[%csl Gd7] Spassky,B-Petrosian,T WCh Moscow 1969}) 16. Bd3 Qe7 $142 $5 {is possibly the best move, Black should hold after} (16... Qd6 17. dxe6 $5 (17. Qg5 h6 18. Qg4 Rcd8 19. h4 Kh8 20. h5 Bc8 21. Qh4 exd5 22. e5 Qe6 23. Nd4 Qg4 24. Qxg4 Bxg4 25. f3 Bd7 26. e6 Bxe6 27. Nxe6 fxe6 28. Rxe6 Nb7 29. Re7 Nc5 $132 {Klim,K (2357)-Cyborowski,L (2546) Rewal 2012}) 17... fxe6 18. Qg5 Qd8 19. e5 Qe8 20. Nd4 Nc4 21. f4 Nb2 22. Bb5 Qf7 23. Rb1 Nc4 24. Rbc1 Na3 25. f5 $16 {Havumaki,A-Galje,H (2287) email 2012}) (16... exd5 $6 17. e5 Nc4 18. Qf4 $36 h6 (18... Nb2 $6 19. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg6 21. h4 $3 Rc4 (21... Qe7 22. Re3 $1 Rc4 23. h5+ Kh6 24. Ne4+ Kh7 25. Qf5+ Kh6 26. Rg3 Rxe4 27. Rg6+ Kh7 28. Re6+ Kg8 29. Rxe7 Bc8 30. Qg5 Nxd1 31. h6 Rg4 {Mehlhorn,U (2183)-Drobusch,R (2045) email 2003} 32. Qh5 gxh6 33. e6 $18) 22. h5+ (22. Rd4 $5 $16) 22... Kh6 23. Nxf7+ Kh7 24. Qf5+ Kg8 25. e6 Qf6 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. Rd2 $16 {Polugaevsky,L-Tal,M Moscow 1969}) 19. Qf5 g6 20. Qh3 (20. Qg4 $1 Kg7 21. Nd4 $40) 20... Kg7 21. e6 Qf6 22. exf7 Qxf7 23. Qg3 Rce8 {Bhat,V (2510)-Gerzhoy,L (2456) Palma de Mallorca 2009} 24. Nh4 $36) 17. Qf4 (17. dxe6 fxe6 (17... Qxe6 18. Nd4 Qe5 19. Nf5 g6 20. Nh6+ Kh8 21. Ng4 Qe6 22. Qf4 f6 23. Bb5 g5 24. Qg3 Rcd8 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. e5 a6 27. Bf1 Rd4 28. exf6 $1 {1-0, Dokhoian,Y (2570)-Webb,S (2410) Tbilisi 1989}) 18. Bb5 Bc6 19. a4 Rcd8 20. Qe3 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8+ {½, Krzyzanowski,W (2128)-Van Hooff,R (1967) email 2011} Qxd8 $11) 17... Nc4 (17... Rfd8 18. h4 (18. dxe6 Qxe6 19. e5 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 g6 21. Be4 Rxd1 22. Qxd1 Rc5 23. f4 Nc6 24. Qd6 Qc4 25. g3 Qc3 26. Kf2 Nd4 27. Qd8+ {½, Nickel,A (2579)-Golod,V (2305) Chessfriend.com 2003}) 18... h6 19. h5 Rc5 $5 20. Bb1 Nc4 21. dxe6 fxe6 22. Qg4 Rf8 23. Nd4 Bc8 24. e5 {Leitao,R (2598)-Eliet,N (2427) Charleroi 2006} Nxe5 25. Qe4 Qf6 26. Qh7+ Kf7 27. f4 Ng4 $13) 18. Rc1 b5 19. a4 a6 20. axb5 (20. Rb1 b4 21. Rec1 e5 22. Qh4 Qxh4 23. Nxh4 Nd2 24. Nf5 Nxb1 25. Ne7+ Kh8 26. Nxc8 Rxc8 27. Rxb1 a5 $15 {Bubnov,V (2182)-Van Hooff,R (1967) email 2010}) 20... axb5 21. Bxc4 Rxc4 22. Rxc4 bxc4 23. dxe6 fxe6 24. Qe5 Rc8 25. Rc1 Qf6 $11 {Gyimesi,Z (2652)-Pinter,J (2546) Austria 2012}) 12. O-O b6 13. Rac1 {The placement of the ? will indicate White's middlegame plans. We'll check the alternatives:} (13. a4 Bb7 14. Rfe1 (14. Bd3 Nf6 $5 (14... Rb8 15. Rfe1 h6 16. a5 b5 17. Rac1 a6 18. Qb4 Rc8 19. Nd2 Rxc1 (19... Nb8 $1 $132) 20. Rxc1 Ne5 $2 21. Bxb5 axb5 22. dxe5 Qd3 23. h3 $16 {Carlsen,M (2851)-Kramnik,V (2801) Stavanger blitz 2016}) (14... e5 15. Qe3 $1 exd4 16. Nxd4 Nc5 17. Bc2 Re8 18. f3 Qf6 19. a5 Rad8 20. Rfd1 Ba6 21. axb6 axb6 22. Ba4 Nxa4 23. Rxa4 b5 24. Rb4 Rd7 25. Rc1 Red8 26. e5 Qb6 27. Rc6 Qa7 28. Nf5 Qxe3+ 29. Nxe3 Ra8 30. Kf2 g6 31. h4 h5 32. e6 fxe6 33. Rxe6 $14 {Carlsen,M (2855)-Kramnik,V (2812) Paris 2016 See the notes to this game in CBM 173 by Sadorra.}) (14... Rc8 15. a5 Qc7 16. Rfb1 (16. Rfc1 Qd6 17. a6 Ba8 18. h3 h6 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Rc1 Rxc1+ 21. Qxc1 Bc6 22. d5 $6 exd5 23. e5 Qc5 24. Qf4 Nf8 25. Nd4 Bd7 $17 {Melkumyan,H (2633)-Bu,X (2705) Doha blitz 2016}) 16... h6 17. h3 Rfd8 18. Ra3 Qd6 19. Rab3 Rc7 20. axb6 Nxb6 21. Ra1 f5 22. Qe2 fxe4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Qxe4 Qd5 25. Qxd5 Nxd5 26. Rba3 Nc3 27. Rxa7 Ne2+ 28. Kh2 Rxa7 29. Rxa7 Nxd4 $11 {Ding,L (2707)-Kramnik,V (2801) Paris/St Petersburg 2013}) 15. Rfe1 h6 16. a5 a6 $5 (16... bxa5 17. Rxa5 Qc7 18. Rc1 (18. Ne5 Rfc8 19. f3 Qd8 20. Bf1 Nd7 21. Nc4 Nb6 22. Ne3 Rc7 23. Rea1 Rd7 24. Nc2 Nc8 25. Bb5 Rd6 26. Qb4 Rb8 27. Bd3 Ne7 28. Rb5 a6 29. e5 {Salem,A (2633)-Hou,Y (2652) Moscow 2017} axb5 30. Qxd6 Qxd6 31. exd6 Nc8 32. d7 Nd6 33. Ra7 Kf8 34. Bxb5 Ke7 35. Ba4 Ra8 $11) (18. Rc5 Qe7 19. h3 Rfc8 20. Ra5 Qc7 21. Rc5 Qe7 22. Ra5 {½, Schenk,A (2463)-Cyborowski,L (2524) Germany 2017}) 18... Qd8 19. Re1 Qc7 20. Qb4 Rfb8 21. Qa3 (21. Rc5 Qf4 22. Qd2 Qxd2 23. Nxd2 Rd8 24. Nb3 a5 25. Rxa5 Rxa5 26. Nxa5 Rxd4 27. Nxb7 Rxd3 $11 {Wojtaszek,R (2745)-Kramnik,V (2811) Shamkir 2017}) 21... Rc8 22. h3 (22. Rxa7 Rxa7 23. Qxa7 Ra8 24. Qc5 Qxc5 25. dxc5 Nd7 26. Rc1 Rc8 $11) 22... a6 (22... Qf4 23. d5 exd5 24. e5 Ne4 25. Qe7 Bc6 26. e6 Rf8 27. exf7+ Rxf7 28. Qb4 Re8 29. Qd4 Ng5 30. Rxe8+ Bxe8 31. Qxf4 Rxf4 32. Nxg5 hxg5 33. Rxd5 g4 $11 {Radjabov,T (2710)-Karjakin,S (2783) Shamkir 2017}) 23. Ne5 Qd8 24. Nf3 Rc7 25. Ra4 a5 26. Ne5 Bc6 27. Rxa5 Bxe4 28. Bxe4 Rxa5 29. Qxa5 Nxe4 $11 {Svidler,P (2755)-Kramnik,V (2811) Sochi 2017}) 17. axb6 Qxb6 18. Rab1 Qc7 19. Rbc1 Qe7 20. Qa5 Rfc8 21. Rxc8+ Rxc8 22. Nd2 Qd7 23. Qb6 Rc3 24. Bxa6 Bxa6 25. Qxa6 Qxd4 26. Nf3 Qc5 $11 {/?, Topalov,V (2803)-Carlsen,M (2834) London 2015}) 14... Rc8 (14... Rb8 15. Bb5 Nf6 16. Bd3 h6 17. Rab1 Ba8 18. h3 Qe7 19. Rb3 Rfd8 20. Qb2 Rbc8 21. a5 bxa5 22. Ra3 Rb8 23. Qa2 Qb4 24. Rb1 (24. Rxa5 Rxd4 25. Rb1 Qxb1+ 26. Bxb1 Rd1+ 27. Kh2 Rdxb1 $11) 24... Qf8 25. Re1 Qb4 26. Rb1 Qf8 27. Re1 {½, Ponomariov,R (2706)-Kramnik,V (2812) Dortmund 2016}) 15. Bd3 h6 16. a5 Qc7 17. axb6 axb6 18. Ra3 Rfd8 19. Qb2 Qd6 20. Rb3 Rc7 21. Ne5 Nf6 22. Nf3 Qf4 23. Qe2 Rc1 24. Qe3 Rxe1+ 25. Nxe1 Qxe3 26. fxe3 Bxe4 27. Bxe4 Nxe4 28. Rxb6 Ra8 $11 {/?, Deac,B (2572)-Kramnik,V (2809) Medias blitz 2016}) ({The most usual follow-up has long been} 13. Rfe1 Bb7 14. Rad1 Rc8 {and now:} 15. Bb3 {supports the d5-advance:} (15. Bd3 Nf6 (15... Qc7 16. Qe3 Rfd8 17. e5 Bxf3 $5 18. Qxf3 Nf8 19. Ba6 Rb8 20. Qe2 Ng6 21. g3 Qc3 $132 {Kozul,Z (2593)-Gyimesi,Z (2592) Murska Sobota 2008}) (15... Re8 16. h4 Nf8 17. h5 h6 18. a4 Nh7 19. Qf4 {Mamedyarov,S (2729)-Socko,B (2635) Istanbul olm 2012} Ng5 $11) 16. Qf4 (16. d5 exd5 17. e5 Ne4 18. Qf4 Nc5 19. Bf5 Ne6 (19... Rc7 $142 $13) 20. Qg4 Rc6 21. Qh3 g6 22. Bxe6 Rxe6 23. Nd4 $44 {Saldano Dayer,H (2345)-Magem Badals,J (2535) Linares 1998}) (16. Bb1 Re8 17. Qf4 Qc7 18. Ne5 Red8 19. g4 Rf8 20. Rc1 Qd6 21. Rxc8 Bxc8 22. Qe3 Rd8 23. Rc1 Bb7 24. g5 Ne8 25. Nf3 Qe7 26. h3 Qb4 27. Qc3 Qa4 28. Bc2 Qd7 29. Qd3 Nd6 30. Qe2 Rc8 31. Rd1 Qc6 $17 {[%csl Rc2,Re4] Solomon,K (2378)-Nakamura,H (2787) Tromsoe olm 2014}) 16... Qc7 17. Qh4 h6 18. h3 (18. e5 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Nd5 20. Kh1 Qe7 21. Qe4 g6 22. Rg1 Kh8 23. Rg3 Rg8 24. Rdg1 Rg7 25. Qg4 Qg5 26. Qxg5 hxg5 27. Rxg5 Rgg8 28. R5g4 Kg7 $44 {Martinovic,S (2517)-Dragnev,V (2372) Austria 2016}) (18. d5 exd5 19. e5 Ne4 20. Qf4 f6 21. Qf5 fxe5 22. Qe6+ Qf7 23. Qxe5 Qf6 $15 {Sadkowsky,D (2340)-Van Herck,M (2214) Brasschaat 2008}) 18... Rfd8 19. Bb1 b5 20. d5 exd5 21. e5 Ne4 22. Nd4 Qxe5 23. Nxb5 Qb2 24. Nxa7 g5 $15 {Rausis,I (2500)-Rotstein,A (2528) Cannes 2005}) 15... Nf6 (15... h6 16. Qf4 Qc7 17. Qh4 Rfd8 18. h3 b5 19. d5 exd5 20. e5 $6 (20. Nd4 $1 $44) 20... Re8 21. Qh5 a5 22. Rd4 a4 23. Bd1 Re6 24. Rf4 Nc5 25. Be2 Ne4 $15 {Kovalenko,I (2700)-Kramnik,V (2777) Berlin rpd 2015}) 16. d5 (16. Qf4 Qc7 17. Qxc7 (17. Qh4 h6 (17... Rfd8 $6 {Keres,P-Fine,R Ostend 1937} 18. Ng5 $1 {[%CAl Re4e5]} h6 19. Nxe6 $36) 18. h3 Rfd8 $132 19. Re3 b5 20. Nh2 $6 Kf8 21. e5 Qc6 22. Rf3 Qe4 $17 {Shchekachev,A (2515)-Moussard,J (2439) Le Port Marly 2014}) 17... Rxc7 18. d5 exd5 19. exd5 Rd7 20. Ne5 Rd6 21. Nc6 a6 (21... Re8 22. Rxe8+ Nxe8 23. Nxa7 Nc7 24. a4 Kf8 25. f3 Ke7 26. Rb1 $14 {Mareco,S (2655)-Mastrovasilis,A (2524) Dubai 2017}) (21... Bxc6 22. dxc6 Rxc6 23. Re7 {[%CAl Re7f7,Ye7a7] Gaspar,L-Nestler,D Luxembourg 1993} g6 24. Rxa7 Ne4 25. f3 Nc5 26. Bd5 $14 {/=}) 22. Re7 Nd7 23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. Rxb7 Nd7 25. Rc7 Rd8 26. Re1 Nf6 27. Ra7 b5 28. Ree7 Nd7 29. h4 Kf8 $11 {Vitiugov,N (2692)-Mastrovasilis,A (2510) WChT Bursa 2010}) 16... exd5 17. exd5 Rc5 $5 (17... Qd7 18. d6 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Rfe8 20. Qf4 h6 21. Rc1 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Qh3 23. Ba4 Nd7 24. Bxd7 Qxd7 25. Rc7 Qe6 26. d7 Rd8 $11 {Kratochvil,J (2114)-Andersen,J (2258) email 2011 holds, but by a thin thread.}) 18. d6 (18. Re5 Qd6 19. h3 h6 20. Qf4 Nd7 21. Re4 Qxf4 22. Rxf4 Nf6 23. d6 Rd8 24. Nh4 Be4 25. Re1 Bc2 26. Bxc2 Rxc2 27. Nf5 Rxa2 28. Nxh6+ gxh6 29. Rxf6 Kg7 30. Rf4 Rxd6 $17 {Li,C (2755)-Harikrishna,P (2763) Stavanger blitz 2016}) 18... Bd5 19. Bxd5 Rxd5 20. Qf4 Qd7 21. h3 h6 22. Rxd5 Nxd5 23. Qe5 Nf6 24. Rc1 Rd8 25. Rc7 Qxd6 26. Qxd6 Rxd6 {½, Brunello,S (2557)-Basso,P (2417) Rome 2016}) ({The immediate break} 13. d5 {gives Black a choice between} Nc5 $132 ({and} 13... Nf6 $5 14. Rad1 exd5 15. e5 Be6 16. exf6 dxc4 17. fxg7 Kxg7 18. Nd4 Qf6 19. Nxe6+ fxe6 20. Qd7+ Kh8 21. Qb7 Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Qxa7 c3 $44 {Beliavsky,A (2662)-Golod,V (2599) Netanya 2009})) 13... Bb7 14. d5 (14. Bd3 {loses a tempo in comparison with the 11.?c1 line above (the ? went to d3 immediately).}) (14. Qf4 Qb8 (14... Nf6 15. Bd3 Rc8 $132) 15. e5 $5 h6 16. Nd2 Rd8 17. Be2 Nf8 18. Bh5 Ng6 19. Qg4 (19. Bxg6 fxg6 20. Nc4 $14) 19... Ne7 20. Nc4 Nf5 21. Rfd1 Bd5 22. Qf4 g5 23. Qg4 Qb7 24. Ne3 Be4 25. Nxf5 Bxf5 26. Qg3 Rac8 27. h4 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 Qe7 29. Qe3 Kg7 $11 {Plat,V (2454)-Hnydiuk,A (2375) Teplice 2015}) ({RR} 14. Bd3 Rc8 15. Rxc8 Qxc8 16. Rc1 Qb8 17. Ne1 Rd8 18. f3 Nf6 19. Qe3 Rc8 20. g3 Rc6 21. Rxc6 Bxc6 22. Qc1 Bd7 23. Qc3 Ne8 24. Nc2 Qd6 25. Kf2 Qe7 26. Qa3 Qxa3 27. Nxa3 Nc7 28. Ke3 Kf8 {Tong,Y (1991)-Bai,X (2174) Daqing CHN 2026 ½-½ (31)}) 14... Nc5 15. Rfe1 Qf6 $146 {[%mdl 8] Retaining the central tension is a novelty.} (15... exd5 16. exd5 Qf6 17. Rcd1 Rad8 18. Qe3 h6 19. Ne5 Rd6 20. Rd4 Qg5 21. f4 Qf5 22. g4 Qc8 23. h3 Re8 24. Qd2 Red8 25. a3 b5 26. Ba2 Qc7 27. Rd1 Qb6 28. Kh2 a5 29. Qc2 a4 $11 {[%CAl Yc5b3] Kaszowski,D (2299)-Hnydiuk,A (2366) Opole 2006}) 16. Qe3 Rac8 $146 {Kramnik opts for an ambitious, but rather risky plan by allowing the advance of White's central pawns.} (16... exd5 17. exd5 (17. Bxd5 Bxd5 (17... Qe7 $5) 18. exd5 Qd6 $11) 17... Rad8 $11 {can transpose to Kaszowski-Hnydiuk above.}) (16... Rad8 $5 17. e5 Qg6 18. d6 f6 $132 {is possibly a better version of the idea from the game.}) ({RR} 16... Rad8 17. Rcd1 exd5 18. exd5 Rd6 19. h3 h6 20. Rd4 a6 21. a3 Qd8 22. Ba2 Qc7 23. Qe5 Bc8 24. Qg3 Qd8 25. Ne5 Qg5 26. Qxg5 hxg5 27. Nc4 Rf6 28. Re7 Rd8 29. Ne5 Kf8 30. Rc7 Bd7 31. d6 {Erigaisi,A (2756)-Aryan,C (2630) Ciutadella de Menorca ESP 2024 1-0 (57)}) ({RR} 16... e5 17. Nd2 Rac8 18. Be2 Qg6 19. Bf3 Ba6 20. Qa3 Qg5 21. Re3 Bb5 22. h3 a6 23. Be2 Bxe2 24. Rxe2 f5 25. Nf3 Qf6 26. Qc3 fxe4 27. Nxe5 Nd3 28. Qxc8 Qxe5 29. d6 Nxc1 30. Qxc1 Qxd6 31. Rxe4 {Praggnanandhaa,R (2676)-Keymer,V (2693) chess24.com INT 2022 ½-½ (67)}) 17. e5 {Levon accepts the challenge; his choice is very natural.} ({White could have played} 17. h3 {, or}) (17. Rcd1 {- but then why did he initially play 13.?ac1?}) 17... Qg6 18. d6 f6 19. Nh4 $1 (19. exf6 Rxf6 {[%csl Rf3]} 20. Nh4 Qf7 $13) 19... Qg4 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Exposing the ? is a serious tactical error.} (19... Qg5 20. Qxg5 fxg5 21. Nf3 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Kf7 $14 {/? is at best only slightly better for White.} (22... Rxf3 $4 23. Bxe6+) 23. h4 gxh4 24. f4 Kg6 $13) (19... Qh5 $5 {is also not quite clear, although perhaps White retains a pull after} 20. Qd4 Kh8 21. g3 Rcd8 22. f4 $5 Qe8 23. Qb2 Qc6 24. Ng2 $14) 20. g3 {[%csl Rg4]} fxe5 $6 {Seemingly natural, but now in addition to the weakness on e6, Black's ? will be in desperate trouble.} ({More resilient moves were:} 20... Rcd8 21. f4 g5 22. f5 gxh4 23. fxe6 Nxe6 24. exf6 Bc8 25. Bxe6+ Bxe6 26. Qxe6+ Qxe6 27. Rxe6 Kf7 28. Rce1 Rg8 $14 {/?}) ({, or} 20... Qh5 21. f4 {[%csl Gd6]} fxe5 22. Qxe5 Qxe5 23. Rxe5 $36) ({On the other hand,} 20... g5 21. f3 $8 Qh5 22. Nf5 $16 {doesn't help.}) 21. Qxe5 {[%csl Re6,Rg4]} Rcd8 (21... Kh8 22. f3 $5 (22. f4 $16) 22... Bxf3 23. Bxe6 Nxe6 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. d7 Rd8 26. Qxe6 Qxe6 27. Rxe6 Bh5 28. Rc6 Bg4 $8 29. Nf3 $1 Kg8 (29... Bxd7 30. Rd6 {[%csl Rd7][%CAl Yf3e5]}) 30. Ne5 $16 {/+-}) (21... g5 22. f3 (22. h3 Qxh3 23. Qxg5+ Kh8 24. Qe5+ Kg8 25. f3 $1 $18 {[%CAl Rc4f1]}) 22... Bxf3 23. Bxe6+ Nxe6 24. Rxc8 gxh4 (24... Rxc8 25. Nf5 $1 $18 {[%CAl Re5e6,Rf5h6]}) 25. d7 {[%CAl Re5e6]} Nd8 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Qe8+ Kg7 28. Qe7+ Kg6 29. Re6+ $18) 22. f4 Rf6 {There is no easy way out anymore.} (22... Kh8 23. Be2 Qh3 24. Qh5 {[%CAl Rh4g6]} Kg8 25. Bg4 $18) (22... Ba6 23. Bxa6 Nxa6 24. Kg2 g5 25. h3 $18) 23. Rc3 {By protecting g3, Aronian threatens to trap the queen with ?e2-f1 and h3.} Rh6 (23... Ba6 24. Bxa6 Nxa6 25. Kg2 Rh6 26. Qg5 $1 Qxg5 27. fxg5 Rxh4 28. gxh4 Rxd6 29. Ra3 $18) 24. Be2 ({White has already more than one way to win. Even more forcing was} 24. Nf5 $1 Rg6 (24... Rh5 25. Bxe6+ Kh8 26. Bf7 $18) (24... Rf6 25. Qxf6 gxf6 26. Nh6+ $18) 25. Ne7+ $18) 24... Qh3 25. Qg5 $1 $18 {[%CAl Rg5d8,Re2g4,Re2f1]} Qxh4 {Desperation, but Black gets mated after} (25... Rxh4 26. Qxd8+ Kf7 27. Qe7+ Kg6 28. Qg5+ Kf7 29. gxh4 Qxc3 30. Qe7+ Kg6 31. Bh5+ $1 Kxh5 32. Qg5#) 26. gxh4 Rg6 27. Rd1 {White has an extra exchange and quickly converts his advantage.} Bd5 28. f5 Rxg5+ 29. hxg5 Kf8 (29... Rxd6 30. fxe6 Rxe6 (30... Nxe6 31. Bc4 Nf4 (31... Nc7 32. Rcd3 $18) 32. Rf3 $18) 31. Bg4 Re5 32. Rxc5 $1 bxc5 33. Rxd5 Rxd5 34. Be6+ $18) 30. fxe6 Bxe6 31. Bc4 (31. Rf3+ Kg8 32. a3 $18) 31... Bf5 (31... Bxc4 32. Rxc4 Kf7 33. Rcd4 $18 {prolongs the game, but is still hopeless for Black.}) 32. Re3 g6 33. Re7 Rd7 34. Rde1 {[%CAl Re7e8,Re8g8]} (34. Rde1 Rxe7 (34... Rxd6 35. Rf7+ Kg8 36. Re8#) 35. dxe7+ Ke8 36. Bf7+) 1-0 [Event "Sharjah FIDE GP"] [Site "Sharjah"] [Date "2017.02.18"] [Round "1"] [White "Adams, Michael"] [Black "Salem, AR Saleh"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2751"] [BlackElo "2656"] [Annotator "Schroeder,Jan Christian"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2017.02.18"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "UAE"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] {The first round of Sharjah Grand Prix started with interesting pairings, such as Nakamura vs Jakovenko or Tomashevsky vs Aronian. Anyway, I enjoyed it even more to follow the game of Michael Adams because it is pretty impressive how he often manages to outplay his opponents without allowing counterplay at all.} 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00] Although Adams is an ,,e4 player'', he recently tried 1.c4 for instance against Fabiano Caruana (December 2016) and Hou Yifan (January 2017).} c5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 4. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 5. e3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:06] This is typical for Adams. He wants to avoid forced lines which could arise for instance after 5.e4!?. As a result, he gains a playable position with small chances for an advantage.} (5. e4 Nb4 6. Bc4 Nd3+ 7. Ke2 Nf4+ (7... Nxc1+ 8. Rxc1 a6 $5 {was tried in the game Giri vs Harikrishna Tata Steel 2017. The game will become extremely sharp. Even if this position was allright for Black, I would never play it in a practical game. White has many different ideas and Black has to know in every line a precise way to equalize.} (8... Nc6 9. Bb5 $14) 9. d4 b5 10. Bd5 Ra7 11. dxc5 (11. Ne5 $5 e6 12. Bc6+ Ke7 13. Qd2 f6 14. Nd5+ $1 exd5 15. Rxc5 dxe4 16. Rhc1 (16. Rd5 Qb6 17. Qb4+ Ke6 18. Qb3 Ke7 {funny pertual}) 16... Be6 17. Qe3 (17. d5 $5)) 11... e6 12. c6 $5 (12. b4 $5)) 8. Kf1 Nd3 9. Qe2 $5 {In the game Aronian vs So at London Chess Classic 2016 Black was in big trouble after the opening but I am confident that his play can be improved.}) 5... e6 {[%emt 0:00:29]} 6. Bc4 $5 {[%emt 0:00:34]} (6. d4 {This would have led to a transposition to the Semi-Tarrasch which should be fine for Black.}) 6... Be7 {[%emt 0:02:57]} 7. O-O {[%emt 0:00:21]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:11]} 8. Qe2 {[%emt 0:00:55] Played very fast, which implies that Adams was still in his preperation. In comparison to 8th d4 it is not too clear, which setup should be chosen by Black. Anyway, Black did not seem to be impressed at all and played on quite fast.} (8. d4 cxd4 9. exd4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Qc7 11. Qe2 Nd7 12. Bd3 $5 {Black should accept this pawn sacrifice otherwise he is just worse due to White's attacking prospects and the bad bishop on c8} (12. Bd2 b6 $11) 12... Qxc3 $13 (12... Nf6 13. c4 b6 14. Ne5 Bb7 15. f4 $5 $40)) 8... Nc6 $5 {[%emt 0:01:38]} 9. d4 {[%emt 0:03:53]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:21:22] Played after more than 20 minutes of thinking. Personally, I dislike the idea connected with this move because it is just too slow.} (9... b6 10. Rd1 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Na5 12. Bd3 $13 {[%CAl Gd8c7,Gc8b7,Re3e4,Re4e5] but might be a bit dangerous for Black.}) (9... Bf6 10. Rd1 cxd4 11. exd4 b6 $13) 10. exd4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Nb6 $6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} (10... Nxc3 $5 11. bxc3 b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Qe4 g6 14. Bh6 Re8 {with a normal position. My computer tells me 0.00, but in a practical game I'd prefer White. Anyway, Black has a playable position.}) 11. Bd3 $1 {[%emt 0:00:58] Just sacrificing the pawn. The insecurity of Black's queen and his behindhand development secure White a strong initiative.} Nxd4 {[%emt 0:03:19]} (11... Bd7 {Though it is computer suggestion, it feels pretty stupid. If Black plays ...?b6 he has to take on d4, too} 12. a3 $14) 12. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Qxd4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 13. Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Qh4 {[%emt 0:00:44]} (13... Qf6 14. Bc2 $5 {Highly interesting prophylatic move against Black's main idea ...?d7.} (14. Be4 Bd7 15. Bxb7 Rab8 16. Be4 Rfd8 {White controls the game but I am not sure wether he is much better.}) 14... g6 (14... Bd7 $6 15. Rxd7 Nxd7 16. Qd3 Qf5 17. Qxd7 Qxc2 18. Qxe7 $16) (14... e5 15. a4 $1 {Fighting for the d5-square} Bf5 16. a5 Bxc2 17. Qxc2 Nc8 18. Be3 $5 {This feels unpleasant for Black. Although he is a pawn up he cannot free his knight on d8.} (18. Nd5 Qc6 19. Qe2 Rd8 20. Qxe5 Bd6 21. Qe4 Ne7 $1 $11) 18... Nd6 $4 19. Nd5 Qe6 20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 21. Bc5 Qc7 22. Qc1 $1 $18) 15. Be4 Bd7 16. Bxb7 Rab8 17. Bf3 $5 {Maybe this is a better version in comparison to 14.?e4. Anyway, Black has still good chances to equalize.}) (13... Qc5 {Computer suggestion, but it looks very strange to allow White to develop his bishop with tempo} 14. Be3 Qe5 15. Be4 $14) 14. g3 {[%emt 0:10:23]} (14. Be4 $5) 14... Qh3 {[%emt 0:02:51]} 15. Be4 {[%emt 0:03:01]} e5 {[%emt 0:03:34] What else? Black has to free his bishop one day and therefore e5 feels neccesary. Nevertheless, this moves seriously weakens the d5-square. Adams exploits that impressively.} (15... Bd7 $2 16. Bxb7 Rad8 17. Bf4 $16) 16. Bg2 {[%emt 0:06:07]} Qf5 $146 {[%emt 0:12:37]} (16... Qg4 {Maybe it is clever to provoke ?f3. In many lines the bishop might be better on g2. However, finding ideas like this is not possible for a human being.} 17. Bf3 Qe6 $5 18. a4 Rb8 19. a5 Nd7 20. Be3 Bc5 21. Nb5 e4 {is an extra option when the bishop is on f3. Although Black is still worse here he might be able to hold this position.}) (16... Qe6 $6 17. a4 Rb8 18. a5 Nd7 19. Be3 Bc5 20. Nb5 $16) ({RR} 16... Qg4 17. Qxe5 Bf6 18. Qe1 Bf5 19. h3 Qb4 20. Ne4 Qxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Bd4 22. Nd6 Be6 23. Nb5 Bc5 24. Be3 Bxe3 25. Rxe3 Rad8 26. b3 Nd5 27. Re5 Nb4 28. Re2 Nc6 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. Nxa7 Ra8 31. Nxc6 {Aronian,L (2781)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2760) Bucharest 2021 ½-½ (46)}) ({RR} 16... Qg4 17. Qxe5 Bf6 18. Qe1 Bf5 19. h3 Qb4 20. Ne4 Qxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Bd4 22. Nd6 Be6 23. Nb5 Bc5 24. Be3 Bxe3 25. Rxe3 Rad8 26. b3 Nd5 27. Re5 Nb4 28. Re2 Nc6 29. Bxc6 bxc6 30. Nxa7 Ra8 31. Nxc6 {Aronian,L (2781)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2760) Bucharest 2021 ½-½ (46)}) 17. a4 $1 {[%emt 0:07:01]} a5 $2 {[%emt 0:31:39] Black's position was already extremely unpleasant. However, after this move his position feels horrible and is pretty close to be lost.} (17... Nd7) 18. Be3 {[%emt 0:08:30]} (18. Qb5 Nd7 $6 (18... Qe6 19. Be3 Nd7 20. Nd5 $16) 19. Nd5 Bd8 20. b3 $1 $18 {[%csl Rd7][%CAl Gc1a3,Ga1c1,Gd5e3]}) 18... Nd7 {[%emt 0:06:51]} 19. Nd5 {[%emt 0:11:59]} Bd8 {[%emt 0:01:53]} 20. Rac1 $16 {[%emt 0:14:06] Now it is already difficult to find moves for Black.} Kh8 $1 {[%emt 0:02:36] Freeing the g8-square for the rook and getting rid of all ?e7+ motives.} (20... Nf6 $2 21. Bc5 Re8 22. Ne3 Qe6 23. Rd6 Qe7 24. Ra6 $18) 21. Qb5 {[%emt 0:14:35]} (21. Nc7 $5 {This feels even more dominant.} Bxc7 22. Rxc7 Nf6 23. h3 $16 {[%CAl Yg3g4,Ye3c5,Yd1d6]}) (21. h3 $5) 21... Nf6 {[%emt 0:06:04]} 22. Bc5 {[%emt 0:03:36]} (22. h3 Nxd5 23. Rxd5 Bf6 24. g4 Qg6 25. Qc4 Bg5 26. Rxe5 Bxe3 27. Rxe3 $14) (22. Nxf6 Bxf6 23. Rc7 $14) 22... Rg8 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 23. Ne3 {[%emt 0:03:01]} Qh5 {[%emt 0:03:19]} 24. Bd6 {[%emt 0:04:09]} Ng4 {[%emt 0:03:07]} 25. Nxg4 {[%emt 0:03:15]} (25. Nf1 Qf5 $1 26. Qe2 {''human move''} (26. f3 {looks ugly but maybe is poses Black serious problems.} Nf6 27. Ne3 Qe6 28. Nc4 Bd7 29. Qxb7 $14) 26... Bb6 27. Bc5 Bxc5 28. Rxc5 $16 {[%csl Rb7,Re5]}) 25... Bxg4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 26. Re1 {[%emt 0:03:35]} Ra6 $2 {[%emt 0:00:43]} (26... Rc8 27. Rxc8 Bxc8 28. Bxe5 (28. Bxb7 Bxb7 29. Qxb7 f6 30. b4 $16) 28... f6 29. Bd4 $16) 27. Bxe5 {[%emt 0:03:02]} Rb6 {[%emt 0:02:02]} 28. Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:37]} Qg6 {[%emt 0:02:42]} (28... f6 $6 29. Bd4 Qxd5 30. Bxd5 Rd6 31. Bxg8 $18) 29. Be4 {[%emt 0:01:22]} (29. Qxa5 {is the Computer move but Adams' decision feels so natural and leads to a very strong position, too.} Rxb2 30. Qc3 Rb6 31. Bd5 $16) 29... Qh5 $2 {[%emt 0:02:05]} (29... Qe6 30. Bc3 Qxd5 31. Bxd5 {Black will lose a pawn now (a5 or f7). The endgame should be lost.} Bf6 (31... Be6 32. Bxe6 Rxe6 33. Rxe6 fxe6 34. Rd1 $18 {[%CAl Yd1d7]}) 32. Bxf7 Bxc3 33. Rxc3 Rf8 34. f3 Bd7 35. b3 $18) 30. Rc5 $2 {[%emt 0:01:55]} (30. Rc8 $1 {This beautiful move could have ended the game pretty soon. I am very sure that Adams saw this move but he might be afraid of 30...?h6. In time trouble the stronger side normally do not want to allow any kind of counterplay so he might have decided to play solid.} Rh6 (30... Bxc8 31. Bxg7+ {[%CAl Yd5h5]}) (30... Be7 31. Rxg8+ Kxg8 32. Qxa5 $18) 31. Rxd8 $1 {absolutely fearless} (31. h4) 31... Qxh2+ 32. Kf1 Bh3+ (32... Qh3+ 33. Bg2) 33. Ke2 $18) 30... Rh6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} (30... Re6 31. Qd4 Qg5 {Without provoking h4 this square is availible for Black's queen. Still, White is more or less winning} 32. h4 Qe7 33. Rb5 $16) 31. h4 {[%emt 0:00:41]} b6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 32. Rb5 {[%emt 0:00:46]} Re6 $2 {[%emt 0:00:40]} (32... Be2 $5 33. Bd3 $1 (33. Rb3 Re6 {is not what White aimed for}) (33. Bxg7+ $2 Kxg7 34. Qd4+ Bf6 35. Rxh5 Bxd4 36. Rg5+ Kf8 37. Rxg8+ Kxg8 38. Rxe2 Re6 {with very good drawing chances}) 33... Bxd3 34. Qxd3 {[%CAl Re5g7]} Qg6 35. Qxg6 Rxg6 36. Rd1 $16) 33. Qd4 $1 {[%emt 0:01:27] Black cannot defend against all White ideas such as ?xg7 and ?xd8 or ?xh5 and ?d5 and take on g4.} f6 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 34. Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Bxf6 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 35. Rxh5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Bxh5 {[%emt 0:00:15]} (35... Bxd4 $4 36. Rxh7#) 36. Qc4 $18 {[%emt 0:02:54] Although in positions like this the defender has sometimes many ideas to hold his position, things are different here. Black cannot organise and activate his pieces wheras White will exchange rooks pretty soon.} Rge8 {[%emt 0:00:23]} (36... Bf7 $5 37. Re3 Rd8 (37... Rge8 38. Bd5 $5 Rxe3 39. fxe3 Bxd5 40. Qxd5 h6 41. Qc6 $18) 38. Rd3 Rxd3 39. Qxd3) 37. Re3 $1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bxb2 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 38. Qb5 $1 {[%emt 0:01:34] To my mind this is just brilliant technique. Obviously, my stupid Stockfish, who is too materialistic, does not want to play like this because he calculates long lines where he wins a pawn. However, Adams feels that the resulting position ist won because he can slowly improve his position and Black cannot.} (38. Bc6 Rxe3 39. fxe3 Rc8 40. Qe6 Rd8 41. Qb3 Bf6 42. Qxb6 {Too complicated for a human being.}) 38... Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 39. Rxe4 {[%emt 0:01:46]} Rxe4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 40. Qxh5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Bf6 {[%emt 0:51:00]} 41. Qd5 {[%emt 0:51:19]} Rd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 42. Qc6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 43. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rb4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 44. Kh3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} b5 {[%emt 0:00:00] Desperation.} (44... Kg8 45. f4 Kh8 46. Qc8+ Kh7 47. Qf5+ Kh8 48. Qe6 Rb2 (48... Rxa4 $4 49. Qe8+) 49. g4 $18 {Black will be mated soon.}) 45. axb5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 46. Qa8+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 47. Qa5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 48. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 49. b6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bf8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 50. Qd5+ {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 51. b7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} a3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 52. Qd8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Rxb7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 53. Qxf8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 54. Qc5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 55. Qd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra7 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 56. Qa2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} h5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 57. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ra5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 58. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 59. Kd2 {[%emt 0:00:52]} Ra7 {[%emt 0:02:25]} 60. Kc1 {[%emt 0:01:00] What a great game by Adams! First of all, he was pretty well prepared. His 8.?e2 idea is obviously not a serious attempt for a huge advantage. Nontheless, it leads to interesting and complicated positions, allowing both sides to play for a win. After sacrificing a pawn just for quick development and a bad bishop on c8 he forced his opponent to weak his squares (for instance with 15...e5). Afterwards, he outplayed his opponent convincingly, showing superior technique. Even though he missed some ways to a faster victory like 30.?c8 he always kept control which is most important when you have a strategical advantage. Last but not least I would like to mention that Salem defended pretty clever, showing creative ideas like 20...?h8 in order to prepare ...?g8.} 1-0 [Event "Gashimov Memorial 3rd"] [Site "Shamkir"] [Date "2016.05.29"] [Round "4"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Harikrishna, Pentala"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2790"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "Iotov,Valentin Dimitrov"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2016.05.26"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "AZE"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 173"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 {The first major deviation from the popular theory. The old-fashioned 11.?c4!? could lead to some very complicated middlegame positions.} b6 (11... Nc6 12. Be2 $5 (12. Bb5 Bd7 13. O-O Ne5 14. Be2 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Rc8 16. d5 Qf6 17. Qa5 exd5 18. exd5 a6 {½-½ Banikas,H (2633)-Bacrot,E (2749)/Warsaw POL 2013}) (12. Bc4 b6 13. d5 Na5 14. dxe6 fxe6 15. Be2 $1 (15. Qxd8 $6 Rxd8 16. Ne5 Nxc4 17. Rxc4 Ba6 18. Rc7 Rac8 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Kd2 Rc5 $15 {½-½ Gajewski,G (2647)-Harikrishna,P (2743)/Czech Republic CZE 2016}) 15... Bb7 16. Qe3 $14) 12... Qb6 (12... Na5 13. O-O b6 14. Rfd1 Bb7 15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Qd6 17. Ng5 $14) 13. O-O Rd8 14. Rc4 $1 (14. d5 exd5 15. exd5 Be6 16. d6 Ne7 17. Rb1 Qxd6 18. Qxd6 Rxd6 19. Rxb7 Ng6 20. g3 Bxa2 21. Ra1 Bd5 22. Rbxa7 Rxa7 23. Rxa7 Bxf3 24. Bxf3 Rd8 25. Kg2 Ne5 26. Ra8 {½-½ Ding Liren (2766)-Harikrishna,P (2753)/Huai'an CHN 2016}) 14... Bd7 15. Rfc1 $14) 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O h6 (13... Nd7 14. Qe3 $5 Nf6 $1 (14... Rc8 15. e5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qh4 17. Qe3 Rfd8 18. f4 {1-0 Aronian,L (2809)-Kramnik,V (2801)/Paris/St Petersburg FRA/RUS 2013}) 15. Ne5 Qe7 16. f3 Rac8 17. Bb5 $14) (13... Nc6 14. d5 $1 {A typical motif in these positions, even if it results in a pawn sacrifice. White's price - activating the bishop on d3!} Na5 15. dxe6 fxe6 16. Qe3 Rc8 17. Rxc8 Bxc8 18. e5 $14) 14. Qe3 Nc6 15. h4 $5 {[%csl Yg6][%CAl Gh4h5,Gg7g6,Gd3h7] Giri is slowly improving his positions and preparing the d4-d5 central push.} (15. Rfd1 Rc8 16. h4 Ne7 17. h5 Qd6 18. d5 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Re1 Rc3 21. Qd2 Rc5 22. Bb1 Kf8 $11 {1-0 Mamedyarov,S (2756)-Kramnik,V (2783)/Shamkir AZE 2015}) 15... Rc8 16. h5 Qe7 $6 {At first, this may seem as an insignificant mistake at best. However, further analysis proves that without the ?d7-?g4 defensive manoeuvre, White's attack becomes almost unstoppable!} (16... Qd7 $1 {[%csl Yg4,Rh5][%CAl Gd7g4,Gg4h5]} 17. Rfd1 Rfd8 18. d5 (18. Bb1 Na5 19. d5 exd5 20. e5 Qg4 21. Qd3 Qe4 22. Qa3 Qg4 23. Qd3 Qe4 $11) 18... exd5 19. exd5 (19. e5 $2 Qg4 $1 $17) 19... Nb4 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. d6 Qe6 22. Qxe6 fxe6 23. Ne5 Bd5 $11) 17. Bb1 Rfd8 18. d5 $146 ({RR} 18. Rfd1 Nb8 19. Qf4 Nd7 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. d5 exd5 22. exd5 Qf6 23. Qe4 Nf8 24. Ne5 Qg5 25. Qf5 f6 26. Nc6 Re8 27. Qxg5 hxg5 28. Bf5 Kf7 29. g4 Bc8 30. Bxc8 Rxc8 31. Nxa7 Ra8 32. Nc6 Rxa2 {Martinovic,S (2555)-Saric,A (2530) Bjelovar 2019 1-0 (48)}) 18... exd5 $6 (18... Nb8 $1 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. dxe6 fxe6 21. Ne5 Qc5 22. Ng6 Nd7 23. Qxc5 Rxc5 24. Rd1 Rc7 25. f3 $14 {Close to draw, yet a possible practical nightmare to defend - 18...?b8! still remains Harikrishna's best defensive option.}) (18... Nb4 $5) 19. e5 $1 {At this point in the game, defence becomes a problematic task!} Ba6 (19... Nb4 20. Nd4 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Rc8 22. Re1 $1 $40) (19... Kf8 20. Rfe1 Re8 21. Rcd1 $1 Nd8 22. Qd3 Ne6 23. Qh7 Qb4 24. Bf5 $16) 20. Rfe1 Qd7 21. Qf4 Ne7 22. Nd4 Rxc1 23. Qxc1 $1 {[%csl Ye1][%CAl Ge5e6]} (23. Rxc1 $6 Rc8 $132) 23... Qa4 $6 (23... Rc8 $1 24. Qa3 Bc4 25. Qg3 $40 {[%csl Yb1,Yd4,Ye1,Gg3,Rg8][%CAl Ge5e6] Even though such a position is still playable in the eyes of the computer, it is a complete nightmare to be played viewed from a human's perspective.}) 24. e6 $1 Qxd4 $4 (24... Rf8 $8 25. exf7+ Rxf7 26. Ne6 $16) 25. exf7+ Kxf7 26. Qc7 Re8 (26... Rf8 27. Qxe7+ Kg8 28. Bh7+ Kxh7 29. Qxf8 $18) 27. Bg6+ 1-0 [Event "Dos Hermanas"] [Site "Dos Hermanas"] [Date "1993.??.??"] [Round "7"] [White "Khalifman, Alexander"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2630"] [BlackElo "2725"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "1993.04.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "CBM 036"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1993.10.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1993.10.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Sagar,Shah} Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 e6 6. e4 ({RR} 6. e3) 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 O-O 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Na5 (13... Bb7 14. Rfe1 (14. Qf4 Qf6 (14... Rc8 15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Ne7 17. Rd4 Ng6 18. Qg4 Qd6 19. Rfd1 Rcd8 20. Ng5 Bc8 21. Qh5 h6 22. Ne6 Bxe6 23. dxe6 Qxd4 24. Rxd4 $16 {Forintos,Gy-Ostojic,Pr/Vrnjacka Banja/1973/1-0 (30)}) 15. Qe3 (15. Qc7 Na5 16. Bd3 h6 17. Qg3 Rfd8 18. d5 $1 exd5 19. e5 Qe7 20. Rfe1 Nc4 21. h4 $6 Nb2 22. Nd4 Nxd1 23. Nf5 Qf8 24. e6 $1 $36 {Lputian,S-Cifuentes Parada,R/Wijk aan Zee op/1993/0.5 (40)}) 15... Rfd8 16. e5 Qh6 17. Ng5 Nb4 18. f4 Rac8 19. Rc1 Bd5 20. Bxd5 Nxd5 21. Qf3 g6 22. g3 Qf8 23. Qb3 Qb4 24. Qxb4 $10 {Rausis,I-Zhuravlev,V/Daugavpils/1990/0.5 (40)}) 14... Rc8 15. d5 Na5 (15... exd5 16. Bxd5 Qc7 17. e5 Ne7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. e6 fxe6 20. Ng5 Ng6 21. Rxe6 $14 {Nogueiras,J-Tal,M/Bruxelles/1988/}) 16. Bd3 Qd6 17. dxe6 Qxe6 18. Nd4 Qe5 $13 {Dokhoian-Webb/Memorial Petrosian/1989/}) 14. Bd3 (14. Be2 Bb7 15. d5 exd5 16. exd5 Qf6 17. Qd4 Rad8 18. Qxf6 gxf6 19. d6 Rfe8 20. Rd2 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Ba6 22. Re7 Bxf1 23. Kxf1 Nc6 24. Rc7 $13 {Lauber,A-Ottmann,P/chU17 GER Steinsfurt (04)/1992/1-0 (35)}) 14... Bb7 15. Qf4 (15. d5 exd5 16. e5 d4 17. Nxd4 (17. Ng5 h6 18. Nh7 Qh4 19. Nxf8 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 {0,5/Kamsky,G-Seirawan,Y/Buenos Aires Najdorf (03)/1993/}) 17... Qd5 18. Qg5 h6 19. Qg3 Bc8 20. Bb1 Qc4 21. Qf3 Be6 22. Qe4 g6 23. Nxe6 Qxe6 24. Rd6 $14 {Lev,R-Onat,I/Haifa ETC (3)/1989/1-0 (65)}) ({RR} 15. h4 Rc8 16. h5 h6 17. Rfe1 Qe7 ({RR} 17... Nc4 18. Qe2 ({RR} 18. Bxc4 Rxc4 19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Rc5) 18... Nd6 19. d5 exd5 20. e5 Re8 21. Nd4 Nc4) 18. d5 Nc4 19. Bxc4 ({RR} 19. Qe2 exd5 20. exd5 Qxe2 21. Bxe2 Rfd8) ({RR} 19. Qf4 Nb2 20. Rd2 Nxd3 21. Rxd3 Rfd8 22. d6 Qf6 23. Qg3 ({RR} 23. Qxf6 gxf6) 23... Rc4 24. e5 Qf5) 19... Rxc4 20. Ne5 ({RR} 20. d6 Qf6 21. e5 Qf5) 20... Rc5 ({RR} 20... Ra4 21. d6 Qh4 ({RR} 21... Qf6 22. Nd7) 22. Nf3 Qd8 ({RR} 22... Qxh5 23. d7 Rd8 24. Qc2) 23. d7 Bxe4 24. Ne5 ({RR} 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25. Qd6) 24... Bd5 25. Rc1 f6 26. Rc8 fxe5 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Rc1 Rxd7 29. Rc8+ Kf7 30. Qd3) 21. d6 Qd8 ({RR} 21... Qh4 22. d7 Rd8 23. Qd6) 22. Qf4 f6 23. Ng6 Rf7 24. e5 ({RR} 24. Qg4 Qe8 ({RR} 24... Qd7 25. e5 f5 ({RR} 25... fxe5 26. Nxe5 Rxe5 27. Rxe5) 26. Qg3) 25. d7 Rxd7 26. Rxd7 Qxd7 27. Rd1 Qe8 28. Qxe6+ Qxe6 29. Rd8+) 24... fxe5 25. Ne7+ Kf8 ({RR} 25... Rxe7 26. dxe7 Qxe7 27. Rxe5) 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Ne7+ Kf8 28. Qg4 Bd5 ({RR} 28... Rxe7 29. dxe7+ Qxe7 30. Rc1) 29. Nxd5 exd5 {Tomashevsky,E (2747)-Lysyj,I (2673) Chita 2015 CBM 168 [Sagar,Shah] 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 15. Rfe1 {RR} Rc8 16. d5 exd5 17. e5 Nc4 18. Qf4 Nb2 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg6 21. h4 Rc4 22. h5+ Kh6 23. Nxf7+ Kh7 24. Qf5+ Kg8 25. e6 Qf6 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. Rd2 Rc6 28. Rxb2 Re8 29. Nh6+ Kh7 30. Nf5) ({RR} 15. d5 exd5 16. e5 d4 17. Nxd4 Qh4 18. Nf5 Qg4 19. f3 Qd4+ 20. Nxd4 {1-0 (20) Gurevich,D (2358)-Bogaudinov,R (1913) chess.com INT 2024}) 15... Qf6 (15... f6 $5 16. d5 e5 17. Qg3 Qd6 18. Nh4 Bc8 $13) 16. Qg3 Qe7 $146 (16... Qg6 17. Qh4 Qf6 18. Qh3 Qh6 19. Qxh6 gxh6 20. Ne5 Rfd8 21. Bb1 Rd6 22. Rd2 Rad8 23. Rfd1 $14) ({RR} 16... Qg6 17. Qh3 Rfd8 18. d5 exd5 19. exd5 Qh6 20. Qxh6 gxh6 21. Be4 Nc4 22. Nh4 Nd6 23. Bf3 Rac8 24. Rd2 Rc3 25. g3 Rdc8 26. Rfd1 b5 27. Bg4 Rd8 28. Ng2 a5 29. Ne3 b4 30. Rd4 Bc8 31. Kg2 {Janssen,R (2468)-Trajkovic,P (2351) Kavala 2002 1-0 (74)}) ({RR} 16... h6 17. Rfe1 Rfe8 18. h4 Rad8 19. d5 e5 20. Rc1 Qd6 21. h5 Bc8 22. Bb5 Re7 23. Nd4 Qb4 24. Rxc8 Qxe1+ 25. Kh2 exd4 26. Rxd8+ Kh7 27. Qb8 {1-0 (27) Werle,J (2551)-De Jong,M (2263) Hoogeveen 2006}) 17. d5 Rad8 (17... exd5 18. exd5 Rad8 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kh6 21. Qh4+ Kg6 22. Qh7+ Kf6 (22... Kxg5 23. f4+ Kf6 24. Qh4+ Kf5 25. g4+ Kg6 26. f5#) 23. Ne4+ $18) 18. e5 $1 Bxd5 (18... Rxd5 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg8 21. Qh4 Qxg5 22. Qxg5 $18) 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Rxd5 (20. Ng5+ Kg8 21. Rxd5 (21. Qh4 Be4 $1 $19) 21... Rxd5) 20... Rxd5 21. Ng5+ Kg8 (21... Kh6 $2 22. Qh4+ Kg6 23. Qh7+ Kxg5 24. f4+ Kg4 25. Qh3#) (21... Kg6 22. Nxe6+ Kf5 23. Nxg7+ Ke4 24. Qe3#) 22. Qh4 Qxg5 $8 23. Qxg5 Nc6 (23... f6 24. Qg3 Rxe5 25. f4 Re4 26. Rc1) (23... Nc4 $5 24. f4 Ne3 25. Re1 Nf5) 24. f4 Nd4 25. h4 (25. g4 Rc8 26. f5 Rxe5) 25... Rc8 $15 26. Qg4 Nf5 27. Re1 Rc4 28. h5 Rdd4 29. Qf3 (29. g3 $2 Rc3 $17) 29... Rxf4 30. Qa8+ Kh7 31. Qxa7 Rg4 (31... Nd4 32. Qa3 (32. Qxb6 $2 Rc1 $3 33. Rxc1 $140 Ne2+ 34. Kh2 Rh4#) 32... Rc2 $44) (31... Rc2 32. Qxf7 Rxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Nh4+ 34. Kg3 Rxf7 35. Kxh4 Rf5 $10) 32. Qxf7 Rc2 33. Qb7 Nh4 34. Kf1 Nxg2 $6 (34... Rf4+ $1 35. Kg1 Rxa2 $1 36. Kh2 $1 (36. Qc6 Rxg2+ 37. Kh1 Rg5 38. Qxe6 Nf3 $19) (36. Qxb6 Rxg2+ 37. Kh1 Rf3 $19) 36... Rxg2+ 37. Kh3 Rc2 (37... Rgf2 38. Re4) 38. Kg3) 35. Re4 Rg5 (35... Nf4 36. Rd4 (36. Qxb6 Rh4 37. Qg1 Rg2) 36... Rh4 37. Qe4+ Kh6 38. Qxc2 Rh1+ 39. Kf2 Rh2+ 40. Ke3 Rxc2 41. Kxf4 Kxh5 42. Rd6 $17) 36. Qe7 Rf5+ (36... Rxh5 37. Kg1 Rh6 38. Rg4) 37. Kg1 Nf4 38. Rxf4 $1 (38. Qh4 Ne2+ (38... Rg5+ 39. Kf1 Rxh5 $17) 39. Kh1 Kh6) 38... Rxf4 39. Qxe6 Rcc4 40. Qg6+ Kh8 41. Qe8+ Kh7 42. Qg6+ Kh8 43. Qe8+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "RUS-chT 23rd"] [Site "Sochi"] [Date "2016.05.04"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Svidler, Peter"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2762"] [BlackElo "2801"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2016.05.01"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 173"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.07.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "St Petersburg Bronze Horseman"] [BlackTeam "Novosibirsk Siberia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 (4... exd5 {mit diesem Zug erlitt Kramnik beim Norway Chess vergangenen Monat einen bösen Schiffsbruch gegen Carlsen.} 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. Nh4 Be7 12. Ne2 Nb6 13. Ng3 Bb4+ 14. Kd1 Na4 15. Ngf5 Kd7 16. Rb1 Ke6 17. Bd3 Rhc8 18. Ke2 Bf8 19. g4 c5 20. Ng2 cxd4 21. exd4 Bd6 22. h4 h5 23. Ng7+ Ke7 24. gxh5 Bxd3+ 25. Kxd3 Kd7 26. Ne3 Nb6 27. Ng4 Rh8 28. Rhe1 Be7 29. Nf5 Bd8 30. h6 Rc8 31. b3 Rc6 32. Nge3 Bc7 33. Rbc1 Rxc1 34. Rxc1 Bf4 35. Rc5 Ke6 36. Ng7+ Kd6 37. Ng4 Nd7 38. Rc2 f5 39. Nxf5+ Ke6 40. Ng7+ Kd6 41. Re2 Kc6 42. Re8 Rxe8 43. Nxe8 Nf8 44. Ne5+ Bxe5 45. dxe5 Kd7 46. Nf6+ Ke6 47. h5 Kxe5 48. Nd7+ Nxd7 49. h7 Nc5+ 50. Ke2 {1-0 (50) Carlsen,M (2851)-Kramnik,V (2801) Stavanger NOR 2016}) 5. Nf3 c5 6. g3 (6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O {ist die Hauptvariante}) 6... Nxc3 (6... Nc6 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4) 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 b6 {Kramnik wandelt auf den Spuren Rubinsteins, modernere Interpretationen des schwarzen Aufbaus verzichteten auf b6 um Weiß den Hebel a4-a5 nicht anzubieten.} (10... Bd7 11. Bg2 Bc6 12. O-O Nd7 13. Rfe1 Nf6 14. Qf4 Be4 15. Rac1 O-O 16. g4 Qb8 17. Qxb8 Raxb8 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rbc8 20. Kf3 Rfd8 21. e4 Kf8 22. Ke3 g5 23. h4 h6 24. hxg5 hxg5 25. Rh1 Ke7 26. Kd3 Nd7 27. Nxd7 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 Kxd7 29. Rh1 Ke7 30. Rc1 Kd7 31. Rh1 Ke7 32. Rc1 {1/2-1/2 (32) Grandelius,N (2581)-Roiz,M (2592) Stockholm 2015}) 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O {Diagramm [#]} O-O (12... Nd7 {wurde bereits 1937 von Rubinstein gespielt. Dies erlaubt allerdings das sofortige a4 - ob Tfc1 sofort benötigt wird, ist nämlich nicht klar. Deswegen erscheint mit Kramniks Zugfolge erst einmal flexibler.} 13. a4 $1 (13. Rfc1 O-O 14. a4 Rc8 15. Rxc8 Qxc8 16. a5 b5 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. Qb4 a6 19. Ne1 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Rc8 21. Rxc8+ Qxc8 22. Nd3 Nb8 23. f3 Qc7 24. Kf2 f6 25. Nc5 Qd6 26. e3 Kf7 27. Ke2 Ke8 28. Qb1 f5 29. Qb3 Qd5 30. Qxd5 exd5 31. Kd2 Ke7 32. Kc3 Kd6 33. Nb7+ Kc7 34. Nc5 Kd6 35. Nb7+ Kc7 36. Nc5 Kd6 37. Nb7+ Kc7 {1/2-1/2 (37) Weinstock,K-Rubinstein,S Vienna 1937}) 13... O-O 14. a5) 13. a4 (13. Rfc1 Nd7) ({RR} 13. Rfc1 Nd7 14. Qd3 Nf6 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qd5+ 17. f3 Rac8 18. e4 Qb7 19. Qa3 h5 20. h4 Rfd8 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rc1 Rc7 23. Rc3 Qc8 24. Qxa7 Rxc3 25. Qxf7+ Kh7 26. Qg6+ Kg8 27. Qf7+ Kh7 {Aronian,L (2775)-Ding,L (2801) London 2019 ½-½}) ({RR} 13. Rac1 Nd7 14. Qf4 Nf6 15. Qc7 Bd5 16. a3 Rc8 17. Qxa7 Ra8 18. Qc7 Rxa3 19. e3 b5 20. Qc5 Qa5 21. Ne5 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Qa8+ 23. Kg1 Rb8 24. Nc6 Rb7 25. Ne7+ Kf8 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Qxa3 {1-0 (27) Sava,R (2313)-Mikhailovsky,V (2215) chess.com INT 2026}) 13... Nc6 $5 {Vorgänger platzierten den Springer immer bescheidener auf d7, von wo aus er weniger Einfluss auf das Zentrum nimmt, jedoch den Läufer nicht versperrt und weniger anfällig steht} 14. Ne5 $1 {ansonsten wir Schwarz mit ...Sa5 fortfahren und der Bauernzug a4 wäre lediglich eine Schwächung gewesen.} Rc8 15. a5 $146 (15. Rfc1 $2 Qxd4 16. Qxd4 Nxd4 17. Bxb7 Rxc1+ 18. Rxc1 Nxe2+ 19. Kf1 Nxc1 $19) (15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Rac1 Na5 $11 {Schwarz kontrolliert alle Einbruchsfelder auf der c-Linie und kann bequem mit der Dame auf b7 wiedernehmen. Langfristig hat Schwarz den entfernten Freibauern, a4 kann zudem zur Schwäche neigen. Weiß muss hier vermutlich im Ausgleichssinne den konkreten Durchbruch d5 anpeilen}) ({RR} 15. Rfd1 Qe7 16. Rac1 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Rxc1 19. Qxc1 Rd8 20. Rd6 Rxd6 21. exd6 Qxd6 22. Qc8+ Qf8 23. Qb7 Qe8 {½-½ (23) Sargsyan,S (2416)-Harutyunian,T (2513) Yerevan 2017}) ({RR} 15. e3 Qe7 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Bxc6 Rxc6 18. Rfb1 Rfc8 19. a5 h5 20. axb6 axb6 21. Qe2 g6 22. h4 Qb7 23. e4 Rc2 24. Qe3 b5 25. d5 exd5 26. Ra7 Qb8 27. Ra5 R2c3 28. Qg5 dxe4 29. Raxb5 Qd6 {Warmerdam,M (2612)-Dardha,D (2610) Hoogeveen NED 2022 ½-½ (39)}) 15... b5 16. Qb2 $6 (16. a6 $5 Ba8 17. Rfd1 (17. Nxc6 {ist zu wenig} Bxc6 18. Bxc6 Rxc6 19. Ra5 Qd5 $11) 17... Qd6 (17... Ne7 $5 18. Bxa8 Rxa8 19. Rac1 {Schwarz steht noch etwas unkoordiniert, hat jedoch langfristige Trümpfe. Entscheidend wird sein, ob der weiße Bauer auf a6 oder der schwarze auf b5 schwächer wird.}) 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. d5 $5 {schlägt Houdini vor} exd5 20. Bxd5 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Qb6 22. Qb7 Rb8 23. Qxb6 Rxb6 24. Rd7 Ra8 25. Rb7 $14 {wird vermutlich in einem 4-3 am Königsflügel enden.}) 16... a6 {Kramnik hat seine Stellung nun gefestigt. Der Bauer auf a5 ist mehr Schwäche denn Stärke, die weißfeldrige Konstellation Lb7, Bauern a6,b5 ist konkret nicht auszunutzen.} 17. Nd3 $6 (17. Rfd1 Ba8 18. e3 Nxa5 19. Bxa8 Rxa8 20. Qa2 Nb7 21. Rac1 $44 {und Weiß hat Kompensation, doch keinesfalls mehr}) 17... Ba8 18. Bxc6 (18. Nc5 Nxd4 19. Bxa8 Rxc5 $17) (18. e3 Nxa5 {und Weiß hat nicht genug Kompensation} 19. Qb4 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Nc6 21. Qb1 Nb8 $15) 18... Rxc6 19. Nb4 Rc4 {konkret gespielt} (19... Rd6 $1 {behält den a6 - Schwarz kann nun mittels h5-h4 den geschwächten weißen König aufs Korn nehmen}) 20. Nxa6 Qd5 21. f3 Rxd4 22. Nc7 Qc5 23. Kh1 Bc6 24. Rfc1 Rc4 25. Na6 $2 {diesen Zeitverlust hält die weiße Stellung nicht mehr aus} (25. a6 $1 Rc8 (25... Bxf3+ 26. exf3 Qxc7 27. Rxc4 Qxc4 28. a7 Qd5 29. Kg2 {und Weiß hält dank des starken Freibauern das Gleichgewicht}) 26. a7 Rxc7 27. Rxc4 $1 Qxc4 28. a8=Q+ Bxa8 29. Rxa8+ Rc8 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Qxb5 $11) 25... Qf2 $1 26. Qe5 Bd5 {Es droht f6 nebst Dxe2.} 27. Nc7 f6 28. Qd6 Rxc7 29. Qxc7 Qxe2 30. Ra3 {und offensichtlich wollte sich Svidler ...b4 nicht mehr zeigen lassen} 0-1 [Event "Donner Memorial-A"] [Site "Amsterdam"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "6"] [White "Jussupow, Artur"] [Black "Van der Sterren, Paul"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2655"] [BlackElo "2605"] [Annotator "Jussupow,Artur"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1994.08.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 043"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1994.12.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Hansen,LB} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bd3 (11. Bc4 {Hansen,LB is the main line}) (11. Be2 {Hansen,LB} b6 (11... Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rfe1 Bb7 14. Bd3 Qe7 15. a4 $1 $14 {Larsen,B-Panno,O/Buenos Aires/1979/}) 12. O-O Bb7 13. Qf4 Nc6 14. Rad1 Ne7 15. h4 $5 Ng6 16. Qg4 h5 $1 17. Qg3 Bxe4 18. Ng5 Bd5 19. Bxh5 Qf6 $13 {Dreev,A-Ruban,V/URS-ch/1991/}) (11. Rd1 {Hansen,LB} b6 12. h4 $5 Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. Qd3 Nb4 15. Qb1 Qe7 16. O-O h6 $13 {Aleksandrov,A-Akhmadeev,V/Kotovo op/1994/}) 11... Nc6 12. Qc3 $5 $146 (12. e5 $6 {Hansen,LB} Qa5 13. Rd1 b6 14. Be4 Bb7 15. O-O Qxd2 16. Rxd2 Rfd8 $15 {Qvortrup,J-Panchenko,A/Gausdal/1991/}) ({RR} 12. Bc2 Qe7 13. O-O Rd8 14. Qe3 b6 15. Rac1 Bb7 16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. h4 h6 18. g4 Rc7 19. g5 hxg5 20. hxg5 Rdc8 21. g6 Nd8 22. gxf7+ Nxf7 23. Bd3 Qf6 24. Rxc7 Rxc7 25. Kf1 Rc3 26. Ke1 Ra3 {Pechac,J (2620)-Keymer,V (2693) Bydgoszcz 2022 1-0 (47)}) 12... Bd7 (12... Qa5 $5 13. Qxa5 Nxa5 14. Ke2 $5 (14. Rc1 $6 Bd7 15. Rc7 $140 Rac8) (14. Kd2 $14)) 13. Rb1 $146 (13. O-O Qa5 $10) ({RR} 13. O-O Qa5 14. Qb2 Qb4 15. Rab1 Qxb2 16. Rxb2 Na5 17. Rc1 Rfc8 18. Rbc2 Rxc2 19. Rxc2 Rc8 20. Rxc8+ Bxc8 21. Kf1 Kf8 22. Ke2 Ke7 23. Ke3 h6 24. h4 Bd7 25. Nd2 g5 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. e5 Bc6 {Gharibyan,M (2472)-Xu,X (2623) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (53)}) ({RR} 13. O-O Qa5 14. Qb2 Rfd8 15. Rab1 Be8 16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. Bb5 a6 18. Bf1 b5 19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Ne7 21. d6 Ng6 22. Rbc1 Bd7 23. Ng5 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 h6 25. Ne4 Be6 26. a3 Nf8 27. Rd1 Rc8 {Ibrahimli,M (2432)-Pultinevicius,P (2546) Terme Catez 2022 ½-½ (45)}) 13... Rc8 14. Qd2 (14. Rxb7 $4 {Hansen,LB} Na5) 14... Be8 (14... Na5 $142 15. O-O Nc4 16. Bxc4 $140 (16. Qe2 b5 $10) 16... Rxc4 17. Rxb7 Bc6) 15. d5 $1 exd5 16. exd5 Ne7 $2 (16... Qxd5 $4 {Hansen,LB} 17. Bxh7+ $18) (16... Qe7+ $142 17. Be2 $1 (17. Qe2 Qxe2+ 18. Kxe2 Na5 $10) 17... Ne5 18. O-O Rd8 19. Rfd1 $14) 17. d6 $16 Ng6 (17... Qxd6 $4 {Hansen,LB} 18. Bxh7+ $18) 18. Bxg6 hxg6 (18... fxg6 19. O-O Rf6 20. Rfd1 Ba4 21. Qd5+ Kh8 22. d7 Rc7 23. Ne5 Bxd1 24. Rxd1 $18 {??f7}) 19. O-O b6 (19... Bc6 20. Ne5 $16) 20. Rfe1 Rc5 21. Rbc1 $1 (21. Ne5 $6 f6) (21. Rbd1 $6 Ba4) 21... Bc6 (21... Rxc1 22. Rxc1 $18 {??c7}) 22. Rxc5 (22. Ne5 $6 Rd5 $13) 22... bxc5 23. Ne5 Qa8 (23... Qb6 24. d7 Rd8 25. Qd6 $1 $16 {??e7} (25. Qf4 Bd5 $1 26. Nxg6 Be6 $1 27. Ne7+ Kf8 $13)) 24. f3 Rd8 $2 (24... Qb7 25. d7 Rd8 26. Qd6 Ba4 27. Qe7 $18) (24... c4 $16 25. Nxc4 Qb7 $16) (24... Bd5 25. d7 Rd8 26. Rd1 Be6 27. Qd6 c4 28. Qc7 $18) 25. Nxf7 $1 $18 (25. Nxf7 Kxf7 26. Re7+ Kf8 (26... Kg8 {Hansen,LB} 27. Qc3 $18) (26... Kf6 27. Qf4#) 27. Qc3 $18) 1-0 [Event "Tashkent Al Beruniy-A 2nd"] [Site "Tashkent"] [Date "2025.02.10"] [Round "8"] [White "Martirosyan, Haik M"] [Black "Ma, Qun"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2645"] [BlackElo "2645"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2025.02.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "UZB"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "Mega2025 Update 15"] [Source "Chessbase"] [SourceDate "2025.02.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.02.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. d5 Nc5 {13...Nf6 is more fashionable. 13...Sf6 ist modischer.} 14. Qd4 exd5 15. exd5 Qd6 16. Ne5 Re8 ({RR} 16... Bd7 17. Rfe1 Rfd8 18. Re3 Be8 19. Rae1 Rac8 20. Rg3 Qf6 21. Qe3 Qd6 22. Qg5 Qf8 23. Ng4 Kh8 24. Nf6 Bd7 25. Re5 h6 26. Qh4 Ba4 27. Reg5 g6 28. Rxg6 fxg6 29. Rxg6 Bc2 30. Rxh6+ Kg7 31. Qg5+ {Svane,R (2619)-Ivanchuk,V (2623) Linares ESP 2025 1-0 (33)}) 17. Rfe1 Ba6 18. Bxa6 $146 (18. Rac1 Ne6 19. Nxf7 Nxd4 20. Nxd6 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Bxc4 22. Nxc4 Rc8 23. Ne3 Kf7 24. Kf1 {1-0 Diao,M (2173)-Sun,R (2286) North American-ch UNN 2024 (3)}) ({RR} 18. Rac1 Ne6 19. Nxf7 Nxd4 20. Nxd6 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Bxc4 22. Nxc4 Rc8 23. Ne3 Kf7 24. Kf1 Nc2 25. Re2 Nxe3+ 26. fxe3 Rc1+ 27. Kf2 Ke7 28. e4 Kd6 29. Ke3 Ke5 30. Kd3 b5 31. Rc2 Rd1+ 32. Rd2 Rc1 {Diao,M (2173)-Sun,R (2286) Dulles USA 2024 1-0 (77)}) 18... Nxa6 19. Nc6 Nc7 20. Red1 Ne6 21. dxe6 Qxc6 22. exf7+ Kxf7 23. Rac1 Rad8 24. Qg4 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 Qe6 26. a4 Kg8 27. h3 h6 28. Qd2 Kh7 29. Qd3+ Qe4 30. Qa6 Re6 31. Qxa7 Rg6 32. g3 Rxg3+ 33. fxg3 Qe3+ 34. Kg2 Qe2+ 35. Kg1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Groningen"] [Site "Groningen"] [Date "1994.??.??"] [Round "10"] [White "Azmaiparashvili, Zurab"] [Black "Jussupow, Artur"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2655"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "52"] [EventDate "1994.12.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 045"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 e6 4. d4 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rd1 (11. Rc1 Nc6 12. Bb5 Bd7 13. O-O Ne7 14. Qb4 Qb6 15. a4 Nc6 16. Qc5 Qxc5 17. Rxc5 a6 18. Be2 Rac8 19. Rfc1 f6 $10 {Pomar Salamanca,A-Kortschnoj,V/Palma de Mallorca/1969/}) 11... Nc6 (11... b6 12. h4 Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. Qd3 Nb4 15. Qb1 Qe7 16. O-O h6 17. d5 exd5 18. exd5 Qc5 19. d6 Rad8 20. d7 Na6 21. Rfe1 Nb8 22. Ne5 a6 23. Qf5 Qa5 24. h5 $16 {Aleksandrov,A-Akhmadeev,V/Kstovo op/1994/}) ({RR} 11... b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Nd7 14. Qe3 Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Nd2 Qg5 17. Qh3 Qf4 18. Nc4 Rc7 19. Nd6 Bd5 20. Qe3 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Rc1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bxa2 24. Ra1 Bd5 25. Rxa7 Nb8 26. Bb5 {Giri,A (2764)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (75)}) 12. Bb5 (12. Bc4 Qa5 13. O-O Qxd2 14. Rxd2 b6 15. d5 Na5 16. Bb5 exd5 17. exd5 Rd8 $13) 12... Bd7 13. Rb1 $146 (13. O-O Ne5 $5 14. Be2 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Rc8 $10) ({RR} 13. O-O Ne5 14. Be2 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 Rc8 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Bb5 18. Rfe1 Qd6 19. Rb1 a6 20. Rb4 Rfe8 21. Reb1 Rc4 22. g3 Rxb4 23. Qxb4 Qxb4 24. Rxb4 Re1+ 25. Kg2 Bf1+ 26. Kg1 Bh3# {0-1 (26) Ohanyan,E (2481)-Mikhailovsky,V (2215) chess.com INT 2026}) 13... Ne7 14. Bd3 (14. Bxd7 Qxd7 15. Ne5 Qc7 16. O-O Rfd8 $10) 14... Bc6 15. h4 (15. O-O $10) 15... h6 16. Rh3 $6 (16. O-O f5 (16... Ng6 17. h5 Nh4 18. Ne1 f5 $132) 17. Rfe1 fxe4 18. Bxe4 $14) 16... f5 $1 17. Rg3 $2 (17. exf5 Nxf5 $36) 17... fxe4 18. Qxh6 Nf5 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 20. Rg5 (20. Bxe4 Nxg3 21. Bxc6 bxc6 $19) 20... Qe8 21. Bc4 (21. Qxe8 Raxe8 22. Rh5+ Nh6 $19) 21... exf3 22. Kd2 Rd8 (22... Rf6 23. Qxe8+ (23. Qe5 fxg2 $19) 23... Rxe8 $19) 23. Kc3 (23. Qxe8 Bxe8 $19) 23... Nd6 (23... fxg2 $19) 24. Qe7 $5 (24. Qxe8 Bxe8 25. Bd3 fxg2 $19) 24... Ne4+ (24... Qxe7 $4 25. Rh5#) 25. Kb3 Nxg5 26. hxg5 (26. Qxg5 fxg2 27. Re1 Be4 $19) 26... fxg2 0-1 [Event "Montreal International"] [Site "Montreal"] [Date "1979.05.02"] [Round "16"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Tal, Mihail"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2705"] [BlackElo "2615"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1979.04.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "18"] [EventCountry "CAN"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 e6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. Nxd5 (9. e4 $5) 9... exd5 10. Be3 (10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bg5 Qb6 (11... f6 12. Rc1 (12. Bd2)) 12. Qxd5 Be6 $10) 10... c4 (10... cxd4 $6 11. Nxd4 $14) (10... Bf6 11. dxc5 Bxb2 12. Rb1 Bf6 13. Ne1 d4 14. Bf4 Qa5 15. Nd3 $13 {Portisch,L-Keres,P/Petropolis izt/1973/}) 11. b3 (11. Ne5 f6 (11... Be6 $6 12. Nxc4 dxc4 13. d5 $14) (11... Na5 $5) 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. b3 Ba6 $10) ({RR} 11. Rc1 Be6 12. b3 b5 13. bxc4 bxc4 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qa5 16. f4 Bc5 17. Bd4 g6 18. e3 Rab8 19. Rf2 Rfd8 20. g4 Bxd4 21. exd4 c3 22. f5 Bd7 23. Qf3 Rb2 24. Rcc2 gxf5 25. gxf5 Qxa2 {Naimov,D (1767)-Stupak,A (1455) Montesilvano ITA 2026 1-0 (47)}) 11... cxb3 (11... Bf6 12. bxc4 dxc4 13. Rb1 Qa5 14. a4 a6 15. Nd2 $14) 12. Qxb3 (12. axb3 Be6 13. Ne5 Qb6 14. Nd3 Bf6 $13 {Gurevich,D-Gruenfeld,Y/Las Vegas/1985/}) 12... Na5 13. Qb1 ({RR} 13. Qd3 Be6 14. h4 f6 15. Nd2 Qd7 16. Bf4 Rac8 17. Rfc1 b5 18. e4 Nc4 19. Nxc4 bxc4 20. Qe3 Rfe8 21. e5 f5 22. h5 Rb8 23. h6 g6 24. Bg5 Bf8 25. Rcb1 a5 26. Qc1 Qa7 27. Be3 Rb4 {Beliavsky,A (2690)-Nikcevic,N (2505) Belgrade 1998 1-0 (52)}) 13... Bg4 $146 ({RR} 13... Nc4 14. Bf4 g5 15. Bc1 Bf6 16. e3 Rb8 17. a4 a6 18. Nd2 b6 19. Qd3 a5 20. Nxc4 Ba6 21. Qf5 Bxc4 22. Rd1 Kg7 23. Bh3 Re8 24. Qf3 b5 25. axb5 Rxb5 26. Qf5 h6 27. Ba3 a4 28. Bg4 {Spassov,L-Lukacs,P (2405) Skara 1980 ½-½ (41)}) ({RR} 13... Be6 14. Ne5 b6 15. Bd2 f6 16. Nd3 Nc4 17. Bb4 Bxb4 18. Qxb4 Qd7 19. Rfc1 Rac8 20. Nf4 Bf7 21. h4 g6 22. Rc2 Rc7 23. Rac1 Rfc8 24. Bh3 f5 25. Bg2 a5 26. Qb3 b5 27. Nd3 b4 28. Nc5 {Makarov,M (2515)-Ruban,V (2595) Cetinje 1993 ½-½ (49)}) 14. a4 Rc8 15. Qa2 (15. Ra2 {??e5}) 15... Nc4 16. Bf4 Qd7 17. Rfb1 f6 18. Qb3 b6 19. h4 Bf5 20. Rc1 Be4 21. Nd2 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Na5 (22... g5 $6 23. hxg5 fxg5 24. Be3 Nxe3+ (24... Qe6 $5) 25. Qxe3 $14) 23. Qb5 Qxb5 24. axb5 Bb4 25. Nf1 Kf7 26. Bd2 Bxd2 27. Nxd2 Ke6 28. Kf3 Kd7 29. Ke3 Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Ra8 $1 31. Kd3 a6 32. bxa6 Rxa6 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 84th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2022.01.21"] [Round "6"] [White "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [Black "Duda, Jan Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2727"] [BlackElo "2760"] [Annotator "Duda,Jan Krzysztof"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2022.01.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 206"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2022.02.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,72,25,14,21,6,6,6,14,14,39,22,72,63,68,52,68,60,56,59,59,46,46,52,52,52,52,22,22,9,11,6,27,11,9,0,0,0,36,-3,18,-13,39,39,39,39,17,22,30,27,19,19,48,31,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,-12,-14,-55,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Re8 16. h3 ({In round 2, I had encountered} 16. Re3 Nf6 17. Qe1 (17. d5 $5 {is a serious line, predecessor being the following game:} exd5 18. e5 Ne4 19. Qe1 Qc7 20. Nd4 a6 21. h4 Rcd8 22. f3 Nc5 23. h5 Ne6 24. Nf5 d4 25. Red3 Nc5 26. Rxd4 Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Nxb3 28. Qg3 g6 29. axb3 Rd8 30. e6 Qc1+ 31. Kh2 Rxd4 32. e7 Qc8 33. Qe5 Rh4+ 34. Kg3 {1-0 (34) Carlsen,M (2863)-Giri,A (2764) chess24.com INT 2020}) 17... Ng4 $5 (17... Qc7 {is perfectly viable as well}) 18. Re2 Ba6 19. Red2 Bc4 20. Bxc4 (20. e5) (20. h3 Nf6 21. Ne5) 20... Rxc4 21. Qe2 Rc7 (21... Rc3 $142) 22. Qd3 (22. e5 $1 $36 {[%csl Rg4]}) 22... Nf6 $11 {with balanced game till the very end:} 23. d5 exd5 24. e5 Nd7 25. Qxd5 Qe7 26. Qb5 Nf8 27. h3 h6 28. Rd6 Rec8 29. Qd3 Rc3 30. Qf5 Rc1 31. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 32. Kh2 Rc5 33. Qd3 Qb7 34. h4 Qe7 35. Rd8 g6 36. Rb8 Kg7 37. Qe4 Nd7 38. Rb7 Qe6 39. Rxa7 Nxe5 40. Nxe5 Qxe5+ {1/2 (40) Praggnanandhaa,R (2612)-Duda,J (2760) Tata Steel Chess Masters 2022}) 16... Nf6 17. Qf4 Qc7 $5 (17... Nh5 18. Qh2 h6 {is sort of the main line, popularised among others by Ding Liren. I don't think it's the only playable way for black though.}) 18. Ne5 Re7 {OTB the line felt a bit risky, but it had been played by Grischuk and Dominguez before, and I was backed up with some decent knowledge, so at the end of the day I decided to give it a try in the present game. Here white has several plans, either going for a kingside attack, or playing in a positional manner, possibly looking for an endgame by means of ?g6 trick in various positions. What he played is, I suppose the most dangerous attempt to tear my position apart} 19. Qh4 b5 {Here for a second I couldn't recall whether 19...b5 or 19...a5 is a more precise move order, as it's all of very subtle nature. Finally I decided it made sense to keep momentum and move randomly asap :)} (19... a5 {here white may block the following b5 move by means of} 20. a4 (20. Ba4) ({or} 20. Bc4)) 20. Rd3 ({whereas here, there was an oppurtunity to jump on a new outpost} 20. Nd3 $5 {[%CAl Gd3c5]}) 20... a5 21. Rg3 Nxe4 $8 {Not a very topical idea, but in given circumstances it just slows down White's attack, and swaps material.} (21... Ne8 $2 {loses straight away due to} 22. Nxf7 $1 $18) 22. Rxe4 Bxe4 23. Qxe4 a4 $146 ({RR} 23... Qc1+ 24. Kh2 a4 25. Qg4 g6 26. Bd1 Rc3 27. Qh4 Rec7 28. Bf3 Qa3 29. Ng4 Qe7 30. Nf6+ Kg7 31. Qxh7+ Kxf6 32. Qh8+ Kf5 33. Qe5# {1-0 (33) Secheres,A (2342)-Eletskikh,A (2231) Timisoara ROU 2024}) 24. Bd1 (24. Qh4 {is the alternative, but yields no more than a draw}) 24... f6 25. Nd3 {A far more natural retreat.} (25. Ng4 $6 {just doesn't make any sense} f5 26. Nf6+ Kh8 27. Qh4 gxf6 28. Qxf6+ Rg7 $15) ({I remembered having analyzed with older engines the following sequance:} 25. Nf3 Qc1 26. Qe2 b4 (26... Qc4 $5 {is simple enough with a probable repetition}) 27. Ne1 b3 28. axb3 a3 {with a bizzare, yet another 0.00 position}) 25... Qd6 $1 $11 {The last move of my analyses, as I had never really believed to reach this position ever, so I hadn't bothered to prolong the lines from here onwards. The pleasant thing was that in this virtually new position, my opponent had to make a choice, while I was enjoying my 1 hour + advantage, and other people's games :)} 26. Nc5 $5 {Here White could have basically played anything (at least top 15 engine lines are ok for the first player, obviously not all of them coming in a human sense of logic). The game choice simplifies the position, which is understandable given the time difference} (26. Qh4 {would have been perhaps the most challenging, but} Rc3 {would be ok for black}) 26... Rxc5 {Not strictly necessary, but the best.} 27. Qa8+ Kf7 28. dxc5 Qxd1+ 29. Kh2 {Black is a pawn up, but his king is too weak to offer chances for an objective advantage. During the game it seemed as if there were some chances to squeeze this, with help of engines, the feeling is utterly opposite.} Qd4 (29... f5 30. c6 {doesn't differ that much}) 30. c6 (30. Qh8 f5 {is of course the idea behind 29...?d4} 31. Qxh7 Rc7 (31... b4 32. c6 {transposes to the game}) 32. Qh5+ (32. Qg6+ Kf8 33. Qxe6 Rxc5 34. Qb6 $11) 32... Ke7 33. Qh8 $11) 30... Rc7 (30... f5 31. Qb8 Qc5 32. Qh8 Qe5 (32... Qd4 33. Qb8 $11) 33. f4 Qd4 $8 34. Qb8 Qc5 35. Qh8 $11 {with repetition}) 31. Qh8 f5 32. Qxh7 b4 $6 (32... Rxc6 $1 {would have been more combatitive, but still dead-level according to the machine.} 33. Qh5+ Ke7 34. Qh8 Qe5 $5 {that was the idea we were discussing in post-mortem.} 35. Qxg7+ (35. f4 $2 {is the only move that doesn't work} Qxf4 36. Qxg7+ Kd8 $1 $17) (35. h4 {is not very intuitive, but fine nevertheless}) (35. a3 $5) 35... Qxg7 36. Rxg7+ Kd6 37. h4 $1 $11 {as shown by Vidit, the rook endgame might be a bit uncomfortable but is also drawn.}) 33. Qh5+ (33. Qg6+ Ke7 {was my idea.}) 33... Ke7 34. Qh8 {Now the draw is imminent, as 34...?f4 isn't a serious winning attempt.} Kf7 35. Qh5+ Ke7 36. Qh8 Kf7 1/2-1/2 [Event "Belgrade Investbank"] [Site "Belgrade"] [Date "1995.??.??"] [Round "9"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Lautier, Joel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2730"] [BlackElo "2645"] [Annotator "Kortschnoj,Viktor Lvovich"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "1995.11.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 051"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 {Hecht} c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 (5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 dxc4 7. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 8. Nxd1 bxc6 9. Bg2 Nd5 10. Ne3 e6 11. Nxc4 Ba6 $14) 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 $14 Ke7 14. Rhc1 Rd8 15. Rc7+ Rd7 16. Rac1 Kd8 17. Rxd7+ Kxd7 18. g4 $1 h6 19. f4 Rb8 20. g5 b6 $146 (20... hxg5 $5 21. fxg5 b6 $14) ({RR} 20... hxg5 21. fxg5 b6 22. h4 g6 23. Bf3 Bb7 24. e4 Rh8 25. Rh1 Ba6 26. Ke3 Bc4 27. Kf4 Kd6 28. a3 b5 29. e5+ Ke7 30. h5 gxh5 31. Rxh5 Rxh5 32. Bxh5 a5 33. Ke3 Kf8 34. Bd1 Kg7 35. Bc2 {Vismara,D (2365)-Kragelj,I (2278) Arco 2001 ½-½ (44)}) ({RR} 20... hxg5 21. fxg5 b6 22. h4 g6 23. Bf3 {½-½ (23) Kohlweyer,B (2452)-Farago,I (2502) Porto San Giorgio 2002}) 21. gxh6 gxh6 22. Rc3 Bb7 23. Bxb7 Rxb7 24. Rh3 Rc7 25. Rxh6 Rc4 26. Rh3 Rxd4+ $4 (26... Ra4 $1 27. a3 Rxd4+ $14) 27. Rd3 Rxd3+ 28. Kxd3 $16 {Hecht:  B-B: entfernter Freibauer, Raum, Tempospiel} f6 (28... b5 {Hecht} 29. Kd4 Kd6 30. h4 a5 31. h5 Ke7 32. Kc5 b4 33. Kb5 $18) 29. Kc4 a6 30. f5 Kd6 (30... exf5 {Hecht} 31. Kd5 f4 32. h4 b5 (32... Ke7 33. Kc6 Kf7 34. Kxb6 Kg6 35. Kxa6 Kh5 36. Kb5 Kxh4 37. a4 Kg3 38. a5 Kf2 39. a6 Kxe2 40. a7 f3 41. a8=Q f2 42. Qe4+ Kf1 43. Kc4 f5 44. Qf3 f4 45. Kd3 Kg1 46. Qg4+ $18) 33. h5 Ke7 34. Kc5 Kf7 35. Kb6 Kg7 36. Kxa6 Kh6 37. Kxb5 Kxh5 38. a4 $18) 31. fxe6 Kxe6 32. Kd4 Kf5 33. Kd5 Kf4 34. Ke6 $1 (34. Kc6 $2 f5 35. h4 (35. Kxb6 {Hecht} Ke3 36. h4 Kxe2 37. h5 f4 38. h6 f3 39. h7 f2 40. h8=Q f1=Q $10) 35... Kg4 36. Kxb6 Kxh4 37. Kxa6 Kg3 38. a4 Kf2 39. a5 Kxe2 40. Kb7 f4 $10) 34... f5 35. e3+ $18 Kg4 36. h3+ (36. h4 {Hecht} b5 37. h5 Kg5 38. h6 Kxh6 39. Kxf5 a5 40. e4 Kg7 $10) 36... Kg5 37. h4+ Kg6 38. h5+ Kg5 39. h6 Kg6 40. h7 Kxh7 41. Kxf5 Kg7 42. Ke6 (42. Ke6 {Hecht} b5 43. Kd5 Kf6 44. Kc5 Ke5 45. Kb6 Ke4 46. Kxa6 Kxe3 47. Kxb5 Kd4 48. a4 Kd5 49. a5 Kd6 50. Kb6 Kd7 51. a6 Kc8 52. a7 $18) 1-0 [Event "Porticcio op 3rd"] [Site "Grosseto Prugna"] [Date "2016.06.28"] [Round "5"] [White "Bacrot, Etienne"] [Black "Maze, Sebastien"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2695"] [BlackElo "2627"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2016.06.25"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "EXT 2017"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.10.25"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.10.25"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:11:06] ChessBase} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:49]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:52]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 5. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:58]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 6. e4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} (6. e3 {[%CAl Gf1c4]}) 6... Nxc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 7. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 8. cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Bb4+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} 9. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Bxd2+ {[%emt 0:00:03]} 10. Qxd2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:04]} 11. Rc1 {[%emt 0:05:09]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:53]} (11... b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Nd7 14. Qe3 Nf6 15. Ne5 Qe7 16. f3 Rfd8 17. Bb5 Rac8 18. Bc6 Ne8 19. Ba4 Nd6 20. Qa3 Nf5 21. Qxe7 Nxe7 22. Bd7 Rb8 23. Rc7 Ng6 24. Nxf7 Kxf7 25. Bc8+ Ne7 26. Bxb7 Rxd4 27. f4 Rbd8 28. e5 R8d7 29. Rxd7 Rxd7 30. Bf3 Rd2 31. Rf2 Rd4 32. g3 b5 33. Rc2 a5 34. Kf1 Nd5 35. Bxd5 Rxd5 36. Rc7+ Kg6 37. Ke2 b4 38. Re7 Kf5 39. Rxg7 Ke4 40. Re7 a4 41. Rb7 {Aronian,L (2792)-Kramnik,V (2812) Leuven 2016 ½-½}) 12. Be2 {[%emt 0:04:47]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} ({RR} 12... Qd6 13. O-O Bd7 14. e5 Qb4 15. Qd3 h6 16. Rb1 Qa4 17. Rxb7 Nb4 18. Qd1 a5 19. a3 Nd5 20. Qxa4 Bxa4 21. Ra1 Rfd8 22. Rb2 Nf4 23. Bd1 Bxd1 24. Rxd1 Rac8 25. g3 Rc3 26. Nd2 Nd3 27. Rb3 {Fedoseev,V (2692)-Saric,I (2673) Deggendorf GER 2024 1-0 (60)}) 13. O-O {[%emt 0:03:21]} Rd8 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 14. Rc4 {[%emt 0:10:07]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:05]} ({RR} 14... e5 15. d5 f6 16. Rfc1 Ne7 17. Qc3 Qd6 18. Rc7 a6 19. Ne1 f5 20. Qc5 Qxc5 21. R1xc5 Kf7 22. f3 f4 23. g3 g5 24. Nd3 Kf6 25. Nxe5 Nxd5 26. Rxh7 Kxe5 27. gxf4+ Kxf4 28. exd5 b5 29. Bd3) 15. Qe3 $146 {[%emt 0:00:03]} (15. Bd3 Qa5 16. Qb2 Rac8 17. Rfc1 Nb4 18. Bf1 Nc6 19. Rc5 Qb4 20. Qa1 ({RR} 20. Qxb4 Nxb4 21. Rb1) 20... Na5 ({RR} 20... Ne7) 21. a3 Qb6 22. Rb1 Nb3 23. Qa2 Ba4 24. Rc4 Qa5 ({RR} 24... Rxc4 25. Bxc4 Rc8 26. Nd2 Rxc4 27. Nxc4 Qxd4 28. Qe2) 25. Rxb3 Bxb3 26. Qxb3 b5 ({RR} 26... Rxc4 27. Bxc4 b5 28. Qxb5 ({RR} 28. Bxb5) 28... Qxa3) 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. d5 ({RR} 28. Bxb5 Rb8) 28... Qa4 ({RR} 28... exd5 29. exd5) 29. Qe3 exd5 30. exd5 Qd1 31. Nd4 Kf8 32. d6 Re8 33. d7 Rd8 34. Qe5 Rxd7 35. Qb8+ Ke7 36. Nc6+ Kf6 37. Qf4+ Ke6 38. Qe5# {1-0 (38) Ivanchuk,V (2739)-Ganguly,S (2619) Caleta 2014}) ({RR} 15. Bd3 Qa5 16. Qb2 Be8 17. Rfc1 Rab8 18. R1c3 Qh5 19. Rc5 Qh6 20. d5 exd5 21. exd5 Ne7 22. R3c4 Rxd5 23. Rxd5 Nxd5 24. Rh4 Qf6 25. Bxh7+ Kf8 26. Qa3+ Qe7 27. Qxa7 Rc8 28. g3 g6 29. Qd4 Nf6 {Vyprachticky,D (2301)-Straka,V (2379) Klatovy 2018 ½-½ (72)}) ({RR} 15. Bd3 Qa5 16. Qb2 Rac8 17. Rfc1 Nb4 18. Bf1 Nc6 19. Rc5 Qb4 20. Qa1 Na5 21. a3 Qb6 22. Rb1 Nb3 23. Qa2 Ba4 24. Rc4 Qa5 25. Rxb3 Bxb3 26. Qxb3 b5 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. d5 Qa4 29. Qe3 exd5 {Ivanchuk,V (2739)-Ganguly,S (2619) Caleta 2014 CBM 159 [ChessBase] 1-0 (38)}) 15... Rac8 {[%emt 0:12:00]} 16. d5 $1 {[%emt 0:02:25] Le thème principal de la semi-Tarrasch} Qxe3 {[%emt 0:00:44]} 17. fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} exd5 {[%emt 0:22:00]} 18. exd5 {[%emt 0:00:09]} Ne7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 19. e4 $14 {[%emt 0:03:29][%csl Gd5]} f6 {[%emt 0:01:33]} (19... f5 {[%CAl Ge7d5]} 20. d6 Nc6 21. e5 Re8 22. Rb1 $14 {[%csl Rb7]}) 20. Rb1 {[%emt 0:22:39]} b6 {[%emt 0:49:09]} 21. d6 {[%emt 0:03:53]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 22. Rbc1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 23. R4c3 {[%emt 0:00:53]} Ne5 $6 {[%emt 0:01:38]} 24. Nxe5+ {[%emt 0:09:04]} fxe5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 25. Rf1+ {[%emt 0:00:29]} (25. Ba6 $143 Rxc3 26. Rxc3 Ke6 27. Rd3 {[%CAl Ga6c4]} Bc6 28. Bc4+ Kd7) 25... Kg8 {[%emt 0:02:17]} 26. Rc7 {[%emt 0:02:27]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 27. Rfc1 $36 {[%emt 0:11:38][%csl Gc7,Gd6]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:07:19]} (27... Rxc7 28. dxc7 Rc8 29. Ba6) 28. R1c6 {[%emt 0:02:15]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:03:00]} 29. Rc2 {[%emt 0:01:36]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 30. Rd2 {[%emt 0:00:24]} Kf8 {[%emt 0:01:10]} 31. Ba6 {[%emt 0:01:55]} h6 {[%emt 0:01:23]} 32. h3 {[%emt 0:01:31]} Rab8 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 33. a4 {[%emt 0:01:33]} 1-0 [Event "Tata Steel-B 80th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2018.01.23"] [Round "9"] [White "L'Ami, Erwin"] [Black "Xiong, Jeffery"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2634"] [BlackElo "2634"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 183"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.03.14"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 5. e3 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 6. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Nxc3 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 7. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 8. O-O {[%emt 0:00:51]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 9. d4 {[%emt 0:00:54]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 10. e4 {[%emt 0:01:47]} ({RR} 10. Rb1 O-O 11. Qe2 Qc7 12. Rd1 Rfd8 13. h4 h6 14. Bd3 Na5 15. e4 Ba4 16. Re1 cxd4 17. cxd4 Rac8 18. Bd2 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Qxc4 20. Qxc4 Rxc4 21. Rxb7 Rd7 22. Rxd7 Bxd7 23. Ne5 Rc2 24. Be3 Be8 {Dubov,D (2747)-Xiong,J (2699) Riga 2021 ½-½ (57)}) 10... O-O {[%emt 0:00:21]} ({RR} 10... a6 11. Bd3 cxd4 12. cxd4 O-O 13. Bf4 Rc8 14. Rc1 Qa5 15. Bb1 Nb4 16. Qb3 Ba4 17. Qb2 Qb5 18. Qd2 Rfd8 19. h3 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Nc6 21. Bd3 Qb4 22. Qxb4 Bxb4 23. Bc7 Rd7 24. Bb6 Ba3 25. Rb1 {Jin,Y (2366)-Fang,S (1860) Liaocheng 2025 ½-½ (74)}) 11. Be2 $146 {[%emt 0:04:37]} (11. Re1 cxd4 12. cxd4 Rc8 13. Ba4 Nb4 14. Bb3 Bb5 15. Re3 Qb6 16. a4 Bc4 17. a5 Qa6 18. Bd2 Rfd8 19. Ra4 Qb5 20. h3 a6 21. Ra1 Qe8 22. Bxc4 Rxc4 23. Rb1 Nc2 24. Rc3 Rxc3 25. Bxc3 Na3 26. Rxb7 Nb5 27. Bb2 Nd6 28. Ra7 Rb8 29. Qe2 Bf8 30. Rxa6 Qa4 31. Ne5 Rc8 32. Qd3 Qa2 33. Bc3 Qa3 34. Rc6 Rxc6 35. Nxc6 Nxe4 36. Qxe4 Qxc3 37. g3 Qa1+ 38. Kg2 Qa4 39. Qf3 {1-0 (39) Adams,M (2738)-Xiong,J (2633) Douglas 2017}) ({RR} 11. Qe2 cxd4 12. cxd4 Rc8 13. Bb2 Nb4 14. Bc4 Bb5 15. Bxb5 Rc2 16. Qe3 Rxb2 17. Qa3 Rc2 18. Qxa7 Qc7 19. a3 Na2 20. Bd3 Rc3 21. Rxa2 Rxd3 22. Rb2 Rxa3 23. Qxb7 Qc3 24. Rbb1 Bf6 25. Rbc1 Qa5 {Keres,P-Taimanov,M Moscow 1948 ½-½ (105)}) ({RR} 11. d5 exd5 12. exd5 Na5 13. Bxd7 Qxd7 14. Ne5 Qf5 15. Re1 Bd6 16. Qf3 Qxf3 17. Nxf3 Rfe8 18. Bg5 Nc4 19. Kf1 h6 20. Bh4 b6 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Re1 Kf8 23. Rxe8+ Kxe8 24. Ke2 Kd7 25. Kd3 b5 {Sonnenschein,P (2221)-Rego,P (2305) chess.com INT 2023 0-1 (46)}) 11... Qc7 {[%emt 0:06:47]} 12. Be3 {[%emt 0:04:12]} Rfd8 {[%emt 0:02:24]} 13. Rc1 $146 {[%emt 0:09:20][%CAl Gc1c7]} (13. Rb1 Na5 14. Bd3 a6 15. Ne5 Bb5 16. Bxb5 axb5 17. Rxb5 f6 18. Nf3 cxd4 19. cxd4 Nc4 20. Qb3 Ra3 21. Rxb7 Qc6 22. Qb1 Bf8 23. Rb3 Rda8 24. Rxa3 Rxa3 25. Bc1 Ra6 26. h4 Qa4 27. a3 Nxa3 28. Bxa3 Qxa3 29. Qb7 Ra7 30. Qc8 Qa6 31. Qxa6 Rxa6 32. Rc1 Ra7 33. Kf1 Kf7 34. Rc2 Bd6 35. Ke2 Ke7 36. g4 Kd7 37. h5 Ra5 38. Rb2 Kc7 39. Rc2+ Kd7 40. Kd3 Ra4 41. Rc3 Ra1 42. e5 fxe5 {Wirthensohn,H (2375)-Giertz,N (2305) Switzerland 1997 ½-½ (61)}) 13... Rac8 {[%emt 0:03:54]} 14. Qb3 {[%emt 0:04:06]} Na5 {[%emt 0:02:41]} 15. Qb1 {[%emt 0:01:43]} Ba4 {[%emt 0:07:35]} 16. Ne5 {[%emt 0:08:01]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:14:59]} 17. Nxf7 {[%emt 0:13:28]} Kxf7 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 18. d5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} Na5 {[%emt 0:06:09]} 19. dxe6+ {[%emt 0:06:02]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:00:49]} 20. f4 {[%emt 0:00:44]} c4 {[%emt 0:09:36]} 21. Bxa7 {[%emt 0:06:59]} Rd2 {[%emt 0:04:28]} 22. Bg4 {[%emt 0:05:23]} b5 {[%emt 0:01:33]} 23. Be3 {[%emt 0:12:01]} Rd3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 24. Rce1 {[%emt 0:01:23]} Rxc3 {[%emt 0:04:56]} 25. e5 {[%emt 0:02:01]} Rxe3 {[%emt 0:07:16]} 26. Rxe3 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 27. Qe4 {[%emt 0:05:19]} Bxe3+ {[%emt 0:00:44]} 28. Qxe3 {[%emt 0:00:21]} Qc5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 29. Kf2 {[%emt 0:02:56]} c3 {[%emt 0:05:15]} 30. e7 {[%emt 0:02:30]} Qxe3+ {[%emt 0:02:32]} 31. Kxe3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Re8 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 32. Rc1 {[%emt 0:05:44]} b4 {[%emt 0:05:02]} 33. Be6+ {[%emt 0:01:14]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 34. a3 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Rxe7 {[%emt 0:02:05]} 35. Bd5 {[%emt 0:06:41]} Nb3 {[%emt 0:02:23]} 36. Bxb3 {[%emt 0:00:22]} Bxb3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 37. axb4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} c2 {[%emt 0:00:32]} 38. Kd2 {[%emt 0:02:52]} Rd7+ {[%emt 0:12:26]} 39. Kc3 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Rd1 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 40. Kb2 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Ba4 {[%emt 0:01:49]} 41. b5 {[%emt 0:08:17]} Rxc1 {[%emt 0:20:32]} 42. Kxc1 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bxb5 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 43. Kxc2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Kg8 {[%emt 0:03:07]} 44. Kd2 {[%emt 0:15:40]} Kf7 {[%emt 0:03:31]} 45. Ke3 {[%emt 0:07:02]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 46. g4 {[%emt 0:03:04]} Kd5 {[%emt 0:00:55]} 47. h4 {[%emt 0:02:21]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:01:58]} 48. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:25]} Bc8 {[%emt 0:07:20]} 49. h5 {[%emt 0:04:57]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 50. g5 {[%emt 0:05:38]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 51. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Bg4 {[%emt 0:00:25]} 52. gxh6 {[%emt 0:00:31]} gxh6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 53. Kd3 {[%emt 0:01:59]} Bxh5 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 54. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Ke6 {[%emt 0:01:00]} 55. Kf2 {[%emt 0:00:36]} Kf5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 56. Kg3 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bf7 {[%emt 0:00:23]} 57. Kf3 {[%emt 0:00:20]} h5 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 58. Kg3 {[%emt 0:02:23]} Ke4 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 0-1 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.15"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Le, Quang Liem"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2741"] [BlackElo "2732"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Vietnam"] [BlackTeam "Poland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "VIE"] [BlackTeamCountry "POL"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Bg5 Be7 8. e3 O-O 9. Be2 Nc6 10. Qd3 h6 11. Bh4 Qb6 12. O-O Rd8 13. Rfd1 Qxb2 14. Rab1 Qa3 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxd5 Qxd3 17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Rxd3 Bf5 19. Rxd8+ Nxd8 20. Rb2 Rc8 21. h4 Rc1+ 22. Kh2 Rc2 $146 ({RR} 22... Rb1 23. Rxb1 Bxb1 24. a3 Kf8 25. g4 Ne6 26. Kg3 Ke7 27. Nd2 Bc2 28. f4 Nc5 29. Kf3 Nb3 30. Nxb3 Bxb3 31. Ke4 Be6 32. Kd4 b6 33. e4 a5 34. e5 fxe5+ 35. Kxe5 f6+ 36. Kd4 Bd7 37. g5 {½-½ Mamedyarov,S (2759)-So,W (2776) Norway Chess 10th 2022 (5)}) ({RR} 22... Rb1 23. Rxb1 Bxb1 24. a3 Kf8 25. g4 Ne6 26. Kg3 Ke7 27. Nd2 Bc2 28. f4 Nc5 29. Kf3 Nb3 30. Nxb3 Bxb3 31. Ke4 Be6 32. Kd4 b6 33. e4 a5 34. e5 fxe5+ 35. Kxe5 f6+ 36. Kd4 Bd7 37. g5 {Mamedyarov,S (2759)-So,W (2776) Stavanger 2022 ½-½ (46)}) 23. Rxc2 Bxc2 24. Nd4 Bb1 25. Bc4 Nc6 26. Nxc6 bxc6 27. Kg3 Kf8 28. Kf4 Bc2 29. e4 c5 30. g4 Bd1 31. f3 Ke7 32. Ke3 Ba4 33. Kd2 Kf8 34. Bb3 Bb5 35. a4 Bf1 36. a5 Ke7 37. Bd1 Bc4 38. Be2 Be6 39. Kc3 Kd6 40. f4 Ke7 41. Kd2 Kd6 42. Ke3 Bb3 43. h5 Ke7 44. Kd2 Be6 45. Bd1 Bc8 46. Ke3 Bd7 47. Kf3 Be6 48. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.14"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Martirosyan, Haik M."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2736"] [BlackElo "2667"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "China"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Bb5 a6 11. Ba4 Nbd7 12. O-O Nc5 13. Rd1+ Ke7 14. Bc2 Rc8 15. Be3 h6 16. Bxc5+ Rxc5 17. Ngxe4 Nxe4 $146 ({RR} 17... Rc6 18. Bb3 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 g6 20. Bd5 Rc2 21. Bxb7 Bg7 22. Bd5 Bxb2 23. Bxe6 Kxe6 24. Rab1 Rhc8 25. Re1 f5 26. Nd2+ Kf6 27. Nf3 Rd8 28. Kf1 Rd6 29. Re2 Rxe2 30. Kxe2 Re6+ 31. Kf1 Ba3 32. h3 {½-½ Harikrishna,P (2705)-Vidit,S (2723) Chessable Masters Prelim rapid 2022 (1)}) 18. Bxe4 b5 $146 ({RR} 18... b6 19. Nd5+ Bxd5 20. Bxd5 g5 21. Rd3 Bg7 22. Re1+ Kf8 23. b4 Rc3 24. Rdd1 Rc7 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Ke7 27. Rc7+ Kd6 28. Rxf7 Re8 29. Bc4 b5 30. Bf1 Re7 31. Rf3 Bd4 32. g3 Rc7 33. Ra3 {Martirosyan,H (2651)-Eljanov,P (2664) Chartres FRA 2026 ½-½ (38)}) 19. Rac1 f5 20. Bd5 Bxd5 21. Nxd5+ Kf7 22. Nc7 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Be7 24. Nxa6 Rd8 25. g3 Rd2 26. b4 Rxa2 27. Nc7 Rb2 28. Nxb5 Rxb4 29. Nc3 Rc4 30. Ne2 Re4 31. Nc3 Rc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "Bugojno"] [Site "Bugojno"] [Date "1978.03.04"] [Round "6"] [White "Portisch, Lajos"] [Black "Spassky, Boris Vasilievich"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2630"] [BlackElo "2630"] [Annotator "Bulletin"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "1978.02.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "15"] [EventCountry "YUG"] [EventCategory "14"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 e6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 (10. Be3 c4 11. Ne5 f6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bf4 a5 14. b3 Ba6 15. Qc2 Kh8 16. Rfb1 $14 {Portisch-Matanovic, Biel 1976}) 10... Bxc5 11. a3 Bf5 (11... a5 12. Ne1 Be6 (12... d4 13. Nd3 Bb6 14. Bd2 Re8 15. Rc1 Bg4 16. Re1 $14 {Petrosian-Peters, Lone Pine 1976}) 13. Nd3 Bd6 14. Bf4 Be7 $10) 12. b4 Bb6 13. Ra2 Be4 14. Rd2 Qe7 15. Bb2 Rfe8 16. Qa1 f6 $10 17. Rfd1 (17. Ne1 Rad8 18. Nd3 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Ne5 $10) (17. Nd4 Ne5) 17... Qe6 $146 ({RR} 17... Rac8 18. e3 Red8 19. Bc3 Qe8 20. Qb2 Ne7 21. Bd4 Nf5 22. Bxb6 axb6 23. Ne1 Kf8 24. Qb3 Ne7 25. Nd3 Ng6 26. b5 Bxg2 27. Kxg2 d4 28. Qb4+ Kg8 29. exd4 Qe4+ 30. f3 Qd5 31. Rc1 Rxc1 32. Nxc1 {De Boer,G (2425)-Wolff,P (2570) Wijk aan Zee 1992 ½-½ (81)}) 18. Qa2 Rad8 19. Qb3 a5 $5 20. Ne1 (20. bxa5 Nxa5) (20. b5 a4 $1 21. Qxa4 (21. Qa2 Na5) 21... Ra8 {??a5,?c4}) 20... axb4 21. axb4 d4 22. Qxe6+ Rxe6 23. Bxe4 Rxe4 24. Nd3 Rd5 (24... Ra8 {?..?a4}) 25. Ra1 Re8 26. Ra4 Kf7 27. Kf1 Ne5 28. Rc2 Nxd3 29. exd3 g5 30. Ra1 h5 31. Rc4 Rdd8 32. Ra4 Re5 33. h3 h4 34. gxh4 gxh4 35. b5 Red5 36. Rab4 Kg6 37. Kg2 Rg5+ 38. Kf1 Rgd5 39. Kg2 Rg5+ 40. Kf1 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.14"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Martirosyan, Haik M."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2736"] [BlackElo "2667"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "China"] [BlackTeam "Armenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CHN"] [BlackTeamCountry "ARM"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Bb5 a6 11. Ba4 Nbd7 12. O-O Nc5 13. Rd1+ Ke7 14. Bc2 Rc8 15. Be3 h6 16. Bxc5+ Rxc5 17. Ngxe4 Nxe4 $146 ({RR} 17... Rc6 18. Bb3 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 g6 20. Bd5 Rc2 21. Bxb7 Bg7 22. Bd5 Bxb2 23. Bxe6 Kxe6 24. Rab1 Rhc8 25. Re1 f5 26. Nd2+ Kf6 27. Nf3 Rd8 28. Kf1 Rd6 29. Re2 Rxe2 30. Kxe2 Re6+ 31. Kf1 Ba3 32. h3 {½-½ Harikrishna,P (2705)-Vidit,S (2723) Chessable Masters Prelim rapid 2022 (1)}) 18. Bxe4 b5 $146 ({RR} 18... b6 19. Nd5+ Bxd5 20. Bxd5 g5 21. Rd3 Bg7 22. Re1+ Kf8 23. b4 Rc3 24. Rdd1 Rc7 25. Rc1 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Ke7 27. Rc7+ Kd6 28. Rxf7 Re8 29. Bc4 b5 30. Bf1 Re7 31. Rf3 Bd4 32. g3 Rc7 33. Ra3 {Martirosyan,H (2651)-Eljanov,P (2664) Chartres FRA 2026 ½-½ (38)}) 19. Rac1 f5 20. Bd5 Bxd5 21. Nxd5+ Kf7 22. Nc7 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Be7 24. Nxa6 Rd8 25. g3 Rd2 26. b4 Rxa2 27. Nc7 Rb2 28. Nxb5 Rxb4 29. Nc3 Rc4 30. Ne2 Re4 31. Nc3 Rc4 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-ch 11th"] [Site "Rijeka"] [Date "2010.03.17"] [Round "11"] [White "Jobava, Baadur"] [Black "Khismatullin, Denis Rimovich"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2695"] [BlackElo "2657"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "129"] [EventDate "2010.03.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 136"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Qf6 16. a4 ({RR} 16. Qe3 Rfd8 17. h3 Nf8 18. d5 exd5 19. exd5 Ng6 20. Ng5 h6 21. Nxf7 Qxf7 22. d6 Rc4 23. d7 Kh7 24. Qe8 {1-0 (24) Jakovenko,D (2753)-Naiditsch,A (2700) Odessa 2009}) ({RR} 16. Re3 Rfd8 17. Qe2 e5 18. Ne1 Qg6 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. f4 Nc6 22. f5 Qh6 23. Nf3 Nd4 24. Nxd4 Rxd4 25. e5 Rg4 26. Rc3 Qg5 27. Bd5 Rb4 28. Qd1 Ba6 29. Bxf7+ Kh8 30. f6 {1-0 (30) Vitak,J (2373)-Stein,M (2010) Klatovy CZE 2026}) 16... Rfd8 $146 ({RR} 16... h6 17. a5 Rc7 18. h3 Rfc8 19. Re3 Qf4 20. g3 Qd6 21. e5 Qf8 22. d5 Bxd5 23. Bxd5 exd5 24. Qxd5 Nc5 25. Qa2 Ne6 26. axb6 axb6 27. Rd6 Rc3 28. Qd2 Rc1+ 29. Kg2 R8c7 30. Qb4 R7c6 31. Red3 {Aguettaz,M (2347)-Eperjesi,L (2259) Budapest 2005 ½-½ (31)}) 17. a5 Qg6 18. axb6 Bxe4 $2 {#} 19. Ng5 $1 {This wins material by force.} Bc2 (19... Bf5 20. b7 {The reason for this instead of bxa7 is that it forces} Rb8 {gaining time to play} 21. d5 $1 e5 (21... Rxb7 $2 22. dxe6) 22. d6 Rf8 23. Bd5) (19... Bb7 $2 20. Rxe6 $3 fxe6 21. Bxe6+ Kh8 (21... Kf8 22. Qb4+) 22. Nf7+ Kg8 23. Nxd8+) 20. b7 Bxb3 21. bxc8=Q Rxc8 22. Rc1 Ra8 23. Nh3 a5 24. Rc7 Nf8 25. Nf4 Qg5 26. Qe3 a4 27. Qf3 Re8 {#} 28. g3 $2 ({There can be no doubt, Jobava saw} 28. Rxf7 {. Unfortunately, if he didn't play it, it can only be because after} Kxf7 29. Nxe6+ Kg8 {he missed} 30. Qf7+ $3 ({and only saw} 30. Qxf8+ $2 Rxf8 31. Nxg5 a3 32. Ra1 {where Black is much better.}) 30... Kxf7 31. Nxg5+ Kg6 32. Rxe8) 28... Qf6 29. Qb7 Ng6 30. Rc8 Rxc8 31. Qxc8+ Nf8 32. Re5 h6 33. h4 Bd1 34. h5 Qe7 35. Rb5 Bf3 36. Qc3 Qe8 37. Rc5 Bb7 38. Kh2 Qd7 39. Rc7 Qb5 40. Qc5 Qb2 41. d5 a3 {#} 42. Re7 ({Missing} 42. Nd3 $1 {which would win the piece by force since e.g.} Qb1 43. Qe7 $1 {leads to mate.}) 42... Bxd5 43. Nxd5 a2 44. Re8 Kh7 45. Kg2 a1=Q 46. Qxf8 Qxf2+ 47. Kxf2 Qa2+ 48. Ke1 Qa1+ 49. Kd2 Qd4+ 50. Kc2 Qe4+ 51. Kb2 Qe2+ 52. Kb3 Qd1+ 53. Kb4 Qd4+ 54. Kb5 Qxd5+ 55. Qc5 Qb3+ 56. Ka5 Qa2+ 57. Kb6 Qb3+ 58. Kc7 Qxg3+ 59. Kd7 Qg2 60. Rb8 Qe2 61. Ke7 Qf3 62. Qc2+ f5 63. Qc8 Qxh5 64. Qg8+ Kg6 65. Qf7+ 1-0 [Event "Yerevan"] [Site "Yerevan"] [Date "1996.??.??"] [Round "6"] [White "Gulko, Boris F"] [Black "Vaganian, Rafael A"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2615"] [BlackElo "2615"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1996.04.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ARM"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 053"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1996.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1996.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 Nxc3 (7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 (10... Be7 $10) 11. cxd4) (7... Nb6 $5) 8. bxc3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Be7 (10... Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 $14) ({RR} 10... Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 O-O 12. O-O Bd7 13. Rfc1 Rc8 14. e3 Qa5 15. Qb2 b6 16. a3 Rfd8 17. h4 h6 18. Kh2 Be8 19. Nd2 Ne7 20. Ne4 Bc6 21. Qb4 Qxb4 22. axb4 Rd7 23. g4 Kf8 24. Ra3 Bd5 25. Rxc8+ {Berkes,F (2666)-Bindrich,F (2610) Skopje 2019 ½-½ (47)}) ({RR} 10... Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 O-O 12. O-O Qd6 13. Rfd1 Rd8 14. Qd3 h6 15. Rab1 b6 16. h4 Bb7 17. Qb5 Ne7 18. Rbc1 Nf5 19. Qb1 Rac8 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. e4 Ne7 22. Ne5 f5 23. f3 Qa3 24. Kh2 fxe4 25. fxe4 {Zhang,X (2160)-Xia,X (1751) Shenzhen CHN 2026 1-0 (38)}) 11. Bc3 (11. O-O O-O (11... Nxd4 $2 12. Qa4+ Nc6 13. Ne5 Bd7 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. Qa5) 12. Rb1 $5 (12. e3 $1) (12. Bc3 $1) 12... Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. Qc2 Qc5 15. Qxc5 (15. Qa4 Bd7 16. Qxd7 Rad8 $10) (15. Qe4 Qa3 16. Qc2 Qc5 $10) 15... Bxc5 {½-½ Petrosian,T-Spassky,B (06)/Wch26-Moscow/1966}) 11... O-O 12. O-O Bd7 $146 (12... b6 $2 13. Ne5) ({RR} 12... Rb8 13. e4 b5 14. d5 exd5 15. exd5 Na5 16. Rc1 Nc4 17. Nd4 Bd7 18. Nc6 Bxc6 19. dxc6 Rc8 20. Qg4 g6 21. Rcd1 Qb6 22. Rd7 Rc7 23. Rxc7 Qxc7 24. Qd4 f6 25. Qd5+ Kg7 26. Qxb5 Ne5 27. Ba5 {Kashtanov,R (2389)-Ivanov,M (2351) St Petersburg 2003 1-0 (44)}) 13. Qd2 Rc8 14. e4 Bf6 (14... Qb6 15. Rab1 $14) 15. Rac1 Qb6 16. d5 Bxc3 17. Rxc3 exd5 (17... Na5 18. Ne5 $14) 18. exd5 Nb8 19. Rb3 Qa6 (19... Qc7 20. d6 Qc2 21. Qxc2 Rxc2 22. Rxb7 $16) 20. Re1 Ba4 $6 (20... Rfe8 21. Ne5 Qd6 $1 22. Rbe3 b5 $14) 21. Ra3 b5 (21... Rfe8 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Qf4 b5 24. Re3 $16) 22. Nd4 Rce8 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Re3 $1 Rf8 (24... Rxe3 25. Qxe3 Kf8 26. Nc6 $18) (24... Rd8 25. Nc6 Nxc6 26. dxc6 Qc8 27. Bd5 $16) 25. Nc6 Qb6 (25... Nxc6 26. dxc6 b4 27. c7 Qc4 28. Re7 Qc3 29. Qxc3 bxc3 30. Bh3 c2 31. Re1 $18) 26. Qb4 Nxc6 (26... g6 27. Ne7+ Kg7 28. d6 $16) 27. dxc6 a5 28. Qe7 b4 (28... Bc2 29. c7 Bf5 30. Re5 Bc8 31. Rd5 Qe6 32. Qxe6 Bxe6 33. Rxb5 $18) 29. c7 Qa6 (29... Bc2 30. Qxf8+) 30. Bh3 (30. Bh3 f5 31. Bxf5 Rxf5 32. Rd3 h6 33. Rd8+ Kh7 34. c8=Q $18) 1-0 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o."] [Site "Groningen"] [Date "1997.12.30"] [Round "7.9"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2765"] [BlackElo "2680"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "129"] [EventDate "1997.12.09"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "NED"] [SourceTitle "CBM 063"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bc4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. O-O Nd7 11. Bd3 ({RR} 11. Qe2 Nf6 12. Re1 Bd7 13. Ne5 Rc8 14. Bb2 Be8 15. Bb3 b5 16. a4 Nd5 17. Qf3 bxa4 18. Bxa4 Bxa4 19. Rxa4 Qb6 20. Ba1 Rc7 21. c4 Nf6 22. Bc3 Qb3 23. Rea1 Rfc8 24. c5 Bxc5 25. dxc5 Rxc5 {Espig,L (2480)-Vaisman,V (2485) Halle/Saale 1976 1-0 (37)}) 11... Qc7 12. Qe2 (12. Qc2 Nf6 13. Ne5 h6 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Rae1 b6 16. Bxh6 gxh6 17. Qd2 Nh7 18. Qxh6 {1-0 Shamkovich,L-Gudmundsson,E/Reykjavik op 1982/MCD-op (32)}) 12... Re8 $146 ({RR} 12... Nf6 13. c4 b6 14. Ne5 Bb7 15. Bf4 Bd6 16. Rac1 Nd7 17. Rc3 g6 18. Bb1 Bxe5 19. dxe5 f5 20. h4 Nc5 21. h5 Be4 22. hxg6 hxg6 23. Rh3 Bxb1 24. Rxb1 Ne4 25. Rc1 Qc5 26. Be3 Qxe5 27. Bh6 {Yaksin,O (2406)-Gazizov,I (2220) Izhevsk 2010 1-0 (70)}) 13. c4 g6 14. c5 Nf6 15. Ne5 Bd7 16. Bf4 Qc8 17. Rab1 Nd5 18. Bg3 Rf8 19. Rfc1 Bf6 20. Nc4 Bxd4 21. Nd6 Qd8 22. Nxb7 Qf6 23. c6 Bc8 24. Rb3 e5 25. Be4 Be6 26. Rf3 $2 Qg5 27. Qe1 Qe7 $4 (27... f5 $17 28. h4 (28. Nc5 {Anands Partieidee} Bxc5 29. Rxc5 fxe4 30. Qxe4 $17) 28... Qg4 29. Bb1 f4 30. Bh2 Qxh4 $17) 28. Qa5 Bb6 29. Qa3 Qxa3 30. Rxa3 f6 31. Nc5 Bxc5 32. Rxc5 Nc7 33. f3 a6 34. h4 Rad8 35. Rc1 Rd2 36. Be1 Rxa2 37. Rxa2 Bxa2 38. Ba5 Rf7 39. Rd1 Nb5 40. Rc1 Nc7 41. Rd1 Nb5 42. Rd8+ Kg7 43. Ra8 Bc4 44. Rb8 (44. c7 $1 Nxc7 45. Rc8 $18) 44... f5 45. Bc2 Bd5 46. Rb6 Nd6 (46... Nd4 47. Ba4 Ra7 48. Bb4 {? ?d6+-}) 47. c7 Nc8 48. Rb8 Rf8 49. Ba4 Be6 50. Bc3 $18 Kf6 51. f4 Kf7 52. Bxe5 Ne7 53. Rd8 Nc8 54. Kf2 Ke7 55. Bc6 a5 56. Bb7 Kf7 57. Bc6 Ke7 58. Bc3 Kf7 59. Bxa5 Rg8 60. Bb4 Na7 61. Ba4 Nc8 62. Bc5 h6 63. Bb5 g5 64. fxg5 hxg5 65. h5 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2002.01.17"] [Round "5"] [White "Lautier, Joel"] [Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2687"] [BlackElo "2695"] [Annotator "Lautier,Joel"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2002.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 087"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {Sagar,Shah Tsesarsky,Ilya} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nc6 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Na5 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. d5 ({RR} 15. h4 Rc8 16. h5 h6 17. Rfe1 Qe7 ({RR} 17... Nc4 18. Qe2 ({RR} 18. Bxc4 Rxc4 19. d5 exd5 20. exd5 Rc5) 18... Nd6 19. d5 exd5 20. e5 Re8 21. Nd4 Nc4) 18. d5 Nc4 19. Bxc4 ({RR} 19. Qe2 exd5 20. exd5 Qxe2 21. Bxe2 Rfd8) ({RR} 19. Qf4 Nb2 20. Rd2 Nxd3 21. Rxd3 Rfd8 22. d6 Qf6 23. Qg3 ({RR} 23. Qxf6 gxf6) 23... Rc4 24. e5 Qf5) 19... Rxc4 20. Ne5 ({RR} 20. d6 Qf6 21. e5 Qf5) 20... Rc5 ({RR} 20... Ra4 21. d6 Qh4 ({RR} 21... Qf6 22. Nd7) 22. Nf3 Qd8 ({RR} 22... Qxh5 23. d7 Rd8 24. Qc2) 23. d7 Bxe4 24. Ne5 ({RR} 24. Rxe4 Rxe4 25. Qd6) 24... Bd5 25. Rc1 f6 26. Rc8 fxe5 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Rc1 Rxd7 29. Rc8+ Kf7 30. Qd3) 21. d6 Qd8 ({RR} 21... Qh4 22. d7 Rd8 23. Qd6) 22. Qf4 f6 23. Ng6 Rf7 24. e5 ({RR} 24. Qg4 Qe8 ({RR} 24... Qd7 25. e5 f5 ({RR} 25... fxe5 26. Nxe5 Rxe5 27. Rxe5) 26. Qg3) 25. d7 Rxd7 26. Rxd7 Qxd7 27. Rd1 Qe8 28. Qxe6+ Qxe6 29. Rd8+) 24... fxe5 25. Ne7+ Kf8 ({RR} 25... Rxe7 26. dxe7 Qxe7 27. Rxe5) 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Ne7+ Kf8 28. Qg4 Bd5 ({RR} 28... Rxe7 29. dxe7+ Qxe7 30. Rc1) 29. Nxd5 exd5 {Tomashevsky,E (2747)-Lysyj,I (2673) Chita 2015 CBM 168 [Sagar,Shah] 1-0 (40)}) ({RR} 15. Rfe1 {RR} Rc8 16. d5 exd5 17. e5 Nc4 18. Qf4 Nb2 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Kg6 21. h4 Rc4 22. h5+ Kh6 23. Nxf7+ Kh7 24. Qf5+ Kg8 25. e6 Qf6 26. Qxf6 gxf6 27. Rd2 Rc6 28. Rxb2 Re8 29. Nh6+ Kh7 30. Nf5) 15... Qe7 {? e5} (15... exd5 $6 16. e5 ({RR} 16. e5) 16... d4 17. Nxd4 Qd5 18. Qg5 $40 f6 $2 19. Qg4 Qxe5 20. Nf5 g6 21. Rfe1 Qc5 22. Re7 Kh8 23. Nd6 $1 $18) ({RR} 15... exd5 16. exd5 Qxd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 ({RR} 17... Kxh7 18. Qc2+) 18. Qf4 Qh5 19. Be4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Rfe8) ({RR} 15... exd5 16. e5 d4 17. Nxd4 Qh4 18. Nf5 Qg4 19. f3 Qd4+ 20. Nxd4 {1-0 (20) Gurevich,D (2358)-Bogaudinov,R (1913) chess.com INT 2024}) 16. Rfe1 ({RR} 16. Qf4 Rfd8 17. Rc1 exd5 18. e5 Bc8 19. Nd4 Be6 20. Ba6 Re8 21. Rfe1) 16... Rad8 (16... e5 17. Qc3 f6 (17... Rfe8 $2 18. Bb5 $18) 18. Nh4 Bc8 (18... g6 19. Be2 $36 {? ?g4}) 19. d6 Qf7 20. Bb5 Rd8 21. Qc7 $36) 17. Nd4 g6 $146 (17... exd5 $2 18. Nf5 $16) (17... Qc5 18. Qe3 (18. Nb5 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Qxc4 $11) (18. Bb1 Nc4 $132) 18... e5 (18... exd5 19. e5 Nc6 20. Qh3 g6 21. Nf3 $40) 19. Nf5 (19. Nb3 $5 Qxe3 20. Rxe3 Nxb3 21. axb3 $14 {[%csl Ra7][%CAl Gb3b4] ? b4}) 19... Qxe3 20. Nxe3 $14 Bc8 21. Rc1 $36) ({RR} 17... Bc8 18. Nb5 ({RR} 18. Rc1 e5 19. Nb5) 18... a6 19. Nc3 Bb7 ({RR} 19... Qa3 20. Rb1 b5 21. Re3) 20. Na4 exd5 ({RR} 20... b5 21. Nb6 Rd6 22. Qxa5 Qd8 23. Nc4 bxc4 24. Qxd8 Rfxd8 25. Bxc4 exd5 26. exd5 Kf8 27. Rd4) 21. Nxb6 Qc5 ({RR} 21... Nc6 22. Nxd5 ({RR} 22. exd5 Qc7 23. Nc4 Nd4 24. d6 Qc6 25. Re4 ({RR} 25. Be4 Qxc4 26. Qxd4 Qxd4 27. Rxd4 Bxe4 28. Rexe4 f5) 25... Ba8 26. Bb1) 22... Qh4 23. Rb1 Rd7 24. Bc2) 22. Nxd5 Nc6 23. Rb1 Ba8 24. Bxa6 f5 25. Qe3 Qa5 ({RR} 25... Qxe3 26. Rxe3 fxe4 27. Nc7 Na5 28. Nxa8 Rxa8 29. Bb5) 26. Bc4 Ne5 27. Bb3 Kh8 28. f3 fxe4 29. fxe4 Ng4 30. Qd4 Bxd5 31. exd5 Rf4 32. Qxf4 {Dreev,A (2690)-Jussupow,A (2592) Moscow 2003 CBM 094 [Tsesarsky,Ilya] 1-0 (37)}) 18. Qh6 (18. Qe3 exd5 (18... e5 19. Nb3 Nxb3 20. axb3 $14 {[%csl Ra7,Rb6]}) 19. e5 Nc4 20. Qg3 (20. Qf4 Rfe8) 20... Nb2 21. Rb1 (21. Nf5 Qe6) (21. Rd2 Qb4) 21... Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Rc8 23. f4 Rc4 $13) 18... e5 (18... exd5 $2 19. Nf5 gxf5 (19... Qe5 20. f4 $18) 20. exf5 $18) (18... Bc8 $5 {Kasimdzhanov} 19. Bb5 (19. f4 Qc5) (19. Nc6 Nxc6 20. dxc6 Qc7 21. Qc1 Rd6 22. Bb5 Rfd8 $13) 19... e5 (19... exd5 20. exd5 Qc5 (20... Qf6 21. Nf3 $36) 21. Bc6 $5) 20. Nc6 Nxc6 21. Bxc6 Rd6 $14) 19. Nc2 $5 (19. Nb3 Nxb3 20. axb3 a5 $1 $14) 19... Bc8 20. Qd2 (20. a3 $5 Nb3 (20... Bg4 21. Be2 $14) 21. Bc4 Nc5 22. Nb4 $14) 20... Nb7 21. Nb4 (21. Ba6 Nd6 22. Bxc8 Rxc8 23. Nb4 Nc4 (23... Rc4 24. Nc6 Qf6 25. f4 $5 Qxf4 26. Qxf4 exf4 27. e5 Ne4 28. Rd4 Rxd4 29. Nxd4 $14) 24. Qc3 Na5 25. Qb2 (25. d6 Qe6 26. Qa3 Rfd8 27. Nd5 Rc5 $132) 25... Qd6 (25... Nc4 26. Qb3 Na5 27. Qb1) 26. Rc1 $14) 21... Bd7 22. Ba6 $6 (22. Rc1 Nc5 23. Bc4 Qd6 24. Nd3 $14) 22... Nc5 23. Bc4 (23. d6 $2 Qf6 24. Bc4 Ba4 $17) 23... Qd6 24. Nd3 Rc8 25. Rc1 Rc7 $6 (25... b5 $1 26. Nxc5 Rxc5 27. Bb3 Rxc1 (27... Rfc8 28. Rxc5 Rxc5 (28... Qxc5 29. d6 Kg7 (29... a5 30. Qxa5 Qxd6 31. Rd1 $14) 30. Rd1 b4 31. h4 $14) 29. f4 $14) 28. Rxc1 Rc8 $11) 26. Nxc5 Rxc5 27. Ba6 $1 $14 Rb8 $6 (27... Ra5 28. Bb7 Rb8 (28... Ra4 29. Qc2 $14 (29. Bc6 Rd4)) 29. Bc6 $14) 28. Rxc5 bxc5 29. Bc4 {× c5} Rb4 30. Rc1 a6 $6 {? ?b5, × a6} 31. a3 Rb8 (31... Ra4 32. Qb2 Bb5 33. Bxb5 axb5 34. Qxb5 Rxe4 35. Qc6 $1 Qd8 36. Rd1 (36. h3 Rd4 37. Rxc5 Qg5 $132) 36... Rd4 37. Rxd4 cxd4 38. d6 Kf8 39. Qc5 f6 40. d7+ Kf7 41. Qd6 $16) 32. Qc3 Kf8 $6 33. h3 (33. f4 $1 f6 34. fxe5 fxe5 35. Be2 Rc8 36. Qa5 $16) 33... f6 34. Be2 Rc8 35. Qa5 Ke7 36. Qd2 (36. Rb1 c4 37. Rb6 Qc5 $132) 36... c4 $2 $138 (36... Kf7 $16) 37. Rc3 $5 (37. Qh6 c3 38. Qxh7+ Kd8 39. Qxg6 c2 $16) 37... Qb6 $2 (37... Kf8 38. Bxc4) 38. Qh6 $18 Kd6 39. Qg7 Qd8 40. Qxh7 (40. Rxc4 Qe7) 40... Qa5 41. Rf3 $1 Qe1+ 42. Bf1 f5 (42... c3 43. Rxf6+ Kc7 44. Rc6+ Kd8 45. Qh8+ $18) 43. Qxg6+ Kc5 44. Qg7 1-0 [Event "Alekhine Memorial"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1992.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Timman, Jan H"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2690"] [BlackElo "2665"] [Annotator "Anand,Viswanathan"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "1992.11.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 033"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1993.04.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1993.04.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Ftacnik} c6 {Jan plays a different opening against me everytime. He has played the Alekhine ,Rauser,French,Pirc. I don't bother preparing for him anymore!} 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 {I had lost against him with 3.e5 in the Immopar trophy. He seemed comfortable with the resulting positions so I chose the Panov.} cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bc4 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Nd7 {Is also playable but Jan wanted to enter the main line}) 10. Re1 Nxc3 (10... a6 11. Bb3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 b5 13. Qd3 Bb7 14. Bc2 g6 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Rad1 Rc8 17. h4 Qd5 {Matveeva-Anand Frunxe 1987! So though Jan's planned idea is new I wasn't completely taken aback}) 11. bxc3 b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. h4 Qd5 $1 {Jan told me he had prepared this idea more than 10 years back but couldn't remember his preparation!} (13... Bxh4 14. Nxh4 Qxh4 15. Re3 $40 (15. Re4 $1 $40 {Razuvaev}) (15. Re4 $1 $40 {Ftacnik})) (13... Bf6 14. Ng5 g6 15. Qg4 $40) ({RR} 13... Rc8 14. Ng5 Bxg5 15. hxg5 Ne7 16. Re3 Ng6 17. Qh5 Qd5 18. Be4 Qxe4 19. Rxe4 Bxe4 20. Bd2 Ne7 21. Qe2 Bd5 22. Qa6 Rc7 23. f3 Bc4 24. Qa3 Nd5 25. Kf2 Rfc8 26. Qd6 Bd3 27. Rc1 b5 28. Qa3 {Boros,D (2448)-Andreikin,D (2741) Chess.com INT 2019 1-0 (58)}) ({RR} 13... Re8 14. Ng5 g6 15. Qg4 f5 16. Qg3 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Qd7 18. h5 Rac8 19. Rac1 Qf7 20. h6 Na5 21. c4 Ba6 22. c5 f4 23. Qf3 Bxd3 24. Qxd3 f3 25. Qxf3 Qxf3 26. gxf3 b5 27. Re4 Nc6 28. Rd1 {Dobrovolsky,L (2168)-Luczak,F (2317) Ustron POL 2023 1-0 (44)}) 14. Rb1 {To be honest I hadn't worked out the complications after 14...?a2 but I felt that White was not short of compensation.} (14. Ng5 {Ftacnik} Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Ne7 $1) (14. c4 {Ftacnik} Qd6 15. d5 Nb4) 14... Rac8 (14... Qxa2 {Show me!} 15. Rb5 Ba6 (15... Bf6 16. Ng5 $40) 16. Rb2 (16. Bb1 Qc4 $1 (16... Qa1 17. Rb2 {??c2} (17. Bb2 Qxb1 18. Qxb1 Bxb5 19. Ba3 $1 $14) 17... Qa5 18. Ra2 Qb5 19. Be4 $16) 17. Bd3 Qa2 $10 (17... Qxc3 18. Bb2 Qxd3 19. Qxd3 $18)) 16... Qa5 (16... Qa1 17. Bb1 $16) 17. c4 $1 $44 (17. Ne5 Nxe5 18. Rxe5 b5 $13)) 15. Rb5 Qd6 16. d5 $146 {Completely unnecessary complications} (16. Ng5 {More sensible} Bxg5 $8 (16... h6 17. Nh7 $40) (16... g6 $2 {and now it's appropriate to quote Fine after 17.?h7 - `combinations are as a baby's smile'}) 17. Rxg5 f5 (17... Ne7 $4 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. Qh5+ Kg8 20. Rxg7+ Kxg7 21. Bh6+ Kg8 22. Qg5+ Ng6 23. Qf6 $18) 18. Qa4 (18. Qb3 {Doesn't have the intented effect because Black has a nice exchange `sac'} Na5 19. Ba3 Qd5 $1 20. Qxd5 Bxd5 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 $44) 18... Rf6 $140 (18... Rfe8 19. Ba3 Qd7 20. d5 Qxd5 21. Bc4 $36) 19. Ba3 Qd7 20. d5 $1 Qxd5 (20... exd5 21. Re7 Qxe7 22. Bxe7 Nxe7 23. Qd7 $18) 21. Bc4 Qd7 22. Rxf5 $1 {This variation is not forced of course but White seems to be better}) (16. Rh5 {I don't believe this move but it's worth a laugh} g6 17. Rh6 Bf6 18. h5 Kg7 (18... Bg7 19. Rxh7 (19. hxg6 hxg6 20. Rh3) 19... Kxh7 20. hxg6+ fxg6 21. Ng5+ Kg8 22. Bxg6 $40) 19. Ng5 Bxg5 20. Bxg5 $13) ({RR} 16. Rh5 g6 17. Rh6 Bf6 18. Ng5 Bxg5 19. Bxg5 e5 20. h5 exd4 21. hxg6 fxg6 22. Rxh7 Qd5 23. Bxg6 Ne5 24. Be4 Nf3+ 25. Bxf3 Rxf3 26. Rxb7 {1-0 (26) Bricard,E (2485)-Rausis,I (2515) Paris 1995}) 16... Ba6 $2 (16... exd5 $2 17. Rxd5 Qc7 18. Rd7 $1 $18) (16... Rfd8 17. Ng5 $1 (17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Ne5 Bxb5 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Qh5+ Kg8 21. Qxf7+ Kh7 22. Bh6 Bf6 $10) 17... Bxg5 (17... h6 18. Nxf7 Kxf7 19. Rxe6 $18) (17... g6 18. Nxf7 Kxf7 19. Rxe6 Qd7 20. h5 $1 $40) 18. Bxg5 Ne7 (18... f6 19. Rxe6 $18) 19. dxe6 fxe6 (19... Qxd3 $2 20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. Rxe7+ Kf8 22. Qxd3 Rxd3 23. Rxb7 $18) (19... f6 $2 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Qf7+ Kh7 23. Bxf6 $18) 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Qxd6 Rxd6 22. Bxe7 Rd5 $1 $14 {Black has good chances to hold}) (16... Nd8 $1 17. c4 (17. dxe6 Nxe6 $15) (17. Ng5 Bxg5 18. Bxg5 Rxc3 $1 $15 (18... Bxd5 19. c4) (18... exd5 19. Be7)) 17... exd5 $1 (17... a6 $2 18. Rb3 exd5 19. Ba3 $16) 18. cxd5 (18. Nd4 g6 19. Qg4 $140 h5 $1) 18... a6 19. Rb1 (19. Nd4 g6 20. Qg4 h5) (19. Nd4 $1 $13 {Ftacnik}) 19... Bxd5 20. Bxa6 Ra8 21. Bf4 $1 Qxf4 22. Qxd5 Rxa6 23. Rxe7 $10) 17. dxc6 Rfd8 (17... Rxc6 {Ftacnik} 18. Qc2 Bxb5 19. Bxb5 $16) 18. Qa4 $18 Qxd3 19. Qxa6 Rxc6 20. Be3 $1 $18 {In my match against Karpov I would have had no difficulty in drawing this position but this time I was more accurate!} (20. Bg5 f6 $16) (20. Ne5 Qxc3) (20. Ra5 Qxc3 21. Rae5) 20... Bf6 (20... Rxc3 {Leads to a curious echo of the game continuation} 21. Ne5 Ra3 22. Qb7 Qxb5 23. Qxe7 $18) 21. Bd4 Bxd4 22. cxd4 Rc3 23. a4 Ra3 24. Qxa7 $1 Qxb5 25. Qe7 {An odd occurence-forking two rooks.} (25. Qe7 $1 {Ftacnik} Qd7 26. Qxa3) 1-0 [Event "Norway Chess 2nd"] [Site "Stavanger"] [Date "2014.06.09"] [Round "6"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Giri, Anish"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2815"] [BlackElo "2752"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2014.06.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "NOR"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 161"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.07.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.07.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 e6 6. d4 Nc6 7. Bc4 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Ne4 b6 12. a3 Bb7 13. Qd3 Nce7 14. Bd2 Rc8 15. Rac1 $146 (15. Rad1 Nf5 16. Bb3 Nd6 17. Bxd5 Bxd5 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Bb4 $16 {(1-0, 51) Korneev,O (2619)-Oms Pallisse,J (2419) Dos Hermanas 2000}) ({RR} 15. Rad1 Nf5 16. Bb3 Nd6 17. Bxd5 Bxd5 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Bb4 Qc6 20. Bxf8 Rxf8 21. Rc1 Qb7 22. Rc3 g6 23. Qe3 Bxf3 24. Qxf3 Qxf3 25. Rxf3 Bxd4 26. Re2 Rc8 27. g3 e5 28. Rd3 g5 29. Kg2 Rc1 {Korneev,O (2619)-Oms Pallisse,J (2419) Dos Hermanas 2000 1-0 (51)}) 15... Ng6 16. g3 Be7 17. h4 Nf6 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Bb4 Ne7 20. Ne5 a5 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. Ba6 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Qd6 24. Bxb7 Bxe5 25. Rc6 Qxd4 26. Qxd4 Bxd4 27. b3 Bc5 28. b4 axb4 29. axb4 Bxb4 30. Rxb6 Ba5 31. Rc6 g6 32. Rc8 Bd8 33. Ba6 Kg7 34. Bc4 h6 35. Kg2 g5 36. hxg5 hxg5 37. Ra8 Kf6 38. Be2 Rh8 39. Rb8 Ke7 40. Rb7+ Kf6 41. Rb8 Ke7 42. Rb7+ Ke8 43. Bb5+ Kf8 44. Rb8 Ke7 45. Rb7+ Kf6 46. Rb8 Ke7 47. Rb7+ Kf6 48. Rb8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Olympiad-43"] [Site "Batumi"] [Date "2018.09.27"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"] [Black "Adams, Michael"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2820"] [BlackElo "2712"] [Annotator "Ganguly,Surya Shekhar"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2018.09.24"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 187"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2018.12.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Azerbaijan"] [BlackTeam "England"] [WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 {A well-known position of the Semi Tarrasch System. Black has tried different kinds of move orders here and White has also tried a number of different plans. Theory has become pretty vast in this simple looking position.} h6 {Started by Kramnik at the top level somewhere in 2015} (15... Re8 {has picked up popularity recently.} 16. h3 Nf6 {was seen twice in the Berlin Candidates and one of the games was Mamedyarov - Ding where Black played a nice game and won.}) 16. h3 Re8 {Surprisingly there are not that many games from this position.} 17. Re3 Qf6 {A typical move in this line after White plays ?e3. Black now immediately wants to get his queen to f4 thus not letting White transfer his rook so easily to kingside.} (17... Nf6 18. Qe2 Rc7 {is also doing okay for Black}) 18. Qe2 Qf4 19. g3 Qc7 {The point. Now that g3 has been played Black doesn't have to bother about any future ?g3 ideas.} 20. d5 {Basically after committing with g3 White had only one play at his disposal.} exd5 21. exd5 Rxe3 22. Qxe3 Qc5 ({My computer suggests the 'inhuman'...} 22... Rf8 {[%csl Gf7] It does make sense. Black's main problem is the f7-pawn and now it is secured. It would be immensely difficult to find such a move during a game. It would have been much easier to play the same move if the black rook was on a8 instead of c8 :)}) 23. Qf4 {[%csl Rf7]} Qc3 $146 (23... Nf6) ({RR} 23... Nf6 24. d6 Bxf3 25. Qxf3 Rd8 26. Qb7 Rd7 27. Qb8+ Kh7 28. Ba4 Ne4 29. Rd2 Nxd2 30. Bxd7 Ne4 31. Kh1 Qxf2 {0-1 (31) Kjartansson,G (2402)-Stefansson,V (2470) Hafnarfjordur ISL 2023}) ({RR} 23... Nf6 24. d6 Bxf3 25. Qxf3 Rd8 26. Qb7 Rd7 27. Qb8+ Kh7 28. Ba4 Ne4 29. Rd2 Nxd2 30. Bxd7 Ne4 31. Kh1 Qxf2 {0-1 (31) Kjartansson,G (2402)-Stefansson,V (2470) Hafnarfjordur ISL 2023}) 24. Nd4 $36 {Slowly White is building up pressure in the centre.} Re8 25. d6 {Keeps control} (25. Nb5 {White could have won a pawn this way} Re1+ (25... Qe5 26. Qxe5 Nxe5 27. Nxa7) (25... Qf6 26. Qxf6 Nxf6 27. Nxa7) 26. Kh2 Qxb3 27. axb3 (27. Rxe1 $4 Qxd5 $19) 27... Rxd1 28. Nc3 Rd3 29. Qc7 Nf8 30. Qxb7 Rxc3 31. Qxa7 Rxb3 {It could easily be possible that Mamedyarov simply didn't want to get here and didn't bother to spend time on assessing if this is a fortress or not.}) 25... Nf6 {[%CAl Ge8e1]} (25... Re1+ 26. Kh2 Qxb3 27. Rxe1 $1 $18) 26. Kh2 $1 Qb2 (26... Be4 $142 {[%CAl Ge4g6]}) 27. Nc2 (27. d7 $1 {A move that Mamedyarov played after repeating once}) 27... Qc3 (27... Bc6 {is an additional option now.}) 28. Nd4 Qb2 29. d7 $1 Rd8 30. Nf5 Be4 {All White's pieces look very nicely placed with a pawn on d7. Still it is not clear how to progress further. Mamedyarov finds a very nice manoeuvre to improve his apparently nicely placed knight on f5.} 31. Nd6 $1 {[%csl Rf7]} Bg6 32. Nc4 $1 {[%CAl Gc4b2,Gc4e5]} Qe2 33. Ne5 {Now its all over.} Kh7 34. g4 {Black is completely restricted. The rest is simple.} b5 35. Qe3 Qb2 36. Kg1 b4 37. Nxg6 1-0 [Event "ESP-chT CECLUB Honor"] [Site "Melilla"] [Date "2011.11.24"] [Round "5"] [White "Van Wely, Loek"] [Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2686"] [BlackElo "2609"] [Annotator "RR"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2011.11.21"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 146"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.01.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Taldea Gros Xake"] [BlackTeam "Cajacanarias"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ESP"] [BlackTeamCountry "ESP"] 1. d4 {Krasenkow,Michal} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rfe1 ({RR} 13. a4) ({RR} 13. d5) ({RR} 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. d5) ({RR} 13. Rad1 Bb7 {½-½ (16) Smyslov,V (2485)-Portisch,L (2555) Moscow 1999}) 13... Bb7 14. Rad1 Rc8 15. Bd3 ({RR} 15. Bb3) 15... Re8 ({RR} 15... Qc7) ({RR} 15... Qf6) ({RR} 15... Qe7) ({RR} 15... h6) ({RR} 15... Qf6 16. e5 Qe7 17. Ng5 h6 18. Ne4 Bxe4 19. Bxe4 Rfd8 20. f4 g6 21. Qf2 Nf8 22. g3 Rc4 23. d5 exd5 24. Bxd5 Rc7 25. Bb3 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Rd7 27. Rf1 Kg7 28. Qe3 Ne6 29. Rd1 Rxd1+ 30. Bxd1 {Van Wely,L (2666)-Macieja,B (2636) Wolvega 2010 ½-½ (59)}) 16. h3 ({RR} 16. h4 Nf8 ({RR} 16... h6 17. Bb5 ({RR} 17. a4 Re7) 17... Re7 18. Bxd7 Rxd7 19. Ne5 Rdc7 20. Qf4 Qd6 21. Qg4 Rc2 22. Qh5 R8c7 23. Ng4 Rxa2 24. d5 Kh7 25. e5 Qb4 26. d6 Rd7) 17. h5 ({RR} 17. a4 Re7) 17... h6 18. a4 Nh7 19. Qf4 Rc3 ({RR} 19... Qc7 20. e5 Nf6 21. Nd2 Nd5 22. Qe4 f5 23. exf6 Nxf6) ({RR} 19... Ng5) 20. Bb5 Rf8 ({RR} 20... Re7 21. d5 exd5 22. exd5 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Nf6 24. d6 Rc5 ({RR} 24... Bxf3 25. gxf3 Rc5 26. Bc4 Rc6 27. Re7) 25. Re7 ({RR} 25. Bc4 Bd5) 25... Bxf3 26. Qxf3 Qxd6 27. Rxa7 Rc1+ 28. Bf1 Qe6) 21. d5 exd5 22. exd5 Bxd5 ({RR} 22... Nf6 23. d6) ({RR} 22... a6 23. Bd3 Nf6 24. d6) 23. Ne5 Nf6 24. Bc4 ({RR} 24. Nc6 Qa8 25. Ne7+ Kh8 26. Nxd5 Nxd5 27. Qd4 Rc5 28. Re5 Nc7) 24... Qa8 25. Bxd5 Nxd5 26. Qd2 ({RR} 26. Qd4 Rd8 27. Re3 Rc7 28. Rg3 f6 29. Ng6) 26... Rd8 27. Re4 Qb8 ({RR} 27... Qc8 28. Rd4 ({RR} 28. Ng4 Rd6 29. Qe1 ({RR} 29. Qe2 Nf4 30. Re8+ Kh7 31. Qe4+ f5) ({RR} 29. Rd4 Rc4) 29... Kf8 30. Red4 Rc5) 28... Rc5 ({RR} 28... Rc2 29. Qd3 Rc3 30. Qe4 Rc1) 29. Ng4 Re8 30. Nxh6+ gxh6 31. Rxd5 Qg4) ({RR} 27... Rc5 28. Rd4) 28. Ng4 f5 ({RR} 28... Rd6 29. Rd4 ({RR} 29. Ne3 Nf6) 29... Rc5 30. Ne3) 29. Rd4 fxg4 ({RR} 29... Rdc8 30. Nxh6+ gxh6 31. Rxd5 R3c6 32. Rd7) 30. Qxc3 Nxc3 {Mamedyarov,S (2729)-Socko,B (2635) Istanbul 2012 CBM 151 [Krasenkow,Michal] 1-0 (45)}) ({RR} 16. Qe3 Rc3 17. e5 Qc7 18. Ng5 Nf8 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 Rd8 21. h4 Qe7) ({RR} 16. Qf4 Qf6 17. Qg4 Qg6 ({RR} 17... Qh6) ({RR} 17... Qe7) 18. Qh3 Nf6 19. e5 Qh5 20. Qg3 Nd7 ({RR} 20... Nd5 21. Ng5 h6 22. Ne4) 21. Ng5 ({RR} 21. Nd2 Bd5 22. Nf1) 21... Nf8 22. Be4 Bd5 23. f3 h6 24. Nh3 Bxe4 25. fxe4 Rc2) ({RR} 16. Bb1 Nf8 ({RR} 16... h6 17. h3 Qc7 18. Nh2 Qc3 19. Qf4 e5 ({RR} 19... Nf8 20. Re3 Ng6 21. Qg4 Qc7 22. e5) 20. Qf5 Nf6 21. d5 Qb4) 17. Re3 Re7 ({RR} 17... Qd6 18. Qb2 Red8) ({RR} 17... Ng6 18. Ra3 a6 19. Rb3 Rc6) 18. h4 Rec7 ({RR} 18... Rd7 19. h5 Qf6 20. Ra3 a6 21. Rb3 b5 22. Ne5 Rdd8 23. a4) 19. Ra3 Ba8 20. h5 h6 21. Nh2 Qg5 22. Qxg5 hxg5 23. Kf1 Rc1 24. Ke2 Rxd1 25. Kxd1 Rd8 26. Nf3 g4 27. Nd2 Rxd4 28. Rxa7 Bc6) 16... Nf8 $146 ({RR} 16... Nf6 17. Qf4 Qc7 18. Ne5 Re7 19. g4 Nd7 20. Rc1 Qb8 21. Rxc8+ Qxc8 22. Nc4 Nf6 23. Rc1 Rc7 24. Kh2 Qd8 25. Qe3 Rd7 26. d5 exd5 27. Ne5 Re7 28. f4 dxe4 29. Bc4 h6 30. Rc2 Qb8 31. Rd2 {Toktomushev,T (2262)-Slovineanu,V (2412) chess.com INT 2025 0-1 (38)}) ({RR} 16... h6 17. a4 Qc7 18. Rc1 Qd6 19. a5 Qa3 20. Ra1 Qc3 21. Qe3 bxa5 22. Rec1 Qb2 23. Rcb1 Qc3 24. Bb5 Qxe3 25. fxe3 Red8 26. Bd3 Ba8 27. Rxa5 Rc3 28. Ne1 Nf6 29. e5 Nd5 30. Kf2 Rc7 31. Nf3 {Paravyan,D (2593)-Bukreev,S (2385) chess.com INT 2026 0-1 (78)}) 17. h4 Re7 18. h5 h6 19. Qf4 Qc7 20. Qh4 Rd7 21. Bb5 Rdd8 22. Ne5 Nh7 23. Bc4 Nf6 24. Bb3 Kf8 25. Rd3 Qe7 26. Nf3 Qb4 27. Rde3 Re8 28. a3 Qa5 29. d5 exd5 30. e5 Ne4 31. Qf4 Kg8 32. Nd4 Ng5 33. Nf5 Rcd8 $2 (33... Rc6 34. Kh2 Qc5 $14) 34. Rc1 $2 (34. Nxg7 Ne6 35. Qxh6 $18) 34... Qxa3 $2 (34... d4 35. Nxh6+ gxh6 $11) 35. Rc7 $18 Bc8 36. Nxg7 $1 (36. Nd6 $2) 36... Kxg7 37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. Qxh6 Rxe5 39. f4 $2 (39. Rg3 Bg4 40. Rxg4 $18) 39... Nh3+ 40. gxh3 Qa1+ 41. Kh2 Rxe3 42. Qg5+ Qg7 43. Qxd8+ Kh7 44. Bc2+ Kh6 45. Qg5+ Qxg5 46. fxg5+ Kxh5 47. Rxc8 Kxg5 48. Rg8+ Kh6 49. Bf5 a5 50. Rd8 a4 51. Rd6+ Kg5 52. Bd7 a3 53. Rxb6 d4 54. Rb5+ Kf6 55. Ra5 Rc3 56. Kg2 d3 57. Bg4 a2 58. Kg3 d2+ 59. Kf2 Rc1 60. Rxa2 Ke5 $2 (60... d1=Q 61. Bxd1 Rxd1 $11) 1/2-1/2 [Event "13th Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Stavanger NOR"] [Date "2025.06.01"] [Round "6"] [White "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2738"] [BlackElo "2711"] [Annotator "Chess.com"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2025.05.26"] {[%evp 0,69,19,16,41,-10,-9,4,0,-2,37,44,54,13,13,4,2,0,0,0,0,-51,-45,-23,-30,-16,2,-12,21,-9,-9,-3,-35,-72,50,22,40,78,69,177,153,87,256,253,264,199,201,201,210,209,211,203,241,223,259,237,345,334,365,282,278,270,305,325,329,335,847,398,387,326,318,333]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qa4+ (6. Nxd4 {was game one.}) 6... Bd7 7. Qxd4 exd5 8. Nxd5 Qa5+ 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Qd1 Ne4 11. Bd2 Nxd2 12. Nxd2 Bb4 13. Rc1 Bxc3 14. Rxc3 Qxa2 15. Nc4 Be6 16. e4 Rd8 17. Nd6+ Ke7 $146 {After playing out 16 correct moves, one wrong move loses the game.} (17... Kf8 18. Qc1 Qa4 19. Nxb7 Qxe4+ 20. Qe3 Qxe3+ 21. fxe3 Rb8 22. Nc5 Nd8 23. Bd3 g6 24. O-O Rxb2 25. Ra3 Kg7 {½- (52) ½ (52) Praggnanandhaa,R (2684)-So,W (2760) Wijk aan Zee 2023}) ({RR} 17... Kf8 18. Qc1 Qa4 19. Nxb7 Qxe4+ 20. Qe3 Qxe3+ 21. fxe3 Rb8 22. Nc5 Rb6 23. Nxe6+ fxe6 24. Bd3 Ke7 25. Be4 Rc8 26. O-O h6 27. Rc2 g5 28. h3 a6 29. Kh2 Na7 30. Rcf2 Nc6 31. Rf7+ Kd6 32. Rh7 {Xu,X (2608)-Suleymanli,A (2586) Abu Dhabi UAE 2023 1-0 (58)}) ({RR} 17... Kf8 18. Qd2 Qa1+ 19. Rc1 Qa4 20. Be2 f6 21. f4 Ke7 22. e5 Qd4 23. Qxd4 Nxd4 24. Nxb7 Rc8 25. Nc5 fxe5 26. fxe5 Rc6 27. Kf2 Nxe2 28. Kxe2 Rhc8 29. Nd3 Rc2+ 30. Rxc2 Rxc2+ 31. Ke3 Bc4 32. g3 {Assaubayeva,B (2516)-Goryachkina,A (2534) Pegeia CYP 2026 ½-½ (40)}) 18. Qc1 $1 Qa4 19. Nxb7 Qxe4+ 20. Be2 Rb8 (20... Nd4 {would be the move Black plays if his king is on f8. Here, it loses after} 21. Qg5+ {the check. There is no good response.} Kd7 (21... f6 22. Qxg7+) (21... Ke8 22. Qxd8#) 22. Nc5+) (20... Qxg2 21. Bf3 Qg6 22. Nxd8) 21. Nc5 Qb4 (21... Qxg2 22. Bf3 Qg6 23. Bxc6 {wins the piece too.}) 22. Na6 {White wins a piece.} Qxb2 23. Rxc6 Qxc1+ 24. Rxc1 Rb2 25. Nc5 Rc8 26. Bd3 a5 27. O-O Rd8 28. Rfe1 Rd4 29. Bc4 Rdd2 30. Nxe6 fxe6 31. Rxe6+ Kd7 32. Ra6 Rxf2 33. Bb5+ Kd8 34. Bf1 Rf5 35. Ra7 {PRECISÃO LICHESS: BRANCAS 96% PRETAS 88% PRECISÃO CHESS.COM: BRANCAS 92.8% PRETAS 86.5%} 1-0 [Event "Bazna Kings 5th"] [Site "Medias"] [Date "2011.06.17"] [Round "6"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2744"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Rogozenco,Dorian"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2011.06.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 {Many chessplayers say that the best way to prepare against Ivanchuk is not to prepare at all, because the Ukrainian can play everything. Ivanchuk has played this particular position three times in his career.} Bb4+ (8... Nc6 9. Bc4 b5 10. Be2 a6 {was Van Wely,L (2605)-Ivanchuk,V (2740)/Monte Carlo 1998}) 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 b6 ({Twice in the past Ivanchuk played} 11... Nd7) 12. O-O Bb7 13. Rfe1 Nc6 14. Rad1 Rc8 15. h3 {A new move. Usually White is trying to build an initiative in the center, or an attack on the kingside.} ({Here is an example of a typical White attack:} 15. Qf4 Na5 (15... Qf6 16. Qg4 Qg6 {is what Radjabov didn't like.}) 16. Bd3 Nc4 17. Rc1 b5 (17... Qd6 18. Qh4 $1) 18. d5 $1 exd5 19. e5 Qb6 20. Ng5 h6 21. Nh7 Rfd8 22. Nf6+ Kh8 23. Qf5 g6 24. Qf4 Kg7 25. e6 Rd6 26. Ne8+ {and Black resigned before being mated in the game Mecking,H - Guillen Ramirez,J/Ayamonte 2006}) ({The critical continuation however is} 15. d5) ({RR} 15. h4 h6 16. Qf4 Qf6 17. Qg3 Na5 18. Bd3 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Rxc4 20. Ne5 Rc7 21. d5 exd5 22. Ng4 Qc3 23. Nxh6+ Kh7 24. Qf4 Re7 25. e5 Bc8 26. Rc1 Qd3 27. Ng4 Qf5 28. Qxf5+ Bxf5 29. Ne3 Be6 {Topalov,V (2740)-Van Wely,L (2605) Monte Carlo 1998 1-0 (46)}) ({RR} 15. Bf1 Na5 16. d5 exd5 17. exd5 Qd6 18. Ng5 Rc5 19. Ne4 Qxd5 20. Nxc5 Qxc5 21. Qd4 Qg5 22. Re5 Qg6 23. Qd6 Qg4 24. Qxf8+ {1-0 (24) Skurikhin,D (2288)-Manukyan,A (2155) chess.com INT 2024}) 15... h6 $146 ({RR} 15... Qd6 16. Qg5 h6 17. Qg4 Qb4 18. Bb3 Na5 19. Rb1 Nxb3 20. Rxb3 Qa5 21. Re2 Rc3 22. Rxc3 Qxc3 23. Qf4 f5 24. Qe5 fxe4 25. Qxe6+ Kh7 26. Ne5 Qxd4 27. Qg6+ Kh8 28. Nf7+ Rxf7 29. Qxf7 Qd1+ 30. Kh2 {Kunin,V (2555)-Bernotas,A (2408) Vilnius 2018 0-1 (60)}) 16. Qf4 Na5 ({Now after} 16... Qf6 17. Qg4 {Black doesn't have 17...?g6.}) 17. Bd3 Nc4 18. Rc1 ({After the game Radjabov was keen to justify his 15th move and after some brief analysis both players produced the following line:} 18. Re2 Qd6 19. e5 Qa3 20. Nh2 Nb2 21. Rxb2 (21. Re3 Nxd3 22. Rexd3 Rc3) 21... Qxb2 22. Ng4 Rc3 23. Kh2 ({or} 23. Nxh6+ gxh6 24. Qxh6 Rxd3 25. Qg5+ {and draw}) 23... Qa3 ({After} 23... Qxa2 24. Nxh6+ gxh6 25. Qxh6 Rxd3 26. Rxd3 Be4 27. Rg3+ Bg6 28. h4 Qxf2 29. h5 {White wins}) 24. Nxh6+ gxh6 25. Qxh6 Rxd3 26. Qg5+ {with a draw. Indeed, 18.?c1 was in no way inferior to the game.}) 18... Qd6 $1 {A subtle use of the inclusion of the moves h3/h6. Now if White avoids the exchange of queens, he takes the risk of ending up worse. Therefore Radjabov wisely decides to enter the endgame and make a draw.} 19. Qxd6 ({After both} 19. Qh4 Nb2 20. Bf1 Na4) ({and} 19. e5 Qb4 {Black is doing more than fine - he is fighting for advantage.}) 19... Nxd6 20. Nd2 Rc6 21. f3 Rfc8 22. Rxc6 Rxc6 23. Rd1 {In the endgame only Black can be potentially better thanks to his queenside pawn majority (the possibility to build a passed pawn on the b-file can be important in many types of endgames). But with accurate play White holds the balance.} Rc3 24. Nb1 Rc7 25. Nd2 Bc8 26. Kf2 Bd7 27. Rb1 Kf8 28. Ke2 Ke7 29. g4 f6 30. h4 e5 31. d5 b5 32. a3 a6 33. h5 Nb7 34. Nb3 Kd6 35. Kd2 Rc8 36. Be2 Kc7 37. Nc1 ({At the press conference Radjabov demonstrated the dangers of White's position if he exchanges the wrong pieces:} 37. Rc1+ Kb6 38. Rxc8 Bxc8 39. Kc3 Nc5 40. Nxc5 Kxc5 41. Bf1 a5 42. Be2 Bd7 43. Bf1 Be8 44. Be2 Bf7 45. Bf1 f5 $1 {and White's position becomes extremely shaky.}) 37... Nd6 38. Na2 a5 {So Ivanchuk succeeded in advancing his pawns to the fifth rank, but he doesn't manage to go any further, since a pawn on b4 can easily become very weak if not properly supported.} 39. Nc3 Rb8 40. Rc1 Kd8 (40... Kb6 41. Rb1 {and Black cannot do much, since} Kc5 {runs into} 42. Na4+) 41. Rb1 Rb7 ({This is an example of the wrong advance b5-b3:} 41... b4 42. axb4 Rxb4 43. Rxb4 axb4 44. Na2 b3 45. Nc3 Kc7 46. Kc1 {and Black will lose the b-pawn.}) 42. Bd3 Kc7 43. Kc1 {anticipating a possible advance of the b-pawn Radjabov brings the king closer to the b-file.} ({At the press conference the players established that even allowing the advance of the b-pawn wouldn't be tragic for White. For instance:} 43. Be2 b4 44. axb4 Rxb4 45. Rxb4 axb4 46. Na2 b3 47. Nc3 {is also a draw.}) 43... Kb8 44. Rb3 Ka7 {With the last move Ivanchuk is setting a trap.} 45. Rb1 {Radjabov is accurate and sidesteps it.} (45. Kb2 {allows Black to get the passed a-pawn (the further Black's passed pawn is from the centre, the worse it is for White).} b4 $1 46. axb4 a4 $1 47. Ra3 (47. Nxa4 $2 {loses a piece} Bxa4 48. Ra3 Rxb4+ 49. Kc3 Rd4) 47... Rxb4+ 48. Kc2 Kb6 {with advantage for Black.}) 45... Rb8 1/2-1/2 [Event "Norway Chess 2025"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2025.06.01"] [Round "6"] [White "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2738"] [BlackElo "2711"] [Annotator "Chess.com"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] {[%evp 0,69,19,16,18,4,4,-11,-10,4,44,44,41,2,2,0,0,18,28,27,16,-41,-11,-8,-8,-32,-4,-8,-3,-3,-2,-2,50,50,0,0,26,120,177,160,153,72,231,253,247,209,212,209,209,209,223,223,231,183,263,274,326,307,389,295,305,315,315,337,335,347,847,387,387,308,326,392]} {Armagedom} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qa4+ (6. Nxd4 {foi na primeira partida.}) 6... Bd7 7. Qxd4 exd5 8. Nxd5 Qa5+ 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Qd1 Ne4 11. Bd2 Nxd2 12. Nxd2 Bb4 13. Rc1 Bxc3 14. Rxc3 Qxa2 15. Nc4 Be6 16. e4 Rd8 17. Nd6+ Ke7 $146 {Após jogar 16 lances corretos, um lance errado faz a partida ser perdida.} (17... Kf8 18. Qc1 Qa4 19. Nxb7 Qxe4+ 20. Qe3 Qxe3+ 21. fxe3 Rb8 22. Nc5 Nd8 23. Bd3 g6 24. O-O Rxb2 25. Ra3 Kg7 {½- (52) ½ (52) Praggnanandhaa,R (2684)-So,W (2760) Wijk aan Zee 2023}) ({RR} 17... Kf8 18. Qc1 Qa4 19. Nxb7 Qxe4+ 20. Qe3 Qxe3+ 21. fxe3 Rb8 22. Nc5 Rb6 23. Nxe6+ fxe6 24. Bd3 Ke7 25. Be4 Rc8 26. O-O h6 27. Rc2 g5 28. h3 a6 29. Kh2 Na7 30. Rcf2 Nc6 31. Rf7+ Kd6 32. Rh7 {Xu,X (2608)-Suleymanli,A (2586) Abu Dhabi UAE 2023 1-0 (58)}) ({RR} 17... Kf8 18. Qd2 Qa1+ 19. Rc1 Qa4 20. Be2 f6 21. f4 Ke7 22. e5 Qd4 23. Qxd4 Nxd4 24. Nxb7 Rc8 25. Nc5 fxe5 26. fxe5 Rc6 27. Kf2 Nxe2 28. Kxe2 Rhc8 29. Nd3 Rc2+ 30. Rxc2 Rxc2+ 31. Ke3 Bc4 32. g3 {Assaubayeva,B (2516)-Goryachkina,A (2534) Pegeia CYP 2026 ½-½ (40)}) 18. Qc1 $1 Qa4 19. Nxb7 Qxe4+ 20. Be2 Rb8 (20... Nd4 {seria o lance que as Negras jogariam se o rei delas estivesse em f8. Aqui, ele perde depois de} 21. Qg5+ {o xeque. $146ão há uma boa resposta.} Kd7 (21... f6 22. Qxg7+) (21... Ke8 22. Qxd8#) 22. Nc5+) (20... Qxg2 21. Bf3 Qg6 22. Nxd8) 21. Nc5 Qb4 (21... Qxg2 22. Bf3 Qg6 23. Bxc6 {ganha a peça também.}) 22. Na6 {As Brancas ganham uma peça.} Qxb2 23. Rxc6 Qxc1+ 24. Rxc1 Rb2 25. Nc5 Rc8 26. Bd3 a5 27. O-O Rd8 28. Rfe1 Rd4 29. Bc4 Rdd2 30. Nxe6 fxe6 31. Rxe6+ Kd7 32. Ra6 Rxf2 33. Bb5+ Kd8 34. Bf1 Rf5 35. Ra7 1-0 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.15"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2681"] [BlackElo "2633"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Poland"] [BlackTeam "Vietnam"] [WhiteTeamCountry "POL"] [BlackTeamCountry "VIE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. d5 Nf6 ({RR} 13... Nc5 14. Rfe1 Bb7 15. Rad1 Rc8 16. h4 Qf6 17. Qe3 exd5 18. exd5 a6 19. h5 b5 20. Bf1 h6 21. Rd4 Rfd8 22. Qd2 Rd6 23. Rc1 Qd8 24. Qb4 Na4 25. Rxc8 Bxc8 26. Ne5 Bb7 27. Bc4 Qe7 28. Bb3 {½-½ Giri,A (2764)-Ding,L (2791) Carlsen Inv Prelim rapid 2020 (4.4)}) 14. Qf4 ({RR} 14. dxe6 Bxe6 15. Bxe6 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 fxe6 17. f3 Rfd8 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Nb3 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Kf7 21. Kf2 a5 22. Nd4 Ke7 23. Rb1 Nd7 24. Rb2 Rc1 25. h4 h5 26. Kg3 g6 27. Ne2 Ra1 28. Kf4 Kf6 {0-1 Bilan,D (2303)-Shuvalova,P (2439) Titled Tue 9th Apr Early 2024 (9)}) ({RR} 14. Rfe1 exd5 15. exd5 Qd6 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. Rad1 Rac8 18. Bb3 Rc5 19. Nf3 a5 20. a4 Bg4 21. Re3 h6 22. h3 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Rd8 24. Rg3 Kh8 25. Qd4 Rc7 26. Qh4 Re8 27. Qd4 Re4 28. Qd3 Rce7 {Georgiadis,A (2345)-Nguyen Thien Ngan (1973) chess.com INT 2026 1-0 (89)}) 14... exd5 15. Rad1 Qd7 $146 ({RR} 15... Bb7 16. exd5 Rc8 17. Bb3 Nxd5 18. Qe4 Rc5 19. Rd4 Qa8 20. Nh4 Re8 21. Qd3 Nf6 22. f3 Qc8 23. Rd1 Rc1 24. Rc4 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 Qb8 26. Qc1 Bd5 27. Rc7 Bxb3 28. axb3 Nd5 29. Rc4 b5 30. Rc6 {0-1 Dzagnidze,N (2529)-Kosteniuk,A (2554) China Elite Mind Basque (Women) rapid 2016 (3.2)}) ({RR} 15... Bb7 16. exd5 Rc8 17. d6 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Nh5 19. Qg4 Rc5 20. Kh1 Nf6 21. Qf4 Qc8 22. Rg1 Rf5 23. Qh6 g6 24. d7 {1-0 Krishna Teja,N (2340)-Keymer,V (2508) Sitges Sunway op-A 5th 2018 (6)}) ({RR} 15... Re8 16. e5 Qc7 17. Bb3 Ne4 18. Rxd5 Nc5 19. Bc4 Ne6 20. Qh4 Bb7 21. Rd6 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Ng5 23. Kg2 Rxe5 24. Rfd1 Rf8 25. Qg3 Rc5 26. Bb3 Ne6 27. Rd7 Qe5 28. Qxe5 Rxe5 29. Rxa7 g6 30. Rd6 {Martirosyan,H (2688)-Naiditsch,A (2651) Linares ESP 2023 ½-½ (43)}) 16. exd5 Qg4 17. Qc7 Qh5 18. Ne5 Bh3 19. Rfe1 Rac8 20. Qxa7 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Ng4 22. Nf3 Rxc4 23. Qe7 Nf6 24. Qe2 Rf4 25. Ng1 Qf5 26. d6 Ne4 27. f3 Nc3 28. Qe7 Nxd1 29. d7 Qg6+ 30. Kf1 Qd3+ 31. Kg2 g6 32. Qxf8+ Kxf8 33. Re8+ Kg7 34. d8=Q Qxd8 35. Rxd8 Nc3 36. Ra8 b5 37. Kf2 Rb4 38. Ke3 Rb2 39. a3 Rxh2 40. Kd3 Rg2 41. Kxc3 Rxg1 42. Ra5 Rf1 43. Rxb5 Rxf3+ 44. Kb4 h5 45. a4 h4 46. a5 h3 47. Rc5 Rf4+ 0-1 [Event "Alekhine Memorial"] [Site "Paris/St Petersburg"] [Date "2013.04.22"] [Round "2"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2809"] [BlackElo "2801"] [Annotator "Aronian,Levon"] [PlyCount "104"] [EventDate "2013.04.21"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 {This game was played in the second round. In the first, I lost a textbook game to Ding Liren and was extremely determined to bounce back.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 {Kramnik is a great lover of solid systems as Black. In recent times, he has started to play the Semi-Tarrasch Defence.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 {At the London Candidates, I tried 6.e3 against Vladimir. After a poor experience, I decided not to repeat it.} Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O {From the viewpoint of all we are taught as youngsters, Black's play looks wrong - he has exchanged off his developed pieces and conceded the centre. The idea of the line is that, despite his relative passivity, Black has decent play, because White is not yet ready to create a passed pawn with d5 since Black always obtains the c5-square for his pieces.} 11. Rc1 {With this decision, White tries to delay the development of his bishop and give Black the right to choose a plan.} b6 {The most natural.} ({In the event of} 11... Nc6 12. Be2 {Black has to lose time to develop the bishop to its "rightful" square on b7.}) 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. O-O Nd7 {In my preparation, I thought the main move was 13...h6, so as not to commit the knight yet. 13...?c6 is also possible, and leads after 14.d5 to an interesting position, the assessment of which will have to be decided after future games.} 14. Qe3 Rc8 ({After} 14... Nf6 15. Ne5 {followed by f3, White's advantage may not be great, but is stable. After long thought, Vladimir allows me to advance the typical e5.}) 15. e5 {Now White threatens to transfer his knight to d6.} Bxf3 {My opponent used a lot of time on this important and interesting decision.} 16. Qxf3 Qh4 {Black tries to develop harmoniously by tempo-gaining play.} 17. Qe3 {After thinking for 30 minutes, I decided to follow an active plan.} ({Of course, I wanted to drive the knight back to b8 with} 17. Bb5 {, but I still do not know how then to continue to play for an advantage.}) 17... Rfd8 {Now Black wants to quickly play ?f8-?g6. It is interesting that many computer programs want to play ...g6 as Black at various points, completely depriving Black's previous play of any momentum.} 18. f4 {White's main idea is to exchange his f-pawn for the e-pawn and obtain a passed d-pawn. This is a very concrete idea, asociated with the temporarily bad position of the enemy knight.} Nf8 {As my opponent correctly pointed out after the game, the correct line was first to exchange on c1 and only then play ?f8. Now Black falls into problems which are hard to resolve over the board.} 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. f5 exf5 {I thought Black's correct move was 20...?d8, but I suspected my opponent would seek a clearer way of playing.} ({After} 20... Rd8 {the cold} 21. Rf4 {is less effective, because with the subtle} Qg5 {with the idea} 22. h4 Qh6 {Black prevents the advance g4. I was prepared to fight for the advantage with 21.?e4 although I realised that my task would be more complicated then.}) 21. Bxf5 Rd8 22. Rd1 $146 {As Vladimir admitted afterwards, he had underestimated this move. Now White has a lasting advantage.} ({RR} 22. d5 Qe7 23. e6 fxe6 24. dxe6 Re8 25. Kh1 Ng6 26. Bc2 Rf8 27. Rd1 Rd8 28. Re1 Rf8 29. Bb3 Kh8 30. g3 Re8 31. Qe4 Rf8 32. Kg1 Qc5+ 33. Qe3 Qe7 34. h4 Re8 35. Rf1 Rf8 36. Rc1 Qf6 {Shchekachev,A (2530)-Macon,A (2279) Paris 2019 ½-½ (46)}) 22... Ng6 23. Bxg6 {This decision may not be strongest, but it is easy to understand from the practical viewpoint. Because is there anything nicer in the world than to play a position, in which the opponent has absolutely no counterplay?} hxg6 24. d5 Qc4 25. d6 Qe6 ({Taking on a2 -} 25... Qxa2 {leads to a dangerous position after} 26. Qg5 f6 (26... Rd7 {is bad because of} 27. Rc1) 27. exf6 Qf7 28. fxg7 {With such a king, defending will be virtually impossible.}) 26. Qg3 {The position should be winning for White, with best play. The main motif is the threat to exchange queens.} b5 27. h3 {With this move, I set a small trap.} a6 ({Of course, taking on a2 is bad for the same reason as before, but it is tempting to play} 27... b4 {Then White has the strong idea} 28. Qg5 f6 29. exf6 Rxd6 30. f7+ $1 {After} Kxf7 31. Qf4+ Ke7 32. Qxb4 {I thought it would be impossible to defend such a position, with an exposed king on e7.}) 28. Qe3 {An impatient move.} ({After} 28. Kh1 {or any other waiting move, Black is in zugzwang, since after} Rd7 {there is} 29. Rc1 {and any other move so weakens Black's position, that the realisation of White's advantage becomes easier.}) 28... Rd7 {Black prepares to play f6. It cannot be played at once, because after 29.?b6 the a6-b5 pawns are attacked.} 29. Qc5 Kh7 $2 {A mistake.} ({The only chance to continue the fight was} 29... f6 {But to play this, one must see what we both missed! It turns out that after} 30. exf6 gxf6 31. Qc8+ {Black loses the a6-pawn and after} Kg7 32. Qxa6 Qe2 ({But he has the amazing resource} 32... Qe3+ 33. Kh1 Qc5 {drawing, since the white queen is absolutely helpless and the pawn on d6 is not going anywhere.}) 33. Rb1 {has a difficult ending.}) ({After} 29... f6 {I would have had to play} 30. exf6 gxf6 31. Qc6 {with an advantage which, with correct play, should not be enough to win.}) 30. Qd5 Qe8 {Of course, Black cannot exchange queens. Now only a miracle can save Black.} 31. Rc1 Qd8 32. Rc6 {Defending against ...f6.} Qg5 33. Qd4 Rd8 34. Rc5 {Remarkable carelessness!} Qg3 {Thanks to my lapse, Black again has chances to save the game!} ({After} 34... f6 35. e6 ({Probably he has to play} 35. Kh2 fxe5 36. Rxe5 Qf6 37. Rd5 {obtaining a position where it is hard to win.}) 35... Qg3 {White cannot simultaneously defend the e6-pawn and d6 pawn.}) 35. Qf2 {After the exchange of queens, the activity of the white king decides the game.} Qxf2+ 36. Kxf2 f6 37. Rc6 {The attractive 37.?c8 was also possible, but as Tal once sadly pointed out, you only get one point for each victory.} fxe5 38. Ke3 Kg8 39. Ke4 Kf7 40. Kd5 {White also wins easily after 40.?e5. The text move seems more natural to me.} a5 41. Rc5 {White's position is so winning that even such an expert at turning winning positions into draws as myself cannot fail to win it.} b4 {The advance e5-e4 always fails to the rook transfer to e7.} 42. Rxa5 Kf6 43. Ra7 Rb8 44. Kc6 b3 45. axb3 Rxb3 46. Ra8 Rc3+ 47. Kd7 e4 48. Rf8+ Kg5 49. Ke7 e3 50. d7 e2 51. d8=Q e1=Q+ 52. Kd6+ Qe7+ 1-0 [Event "EU-ch 16th"] [Site "Jerusalem"] [Date "2015.03.05"] [Round "9"] [White "Sjugirov, Sanan"] [Black "Lupulescu, Constantin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2678"] [BlackElo "2626"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2015.02.24"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ISR"] [SourceTitle "CBM 166"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2015.05.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 {This is the modern treatment of the line, but also the way two of Keres' opponents reacted in Zurich 1953. Rather than playing against the Isolani, White aims at rapid piece development.} Nc6 8. Bb5 dxe4 (8... Nxe4 9. O-O Nf6 10. Bg5 (10. Qa4 $5 {may be more effective.} Be7 11. Nd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bxc6 Rb8 14. Rd1 Rb4 15. Bxd7+ Qxd7 16. Qxd7+ Kxd7 17. b3 $14 {½-½ (26) Lukacs,P (2465)-Antunes,A (2390) Almada 1988}) (10. Re1+ Be7 11. Qe5 $2 O-O $1 $17 {Geller,E-Keres,P Zuerich 1953 (0-1, 27) Geller overlooked that} 12. Bxc6 {does not win a piece due to} Bd6 $1) 10... Be7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Qc5 Be6 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. Qxc6+ Kf8 15. Rad1 Rc8 16. Qa4 Rc7 (16... g6 17. Qxa7 Kg7 18. Nd4 Bg4 19. f3 Rc7 20. Qb6 Rc4 21. Qxd8 Rxd8 22. Nce2 Bd7 23. b3 $14) 17. Nd4 g6 18. Rfe1 Bg4 19. f3 Bc8 $13 {Tregubov,P (2649)-Ginsburg,G (2537) Germany 2010 (1-0, 31). The blockade is not too effective against two bishops.}) ({In the last round in Zurich, Keres deviated with} 8... a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Ne5 $5 (10. exd5 cxd5 11. O-O Be7 12. Ne5 $36 {looks OK as in Masek,M (2220)-Hausner,I (2432) Prague 2005 (½-½, 46)}) 10... Bb7 11. exd5 Nxd5 (11... cxd5 12. Qa4+ $16) 12. O-O Be7 {Any developing move would yield White some advantage due to Black's weaknesses.} 13. Nxc6 $6 ({But if White was in an attacking mood, he should have played} 13. Bh6 $5 {[%csl Rh8][%CAl Gg7h6,Ge5c6]} Bf6 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Qxd5 cxd5 16. Ng4 Bxb2 17. Rab1 gxh6 18. Rxb2 $14) 13... Bxc6 14. Qxg7 Rf8 15. Re1 Qd6 16. Nxd5 (16. Ne4 {½-½ Najdorf,M-Keres,P Zuerich 1953. Suddenly, both opponents lost the will to play on. Najdorf understood things had not gone his way, while Keres must have been content with tying for second.} Qg6 {leaves White simply worse.}) 16... Bxd5 17. Bh6 O-O-O 18. Qc3+ Kb7 19. Bxf8 Bxf8 $13 {[%csl Rb7,Gd5,Gf8]}) 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Be6 {This queenless middlegame is very pleasant for White, due to the uncastled black king. But in practice Black has generally managed to reach a draw.} 11. Bxc6 (11. O-O Bb4 12. Ncxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Ke7 14. Be3 Rhd8 15. Ba4 Kf8 16. a3 Be7 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. Bxc5+ Kg8 19. Rfd1 Na5 (19... f6 {½-½ (38) Vachier Lagrave,M (2768)-Wang,Y (2718) Tromso 2014 CBM 162 [Krasenkow,M]}) 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Nc4 {½-½ (41) Lenic,L (2637)-Edouard,R (2653) Warsaw 2013 CBM 158 [Edouard,R]}) 11... bxc6 12. Nxe6+ fxe6 13. Ke2 (13. Bg5 Bb4 14. O-O-O+ Kc7 15. Bxf6 (15. Rhe1 Nd5 16. Kc2 Rhf8 17. Bh4 e3 18. Bg3+ Kb7 19. fxe3 Rad8 {½-½ (84) L'Ami,E (2627)-Sokolov,I (2663) Wijk aan Zee 2013}) 15... gxf6 16. Nxe4 Rhg8 (16... f5 17. Nd2 {½-½ (17) Sokolov,I (2650)-Edouard,R (2692) Saint Quentin 2014}) 17. Rd4 Be7 18. Rhd1 Rad8 {½-½ (32) Vallejo Pons,F (2698)-Wei,Y (2634) Leon 2014}) 13... Bb4 14. Rd1+ ({RR} 14. Na4 Kc7 15. Be3 Nd5 16. Rac1 Nxe3 17. fxe3 Rad8 18. Rc2 Rd5 19. a3 Ra5 20. axb4 Rxa4 21. b5 Rb4 22. bxc6 Rc8 23. Rd1 Kb6 24. Rd6 Rc7 25. Rxe6 a5 26. h4 h5 27. Kd2 Rb5 28. Rg6 Rd5+ {Sjugirov,S (2662)-Vocaturo,D (2620) Douglas 2019 1-0 (57)}) 14... Ke7 15. Rd4 $146 {Not an impressive novelty.} (15. Na4 Rhd8 16. Be3 Rxd1 17. Rxd1 Bd6 (17... Nd5 18. Rd4 Nxe3 19. Kxe3 Rb8 20. Rxe4 Bd6 21. h3 Rb5 {Gelfand,B (2743)-Wang,Y (2720) Beijing 2014 (1-0, 46)}) 18. Rc1 Kd7 19. Rc4 {Gelfand,B (2747)-Lysyj,I (2691) Jurmala 2015 (½-½, 35)}) ({RR} 15. Na4 Rhd8 16. Rxd8 Rxd8 17. Be3 Rd5 18. Rc1 Ra5 19. b3 Kd7 20. Bc5 Nd5 21. Rc4 Bxc5 22. Nxc5+ Ke7 23. a4 Nb6 24. Rc1 Nd5 25. g3 h6 26. h4 Nb4 27. Rc4 Nd3 28. Nxe4 Ne5 29. Rc2 Ra6 {Gupta,A (2596)-Sulskis,S (2490) Hastings ENG 2024 1-0 (55)}) ({RR} 15. Na4 Rhd8 16. Be3 Rxd1 17. Rxd1 Nd5 18. Rd4 Nxe3 19. Kxe3 Rb8 20. Rxe4 Bd6 21. h3 Rb5 22. b3 h5 23. Nb2 Rf5 24. Ke2 Ra5 25. Ra4 Rxa4 26. Nxa4 Kf6 27. Nb2 Bc5 28. Nc4 Bb4 29. f4 g5 {Gelfand,B (2743)-Wang,Y (2720) Beijing 2014 1-0 (46)}) 15... Bxc3 16. bxc3 Rhb8 17. Ba3+ Kf7 18. Ra4 Nd5 {The knight stands well on f6, defending the e4-pawn. But the last move is not wrong yet, only the small tactical trick prepared by Lupulescu is inaccurate.} (18... a5 $5 {[%CAl Ga8a6]}) 19. Rc1 Rb1 $6 {1-0 Petrosian,T (2640)-Portisch,L (2645) Candidates qf2 1974 (13) Nice, but misplacing the knight completely. I unwillingly remember Portisch' spectacular but unfortunate ...?f4, leading to similar consequences in} (19... Rb5 20. g3 (20. c4 Nf4+ 21. Ke3 Nxg2+) 20... Nb6 21. Ra6 (21. Rxe4 Ra5 $15) 21... Nc4 22. Rd1 Nxa3 23. Rxa3 a5 $11) 20. Rxb1 Nxc3+ 21. Ke3 Nxa4 22. Rb7+ Kf6 23. Kxe4 c5 24. Ke3 (24. Kd3 $5 {looks a bit more natural, keeping more options for the king.}) 24... c4 $6 {There was no need to weaken the pawn, since it cannot become threatening. Any neutral move would have been safer.} (24... a6 $5) 25. Rc7 c3 26. Ke4 $14 Rb8 $6 (26... g5 27. Rc4 (27. Rxh7 Nb6 $1 {[%CAl Gb6d5] would allow Black to achieve a perfect regrouping.}) 27... Nb6 28. Rxc3 Nd5 $14) 27. Rc4 (27. Rxa7 {was entirely possible and quite strong.} Nb2 28. Bd6 {[%csl Gg7][%CAl Gd6e5]} Rb5 29. Rc7 Na4 30. f4 $16) 27... Nb6 28. Rxc3 Rb7 29. Bd6 Nd5 30. Rf3+ Kg6 31. Ke5 $16 {Apart from the typical superiority of the bishop over the knight, White is very active and the e6-pawn is weak.} Nc7 32. a4 $6 ({White misses an excellent opportunity to simplify to a probably won ending:} 32. Rb3 $1 Rxb3 33. axb3 Nb5 34. Bc5 Kf7 {The knight cannot move because it would open the king's access to the a-pawn, and the king is immobile for defending the e6-pawn. This creates the idea of Zugzwang.} 35. h3 {White should spare as many tempi as he can, since it would not be good to need weakening his structure with f2-f3 for reaching the Zugzwang. In that case, Black might get some counterplay with his knight.} a6 36. h4 g6 37. g3 h5 38. Bb4 Nc7 39. Bd6 Nb5 40. Bc5 {A small "triangle", renewing the Zugzwang with the d4-square defended.} Nc7 41. Kd6 Nd5 42. Kc6 $18) 32... Ne8 33. Bc5 Rc7 34. Bd4 Rc6 35. a5 {I would have thought of keeping the a5-square free for the rook.} (35. Rg3+ Kf7 36. Rb3 Rc7 37. Rb5 a6 38. Rc5 Rd7 39. h4 Nf6 40. f3 $16) 35... Nd6 $5 {Black had enough of passive defence.} (35... a6 $2 36. Rc3 $1 Rxc3 37. Bxc3 Kf7 38. Bb4 g5 39. Kd4 $18) (35... Ra6 $5 36. Ra3 Nf6) 36. Kxe6 {White embarks on a forced line leading to a pleasant, but not won, pawn ending.} (36. Bxa7 Nc4+ 37. Kf4 Nxa5) ({He could have kept some tension with, say} 36. Rd3 $5 Kf7 (36... Nc4+ 37. Ke4 Nxa5 38. Rg3+ $16) 37. Bc3 Nc4+ 38. Kf4 $14 e5+ {does not solve all Black's problems:} 39. Bxe5 Nxe5 40. Kxe5 Ke7 41. f4 Rc2 42. g4 Rxh2 $6 43. Rb3 $1 {[%CAl Gb3b7]}) 36... Nf5+ 37. Ke5 Nxd4 38. Rg3+ (38. Kxd4 Rc2 $44) 38... Kf7 39. Kxd4 Rc2 40. Rb3 Rxf2 41. Rf3+ Rxf3 42. gxf3 {The white king is very active, but winning the a-pawn does not guarantee a win since Black can keep the white king captive on the a-file. But there are some more subtleties on the way...} Ke6 43. Kc5 Kd7 {Unnecessarily passive, but not losing yet.} ({A sample drawing line goes:} 43... g5 44. Kc6 h5 45. Kb7 (45. h3 Ke5 46. Kb7 Kd6 47. Kxa7 Kc7 48. a6 h4 $11) (45. a6 g4 46. fxg4 hxg4 47. Kb7 Kd7 48. Kxa7 Kc7 $11) 45... Kd6 46. Kxa7 Kc6 $3 47. Ka6 (47. Kb8 Kb5 $11) 47... g4 48. fxg4 hxg4 49. Ka7 Kc7 $11) 44. Kd5 Kc7 $2 {But this is pushing things too far.} (44... Ke7 45. f4 Kd7 $11) 45. Ke6 $18 Kb7 46. Kf7 g5 47. Kf6 h6 48. Kg6 Ka6 49. Kxh6 Kxa5 50. Kxg5 Kb5 51. h4 (51. h4 a5 52. h5 a4 53. h6 a3 54. h7 a2 55. h8=Q {[%CAl Gh8a1]}) 1-0 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.20"] [Round "9.11"] [White "Navara, David"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2681"] [BlackElo "2732"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Czech Republic"] [BlackTeam "Poland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "POL"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Nxe6+ fxe6 11. Bg5 h6 12. O-O-O+ Ke7 13. Bxf6+ gxf6 14. Nxe4 f5 15. Nd6 Nc6 $146 ({RR} 15... Bg7 16. Bc4 Nc6 17. Rhe1 Ne5 18. Bb3 Rhd8 19. Nxb7 Nd3+ 20. Kb1 Nxe1 21. Nxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxe1 Rd2 23. Rxe6+ Kf8 24. Ra6 Rxf2 25. Bd5 Rxb2+ 26. Kc1 Rb5 27. Bb3 Bd4 28. Rg6 Rb6 29. Rxb6 Bxb6 30. Kd2 {½-½ Tanmay,C (2329)-Milikow,Y (2416) 50th Rilton Cup 2022-23 (8.29)}) ({RR} 15... Bg7 16. Bc4 Nd7 17. Rhe1 Ne5 18. Bxe6 Kxe6 19. f4 Rhd8 20. fxe5 Rd7 21. Rd2 Rc7+ 22. Rc2 Rxc2+ 23. Kxc2 b6 24. Kb3 a6 25. a4 Rd8 26. Re2 Rd7 27. Kb4 Rc7 28. Nc4 Bf8+ 29. Kb3 Bc5 30. Nd2 {1-0 Tsvetkov,A (2423)-Grebnev,A (2550) ch-RUS Junior 2024 (1.1)}) 16. Bb5 Bg7 17. Rhe1 Rhf8 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Nc4 Rfd8 20. Ne5 $146 ({RR} 20. Re2 Rxd1+ 21. Kxd1 Bd4 22. Rd2 c5 23. f4 Rg8 24. g3 h5 25. Ke2 h4 26. Kf3 Kf6 27. Rd3 hxg3 28. hxg3 Rb8 29. b3 Rh8 30. Kg2 Rh7 31. Rd1 Rh8 32. b4 Rb8 33. bxc5 Bxc5 34. Rd7 Re8 {Saric,A (2482)-Kjartansson,G (2458) Germany GER 2025 ½-½ (38)}) 20... Rxd1+ 21. Kxd1 Kd6 22. f4 Bxe5 23. Rxe5 Rg8 24. g3 h5 25. Ke2 h4 26. Kf3 hxg3 27. hxg3 Rb8 28. Re2 c5 29. b3 a5 30. Rd2+ Kc6 31. Re2 Kd6 32. Rd2+ Kc6 33. Re2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Paris FIDE GP"] [Site "Elancourt"] [Date "2013.09.27"] [Round "5"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Wang, Hao"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2764"] [BlackElo "2747"] [Annotator "ChessBase Website"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2013.09.22"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 157"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200:20/3600:900+30"] [WhiteClock "2:00:00"] [BlackClock "2:00:00"] 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:01]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 2. c4 {[%emt 0:00:04]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:12]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 5. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:39]} Nxd5 {[%emt 0:00:07] This line of the Queen's Gambit has become a little more popular in the last year. Black's idea is to accept a slightly worse position but with the goal of quickly exchanging pieces and hoping to salvage a draw in an endgame that is not so dangerous. This is precisely what happened today; after the queenside was annihilated and many pieces were traded off there simply wasn't enough material to play on.} 6. e4 {[%emt 0:01:21]} Nxc3 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 7. bxc3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 8. cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bb4+ {[%emt 0:00:07]} 9. Bd2 {[%emt 0:00:12]} Bxd2+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} 10. Qxd2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:08]} 11. Bc4 {[%emt 0:01:21]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 12. O-O {[%emt 0:01:19]} b6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 13. a4 {[%emt 0:00:31]} Bb7 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 14. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:21]} 15. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} Nb8 {[%emt 0:05:29]} ({RR} 15... Qc7 16. a5 Rfd8 17. Ra3 Qd6 18. Qb2 Rc7 19. h3 h6 20. axb6 axb6 21. Rc1 Rxc1+ 22. Qxc1 Rc8 23. Rc3 Rxc3 24. Qxc3 Qc6 25. Qxc6 Bxc6 26. Kf1 Kf8 27. Ke1 Ke7 28. Kd1 f5 29. d5 Ba4+ 30. Kd2 {Wojtaszek,R (2744)-Wang,Y (2720) Beijing 2014 ½-½ (54)}) ({RR} 15... Qc7 16. a5 h6 17. axb6 axb6 18. Rab1 Rfd8 19. h3 Qd6 20. Bb5 Bc6 21. Bd3 Bb7 22. Bb5 Bc6 23. Bd3 {½-½ (23) Cyborowski,L (2459)-Fiedorek,M (2337) Legnica POL 2026}) 16. a5 {[%emt 0:14:58]} bxa5 {[%emt 0:03:29]} 17. d5 $146 {[%emt 0:00:27]} (17. Qxa5 Qxa5 18. Rxa5 Nc6 19. Ra4 a5 20. Nd2 Nb4 21. Bb1 Rfd8 22. Nb3 Ba6 23. Rxa5 Bc4 24. Ra4 Rb8 25. Na5 Rxd4 26. Rxb4 Rxb4 27. Nc6 Bb5 28. Nxb4 Rxb4 29. e5 Bc6 30. Bd3 g5 31. f3 Kg7 32. Kf2 h5 33. Be4 Bxe4 34. Rxe4 Rb2+ 35. Kg1 Kg6 36. h4 gxh4 37. Rxh4 Re2 38. f4 Ra2 39. Kh2 Kf5 40. Kh3 Ra1 41. Kh2 Ke4 42. g3 Kf3 43. f5 Ra5 44. fxe6 fxe6 45. Rxh5 Kg4 {½-½ (45) Sargissian,G (2693)-Berkes,F (2685) Istanbul 2012}) ({RR} 17. Rxa5 Nc6 18. Ra4 a5 {½-½ (18) Parligras,M (2601)-Istratescu,A (2579) Calimanesti Caciulata 2017}) 17... Nd7 {[%emt 0:07:33]} 18. Rxa5 {[%emt 0:18:54]} exd5 {[%emt 0:17:22]} 19. e5 {[%emt 0:12:47]} Nc5 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 20. Rxa7 {[%emt 0:00:55]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:10:06]} 21. Ra3 {[%emt 0:10:29]} Ne4 {[%emt 0:08:46]} 22. Qe3 {[%emt 0:03:20]} Qxe3 {[%emt 0:00:45]} 23. fxe3 {[%emt 0:00:33]} Ra8 {[%emt 0:03:25]} 24. Rxa8 {[%emt 0:16:27]} Rxa8 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 25. Bxe4 {[%emt 0:02:38]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 26. Nd4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bc8 {[%emt 0:02:29]} 27. Rc1 {[%emt 0:00:37]} g5 {[%emt 0:01:58]} 28. Rc6 {[%emt 0:05:05]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:04:16]} 29. Rc7 {[%emt 0:09:33]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:47]} 30. Rc6+ {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 31. Rc7 {[%emt 0:00:16]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 32. Rc6+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Tata Steel-A 79th"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2017.01.28"] [Round "12"] [White "So, Wesley"] [Black "Wei, Yi"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2808"] [BlackElo "2706"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2017.01.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 177"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2017.03.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"] 1. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 2. d4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. c4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:08]} c5 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 5. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:33]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 6. Qxd4 {[%emt 0:00:32]} exd5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 7. e4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 8. Bb5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 9. Qxd8+ {[%emt 0:05:40]} Kxd8 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 10. Ng5 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 11. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} (11. O-O Bb4 12. Ncxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Ke7 14. Be3 Rhd8 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Rfc1 Bd5 17. Bc5+ Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Rab8 19. Rc2 Bxa2 20. h3 Be6 21. Rxa7+ Kf6 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Rxc6 Rxb2 24. Rcc7 Rg8 25. h4 Rb5 26. g3 Kg6 27. Ra6 Kf6 28. Kg2 Rbb8 29. g4 Rbc8 30. g5+ Kf5 31. Re7 Rce8 32. Rea7 Kg4 33. Ra4+ Kh5 34. Kg3 Ref8 35. Re7 Rf5 36. Rxe6 Rgf8 37. f4 Rb5 38. Ra3 Rb1 39. Re7 Rg1+ 40. Kh2 Rg4 {Mamedyarov,S (2768)-Wei,Y (2707) Doha 2016 ½-½}) 11... bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 12. Nxe6+ {[%emt 0:00:05]} fxe6 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 13. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:03:03]} 14. Na4 {[%emt 0:03:27]} ({RR} 14. Rd1+ Ke7 15. Na4 Rhd8 16. Rxd8 Rxd8 17. Be3 Rd5 18. Rc1 Ra5 19. b3 Kd7 20. Bc5 Nd5 21. Rc4 Bxc5 22. Nxc5+ Ke7 23. a4 Nb6 24. Rc1 Nd5 25. g3 h6 26. h4 Nb4 27. Rc4 Nd3 28. Nxe4 Ne5 {Gupta,A (2596)-Sulskis,S (2490) Hastings ENG 2024 1-0 (55)}) 14... Kc7 {[%emt 0:00:37]} ({RR} 14... Ke7 15. Rd1 Rhd8 16. Rxd8 Rxd8 17. Be3 Ra8 18. Rc1 Kd7 19. Rc4 Bd6 20. b3 Nd5 21. Rxe4 Nxe3 22. Kxe3 Rf8 23. h3 Rf5 24. Ke2 h5 25. Nb2 Bc5 26. Nd3 Kd6 27. h4 Bb6 28. g3 Ra5 29. a4 {Grischuk,A (2772)-So,W (2754) Moscow 2019 1-0 (61)}) 15. Bf4+ $146 {[%emt 0:16:15]} (15. Rd1 Rhd8 16. Bf4+ Kb7 17. Rac1 a5 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rc4 Rd5 20. Be3 Rb5 21. h3 Kc7 22. b3 Rd5 23. Bf4+ Kb7 24. Bg3 {½-½ (24) Lysyj,I (2691)-Wang,Y (2726) China 2015}) ({RR} 15. Rd1 Rhd8 16. Bf4+ Kb7 17. Rac1 a5 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rc4 Rd5 20. Be3 Rb5 21. h3 Kc7 22. b3 Rd5 23. Bf4+ Kb7 24. Bg3 {½-½ (24) Lysyj,I (2691)-Wang,Y (2726) China 2015}) ({RR} 15. Be3 Nd5 16. Rac1 Nxe3 17. fxe3 Rad8 18. Rc2 Rd5 19. a3 Ra5 20. axb4 Rxa4 21. b5 Rb4 22. bxc6 Rc8 23. Rd1 Kb6 24. Rd6 Rc7 25. Rxe6 a5 26. h4 h5 27. Kd2 Rb5 28. Rg6 Rd5+ 29. Ke2 Rc5 {Sjugirov,S (2662)-Vocaturo,D (2620) Douglas 2019 1-0 (57)}) 15... Bd6 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 16. Be3 {[%emt 0:02:58]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:45:49]} 17. Rac1 {[%emt 0:03:17]} Rhf8 {[%emt 0:03:48]} 18. Nc5 {[%emt 0:14:34]} Bxc5 {[%emt 0:02:14]} 19. Rxc5 {[%emt 0:00:14]} Nf4+ {[%emt 0:07:04]} 20. Bxf4+ {[%emt 0:11:18]} Rxf4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 21. Ke3 {[%emt 0:07:33]} Raf8 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 22. Rc2 {[%emt 0:00:06]} Rg4 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 23. g3 {[%emt 0:00:17]} Rf3+ {[%emt 0:02:46]} 24. Ke2 {[%emt 0:00:52]} Rg6 {[%emt 0:00:40]} 25. Rhc1 {[%emt 0:01:39]} Rgf6 {[%emt 0:02:08]} 26. Rxc6+ {[%emt 0:00:06]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 27. Rc7+ {[%emt 0:06:45]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 28. R1c6+ {[%emt 0:00:38]} Kd5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 29. Rc5+ {[%emt 0:00:11]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:17]} 30. R7c6+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} Kd7 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 31. Rc7+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kd6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 32. R7c6+ {[%emt 0:00:04]} 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sinquefield Cup 2nd"] [Site "Saint Louis"] [Date "2014.09.06"] [Round "10"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2805"] [BlackElo "2801"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2014.08.27"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "USA"] [EventCategory "23"] [SourceTitle "CBM 162"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.09.17"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 e6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nxd4 10. cxd4 {This is the first unusual move. White usually plays 10.Qxd4 since recapturing with the pawn more or less forces white to move his king.} (10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. cxd4 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Ke7 {was seen twice last year at the Super level; Gelfand-Leko and Fridman-Meier, and both games ended in draws.}) 10... Bb4+ 11. Kf1 (11. Bd2 Qxd4 {and 12.Qa4+ does not win the Bb4, since white's rook is hanging on a1.}) 11... O-O 12. Rb1 ({RR} 12. Bb2 Qe7 13. f4 Rb8 14. Kf2 b5 15. Qb3 a5 16. Rac1 a4 17. Qd3 Rd8 18. Rc2 Bd6 19. Rhc1 b4 20. Qc4 Qa7 21. e3 Ba6 22. Qc6 b3 23. axb3 axb3 24. Rc3 Bb7 25. Qc4 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Qa2 {Giri,A (2690)-Anand,V (2817) Monte Carlo 2011 0-1}) 12... Bd6 $146 ({RR} 12... Qe7 13. Qb3 Bd6 14. Bf3 Rb8 15. Kg2 b5 16. e4 f6 17. Bd2 b4 18. Rhc1 a5 19. Kg1 Bd7 20. Qe3 e5 21. d5 g6 22. Qe2 f5 23. exf5 gxf5 24. Bh6 Rfc8 25. Bg2 Qf6 26. Bd2 Rf8 27. f4 {Nogerbek,K (2437)-Indjic,A (2620) Novi Sad 2022 0-1 (54)}) ({RR} 12... Bc3 13. Bb2 Bxb2 14. Rxb2 e5 15. d5 Qd6 16. h4 f5 17. e4 fxe4 18. Bxe4 Bf5 19. Bxf5 Rxf5 20. Kg2 e4 21. Rxb7 Raf8 22. Qg4 Rxf2+ 23. Kh3 Qe5 24. Rc1 R2f7 25. Rxf7 Rxf7 26. Qc8+ Rf8 27. Qe6+ {Chen,Z (2205)-Zhu,D Xinghua CHN 2026 ½-½ (50)}) ({RR} 12... a5 13. Qd3 Rb8 14. Be4 f5 15. Bf3 b6 16. Rxb4 axb4 17. Bf4 Rb7 18. Bxb7 Bxb7 19. f3 Qd5 20. Qd2 Ra8 21. Qxb4 Rxa2 22. Qe7 Qc6 23. d5 exd5 24. Bd6 Qc8 25. Kf2 Ba6 26. Rc1 Bc4 27. Re1 {Zakaryan,D (2307)-Goganov,A (2519) Anapa RUS 2023 ½-½ (80)}) 13. h4 Rb8 14. h5 h6 15. e4 $6 {Levon thought quite a long time about this advance in the center, but white cannot claim any advantage due to the Kf1 and Rh1 being misplaced.} b6 16. Be3 e5 17. dxe5 (17. d5 Bd7 {looks pretty good for black. The d5 pawn is blocked and black can decide whether he wants to advance his queenside majority or play for an attack with f7-f5.}) 17... Bxe5 18. f4 Qxd1+ (18... Qf6 19. Bf3 Rd8 20. Qe2 Bd4 {is more aggressive, but I think Fabiano felt the slightly better ending offered by a queen trade suited the situation more.}) 19. Rxd1 Bg4 20. Rd5 Bb2 21. Rb5 Ba3 22. Bh3 Bxh3+ ({The last chance to increase black's advantage was} 22... Bd1 23. Kf2 Ba4 24. Rd5 Bc6 25. Rd4 Bc5 26. Rc4 f5 27. Bxc5 bxc5 28. Rxc5 Rb2+ 29. Ke3 Bxe4 30. Ra1 {and black has some winning chances.}) 23. Rxh3 Rbc8 24. Rh2 Rfd8 (24... Rfe8 25. e5 f6 26. Re2 fxe5 27. Rxe5 Rxe5 28. fxe5 {was a better winning try, although a draw is the most likely result.}) 25. Rb3 Bc1 26. Re2 Bxe3 27. Rbxe3 {Now it is completely equal. An easy game for Fabiano, who was a little better with black the whole way through.} Kf8 28. e5 Rc5 29. Kg2 Ke7 30. Rb2 Rdc8 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.15"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"] [Black "Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2681"] [BlackElo "2633"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Poland"] [BlackTeam "Vietnam"] [WhiteTeamCountry "POL"] [BlackTeamCountry "VIE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. d5 Nf6 ({RR} 13... Nc5 14. Rfe1 Bb7 15. Rad1 Rc8 16. h4 Qf6 17. Qe3 exd5 18. exd5 a6 19. h5 b5 20. Bf1 h6 21. Rd4 Rfd8 22. Qd2 Rd6 23. Rc1 Qd8 24. Qb4 Na4 25. Rxc8 Bxc8 26. Ne5 Bb7 27. Bc4 Qe7 28. Bb3 {½-½ Giri,A (2764)-Ding,L (2791) Carlsen Inv Prelim rapid 2020 (4.4)}) 14. Qf4 ({RR} 14. dxe6 Bxe6 15. Bxe6 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 fxe6 17. f3 Rfd8 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Nb3 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Kf7 21. Kf2 a5 22. Nd4 Ke7 23. Rb1 Nd7 24. Rb2 Rc1 25. h4 h5 26. Kg3 g6 27. Ne2 Ra1 28. Kf4 Kf6 {0-1 Bilan,D (2303)-Shuvalova,P (2439) Titled Tue 9th Apr Early 2024 (9)}) ({RR} 14. Rfe1 exd5 15. exd5 Qd6 16. Nd4 Bd7 17. Rad1 Rac8 18. Bb3 Rc5 19. Nf3 a5 20. a4 Bg4 21. Re3 h6 22. h3 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Rd8 24. Rg3 Kh8 25. Qd4 Rc7 26. Qh4 Re8 27. Qd4 Re4 28. Qd3 Rce7 {Georgiadis,A (2345)-Nguyen Thien Ngan (1973) chess.com INT 2026 1-0 (89)}) 14... exd5 15. Rad1 Qd7 $146 ({RR} 15... Bb7 16. exd5 Rc8 17. Bb3 Nxd5 18. Qe4 Rc5 19. Rd4 Qa8 20. Nh4 Re8 21. Qd3 Nf6 22. f3 Qc8 23. Rd1 Rc1 24. Rc4 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 Qb8 26. Qc1 Bd5 27. Rc7 Bxb3 28. axb3 Nd5 29. Rc4 b5 30. Rc6 {0-1 Dzagnidze,N (2529)-Kosteniuk,A (2554) China Elite Mind Basque (Women) rapid 2016 (3.2)}) ({RR} 15... Bb7 16. exd5 Rc8 17. d6 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Nh5 19. Qg4 Rc5 20. Kh1 Nf6 21. Qf4 Qc8 22. Rg1 Rf5 23. Qh6 g6 24. d7 {1-0 Krishna Teja,N (2340)-Keymer,V (2508) Sitges Sunway op-A 5th 2018 (6)}) ({RR} 15... Re8 16. e5 Qc7 17. Bb3 Ne4 18. Rxd5 Nc5 19. Bc4 Ne6 20. Qh4 Bb7 21. Rd6 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Ng5 23. Kg2 Rxe5 24. Rfd1 Rf8 25. Qg3 Rc5 26. Bb3 Ne6 27. Rd7 Qe5 28. Qxe5 Rxe5 29. Rxa7 g6 30. Rd6 {Martirosyan,H (2688)-Naiditsch,A (2651) Linares ESP 2023 ½-½ (43)}) 16. exd5 Qg4 17. Qc7 Qh5 18. Ne5 Bh3 19. Rfe1 Rac8 20. Qxa7 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Ng4 22. Nf3 Rxc4 23. Qe7 Nf6 24. Qe2 Rf4 25. Ng1 Qf5 26. d6 Ne4 27. f3 Nc3 28. Qe7 Nxd1 29. d7 Qg6+ 30. Kf1 Qd3+ 31. Kg2 g6 32. Qxf8+ Kxf8 33. Re8+ Kg7 34. d8=Q Qxd8 35. Rxd8 Nc3 36. Ra8 b5 37. Kf2 Rb4 38. Ke3 Rb2 39. a3 Rxh2 40. Kd3 Rg2 41. Kxc3 Rxg1 42. Ra5 Rf1 43. Rxb5 Rxf3+ 44. Kb4 h5 45. a4 h4 46. a5 h3 47. Rc5 Rf4+ 0-1 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.14"] [Round "4.5"] [White "Yakubboev, Nodirbek"] [Black "Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2666"] [BlackElo "2633"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Uzbekistan"] [BlackTeam "Vietnam"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UZB"] [BlackTeamCountry "VIE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rd1 Nd7 12. Bd3 b6 13. O-O Bb7 14. Qe3 ({RR} 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. d5 Nc5 16. Bc2 exd5 17. exd5 Qf6 18. Ne5 Rfe8 19. Ng4 Qh4 20. h3 h5 21. Ne3 Ne4 22. Bxe4 Qxe4 23. Qd4 Rcd8 24. Qxe4 Rxe4 25. Rc1 Ree8 26. Red1 Rc8 27. g4 hxg4 28. hxg4 Kf8 {1-0 Lazavik,D (2578)-Bardyk,A (2278) Titled Tue 10th Sep Late 2024 (6)}) ({RR} 14. Qf4 Rc8 15. Rfe1 Qf6 16. Qg3 Rfd8 17. d5 Qc3 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. e5 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Kh8 21. Qh5 Nf8 22. Re3 Rd5 23. Ba6 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 Qc1 25. Re1 Qxd1 26. Rxd1 Rc2 27. Rd8 Kg8 28. f4 Rxa2 {Nogerbek,K (2538)-Davtyan,A (2472) Aktobe KAZ 2025 ½-½ (38)}) 14... Re8 $146 ({RR} 14... Qe7 15. e5 Bd5 16. Bb1 Rac8 17. Ng5 f5 18. exf6 Nxf6 19. f3 Rc7 20. Rfe1 Re8 21. Qe5 h6 22. Nh3 g5 23. Nf2 Qg7 24. Rc1 Rec8 25. Rxc7 Rxc7 26. h3 Nh5 27. Qe3 Rc4 28. Bd3 Rxd4 29. Rc1 {0-1 Peralta,F (2569)-Adly,A (2620) Olympiad-43 Batumi 2018 (5.13)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Nd2 Qg5 17. Qh3 Qf4 18. Nc4 Rc7 19. Nd6 Bd5 20. Qe3 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Rc1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bxa2 24. Ra1 Bd5 25. Rxa7 Nb8 26. Bb5 Nc6 27. Bxc6 Bxc6 28. Rc7 Bd5 29. f3 {½-½ Giri,A (2764)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) Chessable Masters Final rapid 2020 (2.21)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Rfe1 Bd5 17. Nd2 Qg5 18. Ne4 Qxe3 19. Rxe3 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Rfd8 21. f4 Nc5 22. Bf3 Na4 23. Rd2 b5 24. d5 Nb6 25. Red3 Nxd5 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. Rxd5 exd5 28. Rxd5 a6 29. Rd6 {½-½ Jakovenko,D (2736)-Zvjaginsev,V (2642) RUS-ch Higher League 67th 2014 (3)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Rfe1 Bd5 17. Nd2 Qg5 18. Ne4 Qxe3 19. Rxe3 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Rfd8 21. f4 Nc5 22. Bf3 Na4 23. Rd2 b5 24. d5 Nb6 25. Red3 Nxd5 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. Rxd5 exd5 28. Rxd5 a6 29. Rd6 {Jakovenko,D (2736)-Zvjaginsev,V (2642) Vladivostok 2014 ½-½ (40)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Nd2 Qg5 17. Qh3 Qf4 18. Nc4 Rc7 19. Nd6 Bd5 20. Qe3 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Rc1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bxa2 24. Ra1 Bd5 25. Rxa7 Nb8 26. Bb5 Nc6 27. Bxc6 Bxc6 28. Rc7 Bd5 29. f3 {Giri,A (2764)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (75)}) 15. e5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Rc8 17. Bb5 Re7 18. Qe4 Nf8 19. f4 g6 20. g4 Rec7 21. Ba6 Rb8 22. a4 Qh4 23. Qf3 Rd8 24. Rd2 Qe7 25. Rb1 Qd7 26. Ra1 Rc2 27. Bb5 Qc7 28. Rad1 Rc3 29. Qe4 Qe7 30. Rd3 Qh4 31. Qf3 Rxd3 32. Rxd3 Qe1+ 33. Kg2 Rc8 34. Qd1 Qe4+ 35. Kg3 h5 36. Qf3 Qe1+ 37. Qf2 h4+ 38. Kg2 Qc1 39. Re3 Rc2 40. Re2 Rc3 41. Re1 h3+ 42. Kg1 Qa3 43. Qd2 Qb3 44. Bf1 Rf3 45. f5 gxf5 46. gxf5 Rxf5 47. Bd3 Rf3 48. Qg5+ Ng6 49. Bxg6 fxg6 50. Qxg6+ Kf8 51. Qe4 Qd3 52. Qa8+ Kg7 53. Qxa7+ Kh6 0-1 [Event "Grand Slam Final 7th"] [Site "Bilbao"] [Date "2014.09.19"] [Round "5"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2804"] [BlackElo "2712"] [Annotator "ChessBase"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2014.09.14"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "21"] [SourceTitle "CBM 163"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2014.11.11"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 (6. dxe6 dxc3 7. exf7+ Ke7 {is tempting, but known not to be good for White. Black has plenty of time to consolidate.}) 6... exd5 7. e4 Nc6 (7... dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 $14) 8. Bb5 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Be6 {Despite how suspicious this line looks for Black, it seems to hold quite well. Most top-level games in this variation have ended in a draw in the recent past. Aronian's try does not seem to be the most testing.} 11. Bd2 Bb4 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Nxe6+ fxe6 14. Nxe4 Rb8 15. O-O-O Ke7 16. Rhe1 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 Bxd2+ 18. Rxd2 {White's structural edge gives him an advantage in the endgame, but from that to converting a win is a long, long road.} Rhd8 19. Rc2 Rb6 20. Rec4 $146 ({RR} 20. Rh4 h6 21. Rg4 g5 22. Ra4 a6 23. Rac4 Rd6 24. R2c3 Kd7 25. Rh3 e5 26. Rf3 Rb5 27. Rf7+ Ke6 28. Rh7 Kd5 29. Rc2 Rc5 30. Rf7 Rxc2+ 31. Kxc2 Kd4 32. Kd2 c5 33. Rb7 c4 34. Rb8 Kc5+ {Saric,A (2580)-Borisek,J (2571) Zillertal 2015 ½-½ (47)}) 20... Rd6 21. R2c3 e5 22. Rc5 Rg6 $1 {Good counterplay from the Spaniard. This forces g3, leaving f2 more vulnerable.} 23. g3 (23. Rxe5+ Kd6 24. Re2 Rxg2 $11) 23... Kd6 24. Ra5 Rf6 25. f3 Rf7 26. Rca3 Rfb7 27. Rd3+ Ke6 28. b3 Rb5 29. Ra6 R5b6 30. Ra3 Rb5 {White's rooks are rather ugly. Despite the permanent advantage of the pawn structure, it is clear he has been unable to make any progress. Aronian keeps trying, but Vallejo has no problems holding.} 31. Rc3 Kd6 32. Kd2 Rd5+ 33. Ke3 a5 34. Rc4 Rbb5 35. Raa4 Rbc5 36. h4 h5 37. g4 g6 38. Ke4 Rxc4+ 39. Rxc4 Rd1 40. f4 Re1+ 41. Kd3 Rd1+ 42. Ke3 Re1+ 43. Kd3 Rd1+ 44. Ke3 Re1+ 45. Kd2 Ra1 46. fxe5+ Kxe5 47. Rc5+ Kd6 48. Rxa5 hxg4 49. Ke3 Rh1 50. Rg5 Rxh4 51. Rxg6+ Kc5 52. Rg5+ Kb6 53. Kd4 g3+ 54. Kc3 Rh2 55. a4 Rg2 56. a5+ Ka6 57. Kb4 Rc2 58. Rxg3 c5+ 59. Ka3 Kxa5 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.20"] [Round "9.11"] [White "Navara, David"] [Black "Duda, Jan-Krzysztof"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2681"] [BlackElo "2732"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Czech Republic"] [BlackTeam "Poland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "CZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "POL"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 dxe4 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Ng5 Be6 10. Nxe6+ fxe6 11. Bg5 h6 12. O-O-O+ Ke7 13. Bxf6+ gxf6 14. Nxe4 f5 15. Nd6 Nc6 $146 ({RR} 15... Bg7 16. Bc4 Nc6 17. Rhe1 Ne5 18. Bb3 Rhd8 19. Nxb7 Nd3+ 20. Kb1 Nxe1 21. Nxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxe1 Rd2 23. Rxe6+ Kf8 24. Ra6 Rxf2 25. Bd5 Rxb2+ 26. Kc1 Rb5 27. Bb3 Bd4 28. Rg6 Rb6 29. Rxb6 Bxb6 30. Kd2 {½-½ Tanmay,C (2329)-Milikow,Y (2416) 50th Rilton Cup 2022-23 (8.29)}) ({RR} 15... Bg7 16. Bc4 Nd7 17. Rhe1 Ne5 18. Bxe6 Kxe6 19. f4 Rhd8 20. fxe5 Rd7 21. Rd2 Rc7+ 22. Rc2 Rxc2+ 23. Kxc2 b6 24. Kb3 a6 25. a4 Rd8 26. Re2 Rd7 27. Kb4 Rc7 28. Nc4 Bf8+ 29. Kb3 Bc5 30. Nd2 {1-0 Tsvetkov,A (2423)-Grebnev,A (2550) ch-RUS Junior 2024 (1.1)}) 16. Bb5 Bg7 17. Rhe1 Rhf8 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Nc4 Rfd8 20. Ne5 $146 ({RR} 20. Re2 Rxd1+ 21. Kxd1 Bd4 22. Rd2 c5 23. f4 Rg8 24. g3 h5 25. Ke2 h4 26. Kf3 Kf6 27. Rd3 hxg3 28. hxg3 Rb8 29. b3 Rh8 30. Kg2 Rh7 31. Rd1 Rh8 32. b4 Rb8 33. bxc5 Bxc5 34. Rd7 Re8 {Saric,A (2482)-Kjartansson,G (2458) Germany GER 2025 ½-½ (38)}) 20... Rxd1+ 21. Kxd1 Kd6 22. f4 Bxe5 23. Rxe5 Rg8 24. g3 h5 25. Ke2 h4 26. Kf3 hxg3 27. hxg3 Rb8 28. Re2 c5 29. b3 a5 30. Rd2+ Kc6 31. Re2 Kd6 32. Rd2+ Kc6 33. Re2 1/2-1/2 [Event "Sharjah Master 2024"] [Site "Shsrjah - Abu Dhabi"] [Date "2024.05.15"] [Round "2.1"] [White "Theodorou, Nikolas"] [Black "Erigaisi Arjun"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2616"] [BlackElo "2761"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16.1"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2024.05.14"] [EventCountry "UAE"] {[%evp 26,55,35,43,37,14,10,15,12,0,0,5,14,-5,-5,-6,-4,-4,-1,-2,-1,-10,0,0,213,203,201,197,274,274,538,539]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. O-O b6 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Nf6 15. Qf4 Rc8 16. Bb3 Qc7 {The position is equal.} 17. Qh4 h6 18. h3 Rfd8 19. Re3 b5 20. d5 exd5 21. e5 Ne4 {[#]} 22. e6 $146 {[%mdl 2560] White has good play.} ({RR} 22. Nd4 Qxe5 23. f3 Qg5 24. Qxg5 Nxg5 25. Re7 Rb8 26. Rc1 Re8 {½-½ (26) Yatzenko,A (2308)-Shuvalova,P (2455) Moscow RUS 2024}) 22... fxe6 23. Nd4 Nc5 24. Rde1 a5 $4 {Blunder. Re8 was best.} (24... Re8 25. Qg4 Qf7 26. Nxb5 Rf8 27. f3 Rc6 28. Nxa7 Rb6 29. Rc1 Qe7 30. Rec3) (24... Re8 $11 {and Black is okay.}) 25. Nxe6 $18 Nxe6 26. Rxe6 Rd7 (26... a4 {was necessary.}) 27. Qg4 {Intending Re8+ and mate.} Rf8 $4 {[#] Blunder. Rf7 was best.} (27... Rf7 28. Qg6 $1 Qc5 29. R1e2 Qc1+ 30. Kh2 Qf4+ (30... b4 $142 31. Re8+ Rf8) 31. g3 Qf3 32. Bc2 $1 Kf8 {[#]} 33. Qh7 $1) (27... Rf7 $142 28. Rxh6 Qc3) 28. Qg6 $1 {Accuracy: White = 87%, Black = 65%.} 1-0 [Event "EU-ch 12th"] [Site "Aix les Bains"] [Date "2011.03.28"] [Round "7"] [White "Hammer, Jon Ludvig"] [Black "Khismatullin, Denis Rimovich"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2606"] [BlackElo "2662"] [Annotator "ChessBase II"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2011.03.22"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [SourceTitle "CBM 142 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.06.27"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.06.27"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 c5 6. g3 (6. e4 {L'alternative} Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Bc4) 6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 Bd7 (10... b6) ({RR} 10... b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O O-O 13. Rfc1 Nd7 14. Qd3 Nf6 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qd5+ 17. f3 Rac8 18. e4 Qb7 19. Qa3 h5 20. h4 Rfd8 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Rc1 Rc7 23. Rc3 Qc8 24. Qxa7 Rxc3 25. Qxf7+ {Aronian,L (2775)-Ding,L (2801) London 2019 ½-½}) ({RR} 10... b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. O-O O-O 13. Rac1 Nd7 14. Qf4 Nf6 15. Qc7 Bd5 16. a3 Rc8 17. Qxa7 Ra8 18. Qc7 Rxa3 19. e3 b5 20. Qc5 Qa5 21. Ne5 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Qa8+ 23. Kg1 Rb8 24. Nc6 Rb7 25. Ne7+ {Sava,R (2313)-Mikhailovsky,V (2215) chess.com INT 2026 1-0}) 11. Ne5 $146 {La tentative d'amélioration du norvégien sur une partie de son adversaire mais qui va provoquer des échanges aboutissant à un trop faible avantage en finale} ({RR} 11. Bg2 Bc6 12. O-O O-O 13. Qf4 Nd7 14. e4 Qa5 15. Rfe1 Rad8 16. Qe3 Rfe8 17. h4 Qa4 18. Rad1 Nb6 {½-½ Tomashevsky,E (2695)-Khismatullin,D (2649)/Moscow 2011/Mega2011 Update 08}) ({RR} 11. Bg2 Bc6 12. O-O O-O 13. Rab1 Nd7 14. Rfc1 Rc8 15. Ng5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Nf6 18. Nf3 Ne4 19. Qf4 Nd6 20. e3 Re8 21. Nd2 h6 22. Ne4 Nxe4 23. Qxe4 Qd7 24. Qc2 Qd5+ {½-½ (24) Semcesen,D (2480)-Hammer,J (2610) Gothenburg 2011}) 11... Nc6 12. Bg2 $146 ({RR} 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Bg2 Nxd4 14. Rc1 Rd8 15. Qb2 O-O 16. O-O b6 17. Rfd1 Qb5 18. Qxb5 Nxb5 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. a4 Nd4 21. Bf1 g6 22. Rc7 a5 23. e3 Nb3 24. Rb7 Rd6 25. Bb5 Nc5 26. Ra7 e5 {Mozharov,M (2561)-Sarana,A (2625) Chess.com INT 2019 0-1 (46)}) ({RR} 12. Nc4 O-O 13. Bg2 Be8 14. e3 Rc8 15. Rc1 Na5 16. Ne5 Rxc1+ 17. Qxc1 Bb5 18. Qc5 Ba6 19. f4 f6 20. Nf3 Nc4 21. Kf2 Nd6 22. Nd2 Qd7 23. Rc1 Rc8 24. Qa3 Rxc1 25. Qxc1 Qc8 26. Qc5 Qxc5 {Ulybin,M (2437)-Kozlov,O (2298) Ekaterinburg 2021 1-0 (59)}) 12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 Bc6 14. Bxc6+ bxc6 15. Qc3 Qd5 16. O-O O-O 17. Rfd1 Qe4 18. e3 (18. Rd2 {[%CAl Ga1d1]}) 18... Rab8 19. Rac1 h5 20. h4 Rb6 21. Rd6 Rfb8 22. Rxc6 Rxc6 23. Qxc6 Qxe5 24. Qc7 Qb2 25. Rc5 Qb1+ 26. Kh2 Qb6 27. Qxb6 (27. Qe5 g6 28. Rc7) 27... axb6 28. Rxh5 Ra8 $132 29. Rb5 Rxa2 30. Kg2 Ra6 31. g4 Kf8 32. h5 Ke7 33. f4 f6 34. g5 Ra5 35. gxf6+ Kxf6 36. Rxb6 Rxh5 37. Kg3 1/2-1/2 [Event "45th Olympiad 2024"] [Site "Budapest HUN"] [Date "2024.09.14"] [Round "4.5"] [White "Yakubboev, Nodirbek"] [Black "Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D41"] [WhiteElo "2666"] [BlackElo "2633"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "2024.09.11"] [WhiteTeam "Uzbekistan"] [BlackTeam "Vietnam"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UZB"] [BlackTeamCountry "VIE"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rd1 Nd7 12. Bd3 b6 13. O-O Bb7 14. Qe3 ({RR} 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. d5 Nc5 16. Bc2 exd5 17. exd5 Qf6 18. Ne5 Rfe8 19. Ng4 Qh4 20. h3 h5 21. Ne3 Ne4 22. Bxe4 Qxe4 23. Qd4 Rcd8 24. Qxe4 Rxe4 25. Rc1 Ree8 26. Red1 Rc8 27. g4 hxg4 28. hxg4 Kf8 {1-0 Lazavik,D (2578)-Bardyk,A (2278) Titled Tue 10th Sep Late 2024 (6)}) ({RR} 14. Qf4 Rc8 15. Rfe1 Qf6 16. Qg3 Rfd8 17. d5 Qc3 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. e5 Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Kh8 21. Qh5 Nf8 22. Re3 Rd5 23. Ba6 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 Qc1 25. Re1 Qxd1 26. Rxd1 Rc2 27. Rd8 Kg8 28. f4 Rxa2 {Nogerbek,K (2538)-Davtyan,A (2472) Aktobe KAZ 2025 ½-½ (38)}) 14... Re8 $146 ({RR} 14... Qe7 15. e5 Bd5 16. Bb1 Rac8 17. Ng5 f5 18. exf6 Nxf6 19. f3 Rc7 20. Rfe1 Re8 21. Qe5 h6 22. Nh3 g5 23. Nf2 Qg7 24. Rc1 Rec8 25. Rxc7 Rxc7 26. h3 Nh5 27. Qe3 Rc4 28. Bd3 Rxd4 29. Rc1 {0-1 Peralta,F (2569)-Adly,A (2620) Olympiad-43 Batumi 2018 (5.13)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Nd2 Qg5 17. Qh3 Qf4 18. Nc4 Rc7 19. Nd6 Bd5 20. Qe3 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Rc1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bxa2 24. Ra1 Bd5 25. Rxa7 Nb8 26. Bb5 Nc6 27. Bxc6 Bxc6 28. Rc7 Bd5 29. f3 {½-½ Giri,A (2764)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) Chessable Masters Final rapid 2020 (2.21)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Rfe1 Bd5 17. Nd2 Qg5 18. Ne4 Qxe3 19. Rxe3 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Rfd8 21. f4 Nc5 22. Bf3 Na4 23. Rd2 b5 24. d5 Nb6 25. Red3 Nxd5 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. Rxd5 exd5 28. Rxd5 a6 29. Rd6 {½-½ Jakovenko,D (2736)-Zvjaginsev,V (2642) RUS-ch Higher League 67th 2014 (3)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Rfe1 Bd5 17. Nd2 Qg5 18. Ne4 Qxe3 19. Rxe3 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Rfd8 21. f4 Nc5 22. Bf3 Na4 23. Rd2 b5 24. d5 Nb6 25. Red3 Nxd5 26. Bxd5 Rxd5 27. Rxd5 exd5 28. Rxd5 a6 29. Rd6 {Jakovenko,D (2736)-Zvjaginsev,V (2642) Vladivostok 2014 ½-½ (40)}) ({RR} 14... Rc8 15. e5 h6 16. Nd2 Qg5 17. Qh3 Qf4 18. Nc4 Rc7 19. Nd6 Bd5 20. Qe3 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Rc1 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Bxa2 24. Ra1 Bd5 25. Rxa7 Nb8 26. Bb5 Nc6 27. Bxc6 Bxc6 28. Rc7 Bd5 29. f3 {Giri,A (2764)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (75)}) 15. e5 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Rc8 17. Bb5 Re7 18. Qe4 Nf8 19. f4 g6 20. g4 Rec7 21. Ba6 Rb8 22. a4 Qh4 23. Qf3 Rd8 24. Rd2 Qe7 25. Rb1 Qd7 26. Ra1 Rc2 27. Bb5 Qc7 28. Rad1 Rc3 29. Qe4 Qe7 30. Rd3 Qh4 31. Qf3 Rxd3 32. Rxd3 Qe1+ 33. Kg2 Rc8 34. Qd1 Qe4+ 35. Kg3 h5 36. Qf3 Qe1+ 37. Qf2 h4+ 38. Kg2 Qc1 39. Re3 Rc2 40. Re2 Rc3 41. Re1 h3+ 42. Kg1 Qa3 43. Qd2 Qb3 44. Bf1 Rf3 45. f5 gxf5 46. gxf5 Rxf5 47. Bd3 Rf3 48. Qg5+ Ng6 49. Bxg6 fxg6 50. Qxg6+ Kf8 51. Qe4 Qd3 52. Qa8+ Kg7 53. Qxa7+ Kh6 0-1 [Event "Metalska Trgovina CC 90"] [Site "Ljubljana"] [Date "2002.01.29"] [Round "10"] [White "Kharlov, Andrei"] [Black "Nisipeanu, Liviu Dieter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2638"] [BlackElo "2608"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,Ilya"] [PlyCount "51"] [EventDate "2002.01.19"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "SLO"] [EventCategory "11"] [SourceTitle "CBM 088"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 c5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. d4 cxd4 6. exd4 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Nf6 11. a3 b6 (11... Qd6 {-see commented game 1-0 Yurtaev,L-Ibragimov,I/Guntur, AP 2000/CBM 77 [Finkel,A](35)}) 12. Bc2 (12. Bg5 Bb7 13. Bc2 Rc8 14. Qd3 g6 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Rad1 Qc7 17. Bb3 Na5 18. Ba2 Ng4 $1 $17 {-see detailed commented game 0-1 Genba,V-Galkin,A/Perm 1997/CBM 58 [Tsesarsky,I](52)}) 12... Bb7 13. Qd3 g6 14. Bh6 Re8 15. Rad1 Qc7 {This move's idea is to prepare square d8 for one of black ?? and ?f6-g4 jump with threat to h2} (15... Rc8 {-mainline.}) ({RR} 15... Bf8 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 Bg7 18. d5 exd5 19. Rxe8+ Qxe8 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nxd5 Qd8 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Qd7 Ba6 24. Rd6 Ne5 25. Rxf6 Nxd7 26. Rd6 Rc8 27. Rd2 Bb7 28. Ne1 Ne5 29. Re2 Nc4 30. Bd3 {Anand,V (2754)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2771) Amsterdam NED 2023 ½-½ (32)}) ({RR} 15... Bf8 16. Bxf8 Rxf8 17. Bb3 Ne7 18. Ne5 Ned5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Qg3 Qe7 21. h4 Rfc8 22. h5 g5 23. Ng4 Nf4 24. Nh6+ Kh8 25. f3 Qc7 26. Kh1 Nxh5 27. Qxg5 Bxf3 28. gxf3 Ng3+ 29. Kg2 Rg8 30. Nxg8 {Do Amaral,G (1979)-Ramazzotte,E (1753) Florianopolis BRA 2026 1-0 (31)}) 16. Bb3 ({Worth of attention also} 16. Nb5 Qd7 17. Ba4 a6 18. Nc3 b5 19. Bb3 Qc7 (19... Ng4 $132) 20. d5 exd5 21. Nxd5 Nxd5 22. Qxd5 Bf8 23. Qxf7+ $1 (23. Bxf8 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Rxf8 25. Qc5 $14 {½-½ Borik,O-Seeger,W/Stuttgart 1979/EXT 99 (41)}) 23... Qxf7 24. Bxf7+ Kxf7 25. Rd7+ Re7 (25... Kg8 26. Bxf8 Rxe1+ 27. Nxe1 Rxf8 28. Rxb7 Re8 29. Kf1 Na5 30. Ra7 Nc4 31. Nf3 Nxb2 32. Rxa6 $16) 26. Rexe7+ Nxe7 27. Ne5+ Ke6 28. Bxf8 Rxf8 29. Rxb7 Rc8 30. Nd3 Rc2 31. h4 $16) 16... Rad8 $146 ({Interesting is} 16... Ng4 $5 {and White had to find fantastic} 17. Rxe6 $3 {[%csl Rg6][%CAl Ge6g6,Gd3g6]} ({Badly is} 17. Bg5 $4 {0-1 Zitek,A-Cupal,M/Svetla nad Sazavou 1998/EXT 99 (21)}) (17. Nb5 Qb8 18. Bd2 a6 19. h3 (19. Nc3 Nxd4 $1 {[%csl Rf3,Rh2][%CAl Gb7f3,Gb8h2]} (19... Na5 20. Ne4) 20. Qxd4 Bxf3 21. Bf4 e5 22. Bxf7+ Kxf7 23. Qc4+ Kf8 24. gxf3 Qc8 $132)) 17... Kh8 $8 (17... Nxh6 $2 18. Rxg6+ $3 $18) (17... fxe6 18. Bxe6+ Kh8 19. Bxg4 $16 {[%csl Rh8]}) 18. Nb5 (18. Nd5 Qd8 19. Nxe7 (19. Rxc6 Bxc6 20. Nxe7 Qxe7 21. d5 Nxh6 22. Qc3+ Kg8 23. dxc6 Rad8 $15) 19... Nxe7 (19... fxe6 20. Nxc6 Bxc6 21. Bg5 $18) 20. Rxe7 Qxe7 21. Bd2 Be4 $44) 18... Qb8 19. d5 $1 (19. Re4 Nxh6 20. d5 Na5 21. Ba2 Bf6 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Nc7 $132) 19... fxe6 ({Or} 19... Nce5 20. Rxe5 Nxe5 21. Qc3 Bf6 22. Nc7 Nd7 23. Nd4 Rc8 24. Bf4 $16) 20. dxc6 Bxc6 21. Qc3+ Bf6 22. Qxc6 Nxh6 23. Nc7 Rc8 (23... Bxb2 24. Bxe6 Rxe6 25. Nxe6 Qe8 26. Qb7 $18) 24. Rd7 $16) ({RR} 16... Ng4 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 Qxh2+ 19. Kf1 Qh1+ 20. Ke2 Qxg2 21. Rf1 Nxf2 {0-1 (21) Zitek,A-Cupal,M Svetla nad Sazavou 1998}) 17. h3 {Avoiding ?f6-g4 jump. Now Black has very difficult choice. It is not easy to star any plan manoeuvres. In other hand, White threats to break by d4-d5 promotion. ?b3 placed on the important diagonal a2-g8, so White's Attack could be very dangerous.} Rd7 $2 $16 {Badly! Here ?d7 will be vulnerable.} (17... a6 $142 18. d5 Na5 19. Ba2 exd5 $44) 18. d5 Rc8 ({In case of} 18... Qd8 19. dxe6 $1 {Black defence is destroying immediately:} Rxd3 20. exf7+ Kh8 21. fxe8=Q+ Nxe8 22. Ng5 $1 Bxg5 23. Rxd3 $18) ({It was necessary to play} 18... Na5 19. Nb5 (19. Ne5 Nxb3 20. Nb5 Qd8 21. Nxd7 Qxd7 22. Qxb3 Bxd5 23. Qd3 $16) 19... Qc5 (19... Qd8 20. Ne5 $16 {-see above.}) 20. Ne5 $16 {and White keeps serious advantage in all variations.}) 19. Qe3 exd5 (19... Bc5 20. Qg5 Nxd5 21. Bxd5 exd5 (21... Be7 22. Qc1 exd5 23. Nxd5 Qd8 24. Qc3 f6 25. Qb3 Kh8 26. Nxe7 $18) 22. Nxd5 $18) 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Bxd5 Bc5 (21... Bf8 22. Bxf8 Rxf8 23. Qh6 $18 {[%CAl Gf3g5]}) 22. Qe8+ Bf8 23. Bxf8 Rxe8 24. Rxe8 Qb8 25. Rxb8 Nxb8 26. Bd6 1-0 [Event "Enghien les Bains 3rd"] [Site "Enghien les Bains"] [Date "1999.03.05"] [Round "3"] [White "Bologan, Viktor"] [Black "Salov, Valery"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2608"] [BlackElo "2670"] [Annotator "Hansen,Lars Bo"] [PlyCount "205"] [EventDate "1999.03.03"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "FRA"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "CBM 070"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.06.08"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.06.08"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 e6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 (11... Qd6) 12. Qd3 {Black has two alternatives here, 12.-, g6 or 12.-, h6, both of which I believe are better than the text.} Ng6 $5 (12... g6) (12... h6 13. Ne5 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Nf5 15. Be3 {has been played in several games.}) 13. Qb5 $146 {An interesting idea. White ties up the Black queenside and prevents the development of ?c8.} (13. Bd2 b6 14. h4 Bb7 15. h5 Ngf4 16. Qb1 Qc7 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 Nxh5 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Ne5 g6 $14 {Kamsky,G-Epishin,V/Las Palmas/1994/}) ({RR} 13. Bd2 b6 14. Ne5 Bb7 15. Qf3 Rc8 16. Rac1 Re8 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Rxc8 Qxc8 19. Bd3 Bxe5 20. dxe5 d4 21. Qg3 Bd5 22. f4 Ne7 23. Qf2 g6 24. Qxd4 Rd8 25. Qe3 Qg4 26. g3 Bb7 27. Bc3 Nd5 {Ligterink,G-Enklaar,B Amsterdam 1975 ½-½ (37)}) ({RR} 13. Bd2 b6 14. h4 Bb7 15. h5 Ngf4 16. Qb1 Qc7 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 Nxh5 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Ne5 g6 21. Nb5 Qd8 22. Bb4 Kg7 23. Bxf8+ Qxf8 24. Qc1 Rc8 25. Qd2 Qd8 26. Rac1 a6 27. Rxc8 Bxc8 {Kamsky,G (2695)-Epishin,V (2675) Las Palmas 1994 1-0 (47)}) ({RR} 13. Bxd5 exd5 14. Qb5 Ne7 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Nxg5 h6 17. Nf3 b6 18. a4 a6 19. Qb3 Be6 20. Ne5 Rc8 21. Ne2 Qd6 22. Qa3 Qxa3 23. Rxa3 f6 24. Nd3 Nc6 25. Rb3 Bf5 26. Ndf4 Rfe8 27. Re3 Rxe3 {Vavra,P (2292)-Smolik,J (2332) Pardubice CZE 2025 0-1 (67)}) ({RR} 13. g3 Qd6 14. h4 Rd8 15. Ng5 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 Nde7 17. h5 Nf8 18. h6 f6 19. hxg7 Kxg7 20. Be3 Bd7 21. Bxb7 Rab8 22. Bg2 Rxb2 23. Bc1 Rb6 24. Ne4 Qb4 25. Ba3 {1-0 (25) Ligterink,G (2400)-Marcus,J (2365) Wijk aan Zee 1976}) 13... Nge7 (13... a6 14. Qb3) 14. Ne5 Qd6 15. Bd2 {White quietly develops, which is difficult for Black.} g6 16. Bh6 Bg7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rac1 Rd8 19. Qb3 Qb6 20. Qa3 Qb4 21. Qxb4 Nxb4 22. a3 Nbc6 (22... Nbd5 23. Bxd5 $1 exd5 (23... Nxd5 $2 24. Nxd5 Rxd5 25. Rc7 $18) 24. Nb5 $16) 23. Nxc6 bxc6 24. Red1 Bd7 25. Na4 Be8 26. Nc5 $16 a5 27. f4 Rab8 28. Rd2 Nd5 29. g3 h6 30. h4 Rb6 31. Kf2 Kf6 32. Bf3 h5 {This ending is very unpleasant for Black. The ?e8 is bad and the pawns on a5 and c6 are much weaker than White's on b2 and d4.} 33. Be2 Rbb8 34. Ne4+ Ke7 35. Rc4 Ra8 36. Rc5 Rdb8 37. Rc1 Rb6 38. Nc5 Rab8 39. Na4 R6b7 40. Rcc2 Ra7 41. Nc5 Rd8 42. Bf3 Nc7 43. Ke3 Nb5 44. Rd3 Nd6 45. Be4 Rb8 46. Rdc3 Nb5 47. Rb3 $1 Raa8 48. a4 $1 Nd6 49. Rcc3 Kd8 50. Bd3 Bd7 51. Kd2 Rxb3 52. Rxb3 Bc8 53. Kc3 Kc7 54. Ra3 Rb8 55. Ra1 Rb4 56. Re1 Rb8 57. Re5 Rb4 58. b3 $16 {× a5, c6, ?c8} Rb8 59. Ne4 Nxe4+ 60. Bxe4 Ra8 61. Rc5 Bd7 62. Bd3 Kd6 63. Bc4 Kc7 64. Re5 Kd6 65. Bd3 Kc7 66. Rc5 Kd6 67. b4 $1 axb4+ 68. Kxb4 Rb8+ 69. Kc3 Ra8 70. a5 Kc7 71. Be2 Rb8 72. Rc4 Rb1 73. Ra4 Rg1 (73... Kb8 74. Rb4+ Rxb4 75. Kxb4 $18) 74. a6 Bc8 75. a7 Bb7 76. a8=Q Bxa8 77. Rxa8 $16 Rxg3+ 78. Kc4 Kd7 79. Kc5 Rh3 80. Ra7+ Ke8 81. f5 $1 Rxh4 (81... gxf5 82. Bxh5 $18) (81... exf5 82. Kxc6 Rxh4 83. d5 $18) 82. fxg6 fxg6 83. Bf3 Kf8 84. Bxc6 Rf4 85. Ra1 Kf7 86. Re1 Rf5+ (86... h4 87. Bd7 Rf6 88. Kd6 $18) 87. Kd6 Rf4 88. Be4 Kf6 (88... h4 89. Ke5 $18) 89. Kc5 h4 90. Bc6 h3 (90... Rf5+ 91. Kd6 $18) 91. Bd7 $18 h2 92. Rxe6+ Kg5 93. Re1 Rf2 94. Bc6 Kf4 95. d5 Rc2+ 96. Kb6 Rd2 97. Kc7 g5 98. d6 g4 99. d7 Kg3 100. d8=Q Rxd8 101. Kxd8 Kf2 102. Rh1 g3 103. Ke7 {A good positional game by Bologan.} 1-0 [Event "Moscow"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "1981.04.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Timman, Jan H"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2690"] [BlackElo "2620"] [Annotator "Belov,Igor"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "1981.04.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "URS"] [EventCategory "15"] [SourceTitle "MCL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1999.07.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. d4 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 cxd4 (9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 b6 11. Bb2 Bb7 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. Rad1 Bf6 14. e4 g6 15. h4 $14 {Psakhis,L-Sveshnikov,E/Sochi/1985/1:0 (46) Inf 40/520/}) 10. exd4 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 (11... Qd6 $5 12. Qd3 h6 13. Rd1 Bd7 14. Qe2 Rac8 $10 {Alburt,L-Sax,G/Hastings/1983/1:0 (57) Inf 37/475/}) 12. Qd3 (12. Ne5 Nc6 $5) 12... h6 $6 (12... g6 $142 13. Bh6 Bg7 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Rfe1 b6 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Qxd5 18. Re5 Qd6 $10 {Miles,A-Portisch,L/Bugojno/1978/}) 13. Ne5 $14 ({RR} 13. Bd2 b6 14. Ne5 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Bb7 16. Nb5 Ba6 17. a4 Qd7 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. Qg3 Bxb5 20. Bxh6 Ng6 21. Bxg6 fxg6 22. axb5 gxh6 23. Qxg6+ Qg7 24. Qxe6+ Qf7 25. Qxh6 Qg7 26. Qe6+ Qf7 27. Qg4+ Qg7 {Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (2600)-Giri,A (2760) Doha QAT 2025 0-1 (42)}) 13... Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Nf5 (14... Qd6 $5 15. b4 Nd5 16. Qg3 $14) 15. Be3 Nd6 $146 (15... Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bxe5 17. dxe5 $16 {× ?c8/}) ({RR} 15... Nxe3 16. fxe3 Bxe5 17. dxe5 Qb6 18. Rad1 Rd8 19. Rxd8+ Qxd8 20. Bc2 Bd7 21. Qd3 g6 22. Rxf7 {1-0 (22) Jakobsen,O (2380)-Olesen,M (2340) Espergarde 1995}) ({RR} 15... a5 16. Rac1 a4 17. Rfd1 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Qb6 19. Ng4 Bg5 20. f4 Be7 21. d5 Qxb2 22. d6 Bd8 23. Rb1 Qa2 24. Rd2 Qc4 25. Ne5 Qa6 26. d7 Ba5 27. dxc8=Q Bxd2 28. Qxf8+ {1-0 (28) Crosa Coll,M-Munoa da Silva,E Cascavel 1996}) 16. Bf3 $1 {× b7/} Bd7 17. Qb4 Bb5 (17... Be7 18. Qb3 {? d5/}) (17... Qe7 18. Bf4 a5 19. Qb3 $16) 18. Rfe1 a5 19. Qb3 Ba6 20. Rad1 Nf5 21. Be4 {? ?f5/} Nxe3 22. Qxe3 Qd6 23. Bc2 Rfd8 $2 (23... Qd5 $142 24. Bb3 Qd6 25. f4 {? d5/}) 24. Qe4 Rac8 25. Qh7+ (25. h3 Kf8 26. Re3 Ke7 27. Bb3 Bxe5 28. dxe5 Qc6 29. Qh4+ Ke8 30. Rxd8+ Rxd8 31. Rc3 $14) 25... Kf8 26. h3 $6 (26. Bb3 $1 Ke7 (26... Qb6 27. Ng6+ fxg6 28. Bxe6 Rc6 29. Qg8+ Ke7 30. Qf7+ Kd6 31. d5 Rc7 32. Bd7 $1 $18) 27. Ng4 Rh8 28. Qf5 $16 {Karpov/}) 26... b6 $6 (26... Bb5 $6 27. Bb3 $1) (26... b5 27. Bb3 a4 28. Ng6+ $1 $18) (26... Ke7 $142 27. Ng4 Rh8 $1 28. Qf5 Bxd4 $13) 27. Bb3 Bb7 28. d5 (28. Ng6+ fxg6 29. Rxe6 $18) 28... Qc7 29. dxe6 Rxd1 30. Ng6+ $1 (30. Ng6+ $1 fxg6 31. e7+ Qxe7 32. Qg8#) 1-0 [Event "Tilburg Fontys"] [Site "Tilburg"] [Date "1996.10.19"] [Round "8"] [White "Polgar, Judit"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2665"] [BlackElo "2775"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,Ilya"] [PlyCount "39"] [EventDate "1996.10.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 056"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1997.02.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1997.02.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 12. Ne5 Ng6 (12... Nc6 13. Nf3 Nce7 {½-½ Ivanchuk,V-Karpov,An/URS-ch55 Moscow ;URS-ch 1988}) (12... Nf5 13. a3 Nde7 14. Be3 Bd7 (14... Nxe3 15. Rxe3 Nf5 16. Bxf5 exf5 $13) 15. Ng4 Bh4 16. Qc2 (16. d5 $6 Nxe3 17. Nxe3 f5 18. Bf3 Qb6 19. g3 f4 20. gxh4 fxe3 21. Rxe3 Nf5 22. Re4 Qxb2 $17) 16... Bc6 17. g3 h5 $1 18. Ne5 $8 Bf6 (18... Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Bf6 $10) 19. Rad1 Rc8 20. Qe2 g6 (20... h4 $5) 21. Qf3 Bxe4 22. Nxe4 Bg7 $15 23. h3 Rc2 24. Bg5 f6 $17 25. Qb3 $8 Qc8 (25... Nxd4 $2 26. Rxd4 Qxd4 27. Bxf6 $3 Bxf6 28. Nxf6+ Rxf6 29. Qxc2 $16) 26. Nc5 (26. Bxf6 Bxf6 27. Nc3 Rxf2 $1 $19) 26... Nxd4 $19 27. Rxd4 Rxc5 28. Nd7 fxg5 29. Rd3 Rc1 30. Qxe6+ Rf7 31. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 32. Kh2 Qc6 {0-1 Hulak,K-Torre,E/Toluca izt (08) ;IZT 1982 (38)}) 13. Qf3 Nxc3 (13... Nde7 14. Be3 Bxe5 15. dxe5 $14) 14. bxc3 (14. Qxc3 Qd6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. Be3 Rd8 17. Rad1 $14 {[%CAl Ye4b7]}) 14... Bxe5 15. dxe5 Qa5 (15... Qc7 16. Ba3 Rd8 17. Bd6 $14) 16. Rb1 $146 (16. Bb2 $5 Rd8 (16... Nxe5 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Rxe5 Qb6 20. Ba3 Rd8 21. Qh4 $14) (16... Bd7 $5 17. c4 (17. Bxb7 Rab8 $10 {[%csl Rb2,Re5]}) (17. Bxg6 hxg6 18. Qxb7 Rab8 19. Qxd7 Rxb2 20. Qc6 Rxa2 21. Rxa2 Qxa2 $10) 17... Rab8 18. Qa3 Qxa3 19. Bxa3 Rfd8 20. Bd6 Rbc8 21. c5 Bc6 22. Bxc6 Rxc6 23. Rab1 b6 24. cxb6 axb6 25. Rec1 Rdc8 26. Rxc6 Rxc6 27. g3 $10) 17. c4 Rb8 18. Rad1 Bd7 19. Qc3 Qxc3 20. Bxc3 Bc6 21. Bxc6 bxc6 22. Rd6 $14) ({RR} 16. Bb2 Nxe5 17. Bxh7+ Kxh7 18. Qh5+ Kg8 19. Rxe5 Qc7 20. Re4 f6 21. Rh4 e5 22. Rd1 Be6 23. Rd3 Rad8 24. Rg3 g5 25. Ba3 Qd7 26. Qh8+ Kf7 27. Rh7+ Kg6 28. Rh6+ Kf5 29. Rf3+ Ke4 30. Re3+ Kf5 {Ulybin,M (2501)-Ronka,E (2199) Jyvaskyla 2014 1-0 (33)}) 16... Nxe5 17. Qe2 (17. Qg3 Ng6 18. a3 Qe5 (18... Rd8 19. Bxb7 (19. Bg5 Rd7 $6 (19... Re8 20. c4 (20. Bxb7 $6 Bxb7 21. Rxb7 Rac8 $15) 20... e5 21. h4 $44) 20. h4 $1 $32 {[%csl Rc8]} Qxa3 21. h5 Nf8 22. Bf6 g6 23. Qg5 e5 24. Qh6 Ne6 25. hxg6 fxg6 26. Bxg6 hxg6 27. Qxg6+ Ng7 28. Rxe5 Qf8 29. Rbe1 Rf7 30. Be7 Rxe7 (30... Bf5 31. Rxf5 $18) 31. Rxe7 Bf5 32. Rxg7+ Qxg7 33. Qxf5 $18) 19... Bxb7 20. Rxb7 Rac8 $15) 19. Qxe5 Nxe5 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Rxe5 $11) 17... a6 18. Rb3 (18. Bxb7 Bxb7 19. Rxb7 (19. Qxe5 Qxe5 20. Rxe5 Bd5 $15) 19... Rad8 $11) 18... Nc6 19. Bb2 e5 20. c4 $44 1/2-1/2 [Event "Madrid"] [Site "Madrid"] [Date "1995.??.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Salov, Valery"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2715"] [BlackElo "2650"] [Annotator "Salov,Valery"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "1995.05.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "16"] [SourceTitle "CBM 047"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.08.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 {Baburin} c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Re1 Nf6 11. a3 b6 12. Bg5 Bb7 13. Bc2 Nd5 $5 {N} 14. Qd3 (14. h4 $5) 14... g6 15. h4 $6 (15. Bh6 $142) ({RR} 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Ba4 Rc8 17. Rad1 a6 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 19. Qe3 Bf6 20. Bb3 Qd8 21. Ne5 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Qc7 23. Rc1 Qb8 24. Qxb6 Ne7 25. Bxe6 Rc6 26. Rxc6 Bxc6 27. Qxb8 Rxb8 28. Bc4 {1-0 (28) Adams,M (2742)-Doettling,F (2540) France 2002}) ({RR} 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Bb3 Na5 17. Ba2 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Bd5 19. Ne5 Bxa2 20. Rxa2 Bf6 21. Qf3 Qe7 22. Ng4 Bh8 23. Rae2 Nc4 24. Qf4 Rac8 25. Bg5 Qc7 26. Nf6+ Bxf6 27. Qxf6 Nd6 28. g4 Red8 29. Bf4 Ne8 {Sramek,V (2237)-Pietrzak,T (2013) Prague CZE 2024 1-0 (86)}) 15... Bxg5 $1 16. Nxg5 $146 (16. hxg5 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Na5 $1 {?g5}) ({RR} 16. hxg5 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Rc8 18. Qe3 Na5 19. Be4 Nc4 20. Qb3 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 Qd5 22. Re2 Rfd8 23. Rc2 Nd6 24. Qxd5 exd5 25. Rac1 Rxc2 26. Rxc2 Rc8 27. Rxc8+ Nxc8 28. Ne5 Kf8 29. Kf1 Ke7 30. Ke2 f6 {Pavlovic,M (2535)-Machulsky,A (2505) Belgrade 1998 ½-½ (42)}) 16... Nce7 $1 {Black threatens to play Nd5-f4.} 17. Qf3 (17. Qd2 {Baburin}) 17... Nxc3 (17... Nf5 $2 18. Bxf5 exf5 19. Re5 Nxc3 20. Qxb7 Qxd4 21. Nf3 $18) 18. Qxb7 Ncd5 19. Qa6 {Baburin:Otherwise the Queen could be in trouble after a7-a5.} Rc8 20. Be4 Rc7 21. Rad1 Nf6 22. Bb1 Qd5 23. Nf3 Qc4 24. Qxc4 Rxc4 25. Ne5 Rcc8 26. g4 {Baburin: An endgame with the isolated pawn is in Black's favour, so White has to play actively.} Rfd8 27. Kg2 Nc6 $1 28. g5 Nh5 $1 29. Nxc6 $8 (29. Kf3 $2 Rxd4 30. Nxc6 Rf4+ $19) 29... Rxc6 30. Rd2 Rcd6 31. Red1 Nf4+ 32. Kf3 Nd5 33. Rc1 Ne7 34. Rc7 Nc6 35. d5 $1 $10 exd5 36. Ba2 Kg7 37. Kg3 a6 38. Rxd5 Rxd5 39. Bxd5 Rxd5 40. Rxc6 Rd3+ 41. f3 1/2-1/2 [Event "EU-ch 13th"] [Site "Plovdiv"] [Date "2012.03.29"] [Round "9"] [White "Kobalia, Mihail"] [Black "Jobava, Baadur"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2666"] [BlackElo "2706"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2012.03.20"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "BUL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 148"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2012.05.16"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2012.05.16"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Re1 Nf6 11. a3 b6 12. Bg5 Bb7 13. Bc2 {White was especially careful not to retreat with the bishop before Black had already played ?b7. Otherwise he might come up with the ?a6 idea.} Re8 14. Qd3 g6 15. Rad1 Nd5 ({RR} 15... Rc8 16. h4 a6 17. Bb1 b5 18. Ba2 Na5 19. Ne5 Nd5 20. Ne4 f6 21. Qh3 fxe5 22. Qxe6+ Kg7 23. Qxe5+ Bf6 24. Nxf6 Nxf6 25. Be6 Rc2 26. b4 Nc4 27. Bxc4 Rxe5 28. dxe5 Qxd1 29. exf6+ {1-0 (30) Kovalenko,I (2645)-Werle,J (2580) Karlsruhe 2020}) ({RR} 15... Rc8 16. h4 Nd5 17. Bb3 Bxg5 18. hxg5 Nce7 19. Ne5 Nxc3 20. bxc3 Nd5 21. Qf3 Rc7 22. c4 Nb4 23. Qf4 Nc6 24. Ng4 Kg7 25. d5 exd5 26. Rxe8 Qxe8 27. Qf6+ Kf8 28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Re1+ {1-0 (29) Gaponenko,I (2323)-Charkhalashvili,I (2235) Monaco MNC 2026}) 16. Bh6 Rc8 {This whole line is reaching the status of some sort of opening ritual; it has been tested many times. Despite that, new players are trying to discover the truth about the position in fresh games.} (16... Nxc3 17. bxc3 (17. Qxc3 Bf6 18. Be4 Rc8 19. Qe3 Na5 20. Ne5 Bxe4 21. Qxe4 Nc4 {1/2 (21) Polgar,J (2656)-Galkin,A (2587) Hoogeveen 2000}) 17... Qd5 (17... Bxa3 18. Ng5 Be7 19. Nxf7 Kxf7 20. Rxe6 Bf6 21. Rxe8 Kxe8 22. Qc4 Qd6 23. Ba4 Kd8 $11 {1/2 (37) Potkin,V (2540)-Galkin,A (2602) Sochi 2004}) 18. c4 Qh5 19. Bf4 (19. Bc1 Bf6 20. Qe3 Kg7 21. Be4 Rab8 22. Bb2 Na5 $11 {1/2 (29) Yemelin,V (2516)-Galkin,A (2600) Tomsk 2006}) 19... Na5 20. Re5 Qg4 21. Bg3 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Qh3 {1/2 (22) Potkin,V (2593)-Galkin,A (2590) Sochi 2007}) 17. Ba4 a6 $146 (17... Nxc3 18. bxc3 Bxa3 19. Ng5 (19. c4 Bf8 $13 20. Qe3 Qe7 21. d5 exd5 22. cxd5 Qxe3 23. Bxe3 Ne5 24. Bxe8 Nxf3+ 25. gxf3 Rxe8 26. d6 $16 {1-0 (65) Maiwald,J (2490)-Zhuravliov,V (2455) Germany 1994}) 19... Be7 20. Qg3 Qd5 21. Rb1 Qa5 22. Bb3 Nd8 $11 {1-0 (55) Kornev,A (2567)-Virovlansky,S (2445) Voronezh 2007}) (17... Bf8) ({RR} 17... Bf8 18. Qd2 Bg7 19. Ne4 Rf8 20. Ne5 f6 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Ng4 Nce7 23. Ng3 Qd6 24. Ne4 Qd8 25. Ng3 Qd6 26. Ne4 Qd8 27. Qh6+ Kh8 28. Rd3 Nf5 29. Qd2 Qc7 30. Bb3 Qg7 31. Nc3 Qd7 32. Nxd5 {Gaponenko,I (2472)-Charkhalashvili,I (2338) Rijeka 2010 ½-½ (58)}) 18. Nxd5 Qxd5 $6 {For better or worse I am entitled to have my own opinion about the problems Black will be facing. In my understanding Black has to accept a safe equality after the "symmetrical" recapture 18...exd5!?} (18... exd5 $5 19. Bxc6 Rxc6 20. Qd2 Bc8 21. Qf4 Rf6 22. Qe5 Be6 23. Qe2 Bg4 24. Rd3 $11 {1/2 (24) Kovacevic,A (2559)-Golubovic,B (2424) Neum 2004}) 19. Qe3 Bf6 (19... Rcd8 20. Bb3 Qh5 21. d5 exd5 22. Qxb6 Qxh6 23. Qxb7 Na5 24. Qb6 Nxb3 25. Rxe7 Rxe7 26. Qxd8+ Qf8 27. Qxd5 $16 {0-1 (43) Utemov,V (2400)-Lastin,A (2495) Moscow 1996}) 20. Bb3 Qd8 (20... Qd7 21. d5 $1 exd5 22. Qxb6 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bxb2 24. Bxd5 Bg7 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 {1/2 (42) Beliavsky,A (2585)-Karpov,A (2705) Moscow 1986} 26. Qb2+ $14) (20... Qh5 $2 21. d5 Nd8 22. d6 Rc5 23. d7 Re7 24. Qf4 $16 {1-0 (29) Smyslov,V (2620)-Karpov,A (2540) Leningrad 1971}) 21. Ne5 (21. Qf4 Na5 22. d5 e5 23. Qe3 Nxb3 24. Qxb3 e4 25. d6 Re6 26. d7 Rc5 $11 {1-0 (48) Malinin,Y (2324)-Eliseev,A (2361) St Petersburg 1999}) 21... Qe7 $2 {The defender is still paying for his illogical queen recapture on the 18th move.} (21... Bxe5 22. dxe5 Qc7 23. Rc1 Qb8 (23... Ba8 24. Qf4 Qe7 25. Rcd1 $16) 24. Qxb6 $16 {1-0 (28) Adams,M (2742)-Doettling,F (2540) France 2002}) (21... Na5 22. Nxf7 Qe7 23. Ne5 Nxb3 24. Qxb3 Bg5 25. Bxg5 Qxg5 26. f3 Bd5 27. Qd3 $16) 22. Ng4 $1 Na5 (22... Nd8 23. d5 Bh8 24. Bg5 Qc5 25. Qf4 $18) (22... Bg7 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 24. d5 Na5 25. Qh6+ Kh8 26. d6 Qd8 27. d7 $18) 23. Ba2 $6 {The situation was ripe for the decision, but White needed to play with a lot of flair. The attack with the help of a sacrifice on e6 is very instructive for similar positions.} (23. Qf4 $1 Bh8 (23... Bg7 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Rxe6 fxe6 26. Qe5+ $18) 24. Bxe6 $3 fxe6 25. Bg5 Rf8 26. Nh6+ Kg7 27. Qe5+ Rf6 28. Ng4 Kf7 29. d5 $1 Bxd5 30. Rxd5 Nc6 31. Qd6 $18) 23... Nc4 24. Qf4 Bg7 (24... Bh8 25. Bxc4 Rxc4 26. Bg5 Qd7 27. Bf6 $18) 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. d5 g5 {Given the chance the very strong player Jobava will not go down without kicking and screaming loudly. The advance of the kingside pawns is not strictly desirable, but it certainly challenges his opponent.} (26... h5 27. dxe6 hxg4 28. Bxc4 $16) 27. Qg3 h5 28. Bxc4 {Once we know about the obvious improvement 28.?c3+! the blow on the dark squares seems like the most natural solution.} (28. Qc3+ $1 e5 29. Bxc4 hxg4 30. d6 Qd7 31. Rxe5 $18) 28... Rxc4 (28... hxg4 29. d6 Qd7 30. Qxg4 $18) 29. Ne5 $6 {Kobalia is getting confused, as usually the advanced post for the active piece should be more desirable. Unfortunately for him the modest retreat 29.?e3! proves to have been the right solution.} (29. d6 Rxg4 30. Qxg4 hxg4 31. dxe7 Bd5 $14) (29. Ne3 $1 Re4 30. f3 h4 31. Qf2 Re5 32. d6 $16) 29... exd5 30. Nf3 Rd4 (30... Re4 31. Rxe4 Qxe4 32. Qxg5+ Qg6 33. Qd2 $14) 31. Rc1 (31. Ra1 Re4 32. Rxe4 dxe4 33. Nxg5 h4 34. Qxh4 Kg6 35. f4 exf3 36. Nxf3 Qxh4 37. Nxh4+ Kg5 38. g3 Re2 $11) 31... Rc4 (31... Re4 32. Rxe4 Qxe4 (32... dxe4 33. Nxg5 h4 34. Qxh4 Kg6 35. Rc3 $14) 33. Qxg5+ Qg6 34. Qd2 $14) 32. h4 Rxc1 $6 {[%mdl 256] Difficult defence has worn down many good players. Jobava is performing a strange dance with the exchange of the active rook.} (32... Qf6 33. Nxg5 (33. hxg5 Qxb2 $11) 33... Bc6 34. Red1 $14) 33. Rxc1 Rc8 $2 (33... Qf6 34. Rc7 Re7 35. Nxg5 Rxc7 36. Qxc7 $16) 34. Re1 Qf6 35. hxg5 Qf5 (35... Qxb2 36. g6 $18) 36. Re7 {White could have only have dreamed about finding such a mighty spot for any of his rooks just a few moves ago.} (36. Nh4 Qd7 37. Qe5+ Kh7 38. Qf6 Rc6 39. g6+ Kg8 40. gxf7+ Qxf7 41. Qg5+ Kf8 42. Qd8+ Kg7 43. Re7 $18) 36... Rc1+ 37. Kh2 Bc8 38. g6 Qg4 (38... Qxg6 39. Rxf7+ Kxf7 40. Ne5+ $18) 39. Rxf7+ Kh6 40. Qe5 {The final picture is more painful than a Greek tragedy as the active black pieces are actually helpless.} 1-0 [Event "Linares 13th"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "1995.03.13"] [Round "10"] [White "Topalov, Veselin"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2630"] [BlackElo "2780"] [Annotator "Marin,Mihail"] [PlyCount "108"] [EventDate "1995.03.01"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [EventCategory "17"] [SourceTitle "CBM 046"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1995.06.01"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1995.06.01"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 {Ftacnik} c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 12. Qd3 h6 13. Ne5 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 (14. bxc3 {Ftacnik} Bxe5 15. dxe5 Qxd3 16. Bxd3 Bd7 $15) 14... Nf5 15. Be3 a5 $5 (15... Nxe3 16. Qxe3 (16. fxe3 {Ftacnik} Rb8 17. Rad1 Bd7 18. Bb1 Be8 19. Ng4 Bg5 20. e4 h5 21. Nf2 Rc8 22. Qh3 g6 23. d5 e5 24. Qb3 {Chiburdanidze,M-Ioseliani,N (5)/Telavi-WchW/1988/0.5 (60)}) 16... Qb6 (16... Qb6 17. Rad1 Rd8 18. b3 (18. Rd2 Bd7 {Hoi,C-Hansen,LB/Vejstrup/1989/0.5 (18)}) 18... Bd7 19. Qf3 Bb5 {Sher,M-Hansen,LB/Vejle/1994/0.5 (20)})) ({RR} 15... Rb8 16. Bf4 g5 17. Bxf5 gxf4 18. Be4 Bg7 19. Rad1 Bd7 20. Qf3 Bb5 21. Bxb7 Qg5 22. b3 Rfd8 23. Be4 Rb6 24. Qc3 Qe7 25. Qc1 Qf6 26. Qc7 Rbd6 27. Qxa7 Qxe5 28. dxe5 Rxd1 29. Qa5 Bxe5 30. h3 {Gelfand,B (2743)-Wang,Y (2720) Beijing 2014 0-1 (61)}) ({RR} 15... Re8 16. Rad1 Re7 17. Bf4 Rc7 18. Qb3 Bg5 19. Bxg5 Qxg5 20. d5 Nd6 21. Bb1 b6 22. Qa3 Rc5 23. Nf3 Qf4 24. Rd4 Qf6 25. dxe6 Nb5 26. e7 Bf5 27. e8=Q+ Rxe8 28. Rxe8+ Kh7 29. Bxf5+ Qxf5 30. Qd3 {Zwirs,N (2476)-Beukema,S (2423) Wijk aan Zee 2025 1-0 (35)}) 16. Rac1 a4 17. Red1 Nxe3 $146 ({RR} 17... Qa5 18. Qxa5 Rxa5 19. Bxf5 Bxe5 20. Be4 Bd6 21. d5 exd5 22. Bxd5 Be5 23. b4 axb3 24. axb3 Be6 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. g3 Bf6 27. Rc5 Rxc5 28. Bxc5 Rd8 29. Rxd8+ Bxd8 30. Kg2 h5 31. Kf3 Kf7 32. Ke4 {Lesiege,A (2588)-Shipov,S (2625) Moscow 2001 ½-½ (42)}) 18. Qxe3 (18. fxe3 {Ftacnik} Bxe5 19. dxe5 Qg5 $132) 18... Qb6 19. Ng4 Bg5 20. f4 Be7 21. Bb1 Bd7 (21... Qxb2 $6 22. Qg3 (22. d5 Qa3 23. Rc3 Qd6 24. Qg3 exd5) 22... f5 (22... Kh8 23. Qh3 Kg8 24. Nxh6+ gxh6 25. Qxh6 f5 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Rc7 Qb4 (27... Qa3 28. Rd3 $18) 28. a3 $1 Qxa3 (28... Qd6 29. Rd3 $18) 29. Rd3 $18) 23. Nxh6+ Kh7 (23... Kh8 24. Qh3 $18 {??xf5}) 24. Ng4 Bd6 (24... Bd7 25. Rc7 {??e5}) (24... Rd8 25. Ne5 $40) 25. Ne5 Bxe5 26. dxe5 $16 {?c,d, ?c8}) 22. Qg3 f5 $8 (22... Kh8 $2 23. Qh3 (23. Qd3 {Ftacnik} f5 24. Ne5 Be8 $13) 23... f5 24. Nxh6 gxh6 25. Qxh6+ Kg8 26. Qg6+ Kh8 27. Rc3 $18) 23. Nxh6+ Kh7 $8 (23... Kh8 24. Qh3 $18) 24. Ng4 Rfd8 25. Ne5 Be8 $132 {(×b2,d4)} 26. Qe3 $6 (26. Qf2 $5 {(×b2)} g6 $1 (26... Bf6 27. d5 Qxf2+ 28. Kxf2 exd5 29. Bxf5+ $16) (26... Rd5 27. a3 $1 (27. Nc4 Qa7 28. Rd2 Rad8 (28... Rxd4 $2 29. Rxd4 Bc5 30. Rcd1 Rd8 31. Qh4+ $18) 29. Rcd1 Bf6 (29... Rxd4 30. Rxd4 Rxd4 31. Rxd4 Bc5 32. Qh4+ Kg8 (32... Kg6 33. Ne5#) 33. Qd8 Bxd4+ 34. Kh1 Kf8 35. Nd6 $18) 30. Ne5 Bh5) 27... Rad8 28. Ba2 Rxd4 29. Rxd4 Qxd4 30. Qxd4 Rxd4 31. g3 (31. Bxe6 Rxf4 32. g3 Rd4 33. Bxf5+ Kh6 $14 {?, ×b2}) 31... Bd8 (31... Rd6 32. Rc7) 32. Bxe6 Bb6 33. Kg2 Rd2+ 34. Kh3 Rxb2 35. Bxf5+ g6 36. Be6 $16 {??c4, ??c7?}) 27. a3 Rac8 28. Rxc8 (28. Ba2 $2 Rxd4 $1) 28... Rxc8 29. Ba2 $14) 26... Bf6 (26... Qxb2 27. Nc4 Qb5 28. Qxe6) 27. g4 $6 {(?g1)} (27. Rd2 $14 {Ftacnik}) 27... g6 28. gxf5 (28. g5 {Ftacnik} Bxe5 29. Qxe5 Rac8 (29... Bc6 $2 30. Rc3 $18) 30. Rc3 Rxc3 31. bxc3 Rc8 32. Qe3 $14) 28... exf5 29. Qc3 $6 (29. Qf2) 29... Rac8 30. Qh3+ (30. Qxc8 {Ftacnik} Rxc8 31. Rxc8 Bc6 $132) 30... Kg7 31. Rxc8 Rxc8 32. Qg2 Rd8 33. Qf2 Be7 34. h4 $2 (34. a3 $5 {(??a2)} Qb3 35. Rd3 Qd5 $44 36. Qg2 Qxg2+ 37. Kxg2 Bc6+ 38. Nxc6 bxc6 {??f6, ×d4, b2}) (34. Nc4 {Ftacnik} Qc7 $13) 34... Qf6 $17 (34... Rxd4 35. Rxd4 Bc5 36. Nf3 Bc6 37. Kf1 Kh6) 35. Rc1 (35. Nf3 Bc6 36. Ng5 $6 Bc5 $1 37. Rd2 Rxd4 38. Rxd4 Kh6 $1 (38... Bxd4 39. Ne6+ Qxe6 40. Qxd4+ Kh7 $15) 39. Nf3 (39. Ne6 Qxe6) 39... Bxf3 40. Qxf3 Qxd4+ 41. Kg2 Qxb2+ $19) (35. Qg2 {Ftacnik} Bc5 36. Qf2 (36. Qxb7+ Kh8 37. Nf3 Bc6 38. Qa6 Rxd4 $1 39. Nxd4 Bxd4+ 40. Kf1 Bg2+ $19)) 35... Qxh4 36. Rc7 Kf8 37. Qe3 $6 Bd6 38. Rxb7 Bxe5 39. Qxe5 (39. fxe5 Rxd4 $19) 39... Qg3+ 40. Kf1 Qf3+ 41. Ke1 Qxb7 42. Qf6+ Bf7 43. Qxd8+ Kg7 $19 {(??h1xb1)} 44. d5 $6 (44. Kd2 Qxb2+ 45. Bc2 Qxa2 46. Qe7 a3 47. Qe5+ Kh7) (44. Bc2 {Ftacnik} Qxb2 $17) 44... Qb4+ 45. Kd1 Qd4+ 46. Kc2 Qe4+ 47. Kc3 {?!?} (47. Kc1 Qxf4+ 48. Kd1 Qd4+ 49. Kc1 Bxd5 $19) 47... Qxb1 48. d6 Qe1+ 49. Kd4 Qb4+ 50. Ke3 (50. Ke5 $2 {Ftacnik} Qxb2#) 50... Qe4+ 51. Kd2 Qxf4+ 52. Kc2 Qe4+ 53. Kd2 Qd4+ 54. Kc1 f4 (54... f4 55. d7 f3 56. Qe7 f2 57. d8=Q f1=Q+ 58. Kc2 Qfd3+ 59. Kc1 Qd1#) 0-1 [Event "Bucharest Kings 7th"] [Site "Bucharest"] [Date "2013.10.16"] [Round "10"] [White "Wang, Hao"] [Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2733"] [BlackElo "2751"] [Annotator "Wang,Hao"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2013.10.07"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "ROU"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 157"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.11.12"] [SourceQuality "1"] {This game was played in the last round of the 7th edition of the Kings tournament. With White against Ponomariov, I was just trying to make an interesting game. Anyway, the game was totally peaceful up to a certain point...} 1. c4 {Krasenkow,Michal} c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. d4 d5 {Recently I had already faced this position against a few good players.} 6. cxd5 ({Previously I only played} 6. dxc5 {with Gelfand and Radjabov.}) 6... Nxd5 {Now the position has transposed to the Semi-Tarrasch Variation.} (6... exd5 {is another main line, which was played by Matlakov with me in the European Club Cup, which has just finished recently. That game ended in a draw.}) 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 b6 {This idea was played by Ivanchuk 2 years ago; I analysed it and thought the position should be equal with good play.} (9... cxd4 10. exd4 {the position transposes to the Caro-Kann.}) 10. Qc2 Nxc3 ({RR} 10... g6 11. dxc5 ({RR} 11. e4 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 cxd4 13. Nb5 Nf6) ({RR} 11. b4 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Bd7 13. dxc5 Bf6 14. Nd4 bxc5 15. bxc5 Nxd4 16. exd4 Bc6 17. Bb2 Rb8 18. Rae1 Qc7 19. Ba1 Rfd8 20. Qc4 Bb5 21. Qb3 Bc6) 11... bxc5 12. Rd1 Nxc3 ({RR} 12... Qc7 13. Bd2 ({RR} 13. b3) 13... Bb7 14. Ne4 Nb8 15. Rac1 Nd7 16. b4 Rfc8 17. Bb5 Bc6 18. Ba6 Bb7) 13. Qxc3 Rb8 ({RR} 13... Ba6 14. e4) 14. Bc2 Qb6 15. Rb1 ({RR} 15. b3 f5 16. Rb1 Bf6 17. Qe1 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Bb2 Bxb2 20. Rxb2 Ba6 21. Rbb1 Rfd8) 15... Ba6 16. b3 f5 17. Bb2 Bf6 18. Qe1 Bxb2 19. Rxb2 Qa5 20. Qxa5 Nxa5 21. Rbb1 Rfd8 22. Ne5 Rxd1+ 23. Bxd1 Rd8 ({RR} 23... Rb7) 24. b4 cxb4 25. axb4) ({RR} 10... Nf6 11. Ne4 h6 12. Rd1 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Qc7 14. b4 Bb7 15. bxc5 bxc5 16. dxc5 Na5 17. Bxb7 Nxb7 18. c6 Nc5 19. Nd4 g6 20. Bb2 e5 21. Nf3 Bd6 22. Rac1 e4 23. Ne5 Bxe5 24. Bxe5 Qxe5 25. Qxc5 {Froewis,G (2428)-Haselsberger,A (1957) Innsbruck AUT 2025 1-0 (33)}) 11. bxc3 g6 ({RR} 11... h6 12. Bb2 ({RR} 12. Rd1 Qc7 13. e4 Na5 14. Ne5 ({RR} 14. Qb2 Bb7) 14... cxd4 15. cxd4 Qxc2 16. Bxc2 Bb7) 12... Bf6 13. Rad1 Qe7 14. e4 g5 15. e5 Bg7 16. Qe2 Bb7 17. Qe4 Rfd8 18. h4) 12. Rd1 Qc7 (12... cxd4 {was played in the game Le Quang Liem - Ivanchuk. After} 13. cxd4 ({RR} 13. exd4 Bb7 14. Bh6 Re8 15. Qd2 Bf8 16. Bxf8 Rxf8 17. Qf4 Ne7 18. Ne5 Nd5 19. Qd2 Rc8 20. c4 Ne7 21. Qf4 Nf5 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. d5 Qd6) 13... Bb7 ({RR} 13... Bd7 14. Bb2 Na5) 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Qe2 Na5 ({RR} 15... Bf6 16. h4 Qd6 17. h5 Rfd8 18. Be4 Qe7 19. h6 Bg5 ({RR} 19... Qf8) 20. Nxg5 Qxg5 21. Rac1 Qe7 22. d5) 16. e4 Bf6 17. Rac1 Qe7 {,the position was pretty decent. The text move was also good.}) ({RR} 12... cxd4 13. cxd4 Bb7 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Qe2 Na5 16. e4 Bf6 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. h4 Bxh4 ({RR} 18... Bg7 19. h5 Rfd8) 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. d5 ({RR} 20. Nxh4 Qxh4 21. d5) 20... Bf6 21. d6 Qd8 22. d7 Rc5 23. Bxf6 Qxf6 24. Ba6 Qd8 25. Bxb7 Nxb7 26. Qd2 Rc7 27. Ne5 {Le,Q (2687)-Ivanchuk,V (2776) Havana 2011 CBM 143 [Krasenkow,Michal] ½-½ (35)}) 13. Bb2 $146 ({RR} 13. e4 Rd8 ({RR} 13... Na5 14. Bh6 Rd8 15. Qb2 Bb7 16. Rac1) 14. h4 ({RR} 14. Qe2 cxd4 15. cxd4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Rxd4 17. Bb2) 14... Na5 15. Qb1 Bd7 16. Be3 Ba4 17. Re1 Rac8 18. Re2 cxd4 19. cxd4 Qc3 20. Ba6 Nb3 21. Raa2 Nc1 22. Bxc8 Nxe2+ 23. Rxe2 Rxc8 24. Bg5 Bxa3 25. d5 exd5 26. exd5 Bd6 27. Bh6 Re8 {Shishmarev,V-Lugovoi,A (2315) St Petersburg 1992 0-1 (47)}) ({RR} 13. e4 Rd8 14. h4 Na5 15. Qb1 Bd7 16. Be3 Ba4 17. Re1 Rac8) ({RR} 13. e4 Rd8 14. Be3 Na5 15. Qe2 Bb7 16. Ne5 cxd4 17. cxd4 Nb3 18. Rac1 Nxc1 19. Rxc1 Qb8 20. f4 Rc8 21. Rf1 Qd6 22. f5 exf5 23. exf5 Bd5 24. Qf2 Rc3 25. Bf4 Qxa3 26. fxg6 fxg6 27. Qg3 Rxd3 {Homann,S-Ciaxz,R Dortmund 1993 0-1 (55)}) 13... Bb7 14. dxc5 {I decided to open the diagonal for my dark-squared bishop.} (14. Qe2 Rfd8 15. e4 Na5 {offers a promising position for Black since b2 is not a ideal square for my dark-squared bishop.}) 14... bxc5 {Logical.} (14... Bxc5 15. c4 Rad8 16. h4 {looks good for White, but Black also has enough resources to defend with} f6 $1 {.}) 15. c4 f5 16. Rab1 Rad8 17. Be2 Rxd1+ 18. Bxd1 Ba8 19. Qd2 ({Maybe} 19. h3 {was a better move, but after} e5 {, Black is totally fine.}) 19... Rd8 20. Qc3 e5 $1 21. Ne1 Qa5 $1 {I overlooked this move. Now it's clear that the position is just nothing special for White. Anyway, I decided to adopt a risky plan.} 22. f3 {Followed by ?c2 and ?d3, my idea is to try to regroup my pieces, against the c5- and e5-pawns.} Kf7 {Very logical, time to bring the king to the battlefield.} (22... Qxc3 23. Bxc3 f4 {is very close to a draw.} (23... e4 {is also totally fine for Black, as I thought during the game.})) 23. Bc2 $2 {I was over-optimistic about my position. Here was a very critical moment.} (23. Be2 {was a safer choice.}) 23... Bf6 $2 {Looks logical, but soft indeed.} (23... Bg5 $1 {was an very strong move for Black, with some attacking ideas. It was my good fortune that my opponent missed this move during the game. White must be very careful, for example:} 24. Kf2 (24. e4 Kf6 {with a slightly better position for Black only.}) 24... Rd2+ 25. Kf1 Bh4 $1 26. g3 Bf6 27. h4 Qd8 $1 {with the initiative. If} (27... Rh2 28. Qd3 Ne7 29. Kg1 Qd2 30. Qxd2 Rxd2 31. Bc1 $11) 28. Nd3 {,} (28. Kg1 e4 29. Qxf6+ Qxf6 30. Bxf6 exf3 $1) 28... Rh2 29. Bd1 (29. Nf2 $2 Nd4 $1 30. exd4 exd4 31. Qd3 Qd6 $1 {Black is winning.}) 29... f4 $1 30. exf4 Nd4 31. Nxe5+ Bxe5 32. fxe5 Qc8 $1 33. g4 Rh1+ 34. Kf2 Qd8 {, Black has a strong attack.}) 24. e4 $1 {Finally I started to play for the initiative. Frankly speaking, the position is still roughly equal, but since only White has some play here, Black must be careful.} Qxc3 25. Bxc3 Nd4 $6 (25... Ke6 $1 {was what I mainly considered during the game. After} 26. Nd3 Kd6 $1 27. exf5 (27. f4 fxe4 28. fxe5+ Nxe5 29. Nxe5 Ke6 $1 30. Bxe4 Bxe5 31. Bxa8 Bxc3 $11) 27... gxf5 28. f4 $1 Nd4 $1 (28... Rg8 29. g3 Nd4 30. Bxd4 exd4 31. Nf2) 29. fxe5+ Bxe5 30. Nxe5 Kxe5 (30... Rg8) 31. Rb5 Ke6 32. Bxd4 Rxd4 33. Rxc5 Rd2 34. Bxf5+ Kd6 35. Ra5 Rxg2+ 36. Kf1 Rxh2 {, the position is very close to a draw.}) (25... fxe4 26. Bxe4 Nd4 27. Kf2 Bxe4 28. fxe4 Rd7 {would offer a minimal edge for White although Black should hold without problems.}) 26. Bxd4 Rxd4 27. exf5 {Now with a pawn up, I have got some slight chances to play for a win.} gxf5 (27... e4 {would also offer Black excellent drawing chances:} 28. fxg6+ hxg6 29. Kf2 Ke6) 28. Rb8 (28. Bxf5 Rxc4 29. Rb8 Bd5) 28... Bc6 ({During time pressure, my opponent failed to find a brilliant idea to simplify the position:} 28... e4 $1 29. Rxa8 Rd2 30. Rxa7+ Kf8 31. h3 (31. fxe4 Bd4+ 32. Kh1 Re2) 31... Bd4+ 32. Kh2 Be5+ $11) 29. Bxf5 Rxc4 $6 (29... Ke7 $1 {was better. After} 30. Bd3 (30. Rc8 {is not good as Black has} Kd6) 30... e4 31. fxe4 Bxe4 32. Bxe4 Rxe4 {, Black will hold the position without many problems, thanks to his active pieces.}) 30. Rc8 Bb5 $2 {A decisive mistake.} (30... Bd5 {was necessary, to keep the bishops and counterplay. And I believe that Black has enough resources to save the game, for example:} 31. Rc7+ (31. Nd3 e4 32. fxe4 Bxe4) 31... Kf8 32. Kf2 (32. Bxh7 Rc3 33. Kf2 Bc4 $1 34. Be4 Bg5) 32... h5 33. Nd3 Rc3 34. Nxc5 Bh4+ 35. Ke2 Rxa3) 31. Rc7+ Be7 32. Bd3 $1 Rc1 33. Bxb5 Rxe1+ 34. Kf2 Rh1 35. Kg3 a5 36. Ra7 Rc1 37. Rxa5 {It seems that the opposite-coloured bishops would offer some drawing chances for Black, but he is short of counterplay, and his pawns are quite weak. The position is not hopeless for Black yet, but indeed difficult.} c4 38. Bc6 c3 39. Be4 h5 40. a4 Ra1 41. Ra6 Bd8 42. Bc2 Bg5 43. Rc6 Ra3 $2 (43... Bd2 {was necessary, although it offers the h4-square for White's king.}) 44. Rb6 $1 {Trying to exchange rooks. If the rooks are swapped from the board, White would win the game without needing precise technique.} Be7 ({If} 44... Ke7 45. Rb3 Rxb3 46. Bxb3 Kd6 47. h4 Be3 48. Kh3 {would be a very easy win for White since he is going to create passed pawns on the kingside very soon; it's too difficult for Black to defend the a- and h-pawns at the same time.}) 45. Rb7 Ra1 46. Rb1 Ra3 47. Kh3 h4 48. g3 hxg3 49. hxg3 Kg7 50. Rb7 Kf7 51. Rb5 {Now black is totally lost.} e4 52. fxe4 Ra1 53. Rb1 Ra3 54. Kg4 Kg7 55. Rb3 Rxa4 56. Rb7 Ra2 57. Bb3 Rb2 58. Rxe7+ Kf6 59. Re6+ Kf7 60. Bd5 {Black resigned.} 1-0 [Event "Corus"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "2002.01.15"] [Round "3"] [White "Dreev, Alexey"] [Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2683"] [BlackElo "2695"] [Annotator "Tsesarsky,Ilya"] [PlyCount "144"] [EventDate "2002.01.12"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "13"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "18"] [SourceTitle "CBM 087"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2002.03.21"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 ({Dreev avoids from} 6. e4 {-the mainline.}) 6... Nc6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 cxd4 10. exd4 Bf6 11. Re1 Bd7 ({Here can be recommended} 11... Nxd4 $1 $132 {-see detailed commented game ½-½ Comp Fritz 6-Golod,V/Ramat Aviv 2000/CBM 77[Golod,V] (71)}) (11... Nxc3 12. bxc3 b6 13. h4 $1 Bb7 (13... Bxh4 $6 14. Nxh4 Qxh4 15. Re3 $40 {1-0 Vaisser,A-Meduna,E/Sochi 1983/MCL (26)}) (13... Re8 14. Qc2 h6 15. Qe2 Qd5 16. Be4 Qd7 17. Bc2 Bb7 18. Qd3 Ne7 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Re3 Bxf3 21. Rxf3 Ng8 22. a4 $18 {[%CAl Gc1a3] 1-0 Milos,G-Asfora,M/Brasilia 1985/EXT 2000 (58)}) 14. Ng5 $1 (14. Qc2 $6 h6 $132 {½-½ Jensen,V-Rosenlund,T/Copenhagen 1981/EXT 2000 (36)}) 14... g6 15. Qg4 h5 (15... e5 16. h5 $16 {[%csl Rh7][%CAl Gg5h7,Gh5g6]}) 16. Qg3 Ne7 17. Bf4 Rc8 18. Rac1 Qd7 (18... Nf5 19. Nxe6 $1 $16 Bxh4 (19... fxe6 20. Qxg6+ $18 {1-0 Shabtai,R-Kataev,S/Tel Aviv 1995/EXT 97 (24)}) 20. Nxd8 Bxg3 21. Bxg3 Rfxd8 22. Bxf5 gxf5 23. Re7 Be4 24. Bf4 (24. f3 $16) 24... a6 25. f3 $16 {½-½ Makarichev,S-Meduna,E/Sochi 1983/MCL (35)}) 19. Nf3 (19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 $14) 19... Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Nd5 21. Ba6 (21. Bh6 Bg7 22. Bd2 b5 $132 {½-½ Hansen,C-Ribli,Z/Plovdiv 1983/EU-chT (42)}) 21... Rcd8 22. Bh6 Bg7 23. Bg5 $14) ({RR} 11... Nce7 12. Bg5 Bd7 13. Ne4 Bxg5 14. Nexg5 h6 15. Ne4 Bc6 16. Ne5 Nf4 17. Bf1 Rc8 18. g3 Nfg6 19. Bg2 Bd5 20. Qd3 Nxe5 21. dxe5 Qb6 22. Nd6 Rc6 23. b4 Bxg2 24. Kxg2 Ng6 25. f4 Ne7 26. Rac1 {Fressinet,L (2693)-Gharamian,T (2671) Nancy 2012 ½-½ (42)}) 12. Ne4 $5 {[%CAl Ge4f6] In this type os position - with isolated ? - White must avoid pieces exchange.} ({Interesting was also} 12. Ne5 $5 Be8 $140 13. Qg4 $14) ({After} 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Qb3 {[%csl Rb7,Rd4,Rd5] position is equal:} Bg4 (13... Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7 16. Qd3+ Bf5 17. Qxd4 Re8 $11) 14. Ne5 Nxd4 15. Qxb7 Be6 $11) ({RR} 12. Bc2 Nce7 13. h4 Bc6 14. Ng5 Nf5 15. Qg4 h6 16. Nf3 Nde7 17. Ne4 Bxd4 18. Nxd4 Qxd4 19. Rb1 Rfd8 20. b4 Bxe4 21. Bxe4 Qb6 22. h5 Rd7 23. Qf4 Nd5 24. Qf3 Rad8 25. Bb2 Nd4 26. Qg3 Nf6 {Williams,S (2442)-Csonka,B (2473) England ENG 2024 0-1 (42)}) 12... Bxd4 (12... h6 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. Ne5 $14) 13. Neg5 $146 (13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Nc5 Bc6 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7 16. Qxd4 $11) ({RR} 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bc4 Qb6 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Nc3 Ne6 17. Nxd5 Qd8 {½-½ (17) Schmidt,W (2505)-Farago,I (2485) Baile Herculane 1982}) 13... h6 14. Nxd4 ({Worth of attention also} 14. Bh7+ Kh8 15. Nxd4 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 hxg5 17. Bb1 Qf6 (17... f5 18. Re5 {[%csl Rd5,Rf5][%CAl Gb1f5]} Qb6 19. Qxb6 Nxb6 20. Bxg5 Nc4 21. Re2 $16) 18. Qg4 Kg8 19. Be4 Bc6 20. Bxg5 Qxb2 21. Rab1 $40 {[%csl Rg8][%CAl Gg4h4]}) 14... hxg5 (14... Nxd4 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Qxd4 {-see previous variation.}) 15. Nf3 $6 $132 (15. Nb3 $142 $5 $14 {[%csl Rg5][%CAl Gb3c5,Gd1h5]}) 15... f6 16. h4 $6 $15 (16. Be4 $142 Nce7 17. Qb3 Qb6 18. Qxb6 axb6 $15) (16. Bc2 Qe8 17. Bb3 {[%csl Rd5][%CAl Gb3d5]} (17. Qd3 Qh5 18. Bb3 $44) 17... Nce7 18. Nd4 {[%csl Re6][%CAl Gd4e6,Ge1e6]} e5 19. Bd2 $13) 16... g4 17. Nh2 g3 $5 ({Right wa also} 17... f5 {[%csl Re5,Rf4,Rg5] but Black doesn't want to weaken black squares in his camp.} 18. Bc4 Qxh4 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Qxd5+ Rf7 21. Bf4 Rd8 $15) 18. fxg3 Ne5 19. Rxe5 $2 $19 {This exchange sacrifice gives to Black decisive advantage, but White wants to complicate position.} (19. Be4 $142 Bc6 $15) 19... fxe5 20. Nf3 Bb5 $1 {[%csl Rd3][%CAl Gb5d3] unexpected strong impact. Black wants to exchang very strong and dangerous piece- Bd3.} 21. Bg5 (21. Bxb5 $144 Qb6+ 22. Kh2 Qxb5 23. Nxe5 Rf5 $19) 21... Qb6+ 22. Kh2 Bxd3 23. Qxd3 Qxb2 24. Re1 Qc3 (24... Rac8 $19) 25. Qxc3 Nxc3 26. Rxe5 Rae8 {White's position is lost. It is possible resign here. However, Dreev doesn't think so!} 27. g4 Rf7 28. Be3 Nd5 29. Bd4 (29. Bxa7 b6 $19) (29. Ng5 Nxe3 30. Rxe3 Rf6 $19) 29... b6 30. Rg5 Nf6 (30... Rc8 $19) 31. Rg6 Rd8 32. h5 Rd5 33. Kh3 Nd7 34. h6 (34. Rxe6 Rxf3+ 35. gxf3 Rxd4 $19) 34... e5 35. Bb2 Nf8 36. Rc6 gxh6 37. Nxe5 Re7 38. Nf3 Re6 39. Rc8 Kf7 40. Nh4 Rd3+ 41. g3 Rd2 42. Bc3 Rd3 43. Nf5 Rd1 ({Wins} 43... Rg6 44. Rc7+ Rd7 $19) 44. Kg2 a5 $2 $17 {Gives to White serious chances for resistance.} ({Strong and simple is} 44... Rg6 45. Rc7+ Rd7 $19) 45. Bd4 {Threatening ?c8-c7+} Ng6 (45... b5 $2 46. Rc7+ Kg8 (46... Ke8 47. Rc8+ Kf7 48. Rc7+ $11) 47. Rg7+ $11) 46. Nxh6+ Ke7 47. Nf5+ Kd7 48. Rb8 Kc7 49. Rg8 Rd3 50. Rg7+ Kb8 51. g5 Rxa3 52. Bf6 {Position became sharp and complicated. It is not easy to stop pass ?g5.} Re2+ 53. Kh3 Nf4+ 54. Kg4 Nd5 55. Nd6 $5 ({Maybe more stubborn is} 55. Rf7 Re4+ $1 (55... a4 $2 56. g6 Re8 57. g7 $18 {and White wins}) (55... Re6 $2 $44 56. Ne7 Nxe7 57. Bxe7 Rae3 58. Bf6 a4 (58... b5 $2 59. g6 Re8 60. g7 Rg8 61. Be7 $18 {Here White wins too!}) 59. g6 Re8 60. g7 Rg8 61. Be7 Rxe7 62. Rxe7 a3 63. Rf7 Rxg7+ 64. Rxg7 a2 65. Rg8+ Kb7 66. Rg7+ Kb8 67. Rg8+ $11) 56. Kh5 Rf3 57. g4 Rh3+ 58. Kg6 Nf4+ 59. Kg7 Ne6+ 60. Kg6 Rxg4 61. Ne7 Rc4 $17) 55... Rd3 56. Nf7 ({Or} 56. Rb7+ Ka8 57. Rf7 Ree3 $1 ({Not} 57... Nxf6+ $2 58. Rxf6 Ree3 59. Nf5 Re4+ (59... Re8 60. Rxb6 Ka7 61. Rb1 a4 62. g6 a3 63. g7 Rg8 64. Kg5 $44) 60. Kh5 Re5 61. g6 Rxg3 62. Kh6 Rg2 63. g7 a4 64. Rg6 Rxg6+ 65. Kxg6 Re8 66. Nd4 Kb7 67. Kh7 a3 68. g8=Q Rxg8 69. Kxg8 b5 70. Kf7 Kb6 71. Nb3 b4 72. Ke6 Kb5 73. Kd5 a2 74. Kd4 Ka4 75. Kc4 Ka3 76. Nd4 Kb2 77. Nb3 Ka3 78. Nd4 $11) 58. Rd7 Rxg3+ 59. Kf5 Rgf3+ 60. Ke6 Nf4+ 61. Kf7 a4 62. Rd8+ Ka7 63. Nb5+ Kb7 64. Rxd3 Rxd3 65. g6 Rd7+ 66. Ke8 Kc6 67. g7 Nh5 68. Nd4+ Rxd4 69. Bxd4 Nxg7+ 70. Bxg7 b5 $19) 56... Re4+ 57. Kf5 Re8 58. Be5+ Ka8 59. g6 ({Or} 59. Nd6 Rf3+ 60. Ke4 (60. Bf4 Rf8+ 61. Ke6 (61. Ke5 Nxf4 62. gxf4 R3xf4 63. Nc8 $1 Rb4 64. Ne7 Re8 65. Kf5 {Threatening ?c6} Rc4 66. Nd5 Rc5 67. Rd7 Rg8 68. g6 a4 $19) 61... Nxf4+ 62. gxf4 R3xf4 63. Nb5 Rf1 64. g6 a4 $19) 60... Re3+ 61. Kxd5 R3xe5+ 62. Kd4 R8e6 63. Nc4 Re1 64. g6 Rd1+ 65. Kc3 Rc6 66. Rg8+ Kb7 67. g7 Rg6 $19) 59... a4 $4 $44 ({Right was only} 59... Re3 $1 60. Bf4 R3e7 61. Rh7 b5 62. Nd6 Rf8+ 63. Kg5 b4 64. Rxe7 Nxe7 65. g7 Rd8 66. Nc4 b3 $1 (66... a4 $2 67. Bd6 Rxd6 (67... Ng8 68. Bxb4 Rd4 69. Nb6+ Kb7 70. Bc3 Rd3 71. Nxa4 $11) 68. Nxd6 a3 69. Nf5 Ng8 70. Nd4 Kb7 71. Kg6 a2 72. Nb3 Kc6 73. Kf7 Nh6+ 74. Kf8 Kd5 75. g4 Kc4 76. g5 Ng8 77. Kxg8 Kxb3 78. Kh7 a1=Q 79. g8=Q+ $11)) 60. Rh7 $4 $19 {Terrible mistake that makes White's defence hopeless.} ({Draw by force is after} 60. Nd6 $1 {[%csl Gg6][%CAl Gg6g8]} Ne3+ (60... Rf8+ 61. Rf7 Rg8 62. g7 $18) 61. Kf4 Nd5+ 62. Kf5 Ne3+ $11) 60... a3 61. g7 ({Too late is} 61. Nd6 Ne7+ 62. Ke4 Rxd6 $1 63. Bxd6 Nxg6+ 64. Kf5 a2 65. Rh1 Ne7+ 66. Bxe7 Rxe7 67. Ra1 Re2 68. g4 b5 69. g5 b4 70. g6 b3 $19) 61... Rf3+ 62. Ke4 Rxf7 63. g8=Q (63. Kxd5 Rf5 $19) 63... Nf6+ 64. Kf4 Nd5+ 65. Ke4 Nf6+ 66. Kf4 Nxg8+ ({Or} 66... Nh5+ 67. Ke4 Rxg8 68. Rxf7 Nxg3+ $19) 67. Rxf7 Ne7 68. Bg7 (68. Bd4 Nd5+ 69. Kf3 a2 $19) 68... Nd5+ 69. Kg5 b5 70. Rd7 Rg8 71. Kh6 Rxg7 72. Rd8+ Kb7 0-1 [Event "FIDE-Wch k.o. f"] [Site "Lausanne"] [Date "1998.01.06"] [Round "8.4"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2770"] [BlackElo "2735"] [Annotator "Ftacnik,Lubomir"] [PlyCount "98"] [EventDate "1998.01.02"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "SUI"] [SourceTitle "CBM 063"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "1998.03.26"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 12. h4 Nf5 (12... Bd7 13. Qd3 h6 (13... g6 14. Bh6 Re8 (14... Bg7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Re5 Bg4 19. g3 f6 20. Ree1 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Qd7 {½-½ Obodchuk,A-Acs,P/Budapest FS11 IM-B 1994 (43)}) 15. h5 Bc6 16. hxg6 hxg6 17. Rad1 Rc8 18. Ne5 Nxc3 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. bxc3 Qa5 21. Bd2 c5 22. c4 Qxa2 23. d5 exd5 24. cxd5 c4 25. Qf3 {1-0 Kosic,D-Cela,A/Balkaniad 1989 (33)}) 14. Ng5 $5 (14. a3 Bc6 15. Ne2 Nb6 16. Ng3 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Qd5 18. Qg4 Kh7 19. Ne4 Nd7 20. Bg5 Nf5 21. Bxf6 Nxf6 22. Nxf6+ gxf6 23. Rac1 Rg8 24. Qe4 Qxe4 25. Rxe4 Rac8 {½-½ Chiburdanidze,M-Ioseliani,N/WchW 1988 (39)}) 14... g6 (14... Ng6 $2 15. Nxf7 $1) (14... Bc6 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bg8 g6 17. Nxf7+) (14... hxg5 15. hxg5 Bc6 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Qh3 $18) 15. Nf3 Bg7 16. h5 $5 g5 (16... gxh5 17. Ne5 $16 {? 18.?g3, 18.?h3}) 17. Nxg5 $3 hxg5 18. Bxg5 $40 f6 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. h6 fxg5 $2 {?} (20... Nxc3 21. Bd2 Ncd5 22. hxg7+ Kxg7 $13 {?} 23. Qh3 Rh8 24. Qh6+ Kf7 25. Qh5+ $11) 21. hxg7+ Kxg7 22. Nxd5 exd5 (22... Nxd5 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. Qh6 $18) 23. Re5 $1 $18 {1-0 Dzhandzhava,L-Kalegin,E/Batumi 1991 (30)}) (12... b6 13. Bg5 Bxg5 14. hxg5 Bb7 15. Qd3 Nb4 16. Qb1 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Rc8 18. a3 Nbd5 19. Ne2 a5 20. g3 Nf5 21. Kg2 Qc7 22. Rac1 Qb7 23. Nc3 Rfd8 24. Nxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxc8+ Qxc8 {1-0 Trofimova,O-Kononenko,T/EU-chJW U20 1995 (36)}) ({RR} 12... Bd7 13. Qd3 g6 14. h5 Bc6 15. hxg6 hxg6 16. Bg5 Bxg5 17. Nxg5 Nf5 18. Qd2 Rc8 19. Rad1 Re8 20. Nf3 Kg7 21. g3 Nf6 {½-½ (21) Ivanov,J (2345)-Banov,B (2046) Dimitrovgrad SRB 2023}) 13. Qd3 (13. Bxf5 exf5 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Nxg5 h6 17. Nf3 $11) 13... Nxc3 $146 ({RR} 13... Nb4 14. Qc4 a5 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. hxg5 Nd6 17. Qb3 Nxe4 18. Rxe4 Ra6 19. a3 Nd5 20. Nxd5 Qxd5 21. Qxd5 exd5 22. Re5 Be6 23. Rc1 Rb6 24. Re2 Bg4 25. Rc5 Rb3 26. Rxa5 b5 27. Rc2 Bxf3 28. gxf3 {Timman,J (2635)-Portisch,L (2600) Frankfurt 1998 1-0 (61)}) 14. bxc3 h6 (14... Nxh4 15. Bxh7+ Kh8 16. Nxh4 Bxh4 17. Be4 $14) 15. h5 (15. g3 Nd6 16. Ba3 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 (17. Bxf8 Nxf2 18. Kxf2 Qxf8 $13) 17... Re8 18. c4 Qc7 $11) (15. Bxf5 exf5 16. Ba3 Re8 17. Rxe8+ Qxe8 18. Re1 Qd8 19. c4 $11) 15... Nd6 16. Ne5 (16. Ba3 $5) 16... Nxe4 (16... Bxe5 $5 17. Bh7+ $1 Kh8 18. dxe5 Nf5 19. Bxf5 exf5 20. Qxd8 Rxd8 21. Be3 $15) 17. Qxe4 Bxe5 18. dxe5 (18. Qxe5 Qd5 (18... b6 $11) 19. Qxd5 exd5 20. Ba3 Rd8 $11) 18... f5 $1 19. Qe2 $6 {After this move only black can hope to create some problems.} (19. exf6 Rxf6 20. Be3 Rf5 21. Rad1 $13) (19. Qf3 $5) 19... Bd7 20. Rd1 Bb5 $1 21. Qf3 (21. Rxd8 Bxe2 22. Rd7 Rf7 23. Rd6 Bxh5 24. Rxe6 Rc7 $15) 21... Qe8 22. Bf4 (22. Qxb7 Bc6 23. Qa6 (23. Qc7 Rc8 24. Qd6 Rf7 $1 (24... Bd5 25. Rxd5 $5 exd5 26. Qxd5+ Kh8 27. Ba3 Rg8 28. Bb4 Qxh5 29. Re1 $15) 25. Qb4 Rfc7 26. Qh4 Bb5 $17) 23... Bb5 (23... Qxh5 24. Bxh6 $1) 24. Qb7 (24. Qa5 Qxh5 25. Ba3 Bc6 26. Bxf8 Qg5 27. g3 Qh5 28. Kf1 Bf3 29. Ke1 Bxd1 30. Rxd1 Rxf8 $15) 24... Bc6 $11) 22... Rc8 23. Rd4 Rc4 24. Rad1 (24. Qxb7 $5 Rxc3 25. Rb1 a6 26. a4 Bc6 27. Qb2 $11) 24... Qf7 25. Rxc4 (25. Rd8 Be8 $1 26. R1d4 Rxd4 27. cxd4 Qxh5 28. Qxb7 Qd1+ 29. Kh2 Qg4 $17) 25... Bxc4 26. a3 {The middlegame is not encouraging, pawns a3, c3, e5 and h5 are potentially very weak.} Rc8 27. Rd4 Kh7 (27... Bd5 28. Qh3 Qc7 29. Rd3 $15) 28. Bd2 Bd5 29. Qh3 b5 30. a4 (30. Qh4 Rc5 31. a4 (31. f3 a5 $17) 31... Be4 32. axb5 Rxb5 $17) 30... bxa4 31. Rxa4 Rc4 32. Rxc4 (32. Rb4 a5 33. Rxc4 Bxc4 34. Qh4 Bb3 $17) (32. Ra3 Qb7 $1 33. Qd3 Rh4 $17) 32... Bxc4 33. Qh4 Bb5 34. c4 (34. Qb4 Qxh5 35. Qxb5 Qd1+ 36. Kh2 Qxd2 $17) 34... Be8 35. c5 $2 {Anand plays this endgame without his usual esprit, the situation was not so critical yet.} (35. Qd8 $1 Qxh5 36. Be3 Qg6 (36... Qf7 37. Qa8 $11) (36... Bc6 37. Qd6 $11) 37. Qa8 a5 38. c5 a4 39. c6 f4 40. c7 Qb1+ 41. Kh2 Bd7 42. Bc5 (42. Bxf4 Qf5 43. Bg3 Qh5+ 44. Kg1 Qd1+ $11) 42... Qg6 43. Kg1 Qb1+ 44. Kh2 $11) 35... Qd7 36. Bc3 Qd3 37. Qd4 (37. Bd4 a5 $17) (37. Bb4 Qd5 $17) 37... Qxd4 38. Bxd4 a5 39. c6 $2 (39. f3 $5 Bxh5 40. c6 Be8 41. c7 Bd7 42. Kf2 a4 43. Bc5 f4 $17) (39. f4 a4 40. Bb2 Bxh5 41. c6 Be8 42. c7 Bd7 43. Kf2 Kg6 44. Ba3 Bc8 45. Ke3 Kf7 46. Kd4 $15) 39... Bxc6 40. f3 f4 $1 (40... Be8 41. g4 $15) 41. Bb2 (41. Bc3 $2 a4 42. Bd2 a3 $19) 41... Be8 42. Bc1 a4 43. Bxf4 a3 44. Be3 Bxh5 {White must have misjudged the consequences of this endgame. The assymetry of the pawns plays in the hands of the side with a spare pawn.} 45. Kf2 (45. g4 a2 46. Bd4 Be8 47. f4 g6 48. Kf2 h5 49. Kg3 Ba4 50. Kh4 Kh6 51. Bc3 Bd1 52. gxh5 gxh5 $19) 45... Be8 46. Bd4 Bc6 47. Bc3 a2 48. g3 h5 49. g4 (49. Kg2 g5 50. Kf2 Kg6 51. Ke3 h4 52. Kf2 h3 $19) (49. f4 Kg6 50. Ke3 Kf5 51. Bb2 Kg4 52. Kf2 h4 53. gxh4 Kxf4 $19) 49... h4 (49... h4 50. f4 g5 $1 51. f5 (51. fxg5 Kg6 52. Ba1 Kxg5 $19) 51... exf5 52. gxf5 g4 $19) 0-1 [Event "EU-chT (Men) 20th"] [Site "Reykjavik"] [Date "2015.11.17"] [Round "5.2"] [White "Radjabov, Teimour"] [Black "Grischuk, Alexander"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2739"] [BlackElo "2750"] [PlyCount "85"] [EventDate "2015.11.13"] [EventType "team-swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ISL"] [SourceTitle "CBM 170"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.01.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Azerbaijan"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] [WhiteClock "0:29:58"] [BlackClock "0:30:14"] 1. Nf3 ({RR} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Nf3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. cxd5 {½-½ (14) Boros,D (2441)-Berkes,F (2648) Budapest 2017}) 1... Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 e6 4. e3 Nc6 5. d4 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd3 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 12. Ne5 Nc6 13. Qd3 h6 14. a3 Nde7 15. Bf4 $146 ({RR} 15. Nxc6 Nxc6 16. d5 exd5 17. Nxd5 Be6 18. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. Be3 a6 20. Rac1 Rfd8 21. Qc3 Qxc3 22. Rxc3 Bd5 23. Bc2 Rac8 24. Bb6 Re8 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. Kf1 Ne5 27. b3 Be6 28. f3 Rc8 29. Rxc8+ Bxc8 {Ljubojevic,L (2595)-Khalifman,A (2645) Groningen 1993 1-0 (61)}) 15... Qxd4 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Qg3 Nf5 18. Qh3 Qb6 19. Rac1 e5 20. Bd2 Nd4 21. Qg3 Qxb2 22. Bxh6 Nf5 23. Bxf5 Bxf5 24. Bg5 Bxg5 25. Qxg5 Bh7 26. Qxe5 Qxa3 27. h4 Rad8 28. Ra1 Qd6 29. Rxa7 Qxe5 30. Rxe5 Rfe8 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 32. Rc7 Be4 33. f3 Bd5 34. Kf2 g6 35. Nxd5 cxd5 36. Rd7 Re5 37. f4 Re4 38. Kf3 Rd4 39. Ke3 Rd1 40. Ke2 Rd4 41. Ke3 Rd1 42. Ke2 Rd4 43. Ke3 1/2-1/2 [Event "Candidates Tournament"] [Site "London"] [Date "2013.03.29"] [Round "12"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2809"] [BlackElo "2810"] [Annotator "Postny,Evgeny"] [PlyCount "124"] [EventDate "2013.03.15"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [EventCategory "22"] [SourceTitle "CBM 154"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.05.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 ({The main line is} 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O {White has a space advantage, but Black's position is out of weaknesses and his majority on the queenside might tell in a certain endgame.}) 6... Nc6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. a3 O-O ({RR} 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Qc2 h6 11. O-O b6 12. Rd1 Bf6 13. dxc5 Qc7 14. cxb6 axb6 15. Bb2 Ne5 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Be4 Ra5 18. c4 Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 Bxb2 20. Qxb2 Ba6 21. Be2 Bxc4 22. Bxc4 Qxc4 23. Qxb6 {Aronian,L (2758)-Wang,H (2726) Douglas 2019 1-0 (59)}) 9. Qc2 {Levon is trying to gain something by a slightly tricky order of moves. Objectively, the main move 9.0-0 is more promising.} ({The position after} 9. O-O cxd4 10. exd4 {may arise also from the Panov Attack in the Caro-Kann.}) ({RR} 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. Qc2 h6 11. Be4 Qd6 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Qxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Be7 15. Bb2 Bd7 16. Ke2 Rfd8 17. Rhd1 f5 18. Bc2 Bf6 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. Rac1 Kf7 21. Bb3 Ke7 22. Rc5 Be8 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 {Radjabov,T (2765)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2784) chess24.com INT 2020 ½-½ (84)}) 9... cxd4 10. exd4 f5 $146 {The idea itself is not new, but in this particular position it hasn't appeared beforehand. Black is going to put the bishop on f6, pressing the ?d4. In a later interview Kramnik said that he figured out this plan over the board. Well done! The previously played 10...h6 is also perfectly playable.} (10... h6 11. O-O Bf6 12. Rd1 (12. Be3 Nce7 13. Ne4 b6 14. Rad1 Bb7 $11) 12... Qb6 13. Bc4 Rd8 14. Ne2 Bd7 15. Qe4 Nce7 16. Bd3 Ba4 (16... Ng6 $142) 17. Qh7+ Kf8 18. Re1 Bb5 19. Bxb5 Qxb5 20. Ng3 Ng6 21. Ne5 Nde7 22. Bxh6 $1 $40 {1-0 (41) Smyslov,V (2600)-Ribli,Z (2615) London 1983}) ({RR} 10... h6 11. O-O Bf6 12. Rd1 Bd7 13. Qe2 Be7 14. Bb1 Bd6 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Qd3 f5 17. Ba2 Be6 18. Re1 Qd7 19. Bd2 Rfe8 20. Nh4 g5 21. Nf3 Bf7 22. Bc3 Re4 23. Nd2 Ree8 24. Nf1 Ne7 25. Bb1 {Erdos,V (2545)-Dankhazi,A (2329) Hungary HUN 2025 ½-½ (43)}) 11. O-O Bf6 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Be3 b5 $1 {Developing the queenside and, at the same time, covering the c4-square.} (13... Nxd4 $2 14. Bxd4 Bxd4 15. Bc4 Qc5 16. Rad1 {The black bishop has nowhere to go as it is tied to protecting the queen.} b5 $8 17. Rxd4 bxc4 18. Rxc4 {and White is clearly better as the knight is going to occupy the commanding e5-outpost.}) 14. Qe2 (14. Qc5 Qxc5 15. dxc5 a6 16. a4 b4 $11) 14... Bb7 15. Rac1 $6 {Levon definitely saw the possibility to force a draw after 15.?xb5, but decided to play for a win. Objectively speaking his position is not better, but in the current tournament situation only a win could keep him in the race for the first place.} (15. Bxb5 {could force a draw by repetition:} f4 16. Bc4 Qe4 17. Bd3 Qd5 $11) 15... a6 16. Rfd1 f4 $5 {Kramnik decided to force matters.} (16... Rac8 17. Rc5 Qd6 {was very good for Black as well. The idea f5-f4 is a potential threat.} (17... Nxd4 $6 18. Bxd4 Rxc5 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Qxe6+ Kh8 21. b4 Qc3 22. Qxf5 g6 $11)) 17. Rc5 (17. Bxf4 $2 Nxd4 $19) (17. Rxc6 $2 Qxc6 18. Bxf4 Bxd4 $19) 17... Qd6 18. Qc2 $2 {Both players had to calculate a lot.} (18. Bxf4 $1 Qxf4 19. Qxe6+ Kh8 (19... Rf7 $2 20. Bxh7+ Kf8 21. Bg6 Nd8 22. Qh3 $16) 20. Rh5 (20. Rxc6 $2 Bxc6 21. Qxc6 Bxd4 22. Qe4 Qxe4 23. Bxe4 Rad8 $1 24. Nxd4 (24. Rxd4 $2 Rxd4 25. Nxd4 Rd8 $19) 24... Rf7 {[%CAl Gf7d7] Black gains the piece back and remains with an extra exchange in the endgame.}) 20... h6 21. Nh4 $1 {This idea is very difficult to spot in advance.} Ne7 (21... Bxh4 $4 22. Qg6 {is the point.}) (21... Ne5 22. Rxe5 Bxh4 23. Qg6 Qxf2+ 24. Kh1 Bxg2+ 25. Qxg2 Qxg2+ 26. Kxg2 {and it should be a draw thanks to the opposite coloured bishops.}) 22. g3 Qxd4 23. Qxe7 $1 Qxf2+ $1 (23... Bxe7 $2 24. Ng6+ Kg8 25. Nxe7+ Kf7 26. Bg6+ Kxe7 27. Rxd4 $14) 24. Kxf2 Bxe7+ 25. Kg1 Bf6 $1 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Nxf8 Bf3 28. Rd2 Bxh5 29. Nd7 {and White survives somehow.}) (18. Bd2 $2 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Qxc5 20. Qxe6+ Rf7 21. Bxh7+ Kxh7 22. Qxf7 Qxd4 23. Qxb7 Rd8 {and the pin along the d-file will cost White material.}) 18... fxe3 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20. fxe3 Ne7 $2 {Another human move and another mistake.} (20... Rac8 $1 {preparing the counterstrike ...?xd4!} 21. Rh5 Nxd4 22. Qd3 (22. Bg8+ $2 Kxg8 23. Qh7+ Kf7 $19) 22... Bxf3 23. gxf3 Nxf3+ 24. Kg2 Qxd3 25. Bxd3+ Kg8 26. Kxf3 Bxb2+ 27. Ke2 Bxa3 {and Black should win.}) 21. e4 $2 (21. Rh5 {This move is so tempting, I don't know how Levon managed to resist playing it. This position is already in White's favour!} Rac8 (21... Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rac8 23. Qg2 $40) 22. Qe2 $1 (22. Ne5 $6 Bxe5 (22... Rxc2 $6 {falls into the classical tactics, like from the old books:} 23. Bxc2+ Kg8 24. Bh7+ Kh8 25. Bg6+ Kg8 26. Bf7+ $1 Rxf7 27. Rh8+ $1 Kxh8 28. Nxf7+ Kg8 29. Nxd6 {This position is still difficult to estimate. White's rook + two pawns should be superior to Black's pair of bishops.}) 23. dxe5 Qb6 24. Qd3 Rcd8 25. Qxd8 Qxe3+ (25... Rxd8 $4 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Bf5+ Kg8 28. Bxe6+ Kf8 29. Rh8+ Ng8 30. Rxg8+ Ke7 31. Rxd8 $18) 26. Kh1 Bxg2+ $1 27. Kxg2 Qf3+ 28. Kg1 Qf2+ $11) 22... g6 (22... Bxf3 23. Qxf3 Bg5 24. Bb1+ Bh6 25. Qe4 Nf5 26. g4 Rce8 27. Kh1 $1 $16) 23. Bxg6+ Kg7 24. Bb1 Kf7 25. Ne5+ Ke8 26. Rh7 $40) 21... Rac8 $2 (21... Qf4 {was far more convincing} 22. Rh5 g6 $1 {is the most precise way to defuse White's attack} (22... Ng8 {[%CAl Gg8h6] is a good defensive move.}) 23. Bxg6+ Kg7 $19) 22. e5 {The next five-six moves are pretty forced.} Bxe5 23. Nxe5 (23. Rxc8 $2 Rxc8 24. dxe5 Qb6+ 25. Qf2 Qxf2+ 26. Kxf2 Kxh7 $19) 23... Rxc5 24. Ng6+ $1 (24. Qxc5 Qxc5 25. dxc5 Kxh7 26. Rd7 Nc6 {and Black keeps the extra piece.}) 24... Nxg6 25. dxc5 {[%tqu "En","A lot of pieces are hanging. What should be done?","","","b7e4","",5]} Be4 $1 26. Rxd6 Bxc2 27. Bxg6 Bxg6 28. Rxe6 (28. Rxa6 Bd3 29. h4 e5 $19) 28... Bd3 29. h4 a5 30. c6 Rf1+ $2 {This is according to the rule to put the rook behind the pawn, but here this was the case for an exception!} (30... Rc8 $1 31. Kf2 Bc4 32. Rd6 Bf7 {[%csl Rc6][%CAl Gf7e8] Black wins the annoying pawn and rest is a matter of technique.}) 31. Kh2 Rc1 32. Re3 $1 Bb1 33. Rc3 {The point. White saves the important c-pawn.} Rxc3 34. bxc3 {Black's extra piece is not enough for a win. White has a strong passed pawn and another potential passer on the kingside.} Kg8 35. c7 Bf5 36. Kg3 Kf7 37. Kf4 Bc8 38. Kg5 Bd7 {Black has to wait with the bishop until White runs out of useful moves.} 39. h5 Be6 40. g3 a4 (40... Ke7 41. Kg6 Kf8 42. Kg5 $11) 41. g4 Kf8 42. Kf4 Ke7 {Now the king can go to pick up the pawn, but it's not enough for a win.} 43. g5 Kd7 44. Ke5 Bg8 45. c8=Q+ {Not a mistake, but requires precise calculation.} (45. Kd4 {was the easiest way:} Kxc7 46. Kc5 Bc4 47. h6 gxh6 48. gxh6 Bd3 49. Kd4 Bh7 50. c4 {exchanging the b-pawn and then White's king reaches the safe a1 corner. Just a draw.}) 45... Kxc8 46. Kd6 Kd8 47. Kc6 Ke7 48. Kxb5 Ke6 49. Kxa4 Kf5 50. g6 $4 {Choosing between 50.g6 and 50.h6 Levon didn't manage to calculate well.} (50. h6 g6 51. Kb5 Kxg5 52. a4 Kxh6 53. a5 g5 54. a6 g4 (54... Bd5 55. c4 Be4 56. c5 g4 57. c6 g3 58. a7 g2 59. a8=Q g1=Q $11) 55. c4 g3 56. a7 g2 57. a8=Q g1=Q $11) 50... Kg5 51. Kb5 Kxh5 52. a4 Kxg6 53. a5 Kf6 54. a6 (54. c4 Ke5 55. c5 g5 56. a6 Bd5 57. Kb6 g4 58. a7 Ba8 $1 59. c6 Kd6 60. c7 Kd7 $19) 54... Bd5 55. c4 Ba8 56. Kb6 Ke5 {Black's pieces are just in time to stop the white pawns.} 57. Kc7 g5 58. Kb8 Be4 59. Kc7 g4 60. a7 g3 61. c5 Ba8 62. Kb8 Bc6 {An epic fight. There were many mistakes which are not typical for these two great players. However, let's not forget that this was already round twelve of the very tense tournament with a lot at stake. At the press conference after the battle both grandmasters looked completely exhausted.} 0-1 [Event "EU-ch 11th"] [Site "Rijeka"] [Date "2010.03.10"] [Round "5"] [White "Potkin, Vladimir"] [Black "Volokitin, Andrei"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2606"] [BlackElo "2687"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2010.03.06"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "CRO"] [SourceTitle "CBM 136"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2010.05.18"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 cxd4 7. exd4 Be7 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 12. Ne5 Bd7 13. Qd3 g6 14. Bh6 Bg7 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Bxd5 exd5 {[%mdl 16] A well-known theoretical position and typical middlegame setup! See e.g. Hracek - Janjgava in CBM 44 and PH. Nielsen - Hoi in CBM 46.} 17. Qd2 {Freeing the d3-square for the knight. Other options seen in practice:} (17. Qf3 Bf5 (17... Be6 $143 18. Nd3 Nc6 19. Nc5 Qf6 20. Qxf6+ Kxf6 21. Rad1 b6 22. Nd3 Rfd8 23. Ne5 Rac8 24. Nxc6 Rxc6 25. Rd2 a6 26. f3 Rc4 27. Kf2 $14 {1-0 Lein,A (2485)-Burger,K (2420)/Beersheba 1982/MCD (41)}) 18. Rad1 f6 19. Nd3 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 (20. Qxd3 Qd7 21. h3 Rad8 $11 {1/2 Bojkovic,N (2424)-Kononenko,T (2388)/Antalya 2002/CBM 090 ext (29)}) 20... Qd7 {1/2 Sturua,Z (2594)-Burmakin,V (2538)/Biel 2000/CBM 077 ext}) (17. h3 f6 18. Nf3 Rf7 (18... Bc6 19. Re2 Qd7 20. b4 b6 21. b5 Bb7 22. a4 g5 23. Rae1 Ng6 24. Re3 Rae8 25. Nh2 Rxe3 26. Qxe3 Rf7 27. Qd2 Re7 28. Rxe7+ Qxe7 29. Nf1 Qd6 30. Qe3 Kf7 $11 {1/2 Kosten,A (2540)-Kuczynski,R (2480)/Saint Affrique 1995/EXT 1999 (40)}) 19. Re2 Rc8 20. Rae1 Bc6 21. Nh4 Qc7 22. Qf3 Rd8 23. g3 Rd6 24. g4 Rd7 25. Ng2 g5 26. Nd1 $6 (26. h4 h6 $14) 26... Bb5 $1 27. Re6 Rd6 $11 {1-0 Hracek,Z (2530)-Janjgava,L (2500)/Moscow 1994/CBM 044 ext/[Ftacnik] (58)}) (17. h4 Be6 $6 (17... f6 $1 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 $11) 18. h5 Nf5 19. g4 Nh6 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Nxg6 $14 {1/2 Jovanic,O (2464)-Hagarova,Z (2364)/Pardubice 2006/CBM 113 ext (41)}) (17. Re2 Be6 (17... f6 $142 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 {- game}) 18. Rae1 Nf5 19. Nf3 Rc8 20. Qd2 h6 21. h3 Rc4 $5 22. b3 Rc8 23. Na4 b6 24. Rc1 Rxc1+ 25. Qxc1 Qf6 26. Qd2 Rc8 $10 {1/2 Nielsen,P (2500)-Hoi,C (2415)/Copenhagen 1995/CBM 046/[Hansen,LB] (36)}) 17... Bf5 $1 {[%mdl 288] Black's bishop is really "bad" (the d5-pawn restricts it, and it has no other useful diagonals to operate on) so he is ready to exchange it for White's knight on d3.} 18. Re2 (18. g4 $5 {looks attractive, in order to push the bishop back, but Black meets it with} f6 $1 19. gxf5 fxe5 {solving all problems.}) 18... f6 19. Nd3 Bxd3 20. Qxd3 Qd7 {Now White has only a small initiative remaining, due to his more active pieces. It can be neutralised by accurate defence.} 21. Rae1 Nc6 22. g3 (22. h3 Rae8 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Rxe8 Qxe8 25. Nxd5 Qe1+ 26. Qf1 Qxf1+ 27. Kxf1 Nxd4 {1/2 Efimenko,Z (2572)-Lahno,K (2472)/Montreal 2004/CBM 103}) 22... Rf7 23. Re3 $146 (23. Na4 b6 24. Nc3 Rd8 25. Kg2 Qf5 26. Rd2 Qd7 27. h3 Re7 28. Rxe7+ Nxe7 {1/2 Topalov,V (2650)-Vyzmanavin,A (2605)/Groningen 1993/CBM 039}) ({RR} 23. Kg2 Re7 24. Rxe7+ Nxe7 25. h4 Nc6 26. h5 Rd8 27. Qe3 gxh5 28. Rh1 Re8 29. Qd3 Qf7 30. Qd1 Rd8 31. Ne2 Qg6 32. Nf4 Qf7 33. Rxh5 Ne7 34. Qg4+ Kh8 35. Qf3 Rd6 36. Qa3 Nc8 37. Qc5 Rc6 {Wegner,H (2370)-Schmidt,B (2340) Germany 1993 ½-½ (65)}) 23... Rd8 24. Kg2 Re7 25. h4 Rxe3 26. Qxe3 Qg4 27. f3 Qd7 28. Na4 b6 29. Nc3 h5 30. Nb5 a6 31. Nc3 b5 32. Qf4 Qd6 33. Qxd6 Rxd6 34. Ne2 Re6 35. Kf1 1/2-1/2 [Event "Danzhou 7th"] [Site "Danzhou"] [Date "2016.07.11"] [Round "4"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Bu, Xiangzhi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2778"] [BlackElo "2723"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "95"] [EventDate "2016.07.08"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "CHN"] [EventCategory "20"] [SourceTitle "CBM 174"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.09.13"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e3 Nc6 7. Bd3 cxd4 8. exd4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 12. Qd3 g6 13. Bh6 Bg7 14. Bg5 {A rare move in this well-known position. White usually agrees to the exchange of the dark-squared bishops playing} (14. Bxg7) ({or} 14. Qd2) ({RR} 14. Qd2 b6 15. h4 Bb7 16. h5 Nxc3 17. Bxb7 Bxh6 18. Qxh6 Nf5 19. Qf4 Rb8 20. bxc3 Rxb7 21. hxg6 hxg6 22. g3 Qc7 {½-½ (22) Hoi,C (2323)-Boe,M (2283) Denmark DEN 2023}) 14... f6 {That is exactly the weakening White wanted to provoke.} (14... Qd6 $5 {may be more accurate although there has been only one game at the GM level:} 15. Ne5 f6 {(in a better version; Black now easily completes his development and equalizes)} 16. Nc4 Qd7 17. Bd2 b6 18. Rad1 Bb7 {1/2 (18) Ribli,Z (2595)-Jansa,V (2450) Moscow 1977}) ({RR} 14... Qd6 15. Ne5 f6 16. Nc4 Qd7 17. Bd2 b6 18. Rad1 Bb7 {½-½ (18) Ribli,Z (2595)-Jansa,V (2450) Moscow (Russia) 1977}) 15. Bd2 $146 {It is hard to say which retreat of the bishop is better.} (15. Bh4 Nxc3 (15... Bd7 $5 {is probably more solid}) 16. bxc3 f5 $5 17. Bxe7 (17. Bd5 $5 Qxd5 18. Bxe7 Re8 19. c4) 17... fxe4 18. Bxd8 exd3 19. Bg5 Bd7 20. Rad1 Bb5 21. Rxe6 Rfe8 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 $14 {1-0 (40) Zude,A (2385)-Meduna,E (2495) Germany 1991}) ({RR} 15. Bh4 Nb6 16. Qe2 g5 17. Bg3 g4 18. Nd2 f5 19. Bc2 Nc6 20. Nb3 Nxd4 21. Nxd4 Qxd4 22. Rad1 Qf6 23. Bf4 Bd7 24. Bb3 Rfe8 25. Rd6 Rad8 26. Qd2 Bc8 27. Rd1 Rxd6 28. Qxd6 Bf8 29. Qb8 Nd7 {Zapolocki,D (2345)-Mukoseev,A Kstovo 1998 0-1 (53)}) ({RR} 15. Bh4 Nxc3 16. bxc3 f5 17. Bxe7 fxe4 18. Bxd8 exd3 19. Bg5 Bd7 20. Rad1 Bb5 21. Rxe6 Rfe8 22. Rxe8+ Rxe8 23. Re1 Rc8 24. Bd2 a5 25. Ne5 a4 26. Rb1 Ba6 27. f4 g5 28. g3 Rf8 29. Rb4 gxf4 {Zude,A (2385)-Meduna,E (2495) Germany 1991 1-0 (40)}) 15... Nxc3 16. Qxc3 Nd5 17. Qb3 b6 18. Bb4 $5 Rf7 19. Nd2 Bb7 20. Ba3 Qd7 21. Nc4 Bf8 22. Bxf8 Rfxf8 {Black has no problems; moreover, White's isolated pawn may cause him trouble since the position is quite simplified.} 23. g3 Rac8 24. Bg2 Kg7 25. a4 Rfd8 (25... Rc7 26. a5 Rfc8 {was more accurate, parrying White's queenside activity.}) 26. a5 b5 $6 {This weakening move was unnecessary.} (26... Bc6 $5 {[%CAl Yd7b7,Yc6b5]} 27. axb6 axb6 28. Nxb6 Qb7 $1 29. Bxd5 Bxd5 30. Qa3 $1 Rc6 (30... Qxb6 $2 31. Qe7+ Kg8 32. Ra7) 31. Nxd5 Rxd5 {with a probable draw.}) 27. Nd2 Qc6 28. a6 $1 {[%mdl 64]} Ba8 (28... Bxa6 29. Ne4 $1 Rc7 30. Nc5 Bc8 31. Ra6 $3 Bxa6 32. Bxd5 exd5 (32... Rxd5 33. Nxe6+) (32... Qxd5 33. Nxe6+ Kg8 34. Qxd5 Rxd5 35. Nxc7 Rd6 36. Ra1 Bc8 37. Rxa7 Rxd4 38. Ne8 $16) 33. Ne6+ Kh8 34. Nxd8 Qd7 35. Ne6 $36) 29. Qa3 b4 30. Qa5 (30. Qa2 $142 $1 $14 {[%CAl Yd2b3,Yb3c5] restricting Black's counterplay.}) 30... Qc2 $1 31. Ne4 Qxb2 32. Nc5 Rd6 33. Nb7 Rd7 {An obvious move but Black misses a good chance:} (33... Rc2 $1 34. Rf1 (34. Nxd6 {loses to} Rxf2 35. Be4 (35. Bf1 Nf4 $1) 35... Nf4 $3 36. Qc7+ Kh6 37. Nf7+ Kh5 38. Qxf4 $8 Rxf4 39. Bxa8 Qxd4+ 40. Kh1 Rf2 $19 {[%csl Gb4,Rf7,Rh1]}) 34... Rd7 {is a much better version for Black than the immediate rook retreat} ({but} 34... Rb6 $1 35. Bxd5 exd5 36. Qxd5 Rxf2 {is even simpler as White must now give a prepetual by} 37. Qd7+ Kh6 38. Qh3+)) 34. Nc5 Rd6 35. Nb7 Rd7 36. Qb5 $1 Nb6 37. Nc5 Bxg2 38. Kxg2 Rd6 39. Rab1 Qa2 (39... Qc3 $142 $1 40. Nxe6+ Kf7 41. Nf4 Qc4 $1 ({but not} 41... Qxd4 42. Qe2 $1) 42. Qxb4 Qxd4 {, and Black holds on.}) 40. Rb3 $1 {[%csl Ra2]} Qc2 41. Qxb4 Kf7 $2 {[%mdl 8192] A tactical blunder.} (41... Re8 $1 42. Re4 Re7 $14 {is unpleasant for Black but that was the best defence.}) 42. Rb2 $1 Qf5 (42... Qc4 43. Qxc4 Nxc4 44. Rb7+ $18) (42... Rxd4 43. Qxd4 Qxc5 44. Qxc5 Rxc5 45. Rbb1 $1 $18 {[%CAl Yb1c1]}) 43. Ne4 $18 {Black loses material due to the knight fork.} Rdc6 44. Nd6+ Rxd6 45. Qxd6 Re8 46. d5 $5 Nxd5 (46... Qxd5+ 47. Qxd5 Nxd5 48. Rb7+ Re7 49. Reb1 $18) 47. Rb7+ Re7 48. Qb8 1-0 [Event "Capablanca Memorial Elite 46th"] [Site "Havana"] [Date "2011.05.15"] [Round "5"] [White "Le, Quang Liem"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2687"] [BlackElo "2776"] [Annotator "Krasenkow,Michal"] [PlyCount "69"] [EventDate "2011.05.11"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "CUB"] [EventCategory "19"] [SourceTitle "CBM 143"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2011.07.15"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 e6 6. d4 Nc6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 b6 10. Qc2 Nxc3 (10... g6 {gives White a strong possibility} 11. dxc5 $1 (11. e4 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 cxd4 13. Nb5 {1-0 Utemov,V (2430)-Lugovoi,A (2315)/Smolensk 1992/EXT 1997 (43)} Nf6 $13) (11. b4 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Bd7 13. dxc5 Bf6 14. Nd4 bxc5 15. bxc5 Nxd4 16. exd4 Bc6 17. Bb2 Rb8 18. Rae1 Qc7 19. Ba1 Rfd8 20. Qc4 Bb5 21. Qb3 Bc6 {1/2 Portisch,L-Tal,M/Palma de Mallorca 1966/EXT 1998}) 11... bxc5 12. Rd1 Nxc3 (12... Qc7 13. Bd2 (13. b3 $14) 13... Bb7 14. Ne4 Nb8 15. Rac1 Nd7 16. b4 Rfc8 17. Bb5 Bc6 18. Ba6 Bb7 {1/2 Gheorghiu,F (2545)-Tal,M (2620)/Leningrad 1977/MCL}) 13. Qxc3 Rb8 (13... Ba6 $6 {1-0 Najdorf,M-Salomon,J/Montevideo 1954/MCL (40)} 14. e4 $1 $16 {[%CAl Rc1h6]}) 14. Bc2 Qb6 15. Rb1 (15. b3 f5 16. Rb1 Bf6 17. Qe1 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Bb2 Bxb2 20. Rxb2 Ba6 21. Rbb1 Rfd8 {1/2 Minev,N-Dely,P/Sinaia 1964/EXT 2003}) 15... Ba6 16. b3 f5 17. Bb2 Bf6 18. Qe1 Bxb2 19. Rxb2 Qa5 20. Qxa5 Nxa5 21. Rbb1 Rfd8 22. Ne5 Rxd1+ 23. Bxd1 Rd8 (23... Rb7 $5 {[%CAl Ya5c4]}) 24. b4 cxb4 25. axb4 Nc4 26. Nc6 Rd7 27. Ra1 Bb7 28. Nxa7 Rd2 29. Bb3 Bd5 30. Bxc4 Bxc4 31. Nc6 Rb2 32. h4 Bb5 33. Nd4 Rxb4 34. Nxe6 Rxh4 $14 {1-0 Kortschnoj,V-Tal,M/Kiev 1964/URS-ch (93)}) 11. bxc3 g6 {[%CAl Ye7f6,Yf6g7]} (11... h6 $143 12. Bb2 (12. Rd1 Qc7 13. e4 $6 Na5 14. Ne5 (14. Qb2 $142 Bb7 $132) 14... cxd4 15. cxd4 Qxc2 16. Bxc2 Bb7 $15 {0-1 Rogers,I (2400)-Garcia,G (2330)/La Valetta 1980/EXT 2000 (33)}) 12... Bf6 13. Rad1 Qe7 14. e4 g5 $6 15. e5 Bg7 16. Qe2 Bb7 {1-0 Iljin,A (2513)-Astashin,A (2210)/Saratov 2006/EXT 2008 (37)} 17. Qe4 Rfd8 18. h4 $16) 12. Rd1 cxd4 (12... Qc7 {is probably simpler:} 13. e4 Rd8 (13... Na5 {is possible here, too, although White can now reply} 14. Bh6 Rd8 15. Qb2 Bb7 16. Rac1) 14. h4 $6 (14. Qe2 cxd4 15. cxd4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Rxd4 17. Bb2 $44) 14... Na5 15. Qb1 Bd7 16. Be3 Ba4 17. Re1 Rac8 $36 {0-1 Shishmarev,V-Lugovoi,A (2315)/St Petersburg 1992/EXT 1997 (47)}) 13. cxd4 (13. exd4 Bb7 14. Bh6 Re8 15. Qd2 Bf8 16. Bxf8 Rxf8 17. Qf4 Ne7 18. Ne5 Nd5 19. Qd2 Rc8 20. c4 Ne7 21. Qf4 Nf5 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. d5 Qd6 $13 {1-0 Toran Albero,R-Donner,J/Palma de Mallorca 1967/EXT 1998 (28)}) 13... Bb7 (13... Bd7 14. Bb2 Na5 {1/2 Rajkovic,D-Simic,R (2485)/Medulin 1983/EXT 2009}) 14. Bb2 Rc8 15. Qe2 Na5 (15... Bf6 16. h4 Qd6 17. h5 Rfd8 18. Be4 Qe7 19. h6 $6 Bg5 $2 (19... Qf8 $13) 20. Nxg5 Qxg5 21. Rac1 Qe7 22. d5 $36 {1-0 Bischoff,K (2505)-Costa,J (2360)/Berlin West 1989/EXT 2008 (28)}) 16. e4 Bf6 {The position has assumed a character of the Petrosian system in the Queen's Indian but the version is clearly inferior for White (his "wrong" rook is on d1, and Black has an extra tempo).} 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. h4 $146 {[%mdl 512]} ({RR} 18. Qe3 Bg7 19. h4 a6 20. h5 b5 21. h6 Bh8 22. Nd2 Bf6 23. f4 Qd8 24. Rxc8 Qxc8 25. Rc1 Qd7 26. Bf1 Rc8 27. Rxc8+ Qxc8 28. Bc3 Qc7 29. Bb4 Nc6 30. Bc5 Nb8 31. d5 Nd7 32. Bd4 Bxd4 {Heimann,A (2548)-Harika,D (2508) Lingen 2015 ½-½ (43)}) 18... Bxh4 {Black boldly accepts this pawn sacrifice not fearing anything.} (18... Bg7 19. h5 Rfd8 $11 {was quite solid.}) 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. d5 (20. Nxh4 $1 Qxh4 21. d5 $44 {[%csl Rg8][%CAl Gb2h8] was more to the point.}) 20... Bf6 21. d6 Qd8 22. d7 Rc5 {White's d7-pawn gives him some compensation for the missing pawn but it can only be enough for equality.} 23. Bxf6 Qxf6 24. Ba6 Qd8 25. Bxb7 Nxb7 26. Qd2 Rc7 27. Ne5 f6 28. Ng4 h5 29. Qh6 hxg4 30. Qxg6+ Kf8 31. Qh6+ Kg8 32. Qg6+ Kf8 33. Qh7 Rc5 34. Qh8+ Kf7 35. Qh7+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "Moscow Aeroflot op-A"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2006.02.14"] [Round "7"] [White "Kazhgaleyev, Murtas"] [Black "Dreev, Alexey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D42"] [WhiteElo "2607"] [BlackElo "2697"] [Annotator "Lukacs,Peter"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2006.02.08"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "RUS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 112"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.06.07"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2006.06.07"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. exd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bc4 (7. Bb5 $5 e6 8. O-O Be7 9. d4 O-O 10. Re1 {is the main line here, in several cases White takes on c6 and tries to blockade the × c6 on c5.}) 7... Nb6 (7... e6 8. O-O Be7 9. d4 O-O {leads to the Tarrasch D41}) (7... Nxc3 8. bxc3 (8. Qb3 Nd5 9. Bxd5 e6 10. Be4 Be7 11. O-O O-O)) 8. Bb5 (8. Bb3 Bf5 $1 {? e6, ?e7, 0-0 is the safest continuation for Black.} (8... g6 9. d4 Bg7 10. d5 {This strong d ? secures White some space advantage in the ? .} (10. Be3 O-O 11. d5 {The insertion of ?e3 0-0 can only be useful for Black.} Na5 12. Bd4 Nxb3 13. axb3 e5 14. Bc5 Re8 15. O-O e4 16. Bxb6 Qxb6 $15 {Busch-Khenkin, Baden-Baden 1990}) 10... Na5 11. O-O O-O 12. Re1 Bg4 13. h3 Bxf3 (13... Nxb3 14. axb3 Bf5 15. Be3) 14. Qxf3 Re8 15. Rd1 Qd7 $5 (15... Rc8 16. d6 Nxb3 17. axb3 exd6 18. Rxa7 $16 {Timman-Khenkin, Tilburg 1994}) (15... Nxb3 16. axb3 Qd7 17. Be3 $14) 16. Be3 $140 Nac4 $13) (8... Nd4 9. Nxd4 (9. O-O Nxb3 10. Qxb3 Be6 (10... e6 11. d4 Be7 12. Re1 O-O) 11. Qb5+ Qd7) 9... Qxd4 10. O-O (10. d3 Bg4 11. Be3) 10... Bg4 11. Qc2 Bd7 12. d3 Bc6 13. Be3 Qd7 14. f4 $5 g6 15. Rad1 Bg7 16. Bxb6 axb6 17. d4 $36 {Makarichev-Dely, Amsterdam 1974}) (8... Qd3 {By this way Black cannot fight against d4.} 9. Bc2 Qa6 10. d4 Bg4 (10... Nb4 11. Be4 Be6 12. a3 N4d5 13. Ng5 Nxc3 14. Nxe6 Qc4 15. bxc3 Qxe6 16. Qe2 $16 {Relange-Rausis, Hastings 1997}) 11. Bd3 Qa5 12. h3 $14) 9. d4 e6 10. O-O Be7 11. d5 $1 {is probably the best, but after the mass exchanges in the ? the draw is hard to avoid.} (11. a4 {Black's position is rock-solid, this push is not dangerous for him.} Na5 (11... O-O 12. a5 Nd5 13. a6 bxa6 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Bd2 Bg4 16. Bc3 Rb8 17. Bc2 Nb4 18. Bxb4 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 Rxb4 $11 {Berend-Speelman, Gothenburg 2005}) 12. Ba2 (12. Bc2 Bxc2 13. Qxc2 O-O $11) 12... O-O 13. Qe2 Rc8 14. Rd1 Nd5 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Bd2 Nc4 $13 {Aronian-Reuss, Deizisau 2003}) (11. h3 O-O 12. a3 Bf6 13. Be3 Rc8 14. Qe2 Rc7 15. Rfd1 Rd7 $11 {Topalov-Marovic, Gran Canaria 1993}) 11... exd5 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 (13. Qxd5 Qxd5 14. Bxd5 O-O 15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Nxg5 h6 17. Nf3 Rfd8 $11 {Atutubo-Adorjan, Manila 1992}) 13... O-O 14. Bf4 (14. Be3 Bf6 $11 {Spassky-Portisch, Mexico m/7 1980 29/(176)}) 14... Qb6 15. Bxc6 Qxc6 16. Nd4 Qe4 17. Nxf5 Qxf5 18. Be3 {½-½ Makarichev-Adorjan, Sarajevo 1982}) 8... e6 (8... Bd7 9. d4 e6 (9... a6 10. Bd3 (10. Be2 {The ? is passive here, it belongs to d3.} e6 11. O-O Be7 12. Re1 O-O 13. a3 Nd5 14. Bd3 Rc8 15. Ne4 h6 16. Bc2 $13 {Brodsky-Pavlenko, Bydgoszcz 1999}) 10... Bg4 11. Be4 $14) 10. O-O Be7 11. a3 (11. Re1 O-O {- 8...e6}) 11... O-O 12. Re1 $142 {- 8...e6} (12. Be3 {The ? is usually passive on e3.} Nd5 (12... Bf6) 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qb1 Bf6 15. Bxc6 Bxc6 16. Bf4 Re8 17. Qd3 Qb6 18. Qd2 Bd7 {½-½ Damaso-A.Fernandes, Portugal 1992})) 9. d4 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 (11. Bxc6 {looks premature.} bxc6 12. Ne5 (12. Re1 c5) 12... Bb7 13. Be3 f6 (13... Nd5)) 11... Bd7 12. a3 {? ?d3, ?c2, ?d3 securing the b4 square.} (12. d5 {leads only to unnecessary exchanges.} Nxd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Qxd5 Be6 $11) 12... Rc8 13. Bd3 Nd5 14. Nxd5 $146 (14. Bc2 $142 $5 {is more in spirit of the isolated ? structure.} Qb6 (14... Re8 15. Qd3 $14) 15. Qd3 (15. Be4 Nf6) 15... g6 16. Bh6 Rfe8 17. Qd2 Bf6 (17... Qxb2 $4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Reb1) 18. Be4 (18. Ba4 $36) 18... Nce7 19. Rac1 Bc6 $14) ({RR} 14. Ne4 Nf6 15. b4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Bf6 17. Qd3 g6 18. Bh6 Re8 19. Rad1 Qc7 20. Ne5 Bg7 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qe3 Nxe5 23. dxe5 Ba4 24. Rc1 Qxe5 25. Bxb7 Qxe3 26. fxe3 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rd8 28. Rc5 Rd7 {Ortiz Suarez,I (2551)-Zierk,S (2505) Greensboro 2019 ½-½ (47)}) 14... exd5 $11 {Now the passive d7 ? becomes active again.} 15. h3 {against ?g4} Bf6 16. b4 Re8 (16... Qb6 17. Be3 Ne7 18. Ne5 Bb5 19. Bc2 $14 {avoiding the exchange of his vital light-squared ?.}) 17. Rxe8+ (17. Be3 a6 $11) 17... Qxe8 18. Bg5 {White exchanges his bad ?, but there is no real hope for an advantage.} (18. Be3 Ne7 {? ?f5 in order to get rid of the "bad" ?.} 19. Ne5 Bf5 20. Ng4 Bxg4 (20... Bxd3 21. Nxf6+) 21. hxg4 h6 22. Qf3 Qd8 23. Re1 Qb6 $11) 18... Bxg5 19. Nxg5 h6 (19... f6 $6 20. Nf3 Qh5 21. Rc1 $14) 20. Nf3 Qd8 21. Rc1 Ne7 22. Rxc8 Qxc8 23. Qe1 Be6 24. b5 1/2-1/2